The Silicon Valley Insider Show with Keith Koo

From Disruption to Digital Transformation with NTT DATA

On this week’s Silicon Valley Insider (#SVIN), Keith Koo’s returning guests are Eric Clark, Chief Digital Officer and Kris Fitzgerald, Chief Technology Officer of NTT Data.
Eric and Kris discuss how companies have been adapting to work in the “new normal” by embracing new procedures and technologies to safely come back to work.
Digital Transformation is the adoption of digital technology to transform services or businesses, through replacing non-digital or manual processes with digital processes or replacing older digital technology with newer digital technology. It is estimated that companies have accelerated adoption of digital transformation by at least 5 years due to COVID-19.
Return to Work is an issue for many companies. Learn about some of the steps NTT Data’s clients and partners have taken to safeguard their employees and customers incorporating artificial intelligence, IoT, mobile and other technologies.
On this week’s Cyber-Tip, Keith talks about how a well-known cyber-security firm tested their ability to hack a coffee-maker and how the results reveal how insecure our IoT devices really are from cyber-attacks. Listen to find out more on whether your devices are safe.
On the Pivot, Kris, Eric and Keith talk about “Open Innovation 11” which is NTT DATA’s annual startup innovation contest. This year’s the contest is completely virtual and the deadline for submissions is October 31st, 2020. Here is the link to apply: https://oi.nttdata.com/en/contest/11th/locations/c05/
 
Subscribe and Download to “Silicon Valley Insider” to find out more:
www.svin.biz

ICON Foundation - Pubic & Private Partnerships on a Decentralized Network

Title: ICON Foundation - Public & Private Partnerships on a Decentralized Network
On this week’s Silicon Valley Insider (#SVIN), Keith Koo’s guest is Min Kim, Co-Founder of the ICON Foundation, a decentralized network of private and public blockchains.
Min discusses the latest developments with the ICON Foundation and ICONLOOP and some of their recent successes and use cases including:
Jeju Island off the coast of South Korea using ICON and ICONLOOP’s blockchain technology for private and secure COVID-19 contact tracing.
Shinhan, Korea’s second largest bank is using ICON / ICONLOOP’s blockchain-based decentralized identities (DID) for secure digital identities for KYC compliance.
How ICON and ICONLOOP are competing to become the replacement provider of South Korea’s national identity platform.
On this week’s Cyber-Tip, Keith reminds everyone about the need for vigilance from “Insider Threats” by sharing the recent case of two employees at. Shopify sharing sensitive information about some of their customers. Shopify is an ecommerce platform with over 1 million users and these insiders targeted specific customers for their information.
On the Pivot, Keith Koo and Min Kim discuss a possible future of building communities using DAOs (Digital Autonomous Organizations). The hypothesis is that you can create a “trustless” society, company, community using technologies such as blockchain. Min gives current world examples to parallel in a digital world.
Subscribe and Download to “Silicon Valley Insider” to find out more:
www.svin.biz

Keeping FreshBooks Fresh with Mike McDerment, Founder and CEO

On this episode of Silicon Valley Insider, Host Keith Koo’s special guest is Mike McDerment, Founder and CEO of FreshBooks the billing and invoicing software used by millions in over 100+ countries.
The show begins with Mike and Keith reminiscing about Mike starting in his parent’s basement. Since Mike is from Toronto, it was a basement, not a garage. Mike discusses how he kicked himself for making a simple accounting error which led to his creation in 2003 of FreshBooks one of the world’s leading “All-In-One Invoicing+Payments App” for self-employed, small, and medium businesses.
Keith and Mike also discuss what it’s like to become a SaaS company taking on the “800 Pound Gorilla” in the existing market and how using lean development principles really helped shape the company. Mike gives plenty of examples and advice on how to stay to your core vision to create great products.
On this week’s Cyber-Tip – Keith retells an interesting story of how a guy riding his bicycle became the leading suspect in a crime near his home thanks to geo-location technology.
On the Pivot, Mike and Keith discuss on the Pivot what it’s like to “re-platform” or re-write the core software to your company. It’s a very interesting story is how Mike and the leadership team decided that they needed to create a competitive platform in order to stay on top of innovation and even created a secret parallel company that almost no one at FreshBooks knew about. Tune in to hear how that all turned out.
 
Subscribe and Download to “Silicon Valley Insider” to find out more:
www.svin.biz
 
For questions or comments, email: info@svin.biz

LinkedIn’s First Head of HR – Where does Work go from here?

In this episode of Silicon Valley Insider, Host Keith Koo very special guest is his friend, Steve Cadigan, Talent Hacker, and advisor. Steve and Keith have known each other for decades and reminisce about their time working together during Cisco’s dotcom era working in Cisco’s famed M&A Integration team. They even mention a time when they had to work on seven acquisitions all at the same time!
Since then, Steve went on to bigger and better things becoming LinkedIn’s first Head of HR and credited with creating the awesome corporate culture that LinkedIn is so famous for. Today, Steve runs Cadigan Talent Ventures and can be found at www.stevecadigan.com where he is a trusted advisor, coach and soon to be author. Steve is currently finishing his book on the future of work. 
During the show, Keith and Steve discuss how employees and employers are coping during the pandemic and what steps innovative companies are taking to stay engaged during the “new normal”. Steve gives out much practical advice and thought leadership on how companies can be supportive of their #1 asset, their people. Steve and Keith also discuss examples of how companies implemented new and innovative ways to stay connected and engaged with their people.
On this week’s Cyber-Tip – Keith does a deep dive into “Cybersquatting” and its alternate forms.
On the Pivot, Keith and Steve discuss what the future of work will look like and how employees and employers no longer must think of talent as being “locked-in” to a career track.
Subscribe and Download to “Silicon Valley Insider” to find out more:
www.svin.biz

Icecap – Tokenization of Investment Grade Diamonds

On this week’s Silicon Valley Insider (#SVIN), Keith Koo’s guest is Jacques Voorhees, CEO of Icecap Diamonds a company that is creating a two-way marketplace for investment-grade diamonds using Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs).
Jacques is very well known in the diamond industry, but not so well known in the blockchain/cryptocurrency world (however you need to listen to the end of the show to hear how Jacques got into blockchain via a well-respected member of the cryptocurrency ecosystem). Jacques discusses how he originally envisioned a two-way marketplace for investment-grade diamonds over 40 years ago but did not have the tools necessary to create a platform that instilled confidence by the investor community. Jacques explains how a trading platform based on NFTs became the answer to his 40-year quest to create this trading platform.
During the show, Jacques provides his professional insight on the difference between consumer-grade and investment grade diamonds and why there are over 100 different attributes beyond the 4 “Cs” of diamonds that investors look for.
On this week’s Cyber-Tip, Keith explains your options when being asked for a facial recognition scan at the airport when departing the United States for USA citizens and non-citizens.
On the Pivot, Keith Koo and Jacques Voorhees discuss the future of using tokenization and NFTs. 
For more information on Icecap Diamonds, got to their website at icecap.diamonds 
Subscribe and Download to “Silicon Valley Insider” to find out more:
www.svin.biz

California’s Registered Apprenticeship Program a Model for the Future

Did you know that there are currently over 70,000 open and unfilled Cyber Security jobs in California? The market salaries for these jobs can range from $100,000 to $150,000. The volume of traditional four-year college graduates has not been able to fulfill the demand. This is also true for other technology related jobs.
On this episode of Silicon Valley Insider, Host Keith Koo discusses his passion to empower people pursuing technology related jobs without traditional four-year college degrees. Keith Koo’s guests are Kelly Mackey, Regional Director of Strategic Partnerships for the State of California’s Division of Apprenticeship Standards and returning guest Dr. Keith Clement, professor of Criminology at Fresno State University and the primary author of the California Cybersecurity Workforce Development and Education Strategy (2020-2030): Framework and Recommendations for the California Cybersecurity Career Education Pipeline and Pathway Project (CCCEPPP). Keith Koo serves on the Interagency Advisory Committee for Apprenticeships (IACA) – Information Technology Subcommittee and is a contributor to Dr. Clement’s curriculum and in developing industry partnerships with Regional Director Mackey’s group.
In the beginning of the show, Regional Director Kelly Mackey discuss the history of California’s registered apprenticeship program and the state’s focus on engaging with industry partners in providing employers a pool of talent via an alternative workforce.
In the second segment, Kelly answers the question on whether small and medium businesses can take advantage of the registered apprentice program and how to go about doing that. Later in the segment, Keith and Kelly are joined by Dr. Keith Clement who gives an update on the Cybersecurity Framework and Recommendations and the “deep hole” in filling the 70,000 unfilled Cyber Security jobs by meeting the needs of employers.
In the third segment, Kelly gives a deep dive on the benefits to an employer to adopt a registered apprenticeship program and how to engage with California’s Division of Apprenticeships in order to implement the program within their organizations.
On this week’s Cyber-Tip, Keith gives discusses how Google and Amazon have now overtaken Apple as a primary vector for phishing, vishing and malware attacks and why that is the case. Keith also gives a special segment on funding programs for small businesses and startups.
On the Pivot, Keith Koo, Kelly Mackey and Dr. Keith Clement discuss how California’s Registered Apprenticeship program is a model for the future of work. 
For more information on California Registered Apprenticeships, follow this link:
https://www.dir.ca.gov/das/DAS_IACAMeetings.html or email info@svin.biz 
Subscribe and Download to “Silicon Valley Insider” to find out more:
www.svin.biz

Would You Sell Your Data for Ice Cream?

Would you be willing to sell your data for ice cream? Sadly, many people do not realize they do this daily when given a free offer of a product in exchange for their personal information. In this episode of Silicon Valley Insider, Keith Koo’s guest is technology industry veteran Kevin Coppins, CEO of Data Protection company, Spirion. www.spirion.com
In the beginning of the episode, Kevin talks about how his interest in the data protection industry started during his Novell days. Along the way, his career spanned senior roles in supply chain and the telecom industry. Kevin explains the differences between data protection, data security and data privacy and why it’s important to understand the nuances as business owners and corporate executives work to keep their companies safe and comply with new data privacy regulations such as GDPR (General Data Protection of the European Union) and CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) which is considered to be the two most stringent data regulations in the world. Keith discusses the potential fines and reputational risk for companies that do not comply with these regulations and have a data breach.
Later in the show, Keith and Kevin give several examples of recent data breaches at major companies and the negative fallout for those companies. Also, Kevin and Keith answer the question of whether you should sell your data for ice cream.
On this week’s Cyber-Tip, Keith gives a detailed explanation of a “vishing” attack. Vishing is a combination of phishing and social engineering through a phone call.
On the Pivot, Kevin Coppins comes back to discuss the future of data protection, data privacy, and data security and what it means for companies.
Subscribe and Download to “Silicon Valley Insider” to find out more:
www.svin.biz

Raising Capital Beyond Silicon Valley

In this episode of Silicon Valley Insider, Keith Koo’s returning guest is Jonathan Nelson, Managing Director of the Hack Fund and founder of Hackers and Founders.
Jonathan updates Keith on how the Hack Fund is moving forward with putting their next fund, “Hack Fund Five” as an IPO on the London Stock Exchange.  (Tune in to hear how two years ago, Jonathan and Keith had been discussing how the Hack Fund was looking into blockchain into tokenizing their fund and why the Hack Fund is now going the IPO route).
Later in the show, Keith and Jonathan talk about the investment climate for startups in the new normal, and Jonathan gives insight into his passion to bring Silicon Valley like capital to parts of the world that have traditionally not had the same access. Jonathan later gives his top tips for a startup.
On this week’s Cyber-Tip, Keith an “old school” type of phishing attack involving the SBA PPP loan process.
On the Pivot, Jonathan Nelson comes back to talk about his predictions for how investments, startups, and remote work will continue. Jonathan also gives details on which industries he is placing his investment bets on. Jonathan ends the show by discussing how diversity inside and outside of Silicon Valley is good for business and investors. You don’t want to miss what Jonathan has to say.
Subscribe and Download to “Silicon Valley Insider” to find out more:
www.svin.biz

Commercial Drones: Aeronyde Corporation

In this episode of Silicon Valley Insider, Keith Koo special guest is Alexander “Alex” Bilous, Chief Technology Officer of Aeronyde Corporation. Aeronyde is a next-generation drone-as-a-service and drone-as-a-managed service provider located in Melbourne, Florida (aka the “Space Coast”). www.aeronyde.com
Alex begins the show discussing how he followed his passion to pursue UAS/UAV and eVTOL (i.e. “drones”) after serving in the U.S. Navy as a field medic and attending university. From there, he has spent the better part of the last decade immersed in the drone industry from hardware, software, firmware, and systems management.
Keith and Alex discuss the importance of the LAANC (Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability)program, a public/private between the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and industry to ensure safe skies and operations for drones and how Aeronyde is an official partner and provider of services that adhere to LAANC protocols. Alex also discusses how the industry is coming together to solve for remote identification of drones and how to think of drones as “flying mobile phones”.
Later in the show, Keith and Alex talk about different use cases that are quickly adopting drone services such as transportation, critical infrastructure, and agriculture. Alex describes a few of Aeronyde’s customer engagements and outcomes that show the benefits of using drones to do certain jobs more efficiently and with less risk, such has phone towers, transmission lines, and wind turbine inspections.
On this week’s Cyber-Tip, Keith discusses the NSA’s recent guidance to all service members to “turn-off” location tracking in their smart devices and what are the risks and benefits of using location services.
On the Pivot, Keith’s special guest is Alexander (Alex) Bilous, comes back to discuss the near-term future of commercial aviation with drones. He discusses air-taxis and air-ambulances. Keith and Alex also discuss an emergency monitoring system being used in Seoul, South Korea.
*disclosure – Keith Koo is a senior advisor and is the fractional Chief Operating Officer of Aeronyde More information on Aeronyde can be found here: www.aeronyde.com or email info@svin.biz to find out how you can engage with Aeronyde.
Subscribe and Download to “Silicon Valley Insider” to find out more:
www.svin.biz

Advanced Air Mobility – Securing the Supply Chain for UAV and eVTOL

In this episode of Silicon Valley Insider, Keith Koo’s returning guest is Dr. Parimal Kopardekar (PK), Director of NASA’s Aeronautics Research Institute (NARI) who discusses the importance of a safe and resilient supply chain for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). AAM is dedicated to ensuring the safe operation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-off and Landing).
 
PK discusses how his training as a production engineer gives him a unique perspective in thinking about a strategic supply chain. He describes in detail the tiers of supply chain within the aerospace industry and how the supply chain needs to think “end-to-end” from the raw materials to the assembly and to support and maintenance. Throughout the show, PK and Keith give best practices on supply chain management (PK as an expert on supply chains for advanced manufacturing and systems and Keith as the head of vendor management and third-party risk management for Fortune 100 companies).
 
Later in the show, PK dives into the challenges of ensuring a safe and resilient supply-chain and how he gives his perspective and insight into ways to advance the aeronautic ecosystem such as creating the NARI / US Airforce – Agility Prime working group (which Keith Koo is a member of). Information on how to participate in this industry working group can be found at the NASA website located here:
 
On this week’s Cyber-Tip, Keith discusses the Garmin ransomware attack which is the latest “massive” hack which caused a lengthy (and ongoing) systemwide service outage. Garmin provides GPS tracking data not just for fitness trackers but also for aviation and marine applications causing issues for some pilots and boat captains that rely on these services. Keith gives a few tips on how to keep from getting hacked and even if you do get hacked, how you can ensure minimal disruption.
 
On the Pivot, Keith’s special guest is Alexander (Alex) Bilous, Chief Technology Officer of Aeronyde* Corporation a drone-as-a-service company. Alex follows-up on the earlier conversation with PK on how companies involved in aerospace, such as Aeronyde, will address the supply chain issues. Alex talks about the need for technology and regulations to advance and improve so that it can meet the demands of a secure supply chain as well as both he and Keith looking forward to the day that commercial drones can be manufactured in the USA in a cost-efficient manner. Alex discusses the work being done with Aeronyde as part of the Small UAV Coalition (an industry workgroup) to keep our skies safe and secure worldwide.
 
*disclosure – Keith Koo is a senior advisor and is the fractional Chief Operating Officer of Aeronyde More information on Aeronyde can be found here: www.aeronyde.com 
 
Subscribe and Download to “Silicon Valley Insider” to find out more:
www.svin.biz