Tech Talks

Griffin Parry is CEO and founder of M3ter, a business powering every variation of usage-based pricing for companies at all stages of growth. He has already built and successfully exited one startup, and he's doing it all over again. What did he do last time that he won't this time around? What lessons are there for other entrepreneurs? On the show David is also joined by 'Tech Talks Daily' host Neil C. Hughes, freelance journalist and industry commentator. The music on Tech Talks is by London artist Lemzi. Check out his music and store at www.lemzi.com

As a society we need to do better than digging up fossil fuels, and consumers should make better choices. But how does a company take that belief and turn it into a profitable enterprise? This Boxing Day we catch up with Satnam Surae, PhD, CTO and co-founder at Twig and ask about their path to success. The music on Tech Talks is by London artist Lemzi. Check out his music and store at www.lemzi.com

Suki Fuller was recently named the most influential woman in UK technology by Computer Weekly. What's got Suki to this point in her career, and who or what were her inspirations? How is she trying to help the next generation of industry leaders? Also on today's episode we hear from Richard Davies, UK Managing Director at Netcompany. He's keen other leads pay attention to the lessons to be learned from the IT failures at the BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-67503126 The music on Tech Talks is by London artist Lemzi. Check out his music and store at www.lemzi.com

Steve Salvin (Chief Executive at Aiimi) has been helping organisations make sense of their data for a long time. Whilst the terms are new, the processes aren't necessarily. So amongst experimentation, and some banning AI, what actually comes next, and who should be steering the direction of your business? Also on today's show we have a chat about an article on Unleash (by Lucy Buchholz) about a study which suggests 18% of North American employees are considering leaving their role in 2024: https://www.unleash.ai/company-culture/18-of-american-employees-are-considering-leaving-their-current-roles-in-2024/ The music on Tech Talks is by London artist Lemzi. Check out his music and store at www.lemzi.com

Web Summit was all about AI… yes. But more than that; it was how technology is continually being used to push boundaries and democratize services and information. Here are two more examples concerning mental health and impact investment! Helping shine a light on these topics are Tom Winterton, Head of Platform at Invest Engine, and Michel Valstar, CEO of BlueSkyeye AI. Also on the show we're chatting about the most searched Google searches! Thanks to Calum Warren-Piper at PHA for drawing attention to this article: https://www.semafor.com/article/12/11/2023/googles-year-in-search-results-revealed The music on Tech Talks is by London artist Lemzi. Check out his music and store at www.lemzi.com

45% of women are leaving within the first 8 years of their career. How can we stop that and celebrate women? Sarah Persov, Engineering Team Lead at Dojo, talks about championing women in technology and her career, and why her advice for her boss is refreshing direct. Also on the show we chat to the artist behind out sound, Lemzi. Check out his music and shows on his website: https://www.lemzi.com/

We know there is a climate crisis, but what can we do? Joel Tasche (founder and co-CEO of Cleanhub) took matters into his own hands, and here talks about Cleanhub's mission and the circular economy. We're also talking about the importance of storytelling as a founder: https://www.forbes.com/sites/abdoriani/2022/10/24/storytelling-tips-for-founder-from-the-science-of-storytelling-by-will-storr/?sh=18860eb5783e

On today's show we welcome David Wong, Chief Product Officer at Thomson Reuters, to the podcast. Thomson Reuters have a report exploring AI and productivity. Productivity has been on the lips of so many in the industry since the Pandemic, but what does the data actually say? We talk about the report at length, but download it here for yourself: https://www.thomsonreuters.com/en/campaigns/future-of-professionals.html You might notice some new music on the show. We've partnered with the amazing Lemzi (more on this in a few episodes). Give him a follow on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5TACkrIqh…v0S_2heRilEKp2DQ

Felix Atkin (CEO and founder of Sharesy) joins the podcast to talk about building a platform that allows community spaces across London take bookings, revitalizing their use. It's an impact startup inspired by the want to do good, and the work of previous 'Tech Talks' alumni such as Tessa Clarke. Also on today's show, a new feature, the 'Friday News Flash'. Cathy White draws our attention to crisis at Devternity. The whole article is at: https://www.404media.co/devternity-fake-speakers-eduard-sizovs/ Lastly you might notice some new music on the show. We've partnered with the amazing Lemzi (more on this in a few episodes). Give him a follow on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5TACkrIqhdLJmX1TcjpDKu?si=K1qaPSv0S_2heRilEKp2DQ

