shawnokeefe.com

Category: Work

  • Wide Open

    Wide Open

    Eye CV Mask

    With a full heart I must share this is my last week as part of the executive team at Senseye. It’s been a heck of a privilege to work with such a talented team of neuroscientists and true SaMD pioneers — first as a Leadership Coach, then as Head of People Growth, then supporting innovation / marketing efforts as Head of Design. Thanks always to David Zakariaie and Simon Woods for the opportunity to contribute to the company’s journey thus far.

    What adventure is next? I’m not yet sure… I’ll be consulting and taking on design projects while I explore FT roles, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have an initiative that I can help with (in Austin or elsewhere). I have a few other creative endeavors up my sleeve as well, so stay tuned.

  • New Year, Wild West

    New Year, Wild West

    Limpia Creek

    Grateful to begin the year in the Davis Mountains. If you look closely, you can see McDonald Observatory in the distance.

    2021 was a hard one on so many levels, but there are many positives to focus on. My trip to Honduras. Taking the kids on their first trip to Big Bend. The Big Sugar bike race in Arkansas. Friendships both old and new.

    And it’s always good to start the year with a review of my prime directives:

    1. Be the best dad I can be
    2. Share my rather long list of “what not to do” in this life with others
    3. Help purpose-driven entrepreneurs & teams thrive

    With the above at heart, I’m happy to reveal that I’ve joined the executive team at Senseye. As “Head of People Growth,” I’m initially focusing on recruitment efforts (as we’re currently on the hunt for an experienced CTO). I’ll also be involved in design and marketing efforts moving forward, as well as supporting a healthy team culture as we go through the growing pains of scaling a truly novel technology.

    I’ll continue to work with current clients via 1st Assembly Supply Co in the short term, but I plan to wind down many of those engagements in the coming months.

    Senseye is heading in a new and very important direction. You may be familiar with the fact that Senseye provides novel insights into cognitive states via the eye through mobile phones. Now the company is focused on building the world’s first objective mental health diagnostic on top of the core technology. Our first diagnostic is for PTSD and is entering pilot studies now, followed soon by additional indications for anxiety and depression.

    Like so many others, my family has been significantly impacted by mental health issues, and I look forward to shaping the future of digital medicine with this talented team.

  • New Decade, New Endeavors

    New Decade, New Endeavors

    1st Assembly Supply Co

    Welcome to 2020. What follows is a special update regarding what I’ve been up to lately…

    Ch-ch-ch-changes
    As you may know, after returning to Austin in early 2018 (after almost three years in New Zealand), I’ve continued to architect and run innovation programs. Initially working with the non-profit Food+City on their startup program for food innovators, and more recently as a “plank holder” for the Army Applications Laboratory (part of the newly-established Army Futures Command), I’ve sharpened my skills as an innovation director and facilitator of transformation. When the Army put their hardware accelerator on “strategic pause,” I left to return to my passion – developing a new kind of hardware innovation program based in Austin.

    Hello World from 1st Assembly Supply Co.
    Since my work on Lightning Lab Manufacturing and the creation of the 1st Assembly community hub & makerspace in Lower Hutt, NZ, I’ve been mentoring hardware entrepreneurs in Austin – mostly via Techstars Impact and Capital Factory. And I’ve met so many amazing folks! This has only deepened my resolve to more formally deliver value to the significant talent pool in a tech community built by the likes of Dell, National Instruments, Silicon Labs & many more – thus a new consultancy is born.

    While 1st Assembly Supply Co. is the consultancy specializing in acceleration frameworks, rapid prototyping and customer-centric approaches for Hardware & IoT companies, I have a very ambitious endeavor in the works…

    The 1A Hardware Program
    Part business accelerator and part product development course, 1A is a six-month innovation program that transforms prototypes into investable products. Initially focusing on Industrial IoT (manufacturing, agritech, environmental, smart city sectors), the program is designed for both early-stage and established companies to bring transformative products to market. We’re currently gathering community feedback and formalizing some really cool partnerships. In terms of timeline, we’re aiming to host a launch event in March. Buckle up.

