A Few Things with Jim Barrood

We discussed a few things including:

1. Their career journeys  

2. History of NFHA

3. Michael's impact on organization; AI in housing/financial services

4. April 28-30 Responsible AI Symposium  
https://events.nationalfairhousing.org/2025AISymposium

5. Trends, challenges and opportunities re fair housing and technology

Lisa Rice is the President and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA), the nation’s only national civil rights agency solely dedicated to eliminating all forms of housing discrimination and ensuring equitable housing opportunities for all people and communities.  

Lisa has led her t...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Their career journeys

2. Ben's Coaching approach

3. Tara's coaching approach; future coach for college students

4. Ben's book, CLIMB

5. Trends, challenges and opportunities re health and mental health.

Tara Thurber is the Founder | Director of Partnerships at DefinedTalent and Head Coach | FUTURE COACH. She is a connector, committed to helping people realize their visions and take action to bring them to life. With over 15 years of experience in recruitment, talent acquisition, HR services and career development, she focuses on empowering businesses and individuals to...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Thierry's career journey  

2. Nokia Bell Labs history and current research

3. AI and Generative AI

4. Space and network on the moon

5. Trends, challenges and opportunities in tech

Thierry Klein is the President of Bell Labs Solutions Research at Nokia. His global multi-disciplinary team conducts fundamental and applied research focused on new Nokia value chains, business opportunities and ecosystems.  

Bell Labs Solutions Research pursues research and innovation into advanced technologies, architectures, systems and applications beyond Nokia’s current product and solu...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Their career journeys  

2. The Meet Group

3. Noom

4. New book Designing Success and female entrepreneurship

5. Trends, challenges and opportunities re health, wellness and tech

Geoff is the CEO of Noom. He is also a serial entrepreneur and long-time public company CEO.

He co-founded The Meet Group, a NASDAQ-listed social dating and live-streaming company connecting millions of active users globally. Geoff served as The Meet Group’s CEO from 2013 to 2023, leading it through its sale for $500 million in 2020.

Geo...

We discussed a few things including:
1. Kay's career journey
2. The startup/funding landscape, particularly for women
3. Springboard accelerator and thesis
4. Trends, challenges and opportunities re new ventures and funding

Kay Koplovitz is the founder and former Chairman & CEO of USA Networks, the SyFy Channel and USA Networks International, a multi-billion-dollar cable program company. Ms. Koplovitz ran the network for 21 years before stepping down in 1998, at which time it was sold for $4.5 billion. She is the visionary who created the business model for cable networks by introducing the concept of two revenue streams: licensing an...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Mike's career journey

2. How education has changed since pandemic

3. AI related opportunities challenges

4. New book

5. Future trends and forecasts

Michael B. Horn strives to create a world in which all individuals can build their passions and fulfill their potential through his writing, speaking, and work with a portfolio of education organizations. His new best-seller is Job Moves: 9 Steps for Making Progress in Your Career. https://www.amazon.com/Job-Moves-Making-Progress-Career-ebook/dp/B0CV7SGF6S

He is also t...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Their career journeys

2.  Scaling Shoott

3. Launching Lexore (formerly Frame Me)

4. Lessons learned

5. Trends, challenges and opportunities re photo and video industries

Sequoia Blodgett is a visionary entrepreneur at the intersection of media and technology. As the CEO and co-founder of Lexore, an AI-powered video production platform, she is transforming how agencies create high-quality video content.

Drawing from her extensive background in filmmaking, entrepreneurship, and venture capital, Sequoia empowers brands to craft compelling narratives that drive organic traffic and enhance cus...

It was great, as usual, to chat with Len Green, CPA, MBA, serial entrepreneur and founder/chair of The Green Group. He shared his wisdom and practical insights during a wide ranging AMA session.

