Mike had the great privilege of interviewing Hala Hanna  for the latest episode of the Disruptive Innovation podcast series. A graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, who previously worked for the World Economic Forum in Geneva, she's currently the Managing Director of Community at Solve - MIT. Between these two roles, she served as co-founder of Huloul, a social impact startup based in Lebanon, where she was born and raised during the devastating 15 year civil war. The social venture was launched to fill the void of accurate journalism during the early days of the Arab Spring.   Solve at MIT is doing a brilliant job harnessing the collective sense of purpose, good will, energy & skills of impact #entrepreneurs & social #innovators from around the world to address our planet's most critical & challenging problems. Given the unprecedented times that we currently find ourselves in, I believe that this powerful Massachusetts Institute of Technology initiative will inspire our many listeners to act on behalf of humanity during this challenging time.   Solve at MIT is supported by General Motors, Nike, Starbucks, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and many others.   To learn more about Solve at MIT after listening to this podcast, and to take action, please note:   June 18, 2020 - deadline to apply for the 5 open challenges: https://lnkd.in/eZUjUni   including the timely Health Security & Pandemics challenge: https://lnkd.in/eKn7tcZ   Learn more about joining Solve as a Member here: https://lnkd.in/eKA4aGb

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Episode 23: MIT Solve Interview On The Gaps Between Ingenuity & Opportunity Worldwide

In this episode, the second of a multi-part miniseries on FinTech, I have an illuminating discussion with two of the leading FinTech thought leaders, practitioners & connectors in the US today. Joining us are David Jegen, Managing Partner of F-Prime Capital and Sarah Biller, Managing Partner of VantageVentures. David is an active early stage investor in Fintech. Sarah, formerly Chief Innovation Officer at State Street, is a serial FinTech entrepreneur.   Both David and Sarah are also co-founders and board members of the FinTech Sandbox. The FinTech Sandbox is a Boston-based nonprofit that is the place for all things data. They started the group after recognizing that the high cost and/or inaccessibility of data posed a consistent challenge to FinTech startups. Backed by some of the world’s leading financial institutions, data providers and venture capitalists, the Sandbox is united in its goal to help FinTech entrepreneurs build great products.   Sponsors include Fidelity Investments, Franklin Templeton, State Street, Ernst and Young, AWS & F-Prime.   Accelerator partners include Techstars, 500 Startups, IDEO Co-Lab, MassChallenge startupbootcamp, and the Fintech Innovation Lab.   The Fintech Sandbox offers financial data feeds and APIs for development purposes. They provide a robust set of market, banking, investment and corporate fundamentals data.   The Sandbox has assembled an impressive array of data partners. These include Dow Jones, Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, FACTSET, Moody’s, Morningstar, S&P and Transunion.  Their Data Partners have accelerated approval for FinTech Sandbox program participants, allowing for a fast and streamlined licensing process.   As a result, the Sandbox has grown from an idea to a robust & engaged community of 4500+ FinTech professionals under their leadership.   Venture Capitalists continue to invest heavily in FinTech startups. Cumulatively, they invested $24B USD in the first three quarters of 2019. Globally, there were 60 FinTech funding rounds above $100M. The FinTech Revolution is already having a huge impact on our daily personal and professional lives. The FinTech Sandbox is here to help the next wave of startups succeed.          

Episode 22: Why The FinTech Sandbox Is A Critical Piece of The FinTech Startup Playbook, Part 2 of 2

