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  • Secrets of Private Equity

    Secrets of Private Equity

    · k/talks

    In this episode we have an interesting guest, and a just as interesting guest host – Marko Ketler, Senior Partner in our network, who specializes in M&A and Finance and has tons of experience in private equity. His guest is Brian Wardrop, Managing Partner at Arx Equity Partners, one of the leading private equity firms in Central Europe, and if you want to know how PE firms select deals and what they look for in transaction partners, we highly recommend that you listen to the new episode.

    Are we going to travel for meetings as we used to? Or is Zoom something that is here to stay; what will happen to working from home and working from offices; can we and when can we expect the post-pandemic recession – these are only some of the topics that we are covering in this episode of k/talks. You should also get recommendations for good books on negotiation or maybe secrets and lies in the Silicon Valley, to read this summer.

  • Banking Cord Blood

    Banking Cord Blood

    · k/talks

    Far too often, parents ask questions around cord blood banking. Most commonly, these two - one: should we do it, and two: which bank. To address this recurring topic, and one that can be incredibly important and consequential for families, we hosted one of the most knowledgeable authorities on this topic, Dr. Frances Verter.

    Dr. Verter founded the Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood in 1998, in memory of her daughter Shai. As a mother, a patient advocate and science researcher, she began compiling resources to help other parents make decisions on storing their children’s cord blood. As the body of knowledge around the clinical use of cord blood expanded, her work extended to those issues as well. The wealth of resources she has compiled addresses the questions from the beginning: whether parents should decide to bank cord blood, i.e. are there clinical uses for cord blood; and how to choose the right bank.Frances is also a cofounder at Celltrials.org, which collects and provides the data on clinical trials of advanced cell therapy.

    This episode is in English.

    Resources:
    - [https://parentsguidecordblood.org/en]
    - [celltrials.org]
    - [https://www.cekammiminko.cz/2020/10/05/vnucka-darovala-pupecnikovou-krev-svemu-dedeckovi/]

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  • AI: Trick or Threat

    AI: Trick or Threat

    · k/talks

    An MIT study showed that fake news travels six times faster on Twitter than real news. Different phenomenons occurring online are a powerful weapon and a fertile territory for spreading information based on a bias. Is AI a dehumanization weapon in the wrong hands or just a progressive tool? What is the cost of creating machine learning and similar algorithms?

    A grown and wild digital ecosystem based on an attention economy, engaging business model and behavioral advertising is editing reality thus becoming a vital policymaker. The utopic idea of the Internet and the existing perceptions of AI and robots, or as Meredith Broussard coined it Technochauvinism, is being challenged and rethought.

    Where lies a link between technology and justice? Is a relationship between competition and privacy laws on a good path? Why is ethics an important factor in the digital surroundings?

    In a new episode of the k/talks podcast with Ivana Bartoletti, a Technical Director at Deloitte and an internationally recognised thought leader in the field of responsible technology, we are discussing these and many more questions and concepts.

    Enjoy!

    More info about our guest at www.ivanabartoletti.co.uk

    Exclusively to our listeners, please see the discount code (KTALKS) for the purchase of the book “An Artificial Revolution” by Ivana Bartoletti (paperback, eBook or paperback and eBook bundle).

    This episode is in English.

    Books:

    Bartoletti, Ivana, “An Artificial Revolution”, The Indigo Press (2019) Broussard, Meredith, “Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World”, MIT Press (2018) Crawford, Kate, “Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence”, Yale University Press (2021)Dignum, Virginia, “Responsible Artificial Intelligence”, Springer (2019) Eubanks, Virginia, “Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor”, St Martin’s Press (2018) Pasquale, Frank, “The Black Box Society”, Harvard University Press (2016) Veliz, Carissa, “Privacy is Power: Why and How You Should Take Back Control of Your Data”, Transworld Publishers (2020)

    Movies:

    “Coded Bias“ – Director: Shalini Kantayya (2020) “Social Dilemma“ – Director: Jeff Orlowski (2020) “iHuman” – Director: Tonje Hessen Schei (2019)
  • Loading Dice

    Loading Dice

    · k/talks

    Nebojơa Đurđević is the CEO of Digital Serbia and chairman of Serbian Government's working group tasked with producing a strategy for strengthening the startup ecosystem between 2021 and 2025. To anyone expecting a dry conversation - this is anything but. Nebojơa emigrated from Belgrade in the early 90ties, spent most of his professional career in startups across the world, and then came back to Serbia in 2018 to lead Digital Serbia's efforts to help the country catch up in the global digital race.

