Best Trajectory Podcasts (2024)

1
Joscha Bach - Building an AGI to Play the Longest Games [Worthy Successor, Episode 6] 2:01:04

5d ago2:01:04

2:01:04

This is an interview with Joscha Bach, cognitive scientist, AI researcher, and AI Strategist at Liquid AI. This is the sixth and final installment of our "Worthy Successor" series - where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity. Watch this episode on The Trajectory YouTube channel: https://yo…

1
Jeff Hawkins - Building a Knowledge-Preserving AGI to Live Beyond Us (Worthy Successor, Episode 5) 1:14:18

19d ago1:14:18

1:14:18

This is an interview with Jeff Hawkins, Founder of Numenta and author of “A Thousand Brains." This is the fifth installment of our "Worthy Successor" series - where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity. Watch this episode on The Trajectory YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/pfqsbT0cW0o This…

1
Finding Fintech's Future: Towards a Thesis on Investing in Africa 1:32:39

2M ago1:32:39

1:32:39

The Trajectory Africa’s first principles series was inspired by a desire to understand the drivers and assumptions underlying investable opportunities in key sectors hypothesized to be the engine of African VC, starting with fintech. Across 11 episodes, we explored the opportunities for, and limits of, ubiquitous digitalization and the role of fint…

1
Scott Aaronson - AGI That Evolves Our Values Without Replacing Them (Worthy Successor, Episode 4) 1:17:47

2M ago1:17:47

1:17:47

This is an interview with Scott Aaronson, theoretical computer scientist and Schlumberger Centennial Chair of Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin. This is the fourth episode in the "Worthy Successor" series - where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity. This episode referr…

1
Anders Sandberg - Blooming the Space of Intelligence and Value (Worthy Successor Series, Episode 3) 1:29:32

2M ago1:29:32

1:29:32

This week, Anders Sandberg, Computational Neuroscience PhD, Researcher at the Mimir Center for Long-Term Futures Research. --- This is the second installment of The Worthy Successor series - where we unpack the preferable and non-preferable futures humanity might strive towards in the years ahead. This episode referred to the following other essays…

1
Building the "Boring" Stuff: Infrastructure for Money Movement & Trade 1:14:39

2M ago1:14:39

1:14:39

In Episode 1 of this series, Abraham Augustine, Research Partner of trendsAf and Comms and Programs Lead at Norrsken warned against “long arm, no mouth” syndrome and the risks of digitalizing one part of a system (distributed solar energy, for example) without considering where the barriers and effects might materialize (think missing payment rails…

1
Captain MAX: Democratizing Access to Electric Vehicles 1:23:42

3M ago1:23:42

1:23:42

Back in Episode 7 of Trajectory Africa’s first series, Barbara Iyayi, CEO & Founding Partner of Unicorn Growth Capital made a strong statement about the ubiquity of financial services, arguing that every company should be a fintech company. Because as long as financial inclusion is a huge problem, every company should be able to offer financial ser…

1
Richard Sutton - Humanity Never Had Control in the First Place (Worthy Successor Series, Episode 2) 1:19:22

3M ago1:19:22

1:19:22

This week Dr. Richard Sutton. Known for his breakthroughs in reinforcement learning, Richard serves as a Professor at The University of Alberta and Research Scientist at Keen Technologies (an artificial general intelligence lab he started with John Carmack). This is the second installment of The Worthy Successor series - where we unpack the prefera…

1
Save Now, Buy Later: A Culturally-relevant Approach to Consumption? 57:04

3M ago57:04

57:04

In the previous episode of The Trajectory Africa, we explored the art and science of community lending to microbusinesses. In this episode, we turn from business lending to consumer savings, but as an antidote to a consumer lending model called buy now, pay later, or BNPL. BNPL emerged as a global trend in the wake of COVID-19 and the tough macroec…

1
Nick Bostrom - AGI That Saves Room for Us (Worthy Successor Series, Episode 1) 38:14

4M ago38:14

38:14

This is an interview with Nick Bostrom, the Founding Director of Future of Humanity Institute Oxford. This is the first installment of The Worthy Successor series - where we unpack the preferable and non-preferable futures humanity might strive towards in the years ahead. This episode referred to the following other essays and resources: -- The Int…

