Struggling to find purpose beyond career success? In this clip, Christophe El-Khoury shares the question that guides his decisions and helps him stay focused on what matters the most.

Listen to the full episode for a deeper conversation on purpose, business, and personal growth.

Hugh Chichester (Founder & CEO of Naya) reveals how he’s building offshore AI teams that help small and medium sized businesses compete with giants without massive hiring or huge costs.

From refugees to Kurdish engineers, he shares why the future of AI work may not be in Silicon Valley, but in the Global South.

Hugh Chichester is the Founder and CEO of Naya, a company that builds and manages offshore AI agent teams for UK and US businesses. After starting in politics and charity work, he became obsessed with solving talent shortages and labor imbalances using AI and remote talent.

In this episode, he explains:

• How AI agents are becoming real “coworkers” that take action, not just answer questions
• Why offshoring AI talent to places like South Africa, Jordan, and Kurdistan is becoming a major advantage for small and medium sized businesses
• The biggest risks no one talks about: security breaches, runaway costs, and prompt injection
• Why most companies are implementing AI completely wrong, and how to do it right
• The new roles emerging in the AI era: Domain Experts, AI Operators, and Engineers
• Lessons from multiple failed pivots and why he’s glad he didn’t raise big VC money
• His honest take on the future of work, youth unemployment, and creating opportunity through remote work

If you’re a founder, business owner, or anyone thinking about the future of AI and jobs, this conversation is essential.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro
00:24 Hugh’s Background And Early Career
02:24 Falling Into Entrepreneurship
03:51 From Politics To AI
04:36 The Refugee Story That Shaped Hugh’s Perspective
07:33 The Original Vision Behind Niya
09:38 Why Skilled Migrants Struggle To Find Work
10:38 Why Most People Don’t Want To Leave Home
12:01 “We Were Solving A Social Problem, Not An Economic Problem”
13:55 How Offshore AI Teams Actually Work
16:09 Finding Talent In Overlooked Regions
17:05 Why Communication And Hustle Matter Most
19:13 AI Agents Are Becoming Coworkers
21:10 Why Businesses Still Resist AI
22:53 Why Most People Still Misunderstand AI
24:34 The Opportunity AI Creates For Small Businesses
26:29 How VCs Are Rebuilding Industries With AI
29:48 The Biggest Risks Of AI Adoption
33:13 Why Companies Are Implementing AI Too Fast
35:31 AI Tools vs AI Agents
38:13 How AI Changes Team Workflows
41:53 Trust, Surveillance And AI In The Workplace
43:13 Growing A Business Without Hiring Twice As Many People
44:54 The New Roles AI Will Create
47:56 Why Young People Have A Huge Advantage In AI
50:51 Why AI Could Create A New Generation Of Entrepreneurs
52:32 The Problem With VC Culture
56:52 Building Slowly Instead Of Chasing Hype
57:03 The Startup Failures That Changed Hugh’s Thinking
59:45 Why You Should “Test And Approve” Everything
01:01:20 The Middle Class Job Crisis & Barbell Effect
01:02:58 How AI Is Lowering The Barrier To Starting A Business
01:04:29 Why Company Data Is A Bigger Problem Than People Think
01:06:59 Where To Start If You Want To Learn AI
01:08:42 How Hugh Uses His Own AI Assistant
01:10:52 What AI Agents Can Actually Do For Businesses
01:14:09 Why Human Experience Still Matters
01:18:57 What Companies Should Never Automate
01:20:54 The Three Questions Sara Asks Every Guest
01:21:19 The Best Advice Hugh Ever Received
01:24:43 Why Being A Founder Is Not A Status Symbol
01:26:32 The Hardest Lesson Hugh Learned
01:28:02 How Hugh Thinks About Failure
01:31:36 Final Thoughts

Vinchy is building a new way to produce fashion, and it starts with fixing a system most people never see.

She went from finance and consulting into fashion, only to discover how broken the supply chain really is. Minimum order quantities, miscommunication, overproduction and wasted inventory are holding back new designers and damaging the industry.

Now she’s building an operating system to change it.

