Tech Talks Daily

Neil C. Hughes

If every company is now a tech company and digital transformation is a journey rather than a destination, how do you keep up with the relentless pace of technological change?

Every day, Tech Talks Daily brings you insights from the brightest minds in tech, business, and innovation, breaking down complex ideas into clear, actionable takeaways.

Hosted by Neil C. Hughes, Tech Talks Daily explores how emerging technologies such as AI, cybersecurity, cloud computing, fintech, quantum computing, Web3, and more are shaping industries and solving real-world challenges in modern businesses.

Through candid conversations with industry leaders, CEOs, Fortune 500 executives, startup founders, and even the occasional celebrity, Tech Talks Daily uncovers the trends driving digital transformation and the strategies behind successful tech adoption. But this isn't just about buzzwords.

We go beyond the hype to demystify the biggest tech trends and determine their real-world impact. From cybersecurity and blockchain to AI sovereignty, robotics, and post-quantum cryptography, we explore the measurable difference these innovations can make.

Whether improving security, enhancing customer experiences, or driving business growth, we also investigate the ROI of cutting-edge tech projects, asking the tough questions about what works, what doesn't, and how businesses can maximize their investments.

Whether you're a business leader, IT professional, or simply curious about technology's role in our lives, you'll find engaging discussions that challenge perspectives, share diverse viewpoints, and spark new ideas.

New episodes are released daily, 365 days a year, breaking down complex ideas into clear, actionable takeaways around technology and the future of business.

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2,001 episodes
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Episodes2001

