Podcasts about nordics

Welcome back to another EUVC Podcast, where we explore the lessons, frameworks, and insights shaping Europe's venture ecosystem.Today, Andreas Munk Holm sits down with Matti Hautsalo, Founding Partner at Nordic Science Investments (NSI), a €60M early-stage fund dedicated to university spin-outs across the Nordics and Europe. With a team spanning tech transfer, research, founding, VC, and investment banking, NSI backs science-powered companies at pre-seed and seed, then helps recruit commercial leaders, navigate TTOs, and transfer IP cleanly so these companies can raise from broader deep-tech syndicates.

In this value-packed episode of SaaS Fuel, Jeff Mains welcomes Egil Østhus, co-founder and CEO of Unleash—the world's leading open source feature management platform. Egil dives deep into the journey from thriving in corporate boardrooms to taking the entrepreneurial leap, co-founding Unleash with his brother, and scaling a business using open source and commercial strategies. The conversation explores critical challenges of serving both community and enterprise needs, the next-generation concept of Feature Ops, the nuanced impact of AI in software development, and the essential synergy between engineering and business for SaaS growth. Whether you're steering product strategy or deep in the code, this episode delivers actionable insights and leadership wisdom for founders navigating modern tech landscapes.Key Takeaways00:00 "Building Smarter: Growth Strategies"03:22 "Entrepreneurship Realities & Tech Futures"07:38 Enterprise Software Delivery Challenges13:21 "Challenges of Co-Founding Family"16:10 "Balancing Open Source and Enterprise"17:45 Open Source vs. Paywall Decisions23:28 "Building Enterprise Growth Processes"24:24 "Start Early on Commercial Strategy"30:08 "Unified Metrics for Long-Term Impact"32:09 "DevOps: Feature Lifecycle & Governance"36:26 AI's Impact on Developer Roles39:55 "Business Context for Developers"42:37 Culture Consistency Drives Success46:49 "Magician Marketer & Scaling Stories"Tweetable Quotes“We in the Nordics are sort of naive—we don't understand how difficult it really is. ‘How hard can it be to build this company?'” — Egil Østhus“Always put community trust first. If you break it, that decision is irreversible.” — Egil Østhus“If you have the best product that nobody knows about, it's really hard to sell it.” — Egil Østhus“Feature Ops bridges the gap between engineering and business—bringing real-time control and risk mitigation to software delivery.” — Egil Østhus“Every developer should challenge themselves to understand how their work impacts the business and end users.” — Egil Østhus“Culture is consistency. It's the boring stuff you do every day that builds a scalable company.” — Egil ØsthusSaaS Leadership LessonsCustomer Value First:“It's all about creating customer value. Bringing product out there and building a proper business model.” (Egil Østhus)Get Outside Your Comfort Zone:True growth happens when you jump into deep water and test if you really can build what you preach.Respect and Resolve Tension (Especially in Family):In co-founder relationships, never allow tension to build—address issues immediately, maintaining respect and professionalism.Open Source Takes Discipline:Develop clear guiding policies on what features are open and which are gated—never betray community trust with irreversible decisions.Build Commercial Capacity Early:Don't wait for sales and marketing to “catch up”—grow those functions as soon as possible to accelerate learning and scale.Engineers Need Business Context:The best developers deeply understand the product's business impact, continually interact with customers, and help shape business direction.Guest Resourcesegil@getunleash.iohttps://www.getunleash.io

Dans cet épisode d'OVNIs, Matthieu Stefani reçoit Audrey Soussan, investisseuse chez Ventech, fonds pionnier du capital innovation en Europe. Ensemble, ils reviennent sur l'histoire de Ventech, son positionnement d'expert du early stage et son approche paneuropéenne (France, Allemagne, Nordics), avec un focus sur l'IA, la santé digitale, la cybersécurité et l'industrie 4.0. Audrey détaille comment le fonds source les “next winners” grâce à un radar data/IA, pourquoi ils tiennent à rester lead investor, et comment ils gèrent les cycles de marché, les valorisations parfois “trop chères” et la fameuse “feedback loop” à long terme du venture.La conversation plonge aussi dans l'humain derrière le VC : comment Audrey évalue une équipe, pourquoi l'ambition assumée (viser 100M€ de CA, pas juste “un beau business français”) est clé, et en quoi le go-to-market compte souvent plus que le “meilleur produit”. Elle parle du “premium au nerd” dans l'ère de l'IA, de la complémentarité entre profils tech et experts sectoriels, mais aussi de la place des femmes dans la tech, de Girls in Tech/Sista, de ses succès et échecs d'investissement, et du conseil qu'elle donnerait à la “jeune Audrey” : oser choisir ce qu'on aime vraiment faire… et le kiffer.[00:00:00] Introduction & boxe — rencontre avec Audrey Soussan, associée chez Ventech [00:02:00] Ventech, fonds pionnier du VC européen : histoire & indépendance [00:05:20] Track record : 120 investissements, 80 sorties et la logique long terme du VC [00:06:05] Le nouveau fonds de 175M€ : IA, santé digitale, cybersécurité & industrie 4.0 [00:08:25] Pourquoi Ventech est 100% early stage — définition & tickets (500k€ à 6M€) [00:10:40] Les vagues d'innovation : comment anticiper les futurs champions [00:11:45] IA : tsunami ou bulle ? réalité des chiffres et limites du modèle [00:14:55] AI-native vs SaaS “qui ajoute de l'IA” : ce qui fait la différence [00:17:25] Investir pan-européen : stratégie France, Allemagne, Nordics [00:19:05] La proximité culturelle pour identifier les meilleurs fondateurs [00:21:05] Organisation du dealflow : comités, autonomie des partners & vitesse d'exécution [00:23:40] Comment rester agile quand on est un fonds pionnier [00:26:00] La force de la diversité : géographies, profils & styles d'investissement [00:28:00] Le tempo des décisions : close un deal en une semaine [00:29:20] Étude de cas — Vestiaire Collective : investir malgré un marché “minuscule” [00:30:15] L'équipe avant tout : marché moyen vs team exceptionnelle [00:33:55] Le “premium au nerd” à l'ère de l'IA [00:35:55] Nerds vs experts sectoriels : la vraie clé de la complémentarité fondatrice [00:38:45] Cas Arcads.ai & Amber Search : construire une défensibilité en IA [00:41:05] IA = disruption sans barrière : où se crée la vraie valeur [00:42:15] Levée de fonds aujourd'hui : deck classique ou storytelling sans slides ? [00:44:10] Sourcing & radar IA : détecter les startups avant tout le monde [00:46:25] IA dans la due diligence & l'analyse des deals [00:47:40] Les grandes erreurs dans les pitchs : manque d'ambition & go-to-market faible [00:50:20] France vs Allemagne vs Nordics : différences de culture entrepreneuriale [00:50:55] La place des femmes dans la tech & l'expérience Girls in Tech / Sista [00:53:30] Ambition & confiance : le vrai combat des fondateurs [00:55:45] Pourquoi être lead investor est essentiel [00:57:25] Co-lead & complémentarités entre fonds [01:00:00] Collaborations avec micro-VCs & dynamique européenne [01:01:00] Cycles du marché VC : de l'euphorie à la prudence [01:02:20] Les valorisations post-bullrun & le “rattrapage” de 2021-2022 [01:04:10] Le plus gros échec d'investissement : Talent.io [01:05:45] La plus grande fierté : Insideed (revendue à Gainsight) [01:07:35] Le deal le plus rapide : Storytail cédée à Criteo en 18 mois [01:08:10] Bootstrap vs levée de fonds : forces & limites [01:09:31] Ponts entre venture et private equity [01:09:45] Livre recommandé — “Principles” de Ray Dalio [01:10:20] Conseil à la jeune Audrey : suivre sa passion [01:12:10] Zone de génie & performance durable [01:13:45] Mot de la fin — “Kiffez ce que vous faites”Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

In this episode of The HR Digi Podcast - now relaunched in English - Anna Carlsson breaks down the Nordic Paradox: why one of the world’s most digitally advanced regions still struggles with HR tech, AI adoption, and digital maturity. Despite strong digital skills and infrastructure, the Nordics rank low in AI usage, HR system readiness, and data-driven decision making. Anna explores cultural barriers, vendor limitations, governance gaps and what HR leaders can do to accelerate progress and move from interest to real impact.

How will SaaS Companies scale in 2026? The next era of SaaS growth won't be won by adding more reps, more tools, or more noise. In this episode, go-to-market operator Koen Stam (Personio) breaks down why 2026 will mark a decisive shift from people-heavy scaling to process-first, data-driven, efficiency-led growth—and what founders must do now to stay ahead.Koen oversees international revenue operations across Benelux, DACH, the Nordics, Spain, and beyond, and he brings a rare operator's lens to the future of GTM. He unpacks how founder-led, sales-led, and hybrid motions will evolve; why RevOps is about to become one of the most strategic functions in SaaS; and why fixing the data layer is the non-negotiable prerequisite to making AI actually work.You'll learn why the biggest upside in 2026 will come from retention, expansion, and word of mouth, how to design motions that scale with simplicity and discipline, and what it really takes to build from 0 to 10K MRR and to 10M ARR with one product, one audience, and one crystal-clear process.A must-listen for founders, operators, and GTM leaders building for the next wave of SaaS.Key Timecodes(0:00) - Intro: B2B SaaS go-to-market 2026, RevOps, AI, retention, expansion(1:13) - Guest intro: Koen Stam, Personio, international RevOps, HR tech(2:04) - 2026 GTM strategy: process-first, data-driven, efficiency-led growth(2:47) - GTM motions: founder-led vs sales-led vs hybrid, authenticity, efficiency(4:02) - Efficiency in SaaS: bow tie model, customer journey mapping, root causes(5:35) - RevOps priority: data layer, metrics, RevOps to CRO(6:38) - AI in GTM: fix data foundations, process over people(7:26) - Retention & expansion: word-of-mouth, NRR, customer-led growth(9:20) - Sponsor: Reditus affiliate and referral platform for B2B SaaS(10:14) - Word-of-mouth playbook: product value, customer success, community events(12:06) - Build GTM from scratch: founder-led content, AI amplification, simplify(13:59) - Referrals & partners: partner ecosystem, trust, incentives, win-win(15:26) - Zero to 10K MRR: one offer, one ICP, focus, execution(16:54) - Scale to 10M ARR: one product, one market, process-first, data model(17:37) - Connect with Koen: LinkedIn, Substack, AI learnings(17:55) - Audience building: LinkedIn vs Substack, creator-led growth(18:27) - Outro: subscribe, sponsor, Reditus, Grow Your B2B SaaS podcast

Recorded live at The Learning Conference in Stockholm, David is joined by Elliott Masie, Bob Mosher and Jennifer Florido to explore the forces reshaping workplace learning. From lasting shifts versus failed fads, to performance-first strategies, AI's real impact, and rising stakeholder expectations, the panel cuts through the noise to share what matters most for L&D leaders right now. Packed with bold predictions and practical advice from three of the field's most influential voices, this live episode captures the energy of where L&D is heading next. Take your L&D to the next level Take advantage of thousands of hours of analysis. Hundreds of conversations with industry innovators and 25+ years of hands-on global L&D leadership. It's all distilled into one framework to help you level up L&D. Access the L&D Maturity Model here - https://360learning.com/maturity-model KEY TAKEAWAYS L&D must evolve its methodologies from delivering “learning” to enabling performance—shifting focus from courses and content to real‑time support, experimentation, and impact on workflow and business performance. Chase fewer “shiny penny” technologies and treat AI as a useful tool only when it's anchored in real workflow performance. L&D's own risk aversion is now one of the biggest barriers to shifting from training to true performance. BEST MOMENTS “Only around 25% of L&D teams are involved in their company's skill strategy. I think that speaks to we're not relied upon.” “Branding and wording matters, when we try to explain what we do and get the buy in for what we do.” “There is a really important role for L&D at coordinating this and working on behalf of the organisation to future proof, it for skills tomorrow.” Elliott Masie Elliott Masie is an internationally recognised futurist, analyst, and learning advocate whose work has shaped the profession for more than four decades. Founder of The MASIE Center, he has been at the forefront of innovations from CBTs and LMSs to MOOCs, VR, and now AI. He also created the long-running Learning conference series, bringing leaders together to explore how workplace learning must evolve. With his trademark mix of curiosity, candour, and foresight, Elliott challenges L&D professionals to question assumptions and embrace the future with confidence. https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliottmasie/ https://masie.com/ Bob Mosher Bob Mosher is a pioneering voice in workplace learning, best known for championing performance-first approaches that put support in the flow of work at the centre of L&D. With decades of experience advising global organisations, he has helped leaders move beyond traditional training to solutions that deliver measurable impact where and when employees need it most. As Chief Learning Evangelist at APPLY Synergies, Bob continues to shape how organisations think about workflow learning, change management, and scalable performance support, earning a reputation as one of the most trusted figures in modern L&D. https://www.linkedin.com/in/bmosher/ https://applysynergies.com/ Jennifer Florido Jennifer Florido is Group Head of Talent & Growth at Telia Company, leading strategy to develop, engage and enable talent across one of the Nordics' largest telecommunications providers. With experience in leadership development, organisational growth and workforce transformation, she brings a practical, business-focused view of how L&D can drive measurable impact. Jennifer is passionate about creating environments where employees can thrive, adapt and grow, aligning learning with both performance and culture. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferflorido/ VALUABLE RESOURCES L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Viele Führungskräfte sagen: "Gen Z ist schwierig, sprunghaft und anspruchsvoll." Aber ist das die ganze Wahrheit?In dieser Folge spreche ich über die Generation Z im Tech-Vertrieb – mit harten Fakten, realen Beispielen aus Deutschland und meiner Perspektive als Headhunter mit über 18 Jahren Erfahrung.Die Zahlen sind eindeutig:76% der Arbeitgeber stellen 2025 gleich viele oder weniger Entry-Level-Mitarbeiter einNur 30% der Absolventen fanden 2025 einen Job in ihrem StudienfeldDie Arbeitslosenquote bei frischen Absolventen liegt bei 9,7%Gen Z tritt nicht einfach in einen schwierigen Arbeitsmarkt ein – sie tritt in einen eingefrorenen Markt ein. Und das prägt, wie sie sich verhalten und was sie erwarten.In dieser Episode erfährst du:Was Gen Z wirklich ausmacht (jenseits der Klischees)Warum der Arbeitsmarkt 2025 so schwierig istKonkrete Beispiele aus Deutschland: Von der BWL-Absolventin im Kundenservice bis zum Informatiker, der nach Schweden auswandertWas Unternehmen tun können, um junge Talente zu gewinnen und zu haltenWas Gen Z selbst tun muss, um erfolgreich zu seinEgal ob du Hiring Manager, Kandidat oder einfach interessiert bist – diese Folge gibt dir einen ehrlichen Blick auf beide Seiten.Über mich:Jan Nordh – Headhunter für IT-, Cybersecurity- und Software-Sales in DACH und den Nordics. Über 18 Jahre Erfahrung, davor mehr als 20 Jahre im IT-Vertrieb beim Aufbau von US-Tech-Startups in Europa.https://www.nordh.de

