Are we in the midst of an evolution or a revolution within financial services? Over the past decade, every aspect of financial services has been rearranged, unbundled, and rebundled — as has the concept of what digital disruption truly looks like for incumbents in the space.
Between new forms of customer value, and new directions for financial innovation, it's more of the wild wild west than ever before. But what has this external influence on the industry wrought? What has changed to act to benefit us all?
Where is the real revolution?
Real revolution is far more gradual than the shared experience of the zeitgeist of a moment. It is a long seduction where the change is subtle — until it's not. A variation here, a new norm there, and something that stumbles slowly and ends with lasting repercussions. History is made one subtle mark at a time, but it's impact is far more lasting.
For financial services, the initial moments of real revolution have their roots in our society, where the seeds of inequality began, where the need for banking superseded those who truly needed services such as these.
But that's not what this is about.
It's about so much more.
The real revolution in financial services started when customers at banks weren't having their needs met. The real revolution started when banks grew too large and unbundled their internal teams supporting products and services in order to maximize profitability for each product line. The real revolution began when technology became too complex to replace real human relationships, just as technology external to the industry was doing quite the opposite.
A real revolution began when we realized there were other options.
A revolution that is more than necessary.
One to both challenge the industry and to simply wake it up.
Wake it up to opening up new forms of customer value; wake it up to investing in technology to build true customer intimacy over efficiencies and profitability; wake it up to product teams devoted to increasing usability of services long ignored; wake it up to a new economic reality facing our communities, especially those embedded since the Great Recession and reaching toward this Global Pandemic.
Stop shuffling the chairs and making excuses.
It is past time to build. And to build better, we must.
Revolutions take time for historians to connect the dots.
Our lives are changing rapidly; our financial needs are changing with them. The profits of Wall Street have little to do with the equality needed on Main Street. We need the business model to do more, serve more, and wave the flag into a battle far from won.
We must demand more.
Revolutions take time to be felt by Main Street.
But can we win the battles of hearts and minds?
At what point do we abandon our ideals and principles — just so we can survive?
Can profit and purpose co-exist?
Can the student become the teacher?
At what point do we let go — and surrender?
Is there a grey area where we can dance?
Back to this reality: Fintech is politics.
When you look at the role policy plays in our country, fintech is in part driven by the desire and the market opportunity to fix what is broken.
Adam Smith must be rolling in his grave.
When you develop your value proposition based on nudging people to lead a greener life — that in itself is a political statement.
Taking a stand on where you want to be remembered in the fight for sustainability — whether it is enabled by rounding up purchases to plant a tree, or by accumulating green points via certain activities — that is a political statement.
When our choice of payment is a symbol of nationalism, we know something is amiss.
When political motives stifle innovation — where do we draw the line?
Fintech is politics. Financial services is politics.
But why wouldn't we just call it that?
Why is there such a taboo in taking a stand — for what we think is right?
If you stand for nothing — what will you fall for?
In a world where data is being manipulated to substantiate decisions that have already been made — instead of being used to draw conclusions; where facts are being exploited to show only one side of the story — do we even know what is right, and what is wrong?
Why can't we strive for a business model that goes beyond good toward a greater good?
In a society where civility is all but extinct; where journalists are forced to take sides and defend themselves; where op-eds and extremism are disguised as news — is there still hope?
Where is the transparency?
Where is the accountability?
What is fair?
How do we even bring back the balance?
A walk toward the altar of history, the spark of a revolution — they require sacrifice, commitment, and fortitude.
We must be there to take our shot.
For every action, there is a reaction. When the pendulum swings too far in one direction, it will go back. So goes the business model of banking as well.
Do we sit back and let the free market get to its equilibrium? Or should we stop it mid track and work together to fix all that is broken?
The pain is too much. The effort is far beyond what we can pull together. The structural inequality is too deep rooted in our history.
We can come up with a million reasons to not do anything — and let the invisible hand do its work. Because that is the easy way out.
But.
We only need one reason to act. To band together. To change the industry for the better.
The cost of inaction is far too high.
Democracy is not a spectator sport.
Capitalism does not mean the winner takes all.
No more words, we must take action.
What are you waiting for?
Join us in the revolution.
_____
Tune in for a new episode of One Vision via iTunes and Spotify with Gregg Schoenberg, Managing Partner at Wescott Capital, and Founder Editor and Co-Founder of the Financial Revolutionist, as he chats with Theo and Bradley of Unconventional Ventures about the ongoing revolution within financial services. As always, you can listen to this and every episode of One Vision podcast on your favorite player.
Thank you for listening, and please help us bend the arc toward the common good.
_____
Unconventional Ventures helps drive innovation to improve systematic financial wellness. We connect founders to funders, provide mentorship to entrepreneurs, strategic advisory services to a broad set of corporates, and broaden opportunities for diversity within the ecosystem. Our belief is that anyone with great ideas should have a chance to succeed and every voice should be heard. Visit unconventionalventures.com to learn how you can partner with us today.
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here.
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 50,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully, we can share your story too and reach our global audience. We are agile, responsive, quick and talented, we look forward to working with you!
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
Did you know that there is a Google Maps for the internet otherwise known as ThousandEyes? During the current COVID-19 pandemic ThousandEyes are busier than ever making sure their clients such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Microsoft, SalesForce, Lyft, Slack and MasterCard understand how the Internet works around the world.
Ronan talks to Yogi Chandiramani the VP of Solutions ThousandEyes about this, how COVID-19 has affected internet connectivity globally. what the future of the web looks like. Yogi also talks about the lessons ThousandEyes have learnt from COVID-19 and their recent $1 billion acquisition by Cisco.
The current COVID-19 pandemic has increased the usage and research of AI, so how can AI help your business?
I talk to John Clancy the Co-Founder and CEO of the Start-up Chatspace about this and more including what Chatspace does, how they help some of their blue-chip clients work with AI, how COVID-19 has changed the usage of AI, and where AI will go next.
"This is not the time to back away but to keep going forward, with products and services that help everyday people do well. We cannot get this time back."
Now — more than ever — is time for purpose.
Today is not like any other day. These past months like no other moment.
Find your purpose. Seize this day, seize this moment
The financial services industry is at a crossroads. Not because of anything the industry caused — at least not this time around — and not just because of this pandemic.
Why hasn't the industry innovated to provide more customer value over the past decade? Why did it take so long to change as it was inundated by new business models and thousands of fearless founders? Simply because their heart wasn't in it — because large organizations and profit hungry industries are constrained by what has already been done — they felt there was no compelling reason to change. But now there is no longer a choice.
Beyond the physical and economic devastation caused by COVID-19 and its growing toll on humanity, this very unexpected period of social isolation and social unrest has triggered much soul-searching. And it is impacting the workers in financial services more than anything before it, including the Great Recession.
The long term impact of the pandemic on our collective humanity — our shared psyche — is quite unlike anything in our connected history. This moment, of course, is so much more than a shared feeling, a shared emotional toll for all of us. The real impact of the health crisis — those more than half a million worldwide that have lost their lives and the countless millions more suffering from its effects — has been exceedingly cruel to lower income households, people of color, essential workers, women, and the older adults.
These communities most impacted physically and financially — people most often left out of the richest of riches within our society — are whom our industry must fight for, whom we must change for, and whom we must reimagine ourselves for.
It's as if the entire world is contemplating their lives a different way. This great pause is a watershed moment, where individuals, communities, and entire industries are able to think more clearly. It is no longer about incumbents, challengers, or platforms; the next plane to the next fintech conference, the next board meeting, the next planning session, the next product meeting, or the next all hands.
It is about questioning what needs to be done and why. Between our virtual conferences and 'how are you all doing' conference calls, surely you have felt that at least once or twice?
What is our purpose?
Sir Winston Churchill once said, "never let a good crisis go to waste," and neither should we. And neither should the industry we call home.
Let's not forget how we feel right now. Let's not lose the ideals and the shared synapses that are being formed these past months together.
Do you know what we mean?
You've felt it too, right?
You are indeed awake.
This is all far too real, though it all feels far too surreal.
But this. All of this. It's far too important — to simply let go.
We must all choose to seize this moment. Find our purpose. Reclaim our soul.
Together.
We must not be constrained by the tools we have at our disposal. We must not lack imagination, aspiration, and fortitude. We must, as an industry, look at what needs to be done and move things forward to create a better, more impactful, fairer and more equitable set of solutions that can uplift our communities, and those we have historically left behind.
Purpose is not a PR campaign.
We must rethink everything.
Let's leverage our educated, informed, committed tribe to go forward with a sense of optimism from this moment on. Give them the tools they need and be the shield to help them get done what needs to be done. The world is now anything but normal.
The decisions we make everyday in life matter, none more important than during times of crisis. The real visionaries are the ones who accept that if nothing they have historically held on to is guaranteed, then this is the time of opportunity to do the thing as it needs to be done.
The world has changed, and we need to act accordingly.
Seize this moment.
Seize this day.
_______
Tune in for a new episode of One Vision via iTunes and Spotify with Dr. Leda Glyptis, Chief Executive Officer at 11FS Foundry and the author of the weekly column #LedaWrites on Fintech Futures, as she chats with Theo and Bradley of Unconventional Ventures about finding her own path, her motivations for the future, as she inspires us to do the same. Listen to every episode of One Vision podcast on your favorite player. Thank you for listening and for helping bend the arc of our future toward the common good.
_______
Unconventional Ventures helps drive innovation to improve systematic financial wellness. We connect founders to funders, provide mentorship to entrepreneurs, strategic advisory services to a broad set of corporates, and broaden opportunities for diversity within the ecosystem. Our belief is that anyone with great ideas should have a chance to succeed and every voice should be heard. Visit unconventionalventures.com to learn how you can partner with us today.
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
We’ve worked hard, grown our audience & now have corporate content partnerships with many global companies – who see the value of the audience they can reach through us. Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 50,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience. We are agile, responsive, quick, and talented, we look forward to working with you!
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
This year's Quest for Quality conference, organised by Comtrade Digital Services. The theme for this year’s event is "AI Demystified" which is taking place in October is now going to be an online event only. I talk to one of the keynote speakers Nishan Chelvachandran, the CEO & Founder, Iron Lakes.
Nishan talks about his background, how sophisticated cybercrime has gotten since he first started working in cybersecurity, and if the advent of cryptocurrencies has made his job harder. Nishan also talks cyberwar, how advanced AI has become and what will be talking about at the Quest for Quality conference.
Nishan Chelvachandran on the Irish Tech News Podcast
On July 15th at 2:30 pm BST, a new podcast festival will be held using the virtual platform of Hopin.
One of the event’s coordinators Minter Dial spoke with me about the event, some of its key contributors, and why it is being held in the first place.
Minter firstly talked about the previous edition of the event which was held in May 2020, and some of the many wonderful speakers that attended as guests.
"This is our first year, but the second edition," he said. "Last year we had "The Future of Podcasting" which ran in May and featured two great podcasters Kara Swisher (Pivot), and Drew Ackerman (Sleep with Me). The renowned producer Dr Siobhan McHugh, Head of BBC sounds Jason Phipps, and editor of Podnews James Cridland were also in attendance".
Podcast Festival
Minter moved on to discuss the inspiration for the event, which came from the idea to connect people virtually on a global scale.
"My two co-founders, Andrew Grill and Sam Sethi, and I are all bona fide podcast enthusiasts and, back in the autumn of 2019, we had thought it would be great to create a podcast festival that was genuinely global in scope. Of course, at the time, we were thinking an IRL meetup. While podcasting is growing fast, we feel it is still early days for what looks like a rosy future".
He then discussed the festival that will proceed after this one, Voices of the World, and how it aims to show off different podcasting cultures and activities throughout the world. "it’s easy to think that podcasting is primarily an Americano-British type of activity. Nothing could be further from the truth" he said. "This next festival will shine a light on some wonderful initiatives from which we all can learn, including from China and India".
Moving back onto the subject of the present festival, Minter explained what people can hope to expect, which includes a large variety of speakers from different backgrounds.
"We pride ourselves in having a highly curated list of top -quality speakers. Done in the form of an interview, each guest for the Voices of the World is running a podcast that is guided by purpose. As such I expect every attendee to be inspired by the speakers and the podcasts they’re running".
Minter expressed how the festival is a real opportunity for attendees to experience an entirely networked event. "Using the Hopin platform and a professional production team, we promise a highly interactive afternoon (it starts at 230PM BST) with networking opportunities throughout the afternoon, including an altogether surprising speed networking feature".
For podcasters attending, he mentioned how it could be a particularly beneficial afternoon in terms of building connections. "Podcasters attending will be particularly interested in the offers and sessions by our sponsors, who are offering two months free for their service, including from Descript (transcription and editing) and Simplecast (podcast management and analytics)".
Minter then unveiled the impressive lineup of guest speakers who will be present, each with their own extensive knowledge in different areas of expertise.
"Our lineup of speakers is Amit Varma, who runs the Seen and the Unseen podcast, George the Poet, creator of Have you Heard George’s podcast, Dan Snow MBE, speaker of History hit podcast and History hit TV, Lory Martinez founder of the Mija podcast, and Ning Yan, who voices a Thousand Whys, from Beijing China".
For potential attendees, Minter detailed the best way to enjoy the afternoon and get the most out of the experience.
"Since the whole event is 3.5 hours long, it’s hard to stay for everything, so pick and choose your preferred speakers. But make time for networking, too. That’s good for meeting new people, discovering new podcasts, and getting inspired by others doing fun things in the podcasting world. Our sponsor booths will include plenty of great educational content as well".
Before we finished he gave one final tip, in terms of attending the networking session that occurred at the end of the afternoon, which he revealed was one of the most enjoyable aspects of the afternoon.
"One of the key surprises last time was the enthusiasm and enjoyment at the networking session at the very end of the event after the mainstage had finished. If you’ve got staying power, grab a drink and stick around for the last debrief!".
You can also follow the festival’s twitter account at @podfestlive.
To get a visual sense of what the festival has to offer look here:
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here.
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 50,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully, we can share your story too and reach our global audience. We are agile, responsive, quick and talented, we look forward to working with you!
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are spending more of our time looking at computers and mobile devices as we are reading more and more emails and attending more and more Zoom meetings. This will increase the chances of getting digital eyestrain but there is a way to help combat this.
I talk to Seamus Flynn the Co-founder of Sapphire Eyewear, a luxury brand of eyewear that blocks blue light from digital screens to reduce the associated symptoms of eyestrain, tired eyes, headaches and sleep disturbance. Seamus talks about how Sapphire Eyewear, what they do, the issues of eye strain and the technology behind Sapphire Eyewear.
By Theodora Lau, great article about why we need to look East, where there has been rapid strides towards financial inclusion for a country of over 1 billion people.
The path toward broader inclusion — especially financial inclusion — starts with acknowledgement of structural impediments within our lives, our communities, and our cultures. Financial inequality is a human created problem that can be solved. While there are 1.7 billion adults worldwide that are truly unbanked — without any access to the formal financial services system — the advent of mobile phones, mobile money, and mobile credit systems has enabled many of these economies to leapfrog the West, and bring more people into the traditional economic system.
Look East: Financial inclusion for a country of over 1 billion people
When you analyze the data around financial inclusion, what is happening in China and Southeast Asia should be seen as a model for success as efforts go beyond access. And with the rise of technological ecosystems from Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, and JD.com, the East should be viewed as the heart of financial services innovation. With the rapid creation of superapps — an intersection of payment, credit, commerce, and services — countries such as China has steadily improved both access and optimization of financial services the past fifteen years, especially impressive as to how it has helped small businesses thrive.
Small and medium-sized businesses form the backbone of most economies, and China is no exception. As of February 2020, there were over 83.53 million individually-owned businesses registered in China, employing more than 200 million people in total. Over the past few years, SMEs have contributed to more than 60% of China's GDP and 80% of urban employment. The importance of deployment of digital finance as a tool to power these types of businesses cannot be understated. And China's two prominent tech giants, Alibaba and Tencent, have both made great strides to create ecosystems that enable these small enterprises to thrive.
Alipay, with over 1.2 billion users globally, is an online payment service launched in 2004, which has since evolved into the world's largest payment and lifestyle platform. At the center of it all is an open technology platform, that allows Ant Group to collaborate with external parties.
MYbank, the online private commercial bank under Ant Group, for example, has served 29 million SMEs in China, including over 8.2 million women-operated businesses. Most notably, the majority of them (80%) had never received business loans from a bank previously, and women-operated SMEs have a lower default risk compared to those operated by men.
As a technology giant with 60 percent of its employees in tech, it should come as no surprise that much of Ant Group's operations are heavily powered by artificial intelligence and cloud technologies. As part of MYbank's collateral-free business loans, for example, AI is used to determine interest rates and credit limits, which significantly helps to speed up the loan processing: it takes less than three minutes to apply for on a mobile phone, less than one second to approve, and with zero human intervention.
Ant recently announced a formal name change from Ant Financial Services to Ant Technology Group. For those who have been following the company, this should come as no surprise. While the Alibaba affiliate is known for its popular mobile payment platform via QR Code, it is better described as a technology company providing financial services (techfin) for the masses and small businesses alike — rather than a financial services company with a technology platform (fintech). According to the Wall Street Journal, the company "expects more than half of its revenue to come from technology services in 2020, up from 35% in 2017."
The operating model of the BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent) offers a blueprint for fintechs in the West. To succeed, fintechs do not need to "eat the bankers' lunch" after all – if we can make the pie bigger. There is another way: through collaboration.
Our global society is far from a level playing field. While other industries drive greater efficiencies to deliver basic needs — food, water, and shelter — helping us access savings, payments, investments, capital, credit, and the financial security they build across generations is primarily catered to by one industry — banking. As the industry's business model evolves — especially given the influence on fintech startups and companies of scale like the Ant Group, we can only hope to see more banks taking action to meet the needs of every community and to contribute to the common good.
Financial inclusion should not be an afterthought – but part of the DNA of our industry.
_______
Tune in for a new episode of One Vision via iTunes and Spotify with Chenni Xu, Head of Comms for the Americas for Ant Group, as she chats with Theo and Bradley of Unconventional Ventures about the financial inclusion efforts at Ant Group and Alibaba. Listen to every episode of One Vision podcast on your favorite player. Thank you for listening and for helping bend the arc toward the common good.
_______
Unconventional Ventures helps drive innovation to improve systematic financial wellness. We connect founders to funders, provide mentorship to entrepreneurs, strategic advisory services to a broad set of corporates, and broaden opportunities for diversity within the ecosystem. Our belief is that anyone with great ideas should have a chance to succeed and every voice should be heard. Visit unconventionalventures.com to learn how you can partner with us today.
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 50,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience. We are agile, responsive, quick and talented, we look forward to working with you!
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
When the Irish Health Sector suddenly had to work from home due to government policy, how do you do this easily, quickly, and safely?
I talk to Gary Mahon from Enovation and Maebh Coleman from TU Dublin, who in a few weeks rapidly devised and delivered an e-learning package worth €1m for health sector staff on remote working.
