The Silicon Valley Podcast

On today’s show, our guest is Osama Bedier. Osama is the founder and CEO of Poynt, the open commerce platform empowering merchants to transform and grow their businesses. Osama has spent the last two decades pioneering consumer internet, e-commerce and payments services. Prior to founding Poynt, Osama served as the Vice President of Payments at Google, and head of Google Wallet. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN: How has Paypal influenced Fintech? What are the benefits of being “banked” versus not being “banked”? With the switch to digital currency, where are the opportunities and who will benefit? What should merchants be able to do with this kind of technology?   We would like to give a special thanks to Alan Tien who made the introduction to Osama. Without Alan “Money Never Sleeps,” we would not have been able to conduct this amazing interview. HELP US OUT: Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it!    BOOKS AND RESOURCES Poynt website CONNECT WITH SHAWN Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account  

  On today’s show, we chat with Dr. Tom Coughlin, who is the Current President of IEEE-USA. IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organization for the advancement of technology. He has many publications and six patents to his credit. Tom is also the author of Digital Storage in Consumer Electronics: The Essential Guide, which is now on its second edition with Springer. Coughlin Associates provides market and technology analysis as well as Data Storage Technical and Business Consulting services. Tom publishes the Digital Storage Technology Newsletter, the Media and Entertainment Storage Report, the Emerging Non-Volatile Memory Report and other industry reports. Tom is also a regular contributor on digital storage for Forbes.com and other blogs. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN: What is IEEE and what is its role in advancing technology in the US and the world? What are Digital Twins? Where are the boundaries between human and machine? Where do ethics play in the advancement of technology? What should we as a society be thinking about in terms of these?   We would like to give a special thanks to Zahava Stroud who made the introduction to Tomas. Zahava is the founder of Angel Launch and we would not have been able to conduct this amazing interview without her help. Help us out! Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it! Books and Resources IEEE website   Connect with Shawn Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account Email Shawn@thesiliconvalleypodcast.com  

On today’s show, we have Jonathan Trent. His 20-year stint at NASA as a Senior Research Scientist has included research in marine science, microbiology and cell biology, medicine, nanotechnology, engineering, and environmental sciences. After doing 7 TED talks about his career in science, he is now leaving NASA to form his own startup which will pivot from the offshore system to an onshore design that he is calling UpCycle Systems. It will be the only patented technology that accepts wet waste as is, without initial treatment, and then converts it to renewable assets, clean water, steam, electricity, gas and minerals. In this episode, you’ll learn: Did the US ever land on the moon? What has changed at NASA over the last 20 years? How likely is it that we will soon go to Mars? What is the big picture of the environment? What are the United Nations Sustainability Goals? What is an economy based on waste? What is Bio-asset recovery? We would like to give a special thanks to Victor Wang who is the Founder and Chairman at China Silicon Valley hosting the delegation that led to connecting with Jonathan Trent. Without Victor this interview would not have been possible. Help us out! Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it! Books and Resources Jonathan Trent’s LinkedIn  NASA AMES Research Center   Connect with Shawn: Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account Email Shawn@thesiliconvalleypodcast.com      

On today’s show, we interview Sam Liang, the Founder and CEO of Otter.ai, a highly disruptive collaboration and productivity tool. Otter.ai has won many of the most prestigious awards in tech given by companies such as Google, FastCompany, PcMag, and more. Before founding his startup, Sam worked at Google where he led the location-based services unit, and won an award for the “Bluedot Mobile Location System.” Sam received a PhD at Stanford for Internet Distributed Systems, working under the professor who is known for being the first investor in Google. In this episode, you’ll learn: How big of a market there is for a program for translating and storing conversations How Otter works and how it continually keeps improving using Artificial Intelligence  What the next few years looks like for use of data and how programs will get more and more accurate in time  How a translation tool will revolutionize what we know about ourselves   We would like to give a special thanks to Rick Quan who made the introduction to the Sam Liang, which allowed this amazing interview to happen. Help us out! Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it!  Books and Resources Homepage of Otter.ai LinkedIn of Sam Liang Tutorials on how to use Otter.ai Review on Otter.ai from CNET Rick Quan NBC interview discussing the documentary about Ed Lee   Connect with Shawn:   https://linktr.ee/ShawnflynnSV   Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account Email Shawn@thesiliconvalleypodcast.com  

