Lines mark a path between defining points, establishing clear direction and boundaries. But what if addressing our biggest challenges requires stepping out of line, embracing a purposeful disorientation? Drawing inspiration from Quilombolas—Afro-Brazilian residents of settlements first established by escaped slaves in Brazil—this workshop investigates the origins and instrumentalization of lines as control mechanisms. It encourages a polite disregard for these lines, allowing new possibilities to emerge in our tech practices.

About the speaker

Flavio Masson

Brazilian-born Flavio Masson is an entrepreneur, author, learner, and innovator with 25+ years of experience in digital innovation. As Founder & Chief Innovation Officer at Masson (est. 2003), he leads intersectional teams to deliver interfaces and the stories they tell for Fortune 1000 companies and C-level founders. Masson’s client portfolio includes Humana, Blue Cross Blue Shield, NuBank, Columbia University, HumanGood, and Oprah.

Notable projects include AARP’s Voices of Civil Rights—now the largest archive of civil rights stories housed in the Library of Congress—and Rangri, a UNICEF-partnered food delivery platform Flavio founded to address hunger in Brazil.

Flavio & team approach challenges through an intersectional, systems-based lens, grounded in the foundational belief that technology should only scale within our relational obligations to each other and our living world. ‘Aliveness’ is the business’ main concern—both in how its team works, and the experiences it co-creates with partners.

Currently advising Storytell.ai and mentoring with Cigna Group and AstraZeneca.

Favorite quote: “Specialization is for insects.” -Robert A. Heinlein

Hobbies: Visiting museums & book stores around the world, meditation, yoga, and practicing Chopin's nocturnes on the piano.

Recent works:

Embracing more circular, life-affirming ways of being

"Minimum Viable Softness" in innovation and technology

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