Adriel's Curious City

The final episode of the 3-episode series exploring the future of transportation. This one, all about self-driving cars. Where they'll work, where they'll take some time, and the challenges and opportunities awaiting autonomous technology. Produced in 2017 in collaboration with Research Triangle Park.

Episode 2 of the 3-episode series exploring the future of transportation. This one- all about Live-Work-Play communities of the future, and...drumroll please...self-driving cars! Produced in 2017 in collaboration with Research Triangle Park.

Recorded and produced in 2017 in partnership with North Carolina's Research Triangle Park, this series looks at the future of transportation. Where we are, and what we're driving towards.

This time around, I sit down with Stacey Ferreira. Stacey is a force of will. At 18 she founded her first tech startup with her brother. Sir Richard Branson invested, pivots were made, company was sold by the time she turned 20. Later, as one does, she went on to write and publish a book - 2 Billion under 20 - and start her next company, Forge. Stacey and I talk a lot about a topic I'm very interested in- Ambition. I’ve been trying to understand what drives young people to work so hard and give up so much of their free time, social lives, and leisure for pursuits greater than themselves. That’s where we started, but we transition into finding great mentors, managing people older than yourself, and Stacey’s thoughts about the future of work. So please enjoy my conversation with Stacey Ferreira. @staceyferreira joinforge.com 2 Billion Under 20: How Millennials Are Breaking Down Age Barriers and Changing the World

Today on the episode is Rhonda Binda. Personally, I don’t think much about government. And therefore, I don’t understand it well. But, in the spirit of my Curious City, I’ll happily ask questions. Rhonda has worked for the transition team bringing in the Obama administration and the Trump administration. She’s spent 3 years as the executive director of the Jamaica Center Business Improvement District, bringing an economic turn around to the city. And now, she’s the VP of Policy and Director of Regional Smart Cities initiative for Venture Smarter. Rhonda’s amazing background means she can provide insight into what is otherwise a very confusing business of government, and a world which many of us see in a negative light. She’s got great stories to share about working with 3 presidents, bringing technology into a very traditional city, and founding a tech company focused on re-defining what it means to be a city. So please enjoy my conversation with Rhonda Binda. To learn more about VentureSmarter, visit venturesmarter.com

Hello my friends, and welcome back to Adriel’s Curious City, where I get to speak with brilliant entrepreneurs, artists, and educators about their philosophy, strategy, and vision for their industry. This episode was hilarious. I got to drink wine, eat dried fruit, and talk about cheap beer with Josh Nadel, Master Sommelier, co-founder of Gothic Wines, and beverage director at Soho Hospitality Group. For some context- there are 247 Master Sommaliers in the history of the entire world. Josh is part of the most recently minted group of Master Sommaliers, and has had a journey of over 10 years to reach this his title. Josh is funny, friendly, and brings a casual attitude to the murky world of wines. He shares stories of high end drinks, low class bars, and hard blue collar work. I loved this because I got to split a bottle with a master sommelier. You’ll love this because you’ll learn about wine, hear stories from a hospitality legend, and, I hope, laugh along with us. So please grab a drink and a dear friend, and enjoy my conversation with Master Sommelier, Josh Nadel. You can see some of the restaurants with which Josh works at www.nhgnyc.com or see his own wine at www.gothicwine.com

Today on the podcast is Scott Cohen. Scott is a filmmaker, artist, entrepreneur, and so many other things. He’s the writer and director of Red Knot, winner of the New American Cinema Award at the Seattle International Film Festival. He is also one of the people behind New Lab, a 84,000 square foot tech and entrepreneurship paradise, in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Scott and I talk about the challenges and rewards of doing really hard things, filming a movie in Antarctica, and investing in technologies and companies that further your own philosophies of the world. Please enjoy my conversation with Scott Cohen! Read more about New Lab at newlab.com

Today on the podcast is Dan Katz. Dan has had an amazing young career to date. He started off as the chief researcher to David Gergen at Harvard, joined Arianna Huffington as chief of staff at HuffPost, and now leads business development at Thrive Global, a company on a crusade to end burnout. Dan is 2 parts funny, 3 parts thoughtful. We talk about what it’s like to work for amazing mentors, like the brilliant Arianna Huffington. And most importantly, Dan left me with some amazing nuggets of thought about how to think about technology, growth, and peacefulness in a chaotic world. Dan is a crazy cool guy, and I could have talked to him for a few extra hours. Alas, an hour was all we had. So please enjoy my conversation with Dan Katz. To learn more about Thrive Global, visit www.thriveglobal.com or find Dan on twitter @DanJKatz