Allen and Joel sit down with Dan Fesenmeyer of Windquest Advisors to discuss turbine supply agreement fundamentals, negotiation leverage, and how tariff uncertainty is reshaping contract terms. Dan also explains why operators should maximize warranty claims before service agreements take over. Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly email update on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather Guard’s StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the show on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Linkedin and visit Weather Guard on the web. And subscribe to Rosemary Barnes’ YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us! Welcome to Uptime Spotlight, shining Light on Wind. Energy’s brightest innovators. This is the Progress Powering tomorrow. Allen Hall: Dan, welcome to the program. Great to be here. Thanks for having me, guys. Well, we’ve been looking forward to this for several weeks now because. We’re trying to learn some of the ins and outs of turbine supply agreements, FSAs, because everybody’s talking about them now. Uh, and there’s a lot of assets being exchanged. A lot of turbine farms up for sale. A lot of acquisitions on the other side, on the investment side coming in and. As engineers, we don’t deal a lot with TSAs. It’s just not something that we typically see until, unless there’s a huge problem and then we sort of get involved a little bit. I wanna understand, first off, and you have a a ton of experience doing this, that’s why we [00:01:00] love having you. What are some of the fundamentals of turbine supply agreements? Like what? What is their function? How do they operate? Because I think a lot of engineers and technicians don’t understand the basic fundamentals of these TSAs. Dan Fesenmeyer: The TSA is a turbine supply agreement and it’s for the purchase and delivery of the wind turbines for your wind farm. Um, typically they are negotiated maybe over a 12 ish month period and typically they’re signed at least 12 months before you need, or you want your deliveries for the wind turbines. Joel Saxum: We talk with people all over the world. Um, you know, GE Americas is different than GE in Spain and GE in Australia and Nordics here, and everybody’s a little bit different. Um, but what we, we regularly see, and this is always an odd thing to me, is you talked about like negotiating. It starts 12 months ahead of time stuff, but we see that [00:02:00] the agreements a lot of times are very boilerplate. They’re very much like we’re trying to structure this in a certain way, and at the end of the day, well, as from an operator standpoint, from the the person buying them, we would like this and we would like this and we would like this, but at the end of the day, they don’t really seem to get that much negotiation in ’em. It’s kind of like, this is what the agreement you’re gonna take and this is how we sell them. That’s it. Is, is that your experience? I mean, you’re at GE for a long time, one of the leading OEMs, but is that what you’re seeing now or is there a little bit more flexibility or kind of what’s your take on that? Dan Fesenmeyer: I think generally it depends, and of course the, the OEMs in the, and I’ll focus more on the us, they’ll start with their standard template and it’s up to the purchaser, uh, to develop what they want as their wishlist and start negotiations and do their, let’s say, markup. So, uh, and then there’s a bit of leverage involved. If you’re buying two units, it’s hard to get a lot of interest. [00:03:00] If you’re buying 200 units, then you have a lot more leverage, uh, to negotiate terms and conditions in those agreements. I was with GE for 12 years on the sales and commercial side and now doing advisory services for four years. Uh, some of these negotiations can go for a long time and can get very, very red. Others can go pretty quick. It really depends on what your priorities are. How hard you want to push for what you need. Allen Hall: So how much detail goes into a TSA then are, are they getting very prescriptive, the operators coming with a, a list of things they would like to see? Or is it more negotiating on the price side and the delivery time and the specifics of the turbine? Dan Fesenmeyer: Generally speaking, you start kind of with the proposal stage and. First thing I always tell people is, let’s understand what you have in your proposal. Let’s understand, you know, what are the delivery [00:04:00] rates and times and does that fit with your project? Does the price work with respect to your PPA, what does it say about tariffs? That’s a huge one right now. Where is the risk going to land? What’s in, what’s out? Um. Is the price firm or is there indexation, whether it’s tied to commodities or different currencies. So in my view, there’s some pre-negotiations or at least really understanding what the offer is before you start getting into red lines and, and generally it’s good to sit down with the purchasing team and then ultimately with the OEM and walk through that proposal. Make sure you have everything you need. Make sure you understand what’s included, what’s not. Scope of supply is also a big one. Um, less in less in terms of the turbine itself, but more about the options, like does it have the control features you need for Ercot, for example. Uh, does it have leading [00:05:00]edge protection on your blades? Does it have low noise trailing edge? Do we even need lo low noise trailing edges? Uh, you know, those Joel Saxum: sorts Dan Fesenmeyer: of things. Joel Saxum: Do you see the more of the red lining in the commercial phase or like the technical phase? Because, and why I ask this question is when we talk, ’cause we’re regularly in the o and m world, right? Talking with engineers and asset managers, how do you manage your assets? And they really complain a lot that a lot of their input in that, that feedback loop from operations doesn’t make it to the developers when they’re signing TSAs. Um, so that’s a big complaint of theirs. And so my question is like, kind of like. All right. Are there wishes being heard or is it more general on the technical side and more focused on the commercial Dan Fesenmeyer: side? Where do you see that it comes down to making sure that your negotiation team has all the different voices and constituents at the table? Uh, my approach and our, our team’s approach is you have the legal piece, a technical piece, and we’re in between. We’re [00:06:00] the commercial piece. So when you’re talking TSAs, we’re talking price delivery terms. Determination, warranty, you know, kind of the, the big ticket items, liquidated damages, contract caps, all those big ticket commercial items. When you move over to the operations agreement, which generally gets negotiated at the same time or immediately after, I recommend doing them at the same time because you have more leverage and you wanna make sure terms go from TSA. They look the same in the. Services agreement. And that’s where it’s really important to have your operations people involved. Right? And, and we all learn by mistakes. So people that have operated assets for a long time, they always have their list of five or 10 things that they want in their o and m agreement. And, um, from a process standpoint, before we get into red lines, we usually do kind of a high [00:07:00] level walkthrough of here’s what we think is important. Um. For the TSA and for the SMA or the operations and maintenance agreement, let’s get on the same page as a team on what’s important, what’s our priority, and what do we want to see as the outcome. Allen Hall: And the weird thing right now is the tariffs in the United States that they are a hundred percent, 200%, then they’re 10%. They are bouncing. Like a pinball or a pong ping pong ball at the moment. How are you writing in adjustments for tariffs right now? Because some of the components may enter the country when there’s a tariff or the park the same park enter a week later and not be under that tariff. How does that even get written into a contract right now? Dan Fesenmeyer: Well, that’s a fluid, it’s a fluid environment with terrorists obviously, and. It seems, and I’ll speak mostly from the two large OEMs in the US market. Um, [00:08:00] basically what you’re seeing is you have a proposal and tariffs, it includes a tariff adder based on tariffs as in as they were in effect in August. And each one may have a different date. And this is fairly recent, right? So as of August, here’s what the dates, you know, here’s a tariff table with the different countries and the amounts. Here’s what it translates into a dollar amount. And it’ll also say, well, what we’re going to do is when, uh, these units ship, or they’re delivered X works, that’s when we come back and say, here’s what the tariffs are now. And that difference is on the developer or the purchaser typically. Allen Hall: So at the end of the day. The OEM is not going to eat all the tariffs. They’re gonna pass that on. It’s just basically a price increase at the end. So the, are the, are the buyers of turbines then [00:09:00] really conscious of where components are coming from to try to minimize those tariffs? Dan Fesenmeyer: That’s Allen Hall: difficult. Dan Fesenmeyer: I mean, I would say that’s the starting point of the negotiation. Um, I’ve seen things go different ways depending on, you know, if an off, if a developer can pass through their tariffs to the, on their PPA. They can handle more. If they can’t, then they may come back and say, you know what, we can only handle this much tariff risk or amount in our, in our PPA. The rest we need to figure out a way to share between the OEM or maybe and the developer. Uh, so let’s not assume, you know, not one, one size doesn’t fit all. Joel Saxum: The scary thing there is it sound, it sounds like you’re, like, as a developer when you’re signing a TSA, you’re almost signing a pro forma invoice. Right. That that could, that could go up 25% depending on the, the mood on, in Capitol Hill that day, which is, it’s a scary thought and I, I would think in my mind, hard to really get to [00:10:00] FID with that hanging over your head. Dan Fesenmeyer: Yeah. It it’s a tough situation right now for sure. Yeah. And, and we haven’t really seen what section 2 32, which is another round of potential tariffs out there, and I think that’s what. At least in the last month or two. People are comfortable with what tariffs are currently, but there’s this risk of section 2 32, uh, and who’s going to take that risk Allen Hall: moving forward? Because the 2 32 risk is, is not set in stone as when it will apply yet or if it even Dan Fesenmeyer: will happen and the amount, right. So three ifs, three big ifs there, Alan. Allen Hall: Yeah. And I, maybe that’s designed on purpose to be that way because it does seem. A little bit of chaos in the system will slow down wind and solar development. That’s one way you do. We just have a, a tariff. It’s sort of a tariff that just hangs out there forever. And you, are there ways to avoid that? Is it just getting the contract in [00:11:00] place ahead of time that you can avoid like the 2 32 thing or is it just luck of the draw right now? It’s always Dan Fesenmeyer: up to the situation and what your project delivery. Is looking at what your PPA, what can go in, what can go out. Um, it’s tough to avoid because the OEMs certainly don’t want to take that risk. And, uh, and I don’t blame them. Uh, and separately you were asking about, well, gee, do you start worrying about where your components are sourced from? Of course you are. However, you’re going to see that in the price and in the tariff table. Uh, typically. I would say from that may impact your, your, uh, sort of which, which OEM or which manufacturer you go with, depending on where their supply chain is. Although frankly, a lot of components come from China. Plain and simple, Allen Hall: right? Dan Fesenmeyer: Same place. If you are [00:12:00] subject to these tariffs, then you want to be more on a, you know, what I would say a fleet wide basis. So, uh, meaning. Blades can come from two places. We don’t want to have, you know, an OEM select place number one because it’s subject to tariff and we have to pay for it. You want it more on a fleet basis, so you’re not, so the OEM’s not necessarily picking and choosing who gets covered or who has to pay for a tariff or not. Joel Saxum: And I wonder that, going back to your first statement there, like if you have the power, the leverage, if you can influence that, right? Like. Immediately. My mind goes to, of course, like one of the big operators that has like 10, 12, 15,000 turbines and deals exclusively with ge. They probably have a lot of, they might have the, the stroke to be able to say, no, we want our components to come from here. We want our blades to come from TPI Mexico, or whatever it may be, because we don’t want to make sure they’re coming from overseas. And, and, and if that happens in, in [00:13:00] the, let’s take like the market as a whole, the macro environment. If you’re not that big player. You kind of get the shaft, like you, you would get the leftovers basically. Dan Fesenmeyer: You could, and that makes for a very interesting discussion when you’re negotiating the contract and, and figuring out something that could work for both. It also gets tricky with, you know, there could be maybe three different gearbox suppliers, right? And some of those. So this is when things really get, you know, peeling back an onion level. It’s difficult and I’ll be nice to the OEMs. It’s very tough for them to say, oh, we’re only a source these gearbox, because they avoid the tariffs. Right? That’s why I get more to this fleet cost basis, which I think is a fair way for both sides to, to handle the the issue. Allen Hall: What’s a turbine backlog right now? If I sign a TSA today, what’s the earliest I would see a turbine? Delivered. Dan Fesenmeyer: You know, I, I really don’t know the answer to that. I would say [00:14:00] generally speaking, it would be 12 months is generally the response you would get. Uh, in terms of if I sign today, we get delivery in 12 months, Allen Hall: anywhere less than two years, I think is a really short turnaround period. Because if you’re going for a, uh, gas turbine, you know, something that GE or Siemens would provide, Mitsubishi would provide. You’re talking about. Five or six years out before we ever see that turbine on site. But wind turbines are a year, maybe two years out. That seems like a no brainer for a lot of operators. Dan Fesenmeyer: I would say a year to two is safe. Um, my experience has been things, things really get serious 12 months out. It’s hard to get something quicker. Um, that suppliers would like to sign something two years in advance, but somewhere in between the 12 months and 24 months is generally what you can expect. Now, I haven’t seen and been close to a lot of recent turbine supply [00:15:00]deals and, and with delivery, so I, I, I can’t quote me on any of this. And obviously different safe harbor, PTC, windows are going to be more and more important. 20 eights preferred over 29. 29 will be preferred over 30. Um, and how quick can you act and how quick can you get in line? Allen Hall: Yeah, it’s gonna make a big difference. There’s gonna be a rush to the end. Wouldn’t you think? There’s must be operators putting in orders just because of the end of the IRA bill to try to get some production tax credits or any tax credits out of it. Dan Fesenmeyer: Absolutely. And you know. June of 2028 is a hell of a lot better than fall of 2028 if you want a COD in 2 28. Right. And then you just work backwards from there. Yeah. And that’s, that’s, we’ve seen that in the past as well, uh, with, with the different PTC cliffs that we’ve [00:16:00] seen. Allen Hall: Let’s talk service agreements for a moment when after you have a TSA signed and. The next thing on the list usually is a service agreement, and there are some OEMs that are really hard pushing their service agreements. 25, 30, 35 years. Joel, I think 35 is the longest one I have seen. That’s a long time. Joel Saxum: Mostly in the Nordics though. We’ve seen like see like, uh, there are Vestas in the Nordic countries. We’ve seen some 35 year ones, but that’s, to me, that’s. That’s crazy. That’s, that’s a marriage. 35 years. The crazy thing is, is some of them are with mo models that we know have issues. Right? That’s the one that’s always crazy to me when I watch and, and so then maybe this is a service, maybe this is a com a question is in a service level agreement, like I, I, I know people that are installing specific turbines that we’ve been staring at for five, six years that we know have problems now. They’ve addressed a lot of the problems and different components, bearings and drive, train and [00:17:00] blades and all these different things. Um, but as an, as an operator, you’d think that you have, okay, I have my turbine supply agreement, so there’s some warranty stuff in there that’s protecting me. There is definitely some serial defect clauses that are protecting me. Now I have a service level agreement or a service agreement that we’re signing that should protect me for from some more things. So I’m reducing my risk a little more. I also have insurance and stuff in built into this whole thing. But when, when you start crossing that gap between. These three, four different types of contracts, how do people ensure that when they get to that service level contract, that’s kind of in my mind, the last level of protection from the OEM. How do they make sure they don’t end up in a, uh, a really weird Swiss cheese moment where something fell through the cracks, serial defects, or something like that? You know? Dan Fesenmeyer: Yeah. It, it comes down to, I, I think it’s good to negotiate both at the same time. Um, it sometimes that’s not practical. It’s good. And [00:18:00] part of it is the, the simple, once your TSA is signed, you, you don’t have that leverage over that seller to negotiate terms in the services agreement, right? Because you’ve already signed a t to supply agreement. Uh, the other piece I think is really important is making sure the defect language, for example, and the warranty language in the TSA. Pretty much gets pulled over into the service agreement, so we don’t have different definitions of what a defect is or a failed part, uh, that’s important from an execution standpoint. My view has always been in the TSA, do as much on a warranty claim as you possibly can at that end of the warranty term. The caps and the coverages. And the warranty is much higher than under the services agreement. Services agreement [00:19:00] will end up, you know, warranty or extended warranty brackets, right? ’cause that’s not what it is. It becomes unscheduled maintenance or unplanned maintenance. So you do have that coverage, but then you’re subject to, potentially subject to CAPS or mews, annual or per event. Um. Maybe the standard of a defect is different. Again, that’s why it’s important to keep defect in the TSAs the same as an SMA, and do your warranty claim first. Get as much fixed under the warranty before you get into that service contract. Joel Saxum: So with Windquest, do you go, do you regularly engage at that as farms are coming up to that warranty period? Do you help people with that process as well? As far as end of warranty claims? Contract review and those things before they get into that next phase, you know, at the end of that two year or three years. Dan Fesenmeyer: Yeah. We try to be soup to nuts, meaning we’re there from the proposal to helping [00:20:00] negotiate and close the supply agreement and the services agreement. Then once you move into the services agreement or into the operation period, we can help out with, uh, filing warranty claims. Right. Do we, do you have a serial defect, for example, or. That, that’s usually a big one. Do you have something that gets to that level to at least start that process with an root cause analysis? Um, that’s, that’s obviously big ones, so we help with warranty claims and then if things aren’t getting fixed on time or if you’re in a service agreement and you’re unhappy, we try to step in and help out with, uh, that process as well. Joel Saxum: In taking on those projects, what is your most common component that you deal with for seald? Defects, Dan Fesenmeyer: gearboxes seem to always be a problem. Um, more recently, blade issues, um, main bearing issues. Uh, those are [00:21:00] some of the bigger ones. And then, yeah, and we can be main bearings. Also. Pitch bearings often an issue as well. Joel Saxum: Yeah, no, nothing surprising there. I think if you, if you listen to the podcast at all, you’ve heard us talk about all of those components. Fairly regularly. We’re not, we’re not to lightening the world on firing new information on that one. Allen Hall: Do a lot of operators and developers miss out on that end of warranty period? It does sound like when we talk to them like they know it’s coming, but they haven’t necessarily prepared to have the data and the information ready to go till they can file anything with the OEM it. It’s like they haven’t, they know it’s approaching, right? It’s just, it’s just like, um, you know, tax day is coming, you know, April 15th, you’re gonna write a check for to somebody, but you’re not gonna start thinking about it until April 14th. And that’s the wrong approach. And are you getting more because things are getting tighter? Are you getting more requests to look at that and to help? Operators and developers engage that part of their agreements. I think it’s an Dan Fesenmeyer: [00:22:00] oppor opportunity area for owner operators. I think in the past, a lot of folks have just thought, oh, well, you know, the, the, the service agreement kicks in and it’ll be covered under unscheduled or unplanned maintenance, which is true. But, uh, again, response time might be slower. You might be subject to caps, or in the very least, an overall contract level. Cap or limitation, let’s say. Uh, so I, I do think it’s an opportunity area. And then similarly, when you’re negotiating these upfront to put in language that, well, I don’t wanna say too much, but you wanna make sure, Hey, if I, if I file a claim during warranty and you don’t fix it, that doesn’t count against, let’s say your unplanned cap or unplanned maintenance. Joel Saxum: That’s a good point. I was actually, Alan, this is, I was surprised the other day. You and I were on a call with someone and they had mentioned that they were coming up on end of warranty and they were just kinda like, eh, [00:23:00] we’ve got a service agreement, so like we’re not gonna do anything about it. And I was like, really? Like that day? Like, yeah, that deadline’s passed, or it’s like too close. It wasn’t even passed. It was like, it’s coming up and a month or two. And they’re like, yeah, it’s too close. We’re not gonna do anything about it. We’ll just kind of deal with it as it comes. And I was thinking, man, that’s a weird way to. To manage a, you know, a wind farm that’s worth 300 million bucks. Dan Fesenmeyer: And then the other thing is sometimes, uh, the dates are based on individual turbine CDs. So your farm may have a December 31 COD, but some of the units may have an October, uh, date. Yeah, we heard a weird one the other day that was Joel Saxum: like the entire wind farm warranty period started when the first turbine in the wind farm was COD. And so there was some turbines that had only been running for a year and a half and they were at the end of warranty already. Someone didn’t do their due diligence on that contract. They should have called Dan Meyer. Dan Fesenmeyer: And thing is, I come back is when you know red lines are full of things that people learned [00:24:00] by something going wrong or by something they missed. And that’s a great example of, oh yeah, we missed that when we signed this contract. Joel Saxum: That’s one of the reasons why Alan and I, a lot, a lot of people we talk to, it’s like consult the SMEs in the space, right? You’re, you may be at tasked with being a do it all person and you may be really good at that, but someone that deals in these contracts every day and has 20 years of experience in it, that’s the person you talk to. Just like you may be able to figure out some things, enlight. Call Allen. The guy’s been doing lightning his whole career as a subject matter expert, or call a, you know, a on our team and the podcast team is the blade expert or like some of the people we have on our network. Like if you’re going to dive into this thing, like just consult, even if it’s a, a small part of a contract, give someone a day to look through your contract real quick just to make sure that you’re not missing anything. ’cause the insights from SMEs are. Priceless. Really. Dan Fesenmeyer: I couldn’t agree more. And that’s kind of how I got the idea of starting Windquest advisors to begin with. [00:25:00] Um, I used to sit across the table with very smart people, but GE would con, you know, we would negotiate a hundred contracts a year. The purchaser made one or two. And again, this isn’t, you know, to beat up the manufacturers, right? They do a good job. They, they really work with their, their customers to. Find solutions that work for both. So this is not a beat up the OEM, uh, from my perspective, but having another set of eyes and experience can help a lot. Allen Hall: I think it’s really important that anybody listening to this podcast understand how much risk they’re taking on and that they do need help, and that’s what Windquest Advisors is all about. And getting ahold of Dan. Dan, how do people get ahold of you? www.win advisors.com. If you need to get it to Dan or reach out to win advisors, check out LinkedIn, go to the website, learn more about it. Give Dan a phone call because I think [00:26:00] you’re missing out probably on millions of dollars of opportunity that probably didn’t even know existed. Uh, so it’s, it’s a good contact and a good resource. And Dan, thank you so much for being on the podcast. We appreciate having you and. We’d like to have you back again. Dan Fesenmeyer: Well, I’d love to come back and talk about, maybe we can talk more about Lightning. That’s a Joel Saxum: couple of episodes. Dan Fesenmeyer: I like watching your podcast. I always find them. Informative and also casual. It’s like you can sit and listen to a discussion and, and pick up a few things, so please continue doing what you’re doing well, thanks Dan. Allen Hall: Thanks Dan.

