Innovation Undercover enjoyed talking with Marianna Bonanome, Head of Education Outreach at SandboxAQ. SandboxAQ brings Quantum Tech and AI together to solve challenging problems impacting society.
Quantum computing is a revolutionary approach that speeds up solutions to complex and previously unsolvable problems faster and more accurately.. According to McKinsey & Company, industries like life sciences, chemicals, automotive, and financial services will potentially gain $1,3 trillion in value by 2023 with the help of quantum.
Renu and Michael dove into the fascinating futuristic world of quantum computing with Marianna, who succinctly summarises the three verticals at SandboxAQ and why they matter. You will also be inspired to explore the details of quantum resistance, simulation, optimization, navigation, cryptography, and many other things this immense technology offers.
Some of the topics we discussed:
1. Exploring ways to shore up existing security protocols to make them quantum resistant
2. Talent: Pull in the brightest, the best, and the brightest from across multi-disciplines together
3. Education: Setting up a minor degree program in quantum engineering
4. Working with the US AirForce
5. Diversity tipping point for Quantum and the opportunities it presents
Other titles we considered:
That’s Just One Piece of What We Do, a Tiny Piece
The Education Vertical: It Underpins Everything
We Need to Kind of Bring the World Along With Us
We Need to Build the Skill Set for the Future Workforce
We See the Fruits, It’s Blossoming
This episode was produced by Khrystyna Khmilovska.
Innovation Undercover loved chatting with Dominique Reese, Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Plug and Play Tech Center & Laura Miller, VP of Customer Success at Voxel. Plug and Play Tech Center is one of the most prominent venture capitalists in Silicon Valley and the world’s largest innovation platform.
According to Pew Research Center, most of the ethnic workforce other than Asians are underrepresented in the STEM industries, except for Asians. The share of Black employees in tech industries was 9%, and Hispanics were at 8%. Gender inequality also persists even among white workers. White females annually earn $30 000 less than their male peers.
Renu and Michael discovered from Dominique and Laura how Plug and Play Tech Center navigates this lack of representation. One of the ways of being proactive in correcting these inequalities is their DE&II-focused initiative, DRIVE, which stands for Diversity, Respect, Inclusion, Visibility, and Equity. You will also know about the story behind the founding of Plug and Play, the life journey of its founder Saeed Amidi and why the organization has expanded so rapidly.
Some of the topics we discussed:
The Power of the Plug and Play Platform
Defining Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Ensuring diversity through the hiring process
Introducing DRIVE outside of the US
Connecting people to succeed
Other titles we considered:
It’s Broader Than the Words Say Within Itself
We’re Growing by the Day
What Brings People in Is Just Having That Hunger Not to Give Up
The Key Is Listening to What the Ask Is So That We Can Fulfil It
We Want to Build a Community
This episode was produced by Khrystyna Khmilovska.
Innovation Undercover had a wonderful conversation with Deborah Watkins, Founder & CEO at Care Bridge International. Care Bridge International is a data analytics insurtech that drives the next-generation claim process by forecasting lifetime medical treatment and costs for claims.
In the US, healthcare expenses represent 17.6% of national GDP, which is $600 billion more than expected for a country of that size and wealth. According to McKinsey & Company, this number can be significantly reduced by $300 to $450 billion, only by implementing data intelligence.
Renu and Michael discussed with Deborah all the benefits and pitfalls of bringing data intelligence to the health care and insurance industries and how it influences the various stakeholders, such as physicians, patients, or claim adjusters. You will also learn how Deborah combines her nursing background with data science to form a valuable business. And even more, the answer to the question “Will AI replace your job?” is also covered in this episode.
Some of the topics we discussed:
Acceptance and an excitement around data analytics in Insurance
The importance of educating the insurance market
How data intelligence can be used to give the patients more choices, more autonomy around their own health experience
What it takes to build a business from scratch
The impact of GPT-3 and Large Language Models for the insurance claims process
Other titles we considered:
1. We Respect the Expert’s Opinion, but the Data Says a Different Story
2. Making The Machine and Human Work Together for Better Results
3. It’s the Most Exciting Thing and the Most Terrifying Thing I’ve Ever Done
4. I Look at It and Say, That Makes Sense
5.That’s How We’re Made. We’re Made to Be Connected
This episode was produced by Khrystyna Khmilovska.
Innovation Undercover had a wonderful conversation with James Sanders, Ecosystem Developer at Baloise Group. Traditionally an insurance company, Baloise is now building a mobility ecosystem by investing in start-ups and has been deeply involved in innovation on this front.
