Orchestrating Ecosystems: Creating Harmonious Innovation
In this eye-opening episode of Ecosystemic Futures, hosts Marco Annunziata and Vikram Shyam welcome Dr. Giulia Ajmone Marsan, Head of Startups and Inclusion, at the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia. Dr. Marsan challenges conventional wisdom about innovation with complex data. In just 20 years, the global share of patenting activity from OECD countries has dropped dramatically by 20 percentage points, signaling a significant shift in the geography of innovation.
The conversation highlights how emerging markets are becoming powerful engines of innovation. Dr. Marsan provides fascinating examples of innovation born from necessity, including Southeast Asian fintech "super apps" that have brought banking to millions of previously unbanked individuals, Estonia's digital government revolution built from scratch after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and Brazil's central bank-led open banking policy that has sparked a fintech transformation.
Dr. Marsan explains how the absence of legacy infrastructure often becomes an advantage, allowing emerging economies to leapfrog directly to cutting-edge solutions. She discusses the phenomenon of "Silicon Bali," where digital nomads are transforming tourism-dependent economies into knowledge hubs. She examines how talent mobility, diaspora connections, and targeted visa programs are reshaping global innovation ecosystems.
The conversation also addresses the critical balance between opportunity and inequality, exploring how innovation can advance sustainable development goals while requiring thoughtful policy to ensure benefits are widely shared.
Biology as Technology: Advanced Biosystems for Space Exploration
In this data-driven episode of Ecosystemic Futures, host Marco Annunziata interviews Dr. Tiffany Vora, a molecular biologist, Singularity Fellow in Biotechnology, and Vice President for Innovation Partnerships at ExploreMars. Drawing from her background in pharmaceutical research, teaching at Stanford University, and extensive work in space innovation, Dr. Vora examines how synthetic biology advances the development of specialized biosystems for space exploration.
The discussion explores her recent publication "Space Synthetic Biology: A Paradigm for Sustainability on Earth and Beyond," detailing how technological convergence enables us to read, write, and engineer the source code of life with unprecedented precision. Dr. Vora presents research on how advanced biosystems can solve critical space exploration challenges through on-demand manufacturing of medicines, materials, and food.
The episode offers actionable insights for leveraging genetic chassis organisms, flight-tested hardware for biological manufacturing, and shelf-stable reagents that deliver value for space missions and remote Earth locations. Dr. Vora outlines how these advanced biosystems can form the foundation of circular economies in space habitats where waste becomes valuable feedstock for new biological production cycles.
The Health Dividend: How Organization Wellness Pays 3X Returns
What's the measurable return on organizational health? Through rigorous assessment frameworks and 25 years of transformation data, former IBM Change Leader Dr. Donna-Marie Arias, Ph.D. quantifies the dividends of workplace wellness. She unpacks a landmark case study: a troubled global financial institution's 3.5-year journey to becoming an industry health leader, demonstrating how organizational wellness compounds into market performance.
Beyond McKinsey & Company's research showing 3x performance gains, Dr. Arias reveals the metrics that matter - from diagnostic frameworks to retention patterns tied to manager relationships. Discover the science behind Guatemala's world-leading collaborative culture, how AI adoption impacts organizational vitals, and what drives sustainable returns across finance, technology, and education sectors.
Advanced Air Mobility: Transforming Aviation Infrastructure & Urban Ecosystems
Join host Marco Annunziata in conversation with Gloria Bouillon, distinguished aviation strategist and founder of Aviatrice Advisors, for a critical discussion on one of the nation's most strategic infrastructure opportunities. As industry safety performance bears increasing scrutiny and global competition in advanced air mobility intensifies, the U.S. faces a pivotal moment in transforming its aviation infrastructure and urban transportation systems.
From electric vertical takeoff vehicles to autonomous systems, we explore how emerging technologies can reshape our national airspace while creating new economic opportunities across regions. Learn how airports are evolving beyond traditional transportation hubs to become strategic assets driving regional development and competitiveness. This timely discussion explores the intricate balance between rapid technological innovation, infrastructure development, and community engagement - offering crucial insights for policymakers, industry leaders, and stakeholders shaping America's aviation future.
