Much like the rest of the world, investment promotion agencies (IPAs) are grappling with a new world order underpinned by geopolitical instability and rising inflation. fDi Intelligence’s global investment reporter Seth O’Farrell travelled to the World Investment Conference organised by Waipa (the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies), held in Geneva between 12 and 14 September, to find out what IPA directors had to say in all of this. This podcast episode explores the extent to...

The beginning of 2022 has been among the most turbulent in recent memory. Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, millions of people have fled the country. Alongside billions of dollars worth of damage in Ukraine, the war has caused global prices for everything from fuel to food to soar. Multilateral institutions have subsequently downgraded their economic forecasts for many countries around the world. In this joint podcast from fDi Intelligence and the Banker, co-hosts...

Famous for The Beatles, football and its waterfront, Liverpool is also a notable case study in cultural urban regeneration. It won its bid to become European Capital of Culture in 2008 and has since become a popular city break destination, attracting over 50m tourists a year pre-pandemic. Claire McColgan, director of Culture Liverpool, talks to fDi about the impact of the award on the city, how it grew in confidence and the experience of Liverpool losing its Unesco World Heritage Status last...

The Tate Modern needs little introduction. As one of the most recognisable museums in the world, it has helped put London on the map as an international art and cultural centre. But perhaps less often discussed is its contribution towards the transformation of London’s waterfront in what could be described as a “Tate Modern effect”.  In conversation with Seth O’Farrell, Frances Morris stresses that throughout the museum’s history, it has engaged the local community so as not to “parachute”...

Covid-19 has disrupted global supply chains in everything from semiconductors to vaccines. Jennifer Bisceglie, the CEO and founder of supply chain risk company Interos, has spent over two decades helping organisations reduce risk and avoid disruption in their supply chains. From her base in Arlington, Virginia, Ms Bisceglie joins fDi’s regular start-up podcast to discuss global supply chains and Interos’ recent crowning as a unicorn, or private company valued above $1bn.  Listeners can...

Software as a service (SaaS) platforms are particularly scalable, making them highly sought after by both venture capital and public market investors. The journey of Freshworks, a provider of SaaS to help businesses engage with their customers, is a case in point.  Since being founded in the Indian city of Chennai in 2010, Freshworks has moved its headquarters to San Mateo, California and in September 2021 listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange at a valuation of $10.1bn. Girish...

When Harpa Concert Hall opened in 2011, it was met with anger and dismay as the fallout from the banking crisis still roiled Iceland. Now, the honeycombed glass structure, which doubles up as a conference centre, boasts an approval rating of over 70% and is a main attraction for foreign visitors who come to visit Reykjavik. As it celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, Svanhildur Konráðsdóttir tells fDi how the concert hall has gone from being perceived as a symbol of greed to a source...

Katowice offers its visitors something alternative to picturesque Krakow, only 70km away. Once the industrial heartland of communist Poland, the city and surrounding region of Upper Silesia was synonymous with coal and far from being perceived as a hub for the arts. As the coal mines were closed down in the mid-1990s, there was also a push to make Katowice, known as “the city of music”, into a cultural centre. Ewa Bogusz-Moore, director of the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra...

Mexico City-based Kavak, an online used car marketplace start-up now valued at $8.7bn, is on a mission to improve transparency, safety and access to financing in the used car market across Latin America. Carlos Garcia Ottati, a serial entrepreneur who founded Kavak in 2016 after leading other notable start-ups across the region, joined fDi’s Rising Ecosystems podcast to discuss Kavak’s backstory, his outlook for the used car market and what is unique about building a start-up in Latin...

Rapid grocery delivery services have raised eye-watering funding and expanded rapidly this year. Istanbul-based Getir, the start-up that pioneered the 10-minute delivery model now valued at $7.5bn, is expanding its operations across Europe and soon into the US. Nazim Salur, Getir’s CEO and co-founder, joined fDi’s regular start-up podcast to discuss the on-demand grocery delivery market, the company’s growth plans and Istanbul’s burgeoning start-up community.  Listener’s can expect a...

This week, we travel up from Bilbao to Arles in Provence, France, where the Luma Arles Tower was unveiled over the summer. Luma Arles itself spans art, design, performance, research and ecology and sits on a defunct rail yard site. Like Bilbao’s Guggenheim, the centrepiece for the $175m multi-disciplinary arts complex was designed by American architect Frank Gehry. Maja Hoffmann, founder and president of the Luma Foundation, tells fDi how Luma Arles looks to create more of a “Luma effect”...

The Bilbao Effect is a term bandied around to describe how a cultural institution can reignite the local economy of a disaffected city or area. In this new podcast series, we want to look closely at different case studies to understand how culture can provide a boost to urban development.  Juan Ignacio Vidarte, director general of the Guggenheim Bilbao, talks to fDi’s Seth O’Farrell to delve beneath the myths of the Basque city’s transformation and assess whether its world renowned effects...

