About the show
Looking Beyond With Michael Sikand is a time capsule for Michael's early years of building his brand, Our Future, through a series of high-energy interviews he conducted with business executives and startup founders as a 20-year-old University of Michigan student. Michael ended up pivoting to becoming a short video content creator and built Our Future into a media company he sold to Morning Brew at age 22. In 2022, Michael was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list in media.
Episodes
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#103 The Social Investing Revolution w/ Michael Warshowsky, Gav Blaxberg, and Ben Kestenbaum, Co-Founders of Wolf Financial
January 29th, 2021 | 15 mins 22 secs
Wall Street is in the midst of revolution. In #103, futurists run the numbers with Drexel University students, Michael Warshowsky, Gav Blaxberg, and Ben Kestenbaum, co-founders of Wolf Financial, a new viral social investing app that's blowing up in the midst of an investment revolution. To give a quick recap, internet cyber bulls have banded together to spite the "man in the suit", making hedge funds bleed on their short positions in companies like GameStop and AMC Theatres, by aggressively buying the stock. All the crazy news you've heard this week comes down to a core fact in that we're seeing millions of everyday investors enter the stock market, and the founders of Wolf are building the one stop shop app for these newly-minted investors to network with eachother and research the best investments. Their core focus is making investment research more digestible, and their app, which you can download now, is an incredible mixture of Twitter and SeekingAlpha! This was a crazy conversation with the founders of what I beleive to be the next big social network. Don't miss out.
Join Wolf Financial: https://apps.apple.com/bz/app/wolf-financial/id1518313068 and follow me @ourfuture_ceo
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#102 Our Future Careers in Entertainment: Matt Ladis, Music Manager & Accountant, Founder of Mad Lettuce
January 27th, 2021 | 17 mins 33 secs
In #102, futurists tune into a conversation with Matt Ladis, who's worked in the music industry since cold-emailing a music executive after he graduated from Michigan and landed his dream job in the industry. As a music business manager and accountant, Matt helps some of the most well-known artists and entertainers manage their finances, and he's currently in the process of launching his own business management company - Mad Lettuce (get it, Matt Ladis)! This is a fantastic episode for anyone looking to tap into the mindset necessary to break into your dream job, especially in an industry like music with notoriously high barriers to entry.
Get in contact with Matt: [email protected]
Book a Meeting with Michael to Get Featured as Listener of the Week: calendly.com/michaelsikand
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#101 Paul English, Co-Founder of KAYAK, Lola.com, GetHuman.com, Moonbeam Podcast Player, on Building Product + Brand
January 25th, 2021 | 18 mins 53 secs
In Episode 101, futurists hear from famed internet entrepreneur and philanthropist, Paul English, who has started more companies than he has fingers to count with. He’s known best for co-founding travel site KAYAK in 2004 which was sold for $1.8 billion dollars in 2012, and he’s also the founder of Lola.com, GetHuman.com, Summits Haiti Education, the BostonWinterWalk.org for Homelessness, and now he’s launching what he aims to be the TikTok for podcasts called Moonbeam Podcast Player, which you can check out at the link below. This is an incredible conversation and Paul is a legend in entrepreneurship, advising you to hone the craft of storytelling in your early venture! I love how he's tech and brand focused, a rare species to come by!
Book a Meeting with Michael to Give Podcast Feedback: calendly.com/michaelsikand
Check Out Moonbeam Podcast Player: https://apps.apple.com/pk/app/moonbeam-podcast-player/id1531348470
Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/
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#100 Michael Sikand, Founder of Our Future, on Building the Next Great Brand
January 22nd, 2021 | 18 mins 41 secs
100 EPISODES!!! In Episode 100, Michael Sikand, Founder & CEO of Our Future, opens up about building the podcast and brand of his dreams, reflects on how he got started, and shares his ambitions to create the next great media brand for his generation. Devanshi Mehta, a sophomore at UCSB and former co-host of Our Future Careers, asks Michael questions about his journey and how Our Future has evolved over the past 8 months into something much larger than a podcast.
Email Michael if you'd like to have a conversation or get involved with Our Future: [email protected]
Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/
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#99 Our Future Careers in Product Management: Phillip Ruffini, Ex-Microsoft PM, Founder of Hacking PM and Fluence
January 21st, 2021 | 15 mins 58 secs
In Episode 99, futurists learn about product management with Phillip Ruffini, whose had an impressive slate of professional experiences in product, beginning in his freshman year when he networked his way into infamous startup Juicero, and later when he became a product management intern at AB inBev's startup accelerator–ZX ventures. After graduating from the University of Michigan, Phillip became a Program Manager at Microsoft, (Microsoft's version of a Product Manager), where he's worked on some awesome projects for the past 1.5 years. Recently leaving Microsoft, Phillip is going his own way with the launch of his newest startup, Fluence, which helps consumer brands turn their loyalists into sales machines. This was an awesome conversation and Phillip shared some powerful insights and advice.
Email me [email protected] with a resume if interested in today's internship opportunity.