Gary and Maebh talk about how the e-Learning package came about, how it was developed, and the take-up in the HSE.
Gary Mahon and Maebh Coleman on the Irish Tech News Podcast
'Making It Work' features 12 episodes highlighting real-world case studies from a diverse range of business owners on the ground.
“Change before you have to” is the celebrated business adage by General Electric’s famous CEO, Jack Welch, much quoted across consulting circles.
In the USA and Britain, our governments have outlined programmes to provide aid to small businesses that look like a lifeline on paper. The reality is rather different. Government loans in Britain seem to be disqualifying 90% of applicants. For many, winning government aid feels like winning the lottery. What should our governments be doing differently? Will things ever go back to how they were? Should they? And what, if any, are the opportunities in this pandemic?
Sink or Swim: Entrepreneurs Highlight Their COVID-19 Business Survival Tips
Large conglomerates with the benefit of management consultants will likely have contingency plans in place to ride out economic downturns. But for smaller business owners running on tight margins and at greater risk, few could have anticipated a global pandemic would turn their livelihoods upside down in a matter of weeks.
Small and medium-sized enterprises are the real drivers of our economy. Some have been able to ride the wave better than others; some are being driven to the brink of destruction, others are adapting and flourishing. What exactly distinguishes them?
Like many aspects of life in the time of COVID-19, the pandemic also presents a business opportunity. A key benefit of running a smaller enterprise is its agility and ability to quickly adapt. Amidst the chaos, some stealthy business owners are doing just that – adapting their strategies, their sales channels and their entire ethos to reevaluate, remodel and realign.
How are they running their companies under the constraints of Coronavirus? What are the realities they're facing in this new world order? Is working in isolation more or less productive?
And is it possible to pandemic-proof a business?
Some industries it appears have fared better than others. For an entrepreneur David Patrick from Shark Wheel who literally reinvented the wheel (for skateboards), business is booming. 'People with time on their hands have been buying more recreational items like skateboards.. and our sales are off the chart,' he says.
But booming business doesn't guarantee an easy ride for growing startups when cash flow is at its tightest. "When you’re growing and you’re scaling. you’re not stockpiling profits because you have to spend constantly in order to sustain your growth," says entrepreneur Dana Donofree whose business – AnaOno in women's lingerie has withstood the crushing impact of COVID-19 on the retail industry. So how should growing startups manage their cash flow, and is it prudent to scale a business under the looming threat of recession?
For another business owner who has managed to scale his family butchers into a thriving online enterprise, the increase in demand, coupled with social distancing has meant he's had to hire more staff which carries a heightened risk of someone contracting the virus.
These are just some of the questions being asked in the 'Making it Work' podcast series which addresses the day-to-day challenges of small business owners; such as making difficult decisions on keeping employees and how to keep up the momentum, to the bigger picture top-down questions.
Filling a much-needed gap, 'Making It Work' features 12 episodes highlighting real-world case studies from a diverse range of business owners on the ground. Their shared experiences and challenges can provide SME's and entrepreneurs with the insights to steer their business through the uncertainty of trading during a pandemic and perhaps even identify the opportunities. Of particular interest will be the two-part COVID-19 SPECIAL launched in June Part 1: How Are Small Businesses Staying Alive? and Part 2: How Do You Run a Business During Lockdown?
Most great ideas are, after all, preceded by chaos!
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 50,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience. We are agile, responsive, quick and talented, we look forward to working with you!
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
When you are a startup planning to launch later this year, what do you do when COVID-19 hits? One such startup is Bowsy who was going to launch later this year but brought their launch forward because of the pandemic. Ronan talks to John Brady the Co-founder of Bowsy about this, what Bowsy does and their future plans.
Why do fintech startups exist? And have they accomplished what they set out to do? Depends on who you ask, and which region you are referring to.
2020 did not turn out the way any of us expected. With a tsunami of megadeals being announced in the first few weeks of the year, many predicted that it would be yet another banner year for fintech funding and M&A activities. Then came the pandemic. And the economy came crashing down like a stack of precariously placed Jenga blocks.
The health crisis has laid bare the structural inequalities that we face in our communities, especially for those who are poor, non-white, women, and gig workers. While some may have celebrated that the national unemployment rate in May has fallen to 16.3 percent — from 19.5% in April, Asians and African Americans saw their unemployment rates increase. And overall, unemployment is still at historic levels. Unsurprisingly, 70 percent of the people in line at a food bank had never been in one at any point in their lives, according to Feeding America.
FinTech, Time To Pause To Find Purpose?
It's now been 12 years since the last financial crisis, which gave birth to a great number of fintechs. But much has happened since then. What started as an unbundling effort has led to a rise of thousands of different startups, focused on everything from savings and investing to lending, insurance, and payments. Entirely new digital economies — such as ride sharing and food delivery — have been created and now flourish, enabling people to work and earn in ways not possible before. But with what impact?
These fintech startups have continued to challenge the status quo of legacy incumbents, and along with that, their business models. Robinhood, for example, started commission-free trading a few years ago, when it was customary in the investment industry for brokers to collect fees when stocks were bought or sold. Charles Schwab and many others followed suit; and the rest, as they say, is history.
Similar scenes could be playing out in the banking space. Chime, for example, is a neobank built on transparency; it does not charge overdraft or maintenance bank fees. Aspiration has gone even a step further by allowing users to pay what they think is fair, with sustainability built into their core DNA. As a point of reference, in 2019, "overdraft fees alone brought in $34.6 billion in revenue for financial companies." And those who are the most financially vulnerable end up paying the majority of the fees.
In recent years, we have seen many of these fintech startups slowly starting to flex their muscles and rebundle. Transferwise, a fintech startup known for disrupting the remittance industry, will be providing investment services within the next 12 months. Ellevest, initially founded to address the investment needs of women, is introducing day to day banking services. Paypal, which started as an online payments system in 1998, now offers a suite of credit products. Acorns, a micro-investing startup that leverages behavioral economics to nudge users to save, now provides checking account services and retirement IRA products, and now it is launching Acorns Early to help parents save for their children. So what was once unbundled is now bundled again.
Looking forward
With jobless claims still at unprecedented levels and our economy in recession, how will financial services respond and what roles will fintechs play?
Being purposeful is not a slogan or a feel-good campaign; rather, it must become the core DNA of every successful company. While we have made great strides, have we done enough to challenge the status quo — to nudge the incumbents to innovate and change, to create a fairer system — and improve consumer financial well-being?
And shouldn't the burden be on all of us in the financial services industry, policy makers, incumbents, startups, and VCs, to demand that we do better? If our goal to drive innovation isn't for the benefit of our society at large, then what is? If our purpose isn't greater than ourselves, then what is the point of any legacy we may leave behind?
"While the Great Recession changed the banking industry and made it stronger, the past decade saw a very divided impact for its broader stakeholders in society: the individuals, families and small businesses that make up the people and communities that our industry serves" as Bradley wrote in his recent article for International Banker.
This time just has to be different. We have a chance — to make it better.
But will it be? Can it be? Is there still hope?
As Andrei put it succinctly at EMERGE: "The promise is still there, but unfulfilled."
We must still dare to dream.
________
From the $825 million Finicity/Mastercard tie-up to the Wirecard scandal to Lemonade's plan to raise $286 million in an IPO — there is never a dull moment in the land of fintech. Half a year has gone by and we are in the midst of a pandemic and deepening recession. If we were to give ourselves a grade, has fintech done what the ecosystem has set out to do? Has it challenged the status quo — and make banking better? In this new episode of one vision, Theo and Bradley looked back at the week that was and talked about what should be. You can listen on iTunes, Spotify, and all players.
________
Unconventional Ventures helps drive innovation to improve systematic financial wellness. We connect founders to funders, provide mentorship to entrepreneurs, strategic advisory services to a broad set of corporates, and broaden opportunities for diversity within the ecosystem. Our belief is that anyone with great ideas should have a chance to succeed and every voice should be heard. Visit unconventionalventures.com to learn how you can partner with us today.
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 50,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience. We are agile, responsive, quick and talented, we look forward to working with you!
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
In this 2019 episode of THE COIN CHAT, we interviewed then 2020 Presidental Candidate Andrew Yang about technology, blockchain, and universal basic income. This episode was originally recorded in Jan 2019 before Andrew became famous for his candidacy. It’s interesting to note that his answers in 2019 didn’t change much from what he talks about now that is off the campaign trail
MEET ANDREW YANG:
Andrew Yang is an American entrepreneur, the founder of Venture for America, and a former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate. He has worked in startups and early-stage growth companies as a founder or executive for nearly two decades and was appointed to public office in 2015 by the Obama administration as an Ambassador of Global Entrepreneurship.
Yang is the author of Smart People Should Build Things and The War on Normal People, about the automation of labor. In Yang's past bid for the 2020 presidential nomination, one of his main campaign goals would be to implement a universal basic income (UBI) for every American adult over the age of 18.
The War on Normal People, insights with Andrew Yang
The Coin Chat:
Hosted by Yuri Cataldo and Steve Good, The Coin Chat is your trusted source for all things cryptocurrency and finance. Each week we dissect an important issue and cut through the noise and misinformation out there in the world of the blockchain, cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, Ethereum to talk about what really matters to reach mass adoption to individuals and businesses. The Who, What, Where, When and, How of what you need to know in crypto to get ahead so you don’t get left behind.
Named one of the 40 under 40 business leaders in Indiana, Yuri Cataldo brings years of experience in the arts, design, entrepreneurship, marketing, innovation, and publicity to his advising of founders, artists, and students. He’s an award-winning entrepreneur, the architect of the creative entrepreneurship program at Emerson College, and a Yale-trained set/costume designer with credits on Broadway, theater, dance, TV, movies, and opera.
In 2011 he founded IndigoH2O, the only multiple award-winning bottled alkaline water in the world and the 2015 best tasting water in the world. Through his efforts, IndigoH2O has been distributed all across the USA, Europe, and South America has been featured at the Oscars, Golden Globes, the Emmy’s, the MTV VMA’s, and in 160+ magazines and articles. (Forbes, CNN, BuzzFeed, INC, Playboy, Huffington Post, PBS, Indy Star, Boston Globe, etc.).
He works with and advises tech, blockchain, and creative companies on PR, marketing, product launches, and customer engagement. His efforts have resulted in 6 figure launches, 7 figures worth of free press for founders and products, and multiple awards for his clients and companies included Forbes 30 under 30, Discovery Channel, Tech Crunch, Forbes, and the Boston Globe. He has been featured in various media outlets including Inc., Forbes, and The Boston Globe.
He is a frequent speaker at Yale, MIT, Tufts, Princeton, Juilliard, and Stanford, as well as conferences throughout the world on the topics of the future of work, creative entrepreneurship, and corporate innovation. He currently resides in Boston and is on the board of Yale Boston and VCG.
Steve Good: Steve Good is a business executive, digital and growth strategist, entrepreneur, and public speaker who consults with companies to help them drive innovation, transformation and growth. He also focusses on raising awareness and adoption in blockchain and cryptocurrency.
He spent more than 20 years in Financial Services and Technology as a Management Consultant and Client Account Manager at Deloitte and Infosys before dedicating his time to blockchain and cryptocurrency. He’s an accomplished entrepreneur with board-level experience, a public figure, keynote speaker, and has been featured in numerous articles including BuzzFeed and How-To Geek. He currently resides in London, United Kingdom with his family.
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 50,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience. We are agile, responsive, quick and talented, we look forward to working with you! Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
COVID-19 has changed the world of sport possibly forever. So how does it get back to normal and comply with social distancing? I talk to Adrian Geissel who has developed an app that will help the world of sport live in a COVID-19 world about this and more.
Why global corporations are increasingly turning to Blockchain solutions
Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies have much to gain from using Blockchain technology FMCG examples Nestle, Pepsi, Unilever, Colgate, Johnson and Johnson, Proctor and Gamble and these firms manufacture and sell packaged foods, beverages, toiletries, over-the-counter drugs, and other consumables. The types of products we all use on a day to day basis.
Given the rise in own label products from retailers/ supermarkets the FMCG firms need to operate as efficient as possible as well as maintaining their brand appeal. Which explains why FMCG firms are massive advertisers such as Proctor and gamble who spent $3.4 billion in adverts last year. Pepsi used Blockchain technology and smart contracts and saw almost 30% increase in efficiency during a recent advertising campaign. 93% of the world's 250 biggest companies report on sustainability.
Global corporations increasingly turning to Blockchain solutions
FMCG companies that are regarded as leaders in sustainable supply chain management are Coca Cola, Nestle, L'Óreal, Proctor and Gamble, Unilever and Nike. Blockchain technology is bring greater transparency and therefore trust in what is manufactured and where. Unilever have announced they wish to have net-zero carbon emissions by 2039 and are investing €1 billion for a climate and Nature Fund over the next 10 yrs. The aim is to reduce carbon emissions and deforestation using blockchain technology . #Blockchain #supplychain #Unilever #Environment #Climatechange #Pepsi #transparency #trust #deforestation #Logistics
Bought to you by Digital Bytes to receive Digital Bytes weekly email Jonny.Fry@Teamblockchain.net to receive your copy
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 50,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience. We are agile, responsive, quick and talented, we look forward to working with you!
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
From savings, investment, and responsible lending, to access to opportunities to create new forms of income, these components of financial services are an imperative to a legacy that casts it light across generations. They are as critical to our lives as are food and water — and determine whether we thrive, or barely able to survive.
There are many analogies that can describe the key moments of our lives and the impact we are able to have through our labor, and nothing more befitting to envision this than the preparation involved in delivering a perfectly plated meal. Just as there are countless ways to craft a dish, there are innumerable ways for our lives to move from one point to the next. There are endless ways to have an impact.
But how can we help feed those that are truly hungry?
How could gastronomy and financial services coalesce? Can we look at the creation of a meal and think of how we might address larger issues, like systematic exclusion within financial services? Can our actions make a difference to others — one meal at a time? It starts with preparation, and the things we can do to create steps of opportunity, both for ourselves, and for others. We are all ingredients to the hopes and ambitions and dreams of others.
The role of financial services and the art of Mise en Place
As we build skills in the kitchen, every aspiring chef learns about the significance of mise en place, or having everything set in place; from crafting the recipe to selecting and preparing the ingredients.
There is a similar arc for successful innovation and product development within financial services. It starts with getting the right people in the kitchen, and an open mindset to improve our experiences through the creation of every single dish. Just as with cooking, our life doesn't always go as planned. At various points of our lives, we might pause and rethink. How are we making an impact? How are we feeding the hungry?
Given recent tragic events — both the pandemic and the jarring impact of systemic racism in our society — the banking industry must take necessary steps to prepare for a very different future.
We must dive deeper to understand the issues of poverty and racial and gender inequities, as well as their lasting impact over the past centuries.
We must think of ways to improve and optimize income opportunities. We must try to understand the pain of those that have to make tradeoffs between putting food on the table versus paying the rent, those that face incredibly difficult financial decisions and have to make do with less.
We must focus on the credit needs of the small businesses and new businesses that couldn't benefit from PPP or other government programs during this pandemic. We must also turn our attention to the consumers who are facing an uncertain future with their debts as payment holidays end and benefit programs start to dwindle. We must create pathways for more people to consume fractional shares — so that they too can share in the prosperity of a market poised for an upward swing.
Every role, every ingredient — has its place.
Including and especially those who are in strategy or in leadership positions, and those who have the power to define products and services.
There is an enormous and growing wealth gap where Wall Street and Main Street are massively disconnected. According to the U.S. Federal Reserve, white families have a median net worth that is almost 10 times higher than that of black households – and they are also more likely to hold assets of any type, from vehicles and primary residence to retirement accounts and publicly traded stocks.
As the Boston Globe reported, "Blacks from nonimmigrant backgrounds in Boston have a net worth of $8. Whites enjoy one of $247,000." This isn't a financial literacy problem. It's the result of long-standing and ongoing racial discrimination.
Through the pandemic and social unrest, something has to change in order for our country and our society to thrive again. We each have an important role to play in making this world a better, more equitable place, for everyone.
While our paths may be different and our priorities are rarely the same, but in this, we are all together.
And if one of us is hungry, then we are all hungry.
Let's start preparing for a very different future.
A much better future — where everyone is fed. Where we all have a chance to realize our dreams and have a seat at the dinner table.
And where each plate is beautiful indeed.
________
Join Theo and Bradley in conversation with Peggy Mangot, serial entrepreneur and SVP of Innovation at Wells Fargo, as she talks about financial services innovation from big tech to startups to big banks, creating an environment of collegiality and debate, and the importance of lifelong learning. There is a lot to be gained by winning, losing and learning. We must always feel the glass is half full, we must always have a sense of optimism and hope. Listen in to this great conversation through iTunes, Spotify, and all other players.
________
About Us
Unconventional Ventures helps drive innovation to improve systematic financial wellness. We connect founders to funders, provide mentorship to entrepreneurs, strategic advisory services to a broad set of corporates, and broaden opportunities for diversity within the ecosystem. Our belief is that anyone with great ideas should have a chance to succeed and every voice should be heard. Visit unconventionalventures.com to learn how you can partner with us today.
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 50,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience. We are agile, responsive, quick and talented, we look forward to working with you!
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
In the UK 20% of people have been washing the cash in disinfectant over concerns due to Covid-19 and on average Britain's have gone without using cash for 44 days as they relied on contact digital payments according the Telegraph newspaper.
While 20% of Brits wash their cash …
In the USA Congress listened to more testimonials for a Digital $ last week
Concerns over the cost for those most in need of aid are paying high charges to cash cheques from the US government
Many of the systems are paper based analogue as opposed to being digital resulting in some people after 76 days still waiting for the help, they desperately need
8.5 million households in the USA don't have bank accounts — often "because bank accounts are too expensive."
the Bank of International Settlements reported that 80 percent of 66 central banks queried were working on digital currencies. So, the question might be not if digital currencies will find their way into the financial system, but when — and how.
Statista.com estimates there are roughly 275 million U.S. smartphone users among the country's approximately 330 million people. That includes an estimated 209 million U.S But that still means approx 20% of the population do not use a smart phone in the States.
Bank for International Settlements, said. "COVID-19 will be remembered by economic historians as the event which pushed CBDC development into top gear," at an online event held by think tank CEPR and the London School of Economics.
Meanwhile in the UK 20% of people have been washing the cash in disinfectant over concerns due to Covid-19 and on average Britain's have gone without using cash for 44 days as they relied on contact digital payments according the Telegraph newspaper.
Brits wash cash, clamour for digital US$
Bought to you by Digital Bytes if you would like to receive Digital Bytes weekly please email Jonny.Fry@Teamblockchain.net to receive your copy
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 50,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience. We are agile, responsive, quick and talented, we look forward to working with you!
