LSE London Alumni Talks

In this series of podcasts we talk to the influencers and changemakers focused on active ageing. With a growing ageing population in the UK and across other parts of world innovators are developing new and impactful approaches to getting older […]

Author information

Mandeep Metharu

Mandeep graduated with a law degree (LLB 2010) from the LSE and is presently the Chair of the LSE Alumni Association London (LSEAAL). Previously, Mandeep co-founded Medbiomarkers, a consultancy helping accelerate early stage medical research, playing a key role in forming and helping fund raise $16.6M for an international Autism Consortium. He now supports promising growth companies and venture funds focused in sectors ranging from life sciences, space and education.

The post Designing Tech Solutions for an Ageing Population [PODCAST] – Walk with Path appeared first on LSE London Alumni & Friends.

In this series of podcasts we talk to the influencers and changemakers focused on active ageing. With a growing ageing population in the UK and across other parts of world innovators are developing new and impactful approaches to getting older adults more active, extending their years of quality life.

In this episode, we speak to Lise, the Founder and CEO of Walk With Path. Walk With Path is a start-up that has developed hardware products in order to help those with long-term conditions like Parkinson’s to get more active.

We also discuss Lise’s motivations in developing Walk With Path, the user-centric design process behind their products, the progress made till date and what’s next in-store for the company.

The post Realising the Value of an Older Workforce [PODCAST] – David Sinclair appeared first on LSE London Alumni & Friends.

In this series of podcasts we talk to the influencers shaping the future of the hospitality and tourism industry. In an increasingly competitive marketplace that has recently seen the rise of companies such as Airbnb, the hospitality industry is experiencing squeezed margins and potential disruption from many facets.

In this episode, we speak to David Millili, CEO of Runtriz, a company that aims to help hotels enhance guest experiences, drive revenues and increase repeat customers through a set of digital tools. Having previously worked across various segments of the hospitality industry ranging from managing multiple hotels and serving as a professor at New York University, he also acts as an advisor to a range of companies disrupting the hospitality sector.

Specifically, we discuss some of the key challenges in running successful hotels, the opportunities presented by certain technologies in improving the guest experience and how hotels can remain competitive in today’s marketplace.

The post Improving the Hotel Guest Experience [PODCAST] – RunTriz appeared first on LSE London Alumni & Friends.

In this series of podcasts we talk to the people looking to change the financial world.

In this episode, we speak to Hendrik Bartel CEO and Susan Lundquist CMO of TruValue Labs. TruValue Labs develop advanced analytics to create usable and real-time ESG metrics for researchers, analysts and investors to help them evaluate company performance.

Specifically, we dive into what makes their technology unique, the inspiration behind the company and what focusing on big data can mean for the world of investing .

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is created by the LSEAAL and is therefore not affiliated to the educational institution, the London School of Economics and Political Science. The present podcast seeks to explore developing trends and interesting case studies within the financial services sector. The information contained in the podcast and information on this website is not, and should not be read as, an offer or recommendation to buy or sell or a solicitation of an offer or recommendation to buy or sell any products or services. Decisions on whether to use or invest in financial products or services should be considered with due attention to the risks, undertaking independent research and seeking independent advice where appropriate.

The post AI & Big Data to Make Better Investment Decisions [PODCAST] – TruValue Labs appeared first on LSE London Alumni & Friends.

In this series of podcasts we talk to the people looking to change the financial world.

In this episode we speak to Adib Bamieh the chief operating officer of Chip Financial. Chip saves money for you based on your spending behavior and their algorithm calculates how much you can actually afford to save and automatically transfers this amount from your current account into your Chip savings account.

Specifically, we discuss open banking, operational challenges unique to Fintech companies and how chip uses machine learning to automate your savings.

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is created by the LSEAAL and is therefore not affiliated to the educational institution, the London School of Economics and Political Science. The present podcast seeks to explore developing trends and interesting case studies within the financial services sector. The information contained in the podcast and information on this website is not, and should not be read as, an offer or recommendation to buy or sell or a solicitation of an offer or recommendation to buy or sell any products or services. Decisions on whether to use or invest in financial products or services should be considered with due attention to the risks, undertaking independent research and seeking independent advice where appropriate.

The post AI to Automate Personal Savings [PODCAST] – Chip Financial appeared first on LSE London Alumni & Friends.

Welcome to this episode of Finance 2.0, a series where we talk to the people seeking to change the finance world.

In this podcast, we speak to Aritra Chakravarty, the CEO and Founder of Project Imagine and Dozens. Aritra spent the first part of his career in banking where he gathered senior experience in areas such as Mergers & Acquisitions and FOREX.

In this episode, Aritra discusses Dozens, Project Imagine; the main ideas behind them and what savings and investment products they’re designing in an attempt to positively disrupt personal banking.

MORE RESOURCES:

• https://www.dozens.com/

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is created by the LSEAAL and is therefore not affiliated to the educational institution, the London School of Economics and Political Science. The present Finance 2.0 podcast seeks to explore developing trends and interesting case studies within the financial services sector. The information contained in the podcast and information on this website is not, and should not be read as, an offer or recommendation to buy or sell or a solicitation of an offer or recommendation to buy or sell any products or services. Decisions on whether to use or invest in financial products or services should be considered with due attention to the risks, undertaking independent research and seeking independent advice where appropriate.

The post Redesigning Personal Banking [PODCAST] – Dozens appeared first on LSE London Alumni & Friends.

Welcome to Homo Sapien 2.0, a podcast series about transcending our biological limitations and interviewing the visionaries helping make it happen.

In this podcast we talk to David Wood, chair of the London Futurists, a group that has organized regular meetings in London since March 2008 on futurist and technoprogressive topics.

In this podcast David unpacks his view of the benefits and limitations of technology, the need to augment our characters as well as our bodies and what mean it means to be human.

The post What Does It Mean To Be Human? [PODCAST] – David Wood appeared first on LSE London Alumni & Friends.

Welcome to Homo Sapien 2.0, a podcast series about transcending our biological limitations and interviewing the visionaries helping make it happen.

In this podcast we talk to Zoltan Istvan. Zoltan is probably most famous for running a US Presidential campaign on a platform of transhumanist issues amongst them spear-heading technological solutions to aging and death.

Zoltan has commentated on these issues via numerous articles and media appearances and together we discuss public policy issues surrounding the transhumanist agenda, international developments around the space and the politics of human augmentation in a fascinating and engaging discussion.

The post The First Transhumanist US Presidential Candidate [PODCAST] – Zoltan Istvan appeared first on LSE London Alumni & Friends.

Welcome to Homo Sapien 2.0, a podcast series about transcending our biological limitations and interviewing the visionaries helping make it happen.

In this podcast, we talk to Professor Steve Fuller, Auguste Comte Chair in Social Epistemology in the Department of Sociology at the University of Warwick. Professor Fuller has published extensively in the areas of Transhumanism and Intelligent Design.

In this podcast Steve delves into the deeper issues surrounding a society where people refuse to die, how Homo Sapien 2.0 might merit a concept of the State 2.0 and why current thinking on technological risk may also need an upgrade.

The post The Role of the State in Funding Innovation [PODCAST]- Professor Steve Fuller appeared first on LSE London Alumni & Friends.

In 2008 Aubrey de Grey claimed that the first human to live 1,000 years was probably already alive, and might even be between 50 and 60 years old already.

In this podcast, we talk to Aubrey De Grey the chief science officer of the SENS Research Foundation, an organisation that develops and promotes rejuvenation biotechnology that could one day indefinitely extend human lifespans.

De Grey’s research focuses on whether regenerative medicine can prevent the aging process. He works on the development of what he calls “Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence” (SENS), a collection of proposed techniques to rejuvenate the human body and stop aging. To this end, he has identified seven types of molecular and cellular damage caused by essential metabolic processes. SENS is a proposed panel of therapies designed to repair this damage.

Aubrey tells us about the work the team at SENS are undertaking to prevent aging, the challenges of securing funding for high risk high reward work and the broad ecosystem around extending human life spans beyond its current biological limits.

Podcast Time Map – Aubrey de Grey

1:10 – Introduction and issues with the term “Transhumanism”.

3:20 – Organic v. Synthetic Augmentation.

3:50 – The word “Human”.

5:00 – Bodily augmentation v. uploading consciousness.

9:34 – Does death give life meaning and purpose?

11:29 – “The first person to live to a thousand is probably only about 10 years younger than the first person to live to 150”.

12:55 – Meaning in life – “Take yourself to first time you had sex”.

13:37 – Which technologies hold the most promise?

15:25 – Example of underfunded areas of research.

19:06 – How do you overcome funding issues?

20:06 – Governmental Funding and issues of research ranking.

21:37– Peer review, high risk/high reward research and the Pioneer Awards.

23:40 – The XPrize Foundation and Peter Diamandis.

24:40 – How would increased funding positively impact your research.

26:00 – Failures down to commercial reasons v. research itself?

27:00 – How does the regulatory climate affect your funding?

29:50 – Looking back at progress made.

31:50 – Funding strategy over next 5 -10 years.

32:30 – Funding sources internationally.

33:40 – The gap in funding from Asia.

34:30 – Other organisations in the space.

36:00 – Issues with Google’s Calico and understanding Basic Science vs. Technology.

38:49 – Countries focusing on anti-aging better than the United States.

41:49 – What other areas would you have focused on if you weren’t working on anti-aging?

44:35 – Do you think you will be able to extend your own life span?

45:30 – “My work is not about defeating aging. It is about defeating aging sooner than it would otherwise be defeated.”

46:52 – How do people react when you tell them what you do?

48:35 – Do you feel frustrated by luddites?

Listen and learn more below…

MORE RESOURCES:

• http://www.sens.org/
• https://www.ted