Bukki Adedapo is the UK Country Manager of Fiverr. Last week he hosted (alongside Virgin Startups) a competition for female founders, where four finalists competed for £15,000 worth of credits to develop their platforms through Fiverr's network. Those finalists were: Anna Moynihan, (TaskHer) Thelma Onyeka (Akama Fund), Lydia Carrick (Apputee), and Sarah Welsh (HANX) Go follow them and support them!

Todd Olson is the founder and CEO of Pendo, a company on a mission to elevate the world's experience of software. Today we're asking, are companies ready for AI, or worse... are they scared? Also on the show we talk about heat pump in New York City: https://www.theverge.com/23951214/heat-pump-nycha-public-housing-electric-sustainable We also share Harry McCracken's piece on OpenAI in Fast Company: https://www.fastcompany.com/90986455/openais-meltdown-wont-be-the-last-corporate-drama-spurred-by-ai

Kathryn is the founding CEO of award-winning global expert marketplaces (getWise, channelWise) providing business owners and professionals in targeted markets, access to thousands of vetted executives, coaches/mentors, education and resources that accelerate business or career growth. She is a former Wall Street executive sales leader and an author of 9 books. She has been featured in Forbes, Inc. Magazine, CBS Marketwatch, Fox News and more. She was recently named Worth Magazine Top 100 Entrepreneurs, Forbes Top 1000 innovators and a member of the prestigious Nasdaq Milestone Makers program. Today she's adding Tech Talks to the list of career highlights!

We're mixing it up with a podcast recorded on the floor of Web Summit. Join David are two leading commentators, Alisa Cohn, "the #1 startup coach in the world" and Sonya Barlow, host of the BBC's The Everyday Hustle. They discuss the crisis/non-crisis facing organisations, inclusion at conferences, the real meaning of authenticity, and what Katherine Maher (Web Summit's new CEO) needs to do secure the future of the conference as a leading destination.

Transformation in the fintech sector? Today's guest is GFT's UK Client Solutions Director for Retail Banking, Richard Kalas. As digital services are embraced ever more widely we're looking at ensuring organisations aren't left behind, stay productive, and ahead of regulation. Also, we're in Lisbon this week, and we're going for a run with Codex and their founder Sabin Lakhani.

On today's show we are joined by Dan Garrett, CEO of Farewill. Technology for most of us is never not in the palm of our hand in the way of social media, contacting friends and working, but these uses seem menial when it can be applied to such bigger uses. The way we have been dealing with death for decades has been formal, complicated and expensive. Instead of feeling supported, people often feel lost. Farewill is changing the way the world deals with death: to make the experience warmer, brighter and friendlier, with the help of technology. To hear how technology is evolving, and what tech leaders are prioritising, check out Nash Squared's newly released 25th Annual Digital leadership Report. www.nashsquared.com/dlr

Today we are joined by Former BBC Presenter and Founder of 'The Brilliant Communicator' Nima Abu-Wardeh, to find out how to say what you want and be heard! Nima teaches how to communicate efficiently, raise your profile, and be seen, and is helping those searching for work but also founders create a presence and go from chase to chosen! Find out more about how Nima can help you by signing up to her weekly newsletter, https://www.finding-nima.com/newsletter.

On today's show we're talking to Marko, Executive Producer at Bucketsquad and a senior member of the team behind Jesser, the YouTube creator with almost 16 million subscribers. We ask how you create for that audience, how you keep them engaged, and what enterprise business can learn from that experience.

It's Halloween, but we have a treat for you! A company trying to tackle sustainability via a premium, long-lasting, module smartphone, Fairphone. Based in the Netherlands, Fairphone's mission is to create change through their own devices. Miquel Ballester Salvà, Head of Product Management, shares how they're aiming to do that.

