052: THE MIDDLE EAST STARTUP ECOSYSTEM: The money is there, now what?
TechBurst Talks
If you keep up to date with the latest technology news, you know that the momentum and investment has shifted from Asia to the Middle East. But gone are the days where countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE just import technology and talent - the new trend across the Middle East is how to create a home-grown technology startup ecosystem - and this is what we are going to cover in today’s podcast. Let’s face it - money is not going to be an issue - but as we have seen from other countries, just throwing money at the startup ecosystem is no guarantee that it will be successful. ...
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051: AI, CHATGPT & FLYING TAXIS: How Government-led initiatives drive the Middle East's Innovation Ecosystem
TechBurst Talks
In Part II of our Middle East Deep Dive, we talk with Carrington Malin to find out how the government's in the Middle East are driving unprecedented growth and innovation. But it's more than just the tech, they are up-skilling their workforces and training students on how to leverage emerging technologies to transform the traditional industries that support their economies - and develop new ones. Exciting times to say the least... Show Notes: 1:00 Intro to Carrington Malin and the various roles he has played in the Middle East’s technology ecosystem for the past 30 years. 5:00...
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050: RECESSION? WHAT RECESSION? How the Middle East is driving technology innovation and spend
TechBurst Talks
This is the first in a series on Technology and Innovation trends in the Middle East. Things have gone quiet in Asia post-pandemic - and the global recession has not helped. However, the Middle East is thriving. Hardly a week goes by where there isn’t another jaw-dropping announcement related to emerging technologies like AI, autonomous vehicles and the Metaverse in the Middle East - or the massive investment in initiatives like Saudi Arabia’s NEOM. To help us delve deeper into the Middle East’s technology innovation landscape, I’m joined by . He's based in Abu Dhabi,...
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049: PROPTECH 2023: Moving Beyond the Buzzwords
TechBurst Talks
In this episode, we are joined by Jordan Kostelac, co-founder of Deploy Capital, to discuss the current state - and what the future holds - for PropTech in Asia Pacific. Show Notes: 02:50 What the hell is PropTech and is it still a buzzword? 02:45 Intro to Jordan Kostelac, Asia’s PropTech Provocateur 06:45 Jordan’s experience working with PropTech startups with the JLL & Lendlease “Propell Asia” accelerator programme. 08:05 Examples of PropTech startups in Asia that are delivering value 13:45 How will PropTech in Asia evolve in the future? 22:15 AI & PropTech: so many...
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048: Why RETURN TO THE OFFICE Strategies FAIL (Hint: FREE BEER is not enough)
TechBurst Talks
We need to face the facts - our Return to the Office strategies are failing. Giving away free beer once a week is not enough to make our employees WANT to come back to the office. So what will make them? That’s what we are going to discuss today. I’m joined by Helen Snowball, JLL’s Global Head of People Solutions and Experience, to discuss how showing empathy, creating purpose and delivering enhanced employee experiences are the keys to attracting and retaining talent in the post pandemic world. Show notes: 00:30 Intro to , Global Head of People Solutions and...
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047: Driving INNOVATION and SUSTAINABILITY in the F&B Industry
TechBurst Talks
One of the challenges with Sustainability is that while people like talking about it, it can be hard to find people driving real impact. But luckily for you, today’s guest is one that it driving impact. In this episode of the TechBurst Asia podcast, we will speak to Adrien Desbaillets, the CEO and Co-Founder of Salad Stop, about the growth of his business - and how they were able to deliver SouthEast Asia’s first Net Zero F and B outlet. 00:30 Intro to Adrien & SaladStop! 05:00 How technology and a drive to innovate has contributed to their expansion to 65 stores in...