Today on the podcast is Matt Kalmans, and this episode was a LIVE recording of Adriel’s Curious City, hosted at the Founders Friday event in NYC. Matt has a typical startup story in a very atypical startup world. He began his first research into his current company, Applecart, out of his freshman year dorm room with his best friend. As a political science major at Penn and a volunteer on multiple political campaigns, Matt had a theory that political outreach was broken. So he decided to fix it, and Applecart was born. Today, after years of hard work, Matt and 25 people are on a mission to affect politics in a positive way. They’ve got an innovative approach, a dedicated vision, and a lot of built-up goodwill. We talk about the founding of the big idea, getting your first customers, what it’s like to have the power to affect political outcomes, and much, much more. So please enjoy my conversation with Matt Kalmans- LIVE at Founders Friday in NYC!

Today on the podcast is Stephen Gorevan. Stephen is founder and chairman of Honeybee robotics, a 30 year old company that has been involved in space exploration since it’s beginning. Stephen is one of those fascinating personalities, while having accolades that astound me, is humble enough to really make anyone feel like they can accomplish anything. Honeybee Robotics has built parts for every Mars rover of the last 15 years. Stephen’s handiwork has led to some of the most existential discoveries in outer space on multiple planets. He’s also built an amazing organization where over 100 people are focused on breaking down the barriers between earth and space. You know, no big deal. We talk a lot about the founding of Honeybee Robotics, which involves one of the most comically entrepreneurial, fake it till you make it stories I’ve ever hear. Preview: It involves an oreo, a baseball bat, and a toilet seat. We also get into what a robotics and space visionary like Stephen thinks about Artificial Intelligence, space exploration, and, I couldn’t resist, where are the aliens? If you want to check out Honeybee Robotics, visit https://www.honeybeerobotics.com/ or email Stephen directly at info@honeybeerobotics.com.

Okay, the character is entirely satirical. But we take it very seriously, so I'll take the introduction just as seriously. But remember- it's not serious. Dexter Guff is a comedy character teaching business. So don't follow his advice. Unless you want to... Today on the podcast is Dexter Guff. Dexter is a visionary thought leader, author, and speaker about entrepreneurship and building a successful lifestyle. He also recently launched his own podcast in an effort to be a mentor to more people than ever before. We talk about building a personal brand, business ideas the Dex has- like a horse friendly space in NYC, or a downhill race track- and the importance of not listening to what other people think. This episode is sponsored by Pourt in NYC. It’s a coffee shop cowering space and a great place to work, chat, and hang out, and I’ve been spending most of my days here, eating filling power bowls and drinking their Berry 333 tea. You can get 10% off by mentioning Adriel’s Curious City at checkout, and I highly recommend this spot- just check out Pourt (p o u r t) on google maps to find them on 6th street and 3rd avenue. So please enjoy my conversation with Dexter Guff. Podcast: Dexter Guff is Smarter Than You, and You Can Be Too. Twitter: @dexguff www.dexterguffband.com

Today on the podcast is Jared Matthew Weiss. While still in high school, Jared was giving speeches to audiences ranging from an executive suite at a hedge fund to a room of a few thousand people. Jared has grown into a kind, thoughtful, and electric personality. He’s one of the most natural speakers I’ve ever met. He’s an entrepreneur who focuses on engagement and experiences above all else. And he’s a community builder who knows how to create environments where people feel safe, excited, and open. We talk about how to be a great speaker and storyteller - specifically Jared’s own tactics before and after a speech. We discussed how meditation can help us learn more about ourselves. Oh, and there was a point in which Jared turned the tables and asked me about my motivations for this podcast. This episode is in partnership with New York City Ed Tech Week. StartEd and NYU Steinhardt is on a mission to turn New York into the education technology center of the world. This December, NY Ed Tech week brings together 1500 entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and district leaders using these resources to create the next wave of technologies transforming education today. If you’re an entrepreneur, educator, or investor, then you need to be at the center of what education is going to look like tomorrow. Go to www.nyedtechweek..com and use code CURIOUSEW17 for 10% off your ticket. So please enjoy my conversation with Jared Matthew Weiss. Here. We. Go.

