next20 Tue, 31 Mar 2026 12:54:13 -0400 http://www.why.de en-us © 2026 next20 yes 436906ff-41ed-54de-a1e4-6e558b2cc61a &why episodic false Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) &why https://storage.buzzsprout.com/oqpzsccntp73wbr6frvercoxq6ux?.jpg next20 http://www.why.de 12: The Future of engineering at scale | Matthias Laug, Tier Mobility 12: The Future of engineering at scale | Matthias Laug, Tier Mobility I was joined by Matthias Laug, seasoned CTO and co-founder of Tier Mobility to discuss the future of mobility and how to successfully create engineering teams that can create and maintain benchmarks.  Through this lens, we dived into the world of Tier, how Tier has grown internationally and the broader digital landscape: 

  • How to approach building a scalable platform in 2023
  • Why learning form mistakes is good but picking yourself up after making them is vital 
  • What the most important factor in becoming a digital benchmark is and how to maintain it
  • What the core business challenges that are worth solving in the future 

Find out more about &why: why.de
Get in touch: next20@why.de || https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitimstephens/
Check out our bi-weekly newsletter 

]]> I was joined by Matthias Laug, seasoned CTO and co-founder of Tier Mobility to discuss the future of mobility and how to successfully create engineering teams that can create and maintain benchmarks.  Through this lens, we dived into the world of Tier, how Tier has grown internationally and the broader digital landscape: 

  • How to approach building a scalable platform in 2023
  • Why learning form mistakes is good but picking yourself up after making them is vital 
  • What the most important factor in becoming a digital benchmark is and how to maintain it
  • What the core business challenges that are worth solving in the future 

Find out more about &why: why.de
Get in touch: next20@why.de || https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitimstephens/
Check out our bi-weekly newsletter 

]]> &why Buzzsprout-13577941 Tue, 12 Sep 2023 17:00:00 +0100 2932 full false 11. The digital future of food | Emma Sheppard, ex-Hello Fresh + Innocent Drinks 11. The digital future of food | Emma Sheppard, ex-Hello Fresh + Innocent Drinks I was joined by Emma Sheppard, a food innovator and investor based in Berlin. With extensive experience of the industry both in Europe and in the UK Emma helped me take a close look at digital benchmarks in the food industry and why digital will help solve the food industries biggest challenges when it comes to climate change + accountability. We spoke about... 

  • Customers vs pace: why big and small food partner with tech start ups to innovate 
  • Why the digitalisation of the food industry is important and how blockchain could help create a new benchmark of transparency the industry needs 
  • What the overall goal is when it comes to supply chains and how digital can help people succeed in this area
  • How the integration of big data, digitalisation and personalised food consumption impacts production cycles
  • How can deep tech startups in the food industry can create a better impact on the world through sustainable practices via innovation

    Connect with Emma on Linkedin 

Find out more about &why: why.de
Get in touch: next20@why.de || https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitimstephens/
Check out our bi-weekly newsletter 

]]> I was joined by Emma Sheppard, a food innovator and investor based in Berlin. With extensive experience of the industry both in Europe and in the UK Emma helped me take a close look at digital benchmarks in the food industry and why digital will help solve the food industries biggest challenges when it comes to climate change + accountability. We spoke about... 

  • Customers vs pace: why big and small food partner with tech start ups to innovate 
  • Why the digitalisation of the food industry is important and how blockchain could help create a new benchmark of transparency the industry needs 
  • What the overall goal is when it comes to supply chains and how digital can help people succeed in this area
  • How the integration of big data, digitalisation and personalised food consumption impacts production cycles
  • How can deep tech startups in the food industry can create a better impact on the world through sustainable practices via innovation

    Connect with Emma on Linkedin 

Find out more about &why: why.de
Get in touch: next20@why.de || https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitimstephens/
Check out our bi-weekly newsletter 

]]> &why Buzzsprout-13369033 Tue, 08 Aug 2023 13:00:00 +0100 2371 full false 10: The future of sound | Patrik Veltruský, Bastl 10: The future of sound | Patrik Veltruský, Bastl I was joined by Bastl Instrument's head of marketing, Patrik Veltrusky. Bastl is a is a synthesiser maker based in Brno, Czech Republic. Since 2013, they've been helping people develop their unique sound and build up their DIY electronic music communities. We talked about... 

