Idealog.co.nz | The Transformation Issue
031
Q&A
Jenene Crossan,
founder of Flossie
What technology platform/
app/programme/invention
do you love that has helped
make you a better human?
My e-bike has made me a better
human. Not only has it taken me off
the road (I no longer own a car), so I
like to think I’m part of the solution,
not the problem (remember you’re
not “in traffic” you “are traffic”!), but
it also has given me a huge boost in
energy, creativity and perspective.
After an hour on my bike, I’ve usually
solved a number of the problems of
the world for myself and my team!
When has technology helped
you accomplish something
truly transformational?
You could easily argue that technology
transformed my life. It enabled me
a space and place to express who
I am and connect with others and
appreciate the place and purpose
I can or do have in the world. The
connectivity that freedom of true
expression can have, by opening up
to people online, has meant by telling
my story I’ve not only been able to
help myself, but others too, who
have needed to hear that story
in that moment. And vice versa.
Whilst some argue that technology
may have ruined our ability to
communicate in real life, I actually
feel that without it I would never
have had the ability or opportunity to
reach areas and people who otherwise
would not be in my immediate world.
It has exposed me to new ideas,
frames of references and inspiration.
Sam Stubbs,
founder of Simplicity
What technology platform/
app/programme/invention
do you love that has helped
make you a better human?
Freakonomics, Planet Money and
TED apps. So much inspiration
and wisdom as I drive, fly and walk
anywhere. I’m addicted to them.
When has technology helped
you accomplish something
truly transformational?
If Simplicity turns out to be
transformational (and we’ve made
a good start), it was technology
that made it happen. Amazon Web
Services, app development tools and
the internet has made it relatively easy
to reach customers directly, and not
have to jump over distribution moats
of old, like branches and commission
based sales teams. And technology
will reduce costs in our industry even
more dramatically over time. We’re
aiming for a 90 percent reduction
over the next decade.Robbie Paul,
CEO of Icehouse Ventures
What technology platform/
app/programme/invention
do you love that has helped
make you a better human?
I’m pretty stoked with solar at the
moment. The tech has come so far
and the cost is plummeting. Our
house now operates 100 percent
on power from the sun.When has technology helped
you accomplish something
truly transformational?
I want to give a big shout-out to the
New Zealand entrepreneurs in our
community doing transformational
things with technology. Notably: re-
growing human skin for burn victims
(Upside Biotechnologies), using bugs
to extract gold from micro-organisms
(Mint Innovation) and creating
valuable products from waste plastic.
It’s hard not to be optimistic about
our future when you see first-hand
how they are applying technology
to solve real-world problems.Bron Thomson,
CEO of Springload
What technology platform/
app/programme/invention
do you love that has helped
make you a better human?
There are so many! From a
productivity perspective, there are
heaps of different tools that help
me keep track of all the things in
my brain.
Right now though, something
that’s helping make me a better
human is an app called Centr. It’s a
daily exercise, food and wellness app.
I hate going to the gym, so I can use
this to exercise from home in a variety
of ways – from yoga, to weights, to
cardio. And it’s got good mindfulness
and recipe ideas too. Perfect!When has technology helped
you accomplish something
truly transformational?
I’m just loving Goalscape at the
moment. It’s a web app that helps
you visualise all your goals, and your
progress towards them, in one circular
and holistic view. I’ve used this as
a way to visualise and prioritise my
personal goals, but it’s been even more
of a help towards visualising the goals
of my business, Springload. We’ve got
four strategic pillars, so this has been
a great way to visualise each pillar, all
the different sub-goals, and then see
progress against them at both a micro
and macro level. The only down side is
that it requires Flash to use, although
I think they’re working on upgrading
it as we speak.Kat Li ntott,
co-founder of Wrestler
What technology platform/
app/programme/invention
do you love that has helped
make you a better human?
I think that Instagram and messenger
has been great to keep me in contact
with people that I would never have
kept in contact with if they didn’t
exist. So in that way, it’s helped me
have more friends, and be a better
friend! The other tech that has helped
me would be VR headsets and Unreal
engine. They’ve helped me to connect
with my body and mind more through
an interactive experience we’re
developing about connecting the
body and the mind. VR can be really
disconnecting from the body and the
mind, so it’s about trying to achieve
the opposite and we’re really close!When has technology helped
you accomplish something
truly transformational?
Unreal has helped us to re-invent a
new pipeline for content that’s meant
we can create a world and push it
to whatever platform we think is
needed way cheaper and faster than
before, with amazing results. We’re
developing a kids show that’s built all
in engine and from the build we can
create an immersive VR interaction,
an AR game, mobile game, PC game
and a five minute pilot episode. NZFC
helped fund the R&D of this with their
interactive development fund and it’s
been super successful. What’s also