Rhetoriq

Beyond companionship, another challenge facing older population is the loss of mobility and the ability to drive. A few years ago, Justin Boogaard started GoGoGrandparent to help older adults maintain their independence by accessing on-demand services like Uber & Lyft without a smart phone. As with many entrepreneurs in the longevity ecosystem, Justin started his journey with a personal story – of the need for an accessibility solution for his grandmother. Srin Madipalli, our guest in this Shades of Grey episode, started Accomable (acquired by Airbnb in 2017) to solve a personal challenge, and to raise the profile on the needs of the disabled. Arun Krishnakumar describes how he passed on Srin's funding request, only to find them acquired by Airbnb in a year's time. Theo, Arun and Srin discuss the reasons behind the founding of Accomable, the growth that it saw in the market, and how the acquisition came about. Srin is now a global ambassador for Airbnb, and travels the world shouting out the nee

Thanks to the relentless work and advocacy from many men and women, gone are the days when banks required a woman applying for credit to have her husband co-sign, or when companies could legally fire women for being pregnant. However, as a society, we still have ways to go to get to any sense of 50/50 equality. In this episode of Shades of Grey, Arunkumar Krishna Kumar and Theodora Lau talk to Ramya Joseph - the CEO and Founder at PEFin. Ramya has made the transition from Proprietary trading at Goldman Sachs to founding the world's first AI based financial advisor.As we continue the digital journey, algorithms are increasingly instrumental in determining societal outcomes. It is more imperative that ever that our tech teams, in banking, technology, healthcare, and beyond, include a mix of people with different life experiences and backgrounds, to spot when biases might skew the outcomes, whether by unconscious or thoughtless omissions. After all, “AI is created by humans, for humans,” as beautifully

Despite increased awareness of gender equity issues, and commitment by various executives and industry leaders, progress towards equality appeared to have stalled. Is it really a lifestyle choice, or is it born out of necessity (i.e. constraints), perhaps due to lack of affordable childcare, flexible work arrangements, and outdated cultural norms that women should bear the primary caregiving responsibilities – of children and older parents? In this episode of Shades of Grey, Theodora Lau and Arunkumar Krishnakumar speak with Catherine Flax, CEO of PEFin. Catherine made her transition to the startup world after several successful years at Wall Street. The discussion focuses on her transition from Wall street to the start up world, and the take aways from there. The conversation then moves into the Venture capital industry and the biases that a woman founder faces. Unless women are being appointed into the senior roles (in banking, VC, and tech alike), no substantial changes will occur. And it’s not j

What happens if the world actually runs out of people? While you may not fully subscribe to this point of view, we all need to start paying much more attention to the needs of its fastest growing segment of our global population: those households that are over the age of 50. As aging itself is far from homogeneous, the solutions we create today to serve the needs of our aging population will determine our future quality of life. Our very future is at stake. In this episode of Shades of Grey, Theodora Lau and Arun Krishnakumar talk to Bradley Leimer, Co-Founder at Unconventional Ventures. Brad shares insights from his travels in Asia and compares the innovation of the West to that emerging from the East. The discussion moves on to what the challenges and opportunities are in an Ageing world, especially in countries like Japan and Italy.The challenge of east vs west in regard to opportunities for financial services is one of scale, from physical health to financial wellness. Technologies such as automation

As we live longer and the cost of healthcare increases, where would we turn to for support? For many, that responsibility falls largely on their family members. More often than not, these caregivers are those that belong to the sandwiched generation, ones with their own family and children that they are taking care of. In addition to helping with daily chores, many also provide financial support, with monthly contribution averaging $403, according to the latest study by RBC Wealth Management. In this episode of Shades of Grey, Theodora Lau and Arun Krishnakumar talk to Evin Ollinger, CEO of Golden. Evin is an executive with high growth track record in startups and Fortune 500 companies. He has led two companies to successful exits namely, DistribuPro and Chronos Software.Evin describes his journey to founding Golden, and his vision of the firm. Imagine if your loved ones end up in the emergency room, and you were to take charge of their financial obligations, would you know what bills they have and when

