Best of Clean Energy, EVs & Battery Power AZ TRT S05 EP15 (230) 4-14-2024    What We Learned This Week Steve Zylstra of AZ Tech Council on Clean EnergyDaniel Tonkopiy of Delfast Bikes on EV bikesPraveen of Monarch Tractor on AI, EVs & FarmingMark Hanchett of Atliss Motors on EV Trucks & Batteries Clean Energy - many Tech Co's working on zero emission plan Delfast E Bikes – smart bike, connects to E Bike, range of 220 miles on 1 charge, & speed of 50 mph, can drive on all different terrain  Monarch Tractor is AgTech working towards a future with Clean Farming Atlis Motors is an Energy Company - Apple of energy – vehicle is their ‘I-Pod’ Revolutionizing the Electric Battery - Lithium, cobalt, copper w/ a Lifespan – 1 million miles or 10 years +       Seg 1   Clip from 10/30/2022 – w/ Steve Zylstra, President / CEO AZ Tech Council Replay Seg. 4 – on Clean Energy and tech FULL SHOW: HERE   Guest: Steve Zylstra, President / CEO AZ Tech Council https://www.aztechcouncil.org/ https://www.aztechcouncil.org/kfnx_july2021/   Steve Zylstra of AZ Tech Council joins BRT to talk all things technology in the Valley. The Arizona Technology Council is one of the largest technology-driven trade associations in North America, with over 850 members and growing, the only organization specifically serving technology companies statewide. They protect innovators and truly believe that technology moves all of us forward; and are dedicated to the future of Arizona.   Steve Zylstra advocates for AZ tech, as well as his recurring writing about the industry. Steve, and the Council are a major source for updates on technology, business growth, and what legislation is being drafted.     Seg 2   Clip from 9/18/2022 – w/ Daniel Tonkopiy, CEO, Delfast Bikes     Replay Seg. 4 – on VC Funding and competition FULL SHOW: HERE   Guest: Daniel Tonkopiy, CEO, Founder, Chairman Delfast Bikes https://us.delfastbikes.com/ Daniel Tonkopiy is founder and chief executive officer of Delfast, Inc. Daniel is a serial entrepreneur with more than 20 years of successful business experience. His previous entrepreneurial endeavors include best.ua, a Ukrainian business reviews service; X-Rift, an augmented reality mobile game; and Million Dollar Startup, a Kyiv-based startup school. In 2014, Daniel set out to transform the future of transportation and combat climate change with Delfast’s innovative E-bikes. He has since grown the company into a disruptive global e-bike leader that holds a Guinness World Record for greatest distance (228 miles) traveled on a single charge. In addition to Delfast, Daniel also serves as a business and entrepreneurial mentor for MiniBoss School, Startup Ukraine, and the Central Asia FLEX business program. He is an author, a former radio host, and is a dynamic and sought-after speaker inspiring entrepreneurs and sustainability enthusiasts globally at more than 50 conferences to date. Daniel holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Economic Relations from Kazakh Economic University.   Delfast Bikes ECO-FRIENDLY - No air emissions and subsequently ― negative impact on environment. SIGNIFICANT RANGE - In-house developed Battery Management System allows to travel up to 370 km on a single charge. RELATIVELY CHEAP - We help to save your money for expensive fuel and insurance. LESS STRESS, MORE FREE TIME - Delfast bike is the best choice to avoid annoying traffic jams. CONVENIENCE - You can easily switch on bicycle mode and do sports when you want; and use e-bike mode when you are tired.       Seg 3   BRT S03 EP23 (122) 6-5-2022 – Monarch Tractor Brings AgTech to Farming w/ Praveen Penmetsa   Guest: Praveen Penmetsa - CEO of Monarch Tractor https://www.linkedin.com/in/praveenpenmetsa   https://www.monarchtractor.com/leadership.html   Praveen Penmetsa has nearly two decades of hands-on experience in translating creative visions into products for startups to Fortune 50 companies alike. He co-currently serves as founder and CEO of Motivo Engineering, a product-engineering firm with clients in the Mobility, Energy, AgTech, and Aerospace sectors. Praveen holds an MSME in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati.     Monarch Tractor: Working Toward a Future With Clean Farming Labor shortages, climate change, and food safety concerns create a multitude of challenges for farmers. Monarch Tractor provides a farmer-first approach to innovation, making each decision with our end user and their biggest challenges in mind. Our dedication to solutions for the farmer also means healthier solutions for the planet, for the consumer, and for the global food ecosystem.   Clip from Seg. 2 - FULL SHOW: HERE       Seg 4   https://brt-show.libsyn.com/episode-52-brt-s02-ep05-01-31-21-vehicle-20-tech-meets-transportation   Guest: Mark Hanchett CEO & Founder of Atlis Motor Vehicles  - from 1/31/21 Seg. 2https://www.atlismotorvehicles.com/ Electric vehicles history, and the inspiration for Atlis Motors. Atlis is an energy company, the Apple of electric vehicles and the truck is their I-Pod. Electric trucks, engine battery, and battery design. Where (and how) is the battery produced? Full Show: Here      Tech Topic: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/category/Tech-Startup-VC-Cybersecurity-Energy-Science   Best of Tech: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/size/5/?search=best+of+tech     Investing Topic: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/category/Investing-Stocks-Bonds-Retirement     ‘Best Of’ Topic: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/category/Best+of+BRT     Thanks for Listening. Please Subscribe to the BRT Podcast.     AZ Tech Roundtable 2.0 with Matt Battaglia The show where Entrepreneurs, Top Executives, Founders, and Investors come to share insights about the future of business.  AZ TRT 2.0 looks at the new trends in business, & how classic industries are evolving.  Common Topics Discussed: Startups, Founders, Funds & Venture Capital, Business, Entrepreneurship, Biotech, Blockchain / Crypto, Executive Comp, Investing, Stocks, Real Estate + Alternative Investments, and more…    AZ TRT Podcast Home Page: http://aztrtshow.com/ ‘Best Of’ AZ TRT Podcast: Click Here Podcast on Google: Click Here Podcast on Spotify: Click Here                    More Info: https://www.economicknight.com/azpodcast/ KFNX Info: https://1100kfnx.com/weekend-featured-shows/   Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the Hosts, Guests and Speakers, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent (or affiliates, members, managers, employees or partners), or any Station, Podcast Platform, Website or Social Media that this show may air on. All information provided is for educational and entertainment purposes. Nothing said on this program should be considered advice or recommendations in: business, legal, real estate, crypto, tax accounting, investment, etc. Always seek the advice of a professional in all business ventures, including but not limited to: investments, tax, loans, legal, accounting, real estate, crypto, contracts, sales, marketing, other business arrangements, etc.

Opening Day - Gambling & Charlie Hustle w/ Keith O’Brien + History of the World Series by Tyler Kepler NYT Baseball Writer AZ TRT S05 EP14 (229) 4-7-2024    What We Learned This Week Gambling Scandal parallels of Pete Rose vs Dodger’s Shohei OthaniCharlie Hustle the icon - Rise & FallBusiness of Baseball - Drafting Players to Analytics & how the Game has evolvedHistory of the World Series - Did Babe Ruth call his shot?   Guest: Keith O’Brien  Website: https://keithob.com/       Keith is the New York Times best-selling author of Paradise Falls, Fly Girls, and Outside Shot, a finalist for the PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing, and an award-winning journalist. O’Brien has written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and Politico, and his stories have also appeared on National Public Radio and This American Life. He lives in New Hampshire.       About the Book “CHARLIE HUSTLE: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball”   Pete Rose bounded out of the dugout like a hurricane spinning unfettered through the world. He slid head-first into bases in a mist of dust and fury. He sprinted out walks like a teenager. He was loud. Brash. Supremely confident. Entirely focused. He approached every game with ferocity and raw emotion—often like he was in the middle of a bar room brawl—and endeared himself to the fans because of it. He seemed to manufacture runs out of pure will power. He racked up mind-boggling stats and awards and streaks and wins and pennants and titles with seeming ease. When his team needed clutch hits, he provided them. When glory was 90 feet away, he reached for it. He bowled over catchers at home plate, shouted at pitchers to intimidate them, and ripped through middle infielders to break up the play. He would beat them all. One way or another. Pete Rose would never back down. Could never back down.   This spring, author Keith O’Brien and Pantheon Books will present the gritty and gripping new biography of the flawed legend—baseball’s tragic character—the man who could never return to the game he lived to play: “CHARLIE HUSTLE: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball” (Pantheon Books, March 26, 2024). It is a story unlike any other in baseball history. A story of virtuosity and success; addictions and secrets; recklessness and many missed opportunities for salvation.    For over 25 years in Major League Baseball—from 1963 to 1989—Pete Rose was the sport’s unquestioned hero on the field. He was the heart of the Big Red Machine dynasty in Cincinnati. Rookie of the Year in 1963. MVP in 1973. He won three batting titles. Two gold gloves. Six National League pennants. Three World Series titles. He was named to 17 NL All-Star games at five different positions. He became the all-time hit king in the process, surpassing the legendary Ty Cobb. He was extraordinary while seemingly ordinary in equal measure, and the fans loved him for what they knew to be true. Pete Rose wasn't physically gifted or a particularly special athlete. He was like the rest of us. He was Charlie Hustle. The American Dream in red stirrup socks. Baseball personified. With bat in hand, Pete Rose was the hero, forever young, forever relevant, but a storm was coming.   Yes, Rose was both a miracle and a disaster. His opponents viewed him with both reverence and disdain. While some of them believed that his Charlie Hustle routine was a joke or that his aggressive antics were just plain dangerous, they respected his greatness and his longevity in the game. There was no doubt that he often came off as uneducated, unpolished, boorish, and rude, but most figured that he had earned the right to his “unique” perspective over the years. But then the rumors started to circulate that he was mingling with an unsavory crowd. Shady characters that included well-known bookies and gamblers. It wasn’t a secret that Rose had always been a gambler, but now there was growing evidence that he was betting on the sport that had made him a household name. With the 1919 Black Sox scandal looming as the cautionary tale still fresh in the game’s history, this growing storm threatened to destroy everything Rose had built. He could lose his livelihood and the game itself. It could strip away the mythology and dismantle the icon and reveal the very flawed human being he was off the field. So he did the only thing Pete Rose could do in the face of overwhelming evidence and his impending exile.    He lied. And continued to lie for 15 long years.   CHARLIE HUSTLE also covers: * His fraught relationship with his father—Pete Rose Sr.—the semi pro, Cincinnati sports legend * How Rose overcame his lack of athleticism as a child with the intangibles that personified “Charlie Hustle” * The terms of his first professional contract—enthusiastically signing for $7000  * His early seasons of darkness in the lowest rungs of professional baseball * The public relations bonanza when the local West High boy made the Cincinnati Reds’ Opening Day roster * Rose’s long relationship with the city of Cincinnati * His courtship and marriage to Karolyn Ann Engelhardt, which ended in divorce in 1979 * Rose's batting philosophies and the roots of his unusual crouching batting stance  * Rose’s early entrees into gambling at spring training in Tampa—his infamous “triple headers” * How Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford came up with his “Charlie Hustle” nickname and how they had intended it to be an insult * Rose's game-winning run in the 1970 All Star Game and how he and Ray Fosse were dinner companions the night before * How "The Big Red Machine”—the nearly unbeatable Cincinnati Reds dynasty of the 1970s—took shape * The details surrounding Rose’s affair with a girl half his age—a teenager—in the mid-1970s * The early divide and rivalry between Pete Rose and teammate Johnny Bench  * The revelation that Tony Perez was the true leader in the locker room for those Reds dynasty teams * Rose’s rivalry with the Oakland A’s ace Jim “Catfish” Hunter during the 1972 World Series * Rose's dust up with Bud Harrelson in the 1973 NLCS which left the Reds players fearful for their safety * How Curt Flood’s fight for free agency affected Pete’s contract negotiations during the era * Rose’s relentless pursuit of Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak in the summer of 1978 * His brazen longtime affair with a woman named Terry Rubio, who would ultimately file a paternity suit against Rose * Rose’s incomprehensible ability to play extremely well while going through all manners of personal turmoil * Rose’s role as savior of the Philadelphia Phillies, a team that had never won a World Series, but soon would in 1980 after signing Rose as a free agent in 1979 * The details surrounding Rose’s single off of San Diego Padres’ pitcher Eric Show for hit number 4,192 * The rumors that Rose had been using a corked bat in his later years and may have even used them for his march to the hits record * Background on the shady collection of bookies, railbirds, lackeys, dope dealers, and gofers who surrounded Rose in those later years * The evidence that not only was Pete Rose a gambler, but a terrible gambler—he lost a lot  * How and why a manager betting on his home team harms the game  * The self-deprecating, chain-smoking academic from Yale University—A. Bartlett Giamatti—whose handling of the scandal as the Commissioner of Baseball was a master class in crisis management * How an impending Sports Illustrated story about Pete Rose betting on baseball backed to baseball into a corner in how it dealt with the matter  * How if Pete Rose had admitted to betting on baseball in an initial meeting with Peter Ueberroth, Bart Giamatti, and Fay Vincent, he most likely would have incurred a light punishment  * The release of the Dowd Report, and the background of its special counsel, John Dowd * The details surrounding Bart Giamatti's death in 1989 * The Baseball Hall of Fame’s response to Pete Rose’s candidacy * How, in 2004, he published a book where he admitted to betting on baseball and on the Cincinnati Reds * How reinstatement eluded him—in 2004, 2015, 2020, and 2022—and, if anything, his situation grew worse * Theories why Rose hasn't I been forgiven to date * Baseball’s ever-evolving relationship with sports gambling and what that means for Pete Rose and for the future of the sport * The six simple words that might have changed everything: “I'm sorry I bet on baseball.”   New York Times bestselling author Keith O'Brien grew up in Cincinnati when Pete Rose was at the peak of his fame and witnessed his shocking downfall first-hand. More than three decades later, it’s hard to appreciate how much the controversy became such a part of the American conversation. The mythology surrounding Pete Rose was so fixed and strong that the disgust, frustration, pity, and confusion that followed his banishment stirred endless debates about the man, the allegations he faced, and, in turn, about the game of baseball itself as arbiter. Rose quickly became a fault line in the collective American conscience, and it clearly marked the end of the age of innocence in sports. O’Brien documents all of this like never before in CHARLIE HUSTLE, with unprecedented reporting and access. He met with Rose in person and they spoke on the record for 27 hours, before Rose stopped calling back, before he shut down. O’Brien is the only biographer that Rose has ever spoken to when he didn't have any editorial control.    Beyond those conversations, O’Brien delved into thousands of pages of previously unutilized federal court documents, newly released FBI files, raw TV footage, decades of newspaper articles, Major League Baseball's voluminous 1989 investigation into Rose’s misdeeds; and nearly 150 hours of interviews with Rose's friends, enemies, former teammates, family members, two former Commissioners of baseball, three people who placed his bets, four different investigators who dug up his secrets, and the special counsel who led the charge, John Dowd.   Pete Rose loved baseball and wanted to play forever. Keep hitting forever. Never grow old. Never stop swinging. Never go home. But the same qualities that made him a successful baseball player—and one of the greatest hitters of all time—ensured his banishment. He couldn’t be vulnerable. Couldn’t beg for forgiveness. Or even apologize until it was far too late. Doomed by his own ignorance and hubris, Pete Rose was going down.           Guest: TYLER KEPNER  Website: https://www.nytimes.com/by/tyler-kepner   Tyler is the author of the New York Times bestseller K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches. He has covered every World Series game of the last two decades for The New York Times. He started his career as a teenager, interviewing players for a homemade magazine in the early 1990s. He attended Vanderbilt University on the Grantland Rice/Fred Russell sportswriting scholarship, then covered the Angels for the Riverside (Calif.) Press-Enterprise and the Mariners for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. He joined The New York Times in 2000, covering the Mets for two seasons, the Yankees for eight, and serving as the national baseball writer since 2010.  From the New York Times bestselling author of K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches, a highly entertaining, revelatory history of the World Series, filled with gripping behind-the-scenes stories from 117 years of the Fall Classic.  The World Series is the most enduring showcase in American team sports. It’s the place where legends are made, where celebration and devastation can hinge on a fly ball off a foul pole or a grounder beneath a first baseman’s glove. And there’s no one better to bring this rich history to life than New York Times national baseball columnist Tyler Kepner, whose bestselling book about pitching, K, was lauded as “Michelangelo explaining the brush strokes on the Sistine Chapel” by Newsday. In seven scintillating chapters, Kepner delivers an indelible portrait of baseball’s signature event. He digs deep for essential tales dating back to the beginning in 1903, adding insights from Hall of Famers like Reggie Jackson, Mike Schmidt, Jim Palmer, Dennis Eckersley and many others who have thrived – and failed – when it mattered most.  Why do some players, like Madison Bumgarner, Derek Jeter and David Ortiz, crave the pressure? How do players handle a dream that comes up short? What’s it like to manage in the World Series, and what are the secrets of building a champion? Kepner celebrates unexpected heroes like Bill Wambsganss, who pulled off an unassisted triple play in 1920, probes the mysteries behind magic moments (Did Babe Ruth call his shot in 1932? How could Eckersley walk Mike Davis to get to Kirk Gibson in 1988?) and busts some long-time myths (the 1919 Reds were much better than the Black Sox, anyway).  The result is a vivid portrait of baseball at its finest and most intense, filled with humor, lore, analysis and fascinating stories. THE GRANDEST STAGE is the ultimate history of the World Series, the perfect gift for all the fans who feel their hearts pounding in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game Seven.    https://www.nytimes.com/by/tyler-kepner   @TylerKepner   https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/634030/the-grandest-stage-by-tyler-kepner/?ref=PRHC184D6440         Notes: Tyler Kepner wrote the grander stage the history of the World Series about baseballs October classic. Is the New York Times national baseball radar and has a background in being a bit writer for teams. He’s originally from Philly. He was an intern at the Boston Globe and then the Washington post. Got a job out of college covering the Angels. Then got a job covering the Seattle Mariners for a newspaper in Seattle. In 2000 he got a job at the New York Times covering the mats for two years. Then he was covering the Yankees for eight years. 2010 he became the New York Times national baseball writer. Writing the book on the history of the World Series was a lifelong goal. He had written a previous book about pitching called K. The book was a three-year project to write. Tyler has covered 24 World Series dating back to 1998 as well as gone to two as a fan, 1983 series with the Phillies as a kid and then 1993. Tyler always follows good

