The Silicon Valley Insider Show with Keith Koo

In this episode of Silicon Valley Insider, Keith Koo’s guest is Douglas Horn, Chief Architect of Telos a decentralized blockchain network and founder of Goodblock a blockchain development company. Throughout the show Keith and Douglas explain how Telos is an example of a decentralized blockchain network which means that there is no single organization or person that “owns” the blockchain. This is an important distinction because there is growing concern over the term “blockchain” and how the technology is being used since it is known for it’s “immutable” properties. An example of a centralized service would something like Google or Facebook where the company owns the platform and the entire user experience. In a decentralized environment, there is no single control and so the concern over a centralized organization doing things (like censorship) is mitigated. Keith and Douglas also go into detail about how decentralized blockchains are censorship-resistant and how they can be used for secure voting (although both agree that this technology will not be implemented in time for the upcoming USA elections). On this week’s Cyber-Tip, Keith talks about the U.S Treasury’s warning to all banks (via FINCEN) that cybercrime related to the pandemic continues to rise and what banks, organizations and individuals need to do keep safe. On “The Pivot” – Keith and Douglas discuss how blockchain technology can be used to strengthen privacy vs. concerns that the technology can be used to breakdown privacy. Douglas gives several examples including how contract tracing can be done anonymously using Telos.

In this episode of Silicon Valley Insider, Keith Koo’s two guests are Ruben Merre, CEO of NGRAVE out of Belgium who discusses how to keep your cryptocurrencies secure and Mayor Lily Mei of Fremont, California who discusses the decision to re-open the Tesla factory. In the first part of the show, Keith and Ruben discuss how there is a resurgence of interest in people learning about cryptocurrency due to concerns over the pandemic and fear of global “money printing”. They go over the concept of centralized vs decentralized platforms and how that is relevant to blockchain and cryptocurrencies. Ruben reviews how to safeguard your digital assets and discusses NGRAVE’s approach to securing these assets such as cryptocurrencies. They also discuss the concept of “true” ownership when it comes to digital identity and digital assets and how you can have 100% certainty of what you truly own. On this week’s Cyber-Tip, Keith talks about a new security flaw affecting Windows, Apple and Linux machines based on Intel’s Thunderbolt architecture. The show ends with a special appearance by Mayor Lily Mei who gives an insight into the decision to re-open Tesla factory and how state, county and city officials worked together with Tesla to come up with a solution and how other companies can follow suit. Subscribe and Download to “Silicon Valley Insider” to find out more: www.svin.biz

In this episode of Silicon Valley Insider, Keith Koo’s guest is Jarred Winn, Senior Vice President of Charity at Binance, the world’s largest Bitcoin and cryptocurrency exchange by volume. Jarred discusses his focus on creating strategies for partnerships and philanthropic campaigns using Binance’s charitable giving platform. At the beginning of the show, Keith and Jarred give a brief review of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, how they function and how to keep digital assets safe. They also discuss the role cryptocurrencies can play in serving charitable giving and philanthropic campaigns and how to measure the impact of those donations.  Keith discusses how many non-profits are assigned independent ratings on their financial accountability to donors (generally 75% and above is considered an “A+” rating. Jarred mentions how of the $4 million dollars in cryptocurrencies that have been processed thus far via Binance, over 99.5% have gone directly for its intended purpose. Jarred gives examples of how global campaigns giving relief in Australia and Africa have performed and how interested organizations and donors can engage to use their platform. On this week’s Cyber-Tip, Keith brings to light a renewed focus by bad actors in emailing phishing campaigns specifically targeting corporations that use platforms like Microsoft Office 365 or Google Enterprise. On this Pivot, Keith and Jarred discuss the future of cryptocurrencies and their potential role in transforming financial accountability. Subscribe and Download to “Silicon Valley Insider” to find out more: www.svin.biz

In this episode of Silicon Valley Insider, Keith Koo’s guest is serial entrepreneur Tony Lam. From Cisco to Shark Tank, Tony shares with his story from starting off as an I.T. Analyst at Cisco Systems, to his current project Omni Bev a premium ready-to-serve cold brew coffee. But to really get to know Tony, we must go back to his start at Cisco and how one of his companies made it on to Shark Tank and ended up with an investment from Barbara Corcoran. Tony also about his other businesses and how one of them became the “official” wings of a major sports center. All these experiences set Tony up for his founding role with Omni Bev and how they are bringing premium cold-brew coffee directly to you. Tony is a great example that it’s never too late to re-invent yourself. Given the uncertainty during these times of COVID-19, Keith shares his thoughts that now is a great to re-assess your personal situation and pivot to another career or business. On this week’s Cyber-Tip Keith discusses the announcement that Apple and Google are joining forces to share data related to their contact tracing applications to identify and monitory COVD-19. Keith explains what “contact tracing” is and what the short term and long-term implications are. On this Pivot, Tony Lam shares his top tips for entrepreneurs whether inside or outside of technology.

