Podcasts about innovation works

Welcome to another special episode brought to you by the great folks at Businessolver! Their annual State of Workplace Empathy Report has been my go-to for years in finding out exactly how everyone from CEOs to employees thinks and feels about empathy in the workplace. The 2024 report offers so much valuable information to help all of us navigate the new world of work.In today's episode, Part 2, A Gameplan for Putting Empathy into Action, Rae Shanahan and I focus on why empathy is hard to achieve when everyone thinks it's a good idea. We give examples of empathetic leadership - and behaviors that are the opposite of empathy. We dive into a study theme of accountability and the false belief that empathy and accountability are opposites. Rae shares what empathetic culture does for your organization, and gives examples of what employees deem to be empathetic company benefits. Finally, we revisit the three pillars Businesssolver discovered in their research and how to take action on each one. To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.comKey Takeaways:Everything starts with awareness. We have a chance to impact the culture by focusing on the leaders.Understanding doesn't mean endorsement. Empathy doesn't mean you agree or condone behavior or the decision. It means you are there for someone and factor in their point of view.It takes time to build up trust, especially in an environment where it hasn't been there before. "We are not a one-size-fits-all organization. Employees have different needs and different definitions of benefits depending on where they are in their life cycle." — Rae ShanahanEpisode References:Empathy Authenticity ChecklistThe Empathy DilemmaBrené Brown Short on EmpathyQBQ! The Question Behind the Question by John G. MillerJelly Roll - I Am Not OkayFrom Our Partner:Download the 2024 Ninth Annual State of Workplace Empathy study from Businessolver: www.businessolver.com/edgeDiscover more valuable content from Businessolver on The Benefits Pulse vodcast: www.businessolver.com/benefits-pulseAbout Rae Shanahan, Chief Strategy Officer, BusinessolverRae Shanahan is an experienced executive with a demonstrated history of working in the information technology and services industry. Known for her strong business development skills in coaching, sales, team building, and healthcare information technology and management, Rae brings a unique blend of strategic insight and empathetic leadership to the table. Her empathetic approach has been instrumental in nurturing the growth of Businessolver from 12 employees to over 1,700. Rae understands the importance of empathy in fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment, ensuring culture is always first. This perspective has guided her efforts as the current Chief Strategy Officer at Businessolver and her previous role as CEO of Innovation Works, where she supported the incubation of new business strategies and opportunities. Her initiatives, including the launch of Businessolver's Artificial Intelligence Engine, MyChoice Accounts and the Benefits Innovation Group, are all centered on delivering delight to clients and their employees, ensuring that everyone feels valued and heard.Connect with Businessolver & Rae Shanahan:Website: businessolver.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/raeshanahanLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/businessolverX: @BusinessolverInstagram: @BusinessolverFacebook: facebook.com/bsolver Connect with Maria:Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.comLearn more about Maria and her work: Red-Slice.comHire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-RossTake my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with EmpathyLinkedIn: Maria RossInstagram: @redslicemariaX: @redsliceFacebook: Red SliceThreads: @redslicemariaAchieve radical success putting empathy into action with Businessolver. Techlology with heart, powered by people. https://www.businessolver.com/edge

Welcome to a special episode brought to you by the great folks at Businessolver! Their annual State of Workplace Empathy Report has been my go-to for years in finding out exactly how everyone from CEOs to employees thinks and feels about empathy in the workplace. The 2024 report offers so much valuable information to help all of us navigate the new world of work.Today, I'm honored to discuss Part 1 of Businessolver's 9th annual State of Workplace Empathy study, Empathy Under Pressure, with Businessolver's chief strategy officer, Rae Shanahan. We focus on laying out the context of the mental health and workplace toxicity findings, what CEOs are currently feeling, and the stigmas and barriers to empathy in the workplace. To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.comKey Takeaways:50% of employees cited a mental health issue in the past year, and the report details about 65% of Gen Z cited a mental health issue, nearly twice the amount of Baby Boomers.If we want to achieve our goals as a team, we cannot leave our humanity outside of the office.Hold your ideas lightly. Things change and, when they do and you're given new data, it's okay to change your mind.While being nice is great, you can't “nice” your way to empathy. "Stigmas create a fear-based environment, and people cannot bring their best selves if they're in an environment of fear." — Rae Shanahan From Our Partner:Download the 2024 Ninth Annual State of Workplace Empathy study from Businessolver: www.businessolver.com/edgeDiscover more valuable content from Businessolver on The Benefits Pulse vodcast: www.businessolver.com/benefits-pulseAbout Rae Shanahan, Chief Strategy Officer, BusinessolverRae Shanahan is an experienced executive with a demonstrated history of working in the information technology and services industry. Known for her strong business development skills in coaching, sales, team building, and healthcare information technology and management, Rae brings a unique blend of strategic insight and empathetic leadership to the table. Her empathetic approach has been instrumental in nurturing the growth of Businessolver from a dozen employees to over 1,700. Rae understands the importance of empathy in fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment, ensuring culture is always first. This perspective has guided her efforts as the current Chief Strategy Officer at Businessolver and her previous role as CEO of Innovation Works, where she supported the incubation of new business strategies and opportunities. Her initiatives, including the launch of Businessolver's Artificial Intelligence Engine, MyChoice Accounts and the Benefits Innovation Group, are all centered on delivering delight to clients and their employees, ensuring that everyone feels valued and heard.Connect with Businessolver and Rae Shanahan:Businessolver: businessolver.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/raeshanahanLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/businessolverTwitter: @BusinessolverInstagram: @BusinessolverFacebook: facebook.com/bsolverJoin the community and discover what empathy can do for you: red-slice.comPRE-SALE SPECIAL! Pre-order 1 to 99 copies of Maria's new book, The Empathy Dilemma for your leaders, exec team, (or yourself?!) and GET 30%! bit.ly/TEDSpecialPresale Offer ends August 27, 2024! Connect with Maria:Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.comLearn more about Maria and her work: Red-Slice.comHire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-RossTake my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with EmpathyLinkedIn: Maria RossInstagram: @redslicemariaX: @redsliceFacebook: Red SliceThreads: @redslicemaria

Despite national fundraising declining nearly 30% year-over-year in 2023, Pittsburgh bucked the trend and saw the second-highest year on record for investment in its tech economy, according to a new report released by Ernst & Young and Innovation Works. Tune in to TechVibe Radio this Sunday (3/31) to learn more about Pittsburgh's investment numbers from EY's Darrell Smalley and IW's Ven Raju. The 12th annual report found nearly every indicator related to local fundraising increased in Pittsburgh in 2023, resulting in $3.12 billion in aggregate funding, a 203.3% jump over 2022. Plus, hear from Comcast's Aaron Mimran ​about key tech trends impacting businesses in 2024. Tune in and get super geeky with us!

