Innovation Calling

We’ve become a society that’s tied to our devices, and it’s becoming a bigger issue generation by generation. Kids spend less time playing outside and more time sitting in front of a gaming console.

 

Queue Stephen Dodds to do something about it.

 

Ever since Stephen was a kid, he had a dream of finding an opportunity to enhance the traditional air-soft gun games with his friends (or especially how to play if his friends weren’t available). That dream grew to using augmented reality to bring gaming to life. With Juuk, now kids have the opportunity to experience video games while still getting the daily activity that parents love to see (and honestly, is necessary for development).

 

Stephen joined us to discuss where Juuk was born, and why it became so important to him to follow this dream and make it a reality. He discusses his entrepreneurial journey from living in a tent to Silicon Valley to living in China full-time, and the challenges along the way.

 

 

2:48 - Stephen breaks down Juuk, and the why it was created

4:23 - How the inspiration for Juuk came when Stephen was a kid, and why he was on a mission to change the way kids played

7:40 - How Juuk uses the mixed use of reality and augmented reality to create a really incredible gaming experience

8:28 - How Stephen’s background in Electrical Engineer brought him to the path of entrepreneurship

14:08 - How Stephen got the encouragement and idea to move forward with learning about startups and then  moving into his idea

16:15 - How he got the opportunity to travel and build his company in China and discusses the reasons behind the transitions in his company

18:12 - How active were the investors in helping Stephen go beyond just the beginning and helping him take this to market

19:49 - The tent discussion - we had to go there to figure out the timeline

25:20 - The discussion of self sacrifice, and what it truly is worth to you to follow your dreams, and what Stephen’s parents thought of his entrepreneurial endeavors

27:38 - Where the zombie game idea was born, and why Stephen decided to add that to his business

29:58 - The obstacles Stephen had to overcome to creating and building such a complicated technology

32:45 - The dilemma of setting value, and determining what technology to focus on when money is getting thrown at various different technologies.

34:45 - What else is in the future for Juuk?

Stephen {at} juuk.co

Or visit juuk.co

What is America’s greatest national security threat? Our guest, (Ret) Brigadier General Robert Spalding shares his thoughts on the real threat to the United States: Increasing dependency and infiltration of the Chinese Communist Party into US technology and society, particularly around the 5G race. As devices are increasingly interconnected and social media has seeped its way into all aspect of Western society, General Spalding shares his dire warning that the US elites on both political spectrums are complicit in the dominance of the Chinese economy.

Intellectual Property, no matter how much we innovate, is up for theft. The fight for US supremacy, is at a critical mass and no technology in the future is safe if the US does not mitigate the already global Chinese influence in 5G deployment.

This is probably our heaviest episode, but the most relevant to all of our conversations on how we see the future of innovative emerging technologies and businesses.

If you’re interested in getting your own copy of General Spalding’s Book, ‘Stealth War: How China Took Over While America’s Elite Slept’, click here —> https://amzn.to/32c6ShV

 

Here is the official breakdown.

5:50 -  General Spalding’s career path, and how he went from studying agriculture to the service (and his inspiration may surprise you)

9:30 - How his journey took him from working on his Doctorate in the US (and almost being done with the Air Force) to China.

10:17 - The opportunity in China, and why he put in his name for it (The Homestead Scholar)

13:50 - The disclaimer about China

15:30 - The rumors that have been swirling about China for years now. We discuss the firewall of China, and how China is using it to their advantage in how they educate their citizens in addition to what stays out of China

22:20 - Understanding the Cybersecurity risk that we face because of China, and why you (yes, YOU) need to be careful with how you share your data and what you click

25:30 - Why startups need to be careful of the funding they take to build their companies

27:15 - Should the US consider building a 6th service branch that focuses on protecting the country on a Cybersecurity basis.

33:10 - Why we believe we’re not the problem, yet we’re very much helping with the problem.

