The Ownership Economy

Dec 02 2024 78 ep. 60 mins 28
The Ownership Economy Podcast artwork

Welcome to the Ownership Economy podcast, the podcast that explores the people and ideas that are utilizing technology, economics, and the law to reimagine how the economy can work for everyone. Here we connect with the entrepreneurs, investors, thought-leaders, academics, and politicians that are constructing a better economy, one based on broad-based ownership and democratic governance. Hosted by Martin Smith and Jahed Momand, two investors and operators that aim to use this platform to showcase the people and ideas that will shape more inclusive economies.

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Episode 079 - The Future of Business: Can Purpose-Driven Companies Outcompete the Giants? With Christian Kroll, founder of Ecosia

Dec 02 2024 61 mins  
Building a purpose-driven business isn't for the faint of heart. In this episode, Christian Kroll, founder of Ecosia, provides a candid account of the challenges he faced in transforming his company into a steward-owned entity. We'll hear about the unexpected legal hurdles he encountered in Germany, the complexities of finding a structure that balanced impact with operational flexi

Episode 078 - From Chocolate to Co-ops: Real-World Examples of Alternative Ownership in Action, with Julie Menter of Transform Finance

Dec 02 2024 55 mins  
What if there was a better way to do business — one that prioritizes people and planet while delivering profits? Join us as we talk to Julie Menter, Program Director at Transform Finance, about alternative ownership enterprises (AOEs). Julie breaks down complex concepts like ESOPs, worker cooperatives, and golden shares with real-world examples like New Belgium Brewing and Tony�

Episode 077 - Building a Shopify for Marketplaces: Juho Makkonen on ShareTribe and Steward Ownership

Nov 27 2024 60 mins  
In 2008, Juho Makkonen and his co-founder built what was essentially Facebook Marketplace before Facebook Marketplace. Their student-focused platform at Aalto University in Helsinki quickly morphed into ShareTribe, a company that empowers entrepreneurs to create their own online marketplaces. ShareTribe offers a powerful yet user-friendly software solution that allows entrepreneur

Episode 076 - Beyond Demonstration Projects: Scaling Shared Ownership for Impact with Nathan Schneider

Nov 18 2024 50 mins  
Nathan Schneider returns to the Ownership Economy Podcast to discuss strategies for building a more equitable economy through shared ownership. He argues that we need to create new "destinations" for cooperative businesses to thrive. While there's a lot of energy focused on supporting co-ops in their early stages, he believes we need to think more strategically about how to enable

Episode 075 - Bridging the 40X Renter Wealth Equity Gap: How Viva Benefits is Disrupting the Housing Market, with Dr. Michael Barnes CEO at Viva Benefits

Nov 11 2024 58 mins  
Can you build wealth without owning a home? Dr. Michael Barnes, founder of Viva Benefits, believes you can. In this episode, we trace Michael's journey from teaching in under-resourced communities to starting a tech company that's tackling the housing crisis head-on. Discover how Viva Benefits is providing renters with access to financial tools, benefits, and even cash back on ren

Episode 074 - Beyond Mega Funds: Democratizing Clean Energy Investment, with Adam Silver, CEO of Plural Energy

Nov 04 2024 52 mins  
In this episode, we sit down with Adam Silver, CEO and co-founder of Plural, a company that's revolutionizing the way we invest in renewable energy. Adam explains how Plural is using blockchain technology to make these investments more accessible and efficient, allowing anyone to own a piece of the clean energy future. We explore the benefits and challenges of this innovative appro

Episode 073: Frameworks for Responsible Crypto Regulation, with SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce

Jun 17 2024 28 mins  
In this episode of the Ownership Economy, we're joined by SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce, who dives into crypto regulation in the EU vs. the US, how she is thinking about regulation for entrepreneurs building in crypto, and what 2024 might bring. Note: This episode was recorded in January 2024.

Episode 072 - Investing to Build the Ownership Economy in web3, with David Pakman, Partner at CoinFund

Jan 15 2024 64 mins  
How do the worlds of cryptography, privacy, and AI relate? What is the promise of NFTs for building a user- and creator-owned economy? We dive into these topics and more with Ownership Economy Summit speaker David Pakman. David started his career in tech at Apple, and has been in venture capital for 20+ years at prominent funds Venrock and Coinfund, and was among the first VCs to r

Episode 071 - Business Model and Stakeholder Innovation to Scale the Creator Economy, with Maz and Eiman of Crowdmuse

Dec 21 2023 71 mins  
In this episode, we are joined by Maryam Mazraei (“Maz”) and Eiman Soliman of Crowdmuse, a web3 protocol that brings together creators, fashion designers, suppliers, brands, and consumers, while redefining the incentives within the fashion industry to address its externalities. What sets Crowdmuse apart is its unique approach—it doesn't merely position itself as the "

Episode 070 - OpenAI: An $85 Billion Dollar Governance Failure, and How it Could Have Been Anticipated, with Dr. Michael Zargham and Amber Case

Nov 26 2023 58 mins  
Over the last 120 hours, a governance crisis the likes of which we may never see repeated happened at world-leading artificial intelligence company OpenAI, culminating in the firing (and rehiring!) of Sam Altman, with a tectonic shift in their governance in the space of a few days. In this episode we explore what led to this situation, how it could have been simulated ahead of time