In this episode of Silicon Valley Insider, Keith Koo's special is Jeff Sweeney, CEO of US Capital Global a multibillion-dollar international investment bank headquartered in San Francisco. In the first segment, Jeff talks recalls how he got his start contemplating life by sailing in isolation in the South Pacific and how that experience relates to his most recent LinkedIn article “Pent-Up Ambition” in the context of what is happening during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the second segment, Keith and Jeff talk about how his pent-up ambition is not only in the context of making money but also the ambition to help others. This feeling of wanting to “get back to work” and “give back to the community”. In the third segment, Jeff talks about industries that may thrive in a post-pandemic world and some of the portfolio companies that US Capital Global is working with that are trying to solve real-world problems with a community-based solution. On this week’s Cyber-Tip Keith gives more insight into a strange case in which a cryptocurrency hacker returned all of the $25 million dollars of cryptocurrency they had stolen from an exchange. On this Pivot, Jeff gives his view on what does a “post-pandemic” world looks like.

*At the time of recording this episode, the Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program (SBA-PPP) was just announced. Since the airing of this show, it was also announced that the $349 billion program has already reached its funding limit. There is a discussion that the U.S. Government will authorize additional funding, so we encourage you to listen to this show to understand how to get through the application process. In this episode of Silicon Valley Insider, Keith Koo's special guests are Tong Qin, CPA of CFOs to Go and John Chiang, CPA retired CFO and independent financial consultant and advisor. Tong is the former deputy CFO of the Small Business Administration and also a Regional Director for the San Francisco Region. John is a former bank executive as well as the former Mayor of Piedmont, California and the former CFO of Asian Health Services. This entire show is dedicated on how to navigate the SBA-PPP process. In the first segment, Tong and John explain what the SBA-PPP is and how small businesses can utilize this program to obtain much-needed support given the economic impact COVID-19 is having on small businesses. In the next segment, Tong and John discuss how they have successfully filed SBA-PPP applications for their clients and the documentation required for a small business to apply. They give specific actions to take to make sure that your business is in the best position to apply for the SBA-PPP. Immediately following this recording, Tong Qin did a webinar for Fiona Ma, the California State Treasurer on how to apply for the SBA-PPP. Keith, Tong and John end the show with a reminder that even though the initial program may reach its funding limit, it is important to keep abreast of government actions for further stimulus packages.  

In this episode of Silicon Valley Insider, Keith Koo's special guest is Tim Campos, CEO of Woven and Former CIO of Facebook. In our first segment, Tim discusses with Keith on his career and how he became the CIO of KLA-Tencor to ultimately being the CIO of Facebook during the rapid growth phase of the company. It was during that time that Tim and the Facebook Information Technology (IT) team had to rapidly develop and deploy technology to handle the needs of Facebook. It was also during this time that Tim realized that they needed to develop productivity tools to give the best user experience possible. Later in the show, Tim discusses his new company Woven, which is laser-focused on continuing Tim’s passion for empowering users to be productive. Woven is doing just that by first solving for making calendaring become more than just a scheduling tool. Woven can make calendars like Google, and soon Microsoft, become much more valuable to managing the day to day aspects of each user’s life. It does this by giving the user the ability to tie disparate calendars together like personal, work and school, as well as give rich analytics on how your time is spent. Visit www.woven.com for more information and to try the product. On this week's Cyber-tip, Keith continues to give advice on how to safely using video conferencing technologies. On the Pivot, Tim Campos comes back to discuss the future of work post COVID-19 and how new innovations and solutions for workforce mobility like Woven and Zoom will continue to be developed to meet the new norms of doing business. Subscribe and Download to “Silicon Valley Insider” to find out more: www.svin.biz

