Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Invites

Meet Our Co-host: Philip Guarino

An interim executive and growth consultant to technology firms, Philip Guarino has over 25 years of experience as an executive and entrepreneur, having worked in over 50 countries and traveled to more than 120. Philip is the Chair of HarvardAE's Paris Chapter. Fluent in five languages, he is a graduate of Harvard College and holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Meet Our Co-host: Denise Silber

Denise Silber, a digital health pioneer and opinion leader, is the founder of Basil Strategies consultancy, of Doctors 2.0 & You conferences, and a new venture in Virtual Reality, VRforHealth. A multi-cultural American in Paris, Denise's contributions to the development of digital health globally led her to receive France's highest civil award, the Legion of Honor. A graduate of Smith College and a Harvard MBA, Denise is also a keynote speaker, author and vice president of Harvard Club of France.

In this episode of HAE Invites meet our hosts, Denise Silber and Philip Guarino. They talk about what led them to be a part of the persistent global movement to make things better through innovation. Tune in to learn more about HAE Invites, the people that will be featured on the show, and how these individuals are changing the business landscape.

IN THIS EPISODE:

In this episode of the HAE Podcast, host Philip Guarino sits down with James Sutherland, Founder & CEO of Autonomo Technologies, to discuss the rise of autonomous retail, the convergence of AI and consumer behavior, and how automation is reshaping global retail economics—from labor shortages to dynamic pricing and customer experience.

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James Sutherland is Founder & CEO of Autonomo Technologies, Europe's leading autonomous retail company. James began his career at Mars Inc moving into large-scale food factory construction. After Harvard Business School he pivoted to AI, recognising its transformative potential across industries—especially the $3 trillion convenience retail sector - which led him to start Autonomo in 2021.

IN THIS EPISODE:

In this episode, our host Denise Silber sits down with Shannon Lundgren — HBS MBA, entrepreneur, and founder of Shannon's Circle — to explore what it means to build a business in one of the most personal industries: love.

Shannon's path didn't follow the usual arc. After the Business School and a pivotal chapter working directly for Warren Buffett — where what impressed her most was his extraordinary kindness, and how he brought out the best in everyone by talking about their best qualities — Shannons Lundgren transitioned from corporate strategy to executive recruiting, a field where understanding the whole person, through emotional intelligence, is essential. That same approach now drives her work in high-end matchmaking, where success is all about the fit

Shannon shares how she built her client base with intention, why she only takes on clients she believes she can help, and what entrepreneurs can learn from guiding people through high-stakes first impressions.

So why listen? To be inspired by an exceptional entrepreneur — and because, let's face it, you're curious about how modern matchmaking really works.

Whether you're building a business or looking for meaningful connections, this episode will leave you thinking differently about what it takes to create lasting matches between people.

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Shannon Lundgren, a Harvard Business School alumna, is the CEO of Shannon's Circle, where she brings 12 years of elite matchmaking experience to helping intellectually curious and kind singles find the love of their life.As a corporate executive turned matchmaker, she applies her executive recruiting skills to serve clients in California and the West Coast.

Shannon is a recognized expert on modern love, featured in The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Forbes, Harvard Magazine, Business Insider, and Today. Before launching her matchmaking career, she was a Senior Vice President at Wells Fargo and a Strategic Marketing Consultant at Berkshire Hathaway.

She serves on the board of the Harvard Business School Club of Northern California and is a respected partner of The Family Office Exchange (FOX), where she speaks about wealth being much more than net worth.

Shannon also holds a B.A. in business from UC Berkeley. She resides in San Francisco with her husband of 18 years and their teenage daughter.

IN THIS EPISODE:

In this episode, host Denise Silber sits down with Michaela Horvathova, co-founder of Beyond Education and alumna of Harvard's Graduate School of Education, to explore how building an innovative company demands more than a great product — it requires becoming a thought leader. Michaela's journey is as global as it is inspiring. Despite not fitting into the traditional school system in Slovakia, Michaela earned a tennis scholarship to the U.S., graduated from Harvard, advised the Prime Minister of Slovakia, and co-founded a bold edtech startup helping schools adapt to the age of AI. Her company, Beyond Education, was selected for and completed the Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Accelerator — a zero-equity, virtual program supporting high-potential, Harvard alumni-founded companies.

You'll hear how Michaela:

• Pivoted from policymaking to entrepreneurship for greater impact.

• Built a company focused on digital assessments and teacher development to help schools evolve with technology.

• Learned why even small startups must embrace thought leadership to shape their market and build demand.

• Turned her credibility and conviction into invitations to speak at global education events — and even organized her own summit.

Whether you're an entrepreneur, investor, or advisor, this episode unpacks why communication and positioning matter just as much as product — especially when your innovation is ahead of its time.

Tune in to learn how a tennis champion turned edtech entrepreneur built a mission-driven company from the ground up — and how the HAE Accelerator helped refine their vision and strategy.

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Michaela Horvathova is the co-founder of Beyond Education, a fast-growing edtech startup now active in over 13 countries. She holds a Master's in Education Policy and Management from Harvard University and has over 12 years of experience in global education reform. Before launching Beyond Education, Michaela worked at the OECD, partnered with organizations like IB and UNICEF, and advised ministries of education across the Czech Republic, South Africa, the Netherlands, and Brazil. As an Advisor to the Prime Minister of Slovakia, she helped shape national education strategy, focusing on competency-based learning. A regular speaker at global conferences, Michaela is passionate about reimagining how schools prepare students for the age of AI. A former professional tennis player, she brings resilience, adaptability, and a growth mindset to her work as an entrepreneur.