Metta

21/04/2026

Here’s a number worth sitting with. Over the past 30 years, tool capabilities in industrial engineering have increased a thousandfold. Outcomes? Up just 30%.

In the latest episode of the Innovation Brief, we sit down with Pina Schlombs, Sustainability Lead and Senior Thought Leader on Industrial AI at Siemens Digital Industries Software. Drawing on nearly a decade of building the sustainability and industrial AI domain at Siemens (and earlier experience at Volkswagen) Pina shares what real transformation looks like inside complex organisations.

We explore why most companies are still optimising a status quo that’s running out of road, and the tougher question leaders rarely ask: if we started from scratch today, what would we build? The conversation dives into how Siemens embedded sustainability into core workflows, where AI truly adds value by navigating complex trade-offs in real time, and why thinking beyond costs to include impact and trajectory is critical for better decisions.

From the importance of a strong digital backbone to the role of culture in shifting from playing not to lose to playing to win, this episode unpacks what it really takes to scale meaningful change, and what’s coming next as AI begins to better understand the physical world.

🎧 Listen to the episode and read the blog: https://open.substack.com/pub/innovationbrief/p/culture-code-and-climate-ai-industry?r=2eddu3&utm_medium=ios

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The Innovation Brief podcast is for the people building, funding, and governing innovation - inside corporates, governments, and ecosystems across the globe.

💌 Subscribe to the Innovation Brief for more insights.

The Innovation Brief is produced by Metta, an innovation consultancy specialising in research, programme design and delivery, and ecosystem building worldwide.

Learn more: https://www.metta.partners

07/02/2026

🇰🇼 Join us tomorrow for the first Kuwait Digital Startup Campus community event of the year - a moment to reflect, reconnect, and intentionally set yourself up for success in the year ahead!

What’s happening:

⭐ Highlights from KDSC’s 2025 impact

👀 A preview of what we’re building in 2026

🙋🏽🙋🏻Opportunities to get involved and shape the community

🌟An interactive goal-setting & productivity workshop led by .o.coaching

🤝 Networking with founders, investors, & ecosystem builders

You’ll leave with fresh connections, clear next steps, and practical tools to support your goals - plus a better sense of how the KDSC can support you all year long through partnerships, programmes, and community.

🗓️ February 8, 2026 | 7-9 PM

📍 Burj Alshaya

🎟️ Free entry, limited spots – registration required. Register here: https://luma.com/5yf5au64

Know a founder, investor, or ecosystem builder who wants to start 2026 strong? Tag them or share this invite. We look forward to seeing you there!

26/01/2026

🇰🇼 Join us for the first Kuwait Digital Startup Campus community event of the year - a moment to reflect, reconnect, and intentionally set yourself up for success in the year ahead!

What’s happening:
⭐ Highlights from KDSC’s 2025 impact
👀 A preview of what we’re building in 2026
🙋🏽♂️🙋🏻♀️Opportunities to get involved and shape the community
🌟An interactive goal-setting & productivity workshop led by .o.coaching
🤝 Networking with founders, investors, & ecosystem builders

You’ll leave with fresh connections, clear next steps, and practical tools to support your goals - plus a better sense of how the KDSC can support you all year long through partnerships, programmes, and community.

🗓️ February 8, 2026 | 6–8 PM
📍 Burj Alshaya
🎟️ Free, limited spots – registration required. Register here: https://luma.com/5yf5au64

Know a founder, investor, or ecosystem builder who wants to start 2026 strong? Tag them or share this invite. We look forward to seeing you there!

25/10/2025

🏆 🇰🇼 Join us tomorrow for the KDSC Pitch Competition!

After months of mentorship, hands-on training, and growth in the Kuwait Digital Startup Campus Pre-Accelerator programme, 20 ambitious founders are ready to take the stage and pitch their startups! 🚀

They’ll be competing for a spot in the Top 5, who will earn an exclusive networking trip to London - connecting with founders, investors, partners, and innovation hubs in one of the leading global business centres of the world. ✈️🇬🇧

Whether you’re an investor, mentor, or simply passionate about entrepreneurship, this is your chance to meet Kuwait’s brightest founders and experience the energy of the local startup scene. 💡🇰🇼

📅 October 26, 2025
🕓 5:00–9:00 PM
📍 Venue: Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Centre Studio Theatre

🎟️ Registration is free, but spots are limited. Sign up today here: https://luma.com/e6tvqzyc

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29/08/2024

We've now been certified with 1% for the Planet for a whole year! 🌎

1% for the Planet is a global network made up of thousands of businesses and environmental organisations working together to support people and the planet 💚

Here at , it's important for us to give back and support initiatives which align with our values, both as a company and as individuals.

