Forging The Future with Chris Howard
Join Chris Howard, Founder and CEO of Softeq, as he interviews knowledgeable leaders in the innovation spectrum, including CEOs, CTOs, R&D professionals, and start-up founders. Real conversations, technology, and processes of bringing new ideas to market.
76
Redefining Innovation for Today’s Entrepreneurs...
Ashok Rao, Board Director of GOOSE Capital and multi-time startup chairman, brings his financial and capital expertise to the show to talk about the “entrepreneurship virus” and his opinions on innovation. As someone who has been at the forefront...
25 min
77
Transforming Students into Young Professionals ...
Allie Danziger, CEO & Co-Founder of Ampersand Professionals, brings her unique entrepreneurial experience to the pod to talk about shortening the skills gap between education and employment. As someone who benefitted from early opportunities at...
33 min
78
The Recipe for a Thriving Startup Ecosystem wit...
This week, Chris talks with Natara Holloway Branch about how she went from accounting in the NFL to being the CEO of Houston Exponential, which supports startups and founders to make entrepreneurship more accessible for Houstonians. They also touch on...
32 min
79
Big Problem Solving and Hypergrowth Startups wi...
This week, Chris welcomes Jon Nordby Head of Ecosystem and Community at MassChallenge. After working in a variety of positions in Houston, Jon saw the need for a thriving startup ecosystem in the city. He worked for Houston Exponential and Startup...
39 min
80
Revolutionizing Decarbonization at Venture Hous...
HX Venture Fund takes over this episode as Managing Director Sandy Guitar and Venture Partner Aleece Hobson talk about their revolutionary fund of funds and the impact it’s having on the Houston tech ecosystem. Alongside their everyday work with...
30 min
81
Propelling the University Innovation Equation w...
Chris welcomes Paul Cherukuri, Professor, Chief Innovation Officer, and Vice President of Innovation at Rice University. Paul has integrated his experience and education in science and technology at Rice, spearheading the university’s...
28 min
82
Revolutionizing the Wearable Tech Industry with...
Erik Korem, Sports Scientist and Founder of AIM7, joins the pod to talk about finding valuable recommendations and results from wearable devices like Apple Watches. With a passion for sports technology and a desire to make data analysis accessible for...
30 min
83
Finding Your Indestructible Startup Founder wit...
Sunny Zhang, Founding Partner at Born Global Ventures, Marketing Professor, and Founder of TrueLeap, joins the pod to talk about the many professional hats she wears and how they help her contribute meaningfully at her venture studio. As a part of an...
37 min
84
Bridging the Gap for Female Founders with Artem...
Diana Murakhovskaya, Co-Founder and General Partner at the Artemis Fund, joins the pod to talk about supporting women-led startups at her female-founded venture fund. Born in Ukraine and raised in New York, moving to Houston and starting Artemis Fund...
26 min
85
Fueling Innovation in Houston’s Thriving Ecosys...
David Gow, CEO of Gow Media and SportsMap Tech Acquisition Group, joins the pod to talk about telling the stories of Houston at CultureMap, SportsMap, and InnovationMap. With a background in sports radio and a passion for embracing Texas’ local...
37 min
86
Debunking the Success of Spray & Pray Investing...
Ben Narasin, Founder and General Partner at Tenacity Venture Capital, joins the pod this week to talk about his journey from young entrepreneur to seasoned investor. Instead of a spray and pray investment approach, Ben takes pride in Tenacity’s...
31 min
87
Discovering the Next Generation of Robotic Engi...
Forging the Future goes on the road to the FIRST Robotics Competition to meet 3 robotics professionals pioneering the industry and giving back to the next generation. Logan Farrell of Rugged Robotics, Greg Needel of Rev Robotics, and Andy Baker of...
46 min
88
Walt Disney Imagineering Magic Comes to FIRST R...
Greg Johnson and Mark Mesko, Imagineers at Walt Disney Imagineering, attend the FIRST Robotics Competition and talk about the important link between FIRST kids and future Imagineers. Combining creativity, technology, and collaboration, Greg and Mark...
14 min
89
Flying Helicopters on Mars with NASA’s Dave Lavery
Dave Lavery, Program Executive for Solar System Exploration at NASA, takes listeners out of this world and on a journey across the surface of Mars. Dave is responsible for building one of the first flying robots on Mars, the Ingenuity Helicopter,...
27 min
90
Fueling the Future of STEM with FIRST's Barbara...
Chris sits down with Barbara Gomez de Navarro who brought FIRST to Mexico and interviews competitors at the FIRST world tournament for this special episode. Barbara shares her and her family’s story bringing FIRST to Mexico, which provided...
38 min
91
Revolutionizing STEM Learning for Kids with FIR...
Dean Kamen, Inventor and Founder of FIRST, brings his STEM knowledge to the pod to talk about getting kids engaged in science, technology, engineering, and math. In a society that encourages and emphasizes sports and the arts, Dean wants to make sure...
29 min
92
Revolutionizing Therapy for ALS and Alzheimer’s...
Chris interviews the leaders of Coya Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company based in Houston revolutionizing the push for effective neurodegenerative disease therapies. Coya went public with only five team members after working with world-renowned...
27 min
93
Taking Houston’s Startup Ecosystem Skyward with...
This week, the pod welcomes James Phelan, Co-Founder and Chief Evangelist of the startup accelerator, Village Insights. James also owns his own product Budapop, is the CCO of Univrso, and serves as the Managing Director at Founder Institute Texas,...
23 min
94
Telling Houston’s Innovation Story with The Ion...
Jan Odegard, Executive Director at The Ion, joins the show this week to take a deep dive into the innovation ecosystem of Houston, Texas. As the center and anchor, The Ion has changed the landscape of the Houston community, providing a unique 16-acre...
28 min
95
Teaching Entrepreneurship Early with Lemonade D...
Bailey Kinney, Executive Director of Lemonade Day, joins this week to talk lemonade stands, teaching entrepreneurship early, and making an impact on kids in the community. Since joining Lemonade Day, Bailey has helped reach tens of thousands of kids...
27 min
96
Diversifying Your Portfolio & Learning to Speak...
Muema Lombe, angel investor and Softeq Venture Studio advisor, gets on the mic this episode to talk about setting yourself up for investment success and navigating the complicated, mistake-ridden environment of startups. With his upcoming book, The...
23 min
97
Going Passwordless with Allthenticate Featuring...
Chad Spensky, Founder and CEO of Allthenticate, joins the pod today to talk about his path toward founding Allthenticate, building a Houston business, and why passwords are on their way out the door. On the business side, Chad talks on Houston as a...
25 min
98
5 types of capital your business needs
Flying solo this week, host Chris Howard tackles the 5 types of capital that you need in order to support your business. From relationships to finances, intellectual ideas to the people working in your business and supporting your endeavors, capital...
11 min
99
SXSW Part Three: Ecosystem Builders Mashup
SXSW tackles ecosystem innovation in this Forging the Future episode at SXSW in Austin, Texas. Hear from Murat Uralkan, Natalie Harms, and Paul O’Brien about the exciting advancements in medical tech (medtech), marketing communications (marcomm),...
30 min
100
SXSW Part Two: Start-up Mashup
Chris Howard tackles the startup crowd at SXSW in Austin and encounters experts in the innovative fields of sportstech, biotech, healthtech, and pettech. In these fast-paced interviews with Lydia Davies, Taci Pereira, Blaine Killen, and Ken Ehrman,...
30 min