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Copyright: © Richard Jacobs
Brian Curtis, CEO of Concentric Power (concentricpower.com), delivers an informative overview on the technology, sustainability, and efficiency issues that impact the energy grid we rely upon. Curtis has more than 20 years of experience in a wide range of skilled areas such as engineering, finance, and strategic management in the energy and technology industries. He has a wealth of international experience and has partnered with many companies on multiple projects. Curtis was involved with notable projects in China such as the building of an ammonia processing plant in which he stayed on as plant general manager during the launch of their business and product line and as a venture partner with VC firms where he supervised clean energy investment strategies. Additionally, he worked closely with the U.S. Department of Energy with the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, as well as many other clean energy startups. He has extensive experience as a power plant design engineer and as a refinery engineer.
Curtis founded Concentric Power in 2011 to focus on sustainable infrastructure and energy independence for companies in critical industries such as food and pharmaceuticals. Concentric Power is his second start-up. He holds a B.S. in mechanic engineering from UCLA, where he specialized in electro-mechanical systems design and control. Additionally, he holds an MBA from MIT.
As Curtis states, Concentric Power's primary focus is on sustainable infrastructure for agriculture and industry applications, essentially firm power applications such as natural gas, battery storage, etc. coupled with renewables. Curtis discusses the traditional grid and the sources of power that exist based on geographical locations. And he explains how the trend will be to utilize energy sources that are localized, and how that will affect the power generation and supply overall. He discusses hybrid technologies and the impact on the environment, and his interest in how the technologies are coming together for more efficient energy production that may be greener and more sustainable overall as well.
The energy engineering expert provides an analysis of the shortcomings of intermittent power sources such as wind and solar, and the battery storage, pumped hydro, thermal, and other technologies that are needed to store intermittent sources for those nonproductive times. Curtis provides his expertise and insight into some of the issues that could present ongoing problems in the energy sector as renewable sources become more mainstreamed, such as the software and control of the systems. He discusses the complexities involved with running a coordinated system of varied energy sources, and how Concentric Power has developed a software program that utilizes machine learning to assist with the management and coordination. He provides information on the costs of energy production in various locations, from high to low, and the importance of smart components to work with the next generation grid as the energy production advances continue to move ahead.
Additionally, the energy expert discusses the details of efficiency and ways that energy producers can make savings along the way and be more productive and successful. He outlines some other projects that he and his team are working on that relate to the grid, such as microgrid projects that deal with renewables and sustainable energy production.
Robert Hernandez, associate professor of professional practice, and digital journalism professor at the prestigious USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, provides a delightful overview of the future of immersive digital journalism. Robert Hernandez's skill and experience covers a multitude of areas such as changing news industry ethics, information and communication technologies, new media, online journalism, pop culture, the practice of journalism, and social media as it pertains to journalism.
Hernandez is a veteran of web journalism with a strong focus on the nexus of technology and journalism. His primary goals are to empower people, increase opportunities for better informed reporting and storytelling, to engage the community, improve overall distribution, and increase revenue. Hernandez's belief is that 'open source' shared knowledge between journalists will improve the quality of journalism, and he continually works to build communities of digital journalists and technology-oriented writers. He is an active participant and supporter of VR journalism and media diversity. Hernandez has served on many national boards such as Chicas Poderosas, InquireFirst, the Online News Association, and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
Hernandez has worked professionally on several top projects that are heavily involved with augmented reality, as well as wearables/google glass and virtual reality. His latest project is an immersive experience that is appropriately named and trademarked as, JOVRNALISM™. His project work has been featured in The New York Times, on NBC, NPR, and in USA Today, and other significant publications and media outlets.
Hernandez discusses his professorial work with the Oculus platform, 360 video, and how many make the transition soon after working with 360, to VR. For as Hernandez explains, 360 is more common in newsrooms, and due to economics it has a wider reach. He explains the 360 camera in detail, in regard to framing of the story and the composition, and how he relates this important information to his students. As he discusses, the 360 camera becomes almost another subject in the reporting, as it is a thoroughly immersive experience.
