Catalyst by Camber Creek

The Man Who Helped Salesforce Prepare For The AI Era Has Advice For The Rest Of Us

After the public launch of ChatGPT, Salesforce knew that AI agents were coming for it. AI agents are smart, autonomous programs set loose on an infinite number of specific tasks. The danger was that this giant company that revolutionized business software and popularized the very concept of software as a service might be overtaken by the next big thing. One of the people it turned to to help prevent that was Prasad Thammineni. Now Prasad has his own company, Agentman, which is focused on helping organizations deploy AI agents that can automate sophisticated workflows without requiring users to write code. In Prasad's view, yes, AI agents might be as disruptive as many people fear. But he's also convinced that, like Salesforce, we can adapt. It's still early enough that we can all choose to be pioneers. 1:30 Prasad reflects on his entrepreneurial journey and explains why he repeatedly returns to building startups. 2:55 How Salesforce recognized that AI agents could threaten traditional SaaS business models 4:00 The early limitations of copilots and why customer expectations initially exceeded technical capabilities 6:30 From copilots to agents 7:20 The creation of Salesforce’s Frontier AI team to prototype technologies expected to mature a year later 11:10 Prasad argues that large technology companies must lead publicly even while products remain unfinished. 17:20 How he landed the leadership role at Salesforce.\ 19:20 Using AI to write the business model 23:50 Building AgentMan 28:40 Why AgentMan chose healthcare as its initial vertical 30:40 Healthcare organizations accelerated technology adoption after COVID. 31:40 Focusing on small practices rather than large hospital systems 38:40 Are end-users ready to build their own agents? 40:40 Are concerns about AI-driven job displacement justified?

If You Want To Improve Your Community, Think Like A Developer

If you want to improve your local community, think like a developer. Federal government programs spur billions of dollars of investment in real estate. For example, Opportunity Zones alone account for more than $14 billion per year in private investment driven by tax incentives. But how do these programs work? What are we getting for all that spending? And how do the economic realities of building things in the US incentivize where money is and isn't placed? Brett Theodos can answer all of this. He's Director of the Center for Local Finance and Growth at the Urban Institute and a leading researcher in place-based development. Whether you're a mission-driven investor, a for-profit real estate owner, or a neighborhood advocate, looking at community through the lens of capital, as Brett does in this conversation, is incredibly helpful. He spoke with Camber Creek Partner Alexandra Nicoletti and Head of Platform Lionel Foster. 1:40 Brett reflects on growing up in Oak Park, Illinois, and how living in a walkable, racially integrated community shaped his worldview. 4:00 The physical design of communities profoundly shapes social, economic, and political outcomes. 06:30 Brett evaluates the largest government-funded real estate investment programs in the country, including Opportunity Zones, New Markets Tax Credits, Choice Neighborhoods, and Community Development Block Grants. What are we getting for the billions we’re spending? 09:10 The US is pretty good at subsidizing new buildings in poor areas and supporting market-rate development in affluent ones, but struggles everywhere in between. 13:30 US housing and community development policy has increasingly shifted from direct spending toward tax incentives. 15:30 How Opportunity Zones became one of the least targeted federal economic development programs in US history 25:10 Tax-credit programs create significant barriers to entry because of legal and financial complexity. 27:00 Brett praises smaller developers willing to invest in uncertain or declining markets for undertaking socially valuable work. 29:00 Financing gaps, regulation, labor shortages, tariffs, and demographic shifts continue to constrain housing supply. 30:00 The unrealized promise of automation and prefabrication in lowering construction costs 31:00 Policymakers underestimate the human and entrepreneurial realities developers face when deciding whether to pursue projects.