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Feb 24, 2022 · 16 min
1892: Andrew Butt, Co-founder and CEO of Enable, a venture-backed ($62M) SaaS startup
In 2017, Andrew Butt launched his third startup -- Enable, a venture-backed ($58.6M) cloud-based SaaS solution for B2B rebate management. The software is used by procurement and finance professionals in distribution, wholesale, and manufacturing across over 50 industries so that they can have an easy, seamless solution to execute and track their full range of trading programs. More than $1 trillion in rebates are issued each year, and 4% of potential rebate revenue typically goes unclaimed due to companies using old methods like inadequate software solutions and excel sheets. Enable makes sure this revenue doesn't fall through the cracks and has more merchants and suppliers in the UK and US than any other comparable software solution. Andrew Butt, Co-founder, and CEO of Enable, shares his story with me on Tech Talks Daily Podcast.
Feb 23, 2022 · 35 min
1891: Ransomware - Why Detection and Recovery Are More Important Than Recovery
Andres Rodriguez is the founder and CTO of Nasuni, a cloud file storage provider. He is also the former CTO for the New York Times. We last spoke a few years ago, and I was eager to invite him back onto Tech Talks Daily for a catchup. Andres talks about why ransomware has finally pushed back up to the breaking point. Backup, especially as the last line of defense against disasters like ransomware, is dead and ineffective. If it's taking an enterprise or organization 2 weeks to recover their files (because they are following "best practices") and suddenly paying the ransom seems like a good idea for business continuity, then the model is broken. Prevention is no longer enough. It's the detection and, most importantly, recovery. Unfortunately, the IT silos and no one wanting to take responsibility for recovery exacerbates the problem, causing it to fall between the cracks. As ransomware attacks continue into the new year, the traditional backup will be more widely exposed as entirely inadequate for business continuity and minimizing disruption to the business. But we discuss how cloud-native, global file systems can make a recovery in minutes possible, not days or weeks.
Feb 22, 2022 · 28 min
1890: Minterest | The Highest Long-Term Yield in DeFi
Most of today's DeFi lending and borrowing protocols have inflationary token models, don't capture or pass on the value the protocol generates, often lack cross-chain capabilities, and offer an overly complex user experience. Minterest changes that. Having launched in September, following a $6.5 million from top-tier investors, the team is made up of ex-Cardano, Prysm Group, Chainlink, and IBM leaders and members with elite academic and technology credentials. What sets Minterest apart from DeFi incumbents is that it is engineered from the ground up to capture the value it generates. By utilizing its buy-back mechanism, the protocol passes on 100% of revenue generated to its community of active participants. Josh Rogers, the CEO and Co-founder is an Australian entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience as a serial entrepreneur. Josh has been a founding member of numerous start-ups, including COMindico, the world's first point-to-point IP telco (US$300M raise); Oriel Communications, the world's first micro-billing content engine including the world's first monetisation of Big Brother 2 content; Freelancer.com, and the world's largest freelance marketplace. In today's episode of Tech Talks Daily, Josh discusses why the Minterest protocol provides users with decentralized token money markets, combined with a uniquely fair incentive structure. He also shares how Minterest recaptures crypto's vision of creating a fairer, more egalitarian financial system and the industry's current issues.
Feb 21, 2022 · 26 min
1889: Iris, The Audio Technology Creating Active Listening
IRIS is a revolutionary new audio experience that dramatically increases sound quality by introducing the space usually missing from recorded audio, unlocking the 'live' dimension that's often lost. This is achieved through a proprietary algorithm that splits out and increases the phase information sent to the brain. The listener's brain then reassembles this vast increase in information and becomes far more active in the listening process. The audio technology company has also just launched IRIS CLARITY, a desktop application that eradicates all background noise in online meetings, ensuring the voice of each participant is heard clearly and bringing control to otherwise uncontrollable environments. Jacobi Anstruther joins me on Tech Talks Daily to share how this new audio technology company is on a mission to enable the world to listen well. Their patented algorithms use advanced psycho-acoustics, machine learning, and AI to create cutting-edge, sound innovation software that enhances audio streams in real-time and dramatically increases sound quality. About Jacobi Jacobi Anstruther has been considered a leading innovator in the music industry for over 15 years. Possessing a background in finance and an irrepressible entrepreneurial spirit, he has been behind start-ups spanning technology, music, venues, and record labels. With a clear vision and desire to instigate change in the music space by bringing 'live' experiences to everyone, Jacobi became obsessed with tackling music compression and audio quality issues alongside neurological behaviour and human performance. It was in 2016, while building a music festival in California that would blend music and social change with audio quality at its heart, that he was introduced to the two key engineers behind IRIS technologies Ltd. Instantly blown away by the superior audio experience and their unique understanding of the neurological effects of sensory input stimuli, he began to build a business model focused on hacking the nervous system to improve human performance and quality of experience looking to solve the many issues found with digital content. Today IRIS has been recognised as the most innovative steps forward in audio and human performance in over 10 years. IRIS continues to expand its understanding of this area and the book of patented technology solutions.