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
The singer and song writer Akon has finally received thumbs up for his 2,000 acre Crypto city in Senegal in Africa. Ako has been given the land by the Senegalese President, which is close to the sea and only one hour's drive from Dakar's new international airport.The city itself will be tax-free and enjoy tax incentives to encourage others to invest
The US based firm KE International have been given the initial $4 billion contract and phase one of the city is due to be complete by 2023, which will have, homes, offices a hospital, hotels, a school, a police station, a waste facility, and a solar power plant. The intention is this new city will be powered 100% on renewable energy and it will be the 2nd of such cities in Africa, the other being Mwale's Mwale Medical and Technology City in Kenya also built by KE International.
Ako is also intending to launch a Digital currency, Akion cryptocurrency, which will be run on the Stellar Blockchain. Akion will be the method of payment in this new city and it is hoped that using Blockchain technology there will be more transparency and less opportunity for corruption and fraud. Akoin will be traded on exchanges and via atomic swaps i.e. Peer2Peer without the need to go via an exchange, thus enabling people to swap Akions like they do with pre purchased phone minutes. This Peer2Peer trading is common in countries like Nigeria due to high inflation rates and a lack of traditional backing services.
The intention is Akoin to be available in all 54 African countries, thus acting as a currency making payments faster and cheaper across Africa, which could rival national currencies.
Will the likes of Google, Tencent( from China), Apple, Facebook or the global petroleum firms like Shell or Esso be looking to replicate this type of ecosystem either building their own eco crypto based city physically or on-line. Many multinational firms already have customers and suppliers spread all over the world and by creating their own Digital Currency and using it as a method of payments could potentially help improve the speed of payments and save costs. Furthermore if we see a further loss in confidence in governments or say a run on a global currency such as the US$ or the Euro due to weak economic activity or the huge debt levels they have accumulated some may indeed have more confidence in a corporate currency as opposed to some of the existing national ones?
Crypto city gets $6 billion funding, is this type of ecosystem a foretaste of what is to come?
Bought to you by Digital Bytes if you would like to receive Digital Bytes weekly please email Jonny.Fry@Teamblockchain.net to receive your copy
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 50,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience. We are agile, responsive, quick and talented, we look forward to working with you!
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
The Irish data centre market is booming but how is it coping with COVID-19? I talk to Russ Barker, Director of Vertiv Ireland about this and gets other insights in the Irish data centre scene including the other challenges the Irish data centre scene is facing and what makes Ireland a huge market for data centres.
There were grave concerns and allegations about the scandal surrounding how the London Inter Bank Offered rate (LIBOR) was being calculated. This had led to LIBOR going to be replaced Sterling Overnight Index Average (SONIA). This is in effect the interest rate payable paid by banks for unsecured transactions in the British sterling market. At the beginning of June the Financial Markets Standards Board have released their first of a series of reports focused on LIBOR transition case studies to help companies as the market moves from LIBOR to SONIA
SONIA, what role can AI and Smart Contracts fulfil?
AI could help identify and then Blockchain technology's Smart contracts could help in the transition as the global financial system has to alter millions of contract terms from LIBOR (discredited after 2008 crisis due to fixing allegations) to SONIA by end of 2021. As of Aug 2019 were $25 trillion worth of contracts that referenced LIBOR on London Clearing House, globally the value of contracts that reference LIBOR is $340 trillion. This transition is not only going to take time, which is why the deadline for implementation of SONIA is not until the end of 2021, but it is going to be costly. To give an idea PPI cost UK banks £43 billion, it is estimated the transition cost from LIBOR to SONIA will be $1.2 billion.
Will this spur the derivates market which according to the Bank International Settlement is $603 trillion in size to further embrace Blockchain technology and thus we will see more derivatives being issued in a digital/ tokenised format?
Bought to you by Digital Bytes if you would like to receive Digital Bytes weekly please email Jonny.Fry@Teamblockchain.net to receive your copy
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 50,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience. We are agile, responsive, quick and talented, we look forward to working with you!
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
COVID-19 has had a big impact on the RegTech sector and also SaaS platforms, so how can they lessen its effects? I talk to Simon Cole the CEO of Automated Intelligence about this, what Automated Intelligence does and their future plans.
Thirteen years ago on a small stage in New York City, the inauguration of a new type of conference changed the financial services landscape — and many of our lives with it — forever. It was the first time that fintech startups, investors, technologists, analysts, and bankers, were focused on a single stage, albeit seeing the gaze of its lens in a very different light.
In 2007, the Finovate team (co-founded by Jim Bruene and Eric Mattson), and now part of Informa, set about creating an impactful event purely focused on financial services technology. During that first gathering, they rounded up twenty of the most interesting companies they could find, including Mint (acquired by Intuit in 2009 for $170 million), Lending Club (IPO in 2014), and Prosper (private and valued at more than $1 billion).
With only seven minutes on stage separating them each from anonymity, nearly all of the companies at that first Finovate were eventually acquired. The other firms presenting included: Andera, Billeo, CheckFree, ClairMail, Firethorn, Geezeo, Digital Insight, Identity Theft 911, iPay Technologies, Jwaala, Metavante, mFoundry, Monitise, MortgageBot, MShift, Online Resources, and Yodlee.
And the rest — as they say — is history.
What can you learn from 7 minutes in a fintech conference?
Coined by Bradley as the Disneyland of FinTech, Finovate, in many ways, was the birthplace of FinTech itself. It was in this idealism that technology — or at the very least external incubation and development of ideas — could change an industry so close minded to change. That, and in the subsequent time since Finovate's debut, the venture community has poured billions into FinTech startups globally, and the financial lives of our global community has seen genuine innovation and more compassionate banking business models.
In-person conferences have always served as a gateway to make ideas happen, and to enable moments of serendipity. Many business relationships stem from those very first handshakes and casual chats in between sessions. From a founder developing a new product that leads to an exit or to a global bank adding important features to help its customers financial health — these opportunities matter.
And that is precisely why we have always advocated for a diverse speaker line up, for you never know who is paying attention in the audience, and who you might meet in the hallway, that could change the trajectory of your life. And these experiences are ever so precious, like little ripples that form in the water and travel afar.
Perhaps this is why it is so hard to replicate the event experience. Speaking (solo) in front of a webcam requires an entirely different skill set than speaking in front of an audience of thousands. Networking in a virtual world can also be more challenging when there is an abundance of content that competes for your attention. Much like public speaking, being able to hold someone's attention in the digital world is truly an art.
Before we all return to the normalcy of travel and social gatherings, virtual conferences will continue to evolve. New ideas will be born and our ecosystem will continue to mature. We would look back at this period of time as those pivotal moments that transform us and the world we live in. And we would treasure those in-person moments even more the next time we meet.
Until then.
________
Public speaking is an art. And when you need to do a demo at the same time in front of a live audience, it's even harder. In this episode of the One Vision podcast, Greg Palmer, VP and host of Finovate, walked down memory lane with Theo and Bradley as he spoke about the history of one of the longest running fintech conferences.
He shared with us some of his secrets on how to deliver an engaging talk as you navigate the showmanship of demonstrating your solution. It makes us wonder, when would we get to go back to a live event and hear Greg's gong again? It's the fastest, most nerve-wracking seven minutes of your life — won't you join us? You can find this episode on iTunes, Spotify, and on all players.
________
Unconventional Ventures helps drive innovation to improve systematic financial wellness. We connect founders to funders, provide mentorship to entrepreneurs, strategic advisory services to a broad set of corporates, and broaden opportunities for diversity within the ecosystem. Our belief is that anyone with great ideas should have a chance to succeed and every voice should be heard. Visit unconventionalventures.com to learn how you can partner with us today.
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 50,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles.
Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience. We are agile, responsive, quick and talented, we look forward to working with you!
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
COVID-19 has had a big impact on local businesses and their only way to lessen this is by digital transformation. So how do they go about doing this?
I talk to Jade O’Connor, VP of Product and Marketing at FCR Media the company behind golden pages.ie about this, their ShopNow product that helps businesses move online and how Golden Pages underwent a digital transformation and moved online.
In a survey which Fidelity Asset Management carried out it was discovered that 4 out of 5 institutional investors find “something appealing” about Digital Assets. Of the companies Fidelity surveyed, 27% in the U.S. and 45% in Europe are currently invested in Digital Assets.
The titan Vanguard is the second biggest asset manager globally, with $5.6 trillion under management. It is famous for its range of index tracking funds and for several years has been working on a number of projects to investigate the real benefits of using Blockchain technology. Since 2017, Vanguard has also been working with a US-based business, Symbiont, which has a Blockchain-powered platform (clearly impressing Nasdaq Ventures which invested $20 million into Symbiont in January 2019).
In the autumn of 2019, Symbiont and Vanguard announced they were looking at using a Blockchain-powered platform to improve the efficiency in the $6 trillion a day Foreign Exchange (FX) market. Vanguard had been trialling Symbiont's Blockchain platform since August 2019, carrying out FX trades and, having been impressed with the results, decided to go public. Initially, the intention has been for Vanguard to help its own asset managers.
In time, this will include other managers and so reduce the costs of FX trading through peer-to-peer trading (as opposed to having to use banks), therefore taking out costs and the need to deal with a third party. An added driver is also to reduce compliance risks, which seems to be a common reason for why more institutions are engaging with Blockchain technology. Carolyn Wegemann from Vanguard said, "Vanguard is currently piloting a project focused on improving the efficiency and reducing risk of FX hedging."
The latest foray using Blockchain for Vanguard is to assess the lifecycle of an Asset Backed Security (ABS) that has been totally digitised. Vanguard, along with the Bank of New York, Mellon, Citigroup and State Street Global Advisors, has completed its first trial for the issuing of an ABS. Warren Pennington, from Vanguard's FinTech Strategies Group, was quoted as saying "By digitizing and streamlining the ABS issuance process, we will be able to increase the speed and transparency of transactions while reducing costs and minimizing exposure to risk, which ultimately leads to a more efficient business model…"
Vanguard is using data from $1.3 trillion of index funds to enable its funds to track their relevant indices, almost instantly, over one decentralized database. By using 'smart-contracts', which automatically execute when an agreed event occurs, it is believed this will improve information flow, price discovery, the liquidity in secondary markets and automation of key corporate actions.
Therefore, reducing any benchmark tracking errors and saving clients' money (which has to be music to compliance staff and boards members' ears). It is believed the use of Blockchain technology can substantially lower costs, offer greater transparency and improve the risk controls within financial institutions the business.
The above article is brought to you by Digital Bytes. If you would like to receive Digital Bytes weekly, please email Jonny.Fry@Teamblockchain.net to receive your copy.
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 50,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
The size of the on-line gaming market is huge according to Newzoo – 2.6+ billion gamers globally and revenues for 2019 are expected to reachedover $159.3 billion with 48% of this income being generated by the Asia Pacific (APAC)m region. Growth in APAC is being driven by demand from 1.3 billion gamers and China in particular which had $36 billion alone in terms of turnover compared to the $35 billion in the USA.
Because of Covid-19 and people being locked in their homes unable to work, we have seen a significant rise in gaming, and it is expected that just mobile games will generate revenues of $77.2 billion in 2020, growing +13.3% year on year.
Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies are being used to streamline payments, proving the ownership or virtual assets for players, enabling a record and audit trail of these virtual assets as they are traded and cross-game compatibility.
Players can earn, buy and spend tokens that from on-line games using Blockchain technology which creates a cryptographic accounting system for game tokens and game assets that can be exchanged outside of individual games
Interestingly due to high gas prices since late April – all games running on the Ethereum Blockchain saw their daily activity collapse. Worst hit was My Crypto Heroes, which experienced a 33% decline. According to Coinswitch, the most popular cryptocurrencies for online gaming in 2020 are the following: FunFair, Enjin, RevolutionVR, GameCredits, Decentraland each having thousands of gamers playing, completing tasks and accumulating virtual assets.
Tokens are used to reward gamers that complete a specific task, rewarded to watch adverts, given to complete surveys, as a payment for affiliate marketing. Removing the need for cash transactions and bank accounts and all contained in a digital ecosystem.
On-line gaming is a huge and growing global market, as we can see from the above Blockchain technology and Digital Assets are increasingly being used in this sector
Bought to you by Digital Bytes if you would like to receive Digital Bytes weekly please email Jonny.Fry@Teamblockchain.net to receive your copy
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here for great stories and insights brought to you daily and from all over the world.
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 50,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News a decade of bringing great stories to your doorstep, fast, free quality content for you, from all over the world.
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
One of the ways to get your business working better is to have your staff do team building. One of the new ways of doing this is by live gaming but how can this be done during the current COVID-19 crisis?
I talk to Ruben Hamilius, Managing Director of BusinessGames Ireland about his background, what BusinessGames does. how they have coped during the current COVID-19 crisis, and live gaming will change because of COVID-19.
The cloud has ushered in new ways to communicate. We no longer need landlines and companies like NUACOM are designed for remote working and working in pandemics like the current COVID-19 crisis.
I talk to Igor Toma the Managing Director and co-founder of NUACOM about what NUACOM does, virtual communications, how NUACOMhelped businesses cope during the current COVID-19 crisis, and what the future of telecoms looks like.
The biggest problem with medicines is how they are stored, where they are stored and their use by dates and with an ongoing global pandemic this is an issue we will face when a COVID-19 vaccine is found. I talk to Dr Bruce Roser the founder and chairman of Stablepharma whose StablevaX technology offers vaccine stabilisation.
Dr Roser talks about his background, COVID-19, mistakes made during the current world pandemic, Stablepharma 's StablevaX technology and how it can help when a COVID-19 vaccine is found.
My name is Matt Hooper, and I am the creator and writer of Live! From Tomorrow, a new musical comedy podcast about tech and innovation. I started my career as a founder, spent a few years working at other startups, eventually managed a pre-accelerator (Startup NEXT NYC; acq. by Techstars in 2015) and then served as the Vice President of Open Innovation at the Barclays Investment Bank for two years.
Somewhere along the way I've had the privilege of being an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at WeWork Labs, and most weeks you can listen to me host IBM's Blockchain Pulse podcast. I've worn a lot of 'innovation'-related hats, and I'm still trying to find the most comfortable one; maybe it'll be something tri-cornered, or have a propeller.
Does it seem like a logical background to what you do now?
Funnily enough, if you'd asked me that just over a year ago, I would've said no. Live! From Tomorrow began life as a meetup all the way back in 2015, and my decision to try to grow it as a business was based on the feedback I'd been getting from our audiences–there seemed to be a growing demand, at least in the NYC startup ecosystem, to laugh while learning about innovative technologies. However, LFT was a variety show, a collection of comedy sketches, live music and interviews; it was not designed to be a scripted, narrative series.
Then, in early 2019, while in New Orleans to host a livestream for IBM, I asked myself the very question you're asking me: was my leap from 'dude at a bank' to 'dude who hosts tech things' logical? My first thought was, naturally, "not really"–but my second thought was, "this could be kind of funny". And so I began the process of turning the very experience I'd lived over the previous 18 months–making the leap from corporate intrapreneur to the host of several branded video and audio series– into a scripted, highly meta, 5-episode podcast.
How was the last 12 months? What were your big wins?
Honestly, being able to produce something that involved so many people in one room now seems like a massive victory given the way we're all living. But if I had to think about 'big wins', I would say that a collaboration with IBM, 'Blockchain on Broadway', which we performed last May, was a definite high point. It was a full-on Live! From Tomorrow variety show, with songs, skits and a guest interview, performed in a massive venue in Times Square. We had the name of the show on the marquee, and it was a real thrill; it also felt like both the culmination of, and a new chapter in, a terrific relationship I've enjoyed with IBM for nearly three years.
The other big win would be the fact that a group of extremely talented actors and musicians came together to record this first season of the LFT podcast, and that we're going to be releasing this show across all major podcast platforms on June 4th. During almost every recording session, I had to remind myself that this was, in fact, happening–and that I needed to bring my 'A game' if I wanted to keep working with so many amazing people. So, accomplishing this show at all, with so talented a group, is a definite big win.
What would you have done differently?
We recorded ~85% of a 5-hour, 5-episode series in only 7 nights, in a midtown Manhattan dance studio, in the middle of summer, with no air conditioning or windows. There is a lot I would have done differently
1 min pitch for what you are doing now / how are you managing during these corona times?
Right now, I'm gearing up for the launch of Live! From Tomorrow Season 1 while balancing a bunch of client work. Where I can, I'm trying to write scripts for Season 2, which will take the 'Tomorrow' in our show's title more literally: it imagines the innovation ecosystem in a post-COVID world.
I am very, very lucky in that I can work safely from my home, and can continue to produce during uncertain times. On a personal note, I'd recommend re-reading some Harry Potter, re-binging Mad Men, and listening to (in no particular order) Fiona Apple's new album, Waxahatchee's new album, and The 1975's new album. They're hitting the spots when the world feels most frightening.
Why did you get involved with doing the show?
I figured I'd be a filmmaker pretty much until I got to college. When I was 27, unsure if I'd ever be able to combine my interests in entertainment and technology, my friend Dimitris and I got to talking about making some sort of 'SNL'-meets-'Shark Tank' show. It would be a live event, we decided, with pre-taped video skits and real startup pitches. After four years of intermittent performances, and a half-dozen permutations in the structure of the show itself, Live! From Tomorrow was adapted into a podcast that comes out on June 4th–it's the longest I've ever worked on (and off) on a single project, and it's a strange and gratifying feeling.
Where do you feel we are at on the Gartner hype curve in terms of blockchain?
A-ha! Finally! A Blockchain question Well, in the other podcast I host, IBM Blockchain Pulse, I am fortunate to be able to interview executives, founders, educators, developers, designers, and, on one awesome occasion, a space tech engineer, about where and how Blockchain is transforming their work. While the answers–and the excitement– vary, I would say that we are ascending the Slope of Enlightenment. It's been a tough year, and there's been a lot of hype, but the widespread acceptance of Blockchain technology in the enterprise will change the way the world does business, and as COVID lays bare a plethora of supply chain challenges, it is clear how urgently we need a more efficient, transparent technology.
How is it going / what response have you had so far?
With the IBM Blockchain Pulse podcast, I've received some of the kindest notes of my career from people all over the world who heard about the show on Twitter or LinkedIn and who have written me nice things about it. With the Live! From Tomorrow podcast, I am optimistic that fans of the live shows will follow us into the universe of podcasts, but you never know. The real risk of no longer performing for a live audience in any way is that we can't know as quickly what's funny, or what's bombing, etc.
How can people find out more about you personally & your work?
I am a pitiful user of social media, as evidenced by the fact that I'm going to say "you can message me on LinkedIn," where I also write a weekly newsletter entitled 'The Height of Innovation'.
Who and where do you get inspiration from?
I'm a big fan of taking walks, so any chance I get to stretch my legs–which, in these socially-distanced times, I do very safely with a mask, and urge you all to do the same–I take it, even if it's only for a block or so. I'm often listening to music or carrying a book when I go, and lately I've been inspired by a fairly wide array of voices: I've finally gotten around to Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens, I just finished Ben Rhodes' The World as It Is, I've been listening to the two Big Thief records from last year, and re-visiting St. Vincent's MassEducation album from 2018.
Anything else you’d like to add / we should have asked?
