In this episode of the Give First podcast, David Cohen speaks with Marc Steren, founder and CEO of University Startups. The two discuss the entrepreneurial journey and the transformative impact of education. 

Marc offers insights into his 30-year entrepreneurial career, from pioneering mobile ticketing to selling his company in 2012 and transitioning to education as a professor at Georgetown University. He also recounts the unexpected success and eventual founding of University Startups, an AI-augmented curriculum designed to empower under-resourced students by providing pathways to higher education and career success through virtual generative AI counselors.

The conversation covers the importance of being mission-focused for startup success, the value of running numerous small experiments, and the impact of having celebrity investors like Steven Spielberg and Michael Jordan. 

Cohen and Steren also take time to explore the challenges and opportunities within the current educational system, the need for reform, and the unique approach of University Startups in democratizing access to quality education.

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