Podcasts about corporate strategy

WATCH the video on Substack by clicking the play button above or on YouTube (here).STREAM audio only on Apple Podcasts (here), Spotify (here), or your favorite podcast player app.DOWNLOAD a pdf of a moderately edited transcript using the blue Download buttons below.We have an audio only post due to some travel this week. One of the best parts of not being a covering equity analyst anymore is not having to process the deluge that is quarterly earnings season. But we have kept the discipline of reading transcripts for a wide swath of companies. As always, we want to provide our longer-term perspectives on the sectors and corporate strategy. Here are six areas where we would most push against what we think are consensus narratives.* Resist pro cyclical capital return narratives, especially in deeply cyclical sectors like we know exists in refining. * Differentiate companies that might be in need of restructuring, typically exemplified by having sub-scale businesses that are earning sub-par returns on capital, versus believing every non-pure play needs to become one. * The Strait of Hormuz may never return to pre-war “normal.” * What are the growth opportunities companies should be leaning into?* Power sector growth is economic growth. Economic growth is geopolitical security. * We are concerned about energy policy risk in the United States. There is no more important sector in the world than those involved in energy and power. It's a hedge to Tech. It's an enabler of tech growth. It's a geopolitical hedge. It's about as exciting a time as we have experienced in our 34-year career. Even now, reading upwards of 80-90 earnings season transcripts is borderline fun.

Send us Fan MailArtificial intelligence has become one of the biggest conversations in project management. Much of that conversation has focused on productivity: summarizing meetings, drafting communications, identifying risks, analyzing data, and automating routine tasks.But the value of AI extends beyond productivity.In this episode of Project Management Masterclass, we begin our Project Management Trends 2026 series by examining the strategic value of artificial intelligence and what it means for project leaders.We explore how AI connects to corporate strategy and business value, what the changing demand for AI skills signals about the future of work, and why governance must become part of the conversation as organizations expand their use of AI.Because adopting AI is only part of the challenge. Organizations must also understand where AI is being used, what risks it introduces, who owns the decisions, and whether those investments are actually delivering value.For project managers, the opportunity is bigger than learning another tool. It's understanding how AI, strategy, governance, risk, and execution come together to deliver successful outcomes.The technology may be changing, but the fundamentals of strong project leadership still matter.If you are ready to strengthen the skills that separate project managers from project leaders, explore the Power Skills Accelerator, a course designed to help professionals master the leadership capabilities needed to thrive in complex project environments.Enroll in the Power Skills Acceleratorhttps://www.developpowerskills.com/sales-pageIf you want to assess where execution may be breaking down in your current projects, take the Execution Intelligence Diagnostic to identify gaps across leadership, decision making, and team alignment.Start the diagnostichttps://executionintelligence.scoreapp.com/Join the waitlist for Brittany Wilkins' upcoming book, Execution Intelligence, focused on the mindset, systems, and discipline required to turn strategy into measurable results.Join the book waitlisthttps://makowayconsulting.scoreapp.comTo learn more about how organizations eliminate execution friction and turn strategy into measurable results, visit Makoway Consulting.https://www.makowayconsulting.com Support the showEvery Organization Pays An Execution Tax. Discover Yours:https://executionintelligence.scoreapp.com

Host: Tom Angus, Director of Conferences, Decarb ConnectGuest: Clay Bedwell, Associate Director of Platform and Partnerships, 3DegreesFor years, ambitious corporate renewable energy goals were built on simple targets and Excel spreadsheets. Today, those programs have expanded into complex portfolios spanning physical PPAs, virtual PPAs, spot RECs, green tariffs, and behind-the-meter solar across multiple jurisdictions. What was once a straightforward procurement task has quietly turned into a persistent drain on internal time, budget, and risk capacity.In this episode, Clay Bedwell outlines why software automation alone cannot solve modern portfolio friction, why customer revenue protection is redefining how organizations buy energy, and how sustainability teams can build a compelling case for portfolio risk management to skeptical CFOs.Key TakeawaysWhy corporate renewable portfolios have outgrown traditional spreadsheets.As organizations accumulate multiple contract types and counterparty arrangements, manual reconciliation becomes unmanageable. Escalating demands from internal stakeholders (spanning P&L impact queries from finance, audit preparation from sustainability, and target reporting from leadership) mean manual data aggregation is no longer operational.Customer revenue protection as a new driver for renewable allocation.Corporate buyers are no longer procuring renewable energy solely to meet internal target metrics. Using an example from the metals sector, Clay illustrates how commercial customers increasingly demand specific, audited renewable allocations before purchasing products. Demonstrating compliance at the customer level has transformed procurement into a tool for safeguarding revenue.The critical pairing of software platforms with human trading expertise.While software excels at routine PPA hygiene (such as invoice validation, production tracking, and contract management) it falls short during non-standard edge cases. Managing complex counterparty events, such as developer insolvencies or contract restructuring, requires direct market relationships and real-world trading experience alongside digital tools.How to frame the business case for skeptical CFOs.Repeatable financial value rarely comes from chasing quick, one-off PPA savings. Instead, the core ROI lies in portfolio risk management: stress-testing downside scenarios, evaluating long-term contract strips, and providing financial leadership with the confidence to scale programs responsibly as standards evolve.Navigating policy shifts and future-proofing buying strategies.With upcoming changes to the SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard and GHG Protocol Scope 2 guidance, corporate buyers must shift from short-term compliance mindsets to long-term strategic planning. Early adopters are moving away from bloated PPA exposure toward structured portfolio risk models and 24/7 carbon-free energy tracking.LinksConnect with Tom Angus on LinkedIn and discover how to engage with the Decarb Connect community.Connect with Clay Bedwell on LinkedIn.Learn more about 3Degrees Meridian.Sign up for the Decarb Connect Newsletter: Industrial EdgeLearn more about Industrial Connect Group's global events and membership network. 

In this episode, I sit down with Mike Spreadborough, Executive Co-Chairman, and Rohan Williams, General Manager of Exploration at Novo Resources (TSX: NVO | ASX: NVO | OTCQX: NSRPF), for a deep dive into the company's recent exploration developments across their Australian portfolio. Mike and Rohan break down the maiden RC drilling program at the Wyloo Project in the Pilbara, outline new high-grade surface targets, and discuss the scale potential of their Toolunga Copper-Gold project. Key discussion points include: Wyloo Project Maiden RC Drilling: An intro to the preliminary results from the 16-hole RC program, proving the hydrothermal mineralization concept for silver and antimony. Emerging Vera & Kavira Prospects: A quick look at recent high-grade rock chip sampling east and west of Wyloo and what it means for upcoming drill target generation. Understanding Antimony & Economic Intersects: Clarifying how antimony grades are evaluated and what thresholds define an economic deposit. Toolunga IOCG Copper-Gold Target: An overview of the 1,200 sq km land package, historical high-grade copper hits, and the three primary geophysical targets setting up early 2027 drilling. Corporate Strategy & Near-Term Catalysts: How Novo is prioritizing capital across its extensive portfolio and what news flow investors should expect in the coming weeks.   Please email me with any follow up questions for Mike and the team at Novo Resources. My email address is Fleck@kereport.com.     Click here to visit the Novo Resources website to learn more about all the projects and exploration programs.    ---------------------- For more market commentary & interview summaries, subscribe to our Substacks:  The KE Report: https://kereport.substack.com/  Shad's resource market commentary: https://excelsiorprosperity.substack.com/   Investment Disclaimer: This content is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, an offer, or a solicitation to buy or sell any security or investment product. Investing in equities, commodities, really everything involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial advisor before making any investment decisions. Guests and hosts may own shares in companies mentioned.

Welcome back to another hilarious, high-energy Friday edition of WHAT THE TRUCK?!? In this episode, hosts Malcolm Harris and Michael Vincent break down the wild world of logistics, cover the craziest headlines making waves in the freight industry, and dive deep into major changes hitting cross-border and summer highway infrastructure. In This Episode: The $1 Billion Cargo Theft Ring: We look into the shocking extradition of a Texas man from Qatar facing massive federal conspiracy charges linked to a massive five-year criminal empire. The Counterfeit Postage Scheme: How an operation involving fraudulent labels led to tens of millions of parcels being shipped from China and a $150M revenue loss for the USPS. Wildfires & Air Quality: How poor AQI across major hubs like Chicago affects the industry. Logo Contest Alert! Enter the "Chubby Face Logistics" logo contest for a chance to win $1,500. Submissions close tomorrow at 12 PM Eastern! Send entries to chubbyfacelogistics@soapcreekcap.com. Special Guests:• Omar Kari – CEO of Logicbroker Omar joins the show to break down the highly anticipated opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Ontario and the US. He shares vital insights on how this new artery will change dynamic routing, carrier allocation, and why companies need to digitize their systems to conquer cross-border customs before their trucks ever hit the border.• Rob Abbott – VP of Corporate Strategy at Fleetworthy Rob brings the heat (and an accidental air horn!) to talk about summer construction season, low-clearance bridges, and major traffic diversions like the massive freeway shutdown in Louisville. He explains how Fleetworthy is utilizing GPS and in-cab notifications to give drivers real-time, virtual sign alerts to prevent costly incidents, bridge strikes, and route navigation issues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to another hilarious, high-energy Friday edition of WHAT THE TRUCK?!? In this episode, hosts Malcolm Harris and Michael Vincent break down the wild world of logistics, cover the craziest headlines making waves in the freight industry, and dive deep into major changes hitting cross-border and summer highway infrastructure. In This Episode: The $1 Billion Cargo Theft Ring: We look into the shocking extradition of a Texas man from Qatar facing massive federal conspiracy charges linked to a massive five-year criminal empire. The Counterfeit Postage Scheme: How an operation involving fraudulent labels led to tens of millions of parcels being shipped from China and a $150M revenue loss for the USPS. Wildfires & Air Quality: How poor AQI across major hubs like Chicago affects the industry. Logo Contest Alert! Enter the "Chubby Face Logistics" logo contest for a chance to win $1,500. Submissions close tomorrow at 12 PM Eastern! Send entries to chubbyfacelogistics@soapcreekcap.com. Special Guests:• Omar Kari – CEO of Logicbroker Omar joins the show to break down the highly anticipated opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Ontario and the US. He shares vital insights on how this new artery will change dynamic routing, carrier allocation, and why companies need to digitize their systems to conquer cross-border customs before their trucks ever hit the border.• Rob Abbott – VP of Corporate Strategy at Fleetworthy Rob brings the heat (and an accidental air horn!) to talk about summer construction season, low-clearance bridges, and major traffic diversions like the massive freeway shutdown in Louisville. He explains how Fleetworthy is utilizing GPS and in-cab notifications to give drivers real-time, virtual sign alerts to prevent costly incidents, bridge strikes, and route navigation issues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of V-FM Pensions, hosts Darren and Nico chat to The Pensions Regulator's Ben Gunnee. As well as being an Arsenal fan, Ben is TPR's Executive Director for Market Oversight and is responsible for TPR's engagement and interaction with industry. In a wide ranging discussion we chat about TPR's Corporate Strategy, DB endgame and surplus release, Collective Defined Contribution, and some of the key themes in DC, picking up a discussion on private markets. We also hear how Ben ended up at TPR and, of course, find out what value for money means to him. The key question though... which the podcast didn't quite resolve... egg on pizza? Is Nico a lone egg man, or are there others out there?