Big Data, AI, + Psychographics – How Amazon, Google & Other Big Tech Keep You on Their Platform Revisited w/ Manu Aggarwal - AZ TRT S05 EP13 (228) 3-31-2024   What We Learned This Week: Netflix, FB, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Google/YT – Tech co’s track all your data, create your profile and serve you what you like and connect you with others of the same interest and feed more interesting data. AI uses a Recommendation Model – you bought this, so you’ll like this. This model is 100x smarter now than years ago (getting smarter) and goes deep down the data mine Psychological Tricks by software try to keep you on the platforms through notifications, messages, emails, and more tracking     Guests: Manuj Aggarwal https://manujaggarwal.com/   https://www.TetraNoodle.com     Manuj joins BRT to talk about engineering Big Data and AI for growth, to give us actionable insights from data, cyberspace, cloud adoption, on customer analytics & psychographics. So much of tech is inter-connected from AI to The Cloud to data analytics to solution architecture, and design in Software Manuj is a 20 year tech consultant with an extensive background in software and AI. His resume is vast, consulting, tech, software, patents, author, courses, and more. Manuj is originally from India of humble means, worked thru the Dotcom Bubble (lost his job), and now runs his own company, Tetranoodle with a office in Canada. The clients list is a who’s who of tech, including Microsoft, IBM, and ING. His company has grown from 5 employees to nearly 30 in the last 2 years. You can also listen to his podcast – Bootstrapping Your Dreams, and a YT channel with business advice. Cloud Computing to process data has changed the game on Data. We don’t need huge computer anymore. Moore’s law has shown that computers get faster, while costs come down. CPU Processors are very fast and use 1 computer vs. many computers in a room in past.   Algorithms of today have gotten smarter, doing things that could not be done 20 years ago. AI/Algorithms are always improving, learning, they try, then fail, and learns more. It gets faster, and better. This model is 100x smarter now than years ago, and goes deep on data mining. Netflix, FB, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Google/YT – Tech company’s track all your data, create your profile and serve you what you like and connect you with others of the same interest. Then they feed more interesting data. This is done thru their Recommendation Model – ‘you bought this, so you’ll like this’. The power of the FB lookalike audience – take 500 people on your list, and can match 1000 characteristics of 2 billion FB users. Tech uses Psychological tricks to try to keep you on the platform through notifications, messages, emails, and more tracking. Per Manuj, the news over-blows the big tech data topic. We all use FB, Google and other tech sites for free. The price is your data. This data is being organized to enhance your experience and help you. Privacy – people usually do not comprehend how data privacy really works and constant trade off to use this technology. Manuj is working on projects to use AI to bring people together – tech can help bring people closer and get new opportunities. People adapt to tech and new jobs – future of work.         Tech Topic: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/category/Tech-Startup-VC-Cybersecurity-Energy-Science   Best of Tech: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/size/5/?search=best+of+tech     Investing Topic: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/category/Investing-Stocks-Bonds-Retirement     ‘Best Of’ Topic: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/category/Best+of+BRT     Thanks for Listening. Please Subscribe to the BRT Podcast.     AZ Tech Roundtable 2.0 with Matt Battaglia The show where Entrepreneurs, Top Executives, Founders, and Investors come to share insights about the future of business.  AZ TRT 2.0 looks at the new trends in business, & how classic industries are evolving.  Common Topics Discussed: Startups, Founders, Funds & Venture Capital, Business, Entrepreneurship, Biotech, Blockchain / Crypto, Executive Comp, Investing, Stocks, Real Estate + Alternative Investments, and more…    AZ TRT Podcast Home Page: http://aztrtshow.com/ ‘Best Of’ AZ TRT Podcast: Click Here Podcast on Google: Click Here Podcast on Spotify: Click Here                    More Info: https://www.economicknight.com/azpodcast/ KFNX Info: https://1100kfnx.com/weekend-featured-shows/   Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the Hosts, Guests and Speakers, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent (or affiliates, members, managers, employees or partners), or any Station, Podcast Platform, Website or Social Media that this show may air on. All information provided is for educational and entertainment purposes. Nothing said on this program should be considered advice or recommendations in: business, legal, real estate, crypto, tax accounting, investment, etc. Always seek the advice of a professional in all business ventures, including but not limited to: investments, tax, loans, legal, accounting, real estate, crypto, contracts, sales, marketing, other business arrangements, etc.

Diagnostics in Life Sciences is the Key to Healthcare w/ Mara Aspinall of Illumina Ventures  AZ TRT S05 EP12 (227) 3-24-2024    What We Learned This Week Diagnostics is the key to healthcare, identifying medical issues and designing the right treatment for the patient Five Levels of Diagnostics – Screening, Diagnosis, Prognosis, Interacting, & Monitoring Illumina Ventures is a life sciences venture capital firm with 35 companies in their portfolio Their investment companies deal in genomics, cancer testing, telehealth, at home testing & more Future of Biotech will be impacted by both AI and Nanotech     Guest: Mara G. Aspinall, Partner, Illumina Ventures  https://www.illuminaventures.com/ President and CEO, Health Catalysts Group Board Member of AZ Bio - https://www.azbio.org/   Mara Aspinall is a healthcare industry leader and pioneer with a commitment to civic involvement.     She is a Partner at Illumina Ventures, an independent, global healthcare venture capital firm focused on genomics and precision health investing including diagnostics and therapeutic products. Aspinall has deep roots in venture investing, having co-founded BlueStone Venture Partners in 2017. BlueStone has a strong portfolio of diagnostic, medical device, and digital health companies in the U.S. Southwest. Throughout her career, Aspinall has spearheaded initiatives to educate payers and policymakers on genomics and personalized medicine. She publishes the popular Sensitive and Specific: The Testing Newsletter and the annual Diagnostics Year in Review. This commitment to expanding knowledge inspired Aspinall to create and co-found the Biomedical Diagnostics master’s degree program at Arizona State University, the only program dedicated exclusively to diagnostics, genetics, and genomics. Previously, Aspinall was President and CEO of Ventana Medical Systems, a billion-dollar division of TheRoche Group, (now Roche Tissue Diagnostics), a worldwide leader in the development and commercialization of tissue-based cancer diagnostics, where she led more than two dozen major instrument and assay launches and helped position the company as a global leader in companion diagnostics. Aspinall spent 13 years at Genzyme Corporation, where she served as President of Genzyme Genetics and Genzyme Pharmaceuticals. Aspinall transformed the business from a small, specialized player to one of the top five laboratories in the U.S. while setting the industry standard for quality testing. The business was sold to LabCorp for $1 billion in 2010. Aspinall also served as Founder and CEO of On-Q-ity, a start-up diagnostic company dedicated to circulating tumor cells. During the pandemic, Aspinall emerged as a national authority on COVID testing, serving as the principal investigator at Arizona State University on grants from The Rockefeller Foundation, creating TestingCommons.com and EvidenceCommons.com – internationally recognized interactive databases on COVID diagnostics and related research and clinical applications. Aspinall was named Arizona Biosciences Leader of the Year by the Arizona Bioindustry Association and one of “100 Most Inspiring People in Life Sciences” by PharmaVOICE magazine. Aspinall has extensive board experience. She has served on multiple public and private company boards in leadership roles over the last ten years. She is currently Chair of the Board of OraSure (OSUR) and Chair of the Nominating & Governance Committee of Castle Biosciences (CSTL). She also serves on the board of BlueCross BlueShield of Arizona. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a BA in International Relations from Tufts University, and is certified in Cybersecurity Oversight from Carnegie Mellon/NACD.     Notes:   Seg 1 All of life sciences and biotech is healthcare. Diagnostics is the central organizing portion in healthcare, and consists of testing if needed. There are five (5) levels to diagnostics. Level One is Screening – where a patient may or may not be sick, check the health status, and also could be regular check ups for something pre-diagnosed.  Level Two is the Diagnosis - where tests are taken and then you see the results of the test. Level Three is the Prognosis – what symptoms does the patient have, and where you  need to go from here, what will happen with these symptoms. Level Four is a newer part called Interacting - This is where you can do personalized medicine and what’s called theranostics or drug treatment. You combine drugs with the treatment. You have to analyze what type of drug is needed. What someone’s body is like, how they metabolize drugs. What dose central levels are needed. People’s reactions to drugs is not just body size or weight as suggested previously, but could be very much based on the genes. Level Five also new is called Monitoring - If disease treatment is over how do you monitor over the long term. What test do you take to confirm that there’s been no return of the disease. Examples would be an MRD test which stands for a minimal residue disease.  You also may be doing things like CT scans or x-ray scans in the past, but sometimes these do not detect disease properly. Some cancers could be very small and you need a blood test. People may check in through cycles of a disease treatment also.   Seg 2 Regarding monitoring and Level Five using cancer as an example. People may go through 6 rounds of chemotherapy treatment. The doctor should monitor by round 3 and check is the tumor reduced or how is the chemo working.  Do you want to have benchmarks to see if you’re reaching the health goals and if the medicine is effective. Future treatment might be biopsy of a tumor and testing glass to see what drug may work on it.  Revisiting Level Four in personalized medicine you may see in the future Chino metric analysis. Check the risk level for certain diseases so you can have a preemptive process to prevent potential predisposed diseases. This is level A. Level B would be when diagnosed with a disease, you check the tumor, mutations and genes checking both the DNA and RNA. Mara is on the board of AZ Bio (.org). The goal of AZ Bio is bringing educated people about biotech together to affect the state, the universities, and companies. Move research along with the responsibility to patients in the medical field. Mara is involved in venture capital which is critical, because it funds entrepreneurs in good companies to research and create Biotech product processes and products. There are other levels of investment, which typically start with friends and angel investing then move on to venture capital, and then private equity for really big rounds.  She was the founder of Blue Stone and they invested in Southwest companies.  In the fall of 2023 she became a partner at Illumina Ventures. They deal with 35 different companies. They’ve invested in all levels, biotech and genomics. You’re looking for a VC to be specialized and knowledgeable about an industry so they can help the business grow provide it with money and add expertise.   Seg 3 Mara and Illumina Ventures recently put out a report - Diagnostics Year in Review. This report covers how did the industry is doing, what stocks earn money, what IPOs there were, financials, clinical, innovation, and mergers and acquisitions.   How does venture-capital work? Typically you have individual funds one through five. You raise money from investors and invest in new emerging companies. Companies may be doing research, drug development, or working other areas of life sciences.   Examples of companies in their portfolio: Delphi deals in cancer, diagnosis test and early screening for cancer and detection test. Level one screen checking for lung cancer and what early symptoms there are. Biopsy can be dangerous so you need other tests. Let’s Get Checked - a telehealth online company that brings testing to the patient either at home or in an urgent care or ER. This is faster and easier. Examples of test are Covid test and STD test. Serimmune human immunity research company Genome Medical a genetic counseling company, working with patients to discuss what diseases they may be predisposed to, and ways to not pass it to the   Seg 4 Future of Biotech We saw with the pandemic, the rise of telemedicine with faster online diagnosis. We will also see in the future that AI changes drug development and reading tests The creation of better and faster equipment. The rise of nanotech, and early detection of diseases with blood samples - for example, at home blood draw.     Check out the Best of Biotech Show: Best of Biotech from AZ Bio & Life Sciences to Jellatech - BRT S04 EP26 (189) 7-2-2023   What We Learned This Week: AZ Bio mission to improve life sciences, & make AZ a Top 10 Bioscience state Aqualung Therapeutics is treating inflammation in the lungs, get people off ventilators & save lives Calviri is working on a Vaccine to PREVENT Cancer, currently largest animal clinical trial Anuncia Medical has a Re-Flow product to help drain fluid from the brain, treats Hydrocephalus Collagen 2.0 – Innovation to Gelatin & gummies   Full Show: HERE     AZ Tech Council Shows:  https://brt-show.libsyn.com/size/5/?search=az+tech+council *Includes Best of AZ Tech Council show from 2/12/2023   Tech Topic: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/category/Tech-Startup-VC-Cybersecurity-Energy-Science  Best of Tech: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/size/5/?search=best+of+tech     ‘Best Of’ Topic: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/category/Best+of+BRT      Thanks for Listening. Please Subscribe to the BRT Podcast.     AZ Tech Roundtable 2.0 with Matt Battaglia The show where Entrepreneurs, Top Executives, Founders, and Investors come to share insights about the future of business.  AZ TRT 2.0 looks at the new trends in business, & how classic industries are evolving.  Common Topics Discussed: Startups, Founders, Funds & Venture Capital, Business, Entrepreneurship, Biotech, Blockchain / Crypto, Executive Comp, Investing, Stocks, Real Estate + Alternative Investments, and more…    AZ TRT Podcast Home Page: http://aztrtshow.com/ ‘Best Of’ AZ TRT Podcast: Click Here Podcast on Google: Click Here Podcast on Spotify: Click Here                    More Info: https://www.economicknight.com/azpodcast/ KFNX Info:

