Smart Cities, Insightful CX & Smarter Urban Innovation | DisrupTV Ep. 199

In DisrupTV Episode 199, hosts R “Ray” Wang and Vala Afshar speak with three strategic voices reimagining urban and enterprise experience:

  • Miguel Gamino, EVP, Enterprise Partnerships & Head of Global Cities at Mastercard, on how platform-driven ecosystems are powering city-scale innovation.
  • Karen Mangia, VP of Customer & Market Insights at Salesforce, on turning customer data into empathy-driven business strategies.
  • Jonathan Reichental, Ph.D., author of Smart Cities for Dummies, on creating tech-forward, human-centered urban environments.

Together, they reveal how customer intelligence, connected platforms, and human-centric tech design are influencing how cities and organizations innovate.

Key Takeaways

  • Miguel Gamino illustrates how city initiatives can harness data, partnerships, and digital payment platforms to enhance urban experiences and economic participation.
  • Karen Mangia underscores the shift from data to empathy—advocating for insight-driven strategies that align with real customer behaviors and needs.
  • Jonathan Reichental lays out the importance of designing smart cities with the right mix of technology and human-centric vision to create equitable, effective urban ecosystems.

Notable Quotes

  • Miguel Gamino: “Scaling innovation in cities requires collaborative platforms that bring together public, private, and community stakeholders.”
  • Karen Mangia: “Turning customer behavior into empathetic strategies is what differentiates good experiences from great ones.”
  • Jonathan Reichental: “The future of cities relies on technology—but only when it serves real human needs first.”

Final Thoughts

DisrupTV Episode 199 offers a masterclass in blending technology, empathy, and strategic design to reimagine how we build both cities and experiences. Whether it's enabling seamless urban payments (Miguel), creating insight-driven customer strategies (Karen), or designing inclusive smart cities (Jonathan), the lesson is clear: innovation works best when it’s built around people, not just systems.

These leaders give us a roadmap for building urban and enterprise systems that balance efficiency with empathy—and scale with a purpose.

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