The Irish Tech News Podcast

Jamil tackles Matthew Le Merle, who is co-founder and Managing Partner of Fifth Era which manages Blockchain Coinvestors - the world's leading blockchain venture fund of funds. Matthew is also Managing Partner of Keiretsu - the most active early stage venture investors backing almost 200 companies a year. He is Chairman of CAH, Securitize (Europe), Universal Protocol Alliance and Vice Chairman of SFOX. Matthew grew up in England before living most of his life in Silicon Valley where he raised his five children with his wife Alison Davis. Today he splits his time between the US and UK. By day he is an investor in technology companies and a bestselling author and speaker on innovation, investing and the future having worked at McKinsey, A.T. Kearney, Monitor, Booz and Gap. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, writing and photography. He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford and Stanford and is an adjunct professor at Singularity U. To learn more go to www.fifthera.com Here are some of the things they discussed 1. What is your own background? It is a logical background to what you do now? 2.Give us with a brief overview of Blockchain Coinvestors and Fifth Era along with an overview of your investment mandate principles. 3. You are a best selling author and researcher. You recently conducted an in-depth focus study of 10,000 institutional investors and high net worth individuals about some common myths and fears concerning Bitcoin. Could you please provide us a snapshot of some of your key findings? What were they? 4. The #1 fear was Bitcoin isn’t safe to own. How do you feel about that result and what measures do you feel would support your investors in changing their minds? 5. Of the remaining concerns, what one most surprised you and why? 6. What result did you most expect to see but maybe expected a larger percentage of concern? Why? 7. Bitcoin has only been adopted by a small number of Fortune 1000 companies publicly, including Microstrategy and Tesla. The actual number is in contrast to your focus group findings about Wall Street greed, though both your HNW audience and my blue collar friends feel the same way. How do you see, in actuality, Bitcoin and Wall Street playing out in the short, medium and long term? 8. What do you think it will take to really achieve mass adoption? 9. In addition to Bitcoin, I noticed your firm recently took on coin investments in both Aave and Uniswap, which are open sourced decentralized protocols on the Ethereum network. As an Aave investor, that captivated my interest. I would expect a Silicon Valley VC to be more interested in a VC backed crypto such as Maker or Compound. What prompted your interest in Aave and Uniswap? About Jamil Hasan Jamil Hasan is a Generation X Author and experienced data intelligence technology builder with two decades of experience leading data-based teams at Fortune 100 companies, including AIG, Prudential Financial, and Ingersoll Rand. Jamil believes that skill and experience, not just age, is the most important factor required to build and lead corporate organizations. His unique story, as someone on the ground floor of the 2008 financial crisis and his role to help repay the $180 billion AIG bailout, enabled him to come face-to-face with many of the societal ills facing Generation X today and their causes. As the result of his experience, Jamil has developed a path forward for his fellow Gen Xers to restore his generation’s financial standing in society today and to rebuild the American Dream for Generation X. For Questions: Email Jamil at jamil@jamilhasan.com or info@jamilhasan.net See more on his website here.

Interesting conversation with Javier Blas, coauthor of The World For Sale: Money, Power and the Traders Who Barter the Earth’s Resources Most of us rarely stop to consider where the crude resources that power our cars and iphones come from. Here, leading Bloomberg journalists, Blas and Farchy lift the lid on one of the least scrutinised but most powerful corners of the economy: the workings of the billionaire commodity traders who buy, hoard and sell the earth's resources, and how some traders have acquired untold political power, right under the noses of Western regulators and politicians - helping Saddam Hussein to sell his oil, fuelling the Libyan rebel army during the Arab Spring, or funnelling cash to Vladimir Putin's Kremlin in spite of strict sanctions. Available from Penguin books here https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/111/1118404/the-world-for-sale/9781847942654.html More about Javier Blas Print and online journalist with more than 15 years experience in international economics, oil and commodities. I have built and managed teams across different continents, and built a track-record of best-in-class reporting and news editing. I have worked in Spanish and English publications, and reported from more than 50 countries in Latin America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. I have appeared as a news commentator on CNN, BBC and Al Jazeera among others.

