The FWDstart Podcast is a weekly show at the intersection of venture capital, startups, and strategic industries shaping the MENA region. Each episode features candid conversations with founders, investors, and operators behind the region’s most ambitious companies, from frontier AI and fintech infrastructure to climate tech, construction, energy, and space.
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Mena Startups Podcasts
Wamda accelerates entrepreneurship ecosystems throughout MENA by joining Wamda Capital, the most active, multi-stage, sector agnostic VC fund investing in high growth technology or tech-enabled startups across the MENA, and the leading knowledge platform offering integrated programs including thought leadership and research, community development, Wamda’s fellowship program Wamda X, as well as corporate and government advisory services to the various stakeholders of the MENA startup ecosystem.
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In this series, we sit down with CEOs and entrepreneurs from startups and tech companies all around the world. Each episode features candid conversations with trailblazers who share their stories, challenges, and critical moments that shaped their companies. Understand how their mind works, how they turn ideas into reality, navigated startup life, and the lessons they learned.
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The Global Startup Movement - Startup Ecosystem Leaders, Global Entrepreneurship, and Emerging Market Innovation
Andrew Berkowitz
We deliver independent emerging market focused technology, digital and innovation insights and analysis. Every quarter we produce a community activation mini-series diving deep into the most pertinent issues, headlines, and conversations in the global startup movement. We produce podcasts, virtual activations, live events, and bespoke market insight content with a deep understanding of the complex dynamics of the stakeholders within the global tech and innovation landscape. The show is execu ...
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Nico Johnson takes you into conversations with those at the forefront of Renewable Energy. SunCast gives an inside look into what is happening in renewable energy. From conversations with the biggest Solar Panel manufacturers in the world to the small startups creating the future of renewable energy, such as carbon capture and battery technology breakthroughs. SunCast is dedicated to providing the knowledge, research, tools and expert guidance you need to understand, grow and be ahead of the ...
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Provider's Edge | Peak Performance Guide for Healthcare Entrepreneurs
Sabrina Runbeck, MPH, MHS, PA-C, HealthTech Power Broker, Business Partnership Creator, Board Advisor
The healthcare industry is in a state of flux, with new technologies, regulations, and challenges emerging all the time. Healthcare entrepreneurs and startup founders face an uphill battle, competing with established players in the industry while striving to make a positive impact. The Provider's Edge is a podcast that recognizes these challenges and aims to provide a roadmap for success. Sabrina Runbeck, the host of Provider's Edge podcast, has first-hand experience with the challenges faci ...
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"Entrepreneurial Talent is Global" - On The Enthusiast, Host Pat Alex chats with some of the most fascinating Founders, Operators and Investors Beyond Silicon Valley. Every two weeks, he sits down with the likes of Arjuna Costa (Flourish), Paulo Passoni, Jeffrey Paine (Golden Gate Ventures), Gerry Giacoman (Clara) and Monica Brand Engel (Quona) to dissect their challenges around scaling, fundraising, managing boards and company leadership. Taken together, the guests have raised venture capit ...
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Explore the B Model Podcast to dive deep into innovative business models and hear firsthand how successful entrepreneurs shape their strategies. Get inspired by real-world experiences and expert insights on building and adapting your business model. We dive deep into the competitive landscape and examine the future of different business models, offering valuable insights to help entrepreneurs navigate their journey.
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MENAbytes Today highlights the stories from different tech startup ecosystems of Middle East & North Africa. For more details, log on to http://www.menabytes.com.
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Welcome to the #1 Pro Wrestling podcast in Libya and the MENA region! If it happens in a ring it happens IN THE RING! News, views, reviews, and interviews! No BS, no holds barred! For balanced, unbiased, and informative Pro Wrestling coverage this is the place! #InTheRingWhereItMatters (Oh, and did I mention that we present a Pop Culture podcast as well? Pop Talk! Comics, movies, series, anime, games, and gadgets! Everything geeks love under one ceiling! Check it out in our list, you'll be g ...