On today’s show, we have Tim Bigwood, who is the acting CEO of Noregon Systems. Noregon is a company that are the experts at acquiring, analyzing, and interpreting vehicle data. Their products include in-shop diagnostic and repair tools and real-time fleet asset-management solutions that give assistance in capturing and transforming your own vehicle data into actionable information. In this episode, you’ll learn: How does this data affect the transportation supply chain? How is vehicle data going to be used as autonomous cars become common in the market? What is the role of cybersecurity in the communication among vehicles? What is the possible future for the trucking industry?    We would like to give a special thanks to James Cape, who is a Managing Partner at Matrix Solutions. James made the introduction to Tim. Without James, we would not have been able to conduct this amazing interview. Help us out! Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it! Guest: Tim Bigwood’s LinkedIn Noregon Systems Official Website   Connect with Shawn:   https://linktr.ee/ShawnflynnSV   Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account Email Shawn@TheInvestorsPodcast.com      

We’re happy to welcome Sharon Vosmek to the show today! Sharon is the CEO of Astia, managing director of the Astia Fund, and a managing member of Astia Angels. Astia is the pre-eminent organization working to ensure the success of high-growth startups founded and led by women. Astia Angels is a global investment group comprised of family offices and HNW individuals to invest directly into women-led, high-growth companies. She is well-regarded around the globe for her opinions, research and commentary on the importance of women leaders as integral to innovation and high-performing entrepreneurial companies. In this episode, you’ll learn: What is the current VC model and how is it broken? How important is diversity for a company? Are there any measurable benefits? What is the investment thesis for Astia? What is screening process that Astia uses to eliminate any biases?   . We would like to make a special thanks to Maya Tussing who is a Principal, Institutional Investment Advisor at Alesco Advisors LLC . Without her, we would never have met Sharon.   Help us out! Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it! Resources Sharon Vosmek’s LinkedIn Sharon Vosmek email address Website of Astia   Connect with Shawn by following this link for most updated and complete social media platforms https://linktr.ee/ShawnflynnSV    

On today’s show, we have MIT-trained physicist and entrepreneur Peter Fiekowsky who is committed to leaving behind a world he is proud of. Peter’s passion for that goal drives his leadership in multiple climate initiatives, including volunteering for the Citizens’ Climate Lobby and founding the Climate Restoration Alliance (CRA). He is also founder and president of Automated Visual Inspection (AVI) LLC and a board member of Zynergy Capital Inc. He holds 27 patents. In this episode, you’ll learn: How much support does the United Nations currently give for the environmental effort? What are possible solutions to rid the world of the CO2 problem and how much will these solutions cost? What is the future of power? What is ColdFusion? How do crypto currencies like bitcoin, and all the energy that it takes to mine them, affect the environment? We would like to give a special thanks to Sunil Bhaskaran who is the founder of “The Global Business Mastermind” for connecting us with Peter Fiekowsky. Without Sunil, this interview would not have been possible. Help us out! Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it! Guest: Peter Fiekowsky’s LinkedIn Peter’s nonprofit, Foundation for Climate Restoration CONNECT WITH SHAWN https://linktr.ee/ShawnflynnSV   Shawn Flynn’s LinkedInAccount Silicon Valley LinkedInGroup Account Shawn Flynn’s FacebookAccount Email Shawn@thesiliconvalleypodcast.com    

