In this episode of The Next Innovation, host Jennifer Strong wraps up her coverage of SXSW as she sits down with two Irish leaders spearheading the future of Irish tech innovation. Jenny Melia is the CEO of Enterprise Ireland and Minister Robert Troy is the Minister of State at the Department of Finance. Their conversation with Jennifer examines Ireland’s growing role as a booming global tech hub, what it takes to ensure young entrepreneurs have the right resources for their businesses to flourish, and the differences between scaling a startup in the European Union versus the United States.

Episode produced by Situation Room Studios. Executive Producer is Christine Baratta, Senior Producer is Sharon Beriro.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! In this episode of The Next Innovation, host Jennifer Strong takes you to Austin, Texas, for the annual tech conference at SXSW. In this live panel discussion hosted at Ireland House, she sits down with Peri Kadaster, Chief Communications Officer of Nearform, a company that specializes in delivering tailored AI solutions for clients. The panel also features Brenda Jordan, CEO of Sobi Analytics, a company using AI to enable smarter and more efficient financial services.

The discussion examines Ireland's growing role as a global tech powerhouse, the different ways AI can strengthen business operations, and the increasingly important role of human intelligence, hand in hand with AI. Plus, the panelists take questions from audience members.

Episode produced by Situation Room Studios. Executive Producer is Christine Baratta, Senior Producer is Sharon Beriro.

In this episode of The Next Innovation, host Jennifer Strong examines what's driving the latest chip boom, including how AI advancements and national security are incentivizing domestic production of semiconductors. Don Clark, a freelance tech journalist with over two decades of experience covering the semiconductor industry for the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, breaks down how semiconductors are an essential ingredient in all forms of technology, the complex global supply chain of semiconductors, and how factories - or chip fabs, as they're known - are designed and constructed to produce chips.

The episode also features Séamus Guidera, an architect at RKD Architects, a leading Irish architecture firm helping design sustainable semiconductor facilities around the world, Tony Woods, Managing Director of Midland Steel, a steel supplier that works on chip fabs, and Dan McAlister, co-founder and CEO of EIDA Solutions, a software that assesses quality control of chip fabs.

Episode produced by Situation Room Studios. Executive Producer is Christine Baratta, Senior Producer is Sharon Beriro. Additional production support by Global Situation Room.

More than twenty years after the Moneyball phenomenon proved that numbers could win games, sports are entering a new data revolution.

In this episode of The Next Innovation, host Jennifer Strong unpacks how the latest generation of sports tech is powering performance. Martin O’Reilly, CEO and co-founder of Output Sports, shares how his company’s matchbox-sized sensors give coaches like the University of Colorado’s Steve Englehart real-time strength and performance metrics. Engineer Conor Walsh explains how his Harvard lab develops prototypes that adapt to each user, from runners to patients regaining mobility. And Nick Sprague reveals how Orreco uses biomarkers and motion capture to deliver individualized insights to NBA and Premier League players.

Orreco has been named as part of the 10 most innovative sports tech companies by Sports Business Journal.

But can too much tracking undermine the human side of the game? Journalist Zach Schonbrun raises critical questions about the double-edged sword of personalization.

Episode produced by Situation Room Studios.

In this episode of The Next Innovation, host Jennifer Strong speaks with Ethan Barajas and Jamie Palmer of Icarus Robotics, an Irish co-founded start-up, about their work developing dexterous, AI-enabled robots designed to operate alongside astronauts in space. The co-founders reflect on the experiences that led them into robotics, from an early NASA internship to time spent as a test engineer with the Mercedes Formula One team. They discuss how general-purpose robots can handle routine and hazardous tasks aboard the International Space Station, and explain how this may change the way astronauts spend their time in space. They break down the technical and operational challenges of testing robots for microgravity and explain why teleoperation is a crucial step toward fully autonomous physical AI. The conversation also explores what has surprised them most about working in the space industry, why the data they are collecting today could shape the next decade of space exploration, and how New York City’s growing international tech scene is supporting the next generation of engineering startups.