35:00 - What you need to know about security and your phone (Samsung or Apple)

36:30 - Why you think you may have a choice in sharing your data with 4G, and why this is going to completely go out the door with the roll out with 5G

38:15 - Does GDPR really work and the details of why or why not

41:10 - Are we too far gone to undo what’s already been done

45:10 - The easy solutions that the United States can do to start investing in itself and making a difference

47:40 - As an ‘average’ person (i.e. not a corporation) what can we do to start making a difference

50:10 - What we need to know about what’s truly happening with the US government and China and what we need to be careful of when it comes

When it comes to building startups, especially on the emerging technology side, founders often think the technology will sell itself. If that doesn’t work, their next step is throwing on a few key words, like Artificial Intelligence or Blockchain to try to seal the deal.

However, when it comes to growing and scaling a company of any type, it truly goes back to the basics, and Amos Schwartzfarb breaks down a process in Sell More Faster that any company can use to understand their client better, focus their sales team on the right things, and scale their company for growth.

Here is the official breakdown of our talk:

3:00 - Introducing Amos’ book and discussing who it really is for (and the answer may surprise you)

5:47 - The motivation and reason behind Amos’ book, and what was important for him in order to write the book

7:23 - Introducing the W3 model, and why it’s crucial that every business understands it before starting to sell their product. It’s all about understanding the Who, What, and Why of your customer and your sales process.

8:32 - Why 90% is your most important number in making the match of who your customer is

9:00 - Why the ‘what’ isn’t the question about what you’re selling to the customer, and how you need to approach this question instead

13:05 - Why understanding what happens with your customer beyond the sale is crucial to your sales process

13:45 - How you begin to measure the success of your customer if you’re just in the beginning part of your business

15:45 - Understanding the difference between the customer sales process and the customer development process

18:30 - Why the sales person’s job isn’t about customer development

20:59 - When a startup isn’t getting the right feedback, it may be time for a pivot, but what is the moment when that a business should understand when it truly is time for a pivot. Or are you just not talking to the right customer?

24:20 - How you actually use the data you’re gathering from your customer and sales

26:29 - When you’re trying to get to the scaling part of your business, what are the most important questions you should be asking

28:32 - What disservice that we’re doing for companies when it comes to understanding the type of business we’re building, and why we should be building it

30:32 - Understanding why the focus of your sales should be about long term vs just one sale at a time

34:53 - Changing the mindset of the sales cycle, and how to change the view of a sales cycle

38:02 - How to understand the different ‘customers’ within your sales process if you’re selling to a larger company

40:40 - Why doing your due diligence in the beginning vs. rushing for the sales can end up benefiting you in the long run

42:11 - What are the biggest mistakes companies make when developing a sales process

Interested in buying the book, you can find it here —> https://amzn.to/2pUIfZK

Want to get in touch with Amos?

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amosschwartzfarb/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/avatureamos

Syya and Erin take a moment to celebrate Innovation Calling’s First Anniversary. In this episode we discuss some of our biggest lessons learned, what we loved most about doing the show, along with what you can expect for next year.

We would love to hear from you! After a year, what were some of your favorite episodes.

Although, we’ve all probably heard the terms gaming and Esports, there’s still a lot of unknown about the industries, and the true impact they have on our modern day culture.

 

John Davidson, of PRG, joins us for this conversation about the current state of Esports, along with the opportunities that are awaiting this billion dollar industry.

 

Although you may think of them as interchangeable, Esports only accounts for about 6% of the gaming industry, but this number is about to take off as you see more and more traditional sports team begin to take note and create their own leagues.

 

The future is extremely bright for this industry, and John helps us to understand the landscape, along with what will be next as they continue to attract big brands and move further and further into the main stream.

 

4:00 - John shares his story into Esports from skateboarding to where he is today

9:25 - How an office job in an accounting firm, actually made him excited about business (and one of the keys he learned about the importance of culture)

13:15 - The concept of a company like GameStop, who sells video games, with the business of Esports

14:14 - What took GameStop so long to get into the Esports world (and the logic behind it)

15:18 - The definition and difference between Gaming and Esports

16:57- The power of Esports versus gaming

18:15 - What was the landscape that allowed Esports to really take off?