Connect with Phillip on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipruffini/
Check out his new company: https://tryfluence.com/
Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/
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#98 Marcy Daniel, Chief Product Officer at PowerSchool, on Seamless Integration
January 19th, 2021 | 15 mins 50 secs
In Episode 98, futurists are joined by guest co-host Sia Anand, Head of Communications for Our Future, to learn from Marcy Daniel, Chief Product Officer at multi-billion dollar education tech company, PowerSchool, which serves over 45 million students across a powerful suite of services, one of which you might have used in grade school: Schoology. In this episode, you'll learn what it means to be a Chief Product Officer and the lens on business you need to take to be a fantastic product manager, as well as how seamless integration is key to facilitating successful learning experiences and education management. Further, we touch on the future of education, breaking down the silver lining of the remote paradigm, in addition to the challenges that remain for remote learning.
Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/
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#97 SPECIAL: Our Future in Aviation with Chad Sparks, Director of Strategic Campaigns & Business Development at Bell Helicopter
January 14th, 2021 | 16 mins 35 secs
In Episode 97, listeners learn about the future of aviation and vertical lift mobility with Chad Sparks, Director of Strategic Campaigns & Business Development at Bell Helicopter. Bell is the world's leading manafacturer of military and civilian rotorcraft, and the company rose to prominence when the Bell X-1 fighter jet was the first plane to break the sound barrier, and again when the company's famous "Huey" helicopter changed the nature of battle forever during the Vietnam War. In this fascinating episode, you'll learn about how Bell is developing cutting-edge vehicles that stand to change both the military and the business world, through novel designs and autonomous technology, including the V-280, which is a hybrid between an airplane and a helicopter (pictured on the cover). You will also learn how flight will make its way into mainstream mobility, and the challenges holding us back from hailing a helicopter air taxi on our phone. This conversation was incredibly intellectually stimulating, and Chad also provided some world-class career advice that was some of the best I've heard on the podcast.
Check out Bell's insane roster of aircraft: https://www.bellflight.com/
Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/
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#96 Our Future Careers in Finance: Landon Klausing, Former Private Equity Analyst at Blackford Capital and Incoming Equity Research Analyst Intern at Manning and Napier
January 13th, 2021 | 16 mins 30 secs
In Episode 96, futurists run up the numbers with Landon Klausing, a junior at Grand Valley State University in Michigan and an Incoming Equity Research Analyst Intern at Manning and Napier. In addition to being the President of GVSU's premier investment club, Seidman IPO (150K AUM), he has landed several impressive internships including one at boutique investing firm Blackford Capital (full-year internship) and Plante Moran (Summer 2020), which is one of the largest financial services firms in the country. Landon is driven, sharp as hell, and leads a team of absolute stock sharks at GVSU, and I really enjoyed tapping into his perspective as a finance recruit from a non-target school, since many of the students we've featured on the careers series attend "target schools". It was fun creating a few TikToks too with Landon, where he provides his book recommendations and pitches me a stock (Allibaba), so check us out on TikTok and tap us out a follow. In this short, sweet, and entertaining conversation, Landon gives us an update on the markets, runs us through Seidman's investment portfolio, provides his advice for aspiring financial professionals, and defines what the heck "equity research" is.
Connect with Landon on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/landon-klausing/
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#95 David Rubin, CMO of The New York Times, on Marketing the Truth
January 11th, 2021 | 17 mins 54 secs
In Episode 95, futurists hear from David Rubin, CMO of The New York Times, about how he went from history major at Yale to working on Unilever's Axe brand to leading the marketing machine at one of the media industry's most respected and prestigious brands. He discusses the evolution of the journalism business, why he views his job as creating a new category, lays out a vision for the NYT being the "Netflix of Truth", and his career advice to young professionals who are plotting their mark on the business world. It's never been more important to invest in quality journalism that exposes the truth, especially as we see our democracy threatened by the outgoing administration. I view David's job as not only exciting and fascinating, but extremely important. If you're a young person, there's a high chance your college or university provides you a free subscription to The New York Times, and if not you can get a digital subscription for as little as $2.00 a week.
Get a student subscription to the NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/subscription/education/student?campaignId=6WYWY
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#94 Jordan Friedman, Fintech Entrepreneur, Founder of Zodaka, Youngest Member of Forbes Finance Council, on Jumping into the Fire
January 8th, 2021 | 13 mins
In Episode 94, futurists hear from 24-year-old entrepreneur Jordan Friedman, who dropped out of UCSB after two quarters to start an innovative fintech company called Zodaka to serve the wild west of the cannabis industry. Jordan invented a payment process that brought a greater degree of credibility to e-commerce cannabis transactions, and his contributions for high-risk banking earned him the accolade of being the youngest member on the Forbes Finance Council. Since licensing Zodaka's tech out to another company, Jordan is plotting his next disruption of the financial system, and he's officially launching a B2B payments software company in the coming weeks. I can't voice how much I've enjoyed getting to know Jordan, and his advice has been invaluable as I ramp up operations at Our Future to go from podcast to media brand. He's truly a friend, an ally, and a mentor for life, and this in-person episode was a blast.