This was a special podcast. Chris Pedregal joined me for the first every LIVE recording of Adriel’s Curious City, hosted at the Founders Friday event in NYC. Chris is a serial entrepreneur and brilliant product designer. His current company, Socratic, is in the education technology space and has been the top app in the app store in 2017, has raised over $7 million, and is poised to make a dent in how children all over the world learn. While there were dozens of subjects we didn’t touch on, we did get pretty deep into what it takes to make great products, how to build a company that makes a big, long term impact, and where Chris turns to learn how to be a good CEO. This episode is in partnership with New York City Ed Tech Week. StartEd and NYU Steinhardt is on a mission to turn New York into the education technology center of the world. This December, NY Ed Tech week brings together 1500 entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and district leaders using these resources to create the next wave of technologies transforming education today. If you’re an entrepreneur, educator, or investor, then you need to be at the center of what education is going to look like tomorrow. Go to www.nyedtechweek.com and use code CURIOUSEW17 for 10% off your ticket.

Today on the podcast is Paul Zhuravlev. Paul was born and educated in Russia, and provides some great insights into Russian mindset, ecosystem, and startup culture. He has since lived on 2 other continents, has made his career as an engineer-trained salesman. He’s done sales for the biggest companies in the world, from Google to Cisco, as well as for his own startup, Cinemood. Currently, he runs US operations for Cinemood, a well funded mini projector targeted towards kids. Paul is a sales pro, and gives a lot of insight about his strategies in preparing for a big sales meeting, why he believes the russian education system builds the best entrepreneurs, why raising money DOESN’T always feel as good as you might expect We recorded this interview 5000 miles apart- he in Moscow, me in NY. Most of the sound is impressively good, but there are a few jumps, for which I apologize. So it is my pleasure to introduce to you, Paul Zhuravlev.

Today on the podcast is Mat Kaliski. Mat is Polish born, NYC based venture capitalist and a thought leader in the world of esports. I was very curious about what it’s like to move from Poland to the US at a young age and establish oneself in the VC and entrepreneurial worlds basically from nowhere. Mat was one of my first friends in the NYC startup community, so it was a pleasure to be able to sit down with him and go into depth. I got to ask him what it takes to be a great investor as he learns from some of the top VCs in NYC. We go deep on esports and gaming- one of his passions and investment theses. And we discuss the importance of fiction and storytelling to diversifying the inputs in our lives and understanding the complicated world we live in. Mat and I sort of just got right into the meat of things without a traditional introduction. What we talk about first is a company that Mat’s VC firm, Rubicon Venture Capital, recently invested in. Mat makes a great and valuable point- the importance of taking breaks to reset, rethink, meditate, and get back to work energized and creative. So please enjoy this not quite seamless transition to my conversation with Mat Kaliski. Thank you very much to Pourt, a new coffeeshop/coworking space in NYC. It’s a great place to work, chat, and hang out, and I spend most of my days in their beautiful coworking space, eating filling power bowls and drinking their Berry 333 tea. You can get 10% off by mentioning Adriel’s Curious City at checkout. Find them on 6th street and 3rd avenue. As always, if you like this podcast and others, check out Adriel’s Curious City on Facebook, where I post articles, interviews, and updates about our guests and topics of the future. See you next time.

Today on the podcast is Oliver Mitchel. Oliver is a visionary about the future of robotics and artificial intelligence. He’s been blogging about the topic since 2011 via robotrabbi.com, which is as brilliant of a blog as it is funny a name, and is the currently founder and principle of the VC firm Autonomy Ventures. Oliver has an amazing career as an entrepreneur and investor. In his early 20s, he cofounded an ATM company and sold it to American Express in less than 3 years. Since then, he’s been starting and investing in companies that run the gamut of robotics. Oliver is a very thoughtful historian and futurist. We talk about the future of jobs and why they’re important to people beyond a salary. He gives his thoughts as an investor about the industries where AI will have its biggest impact. And he goes into what he considers one of his most poignant failures. We get pretty into robots and AI here, so I hope you enjoy. It is my pleasure to introduce to you, Oliver Mitchell.

Today on the podcast is Sam Ruiz. Sam started her career as a focused media and ad tech worker, confident that her graduate degree in Public Relations and interest in data will lead to a great career. Though after a few years and a couple of job changes, Sam was less convinced. She left the US almost on a whim for some extended travel, where she learned to code, found a creative spirit, became an Instagram micro-influencer, and met the man who would join her to cofound her first-ever startup. Sam came back to the US and along with Isaac, her mentor from coding camp, founded Well Travelled, a company using big data and machine learning to track a traveler online path to purchase. With this information, they hope to revolutionize how bloggers, travel startups, and huge public companies interact with their customers. We talk about what it’s like to be a first time founder—and how scary it can be. Sam jumped off a cliff with this whole ‘startup’ thing, and is very honest about how simultaneously nerve-wracking and exciting it can be. Please enjoy my conversation with Sam Ruiz.