21:00 - How the popularity of the games (not just with kids), and our older generations now growing up with gaming, has allowed us to accept gaming as a pastime

22:42 - Understanding the difference between a streamer and gamer

24:00 - Advise for those who are encouraging their kids to become professional gamers

26:32 - The mainstream of Esports, where traditional sports teams are jumping in on this trend

29:45 - Does the traditional sports world transition well into Esports tourneys

34:10 - Breaking down the gaming event experience, and the advantage that Esports compared to tradition sporting events

37:29 - Moving into PRG, the history, and what they’re planning on doing in the Esports world

39:40 - What opportunities are there in the event side of Esports?

46:10 - Does the Esports world have an initiative to bring more diversity to the community

47:47 - The fastest growing segment in Esports

50:14 - The advantage that Esports has against traditional sports in being able to be innovative

51:45 - Where does the responsibility lie in attracting diversity? Is it the game creators, or the event producers?

54:20 - An interesting fact about Fortnite (and why you should never give up)

55:10 - How do you even begin to attempt to understanding the potential of a game to take off

58:30 - What do brands need to know before they jump into sponsorships and partnerships for Esports

Visit John at @J0hnDavids0n

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-davidson-42953846/

In a world where gaming is not just a past-time, but a way of life, Robert Atkins of Balanced Media Technology, wanted to find a way to utilize the time and effort people put into video games for good. A veteran in the gaming space, Robert has been part of some of today’s most popular games.

 

The team at Balanced Media wanted more than just another gaming company, though. They wanted to drive real change, and that’s when their company was born. By connecting communities of developers, researchers, and foundations, Balanced Media Technology, allows them to create tools, and gathers data to help solve extremely complex problems (think cancer research).

 

Robert shares his history of gaming, what brought him to be part of this amazing company, and what’s in the future for an idea that feels like it has endless possibilities.

 

6:00- We meet Robert Atkins and learn his background

8:50 - The landscape of gaming, and how it’s changed

11:15 - Who gaming is for, is it really just the kid in the basement, or who is actually picking up the controllers to play

12:40 - How has the advancement in the technology changed the gaming experience?

14:20 - How has technology advancements helped mot merge Hollywood with gaming

18:20 - Talking more about Balanced and the need they discovered, and how they intend to fulfill that

20:58 - We start diving into the details of this incredible technology, and Robert describes the ins and outs of how this actually not only entertains people, but does social good

23:20 - How we can use the data from ‘Citizen Science’ (and some examples) of how this has impacted change within

24:52 - The challenges with training the system for AI

26:20 - With the rise of gaming popularity, more specifically around the common play among friends, what makes their games attractive - more acceptance means more chance of growth

29:22 - As they open up a who new platform, and therefore revenue stream potential for developers, what’s their objection to building on this platform?

31:42 - With the massive shit in the way we have to think to accept these use cases, what is the current approach for Balanced as they start attracting businesses to their product

34:32 - With the Generation Z’ers growing up on gaming, how quickly will they adapt to something like this?

39:50 - We dig into the two year development cycle of this project and what were the things they discovered while building it, that they weren’t expecting

43:42 - With the struggle of finding the right message, have they discovered they may be a bit before their time, or is the technology space ready for this forward-thinking concept?

46:10 - Robert gives amazing advice for those looking to get into this industry

Want to learn more

Visit http://www.balancedmediatechnology.com/

Overall, does technology actually help us or hurt us? More importantly how does it specifically affect our brains? It may seem like an impossible task to answer, or something that we will have to wait and see as we wait for this generation to grow older.

 

However, thanks to companies like Marketing Brainology, we can see first hand the consequences of stress, multi-tasking, and the use of excessive technology has on our brains.

 

Marketing Brainology focuses on helping companies connect to their consumers and shoppers by helping them to understand the art and science of the decision-making process. Their state of the art technology is used to study the brain as decisions are being made, and it also helps to understand how outside factors truly affect our brain.

 

We had the honor of sitting down with President Dr. Michelle Adams to find out how their technology works, studies that they have done, along with the results, and the future for their innovative technology (because this can go way beyond marketing).

 

Here is the official episode breakdown:

 

1:20 - We meet Michelle and learn more about her company, and how she got into this interesting field of Brain Science

5:20 - Michelle gives some great examples of some of the studies they’re currently working on, and the results the they have seen from their studies. Plus there’s one really great tip about how to get better engagement from Instagram Ads

6:30 - How they can tell what’s happening in the brain when things like auditory triggers happen, and what exactly they’re looking for in these studies

8:40 - The difference between highly emotional people vs. people who aren’t as emotional, and why it’s important to understand the different personality types when marketing

11:52 - With all of the opportunity of this technology, how is Brainology staying focused on the main studies that they’re doing?

