AlchemistX: Innovators Inside

You can’t avoid pain, but you can choose which pain is worth it.In this episode of Innovators Inside, Hong Kong–raised entrepreneur and two-time TEDx speaker Yunsu Tang shares her journey from a stable corporate career in Hong Kong and Shanghai to rebuilding in London’s startup ecosystem. She unpacks imposter syndrome, why anxiety often comes from a lack of data points, and what she learned from hundreds of user interviews. Then she breaks down how her new company Syncro uses AI to turn information overload into actionable stakeholder intelligence—without losing sight of the deeply human need for real, imperfect connection.Topics & Timestamps🎯 00:00:00 Choosing your pain and intro to Yunsu & Syncro🌏 00:01:22 Growing up in rural Hong Kong and going global🎓 00:03:00 Leaving a top firm for LSE and entrepreneurship🧠 00:06:06 Imposter syndrome, emptiness, and mental health🔍 00:08:21 300+ interviews and what’s broken in career coaching⚙️ 00:13:44 What Syncro is and why stakeholder intelligence matters📡 00:17:25 Information overload, AI, and filtering real signal🧪 00:19:20 Biggest challenge: narrowing features and pivoting💬 00:25:14 Human needs, raw content, and connection in an AI world🔥 00:30:08 Resilience, survival mode, and finding joy in hard things🚀 00:33:56 What’s next for Syncro and upcoming milestones💡 00:35:19 Founder advice: you can’t avoid pain—so choose yours📺🎧 Enjoying the conversation?Discover more stories of innovation and transformation at alchemistaccelerator.com/podcasts — and explore how today’s leaders are shaping the future.

You hit the goals, earn the title, and build the career… yet something still feels off. In this episode of Innovators Inside, Ian Bergman sits down with Dr. Sharon Spano, PhD, to dig into why high achievers so often reach success and then suddenly feel empty, stuck, or disconnected. Sharon breaks down the stages of adult development, how unresolved trauma shows up in leadership, and why self-awareness is directly tied to creativity and innovation. They explore the tension between “founder mode” and collaborative leadership, the importance of somatic awareness for modern executives, and the habits leaders need to stay grounded as the pace of change accelerates. If you’re building what’s next and feel like something still isn’t lining up, this conversation offers a powerful reset.Topics & Timestamps🎯 00:00:00 Rethinking success for high-impact leaders👩‍👦 00:02:28 Sharon’s path from advocacy mom to leadership advisor🧱 00:06:12 The achiever stage and the emptiness of success🧭 00:09:01 Moving from “stuck” into deeper growth🏔 00:11:53 Consciousness as a mountain and center of gravity🧠 00:19:27 Why self-awareness matters for innovation👑 00:21:24 Founder syndrome, ego, and learning to listen⚙️ 00:28:05 Leadership in a fast, tech-driven world💥 00:33:43 Trauma, triggers, and anger at work🫁 00:35:22 Somatic awareness, breathwork, and calmer leadership🏃‍♂️ 00:37:05 Hustle culture, burnout, and what Europe gets right📵 00:40:25 Boundaries with tech, media, and modeling change for the next generation📺🎧 Enjoying the conversation?Discover more stories of innovation and transformation at alchemistaccelerator.com/podcasts — and explore how today’s leaders are shaping the future.

Season 7 of Innovators Inside kicks off with Sherwood “Woody” Neiss — entrepreneur, venture capitalist, architect of the JOBS Act, and author of Investomers. Woody walks through how investment crowdfunding went from an eight-bullet framework to a 485-page regulation that opened startup investing to everyday people. He and Ian dig into the rise of the “customer-investor,” why doctors, scientists, and operators are backing the tools they actually use, how crowdfunding is changing access to capital for women and minority founders, and why health tech and biotech are now leading the pack. They also explore how data, AI, and tighter feedback loops are creating new “signals” for VCs, what founders get wrong about valuation and communication, and why lean, disciplined fundraising is back.Topics & Timestamps👋 00:00 – Meet Sherwood “Woody” Neiss and the story behind the JOBS Act🧾 06:02 – Writing a new exemption: from Reg D to equity crowdfunding🏦 11:09 – Why crowdfunding is just a new way to do an old thing🚀 15:31 – Making the bull case for investment crowdfunding (beyond “last resort” money)👩🏽‍💼 18:56 – Democratizing capital: women and minority founders at 50% of raises🧬 20:36 – Why health tech, life sciences, and biotech are suddenly #1 in crowdfunding📖 22:45 – Inside INVESTOMERS: a manifesto on early-stage finance and Web3/AI🌍 24:09 – Building crowdfunding ecosystems in 43 countries with the World Bank🤖 27:17 – AI everywhere: from animated Sasquatch to drones in agriculture📈 33:17 – D3VC and Capital Pulse: using data and ML to find the best deals⚠️ 36:42 – The two biggest reasons crowdfunding raises fail📉 38:13 – Great tech, no customers: hard lessons from a failed portfolio company🔁 40:09 – Tighter loops: customer feedback, investment, and product iteration📺🎧 Enjoying the conversation?Discover more stories of innovation and transformation at alchemistaccelerator.com/podcasts — and explore how today’s leaders are shaping the future.