Have you ever wished you could just ask an expert, “How the heck do I do this…in simple terms?”   That's exactly what I thought as I was planning out 2024 content for The Found Podcast: Why not give entrepreneurs and small business owners an opportunity to ask real questions in real time and get real answers that matter to them?   In this new episode format called “Coaching Calls,” a small business owner/entrepreneurs is given an opportunity to submit a question they would like me to answer about marketing, business growth, personal development, or anything that's on their mind!   Today's submission is from an Iowa friend who asked, “How do you organize and execute your content creation to support your audience and marketing?”   This is a layered question, but it's one I think we all should consider this year more than ever in our business marketing.  Strategy is the name of the game in small business marketing in 2024   We are not throwing spaghetti at the wall, friends.   We are running a business.   And running a business is most enjoyable, profitable, and impactful when we have a clear plan of serving our clients and customers.   This translates to our marketing too! We want to make sure that all forms of our business' marketing, whether print materials, social media, on our website, or in face-to-face conversation, is cohesive, clear, and compelling for our ideal clients/customers.    As business owners, we don't have time to waste spending hours creating marketing materials and digital content that feels disjointed and confusing, we want to be able to follow a strategic plan that guides our audience so they know about us, understand how we help them, experience a bit of what it's like to work with us, and ultimately choose to become our clients and customers.   How do we do this?   Start by answering the following: what are your goals? who is your ideal client/customer? how do they spend their time? what do they love? what do they not love? how do you talk to your ideal client/customer?   Then move into mapping out what to talk about and what you want to sell on a paper calendar. Jot down important dates and events for the month, assign a theme to the month, and identify various tips, products, or services that tie into that theme so your ideal clients how you help them solve their problems.   In today's episode, I provide a variety of examples for planning a social media marketing calendar for both product and service-based businesses so you can have strategy guiding your content creation.  A little more about our guest today… Maryann Baldwin is the founder and owner of The Works in Lansing, Iowa. She is passionate about helping entrepreneurs, small business owners and dreamers go after and achieve their goals. Through her business' Office Works, Kitchen Works, and Innovation Works, Maryann helps local dreamers and doers launch, grow, and remain competitive in the business market. Learn more about Lansing Works To find out more about Maryann and what her business offers, visit https://www.lansingofficeworks.com/ or give them a follow over on Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn!

"And Why It Flourishes in Freedom"

After years of investing in early-stage companies in the SaaS, robotics, internet of things, health & fin tech spaces, Ven Raju has taken his talents from New York to Pittsburgh where he now heads Innovation Works as its president and CEO, while also holding the position of managing director of Riverfront Ventures. The two organizations have a symbiotic relationship — Innovation Works invests at the earliest stages of a venture while Riverfront provides follow-on capital to those companies that gain traction. Ven compares and contrasts his investment experiences between the two cities, and offers the perspective he's hearing from investors he's talking to as he works to grow Southwest Pennsylvania's startup stature in the market.

In this week's episode, Michael Landl from the World Vapers Alliance joins the podcast to talk about the UK's plans to ban the sale of disposable vapes, and Luca Bertoletti lays out why Switzerland's plans to phase-out nuclear energy are misguided. You can read the CCC paper on energy security in Switzerland here: https://consumerchoicecenter.org/energy-security-in-switzerland/ (Also yes, I probably said the date wrong in my intro) September 21, 2023 Follow ConsEUmer wherever you get your podcasts: Apple: https://apple.co/2HR4TLTSpotify: https://spoti.fi/3l3GZdxGoogle podcasts: https://bit.ly/3fyyztoDonate: http://consumerchoicecenter.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Minter Dialogue with Rae Shanahan Rae Shanahan is the CEO at Innovation Works, and Chief Strategy Officer of Businessolver, Benefits Administration technology. At Innovation Works, they support incubating new business strategies and opportunities focused on delivering delight to our clients and their employees. In this conversation with Rae, we discuss some of the key findings in the new Businessolver 2023 State of Workplace Empathy, in its 8th annual iteration. We talk about how the survey came to be. We explore why HR managers are feeling so burned out, how to measure empathy, the optimistic bubble of CEOs, why to hold ideas lightly and why empathy is not a weakness, despite what CEOs fear. If you've got comments or questions you'd like to see answered, send your email or audio file to nminterdial@gmail.com; or you can find the show notes and comment on minterdial.com. If you liked the podcast, please take a moment to rate/review the show on RateThisPodcast. Otherwise, you can find me @mdial on Twitter. Show notes are here: https://www.minterdial.com/2023/07/rae-shanahan/

Innovation Works announces the appointment of Kevin Dowling as interim lead of the Robotics Factory. Dowling, a tech leader who was involved with three IW companies and a founding member and board chair of the Pittsburgh Robotics Network, brings with him an impressive repertoire of experience and leadership to helm the Robotics Factory program. Kevin's career highlights include a 17-year tenure as Scientist and Senior Engineer at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute and holding the position of CEO at Kaarta. He has also worked in technology leadership roles at PRI Automation, Color Kinetics (acquired by Philips), and MC10. Listen and learn how Kevin's unique blend of technical knowledge and business acumen will be invaluable in driving the development of the Robotics Factory. Launched in partnership with the Pittsburgh Robotics Network and other regional partners, the Robotics Factory is a part of a $63 million grant awarded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) to the Southwestern Pennsylvania New Economy Collaborative as part of their Build Back Better Regional Challenge.  The Robotics Factory, under the leadership of Innovation Works and with four-year support from the EDA, will operate a series of inter-related programs.  As this podcast was posting, IW announced The Robotics Factory will locate in the Tech Forge building in Lawrenceville, part of the long “Robotics Row” that runs from the Strip District.  The first cohort of six companies chosen to participate in the Accelerate program will re-locate to the Lawrenceville location as soon as feasible.  Also, the factory's new space will serve as a designated home for the Scale program. The Scale program offers unmatched expertise in product prototyping and services, facilitating the creation of production-ready products. Providing in-house design for manufacturing, supply chain management, prototyping support, and access to the region's comprehensive manufacturing resources, this new hub signifies a critical milestone in the program. By integrating manufacturing considerations at the initial design stages, companies can accelerate growth, deploy technologies, and achieve scalability more swiftly.