Sesh looks like a consumer brand. 8VC looks like the last fund that would back it. That mismatch is the fastest way to see what Austin is becoming.Sesh founder Max Cunningham and 8VC's Jake Medwell start with the logic that makes the deal make sense. Sesh holds a legal moat most competitors can't cross for years, and it earns software-like margins on a physical product. From there the conversation opens into a bigger question about where ambitious companies belong, and why more of them are choosing a city that now draws the founders and families betting on that future.Agenda00:00 What Sesh is06:05 Why 8VC backed a nicotine company10:44 Regulatory timing and the six-year door16:37 Software margins and owning the factory22:01 Who buys this and why the market is growing29:27 Why some companies need SF and others do not34:32 What Austin talent looks like now42:10 The Elon spillover and the coming IPO wave 48:37 Raising kids in the AI age55:07 Safety, schools, and what comes nextGuest LinksSesh: Max Cunningham, Website, X, Instagram8VC: Jake Medwell, Website, X -------------------Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedInEcosystem Metacognition Substack

Host: Alex Cameron, Founder & CEO, Industrial Connect Group LtdGuest: Grant Budge, CEO, PeroCycleEurope spent somewhere between eight and ten billion euros on hydrogen and CCS projects over the last decade. Grant Budge's rough calculation is that the same capital, deployed into carbon capture and utilisation, could have been removing three to six million tonnes of CO2 per year by now. Instead, we have a handful of projects that never crossed the line and an industry still arguing about infrastructure that doesn't exist. Grant was there for CCS v1.0. He knows why it stalled, and he has a clear view on what we keep getting wrong, as well as what could help drive the right capital to the right tech. PeroCycle is CEO of a team converting CO2 into carbon monoxide on site, no pipeline, no offsite infrastructure, negative cost of carbon abatement on a DRI steel plant at current European energy prices. That's the claim. In this episode, Grant walks through how they got there, what could still break it, and why the deeper problem in industrial decarbonization isn't the technology at all.Key Takeaways1.     Why large corporate balance sheets have been part of the problem, not the solution. The assumption that big companies with big balance sheets would lead deployment shaped a decade of policy. Grant explains why that logic kept failing, and what it meant for the technologies that got backed as a result.2.     The real reason hydrogen and CCS absorbed so much capital for so little output. It wasn't just bad technology choices. Grant traces it back to how the direction was set in the first place, and who was driving that conversation.3.     What a global database of validated decarbonization technologies would actually change. Right now, an industrial company trying to compare options has no independent source to go to. Grant makes the case for why that gap exists, who could fill it, and what it would have meant if it had existed ten years ago.4.     How PeroCycle moved from a cost of plus $50-60 per tonne of CO2 abated to minus $80. The engineering decisions behind that shift, and what they tell you about where most tech developers are leaving value on the table.5.     The stage gate that will make or break the business case. Scaling to the steel sector means a first-of-kind plant costing $250-300 million for a pre-revenue startup. Grant explains the strategy for getting there without that number killing the story with investors.6.     Why nickel and glass might matter more to PeroCycle right now than steel. The biggest market isn't always the right first market. Grant's thinking on this is worth hearing by anyone building deep tech for heavy industry.7.     What investors actually want to see from industrial tech companies at TRL 4-5. Grant has been on both sides of this conversation. His read on what separates companies that keep the conversation alive from those that get screened out early is direct and practical.Links: ·       Follow Alex Cameron on LinkedIn and find how to get involved with the membership and work of Decarb Connect·       Connect with Grant Budge, CEO, PeroCycle·       Find out more about Perocycle and its projects·       Join Alex and a network of hardtech investors and series B+ tech disruptors at Decarb TechInvest in Boston (September 2025)·       Sign up for our newsletter Want to learn more about Decarb Connect?We provide insights and introductions that derisk decision-making and support industrial leaders in deploying decarbonization and low carbon product strategy. Our global membership platform, events and facilitated introductions support commercial decarb planning and business models around the world. Our clients include the most energy-intensive industrials from cement, metals and mining, glass, ceramics, chemicals, O&G and many more along with technology disruptors, investors and advisors.  If you enjoyed this conversation, find out about our portfolio of events in US, Canada, UK and Europe – or explore our Decarbonisation Leaders Network (DLN), and learn why more than 200 members from the energy-intensive sectors have joined to share insights, meet partners who can accelerate their plans and why it's the most valuable network of its kind.   

Send us Fan MailWe tend to think of menopause as a personal health issue - but in the workplace it quietly shows up as one of the largest unmodeled productivity shifts in the modern economy.Recent data from the Korn Ferry Institute, in collaboration with Vira Health, suggests nearly half of women report that perimenopause or menopause symptoms impact their work performance. And research cited by the Mayo Clinic estimates menopause-related productivity loss in the U.S. alone at roughly $1.8 billion annually.So the question becomes: what happens when a normal biological transition starts to meaningfully affect workforce participation, retention, and productivity?Karen Bishop, MS is Senior Director of HR Rewards at Astellas Pharma US ( https://www.astellas.com/en ), where she leads global benefits, compensation strategy, and employee well-being programs.Across more than two decades in HR leadership roles at organizations including MilliporeSigma, Shire (now Takeda), Cabot Corporation, and Putnam Investments, Karen has built deep expertise in total rewards strategy, healthcare benefits design, retirement systems, and organizational change.At Astellas, Karen has helped evolve an internal menopause workplace pledge into a broader global initiative focused on manager education, employee support systems, and benefits navigation - positioning menopause as part of a larger conversation around workforce health, retention, and productivity.#menopause #workplacewellbeing #hrleadership #futureofwork #corporatestrategy #workforceanalytics #womenshealth #hrtech #talentmanagement #employeeexperience #healthcareeconomics #productivity #leadershipdevelopment #totalrewards #organizationaldesign #publichealth #biologicalaging #genderequity #workplaceculture #healthpolicySupport the show

In this interview, Sundeep Bajikar, Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Marketing at Applied Materials, discusses the evolving role of the semiconductor industry in enabling the next generation of AI technologies. He outlines how shifts beyond traditional scaling are reshaping innovation, with new materials, architectures and advanced packaging becoming critical to delivering performance gains while managing rising energy demands. The conversation explores how increasing demand for compute is placing pressure on infrastructure and sustainability frameworks, as well as the need for stronger collaboration across the value chain. Bajikar also reflects on how industry, policymakers and energy stakeholders can align to support a resilient and efficient digital ecosystem. Watch the full interview for insights into the strategic priorities shaping AI and semiconductor innovation.

Some carriers are surviving 2026. Others are quietly disappearing. The difference isn't luck. It isn't fleet size. And it isn't who has the newest trucks It's who has better information. On this episode of Brake Check, we pull back the curtain on what the data is really saying about today's freight market—and the hidden operational mistakes quietly costing carriers money every single day. Joining us: Sean Dehan – VP of Corporate Strategy & Development at Truckstop, breaks down what Truckstop's data is revealing about freight demand, rates, fraud, heavy haul, and the market trends every carrier should be watching. Robert Bain – Director of Partnerships & Senior Consultant at GLCS, exposes the hidden technology gaps, broken processes, cybersecurity risks, and operational blind spots that keep carriers from reaching their full potential. We cover: Where the freight market is really headed The biggest mistakes carriers make with load boards Freight fraud red flags every carrier needs to know Hidden profit leaks inside trucking companies Cybersecurity threats hitting carriers today Why some fleets grow while others quietly fail The operational changes that separate surviving from thriving If you're an owner-operator, fleet owner, dispatcher, operations manager, or anyone serious about building a stronger trucking business, this is an episode you don't want to miss. Which challenge is costing carriers the most right now—freight, fraud, technology, or operations? Drop your answer in the comments. Like, subscribe, and share with another carrier who needs to hear this. #Trucking #OwnerOperator #Freight #Logistics #Truckstop #FreightMarket #LoadBoards #SmallBusiness #SupplyChain #BrakeCheck ⁠Follow the Brake Check Podcast⁠ ⁠Other FreightWaves Shows⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Having the world's most famous brand behind you is a head start. Not a strategy. In this episode of Winning IR, Mark Fasken speaks with Sarah Willett, Head of IR and Corporate Strategy at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, about what it takes to build a rigorous, credible investment case when your company spans 31 markets, 90 factories, and one of the most iconic consumer brands on the planet. Sarah shares how deep business immersion — from factory floors to supermarket shelves — has shaped her IR approach, earned her a seat at the strategy table, and made her team one of the most sought-after in the market.Listen to the full episode to learn more about:How to build one consistent investor narrative across multiple geographies and investor audiencesWhy business immersion is the foundation of IRO credibilityHow to tell a growth story within a stable, well-understood consumer businessWhat the IR-plus-strategy model looks like in practice — and how to earn itHow CCEP is approaching AI adoption and productivity inside the IR functionWinning IR is brought to you by Irwin. For more winning ideas, subscribe to Winning IR wherever you get your podcasts.For more information, visit getirwin.com/winning-ir

