Culture of Innovation

Cortney Harding: From Screens to Spatial Computing: How AI and Ambient Technology Will Change How We Work and Live | Ep. 36

Join Nancy Ridge, Founder of Ridge Innovative, and Cortney Harding for an insightful conversation on how AI and ambient technology will change how we work and live. Cortney Harding is an in-demand expert in helping businesses harness the power of smartglasses, artificial intelligence, spatial computing, and virtual reality. She has created AI-powered conversational avatars for companies like Amazon, Delta, and McDonalds, and virtual reality training scenarios around topics like child abuse, workplace exclusion, mental health, Black maternal mortality, and racial bias for companies like Lowe’s, Walmart, PWC, Target, and more. She routinely leads workshops for Fortune 100 companies and universities on how to use AI and VR in education and training. Her work as been honored on numerous occasions. As an executive producer on JFK Memento, she was nominated for an Emmy and the piece won the audience award for best XR at SXSW and Best in the World at the QLD XR Festival. Her work has also been honored as the Best VR/AR of 2019 at Mobile World Congress, a SXSW Innovation Award Finalist, and a Top HR Product by HR Executive. She is currently a member of the Fast Future Executive faculty and a co-author the "Fast Future Blur" (Wiley, 2024). She has taught at CalTech, NYU, Barnard, North Carolina State University, and New Mexico State University, as well as co-writing and co-teaching the Coursera course "What is the Metaverse?" on behalf of Meta. Index • 01:19– Cortney Harding’s Background • 03:41 – The Spatial Shift: The First Signs of a Meta-Physical Era • 09:59 – Lean-Forward Strategies for the AI Era • 16:19 – Teaching AI How to Work for Us • 21:46 – Designing the Spatial Era for Everyone: Access, Safety, and Trust • 33:05 – Small Moves, Big Readiness • 36:50 – The Innovation Cortney would most like to see gain adoption Links – • Friends with Holograms – https://www.friendswithholograms.com • “The Spatial Race” - The Spatial Race: How to Prepare for Our Future in the Meta-Physical World: Harding, Cortney: 9798294004132: Amazon.com: Books • Cortney Harding LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/cortneyharding/ If you enjoyed this podcast, be sure to subscribe to us on Soundcloud for more episodes and write us a review! Share this episode with anyone interested in unconventional ideas. Do you have questions, comments, insight on the topics discussed today? Send an email to support@ridgeinnovative.com with Subject: “Culture of Innovation E36”! Follow Us On: iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/culture-of-innovation/id1537650821 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ce61f5ea-6e14-4056-bcf4-bdb2717eb9ca/culture-of-innovation Website: https://ridgeinnovative.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/nancy_ridge LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-ridge-085988a YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjEMawW6iUoDcQDjvtKTBzA Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/culture-of-innovation

Robert Horsley: Fragmented to Whole: Redefining Identity in the Digital Age | Ep. 35

Join Nancy Ridge, Founder of Ridge Innovative, and Robert Horsley for an insightful conversation on redefining identity in the digital age. Robert Horsley is the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Product Officer of Fragomen WorkRight™, where he leads the design and delivery of technology that transforms workforce compliance into a measurable advantage. With over two decades at Fragomen driving innovation across mobility, operations, and technology, Robert builds systems that combine legal integrity with usability at scale. He directs WorkRight’s product vision, developing tools that help global organizations stay audit-ready while simplifying how HR teams manage compliance in real time. Index • 01:11– Robert Horsely’s Background • 06:06 – Authenticity in the Age of Digital Illusions • 13:05 – Open Culture: The Engine of Next-Wave Innovation • 19:37 – Beyond Job Titles: Values as the New Stability • 23:58 – Trust in the Age of Deepfakes: Verifying the Digital Self • 32:14 – Leading With Purpose: The Core of Trust-Driven Innovation • 36:45 – The Innovation Robert would most like to see gain adoption Links – • Fragomen WorkRight™ – https://www.fragomen.com/ • Robert Horsley LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertjhorsley/ If you enjoyed this podcast, be sure to subscribe to us on Soundcloud for more episodes and write us a review! Share this episode with anyone interested in unconventional ideas. Do you have questions, comments, insight on the topics discussed today? Send an email to support@ridgeinnovative.com with Subject: “Culture of Innovation E35”! Follow Us On: iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/culture-of-innovation/id1537650821 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ce61f5ea-6e14-4056-bcf4-bdb2717eb9ca/culture-of-innovation Website: https://ridgeinnovative.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/nancy_ridge LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-ridge-085988a YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjEMawW6iUoDcQDjvtKTBzA Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/culture-of-innovation

Samrah Khan: AI is Shaping Top Trends in Partnering | Ep. 34

Join Nancy Ridge, Founder of Ridge Innovative, and Samrah Khan for an insightful conversation on AI shaping top trends in partnering. As the Head of SI Partnerships at Google Cloud, Samrah Khan stands at the forefront of revolutionizing cloud technology. Her profound expertise spans across Cloud Data and Analytics and AI. She has held several critical roles in engineering, product management and partner sales that contributed to company growth and previously led to IPOs. Renowned for her in-depth understanding of technology and merging that with business flows. Her extensive knowledge in multiple business and industry-specific arenas further enhances her ability to drive innovation and strategic partnerships for Google. Samrah is actively engaged in philanthropy projects, while mentoring and advising startups. She is a board member of Women of MENA in Tech and spends a lot of time on advancing the careers of women in Tech. Academically, Samrah has a Bachelors in Computer Science and Mathematics and currently resides in Bay Area, CA. Index • 00:52 – Samrah Khan’s Background • 05:50 – TAM for AI and why is it extraordinary • 11:10 – Navigating Complexity Through AI Integration • 18:36 – How AI Elevates Co-Selling Strategies • 24:18 – Rethinking Partner Fit in an AI-Driven World • 29:27 – How Google Enables the Next Wave of Partner Ecosystems • 34:03 – The Innovation Samrah would most like to see gain adoption Links – • Google Cloud – https://cloud.google.com/ • Samrah Khan LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/samrahk/ If you enjoyed this podcast, be sure to subscribe to us on Soundcloud for more episodes and write us a review! Share this episode with anyone interested in unconventional ideas. Do you have questions, comments, insight on the topics discussed today? Send an email to support@ridgeinnovative.com with Subject: “Culture of Innovation E34”! Follow Us On: iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/culture-of-innovation/id1537650821 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ce61f5ea-6e14-4056-bcf4-bdb2717eb9ca/culture-of-innovation Website: https://ridgeinnovative.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/nancy_ridge LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-ridge-085988a YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjEMawW6iUoDcQDjvtKTBzA Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/culture-of-innovation

