The Tech Blog Writer Podcast - Inspired Tech Startup Stories & Interviews With Tech Leaders, Entrepreneurs And Innovators

Europe has been paving the way for digital IDs with the eIDAS legislation, and the U.S. is next in line. Apple is rolling out a feature that will enable U.S. residents to upload their government-issued ID to their Wallet app, while some states like Mississippi and Florida have already launched or are working on launching their own digitized driver's license program for residents. While digital ID solutions do offer a more convenient alternative to physical IDs, the high sensitivity of these documents means this approach will come with many potential security and privacy implications that governments must be prepared to face. Jumio has verified more than 500 million identities issued by over 200 countries and territories from real-time web and mobile transactions. Jumio's solutions are used by leading companies in the financial services, sharing economy, digital currency, retail, travel, and online gaming sectors. Bala Kumar, Chief Product Officer at Jumio Corporation, discusses what we currently know about di

If you have ever looked at the food hashtags on Instagram, it doesn't take long until you feel hungry. But have you ever opened up the Deliveroo, Just Eat, or UberEats App to see the same big fast food outlets? If you are a food lover, you will probably want something more sophisticated or tastier than a Mcdonald's or a KFC. Father and son duo Brandon, CEO, co-founder, and the COO Jacob of Propagrub share their story on the Tech Talks Daily Podcast. I learn more about the technology behind a new food delivery service app that aims to create a community for foodies. Inspired by the impact of the pandemic and how it hit chef unemployment rates and the rise of small businesses selling goods through social platforms, Propagrub was born. The platform provides independent chefs and traders with new business and exposure. For food lovers, it makes food discovery easy. It also builds a foodie community where users can chat, and share food images, recipes, clips, reels, and experiences. Ultimately the love and passion

Brandon Leibowitz runs and operates SEO Optimizers, a digital marketing company that focuses on helping small and medium-sized businesses get more online traffic, which in turn converts into clients, sales, leads, etc. For the past 14 years, he has been involved with search engine optimization and other digital marketing strategies to help drive targeted traffic that converts. I invited Brandon on the podcast to share his story and explore SEO topics such as advanced link-building strategies and analyzing your data to find SEO opportunities.

Gigster is on a mission to companies develop software applications with the speed of a startup, coupled with the quality and expertise of the most innovative global talent. Cory Hymel leads all things Web3 as the Director of Blockchain at Gigster, a company dedicated to helping businesses develop software applications with the speed of a startup, coupled with the quality and expertise of the most innovative global talent. Cory also manages academic partnerships to help further research into distributed teams and the future of work. I invited Cory on the podcast to share his insights on what he sees as emerging trends for mass adoption and early execution of enterprise impacting technology like NFTs, blockchain and Web3. We also discuss how to create a roadmap for an NFT marketplace development project and why inter-blockchain communication is the key to blockchain mass adoption. We explore the topic of high Ethereum gas fees and why Gas is vital on the Ethereum network as it avoids poor performance and securi

I recently read that approximately 50 percent of men and 30 percent of women in the US will develop symptomatic heart disease. I wanted to learn more about the scale of the problem and how non-invasive technology can help determine who is at the greatest risk for a cardiovascular episode, Dr. Charles Taylor, co-founder, Chief Scientific Officer, and member of the Board of Directors of HeartFlow joins me on Tech Talks Daily. We discuss how technology is transforming the diagnosis and management of coronary artery disease. We also discuss how the medical community has received HeartFlow and how technology drives a more proactive healthcare approach. About Charles A. Taylor, Ph.D. Dr. Taylor is a co-founder, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), and member of the Board of Directors of HeartFlow. Previously, he was an Associate Professor in the Department of Bioengineering and Surgery at Stanford University with courtesy faculty appointments in the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Radiology. He is internation

In today's episode of Tech Talks Daily, Dr. Steven Hunt, Chief Expert, Technology & Work at SAP, joins me in a conversation about Workforce Psychology, HR Technology & Business Strategy. Steven shares his origin story, and we discuss how technology is influencing the way we work and how this has evolved over the last few years. Shifting demographics combined with the digitalization of all aspects of life are transforming the nature of work. This is forcing companies to rethink how they design jobs and recruit, develop, and engage employees. In Talent Tectonics: Navigating Global Workforce Shifts, Building Resilient Organizations, and Reimagining the Employee Experience, Steven Hunt explains how technology is changing the purpose of work and why creating effective employee experiences is critical to building organizations that can thrive in a world of accelerating change and growing skill shortages. I learn more about how a technology company like SAP embraces this area of focus and how it impacts new