Any chance I get to write it, I will: don't be cynical. The world is very, very crazy right now, and we have elected many, many awful leaders. But it's always darkest before the dawn, and, at the risk of being too 'on-brand', there's always tomorrow.
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 50,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
Systemic racism and a long history of discrimination have meant that African Americans have always fared worse in the labor market, both in good times and more so in bad times. While there may be some celebrating that the national unemployment rate in May fell to 14.7% from 13.3% in April, black unemployment remained virtually unchanged. In April, the black unemployment rate was 16.7%, in May, it actually increased to 16.8%.
[1] The median net worth of black households in 2016 was $17,150, according to the Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances. The median net worth of white households at the same time was $171,000.
[2] The median black household had just 9.4% of the wealth of the median white household in 1968; by 2016, that ratio had fallen to just 8.7%.
[3] Compared to white families, black families are 40% less likely to own their homes than white families.
[4] According to a 2017 Gallup poll, 36% of black respondents said they had money in the stock market, compared to 60% for white respondents.
[5] The typical black household had just 46% of the retirement wealth of a typical white household in 2016.
From homeowners to policy makers, from media moguls to Fortune 500 executives, from teachers to tech founders and funders, black Americans are severely underrepresented. In fact, "in 2020, there are only four black CEOs leading Fortune 500 firms, and fewer than 10% of the most senior P&L leaders in the Fortune 500 are black."
"Black CEOs make up 0.8% of the Fortune 500 despite African-Americans representing 13.4% of the U.S. population."
Income inequality in the U.S. is the highest amongst the G7 nations, according to Pew Research. Specifically, the income gap between white and black has held steady since 1970. Without a doubt, drastic changes are needed and are very much overdue.
But where do we start?
A path forward
The vast majority of power voices and empowered positions in the country today are controlled by one homogenous group. To create lasting change, it will require us to examine our own actions and our own unconscious bias — as citizens of this country, and as one nation.
We need more diversity within our policymakers, to make sure that the interests of the diverse population of the country are being represented. While this has improved — especially with the new House of Representatives of 2018 — there is much more room to improve at the national, state, and local levels of government.
After a decade coupled by the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic, the time for radical change to improve the lives of African Americans is way past due.These problems are far from new. For context, we suggest you watch Segregated by Design about the foundation of racism in society in the past century and how bank lending policies played a critical role.
Within financial services, we must recognize our industry's role in creating a culture of systemic racism through the support of policy and procedures that denied wealth to black households for more than a century. We must demand that People of Color are represented within leadership and Board level positions within banks and corporations that control access to capital. Jennifer Tescher has a fantastic article on American Banker recently that laid out the steps that the banking industry must take.
We must also provide different pathways for people to take advantage of the future of work and succeed — from basic training to re-skilling. Yet we must recognize that economic opportunities don't just come from education and training for higher paying employment, they come from everyone involved in mentoring and leading teams at every organization.
We must close the digital divide that plagues our country — 12 million school-aged children don't have sufficient internet access at home to finish the assignments handed out in class. Internet access is a privilege in the richest country in the world, and it should be a right.
We must improve diversity in media — how images of people of color, especially African Americans — get portrayed. This plays a crucial role in how our society welcomes — as well as rejects — different faces. No one is born hating another person. Humans tend to relate more to causes and faces that we are familiar with, and thus harbor beliefs about others that they are less exposed to. Exposing the society to different voices can change the narrative and help us overcome such unconscious bias. Rejecting stereotypes is not about being color blind; rather, it's about embracing our differences — and seeing people as unique individuals.
We must improve diversity in the boardroom — at all executive levels. We must create and support a diverse and inclusive culture for all voices to thrive. We must also seek out — and fund founders — from more diverse backgrounds. Our ecosystem is not homogeneous — neither should our solutions nor those who create them. While the $100 million by Softbank, $10 million by Goldman Sachs, and $2.2 million by Andreessen Horowitz represent positive steps, it is only a drop in the bucket compared to the megafunds that these venture capital firms have raised for far less diverse projects.
"Corporate America has failed black America." Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation and a member of the board of Pepsi
It is time for soul searching. Is our own network diverse? How about those who we partner with? Do we include diverse viewpoints in what we do — beyond the hashtags, beyond the social photos of solidarity? After two straight weeks of protests, after more violent clashes than this country has seen in quite some time, the time for action is now.
In the face of racism, what do we do next?
As Bradley wrote in his heartfelt piece "Outside is America": To change our society, to change our industry, we will need every one of you. Revolutions begin in the mind before it reaches the streets. But real change — lasting change — begins within our hearts.
We must examine our own actions and check our own biases to move forward.
The first thing we should do is look in the mirror.
___________
The murder of George Floyd and the protests that have followed are creating a period of global contemplation. How should we react, how should we feel, and how can we improve our society. Listen in to Arun, Bradley, and Theodora, via iTunes and Spotify, as we talk about some of our feelings about the past few weeks, how venture capital and financial services have reacted, and what we see as some of the things we think need to change.
___________
Unconventional Ventures helps drive innovation to improve systematic financial wellness. We connect founders to funders, provide mentorship to entrepreneurs, strategic advisory services to a broad set of corporates, and broaden opportunities for diversity within the ecosystem. Our belief is that anyone with great ideas should have a chance to succeed and every voice should be heard. Visit unconventionalventures.com to learn how you can partner with us today.
With COVID-19 remote working is now a reality but how do you do your HR effectively. Ronan talks to Crystel Robbins Rynne the head of product and marketing with HRLocker about what HRLocker does, managing your HR in a pandemic, remote working in a COVID-19 world, and the charity initiative that they have just launched.
Crystel Robbins Rynne on the Irish Tech News Podcast
Oliver Mauss is the founder of DRVE a company that specialises in fuelling the growth of online business and as DRVE was setup with remote working COVID-19 has not had much of an impact. I talk to Oliver about this, what DRVE does, what they invest in and where to apply for their programs.
The ability to track and trace the origins of the food on your plate has some tantalising attractions for farmers' shops and, most importantly, consumers. This gives some explanation as to why there are so many organisations now involved in using Blockchain-powered platforms. Blockchain allows for provenance of food items so retailers and shoppers have clarity over how, where and when produce has been grown/caught, the conditions in which it has subsequently been stored, and even the potential environmental impact it has and the sustainability of its production.
Many of the companies involved in offering greater transparency over their food supply chains are using a combination of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain and Internet of Things (IoT). The information collected and stored by these technologies are then often accessible on mobile devices, including cell phones by using Quick Response (QR) codes. This enables various parties (along often complex supply chains which can in some cases span the world) to track and trace the journey of the goods?—?how they are being transported, where they have come from, the temperature conditions in which they have been stored under, even the details of the trawler on which they were caught or the fields they were grown in.
Almost five years ago, in November 2015, a white paper (business proposition) was released by a company called Provenance, stating that, "Provenance enables every physical product to come with a digital 'passport' that proves authenticity (Is this product what it claims to be?) and origin (Where does this product come from?), creating an auditable record of the journey behind all physical products." Provenance went on to quote Marc Andreessen who, in 1993, invented the first internet browser, Mosaic, and when talking about it, said, "Blockchain technology changes everything. The practical consequence […is…] for the first time, a way for one Internet user to transfer a unique piece of digital property to another Internet user, such that the transfer is guaranteed to be safe and secure, everyone knows that the transfer has taken place, and nobody can challenge the legitimacy of the transfer. The consequences of this breakthrough are hard to overstate".
There are many other examples of different organisations using Blockchain-powered platforms to track and trace various food products, which include:
Albert Heijn?—?the Dutch supermarket is now able to give customers the ability to trace and trace were their oranges were grown. It is planning to be able to offer provenance of all its produce by 2025;
Agriledger?—?working with the World Bank, this company is helping to increase farmers' income by 2 to 3-fold, according to a report from the Said Business School at the University of Oxford (which grow mangos and avocados in Haiti);
Bumble Bee tuna?—?is using Multichain, running on the SAP cloud platform , to track and trace yellowfin tuna from the time it is caught to the moment it arrives on the shelves in a shop;
California Giant Berry farm?—?one of the USA's biggest berry farmers is using the IBM Food Trust blockchain for its berry supply chains in order to give customers access to the provenance details and product tracking of its berries;
Farmers Hen House?—?with a QR code printed on each egg, this enables consumers to know form which poultry farm an egg was produced;
Starbucks?—?is working with Microsoft to give Starbucks a digital traceability of its products and also to support its sustainability strategy.
Meanwhile, IBM has commissioned a report, polling nearly 19,000 consumers from 28 countries across range of age groups, in order to understand how individual purchasing decisions are evolving. The study found:
· One-third of all consumers today will stop buying their preferred products if they lose trust in the brand;
· One-third of consumers have already stopped purchasing their historic favourite brands in 2019;
· Consumers are prioritizing those brands and products that are sustainable, transparent and aligned with consumer's core value;
· Consumers are willing to pay more, and even change their buying habits, for brands that get it right;
· Corporate values now outweigh product costs and convenience; Consumers of all ages and incomes pay much higher premiums for products aligned with their personal beliefs;
· On average, 70% of 'purpose-driven shoppers' pay an added premium of 35% more for sustainable purchases, such as recycled or eco-friendly goods;
· 57% of them are even willing to change their purchasing habits to help reduce negative environmental impact;
· 79% of all consumers today state it is important for brands to provide guaranteed authenticity. Within this group, 71 % are willing to pay an added premium?—?37% more?—?for companies offering full transparency and traceability.
IBM recommended that for retailers to gain a larger market it was necessary to, "Earn consumers' confidence through transparency and traceability…by offering convenient, quicker access to detailed information previously unnecessary, such as how the products are manufactured, quality of ingredients, if it is sustainable or ethically sourced, and under what conditions". But then to be fair, IBM has spent millions developing and selling its Blockchain technology skills! As with any use of IT and data bases, the accuracy of the information and the reports that can be generated are only as good as the quality of the inputs i.e. 'garbage in, garbage out.'
It is not simply consumer demand and buying habits that is encouraging or, some may argue, forcing new technology to be used in the food supply chains, but legislation is also driving adoption. The World Health Organization estimates that 420,000 people die annually from food contamination. In the USA, the Food Safety and Modernization Act has introduced controls regarding food imports. Meanwhile, the European Union's Trade Control and Expert System is designed to provide food traceability and risk-management so that traded plants or animal-based products can be tracked and monitored throughout the food supply chain.
Therefore, firms using Blockchain-powered platforms need to ensure there are robust and auditable procedures to ensure that that the correct and, if possible, verified information is indeed entered in the first place. Clearly food products that have been picked, dug and caught are much easier to offer provenance on. However, processed foodstuffs which rely on multiple suppliers, blending, co-mingling and other 'messy' steps, while not impossible, are difficult to accurately record on a Blockchain.
Bought to you by Digital Bytes if you would like to receive Digital Bytes weekly please email Jonny.Fry@TeamBlockchain.net
Bought to you by Digital Bytes if you would like to receive Digital Bytes weekly please email Jonny.Fry@TeamBlockchain.net
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 50,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
During the current COVID-19 crisis you have to focus on your customer needs so how do you do this and how has content marketing changed? I talk to Inken Kuhlmann-Rhinow EMEA marketing director of HubSpot about this, how Hubspot has adapted too remote working, the changes in customers behaviour and the future of content marketing.
Inken Kuhlmann-Rhinow on the Irish Tech News Podcast
It is often forgotten that from 1837 to 1862, the creating of bank notes was typically unregulated in America which led to over 7,000 different varieties, many of which were easy to replicate by the counterfeiters. This chaotic state of affairs incited a loss of confidence in US paper money. The first US $1 bank note was released in 1862, along with the other denominations of $2, $5 and $10 featuring Lincoln, $20 featuring Lady Liberty and $50 with a bald eagle – $100, $500 and $1,000 banknotes were also issued. This was followed by the National Bank Act of 1863 which led to establishing a series of national banks.
Remarkably, the world of finance and payments would now appear to be at the point of inflection as we see the emergence of new digital currencies 'going mainstream' as the second largest economy in the world. Notably, China (with a population of over 1.4 billion) has just launched its own Digital Currency. Meanwhile, there are increasing calls for a US Digital Dollar and, indeed, 'The Digital Dollar Project' was launched this year as Congress reviewed different actions it ought to take in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. It also considered a digital dollar as part of the economic stimulus for the USA.
However, how long will it be before people begin to question the soundness of nations' finances as governments in such countries as the USA, France and Germany continue to print cash and inject billions into their struggling economies? To date, these economies have infused the equivalent of 10% of their GDPs into their economies in order to tackle the impact of Covid-19 and help soften the hardship felt by millions of citizens who have been, in effect, 'locked' in their homes unable to work or earn money. Indeed, the LA Times in California has reported that 20% of Americans nationally will not be able to pay their rent in June!
A further challenge faced by some governments is the accusation of potentially operating illegally as they print cash to buy back bonds and hence crush interest rates. Lower interest rates are a double-edged sword: welcome relief for those who have debt (including the governments which typically have the most) but disastrous for the citizens who have savings and, historically, have relied on bank deposits to supplement their retirement income.
Germany's constitutional court is calling on the the European Central Bank (ECB) to justify the legality of it actions as it claims that quantitative easing (i.e. the printing of cash and buying bank bonds) is illegal. The state of flux and change is also 'alive and kicking' in the corporate world, especially among the global technology giants. The S&P500 index, which represents the 500 largest capitalised firms in the USA, is increasingly being dominated by barely a handful of technical goliaths as Microsoft, Apple, Amazon and Google alone now make up 20%+ of the entire S&P 500 index.
Equally, there has been considerable discussion about Facebook and its Libra-sponsored initiative, with the announcement last June of the wish to offer a Digital Currency to its 2.6 billion monthly users. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's CEO, recently quoted that 90%+ of its revenue is derived from adverts and that it would be faster, more efficient and more profitable for Facebook were these adverts to be paid for using Libra. No doubt, the recently launched 'Facebook Shops' (targeting small businesses) will also be users of the Libra currency. Facebook claims it already has over 160 million businesses using Facebook's apps every month. Zuckerberg added to this, "We are seeing a lot of small businesses that never had an on-line presence get on-line for the first time…. for lots of businesses it is the difference between staying afloat and going under".
Of note, Google is rumoured to be working on a debit card to rival Apple's card, and how long before Canada's fast growing online e-tailer, Shopify, mimics the Amazon Coin?
However, it is not only US firms that are moving into this space. Samsung, which made over $2 billion in profit in 2019, is to expand its foray into financial services and also offer a debit card – a Mastercard issued by the Bancorp Bank. The card, similar to Apple's, will not be engraved with an account number, expiration date or have a security CVC on it, but this information will be accessible using Samsung's Pay app which requires the holder's biometric or PIN authentication.
Ultimately, will these corporations follow the lead of the new Chinese Digital Currency, building on the infrastructure they have created and, coupled with their cash mountains, finally challenge not just the financial services sector but international currencies? While there has been substantial press coverage about the decline in the importance of the US$, will we begin to see a world of corporate currencies becoming the new 'norm' and, resultant from this, potentially return to the 19th Century where there were multiple forms of payments, just as there were in the USA?
Bought to you by Digital Bytes if you would like to receive Digital Bytes weekly please use this link to register http://eepurl.com/gTDiwP
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
With COVID-19 we have seen an increase in online grocery shopping but will this continue?
I talk to Devan Hughes the co-founder and CEO of Buymie an on-demand grocery app that allows big and small food retailers to sell online. Devan talks about his background, how Buymie started and what they actually do.
Devan also talks about the impact COVID-19 has had on Buymie, their clients and why it will see an increase in online shopping.
We are now living in a COVID-19 world and the perfect storm that it has created has brought up lots of issues including economic ones, and Identity Governance is now being seen as one of the main solutions.
I talk to Ben Bulpett the EMEA marketing Director of SailPoint about this, what the future landscape will look like and more.
The potential impact on the environment, need for offices and use of Blockchain technology as we work from home
Barclays (Barclays has about 7,000 employees in its New York office near Times Square.) , JPMorgan Chase (with 180,000 employees been working from home) and Morgan Stanley are part of a banking industry that has long been a pillar of the city's economy, with more than 20,000 staff. Collectively, they lease more than 10 million square feet in New York
James Gorman, the Morgan Stanley chief executive told Bloomberg that the company had "proven we can operate with no footprint. "
Even Warren Buffet recently during his annual investors meeting said "A lot of people have learned that they can work at home,"
On a more upbeat outlook Anthony Malkin, CEO of Empire State Realty Trust, the owner of the Empire State Building and eight other properties in Manhattan, said "New York's appeal — a diverse and educated workforce and large industries, including a fast-growing technology sector — would drive an economic rebound and a desire for office space".
Office workers on mass, unlikely to return to work until the autumn possibly new year unless we get a vaccination before.
INDEED, GOOGLE AND FACEBOOK BACK TO THE OFFICE 1ST JAN 2021
TWITTER POTENTIALLY NEVER
Business is proving do not need an office so less commuting change in lifestyle and less pollution which is good for climate change and personal lives as less commuting.
How soon before we see commercial property price fall and offices being converted to residential apartments?
Increased need for secure the data if remote working hence likely to see increased use of Blockchain tech with its military grade security
Bought to you by Digital Bytes if you would like to receive Digital Bytes weekly please use this link to register http://eepurl.com/gTDiwP
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
22nd of May is a significant day as in 2010 a man called Laszlo Hanyecz who was living in Florida in the USA was the first person it is believed to have used a crypto currency Bitcoin – to make a transaction
The 1st transaction using a crypto was to actually buy a couple of pizzas for 10,000 BTC which then were valued at $41. The same 10,000 BTC values each pizza at $45m each
Hanyecz went on to spend a total of 100,000 BTC in the summer of 2010 to buy more pizza for his lunch, which at BTC highest price would have been worth $2billion!
Now there are typically 200,000 transactions day using BTC and the BTC along with other crypto currencies have become more mainstream i.e.the bass guitarist from Cold play has invested in a BTC trading platform Zumo
It is also possible with Baanx and Coinbase, both which have VISA debit cards linked to Crypto currencies including BTC, so you can spend BTC in 42 million places in 200 countries globally i.e. where ever a VISA card is accepted
In 2020 one of Munich Re subsidiaries, revealed that 36% of small-medium businesses in the US accept Bitcoin. However, it is not just SMEs that accept BTC larger ones include Wikipedia Microsoft Expedia AT&T Or. `It is also possible by using spendit, a search engine, to discover different products and services that you can buy from a wide variety of vendors.
In 10 years, Bitcoin has come a long way and is now far better known and used on a daily basis. While the cyber punks dream for Cryptos to being universally accepted and potentially making banks superfluous, it is highly unlikely the technology they employ- Blockchain is set to change the way many people do business
Bought to you by Digital Bytes if you would like to receive Digital Bytes weekly please use this link to register http://eepurl.com/gTDiwP
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
22nd of May is a significant day as in 2010 a man called Laszlo Hanyecz who was living in Florida in the USA was the first person it is believed to have used a crypto currency Bitcoin – to make a transaction
The 1st transaction using a crypto was to actually buy a couple of pizzas for 10,000 BTC which then were valued at $41. The same 10,000 BTC values each pizza at $45m each
Hanyecz went on to spend a total of 100,000 BTC in the summer of 2010 to buy more pizza for his lunch, which at BTC highest price would have been worth $2billion!
