MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference – LOB 114



Your game tickets are worthless. There are no games to watch. The entire sports world is on hold…but that doesn’t mean no one is talking about it. The Language of Business goes to the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston to meet three teams on the Startup Competition. And one of them winds up a winner!

Host Greg Stoller talks with Jonathan Day, CEO and Founder of Uncaged Sports, an app that can improve your batting stance and swing and your pitching mechanics; Laila Zemrani, CEO of Fitnesity, developers of at-home health diagnostics and checkups; Quinton Porter, former Quarterback at Boston College and US Manager of Pico-Get Personal, an international company that can turn an anonymous fan into a P-1 customer; Jason Rehhaut, MIT MBA candidate and Co-lead Organizer of the Co-Lead Organizer of the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference.


Greg Stoller, Host


Jonathan Day, CEO, Uncaged Sports


Laila Zemrani, CEO Fitnescity


Quinton Porter, US Manager, Pico-Get Personal


Jason Rehhaut, Co-lead for SSAC

Support for The Language of Business is from Boston University Questrom School of Business.

 


Restaurant job posting app about to be overwhelmed? – LOB 113



Tony Liu has an award-winning app called JobGet that specializes in jobs in the retail and restaurant space. In the last 6 months he won $100,000 from MassChallenge and $250,000 in the MIT Inclusive Innovation Competition. But the retail and restaurants have been hammered by Covid-19 closings.

The Language of Business first met with Tony at the MassChallenge 2019 Cohort kickoff in July, then again after his two awards last fall. Now Host Greg Stoller revisits Tony (via Zoom for social distancing) to learn how his recruitment app has been affected.


Host Greg Stoller


Tony Liu, Co-Founder of JobGet

 


You can’t pay your employees or pay your rent. What will the landlord do? – LOB 112



Covid-19 has forced you to close your business. You can’t pay your employees and you can’t pay our rent. You can’t even go into the office. You are strapped. What will your landlord do to help?

The Language of Business visits Washington DC to talk with a commercial real estate broker who wants to try to smooth things. Host Greg Stoller talks with Mike Goldman, President of MGA Inc about ways to handle it and keep your business.


Host Greg Stoller


Mike Goldman, MGA Corp.

 


Challenges of international startups – LOB 111



You’re an entrepreneur from Brazil running a Brazilian food truck. Where you find investors? In the US…or Brazil? A very successful kid’s clothing company in Japan wants to make inroads to the US market. But they have a name problem. They’re called Miki House…but they have no connection to Disney. Will American consumers understand that?

The Language of Business looks at the challenges of international startups. Host Greg Stoller talks with Rodolfo Penna, an entrepreneur from Brazil running two startups while studying for his MBA. And we travel to New York City to meet with Yoshi Takeda, President of Miki House USA, a division of the Japanese children’s clothing giant.


Greg Stoller with Rodolfo Penna


Yoshi Takeda with Greg Stoller

 


Psychodrama…helping young people deal – LOB 110




Psychodrama at Lesley University

How a college professor teaching psychodrama helps psychiatrists. And how an attorney switched gears studied psychodrama and started a company that helps young people deal.

The Language of Business travels to Lesley University in Cambridge to learn about teaching psychodrama with Ed Schreiber. Then we head to Needham, Mass and hear how Carol Bass quit her job as an attorney, studied psychodrama with Dr. Ed Schreiber and started Social Dynamix to help young people deal with social issues.


Dr. Ed Schreiber and Host Greg Stoller.


Social Dynamix founder Carol Bass and Host Greg Stoller.

 


Helping people with autism graduate, go to college and get a job – LOB 109



85% of people with autism are unemployed. But an organization on the South Coast of Massachusetts is doing something about it. The Language of Business travels to Fall River to learn about the Spectrum Empowerment Project, where young people with Autism can learn karate, develop theatre skills and participate in Youth Musical Theatre Group productions such as “Annie,” earn a college certificate from the Bristol Community College Gottschall Access Program and get a job designing and making custom t-shirts, banners and logos. Host Greg Stoller talks with co-founders Pamela Ferro and Donald Lambert about the non-profit and for-profit arms of the organization and how they can train and eventually hire people with autism.


Host Gregory Stoller


Spectrum Empowerment Project co-founders Pamela Ferro and Donald Lambert.
Photo credit: Fall River Herald News.

 


Whistleblowers and con men – LOB 108



In Part 2 of The Language of Business look at lying and cheating in business host Greg Stoller talks with litigation attorney Bruce Singal, legal expert on con men and whistleblowing. Then author Elaine Eisenman has insights into how to protect yourself if you’re a victim of betrayal in her new book “Betrayed  – A Survivor’s Guide.”


Host Greg Stoller


Attorney Bruce Singal


“Betrayed” author Elaine Eisenman

 


2019 MassChallenge Awards – LOB 107



The Language of Business went to the MassChallenge 2019 Cohort opening showcase in July. Host Greg Stoller spoke with MassChallenge Boston Managing Director Cait Reimers Brumme about the 2019 cohort competition. MassChallenge Boston awards over $1,000,000 to deserving startups.


Host Greg Stoller with Managing Director Cait Reimers Brumme

Then we chose three teams at random to hear their initial pitch. Last week we went back for the MassChallenge Boston 2019 Awards to see how they did. It turned out that we picked a winner.

A $50,000 Gold Award winner was JobGet and we did a follow up interview with CEO Tony Liu about the whole experience and plans moving forward.


JobGet CEO Tony Liu

Our sponsor is Boston University Questrom School of Business

 


Cannabusiness Part Two – LOB 106



A Private Equity investor decides the place to invest is in cannabis. So they open a dispensary in Rhode Island and we’ll check it out. Then we go to the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission to get the legal lowdown from the guy in the corner office.

In Part 2 of The Language of Business look at “cannabuinesss”…host Greg Stoller talks with Jeremy Bromberg, COO of CanWell LLC and Steven Hoffman, Chairman of the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission.


Host Greg Stoller


Jeremy Bromberg, COO, CanWell LLC


Steven Hoffman, Chairman, Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission

 


Yes we can cannabis – LOB 105




You have a license for a cannabis dispensary. What did that take? What do you do with it? How do your customers know your product is safe?

The Language of Business takes a toke on the cannabis business. The cannibusiness?? In part one of this two-part episode, Host Greg Stoller talks with Mark Zatyrka, CEO of INSA Marijuana Dispensary and Marion McNabb, CEO of C3RN Cannabis Community Care and Research Network.


Host Greg Stoller


Mark Zatyrka, CEO, INSA


Marion McNabb, CEO, Cannabis Community Care Research Network