The technology journalism professor gives an overview of some of the advanced technological platforms that are launching on YouTube and other media that allow users to split views and utilize VR tools such as Google Cardboard to essentially go inside the video, for full immersion. However, as Hernandez explains, the technology is so shockingly interesting that first time users may be distracted by the amazing experience, so much so that they may miss key elements of the actual story being told. But he states that a good story will resonate with people, regardless of the technology, for that is the key to solid journalism.
Hernandez recounts a particular experience in which he covered a coming storm and how the graphics and semantics, coupled with the advancing VR technology, provided reference points to help people understand the scale of the storm to fully grasp its potential danger. He discusses how immersive experience helps people to more fully believe the story, but cautions that those with nefarious intentions could use the technology to manipulate as well.
Hernandez's JOVRNALISM has received multiple awards from respected institutions such as the Online News Association, Society for News Design, and Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, and others.
Having had a 20-year career as a US Navy Seal, Chuck McGraw brings invaluable qualities and insights to his role as Chief of Operations at TLDR Capital, a company that focuses on advisory services in the blockchain industry and fields of cyber and physical security. While managing the day-to-day operations carried out by the globally distributed and decentralized team at TLDR Capital, McGraw focuses on identifying and implementing procedures and processes that are agile and resilient enough to withstand an ever-changing external environment, which is something that his training as a Navy Seal well-equipped him to do.
Decentralization is a concept that's increasingly being applied to real-world operations, but what does it really mean? What's the difference between a team in the traditional sense and a decentralized team, and what are the benefits of the latter? McGraw explains it with a simple phrase: "centralized planning, decentralized execution." While centralized planning involves all members of a team coming together to develop a plan under a shared understanding of the vision, mission, and objectives of the company, decentralized execution involves allowing individual members of a team the authority to make autonomous decisions in order to carry out that plan.
Among other topics, McGraw discusses the problems that hinder corporate growth and the productivity of decentralized teams and lends advice to entrepreneurs looking to form their own companies. Tune in for the full conversation, reach out to McGraw through his LinkedIn page, and visit tldr.capital to learn more.
There are at least two main challenges facing entrepreneurs today: finding a solution to a problem in the world that has not yet been effectively addressed, and obtaining the money and know-how to actually build a company based off of that solution. According to Lyron Bentovim, the second challenge stymies the creativity and innovative thinking that the first challenge requires, and as the CEO of The Glimpse Group, he's working to change that.
The Glimpse Group is a platform company currently hosting 10 fully-owned startups that have the same or similar goals, the same level of technological understanding, and a shared desire to work collaboratively in developing augmented reality and virtual reality products. While creativity and innovation flow freely in this environment, the team at The Glimpse Group takes care of everything else--from the operational and business development aspects of building a company, to capital raising and management--so that the focus on building and taking products to the market remains unhindered.
This is something that's never been done before, and it's taking off incredibly well. Tune in for all the details, including what exactly The Glimpse Group looks for in taking on new startups, visit theglimpsegroup.com to learn more, and reach out to Bentovim at lyron@theglimpsegroup.com.
In the US alone, approximately five to 10 million people require a brain injury assessment and potential intervention every year; globally, that number rises to somewhere between 75 and 100 million. These numbers may shock you, but what's perhaps even more shocking is that as it currently stands, brain injury assessments are highly subjective, relying more upon a particular clinician's capabilities and experience with diagnosing brain injuries than on any form of objective measurement. This has not only led to misdiagnoses, but an extreme overuse of CAT scan technology.
Michael Singer is the CEO of BrainScope, a company that's developed an AI-based, non-invasive, handheld device capable of helping clinicians objectively and reliably determine whether or not a patient actually needs a CAT scan to look for bleeding in the brain, and identify whether or not a patient has suffered from a functional brain injury, such as a concussion, which is something that CAT scans can't do.
Developed in coordination with military and clinical partners, the BrainScope device is applied to a patient's forehead in order to measure the electrical activity in their brain and provide as assessment as to whether or not the patient is at risk of a bleed in the brain, and whether or not the patient has suffered a concussion. As a whole, this device provides a panel of capabilities that allow clinicians to feel more confident in making decisions about what's best for an individual patient.
Tune in for all the details about this exciting new technology, and visit www.brainscope.com to learn more.
