John Sommerfield

Contributed Articles and Op-Eds Ghost Written as Part of Thought-Leadership Campaigns

Contributed Articles

Unite.AI •

Global AI Talent Wars: How Immigration Policies Tip the Scales

The competitiveness of America’s tech sector depends on the technical skills of its workers. American companies rely largely on overseas STEM talent to fill essential roles in increasingly competitive and strategic fields like AI. Pathways to legal immigration and work status have provided the boost American businesses need to maintain an innovative edge and an answer for talented foreign nationals who want to build their careers and lives here. The war for skilled AI talent will only get hotter....
PteroDynamics •

The Future of Commercial Maritime Resupply

Air taxis and package deliveries dominate the headlines when it comes to unmanned aerial systems (UAS). However, the latest advances in automated vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAS technology are set to disrupt a key part of the global economy: maritime logistics and resupply. PteroDynamics’ successful demonstration in October of the advanced capabilities of its autonomous Transwing® VTOL UAS aircraft from the deck of the USNS Burlington offers a clear view into the future of autonomous m
PteroDynamics •

What I Learned from Flying the Transwing UAS from the Deck of the USNS Burlington

Over six days last October, PteroDynamics conducted nine successful flight demonstrations of its autonomous Transwing® vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft from the flight deck of the USNS Burlington during the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet Hybrid Fleet Campaign Event (HFCE). PteroDynamics is a smaller player in the UAS space, but the Transwing’s success at the HFCE surprised a lot of people. Here are my takeaways from that experience and all the hard work we and our industry partners put into that success.
PteroDynamics •

Seeing is Believing: Transwing Flies at Sea

Take a look at the video of one of the nine test flights of PteroDynamics’ autonomous Transwing® aircraft from the deck of the USNS Burlington during the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet Hybrid Fleet Campaign Event (HFCE). Our vision for the future of UAS vehicles centers on building highly adaptable autonomous VTOL aircraft that have robust capabilities to complete missions safely, reliably, and at significant cost savings to operators. Successful automated UAS aircraft like the Transwing will offer a simpler, lower-cost way to deliver critical cargo to hard-to-reach locations with no runways, even in austere conditions.
Experian Partner Solutions Blog •

Credit Education and Millennials: a BIG Opportunity for Fintechs

Consumers don’t always understand the context of their credit scores and it’s not always obvious what is needed to improve their creditworthiness. The truth is there’s a lot more to a what makes up a credit score than just a number, and the stakes can be high for everyday people. Higher scores can save money and help consumers get approved for lower interest rates, reducing fees on everything from credit cards to home loans. This is particularly important for millennials, the largest generation
Experian Partner Solutions Blog •

Fintechs: Customers Need an Ally to Fight ID Theft and Fraud

Today's consumers have to be more informed than ever as digital fraud has quickly become the norm—with an estimated 60 percent of consumers worldwide, having experienced an online fraud incident, according to Experian’s 2019 Global Identity and Fraud Report. Consumers expect companies they do business with to protect their personal information, for their families as well as themselves, as an estimated 1.3 million personal records bel
Experian Partner Solutions Blog •

Fraud and ID theft: Helping your customers fight back

There’s never been a better time to be a fraudster. Fraud is a big business and a growing threat to consumers, e-commerce businesses, and financial institutions in today’s digital landscape. The rewards are high for cyber criminals who remain masked by the anonymity of the Internet, and increasingly sophisticated attacks expose the personal information, payments methods, and transactional data of consumers around the world. According to Experian’s 2019 Global Identity and Fraud Report, 60 perce
Boku Inc. •

Spending on Digital Goods Via Mobile Wallets Set to Double by 2026

4.7 billion phones with active mobile wallets will be in consumers’ hands by 2026 according to the latest calculations from Juniper Research. That represents an impressive 57% increase in just four years, and the ubiquity of mobile wallet-enabled handsets will translate to a huge lift in the value of mobile wallet transactions worldwide. Mobile wallet transactions totaled $6.9 trillion in 2022, and that figure will grow to an astounding $11.2 trillion in 2026, accounting for 93% of all digital wallet transactions.
Forbes •

Community-First Opportunity Zones: Why Local-First Developers And Funds Are Essential

The American economy enjoyed record expansion for the past decade, but robust growth has not extended to many of the country’s economically distressed communities. The bipartisan opportunity zone (OZ) program is a creative solution to bridge that gap by encouraging long-term private investment in these areas. This influx of capital will fuel economic growth and build the housing and other infrastructure needed to revitalize communities that have been left behind. The significant tax benefits to
Propmodo •