She explains:

• Why most fashion brands fail before they even launch
• How factories actually work and why small brands get rejected
• The hidden cost of overproduction and unsold inventory
• Why supply chain complexity kills creativity
• How small batch production could reshape fashion
• The role consumers play in driving waste
• How AI can fix communication and coordination in manufacturing
• What it really takes to build in a legacy industry

Timestamps

00:00:00 Intro
00:00:37 From Finance To Fashion
00:03:40 The Real Problem In Fashion Supply Chains
00:07:24 Why Designing Clothes Is Harder Than It Looks
00:09:47 How Factories Actually Work And Why Small Brands Struggle
00:13:09 The Overproduction Problem No One Talks About
00:16:36 Why Most New Designers Fail
00:21:49 Small Batch Production Could Change Everything
00:23:58 Are Consumers Part Of The Problem?
00:27:51 What Really Happens Behind The Scenes In Production
00:31:24 How Makia Is Rebuilding The System
00:40:29 Why Fashion Is Still A Human Industry
00:46:34 How AI Is Changing Manufacturing
00:53:48 The Reality Of Building A Startup
00:58:46 Advice For Founders Starting From Zero

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Most companies think AI adoption is a technology problem.
It’s not.

AI consultant Ideja explains why the real challenge in building a company with AI is not the tools, but the people, systems, and decisions behind them.

Ideja works with companies across Europe, helping teams move from scattered AI pilots to real strategy, execution, and adoption. With a background outside of tech, she brings a rare perspective on why so many organizations struggle to turn technology and AI into real workflows and results.

She explains:

• Why companies fail before they define a clear AI strategy
• The gap between using AI tools and integrating them into company systems
• Why teams resist change when adopting new technology and AI
• The role of human behavior, trust, and design in AI adoption
• What breaks inside companies when systems and data aren’t ready
• Why trust, not technology, is the real bottleneck

Timestamps

00:00:00 Intro
00:00:25 Why She Left Cell Biology For AI
00:03:04 How Curiosity Turned Into An AI Business
00:05:14 Why Most Companies Still Don’t Understand AI
00:07:56 Why People Resist AI At Work
00:10:16 Why Education Is Falling Behind AI
00:11:40 The Biggest Misconceptions About AI Right Now
00:13:21 Why Most Companies Rush Into AI Without A Strategy
00:15:39 The Teams Most Resistant To AI
00:17:45 How To Use AI Without Losing Critical Thinking
00:20:50 Deepfakes, Guardrails, And The Risk Ahead
00:30:07 Is AI Hype Already Starting To Cool Down?
00:32:16 How She Taught Herself AI From Scratch
00:35:41 Why Humans Still Matter In An AI World
00:36:33 What Her AI Consulting Process Actually Looks Like
00:52:18 How AI Should Be Taught In Schools
00:58:34 The Advice She’d Give Herself At The Start
01:01:30 The Hardest Lesson About Self Worth And Work

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Follow Ideja Barja
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/idejabajra/
Edvance AI: https://www.edvance-ai.com

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What does it take to build a company when AI is changing everything? Henrik Djurestål on startup strategy, founder decisions, and scaling a company with AI.

Henrik Djurestål is the founder of Vorker.AI, an AI coworker platform built for small and medium B2B businesses. With a background in robotics and defense AI at Saab, he left to build a product around a simple thesis — small companies with the right technology and AI can outexecute the enterprise.

He explains:

◼️ Why too many SaaS tools kill small business execution
◼️ The trade-offs of building a horizontal AI product over a vertical one
◼️ How Vorker.AI turns words into action for founders running lean companies
◼️ What solo founders get right that co-founder pairs often get wrong
◼️ How raising capital as a solo founder changes your company strategy
◼️ Why AI adoption in Sweden is growing but scaling slowly
◼️ Why humanoid robots are further from market than the demos suggest

