Finding Genius Podcast

Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, HBUS is the exclusive US strategic partner of Huobi. With more than $50 billion's worth of virtual currencies traded, Huobi is one of the world's leading virtual currency service provider. HBUS believes that distributed ledger technology, or blockchain, is about more than virtual currencies and ICO tokens. For just as few could have foreseen the rise of social media when the Internet emerged three decades ago, the most revolutionary digital assets built upon distributed ledgers are likely yet to be conceptualized. It is with this vision in mind that HBUS strives to be a reliable and efficient marketplace for a rich selection of high-quality virtual currencies so that our users can be part of the open and competitive market that discovers blockchain assets with genuine potential to revolutionize the future of finance.

Samiron Ray, principal of Comet Labs (cometlabs.io), provides an overview of the interesting AI-based startups that are emerging in the marketplace and how his company selects who to back. Comet Labs is a venture capital fund that was founded in 2015 that invests primarily in early stage artificial intelligence and tech companies that are stepping in pace with some of the world's largest industries. To date, Comet Labs has invested in 35 companies in this space. Comet Labs' senior leadership believes that AI and robotics will allow humans to rethink how industries perform and accomplish tasks. Samiron Ray states that increased computing power, large volumes of data, deeper research, and advances in generative adversarial networks have supercharged the landscape. And Ray's company is interested in how robotics can advance many types of businesses, including some of Comet Labs' traditional investments in agriculture, transportation, insurance, and others. Ray explains how AI can assist established companies with automation but also transformation with new workflows, from assisting sales with follow-ups and engagement to tasking and streamlining. In terms of their investment strategy, Ray explains that Comet Labs looks for companies that have a team of strong technologists with a deep understanding of their industry and what it takes to sell into that industry. Additionally, they look for extremely valuable technology that could provide large returns as well as companies with proprietary data advantages that have exclusivity. Ray acknowledges that some labor jobs will be lost, but he mentions that, although the media doesn't cover the topic, many new jobs will actually be created with advancing AI as well. For an AI moves into more industries, a need will arise for qualified personnel to train and maintain robots, to work creatively thinking of new services and applications for the technology. Ray discusses defensibility, and how they assess individual startups in regard to what makes them defensible against another, specifically speaking, what makes the company's data unique, valuable, and hard for their competitors to access. As AI training is based on data, Ray's company looks at, and favors, proprietary data over volume, for the companies they find interesting. And in regard to the training data for AI, Ray stresses the importance of explainability, in industries where privacy is concerned as they work with extremely confidential information, as well as bias issues that must be carefully examined. Ray explains that AI companies are not just streamlining and automating workflow, but are actually reinventing the core economics of industries. End to end strategies is of particular interest to Comet Labs as they consider where to make their capital expenditures. Personal passion from the founders, AI talent, knowledge of customer psychology, and industry expertise are four valuable qualities that Comet Labs looks for in emerging startups.

The Bioquark CEO provides an informative analysis of the study of biologic solutions to human health in the 21st century. Bioquark, Inc. is a life sciences company that develops proprietary, combinatorial biologic products for health issues, including the repair and regeneration of organs and tissues, as well as for reversion of degenerative diseases. Pastor's company looks to organisms in the natural world for clues to human diseases and conditions. Pastor's team is particularly interested in the complex regeneration process of the salamander, and select worms that can amazingly revert cancerous cells back to normal tissue. Bioquark's mission is to find the connection point that will bring these complex health processes in line with the study of human health, for advances that could help fight disease or perhaps eradicate it. The life sciences company seeks to take bold steps forward in the areas of neurology (for central nervous system damage, Alzheimer's, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord issues, etc.), cancer, and metabolic disorders (diabetes, and others). Pastor will provide an overview of their study of localized cells and why it's important to figure out the signaling and regenerative processes these cells use to grow new cells that are regionally specific. And he'll explain how Bioquark's work is furthering the historical study of the human egg, as the egg contains all the signals necessary to start its journey to become a human embryo. Ultimately, Pastor hopes to find ways to bridge the gap between what we know about organisms and their ability to regenerate tissue, and wound healing in humans. Finding the answers that lie within that gap may hold the key to startling advances in human health.