Connect with Jordy on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-friedman-237980139/
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#93 Our Future Careers in Real Estate: Will Conway, Former Intern at GLP, Northwind Group, and Incoming Real Estate Capital Advisory Summer Analyst at Evercore
January 6th, 2021 | 16 mins
In Episode 93, futurists lock in with Will Conway, a student at the University of Michigan, a 2x intern in Real Estate Private Equity, and an Incoming Summer Analyst on Evercore's Real Estate team. Will has always been extremely passionate about the real estate industry, growing up in Brazil from age 12 and watching how developments transformed communities in tangible ways. I've always been blown away by Will's ambition, drive, and wildly cool personality, and he's invested himself deeply in the real estate industry for the past several years, recently securing his dream internship at Evercore this summer on their RE team. In this interview, Will dives into cold-emailing executives and best practices for networking as a young person, the difference between the banking side of Real Estate versus the Private Equity side, and how he landed his top choice of internship.
Connect with Will on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-conway-626900174/ or email him [email protected]!
Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for internship recruiting resources and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/
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#92 Andrew Sutherland, Founder & CTO of Quizlet, on Building for the User
January 4th, 2021 | 19 mins 36 secs
In Episode 92, futurists get access to the mind of education technology entrepreneur, Andrew Sutherland, the Founder & CTO of Quizlet, the free online study platform that revolutionized the way students prepare for exams. Andrew started the company at age 15, when his French teacher made him memorize the names of over a hundred animals, and he still runs the business today! The startup story of Quizlet is one of building something great that people love to use, and then iterating and expanding over time, which was a guiding principle when tech companies were popping up in the mid-2000's. As a long-time user of Quizlet, it was a real honor to chat with Andrew, and I had a blast running through the narrative of a great company and an awesome founder.
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#91 Jackson Riegler, Founder of Oshki, on Environmental Entrepreneurship
January 2nd, 2021 | 18 mins 35 secs
In Episode 91, futurists learn from Jackson Riegler, a fellow student at the University of Michigan and 20-year old founder of sustainable clothing brand Oshki (meaning "fresh" in Native American Ojibwe). Jackson has always been passionate about protecting the Great Lakes, and when he realized how environmentally destructive the fashion industry was, he endeavored to create a business turning plastic waste from U.S. waterways into stylish, durable apparel. I was lucky enough to meet Jackson in my freshman orientation at UMich and it's been inspiring to watch him scale his vision for sustainability and business.
Check out Oshki's website: https://oshki.us/?variant=31257798148229
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#90 Our Future Careers in Finance: Dylan Hopen, Incoming Investment Banking Summer Analyst at Cowen
December 31st, 2020 | 15 mins 15 secs
In Episode 90, futurists hear from Dylan Hopen, a student at the University of Michigan and an Incoming Investment Banking Summer Analyst at Cowen, a leading Investment Bank that is known for its disruptive outlook, having invested early on in Amazon.com, pushing some of the first financial research on the Cannabis industry, and leading Nikola's SPAC merger. Dylan tells us why he's excited to be working in IB, how he began the networking process, the resources and strategies he used to prepare for technical interviews, the importance of a personal story, and his advice to other students considering a career in banking.
Connect with Dylan on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-hopen-22752a134/ or email him at [email protected].
Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for more career advice and insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/
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#89 Ari Elkins, TikTok Star & Gen Z Music Curator on the Future of Music Journalism
December 30th, 2020 | 19 mins 5 secs
In Episode 89, listeners hear from Ari Elkins, TikTok Star, Gen Z Music Curator, and one of my first friends at the University of Michigan. When his music internship got cancelled in the wake of COVID-19, Ari dropped a TikTok video highlighting the "songs you miss most from your frat basement" which instantly went viral. Since that first clip, Ari has grown his TikTok audience to over 500K and has collaborated with brands like GrubHub, Uber, and Tilly's. He was also recently featured in a Rolling Stone piece highlighting the future of music journalism, and he's committed to providing a new way for both young people to discover new music, and for new artists to get discovered.
Follow Ari on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arijelkins/?hl=en
Follow his TikTok @arijelkins
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#88 Greg Sullivan, Director of Microsoft Mixed Reality on the Intersection of Physical and Digital
December 28th, 2020 | 19 mins 46 secs
In Episode 88 and the official YouTube launch of Our Future, I sit down with Greg Sullivan, Director of Mixed Reality at Microsoft, who throws on the HoloLens 2 to show off Microsoft's cutting edge virtual reality tech as he analyzes a wind farm and interacts with various objects so be sure to check out the YouTube below. In addition to the live demo, we discuss how Microsoft sees AR/VR as part of the same continuum, choosing to term their tech under "mixed reality", when VR will become mainstream at the consumer level, and Greg's career advice to young people looking to make an impact on Our Future.
WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shzbC6o7Q18&feature=youtu.be
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