Matt Brown Show - Conversations That Power The Business World.

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MBS135 - The State of Blockchain/Crypto with Farzam Ehsani, Founder Valr.com Dec 21, 2018

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Blockchain. Blockchain is as significant now as the Internet was 25 years ago. As a technology, the blockchain promises to break old business models and to do that there will always be persuasive reasons not to take the risk. But if you only do what worked in the past, you will one day wake up and find that you’ve been passed by. For entrepreneurs, the blockchain space is arguably the biggest opportunity for business and value creation since the advent of the Internet. While the narrative is dominated with speculation over crypto asset price movements and use cases for utility – blockchain and crypto is certainly not going anywhere. In the studio today, I’m joined by Farzam Ehsani, the founder and CEO of Valr.com a crypto asset trading platform that has recently launched and which is backed by Bittrex one of the largest blockchain trading platforms in the world. We discuss current state of crypto and blockchain technology and they can be used to create an alternative monetary and political system that’s inclusive of all citizens of the world. This is a power episode so I hope you’ll enjoy this one as much as we did in the studio.

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MBS134 - Artificial Intelligence with Nick Argyros - Founder GotBot Dec 20, 2018

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Artificial intelligence. AI is likely to be either the best or worst thing to happen to humanity and in the context of AI, it seems that our technology is on the path to exceeding our humanity. Artificial intelligence (AI) is on the rise both in business and in the world in general. But where are exactly when it comes to AI and how beneficial is it really to your business in the long run? Sure, it can take over those time-consuming and mundane tasks that are bogging your employees down, but at what cost? With AI spending expected to reach $46 billion by 2020, according to an IDC report, there’s no sign of the technology slowing down. As the saying goes, take the next 10,000 startups and just add AI. Today I’m joined by my good friend Nick Argyros, the founder of a startup called Got Bot, that uses AI to enable Social Commerce and optimize Customer Experience at scale for clients around the world. Got Bot has been voted as one of the Top 10 startups on the continent by StartUpBootCamp has raised millions in venture capital in less than 18 months. Nick and I explore the world of AI, how corporates are interfacing with startups to help them solve global challenges and what he has learnt in the process of working with the latest AI technology and building Got Bot into a global play.

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MBS133 - Social Entrepreneurship with Ezyln Barends, Mmabatho Mokiti and Natassia Katopodis Dec 19, 2018

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Influence. You don’t have to be a person of influence to be influential. As entrepreneurs we are very much in the business of influence: influence of customers, our people and ultimately influence over ourselves in the choices we make every day. The nature of influence has changed in recent years, with the birthing of a global movement towards the sustainable enterprise and a growing appetite of corporates and impact investors to work with social entrepreneurs to solve global challenges like education, poverty, hunger, clean water and gender inequality. Today, you can become a billionaire and make a difference at the same time. They are no longer mutually exclusive. On this episode, I chat to three power house women Ezyln Barends, Mmabatho Mokiti and Natasha Katapodis about the world of social entrepreneurship, impact investing and gender inequality and how we as a community of entrepreneurs can do more in the space of social upliftment and economic transformation through our businesses.

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MBS132 - Identity Politics with Brent Tollman Dec 18, 2018

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Change. The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. If we truly want to change the world, we have to change our thinking. It is said that we should have an open mind when it comes to the subject of change, butt the trouble with having an open mind, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it. Identity politics has long permeated and influenced our society and culture and it is a very sensitive subject because at its most basic level, identity politics is the tendency for people of a particular race, ethnicity, gender, social background, etc. to form exclusive political and social alliances. So why are we talking about this on the Matt Brown Show? Well, my view is that we need to unite workplaces, not divide them. Company cultures that are deeply united aren’t just better at being productive, they’re better at retaining talent - and, critically, they’re better at mentoring talent. I reached out to my good friend Brent Tollman, probably one of the smartest people I have in my network, to explore how we as entrepreneurs can use identity politics to build better businesses. My hope is that If we can have honest conversations like this - and understand what caused and what drives Identity Politics, we’ll know have the answer to the million-dollar question here: Where do we draw the line - but in a smart and informed way that helps us transform our employees, etc. - and ourselves

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MBS131 - Howard Mann (President, Business Brickyard) & Craig Collins (CEO, Cradle Technologies) Dec 14, 2018

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Pride. You know no entrepreneur is an island. We all need help on our respective journeys, but all too often pride seemingly gets in the way and we don’t step up to the plate and ask for help when we need it. To help bring the value of what can transpire when we do ask for help, I reached out to Craig Collins, the CEO of Cradle Technologies, a startup who has recently been selected by the Grindstone and Knife Capital Accelerator as one of the top 12 tech startups on the African continent and Howard Mann, the President of Business Brickyard in New York – for context Craig has achieved product market fit for his warehouse management system and is looking to scale his enterprise in the United States. Howard is a player coach who specialises in helping entrepreneurs generate more sales and grow their businesses. You’re about to hear a live three-way coaching session between Howard, Craig and myself designed to help Craig scale his business in the states next year. I’d like to leave you with this. Be strong enough to stand alone, smart enough to know when you need help, and brave enough to ask for it.

