Tech Can't Save Us

In this episode of Tech Can’t Save Us, we welcome Simon Court—coach, founder of Value Partnership (a leadership consultancy firm), and author of ‘Founder’s Legacy: Fifty Game-Changing Leadership Lessons for Building a Great Business’.

After working as a management consultant at YSC and HR Director at Ericsson, Simon became a leadership coach and co-founded Value Partnership with his wife, Jane, in 1998. Simon has helped two tech companies (Miniclip and Tipico) to grow into unicorns in the last 10 years–experience that inspired him to distil his knowledge into the book.

Join us as Paul and Simon discuss the differences between leaders and founders, how great leaders are formed and how advances in technology, such as AI and virtual reality and augmented reality, are being leverage to support leadership training.

Dominic Shales is the founder and CEO of not one but two purpose driven companies: Reset Media, a digital publisher, and DUNE Communications, a corporate comms agency. 

He also acts as fractional CMO for Nexus Climate, a business that creates and nurtures climate startups, and Carbon Re, an AI climate tech pioneering industrial decarbonisation.

In this episode of Tech Can’t Save Us, Paul, Will and Dominic dive deep into the topic of industrial decarbonisation, discussing the biggest industrial culprits for greenhouse gas emissions and how lower-carbon alternatives can help to reduce those emissions.

Through an evidence-based, data-informed approach paired with leading practices, Feminuity has helped more than 100 companies worldwide build stronger, more inclusive organizations.

In this episode of Tech Can’t Save Us, Dr. Saska joins Paul and Wull to discuss the importance of DEI in the tech industry, the threat AI algorithmic bias poses to DEI efforts, and mainstream backlash.

She also talks about her views on integrating DEI competencies into every aspect of a business, rather than relying on a single chief diversity officer or related role.

Insurtech is poised to narrow the gender health gap. Companies like Juniper have raised millions in pre-seed funding to offer reproductive healthcare insurance. Founders Ambra Zhang and Sam Pratt highlight the overlooked niche of high-frequency, moderate-cost healthcare, touching on a range of conditions including contraception, STD testing, and reproductive organ cancers. 

How will this focus on reproductive health transform employee well-being and corporate responsibility? Paul and Will discuss the emergence of specialised insurance models like Juniper's in addressing the comprehensive health needs of employees in this episode of Tech Can't Save Us.

Jermaine Murray is making strides toward diversity in tech by helping Black job seekers secure their dream roles through his company, JupiterHR, having already celebrated 400 success stories. Despite Black individuals making up a significant portion of the population, they are severely underrepresented in the tech industry, with Black women holding a mere 0.7% of IT roles. How can companies better support Black employees and ensure inclusivity? Paul explores the critical role of representation, inclusivity, and support systems in expanding Black representation in tech with Jermaine Murray in this episode of Tech Can't Save Us.

In the world's most significant election year, social media faces is struggling to safeguard democracy, with soaring political ad spend and peaking geopolitical tensions. The advent of generative AI has brought in new problems, with rising concerns over deepfakes and other forms of digital impersonation. How can tech companies and governments counter these threats to maintain democratic processes? Sahar Massachi's insights from his tenure at Facebook to co-founding the Integrity Institute reveal both hurdles and hopeful strategies for a more secure online democracy. Paul and Will explore the intricate relationship between democracy, social media, and emerging technologies in this episode of Tech Can't Save Us.

The tech industry's gender gap is slowly closing, with women's participation in tech roles in the UK and US showing marginal increases since the pandemic. Surprisingly, despite advancements, only a small fraction of tech leadership roles are held by women, and a significant gender pay gap persists. How can innovative education technologies like imagi, which focuses on making Python coding accessible and fun for girls, play a role in bridging this gap?

Dora Palfi shares insights into overcoming biases with AI-enhanced education and her journey in founding imagi to empower young women in tech. Paul and Will delve into these challenges and solutions in closing the tech gender gap with Dora Palfi on this episode of Tech Can't Save Us.

Femtech is breaking new ground by extending its focus to include menopause and endometriosis, marking a shift from its traditional emphasis on fertility. Despite reaching over $1 billion in global VC investment in 2021, the sector faces criticism for not fully addressing broader health concerns affecting women and LGBTQ+ communities. How can femtech evolve to bridge these critical gaps in healthcare? Consider Béa Fertility, under Tess Cosad's leadership, which is pioneering inclusive, affordable fertility care with its innovative at-home Intracervical Insemination kit, challenging the traditional and costly routes to fertility treatment. Paul and Will team up with Tess Cosad to explore the intersection of technology, inclusivity, and fertility care in this episode of Tech Can't Save Us.

The voluntary carbon market is critical for companies like Kickstarter, allowing them to offset carbon emissions by investing in environmental projects, aiming for carbon neutrality. Despite its growth and potential, the market faces criticisms for greenwashing and ineffectiveness, with calls for increased transparency and integrity in carbon offsetting practices. How can the market address these challenges to ensure its future viability? Paul and Will discuss the complexities and future prospects of the voluntary carbon market in this episode of Tech Can't Save Us.

AI is transforming marketing strategies and agency operations. John Higginson, Founder and CEO of Higginson Strategy, emphasizes AI's role in augmenting human creativity, rather than replacing jobs, through examples like the Cadbury campaign and Sephora's AI chatbot. However, concerns about AI mismanagement and the importance of ethical use lurk underneath. How will agencies navigate these challenges while maximizing AI's potential? Paul and Will team up with John to explore these dynamics in this episode of Tech Can't Save Us.