I’m at the SCAI conference in New Orleans Louisiana this week. It’s the Society for Cardiovascular and Angiography Interventions. Basically, it’s a conference with a heavy focus on unclogging arteries. Why is this important? Cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer in the United States. Peripheral Artery Disease, which targets the peripherals, mainly the legs, impacts more than 50% of people over the age of 60. It used to be that invasive surgical procedures such as bypasses or even amputation were the go-to solutions. But advances in technology are such that now interventional cardiologists, with only a small hole in the body, not larger than a pencil eraser, can reach into the arteries with small devices to unclog blocked arteries and keep the blood flowing. At the forefront of cutting edge technology for cardiology is Dr. Ehtisham Mahmud, Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine for UC San Diego Health System. He is co-director of the SCAI Conference and always has the pulse on what’s new and what’s next. He’s one of the most sought after doctors in this space for new medical technology studies around the world, including the latest laser technology by Ra Medical Systems which uses photomolecular ablation much like is used in LASIK surgery for your eyes, to unclog arteries, and also he’s one of the first to be using robotics in his interventions. His colleague, who plays a critical role in key studies on new technologies at the University joins the second half of the show to share his insights as well. Dr. Mitul Patel is an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Interventional Cardiology, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, for the UC San Diego Health System. Listen to the show to hear Dr. Mahmud and Dr. Pitel talk about how doctors may be turning into gamers as a joystick is replacing their hands in the operating room, or as Interventional Cardiologists call it, the ‘Cath Lab’. Nearly 800 robotic procedures have been performed across the country. Dr. Mahmud shares late breaking news on the findings of the latest study, which spanned the country. He also discusses how a $3.1 million dollar grant is helping his team to discover new ways to heal tissue damage, caused by oxygen starvation because of lack of blood flow, using regenerative medicine. Plus, if you’re an entrepreneur who wants to innovate in the healthcare space, the doctors share what’s most important to them. Finally, you don’t want to miss their potentially life-saving advice for patients. Dr. Pitel shares the critical questions you should ask your doctor to ensure you are getting the most advanced care available, including new technology and techniques.

TrapX Security CEO Greg Enriquez warns of a new threat headed West. OilRig is what authorities say is a new organization of hackers using old tactics to get into your network. And it’s working. He explains how you can protect yourself and your business. Also, the new threats to your health involve hackers, not viruses. Enriquez talks about why hackers are targeting medical facilities and medical devices such as MRI’s and Pacemakers. Plus, Greg explains why Point-of-Sale devices are such an attractive target to hackers. He warns shoppers to put away the debit card and use only cash or credit for purchases.

How many years have I been preaching that the press release, and its traditional use are antiquated. The press release is dead. And yet, I still receive them when a PR person pitches me a company to be on my show. Sharam Fouladgar-Mercer, cofounder and CEO of data analytics company, AirPR, explains when a press release is valuable and how to transition to the new wave of PR that’s more effective in today’s digital age. He also talks about the disease plaguing startups in Silicon Valley: Media Dependency. It’s surprising with all of the dollars Silicon Valley investors are sinking into start-ups today. Isn’t anyone setting a good chunk of it aside for marketing? Or is it all going towards getting the media’s attention? Sharam discusses how to create your own content strategy to gain a long-term sustainable following than you would attain through media outreach.

Glasswall, "The Cheat Code", Healthtech with Dr. Michelle Longmier - April 28, 2017 by Kym McNicholas On Innovation

Just months after Apple confirmed it is in fact developing a driverless vehicle, California THIS WEEK has given the hardware and software giant permission to test them on the streets of the Golden State. This adds yet another major competitor in the autonomous vehicle race for what some reporters are calling the future of safer driving. And while Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, Infiniti, and BMW are all in this race in terms of building the hardware. It looks as though Apple is focused not necessarily on creating the vehicle itself, but the platform. And while we don’t know if it’s building the platform on NVIDIA’s new Drive PX2 system, which uses graphics processing unit or GPU technology, it is being used by 80 different partners, including Tesla and Audi. For those of you with a Tesla, the “autopilot” was built upon NVIDA’s new Drive PX2 system and the autonomous driving technology within Audi’s new A8, expected to be released this summer, will be as well. So, I brought in the senior director of automotive for NVIDIA to talk about what’s driving your driverless vehicle, the difference between the autonomous driving technology in a Tesla versus the upcoming Audi A8. We also talk about the safety of autonomous vehicles. While I can understand how an all-driverless transportation network could be safer as computers can be more predictable and actually communicate seamlessly with one another via Bluetooth connectivity, I question how safe truly can it be when you have a mix of humans and computers on the roadways as humans are unpredictable. Shapiro also addresses the liability issue if and when an accident does occur. Plus, Shapiro addresses how manufacturers can develop a car that meets the public AND lawmakers where they are now, and guides them to where they want them to be technology-wise in order to accelerate adoption. Also on the show, a very different type of company that is competing in the autonomous driving market. It’s called, “Local Motors.” It’s taking a unique approach. It’s crowd sourcing the design of future vehicles by posting challenges that inspire engineers, designers, and developers around the world to get involved and submit their design of future vehicles. A that people are already buying to use on private property such as government facilities and even amusement parks. We talk to Local Motors Chief Strategist Justin Fishkin about what I think is going to be the biggest disruption soonest in the automotive driving space. And since this show is all about autonomous driving, we couldn’t do a show about the future car without touching on the future of infotainment, and at the forefront is The QT company, which announced recently that it’s integrating NVIDIA DRIVE Design Studio – which allows The QT Company to provide a 3D system development system for manufacturers to create the ultimate infotainment presentation for drivers. Alistair Adams, who’s the global automotive product manager for The QT Company, explains how manufacturers are using their platform to create the ultimate media experience in autonomous cars.

He started coding at age 6, attended University at age 10, and now this 28 year-old Israeli hacking phenom is securing the world with his latest venture, Nyotron. Nir Gaist talks about his journey, which includes writing a curriculum for the Israeli Ministry of Education on offensive security, which he taught across high schools in Israel, before he even hit puberty!!! He also talks about one of the biggest threats in cyber security today, ransomware. It's netted cyber criminals more than $1 billion in 2016. And there's something new, which stands to more than double that in the coming year, RANSOME-AS-A-SERVICE. Yes, criminals are now in on the SAAS model!!! Also, on today's show, Shopkick's CEO Bill Demas shares a big announcement about it's rewards app, which rewards customers for making everyday purchases. Their portfolio is expanding to now include Shopkick Grocery. He talks about how his team innovates and came to the determination that grocery was their next target.

America’s greatest pastime has begun! Major League Baseball is underway! And there’s a new MVP! It’s the CIO! The lead technology strategist for MLB teams are not only changing the game for fans, but also the players. And I would argue that San Francisco Giants CIO Bill Schlough, is at the forefront of cutting edge technology to improve player performance. His IT team has put into play a number of proprietary analytic tools that are credited for helping the team earn three world series trophies in five years. We caught up with him recently at Spring Training and spoke to him about the technological evolution of the Giants and what’s next. He shares some of the secrets to this Bay Area franchise’s success. Phil McKinney, CEO of CableLabs, the research and development arm of America’s cable companies, also joins the conversation to talk about the newest innovation to create a more impactful fan experience at home. And just as Major League season is underway, the NBA is about to climax! Who is in contention for this year’s NBA Championship? Count the Golden State Warriors IN! Find out a big secret to the Warriors run for the championship. Latisha Taylor, Founder/CEO, of HealthMeasured shares one secret to the Golden State Warriors’ Championship. She says it has to do with a technology that measures oxidation and inflammation levels, which are key to future disease prevention. She left a successful career in pharmaceutical sales five years ago to start HCPN Alliance, which has become a multi-million dollar healthcare practice management firm. Her clients include the Golden State Warriors. And now she’s also started Health Measured to fill a gap in employee health awareness and disease prevention, In both cases, she is 100% committed to putting an end to diseases which she believes could be preventable if the inflammatory culprit was caught early on.

Charles Michael Yim of Breathometer, Maintool, Reputation.com - March 31, 2017 by Kym McNicholas On Innovation

It's been more than 6 months since the FAA policy requiring people to become professional certified drone pilots. Now, new entrepreneurial opportunities for drone operators abound. Drones-As-A-Service is a legitimate business category thanks to DroneDeploy. Cofounder Jono Millin explains how entrepreneurs are using their image capture, data analytics, and 2D image building software as the foundation of this new business category. He also shares some of the other biggest trends happening in this space. Justin Haggerty, Founder/CEO of the International Drone Racing Association talks about the fast-growing new sport of drone racing and what it’s going to take to develop the ultimate fan-friendly live and televised event. But kicking off the show is the winner of the world’s largest startup competition, with Sir Richard Branson as the anchor judge, the Extreme Tech Challenge. Tobin Fisher and his Vantage Robotics team developed the Snap 4k flying camera, which is considered one of the safest drones on the market. He talks about the challenges of standing out in a very crowded space. Plus, he explains the significance of his involvement in helping broadcast stations get Federal approval to fly their drones at-will during breaking news situations.

Today’s show is all about the future of YOUR healthcare. First, we have one of the most sought after industry experts in healthcare innovation, Murielle Thinard McLane, a former McKesson executive and now an executive in residence at GE Ventures in healthcare analytics. It is rare to see someone who has worked across the healthcare spectrum from the payor to pharma, supply chain and healthcare delivery. She knows how to spot product market fit and how to build and scale a commercial organization, which is why she is now helping startups to commercialize their healthcare products and services. During the show, McLane shares some of the biggest trends in healthcare and where the venture capital market is focused. She discusses the pharmaceutical industry and the issues stifling innovation, bringing new drugs to market, and creating competition to bring down prices. Did you know it takes about 12 years and more than $2 billion dollars, on average, to bring a drug to market? McLane also shares some of her favorite technologies on the cutting edge in diagnostics, including digital imaging startup Arterys, which incorporates artificial intelligence and cloud computing to create a more efficient and effective MRI. In the second half hour, it’s all about why the doctors office of the future feels more like an Apple store than a doctors office. Did you know that the future is here today in San Francisco for a 149 dollar per month membership? It’s called, “Forward.” It’s all about preventative medicine with body scanners, the most advanced digital stethoscopes, genetics testing, and blood tests that offer results in 12 minutes vs days. Adrian Aoun is the founder/CEO of Forward. He is a serial entrepreneur who’s first big hit was with Wavii, the natural language processing startup that Google bought years ago. A personal experience led him to focus now on creating the future of healthcare. He talks about taking a true patient-centric approach to building out what he considers the ultimate foundation for the future of healthcare. And it’s a subscription model with a monthly $149 fee, paid upfront for an annual membership. It’s separate from a patient’s own insurance for chronic and emergency care. The idea is to start getting people in before they’re sick and being able to get them on a healthy track so they don’t end up with debilitating diseases. During the show you’ll be fascinated to hear about the process his team took to developing some of the most advanced diagnostic technologies in preventative health for the primary care office.

Why do more than 75% of venture-backed startups fail? If you ask Joe Fantuzzi, President/CEO of RiskVision, maker of risk assessment/management software and services, he’ll tell you it’s because they’re leaving out some key risks in their assessment. During this ten-minute podcast, he’ll share with you all of what you must consider when you are starting a company. He's been a part of the founding team for a handful of startups, including ones that have IPO'd. He knows what it takes to go from zero to hero as an entrepreneur, and shares a few of his greatest secrets to success.

“The Addicted Lawyer: Tale of the Bars, Booze, Blow, And Redemption” hit #1 on an Amazon Best Seller’s list as author Brian Cuban shares his journey on the show today. Mark Cuban writes of Brian’s book, “Resilience is an important trait in both business and addiction.” So, there is a lot entrepreneurs can learn from the stories Brian shares in this book. In Mark’s quote on the book’s cover he says, “His journey is one that should be read, AND NOTES TAKEN.” I agree and I’m sure you will, too. On the show, Brian talks about the importance of owning who you are and where you’re at, embracing whatever failure or moment of adversity that comes your way, and using it as an opportunity for expansion. It is in those moments of clarity, if you have the right mindset, that your most innovative ideas may be inspired. His message is powerful. Following Brian’s interview is Susan Davis, a life-long student and teacher of holistic practices and energy medicine, also working behind the scenes as a coach for TLC’s upcoming reality show centered around young women entrepreneurs called, “Girl starter”. She explains why working more is not actually productive. Sounds counterintuitive, right? It’s not. There comes a point where sitting and staring at your computer and focusing on one thing (meaning work), causes you to not be in your most innovative mindset. Any of the kiteboarding tech entrepreneurs and investors will tell you that some of their best ideas come when they turn off the screens and get out in the wind. Susan explains why balance is key to increased productivity and offers tangible, actionable things you can do to be at your innovative best.

