Disruptive CEO Nation

Latest Episodes:

EP 94 Cenk Sidar, Co-founder and CEO, GlobalWonks May 26, 2021

Show notes

We are living in a fast-changing world where everyone needs access to information, knowledge and expertise in a way that is fast and accurate. As an example, think about how everyone needed information from around the globe regarding the pandemic.

Cenk Sidar, Co-founder and CEO of GlobalWonks, has a technology platform that removes barriers to accessing information, while creating equity in the global workforce. The platform allows information and expertise to be shared within minutes.

Before starting the company, Cenk spent 12 years as a global risk executive. His work includes assisting top financial institutions, multinational corporations, risk management firms, and legal firms operating in high-risk regions.

Cenk’s extensive degrees includes a Master’s in international economics and international relations from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, a postgraduate in European studies from SAIS’s Bologna Center in Italy, and a Bachelor’s in business administration and international relations from the Istanbul Bilgi University.

Highlights from our conversation include:

· Moving from a Minimally Viable Product, MVP, to a global network of over 27,000 experts.

· How the proprietary system harnesses human intelligence, AI and data so people can quickly connect to experts and insights.

· Working in emerging markets and pay equity for all.

· How the platform creates workplace equity for women.

· The lean organizational structure and fundraising.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Cenk:

Website: http://www.globalwonks.com/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

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EP 93 Maia Monell, Co-founder, CMO Nav.it Money App May 19, 2021

Show notes

What if a financial app could help a user take the stress out of finances, by helping a user look at saving and spending habits from a holistic, health and wellness approach? Maia Monell is the Co-founder and CMO of Nav.it Money App. It helps users track and improve financial habits, just as a fitness routine can help keep one healthy.

Maia and her co-founder, Erin Papworth, are taking a fresh approach to Fintech, making Nav.it a relatable, trusted and approachable, money management app. They base the approach on behavioral science and support it with peer-to-peer learning.

Maia is devoted to closing wealth gaps perpetuated by a system not built for most Americans and is driven to make an impact in the lives of those less fortunate than herself.

There is so much to learn from Maia’s story and the approach to developing this app. In our conversation, we discussed:

· The startup process as a female founder in the FinTech space.

· Developing apps and being “top of phone.”

· Launch and quick pivot strategies made because of the pandemic.

· A delayed revenue strategy that actually added more users and strengthened the app’s features.

· Extending the brand through partnerships.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Maia:

Website:https://navitmoney.com

Instagram:@maiamonell

Twitter:@maia_maude

TikTok:@LetsNavit

Clubhouse:@maiamaude

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

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EP 92 Elnaz Sarraf, Founder, CEO Roybi Robot May 12, 2021

Show notes

Elnaz Sarraf, CEO and founder of the award-winner Roybi Robot, has an incredible story, not only for her drive as an entrepreneur, but as an immigrant from Iran to the U.S. who had the tenacity to achieve success.

Roybi Robot is the world’s first AI powered smart toys to teach children language and STEM skills. It’s listed as one of TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions in Education, on the 2019 CNBC Upstart 100 list as one of the world’s most promising startups, and on Fast Company’s 2019 World-Changing Ideas.

Elnaz is a Board Member at the Consumer Technology Association, Small Business Council, and a member of the Forbes Technology Council.

In our conversation, we discussed:

· The story of her first company, iBaby Labs, featured in 10,000 store fronts.

· Leaving to devote her attention to Edu-tech and providing active learning experiences for children.

· Attracting investors with only a prototype.

· The perseverance of pitching to 2,000 investors to become funded.

· Usability and user experience in children’s product development.

· How she drives success with a lean team of 20 people across multiple countries.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Elnaz:

Website: https://roybirobot.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elnazsarraf/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elnaz_sarraf/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

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EP 91 Jehan Hamedi, Founder and CEO VIZIT May 05, 2021

Show notes

We’ve all heard that a picture is worth a thousand words and visuals are a key deciding factor in consumer purchase decisions. For every company where visual imagery is important, it would be incredible for those companies to harness AI to place facts behind the images that are chosen to improve customer sales conversion rates.

