SHACK15 Conversations

Join us for an exclusive Author Talk with Guy Kawasaki. Guy needs no introduction but here we go - the chief evangelist of Canva and the creator of the Remarkable People podcast, who recently launched his book Think Remarkable. He is an executive fellow of the Haas School of Business (UC Berkeley), and adjunct professor of the University of New South Wales. He was the chief evangelist of Apple and a trustee of the Wikimedia Foundation. He has written Wise Guy, The Art of the Start 2.0, The Art of Social Media, Enchantment, and eleven other books.

In this podcast, SHACK15 member, founder and first CEO of Shazam - Chis Barton - is in conversation with us. Three-time startup founder, pioneer of mobile ecosystems at Google and Dropbox, and inventor of 12 patents including one found within the Google search algorithm, Chris is an incredibly charming personality. Shazam has been downloaded 2 billion times and was acquired by Apple in 2018 for a reported $400 million, making it Apple’s 6th largest acquisition of all-time. Chris is now building his third startup company which will detect drowning in swimming pools using artificial intelligence and computer vision. Tune in, and enjoy!

In this conversation, we have an illuminating discussion with Waymo co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov moderated by Sebastian Thrun who started the Google Self-Driving Car project back in the day, and is also the founder of GoogleX, Google Brain, Waymo and Udacity. Tune in as they dive into the story behind Waymo's fully autonomous cars, and the road that lies ahead in this fascinating industry that is changing the way we move in the world.

One year after a stimulating panel discussion with the climate justice org People Over Plastic, SHACK15 hosted an evening of conversation featuring anti-GMO activist specializing in traditional Hawaiian farming Josh Mori and Bay Area-based Native educator, cultural arts advocate and CEO of The Cultural Conservancy Sara Moncada. They shared their unique perspectives on food sovereignty as a pathway toward climate justice, including indigenous-led solutions to heal and restore the land. The conversation was moderated by People over Plastic Managing Director Yvonne Chen with opening remarks by SHACK15 member Shilpi Chhotray, who is also co-founder and executive director of People over Plastic.

Today, over 100 billion garments are produced annually for less than 8 billion people worldwide, a massive overproduction that places fashion in critical opposition with the planet’s natural capacity to support life on earth. On December 5th, SHACK15 hosted Remake Founder and CEO Ayesha Barenblat and a special guest, the labor activist Kalpona Akter, Founder and Executive Director of the Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity, who is known globally for her engagement with various international organizations including United Nations agencies, to bring greater respect to garment workers in Bangladesh. She is now one of the most high-profile union organizers in the global garment industry. Together, Ayesha and Kalpona brought attention to the injustices within the fashion industry, centered the voices of garment workers, and shared ways that you can advocate for a more ethical, sustainable future of fashion. The conversation was introduced by SHACK15 member and founder and CEO of Dhana Inc., Shamini Dhana.

After decades of suppression, psychedelic medicine is having a pivotal moment. At the forefront is soap company Dr. Bronner’s, which is among the first companies in the U.S. to offer Ketamine-Assisted Therapy as part of its employee healthcare benefits. Together with Enthea, which provides insurance coverage for psychedelic healthcare, and Flow Integrative, Dr. Bronner’s is helping to change the perception of psychedelic medicine in the workplace, and the world. A recent panel discussion about the future of employee supported psychedelic wellness included Elizabeth Kost, who works in branding and packaging for Dr. Bronner’s, Sherry Rais, who leads Enthea, and Christie Myers, who heads up Flow Integrative. Jen Nguyen of Teamwerc moderated the conversation. Let’s listen to their inspiring conversation.

Eleven months, nine tournaments, and $1.6 million in prize money all came down to one thing: the finals of the award-winning Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. SHACK15 hosted the Opening Ceremony in San Francisco's iconic Ferry Building on November 10th before the final battle to be the world's #1 online chess player began, hosted by Play Magnus Group and Meltwater, the title sponsor of the tour that has taken the chess world by storm. As part of the evening’s lineup, World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen spoke with Meltwater founder Jorn Lyseggen about what it takes to be the world's best. They explored what it means to cultivate the mindset of a champion, and the parallels between the worlds of chess and business. Let’s listen to their conversation.