 Host: Alex Cameron, Founder & CEO, Industrial Connect GroupGuest: Rolf Kuby, Director General, EurominesAn EV is not carbon free on the day it rolls off the line. A wind turbine has a footprint before it generates a single watt. The materials these things are built from carry emissions too, and right now, most climate policy either ignores that or assumes someone else in the value chain will sort it out. Rolf Kuby has spent 30 years doing public affairs in Brussels and five of them running Euromines, the European voice of the mining industry. He has a clear view of where the system is broken.In this episode, Rolf maps the gap between Europe's decarbonization ambitions and the raw material supply chains those ambitions depend on. From the world's first fossil-free mine already operating in Sweden, to the IEA's projection that net zero requires six times current output of critical minerals by 2050, this is a conversation about the part of the transition that doesn't make the headlines but makes everything else possible.Key TakeawaysWhy your clean technology has a dirtier footprint than you think. Rolf explains the life cycle accounting that most climate conversations skip, and why ignoring it means the decarbonization model Europe is building isn't one the rest of the world can copy.The scale of what we actually need to mine. The IEA numbers are stark. If you want to understand the supply-side maths behind net zero, this is the clearest five-minute version of it you'll find.Why cheap energy is the single biggest lever Europe isn't pulling. Energy costs, not policy ambition, are the binding constraint on industrial decarbonization - what would actually change if Europe got electricity prices under control?What the Critical Raw Materials Act can and can't do. The CRMA is Europe's first serious attempt at supply-side policy for critical minerals. Rolf explains where it helps, where the money still isn't following, and why the US IRA is moving faster.Why the value chain keeps passing the cost problem sideways. No single sector can absorb the cost of transformation alone, but the current system lets everyone try. What would a functioning value chain model actually require?The silo problem, and whether Brussels is close to solving it. Feed-in tariffs without grid investment. EV policy without battery supply chains. Rolf names the inconsistencies, and is honest about whether the systemic thinking is catching up.End with a slice of optimism based on emerging projects and collaborationsLinks: ·       Follow Alex Cameron on LinkedIn and find how to get involved with the membership and work of Decarb Connect·       Connect with Rolf Kuby, Director General of Euromines·       Join Alex and a network of hardtech investors and series B+ tech disruptors at Decarb TechInvest in Boston (September 2025)·       Sign up for our newsletter Want to learn more about Decarb Connect?We provide insights and introductions that derisk decision-making and support industrial leaders in deploying decarbonization and low carbon product strategy. Our global membership platform, events and facilitated introductions support commercial decarb planning and business models around the world. Our clients include the most energy-intensive industrials from cement, metals and mining, glass, ceramics, chemicals, O&G and many more along with technology disruptors, investors and advisors.  If you enjoyed this conversation, find out about our portfolio of events in US, Canada, UK and Europe – or explore our Decarbonisation Leaders Network (DLN), and learn why more than 200 members from the energy-intensive sectors have joined to share insights, meet partners who can accelerate their plans and why it's the most valuable network of its kind. 

A custom board that ran two thousand dollars five years ago now costs fifteen and ships in two weeks. That collapse is why a hundred teenagers flew to Austin to build in the physical world instead of code in the digital. The organization behind it is Zach Latta's Hack Club, the hackathon was created by seventeen-year-old Meghana Madiraju, and Blake Liberman of 021 Ventures is why it happened in Austin. The conversation ranges from how that collapse happened to what teenagers do with the agency it hands them, and turns sharper on what threatens it. Underneath the optimism is a real question about who controls the tools of creation, code, energy, and hardware.The Agenda00:00 What Hack Club Stasis Is 06:28 How Hack Club actually works 13:01 Why hardware, why now 18:05 The case against the credential machine 24:11 Agency and the pressure myth29:33 What's actually worth building 34:38 Open source is quietly closingGuest LinksHack Club021 Ventures -------------------Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedInEcosystem Metacognition Substack

Brett Hurt returns to Austin Next for the fourth time, more than any guest in the show's history, to argue that the hardest problem in front of us is psychological. Abundance is already on a clear technological path, and the thing most likely to stop us is the fear center we carried off the savannah. He walks through the four technologies he calls the Superfecta: AI, robotics, quantum computing, and brain-computer interfaces, and why they land together rather than in sequence. The stakes are the Great Filter and to make it through to abundance or destroy ourselves. His book lands June 23, and this conversation is the argument it rests on.Agenda0:00 Love is hard, fear is hijacked 10:21 Cooked food and broken business models 18:04 Mocktails, birth rates, and Bhutan 25:52 Moonshots and the James Webb sublime 30:42 Why aliens would be benevolent 36:13 The Superfecta changes everything 41:52 Capitalism, Chad, and abundance 51:40 Old Austin, wizards, and prophets 58:33 The nuclear math nobody wants 1:02:37 How the podcast made him hopeful 1:11:09 Open source wins the next hingeGuest Bio & LinksBrett Hurt: X, LinkedIn, Love Conquers Fear PodcastLove Conquers Fear: Humanity, AI, and the Age of Abundance for AllBrett Hurt is a serial tech entrepreneur, investor, and author. He works at the intersection of AI, leadership, and human values focusing on how society can harness exponential technologies with courage, ethics, and unity.Hurt most recently co-founded and led data-dot-world, which was acquired by ServiceNow on July 7, 2025. He previously co-founded Bazaarvoice (unicorn IPO) and Coremetrics (acquired by IBM). He also co-leads Hurt Family Investments, which is in 150 startups (12 unicorns) and 50 VC funds. He was named Austin's Best CEO (Legacy Award) and is also an Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellow.Through his Love Conquers Fear holding company, platform, and podcast, Hurt explores how AI and emerging technologies can either amplify fear or help create broad-based human flourishing to eventually reach the Age of Abundance for All. Based in Austin, he's the author of three books and host of the Love Conquers Fear podcast, which has 60 episodes and counting. -------------------Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedInEcosystem Metacognition Substack

Host: Alex Cameron, Founder & CEO, Decarb Connect Guest: Bilal Hussain, Co-founder, Artio CarbonCarbon markets have a credibility problem, and most of the proposed fixes sit on the same side of the transaction. Bilal Hussain is building on the other side. As co-founder of Artio Carbon, he's spent years assessing carbon projects from the inside, and what he found was a market where capital was circling projects it couldn't trust, and projects couldn't scale because no one would stand behind them. Insurance, done properly, solves that.In this episode, Bilal walks through what underwriting a carbon project actually looks like, from biochar machines with 24-hour test histories to abandoned well projects where the leak has been visible for decades. He explains why execution and counterparty risk are the real questions insurers should be asking, not methodology quality, and what that distinction means for how climate finance moves from promise to delivery.Key TakeawaysWhy better due diligence still isn't enough - what can insurance due diligence uncover that analysts sometimes miss?  The one question that separates a financeable project from an unfundable one. It's not about credit quality or methodology - find out what insurers are actually asking, and why that question matters more than any ratings report. How to spot a project that will fail before it does. From unproven machines to developers promising 100% of expected output, Bilal walks through the specific red flags his team uses to walk away, and what good looks like by comparison. Why the projects landing on Artio's desk right now are the most investable they've ever been. If you've had a tough 12 months in the energy transition space, this perspective is worth hearing. What carbon tax regimes in Asia mean for your pipeline. CBAM is creating a downstream effect that most people haven't fully mapped yet - find out where the financing gap opens up and where insurance fits in. The deal structures where insurance changes the outcome. Not every buyer or developer needs the same product - find out who actually carries the risk in different transaction types, which changes who should be buying cover. What a mature carbon insurance market looks like, and how far away it is. Links:  ·       Follow Alex Cameron on LinkedIn and find how to get involved with the membership and work of Decarb Connect·       Connect with Bilal Hussein, Co-Founder of Artio·       Artio at London Climate Week 2026: “Bridging the Disconnect” – connecting nature to finance  and Step into the data·       Access Artio's recently published CORSIA Market Forecast 2026·       Join Alex and a network of hardtech investors and series B+ tech disruptors at Decarb TechInvest in Boston (September 2025) Want to learn more about Decarb Connect?We provide insights and introductions that derisk decision-making and support industrial leaders in deploying decarbonization and low carbon product strategy. Our global membership platform, events and facilitated introductions support commercial decarb planning and business models around the world. Our clients include the most energy-intensive industrials from cement, metals and mining, glass, ceramics, chemicals, O&G and many more along with technology disruptors, investors and advisors.  If you enjoyed this conversation, find out about our portfolio of events in US, Canada, UK and Europe – or explore our Decarbonisation Leaders Network (DLN), and learn why more than 200 members from the energy-intensive sectors have joined to share insights, meet partners who can accelerate their net zero plans and why it's the fastest growing network of its kind. 

June 17, 2026 ~ Nick Ford, Director of Corporate Strategy at Ford Motor Company and Tim Clark, NASCAR EVP & Chief Brand Officer discusses Ford, NASCAR + Zac Brown Band to honor military families aboard USS Midway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Last Trade: Matt Dines, CIO of Build Asset Management, joins to lay out the seismic monetary reshuffling underway in 2026, the unwind of the post-Bretton-Woods offshore-dollar system that ran the global economy from 1971 to 2022, why LIBOR's deprecation and the SOFR transition quietly moved the dollar's command center from London to New York, Scott Bessent's strategy to monetize the asset side of the Treasury balance sheet through the GENIUS Act stablecoin and a Bitcoin reserve targeting 1 million BTC, Tether's December 2023 alignment with the American Sovereignist movement, and the contrarian read on MicroStrategy as a "dollar strategy" rather than a Bitcoin strategy.---

Austin's counterculture is still the ethos. The next chapter is what gets built on top of it. Karen Blashek, the editor-in-chief of Austin Home Magazine, took over a 21-year-old design publication with no editorial background and turned it into one of the city's most consequential platforms for naming what's already happening. We ask why Austin's design talent operates one neighborhood away from its tech talent and neither knows the other exists. What the city is telling people and the cultural infrastructure need to make it all compound: storytellers, convening spaces, named districts, and a  patronage layer.Agenda0:00 Austin Home as civic editing4:22 Why Austin lives outside15:04 Block parties and Old Sixth21:02 Personality vs. values27:07 Ground floors as infrastructure32:10 The public space czar idea37:01 Why Austin is a design capital41:01 Naming districts that exist45:07 Three roles every ecosystem needs53:37 If you don't tell the story, someone else will58:08 The patronage gap1:03:37 Rising stars, the talent leak1:09:50 Tech and culture flywheel1:15:40 Naming what's already hereGuest Bio and LinksKaren BlashekAustin Home MagazineGroundup IdeasCities and Ambition by Paul GrahamThe City That Lingers by Ryan PuzyckiTokyo is Reinventing the Downtown by Making More Than One by Richard FloridaKaren Zabarsky Blashek is Editor-in-Chief of Austin Home Magazine, a Hearst publication covering the intersection of architecture, interiors, development, and culture in one of America's fastest-evolving cities. She is also the founder of Ground Up, a creative studio for the built environment. Before returning to her native Texas, Blashek spent 13 years in New York where she led design for Kushner, one of the country's largest real estate developers with projects nationwide. -------------------Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedInEcosystem Metacognition Substack