  • How Bastl became experimental with products.
  •  Why operating in an niche within a niche is crucial for setting benchmarks + finding product market fit
  • The parallels between  building  and building software  
  • Why people buy niche products and choose experimental hardware like Bastl
  • How to innovate: Customers, pioneering and the role of community in the ideation process
  • What have been the seismic changes in the world of hardware
  • Brand size and future direction: Is it important to break through or remaining underground?
  • The process of growing and realising ideas:  Artistic and functional design

Find out more about Bastl intruments here

Find out more about &why: why.de
Get in touch: next20@why.de || https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitimstephens/
Check out our bi-weekly newsletter 

]]> I was joined by Bastl Instrument's head of marketing, Patrik Veltrusky. Bastl is a is a synthesiser maker based in Brno, Czech Republic. Since 2013, they've been helping people develop their unique sound and build up their DIY electronic music communities. We talked about... 

  • How Bastl became experimental with products.
  •  Why operating in an niche within a niche is crucial for setting benchmarks + finding product market fit
  • The parallels between  building  and building software  
  • Why people buy niche products and choose experimental hardware like Bastl
  • How to innovate: Customers, pioneering and the role of community in the ideation process
  • What have been the seismic changes in the world of hardware
  • Brand size and future direction: Is it important to break through or remaining underground?
  • The process of growing and realising ideas:  Artistic and functional design

Find out more about Bastl intruments here

Find out more about &why: why.de
Get in touch: next20@why.de || https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitimstephens/
Check out our bi-weekly newsletter 

]]> &why Buzzsprout-13117097 Tue, 27 Jun 2023 16:00:00 +0100 3467 full false 9: The future of work | Sunkanmi Ola, Propel 9: The future of work | Sunkanmi Ola, Propel  I was joined by Propel's CEO and founder Sunkanmi Ola. Propel is a Community-as-a-Service) platform that is powering the international tech talent ecosystem and connecting it to the global workforce. A taste of the topics discussed...  

  • What the future of work looks like and the concept of the open talent economy, along with how Propel disrupts the current benchmarks in the field.
  • Why it's important to build supply lines for tech talent, the significance of community as a service and their importance in talent acquisition.
  • How Africa could fix the global tech talent shortage, with a focus on how technology and curated ecosystems play a role.
  • What barriers to entry in emerging markets may face and the emphasis on distribution rather than training.


Find out more about Propel here

Find out more about &why: why.de
Get in touch: next20@why.de || https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitimstephens/
Check out our bi-weekly newsletter 

]]>  I was joined by Propel's CEO and founder Sunkanmi Ola. Propel is a Community-as-a-Service) platform that is powering the international tech talent ecosystem and connecting it to the global workforce. A taste of the topics discussed...  

  • What the future of work looks like and the concept of the open talent economy, along with how Propel disrupts the current benchmarks in the field.
  • Why it's important to build supply lines for tech talent, the significance of community as a service and their importance in talent acquisition.
  • How Africa could fix the global tech talent shortage, with a focus on how technology and curated ecosystems play a role.
  • What barriers to entry in emerging markets may face and the emphasis on distribution rather than training.


Find out more about Propel here

Find out more about &why: why.de
Get in touch: next20@why.de || https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitimstephens/
Check out our bi-weekly newsletter 

]]> &why Buzzsprout-12987533 Tue, 06 Jun 2023 11:00:00 +0100 3635 1 9 full false 8: Technology and the future of fashion | Robin Mellery-Pratt, Business of Fashion 8: Technology and the future of fashion | Robin Mellery-Pratt, Business of Fashion In this episode I spoke with Robin Mellery-Pratt, Head of Content Strategy at the Business of Fashion. The Business of Fashion is recognised around the world for its authoritative, analytical point of view on the global fashion industry and their mission is to build an open community that informs and connects the industry. 

Here's some highlights from our conversation: 

  • How  the luxury fashion industry is utilising AI + how the  AI creative process might clash with the luxury fashion industry 
  • The history of the relationship between technology and fashion and why the fashion industry is interested in digital.
  • How the pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital distribution in the fashion industry
  • Frictionless physical/digital experiences and how they relate to luxury fashion brands
  • How  luxury fashion brands leverage the metaverse and bridge the gap between the real and digital worlds.
  • Why  people are turning to traditional luxury brands for digital products
  • How big data and machine learning is used to create seamless experiences in luxury fashion
  • What exactly is liminal retail and will it be the future for shopping


Find out more about the Business of Fashion here 

Find out more about &why: why.de
Get in touch: next20@why.de || https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitimstephens/
Check out our bi-weekly newsletter 

]]> In this episode I spoke with Robin Mellery-Pratt, Head of Content Strategy at the Business of Fashion. The Business of Fashion is recognised around the world for its authoritative, analytical point of view on the global fashion industry and their mission is to build an open community that informs and connects the industry. 

