Beyond The Hype: Artificial Intelligence

In this episode Lucci Levi speaks to Brittany Harris, CEO of Qflow, an MMC portfolio company that enables construction teams to make informed decisions on cost, carbon and quality by collecting real-time materials and waste data at source.  They speak about her love hate relationship with the construction industry, how they are on a mission to unlock the circular economy and the emotional and intellectual challenge of finding the right person to invite into the company. Listen to the conversation now.  

MMC Partner Ollie Richards, interviews Stuart Cash, founder and CEO of Y TREE - an MMC portfolio company that combines data, technology and human experience to provide financial life intelligence. Ollie and Stuart discuss the importance of co-founders and first hires, raising institutional capital and the resulting expectations, as well as tips for managing your own money. Listen to the conversation now.

MMC Partner, Simon Menashy, interviews David Benigson, founder and CEO of Signal AI - an MMC portfolio company that helps companies make informed decisions with artificial intelligence allowing businesses to get ahead of risks, threats, issues and opportunities. David and Simon discuss how the company went from David's parents garage to one of the world's fastest-growing applied AI companies, the power in the combination of discriminative and generative AI and what this means for Signal AI and the industry as a whole. Listen to the the conversation now.

MMC Principal, Charlotte Barttelot, leads our focus on data-driven health investments. In this episode, she interviews Patrick Short, founder and CEO of Sano Genetics - an MMC portfolio company that connects patients directly with biotech and pharmaceutical companies, accelerating research on rare and chronic diseases. The dramatic reduction of cost and time to sequence the human genome has led to the acceleration of personalised medicine. Charlotte and Patrick discuss the impact this has on the evolution of the drug development process, the change in attitude to the use of personal data, and how important the move towards greater trust and transparency in the industry is.

In this episode MMC Partner, Ollie Richards, sits down with Kevin Cook, founder and CEO of TreasurySpring - an MMC portfolio company helping firms of all sizes unlock and protect the true value of their cash assets. Ollie and Kevin discuss what is like to build a business in “one of the least innovative corners of the financial markets” and convince investors and employees to join you on the journey. And, having raised a $29 million Series B led by Balderton Capital in the summer of 2023, Kevin shares insights on business building why it was so crucial that the business could scale in a capital efficient way. Listen to the full conversation now.

In this episode MMC Partner, Mina Samaan, sits down with Victor Riparbelli, founder of Synthesia - an MMC portfolio company that uses artificial intelligence to create high-end videos for many applications including personalised advertising, corporate communications and e-learning across more than 60 languages. Mina and Victor discuss the company's recent $50m Series B, what it's like to work with Snoop Dogg, David Beckham and Lionel Messi, Synthesia's company culture and how they have retained all but one of their staff since inception.

In this episode, MMC Managing Partner, Bruce Macfarlane, sits down with Sally Matthews, Chief Product Officer of Gousto, the AI-powered recipe box delivery business. Bruce and Sally discuss what it's like to be a unicorn, the use of AI in the Gousto proposition, and why the business's values have played a huge part in its success.

In this episode, MMC Principal Alexia Arts talks to Adam Carrigan and Jorge Torres founders of MindsDB. An MMC portfolio company that helps organisations use machine learning and artificial intelligence to obtain predictive insights that can allow them to make better business decisions. They discuss  why they're on a mission to democratise machine learning, the role that AI plays in their business and what differentiates them from the competition.  

In this episode, MMC Principal Mina Samaan talks to Erik Lien CEO of RPA Supervisor. An MMC portfolio company that is a Automation Management Platform, keeping bots operating as they encounter common issues. They discuss what led them to launch RPA Supervisor, why it is important to bring in an NED and their most recent round of fundraising.

In this episode, MMC Manager Dele Akinyemi talks to Ian Braithwaite and Napala Pratini co-founders of Habitual. An MMC portfolio company that is a digital-first diabetes prevention and reversal programme that delivers lifelong weight loss and behaviour change. They discuss why they're on a mission to change diabetes type 2 as we know it, the role technology plays in their business and what differentiates them from the competition.  

In this episode, MMC Managing Partner, Bruce Macfarlane, talks to Richard Wilson, CEO of Interactive Investor, an MMC portfolio company that is the the UK's second largest direct to consumer investment platform. They discuss the transition from non-executive to the CEO role, the benefits and challenges of acquiring your competitors, and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the growth of the businesses.