Jehan Hamedi, Founder and CEO of Vizit, is the world’s first visual intelligence agency. Using Artificial Intelligence (AI), the technology can measure and analyze the effectiveness of visual content and design for many marketing communications and product concepts.

Jehan has more than a decade of experience in computational social science and artificial intelligence. His innovations have led to important advances in AI and computer vision, consumer insights and e-commerce, resulting in eight patents and an award-winning software platform. Before launching Vizit, Jehan led growth and innovation for Crimson Hexagon (acquired by Brandwatch), one of Fast Company’s 10 Most Innovative Companies in Web, working with leading global brands, retailers, technology and media companies, including Google, Twitter, Walgreens, Toyota, and Paramount Pictures.

This technology is exciting and groundbreaking. In our conversation, we discussed:

How Vizit’s AI platform dramatically improves customer conversion including ecommerce, packaged goods, marketing messages, etc.
The history of building the platform and the team.
How the AI works to run images through an AI generated audience lens.
The three-year effort to develop the database to offer predictive views verses human subjective views.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Jehan:

Website: https://vizit.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/10811155/admin/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VIZITLabs

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

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EP 90 Mark Cann, CEO/CTO CryomatiKs Inc. Apr 28, 2021

Show notes

Mark Cann is the CEO/CTO of CryomatiKs Inc., a product development firm that uses the air we breathe to power a Zero Emissions Range Extender for electric vehicles (EVs). The Liquid Air “fuel” that powers their Range Extender is unlimited, because the air we breathe is unlimited. The Range Extender allows for five-minute quick refueling that is safe and convenient.

Mark wrote and submitted the patents of the core technology and is a highly skilled specialist in mechanical energy systems with over 20 years of hands-on experience in design and installation for specific automotive vehicle technologies.

Mark has a passion for the clean tech space and knowing that he can help transform the automotive industry.

In our conversation, we discussed:

· Moving from napkin design to the real-world execution including funding approaches.

· Taking your great idea and pivoting to meet the market and develop solutions.

· Insights on intellectual property, patents and “trade secrets.”

· Working with the government to create a substantial change in the clean tech space.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Mark:

Website:www.CryoEnergy.Tech

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

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EP 89 Kevin Condon, CEO/Founder at PayByCar and Verdeva Apr 21, 2021

Show notes

Kevin Condon is an experienced chief executive officer with a history of working in fintech, transportation policy, B-2-B media and public policy. Kevin is the inventor of PayByCar and Efficient Vehicle Assessor (EVA) platforms that change how consumers do business from their cars.

PayByCar is an in-vehicle transaction company that makes in-vehicle payments easy, safe and fast. All it takes is a toll transponder and smartphone, but if you don’t have a transponder, you can use PayByCar’s non-toll tag.

I caught up with Kevin right as PayByCar is getting ready to tip into greater scale. Here are the highlights of our conversation:

· The massive market of in-vehicle transactions.

· The future opportunity-U.S. citizens spend $800 billion annually while in their cars.

· Developing and vetting the concept.

· Building a two-sided marketplace.

· Getting the word out: earned media and enrollment partnerships.

· The social aspect of building a small ‘d’ democratic tech solution that the masses can attain.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Kevin:

Website: https://www.mypaybycar.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-condon-35526a4/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MyPayByCar/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MyPayByCar

PayByCar:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/paybycar/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

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Ep 88 Ferruccio Bottoni, Co-Founder and CEO of USound GmbH and Fauna Audio GmbH Apr 14, 2021

Show notes

If you enjoy music with crystal clear sound, then note USound, a company that has a mission to change the world by making audio systems better. Ferruccio Bottoni is Co-Founder and CEO of USound GmbH and Fauna Audio GmbH, strong-growing Austrian high-tech companies revolutionizing the personal audio field with their MEMS speakers-based products.

Ferruccio is a physicist who understands how to engineer a product that will disrupt and revolutionize the audio industry. Ferruccio and his two partners are growing the company rapidly because of their business models. They are also entering the Wearables market.