In Teil 1 haben Sie die 5 kritischen Fehler kennengelernt, die Sie auf LinkedIn unsichtbar machen. Jetzt wird es konkret: In dieser Episode bekommen Sie den Schritt-für-Schritt-Aktionsplan, mit dem Sie Ihr Profil in 30 Minuten so optimieren, dass Recruiter und Hiring Manager Sie ab morgen finden.In dieser Episode erfahren Sie:Wie Sie Ihre Headline in 5 Minuten neu schreiben (mit konkreter Struktur)Die 5-Satz-Formel für einen überzeugenden About-BereichWie Sie Experience mit messbaren Erfolgen füllen (inkl. Beispiele)Welche Skills Sie priorisieren sollten (und welche Sie löschen)Warum ein Post pro Monat Ihre Sichtbarkeit verdoppeln kannDie 3 größten LinkedIn-Mythen (Connections, OpenToWork-Banner, "Recruiter finden mich automatisch")Umsetzungszeit: 30 Minuten. Wirkung: sofort.Über Jan Nordh: Executive Search Consultant und Headhunter mit Spezialisierung auf IT-, Cybersecurity- und Software-Sales in DACH und Nordics. Seit über 18 Jahren an der Schnittstelle zwischen Tech-Unternehmen und Top-Talenten.Mehr Infos: nordh.dehttps://www.nordh.de

80 % aller LinkedIn-Profile sind unsichtbar – nicht weil die Kandidaten schlecht sind, sondern weil sie 5 kritische Fehler machen. In dieser Episode zeige ich Ihnen als Headhunter mit über 18 Jahren Erfahrung, warum top qualifizierte Kandidaten in der Recruiter-Suche nicht auftauchen und welche Fehler Sie sofort vermeiden sollten.In dieser Episode erfahren Sie:Warum Ihre Headline Sie unsichtbar macht (und wie Sie das in 5 Minuten ändern)Welcher About-Fehler dazu führt, dass KI-Tools Sie nicht einordnen könnenWarum "Verantwortlich für..." im Experience-Bereich Sie disqualifiziertWelche Skills Sie tatsächlich nach oben bringen (und welche Sie löschen sollten)Warum Inaktivität auf LinkedIn heute ein karrierekiller istDas ist Teil 1 von 2. In Teil 2 bekommen Sie den konkreten 30-Minuten-Aktionsplan zur Umsetzung.Über Jan Nordh: Executive Search Consultant und Headhunter mit Spezialisierung auf IT-, Cybersecurity- und Software-Sales in DACH und Nordics. Seit über 18 Jahren an der Schnittstelle zwischen Tech-Unternehmen und Top-Talenten.Mehr Infos: nordh.dehttps://www.nordh.de

Welcome back to another episode of Upside at the EUVC Podcast, where ⁠Dan Bowyer⁠,⁠ Mads Jensen⁠ of ⁠SuperSeed⁠, ⁠Lomax Ward⁠ of ⁠Outsized Ventures⁠⁠⁠, and this week's special guest Robin Haak break down the real stories behind the headlines shaping European tech and venture.Robin joins us as the founder of Robin Capital, an early employee at SmartRecruiters, angel in 100+ companies, including eight unicorns, and one of the most active emerging GPs in Europe. He brings deep operator insight, especially into the German ecosystem, politics, and economy, which this episode leans heavily into.We cover everything from UK policy signals to German recession warnings, AI dominance to Europe's bureaucratic drag, the rise of solo GPs, and why the next decade of tech will be won or lost on energy availability more than anything else.What's covered:04:00 EU wants to restrict social media for minorsThe team debates the proposals to ban or limit social media for children under 16, the mental health case, and the tension between safety and overreach.06:00 Surveillance creep & messaging regulationRobin explains concerning drafts that would've allowed governments to read private messages. The group breaks down the slippery slope of “protect the children” legislation.10:00 UK Budget: surprisingly startup-friendlyDan and Lomax unpack EMI reforms, EIS/VCT clarity, and why the market reacted calmly. Signals of a more innovation-forward UK emerge.12:45 Lovable.ai's VAT scandal & Europe's compliance mazeA Swedish engineer's viral post on LinkedIn sparks a discussion on Europe's inconsistent VAT rules, compliance complexity, and whether hypergrowth and European regulation can co-exist.17:00 N26's long struggle with German regulatorsRobin, an early angel, offers an insider's view on the fintech's challenges—BaFin restrictions, governance issues, and the counterfactual: “Would N26 be worth €20B if it were French?”20:00 Germany's big macro problem: stagnation + overloadA brutally honest breakdown of the German economy: energy scarcity, migration overload, rising welfare costs, labor shortages, and political paralysis.28:00 Education, welfare, pensions & the cost structure crisisRobin explains why Germany's systems are buckling: the collapse of PISA scores, overloaded municipalities, and an economic model no longer supported by productivity.33:00 Nuclear shutdowns & Europe's AI energy deficitWhy Germany shut down its safest reactors, how it backfired, and why France and the Nordics will become the new AI infrastructure hubs.40:00 Startup ecosystem: the good, the bad, the bureaucraticFrom Munich's deep tech boom to notary nightmares, ESOP fixes, GmbH limitations, and how founders are learning to hack the system.55:00 The rise of Solo GPsThe team discusses the American roots, European trajectory, operator funds, fund-of-funds appetite, and why founders increasingly prefer solo GPs.01:00:00 AI CornerOpenAI's trillion-dollar capex future, Google's TPU resurgence, Anthropic momentum, Michael Burry shorting AI (and why it's misguided), and the geopolitics of compute.

In this episode, Morten and Lars give their yearly update on the tools they use in their GTD practices. They'll highlight the changes in their systems over the last years, including: - What's new from a hardware and software perspective - How Morten is liking the new Remarkable and some Apple devices - How Lars is playing with both AI and paper in his practice ..and MUCH more! We hope that this helps you in your GTD journey and if you have questions for us to pick up in the podcast, you can reach us at podcast@vitallearning.dk And as always, we'd love for you to follow or connect with us on LinkedIn! We always like to connect with GTD'ers from around the world, you can find the links to our YouTube profiles in the Links below. We have some really cool free webinars coming up, which we really want you to join

In dieser Episode spricht IT- & Cybersecurity-Headhunter Jan Nordh über ein Thema, das viele unterschätzen – aber entscheidend für langfristigen beruflichen Erfolg ist:Wie erkenne ich toxische Arbeitgeber schon im Bewerbungsprozess?Aus über 18 Jahren Erfahrung in DACH & Nordics teilt Jan die wichtigsten Red Flags, die oft schon in den ersten Gesprächen sichtbar werden – und die viele Kandidaten ignorieren, weil sie „endlich wechseln möchten“.Sie erfahren:• Welche 10 Warnsignale Sie sofort ernst nehmen sollten• Warum toxische Firmen schon im Interview durchs Raster fallen• Wie unrealistische Zielsetzungen, Micromanagement & Chaos früh erkennbar sind• Praxisnahe Beispiele aus echten Recruiting-Situationen• Die 5 Rückfragen, mit denen Sie jede toxische Firma entlarven• Und: Wie Sie bessere Entscheidungen für Ihre Karriere treffenFür alle Fach- und Führungskräfte im IT-Sales, Software, Cybersecurity und Enterprise-Umfeld.Jetzt reinhören – und sich vor falschen Arbeitgebern schützen.https://www.nordh.de

Today's episode is hosted by Alvin Boampong and they are joined on the podcast by Shrutakeerti Behura, Technical Lead at Volvo Cars and Fredrik Vanbruggen, DevOps Lead at Precise Biometrics. The conversation explores how organisations can cultivate environments where developers feel motivated, supported and empowered to excel. By examining practical approaches to improving wellbeing, the episode looks at how happier developers produce more resilient systems and cleaner, more maintainable code. This broad discussion also reflects on leadership practices that encourage collaboration and trust within technical teams. The exchange highlights cultural frameworks that strengthen engineering performance, including communication habits, sustainable workloads and modern workflows that reinforce the principle that happy developers make happy code. As the guests reflect on shifts within the wider industry, the episode offers a thoughtful look at how values-driven engineering continues to shape long-term success.

Today's episode is hosted by Chris Hackett and they are joined on the podcast by Christopher Bosch, CISO at Evolved Aerospace and Elisia Chessel, Senior Security Architect at Klarna. The conversation explores how organisations can strengthen their approach to security and GRC by effectively engaging senior leadership. Through a broad discussion on communication practices, cultural alignment and strategic visibility, the episode highlights why embedding robust frameworks early is essential for building long-term resilience. The guests also reflect on how leadership teams can better understand evolving risks and support wider operational goals. The exchange highlights practical methods for integrating security into core decision-making, ensuring GRC principles are not treated as optional but as foundational to sustainable growth. By examining shifting expectations, the episode considers how modern enterprises can foster a proactive mindset and ensure that security and GRC continue to shape organisational maturity.

Today's episode is hosted by Chris Hackett and they are joined on the podcast by Maryem Nasri, Global Data Governance Coordinator at Ericsson, Diane Reynolds, Head of Business Development Group Risk at SEB and Mathias Goeltzner, Regional OBS Coordinator at Tesla. The conversation explores how organisations navigate the tension between regulation and innovation, particularly as legislation continues to evolve at speed. By examining the practical realities behind compliance demands, the episode looks at how teams maintain momentum without triggering a red flag scenario that disrupts growth or strategy. The guests share broad reflections on aligning governance with innovation-driven objectives. The exchange highlights structural considerations that help businesses stay resilient, including cross-functional collaboration, clear accountability and early integration of regulatory thinking. As the discussion widens, it considers how modern enterprises can foster adaptability while ensuring that regulation and innovation reinforce rather than undermine each other.

