Welcome to the What's Next! podcast with Tiffani Bova.     This week I have the pleasure of welcoming our first Grammy-nominated recording artist, record producer, and musician, Ryan Leslie. If that isn’t impressive enough, Ryan is also a technophile, entrepreneur, and genius Harvard graduate who conferred his degrees in political science and macroeconomics at the ripe old age of 19. While at Harvard, Ryan taught himself basic production skills and also developed a musical style all his own. This led him to produce music for a variety of prominent artists, including Usher and Britney Spears, in multiple musical genres ranging from R & B and hip-hop, to pop and gospel. But, it doesn’t end there, Ryan co-founded Super Phone to help track conversations via text and interact more personally and effectively with his fans. Now, he's turning Super Phone into a full-fledged CRM with a new app and funding from the likes of venture capitalist Ben Horowitz. I am very excited for you to learn more about Ryan Leslie in this episode of What’s Next!     THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… aspiring artists, entrepreneurs, and professionals of any kind who have a strong appetite for education and believe in the value of human connection. It is also for anyone who is looking for inspiration to tackle their own challenges and opportunities with a renewed passion!    TODAY’S MAIN MESSAGE…   This episode is about Ryan’s journey through and from academia to entertainment, and entertainment to tech. But, more importantly, it is about Ryan's crusade to make sure that meaningful connections between human beings continue to be made, even as technology advances into new places where individuals feel like human connection is being lost.    WHAT  I  LOVE  MOST…  I love how humble Ryan is about all of his amazing success and what he's trying to do to give back to his community of fans. I was so inspired by his message when I met him at the 2018 Harvest Summit not only from an academic standpoint, but how wise he is about what's really important in life.        Running time: 35:28     Subscribe on iTunes     Find Tiffani on social:  Facebook  Twitter  LinkedIn     Find Ryan on social:  Twitter  YouTube  Facebook  Instagram    Text Ryan at:  http://textryan.com/  +1-646-798-6566