Tks Innovators

A special Season 1 finale edition of the Making It Real Podcast with TKS Founder, Nadeem Nathoo. Nadeem and Isabella sit down to chat about the value of early exposure to emerging technologies, life after TKS, identifying the world’s biggest problems, and frameworks for intentionally viewing the world and yourself. They dive into: Global inflection points, examining your continually evolving perspective on the world, and Nadeem’s bullish stance on innovation, leapfrogging, and talent growth in the MENA region and the UAE Creating your own opportunities by pursuing interesting and untapped ways to add value and impact Frameworks for developing wisdom (the thoughtful implication of knowledge + experiences/data) at a young age The why behind Nadeem’s “Do It For The Experience” motto, having courage, and seeking an intentional, frictionless state in life Making It Real is a podcast by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Knowledge Society (TKS)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ where host ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Isabella Grandić⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ catches up with alumni from all over t

A conversation between TKS alum Isabella Grandić and ⁠Sofia Sanchez ⁠⁠about doing things that scare you, building things you're proud of, and biological technology for human and planetary health They dive into: Sustainable textiles and Sofia’s experience developing better engineering tools for plants at Stanford’s Brophy lab The scary decision to leave college and take a gap year, joining the 776 Fellowship, and weighing the pros and cons of taking a traditional academic pathway Why lab-grown cotton is worth working on and why skepticism can be valuable as a forcing function to better explain disruptive technologies and answer tough questions through results Having a self-awareness and growth mindset to drive personal development and confidence Making It Real is a podcast by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Knowledge Society (TKS)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ where host ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Isabella Grandić⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ catches up with alumni from all over the world to talk about life after TKS. This episode was edited by TKS alum, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rachel Lee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

A conversation between TKS alum Isabella Grandić and Urszula (Ula) Solarz⁠ ⁠about identifying and leading from your core values, the problematic use of the term “girl boss”, creating valuable content, and getting comfortable taking things off your to-do list. They dive into: Ula’s experience as a writer studying Economics and Computer Science at Yale and interning at Accordion, a private equity-focused financial and technology consulting firm How to develop valuable content by being conscious of the ratio between information consumption vs production and not always publishing everything you write Understanding complex systems and networks by knowing the basics, breaking things down into smaller parts, and understanding how they combine to form a whole Examining the core features of your identity, connecting on an authentic level, and removing “transactional” from your vocabulary Making It Real is a podcast by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Knowledge Society (TKS)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ where host ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Isabella Grandić⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ catches up with a

A conversation between TKS alum Isabella Grandić and Michael Trinh ⁠about questioning assumptions, biotechnology, and focusing on the journey. They dive into: Michael’s experience as a fourth-year student at the University of Toronto in Immunology and Genetics, plans to start a Ph.D. and work as a molecular engineer at MIT The importance of questioning assumptions in scientific fields and focusing on the journey versus the outcome on the pathway to building a therapy that approaches cancer in a novel way Links between the immune system and longevity Shrinking social circles, being courageous, and finding groups of people you can be yourself with Michael’s involvement with Nucleate, the decentralization of biotechnology through communities, and emerging tech and innovation hubs Making It Real is a podcast by ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Knowledge Society (TKS)⁠⁠⁠⁠ where host ⁠⁠⁠⁠Isabella Grandić⁠⁠⁠⁠ catches up with alumni from all over the world to talk about life after TKS. This episode was edited by TKS alum, ⁠⁠⁠Rachel

A conversation between TKS alum Isabella Grandić and ⁠Jesse Pound ⁠about community, travel, global impact, and root cause analysis. They dive into: Jesse’s experience as a mechanical engineering student at Queen’s and as a founder working on Vunatec, a transparent, inclusive and efficient ecosystem based in Kenya that works as a digitized value chain from farm to market to payment to eliminate post-harvest loss. The value of taking gap years (or semesters), optimizing for finding the best communities, becoming friends with likeminded people, and pursuing projects that move you toward your ultimate vision and goal in life Understanding how to get to the root cause of problems and breaking them down into manageable solutions Global food systems, regenerative agriculture and the potential for its exponential impact on climate Making It Real is a podcast by ⁠⁠⁠The Knowledge Society (TKS)⁠⁠⁠ where host ⁠⁠⁠Isabella Grandić⁠⁠⁠ catches up with alumni from all over the world to talk about life after TKS. This

A conversation between TKS alum Isabella Grandić and Cassia Attard about authenticity, sustainable impact, and life after TKS. They dive into: Cassia’s experience in studying sustainability at McGill University and her work at EFAD, a UN agency focused specifically on rural people lifting rural people out of poverty through agricultural interventions Long-term personal growth through consistency over intensity The establishment of National Parks and nature and wilderness as a construct in sustainability academia Developing self-awareness and finding spaces and groups of people where you can be authentic Making It Real is a podcast by ⁠⁠The Knowledge Society (TKS)⁠⁠ where host ⁠⁠Isabella Grandić⁠⁠ catches up with alumni all over the world to talk about life after TKS. This episode was edited by TKS alum, ⁠Rachel Lee⁠.