'Europe's EV market is evolving into a study of contrasts. Norway's near-total adoption demonstrates that a combination of policy, incentives, and infrastructure can drive almost complete electrification, while countries like Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovakia reveal persistent structural and economic hurdles that could slow the EU's broader green transition. The surprising dominance of hybrid-electric vehicles indicates consumers are hedging bets, favouring transitional technologies as fully electric adoption struggles with cost and charging access. Looking ahead, Europe risks a two-speed electrification landscape: frontrunners pushing aggressively toward BEVs, while laggards require urgent policy support to prevent widening market disparities, shaping both manufacturer strategy and the continent's climate trajectory.' Michael Fisher from Tradingpedia. European EV adoption trends Europe's 2035 ban on new petrol cars is now back under debate as leaders question whether the deadline is still realistic amid slowing EV adoption. With automakers pushing for a more 'pragmatic' transition, the conversation around Europe's electric future is shifting. In light of this, I am reaching out with highlights from our latest report, which sheds light on the sales of electric vehicles in Europe and the brands selling the most units in 2025. To outline which nations in Europe are leading or falling behind in the shift to electric mobility, our team at TradingPedia analysed EV sales using new car registration data from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) for January-September 2024 and 2025. We also examined the top-selling brands and compared the revenues of leading automotive groups using their official financial reports for the same period. The full dataset is available on Google Drive via this link. Recent data highlights the Nordics as the clear frontrunners in Europe's shift to electric mobility, with Sweden and Denmark each seeing more than 60% of new cars registered as either battery-electric or plug-in hybrids, whereas Norway is in a league of its own, reporting an extraordinary 96.81% EV share. Eastern Europe, however, continues to lag, with countries such as Slovakia, Croatia, and Bulgaria still below the 10% mark. Here are a few key takeaways from the report: Norway is racing towards 100% electric adoption, with 107,606 battery-electric cars and 2,198 plug-in hybrids registered so far in 2025, a share that puts 96.8% of all new vehicles firmly in the fully electric column. EV registrations continue to surge, rising 31.5% year on year, even as plug-in hybrids fall by 14.3% Interestingly, new registrations of conventional hybrids plunged by 66% in the same period. Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland are not far behind, reporting EV shares of 68.73%, 62.04%, 56.58% and 56.07%, respectively. Finland has seen the biggest leap in the Nordics, with its EV share of all newly sold cars surging by almost 18 percentage points since 2024. Among these countries, Denmark is the only one to record a sharp fall in plug-in hybrid sales, down 29.35% from 2024. The lowest EV shares of new vehicle registrations in 2025 are found in Croatia (4.43%), Bulgaria (5.82%), and Slovakia (8.58%), where petrol and diesel still dominate the market. Bulgaria stands out in particular, with petrol and diesel cars accounting for 90.63% of new registrations in 2025, despite EV sales rising by more than 46%. Slovakia, meanwhile, has increased its battery-electric registrations by an impressive 72.52%, whereas Croatia reports a steep decline of 51.92%. Germany, Europe's largest car market, continues to dominate in battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales, recording 382,202 newly registered units, with the United Kingdom close behind at 349,414 and France at 216,310. Together, these three markets account for more than a third of all BEVs sold across the continent. While Germany and the UK saw total EV sales (BEV + PHEV) soar by 46.6% and 32.2% respecti...

What happens when the future of energy meets the reality of climate targets? In this episode of The Sustainable Edge, host Joachim Nahem sits down with Tomas Qvickström, Vice President of Corporate Sustainability at Fortum, to explore how major energy players are balancing security, scale, and sustainability in the race to decarbonize.   In this episode Tomas Qvickström explains how Fortum is contributing to the clean energy transition in the Nordics and Poland through a balanced energy mix, development of renewables and a comprehensive approach to sustainability that goes beyond emissions. From the drivers of electrification, to helping customers decarbonize through data and guarantees of origin, this episode goes inside the energy systems shaping our climate future. Learn about: Balancing the grid: Why the Nordic "energy plate" model combines flexible, firm, and renewable sources like hydro, nuclear, and wind to power a stable transition. A credible decarbonization path: How Fortum is integrating science-based climate targets and biodiversity goals directly into business strategy and finance. From grid to socket: Why clean energy production doesn't guarantee clean consumption, and how Fortum helps customers track and reduce Scope 2 emissions. Bottlenecks to scale: What's really slowing down renewable investments and how long-term offtake agreements, smart cases for implementation, and policy support can unlock progress.     About Tomas Qvickström Tomas Qvickström is Vice President of Corporate Sustainability at Fortum, a €16 billion Nordic energy company. He leads Fortum's work on climate, biodiversity, and sustainable finance, helping integrate ESG targets across operational planning and decision-making. Tomas brings a fact-based, systems-level view to one of the world's most complex sustainability challenges: powering the clean transition at scale.  

Today's episode is hosted by Ethan Little and they are joined on the podcast by Jonas Grahm, Strategy Execution Data Management & Owner at Orbiting Portfolio, Mathias Arvidsson, Cofounder & CEO at Norrminds and Pritam Sarkar, IT Manager at Scania. The conversation explores how leaders can build a future-proof strategy that supports long-term resilience while navigating shifting market conditions. The guests discuss the value of structured decision-making and how organisations can maintain clarity when facing uncertainty. They also touch on the importance of strengthening operational foundations to sustain momentum during turbulence. The exchange highlights practical approaches to enhancing agility, improving data-driven planning and developing teams that can adapt quickly to complex challenges. With insights spanning strategy, technology and organisational culture, the episode offers a grounded look at how businesses can thrive through change while keeping future-proof strategy at the core of their development.

Today's episode is hosted by Georgia Benton and they are joined on the podcast by Valeria Viana Gusmao, Senior Technical Lead & Engineering Manager at Strawberry, Sarwarul Rizvi, Engineering Manager at Keystone Education Group, Sunilraj Sudhakar, Product Coach & Business Agility Consultant at Ericsson and Sawan Budhbhatti, General Manager & Software Engineering Project Leader at Schneider Electric. The conversation explores how leaders across diverse sectors approach the complexities of scaling teams, drawing out practical insights from early-stage growth to mature enterprise environments. The guests reflect on the realities of guiding engineering talent, adjusting structures and nurturing collaborative cultures as organisations evolve. Their exchange highlights how adaptability and clarity support sustainable progress when responsibilities expand. Across the discussion the group also touches on agility, delivery rhythms and the management practices that help teams stay effective during periods of change. The episode offers perspectives on creating supportive frameworks, fostering cross-functional alignment and navigating challenges that come with scaling teams in fast-moving, innovation-driven settings.

Today's episode is hosted by Alvin Boampong and they are joined on the podcast by Sara Razavi, Solutions & Cloud Ecosystem Program Lead at Ericsson, Vikas Kumar, Senior Cloud Advisor at IBM and Irfan Shadeque, Business Infrastructure Manager at Volvo Group. The conversation explores how organisations can build and lead high-performing cloud teams that support long-term capability and drive effective cloud transformation. The guests reflect on how culture, structure and collaboration shape the success of cloud-enabled environments, with attention on the fundamentals that help teams deliver consistently in complex settings. The exchange highlights the value of clarity, shared ownership and strategic alignment when managing cloud operations at scale. It also considers the evolving demands of modern engineering teams and how leaders can cultivate resilience through continuous learning and adaptable working practices. Throughout the discussion, the importance of a strong cloud strategy is woven into broader reflections on talent development and organisational performance.

Today's episode is hosted by Chris Hackett and they are joined on the podcast by Staffan Fredriksson, CISO at Regent AB, Konrad Jelen, Director of Data & AI at KOLOMOLO and Johan Lido, Chief Architect and Architect Manager at AFA Försäkring. The conversation explores the evolving intersection of security and AI, reflecting on how organisations can respond to new challenges while strengthening long-term digital resilience. The guests consider the broader shifts influencing modern architectures and discuss how teams can adapt to rapid advances in automation, data systems and intelligent tooling. The exchange highlights the significance of integrating responsible AI practices into core security frameworks. It also looks at how leaders can navigate emerging risks, enhance operational readiness and support sustainable innovation across complex environments. By examining both strategic and practical dimensions, the discussion provides a clear view of how security and AI continue to shape the future of technology-driven organisations.

In this episode, I sit down with Baba Sam Shelley, known as "The Miracle Man." After enduring 38 years of multiple sclerosis, bipolar disorder, migraines, and other "incurable" conditions, Baba Sam experienced a spontaneous and complete healing through meditation and inner peace. Now, he empowers others to access their own inner healer through his Vibrant Soul Society, Beyond Head Trash work, and Inner Healer School.  In this conversation, you'll hear about: ✨ Baba Sam's extraordinary healing journey from chronic illness to vibrant health ✨ The pivotal realizations that led to his spontaneous recovery ✨ How he helps others release "head trash" and awaken their inner healer ✨ His experiences with spiritual guides, including Nordics and Tall Whites ✨ How to step into your vibrant soul and allow Spirit to illuminate your path This episode is for anyone ready to break free of limiting diagnoses, release mental clutter, and access their innate capacity for healing and awakening.   Resources: Baba Sam will be a featured speaker at my upcoming Miracles Summit! Register free: https://www.karagoodwin.com/miracles-summit-25  Explore Baba Sam's offerings: https://www.beyondheadtrash.com  Explore my offerings at https://www.karagoodwin.com for guided meditations, summits, and my book Your Authentic Awakening. Support the show by liking, commenting, subscribing, and sharing so this high-vibe content can reach more souls.  @BabaSamShelley   Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome to Soul Elevation 02:15 Baba Sam's childhood accident and near-death experience 09:45 Discovering meditation and the realization "I am not my thoughts" 15:20 The moment of miraculous healing and rapid recovery 23:10 Working with spiritual guides, Nordics, and ethereal doctors 32:00 Helping others release "head trash" and awaken their inner healer 42:55 Advice for those living with chronic illness 55:00 Baba Sam's Vibrant Soul Society and how to connect  

In this mini episode, Morten and Lars share the details on the upcoming event: Their Global Guided GTD Weekly Review! This even streams live on YouTube and it's of course free to join us. You can find links to sign up below, we really hope to see you there! And as always, we'd love for you to follow or connect with us on LinkedIn! We always like to connect with GTD'ers from around the world, you can find the links to our YouTube profiles in the Links below. We have some really cool free webinars coming up, which we really want you to join

Enterprise Ireland is leading a 20-strong delegation of high-growth Irish technology companies to Slush 2025, Europe's premier start-up and venture capital event. Slush, widely regarded as the largest gathering of venture capital under one roof, is a key platform for Irish start-ups seeking to accelerate their expansion and secure investment. The Nordics have emerged as Enterprise Ireland's fastest-growing export region for Enterprise Ireland supported companies, with client exports reaching €2.1 billion in 2024, up 24% on 2023. Finland is leading the charge as its most dynamic market. Against this backdrop, Irish innovators are leveraging Slush to deepen commercial ties and showcase cutting-edge technologies across AI, fintech, and sustainability. With Nordic markets driving export growth and Finland emerging as a hub for tech collaboration, Enterprise Ireland's presence at Slush underscores Ireland's ambition to position its start-ups at the forefront of European innovation. Momentum in Irish Tech Investment Ireland's start-up ecosystem continues to attract global attention, underscored by strong investment flows and landmark deals. Earlier this year, Tines, the AI-powered work automation platform, became Ireland's latest unicorn following a $125 million Series C round. This success story exemplifies the ambition of Irish companies attending Slush, many of which are scaling internationally and forging strategic partnerships in the Nordics. As part of the Slush programme of events, Enterprise Ireland will host an Irish Innovation event, featuring a fireside chat with George Ardagh of Tines as well as Enterprise Ireland Head of Scaling Finance Karole Egan and leading voices from global finance. The event will spotlight Ireland's vibrant tech ecosystem and its role in shaping global innovation. Among the Irish delegation at Slush are: EVERYANGLE, whose Vision AI technology powers retail giants including H&M, Samsøe Samsøe, and IKEA franchise partners. Fresh from winning Cisco's Global AI Innovation Award, EVERYANGLE is set to unveil its new product, Horizon, designed to transform in-store behaviour into data-driven growth. Otonomee, the customer support outsourcing specialist, has partnered with Finland's Oura to scale global operations during a period of exceptional growth for the health-tech leader. JustTip, Europe's fastest-growing digital tipping platform, is expanding its footprint through a partnership with Sweden's Surfboard Payments, reinforcing its mission to deliver transparent and instant gratuity management across hospitality. Marker Video, the content marketplace platform is launching their Marker Video app. With 10,000 verified users already onboarded and pilot campaigns underway with HelloFresh and Unilever, the app combines human-verification technology with instant user payments. This enables Marker Video to deliver the scale and authenticity modern brands demand, solving one of advertising's fastest-growing challenges. Leading the Irish delegation at Slush, Finland, Viktor Wagner Heide, Senior Market Advisor at Enterprise Ireland Nordics said; "Slush is a proven launchpad for Irish innovation, offering a unique opportunity to connect with international investors and partners. With exports by Enterprise Ireland-backed companies to the Nordics growing by 24% last year, this platform turns ambition into global growth and strengthens Ireland's position as a leader in Europe's technology landscape." Other Irish company participants at Slush 2025 include, BrightBeam, Capella, Chirp, CitySwift, Coroflo, Cytidel, EVE, HR Duo, Luna Systems, Marker Video, Mavarick AI, NoFrixion, Payemoji, Peroptyx, Provizio, Recruitroo and Tines. Full profiles are available in the Irish Innovation Directory. See more stories here.

Alight chairman and co-founder Harald Överholm joins NPM Europe on this week's episode to give us his take on building a Nordic solar developer into an increasingly pan-European operator of both behind-the-meter and utility-scale, grid-connected PV assets.Harald also provides insight on how data centres could power the corporate PPA market across the Nordics for years to come, how Alight is targeting microgrids for future opportunities, as well as tips for solving the grid connection impasse present in several European markets right now.NPM is a leading data, intelligence & events company providing business development led coverage of the US & European power, storage & data center markets for the development, finance, M&A and corporate community.Download our mobile app.