Andrew Hubbard, CEO of Ai-London (ai-london.com), delivers a thorough discussion on the many new tools that businesses and individuals can utilize to expand their use of cloud service-based technologies for investment, insurance, and beyond. Hubbard's realization that people of all ages and backgrounds wanted to engage with insurance companies digitally drove him to push Ai-London to solve the problem and open up new avenues for discovery. Hubbard explains how the information and policies were once completely geared toward underwriters, insurance agents, and claim specialists, but was woefully lacking in the digital and mobile arena. He talks about how Ai-London seeks to move core systems into the cloud in order to truly innovate and turn the industry on its ear.
Ai-London is a strategic management solutions company that works with life, savings and investment providers who seek to place customers directly in the center of their strategies and systems. Ai-London offers software assets, process and project management skills for business, as well as a full range of technology support services. Hubbard's company focuses on four primary performance areas: organizational efficiency, digital transformation strategy, line of business convergence, and customer experience. And the company seeks to offer strategies that focus significantly on the management of risk.
Ai-London offers multiple software options that deal with policy administration, customer-based compliance, and innovation. Their Ai-PAS system that deals with policy administration are an end-to-end comprehensive system that covers the lifecycle of the policy. It offers web services, batch management, product configuration and more that provide for an optimized business model and successful business results as they pertain to current and future investments. Their Ai-CXP system (customer-centric and compliance-conscious) establishes secure records for customer engagements with a focus on the insurer/customer transaction. And their innovation software, Ai-LAB, is an advanced incubation platform for firms that desire to engage in digital and social media type initiatives. It encompasses many digital insurance products, such as those that are social media oriented or short-term, utilizing blockchain.
By innovating and reinventing the social media aspects of investment and savings opportunities, Hubbard outlines how his company is helping to launch many investment strategies and situations that help not only businesses but everyday people who may want to help friends and family or social causes. Hubbard details the ways blockchain has expanded opportunities for many transactions and how industries are excited to begin using blockchain as it offers careful recording of information that is secure. Hubbard states that from an industry point of view, sponsoring independent innovation hubs is a means to break through the barriers to adopting blockchain, and AI.
The technology innovator discusses some pitfalls and issues that may develop in the use of AI as it pertains to his industry. And he details some of the successes of his company's platform, AI LAB, as the technological advances of cloud services expand and develop.
Disclaimer: "The opinions stated herein are those of Warren Katz, and do not reflect the position of the US Air Force."
Warren Katz, CEO of Techstars (techstars.com), provides a detailed analysis of the current state of technology startups, and the assistance his company can deliver to steer them in the right direction, help them reach their goals, and launch their products faster. Warren Katz is the managing director of Techstars Autonomous Technology Accelerator with the US Air Force, a partnership designed to increase active engagement between promising startups with state-of-the-art counter-drone technologies, and the Department of Defense.
Katz was President of Neurala, a top artificial intelligence company that is focused on AI with continuous learning. Additionally, Katz co-founded MÄK Technologies, which was later acquired by VT Systems of Alexandria, Virginia. Katz is a mentor to many industry leaders as well as an angel investor who notably invested in Harmonix, GrabCAD, Neurala, Oblong, Bevi, LovePop, and PetNet. He holds bachelor's degrees in both mechanical and electrical engineering from the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Katz discusses his work with the US Air Force to help them keep pace with emerging commercial technologies. But beyond the US Air Force, many private sector companies are also looking to Techstars to accelerate their connections to the latest technology. Techstars' team combs through thousands of startups and selects an elite group of the most viable and commercially relevant, that are either currently manufacturing or about to manufacture groundbreaking technology. After the selections are made, Techstars vets those selected and assists them with advanced development toward their launch. Techstars is the worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed while helping companies access the technology they need. And Techstars Corporate Partners provides powerful industry expertise by offering hands-on mentorship, as well as strategic business development, and access to abundant resources to help startups accelerate their overall progress toward their goals. And with 150 countries involved, 10,000 mentors, and 300,000 alumni, it's clear that valuable connections are being made.
