Sound of Business

#19 "Meeting" your customers' needs during the crisis with Susanne Klepsch, CEO at Meetfox

Prior to the Covid19 pandemic, Susanne Klepsch, the founder and CEO of Meetfox, had invest a lot of time in persuading target customers about the benefits of her video-conference scheduling software. This drastically changed when everything shifted to “remote-only”. Tune in and learn how Susanne enabled her company’s growth potential, what she thinks of Accelerator programs and what she wishes to have known prior to coming to the U.S. In this episode, we will discuss * strategies for Accelerator programs and how important they are for a newcomer entering a market * differences between U.S. and Austrian investors * management tips for startups About Meetfox MeetFox is a one-stop-shop for efficiently managing client meetings with scheduling, video calls, and payments. MeetFox combines online scheduling, seamless video calls and instant payments in one product, helping professionals save a ton of time and focus on growing their business. With the vision to make expertise accessible at a push of a button, MeetFox is now used by over 15,000 professionals worldwide.

#18 How a US internship turned into the adventure of a lifetime with Dieter Eier from Frequentis USA

In this episode we are interviewing Dieter Eier, Vice President of Product and Solutions and one of the co-founders of the Austrian subsidiary Frequentis USA, Inc.  More than 20 years ago he was sent to the United States with the goal to set up a successful company in five years.  He did it in three and never left. In this very personal talk Dieter tells us about his real-life experiences of how he had to adapt to the American dream as a Vienna-native and his most surprising lessons learned: * The glass is always half-full * Studying English extensively in school did not teach me to understand "American" * Wow, the world is really big out there! About Frequentis Frequentis provides communication and information systems for Air Traffic Management, Space Flight Operations, Air Defense, Vessel Traffic, Coastal Surveillance, and Public Safety and Transport. The company’s products and solutions are behind more than 25,000 operator positions in over 140 countries. Frequentis is the world's leading provider of safety-of-life-critical voice communication systems … all making our world a safer place every day!

#17 Where passion meets profession with Thomas Schauer, food photographer and founder of TASTE

Thomas Schauer has established himself as one of the world’s leading culinary film directors and photographers, shooting extensive campaign work for over two decades between around the world. Operating two photography companies in Vienna and New York plus one film production company TASTE. Growing up in his native Austria, Thomas cultivated an artistic sensibility inspired by the European culture that surrounded him. His deep knowledge and passion for food led to work with Samsung, Nespresso, Uncle Ben’s, Wegmans, Papa John’s, Harper Collins, Fuji Film, Simon & Schuster, Chick-fil-A, Breckenridge, Carl’s Jr., Marzetti, Publix, Newman’s Own, Panera, Kroger, Pepsi, Patron, Outback, Budweiser, TGI Fridays and Burger King. Thomas’ work has been exhibited globally. His first solo exhibition “Pure Real Taste” took place at La Boite in New York City. That same year, he was invited to exhibit in Osaka, Japan. Thomas has created over 25 cookbooks for celebrated chefs including Dominique Ansel, Lior Lev Sercarz, Daniel Boulud and David Bouley. Complementing his portfolio is the nomination for the Onaeba “Shimizu Award” in Osaka, Japan; the second place Pink Lady Award for “Best Food Photographer in the World,”; and the Gourmand Cookbook Award for Best Cocktail Book, “Cocktails.”

#16 Climate Risks, Opportunities & Policy with Gernot Wagner, associate professor at NYU

Climate Risks, Opportunities & Policy In this episode we interview Gernot Wagner, a climate economist and associate professor at NYU and discuss the following questions: * How will the new admninistration address climate change * Which climate policies are useful to address current issues * What can we as people do to help the cause * How did COVID-19 change our actions in regards to climate change About Gernot Gernot Wagner is a climate economist. His research, writing, and teaching focus on climate risks and climate policy. He teaches climate economics and policy at NYU, where he is a clinical associate professor at the Department of Environmental Studies and associated clinical professor at the NYU Wagner School of Public Service. Gernot writes the Risky Climate column for Bloomberg Green and has written three books: Stadt, Land, Klima (“City, Country, Climate”), published, in German, by Brandstätter Verlag (2021); Climate Shock, joint with Harvard’s Martin Weitzman and published by Princeton (2015), among others, a Top 15 Financial Times McKinsey Business Book of the Year 2015, and Austria’s Natural Science Book of the Year 2017; and But will the planet notice?, published by Hill & Wang/Farrar Strauss & Giroux (2011).

#15 Entrepreneurship in the US with Thomas Meth, Co-Founder of Enviva LP

In this episode we interview Thomas Meth, Executive Vice President and Co-Founder of Enviva and discuss the following questions: * What it is like to start a company & raise money in the US. * Cultural differences in Entrepreneurship between Austria and the US and the right to fail. * What it is like to be an Austrian in an entirely American company. * The Biden administration and Renewable Energy in the post Trump world. Thomas Meth was born and raised outside of Vienna, Austria in Gablitz. He graduated from high school in Tulln and then studied at the Vienna University of Economics and Business.  He was the head of Sales at Europay (MasterCard) Austria (today Paylife) before he did his MBA at the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.  After a 2 year stopover in Germany as Head of Sales and Marketing for Colfax, EMEA he returned to the US in 2004 to start Enviva (formerly known as Intrinergy) in 2004, now the largest wood pellet manufacturer in the world. Traded at the NYSE (EVA) valued at almost $2bn, the company employs ~1200 associates in the South East of the US with offices in Bethesda, MD (HQ), Raleigh, NC, Berlin, York, UK and Tokio.