▬ Om Klippan - Falun ▬▬▬▬Klippan Falun är en plats där du kan möta och uppleva Jesus, ta del av vår välkomnande gemenskap, höra och delta i upplyftande lovsång och ta del av en predikan som både inspirerar och utmanar dig att bli den Gud avsett att du ska vara.Vi ser Klippan Falun som en autentisk, andefylld, gospelcentrerad församling som påverkar vår stad och vårt land genom att förkunna och leva det fulla evangeliet om Jesus Kristus.Klippan Falun är aktiv i Sverige och en del av UPCN (United Pentecostal Church of the Nordics).▬ Sociala Medier ▬▬▬▬► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/klippanfalun/► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forsamlingenklippan/► Youtube: youtube.com/@forsamlingenklippanfalun► Hemsida: https://www.forsamlingenklippan.se/

Join us in Malmo for a real-life #DividendTalk meetup. Sign up here:

Christian Godden, Head of Strategy at Malmo FF on the role of community in driving international partnerships and long-term development for Sweden's most successful football club. The former strategic Director and Partner at BBDO in the Nordics, advising global brands on marketing and communications, explains Malmo FF's unique model of competing in human currency rather than financial resources. Owned by its 14,110 members, it puts community engagement at the heart of its business, with initiatives like educational programs and job placement services. It is community and relationships, he argues, that work harder for the club than data-driven strategies in brand building and societal development.#Sports #Business #Communications

Carsten Puschmann spricht mit Robin Lauber und Christian Angermayer über ein fundamentales Problem für europäische Startups: Kapital fließt dorthin, wo es sich am leichtesten in Cash zurückverwandeln lässt. In einem offenen, praxisnahen Gespräch erklären sie, warum Retail-Liquidität, smarte Domicile-Entscheidungen und nordische Börsen (insbesondere Schweden) heute oft der realistischere Weg für Small/Mid-Caps sind — und wie Gründer ihre Gesellschaft, Story und CEO-Kommunikation frühzeitig darauf ausrichten sollten. Mit konkreten Cases (Equity-Release, E-Commerce, Roll-up, Entertainment) und einer klaren Roadmap für erste Listings.Wir reden über:

Canada's tax problem isn't just slow phones at the CRA—it's a century of bolt-on rules that made filing confusing, subjective, and expensive to administer. A new review found CRA contact centres gave accurate answers only 17% of the time during the 2025 tax season window, echoing long-standing issues flagged by earlier audits (including millions of dropped and blocked calls). This complicated tax system creates unnecessary bureaucracy, wasted money, unpaid taxes, and a subjective audit process that means you can pay more (or less) taxes depending on how well your auditor slept the night before.Hiring more agents won't fix a tax law that's impossible to interpret. Simpler rules will. In this episode, I sketch a path to simpler, fairer, faster taxes. First, a quick history lesson on why we have income taxes, and how they became a Frankenstein's monster of laws that no one can understand. This will show us that the problem is getting worse, and will keep getting worse until we have a major system overhaul. Then I'll get into solutions.I explore proven options from abroad:Pre-populated / return-free filing (pioneered by Denmark; now used in most OECD countries) to slash time, phone calls, and errors—already being piloted in Quebec for simple returns. Flatter, broader bases with minimal carve-outs (think Estonia's ultra-simple system) and NZ's broad-base/low-rate GST—models that raise revenue with less friction. Withholding-as-final for straightforward T4 earners, so most people don't file at all unless their situation is complex—borrowing design cues from the Nordics. Look, nobody wants to talk about tax until they have to. But when they do - and they have to every year - they hate everything about our tax system. It creates unnecessary frustration and anger. Nobody wants to deal with the CRA, and nobody wants to work for the CRA either. Why would they?Many people who don't pay taxes do it out of frustration - they just give up. They're not evil; they're just overwhelmed. Tax filings have become a game.I'm not anti-tax; I'm anti-waste. My companies happily pay millions of dollars in corporate taxes annually. Its employees add another 1M in income taxes to our society, and you can add HST on top of all of it. What I want is less money burned collecting taxes and more money spent on services. If Canadians want better healthcare, safer streets, and a clearer deal with citizens, we should push for tax simplification, not just bigger call centres.Sources:CRA call centres: 17% accuracy (Feb–May 2025); prior audits on access/accuracy. Investment Executive+1Canada's income tax history (1917 “temporary” tax). The Canadian EncyclopediaProvincial/territorial corporate tax—CRA administers most; exceptions Quebec & Alberta. Canada.caPre-populated returns (Denmark origin; 28 OECD countries). Tax Policy CenterQuebec simplified / pre-filled return pilot (2025 filing for 2024 year).

Listen Now to 136 Future Now Show I am writing this summary of this week’s show from the island of Maui, in Hawaii.  It’s been a wild week, starting with a trip to the rugged and wild Farallon Islands, 25 miles of the coast of San Francisco, home to copious wildlife, fish, marine mammals, and the great white sharks.  Getting there was harrowing, with very rought seas, but the sun broke through as we arrived revealing the majestic Farallons through the dissapating mist.  All of us had something to share about our experienes there in today’s show! And naturally we keep you up to date on the latest with 3I/ATLAS, though by the time you read this the perihelion has happened, with wthatever it has to reveal about any sentience behind it’s actions…  And in the second hour you will meet three visiting Nordics to Silicon Valley, involved with what’s known as “Clean Tech,” and the unfolding use of AI in developing the energy sector of our human civilization. We met at the start of Nordic Impact Week, at the Nordic Innovation House in Palo Alto, CA, and carried on for today’s show. The Nordics have an extemely sophisticated energy infrastruction for power sharing in Scandinavia and are in Silicon Valley to scale their advanced use of technology to the larger world, starting with us! Enjoy.. Our intrepid crew returning from the Farallon Islands

Few people have had as many conversations with the minds behind the Nordics' most successful retail and e-commerce brands as Björn Påhlman Spenger.  As the host of Framtidens E-handel, one of the Nordics' biggest business podcasts, he's sat down with top founders, CMOs, and retail leaders to uncover what really drives growth in a rapidly changing landscape.  In this episode, we flip the script and turn the mic on Björn to hear what he's learned after hundreds of interviews: the common traits of those who win, the pitfalls that hold brands back, and where he believes the future of retail and e-commerce is headed.  Tune in to learn:  What top-performing e-commerce brands have in common The biggest mistakes retailers make (and how to avoid them) How shifting consumer behaviour is shaping the next wave of retail  A conversation about growth, mindset, and the power of staying close to your customers in an industry that never stands still. 

In this episode, Morten and Lars provide their perspectives on a question from listener Ida and also revisit some of their key memories from GTD Summer Camp 2025, including: - How to introduce GTD to someone close to burnout - Some tracks from the 2025 Summer Camp that stood out for Morten/Lars - How Lars' GTD practice is different following the GTD Summer Camp ..and more! We hope that this helps you in your 'GTD journey' and thank you so much to Ida for her question! If you have questions for us to pick up in the podcast, you can reach us at podcast@vitallearning.dk And as always, we'd love for you to follow or connect with us on LinkedIn! We always like to connect with GTD'ers from around the world, you can find the links to our YouTube profiles in the Links below. We have some really cool free webinars coming up, which we really want you to join

Two tech worlds meet to answer a pressing question: if AI can act for us, what should remain meaningfully human? In this episode, We've teamed up with Gareth Mitchell and Ghislaine Boddington from the Somewhere on Earth Podcast to compare notes on practical adoption, cultural nuance, and the messy, beautiful realities of bringing AI into daily life. Andrew Grill shares how enterprise leaders move from hype to “aha” moments, including a live case where a 17,000-cell SWOT analysis became actionable strategy in minutes. We dig into why projects stall—broken processes, outdated ROI, and thin literacy—and how smart training and transparent policies shift teams from pilots to outcomes.The conversation widens beyond boardrooms. Ghislaine traces the arc from early telepresence and immersive art to today's “body in the digital,” where trust, intimacy, and presence underpin healthy human-machine collaboration. We examine digital human twins, agentic AI that makes decisions on our behalf, and the ethics of agents negotiating with each other. Expect clear takes on governance, transparency, and the line between pattern-matched empathy and the real thing. We also explore global perspectives: AI ethics in the Nordics, smart-city lessons from Singapore, manufacturing in Japan, and the access gaps that keep billions offline.Media and learning are transforming too. Universities are moving from AI bans to guidance that requires prompt and output documentation, building accountability and critical thinking. On the creator side, we look at AI in podcast production and the next step—personalized listening that adapts to knowledge and time. Along the way, we share recommended episodes, from Karen Jacobsen's origin as the original Aussie Siri voice to Deborah Humble's high-wire opera story packed with lessons in resilience and preparation.If you're curious about technology but allergic to hype, this co-production brings grounded examples, human-centered design, and a global lens. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a practical AI playbook, and leave a quick review with your biggest “aha” or open question—what would you never let an AI decide for you?Resources mentionedSomewhere on Earth PodcastThanks for listening to Digitally Curious. You can buy the book that showcases these episodes at curious.click/orderYour Host is Actionable Futurist® Andrew GrillFor more on Andrew - what he speaks about and recent talks, please visit ActionableFuturist.com Andrew's Social ChannelsAndrew on LinkedIn@AndrewGrill on Twitter @Andrew.Grill on InstagramKeynote speeches hereOrder Digitally Curious

Welcome back to the EUCVC Summit Talks, where we spotlight Europe's corporate venture leaders, founders, and academics shaping the future of venture collaboration.In this episode, Francesco Di Lorenzo, Associate Professor at Copenhagen Business School, takes the stage to share fresh research on the state of corporate venture capital (CVC) in the Nordics. From Sweden to Denmark, Francesco explores how corporates are experimenting with different venturing models, what makes CVC effective, and why Nordic corporates are some of Europe's most important venture partners.Rather than polished slides, Francesco offers candid reflections from the Summit itself: the open questions corporates face, the trade-offs in structuring CVC units, and why cultural change in the boardroom is key if corporate venturing is to succeed long-term.

In this week's special Nordic Visionaries episode on the Innovation Storytellers Show, I enjoyed a conversation that started at TechBBQ in Copenhagen and quickly stretched from refugee camps in Kenya to data centers in Norway and boardrooms in Silicon Valley. I sat down with Soulaima Gourani, a Moroccan-Danish entrepreneur now based in Palo Alto, for this special episode supported by the EU Nordic Council of Ministers and the governments of Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland.  Soulaima shares how she went from growing up in remote Danish towns and troubled neighborhoods to becoming a VC-backed founder, keynote speaker, and author. She describes a life built on agency and resilience, from leaving home young and navigating early setbacks to discovering flow in a full calendar. Her line that pressure is a privilege sets the tone for a candid look at ambition, stamina, and the choices that shape a founder's path. We unpack her two current ventures, Happioh and Ailo. At Happioh, she is building an AI agent gym and a meeting spam filter that lives in the pre-meeting space, where agendas get fixed, invites improve, and agents are monitored and taken off air the moment they drift. That same scaffolding is supporting a healthcare use case in low-resource settings, where AI can nudge junior clinicians to ask the right questions and auto-complete forms so scarce doctors can see more patients with greater focus.  Storytelling runs through the entire discussion. Soulaima breaks down how she learned the language of venture, sharpened her narrative, and raised capital from scores of investors over Zoom. She talks openly about the realities of governance, the discipline of staying forever in beta, and the difference between being busy and being productive.  We also explore what the Nordics contribute to global innovation culture, from emotional intelligence and community orientation to the need to think bigger from day one. In the hot seat, she picks the internet as the greatest innovation, dreams about joining a space program, and makes a heartfelt case for curing cancer, noting why AI gives her real confidence that progress will arrive faster than many expect.  

The 3 Everyday Habits That Win Trust Sales rises or falls on trust. As of 2025—post-pandemic, hybrid, and time-poor—buyers have less patience for fluffy rapport and more appetite for authentic, repeatable behaviours. This guide turns three classic human-relations principles into practical sales moves you can use today: be genuinely interested, smile first, and use people's names naturally. What's the fastest way to build trust with time-poor buyers in 2025? Lead with curiosity, not a pitch. Ask about their context before your product, and mirror back what you heard in concrete terms (KPIs, deadlines, constraints). This converts a transactional meeting into a partnership from minute one. In Japan, the US, and Europe alike, executives are bandwidth-constrained; they remember the seller who reduces cognitive load. In enterprise deals, curiosity surfaces hidden stakeholders and post-purchase risks. In SMEs and startups, it reveals cash-flow windows and procurement shortcuts. Curiosity isn't manipulation; buyers detect feigned interest instantly. Done right, it creates common ground that makes every later ask easier. Start every meeting with one “business-human” question (e.g., “What must be true by quarter-end for this to be a win?”). Mini-summary: Curiosity first → faster trust → smoother deals. Do now: Prepare three context questions per persona. How do I show genuine interest without going off-topic? Be human, but keep it business-linked. Tie personal context to business impact; keep it relevant, short, and anchored in their role, industry, and timeline. Ask about post-purchase adoption (“What would success look like for your users in the first 30 days?”), operational realities (e.g., Japan-specific compliance), and leadership pressures (“What will your CFO scrutinise most this quarter?”). Compare contexts—APAC vs EU privacy, B2B vs consumer rollout, startup urgency vs multinational governance. Document what you learn and open the next meeting by recapping their words—snippet-ready proof you listened. Mini-summary: Human questions, business purpose. Do now: Build a one-page “interest map” per account. Does smiling still matter in serious, high-stakes meetings? Smile first to set the social temperature, then match the room. Under deadline pressure, many sellers present a tense “serious face” that raises defensiveness. A genuine, early smile lowers friction and signals “I'm safe to talk to,” especially in first meetings or escalations. In Japan's formal settings, a measured smile plus a slight nod communicates respect and openness; in the US, a warmer smile can accelerate rapport. The key is timing: smile as you greet, then calibrate to the buyer's style within seconds. The goal isn't cheeriness; it's creating a cooperative atmosphere where tough topics (risk, price, delivery dates) can be discussed without posturing. Mini-summary: Smile first, calibrate fast. Do now: Add “reset face → greet with smile” to your pre-meeting checklist. How can using names increase influence without sounding fake? Use names sparingly at moments of emphasis. Offer your own name first, confirm pronunciation, then use theirs to mark alignment and commitment—never as filler. In group settings with multiple stakeholders, sketch a quick seating map to avoid missteps later. This habit personalises without pandering and helps you track the real decision network behind procurement. Close clearly: “Aiko-san, we'll send the red-lined MSA by Friday.” Mini-summary: Names for signal, not filler. Do now: Practise name recall and pronunciation before the meeting. What's the cross-market playbook (Japan vs US vs Europe) for relationship momentum? Universal habits, local nuance. The same three behaviours—interest, smile, names—work everywhere, but settings differ. In Japan, invest more time upfront on context and internal harmony; be precise with honorifics and follow through meticulously. In the US, move faster to value articulation and next steps, keeping warmth high. In Europe, expect variance (Nordics vs DACH vs Southern Europe) in decision cadence and consensus. Align to company type: startups reward speed and flexibility; multinationals reward consistency and risk management. Hybrid selling post-2020 demands tighter summaries and clearer asynchronous follow-ups. Mini-summary: Universal habits, local settings. Do now: Add a “market nuance” line to every call plan. How do I turn these habits into a repeatable system my team can use? System beats intention. Bake the habits into templates, rituals, and measurable checkpoints. Create a pre-call sheet with (1) three curiosity questions, (2) a reminder to smile on entry, (3) stakeholder names and pronunciations, (4) a 90-second recap script for follow-ups. In your CRM, add fields for “buyer language used,” “stakeholder map,” and “adoption risk notes.” In weekly pipeline reviews, inspect not just stages but relationship signals: trust markers logged, name usage at key moments, and recap emails sent within 24 hours. Train using short, scenario-based drills (enterprise renewal, startup pilot, public-sector RFP). Mini-summary: Process it so it happens. Do now: Standardise a one-page “relationship checklist.” Final wrap Make the buyer—the human—the centre of the conversation. Start with interest, open with a smile, and use names with intent. Then systemise the behaviours so they happen every time. When products look similar, these micro-habits become the differentiator. About the author Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie “One Carnegie Award” (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including ザ営業, プレゼンの達人, トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう, and 現代版「人を動かす」リーダー. Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews.

