The Inc. Tank

In this episode, Christina and David speak with Shannon Vallor, a professor at The University of Edinburgh who focuses her work at The Edinburgh Futures Institute. Dr. Vallor, a “Philosopher of Technology” speaks about how human character is being transformed by A.I., robotics, social media, and bio-medical technologies as well as the pursuit of truth in modern society. Guest: Shannon Vallor. Hosts: Christina Elson and David Yang.

We welcome Dr. Mirko Kovac, an internationally known leader in biologically-inspired aerial robotics. With his experience as the Director of the Aerial Robotics Laboratory at Imperial College London and the Head of the Materials and Technology Centre of Robotics at the Empa Material Science Institute in Switzerland, Dr. Kovac shares the excitement of the future of “physical AI”, its potential benefits to humanity, and what it will take to get there. Guest: Mirko Kovac. Hosts: Christina Elson and David Yang.

Weather affects production and consumption in every economic sector, and nearly a half-trillion dollars of annual U.S. economic activity is at risk due to variations in weather. Technology has allowed the weather data we collect to grow exponentially, so much that machine-learning tools are now necessary to analyze data to look for patterns. These patterns help businesses anticipate, respond to, and recover from weather-related events. How can businesses access this information to offset weather-related risks? Guest: Steve Bennett, Chief Product Officer, Demex Group. Hosts: Christina Elson and David Yang.

With Bitcoin reaching new heights, many investors would like to donate some of the wealth created by their investment to a favorite charity. Until recently, it was almost impossible to donate crypto currencies to a charity without first converting to US dollars, creating tax implications for the donor, instead of taking advantage of the tax-deductible status of a direct donation. Guests: Alex Wilson and Pat Duffy, Co-founders, The Giving Block. Hosts: Christina Elson and David Yang.

We welcome back our friend and space expert Dennis Woodfork who brings his experience with Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, NASA, the US Space Force, and the Air Force to bear on a wide-ranging discussion of the emerging space ecosystem including the role of government, private industry and the military in defining the term of engagement as we seriously start building, living, and doing business in space. Guest: Dennis Woodfork. Hosts: Christina Elson and David Yang.

The art market is hot and traditional and digital pieces are selling at auction for new records. Digital art on the blockchain is attracting a lot of attention. Is art a good place to invest? Instead of selling, some art owners seeking capital are borrowing using their art as collateral. This debt is made available to retail investors, allowing a much wider range of people to participate in wealth creation opportunities that were typically available only to institutional investors. Guest: Cynthia Sachs, CEO/CIO Athena & Managing Director Yieldstreet. Host: Christina Elson

The extreme administrative and regulatory costs of healthcare are impacting innovation and accessibility. Creating a new kind of market requires rethinking the ecosystem’s stakeholder models and rebuilding its infrastructure with converging technologies including AI and blockchain. Guests: Heather Flannery, Founder & CEO, and Sean Manion, Chief Scientific Officer, ConsenSys Health. Host: Christina Elson.

Applications for cryptocurrencies, built on incredibly flexible and open source blockchain platforms, are only limited by our imagination. How are new efforts planning to reshape everything from finance to media to the ability to monetize personal data? Guest: Jerry Brito, Executive Director, Coin Center. Hosts: Christina Elson and David Yang.

The physical and economic implications of high levels of diabetes and obesity Americans, already at crisis levels, have been exacerbated by COVID. Why has it so hard to get information on our metabolic health and how can that unlock better living for everyone?  Guest: Dr. Casey Means, Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Levels Health. Host: Christina Elson.

Your phone tracks where you are and who is around you. This information is becoming enormously valuable for business and government, creating new privacy concerns. What should you know about your geolocation data? Guest: Asif Khan, Founder & Chairman Location Based Marketing Association. Hosts: Christina Elson and David Yang.