In this episode of the AlchemistX Innovators Inside Podcast, Ian Bergman sits down with Tiya Gordon, co-founder & CEO of It’s Electric, to unpack a deceptively simple approach to urban EV charging: power curbside chargers from the buildings they sit beside. Tiya shares how “shallow tech” beats heavy infrastructure, why cities and property owners say yes, and how this model accelerates electrification without trenching streets or tapping new utility feeds.We cover:“Left of the boom”: designing for climate resilience before the crisisThe behind-the-meter model (240V/40A) and two-day installsFree-to-city, revenue-share for buildings, and amenity upsideShifting EV load to overnight to balance grids (vs. daytime destination charging)Serving 40M street-parkers and rideshare drivers (NYC’s Green Rides)Beating legacy players, winning Boston, and first curbside installs in SF & DetroitDesign-thinking as a founder superpower outside “energy/power” pedigreesThe used-EV wave and what falling prices mean for adoptionIf urban electrification is on your roadmap—or you just want a playbook for practical innovation at scale—don’t miss this conversation with Tiya Gordon.For full show notes and resources visit: https://www.alchemistaccelerator.com/podcasts

Ian Bergman sits down with entrepreneur and author Alistair Croll, Founder of Fwd50 a to unpack ideas from his new book Just Evil Enough: The Subversive Marketing Handbook. They explore why product-market fit is no longer enough, how product-market-medium fit wins today, and why legitimacy—not features—decides who gets chosen in crowded markets.Croll shares a builder-friendly approach to go-to-market: crafting “zero-day” marketing moves, spotting weak signals, and exploiting asymmetries competitors can’t or won’t match. From Dropbox’s built-in virality to IKEA’s customer-assembled value chain and Taylor Swift’s “Taylor’s Version” legitimacy hack, Ian and Alistair map the playbook for standing out when anyone can “vibe-code” a product.You’ll hear a timely framework for the era of a million tiny horses (niche winners), the shift from an attention economy to an outcome economy, and a clear ethical line—Don’t Actually Be Evil—for running bold, subversive campaigns without crossing into fraud or harm.TakeawaysThink in mediums: Aim for product-market-medium fit; platforms have norms, mechanics, and governance you must design for.Compete on legitimacy: Make your offer incomparable so you’re chosen, not just compared.Hunt weak signals: Look for early indicators that, if true, unlock outsized advantage.Exploit asymmetry: Build plays rivals can’t respond to without breaking their own model.Disrupt the value chain: Merge, split, reorder, or reassign steps (à la IKEA, Talk) to create a new reason to choose you.Ship zero-day GTM: Treat distribution like product—engineer referral, incentives, and narrative into the build.Stay ethical: Subversive ≠ sinister. Set rules like “don’t assume consent” and “don’t commit fraud.”If this conversation sparks ideas, check out Just Evil Enough, and explore more resources at justevilenough.com. Subscribe and share with the innovation agitators on your team.For full show notes and resources visit: https://www.alchemistaccelerator.com/podcasts

In this episode of the AlchemistX Innovators Inside Podcast, Ian Bergman sits down with Maura O’Neill to explore her bold mission with The Decade Project: reshaping U.S. entrepreneurship so that it reflects the full racial, ethnic, and gender makeup of the nation.Maura unpacks the economic and social potential of inclusive entrepreneurship — from unlocking trillions in GDP growth to empowering millions of new business owners. She shares the four pillars driving this transformation: access to capital, knowledge, connections, and belief — and reveals how innovation in financial instruments, mindset, and mentorship can spark systemic change.Drawing lessons from her time in both the public and private sectors, Maura reflects on what it takes to drive large-scale innovation inside complex systems, why diversity and dissent fuel better solutions, and how optimism and urgency can turn impossible goals into reality.Key Takeaways:The four levers to close the entrepreneurship equity gapWhy innovation in capital and funding models is overdueHow to balance audacity with structure when leading changeThe power of being “more curious than certain” in leadership and innovationWhat entrepreneurs and policymakers can learn from USAID’s transformation journeyA masterclass in purpose-driven innovation and the belief that ordinary people are capable of extraordinary things.🎧 Listen now to discover how Maura and The Decade Project are turning one of America’s biggest challenges into its next great opportunity.For full show notes and resources visit: https://www.alchemistaccelerator.com/podcasts

