Heavy Hitters: The Digital Industrial Podcast

Sivan details both why Xylem set up a corporate innovation and venture capital team in 2021 and how those efforts move the needle for a $8B revenue F500 water-focused corporation that spans 150 countries and 23,000 employees, dives into how integral water and water technology are for the current Ai frenzy and data center boom to actually achieve the potential everyone is hoping for, outlines some of the water improvement efforts that will be required in order for international supply chain reshuffling to occur where water access might prove challenging (ie. Nuevo Leon), and finally we discuss how everything Xylem innovates on is inherently sustainable and what that means to her. 

Craig Fuller, Founder and CEO of FreightWaves, shares his journey from the freight industry to establishing a transformative media platform. He discusses the challenges and predictions of the recent freight recession, shedding light on the importance of data-driven forecasts. Craig envisions his strategy as Secretary of Transportation, emphasizing the need for tech-savvy leaders. He also critiques regulatory hurdles in aviation and explores pressing supply chain issues, including truck parking shortages and labor disputes, all while offering insights from the recent FreightWaves F3 conference.

Dave Yuan, Founder of Tidemark and seasoned venture capitalist, shares insights from his extensive career and the launch of his growth equity fund focused on vertical SaaS. He discusses the importance of product-centric approaches and community-building initiatives for SMB leaders. Dave dives into learnings from recent research on 'Control Points' in Vertical SaaS and the transformative potential of AI in the industry. He emphasizes how understanding stakeholder dynamics and fostering partnerships can drive growth in capital-intensive sectors.

Usman shares how Ai is entering the AEC ecosystem faster than ever and how Bluebeam has developed a 4-part Ai framework to guide the company's approach, details why careful attention to the ethical considerations of Ai’s deployment within the AEC environment is key to long term success, describes some of his lessons learned on what is takes to scale commercial adoption in industrial innovation from his over a decade of experience across various industrial verticals, and finally a “What’s Hot and What’s Hype” section where he sees the Builtworld headed. 

Zach Fredericks, a supply chain expert and venture capital strategist, explores innovative trends transforming logistics. He discusses the need for better interoperability and advanced AI solutions to streamline operations. Zach also highlights a shift towards selling services instead of software, emphasizing customer-centric approaches. He delves into the impact of pandemic-induced challenges and what the future holds for supply chains, blending automation with essential human oversight for a balanced approach to industry evolution.

Liz walks us through the USA manufacturing agenda detailing where we’re at given past and present efforts, shares how government funding and the private capital markets can be better bridged together so that manufacturing and supply chain innovation efforts actually hit scale, discusses both why now is different and why we’re seeing more innovation talent and capital flood into manufacturing than ever before, and finally why “digitalizing the middle” is such a critical effort to ensure our USA industrial skilled labor (heroes) isn’t left behind the current wave of technology innovation.

Chris shares what strategic storytelling is and the difference between a story and a strategic story, why this is all very important for industrial innovators to get right, how founders can get started to sell their vision more effectively (thematically and tactically) by building their personal brand which in-turn bolsters the company brand, and finally a “What’s Hot and What’s Hype” section when it comes to which tactical media tools and channels are most effective in 2024.  

Zeeza details how 20 years of investing in the physical world led BCV to launch their Industrial Renaissance practice, what are the unique confluence of events in 2024 that have combined to usher in “a new era in industrials”, what 3 key lessons learned stick out that BCV will be leaning into in the next decade of investing, how BCV’s broader Bain Capital family enables the BCV platform to drive differentiated value and networks for the portfolio, and finally a “What’s Hot and What’s Hype” overview.  

Jack Garza, an expert from Silicon Valley Bank, dives into the fascinating world of Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS). He discusses the evolving definition of HaaS and shares insights from SVB's recent research report. Jack highlights significant trends in venture capital investments, revealing a rise in funding at the seed stage. He emphasizes crucial metrics for success in this ecosystem and the importance of building meaningful partnerships within the industry. With a keen eye on future projections, he addresses the challenges and opportunities facing hardware innovators today.

Addis and Brady share why the Special Competitive Studies Project was formed and how the organization’s research efforts culminate in Action Plans like the latest one just released on US Advanced Manufacturing, outline the geopolitical backdrop currently at play between the US and China when it comes to keeping the US long-term competitive in domestic manufacturing capabilities, detail the advanced manufacturing technologies the research identified as the highest impact opportunities ahead and the associated action plans to accelerate those technologies adoption (hint: the human element is still as critical as ever),  and finally discuss the dynamics and ideas behind trying to fund all of this innovation and aligned action plans.