Feb 21, 2022 · 18 min
1888: Ordnance Survey, a Digital Transformation Story
Every piece of data tells a story. Ordnance Survey data is more than a map. It keeps us all safe, helps businesses be more productive and gives people the freedom to step outside and explore. The emergency services depend on it to get exactly where they're needed. And when disaster strikes we work with our partners to minimise damage and save lives. Its data is used to plan smart cities, brings gaming worlds to life, helps lenders and insurers assess risk and prevent fraud, and supports over £100 billion of our nation's economy. For over 230 years, Ordnance Survey has been mapping Great Britain in extraordinary detail. But I wanted to learn more about the company's digital transformation and how it has developed one of the world's largest spatial databases. So first, Lloyd Clarke shares how its old products and data sets were on multiple Oracle databases. Then, we discuss how Ordnance Survey (OS) has completely overhauled its approach to data storage with Pure Storage and achieved its innovation goals. I also learn how thanks to FlashArray™, the company can now deploy servers and spin up virtual machines in minutes, which allows it to react to its customers far quicker than before. Tech Talks Daily Podcast Sponsor Details Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/TTD - Enter promo code TTD for 83% off and 3 extra months free!
Feb 20, 2022 · 21 min
1887: Meet the New Dynatrace CEO Rick McConnell
At Dynatrace's annual Perform conference, the company revealed new capabilities to help developers automate observability and security best practices in their applications. In addition, the $13.48 billion monitoring and observability company is going head-to-head with Splunk and Datadog on its mission to boost growth. We have recently spoken with Steve Tack from Dynatrace about going multi-cloud with serverless monitoring, and I also learned that they have a new CEO in Rick McConnell. At the Perform 2022 event, I caught up with him to learn more about his origin story, what attracted him to Dynatrace's vision for the company's future, and much more. Join me in learning more about the motivations, passions and insights from the Dynatrace CEO. Tech Talks Daily Podcast Sponsor Details Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/TTD - Enter promo code TTD for 83% off and 3 extra months free!
Feb 19, 2022 · 15 min
1886: How Tech is Helping Wiley to Unlock Human Potential
For over 200 years, Wiley has been helping people and organizations develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. They are known for creating digital education, learning, assessment, and certification solutions to help universities, businesses, and individuals move between education and employment and achieve their ambitions. By partnering with learned societies, Wiley supports researchers to communicate discoveries that make a difference. Its online scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, books, and other digital content build on a 200-year heritage of quality publishing. At last year's Dynatrace Perform event, I got chatting with Wiley's CIO and CISO; Sean Mack shared his experience in DevOps, infrastructure, security, enterprise applications, development, and program management. But, at this year's Perform Event, I have invited Eric Lytle on the podcast to learn more about how Wiley's digital transformation journey has progressed. We also discuss how Wiley accelerated its cloud journey and worked with Dynatrace. Tech Talks Daily Podcast Sponsor Details Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/TTD - Enter promo code TTD for 83% off and 3 extra months free!
Feb 18, 2022 · 34 min
1885: VGS - The Rise of Virtual Cards and Embedded Fintech
Providing essential security and compliance infrastructure, Very Good Security (VGS) enables startups and enterprises to focus on their core business instead of compliance and regulatory overhead. With one single integration, VGS customers unlock the value of sensitive data without the cost and liability of securing it themselves, while also accelerating compliances like PCI, SOC 2, GDPR and more. Since I last spoke to VGS in 2019, the company has raised a $60 million Series C funding. It has also hit several key milestones including recognition as a Forbes Next Billion-Dollar Startup, doubling revenue and headcount, launching several pivotal products, acceptance into the AWS ISV Accelerate Program, and expanding its executive bench. Peter Berg, VP of Business Development & Strategy at Very Good Security (and former head of Visa Ventures) joins me on Tech Talks Daily. He has a great back story and is a fintech expert who shares the latest industry trends (like the rise of virtual cards and embedded fintech) and why data security is a crucial pillar for payments and e-commerce companies as consumers are increasingly worried about using their personal info. Tech Talks Daily Podcast Sponsor Details Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/TTD - Enter promo code TTD for 83% off and 3 extra months free!