According to the United Nations, 258 million children and youth were out of school because of poverty, discrimination, and lack of resources. Education and equality are one of the leverages and aspects of democracy. At the same time, equity is the primary tool for equality. It provides access to the same opportunities by distributing the resources to those who need them most, thus equalling the playing field. It promotes fairness, social mobility, economic growth, diversity, and inclusion. On the contrary, equal distribution of resources only maintains inequality.
Renu and Michael defined with James the differences between these concepts agreeing that “Opportunity should be there for everybody.” James also reflected on how being the son of high-ranked military parents, coaching baseball, and living in various places such as Australia to Switzerland influenced his vision of both genders, business, and life. He also shares some valuable insights into how Baloise has been diversifying their core business in the recent past.
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1. Hey, You Take It, You Learn From It, and Move On to the Next Thing
2. I Was Made in Japan, but I Was Born in California
3. Everyone Can Bring Something to the Table
4. You Can Always Find Value in Everything
5. I Don’t Think I’ve Been the Smartest Person in the Room, Since Maybe Kindergarten
This episode was produced by Khrystyna Khmilovska.
Innovation UnderCover was joined by Karen Wendt, President & Angel Investor at SwissFinTechLadies. SwissFinTechLadies is a female FinTech Community that seeks to encourage and involve more women in the industry by boosting incubator/accelerator programs, mentoring, and theme events.
Globally, financial literacy is positively linked to income and wealth, and in Switzerland, while 62% of men could correctly answer finance-related questions, only 39% of women could do the same. Thus the importance of female education is evident as it significantly influences their long-term financial well-being.
Renu and Michael were happy to talk with Karen, who actively creates the future with more women in power by delivering book and film series on sustainable finance, leading the SwissFinTechLadies, and promoting investment in Switzerland. Thanks to our versatile guest, in this episode, you will dive deep into the financial world, get inspired to invest, and discover Karen’s drivers and measures of success.
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This episode was produced by Khrystyna Khmilovska.
Innovation Undercover reached out to Ravina Mutha, Co-founder at Enterprise Bot. Enterprise Bot fuels the future of Hyperautomation by delivering AI-powered e-mail, chat, and voice bots that make customers happier and reduces operational cost by 40%.
“Omnichannel experience is a requirement for survival” - that is how McKinsey & Company states it. According to PWC, one in three customers will leave the brand after just one bad experience. That is where AI-powered bots are in handy, as they can significantly improve customer experience and reduce the chance of business failure.
Renu and Michael enjoyed talking to Ravina about the insights of running the omnichannel business, as Enterprise Bot has been developing AI-powered bots even before they became a buzzword. Being “a global entrepreneur, a mum of twins, and really into technology and business,” Ravina shared with us how she started her first business at 22 in India and continued her entrepreneurial path in Europe. Consequently, we also discussed the differences in business culture in Asia and Europe.
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This episode was produced by Khrystyna Khmilovska.
Innovation Undercover recorded an insightful conversation with Daniela Bar-Gera, Head of the Basel and Zurich Office at Plug and Play Tech Center. Plug and Play builds an ecosystem of entrepreneurs, investors, and corporations to create an innovative future for the world. Over the past 15 years, they united over 35,000 startups, 500 leading corporations, ventures, and universities across 20 industries.
Israel, also called “The Startup Nation” is a global leader when it comes to tech startup companies per capita. 2000 start-ups were founded in the last decade and raised $4.8 billion from investors only in 2016. Flourishing venture capital markets and flexible, creative economy industries are the main fuel for developing innovation there.
Renu and Michael enjoyed chatting with Daniela about the innovation landscape of Switzerland and Israel. Primarily, we discussed the motivation behind such developments in both countries and why the mature Swiss market should find the urge to grow. It was fascinating to hear it from Daniela, as she has an entrepreneurship DNA in her veins from her cyber security expert mom and entrepreneur dad.
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This episode was produced by Khrystyna Khmilovska.
Innovation Undercover immensely enjoyed their episode with Jean-Luc Zehnder – Co-CEO & Founding Partner at Virtido. Virtido is a Swiss-based software and business process outsourcing company whose talent acquisition platform grants clients access to abundant IT talent in a cost-effective manner.
Near-shoring is a trend expected to dominate in talent acquisition in the upcoming years, as it gives clients the benefits of outsourcing, avoiding many of its compromises, according to this report by Forbes.
Renu and Michael talked with Jean-Luc about his transition from working at one of the big four consulting firms in Zurich to working for a family office and to finally co-creating Virtido. We discuss the economics of near-shoring, especially in Eastern Europe, the key factors that companies look for while scouting for talent, and how to keep a remote workforce engaged. He emphasizes the importance of how important company culture is and how it can be maintained in a business model that is scalable.
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This episode was produced by Khrystyna Khmilovska.