IgniteNI, the leading accelerator in Northern Ireland, based in Belfast has announced the 10 seed-stage companies on to its upcoming IgniteNI Accelerator. Starting this month and supported by Invest Northern Ireland, the IgniteNI Accelerator will run for three months. Ronan talks to Chris McClelland, Managing Director of IgniteNI. Chris talks about Zoom, conferences, customer focused companies, their partnership with NDRC and Dogpatch Labs, and talent generation. More about Chris: Chris is one of Northern Ireland’s best known tech entrepreneurs. He co-founded and led Brewbot a beer making technology company, and prior to this, he was the chief executive of mobile software company Ecliptic Labs which was based in Belfast.

Asia is home to more than half of the world’s population. It is also a hotbed for fintech innovation. From super apps and social ecommerce in China, cryptocurrency in Hong Kong, to digital identity and payments in India, there is never a dull moment. Despite the dizzying pace of development, the party is just getting started. In this episode of One Vision, Theo and Arun dive into the eclectic mix of markets in Asia with Syed Musheer Ahmed, Founding Board Member of FinTech Association of Hong Kong and the Founder of FinStep Asia.

Entertaining conversation with Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert, hosts of Orange Pill, A Bitcoin podcast on YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/orangepill Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert produce the twice weekly ORANGE PILL PODCAST which focuses on bitcoin and the Renaissance 2.0 culture developing around it. They are the first international news broadcasters to cover bitcoin extensively since 2011 when it was under $1. Upon graduating from New York University, Max Keiser started working as a stockbroker on Wall Street from 1982 through 1990 at firms; Paine Webber, Oppenheimer and Co., Shearson Lehman Hutton, and Alex. Brown & Sons. He went into semi-retirment in 1990 moving to Paris, France. In 1995, he was asked by Alec Baldwin to move to Los Angeles and co-produce a film he had written and was bought by Miramax. While in LA he and Michael Burns started the Hollywood Stock Exchange where Max invented the Virtual Specialist Technology pat. no 5950176 (later sold to Cantor Fitzgerald). He again went into semi-retirement in France, where he met his future wife Stacy Herbert and they started colloborating on film and TV projects for various international outlets such at the BBC Word, Al Jazeera English and RT. After leaving UCLA, Stacy Herbert worked in script development for Oscar winning producer, Michael Phillips, who made Taxi Driver, Close Encounters and The Sting. She then worked in film sales at Capitol Films in London and then in comedy script work in the UK working with many top names in British comedy.

In this podcast Melanie Boylan spoke to John Durning, who is the Deputy Project Manager for the James Webb Space Telescope Project, based out of Goddard Space Flight Center, in Greenbelt, Md. We hear the who, what, why, where and when this incredible technological feat is launched into space.   John has over 35 years of technical and project management experience in the defense and aerospace sectors, over 30 of those with NASA. He has worked extensively on programs with international partnerships with Asia and Europe. His experiences include management of instrument developments for planetary, space science and earth science missions, spacecraft/observatory development for both earth and space science missions and overall project management. John’s experience also covers all phases of development from early concept and architecture development, hardware design, fabrication and testing and launch phase. These experiences included direct management of technical and resource teams and management of contractor lead developments. For the last 14+ years John has held a senior management position on the James Webb Space Telescope Project– most recently as the Deputy Project Manager. James Webb Telescope The James Webb Space Telescope (sometimes called JWST or Webb) is an orbiting infrared observatory that will complement and extend the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope, with longer wavelength coverage and greatly improved sensitivity. The longer wavelengths enable Webb to look much closer to the beginning of time and to hunt for the unobserved formation of the first galaxies, as well as to look inside dust clouds where stars and planetary systems are forming today.

