Everyone is on their own trek. And we can all use a little help along the way. The Tech Trek features conversations with top leaders in technology on how they are transforming their industry and organization. We explore the intersections of technology, m
In this episode, Amir sits down with Brian McMahon, CEO and co-founder of Pickle—a fashion rental marketplace aiming to become the Airbnb for everyday items. Brian unpacks how Pickle solved the classic two-sided marketplace dilemma, why hyperlocal supply is their secret weapon, and how AI is powering everything from product tagging to customer support. They also dive into the evolution of Pickle's fundraising strategy—from getting no investor traction to securing repeat backers. Whether you're building a marketplace, navigating fashion tech, or fundraising in today's climate, this conversation is packed with insights.
In this episode, Amir sits down with Aaron Painter, CEO of Nametag, to explore how deepfakes and generative AI are reshaping identity security in the workplace. They discuss real-world attacks, such as the MGM breach, and how enterprises are responding with new technologies—from cryptographic identity verification to re-verification protocols. Aaron shares what companies are doing right, where they're vulnerable, and the role of identity in the future of enterprise security.
In this episode, Amir speaks with Anna Patterson, founder of Ceramic AI, about what it truly means to lead an AI-first company. They unpack the differences between engineering and AI leadership, the chaos and creativity of early-stage research, how Ceramic AI is betting on emerging talent, and why managing AI roadmaps is an exercise in uncertainty and invention. Anna also shares perspectives from her experience at Google and how search engine wars inform today's AI landscape.
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir sits down with Matt Moore, CTO and co-founder of Chainguard, to explore the escalating importance of software supply chain security. From Chainguard's origin story at Google to the systemic risks enterprises face when consuming open source, Matt shares the lessons, best practices, and technical innovations that help make open source software safer and more reliable. The conversation also touches on AI's impact on the attack surface, mitigating threats with engineering rigor, and why avoiding long-lived credentials could be your best defense.
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Christina Garcia, SVP of Engineering at Echo Global Logistics, shares her insights on integrating AI not as a replacement but as a partner in business operations. We unpack how organizations can holistically rethink processes, overcome adoption hurdles, and empower innovators inside the company to co-create AI use cases. Christina also opens up about the unique leadership pressures this wave of transformation brings—and how she manages them.
In this episode, Amir sits down with Anthony Jules, Co-Founder and CEO of Robust.AI, to explore how scaling lessons from the early days of Sapient translate into today's rapidly evolving world of AI and robotics. Anthony shares stories from growing a company from 3 to 4,000 people, what scale teaches you about communication and change, and how being ruthlessly honest about your business creates strategic advantage. From the hype vs. reality of AI to how hardware can stabilize innovation in robotics, this conversation is rich with insights for technologists, entrepreneurs, and leaders navigating change.
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir sits down with Joe Philleo, founder and CEO of Edio, an AI platform transforming K-12 education. Joe shares his journey from building websites in high school to writing a viral essay on Palantir that kickstarted his tech career. He dives into the critical role AI now plays in solving chronic absenteeism and driving measurable academic improvements. The conversation explores how tech is reshaping education—from device adoption post-pandemic to rethinking how we measure and manage learning outcomes.
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir sits down with Sus Misra, SVP of Data & Analytics at Solve(D) (IPG Health), to unpack what true precision targeting looks like in one of the most regulated industries: pharma. Sus explains how healthcare marketers uniquely leverage individual-level data to connect with professionals like doctors and oncologists—something unheard of in most sectors.But with great data comes great responsibility. Sus dives into the ethical, regulatory, and technical challenges of working with sensitive healthcare data, from HIPAA compliance to new state-level restrictions that are reshaping how campaigns are executed. He also shares how machine learning and generative AI are beginning to help—but warns they'll never replace human governance.Whether you work in data, marketing, or product, this episode is a masterclass in what happens when cutting-edge tech meets hard regulatory walls.
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Brian Clifford, Chief Data Officer at Amica Insurance, shares how his team translates core company values—like exceptional customer service—into actionable AI and data strategies. We explore how Amica approaches pilots, vendor selection, internal adoption, and governance to scale AI effectively and responsibly.
