Latest Interviews
Showing 391–405 of 1,089 transcripts.
Clear all filters- Milken Institute1h 31m
Small Business Community: What Happened to Mom and Pop?
Nigel Duara, Lenore Estrada, Isabella Casillas Guzman, Eugene Cornelius, Jr., Carolina Martinez, Mark J. Robertson, Sr., David Lesher
Co-hosted by CalMatters and the Milken Institute, this strategic discussion examined the critical recovery challenges facing California's four million small businesses with special attention to the stark disparities affecting communities of color and women-owned enterprises. Featuring newly appointed SBA Director Isabella Casillas Guzman, the event analyzed how the agency's portfolio expansion to over $1 trillion was initially skewed by banking biases, prompting a pivot toward a "Five C's" framework that prioritizes coaching, diverse capital, and community navigation to address exclusion. Looking forward, the SBA is repositioning to connect small businesses with the $500 billion federal infrastructure marketplace while implementing a $100 million Community Navigator pilot to streamline access for underserved entrepreneurs.
- 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 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 7m
Technology and the Opening of Trade
Eugene Cornelius, Marianne Jason, Mary Yang, Kevin Smith-Ramos, Fred Hogberg
A panel of experts from the OECD, Canada, Mexico, and the US Ex-Im Bank emphasized that modernizing trade agreements like USMCA and reforming the WTO are critical to helping SMEs overcome financing barriers and digital divides. The discussion highlighted a divergence in national strategies, contrasting the US's fragmented agency approach with Canada's consolidated model while stressing the need for domestic policies to bolster workforce readiness alongside international market access. Ultimately, participants agreed that sustainable global growth requires addressing social inequities and leveraging digital tools to democratize trade participation for smaller enterprises and developing economies.
- Milken Institute1h 8m
The Credit Recovery: Uneven, Unequal, Uncertain?
Mike Divavar, Bill Friend-Carrstairs, Leslie Cowan, Joe Nagar, Jim Zelter
Panelists from Fortress, GoldenTree, Apollo, and Varday outline a K-shaped credit recovery driven by deep dislocations between equity valuations and distressed debt spreads across sectors like aviation, energy, and commercial real estate. These institutional investors are leveraging specialized infrastructure to acquire undervalued assets in emerging markets and structured credit, targeting high returns while navigating central bank dependency and the risks posed by zombie companies. The consensus projects a multi-year reconstruction phase where private credit expansion and complex asset management strategies will capture significant market share as traditional markets transition from liquidity crises to solvency challenges.
- Milken Institute1h 8m
The Impact Revolution: From Sustainable Development Goals to Solutions
Glenn, Sir Ronald Cohen, Eugene Kendall, Bhaskar, Alex Wayne
Facing a $2.5 trillion annual financing gap and a global economic contraction caused by the pandemic, experts at this event proposed leveraging impact-weighted accounting and blended finance to mobilize the estimated $32 trillion in private capital required for the Sustainable Development Goals. Leaders including Sir Ronald Cohen and representatives from the Syngenta Foundation detailed strategies to quantify corporate social and environmental costs through Harvard Business School's Impact Weighted Accounts while scaling smallholder agriculture via the Agripreneur model and digital de-risking tools. The consensus emerged that governments must mandate impact transparency to bridge the financing divide, aligning the "triple helix" of risk, reward, and impact to transform profit and purpose from mutually exclusive goals into a unified growth engine.
- Milken Institute1h 7m
Africa: Economic Recovery and Transformation
Raj Kumar, Aruma Ote, Paula Ngabiri, Vivian Nwaka
Moderated by DevEx President Raj Kumar at the Milken Institute Global Conference, a panel of African leaders and financiers including former World Bank official Arumna Ote and Rwanda's Minister Paula Ngabiri analyzed the continent's post-pandemic economic trajectory. The discussion highlighted Africa's demographic potential and the urgent need to boost intra-continental trade through the AfCFTA while addressing a critical $130 billion annual funding gap exacerbated by investor risk perception and inadequate fiscal stimulus. Panellists proposed a strategic shift toward blended finance, agile regulatory frameworks for sectors like health tech and agribusiness, and data-driven governance to attract private capital and foster inclusive growth for the projected 2.3 billion population.
- Milken Institute12 min
The Future of Market Structure
Kym Arnone, Rick McVey, Annette Nazareth, Aine O'Flynn, Jared Carney, Anya O'Flynn
Moderated by Lightdale CEO Jared Carney, the 2020 Milken Institute Global Conference "Future of Market Structure" panel featured SEC former commissioner Annette Nazareth, BMO Capital Markets' Anya O'Flynn, and Market Access CEO Rick McVeigh to analyze market dynamics during the pandemic. Nazareth highlighted the unexpected robustness of U.S. markets and a surge in retail participation, while McVeigh addressed the paradox of uneven liquidity creation across global fixed income sectors. Together, these leaders evaluated how technology and regulation interacted to maintain investor confidence despite significant economic disruption.