Crossing the Chasm & Tech Adoption Revisited w/ Geoffrey Moore AZ TRT S05 EP11 (226) 3-17-2024   Things We Learned This Week •      Crossing the Chasm book (1990) has become part of the lexicon for Tech Industry knowledge, mass influence on Tech CEOs last 25 years, constant references •      Chasm – early market vs. mainstream market •      5 Stages of Adoption – Innovators, Early Adopters, Early Market Pragmatists, Late Majority, Laggards •      Win tech ‘primaries’, win some ‘beachheads’ & create whole niche market – get mainstream market to create momentum to the point everyone wants the product •      Legacy Co’s fail to make tech turn, because they lose money in short term shifting to new disruptive tech away from mature industry that brings in bulk of profits $     Guest: Geoffrey Moore http://www.geoffreyamoore.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffreyamoore/ https://twitter.com/geoffreyamoore   Bio: Managing Director, Geoffrey Moore Consulting Venture Partner, Wildcat Venture Partners Chairman Emeritus, TCG Advisors, Chasm Institute and The Chasm Group Member of the Board of Directors of several pre-IPO Companies Books – Crossing the Chasm, Zone to Win, Inside the Tornado, The Infinite Staircase, Escape Velocity & more…     Geoffrey Moore is an author, speaker, and advisor who splits his consulting time between start-up companies in the Wildcat Venture Partners portfolios and established high-tech enterprises, most recently including Salesforce, Microsoft, Autodesk, F5Networks, Gainsight, Google, and Splunk. Moore’s life’s work has focused on the market dynamics surrounding disruptive innovations. His first book, Crossing the Chasm, focuses on the challenges start-up companies face transitioning from early adopting to mainstream customers. It has sold more than a million copies, and its third edition has been revised such that the majority of its examples and case studies reference companies come to prominence from the past decade. Moore’s most recent work is the, The Infinite Staircase, a bold new book, high-tech’s best-known strategist makes a seminal contribution to the search for meaning in a secular era. Two questions fundamental to human existence have always been the metaphysical “where do I fit in the grand scheme of things?” and the ethical “how should I behave?” Religion is no longer a source of answers for many people, and nothing has replaced it. Irish by heritage, Moore has yet to meet a microphone he didn’t like and gives between 50 and 80 speeches a year. One theme that has received a lot of attention recently is the transition in enterprise IT investment focus from Systems of Record to Systems of Engagement. This is driving the deployment of a new cloud infrastructure to complement the legacy client-server stack, creating massive markets for a next generation of tech industry leaders. Moore has a bachelors in American literature from Stanford University and a PhD in English literature from the University of Washington. After teaching English for four years at Olivet College, he came back to the Bay Area with his wife and family and began a career in high tech as a training specialist. Over time he transitioned first into sales and then into marketing, finally finding his niche in marketing consulting, working first at Regis McKenna Inc, then with the three firms he helped found: The Chasm Group, Chasm Institute, and TCG Advisors. Today he is chairman emeritus of all three.   Notes: Crossing the Chasm book Crossing the Chasm, Take Two: Growing to Scale in B2B2C Markets Crossing the Chasm (1990) has become part of the lexicon for Tech Industry knowledge, mass influence on Tech CEOs last 25 years, constant references 5 Stages of Adoption – Innovators, Early Adopters, Early Market Pragmatists, Late Majority, Laggards Disruptive Innovation – is created & early adopters put the tech on the market Chasm – early market vs. mainstream market. Win tech ‘primaries’, win some ‘beachheads’ and create whole niche market – get mainstream market to create momentum to the point everyone wants the product – FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) i.e. – EV niche, the mainstream streaming video Tornado phase – run like hell to keep up with demand. 1999 – Salesforce – enterprise software in cloud, SAAS mass adoption by 2010 Mid market could not afford Oracle Cloud early on, with SAAS everyone can afford. Legacy Co’s fail to make tech turn, because they lose money in short term shifting to new disruptive tech away from mature industry that brings in bulk of profits $ All companies are Tech companies now, and everyone needs to read Geoffrey Moore’s work. Zone To Win book about Mature Industries invest in new tech – form new second operating model for new tech model within a mature company, meanwhile old model continues asa separate division selling current long term product   Go out of business if do not make tech transition, disrupted so much by new tech, as old tech becomes obsolete (think VCRs) Apple, under Steve Jobs, did great R&D. Had first Mover Advantage disruptive technologies. Rare to be disruptive company – most are disrupters.   Good enough, fast enough – get in the game, catch up and convince clients you’re part of future.   Talent costs money, startups attract talent. Very hard for legacy companies to attract talent because talent wants to work on new tech.   Nokia lost way with disruptive smart phone. Blackberry, Blockbuster disappeared quick because of disruptive tech. Blackberry had Keypad – was disruptive tech and blown out also by smart phone spin off of new R&D tech.   Kodak had digital film, invented it but could not move off of print film (legacy biz) and lost market share. Amazon has constantly disrupted itself and evolved. Fuji could not move off print film, but saved by coloring techniques. Infinite Staircase – book, passion project of Geoffrey   Philosophical book – complexity and emergence stitch all the science stories of Big Bang Creation of the Universe to BRT podcast in 2022 and Moral Questions of life, Where do traditional values come from now? Let’s hope AI does not take over         Flashback to: Seg. 2 of 3/6/2022 MB on Disruption in Business & The Innovator's Dilemma book by Clayton Christensen Clayton Christensen’s book, “The Innovator’s Dilemma” Tech Disruption – technology changes and a small company startup can up-end big tech companies. Hence,  disruption - the power of disruption, why market leaders are often set up to fail as technologies and industries change and what incumbents can do to secure their market leadership for a long time. Innovator’s Dilemma – how can big companies stay up with tech changes and pivot without hurting core business? All businesses (including tech companies) have trouble with disruption.   Example: Blockbuster – rented movies, DVDs, lost market share to Red Box (vending movie rental), then both disrupted by streaming movies. Music industry went from records to cassettes to CDs to streaming (Napster). MySpace taken out by Facebook in social networks. Yahoo search taken out by Google (controls 75% of the search market) Kodak afraid to get out of film business and passed on digital film, lost market share.   To solve the Innovator’s Dilemma, big companies acquire smaller tech companies; have in house R&D to be ready for next tech wave. Steve Jobs of Apple was very influenced by  Innovator’s Dilemma  and took this idea seriously. If you do not try to put your company out of business (w/ disruption / new tech), someone else will. Jobs was not afraid to innovate, and cannibalize his own company and products to stay relevant. Apple created iPhone, and now computer is in your pocket Peter Thiel – “Zero to One” book - Great innovation is not A to B to C, it is vertical, jumps curves. Current smart phones have more computing power than a computer 20 years ago. Guy Kawasaaki (former Apple) Talk - “12 Lessons From Steve Jobs”   Full Show: HERE       Tech Topic: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/category/Tech-Startup-VC-Cybersecurity-Energy-Science   Best of Tech: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/size/5/?search=best+of+tech     Investing Topic: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/category/Investing-Stocks-Bonds-Retirement     ‘Best Of’ Topic: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/category/Best+of+BRT     Thanks for Listening. Please Subscribe to the BRT Podcast.     AZ Tech Roundtable 2.0 with Matt Battaglia The show where Entrepreneurs, Top Executives, Founders, and Investors come to share insights about the future of business.  AZ TRT 2.0 looks at the new trends in business, & how classic industries are evolving.  Common Topics Discussed: Startups, Founders, Funds & Venture Capital, Business, Entrepreneurship, Biotech, Blockchain / Crypto, Executive Comp, Investing, Stocks, Real Estate + Alternative Investments, and more…    AZ TRT Podcast Home Page: http://aztrtshow.com/ ‘Best Of’ AZ TRT Podcast: Click Here Podcast on Google: Click Here Podcast on Spotify: Click Here                    More Info: https://www.economicknight.com/azpodcast/ KFNX Info: https://1100kfnx.com/weekend-featured-shows/   Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the Hosts, Guests and Speakers, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent (or affiliates, members, managers, employees or partners), or any Station, Podcast Platform, Website or Social Media that this show may air on. All information provided is for educational and entertainment purposes. Nothing said on this program should be considered advice or recommendations in: business, legal, real estate, crypto, tax accounting, investment, etc. Always seek the advice of a professional in all business ventures, including but not limited to: investments, tax, loans, legal, accounting, real estate, crypto, contracts, sales, marketing, other business arrangements, etc.

Leaders Teach us the Why, Playing Infinite Games & A Bit of Optimism w/ Simon Sinek   AZ TRT S05 EP10 (225) 3-10-2024    What We Learned This Week Best Selling Author & Speaker Simon Sinek talks Leadership & creating safe environmentsNew Podcast A Bit of Optimism - inspiring storiesStart With the Why - tell people the Why, before the What & HowPlaying Infinite Games - long term over short termLeaders Eat Last - Empathy, care about employees     Guest: Simon Sinek, Best Selling Author & Speaker Simon is an unshakeable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.     Described as "a visionary thinker with a rare intellect," Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are, and end the day fulfilled by the work they do. A trained ethnographer, Simon is fascinated by the people and organizations that make the greatest and longest-lasting impact. Over the years, he has discovered some remarkable patterns about how they think, act, and communicate, and also the environments in which people operate at their natural best. Simon may be best known for his TED Talk on the concept of WHY, which has been viewed over 60 million times, and his video on millennials in the workplace-which reached 80 million views in its first week and has gone on to be seen hundreds of millions of times. He continues to share inspiration through his bestselling books, including global bestseller Start with WHY and New York Times bestsellers Leaders Eat Last and The Infinite Game, as well as his podcast, A Bit of Optimism.   In addition, Simon is the founder of The Optimism Company, a leadership learning and development company, and he publishes other inspiring thinkers and doers through his publishing partnership with Penguin Random House called Optimism Press. His unconventional and innovative views on business and leadership have attracted international attention, and he has met with a broad array of leaders and organizations in nearly every industry. He frequently works with different branches of the US Armed Forces and agencies of the US government, and is an adjunct staff member with the RAND Corporation - one of the most highly regarded think tanks in the world. Simon is also active in the arts and with not-for-profit work, or what he likes to call the for-impact sector. In 2021, he founded The Curve: a diverse group of forward-thinking chiefs and sheriffs committed to reform modern policing from the inside-out. Their purpose is to build a profession dedicated to protecting the vulnerable from harm while advancing a vision of a world in which all people feel justice is administered with dignity, equity, and fairness.     A BIT OF OPTIMISM Podcast   The future is always bright.if you know where to look. Join Simon Sinek each week for A Bit of Optimism as he talks to inspiring people who teach him more about life, leadership and generally interesting things. Episodes & Info: HERE     Simon’s Books: HERE         Start with Why - how great leaders inspire action | Simon Sinek | TEDxPugetSound - Link to Video Talk HERE       The Infinite Game - Link to Video Talk HERE       Leaders Eat Last | Simon Sinek - Link to Video Talk HERE           Notes:   Seg. 1   Host Matt talking 3 Key Simon Sinek Concepts – Start with Why, Infinite Game, Leaders Eat Last     Start with Why 'German philosopher Frederick Nietzsche once said, ‘He who has a why, can endure any how.’ Knowing your why is an important first step in figuring out how to achieve the goals that excite you and create a life you enjoy living (versus merely surviving!). Indeed, only when you know your ‘Why’ will you find the courage to take the risks needed to get ahead, stay motivated when the chips are down, and move your life onto an entirely new, more challenging, and more rewarding trajectory.' - excerpt from Forbes article People buy why you do it, so start with the why. Most business know the what, and how they do it - but rarely understand the 'Why'. This is what your mission statement should be. Starbucks does it for customer connection, to make interaction unique for the customer, make it an experience, more than just buying a cup of coffee. People believe Starbucks cares about them so they buy more coffee and keep coming back. It helps that customers enjoy the coffee, but there are lots of places to get good coffee. They go for the experience. Starbucks feels different than the other stores. The Starbucks Mission Statement is: "Our mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time." People wonder about the future of Apple after Steve Jobs. Their current mission statement is about products and how much better they are than competitors. This is very different than what Jobs believed, and maybe that is why they have hit a bump recently. I pulled an excerpt from an investing article  - 'It is radically different from Steve Jobs' original ideals, which are encapsulated in his mission statement: "To make a contribution to the world by making tools for the mind that advance humankind." This reflects Jobs' ethos and statements from his family members after his death – that what satisfied him most was watching kids use Apple products in the classroom.' The most fundamental difference between Apple's current ideals and Jobs' vision is that Jobs saw Apple products as a tool to improve the quality of life for mankind.' (You can read more here.) There is a great TED Talk by Simon Sinek called 'Start With the Why'. He explains perfectly this point. He even gives a good summary of Apple's marketing and what makes it so effective. The rise of social media has taught us a lot about ourselves. One thing is the need for more connection, to feel important, and often to be a part of something bigger.  That is why the 'Why' is so important in business. People can get a bottle of water anywhere. But they would rather buy a brand that is environmentally friendly and trying to help the world. And they will pay more that bottle of water.  Do you know your 'Why' in life? What motivates you to work so hard during the week?  How well we do at our career is often affected by what our motivations are. It is more than just passion (though that helps also). It can be your family, or life mission, or some core belief. Whatever it is , it is always personal. No one else can tell you your 'Why'.  When you are making a plan and it seems like it will be too difficult to carry out, the 'Why' can help. Even if you enjoy your job, relationship, or hobby, there will be tough times. Knowing the 'Why' will carry you through those tough times, and keep you believing. If you know the 'Why, you will find the 'How'.    The Infinite Game   There are two types of games: finite and infinite games. Finite games have clear rules, well-defined beginnings and endings, and clear winners and losers. Infinite games have fuzzy rules, no clearly defined "win," and players can change the way they play anytime. The objective is to keep playing for as long as possible. Finite games work when both participants understand the game and rules – like sports, football or basketball.   Infinite Games also work when both players have the same objective – The Cold War, just survive and do not kill each other.   Confusion happens when the opponents are playing different games.   The example Sinek uses is the Vietnam War. USA was trying to kill the enemy and win the war thru military combat. Vietnam was just trying to survive and outlast the Americans, no matter how long it took.   Another example is the rivalry of Microsoft vs Apple. Per Sinek’s experience speaking at events run by each company – Microsoft talked and focused on beating Apple. Apple focused on making better products. Microsoft was short term and short sighted. Apple was long term and had a vision.     Companies that operate with a finite mindset are designed for stability. While they might produce quarterly results, they are not prepared to handle disruptions. In contrast, companies that play the infinite game are designed to embrace unpredictable situations and adapt to them. Infinite minded organizations think in terms of generations, not quarters. The five essential principles for the infinite mindset are: 1) exist to further a just cause, 2) build trust in teams, 3) find worthy rivals, 4) display existential flexibility to make extreme strategic shifts, and 5) find the courage to lead with an infinite mindset. A Just Cause is a clear future vision that is bigger than the organization that it serves to further. The Just Cause provides the long-term motivation, direction, and purpose required to play the infinite game. It creates customer loyalty, brings out the best in employees, and gives the organization both strength and longevity. The core task of a CEO is not to manage operations. The CEO should be the Chief Vision Officer who communicates the Just Cause to the team and ensures that C-level executives direct their efforts to advance it. The best-run organizations have a CEO who focuses on the long-term and a COO who focuses on business plans and operations. In an infinite game, competitors are not opponents to be defeated but "worthy rivals" who continuously push the organization to do better. In an Infinite game, more than one organization can simultaneously do well. Build a company with a culture and good product development that lasts…..       Leader Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t   Real Leadership is about empathy, and a circle of safety for employees Long term leaders focus on people, work as a team, & help each other   Build an Environment of happy employees who feel inspired - happy chemicals Employees who are not afraid to fail, not concerned they will be punished for mistakes   Simon does not like the modern capitalist picture created in the 1980s by GE CEO Jack Welch – aka The Welch Way or the Wrong Way per Simon Sinek’s argument that leading for long-term is better than leading for the short-term by comparing GE & Welch vs Costco  — ·         The short-term leader:  Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric The long-term leader:  Jeff Sinegal, former CEO of Costco Sinek compares GE vs Costco by measuring profits via the rise and fall of their stocks, and then connecting those price moves to the decisions made by the leadership. GE / Jack Welch / Short-term leadership:   Profits at GE were like a roller coaster ride due to irrational decision making without regard for long-term implication Every year Jack would fire the bottom 10% of his managers at GE to balance the books

SciFi Movies & Edward Zwick Hollywood Director AZ TRT S05 EP09 (224) 3-3-2024  What We Learned This Week Ed Zwick Hollywood Director & Producer with 40 years in the industryILM - Industrial Light & Magic is the premiere special fx company created by George LucasSciFi Movies predicted the Future – what has become reality?The Internet & Choice – How the Martix movie showed us a new reality of virtual worlds that seem too realAI Man vs Machine – Blade Runner and The Terminator movies give terrifying scenarios of AI run amok     Guest: Edward Zwick, Hollywood Director ED ZWICK BIO (FROM TRIBUNE.CA)   More Bio Info from IMDB: HERE         Ed Zwick first hit the Hollywood radar screen as the producer/writer/director of the award-winning drama series Family, starring James Broderick (Matthew Broderick's father). Zwick landed the job after his short film, Timothy and the Angel, won first place in the student film competition at the 1976 Chicago Film Festival, catching the attention of the Family producers. He began as a story editor, then moved on to become a director and producer of the show, which ran from 1976 to 1980. Zwick went on to work on other critically-acclaimed series, including thirtysomething (for which he won an Emmy), My So-Called Life and Once and Again. In 1984, he won an "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Specials" Directors Guild of America award for the TV movie Special Bulletin.   His first venture into feature film directing came with About Last Night (1986), starring Demi Moore and Rob Lowe, then received a Golden Globe nomination for "Best Director -- Motion Picture" for the Academy-Award® winning Glory (1989) starring Matthew Broderick and Denzel Washington. He has also directed the major motion pictures Leaving Normal (1992), Legends of the Fall(1994) starring Brad Pitt and Courage Under Fire (1996) starring Meg Ryan and Denzel Washington. Zwick worked with Washington yet again in The Siege (1998), then directed The Last Samurai (2003), starring Tom Cruise.   In 2006, Ed directed the Oscar-nominated Blood Diamond and followed that up with the 2008 drama Defiance, which also earned an Oscar nomination. Two years later, he helmed Love and Other Drugs.   In 2014, Ed brought the story of American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer to the screen in Pawn Sacrifice. Ed's latest film reunited him with Tom Cruise. The men worked together on Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016). Ed was also executive producer of the TV series Nashville from 2016-2018.   As a producer of the 1999 Best Picture winner Shakespeare in Love, Zwick won an Academy Award®. He is also the recipient of the American Film Institute's Franklin J. Schaffner Award, a Lone Star Film & Television Award Best Director award, the Humanitas Award and a Writers Guild of America award.     ABOUT ED ZWICK AND HITS, FLOPS AND OTHER ILLUSIONS: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood   This heartfelt and wry career memoir from the director of Blood Diamond, The Last Samurai, Legends of the Fall, About Last Night, and Glory, creator of the show thirtysomething, and executive producer of My So-Called Life, gives a dishy, behind-the-scenes look at working with some of the biggest names in Hollywood.   "I'll be dropping a few names," Ed Zwick confesses in the introduction to his book. "Over the years I have worked with self-proclaimed masters-of-the-universe, unheralded geniuses, hacks, sociopaths, savants, and saints."   He has encountered these Hollywood types during four decades of directing, producing, and writing projects that have collectively received eighteen Academy Award nominations (seven wins) and sixty-seven Emmy nominations (twenty-two wins). Though there are many factors behind such success, including luck and the contributions of his creative partner Marshall Herskovitz, he's known to have a special talent for bringing out the best in the people he's worked with, especially the actors. In those intense collaborations, he's sought to discover the small pieces of connective tissue, vulnerability, and fellowship that can help an actor realize their character in full.   Talents whom he spotted early include Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Denzel Washington, Claire Danes, and Jared Leto. Established stars he worked closely with include Leonardo DiCaprio, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Daniel Craig, Jake Gyllenhaal, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, and Jennifer Connelly. He also sued Harvey Weinstein over the production of Shakespeare in Love-and won. He shares personal stories about all these people, and more.   Written mostly with love, sometimes with rue, this memoir is also a meditation on working, sprinkled throughout with tips for anyone who has ever imagined writing, directing, or producing for the screen. Fans with an appreciation for the beautiful mysteries-as well as the unsightly, often comic truths-of crafting film and television won't want to miss it.       Notes:   Seg 1 Special FX ILM   George Lucas Company, industrial light and magic   Built the company with money made from Star Wars, on Skywalker Ranch Revolutionized, special effects, and movies first with Star Wars, then beyond, use of green screen and practical effects with models miniature creatures   Disney bought Lucas film and ILM Studios in 2012   long history for special effects with many famous directors using IM from George Lucas to Ron Howard to Steven Spielberg to James Cameron   Digital effects and computer graphics On famous movies like the abyss, Jurassic Park, Star Wars movies, Conan, ET, Star Trek movies, poltergeist, Indiana Jones, movies, back to the future, Spaceballs, ghost, and for October, T2, etc.   TV Amazing stories, the Mandalorian, Big Bang theory, Star Trek, the next generation, tales from the crypt     Animation Wall E     Many famous special effects, people, and even some future directors like Joe Johnson, started at industrial light and magic studios, also much of the cast of MythBusters worked there     Eras of Special Effects Practical Effects Wizard of Oz SciFi movies in 1950s 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1969 Star Wars in 1977 ILM Studios of 1980s to 1990s T2 in 1991 Jurassic Park in 1993 The Matrix in 1999 Modern Marvel Movies – computer digital effects / green screen movies     More on ILM from Wikipedia: HERE         Seg 2   Interview w/ Hollywood Director Ed Zwick   Ed joins the show to promote his Hollywood book on his 40 year career as a writer, producer and director in both movies and TV.     Seg 3 & 4 Did Sci Fi Movies predict the Future? Talking AI, Internet and Choice   Guest: Eric Almassy  LinkedIn: HERE Eric is a regional sales director, & also a part time Actor Eric joins the show to discuss sci-fi movies, and what predictions about the future have come true.     Seg 3 - Internet & Choice   The Internet has created a connected world through cyberspace.   Now virtual reality and relationships online exist through dating websites and social media. The irony is people may be less social, as they still have trouble connecting despite more access to technology. An example is people text more than they talk.   The Internet has added new types of addictions, like just staying home and being online all the time, pornography & gaming addictions, where people get lost in virtual world.   The Matrix - virtual reality & the internet   People in the movie choose a fantasy ‘comfortable’ world (blue pill) vs a harsh and tough reality world. They would rather just plug into the Matrix and be in denial.   The problem of choice, as there are consequences with choices in the real world. The Matrix world provides all of your needs.   Matrix in the current modern world, a world where people would not leave their house and just build an entire alternate life online. You can work from home, and get anything you need delivered.   Another movie about tech and internet connection is Minority Report. This is government surveillance to extremes. It also discusses the choices we make, and control of our lives. Freedom vs danger is another theme. All themes that apply in a dangerous modern world.   Totalitarian governments like China are literally spying on their people, through what they search for on the Internet, their social media, and surveillance of cameras   Many western governments use surveillance through drone, satellites, and cameras. Also, sometimes protecting people, and sometimes intruding on their rights.       Seg 4 - AI Man vs. Machine   Blade Runner - staying human in AI & tech dependent world.   Blade Runner is a movie about androids and what constitutes being a human.   The android characters seem to have more soul than the humans, as the world of Blade Runner is cold and depressing. Androids or AI life forms have been created to do the dirty work, mining, prostitution and fighting wars, then, when not needed they are terminated.   The Terminator - AI and drones   Terminator movie came out in the 1980s and was an allegory about the fear of nuclear war. Will advanced weapons kill everybody? Cyberdyne Systems uses sentient AI machines who take over and build robots who try to exterminate the human race.   The irony is the humans initially