Innovation UnderCover had an invigorating chat with Dr.Donnacha Daly, Head of AI & Machine Learning Studies at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences & Arts. His program is a trailblazer for Europe, where the students finish their Bachelor's degree after a project with an assigned industry partner. In HSLU, there is a keen focus on nurturing and educating Switzerland´s young talents in the six central Swiss cantons in an applied and practical set up.
Throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks! Dr.Donnacha Daly, Head of AI & Machine Learning Studies at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences & Arts, talks to Renu & Michael about his motto around driving innovation.
Dr. Daly, in this episode, details his experiences in Artificial Intelligence as he spent his early years in Ireland studying the topic. He then moves onto discussing his various roles in corporate Switzerland, his hiring mantras, intense focus on teams as central to innovation. He offers a deep perspective on the two different learning systems in Switzerland and how they matter for driving a culture of change.
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Innovation UnderCover had the pleasure to chat with Tiana Schowe, Founder & Coach at Curador Co & Vice President & Marketing at TranSharpe Solutions. The insurtech company brings technology and insurance together to create the most innovative solutions for the transportation industry.
The best way to learn is to ask questions. Tiana Schowe, Founder & Coach at Curador Co & Vice President & Marketing at TranSharpe Solutions, talks to Renu & Michael about her lifelong curiosity for new experiences and learnings.
She is a serial entrepreneur - starting at the age of 5, and now she juggles a key role in a transportation insurtech looking to digitally transform the old-fashioned trucking insurance industry, along with being a coach who is passionate about personal growth. In this episode, she talks about being a valley girl who moved to the Southern part of the US and then to Mexico for a while before falling into her 20-year-old career in commercial insurance.
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This episode was produced by Khrystyna Khmilovska.
InnovationUndercover was joined by Sanja Tomovska, Founder and CEO at Quant Biomarkers. The company's primary mission is to advance biomarker technologies, predict risks for the onset of chronic diseases so that they can identify targets for personalized medical interventions.
Longevity-focused companies raised more than $1 billion in venture funding in 2020. The industry is in its infancy but grows fast yearly, raising greater interest worldwide considering people’s strong desire to find out how to improve their lives while living longer.
Renu and Michael talked with Sanja about the enormous opportunities of the longevity industry, its complexity, and its future impact on all the other sectors. In the episode, you will explore Sanja’s neverending curiosity about cancer treatment and new technologies, the transformation of the pharmaceutical industry, the role of genes and social responsibility in longevity, and human well-being in general. You will also learn how she combines this attitude with the ability to take risks and drive entrepreneurship.
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This episode was produced by Khrystyna Khmilovska.
Innovation UnderCover had a beautiful conversation with Kate Terry, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at Surround Insurance. Aimed at satisfying the insurance needs of young adults, this company reinvents insurance through innovation and technology.
Applying advanced technologies opens a broad range of growth possibilities in insurance. For instance, by introducing mobile health services BIMA, Sweden's microinsurer, reached 20 million seekers in 15 countries whose citizens live on less than 10$ a day. That is why developing the insurtech sphere is very important, as it helps reach the people whose needs were unmet before.
Renu and Michael chatted with Kate about how it is to build an innovative insurtech business from scratch compared to her experience in a safe, corporate environment and how she generally ended up in this industry after graduating from Harvard. In this episode, you’ll also discover what are Kate’s two factors that impacted her success.
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This episode was produced by Khrystyna Khmilovska.
Innovation UnderCover had the pleasure of chatting with Yousra Sidqi, Senior Research Associate at HSLU Hochschule Luzern. In collaboration with various stakeholders, she conducts research in the energy field to apply that knowledge to real-world cases.
Switzerland aims to reduce its net gas emission to zero by 2050. This ambitious goal needs a lot of research to decide what is science fiction and what is possible to apply to reality with the most effective outcome.
Renu and Michael chatted with Yousra about the challenges and complications of CO2 reduction goals, especially the challenges in maintaining power grid stability as electric vehicle use rises. In this episode, Yousra also unveiled her background of how being raised in a scientific family in Morocco impacted her professional career and what she continues to observe along her working career in Switzerland.
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This episode was produced by Khrystyna Khmilovska.
Innovation UnderCover had a great talk with Bobbie Shrivastav, Co-founder and COO at Benekiva. Benekiva´s SaaS technologies help insurance carriers digitize their claims and servicing operations so associates and beneficiaries can transact business anywhere, anytime, on any device.
It has been posited that discussions of entrepreneurship should include family entrepreneurship. Babson College´s Family Entrepreneurship Monitor report says that 75% of entrepreneurs and 81% of established business owners co-own and/or co-manage their businesses with family members.
Renu and Michael chatted with Bobbie where they talked about what coming from a family of entrepreneur immigrants, several generations over meant for her attitude towards hustling and being a serial entrepreneur. We also discussed how important it was to her to fix the core processes in the life insurance business, leading her to co-find Benekiva.
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This episode was produced by Khrystyna Khmilovska.
Innovation UnderCover had the pleasure of speaking with Kyle Babirad, President & Actuary at Canary Consulting. Canary is a lean insurance product development firm focused on bringing new, profitable Property & Casualty insurance products to market.
The war for talent is a reality not just for insurance, but several industries, especially in the post-pandemic world. A 2022 report authored by Price Waterhouse Coopers recommends that one of the ways for the industry to win this is to play offense and not defense when it comes to attracting and retaining the right talent.
Kyle Babirad is a trendsetter in that, for him, hiring the right team was what was important than defining a key offering, leading him to launch Canary Consulting. He has been using Inclusion & Diversity strategies way before they were publicized both to build out his team and help grow his client teams. Renu & Michael had a great chat with Kyle about his foray into the insurance industry as an actuary, to his new role now helping insurtechs roll out programs as he understands both the traditional insurance world and the culture of startups.
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This episode was produced by Khrystyna Khmilovska.
Innovation UnderCover was fascinated talking to Sabine VanderLinden, Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Partner at Alchemy Crew. Alchemy Crew is a venture commercialization lab for the insurance sector and financial services institutions.
Innovation, according to Harvard Business School, is a necessary element that helps companies adapt and become resilient in overcoming current and future challenges.
Renu & Michael had the pleasure to talk with Sabine VanderLinden, who leads Alchemy Crew which de-risks corporate venturing for insurers. In this episode, you will also discover her experience of identifying companies that are more open to insurtechs, how data helps to prove to more prominent players that things work, and how different continents vary in their innovation journey.
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This episode was produced by Isabelle Goh and Khrystyna Khmilovska.
Innovation UnderCover had a wonderful conversation with Achille Sime, Founder & CEO at SL DRA, Chairman at SL Financial, and Consulting Actuary at Pinnacle Actuarial Resources. SL DRA brings innovative insurance solutions to the emerging African market using data science tools, while SL Financial offers actuarial consulting services to public and private risk financing entities.
McKinsey & Company positioned the African region as the second-fastest-growing insurance market after Latin America. The region's growth was projected to be 7% between 2020 and 2025, exceeding that of North America and Asia.
Our special guest significantly contributes to the African insurance market by developing a central data repository & analytics platform to assist insurers, regulators, and investors in Africa. Renu and Michael will satisfy your curiosity by asking Achille Sime about the differences between emerging and developed markets and the challenges of building a business in Africa.
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This episode was produced by Isabelle Goh and Khrystyna Khmilovska.
Innovation UnderCover was joined by Paul Tyler, CMO at Nassau Financial Group, a Hartford-based life insurer that offers reinsurance, retirement planning, asset management, life insurance, and annuity products.
Covid-19 has multi-dimensional societal impacts, one of them being a shift in how businesses are run, especially on the theme of communication. This is important to the life insurance industry, which relies on physical, interpersonal communication to sell policies.
Renu & Michael enjoyed a great conversation with Paul Tyler, Chief Marketing Officer at Nassau Financial Group. We discussed how essential it is to stay in touch with the audience and the importance of building business through micro-networks.
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This episode was produced by Isabelle Goh and Khrystyna Khmilovska.
Innovation UnderCover was joined by Rebecca Meldrum, Founder of Meldrum Consulting. Her service fosters innovation through sprint workshops on circularity and sustainability.
A 2018 report by McKinsey finds a direct correlation between profitability and diversity, and inclusion and diversity are seen as a source of competitive advantage and a key enabler of growth. However, companies are still struggling to use these characteristics for value-creation and growth.
This was a key topic that Renu and Michael discussed with Rebecca Meldrum, Founder of Meldrum Consulting, along with her journey from being an aerospace engineer to an Aviation startup founder.
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This episode was produced by Isabelle Goh and Khrystyna Khmilovska.
Innovation UnderCover had an awesome conversation with Laurie Conner, the President and CEO at The Detection Group. The Detection Group is the leader in wireless water leak detection for commercial buildings with its cutting-edge, FM Approved Trident technology.
Though the share of women in leadership is increasing according to the World Economic Forum´s 2022 Global Gender Gap Report, there are considerable variations by industry. Industries with a high representation of women like NGOs and Education have a considerable leadership share (47% and 46%, respectively) than traditionally male-dominated industries like Manufacturing (19%) and Energy(20%). In this context, Laurie shared her experiences as an executive in a male-dominated industry and building a tech company in Silicon Valley.
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This episode was produced by Isabelle Goh and Khrystyna Khmilovska.