Host: Alex Cameron, Founder & CEO, Decarb ConnectGuests: Jon Stewart, CEO and Tom Brown, Head of Business Development and Commercial Strategy, Binding SolutionsThe steel industry accounts for roughly 8% of global emissions and has made some of the loudest net zero commitments in heavy industry. But talk to the mills privately and most will tell you they are not on track. The dominant solutions, hydrogen, carbon capture, EAF transition, are either years away, eye-wateringly expensive, or both. Meanwhile, there's a supply chain vulnerability that almost nobody is talking about publicly: pellets. Every major decarb pathway for steel needs them. Producing them at scale costs a billion dollars and most of Europe buys from a handful of suppliers with almost no leverage. Today we're talking to the team at BSL about whether the industry is solving the wrong problems first, and what a lower-cost, modular alternative on something as fundamental as pellets can do for price and targets.Find out why the gap between published net zero roadmaps and what steel mills actually believe is achievable this decade is wider than most people assume. Explore why agglomeration, the pellet-making step, may offer more near-term commercial leverage than hydrogen or CCS, despite attracting a fraction of the policy attention and capital. Learn how a billion-dollar plant cost becomes a structural barrier that shapes who controls the global pellet supply chain, and why European mills are more exposed than they publicly acknowledge. Hear how a technology that works across both blast furnace and DRI pathways makes its case in an industry where most capital decisions are implicitly picking a winner. Find out about Binding Solutions strategic and financial investors as well as their path forward- and where value sits in deep-tech industrial business like this one. Links: ·       Follow Alex Cameron on LinkedIn and find how to get involved with the membership and work of Decarb Connect·       Connect with Jon Stewart, CEO·       Learn more about Tom Brown, Head of Commercial Strategy·       Check out a video about the team ‘s work with British Steel·       Read a paper by one of BSL's scientists and a British Steel expert  ·        Join Alex and a network of hardtech investors and series B+ tech disruptors at Decarb TechInvest in Boston (September 2025) Want to learn more about Decarb Connect?We provide insights and introductions that derisk decision-making and support industrial leaders in deploying decarbonization and low carbon product strategy. Our global membership platform, events and facilitated introductions support commercial decarb planning and business models around the world. Our clients include the most energy-intensive industrials from cement, metals and mining, glass, ceramics, chemicals, O&G and many more along with technology disruptors, investors and advisors.  If you enjoyed this conversation, find out about our portfolio of matchmaking events in US, Canada, UK and Europe – or explore our Decarbonisation Leaders Network (DLN), and learn why more than 80 companies the energy-intensive ecosystem have joined to meet the right partners who can accelerate their net zero plans and why it's the fastest growing network of its kind.    (19:38) - Marker 01 (33:52) - Marker 02

What happens when the person building your phone technology has actually spent time on your side of the desk? Jason sits down with Veronika Perkowski, Senior Manager of Corporate Strategy at LightSpeed Voice, to dig into how voice technology is evolving, what Nova Pro brings to agency workflows, and why today's AI voice agents may be doing more harm than good. Key Topics: Veronika's path from media strategy and an AI startup to LightSpeed Voice How LightSpeed Voice builds products by staying close to agents How LightSpeed Voice's in-house infrastructure translates to faster fixes and fewer outages LightSpeed Solutions: the MSP and cybersecurity arm rooted in LightSpeed Voice's origins Nova Pro: more agency control over workflows, data capture, and team measurement Call Queries: up to 20 preset fields that auto-extract from every call transcript Jason's real-world AI voice agent test during the ERIE cyber attack and why it backfired Why outbound AI voice is riskier and voice delineation is still too costly for most agencies Veronika's take: AI dominates calls short-term, but human interaction becomes novel again long-term Why agencies should restructure around four workflow stages instead of relying on AI receptionists Reach out to: Veronika Perkowski, Jason Cass Visit Website: LightSpeed Voice LightSpeed Solutions Agency Intelligence Produced by PodSquad.fm

Your favorite Blerds are back brining you all of their thoughts on everything happening in nerd culture.  This week, Shannon, Jaja and James are talking the latest in gaming industry controversies, including the shocking price hike of the Steamdeck OLED. Plus, AI industry shifts, anime awards, and upcoming TV and movie releases.    Chapters 00:00 - Introduction to Nerd Culture 02:35 - Nerdy Activities and Gaming Updates 05:45 - Anime and Media Consumption 08:27 - Discussion on Spider Noir 11:12 - Legislation Impacting Video Games 13:28 - Game Delays and Industry Insights 16:06 - GTA Pricing Controversy 18:49 - Rockstar's Employee Union 21:44 - Call of Duty Updates 24:25 - Steam Deck Price Increase 26:11 - The Rising Costs of Gaming Consoles 31:02 - PlayStation's AI Integration in Game Development 34:34 - Xbox's Corporate Strategy and Potential Layoffs 48:48 - Controversial End User License Agreements in Gaming 55:13 - Game Pass and Profitability 57:20 - Forza Horizon's Success in Japan 59:09 - Anime Awards Overview 01:12:17 - Upcoming TV and Movie Releases   Make sure to subscribe to us on Youtube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your podcast app of choice.     Follow Us!  https://linktr.ee/blerdsnerds National Resources List https://linktr.ee/NationalResourcesList Youtube  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK56I-TNUnhKhcWLZxoUTaw Email us: Blerdsnerds@gmail.com Follow Our Social: https://www.instagram.com/blerdsnerds/ https://twitter.com/BlerdsNerds https://www.facebook.com/blerdsnerds https://tiktok.com/blerdsnerds_pod Shannon: https://www.instagram.com/luv_shenanigans James: https://www.instagram.com/llsuavej  Jaja: https://www.instagram.com/jajasmith3 

Six companies, seven days, same playbook. Welcome to the modern age where the excuses are interchangeable, the points don't matter, and ALL the strategies are not-so-secretly the same! Listen or watch as Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Leader Om Patel talk through this month's round of layoffs and expose why Cloudflare's AI-first cuts and Fidelity's RTO-to-layoff pipeline aren't strategic decisions at all!What Brian and Om get into:Why Cloudflare cut 1,100 workers the same day they reported 34% revenue growthHow mimetic isomorphism drives CEO herd behaviorIncentive structures that reward confident memosWhy your sprint reviews, OKRs, and retro actions MIGHT be running the same playA diagnostic for catching yourself performing response instead of executing changeBy the end of this episode, you'll be spotting these announcement-as-strategy patterns in real time, maybe even in your own meetings!#CorporateStrategy #TechLayoffs #ProductManagementCloudflare, Fidelity, Coinbase, Meta, Microsoft, Harris School at University of Chicago, Marty CaganLINKSYouTube: https://youtu.be/VTA_y38MXu8Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596INTRO MUSICToronto Is My BeatBy Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

Email: bidemiologunde@gmail.comIn this episode, host Bidemi Ologunde speaks with Chanda Coston, founder of Chanda Co., a U.S. Navy veteran, business strategist, coach, and Personal PMP/Success Strategist who helps women entrepreneurs in the "third quarter of life" turn their experience into income, build businesses that fit their current season, and move from scattered effort to structured execution without burnout. The conversation follows Chanda's timeline from military service to corporate strategy, consulting, entrepreneurship, and coaching: What does reinvention really require after 40? How can women choose the right business model for the life they are actually living now? Where can technology, automation, and project-management systems create clarity, and where do they quietly fuel overwhelm? Chanda shares practical lessons on confidence, focus, execution, and building a business that supports life instead of consuming it.

Updated re-release. A year ago we left one question unresolved. Where do foundational AI models end and where do the applications begin? Nick Tippmann returns in a fresh epilogue.  A year on, the tension has only sharpened. Specificity is the differentiator when inches matter. Nick Tippmann, founding partner of TipTop VC, explains how vertical AI is rewriting the software industry by going deeper instead of wider. From the transition beyond SaaS to the gray zone between foundational models and high-stakes applications, we get into how vertical AI can transform laggard industries and why Austin might lead the race.The Agenda00:00 Defining vertical AI05:07 Where general AI fails09:36 Vertical AI software, not just chatbots16:44 Pricing logic after the seat model24:04 Underwriting at pre-seed and seed 27:20 Capital intensity and seed-strapping36:48 TAM analysis and the Frontiers Market example41:46 OpenAI's Instacart hire and the gray zone45:55 Austin as a vertical AI hub58:21 Epilogue: Where the models end and applications beginGuest Links and BiosNick Tippmann, TipTop VCNick Tippmann is the Founder and Managing Partner of TipTop Ventures, an early-stage venture fund focused on Vertical AI. Before becoming an investor, Nick spent nearly a decade as a founding team member and CMO at Greenlight Guru, where he helped scale the company from zero to category leader with more than 250 employees, tens of millions in ARR, and a nine-figure investment from JMI Equity.An operator turned investor, Nick now partners with founders building industry-specific AI and software businesses, bringing hands-on experience in go-to-market strategy, scaling, community building, fundraising, and company development. He has also been an active angel investor since 2021, with more than 100 startup investments. -------------------Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedInEcosystem Metacognition Substack

A significant share of manufacturing knowledge still lives in the heads of retiring workers, and the window to capture it is closing as operations push toward AI-enabled ways of working. In this episode, Anand Gnanamoorthy, Director of Corporate Strategy and AI at Ingersoll Rand, examines how manufacturers can digitize tribal knowledge, structured operational data, and decades of unstructured archives before that context disappears. The discussion covers separating data, insights, and decision-making across AI deployments; tapping messy, unstructured data without over-cleaning it; anchoring use cases to the frontline worker rather than the process; and treating every AI project as permanently in pilot mode. This episode is sponsored by Poka. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner

Marta Sjögren, Founder and CEO of Paebbl, joins Alex Cameron, Founder of Decarb Connect, to talk about one of the hardest problems in deep tech: getting a whole industry to move together. Cement and concrete touch nearly every built asset on the planet, yet the value chain is fragmented, margin-sensitive, and deeply risk-averse. Marta breaks down how Paebbl is navigating that from the inside, with investors across the stack and a carbon-neutral bridge in the Netherlands already in the ground.This conversation goes deep on what "value chain activation" actually looks like in practice, where adoption breaks down, how to map incentives across buyers with completely different risk profiles, and what it takes to get a first-of-a-kind project from interest to commitment. If you are building in hard materials, construction, or industrial decarbonisation, this one is worth your time.What you will take away from this episodeWhy having investors across the value chain changes deal dynamics, not just your cap table opticsHow to map incentives when your buyers operate on completely different margins and procurement timelinesWhere low-carbon materials most commonly stall, and who in the middle is the real blockerWhat actually moved Paebbl's carbon-neutral bridge project from conversation to constructionWhy value chain activation is market-specific, and which regulatory environments structurally make it easierHow to keep stakeholders engaged at first-of-a-kind scale when every risk feels novelWhat the EU's reindustrialisation push and low-carbon procurement rules mean for companies building in this spaceAbout MartaMarta Sjögren is the Founder and CEO of Paebbl, a deep tech company turning CO2 into a construction material that can decarbonise cement and concrete at scale. She has built Paebbl from first principles, deliberately structuring the business and its investor base to unlock a notoriously slow-moving industry.Show LinksConnect with Marta Sjögren, Founder and CEO, Paebbl Connect with Alex Cameron, Founder and CEO, Decarb Connect Find out more about Decarb Connect via, Including our European Event in Hamburg (June 2-3)

There are now 800 people in the club — that would be the BusinessWest 40 Under Forty club. That's 20 classes of rising stars, with the latest, the class of 2026, announced late last month. For this episode of BusinessTalk, George O'Brien sits down with two members of the class of 2026 — Alex Balise, director of Corporate Strategy for Balise Auto Group, and Giancarlo Crivelli, executive director of Fishing Friends. They exemplify the class of 2026, the many accomplishments of its members, and its commitment to giving back. On the podcast, we tell their stories, and we also hear some fish stories — Alex counts that among her favorite pastimes as well — along the way. It's must listening, so tune into BusinessTalk, a podcast presented by BusinessWest over both audio and video platforms, and sponsored by Greenfield Cooperative Bank.

Elad Gil (@eladgil) is CEO of Gil & Co, a multi-stage investment firm, holding company, and operating company working on the world's most advanced technologies. Elad is a serial entrepreneur, operating executive, and investor or advisor to private companies, including AirBnB, Anduril, Coinbase, Figma, Instacart, OpenAI, SpaceX, and Stripe. He was previously VP of Corporate Strategy at Twitter and started mobile at Google. He was the founder and CEO of Mixerlabs and Color. Elad is the author of the bestseller High Growth Handbook: Scaling Startups from 10 to 10,000 People.This episode is brought to you by:Matic the intelligent robot vacuum and mop that navigates obstacles and needs no babysitting: MaticRobots.com/TimAG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: DrinkAG1.com/TimEight Sleep Pod Cover 5 sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating: EightSleep.com/Tim Helix Sleep premium mattresses: HelixSleep.com/TimTimestamps[00:00:00] Start.[00:02:21] What's the “AI personal IPO” that just quietly happened across Silicon Valley?[00:05:28] Tens to hundreds of millions per researcher: What top AI pay packages actually look like.[00:06:44] The compute ceiling: Why Korean memory fabs are the unlikely bottleneck throttling every AI lab on earth.[00:11:11] From zero to $30B run rate: The fastest revenue ramps in the history of capitalism.[00:17:24] The dot-com survival rate was one in 100. Buckle up, AI founders.[00:20:35] Your value-maximizing window: Why the next 12–18 months may be as good as it gets.[00:21:32] Durable advantage — and why the AI market is an oligopoly (for now).[00:24:12] Exit options for AI founders: labs, hyperscalers, vertical players, and the underrated merger of equals.[00:28:11] Math, biology, and intuitive leaps: Elad's pre-investing background.[00:29:42] Elad's revisionist genesis story.[00:30:50] Go where the cluster is: 91% of global AI private market cap lives in a 10×10 mile square.[00:33:20] The accidental investor: Patrick Collison walks, Airbnb intros, and deals that just happened.[00:34:37] Want money? Ask for advice. Want advice? Ask for money.[00:35:00] The High Growth Handbook: Tactical guide, not bedtime reading.[00:35:41] Market first, team second — with a Perplexity-and-Anduril asterisk.[00:37:43] Smoke in the distance: AlexNet and the transformative GPT-3 moment.[00:45:15] AI cold-reading: Feeding photos to the model and getting eerily accurate personality reads.[00:48:56] Has Elad ever done a retrospective on his own investing?[00:52:13] Power laws are terrifying: 10 companies, 80% of returns, two decades.[00:55:53] Avoiding science projects, and how SPACs accidentally saved hard tech investing.[00:59:20] The one-belief framework: Coinbase = crypto index. Stripe = e-commerce index. That's the whole memo.[01:00:54] Due diligence theater vs. the one question that actually matters.[01:02:13] The four-year vest is a relic: How venture capital ate growth investing.[01:07:16] Boards as in-laws: You can't fire them, so choose wisely.[01:09:47] “Valuation is temporary. Control is forever.” — Naval Ravikant, as quoted by Elad, as relayed to you.[01:11:30] How great companies actually grew: toolbars, name-targeted ads, and billions in distribution spend.[01:15:36] Selling software vs. selling labor hours: The real shift generative AI made.[01:18:40] Spotting a great market: regulatory shifts, technology shifts, and Hashi getting bought by IBM.[01:21:28] Fake TAM, real TAM, and the Coke CEO who realized he wasn't in the soda business.[01:22:47] Right now, consensus is just correct. Save the contrarianism for later.[01:25:15] Market entry vs. market disruption: SpaceX launched rockets, then disrupted the internet.[01:26:16] How Elad learns: X, papers, 20-minute calls with the right people — and four AI models running in parallel.[01:27:15] Deep dive: ADHD, autism, and why diagnostic rates soared without more people actually having it.[01:33:40] Longevity for realists: sleep, creatine, and maybe rapamycin when the real drugs arrive.[01:40:30] Ibogaine, anesthesia, and the next frontier of bioelectric medicine.[01:45:15] Elad's first-ever 10-year plan — and why making one changes everything.[01:46:53] Parting thoughts.*For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsorsSign up for Tim's email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Discover Tim's books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissYouTube: youtube.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferrissSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This was not the episode we planned. Will Johnson, founder and CEO of Gyde, and Alex Cohen, founder and CEO of Hello Patient, came on to talk about innovation in the business of health. Instead it became our off the record conversations, but behind the microphone. An unfiltered field report on what it actually feels like to build a startup in Austin right now. The talent math, hunting for mid-size office space, the venture culture, Austin vs Miami, the press gap, and the political friction. All of it from two founders who chose this city, are hiring here, and are naming what needs to change because they want it to work. Agenda0:00 Why Alex and Will chose Austin5:17 The engineering talent gap 14:10 Who gets hired and the conference hustle 20:58 Miami, Palantir, and competing for wins 26:02 What SF's venture culture has that Austin is still building32:58 Operator density problem and the office gap 41:05 Why selling to Main Street works better from Austin 50:16 More storytellers needed59:16 SXSW's decline 1:05:18 King of Austin for a dayGuest Links and BiosAlex Cohen: X/Twitter, LinkedIn, Hello PatientWill Johnson: X/Twitter, LinkedIn, Gyde -------------------Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedInEcosystem Metacognition Substack

ICON has been telling the same story since 2018. Humanity has a construction problem that solving for regulations and supply-demand incentives alone won't fix. We need fundamentally new ways to build. Jason Ballard, ICON's founder and CEO, and Will Hurd, the former CIA officer, congressman, and OpenAI board member who just joined as President of ICON Prime, came on to lay out what happens when a non-consensus thesis held for eight years starts to materialize in the real world. The conversation cuts across the full stack, housing, AI, robotics, labor, reindustrialization, and space. The through-line is Ballard's argument that breakthrough technologies are never narrow, that building the technology for a moon base solves the housing and building crisis on Earth. Agenda0:00 What ICON is building and why shelter is broken 6:40 The regulation stack and ICON as a technology company 11:40 Customer shapes, business model, and the innovation stack 17:10 AI, ChatGPT from the inside, and the case for optimism 23:40 The spoons-and-ditches fallacy and Hurd's regulation inversion 30:30 What is ICON Prime and the barracks crisis 36:40 Military construction, Afghanistan, and expeditionary printing 42:40 The moon base, Olympus, and in-situ resource utilization 49:40 Eight years of the same thesis and software's limit 56:40 Austin's talent gravity and the ICON diaspora 1:00:40 The moon in our lifetime 1:04:40  National security, espionage, and Austin as a target 1:08:40 Laser on the moon, 2028 Previous ICON Episode with Evan LoomisGuest Links & BioJason Ballard: X/TwitterWill Hurd: LinkedInICON: Website, ICON Prime, X/Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTubeJason BallardJason Ballard has dedicated his life to working on big problems in service to humanity, most recently and notably as the co-founder and CEO of ICON, the construction technologies company using construction-scale 3D printing to tackle the global housing crisis and prepare to build on other worlds. ICON has been named one of the "Most Innovative Companies in the World" by Fast Company and recently profiled on CBS's 60 MINUTES.  Raising $451 million to date in funding, ICON has delivered communities of resilient 3D-printed homes at high-speed and lower cost in the U.S. and internationally and forged partnerships with world-renowned architects, builders and housing organizations missionally aligned to shift the paradigm of homebuilding. In fall 2022, ICON was awarded $57.2 million from NASA to develop a lunar surface construction system that will target humanity's first-ever construction on another planetary body. In 2019, Ballard was awarded the Austin Under 40 Award in the Technology category. In 2021, Ballard was named to TIME100 Next as one of the emerging leaders shaping the future as well as Newsweek's America's Greatest Disruptors: Visionaries and Innovators Who Are Changing the World. Prior to co-founding ICON, Ballard served as CEO of an eco-friendly home upgrade company that normalized sustainable and healthy approaches to home improvement. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Ballard worked at a homeless shelter, in various roles in sustainable building, and as an environmental consultant for ACRT. Ballard is a GLG Social Impact Fellow and served on the Carbon War Room / Rocky Mountain Institute Energy Think Tank. Ballard hails from East Texas and studied conservation biology at Texas A&M University. He also completed a masters program in Space Resources at Colorado School of Mines in 2022. He enjoys astronomy, ultrarunning, chess, comic books, and outdoor activities when he has free time.  He resides in Austin, TX with his four children.Will HurdThe Honorable Will Hurd is a former CIA officer and congressman whose career spans intelligence, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence policy, and public service. He currently serves as Division President of ICON Prime, a space and defense tech company and will lead ICON Prime's strategy and government partnerships as the company scales its robotic construction technology across the national security enterprise and beyond Earth.  He is also the author of American Reboot: An Idealist Guide to Getting Big Things Done. Hurd brings deep expertise at the intersection of technology, national security, and governance to his board roles and ongoing policy work.Hurd began his career serving overseas in the CIA, where he worked to prevent attacks on the United States and disrupt efforts to smuggle nuclear materials into the country. He later held roles at Crumpton Group and FusionX, helping defend critical infrastructure from cyber threats. In 2014, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Texas's 23rd District, where he served three terms and played a key role in shaping technology and national security policy.Following his time in Congress, Hurd held leadership roles at Allen & Company and CHAOS Industries. He also previously served on the boards of In-Q-Tel and OpenAI.He currently serves on the board of directors for Personal.AI, The Aerospace Corporation, the Council on Foreign Relations, and advisory boards of Palo Alto Networks and the Center for European Policy Analysis.A San Antonio native, Will received a BS in Computer Science from Texas A&M University.  -------------------Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedInEcosystem Metacognition Substack

