Innovation X Ecosystems @Topian, the NEOM Food Company

TL;DR
I turn bold ideas into sustainable reality. I fuse technology, sustainability, and food systems to shape a resilient, future-ready world. With a PhD in Applied Mathematics and a track record spanning research, entrepreneurship, and global partnerships, I’m passionate about driving transformative projects that advance Vision 2030.

Speaker bio:
Dr. Andrew Yip is dedicated to curating sustainable innovations and strategic partnerships that will help the food sector reach its full potential. With his extensive experience in technology, innovation, and data governance, Dr. Yip is committed to driving positive change and creating innovative solutions for the industry, supporting Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, which aims to promote economic diversification, job creation, and social and cultural development.

Dr. Yip holds a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics and Computational Science from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and has been a NEOM pioneer since 2019. When he's not working, he enjoys tabletop gaming with friends and strangers alike.

Andrew Yip, PhD

Our first Chinese New Year 🐎 and Ramadan 🌙 together with little Justin. Grateful for the blessings and may you all find JOY and peace in this auspicious season for you and your family. 🙏 🙏

Saudi Premium Resident | Turning bold ideas into sustainable reality | Tech × Sustainability × Future Food Systems

Behold, easily the most inspiring spot for scientists and nerds in the Kingdom: KAUST, perched on the Red Sea with labs, supercomputers, and a whole marine sanctuary built in.

Just finished a 2 am feed and wanted to mark the moment by sharing something I’ve quietly been building: my own baby activity tracker (Just do it).

Over the past weeks I’ve tried a bit of everything — apps, notes on my phone, even scribbles on the wall — but nothing really matched how my days with my son actually feel. So I started designing a simple tracker just for us, and it’s slowly becoming part of our nightly rhythm. The screenshots here are from this week, where I’ve been logging feeds and diapers and getting little reflections back on how the week went.

One funny (and honest) observation: I almost never manage to log sleep time. Somehow, by the time he finally dozes off, the last thing I want to do is tap another button. That gap made me notice how much I crave calm more than perfect data. Using this tool has helped me be more mindful of our routines without obsessing, and seeing the week summarized gives me a small sense of order in the blur of new parenthood.

I’m deeply grateful that my baby Justin  is the inspiration / pair-programming buddy / tester for this little project. The idea is that the tool will grow with him, and I’ll grow with it: what we track, how we reflect, and how we build tiny moments of awareness into everyday care. If it can help other new parents feel a bit more grounded and gentle with themselves, then it’s already a success.

Give it a try, or share it with a new parent friend. Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it. 

Link in first comment.

After feeding baby Justin tonight, I suddenly got hit by a very specific craving: that steamy, savory bowl of halal Lanzhou noodles in China – the kind where the broth warms your soul and the hand-pulled noodles disappear way too fast.

So, while the little one was settling back to sleep, I opened up HalalYalla and did the next best thing to actually flying to China: I added a few halal Lanzhou noodle spots in Shenzhen to the app.

If you’re heading to Shenzhen (or already there!), you’ll soon see new listings for:
- Lanzhou / Chinese Muslim noodle places in key districts
- Clear halal tagging and addresses you can navigate to directly

This is just the start. I’ll keep expanding the China halal noodle map city by city – if you know any must‑visit spots, reply or DM so we can add them to HalalYalla and help more Muslims find that perfect bowl.

Link in first comment.

This is the Year of the Horse—a time for forward movement.

But moving forward as a parent means something different every day. Some days it's showing up. Some days it's admitting you were wrong. Some days it's just listening.

Two weeks ago, I began a year-long project with my newborn son, Justin Oliver: A Year with Confucius. One reflection for each of his first 366 days—drawing on ancient wisdom to become the parent he needs, inspired by the Daily Stoic and Daily Dad projects.

Not because Confucius had all the answers. But because he kept asking the right question: How do I become a better person?

And that, it turns out, is exactly what parenting asks of us.

Each day includes:
- An Analects quote in Chinese and English
- A reflection on parenting and becoming yourself
- Practices you can do alone and with your child
- A story about Little Jun (the Young Gentleman)
- A prayer—for Justin Oliver, and for your children too

Whether you're in the thick of it right now, or you care about a child's growth, this is a practice to return to. Daily.

🔗 Subscribe or bookmark in first comment. See you tomorrow.

Desert sea of thought—
Ibn al-Haytham’s light gleams still,
KAUST dawns anew.

Tea time, characters scroll—
Milk bottle by MacBook side,
Son's name gently brews.

Nations endure not just on vision or resources, but on trust: the quiet promises that bind us all.

Saudi Founding Day celebrates exactly that: leaders and people whose word built a lasting foundation, from Diriyah in 1727 to today. That's why I write about trust and foundation today.

