Human connection is vital in the era of digital transformation
by Megan Burns, Director - Catalyst
Azafran’s Catalyst focuses on assessing companies’ market timing, product traction and team: Catalyst 3T’s. To accomplish this we leverage our vast global business network that was built over decades as entrepreneurs and operators starting and running companies, cultivating partnerships, and our strength in understanding deep tech.
As we nurture these relationships we also look to build new ones. Attending industry events is a key component in our strategy to connect with new strategics, subject matter experts and partners.
A noted event highlight as we wrap up 2021 was attending the Voice Summit in Washington, DC in December produced by Modev. Modev’s Founder, CEO and community builder, Pete Erickson and his amazing team assembled the who’s who of technology creators, thought leaders and executives all united around the human passion for technology. Their motto, we believe human connection is vital in the era of digital transformation, was exemplified at this 2-day event.
Among the list of industry presenters sharing insights included Diana Mingels from Capital One, Jeff Blankenburg Principal Technical Evangelist Amazon Digital and Services, Andrea Huels, Head of AI Lenovo, Dominique Essig VP of Conversational CommerceStore No8, the incubation arm of Walmart and Brandon Kaplan CEO Skilled Creative.
As this is a community with an abundance mindset, voice technology leaders including DeepGram, BluTag, Speechly, SoundHound, yellow.ai and Cashew.ai also shared inspiring and impactful lessons to educate fellow tech entrepreneurs and enterprise voice/Ai leaders.
One of the most unique and interactive closing keynote speakers was tech entrepreneur and futurist Ian Utile. With 500+ technology leaders interviews under his belt, Ian is convinced that our industry unlocks the greatest opportunities for the metaverse and Web 3.0. After an engaging Q&A, Ian left us with an empowering message, to embrace the technology opportunity presented to us while understanding the importance of what our community is creating for humanity. This network makes it possible. The who and the why are key for success.
Join the Azafran team as we kick off 2022 @ CES 5-8 January in Vegas along with our portfolio company Yobe’s Ken Sutton (booth #61518 in Eureka Park). Please email us at insights@azafranpartners.com to meet with us or share industry events.