blackbird

Misinformation/disinformation is the number one global risk to organizations across the globe in 2024, as stated by the World Economic Forum.

In this episode, we dive into Narrative Intelligence with Dan Lowden of Blackbird.ai. Pay close attention as Dan demystifies the role AI plays in detecting and combating misinformation/disinformation (or what Blackbird calls "narrative attacks"), a serious threat currently facing numerous global organizations. 

Our discussion also reveals how a mission to safeguard digital communications from harmful narratives motivated Dan to join the dynamic team at Blackbird. 

Dan Lowden has over 20 years of strategic experience at the executive level and leads the marketing efforts for Blackbird AI. Blackbird AI protects organizations from narrative attacks that cause financial and reputational harm. 

Dan's work has helped lead to nine successful exits/acquisitions across cybersecurity, cloud computing, mobile commerce, Wi-Fi services, robotics, and mobile computing creating significant value for large enterprise and fast-growth companies.

This episode is a deep dive into understanding modern cybersecurity threats, AI's power in narrative attacks, and how responsive strategies can help businesses effectively tackle these challenges.

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Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/danlowden/

https://www.blackbird.ai/

More about:

Explore: https://hop.online/

Connect with Paris Childress, the Host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parischildress/

Subscribe for more insightful episodes: https://paristalksmarketing.transistor.fm/

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Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

02:45 Dan's take on a marketing myth-busting

04:57 How Dan has helped companies go through nine successful exits/acquisitions

07:55 Blackbird's marketing team & Dan's career story

15:41 Who is the bad guy in a narrative attack?

23:00 Manipulation & AI

27:20 Illustration of narrative attacks with a real example

34:56 Blackbird.ai, a trailblazer in Narrative Intelligence

Todo mundo sabe que o general Augusto Heleno, aquele mesmo, era o chefe do Gabinete de Segurança Institucional do governo passado. E, é claro, todo mundo sabe que o GSI tinha sob sua alçada o comando da Agência Brasileira de Inteligência. O que poucos tinham conhecimento é que a relação de Alexandre Ramagem, ex-diretor-geral da Abin, e o ex-presidente Jair Bolsonaro superava até as barreiras hierárquicas.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this special (live) episode #115 w Niki Scevak and Vince Allen, learn about:

• Source of Niki’s ambition
• Vince’s first meeting with Niki
• Dynamic of a university student as Vince was (Phd I might add) and Niki being more experienced in his career
• How they’ve helped each other in unexpected ways given the founder/investor relationship is built on a commercial agreement but is very personal
• Niki and Vince’s global cultural influences 
• Vince unpacks exactly how Australia can be the global leader in solar energy
• Twitter memes 
• The two shits (Yes, you read hat right)

It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!

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Email the host Vidit Agarwal directly at vidit@curiositycenter.xyz to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback. He reads every email. 

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Many years ago, when writer and musician Ray Young Bear was training his singing voice, he took a kind of vocal lesson from the blackbirds. “they have the most complicated song in the world — high pitches and low notes, and then it smooths out, then it kicks up again,” he says. “I would listen to them and try to imitate their singing.”

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. 

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BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.

Michael is Principal at Blackbird VC and helps uncover & invest in founders and innovation in Synthetic biology, Embedded commerce, Compute, Healthcare and Robotics.

In this episode #99, learn about:

• Sunrise in Melbourne having rich Italian heritage and influences, with his dad being a chemical engineer and mum starting out as a high school teacher and then becoming a financial planner and always being there for Michael and his younger brother.
• How speaking different languages is he perfect way to see through a clear window into a culture
• How he started his career in law and then utilised an inspiring learning path to move to finance and then into Venture Capital with Playground VC in the USA (which also has a story behind it) 
• Specific learnings of these 3 transitions and now being back in Australia with Blackbird
• Why Deep Tech investing fascinates him
• Distilling misconceptions about founders in Deep Tech
• 3 key traits to be a successful VC
• How he spends his perfect day off work 
• Michael's one strength and one weakness

It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!

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Contact us via OUR WEBSITE or email  Vidit directly at vidit@curiositycenter.xyz to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve! 

Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on iTunes and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show! 

Paulinha Carvalho e Isa Faggiani fazem um resumão de séries incríveis como a segunda temporada de Bom Dia, Verônica, Uncoupled, Paper Girls, Black Bird, Irma Vep e Turma da Mônica.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on iTunes and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show! 

Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter 

Contact Vidit directly at vidit@curiositycenter.xyz to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests and share feedback. 