The African tech scene has witnessed an explosion of innovation and growth in recent years with several impressive startups springing up all across the continent, a staggering influx of global talent and over 5 billion dollars raised in investment. From artificial intelligence, to the Internet of things, to blockchain, SHACK15 placed the spotlight on Africans using technologies in exciting ways to solve everyday problems and foster inclusivity. The conference on October 18 was presented in collaboration with MEST Africa in Ghana. MEST Africa is the non profit arm of the software company Meltwater, and was established in Ghana in 2008. It has trained and developed thousands of software entrepreneurs and provided seed investment to a lot of them. The conference highlighted the success stories and investment opportunities for technology startups in Africa, and why it’s important that Silicon Valley pays attention now. Part 2 focuses on How to Navigate Investments in African Startups, with panelists Lexi Novitske (General Partner, Norrsken22, Lagos Nigeria), Pardon Makumbe (Co-Founder and Managing Partner at CRE Venture Capital), and Aadil Mamujee (Founder, Musha Ventures, Kenya), as well as pitch sessions by Wi-flix Co Founder and CCO Louis Manu, Smile Identity CTO Cameron Gray, and Omnibiz CEO Deepankar Rustagi.

The African tech scene has witnessed an explosion of innovation and growth in recent years with several impressive startups springing up all across the continent, a staggering influx of global talent and over 5 billion dollars raised in investment. From artificial intelligence, to the Internet of things, to blockchain, SHACK15 placed the spotlight on Africans using technologies in exciting ways to solve everyday problems and foster inclusivity. The conference on October 18 was presented in collaboration with MEST Africa in Ghana. MEST Africa is the non profit arm of the software company Meltwater, and was established in Ghana in 2008. It has trained and developed thousands of software entrepreneurs and provided seed investment to a lot of them. The conference highlighted the success stories and investment opportunities for technology startups in Africa, and why it’s important that Silicon Valley pays attention now. Part 1 focuses on African Business Success Stories, with panelists Chika Nwobi (founder of Decagon), Omosalewa Adeyemi (Global Head of Expansion and Partnerships, Flutterwave), and Ngozi Dozie (Co Founder, Carbon).

On September 8, SHACK15 hosted the internationally recognized choreographer and the first black female choreographer to make works for the New York City Ballet, Sidra Bell, who was also a 2022 Djerassi Artist In Residence, in conversation with Alexander Djerassi, the program’s acting director, as well as Kristine Elliot, a former soloist of the American Ballet Theater. Sidra Bell’s career has spanned over 20 years and her choreography has been seen throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. She has created over 100 works, notably for BODYTRAFFIC, Ailey II, The Juilliard School, the Boston Conservatory at Berklee College, among many others. The Djerassi Resident Artists Program was founded by the late Dr. Carl Djerassi, the father of the birth control pill. Located in Woodside, California, the program sits on a 600-acre ranch established in a land trust for the program which is recognized internationally for its pre-eminence as an artist residency, and has provided over 2,500 artists with the gift of time and space to create since 1979.

Flying cars, teleporters, robot butlers, and geostationary metropolises are just a few of the tropes that have long been used as pop culture markers for cities of the future. But those imaginative notions rarely address some of the most pressing issues experienced by cities now, including an expanding income gap, growing homelessness and global climate change. Can we surmount today’s pernicious challenges and realize a shared, ideal future? Will tomorrow’s cities be more reminiscent of the shiny utopia of Star Trek or the bleak dystopia of Blade Runner? Will future cities even be identifiable as such? SHACK15, Manny's, and SPUR presented a conversation diving head first into this pertinent question, with leading architects and urban planners Peter Calthorpe, Kristen Hall and Shilpi Kumar. Here to introduce the panel is Manny Yekutiel.