At the end of 2018, the Impact investing market had grown to $228 Billion. The standard ways of measuring performance of an investment using Risk and Returns is being enriched by another dimension of performance measurement - it's Impact. The three dimensional methodology of measuring the outcome of a business is gaining popularity amongst the younger generation.In this episode of Shades of Grey, Arun Krishnakumar and Theodora Lau speak to John Lloyd. John is the Chief Marketing Officer at ClearlySo, Europe’s leading impact investment bank, working exclusively with businesses and funds delivering positive social, ethical, and/or environmental impact as well as financial return.John discusses his journey to ClearlySo and how he moved to London from Florida, after an MBA at Columbia. They also discuss the opportunities and trends in impact investing, and the differences between Europe and Americas in this field. Listen in for John's insights on impact investing. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-ou

Fraud detection is complex and the amount of data that needs to be mined and analyzed is massive. AI shows great promise in being able to move from detecting fraud after the fact, to predicting and preventing it before it happens. This will serve to minimize the financial exposure of the older adults, and preserve their dignity.In this episode of Shades of Grey, Theodora Lau and Arunkumar Krishnakumar talk to Liz Loewy, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at EverSafe. Eversafe leverages historical financial behavior across different bank accounts to build personal profiles, and analyzes daily transactions to identify anomalies including missing deposits and late bill payments, which can be indicative of potential cognitive decline, and likelihood of falling victim to financial exploitations. Suspicious activity alerts are then sent out to both the older adult and his/her designated “trusted advocates”. Liz, Theo and Arun discuss how critical it is to protect the ageing population from financial frauds

As Ron Shevlin eloquently puts it, “consumers are not looking for a new savings account; they are looking for help to save”. Joining us in this episode of Shades of Grey, Sarah Morgenstern, Principal at Omidyar Network. Theodora Lau and Arun Krishnakumar discuss the Impact investment landscape and Sarah's thoughts on investment opportunities focused on longevity.Gone are the days where we work in the same full-time corporate job and retire with pensions. Across all generations, more than a quarter of workers in the U.S. are engaging in freelance or short-term work arrangements in some capacity, sometimes with multiple employers. And the number is expected to increase.Mary Meeker reported that freelance workforces is growing three times faster (at 8.1%) than the growth of the total workforce (at 2.5%). Financial services must move beyond being deposit gatherers to actively solving the day-to-day financial challenges of consumers, and shepherding them towards a more financially secure future. After al

According to AARP, more than 10 million people aged 50 and above live in poverty in the U.S., and more than 37 million are just one life event away from slipping into it. Amongst those who are 65 and older, more than twice as many women as men live in poverty. And the problem is even more acute for African American, Hispanic, and Native Americans.In this episode of Shades of Grey, Theodora Lau and  Arunkumar Krishnakumar talk to Paolo Narciso, VP AARP Foundation. After 36 years of leading companies in the Education, Financial Services, Technology, and Government sectors to drive rapid revenue growth and scale, Paolo still has so much enthusiasm with a vision to eradicate poverty and inequality.To move the needle on poverty will require partnership between private and public sectors, including vehicles to help workers earn a living wage and save more. It will also require a change in mindset, and a substantial increase in financial literacy that must begin at younger age.Listen in for insights from Paolo'

“When you get to be my age (93), just to hear another person’s voice gets you through the day. I never thought I’d get to see this in my lifetime.”When it comes to the next big disruption, voice technology is undoubtedly one of the mosttalked about. And no one is more enthusiastic about this than Dave Isbitski, Chief Evangelist, Alexa at Amazon. Theodora Lau and Arun Krishnakumar speak to Dave about how voice is now starting to be the new user interface. According to Dave, voice will be transformative in how we conduct our day-to-day lives. Not only does voice technology allow us to meet people in the moment, it brings generations that were not exposed to technology together – the young and the aged. It provides children with access to information even before they can read or write, and older adults with a digital companion and connection to the outside world. Above all, it provides them a sense of empowerment that they otherwise wouldn’t have had.While voice is the new user interface – it is only one of