Bheki Gumede, Head of Operations, Yellow Card South Africa I met with Bheki Gumede at a blockchain conference in India, online in time of COVID, and was impressed with his energy and vision. Accordingly, I linked up with him again to talk about his work in bringing access to cryptocurrencies in Africa. I noted while doing research ahead of our conversation that he had a very interesting quote on his Linkedin profile and so we began there. ‘Knowledge without positive action is a wasted effort.’ Bheki is very clear in his explanation of this quote. “Whenever we go into the world to acquire knowledge it’s usually for a specific reason. We may want to use that knowledge to help our business, to skill or empower ourselves, but in the grander scheme of things, I believe we should also and always use that knowledge to assist and empower others, not just ourselves but those less fortunate than us. If we don’t use our knowledge to share and empower others then we have wasted that opportunity.” Bheki’s thinking reminds me of a grumpy old miser who hoards his gold under the bed, no good to him nor anyone else. Knowledge must be shared to have value. Bheki has 15 years background in IT and until six years ago he was working in one of state owned organisation, (called a parastatal in South Africa) as an IT consultant. Around the same time, he started a journey to find himself and his true path in life. How was he meant to contribute to this world other than just making a living? This question and journey would lead him to blockchain, but it was not without its complications. Listen here to find out what Bheki did next. Your host is Jillian Godsil, award winning journalist, broadcaster and author. You can find our more about her recent book here: https://persons-of-interest.io/

Great conversation with Svein about Climate Change, Renewable Energy and nature news. He is now director Klima 2020, and former UN Director. CV - Svein Tveitdal Born: Arendal, 7. November 1947 Education: Master of Science, Norwegian University of Technology, Trondheim, Norway 1972 Work experience:  2007- Owner and CEO: Klima 2020 www.klima2020.no  2009 Planning and participation in UN SG Ban Ki-moons trip to the Arctic  2008- 2014 Project Manager Climate Partners: www.klimapartnere.no, a private/public network in South Norway with focus on challenges and opportunities related to climate change and climate neutrality  2008 - 2014 Environmental Ambassador to the city of Arendal  2006 – 2007 Senior Advisor, UNEP/GRID-Arendal  2003 – 2006 Director, United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) www.unep.org Nairobi. Responsible for Division for Policy Implementation and Division for Environmental Conventions including the IPCC secretariat. Polar advisor to the Executive Director.  1992 - 2003 Managing Director UNEP/GRID-Arendal www.grida,no  1999 – January to May, Non Profit Management course at Harvard Business School and visiting fellow at the World Resources Institute, Washington DC : www.wri.org  1978 – 1992 VIAK A/S, Various positions including international director. Founder of UNEP/GRID-Arendal  1976 – 1978 General planner, The Norwegian State Electricity Board  1973 - 1976 Surveyor in Blom Survey and the Norwegian Mapping Authorities Current activities:  Lecturer, article writer and participation in the public debate on the global climate crises, 300 000 followers on Twitter: @tveitdal  Consulting, Climate leadership, Climate communication  Board participation Current Board positions: Chairman of the Board Norwegian Rainforest Foundation https://www.regnskog.no/en/ Chairman of the Board, Klima2020, Climate Change consultants http://www.klima2020.no Chairman of the Board Purity Holding, Green IT provider. http://www.purity.no Member of the Board, Frameworks, Internet publishing, environmental information http://www.frameworks.no Member of the Board, Sagene Bryggeri http://www.sagenebryggeri.com/ Previous Board positions: Chairman of the Board, Stiftelsen Miljømerking (ECO-labeling) 2012-15 http://www.svanemerket.no/english/ Chairman of the Board, The Energy Farm, Centre for Bio energy in Norway 2011-16 http://www.energigarden.no/engelsk/index.html Chairman Siftelsen Asplan Consulting Company http://www.asplanviak.no/ Vice Chairman of the Board The Energy Farm International Foundation (Dr. RK Pachauri chair) Board member NORFUND  (Norwegian Investment Fund for Developing Countries) 2008-14 http://www.norfund.no/ Board member of The Norwegian Grandparents Association to Combat Climate Change http://www.besteforeldreaksjonen.no Leader Klimavalg 2013, 101 Norwegian organisations http://www.klimavalgalliansen.no/ Publications: 2010: “Climate in Peril” a Popular guide to the IPCC reports http://www.grida.no/publications/climate-in-peril/ Editions in all UN languages and Norwegian 2013: “Green Shift” A handbook for environmentally friendly regions in Europe. English and Swedish editions http://alexandersoninstitutet.se/pub/greenshift/