* Links to full convo in comments

We discussed a few things including:

1. Len's entrepreneurial journey

2. How entrepreneurs can save money 

3. Preferred corporate structures for new and growing businesses

4. Things to consider as we await new Trump administration

Leonard C. Green is a CPA, MBA, and Entrepreneur. He is f...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Their career journeys

2. Crypto/blockchain history

3. Bitcoin timeline and latest surge

4. How Biden administration affected industry and expectations under Trump

5. Trends, challenges and opportunities relating to crypto
 

Lou Kerner is a Founding Partner of CryptoOracle, a Crypto VC and Advisory firm focused exclusively on investing and advising entities leveraging, blockchain, cryptocurrency, smart contracts and decentralization.Lou has been a Crypto enthusiast, investor, public speaker and thought leader since 2013. Lou regularly hosts conference calls and Meetups with Crypto industry innovators attended by...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Their career journeys 

2. Roboburger and Shark Tank success

3. Unionwear's long term growth

4. How the ecosystem has supported them

5. Trends, challenges and opportunities re manufacturing

Mitch started Unionwear in 1992 with six sewers and a contract to make baseball hats for Ralph Lauren.

Now Unionwear is one of the largest private employers of Newark residents, with 175 employees, and contracts to manufacture baseball hats and uniform headwear, medical bags and backpacks, and binders and portfolios for every branch of the armed ser...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Their career journeys  

2. AI and education

3. AI and talent/workforce

4. Amber's book  

5. Trends, challenges and opportunities re AI and education/talent

Alex Swartsel is managing director of Jobs for the Future (JFF) Labs' Insights practice, a growing team that helps decision-makers across the  education-to-career landscape understand and prepare for the emerging trends, technologies, and innovations shaping the future of work and  learning.  

JFFLabs’s rapid insights process and transformative trends research agenda focus on core areas impacting the future...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Jordan's career journey

2.  Historical progress

3. Latest AI developments

4. How we can leverage AI

5. Trends, challenges and opportunities re AI

Jordan is an AI strategist and founder and host of Everyday AI. Everyday AI is a fast-growing media company helping everyday professionals grow their companies and careers with Generative AI through its daily livestream, podcast and newsletter.

Everyday AI is a Top 10 tech podcast on Spotify, and Jordan has taught prompt engineering basics to thousands of people, from entrepreneurs a...

We discussed  a few things including:

1. Guy's amazing career journey

2. His perspectives on the latest technology 

3. Insights on entrepreneurship

4. Guy's new book, Think Remarkable

5. Trends, challenges and opportunities re startup landscape, tech, etc.
 

Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist of Canva and host of the Remarkable People podcast. He was the chief evangelist of Apple, trustee of the Wikimedia Foundation, Mercedes-Benz brand ambassador, and special assistant to the Motorola Division of Google. 

Kawasaki has a BA from Stanford University, an MBA from UCLA, and an hon...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Their career journeys  

2. Gen AI and education

3. Nihat's iLearn schools

4. Jason's teaching and AI journey

5. Trends, challenges and opportunities re tech and education

Nihat Guvercin is an educational administrator passionate about enhancing public education through technology. He holds a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership, a Master of Education in Administration, and a Bachelor of Science in Physics, providing him with a solid educational foundation and diverse experience.  

He has been recognized for his accomplishments, notably as the Ad...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Their career journeys  

2. The startup/funding landscape

3. TJ's heathcare fintech venture

4. Garnet's fund/thesis

5. Trends, challenges and opportunities re new ventures and funding

Garnet Heraman is a serial entrepreneur and investor with 25 years experience at the intersection of innovation + technology. Originally from the island nation of Trinidad & Tobago, he was educated at Columbia University (BA), NYU (MBA) and The London School of Economics.

As a dotcom entrepreneur Garnet had 3 exits, 1 of which was to a publicly traded company. As a...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Thier career journeys

2. The startup landscape

3. Matt's investments, entrepreneurial ventures and defense industry

4. Ryan's drone company

5. Discuss trends, challenges and opportunities re new ventures and defense industry 
 

Matt Higgins is a noted serial entrepreneur, growth equity investor as Co-founder and CEO of private investment firm, RSE Ventures, and Wall Street Journal best-selling author of Burn The Boats.

He is also an Executive Fellow at the Harvard Business School where he co-teaches the course “Moving Beyond Direct-to-Consumer.”  Mr. Higgins’ deep operat...