Today on the podcast is Stas Tushinskiy. Stas a Russian born, educated, and trained entrepreneur. After starting his voice advertising company, Instreamatic, in Russia in 2014, he grew it to 8 employees before deciding that it was time to move his company to San Francisco- the admitted tech capital of the world. This conversation with Stas ranges from what it’s like to be an entrepreneur in Russia to why voice will take over the communications industry, perhaps entirely replacing messaging in the next 5-10 years. This was a particularly interesting episode because of my own Russian background, which I describe at the beginning, and because Stas really is on the forefront of how we will interact with our devices.

Today on the podcast is Adam Huttler. 20 years ago, while still in studying theater in college, Adam founded a theater production company called ‘Fractured Atlas’. That’s grown and changed and evolved to be one of the largest arts-related on the planet, and has impacted what art and culture have become. Since that time, Adam has thought a lot about the future of art. This has culminated in the recent formation of the Exponential Creativity Fund, an investment fund all about the ways we will be creating art in the future. We’ll talk more about that. This conversation with Adam goes from the importance of the arts in identifying and connecting with the human condition, to the types of technologies that will define artists in the future. It was fun for me, fun for Adam, and fun for left handed pickles everywhere. Yep, left handed pickles. We’ll get into that oddity soon. Please enjoy Adam Huttler!

Today on the podcast I have Jes Averhart @jesaverhart on twitter. Jes Averhart understands leadership and building networks better than most. Jes’s career takes her from doing event work with the biggest professional sports teams, to helping build corporate partnerships at Durham’s American Underground, to her current role as the Executive Director at Leadership Triangle. We get into a lot around work, but also talk about relationships, being a good parent, and the importance of seeking out people who contradict you. Enjoy!

Brad Brinegar is the CEO of McKinney, one of the most awarded advertising firms in the nation. He is a student of history, and remarkably thoughtful about his industry and his work. We talk about what it was like to move an agency into the internet age, how culture affects creativity, the importance of open attitudes towards the future, and how he helped birth the phrase, "Behold, the Power of Cheese!" Enjoy!

Hello my friends!! Welcome back to Curious City, the podcast where I, Adriel, interview local leaders in the arts, education, business, and technology about creativity, leadership, and growth. It’s even more fun than I just made it sound. Today I speak with Michael Goodmon, Vice President of Real Estate for Capital Broadcasting Company, the 70 year old North Carolina Media Giant started by Michael’s Great grandfather. He’s been a part of leading a historical transformation of an entire city and region of our world, and has a lot of love for the city of Durham. We talk about authenticity, building cities, technology, Duke University and why it is unique, and much more. Enjoy!

This episode is the first double showing, two-guester. Rich Harris and Mac Hammer are the ultimate dream team. Funny, outgoing, sharp, quick witted, philosophical, and with a faithful trust and support I’ve never seen in other pairings, these two have had a lot of success over their combined 30+ years in real estate. As cofounders of a commercial real estate firm that was acquired a few years ago, cofounders of a real estate tech platform, and two of the highest value producers in North Carolina Real estate, these two are just plain awesome. Much of the conversation is with Rich, who was there from the beginning. Mac comes in about 30 minutes in, and we dive into the future of real estate, what makes a great agent, philosophies around management, what a conversation between one’s conscious and subconscious mind might look like, and much more. So let’s get to it! Here is my interview with Rich Harris and Mac Hammer.

Hello my friends!! Welcome back to Curious City, the podcast where I interview local leaders in the arts, education, business, and technology about creativity, leadership, and growth. It’s even more fun than I just made it sound. John Grinnell is the CEO and founder of Grinnell Leadership- a (well named) leadership development and coaching company that he’s been working with for over 20 years. Before today, I’ve never met John, never even exchanged anything more than a few short emails wit him, so this conversation was as spontaneous and sporadic as any first meeting! The conversation got so good so fast, that I didn’t want to cut it off anywhere- and we kind of just start talking about journalism, and go from there. Every question and conversation was as much of a surprise for me as it will be for you, so I won’t spoil any of it. Let’s just get to it- without further ado, John Grinnell.

Bill Buxton has spent a long career across the spans of the professional workforce. Currently, he is the chairman of Vistage, one of the top leadership development organizations in the country. Bill was one of the few to leave his rural midwestern town, and has since worked across myriad professional industries. We talk about the philosophies of great leadership, the importance of self-development, how to give and take advice, how to lead the best leaders, and much more! And perhaps my favorite single quote from any prior interview: "Leadership is not what you say, it is not even what you do, and it is certainly not what you say you do. Leadership is the consequences of what you say and do."