A conversation between TKS alum Isabella Grandić and ⁠Jack Ceroni about mathematics, mindsets, and life after TKS. They dive into: Jack’s experiences working on projects at MIT, Xanadu, and U of T, and the behind-the-scenes experiences of both startup and academic settings Planting seeds by engaging mentors and industry experts from a place of genuine curiosity and a growth mindset when you’re young Self-reflection, self-discovery, and adapting to new situations Staying open to new experiences and not over-optimizing as a teen Making It Real is a podcast by ⁠⁠The Knowledge Society (TKS)⁠⁠ where host ⁠⁠Isabella Grandić⁠⁠ catches up with alumni all over the world to talk about life after TKS. This episode was edited by TKS alum, ⁠Rachel Lee⁠.

A conversation between TKS alum Isabella Grandić and Ayaan Esmail about creating impact and value, mental health, and joyful fulfilment. They dive into: Working on International healthcare initiatives in Africa The impact your community has on your mental health and the importance of seeking out a kind, ambitious, and authentic friend group Ayaan’s work on building a wearable fall-prevention device for seniors Closing the gap between where you say you are and where you aspire to be Making It Real is a podcast by ⁠The Knowledge Society (TKS)⁠ where host ⁠Isabella Grandić⁠ catches up with alumni all over the world to talk about life after TKS. This episode was edited by TKS alum, Rachel Lee.

A conversation between TKS alum Isabella Grandić and Adam Majmudar about building habits, taking the unconventional path, and optimizing for purpose. They dive into: Taking the unconventional path, seeking out unique experiences, and gap years Adam's experience as a Founding Engineer at thirdweb, a venture-backed web3 company with a $160M valuation Having an abundance mindset and seeing multiple pathways to your goals Information diets and building purposeful and productive habits Making It Real is a podcast by ⁠The Knowledge Society (TKS)⁠ where host ⁠Isabella Grandić⁠ catches up with alumni all over the world to talk about life after TKS. This episode was edited by TKS alum, Rachel Lee.

A conversation between TKS alum Isabella Grandić and Alishba Imran about staying grounded, curious, grateful, and ambitious. They dive into: Identifying problems you’re excited to work on Alishba's experience interning at Tesla and seeking hands-on mentorship from industry experts Having a framework for why you do things and staying grounded by comparing yourself to your past self (vs other people), and practicing gratitude Making It Real is a podcast by ⁠The Knowledge Society (TKS)⁠ where host ⁠Isabella Grandić⁠ catches up with alumni all over the world to talk about life after TKS. This episode was edited by TKS alum, Rachel Lee.

A conversation between TKS alum Isabella Grandić (2018-2020) and Shagun Maheshwari (2017-2019) about solving the world's biggest problems, going to college, and being confident in your decisions. They dive into: Leaning in to being an outsider Shagun's experience founding Voltx (raised pre-seed of $1M), a machine learning platform to accelerate battery testing and materials discovery for EV OEM's and manufactures. Being confident taking big risks and leaps of faith Making It Real is a podcast by ⁠The Knowledge Society (TKS)⁠ where host ⁠Isabella Grandić⁠ catches up with alumni all over the world to talk about life after TKS.

A conversation between TKS alum Isabella Grandić (2018) and Luke Piette (2017) about life, growth, education, and community. They dive into: The value (and challenges) of taking an unconventional path Luke's experience founding Edyfi, an alternative to university for exceptional young outliers that scaled to 5 locations, 100+ community members,~$400K in revenue What it means to have high standards, raising your bar, and surrounding yourself with like-minded ambitious people Making It Real is a podcast by The Knowledge Society (TKS) where host Isabella Grandić catches up with alumni all over the world to talk about life after TKS.

Ben Nashman is a TKS Alumni and the CEO of Synex Medical. Synex is a medical device company that is building a technology to measure blood metabolites, like glucose levels, non-invasively. Ben shares his journey starting Synex as a teenager, raising money, building a team, and much more. 

We don't hold back in this episode. Agosh opens up and talks about his story struggling with mental health during university. We discuss his learnings and he gives advice that he wish he had earlier. This is an incredibly important topic with lots of gems in this episode.  

Time in an interesting concept. In this episode Navid shares his thoughts on time, including how he spends his "currency of time" and how he thinks about the concepts of the past and future in relation to the present moment.  

In this episode, Soumiya Sivasathiyanathan (TKS Ottawa) interviews Gina Cody. Gina Cody, MEng 81, PhD 89, is the first woman ever to be awarded a PhD in building engineering at Concordia. On September 24, 2018, Cody made a $15 million gift to Concordia's Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science. In recognition of her generosity and tremendous professional accomplishments, the faculty was renamed the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science. It became the first engineering faculty in Canada named after a woman and one of the first of its kind in the world. Cody was the executive chair and principal shareholder of CCI Group Inc., a Toronto-based engineering consulting firm. She retired and sold her shares in 2016. In 2010, she was named one of Canada’s Top Women Entrepreneurs by Profit magazine.

In this episode, Navid and Nadim Nasser (aka 2Nadiem) share their perspective on the Kibera slum. This podcast should help give you perspective for the Kidogo challenge, as well as understand the world better. 

Riya Mehta interviews Viola Melis in Barcelona, Spain. Viola uses machine learning and data science to help Typeform solve big data problems including pricing and marketing insights. She talks about qualities she values when hiring and more. 

Learn about Nadim's background building a billion-dollar university in Central Asia, and hear about why we call him 2Nadiem. This is a fun and real conversation about life, purpose, and nicknames... haha. 

Ian talks about TKS Ottawa and his view on fulfilment, potential, and his role as a TKS Director.