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Welcome to episode #78 w Matt Allen! Here are 5 key takeaways you will learn from this episode:

1. How Matt found his passion for music and computers in high school

2. Why success at age 20 was building out his first startup, providing web based solutions for insurance companies

3. Balancing a conservative approach to finance with investing in high growth (and high risk) startups 

4. What is venture debt, how it's structured and when should founders consider it

5. The five active hall of fame investors in Australia / New Zealand to be in a room with

Please enjoy!

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TIMESTAMPS

02:28 - Birth place and residence now

03:16 - First job and various roles now

04:07 -  High Flyers under the radar

05:08 - eldest of 3 brothers and attending agricultural school

08:24 - Computer teacher being an influence

09:37 - Infamous blue hat

10:25 - Early days of the internet: building web based solutions for insurance companies

11:25 - Biggest unknown for startups in the 90’s

14:03 - Balancing financial conservative approach with investing in high risk startups

16:10 - Most painful learning

17:43 - First time into angel investing

21:30 - Process for getting to know founder / business from scratch

24:33 - Meeting thousands of founders at Amazon startups

28:02 - 5 people to have in the “active hall of fame investors” room

30:24 - Decided to be a founder again with Tractor Ventures

36:04 - Financial structure within Venture Debt model

38:23 - 3 use cases for a founder to consider revenue based financing

41:10 - Supporting the longevity of a company

43:42 - Building education in community about finance and debt

46:56 - Matt’s routines to balance his various roles

49:09 - Building and maintaining reputation

52:07 - How Matt got started making websites for bands

54:02 - final sprint

On today's episode of All in the Industry®, Shari Bayer's guest is Lynn House, National Spirits Specialist and Portfolio Mixologist for Heaven Hill Brands, a role she’s been at since 2019. Lynn has had a long and extensive career in the beverage industry. Her previous roles at Heaven Hill include National Brand Educator and National PAMA Brand Ambassador. She was a 2019 National Finalist for Best American Bar Mentor at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, as well as a 2017 and 2018 top four National Finalist in the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards for Best American Brand Ambassador. Prior to working at Heaven Hill Brands, Lynn served as Chief Mixologist at Blackbird Restaurant in Chicago. Today's show also features Shari's PR tip to be a true brand ambassador; Speed Round; Industry News Discussion; and Solo Dining experience at Russian Samovar, a family-owned Russian piano bar in NYC's Theater District, which stands with its family and friends in Ukraine.

Photo Courtesy of Lynn House.

Listen at Heritage Radio Network; subscribe/rate/review our show at iTunes, Stitcher or Spotify. Follow us @allindustry. Thanks for being a part of All in the Industry®. 

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Welcome to episode #67 w Niki Scevak! Here are 5 key takeaways that I think you will learn from this episode today:

1. How accessing his first internet modem in his childhood changed Niki's world
2. What is the source of his courage and ambition and seeking it in others
3. How does Niki structure his week to balance thinking, meeting founders and growing Blackbird?
4. Applying the Orchids and Dandelions concept to parenting and business
5. What prevents investors from making the first move?

BONUS: Starting Blackbird Ventures in 2012: out of 500 meetings, 97 people said yes to raise $29M fund

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TIMESTAMPS

03:05 — Niki quick facts

04:30 - High Flyer in Niki’s life

06:45 - Niki’s family unit and growing up in Newcastle

08:25 - How the internet very early on influenced Niki

10:00 - Source of being courageous and highly ambitious

12:15 - Learnings about successful characteristics in people

14:05 - Living in New York in the early 2000’s

18:10 - How leading thinkers like Peter Thiel have shaped Niki’s mindset

22:30 - How does Niki structure his week to balance thinking, meeting founders and growing Blackbird?

26:00 - Being out of his comfort zone in last 12 months?

28:35 - Niki’s insights on his framework to taking a meeting and pitch decks

32:40 - A career is not a 10 move chess match

34:10 - Applying Orchids and Dandelions concept to parenting and Blackbird

38:30 - Managing the dynamics with Blackbird going from the new kid to now one of the big players

40:15 - The key mechanisms that scaled Blackbird

45:10 - Media first investor landscape in the USA and Australia

47:35 - Providing value add as a board member

52:15 - What prevents investors from making the first move?

56:44 - Starting blackbird in 2012: out of 500 meetings, 97 people said yes to raise $29M fund

57:20 - Final sprint

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Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on iTunes and Spotify, as it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show and grow the show with sponsors and partners. 

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This show showcases relatable role models, re-imagining a high flyer to help you achieve your potential and be 1% better everyday!

Contact Vidit at vidit@curiositycenter.xyz

Hear from John Carroll, co-founder at Vexev: Imaging, reimagined in the fight against vascular disease and welcome to episode 3 of this new segment taking you inside topics, companies and industries. 