On June 27, 2024 we discussed AI in Life Sciences with Jot Chahal, Johnson & Johnson, Patricia Leuchten, Diligent Pharma and V. "Bala" Balasubramanian, PhD, MBA, Orion Innovation

Jot Chahal is Vice President, Global Digital Health at Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine, where he is accelerating the commercialization of digital health assets across the pharmaceutical business.

Partnering with our regions, technology, and R&D leaders across the globe to build digital health (SaMD, DTx) capabilities and drive business growth across all therapy areas.

He is an entrepreneurial and results-driven health technology executive with twenty years of experience...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Their career journeys  

2. Mental health crisis

3. Karin's startup and product

4. Harvey's work relating to #AI in #Healthcare

5. Trends, challenges and opportunities re AI and health

Karin Andrea Stephan is a visionary leader and serial entrepreneur with over three decades of business experience. Her passion for empowering people to reach their true potential led her to co-found Earkick, an AI-powered companion that measures, assesses, and improves mental health in real-time.  

With degrees in music, management psychology, and digital management, she le...

We discussed a few things including:  

1. Their career journeys  

2. The mental health crisis

3. Kara's research and new book, Over the Influence

4. Lauren's practice

5. Trends, challenges and opportunities re social media and mental health

Kara Alaimo, PhD, is a communication professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University, where she created the university’s academic programs in social media.  

Her book Over the Influence: Why Social Media is Toxic for Women and Girls – And How We Can Take It Back, which explains how social media is affecting every aspect...

We discussed Steve's impressive journalistic background and then  the state of the battery and electric vehicle industries, domestically and globally. 

Steve LeVine is Editor of The Electric, a publication on the future of batteries, electric vehicles, and the new mobility.  The Electric is owned by The Information. Sign up for the pilot: https://www.theinformation.com/newsletters/the-electric  

Steve is a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council's Foresight, Strategy and Risks Initiative, and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. Previously, Steve was a foreign correspondent for eighteen years in the former Soviet Union, Pakistan and the...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Their career journeys

2. The mental health crisis

3. Jen's vision/promly

4. Danielle's research and vision for Thrive Genetics + The Child Code

5. Trends, challenges and opportunities in health

Jennifer Libby has been a psychotherapist for over 20 years treating at-risk adolescents. Jennifer has been sounding the alarm for many years about the rapidly emerging youth mental health crisis exacerbated by less than responsible social media platforms. Frustrated by the slow movement by the social media industry to “do better” for kids, and in response to her...

On Jan 30, 2024 we discussed a few things including the latest  state of AI in #healthcare and #pharma. 

Panelists include:

Kash Patel is the Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Information Officer, Hackensack Meridian Health, New Jersey’s largest and most comprehensive health network. Mr. Patel has more than 25 years of experience in technology leadership, ranging from start-ups to multinational corporations and is a seasoned leader in health care with a strong focus on innovation and building great teams. Before HMH, Kash was the Vice President and Chief Digital Technology Officer at Penn Medicine.

Donn...

On Jan 31, 2024 we discussed a few things including the latest  state of #entrepreneurship, #funding and #acceleration. 

Speakers included:

Kange Kaneene, is the Vice President of SAP.iO Foundries North and Latin America and Caribbean, SAP’s global network of no-equity ask external startup accelerators. SAP.iO Foundries provide technical and go-to-market support to help startups integrate into SAP’s portfolio and accelerate entry into SAP’s ecosystem to be easily accessed and deployed by SAP customers. In her role she has overseen sourcing for 6 cohorts and has accelerated 38 startups, 66% of which are led by underrepresented individu...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Their career journeys  

2. Discuss Raja's vision/European market

3. Discuss the 1Huddle story and vision

4. Talk about how LinkedIn has helped your business/career  

5. Best practices for leaders leveraging LI and other social media

Sam is the CEO and Founder of 1Huddle, a workforce tech company that upskills, trains, and motivates employees through the use of science-backed, quick-burst mobile games. Sam has managed and coached sales and leadership teams for publicly held, private sector, and franchised companies across the globe for mo...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Jordan's entrepreneurial journey

2. Everyday AI podcast + Newsletter

3. Opps and Challenges related to #AI

4. Forecast for 2024

5. Guidance for young and old

Jordan is an AI strategist and founder and host of Everyday AI. Everyday AI is a fast-growing media company helping everyday professionals grow their companies and careers with Generative AI through its daily livestream, podcast and newsletter.