    NebojĆĄa is a passionate collector of old-timers. More precisely, Citroen old-timers, for reasons we try to discover walking and talking around Belgrade. We move through downtown Belgrade, Kalemegdan park and the fortress, all the way to the Victor monument overlooking confluence of Sava and Danube rivers.

    All the way, we explore what makes startup ecosystems more or less successful, what role, if any, luck plays in that success and how combining collective experience from the most successful ecosystems, together with some of Serbia's unique advantages, can propel the local ecosystem even further.

    Learn more about Digital Serbia:

    WebsiteYouTube

    This episode is in English.

  • Go Big or Go Home

    Go Big or Go Home

    · k/talks

    What spirit makes a true entrepreneur? One not only ready, but eager, to go off-piste? Is it the allure of entrepreneurial mentality, proximity to ideas as soon as they are born, camaraderie with brilliant innovators? All of the above? And what makes people get their skin in the game, staking their money, reputation and time behind an idea or a team?

    Julien Coustaury is the founder and a managing partner at Fil Rouge Rouge Capital, one of the first local VCs active in the SEE region. He has over 20 years of experience in manufacturing and services, much of it at CEO level, and has worked in more than 80 countries across five continents. In his early career he travelled the world building mobile phone networks literally from the ground up, and as his career progressed, he ended up building whole mobile phone companies from scratch. During his career, he participated in over $1.7bn of purchase, sale and financing transactions. Afterwards he became an active founder of ABC Accelerator in Ljubljana. As a serial investor in early stage businesses, together with his partner invested in more than 40 early stage ventures, and he still serves on the boards of a number of them.

    In this episode, we talked about his early career and beginnings, entrepreneurship, his investment style and current experiences.

  • Legal Tech

    Legal Tech

    · k/talks

    Most people view legal profession as traditional and slow to adapt to ever present forces of technology and innovation. In some aspects they are right and there are good reasons for moving slowly. In its core, legal profession is intrinsically based on trust and human to human interaction. Equally important, it is a part of the justice system and as such it cannot afford itself the luxury to “move fast and break things”. But it does move. Lawyers use AI-based systems to enhance document review processes, they work with contract automation, regtech tools and other innovative technologies.

    So, it seems only natural to have Maya Markovich as a guest to discuss all things legal tech. Maya is the Chief Growth Officer of Nextlaw Labs since 2015. Nextlaw Labs is the industry’s first and leading legal technology and innovation catalyst and intelligence hub, focused exclusively on legal innovation via early-stage legal tech. With her unique background spanning behavioral science, law, investment, and change management, Maya currently leads analysis, collaboration, launch, and adoption of early-stage legal tech. In this episode we discussed the challenges and opportunities of innovation in legal sector, how it’s like to work with lawyers on developing legal tech solutions, and how can legal profession leverage tech lessons that other industries have already learned.

    Maya was named one of five “Influential Women of Legal Tech” by ILTA in 2020, a “Woman Leading Legal Tech” by The Technolawgist in 2019, and an ABA Legal Technology Resource Center “Woman of Legal Tech 2018” – you can follow her on LinkedIn.

  • Netocracy

    Netocracy

    · k/talks


    Do you remember how the regional startup ecosystem looked like without its big players, serious conferences, professional associations, extensive investments and specialized media? How did networking or the search for new sources of funding and support looked like ten years ago, in the absence of today's infrastructure? Leaving the secure job in companies in order to develop one's own business might look crazy back then, but how did successful examples affect future digital entrepreneurs


    Marko Mudrinić was a daily witness to these events. After he joined the netokracija.com as the editor for Serbia back in 2012, he distinguished himself as one of the leading IT journalists in Serbia, covering topics on Internet entrepreneurship, new technologies and digital trends. Marko shared with us his memories about the beginnings of the development of the domestic startup scene and IT entrepreneurship. Of course, we also talked about IT journalism, the future of the media and its specialization, what it is like to host a podcast, and many more.