Confucius says, "lacking trustworthiness, it's hard to know what can be made of them". In homes as in nations, kids learn trust not from words alone, but from whether "I'll be there" holds true.

In celebration of Foundation Day today, pick one recent promise to your child. Keep it by day's end, or sit down, explain honestly why not, and rebuild together. 

Small acts build strong foundations.

Happy Foundation Day!

自謂西川業漸成，
荊郊野夢尚纏情。
六年閒坐雲山外，
一劍未嘗試世塵。
水繞孤城春自碧，
心隨駿馬意難停。
他年若問興衰事，
但指江流笑未名。

新野覺前歌

Helping Ivy League-educated, overachievers find meaning and clarity in their career | Speaker, Clarity Coach, Entrepreneur

Huw coaches founders and their leadership teams to create clarity, attain alignment, and unleash their potential. He has worked with CEOs of VC and PE backed software and technology companies on both growth trajectories and supported them through turnaround or transition.

Huw is a 3-time founder, investor, and speaker turned executive coach. His corporate career centered around his work at Goldman Sachs, Rackspace, and Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund with $160bn under management. While at Bridgewater Associates he was a Senior Management Associate responsible for Portfolio Analytics. In 2016 he acquired and later sold Jungle Disk, a cybersecurity company previously owned by Rackspace. He co-founded CyberFortress, a VC-backed insurtech startup in 2018 (where he also became a Talentism client!). He also co-founded Porthcawl Holdings, a value-driven technology holding company, investing in startups and businesses in the SaaS and bitcoin space.

Huw holds an MBA from Harvard Business School where he was a Ford Scholar and Baker Scholar, and holds undergraduate and masters degrees in mathematics from Oxford University,

Huw is a proud Welshman who lives with his wife and young son in San Antonio, Texas. He is a board member of the local Entrepreneurs Organization responsible for the Accelerator program, helping budding entrepreneurs scale their businesses to 7-figures. He is also Vice President of Programming for the Harvard Business School Club of San Antonio. His compulsions include identifying gifts in adversity, creating inspiring visions, radical self-discipline, and running 100 mile races in the mountains.

Huw Edwards

10 years sober. No notes. 

PS Happy St David’s Day. 

#NoRegrets #BestDecisionEver

3x Founder, Harvard MBA, ex-Bridgewater Associates, Goldman Sachs | Executive Coach | Helping ambitious founders/CEOs unleash their potential and purpose

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There are two versions of people when they encounter discomfort.

The version that:

- Back out of a big decision
- Slow down
- Second-guesses everything
- Keep waiting to feel ready

And the version that:

- Show up anyway
- Have the uncomfortable conversation
- Trust their training, experience, and abilities.
- Act a little before they feel ready

Discomfort is not a threat. 

Don’t let your brain confuse expansion for danger.

Stay long enough to experience the transformation.

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Read newsletter 

Read the newsletter here: http://newsletter.h3.xyz/

You either view life as:

I have to:

1. Lead another meeting
2. Show up for the team
3. Call that client
4. Pick up the kids

OR

I get to:

1. Guide people who trust my leadership
2. Elevate my team
3. Build valuable relationships that scale the business 
4. Spend time with my favorite humans 

The first approach will drain you before you even get started. 

The second approach opens you up to a deeper level of presence and purpose in everything you do.

How you narrate a moment of discomfort changes how you experience it.

Don’t focus on the pain, focus on the potential.

Find an advantage to get you going.

There’s always one.

Leverage it.

The stress doesn’t disappear, but when it has a purpose, you’re in control.

It takes guts to care.

It freaking hurts when things don’t work.

People who do extraordinary things fear this hurt too.

But they care deeply enough to risk disappointment over and over again if they have to.

3 resources to help you say no more.

1. TED Talk: The Art of Saying No by Kenny Nguyen
https://lnkd.in/gvjGfrjF

2. Book: The Power of Saying No by Dr. Vanessa Patrick
https://lnkd.in/gd3vMPPz

3. Podcast: How to Say No – We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle
https://lnkd.in/g7GGrYZs

Every yes is a step away from freedom.

Make it worth the while.

Would you choose your life again?

The responsibilities, pressure, decisions, mistakes, and wins.

All of it.

Yes?

It’s great that you never let go of what it is you really want, even as you grow into greater success.

No?

You may have lost your power of autonomy.

And your success doesn't entirely feel like yours anymore.

In today’s issue, I explored the thin line between “I have to” and “I choose to”.

Quite a good read that uncovers how to sustain the love for your craft yesterday, today, tomorrow, and ever.

A life you don’t grow to hate.

Read the newsletter here 👇

There’s something elite performers tend to experience as they become more successful. At the beginning, everything is a choice. Then the path, risks, 

Open article: The power of autonomy   by Huw Edwards • 2 min read

Life wires us to explore...to find out.

