Founder & Partner @ Kanvas | Foster Innovation, Develop Business Strategy, Drive Growth

Katie Nowak

It’s been 3 years without my dad.
Here’s what I'm reflecting on today -

My dad taught me to build a career that I loved.

He did that by taking me to his medical presentations and dinners around the world when I was young.

I remember I joined him at a private investigator meeting in Munich, Germany, and his colleagues were torn over whether or not Dr. Nowak’s 12-year-old daughter needed to sign an NDA to attend. 😂 

In that same meeting, he introduced himself as being from “Day-toi,” instead of Detroit, as everyone else was from various European cities. Lots of laughter ensued, and the whole room suddenly felt warmer, kinder. It was his magic.

Every time I travel internationally for work or step on stage (virtually or in-person), I think of my dad. 

Every time I make a pun or a joke in a meeting (approx 23408 times a day) and see my team light up, I think of my dad.

I wish I could share with him how watching his love of his work, and thus his love of people, all over the world fundamentally shaped who I am today….

…someone who loves what she does.

I often reflect on how I could someday pay this forward to my future family, someday.

How could I involve them in international travel? Have them attend my presentations or panels? Ask them to join me while I write invoices in my office? (That was hilarious - “what do you think, Kate, let’s add an hour, I read fast!!”) … and how might I make each shared moment more fun than the last?

Today, I’m reflecting that I hope to be even half of the role model that he was for me.

I hope this inspires a reflection for you, too - he would love that.

Miss you, dad.

—
I'm Katie Nowak, an investor, innovation leader, and new venture designer sharing examples & lessons weekly. Follow me + hit 🔔 to stay tuned.

Innovation Leader, New Venture Designer, Speaker @ Kanvas || Investor @ Altra Venture Partners

If you don’t have a moat for your business, you’re in trouble. 🤯 
A moat is exactly what it sounds like - 

the water around a castle.

If your moat is shallow, intruders can simply walk through it (with some inexpensive rain boots).

If your moat is deep and wide, intruders will have a harder time (requiring expensive speed boats, scuba gear, maybe a small airplane - you get the drift).

In business, moats are imperative.

Here are the two biggest moats to have on your radar:

✨ Technology moats.

A successful tech moat means your cost to deliver drops as you scale, and your switching costs keep rising with every new feature.

The best tech moats are often built via rare talent, intellectual property, budgets, and, historically, time.

Because software is easier to spin-up than ever,

We’re seeing tech moats shift to robotics, complex hardware, and deep infrastructure - things that are still slower, harder and more capital-intensive to replicate.

The harder your tech is to replicate, the deeper your moat!

✨ Distribution moats.

Not a tech person? 

Never fear - distribution moats are one of my favorite angles!

A successful distribution moat means the cost to acquire customers goes down over time, while your stickiness and engagement go up.

“Unique” paid marketing doesn’t go the mile anymore, as most have access to the same ad platforms, targeting tools, and growth hacks. 

Real distribution moats look more like:
+ Being embedded in someone else’s workflow (so ripping you out is painful)
+ Owning a community that actually shows up for you, not just follows you
+ Ecosystem partnerships - my favorite are ones where your “competitors” quietly become your best channels

-

As someone who deeply enjoys all movies/books with magic, this castle analogy makes my heart warm.

I hope that it helps you memorialize how you think about moats in your business.

So, tell us - which of these moats are you most excited about - either in your company, or in the industry as a whole?

Bonus points if you share a moat you've noticed in the wild!

See you in the comments. 😎 

PS - this photo is of Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria. It is as beautiful as it is hard to pronounce!! It does not have a water-based moat, but certainly has elevation on its side - proving that the best moats often don't look alike.

—
I'm Katie Nowak, an investor, innovation leader, and new venture designer sharing examples & lessons weekly. Follow me + hit 🔔 to stay tuned.

CEO Clarity AI 🔥 AI Influencer 👉 Built 80k+ Followers | 🎉 AI, Data, & Product Builder | Your AI Roadmap Podcast Host | x-VP, x-Nuance CES, VentureBeat | Women in Voice Founder | Investor | Linguist ☕️ 🐶 🏃🏽‍♀️

Helping Executives Upskill in AI to Future-Proof Companies
Focused on Manufacturing, Engineering, and Life Sciences. How do we do it?

Trainings & Workshops | Executive Business Sessions & Advising | Keynotes & Speaking

CEOs and event organizers hire me and my team when they are ready to move beyond AI hype and implement systems that improve operations, reduce costs, and update their GTM for the age of AI.

What Makes Our Approach Different

Down-to-earth and tool-agnostic: We don't resell software. We’re not incentivized to provide anything for you other than the best fit options for you and your company. We try all the tools ourselves. If an AI solution won't deliver ROI for your operation, we'll say so, then show you what will. 

ROI-focused from Day 1: Workshop attendees leave with step-by-step action items they can execute Monday morning, whether that's streamlining quality control workflows, identifying automation opportunities that impact your P&L, or mapping AI to your go-to-market strategy.

Deep enterprise experience: I’ve got 10+ years working on AI systems, data, and products for startups to Fortune 500 customers. Senior roles at Nuance (acquired by Microsoft for $16B), Netavox, VERSA Agency, and VP of Data and Analytics at OneReach.ai. Don’t let this baby face fool you (vegetables and working out), I have a depth of experience from hands-on time on backends. I was ranked an AI influencer back in 2018, not just after ChatGPT came out.

Credentials & Recognition: 
✓ PhD in Conversational AI (University of Arizona) | MA in Linguistics (UC Davis)
✓ Amazon Bestselling Author: Your AI Roadmap (Wiley, 2025)
✓ AI Product Advisor to Edwards Lifesciences
✓ Featured in Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Google i/O, Fox Business, Adobe XD
✓ Speaker at CES, VentureBeat, Voice Summit, KATU-ABC, FOX4
✓ Ranked #4 Voice AI Influencer
✓ Host: Your AI Roadmap podcast (guests: Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Adobe)
✓ Perplexity AI Business Fellow | Amazon Alexa Champion

What We Offer
Popular packages you can book now and customized solutions for company and events.

Most Popular Product
🏆 5x Productivity with AI for Professionals: 3 AI Tools Hands-On Workshop

High-Impact Workshops
🚀 Streamline Business AI Optimization Review + Executive Workshop
💼 AI GTM Executive Session: CAC Playbook
📊 Data and AI Executive Session: Operationalize Gartner Framework

Ready to upskill your team, streamline, and future-proof your company? 

📅 Schedule Intro Call: https://joanpbajorek.com/30min-linkedin
🔗 Website: www.joanpbajorek.com
📧 Email: joan.bajorek@hireclarity.ai

Dr. Joan Palmiter Bajorek

🚨🚨🚨 Want to pivot into AI Policy? With a stipend $15k-$22k. Applications open for IAPS Summer Fellowship 2026🚨🚨🚨...

The Institute for AI Policy and Strategy (IAPS) AI Policy Fellowship is a fully-funded program for professionals from

Varied backgrounds seeking to strengthen practical policy skills for securing a positive future in a world with powerful AI

📅 Dates: June 1 - August 21, 2026
📍 Location: Washington, D.C., and remote
💰 Stipend: Senior Fellows - $22k, Fellows - $15k
‼️ Deadline to apply: February 2nd, 11:59 PM Pacific Time

Past Fellows have gone on to roles at RAND, IFP – Institute for Progress, Microsoft, The Johns Hopkins University, government, and actually IAPS itself! 

What do the fellows do?

Fellows work with experts on real policy projects such as writing policy pieces, organizing ambitious convenings, and briefing officials. 
Part-time options are available for exceptional candidates. 

The Fellowship includes a 2-week D.C. residency for all Fellows with presentations from AI policy experts, workshops on AI and policy-related skills, and lots of opportunities for networking and socializing.

Know someone who would be a great fit? Tag them!

Want to learn more? Register for webinar Jan 21st at 10 am PDT to hear from past Fellows and the fellowship managers

Original post by Renan Araujo,  posting for reach

Potentially life changing opportunity for the right people-

CEO @Clarity AI, Helping Executives Upskill in AI to Future-Proof Companies, Sectors: Lifesciences, Manufacturing, Trades, Engineering, CPG, and More, PhD in AI, Author: Your AI Roadmap

Group photo of IAPS AI Policy Fellowship participants standing together outdoors. Above the photo, text reads '2026 Summer AI Policy Fellowship' with program details: June 1 to Aug 21, 2026, DC-based and remote options, $15k stipend for Fellows and $22k for Senior Fellows, deadline February 2, 11:59 PM PT. The IAPS (Institute for AI Policy and Strategy) logo appears at the top, and a black banner displays 'APPLY AT IAPS.AI/FELLOWSHIP'

🚨 🇫🇷 Voice AI Job in Paris: €70k-€150k/yr + Equity 🥐 🚨

AI Systems Engineer: Voice & Orchestration at Tellia
Location: Paris (on-site)
Compensation: €70k-€150k + Equity ✨

What you'll do:
🎯 Build voice AI for farmers
🤖 Ship fast & solid - 0→1 production AI systems
🧠 Deep tech meets agents - Low-latency voice, RAG pipelines, tool calling in noisy/offline environments

🌾 Real impact - Your code directly helps to feed millions of people, the company has already deployed on California's largest farms

KEY reason I'm posting this for a friend, it's really about voice AI

🥰 "comfortable owning the full voice-to-action pipeline (ASR → intent → agent execution → TTS) with low latency in noisy, offline-capable field environments"

Audio data is hard but super impactful to work with!

Great for you if:
✨ You've got hands-on experience building production AI/agent systems
❤️ You love ownership and moving fast with top-tier engineers
💭 You want massive upside at an early-stage startup (<1 year old)
🏋️ You take care of your mind and body (team is a lot of athletic types)

Real talk: You'll work with repeat founders and ex-scale-up engineers. This isn't a feature factory, it's a rocket ship with real equity and ownership 🚀

Interested or know someone who would be? Comment and send along

How to apply? 
See comments 💪

cc Carla Sigüenza, Coqui, Joshua Meyer, Mike Hammond, Snips, Rebecca Evanhoe, Alice Coucke, Women in Voice

#job #AI #Paris #startup #voiceAI

Agricultural worker in a tan vest and hat examining a plant leaf in a vineyard while using Tellia voice AI assistant. Text overlay reads 'Your Voice AI Assistant for the field - Voice in, Decisions out' with buttons to 'Book a demo' and 'Test Tellia on a Call'. Shows Tellia is live in France, USA & Africa with 10,000+ logs recorded.

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