SigmaOS is a whole new browser experience, making it easier for you to be fast and better at what you do on the Internet. Or that's the claim by founder and CEO Mahyad Ghassemibouyaghchi. Picked byY Combinator as 'Product of the Month' are you convinced? Also, 'Amazon for Kids' launches a conversation Gen-AI aimed at children. Excited, concerned? It's fair to say David and Amber need convincing.

Energy storage is the backbone of clean energy systems. But battery storage is complex. STABL Energy are on a mission to make access to battery storage easy for anyone, unlocking mass adoption of clean energy. Today we're exploring how with Dr Nam Troung, co-CEO and c-founder. Also on the podcast our discussion about the new engulfing Web Summit. Here are the articles we base our discussion on, and our thinking on the wider impact of events like these: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/21/business/web-summit-paddy-cosgrave-israel.html https://www.politico.eu/article/portugal-digital-nomads-bubble-gentrification/

From digital disruptors to Fortune 500 companies, over 18,000 businesses rely on PagerDuty to help them continually improve their digital operations. We ask the CEO Jenn exactly how that works, and what lessons she's picked up along the way. David and Akeesh chat EV chargers. Here is the actual article with the actual news... https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/19/23922649/gravity-dc-fast-charger-new-york-500kw

Former guest Molly rejoins the show, and since she last sat down with us she's been busy. Her brand is growing rapidly, as is her team (and their dogs) without compromising the values of Flexa or their clients. We simply ask how!

Brian Comiskey's job is to look to the future and tell the CTA membership what's hot, and what's bubbling to the surface! How that all stitches together is not an easy picture to paint; so much of what we talk about feels critical. So where should we be focusing our attention?

Industry leader Gary Shapiro drops into the show today to talk about the future of the technology industry, whether that's addressing the need for a technology emphasis in 'human security'. developing a strategy for dealing with China, or looking to countries like France for inspiration. Last week we also released our film on the under-funding of female business. Watch here: www.nashsquared.com/techflix

Today we're talking to reformed physicist Dr Chris Ballance, CEO of Oxford Ionics. They're aiming to be the ARM of Quantum Computing. But what is Quantum Computing, and what is the relevance to those of us in the enterprise tech sector? Also Tech Flix is now live, talking about funding female business: https://www.nashsquared.com/techflix If you want to read the article we discuss it's here: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/oct/04/female-founded-ai-startups-win-just-2-of-funding-deals-in-uk

I recently sat down with Erika Brodnock MBE to film an interview for our film series 'Tech Flix'. Erika is the co-founder of Extend Ventures and Kinhub, and one of 5 multicultural founders to watch in 2023 (according to Sifted). Here she shares her views on VC funding for black women, the Fearless Fund, and why it's time to focus on the doers, not done to. To watch our film on Thursday follow this link: https://www.linkedin.com/events/howcanwereversethechroniclackof7105403876391968768/theater/

Tanis Jorge is a serial entrepreneur and co-founder of unicorn business Trulioo. She has researched and focused on the challenge of preserving your most important relationship in business, the one with your cofounder. To read Tanis' book head to https://thecofoundershub.com/the-cofounders-handbook/ To register for our event head to https://www.linkedin.com/events/howcanwereversethechroniclackof7105403876391968768/theater/

On today's show we welcome Jules Robertson, one half of the all female-founding team behind Tally Workspace, a platform that helps you instantly book hot desks and meeting rooms or let us find your new office space. Find out more about the Tallys: https://www.tallyworkspace.com/the-tallys-winners On the show we're also talking about NASA and their incredible ingenuity: https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/24/23887975/nasa-asteroid-sample-osiris-rex-bennu-explained Lastly, come to our virtual docufilm screening on October the 5th: https://www.linkedin.com/events/howcanwereversethechroniclackof7105403876391968768/theater/

On todays show we're focusing on Leeds and it's leaders. Why? It's Leeds Digital Festival. Supported (this year) by Harvey Nash, LDF has been at the forefront of a digital vanguard in Northern England. We put the microphone in front of George Fairhall and Anna Sutton, to of the regions entrepreneurs, to find out why it's so special! This is part of our 'Female Founders' Fortnight' series. To join the premiere of our docufilm on the lack of investment for female led business follow this link: https://www.linkedin.com/events/howcanwereversethechroniclackof7105403876391968768/theater/