In this episode of Nordic Visionaries, I had the chance to sit down with Magnus Egeberg, CEO of Mastercard Payment Services, live at TechBBQ. Magnus shared his journey from consulting and Nets to leading Mastercard's Nordic business, and how he found himself at the center of one of the company's most significant acquisitions. He walked me through what it meant to migrate national payment infrastructures across five countries, handling trillions of dollars while making sure everything worked flawlessly from day one. We talked about the role of account-to-account payments as the backbone of both consumer and business transactions, and why the next wave of innovation lies in embedded finance. Magnus described how payments are being integrated directly into the workflows of professionals in industries such as law and healthcare, making once cumbersome processes faster, safer, and far more intuitive.  Cybersecurity was another prominent theme in our conversation. Magnus explained why security is never an add-on at Mastercard but part of the DNA, from zero-trust design to developer training and global threat intelligence. He also shared a very personal story about his battle with cancer, and how it deepened his admiration for medical innovation. As we wrapped up, Magnus pointed to sustainability as the innovation challenge of our time and why Mastercard is pushing toward net zero by 2040. It was an inspiring reminder of how financial infrastructure, resilience, and human stories all intersect in the Nordics.  

How does GTD impact your life - both as an entrepreneur and in life in general? Listen to this interview episode with Peter Gallant, Professor of Innovation, Strategy and Entrepreneurship at Smith School of Business, Queen's University, in Kingston, Canada. In this episode, you'll learn more about how: - How Peter's journey with GTD and how it has shaped him as an entrepreneur and in life overall. - How his Ph.D. work in engineering, using AI for data and time-series analysis, sparked his first start-up in the late 1990s. - How GTD played a major role his “semi-retirement” plan at age 50. ..and more! We hope that this helps you in your GTD journey and thank you so much Peter for taking the time for the interview. If you have ideas for future episodes or questions for us to pick up in the podcast, you can reach us at podcast@vitallearning.dk And as always, we'd love for you to follow or connect with us on LinkedIn! We always like to connect with GTD'ers from around the world, you can find the links to our YouTube profiles in the Links below. We have some really cool free webinars coming up, which we really want you to join

