Everyone’s talking about AI, automation, and the next big tool. But Barbara Wittmann, founder of the Digital Wisdom Collective, says the real upgrade isn’t in the tech - it’s in us.Her framework has helped over 100 tech leaders build a mindset that evolves as fast as the machines around it.In this episode, Rocco Strydom and Barbara explore:Why Accenture, Amazon, and other giants are struggling to balance AI with peopleHow companies can embed human infrastructure into digital transformationThe dangers of one-off AI consulting and why continuous training winsEmpowering the “middle layer” - the real innovators inside organizationsHow smaller firms can outpace big tech through culture and adaptabilityWhy Europe’s cautious approach to AI could actually be its secret advantageQuote to Remember:“The survival of the wisest matters more than the speed of the machine.” — Barbara Wittmann
What happens when intimacy becomes a transaction? When validation feels like a drug and “love” turns into labor? Author Justin Bridges (pen name) joins Rocco Strydom to unpack his explosive new novel, Service, a thinly veiled fiction about a tennis pro who spirals through sex/love addiction, hits bottom, and finds recovery.We dig into:Masculinity myths, dopamine loops, and why “rescue” isn’t loveThe porn/AI economy and industrialized intimacyParasocial fandoms, OnlyFans, and algorithmic wiringAbstinence, 12-step recovery, and rebuilding self-worthWhy community (not clicks) is the antidote to isolation
While global ride-hailing giants take up to 25% from every trip, Bro Cabs takes zero.Founded by Persy and Msizi, this Johannesburg-based startup is flipping the power dynamic in mobility by putting drivers first — a radical move in an industry dominated by global platforms like Uber and Bolt.From challenging e-hailing laws in Parliament to running grassroots activations across Joburg, Bro is building a movement around fairness, local innovation, and shared value. Their app is subscription-based — R600 a month, flat — and drivers keep 100% of their earnings.In this episode, Rocco Strydom dives into how they’re scaling the business, what makes South Africa a testing ground for global disruption, and how tech, talent, and purpose collide when you decide to take on the giants.What You’ll LearnWhy Bro charges zero commission — and how that works sustainablyHow South African founders are building tech with local contextThe real economics behind ride-hailing and driver payoutsLessons from bootstrapping a tech startup without VC backingWhy Uber drivers are leaving and what Bro learned from itThe road to Africa-wide expansion — and what comes nextQuote to Remember“We’re not just building an app — we’re building a fair system where drivers finally win.” — Persy, Co-Founder of Bro Cabs
Startups love to talk about product, markets, and money. But when hypergrowth hits, people ops is where things break, hiring goes sideways, culture frays, and compliance gets ignored until it’s too late.In this episode, Dr. Michelle Griffin, founder of Griffin Resources, joins Rocco Strydom to unpack how companies can stay human while scaling fast. The conversation kicks off with Accenture’s recent decision to cut 11 000 jobs , citing AI reskilling challenges and explores whether that’s a warning sign for every industry facing automation.What You’ll LearnWhy big firms like Accenture are struggling to “reskill” for AIHow AI is transforming HR, payroll, and workforce planningThe first people systems every startup needs before scalingWhen founders should not outsource HR or accountingHow to protect culture when growth or M&A hits hardWhy listening beats speed in 2025’s hiring landscape
Algorithmic trading is finally getting democratized. Robert Grzesik, founder of Botspot and LumiWealth, has built a platform where anyone can turn plain English prompts into live trading bots — no coding required.In this episode, we dive into how AI is reshaping the trading landscape, why execution is becoming instant, and how the line between idea and deployment is shrinking fast.What You’ll Learn in This EpisodeHow Botspot turns English prompts into fully functional trading botsWhy AI is closing the gap between strategy and executionThe power of backtesting and live data to improve performanceHow market signals like tweets and Reddit posts can influence automated tradingThe vision for a bot marketplace where you can buy and sell strategiesWhy democratizing algo trading makes markets more efficient and fairUpcoming features: AI agents, analytics, and monetization for creatorsQuote to Remember“We’re not just hiding the code — we’re giving you a flowchart, a plain-English explanation, and the data to make better trades.” — Robert Grzesik
Half-built businesses often collapse under their own success. Without governance, compliance, and succession planning, big wins become fragile legacies. My guest today, Remco Coerman, has spent more than 25 years advising entrepreneurs, investors, and family offices across Africa and the Middle East. He helps build the scaffolding behind businesses, ensuring wealth and impact survive beyond the first generation.In this episode:What the global minimum tax really means for founders and multinationalsWhy “substance and structure” are now essential in low-tax jurisdictions like the UAEGovernance as the foundation for scaling family officesWhy talent and technology follow strong structuresHow to design investment committees and Chinese walls to avoid conflict of interestLessons from advising families where succession planning went wrongWhy only a third of family businesses survive to the second generationWhen it makes sense to start a family office and how little as €200,000 can get you started abroadThe UK’s tax crunch, inheritance tax, and why more families are moving to the UAEQuote to remember:“You need a system stronger than family emotions.”
AI at work is more than chatbots. Ravenna is rebuilding internal support systems with modern helpdesk and automation tools designed for Slack, Teams, and everyday workflows. After raising $15 million from top investors like Madrona and Khosla, co-founder and CEO Taylor Halliday (ex-Zapier Engineering / AI lead) joins to talk product, market fit, and what AI really means for operations.In this episode:Why legacy help desks needed rethinkingWhat Ravenna builds beyond bots and macrosLessons from Zapier: deeper automation vs simple integrationsThe listening tour that shaped Ravenna’s directionHow they landed $15M in fundingUsing AI to improve efficiency, not just replace peopleCompeting in a mature internal ops space while staying nimbleWhat real feedback does for product growthWhere AI architecture may plateau, and how Ravenna is preparingRavenna’s roadmap: Slack first UX, analytics, scaling
Most athletes are more than players. They are brands, investors, entrepreneurs and philanthropists. But until now, getting reliable data on endorsements, reps, front office contacts and off-field ventures has meant sifting through rumours and broken links. AthleteAgent.com, formerly OSDB, has rebranded and launched a subscription product that aims to solve that problem. Think IMDb for sports people, with verified contact data and a focus on accessibility for brands, agencies and fans.In this episode:Why AthleteAgent pivoted from a broad sports portal to a focused contact and outreach platformHow the team validated a market need: thousands of monthly users asking for reps and contact info, not stats or editorialWhat makes AthleteAgent different from an AI scrape or a Google search: verified emails and phones, multilayer validation, and industry relationships that unlock previously guarded contactsPricing and model decisions, and why a subscription made sense for teams both large and smallReal user impact, from LinkedIn execs who got replies in hours to minor league teams reconnecting with playersRoadmap priorities: current pro athletes first, later expansion into retired players, NIL and underserved sports like UFC, cricket and lacrosseSafety and trust measures, and how AthleteAgent responds when agents request changes to contact listingsWhy it mattersAthleteAgent.com is built for people who need verified access, fast. For brands and PR teams that used to waste days chasing the right rep, it can be a time saver that pays for itself in a few outreach wins. For athletes, it creates new revenue pathways by making them discoverable for local deals and media opportunities without sacrificing control.Quote to remember"We're not selling gossip. We're selling access with verification. If an email bounces, why would anyone pay for it?"
Most marketing is smoke and mirrors: follower counts, empty impressions, “we went viral!” moments that never move revenue. My guest, Ethan Monkhouse, says the agency game is over. As founder of Naviro (Naviro.ai), he’s building a live-intent graph that tracks who cares, not who clicks - decoding millions of behavioral signals to engineer real digital revenue.
In this episode:
Why “going viral” usually hurts your funnel (wrong audience, noisy signals)
The shift from attention economy to intent economy
How Naviro infers true personality types behind online behavior, then maps content “personality” to maximize resonance
The surprise finding: opposites attract! Polar-opposite content often hooks best
Sentiment that matters: comments that show “I feel seen” beat generic engagement
Community beats influencers: why trust in paid promos is collapsing and referrals/advocacy convert best
Using AI without sounding like AI: let models do the heavy lifting, you add the human edge
Trend surfing without FOMO: filtering what’s relevant to your pillars and audience stage
Quote to remember:
“Don’t measure reach. Measure resonance. The goal isn’t views, it’s viewers who feel seen.”
AI got centralized. Crypto promised the opposite. What happens when you mash them together?
On this episode of the Stonks Go Moon Podcast, Rocco Strydom speaks with Shashank, co-founder of Gaia, the decentralized AI network now running 700,000 active nodes and powering trillions of inferences. From ex–Chief Investment Officer to Web3 builder, Shashank bridges founder and fund.
In this conversation:
How Gaia works: open-source agent nodes, domain-node architecture, and staking mechanics.
Why decentralization matters when AI models are locked up by a handful of companies.
The story of how Gaia’s founders met on a boat in LA.
Pilots with NASA, Qualcomm, LA Fashion Week, and 180+ Web3 projects including ConsenSys and MetaMask.
The launch of a Samsung Galaxy AI phone at Korean Blockchain Week.
Why agents may soon outnumber humans—and what that means for business, finance, and everyday life.
“We think agents are the next big point of interaction for humanity, whether it’s commerce, social media, or education.” – Shashank
When your guest doesn’t show, what do you do? You call in AI.
Streaming from South Africa to the world, Rocco Strydom is joined by Chatty aka ChatGPT, for a first-of-its-kind Stonks Go Moon episode.In this unfiltered conversation:The state of generative AI video: from VEO3 to challengers like Lumiere and Pika Labs.Why current AI video is more “showpiece” than “solution” and when it could actually disrupt industries.The impact on creators and platforms like Fiverr, and how freelancers can adapt by incorporating AI.A heavy topic: the lawsuit after a teenager misused an AI model, and what it means for AI guardrails and responsibility.Speculating like PolyMarket: what are the odds the courts rule against AI companies in cases of harm?
On this episode of the Stonks Go Moon Podcast, host Rocco Strydom sits down with Gabriel Jiménez, founder of Ugly Cash, to unpack how he built a stablecoin-based financial platform, first in Venezuela’s hostile regulatory climate, now reaching users across Latin America, Africa, and the U.S.
In this conversation:
Tackling 188% inflation and a collapsing bolívar by building crypto solutions where the state had said it was banned—until regulators invited him in via the central bank.
How he turned political silence into legal entry by positioning crypto as a technical lifeline, not a partisan issue.
The origin and philosophy behind the name Ugly Cash—a provocative alternative to traditional banking designed to provoke thinking and stand out.
How Ugly Cash enables global financial access: stablecoin wallets, Visa cards, remittances, and high-yield APYs, all in a single app.
A bold vision: reaching 100 million users to provide equal financial services worldwide—not just trading tools, but real opportunity.
“Crypto is one of our tools—not the only one. I’m not dogmatic about crypto. I’m dogmatic about access to financial services.” – Gabriel Jiménez
On this episode of the Stonks Go Moon Podcast, host Rocco Strydom talks with Curt Hopkins, CEO of MCQ Markets, about how blockchain is moving from crypto-native hype into the heart of global finance.
With over $100 billion invested by banks in blockchain infrastructure since 2020, and giants like Goldman Sachs and HSBC running tokenized trades, Hopkins explains why Wall Street is finally embracing blockchain, how regulation is shifting, and where tokenization is opening new markets.
In this conversation:
Why banks are becoming the biggest blockchain adopters
How regulation and innovation are pulling crypto back to the US
The rise of tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) and treasury markets
Exotic cars, handbags, and the next wave of alternative asset tokenization
Why EVs won’t stop classic car collecting — and how MCQ Markets is creating access for everyday investors
“The most profitable business in the world on a per-employee basis is Tether. That drives banks crazy.” – Curt Hopkins
On this episode of the Stonks Go Moon Podcast, host Rocco Strydom sits down with Preston Van Loon, co-founder of Prysmatic Labs and core Ethereum developer, to celebrate Ethereum’s 10-year milestone of 100% uptime and look ahead at the future of the network.
Van Loon, who helped lead the Prysm client during Ethereum’s historic transition from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake, explains what makes Ethereum’s architecture so resilient, the challenges of keeping nodes running, and why the next decade will be about scaling Ethereum for mass adoption.