1
Banking on Social Intelligence: A Community Model for Microbusiness Lending 1:02:38

4M ago1:02:38

1:02:38

In the previous episode of the Trajectory Africa, we heard from Kiiru Muhoya and Judith Bogonko at Fingo about the importance of cultivating Africa’s youth as the next generation of retail consumers of financial services. In this episode, we’ll hear how Femi Iromini, Co-Founder and CEO of Moni, and his team, have created a community lending model f…

1
Banking Africa's Ambitious: Anatomy of a Partner-Powered Neobank 1:19:50

4M ago1:19:50

1:19:50

According to research by global consultancy Simon-Kucher in 2022, fewer than 5% of neobanks were profitable. A recent update suggests that most are still loss-makers, although a path to profitability is emerging. Also in 2022, Tech Cabal’s reporting on Kuda Bank’s NPLs (non-performing loans) sparked a discussion about what levels make sense for com…

1
B2B Payments: Unseating Cash through Value Chain Integration 1:04:47

5M ago1:04:47

1:04:47

This episode of The Trajectory Africa features Yele Oyekola, Co-founder and CEO of Duplo, a company on a mission to streamline financial operations for African businesses. We’re diving deep into the world of digitizing financial operations, from payables and expense management to reconciliation and reporting. Africa’s $1.5T B2B payments market repr…

1
Dan Hendrycks - Avoiding an AGI Arms Race (AGI Destinations Series, Episode 5) 54:15

5M ago54:15

54:15

This is an interview with Dan Hendrycks, Executive Director and Co-Founder of The Center for AI Safety (safe.ai). This is the fifth and final installment of our 5-part series about "AGI Destinations" - where we unpack the preferable and non-preferable futures humanity might strive towards in the years ahead. This episode was recorded in October of …

1
Thinking Differently: A Case for Venture Building in African VC 1:14:32

5M ago1:14:32

1:14:32

On this special episode of The Trajectory Africa, we’re featuring “someone you should know”—David Ogundeko, Founder and Chief Vision Officer for Funema, a last-mile, impact-focused, alternative investment company. David has spent the last 7 years creating a model to engineer and invest in problem solving, impact creating, high growth SMEs. In the p…

1
Cross Border Payments and the Alchemy of Price and Volatility 59:03

6M ago59:03

59:03

On this episode of The Trajectory Africa, we’re talking to Ola Oyetayo, Co-Founder and CEO of Verto, the first "all in one" cross-border payments platform for corporate treasuries in emerging markets. He’ll help us understand the mechanics of cross-border payments, why they're so expensive in Africa, how to improve price transparency and manage vol…

1
Dileep George - Keep Strong AI as a Tool, Not a Successor (AGI Destinations Series, Episode 4) 1:11:54

6M ago1:11:54

1:11:54

This is an interview with Dileep George, AI Researcher at Google DeepMind, previously CTO and Co-founder of Vicarious AI. This is the fourth episode in a 5-part series about "AGI Destinations" - where we unpack the preferable and non-preferable futures humanity might strive towards in the years ahead. Watch Dileep's episode on The Trajectory YouTub…

1
A Wordline Playbook for Africa: from Payments Infrastructure to Solutions 1:06:34

6M ago1:06:34

1:06:34

On the previous episode of The Trajectory Africa, Wiza Jalakasi, Africa Market Development Director at EBANX suggested that infrastructure-building consumer payments businesses create value because of the sheer number of payment methods available, from mobile money to bank transfers and cards. With all these options, businesses taking consumer paym…

1
Ben Goertzel - Regulating AGI May Do More Harm Than Good (AGI Destinations Series, Episode 3) 1:05:55

7M ago1:05:55

1:05:55

This is an interview with Ben Goertzel, CEO of SingularityNET, and AGI researcher for many decades. This is the third episode in a 5-part series about "AGI Destinations" - where we unpack the preferable and non-preferable futures humanity might strive towards in the years ahead. Watch Ben's episode on The Trajectory YouTube channel: https://youtu.b…