On this episode of Silicon Valley Insider, Keith Koo's special guest is Eric Krawitt, SVP and Investment Advisor at Morgan Stanley. Keith and Eric discuss how COVID-19 is affecting the market inside and outside of Silicon Valley. Eric give his insights on the short-term and long-term implications to investors whether they are individuals or business owners. Eric gives practical information on the considerations that each group Eric needs to make. Eric discusses the impact that the shelter in place is having on financial planning. For instance, small businesses are exploring all the options around how to ensure to keep their businesses operating considering potentially decreasing revenue and still trying to pay expenses. Eric also talks about what it will take for the market decline to be considered a recession and what opportunities may arise. On this week’s Cyber-Tip Keith discusses a new term called “Zoombombing” which is when people have their video conferences hacked and gives practical advice on how to keep your meetings safe when using tools like Zoom, Webex and Microsoft Teams. On the Pivot, Eric talks about the future of work and what types of industries will arise to fill the increasing demand for remote meetings that would normally have been face to face.

In this episode of Silicon Valley Insider, Keith Koo's special guest is Dr. Parimal Kopardekar, (PK) Director of the Nasa Aeronautics Research Institute (NARI). Keith discusses with PK his work at NASA. As the Director of NARI, PK is responsible for exploring new trends and needs related to aviation in the areas of autonomy, aeronautics manufacturing, and advanced air mobility. He also serves as NASA's senior technologist for Air Transportation Systems and principal investigator for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management (UTM) project. PK also talks specifically about NASA’s priorities on the use of drones and eVTOL (electronic vehicle take-off and lift). He delves into the future of this technology including “air taxis”. Keith and PK have an in-depth conversation on the importance of a safe and reliable supply chain. Even before COVID-19, NASA had already been holding industry conferences talking about the need to have a supply chain that did not depend on a single source. PK speaks of the future of UAV, UAS, and UAM. On this week's Cyber-tip, Keith continues to warn users to be on high alert for fraud and cybercriminal activity related to COVID-19. On the Pivot, Keith describes what the possible outcome of COVID-19 will be in the near term and long term. Email us at info@svin.biz or find us here: www.svin.biz  

In this episode of Silicon Valley Insider, Keith Koo's special guest is Dr. John Mattison, MD, Former Assistant Medical Director and Chief Medical Information Officer, Emeritus of Kaiser Permanente.  Dr. Mattison is a world-renown keynote speaker, author, and faculty. He focuses on transforming care delivery with information technology, through a convergence of exponential technologies and data liquidity. He led the design and implementation of the largest integrated electronic health record in the US and leads various national programs including virtual care. He has sponsored or led numerous digital innovations, and mentors many digital health startups. https://exponential.singularityu.org/medicine/faculty2019/john-mattison-md/  https://blog.iota.org/welcome-john-e-mattison-to-iota-c9b4b453ba9a Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Mattison and Keith discuss why it is so important for everyone to take the virus seriously. For the first time in human history, the world is coming together to address a singular issue. On this episode, you will learn: Who: The populations that have been affected by COVID-19 in the USA and around the world What: The origins of COVID19, SARs and other coronaviruses and why this one is highly transmissible  Where:  COVID-19’s trajectory around the world.  Why: “social distancing” is very important to “flattening the curve”  How: The innovations that have already occurred in combatting the virus and what new techniques and technologies are needed to mitigate the risk of the virus. Estimates on how long “sheltering in place” will be necessary here in the USA and around the World On this week's Cyber-tip, Keith discusses how like other crises and natural disasters, cybercrime is definitely on the rise due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Keith urges caution in your personal finance and business matters to ensure you don’t become a victim during these uncertain times.  On this week’s “Pivot” Dr. Mattison talks about how even though pandemics like COVID-19 will continue, we are better prepared to address the virus quickly and share that information globally in order to find a solution together.  Tune-in to find out more. www.svin.biz Listen Saturdays 10-11am 860 KTRB Silicon Valley | San Francisco Listen and subscribe to the "Silicon Valley Insider" Podcast ahead of time to make sure you don't miss this show. Download the podcast at 11:00am on Saturdays. For questions or comments, email: info@svin.biz Be sure to subscribe and listen to the podcast. You can also listen to past podcasts here: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1SuBsVc1xiqtxQeMUGOSbw Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-silicon-valley-insider-show/id1282637717?mt=2: Email us at info@svin.biz or find us here: www.svin.biz Artificial Intelligence, AI, Blockchain, Big Data, Data Analytics, CyberRisk, Information security, VC, Venture Capital, Angel Investments, Fundraising, Capital Raising, Investor, Human Rights, Technology for Good, UN SDGs, Emerging Technology, COVID-19, CoronaVirus