Shades of Grey is a podcast about living. This season of Rhetoriq is hosted by Arun Krishnakumar, Theodora Lau and Bradley Leimer.It is a collection of stories from a diverse universe of entrepreneurs and thought leaders, using their collective power and intellect to change the narrative of aging. It is a testament that technology and innovation should be inclusive and age-agnostic. It is a call for action – for the society to not to just focus on the short-term gains, but on what can be done for the long-term well-being of all.If all aspects of our lives are changing, then why not the way we plan and manage our finances? As innovators, how do we design products with all people in mind as we age – so that we can bring communities and generations closer together? And how do we leverage emerging technologies such as voice, artificial intelligence, and advanced data analytics to create solutions that address the challenges of an aging demographics – where nearly a quarter of all caregivers in the U.S. are millen

In this episode of Blockchain and Financial Inclusion, Arun Krishnakumar and Efi Pylarinou talk to Kavita Gupta - Managing Partner at Consensys Ventures. In her role at Consensys, Kavita also manages Tachyon - an incubator programme for Blockchain startups using Ethereum.The discussion covers the core areas of focus for Consensys Ventures, and some of the investments they have made in the past, and the overarching thesis they have for their investments. Kavita touches upon her views of Blockchain in the emerging markets, and highlights that many firms they have worked with at Consensys ventures and Tachyon are based out of emerging markets, and have tremendous technology potential along with a market to go after.Kavita also shares her vision of Blockchain in Governments, and how a Blockchain based tax system could potentially have significant impact in markets such as India. We close the conversation with her views on the cryptocurrency ban in India, and why she felt Blockchain was still a big opportunit

Our special guest for this episode of Blockchain and Financial Inclusion is Sandra Ro, the CEO of Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC). Sandra, who is ex-banker, with several years of experience on the trading floors of London, became a believer of Blockchain in 2012. She wears several hats in her journey within Blockchain for Social Impact.Efi Pylarinou and Arun Krishnakumar discuss several topics with Sandra starting from her involvement in Blockchain for farmers. Sandra explains how the on-the-ground challenges faced by farmers in Africa was an eye opener for her, and provides insights based on hands-on experiences in these markets.The discussion touches upon a practical example of how farmers in Senegal benefited from getting their assets on Blockchain. The transparency and trust that the information sitting on a network, allowed them to access further opportunities, globally.Sandra discusses the origins of GBBC - in Sir Richard Branson's island in 2016, and how the working model has benefited enterp

Luis Buenaventura joins us for this episode of Blockchain and Financial Inclusion. Efi Pylarinou and Arun Krishnakumar join Luis, who is the Chief Strategy Officer at Bloom Solutions also an avid Crypto-Cartoonist.In this episode, they discuss the "reBittance" market in Asia - particularly Philippines. The term reBittance was coined by Luis years ago. Philippines is one of the biggest markets in the world for remittance with an annual volume of $2.5 Billion. Luis highlights the challenges that small ecommerce businesses face in the Philippines due to the lack of payment infrastructure at the end consumer. Through his personal experiences, Luis and Bloom identified a gap that Blockchain could resolve. Initially starting with Bitcoins, Bloom subsequently moved on to Stellar Blockchain.Bloom have now managed $100 Million in Remittances in the corridor, and have expansion plans across other remittance corridors. The discussion also covers why in its current state, the remittance market still requires some of