How Kevin Bacon Helped Spark a Social Impact Movement

At the University of Maryland, the actor Kevin Bacon funded a “Shark Tank”-style competition for young social entrepreneurs. Instead of investing in skincare brands or gourmet cookies, judges heard pitches from students who wanted to right some wrongs in the world and help people. That competition grew into the University of Maryland's Do Good Institute, which supports classes and research and uses social entrepreneurship to help students learn, lead, and grow. Camber Creek spoke with Jenny Cox and Nathan Dietz from the Institute about what happens to a giant college campus when an entrepreneurial mindset is taught, encouraged, and rewarded. 1:20 The Do Good Institute is a hub for social impact providing funding, education, and resources to students. 2:10 The Institute’s research function and focus on measuring the impact of social entrepreneurship programs 3:30 Expanding programming, from early student engagement to post-graduate entrepreneurial support 6:30 A student-led effort to reduce campus food waste led to the creation of the first Do Good Challenge. 8:00 Collaborating with Kevin Bacon’s foundation 12:50 Social entrepreneurship follows the same disciplined, problem-solving mindset as traditional entrepreneurship. 19:00 Intermediate and advanced offerings, including incubators, accelerators, and seed funding programs. 21:15 Approximately 10–15% of University of Maryland College Park students engage directly with Do Good programming. 29:30 Students increasingly want both financial success and social impact. 41:45 The Do Good Institute wants to do its part to counteract a broader trend of declining interpersonal connection

Nurses Have Seen It All—And They See What’s Coming

Nurses are on the front lines of public health. They work in hospitals and sometimes in people’s homes. They’re trained to meet people where they are and communicate across patients, doctors, and policymakers. Nurses are, in effect, some of the medical field’s best diplomats. And today, those skills are being put to the test. The US population is aging at exactly the same time the federal government is cutting health research funding and creating an environment that incentivizes top talent from around the world to study or work elsewhere. One of the foremost leaders navigating this difficult inflection point is Sarah Szanton, dean of one of the top-ranked schools of nursing in the world at Johns Hopkins University. Sarah sees what’s coming for all of us. The current problems in US healthcare are real, but nurses like Sarah stand out as a source of hope. 1:20 There are mounting pressures on nursing education, healthcare, and research. 4:20 The ripple effects of federal funding delays across faculty, staff, and students 6:45 Recent policy changes are disrupting a system optimized for high-level research output. 11:10 Sarah’s path from policy work on Capitol Hill to becoming a nurse. Nurses’ role as communicators and translators across stakeholders drew her into the profession. 14:00 The historical shift that made nursing a predominantly female profession and current efforts to make the field more inclusive. 16:25 The role of immigration in sustaining the US nursing workforce 19:00 Nurses are a big part of the response to an aging US population. 21:55 Community-based healthcare innovations driven by nursing and neighborhood nursing 28:15 Lionel reflects on the importance of communication in healthcare, sharing personal experiences with loss. 30:50 Nurses are trained to support not just patients but families through critical moments. 34:30 Funding and immigration shifts may push talent to other countries.

Four Generations, 100 Years, and 13 Million Square Feet: Michael Rudin's Family Business

The company Michael Rudin helps lead is extraordinary. It's more than 100 years old. There are dozens of countries that are younger than that. It's a family business, so personal and professional ties are inextricable. And every asset is in New York City, thus subject to all the local, global, political and economic events that have shaped and sometimes disrupted New York since 1925. That's a lot to navigate, but as Co-CEO of one of the largest privately owned real estate firms in New York, Michael Rudin seems to manage it all very, very calmly. He talked about Rudin, his family's business, with Camber Creek General Partner, Jeffrey Berman. 1:05 Rudin’s legacy and its role in shaping New York City 3:40 The real estate investment landscape has evolved from local capital to a highly competitive global market. 5:20 Rudin historically self-capitalized projects but increasingly partners with external investors. 9:45 The portfolio includes 13 million square feet and thousands of residential units. 11:00 Rudin’s integrated model of owning and managing its properties 12:00 The influence of family-owned real estate firms relative to institutional investors 13:30 The role of real estate leaders in shaping policy and maintaining New York’s economic vitality. 17:15 Rudin’s relationship with New York City leadership and evolving political dynamics 21:35 Three recent defining moments for New York City real estate 24:40 Michael reflects on the emotional and operational impact of a mass shooting at one of Rudin’s buildings 30:20 Joining the family business 34:20 Transitioning to co-CEO and the division of responsibility 38:30 Making decisions in a family-run organization. 42:30 Enlightened self-interest as a guiding principle for decision-making