Fjord Fika

Many people know Charles Adler as one of the co-founders of Kickstarter, the ground-breaking crowdfunding platform (now the world’s largest) that revolutionized how independent creative projects are funded globally. Now, Charles has moved onto his latest venture for independent creatives: Lost Arts, a community workshop in Chicago. A new format of workspace for ambitious creators in the 21st century, Lost Arts aims to drive innovation through open support of creativity. In this Fika break, we talk to Charles about the future of work and alternative workspaces, how you build a new kind of community for ambitious creatives (hint: by making the invisible creative visible), and the legacy of Kickstarter.

Sara M. Watson is a writer and technology critic. She writes and speaks about emerging issues in the intersection of technology, culture and society, and she advocates for a constructive approach to technology criticism that not only critiques, but also offers alternatives. In this Fika break, we spoke to Sara about the the current state of technology coverage and criticism, why it matters now more than ever and why tech critiques often carry negative connotations when other types of culture criticism (books, TV, etc.) don’t. We also discuss micro-targeting, self-determination and agency, and how we move the tech critical enterprise forward.

Marina Lvova is the Director of Client Engagement at Fast Forward Group, a leadership development company that ignites people to take ownership of their business, career and life.  An avid traveler, Marina is an alumna of Remote Year, a program designed for digital nomads to travel the world while working remotely.

In this Fika break, we talk about leadership coaching, travel and the joy of working remotely.

Tim Stock is the co-founder of scenarioDNA, a strategic foresight consultancy that marries consumer anthropology with data science to measure and understand the ideological dynamics impacting society. He is also the co-inventor of a patented methodology called Culture Mapping, which helps companies develop strategic frameworks that support their growth and sustainability.

In this Fika break, we talk to Tim about about culture, ideology and the impact on innovation, organizational design and the importance for companies to be “living,” and how cultural trends are affecting companies today.

Dan Ward served in the U.S. Air Force for more than 20 years where he specialized in leading rapid innovation project. Today, he’s a consultant and writer, best known for his book, “F.I.R.E.: How Fast, Inexpensive, Restrained, and Elegant Methods Ignite Innovation.” In this Fika break, we talk to Dan about his time in the military, the concept of “stormdraining” (the opposite of brainstorming), and how being fast, inexpensive, simple, and small is the secret to innovation.

Karl is currently the CEO and co-founder of nuTonomy, a software company that builds software for fully driverless vehicles. nuTonomy’s mission is to radically improve the safety, efficiency, and accessibility of transportation in cities worldwide. That means a future where driverless vehicles are available where people need them, when they need them, in cities from Singapore to San Francisco and everything in between. By eliminating accidents due to driver error and maximizing vehicle utilization, nuTonomy hopes to enable safer roads and a healthier planet. In this Fika break, we talk to Karl about transportation efficiency, the potential for reshaping cities, saving lives through autonomous vehicles, and creating a driving system on the road that is much, much safer than today’s human piloted cars.

Abby Covert is a staff information architect at Etsy and the author of “How to Make Sense of Any Mess” a book about information architecture for everybody. She says that it is not uncommon to see semantic arguments and legacy decisions drive the information architecture of products and the organizations that make them. This can negatively impact organizational efficiency and user experience. In this Fika break, we talk to Abby about the messes made of information, how she helps companies arrange and structure all the parts of their experience into a cohesive whole for their users, and how language gets in the way of understanding one another.

Carey Russell is an internationally-recognized filmmaker, photographer, writer and naturalist. A frequent collaborator with director Terrence Malick, Carey’s recent work includes directing the 10-part documentary web-series, “Tibetan Stories,” and a soon-to-be released book of photography about summer camps and scouting titled, “The New Arcadians.” In this Fika break, we speak to Russell about photography and videography and cultural identity, storytelling (and unintended consequences), and the importance of mindfulness.

What if you can create sustainable, clean energy just by taking a walk? Well, you can, thanks to Laurence Kemball-Cook. His energy harvesting startup, Pavegen, has pioneered a flooring tile that converts wasted kinetic energy from footsteps into renewable electricity, which has the ability to transform smart cities of the future, entirely through footfall. In this Fika break, we spoke to Kemball-Cook about energy harvesting, fighting climate change, and weathering the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.