Now there are typically 200,000 transactions day using BTC and the BTC along with other crypto currencies have become more mainstream i.e.the bass guitarist from Cold play has invested in a BTC trading platform Zumo
It is also possible with Baanx and Coinbase, both which have VISA debit cards linked to Crypto currencies including BTC, so you can spend BTC in 42 million places in 200 countries globally i.e. where ever a VISA card is accepted
In 2020 one of Munich Re subsidiaries, revealed that 36% of small-medium businesses in the US accept Bitcoin. However, it is not just SMEs that accept BTC larger ones include Wikipedia Microsoft Expedia AT&T Or. `It is also possible by using spendit, a search engine, to discover different products and services that you can buy from a wide variety of vendors.
In 10 years, Bitcoin has come a long way and is now far better known and used on a daily basis. While the cyber punks dream for Cryptos to being universally accepted and potentially making banks superfluous, it is highly unlikely the technology they employ- Blockchain is set to change the way many people do business
Bought to you by Digital Bytes if you would like to receive Digital Bytes weekly please use this link to register http://eepurl.com/gTDiwP
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
COVID-19 has changed the way we do our grocery shopping, so how will technology help with this? I talk to Eamon Breen the founder of Roadrunner, a new app that can get your groceries delivered in a tap. Eamon talks about his background, how Roadrunner started, and why COVID-19 made them pivot.
Eamon also talks about their expansion into Belfast, their plans to expand into Dublin and other parts of Ireland, getting their suppliers onboard, how COVID-19 has an increase in usage of Roadrunner and their competitors and the impact COVID-19 has had on them and their suppliers.
They have decided to release the source code online so that anyone can use it and Ronan talks to Aknur Karabay who is one of their researchers. Aknur explains how the simulator was created, the four simulation scenarios they ran when testing it, why they released its source code online and where you can find it.
emovis, a mobility solutions provider, has featured Graeme McQueen, Head of Communications at the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, in the latest episode of its podcast series, 'Going Places'. The episode delves into the topic of Dublin's business community in relation to transport and infrastructure.
The ninth episode will feature the following topics:
The changes that businesses want to see in Dublin's transport infrastructure
The need for increased cycling networks and infrastructure
Sustainable transport options for the city
Darren O'Reilly, Head of Global Marketing for emovis said: "We were delighted to be joined by Graeme McQueen from Dublin Chamber of Commerce for this episode. The topic of transport infrastructure in Dublin is always at the forefront of businesses' agendas. He provided a number of fascinating insights into the priorities and goals of the business community in relation to transport and the necessary next steps."
The latest episode of the video podcast took place over the course of a journey on Dublin Bus.
The podcast series aims to create a dialogue on the future of transport and mobility across Ireland and will feature key stakeholders and industry leaders, including senior representatives from the NTA, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and ARUP.
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
COVID-19 has caused havoc in the hospitality sector, so how can pubs, and restaurants safely comply with social distancing?
Ronan talks to Anthony Cronin the Co-founder of Ordee, an app designed to help the hospitality sector comply with social distancing safely and securely. Anthony talks about what Ordee does, how it works, and their plans for the future.
Anthony also talks about how the Restaurants Association of Ireland are backing them and urging their members to use it, and the LEO grant that businesses can avail of reducing the cost of buying Ordee.
How has the Fintech sector in Northern Ireland coped with COVID-19 and will remote working be a permanent fixture?
Ronan talks to Alex Lee, the director at Fintech NI. Alex talks about what Fintech NI does, how COVID-19 has impacted them, the opportunities and challenges COVID-19 has created, including launching their first Map of the FinTech Ecosystem in Northern Ireland and.
Alex also talks about remote working in the Northern Ireland Fintech sector, why Northern Ireland is a popular location for the Fintech sector and the impact COVID-19 will have, and how collaboration between the Northern Ireland Southern Fintech ecosystems can be improved.
Our mental health is something that gets our top priority during normal times, but as we are living in COVID-19 world, how do we look after it and how do we manage Zoom fatigue? Ronan talks to Baya Salmon-Hawk a qualified psychotherapist from Feel Normal Again about this, her tips on how to stay positive, and her online courses on feeling normal again.
Every day is truly a gift. But do we always feel that way? We must look for the silver linings, regardless of the shape of the clouds and the color of the sky. We should approach each day with gratitude, thinking about how we can make positive changes in our own lives — and most importantly in the lives of others. How can we do a little bit more each day, with the technology and tools we leverage in our every day?
How do we embed that sense of gratefulness and empathy into our technology, our business models, in order to positively impact more people? Everywhere we look, data is at the center of our daily life. By sharing data for the greater good, we all become data scientists, each person, each company a component of this greater shift toward improving the daily lives of more of our society. We each have decisions to make about the impact of our work and the impact of our roles within our workplaces. Where do we start?
For one thing, we can get companies to collaborate much more — so that we can advance technology faster and in more meaningful ways. In return, how do we empower more people to voice their ideas — and change the perception of what is possible? How do we create a culture where business slogans are not merely words spoken and empty promises made; rather, they are backed by truly meaningful actions and purposeful services with consequential impact?
In every corporate environment — enabling this culture starts with hiring. Many companies hire for culture fit, where they look for people that they feel comfortable spending long working hours with. But doing so can inadvertently lead to a homogeneous environment — where everyone thinks and acts alike. Instead, dig deeper and look for your true values.
What sets your company apart and what values do you uphold — for yourself and for the rest of the company? What is important to you in the world of profit and purpose? Find that inner voice, and assemble the team that can help the company get there; foster an environment that encourages everyone to use their voice, share their ideas, and draw from the ideas and views and experiences of one another.
We must also encourage mindful leadership, enabling our leaders to demonstrate and our teams to benefit from work-life harmony that can empower people to achieve their potential. This allows us to leverage the most we can through technology — given how much we are relying on technology right now — and given that many of us find we are working even more than ever now, especially during the last ten weeks.
We must enable balance, we must create moments to think about how to embed empathy and gratefulness into our business practices. We need people to feel free to dream and be encouraged to imagine the impossible can be achieved — especially right now.
We need storytellers. We need evangelists. We need more leaders who are passionate about creating a brighter future for the world, who are not afraid to challenge the status quo and nudge us all to make the right choices — to use AI for good, to use new technologies for solutions that serve our broader communities and the common good.
We must make sure that as we rebuild after the crisis, we will rebuild a better world for all, and not just for those lucky few who were already lucky to begin with.
It is time to re-invent the process of innovation.
Unconventional Ventures helps drive innovation to improve systematic financial wellness. We connect founders to funders, provide mentorship to entrepreneurs, strategic advisory services to a broad set of corporates, and broaden opportunities for diversity within the ecosystem. Our belief is that anyone with great ideas should have a chance to succeed and every voice should be heard. Visit unconventionalventures.com to learn how you can partner with us today.
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
Secure Access Service Edge also know as SASE is an emerging cybersecurity concept that is really taking off now thanks to COVID-19. Ronan talks to Stephen Bowes Global Practice Director for Information and Security Technologies at BSI Consulting Services.
Stephen explains what SASE is, why remote working has facilitated an increase in SASE usage and why COVID-19 has ensured that its time is now. Stephen also talks about why SASE is seen as the future of network security in the cloud, security tips that remote workers should heed, and how COVID-19 changed how BSI Consulting Services works.
Libra, the project initially backed by Facebook certainly had a baptism of fire when was first launched in June 2019. The founding 28 members reportedly invested $10 million each although some of them such as Paypal Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, Mercado Pago, Booking.com and eBay left Libra last October 2019.
Facebook founder Zuckerberg was grilled in a Congressional hearing in the USA in October 2019 as governments began to worry that with 2.6 billion active monthly users this 'new-fangled' Libra currency could even threaten the 'mighty green back' – aka the US $.
Senators in US saying it was “unconscionable for financial companies such as Visa and Mastercard to aid it in monopolising our economic infrastructure”.
Libra has pivoted and is now offering countries the ability to use their technology to create their own Digital Currencies backed by a single fiat currency as well. Libra still are working on a version of their original multi-fiat back digital currency option
Given the soon to be launched Chinese Central Bank Digital Currency and the increasing call from other countries to have their own Digital Currency, could we see Libra's infrastructure being used as the basis for country or indeed a corporate Digital currencies. After all as many countries have been giving away cash due to the economic catastrophe caused by covid-19 so will people be happier using an Amazon coin of Microsoft Coin or Google token, all of whom it could be argued are in a stronger financial position that the debt redden state of many countries? If they all use the Libra platform then at least from an IT standpoint they could presumably have a degree of interoperability!
Interesting to see Stuart Levey,who was the head of HSN]BC’s legal department and prior to this was Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence for the U.S. Treasury for 7 years, being appointed as the new CEO of Libra. How much of a fcators was this to encourage Temasek, Singapore's sovereign wealth fund, valued at $313billion, to join Libra. Once again demonstrating how Asians are arguably at the forefront of embracing digitisation
So second time around will The Zuck Buck or a variant receive a warmer welcome as like a phoenix it rises from ashes?
Bought to you by Digital Bytes if you would like to receive Digital Bytes weekly please use this link to register http://eepurl.com/gTDiwP
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
The COVID-19 pandemic has generated enormous uncertainty around the world company boards are reassessing he risk of being exposed to the current complex supply chains and individual countries such as 97% of antibiotics used in Europe and the USA sourced from China as highlighted by the Council for Foreign Relations
The complex nature of global supply chains has encouraged companies to turn to technology like Blockchain- powered platforms such as Tradelens backed by the shipping giant Maserak and IBM or Oracle's CargoSmart to improve efficiency, cut costs, fraud hopefully leading to more transparency and TRUST.
The era of hyper-globalisation, 1990–2008 where we saw production being moved to low wage countries helping to drive down inflation.
The fall of the iron curtain, China joining the WTO, adoption of 'containerisation', which now accounts for 60% of the value of seaborne trade, all fuelled the race to globalisation
The Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) a network of universities and over 1300 researchers claims firms are reassessing business models that rely on global supply chains and increased use of robots and 3D printing is bringing as manufacturing back to more developed countries.
The era of hyper-globalisation, according to the CEPR, came to an abrupt end in the Global Crisis of 2008/2009 because of a rise of uncertainty in the world economy triggered by the Global Crisis. Between 2008 and the euro area debt crisis in 2012
As Nationalism increases as seen by Trump "Make America Great again" and BREXIT in the UK technology makes old jobs redundant altering the world of work, is this going to force politicians to focus more the task of retraining workers less on global trade?
Bought to you by Digital Bytes if you would like to receive Digital Bytes weekly please use this link to register http://eepurl.com/gTDiwP
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
There are plenty of leadership how-to books, filled with advice such as "Just do this to get ahead!" Lots of books tell you how to become a leader, this book tells you how to stay successful once you've reached a leadership role.
This episode and today's book helps aspiring, early-stage, and experienced leaders alike answer a critical question: "How will I use my leadership power?"
Being a good leader doesn't require being a bad person, and if you know what to look out for, you can keep your ego and hubris in check and become (and stay) a leader who is effective, successful, and good.
We welcome Bill Treasurer, the author of: "The Leadership Killer: Reclaiming Humility in an Age of Arrogance."
Bill Treasurer is the founder of Giant Leap Consulting and author of five books on courage and leadership, including the international bestseller, Courage Goes to Work. Giant Leap has led over 1,000 leadership programs across the world for clients that include NASA, Saks Fifth Avenue, UBS Bank, and eBay. Treasurer is a former member of the U.S. High Diving Team, and attended West Virginia University on a full athleticscholarship. @BTreasurerwww.BillTreasurer.com
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles.
Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
COVID-19 has changed the way conferences are run, so how can they be run now and in a post-COVID-19 world? Ronan talks to John McGarry the man behind the Social Selling Summit. John talks about his background, how he helps people to use Linkedin effectively, and how he came up with the Social Selling Summit. John also talks about how COVID-19 has changed how he does business, and what virtual summits are.
In this COVID-19 world, how do businesses do remote working amid the challenges of security, privacy, compliance, GDPR and more? Ronan talks to Brendan Kiely, the Managing Director and co-founder of ThinScale Technology who helps keep businesses running smoothly as they remote work. Brendan talks about what ThinScale Technology does, the increase in usage of their software, why remote working will become a permanent of our lives. the benefits of remote working and where their biggest markets are.
Helicopter economics – giving money to citizens proposed by Milton Friedman the economist who advised Reagan and Thatcher. It was also seen as a way by Ben Bernanke to kick start the Japanese economy in the 1990s
However, most governments in an effort to stimulate their economies and keep business alive are encouraging them to borrow yet more and more money and add to an already a massive mountain of debt globally
However, 'Monetary financing' is illegal i.e. when a central bank creates money to buy government bonds enabling the government to in effect spend without limits. In 2014 it was prohibited for the ECB to do this, indeed its QE programme has already been questioned by the German constitutional court
A member of the BoE’s monetary policy committee, which sets interest rates recently said “If we were the central bank of the Weimar Republic or Zimbabwe, the mechanical transactions on our balance sheet would be similar to what is actually happening in the UK right now. That is not where you would find the smoking gun,” Because the B of E is independent of the Government, so technically it is not 'Monetary Financing' – even though it may look, swim and quack like a duck!!!
Chapter 11 bankruptcies could triple in the USA based on what happened in 2008
Most governments were not prepared for covid-19 and in a desperate effort to save lives have locked down their economies and turned on the printing presses. The potential ensuing recession could tip many companies in to bankruptcy
James Mather, barrister specialising in insolvency, fraud and company litigation "once the lockdown ends, huge numbers of businesses will survey the scene and find that, despite government assistance, they have accumulated hopelessly unpayable debts".
Be interesting to see if anyone does indeed challenge a government or bank for their activities!
Bought to you by Digital Bytes if you would like to receive Digital Bytes weekly please use this link to register http://eepurl.com/gTDiwP
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles.
Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News live new content every day.
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
I did write about Telegram in this week's edition of Digital Bytes which gave alot more background info if you would like a copy message me.
As a summary Telegram was the second biggest ICO raising $1.7 billion in 2018
The 91 initial investors paid 0.38 cents, in the second round investors paid $1.33 and as at 7th May 2020 OTC price of Telegrams Crypto currency Grams were $2.05
The price today fell to $0.04 that is a 95.3% drop in less than a month
Therefore, the initial investment of $20 million that was potentially worth $110million
Why the collapse? Well the founder of Telegram Pavel Durov has announced that Gram tokens will be not used on the Telegram network
Telegram was in dispute with the SEC back in 2018. Telegram said it would give investors their money back if Grams were not quoted by Oct 2019 a deadline it missed!
Will the SEC see the demise of Gram tokens as a justification of their actions and encourage them to pursue other Cryptos
How much will the Telegram investors of the $1.7 billion get back?
Bought to you by Digital Bytes if you would like to receive Digital Bytes weekly please use this link to register http://eepurl.com/gTDiwP
COVID-19 has made sure that remote working is here to stay but how many businesses and workers will embrace it? Ronan talks to Vanessa Tierney the co-founder of Abodoo. Vanessa talks about what Abodoo does, the day free trial they are offering, and how COVID-19 has affected her and also Abodoo. Vanessa also talks about their talent heat map service used by government bodies and why remote working will become a permanent fixture in our working lives.
Why should owners care about Bitcoin halving in 2020 what actually is it?
One cannot escape to have noticed that this week something called Bitcoin halving has happened. We have had a number of readers asking what does this mean?
The theory is that by reducing the number of tokens being created it will counter the impact of inflationary pressures. Thus every 210,000 'blocks', or roughly every four years, the number of Bitcoins (BTC) that are paid to a miner for a Block on the Bitcoin network is halved. So now the block reward is reduced to 6.25 BTC from 12.5 BTC which will mean that the amount of new BTCs that are created each day will fall to 900 from 1,800. Therefore, BTC miner's total income will, assuming the current BTC price of $8600, fall from $15 million to $8 million each day.
Melem Demirors of CoinShares, believes: "That the past two halving's cannot be compared to the current one because a robust derivatives market has been established. As a result, Bitcoin as an asset is decoupled from the supply-demand economy".
There have been 18.3 million BTC mined so far, the intention is that total of 21 million BTC will be finally created by 8th October 2140. Time will tell what the impact of halving will have on BTCs price, but it does once again remind us of the level of detail that went in to creating Bitcoin in the first place.
Therefore, in very simplistic terms:
Assuming the demand for Bitcoin remains the same, the theory is that by reducing the number of Bitcoins being issued every day, the price of Bitcoin will be supported. Furthermore, by halving the number of Bitcoins that are given to a miner, this means it will take longer for the maximum number (21 million) of Bitcoins to be reached.
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
By Theodora Lau and Bradley Leimer of Unconventional Ventures
Can you hear my voice? Do you understand my language, my dialect, and the way I speak? Do I speak slower than expected? Do I have any challenges with my speech? Similar to web design in the 1990's, voice technology today suffers from a lack of appreciation of the diverse nature of humankind, of human capabilities, of human nature.
The linguistic world is bewilderingly diverse, with roughly 7,177 living languages worldwide, according to the Ethnologue. A language is more than a form of speech that groups of people use to communicate with each other. It embodies a connection to the past — a connection to our culture and traditions. Any attempt to decipher a language must therefore go beyond the literal meaning of words — it must go deeper into our communities to understand a deeper meaning. How much do we know? And how much do we truly appreciate?
There is voice driven bias inherent in culture, in gender, even in dialect. Most voice applications are trained on fewer than a dozen languages, so it is hard not to imagine that the majority of voices are often left behind. For example, 30% of the world’s languages are African, yet none of the main players in the global voice assistants market — Apple's Siri, Google's Home, nor Amazon's Alexa — support a single native African language.
“Language is the armory of the human mind, and at once contains the trophies of its past and the weapons of its future conquests.” Samuel Taylor Coleridge
We all experience life — and are exposed to different opportunities, through gender, age, ethnicity, ability, social class, sexuality, religion, education, and zip codes. We must use that knowledge and experience to reframe the world with a different lens — one that seeks to include, rather than exclude. If our lives are not homogeneous, why should voice applications be any different?
There are now over 100,000 skills on Alexa alone, yet the ability to search for the right application is like looking for a needle in the haystack. What is the point of having access to so many applications or skills if we can not discover something that can be even remotely helpful? For every application to connect old to young, teach our children new facts during a time of pandemic, or help our mind track signs of dementia, there are thousands devoted to tracking the weather, or telling us often overlapping information.
While voice technology holds the promise of inclusivity — we still have ways to go before it can achieve its potential of bridging physical and cultural divides. But the challenge is not one of technology, but rather, a reflection of the systemic inequality in our society, which undermines our ability to create long lasting social impact.