The technology expert discusses some of the hard problems that the Department of Defense (DOD) faces in its struggle to bring the best tech on board. He states that while the DOD has big pockets, their money does not flow as easily as some private industry companies, and the wheels for progress are often slower moving. For these and other reasons, Katz states that many of the best tech startups are choosing to work in the private sector to avoid headaches and to accelerate their progress. Thus, Katz is helping the US Air Force to streamline their process, to make it easier for the best and brightest startups to say yes to working with them first. By combining outside money with the startup, the DOD can accelerate their process as well, and be less drained financially as two separate teams are working to advance the technology and deliver robust products.
Katz gives an overview of some of the most exciting technology startups that he is working with. From blockchain advances to invisible ink and specialty drones, the technology products are diverse and offer amazing advances for the public and private sector. He discusses drones that attack other drones, technology that can map cellular and WIFI signals and locate unauthorized or enemy equipment, drone-based radiation detectors, and more. As technology and autonomous products continue to advance, Katz expects to see many probes and unmanned devices taking their place on the battlefield and in the private industry world as well.
James Albis, founder and CEO of SnoHub (snohub.com), provides a complete overview of the snow removal business and how his company's digital app is creating jobs and helping to alleviate the snow problem that faces millions of people annually. As a boy, Albis saw an opportunity in snow removal. Teaming up with a neighborhood friend when he was just ten years old, Albis shoveled many driveways in the winter and earned a decent amount of extra cash, enough to make a ten year old pretty pleased. Fast forward many years and Albis, now a businessman, found himself pondering why snow removal was still a continual problem for so many people living in areas that get pounded by the winter weather annually. His desire to solve this problem motivated his launch of SnoHub.
SnoHub is a fully automated snow clearing service that, finally, solves the snow-clearing crisis in a super convenient, easy way. It's a simple to use app for customers and contractors alike that benefits everyone. Snow clearing is no longer difficult, for as Albis states, SnoHub has solved an inefficient problem through the use of mobile technology. Albis explains how their service covers the full range of customers' needs, from snow blowing to snow plowing, snow shoveling, and deicing. It's a compulsory, gig economy type of service as Albis explains, and his app solves the problem by bringing literally thousands of new snow removal workers into the solution. From a person with a truck and pro equipment to the college student with a good shovel and strong arms ready to work, SnoHub brings every willing body into the snow removal equation when they are needed!
For customers who need snow removal, SnoHub offers the benefit of easy contracts with no long-term commitments, easy ordering of the service on demand, preorders for when you know the storm is coming, order tracking, and full documentation of completed work with before and after photos. Additionally, SnoHub can alert customers via SMS and phone contact, and their advanced secure channels allow for concise, convenient, and confidential communication throughout the entire process from early ordering all the way through to a final tip to the contractor for a job well done.
For contractors, the benefits are also plentiful. Contractors who work through SnoHub can reserve jobs, up to five at a time in advance of a coming storm or during the storm. They can receive bonuses for meeting specific SnoHub goals, which could put extra money in their pocket. Contractors benefit from the same easy means of communication, via phone or SMS notices. They can view jobs in advance, calculate their time and distance to jobs, and earn extra for completing additional services clients may request, and count on easy payments for their hard work in just three to four days after completion.
Albis discusses some exciting partnerships that he is bringing SnoHub into, such as equipment providers that SnoHub's contractors can utilize in their work. And Albis stresses his desire to work with American companies as SnoHub strives to bring more workers into the snow accumulation problem through the creation of many viable job opportunities. And for the future, Albis hopes to broaden his company's services, as they have the database of customers who will probably also need additional services during the non-winter months as well.
Payam Banazadeh, the co-founder and CEO of Capella Space (capellaspace.com), shines some light on the important topic of satellite surveillance. Banazadeh's company, Capella Space, is a venture-backed Silicon Valley company that builds satellites capable of imaging earth day and night, in all weather and light conditions. Banazadeh was named to the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2017 and Capella Space has been touted by The New York Times, Bloomberg, and Inc. as one of the top-25 disruptive companies in the world. Banazadeh graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in aerospace engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.
