S2 Episode 17: Off-the-shelf AI and Accelerated Impact, with Eric Topham of The Data Analysis Bureau
Release Date: 06/30/2021
“Safe, sustainable, sodium-based Energy Storage” with Will Tope, CCO of LiNa Energy
THE IMPACT INTERVIEW
Welcome to Episode 17 of Series 4! We talked a bit about Energy Storage in frontier markets in the last episode, and that’s also a major part of the theme here. While there is huge potential for solar power in hot countries, the key is to ensure that the power is available where and when you need it. At the same time, there is growing global dependency on Lithium-ion batteries, despite being a less than perfect solution, not least because of the lack of sustainable lithium supply. My guest this week is Will Tope, Chief Commercial Officer of LiNa Energy, who have developed and patented...
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Boosting Solar in Frontier Markets with Mike Rosenberg of Circadian
THE IMPACT INTERVIEW
Welcome to Episode 16 of Series 4! Plenty of startup business challenges can be daunting, not least in the Clean Energy space. If anything, the urgent global need to transition to renewable energy, and the consequences of not doing so, add another level of pressure. Even if more people now understand what is at stake and what is required. The challenge of replacing fossil fuels with renewable supply is pretty serious in any market. But I’ll bet that it’s tougher in emerging markets like Sub Saharan Africa. But at the same time, the potential for solar power in Africa is vast. For...
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Changing to Survive, Driven from Within with Tim Riedel, CEO and Founder of Planetgroups
THE IMPACT INTERVIEW
Welcome to Episode 15 of Series 4! One of the things I find most interesting about developments in the climate tech space is that they usually depend on serious, fundamental behaviour change. To make real progress towards net zero and genuine sustainability, every aspect of our way of lives has to change. On a corporate level, a lot of the transformation has to be pretty comprehensive, and is inevitably being driven by employees. My guest this week is Tim Riedel, a successful Human Resources Business Leader and Entrepreneur based in Berlin. Having sold his business a few years ago, he...
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Tackling the Green Skills Emergency with Mat Ilic, Co-Founder and CEO of Greenworkx
THE IMPACT INTERVIEW
Welcome to Episode 14 of Series 4! After last episode's Foray into Hydrogen Technologies, I’m back in my comfort zone this week, or at least closer to it. The World of Recruitment. Recruitment in terms of the urgent need to train and place people for the millions of green jobs that are required if we are going to come close to meeting our net zero goals. Cars, homes and commercial buildings have to become more energy efficient but the UK market is woefully short of the skills required to help people and companies make the transition. My guest is Mat Ilic, Co-Founder and...
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Commercialising Fuel Cell Technology in the UK with Dr. Michaela Kendall, CEO of Adelan
THE IMPACT INTERVIEW
Welcome to Episode 13 of Series 4! This episode is all about fuel cell innovation and the UK hydrogen economy. It’s a subject about which I knew next to nothing before my conversation with Dr. Michaela Kendall, Co-Founder and CEO of Adelan, one of the pioneers in the sector who are based in the manufacturing heartlands of Birmingham. Adelan develops low carbon products for the clean energy market and are on a mission to develop the hydrogen economy and deliver clean air. Michaela is passionate about the development of a sovereign capability in hydrogen technology in the...
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From Nature Crisis to a Nature Positive Future with Sebastien Leape, CEO of NatCap Research
THE IMPACT INTERVIEW
Welcome to Episode 12 of Series 4! This episode is all about Natural Capital, which I confess was a slightly unfamiliar concept to me. So I thought I’d kick off by defining what it is - with thanks to Wikipedia. Natural capital is a way of thinking about nature as a stock that provides a flow of benefits to people and the economy. It consists of natural capital assets – such as water, forests and clean air, many of which provide us with free goods and services, which underpin our economy and society, and so make human life possible My guest is Sebastien Leape, CEO of NatCap, a nature...