It's YOUR time to #EdUp with ⁠Novita Rogers, Senior Analyst, The Tambellini GroupIn this episode, recorded LIVE from the Ellucian Live 2026 conference in Denver, Colorado,YOUR cohost is Nandini Khedkar, Senior Director of Corporate Strategy & Research, EllucianYOUR host is Dr. Jodi BlincoListen in to #EdUpThank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp!Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠● Join YOUR EdUp community at ⁠The EdUp Experience⁠We make education YOUR business!P.S. Want access to the only intelligence platform built exclusively from presidential conversations in higher education? Join EdUp Leadership!

It's YOUR time to #EdUp with Dave Kieffer, Principal Analyst & Matt Winn, Principal Analyst, The Tambellini GroupIn this episode, recorded LIVE from the Ellucian Live 2026 conference in Denver, Colorado,YOUR cohost is Nandini Khedkar, Senior Director of Corporate Strategy & Research, EllucianYOUR host is Dr. Jodi BlincoListen in to #EdUpThank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp!Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠● Join YOUR EdUp community at ⁠The EdUp Experience⁠We make education YOUR business!P.S. Want access to the only intelligence platform built exclusively from presidential conversations in higher education? Join EdUp Leadership!

It's YOUR time to #EdUp with Justin Menard, Founder & CEO, ListEdTechIn this episode, recorded LIVE from the Ellucian Live 2026 conference in Denver, Colorado,YOUR cohost is Nandini Khedkar, Senior Director of Corporate Strategy & Research, EllucianYOUR host is Dr. Jodi BlincoListen in to #EdUpThank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp!Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠● Join YOUR EdUp community at ⁠The EdUp Experience⁠We make education YOUR business!P.S. Want access to the only intelligence platform built exclusively from presidential conversations in higher education? Join EdUp Leadership!

Joe Liemandt built Trilogy, recruited 2,000 Ivy League graduates to Austin, and is now running what he considers the higher-leverage version of the same play, K-12 education. Our host, Jason Scharf, brings a perspective no other interviewer has. He is an Alpha School parent, and he uses that to ask the questions no one else has put to Liemandt. What happens when the app breaks mid-rollout, why diagnostic scores terrify new parents, and whether the motivation model survives past year one. But the bigger story is what Alpha and Austin's growing cluster of experimental schools are doing to the city itself. Families are relocating for schools that do not exist anywhere else. This education frontier is pulling learning scientists, game designers, and startup educators onto the same flywheel. The talent gravity is compounding in two complementary directions. The parents moving in are building and funding Austin's unicorns, and the kids coming out of these schools are the next generation of founders and operators. Agenda0:00 Intro and the Alpha School model 5:44 Good AI versus bad AI in the classroom 11:43 Diagnostic shock and what gifted students miss 16:04 Motivation and life skills versus vocational skills 21:08 Students making real money with AI tools 23:39 Hiring guides at $100K 26:34 The selection effect and founding families 31:51 Running a school like a startup 36:07 Iterating in public 42:27 Motivational models that actually work 47:01 Teaching kids to fail 49:33 Austin as the education capital 55:02 Education as the 20-year talent pipeline 57:52 Millionaires in high school 1:04:37 What college becomes next Guest Links & BioJoe Liemandt, Alpha SchoolJoe Liemandt is principal at Alpha School, a growing nationwide network of K-12 schools dedicated to creating self-driven learners. Using TimeBack™, an AI-driven education OS, Alpha students master academics in two hours per day, allowing them to spend their afternoons developing essential life skills, including leadership, teamwork, and entrepreneurship. His goal is to improve education for 1 billion students over the next 20 years.In the 1990s, Mr. Liemandt dropped out of  Stanford to found Trilogy, where he developed the first AI product to achieve $1 billion in revenue. He brings decades of experience in AI and technology to transforming K-12 education. -------------------Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedInEcosystem Metacognition Substack

We are delighted to welcome Natalie De Fazio, Founder and CEO of Pinnacle Live, as today's guest. Natalie is a seasoned entrepreneur with a strong background in leadership and consulting, including roles at consulting firms such as KPMG. Over the years, she has collaborated with many leading names in AV production within the meetings and events industry and is now focused on building and growing her new brand. Stay tuned to hear Natalie's story and the insights she shares today. Natalie's Journey Natalie began her career in consulting after studying business and economics, working across multiple industries and building expertise in strategy, analysis, and leadership. After working at several firms, including KPMG, she became an independent consultant and soon realized the value of bringing a fresh perspective to organizations. Her work with Freeman introduced her to the events space, where she fell in love with the people and the experiences they offered. She went on to co-found Pinnacle Live in 2021. A Customized Experience Pinnacle Live was created to fill a gap in the audiovisual services space within hotels. They focus on delivering a more customized, higher-touch experience rather than trying to be everything to everyone. This positioning enables the company to serve venues that require a more customized solution, while maintaining a strong emphasis on relationships, service quality, and consistency. An Outside Perspective Pinnacle Live's key advantage comes from not being originally rooted in the events space. Questioning "why" and challenging the way things have always been done opens the door to new ways of thinking. Bringing in ideas from other industries helps avoid an echo chamber and encourages innovation, curiosity, and solutions more closely aligned with customer needs. Innovation Natalie believes that innovation is about trying new things that actually drive value, rather than simply changing for the sake of change. Creating a culture where people are willing to try and fail fast opens the door to better ideas. Maintaining a smaller-company feel while growing allows every voice to be heard and ideas to flow freely, regardless of role or title. Data Data highlights trends, indicators, and direction, but it does not tell the whole story. Combining data with anecdotes and opinions creates a far more complete picture. Clear KPIs across leadership, regular review, and accountability ensure alignment, while avoiding overreaction to short-term fluctuations. Transparency A high level of transparency around financials, performance, and goals helps employees understand the bigger picture and their role within it. Sharing both positive and bad results builds trust, encourages ownership, and creates a more engaged workforce. Natalie applies the same transparent philosophy to her customers. Hiring For Natalie, recruiting is about more than competencies and professional experience. She looks for people who believe in the vision, feel fulfilled by the work, and are excited to be part of building something. It has to be a match because even highly capable people won't perform at their best if they're not genuinely invested in the role and the company's direction. Creating Experiences Events are no longer just about sitting in a room and watching presentations. People want immersion and a sense of belonging. The role of an AV and production partner is to understand the objectives and bring creative ideas to life through sound, light, and visuals, creating a feeling and environment that delivers on those goals. Trust Establishing trust is paramount for Natalie. Communication, proactive planning, and reliability are essential for delivering a seamless experience. The best feedback comes from being easy to work with, dependable, and consistently delivering on expectations, driven entirely by people who are both passionate and well-trained. AI Natalie feels that AI saves time and removes manual work. That gives teams more time to focus on more valuable work, such as working with customers,  innovating, and developing better experiences. However, human input remains essential to ensure it is thoughtful, strategic, and correct. In-Person Experiences Still Matter Natalie believes that people still want to connect, collaborate, and share their experiences. Virtual and hybrid events have their place, but they are not quite the same. When people come together, their experience must feel intentional and immersive, and be something they are part of rather than just watching. Maintaining Quality While Scaling Natalie wants to ensure that Pinnacle Live continues to deliver high-touch services, tailored solutions, and real relationships. For her, that means constantly asking how to improve the experience and making sure her team fully understands the required standard. Looking Ahead Natalie wants Pinnacle Live to continue delivering consistently for clients and continue building strong relationships with hotel partners. She also sees growth in the broader production space, expanding beyond hotels into more complex production work. Her goal is to continue building the business while staying true to its founding goals. BIO: Natalie De Fazio Natalie De Fazio is the Chief Executive Officer of Pinnacle Live, a leading provider of premium event technology and production services. A seasoned executive with more than 20 years of experience in strategy consulting, operations, and corporate leadership, Natalie specializes in transforming organizations, building high-performing teams, and driving sustainable growth. Before becoming CEO, Natalie served as Founding President of Pinnacle Live, where she played a central role in shaping the company's strategic direction, expanding capabilities, and strengthening its people-first culture. Prior to founding Pinnacle Live, she served as Vice President of Corporate Strategy at Freeman Company and was a member of the Executive Committee at Encore Event Technologies. Earlier in her career, Natalie held leadership and consulting roles at KPMG, Stax Inc., Aon Hewitt, and Accretive Health, and founded her own consulting firm, NMD Strategy. Known for her pragmatic, data-informed leadership style and passion for innovation, Natalie is committed to elevating live event experiences and advancing an industry built on meaningful human connection. Connect with Eric Rozenberg On LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Website Listen to The Business of Meetings podcast Subscribe to The Business of Meetings newsletter Connect with Natalie De Fazio On LinkedIn Pinnacle Live  

