Innova802: Snap, Crackle, Pop! Plus a Tribute to the legend Quincy Jones
Release Date: 01/16/2025
The Four G’s of Open Innovation
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Open Innovation has become essential to good science being completed by our institutions. Our guest this week, Steve Rader speaks with experience on how open innovation, rather crowdsourcing has and will shape good science work moving forward. Steven recently retired from NASA and is an expert in open innovation after 36 years with NASA at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. We discussed his experiences leveraging crowdsourcing and open innovation to achieve significant cost savings and accelerate technological advancements at NASA, including nearly 900 successful...
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Tech to Support, Not Replace People
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Sharing the mic with Interchain.Live and fellow Innova802 crew member Ryan Munn brought Richard Lowe to our virtual studios for a discussion regarding Rich’s experience as a The discussion quickly deepened to include his perspective on building the bionic worker: getting business to leverage tech to support workers as opposed to leveraging tech to replace them. The importance of leveraging older workers who are living longer and what experienced professionals bring to the table for companies and society. Rich is a deep well of experience on a number of important...
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Rugged Micropower Launches into the Vermont Tech Community
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is no stranger to the Vermont high tech community. He recently launched to take what he’s learned working for leading Vermont tech companies and applying them to build a leader in providing power management solutions to the space industry. Our conversation touched upon the intricacies of supply-chain, too. We also offer our congrats to Paul and the other members of the 2025 cohort of , announced recently. .
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News from the Vermont Technology Alliance
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Adam Locklin is the new executive director of the . His tenure began in January of 2025 after 20+ years with founding Executive Director Jeff Couture at the helm. Adam filled the Innova802 crew in on what he’s learned so far traveling throughout Vermont on a whirlwind tour to understand the needs of existing and prospective members of Vermont’s only tech-centric membership advocacy organization. Some surprises have already come to the fore from the feedback Adam has received. We hope to have Adam back on a regular basis to focus on a number of tech policy or...
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Tackling Children’s Mental Health Challenges: Biobe
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We spoke with Burlington, VT’s , Co-Founder and CEO of . Their startup, currently focused on non-dilutive funding, intends to help one million children by 2030. They provide early detection technology and an emotional regulation toolkit to the children’s mental health ecosystem. Bryn is by her own definition a storyteller, and the Innova802 crew found she is telling a compelling story we should all be listening in on. Like many startups in Vermont she has participated in LaunchVT.
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Funding Startups in Vermont w/ Moody’s Advisors Jerry Carter
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The latest form the Innova802 Crew brought Jerry Carter, partner in Burlington, VT’s into the virtual studio this month to talk about the current trends we’re experiencing inside and outside of venture-capital for Vermont’s rural startups. We spoke about the changing market for venture-backed companies in the Green Mountain State. WHat sectors are getting the most attention from funders? What can founders expect for terms? What can we do to expand or improve the current conditions? Stay tuned for an exciting look at what’s possible here in the 802.
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Fundraising Innovation from Meagan Downey, founder of Shiki Wrap
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Meagan Downey is founder of Vermont-based , a successful and maturing startup providing reusable gift wrap and bags, combining a consumer product with a mission-driven strategy. This experience coupled with Meagan’s earlier work in mission-driven fundraising gave her the experience and perspective that drives her newest endeavor the Compound Fund. ‘Non-profit is a tax status not a business strategy’ resonated tenfold with the Innova802 crew. And Meagan is adept at using existing financial tools in noble ways to generate success. In this episode we discussed Meagan’s...
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Humnet wants you to find connection through the internet? Pt II
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We offer you the second part of our interview with founder Darren Mark and COO Mike Walton of You’ve heard the Innova802 crew speak to the idea that we give too much credence to the tech around our daily lives, surrendering a lot of our agency over how we control the use of tech for good, rather than engaging with it in truly useful and healthy ways. Often, it may be better if we turned the devices off and speak the truth TO one another, ending the isolation we feel which can lead to any number of negative consequences to society. But what if someone turned that idea on its...
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Humnet wants you to find connection through the internet? Pt I
Innova802
You’ve heard the Innova802 crew speak to the idea that we give too much credence to the tech around our daily lives, surrendering a lot of our agency over how we control the use of tech for good, rather than engaging with it in truly useful and healthy ways. Often, it may be better if we turned the devices off and speak the truth TO one another, ending the isolation we feel which can lead to any number of negative consequences to society. But what if someone turned that idea on its head to the benefit of people? What if focused at least in part on a way to make the tech work...
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Innova802: Blockchain Breakdown
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Hosts Ryan Munn and Scott Graves are joined by Justin Loranger of in what we’re sure you’ll find to be an excellent primer on why blockchain is the key to transforming crypto into accepted currency, offering security and stability. Why should you anticipate the value of your name and that of your company in the digital realm? Lots to learn for building our rural economies (you don’t need to be in a city to leverage this tech to your benefit). In collaboration with and
info_outlineGlavel is a construction materials company manufacturing foam glass gravel, or in company parlance GLAVEL. CEO Rob Conboy sat down with the Innova802 crew to discuss what it took to bring this technology to market in the US. How are they leading in recycling and carbon sequestration, excellence in innovative construction materials how they plan for growth and what effect they can have contributing to solve the housing crisis. We recently toured their facility and give credit to the Glavel team for epitomizing what a Vermont rural innovation company should look like.
Shout out to those mentioned who helped this team and many other Innova802 guests along the way including Flexible Capital Fund, Fresh Tracks Capital and
Stay on the line for host Scott M. Graves’s personal tribute to one of his inspirations, the legendary composer, arranger, producer and entrepreneur Quincy Jones. Jones passed away at his home in Los Angeles on November 3 at the age of 91.