In this episode, Paul talks with Dean Kamen, entrepreneur, inventor and founder of FIRST, a non-profit organization inspiring young people's interest in science and technology. They talked about the conflicted relationship between entrepreneurship and education; why all companies shouldn't be judged by the speed by which .com startups launch; and why, contrary to popular conception, the FIRST program isn't primarily about building robots.

Kamen's roles as inventor and advocate are intertwined -- his own passion for technology and its practical uses has driven his personal determination to spread the word about technology’s virtues and by so doing to change the culture of the United States.

As an inventor, he holds more than 440 U.S. and foreign patents, many of them for innovative medical devices that have expanded the frontiers of health care worldwide. While still a college undergraduate, he invented the first wearable infusion pump, which rapidly gained acceptance from such diverse medical specialties as chemotherapy, neonatology and endocrinology. In 1976 he founded his first medical device company, AutoSyringe, Inc., to manufacture and market the pumps. At age 30, he sold that company to Baxter International Corporation. By then, he had added a number of other infusion devices, including the first insulin pump for diabetics.

Following the sale of AutoSyringe, Inc., he founded DEKA Research & Development Corporation to develop internally generated inventions as well as to provide R&D for major corporate clients. An advanced prosthetic arm in development for DARPA should advance the quality of life for returning injured soldiers. Other notable developments include the Hydroflex^TM surgical irrigation pump for C.R. Bard, the Crown^TM stent, an improvement to the original Palmaz-Schatz stent, for Johnson & Johnson, the iBOTTM mobility device, and the Segway® Human Transporter.

In the year 2000, Dean was awarded the National Medal of Technology. Presented by President Clinton, this award was in recognition for inventions that have advanced medical care worldwide, and for innovative and imaginative leadership in awakening America to the excitement of science and technology. He was also awarded the Lemelson-MIT Prize in 2002, and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in May 2005.

In addition to DEKA, one of Dean's proudest accomplishments is founding FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an organization dedicated to motivating the next generation to understand, use and enjoy science and technology.

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In this episode, Paul talks with Richard Florida, delving into themes Florida discusses in his new book, The Great Reset. They talked about the cultural, economic and geographic factors influencing innovative time periods and places. They also wrestled with topics like: "Should cities be allowed to fail?" and "Why are college towns such hotbeds of innovation?"

Florida is Director of the Martin Prosperity Institute and Professor of Business and Creativity at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. He also heads private consulting firm the Creative Class Group. Florida's research provides unique, data-driven insight into the social, economic and demographic factors that drive the 21st-century world economy. is author of the international bestsellers The Rise of the Creative Class and Who's Your City?  Florida is a regular correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly and a regular columnist for The Globe and Mail. He has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Economist, and The Harvard Business Review. He has been featured as an expert on MSNBC, CNN, BBC, NPR, and CBS.

He is a sought-after speaker on global trends, economics, prosperity, competitiveness and growth. 

Previously, Florida has held professorships at George Mason University and Carnegie Mellon University and taught as a visiting professor at Harvard and MIT. Florida earned his bachelor’s degree from Rutgers College and his Ph.D. from Columbia University. 

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