IgniteNI, the leading accelerator in Northern Ireland, based in Belfast has announced the 10 seed-stage companies on to its upcoming IgniteNI Accelerator. Starting this month and supported by Invest Northern Ireland, the IgniteNI Accelerator will run for three months. Ronan talks to Chris McClelland, Managing Director of IgniteNI. Based in Belfast, the upcoming IgniteNI Accelerator will run for three months beginning in March 2021 and host 10 seed-stage companies that can demonstrate current traction and the potential for future growth. Ronan talks to Chris McClelland, Managing Director of IgniteNI. Chris talks about his background and what IgniteNI does, why starting in the United States might be best, why Northern Ireland is a good place to set up a startup, the challenge of building a team, why pivoting is a part of any startups life, and the various stages of startups. More about Chris: Chris is one of Northern Ireland’s best-known tech entrepreneurs. He co-founded and led Brewbot a beer making technology company, and prior to this, he was the chief executive of mobile software company Ecliptic Labs which was based in Belfast.

Dr Rana el Kaliouby Author of Girl Decoded Interview by Mary Carty Introduction Hello everyone. I’m Mary Carty and I’m here today to interview a pioneer in AI technology with Irish Tech News. I’m so excited and honoured to talk to Dr Rana el Kaliouby. Rana has been working on making computers and our interactions with them more human for 20 years. In other words, Computers have plenty of IQ, what if they had EQ? She holds a BA from the American University in Cairo, A PhD from Cambridge, and worked at MIT Media Lab where she spun out her company Affectiva in 2009, thereby creating a whole new technology category of Artificial Emotional Intelligence. Rana is a Forbes Top 50 Women in Tech and a Young Global Leader with the World Economic Forum Her fascinating memoir, Girl Decoded, my quest to make technology emotionally intelligent and change the way we interact forever will be published by Penguin Business Books in April. Pre order it now. QUESTIONS The thing that impressed me the most reading your book, is your drive. Against all odds you were going to build this AI, where does this drive come from? What are the advantages of leading with empathy, vulnerability, and kindness? How can we encourage leaders to forge this path, not command and control, win at all costs? I was struck by how much you had to "defeminize" your language around emotions in the early days with investors and funders. How do we find ways not to gender, products, services, and software and help investors and the wider community understand the benefits to society? Finding investment for a startup is hugely challenging, especially for women. Turning down a government contract at a crucial time for the business must have been a difficult decision. Can you tell me a bit about that? What more can we do as consumers to build better, more ethical AI? What's next for you? About the Author Dr Rana El Kaliouby holds a BA from the American University in Ciaro, A PhD from Cambridge, and worked at MIT Media Lab where she spun out her company Affectiva in 2009, creating a whole new technology category of Artificial Emotional Intelligence. She is a Forbes Top 50 Women in Tech and a Young Global Leader with the World Economic Forum. Her memoir Girl Decoded, my quest to make technology emotionally intelligent and change the way we interact forever will be published by Penguin Business Books in April. Find Rana on Twitter https://twitter.com/kaliouby Affectiva https://www.affectiva.com/ Mary Carty Bio Mary Carty is a serial entrepreneur with a background in the arts, education and technology. She is Director of Wilson & Keys working with an international client base. Mary sits on the Board of Science Gallery International and Branar Téatar do Pháistí. Over lockdown, she established AwakenHub, a community to support female founders from the Island of Ireland and her diaspora, with Mary McKenna, Clare McGee and Sinead Crowley. Find Mary on Twitter https://twitter.com/marycarty Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/marycarty/ Wilson and Keys http://www.wilsonkeys.com/ AwakenHub  https://www.awakenhub.com/