    My Asks
    Know any folks who should know about 1A and/or be profiled in our new hardware zine, Throughput? Send them my way. Know of potential partners & sponsors who should be involved in 1A? Please connect me, as it’s going to be one heck of a rewarding journey for all.

    Please note that I have added shawn@1stassemb.ly to my list of email addresses. I’m still at the same mobile device and you can always follow my latest shenanigans via Instagram.

  • Adventures in IoT

    1A at Code Spark

    I recently had the pleasure of traveling to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, to deliver a keynote & IoT workshop at the first-ever Code Spark event. Huge thanks to Charles Fry and the CODE Éxitos team (along with MAS Digital, Altia & Unitec) for the opportunity to bring some Particle Photon kits and work with some very talented devs.

    Learn more about this inspiring initiative »

  • Food+City

    Food+City

    From my previous innovation work with Fonterra and Lincoln Hub in New Zealand to Food for Thought ATX here in Austin, I find myself working more and more in the FoodTech sector. And for good reason. Whether the growing VC interest or the challenges of sustainably feeding our growing population (8.5 billion humans on the planet by 2030), there are a number of critical problems and exciting opportunities to create some significant real-world impact.

    Building upon the above experiences, I’m happy to announce that I’ve taken on a new role as Director of Innovation for Food+City, an Austin-based non-profit dedicated to food supply chain innovation. While some may be familiar with Food+City’s print publications, I’ll be heading up their Startup Challenge and helping to grow the program with the vision of becoming a full-blown innovation and acceleration platform. (I’ll continue the heavy-lifting to bring a hardware accelerator + makerspace to Austin, but I’ll be allocating much less time for consulting projects and other work.)

    The 2019 Food+City Startup Challenge is currently accepting applications through November 16. So if you’re involved in disrupting food systems, give me a shout to discuss how you can get involved. Startups can apply for a chance to win valuable prize packages, access to a special mentorship program, significant exposure at the Showcase next March during SXSW and more. I’m looking forward to being inspired by all the new ideas and transformative solutions from across the globe.

    On the subject of investment, I’ll be moderating a panel in a few weeks during Austin Startup Week (which runs October 1-5, 2018):

    Finding Investors for Your Food Company
    Wednesday, October 3, 2018 • 11:00am – 12:15pm
    The Refinery, 612 Brazos Street, ATX 78701

    Hope to see you there and/or geek out about the future of food in the not-too-distant future.

    Pictured above: Creative new signage for Food+City in collaboration with Post Oak Customs.

  • Uncharted Waters

    Huka Falls

    Last week, I returned to Texas after an almost three-year stint running acceleration programs in New Zealand. It’s impossible to distill my overseas adventure into a handful of descriptors, but I’ll “give it a go” as is often said in that part of the world: inspirational, eye-opening, insightful, failure-prone, educational, transformational. (Much like the journey of a startup, actually.)

    With Lightning Lab Manufacturing (which resulted in the creation of 1st Assembly), two R9 Accelerator programs, Disrupt (Fonterra’s internal accelerator) and many other projects and endeavors, I honed my skills on how best to deliver value and faced many challenges — the distinct pains of growing hardware companies, the complex politics of working with (and across) government agencies, counseling co-founders through profound disagreements (and breakups), and the limits of my own resilience to name a few.

    I learned more about my strengths. I learned more about my weaknesses.

    If left to my own devices (and considering the state of the country and current political climate), I’m not sure that I would have returned to the US of A. However, with ongoing family issues, we decided it’s best to be close to family in Texas (perhaps the silver lining of this change).

    In the meantime, I’m on the hunt for new opportunities and interesting work in Austin.

    The path ahead will no doubt be a different one, but I’m up for the challenge to begin anew in the very special city that was my home for over 20 years.

    Iterate. Adapt. Onward through uncharted waters.

  • Preparing for Disruption

    Feed the World 2030: Power of Plants Hackathon

    From pea and insect proteins to synthetic milks and alternative “meats,” the food technology revolution is well underway. Is New Zealand ready to take part in this movement? How can we sustainably feed our planet’s rapidly-growing population (8.5 billion by 2030)? How can we innovate to create New Zealand’s future agricultural and food industries? Are plant-based protein solutions part of the answer?