    You can find out more about Marko on Netokracija.rs, or you can watch him as a host of Netokracija's "Office Talks" podcasts.

    The episode is in Serbian.

  • Drosophila Melanogaster

    Drosophila Melanogaster

    · k/talks

    (This episode is in Serbian)

    Why do we sleep? The answer can seem obvious to everyone - because sleep helps us to rest, regenerate, preserve energy for the day ahead
 However, the process that is so familiar to us remains among the most mysterious phenomena in biology – as a matter of fact, everything we just stated still remains at the level of the hypothesis.

    So why is sleep necessary for life? Dragana Rogulja teaches neurobiology at Harvard Medical School Blavatnik Institute of Neurobiology, has dedicated her career to researching the molecular mechanisms that govern sleep. For this purpose, Dragana and a team of scientists from Harvard examined Drosophila Melanogaster, because sleep in the fruit fly is remarkably similar to mammalian sleep. Dragana revealed to us that flies, in the absence of sleep, behave similarly to humans - lack of sleep leads to numerous disorders and diseases, even death. Through a conversation with Dragana, we learned not only about similarities between flies and humans, but we also heard in more details about her long-term research, which for the first time offered to science something more than hypotheses when it comes to question of our need to sleep.

    We encourage you to learn more about Dragana Rogulja's research at the following links:
    Rogulja Lab: http://roguljalab.hms.harvard.edu
    Article: "Sleep Loss Can Cause Death through Accumulation of Reactive Oxygen Species in the Gut: https://www.dropbox.com/s/08f6yh5o9792kzf/Sleep%20ROS%20Gut%20Alex%20Yossi%20Keishi.pdf?dl=0

  • Directing Innovation

    Directing Innovation

    · k/talks

    What happens when a mathematician shifts her focus on people, their motivation, their emotions and engagement with workplace? How does anyone effectively manage and direct innovation?

    Simone Van Neerven, a founder of reBel.la is the living proof that seemingly opposing things are more than compatible in practice. As a mathematician with a passion for people and tech, she was the Head of Innovation at Vueling Airlines, the leading Spanish airline. In the past years she has been building service design capabilities at Vueling to ensure best in class user experience in all its (digital) products and services. She has put human centered design in the heart of the airline's innovation strategy, ensuring the right balance between tech and human. After he founded her own company reBel.la in 2018, she also supported Chanel in Paris with their innovation strategy.

    In this episode of k/talks, Simone revealed to us a lot about what it takes for successful team management, what is laying on the intersection of innovation and motivation, and how to balance having your head in the clouds and keeping your feet on the ground at the same time.

  • Games of Chance

    Games of Chance

    · k/talks

    Who would you bet to win the Wimbledon final - Novak Djokovic or Borna Ćorić? What would be the quota for Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro or BiH to enter the finals of the World Cup? The Covid-19 may have hindered our intentions to support our sports favourites this summer, but we are still betting on one thing – sport will certainly remain the most important side thing in the world even in the situation of the “new normal”.

    In this bonus episode of k/talks we are covering the world of sports as one of the favourite summer topics. This time, our author Rastko Petaković (currently on his well-deserved vacation) got a replacement - his colleague Miloơ Vučković, a huge fan of sports, took us through current hottest topics in the world of sports. Miloơ’s guest in this episode is Dejan Kosanović, a marketing director at Mozzart, the largest organizer of games of chance in the SEE, with presence in the markets of Kenya and Colombia.

    MiloĆĄ and Dejan talked not only about the events and activities in the world of sports during the Covid-19 pandemic, but also about the latest innovations in the gaming industry, how the development of new technologies affects the future of sports, and how these industries will attract new customers in the future.

    The episode is in Serbian.