Everyday AI is a Top 10 tech podcast on Spotify, and Jordan has taught prompt engineering basics to thousands of people, from entrepreneurs...

We discussed a few things including: 

1. Mark's entrepreneurial journey 
2. Creative Good timeline 
3. His radio show, Techtonic 
4. Forecast for 2024 - state of technology; CES; AI 
5. Future trends 

Mark is the founder of Creative Good, the New York-based consultancy and creative platform that he founded in 1997. He has spent his career writing, speaking, and advising teams about how to create better products and services. He has created a number of his own projects, too.

For over two decades, Mark Hurst and his team at Creative Good have advised a wide range of cli...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Their impressive career journeys

2. The OpenAI/Sam Altman drama

3. Best practices for leaders of various size and types companies

4. For-profit versus non-profit boards

5. Differences between boards of directors and advisory boards

Benjy is an executive with broad experience incorporating strategy, finance, operations, organization design, executive coaching and leadership development with extensive investment experience in venture capital, private equity, public markets and investment banking. Have served on the boards of numerous public and private companies. 

Experiences have included working with...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Their career journeys  

2. Their unique leadership experiences

3. LEAP overview

4. Advice for young people

Micheline Nader, BSN, MPH, DESS is a serial healthcare entrepreneur, best-selling author of “Leap Beyond Success/ How leaders evolve” Amazon: https://a.co/d/apvf7td and “The Dolphin's Dance/ Discover your true self through five steps powerful journey into conscious awareness,” and the President of Jesra Foundation Inc. She also serves as a trustee of Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU), chairs the Board of Advisors at Silberman College of Business, and serve...

We discussed a few things including the latest #AI trends, #ChatGPT, #GenerativeAI, ethical and #responsibleAI.

Speakers included:

Neha Shah is the Cofounder and President of GEP and a Certified AI faculty from the VJAL Institute. She has been a pivotal force in developing GEP from its beginnings into a globally recognized leader in digital supply chain and procurement transformation.  

A purpose-driven entrepreneur and executive, Neha steers the company's growth strategies, forging and managing strategic relationships at the C-level with clients and spearheading complex transformation engagements.  

A constant source of innovation and in...

We discussed a few things including:  

1. Your corporate and entrepreneurial journey

2. Investment banking lessons - Arcus insights

3. Y Combinator insights

4. State of the funding and accelerator markets

5. Future trends domestically and globally

Edrizio is a former Y Combinator visiting partner. A Dominican immigrant raised in Harlem, Edrizio dropped out of college and joined the U.S. Air Force, becoming an aircraft technician to make ends meet. He later returned to college, worked on Wall Street, and earned his MBA from the Wharton School.

In 2013, Edrizio c...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Jason and JP's career journeys  

2. How Jason founded Swear

3. JP's assessment of media and misinformation landscape

4. How to protect against misinformation and deepfakes

5. Tech trends, opportunities + forecasts

Jason Crawforth, founder of Swear.com, has been building technology companies for over 25 years. Jason has a track record of success and has been awarded multiple times by Inc Magazine as running one of the fastest growing private technology companies in America.  

Jason and his teams have designed, built, deployed, and managed hu...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Gary's legal, corporate and entrepreneurial journeys

2. Techstars vision

3. Tips for entrepreneurs

4. State of the funding and accelerator markets

5. Future trends  
 

Gary is the Managing Director of the Techstars New York City Accelerator powered by J.P. Morgan. Born in Jamaica, he grew up in the Bronx, where he attended the Bronx High School of Science before attending Yale College and Yale Law School.  

