“making technology innovation lawyer led.....creating an impact for people ....they will enjoy their work and look at creative ways to be more efficient and people will enjoy their jobs more"
Takeaways from Ed Andrew talking with Shruti Ajitsaria.
Shruti Ajitsaria is the head of global law firm Allen & Overy technology innovation space Fuse. A former derivatives lawyer she is also an angel investor in tech and non tech start ups, a TEDx speaker, alumni of Google Start Up Campus and a mentor with Techstars.
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We talk about the difference between an incubator and Fuse, the type of programs they run, its evolution and how her third maternity leave pushed her to accept new challenges including applying to be a deputy High Court Judge. In a very entertaining conversation she reveals how she started angel investing and how her journey with Fuse has taken her outside the scope of normal legal practice and how Allen & Overy is innovating in many areas opening up innovation to everyone within the firm.
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On what Fuse is as a tech innovation space not an incubator, what it does, its programs and how it works. (1.20)
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How she started angle investing and how the idea for Fuse was started through Clausematch pitching to her (3.45)
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On maternity leave and start up school at Google Campus and the ideation behind Fuse with Richard Susskind (7.00)
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On getting into angel investing with her husband (9.20)
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On how Fuse is a great leveller enabling junior lawyers to own an idea and run with it, discussing the current cohort (11.20)​
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On issuing the first ever crypto bond on the public blockchain and first ever structured product on the blockchain - through FSA sandbox (13.20)
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Discussing the firms i2 program, how anyone in the firm can submit an idea and say how we can do this better, its iteration into MVP and beyond (15.30)
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Discussing Google Campus, showing her daughter my daughter that her Mum could try and fail as well, pushing the envelope, 3 months start up school at Google Campus, trying and missing out on becoming a deputy High Court judge (19.00)
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On diversity in the judiciary and civic duty to change the face of the judiciary (22)
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On her Ted talk (23.40)
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Making technology innovation lawyer led, that appeals to millennial trying to find different ways of working and taking responsibility (25.00)
To contact Shruti and learn more about her and Fuse by Allen & Overy please click on the links below​