In this episode of The Next Innovation, host Jennifer Strong sits down with other prominent journalists from the tech industry to break down the biggest tech trends to expect in 2026. Joining Jennifer are Jeff Wilser, a freelance tech reporter, AI expert, and podcast host, Charlotte Jee, news editor at MIT Technology Review, and Robert McMillan, a cybersecurity reporter for the Wall Street Journal. They explore how the different iterations of AI, including agentic AI, will shape the future of cybersecurity, finance, healthcare, and defense. They also examine how AI-generated content is altering general interest in social media among younger generations, the energy impact of data centers, the future of quantum computing, and the emergence of humanoid robots.

In this episode of The Next Innovation, host Jennifer Strong unpacks how agentic AI, a new form of AI technology, is shaping the landscape of business operations, specifically how it is fortifying cybersecurity efforts. We meet Thomas Kinsella, co-founder of Tines, an Irish technology company that employs agentic AI for smarter workflows and increased production. Dr. John Williams, professor of agentic computing at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), walks us through how agentic AI differs from large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, and Anne Neuberger, former U.S. deputy National Security Advisor for cyber and emerging technology, explains how the use of agents in cybersecurity can better detect unusual behaviors and prepare against foreign adversaries, including how Chinese attackers targeted Anthropic AI, an AI research company. Plus, Lane Bess, former CEO of Palo Alto Networks, shares how companies can integrate AI agents to both protect and enable workers. 

In this episode of The Next Innovation, host Jennifer Strong explores how agriculture is rapidly digitizing, from herd apps to autonomous drones. Texas cattleman Cody Alexander shares how rising costs, shrinking labor, and family tradition shape daily life on his multigenerational ranch. Meghan Bochanski, North America Growth Manager at Herdwatch, a cloud-based herd-management app, explains how the software is helping producers track treatments, calving, and performance data in real time. From Ireland, Donal Skelly, Product Manager for LVLogics, describes how the silo monitoring company built a wireless, self-cleaning silo sensor to eliminate dangerous climbs and give farmers remote visibility into feed levels. Agricultural automation expert, Dr. Alex Thomasson of Mississippi State University, outlines how drones, autonomous tractors, and AI are redefining fieldwork. And PJ Huffstutter, agriculture reporter at Reuters, breaks down the economic barriers facing farmers, from the cost of land and equipment to the connectivity gaps that slow digital adoption.

Episode produced by Situation Room Studios.

In this episode of The Next Innovation, host Jennifer Strong explores how automation and AI are transforming the dairy industry, from personalized milking systems to smarter supply chains. We meet Cody Alexander, a cattle rancher in rural Texas, who walks us through his farm and cow maintenance. John Daly, head of Research and Innovation at Dairymaster, a company focusing on automation efforts in dairy production, explains how sensors and robotic teat sprayers are enhancing animal welfare and productivity. Dr. Julio Giordano, a professor of animal science at Cornell University and co-director of the Cornell Institute for Digital Agriculture (CIDA), shares how digital monitoring systems can help farmers detect illnesses earlier and improve overall herd well-being. Leigh Hamilton, CEO of Piper Systems, a company focused on digital technology for milk collection, testing, and sampling, explains how new forms of metering and sampling ensure farmers are paid fairly and high-quality milk is delivered. And Gary Gallagher, CEO and founder of OptaHaul, a software company focused on dairy logistics, discusses how the tech can cut costs and carbon emissions in milk transport.

Episode produced by Situation Room Studios.

More than twenty years after the Moneyball phenomenon proved that numbers could win games, sports are entering a new data revolution.

In this episode of The Next Innovation, host Jennifer Strong unpacks how the latest generation of sports tech is powering performance. Martin O’Reilly, CEO and co-founder of Output Sports, shares how his company’s matchbox-sized sensors give coaches like the University of Colorado’s Steve Englehart real-time strength and performance metrics. Engineer Conor Walsh explains how his Harvard lab develops prototypes that adapt to each user, from runners to patients regaining mobility. And Nick Sprague reveals how Orreco uses biomarkers and motion capture to deliver individualized insights to NBA and Premier League players. But can too much tracking undermine the human side of the game? Journalist Zach Schonbrun raises critical questions about the double-edged sword of personalization.

Episode produced by Situation Room Studios.