In this deep-dive episode, we explore what it truly means to be "AI-native" versus bolting AI onto existing products. Abhay Mitra, CTO of Nirvana Insurance, shares how his team is building industry-specific AI models to transform the $800B+ commercial insurance market, starting with trucking—one of the most complex and painful sectors in insurance.From telematics data platforms to fine-tuned underwriting models, discover why commercial insurance might be the perfect proving ground for AI and how a data-first approach is creating unfair advantages for startups competing against century-old incumbents.Key Takeaways
In this episode, we dive deep into the evolving relationship between engineering and product with Pranab Krishnan, CTO of Zeal - a payroll and payments platform for staffing companies. We explore how the traditional boundaries between engineering, product management, and customer interaction are dissolving, especially in the age of AI. Pranab shares insights on building a product-centric engineering culture, the concept of "shifting left," and how AI tools are reshaping the skills engineers need to succeed.Key Takeaways
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Vinayak Kumar shares how his team at Lynx strikes a practical balance between innovation and efficiency in the heavily regulated healthcare and finance space. He explains why innovation shouldn't be forced, how to avoid the "tech in search of a problem" trap, and why pattern-driven execution helps startups scale faster without compromising flexibility.
In this episode, Amir speaks with Ameya Brid, Global Director of Data & Analytics at Invista, about the maturation of GenAI conversations in the enterprise. They dive into the shift from hype to implementation, real-world challenges like data quality and change management, and how composable architecture is helping organizations adapt to rapid innovation cycles.
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir sits down with Andy Beam, CTO of Lila Sciences, to explore how AI is transforming the messy, serendipitous nature of scientific discovery into an engineered, scalable process. From automating lab work to accelerating the speed of breakthroughs, Andy explains why the future of science may be less about eureka moments and more about AI-driven iteration.
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir speaks with Alexander Schlager, founder and CEO of AIceberg, about how his company has tackled the AI talent shortage by partnering directly with universities. From building relationships with faculty to onboarding students into real-world R&D roles, Alex shares a unique, cost-effective strategy for hiring early-career tech talent and turning them into long-term contributors. It's a compelling listen for anyone in emerging tech, hiring, or leadership.
Wyatt Smith, CEO of UpSmith, joins Amir to unpack how agentic AI is transforming the skilled trades industry. From dispatch optimization to human-in-the-loop workflows, Wyatt shares a practical and visionary lens on how AI can solve deep productivity challenges, empower call centers, and proactively generate business opportunities. If you think AI only disrupts digital industries, this episode will make you think again.
What separates a successful founder from the rest? In this episode, Harish Abbott—CEO and co-founder of Augment—breaks down how he repeatedly spots opportunity early, builds products customers actually want, and navigates the fast-moving world of AI without falling into the trap of chasing every shiny benchmark.We explore how Harish's team shadowed 60 logistics operators before writing a single line of code, why storytelling is a founder's most underutilized superpower, and how to know when it's time to pivot—even if everything looks good on the surface.Whether you're scaling your first product or figuring out what not to build, this conversation is packed with real-world insights you can apply today.
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir speaks with Patrick Leung, CTO of Faro Health, about what it takes to lead an engineering organization through a transformation to become an AI-first company. From redefining the product roadmap to managing cultural and technical shifts, Patrick shares practical insights on team structure, skill development, and delivering AI-enabled features in a regulated domain like clinical trials. This is a must-listen for tech leaders navigating similar transitions.
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir sits down with Sunita Verma, CTO at Character AI and former engineering leader at Google. Sunita shares how she's transitioned from leading large-scale AI initiatives at Google to building novel experiences in a fast-paced startup environment. She dives into the mindset shift required to prioritize velocity over scale, how to lead AI-native product innovation, and what it means to be a female technical leader in today's tech ecosystem.
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir sits down with Emily Long, the CEO and co-founder of Edera, a deep tech startup focused on secure infrastructure. Emily shares her unconventional journey from HR leadership into the world of high-performance computing, infrastructure, and cybersecurity. Together, they explore the realities of leading a technical startup as a non-engineer, the underestimated value of soft skills in building scalable companies, and how trust, learning, and risk-taking shape leadership at every stage.
Arlene Watson, a product and engineering leader in the cybersecurity space with experience at CrowdStrike, ServiceNow, and Tenable, joins the show to unpack the critical challenges facing cybersecurity teams today. We dive into breach realities, the need for proactive defenses, how automation is reshaping security operations, and why AI is both a threat and an essential tool. If you're building, managing, or securing software in today's threat landscape, this episode is for you.
