Tech'ed Up

Attorney Chris Grieco is General Counsel for a crypto startup that has created a stablecoin protocol.  An alumnus of the Department of Justice, White House Counsel's office, and a former federal prosecutor, Chris knows his way around the corridors of Washington. In this episode, he joins Niki at the Tech'ed Up studio to explore the concepts of stablecoins, a digital dollar, and "decentralized finance" AKA DeFi.

"…another kind of theme of crypto, I think, is that people don't necessarily take your word for anything, you, y’know, have to be able to prove it on the blockchain." Chris Grieco

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Crypto journalist, podcaster, and author Laura Shin joins Niki from New York to talk about her new book, “The Cryptopians: Idealism, Greed, Lies, and the Making of the First Big Cryptocurrency Craze.” She recounts the origins of Ethereum, the second most important blockchain, and the second largest cryptocurrency by market cap after Bitcoin, and sheds light on the unlikely founder, a teenager named Vitalik Buterin.

 "I did not realize when I started reporting it. However, by the end, it was very clear that this book was also a coming of age story for Vitalik (Ethereum creator). " -Laura Shin

• Listen to Laura’s podcast
• Buy The Cryptopians from an independent bookstore
• And find her at laurashin.com and on Crypto Twitter
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Digital health start-up, Favor,  is on a mission to make reproductive care more accessible and convenient, especially to members of Gen Z. Chief Marketing Officer, Chelsea Kohler, joins Niki Christoff from San Francisco to break down the latest trends in digital health and to discuss how the pandemic has shifted attitudes - and regulations - around telehealth.

"I can't imagine a world in which any other medication that people are on for three plus decades still needs to be picked up every month." -Chelsea Kohler

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CEO of fintech startup Caribou Kevin Bennett joins Niki in the studio to lament the ‘double marginalizing experience’ of buying a car – being treated like crap and paying for the privilege.. Luckily, his D.C-based company is here to help. 

"We do think that the period and the time and the days of cars being reasonably priced is probably over." -Kevin Bennett

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Tech industry veteran Kat Mauler joins Niki in the studio to talk about the challenges–and opportunities–of parenting in the age of smartphones and what it’s like trying to raise ‘full-stack humans’ whose personalities aren't driven by what the algorithms reward.

"What I don't want is to think of this as being dystopian. What I want is to think of this as being an opportunity. We know that the world will be different in 30 years." -Kat Mauler 

Ideas of great parenting apps or tools or tips or tricks? 
Email us at [email protected]

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Vice President of Partner Products, Programs & Operations of autonomous vehicle startup Aurora Lia Theodosiou-Pisanelli joins Niki in the studio. They discuss how self-driving technology could transform our highways, help with our long-haul trucker shortage, and shore up America’s supply chain.

“You can build the best technology in the world, but if the market isn't ready for it or doesn't want it, then, you know, what's the point?” -Lia Theodosiou-Pisanelli

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In today’s episode, host Niki Christoff makes some observations about the state of play for virtual currency in Washington, D.C. 

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Technology policy reporter Ashley Gold covers antitrust news for Axios based in Washington, D.C.  She joins Niki in the studio to discuss the U.S. federal government’s crusade against the dominance of Big Tech', and to answer the question: Do voters really want these regulations, or has Congress lost the plot? 

" …we're still in sort of a wait-and-see mode to see whether any of these actions will  result in fundamentally changing how tech operates, but tech is more spooked right now than they have been in a couple of years" -Ashley Gold

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Former right-hand to legendary tech CEOs Jeff Bezos and Eric Schmidt Ann Hiatt  joins Niki remotely to tease out the lessons she learned from her high-powered, high-stakes career spent at some of the world’s most prominent tech companies. Ann is also the author of Bet on Yourself: Recognize, Own, and Implement Breakthrough Opportunities and works as a leadership strategy consultant for entrepreneurs around the world.

"I'm a big believer, especially if you're working at that pace, that your job needs to give as much to you, as you give to it." -Ann Hiatt

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Deana Burke is a communications partner at Celo, a mobile-first blockchain enabling peer-to-peer payments. She joins Niki Christoff and makes the case for Bitcoin: Why should we care about it at all? Deana is passionate about making sure people who don’t work in finance or technology can participate in this “revolution in money.” She also explains what the heck are DAOs.

"I think that the lesson… is that you don't have to fully understand everything that's happening in crypto. You don't have to understand every term or every idea that you come across in order to participate." -Deana Burke

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