Seeing Around Corners - Conversations with Lisa Gansky

Released June 16, 2016   Last month I sat down with Dr. Arun Sundararajan, NYU Stern professor and author of The Sharing Economy: The End of Employment and the Rise of Crowd-Based Capitalism. Over the course of our spirited discussion, we touched on the emergence of hybrid institutions and the ongoing tug-of-war between community and brands.     For more, please visit www.instigating.co/podcast/arun-sundararajan Or subscribe on Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/instigatingco        

The Power of Visibility: Shivani Siroya on Inventure and the Emerging Middle Class   The planets aligned and I had the opportunity to speak with a woman in high demand and nearly constant motion: Shivani Siroya, founder and CEO of InVenture. We discussed the emerging middle class, the secret sauce of context in our daily lives, and the frustration and fantasy that gave her the idea for this brave new world of data science and quality of life.   The process that led Shivani to create InVenture - what she describes as mobile technology and data science company - was an organic one. Raised in both India and the US, she always had a sense that the people around her, regardless of geography or means, were equal. As a part of her work for the UN Population Fund, she spoke with over 4500 individuals in 9 distinct markets, and this deep dive only broadened her concept of value when it came to people and their businesses. The more she spoke with people, the more she realized that banks have a massive blind spot when it comes to determining lendability: they didn’t see their prospective customers’ daily lives, or how they interacted with the world around them. In her own words, “We needed to create a system for financial services that put people on a level playing field.” Thus, InVenture was born.   InVenture allows members of the emerging middle class in developing nations to forgo the dusty old school FICO type score and apply for loans and credit directly via their smartphones. Not only that, but the decision takes only a handful of minutes - and if consumers are denied, they are given insights as to how to improve their “score.” InVenture determines a person’s lendability by comparing their answers on a short questionnaire to the mobile data gleaned from their smartphones, and within moments someone who was once invisible to banking institutions is now able to make purchases for their business or even pay to attend school. By using this technology to uncover previously obscured data points, the InVenture team aren’t just providing consumers with money - they’re giving people unprecedented access to a chance at improving their quality of life.   Join us as we delve into this massive onramp for the emerging middle class, visibility as a superpower, data privacy, and the future of InVenture. Will citizens of the world soon be using their smartphones to prove their lendability? Shivani firmly believes that fresh relevant data, rather than a static snapshot is a more accurate reflection of that person. “Our ability to see that, as a company, is our value.”   Shivani LInkedIn Shivani Twitter Shivani TED profile Inventure site   For more visit: instigating.co Production: www.moondogmarketing.com

Last month, I caught up with Henry Mason, global keynote speaker, Managing Director of Trendwatching, and co-author of Trend-Driven Innovation. We spent a sunny afternoon discussing crowd-sourced business models, the nuanced art of “trade jiu jitsu,” and the unexpected benefits when you play the role of the court jester. For more, visit: instigating.co

I had the good fortune to chat with Francesca Pick, co-founder, writer, speaker, and big brain in the OuiShare think tank. We discussed the challenges and future of the global force and community that is OuiShare -- the upcoming OuiShare Fest, and… the death of the collaborative economy?

Released March 9, 2016 Episode 11 / Season 1   This week, I had a seriously spirited dialogue with Paul Kedrosky, investors, speaker, writer, entrepreneur, experienced navigator of the arcane bestiary of jargon, and contributing editor for Bloomberg. I was thrilled to hear his insights on what the future has in store for money, jobs, and value creation. As well we did explore a few interconnected corners as our conversation took off! We discussed the peristaltic nature of marketplaces and the halting progress where recessions and expansions exist in ebb and flow. Paul is witty, candid and bold as ever.   For more, visit www.instigating.co Produced by Kelly at Moondog Marketing

