A Few Things with Jim Barrood

We discussed a number of things including: 1. State of female entrepreneurship   2. Funding outlook including blockchain and crypto/NFT trends 3. Their personal experiences as female leaders in tech 4. Talent pipeline challenges 5. Victoria's new book, Digital Goddess   Kelcey Gosserand is the Program Director, Developer Advocacy for North America at IBM. Kelcey is the City Leader and Program Dire...

We discussed a few things including: 1. AI trends and how companies are leveraging it 2. The challenges and opportunities with AI 3. AI concerns including bias 4. Tero's new book, Platform Strategy Tero is CEO and Co-Founder of Silo. AI, the largest private AI Lab in Nordics. Silo. AI transforms businesses using AI and machine learning. He is Chairman of the Board and Co-Founder of Vision+ Fund, e...

We discussed a few things including:  1. eSports/sports tech trends  2. How the funding of companies in this sector is changing  3. How fans are investing in their favorite athletes  4. Online betting and fintech integratiion into sports industry.  5. The intersection of crypto/NFTs and sports  6. Deven's startup, Prediction Strike  Kai is a partner at Courtside Ventures.  He is a:  3x Founder – m...

We discussed a few things including:  1. Cybersecurity trends  2. Forecasts for the future and how companies should best prepare  3. Talent pipeline challenges  4. Paul's latest cyber startup, Calamu  Paul Lewis is the Founder and CEO of Calamu, an innovative company providing next-gen, ransomware-safe data protection software. A serial cybersecurity entrepreneur with more than 30 years in the ind...

We discussed a number of things including:  1. State of the entrepreneurial community in the region and worldwide  2. Investment outlook in various sectors in short and medium term  3. Advice for entrepreneurs as we look to the other side of the pandemic  Steve has been a technology investor for over twenty years. Steve’s interests are in enterprise software (particularly applications of AI/ML), i...

We discussed a number of things including:  1. Ways that businesses and new startups can survive  2. Best practices for entrepreneurs and small business owners  3. Role of academia, government and nonprofit sectors  Panelists: Marjorie Perry is President and CEO of MZM Construction Management Co. She is widely recognized as an innovator, public speaker, writer and role model for women and minoriti...

We discussed a number of things including:  1. What innovation is happening now in the communications sector during crisis  2. Tell us about the Vonage turnaround and its response to COVID  3. Discuss what disruptions you see ahead  4. Career advice for young people  Sanjay Macwan is SVP, Enterprise Engineering & Networks and Chief Information Security Officer at Vonage. He joined the company in 2...

We discussed a number of things including:  1. Valley Health's response to the COVID-19 crisis  2. How this pandemic has created an extraordinary opportunity for innovation and learning  3. The use of AI in tracking data related to pandemic infections and patients  4. How the virus has affected Dr. Brenner personally - symptoms and recovery  Dr. Brenner is the President of Clinical Integration and...

It was great to chat with Wayne Tamarelli, a fascinating angel investor who also funds Broadway shows.  As a CEO, entrepreneur, private company owner, and public company officer Wayne's 40+ years experience have encompassed general management, entrepreneurship, new ventures, mergers and acquisitions, advanced materials, electronics, environmental protection, specialty chemicals, energy conservatio...

We discussed a few things including:  1. His academic and entrepreneurial journeys  2. Axtria's tremendous growth, new funding and unicorn status  3. Working with his brother  4. Building company culture in a WFH environment  5. Career planning insights for all ages  Jassi is President and CEO of Axtria. He cofounded Axtria with the vision of building cutting-edge analytics and software solutions...

We discussed a number of things including: 1. Best practices in times of crisis for IT leaders  2. Managing up, across and down during time of uncertainty  3. Communications with enterprise, vendors and customers  JP Saini is CIO at SOS Security. He is a C-Level Business Leader and Technologist with the passion and leadership talents necessary to transform technology into a strategic business part...

We discussed:  1. Growth of sports tech, eSports, betting; impact of crisis on sectors  2. Raising funds and managing a startup during a downturn  3. Advice for entrepreneurs in these unprecedented and challenging times  Wayne is a sports tech venture capitalist, entrepreneur and author of Six Degrees of Wayne Kimmel. He is the Managing Partner of SeventySix Capital, the venture capital company he...

We discussed a few things including: 1. Managing stress 2. Olympic athletes and Tokyo 2020 challenges 3. Emotion detection and Emotional Intelligence 4. Tips to improve performance; avoiding Zoomitis 5. Psychological safety and productivity 6. Bonus: Online dating hack Dr. King is the founder and director of BioPsychAnalytics and has a PhD in Human Behaviour and is an Emotional Intelligence and Pe...

We discussed a number of things including: 1. How the Corporate Venture Capital sector has weathered the pandemic 2. The outlook in CVC sector in short and medium term 3. Advice for entrepreneurs and innovators in these disruptive times 4. His experience relating to the invention and launch of a new board game 5. Answers to your questions David is the Founder and CEO of Touchdown Ventures. Touchdo...

We discussed a number of things including:  1. New product development in the female healthcare space  2. Innovation at large and small healthcare companies  3. Current state of funding and support for healthtech startups and female founders  4. The road to inventing and launching a new product for women  Rachel is a champion for women’s health and a pioneer in the space, where she has passionatel...

We discussed Steve's impressive journalistic background and then the dynamics, historical and current, in the battery and electric vehicle industries, domestically and globally. Steve LeVine is Editor of The Electric, a publication on the future of batteries, electric vehicles, and the new mobility.  The Electric is owned by The Information. Sign up for the pilot: https://www.theinformation.com/ne...

We discussed a number of things including:  1. Kim and Abran's community leadership background  2. State of the STEM talent pipeline  3. What new initiatives are you excited about  4. Trends and opportunities in 5G, AI, and VR/AR Kim Case is Vice-President of strategic communications firm, CN Communications. At CN, she provides consulting services in the areas of media relations, strategic communi...

This chat with Robert Van Varick notes how he and Michael Graves Architecture & Design approach the design process.  He also highlighted a neat product he recently designed for the fast-growing BBQ cooking space. With the firm since 2003, Rob passionately believes design has the power to positively impact people’s lives.  His mission is to apply the right blend of research, psychology, creativity...

We discussed a number of things including:  1. Mike and Dom's entrepreneurial journeys  2. Their outlooks for the regional business/entrepreneurial community  3. What they have learned during the pandemic  4. Advice for entrepreneurs  Mike founded Trajectify, a leadership and business growth coaching firm, in 2013 and has worked with dozens of companies, leaders and entrepreneurs.  His career was...

We discussed a number of things including:  1. Linda and Andy's entrepreneurial journeys  2. State of female and minority entrepreneurship in the region  3. Advice for entrepreneurs  Linda is the CEO of Leading Women Entrepreneurs and Force For Change NJ - initiatives created to commend entrepreneurs for their service, leadership, contribution to their communities and the state’s economic recovery...

We discussed a number of things including:  1. Ryan's entrepreneurial journey  2. Wunderkind vision and the outlook in the sector  3. What he has learned during pandemic  4. Advice for entrepreneurs  Ryan is the Co-Founder and CEO at Wunderkind, formerly known as BounceX – the leader in cloud-based behavioral marketing and the fastest growing software company in America. In 2015 he was named an EY...

We discussed a number of things including:  1. The state of the nonprofit sector  2. The state of the news and media sector  3. What innovations have occurred due to the pandemic  4. Resources and post pandemic forecasts for communities and economy  John co-founded the non-profit news site NJ Spotlight in 2009 on the belief that New Jersey needed an independent news and information source that foc...

Jeff is an award-winning global entrepreneur, proven CEO, worldwide motivational speaker, bestselling author, Hollywood film producer, a producer of a Grammy Award winning jazz album, and executive producer of an Emmy Award winning television show. In his career, he has been the founder of multiple startups, he has been the CEO of both public and private companies, and he has served as a senior ex...

We discussed a number of things including:  1. How the entrepreneurial community is faring  2. Investment outlook in the short and medium term  3. Advice for entrepreneurs in these unprecedented and challenging times  Joanne is a Principal at Newark Venture Partners, an early-stage venture fund that invests in Pre-seed to Series A stage B2B technology companies. A core mission of the fund is to es...

We discussed: 1. Loneliness and related health issues 2. How much has it increased during pandemic? What demographics have been affected? 3. What the effect is on our economy and society 4. Programs and resources available 5. Answers to your questions Dr. Julie Ancis is Professor and Director of Cyberpsychology at NJIT. Prior to this position, she served as the AVP for Institute Diversity at the G...