Here's some highlights from our conversation: 

  • How  the luxury fashion industry is utilising AI + how the  AI creative process might clash with the luxury fashion industry 
  • The history of the relationship between technology and fashion and why the fashion industry is interested in digital.
  • How the pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital distribution in the fashion industry
  • Frictionless physical/digital experiences and how they relate to luxury fashion brands
  • How  luxury fashion brands leverage the metaverse and bridge the gap between the real and digital worlds.
  • Why  people are turning to traditional luxury brands for digital products
  • How big data and machine learning is used to create seamless experiences in luxury fashion
  • What exactly is liminal retail and will it be the future for shopping


Find out more about the Business of Fashion here 

Find out more about &why: why.de
Get in touch: next20@why.de || https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitimstephens/
Check out our bi-weekly newsletter 

]]> &why Buzzsprout-12767022 Tue, 09 May 2023 12:00:00 +0100 4054 1 8 full false 7: Setting benchmarks in inclusive eyewear design | Ackeem + Shariff, Reframd 7: Setting benchmarks in inclusive eyewear design | Ackeem + Shariff, Reframd In this episode I spoke with Ackeem Ngwenya and Shariff Vreugd, the co-founders of Reframd. Reframd is using modern technological advancements in data processing and machine learning to create inclusive eyewear products for our diverse world.

We dived into the following topics (and more): 

  • How pioneering on a hunch became a fully fledged fashion benchmark 
  • The innate biases in social media and crowd funding and how exploiting these helped find product market fit
  • Iterate fast: How 3D printing and facial scanning tightened feedback loops in product design
  • How to focus when there are so many opportunities to pursue 

Find out more about Reframd & get 25% off here

Find out more about &why: why.de
Get in touch: next20@why.de || https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitimstephens/
Check out our bi-weekly newsletter 

]]> In this episode I spoke with Ackeem Ngwenya and Shariff Vreugd, the co-founders of Reframd. Reframd is using modern technological advancements in data processing and machine learning to create inclusive eyewear products for our diverse world.

We dived into the following topics (and more): 

  • How pioneering on a hunch became a fully fledged fashion benchmark 
  • The innate biases in social media and crowd funding and how exploiting these helped find product market fit
  • Iterate fast: How 3D printing and facial scanning tightened feedback loops in product design
  • How to focus when there are so many opportunities to pursue 

Find out more about Reframd & get 25% off here

Find out more about &why: why.de
Get in touch: next20@why.de || https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitimstephens/
Check out our bi-weekly newsletter 

]]> &why Buzzsprout-12627501 Tue, 11 Apr 2023 10:00:00 +0100 2963 1 7 full false 6: From eco-design to life cycle assessment | Rhys + Tanja, Ampler Bikes 6: From eco-design to life cycle assessment | Rhys + Tanja, Ampler Bikes In this episode I spoke with Rhys Howell (Chief Marketing Manager)  and Tanja Tanskanen (sustainibility manager) from Ampler bikes: The e-bike manufacturer with a hidden battery. 

We took a deep dive into Ampler's manufacturing process and discussed how they have become a benchmark in this space. We spoke about... 

  • The part digital has to play in Ampler's story and success 
  • A deep dive into Ampler's life cycle analysis report
  • "Emissions free by 2025" and why bikes aren't green by default 
  • What the future looks like for cycling and what part digital has to play
  • Where brave decisions had to be made to reach their
  • Community activations on and off line 


Find out more about Ampler here
Check out their LCA report here

Find out more about &why: why.de
Get in touch: next20@why.de || https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitimstephens/
Check out our bi-weekly newsletter 

]]> In this episode I spoke with Rhys Howell (Chief Marketing Manager)  and Tanja Tanskanen (sustainibility manager) from Ampler bikes: The e-bike manufacturer with a hidden battery. 

We took a deep dive into Ampler's manufacturing process and discussed how they have become a benchmark in this space. We spoke about... 

  • The part digital has to play in Ampler's story and success 
  • A deep dive into Ampler's life cycle analysis report
  • "Emissions free by 2025" and why bikes aren't green by default 
  • What the future looks like for cycling and what part digital has to play
  • Where brave decisions had to be made to reach their
  • Community activations on and off line 


Find out more about Ampler here
Check out their LCA report here

Find out more about &why: why.de
Get in touch: next20@why.de || https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitimstephens/
Check out our bi-weekly newsletter 

]]> &why Buzzsprout-12444734 Mon, 20 Mar 2023 09:00:00 +0000 4268 1 6 full false 5: "If we want technology to work for everyone, it needs to be built by everyone" | Victoria Toney-Robinson, Google 5: "If we want technology to work for everyone, it needs to be built by everyone" | Victoria Toney-Robinson, Google In this episode I spoke with Victoria Toney-Robinson, a senior programme manager at Google including Google's Black Founders Fund in Europe . We discussed...

