045: Beyond ESG: Why IMPACT INVESTING needs to be the NEXT BIG THING
Release Date: 07/11/2022
066: BEYOND SILOS: PropTech, Gen AI & the Future of Real Estate
TechBurst Talks
Antony Slumbers is a leading voice on the future of real estate, keynote speaker, and educator on AI for property leaders. Antony Slumbers doesn't just talk PropTech—he created it. Long before "PropTech" was even a word, he launched the UK's first commercial real estate website in 1995. Now he's teaching the industry how to survive what's coming next. This isn't your typical tech cheerleading session. Antony cuts through the noise to explain why PropTech's cooling hype actually signals its maturation. The party's over. Now comes the real work. The brutal truth? Most real estate companies are...
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065: BUILDING IOT TOGETHER: From Hype to Reality
TechBurst Talks
IoT isn't a buzzword anymore. It's business. Wienke Giezeman built The Things Industries from scratch. Now he's managing 3 million connected devices globally. $4M in annual revenue. And he did it by breaking every Silicon Valley rule. No "winner takes all" mentality. Pure collaboration. This episode cuts through the IoT hype cycle. Wienke reveals why most IoT projects failed. How his company survived when others didn't. And why sharing your IP actually grows the market. Real talk on scaling hardware. Building communities. Making AI work with IoT data. From cattle tracking to vape...
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064: CONNECTIONS vs COLLECTIONS: Why Telcos Keep Losing
TechBurst Talks
Jeff Apcar spent 24 years as a Distinguished Engineer at Cisco and has zero patience for tech BS. 5G? Overhyped. IoT? Mostly failing. Service providers? Becoming dinosaurs. But quantum computing? That's where things get interesting—and terrifying. Jeff breaks down what's actually working, what's pure marketing fluff, and why the hyperscalers are eating everyone's lunch. Plus: why AI makes him both excited and worried about the future. No vendor pitches. No fairy tales. Just 46 years of brutal honesty about where tech is really heading. 🎧 Listen on all major platforms 🎥 Watch the full...
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063: THE SHIFT TO SPACE: The Rise of Orbital Computing
TechBurst Talks
In this episode of Tech Burst Talks, Charles sits down with Rob DeMillo — ex-JPL, serial entrepreneur, SparkLabs Venture Partner, and now CEO of — to unpack one of the most disruptive tech ideas out there: putting compute in orbit. Rob walks us through his wild career path from space science to cloud animation, to architecting data centers in the sky. And learn how he was about to produce 7 EXITS from 9 STARTUPS! They dive deep into Sophia Space’s modular “tile” technology, built from first principles for space — not retrofitted earth tech — and explore the near-term use...
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062: TELCO'S FUTURE? Look to the Middle East, Not the West
TechBurst Talks
Middle East’s Tech Revolution: From Regional Ambitions to Global Leadership In this episode of TechBurst Talks, Charles sits down with Danial Mausoof, Vice President of Mobile Networks for the Middle East & Africa at Nokia, to explore how the region is transforming into a global tech powerhouse. From government-driven infrastructure investments to next-gen telecom innovation, the Middle East is no longer playing catch-up — it’s leapfrogging the rest of the world. We dive into: Why the Middle East is attracting global talent and tech capital The rise of private 5G networks in...
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061: CORPORATE CROSSFIRE: Navigating the New Global Order
TechBurst Talks
In this explosive Tech Burst Talks episode, host Charles sits down with , a battle-tested geopolitical expert who made the leap from to founding his own advisory firm, . Together, they dissect how corporations across Asia are caught in the crossfire of escalating US-China tensions, tariff wars, and supply chain disruptions. This isn't just academic analysis - it's corporate survival intelligence from the trenches. Staples reveals how multinationals are paralysed by uncertainty, with investment plans on hold whilst executives scramble to navigate everything from Vietnam's tariff...
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060: SMARTPHONES DISRUPTED: Tariffs, Trends & Turmoil
TechBurst Talks
In this episode of Tech Burst Talks, Bryan Ma joins Charles to unpack the shifting landscape of the global smartphone and device industry. From the US–China tariff shake-up to Apple’s manufacturing pivot toward India and Vietnam, they break down how supply chains are being reengineered in real time. They also dig into the latest AI integrations—from smartphones to PCs—and what Computex 2025 revealed about the future of consumer tech. Expect insights on Samsung, Google, OpenAI, and what might finally follow the smartphone era. Tariffs, AI, and tech power plays—this is the episode that...
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059: AI & Advertising: From MAD MEN to MACHINE LEARNING
TechBurst Talks
🚀 AI is transforming advertising, and in this episode, we dive deep into how digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising is changing the game. My guest, Dagny Lacka, founder of Flow City, explains how her company is using AI, foot traffic analytics, and real-time bidding to make billboard advertising as dynamic and targeted as online ads. No more two-week static campaigns—now brands can target the right people, at the right time, in the right place. 🎯 What You’ll Learn: ✅ How AI is revolutionising outdoor advertising ✅ The power of real-time ad buying & precision targeting ✅ How...
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058: The ART & SCIENCE of B2B Marketing: Delivering what Buyers VALUE
TechBurst Talks
🚀 Tech, Marketing, and a Football Obsession—What Could Go Wrong? In this episode of TechBurst Talks, I sit down with my old mate Jon Buckthorp—Commercial Director of Differentiated, founder of Jon B Studios, and the kind of guy who juggles marketing, content, board advisory roles, and a questionable football allegiance (looking at you, Lincoln City). We cut through the noise of B2B marketing, diving into: 🔥 Why creativity is the secret weapon in tech marketing 🔥 The brutal truth about building a personal brand 🔥 How to stay authentic in a world of corporate BS...
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057: SAMSUNG'S GALAXY AI: Exploring Innovation, Security and Real-World Applications for AI on the Smartphone
TechBurst Talks
In this episode of Tech Burst Talks, I sit down with Ian Chong from Samsung Electronics to talk about his work on the mobile B2B team and the cutting-edge advancements Samsung is making, particularly in AI technology for smartphones. We dive into the new Galaxy AI capabilities, including features like Circle to Search, Live Translate, and Transcript Assist. Ian shares why on-device AI is critical for ensuring both security and speed and discusses Samsung’s collaborations with major tech players. We also explore how AI is being implemented in industries like law enforcement and finance. On a...
info_outlineJust 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 of what it is, but why it is so desperately needed. And if you already do know about it, you’ll still enjoy hearing about his amazing journey.
Show Notes:
01:30 Rafael’s journey from Telecoms to Private Equity to Early Stage VC to Impact Investing
10:00 What led you to narrow your investment focus to Impact Investing?
12:00 Difference between ESG Investing & Impact Investing
15:00 Raf’s focus on regenerative businesses - and what does regenerative mean?
18:00 What is Regenr8?
22:00 The value you get from angel investing
24:00 What is the current state of Impact Investing in Asia & globally? Is it still niche?
26:30 What needs to be done to drive more Impact investing
29:00 Can we get enough momentum going to help us address the global climate challenges before it’s too late?
31:00 What are the biggest risks we face that will prevent us from making progress towards addressing those issues?
33:30 What advice do you have for start-ups that are playing in the Impact space?
37:30 You can do your career all over again. What would you rather be - an Impact Investor or a Rockstar?