During his time at UT, he received the Texas Outstanding Scholar & Leader Award for his formidable academic skills, performance, and exceptional leadership. Additionally, he holds a graduate business degree from Stanford University. Banazadeh received the NASA Mariner Award for his work on two multi-million dollar missions and the prestigious NASA Discovery Award for outstanding achievement in the formulation of novel concepts for the development of projects for NASA.
Banazadeh co-founded Capella Space with William Woods with the common goal of developing a means to monitor the planet more accurately and efficiently from space, which could have far-reaching applications for multiple industries. He discusses the frustration they shared as the world watched the unsuccessful search for Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 on live TV. Banazadeh and Woods collectively felt that there should be a better way to monitor the planet, and track objects such as airline flights, etc. He discusses some of their initial findings, reasons behind the ineffectiveness of satellites, such as satellites' inability to monitor in a comprehensive manner during cloudiness or darkness.
He describes how traditional satellites utilize optical imaging, which cannot see through either—clouds or darkness. Capella Space's satellites use Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) to achieve their excellent capabilities. SAR is a type of radar that can create 2D or 3D images of objects, such as landscapes, and it uses the motion of the radar antenna over a specific region to provide a sharper spatial resolution than traditional beam-scanning radars. Clouds and nighttime are no longer an issue, or a problem, with Capella Space's advanced technological satellites.
Banazadeh gives a detailed explanation of the power and energy necessary to bounce satellite signals with the SAR system, and how Capella Space's satellites inhabit lower orbits to facilitate the power/energy and distance issues. He provides details on the measurements and imagery that exist with the SAR-based satellites versus traditional satellite technology that has been utilized in the past. He talks about the minute details that are visible with their company's offerings in the satellite technology arena, such as reflectivity, texture, and moisture information that is incredibly helpful for applications in many industries.
Banazadeh states that their strategy is not to observe the entire globe but to look at important, key areas globally where changes are occurring, changes that could severely impact security and industry. Capella Space's satellites can identify and classify most objects that are one meter or larger in size and can be accessed anywhere in the globe at any time, day or night. Additionally, they provide new imagery hourly and can easily penetrate clouds, fog, pollution, haze, and nearly every atmospheric condition. And with penetration and accuracy at such a high level, it's clear why Capella Space is attracting attention and praise for their outstanding leadership in global surveillance.
Isaac Dallas, co-founder, and CMO of XSPACE (xspaceapp.com) provide an overview of the future of product content generation for ecommerce, and how augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR) will play a significant role. As co-founder, Dallas is intently focused on using visualization to simplify business. In addition to his work in the business arena, Dallas is a strong advocate for education reform initiatives and was a key player in a strategic Harvard and Apple sponsored project that seeks to create advanced programs to assist children with problem-solving skills and strategies for learning. Dallas is a graduate of Illinois State University where he specialized in marketing analytics.
Dallas's company, XSPACE, provides a simplified end-to-end solution for product information and visuals. XSPACE's platform ensures that businesses continually provide high-quality images and product descriptions to their customer base. The XSPACE platform will help your brand cut costs, save time, and give customers exactly what they want and need to make a purchase. XSPACE delivers an updated database of products to business websites and streamlines the product management process through their efficient and affordable solutions.
Dallas describes their platform's automation and the benefits and savings of automating. By introducing an efficient way to deliver 360-degree photography to businesses, customers have greater control over their shopping and buying experience, for about the same cost to a business as their average spends on traditional 2D photography. The platform could contribute to significant savings over the long run, sometimes as much as 70%, and value-added options of 3D, AR, and 360 capabilities will help to build brand trust with customers in the marketplace.
Dallas discusses the next wave of product marketing and the technology that will continue to impact how customers consume. He provides detailed information on browser issues, and viewing options that are available for presenting product displays online. The online and display marketing expert delivers an analysis of available market data that provides insight into average sales increases, as well as the dramatic decrease in product returns.
He explains the tremendous upside for sales that exist as businesses convert their inventory to more experiential imaging. For example, in regard to furnishings, as consumers can look at multiple products in a room, they are then more inclined to purchase all of their individual furnishings through the very same store. From sizing, to mix and match options, it's clear that 3D, AR, and VR are providing unique customer experiences that boost revenue.
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