Software Delivered AI w/ Brian Stevens of Neural Magic AZ TRT S05 EP08 (223) 2-25-2024  What We Learned This Week Neural Magic Deepsparse software helps B2B Clients incorporate AI into their tech stackLarge Language Learning Models of AI can be costly & require massive computing powerTheir clients now control their AI ModelOpensource AI Foundation Models for trainingAI uses a Recommendation Model         Guest: Brian Stevens Chief Executive Officer of Neural Magic   Brian Stevens is chief executive officer of Neural Magic. A tech veteran with more than 30 years of experience, Brian has a rich history of building/advising high-impact companies and driving disruptions that transform the industry.         In his role at Neural Magic, Brian aims to democratize Generative AI for enterprises and make it more accessible and affordable to all.   In his career, Brian has served in a variety of executive roles at world-renowned companies including VP and CTO of Google Cloud, and CTO and EVP of Worldwide Engineering at Red Hat.   Brian currently serves on the board of directors of Nutanix and Genpact, and is a former member of the board of directors of the American Red Cross, IEEE, OpenStack Foundation, Data Gravity, and Pentaho.   Brian holds a master’s degree in computer systems from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of New Hampshire. In his personal life, Brian is an accomplished carpenter and woodworker with a passion for refurbishing old homes.         NEURAL MAGIC   https://neuralmagic.com/     About: Neural Magic is an AI company, born out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), on a mission to help customers innovate with machine learning, without added complexity or cost. While pursuing research at MIT, founders Nir Shavit and Alexander Matveev launched Neural Magic, a software-delivered AI solution, to address their frustration with the constraints of GPUs and existing hardware.   Using Neural Magic’s DeepSparse Inference Runtime, customers can easily deploy deep learning models on commodity CPUs with GPU-class performance.   For more information, including all of Neural Magic’s offerings, visit https://neuralmagic.com/ or follow @neuralmagic on Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.    Open Source AI for Business-2024 Is the Year to On Ramp   Brian Stevens, CEO of Neural Magic is at the helm of this growing trillion-dollar industry (proper source)   As enterprises prepare for 2024, the growing demand for AI optimization is top of mind.   Neural Magic is fulfilling that need with software-delivered AI. Enterprises use Neural Magic's runtime and open-source sparsification tools for maximum CPU speedups of NLP (including LLMs) and computer vision models.   “It is my goal to democratize AI using optimized CPUs as the onramp to generative AI, making it faster, affordable and agile for enterprises.” – Brian Stevens, CEO, Neural Magic     Neural Magic has created a software architecture for the future of machine learning with an open-source LLM (Large Language Models) approach that enables enterprises to leverage existing commodity hardware (x86 and ARM). The net result demonstrates the power of software and model optimization across different computing platforms to enhance the scalability and efficiency of AI workloads.   Neural Magic was founded in 2017 by MIT professors and research scientists. The company has raised more than $55M from blue chip investors including a recent $35M Series A led by NEA, with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, VMware, Verizon, Amdocs, Comcast, Pillar, and Ridgeline Ventures.   Neural Magic has strategic partnerships with CPU manufacturers like AMD and Intel, cloud providers like AWS and Google Cloud, and software vendors like Red Hat and Ultralytics. These partnerships allow Neural Magic to provide value at all levels of the development lifecycle, from the models themselves down to the silicon.               Notes     Seg 2 AI you’ve been around since the 1950s and retail businesses have been using AI for years now. Wayfair out of Boston has incorporated AI. They understand the shopper experience.   In its simplest form, AI uses the recommendation model - presents back to you similar things you’ve been searching for. If you like this, you’ll like something similar. This is now a very large part of business revenues, while also helping to better the user experience.   There are large language, AI models, which involve more math in the program and need more computing power. Harder to run this larger AI model.   Businesses need an AI division in their tech stack now. Many large companies have an dedicated AI Lab. This is similar to how they had built out a cloud model in the past. Nowadays though, business understand their models need more integrated.   You train an AI model with company data. Lots of data. Seven data set to start using reference material like Internet sites or Wikipedia. It does cost a lot to change this model.   There are options to build on an existing model open source AI programs. What is used now is called a foundational model, and then you train it on your company product catalog.   Seg 3 Brian‘s background is a computer science degree and software developer. He worked in New England. He’s a technologist, solve the problem in use case for tech product manager.   Worked at Redhat through 2001, and the.com crash. Also worked in open source in Linux platforms. Then was at Google cloud, working onsite in Mountain View, California. This was no remote jobs back in 2014. He was there for 5 years and helped with the company going from $50 mil to $10 bil revenue.   Move back to New England. Connected with a professor from MIT, who had started a company on AI software and Brian joined as CEO.   Company is called Neural Magic, and the website is neuralmagic.com. Deepsparse is their software stack which runs deep AI learning model that you deploy on servers.   They fine-tune the model and adapted it to customer stack. This is for businesses to optimize AI for customers. It is similar to an interface with company software. AI language model that is large needs. Lots of infrastructure.   What neural magic does is? It makes the model faster and more efficient.   Seg 4 ChatGPT has changed things with AI. AI interface is similar with API codes with response and language size. Need a model that meets needs with a data set that makes the models run more efficiently on lots of hardware.   Neural magics deep sparse is an inference server and training to deploy in production and could be days to train.   There are 3 challenges with AI for businesses. First is expensive and enterprise does not control things when they use a hosted model or a hosted service like open AI. Second, they have to feed data to the host to train the AI model and there are privacy and security issues. Third you have a lifecycle , which must qualify and test the text stack with each time you update.   Neural Magic allows enterprises to own the AI model. Now they have security, privacy and updates are all handled. This is AI on their own terms and gives them options. Full control and it looks like just another application.   Open source AI machine learning model in the cloud and  can work on servers like Oracle, Amazon - AWS, the Google cloud, or Microsoft Azure. Client has liability with software, and they still need to protect it.   More info go to neural magic.com can learn about the product, the marketing as well as the community.         Seg 1 - Clips from:   Artificial Intelligence (AI) – how the Algorithm Connects Us All - BRT S02 EP43 (90) 10-24-2021   5 Things We Learned This Week: AI is inter-connected with so many technologies & you use AI often on a daily basis AI is a part of almost all industries from Healthcare, Finance to Defense Human in the Loop - humans will always be needed to Interpret the Data, but AI will

IT Setup & Cybersecurity w/ Luciano Aguayo of Redgear AZ TRT S05 EP07 (222) 2-18-2024  What We Learned This Week RedGear provides turnkey IT solutions for clients. Outsource IT to shift liabilityIT often an afterthought, when it should be a major priority - lifestyle of tech in a businessData is lifeblood of a company, need securityCybersecurity is just one part, need to monitor physical location, who has access, email, etc   Guest: Luciano Aguayo of Redgear https://redgear.com/     Luciano Aguayo is a Texas native, and an active member and contributor to the Southwest Technology community. His professional career spans a diverse industry portfolio and has held various titles and certifications at the senior engineering and senior management levels. Luciano specializes in designing and implementing turnkey complex infrastructure solutions. For the past 20 years Luciano has designed and implemented numerous infrastructures for regional and local school districts, has a diverse portfolio of local and international businesses, including the federal government, and key Southwest landmarks and attractions. After several years in the private sector and after building a loyal customer base, Luciano launched RedGear in 2016. RedGear is a regional business to business technology solutions company. Since its inception, RedGear has quickly grown to 4 locations, 50+ employees, and recently opened a regional office in Phoenix, Arizona. Luciano remains active in the technology industry helping oversee the portfolio of one of Southwest's largest developers. He also is an active member of El Paso Community College ITSC Advisory Committee He also owns and operates El Paso’s newest carrier neutral datacenter. He brings effective and proven leadership and mentoring qualities and has an eye for detail when managing projects. He has a passion for technology, giving back to the community, and mentoring the future generations of Engineers. 20+ years experience in: Cisco CCNP Routing and Switching, Cisco Nexus Datacenter, CCNP Voice, CCDA, Cisco Security, Cisco WLAN, Cisco Unified Communications (VoIP), Citrix CCA, Citrix Xen Desktop, Citrix XenApp, MCSE, MCSA, Operating Systems Troubleshooting, Hardware/Software Troubleshooting, Advanced Windows Server Configuration and Troubleshooting, VM Ware, Enterprise Design, Implementation, solutions, IT Consulting, and much more.   RedGear RedGear provides professional technology services, equipment, and consulting in the Southwest US region. Our entire culture is built around supporting business infrastructures, while building relationships and delivering an exceptional customer service experience and always keeping our customers best interest a top priority. We’ve built our success by reputation, quality of work, professionalism, and always being there for clients every step of the way whenever they need us. Our services, certifications, experience, and expertise cover the entire spectrum of Information Technology that no other regional technology service provider can match. We manage all aspects of Technology so the customer can focus on running their business. Our company vision is based on delivering premier customer service by employing and retaining top talent that believes in our mission, we work hard to provide trusted, honest, immediate, and excellent IT services to every client, no matter how big or small. No more wondering what kind of support you will receive. Our staff is certified in numerous fields, to offer the upmost reliable support. Our experience is vast covering all sizes of organizations and industries.     Notes: Seg 2   Redgear     IT company responsible for security of their clients. IT is a lifestyle. RedGear value proposition is turkey solutions. They are your smart friend to help with tech.   Support IT for small businesses. They also have larger enterprise type clients. They act as a consultant, and can screen for a CTO or a CIO for a company.   IT should be a priority of companies yet, it is often an afterthought. Need to understand how to secure an IT room, not just in software, but also the actual room itself. Who has access?   RedGear works in the tech and security industry which is the backbone of all organizations and compliance. People hire RedGear to outsource and shift liability. IT in its simplest form is anything that you plug into the wall and connect to the Internet. It can also mean security.   Trust of your IT provider, and keeping business contingency. Question, businesses always have to answer is how long can they stay down with an interruption and survive. Plus what is their plan for data retention.   IT can be about network, connections, computers, hardware, and the actual Physical IT room. Can also deal in cyber security and password resets. IT has both software as well as hardware like servers and programming applications.   Luciano has 20+ years of experience working in IT and technology. Information Technology not always the priority of many companies but it really should be. Need a plan going forward to manage security and data in all businesses.   You have to determine what’s going to be your budget based on the size of the business. Not uncommon to outsource to companies like RedGear. Also need to think about the physical aspects of IT, like is your room secure?   What type of energy your BTU air conditioner usage are you using? Who has control, how cool is it. Who has access to the room? What is your electrical circuit set up?   Do you have redundancy? Or electrical circuit separate and dedicated to the IT. What is your data or cloud storage like?     Seg 3   IT is the backbone of many organizations and should be a priority.   Need to hire trustworthy people, as well as outsource IT to trustworthy companies. There’s no perfect set up. Unfortunately, security breaches are more question of When, and not if.   One of the worst stories about IT Luciano ever heard of was the janitor storage closet was the same as the IT room. Another issue with a lot of IT rooms is they don’t have good cooling. IT should be a separate room with good security.   You want to also have video security and badge access. Physical access of an IT room is very underrated. Security is the biggest threat to the end-user. You have to know when a breach happens.   How did it happen? It could be software but often it’s actually the employees as a threat. They need to pay attention to what is going on and types of emails they get.   Also, sometimes security breaches are an inside job. Companies need to test and educate their staff about IT.   Once Malware gets in to the system it can take over accounts and send email as the person. Phishing scams unfortunately are still very popular with emails.   Good email security typically will filter out malicious emails. Then you waitlist your contact, so you know who it’s OK to email. All these need to examine emails.     Seg 4   IT reviews & monitors compliance, so a company must determine a budget.   Data is the gold of companies now. Data contains the companies processes, industry secrets, and private employee and customer info. It is crucial to have a backup of company data, typically onsite and secured, plus offsite in the cloud. You’ll always want to build in redundancy and have backup servers for data.   Good IT set up will have disaster recovery. As for the physical set up and protecting data, you want to be aware of how your sprinkler system is set up. You always have to guard against disgruntled employees, who could steal or delete company data.   Your IT provider needs to know the industry and have good experience to engineer the proper solution.   RedGear has worked with some top level clients, including the DEA in Washington DC on a federal level. Their cyber security needs to be top-of-the-line.   It is not in common for the average big company to deal with corporate attacks where hackers try to steal data, and then even hold it hostage for ransom.   Common practice nowadays is for a business to have cyber security liability insurance. The application for the insurance will ask about the physical environment and the set up of the IT and data.   The medical industry has updated cyber and HIPAA compliance. It is essential to have good IT, hospitals and any major medical office.   RedGear is your IT smart friends. They will always give you recommendations of good better and best.         Seg 1. – Related IT Clips from:   Phishing, Malware & Cybersecurity - Try Not to Get Pwned - BRT S02 EP47 (94) 11-21-2021   What We Learned This Week:   Have I been Pwned? Means have I been breached / hacked – did someone hack my email or website Phishing – most common type of email threat, like when you receive a strange email with a link – Do Not Open – DELETE (and alert other office staff of the email) Ramsonware – hack your website, or data – hold it hostage for an extortion ‘ransom’ payment Dark Web – where stolen data, & info is being bought & sold VPN Connections – direct and secure   Guests: Vince Matteo, Seven Layer Networks, Inc. https://sevenlayers.com/   There are many different types of cyber attacks from a password breach, website hack to email phishing scams. Vince Matteo of Seven Layers (.com) gives advice on what to be on the lookout for, tips for protection, and some reference sites for more info. We discuss Email Phishing scams, spearphishing attack, password breaches, website hacks, data breaches, ramsonware, software and VPNs.   Full Show: HERE       Cybersecurity, Disruption, Blockchain & Terrorism w Ari Redbord of TRM Labs - BRT S02 EP31 (78) 8-1-2021     What We Learned This Week