In this episode, Amir sits down with David Marchick, Dean of the Kogod School of Business at American University, to explore how AI is transforming higher education. From early skepticism to full-scale integration, David shares how his faculty is embracing generative AI—not just as a tool, but as a cornerstone of future-ready learning. The conversation dives into what it means to prepare students for an AI-infused workplace, the ethical dilemmas that arise, and how this technology could either widen or bridge existing academic gaps.
In this episode, Amir sits down with Brent Keator, an expert advisor at Primary Venture Partners, to unpack one of the most debated engineering challenges: tech debt versus reengineering. They explore how to define tech debt, when to refactor versus rebuild, the ROI of revisiting old code, and how AI is (and isn't) changing the equation. This is a must-listen for engineering leaders navigating complex technical decisions in fast-moving environments.
In this episode, Amir Bormand sits down with Andy White, CEO of ClosingLock, to talk through his journey from PhD engineer to startup founder. Andy shares the aha moment that launched ClosingLock, a cybersecurity-focused platform protecting real estate transactions, and offers a transparent look at the early struggles of building trust in a skeptical industry. From pitching title companies with Chick-fil-A to learning an entirely new domain from scratch, this is a story about execution, humility, and listening harder than you pitch.
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir Bormand talks with Jason Wells, Head of Engineering at BrowserBase, about building a high-performance culture rooted in trust, emotional intelligence, and psychological safety. Jason shares how his unconventional path—including a six-year break from tech—helped shape a management philosophy that puts human connection at the center of engineering leadership. From dismantling blame culture to fostering self-compassion and authentic feedback loops, Jason offers a powerful framework for anyone looking to lead modern tech teams more intentionally.
In this episode, Amir Bormand sits down with Kieran Furlong, CEO and co-founder of Realta Fusion, to explore the unique path of a deep tech startup spun out of a university lab. They discuss building a fusion energy company, navigating complex stakeholder relationships with universities and government agencies, and keeping long-term mission-driven teams aligned. From licensing technology to managing a decade-long development cycle, this conversation reveals how Realta Fusion is working to change the world's energy future.
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir sits down with Clark Downum, CTO at Redox, to unpack the deeper dynamics between engineering, product, and business stakeholders. From tech debt and project delays to culture, communication gaps, and delivery trade-offs—this conversation is a candid exploration of how technical teams can drive impact without getting stuck in process perfection.Whether you're a tech leader or aspiring one, this episode offers a fresh lens on ownership, expectation-setting, and delivering what really matters.
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Daniel Whatley, co-founder and technical lead at Vividly, shares his journey launching a startup while still a student at MIT. From managing college life during COVID to navigating the CPG industry's digital transformation, Daniel reflects on what it meant to be the youngest in the room, how he grew into executive leadership, and what he wishes he'd known before co-founding a company. A candid look at growth, grit, and the impact of youth in a traditional space.
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir is joined by Jonathan Myron, VP of Engineering at Healthie, to dive into what it really takes to lead engineering teams inside startups. From aligning with founders' visions to building engineering cultures that thrive on autonomy and creativity, Jonathan shares hard-won lessons for engineers stepping into leadership. Whether you're building early-stage or scaling through growth, this episode delivers practical insights on driving value, developing team culture, and shaping your career path.
What should you really be asking during your interview as a tech leader? And once you land the role, how do you manage expectations, reduce technical debt, and make meaningful impact fast?In this episode, Justin Nguyen, Technology Director of Enterprise Data & Analytics at Home Depot, shares hard-won insights from his recent leadership transitions. From assessing team maturity to setting realistic AI expectations, we unpack the tactical and strategic moves leaders need to thrive in the first 180 days of a new role.
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Brendan Grove, CTO and co-founder at PrizeOut, shares how his non-traditional background shaped his leadership style and hiring philosophy. Brendan dives into how being curious, humble, and pattern-aware has helped him scale teams and solve complex problems. He also unpacks how hiring for core traits like learning velocity and ownership can outperform chasing resumes full of surface-level skills. We also discuss tech debt, decision-making frameworks, and the role of engineering excellence in business success.Whether you're a startup founder, engineering leader, or aspiring technologist, this episode is a reminder that greatness often lies beyond the obvious checklist.