In this episode, the first of a multi-part miniseries on FinTech, I have an illuminating discussion with two of the leading FinTech thought leaders, practitioners & connectors in the US today. Joining us are David Jegen, Managing Partner of F-Prime Capital and Sarah Biller, Managing Partner of VantageVentures. David is an active early stage investor in Fintech. Sarah, formerly Chief Innovation officer at State Street, is a serial FinTech entrepreneur. Both David and Sarah are also co-founders and board members of the FinTech Sandbox. The Sandbox grew from an idea to a robust & engaged community of 4500+ FinTech professionals under their leadership.   Venture Capitalists continue to invest heavily in FinTech startups. Cumulatively, they invested $24B USD in the first three quarters of 2019. Globally, there were 60 FinTech funding rounds above $100M. As David and Sarah are quick to point out, they take a far more expansive view of how FinTech is defined and believe the numbers grossly underestimate how big this market really is. Listen to the podcast to get their fascinating perspective.     Working with more a traditional definition of Fintech, Revolut, the rapidly growing British financial payments upstarts, announced 24 February, raised $500M at a $5.5B USD valuation. They provide app -based currency accounts, currency exchange services and money transfers and have ambitions to build a global bank. Over the past year, they’ve doubled their number of customers to 10M. They will soon launch in the US.   In China, AntFinancial has achieved 50% of the  market valuation of Citgroup in just 5 short years. Apps like WeChat and Alipay have totally disrupted Chinese mobile commerce, making the country  an almost entirely cash free society.   The FinTech Revolution is already having a huge impact on our daily personal and professional lives in the US. Some examples:   Apps like Venmo, Square’s Cash App, Zelle, and Transferwise are enabling far easier cash transfers with no fees.   Affirm, led by Paypal Co-Founder Max Levchin, provides millions of shoppers alternatives to credit cards at the point of sale, enabling simple monthly payments.   Trading apps like Robinhood are being used by countless millennials to trade stocks in ways not previously imaginable.   The Brex card has transformed startups financial, expense  & credit management.   Not to be left out, major financial service industry players are very much in the game, Plaid offers the ability to consolidate banking data, making it far easier for Fintech and Banking Industry application developers to delivers a digitally enabled financial system. Plaid was recently acquired by Visa for $5.3B Marcus, from Goldman Sachs, offers fixed rate no fee personal loans   Next week- we’ll do a deep dive on the FinTech Sandbox.

Episode 21: We Ask Some FinTech Thought Leaders, What’s Happening in FinTech Today? - Part 1 of 2

In this episode, we speak with Jarrid Tingle, Managing Partner of Harlem Capital Partners. For entrepreneurs raising money, the world of venture capital can feel insular and opaque. It’s as much or more about who you are and who you know than what you’re building. For founders from under-represented groups, the numbers tell the story. Simply stated, the startup industry has a diversity problem. Of the thousands of VC partners practicing today, only 18% are female, and of the VC-backed founders out there, only 9% are female. And when you look at the statistics by race, the picture gets even more grim. Only 1 percent of venture-backed founders are black and 2% are Latino. Raised by a single mom & grandparents who placed a premium on education, Jarrid’s a graduate of 3 prestigious institutions - the Peddie School ( elite private high school/ boarding school), The Wharton School (undergrad) & Harvard University Business School ( #MBA) where he was named a BakerScholar. He’s also a Forbes 30 under 30 & an Inc. Magazine 30 under 30 designee. He spent the early years of his career in the world of private equity, where this “gap” became glaringly obvious to him and his co-founder and former HBS classmate Henri Pierre-Jacques.  Now he’s using his network, his knowledge & his experience to give back. HCP is taking a different approach, aiming to fund a much wider group of founders, including African Americans, Latinos & women. HCP’s stated goal: to invest in 1,000 “diverse” founders over the next 20 years.   “We fundamentally believe we are a venture fund with impact, not an impact fund,” according to Henri Pierre-Jacques. “The way we generate impact is to give women and minority entrepreneurs ownership.” Harlem Capital, first founded in 2015, upgraded from it’s original approach as the facilitator of angel syndicate to a full-fledged, industry-agnostic seed and Series A stage venture capital fund. They closed their debut effort on an oversubscribed $40.3 million. With its first fund close, Harlem Capital becomes one of the largest venture capital funds with a diversity mandate. Its already made numerous investments out of this fund. It’s a very inspirational story worth hearing.  