He is a VC-backed, exited serial entrepreneur; an early-stage investor that managed a $1.6 billion start-up por...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Atul's corporate and entrepreneurial journey

2. Kitchen United's story

3. Industry challenges and opportunities - ghost/dark kitchens

4. Insights/trends relating to retail, food and delivery

5. Lessons learned - importance of relationships/friendships

Atul was previously the  Chief Business Officer of Kitchen United. Previously, he was most Director of Global Business Development for McDonald’s Digital, a business unit formed to help spur technological innovation across the restaurant. In this capacity, Atul forged partnerships across the technology ecosystem – ranging from payment platforms to voice...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Their career journeys  

2. How James founded AI for Good

3. Lacey's unique path to social entrepreneurship

4. TechAid Vision

5. AI trends, opportunities + forecasts

As CEO of the AI for Good Foundation, James Hodson is responsible for building economic and community resilience through technology. Since 2015, the AI for Good Foundation has worked with national and municipal governments, the UN, OECD, and many others to design, develop, and deploy tech-enabled policies/solutions for social, economic, and institutional transformation.  

AI for Good works ex...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Their career journeys  

2. How Jim landed in an investing career

3. Nina's unique path to entrepreneurship

4. State of investing landscape/outlook

5. Trends, opportunities in biotech and ecosystem

Jim Gunton has invested in privately-held growth technology companies for more than 20 years. Before co-founding in 2001 the $80 million NJTC Venture Fund, Jim was a partner at Edison Venture Fund and a manager at Oracle Corporation in the Silicon Valley. He served formerly as a Governor of the National Association of Small Business Investment Companies (NASBIC).

Yat Siu moved to Hong Kong in 1996, where he set up Hong Kong Cybercity, the first free web page and email provider in Asia. In 1997 Yat joined AT&T Solutions' System Integration practice, but left in 1998 to set up Outblaze, which developed innovative web-based multilingual white label communication and collaboration services.

Yat Siu's steady leadership and vision steered Outblaze through the Dotcom Bubble and several subsequent crises. Outblaze became a world leader in white label hosted web services, winning numerous awards and accolades. With over 75 million end-users under management, Outblaze secured clients and partners from all over...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Their DEI and entrepreneurial journeys  

2. Lessons learned

3. Randal's insights on data and diversity + new book

4. Gina's experience in the nonprofit, arts world  

5. Trends, opportunities and challenges in diversity space
 

Dr. Randal Pinkett, author of DATA-DRIVEN DEI, is an entrepreneur, innovator, and DEI expert. He is the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of BCT Partners, a global research, training, and data analytics firm whose mission is to provide insights about diverse people that lead to equity.

An international public speaker, Dr...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Stacey's corporate and entrepreneurial journeys

2. Lessons learned

3. Branding and Social Media

4. College and career guidance 

5. Importance of Empathy

In the world of branding, few experts possess the savvy and instinct of Stacey Ross Cohen. An award-winning brand professional who earned her stripes on Madison Avenue and at major television networks before launching her own agency, Stacey specializes in finding, cultivating, and perfecting brands.  

She is CEO and founder of Co-Communications, a PR, marketing, and design agency headquartered in New Yo...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Claudette's and Alex's corporate and entrepreneurial journeys

2. Lessons learned

3. Claudette's startup and the cyber landscape/talent

4. Alex's venture and state of tech talent

5. Trends, opportunities and challenges in cyber/talent

Claudette is a global information technology leader with more than 20 years of success leading digital transformations, optimizing infrastructure and designing new approaches that improve service and cybersecurity experiences. She has worked in the technology industry for several organizations such as Deloitte, Metropolitan Police Services, North York General Hospital, Bank of Montreal...

We discussed a few things including:

1. Len and Bud's professional and entrepreneurial journeys

2. Family businesses, the opportunities and challenges

3. Family business dynamics: favoritism, spouses/in-laws, non-family mgmt/outsiders, death

4. Outlook and trends in business and how they might affect family businesses

Leonard C. Green is a CPA, MBA, and Entrepreneur. Len is founder of The Green Group, which is a provider of Tax, Accounting, and Consulting Services.

Len is also involved in 14 businesses in diverse markets. He is one of the original investors of the NASDAQ publicly...