  • Design Thinking

    Design Thinking

    · k/talks

    Is there a magic formula for creating the products and services that people want? How should we think about our customers and their needs if we wish our product to be well received?

    In this episode of k/talks, my guest Marko Jevtić presented a concept of design thinking. Design thinking is a methodology that is successfully used both by startups and large corporations around the globe. It leads us to better understanding of our users, their needs and problems on one side, but also teaches us to how to test prototypes, find innovative solutions and adapt on the other. Companies that use the design thinking methodology describe it as the key to success not only in the process of innovation, but also in improving existing products and ideas.

    Marko Jevtić is the co-author of the book Design Thinking, which he wrote together with his colleague from Nordeus, Milovan Dekić. In Nordeus, Marko leads a team working on the game Top Eleven, a product that had over 200 million users. After completing Cotrugli EMBA studies, he also completed the LEAD program at Stanford University. Before Nordeus, he worked in marketing and wrote for various media. Marko revealed that design thinking is somewhat like cooking - after some time and practice, everyone finds their ideal recipe that suits them best.


    This episode is in Serbian.

  • Tesla Nation

    Tesla Nation

    · k/talks

    This year's edition of Startup Genome, published on June 25, brings two key results for the Serbian IT scene - the startup market of Belgrade and Novi Sad reaches a value of 502 million dollars, and Serbia ranks fifth among the analyzed countries in the number of blockchain developers. This research shows us not only how our ecosystem positions itself in comparison to other startup ecosystems in the world, but also allows us to map its key strengths and the weakest points.

    The guest of the 12 episode of k/talks is Vukasin Stojkov, one of the founders and director of Startit Center. Vukasin is certainly one of the pioneers in the development of the local startup ecosystem. Startit Center was among the first organizations which educated about the IT sector, new software and digital systems, new trends, values ​​and ways of thinking. With Vukasin, I tried to get deeper into the reasons for the success of the local startup ecosystem, but also to peek into the pockets of its untapped potentials. We also touched on the Tesla Nation, a project started with the goal of choosing the best technology inventors and professionals of Serbian heritage and connecting them to partners from all around the world, inspired by the vision and ambition of Nikola Tesla.

    This episode is in Serbian.

  • Smart Cities

    Smart Cities

    · k/talks

    It is 2020 and you live in a city? You probably didn’t know that you belong to 50% of the total world population inhabiting the urban environment. In the next 30-40 years this number is predicted to increase to 80%. If that sound too abstract, let’s transfer these percentages into some real-life examples - in the upcoming years the urban population will increase by one city the size of Milan, Prague or Belgrade on a weekly basis! Dizzying, right?


    If you belong to the urban population, you have certainly not been bypassed by the buzzword "smart city". Cities of the future or smart cities are a wide discussed concept, originated from the trend of population growth and the need for sustainability. One of the pioneer companies from the smart city tech industry comes from Serbia and is older than the term "smart city" itself. Strawberry Energy is founded in 2011. And today you can find their products in over 20 countries and 50 cities around the globe. Strawberry produces a smart street furniture, which brings energy and connectivity to the city streets. Their products are designed for public spaces where people gather, making the cities smarter and more convenient to live in.

    Miloơ Mlisavljević, one of the founders of Strawberry Energy, is truly enthusiastic about the reorientation of city infrastructure aimed at improving life in urban areas. In this conversation we tackled a lot of interesting topics, from Strawberry smart city products such as Strawberry tree and smart benches, through PPP between cities and socially responsible companies, all the way to Tesla, electric cars and the influence of Covid-19 to smart cities and habits of its inhabitants.

    The episode is in Serbian.

  • Music: at the Final Frontier

    Music: at the Final Frontier

    · k/talks

    We all know music and we all love music. We all surrender to it, when it speaks to us directly, and when it works its magic as a glue that brings people together. We dance and sing to it, and sometimes even dare to create it or play around with it. But have you ever wondered who dares to move it forward and set its new frontiers? And where the most audacious technologists play with music, and the most innovative musicians with technology.


