Adriel's Curious City

The final episode of the 3-episode series exploring the future of transportation. This one, all about self-driving cars. Where they'll work, where they'll take some time, and the challenges and opportunities awaiting autonomous technology.

Produced in 2017 in collaboration with Research Triangle Park.

Episode 2 of the 3-episode series exploring the future of transportation. This one- all about Live-Work-Play communities of the future, and...drumroll please...self-driving cars!

Produced in 2017 in collaboration with Research Triangle Park.

Recorded and produced in 2017 in partnership with North Carolina's Research Triangle Park, this series looks at the future of transportation. Where we are, and what we're driving towards.

This time around, I sit down with Stacey Ferreira. Stacey is a force of will. At 18 she founded her first tech startup with her brother. Sir Richard Branson invested, pivots were made, company was sold by the time she turned 20. Later, as one does, she went on to write and publish a book - 2 Billion under 20 - and start her next company, Forge.

Stacey and I talk a lot about a topic I'm very interested in- Ambition. I’ve been trying to understand what drives young people to work so hard and give up so much of their free time, social lives, and leisure for pursuits greater than themselves. That’s where we started, but we transition into finding great mentors, managing people older than yourself, and Stacey’s thoughts about the future of work.

So please enjoy my conversation with Stacey Ferreira.

@staceyferreira

joinforge.com

2 Billion Under 20: How Millennials Are Breaking Down Age Barriers and Changing the World

Today on the episode is Rhonda Binda. Personally, I don’t think much about government. And therefore, I don’t understand it well. But, in the spirit of my Curious City, I’ll happily ask questions.

Rhonda has worked for the transition team bringing in the Obama administration and the Trump administration. She’s spent 3 years as the executive director of the Jamaica Center Business Improvement District, bringing an economic turn around to the city. And now, she’s the VP of Policy and Director of Regional Smart Cities initiative for Venture Smarter.

Rhonda’s amazing background means she can provide insight into what is otherwise a very confusing business of government, and a world which many of us see in a negative light. She’s got great stories to share about working with 3 presidents, bringing technology into a very traditional city, and founding a tech company focused on re-defining what it means to be a city.

So please enjoy my conversation with Rhonda Binda.

To learn more about VentureSmarter, visit venturesmarter.com

Hello my friends, and welcome back to Adriel’s Curious City, where I get to speak with brilliant entrepreneurs, artists, and educators about their philosophy, strategy, and vision for their industry.

This episode was hilarious. I got to drink wine, eat dried fruit, and talk about cheap beer with Josh Nadel, Master Sommelier, co-founder of Gothic Wines, and beverage director at Soho Hospitality Group.

For some context- there are 247 Master Sommaliers in the history of the entire world. Josh is part of the most recently minted group of Master Sommaliers, and has had a journey of over 10 years to reach this his title.

Josh is funny, friendly, and brings a casual attitude to the murky world of wines. He shares stories of high end drinks, low class bars, and hard blue collar work. I loved this because I got to split a bottle with a master sommelier. You’ll love this because you’ll learn about wine, hear stories from a hospitality legend, and, I hope, laugh along with us.

So please grab a drink and a dear friend, and enjoy my conversation with Master Sommelier, Josh Nadel.

You can see some of the restaurants with which Josh works at www.nhgnyc.com or see his own wine at www.gothicwine.com

Today on the podcast is Scott Cohen. Scott is a filmmaker, artist, entrepreneur, and so many other things. He’s the writer and director of Red Knot, winner of the New American Cinema Award at the Seattle International Film Festival. He is also one of the people behind New Lab, a 84,000 square foot tech and entrepreneurship paradise, in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Scott and I talk about the challenges and rewards of doing really hard things, filming a movie in Antarctica, and investing in technologies and companies that further your own philosophies of the world.

Please enjoy my conversation with Scott Cohen!

Read more about New Lab at newlab.com

Today on the podcast is Dan Katz.

Dan has had an amazing young career to date. He started off as the chief researcher to David Gergen at Harvard, joined Arianna Huffington as chief of staff at HuffPost, and now leads business development at Thrive Global, a company on a crusade to end burnout.

Dan is 2 parts funny, 3 parts thoughtful. We talk about what it’s like to work for amazing mentors, like the brilliant Arianna Huffington. And most importantly, Dan left me with some amazing nuggets of thought about how to think about technology, growth, and peacefulness in a chaotic world.

Dan is a crazy cool guy, and I could have talked to him for a few extra hours. Alas, an hour was all we had.

So please enjoy my conversation with Dan Katz.

To learn more about Thrive Global, visit www.thriveglobal.com or find Dan on twitter @DanJKatz

Today on the podcast is Matt Kalmans, and this episode was a LIVE recording of Adriel’s Curious City, hosted at the Founders Friday event in NYC.

Matt has a typical startup story in a very atypical startup world. He began his first research into his current company, Applecart, out of his freshman year dorm room with his best friend. As a political science major at Penn and a volunteer on multiple political campaigns, Matt had a theory that political outreach was broken. So he decided to fix it, and Applecart was born.

Today, after years of hard work, Matt and 25 people are on a mission to affect politics in a positive way. They’ve got an innovative approach, a dedicated vision, and a lot of built-up goodwill. We talk about the founding of the big idea, getting your first customers, what it’s like to have the power to affect political outcomes, and much, much more.

So please enjoy my conversation with Matt Kalmans- LIVE at Founders Friday in NYC!

Today on the podcast is Stephen Gorevan. Stephen is founder and chairman of Honeybee robotics, a 30 year old company that has been involved in space exploration since it’s beginning.

Stephen is one of those fascinating personalities, while having accolades that astound me, is humble enough to really make anyone feel like they can accomplish anything.

Honeybee Robotics has built parts for every Mars rover of the last 15 years. Stephen’s handiwork has led to some of the most existential discoveries in outer space on multiple planets. He’s also built an amazing organization where over 100 people are focused on breaking down the barriers between earth and space. You know, no big deal.

We talk a lot about the founding of Honeybee Robotics, which involves one of the most comically entrepreneurial, fake it till you make it stories I’ve ever hear. Preview: It involves an oreo, a baseball bat, and a toilet seat. We also get into what a robotics and space visionary like Stephen thinks about Artificial Intelligence, space exploration, and, I couldn’t resist, where are the aliens?

If you want to check out Honeybee Robotics, visit https://www.honeybeerobotics.com/ or email Stephen directly at [email protected].