    To address the above questions, Lincoln Hub and Creative HQ teamed up with the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR), AgMARDT & Callaghan Innovation to invite tech innovators, entrepreneurs, food technologists, scientists, and those passionate about transforming the future of food to the Feed the World 2030: Power of Plants Hackathon in Christchurch.

    The weekend kicked off with a special screening of Food Evolution, exploring the complexities of science, public discourse and genetic engineering in food. Then teams were formed, ideas hatched and developed, and solutions pitched in front of a live panel of judges — all to shape the future of what we eat and what we grow.

    I was privileged to be part of the Creative HQ team to deliver this event, continuing work in the foodtech space that began with Fonterra’s internal innovation program, Disrupt. (And embarrassingly enough, I was recently on the airwaves as part of Fonterra’s Made By Many campaign, sharing some of the work that Creative HQ does with Fonterra.)

    Based on the overwhelming interest and participation, the hackathon will hopefully be a stepping stone to a full-blown acceleration program that focuses on exponential technologies in foodtech and agtech. Stay tuned.

  • R9 Accelerator 3+

    In March, private sector entrepreneurs and public sector changemakers teamed up to embark on a challenging 3-month journey — one that combined intensive mentorship, lean startup methodologies, and heaps of inspiration. Eight teams flourished in the third iteration of the R9 Accelerator, a unique model of GovTech innovation born right here in New Zealand.

    It was such a pleasure to guide these passionate and energized teams through the acceleration process (my second accelerator in the GovTech space), and I’m proud of what they accomplished in such a short time. The recent R9 Demo Day showcased the customer-centric approaches, the many ups and downs (“pivots”), and new solutions that can transform how government functions in the business and social impact sectors. We’re honored to have received attention and exposure across the globe, as well as a number of visitors from distant corners such as Estonia, Singapore, Bangladesh and more.

    Teams from the third R9 cohort are now securing funding to enter a special post-acceleration support program (PASP) at the beginning of the month. I invite you to join the R9 journey and get involved with these startups that endeavor to change the world — together we can go far.

    More background and insights on the program can be found via the R9 Accelerator channel on YouTube »

  • 1st Assembly

    1st Assembly

    Before relocating to Wellington, I came very close to starting a co-working space + maker lab in central Austin. I had my eye on a fantastic property and was putting the finishing touches on the business model. Then just before pulling the proverbial trigger, the opportunity arose to move overseas and guide startups through the first hardware accelerator in New Zealand.

    As one can imagine, I was thrilled to see our efforts with Lightning Lab Manufacturing evolve into a new prototyping and community space in Lower Hutt, named 1st Assembly (or “1-A” for short).

    It was a pleasure to provide creative direction, branding and initial identity work for the talented teams at Creative HQ and Five and Dime for 1st Assembly.

    1st Assembly

    Why 1st Assembly? The name at once evokes a community gathering, a manufacturing process, and one’s very first build. With the number of churches in the area, we felt it was provocative in just the right way — encompassing a hipster quality along the likes of Church of the SubGenius. A cult of sorts for the hardware community, 1st Assembly invites those unfamiliar to ask questions and get engaged. Type nerds will also recognize Hoefler & Co’s Vitesse as the slab-serif.

    A huge thanks to the entire team at Hutt City Council for their continued support of such an impactful community space.

    For more on all the happenings at 1st Assembly, visit 1-a.co.nz.

  • Lightning Lab Manufacturing

    This past August, eight teams dared to begin a challenging journey — one that combined intensive mentorship with innovation fundamentals and prototyping resources. Seven startups thrived in Lightning Lab Manufacturing, the first-ever startup acceleration program for physical products in New Zealand. I’m proud of what these ventures accomplished in such a remarkably short time, harnessing the “no. 8 wire” attitude and spirit of invention so prevalent here in the Wellington region.

    None of this would have been possible without the amazing community that came together to share their creativity, time, energy and expertise. Thanks to all the support from founding investors, sponsors, partners, mentors and speakers — I’m so grateful to have played a part in the adventure.

    For these promising startups, the journey is just beginning. And I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them.