As reflected by the current health crisis, power is not equally distributed in the world; those having less tend to have been hit the hardest — more diverse communities, women, older and more contingent workers — were those struggling even before all this madness began. The power of the pandemic is in the exposure of what was before it all began — that embedded inequality existed in our world before, and the structure of power and control has been far from equal. Why would we be surprised if voice technology was any different? Power is in the hands of the developer, but who chooses those that convert the 1s and 0s into something more meaningful and purposeful?
Neither is power equally distributed in the development of data science. With datasets being largely homogeneous, it should come as no surprise then, that the virtual assistants currently in the market still have significant gender and race bias. Too often, we build for what we see, and too often, we don't see beyond ourselves.
We have more power at our fingertips than ever before. With power comes responsibilities; as designers and technologists, we have a crucial role to play to ensure technology is being leveraged ethically and responsibly, and for the good of humanity.
While technology does not — or should not — care about the color of our skin, our gender, or our age, in reality, it does. From the naming convention of virtual assistants and the perceived gender of the artificial voice, to its ability (or inability) to detect accents and dialects, we are only beginning to understand – and undo – the human biases that our systems and solutions have inherited. None of us are born biased. And neither is our technology – it does not , or should not, care about how old we are, what gender or ethnicity we belong to, or where we were born.
Our upbringing and our life experiences shape our view — of how the world is, and how it should be. That in turn, shape the solutions that we create and the challenges we choose to tackle. With emerging technologies such as voice and artificial intelligence, we have the opportunity to re-shape our future and create a more equitable society for all. We can all be active participants in writing the next chapter of humanity that reflect our values and priorities — for a world that is as diverse and vibrant as ever.
And it's our collective responsibility to ensure that every voice is heard.
In this new episode of One Vision, Theo and Bradley of Unconventional Ventures chat with Dr. Joan Palmiter Bajorek, Head of Conversational Research at VERSA, CEO and Founder of Women in Voice, about the promises of voice technology, and her passion in democratizing access to voice technology across ecosystems and languages. Join us and listen to an amazing episode with Joan on iTunes, Spotify, and all players.
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
How are ISME members coping with COVID-19 and what should they be doing? Ronan talks to Adam Weatherely the Learning & Development Manager with ISME. Adam talk about his background, the free webinars ISME are offering for their members, businesses having to change the way they work and why they will continue this when we get back normal, and COVID-19 response plans. Adam also talks about ISME offering career transition programs, and why ISME are keeping their fingers on the pulse.
Living in COVID-19 world, we have to take care of our mental health and fitness, but how can we do this safely? Ronan talks to Antoinette McDonnell a yoga teacher, a Certified Reiki Master and certified Magnified Healer and a Light Healing practitioner who gives 1-to-1 healing treatments. Antoinette has pivoted to offering all of her services online because of COVID-19.
Antionette talks about her background, why shows initially reluctant to go online, how COVID-19 changed what she now does and the challenges she faced going online. Antoinette also talks about tailor-making her classes for an online world, why she will continue offering online classes when things get back to normal, her new app that is launching next month and where people can go to see her classes and book them.
Antoinette McDonnell on the Irish Tech News Podcast
Despite the current focus on Covid-19, how can Blockchain technology be used to support different climate change and recycling initiatives?
According to Forbes 60% of customers are demanding traceability and transparency of products. Greta Thunberg dramatically illustrated that the younger members of our society are really concerned about the environment and climate change.
Can Blockchain help climate change and recycling initiatives?
There are many examples of firms using Blockchain technology Mercedes-Benz to track Co2 emissions in it supply chains working with its car battery suppliers. In the plastic sector Dutch Co Circularise to track the provenance of materials to reduce carbon footprints, cut waste. Monchain encouraging recycling – its claims if everyone bought one used item instead of a new one it would save 25 billion litres of water.
Remedichain claim 32 million Americans cannot afford the medication they need so they are redistributing unused, still-viable medicine to patients who need it. Thus, helping people in need while reducing reduces pharmaceutical waste.
95% of the textiles that are land filled each year could be recycled. Daily in Hong Kong, there are 253 tons of textiles sent to landfill. Potentially as we get Covid-19 under control there is likely to be even more focus on the environmental challenges we face globally and Blockchain technology could help to instil better trust in supporting different initiatives.
Bought to you by Digital Bytes if you would like to receive Digital Bytes weekly please use this link to register http://eepurl.com/gTDiwP
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
2 min video giving insight to the two year saga around Telegram-
Telegram established 2013 by Pavel Durov issued Grams a Cryptocurrency to be used on a Blockchain-powered platform called Telegram Open Network (TON) who is estimated by Forbes to be worth $2.8 billion and had previously founded the Russian equivalent of Facebook
Telegram was the second biggest ICO raising $1.7 billion in Q1 2018, Blockone (EOS) is the largest ICO to date, raising $4.2 billion.
As with many unregulated token offers/ICOs it has been almost impossible to assess the real value of Grams. Telegram was mindful of the SEC regulations and their reliance on the Howey test in relation to ICOs, so made it clear that investors were not actually buying equity in Telegram. However, but this did not stop the SEC from taking action in Oct 2018.
A firm called Aton has carried out a review of Gram tokens and estimated the value of Gram at between $2.1 and US$8.0 per token, with the bottom of the range being the value after application of 50% discount rate and 40% share of CUV paid in GRAMS, as well as the top of the range being the implied value after the application of 20% discount rate and 80% share of CUV paid in Grams. The mid-range price is, therefore, $5.1.
In its first fund raising round,Telegram had 81 investors each putting in at least $20 million and raised a total of $850, at an average price of $0.38. In a filing to the Securities and Exchanges Commission (SEC), Telegram reported that it raised an additional $850 million from 94 investors in a second sale, bringing the total amount to $1.7 billion. It also added that it would possibly "pursue one or more subsequent offerings" beyond these first two sales. Investors in the second private round would be able to pay for Gram tokens only in the US dollars and euros at a price of $1.33.
The tokens were due to start trading by 31st, October 2019, if they did not start trading investors were told they would get their money back. This deadline was then extended to 30th, April 2020 now Telegram have offered investors their money back. Meanwhile Gram tokens are trading on the OTC mkt $1.9 earlier this week so why would the initial investors give up potentially $100m profit each?
In another twist that may lead to the demise of Telegram, The Free TON community, an independent group of software developers, validators and users have launched the "Free TON Blockchain" on 7th May 2020 and said Telegram "can no longer be involved" in the project: No surprise the value of Gram tokens on the OTC market has fallen 12% to $1.78.
Is this to be SEC's biggest scalp crushing Telegram's $1.7 billion ICO?
Bought to you by Digital Bytes if you would like to receive Digital Bytes weekly please use this link to register http://eepurl.com/gTDiwP
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
Ep 211: Never Go with Your Gut: How Pioneering Leaders Make the Best Decisions and Avoid Business Disasters (Avoid Terrible Advice, Cognitive Biases, and Poor Decisions) with author Dr. Gleb Tsipursky
Want to avoid business disasters, whether minor mishaps, such as excessive team conflict, or major calamities like those that threaten bankruptcy or doom a promising career?
Fortunately, behavioural economics studies show that such disasters stem from poor decisions due to our faulty mental patterns – what scholars call “cognitive biases” – and are preventable.
Unfortunately, the typical advice for business leaders to “go with their guts” plays into these cognitive biases and leads to disastrous decisions that devastate the bottom line. By combining practical case studies with cutting-edge research, Never Go With Your Gut will help you make the best decisions and prevent these business disasters.
Our guest is a leading expert on avoiding business disasters and draws on over 20 years of extensive consulting, coaching, and speaking experience to show how pioneering leaders and organisations – many of them his clients – avoid business disasters.
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles.
Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
How has COVID-19 effected Irish businesses and forced them to reconfigure work-sites and increase remote working? Ronan talks to Garrett Cronin a partner in PwC. Garrett talks about his background, the latest PwC CFO Pulse survey, the surveys key findings and why over a third of Irish respondents to the survey are planning to scale back digital transformation.
Garrett also talks about how the technology available to us today has made remote working a permanent part of our daily working lives, how COVID-19 has become a wakeup call to businesses who have not adopted the latest hardware and software technologies, and how COVID-19 has changed how he works.
How is COVID-19 affecting the ECommerce industry? I talk to Rory O'Connor the CEO and founder of Scurri. Rory talks about Scurri been recently named among the top 50 retail tech start-ups operating globally by RWRC, how COVID-19 has changed how Scurri does business, and if remote working will become the norm for Scurri in the future when things get back to normal. Rory also talks about how COVID-19 has caused a boom in eCommerce and what trends he has noticed because of COVID-19.
Covid-19 is beginning to keep litigators busy – employment breaches, chasing debtors etc. In UK and and Co Germany governments are looking to change the law. So it will not longer be illegal for a director to carry on trading if their firm is not solvent which means that a director cannot be pursued personally.
Investors shun equities and bonds during Covid-19
What is Litigation Financing? – a third party entity often a commercial litigation fund pays the costs to take a case to court for a plaintiff? In 1400 Champerty- otherwise known as Litigation funding was made illegal. In UK 1967 Criminal Law Act allowed Litigation financing and the size of the market in UK alone has quadrupled since 2013 to approximately £1billion
In Australia started litigation financing in 1990's The % of litigation cases that were funded 1997-2002 1.7% 1992-1993 15%, 2017-2018 78% Litigation funding now in USA Brazil and Singapore as well. It is thought litigation is Binary i.e. win or lose a case but 90% of litigation settled before going to court, indeed many go to arbitration and a case may never be prove wrong or right but a compromise is made and claims are settled.
The focus historically has been on larger complex cases. However, a combination of Blockchain, Machine Learning and AI companies are now able to start focusing on creating a scalable portfolio of smaller cases where investors have exposure to many cases thus removing the risk of being exposed to just a small number of specific risks.
Potentially the litigation financing market is set to expand and is a market one may want to keep an eye on as litigation financing returns have proved to be uncorrelated to other asset classes Bought to you by Digital Bytes if you would like to receive Digital Bytes weekly please use this link to register http://eepurl.com/gTDiwP
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
It was the best of times — then suddenly, it was the worst. Nothing quite like a global pandemic to recast the lives of billions. Yet the fintech money wheel keeps turning. Q1 2020 saw $10.6 billion of venture funding, according to FT Partners. Megadeals continue, including a Series F round of $280 million for Robinhood and $112 million for Stash, and a Series D extension round of $100 million for N26. Elsewhere, Alpian, raises a $12 million Series A round to launch a digital private bank targeting Switzerland's 2.6 million most affluent.
We can't help but wonder out loud — has fintech lost its way?
Let's start with Bó, a stand-alone digital bank which was once touted by RBS as a response to challenger banks such as Monzo, Revolut, and Starling.
"Bó represents a new breed of financial institution – a greenfield digital bank owned by an existing incumbent." Mark Baille, ex-CEO Bó
Reportedly, RBS initially approached Monzo with a potential buyout offer, but thought it was too costly. So they decided to build their own. With a debit card, instant spending notifications, and fee-free spending abroad at Visa exchange rates, Bó's goal was to help customers manage their money butter and live a more financially sustainable life. Mark Baille left two months after its launch in November 2019. And just last week, merely five months after launch, RBS pulled the plug with 11,000 users (mostly friends and family of bank employees).
Bó's fate followed that of Finn, a digital bank owned by JP Morgan Chase, which was shut down after a year. A costly experiment, one might argue. And as it turns out, building a sustainable business requires more than marketing — you can't just build a bank with friends.
Speaking of building a bank, Switzerland-based Alpian is planning to launch a digital-first private bank in 2021, aiming at the country's mass affluent. It promises a “modernistic digital interface" with proprietary technology to develop scalable, personalised private banking, according to a report by Finextra. In today's competitive market, and unfavorable economic environment, where digital banking is the minimum entry requirement, is being "the Cadillac of banks" really the best they can do? Couldn't they at least imagine themselves as the Maserati of banks?
As we have often said, innovation does not mean throwing spaghetti on the wall to see what sticks. Creating a successful digital bank requires more than just digitizing existing services. In a crowded market, customer centricity is more important than ever. It is easy to create an attractive user-interface and hire influencers to market your brand; but it is much harder to understand what your customers want and deliver a solution that can truly help them.
Unfortunately, buying a travel aggregator and selling plane tickets might not be the best path forward either, as what Revolut seems to be looking into. Who is getting on a plane anytime soon? While we get the point they are trying to make, does this truly add value?
Building sustainable business requires more than marketing
Be it challenger banks, or digital-only offshoots owned by incumbents, it is time to think about what truly sets you apart from the others. Being digital is table stake; merely providing information based on historical data is no longer sufficient.
Especially in a post COVID-19 world with millions of people unemployed, where an increasing number of households are making tradeoffs between paying off their bills versus putting food on the table or taking care of their pressing medical needs, how will the financial services industry respond? How can we put tools in the hands of Main Street small businesses and consumers to help steer them out of uncertainty and back on track?
As more work transitions to contingent employment, how can we better support this growing class of workers who lack access to benefits and whose future is growing more uncertain day by day?
And that is the future we must focus on. A future with purpose — where we seek to maximize value for all stakeholders, every community. We are all citizens of this one big world.
We must unite as one or perish as all.
Listen in via iTunes, Spotify, or your favorite player as the four original hosts of this series reunites — for the first time in the show's history — under one fintech banner, and under one mission, to make banking better.
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
AS the price of airlines stock collapse it is not just shareholders who are suffering . As ever there are winners as well as losers. It looks like it will be a while before we see as many people flying including business travel so there is going to be a greater need for people to store and share data in a highly secure manner so could this be another reason we see more people embracing Blockchain technology?
Warren Buffett announces he has sold all $4 billion exposure to airline stocks and now has $130billion in cash approx 30% of his investments
Looks like Boris Johnson may get his wish not to have a third runway at Heathrow
The world's only ETF dedicated to Jet airline industry has fallen by 49% in the last year
Norwegian airways share price has fallen from €23 in 2016 to 40 cents a fall of almost 98%
High street travel agents suffer another nail in their coffin
Staycations i.e. your local BnB look set to soar as people stay at home
With more people working from home and less business travel there will be a greater need to hold and share data more securely?—?Blockchain technology offer military grade security
Governments will need to improve the TRUST that their citizens have in them- Transparency and access to immutable information will be key hence the demand for Blockchain powered platforms
Bought to you by Digital Bytes if you would like to receive Digital Bytes weekly please use this link to register http://eepurl.com/gTDiwP
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
I talk to Simon Haigh about his recent article for Irish Tech News, which focused on collaboration and the collaborative balance in the COVID-19 world we live in. Simon talks about the challenges and opportunities facing organisations, resilient leadership, and strategic serendipity. Simon also talks about how salespeople are adapting and pivoting in this COVID-19 world and how technology will help us.
Part 7 explores Dee Hock's latest years from age 75-92 and his thoughts on what comes next. This episode is my personal favourite.
Dee shares: Competition and Cooperation Thoughts on the future The impact of future technologies Parting advice for us all
Abstract: 52 years ago, our guest foresaw and implemented the foundations for the world's first trillion dollar organisation. Back then, Visa was little more than a set of unorthodox convictions about organisation slowly growing in the mind of a young corporate rebel.
Today, according to the Visa 2019 annual report, payments and cash volume for the year was a staggering $11.6 trillion dollars, transactions processed on Visa's networks totalled $138.3 trillion dollars and the year saw some 3.4 billion Visa cards in operation.
He is the man who imagined this reality, who had a once-deemed-impossible vision 52 years ago, a vision which has become a concrete reality today. He is a man who has a different view on what the next 50 years can deliver, but that vision will require a radical shift in mindset for every single one of us.
It is such an immense honour to welcome the founder and CEO Emeritus of Visa and author of the pioneering work "The Birth of the Chaordic Age" and its updated version "One from Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization", Dee Hock.
www.deewhock.com/
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
Part 6 explores how Dee Hock created the conditions for Visa to emerge
Dee shares: How such a complex organisation made and implemented decisions. Self policing entities The dispersion of innovations Why Dee left Visa at the pinnacle of success Restoring the 200 acres of wild land Those 3 questions The Sante Fe Institue The New Odyssey at 65 Writing his book
Abstract: 52 years ago, our guest foresaw and implemented the foundations for the world's first trillion dollar organisation. Back then, Visa was little more than a set of unorthodox convictions about organisation slowly growing in the mind of a young corporate rebel.
Today, according to the Visa 2019 annual report, payments and cash volume for the year was a staggering $11.6 trillion dollars, transactions processed on Visa's networks totalled $138.3 trillion dollars and the year saw some 3.4 billion Visa cards in operation.
He is the man who imagined this reality, who had a once-deemed-impossible vision 52 years ago, a vision which has become a concrete reality today. He is a man who has a different view on what the next 50 years can deliver, but that vision will require a radical shift in mindset for every single one of us.
It is such an immense honour to welcome the founder and CEO Emeritus of Visa and author of the pioneering work "The Birth of the Chaordic Age" and its updated version "One from Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization", Dee Hock.
www.deewhock.com/
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
Part 5 explores how Dee Hock took on the challenge of Visa International, formerly known as Ibanco.
Dee shares: How they rebranded Visa Globally Lessons from failure Leadership v Management How they pioneered, electronic point of sale terminals, electronic descriptive billing, magnetic stripe technology, debit cards, Visa travellers cheques, check guarantee system, global automated teller system, redundant data centres, and dozen of other innovations. Constantly pushing decentralisation of authority and functions. Dee’s philosophy of study to understand control
Abstract: 52 years ago, our guest foresaw and implemented the foundations for the world's first trillion dollar organisation. Back then, Visa was little more than a set of unorthodox convictions about organisation slowly growing in the mind of a young corporate rebel.
Today, according to the Visa 2019 annual report, payments and cash volume for the year was a staggering $11.6 trillion dollars, transactions processed on Visa's networks totalled $138.3 trillion dollars and the year saw some 3.4 billion Visa cards in operation.
He is the man who imagined this reality, who had a once-deemed-impossible vision 52 years ago, a vision which has become a concrete reality today. He is a man who has a different view on what the next 50 years can deliver, but that vision will require a radical shift in mindset for every single one of us.
It is such an immense honour to welcome the founder and CEO Emeritus of Visa and author of the pioneering work "The Birth of the Chaordic Age" and its updated version "One from Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization", Dee Hock.
www.deewhock.com/
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles.
Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
Part 4 explores how Dee Hock took on the challenge of Visa International, formerly known as Ibanco.
Dee shares: How different countries lacked trust his tactics to bring them together The beautiful concept of the Visa cufflinks More of his wonderful philosophies
Abstract: 52 years ago, our guest foresaw and implemented the foundations for the world's first trillion dollar organisation. Back then, Visa was little more than a set of unorthodox convictions about organisation slowly growing in the mind of a young corporate rebel.