Matt Philips, from Matt Philips and the Philharmonics or Matt Philips and the Back Pockets, or any other Matt Philips related groups is one of the top local musicians in the Triangle. He’s a creative, ambitious, hard working, risk taking, hustling musician who jams brilliant, funky pop tunes on guitar, keyboard, and his perfect-pitch vocals. We talk about how he thinks about choosing band members, the creativity behind song writing, the influence of his family and religious upbringing, and much more.

For this episode, I was fortunate enough to speak with one of the real powerhouses of North Carolina, Bob Geolas. Bob is a North Carolina native who has reaped the benefits of the region’s growth over the past 50 years, and has made it his life’s work to give back first and foremost to the people and the future of this fine state. Bob’s career has taken him from politics to technology to his current job, which can only be described as building the cities of the future. As humble as he is, Bob knows the kind of individual and the sort of culture it takes to develop Research Triangle Park, one of the world’s best examples of brilliance in workplace engineering and culture building. RTP is an office park that houses some of the world’s greatest companies in technology and life sciences. The big ones, like IBM, Glaxo-Smith-Klein, and Cisco all have some of their largest and most forward thinking employee pools in RTP, each with over 5000 employees. They are housed next door to tiny startups, as almost 50% of RTP companies have fewer than 10 employees. Over time, companies housed in this 7000 acre park- a combination of trees, lakes, hiking trails, and massive buildings- can be credited with prolific inventions like Control-Alt-Delete, the scannable barcode, 3d Ultrasound technology, and Astroturf (that athletic turf we’ve all scraped our knees on during high school gym football.) Among the most significant of RTP accomplishments was the discovery of Taxol, hailed by the National Cancer Institute as the most important new anti-cancer drug of the past 15 years, and AZT, a drug used to fight HIV-AIDS. So ya, they do good work. Bob Geolas is the man charged with creating an environment for continued success in RTP. We talk about his time as an artist, his life as a non-technical leader in a technical world, his awesome snow day policy, Michillen restaurant guides, and much more. As Bob tells it, Walt Disney is a huge inspiration for him, so I’ll launch our conversation with a quote from the famed imagineer. “No city of today will be a guide for the city of tomorrow.”

Kimberly Jenkins is one of the most impressive and diverse individuals I’ve ever met. She has worked with some of the most legendary leaders in tech, including Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, was almost singlehandedly responsible for pioneering education software back in the 80s, and has since made education and encouraging excellent female leadership her life’s mission. Kimberly and I cover a lot of topics, including her 3 hour long job interview with Steve Jobs, the importance of being a good listener to leading a company, the current issues in the ‘bro culture’ within tech, what the next president of the United States should make his or her priority, and much more. Enjoy!

In this episode, I interview Tom Rau. Tom is formerly one of the top online poker players in the world. Since then, his career has followed his interests as he pursues music, writing, design, and coding all with equal passion. This funny creative made for an awesome conversation, and his giant dog Genghis can be heard providing background noise, panting and drooling on my arm. Enjoy!

Ben Adams is one of the top barbecue chefs in the undisputed top barbecue state (sorry, Texas). We talk about Ben's start as an investment banker, his accidental transition into chefdom, his time under James Beard Award winning chef Sean Brok, the craziness of a professional kitchen, how he likes his eggs, what it's like to finally start his own restaurant, and much more. If you're looking for good barbecue, check out Picnic in Durham, to be opening in the next few weeks! http://www.picnicdurham.com/

An interview with Ted Zoller. Kenan Flagler professor and associate at the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, Senior Fellow at the Kauffman Foundation, and other leadership credits lend themselves to establish Ted as a leading thinker and mover in entrepreneurship and networks.

Chris Heivly and I talk about startups, overcoming fear, and building MapQuest, focused around his new book, Build the Fort: Why 5 Simple Lessons You Learned as a 10 Year Old Can Help You for Startup Success. Enjoy!

Dave Alsobrooks is the creative partner and founder of The Paragraph Project (www.theparagraphproject.com/), one of the most creative consulting firms in the country. He is also an artist in his own right, with some exciting and interesting installation and material based work. You can see his work at chasingbear.work/. In this podcast, we discuss entrepreneurship, philosophy, books, and art valuation. Enjoy!

Casey Steinbacher is the former President of Greater Durham's Chamber of Commerce. In this interview we talk about infrastructure, education and a whole lot more. Enjoy!

Danny Abrams by Adriel's Curious City