Released February 24, 2016 Episode 10 / Season 1   This week I had the opportunity to chat with prolific walker, thinker, writer, TED talker, and provocateur Nilofer Merchant, the “Jane Bond of innovation.” Nilofer spoke with me from Paris, where she has taken herself out of circulation in order to sink deeply into the idea of onlyness. Whether you know her from TED talks, her books, or her columns in Forbes and BusinessWeek, you know that Nilofer isn’t just an author and a speaker - she’s a visionary. Named the “#1 person most likely to influence the future of management,” she is neither shy nor pretentious, especially not when it comes to discussing her radically inclusive philosophy. Simply put, she believes that every single person counts, and has the capacity and inclination to create value: not everyone with a degree, not everyone in her field, but everyone, full stop. This belief shapes the core articulation of onlyness. For more, visit www.instigating.co Produced by Kelly at Moondog Marketing

Citizens, Customers or Patients?  Episode 9.  To subscribe, visit: http://www.instigating.co/podcast/  

An interview with Imogen Heap.

Steve Sando' s “all in” approach to business proves that instigators take many forms. In this week's show, we see what it looks like when we bounce back, ask new questions, and allow ourselves (and others), to be delighted by discovering new passions.

Episode 6.  A conversation with Leanne Kemp

The second part of my conversation with Erik Hersman looks at how Africa is becoming the nexus of the tech revolution and what Erik and his team are doing for education. 

I recently had a conversation with Erik Hersman, an African instigator, entrepreneur and innovator whose work is widely recognized among the technology, development and humanitarian communities. And, I’m inviting you to join in. For those of you who don’t know Erik, he co-founded the heroic open source project called Ushahidi (which means "testimony" in Swahili), a crowdsourcing site which launched in 2007. Ushahidi was instrumental in mapping the violent attacks that were taking place during the Kenyan crisis. In 2008 Erik was named a Pop!Tech Social Innovation Fellow and has become a Senior TED Fellow. The backdrop to our conversation for the show is Erik’s latest project: BRCK – a 'portable, rugged, on ramp to the internet for the many who as yet aren’t connected.   Full show notes available at: Instigating.co/4 Episode 4 Released November 9, 2015 Edited by Moondogmarketing.com

Welcome to a new venture. A venture that draws on my pathological curiosity for the new. My very own podcast: Seeing Around Corners. http://bit.ly/gansky00

Benjamin is co-founder of OuiShare.net and he is one of the leaders in the collaberation between OuiShare and Open State on POC 21   Lisa asked about the intention of the project and how it will impact real cities and real decisions.     Find out how you can help the project and spread the word on the project.   POC 21 is an innovation camp for open source sustainability in 2015. 100+ makers, designers, engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs and geeks join forces to prototype the collaborative, circular economy. During five weeks of co-living and co-making in a stunning french castle they'll build the tools we need for the world we want.   POC 21 OuiShare.net Open State Maker Movement COP21 UN Climate Change Newsroom POC21 on Twitter Benjamin Tincq on Twitter   Lisa Gansky on Twitter  

Lisa caught up with Tomas de Lara at the OuiShareFest in Paris in May 2015.   In this conversation Lisa learns how Tomas sees the worlds of business, community and the environment connecting and shaping our future.   Is the collaborative economy is growing up and entering its next phase? What is the relationship between abundance and scarcity in this next phase?   Strong themes making this social innovation happen are the social web, peer based organisations, collaboration and education.   Tomas is a ‘netweaver’ and connects the many world changing projects he takes part in from his home in Brazil.   Lisa confronts that her age could be a barrier to being a global shaper and shares about scrambled eggs.   Global Shapers Plus Social Good OurCities.org   OuiShare.net   Tomas de Lara on Twitter   Lisa Gansky on Twitter  

Scott Heiferman is founder at Meet Up.com and tripped over Lisa at OuiShare Fest in Paris   Scott is always working to evolve and understand what inspires and helps people to start a community. He shares how Meet Up and community will unfold to create more vakue that it collects.   “The biggest problem in the world is that the smartest people are not working on the biggest problems in the world”   In the collaborative economy organising people and responding to what they talked about when they met is a skill we can all learn together.   Lisa asks about the business model for Meetup.com and how it is community funded.   There was a time when you had to be a writer to be published now anyone can start a blog or post a photo on instagram.     MeetUp.com NYC Tech Meet Up   Scott Heiferman on Twitter Lisa Gansky on Twitter