Innovating at the Edge: Tech Leadership, New Venture Models & Responsible Scaling—DisrupTV Episode 279

In DisrupTV Episode 279, hosts R “Ray” Wang and Vala Afshar engage with four innovators navigating different facets of the tech and venture ecosystems:

  • Rhonda Vetere – Global C-suite executive, author, and digital transformation change agent, with leadership across industries, M&A, and global markets. 
  • Alexander Othmer – Founder & Executive Director of Guardian Revival, guiding mission-driven leadership and restoration projects. 
  • Jaime Meritt – Chief Product Officer at Verint, focused on bringing customer engagement technologies to scale. 
  • Ari Qayumi – Founder & Managing Partner at Mindful Venture Capital, specializing in venture investing with impact and awareness. 

Together, they explore key themes of leadership transformation, product innovation, venture strategy, and mindful scaling.

Key Takeaways

Leadership Across Change
Rhonda Vetere highlights how transformational leaders drive growth through managing complexity—leading digital shifts, M&A, and global teams with purpose. C

Mission-Driven Product Strategy
Alexander Othmer uses Guardian Revival as a case study in aligning product/service design with sustainable and community-forward values. 

Scalable Customer Solutions
Jaime Meritt emphasizes the importance of product-led approaches in customer engagement—innovating at Verint to deliver impactful experiences. 

Intentional Venture Investing
Ari Qayumi advocates for mindful capital—investing with awareness, impact, and responsibility at the core of value creation.

Final Thoughts

Episode 279 of DisrupTV delivers a nuanced, layered conversation that bridges leadership, product strategy, and venture capital with intention and impact. Whether reshaping enterprise processes, building mission-aligned solutions, or investing with purpose, the collective wisdom of Vetere, Othmer, Meritt, and Qayumi offers a practical roadmap: lead thoughtfully, build responsibly, and invest with awareness to drive long-term innovation that matters.

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