14:10 - How can leaders utilize this technology to understand their workforce and how to better lead their teams?

15:10 - The future of brain monitoring, and the intricate details we can learn and monitor.

16:50 - How good is the data if there is so much variability in our brains, i.e., if simple, every day things like coffee and stress have such a huge impact on our brain productivity?

18:24 - With so many different personality types and so many different varying degrees of the brain, how do companies begin to make more general decisions in their advertising based on the feedback they’re getting from these studies?

21:10 - We dig deeper into the findings of men centered ads vs. women centered ads.

23:00 - Their partnership with Brain Scientific, and who they purchase their technology from

27:15 - The importance of messaging in ads, and how certain ones resonate with people

30:10 - How are companies embracing the whole Neuro-Science side to marketing, and how exactly are they using these tools as a whole within their strategy

32:30 - Are they truly understanding the caliber of these advanced studies?

34:30 - How does seasonality affect these studies and marketing, and does this cause the marketing and the messaging to change?

40:05 - The importance of rituals and memories when it comes to memory and remembering

42:30 - As much as we understanding the importance of nostalgia, when does a company know it’s time to pull a plug and move on to something new vs. hold on to the old.

44:30 - What are the trends generationally for marketing?

47:50 - With the evolution of the brain among generations, does the term multi-tasking still remain a myth?

Many of us have embraced ride-sharing as a preferred mode of transportation, but we can also probably agree there’s room for improvement in the experience. Although you would define the ride-sharing companies as disruptors, it’s now time for disruption to happen to them.

Will Coleman saw an opportunity to improve this experience when he found that his wife wasn’t willing to participate in the ride-sharing world because of safety concerns. Plus he saw that ride-sharing wasn’t actually helping with the over congestion of roads, it was actually making it worse.

Although there were many who were hesitant when he first starting talking about his idea, in just a short time they saw his vision for an overall better experience and Alto was born.

Will shares his journey with us, along with what makes Alto so different from the other options in the ride-sharing community.

3:52 - Will tells the story of Alto, and how they differentiate themselves

4:40 - What opportunity they found in the ride-sharing industry, and how they felt they could make it better

5:32 - What was Will’s background, and what made him want to jump into the ride-sharing game

8:42 - What were some of the challenges when starting out, and what did Alto do to overcome those

12:10 - Why experience is such a crucial component for Alto

13:50 - How the employee model for Alto sets them apart

15:15 - With the gig economy disrupting employment, how has that shaped Alto’s ability to find great staff

17:35 - Digging deeper into the specific technology in the car, and how they use that to better the experience

21:15 - With all of the amazing technology they’re currently using, what is on the roadmap for their company

22:34 - Where is self driving on their roadmap, and what else are they looking into in order to be able to optimize not just the experience, but their services

26:08 - Does ride sharing actually add to the congestion problem or reduce it?

29:55 - What opportunities are there to work with the cities to help in the smart cities initiatives

31:58 - What are the plans of expansion in addition to the potential challenges of expanding to other markets

34:25 -Why proving a model in Dallas is crucial to other cities

37:30 - What’s Will philosophy on trying to find balance

41:32 - What is Will’s philosophy on culture for his company and how does he foster that?

43:10 - Does remote and work based performance encourage or discourage the right environment for employees

47:10 - What are the biggest needs of Alto currently?

Want to use Alto? Visit ridealto.com

Want to drive for Alto? Vsiit: drivealto.com

What makes women hold back when it comes to not just starting out in STEM roles, but sticking with them? What do women need to know when entering a career in technology? How can women learn to support each other and being each other advocates vs. the opposite? These are just some of the things that we addressed in this month’s Women in Technology Leadership Live Recording.

We welcomed Dr. Dawn Owners, Director of the BS ITS Program at the Jindal School of Management at University of Texas - Dallas, and we had a completely candid conversation about the landscape of women in technology, and what can be done to help bring more women in, support them, and guide them to leadership roles.