Timestamps

00:00 Intro
00:25 Who Henrik is and why he left defense AI to build for small business
02:25 How an entrepreneurial family and robotics shaped his path
04:08 Why he chose a horizontal AI product over a vertical one
06:18 How small businesses are drowning in too many tools
07:29 Why Microsoft Copilot failed and what AI coworkers need to do differently
08:13 What Goldman Sachs research says about small business AI struggles
10:46 Why the future of business is words to action
12:19 Which companies get the most out of vorker.ai
13:21 How vorker.ai thinks about data privacy and European storage
15:16 Why ChatGPT is not built for running a business
16:14 How small companies can now compete with large corporations
18:00 How Swedish small businesses are actually adopting AI today
19:28 Adapt or die — Henrik's take on AI, jobs, and the technology shift
20:36 Where to start if you want to implement AI in your company
23:53 Why AI pilots fail in big companies but work in small ones
26:00 Why organizing your data is like cleaning your room
27:44 The hardest lessons from building an AI startup
28:37 Why co-founder fit matters more than the idea itself
30:54 What Henrik actually looks for in a technical co-founder
33:21 How raising pre-seed capital changes the solo founder dynamic
35:15 Why Henrik ignored customer validation and built anyway
40:03 How the open beta launch will be the real market test
41:28 How vorker.ai collects feedback without being driven by it
43:37 Why Henrik built AI labs live and what happens there
48:27 Who can attend AI labs live and how to join
49:54 Where Sweden is headed in AI and why startups keep leaving for the US
52:14 Why European VC culture thinks differently from American investors
52:34 If he could go back what Henrik would tell his younger self
57:06 The one thing Henrik believes now that he didn't five years ago
59:07 Why humanoid robots are further away than the demos suggest
1:06:03 The hardest personal lesson from building a startup

Follow Henrik:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/henrik-djurestal/
https://vorker.ai/

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Evelina Dzimanaviciute on workplace culture, leadership, human value, and adapting to AI.

Evelina Dzimanaviciute is the founder and CEO of Elite Mind Consultancy. She helps companies design better workplaces through behavioral neuroscience, leadership development, and organizational strategy, with a focus on human performance, psychological safety, and the future of work.

• Why people feel threatened by AI at work
• How leaders can help teams adapt to change
• Why psychological safety drives innovation and execution
• How AI changes human value, purpose, and decision making
• What companies need to fix before scaling with AI

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:21 Who Evelina Is And Why She Builds Human-Centered Workplaces
• 01:24 What Happens To Humans When AI Enters The Workplace
• 04:16 The 3 Human Needs That Shape Work, Purpose, And Behavior
• 08:30 Why So Many Employees Feel Threatened By Change
• 11:16 How AI Is Changing Creativity, Search, And Exploration
• 13:34 Why AI Still Needs Human Judgment, Context, And Direction
• 17:24 Why Fear Of AI Starts With Ignorance
• 19:40 Why The Speed Of Change Is Harder Than The Technology Itself
• 24:26 Why Small Improvements Won’t Be Enough In An AI World
• 27:41 What Leaders Must Do To Make People Feel Part Of The Change
• 32:36 When A Human Becomes A Liability Instead Of An Asset
• 37:34 The Difference Between Healthy And Toxic Workplace Culture
• 44:29 Evelina’s Personal Story Of Resilience, Burnout, And Reinvention
• 56:57 Her Advice For People Going Through A Hard Time
• 1:02:57 The Final Lessons On Purpose, Money, Identity, And Growth

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In this episode, Christophe, a CTO and technology advisor in Beirut, shares what building looks like after financial collapse and mass talent migration. He also co-founded The Collective, an effort to connect Lebanon’s ICT ecosystem when universities, companies, founders and government operate in silos.

• What happens when senior engineers leave
• Why juniors get pushed into leadership
• Why there’s no shared data and what replaces it
• What “antifragile” means in practice
• How AI changes the speed of building

If you’re building a startup or leading a tech team in a fragile environment, this one will land.

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:19 What Kind Of Builder Is Chris, Really?
• 01:22 Why Did He Co-Found The Collective?
• 02:06 What Do You Do When The System Has Gaps?
• 03:15 Why Do Titles And Labels Hold Builders Back?
• 04:42 What Does “Antifragile” Mean In Practice?
• 09:23 How Does Someone End Up In Tech Without Planning To?
• 12:28 How Does A Near-Death Moment Change Your Priorities?
• 15:54 How Do You Choose The Work You Take On?
• 25:16 What Happens When Senior Engineers Leave?
• 26:39 What Do You Do When There’s No Shared Data?
• 32:59 How Should The Private Sector Get Involved?
• 36:07 What Advantage Does The “Wilderness” Give Founders?
• 52:47 Will AI Replace You Or An AI-Augmented Human Replace You?

If you’re a founder or operator building real-world tech, this episode is for you.

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#founder #entrepreneurship #business #creative #VC #CEO #Lebanon #AI

How design engineers build real world impact across science, art and public systems and why playing the game does not mean losing your values.Can creative work move from speculative installation to infrastructure without losing its integrity?

In this episode, Luisa, media agnostic design engineer, artist and founder of Studio LJ, shares how she works across robotics, climate systems, immersive installation and community led technology to build interventions that operate beyond the gallery.

From co designing low cost water quality sensing robots in Sri Lanka and the Amazon, to developing machine learning models that predict pollution, to building regenerative robotic sculptures that generate energy and support carbon sequester, her work sits at the intersection of lived experience, engineering and public good.

We talk about:

• ◆ The void and why every serious creative project requires discomfort
• ◆ Unknown unknowns and how breakthrough ideas actually emerge
• ◆ Community owned robotics instead of extractive tech solutions
• ◆ Machine learning, ethics and the limits of productivity thinking
• ◆ Funding across science, art and innovation without losing your core idea
• ◆ Co founder failure and what actually breaks startups
• ◆ Burnout, ambition and learning to work within human limits
• ◆ Why playing the game strategically can expand, not dilute, creative agency

This conversation reframes creativity from aesthetic output to systemic intervention and explores how design, technology, culture, AI and execution systems intersect to create durable impact.If you are building at the intersection of art, engineering, entrepreneurship and public systems, this episode is for you.

00:00 Intro
01:08 How a Design Engineer Moves Between Art, Robotics and Climate Systems
03:42 Why Creative Work Must Move Beyond the Gallery
06:15 What It Means to Design for Public Systems Instead of Private Clients
08:57 The Void: Why Disorientation Is Required for Breakthrough Ideas
11:26 How Unknown Unknowns Shape Serious Innovation
14:04 Why Most Designers Misunderstand Business Model Design
16:37 How to Align With Power Without Losing Your Values
19:12 Community Owned Robotics vs Extractive Technology
21:46 Co Designing Water Quality Robots in Sri Lanka and the Amazon
24:28 How Machine Learning Can Serve Public Good Instead of Productivity
27:03 Turning Climate Data Into Immersive Public Experience
29:41 Why Playing the Game Strategically Expands Creative Agency
32:15 The Hidden Cost of Cross Disciplinary Ambition
34:52 Burnout, Limits and the Reality of Sustainable Impact
37:20 What Actually Breaks Early Stage Ventures
39:48 Why Integrity Is a Long Term Strategy, Not a Moral Pose
42:16 How Design, Technology, Culture and AI Intersect in Durable Companies
44:51 Final Reflections on Building Systems That Outlast You

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luisa-charles-a58b4418a/
Website: https://luisacharles.com

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#founder #entrepenurship #business #creative #VC #CEO

Can a single moment in public space change how millions of people feel? Outdoor strategist Michel Robles reveals how brands build emotional connection, cultural relevance and lasting impact through public space, large scale murals and unforgettable real world experiences.

Michel Robles is a marketing leader working at the intersection of culture, creativity and public space. With over 10 years of experience across agencies, global brands and media, he now helps companies create campaigns that don’t just generate attention but become part of the city itself. Through Nordic Murals, Splash Media and international partnerships, he has helped some of the region’s most influential brands create landmark campaigns that shape how people experience their environment.