We report from Fashion in Helsinki, one of the most important fashion events in the Nordics. We attended both as collaborators with our Transformation Conference and as reporters at various shows and presentations. In today's episode:Quick-fire interviews with representatives on EU laws, Marimekko's new innovation hub, and SPINNOVA's commercial-scale factory.Finland's best designers and their runway showsThe lively state of Finnish fashion and its cross-industry collaborationsInterviews held with:Mauro Scalia, Director of Sustainable Businesses at European Apparel and Textile Federation, EURATEX, who did a much-liked keynote at our conferenceSuvi-Elina Enqvist, Head of Innovation Works, Marimekko, on its new innovation hub.Diana Balanescu, Global Brand Director at the innovative fibre company SPINNOVA, who talks about their first commercial-scale factory.Juha Vehmaanperä, last year's Young Design of the Year, who presented their latest collection in conjunction with our conference.With: Konrad Olsson, Editor-in-Chief & Founder, and Johan Magnusson, Senior Editor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Innovation Works and EY released the Annual Regional Investment Scorecard tracking tech investment activity over the last 11 years.   Innovation Works President Ven Raju and EY Principal  Darrell Smalley give us the key finding from this year's report, including:    Pittsburgh saw almost a 25% increase from the previous in direct investment from venture capitalists and angels. $1.05B invested across 176 deals in 2022 300 firms investing in Pittsburgh over the decade including 74 new ones in2022 $23 billion in exit proceeds over the decade $11 billion in university research over the past decade Geek out on the whole report at: https://pub.ey.com/public/2023/2301/2301-4168808/pittsburgh-technology2022/index.html

Ven Raju has been named President & Chief Executive Officer of Innovation Works (IW), one of the most active pre- and seed-stage investors in  the country and the most active early-stage  investor for tech startups in southwestern Pennsylvania. Ven will succeed Rich Lunak, who announced his retirement in February after 17 years of leading Innovation Works and drawing global attention to the Pittsburgh region as a world-class technology hub with a dynamic ecosystem for startups.   Meet Ven and learn more about his background and his plans to move IW into the future as an even bigger resource for Pittsburgh startups.

Don't stand in the way of this or you might get railroaded .... literally!'How Innovation Works' by Matt Ridley is a how-to book that somewhat becomes an argument for change. It uses primarily stories from history to illustrate the key thesis, from food to communication to primitive technology amongst others. The difference between innovation and invention is also distinguished with an explanation of the role of the individual thrown in as well.I summarised the book as follows. "It captures the spirit & philosophy of innovation, if not the science & technical process of how it works. I was surprised by how much emphasis is placed on the hindrances, which almost all come from group think rather than individuals. It's a new book so don't put too much weight into all the stories but I feel it has added to the personal philosophy/hypothesis that I'm building."I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Kyrin out!Timeline:(0:00) - Intro(0:35) - Synopsis(2:32) - The What: Clearing up Innovation's is's & isn'ts(9:03) - The How: Move aside & GTFO(21:49) - Observations/Takeaways(24:30) - SummaryConnect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReUInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/

Matt Ridley describes the processes and preconditions of innovation. Follow @IdeasHavingSexx on twitter.Today's book: How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom.More books by Matt.Matt's twitter and website.Matt's recommendations: Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress, and The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous Matt's Ted Talk: When Ideas Have Sex.

JoJo and Arun are producing some key content that will make you turn your heads in disbelief. Until then, we thought it would be good to get your mind focussed on that wonderful molecule - serotonin that has received fresh life due to its impact on mental health, be it with psychedelics or with electrical stimulation for depression etc. This episode details some wonderful history of how our body is complicated and yet so wonderful and how there are lessons for everyone irrespective of whether you are a pharmaceutical scientist or a bioelectrician. SKRAPS is your podcast, where we on your behalf explores unsaid, underappreciated and sometimes, untold stories of sparks of brilliance in science, technology and innovation. Show CreditsCreated & Produced by: Arun Sridhar & JoJo PlattEditing: Arun SridharSound design: Arun Sridhar & Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandamSound mixing and mastering: Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandamSocial Media: Twitter: @PodcastSkrapsLinkedIn: SKRAPSArun's Twitter FeedJoJo's Twitter FeedYou can help us fund the production costs by donating as little as $5 or £5 or in any currency of your choice as a one time or a recurring payment HERE

Join the WA Group with this temporary link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LcHQQDGFxvA7y8EALUkaLU This Episode is a personal story about the struggle with addiction, finding Judaism and creating a new fulfilling life. Volunteer to share your personal story on the Franciska Show - email: franciskakay@gmail.com        About Our Guest: Chaim Saiman is a scholar of Jewish law, insurance law and private law and Chair in Jewish law Villanova University's Law School. He is also a fellow at the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at U. Penn. Chaim has been the Gruss Visiting Professor of Talmudic Law at both Harvard Law School and the U. Penn Law School's, a visiting fellow at Princeton University. Chaim serves as dayyan on the Beth Din of America, and as an expert witness in insurance law and Jewish law in federal court and has recently published Halakhah: The Rabbinic Idea of Law with Princeton University Press. Chaim learned for several years at Yeshivat Har-Etzion (Gush) and Kerem B'Yavneh. Prior to joining the faculty at Villanova, he was a law clerk on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals and an associate with the firm Cleary Gottlieb in New York.   Buy the Book: Halackha - The Rabbinic idea of Law - https://www.amazon.in/Halakhah-Rabbinic-Library-Jewish-Ideas/dp/069115211X/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1667230985&refinements=p_27%3AChaim+N.+Saiman&s=books&sr=1-1 The Podcast DIY Launch Course: https://www.franciskakosman.com/courselaunch If you'd like to book a consult session with Franciska, click here:  https://checkout.square.site/merchant/5BECR8D49NYV3/checkout/FVSNPB7HVW36LOYAR3L7SJMU If you'd like to sponsor an episode, click here: https://checkout.square.site/merchant/5BECR8D49NYV3/checkout/6KYMG7OGFR4Y63C43RREZ5MV

Ellie Gordon embodies the spirit of an entrepreneur paired with a humanitarian. She founded artificial intelligence start-up company Behaivior from the creative cauldron of a hackathon. Behaivior uses machine learning and automated just-in-time intervention to solve the problem of addiction. Behaivior was recently named a Top 10 team in the third and final round of the $5 Million IBM Watson AI XPRIZE, and has received funding from Innovation Works, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and others. Listen Ellie detail her inspiration to found the company and what it has taken to grow it right here in Pittsburgh.

This week, Ashto and Jonesy redefine the reasoning and motivation behind innovation through How Innovation Works by Matt Ridley. In this book, Ridley argues that innovation is a process that turns existing inventions into practical and affordable solutions for other people. But do we understand the true core of innovation and the best way to encourage it? Do we set targets, rules, and standards along with direct research? Or do we deregulate from these expectations and set people free? The pivotal factor that usually kickstarts an innovation remains mysterious until today. No economist or social scientist can fully explain why and when innovation happens. To explain the process of innovation, Ridley refers to a wide range of innovation examples, including jet engines, potatoes, coffee, vaccines, toilets, vacuum cleaners, social media, artificial intelligence, and more. Through these fascinating case studies, Ridley dissects how each innovation started and why it succeeded or failed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comcast announced it awarded $1 million in total grants to 100 Allegheny County small businesses owned by women and people of color, including Black, Indigenous, Hispanic, and Asian American owners, among others. The recipients are among more than 9,500 entrepreneurs nationwide who have been selected through the Comcast RISE program, which provides marketing, technology, and capital support to small business owners. On this podcast, hear from Josephine Posti of Comcast about the impact of RISE in the Pittsburgh region. And, we talk to rise recipient Ellie Gordon, Founder of Behaivior, an artificial intelligence startup company which uses machine learning and automated just-in-time intervention to solve the problem of addiction. Behaivior was recently named a Top 10 team in the third and final round of the $5 Million IBM Watson AI XPRIZE, and has received funding from Innovation Works, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and others.