- What challenges do minority founders and CEOs face compared with ‘traditional’ founders.
-  Why products need to be built by everyone if  we want them to work for everyone.
How you can remain an activist + still work in the corporate sector
- Why are companies resistant to discussions around diversity
-  How diversity is important to business leadership and setting future benchmarks
- Why reporting what success looks like needs to change to mean that businesses are more inclusive.


Find out more about Google's Black Founder Fund: https://startup.google.com/blackfoundersfund/
Connect with Victoria: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriabrob/


Find out more about &why: why.de
Get in touch: next20@why.de || https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitimstephens/
Check out our bi-weekly newsletter 

]]> In this episode I spoke with Victoria Toney-Robinson, a senior programme manager at Google including Google's Black Founders Fund in Europe . We discussed...

- What challenges do minority founders and CEOs face compared with ‘traditional’ founders.
-  Why products need to be built by everyone if  we want them to work for everyone.
How you can remain an activist + still work in the corporate sector
- Why are companies resistant to discussions around diversity
-  How diversity is important to business leadership and setting future benchmarks
- Why reporting what success looks like needs to change to mean that businesses are more inclusive.


Find out more about Google's Black Founder Fund: https://startup.google.com/blackfoundersfund/
Connect with Victoria: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriabrob/


Find out more about &why: why.de
Get in touch: next20@why.de || https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitimstephens/
Check out our bi-weekly newsletter 

]]> &why Buzzsprout-12201445 Tue, 07 Feb 2023 12:00:00 +0000 2981 1 5 full false 4: Changing the focus from people to planet | Paola Miani, ex-Lloyd's Banking Group 4: Changing the focus from people to planet | Paola Miani, ex-Lloyd's Banking Group Paola Miani is an expert on sustainable design thinking. She's built design systems for the likes of Lloyds banking group and discussed the following in the episode:

- Why it's important for focus changing from people to planet
- What design thinking is + how it ties in with sustainability 
- Why a pivot away from human centric design is important for the benchmarks of the near future
- Why success needs metrics to ensure longevity
- Design teams and how important it is to scale effectively

Get in touch with Paola on Linkedin

Find out more about &why: why.de
Get in touch: next20@why.de || https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitimstephens/
Check out our bi-weekly newsletter 

]]> Paola Miani is an expert on sustainable design thinking. She's built design systems for the likes of Lloyds banking group and discussed the following in the episode:

- Why it's important for focus changing from people to planet
- What design thinking is + how it ties in with sustainability 
- Why a pivot away from human centric design is important for the benchmarks of the near future
- Why success needs metrics to ensure longevity
- Design teams and how important it is to scale effectively

Get in touch with Paola on Linkedin

Find out more about &why: why.de
Get in touch: next20@why.de || https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitimstephens/
Check out our bi-weekly newsletter 

]]> &why Buzzsprout-11865976 Tue, 13 Dec 2022 19:00:00 +0000 3013 1 4 full false 3: Bravery, bravado and creating the future | Christina Heller, CEO and founder of Metastage 3: Bravery, bravado and creating the future | Christina Heller, CEO and founder of Metastage In this episode I spoke with Christina Heller, the CEO and founder of Metastage . We discussed... 

- Why bravery and bravado are both important in creating the future
- Why failure is important
- How important the intersection of team culture and technology is
- Which companies are setting the new digital benchmarks
- Why you have to be transparent and honest as a company


Find out more about Metastage: https://metastage.com/ 

Find out more about &why: why.de
Get in touch: next20@why.de || https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitimstephens/
Check out our bi-weekly newsletter 

]]> In this episode I spoke with Christina Heller, the CEO and founder of Metastage . We discussed... 

- Why bravery and bravado are both important in creating the future
- Why failure is important
- How important the intersection of team culture and technology is
- Which companies are setting the new digital benchmarks
- Why you have to be transparent and honest as a company


Find out more about Metastage: https://metastage.com/ 

Find out more about &why: why.de
Get in touch: next20@why.de || https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitimstephens/
Check out our bi-weekly newsletter 

]]> &why Buzzsprout-11238804 Thu, 24 Nov 2022 17:00:00 +0000 3598 1 3 full false 2: From steam engines to AI driven knowledge work | Tim Wegner, CEO + co-founder of Workist 2: From steam engines to AI driven knowledge work | Tim Wegner, CEO + co-founder of Workist This week I spoke to Tim Wegner, the CEO and co-founder of Workist. We discussed (amongst a lot of other topics)...