It's Day 3 of IAAPA Expo Europe, and this episode of Skip the Queue brings you insights from industry leaders. Hear from Andreas Andersen (Liseberg), Peter van der Schans (IAAPA EMEA), Laura Read (Marwell Zoo), Aaron Wilson (ProSlide), and Robbi Jones (Katapult) on resilience, creativity, and the future of attractions.Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is Paul Marden, with co host Andy Povey and roving reporter Claire Furnival.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website SkiptheQueue.fm.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on LinkedIn. Show references:  https://www.liseberg.se/en/https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreas-veilstrup-andersen/Andreas Veilstrup Andersen is the CEO and President of the Liseberg Group, Sweden – operating one of Scandinavia's most visited amusement parks. Andreas has a legal and financial background and has been working in the amusement park industry since 2000.  First in several capacities at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark, later as Vice President of European operations at IAAPA EMEA in Brussels, Belgium. Andreas was the 2018 Chairman of IAAPA. He currently holds board positions at Farup Sommerland and Alsik Hotel in Denmark, as well as Momentum Leisure and Leo's Lekland, Europe's largest chain of FEC's. Andreas is heading up IAAPA's sustainability initiatives, and occasionally blogs on https://reflections.liseberg.se/.Plus, live from the Day 3 of the IAAPA Expo Europe show floor, we catch up with:Aaron Wilson - Vice President, Business Development Europe & Latin America, Proslide Technologyhttps://www.proslide.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronlouiswilson/Robbie Jones - Insights Director, Katapaulthttps://www.katapult.co.uk/https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrrobbiejones/Peter van der Schans - Executive Director & Vice President, IAAPA EMEAhttps://iaapa.org/expos-and-events/expo-europehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-van-der-schans-87715717/Laura Read - Chief Executive, Marwell Zoohttps://www.marwell.org.uk/https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-read-she-her-98110726/ Transcriptions:  Paul Marden: Welcome to Skip the Queue, the podcast about the world's best attractions and the amazing people that work in them. I'm your host, Paul Marden, and together with my co-host, Andy Povey, and roving reporter Claire Furnival, we're here at day 3 of IAAPA Expo Europe. On today's show, Andy talks to Andreas Andersen, CEO and President of iseberg Group, about resilience. I meet Peter van der Schans from IAAPA EMEA, and we catch up with Laura Read from Marwell Zoo. First, let's go over to Andy.Andy Povey: So I'm joined now by Andreas Andersen, who's the chief exec of Liseberg, Scandinavia's most visited amusement park. Andreas, welcome to Barcelona. It's very good to see you here. Can you tell the listeners at home a little bit about Liseberg and what you do there?Andreas Andersen:  Sure. So I'm heading up one of the classic regional city-based parks in Northern Europe. So you have Liseberg, you have Tivoli in Copenhagen, you have Kornalund in Stockholm, and Linnanmaki in Helsinki. And we're part of this tradition of parks that have a very strong community base and a long history. Liseberg is 102 years old and three years old. And also parks that represent cultural heritage as well as reflect the cities we're located in. Lovely, lovely regional park in downtown Gothenburg. And if you haven't been, you should come visit.Andy Povey: Absolutely. I must admit, I haven't made it there myself yet. It's on the bucket list. So our theme for today's recording is about recovery and resilience. And recently, in your blog address, you wrote that you feel like for the past four years, you've been in constant crisis mode. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?Andreas Andersen: Well, I think a lot of executives or just people working in this industry can recognise that the last four or five years have been very turbulent, very, very, very volatile.Andreas Andersen: It all started with the pandemic in March 2020, we were at Lisa closed down for 17 months, so we didn't have any any business at all for for 17 months. Then we reopened in the middle of '21, very very hard— you know, with a lot of restrictions and an organisation that had not been you know operating anything for a long time and we also had to let go a lot of people. Then in '22, I think everybody experienced this giant rush, you know, that everybody wanted to get back into the park. So we couldn't really keep up with demand. And that was stressful in a different way. In '23, the market in the Nordics really suffered for some reason. It was a wit, summer and inflation, and interest rates.Andreas Andersen: And everything that went with, you could say, sort of the beginning of an economic downturn. And then, in 2024, our biggest investment, our biggest project expansion in the last 100 years, a large new indoor water park burned down. So it feels like these four or five years has really been this chain of crisis that we've had to get over and manage, basically.Andy Povey: Yeah, I mean, what we're hearing from people on the show floor is that the economic and political unrest that we have all over the Western world is creating some turbulence in the market. So talk to us a little bit more about the fire at Oceania. What happened?Andreas Andersen: We had been building the water park for almost three years, and we were six, seven weeks away from handover. It was some of the last works on the right installation that went wrong. It was a plastic welding that overheated, and these things happen, as you know.Andreas Andersen: Unfortunately, we lost a colleague in the fire and that was basically, you could say, that overshadowed, I would say, everything, especially in the first weeks. Andreas Andersen: That was devastating to all of us and obviously, especially his family. But soon after, we also had to make some decisions. You know, did we want to rebuild? How did we want to rebuild? At what pace? How would we finance? etc. etc. So you also very quickly move into the next phase of a crisis management and that is recovery. And we've been in that phase ever since. Andy Povey: Interesting. It's a devastating situation. I mean, your concern obviously has to be for the team and the people involved— not just those affected directly, but everybody on the floor who feels an emotional impact from this situation. So what tips would you give, as a leader, going through a situation like that, to anyone else listening who may be facing their own challenges?Andreas Andersen:  Well, I think I learned a lot during those weeks and months. And I think I learned that in a crisis, especially of this magnitude, everything becomes very naked. Everything becomes very raw. And you cannot really play a role as a leader. You have to be yourself. You have to be authentic. And it's okay to also show emotions and be caught up in this process of figuring out what to do with the project and the team and yourself when you meet challenges of this severity. Andreas Andersen:  So I would say be yourself, but also recognise that I always say that leadership in a crisis is a little bit like your biggest asset is the confidence that people have in you. And that confidence is something you build up over years. It's a little bit like a bank account that you can then draw on when the crisis hits. But you really have to make sure that you have something on that bank account. You can't borrow confidence. It's not up for loan. So you really, you know, crisis management, from a leadership perspective, actually starts a lot earlier than the crisis. It's about, you know, building a team that works well together, that trusts you and has confidence in you. And then, when the crisis hits, you know, you can draw on that trust, draw on that confidence. So I think that's two of the learnings that I had during this process.Andy Povey: I love the idea of the bank that you can draw on. We're making deposits in our bank every day, not just as a commercial leadership level, but a personal level as well. You need to have that resilience built in yourself. A lovely analogy. And I really love the idea of authenticity. So, if we move on now to talking a little bit more about what we do in an attraction, I think authenticity plays a really big part in that. So, how important is it for you to keep innovating at Liseberg?Andreas Andersen: It's super important because we are in a regional market. I mean, if you look at how our guests are composed, you know, we have 90% Swedish people and then 10%, maybe 12% in a good year from other, especially Nordic countries. But the majority are Swedish and about 60% of our total volume is actually from the local market. And if you want to attract the local market and you want to drive revisitation, Gothenburg is a large city, but it's not a huge city. You have to keep the product fresh. You have to reinvest, reinvent, and constantly adapt. And I think that's actually... part of the, you could say, the formula for these Nordic city-based parks that we've actually had to all reinvent, you know, throughout our history. I mean, Tivoli, that was founded in 1843, it was built by this crazy entrepreneur called Geo Carstensen.Andreas Andersen: And when Tivoli opened on the 15th of August, it was late, it was over budget, and it was not quite finished. And he got a question from a journalist, you know, asking him, you know, when will Tivoli be finished? And his response was, 'Never.' Tivoli will never be finished. And I think, you know, it's almost 200 years ago that he said this, but I think it encompasses sort of the real DNA of our industry that we have to constantly evolve with our guests and reinvent ourselves. And I think, again, that the city, the Nordic city-based parks have really been quite good at that.Andy Povey: Obviously, I mean, Liseberg with 100 years, Tivoli with almost 200 years. There's something good there. You're doing something right. So more recently, you've taken a position with, I'm going to pronounce this awfully, Leo's Lekland. Compare and contrast Liseberg to Europe's largest chain of family entertainment centres?Andreas Andersen:  I mean, there are a lot of similarities and also a lot of differences. I think what is interesting for me, you know, working with Leos is that it's, in many ways, the model is the same. I mean, you pay an entrance fee, you spend a few hours with your family, you may eat a lunch or buy an ice cream or a plush animal. So in many ways, it's the same. But I think, when we're talking about these attractions that are really designed for shorter visits, there is a convenience perspective to them that it's slightly different than, you know, visiting an amusement park or a theme park for a full day. I remember once I had a conversation with one of our competitors in this market, not FECs as such, but, you know, these shorter visits, you know, two, three-hour visit attractions, very often midway attractionsAndreas Andersen: And he said, 'What we sell is actually not.' necessarily an experience, it is two hours spent and I think that's a little bit of a different perspective on an attraction that you actually also go to, Leo's Lekland, to have your kids, you know, be really really tired when they get home, you know, in today's world, where everything is a lot of a lot of stuff is digital and and the kids sit there with their with the tablets and their phones and or their game consoles or they're online with their friends. I think play has a huge and important role to play in the development of motoric and social skills for kids. I think physical play will be something we're going to discuss a lot in the decades to come, because I think we lost a couple of generations the last 20 years. And I think that's a super dangerous thing. So getting back to your question, a lot of similarities, but there are also some differences and I've learned a lot by working with them.Andy Povey: Fantastic. The talk about play really resonates. We lost a year, maybe 18 months through COVID. I have 11-year-old twin girls. I love the idea that me taking them to our local FEC on a Saturday morning so I could recover from a hangover while they went and played was a really positive, good parent thing to do. So thank you for that. We're at the show. What are you looking forward to seeing when you get out on the show floor, when we eventually let you go out on the show floor?Andreas Andersen:  Oh! I very rarely have a plan. I like to just stroll around. Actually, I see it a little bit like visiting an amusement park. You shop for experiences and you see what happens. I think one of the great things about these expos is the fact that, and that's probably what I look most forward to, is that you meet your industry colleagues.Andreas Andersen:  A company like ours, Liseberg, we do not exist; we do not operate within a chain structure. We do not have a corporate mother that knows a lot about what we do. We do not have other parks that we can benchmark with. So these shows is also a little bit a way for us to get out of the bubble and meet other people that work with the same thing as we do. So it's actually not as much the expo floor or the events or the educational program as it is meeting the people. I enjoy.Andy Povey: Andreas, it's been great talking to you. Thank you very much for your time and have a fantastic show.Andreas Andersen:  And I wish you the very same. Thank you.Paul Marden: Now let's head over to the show floor. So we are here on the ProSlide stand, and I'm here with Aaron. Aaron, introduce yourself. Tell us a little bit about ProSlide.Aaron  Wilson: Hi, nice to meet you. Thanks for coming in. I'm Aaron Wilson, Senior Vice President, Business Development, EMEA, with ProSlide. I've been with ProSlide for nine years. We're focused really on the design and innovation of rides. That's where we really form the nucleus of who ProSlide is.Paul Marden: Okay, so what are you launching here at this year's IAAPA?Aaron  Wilson:  Yeah, so let's walk over here to our model table. Where we have a large model of our newest feature, which is the Hive. We actually opened up two rides this year, one at Chimelong in China, the most attended water park in the world. Paul Marden: Wow. Aaron  Wilson:  And that's with a five-person family raft, everyone seated facing each other.Paul Marden: That's amazing. So you're going through this on a five-person ring kind of thing?Aaron  Wilson:  Exactly, a five-person tube. So it's a tight radius helix curve. So as you enter, you're entering into a completely open, basically cathedral space. But as you're dropping and turning very quickly, you're staying really stuck along the outside of the wall, feeling those centrifugal forces. And you have a 360-degree global view. So you're able to look forward, backwards, upwards, down. See everywhere where you came from and where you're headed.Paul Marden: It's amazing, isn't it? Because you've got transparent sides on it. So you can see outside as well.Aaron  Wilson:  Absolutely. And there's a ton of theming potential here. In the middle is a support structure. And so we're working on theming there in the middle, if we can. Special effects around the outside. In this case, it's transparent. Exactly.Paul Marden: You've got some amazing models on the table here. This is one of those rides that you can't really bring to IAAPA and experience in real life because we'd all have to be in our swimmers.Aaron  Wilson:  Unfortunately, yes.Paul Marden: But some amazing, amazing models. What's innovative about this? What's this bringing to the market, which is unusual?Aaron  Wilson:  So you have that 360-degree helix turn. We've completely opened it up. So normally in a turn, you can only see a few meters in front of you. In this case, it's a feature that's completely open as you're making that turn. And so you can see everywhere, right? Up and down, forwards, backwards. And that's really part of the differentiation. But obviously the biggest sensation is actually that experience you feel as you have those centrifugal forces around the outside. With a five-person boat, you're looking at about 800 pounds, and you're whipping around the outside, gaining tons of speed throughout. So it's really exciting. The additional interesting thing about this element is we're also doing a two-person tube and a small compact footprint.Aaron  Wilson:  So it's very adaptable for indoor parks or even outdoor parks that don't have a ton of space. That compact footprint gives a lot of flexibility in the design.Paul Marden: So you've got this in China at the moment, you say?Aaron  Wilson:  Yep, and one in the US. And there are a lot more to come in the next one to two years already programmed and open. So we're really excited about this for the water parks.Paul Marden: That's amazing. So we've been asking everybody to get their crystal ball out and tell us trends for 2026. Where do you think the market is going? What do you think that we can expect to see this time next year at IAAPA? Aaron  Wilson:  Water coasters. Water coasters are the big thing. Paul Marden: What on earth is a water coaster? Aaron  Wilson:  Yeah, well, let's head over here to another model table. We have a couple of examples here. So I would say, like in the last couple of years, specifically speaking about Europe, we've seen an amazing response to our water coaster technology using water propulsion. We call it the rocket blast.Paul Marden: Right.Aaron  Wilson:  And so what you have is a series of injectors placed along the uphill sections that actually push the boat uphill. That's amazing. And so with that technology, we're able to do a number of things. And this actually, this ride opened about a year and a half ago at Land of Legends in Turkey. This is, you know, one of the biggest things that will stand out to you here is, as you're looking around all the models, what's very common with a water park is you have—gravity-fed rides, meaning you climb a tower and use gravity to go down. Paul Marden:  This is very flat and long. Aaron  Wilson:  Exactly. This is built essentially on grade. There's no tower here. So, I mean, the first thing is accessibility. So now, as you know, there's no steps. You know, water parks are historically very difficult to meet accessibility. Paul Marden: Yeah. Do you know, I've never thought of that before. But of course, you need to climb the stairs to be able to get to the top of the tower.Aaron  Wilson:  So this case, this is called Turtle Coaster. And this is at Land of Legends. Our guests can walk or, you know, walk or wheel.Paul Marden: Yep.Aaron  Wilson:  As they want up this ramp. This is about four meters off grade. We have a little bit of a drop here. So this is a closed-circuit coaster, right? Meaning the guests are finishing and ending in the same location. Also something different from a water ride. Normally you're going up a tower and finishing in a pool. Here you're finishing and starting at the same location, much like a mechanical dry-growing coaster.Paul Marden: And this, just for listeners' benefit, this has got eight or nine turns in there. It's really, you know. It's going to be a normal coaster-type ride, isn't it?Aaron  Wilson:  This is a 420-meter-long coaster. You're looking at about a minute-and-a-half water ride, which is crazy. Most water rides are about 30 seconds, you know? So it's a really long experience. You have eight uphill last sections, along with what else is unique with our technology is we're able to incorporate these flat last sections. So much like a mechanical coaster has that launch element to it. We're able to do that with water propulsion. So right off the stop, you have this completely flat launch blast. Up, you're getting the elevation. You go around for 420 meters, a series of flying saucer features, uphill sections. Coming back into a water channel.Aaron  Wilson:  And landing in the landing pool, it picks you up on a moving station conveyor. So this conveyor is actually moving at a very slow pace. Guests are cutting off and getting back on.Paul Marden: This is not a lazy river, is it? That you're just sat around for a little while. This is going to hair around.Aaron  Wilson:  Absolutely not. And then here at Siam Park is another coaster here. We opened up in '23. Doolin. So you had two lanes.Paul Marden: Oh, wow.Aaron  Wilson:  And you're racing side by side throughout the experience.Paul Marden: That is amazing. Well, Aaron, look— it's been wonderful to meet you. Find out more about what you're doing here. Looks super, super exciting. I want to get my swimmers on and go and try some, but maybe not whilst we're here in Barcelona, but maybe one time soon.Andy Povey: So we're on the show floor again and I'm with Robbie Jones from Katapult. Robbie, please tell the listeners at home a little bit about Katapult, what you do with them.Robbie  Jones: So we design themed attractions, experiences and destinations. So that can be anything from theme parks all the way through to museums. And our— I guess our core competency is design stage, so pre-concept designs. We get involved quite a lot in theme parks that are very early stages. And my role in that is quite unique within the team of creatives and designers, in that I look towards the insights. So sometimes I work with feasibility partners to kind of pull together the economic requirements for a theme park or an attraction to exist. But more often than not, it's about the guest journey, the guest behaviour, how can we make the guest experience as best as possible by understanding information research that we might have already but also doing some primary research as well to make sure we're creating like that amazing moment for every person that walks through the door.Andy Povey: Fantastic. That sounds really, really impressive. Looking back over 2025, what are your key takeaways from this year so far?Robbie  Jones: Goodness, me. I think I'll speak with a lot of what the industry would say, which is it's been a little bit sticky in places in 2025. There's certainly been more maybes than yeses or nos in terms of projects. But I think we're starting to see things beginning to move. Someone's put some oil in the engine somewhere, which is great. And there's some really exciting projects coming up. Obviously, as a UK-based company, seeing the likes of Universal, Poodie Foo, setting up shop. It's going to be really interesting to see how that impacts not just the UK, but the European market as well.Andy Povey: I couldn't agree more. I really, really look forward to seeing that anticipated improvement in quality of experience that we'll get across the UK. So looking forward to '26 now, what are you anticipating as being the exciting things we're talking about in 12 months' time?Robbie  Jones: Gosh, I mean, I think there will be an element of a quiet time, I think, especially with the new build theme parks, whether that's in the UK or, of course, in the Middle East. I think there'll be an element of quiet that we need to get used to in terms of waiting to see what the next big thing is or the next IP that's going to be in those rides. But I certainly see a lot more positive vibes coming out of the industry. I think we'll see more exciting local experiences, maybe not just big global ones. And yeah, just on the horizon, maybe plenty more opportunity and positivity.Paul Marden: It has been my first IAAPA Expo, and I've had a whale of a time. And I am joined here by Peter van der Schans, the VP and Exec Director of IAAPA EMEA. Peter. Tell me a little bit about what the show has been like for you because I've had an amazing time.Peter van der Schans: Well, so did I. The funny thing is we've always worked so hard on these expos. It takes a hell of a lot of time and it all comes back in this one week. And once you exit that plane or train or however you arrive, you start in a bus and then it's over before you know it.Peter van der Schans: And the week is done and you fall in this big black hole. That's where we're going now. So it's been a wonderful week and it's great to see all our members and every industry leader that is visiting us. We're a small team at IAAPA. We're not a huge organisation, but we have our members supporting us. It's a team effort from both IAAPA and our members, basically. And it's only pride.Paul Marden: One of the most important parts of the show, I think, is the educational side of what you do. There's been a big educational program. Are there any big themes that you've spotted coming out of that education strand?Peter van der Schans: So the education program actually is built with our members and by our members. So, of course, we guide it and shape it. But it's actually done by our members. So it's our members saying, 'Hey, this is where I have issues with. This is the trends I see. This is where I think this is going, which makes it always accurate because we have that industry knowledge by our members.' So in that sense, what we saw this year, there's a lot of focus on AI, obviously, the hot topic nowadays. Paul Marden: It's not a single interview I do where somebody hasn't dropped AI into it. So it's a hot topic.Peter van der Schans: It's a hot topic. And I'm very curious also to see where it's going because right now, if you see execution, the focus is much on back office. For example, Parks Reunidos for example, shared on stage, that they can now predict their next, the next day in visitor numbers with accuracy of 93% which is perfect. Things like that. But I'm curious exactly to see how it's going to evolve in the future to the front end. So what is that visitor going to see in the future? Whenever I go to a theme park, for example, will I be recognised by my name? And if I ride a ride, will the animatronic know my name, for example? Things like that. I think there's limitless possibilities.Peter van der Schans: And we're just at the verge of the beginning. And it's also so, so, so excited about that education program that we share what we know and we work together to get to that point to make it better. Paul Marden: Yeah, absolutely. The collaboration in this sector is just amazing. And IAAPA is just the living proof of that. So many smiling faces. You know that there were competitors together on stands just chatting and enjoying. It's a really enriching experience seeing everybody work together.Peter van der Schans: It is, it is. And the funny thing is I've worked in this industry since I was 16. I started as a ride operator. I didn't know any better than when I had an issue when I became supervisor and manager that I could call the park at the other end of the country and ask, like, 'Hey, how are you dealing with this?' And they helped me. And then I worked at the cinema industry and suddenly I realised that that is not that common in all industries, to say it lightly. It was much more competitive and I didn't want to share anything and really opened my eyes in a way that I realised, like, 'hey, this is special'. And also made me realise that IAAPA plays a big part in that as well, as an organisation to bring all those people together, to provide that platform to work together.Paul Marden: Yes, the facilitators of the community, aren't you? I'm going to ask you a slightly controversial question here. Outside of show hours, what has been your favourite party or event? And you can name drop any one of them. It's absolutely fine. Nobody will be upset with you.Peter van der Schans: I must say the ballpark reception, obviously for the British people. Always good beers. The Tuesday events with the opening ceremony, where we really kick off the week. They made me dance again. I don't recommend watching that back, but that's always just a fun, fun morning where we really kick off the week with a big energy, with a nice connection to the host city as well. Peter van der Schans: It's always fun to work on that and to execute that, but also the evening event, the opening reception where we gather. Well, this year we had 1,400 industry professionals coming together and mixing, mingling in Tibidabo. Without rain, thankfully. Paul Marden: Well, yes, this is the thing. So I was watching the skies thinking this could go really badly wrong. The BBC weather forecasts were not looking good. Peter van der Schans: There's this tradition in Barcelona that you bring eggs to nuns and they make sure you'll have good weather. We did that. We brought three dozens.Paul Marden: Took a lot of eggs. There was a lot of eggs broken in the making of this party. But you did very well. We're at the end. And everybody gets to heave a big sigh of relief that the show's done. It's in the can. But there's also a touch of sadness and fondness looking forward to what comes next. So next year, what have you got coming up first? I understand there's something in the Middle East.Peter van der Schans: Yeah, absolutely. We actually last year at this expo in Amsterdam, we announced the launch of our newest expo, IAAPA Expo Middle East, which is actually the first time in IAAPA's history that we built a new expo from scratch.Peter van der Schans: Never done that before, our members and and people in the industry ask us year after year like, 'When is IAAPA coming to the Middle East?' Of course, there's a huge amount of investments going on in that region. It's crazy. And in that sense, we we simply listen to our members and decide that this is the time we need to go. And we're excited to get closer and closer to the actual launch of the event in March in 2026 in Abu Dhabi.Paul Marden: So March 2026, Abu Dhabi is our next event. But there is another event coming next year. IAAPA is coming to London, which I'm very pleased about. Tell me, is the planning all starting on Monday? Are you already a long way through planning? Plans you can share with me about what's coming up in London?Peter van der Schans: We will have an exciting program for sure, but we're not there yet with with the actual education programme. That takes a little bit more of time, but we do have the show Florencial already and that's looking to be another record-breaking show. What I think also remarkable is that we will have one third more education than we will have in our previous show. So we always had two conference rooms— we'll have three in London. So we'll have actually quite a big increase in our educational offerings as well.Paul Marden: That's amazing. I cannot wait. This has been my first IAAPA, but it won't be my last IAAPA. I think I can confidently say that. So grateful for you and the team inviting us along as Skip the Queue to be part of what you've been doing. We've had an amazing time and I cannot wait to see you again in London.Peter van der Schans: Thank you very much and happy to have you here.Paul Marden: We are here at the end of day three of IAAPA Expo Europe. We've had a wonderful time. Andy Povey: I'm broken. Paul Marden: Oh man, I'm going home a broken man. The voice is barely holding on. I am here with Laura Read from Marwell Zoo. Welcome to Skip the Queue, Laura.Laura Read: Hello. Thank you for having me.Paul Marden: Laura, what's it been like for you? What's the benefit of coming to IAAPA for you?Laura Read: So this is my first IAAPA. For me, this was all around looking at what's new for visitor attractions, what's innovative, what's coming up, and what could we potentially bring to the visitors of Marwell Zoo that might be exciting and might drive more visitors to come to us, really, ultimately. It's all about, for us, diversification, keeping the zoo product at the core of our offer, obviously, but seeing how we can augment that with other things.Paul Marden: So what can we expect? Is it going to be a 4D immersive ride experience? Water slides? Or are you looking for something that enriches the in-real-life experience for you? And it's a bit more low-tech.Laura Read: Oh, I'd love to put in like a water park. Do you know what? That's something like the coolest stalls. Like going around going, 'oh, I'd love to design a water park. That's so fun. No, no'. So for us, it's really about looking at sort of smaller, lower-level, new attractions that we can bring in, you know, we're primarily a family audience. So it's what do kids want to play on? You know, I've seen some really cool little ride-on Jeeps that we think would work really, really well because we also want to stay true to our ethos. You know, Marwell's built its reputation on our conservation work, our hands-on conservation work in the field, you know, reversing species decline and also around sustainability. So sustainability is really core to our offer.Laura Read: This is not about turning Marwell into a theme park or a water park or anything like that, because the animals are still very much the stars of the show, as is the conservation work. But it's about how we can best utilise our space to provide that density of guest experience. And I think seeing all the things here today. That's where the inspiration comes in.Paul Marden: I think it's really interesting, isn't it? Because when you take your kids to the zoo, you need some space. You need a palate cleanser between the animals, don't you? To give the kids time to burn off some energy, to do something a little bit different. And then they come back re-energised and you're hiding the vegetables. You're teaching them about the conservation efforts and all the really important stuff that you do, but hidden around lots of things that keep them happy and engaged in what's going on.Laura Read: Exactly. The problem with zoos is the animals— they don't care that they're the exhibits.Laura Read: And, you know, we are a primarily outdoor attraction. Extremes of heat, rainy days, animals disappear. We know that. We know that the perennial problem is: I didn't see any animals because we have really, really high animal welfare levels and standards. And if those animals want to go off show and take themselves off to bed or away from the public view, they all can and should and do. So we need something that can keep kids particularly engaged and entertained, hopefully getting across a bit of education and messaging as well at the same time. That's a massive tick in the box. But, you know, it fills in the gaps when those animals just aren't playing ball.Paul Marden: Yeah, absolutely. Andy, what's been the highlight of day three for you, mate?Andy Povey: So I think it's actually talking to Laura.Paul Marden: Such a charmer.Andy Povey: Let me finish. Let me justify. It's really picking up the fact that this isn't just a theme park show. Yeah. There are elements for everything you could possibly do any day out any attraction, even in any shopping centre or any place you go to where there's large crowds of people— so it's all of that kind of stuff. I think is it's refreshing to see it through someone else's eyes, through our conversations.Laura Read: I was going to say, 'I have to say,'  Before I was chief exec at Marwell, I ran a really large, shopping centre like retail, leisure, events, and destination. And I'm amazed that this is not on more commercial real estate people's radar. I look to see if there's anyone from a previous company here, then there isn't on the attendees list. And I'm like, 'Wow,' this is all the stuff that we should have been thinking about five years ago, ten years ago, when we were realising that diversification from a retail point of view is so important because of online shopping. So that's really interesting what you say. It's not just the theme parks.Andy Povey: No, absolutely not. It's all about the day out. And ultimately, that's all. We're all here to do is we work in a fun industry, and fun doesn't have to just be an amusement park.Paul Marden: Yeah, I found it really interesting. Seeing the things that I've seen has stretched my definition of what a visitor attraction actually is, because it is more than just a theme park. As you wander around and you see the different exhibitors, I was expecting to see... The ride designers and some of the really cool tech that I've seen. But there was other stuff that I've seen that I just hadn't expected.Andy Povey: No, I mean, I was chatting yesterday to a guy who supplies park benches and litter bins.  You see them everywhere. Paul Marden: I say the park bench thing. I remember when I was working at the Botanic Gardens in Wales as it was being built, the importance of the park bench and sitting on them. And they were beautiful park benches, but they were also super comfy. The importance of a park bench, like a good toilet, can't be underestimated.Laura Read: You can always tell someone who works in visitor attraction operations, when they go to any other visitor attraction, they take pictures of the bins. I think that is an absolute giveaway. When I go places with my family and the kids are there, taking pictures of animals or taking pictures of each other or whatever they're doing. And I'm there. Oh, I'm just gonna take a picture of that sign. You know, like.Andy Povey: I have another confession to make. I had a conversation with my wife who took the kids to an attraction a couple of weeks ago. And I was most distressed that she hadn't taken a picture of the till for me.Paul Marden: Oh, you would know what the part number and everything about that till, wouldn't you? Such a retail geek.Paul Marden: Laura, thank you so much for joining us on Skip the Queue. It has been delightful. I feel that there might be a full episode coming on, talking about the zoo, if you'll have me.Laura Read: Yes, absolutely. Bring it on. Paul Marden: Oh, wonderful. Thank you so much.Andy Povey: Andy, take me to the airport.Paul Marden: If you enjoyed this episode, please like and comment in your podcast app. It really helps more people to find us. Show notes and links to all our guests this week are available on our website, skipthequeue.fm. It's been a massive team effort to take Skip the Queue to IAAPA. A huge thank you to Emily Burrows and Sami Entwistle, Steve Folland and Wenalyn Dionaldo, Claire Furnival and Andy Povey, as well as Erica Washington-Perry and her team at IAAPA Global Communications.Paul Marden: Next week, we're wrapping up our IAAPA theme, talking to Choni Fernandez, Chief Sustainability Officer at PortAventura Entertainment, and Jakob Wahl, President and CEO of IAAPA. See you then.  The 2025 Visitor Attraction Website Survey is now LIVE! Dive into groundbreaking benchmarks for the industryGain a better understanding of how to achieve the highest conversion ratesExplore the "why" behind visitor attraction site performanceLearn the impact of website optimisation and visitor engagement on conversion ratesUncover key steps to enhance user experience for greater conversionsTake the Rubber Cheese Visitor Attraction Website Survey Report

