Local tech founders duke it out at Digital Fight Club, wrapping up Dallas Startup Week » Dallas Innovations

Digital Fight Club kicked off Digital Launch Week last night as we return to the Granada Theater for the first time in person since 2020. Local founders and innovators compete to debate the hottest tech topics of the day and win each round.

Hundreds packed the theater to watch the debate-like event, which saw the “fighters” revel in words, insults, and generally obnoxious reactions from the audience.

How Digital Fight Club works

Let’s break down the first rule of Fight Club and talk about how it works. For each round, two founders take to the stage to pitch their case to the judges. Only one can walk away the winner.

Warriors develop their wits and snarls of words. But showmanship, politeness and courage can be knocked out.

In last night’s rounds, fighters were given the topics of how transparent brands should be and who should be involved in building that balance. Each fighter is then given 45 seconds to make their case, followed by 30 seconds of competition time and questions from the judges.

Lawyers and the audience then weigh in and vote for the winner.

Round #1: Should the government be involved in building the Metaverse?

Taylor Shedd, Founder and CEO of STEMuli“No,” she said, adding that it could lead to increased censorship and the potential for the metaverse to become a political platform. She also pointed out that government projects have historically been racist and exclusionary, and said that without government intervention, equality would be open to all.

Groove Jones founding partner Dan Ferguson He took the opposite position. He argued that the way metaverse concepts were constructed made them fenced off from the “microverse” and that standardized methods and tools provided by a regulatory body such as the government would help remedy this. He added that big projects like Metaverse need a lot of funding and more can be built with government help.

The winner is:

Taylor Shead

Round #2: Should brands be more or less transparent?

Bill Cochran, Creative Director at LERMA, argued that lack of transparency can be a good thing, companies need to protect their “magic”: the things that make them unique. Also, showing things behind the scenes can turn some customers away. Cochrane added that differentiation is not what helps a brand stand out, as most brands now call themselves transparent.

Runway co-founder Cameron Gawley He took the pro-transparency side. Younger generations value transparency so much that it’s important for brands to embrace it in order to reach more customers, he said. By “building in the open”, companies can stay on top of trends and attract the best talent.

The winner is:

Bill Cochran

Round #3: Need more automation in the supply chain?

Brad Nichols, founder of Automation, yes he said. Automation has been used throughout human history to improve productivity and efficiency—and in many cases, improve people’s lives. He added that the ever-increasing complexity of supply chains will require skilled labor in other skilled areas.

Truck founder and CEO Chris Hanbeck He disagreed, pointing to supply chain issues that have plagued companies since the outbreak. He said people are required to make the supply chain more resilient as the efficiencies created by automation create flexibility. He said that human thinking and decision are always needed.

The winner is:

Chris Hanebeck

Round #4: Does ESG matter?

Eden Green CEO Eddie Badrina No, he argued, calling ESG “a very good stickler.” He said it has little to do with profitability and many companies use it as an empty term. At the end of the day, most consumers are looking for quality goods at low prices, ESG does not play a big role in their decision making.

Chris Robinson, Co-Founder and President of Clearyst, took the opposite step, saying that companies that give priority to ESG can have better returns on equity, in addition to lower costs in operations, acquiring and retaining customers. He added that customers are looking for brands that align with their beliefs and that focusing on ESG will help reach a wider customer base.

The winner is:

Eddy Badrina

Round #5: Is it necessary to invest in cyber security early on?

Andrew Hopkins, President of PrivacyChainIt is more important to build first, then learn cyber security. He noted that the upfront costs for cyber security can be high, but at the end of the day, most companies are vulnerable to being hacked anyway.

David Malicott, Chief Information Security Officer, Direct Marketing Solutions. Many companies agree that they can eventually be hacked. But he pointed out that the root cause of those data breaches could be the employees not taking proper cyber security measures. Therefore, it is important to invest in the technologies to help prevent this, he said.

The winner is:

David Mallicott.

Find the references

Here are the local leaders who kept the fight clean as they asked tough questions on stage at Digital Fight Club 2022 in Granada.

• Becca O’Brien WeigmanManaging Director, Executive Leadership, South, for Accenture Song
• Charan LotaGroup Vice President/Chief Engineer of Connected Technologies, Toyota Motor North America
• Holly BradysEVP and Chief Digital Officer at Fossil Group
• Nancy FloresEVP and Chief Information Officer/Chief Technology Officer at McKesson
• Angela MaranoVice President of Business Transformation at Southwest Airlines

Accenture was the anchor sponsor of this year’s Digital Battle Club. Other sponsors include SVB, Altruas, Improving, Simpli.Fi and Medium Giant.

Want more? See the photo gallery

Check out more scenes from Digital Fight Club in our gallery.

Quincy Preston and David Seeley contributed to this report. Photography: Michael Samples

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