Eureka Moments Only

• Creative Authenticity With Helen Kontozopoulos

  Welcome to the Eureka Moments Only Podcast, a show that highlights members of the global entrepreneurship community and breaks down the moments of change that lead to success in business that we like to call eureka moments.Chris Decker kicks off this season with Helen Kontozopoulos, who teaches Product Development, Design, and Entrepreneurship at the University of Toronto. Among Helen’s achievements include co-founding the Department of Computer Science Innovation Lab and co-founding ODAIA Intelligence.HIGHLIGHTSHelen on being a startup founderThe process of growing her startupHelen’s Vision and MissionThe difference between the academic world and the business worldHelen’s eureka momentHelen’s role modelsQUOTESHelen: “It's really great being a founder, but it's also very scary. So you kind of kind of have an embrace, and be courageous around the fear you have every day. So that's what I do.”Helen: “My mission is to really kind of educate what it means to have tools at your hands and, and be empowered by them.”Helen: “If you kind of live in a silo, you don't see that there's opportunities out there, you gotta showcase the problems of what's happening in the real world for students to really log on to and find solutions for.”Helen: “It was an aha moment. You beat yourself up a little bit too much. You think you do worse than what you really do. On that stage, I thought I was flopping like I thought I wasn't doing great at all. And then you realize that's not what people are seeing. People want to be your champion. People want to hear you. And people want to see you.”Helen: “I realized if you don't speak your truth and your personality. I'm not the person who is going to try to be someone else. I tried that. Do not do that. Do not try to be somebody else. Do not try to be some person who's supposed to be a startup founder. Be yourself, be the authentic person you are.”Helen: “Just go out and have fun, you know, and be open and experiment with your thinking, experiment with who you are. And help others experiment and be creative.”Connect with Helen and learn more about her with the links below: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/helenissocialWebsite:helenissocial.ca  (Personal Website)HELEN KONTOZOPOULOSodaia.ai  (Company Website)Learn more about Chris and what he’s been up to with the links below: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/decker-christopherEmail: [email protected] Fest 2022: “Find the Future” is coming. Featuring 30 speakers and over 50 exhibitors from 15 countries, this will be one of the biggest startup festivals in California. Visit https://www.eurekafest.com to learn more about this amazing event.Tune in to more Eureka Moments from amazing people by subscribing to Eureka Moments Only at https://eureka-moments-only.simplecast.com.Join our free podcasting community today at http://salescast.community.

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• Embracing Creativity in Entrepreneurship with Rasha Khajawa

  Join us for a special episode of Eureka Moments Only where we had the chance to sit down with the Founder of Toucan Ventures, Rasha Khawaja. We spoke about embracing creativity in entrepreneurship and explored her formula for coming up with Eureka Moments. Rasha Khawaja is the founder and CEO of Toucan. Rasha’s innate desire for knowledge took her to Brown University where she studied Psychiatry and Cognitive Science. Further education followed at both Oxford University and Cambridge University before Rasha started her career at Condé Nast Publications and went on to work at Christie’s. These experiences heightened her entrepreneurial drive and after spotting a gap in the market for a way to help creatives get their businesses out in front of influential business luminaries, Toucan was born. Rasha’s passion for innovation and nurturing new talent and business continues through her role as a member of the UKBAA, and being an active member of the advisory board of Innovation RCA and the development and strategy board of the ZSL. Outside of the world of Toucan, Rasha is a devoted mother and an adventurous traveller who one day hopes to conquer Kilimanjaro and The Great Wall of China. Rasha is also dedicated to a number of charities and sits on the board of ‘The Playing For Change Foundation’, as well as supporting her family’s charity, ‘The Said Foundation’. Toucan Ventures were proud to win ‘One to Watch – Best Entrant to the Angel Ecosystem’ at the 2016 Angel Investment Awards. Learn more about Rasha and Toucan Ventures here: http://toucanventures.com/

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• Creating an Anchor in an Economic Storm with Eric Clement

  Join us for another episode of the Eureka Moments Only Podcast - today we're speaking with Eric Clement, the Managing Director of the New York City Economic Development Corporation. Today we're speaking about how impact investing is creating an anchor in the midst of today's economic storm. Eric is an entrepreneurial executive with a strategic mindset.  He has successfully led transactions and built businesses in North America, Europe and Africa, and his key motivators are identifying how to invest thoughtfully while still generating strong returns. Eric Has managed pools of capital in excess of $500 million, and within these allocations have led strategies encompassing private credit, private equity, and venture capital.  He's played many roles ranging from capital raising and the development of strategic alliances, to the structuring of investments (both direct and alongside private equity and venture capital) with the aim of achieving triple bottom line (i.e. ESG) goals. Most recently, he's built one of the only direct investing platforms within a development finance institution in the country.  Utilizing tax incentives, debt, equity, and other hybrid instruments, we show that government can make socially impactful investments - helping millions of people, while generating attractive returns for the City of New York. 

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• The Power of a Liberal Arts Education with Andy Stott and Guest Host Nick Kallins

  On this episode, special guest host Nick Kallins interviews pioneer in education, Professor Andrew Stott.  As the former Dean of Undergraduate Education at the University of Southern California Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Stott played a leading role in ensuring that undergraduate programs at USC Dornsife reflect USC’s mission of creating the college of the 21st century. Andrew Stott has recently been appointed Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Dean of the Graduate School at USC. He is also a professor of English, the author of four widely-acclaimed books, and the recipient of multiple fellowships. In this episode, Vice Provost Stott highlights the power of a liberal arts education and how it benefits the mind and future of next generation scholars.  Before joining USC, he held the position of Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education at the University at Buffalo, SUNY, repeatedly distinguishing himself for his innovative leadership. His day-to-day activities included overseeing the core undergraduate experience, general education, academic policy, and program approvals. Most notably, Stott designed and implemented the first major overhaul of the university’s undergraduate liberal arts curriculum in more than 20 years. This nationally recognized, four-year project bridged all areas of the university’s academic enterprise and centered on global citizenship, integrative learning, and high-impact educational practices. 

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• Why Do We Care? Building Brand Love with Nick Reed - Eureka Moments Only Show

  On this episode of Eureka Moments Only, we sat down with Oscar Winning Producer Nick Reed. Nick is the co-founder of Shareability (shareability.com) and gives us insights on storytelling, advertising and building brand love in the digital world. Nicholas (Nick) Reed is an Oscar winning documentary film producer, Digital Transformation expert, creator of the most shared and engaging content In the world. He has worked for Pepsi, AT&T, Global Olympics, Hyundai, Pizza Hut, and many high level influencers like Cristiano Ronaldo.

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