    Michela Magas and Andrew Dubber are the minds and hearts behind one such movement, a community known as the Music Tech Fest. They celebrate music as a force for human advancement and transformation, as it innovates and benefits from innovation, as it interacts with technology and social change. This episode is dedicated to the power of the music as a platform.


    Michela Magas and Andrew Dubber, social innovators who are standing strong on the intersection of music and technology, are directors of Music Tech Fest, a global community platform of over 7000 creative innovators and scientific researchers, who work in science, art, engineering, humanities, activism, social science, policy and industry. The platform is a unique innovation ecosystem, festival of ideas and creative laboratory, which provides a test case for innovation in areas as diverse as neuroscience, forestry and microcomputing.


    Michela has a track record of more than 25 years in innovation – she is innovation advisor to the European Commission and the G7 leaders, and the creator of the Industry Commons. In 2017 she was awarded European Woman Innovator of the Year and in 2016 she was presented with an Innovation Luminary Award for Creative Innovation. Andrew is a Steering Board Member of the Industry Commons Foundation, the founder and author of New Music Strategies, an advisor to Bandcamp and host of the weekly MTF Podcast. He is an academic, broadcaster, DJ, record producer and the author of several books about music, media and technological change.


    This episode is in English.


    Links to Dj Arthro and Riika HĂ€nninen, the blind singer who can play music from her brain
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMP72qRv2BA
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXqH3xUhYOnRNRdv32-E3hw
    https://www.facebook.com/djarthro/
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hil_lZyF8IY

    Jooki:
    https://www.jooki.rocks/

    Skoog:
    https://skoogmusic.com/

  • A Growing Ecosystem

    A Growing Ecosystem

    · k/talks

    (This episode is in Serbian)

    In this episode of k/talks I sit down with Zoja Kukić. Zoja is an integral part of the Serbian digital ecosystem, a contemporary of its growth from its modest beginnings up to the point where the local hubs of Belgrade and Novi Sad get recognized by the Startup Genome in three major categories - top 5 in blockchain, top 5 in affordable talent and top 10 in gaming. This has been a tremendous accomplishment, as it puts Belgrade and Novi Sad as the only such hub on the map between Estonia and Israel. We talked about the early years, different factors that enable or hamper growth and many other things.

    Zoja also co-authored a research published by Digital Serbia Initiative, that tracked how the Covid-19 pandemic and the accompanying economic crisis affected the local digital ecosystem. Contrary to what many commentators suggested, the digital community suffered greatly across the globe. With a few notable exceptions, most businesses took a big hit as a result.

    Further read and resources:
    https://startupgenome.com/ecosystems/belgrade-and-novi-sad
    https://www.dsi.rs/skener-digitalne-privrede-covid-19/

  • Female Digital Affirmation

    Female Digital Affirmation

    · k/talks

    (Episode is in Serbian)

    In this episode, I sit down with Jelisaveta Lazarevic, project leader at AFA (Association for Female Affirmation - All for all), leading the project of women's digital literacy. We are looking into reasons why a staggering 54% of women qualify as digitally illiterate and what AFA is doing to change this trend. We also discuss the global challenge of having disproportionally fewer girls interested in STEM education, compared to the number of boys and, more alarmingly, compared to the number of girls interested in STEM below the age of 10. You may learn more about AFA's activities by contacting them via email ([email protected]) or looking them up on social media.

  • Venture Capital 2.0

    Venture Capital 2.0

    · k/talks

    In this episode, I am speaking with Marc Wesselink. Mark is a founding partner of Venture Rock, a venture capital firm attempting to change the business of venture capital, improving it both for the investors and the entrepreneurs. He is a serial entrepreneur and as one, he understands the importance of focusing on process and execution. By focusing on these critical points, and less on the appeal of an idea, his fund is focusing on startups that have the ability to execute. In the time when we can measure everything, a well thought out process can help funds and entrepreneurs focus on goods and services that actually deliver value to their customers.

    From minimum viable team, through detailed and well thought out execution plan, to detailed monitoring, this was an exciting conversation with someone who believes that the successful VC capital emerges from the marriage of modern technology for measuring, and basic principles for doing business - focusing on the customers, plan and execution.

