UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In the latest episode of Invent Penn State’s "Dare to Disrupt" podcast, host Ryan Newman interviews Mario Ciabarra, the chief executive officer and founder of Quantum Metric, a customer-centered digital analytics platform for today’s leading enterprise organizations.
Ciabarra graduated from Penn State with a degree in science, focusing on biochemistry, microbiology and computer science.
In this episode, Ciabarra shared valuable lessons on integrity and communication learned during his college years. He discussed launching and exiting his first startup in just 11 months, a success that allowed him to briefly retire, travel the world and, he said, consider what’s truly important in life.
Ciabarra also explained how Quantum Metric enhances visibility into customer friction points for major industry leaders and how the company integrates generative AI into its solutions.
“We have the world’s largest bank, airline, telco, health care, gaming, retailer and more, helping them understand, where is the pain that customers are having on their digital experiences in a quantified way so that if they invest resources to improve it, they’ll have the biggest impact to their business and to the mass audience of customers that they serve,” Ciabarra said during the podcast interview.
Listen to Ciabarra’s story on "Dare to Disrupt"
At the end of the episode, current Penn State student Nathan Leo joined the conversation. Leo is a doctoral student studying engineering science and mechanics. He is the co-founder of Project Green Thumb, an AI-powered application to help homeowners and landscapers restore biodiversity to their landscapes by increasing the use of native plant species and decreasing the use of harmful pesticides and fertilizers. Leo and Ciabarra discussed Ciabarra's process for quickly developing early applications, as well as how to manage bad habits when trying to launch a startup.
Students can apply or be nominated to be on the show here.
About "Dare to Disrupt"
"Dare to Disrupt" is a podcast from Invent Penn State about Penn State alumni who are innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders, and the stories behind their success. The podcast is hosted by alumnus Ryan Newman, a graduate of the Smeal College of Business and a Schreyer Scholar alumnus who is now a managing director at Goldman Sachs.
Past episodes of "Dare to Disrupt" include interviews with Garry Gilliam, David Rusenko and Jess Weiner. New episodes of "Dare to Disrupt" release monthly. Learn more at invent.psu.edu/dare-to-disrupt. Subscribe to "Dare to Disrupt" on YouTube Music, Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Invent Penn State is a commonwealth-wide initiative to spur economic development, job creation and student career success.