Ahti Heinla has built category-defining tech in two completely different worlds. First, he helped architect Skype, making internet communication simple enough to spread like wildfire. Then he co-founded Starship Technologies, tackling the "last mile problem" with autonomous delivery robots that work in real streets, real weather, and with real world chaos.

Along the way, Ahti shares what Estonia got right with digital infrastructure, why "small beats slow", and why he's worried the world is drifting away from facts.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why Estonia became a tech flywheel, and what secure digital infrastructure unlocks

• The early objections to Skype and why they were reasonable at the time

• How network effects helped Skype spread, fast

• What "last mile delivery" really is, and why it's the inefficient bit

• What makes autonomous delivery deep tech, not "just another app"

• Why Starship Technologies' robots are designed to be friendly but not human

• The biggest data challenge Ahti sees today: people ignoring data

• Why post-truth worries him, even with better tools than ever
  
  

Topics we cover:

• Estonia's digital ID, online voting, and startup culture

• Skype's origin story and early market timing

• Speed vs the establishment, network effects, culture challenges at scale

• Starship's view of logistics and automating the last mile

• Real world robotics constraints: weather, regulation, competition

• Data culture, machine learning, and decision-making

• Civic tech and environmental initiatives

• Post-truth, misinformation, and fact-based leadership
  
  

About the guest:
Ahti Heinla is the CEO and co-founder of Starship Technologies, the global leader in autonomous last mile delivery. He was also a founding engineer and Chief Technical Architect at Skype, having spent decades building software and systems that scale.

Links and resources mentioned:

• Starship Technologies website – https://www.starship.xyz

• The Let's Do It World! campaign – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let%27s_Do_It!_World

• Citizen OS – https://citizenos.com

Take the Data Storytelling Scorecard: https://data-storytelling.scoreapp.com

"Now, today is a first for data malarkey… This is the very first time that we've had two guests on the same episode. Not only two guests, but also a dynamic feminist wife and husband duo…"

In this episode of the Data Malarkey podcast, host and Master Data Storyteller, Sam Knowles, speaks with Karen and Charlie Dobres from Lewes Community Football Club about how Lewes became "the first and still the only club in the world" to equalise men's and women's playing budgets, and what it takes to shift culture, attention, sponsorship and long-term equity in football.

Take the Data Storytelling Scorecard: https://data-storytelling.scoreapp.com

External resources

• Karen's LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-dobres-07a54b176/ and on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/karendobres/?hl=en: "I'm best found on Instagram or LinkedIn."

• Charlie's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliedobres/

• Karen's book - B/Pitch Invasion - https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/karen-dobres/pitch-invasion/9781788405881/

• : "I'm definitely best found on LinkedIn."

• Charlie's "If you look on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, look up "Not Small Mean."podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/4UsJkXfQQz2Og0IXBQAgYn?si=da6dd926f74e48c9

• Own a share in Lewes FC - https://lewesfc.com/become-an-owner/

• Equality FC in practice - https://lewesfc.com/football-for-good/equality-fc/

What if the biggest growth lever for brands in 2026 isn't media spend, targeting tweaks, or yet another funnel experiment … but inclusive marketing?

In this episode of the Data Malarkey Podcast, Master Data Storyteller, Sam Knowles, is joined by Ali Hanan, Founder & CEO of Creative Equals, to unpack the data-driven business case for meaningful representation in advertising — what Ali calls the "Return on Inclusion."

This is a conversation about marketing effectiveness, advertising effectiveness, brand growth strategy, representation vs positive portrayal, and how brands can do marketing for good and for growth without falling into performative box-ticking.

Take the Data Storytelling Scorecard: https://data-storytelling.scoreapp.com

• What "Return On Inclusion" means, and how to think about it as a measurable commercial strategy

• Why representation alone isn't enough — and how positive portrayal changes outcomes

• How underrepresented audiences translate into real market opportunity (and why brands miss it)

• How to handle the "woke" backlash by reframing inclusion through human rights and equal treatment

• What AI changes in creative development — and how to avoid a "sea of sameness"

• Why marketing effectiveness awards and case studies increasingly link inclusion to profit and growth

00:00 Cold open + the growth provocation
00:39 Intro + Ali Hannon / Creative Equals
05:41 The core data case for inclusion
10:15 "the UK ad sector… holding the growth… back"
14:40 Positive portrayal explained
20:04 The "£800 billion" underrepresented communities point
21:13 Scorecard CTA
29:02 Human rights framing
33:06 AI, bias, and inclusive prompting
41:47 "saving 312 lives" (community impact example)
48:09 Where to find Ali / Creative Equals

Website — https://creativeequals.org
Ali's LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-hanan-19b3a2

UN Stereotype Alliance
Effie Awards + Cannes Lions (effectiveness / inclusion lens)
PepsiCo / Walkers case study
Nurofen "gender pain gap" case study
Book: Sex Matters