Videos

Everything is a test: True or false?
In this talk, Krishna will walk through some of the experiences of building data-driven consumer products. He will walk over scenarios where you can use data to both build new product experiences, to measure how launched features are doing, to calculate early on what to invest your precious time on. He will present examples on where not looking at data did not help, and where looking at data opened up opportunities that were completely unknown before. In addition to real world examples, he gives a peek into how Pinterest has used data-driven approach for ever aspect of the product from user growth to building infrastructure.

« Fabbing the future »
Software is eating the world, but it still lives in hardware. The future of hardware is best seen as the porting of software analogies to the real world. Iteration, generation, simulation, compilation, etc. – all of these are moving into the realm of physical engineering. Nick will explore what’s driving the future of designing and building physical objects.

« Programmable money »
What if money had an (API) programming interface? What becomes possible when money becomes a protocol? What is possible in a world where anyone, anywhere can engage in commerce & digital contracts. A presentation on Bitcoin the Blockchain and the new infrastructure of value that open financial protocols might create.

« Getting new management without losing your soul »
For many companies, there comes a time when you need to bring on a new team. Early on, business is about hustle, finding the right product for the right market. But later, it’s about having the processes and best practices that let you scale quarter over quarter.
How do you retain the soul and vision of the company while bringing on the professional leadership that can help you grow? How do you balance the sustaining innovation that investors demand, with the proximity to customers that lets you adapt? And how do you structure the workforce and your operations in a way that helps you execute better without sacrificing the entrepreneurial hustle that got you there in the first place?
In this one-on-one discussion, Startupfest content chair Alistair Croll will explore these questions and more with David’s Tea founder David Segal.

« The return of the Village People »
Rather than a Star Trek future, a lot of technology trends are resulting in an anthropological regression with people living a 1910 lifestyle of living in a small home, choosing what hours they work, hitching rides, eating at small local eateries, growing their own produce, and many other facets. Where is this trend going and what does this mean for the technology industry?

« Commitment and sacrifices what makes it ‘strategy' »
Businesses are increasingly awash in data, and begging to guzzle down more, but the real thing holding back businesses of all sizes – from innovation, from growth – is the ability to commit to a vision and execute a plan, while sacrificing old habits and heuristics that aren’t helping.

« How to see the future »
As a journalist, author of “the future” book series (vol. 1 covers the future of technology, education, media, medicine, and the world released in January 2016), and a longtime cultural ethnographer for fortune 100 brands, Leah is focused on seeing the future. In this keynote laced with semiotics, stats, and personal stories, she helps audiences learn:

How to shift your POV and see like an ethnographer.
How to deepen creative intuition through curiosity and play.
How to see in fresh ways – and how that can change the course of your whole life