Feb 17, 2022 · 34 min
1884: The Key Elements to a Successful Product Launch
Derek Osgood is a former marketing exec turned founder, building Ignition – the collaborative GTM platform helping Product and Marketing teams to get new products to market faster and more effectively. Prior to founding Ignition, he was an early hire at Rippling where he stood up the Product Marketing function and helped scale the company to $20M in ARR. As a Product Marketing leader everywhere from startups to major brands like PlayStation, Derek has launched over 100 products, and his products have generated over $1B in revenue. Now he's building the platform he wished he had along the way. In today's episode, Derek discussed the vital elements to a successful product launch and the future of software for product and marketing teams. We also talk about the biggest mistakes companies make when launching products + how to avoid them. Tech Talks Daily Podcast Sponsor Details Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/TTD - Enter promo code TTD for 83% off and 3 extra months free!
Feb 16, 2022 · 38 min
1883: The Collaborative Technology Solving Complex Social Problems
ECINS started as a germ of an idea back in 2000, when founders, Gary and Sarah Pettengell, were still working in the police force. They saw vulnerable people grappling with problems like gambling, addiction, family violence and sex crimes and wondered if there might be a less authoritarian, more compassionate way to help them. They thought how much better it might be if support agencies could securely share their knowledge about people, so the complexity of their lives and struggles might be more fully seen and supported. They wondered what might help empower vulnerable people and communities to take action in their own lives. And so, Empowering Communities through Integrated Network Systems, or ECINS, was born. Gary and Sarah share how their collaborative technology is solving complex social problems. Bios: Gary Pettengell Global CEO As head honcho of E-CINS, if there is one thing you can be sure of, it's that Gary's sights are firmly set on making things better. Whether during his time in the police force, helping vulnerable people. Or when E-CINS first began. Or right up to this day, when he learns about the problems his clients are facing, and stays up late into the night, mind ticking over to the next piece of new functionality he can add to E-CINS to make things better for users. Never one to sit still, it's no wonder coffee is his best friend. Sarah Pettengell Director of Services Sarah's compassion has always been front and centre in her approach to life and work. This quality served her well during her time in the police force, chairing domestic abuse conferences and managing specialist teams grappling with complex issue such as child abuse, vulnerable adult abuse and serious sexual violence. Dunsborough is her home base in Australia. It brings with it the sounds of the ocean and sand between the toes that spell relaxation with a capital R. Sarah's in-depth knowledge of the real problems faced not only by vulnerable people, but those helping them, is invaluable to our clients. Tech Talks Daily Podcast Sponsor Details Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/TTD - Enter promo code TTD for 83% off and 3 extra months free!
Feb 15, 2022 · 25 min
1882: Ripple - Sendi Young, Managing Director, Europe.
The UK and European fintech space has seen a boom in recent years. But over the last five years in particular, Europe has seen huge growth. In the first half of 2021 alone, fintech investment in the region reached $39.1bn. The boom in Europe's fintech scene is apparent in our work at Ripple too. A quarter of our customer base is from the region. Over the years, Europe has developed strong foundations for the fintech industry to flourish, and it looks set to continue this upward trajectory with no signs of slowing down soon. So why does Europe have a booming fintech scene? Sendi Young, Managing Director, Europe, Ripple, joins me on the Tech Talks Daily Podcast to discuss Ripple's momentum in the market, trends she's seen in digital payments, crypto adoption, and financial regulation in this space. We also talk about how Ripple is supporting the next generation of talent in finance with initiatives including its University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI) in partnership with the world's leading universities. Tech Talks Daily Podcast Sponsor Details Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/TTD - Enter promo code TTD for 83% off and 3 extra months free!
Feb 14, 2022 · 20 min
1881: Technology and the Importance of Financial Literacy
Adam Moelis shares why half of American's can't come up with $400 in an emergency, and 78% of people live paycheck to paycheck. But they spend $80 billion on the lottery every year. We also discuss a recent study that showed that most wished they'd learned more about money in school and scored themselves low when it came to financial literacy. Could tech change this? Adam shares how he founded Yotta to help Americans make healthier financial decisions and become more financially secure. Adam's company provides the chance to win big every week, similar to playing the lottery but in an FDIC-insured account where customers cannot lose any money. About Adam Adam Moelis is the Co-Founder and CEO of Yotta, a financial technology startup whose mission is to help Americans become more financially secure by offering a unique banking experience that allows customers to win weekly prizes of up to $10 million. Adam graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Finance and Accounting from Wharton. His degree and interest in personal finance and passion for behavioral psychology led him to co-found Yotta with Ben Doyle. Adam and Ben were honored with the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2021 for their social impact on founding their company, Yotta. Additionally, Yotta has raised over $17 million from investors like Base 10, Core Innovation Capital, Slow Ventures, FundersClub, TwentyTwo VC, Chapter One, Capital X, among some angel investors. Yotta graduated from the prestigious Y Combinator in July of 2020. Previously, Adam was an investment analyst in the Multi-Strategy Investing Group at Goldman Sachs. He also worked as a Product Manager and Data Analyst at YipitData, where he built a mobile app for consumers. Tech Talks Daily Podcast Sponsor Details Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/TTD - Enter promo code TTD for 83% off and 3 extra months free!
Feb 13, 2022 · 35 min
1880: Inventing, Designing and Launching Digital Ventures
Since co-founding NineTwoThree Digital Ventures in 2012, Andrew Amann has helped launch countless ventures for clients and emerging companies and turned his business into one of the fastest-growing private companies in America on the Inc 5000 list. Amann is an experienced intrapreneur and entrepreneur. He is responsible for patents for nuclear submarine components and three supply chain innovations and has successfully launched twelve startups, including the digital business card solution, Inigo App, acquired by Royaltie. Amann excels at bootstrapping startups without the involvement of venture capital. In today's episode, Aman shares how he has navigated the startup world by building a digital venture studio vs. a traditionally backed V.C. model startup. He also discusses how mentors and encourages young entrepreneurs with this approach. Tech Talks Daily Podcast Sponsor Details Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/TTD - Enter promo code TTD for 83% off and 3 extra months free!
Feb 12, 2022 · 32 min
1879: The Tech Connecting Teams to Collaborate Faster & Work Smarter
As many traditionally in-person industries embrace hybrid work on a large scale, there have been, and will continue to be, many changes to both the technology and the workplace. But I wanted to learn more about how workplace collaboration technology shifted and grown over the last 2 years to meet the needs of this new workforce. Jamie Snaddon shares his insights and story. About 8x8 8x8, Inc. (NYSE: EGHT) is transforming the future of business communications as a leading Software-as-a-Service provider of voice, video, chat, contact center and enterprise-class API solutions powered by one global cloud communications platform. 8x8 empowers workforces worldwide to connect individuals and teams so they can collaborate faster and work smarter. Real-time business analytics and intelligence provide businesses unique insights across all interactions and channels so they can delight end-customers and accelerate their business. Tech Talks Daily Podcast Sponsor Details Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/TTD - Enter promo code TTD for 83% off and 3 extra months free!
Feb 11, 2022 · 19 min
1878: VMware Security, Rick McElroy, Principal Cybersecurity Strategist
The Great Resignation is here, employees are seeking new opportunities and businesses are having to re-evaluate their workplace cultures to improve employee retention and evolve their onboarding programmes for new joiners. Whilst business leaders are busy finding solutions to retain talent with new perks The reality is, the Great Resignation has brought about growing business IT challenges associated with insider threats. Insider threats have become a new, distinct challenge for organizations as they try to balance employee turnover, employee onboarding and the use of non sanctioned apps and platforms. The sheer number of employees leaving their jobs and potentially still having access to the network or proprietary data has created a headache for IT and security teams tasked with protecting the organization. In 2022, Rick McElroy, Principal Cybersecurity Strategist at VMware believes we'll see the number of insider threat incidents increase. Attackers will also start targeting employees to carry out their attacks or plant ransomware. As a result, we'll see new protocols and guidelines established as organizations work to keep networks and sensitive data protected. In today's episode, we discuss the growing IT challenges associated with insider threats and how businesses can respond to this new threat, and how businesses can make sure employees with legitimate access to systems aren't using this privilege for illegitimate reasons. Tech Talks Daily Podcast Sponsor Details Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/TTD - Enter promo code TTD for 83% off and 3 extra months free!
Feb 11, 2022 · 20 min
1877: Dynatrace Perform - Multi-Cloud With Serverless Monitoring
Steve Tack, SVP, Product Management at Dynatrace, reveals the big announcements from Dynatrace Perform 2022. We discuss how Dynatrace will extend observability and advanced AIOps to all major serverless architectures. As a result, DevOps and SRE teams can now automatically discover, analyze, and optimize serverless applications in cloud-native applications at scale, freeing teams from manual processes and enabling them to spend more time accelerating innovation. We also discuss how Dynatrace will enhance its Application Security Module to deliver on the promise of Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP) for cloud-native applications. Building on existing capabilities, including immediate and automatic detection of vulnerabilities in cloud-native apps and container workloads, Dynatrace will also block against attacks. As a result, organizations can secure modern cloud workloads and applications – accelerating throughput. Finally, we discuss why these product updates are important and what they mean for Dynatrace's product portfolio. Tech Talks Daily Podcast Sponsor Details Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/TTD - Enter promo code TTD for 83% off and 3 extra months free!
Feb 10, 2022 · 28 min
1876: SAP - How to Lead in B2B Tech with Resilience
Amanda Mountain has been with SAP for over 15 years. She serves as Global Vice President of SAP Digital Commerce, providing customers one seamless experience across all digital channels. She oversees digital customer strategy for SAP across sales, customer success, support and marketing, and has enabled and exemplified the digital transformation of SAP. In today's episode, Amanda discusses how 2020 (and much of 2021!) reshaped the way she led her team at SAP. From the impact being virtual had on employees to its effect on B2B sales and customer experience, Amanda highlights how she has remained human-focused to keep employees and engaged and business in the green. Tech Talks Daily Podcast Sponsor Details Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/TTD - Enter promo code TTD for 83% off and 3 extra months free!
Feb 9, 2022 · 39 min
1875: Nextiva Connect - Connected Communications Technology
Tomas Gorny was born and raised in Poland. He moved to the United States in pursuit of the American Dream at the age of 20 without knowing any English. Today, he's a technology visionary, Co-founder and CEO of Unitedweb and Nextiva, and on the board of directors for Endurance International Group. Tomas has received numerous awards for his leadership in the technology industry. In 2014 he was recognized as the "Business Leader of the Year" at Arizona Technology Council's 2014 Governor's Celebration of Innovation, and in 2017, he was named Top Tech CEO by the Phoenix Business Journal. Nextiva co-founder and CEO joins me on Tech Talks Daily to share his story. We discuss how Nextiva brings together communications, customer management, intelligence, and automation to help businesses build deep, lasting relationships with their customers. Tech Talks Daily Podcast Sponsor Details Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/TTD - Enter promo code TTD for 83% off and 3 extra months free!
Feb 8, 2022 · 24 min
1874: The Tech Helping Companies Make Better Talent Decisions
Josh Millet is the founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based Criteria, a venture-backed ($64.3M) assessment company dedicated to helping organizations make better talent decisions using objective, multidimensional data. The company acquired Alcami Interactive, a video interviewing platform, and Revelian, the leading game-based assessments company in the past couple of years. Josh founded Criteria in 2006 with a vision to create a SaaS-based pre-employment testing service that would eliminate biases in the hiring process. I invited him to share his story on Tech Talks Daily. With over 20 million assessments administered globally, the company has helped organizations make objective, data-driven hiring decisions that lead to better business outcomes with its scientifically validated assessments across multiple dimensions, including aptitude, personality, and skills. On average, Criteria has helped organizations increase their hiring success rates by 52%, reduce turnover by 48%, and generate 25% more revenue. Before launching Criteria, Josh co-founded an online test preparation company, Number2.com, which Xap Corp acquired in 2002. Josh holds a Ph.D. in history from Harvard University, where he was a Fulbright Scholar and a Mellon Fellow. I learn how Criteria helps companies make better talent decisions and how their goal is to help companies practice science-based talent management, producing better outcomes and reducing the impact of bias. Finally, Josh shares his belief that the predominant hiring model centered around resumes consistently produces bad outcomes and exacerbates bias. He advised the science of what works and what doesn't work in hiring is very clear, but most companies are still
Feb 7, 2022 · 26 min
1873: DataKind - The Power of Data Science & AI in the Service of Humanity
Lauren Woodman, the tech-for-good veteran who was recently announced CEO of DataKind, joins me on Tech Talks Daily to discuss the future of the Data for Good movement. DataKind is a global non-profit organization that leverages data science in the service of humanity. They are unique for pushing the boundaries of what is possible when social and humanitarian causes leverage advanced technology to enact positive change in the world. Woodman has over 25 years of experience in the technology and non-profit sectors including roles as congressional liaison at the UN and GM of Microsoft's global education programs. Most recently, she was the CEO at NetHope where she awarded $190 million in technology capabilities and infrastructure to humanitarian organizations. In this episode, we discuss her experience as a pioneer in the tech policy and non-profit space. I also learn more about the current data projects DataKind is working on using AI solutions and its social impact.