Episode 20: A New Type of VC With Impact Has It’s Eye On Funding 1000 Women & Minority Entrepreneurs

In this episode, Mike has a compelling conversation about how Innovation Research Programs Like The New Small Business Grant Programs Are Transforming Military Funding Approaches & The Result Is Profound Disruption To How We Solve Problems.  Geopolitical tensions abound. Asia. The Middle East.  Eastern Europe. Africa. For the US military, business as usual is no longer adequate. Dramatic improvements in agility, speed, costs, etc are vital based on today’s global realities. Programs like the US Airforce  AFWERX  program drive open collaboration across a global ecosystem to enable #innovation at speeds once unimaginable This episode focuses on the story of 4 young United States Air Force captains, including US Airforce Academy graduate Captain Steven Lauver, active duty U28A pilot & AFWERX accelerator manager, working closely with Warren Katz,  Techstars #USAF program Managing Director, to profoundly disrupt how this branch innovates. Steve & Warren share the impressive results of the 1st two cohorts & preview what to expect from their impressive 3rd cohort, now in session. Results from this ground-breaking “experiment” include:  -Incorporating a truly global world view of innovation potential and capacity, with participating #startups from Canada , the UK, Poland, Singapore & the US. This is historically unprecedented for military technology sourcing programs  -100% of the 20 startups that have graduated from the program to date remain active. This is unprecedented as deep tech startups fail at alarmingly high rates -A newly designed, non-dilutive Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant program was significantly improved to minimize bureaucracy and enable funding - approval turnaround times at startup speed. It has seen a 200% increase in applications just two years. Previously, only 10% of TechStars startups applied for the prior version of SBIR grants  -As proof of the efficacy of the improved program $20M in SBIR  funding has been secured by the first two 20 startups that have “graduated” from the 2018 & 2019 programs.   -New #VentureCapital investors have joined the ecosystem to support these graduates  - The #USAF culture itself is being transformed, with more service members taking on the growth mindset of "Airmen - #Entrepreneurs" , infused with a sense of ownership of solving problems by leveraging open innovation from Techstars & many other sources.  An early breakout success, #VitaInclinata, solved a problem that went unfixed for 75 years. Under the traditional approach, this innovation would never have been identified. Today, they're growing exponentially just one year after graduating from the program. Founder, #CalebCarr, is a Forbes #30under30 designee   https://lnkd.in/euCvfYV  - A significant increase in high potential global applicants to this highly selective program  -The early success of this program is now being piloted by other branches of the US military Stay tuned, next week, when Nakiso is back in the studio to continue the take aways from this episode and build on an exciting discussion with a VC firm that's focused on advancing innovation in a compelling way. 

Episode 19: How The USAF Used Innovation Research Programs Like TechStars To Influence Unique Military Funding Approaches To Drive Profound Disruption

Karen Korellis Reuther,  is VP Creative Design & Futures at Reebok . A woman pioneer in the male-dominated world of industrial design, she spent the formative years of her career working in the Boston high tech sector with early disrupters Digital Equipment Corp & Wang Labs, where she was the first woman to ever be awarded a design patent. After a successful stint as an entrepreneur consulting for clients including Blaupunkt, Braun, Miehle & other iconic European design-centric brands, she spent 12 years as Creative Designer at Nike, and after an interim career step, joined Reebok 19 months ago. The Reebok brand has a history of innovation. It’s predecessor company, JW Foster, was founded by a British teenager. He literally created the first spiked running shoe, which was used by the British Olympics team‘s 100 meter world champion sprinter Harold Abrahams to win the gold medal at the 1924 Paris Olympics. This moment was immortalized in the Academy Award winning film, “Chariots of Fire”. The Reebok Freestyle, introduced in 1982, was the first athletic shoe designed specifically for woman. It symbolized the huge aerobics craze, becoming one of the most successful athletic shoes of all time. The Reebok Pump was another noteworthy Reebok innovation when introduced in 1989. Over 100 professional athletes wore the shoe at its peak. Curently, Reebok is the official footwear and apparel sponsor for CrossFit, and the Spartan Race. It’s also increased its presence in yoga and dance in recent years.   Today, in addition to its long-standing focus on superior athletic performance, the brand is also heavily focused on sustainability. Their first breakthrough product, the “Cotton+Corn” lifestyle shoe, remains a major seller 4 years after launch, a rarity in the lifestyle category. It also won an award from PETA. Recently, Reebok introduced the Floatride Forever GROW performance athletic shoe. 6 years in development, working closely with partners to create new materials, the shoe is made of 75% plant-based material. The company is highly committed to producing 100% biodegradable shoes. They’re also committed to climate friendly apparel materials.  

