RIoT Underground

Imagine hiring someone JUST to walk your factory floor to check the mouse traps. If you’re a large facility *without* a pest problem, it’s a huge waste of time for someone to manually check all the empty traps. But for hygiene’s sake, you can’t *not* check them, just in case. Prime opportunity for IoT! Join us as we invite two members of Bayer’s Digital Pest Management team into RIoT Studios. Gael...

How secure do our smart lightbulbs have to be, and how does DOD cybersecurity research improve consumer devices? Which wireless protocols are leading the industry, and what's most exciting to telecommunications experts? Join RIoT Underground for a special episode with Spanalytics—including Spanalytics founder Mark Nichols and Senior Product Engineer Mike Smith—for a discussion about IoT, wire...

Meet innovator, startup founder, tech enthusiast, and unconventional creative DeShawn Brown. As the founder and CEO of Lithios and the inventor of apps like Coworks, DeShawn is already a serial entrepreneur—despite being only a few years out of school. At NC State as a prestigious Park Scholar, he combined a passion for technology, theater, and entrepreneurship. He then started his company, Lithio...

What's it like to be a healthcare startup in the IoT space? In the last of our three-part feature on RAP startups, join both VitalFlo and NIRSleep in the studio. These two startups share a behind-the-scenes description of their RAP experience plus updates on their startups.   VitalFlo's mission is to make respiratory patient management easy, reduce cost of care, and improve patient outco...

The second episode in our three-part series featuring startups that just graduated from RAP—the RIoT Accelerator Program. This episode features Purillume, a startup focused on smart lighting for better health. CEO Neeraj Lal shares what it was really like participating in a 12-week high-touch startup accelerator. Join us behind the scenes of RIoT Labs in the RIoT Accelerator Program.  Purillume is...

The next three episodes feature startups who just graduated from RAP—the RIoT Accelerator Program. RAP is 12 intensive, high-touch weeks, and these startups share what it was really like participating in a startup accelerator at RIoT Labs. This episode features Green Stream Technologies and Safe Zone. Join us behind the scenes of the RIoT Accelerator Program! Green Stream Technologies is an enviro...

You heard it here first! Bill Schrier - Senior Advisor for FirstNet, former CIO for the Seattle Police Department, former CTO for the City of Seattle - joins us to discuss how public safety is harnessing IoT.  And he shares how we (both citizens and public safety officials) might see public safety leverage IoT in the future. This episode is for all of us - Bill takes time to explain how citizens h...

As the world's population changes, how does product design and interface design change with it? And why is the 4th industrial revolution happening NOW - what's come together to make IoT possible? Industry veteran Tim Sweet joins us for a conversation about human-machine interfaces (HMI), usability, and human factors - scoping the discussion within IoT and the products that are pushing th...

Join us for a journey from 20th-century innovation to today. In the studio with us is Paul Peterson, Senior Field Applications Engineer for Arrow Electronics. Paul has a rich background in the semiconducter industry, and he brings that and more to our studio. Get ready for an episode that goes all the way back to the early days of Intel and Xerox, then forward again to the innovations Paul is seei...

In this episode, we bring you the sounds and pitches from RIoT Pitch Night - the event where the six startups from RIoT’s accelerator had their big graduation pitch night. We're breaking down what we saw, what went well, and what other startups can take away from these pitches - the things they can do and things they should avoid. If you like hearing about innovative startups, like thinking a...

In this second episode with Jamelle Eugene, CEO of Gryppers, join us as we learn what true startup life is like. We'll discuss everything from manufacturing and supplier hurdles to partnerships and the entrepreneurial mindset.  In our first episode with Jamelle, you heard the fascinating startup story of Gryppers. Join us for this episode to hear what it takes for him to keep this growing com...

Tune into the fascinating story of Gryppers, a company that started as one football player's idea.  This first episode in our series with Jamelle Eugene, CEO of Gryppers, we'll talk startup innovation and the origin of his company, which includes some throwback to Jamelle's football career at NC State. We'll also talk about the importance of a startup's MVP - a minimal via...

In our third and final episode with Amber Cobb, we discuss her twisty path into a career in tech. Not only is she open about the curious path that led to her role in the testing and certification industry, but she also shares some of the things she’s experienced along the way and offers advice for others who are going into a career in tech. Jump back to Episodes IV and V to hear our first episodes...

This episode comes to you from the middle of the Exhibit Floor at South by Southwest (SXSW). We discuss what it's like to be at this interdisciplinary conference in Austin, Texas and bring you some of the stories of tech and innovation that we've seen.  We talk about this by picking the brains of three guests, speaking to each from their booth at SXSW. First is Jennifer Bosser, Senior Bu...

In this episode, we’re coming to you from South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin. Our host Sarah Glova is joined by three guests, all fresh off a SXSW panel about IoT and Smart Cities - Tom Snyder, RIoT Executive Director; Don Coleman, CIO for Chariot Solutions; and Adam Covati, VP of R&D for Bandwidth. Their SXSW panel session audience was packed, and they sparked great conversation - so RIoT Un...

Our second episode in RIoT Underground's three-part series with Amber Cobb, we’re back discussing the vital world product testing and certification - but this time from a startup/innovation perspective. What do companies/entrepreneurs have to consider when developing a brand-new product? Amber knows - and not only does she share her experience, she also offers advice to innovators. Let’s jump...

Welcome to our bonus episode with Scott Turnbull. In it, Scott speaks with a few college interns, and we end up discussing something kind of crazy that happened in 1988. It’s an episode about how to build a community, and in many ways it’s a discussion about the impact of diversity. It’s a lot you don’t want to miss.  Scott Turnbull is an information technology leader with 25 years in academic, go...

We’re joined by Amber Cobb, who’s in the electrical and electronic manufacturing industry and an expert in Radio Frequency (RF). She works as an Account Executive at TÜV SÜD, and in this episode she’s pulling back the curtain on product testing and certification. Hear more of not just what she does, but also how this industry affects us in ways you might not have considered.  Amber Cobb, is an Acc...

Our second episode in RIoT Underground's three-part series with Scott Turnbull - we focus specifically on internet connectivity and the growing rural/urban divide - plus some exciting things municipalities are doing to fight back. Don’t miss it! Scott Turnbull is an information technology leader with 25 years in academic, government, and non-profit IT leadership. He has helped lead the Smart...

In this episode, we’re joined by Scott Turnbull, Director of Technology at US Ignite. Scott travels the globe working with cities on smart innovation projects. In this episode, he talks innovation - and the keys to making it happen.  Scott Turnbull is an information technology leader with 25 years in academic, government, and non-profit IT leadership. He has helped lead the Smart Gigabit Communiti...

You’ve found us! Welcome to RIoT Underground, the place where you hear from instigators who are changing the world with disruptive technology.  Our job? Pulling back the curtain. We talk to passionate disruptors about what they see, what they do, how they got to where they are, and what’s coming next.  Have you ever wondered how people drive through their mistakes, learning from them, and capitali...