In this episode of Blockchain and Financial Inclusion, Eduardo Salazar, Founder of Forctis joins Efi Pylarinou and Arun Krishnakumar. Eduardo shares his views on the impact of Blockchain and Cryptocurrency in Latin America. With on the ground experience in the inflation hit continent, Eduardo explains the challenges that businesses and people there face. The experience in 2001 when crisis hit Argentina was going through hyper-inflation, was the driver for Eduardo to look at the merits of Blockchain. We discuss the concept of getting assets on to a Blockchain and how a token representing different assets can eventually be used as a medium of transaction.The discussion moves on to Stablecoins, and the reasons that Eduardo and his team are looking at it for their platform. That is then followed by the controversial Petra, and what impact it could have on Venzuela's economy - if any. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode of Blockchain and Financial Inclusion, Christian Heyner, President of 1Bank4All joins Efi Pylarinou and Arun Krishnakumar. Christian has decades of experience in financial services, and has several years of experience in sustainable and green investing.Christian discusses the launch of the Green bond, that his team is planning to launch with the Luxembourg exchange. He elaborates on the investment thesis of the bond, and how institutional investors would benefit by participating in the bond offering.The discussion moves on to the strategy that Christian's team have for the expansion of 1Bank4All. He also explains how he plans to use Blockchain alongside his core banking capabilities at 1Bank4All.He also discusses his plans to providing banking services to the unbanked, and how his business model has been tweaked to serve the bottom of the pyramid. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How can Blockchain help the global workforce? Sergei Sergienko, CEO of Chronobank joins Efi Pylarinou and Arun Krishnakumar for this episode of Blockchain and Financial Inclusion. With his background in the recruitment industry, Sergei and his team at Chronobank, based out of Australia, have created a Blockchain based ecosystem for the workforce. Sergei shares the reasons that inspired him to start Chronobank and why he is convinced Blockchain would help him scale his business globally.Sergei explains why he thinks it would be an excellent use case for stable coins, and how the token valuation would be driven in and across different economies. We discuss Chronobank's emerging markets strategy and the reasons on why they are best suited for the developing world.We touch upon Universal Basic Income and how/if Chronobank can help drive the concept to reality. We close the discussion with Sergei's plan for Chronobank's launch, and his preferences between the Northern and the Southern Hemisphere. See acast.co

AI and Blockchain - the killer combo. Mark Van Rijmenam founder at Datafloq, joins us for an exciting episode discussing trends in AI and Blockchain. Efi and Arun host this episode, where they discuss Mark's explorations across the globe.Mark is also a keynote speaker, a global citizen by his own admission, and is the Author of the book "Blockchain: Transforming Your Business and Our World". Mark also talks about his Doctoral research on how AI, Big Data and Blockchain can help businesses.The discussion then moves onto Silicon Valley and the monopoly of the big tech giants in the AI space, and how Blockchain is benefiting from hubs such as Crypto Valley, Estonia, and Gibraltar.We finally touch upon Mark's travels in Dubai, and how the government in Dubai are trying to evangelise governance using Blockchain, and his thoughts on if Europe can really be the Global hub of Blockchain based innovation.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

To regulate or not to regulate? The answer to that, when it comes to Blockchain and Cryptocurrency is pretty clear. The answer is Yes. How soon, how much and by who is not that clear.In this episode, Arun and Efi talk to Dr.Jane Thomason, the CEO of Blockchain Quantum Impact. Earlier this year, Jane was named one of the "Top 10 Digital Frontier Women" in the emerging blockchain and digital assets market by the Decade Of Women Collaboratory for her efforts to promote Blockchain for Social ImpactJane shares her experience on the projects she is involved in Asia. While the conversation starts to explore Blockchain projects in Asia and their social impact, it soon moves into topics around regulations. Jane was at the OECD Blockchain Policy Forum, earlier this year, and she shares her thoughts on what the mood was around regulating Blockchain.Jane highlights the need for Blockchain education amongst public and government organisations, which will eventually help achieve impact at scale. See acast.com/privacy for p

Is Africa the world's last mile? In this episode Arun and Efi explore the African continent and opportunities for financial inclusion with Chi Nnadi, CEO at Sela Labs and Anton Mozgovoy, CTO at Humaniq.In this episode Chi brings his views on how Blockchain can help the culturally decentralised Nigerian economy. We discuss the challenges that the biggest African nation has culturally, politically and economically have and how Blockchain can help.Anton brings his first hand experience in bringing financial inclusion to 500,000 African consumers. He discusses, what works and what doesn't and the trends he has noticed in Humaniq's growth within Africa.Towards the end, we have an interesting Rapid fire round where Chi describes his coffee preferences - don't miss that one.With inspiring entrepreneurs like Chi and Anton, Africa feels like an opportunity where leap frog moments could happen almost every day.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.