How do we mainstream the story about plastic, climate, and environmental justice? SHACK15 hosted the People Over Plastic BIPOC Storytelling Collective’s first story salon with leading voices in the fight for a more just and equitable future. With 99% of plastic coming from fossil fuels, People Over Plastic believes conversations about the climate crisis AND the plastic crisis must center people of color and indigenous voices who are most impacted from it. At a recent panel discussion, we listened to stories from renowned environmental attorney and thought leader Patrice Simms, river protector and Trump border wall plaintiff Tricia Cortez, and a community organizer defeating big oil, Goldman Prize winner Sharon Lavigne. The conversation was moderated by globally recognized communicator and plastic pollution expert Shilpi Chhotray.

On February 15th, SHACK15 hosted a panel conversation about the current state of innovation, legalization, history and opportunity of the burgeoning psychedelic field. The ongoing progress toward legalization of psychedelic-assisted therapies in the United States is arguably one of the most important scientific and societal revolutions of our generation. Listen to experts from the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies, Journey Colab, Mimosa Therapeutics, and Mindlumen.

SHACK15 collaborators Nkechi Njaka and Cory Tauber, who goes by the artist name Tauwoo, speak about their background and what led them to create the RESONANCE meditation series that is currently being offered bi-monthly at SHACK15. With respective backgrounds in music and neuroscience, Cory and Nkechi talk about what meditation means to them, and the importance of practicing mindfulness. They spoke about how the wellness field has changed in San Francisco and beyond in recent years, and how Nkechi prefers the term “well-being” in describing what she and Cory offer with RESONANCE.

On November 17th, SHACK15 hosted a conversation with member Shamini Dhana about circular fashion and the launch of her new company, D/Sphere, with filmmaker Greg Hemmings and Investor Somshankar Das. The panelists discussed turning the $500 billion dollar value of global textile waste into circular fashion, while propelling the next digital fashion movement.

On October 6, 2021, SHACK15 member Emma Riley moderated a conversation on climate displacement and creative impact with leaders in entertainment, media, and tech. The conversation focused on how storytellers can highlight this crisis and be a part of future solutions. Panelists included author Jesse Byrd, Daily Overview founder Benjamin Grant, and People Over Plastic producer Shilpi Chotray.

Who’s profiting off of your personal data? Listen in on a timely discussion between Gil Ruiz, Senior Advisor to New York Senator Kirsten Gilibrand, Lou-lee Sanney, Policy & Strategic Communications Advisor with the Day One Project and Matt Prewitt, President global non-profit, RadicalxChange Foundation as they shed light on the importance of protecting your data and the dangers of clicking those “I agree” boxes too quickly. Moderated by Erik Rind, Founder & CEO of ImagineBC.

Award winning engineer, activist, author and economist, James Felton Keith joins Erik Rind, Founder & CEO of data privacy company ImagineBC, to unpack the fascinating and timely global movement aimed at creating a more ethical and equitable data economy. James and Erik share their expertise while empowering our audience to take the reins on their personal information online and provide them with the tools to control and even monetize it.

Remote work has increased overall interest and reliance on digital tools that enhance collaborative and individual productivity however, not all of them are created equally. In this episode, founder and CEO of new mindfulness and productivity app Centered, Ulf Schwekendiek speaks with engineer, founder and author of popular business advice newsletter, Lenny Rachitsky to discuss his new holistic approach to productivity, the reason why his app proudly stands at the intersection of productivity and mindfulness, the ever-evasive idea of flow state and the widely untapped power behind the combination of mindfulness, productivity and tech.

How can we make diversity more than just a buzzword? Pamela Newkirk, award-winning author of 'Diversity, Inc.' and time-honored journalist with The Guardian, The Washington Post and The New York Times shines a bright light on the diversity industry, asking the tough questions about what has been effective–and why progress has been so slow. Along with moderator Charles Trevail, host of the 'Outside In' podcast, Pamela discusses the vast gap between the rhetoric of inclusivity and real achievements, opportunities to deliver on the promise of true equality, and how we can all contribute to combatting enduring racial attitudes.