To be more, do more, chase more, win more, learn more, and keep evolving.

But life is not what you're really exploring.

It's you.

Some people get stuck exploring what works.

It's not their fault.

They just:

- Lack patience and self-trust
- Don't trust their conviction to act
- Pay attention to what everyone else is saying
- Hold onto things that made them successful

Exploring you demands:

- Patience to say no to good opportunities, and yes to long-term value
- You sit tight and trust your conviction
- Pay deaf ears to what the hell people have to say
- A f*ck-fear mindset to reinvent yourself

Don't be afraid to explore yourself. 

There's so much more you're yet to find out about you.

P.S: My view...

Abraham Lincoln wrote a letter to General Meade that could have changed the course of the Civil War.

He never sent it.

And that decision, to sit in the silence instead of reacting, was one of his greatest acts of leadership.

The most expensive decisions I've seen elite performers make were in half a second before they said yes or no.

And some regret a bunch of them.

Because they didn't stop long enough to hear themselves really choose.

Over the weekend, 1,190 readers learned 4 key habits for making the most profitable and aligned decisions, even under pressure.

Miss the issue?

Find the link in the comments ↓

You can't explain it.

But you just knew.

To walk away from that deal.

To hire or not hire that person.

To start that project...

There's always that inner voice that tells us to do or not to do something.

Sometimes, we ignore it, and it backfires.

Other times, we're glad we listened to our intuition.

If only people trusted their instincts much more than external validation or waiting for proof.

Imagine how many mistakes would have been avoided.

Over the weekend, I explored the concept of pattern recognition that makes our intuition an ally for a happier life.

1,280 readers had a good read.

Miss the issue?

Find the link in the comments ↓

What are you becoming through the suffering?

Two things happen when you set a goal.

You nail it or miss it.

If you win it, you savor the excitement.

And if you miss, you're not self-sabotaging.

You know you still got paid with more discipline, courage, self-trust, and a lot more from the experience.

The journey and what you've become so far will fuel you to try again.

So no matter how hard it is, you'll find your way back up.

If you feel empty when you hit a goal or linger in the weight of missing it, your goal was probably very ambitious.

But it lacked a personal meaning to draw happiness or strength for what’s to come. 

Over the weekend, 1,283 readers learned 4 great steps to filter ambitious goals for a happier experience.

Miss the issue?

Find the link in the comments ↓

Give people ownership.

Let people still see themselves in what they do before, during, and after they work with you.

Let them bring themselves to the performance.

Your structure should be flexible enough to let them keep the joy of being their authentic self.

There's a thin line between discipline and squashing the flame that makes people feel great.

The autonomy to choose is key to sustaining high performance.

Over the weekend, I shared practices to avoid losing yourself to external pressure as you achieve greater success.

Miss the issue?

Find the link in the comments ↓

Have a good read.

Every day, you're making dozens of decisions.

How many times have you experienced carrying a quiet tension between what you decided and what you actually meant?

This goes beyond saying yes or no to people or opportunities.

It’s also about what you say to people.

How fast you react to something only to regret it later.

We’ve all got something that helps us make the most aligned and profitable decisions.

And it’s just mostly never put to use.

The silence between decisions.

I explored this silence as an ally to make better decisions for a happier life.

You can read it here 👇

Every day, you’re making dozens of decisions. And in almost every single one, there’s a moment between the question and the answer. It could be a spli

Open article: The silence between decisions… by Huw Edwards • 2 min read

Hard things aren’t hard because they’re hard. 

They’re hard because you don’t trust yourself.

The difficulty is rarely even in the situation.

It’s more in the state we walk into it with. 

Trust your training.

Trust your experience.

Trust your abilities.

Trust yourself a little more today, and much more tomorrow. 

A simple art of making hard things easier.

You already know.

The question is whether you trust what you feel.

Your intuition can play out as a quiet read you've earned through experience.

But most people have subconsciously silenced their instincts by over-relying on logic, validation, and proof before taking action.

And the more you can't trust your intuition, the more fragile your confidence becomes.

It's only a matter of time before you begin to feel like you've lost your spark.

I explored the grace of intuition as a big flex for greater success.

Read about it here 👇

You know that feeling when something looks good but doesn't feel good? Those shiny opportunities that your gut tells you not to engage. Or those you f

The grace of intuition

Being ambitious is great.

But be honest…

Do your current goals excite you?

Or are they just a logical move?

Most people burn out from chasing goals that slowly disconnect them from themselves.

Your goals can't just be ambitious.

Make them personal.

It's more thrilling.

I explored a different way to think about ambition in today's issue.

A good read for people who care about high performance.

Read it here 👇

You know how planning and working on a goal takes your focus, energy, and more. It's more like you're choosing how you spend your time. Most people qu

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