Latest Interviews
Showing 331–345 of 1,615 transcripts.
Clear all filtersQ-Commerce in Emerging Markets with the CEOs of Airlift, JOKR, & Zepto | 20VC #892
Usman Gul, Ralf Wenzel, Aadit Palicha
Executives from Airlift, Joker, and Zepto outlined how quick-commerce ventures in emerging markets leverage high population density and lower labor costs to achieve profitability faster than Western counterparts. These companies are pivoting from pure delivery models to vertically integrated operations that control supply chains, optimize unit economics through reduced wastage, and generate significant revenue via proprietary advertising platforms. By capitalizing on local ad-hoc purchasing habits and navigating unique infrastructure challenges, the sector is transitioning toward "e-commerce 3.0" with a focus on free cash flow generation rather than capital-intensive growth.
- Milken Institute1h 6m
Creating Community Wealth and New Revenue: Public Assets Workshop
Matt Horton, Ben McAdams, Dina Blaes, Jason Foster, Shayne Kavanagh, Joe Minicozzi, Dan Tangherlini, Natalie Cohen
The Milken Institute Center for Regional Economics convened a public finance forum where panelists including former Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams and Urban Planner Joe Minicozzi argued for "Urban Wealth Funds" to transform underutilized public assets into revenue generators that reduce reliance on regressive tax bases. While the session highlighted a Salt Lake County study revealing $12 billion in potential transit-corridor value, speakers like Dina Blaze and Dan Tangerlini emphasized that equitable implementation requires overcoming political barriers and establishing community equity endowments to prevent resident displacement. Experts concluded that local governments must adopt proactive asset valuation and flexible governance structures to legally function as corporate-like entities that capture public wealth for direct community reinvestment.
- Milken Institute1h 9m
Deep Dive: Deployment of High Demand Community Infrastructure Projects
Dan Carol, Bryan Borlik, Rachel Halfaker, Donnel Baird, Rob Day, Bill Lee, Patrick Meyers, Michelle Moore, Matt Petersen, David Guilford, Adam Fried, Robbie Jones
The Economic Development Administration awarded a grant to the Milken Institute and RCAP to launch a pre-development training accelerator designed to equip rural and underserved communities with the technical capacity to make infrastructure projects shovel-ready. A diverse panel of experts including representatives from the Trust for Public Lands, Groundswell, and Spring Lane Capital highlighted the critical need for zero-percent match requirements, community-paid participation stipends, and granular data targeting to overcome traditional grant-writing barriers. These initiatives aim to transform one-time federal funding into sustainable local wealth by pairing financial capital with technical assistance to scale projects ranging from broadband and green infrastructure to urban decarbonization.
- Milken Institute58 min
Antibiotic Resistance and Chronic Disease: Understanding the Challenges and Some Possible Solutions
Amanda Jezek, Jonathan Daniels, David Greenberg, Thomas Heyman, Kathy Talkington, Mark Williams, Tom Heyman
Hosted by Faster Cures in partnership with the Infectious Disease Society of America and other key organizations, this webinar examined the critical market failure hindering new antibiotic development and highlighted its severe impact on cancer, cystic fibrosis, and transplant patients. Panelists presented data showing thousands of annual deaths from antimicrobial resistance while advocating for the "Pasteur Act," a policy designed to de-link financial rewards from sales volume to incentivize the creation of novel drugs for critical pathogens. The event concluded by urging stakeholders to share personal stories and sign a letter to Congress to drive legislative action and secure funding for both antibiotic stewardship and research.
- Milken Institute1h 26m
Equity in Infrastructure Development: The Digital Divide
Jackie Botts, Michael P. Anderson, Carolyn McIntyre, Sunne McPeak, Alexandra Rosen, David Lesher, Matt Horton
Co-hosted by CalMatters and the Milken Institute, a recent forum examined the critical role of high-speed broadband in addressing California's digital divide and promoting workforce equity. The discussion highlighted that while the state approved a $6 billion investment package to fund middle-mile infrastructure and last-mile expansion, significant barriers including high costs, digital literacy gaps, and inefficient permitting processes continue to hinder access for 2 million disadvantaged households. Experts emphasized that achieving true connectivity requires a hybrid approach combining fiber and wireless solutions, alongside public-private partnerships and targeted outreach to communities skeptical of traditional internet service providers.