Altia Systems® is a venture-backed company based in Cupertino, CA., and is the creator of the PanaCast® system and software products. PanaCast® 2, the world's first Panoramic-4K Plug-and-Play camera system that delivers a 180° wide field of view, which replicates the natural human visual perspective. Funded by Intel Capital and other leading investors, Altia Systems' PanaCast 2, 2s, 3D VR and Live systems deliver real-time 180° Panoramic-4K, Panoramic-5K, and 4K 3D video streams from integrated, synchronized and optimized multi-camera arrays. PanaCast systems and Intelligent Vision (artificial intelligence) software products are used by more than 1,500 companies worldwide, including 400+ universities, for video collaboration, education, AR/VR, live broadcasting and machine learning for autonomous systems. PanaCast system devices are designed and assembled in the U.S. and have received prestigious awards such as CES Innovation Awards Honoree, Frost & Sullivan New Product Innovation, GOOD DESIGN award, Gartner Cool Vendor in Unified Communications, and more.

Nucleus is an Internet of Things (IoT) based customer identification platform that allows brick-n-mortar retailers to identify any customer who walks into a store, in real-time, using Nucleus' proprietary ION sensor technology. Nucleus ION sensors don't depend on any RFID, WiFi or Bluetooth, or even facial recognition technologies to operate. Nucleus empowers retail stores with the intelligence layer of customer data, that was till date only limited to online e-commerce experiences. Nucleus has spent 3 years in creating the world's first IOT based contactless customer identity management system (over blockchain) while building the largest universal loyalty program using crypto-currency. Retailers are slowly evolving from fearing smartphone-toting shoppers who "showroom" (browse products in-store and then purchase online, often from competitors) to exploring new ways to connect with them to enhance the in-store experience. Nucleus empowers retail stores with the intelligence layer of customer data, that was till date only limited to online e-commerce experiences. The Internet of Things (IoT) is in your retail stores, buildings, home, in your car and phone, and, increasingly, on your body. It's connecting citizens to their cities, linking patients to health services, bringing companies in closer touch with their customers and capturing our imaginations. In Phase 1, Nucleus will focus on Brick & Mortar Retail, then focus on Physical Security in Phase 2, and evolve into a massively interconnected devices ecosystem in Phase 3. Founded in 2014 at Harvard University, Nucleus (formerly known as Bell Boi Inc) is backed by Tim Draper, Reliance Capital, IndusAge Partners and several other prominent industry players. Nucleus has over 30 employees spread across San Francisco and India.

Jason Yanowitz - Co-Founder at BlockWorks Group joins Future Tech Podcast to discuss the blockchain revolution, value chain, and his company BlockWorks Group. BlockWorks Group is a blockchain event and advisory group. Their mission is to separate fact from fiction in the emerging blockchain space. Through events, advisory work and network of accredited solutions providers, They act as a strategic partner for companies looking to understand how blockchain will impact their business.

Carnegie Mellon biomedical engineering professors Steven Chase and Byron Yu provide a stimulating overview of computer-brain interfaces that could eventually lead to stunning advances for those who have lost control of movement, due to injury or disease. The professors' work is heavily focused on highly advanced computer brain interfaces that might allow a human to control robotic limbs, etc. simply by thinking. By studying the activity of neurons within the primary motor cortex, Chase and Yu seek to expand on recent successes to enable people who have ALS, stroke, or spinal cord injuries to take back control of some movement. As the professors explain, through this process, damaged tissue can be bypassed. They provide some details on the current clinic trial procedure that requires a surgical implantation of electrodes that essentially allows the patient to control functions via a plug. With as little as one hundred neurons, control can be achieved to some degree, but control of more neurons and further research will be necessary to perfect the computer brain interface to a level of sublime sophistication. The Carnegie Mellon professors detail some of the areas of interest and desired applications of computer-brain interfaces. As they explain, for example, stroke victims may lose motor control of one side of their body. And researchers are looking at the possibility of sending control signals to the side of the body where control has been lost from the same side of the brain that is still successfully controlling the intact side of the body. The work is complex and although thought can enable some control, this is not a complete solution, for as they explain, many of the computations utilized for basic tasks involving movement actually circumvent the thought process entirely. Thus, the conscious monitoring of motor control is somewhat limited. As the professors explain, reanimating limbs would be the ideal scenario, but stimulation of muscles often directly impacts fast twitch fibers more than slow twitch fibers, which, unfortunately, leads to rapid muscle fatigue. Therefore, much more research is needed to perfect these complex solutions to extremely complex problems. In their opinion, the next decade will deliver clinical translations, as devices will be used for therapy for select types of patients, for control of spelling devices, for control of cursors to allow for computer usage, and also for wheelchair control. However, it may be a long time before advanced robotic control is delivered such that the computer brain interface can offer absolute control of robotic limbs, possibly with sensory input that is sent back to the brain. And ultimately the Carnegie Mellon professors hope that brain-computer interfaces will allow researchers to learn and understand the intricate workings of the human brain.