He explains:

• Why digital reach alone will never create real brand loyalty
• How physical experiences build emotional connection faster than online ads
• The psychology behind moments people remember for the rest of their lives
• Why the strongest brands earn cultural presence instead of buying attention
• How growing up between two worlds shaped his vision and creative path

Timestamps

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:02 “I Create Brand Emotions in Public Places”
• 01:54 How Growing Up Between Two Worlds Shaped My Perspective
• 03:25 What Husby Taught Me About Opportunity and Identity
• 06:02 The Hidden Skill You Learn When You Don’t Belong in One World
• 08:49 Code Switching: The Survival Skill No One Talks About
• 10:56 Why I Quit Law School After Just Two Weeks
• 11:48 The Decision That Changed My Entire Career Path
• 13:18 How Traveling the World Changed My Ambition Forever
• 14:52 The Billboard Moment That Changed My Life
• 16:36 What Most People Don’t Understand About Equity and Ownership
• 17:15 What Privilege Really Means and Why It Matters
• 19:15 Why Most Marketing Is Forgotten Instantly
• 20:47 How Great Brands Earn Cultural Status Not Just Attention
• 23:17 Why Physical Experiences Are More Powerful Than Digital Ads
• 25:13 The Hidden Role of Artists Behind Iconic Campaigns
• 28:38 Why Rejection Is a Daily Part of Building Something Great
• 30:34 Why I Choose to Do Fewer Campaigns and Why They Matter More
• 30:58 The PlayStation Campaign That Created Lifelong Memories
• 32:16 How One Public Campaign Changed a Kid’s Life Forever
• 33:35 Why Emotional Impact Matters More Than Reach
• 35:02 Why the Best Art Is Temporary
• 36:02 What Artists Understand That Most Businesses Don’t
• 37:03 What I Learned After Interviewing Dozens of Founders
• 39:04 Why Entrepreneurship Isn’t the Only Path to Success
• 41:04 Why Knowing When to Quit Is a Superpower
• 43:39 The Advice I Wish I Could Give My Younger Self
• 45:23 How Fatherhood Changed My Definition of Success
• 46:05 The Hardest Lesson Every Founder Learns Too Late
• 47:53 Final Thoughts

Connect with Michel:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michel-robles-18299b91/
https://www.nordicmurals.com/

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Startup boards explained: Why most founders get governance wrong — and how great board work actually scales companies.

In this episode, Sara Almgren, co-founder of Deb (Diverse Executive Boards), breaks down how corporate governance really works in Sweden — and why many startups build a board of directors too early. Founders often create unnecessary complexity, blurred roles, and decision-making friction without realizing it.

Drawing on her experience recruiting boards, training future board members, and building Deb into a leading board education platform, Sara shares a clear and practical guide to effective board work — from early-stage advisory boards to fully structured governance.

In this conversation, we cover:

• ◆ When a startup actually needs a board of directors — and when it doesn’t
• ◆ Advisory board vs statutory board: key differences founders must understand
• ◆ The “three hats” governance problem in founder-led companies
• ◆ Why strong boards focus 80% on strategy and 20% on control
• ◆ How to design your first board intentionally
• ◆ The role of an independent chair in scaling companies
• ◆ AI in the boardroom: how technology is reshaping oversight and strategy
• ◆ Diversity and representation in Swedish boardrooms
• ◆ Why CEO–chair transparency is critical for growth

If you're a founder, CEO, operator, investor, or aspiring board member, this episode offers practical insights into startup governance, board structure, and how high-performing boards actually create long-term company value.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Intro
07:14 How Deb was founded
13:15 When founders should think about a board
14:06 Starting with an advisory board
15:02 Advisory board vs board of directors explained
16:10 The 80/20 strategy principle for boards
17:06 Designing your first board
17:48 Why an independent chair matters
20:22 Common founder board mistakes
21:10 The “three hats” governance problem
24:56 Defining roles: board vs management
28:01 AI and the future of board work
32:00 How CEOs should prepare for board meetings
33:13 CEO–chair transparency in practice
34:47 Burnout as a governance risk
35:47 What founders should expect from their board
38:01 Using advisors in early-stage companies
42:52 How to become a board member in Sweden
46:40 Swedish vs US governance models
58:40 Why board work is actually rewarding

Links

Sara Almgren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-almgren-90068290/
Deb: https://diverseexecutiveboards.com/