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MBS130 - Mike Stopforth, Co-Founder Cerebra Dec 06, 2018

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Communication. Since the advent of social media the way that we communicate has fundamentally changed both in society and in the context of business. When Mike Stopforth co-founded Cerebra communications, he challenged what communications could represent for brands across Africa. Over the course of 14 years, Cerebra became an award-winning social media communications agency that were the first to re-imagine what a social enterprise could be. This caught the attention of WPP, one of the world’s largest advertising conglomerates who acquired Cerebra for an untold sum. In this episode, Mike and I explore how social media communications has changed the face of business, how entrepreneurs can scale their businesses through strategic partnerships and what he learnt in the process of selling Cerebra to WPP.

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MBS129 - Ian Fuhr, Founder Sorbet Nov 26, 2018

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Uncertainty. When it comes to business, there is nothing certain but the uncertain. You see, feeling unsure and lost is a part of starting a business, and it’s virtually impossible to avoid feelings of doubt and fear as an entrepreneur. You see here’s the thing about uncertainty: you will not win the fight againstuncertainty by becoming certain, instead your certainty will come as a result of you embracing your uncertainty. Ian Furh is the living embodiment of this reality. When he opened the first beauty salon, Sorbet, he knew nothing about the beauty industry and after investing 19million into the venture [itstill hadn’t turned a profit]. Fast forward to today, however, and Sorbet employs over 3000 staff, has over 200 stores (which delivers a staggering 350 000 individual beauty treatments a month). The story of Sorbet is one largely about dealing with uncertainty as an entrepreneur; and what can be achieved when you understand that your tolerance for uncertainty is the prerequisite to succeeding.

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MBS128 - Brian Altriche, Founder & CEO Rocomamas Nov 12, 2018

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Imperfection. One of the basic rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect. Perfection doesn’t exist. Ironically though, we live in society where social media platforms like Instagram has created an entire sub culture that is seemingly designed to support the idea of perfection being attainable and even worse valuable. But here’s the thing. There’s no need to be perfect to inspire others. Instead you should inspire people by how you deal with your imperfections. The truth of the matter is that there is a ton of value to be found in imperfection and this has been proven in the birthing of a global QSR brand called Rocomamas right here in SA. Despite all category norms and conventions, Brian Altriche, founded Rocomamas on an imperfect product – a burger patty which is by design imperfect and yet it has found a place in the hearts and minds of consumers all around the world… and in only 5 years. In this episode of the Matt Brown Show, I chat to Brian about his journey building Rocomamas into a QSR brand and franchise that is poised to take on the likes of global incumbents like Burger King and MacDonalds and what we can learn about value creation in the context of a very imperfect world.

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MBS127 - Live From New York City with Nathan Stevenson, CEO Forward Lane Nov 05, 2018

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New York. New York is always a good idea – especially if you want perspective on your own business. My agency Digital Kungfu, recently landed a client in New York called Forward Lane a heavily funded fintech startup that is making waves in the AI and financial intelligence space here in the states. The great thing about New York is that is puts your own hustle into perspective – you see, you could be forgiven to think that building a business in Africa is completely different to building a business in a developed economy like New York but you’d be wrong. I spent the past week in New York connecting with startups at the Barclays Techstars program and spent time interviewing and connecting with the heads of investment banks, venture capitalists and fintech investors. What was striking was that we all face the same challenges. Growth, scale, funding, product market fit, innovation, customer experiences and disruption are equally important in developed economies like New York as they are in South Africa and anywhere else in the world. In this episode of the Matt Brown Show I chat to my good friend Nathan Stevenson, the CEO of Forward Lane about his journey raising capital in the US and in China and we share insights into the current state of the startup ecosystem here in New York.

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MBS126 - Zapiro, Cartoonist & Political Commentator Oct 24, 2018

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Cartoonists. They say that cartoonism is simply organized gossip but in South Africa, a simple cartoon represents far more than trivial gossip – for Jonathan Shapiro AKA Zapiro his cartoons have become nationwide talking points for over 25 years. He has been published over 27 times, was the first cartoonist to win a category prize in the CNN African Journalist of the year Awards, has held solo cartoon exhibitions in New York, London and Frankfurt and many in South Africa and through his running commentary on local political developments he became personal friends with Nelson Mandela and archbishop Desmond Tutu. Not surprisingly, his work has ruffled the feathers of certain corrupt politicians in South Africa and on this episode of the Matt Brown Show we explore his very personal account of taking on the political establishment through his work and the sometimes very dire consequences thereof. We also dissect the little know inner workings of his creative process and how he has managed to find the courage to continue to be one of the most honest and courageous voices in journalism and media.

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