Featuring Professor Asli Coplan is Professor of Corporate Strategy at the Graduate School of Management and the Graduate School of Economics at Kyoto University in Kyoto, Japan. (Recorded 2/19/26)

If you're a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: https://forms.gle/nqRTUvgFrtdYuCbr6 Is your corporate strategy killing your "Golden Goose"? It's the nightmare scenario for every creative leader: You catch the wave, your game is a runaway success, and then—the "adults" enter the room. In this episode, we react to Jeff Kaplan's candid interview with Lex Fridman, where he reveals the internal fractures that derailed Overwatch, from "miscommunication by PowerPoint" to the soul-crushing moment a CFO leveraged a thousand jobs against a revenue target. What you will learn in this episode: Why putting arbitrary dates in an executive deck hurts you How a money-focused lens creates efficient organizations that forget the player The danger of "bolting on" a league for monetization Why one bad decision by a senior executive can lose you twenty years of top-tier talent. Why leaning into live events and player happiness is often a better ROI than rushing a sequel You may listen to the full audio podcast: Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/493-jeff-kaplan-world-of-warcraft-overwatch-blizzard/id1434243584?i=1000754728791 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/44oTEHDZdB7ITCB5dx88mB?si=6d45a2506a794ee8 Lex Fridman's YouTube Channels:

Corporate, Business or Functional Strategy? The differences between Corporate Strategy, Business Strategy, and Functional Strategy lie primarily in their scope, time horizon, and focus. These three levels form a hierarchy that ensures all parts of a diversified organization are aligned, moving from the broad, long-term vision down to specific, day-to-day actions.The structure of these strategies is often visualized as a pyramid, with the Corporate Strategy at the top providing the overall direction, the Business Strategy in the middle defining how to compete in specific markets, and the Functional Strategy at the bottom detailing execution within departments.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠- [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠- [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠- [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Directed energy weapons, autonomous drones, and combat AI agents are not just real. They are deployed.Jim Rebesco, cofounder and CEO of Striveworks, breaks down what's driving this moment, and the second and third-order effects most people aren't tracking yet. AI can't be bolted onto legacy systems and expected to perform. It demands a blank sheet of paper. New design philosophy, new economics, new operational infrastructure. The old model of pitching a PowerPoint and billing for development is already crumbling. What replaces it is being built right now.Agenda0:00 We're already living in the cyberpunk era of war 5:34 When do you trust an agent with your credit card 14:04 The blank sheet of paper and the F-16 19:34 From Wall Street algorithms to battlefield AI 24:34 What Gen Alpha already takes for granted 32:34 When science fiction becomes reality 38:34 The $500 drone and the new economics of defense 45:34 The trust stack and the agentic AI revolution Guest Links & BioJim Rebesco: LinkedInStriveworks: WebsiteStriveworks Raises Growth Capital Led By Washington Harbour Partners Dr. Jim Rebesco is CEO and a co-founder of Striveworks, an artificial intelligence company focused on the deployment of AI/ML models at scale. He is a board member for Sayari Labs, a leading financial intelligence company, and has served as a consulting member of the Army Science Board. Prior to founding Striveworks, Dr. Rebesco worked at Virtu Financial, a leading electronic market-making firm, where he led trading and data science teams as a partner in the firm. He was instrumental in building Virtu's capabilities from the beginning in data science and analytics and played a critical role in the firm's IPO in 2015. Dr. Rebesco has been engaged with the Federal Reserve Board, elements within the Department of Defense, the United States Military Academy, and others as a recognized subject matter expert in both Al and its applications to various industries, including finance and national defense. Dr. Rebesco earned his B.S. in Physics from the California Institute of Technology and his PhD in computational neuroscience from Northwestern University.  -------------------Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedInEcosystem Metacognition Substack

Send us Fan MailThe internet recently discovered something hilarious and oddly satisfying: watching CEOs try their own products can be extremely uncomfortable. After the CEO of McDonald's posted a video awkwardly tasting the new Big Arch burger, the internet immediately turned it into a meme—“I'd like to see the CEO of ____ try their own product.” This week on the Mike & Blaine Podcast, we explore why this moment went viral, why customers love seeing executives tested by their own systems, and what it reveals about the growing gap between corporate leadership and everyday user experience.From a business strategy perspective, this isn't just about a funny video; it's about the "ivory tower" effect. When leadership loses touch with the tactical reality of their product or service, the brand equity begins to erode. We discuss how high-level strategy often fails because it ignores the friction points found in the daily user journey. Whether it's an airline CEO flying economy or a telecom executive trying to navigate their own automated support line, authenticity in leadership starts with simply using—and understanding—the thing you sell. If your executive team can't use your product without a script or a handler, your business strategy has a fundamental flaw.Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HV5XYVVSvnsThanks to our Beer Sponsors:• Karen Hairston from 3S Smart Consulting: 3ssmartconsulting.com • Neighbor Pat • DevinListen to all our episodes at mikeandblaine.comLearn about:Cash Flow Mike who trains CPAs to provide effective advisory to their clients at cashflowmike.comDryrun Cash Flow Forecasting for the office of the CFO where they get finance teams out of spreadsheets at dryrun.comEnjoying the show? Visit mikeandblaine.com to buy us a beer and keep the conversation flowing!Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HV5XYVVSvns#CEOChallenge #CorporateReality #CustomerExperience #InternetCulture #BusinessStrategy #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #UserExperience #MarketingStrategy #McDonalds #Delta #Comcast #Starbucks #BrandAuthenticity #MikeAndBlaineSupport the showCatch more episodes, see our sponsors and get in touch at https://mikeandblaine.com/

Send us Fan MailIn this compelling episode of Living the Dream with Curveball, we welcome Chris Rivers, a former US Army officer and combat veteran whose journey spans military leadership, US diplomacy, and corporate strategy. Chris shares his insights from serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, his education at West Point and Georgetown, and his experience running for state office, where he knocked on an impressive 9,000 doors. Through his book, *You Shouldn't Have to Kill to Get Ahead*, Chris delves into the harsh realities of the American dream and the systemic issues that hinder true meritocracy. He discusses the disconnect between hard work and economic mobility, emphasizing the importance of community engagement and rebuilding trust in our institutions. Tune in to learn how we can all be part of the change, the significance of belonging in leadership, and practical steps to reconnect with our communities for a brighter future. Discover how Chris's experiences can inspire you to take action and make a difference in your own life and the lives of others.Want to be a guest on Living the Dream with Curveball? Send Curtis Jackson a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1628631536976x919760049303001600Support the showwww.chrisrivers.comSupport the show

Scaling innovation inside a global legacy brand isn't about ideas — it's about execution, alignment, and measurable impact. Manasa Nalla, Associate Director of Product Innovation & Strategy at The Duracell Company, explores how enterprise leaders can move from innovation activity to scaled business growth. With nine years at Duracell spanning engineering, R&D, and product strategy, Manasa shares how she builds consumer-centric roadmaps, aligns 100+ external partners, and translates technical differentiation into compelling customer ROI. We discuss: What “innovation impact” really means inside a Fortune 1000 company, How to prioritize what makes it into the product roadmap — and what doesn't, The story behind Duracell's ProCell Cost Savings Calculator and proving labor savings to unlock growth, How to scale new products without getting trapped by legacy systems or internal politics, and Emerging technologies enterprise leaders should be watching from CES and beyond. If you're in corporate strategy, innovation, CVC, or R&D, this episode is a practical guide to scaling innovation inside complex organizations.

Meta and Amazon are cutting managers, but is it efficiency or chaos?Is de-layering, or flattening your org chart, good for a company, or is it a recipe for destruction?Join Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel as we wade into the murky pool that is the latest of corporate trends - "un-bossing" or the mass sacrifice of middle management and mid-level coordination roles on the unholy alter of efficiency. While the biggest of big companies are slashing layers to reduce costs and empower the IC (individual contributors), we take a more nuanced look, arguing that without proper system redesign, this approach leads to decision bottlenecks, leadership vacuums, and the collapse of career mobility.Listen or watch as we discuss:- Why firing coordinators doesn't eliminate the need for coordination- The dangers of "spreadsheet-driven development" (SDD™)- How informal hierarchies and politics emerge when formal authority is removed- The impact of removing middle management on mentorship, sponsorship, and career growth- How to actually flatten an org, when necessaryWe're pulling out all the stops (and the research) as we review Google's failed "no manager" experiment from 2002, revisit the book Team Topologies, and discuss the recent trend towards a Chief of Staff type role. If you are a leader considering a reorg or a developer wondering why your meetings are getting more chaotic, this episode is for you!#ProductManagement #Leadership #TeamTopologiesTeam Topologies by Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais, Google Project Oxygen, Fortune article "Executives are drowning. Blame the vanishing middle management layer" by Lily May Lazarus, Zappos Holacracy, Arguing Agile Episode #67 (Team Topologies), Arguing Agile Episode #250 (AI ROI)LINKSYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@arguingagileSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596INTRO MUSICToronto Is My BeatBy Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