Can culture boost economic development? "The Bilbao Effect" is a new podcast series from fDi Intelligence hosted by Seth O'Farrell, looking at the role of culture and cultural institutions in the economic development of cities. Premiering September 24.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Fast growing companies relocate their headquarters for many reasons, and GetYourGuide is no different. After being founded in Zurich in 2009, the experience booking platform decided to move their main office to Berlin in 2018, aiming to leverage the city’s growing start-up expertise and appeal to tech talent. Tao Tao, GetYourGuide’s co-founder and chief operating officer, joined fDi’s regular start-up podcast to discuss tourism trends during the pandemic and what has made Germany’s capital...

An explosion in the popularity of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has been a boon for trading platforms this year, with Vienna-based Bitpanda among them. Having ridden a wave of retail investor interest in digital assets, crypto trading platform Bitpanda became Austria’s first “unicorn” – private company valued at above $1bn – after its Series B funding round in March, bringing global attention to Vienna’s growing start-up scene. Lukas Enzersdorfer-Konrad, Bitpanda’s chief product officer,...

Co-hosts Yessi and Alex wrap up season one of the podcast To conclude their virtual tour of UK tech communities, co-hosts Yessi and Alex give their take on the current state of the UK's start-up scene, summarising the six ecosystems featured so far. Yessi and Alex discuss topics such as the humility of entrepreneurs and affordability of cities outside London, the later stage funding gap, mental health and more.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

fDi speaks to Stephanie Locke and Neil Cocker about the start-up community in Cardiff. In this seventh episode, co-hosts Alex Irwin-Hunt and Yessi Bello Perez head to Cardiff in Wales to find out what's happening with entrepreneurship on the ground.    Joining the show to provide their candid take on Cardiff's start-up ecosystem are Neil Cocker, the co-founder of local tech community Cardiff Start and CEO of Ramp, a business that's changing how people buy t-shirts for events and teams; and...

Min Ye, associate professor of international relations at the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, Min Ye talks to fDi's Seth O'Farrell about how China’s economic policy was born of crisis, not desire for control. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the economic development strategy adopted in 2013, has undergone various permutations in Chinese and global imaginaries alike. Far from aligning with the view that it is the expression of a one-party state looking to dominate...

In part two of the sixth episode exploring the entrepreneurial landscape of UK cities, co-hosts Alex Irwin-Hunt and Yessi Bello Perez continue their remote journey to Belfast. Featuring the same two guests as part one – Belfast City Council' digital innovation commissioner Jayne Brady, and Henry Joseph-Grant, a serial entrepreneur and start-up mentor – this digs deeper into some of the challenges and opportunities in Northern Ireland's start-up community. Listeners can expect a candid...

In part one of the sixth episode exploring the entrepreneurial landscape of UK cities, co-hosts Alex Irwin-Hunt and Yessi Bello Perez travel remotely to Belfast. Joining the show are two guests born in Northern Ireland, who discuss why they both returned home after years of diverse work experience abroad in multinationals, venture capital and start-ups. Jayne Brady, who is the digital innovation commissioner at Belfast City Council, discusses how policy and major development projects are...

In the fifth episode of this bi-weekly series, co-hosts Alex Irwin-Hunt and Yessi Bello Perez explore the entrepreneurial landscape in the UK’s second largest city Birmingham. Joining the show to provide their take on the start-up scene is Hilary Smyth-Allen, the executive lead at Supertech WM, a cross-sector partnership that promotes Birmingham and the West Midland region’s growing professional tech cluster. The second guest is Melissa Snover, the US-born founder and CEO of Rem3dy Heath...

In the fourth episode of this bi-weekly series, co-hosts Alex Irwin-Hunt and Yessi Bello Perez continue northward through the UK's emerging entrepreneurial ecosystems, exploring the start-up scene in Scotland's most populous city Glasgow. Joining the show to provide their on-the-ground perspectives of the Glaswegian tech community are Dr. Olga Kozlova, the director of innovation and industry engagement at the University of Strathclyde, and Rebecca Pick, the founder and CEO of Glasgow-based...

In the third episode of this new bi-weekly series, co-hosts Alex Irwin-Hunt and Yessi Bello Perez continue their exploration of the UK's rising start-up ecosystems, stopping off in West Yorkshire's largest city: Leeds. Joining as guests are two prominent members of the Leeds community, Stuart Clarke, the director of Leeds Digital Festival, and Helen Oldham, the founding board director of NorthInvest. With supplementary comments from Eve Roodhouse at Leeds City Council, this episode provides...

In the second episode of this new bi-weekly series, co-hosts Alex Irwin-Hunt and Yessi Bello Perez, begin their journey through the UK's rising start-up ecosystems by stopping off at the world-renowned university town of Cambridge. Joining as guests are two active members of the Cambridge community, Tony Raven, the CEO of Cambridge Enterprise, and Leonie Mueck, the chief product officer at quantum computing start-up Riverlane. With some additional comments from Andrew Williamson, the...