Impact Innovators at the Fireside

Arje Cahn•impactinnovators.transistor.fm

How do ambitious innovators turn some of the world's biggest problems into tomorrow's breakthrough businesses? Around a crackling campfire deep in the woods, tech founders share their journey from global challenge to game-changing solution. Host Arjé Cahn, who built his own startup into a unicorn before becoming an impact investor, digs deep into what really works. Raw, thoughtful conversations about building companies that matter.

Last refreshed: August 16th, 2025 at 4:27 PM ⓘ

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Episodes

AI Tackling the Caregiver Crisis with Raphael Rubens of MemoMate

Looking for practical AI applications that actually make a positive impact on the world, I ran into Raphael Rubens, MemoMate's CEO. When Rafael realized his grandparents' Holocaust survival stories might be lost forever, he built an AI to interview his grandmother. He found out that interacting with an AI was quite comfortable for her. So he decided to dig into the world of AI applications for elderly care. To truly understand his users, Raphael was so bold as to move into an American senior liv...

Jun 11, 2025•33 min•Ep. 5

Disrupting Car Culture with Selana and the Bondi Boys

In this episode of Impact Innovators at the Fireside, we sit down with Chingiskhan Kazakhstan and Max Schalow, the determined founders of SELANA and Bondi. From their chance meeting over shared Chinese takeout as international students to becoming pioneers in sustainable urban mobility, they share their remarkable five-year journey to create the Netherlands' first legal e-scooter. Around our campfire, we explore how these innovators persevered through shifting regulations, financial challenges, ...

Apr 29, 2025•35 min•Ep. 4

Teaching AI to Save Humanity with Buster Franken of Fruitpunch.AI

What if we could harness AI's immense power not for profit maximization, but to solve humanity's greatest challenges? In this intimate fireside conversation, Buster Franken, founder of Fruitpunch AI, reveals how he's building a global community of 4,500 AI engineers dedicated to tackling critical world problems. From developing facial recognition for seals to detect ecosystem health, to exposing industrial polluters through AI-powered monitoring, Buster's engineers are proving that technology ca...

Jan 27, 2025•35 min•Ep. 3

Defeating Digital Distraction with Caroline Cadwell of Unpluq

In this episode of Impact Innovators, we dive deep into the battle against digital distraction with Caroline Cadwell, co-founder of Unpluq. After experiencing burnout from constant digital interruptions in her own tech career, Caroline set out to solve one of modern life's most pervasive challenges: our inability to disconnect from our phones. Rather than advocating for digital abstinence, Caroline shares Unpluq's innovative approach: using physical technology to help us make more intentional ch...

Dec 18, 2024•34 min•Ep. 2

The Carbon Credit Dilemma with Kees van Santen, co-founder of Cawa

In this captivating fireside conversation, host Arjé Cahn sits down with Kees van Santen, founder of Cawa, to explore the complex world of voluntary carbon credits and the quest for genuine climate impact. Against the backdrop of a crackling campfire in the Dutch forest, they dive deep into the challenges and opportunities in the carbon credit market. Key Discussion Points: The real mathematics behind carbon sequestration The critical difference between carbon removal and avoidance credits The c...

Dec 10, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 1

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