1
The Hard Thing about (Consumer) Payments in Africa 1:03:47

7M ago1:03:47

1:03:47

On this episode of The Trajectory Africa, we’ll hear from Wiza Jalakasi, Director for Africa Market Development at EBanx, a payments processor headquartered in Brazil. He’ll shed some light on why building payment rails in Africa is deceptively hard work—from why some payment methods work better in some places than others to whether infrastructure-…

1
Beyond Fintech? On building financial systems in Africa 59:33

7M ago59:33

59:33

On this episode of The Trajectory Africa’s current series, "The Engine of African Venture: A Return to First Principles", we’re laying the foundation for a deeper exploration of fintech by stepping back to understand the system(s) that fintech creates and operates in. For that, we’re chatting with Samora Kariuki, Founder of the Frontier Fintech new…

1
Jaan Tallinn - The Case for a Pause Before We Birth AGI (AGI Destinations Series, Episode 2) 20:54

7M ago20:54

20:54

This is an interview with Jaan Tallinn, billionaire tech mogul (Kazaa, Skype), brilliant thinker, and long-time funder for AI safety causes. This is the second episode in a 5-part series about "AGI Destinations" - where we unpack the preferable and non-preferable futures humanity might strive towards in the years ahead. Watch Jaan's full episode on…

1
Long arm with no mouth: The physical limits of Africa's digital economy 1:09:55

8M ago1:09:55

1:09:55

This is the first episode of Part 1 of a new series on The Trajectory Africa —The Engine of African Venture, A Return to First Principles. This series will explore what powers fundamental value creation and investability in sectors that drive the bulk of African VC opportunities. Part 1 is focused on fintech, and this episode with Abraham Augustine…

1
The Engine of African Venture: A Return to First Principles 3:10

8M ago3:10

3:10

The Trajectory Africa’s second series, The Engine of African Venture: A Return to First Principles, is a two-part exploration of what powers fundamental value creation and investability in sectors that drive African VC opportunities. The first part is focused on fintech, starting from the premise that digitizing African economies is the African inv…

1
Yoshua Bengio - Why We Shouldn't Blast Off to AGI Just Yet (AGI Destinations Series, Episode 1) 1:03:15

8M ago1:03:15

1:03:15

This is an interview with Dr. Yoshua Bengio, Turing Award Winner and Scientific Director of the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms. This is the first episode in a 5-part series about "AGI Destinations" - where we unpack the preferable and non-preferable futures humanity might strive towards in the years ahead. Watch Yoshua's full episode on…

1
Welcome to The Trajectory - Realpolitik on AGI and the Posthuman Future 5:29

8M ago5:29

5:29

There three main questions we'll be covering on the Trajectory: 1. Who are the power players in AGI and what are their incentives? 2. What kind of posthuman future are we moving towards, or should we be moving towards? 3. What should we do about it? If this sounds like it's up your alley, I'm glad to have you here. Connect: danfaggella.com/trajecto…

1
James and the Wandering brother 9:04

1y ago9:04

9:04

As a last admonition, James encourages us to help our wandering brothers and sisters come back to Christ. From Jas 5:19-20

1
James and Dealing with Life 9:28

1y ago9:28

9:28

James gives us instructions on how we should handle the ups and downs that come along with living in this world from James 5:13-14.

1
Overcoming Adversity: Michael Oher’s Life and Mission 17:02

1+ y ago17:02

17:02

The rumors are true: Super Bowl Champion and subject of the Oscar-winning film "The Blind Side," Michael Oher, wore the same white t-shirt to school every day of his 8th-grade year. Today, Michael's childhood spent overcoming the effects of extreme poverty and homelessness keeps his purpose clear. As Founder of The Oher Foundation, Michael's missio…

1
Why Impact Investing is a Critical Win-Win 38:36

1+ y ago38:36

38:36

Why are market failures an optimal use of capitalism to inspire innovation? Priya Parrish, partner and CIO of Impact Engine, a women-owned venture capital and private equity firm, joins James and Maci to discuss the importance of impact investing and the significance of the rewards society gains when solving for critical needs. Carlos Orantes, CEO …