In this conversation:
How Ethereum achieved 10 years of uninterrupted uptime
The behind-the-scenes challenges of running nodes at scale
The transition to proof-of-stake and the role of Prysm
The roadmap for scaling Ethereum with faster blocks and L2s
Why stablecoins and institutions continue to bet on Ethereum
What Ethereum needs to enable everyday use in the next decade
“We want to go from novelty to commodity. I want to buy groceries with Ethereum like it’s cash.” – Preston Van Loon
On this episode of the Stonks Go Moon Podcast, host Rocco Strydom talks with Ali Din, CEO of Premier NX and former executive at ADP and Indeed, about why the mid-market is the overlooked battleground for AI adoption.Ali makes the case that AI is no longer optional for companies caught in the middle — too big to be scrappy, too small to have innovation labs. He explains why financial planning and analysis, scenario modeling, and business operations are prime areas for AI transformation, and why building an “AI muscle” is critical before it’s too late.In this conversation:Why mid-market companies are already behind if they aren’t experimenting with AIHow scenario planning and FP&A can make businesses shockproofThe importance of building internal AI champions without big budgetsWhy Excel still runs the world, and how AI can work alongside itThe role of co-sourcing and “human in the loop” approachesWhat a successful AI-ready mid-market company will look like in 2025“Mid-market companies can have the agility of a startup, but the capabilities of an enterprise.” – Ali Din
On this episode of the Stonks Go Moon Podcast, host Rocco Strydom sits down with Arrash Yasavolian, CEO of Taoshi, to explore how AI, crypto, and decentralized finance are converging to open elite trading strategies to everyone, not just hedge funds and insiders.Built on Bittensor, Taoshi is creating one of the top-performing AI trading networks in the world, turning the prop trading model on its head. Instead of predatory practices and low payout caps, Taoshi rewards top traders, combines their strategies, and makes them available to the public via Glitch, its SaaS platform.In this conversation:How decentralized prop trading works and why it’s a first of its kindWhy most prop firms want traders to fail The role of AI and machine learning in finding winning strategiesBuilding an open hedge fund for the many, not the fewThe challenges of scaling a sub-second latency trading platformThe goal to become the biggest prop firm in the world“Built for the many, not the few.” – Arrash Yasavolian
On this episode of the Stonks Go Moon Podcast, host Rocco Strydom sits down with Bigga$tate, the Chicago mogul, rapper, and celebrity publicist turning viral moments into global business plays.From being homeless as a kid to closing WWE sponsorships for his new single Safari, Bigga$tate breaks down:How he turned rejection into fuelWhat artists don’t know about brand deals and perpetuity clausesWhy AI in music is both a revolution and a warning signThe playbook for turning clout into capitalHow he’s signing and mentoring young artists to avoid industry traps
On episode 200 of the Stonks Go Moon Podcast, host Rocco Strydom welcomes Brian Kenny, Co-Founder and CEO of Momntum, for a conversation about what’s really broken in customer service and how AI can fix it.Brian shares how Leila, Momntum’s emotionally intelligent AI, is changing the game by not just responding to customer queries, but actually building relationships. From remembering your last appointment to checking in on how your dog is doing months later, Leila’s not just a chatbot; she’s a trust engine that turns CX into ROI.Rocco and Brian also explore:Why most AI chatbots fall short of real customer needsThe role of "Relationship Language Models" (RLMs) in modern businessPrivacy, consent, and setting ethical guardrails for AI behaviorReal-world results from Leila's deployment at clinics like SISUWhat makes customers stay loyal and how to measure thatIf you're building a customer-facing business, this is one episode you can’t afford to miss. It’s AI with empathy.🔗 Learn more: https://momntum.com🎧 Subscribe for more: linktr.ee/SGMPodcast
How do you tokenize equity legally without ending up on the SEC’s radar?
In this episode of the Stonks Go Moon Podcast, host Rocco Strydom sits down with Joris Delanoue, Co-Founder of Fairmint, to unpack how streaming equity, token warrants, and the Open Cap Table Protocol are transforming the financial infrastructure behind startups. With over $1B in tokenized equity already flowing through Fairmint's rails, this isn't theory; it's happening.
We talk about:
🔹 Why SAFTs are dead
🔹 How Fairmint is bringing Wall Street on-chain
🔹 The real role of lawyers in a DeFi world
🔹 What happens when capitalism becomes composable
If you've ever wondered what "fixing capitalism" looks like in code, this is it.
📍 Powered by curiosity. Built for the next era of finance.
🔗 Learn more: https://fairmint.com
🎧 Subscribe for more episodes: linktr.ee/SGMPodcast
In this episode, host Rocco Strydom sits down with Michael Mo, CEO of KULR, a NASA-grade energy management and manufacturing company turning heads with its Bitcoin-first treasury strategy, blockchain-secured supply chain, and AI-enhanced exoskeleton robotics.
Topics we cover:
How KULR tech powers the Mars rover, ISS & Artemis missions
Why KULR is investing 90% of its surplus cash into Bitcoin
Blockchain NFTs for supply chain transparency
Using AI & robotics to reduce workplace injury
Partnering with German Bionic to bring exoskeletons to North America
Michael’s thoughts on Bitcoin strategy, MicroStrategy, and Michael Saylor
This one’s for everyone who wants to understand the convergence of energy, crypto, AI, and space tech.
Connect with Michael Mo & KULR:
https://kulr.ai/