At EUVC Summit 2025, one of the most anticipated sessions broke down a powerful data set: 100 of Europe's breakout startups. This wasn't theory—it was company-by-company insight, straight from interviews and bottom-up analysis.Yes, there were rogue slides.Yes, the crowd wanted to skip to the AI part.And yes, it delivered.~75% of these startups are based in Germany, France, and the UK.Despite growing noise around new hubs, Europe's big three remain dominant. It reflects ecosystem maturity—but also a challenge: how do we better back breakout teams in the Nordics, Baltics, Southern Europe, and CEE?For the first time in years, Fintech dropped in sector rankings.Instead, we saw a wave of AI-native sales and marketing tools—building products that help companies grow smarter, automate go-to-market, and personalize customer acquisition at scale.“This year's cohort is selling before building. AI is their leverage.”One of the most notable shifts: a significant increase in solo-founder companies.This reflects:A rise in repeat operatorsGreater early-stage toolingMore confidence in focused executionIt also implies VCs may need to shift their bias—many of these founders are no longer waiting for a co-founder to “complete” them.The moment everyone waited for: AI-native insights.49% of these 100 startups are AI-native at their core.This means:AI is not bolted on—it's the product itselfMany founders have already moved beyond horizontal LLMs to verticalized applicationsThey're monetizing via use-case depth, not just model architectureLast year's 100 had an average of 25 employees per company.This year's cohort? Just 14. That's a 40% drop.But don't mistake that for weakness—roles are more specialized, and teams are more surgical. These aren't MVPs—they're hyper-focused execution machines.“Today's teams are smaller, sharper, and trained on efficiency from Day 1.”Across hundreds of founder interviews, one theme stood out:Tool loyalty is low.Founders are switching infra, models, APIs, and tooling with no hesitation.That's not a sign of flakiness—it's a sign of rapid evolution, where AI-native teams optimize continuously.Controversially, the speaker closed with a contrarian take:“I believe European AI regulation will actually accelerate enterprise adoption.”Why?Clarity breeds confidenceCorporate buyers need frameworksKnowing what's allowed = faster go/no-go decisionsIn a twist, Europe might become the first-mover on enterprise AI—not in spite of regulation, but because of it.Final Message:“AI-native is not a trend. It's a new category of company. And Europe is building it—faster and leaner than ever before.”Let's keep watching the signals. Let's keep fueling the flywheel.

Throwbacks are where I re-release old episodes from the archives. So don't worry if you have heard it already, as 'New episodes' will continue to come out on Sundays. To get some of the old episodes heard.~~~Our first guest tonight is Ann from South Africa, and Ann has been experiencing abductions by entities since childhood. The entities would call Ann to come outside in the middle of the night. Then we head over to the States to hear from Tony in Colorado, these paranormal accounts took place on his family's property in the early 2000s. A black spectre Tony and his friends witnessed floating above a field, and waking up next to a ghost of an elderly man lying next to him in bed.More information on this episode on the podcast website:https://ufochroniclespodcast.com/ep-156-blue-eyed-entities-dementor/Want to share your encounter on the show?Email: UFOChronicles@gmail.comOr Fill out Guest Form:https://forms.gle/uGQ8PTVRkcjy4nxS7Podcast Merchandise:https://www.teepublic.com/user/ufo-chronicles-podcastHelp Support UFO CHRONICLES by becoming a Patron:https://patreon.com/UFOChroniclespodcastX: https://twitter.com/UFOchronpodcastThank you for listening!Please leave a review if you enjoy the show.Like share and subscribe it really helps me when people share the show on social media, it means we can reach more people and more witnesses and without your amazing support, it wouldn't be possible.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/ufo-chronicles-podcast--3395068/support.

Throwbacks are where I re-release old episodes from the archives. So don't worry if you have heard it already, as 'New episodes' will continue to come out on Sundays. To get some of the old episodes heard.~~~Our first guest tonight is Ann from South Africa, and Ann has been experiencing abductions by entities since childhood. The entities would call Ann to come outside in the middle of the night. Then we head over to the States to hear from Tony in Colorado, these paranormal accounts took place on his family's property in the early 2000s. A black spectre Tony and his friends witnessed floating above a field, and waking up next to a ghost of an elderly man lying next to him in bed.More information on this episode on the podcast website:https://ufochroniclespodcast.com/ep-156-blue-eyed-entities-dementor/Want to share your encounter on the show?Email: UFOChronicles@gmail.comOr Fill out Guest Form:https://forms.gle/uGQ8PTVRkcjy4nxS7Podcast Merchandise:https://www.teepublic.com/user/ufo-chronicles-podcastHelp Support UFO CHRONICLES by becoming a Patron:https://patreon.com/UFOChroniclespodcastX: https://twitter.com/UFOchronpodcastThank you for listening!Please leave a review if you enjoy the show.Like share and subscribe it really helps me when people share the show on social media, it means we can reach more people and more witnesses and without your amazing support, it wouldn't be possible.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/ufo-chronicles-podcast--3395068/support.

You've likely heard that artificial intelligence is gobbling up electricity and drinking water, and causing a global race to build more energy capacity. Have you ever stopped to consider why? Or what we're doing to bring compute power and sustainability closer together?This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at TechBBQ, the largest tech conference in the Nordics. It's held each year in Copenhagen, Denmark.We Meet:  Caspar Høgh, Co-Founding Partner Noon Ventures Yasser Nour, CTO & Co-Founder Lotus MicrosystemsRuben Bryon, CEO & Co-Founder DatacrunchCredits:This episode of SHIFT was produced by Jennifer Strong and Emma Cillekens, and it was mixed by Garret Lang, with original music from him and Jacob Gorski. Art by Meg Marco. 

To sign up for our Patreon go to-> Patreon.com/cultofconspiracypodcast To Join the Cajun Knight Patreon---> Patreon.com/cajunknight To Find The Cajun Knight Youtube Channel---> click hereTo Invest In Gold & Silver, CHECK OUT—-> Www.Cocsilver.com 10% OFF Rife Machine---> https://rifemachine.myshopify.com/?rfsn=7689156.6a9b5c To find the Meta Mysteries Podcast---> https://open.spotify.com/show/6IshwF6qc2iuqz3WTPz9Wv?si=3a32c8f730b34e79 50% OFF Adam&Eve products---> :adameve.com (promo code : CULT) To Sign up for our Rokfin go to --> Rokfin.com/cultofconspiracy Cult Of Conspiracy Linktree ---> https://linktr.ee/cultofconspiracyBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/cult-of-conspiracy--5700337/support.

Phillip Black and Michail Katkoff break down why they left the Nordics, trading modesty-maxxing for Mediterranean chaos and a bit more sun. The two dive into the quiet conservatism baked into Scandinavian life, the erosion of hunger that comes with too much comfort, and the calculus behind moving to Cyprus and Greece. 00:00 The Conservative Psyop of Scandinavia04:31 Cultural Reflections and Personal Experiences in Sweden09:07 Transitioning to Cyprus: Opportunities and Challenges13:37 Understanding the Swedish Welfare State18:03 Career Reflections and the Consulting Path24:30 Navigating the Gaming Industry's Landscape26:54 The Challenges of Client Management29:51 Decisiveness in Consulting32:41 The Emotional Rollercoaster of Consulting34:36 Building a Sustainable Deal Flow37:26 Establishing Expertise vs. Personality41:39 Life Choices and Career Reflections42:34 Balancing Work and Personal Life46:13 Relocation and Family Decisions48:58 Cultural Differences and Education Challenges55:28 Economic Growth and Finland's Future61:04 Reflections and Future Aspirations

A Pentagon scientist's testimony about alien classifications has members of Congress questioning everything they thought they knew about government secrecy.READ or HEAR the story: https://weirddarkness.com/Eric-Davis-Four-AliensJoin the DARKNESS SYNDICATE: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicateTake the WEIRD DARKNESS LISTENER SURVEY and help mold the future of the podcast: https://weirddarkness.com/surveyABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy.DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.=====(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)= = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46= = = = =WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.=====Originally aired: August 20, 2025NOTE: Some of this content may have been created with assistance from AI tools, but it has been reviewed, edited, narrated, produced, and approved by Darren Marlar, creator and host of Weird Darkness — who, despite popular conspiracy theories, is NOT an AI voice.EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/EricDavisFourAliens#EricBurlison #EricDavis #PentagonScientist #UAPHearing #CongressAliens #FourAlienSpecies #Grays #Nordics #Insectoids #Reptilians #UFODisclosure #UAP #DavidGrusch #LuisElizondo #BigelowAerospace #CrashRetrieval #AlienBiologics #UFOWhistleblower #PentagonBriefing #GovernmentSecrets #CongressionalTestimony #InterdimensionalBeings #AlienEvidence #ClassifiedPrograms #UFOCoverUp #AlienDisclosure2025 #WeirdDarkness #UFO #Aliens #Paranormal #UnexplainedPhenomena #HouseOversightCommittee #UAPCaucus #NonHumanIntelligence #ExtraterrestrialLife #UFOTestimony #SecretBriefing #AlienContact #MilitaryUFO #AdvancedPropulsion #ReverseEngineering #GovernmentTransparency #UFOSightings #AlienEncounters #CloseEncounters

00:00:00 – Drugs, Dumb Teen Stories & a “Butt-Chugging” PSA Loose opener about uppers vs. downers, teenage Ritalin myths, oxygen-deprivation “games,” and the show's long-running warning about dangerous alcohol stunts—then a pivot toward news. 00:10:00 – Robot Games: Toddlers Today, Terminators Tomorrow China launches the first Humanoid Robot Games: 500+ bots on 280 teams from 16 countries compete in 26 events from soccer and boxing to medicine sorting and cleaning. Hosts riff on elder-care “assistant” robots and the dystopian vibes. 00:20:00 – From Robot Olympics to Robot Allowance Speculation on “AI crypto allowances” to motivate humanoids, ED-209 jokes, and the idea of parallel “janitor Olympics.” The convo begins drifting toward brain-computer interfaces. 00:30:00 – BCI “Password” Guards Your Thoughts (Sort of) Discussion of a mind-reading brain implant that only decodes when you think a preset keyword; claims of ~74% accuracy on imagined sentences and even silent counting, with big privacy worries baked in. 00:40:00 – Death Valley Heat & the Federal Urine Chart Why people still flock to Death Valley in killer temps, and the National Park Service's bathroom-posted urine-color chart for hydration—equal parts useful and darkly funny. 00:50:00 – Ouija Study Says Fear = Belief; Mike Says “Careful, Portals” A field experiment finds believers report anxiety and “supernatural” perceptions using the board, skeptics don't—researchers call the board harmless. Mike pushes back: belief is the conduit; mirrors are “portals,” so don't play around. 01:00:00 – Capitol Hill UFO Chat: Four Species? Show Us the Receipts Recap of an interview about alleged reptilian, insectoid, grey, and other entities discussed around Congress; hosts want evidence levels and, most of all, any real propulsion breakthroughs shared with the public. 01:10:00 – Alien Taxonomy & the Soul-in-the-Simulation Theory From Jason-Giorgiani-style categories (reptilians, greys, djinn, Nordics, machine/AI entities) to the idea we're in a simulation—entities as “admins” fascinated by human souls; cycles of humans merging with AI and losing humanity. 01:20:00 – Caller: Anchorage Putin–Trump Summit, Ukraine, & the P-Jar Bit A listener in Alaska paints the scene around a Putin/Trump visit—overflows in dorms, air-show speculation, then a hot take on the Ukraine front. Comic detour: “presidential hydration” and a press-conference pee-jar gag. 01:30:00 – Comet ATLAS Omens & Starbucksed Offices Farmer Matt calls in with a spooky read on Comet ATLAS 2025 (bad omens, memory weirdness). Then: South Korea's Starbucks asks customers to stop hauling in desktop rigs and printers as cafés morph into makeshift offices. 01:40:00 – Café Countermeasures → No Outlets for You More on Korean cafés limiting stays to two hours and cutting power outlets; running jokes about dragging in gas generators. The show then edges toward a bigger AI story. 01:50:00 – Zuck, Torrents & an Ohio No-Show Registry Allegations that Meta pirated and even seeded adult videos to train AI models lead to ribbing of “Mark Z.” Then a local Ohio bill would track interview no-shows—hosts debate accountability vs. blacklisting. 02:00:00 – Outro: Merch Woes & Pizza Sign-Off Wrap-up housekeeping (merch store troubles), then the classic “take care of yourself and each other”—and a quick “I'm outside the control room eating a piece of pizza” fade-out. Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research ▀▄▀▄▀ CONTACT LINKS ▀▄▀▄▀ ► Phone: 614-388-9109 ► Skype: ourbigdumbmouth ► Website: http://obdmpod.com ► Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/obdmpod ► Full Videos at Odysee: https://odysee.com/@obdm:0 ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/obdmpod ► Instagram: obdmpod ► Email: ourbigdumbmouth at gmail ► RSS: http://ourbigdumbmouth.libsyn.com/rss ► iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/our-big-dumb-mouth/id261189509?mt=2