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046: 2022 GADGET FIX: How APPLE's new SMARTPHONES & SMARTWATCH will impact the industry
TechBurst Talks
Apple recently announced it's latest smartphones and smartwatch, so it's time to bring Asia's top device analyst - IDC's Bryan Ma - back onto the TechBurst Asia podcast to discuss what these launches mean to the industry. 00:45 Overview of the Apple Launch Event 02:00 Apple goes after the competitive athlete market with the Apple Watch Ultra - what does it mean for vendors like Garmin and Suunto? Or the other leader smartwatch - the Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro.? 08:00 Bryan’s view of the new Apple iPhone 14 Satellite communications eSIMs 09:30 Why does the new iPhone 14 have a...
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045: Beyond ESG: Why IMPACT INVESTING needs to be the NEXT BIG THING
TechBurst Talks
Just 10 years ago, today's guest (Rafael Aldon) worked in telecoms in the UK. But over the past decade, he moved to Singapore as he first transitioned to Private Equity, then early stage Venture Capital, and finally into Impact Investing. It's been quite a journey! He’s also the co-host of 2 podcasts (Investing for Impact and Disruptors for Good) on Cause Artist, which is a discovery hub for conscious consumers, social entrepreneurs and impact investors. If you don’t know what impact investing is, you’ll love this episode because it will give you a solid understanding not only...
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044: AR/VR and the METAVERSE: What's REAL and What's HYPE?
TechBurst Talks
After a decade of struggling to live up to the hype, augmented reality and virtual reality are finally gaining traction in the B2C and B2B spaces. Today, we will sit down with Auggd’s Matthias Krampe to discuss the 3 main reasons for this. First, the technologies and ecosystems that support AR & VR have evolved considerably. Second, B2B customers are starting to understand how these technologies can be leveraged to deliver tangible business value through a variety of use cases. And third, they are intrinsically linked to the Metaverse, which has to be approaching the top of the hype...
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043: SMART CITIES 2022: Unblocking the MEGA-BLOCKERS
TechBurst Talks
We bring together 3 panelists representing the supply, demand and design sides of the Smart Cities ecosystem to discuss what it will take for Smart Cities to move beyond the hype.
info_outlineAs we approach the end of 2021, we enter into one of the tech industry’s favourite seasons - 2022 Predictions. While all the industry evangelists will be predicting what mega-trends are going to transform our cities next year, I’m going to take a different approach. I’m going to focus on the mega-blockers that we need to overcome in order to live up to the industry hype.
And to do this, I am joined by 3 guests who sit in different areas of the Smart Cities ecosystem.
- Josh Sattler, A/CEO - General Manager Innovation, Growth and Development Services at City of Darwin in Australia
- Tim Kobe, Founder & CEO of the global strategic design firm Eight Inc.
- Zachary Wang, the Founder & CEO of Neuron Mobility, a leading rental e-scooter company and micro-mobility technology developer operating in cities across Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, South Korea and Canada.
For simplicity’s sake, view it this way. Zach represents the tech innovator’s supplying Smart City solutions, Josh represents the market demand, and Tim the planning and design side that has to liaise between the supply and demand side.
Show Notes:
01:20 Guest Intros
03:40 Smart Cities have not lived up to the hype. What types of challenges have you encountered that are holding back innovation?
07:35 Mega-blockers for the adoption of AI / Facial Recognition: how to overcome citizen’s concerns over data privacy
15:00 Mega-blockers for the adoption of Urban Mobility: eScooters, eVTOLs (electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft - aka Flying Taxis), etc.
20:50 Mega-blockers for the adoption of Sustainability solutions: balancing ROI and social impact
27:40 We have the technology to deliver transformative solutions, but sometimes people and processes hold us back. What do we need to do as humans to become Smart City enablers instead of blockers?
34:00 Rapid Fire round
Do we need more government regulation to drive innovation?
What is the one thing that needs to happen to the Smart Cities ecosystem to drive more innovation?
What’s the biggest risk that Smart Cities face in 2022?
What’s your personal wish list?
- Tim - name one client you would like to work with
- Josh - if you could lead any city’s Smart City initiatives, which would it be?
- Zach - if Neuron could “win” one new city in 2022, which city would it be?
Let’s close on a positive - tell me something that you are proud of that happened during the pandemic.