In this episode of the AlchemistX Innovators Inside Podcast, Ian Bergman sits down with Ron Green, Co-Founder and CTO of KUNGFU.AI, to explore the evolution of artificial intelligence and what it means for business leaders today.Ron shares his 30-year journey in AI, from the early days of neural networks in the 90s to today’s frontier of reasoning models and reinforcement learning. He explains why we’re still at “day zero” of the AI revolution, the misconceptions that trip up companies, and the principles every leader should follow to unlock AI’s true ROI.Key takeaways include:Why “don’t reinvent the wheel” is the #1 rule for AI initiatives.How proprietary data—not raw technology—creates competitive advantage.The risks of deploying AI too quickly and how to mitigate them with safeguards.Why stakeholder alignment is the biggest predictor of AI project success.How to prepare your organization today for domain-specific, next-generation AI breakthroughs.Whether you’re a C-suite executive under pressure to “do something with AI” or a leader looking for sustainable advantage, this conversation is packed with clear lessons on how to move cautiously, deliberately, and with impact.For full show notes and resources visit: https://www.alchemistaccelerator.com/podcasts

Ian Bergman sits down with Hassan Jaferi, Sr. Director at Myant Ventures and veteran of IP, tech transfer, and startup acceleration, to unpack the realities of turning academic breakthroughs into thriving businesses.From his early career as a patent examiner to building and mentoring deep tech ventures through Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners, Hassan shares the pivotal lessons he’s learned about bridging the gap between research and commercialization. He explains why most startups fail to define the real problem, the critical role of industry engagement, and how founders can avoid wasting years chasing the wrong market.Key insights include:Why 50% of academic spinouts struggle to identify a true problem to solveThe importance of engaging industry early—and speaking in the language of problems, not solutionsThree hard-won lessons from scaling Bitnobi, a data-sharing startup that was recently acquiredHow founders should think about grant funding, bootstrapping, and the right time to raise venture capitalWhy embedding entrepreneurial experience inside universities can make or break tech transfer successWhether you’re building a deep tech startup, working in corporate innovation, or navigating university tech transfer, this conversation delivers practical lessons on what it really takes to move research from the lab to the market.For full show notes and resources visit: https://www.alchemistaccelerator.com/podcasts

In this episode of the AlchemistX Innovators Inside Podcast, Ian Bergman welcomes back Robyn Bolton, author of Unlocking Innovation: A Leader’s Guide to Turning Bold Ideas into Tangible Results. Robyn explains why innovation consistently stalls in large organizations—and why the issue isn’t a shortage of ideas but a leadership challenge.Together, Ian and Robyn break down the ABCs of innovation—Architecture, Behavior, and Culture—and how leaders can align them to create lasting impact. They explore the risks and realities of leading innovation, why “stealth mode” kills momentum, and how to show meaningful value before the dollars show up.You’ll learn:- Why innovation fails without clear leadership ownership.- How leaders can align personal risk tolerance with organizational goals.- The importance of telling a value story from day one—not waiting for financial ROI.- Why innovation isn’t a recipe—and how to design for experimentation and learning.- How to thrive on the three-year clock that most corporate innovators face.This is a must-listen for leaders who want to stop treating innovation as a side project and start turning bold ideas into tangible results.For full show notes and resources visit: https://www.alchemistaccelerator.com/podcasts

In this episode of the AlchemistX Innovators Inside Podcast, Ian Bergman sits down with John Rossman, Keynote Speaker & Advisor—former Amazon leader and author of Big Bet Leadership—to break down the operating system senior executives need to win transformational bets. From T‑Mobile’s Un‑carrier playbook to Amazon’s working‑backwards method, John explains why most corporate transformations stall—and how to build the second playbook that actually ships change.They dig into the three habits of “big bet” leaders—create clarity, maintain velocity, and accelerate risk & value—plus practical tools like narrative docs, DRIs/single‑threaded leadership, and the “Continue, Kill, Pivot (or Confusion)” decision cadence. John also shares why cost‑model innovation must pair with customer value, what it means to be an “active skeptic,” and the first step any leader should take tomorrow morning.You’ll learn:Why the hyper‑digital era demands a different leadership OSHow to frame a Big Bet Vector: name the problem and the future stateThe three habits: create clarity, maintain velocity, accelerate risk & valueHow to use writing & debate (not slides) to kill groupthink and analysis paralysisThe role of a senior DRI/single‑threaded leader in de‑risking innovationA clean governance loop: Continue, Kill, or Pivot—avoid “confusion”Why cost‑model innovation + 10x customer value drives real adoptionA simple starting move: write 3–5 hard problems in one paragraph eachFor John’s book and frameworks visit https://www.alchemistaccelerator.com/podcasts.