A Grassroots Approach to Developing Community-Focused Opportunity Zones

The largest city in Northern California and the tenth largest city in the U.S. is probably not the one you’d guess when thinking of the “Bay Area.” But San Jose lies at the heart of Silicon Valley, and its downtown corridor is experiencing a transformation. Over the past three years, developers, investors, and tech companies have spent over $3 billion buying downtown properties. The plans and investment will continue in spite of the post-pandemic economic environment. Solid fundamentals remain i
The DI Wire •

Key Questions to Ask Before Investing in Opportunity Zone Funds

Right now, the investment community is paying close attention to qualified opportunity zone funds, anticipating that they could be part of a longer-term investment strategy during volatile market conditions. The opportunity zone program was passed into law as part of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Acts to fuel an influx of private investment to propel growth in local communities, and there are now hundreds of Funds investing in over 8,700 federally designated opportunity zone. Investment in opportun
Forbes •

Community-First Opportunity Zones: How Everyone Can Win

The opportunity zone (OZ) program is designed to funnel private investment into distressed communities across the nation, creating housing and essential infrastructure and spurring economic revitalization. Program proponents call it a once-in-a-generation opportunity for local communities in need and a creative way for private sector investors to fund improvements. Skeptics argue the program is a tax break for the wealthy and doesn’t address fundamental issues facing the low-income areas it was
FinTech Futures •

It’s time to level the playing field in cards payments

Market dynamics in payments are being redefined by changing consumer expectations and technology adoption, and 2018 is proving to be a critical year for banks and card issuers looking to be their customers’ brand of choice. It’s a common misnomer that only the larger financial institutions (FIs) with deep pockets and innovation labs or emerging fintech players will come out on top. A closer look reveals that with the right mix of technology and planning, FIs of any size can be nimble enough to
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Blog Posts 

Boku Inc. •

Spending on Digital Goods Via Mobile Wallets Set to Double by 2026

4.7 billion phones with active mobile wallets will be in consumers’ hands by 2026 according to the latest calculations from Juniper Research. That represents an impressive 57% increase in just four years, and the ubiquity of mobile wallet-enabled handsets will translate to a huge lift in the value of mobile wallet transactions worldwide. Mobile wallet transactions totaled $6.9 trillion in 2022, and that figure will grow to an astounding $11.2 trillion in 2026, accounting for 93% of all digital wallet transactions.
Experian Partner Solutions •

The Next Frontier for FinTech Lenders is Their Own Customer Base.

There’s no denying it: we’ve all become addicted to personalized, immediate, and friction-free experiences via our favorite channel. And that has created the new competitive landscape in financial services. Our expectations have been fueled by rapid technology adoption and our experiences with the likes of Apple, Facebook, and Amazon. FinTechs stoked the fire, disrupting traditional financial services models.
Experian Partner Solutions Blog •

Credit Education and Millennials: a BIG Opportunity for Fintechs

Consumers don’t always understand the context of their credit scores and it’s not always obvious what is needed to improve their creditworthiness. The truth is there’s a lot more to a what makes up a credit score than just a number, and the stakes can be high for everyday people. Higher scores can save money and help consumers get approved for lower interest rates, reducing fees on everything from credit cards to home loans. This is particularly important for millennials, the largest generation
Experian Partner Solutions •

Fintechs: Build Momentum with Credit Education

Fintechs brought the digital revolution to the financial world with innovative business models that make lending, payments, and investing more accessible for everyday people. After pushing the limits of digital innovation, fintechs still face the challenge of finding new customers while continuing to engage and retain loyal ones. For fintechs, success will depend on the acquisition of new customers by offering personalized credit education products and the ability to cross-sell bundled offering
Experian Partner Solutions Blog •

Fintechs: Customers Need an Ally to Fight ID Theft and Fraud

Today's consumers have to be more informed than ever as digital fraud has quickly become the norm—with an estimated 60 percent of consumers worldwide, having experienced an online fraud incident, according to Experian’s 2019 Global Identity and Fraud Report. Consumers expect companies they do business with to protect their personal information, for their families as well as themselves, as an estimated 1.3 million personal records bel
Experian Partner Solutions Blog •

Filling the knowledge gap: FinTechs and credit education

FinTechs thrive by offering a better alternative to traditional financial institutions. They reduce the friction that consumers often experience in dealing with financial institutions, lower the costs, and engage consumers with a better, more personalized customer experience in digital and mobile channels. Yet they still face the same challenges as any business: a highly focused product or service designed to address just one aspect of the customer’s life ­– in the case of FinTechs, one aspect o