1
Gregory Robinson’s Mastery of the Balance Between Science and Art 29:43

1+ y ago29:43

29:43

Sometimes it is rocket science. In 2018, decades into his 33-year career at NASA, Gregory Robinson was asked to lead the James Webb Space Telescope Program to get it over the goal line. Gregory's rise from sharecropper parents in Virginia to segregated schooling in the 1960s to becoming the Webb Space Telescope's program director and the 2022 Time …

1
Le ou La: Rightsizing Complexity when (Venture) Building in Francophone Africa 1:02:23

1+ y ago1:02:23

1:02:23

Welcome to Episode 5, the next to last of Dans les Coulisses, a series exploring VC and tech entrepreneurship in Francophone Africa, brought to you by Impact Hub Dakar and The Trajectory Africa. For this episode, we have two guests: Birame Sock and Madji Sock. Birame Sock is a technology expert with over 20 years of experience as a tech entrepreneu…

1
A National Champion for Women Entrepreneurs 32:54

1+ y ago32:54

32:54

Natalie Madeira Cofield is a Fortune 500 Small Business Advisor, an award-winning entrepreneur, a women’s empowerment advocate, a philanthropist, and a national changemaker. In 2021, Natalie was appointed Assistant Administrator for the Office of Women’s Business Ownership, making history as the highest-ranking Black woman in the Biden-Harris Admin…

1
Popping Cristal: On How to Tap Unmet Need in Francophone Markets 55:32

1+ y ago55:32

55:32

Welcome to Episode 4 of Dans les Coulisses, a series exploring VC and tech entrepreneurship in Francophone Africa, brought to you by Impact Hub Dakar and The Trajectory Africa. This episode’s guest is Tijan Watt. Tijan is a Co-Founder and General Partner of Wuri Ventures, a pan-African venture capital fund focused on pre-seed and seed opportunities…

1
Waikinya Clanton’s Mississippi: The Land of Opportunity 34:22

2y ago34:22

34:22

“What are you really moving and shaking if you can’t move and shake for your own home?” Waikinya Clanton, Executive Director of Mississippi’s Southern Poverty Law Center, poses this as she discusses her move away from a national rise in politics in DC to her choice to return home to Mississippi and put her skillset to use there. Waikinya’s inspirin…

1
School is in Session with Professor Kezia Williams 36:26

2y ago36:26

36:26

Kezia Williams is an author, entrepreneur, and the CEO of The Black upStart—an organization that has trained nearly 500 Black entrepreneurs to become job creators and asset owners. How can we establish patterns of profit generation and wealth acquisition? Kezia’s culturally relevant Black wealth blueprint teaches how to break counterproductive fina…

1
Changing the Trajectory: Best of 2022 30:41

2y ago30:41

30:41

Today we're featuring our best of 2022 highlight reel! Listen for passionate takeaways and calls to action from the legendary "Olivia Pope of Silicon Valley," Jotaka Eaddy, and acclaimed CNN anchor Zain Asher. Brandon Andrews—entrepreneur and leader of a nationwide casting tour for Shark Tank—shares invaluable knowledge. And prepare for a Master (P…

1
On Our Own?: Growing Francophone Startup Champions 49:44

2y ago49:44

49:44

Welcome to Episode 2 of Dans les Coulisses, a series exploring VC and tech entrepreneurship in Francophone Africa, brought to you by Impact Hub Dakar and The Trajectory Africa. Impact Hub Dakar is a Dakar-based incubator that supports early stage startups in Senegal, with a mission to help investors meet scalable, early stage startups in Francophon…

1
Actively Black Is Not Just an Apparel Brand, It’s a Movement 33:17

2y ago33:17

33:17

“There’s nothing passive about it,” says trailblazing entrepreneur Lanny Smith of his premium athleisure brand, Actively Black. Since its inception in 2020, this mission-based brand has operated with the clear intention of reinvesting back into the Black community by advocating for social justice, health, and wellness from within. With the Obamas, …