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Decoding the New World Order of Finance - Unfiltered, global, weekly As tectonic shifts reshape the financial world, Couchonomics continues to explore the trends transforming commerce, capital, and culture. This season, we expand our lens - building on our deep focus in the MENA region while bringing in voices, stories, and innovations from around the globe. Why? Because the future of finance is no longer regional - it’s interconnected. Whether it’s AI in Asia, tokenization in Europe, or fin ...
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Geeks of the Valley connects with some of the brightest minds globally, who are leading their respective industries today. We discuss the hottest upcoming industry trends and how their work is affecting the global economy.
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The Reconfigured Podcast is a show that explores the intersection of technology, culture, and society which is hosted by Mohamad Kalaaji (technolaaji). We bring professionals to talk about their extended experience or discuss about a topic that might be interesting. All of our episodes are available for free to the general public at no additional cost
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A podcast for ambitious women based in MENA. Each week on the Women Power Podcast you will hear honest, vulnerable, authentic conversations from inspiring women. These women will share their experiences and stories into what it takes to build a successful business and career. The podcast will share insight and inspiration to which will allow you to achieve your highest potential. A subsidiary platform to Women Power Summit developed by Obai & Hill.
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E183 | Why Most AI Startups Fail | Real Talk with Investors from US, EU, LATAM & MENA
22:40
22:40
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22:40Let’s be honest—founders are burned out from cold outreach and investor ghosting. You’ve built something real, but the right people just aren’t seeing it. What if the fastest path to capital was through vetted relationships that already believe in your mission? This isn’t your typical panel. You’re about to sit in on a private investor roundtable f…
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880: Why Smart Homeowners Are Choosing Flexible Backup Power
15:28
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15:28What’s your plan when the power goes out? If you think a generator is your only option, think again.Today’s conversation, live from our RE+ PowerUp Live stage, Rachel Stotts of Jackery breaks down a new category of home energy backup: flexible, modular systems that you can easily scale and take with you. Whether you're facing tornadoes or planning …
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Banking in the UAE is entering a phase where digital expectations, AI, and trust are forcing banks to rethink everything from processes to culture. Arjun sits down with Dr. Bernd van Linder, CEO of Commercial Bank of Dubai, to unpack how customer experience, technology and trust are reshaping the future of banking. 🎙️ In this episode: Why customer …
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Mark Kahn (Omnivore) on GCC Food Security, India’s Venture Depth & Agritech Investing
1:14:30
1:14:30
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1:14:30Mark Kahn is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Omnivore, India’s leading agritech and climate-tech venture capital firm with more than $300 million under management. Backing over 45 startups transforming food, agriculture, and sustainability, Omnivore has played a defining role in shaping India’s agritech ecosystem and the country’s emerging c…
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879: “Speed to Power” is the new race — but can the grid keep up? Hugo Mena, Electric Power Engineers
20:03
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20:03“Speed to Power” is the new race — but can the grid keep up? Hyperscalers, AI, and industrial demand are pushing load growth from flat to vertical. Yet most projects still take five to seven years just to interconnect. That’s the bottleneck Hugo Mena is tackling as Chief Growth Officer at Electric Power Engineers (EPE). This live conversation addre…
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How One Platform Went From 5,000 Cards to Powering Global Banks
42:52
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42:52Core banking is no longer a back-office topic. Cloud, payments, AI and digital assets are forcing banks to rethink the foundations of how money moves. In this episode, Arjun sits down with Vishal Dalal, Global CEO of Pismo, to unpack the evolution of modern core banking, the rise of cloud-native architectures, and why migration, resilience and paym…
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878: Three Ways to Make Real Climate Impact This Giving Tuesday
56:59
56:59
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56:59This Giving Tuesday, SunCast brings you three powerful stories of how clean energy is transforming communities, saving lives, and unlocking local climate action. Host Nico Johnson sits down with leaders working across three different fronts of the climate fight: • Robin Swanhuyser — Twende Solar Electrifying community hubs in places like rural Ghan…
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Scaling Restaurant-Tech Globally — Supy CEO Dani El-Zein on Funding, AI & Building a High-Growth Foodtech Startup
26:52
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26:52This special Startup Spotlights episode was filmed live at Expand North Star (ENS) 2025, the world’s largest startup and investor event (October 2025). In this conversation, Dani El-Zein, Founder & CEO of Supy, breaks down how he scaled one of the region’s fastest-growing restaurant-tech platforms — from raising early capital to winning enterprise …
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877: Frustrated by Permit Delays? How SolarAPP Provides Immediate Solutions
1:02:26
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1:02:26Can getting a solar permit be as fast as ordering takeout? Permitting may be the most boring part of solar, but it's also the biggest bottleneck. That’s what Matthew McAllister is working to fix. As CEO of SolarAPP, he’s leading a quiet revolution that helps installers skip the paperwork and get to work faster with instant, automated approvals. In …
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How to Build AI Clinicians Trust and Teams Stick With Linda Macomber
33:20
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33:20AI won't win in healthcare unless clinicians—and patients—trust it. In this episode, I sat down with healthcare innovation expert Linda Macomber, who’s been at the forefront of digital transformation for over 35 years, leading initiatives with Kaiser, IBM, and the VA. Her message is clear: your tech isn’t the hero—the human insight behind it is. Le…
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Sky Kurtz, Pure Harvest CEO: How He Raised $300M to Build AgTech Farms in the UAE Desert
1:46:44
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1:46:44From private equity investor to agritech trailblazer, Sky Kurtz, Co-Founder & CEO of Pure Harvest Smart Farms, joins a special episode of the Startup Spotlights Podcast by Lucidity Insights to unpack how he built one of the Middle East’s leading controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) companies. Host Erika Welch dives into Sky’s journey from Stanf…
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876: This Startup Is Reinventing Rare Earth Refining - Without New Mines
35:17
35:17
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35:17America’s about to make a big bet on critical minerals and rare earths. In case you missed it, the DOE just reorganized and announced a major initiative around the refining of this critical element in our energy and defense future. Why? Because the energy and defense sectors are dangerously dependent on China’s refining power; but, what if we could…
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How AI and Stablecoins Are Rewiring the Future of Fintech
46:48
46:48
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46:48Fintech is entering a new phase where technology, regulation and global markets are reshaping value at a deeper level. Arjun sits down with Sandeep Patil, Partner and Head of Asia at QED Investors, to break down how fintech is evolving beneath the surface. 🎙️ In this episode: -Why the global fintech reset isn’t over - How stablecoins are becoming t…
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875: Inside Fluence’s Bold Battery Bet: Domestic Content, AI, and Grid Resilience
31:02
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31:02In 2008, Fluence installed one of the first lithium-ion battery systems ever connected to the U.S. grid. Back then, the idea of a domestic battery supply chain felt distant—almost theoretical. Today, it’s real. John Zahurancik, now President of Fluence Americas, has spent nearly two decades pushing the storage industry from “interesting pilot proje…
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874: Building Solar as a System: Inside Nextpower’s Integration Playbook
40:14
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40:14Most solar projects are still built the hard way—treating structure, electrical, and software as separate scopes that have to be stitched together in the field. But the teams delivering gigawatts today know something different: solar plants work best when they’re designed as systems, not parts. In this Tactical Tuesday, Nico sits down with three of…
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873: From Backup to Backbone: How Batteries Are Reshaping the Grid
28:56
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28:56Batteries aren’t just supporting the grid anymore, they are defending the grid. Chris Finley, CCO of TruGrid, joins Nico on stage at PowerUp Live to explain how battery storage has shifted from a “nice-to-have” to a mission-critical asset class. Whether it’s enabling arbitrage in ERCOT or powering hyperscale data centers, battery systems are now le…
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What Employee Benefits Actually Work for Startups Under 50 People? Ep 181 with Anthony Markey
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32:03We went beyond basic health coverage. From understanding multigenerational expectations to implementing creative, budget-conscious perks like flexible PTO or caregiver support—this is about building a workplace people want to stay in. Here’s what you’ll walk away with: ♦️When to start offering benefits (hint: before you're forced to) ♦️What employe…
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872: The Landfill Explosion That Changed Tesla’s Fire Strategy
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21:13
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21:13A Powerwall delivery truck flipped. No fire. No smoke. Seemed safe. They tossed those Powerwalls into a landfill. Four days later—explosion! That incident didn’t just make headlines; it changed Tesla’s fire strategy. In this Tactical Tuesday, retired Battalion Chief Kathleen McCaffery explains how that one mistake led Tesla to create a Global Fire …
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Pedro Vallenilla (Cashea) on bringing consumer credit back to Venezuela, scaling to 10M customers in 3 years and becoming Kaspi
31:59
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31:59On this episode Pat sits down with Pedro Vallenilla, Co-Founder & CEO of Cashea, Venezuela's leading BNPL and Fintech platform in the country that is reinstalling access to credit for millions of Venezuelans. Pedro is a true serial entrepreneur with Cashea as his fourth venture, he has shown incredible grit and is now bringing consumer credit back …
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Why Stablecoins Could Redefine Global Trade and Banking
51:08
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51:08What if the future of money isn’t about new currencies, but about rebuilding how value moves? Arjun sits down with Keith Grose, Senior Country Director at Coinbase UK, to explore how crypto is moving from hype to real infrastructure. They talk about the UK’s second-mover advantage in regulation, the role of stablecoins in global trade, and how Coin…
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#124: Crypto’s Maturity and the Rise of Private Equity with Maelstrom's Akshat Vaidya & Adam Schlegel
36:22
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36:22Akshat Vaidya – Managing Partner & Co-Founder, Maelstrom Akshat Vaidya is the Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Maelstrom, the family office founded by BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes. In this role, Akshat leads Maelstrom’s investment strategy across its multiple verticals, including venture investments, liquid markets, and private equity deals. He…
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#123: Sandbox to Scale The MENA Fintech Playbook with VentureSouq's Sonia Gokhale
35:37
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35:37Sonia Gokhale, Co-Founder and General Partner at VentureSouq, breaks down how founders can build and scale fintech across the Gulf. We unpack why Saudi Arabia and the UAE are the first markets to crack, how government sandboxes and clear licensing paths reduce friction, and why B2B fintech often delivers the strongest unit economics. Sonia also wal…
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871: 10 Years Later - Adam James on Building Teams, Time & Impact
1:46:35
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1:46:35This episode marks ten years of SunCast - and the return of its very first guest. In 2015, a young GTM Research analyst named Adam James joined host Nico Johnson for the debut episode exploring the rise of solar in Latin America. A decade later, Adam is a Partner at Energy Impact Partners and Chair of the Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI). T…
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How Founders Protect Wealth Before the Next Round
29:35
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29:35You built your company to create impact—but are you actually protecting what you’re building? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. David Mandell, an attorney, MBA, and wealth strategist who’s spent over 30 years helping physicians and healthcare founders protect and grow their wealth. We unpack what financial intelligence really means for innovator…
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870: How FEOC Rules Are Reshaping Solar Procurement in 2025 | 4 Experts Weigh-in
56:14
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56:14“Is your project really compliant?” That’s the billion-dollar question developers across the U.S. are asking as Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) rules tighten their grip on clean energy tax credits. If you are(were) banking on the ITC, PTC, or 45X, you can’t afford to miss this Tactical Tuesday deep-dive. The rules are shifting. Supply chains are m…
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The End of Bank Accounts: How Money Is Moving On-Chain
55:43
55:43
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55:43What if the future of money isn’t about creating new currencies, but redefining what money really is? In this episode, Arjun sits down with Tony McLaughlin, CEO and Founder of Ubyx Inc, to talk about why he believes the bank account is dead and how the next version of money could live on public blockchains. They break down what stablecoins, tokeniz…
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#122: The Future of Sales: How AI and Human Relationships Will Redefine Customer Acquisition with SalesAI’s Devin Johnson
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28:07Devin Johnson is a tech entrepreneur and AI innovator who has built multiple high‑growth SaaS companies by combining an obsessive focus on relationships with cutting‑edge automation. His entrepreneurial journey began at 16, when a series of family hardships — a father involved in drugs, a sister battling brain cancer and the death of a close friend…
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#121: How a SaaS Marketplace Is Redefining Plastic Waste Recovery with PCX’s Sebastian DiGrande
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36:43Sebastian DiGrande is the Chief Executive Officer of Plastic Credit Exchange (PCX), where he leads the company’s mission to eliminate plastic waste through a technology-driven, market-based platform. Under his leadership, PCX is building a verified marketplace that connects corporations with plastic recovery and recycling partners worldwide, creati…
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869: How Two Unlikely Founders Are Rewiring the Way Solar Gets Built | Ben Callam & Maksim Markevich of PVFarm
1:16:52
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1:16:52What happens when a builder and a coder decide to fix solar’s biggest disconnect? In this episode, SunCast host Nico Johnson sits down with Maksim Markevich and Ben Callam, the co-founders of PV Farm—a platform born from frustration with designs that look perfect on screen but fall apart in the field. Maksim, a self-taught engineer from Belarus, le…
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Your CMO Isn’t the First Executive Hire You Need with Kelly O’Neil
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37:29You don’t need another full-time exec—you need someone who knows how to build the foundation for scale. In this episode, we expose one of the most expensive mistakes health tech founders and system leaders make: hiring too fast, too early, and in the wrong order. Kelly O’Neill joins me to walk through how fractional executives—when vetted and place…
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868: Roofing and Solar Are Merging, Is This the Future of Residential Solar? | James Mason, ABC Supply
22:58
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22:58Roofers are entering solar. Solar pros are adding roofing. How are these trades getting the training & resources required to level up and provide the appropriate level of service to homeowners? Is the future of residential solar trades consolidating int a new kind of contractor? In this RE+ 2025 live session, Nico sits down with James Mason, VP of …
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The Next Decade of FinTech: AI, Tokenization & Quantum Finance
47:06
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47:06What if the next decade of finance isn’t about disruption, but inclusion? In this episode, Arjun sits down with Sopnendu Mohanty, Group CEO of GFTN and Advisor to the Monetary Authority of Singapore, to explore how technology, policy, and people are shaping the future of global finance. 🎙️ In this episode: → The three pillars that defined the first…
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#29 - Don MacKinnon: Reinventing search in the new era
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43:23Today's episode is with Don MacKinnon, co-founder and CTO at Searchcraft. We have covered several topics from how Searchcraft started to transitioning from agency work to startup and managing teams Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and what is Searchcraft 02:55 Searchcraft being closed source but downloadable and their cloud offering 04:26 Licensing mec…
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867: How Energy Aid Is Rescuing 185,000 Orphaned Solar Homes | Nick Sherman
1:37:05
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1:37:05Did you know that more than 185,000 solar customers in the US have been abandoned by their installers? How will we take care of these “Orphaned” solar systems? Is this a golden opportunity or fool’s gold? Nick Sherman sees opportunity where most see chaos. As CEO of Energy Aid, he’s building a national brand in solar service—scaling faster than any…
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E178 | Who Do Investors Trust More — Heroes or Guides?
24:33
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24:33I used to believe that telling my story in full was enough to inspire trust—and capital. But the truth is, how you position your story in a pitch can be the difference between another “we’ll pass” and your next funding round. In this episode, we discussed what it really means to be the guide in your pitch, how to turn cold intros into warm investor…
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866: Are Batteries the New Substations? | Wärtsilä’s Bold Vision for Grid-Scale Storage
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25:17Storage Isn’t Backup—It’s Infrastructure Wildfires, heat waves, and AI-fueled data centers are pushing our grid to the edge. The question is no longer whether we need storage—it's whether we're going to unlock its full potential. In this live episode from RE+, Nico is joined by two global leaders from Wärtsilä Energy—Tamara de Gruyter, President of…
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