Teri is the exited founder of Vibely, her business which was acquired by Kajabi in 2022. In today's show we learn from her experience of a founder weighing up the decision to sell their business. Joining me as co-host is Dr Serena Huang, founder of 'Data with Serena'. We're building up to the launch of our new 'Tech Flix' film on the under funding of female businesses. The docufilm is streaming on Linkedin on October 5th. To watch sign up on https://www.linkedin.com/events/howcanwereversethechroniclackof7105403876391968768/theater/

We are talking about leadership and the Ukrainian Crisis today on the podcast with Ivan Ieremenko, cofounder and CEO of Techstack. How has he adapted as a leader during the last two-years, and what are its lessons? We'd love you to complete our DLR, it closes in 2 days: https://nashsquared.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4HrZQkkT863RHKK?source=TechTalks

On today's show Ariel Poler, co-founder of Reveri Health, talks to us about the power of self-hypnosis. Forget long-term investment, the techniques Ariel discusses can provide short, quick wins for a number of health concerns. Would you give it a go?

On today's show we're dissecting the art of negotiation with Rosie Bailey, CEO of Nibble. What is Nibble? An AI Chatbot for eCommerce retailers that lets customers negotiate personalized prices on products or services. Win-win negotiation! Also on the show we chat AI and music: https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/6/23862036/ai-drake-ghostwriter-new-song-grammy-travis-scott-21-savage We also want you to join us on October 5th for the 'Tech Flix' screening: https://www.linkedin.com/events/howcanwereversethechroniclackof7105403876391968768/theater/ You can watch the trailer here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/davidajsavage_growth-womenintech-entrepreuner-activity-7105452484197797888-Nois?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

David's just got back from IFA in Berlin, a meeting of more than 150,000 people to marvel at technology. But tech has a cost; this industry contributes around 2% to 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions. So what opportunities are their to learn, to change practices and to help consumers make better informed choices? We chat about Fairphone and their push towards repair rather than replace, and we talk to Uwe Schulte, a procurement expert turned sustainability consultant and guru. What lessons are their for us all? If you want to watch "Behind the Screens" (and we urge you to) the go to: https://www.fairphone.com/en/behind-the-screens/

Gonçalo Gaiolas, the new Chief Product Officer at SoSafe joins us to talk about his approach to product development. He also sets out his belief that Europe is the perfect environment to build meaningful technology organizations. We're heading to Berlin of IFA. Here is The Verge with a take on what to expect: https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/26/23844529/smart-home-matter-ifa-2023-tech-show Whilst we've got you please add your voice to our Digital Leadership Report, and unlock your own peer bench-marking report. Click on the following link: https://nashsquared.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4HrZQkkT863RHKK?source=TechTalks

How do we collaborate effectively? How does that build and inform working culture? How do you mitigate for individuals and help them thrive? Amy Williams, CIO of Barclays UK and the Radbroke site lead joins the podcast to talk about structured hybrid-models, thinking about extra adjustments to promote accessibility, and the wide range of challenges faced by digital leaders in their roles today. To add your voice to our Digital Leadership Report, and to unlock your own peer bench-marking report click on the following link: https://nashsquared.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4HrZQkkT863RHKK?source=TechTalks

YouMakr cofounder Abbas Moledina revisits 'Tech Talks' having featured on the show almost 2 years ago. Back then they were excited to talk about their new platform which could write original text with a few prompts. YouMakr then found it's USP swamped by ChatGPT. So what do you do when a competitor comes along and threatens to become synonymous with the tech? They pivoted and doubled-down on education. Also on the show we chat about the teaching crisis in the USA leading to technology creeping into the classroom: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/aug/17/us-schools-remote-teaching-educator-shortage

On today's show we talk to AlbionVC Partner Jane Elizabeth Reddin. Having previously worked at Balderton Capital, been a co-founder herself and worked at Harvey Nash, she's an investment and talent expert. So what do founders really need to know to secure investment and grow? Also on the show we share an article by Unleash's Allie Nawrat. Linkedin have some surprising finds related to AI and skills. https://www.unleash.ai/skills-development/linkedin-people-skills-are-more-valuable-than-ai/