- Milken Institute1h 30m
California: The Post-COVID Future of Work
Jackie Botts, Sarah Bohn, Rob Lapsley, David Lesher, Matt Horton, Aleida Ramirez, Lorena Gonzalez
Co-hosted by CalMatters and the Milken Institute's California Center, this panel examined how California's post-pandemic economic recovery is exacerbating racial and income inequalities despite a $75.7 billion budget surplus. Moderator Jackie Botts facilitated discussions among policymakers like Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, who advocated for treating child care as public infrastructure, reforming the EDD to prevent fraud, and prioritizing trade apprenticeships over traditional college degrees. The event concluded with a consensus on structural reforms for 2030, including unionized service-sector wages, expanded safety nets, and legislative changes to support remote work and essential workers who cannot telecommute.
- Milken Institute1h 2m
Lessons Learned from COVID-19: Are There Silver Linings for Biomedical Innovation?
Esther Krofah, Francis Collins, Richard Moscicki, Ellen Sigal, Janet Woodcock
Hosted by Faster Cures, a webinar convened NIH officials and industry leaders to analyze the COVID-19 pandemic's acceleration of biomedical innovation, highlighting achievements such as the ACTIV partnership's master protocols and the RADx initiative's diagnostic scaling. The discussion detailed how the crisis forced a shift toward competitive collaboration, decentralized trials, and the successful achievement of diverse vaccine trial enrollment, while simultaneously exposing critical infrastructure gaps in clinical trial execution and real-world data integration. Panelists concluded with a consensus that emergency-driven reforms must be institutionalized through permanent policy changes and public-private partnerships to sustain preparedness for future health threats.
- Milken Institute1h 1m
Walking the Talk: Investing in the Future of Black Banks, Entrepreneurship, and Opportunity
Eugene Cornelius, Jr, Henry Childs II, Emanuel Friedman, Tracy Gray, Joseph Haskins, Jr., Aron Betru
This panel examines the systemic barriers preventing Black entrepreneurs from accessing capital and reveals that closing the racial wealth gap could unlock $1.6 trillion in US economic potential. Experts advocate for a strategic shift from traditional inclusion to innovation by leveraging $9 billion in government-funded preferred stock to mobilize $90 billion in community lending and aggregating pension capital for diverse asset managers. The discussion concludes with a call to build a self-sustaining minority economy driven by global export opportunities, artificial intelligence, and direct financing models rather than reliance on historically exclusionary systems.
- Milken Institute1h 2m
The Next Decade: How to Manage Disruption
Scarlet Fu, Beth Ferreira, Gregg Lemkau, Brian Sheth, Chris Stadler
Leading investment experts discuss how the pandemic has accelerated the commoditization of technology and triggered a 28-year high rate of operational disruption, forcing a permanent shift toward hybrid work models and virtual deal-making. The panel highlights unprecedented capital deployment creating a valuation barbell that distorts traditional buying opportunities, while specific sectors like biotech, digital health, and software modernization drive innovation amidst concerns over social cohesion and inequality. Future market dynamics are expected to evolve into a hybrid public exit strategy combining IPOs, SPACs, and direct listings, with management resiliency and ESG integration serving as the primary metrics for long-term investment viability.
- Milken Institute1h 1m
From Social Pariah to Social Fabric: What Is the Future of Digital Media?
Willow Bay, Hani Farid, Tristan Harris, Karen Kornbluth, Niloufar Razihau
Leading experts and policymakers convened to analyze how social media business models monetize engagement and polarization, creating systemic risks that current voluntary safety measures fail to address. The panel proposed urgent regulatory reforms including independent algorithmic audits, "board of the people" structures, and temporary election "circuit breakers" to mitigate disinformation and protect democratic processes. By treating the attention economy like the financial sector requiring oversight, the discussion concluded that proactive legal frameworks and a cultural shift toward digital literacy are essential to prevent societal collapse.