Today, according to the Visa 2019 annual report, payments and cash volume for the year was a staggering $11.6 trillion dollars, transactions processed on Visa's networks totalled $138.3 trillion dollars and the year saw some 3.4 billion Visa cards in operation.
He is the man who imagined this reality, who had a once-deemed-impossible vision 52 years ago, a vision which has become a concrete reality today. He is a man who has a different view on what the next 50 years can deliver, but that vision will require a radical shift in mindset for every single one of us.
It is such an immense honour to welcome the founder and CEO Emeritus of Visa and author of the pioneering work "The Birth of the Chaordic Age" and its updated version "One from Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization", Dee Hock.
www.deewhock.com/
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
I talk to CEO and Founder of ClearStory International James McCann. James talks about ClearStory International's COVID-19 Tech Trend Report, some of its key findings, which video conferencing software is being used the most, the future of remote working and all things COVID-19.
Part 3 explores how Dee Hock "educed" an organisation using "chaordic” principles. He highlights how we brought so many diverse people and their organisations together to form Visa. He also shares some fascinating philosophies.
Dee shares: His philosophies of leadership and management How we can arrange our time to be a good leader and even a follower How he found himself leading Visa, when only 3 years previously he was searching through bins as part of his role Internal models of reality His philosophy on what he calls the machine metaphor and how we live in such mechanical and command and control society The innovations that he led, including how his team built authorisation software for his vision of a digital world His team's agile working methods
Abstract: 52 years ago, our guest foresaw and implemented the foundations for the world's first trillion dollar organisation. Back then, Visa was little more than a set of unorthodox convictions about organisation slowly growing in the mind of a young corporate rebel.
Today, according to the Visa 2019 annual report, payments and cash volume for the year was a staggering $11.6 trillion dollars, transactions processed on Visa's networks totalled $138.3 trillion dollars and the year saw some 3.4 billion Visa cards in operation.
He is the man who imagined this reality, who had a once-deemed-impossible vision 52 years ago, a vision which has become a concrete reality today. He is a man who has a different view on what the next 50 years can deliver, but that vision will require a radical shift in mindset for every single one of us.
It is such an immense honour to welcome the founder and CEO Emeritus of Visa and author of the pioneering work "The Birth of the Chaordic Age" and its updated version "One from Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization", Dee Hock.
www.deewhock.com/
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles.
Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
Part 2 explores how just as Dee Hock decided to “retire on the job” by giving up on his desire to make an impact on the business world, a series of events gave him the opportunity to create a chaordic organisation that would eventually become Visa.
This episode includes the principles, that were the foundation of Visa How Dee Hock used human ingenuity to empower those around him The challenges he and the team overcame The definition of Chaordic The definition of Educe Onion peeling the definitions of what made up the exchange of value
Abstract: 52 years ago, our guest foresaw and implemented the foundations for the world's first trillion dollar organisation. Back then, Visa was little more than a set of unorthodox convictions about organisation slowly growing in the mind of a young corporate rebel.
Today, according to the Visa 2019 annual report, payments and cash volume for the year was a staggering $11.6 trillion dollars, transactions processed on Visa's networks totalled $138.3 trillion dollars and the year saw some 3.4 billion Visa cards in operation.
He is the man who imagined this reality, who had a once-deemed-impossible vision 52 years ago, a vision which has become a concrete reality today. He is a man who has a different view on what the next 50 years can deliver, but that vision will require a radical shift in mindset for every single one of us.
It is such an immense honour to welcome the founder and CEO Emeritus of Visa and author of the pioneering work "The Birth of the Chaordic Age" and its updated version "One from Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization", Dee Hock.
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content.
Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles.
Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
Dee Hock is notoriously private. This is a unique multi-part interview which he granted the Innovation Show. It is an honour.
Part One of a multi-part miniseries on the life and philosophies of Visa founder and CEO Emeritus Dee Hock. This will run in parallel to the show, which will run as usual.
52 years ago, our guest foresaw and implemented the foundations for the world's first trillion dollar organisation. Back then, Visa was little more than a set of unorthodox convictions about organisation slowly growing in the mind of a young corporate rebel. Today, according to the Visa 2019 annual report, payments and cash volume for the year was a staggering $11.6 trillion dollars, transactions processed on Visa's networks totalled $138.3 trillion dollars and the year saw some 3.4 billion Visa cards in operation.
He is the man who imagined this reality, who had a once-deemed-impossible vision 52 years ago, a vision which has become a concrete reality today. He is a man who has a different view on what the next 50 years can deliver, but that vision will require a radical shift in mindset for every single one of us.
It is such an immense honour to welcome the founder and CEO Emeritus of Visa and author of the pioneering work “The Birth of the Chaordic Age” and its updated version “One from Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization”, Dee Hock.
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles.
Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
I talk to Dr Rich Ferrie the Director of UCC Innovation. Rich talks about GatewayUCC, IGNITE and GatewayUCC now being open for expressions of interest, how COVID-19 affecting what he is doing if remote working will become a part up of start-up life in the future and startups can do as they try and work through the current COVID-19 crisis.
The Chinese have announced that they will be launching in May 2020 a digital currency surely it will not be long before other major jurisdictions follow?
China is looking to dominate the digital landscape now according to McKinsey it is one of the top three VC investors in VR, Autonomous vehicles, Drones, 3D Printing and AI
Mobile payments are 11 times the value of USA and these figures from McKinsey where back in 2017
The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) in China has said Blockchain will cloud computing, (AI) and (IoT) will underpin how China manage information in the future
China in 2019 dominated the number of Blockchain Patent applications according to IPRDaily and incoPat. Taking top three spots – Alibaba, Tencent and Ping An Group, and Chinese companies took seven of the top ten
As the rest of the world fights covid-19 saving lives and piling up huge debts, potentially stoking inflationary pressures, as economies slip into recession
China will be launching the first version of a Digital Currency in the city of Suzhou as government employees will receive 50% of their May 2020 transportation subsidies
MacDonald's, Starbucks Subway all reported to agree to accept a new Digital Currency along with Ant Financial, Tencent and four state owned banks as part of a programme for retail and catering role out
If you would like to receive more articles weekly, like this register for Digital Bytes using p this link – http://eepurl.com/gTDiwP
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
A word that conjures up our internal strength, perseverance, and resilience.
During uncertain times like these, we seek out sources of optimism. We embrace things that bring us hope — people, ideas, and actions that drive us forward.
The world will one day move beyond this pandemic. But this is not the time that we abandon our goals and our ambitions for a more equal world. Instead of falling back to our old habits, we must start fresh — with new perspectives. A world with new hope and new architects — ones that resemble our society at large.
True diversity.
We must act with urgency and challenge the old normal. And we must address and solve for — the structural and systemic biases — that have stopped us from moving forward.
Meet the fairy grandmother
We need to nurture and propagate fresh ideas around the world. We need to accelerate growth for diverse founders addressing real problems in our society. We need to lift up the voices who aren't otherwise being heard.
Meet Amy Millman, the co-founder of Springboard Enterprises, a women-led nonprofit connecting female founders to experts who have "been there, run that." Amy is a force to be reckoned with — and definitely one of the first who recognized the value of female entrepreneurship and the power of community.
Springboard is now the leading network of influencers, investors, and innovators dedicated to building more high-growth companies led by women. Its diverse portfolio includes nearly 800 women-led companies — 86% of which have raised capital investment.
These companies have created more than $21 billion in value, tens of thousands of new jobs and generated billions in annual revenues. With 200 exits and 20 IPOs, Springboard entrepreneurs are a force across industries.
To Amy, "It's not about sharks or piranhas, but rather, 'How can we help?'"
Just like the dolphins that stay together in pods and defend each other, these women entrepreneurs and thought leaders collaborate and help each other network, secure capital, and explore solutions.
Female entrepreneurs are the real heroes.
We like to call them Sheroes.
We need more sheroes — and we need more "amy's" in our world — who recognize the value of diversity and community, and who aren't afraid to fight for their vision, and create a better world.
Listen in via iTunes and Spotify as Theo and Bradley of Unconventional Ventures have a conversation with Amy Millman, the fairy grandmother, about her journey, and the importance of community. Listen to this, and every episode of One Vision, on your favorite player.
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles.
Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
The Humachine: Humankind, Machines, and the Future of Enterprise with John Wood
There is a lot of hype, hand waving and ink being spilled about artificial intelligence (AI) in business. The amount of coverage of this topic in the trade press and on shareholder calls is evidence of a large change currently underway. It is both awesome and terrifying.
What started as an inquiry into how executives can adopt AI to harness the best of human and machine capabilities turned into a much more profound rumination on the future of humanity and enterprise. It is a wake-up call for business leaders across all sectors of the economy. Not only should you implement AI regardless of your industry, but once you do, you should fight to stay true to your purpose, your ethical convictions, indeed your humanity, even as our organisations continue to evolve.
While not holding any punches about the dangers posed by AI, today's guest uniquely surveys where technology is limited, and where the true opportunities lie amidst all the disruptive change that is currently underway.
"The Message is simple, fasten your seatbelts. The turbulence has scarcely begun. We are amid an explosion of societal diversity and complexity much greater than we can hardly imagine." @deewhock
AI for Marketing and Product Innovation with Dr A.K. Pradeep, Innovation Show, podcast, 187 – Latest thought provoking podcast from Aidan McCullen, see more by him here. Reinvention/Transformation @Flow… https://t.co/T4wEs0EKYMpic.twitter.com/tgAFt78VsA
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles.
Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
On Sunday March 25th Ferg Brown and his wife were watching the news. Up until then, the developing news on the coronavirus had been more from the viewpoint of an outsider. As Ferg mentioned to his friend the previous evening, people will always need to drink coffee. He may have been right about the coffee consumption but he had not envisioned the where people drank coffee. He watched in horror on that Sunday night as café after café announced they were closing down for health and safety reasons – even before the Government shut down.
"By Monday morning we were out of business."
COVID19 business impacts – Coffee Roaster Innovates Supply Chain
Ferg is a specialist coffee roaster. He imports the highest quality beans and roasts them, serving a number of cafes, about 30 in total. In one fell swoop his business was gone as all his customers closed their doors. He also had an online shop which did quite well but he needed to figure out what next.
The what next was an inspired piece of innovative marketing. Coming as he does from a business that sources not only the highest quality coffee, but also the most ethical, he felt a need to support his customers. When I say to him that this is a pretty unusual thought process he is very modest. "If I help my customers – the cafes – survive then when the crisis is over the hope is that they will still be there."
What Ferg came up with was a 'Our shop is their Shop'. Essentially if people came online to shop at roastedbrown.com they would be offered an opportunity to nominate the café they normally frequently. In the beginning, Ferg offered a sale – giving 10% off the price of the beans and giving all the profit to the nominated café. This lasted for two weeks and proved it could work.
"We needed to make an income too, so once we proved this was viable, we moved into a longterm process. Customers come online, chose their coffee and nominate their café. We collect the money, ship the coffee directly to the customer, take our regular wholesale margin and remit the retail margin directly to the café."
The beauty of this re-thinking is that the customer gets to buy coffee at a regular price – cheaper of course than if they bought it at the café. The Café gets to earn money from the coffee purchased as if the customer was in their café. Indeed now that the cafes can see how this works they are very active telling their customers about the deal – which drives more sales. And Ferg gets to sell his coffee at a regular price.
Ferg has been in the coffee business for some time – and over the years he has built up many contacts when purchasing green beans, the unroasted coffee. He buys from coffee importers in Norway and direct from farmers in Ethiopia. The importer in Norway still has his mortgage to pay and the Ethiopian farmer desperately needs to still sell her coffee.
"I have been thinking of ways to still honour those contracts so now I am reaching out the other boutique coffee roasters – they might not have enough money to buy a full pallet of green beans, but they might be able to afford a bag or even half a bag. So, our new concept for fellow coffee roasters is 'Our Green is your Green' and already we are getting some traction."
It might seem strange to live in a world when a coffee drinker supports their local café by being beans direct from the wholesaler but we live in strange times. By supporting their local cafes, there is a greater chance when this is all over, the cafes may reopen – buoyed up by the credit earned by their loyal coffee drinkers.
And Ferg has some other equally interesting ideas up his sleeve – not as yet ready for publication but equally inspiring I am sure.
As he says: "Every fortnight we have a staff meeting and one of the items is how to tell our cafes how important they are to us – in the past it may have taken the form of donuts, but the Our Shop is Their Shop really rang true for us. Who knows what the world will look like post COVID19 but we will do our best to make sure we – and our customers – are still there serving great coffee."
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles.
We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
I talk to Jack Fitzsimons from Oblivious AI. Jack talks about his background, what Oblivious AI's software does, and how they adapted it to help with COVID-19 contact tracing. Jack also talks about how they got AWS and Oracle on board, GDPR compliance, the issues he sees with the apps used in Singapore and South Korea, and the work Oblivious AI has done in India.
By Theodora Lau and Bradley Leimer, with some interesting musings on Quantum computing and blockchain
Everything that happens is connected to everything else.
There are then, moments in time, that act as trigger points for a series of interconnected events that result in significant human progress, whether through a new technology or a period of transformative societal change. This rejects both the conventional linear and teleological views of history — those focusing on the procession toward the result rather than threaded causation — of historical progression and looks for sparks of connected ingenuity that further develops the thrust of human advancement.
And so begins the heralded documentary series Connections created by science historian James Burke. Throughout the series, Burke demonstrates why we cannot view the development of any portion of our contemporary world in isolation. He asserts that advances in the modern world are the result of a series of interconnected events and moments of progress, whether that be an invention of necessity or a curious progression of culture from the seemingly disjointed motivations of humans, all of whom had no concept — or perhaps little intention — of the final result of their activities.
Human progress flies blind until everything becomes very transparent. This interaction of these isolated events drives our history, our innovation, our progress.
Quantum computing and blockchain, is this our bold future?
Evolution feels slow — until a sudden series of tremors makes it all feel far too real.
This is how we often feel in our very modern world.
We are lost in the world of the dim light of glass, until we are awoken from our slumber of scrolling by something personally transformative to our lives.
The promise of technology is that it will improve our society, or at least make our lives more efficient, freeing up our time to pursue some of life's pleasures, whether that be leisure like reading and writing and expressing ourselves through art, or toward more time working to solve life's more pressing problems through the output of our work.
Certain technology — especially recent improvements in computing, from faster processors, cloud storage, and advanced quantum computing — combine with others to create opportunities to alleviate significant challenges like climate change, water scarcity, and global poverty. Others, like blockchain (distributed ledger technology), hold the promise of reigning in the issue around defining the source of truth within certain forms of data, some of which are life defining.
The creation of trust through technology is an interesting thread to pull. From the source of goods and services traveling through our supply chain to the authenticity of our elections, new technologies hold the potential to rapidly improve the future and the advancement of humanity. Closer to our focus on financial services, quantum computing addresses market risk, credit risk, digital annealing, dynamic portfolio selection, ATM replenishment and more. Blockchain technology has focused on AML/KYC, trade finance, remittance, central bank backed digital currency, security tokens, and has the capacity for continued innovation in the financial space.
What if these two elemental forces were viewed together? What if we channeled our inner James Burke, and looked for connections between these two transformative technologies? This is exactly what our partner Arunkumar Krishnakumar did in his new book Quantum Computing and Blockchain in Business: Exploring the applications, challenges and collision of quantum computing and blockchain. Though a seemingly impenetrable title, we can more than assure you it's worth a read to understand where the future is headed.
Arun's book dissects the genesis of these twin technologies and how they intersect. Similar to how James Burke rejects the threading of historical events, the first time author writes about the impacts of these technologies on healthcare and pharmaceutical industries, governance, elections, smart cities, the environment, chemistry, logistics, and much more. We are left with the question of whether there is anything that a blockchain powered by quantum computing cannot do? Fortunately the book answers that as well.
As the book discusses in the last few chapters — as viewed through Arun's critical lens — there are also darker sides to these technologies — where they could threaten nation states, launch a new cyber arms race — he details the dangers of these technologies and how they might impact every life. He also concludes with some blue sky ideas — both dreams and realized aspirations derived from the power of these complementary tools of knowledge — and how writing this book provided him with a sense of hope for the future of humanity, in the age of rapidly developing and highly interdependent technologies.
Perhaps it is fitting then, that Arun uses a quote from the opening of the Charles Dickens’ novel, A Tale of Two Cities, to tell his story. The conflict between good and evil, between light and darkness, can be won. Technology is just another means to this end.
"There is a lot of hype, but somewhere amid all the hype, there is still hope."
How we write the next chapter — and the future of the human race — is entirely up to us.
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
Ronan talks to Professor Barry O' Reilly of Assert & UCC who was involved with the development of the COVID-19 Remote Early Warning System also known as CREW. Professor O'Reilly talks about how the idea of CREW came about, how it works and what you need to use it. Professor O'Reilly also talks about how easy it is to implement and if they are thinking about selling it in other countries.
Professor Barry O' Reilly on the Irish Tech News Podcast
Gavin Clifford is the founder and inspiration behind the boutique Irish Bonac Gin. Named for the US harbour, originally it was called Bonac 24 to mark both his age and the number of attempts to get the flavours working.
However, a branding conflict saw the gin renamed to Irish Bonac Gin earlier this year which might have been the big news for his artisan startup had not COVID 19 intervened. Now the alcohol has been switched to make a more pressing product – hand sanitizer – and Gavin has no idea how long this will last.
"I never saw myself switching to making hand sanitizer last year," he says. "Heck I never imagined I'd be doing this two weeks ago."
This is speed at which COVID19 can change a life.
Gavin got the idea for the gin distillery while working in the States in the hospitality sector. He was very impressed with the craft drinks industry and bowled over by the passion of travelling drinks founders and salesmen.
"These guys would come in with a box under their arm – it could be beer, vodka or a whiskey – and they would be passionate about their product. Sometimes I'd be invited to see their brewery or distillery and I would discover this person was doing everything – distilling, packaging, sales and marketing. This really appealed to me."
He used to joke that he had a keen interest in drinking himself but has changed that line since he went after his dream job. Now he says he has a keen interest in quality spirits. This interest in shared with his father and once the idea of creating a craft drink took hold, together they began visiting distilleries here and in the UK and Europe to understand the best practices.
So late 2016 they settled on the gin, the name, the process, the botanicals and started selling the distinctive Irish Bonac Gin. Fast forward to 2020 and just before COVID19 struck they were going to launch a gin school, inviting interested people to come to the distillery and have a tour. There was even a plan for the visitors to make their own gin.
Innovation is at the heart of the Bonac venture and currently, well prior to COVID19, Gavin had developed two flavours of his gin. Working closely with his father, Michael Clifford, he was on the front line for the gin production.
During the day it was just Gavin producing and bottling his gins, truly calling them handcrafted. At night, when his father finished his day job, he would join Gavin and take care of the financial ends of things.
'He has been amazing – after his own long day then he'd come and help me wherever it was needed."
Christmas just gone had been very busy and during the quiet months of January and February Gavin was making plans to launch the gin school.
"We were literally one week away from launching it – we had our press release planned – and we were looking at St Patrick's Day for our announcment. Then it all kicked off and we were not sure what to do next."