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Simplifying Sustainability in the Agrifood Space with Dan Yates, Co-Founder and CEO of Greener
THE IMPACT INTERVIEW
Welcome to Episode 11 of Series 4! My guest is Dan Yates, Co-founder and CEO of Greener, who has built a technology platform for match-making sustainable businesses in the Agrifood Sector. They want to make it as simple as possible for small businesses (and some larger ones) to succeed and grow, by supporting their sustainability journey. It’s a young business but they are already getting great traction. Dan tells me their story so far, he talks about his job as a startup CEO, and the balance of strengths in the co-founding team.. He talks about their progress so far, and the...
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The Climate Impact of Green Ammonia with Lewis Jenkins, Co-Founder and CEO of Nium
THE IMPACT INTERVIEW
Welcome to Episode 10 of Series 4! I learned so much in this conversation. Starting with the massive reliance that modern humankind has on ammonia, and the huge amount of fossil fuel energy that is currently required to manufacture it. The potential for Green Ammonia, with a much more sustainable manufacturing process, is enormous - and there’s probably no other industrial innovation that alone could lead to a reduction in global carbon emissions of over 4%. My guest is Lewis Jenkins, CEO and Co-Founder (with Dr Yubiao Niu and Phil Hunter) of Nium, a startup manufacturing Green...
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"Bringing Sunlight to Life" with Ofer Becker of Solight Energy
THE IMPACT INTERVIEW
Welcome to Episode 9 of Series 4! My guest is Ofer Becker, Co-Founder and CTO of Solight Energy, an Israeli Startup that I was very kindly introduced to by Climate KIC, Europe’s largest public private initiative focused on climate change innovation. Solight has designed and developed a highly efficient solar collector that delivers healthy, energy saving sunlight indoors; with unparalleled flexibility and performance. Ofer and I talk about the myriad health benefits of exposure to natural light and he goes on to describe the product and its success across Israel so far. He...
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Investing in our Future with Beverley Gower-Jones of Clean Growth Fund
THE IMPACT INTERVIEW
Welcome to Episode 8 of Series 4! My guest has been at the forefront of Sustainability and Clean energy solutions for over 25 years, accelerating the impact of a vast number of cleantech businesses since she co-founded Shell Technology Ventures in the late 1990s and went on to found Carbon Limiting Technologies in 2006. Beverley Gower-Jones is the Founder, Managing Partner and driving force behind Clean Growth Fund, which in just a couple of years has become one of the leading dedicated UK funds in the sector. She talks me through everything from her passion for the...
info_outlineData-driven and AI technology solutions are at the forefront of social and environmental impact. But ideating and implementing them is often complex and takes time. So T-DAB has evolved a "pre-packed solution" model where they can offer customers 'off the shelf AI' which cuts a lot of pain out of the development process. The potential to fast track technological advancement is huge, and T-DAB is especially successful withinh the healthcare environment.
This is conversation number 8 with a business in the 2021 cohort of the ‘AI for Social Impact Programme’ – which is a partnership between Social Tech Trust and Microsoft for Startups. who are supporting purpose driven ventures using technology to make a positive impact on people’s lives.
This week the theme is Data, and how data science and machine learning are being harnessed by innovators to make a massive positive impact. The effective collection and use of data is at the heart of so much technology-driven enterprise that is transforming our lives for the better in numerous sectors. None more so than in healthcare and life sciences, and in sustainability and cleantech.
My guest is Eric Topham, CEO of The Data Analysis Bureau (T-DAB?), which was launched in 2017 to help maximise the impact of data science by making it far more accessible to disruptive, forward-looking businesses that recognise the potential value of data and AI-driven solutions. Eric and his co-founders have built a team of data specialists who will fast track the delivery of data and AI solutions for customers – with a particular emphasis on manufacturing & sustainability and social & health care. And they are also developing and supporting a growing community and network of data scientists to further advance the field and maximise the collective impact.
Eric studied at Cambridge and Imperial College before gaining a phD in Zoology from Oxford University and starting out his career as a data scientist in public health in 2015.