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir sits down with Ronak Vyas, Co-Founder and CTO of Lead Bank, to explore how leadership principles remain constant even as the problems — and companies — change. Ronak shares lessons from leading at Yahoo, Square, and now founding a fintech bank, reflecting on how to adjust to new environments, make high-stakes decisions, and transition from engineering leader to startup founder. If you're a technology professional considering leadership or even starting your own venture, this episode is packed with real-world insights on navigating change, making smart decisions, and staying close to your craft.
In this episode, Marty Neese, CEO of Verdagy, joins Amir to unpack what it takes to scale a company in one of the most innovative and high-stakes industries—green hydrogen. From managing a purpose-driven culture to embracing failures as a strategic advantage, Marty shares insights on leading ambitious climate tech initiatives while staying grounded in economic reality. Whether you're in tech, energy, or just love solving complex problems, this one's for you.
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir chats with Rob Williams, co-founder and CTO at Read AI, about what it truly means to be an AI-native company. Rob shares how Read AI uses its own tools internally, how his small but mighty engineering team balances speed and structure, and the evolving role of AI in productivity workflows. Whether you're building AI products or trying to adopt them effectively, this conversation offers a unique peek behind the curtain of a startup navigating the future of work.
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir sits down with Abhi Sharma, CEO and Co-Founder of Relyance AI, to unpack the philosophy of "unreasonable hospitality"—a framework for building unforgettable customer and team experiences. From small gestures like a humidifier in the interview room to culture-embedded rituals, Abhi reveals how this principle fuels trust, retention, and performance at every level. If you're building teams or scaling a company, this one is packed with actionable insights.
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir sits down with Sasha Gainullin, CEO of Battleface, to explore how focusing on a small, underserved niche in the travel insurance industry unlocked global opportunity. Sasha shares how Battleface used in-house technology to revolutionize the outdated travel insurance model, expanding from serving adventure travelers to powering major partners through their service platform, Robin Assist. This is a conversation about focus, customer empathy, and tech-driven disruption—valuable for any founder or product leader.
In this episode, Amir Bormand sits down with Tony Speller, Division SVP of Technical Operations and Engineering at Comcast, to explore how AI is quietly but powerfully transforming the customer and employee experience at one of the world's largest media and technology companies. From self-healing network devices to predictive outage detection, Tony walks us through Comcast's internal innovation playbook—blending in-house AI solutions with strategic partnerships. Whether you're a technologist, operator, or just someone who's ever rebooted a modem, this episode peels back the curtain on what keeps the digital world running.
In this episode, Amir sits down with Nirman Dave, co-founder and CEO of Zams, an enterprise AI platform built to help businesses design and deploy AI agents with ease. They dive into Nirman's founding story—launching during the pandemic, navigating the evolution of the AI ecosystem, and the unique challenges of maintaining customer focus amid shifting trends and rising competition. Nirman also shares lessons from pitching investors, building trust with customers, and the art of product prioritization.
In this episode of The Tech Trek, I sit down with Artem Rodichev, Founder & CEO of Ex-Human, to explore the emerging world of empathetic generative AI. We discuss how today's LLMs fall short on emotional intelligence and how Ex-Human is building AI that can emotionally connect with users. Artem shares the vision behind their product Botify AI, its real-world applications—from gaming and education to mental health—and the crucial role of guardrails in ensuring safe, ethical AI development.