Jonah Sachs, author of Unsafe Thinking, provides a detailed discussion on how we typically face changes in our world. As Sachs describes, the world is changing rapidly and while most of us realize that we need to grow and adapt, and ultimately evolve with these changes, doing so can be quite difficult. Humans love predictability and pattern so the question remains, how do we make room in our lives for change and for rising challenges? How do we embrace these changes and break through to new innovative ideas and concepts? Sachs discusses the 'backlash effect,' which occurs when someone shares evidence with another that directly contradicts that person's beliefs. The person, upon seeing the evidence, will actually dig in their heels and believe even more strongly than before, in spite of the contradictory evidence. Sachs states that although millions upon millions of dollars have been spent to find ways to persuade people, new science suggests that the best and most effective technique for success is for individuals or groups to discuss the values and beliefs that they do share, and how those can bring them together. Sachs mentions some of the great blunders in which companies failed to see what was about to happen in their own industry as change became imminent. He mentions the transportation industry's inability to see peer-to-peer ridesharing on the horizon, and Blockbuster's inability to foresee internet and streaming revenue. Sachs discusses the potential key to success in business—significantly more investment in future innovation, and less investment in past successful business models and practices. As he explains, many times business leaders feel anxiety over change and innovation and instead of allowing it to challenge them they fall back upon past successes. But the key might simply be to allow these anxieties to fuel our creativity and boldly embrace change. The change author explains that starting slow may be the way to move forward, and how experimentation could unlock real successes. Low arousal moments could be important time slots to enhance our creativity and let new ideas flourish, but often in our culture we fill these moments with social media or other things that obstruct us from advancing new ideas. For it is sometimes actual down time, such as a shower or a long run that allows innovative ideas to burst forward. Sachs discusses how companies should be willing to create work environments that encourage pushing new ideas forward, allowing for unsafe thinking that creates challenges in a work environment that is no longer mired in old business mindsets. Risk taking and allowing employees to disagree and break rules can lead to major success. Sachs relates how being an explorer is actually much better than being an expert. Sachs states that growth and learning truly expand when we do things that we're terrible at, as the challenges guide us to new ways of thinking. The author explains how spending time with those who disagree with us, as opposed to those who share our beliefs, can open up new avenues of thinking and help us grow much more than we probably would expect. Unsafe thinking isn't so much about literally going off the rails, but it is in fact about pushing ourselves deeper into challenging areas and mindsets that are more difficult, perhaps far outside of our comfort zone.