Risky Business in Rising China w/ Mark Atkeson AZ TRT S05 EP06 (221) 2-11-2024  What We Learned This Week Mark worked in many industries in China - Aircrafts, EV Cars, Mobile Phones, Internet Co. & Aircraft PartsMark first worked in Japan w/ Sony, China must be careful, not to repeat Japan‘s Lost Decade of 1990sChina has a lots of investment in EV Car & Solar MarketUS v China Rivalry is not dying down, two most important Tech countries, who must learn to co-exist   Guest: Mark Atkeson   Mark Atkeson is an international business leader, investor, entrepreneur, and author. A foremost expert on doing business in China, Mark managed, partnered in or provided services to Chinese-based companies for more than three decades in industries ranging from machine tools to aircraft engines, automotive manufacturing, mobile technology, startup venture investing, and aviation asset trading. Most recently, Mark wrote and released Risky Business in Rising China: Deals, Ordeals and Lessons Learned as an American Entrepreneur in a Surging Superpower Grappling with Growing Pains, chronicling his real-life experiences managing joint ventures and startup companies in China.          Now living in California, Mark continues participating in the Chinese economy as founder and managing partner of China Aviation Partners LLC, which provides software services, market research and other consulting for China-related businesses. Mark is a graduate of Yale University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering and Business Administration.   For more than 30 years, American entrepreneur Mark Atkeson found himself in the trenches of the Chinese economy managing joint ventures and startup companies.   His new memoir, RISKY BUSINESS IN RISING CHINA: Deals, Ordeals and Lessons Learned as an American Entrepreneur in a Surging Superpower Grappling with Growing Pains, chronicles Atkeson’s real-life experiences as the world’s most populous nation transformed itself into a global economic and military superpower.   Over his three-decade career, Atkeson worked across a variety of industries ranging from aircraft maintenance to electric-vehicle production, mobile internet to venture capital. In addition to Atkeson’s behind-the-scenes business dealings with entrepreneurs and government officials, the book offers an unprecedented glimpse into Chinese society, its economy and its governance into the near and distant future.   RISKY BUSINESS IN RISING CHINA has received high praise from readers.   Here’s what people are saying:   “Atkeson is a talented storyteller whose diverse and adventurous China business career winds along the path of China’s progress and setbacks.” – James McGregor, American author, journalist and businessman, and three-decade resident of China   “Mark Atkeson's China business memoir recounts his peripatetic career from the early days of the Open Door Policy to the Modern China of 2023 in an honest, humorous and detailed way. This book will be valuable for anyone seeking to understand the often messy ‘inside story’ of China's rise in the late 20th Century, and the role that foreign managers and investors played in the process.” – David G. Brooks, former chairman, Coca-Cola Greater China and Korea   “If you want to understand today’s China, and the forces changing it, you need to read Atkeson’s book.” – John Clasen, former director of China business development, Magellan Aviation Group       Notes:   Seg 1   Marc worked in China from the late 1980s to just after 2010. He saw the country go through their reform phase, and then capitalist rise. For nearly 20 years the political ideology took a backseat to market forces. An astounding 800 million people came out of poverty.   Mark worked with lots of companies in his career, dealing in venture capital, mobile phones, Internet, companies, EV cars, machines, and aircraft.   China is the 2nd most advanced nation in the world in technology, behind the US. Chinese Internet company TikTok is just one example of the Chinese advancement in AI and tech.   Products that people use on an average day usually have some connection to China, like manufacturing. Giant US corporations like Walmart, Amazon and Apple are all very dependent on China. China is the 2nd largest economy in the world.   The modernization of China was like a tidal wave from the 1970s to the early 2000s a 30+ year run. It seems though that in 2023 we’ve seen the crust of the wave with China slowing down. GDP in China is no longer 10% a year but more like 2 to 5%. Both property and consumer sales are down.   China has a middle class of 400 million people and most of their net worth is in their real estate. Real estate has been down in China the last few years, so millions of people have taken a hit.   Mark worked in Japan for Sony Corp. from 1988 to 1989. Japan in the 1980s was the rising superpower to challenge the US. It was number 1 in growth. Then in 1990, the dual economic bubble burst (stock mkt & real estate) in Japan and they entered their lost decade.   It took 30 years for the real estate in stock market to get back to the 1989 levels. China may be facing some of the similar problems of Japan, dealing with too much growth, leverage, debt, and possibly demographics. China will need decades to de-leverage from their current debt situation.       Seg 2   Mark’s grandfather was stationed in China in the late 1930s. This was during the start of the conflict with Japan and pre-World War II. Mark‘s father worked in Far East banking circa 1970s – 19080s.   Mark actually took Chinese in college. In 1982 he took his first trip to China. He remembers the country being poor with small buildings and very few cars. During the 1980s foreign businesses were investing more in China.   In the early 1990s, Mark got his first job in China working the aircraft industry. They were maintaining airplanes for a Chinese airline. Regulations were lax and implementation was lacking. He ran a factory in China in the Szechuan province.   They installed the Toyota production system, for more efficiency, collaboration, built and grew the factory. Factory dealt with diesel and fuel.   Unfortunately, corruption and theft mafia style was very common. Example of the corruption was the sales force would take bribes. This was a state owned auto group and corruption. Scams were not uncommon in the business world in communist type countries.     Seg 3   In 2001, Mark got involved in a venture capital company. He was being replaced by the local population and younger managers to run the factories he had built up. He decided it was time to transition to a new industry.   Him and some partners created an investment fund. They were investing in products in mobile tech and the Internet. He could see the upcoming Internet business on phones which were very popular in China.   Consumer products like payments, info services and entertainment. The idea was to build an incubator - set up to invest in Chinese entrepreneurs. Then raise Series A funding and strategic buyers over the long term for an exit.   They were paying 8 Chinese engineers for 12 months in an angel investing deal for just $100,000. It was a Portfolio of 10 businesses, involved in things like gaming and payments.   Result: 8 out of 10 of the businesses return 0%, 1 did OK, and 1 was a home run. The home run company made a deal with China mobile for an exit and sale to a NASDAQ listed company in 2007.   After that he represented US companies that acquired Chinese Internet businesses and Mark was a liaison to the US company in China.   Mark actually worked in Internet entertainment. They put on a singing contest which acquired 800 million votes from audiences with cell phone text voting. At the time, this was a major example of democracy - voting through Phone. This was regulated out of existence.       Seg 4   BYD EV car company was a mobile phone company and supplied to Apple. China makes good low-cost cars and has a lot of electric vehicle development. In 2008 Tesla was building electric vehicles, when oil was priced at $140 a barrel.   Circle back to US with US engineers going to China to build the EV cars. Design was localized in China. EV cars has 3 challenges – tech, then US safety requirements, then fit & finish of the car. Produce cars in China and then sell in California.   2012 was the end of the road for Mark working in China. He was working in Hong Kong with an AR financing leasing and appraisals type airline business. They would buy an old A23 or A3 aircraft, disassemble and sell the parts.   It was like a high-end junkyard business. These were Chinese aircraft models. Mark connected with a company in Florida, who had a business partner in Air China. They moved on to buy 747 and disassemble them in the Chinese Beijing airport. Now Mark’ career came full circle in Aircrafts, with salvaging aircraft 20 years later.   What is the future of China? US v China rivalry not dying down. They are the two most important tech innovators on AI batteries and solar and must figure out how to coexist. Tesla makes more cars in China versus the US. They have a big factory in Shanghai. Apple outsources to China in their supply chain.   Chinese economy has slowed from 10% growth per year to 3%. China may not be 10 feet anymore but it’s still 6 foot four.   The Chinese private economy and services could ultimately come to the US. BYD EV car company as an example, that could become the face of a Chinese company in the US.   BYD US - https://www.byd.com/us     Business Topic: HERE   Investing Topic: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/category/investing More - BRT Best of: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/category/Best+Of   Thanks for Listening. Please Subscribe to the BRT Podcast.     AZ Tech Roundtable 2.0 with Matt Battaglia The show where Entrepreneurs, Top Executives, Founders, and Investors come to share insights about the future of business.

EV Charging at Home w/ Broc TenHouten of Intrinsic Power AZ TRT S05 EP05 (220) 2-4-2024  What We Learned This Week Intrinsic Power - Next Gen EV ChargerEV Charging in your home will be standardElectrical Panel upgrade to handle new techElectric Grid not prepared for consumer demand & EV charging needsEV Infrastructure for charging stations as EV Cars w/ longer range are the Future   Guest: Broc TenHouten of Intrinsic Power https://www.linkedin.com/in/tenhouten/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/intrinsic-power-inc/ https://www.intrinsicpower.com/       Broc TenHouten, Co-founder and CEO, Intrinsic Power, Inc. Broc is an experienced technical leader with a general management background in the commercialization of EV technology. Broc was COO and chief engineer of Divergent 3D, developer of the 3D-printed 21C hybrid hypercar. He served as director of technology development at EnerSys Advanced Systems and led the engineering and industrialization of multiple electric vehicle and energy storage companies.    Broc began his career at General Motors, where he held various positions in vehicle development. Broc has more than 50 vehicle technology patents issued or in process.  He holds an MBA from the University of Michigan-Ross and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley.     Intrinsic’s innovation has positioned the company to become the leader in distributed energy management–and one to watch.   ·                     The compact Intrinsic Power charger is more powerful than the competition, 11kW charging reduces charging time by up to 830%. Perfectly optimized for your current electric vehicle, and your next one ·                     Web and mobile apps allow you to review charger use and syncronise useage across a portfolio of charging stations ·                     Advanced connectivity enables real-time information and grid demand response, helping to avoid local power outages ·                     Machine learning enables automatic time of use management, continuously optimizing to lower power bills over time     HISTORY Intrinsic Power was founded in 2015, as a Los Angeles based internally-funded startup dedicated to delivering better EV charging solutions. Today Intrinsic is conducting field demonstrations, collecting data in preparation for mass production. TEAM Managed and staffed by a team of technical leaders in the EV space. The Intrinsic Power team is dedicated to improving residential charging though a combination of improved hardware and machine learning based algorithms for better charging performance.     Notes: Seg 2   Broc has 15 years working in the EV car industry. In 2015, Broc and his brother were working out a plan to start a company. They realized the electric grid was not prepared for EV charging needs at home.   Their goal was to build the next generation EV charger, which got a patent in 2020.   2022 of the electric grid saw a year over year growth of 12% energy usage. There is a need to change the net meter storage of energy used through solar and battery storage.   Currently there are many consumer incentives for installing more clean energy type devices. EV cars at home need to share the breaker and most homes do not have the proper amps to charge car.   The way new homes are built, they have larger panels and are EV capable. Current legacy homes cannot support EVs. Can get rebates to install a new electrical system.   The current available power house would use 1 kW power per day. EV cars though use 11 kW. The transformers on the current grid are not ready for this. EV charge time, with 100 kW battery would take 10 hours.   Intrinsic power works with the panel and other devices in your home to take into account usage of the vehicle charging. This is done through a Wi-Fi connector between your charger and the house.   Seg 3 Intrinsic power expects to deliver their charging units to channel partners in Q2 of 2024. It’s taken 2 1/2 years to build and test their product in Los Angeles.   There is a standard charging plug for EVs (see below), and if different, there are adapters.   NACS – North American Charging Standard   The North American Charging Standard (NACS), currently being standardized as SAE J3400 and also known as the Tesla charging standard, is an electric vehicle (EV) charging connector system developed by Tesla, Inc. It has been used on all North American market Tesla vehicles since 2021 and was opened for use to other manufacturers in November 2022. Between May and December 2023, many other vehicle manufacturers have announced that starting from 2025, their electric vehicles in North America will be equipped with the NACS charge port. Several electric vehicle charging network operators and equipment manufacturers have also announced plans to add NACS connectors.     See More: HERE   Rate plans and usage need uniform regulations between states, which is the direction the process is going – similar rules in California, Arizona, & Texas where Intrinsic is doing business.   EV charger for the smart that has been tested with multiple types of vehicles. EV batteries are becoming more efficient in the energy capacity and will have 2x growth in next 7 years.   There are some range issues - where some EV‘s get less than 200 miles, but this is becoming less of an issue. The next 7 years, EVs will be more efficient with energy, have a smaller battery and could travel as much as 400 to 500 miles on a charge.   Projected Market for EV chargers is $16 billion, with $6 billion in the US residential charging market. There are also destination charging stations, a growing industry. Most people want to charge at home and over time the charging rates will drop.   Obviously traditional energy methods like ooil and gas will be reduced in the next 10 years, as demand drops.   Seg 4   Oil companies are actually investing in charging companies, and charging stations to diversify operations.   Intrinsic Power is concerned with charging your EV car at your home. They expect homes to be all electric in the future with battery packs and distributed solar. This will even take over traditional natural gas type products like lawnmowers which will also go electric.   Electric Grid saw the EV wave coming. A California Report in 2018 estimated the growth of the EV industry. New technologies coming for EV at home. Solar will help the grid long term, but not that efficient in the near term.     Only 4% of homes have solar and this needs to be pushed up to 30%. There are still issues with energy storage on solar.   There is a need to improve the fluctuated use of the energy with time shifts when needed. Most EV car owners must charge at night. There are currently many regulations and standardization of home electric and EV charging.   It’s expensive with EV charging at home now, but in the future they’ll be one electrical panel on the backend. Need a 40 Amp panel to charge a EV Car.   Intrinsic Power works with home builders and solar installers. Keep the installation & maintenance cost down.   Investors include: Plug and Play, Hatcher +,   Building the CR50 Charging Station for homes: https://www.intrinsicpower.com/product.html   Related Notes:   BRIDGING THE ELECTRIC INFRASTRUCTURE GAP - ENABLING THE FUTURE OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES - HERE   Full Charge: The Economics of Building a National EV Charging Network     California Reaches 7.84% EV Market Share for 2018; US Hits 1.97%  2018 was the best year in history for sales of electric vehicles in the US with a total of 328,118 BEVs and PHEVs and an increase of 74.5% over 2017 (187,985), according to data from the Auto Alliance and IHS Markit. (Note: These numbers differ somewhat from the sales numbers from the

Angel Investing Revisited Clips from - Arizona Tech Investors w/ Bob DeLean (from 11/2023) AZ TRT S05 EP04 (219) 1-28-2024 What We Learned This Week ATI - Arizona-based investors committed to supporting capital needs of early stage high growth technology driven companies within ArizonaApplicants for Funding need to Answer many Q’sWhat Problem does your Product Solve? Who is your Competition? How Big is the Market? Who are Your Advisors? What is the Business Plan? Sales Plan?Building a Company takes longer than you think, & costs more $ than you expect   Guest: Bob DeLean, Executive Director of Arizona Tech Investors LKIN: HERE https://arizonatechinvestors.com/about-us/leadership/     Bob DeLean has been an investor with ATI for more than 11 years and currently serves as the organization’s Chairman. He spent eight years as a Senior Equity Analyst with Morgan Keegan & Co., Inc., a wealth management and capital market firm. It’s now part of Raymond James Financial Inc. Since moving back to Arizona in 2004, Bob has made 28 angel investments in early-stage and startup companies, the majority being based in Arizona. Bob is an outdoors enthusiast who enjoys road trips and spending time in nature. In the summer of 2022, he and his life-partner Maria took a five-week driving trip through various National Parks, including Arches, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Park. They love wildlife and were fortunate enough to see a handful of black bears during the trip. Locally, Bob enjoys hiking through the Phoenix Mountain Preserve and seeing the occasional rogue coyote. He is also an avid mountain biker, but it never feels like he gets out enough. Bob loves to read (although the nightstand book pile is always growing), and is an expert coin collector.   Arizona Tech Investors (ATI) was founded in 2007 by Arizona-based investors committed to supporting capital needs of early stage high growth technology driven companies within Arizona and neighboring states. ATI members have invested in over 90 companies, and, today, is comprised of over 100 men and women dedicating their time, knowledge, and resources to deliver the advantages that angel support can provide. ATI seeks opportunities where new capital can move young businesses to the next level of growth and success. To maximize the probability of a successful company, ATI goes beyond just making investments. Members also participate in support of portfolio companies through advisory roles, strategic guidance, as well as resource and partner referrals and more. Members of ATI invest individually, collectively through dedicated LLCs, and through sidecar, or pooled investment funds allowing for best alignments of investor objectives and portfolio company needs.   What advice do you have for founders or companies looking for funding? Clearly communicate your business plan. It’s surprising how many pitches we receive that fall flat simply because we can’t decipher “what” the business actually does. Explain the business to me as if I'm four years old…especially if your organization is a highly technical product/service. You might be an astrophysicist with incredible accolades in your field, however I am not. During the pitch, the questions you receive from the group will illuminate how well your audience understands your field. And, your answers will allow you to dive deep into your area of expertise when appropriate. Second, understand what investors are looking for. What problem are you solving? Is it a real problem? Yes, you think you have a better solution, but can you really convince others that are going to risk their own capital that it's better? Do you really understand your competition? How big is the market? How much of your personal money is in the company? (This gives investors an idea of your walk-away pain.) Wait, you want me to fund your dreams, but you have no personal stake in the business? Yes, every company has sweat-equity, many of us want to see your own hard-earned cash invested in the business as well.     Clips from the Full show -   Arizona Tech Investors w/ Bob DeLean AZ TRT S04 EP46 (209) 11-19-2023     Full Show from 11/2023: HERE         Notes:     You want to see what the coachability is of the founder. Are the investors messages resonating. You don’t want the company staff to have group think. What is their business plan over the short and long term?   Do you understand your product? Is the business a product or just an add on feature. You must do market research to really understand your competition.   When the founder believes they have no competition, they usually have two possible types and just don’t realize it. The first type is they just don’t even know who their competition is. The second type is their market may be too small so other businesses are not interested.   You have to understand the size of the market or the TAM - total addressable market. There’s also the sales attainable market or SAM.   If the market is too big then the founder needs to niche down with who they’re going to market their product to. Create an initial vertical. You cannot have the shotgun approach and think everybody is your customer. Need to focus.   When an investor writes a company a check, now they are partners, and the investor may even want a seat on the board.   Arizona Tech Investors does not invest too much in VC deals as you have limited control and are just along for the ride. They typically invest only in Angel only type deals. VC’s care about their limited partners, and the people with the most money in. They don’t usually care too much about the GPs or general partners.         All deals in business always take twice as long as you think, and cost two times as much money or capital.   A tech company over the long term, if they need a larger raise they’re probably going to bring in a VC to invest money. In this instance they may cash out the early angel investors.   Software businesses are very good businesses in the tech industry. Good opportunities with high margins. They tend to be very capital efficient and scalable.   Software businesses can create recurring revenue on an annual basis, or ARR. Valuations tend to be higher, not only because of the product but also because of the data they collect.   Understanding valuations are very important, and typically a valuation of the business is based on a multiple of cash flow. In the current environment the cost of capital is up, interest rates are up and it is tougher to raise money.   The current valuations for technology companies need to reflect what the market is. What’s actually going on or down rounds where there is a cut in valuations. It’s very competitive to raise money.   When the founder borrows money whether it’s from VCA or a bank they are the partner. This can lead to CEO turnover if the investors are not happy.   Angel investors want to be out of a deal in five years are not looking for a company to go public or an IPO. It takes a long time for a company to go public and that’s not what Angel investors want to hear.   Public companies that file a 10 K or liquid and you can buy the stock or sell the stock within the same week. Angel investors invest in deals in the early stage and typically the money is illiquid and tied up for a long time.   Founders also need to understand how important their product is and what type of IP or moat that you have. Typically a patent is not going to protect your IP.   Arizona Tech Investors have a series of screening questions for Founders looking for money. Sample questions are:   What is the problem? And what is your solution? What is the commercial viability of your product? What’s the sales cycle to town to sell your product? What is your cash burn rate? Cash flow? What is your go to market plan? Who is your competition? What is your market series? What is your competitive position? What is your management team?       Tech Topic: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/category/Tech   Business Topic: HERE   Investing Topic: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/category/investing More - BRT Best of: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/category/Best+Of       More - BRT Best of Tech: Best of AZ Tech Council BRT of Tech 2022 BRT S02 EP52 (99) 12-26-2021 – Tech for the Holidays – BRT      Best of Biotech from AZ Bio & Life Sciences to Jellatech: HERE   Biotech Shows: HERE   AZ Tech Council Shows:  https://brt-show.libsyn.com/size/5/?search=az+tech+council *Includes Best of AZ Tech Council show from 2/12/2023      ‘Best Of’ Topic: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/category/Best+of+BRT      Thanks for Listening. Please Subscribe to the BRT Podcast.     AZ Tech Roundtable 2.0 with Matt Battaglia The show where