What does it mean to find out what your team is actually good at—and how do you use that insight to grow, scale, and lead effectively?In this episode, Amir sits down with Pallavi Pal, Head of Product at Grata, to unpack the nuanced art of identifying strengths within product teams. From hiring with purpose to fostering technical and soft skills, Pallavi shares how she built her team from the ground up and established a culture of collaboration and excellence. Whether you're a product leader, aspiring manager, or simply navigating your growth path in tech, this conversation is packed with frameworks and hard-earned lessons.✨ Key Takeaways“Good” is personal and team-specific – Recognize where individual team members naturally lean in and where they need support.Hiring with intention matters – Building a team from scratch allows leaders to define what “good” looks like for each role early on.Balancing technical and soft skills is crucial – Successful PMs don't just understand the product—they empathize with users and collaborate effectively.Path to people management starts with mentorship – Use mentorship as a low-risk way to identify potential managers.Culture isn't just top-down – Product teams should reflect company values while fostering technical curiosity and peer collaboration.Metrics can't be mandated – Teams need to co-create their North Star metrics and OKRs to stay engaged and aligned.⏱️ Timestamped Highlights[00:20] – Introducing Pallavi and the focus on identifying what your team is great at[02:05] – Observing behaviors to identify strengths and hesitations[05:22] – Hiring to match specific skill sets across different product functions[08:20] – The balance between domain knowledge, technical skills, and soft skills[12:03] – Identifying future people managers within your team[16:21] – Building a product culture that aligns with company values but has its own identity[21:06] – How to define and align around standards and metrics in product[24:21] – How to connect with Pallavi for follow-up questions
In this episode, Amir sits down with Zach Barney, Co-founder and CEO of Mobly, the system of record for event marketers. Zach's story takes us from his early ambitions of joining the NSA to a career-altering injury, a serendipitous fall into sales, and eventually the founding of Mobly. This episode explores not only the career pivots that led Zach to entrepreneurship, but also the mental, financial, and strategic challenges he faced along the way.If you've ever thought about switching paths or launching your own thing — especially from a non-technical background — Zach's journey is proof that drive, vision, and grit can get you there.
Join us in this insightful conversation with Eric Valasek as we explore the crucial relationship between CEOs, product teams, and engineering leaders. Eric shares his expertise on managing prioritization, strategic tech debt, and ensuring engineering teams stay focused and insulated amidst business dynamics.Key Takeaways:Balance is Crucial: A company's success depends heavily on balancing business goals, product demands, and engineering capabilities.Strategic Tech Debt: Not all tech debt is harmful. Strategic tech debt can accelerate business growth, but must be managed and planned carefully.Upskilling for Growth: Investing in your team's skill development can pay long-term dividends, especially when tackling new technology domains.Transparency vs. Focus: Protecting your team from constant business shifts ("horse trading") is essential to maintain productivity and morale.Engineering's Voice: In tech-driven companies, the engineering team often carries significant influence. Leaders must balance innovation with practical business outcomes.Timestamped Highlights:00:41 - Eric's introduction and overview of engineering-product-business relationships.01:30 - Balancing the business, product, and engineering "trifecta."05:01 - Effective strategies for team skill development and training.07:26 - Adjusting team velocity and maintaining quality during upskilling.09:44 - Navigating potential dips in quality when adopting new technologies.11:57 - Strategic considerations when intentionally incurring tech debt.14:31 - Managing transparency and team insulation from business volatility.17:40 - The importance and impact of engineering's voice in technology-centric businesses.Quote:"You can't have speed and quality with the same size team with new technologies. You need to plan that development cycle carefully—some trade-offs are necessary."— Eric Valasek, Engineering LeaderConnect with Eric: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evalasek/
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir Bormand sits down with Shang Wang, Co-founder and CTO of CentML, to explore the dynamic landscape of open source AI technologies and how enterprises are rapidly adapting to this growing ecosystem. Shang offers expert insights into why open source solutions are becoming essential in AI development, the advantages in security and privacy, and how CentML strategically contributes to this evolution.
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir sits down with Andrew Levy, CEO and Co-founder of AirCover.ai, to explore how agentic AI is transforming the sales landscape. Andrew shares how AirCover builds real-time digital assistants that empower sales teams, the role of humans in AI-driven workflows, and how enterprises—both nimble and traditional—are adopting these tools to leap ahead. From change management to trust-building and the rise of “little language models,” this conversation unpacks what it really means to bring AI into the heart of go-to-market strategies.
Guest: Viraj Narayanan, CEO of Cornerstone AI
On this episode of The Tech Trek, we're diving deep into the intersection of engineering, product, and business thinking with Vineet Goel — Co-Founder and Chief Product & Technology Officer at Parafin, a fast-growing fintech startup powering small businesses on platforms like DoorDash, Amazon, and Walmart.We unpack what it really means to build a company where engineers are product thinkers, why bringing in product managers too early can backfire, and how AI is reshaping what it means to write code — and who's best positioned to thrive in this new world.Vineet shares how Parafin scaled with just two PMs to 25 engineers, why every engineer shadows customer support calls, and how GenAI might collapse the wall between product and engineering entirely.Whether you're an engineer, product leader, founder, or just curious where the future of tech orgs is headed — this conversation is packed with insights you won't want to miss.