Samira Kiani, M.D. (PI), leads an eye-opening discussion on the groundbreaking medical advances that could be on the horizon with gene editing. Dr. Kiani is the principal investigator at Kiani lab located on the campus of Arizona State University. She holds a doctorate degree (M.D.) from Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Dr. Kiani gained extensive experience in CRISPR/Cas9 technology while working toward her post-doctorate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Integrative Synthetic Biology. Kiani studied the development of synthetic gene circuits used to reprogram various functions and general behavior of mammalian cells based on the advanced CRISPR/Cas9 technology. As Dr. Kiani explains, gene editing, specifically changing the sequence of DNA is not a new concept; however, the tools used to study gene-editing processes were expensive and perhaps cost prohibitive for some labs. But the CRISPR/Cas9 technology ushered in a new era, as gene editing could now be done rapidly, and at a much lower cost. CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats. With gene editing, Kiani states that the technology could allow researchers to repair or disable genes. By using CRISPR, Kiani and other researchers are able to work with double-strand DNA breaks. Dr. Kiani provides an overview of the Cas9 protein, which is a DNA cleaving enzyme that can be manipulated and targeted to any specific DNA sequence via a small guide RNA (gRNA), and it can be adapted for gene editing and gene regulation alike. With the advancing technology, researchers are able to more closely approximate nature, in terms of how genes perform and enact double-strand breaks in literally any specific location. The potential for CRISPR technology is immense, as the technology would make it possible to potentially provide the correct template to a cell and repair mutations that are causing a particular genetic disease. The gene editing expert explains that researchers are interested in different forms of CRISPR as each bacteria has its own unique set of CRISPR; thus there is great enthusiasm to learn more about CRISPR that targets RNA, that is simpler, or smaller even. The possibilities are limitless as scientists expand their research, looking for new genes that could fight cancer, disabling genes to understand their specific function, and in vivo experimentation in animals to study how to defeat diseases. Dr. Kiani discusses in detail what is known in the research world as 'guide RNA,' which essentially functions as a select protein's legs, to take them to the precise location where researchers desire to begin their work. As she explains, the CRISPR technology holds immense promise for human applications but the coming years will see more refinement to address current safety concerns for its uses within humans. As clinical trials are scheduled for everything from blindness to liver disease, gene editing technology experts are extremely hopeful that the answer to complex disease problems could be an edit away.

Ted Tieken, the founder of Keto and Co, delivers an overview of the ketogenic diet, its incredible benefits, and his personal story that pushed him toward a career in food and nutrition. After studying economic development at Harvard, Tieken ventured into management consulting, but had to abruptly exit his career due to a chronic pain condition. On the advice of a friend, Tieken tried the keto diet to help manage his chronic pain, and to his great surprise, his pain decreased dramatically, his energy increased, and his thinking even became clearer across the board. The results were obvious and Tieken was a believer. Thus, Tieken's fibromyalgia was the impetus for his enthusiasm about the ketogenic diet, and with results so dramatic, Tieken was moved to make this his work, to bring the many benefits of a keto diet to the public. Through intensive study and research, Tieken came to the conclusion that keto could be part of the answer to the question, how do we get back to a completely healthy food supply. His goal was clear—to make the ketogenic diet low sacrifice, delightful, and well known. From shakes to sweeteners, breads to dry rice products, and even brownies, Keto and Co seeks to provide foods that people love but can also keep them in a ketogenic diet so each and every person can enjoy the many benefits that keto can deliver. And as Tieken states, he wants his company to simply be a provider of tools, not to tell someone how to live their life, and in line with that Keto and Co chooses to provide products that work with the diet as opposed to selling the diet and associated counseling. Tieken discusses whole food keto versus net carb keto diets and how each can offer benefits. With whole food keto, dieters are allowed a specific amount of carbohydrates daily, which they can take from whatever source they choose. Tieken subscribes to the net carb camp. He states that whenever an individual eats below a certain amount of carbs for four days straight, their bodies will begin to manufacture ketone bodies, which are water-soluble molecules such as acetoacetate and beta-hydroxybutyrate. Ketone bodies exist in small amounts in the blood of generally healthy people during a fasting period or during extended exercise and are vital in terms of sparing glucose utilization, as well as reducing proteolysis. The brain cannot use fatty acids for production of energy when levels of blood glucose are compromised, thus ketone bodies can intervene and deliver a different and extremely viable source of energy to the brain during extended fasting. As the ketogenic diet becomes more prevalent in the medical community for treating diabetes and obesity, Tieken seeks to take his company further, by providing useful nutrition and diet information, and an extensive line of products for optimum human health.