John Cowan is the founder of Next Wave Partners, a venture studio and investment fund redefining early-stage capital through founder-aligned financing structures. He is the author of Venture Capital 2.0, a widely circulated critique of the legacy VC model and a blueprint for building startups in the post–power law era.  Next Wave developed the Safer—a hybrid investment instrument that prioritizes revenue-based returns and long-term alignment—offering founders capital without control loss, and investors access to a perpetual fund unconstrained by traditional VC timelines.  Our conversation dives into why Wall Street and Silicon Valley often overlook infrastructure, where new sources of capital could emerge, and how to ensure that investments unlock the right opportunities for AI, smart cities, and autonomous systems. We examine different modes of investment—from patient capital to community-driven models—and consider how smart city and autonomy initiatives highlight the diversity of funding approaches.  Moderator:  Romain Tranchant, iMasons Innovation Committee Chair  Guest:  John Cowan, founder of Next Wave Partners and author of “Venture Capital 2.0”  *** Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all.  #iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership 

Liam Round, Managing Director for Teksan UK and Regional Director for Europe & Africa, joins us to share his inspiring journey from military service to leadership in the data centre industry. A proud member of the iMasons Veterans’ community, Liam reveals how his service shaped his people-first approach in recruitment. He shares lessons from rebuilding teams from the ground up and emphasizes the importance of transferable skills in driving innovation and sustainable business growth.  As Liam puts it: “Nothing changes if nothing changes.” This mindset continues to fuel his commitment to transformation, resilience, and progress – both in business and in life.  Moderator:  Romain Tranchant, Chair of the iMasons Innovation Committee  Guest:  Liam Round, Managing Director UK and Regional Director for Europe & Africa, Teksan  ***  Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all.  #iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership   

Innovation Committee Chair, Romain Tranchant, leads a panel at the IRENA Conference in BONN on behalf of the iMasons Climate Accords.  This session unpacks how the rapid growth in global data centre electricity demand, driven by AI advancement, can be transformed from a grid challenge into an opportunity for accelerating renewable energy deployment and achieving decarbonisation targets.  Moderator:  Romain Tranchant, Chair of the Innovation Committee, iMasons Climate Accord  Panelists: Andres Acosta, Director of Innovation, LevelTen Trigya Singh, Head of Corporate Sourcing, Global Renewable Alliance Sylvie Tarnai, Chief Strategy Officer, Energy Pool Jill McArdle PhD, International Corporate Campaigner, Beyond Fossil Fuels Gema del Río Castro, IDAE – Spanish Government   ***  Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all.  #iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership   

Innovation Committee Chair and host Romain Tranchant interviews Waleed Zafar.   Waleed Zafar is the Director of Mission Critical at XYZ Reality, a company transforming how mission-critical projects are planned, built, and delivered with its innovative construction delivery platform. With a background in investment banking, Waleed joined XYZ as its first employee, playing a pivotal role in developing the company’s core technology. He then partnered with the largest developers in the construction of data centres, using augmented reality and precise positioning to improve the rate of delivery and health and safety in construction.  ***  Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all.  #iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership 

Innovation Committee Chair and host Romain Tranchant interviews Alison Marlow and Courtney Popp.  Alison is Account Executive at Schneider Electric and the Global Chair for Armed Forces at Infrastructure Masons. Due to her non-traditional background, she is passionate about helping people find success who have taken alternate paths in life.  Courtney Popp is iMasons' Director of People Programs, with a decade of workforce development expertise and a deep commitment toward opening pathways to opportunity, especially for underserved populations.  They have accepted our invitation to talk about the new recruitment methods that might help to fix the shortage of skills in our industry.  ***  Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all.  #iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership 

Innovation Committee Chair and host Romain Tranchant interviews Venessa Moffat, Executive Board Member at the Data Centre Alliance.   Venessa has been in the sector for over 20 years with roles spanning IT and facilities, and across various roles.  Today, Venessa is exploring the ever-evolving world of software in data centres, looking at how AI is playing its part in our increasingly complex, data-driven system of systems.   ***  Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all.   #iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership   

Innovation Committee Chair and host Romain Tranchant interviews Dan Tennakoon, CEO and Founder at RE24 - an enterprise platform that enables data centre to procure renewable energy directly from power generators.   RE24 streamlines contract management while providing powerful analytics on renewable consumption, ensuring operators optimise their use of green energy. Through its advanced hourly matching system, RE24 connects generators with data centres in real-time, maximising the share of renewables in their operations.   This year, they have been accepted in the iMasons incubator programme, and Dan will take us through his knowledge and experience of the renewable energy market.  ***************  iMasons Launches Innovation Showcase and Incubator Programs 🌍  *Innovation Showcase: A platform for sharing ground-breaking products, services, and ideas with the iMasons community and industry leaders. *Innovation Incubator: Supports innovators by fostering connections, providing expert validation, and raising awareness, focusing on sustainability and collaboration.  We invite you to join us in our mission to connect, grow, and give back as we empower sustainable projects, address industry challenges, and drive innovation forward.  Please, feel free to reach out to Romain Tranchant, our Innovation Chair, or apply directly through our Incubator Application Form.  Email: 📧 innovation@imasons.org  Infrastructure Masons (iMas ons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all.  #iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership 