On today’s show, we chat with Gregory LaBlanc, who is a lecturer and Distinguished Teaching Fellow at the Haas Business school at University of California Berkeley. He teaches primarily in the areas of finance and strategy in the MBA and Master of Financial Engineering programs, and in Executive Education. His research interests lie at the intersection of law, finance, and psychology, in the area of business strategy and risk management. In this episode, you’ll learn: What areas in finance will be affected by artificial intelligence? What is “behavior in trading” and how will machines impact this? Who are the biggest global players in Fintech? What is the future for MBA programs? What is Fintech School and what can you expect from it?   We would like to give a special thanks to My Nguyen who is the founder of Fintech School for connecting us with Gregory La Blanc. Without My, this interview would not have been possible.   Help us out! Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it! Books and Resources Gregory LaBlanc’s LinkedIn Gregory LaBlanc at Berkeley Business School Check out Fintech School   CONNECT WITH SHAWN:   https://linktr.ee/ShawnflynnSV   Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account Email Shawn@thesiliconvalleypodcast.com  

On today’s show, we sit down with Patrick Lee, the co-founder and former CEO of Rotten Tomatoes, a leading entertainment website focused on movie reviews and news. It is one of the top 800 most visited sites in the world. Patrick is now heavily involved with helping early-stage companies, advising companies such as Casetify, Credder, DNArt Inc., Instaread, Kiwi Campus, Leo AR, Magnesium Film, Oishii, WePloy, and Zeuss Technologies. He is a current or former mentor at SOSV, Berkeley SkyDeck, Blue Startups, Founder Institute, Mentorbox, Berkeley LAUNCH Startup Accelerator and was the executive Producer of "The Heavenly Kings", directed by Daniel Wu (Best New Director, 2007 Hong Kong Film Awards).   In this episode, you’ll learn: The story behind one of the most popular websites in the world! What it was really like to manage a startup during and after the stock market crash in 2000 What it is like when the company you built is acquired What are the features that make a great accelerator program What is the future for online streaming platforms   We would like to give a special thanks to Alan Tien for connecting us with Patrick Lee. Without Alan, this interview would not have been possible. Help us out! Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it! Books and Resources Connect with Patrick Lee on LinkedIn More about Patrick’s first company, DesignReactor Book Patrick for Speaking Engagements   CONNECT WITH SHAWN:   https://linktr.ee/ShawnflynnSV   Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account Email Shawn@thesiliconvalleypodcast.com      

Michael Keogh recently joined Stanley Black & Decker as SVP of their new Digital Innovation office. He is leading the effort to transform a 175-year old industrial company into a data and digital company. In this role he is responsible for incubating internal startups, ecosystem development, and building new revenue streams for the company. Most recently, he was at Apple where he was the Senior Director of Finance for all of Apple R&D supporting the long-term hardware and silicon roadmap development. At Apple, he negotiated with the Shanghai government on a tax and economic incentive plan with a >$1B benefit to grow Apple’s business in China.   For over a decade spanning his time with Apple and Intel, he held several roles in China, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Before starting in the tech world, Mike spent several years at a large Commercial Contracting and Property Development company as an estimator and Project Manager. He is an angel investor and hold several Board and advisor positions. He also invests in real estate and has built a portfolio of university student housing, as well as some international properties. Mike holds an MBA from Cornell University and a BA from the University of North Carolina. He speaks conversational Chinese and Italian.   In this episode, you’ll learn: Is the construction industry prime for disruption? What will the future look like for the construction Tech sector? How is construction Tech and Real estate tech different or the same? What are some areas of the construction that can be semi-automated and automated? What about the advances in the materials used for construction?   We would like to give a special thanks to Sonja Markova who is the Executive Director at Band of Angels which since 1994, has invested in over 400 companies with 62 profitable M&A exits and 12 IPOs. Without her introduction to Michael this interview would not have been able to happen   Help us out! Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it!    Website of Stanley Black and Decker Link to Band of Angels   CONNECT WITH SHAWN:   https://linktr.ee/ShawnflynnSV   Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account Email Shawn@thesiliconvalleypodcast.com   .