March 10, 2017 by Kym McNicholas On Innovation

In our health tech series, we feature better, safer, faster, and cheaper technologies that are changing the game of healthcare. Our first guest, LiteSprite Founder/CEO Swatee Surve, is gamifying the management of chronic diseases to increase patient adherence and improve patient outcomes. Her first product, SinaSprite, targets people with stress, anxiety, and depression. It is the first video game to receive a US Surgeon General System for Health award and the only one being recommended/prescribed in medical clinics today, including the U.S. Army. Clinicians look at this game as a more proactive approach to resolving stress, anxiety, and depression because it inspires patients, through what they believe is a fun game, to choose a path to feeling better versus focusing on the issues bringing them down. At 20 minutes into the show, Rich Camapgna, Senior Vice President of Marketing and product for security company, Bitglass, shares the scary part of this digital age in medicine, not only the hacking of a person’s personal information, but the hacking of life-saving devices such as pacemakers, and how his company’s trying to keep the bad guys out of your business and your body. Protected health information (PHI) -- which includes sensitive information such as Social Security numbers, medical record data, and date of birth -- has incredible value on the black market. A recent Ponemon Institute report on the cost of breaches found the average cost per lost or stolen record to be $154. That number skyrockets to $363 on average for healthcare organizations. Latisha Taylor, Founder/CEO, of HealthMeasured shares one secret to the Golden State Warriors’ Championship. She says it has to do with a technology that measures oxidation and inflammation levels, which are key to future disease prevention. She left a successful career in pharmaceutical sales five years ago to start HCPN Alliance, which has become a multi-million dollar healthcare practice management firm. Her clients include the Golden State Warriors. And now she’s also started Health Measured to fill a gap in employee health awareness and disease prevention, In both cases, she is 100% committed to putting an end to diseases which she believes could be preventable if the inflammatory culprit was caught early on"

I would argue that with Bill Schlough at the helm of technology implementation for the San Francisco Giants, I would never count them out when it comes to a run for the World Series Championship! His IT team has put into play a number of proprietary analytic tools that are credited for helping the team earn three world series trophies in five years. The MLB implementing a new tracking system in all 30 major ballparks, called Statcast, that can rank defensive powerhouses as well as star batters using cameras, radar, and sensors, may have leveled the playing field starting in 2015, but Bill always has a few technical tricks up his sleeve. Hear more of what he is measuring now and how his IT Team is helping players to improve performance in the 2017 season. Plus, he talks about improving the fan experience both in the stadium at home. Bill played a pioneering role in the world of HD video, mobile content, ticketing, and payment systems since starting with the SF Giants in 1999. And under his leadership, AT&T Park became the first sports facility to provide free Wi-Fi to all fans in 2004. Bill talks about the challenges he's faced in deploying access points throughout the stadium to get around the lack of penetration through people and cement, including the outcry when antennas were placed under stadium seats, and how he was able to overcome that and continue to roll out effective, seamless connectivity for all of the fans. Phil McKinney, CEO of CableLabs, the R&D arm for cable companies across America, joins Bill in talking about improving the couch experience for fans with the rollout of 4k in 2017. Phil explains why it's great that Bill and his team have waited to roll out cables to support 4k, because the next generation is already here. He talks about that and how that will impact the fan experience at-home in the last ten minutes.

Phil McKinney has released a new card deck that helps entrepreneurial teams dig deep into their minds, their hearts, and their souls to really think through not only their product, but their customer, as well as their overall business strategy. His "Killer Questions" is a great tool for both individuals and teams when ... • You are stuck and need that thing that will cause you to look at the opportunity differently. • As the starting point for a brainstorm/ideation session. • A tool for your personal creativity exercise sessions. • .. and many more! This card deck has helped me to even help entrepreneurs I've interviewed on my show share a little bit more about the thinking behind their product. Check out the interview with Phil where he explains how to use them to help your company flourish.

Today’s show is all about healthcare innovation. The first guest is the best healthcare activist for women. Mark my words: Sophia Yen will get the new Administration to realize the value in providing no-cost birth control to women. It’s not an emotional argument. She says she can talk to the numbers that will speak the language I believe has the power to convince President Trump to see things her way, and continue with what she says the “Affordable Care Act” has offered women. Sophia is the founder/CEO of Pandia Health, which is a telemedicine company that provides prescriptions and regular home delivery of birth control to women. She has a lot of passion for her work, which began as a Physician, then to becoming a Clinical Professor at Stanford University, and ultimately founder/CEO of Pandia Health, which won the prestigious Girls In Tech “Amplify” Pitch Night, which was a competition against other female entrepreneurs. Her business is what she calls “recession proof”. You’ll hear about her innovative ways of changing the healthcare landscape for women. In the second half of the show, Sam Abidir, CEO Of Aspire Ventures discusses how AI, mobile and cloud technologies are helping the healthcare industry provide more patient-centric care than ever before – with this patient-centric care often referred to as “precision medicine”. He talks specifically about how technologies such as artificial intelligence are having a hugely positive impact on research for chronic diseases, including Diabetes. One of its portfolio companies, Tempo Health is using Aspire Ventures’ Artificial Intelligence platform to develop a product for diabetes management. The product just went through a test trial for diabetes management, with the results suggesting that the technology can help patients more accurately monitor and manage their diabetes condition than ever before. The results of the trial indicated that Tempo Health’s Rhythm system – based on A2I – was found to considerably increase the patient participants’ time in range and decrease time in hypoglycemia compared to results obtained by an experienced team of doctors. The future of healthcare is here and Sam has the pulse!

MainTool, Reputation.com, Breathometer - February 10, 2017 by Kym McNicholas On Innovation

Tech entrepreneur, founder and CEO of GOPuck, and electric racing pioneer Blake Fuller, proved on July 1st 2016, that the Tesla zero emission four-door is capable of matching its fuel guzzling counterparts on the track. He smashed the Pikes Peak Hill Climb record by more than a minute. It’s a historic 12.42 mile challenge that features 156 turns a huge climb of just more than 14,000 feet before drivers reach the snow-covered summit. Blake Fuller had won the race before in a gas guzzler. But Blake, who helped build the first hybrid race car in North America, and has also designed the lithium ion technology used in every motorsports category from IndyCar to F1, set a new production electric vehicle record of 11 minutes 48 seconds. He did his first test drive in his modified Tesla Model S at Sonoma Raceway. Sonoma Raceway Steve Page talks about that record-setting test drive and ideas for potential racing opportunities for Tesla’s in the NASCAR circuit and beyond. Also, the Director of Performance for the winningest team of the Daytona 500, Joe Gibbs Racing, talks about the secrets to getting the drivers and pit crew to reach peak performance including mindset. Michael Lepp has a few tricks up his sleeve and takes advantage of the latest in innovation to monitor not only the typical heartrate, but also sleep, and more to train the ultimate athletes in the sport of NASCAR.

Lisa Dolev, founder & CEO of Qylur Intelligent Systems explains how her time in the Israeli military led to her latest innovation, which is transforming the entry experience for anyone attending large events, including the Super Bowl.

January 27, 2016 by Kym McNicholas On Innovation

Female Seeking Startup - 1-20-17 by Kym McNicholas On Innovation

1-20-17 - St Francis Riding Club, StorageCraft, True Hollywood Talk by Kym McNicholas On Innovation

1-13-16 - Female Seeking Startup by Kym McNicholas On Innovation

The future of servicing the tech within your homes may soon be in the hands of your savvy neighbor. Coresystems has created software that will allow major telecom, cable companies, and more to empower their tech-savvy users to set-up their technology and services. The goal is to increase the human touch and decrease the time customers typically spend talking to call-centers or automated services, as well as decrease the wait time to have problems fixed. Coresystems CEO Manuel Grenacher explains how he’s taken his successful software from Europe and hoping for adoption in the U.S. Also, Curt von Badinski, co-founder and CTO of Motiv, talks about why his health tracking ring won the hearts of attendees and press at the world’s largest consumer technology show in Las Vegas, CES.