- Milken Institute1h 15m
A Season of Playoffs: Redefining Sports in Challenging Times
Linda, Todd Boley, Chris Paul, Kim Tagula, Richard Sherman
During the 2020 season, prominent athletes and leagues like the NBA, WNBA, and MLS shifted from a traditionally apolitical stance to active social justice advocacy, utilizing platforms such as the Orlando bubble and player-initiated jersey messages to address systemic racism following high-profile incidents involving Black Lives Matter. Concurrently, the sports industry navigated severe economic disruptions caused by the pandemic, which forced salary cap reductions, operational volatility, and a reevaluation of revenue streams while simultaneously sparking increased fan engagement and voter registration initiatives. Experts project a recovery by 2022 driven by scalable testing protocols and a renewed focus on community connection, with organizations prioritizing long-term financial literacy and diversity funding over short-term profit to sustain the sector.
- Milken Institute1h 18m
Part 1: A Conversation with Steve Case | Part 2: New Entrepreneurs for a New Economy
Steve Case, Dan Premack, Nick Green, Jeanette, Irene, Ibrahim Ajami
Steve Case and a diverse panel of executives from companies like Thrive Market and AirAsia Digital convened to analyze the permanent shift of venture capital toward regional hubs and the integration of the internet into legacy sectors like healthcare and logistics. The discussion highlighted how remote work, accelerated pandemic trends, and a strategic pivot from pure travel to digital ecosystems are reshaping investment strategies, with leaders emphasizing sustainability, operational agility, and a "flight to quality" in the SPAC market. Key outcomes included the identification of a "Third Wave" of internet innovation where domain expertise in the Midwest and Southeast offers competitive advantages, alongside a renewed focus on closing diversity gaps and supporting Black founders through targeted partnerships.
- Milken Institute1h 2m
In Search for a Cure: Are We Nearing a Treatment for COVID-19?
Esther Kofa, Meg Terrell, Dr. Tony Fauci, Albert Bourla
The Milken Institute Summer Series concluded by analyzing the U.S. resurgence of COVID-19 infections and the global development of nearly 250 treatment compounds, featuring critical insights from Dr. Anthony Fauci and Pfizer CEO Dr. Albert Bourla. Dr. Fauci warned of severe fall surges driven by behavioral shifts while outlining a vaccine timeline with Phase III trials expected to begin in July, whereas Dr. Bourla detailed Pfizer's autonomous mRNA strategy aiming for safety and efficacy data by September. As the organization prepares its 23rd Global Conference for a likely online format in October, these discussions underscored the urgent need for robust public health protocols alongside rapid medical solutions.
- Milken Institute34 min
A Conversation with Strive Masiyiwa and Michael Milken
Strive Masiyiwa, Michael Milken
With Africa's population projected to reach 4 billion by 2100 and 12 million young entrants joining the workforce annually, the continent faces a critical imperative to modernize its fragmented economy and address high unemployment rates like the 29% in South Africa. Global tech giants and investors are capitalizing on unique innovations such as mobile money and blockchain to unify 54 currencies, while infrastructure projects connect the continent from Cape Town to Cairo alongside rapid 5G deployment. Strategic partnerships led by figures like Strive Maseiwa aim to train government leaders and expand private enterprise networks, positioning Africa as a primary future market despite capital shortages and the need to replace nearly 500 million traditional jobs.
- Milken Institute25 min
Mic'd Up - Part 1: Public Health Response to Coronavirus
This expert panel discusses the emerging COVID-19 outbreak, noting its official WHO naming to prevent stigmatization, approximately 45,000 confirmed cases primarily in China, and the critical lack of international access due to data transparency concerns. Speakers analyze divergent future scenarios ranging from endemic circulation to a global pandemic with a 2% fatality rate, while critiquing delayed WHO leadership and insufficient vaccine development timelines that may exceed a year. The discussion further addresses necessary public health strategies, including social distancing over universal masking, the economic risks of draconian travel restrictions, and the urgent need for rapid diagnostic deployment amid funding cycles that previously hampered preparedness.
- Milken Institute38 min
Lunch Program - Part 1: Well Being in the Digital Era
Deepak Chopra, Paris Hilton, Louise Tabbiner
Milken Institute CEO Michael Clowden hosted a dialogue between physician Deepak Chopra and Paris Hilton that examined the intersection of personal storytelling, social media archetypes, and modern well-being. The conversation explored how Hilton leveraged her television persona to build a multi-billion dollar empire while Chopra advocated for a philosophy of success rooted in inner purpose rather than traditional ambition. The session concluded with Chopra guiding the audience through a meditation framework designed to enhance self-awareness and manage stress through specific breathing techniques and reflective inquiry.
- Milken Institute59 min
Venture Capital: The Rise of the Rest
Fahad AlSharekh, Ibrahim Ajami, Avi Eyal, Sarah Kunst, Jack Selby, Pule Taukobong
Leading venture capitalists from the Middle East and Africa, including representatives from Mubadala, Entree Capital, and Teal Capital, discuss a surge in regional capital inflows and the shift toward deep-tech sectors like AI and semiconductors. Despite persistent talent shortages and infrastructure gaps, panelists identify emerging local funds as critical gatekeepers that will validate startups before attracting tier-one international follow-on capital. Strategic partnerships are forming to foster founder-centric cultures and build indigenous expertise, positioning these frontier markets for potential growth that may soon outpace traditional U.S. and European hubs.