Entrepreneurship Archives - Metis Strategy

857: In the last decade, companies across a variety of industries have experienced the ascent of the as-a-service model. At Nile Secure, Co-Founder and CEO Pankaj Patel has pioneered the category of network-as-a-service featuring built-in security, automation, and continuous monitoring for maximum performance. In this episode of Technovation, Peter High speaks with Pankaj about this category of network-as-a-service and the broader mission of Nile. Pankaj reflects on his early career at Cisco, the challenges he saw in the IT landscape, and how the partnership with Cisco’s former CEO John Chambers led to the eventual establishment of Nile Secure. He also details the market transitions that influenced the company’s founding, the impact of AI and automation in network engineering, and what the future ahead looks like for the industry. Finally, Pankaj looks back on starting a company as a grandfather, balancing family life with work, and the secrets to his career success including early customer interaction and emphasis on team building.

Also available on YouTube:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | More

846: Enterprises are rapidly accelerating their artificial intelligence strategies as new tools emerge, and the executives at these companies are constantly looking for ways AI can solve big problems that have plagued them for decades. Seeing this niche as an opportunity, Gustavo Sapoznik, the founder and CEO of ASAPP, has led the company toward building products that leverage AI/ML tools to solve the world’s most difficult problems. In this interview, Gustavo sits down with Peter High to describe the journey he went through starting up ASAPP, the value it provides companies, and what inspired him to start down the path of entrepreneurship. Throughout his career, Gustavo has gathered many unique insights on the evolution and potential of artificial intelligence and shares some of what he has learned throughout the conversation. More broadly, Gustavo discusses his personal entrepreneurship journey and his advice for those looking to follow in his footsteps.

Also available on YouTube:

_____________________________________

This episode is sponsored by Codeium.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | More

845: As with most industries, artificial intelligence has had an immeasurable impact on the entrepreneurial journey and the types of offerings being provided to enterprises from start-ups. In this episode of Technovation, Samsara co-founders Sanjit Biswas and John Bicket join Peter High in a conversation about the genesis story behind the company, its rationale for selling into physical operations, and how artificial intelligence is changing the start-up landscape. Both executives explain the role of AI at the company, the convergence of IT and OT within the industrial sector, and how they came to focus on the industrial sector when starting Samsara. They share how they overcame the learning curve associated with operating in an unfamiliar industry, the evolution of generative AI applications within the industrial sector, and how they’ve built their team with the right skills in technology. Finally, they share their lessons from scaling the business to become a publicly traded company, the trends in technology that are on their radar for the future, and the learnings they’ve taken away from their entrepreneurial journey.

Also available on YouTube:

_____________________________________

This episode is sponsored by Codeium.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | More

723: Steve discusses his latest book, Rise of the Rest and his mission of growing venture capital outside of the three big epicenters of CA, MA, and NY. He explains the thesis of the book, why 75% of VC focuses on these metropolitan areas, and what inspired him to explore this phenomenon. Steve also gives his perspective on how communities can stimulate venture capital expansion into new areas, how the Rise of the Rest Bus Tours help spur greater visibility on entrepreneurship in these areas, and the venture capital firms he partners with to realize this. He then shares specific anecdotes from his book and the stories from cities that stood out to him during his tours. Across these stories, Steve breaks down the ingredients of a successful venture that he has seen, how the pandemic has changed this, and the role government plays in growing venture capital in their cities. Finally, he talks about growing opportunities for diverse entrepreneurs, economic headwinds that entrepreneurs are beginning to face, and how the tech community has grown in the D.C. Metro area.

Also available on YouTube:

_____________________________________

This episode is sponsored by Adyen.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | More

687: In this interview, Keith discusses his remarkably diverse set of career experiences. Keith reflects on the evolution and adoption of robotics and the internet and the genesis behind Ariba. He also talks about the importance of trust in technology and how that paved the way for DocuSign. We then discuss his time in policy as Under Secretary of State and developing the Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue. Finally, Keith shares his perspective on current geopolitical topics including US-China relations, China’s relationship with Taiwan, and the future of tech diplomacy.

Also available on YouTube:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | More

667: In this interview, Dave covers the topic of how Upstart is leveraging artificial intelligence models to increase people’s access to credit. He provides an overview of the company’s business model, how it collects the data it uses across multiple constituents, and the learning process he went through during the development of the company. He then describes the way artificial intelligence fits into the model, why this approach is its differentiator, and what hurdles he faced along the way. Finally, Dave talks about the company’s IPO, why this was the right time to go public, and how his experience building out Google’s cloud business set him up for success with Upstart.

Also available on YouTube:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | More

616: Kai-Fu Lee discusses the evolution of artificial intelligence and the 20-year horizon for its implementation. Kai-Fu shares why 20 years was an appropriate time horizon for his book on the future of AI, why Chen Qiufan, a science-fiction novelist, was the perfect person to partner with, and how the two of them originated the idea for ten visions of AI. He also discusses the impact of artificial intelligence on society including the future of work, changes in society, and shaping of opinions. Finally, Kai-Fu gives his perspective on the factors necessary to lead to greater adoption of artificial intelligence and how the global leadership of certain areas of its development and implementation has evolved.

Also available on YouTube:

_____________________________________

This episode is sponsored by Transmit Security.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | More

582: In this interview, Yves Behar, Founder and Principal Designer of fuseproject, discusses the importance of product design and how companies can think about developing their own products. Yves discusses the importance of integrating storytelling and intent into product design. He also speaks on the importance of continuously improving product designs and using the problems and frictions that arise as opportunities for improvement. Additionally, Yves talks about bringing these designs to market from team alignment to marketing strategy. Finally, Yves talks about his team’s work on the VOX ventilators as a response to an open innovation challenge and how it is important to sometimes allow your team to drive the ideas and support them along the way.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | More

562: In this interview, Orion Hindawi, Co-Founder and CEO of Tanium, discusses the evolution of IT Infrastructures and cybersecurity. Orion gives an overview of Tanium’s business and discusses the changing ways companies look at adopting IT. He also covers the digital and technological transformations, the importance of curating strong ecosystems, and future opportunities for the company. Additionally, Orion shares his perspective on applying business cybersecurity knowledge to maintaining personal cybersecurity.

Also available on YouTube:

_____________________________________

This episode is sponsored by Apptio.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | More

544: Jeff Immelt, the former CEO of GE, spent over 15 years running one of the world’s largest companies. In this interview, Jeff discusses his experience growing up professionally at GE, Jeff’s relationship with his predecessor and legendary CEO, Jack Welch, and Jeff’s story ascending to the CEO role. We discuss why Jeff decided to write the book about his time at GE, two things Jeff would have done differently if he had the chance to do them over again, and the digital push Jeff made as CEO. Lastly, we discuss what Jeff misses most about his time at GE, Jeff’s views on the global economy going forward, Jeff’s advice to younger individuals at the beginning of their careers, among a variety of other topics.