Magnificent 7 & Tech Stocks – Wealth for Life AZ TRT S05 EP03 (218) 1-21-2024   What We Learned This Week: Magnificent 7 - new hottest tech stocks all should own: FB, APPL, AMZN, NVDA, TSLA, MSFT, GOOGFAANG Stocks - *past hot list: FB, Apple, Amazon, Netflix & GoogleTop Tech Stocks were 30% of the S&P Index Weighted AverageTech Stocks - AI, Cloud, ChipsZombie Co‘s - too much debt service, no growthInterest Rates - how this affects stock prices   Co-Host: Denver Nowicz, President - Wealth For Life   https://wealthforlife.net/brt/ https://twitter.com/denvernowicz  Denver is an advisor with nearly 20 years experience working with clients in investments and insurance, designing retirement plans with a combo of both. He takes us through different strategies for clients to get the best allocations for their money over the long term. It is the Combo Strategy of both Offense and Defense, the synergy of the mix, not ‘All or Nothing’.         Notes: Here are some reference notes for the topics about the market being discussed in this podcast.   Indexes – over the last year Dow - 38K, up from 33K Jan. 2023 – up 12% S&P - 4900, up from 4000 Jan. 2023 – up 18%+ NASDAQ – 17.5K, up from 11.9K Jan. 2023 – up 30%+     Top 25 Components by Market Cap by Investopedia Because the exact weightings of the top 25 components are not available from S&P directly, the weightings below are from the SPDR S&P 500 Trust ETF (SPY). SPY is the oldest exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 and holds $406.6 billion in assets under management (AUM) as of Sept. 20, 2023, and is highly traded.9 As a result, the SPY's portfolio weightings provide a good proxy for investing in the underlying S&P 500 index, although the two may not be exactly the same. As of Sept. 21, 2023, the following are the 25 largest S&P 500 index constituents by weight: Top10 = est. 30% of S&P Apple (AAPL): 7.05% Microsoft (MSFT): 6.54% Amazon (AMZN): 3.24% NVIDIA (NVDA): 2.79% Alphabet Class A (GOOGL): 2.13% Tesla (TSLA): 1.95% Alphabet Class C (GOOG): 1.83% Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B): 1.83% Meta (META), formerly Facebook, Class A: 1.81% UnitedHealth Group (UNH): 1.28%   Magnificent Seven Stocks Performance – from Investors.com Company Name Symbol 2023 YTD Performance Alphabet (GOOGL) +50% Amazon (AMZN) +79% Apple (AAPL) +52% Meta Platforms (META) +178% Microsoft (MSFT) +55% Nvidia (NVDA) +235% Tesla (TSLA) +106% Dubbed the Magnificent Seven stocks, Apple, Microsoft, Google parent Alphabet, Amazon.com, Nvidia, Meta Platforms and Tesla lived up to their name in 2023 with big gains. The Magnificent Seven stocks are among the best stocks to buy and watch in the stock market today.s Ali Coram Justin Niel Due to their outsized market capitalizations, Magnificent Seven stocks hold a disproportionate influence on the market-cap weighted Nasdaq composite and S&P 500 indexes.     What are FAANG Stocks? – from Corporate Finance Institute FAANG stocks are the publicly traded stocks of U.S. technology giants Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google. They are among the best-performing technology and most well-known companies in the world. Currently, the combined market value of FAANG exceeds $3 trillion. It accounts for almost 10% of the U.S. stock market’s total market capitalization of $31 trillion. The price movement of FAANG stocks impacts the entire market, affecting even investors who do not own FAANG stocks. All the companies are traded on the NASDAQ Stock Market. In addition, the FAANG stocks are part of the S&P 500 Index, which includes the 500 largest publicly-traded companies by market capitalization traded on the NYSE or NASDAQ.   Tech Stock examples by field –   AI Stocks Nvidia - NVDA Cisco - CSCO Arista Networks - ANET Google - GOOG Microsoft - MFST Amazon - AMZN Cloudfare NET Broadcom - AVGO Palantir - PLTR     Chip – Semi Stocks (from money.usnes.com) SEMICONDUCTOR STOCK IMPLIED UPSIDE AS OF JAN. 9 CLOSING PRICE NXP Semiconductors NV (NXPI) 22.8% Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) 14.4% Monolithic Power Systems Inc. (MPWR) 26.3% Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSM) 9.9% Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) 21.7% ON Semiconductor Corp. (ON) 42.8% Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) 8.5%     Cybersecurity Stocks - via Investors.com HACK – ETF of Cybersecurity

Building the Amazon Everything Store – Business Lessons from Jeff Bezos - AZ TRT S05 EP02 (217) 1-14-2024   Things We Learned This Week: Customer Focus - Focus on internal product vs external & competitionDecision Making – 70% RuleThink Long Term - withstand the pressure of $Meetings & 2 Pizza Rule for meetings sizeManager Mindset - Focus on OutputsDisruption - Embrace Change & ExperimentRegret Minimization - See your life at 70     Notes:   Lessons 1: Customer Focus / Obsession Focus on internal product vs external & competition Fear the customer as they are the ones that give you money. The competition does not give you money. If the product is good enough and easy to use, the customers will keep buying it. Always Day 1 – do not get complacent, that’s what happen on Day 2, then death     Lesson 2: Decision Making – 70% Rule If you have 70% of the info, you can decide. If you wait for 90% of the info, then you are too slow in business. 3 Good Decisions per day vs 100, inspired by consultant Peter Drucker, be effective   Lesson 3: Think Long Term Think in terms of decades, not the next quarter. You need to able to experiment with process until you get it right. It took years (& lost $ revenue) to build the supply chain Amazon has that dominates the business landscape. Amazon also lost $ on AWS, the Kindle, Prime for a while before turing a sustaining profit. Resist the pressure of investors looking for quick profit.   Lesson 4: Meetings & the 2 Pizza Rule The meetings size should be no bigger than how people can be fed with 2 pizzas. If bigger than that, too many people in the meeting and chaos happens.    Avoid power-points, as they are a summary of info and can be confusing. Take a moment to start the meeting with everyone reviewing a detailed memo of what the meeting will be about. Clarity to make the meeting count.     Lesson 5: Manager Mindset Think in terms of outputs. If you work 3 hours (smart) but get your objective done, it is a good day. The Worker Mindset is to think in terms of effort (work hard) for 8 hours. It is based on how much you work vs production.   Lesson 6: Disruption – Embrace Change Be willing to disrupt divisions in your own business to make progress and create new better products. Amazon moved forward with the Kindle E Reader, despite the fact it would hurt their hardcover book selling division.     Lesson 7: Regret Minimization What do you want your career (life) to look like at 70? Make decisions today based on following work passions. If it does not work out, then shift to the next thing.     Bonus – Bezos 3 Book Recs for his Executives – From FS Blog Link: Book Recommendations Jeff Bezos Had His Top Execs Read These Three Books In an interview that aired on CNBC1, Jeff Bezos shared some of the details about books that he’s shared with Amazon’s top executives. These books, it turns out, are frameworks for shaping the future of the company. Here they are: 1. The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker 2. The Innovator’s Solution by Clayton Christensen (Interestingly, the only business book Steve Jobs ever liked was The Innovator’s Dilemma, by the same author.) 3. The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt Bezos is not the only one to nudge execs to read. Tim Cook, CEO at Apple, gives copies of Competing Against Time: How Time-Based Competition is Reshaping Global Markets to his colleagues.       Reference Info on Amazon / Jeff Bezos:   Lessons Learned – “The Everything Store” by Brad Stone Link: HERE   10 Things I Learned Reading Brad Stone’s The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon   FS Blog: HERE     3 Effective Meeting Rules Of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos   Link: HERE   The Secret Business lessons from Amazon's Jeff Bezos   Video Link YT: HERE From: Think School          Best of Biotech from AZ Bio & Life Sciences to Jellatech: HERE   Biotech Shows: HERE   AZ Tech Council Shows:  https://brt-show.libsyn.com/size/5/?search=az+tech+council *Includes Best of AZ Tech Council show from 2/12/2023     ‘Best Of’ Topic: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/category/Best+of+BRT     Thanks for Listening. Please Subscribe to the BRT Podcast.     AZ Tech Roundtable 2.0 with Matt Battaglia The show where Entrepreneurs, Top Executives, Founders, and Investors come to share insights about the future of business.  AZ TRT 2.0 looks at the new trends in business, & how classic industries are evolving.  Common Topics Discussed: Startups, Founders, Funds & Venture Capital, Business, Entrepreneurship, Biotech, Blockchain / Crypto, Executive Comp, Investing, Stocks, Real Estate + Alternative Investments, and more…    AZ TRT Podcast Home Page: http://aztrtshow.com/ ‘Best Of’ AZ TRT Podcast: Click Here Podcast on Google: Click Here Podcast on Spotify: Click Here                    More Info: https://www.economicknight.com/azpodcast/ KFNX Info: https://1100kfnx.com/weekend-featured-shows/     Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the Hosts, Guests and Speakers, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent (or affiliates, members, managers, employees or partners), or any Station, Podcast Platform, Website or Social Media that this show may air on. All information provided is for educational and entertainment purposes. Nothing said on this program should be considered advice or recommendations in: business, legal, real estate, crypto, tax accounting, investment, etc. Always seek the advice of a professional in all business ventures, including but not limited to: investments, tax, loans, legal, accounting, real estate, crypto, contracts, sales, marketing, other business arrangements, etc.

Habits, Who You Associate With, Focus, & the Trick – Best of Host Matt on Business Topics Part 2 - AZ TRT S05 EP01 (216) 1-7-2024   Things We Learned This Week: Think Habits, Not Resolutions (vs. Goals)You Are Who You Associate With in relationships, business, & lifeThe One Thing - Why Focus is Critical - Key ResultsThat’s the Trick - Daily Work, the Grind     Notes: Seg. 1   Think Habits, Not Resolutions We are often told to make New Year’s Resolutions, but then by February we have all given up on those promises. I am encouraging you today to start the New Year early with looking at how to improve your habits, not make resolutions.     Real change does not happen overnight despite what Facebook, and a highlight society has promised. Most successful people have good daily habits, make proper decisions, and are consistent with their follow thru. We know that you probably are not motivated anyway to attack your New Year's Resolutions. So instead of some promise that can only be carried out by will power (or enthusiasm), how about a different approach? The goal is not really to have a Resolution, as so much a lifestyle change that sticks. We are a collection of our thoughts, lifestyle, and daily actions. You can see it when you meet with people all the time. You notice how they look, act, or what they eat. So let's stick to practical, and realistic advice. You want to develop actions (sleep habits, eating, rest, relaxation, meditation, etc.) that you will follow thru on daily. These will turn into habits, which will create that lifestyle change. The popular notion is it takes repetition of an act over 20 to 30 days for it to become a habit. The reality is it is more like 2 months (or more) according to a study by Phillippa Lally is a health psychology researcher at University College London. There are 3 books that have come out the last few years that cover these topics. We are all very busy, so I understand if you do not have time to read every self help or success book that is released. I've actually have only skimmed these books, but instead watched YouTube videos to get the themes. I am a believer in daily self improvement and online videos provide a good resource. The Power of Habit: Charles Duhigg at TEDxTeachersCollege Duhigg is a NY times writer who wrote a book that breaks down how we go about our habits, and what cues the brain has that create our habits.  What's fascinating about this is if you start understand what rewards you receive from bad habits, you can find substitutes to replace with better habits. The process for a habit goes like this - a Cue happens, then you have your Routine, then a Reward for the Habit. Duhigg's example is he would take a cookie break every afternoon about 3 pm. The Cue was 3pm, the routine was going to get the cookie, and the reward was eating the cookie. This was a bad habit, and he was gaining weight. So he replaced this habit with social time everyday at 3pm. He would wander over to another employee's cubicle and talk to them. His reward would be social interaction, and distraction and he stopped his bad snacking. Psychologically the more you do your habits, the less you think about the action. This is good when you have established healthy habits. Do not underestimate the reward part either. Even if you reward a positive action with a questionable gift. Over time you may not even need the reward, and you just do the action out of habit. Arianna Huffington on The Science of Sleep and Success with Lewis Howes This is not the best talk, but her main points about the importance of sleep cannot be overstated. So much of productivity is in society is linked to how much sleep one gets. Also a multitude of health disorders are linked to sleep, and everyone needs at least 7 (to 9) hours of sleep daily.  If you choose to ignore this, eventually you burn out or worse. We spend so much time adding things to our schedule, and this usually just makes us too busy. Instead of getting to all the things on your list, your work just suffers. Ultimately this affects your day, adds stress and hurts sleep. Slowing down, prioritizing your health (and sleep) will actually make you more productive over the long run. Hopefully these 3 examples will help you to evaluate your current habits. Then you evaluate what you are working to change in your current routine to improve yourself over the long term.  Good Luck with your new habits. Have a good and safe Holiday Season.   Article: HERE     Atomic Habits by James Clear The Book in Three Sentences 1.    An atomic habit is a regular practice or routine that is not only small and easy to do but is also the source of incredible power; a component of the system of compound growth. 2.    Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don’t want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. 3.    Changes that seem small and unimportant at first will compound into remarkable results if you’re willing to stick with them for years. The Five Big Ideas 1.    Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement. 2.    If you want better results, then forget about setting goals. Focus on your system instead. 3.    The most effective way to change your habits is to focus not on what you want to achieve, but on who you wish to become. 4.    The Four Laws of Behavior Change are a simple set of rules we can use to build better habits. They are (1) make it obvious, (2) make it attractive, (3) make it easy, and (4) make it satisfying. 5.    Environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behavior.                  Book Summay: HERE         Seg. 2 Clip from Seg. 2 of: You Are Who You Associate With - BRT S01 EP21 6-28-20 + Covid 19 Crisis & the Economy Homeless Population in Phx Struggling and How to Help   MB on You Are Who You Associate With - in relationships of business and life   Notes: Partner and hire ‘A’ people Relationships Process / Results Strategies Ultimate example – Paypal Mafia and all the tech startups that came from it  Steve Jobs died in 2011 years ago – Apple still a Top 10 companies. Bill Walsh – Coaching Tree in football Good manager is not needed - business runs itself Guy Kawasaki on Bozo-itis: A hire A’s, B manager hire C’s – hire better than you. Jim Rohn – average of 5 people you associate with Partners – like a marriage. Pick carefully Rate yourself – would you hire you? Partner with you? If you do not like yourself – conscious choice to change, grow, adapt. Habits / Strategies – like habits vs. diets or fad ideas. Associate with Good People. People smarter than you.  Life and business – drop bad associates If you’re the smartest in room – then you’re in the wrong room. Keep learning – associate with people who help you grow.   Article: HERE   FULL SHOW: HERE       Seg. 3 Clip from Seg. 2 of: The One Thing, or Why Focus is Critical... - BRT S01 EP19 6-14-2020 China, Tariffs, Business Marketing       MB on Goals, the One Thing, OKR (objective, and key results), and the importance of Focus Business Books – Decision Making and Priorities   John Doerr – Measures What Matters Former Intel exec OKR – Objective and Key Results Big objectives Intel goal of overtaking Motorolla in chip making Doerr was advisor to Google founders   Decision Making in business is crucial Book Summaries on great business books to save time, and still get key concepts of the book Blogs, YouTube videos, book summaries in detail – 10 pages vs 250 pages   Peter Drucker – Effective Executive Managers need to understand their priorities Work on first things first, and second things not at all Goals, priorities, and time management Work on the most important things, and know what to not be working on   One Thing – Gary Keller and Jay Papasan The ONE Thing by Gary Keller & Jay Papasan – book summary The Book in Three Sentences The ONE Thing is the best approach to getting what you want. Success is a result of narrowing your concentration to one thing. Success is built sequentially, one thing at a time. The Five Big Ideas Not everything matters equally. Multitasking is a lie. Discipline is a result of habit. Willpower is a finite resource. Big is bad. Book Summary Link: HERE   Article: HERE      “Anything not worth doing, is worth not doing well.” - Robert Fulghum quote   ‘We are the average of the five people we spend the most time with.’  – Jim Rohn   "Give me a place to stand (lever), and I will move the world." - Archimedes is said to have promised     Related show (Interview w/ Author Jay Papasan) on The One Thing Book: HERE   Full Show: HERE     Seg. 4 Clip from Seg. 1 of: This is the Trick? The One Thing to Exit Strategy to Moneyball & Business Lessons from Movies - Best of Business Part 2 - BRT S03 EP43 (142) 9-4-2022

