The Next Great Thing

As a former professional poker player, Nima Ghamsari learned that poker is a game of psychology and understanding how people make decisions. That you have to focus on outputs and make the right small bets over time. That there are times when you go all in, even if you’re unsure of the outcome. Today, as the Co-Founder and Head of Blend, Nima is applying the lessons he learned at the poker table (and studying computer science at Stanford) to transform the financial services industry and fundamentally change the way people interact with their money. Used by more than 350 big banks like Wells Fargo and US Bank, credit unions, fintechs, and community banks, Blend’s cloud banking infrastructure software powers billions of dollars in financial transactions every day, including mortgages, vehicle loans, credit cards, deposit accounts, and home equity. The software aims to simplify, streamline, and take the friction (and mountains of paperwork) out of the consumer banking journey, from application to close. Nima joins the podcast to share his vision of “proactive finance” — a future where banks can proactively offer personalized financial products the moment consumers need them — and Blend’s goal to increase financial freedom, broaden financial equity, and create more value in the world.

Show notes, episodes, and more at thenextgreatthingpodcast.com. For more information on SF AppWorks, visit sfappworks.com.

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We all know what it’s like talking to a chatbot. Or, dealing with an automated customer service phone assistant (and ending up yelling, “Representative!” in frustration just to speak to a human being!). Either way, the robot on the other end doesn’t really understand and treat us like a human. But what if it did? What if it had human “soft skills,” like empathy and humor? What if it actively listened and could read between the lines of your semantic subtleties? And, what if, like humans, it learned and got better at listening to and understanding you? That is exactly what Michelle Zhou has created. A computer scientist by training and an expert in human-centered AI, Michelle is the co-founder and CEO of Juji, a company that’s aiming to be “The Apple of AI” by building the world’s only no-code AI cognitive chatbot assistants. She previously spent 15 years working at IBM Research and is the inventor of IBM Watson Personality Insights. Michelle joins the podcast to talk about how she’s creating no-code AI chatbots that feel and act more human – and her mission to democratize AI so that it’s easy and affordable enough for any organization (or any person) to use.

Show notes, episodes, and more at thenextgreatthingpodcast.com. For more information on SF AppWorks, visit sfappworks.com.

Follow Andrew on LinkedIn at @Andrew Greenstein

Questions? Feedback? Guest recommendations? Email us here.

Millions of Americans struggle to afford and access health care. Some delay seeking care because they lack transportation or child care. Others are simply too nervous to visit a doctor’s office. All these issues hinder people’s ability or willingness to see a doctor, which, in turn, directly impacts their health. But the rise of telehealth is starting to change all that ​​– especially since the start of the pandemic, when virtual everything became the norm. Donna Boyer has experienced this change up close, both as a mother who sought virtual mental health care for her son and as a product innovation leader. Currently the Chief Product Officer at Teladoc Health, Donna is a seasoned tech executive who previously led product teams at Yahoo, Airbnb, and Stitch Fix. She joins the podcast to talk about how telehealth is fundamentally changing the relationship we have with health care and how technology is breaking down barriers of affordability, access, and convenience. Donna also shares how Teladoc Health is personalizing the virtual care experience with products designed to meet us where we are and seamlessly integrate into our lives.

Show notes, episodes, and more at thenextgreatthingpodcast.com. For more information on SF AppWorks, visit sfappworks.com.

Follow Andrew on LinkedIn at @Andrew Greenstein

Questions? Feedback? Guest recommendations? Email us here.

Climate change, a growing global population, and land degradation are depleting the natural resources we rely on to grow our food -- causing massive volatility and instability in our food supply chain. But it’s not all agricultural doom and gloom. In the heart of Appalachia, in Kentucky, is an agtech company called AppHarvest that operates acres upon acres of glass-encased, high-tech greenhouses. Inside these controlled environments grow hundreds of thousands of tomato plants that soon will be followed by berries and salad greens. The crops thrive on precise amounts of light and rainwater and get picked at the peak of ripeness by AI-powered robots and their human coworkers. From Central Appalachia, the fruits and veggies can reach nearly 70% of the U.S. population, delivered to a grocery store or restaurant within a single day’s drive. Josh Lessing, Chief Technology Officer at AppHarvest, joins us to share how the company is developing sustainable agricultural practices, helping to reduce food insecurity, and collecting vast amounts of data to predict and perfect the way we grow our food.