There was a lot of discussion about what makes women different, which was so refreshing, considering we may feel like we’re going on this career journey alone. Plus this is a great listen for men because it can help to understand the differences, and if you see a rockstar woman on your team, what you can do to support her career.

1:35 - Dr. Owens shares her journey from tech into teaching

3:10 - Why she stayed in a role for over 13 years, the keys to the job that kept her engaged and going

5:20 - How she finally got the courage to start applying for new jobs and getting outside of her comfort zone

7:25 - How have the students change since when she first started teaching until now

8:10 - Dr. Owens advice for kids who are thinking about college early on in high school

8:50 - How do we get over the barrier of the myth that IT just means programming (because programming is what can detour women from joining technology roles)

11:50 - Now that we’re getting more women into technical programs, but how do we now avoid the drop-off in technology roles

13:10 - One of the biggest reasons why women stay out of engineering

15:30 - What advice would Dr. Owens give to a student who is getting encouraged to take on roles that they’re great at, but maybe not something that they want to do

15:50 - Why women make better leaders in STEM roles

17:25 - What would Dr. Owens recommend to people are more like introverts but want to move into a leadership role

19:10 - The discussion of women not having each other’s back - and how we are our own worst enemy, and how do we begin to change that?

22:30 - Has social media made women helping other women better or has it made it worse?

23:55 - What we can do to be the solution vs. add to the problem

26:45 - What are some other routes that women can take in technology that fit a more extroverted personality

28:35 - Should women approach roles to fit into a man’s world vs. understanding women’s needs and working toward fulfilling those. And yes, in this conversation we talk balance

33:05 - Was there ever a challenge when trying to find a balance in work/life?

36:10 - How do we get more women to step into leadership roles within technology

38:55 - Confidence and knowing where you want to go is great, but what happens if you’re not quite sure where exactly you want to go?

40:35 - What are the differences in the generations in how they see gender or is it still similar?

43:10 - Is awareness fragility, and how should this be addressed in technical roles

When it comes to hospitals and healthcare the areas where technology can be implemented can feel endless. As a CIO, it can be a challenging job understanding where to best focus time and efforts to create the best possible experience for their patients.

In this discussion, Jonathan Goldberg is the CIO of Arkansas Children’s Hospital joined us to discuss the state of technology and healthcare, what his hospital is doing to make sure they’re constantly enhancing the patient experience, without incorporating too much technology, and some of the challenges they face when trying to offer healthcare, not just at a hospital level, but a state-wide level.

5:20 - Jonathan talks about his career and his journey, and how he moved into the CIO position, and how he ended up in Arkansas

7:45 - How does a CIO begin to understand all of the emerging technology, and where, as a hospital, you should begin to implement

9:47 - Understanding the structure of Arkansas Children’s Hospital

10:35 - How hard is it to get doctors on board to embrace new technology, and some tips and tricks to getting doctors to adapt to what is coming

12:30 - Are doctors in a research facility more adaptive to technology or is there still pushback?

13:20 - Instead of will they use it, making the question how can we make it as easy as possible for them to use?

14:50 - How does the role work with other members of the hospital’s C-Suite to make sure the technology is the right one.

16:16 - What is the current state of health care when it comes to technology?

19:58 - How to avoid chasing the new shiny technologies vs. understanding what is truly necessary.

22:48 - What is the current vision for Arkansas Children’s Hospital along with their goals?

24:40 - The importance of virtual care, and why, in Arkansas, it’s crucial

27:38 - Understanding the adoption of technology in rural areas or Medicaid patients vs. standard insurance patients

29:20 - Is there a push for technology with a younger generation of parents in charge of care?

32:20 - When it comes to telemedicine what are the gaps from where we currently are vs. where we want to be?

35:30 -Does Malpractice Insurance change when it comes to telemedicine?

37:12 - How much is emerging technology getting adopted in the healthcare space vs. just talk?

40:12 - As a teach hospital what other emerging technologies are they incorporating into their business?

44:39 - The genomics project that they embarked on and the status of that

Want to learn more about Arkansas Children’s Hospital -

Twitter —> @mrcio and

LinkedIn —> https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathangoldbergcio/