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PODCAST

The Innovation Civilization Podcast

The Innovation Civilization podcast hosted by Waheed Nabeel, and friends of Empasco, features conversations with domain experts on the topics of civilizational progress, technology, history, philosophy, and the first-principles of the ideas that shape our world.

technology philosophy

All Episodes

43:04

#43 - Luc de Leyritz : Philosophy, Crypto & The Rise...

The Innovation Civilization Podcast ·

2026/01/03

We kick off 2026 with a special episode with Luc de Leyritz, General Partner at Re7 Social, a first-check crypto fund, and one of the most philosophically grounded investors operating at the frontier of blockchain, DeFi, and AI-driven venture capital.Luc’s journey is anything but conventional. From studying philosophy, to working at France’s DARPA-equivalent on advanced national security research, to building conviction around crypto as the next foundational layer of finance, this conversation

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51:05

#42 - Mehran Gul : The NEW GEOGRAPHY of Innovation:...

The Innovation Civilization Podcast ·

2025/11/29

We’re joined by Mehran Gul, author of The New Geography of Innovation, who paints a detailed picture on how innovation power is shifting from Silicon Valley to unexpected places - China, Singapore, Switzerland, and beyond.As a former advisor at the World Economic Forum and World Bank, Mehran has spent years studying the frontier of technological development, institutional evolution, and national strategy. His research spans eight countries across three continents summarised in his new book which

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45:32

#41 - Samuel Kim : What Is Unique About Asian...

The Innovation Civilization Podcast ·

2025/10/19

We’re joined by Samuel Kim, the Founder and President of the Center for Asia Leadership, who shares with us the unique challenges and differences of teaching leadership in Asia.Samuel has trained over 50,000 leaders across 90 countries, helping organizations, governments, and family-run businesses navigate complex leadership challenges. From his early career at the UN to military service, startups, and education reform across Asia, Samuel brings a rare cross-sector perspective on what it takes to

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37:36

#40 - Hassan Haider : The MENA Golden Age is Here :...

The Innovation Civilization Podcast ·

2025/09/13

We’re joined by Hassan Haider, founder and managing partner at Plus VC, one of the most active early-stage VCs in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), with nearly 100 investments since 2020 and the #1 ranked venture investor in the region (according to Forbes).From pre-seed investing across MENA to the evolution of regional stock markets and secondary exits, Hassan brings a front-row view of how the region’s startup ecosystem has transformed—and where it’s headed next. As a pioneer of early

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45:10

#39 - Tomicah Tillemann : The Internet Is Broken -...

The Innovation Civilization Podcast ·

2025/08/22

We’re joined by Tomicah Tillemann, former U.S. State Department official and President of Project Liberty, for a conversation on the entrenched problems of the Internet and how to rebuild it from the ground up with digital rights, sovereignty, and decentralization at its core.Tomicah has spent decades working on governance, blockchain innovation, and digital infrastructure. As a key architect behind the Decentralized Social Networking Protocol (DSNP) and the Frequency blockchain, his mission

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52:27

#38 - James Currier : Why Network Effects Are the...

The Innovation Civilization Podcast ·

2025/06/27

We're joined by James Currier who explains how ‘network effects’ shape our economies, tech, civilisation and how to master that to our advantage.James is a five-time Founder, an angel investor in DoorDash, Lyft, and Patreon, and a Founding Partner at NFX. Before becoming an investor, James was the co-founder and CEO of Tickle, one of the internet's first successful user-generated companies. From Metcalfe’s Law to the rise of AI-powered startups, we explore how the invisible laws of networks explain

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46:18

#37 - Ravi Ramamurti : Reverse Innovation Secrets:...

The Innovation Civilization Podcast ·

2025/05/23

We’re joined by Professor Ravi Ramamurti, founder and director of the Center for Emerging Markets at Northeastern University in Boston, who’s one of the world’s leading experts on innovation in emerging economies.Professor Ramamurti who along with his co-author coined the term ‘reverse innovation’ — the phenomenon where innovation flows not from West to East, but from developing countries upward into wealthier markets. In this wide-ranging conversation, he challenges long-held assumptions

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37:50

#36 - George Sivulka : Knowledge Work 2.0: The...

The Innovation Civilization Podcast ·

2025/04/26

We’re joined by George Sivulka, Founder and CEO of Hebbia, for a conversation on how does the future of white collar work look like with multi-agents. Hebbia is backed by some of the most legendary technology investors of our generation including Peter Thiel (early investor: Paypal, Facebook), Marc Andreesen (early investor: Airbnb, Github, Coinbase), Eric Schmidt (ex-CEO Google), Jerry Yang (Co-founder Yahoo).George’s background from Stanford’s PhD program, combined with his work at the cutting

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01:07:15

#35 - Dante Disparte : Fixing Broken Money: The...

The Innovation Civilization Podcast ·

2025/04/11

We’re joined by Dante Disparte, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Global Policy at Circle, one of the biggest issuers of stablecoins (USDC) in the world.This year marks an important inflexion point for stablecoins as adoption and key regulation kicks in. We’re glad to have some one like Dante who has worked at the intersection of finance, technology, and policy, including his role on the US Digital Currency Governance Consortium and the World Economic Forum. As one of the central figures behind

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01:03:06

#34 - Prof. Jomo Kwame Sundaram : Why Most Countries...

The Innovation Civilization Podcast ·

2025/03/28

In this episode, we're joined by Professor Jomo Kwame Sundaram, a Malaysian economist and thought leader who served as the Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development at the United Nations (UN) and Assistant Director-General at the FAO. We explore how countries in the Global South can chart their own paths to prosperity.What makes a country truly developed? Is it just GDP per capita or something deeper? Professor Jomo challenges conventional economic dogma—unpacking flawed narratives

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59:17

#33 - Benji Leibowitz: What is ...

The Innovation Civilization Podcast ·

2025/03/14

In this episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Benji Leibowitz, Chief Operating Officer at Molecule and Co-Founder of Pump.Science. Benji is at the forefront of the Decentralized Science (DeSci) movement, which utilizes blockchain technology to democratize research funding and empower scientific communities.Benji Leibowitz has a diverse background in academic research, investment banking, venture capital, and computational biology research and development. At Molecule, he plays a pivotal

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48:37

#32 - Dr. Soumitra Dutta - How Emerging Markets Can...

The Innovation Civilization Podcast ·

2025/03/01

In this episode, part of our brand new Emerging Market Innovation Series, we sat down with Soumitra Dutta, Dean of the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford. He's an expert on global innovation and the author of the Global Innovation Index, which is used by governments and institutions worldwide to shape innovation policy. We're also joined by a friend of the pod, Hafidzi Razali who's the Founder and CEO of Strategic Counsel, who's an expert on policy-making in South-east Asia and

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01:00:24

#31 - Daniel Eriksson - Corruption 101 Ins & Outs:...

The Innovation Civilization Podcast ·

2025/02/16

In this episode, we sat down with Daniel Eriksson, former CEO of Transparency International, to explore how corruption operates globally and what can be done to combat it.Corruption is one of the most pervasive challenges facing the world today. But how do we dismantle it, especially when it's deeply entrenched in political systems? Daniel has spearheaded anti-corruption initiatives across more than 100 countries, leading advocacy efforts to challenge corrupt systems, promote transparency, and

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01:06:26

#30 - Dr. Rumman Chowdhury - How to Fix AI Before...

The Innovation Civilization Podcast ·

2025/02/02

We're joined by the US Science Envoy for AI, Dr.Rumman Chowdhury, who's a leading expert in responsible AI. We uncover the ethical, technical, and societal implications of artificial intelligence.As AI rapidly eats up the world, the question is what happens when it doesn’t align with human values? How do we navigate the risks of bias, misinformation, and hallucination in AI systems? Dr. Chowdhury has been at the forefront of AI governance, red teaming, and AI risk mitigation. She has worked with

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42:15

#29 - Faisal Ali Rashid - How Dubai Aims To Implement...

The Innovation Civilization Podcast ·

2024/11/01

We welcome Faisal Ali Rashid, Sr. Director at the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, to learn from Dubai's ambitious drive toward achieving net zero by 2050. Faisal, a leader in energy strategy and sustainability, oversees programs transforming Dubai’s approach to energy, water, and waste management, setting a new standard for urban sustainability in the region.We were also joined by our friend on the podcast, Tushar Narula - a sustainability advisor and a climate change expert whose work has spanned

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01:27:10

#28 - Denis Noble - Why The Last 80 Years of Biology...

The Innovation Civilization Podcast ·

2024/09/27

We're joined by Dr. Denis Noble, Professor Emeritus of Cardiovascular Physiology at the University of Oxford, and the father of 'systems biology'. He is known for his groundbreaking creation of the first mathematical model of the heart's electrical activity in the 1960s which radically transformed our understanding of the heart.Dr. Noble’s contributions have revolutionized our understanding of cardiac function and the broader field of biology. His work continues to challenge long-standing

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48:28

#27 - Bryan Johnson - Science-backed Ways to Living...

The Innovation Civilization Podcast ·

2024/08/24

We welcome Bryan Johnson, multi-millionaire visionary entrepreneur and founder of "Don't Die." Known as the most measured man in human history, Bryan is pushing the boundaries of human longevity by meticulously tracking his body's biomarkers in pursuit of an extended health span, not just lifespan. His 'Blueprint' protocols can be found here.Bryan's journey from revolutionizing digital payments with Braintree Venmo, which he sold to PayPal for $800 million, to dedicating over $100 million of his

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56:47

#26 - Mark Boggett - Democratizing access to Space:...

The Innovation Civilization Podcast ·

2024/07/27

We welcome Mark Boggett, CEO and co-founder of Seraphim Space, Europe's biggest Space tech fund and the world's first space-focused investment fundMark's journey from a career in technology investment to pioneering space venture capital reveals the transformative potential of space tech for our civilization. Mark's expertise is rooted in his careful monitoring of SpaceX's revolutionary impact on the market, inspiring him to establish Seraphim Space. With significant investments in over 120

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01:02:31

#25- Toby Coppel - AI Deepest Dive: What Can We Learn...

The Innovation Civilization Podcast ·

2024/06/22

We're joined by Toby Coppel, Founder and General Partner at Mosaic Ventures, who has been investing in the last multiple waves of AI.Toby's extensive career spans iconic firms like Netscape, AOL, & Yahoo, leading up to his current role at Mosaic Ventures, a prominent venture capital firm. He has been instrumental in significant investments, including a billion-dollar investment in Alibaba that yielded an $80 billion return for Yahoo shareholders. Toby provides an insider's perspective on the

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52:13

#24 - Ash Arora - Inside The Unicorn-Producing...

The Innovation Civilization Podcast ·

2024/05/24

We're joined by Ash Arora, a Partner at LocalGlobe leading their Web3 practice, to discuss the intricacies of venture capital, blockchain, AI investments, and market dynamics.LocalGlobe, one of the leading early-stage venture capital firms in Europe, ranked #1 early stage fund in EMEA and #3 globally with highest number of unicorns in portfolio, with companies like SoRare, Copper, Robinhood, Wise, Figma, Twitter and LP in a16z, Sequoia etc. Ash shares insights into what sets LocalGlobe apart in the

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44 results

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