Heather Wilde Renze
Unicorn Whisperer, CTO & Angel Investor
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Actions
Heather Wilde is CTO of TheDifference and is also known as the Unicorn Whisperer because of her special focus on entrepreneurs. She is a professional growth expert, executive coach, best-selling author, and speaker. One of the founding team of Evernote, and co-founder of TWIP, she has won multiple awards for her writing, technology, coaching, and mentorship, including the 2020 International Impact Award for her latest book, "Birth of a Unicorn".
Both a patent inventor and game designer, she is trailblazing the way for other women to do the same.
She has appeared on Huffpost Live and ABC News, and has appeared in Mashable, BBC News, Huffington Post, and in the Wall Street Journal as well as many other industry publications. Her clients cover North America, Australia, Asia, and the Middle East and she offers training internationally on tech topics such as Cybersecurity, Anticipatory Design, and the Dangers of Overwork.
Wilde's popular Inc and Forbes columns span social media, entrepreneurialism, startups, leadership, fundraising, and diversity issues. She lives in Las Vegas.
Links
Area of Expertise
Topics
The Business Case for Blockchain: It Ain't Just CryptoCurrency
Blockchain technology has recently gained much attention due to its association with cryptocurrency, but its potential uses go far beyond digital currencies.
In this talk, Heather will explore the business case for blockchain and how it can be leveraged to improve efficiency, security, and transparency in various industries. She will discuss the various types of blockchains and how they can be used for applications such as supply chain management, contract management, and identity verification. Heather will also cover the challenges and considerations in implementing blockchain technology and provide real-world examples of how companies use it to drive innovation and success.
This talk is essential for anyone interested in understanding blockchain's potential beyond cryptocurrency's hype.
Tech Debt: The Unwanted Guest That Won't Leave
Tech debt can be a major headache for any software team, and getting rid of it can feel like trying to evict a pesky and stubborn guest.
Heather will provide a humorous and practical approach to managing and removing tech debt in this talk. She will explore the various causes of tech debt and how it can be identified and managed before it becomes a major problem. Heather will provide tips and strategies for removing tech debt, including refactoring, code reviews, and implementing best practices such as test-driven development and continuous integration. She will also discuss the importance of proactive debt management and how to balance the need for immediate fixes with long-term sustainability.
This talk is essential for anyone looking to improve the health and efficiency of their software systems and finally kick tech debt to the curb.
The Power of Mentorship: How to Find and Nurture Great Mentors
Mentorship is a powerful tool for personal and professional growth, but finding and nurturing great mentors can be difficult.
In this talk, Heather will share her insights and experiences with mentorship and provide practical advice on how to find and work with great mentors. She will cover the benefits of mentorship, including access to new knowledge and perspectives, guidance on career development, and support in navigating challenges. Heather will also provide tips on approaching potential mentors, getting the most out of the mentorship relationship, and paying it forward by becoming a mentor yourself.
Attendees will leave with a deep understanding of the value of mentorship and how to make it an integral part of their personal and professional growth.
The Future of Work: How AI and Humans Can Thrive Together
With the rapid advance of artificial intelligence, many people are worried about the potential impact on jobs and employment. In this talk, Heather will explore the potential role of AI in the future of work and why we shouldn't be afraid of being replaced by machines. She will cover the ways in which AI can augment human capabilities rather than replace them and provide examples of how organizations are already successfully leveraging AI to improve productivity and efficiency. Heather will also discuss the importance of upskilling and reskilling to ensure that we can all thrive in the age of AI. Attendees will leave with a better understanding of the potential of AI to enhance, rather than replace, human capabilities.
Tech Tools Every Non-Developer Needs to Know
Just because you aren't a developer doesn't mean you can't leverage the power of technology to improve your work and personal life.
In this talk, Heather will introduce attendees to the most important tech tools that every non-developer should know about. She will cover a range of tools, including productivity, communication, and project management tools, and provide practical tips on how to get the most out of them. Heather will also discuss the importance of staying up to date with new tools and technologies and provide resources for continuing education.
Attendees will leave with a solid understanding of the tech tools that can help them be more efficient, effective, and successful in their work and personal lives.
