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Max Leisten

Cofounder, Protopia.co

Search every verified Max Leisten interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Max Leisten, cofounder and CEO of Protopia, has discussed the role of artificial intelligence in higher education and alumni engagement in several podcast appearances. In a July 2026 interview on the Speaking Engagement podcast, he said that institutions have shifted away from adopting AI due to leadership mandates and are now focusing on measurable outcomes, such as increasing student-alumni conversations and improving yield. He also expressed concern that AI could reduce human interaction, stating that people will need to be more intentional about maintaining personal connections. Leisten added that many schools limit career support to a period shortly after graduation and do not extend it further, and he advocated for using community networks to support alumni throughout their careers. In a December 2025 episode of Alumless, Leisten said that higher education is not necessarily slow to change but operates in a human-centered field where mistakes can affect donor pipelines. He also predicted that shrinking attention spans will require alumni engagement strategies that emphasize simplicity and minimal time commitment, such as micro-mentoring and micro-volunteering. In an earlier 2023 appearance on the same show, he distinguished machine learning from artificial general intelligence, which he said does not yet exist, and suggested that frontline fundraisers who continue to use personal touches like handwritten thank-you notes will stand out as AI becomes more widespread.

Recent appearances

  • (Full-length) Max Leisten: Scaling What Needs to Be Human

    July 27, 2026 · 📺 Speaking Engagement

    Ten years ago Max Leisten walked away from a career in software product management because he wanted his work to matter more. He started helping people with their resumes by hand, passing them around his own network, and discovered something that became the foundation of a company: people love to help. Today he is the founder and CEO of Protopia, which uses AI to connect students with the alumni who can help them, and which he built alongside Duke rather than selling to it. Max and host Ryan Catherwood, who have known each other since Ryan's days at Longwood, dig into what a decade of buildin…

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  • Alumless Episode #87: 2025 Holiday Special

    December 20, 2025 · 📺 CMAC Podcasts

    As 2025 comes to a close, Alumless is considering alumni engagement technology for 2026 and beyond. On our super sized special holiday edition, Chris Marshall and Kim Infanti are joined by Max Leisten from Protopia, Renee Quinn of Givzey, and Steve Rittler of AlumnIQ to reflect on where ed tech for advancement stands today and where it is headed next. The group explores how engagement teams are thinking about their tech stacks, why integration remains such a persistent challenge, and whether engagement data is finally influencing fundraising strategy in meaningful ways. They discuss the real-…

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  • Alumless Episode #31: The State of AI in Advancement with Max Leisten

    March 20, 2025 · 📺 CMAC Podcasts

    We've got a special edition of Alumless this week! We're featuring special guest Max Leisten, Founder and CEO of Protopia. On the show, we'll have a wide-ranging conversation with Max about AI's impact on advancement. Max and his team at Protopia have been helping universities use machine learning to stimulate and scale engagement. We'll discuss with Max the challenges universities are having adopting AI-based technology and how Protopia may have cracked the code with a more "human-centered" approach. Be sure to visit protopia.co/alumless to learn more. Listen to full episodes of the show o…

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  • 1MC RTP | Max Leisten​ | Protopia | July 26, 2017

    July 27, 2017 · 📺 1 Million Cups RTP

    Company: Protopia Presenter(s): Max Leisten​ Industry: Information/Communication Tech Website: http://www.protopia.co Protopia makes it easy to give and get help from members of your startup community, alumni network, or professional association.​ Protopia increases engagement for startup communities, alumni networks, and professional associations by making it easy for members to give and get help from experts in their network.​

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The summary and quote tags on this profile are produced with AI assistance from verified, first-person interview transcripts, then checked by our team to confirm the speaker's identity and the accuracy of every quote. See how we verify →