The hype that landed on Austin in 2021 was correct and at the same time ahead of the curve. Nait Jones, serial founder and former a16z partner who arrived in Silicon Valley in 2011 at the Web 2 moment and moved to Austin during the pandemic, argues that the fundamentals have now caught upJones traces what he calls a spiritual succession. A direct genealogy from Arthur Rock's invention of venture capital through Fairchild, Intel, Dell, and UT research into the current generation of robotics, defense, and energy infrastructure concentrated within a 200-mile radius. The city's defensible moat is where intelligence meets the physical world, the hardware and the software built as one.  The result will look nothing like what came before it.Agenda0:00 Intro + Silicon Valley 2011 and the Web 2 Gold Rush 9:17 How The Social Network Changed the Talent Pipeline 11:16 Inside the a16z Partner Meeting 14:48 Spiritual Succession from Arthur Rock to Austin 18:06 The 2021 Hype Was Real, Just Early 20:26 California and Delaware's Self-Inflicted Wounds23:43 The 200-Mile Radius26:26 Permission to Build and the Sunlight Metaphor 30:20 Foundational Models Belong to SF 34:48 Third Places and Connective Tissue 42:29 The Storytelling Gap 45:44 Six-Month Vesting in the AI Era 49:04 Seedance, Suno, and the Creation-Consumption Collapse 54:59 The Barbell of Synthetic Media and Analog Craft 59:27 Copyright, IP, and the Entertainment Layer Cake Guest LinksNait Jones: X, LinkedInAdtwin: Website, LinkedIn -------------------Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedInEcosystem Metacognition Substack

American universities stopped optimizing for students a long time ago. The University of Austin was built as a direct counter to that failure. Carlos Carvalho, its president, brings a statistician's precision to the diagnosis, tracing the causal chain from dropped standards to credential collapse while building an institution with no tuition and no government money, staking its survival entirely on student outcomes 20 years out. The conversation moves from the financial architecture of a university, through a curriculum that starts with Plato before it touches Python, to the deeper question of what a university owes a civilization in the age of AI and whether Austin is the right place to answer it.Agenda0:00 Intro + Three Years In 9:42 The $300M Bet 15:42 The Conglomerate Problem 21:42 Western Canon First 28:42 What AI Changes About Teaching 34:42 The Bastrop Lab 41:42 UATX in the Austin Ecosystem 48:42 Atoms vs Bits in Texas 53:42 American Exceptionalism as Mission 59:42 The Hit Pieces 1:06:42 The UCSD Math Collapse 1:11:42 Grade Inflation as Decay 1:14:42 AI and the Soul ProblemGuest BioCarlos Carvalho is the President of the University of Austin. Prior to taking on this role, he spent 15 years as a professor at the University of Texas at Austin's McCombs School of Business, where he held the La Quinta Centennial Professorship and founded the Salem Center for Policy. A native of Brazil, Dr. Carvalho earned his doctorate in statistics from Duke University and has also taught at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. His research focuses on Bayesian statistics in complex, high-dimensional problems with applications ranging from economics to genetics to public policy. At UATX, he is leading a bold effort to build a new university that stands for American principles and academic excellence.Guest LinksUniversity of Austin: Website, Substack, Instagram, X, LinkedIn -------------------Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedInEcosystem Metacognition Substack

What do you do when your strategic plan says one thing… but the fire drill of the day demands something else? If you're leading in complexity—managing up, down, and sideways—this episode is your playbook. EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode, Jenn sits down with enterprise leader Harry Cook to explore how leaders balance long-term strategy with urgent operational demands. With experience across financial services, federal government, and healthcare, Harry shares what it takes to align culture with corporate strategy—especially when competing priorities, executive pressure, and tactical distractions threaten focus. Harry is a truth-teller who's lived it. This is a must-listen for chiefs of staff, VPs, middle and senior leaders, and anyone responsible for translating executive vision into execution. Here's What's in the Episode: [02:14] What a Chief of Staff Actually Does in Complex Organizations [06:48] How to Align Culture with Corporate Strategy [11:32] Managing Up Without Undermining Authority [16:55] Balancing Long-Term Strategic Goals with Urgent Tactical Demands [21:40] Preventing Strategy Drift in Fast-Moving Environments [26:18] Using Humor and Humanity to Regulate High-Stress Teams [31:07] What High-Performing Leadership Teams Do Differently Key Takeaway Cultivating joy means staying clear, connected, and human when everything feels urgent. How to manage up as a VP, what a Chief of Staff actually does, aligning culture with corporate strategy, balancing strategic and tactical leadership, preventing burnout in high-pressure executive roles, improving executive communication, enterprise program execution, and leading in complex organizational structures. If you're leading between vision and fire drills—send this to someone who needs language for what they're holding. And if you want tools to strengthen communication, reduce friction, and make strategy stick? Start with joy. Because clarity creates performance—and joy makes clarity possible. About the Guest: Harry Cook IV Harry Cook is an experienced enterprise leader developing motivated teams to deliver strategic enterprise programs and solutions within complex organizational structures. He has served as Chief of Staff, partnering with C-level executives and senior leadership to align culture, community, and corporate vision while navigating urgent operational demands. His background spans financial services, federal government, healthcare, and other large-scale industries where balancing long-term strategy with tactical execution is mission-critical. Connect with Harry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrycookiv/ About the Host: Jenn Whitmer Jenn is an international keynote speaker, leadership consultant, and the founder of Joyosity™, helping leaders create positive, profitable cultures through connection, curiosity, and joy. With a background in communication, conflict resolution, and team dynamics, Jenn helps leaders and organizations navigate complex people challenges, reduce burnout, and build flourishing workplaces. Her insights have resonated with audiences worldwide, blending real-world leadership expertise, engaging storytelling, and a dash of humor to make the hard stuff easier. Whether on stage, in workshops, or with coaching clients, Jenn equips leaders with the tools they need to solve conflict, cultivate communication, and lead with purpose. Her book Joyosity and the Joyosity Works Playbooks offer leaders a fresh approach to joy at work that builds real results. jennwhitmer.com Jenn's Socials: Instagraminstagram.com/jenn_whitmer LinkedinJenn Whitmer - Vistage Worldwide, Inc. | LinkedIn Resources & Links: Get Joyosity and the Joyosity Works Playbook Joyosity: How to Cultivate Intense Happiness in Work & Life (Even If Things Are What They Are) Joy isn't extra. Joy is how you thrive. This book gives leaders the tools to turn exhaustion into resilience and build cultures where work is a joy, people are whole, and organizations flourish. Joyosity Works Playbook: Practical Plays and Strategies for Joy at Work and Beyond is the official companion workbook to Joyosity to help you practice joy every day. Find direct links to purchase at your favorite booksellers at https://jennwhitmer.com/books. Free 99: Joyosity Explorer Map → This map will guide you to understanding the deeper purpose and story you tell yourself about your work. Joy is linked to purpose and productivity increases by 20% or more when you directly link your purpose to your work. Ready to Make a Plan: Joyosity™ Jumpstart → Get crystal clear on what you want, what's in the way, and how to move forward with traction. Starting the Journey: Enneagram Navigator → Stop guessing your type. In this 1:1 session, get clarity on your motivations and blind spots. Ready to Dive In: Joyosity™ Intensive → A one-day transformative experience to realign with your values and build a practical plan for joyful leadership. A Party for More: Bring Jenn & the Joy to Speak → Bring the spark (not just the spark notes!) to your whole team with contagious joy, practical tools, and plenty of laughter. Loved this episode? Rate, review, and share with a fellow leader who's ready to ditch the drama and lead with more joy, curiosity, and clarity.

President & CEO of The ChemQuest Group. Previously, as VP of Corporate Strategy at Milliken & Company When it comes to billion-dollar deals, success depends less on how much analysis is done and more on how clearly the organization aligns around what truly matters. In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Robert Lovegrove, President & CEO of The ChemQuest Group. Previously, as VP of Corporate Strategy at Milliken & Company, shares how one of the company's largest acquisitions was shaped by focus, discipline, and internal alignment. Rather than overwhelming the process with more diligence, leadership centered the decision around four core questions that clarified risk, built conviction, and guided a confident go / no-go decision. Robert also explains how adjacency-based M&A reduced execution risk, why trust mattered more than price in winning the deal, and how treating culture as a deal consideration—rather than an integration afterthought—helped unlock long-term growth. What You'll Learn in This Episode How to create executive alignment in high-stakes M&A decisions The four questions that anchor go / no-go decisions at scale Why adjacency-driven M&A improves confidence and execution How trust can outweigh price in competitive deal processes Why culture should be treated as a deal risk, not an HR issue This episode offers a practical perspective for M&A leaders navigating complex decisions where clarity and conviction matter as much as valuation. Listen to the full episode to learn how strategic focus can define billion-dollar outcomes. _____________________ This episode is brought to you by the M&A Science Intelligence Hub. You know that feeling when you're deep in a deal and something doesn't sit right, but you've already invested weeks into it? The Intelligence Hub helps you think like someone who's walked away from bad deals before — because they have. Pattern recognition from 400+ practitioner interviews, with citations back to the exact conversation. Join the professional membership at mascience.com/membership. _____________________ This episode is also sponsored by DealRoom Stop juggling six different tools to run one deal. DealRoom brings pipeline management, diligence tracking, document sharing, and team collaboration into one platform. Purpose-built for M&A teams who need to move fast without losing control.  Request your demo today:https://hubs.ly/Q03ZMvQX0 ____________________ Episode Chapters  [00:04:24] From Engineer to Strategy Chief – Robert Lovegrove's path from mechanical engineer to VP of Corporate Strategy at a 160-year-old family-owned industrial.  [00:05:23] Designing for Dividends – Reorienting corporate strategy around stable dividend growth instead of pure enterprise value expansion.  [00:09:24] Portfolio Surgery – Using market attractiveness vs. competitive position to rebalance cyclicality and reshape capital allocation.  [00:10:26] The Adjacency Map Framework – Defining "right-to-win" expansion zones across technology, geography, business model, and customer verticals.   [00:13:38] Tollgates Before IOI – Aligning board approval and capital allocation early to enter deals with conviction and certainty.  [00:15:56] Day Two Strategy Integration – Building 7-year strategic plans with acquired teams to create solution co-ownership post-close.  [00:21:07] Soft vs. Hard Synergies – Prioritizing growth conviction and scalable models over traditional cost-cutting synergies.  [00:30:27] Winning with Emotional Alignment – Provoking sellers with vision-led conversations that secure management support—even without the highest bid.   [00:38:09] Four Questions Behind a Billion-Dollar Deal – Testing technology defensibility, customer concentration risk, growth durability, and talent retention. [00:45:37] Capital Allocation Battles – How M&A competes with organic investments across 20 SBUs and dozens of profit centers.  [00:51:16] Customer Awareness as Risk Control – Using third-party market interviews to prevent post-close revenue surprises.  [00:58:50] The Craziest Thing in M&A – An 11th-hour closing crisis triggered by a messy divorce and disputed property title nearly derailing the deal