Leading Through Delta, And Offering Second Chances: CEOs of Eventbrite, Upsolve, Talend +More

Julia Hartz of Eventbrite, Rohan Pavuluri of Upsolve, Christal Bemont of Talend

I was on vacation last week, so the newsletter is a little off-schedule. I’m making myself OK with it. Even though it’s labeled daily, it isn’t, quite; there’s just one weekend edition, and I’ve found it’s best to skip Thursdays because I wake up early to do my On the Other Hand segment on CNBC’s Squawk Box.

For vacation, I went with my family out to Jackson Hole, WY and Yellowstone. I’d never been to Wyoming before, and it didn’t disappoint. About five years ago, I bought a full-frame mirrorless camera (a Sony a7ii), and I’ve since added three decent lenses. It’s just a hobby, but my justification is that my photos are my souvenirs. Here’s a shot I captured in Yellowstone. You’re not supposed to get this close to bison, except I was in a vehicle, and this bison decided to cross the road and stop literally right in front of us, preventing us from moving. So I leaned out of the window and made a memory. I think I’ll call this one “Crossing Guard”:

But enough about vacation!

Recently I’ve spoken with a couple of leaders who are navigating this sidetracked recovery in different ways, and one who’s using technology to drive economic justice.

One Year Mark: Time to Quit? On the Other Hand

It's been a year since I started the On the Other Hand segment on CNBC's Squawk Box, which offered an opportunity to reflect ... and even think about quitting while I'm ahead:

Economic Justice Through Tech? Upsolve CEO is Lowering the Cost of Bankruptcy

Rohan Pavuluri is cofounder and CEO of Upsolve, a technology company helping people to access their economic rights. Here’s our conversation about how Upsolve is opening up access to bankruptcy for people who need it:

Eventbrite CEO Outlines the New Course of Events Post-Pandemic

The pandemic looked like it was ending in the U.S., until the Delta variant surged this summer. While the onset of the pandemic threatened to derail Eventbrite’s business, Cofounder and CEO Julia Hartz said the company has retooled its business model to adapt. She also shared her own evolution as an entrepreneur:

Remaking the Restaurant Model for Tech and Delivery: Kitopi Cofounder

“Ghost kitchens” or “cloud kitchens” are restaurants designed for online delivery, not sit-down service. Saman Darkan, cofounder of United Arab Emirates-based Kitopi, is advancing the technology behind the model:

Making Data Useful for Sharper Decisions: Talend CEO

Talend CEO Christal Bemont has been leading the company through an active enterprise data market and a challenging pandemic. We talked about her journey from a farming community to tech, and her leadership evolution:

How Parents Influenced CEOs: A Fortt Knox Remix

My Fortt Knox 1:1 conversations with founders and CEOs explore the influences that shaped them. In this remix produced and edited by Fahiemah Al-Ali and Allison Councill, four CEOs — René Lacerte of Bill.com, Hayden Brown of Upwork, Jim Scapa of Altair and Hardika Shah of Kinara Capital share how their parents made an impact on their professional outlook:

Check out The Black Experience in America: The Course, an online educational resource I researched, designed and built. A free PDF download is available to bring the material to kids, and the online interactive experience is made for adults.