Blockbuster, Reality TV, & the Supply Chain Best of Business 2023 - Part 4 2023 AZ TRT S04 EP52 (215) 12-31-2023 What We Learned This Week: Alan Payne on the Rise & Fall of BlockbusterArthur Smith on Reality TV & SportsTrevor Pan of Bidbird on shipping efficiency & container skinsDr. Chuck & Francis of Ally Bio on Cannabis InnovationChris Owen of J Galt on Commercial CreditHost Matt on Business Assets   Seg. 1 – Clips From: Built to Fail: The Inside Story of Blockbuster's Inevitable Bust w/ Alan Payne AZ TRT S04 EP34 (197) 8-27-2023     What We Learned This Week: ·         Blockbuster started in 1985, and scaled quickly after Wayne Huizenga purchased it in 1987, 10,000 stores at its height, dominant video rental co. ·         Alan Payne instituted the Video Rental model of HEB to the Blockbuster franchises he ran – segmented movies to rent new ones for more ·         Wayne Huizenga was a stellar Founder who built 3 fortune 500 companies – Waste Mgmt, Blockbuster, and Auto Nation ·         Viacom purchased Blockbuster in 1994 for $8.4 billion, and went on to lose 75% of the value over the next decade + ·         Competition was fierce from Hollywood Video, Redbox and then in 1997 by a new DVD rental by mail company called Netflix ·         Netflix scaled into the internet company it always wanted to be with streaming in 2009   Guest: Alan Payne Alan Payne spent thirty-one years in the movie rental business, the last twenty-five of those as a Blockbuster retail franchisee. He took over a small group of Blockbuster stores in 1993 and grew it into one of the largest and most successful chains in the company. He finally closed his last store in 2018, more than eight years after Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy. Book: Built to Fail: The Inside Story of Blockbuster's Inevitable Bust   From the Back Cover Blockbuster was phenomenally successful in its early years and made thousands rich beyond their wildest dreams. But it was consistently outsmarted and outmanaged by smaller companies. And the challenges began earlier than you think--long before Netflix was even an idea in the minds of founders Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph. Blockbuster became one of the most iconic brands in the history of American business, but it cracked at the first sign of a challenge. From its founding, Blockbuster was a company built to fail. Link: HERE     Full Show: HERE   Seg. 2 – Clips From: TV Tales of The Unbreakable Jay Glazer to Creating Competition Shows from American Ninja Warrior to Hell's Kitchen w/ Arthur Smith AZ TRT S04 EP28 (191) 7-16-2023     What We Learned This Week: ·   Jay Glazer’s Unbreakable mindset gets him thru ‘the gray’ of his daily life, working on his mental health ·   Arthur Smith’s describes Reach as striving for our full potential to create amazing things ·   Creation of TV Classics like American Ninja Warrior & Hell’s Kitchen   Arthur Smith, the chairman of A. Smith & Co. Productions, is a pioneering veteran of nonfiction television, known for creating and producing some of the longest running unscripted series in history, including Hell's Kitchen and American Ninja Warrior. Smith was honored as one of Variety's “Titans of Unscripted TV” in 2022, inducted into the Realscreen Awards Hall of Fame in 2021, awarded Broadcasting and Cable’s “Producer of the Year” in 2020, Nominated for several Emmy Awards, and received dozens of awards, including NAACP Awards, Realscreen Awards, and Critics Choice Awards. Smith embarked on his career in television as a twenty-two-year-old wunderkind, talking his way into sports production at CBC in his native Canada. He quickly distinguished himself as a rising star at the network, where he produced three Olympic Games among countless other high-profile events. At the age of twenty-eight, Smith was named the youngest ever head of CBC Sports. His successful run at the network ended when American broadcasting icon Dick Clark lured him to Hollywood to develop and produce a wide variety of entertainment programming. Then as the head of programming and production at FOX Sports Net, Smith played an instrumental role in the launch and growth of this massive entity, before the biggest reach of his life—the creation of his eponymous production company that has thrived for more than twenty years. He lives in Los Angeles.     Full Show: HERE     Seg. 3 – Clips From: Cannabis Innovation by Ally Biotech w/ Dr. Chuck & Francis - AZ TRT S04 EP36 (199) 9-10-2023                    What We Learned This Week Ally Biotech offers highly bioavailable products to leading manufacturers and dispensaries of cannabis products Cannabis is competitive and it’s all about the product quality. Arizona-based Chill PillTM brand is an expansive line of easy-to-swallow THC soft gels for the cannabis industry.       The goal of the company is to adopt the practices of big Pharma and make high grade products. FDA and DEA are actually working together. The DEA treats cannabis like any other Schedule One dangerous drug, like cocaine or heroin. Yet it does not have the same affects, nor addictive qualities. Many pain medication’s have very serious side effects as well as the potential for problems with overdosing. Cannabis is a good alternative for pain mgmt.     Guests:   Dr. Chuck Johnson, CSO at Ally Biotech  After earning his BA in Chemistry from Northwestern University and PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Virginia Tech, Dr Chuck refined his craft while working The Procter & Gamble Company, Koch Industries, and Danaher, and expanded his scope of knowledge while working and consulting for DuPont, BATF, FBI, Army Corps of Engineers, Chiyoda Engineering, Toyo Engineering, Japan Gas Company, Yamato, Fisher Scientific, VWR Scientific Products, among others. Chuck brings with him experience with FDA regulatory compliance, LEAN (TPS) principles in Product Development and Manufacturing, competitive market analysis, mergers and acquisitions and technical sales. More recently he has provided consultation services and served as the Chief Science and Operations Officer in the Hemp and Cannabis sectors, including industrial farming, extraction, refining, GMP production, nutraceuticals, and FDA compliance.    Francis Baczek, V.P. of Business Development at Ally Biotech  Francis Baczek serves as Vice President of Business Development at Ally Biotech, a provider of leading-edge bioactive delivery solutions for cannabinoids. Baczek brings significant product development experience in the medical cannabis sector. Since 2013, he has been formulating precision-dosed edibles as lead cannabis chef for Uncle Herb’s Health Center, a licensed Arizona operator. Baczek is credite      https://allybiotech.com/about-team/     Full Show: HERE     Efficiency in the Supply Chain by a New Container Invention w/ Trevor Pan of BidBird AZ TRT S04 EP41 (204) 10-15-2023   Things We Learned This Week Malcolm McLean was the inventor of the shipping Container, and a key person in trade & globalization BidBird invented a container skin, a smooth panel for the side to reduce wind resistance & improve fuel efficiency Patent process and Patent Cooperation Treaty to register an invention in foreign countries Building a Prototype and doing a road test with a Truck plus a Container on a race track   Guest: Tevor Pan, BidBird Principal Architect - February 2018 - Present Undergraduate Professional Degree - Landscape Architecture, Colorado State University,  Fort Collins, Colorado 2003 Master Degree - Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, Scottsdale, Arizona 2006   o  Twitter o  LinkedIn     https://bidbird.co/about THE FIRST CONSTRUCTION MARKETPLACE, AT YOUR FINGERTIPS.

Data Centers, Microchips, Transparency & Angel Investing Best of Tech 2023 - Part 2 AZ TRT S04 EP51 (214) 12-24-2023   What We Learned This Week: Tom Frasier of Redivider on Modular Data CentersTony Greenburg of Ramprate on Transparency in TechRohan on Microchips & their importance in TechBob DeLean of Arizona Tech Investors on Angel Investing   Seg. 1 – Clips From: The New Modular Data Center by Redivider w/ Tom Frazier AZ TRT S04 EP31 (194) 8-6-2023     What We Learned This Week ·         Redivider Data centers are smaller modular size like a shipping container vs a standard data center which could be a huge warehouse ·         The new data centers are mobile, eco friendly, carbon neutral, plus allow for both scale & cost savings ·         Technology will be used to help the growth of the smart city or cloud and edge computing services ·         The growing use of AI programs like ChatGPT impacts the water supply as the needed cooling for data centers is massive, and not sustainable long term ·         Re-divider: Focus on The Three P’s, People, Planet, Profit     Guest: Tom Frazier - Co-Founder & CEO Tom Frazier, the co-founder and CEO of Redivider, boasts an impressive 25-year career, driving transformational and disruptive initiatives in future tech, B2B, and public sectors. Committed to prioritizing people, planet, and profits, Tom is devoted to spearheading innovation in the digital economy. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomfrazier/      Meet Redivider and Tom Frazier     https://www.redivider.co/products/data-centers    Leading with People, Planet and Profits , Tom Frazier and Eric Appelblom are flipping the traditional enterprise data center on its head with hydrogen powered data centers—reducing carbon foot print and increasing jobs.  The companies advisory team is a shows who in environmental and ESG.     Tom has more than 20 years building infrastructure from Verizon to early data center infrastructure.  He is also a Pebblebee advisor.        Exclusively focused on the United States, Redivider is a Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund investing in assets related to data center services and specialty computing like Bitcoin, AI, 5G and cloud edge.    Full Show: HERE     Seg. 2 – Clips From: Transparency in Tech by Ramprate w/ Tony Greenberg AZ TRT S04 EP33 (196) 8-20-2023   What We Learned This Week ·         Tony and Ramprate work with about 40 companies. ·         The core mission he wants to see from all companies is what type of impact can they have, how do they create value to help society. ·         Question: What is the social impact of all technology companies? ·         We need more transparency by companies with pricing  ·         Service agreements with tech companies are very long and hard to follow. Need a summary of the rights of the end user.   Guest: Tony Greenberg, CEO of Ramprate   https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonygreenberg/   https://tonygreenberg.com/   https://ramprate.com/it-sourcing/leadership-team/   Tony Greenberg, CEO An unstoppable force of connecting great minds and generating ideas, Tony Greenberg spent 20 years pushing against the immovable object of myopia and corruption in how enterprise technology is bought and sold before turning his powers for the good of the blockchain community. As investor and advisor to more than a dozen startups focused on maximizing social impact in blockchain, health care, and emerging markets, he is mentoring executive teams as well as building partnerships and go-to-market strategies to turn good ideas into thriving businesses. As CEO of RampRate, he is saving millions, improving flexibility, and optimizing supplier relationships for more than 100 top brands such as Microsoft, eBay, Nike, and Hearst, while ensuring that corporate social responsibility becomes a bigger part of IT decision making. Prior, he held senior executive-level positions with market-creating technology and digital media innovators including Raindance and Exodus. His clients have run the gamut from traditional broadcasters (NBC, Fox, etc.) to massively multiplayer games (Blizzard / World of Warcraft, Riot Games / League of Legends, etc.) to eCommerce (eBay, Nike, Ticketmaster, etc.) to telecom (AT&T, Verizon, Level 3, Vodafone), high tech giants (Microsoft, Intel, Broadcom), publishers (Hearst, McGraw Hill, Scholastic, Scripps)  and new online business models (Sony Crackle, Snapchat). While running RampRate, Tony has supported innovative startups and social impact  driven projects, including an artist-focused royalties financial management project with Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics and Universal Music; innovative companies in peer-to-peer delivery; and several major hits in the blockchain arena, such ad Block.one;  He is currently an advisor/investor to startups in motion capture / VR/AR (Limitless); innovative networking (Syntropy);  blockchain technologies; and several social impact and wellness-related ventures, as well as creating early-stage ventures in IT waste reduction and socially responsible sourcing.     Full Show: HERE     Seg. 3 – Clips From: The Brains of the Tech Industry - Semiconductors w/ Rohan AZ TRT S04 EP40 (203) 10-8-2023   Things We Learned This Week Semiconductors (Microchips) are in so many of the common everyday devices people use: cell-phones, tablets, laptops, cars, TVs, fridge, etc Valuation of Pay in Tech Jobs - combo of salary, bonus, benefits, stock options & growth potential Carbon Neutral is the eco-goal of many tech co’s & Gov’t by 2050, will require R&D, new materials

Zero to One - Peter Thiel Contrarian Thinker + Disruption AZ TRT S04 EP50 (213) 12-17-2023   What We Learned This Week Contrarian Thinking – think for yourself and differently than everyone else Innovation great companies have unique products that go from Zero to one, vertical Founders are important and challenge the Status Quo to change the world Competition is for losers, strive for a Monopoly Secrets – What Great Company is No One Building?Disruption in Business & Tech World - How to Handle The Innovator's Dilemma     Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future (c- 2014)       #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “This book delivers completely new and refreshing ideas on how to create value in the world.”—Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta “Peter Thiel has built multiple breakthrough companies, and Zero to One shows how.”—Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla The great secret of our time is that there are still uncharted frontiers to explore and new inventions to create. In Zero to One, legendary entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel shows how we can find singular ways to create those new things. Thiel begins with the contrarian premise that we live in an age of technological stagnation, even if we’re too distracted by shiny mobile devices to notice. Information technology has improved rapidly, but there is no reason why progress should be limited to computers or Silicon Valley. Progress can be achieved in any industry or area of business. It comes from the most important skill that every leader must master: learning to think for yourself. Doing what someone else already knows how to do takes the world from 1 to n, adding more of something familiar. But when you do something new, you go from 0 to 1. The next Bill Gates will not build an operating system. The next Larry Page or Sergey Brin won’t make a search engine. Tomorrow’s champions will not win by competing ruthlessly in today’s marketplace. They will escape competition altogether, because their businesses will be unique. Zero to One presents at once an optimistic view of the future of progress in America and a new way of thinking about innovation: it starts by learning to ask the questions that lead you to find value in unexpected places. Book on Amazon: HERE     Zero to One Book Summary: HERE   By XDEV 200 from 8/2020     Notes:   Seg. 1:   Zero to One - Rethinking the Future   Zero to One - 0 to 1 The idea that new innovation goes vertical or up, technological progress If you just make a car that goes a little faster, that is horizontal progress (1 to n), like globalization, copying existing ideas and then improve a little   Founders are Important, and challenge the Status Quo   Competition is over-rated, and you should strive to be a Monopoly.   Innovation is based on Secrets   Startups, Cults, & The PayPal Mafia   There Has been Little Progress…     Contrarian Thinking   Thiel believes contrarian thinking can change the future.  “What important truth do very few people agree with you on?”     Innovation Easier to copy a model than to make something new. Doing what we already know how to do takes the world from 1 to n, adding more of something familiar. But every time we create something new, we go from 0 to 1. The act of creation is singular, as is the moment of creation, and the result is something fresh and strange. Thiel’s approach for this question stems from a phrase that he used, “Brilliant thinking is rare but courage is in even shorter supply than genius.” Mark Twain: “If you find yourself on the side of the majority its time to pause and reflect.”   Build a hyper niche company with a product 10x better than predecessors   Go from Zero to One and truly innovate to change the world.     Founders The next Bill Gates will not build an operating system. The next Larry Page or Sergey Brin won’t make a search engine. And the next Mark Zuckerberg won’t create a social network. If you are copying these guys, you aren’t learning from them. There is no entrepreneur roadmap. It’s all different and unique than before.   You have to think for yourself and create your own path.   Founders have vision and know how to build a startup team that believes in them so much – like a cult. Founders are not like everyone else. They challenge themselves, their team and the status quo.        Seg 2:   Competition Per Thiel - ”All happy companies are different: each one earns a monopoly by solving a unique problem. All failed companies are the same: they failed to escape competition.”   He asks the difficult question: “What valuable company is nobody building?” Your company must be unique and serve a niche to create value, and not be a commodity.   You are looking for Blue Oceans with little competition vs a Red Ocean with business’ eating away at each other and no profits.   Thiel explains the differences between a Monopoly (inherently not evil) vs. a Perfect Competition (arguably dangerous for businesses vitality). Oddly, Monopolies try to act like they are not dominant, while competitive business act as if they are unique.   Examples: Firm A — disguised as a monopoly: Google has a monopoly on search but emphasizes the small share of global online advertising, and other miscellaneous business models.   Firm B — disguised as a perfect competition: A local restaurant tries to find fake differentiators by being the “only British restaurant in Palo Alto” yet they are using inaccurate metrics. The real marker would be “restaurants” not “Restaurant type”   Business and MBA students obsess over competition and use the Art of War for metaphors.   Thiel, asks a challenge question: “Why do people compete?”   1.    Marx model: Since we are inherently different and possess distinct goals, and 2.    Shakespeare model: All competitors are more-or-less similar (ex: Montague vs Capulet)   This distracts companies to focus on the competition and not their core goal of good products and customers.   For example, while Microsoft and Google were obsessively competing with each other Apple emerged and surpassed both.   What defines a monopoly? 1.    Proprietary technology (10 times better than any existing solution), 2.    Network effect (start with a hyper-niche market. If you think its too big it is), 3.    The economy of scale (SaaS vs employee labor-intensive), and 4.    Excellent Branding (Apple Branding to stay continual trend).   How can we build a monopoly? 1.    Actively attempt to seek a hyper-niche target market that has little to no competitors. Serve them, and do it well (all that matters == customer: “Anything You Want”), 2.    Once you have dominated the market expands to the nearest adjacent market. Similar to Amazon selling CDs, DVDs then everything else, 3.    Do not disrupt current giants. PayPal worked with Visa. Everyone won, and 4.    Attempt to make the last great development in a specific market and reap all the benefits of a mature ecosystem.       Secrets   Companies are based on secrets, and when the secret is revealed, the company could change the world. Thiel questions what secrets are left, and are companies even looking for secrets?   Q: What happens when a company stops believing in secrets?   Companies can lose their dominant position by not innovating, but resting on past success.   Hewlett-Packard Example: 1.    1990 company worth $9Bn