About the guestSabrina Dépestre is a marketer and brand strategist who has served as the Director of Brand Marketing at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA)'s Office of Open Studies since January 2019.Previous to MICA, her professional experience includes consulting for businesses and non-profits in industries such as tech, food & beverage, retail, media, and supply chain; and full-time roles spanning from leading strategy with a boutique brand experience agency based in Baltimore; directing the communication strategy for a youth-centered athletic athletic apparel brand, ivivva by lululemon; and leading the creation of group experiences for schools, community partners, and businesses with the Miami HEAT organization.Her volunteer efforts focus on supporting & connecting youth, entrepreneurs, and leaders in the education, art, social impact, and tech sectors. She is a Mentor & Coach for Bridges Baltimore, a non-profit that provides year-round programming for youth ages 9-23 in Baltimore City; a Board Member of Innovation Works, a social impact organization that helps build sustainable neighborhood economies in Baltimore City; and the 2018-2021 Baltimore Chapter Ambassador for She Builds Initiative, a platform that connects Haitian women entrepreneurs and professionals from around the world. In between balancing her full-time role at MICA, consulting, and volunteering, she spends her time cooking, visiting family, reading, creating playlists, and practicing yoga.A graduate of Florida International University (BBA, Marketing), she currently lives in Baltimore, Maryland.The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Office of Open StudiesThe series is produced with the generous support from Maryland Institute College of Art, Office of Open Studies.  MICA Open Studies is helping to define the Maryland Institute College of Art as a 21st-century leader in the education of artists and designers. MICA Open Studies fuels creative journeys through convenient and innovative learning models that provide broad access to the college's rigorous art and design education.The Truth In This ArtThe Truth In This Art is a podcast interview series supporting vibrancy and development of Baltimore & beyond's arts and culture. Mentioned in this episode:Sabrina Dépestre To find more amazing stories from the artist and entrepreneurial scenes in & around Baltimore, check out my episode directory. Stay in TouchNewsletter sign-upSupport my podcastShareable link to episode★ Support this podcast ★

About the guestAna Rodney is a practicing Doula for nearly 15 years, a yoga instructor, energy healer, and wellness practitioner based in Baltimore City. She's Executive Director, Founder of MOMCares and the Rising Mama, a wellness organization that centers mothers in the delivery of care and support to the entire family unit. Ana has spoken and led workshops throughout the Mid Atlantic Region of the United States; addressing audiences at Johns Hopkins Hospital, University of Maryland Medical System, Greater Baltimore Medical Center, and George Washington University.  She is also a graduate of Morgan State University. Ana serves as a Board Member and historian for the BCIITY Alliance and board member for  Maryland breastfeeding association. Ana is the Chair of the Baltimore City Maternal Mortality Review Board as well as a member of the Fetal Infant Mortality Review Board. Ana has been acknowledged by the Public Justice Center for her contributions and collaborations in Policy in Maternal Health. Ana is the recipient of the NARAL MD Prochoice Young Advocate award, OSI Community Fellowship, Warnock Foundation Award, along with other awards for her service to the mothers of Baltimore City. Most recently, Ana has been rewarded the Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women Impact Grant for MOMCares. Ana Rodney has served as a Perinatal Mental Health  Consultant for the Baltimore City Health Department. Ana was named a Baltimore Homecoming Hero in 2019 and a Game Changer by Baltimore Magazine in 2021. Ana has a background in education, teaching in Baltimore city as an artist, Spanish and  English co-teacher between 2006-2014. Finally and most importantly, Ana is mother to Aiden and Asher Rodney, ages 7 and 14 months, respectively.About MOMCaresMOMCares serves under-supported mothers with NICU experiences in Baltimore City by providing prenatal and postpartum doula care including transportation, advocacy, self-care opportunities, and nutritious meals to mothers and their families. Please consider making a donation to support our work by visiting momcares.org/donate.This interview is brought to you in part my the support of Innovation Works Baltimore.Innovation Works Baltimore is an innovative, collaborative resource network that connects neighborhoods, entrepreneurs, social innovation assets, and investors to build sustainable neighborhood economies in Baltimore.★ Support this podcast ★

About the guestDante Swinton has a BA in Environmental Studies from Winthrop University and an MS in Nonprofit Management and Social Entrepreneurship from the University of Baltimore. He has been advocating for a transition to zero waste and away from trash incineration in Baltimore since 2015. Determined to make the city a better place for everyone, Dante ran for mayor of Baltimore from 2019 to 2020.Over the last couple of years, Dante has been developing a zero waste cooperative, Glass Recovery and Sustainable Systems (GRASS) Baltimore. It will be a makers and exhibit space with a mission to recover bottle glass, support entrepreneurial artists, and strengthen communities.This interview is brought to you in part my the support of Innovation Works Baltimore.Innovation Works Baltimore is an innovative, collaborative resource network that connects neighborhoods, entrepreneurs, social innovation assets, and investors to build sustainable neighborhood economies in Baltimore.★ Support this podcast ★

About the guestDion Bowen is the Founder/Creative Chief Officer at Epic Art Universe.About Epic Art UniverseEpic Art Universe is a creative agency specializing in graphic design, web development, marketing, consulting, graphic design educational training, after-school programming, social media development and moreThis interview is brought to you in part my the support of Innovation Works Baltimore.Innovation Works Baltimore is an innovative, collaborative resource network that connects neighborhoods, entrepreneurs, social innovation assets, and investors to build sustainable neighborhood economies in Baltimore.★ Support this podcast ★

About the guestAshley Williams is the Founder & CEO at Clymb.Ashley Williams is an educator, school leader, and emotional intelligence expert with over a decade of experience in education. She has written and implemented socio-emotional and mindfulness curriculums for schools, non-profits, students and educators. She is a dedicated mindfulness practitioner.About ClymbEmpower youth to improve their emotional health and find greater peace, focus, and success in and out of the classroom with Clymb—an interactive emotional wellness software designed just for them. Each young person receives a personalized plan based on the state of their emotional health according to Clymb's research-backed assessments.This interview is brought to you in part my the support of Innovation Works Baltimore. Innovation Works Baltimore is an innovative, collaborative resource network that connects neighborhoods, entrepreneurs, social innovation assets, and investors to build sustainable neighborhood economies in Baltimore.★ Support this podcast ★

UpPrize is helping southwestern Pennsylvania nonprofit, for-profit and social entrepreneurs create positive social returns with purpose-driven innovation. We talk to Joyce Howard of Innovation Works about Up Prize and its upcoming submission deadline of July 15. Get key details so you can make your submission on-time! The UpPrize Social Innovation Challenge, administered by Innovation Works and fully funded by the BNY Mellon Foundation of Southwestern Pennsylvania, will return for a fifth year to bridge the gap between the nonprofit and entrepreneurial communities and increase the number of impactful technology-based solutions targeted to critical social challenges. For 2022, the UpPrize Social Innovation Challenge will focus on technologies supporting racial and economic justice while also strengthening diversity, equity and inclusion among entrepreneurs and businesses in southwestern Pennsylvania's tech ecosystem.