Innovation Committee Chair and host Romain Tranchant interviews Maximilian Weidl, CEO and Co-Founder at Clear Decisions. Clear Decisions is the first AI-powered compliance platform tailored for data centers. It automates compliance and streamlines audits. By optimizing these processes, Clear Decisions drives sustainability, ensuring data centers operate more efficiently and with a reduced environmental footprint. This year, Clear Decisions have been accepted in the iMasons Incubator Program. In this episode, Maximilian shares his insights on compliance and reporting, and delves into the vital link between efficient operations and a sustainable future. *** iMasons Launches Innovation Showcase and Incubator Programs 🌍 iMasons is proud to announce the launch of two transformative initiatives: the Innovation Showcase and the Innovation Incubator programs. The Innovation Showcase highlights ground-breaking products, services, and thought leadership, offering a platform to share innovative solutions with the iMasons community and industry leaders. It's your chance to celebrate creativity and inspire progress! The Innovation Incubator is designed to help turn visionary ideas into reality. Focused on sustainability and powered by collaborations with the Climate Accord and the State of the Digital Infrastructure Industry report, this program supports innovators—from emerging start-ups to established enterprises—by fostering connections, providing expert validation, and raising awareness within the iMasons network. Join us to be part of something truly transformative! Connect, grow, and give back as we empower sustainable projects, address industry challenges, and drive innovation. Want to share your innovations or get involved? Reach out to Romain Tranchant, our Innovation Chair, or apply directly through our Incubator Application Form. For more info: 📧 innovation@imasons.org 

Innovation Committee Chair and host Romain Tranchant interviews Markus Gerber, Sr. Business Development Manager at nVent. nVent provides a versatile range of data center and networking solutions, with a particular emphasis on cooling equipment. Their offerings span from in-row coolers to immersion cooling systems, effectively utilizing white space. Markus discusses strategies for operators to optimize their capital expenditures (CAPEX) when implementing liquid cooling solutions. *** iMasons Launches Innovation Showcase and Incubator Programs 🌍 iMasons is proud to announce the launch of two transformative initiatives: the Innovation Showcase and the Innovation Incubator programs. The Innovation Showcase highlights ground-breaking products, services, and thought leadership, offering a platform to share innovative solutions with the iMasons community and industry leaders. It's your chance to celebrate creativity and inspire progress! The Innovation Incubator is designed to help turn visionary ideas into reality. Focused on sustainability and powered by collaborations with the Climate Accord and the State of the Digital Infrastructure Industry report, this program supports innovators—from emerging start-ups to established enterprises—by fostering connections, providing expert validation, and raising awareness within the iMasons network. Join us to be part of something truly transformative! Connect, grow, and give back as we empower sustainable projects, address industry challenges, and drive innovation. Want to share your innovations or get involved? Reach out to Romain Tranchant, our Innovation Chair, or apply directly through our Incubator Application Form. For more info: 📧 innovation@imasons.org 

Scott Sickmiller is the CEO at Midas Immersion Cooling. Midas Immersion Cooling is the leading supplier of immersion cooling equipment solutions for data centers and ASIC mining. Scott has accepted to share his experience of what makes liquid cooling a suitable and sometime superior solution for cooling.  If you are interested in being featured on our Innovation Committee's podcast, get in touch with us.  Discover Our Incubator Programme:  Are you an entrepreneur with a growing business or an innovative start-up? We're excited to announce that applications for our Incubator Programme are now open! If you're looking for support to take your venture to the next level, we want to hear from you.  Contact us:  Email: innovation@imasons.org   Apply directly through our online Incubator Application Form.  Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all.   #iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership 

The talent shortage in digital infrastructure is a growing challenge, but innovation is helping companies stay ahead. In this episode, Mike Meyer, Managing Director at Portman Partners, and Adelle Desouza, Founder of HireHigher's Rising Star Programme, join host and Innovation Committee Chair Romain Tranchant to discuss how recruitment strategies are evolving in the data center industry. Key topics include:- The changing landscape of leadership hiring- How innovation is reshaping recruitment- Practical solutions to address the skills gap If you are interested in being featured on our Innovation Committee's podcast, please get in touch with us. See contact details below. Discover Our Incubator Programme: Are you an entrepreneur with a growing business or an innovative start-up? We're excited to announce that applications for our Incubator Programme are now open! If you're looking for support to take your venture to the next level, we want to hear from you. Contact us: Email: innovation@imasons.org Apply directly through our online Incubator Application Form. Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all. #iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership  