To we're joined by Hazelcast's Avtar Raikmo (Head of Platform Engineer) and Fawaz Ghali (Head of Developer Relations). They're joining us to talk about community building, the need to empower staff and solve real world problems. But that community needs to come on a journey, so how do you do that? How do you take someone from being a developer building solutions, to a commitment to enterprise customers. Also on the show we ask if AI should summarize articles for us? https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/15/23833045/google-artificial-intelligence-summary-chrome-sge

Dr Cindy Gordon is founder and CEO of SalesChoice, and is working with AI and enterprise firms. Noticing the toll of modern working on the employee, she questioned the role AI plays in work to help us better find our niche. So what skills can we focus on and make sure we're a contributing member of the world of work? Also on the show… we know productivity is the key concern of many organisations, so we ask if “Focus Mode” for Windows is likely to help! https://www.wired.co.uk/article/how-to-use-focus-mode-windows Plus if you want to check out ‘Life on a Plate' head to https://wellbeing.nashsquared.com/posts/nash-squared-cookbook-life-on-a-plate

Sumeet Arora, Chief Development Officer at ThoughtSpot, and Benn Stancil, formerly the Chief Technology Officer at Mode (and now ThoughtSpot) join us to discuss the merger of their two businesses. Why is there a match, how has it worked? On top of that what are the founder learnings for Benn, who's successfully sold his business. Would you share the digital print of your iris? Kenya thinks you shouldn't. Find out more here: https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/2/23817147/kenya-worldcoin-suspended-sam-altman-eyeball-scanning

Philip Mullen, Managing Director EMEA for TELUS Health, joins the podcast to discuss wellbeing and productivity. Whilst the employing/employee relationship has changed we still need a healthy balance between the needs of your work and your free time. Productivity is a major concern of many organisations, but it doesn't mean what we've gained in the last few years must be lost. Do you want to live (digitally) forever, or is it all a bit creepy? You can dive into today's discussion and read up more here: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/death-technology-memory

Rahul is founder and CEO of Superhuman, a company offering superfast email. Since moving to the West Coast of the USA 13 years ago Rahul has made plenty of missteps but been hugely successful. What has he learnt, and what would he suggest other founders consider? To learn more about Rahul and his journey explore these articles: https://review.firstround.com/how-superhuman-built-an-engine-to-find-product-market-fit https://blog.superhuman.com/how-we-built-superhuman-ai/ Also in the news, Netflix are looking for AI engineers at staggering cost: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66332876

On today's show we're lucky to quiz Christina, CEO of LogicMonitor on both observability and leadership. Given the rapid expansion of the technology estate in many companies, how are you meant to spot the gremlins in the data? We also discuss sustainability, both in consumer tech and one way in which technology might save the lives of endangered animals. Check out these two articles: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/jul/30/say-hello-to-longlife-tech-that-can-challenge-our-throwaway-culture https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/31/can-3d-printed-tiger-teeth-help-save-rare-indian-animals-from-extinction-aoe

Today we're joined by Paul Jackson, most recently the Chief Product and Tech Officer Level, and previously at Structure Flow, Dow Jones, and News UK amongst others. He's talking to us about the health of the startup sector; is it being constricted? Also what is so appealing about working in a business during its early stages? We're also asking: Minority Report becoming reality (not the future crime part..!)? Members of the public are being invited to have their eyeballs scanned by a silver orb as part of cryptocurrency project that aims to use biometric verification to distinguish humans from AI systems. Also, should smartphones be banned in schools?

In today's show we're joined by Cerebral's CEO David Mou. A clinician and a technologist, David has a view on how technology can impact the level of care given to patients with mental health concerns. But how far might be too far where AI is concerned, and what are the limits?

Today's guests are Milo Mcloughlin-Greening, Head of R & D at Batch.works, and Jo Barnard, founder of Morrama. They have collaborated to produce and release Kibu, a sustainable pair of headphones aimed at kids. The repairable, part-replicable headphones are an example of circular manufactoring.