"Believe in yourself, don't worry about what other people say" - Brad FrancBrad is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, attorney, and CPA (inactive) with proven abilities in business, succession and strategic planning.  Brad has successfully launched three separate companies, two of which were named eight separate times by INC magazine as the fastest growing companies in the United States.  The first company, Legal Network, Ltd., was the first legal interim staffing company in Western Pennsylvania.  Legal Network was subsequently acquired by a publicly held company.  Thereafter, Brad, along with three others, birthed PCN Network, a national real estate closing company. In May of 2014, Brad successfully sold PCN to a private equity firm. In 2010 Brad, launched his third company, Medallion Analytics Corporation which has received funding from both Innovation Works and two private venture capital funding sources.In 2019, Brad created his fourth company, The Succession Coach, LLC. The Succession Coach is a consulting company that provides succession planning solutions for closely-held companies throughout the country. In that same year Brad published The Succession Solution, The Strategic Guide to Business Transition, an Amazon best seller. His book has been sold in over twelve different countries.Brad is also a shareholder and director with the law firm of Houston Harbaugh, P.C. and has been with the firm for more than thirty years. He was the firm's president and member of its executive committee for over fifteen years. He concentrates his legal practice in the areas of business planning, mergers and acquisitions, commercial transactions, federal and state tax issues, and succession planning.  Prior to attending law school, Brad was a Certified Public Accountant at EY & Company.Please enjoy!Click here to subscribe to The Sell My Business Podcast to save time and effort.SELECTED LINKS FOR THIS EPISODEfrancb@hh-law.comThe Succession SolutionChoose Your Own Roles: Realize Your Purpose Through The Roles You Live - Kindle edition by Franc, Bradley. Self-Help Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.The Succession Solution: The Strategic Guide To Business Transition Kindle EditionPreparing Heirs: Five Steps to a Successful Transition of Family Wealth and Values Hardcover – January 1, 2010Amazon.com: The Road Less Stupid: Advice from the Chairman of the Board eBook : Cunningham, Keith J.: Kindle StoreBradley J. Franc - Attorney, Director and Shareholder - Houston Harbaugh | LinkedInThe Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph Kindle EditionFind Your Why: A Practical Guide for Discovering Purpose for You and Your Team Kindle EditionThe Deep Wealth Sell My Business PodcastCockroach Startups: What You Need To Know To Succeed And ProsperFREE Deep Wealth eBook on Why You Suck At Selling Your Business And What You Can Do About It (Today)Book Your FREE Deep Wealth Strategy Call

If Pittsburgh's tech industry had its own Pantheon or Hall of Fame honoring the people who worked tirelessly to make it what it is today, Rich Lunak, President and CEO of Innovation Works (IW), would have a prime seat with all of the trimmings. As a technologist, entrepreneur, business leader and investor, Lunak has been at every side of the technology company creation/innovation table over the last 30 years. In short, he's a legend around here. Prior to joining Innovation Works, Lunak was a successful technology entrepreneur/inventor who built Automated Healthcare, one of Pittsburgh's most successful and enduring technology startups. He helped lead it from a three-person startup to an acquisition by McKesson Corporation where he became the architect of several disruptive growth strategies that helped McKesson launch businesses that became market leaders in multiple segments. At the helm of IW, one of the nation's most active early-stage investors, Lunak synthesized his decades of experience to lead the organization's efforts to provide business expertise, seed capital and other resources to high-potential, technology start-up companies in Pittsburgh. Lunak announced his retirement from IW this spring, easily punching his ticket to the mythical Pittsburgh Tech Pantheon/Hall of Fame. The Pittsburgh Technology Council, TEQ Magazine and I can't just let Lunak ride off into the sunset toward those imaginary shiny marbled halls without some sort of an exit interview! The TEch Council and TEQ's Jonathan Kersting had to ask Lunak a few questions. Pick his brain on where our tech industry is heading. We had to know what he's proud of and if he has any advice for his yet-to-be-named successor.

This month we are reviewing the book How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom by Matt Ridley. Innovation is the reason why life continues to improve so incredibly fast and why we can expect and hope that our lives will continue to improve. It may not always be linear, but doing more, creating more, and making it more valuable is key to innovation. We need to ensure that we cultivate the right environments for innovation to thrive.  Book: How Innovation WorksDon't forget to subscribe at productthinking.ccWeekly newsletter: How Innovation Works: Book ReviewOr just want to leave a tip: buy me a coffee?Twitter: @kylelarryevans and @producthinking ★ Support this podcast ★

Pamela serves as Senior Advisor to Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship. She began working with social entrepreneurs twelve years ago as a mentor for Miller Center's programs while she continued her career as a software executive. Prior to joining the Center eight years ago, she worked with and for early-stage software companies as a business and marketing strategy leader, helping founders create, refine, and execute their business strategy and go-to-market plans. She has over 25 years of experience growing teams and delivering products for both large and start-up software companies, working in various managerial capacities such as business unit manager, vice president of marketing, COO, and CEO. Some of the companies Pamela has worked with include: Amdahl, Pure Software, Rational Software, Consera, Zend, and AppFirst. Pamela currently serves on the board of Innovation Works, whose focus is building sustainable neighborhood economies in Baltimore. Pamela also serves as board chair for LivelyHoods, an organization that creates jobs for youth and women in slums across Kenya. To connect with Pamela you can do so via her LinkedIn or Twitter. https://www.millersocent.org/ https://www.iwbmore.org/ https://www.livelyhoods.org/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamelaroussos/ https://twitter.com/PamelaRoussos A good place to get inspiration on figuring out the big problems you want to tackle is by looking at the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There you will find 17 interlocking goals that are a blueprint to achieve a just and sustainable world for all. Under each goal, you'll find targets and indicators to be achieved by 2030. What big, hairy problem do you want to put your time and talent towards achieving? https://sdgs.un.org/goals Once you have a direction you'll find there are overarching organizations in many of the issue areas, for example GOGLA, the global association for off-grid solar energy Global Distributors Collective for last-mile distributors The Water Network, a knowledge-sharing platform for water professionals Clean Cooking Alliance, a global network of partners to make clean cooking accessible https://www.gogla.org/ https://globaldistributorscollective.org/ https://thewaternetwork.com/ https://cleancooking.org/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thinkfuture/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thinkfuture/support

  Innovation Works President Rich Lunak provides additional insights into the 2021 Ernst & Young | Innovation Works "Investment in Pittsburgh's Tech Sector" report. This report provides a comprehensive review of investment and exit activity in the Pittsburgh region for 2021, and highlights key trends for 2012–2021. Read the entire report here. Listen to Rimsys Founder Jim Gianoustus talk about his experience raising its first venture round with Bessemer Ventures. Pittsburgh's technology ecosystem has flourished in the past 10 years. The amount of annual capital invested increased more than tenfold to $3.6 billion from 2012 to 2021. Pittsburgh has emerged as a hub for autonomy, robotics, AI and the life sciences. Aurora and Argo AI established Pittsburgh as a leader in self-driving cars, Duolingo in Edtech, and Krystal Biotech, Cognition Therapeutics, and Knopp Biosciences lead the life science ecosystem. Technology hubs attract world-class investors. Pittsburgh companies have drawn the attention of leading venture capital firms, including New Enterprise Associates, Sequoia, Tiger Global, Kleiner Perkins and Index Ventures. Additionally, the corporate ventures arms of Toyota, Ford, BMW, Intel and Samsung have all invested here. In aggregate, over 300 firms from around the world invested in Pittsburgh companies in the last 10 years, including 16 making their first investment in our region in 2021. 2021 was a seminal year underscoring a decade of growth as five companies went public, including Duolingo, Stronghold Digital Mining, Cognition Therapeutics, Montauk Renewable and Aurora. These companies raised more than $2.6 billion in the process. This mirrored national trends as growth stage companies and their investors floated shares in public markets at record valuations. Nationally, 2021 saw the most IPOs since the 1990s. Additionally, as companies took different routes to public markets, special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) have become common. Aurora went public via a SPAC and Rice Acquisition Corporation also raised capital via a SPAC. The drivers of this growth are Pittsburgh's world-class technical capabilities and talent and the $11 billion of university research over the past decade. Further, the ecosystem has attracted satellite offices of global companies such as Alphabet, Facebook, Bayer, Affirm and Berkshire Grey. Collectively, this has created $21.3 billion of exit proceeds over the past decade and makes Pittsburgh an attractive destination for global investors, talent and companies alike.  Both Ernst & Young LLP and Innovation Works are committed to supporting entrepreneurial growth in the region. Tracking investment activity helps us begin conversations with new investors interested in regional deals, informs local investors about our strengths compared with other communities, and chronicles what's working and where we need to focus efforts. We hope this report provides you with useful insights into the state of the local technology community and venture capital ecosystem and inspires new ways to move it forward.  

Join us as we speak with Afshan Khan about her work with Innovation Works, where she is a Portfolio Executive. Afshan has extensive experience with Mergers and Acquisitions as well as running innovative manufacturing operations in a variety of markets. Stay tuned for big things from IW and AlphaLab Gear! https://www.innovationworks.org/

Join us as we speak with Afshan Khan about her work with Innovation Works, where she is a Portfolio Executive. Afshan has extensive experience with Mergers and Acquisitions as well as running innovative manufacturing operations in a variety of markets. Stay tuned for big things from IW and AlphaLab Gear! https://www.innovationworks.org/

Today's guest is Phil Graves, Former Head of Tinshed Ventures at Patagonia.Phil is an executive and board member with over 15 years of experience in M&A, corporate finance, private equity, and venture capital. He has served as the President of The Johnny Morris Foundation & Chief Sustainability Officer at Bass Pro Shops. Before that, he served as Vice President of Corporate Development at Patagonia. At Patagonia, Phil launched and oversaw Tin Shed Ventures, a $79 million investment fund, Worn Wear, a multi-million dollar eCommerce business, Innovation Works, a breakthrough R&D team, and Regenerative Organic Certification, a holistic standard for food and fiber. Prior to joining the company in 2014, Phil spent a decade at Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers. In addition, he provided financial advisory and investment-related services to clients such as KKR & Co, TPG Capital, Lone Star Investment Advisors, Nike, Walmart, Southwest Airlines, and SunPower. Phil's perch in the climate industry is unique, and I was looking forward to sitting down with him this week. Phil walks me through his career path, his most recent role as Chief Sustainability Officer at Bass Pro Shops, and his time at Tinshed Ventures. We also discuss the breaking unsustainable consumer patterns, the dirty underbelly of the apparel industry, and the role of policy in a clean future. Phil is a great guest, and this is a must-listen episode for those interested in the intersection of climate and apparel.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded live January 13th, 2022For more information about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/episodes/phil-graves

The job of every manager is to find ways to use their manager skills to get the most out of their teams. Although this is easy to say, it's actually quite hard to do because most of us don't have any manager training on how to go about doing this. One way that a manager can get more out of their team is by finding ways to get the team to innovate. Innovation is the key to coming up with new ways of doing things that can make the company more competitive and has a whole host of benefits. However, actually getting your team to become innovative is where most managers stumble. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jim-anderson0/support

Economic Mobility, Innovation, and Women of Color in Tech.In this episode of The Outspoken Podcast, host Shana Cosgrove talks to Kendra Parlock, Executive Director at NPower Maryland. Kendra talks about her early love of science and what growing up was like with both her parents being in the Marines. She also goes into the heart of NPower and the importance of bringing more women and women of color into the tech industry. Kendra discusses what it was like working in the mayor's office and how her organization and detail orientation has allowed her to be successful in her career. QUOTES “That's how innovation happens. It's not mysterious and magical. It's committing to and identifying a problem, asking the right questions, collecting the right data, coming up with ideas, trying them out, collecting that information. That's when the innovation happens.”– Kendra Parlock [15:55] “There was a lot to manage and that's where my value came in. Like okay, I can make sense of this, and I kept all of that organized.”– Kendra Parlock [21:23] “People are drawn to people who present themselves well. And so, I was able to meet more people, collaborate more, make more connections because, you know, I looked the part.”– Kendra Parlock [46:34]   TIMESTAMPS  [00:04] Intro [03:20] Meet Kendra Parlock [05:45] Schooling and Love of Science [07:03] Kendra's Parents [07:45] College and Six Sigma Training [10:43] DuPont and TiO2 [15:07] Organization, Detail Orientation, and Innovation [19:35] Starting at W. R. Grace & Co. [22:55] Executive MBA at Michigan State University [25:54] W. R. Grace & Co. to Mayor's Office [29:32] Office Architecture, Community Data, and Working for the Mayor [34:20] NPower and Women in Tech [44:33] Kendra's Style in Life and Business [46:48] Kendra's Husband [50:02] Wrap-Up Questions [55:27] Outro   RESOURCES https://www.npower.org/locations/maryland/ (NPower) https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/issues/2007/04/pdf/citistat_report.pdf (CitiStat) https://www.cabotcorp.com/ (Cabot Corporation) https://grace.com/ (W. R. Grace & Co.) https://www.dupont.com/ (DuPont) https://www.ufl.edu/ (University of Florida) https://www.wright.edu/ (Wright State University) https://msu.edu/ (Michigan State University) https://www.uwcm.org/ (United Way of Central Maryland) https://boltonhillmd.org/ (Bolton Hill Community Association) https://www.iwbmore.org/ (Innovation Works) https://www.the-daily-record.com/ (The Daily Record) https://www.umbiopark.com/ (University of Maryland BioPark) https://www.marines.com/ (Marines) https://www.6sigma.us/ (Six Sigma) https://www.donaldjtrump.com/ (Former President Donald J. Trump) https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/05/01/403629104/baltimore-protests-what-we-know-about-the-freddie-gray-arrest (Freddie Gray) https://www.comptia.org/certifications/it-fundamentals (CompTIA ITF+ Certification) https://www.comptia.org/certifications/a (CompTIA A+ Certification) https://www.comptia.org/certifications/security (CompTIA Security+ Certification) http://www.baltimorefamilies.org/ (Baltimore Family Alliance) https://www.northropgrumman.com/ (Northrop Grumman) https://www.mica.edu/ (Maryland Institute College of Art) https://www.amazon.com/Things-Fall-Apart-Chinua-Achebe/dp/0385474547 (Things Fall Apart) by Chinua Achebe https://www.agathachristie.com/ (Agatha Christie) https://digitalequitybaltimore.org/ (Baltimore Digital Equity Coalition) https://digitalequitybaltimore.org/hotline/ (Baltimore Digital Equity Coalition Community Tech Support Hotline)   RELEVANT LINKS https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendraparlock/ (Kendra Parlock) on LinkedIn https://twitter.com/kendraparlock?lang=en (Kendra Parlock) on Twitter https://thedailyrecord.com/2021/05/14/kendra-parlock/ (The Daily Record Kendra Parlock) https://nylatechnologysolutions.com/ (Nyla Technology Solutions) I'd love to hear from you -- your feedback is