With his own sales on hold, Gavin twigged that they were sitting on raw materials for hand sanitizer.
"We wanted to help. We knew there was a global shortage, but we knew if we retooled our production line we could change it from gin to hand sanitizer."
So he stuck a few notes up on Facebook and Instagram. And it just blew up from there. Gavin doesn't know but somehow his mobile was out there too and he was getting bombarded with calls, messages and shout outs for sanitizer.
What really stuck him was everyone was trying to help in some way. "People are looking after their neighbours, looking after strangers – this goes way beyond looking after loved ones. We wanted to do our part too."
The first batches of hand sanitizer were donated to the Red Cross and local hospitals. Quickly, the reserve stock of alcohol was used up and Gavin has turned his charitable move into a new business. He is buying in new raw materials and containers to hold the sanitizing liquid.
In addition to the charities he has found corporate customers who are now purchasing his product. He is busier than ever and trying to support the local needs first.
His bottling line has changed from the distinctive Bonac gin to 500 mls of sanitizer which he hand bottles and fits the caps.
From making gin to making hand sanitizer is not something Gavin would ever have imagined before COVID19 and while he is desperate to get back to making gin, he is very happy to provide a product that is needed so badly. And he wonders if this sideline might be a permanent product even after the lockdown is eased.
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland's leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people's crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News going global and reaching many people for your stories and news today.
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
I talk to Will O'Brien a Director of Cyber Practice at PwC. Will explains how cyber-criminals are exploiting the current COVID-19 crisis, how people working remotely from home can make sure it is a secure environment. Will also mentions what BYOD guidelines he recommends that businesses observe, and as we don't know how long quarantine will end he also talks about how easy is it install software updates and patches.
If there was ever a desire and a need for normalcy, it would seem to be now.
But that's actually not what we need. Not this time.
We need — more than ever before — a new normal.
We need new sources of hope, we need bigger dreams, we need bolder action.
We need to create a better normal. Equality can’t wait.
Our sense of time, treated as a critical resource and surely lacking before, seems even stranger now. The sun rises and the sun sets, and so much happens in between we can barely name the day of the week. Days turn into weeks overnight. We see others, but only from a distance. Our normal life replaced by the light of screens and digital connection. Whether thirty-some odd days or more than three months, we are sequestered, rightly focused on flattening curves.
But there are other curves we need to flatten as well. You see, it's past time, to take time — to think, to focus, to connect — in order to create a better world for more of us. This isn't time to ponder the common good, it's time to foster, nurture, and crash more ceilings on our way toward a greater good. One where gender and diversity drive a new normal.
COVID-19 has shown the world that we are more globally connected than ever. How will the world evolve as we emerge from this pandemic? There is still so much to change.
In 2019, history was made: 21 women-led companies emerged as unicorns — those earning valuations of $1 billion or more — the highest-ever in a one-year period. Unfortunately, that is just a drop in the bucket compared to what the rest of the ecosystem has raised, according to Crunchbase. In 2019, more than 92% of venture capital raised by European tech companies went to all-male founding teams. It’s even worse in the U.S.
How can we create a more even playing field? What will the current pandemic mean to this funding dynamic? When we focus on funding more diverse teams, we all win. When we treat the needs of everyone on a more even playing field, the world wins.
How can we change this narrative?
“It's clear we can't continue with the profit at all costs model, profit over our planet and people. Nor continue to allow decisions that impact us globally be made by just a handful.” — The Bigger Pie Blog
We need to start thinking — and acting — with a longer time horizon in mind. We need to be changing the opportunities, we need to create more pathways, we need to open up networks. We must start with STEM education for girls at an early age, to open up more opportunities and provide more role models. We need to instill entrepreneurship into every community, drive inclusive business practices into our business models. We need to expect more inclusion, even as the current crisis closes borders and clouds mindsets.
One thing we know for sure, we can't go back to the old normal.
There is too much at stake in too little hands.
It is time for a bigger pie – one with more equal slices.
Tune in for a new episode of One Vision via iTunes and Spotify with Bridget Greenwood, Founder of The Bigger Pie, as she chats with Theo and Bradley of Unconventional Ventures about the need to change the status quo as. As always, you can listen to this and every episode of One Vision podcast on your favorite player. Thank you for listening, and thank you for helping bend the arc toward the common good.
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
I talk to Cedric Aucher a Wexford native who is using his recently acquired 3D printer to print Face Shields for the frontline staff who are helping fight the current COVID-19 pandemic. Cedric who will be working with his father and sister on this has also set up a GoFundMe campaign to help fund it. Cedric talks about what prompted him to do this, how his 3D printer has made it possible, how his GoFundMe campaign is doing, and the raw materials he is looking for to print the face shields.
Why do governments and regulators care about Blockchain and Digital Adoption. FCA regulator like most other globally have established to maintain confidence in the financial system and to protect the public. They also have a third one and that is to encourage digital innovation – https://www.fca.org.uk/news/speeches/meeting-pace-technological-change. Also the potential income tax is attractive as it is thought that there are 20,000 people in the digital assets sector on an average of $59k which assuming 25% income tax generates $290million p.a. This is leading to a battle between Swiss, Germans and UK to welcome companies in this sector.
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
I spoke to John Harrington who has just started up a great new initiative on Twitter @covid19_tech, which aims to offer free tech advice to people who are in isolation in Ireland because of COVID-19. John talks about how the initiative started, how it will work, what tech issues and problems they will be dealing with, and the volunteers they are looking for to help run the service.
In October 2019 Digital Bytes looked at Stablecoins how has this sector fared in the last six months.Sean Au who is a senior trainer for ConsenSys in Asia Pacific looked at the different types of stablecoins. At the time Coindex followed 17 now they follow 50.
Tether was capitalised at $3.5 billion now $6.3 billion. It was only March 2019 that Tether ( which at the time was capitalised at $2 billion) said they did not have a $ for every Tether token but the concerns around Tether seem to But with interest rates at almost ZERO how do the issuers of stablecoins make money will they have to start introducing fees?
Why over the last 3 years has Tether’s capitalisation risen like a staircase in steps? Binance are offering 6% p.a. which may help explain why the amount of money held in Tether has increased so much?
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
Behind every number, every 1 and 0, there is a human.
Whether it is a story about lack of diversity in the startup ecosystem, or around the current COVID-19 pandemic, we often cite numbers to tell a story — to add weight to a narrative. But how often do we lift the curtain behind that scene, to try to understand what is really going on — to try to challenge the status quo and change the narrative?
Let's put these numbers in perspective.
Less than 10% of all venture capital deals are going to women, people of color, and LGBTQ founders. Despite increased awareness, we have barely moved the needle for gender equity over the past decades. What else is going on behind this curtain?
According to the latest Equal Pay Day Report from Women Who Code, while equal pay is an issue for all women, marginalized groups experience different levels of pay inequality. For every dollar that white, non-Hispanic men earn, black women were paid 61 cents, Latina women were paid 53 cents, and Asian women were paid 83 cents. Talent is equally distributed; opportunities are not. This needs to change.
When much of life comes from the luck of where we were born, whom we were born to, and what gender we are, how can we ensure that the playing field is as level as it can be? People born without wealth, without embedded privilege or access, those are often the ones with the most grit, the most determination. They do more with less – and they are often subject to a different standard. We must support efforts toward diversity and inclusion, to support those that often create the best ideas with less, those whose road is more windy, full of more bumps, but have a more proven way to succeed.
We must create more pathways to support diverse communities. Startups and diverse founders don't succeed in isolation — they need strong local ecosystems and strong networks to thrive. We need more of these efforts to help diverse teams, teams of founders that are women, people of color, and/or LGBTQ. Underestimated founders are a force unto themselves. They have resolve. They are determined. They accomplish much more with much less. Diverse teams often have stronger business outcomes and deliver on more innovative ideas.
As Arlan Hamilton said in her latest book, It's About Damn Time, "innovation comes from having the courage to be different and to do things differently."
How can we do things differently and how can we turn these numbers around? When more diverse people and more women have the chance to succeed. When more diverse teams and more women are funded, when they are able to bring their ideas to market, and are successful and create a broader ecosystem of ideas that strengthen our communities. We need to work together to create a future where more of that success — more of the profit toward a greater purpose toward the common good — is shared by founders, their teams, their investors, and their local communities.
"When you expand people's perception of what is possible, you enable them to think bolder, dream bigger, and achieve more." Arlan Hamilton
We are all in this together.
We are all part of one humanity.
And each, and every of us, is much more than just a number. We are not just statistics.
We are all here for a reason.
We remain optimistic about helping be part of making these changes happen, helping create a more diverse and inclusive ecosystem, focused on increasing diversity of thought and diversity of action — the path forward is clear. It will take us all to make this happen. Will you join us?
Even the smallest actions matter.
It is time to change the narrative – to build a more equitable future for everyone.
Tune in for an empowering conversation with Arlan Hamilton via iTunes and Spotify, as Theo and Bradley of Unconventional Ventures chat with the founder of Backstage Capital about her remarkable journey. As she reminded us, we are all here for a reason. We all have a part to play in changing these numbers and changing the lives of others, to the betterment of our communities. Listen to this and every episode of One Vision podcast on your favorite player.
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
According to a survey from emovis, a mobility solutions provider, it was found that members of the public view environmental sustainability as an important factor in relation to their transport options. As part of the emovis podcast series, 'Going Places', host Aidan Power interviewed members of the public through vox pops, to get their opinions and understanding on the topic of mobility.
Members of the public were asked to rate Ireland's transport system, and gave it an average score of five out of ten. Some of the issues raised include: a lack of connectivity between public transport services, the need for more frequent services, overcrowding on public transport, the need for more services for smaller towns, and the need to improve facilities for cyclists.
Some of the additional key findings of the episode include:
Interviewees agreed that environmental sustainability was an important factor for them. Respondents stated that they cycle, walk, or take public transport where possible.
Respondents would consider buying an electric car, but some believe that the facilities for this need to be improved.
On the topic of a congestion charge, some interviewees were against an additional cost to drivers. Others believed it would be effective in encouraging people to utilise public transport in place of their cars.
Darren O'Reilly, Head of Global Marketing for emovis said: "For the seventh episode in the 'Going Places' podcast series, we are excited to get the views of the public on the area of mobility. Transport and mobility have a significant impact on our lives on a daily basis, but their different aspects are often overlooked or misunderstood. It is important to get a clear understanding from members of the public regarding transport and how it can be improved."
The podcast series aims to create a dialogue on the future of transport and mobility across Ireland and features key stakeholders and industry leaders, including senior representatives from the NTA, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and ARUP. Previous episodes of the video podcast have seen host Aidan Power take to the road in a Toyota CHR Hybrid to interview leading figures within the Irish transport and mobility ecosystem.
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
I talk to Shane Ennis the Co-Founder of Sweep, the Tinder of online car sales. Shane talks about how Sweep started, what Sweep does, how Sweep will revolutionise selling cars online, and the special offer they have for car dealers as they face uncertain times due to COVID-19.
In this Drone Radio Show Podcast, Randy Goers talks with Lucas Le Bell, CEO and Co-Founder of Cerbair. Cerbair was created to counter the alarming increase of drone intrusions on critical facilities, as well as the threat they represent. The company offers anti-drone solutions that adapt to the needs of each customer.
Lucas co-founded CerbAir in 2015 with Olivier Le Blainvaux and in five years, the company has grown to provide anti-drone solutions to a large portfolio of customers worldwide. Today, it is recognized as one of the leaders in the emerging counter-drone industry. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Lucas talks about the company, the pros and cons of the technologies used to counter-drone incursions and the challenges and opportunities in protecting critical infrastructure.
Regardless of where we live, talent, people and being human are always at the heart of everything that we need. But what is the meaning of community in this digital era — and within the time of COVID-19? Can we rewire our society — and refocus on what matters — during these challenging times, when most of us are hunkered down, within the confines of our homes, within four walls and within our own thoughts? Where does isolation begin and where does it end?
Most importantly, will the crisis at hand help us break down the barriers that have separated us? Or will our world become more divided and turn us against one another? Although we have many sources of truth, we only have one true source of empathy. The choice is up to each one of us.
As Rushkoff, author of Team Human, maintains, working together is what makes us human.
"Anything that brings us together fosters our humanity … We use our social connections to orient ourselves, to derive meaning and purpose. This is not a mere quaint notion but a biological imperative." ~ Douglas Rushkoff, Team Human
Each one of us plays a role within our communities — within our larger society — to enhance the common good. What matters most is not the physical job that we do; rather, our purpose and the values that we bring to our role, and how it relates to the overall well-being of our society. How we treat each other during this time is critical — it is what will leave a lasting impact. This is our true legacy.
So how do we level the playing field – so that we can all move forward? According to Pew research data, "roughly three-in-ten adults with household incomes below $30,000 a year (29%) don't own a smartphone. More than four-in-ten don't have home broadband services (44%) or a traditional computer (46%). More than a third of lower-income households with school-age children also do not have a broadband internet connection at home, which is also known as the homework gap." In a modern society, in the richest country in the world, this is not acceptable.
While digital represents the new economy, and being digital is quickly becoming the new normal, it is also a privilege. Bringing these communities online is a prerequisite for a more inclusive society, and we will need the collaboration of private and public sectors to make this a reality.
Perhaps, ironically, the pandemic is forcing a reset in our relationship with technology — and apparently, our relationships with other humans as well. As much as we have become reliant on data to guide us in our daily decision-making, as much as we are tethered digitally more than ever before, many of us have also rediscovered the simple joy of putting together jigsaw puzzles, reading a book, or enjoying a simple meal with family. This is the new normal.
Our current crisis lays bare the deep inequalities that we have in our society. As humans, it exposes who we are as individuals, and who we are as a community. How we help each other, how we reach out to those in need, how we create new ways to express ourselves as human beings — this is what this time appears to represent.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. What a time this is indeed. This time which is very raw, that which is very base — this is a global experiment in empathy. How we treat each other now is most critical for our future. And we must extend this spirit of kindness — to uplift those who are less fortunate in our society — even after the crisis ends.
We are all in this together, through good times and bad. We can only hope for a better future, for one another, and for everyone in our community.
Join Theo and Bradley in this new episode of One Vision via iTunes and Spotify, where they chat with Patrick Rivenbark on the value of local communities and the power of relationships. We are all indeed, human, first and foremost.
By Theodora Lau and Bradley Leimer
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
Despite increased awareness and scrutiny, our innovation ecosystem remains stubbornly homogeneous. We all know the numbers and they are dismal: Even though female founders received a record $3.54 billion in funding in 2019, this represented only 2.7% of the total venture capital investments, according to PitchBook data. As a point of comparison, WeWork garnered more investment than all global female founders combined last year. If not for irony, then for the despair of the missed opportunity.
Is it possible to change this narrative? Is there a more equitable way of dispersing capital? Can we find a way that looks beyond the next shiny object?
For those of us working within the innovation economy, we have a duty and a responsibility to make entrepreneurship more inclusive, by extending opportunities to diverse minds and talents in all corners of the society, regardless of their age, ethnicity, backgrounds, and gender.
Look no further than Village Capital, a DC-based accelerator that supports impact-driven, seed-stage startups, along with an affiliated fund VilCap. Among their portfolio companies that span 28 countries, 46% are founded by women; 30% are black or Latinx.
They are also unique in their areas of focus: Sustainability, Financial Health, and the Future of Work, all of which are sectors that directly impact the financial well-being of consumers and small businesses, as well as the long-term viability of our civilization as a whole.
Some of their portfolio companies include:
[1] CNote – A certified B Corp investment platform founded by Catherine Berman and Yuliya Tarasava, two successful women in finance, with a mission to make financial freedom more accessible to the masses. The money is invested with community lenders committed to supporting LMI (low-to-moderate income) communities and investing in women & minority entrepreneurs.
[2] Landit – A technology platform designed to increase the engagement and success of women and diverse groups in the workplace and help companies attract a diverse workforce. It has a presence in over 20 countries (and counting).
[3] MPOWER Financing – A public benefit corporation that extends credit to international students based on their potential, rather than the traditional model which requires an established U.S. credit history, collateral, or a cosigner.
[4] Vault – A fintech solution that allows users to automatically invest part of their paycheck into a retirement fund, helping them plan for retirement without an employer sponsored plan. It was acquired by Acorns in 2017.
[5] PiggyVest – The first and largest online savings & investing platform in Nigeria, enabling savers to put away funds that they don’t want to withdraw easily. By restricting access, it helps its users maintain their savings discipline while building their savings habit.
The impact results thus far have been inspiring. Here are some of the metrics according to the corporate website:
– 144.2 million pounds of CO2 emissions offset
– 27.5 million low-income students served
– 1.6 million low-income patients reached
– 652,000 people provided access to affordable financial services
– 15,200 smallholder farmers served
– 13,400 jobs created
Perhaps, there is really another way after all.
Perhaps, when the pandemic is over, we can kickstart the economy by refocusing on what matters: the values of our society and the well-being of our citizens.
Perhaps, we will emerge as a kinder, more united, and more empathetic world.
We must remember that we only survive and thrive when we work as teams — when we work as an “us.” Douglas Rushkoff – Team Human
Tune in for an aspirational podcast episode of One Vision via iTunes and Spotify with Victoria Fram, Founding fund manager of VilCap Investments and co-founder of Village Capital.
More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here
FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!
Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
In this episode, presenter Aidan Power will be joined by Eoin Gillard, Head of Public Transport Investment for the National Transport Authority (NTA). He will speak on the topic of the role of the NTA and some of their major projects and future plans.
The sixth episode will feature topics including:
The importance of the MetroLink project
How BusConnects will make Dublin more connected
How people can be encouraged to use public transport
Darren O'Reilly, Head of Global Marketing for Emovis said: "For the sixth episode in the 'Going Places' podcast series, we are delighted to be joined by Eoin Gillard. He is well placed to discuss some of the major transport projects in Ireland which the NTA are involved in."
The podcast series aims to create a dialogue on the future of transport and mobility across Ireland and will feature key stakeholders and industry leaders, including senior representatives from the NTA, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and ARUP.
Notably, the sixth episode of the Going Places video podcast took place over the course of a journey on Dublin Bus. Previous episodes have seen Aidan take to the road in a Toyota CHR Hybrid to interview leading figures within the Irish Transport and Mobility ecosystem.
Irish Tech News Podcast Section – https://irishtechnews.ie/category/podcast/More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase hereFYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland's answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience!Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 30,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds.
Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview, or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We're always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully we can share your story too and reach our global audience.
Irish Tech News
If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking
اللباس التقليدي الحضرمي للرجال مرحبا بكم في سلسلة اللباس التقليدي الحضرمي .. لنتعرف معا على تراثنا ...وربما أن بعض هذه الملابس لم تعد مس...
الغرف برس / خاص عقد قسم البرامج التعليمية بجمعية السبيل الاجتماعية الخيرية يوم الأحد 18 فبراير 2018 م لقاءا بأئمة المساجد المكفولين...