Please enjoy exploring your curiosity as I did mine through this conversation!

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KEY POINTS COVERED

03:45 - What does Vexev do?

06:10 - What is vascular disease and how it can affect you?

07:45 - How did John & Eamon get validation their solution can become into a business?

11:45 - How do you the medical ecosystem work to build support, find patients, build data points?

14:25 - What is the patient journey by using vexev’ product?

16:40 - How does the distribution model work to get it in the hands of patients?

19:05 - How they raised investment being new to the business world

22:50 - Transition from Phd researcher to operating a business

24:55 - Roles they are hiring for and how you can have a career in MedTech!

27:00 - Utilising the circa $10M capital for next stage

28:30 - Does the vexev tech replace the job of a vascular sonographer?

30:00 - Risks for heart attacks and strokes in our population?

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Find out more about Curiosity Center at www.curiositycenter.xyz 

Share your feedback or questions directly with Vidit at vidit@curiositycenter.xyz or via Linkedin / Instagram

Knowledge packed episode with the one and only Michael Batko! 

Batko was born in Vienna, Austria to polish parents and had quite a humble sunrise. His explorer love took him to Australia, where he’s been for the past 7 years in Sydney or Melbourne. A number of people I spoke to in the lead up to his recording spoke to Batko’s drive for excellence, his habits and routines and being a very reliable friend and colleague, hear about the secrets that have helped him become this person (worth noting, we can all do it, if we want to).

I learn something every time we speak so please do enjoy and let me know your thoughts! 

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TIMESTAMPS

—————

02:45 - Quick facts about Michael

03:40 - Re-imagining a high flyer

04:35 - Michael’s sunrise

06:00 - key influences

07:15 - Europe vs Australia attitude to life

08:44 - Heroes growing up

09:30 - Success in life at age 16

10:05 - Creating an impact on the world

10:50 - drive for excellence

11:36 - Brain use to process data, not store it

13:07 - Doing something new every week

14:01 - being lost in 2018

19:15 - painful learning

21:00 - 1%ers in last 2 years

23:25 - energy maintenance

24:50 - working with opposite personality

26:40 - great community building

30:20 - How does a startup accelerator make money? + Who does start mate help: 1) Work in a startup, 2) Found a startup, (3) Investors

36:05  - Productive relationships w 1000’s of people

39:15 - Turning idea into reality

41:00 - Setting goals for new year

44:05 - Founder to know

45:15 - Final sprint

***

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This show showcases relatable role models, re-imagining a high flyer to help you achieve your potential and be 1% better everyday!

Take flight into Tom's journey - Sunrise in Melbourne, with Italian influences including how his parents meeting at an Italian restaurant, his dad being a chef, and early memories of working in his family’s restaurant business learning how to take orders, process bills and more.

We go into Tom’s time working as a doctor including his

- reflections on spending 10 years in the public health system and advice to future medical students

- The moment that sealed the realisation that its time to go all in on Oscer, the company he’s founder and CEO at, building the next step in clinical training.

- Secrets picked up from treating patients for living a healthy life

and if you have an idea and not quite sure on how to turn it into a business - we spend 30 mins spent on how Tom started the business, Oscer whilst being a doctor, learning how to build a no code platform, finding engineers, learning about investment and how VC’s work through podcasts and online content and more!

TIMESTAMPS

02:48 - Quick Facts about Tom

05:45 - Tom’s sunrise in Melbourne (Italian heritage, family restaurant business)

09:33 - Heroes growing up

12:20 - Meaning of success at 16

15:00 - The decision to study medicine

18:00 - Realising it was time to change and go all in on Oscer

21:20 - Reflections on 10 years in medicine and if anything would have been different in hindsight

23:00 - Advice for future medical students

25:00 - most memorable experience as a surgical registrar and personal impact

29:40 - Secrets picked up from treating patients for living a healthy life

33:45 - how Tom started Oscer the business having mainly Medical experience, not commerce

34:20 - Creating the first online prototype with low or no code options

38:55 - ignore the business and focus on the problem and customer

41:20 - How Tom balanced doctor hours + building a business on the side

44:00 - Adding 1 to a measure of time, putting in the time to reach product market fit

45:40 - How to find engineers to build product and when to bring them into business

53:00 - The decision to consider VC funding and learning business metrics coming from a medical background

55:00 - Learning pitch process and VC funding through podcasts and online content (All in Podcast + The Pitch are Tom’s favourites)

57:00 - Investing time horizons and securing capital at early stage

1:01:17 - Biggest difference between surgeon and entrepreneur

1:03:45 - final sprint and parting thoughts

Enjoy!

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Stay tuned for the launch of CURIOSITY CENTER, coming in early 2022! 

I would really appreciate if you can help by rating this podcast on iTunes, as it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show.

Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter for more!

This episode & show is to inspire all us to be high flyers in any aspect of life & flip the notion of a high flyer, learning from value creators to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.

Take flight into Nick's journey -- You know those conversations, we all have them where you have so many questions but the discussion actually covers a lot of ground? That’s how this episode went.

Nick Crocker shares his idyllic upbringing in QLD, Australia (which for our global listeners that may not be as aware, QLD is Australia’s bush country, laid back with a big % of nature and bush. Hear about Nick’s adventure living in France at 17 that opened up his eyes to the world, foray into journalism and his passion for writing which led to discovering entrepreneurship and as Nick calls it “it was love at first sight”

TIMESTAMPS

04:04 - High Flyer in Nick’s life who may not have received the recognition

05:40 - Nick’s sunrise

07:35 - Benefits now reflecting on Nick’s countryside idyllic upbringing “rich in love”

09:00 - Nick in high school including passions, how teachers viewed him

10:00 - Hero’s growing up outside family unit

12:03  - Definition of success in life at the age of 16

13:23 - Nick discovering Entrepreneurship through journalism

15:50 - Nick’s writing on various topics (available online!)

17:10 - most painful moment (but learning in hindsight)

19:35 - most energising and fun moment

21:20 - Long distance relationship with his wife for 4 years (Nick in the US and Julia in Adelaide, Australia)

23:05 - experiences in the US founding sessions, selling it to Under Amour (and additionally integrating into US culture coming from laid back Australia)

25:03 - the motivation to come back to Australia after the US adventure

27:25 - Nick’s twitter reach out to Niki (blackbird founder) to meet for a coffee and how Nick views cold messaging now (1) does he still do it and (2) what makes him respond to one

30:10 - Importance of meditation in Nick’s daily routine

32:30 - Realisation of the weight of words and statements as a VC and board member

34:25 - Helping a young founder evolve and grow

36:35 - Favorite board member and why

38:00 - How does a Venture capital firm make money?

41:00 - Superannuation not being a savings account, rather it’s funding infrastructure, healthcare, education, startups and more

42:20 - Nick’s systems and habits to decipher what to read & consume online on various topics of interest

47:00 - Helping Australian athletes (AFL, Basketball etc) get into investing and mental shift required

51:30 - what separates a good VC from the pack

53:08 - Concept at PIXAR of comfort to fail whilst figuring it out (first 2 years of many Pixar movies are very average)

54:11 - The final sprint rapid fire questions

PEOPLE MENTIONED

Michael Batko CEO @ Startmate

Ben Hudson Executive coach

Matthew Dellavedova, NBA and Australian Basketball Athlete 

Matt De Boer AFL Athlete + Co-Founder of Athletic Ventures, athlete led investment syndicate in Australia

James Clear - Atomic Habits

Enjoy!

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Stay tuned for the launch of CURIOSITY CENTER, coming in early 2022! 

I would really appreciate if you can help by rating this podcast on iTunes, as it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show.

Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter for more!

This episode & show is to inspire all us to be high flyers in any aspect of life & flip the notion of a high flyer, learning from value creators to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vegas Film Critic (Jeffrey K Howard) speaks to Director Roger Michell for his new drama, Blackbird. 

In an alternate reality version of 2020, we might have spent damn near the entire episode celebrating the 45th anniversary of Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run.

Unfortunately, the 2020 we did get continues to kick us in the collective 'nards, then laugh as we gasp for breath.

This week alone, marked by senseless acts of police brutality & vigilante violence in Kenosha, and the RNC's funhouse mirror spin on reality, was nothing short of horrifically surreal.

The cherry atop the sundae of suck dropped on Sunday with the untimely passing of insanely talented 38-year old singer / songwriter Justin Townes Earle.

No, wait...as I type this the news just broke that Chadwick Boseman died. No! Not T'Challa! 

Rest in power, fellas.

We honor the late JTE this week with our extended 25-song mix tape. As we flip the tape, we take a brief intermission to spend a little quality time with the superlative new record from world-class interpreter of song, Bettye LaVette. Then we bookend the whole damn affair with a couple iconic moments from the aforementioned 45-year old classic album.

All this & much, much less!

Debts No Honest Man Can Pay is over 2 rock-solid hours of musical eclectica & other noodle stories. The show started in 2003 at WHFR-FM (Dearborn, MI), moved to WGWG-FM (Boiling Springs, NC) in 2006 & Plaza Midwood Community Radio (Charlotte, NC) in 2012, with a brief pit-stop at WLFM-FM (Appleton, WI) in 2004.