Future, TBD
The future isn't a forecast – it's a design challenge.
Lucy Ziegler, founder of TBD Futures and former McKinsey design strategist, reveals how leaders can transform business uncertainty into opportunity. Through scenario planning and design thinking, she demonstrates why the future isn't something to predict—it's something to design.
More Shots on Goal: Scaling Up Space Manufacturing for Earth's Future
NEW RELEASE EXPANDED WITH NEW CONTENT FROM AXIOM SPACE
Join this groundbreaking discussion with global leaders in aerospace, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing as they explore the "More Shots on Goal" initiative - a collaborative effort to dramatically scale up manufacturing capabilities in low Earth orbit. From revolutionary drug development to next-generation semiconductors, discover how increased space manufacturing throughput could transform industries on Earth and accelerate innovation across healthcare, technology, and energy sectors.
This special episode features insights from NASA, DoE, the International Space Station National Lab, and pioneering companies, including Axiom Space, Varda Space Industries, Stoke Space, and more. Learn how new platforms, high-throughput systems, and novel funding approaches are turning space into a trillion-dollar manufacturing hub that could reshape terrestrial industries and unlock new solutions to global challenges.
Scientific Storytelling: Transforming Healthcare Ecosystems Through Communication
Join host Marco Annunziata and guest Dr. Sophia Ononye, founder and CEO of The Sophia Consulting Firm, as they explore how scientific storytelling reshapes healthcare ecosystems and drives systemic transformation.
In this illuminating discussion, discover how emerging communication models are breaking down traditional boundaries between scientists, healthcare providers, and patients - creating new patterns of interaction and value creation. Learn how ecosystem thinking revolutionizes everything from clinical trials to drug development while building more equitable and resilient healthcare systems.
More Shots on Goal: Scaling Up Space Manufacturing for Earth's Future
Join a groundbreaking discussion with global leaders in aerospace, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing as they explore the "More Shots on Goal" initiative - a collaborative effort to scale up manufacturing capabilities in low Earth orbit dramatically. From revolutionary drug development to next-generation semiconductors, discover how increased space manufacturing throughput could transform industries on Earth and accelerate innovation across healthcare, technology, and energy sectors.
This special episode features insights from NASA, DoE, the International Space Station National Lab, and pioneering companies, including Varda Space Industries, Stoke Space, and more. Learn how new platforms, high-throughput systems, and novel funding approaches are turning space into a trillion-dollar manufacturing hub that could reshape terrestrial industries and unlock new solutions to global challenges.
Beyond Conventional Physics: Extended Electrodynamics, Lattice Confinement Fusion, Zero-Point Energy & Advanced Propulsion
Join an extraordinary panel of experts in aerospace, energy, and ultra-advanced technologies as they explore the absolute outer bounds of physics and engineering.
This groundbreaking discussion, co-hosted by Anna Brady-Estevez, Dr. Hal Puthoff, Larry Forsley, and Dyan Finkhousen, convenes the world’s leading researchers and innovators to examine extended electrodynamics, lattice confinement fusion, zero-point energy, and advanced propulsion and discusses the implications for the future of technology and space exploration.
The Architecture of Change: Building Sustainable Industry Ecosystems
In this inspiring episode, we explore how ecosystem approaches and collaborative leadership reshape global industries with Amina Razvi, former CEO of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and current Chief Partnerships Officer at Travalyst. Drawing on her unique background spanning architecture, sustainability, and industry transformation, Razvi reveals how effective coalitions can drive systemic change.
Beyond Paradigms: Ultra-Advanced Technologies, Anomalous Phenomena, and the Future of Innovation
This landmark episode convenes leading aerospace, energy, and advanced technologies experts to explore game-changing innovations that challenge our current understanding of what's possible. From quantum physics to advanced propulsion, we examine operational technologies displaying capabilities previously confined to science fiction - including craft demonstrating extraordinary energy capacity, trans-medium travel, and apparent space-time manipulation.