Maximizing the Power of Microservices for Scalability and Flexibility
In today's fast-paced digital world, organizations must adapt quickly and easily to changing customer needs and market conditions. Microservices have gained popularity as a modular approach to software development that allows for increased scalability and flexibility. During this talk, Heather will explain the principles of microservices and how they can be used to build highly scalable and flexible systems. She will also share real-world examples of how organizations have successfully implemented microservices and the benefits they have seen as a result. Attendees will come away with a deep understanding of how microservices can drive business value and enable organizations to respond rapidly to changing needs.
An AI Wrote this Abstract: How We Can Work With The Machines To Be Better At Our Jobs
As artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent in the workplace, many people wonder how they can work with machines to improve their jobs. In this talk, we'll explore the ways in which AI can augment human capabilities rather than replace them.
We'll discuss the benefits of using AI to improve efficiency and productivity and provide practical examples of how organizations successfully leverage AI to achieve these goals. We'll also cover the importance of upskilling and reskilling to ensure that we can all thrive in the age of AI.
Attendees will leave with a better understanding of the potential of AI to enhance, rather than replace, human capabilities and how to make the most of this exciting new technology.
Ready Player Two: How to Actually Work in the Metaverse
When Mark Zuckerberg appeared in all his awkwardly-blinking glory for an uncanny-valley-inducing interview on the future of virtual work, the world let out a collective sigh. Suddenly, something that had the potential to be cool was made mundane, and it looked like the villain in Ready Player One had already taken control before the Oasis had gotten off the ground.
However, all is not so bleak as that. In this talk, I'll go over the different ways my company and others have been finding real-world applications to connect virtual teams -- small businesses, not just enterprise -- with VR/AR/XR, and show you where the technology is headed.
It's much more than creepy avatars sitting around tables. Strap in!
Unleashing the Power of No-Code: How to Build Custom Applications without Writing Code
For many organizations, the prospect of building custom applications can be daunting, requiring significant resources and expertise in software development. But what if you could build custom applications without writing a single line of code?
In this talk, Heather will introduce attendees to the no-code world, a powerful set of tools and platforms that allow anyone to build custom applications without coding. She will cover the benefits of no-code, including faster development times, lower costs, and increased accessibility to a wider range of users. Heather will also demonstrate no-code in action, showing attendees how they can start building their custom applications in just a few hours.
Attendees will leave with a deep understanding of how no-code can revolutionize how they build and deploy custom applications.
Optimization over Innovation: How Enterprise Handles Entrepreneurship
If you've ever served in a large enterprise or government, you know they usually work at a glacial pace. As technologists, it's in our nature to want to help them innovate and be the best they can be. If only they were more agile, or used x software and bought y hardware, they'd be so much better off, right?
Not so fast!
It's not that they don't know they have a problem -- but there may be too many different hurdles on how to fix it.
I've spent years as the Strategic Innovation Officer for AFWERX, a division of the USAF/USSF. In that capacity, I've learned how industry and academia can work with governments and militaries around the world. I can give you a peek behind the curtain on how you can find out what they're currently focusing on, how you can help them, and -- most importantly -- the timelines involved.
Opening the Playbook: What to Do When You've Been Hacked
If your company collects data of any kind, it's guaranteed that there is someone out there who will find it valuable enough to attempt to hack.
One day in 2012, that exact thing happened at Evernote, resulting in 50Million users being compromised overnight.
Hear what happened, what we did, and what to do from someone who has direct experience with breach recovery and cleanup.
How to Close the Diversity Gap (or, How Not to Perpetuate Bro Culture in Tech)
Inclusion has been proven to have direct, measurable effects on stability and success in businesses, large and small. Indeed, most organizations actively pursue diverse representation in their workplace, but this won’t necessarily ensure that all employees feel included.
Unconscious bias is part of the problem -- but not the only one -- especially in areas like recruitment, promotion, and performance management as well as being a major barrier in efforts to improve diversity and inclusion. The Covid-19 pandemic has also added additional strain to the pre-existing social challenges, which make it difficult for programs to gain any ground.
In this talk, we'll cover the problems and pitfalls in creating diversity programs, and why it's so important to keep trying to build a culture of inclusion in your team.
Some takeaways:
Best practices for empowering, engaging, and attracting creators of diverse backgrounds to your organization
Discuss Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and how to embed these three pillars throughout your business
Strategies to close the digital divide of historically excluded groups, internally and externally
How to Build a Unicorn -- Or Die Trying
In many developers' lives, there comes a day where they have that dream -- the thought that crosses everyone's mind at least once -- of "I could do that myself!" No matter how it starts -- being passed over for a promotion, someone stealing your idea, or seeing other people seemingly having more glamourous lives than you -- you think you can make a go of it as an entrepreneur.
As a serial entrepreneur, who has contributed as a founding employee to multiple successful startups including the billion-dollar unicorn Evernote, I've literally written the book on what you need to go through to create that type of success. In this talk, you'll get to decide for yourself if it's really worth it.
Coaching vs Mentoring -- What's the Difference?
Many organizations have put formal mentoring programs in place while others seek out a ‘coaching culture’. Often these terms are used interchangeably, but while coaching and mentoring are both valuable tools, they are two entirely distinct approaches to developing people. That’s before the waters are often muddied further with words like management and leadership!
In this session, we will model both of these frameworks to provide a bit of clarity on the distinction between coaching and mentoring, what you should expect from each, where the different approaches work best, and help you learn how to get the best out of giving and receiving both.
I Spent Millions On Video Game Development So You Don't Have To
No matter what type of technology background you have, one thing the majority of us have in common is at some point in time you probably thought it would be "neat" to publish a game. I started out in the world of game design, working with major studios to create some pretty awesome titles.
In this talk, I'll take you through what goes into creating a game -- the teamwork, the spiraling budgets, the secrecy, and the stress when years of your life can depend on the outcome of the whims of reviewers.
You've seen Mythic Quest, now hear the real story.
So, You Want to Be a Digital Nomad?
You’ve heard the pitch: Work from the beach, whenever you want, in your PJs, margarita in hand. Awesome, right?
In 2007, I spent much my time planning, researching, minimizing and laying the foundation for my new life as a digital nomad. Leaving a three bedroom house in Boston to a 47’ foot sailboat in Mexico was unlike everything I'd known before, and brought unanticipated challenges at every turn.
I haven't looked back since.
Find out first-hand tips and tricks for living the nomad life, as well as observations, and ask all the things you’ve been dying to know, like:
How do I get paid?
Why isn’t there any toilet paper!?
Is this really for me?
In this session, you’ll learn the reality from a veteran nomad, gain practical steps to get started and find out if you have what it takes to be location independent.
Leadership Skills for the Non-Manager
You don’t have a manager’s title to be a leader within an organization, nor do you have to be in charge to successfully lead others through a meeting or project.
This workshop explores what leadership is, the language of leadership, motivation, and actions people can immediately take to lead regardless of the positions they hold within their organizations.
At this program’s conclusion, participants should be able to:
Define the attributes leaders have in common.
Explain the importance of influence, how to gain it, and how to use it.
Describe how to build a professional network.
Explain what motivates others.
Develop a plan for leading.
Your Customers Hate You (And Other Lies)
When you release your software and products into the world, you open yourself up to the gamut of possibilities. This includes negative feedback from customers that can leave even the most experienced developer unprepared.
This is something that applies to every developer and unfortunately usually doesn’t get addressed until it is too late, causing entire product pivots for non-issues.
How can you stay on track when everything you hear tells you you’re wrong?
Objectives:
Provide developers with a framework for filtering customer requests while still keeping them engaged
Provide teams with a perspective on how to understand their customer
Choice is Overrated - Designing Products That Know What You Want Before You Do
According to CEO Aaron Shapiro, the next big breakthrough in design and technology will be the creation of products, services, and experiences that eliminate the needless choices from our lives and make ones on our behalf, freeing us up for the ones we really care about: “Anticipatory design”. Rather than traditional UI/UX, where the tendency is to provide options in a participatory manner to determine a result, here you remove all choices from the user, and use predictive modeling to give an outcome to liberate them from so-called “decision fatigue,”
“Flow not friction,” “convenience not choice,” and “efficiency not freedom” are the mantras of anticipatory design.
In this talk, we’ll explore some implementations of anticipatory design, discuss areas where it is done well, and issues with the overall movement.
Hacking for Fun and Profit -- Legally
Hacking for Fun and Profit
Cybercrime is at an all-time high and has no signs of slowing down. And yet, the profile of the average hacker is still not that much different from Matthew Broderick in WarGames or Robert Redford in Sneakers - they’re just doing it for the lulz.
The only problem? You need to follow strict rules.
Recently, a new industry has appeared - a reward-based ecosystem that can pay handsomely for people who like to break the law.
In this talk, find out what motivates people to hack, what it takes to become a Certified Ethical Hacker, and who is hiring hackers today.
Keep Yourself Alive: Stopping the Effects of Burnout
The tech community puts a warped badge of honor around burnout.
It’s often seen as an indicator of success and working hard when it’s actually harming the growth of our developer communities and teams.
This talk will cover:
Identifying burnout within yourself and your colleagues
Why compromising your personal life really does affect your work performanceWhat you can do to turn it all around
Apps are Making Us Dumber
Attention spans are at an all-time low. People are making more choices per day than ever before, adding to a rise in Decision Fatigue. By creating UX that removes choice, we are at a crossroads, visually and ethically, to create products that can help or hurt this trend.
As applications get smarter, design becomes more spartan.
Augmented Intelligence allows us to be more anticipatory with our software, and user experience turns into a world of distraction-free notifications rather than endless buttons and keypresses.
In this talk, we’ll examine the trend toward proactive design and the cultural shift it is creating.
Do You Want Fries With Your Compiler? Marrying Liberal Arts and Tech
The increasing availability of coding boot camps and online resources has led to a debate about the value of a traditional Computer Science degree in the tech industry. At the same time, there has been a shift towards hiring candidates with liberal arts degrees, who are known for their ability to think critically and adapt to changing environments.
In this talk, Heather will explore this new tech hiring landscape and how to navigate it as a manager or job candidate. She will discuss the pros and cons of different types of education and experience and provide practical tips for presenting your skills and finding the right fit in the tech industry.
This talk will be an open floor discussion, inviting attendees to share their experiences and insights on the wacky tech hiring world.
Sincerely, Allan: Tales of a Woman in Tech
What would you do if you had to say everything three times to have people listen? Research shows that no matter the industry, people automatically believe men, but women need three tries.
That’s the dilemma I was faced with – so I invented my male alter ego, “Allan.”
As a 20+ year veteran of the startup world, including over 5 years designing and managing online game properties for EA, SOE, Disney, THQ and others, I’ve had an interesting perspective on life, the universe, and everything when it comes to breaking into Bro Culture.
Cute, sad, funny and inspirational talk about how to become successful in places where you don’t quite fit in.
Accelerating Digital Transformation through Agile Software Development
Digital transformation is a top priority for many organizations, but navigating the complex landscape of technologies and approaches can be difficult. In this talk, Heather will share her expertise in agile software development as a key enabler for successful digital transformation. She will cover the benefits of agile approaches, including faster time to market, better customer satisfaction, and improved team collaboration. Heather will also provide tips and best practices for implementing agile in your organization, including overcoming common challenges and pitfalls. Attendees will leave with a solid understanding of how agile can drive business value and accelerate digital transformation efforts.
NDC Melbourne 2022 Sessionize Event
NDC Security 2022 Sessionize Event
KCDC 2021 Sessionize Event
Dev Around The Sun Sessionize Event
KCDC 2019 Sessionize Event
KCDC 2018 Sessionize Event
NDC Sydney 2017 Sessionize Event
Heather Wilde Renze
Unicorn Whisperer, CTO & Angel Investor
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Links
Actions
Please note that Sessionize is not responsible for the accuracy or validity of the data provided by speakers. If you suspect this profile to be fake or spam, please let us know.
Jump to top