Lawrence Hooker is Operations Director for the data centre section at SES, a national design and build contractor, part of the Wates groups. He has agreed to take us through the practical aspects of designing, building and commissioning liquid cooled data centres. We will talk through the pitfalls and changes that are required to continue operating high resiliency environments. If you too want to feature on our Innovation Committee's podcast, you can either email us at innovation@imasons.org or  submit your solution by filling in the Innovation Incubator Application Form. Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all. #iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership

Tony Virr, Operations Director at Carbon-Z, is transitioning to new projects and programs at the end of January 2025. With extensive hands-on experience, Tony has designed, built, and operated a data center housing 100kW of immersion cooling. In this episode, Tony shares his insights, discussing the highs, lows, and challenges of working with liquid cooling. This podcast is part of our liquid cooling series, where we delve into all facets of this evolving and impactful technology. If you too want to feature on our Innovation Committee's podcast, you can either email us at innovation@imasons.org or  submit your solution by filling in the Innovation Incubator Application Form. Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all. #iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership

Jon Summers is the Scientific Lead in Data Centers at RISE – the Research Institutes of Sweden, Jon has agreed to talk to us about the different liquid cooling technologies available, its origination, performance, and typical use cases. This podcast is part of a liquid cooling series where we explore all aspects of this growing technology. If you too want to feature on our Innovation Committee's podcast, you can either email us at innovation@imasons.org or  submit your solution by filling in the Innovation Incubator Application Form. Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all. #iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership

Duncan Ng is the Vice President of Solution Engineering for Vultr, a global infrastructure as a service provider delivering GPU and Cloud Computing while supporting complex compliance requirements. He has agreed to take us through the rise in density, why, how, when, and especially as a driver for liquid cooling requirements. This podcast is part of a liquid cooling series where we explore all aspects of this growing technology. If you too want to feature on our Innovation Committee's podcast, you can either email us at innovation@imasons.org or submit your solution by filling in the Innovation Incubator Application Form. Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all. #iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership

Obongofon Udombat is a Data Scientist and freelance project manager in the space of AI and Green Technologies - iLabs. Obongofon currently volunteers for the Google Developers Group, a non-profit organisation that supports the training of tech talents at grass roots level. He also contributes to the iMasons Innovation Committee through the liquid cooling survey and analysis of the results. Obongofon has agreed to talk with us about AI, what it is, what it can do, projects he has worked on, and the future of the technology. If you too want to feature on our Innovation Committee's podcast, you can either email us at innovation@imasons.org or  submit your solution by filling in the Innovation Incubator Application Form. Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all. #iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership

Dr Dina Nassar has recently published her PhD results in the effectiveness of policies, best practices and certifications on sustainability. We deep dive on the applicability of the LEED certification to data centres, what you need to be aware of, and how the results can be interpreted. If you too want to feature on our Innovation Committee's podcast, you can either email us at innovation@imasons.org or  submit your solution by filling in the Innovation Incubator Application Form. Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all. #iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership

Thomas Verghese, business development manager at EnerSys. Tom has agreed to talk to us about how EnerSys is staying ahead of the changes, their efforts in carbon accounting for different battery technologies, and the importance of sustainable design and production of batteries. If you too want to feature on our Innovation Committee's podcast, you can either email us at innovation@imasons.org or  submit your solution by filling in the Innovation Incubator Application Form. Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all.  #iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership  

Jon Summers is a Scientific Lead in Data Centers at RISE – the Research Institutes of Sweden, Adjunct Professor in Fluid Mechanics at the Luleå University of Technology in Sweden and a Visiting Professor at the Institute of Thermofluids at the University of Leeds in the UK. Jon has agreed to take us through the world of data centre research. If you too want to feature on our Innovation Committee's podcast, you can either email us at innovation@imasons.org or  submit your solution by filling in the Innovation Incubator Application Form. Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all. #iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership

Anke Beyer-Lout is Associate Principal at CPP Wind Engineering Consultants. Anke has degrees in meteorology and experience in using Wind Tunnels to optimise data centres. In this episode we discuss the different techniques and technologies available, the opportunities that arise from using them, and the future of this science. If you too want to feature on our Innovation Committee's podcast, you can either email us at innovation@imasons.org or  submit your solution by filling in the Innovation Incubator Application Form. Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all. #iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership