Barriers to Entry

This week the gang welcomes German-born innovator and Founder of the notable A&D digital publisher Architizer and New York-based HWKN Architecture, Matthias Hollwich, for a wide-ranging discussion on business, innovation, Web 3.0, designing in the Metaverse and more. From how broken legs make you more social to handing our future over to (hopefully) intelligent machines, you won’t want to miss thi...

The gang is joined by COOL HUNTING creative duo and fellow SURROUND Podcast hosts, Evan Orensten and Josh Rubin, for a dynamic conversation on their journey from curious technologists in early Web2 to being 20 year vets chomping at the Web3 bit. Tune in as we dive into their insights about being early to building in a new space, the implications for A&D helping to design entirely new worlds, and c...

On this episode of Barriers to Entry we welcome the Director of Design Technology for Global architecture powerhouse HOK, Mark Cichy! A former professional athlete who grew up architecture and technology obsessed, Mark joins the pod to go deep into what the team at HOK are exploring, peppered with predictions for the future and important calls to action for the industry.  Connect with Mark Cichy o...

This week the gang is joined by Tom Puukko, the serial entrepreneur and founder of wallcoverings disruptor, Feathr, as well as new metaverse-focused startup, Superdwell. Tune in for a discussion that touches on everything from the conditions that uncover the opportunity to create new products, to the state of early adopters of metaverse in the A&D industry to Phil Collins helping to sell chocolate...

Love is in the air on the pod as the gang celebrates Valentine’s Day and spreads the love by welcoming SVP of Product and recently-appointed Head of Metaverse, at Crate & Barrel, Sebastian Brauer. Bringing together experiences from the worlds of both design and technology, the discussion ranges from the experience of being first to market, the approach Crate & Barrel is taking to learn before they...

On this episode of Barriers to Entry we’re joined by a true pioneer of Web3 in the design industry: Michael Beneville, Founder and CEO of Beneville Studios, Chief Creative Officer at AREA15 and the Chief Creative Officer at Vatom. Michael’s, journey into exploring the metaverse began nearly a decade ago, and he shared his insights in a thoughtful and inspiring discussion focused on the evolution o...

Pod meets pod on this episode of BTE as we’re joined by the host of Design Nerds Anonymous on the SURROUND podcast network, and President of ThinkLab, Amanda Schneider. Amanda knows her stuff and has the data to back it up, so the gang does their best to keep up in a wide-ranging and fast-paced discussion where we cover everything from the future of the design industry’s workforce to the metaverse...

Welcome to 2023! To kick off the new year, Digital Strategist and Web3 Lead at MillerKnoll, Chris Coleman joins the gang. Chris Coleman is a collector of things - physical and digital - and is bringing that passion to his role with one of the largest players in the A&D industry. Tune in as Chris shares some efforts MillerKnoll is focusing on, his independent Web3 work with Spritely, and why he bel...

On this special 'holiday' episode of Barriers to Entry, we welcome former EVP at ABC Carpet and Home and Founder of THE INBTWN STUDIOS Colleen Newell! The whole gang was actually in-person for the first time as Colleen shared her fascinating project that brings together physical spaces with virtual, mixed reality and beyond. Grab an eggnog and join this conversation that spans from an inspirationa...

On this episode of Barriers to Entry podcast, we're joined by President and CEO of Heller, Inc and admitted New York Knicks fan, John Edelman. In a wide-ranging conversation, John shares his views on everything from NFT and IP ownership, to the possibilities for the impact of authentic design in the Metaverse, to the future of work, the ethics of tanking in the modern NBA, and beyond.   A must-lis...

For our season premiere of Barriers to Entry, we welcome our guest Jaime Derringer, Founder of Design Milk, NFT artist, and currently the Head of Community at Tonic, a new fine art NFT platform for creators. On this episode Jaime shares what it was like to be one of the Web2 pioneers, the similarities she’s experiencing in Web3, and the curiosity it takes to be leading the charge at the brink of n...

Introducing Barriers to Entry, a SURROUND Original podcast. Each episode, we'll get into it with the leaders, the designers, the early adopters, and the influencers who are helping to shape what web3 will mean for the architecture and design industry. Along the way, we’ll cut through the hype cycle and demystify all things web3, while laying out the real-life implications and applications for our...