Larry Miller just retired from his 14-year post as Innovation Works' Managing Director of Life Sciences. We wanted to learn more about Larry and his work helping to build Pittsburgh's life sciences and technology sectors. During his tenure at Innovation Works, he worked with the management teams of early-stage life sciences and medical device companies and other start-ups. Larry helped entrepreneurs address their critical business issues including product and business development, fundraising, sales and marketing, and strategic planning. Some of these high potential enterprises receive grant or investment funds and become members of the Innovation Works investment portfolio. For portfolio companies, Larry provided mentoring and network access, and may serve as an observer on the board of directors. Larry has more than 20 years experience in leading and managing medical device companies to identify commercializeable IP and accelerate product development, raise venture capital, manage cash flow, identify market opportunities and generate sales, sustain profits, and implement productivity and quality improvement practices.  His background includes 16 years of P&L and balance sheet management of divisions as large as $600M in sales to as small as a skunk works product development team designing novel permanent magnet based MRI systems. Prior to joining Innovation Works, Larry was President and CEO of Biomec, a privately held technology accelerator and investment company which raised over $20M in SBIR grants and provided contract engineering and manufacturing as well as business development consulting for radiology product manufacturers and distributors.   Previously, Larry was President of the Healthcare Products group at Picker International and Philips Medical systems, a $600M distributor of radiology supplies.  He also managed the Asia/ Pacific region for sales and service of the diagnostic imaging product portfolio, and was president of the Picker Financial Group, a JV, captive leasing company. Other experience included leading the marketing and sales of CT and MRI products for Picker and General Electric Medical systems.  Larry is a member of the Coulter Oversight Committee.  He is an active volunteer in the Reading is fundamentals program and in Entrepreneuring Youth.  Larry serves a s a judge for the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science and for the Pennsylvania Regional Engineering and Science Fair, both organizations support STEM programs.

The Agenda

For this new episode of the Building Bridges podcast, I'm happy to share my interview with Anton Howes, a “historian of innovation”, whose book Arts & Minds: How the Royal Society of Arts Changed a Nation tells the story of a remarkable British institution, the RSA, of which he became historian-in-residence. We talked about the industrial revolution and how innovation works.Anton Howes is fascinated with the process of invention and what fuels it. I recommend his Substack newsletter, Age of Invention, which is full of interesting pieces about “the origin of patents”, “the birth of the business corporation”, and the maritime technology of the late 16th century.His current research focuses on why innovation accelerated in Britain in the 18th century, i.e. why the Industrial Revolution happened there and not elsewhere:One of my key findings is that innovation is a practice that spreads from person to person. I argue that people became innovators because they adopted an improving mentality - and that Britain experienced an acceleration of innovation because its innovators were committed to evangelising that mentality further.I asked Anton why Britain became the cradle of the Industrial Revolution, if it could have happened elsewhere, who were the entrepreneurs of that time, what motivated them, and what Britain's institutional recipe was. Of course he talked about the RSA, this “extraordinary society that has touched all aspects of British life”: From its beginnings in a coffee house in the mid-eighteenth century, the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce has tried to improve British life in every way imaginable. It has sought to influence how Britons work, how they are educated, the music they listen to, the food they eat, the items in their homes, and even how they remember their own history.If Britain prospered the way it did, it's because it developed powerful institutions—norms, best practices & organisations like the RSA—to sustain that prosperity. That history is full of lessons for today as it helps to understand how innovation works and how we can encourage it.I hope you enjoy listening to this podcast! Do not forget to share it with people who might be interested

Innovation is the main event of the modern age, the reason we experience both dramatic improvements in our living standards and unsettling changes in our society. Innovation is the main event of the modern age, the reason we experience both dramatic improvements in our living standards and unsettling changes in our society. Forget short-term symptoms like Donald Trump and Brexit, it is innovation itself that explains them and that will itself shape the 21st century for good and ill. Yet innovation remains a mysterious process, poorly understood by policy makers and businessmen, hard to summon into existence to order, yet inevitable and inexorable when it does happen.

Geng Wang is the CEO and co-founder of Civic Champs, a software startup focused on creating s seamless and rewarding volunteering experience for both volunteers and service organizations   This is Geng’s third commercial venture. He’s previously co-founded two companies; RentJungle.com, an apartment search engine that sold in 2014 to The Rainmaker Group, and Community Elf (rebranded as Cosmitto), a social media management firm which we sold in 2017 to a PE firm, Topanga Partners.   Given his past successes, Geng is looking to both create financial and social impact with his latest company. He has leveraged a number of startup incubators, including TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield, Elevate Ventures, Innovation Works, TechStars Iowa, and Mass Challenge, to get it off the ground.   In this episode, Geng and Aaron discuss how motivation changes through an entrepreneur’s career, the nature of product development, and how to design a startup’s culture.   Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Geng Wang’s Challenge; For National Volunteering Month, get out there and go find an avenue to help your community.   Connect with Geng Wang Linkedin Twitter Civic Champs Website geng@civicchamps.com If you liked this interview, check out episode 12 with Scott Rogerson where we discuss Community Elf, social media management, and their software spinout UpContent.   Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680 Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.    How? Click here and Learn more.   We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.   Follow Piper as we grow YouTube Instagram Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher | Overcast | Spotify

Matt Ridley talks to Jim about his latest book, How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom. They cover innovation vs invention, improbable order, the value of technological innovation, the importance of the steam engine, innovation as a team sport, the history of vaccination, fossil fuel’s role in the industrial revolution, negative impacts of patents, the … Continue reading EP118 Matt Ridley on How Innovation Works → The post EP118 Matt Ridley on How Innovation Works appeared first on The Jim Rutt Show.