In our conversation, Ferruccio shares the company’s background and growth, including:

· The journey of USound to advance audio technology to change the acoustic world.

· The approach to manufacturing and worldwide distribution.

· A viewpoint on having three co-founders and the strength and talents of his two partners.

· The importance of a mission driven company and leaving egos behind.

· Collaboration is everything–working with 75 team members representing 18 nationalities.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Ferruccio:

Website USound: www.usound.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/usound-gmbh/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/USoundTech/

Twitter: @USoundTech

Website Fauna: wearfauna.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearfauna/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/wearfauna/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearfauna/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

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EP 87 Alejandro Laplana, Founder and CEO, Shokworks Inc. Apr 07, 2021

Show notes

Alejandro Laplana, Founder and CEO of technology and investments company, Shokworks Inc., has developed over 150 digital platforms and apps for exciting brands, entertainers, sports teams, growth start-ups, enterprises and broadcasters.

Some of his clients and co-investors include, The Colombian National Soccer Association, DIMAYOR Colombian National League, Millonarios FC, FC Barcelona, La Liga, Real Madrid, PSG, Kinesis Money, Start-Up Chile, Dupont Chemicals, The Las Vegas Raiders, The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, The Pittsburgh Steelers, Fox Sports, and HBO. The company has also worked with The United Nations and the Governments of the UK, Mexico and Panama.

Shokworks holds a staff of over 250 full-time employees that design, develop and operate highly scalable software solutions including mobile, web and AR/VR. Shokworks and its portfolio of companies have generated over $100-million in revenue.

Alejandro’s journey as a founder is impressive. This episode provides his insights into:

· Moving from startup to over 300 full-time employees worldwide.

· Scale and disruption of technology- AI, IoT, and blockchain.

· The future impacts of blockchain to remove middleman and decentralize finance.

· Don’t raise money until you are in a position of strength.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Alejandro:

Website:shokworks.io

LinkedIn:Alejandro Laplana

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

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EP 86 Marisa Santoro, CEO & Founder- In Our Shoes and Gutsy Leadership Academy Mar 31, 2021

Show notes

Marisa Santoro is a TEDx speaker, author, career coach, Gutsy Leadership Trainer and motivational speaker. A former Wall Street executive, she is the founder of the career platform, In Our Shoes and the online school, Gutsy Leadership Academy. She trains and coaches workplace professionals, small business owners, and sales leaders.

In our conversation, we start with the concepts in Marisa’s book, Own Your Own Authority: Follow Your Instincts, Radiate Confidence, and Communicate as a Leader People Trust. We discuss how we can accelerate our confidence and authority, and as Marisa puts it, “follow a navigational path to becoming an expert.”

We also discussed:

· The importance of being intentional and having clarity.

· What immigrant thinking means and how to continue after hearing a “no.”

· Create better conversations with proper word choices.

· Be aware-you are always marketing yourself.

· Leading with instinct and intuition.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Marisa:

Website: www.inrshoes.com

Book: Own Your Own Authority: Follow Your Instincts, Radiate Confidence, and Communicate as a Leader People Trust.

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

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EP 85 Lars Ronning, Co-founder - Ailuna Mar 24, 2021

Show notes

Lars Ronning, Co-founder of Ailuna, has a personal mission to make more environmental-friendly choices to help save the planet. He also wants to create a community where people can help each other create long-term habits that contribute to healing the environment.

Lars has a long history of working in the tech space, working with teams from around the world. His unique approach to creating the Ailuna app calls upon an expert in behavioral science to help people create and keep habits.

The Ailuna app is being used by consumers in 50 countries. The vision for the app’s development is to encourage citizen engagement by businesses, schools, local governments and charities.

In our conversation, Lars discusses the development of the app including:

· Building technology with a purpose.

· The challenges of building and working with a remote team.

· Citizen engagement technology-building a network of connections with common purpose.

· How software and apps can use behavioral science to change personal habits.

· The special meaning behind the name Ailuna.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Lars:

Website:https://www.ailuna.com/Lars/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

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