Show notes, episodes, and more at thenextgreatthingpodcast.com. For more information on SF AppWorks, visit sfappworks.com.

Follow Andrew on LinkedIn at @Andrew Greenstein

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How can we ensure a focus on the human element, well-being, and a better health state in a world of exponential technology? In this episode, Andrew Greenstein’s guest is Jeannette McClennan, president and co-founder of The McClennan Group, a digital product and marketing innovation agency. She talks about their work for AARP and Humana and the way they are navigating the challenges and opportunities—all while discovering the pain points and prototyping winning solutions.

Join us on our exploration on how the power of human ingenuity and technology can be applied - through innovative initiatives like Humana’s nudge engine - to help people achieve their best health.

Show notes, episodes, and more at thenextgreatthingpodcast.com. For more information on SF AppWorks, visit sfappworks.com.

Follow Andrew on LinkedIn at @Andrew Greenstein

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Andrew Greenstein welcomes Chris McCarthy, VP of Strategy and Design at Hopelab, a social innovation lab focused on designing science-based technologies to improve the mental health and well being of teens and young adults.

Chris pulls from his experience leading innovation at Kaiser Permanente to talk about the importance of getting frontline workers involved in innovation efforts, how a game helped save children’s lives, and why an innovation lab that works is flipping its model.

Show notes, episodes, and more at thenextgreatthingpodcast.com. For more information on SF AppWorks, visit sfappworks.com.

Follow Andrew on LinkedIn at @Andrew Greenstein

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We’re joined by Iain McIntyre, founder of humm, the biotech company that developed a wearable patch to accelerate learning and other cognitive functions by modulating the brain’s electrical currents.

Show notes, episodes, and more at thenextgreatthingpodcast.com. For more information on SF AppWorks, visit sfappworks.com.

Follow Andrew on LinkedIn at @Andrew Greenstein

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Andrew Greenstein welcomes Andrew Smith, the Chief Operations and Innovation Officer at Vituity—a physician-owned-and-led partnership and leader in acute care innovation. Joining Vituity in 2012, Andrew is responsible for integrating cutting edge innovations into core operations to improve the lives of patients and providers. 

Show notes, episodes, and more at thenextgreatthingpodcast.com. For more information on SF AppWorks, visit sfappworks.com.

Follow Andrew on LinkedIn at @Andrew Greenstein

Questions? Feedback? Guest recommendations? Email us here.

A conversation with  Eric Redmond, the best-selling author of Deep Tech. He’s a 20 year veteran technologist who always happens to show up wherever deep tech history is being made, from the first iPhone apps, to big data, to bitcoin. He has advised state and national governments, Fortune 100 companies, and groups as varied as the World Economic Forum, and MIT Media Lab. He’s also authored half a dozen technology books, including 2 tech books for babies, and spoken on every continent except Antartica—yet. Today, he’s a husband, a dad, and the leader of a global tech innovation team.

Show notes, episodes, and more at thenextgreatthingpodcast.com. For more information on SF AppWorks, visit sfappworks.com.

Follow Andrew on LinkedIn at @Andrew Greenstein

Questions? Feedback? Guest recommendations? Email us here.

Glenn Gonzales joins The Innovation Cookbook to speak with Andrew about innovation in the skies. Glenn is the Founder and CEO of private jet company, Jet It. He served in the United States Air Force as an F15 flight commander before working as a regional sales manager for the Honda Aircraft Company, where he loved the small but mighty Honda Jet so much that he started a company around it. He has an MBA, a Masters in aeronautical science, and a BS in Behavioral Science with a concentration in Human Factors Engineering. He’s also a speaker, a spokesman for Make a Wish, and the founder of a military community outreach organization, The 71st Fighter Squadron Iron Foundation, and now the Regional Entrepreneur of the Year for Ernst & Young.

Show notes, episodes, and more at thenextgreatthingpodcast.com. For more information on SF AppWorks, visit sfappworks.com.

Follow Andrew on LinkedIn at @Andrew Greenstein

Questions? Feedback? Guest recommendations? Email us here.