In this episode, MMC Investment Manager, Dele Akinyemi, talks to Nigel Phan, Founder of Whirli. An MMC portfolio company that is the world's first fully flexible sharing economy platform for children's toys. They discuss how Nigel came to founding Whirli, despite not yet having children, what it is like to be a sole founder and what people can do to transition to a circular economy.

In this episode, MMC Partner Simon Menashy talks to Matt O'Riordan, the CEO and co-founder of Ably. Ably is an MMC portfolio company that provides the underlying software and infrastructure required to power digital real-time experiences. They discuss everything-from their journey since inception to their recent $70m fundraise.   

In this episode, MMC Partner, Ollie Richards, talks to Sammy Rubin and Sam Fromson, co-founders of YuLife. An MMC portfolio company, that helps simplify life insurance while encouraging employee wellness. They discuss what led them to launch YuLife, their most recent round of fundraising which brought in $70m and how they created such a unique company culture.

MMC adviser and Head of Business Development at Current Health, Tom Moon, goes 'Beyond the Hype' with Chris McCann, CEO and Co-Founder at Current Health. Current Health is an MMC portfolio company, using the power of artificial intelligence to provide remote patient monitoring. They discuss how Chris came to launch Current Health, the challenges the healthcare industry will face if they don't make make it more efficient and the role of AI in the shift to at home patient care from hospital only care.

MMC Principal, Mina Samaan, goes ‘Beyond The Hype’ with Red Sift CEO and Founder, Rahul Powar. Red Sift is an MMC portfolio company that delivers products through a novel data platform that prevent cyber attacks. They take a data-driven approach including the use machine learning to analyse and synthesise data from core business processes to help its global customer base better manage online security. They discuss Rahul's journey to founding Red Sift, the role of DMARC and AI in cybersecurity, how Red Sift's AI capability has evolved and the impact of COVID-19 on the industry.

MMC Principal, Mina Samaan, goes ‘Beyond The Hype’ with Gardin CEO and Founder, Sumanta Talukdar. Gardin is an MMC portfolio company with the bold vision to minimise the waste in food production. The team is developing an optical remote sensing system to measure the biochemistry of plants and improve growing conditions by providing actionable insights. Mina and Sumanta discuss the role of agritech in reducing food waste, the role of AI in Gardin's product and how Sumanta's experience of founding his previous company, WaveOptics, helped him when launching Gardin.

Magdalena Krön, Rise Global FinTech Platform Director at Barclays, goes ‘Beyond The Hype’ with co-founder and Chairman of MMC Ventures, Alan Morgan. Magdalena digs deeper into Alan's career and how he came to co-founding MMC. They discuss his interest in Fintech and how it evolved, AI and its impact on the financial industry, and the main challenges of adopting AI in large enterprises.

How can AI help decision making in a world inundated with information? MMC's Alexia Arts goes ‘Beyond The Hype’ with Signal AI, an MMC portfolio company using the power of artificial intelligence to help executives make sense of the information explosion. Miguel Martinez, Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist, and Luca Grulla, CTO, discuss what led them to launch Signal, the challenges they encountered developing an AI capability, and how Signal's clients use their platform to supercharge their organisation and commercial activities.

How are enterprises leveraging AI? MMC Partner Ollie Richards goes ‘Beyond The Hype’ with Peak, an MMC portfolio company, that helps businesses harness the power of their data to improve efficiency. Richard Potter, co-founder and CEO, discusses what prompted him to launch Peak, how Peak's capabilities are transforming key sectors such as retail, and whether COVID-19 is a catalyst in the adoption of AI.

This episode addresses the potential of AI within the legal industry. MMC’s Asen Kostadinov goes ‘Beyond The Hype’ with Christopher Grant, Head of Law Tech Innovation at Barclays Eagle Labs, and Rafie Faruq, CEO and co-founder of Genie AI - a legal tech company that is leading the way by deploying AI techniques to assist contract drafting and analysis. Asen, Chris and Rafie discuss the latest trends in legal tech, building and sustaining effective AI capability and the potential for Covid-19 to accelerate the pace of innovation in the legal space.

How is AI transforming the manufacturing industry today? MMC Partner Simon Menashy goes ‘Beyond The Hype’ with Senseye, an MMC portfolio company that has developed a market leading predictive maintenance product. Rob Russell, CTO and co-founder, discusses how he left a multi-decade career in aerospace engineering to launch Senseye, why predictive maintenance is one of the 'killer apps' for AI in manufacturing and how Senseye has built market-leading AI capabilities.

If we are going to transition to a more circular economy, we need a smarter approach to recycling.  MMC's Dele Akinyemi goes ‘Beyond The Hype’ with Victor Dewulf and Peter Hedley, co-founders of Recycleye (an MMC portfolio company that is deploying the latest computer vision technology to revolutionise waste recycling). This discussion covers a lot - from the key trends in the waste management industry and how Covid-19 is catalysing major shifts to the role of machine learning in reducing the waste that ends up in landfill.

What is quantum computing? How will it impact AI? When? In our series finale we go ‘Beyond The Hype’ with Ilyas Khan KSG, CEO and Co-Founder of Cambridge Quantum Computing. Enjoy a fascinating, accessible introduction to the emerging frontier of quantum computing and quantum-enabled AI. Quantum computing is progressing faster than people realise and will reshape AI, technology and our conception of the possible. Tune in to learn about tomorrow's 'quantum leap' today.

Why does AI differ from previous technology revolutions? Has adoption of AI moved beyond the ‘innovators’ to become mainstream? What’s different about IBM’s Watson AI platform and how will it evolve? Join us as we go ‘Beyond The Hype’ with Rob High, Chief Technology Officer of IBM Watson, as he discusses the paradigm shift to AI, IBM’s vision for AI and how AI technology will surprise us in the decade ahead.

How does AI work? When does AI break down? Will artificial neural networks start to resemble biological neural networks (animals’ brains)? We go ‘Beyond The Hype’ with Dr. Janet Bastiman, who provides an accessible introduction to the workings, limits and future of AI technology. Tune in for everything you wanted to know about AI technology but were afraid to ask. Dr. Bastiman also shares her secrets for building successful AI products, recruiting AI teams and managing AI developers.

How can today’s leading companies survive, and thrive, in the age of AI? We go ‘Beyond The Hype’ with Barclays, a bank serving half the UK population. Get twice the insight as we speak with Barclays’ Steven Roberts (Strategic Transformation Director) and Rob Otter (Head of Machine Learning). How can executives better understand AI? How can companies develop an AI strategy and attract talent? Should capability be built or bought? And how will AI impact banking in the decade ahead?

How can AI put accessible, affordable healthcare into the hands of every person on Earth? We go ‘Beyond The Hype’ with Dr. Ali Parsa, Founder and CEO of Babylon Health. As Babylon develops cutting-edge AI for medical diagnosis, Ali describes the opportunities, challenges and implications of reinventing a $10 trillion industry using AI. With Babylon valued at over $200m, Ali also provides an entrepreneur’s perspective on how to build a world-class AI company. How can organisations recruit top AI talent? How can startups sell to the NHS? What personal characteristics are key for entrepreneurial success?

What impact will AI have in the decade ahead? What’s most misunderstood about AI? As AI enters the ‘plateau of reality’, how can companies take advantage? We go ‘Beyond The Hype’ with Dr. Joseph Sirosh, the global leader of Microsoft’s Cloud AI Platform and enterprise AI strategy. Joseph describes how AI will drive a ‘Cambrian Acceleration’ in software, how Microsoft’s AI platform will democratise AI and evolve in the years ahead, the next paradigm shift in human-computer interaction…and what might be the next big disruptor after AI.

A second preview of “Beyond The Hype: Artificial Intelligence”, the new podcast series from MMC Ventures. David Kelnar, MMC Ventures Partner and Head of Research, talks with the world’s leading AI executives, entrepreneurs and technologists to discuss the reality of AI today, what is to come, and why it matters. Episode 1 launches 13th March 2018. Subscribe now.

Here’s a preview of what’s coming up on Beyond The Hype: AI, the new podcast series from MMC Ventures. In each episode host, David Kelnar, will be going ‘Beyond The Hype’ with the world’s leading AI executives, entrepreneurs and technologists to discuss the reality of Artificial Intelligence (AI) today, what is to come, and why it matters. Episode 1 launches 13th March 2018. Subscribe now.