You can read the full list of initiatives we have supported here - https://lnkd.in/esVDFrMK

We're delighted to continue supporting projects while welcoming new collaborations that help both people and the planet 🌱 🙌

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31/01/2024

Blog: Thou shall know thyself and thou shall squabble: A case for self-awareness and a good old argument.

Our Co-Founder and Director Gabriela Matic has seen it all - having supported more than 120 early-stage businesses, angel investing and startup mentoring.

Gabi says - "I have, in my almost decade of startups, not been part of or run an accelerator where there wasn’t at least cofounder fall-out. There is often a lot of blaming; heated by emotion that doesn’t usually help with resolving the situation."

Gabi suggests that founders assessing themselves is often a healthy first step to solving these situations. A higher self-awareness can lead to better decision making and conflict management, and there are a number of questions you can ask yourself to analyse and start improving your own self awareness as a founder.

Read the blog 👉 https://bit.ly/42iiy3p

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A case for self-awareness and a good old argument.

11/01/2024

Article 📚 - Regeneration is the New Sustainability: Why Your Company Needs A Chief Regeneration Officer 💭

An interesting read today that suggests Chief Sustainability Officers should re-name themselves Chief Regeneration Officers, "and frame their company ambitions around not just ‘giving back’ but ‘paying it forward’ - to future generations of leaders, employees, and humanity."

Read the full article 👉 https://bit.ly/48uuZLN

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As the world struggles with issues like the climate emergency and biodiversity loss, which require massive and swift evasive action, Afdhel Aziz argues that companies need to set the bar higher from mere ’sustainability’ (replacing what they use in a net-neutral manner) to ‘regeneration’ (ac...

05/12/2023

Blog - "Sustainable Innovation: New Business Models"

The final blog in our Sustainability and Regeneration Blog Series is out now 🌎 ♻ We’re concluding our three part Sustainability and Regeneration series by taking a deep dive into how large organisations are adopting innovative approaches and implementing business models.

"The Circularity Gap Report 2020 estimated that the global economy is only 8.6% circular, meaning that only a small percentage of the world’s resources are being reused (while in 2018 this was 9.1%) — so how can we move from linear to circular?"

This blog looks into the five business models of circularity and how these models can create and capture , while mitigating environmental .

Read the full blog here 👉 https://bit.ly/3T9nogC

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We enjoyed following Ksenia Kurileva, documenting her findings while studying Management at the EIIS - European Institute of Innovation for Sustainability ( ).

06/11/2023

Blog - "Startups Powering the Shift Towards a Circular Economy"

We're excited to be launching the second of our Sustainability and Regeneration Blog Series 🌎 ♻ We're following our Programme Director Ksenia Kurileva, as she documents her findings while studying Management at the EIIS - European Institute of Innovation for Sustainability ( ).

"Following our introduction to circular economy, I wanted to explore the role of startups in this space. At their core, startups reimagine how things are done by leveraging , technology, and bringing fresh perspectives. Solutions in this space include the , , and of resources to create a more environmentally friendly and resource-efficient economy."

Read the full blog here 👉 https://bit.ly/3QgwlBS

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Startups — driving the transition through innovative technologies, business models, and solutions that promote sustainability.

03/11/2023

Article: Accelerating the Global Transition to Net-Zero 🙌

We had a brilliant chat with Ian Ormerod, CEO of Switch2Zero. Switch2Zero aims to accelerate the global transition to net zero for people and businesses everywhere.

Switch2Zero believe that by working to make the path to as quick, easy, and affordable as possible — and by forging a supportive community of like-minded individuals and businesses that can help — more and more of us will succeed.

Check out some highlights from our podcast below, where we chat with Ian about understanding your , learning how to it, and incorporating into your business practices.

Read the blog 👉 https://bit.ly/3QEBNjj

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