Ernst & Young and Innovation Works released their ninth annual review of Pittsburgh’s technology investment landscape. This report provides a comprehensive review of investment and exit activity in the Pittsburgh region from 2011 to 2020. We will welcome Rich Lunak, President and CEO of Innovation Works, and Leon Hoffman, Pittsburgh Office Managing Partner at Ernst & Young, to provide us with key highlights and takeaways from the report.   As a sneak peek: 2020 saw dramatic swings in regional investment trends as the COVID-19 pandemic led startups to raise funds to bolster their balance sheets and extend their runway. In total, 171 companies raised $993 million, a decrease from the almost $3 billion raised in 2019, but reflecting the second-best investment year in the past decade. In the past 10 years, nearly 600 unique Pittsburgh companies attracted a total of over $7.2b in investment. 

Matt Harbaugh is a co-founder and Managing Director at Mountain State Capital. The 20 million dollar fund has invested in over 16 firms in the greater Appalachia region.   Prior to founding MSC, Matt served as CEO of a machine learning-based software company that was acquired by Facebook and was the Chief Investment Officer at Innovation Works, one of the most active seed funds in the United States.   Across his career, Matt has invested in, managed, and advised more than 100 private companies over the past twenty years. He realized that he was interested in being involved in venture capital back in 1999 as an investment banker at PNC and has spent more than a decade and a half preparing himself to succeed.   In this episode, Matt and Aaron discuss his career arc, the venture capital business model, and how startups in the region are still lacking enough funding options. Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Matt Harbaugh’s Challenge; Build the skills and find an avenue to be an entrepreneur. Connect with Matt Harbaugh Linkedin Mountain State Capital Website   If you liked this interview, check out our conversation with Stephen Gurgovits about private equity in Western PA and our conversation with Glen Meakem about the DotCom bubble and his experience venture investing.    Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680 Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.    How? Click here and Learn more.   We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.   Follow Piper as we grow YouTube Instagram Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher | Overcast | Spotify

Today we have Matt Ridley on the podcast. Matt is the author of the recently-released How Innovation Works, as well as The Rational Optimist and several other books related to science and human progress, which have sold over a million copies. He is also a biologist, newspaper columnist, and member of the House of Lords in the United Kingdom. Topics [01:37] What it means to be a rational optimist [03:39] Evidence that the world is heading in the right direction [05:43] Giving evidence-based hope [11:23] Understanding the probabilities of life [12:42] "It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble; it’s what you think you know that ain’t so" [14:23] Why nuance is an endangered species [16:28] The reward value to truthful or insightful information [18:16] How not everybody is wired to create [20:08] Working with restricted samples [23:03] Does the lone genius really exist? [26:43] Working with naturally occurring samples versus working with restricted samples [32:10] Why stories don’t necessarily mean generalizable truths about innovation [34:05] The need to look out for unexpected results [35:00] Separating the person from the process [36:02] The phenomenon of simultaneous inventions [42:28] Why innovation requires freedom [44:38] Why innovators crave the safe space to fail [45:08] The government’s role in innovation [49:47] Biology as the science of exceptions and not rules

‘How Innovation Works: And Why it Flourishes in Freedom ’ by Matt Ridley is a fascinating analysis of innovations across time and history. The Fifth Viscount Ridley is a hereditary peer who has been a member of the British Parliament and also the author of ‘The Evolution of Everything: How New Ideas Emerge and The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves’. In conversation with scholar, economist and columnist Shruti Rajagopalan, he discusses the importance of collective and collaborative innovation and its significance in the shaping of the 21st century. This episode is the audio version of a live online session from #JLFHouston2020.

Today on The Negotiation, we speak with Benjamin Qiu, Partner at Loeb & Loeb LLP. Benjamin is an “attorney focused on the capital market, venture financing, corporate governance, IP asset development, and technology protection & licensing.” He discusses the legal side of startup financing in China, of which he first developed expertise during his time at Innovation Works (China's answer to Y Combinator), where he served as both fund director and a key member of its legal team.Benjamin had the opportunity to join Innovation Works in 2009, an interesting time in the startup world. With his background in international property law, this was his first time stepping into the venture capital space. 2009-2010 saw quite a bit of liquidity due to a lot of government stimulus around the world at the time. The first iPhone came out in 2007 and mobile was on the rise exponentially. Early-stage funding was focused on mobile startups.While Y Combinator used a more “cookie-cutter” deal structure, Innovation Works created the groundwork for new technologies before scouting the market for visionary entrepreneurs to lead innovation and form a startup based on the fresh technology.The legal framework in China, as drawn up by the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), essentially borrows from that of Silicon Valley. In the past, it heavily favored the investor, but with the high number of options startup entrepreneurs have today, the law has approached a “middle ground” structure that protects both investors and entrepreneurs.Asked about similarities between the discovery process in China versus that of Silicon Valley, Benjamin says that “80%-90%” of startup investors look for the same things in a founder, the most important being a firm grasp of industry knowledge. The biggest difference is that local entrepreneurs are the preferred choice, as opposed to Silicon Valley whose many resident founders hail from different cultural backgrounds.A foreign tech startup looking to get funding in China would “find it useful to have outside investors who, on top of the money, also provide local knowledge and guidance.” They can also potentially help the founder in finding the best staff and leadership for the company, and even facilitate deals. Benjamin notes that startups that deal with content such as Google and Facebook will have a significantly tougher time getting off the ground in China compared to an Uber or an Airbnb.M&A and IPO opportunities in China have seen a lot of convergence with Silicon Valley's own realities. Until several years ago, a lot of the large tech companies (i.e. Alibaba, Tencent, etc.) were not known to willingly acquire younger startups. But, as is characteristic of the Chinese market, things drastically changed. In more recent years, many acquisitions took place. Also, in spite of current tensions between the U.S. and China, the U.S. is still the number one place that publicly lists rising Chinese companies.

Matt Ridley discusses his new book, "How Innovation Works", and explores how America can encourage more innovation going forward. The post https://www.aei.org/multimedia/how-innovation-works-political-economy/ (How Innovation Works (Political Economy)) appeared first on https://www.aei.org (American Enterprise Institute - AEI).

Matt Ridley discusses his new book, "How Innovation Works", and explores how America can encourage more innovation going forward. The post https://www.aei.org/multimedia/matt-ridley-how-innovation-works/ (Matt Ridley: How innovation works) appeared first on https://www.aei.org (American Enterprise Institute - AEI).

Science writer Matt Ridley talks to Toby Young about coronavirus, the prospects of finding a vaccine within the next 18 months, and his new book How Innovation Works: Serendipity, Energy, and the Saving of Time.