- How the past informs the future: from steam engines to AI driven knowledge work
- Previous experience as a physicist + consultant and the lessons learnt
- Projects never being fully formed or finished
- How the end user and customer is the most important element for creating a benchmark product
- Why Ready Player One is the real benchmark of the near future

Find out more about Workist: Workist.com

Find out more about &why: why.de
Get in touch: next20@why.de || https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitimstephens/
Check out our bi-weekly newsletter 

]]> This week I spoke to Tim Wegner, the CEO and co-founder of Workist. We discussed (amongst a lot of other topics)...

- How the past informs the future: from steam engines to AI driven knowledge work
- Previous experience as a physicist + consultant and the lessons learnt
- Projects never being fully formed or finished
- How the end user and customer is the most important element for creating a benchmark product
- Why Ready Player One is the real benchmark of the near future

Find out more about Workist: Workist.com

Find out more about &why: why.de
Get in touch: next20@why.de || https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitimstephens/
Check out our bi-weekly newsletter 

]]> &why Buzzsprout-11238752 Wed, 31 Aug 2022 21:00:00 +0100 4592 1 2 full false 1: What I've learned in 25 years of Tech | Zeke Arany-Lucas, Principal Engineer, Microsoft, Amazon + Forto 1: What I've learned in 25 years of Tech | Zeke Arany-Lucas, Principal Engineer, Microsoft, Amazon + Forto This week I spoke with Zeke Arany-Lucas, a software generalist with a passion for building browsers with experience at Microsoft, Amazon + Forto.  I spoke with Zeke about... 

  • how the society around tech has changed dramatically 
  • How valuation is the only thing that’s stayed constant over Zeke’s 25 years
  • Tech has flipped growing a business organically/naturally on it’s head over time
  • Idolising the black swan monopolists Vs sustainable growth 
  • Do companies need a lightning rod founder to create a zeitgeist/benchmarks
  • Institutions are larger  than the individual
  • Culture fosters great leadership 
  • Leadership vs management 
  • What hipsters and distractions have in common 
  • Why we can’t spot a digital transformation until it’s in the rear view mirror
  • Why you should consider language changes in your code 
  • How do you define a career path in development


Find out more about Zeke: 

Find out more about &why: why.de
Get in touch: next20@why.de || https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitimstephens/
Check out our bi-weekly newsletter 

]]> This week I spoke with Zeke Arany-Lucas, a software generalist with a passion for building browsers with experience at Microsoft, Amazon + Forto.  I spoke with Zeke about... 

  • how the society around tech has changed dramatically 
  • How valuation is the only thing that’s stayed constant over Zeke’s 25 years
  • Tech has flipped growing a business organically/naturally on it’s head over time
  • Idolising the black swan monopolists Vs sustainable growth 
  • Do companies need a lightning rod founder to create a zeitgeist/benchmarks
  • Institutions are larger  than the individual
  • Culture fosters great leadership 
  • Leadership vs management 
  • What hipsters and distractions have in common 
  • Why we can’t spot a digital transformation until it’s in the rear view mirror
  • Why you should consider language changes in your code 
  • How do you define a career path in development


Find out more about Zeke: 

Find out more about &why: why.de
Get in touch: next20@why.de || https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitimstephens/
Check out our bi-weekly newsletter 

]]> &why Buzzsprout-11238731 Wed, 31 Aug 2022 21:00:00 +0100 4404 1 1 full false 0: What is a digital benchmark? | Alex Dohr, CCO and Partner at &why 0: What is a digital benchmark? | Alex Dohr, CCO and Partner at &why This week I spoke to Alex Dohr.

 Alex is the CCO and a Partner at &why and talked about the following... 

- What is a digital benchmark 

- Why it matters when companies strive for a level of excellence 

- How  the connected world is pushing benchmarks forward

- What it means to be connected with people via digital possibilities

- We also introduce the podcast in detail and what we hope guests will have insight on

Find out more about &why: why.de
Get in touch: next20@why.de || https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitimstephens/
Check out our bi-weekly newsletter 

]]> This week I spoke to Alex Dohr.

 Alex is the CCO and a Partner at &why and talked about the following... 

- What is a digital benchmark 

- Why it matters when companies strive for a level of excellence 

- How  the connected world is pushing benchmarks forward

- What it means to be connected with people via digital possibilities

- We also introduce the podcast in detail and what we hope guests will have insight on

Find out more about &why: why.de
Get in touch: next20@why.de || https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitimstephens/
Check out our bi-weekly newsletter 

]]> &why Buzzsprout-11238708 Wed, 31 Aug 2022 21:00:00 +0100 1808 1 0 full false