In this episode, Amir sits down with Meg Henry, Head of People & Talent at Companyon Ventures, to unpack a critical—yet often overlooked—aspect of growing technical teams: onboarding.Engineering leaders spend weeks hiring top talent, only to fumble the first 90 days. Meg shares a tactical, startup-friendly approach to onboarding that actually helps new hires ramp faster, become productive sooner, and stick around longer. If you've ever onboarded a dev by tossing them a laptop and saying "Good luck," this one's for you.
In this episode, Carlos Peralta returns to The Tech Trek to dive deep into data culture in the wearable tech space, sharing how WHOOP turns petabytes of real-time biometric data into personalized, actionable insights. We explore the technical complexities behind data ingestion, transformation, and delivery, and how the mission-driven nature of WHOOP influences both their engineering decisions and company culture.
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir Bormand sits down with Max Mergenthaler-Canseco, CEO and co-founder of Nixla, to explore the nuanced reality behind startup success. A multi-time founder with experience as both CEO and CTO, Max shares hard-earned lessons from his entrepreneurial journey—including why theoretical knowledge often clashes with real-world execution, how to build a resilient startup team, and the underestimated danger of survivorship bias in startup lore.From balancing optimism with statistical failure rates to knowing when to focus on strengths over weaknesses, Max delivers practical wisdom for anyone navigating the startup grind. Whether you're a first-time founder or on your third venture, this conversation will leave you thinking differently about what it really takes to succeed in tech.
In this episode, I sit down with Jason Rogers, CEO & Co-Founder of Invary, to explore an unconventional approach to building a cybersecurity startup—leveraging a tech transfer agreement with the NSA. Jason shares his journey of launching a company around licensed technology, the benefits and challenges that come with it, and why runtime system integrity is becoming a crucial factor in modern security strategies.We also dive into how AI is changing the cybersecurity landscape, the importance of real-time security validation, and how companies can better protect their systems against evolving threats.Key Takeaways
In this episode, Amir sits down with Kaustav Das to discuss one of the most critical yet challenging aspects of analytics—asking the right questions. They explore how analytics leaders can better navigate conversations with stakeholders, ensuring they gather the correct requirements and deliver actionable insights. The conversation touches on the evolving role of analytics, the impact of generative AI in business intelligence, and how decision-making is shifting toward more conversational data engagement.Key TakeawaysThe Power of Asking the Right Questions: The quality of analytics is only as good as the questions being asked. Stakeholders' intent must be fully understood before diving into solutions.Balancing Speed with Thoughtfulness: Quoting Einstein, Kaustav highlights the importance of preparation: “If I were to chop a tree down in an hour, I would spend 55 minutes sharpening my blade.” Rushing to a solution without understanding the problem leads to inefficiencies.Technology vs. Process: Not all business challenges require a technology-driven solution. Often, simpler process optimizations can be more effective.Conversational Analytics & AI: Generative AI is shaping analytics by making data interactions more intuitive, but expertise in asking the right questions remains critical.Roadmapping for Success: The PTP (Present-To-Path) framework helps stakeholders clarify their goals, define a roadmap, and create an execution timeline for analytics projects.The Art vs. Science of Analytics: Analytics is more of an art than a science. Understanding business goals, managing multiple stakeholders, and iterative questioning are key to driving value.Timestamped Highlights[00:00] Introduction to the episode and guest, Kaustav Das.[01:08] Why asking the right questions is critical in analytics.[04:58] Do technologists jump to solutions too quickly?[06:01] The balance between planning and execution in a fast-paced environment.[07:28] The high failure rate of technology projects—why intent matters.[10:52] The five “whys” technique and getting to the core of business problems.[12:24] The future of analytics—can it become more conversational?[17:03] Measuring ROI in marketing and media analytics.[20:29] Where to connect with Kaustav Das.Quote of the Episode"If I were to chop a tree down in an hour, I would spend 55 minutes sharpening my blade." – Albert Einstein, referenced by Kaustav DasConnect with Kaustav DasLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaustavanalytics/Enjoyed the episode?Share this with your network!Subscribe, rate, and review The Tech Trek on your favorite podcast platform.Connect with us on social media and let us know what you think!