Thought Leaders

WHY INNOVATORS NEED A NEW BREED OF LAW FIRM When I first started my legal career, founding my own law firm wasn’t even a consideration. I was content working at a top-tier firm, focusing on drafting contracts and managing legal transactions. But everything changed during a business trip to Silicon...

John Oberg, DSW, is a Founder, CEO, Board Director, Advisor, and Investor who is trusted by organizations to navigate growth, conflict, and change. He founded two Austin-based healthcare innovators, Sedera, a community-based medical cost-sharing organization, and Precina, a chronic care virtual medical practice. John serves on the board of directors...

My journey in the technology and data center industry has been shaped by a relentless commitment to tenacity, teamwork, and trust. At DC BLOX, these principles are the driving force behind our approach to the industry. Tenacity has been the cornerstone of our success at DC BLOX. We started as...

I am the CEO and Founder of the Indigenomics Institute and the Global Center of Indigenomics. I am of Nuu chah nulth descent from the Hesquiaht Nation on Vancouver Island. In leading the establishment of a line of thought called #indigenomics- growing from a single word to an entire movement...

The built environment is responsible for nearly 40% of global carbon emissions, yet it often goes unnoticed in discussions about energy consumption. While people tend to focus on transportation or industrial sectors (with 20% and 25% global carbon emissions, respectively), buildings quietly consume vast amounts of energy, day and night,...

Several years ago, a member of my team asked me a question. “Dan, when is the last time you had a day when you did absolutely nothing that involved Aflac?” Without missing a beat, I said, “When was the pager invented?” The responsibility of my job means I must be...

After winning the Directing Award at Sundance 2023 and touring the world with my debut feature documentary Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, the question I heard most was: “Anna, what are you doing next?” It was the first thing asked even after winning the European Film Award for Best European Documentary. I...

The uncertainties of the pandemic and decades-old roadblocks in the software development process have driven significant changes in the approaches I see today’s organizations taking when building the applications that fuel their business. These new approaches to development are gaining in popularity because while the pressure on IT to deliver...

What is your vision for startup culture in Jacksonville? I believe Jax will become a first-tier city for entrepreneurs. We’re well on our way, there’s tremendous momentum and interest. We have all of the basics in place. We’ve been gifted a great natural environment that is a great place to...

A renowned tech magnate once said, “If I were down to my last dollar, I would spend it on public relations.” Not to talk myself out of a job, but one rarely needs to spend their LAST dollar on PR if they just “keep it real” from day one. Growing...

Frank DiBello, Space Florida President and CEO, was selected in May 2009 to lead Space Florida, which is the principal state agency for aerospace-related economic development, and the Space Authority for the State of Florida. In his position, he develops and executes programs designed to attract, retain and grow aerospace...

WHERE INNOVATION FEELS LIKE HOME Innovation isn’t just about creating something new, it’s about fostering an ecosystem where transformative ideas can thrive and scale. Over three decades, I’ve watched South Florida evolve into that ecosystem, where talent, capital, and global vision converge to shape the future of technology. For 30...

Founded by Wall Street Journal–bestselling author and CEO Josh Turner, LinkedSelling is the world’s foremost B2B marketing and lead generation company. One of the nation’s fastest-growing companies, we’ve made the Inc. 5000 list three years running and, most recently, have been listed as one of Entrepreneur’s 360 top entrepreneurial companies...

Each morning from my desk at Schell Games (pre-pandemic, obviously), I can look through the Station Square windows at the Monongahela River and the skyline of the city of Pittsburgh, which if you’ve never visited is probably one of the most beautiful in America that not everyone knows about. On...

“We have little evidence that we are achieving success in one of the core challenges in Australia and internationally – breaking intergenerational cycles of disadvantage in all its forms.”(BetterStart, 2023) The quote above is from a submission by Dr. Rhiannon Pilkington and Professor John Lynch to our Royal Commission into...

If the latest slew of cryptocurrency commercials at the Superbowl is any indicator, crypto is officially mainstream. Advertisements featuring stars like LeBron James and comedians like Larry David show that everyone is getting in on crypto. But most of this excitement isn’t focused on bitcoin. Last year, over $33 billion...

I still remember the scrappy early days of Fienta. There was no office to unlock in the morning, there weren’t even salaries to draw. There were just two of us, an idea, and all the determination we could muster. Those lean beginnings taught me a lesson I still live by:...

The Digital World is a contemporary expression to communicate the importance of digital technology, services and tools to communicate on the Internet, smart devices, the Internet of Things and other digital sources. We are barely entering the early stages of the so-called Digital Revolution and its impact on business is...

Teddy Bekele Chief Technology Officer – Land O’ Lakes Inc. At its very heart, farming is filled with uncertainty. Just ask any farmer here in Minnesota who has ever wrapped up harvest amid a list of nearly endless variables, from trade to prices to weather and beyond. But there’s one...

The 21st Century is destined to be a watershed moment in human history. Our lack of timely action to thwart Global Warming will push us to the paramount of our human ingenuity. Will we rise to the challenge and preserve our institutions, global markets, and industries as we know them?...

“The sky is not the limit anymore.” Quite a bold statement, likely to provoke more than a few raised eyebrows or some smug laughter. It is, however, the proud motto and goal of the students that enroll annually in Thomas More’s ICE honours programme, tailored for those students who want...

Businesses have focused on traditional methods of communications and marketing to spread their message to their customers. But those models have shifted and the pace at which communications is now delivered has accelerated to break-neck speeds. It’s easy for a company’s message to get lost amid all the chatter that...

Any founder can recall times when they’ve been faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges, and know the experience of truly questioning themselves and their idea. In these moments, I’ve found two things in my personal startup journey that keeps me pushing forward. The first is an unwavering belief in my business....

Building and investing in a differentiated customer experience used to be thought of as a nice to have but not a critical item. When it made it into the business plan or the balance sheet it did so as a necessary cost of sale – a cost you’d look to...