Curtis Brinkerhoff: From Registration to Orchestration: Rewiring Deal Flow with AI | Ep. 33

Join Nancy Ridge, Founder of Ridge Innovative, and Curtis Brinkerhoff for an insightful conversation on registration to orchestration, rewiring deal flow with AI. Curtis Brinkerhoff, the Chief Revenue Officer at Impartner, boasts a remarkable career spanning over two decades in the technology sector. His journey in the industry has seen him don pivotal roles such as Sales Director, VP, EVP, COO, and CRO, and led companies from $3M to over $100M in annual revenue. Throughout his tenure, he has not only spearheaded sales but has also led dynamic support, customer service, and marketing teams, showcasing his diverse business acumen and innovative problem-solving approach. This experience, combined with his commitment to innovation and excellence, positions Curtis uniquely in serving Impartner's market needs with utmost professionalism. He emphasizes bringing best-in-class solutions to the heart of the partnerships industry. Outside of work, Curtis is deeply passionate about philanthropy and service. He founded 'Giving is Living,' an organization devoted to long-term educational projects that have made impactful changes in countries like Ethiopia, Philippines, Brazil, and more. Index • 00:54 – Curtis Brinkerhoff’s Background • 05:32 – Evolution of traditional deal flow to the multi-party, AI-powered model • 08:22 – Using AI to measure and reward partner impact • 12:35 – The Distributor Renaissance in a Data-Powered Era • 16:31 – How AI Connects CRMs, Partner Tools, and Attribution • 19:52 – Ensuring Accurate Attribution in Complex Partner Journeys • 24:06 – Scaling Integrated, Customer-Centric Deal Flow • 31:20 – The Innovation Curtis would most like to see gain adoption Links – • Impartner - https://impartner.com/ • Curtis Brinkerhoff LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/curtis-brinkerhoff/ If you enjoyed this podcast, be sure to subscribe to us on Soundcloud for more episodes and write us a review! Share this episode with anyone interested in unconventional ideas. Do you have questions, comments, insight on the topics discussed today? Send an email to support@ridgeinnovative.com with Subject: “Culture of Innovation E33”! Follow Us On: iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/culture-of-innovation/id1537650821 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ce61f5ea-6e14-4056-bcf4-bdb2717eb9ca/culture-of-innovation Website: https://ridgeinnovative.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/nancy_ridge LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-ridge-085988a YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjEMawW6iUoDcQDjvtKTBzA Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/culture-of-innovation

Max Ferguson: Workflow Reimagined: Trust, Tech, and Transformation | Ep. 32

Join Nancy Ridge, Founder of Ridge Innovative, and Max Ferguson for an insightful conversation on reimagining workflows - exploring the intersection of trust, technology, and transformation. Max Ferguson is the Founder and CEO of Lumin, a global SaaS platform serving over 120 million users worldwide. Lumin delivers comprehensive document management solutions through a unified platform, including PDF editing, eSignature workflows, collaboration tools, and AI-powered features. The company serves high-growth startups and SMBs through to Fortune 500 enterprises, providing enterprise-grade security and functionality at every stage. Max’s leadership philosophy centers on building a culture of innovation that challenges industry standards and solves complex business problems at scale. Under his direction, Lumin has demonstrated that world-class technology companies can compete globally while maintaining operational excellence and customer-centric innovation. His experience scaling a SaaS platform to serve millions of users across diverse markets provides unique insights into building sustainable competitive advantages within the software landscape. Index • 01:26 – Max Ferguson’s Background • 03:35 – The Spark Behind Lumin: Tracing the Inflection Point of Innovation • 08:37 – Uncovering Deeper Value in the Unexpected Impact of Lumin • 14:10 – AI’s Deeper Disruption Rethinking Workflows and Systems • 20:38 – Tech for All: How Lumin Is Driving Digital Inclusion • 30:41 – Understanding Digital Trust in a Rapidly Changing Ecosystem • 36:03 – The New Gatekeepers of Digital Trust • 40:01 – The Innovation Max would most like to see gain adoption Links – • Lumin - https://www.luminpdf.com/ • Max Ferguson LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxkferg/ If you enjoyed this podcast, be sure to subscribe to us on Soundcloud for more episodes and write us a review! Share this episode with anyone interested in unconventional ideas. Do you have questions, comments, insight on the topics discussed today? Send an email to support@ridgeinnovative.com with Subject: “Culture of Innovation E32”! Follow Us On: iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/culture-of-innovation/id1537650821 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ce61f5ea-6e14-4056-bcf4-bdb2717eb9ca/culture-of-innovation Website: https://ridgeinnovative.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/nancy_ridge LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-ridge-085988a YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjEMawW6iUoDcQDjvtKTBzA Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/culture-of-innovation