Matter Six - Matter

A couple of pivots, lots of pitches, and a party.

We’re more than halfway through our 20-week program in San Francisco and New York City. Our teams have survived an intense design thinking bootcamp and three design reviews. They’ve heard 7 inspiring speakers. They’ve participated in workshops and shareouts. They’ve learned how to analyze top-down trends,

Entrepreneurship

What does it really mean to be an entrepreneur?

The entrepreneurs of Matter Six explain (creatively!) what entrepreneurship is all about“I want to be an entrepreneur.” I hear these words constantly on my college campus. And I can’t help but cringe each time. Over the past decade, entrepreneurship has become the “new hot thing.” As a social

Entrepreneurship

Matter’s Lucky 13

[Update: the final number of teams to complete our program was 12, after This. sadly closed down at the end of July, 2016.] Who says 13 isn’t a lucky number? At 10 a.m. on June 13th, the 13 teams in our sixth class met each other for the

Language

Common: Why We’re Creating a World Without Language Barriers

My dad and I, on our first father-son bonding trip through China.For my entire life, I’ve had trouble talking to my dad. He only speaks Chinese, and I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that I only have a 7-year-old’s understanding of the language. It sucks. It really

Technology

Scout: Exploring the Social Implications of Technology

It took me 28 years to realize the power of science-fiction. I’d worked with my family for 15 of those running Future in Review, a $6,000 a head conference that brings together C-level executives, world-class scientists, economists, filmmakers, and, yes, science-fiction authors, to talk about where technology is

Women In Tech

Is teaching girls jewelry design to get them excited about 3D printing sexist or smart?

Top highlightKiraKira Process: Inspiration to Sketch to 3D print.As a senior in college, I wrote my thesis on the artwork of Kara Walker. Her silhouettes paint pictures of our own psyches. Intricate black and white outlines are initially empty and ambiguous, until the viewer’s eye begins to trace

Journalism

Stories as multi-dimensional as our world

Discors co-founders, Basil Enan and Akber MalikAkber and I first met in 1993. I was 12, he was 2. There was not an instant connection. After that our lives continued separately but largely in parallel. We both grew up in the Bay Area and had many of the same teachers

Wedding Planning

Redefining Wedding Planning with Menagerie

Today’s couples are planning their own weddings. But in a world without the wedding planner and the success of their wedding contingent upon hiring the right vendors, they are spending more than 150 hours searching and emailing vendors for quotes, organizing their research in spreadsheets, and managing their wedding

Gaming

Changing the Game

It started with an argument. A few actually. Not too long ago in Canada (The Great White North): There I was, knee deep in production schedules, forecasts, casting descriptions, and drafting scripts for a few video games in my role as VP of a gaming studio. We’d just launched

Theatre

Discovering stories that Matter.

Jamie stood in the centre of the room, examining the dusty walls as her eyes adjusted to the dim light. Where she stood had power. Power for challenge, expression, questions and connection. These were no ordinary four walls. This was a theatre.This theatre could be anywhere. One of the