Pre Silicon Valley - Claude Shannon & Bell Labs w/ Jimmy Soni  AZ TRT S04 EP49 (212) 12-10-2023   Revisit the Show w/ Clips From: PayPal Mafia - The Founders Story & Their Battle w/ EBAY w/ Jimmy Soni  - BRT S03 EP36 (135) 8-7-2022  Full Show: HERE    What We Learned This Week PayPal Mafia – alumni created or involved many other co’s – Tesla, SpaceX, Palantir, Yelp, Yammer, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube & more PayPal had may contributors & a real long shot to happen during the DOTCOM Crash of 2000 Claude Shannon – creator of Information Theory, predecessor to the modern computer age, & algorithms Bell Labs was a classic Tech Incubator like Fairfield Semiconductor, Xerox Parc, Menlo Park – Edison / GE, Manhattan Project, Tuxedo Park PayPal sold to EBAY in 2002 for $1.5 Billion, prior to this, the two companies were rivals as EBAY wanted a different payment system   Full Show: HERE     Guest: Jimmy Soni, Author https://jimmysoni.com/ https://twitter.com/jimmyasoni   https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmysoni/ My books are passion projects. My topics come because I look for a book to buy on the subject and can’t find one. I know it’s supposed to be fancier than that, or that there must be some grand theory of my work, but there isn’t one. That said, my readers seem to enjoy what I’ve written, so maybe it’s fine? I am inspired by my literary heroes, including Robert Caro, Laura Hillenbrand, Candice Millard, Daniel James Brown, and Barbara Tuchman, among many others. They are all rigorous researchers—but reading their books doesn’t feel like doing homework. That’s what I’m going for, and hopefully I hit the mark a few times. For me, books are all-consuming projects, leaving little other time for the things that should populate this section like hobbies, interests, and even the ability to remain in basic touch with people. I enjoy obsessing over a subject for years, and my goal is to find as much information as possible and then make the material readable for a general audience.  When not writing or reading, I spend time with my daughter in Brooklyn, NY.  If you’d like to connect, please drop me a line at hello [@] jimmysoni.com.   https://jimmysoni.com/books/   The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley A definitive, deeply reported look at the origin of PayPal and its founding team, including Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Reid Hoffman, Max Levchin, and others whose stories have never before been told. They defined the modern world. This experience defined them.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PayPal_Mafia Paypal Mafia   Elon Musk – Tesla, Space X, Boring Co. Peter Thiel – 1st FB Investor, AirBnB Investor, Founders Fund, Palantir Reid Hoffman – LinkedIn (sold to Microsoft) Max Levchin – Affirm, Investor in Yelp David O. Sacks – Geni.com & Yammer Chad Hurley – YouTube Russel Simmons – Yelp   https://fintechboomer.com/guide-evaluate-the-founders-the-story-of-paypal-and-the-entrepreneurs-who-formed-silicon-valley/   https://www.pressreader.com/india/the-hindu-business-line/20220620/281758452959411   https://twitter.com/jimmyasoni/status/1488992532268732419       A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age In this elegantly written, exhaustively researched biography, Soni and Goodman reveal Claude Shannon’s full story for the first time. With unique access to Shannon’s family and friends, A Mind at Play brings this singular innovator and always playful genius to life.   https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-claude-shannons-information-theory-invented-the-future-20201222/ QUANTIZED COLUMNS How Claude Shannon Invented the Future Today’s information age is only possible thanks to the groundbreaking work of a lone genius.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9hfWiQKhcs&t=2s A Mind at Play | Jimmy Soni & Rob Goodman | Talks at Google     Life in Code and Digits: When Shannon met ... - ScienceOpen  Shannon is credited with the invention of signal-flow graphs, in 1942. He discovered the topological gain formula while investigating the functional operation of an analog computer. For two months early in 1943, Shannon came into contact with the leading British mathematician Alan Turing.   Ed Thorp, Claude Shannon and the World's First ... - Winton https://www.winton.com › technology › 2018/07 › ed-t... Jul 13, 2018 — Thorp, 85, is a former American mathematics professor and hedge fund manager, who became a New York Times bestselling author in 1962 with his ...   https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/magazine/15Battier-t.html The No-Stats All-Star     Notes: Claude Shannon Bio – A Mind at Play (2017) Claude Shannon – mathematician & MIT professor created Father of Information Theory – How do you make info transferrable, & secure in wartime? Friend of Alan Turing (British Mathematician), both worked on coding in WW2, German code breaking scientists became celebrities in WW2 and raised funding The science behind compressing info, digitizing info and MP3 files, transfer data Mathematics Theory of Communication, Shannon’s paper and theory considered the Magna Carta of information age. Great paper theoretically and practically. Shannon created algorithm called sigsally. Imitation Game – WW2 bio movie about Alan Turing Shannon’s work used for Gun torrents on Navy ships, target projectiles Bell Labs – math group that Shannon was a part of Famous Groups of Genius - Menlo Park – Edison/GE, Manhattan Project – Built the A Bomb Fairfield Semiconductor – predecessor to Intel and other Silicon Valley tech co’s Bell Labs had money and started as R&D Dept. in Bell Telephone Bell Telephone ran all land lines in America, had a Fed guaranteed monopoly on the phone system Bell invented touch tone dialing, transistor, satellite tech, cell tech, communication networks We are all affected by Bell tech and inventions, modern age owes a solid to Bell Had big group of talent and could afford all of it, leading scientists of the time. During WW2 many major U.S. corporations – Bell, Ford were recruited by the US Government. War effort created urgency – math used to shoot down the enemy. The Founders – story of PayPal (2022) Dot Com burst created urgency to Pay Pal, bleeding money, had to survive. Dotcom crash – companies started 1 day, & BK out of business next day. Rise like a rocket and crash in 2 years Next Gen of Genius Teams - Xerox Parc, Microsoft, Apple Music Producer – Brian Eno coined the term “scenious” Scene meets genius - Clusters of talent American Revolution – Hamilton, Jefferson, Washington, Adams, Franklin all together for 1 cause Inklings, Fugitive Poets, 1960’s British Music scene, Bill Walsh 49ers Coaching staff of the 1980s Paypal is the story of many – Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Max Levchin, Reed Hoffman Alumni of Fairchild Semi led to Intel, Atari and Xerox Parc led to Apple. Post WW2 Bell Labs pressure decreased compared to PayPal. Bell Labs allowed free wheeling, could work on a project for 10 years.   PayPal Mafia - The Founders Story & Their Battle w/ EBAY w/ Jimmy Soni  - BRT S03 EP36 (135) 8-7-2022 Full Show: HERE   More on Bell Labs:   'The Idea Factory': How Bell Labs invented the future – Article HERE           Bell Labs: The research center behind the transistor, and so much more – Article HERE         Best of Biotech from AZ Bio & Life Sciences to Jellatech: HERE   Biotech Shows: HERE   AZ Tech Council Shows:  https://brt-show.libsyn.com/size/5/?search=az+tech+council *Includes Best of AZ Tech Council show from 2/12/2023     ‘Best Of’ Topic: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/category/Best+of+BRT      Thanks for Listening. Please Subscribe to the BRT Podcast.     AZ Tech Roundtable 2.0 with Matt Battaglia The show where Entrepreneurs, Top Executives, Founders, and Investors come to share insights about the future of business.  AZ TRT 2.0 looks at the new trends in business, & how classic industries are evolving.  Common Topics Discussed: Startups, Founders, Funds & Venture Capital, Business, Entrepreneurship, Biotech, Blockchain / Crypto, Executive Comp, Investing, Stocks, Real Estate + Alternative Investments, and more…    AZ TRT Podcast Home Page: http://aztrtshow.com/ ‘Best Of’ AZ TRT Podcast: Click Here

Economics 101 for Real World Business AZ TRT S04 EP48 (211) 12-3-2023   What We Learned This Week: Supply & Demand - Economics SimplifiedCapital Allocation - What is the Opportunity of your Business Investment?Gamblers Fallacy - What is the Probability of the Next Die Roll?Game Theory - Dr. Nash’s Plan to Pickup Women     Notes: EK 101 – Economics Lessons     Seg. 1 Supply & Demand Supply is the amount of a specific good or service that's available in the market. Demand is the amount of the good or service that customers want to buy. Supply and demand are both influenced by the price of goods and services. If there was only one pizza restaurant in a town and then a new pizza place opened, the demand for pizza from the first restaurant would drop. The price of gasoline often changes with the demand throughout the year. As people drive more in the summer, gasoline prices tend to rise. In professional football, owners sell entertainment (supply) and spectators buy the opportunity to view or display the game (demand). Meanwhile, owners also buy the services of athletes who wish to play (demand) and trained athletes make themselves available for a price (supply).   Marginal Utility What Is Marginal Utility? Marginal utility is the added satisfaction that a consumer gets from having one more unit of a good or service. The concept of marginal utility is used by economists to determine how much of an item consumers are willing to purchase. Sports David Beckham signed $250 mil contract in 2007 w LA Galaxy Galaxy willing to overpay to get the attention, ticket and merchandize sales What we will pay at the margin? There is only 1 Beckham, rare commodity, like a diamond – subjective on the value What is the value of a bottle of water in the desert?  If only 1, then pay a lot, if there are 50 available, then pay less     Seg. 2 Capital Allocation – Capital Allocation is the process of distributing financial resources to different areas of a business to increase efficiency and maximize profits.   A Sunk Cost refers to money that has already been spent and which cannot be recovered. In business, the axiom that one has to “spend money to make money” is reflected in the phenomenon of the sunk cost. A sunk cost differs from future (or regular) costs that a business may face, such as decisions about inventory purchase costs or product pricing.    Sunk Costs also mean that the Money $ used on a bad investment is lost. Don’t try to ‘chase it’ to somehow recover and get even. Instead, just write it off, and move on.  It is better to use the New Money $ on better investments. Where to Invest your money $ is pivital to Capital Allocation. Simply put, learn to Control Your Capital and decide wisely what Opportunity (Cost)  it should go to be as efficient as possible. This is the intersection of scarcity and choice.   Opportunity Cost is the loss or gain of making a decision, the forgone benefit that would have been derived by an option not chosen. To properly evaluate opportunity costs, the costs and benefits of every option available must be considered and weighed against the others. Famous Phrase – “idle cash balances represent an opportunity cost in terms of lost interest”   Whether your time or money can be better spent on something else   Should you mow your own lawn, or hire someone and concentrate on your job to make more $   Division of Labor We do not cut our own hair, or drill our own teeth – we go to a dental specialist, saves time & $ over long term Concentrate on your specialties Pencil example – one co make wood, one makes eraser, one mines the graphite, and one co assemblies – we all benefit as it would be harder and cost more if same company did it all, suppliers w/ specialty help keep costs down     In Stock Investing – Beware the Zombie Co.s in the S&P Index.   These are companies that are not profitable, or growing (may even need a Bailout). They are just treading water, and paying their interest on debt, but not their principal. In the current S&P index, it is estimated that about 20% of companies are Zombie Co’s whose main investment comes from people buying the whole Index.   Unfortunately another 30% of the Index are bad companies that are either are stagnant, or on their way to Zombie status. Maybe 10 – 15% of the Companies (Stocks) in the Index (50 – 75 Co’s) are really good to exceptional and should get your Capital.    Do you want to own the best house on the block? Or all of them?         Seg. 3   Gamblers Fallacy each roll of the die is separate from the last, no effect   The gambler's fallacy, also known as the Monte Carlo fallacy, occurs when an individual erroneously believes that a certain random event is less likely or more likely to happen based on the outcome of a previous event or series of events.   For example, the gambler's fallacy might cause someone to believe that if a coin just landed on heads twice in a row, then it's “due” to land on tails on the next toss.     Monte Carlo Simulation – use for modeling scenarios   One simple example of a Monte Carlo Simulation is to consider calculating the probability of rolling two standard dice. There are 36 combinations of dice rolls. Based on this, you can manually compute the probability of a particular outcome.   Monte Carlo Simulation is a mathematical method for calculating the odds of multiple possible outcomes occurring in an uncertain process through repeated random sampling. This computational algorithm makes assessing risks associated with a particular process convenient, thereby enabling better decision-making.   Probabilities   Probability is simply how likely something is to happen. Whenever we're unsure about the outcome of an event, we can talk about the probabilities of certain outcomes—how likely they are. The analysis of events governed by probability is called statistics.   Sports analytics is a more recent field that uses data to measure areas like athletic performance and business health to optimize the processes and success of a sports organization as a whole. On-field data metrics help teams decide how to improve in-game strategies, nutrition plans and other methods for raising their athletes’ level of performance. Off the field, organizations can leverage data to monitor ticket sales, craft marketing campaigns and reduce operational costs.   Data lets teams and organizations track performance, make predictions and make smarter decisions on the field. Want to figure out what play is best to run on fourth down in a football game? Check the analytics. Wondering whether or not your pitcher should throw another inning? Check the analytics. Players still win games, but data allows coaches to put them in the best position to succeed.       Seg. 4 Game Theory – science of human strategy, people behave differently in games Dr. Nash – A Beautiful Mind If they all go for the same girl in the bar, competition and no one gets her, but if they work together and pair off with the group of girls, they all may win As Nash explains it, if all the men approach the blonde first, none of the men will pair off: The blonde will reject them all as a crowd, and her brunette friends will reject them all individually because none of the women will accept being second choice to her friend. While used in several disciplines, game theory is most notably used as a tool within the study of business and economics. The "games" may involve how two competitor firms will react to price cuts by the other, whether a firm should acquire another, or how traders in a stock market may react to price changes.   Prisoners Dilemma The prisoner's dilemma presents a situation where two parties, separated and unable to communicate, must each choose between cooperating with the other or not. The highest reward for each party occurs when both parties choose to co-operate. Keep your mouth shut and tell the cops nothing, both walk   Cold War Example If both combatants do nothing, everyone lives, or mutual destruction with nuclear war War Games movie – no winner in hundreds of simulated games     Business Topic: HERE   Investing Topic: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/category/investing More - BRT Best of: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/category/Best+Of   Thanks for Listening. Please Subscribe to the BRT Podcast.     AZ Tech Roundtable 2.0 with Matt Battaglia The show where Entrepreneurs, Top Executives, Founders, and Investors come to share insights about the future of business.  AZ TRT 2.0 looks at the new trends in business, & how classic industries are evolving.  Common Topics Discussed: Startups, Founders, Funds & Venture Capital, Business, Entrepreneurship, Biotech, Blockchain / Crypto, Executive Comp, Investing, Stocks, Real Estate + Alternative Investments, and more…    AZ TRT Podcast Home Page: http://aztrtshow.com/ ‘Best Of’ AZ TRT Podcast: Click Here Podcast on Google: Click Here Podcast on Spotify: Click Here                    More Info: https://www.economicknight.com/azpodcast/ KFNX Info: https://1100kfnx.com/weekend-featured-shows/     Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the Hosts, Guests and Speakers, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent (or affiliates, members, managers, employees or partners), or any Station, Podcast Platform, Website or Social Media that this show may air on. All information provided is for educational and entertainment purposes. Nothing said on this program should be considered advice or recommendations in: business, legal,