    Apologies to everyone for a slightly explicit content at times ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

  • Gamer Talks

    Gamer Talks

    · k/talks

    (Episode is in Serbian)

    In this episode I am speaking with Nikola Čavić. Nikola is a founder and chairman of the Serbian Gaming Association, a business association whose members include prominent and well established global names in global gaming, as well as smaller studios and teams. Before founding the SGA, Nikola has spent many years as an executive in product and business development in gaming companies, including Nordeus, one of Serbia's finest. He also runs a consultancy business GameBiz Consulting; through his company and particularly through the SGA he focuses on building and nurturing the local gaming industry - successful startups and a myriad of teams looking to launch their gaming ideas into global orbit.

    In this episode we touch upon the global and local aspects of gaming. Gaming is just massive globally. It raked in more than USD 150 billion in 2019, making it by far the largest creative industry in the world right now, dwarfing the film and music industry combined... and almost three times over. Just as interesting is the local Serbian gaming scene. In the last year's research of Startup Genome, Belgrade and Novi Sad ranked in top ten of all major global destinations, shoulder to shoulder with places like Silicon Valley, London, Barcelona and Shanghai.

    If you want to get in touch with Nikola and the SGA, you may reach the organisation at [email protected].

  • Storytelling

    Storytelling

    · k/talks

    (Episode is in Serbian language)

    In this conversation we explore storytelling with Relja Dereta. Relja is best known for his ability to transform semi-interesting presentations into exciting and memorable public appearances. He has worked with dozens of TED and TEDx speakers, executives and activists, helping them capture their audiences and deliver their message when they really need to. We explore what makes a good presentation, a good message, a good and memorable public performance. We discuss the significance and evolution of storytelling and the role it plays in today's culture of public speaking.

    In some circles Relja is better known for his tango skills. He is an instructor and project coordinator at Tango Natural, the largest Argentine Tango community in the region, and one of the largest in Europe. We asked Relja to share some of the music that inspires him and he more than delivered. Well connected in the tango community that he is, he kindly got us licences. I hope this inspires you to explore this beautiful genre further.

    1. Otros Aires - Milonga Sentimental (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIZj1m-rt1c)
    Milonga Sentimental is almost a century old, originating from the early thirties, revered by countless generations of tango lovers. Otros Aires is a tango music project, founded in Barcelona in 2003. You may find them on all major streaming platforms (Apple Music, Spotify and others), and you may enjoy their music on their Bandcamp site at https://otrosaires.bandcamp.com

    2. Orquestra Romantica Milonguera - And I Love Her (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4f8mNro28E)
    This is a well known classic from The Beatles, with a tango twist which breathes it a new life. After I heard the song, I binge-listened many more from this band. We hoped it excites this conversation a bit more. You may enjoy the Orquestra Romantica Milonguera on major streaming platforms, read more about them at https://www.facebook.com/romanticamilonguera/ and buy their tunes at https://romanticamilonguera.bandcamp.com

    3. At the end of the conversation we enjoy another take on Milonga Sentimental by Balkan Aires feat. Otros Aires.

  • Escape Rooms and Digital Transformation

    Escape Rooms and Digital Transformation

    · k/talks

    (Episode is in Serbian)

    So what do escape rooms and digital transformation have in common? Digital transformation is a concept loved by some and hated by many, a journey of sorts, filled with mysteries and adventure which can also be exciting and fulfilling. It is a journey where a skilled gamemaster can help with revealing blind spots and offering hints. So what do escape rooms and digital transformation have in common? Our guest in this episode - his name is Aleksandar Vratonjić Gligorijević. In a suit, he is the CMO of Telegroup, a well known company in the SEE region, responsible for many transformative journeys. In a t-shirt "100 escape rooms" - he is an escape room enthusiast, finishing of what is now a three figure count of escape quests. And layered on top of all of his other skills, he is a founder of Watchout, a nu metal band from a while back. I hope you enjoy this journey of digital transformation, where we also go on two side quests, one discussing escape rooms and the other - playing music.

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