- Milken Institute1h 0m
Finance as a Force for Good
Ben White, Kate Barton, Mark Machin, Jeffrey M. Solomon, Andrew Weinberg
Panelists discuss a widening divergence between ebullient financial markets and weak economic fundamentals, driven by $27 trillion in global fiscal stimulus that is largely diverting into asset reflation rather than immediate consumption. The discussion highlights how regulatory shifts toward revenue generation and carbon pricing, alongside the rise of family offices integrating sustainability values, aim to redirect capital toward real economy growth and climate innovation. Experts emphasize that future stability requires pivoting from financial engineering to investing in people and middle-market firms while consolidating fragmented ESG reporting to ensure long-term value creation.
- Milken Institute1h 17m
Part 1: A Conversation with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy
Phil Murphy, Edward Greissing, Lynn Goldman, Judith Monroe, David Rhew, Alyssa Rieder
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy detailed the state's data-driven pandemic response, highlighting the establishment of a massive PPE stockpile, the training of surge healthcare workers, and the creation of a $100 million relief fund for small businesses. Alongside First Lady Tammy Murphy, the administration launched the "Nurture NJ" initiative to address systemic disparities in Black maternal infant mortality while advocating for a strengthened national public health infrastructure and increased federal investment in the CDC and NIH. The broader panel emphasized that future preparedness requires modernizing data infrastructure, closing the digital divide, and implementing a holistic strategy that integrates health equity into all policy decisions to prevent a return to pre-pandemic inequities.
- Milken Institute1h 0m
Are You Willing to Give Up Your Privilege?
Richard Ditizio, Sarah Kate Ellis, Daniel Markovits, Darren Walker, Felicia Wong
A panel of economists, philanthropists, and advocates argues that systemic inequality stems from unaddressed privilege and a rigged meritocracy, highlighting vast wealth gaps and institutional subsidies that favor elite sectors over public institutions. Speakers propose structural interventions including treating broadband as a public utility, mandating diverse corporate governance, and reforming tax exemptions to redistribute resources toward marginalized communities. The group concludes that overcoming this modern caste system requires maintaining political discomfort to forge coalitions capable of unlocking trillions in economic potential while dismantling the barriers that entrench hierarchy.
- Milken Institute1h 2m
Bridge and Blend: The Role of DFIs in Scaling Sustainable Financing
Alison Harwood, Amit Bouri, Joan Larrea, Nancy Lee, Monish Mahurkar
With the annual financing gap for Sustainable Development Goals in emerging markets estimated at $2.5 trillion, development finance institutions face critical challenges in mobilizing the necessary private capital due to institutional constraints and a historical overconcentration in middle-income regions. To address this disparity, organizations like the International Finance Corporation are shifting strategies by targeting low-income countries with specialized "stretch funds" that absorb early-stage risks and harmonizing global impact metrics to streamline complex deals. Experts emphasize that achieving the 2030 deadlines requires immediate structural reform to transform concessional finance into scalable market infrastructure rather than relying solely on bespoke transactions.
- Milken Institute1h 0m
Beyond Financials: The Importance of ESG
Billy Nauman, Daniel Barclay, Pierre Breber, Lori Heinel, Lydie Hudson
Executives from Chevron, BMO Capital Markets, State Street, and Credit Suisse convened at the Milken Institute Global Conference to advocate for an "and" world where financial returns and ESG standards are mutually required. Participants argued that divestment is less effective than strategic engagement and incentive-based financing, with leaders like Pierre Breber defending high-return fossil fuel operations and Laurie Heinel emphasizing the materiality of ESG risks to long-term shareholder value. The panel concluded that despite global regulatory fragmentation and rating inconsistencies, the convergence of values and value is inevitable, positioning sustainable performance as a primary driver of capital allocation and cost of capital in a post-pandemic economy.