1
Creating a Digital Empire for Good 19:19

2y ago19:19

19:19

Media mogul Anu Bhardwaj is reaching millions of women in emerging markets with her new app, Sheqonomi. Will digital wallets put 2 billion women on the board? Sheqonomi centers women in emerging markets as a platform designed for women globally to listen, learn and earn. A fierce founder and a global influencer, Anu is ensuring that women worldwide…

1
The Trajectory Africa Rewind: Principles for Understanding African Venture 1:08:02

2y ago1:08:02

1:08:02

Welcome to The Trajectory Africa: Rewind, the summary episode for the Trajectory Africa, a "pop-up" podcast series exploring the trajectory, or pathway, of venture capital and startup formation in Africa. Over the course of 11 episodes, the series has explored: the key characteristics of African markets; the opportunities presented by digital comme…

1
The Lower East Side Girls Club of NY: A "Dream Incubator” 30:55

2y ago30:55

30:55

“Who runs the world? Girls!” Beyonce knows it, and so does the Lower East Side Girls Club. Today James and Maci speak with co-executive director Ebonie Simpson about her disruptive non-profit connecting young women of color in New York City to bright futures. How? Through free, year-round, innovative programming and mentoring. The LESGC’s 40,000-sq…

1
In Our Communities: Activating a Local Shark Tank Effect 35:49

2+ y ago35:49

35:49

How can we create a Shark Tank effect within our local communities? Entrepreneur, investor, and leader of a nationwide casting tour for ABC's Shark Tank, Brandon Andrews, joins us with concrete answers. Brandon inspires people of color to believe in their ability to start and grow a business, have the capital and resources necessary to take their i…

1
Uniting to Support the Quest to Amplify Diverse Voices 36:27

2+ y ago36:27

36:27

How do we democratize who can support BIPOC plays and creatives? Venture capitalist and founder of Wocstar Fund and the Wocstar Foundation, Gayle Jennings O’Byrne, joins acclaimed producer and CEO of SimonSays Entertainment, Ron Simons, to discuss key answers. Learn how the Wocstar Foundation empowers everyday people to participate in and support t…

1
Percy Miller: A Master (P) Class in Legacy 24:29

2+ y ago24:29

24:29

This week on Changing the Trajectory we're sharing a conversation between our colleague, Adam Sansiveri, and the legendary Percy "Master P" Miller. Listen in as Percy Miller shares his incredible journey from the inception of No Limit Records, his rise to the top of the hip-hop scene in the '90s, playing for the NBA, and his current focus: promotin…

1
Tracing Roots: The Role of LPs in African Venture Ecosystem(s) 1:02:07

2+ y ago1:02:07

1:02:07

Welcome to Track 11 of The Trajectory Africa, a podcast series exploring the trajectory, or pathway, of venture capital and startup formation in Africa. This episode’s guest artist is Babacar Seck. Babacar is an investor passionate about projects that drive inclusive development, from education to healthcare and financial services. As a senior inve…

1
Zain Asher’s Lessons from a Quiet Hero 36:30

2+ y ago36:30

36:30

Popular CNN Anchor Zain Asher pays tribute to her mother’s incredible strength and determination to raise four successful children in the shadow of tragedy. From cutting the power cord of the TV to installing a payphone in the house, this Nigerian mother went to great lengths to ensure a better life for her children. Learn how it all paid off. Note…

1
James and Rich People 11:42

2+ y ago11:42

11:42

Here, James revisits some of the things we learned about loving the wrong things. He focuses on money and the sin of saving up treasures when we should be using them for God.

1
Listening with Empathy: Fundraising beyond Spreadsheets 1:08:43

2+ y ago1:08:43

1:08:43

Welcome to Track 10 of The Trajectory Africa, a podcast series exploring the trajectory, or pathway, of venture capital and startup formation in Africa. This episode’s guest artist is Danai Musandu. Danai is a Senior Investor Relations Associate at HPE Growth, where she leads and supports the public and investor relations function, with a focus on …

1
James and Slander 10:31

2+ y ago10:31

10:31

James explains why it's especially bad to speak evil of our neighbors.

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Trajectory Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide