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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Nov 4, 2021 · 24 min
1771: Talking Data Compliance With Talend CISO Anne Hardy
Are data privacy and compliance laws at risk of becoming speeding tickets for major enterprises? Progress from governing bodies like recent bipartisan data privacy bills in the US or the EU's new focus on unethical AI are all steps in the right direction. But recently levied fines and pushback against new regulations suggest compliance will not enforce protection so much as force companies to budget for its existence. Talend's Talend's CISO, Anne Hardy, joins me on Tech Talks Daily in a conversation about data compliance. Anne shares her belief that there is an opportunity for both big tech and government regulators to set a precedent for good compliance and regulation. We discuss how outdated attitudes towards personal consumer data collection can lead to compliance breaches. We also talk about how international tech giants can turn compliance into teachable moments for smaller and burgeoning companies dealing in data and why compliance regulators need to focus on smaller companies and not just those offering major payouts.
Nov 3, 2021 · 17 min
1770: Cognitive Behavioral Science Tech For Substance Use Disorders
Clark Lagemann is Co-CEO of Avidon Health, a platform for employers and healthcare providers to offer wellness and healthcare-related courses to help individuals improve health outcomes. Clark joins me on the Tech Talks Daily Podcast to discuss how technology can help employees who are struggling with substance abuse. According to a recent survey, the pandemic has exacerbated substance use for employees. Among workers struggling with addiction or substance abuse issues, more than one-third say it has affected their work more since the pandemic began. Unfortunately, many employees are afraid to say they need help. They may end up leaving the workforce altogether or suffer in silence as their work deteriorates––and they may experience safety risks if their job entails driving or using heavy machinery. So what can employers and companies do to help if they don't know their employee is struggling? Fortunately, technology can make a difference for individuals needing to make a change and Avidon Health takes a different approach to online coaching through a hybrid approach
Nov 2, 2021 · 21 min
1769: The Next-Gen Machine Identity Automation Platform
Murali Palanisamy, chief solutions officer of AppViewX, joins me on the Tech Talks Daily Podcast. He shares why machine identity management is critical for today's enterprises and share some of the latest findings from AppViewX and Vanson Bourne's The Next-Gen Machine Identity Management Report. The report explores where the current machine identity market stands, the challenges and opportunities for organizations today, and what has been the true impact of sub-optimal digital identity management. Some of the key findings: 61% of organizations don't hold full awareness of certificates and keys across their digital assets 67% believe managing certificates is too complex 66% lack of skill sets within IT/security teams to properly manage digital identities and certificates After implementing a machine identity management strategy, 51% of enterprises have strengthened security credentials and 41% have reduced outages due to certificate expiry or human error About Murali Palanisamy Murali is responsible for the overall product vision, development and technical direction of AppViewX. Prior to AppViewX, he was a Senior Vice President at Bank of America, where he was leading the e-commerce application delivery's architecture and engineering team. He also served as VP of Architecture and Product Engineering for Merrill Lynch, where he designed and developed automation and integration solutions for servers, application delivery controllers, IP services and networking.
Nov 1, 2021 · 28 min
1768: AI Computer Vision and Motion Analytics Unlocking CCTV Data
Fyma was founded by Karen Burns and Taavi Tammiste. They have created an AI platform that easily plugs into most retail, city, urban, and CCTV cameras, transforming your standard camera feed into deep insights into objects, people, and bahaviours in real-time. Use cases include The London LegacyDevelopment Corporation, using AI to keep building the Olympic park legacy; major retailers and shopping centres; the Dutch GranPrix; European city governments; urban planners and event spaces. It's more ethical - the AI is trained to not recognise faces, ever, in the training and deployment stages of AI, so there's no risk of facial/racial profiling. And, Fyma does not store any camera feed data, only the metadata. For businesses, it's good for unlocking data, getting new insights to create more tailored retail experiences, loyalty schemes, offers, etc., to improve in-store revenue. For venue owners and urban planners, it means getting the insights to adapt and create more accessible, inclusive, and efficient spaces. For citizens and consumers, it's all about protecting privacy, avoiding data being misused, no racial or facial profiling. Fyma is pushing ahead with AI learning in new ways and focusing on other things (movements, weather, gender, age, etc.). Taavi Tammiste, CTO and co-founder of Fyma joins me on the Tech Talks Daily Podcast to share the story behind the company.
Oct 31, 2021 · 22 min
1767: How SquadLocker is leveraging Printing Technology
Gary Goldberg is an entrepreneur and third-generation textile scientist who has combined his passion and unique knowledge of the craft with a relentless entrepreneurial spirit to disrupt the way sports leagues, teams and schools design and purchase customized gear for today's young athletes through his B2B and B2C business: SquadLocker. The company has grown phenomenally in recent years and raised $20 million in a Series C funding round in 2020, one of the largest institutional funding rounds in Rhode Island in recent years. SquadLocker leverages a sublimated printing technology that has allowed the company to circumvent the recent strains of the supply chain by dyeing fabric entirely through the printing process, and not relying on shipments of particular fabric colors to fulfill orders. They've also utilized a more streamlined production process so that orders can be placed directly by individuals rather than through coaches or school administrators, allowing for a better customer experience and direct shipping of goods (which became more important during the pandemic when social distancing was broadly recommended). Gary is also extremely passionate about the impact of mentoring when it comes to helping today's young athletes reach their full potential. He also believes coaches, teachers and mentors are the unsung heroes in the fabric of America's youth and has launched a podcast which dives deeper into the topic called On The Whistle.
Oct 30, 2021 · 29 min
1766: The Tech On A Mission To Help You Make More of Your Money
We're entering a savings account crisis where millennials' uninvested cash will lose over $18.5B to inflation in 2022 alone. Investing is imperative. Did you know that the average portfolio of 25-35-year-olds consists of a broad range of assets, including stock, crypto, shoes, cards, whiskey, private equity, and more? I am fascinated by how people are turning away from savings accounts and 1% interest rates and turning to alternative investments. Firma is an investment platform built to support new generations of investors with different goals and behaviors than their predecessors. They offer public and private securities across asset classes so users can build a comprehensive and well-balanced portfolio. Anna Roubos shares how Firma helps investors manage and keep their portfolios healthy by providing access to tools and opportunities typically reserved for institutions and the ultra-wealthy. I also learn more about the technology that makes all this possible.
Oct 29, 2021 · 28 min
1765: Gary Brotman, CEO of Cambridge start-up Secondmind
The automotive industry is in transformation. Whilst the sector has made huge strides to reduce its environmental impact, pressure to do more increases each day. The result is an engineering design process that is orders of magnitude more complex than anything faced before. Secondmind is on a mission to help automotive manufacturers navigate the increasing complexity of engineering design in its transition to electrification. The technology is underpinned by years of award-winning, practical machine learning and artificial intelligence technology to design cleaner cars, and achieve greater sustainability. Gary Brotman, the newly appointed CEO of Secondmind joins me on the Tech talks Daily Podcast. We discuss how the role of technology will continue to increase as automotive manufacturers move away from creating hardware to software. Gary also shares how AI/ML technology will gradually lead to new approaches like digital twinning and simulation-led manufacturing with AI/ML technology at the forefront. We also talk about the future of automotive and the transition to green will be a multi-decade journey for the industry. It's a complex problem facing the industry on the road to greener mobility beyond fuel emissions. But Gary reveals how Secondmind's technology is helping automotive brands prepare for this future.
Oct 28, 2021 · 24 min
1764: MarTech - MarTech - Digital Asset Management and Customer Retention
Jake Athey, VP of Marketing and Customer Experience at Widen Enterprises, provider of digital asset management and product information solutions, joins me on the Tech Talks Daily Podcast. We discuss the value of digital asset management (DAM) as part of core brand and marketing channel strategies and the technology that makes it all possible. We also talk about how effective management and efficient use of content is critical to maximizing return on marketing investments, ways to ensure brand consistency to increase revenue and drive customer retention.
Oct 27, 2021 · 25 min
1763: The Virtual Events Platform Humanizing Online Interactions.
Hoyin Cheung, founder, and CEO of Remo left an online meeting and couldn't shake the feeling that he couldn't connect with people in the same way he could connect with someone in the real world. Worse yet, he noticed time and again that social media had become anti-social. Hoyin asked a simple question: What's stopping us from cultivating online relationships that are every bit as deep, meaningful, and enriching as relationships that develop in-person? From there, he set out to transform the experience of connecting, communicating, and collaborating with people across the globe by "humanizing" online interactions. Remo Conference helps creators, coaches, and event organizers create immersive online events! Users can learn and connect with each other, just like in real life. The platform allows people to have face-to-face networking just like in-person events, building meaningful relationships and conversations. Hoyin joins me on Tech Talks Daily to share his story. We discuss how we can use technology for authentic conversations that build meaningful relationships. I also learn how Remo is leveraging technology with his online interactive events platform that connects people more authentically.
Oct 26, 2021 · 32 min
1762: Paul Stobart, CEO of Zen Internet on Going Net Zero by 2028
Everyone has talked about how much the world has changed in the last two years. But today, I want to explore how our home internet expectations have increased. Wi-fi is now fundamental to every aspect of the family home. In some cases, doorbells, lighting, heating, 4k streaming, online gaming, and a long list of smart devices are all hungry for a slice of bandwidth. Research from Zen Internet recently revealed that 75% of people are unaware microwaves could interfere with their internet connection, and one in seven regrets not switching broadband providers over the last year. I invited Paul Stobart on the podcast to learn more about the report. We also discuss how Zen is the first broadband provider to go Net Zero by 2028 – meaning it will remove more carbon emissions from the environment than it generates. I also learn more about why Zen has also been awarded the Cisco Powered SD-WAN Service accreditation for its SD-WAN solution. Finally, we talk about how CityFibre, with help from Zen, is extending its infrastructure to 216 additional towns and villages across Britain – delivering gigabit-speed broadband and ensuring everyone has access to full fiber.
Oct 25, 2021 · 27 min
1761: What the Vaccine Rollout Teaches About Big Data and B2B Marketing
Amnon Mishor is the CTO and founder of Leadspace, a leading B2B Customer Data Platform. He has designed and deployed innovative global data & AI solutions for some of the world's largest B2B tech organizations such as Zoom, Salesforce, SAP, Oracle, and more. After successfully designing and deploying world-class technology to aid the military in catching terrorists, Amnon saw an opportunity to apply data and AI in another industry where leaders cannot afford to "fail": B2B enterprise software. He shares his experiences from his time heading up the Intelligence Systems and Data Mining Department of the Israel Defense Force's Technological Intelligence Unit. In 2010, he founded Leadspace to help Silicon Valley's biggest enterprise companies take full advantage of customer and prospect data — their most valuable business asset. Have you ever wondered what the vaccine rollout teaches us about AI and big data? Amnon Mishor believes there are key takeaways for B2B marketers. In this podcast, Amnon shares expert opinion as a data technologist to expose what the vaccine rollout teaches B2B companies about big data, AI and more. We also discuss what's wrong with applying big data solutions to small data sets - and how to get it right.
Oct 24, 2021 · 29 min
1760: MarTech Interview With Anudit Vikram, CPO at MediaMath
Anudit Vikram, former board member of the IAB Data Center of Excellence and Chief Product Officer, MediaMath joins me in a discussion about consumer privacy (amid Amazon fines), Google's FLoC (which recently wrapped up the first phase of testing), and addressable/scalable identity solutions to replace third-party cookies. Anudit explains, "While there has been a flurry of activity preparing for the demise of the third-party cookie, the pushback around it and signals from the EU hinted that it would not be smooth sailing for Google, so, ultimately, it's not a complete shock that the timing changed. There is no question that first-party data performs better, and that the quality of third-party data is questionable, but that is not the only factor driving transparency. Transparency to the actual user – what we call addressability – is directly affected too. To continue the momentum of creating a more transparent supply chain, industry leaders must continue work around the activation of first party identity options and creating cohort-based solutions. As far as next steps for the industry, marketers, advertisers, publishers and the like should use this time to start working with first party identity solutions and perfect the stack they will use, while still being able to leverage the scale provided by third-party cookies."
Oct 23, 2021 · 35 min
1759: The Personal Finance Revolution Powered by Blockchain
Modern banking hasn't changed since the 1400s, when financial institutions were established by Machiavelli's Medici family in Florence, Italy. Since, the power has long been in the hands of the intermediary. We've been at the mercy of market fluctuations and currency volatility. Today, with the rise of blockchain, the power is shifting. As Rob Frasca, Managing Partner at Cosimo Ventures and a holder of ndau, the world's first adaptive digital currency, states, "This is the single largest value creation event in our lifetime, because we're moving to a more resilient networked approach to value and trust exchange. It's a borderless resilient value exchange, putting financial control into the hands of the people. Consider this: less than 50% of people in the world have a bank account. Yet, 75% of the world's population have smartphones. More than 50% of those who have smartphones have prepaid accounts. We now have the technology to allow 75% of the world to have true cross-border banking. It's a personal property, a personal finance revolution: owning the property rights to your money versus bank control." Frasca discusses what this seismic shift means and dives into the realities of market volatility and the benefits of owning your savings for the long term.
Oct 22, 2021 · 23 min
1758: MuleSoft - The IT and Business Alignment Barometer Report
MuleSoft is a trusted integration and API platform provider that can empower any company to quickly unlock and integrate their apps and data to create connected experiences faster. Paul Crerand joins me on the Tech Talks Daily Podcast to discuss the IT and Business Alignment Barometer report findings. Highlights from the report include: Significant hurdles preventing automation: Security and data governance issues, along with data siloes, are hindering automation initiatives for more than 70 percent of organisations Security concerns slow the pace of innovation: the majority (87 percent) of IT and business leaders say that security and governance concerns are slowing down the pace of innovation Seeing eye-to-eye? Almost nine in ten (87 percent) reported that IT and business alignment has improved over the past 12 months, suggesting there are opportunities to overcome security and governance challenges and enable faster innovation Disparate systems remain a key challenge: almost three quarters (73 percent) of organisations say the integration of disparate systems has increased their concerns around data security and governance – 34 percent say it had 'significantly' increased concerns Empowering non-technical users key to creating connected experiences: The vast majority (86%) of organisations agree business outcomes would improve if business users were able to use low or no code to securely connect apps and data on their own to create connected experiences We discuss the technological and operational challenges organizations face in achieving their business priorities. We also talk about what is behind these results and what businesses should take away from them.
Oct 21, 2021 · 28 min
1757: Agritech - Fermata and AI Plant Disease Detection
Valeria Kogan, founder of the agritech startup Fermata built a scientific career in bioinformatics and worked as a hired employee in Gero (a Singapore-based longevity biotech company) for more than five years before founding her agrotech startup Fermata. The next-generation farming tool uses AI-based technology to provide farmers with precise monitoring of their greenhouses, preventing 30% of the harvest loss and reducing the monitoring time by 50%. Valeria Kogan joins me on the podcast to talk about how crop and livestock monitoring applications will hold a significant market share from 2020 to 2025. Fermata offers an integration within weather data, irrigation, nutrient, and other systems to improve resources used and boost output by more accurately identifying deficiencies. We discuss enhancing data quality in the ecosystem, and the potential use case for data in agriculture. Massive data volumes of mapping, variable rate seeding, soil testing, crop monitoring, and crop rotation must be stored and managed correctly as successful farming relies entirely on it for assessing the conditions and improving regular operations. At the same time, it is pretty hard for farmers to develop and fulfill data storage from scratch: that's where intelligent technologies are needed!
Oct 20, 2021 · 22 min
1756: The Role of Tech and Geospatial Analytics in Pandemic Response
The COVID-19 pandemic brought the importance of timely, detailed, and comprehensive data to the forefront. To help curb or prevent the next pandemic, many leading institutions are actively discussing how global data-sharing could be established and governed to detect the risk of future pandemics and disease outbreaks more quickly. One company at the forefront of this new, collaborative approach is HSR.health. The health tech firm has successfully adapted its 'Health Risk Index' to improve pandemic emergency response efforts with hyper-focused risk indices that nations and public health agencies have adopted worldwide. Ajay Gupta, CEO of HSR.health, reveals the many benefits of health-focused geospatial analytics in aiding pandemic response and mitigating future risk.
Oct 19, 2021 · 21 min
1755: Farmer Connect and the Surging Supply Chain Demand
The world of consumer goods is changing for the better – and technology is at the forefront of this transformation to answer demands for a more sustainable and ethical supply chain. CEO of Farmer connect® Michael Chrisment has already helped secure $9 million in a Series A investment round for the platform that uses blockchain to track the lifecycle of coffee and chocolate. He now continues his mission to transform the agriculture supply chains by cleverly connecting farmers to consumers and everyone in between. Michael joins me on Tech Talks Daily to discuss the importance of traceability. He also shares his insights on the company's vision and the future of the industry. We recorded the episode on World Coffee day. So, we also discuss the importance of supply chain traceability and why coffee/cocoa companies should be transparent in their product journey farmer connect® is a platform that allows consumers, farmers, and retailers to have insight into the complete supply chain of the coffee and chocolate products, using blockchain-based on IBM technology, self-sovereign identity, and artificial intelligence. It connects the user to farmers, traders, roasters, and brands. Its rapidly growing roster of clients and industry partnerships already includes some of the world's biggest coffee brands, such as UCC coffee, HEMA, and Massimo Zanetti Beverage.
Oct 18, 2021 · 34 min
1754: Blue Prism - How RPA is Transforming the Workforce of the Future
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is the fastest-growing part of the AI industry. But it's is often overlooked by the media and misunderstood by the general public. RPA allows businesses to automate necessary processes, whether invoicing or data entry, without investing in lengthy and costly IT systems. While businesses and organizations like the NHS are already using RPA, many still view RPA simply as a threat to their jobs. The reality is that RPA is transforming how businesses function and the workforce of the future will be hybrid with human employees managing extensive team of digital workers. Blue Prism pioneered the concept of RPA, and Eric Tyree, their Head of AI, explains how RPA is already transforming how businesses work and what the workforce of the future will look like together. Eric also discusses how accessible AI and RPA are becoming, as systems are increasingly designed to be understood and used by everyone – not just IT or tech professionals. Eric Tyree biography Eric Tyree is the head of AI at Blue Prism and is an expert in the commercial application of AI and advanced analytics with over 20 years' experience in related product and technology leadership roles. Eric has led the development of a wide range of data driven products and services in travel, consumer analytics, HR, pensions & insurance, portfolio management, algorithmic trading, retail banking and equity exchanges. Eric is experienced in building and leading high-performance organizations and has worked with a wide range of companies ranging from some of the largest corporate institutions in the world to start-ups developing from the ground up. Before joining Blue Prism, Eric was CTO and chief data scientist for the data division of CWT where he was responsible for data products, personalization and data driven revenue management. Prior to that Eric was chief data scientist at Capita Plc responsible for new data products and services. Eric has also founded and/or advised a number of startups while serving in a range of senior AI/data science, product and technical roles. About Blue Prism Blue Prism has operations globally and is currently listed on London's AIM stock market. It has grown fast from around £50m when it listed in 2016. They have a great long-term perspective on the industry and its evolution, with a global client base – including EY, Jaguar Land Rover, Siemens and Google.
Oct 17, 2021 · 27 min
1753: How Payhawk is Building the Financial System of Tomorrow
One of the big reasons I record this podcast every day is to try and feature as many voices and tech communities from around the world, NOT just silicon valley. So today, I am excited to take you on a trip to Bulgaria, where Hristo Borisov, Co-Founder & CEO of Payhawk, discusses how and why fragmentation in fintech is coming to an end. Payhawk is an all-in-one integrated finance platform for businesses, combining credit cards, payments, expenses, cash management and pre-accounting into one platform to give businesses maximum control and visibility over their spending. The company is London founded and headquartered, with Bulgarian roots, and recently raised $20m from Klarna's investors QED. Its customers include the likes of Zenloop, Nexo, and Telus. Due to Payhawk's technology, the average finance team saves 2-3 days of work each month and broadly speaking, a customer with approximately 100 expenses per month can save an extra $3,540 per month on average when switching from manual processes to Payhawk. We discuss how Payhawk reimagines how payment works (by simplifying and automating processes and building an end-to-end experience). We also talk about how banks and fintechs could coexist in the future? (working together rather than against them). Podcast Sponsor Download Hirect, the free app is trusted by 10,000+ startups who chat directly with ideal candidates and accelerate their hiring process 10x faster than traditional ways.
Oct 16, 2021 · 27 min
1752: Level Up Your Remote Teams With Virtual Reality Training
We now have employees recruited, onboarded, and working daily without ever meeting their teammates in person. So how do we bring everyone together and make them feel a valued part of a team well? In today's episode of Tech Talks Daily, I explore how technology can help develop and train teams to innovate even when employees are working from home and the office. When a team is stuck in its comfort zone, growth and innovation are dead in the water. But a tech company believes that nothing inspires a new mindset more than adventure. But most teams can't drop everything to climb a mountain. At Vestigo, they are bringing the adventure to you: VR experiences that force employees to let go of fear and think differently, designed to help remote teams level up from fear to bravery, enabling radical innovation and adaptability. For example, Vestigo's AltspaceVR experience unites teams in an unforgettable Mt. Everest expedition. Marshall Mosher is a world-record-holding action sport poly athlete, tech futurist, and host of the Inside the Adventure podcast. As the Founder and CEO of Vestigo, he's bringing his passion for adventure into the digital world by building the future of virtual reality adventure by digitally recreating the world's most inspiring and daunting adventure environments. I learned how his recent VR team programs include work for enterprises and businesses like Microsoft and the CNN Emerging Product & Platform team. Marshall has tapped into something with his business as he evaluates how tech teams are tapping the power of virtual reality to harness their fearlessness to innovate and work together. Podcast Sponsor Download Hirect, the free app is trusted by 10,000+ startups who chat directly with ideal candidates and accelerate their hiring process 10x faster than traditional ways.