Episode 18: How Reebok Is Using Signals From Other Industries To Innovate & Transform It’s Products

In this episode, Mike interview’s the polymath Professor Jeffrey Schnapp. Jeffrey is a study in duality. An expert on the romance languages, medieval history AND the digital transformation of society, a long-time resident of both Milan, Italy AND Silicon Valley, an endowed Professor & Research Center Director at Harvard and formerly Stanford, AND a founder-entrepreneur, a former top level motorcycle racer AND a visionary on the future of transportation who extols the importance of walking to reclaim civic space - his fascinating multi-disciplinary career path led him to this moment, when endlessly congested cities & the Climate Crisis require imaginative, intelligent personal mobility solutions. This is where Piaggio Fast Forward, the personal mobility innovation lab that he founded in Boston, comes in. Jeffrey is Co-Founder, former CEO & now Chief Visionary Officer of Boston-based  Piaggio Fast Forward, the personal mobility innovation lab of the 150 year old Italian heritage company, Piaggio Group, based in Genoa. Simultaneously, he remains very active at Harvard, as Faculty Director of the (meta) Lab which he founded, and the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society. Piaggio designs & manufacturers 2 of the most successful & ubiquitous motorized vehicles in history- the iconic Vespa scooter & the workhorse 3 wheel Ape. Piaggio’s history of innovation is rich and extremely rare for a dynastic Italian company founded during the period of the US Civil War. Piaggio has been able to successfully evolve from the maritime era of outfitting ships to making leading edge railcars and aeroplanes to scooters, mini-trucks & now, under Jeffrey and team’s leadership, intelligent robots that augment personal mobility To this end, Piaggio Fast Forward introduced the gita in November of 2019. The gita is their first commercial product offering that supports their vision – “to build technology products that move the way people move”. Further, ” to support a sustainable mobility ecology with healthy lifestyles and social connectivity available to all, regardless of age or abilities.” Please join me for this discussion on this vitally important topic with this endlessly fascinating man.

Episode 17: Piaggio Fast Forward & The Future of Personal Mobility

In this episode, part 3 of a 3 part “mini-series” on Entrepreneurship, we discuss two very effective & unique co-curricular entrepreneurial programs affiliated with major universities. The first is open to any UC Berkeley affiliate from current undergraduate and graduate students ( first priority) to faculty and alumni and to select international companies with high potential. The second program is open only to Babson College undergrads. The discussion focused on the Berkeley Skydeck Incubator is a conversation with Caroline Winnett the Executive Drirector and Hayoung Park, an entrepreneur who shares his story about in the Babson eTower. Join us for a very interesting conversation!

Episode 16: A Look At Co-Curricular Entrepreneur Education Through Berkeley’s SkyDeck & Babson’s eTower

In this episode, we continue the discuss we began in Episode 14, on Entrepreneurship. Except, we shift the conversation to a discussion about the state of entrepreneurship education at 27 top global MBA programs, based on a credible, recently available new data source that is available for the first time. This data is combined with Mike’s own observations & experiences as an award winning Professor in the Practice of Entrepreneurship / Senior Lecturer for over 20 years in the US & Europe at schools as diverse as MIT, Rutgers, the Technical University of Denmark & Hult, & as a guest lecturer at Babson College, Boston College, ESADE(Barcelona), and in Olin College of Engineering’s entrepreneurship courses. Join us as we dive in!

Episode 15: The Current State Of Entrepreneurship Education At Top Global MBA Programs

In the Episode, we discuss the connection between age and success and the misconception that it’s only the young 20 and 30 years old Entrepreneurs who are destined to build the most disruptive companies. In fact, a newly released definitive study, co-led by the MIT Sloan School Professor Pierre Azoulay, Northwestern Kellogg Business School Professor Benjamin Jones and US Census Bureau, Principal Economist Javier Miranda, makes it irrefutably clear- the most successful founders are middle age – ranging from 42 to 46 years old +. While there are certainly notable exceptions, and Zuckerberg starting Facebook at age 24 is certainly one, the numbers bear out the fact that founder-entrepreneurs between 20 and 25 fail at an alarming rate, and that there is a plateau between ages 25 and 35. Starting at age 35, the probability of success increases. Join us for this interesting discussion about age and entrepreurship!

Episode 14: It Turns Out It’s The 40 Year Old Entrepreneurs That Are Building The Most Disruptive Companies

If you’ve ever wondered about who is helping automaker’s reimagine the environment impact of their products, to focus on 100% EV luxury automobiles with zero tailpipe emissions, then this is the episode for you! Join us for a fantastic episode, as we take a deep-dive into this topic with pioneer AutomobiliPininfarina Founder & CEO Michael Perschke. APF is  the global pace-setter as the creator of the world’s first sustainable, 100% EV luxury automobile with zero tailpipe emissions!

Episode 13: How Pace-Setters Like APF & Growth Markets Like India & China Are Forcing The Hand of Automakers Towards An Emissions Free Future

If you’ve ever worn the Max +1, the Pegasys, the Tailwind, and the lace-less Kukini, which is on display at the Smithsonian Museum, then you wore the inspirations of Sean McDowell. He’s an award winning designer, who served as Director of Design, Innovation & Sustainability at Nike and then most recently at Converse. At Converse, the recently released Converse Chuck Taylor Renee Canvas, made from 100% recycled P.E.T. bottles, shows us how the future of design can be much less environmentally impactful and still profitable. In this episode we explore these ideas and the stories behind this iconic brand, and this iconic contributor to global sustainability. Join us for this incredible discussion!

Episode 12: From Waffle Iron Soles To 100% Recycled Plastic VaporFly Shoes Nike Shows How Sustainable Innovation Is Possible & Profitable

In this episode of we talk about the historic news that Xerox is trying to acquire HP. This is remarkable on many levels, because HP, founded in 1939, is considered to be the “grand-daddy” of Silicon Valley. The HP garage, located in Palo Alto, considered the birthplace of Silicon Valley, is listed in the “National Register of Historic US Places Countless successful startups, also launched in garages from San Jose to San Francisco, were also created by entrepreneurs who worked at HP, including Apple. Xerox, 3X smaller than HP in terms of market capitalization and with 5X less revenue in comparison to HP, is making a truly remarkable play. Join us for this incredible story!

Episode 11: Xerox Goes After HP, The “Grand-Daddy” of Silicon Valley & Shows Sustained Innovation Is Hard!

In this episode of we focus exclusively on enabling boundless female entrepreneurship, along with the formation of female - friendly angel capital & venture capital funds. The progress in this domain has been extraordinary over the past few years and it deserves to be acknowledged and celebrated. We start off highlighting female entrepreneurial role models, specifically the founders of Eventbrite, Rent the Runway, 23&Me, Stitch Fix & Glossier as beacons to a new generation of female founders, and female investing partners in VC Funds, including Forerunner Ventures, Cowboy Ventures and Backstage Capital.

Episode 10: Celebrating The Rise Of The Female Entrepreneur & The Incredible Ecosystems Supporting Their Explosive Growth

This episode is a reflection on what has transpired to date in the world of innovation & entrepreneurship in 2019 year-to-date. The year started off with great optimism. It was the “Year of the Unicorn” and a large number of blockbuster IPOs were eagerly anticipated. Many, including Uber, Lyft, & WeWork had some of the highest valuations of private tech companies in history. However, most recently we’ve seen that has gone sideways for a number of these companies! Tune in to the discussion.

Episode 9: How “The Year Of The Unicorn” & Blockbuster IPOs Went “Poof”

Nakiso Maodza and Mike Grandinetti discuss what Innovation is and more importantly what Disruptive Innovation is. Using examples from a variety of sources, they talk about who’s doing it right and who’s about to get disrupted!

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Disruptive Innovation Podcast (D.I.P.)

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