Innovation For All - Diversity in Tech and Business Innovation For All, Sheana Ahlqvist

Cassie Betts is the founder of District2.Co, a technology company that connects brands/designers with factories to streamline the manufacturing process, and Made In South LA (MISLA),
a DevShop Academy. Hear how Cassie went from being homeless to being called “The Woman Turning South LA into Startup Land” by Forbes.
You'll hear

How she went from coding her first computer game at 9 to being homeless at 19, and how she turned that all around.
How do you help protect the poor from being displaced through gentrification?
Why more money should be spent on technology bootcamps instead of other diversity initiatives.

Note: This episode uses includes explicit language and includes some difficult topics about Cassie’s past that may be uncomfortable for some listeners. Please use your discretion.
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Note: This conversation was recorded before the COVID-19 Pandemic and the death of James Floyd.

Paul Tasner, Co-founder and CEO of PulpWorks and more recently, Co-founder of Sort, has more than 40 years of operations experience. He has held leadership positions in ventures ranging from start-up to Fortune 100. For the past decade, his focus has been on sustainability. Paul’s corporate affiliations include The Clorox Company, Clif Bar, Method Products, and Hepagen Vaccines. He has authored numerous papers and presentations on supply chain sustainability and currently lectures on this subject in the MBA Programs at San Francisco State University and Golden Gate University as well as the Packaging Engineering Department at San Jose State University. He holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Boston University.
In this episode you will learn:

How PulpWorks manufactures packaging for consumer goods using fiber waste
The story of Paul Tasner starting his first business at age 66
The perks of being your own boss as an entrepreneur
The specific challenges PulpWorks faces in securing new customers
How to pursue investors in the competitive city of San Francisco
Critical questions to consider for people nearing retirement that want to start a business
How recycling is an answer but not the answer
Why Paul is envious of the millennial mindset
How rejecting plastic can make a difference
What Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is and how EPR regulations could impact society
Paul’s new tech-based recycling business

Note: This conversation was recorded before the COVID-19 Pandemic and the death of James Floyd.

Jimmy Chen is the Founder and CEO of Propel, a software company that aims to fight poverty through technology. They are the creators of the Fresh EBT mobile app, which enables EBT cardholders to manage their benefits, save money through grocery coupons, and find jobs. Fresh EBT is used by over 2 million low-income Americans across the country. In this episode of Innovation For All Podcast, Sheana learns why Jimmy decided to start Propel and use the tools of Silicon Valley to address social issues around poverty.
In this episode you will learn:

Why Jimmy Chen decided to focus on building tech for low income families
What is Propel and Fresh EBT
Why start with the food stamp program to battle poverty
How does Propel get the experience and empathy to solve problems they might not understand
What is the process for getting usable information from users
What are the logistical and general obstacles faced by Propel and how are they overcome
What are some misconceptions about the food stamp program
Where else can the private sector make a difference and what are the challenges

Original air date: 8/21/19
Note: This conversation was recorded before the COVID-19 Pandemic and the death of James Floyd.

Dr. Marcia Chatelain, author of Franchise: The Golden Arches In Black America discusses the complex history of McDonald’s in black America with Sheana. She explains how the civil rights movement impacted black business ownership and how franchises, like McDonald’s, can be both an economic win and financially limiting for low-income communities.
Note: This was recorded during the early days of the COVID pandemic.

Amplio Recruiting is a company that helps companies hire people from the refugee and immigrant communities. How does the CEO help refute and calm the fears of potential employers? How does he ensure that vulnerable people aren’t being taken advantage of? And what has made his business so successful? Find out with Sheana in this episode of Innovation for All Podcast.

Note: This episode was recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Can AI really change the world? Or are its developing algorithms formalizing social injustice? When these highly-technical systems derive patterns from existing datasets, their models can perpetuate past mistakes.
In this episode of the Innovation For All Podcast, Sheana Ahlqvist discusses with David Robinson the threats of social bias and discrimination becoming embedded in Artificial Intelligence.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

What is the role of technological advances in shaping society?
What is the difference between Machine Learning vs. Artificial Intelligence?
Social Justice Implications of Technology
What are the limitations of finding patterns in previous data?
How does should government regulate new, highly technical systems?
The need for more resources and more thoughtfulness in regulating data
Examples of data-driven issues in the private sector.
Removing skepticism of regulatory agencies in examining data models.
Authorities should remember that there are limits to what AI models can do.

David is the co-founder of Upturn and currently a Visiting Scientist at the AI Policy and Practice Initiative in Cornell’s College of Computing and Information Science. David touches on how government regulatory agencies should examine new AI models and systems, especially as the technology continues to creep its way into our day-to-day lives. David discusses the importance of “ground truthing.” David emphasizes looking at a technology’s capabilities and limits before deciding on whether decision makers should implement it.
Get shownotes for this an every episode at innovationforallcast.com or find us on Twitter @inforallpodcast.
Original air date: 12/26/18
Note: This conversation was recorded before the COVID-19 Pandemic and the death of James Floyd.