At CES this year, Peter Virk, Vice President, IVY Product & Ecosystem at BlackBerry on #1839, shared how over 195 million cars worldwide currently use BlackBerry software. In the light of current geopolitical events and the consequent necessity for extra cyber security vigilance, I wanted to bust a few more myths and talk about the role of BlackBerry in Cybersecurity. After 14 years at McAfee, where he was vice president of central and north/eastern Europe, Hans-Peter Bauer moved to BlackBerry to start his new role as senior vice president of EMEA. But I wanted to learn more about BlackBerry's Prevention First approach, which involves using AI and machine learning ML to prevent attacks from the outset. We discuss why a four-day workweek is possible for the always-on cybersecurity industry and what it looks like for a small business to be fully protected against cyber-attacks and explore if it's sustainable. We also talk about why a prevention first cybersecurity approach is much more than just a perimeter

Peter Holten Mühlmann founded Trustpilot in 2007. Over the last fourteen years, he has led Trustpilot from a small Danish startup to a global FTSE-250 listed company. Day to day, Peter focuses on business strategy and product development and has overseen Trustpilot's expansion to 800+ employees across six countries. Peter joins me on Tech Talks Daily to talk about the story behind Trustpilot and how they are using techology to remove fake reviews. We talk about a new Consumer Verification tool, an industry first in the world of online reviews. This tool is yet another step in Trustpilot's effort to protect and promote trust online – something that continues to be a struggle, as we've seen with companies like Fashion Nova hiding bad reviews from the public and businesses buying fake reviews. As a result, it's difficult for a shopper to trust what's said online. We also discuss the growing issue of misinformation causing distrust between consumers and businesses and discuss some recent data Trustpilot has uncov

Oleg Giberstein is the Co-Founder of Coinrule (YCombinator backed startup, S21), which is all about catching the next market opportunity on your behalf by automating your investments. With Coinrule, hobbyist investors can compete with professional traders and hedge funds by creating automated strategies for Crypto and Stocks. The company has achieved over 209% of its seed target during one of its most recent crowdfunding campaigns, raising an impressive $700K from 670+ investors. Other investors include the founders of Twitch, EightSleep, and Fitbit. I invited Oleg on Tech Talks Daily to share his story, which began when he worked in Banking and Risk roles at Citigroup London for many years. In his last role at Citi, Oleg was Chief of Staff to Citi's Global Public Sector Portfolio Head. Here in 2022, I learn more about Coinrule and the problems it solves for its customers. We talk about fintech, crypto, trading, investing, and how Oleg organizes Enterprise Ethereum Alliance meetups in London.

Yotta is a solar storage solution that simplifies the solar storage process through decentralized, panel-level storage and optimizes energy efficiency with intelligent software. Through its flagship product, SolarLEAF™, they have pioneered a modular storage solution with smart thermal regulation that seamlessly integrates behind each photovoltaic (PV) panel while maximizing the life and performance of the battery. Unlike fixed storage centers, SolarLEAF allows you to expand the development of solar + storage microgrids in minutes. Today, the market needs a breakthrough in energy storage solutions. Although solar+storage has risen in popularity over the last 10 years, the industry has faced challenges with producing practical batteries for energy storage. Omeed Badkoobeh shares Yotta's vision to accelerate the adoption of solar+storage by engineering a new generation of solar storage that is cost-effective and reliable, changing the face of solar energy as we know it.

Remittance tech is booming right now and the digitization of sending money isn't slowing down. 2021 was a milestone year for remittances, and according to a recent report from the Remittance Industry Observatory, digital transactions accounted for 37% of all global remittances – a 15% bump compared to 2020. Moreover, as the global payment industry continues to maneuver choppy macroeconomic situations, the digitization of remittances is only expected to grow, with industry leaders estimating that digital transactions will reach 50% by 2032. Earl Melivo, a global payment expert and Director of Country and Business Development at the digital-first remittance company, WorldRemit joins me on Tech Talks Daily. We discuss the digital remittance trends WorldRemit is already seeing with their users worldwide. He also shares his first-hand insights on how the industry is heading towards a more digital world.

Epiverse is a global collaborative led by data.org to co-create distributed data analysis tools that will get ahead of the next global health crisis. Its inclusive, open-source software ecosystem is led by an interdisciplinary community of experts driving equitable innovation in infectious disease response. Ultimatley, it's an interdisciplinary collaboration of experts from health, science, academia, business, technology, and philanthropy working to improve global epidemic response. But I wanted to learn more about the story behind the company developing privacy-preserving technology to unlock insights in non-traditional data, Danil Mikhailov, Executive Director at DataDotOrg, joins me on Tech Talks Daily to discuss how data collected and distributed in silos does not support a cohesive global response and how Epiverse is building a global software ecosystem centered around people and a sustainable system of data sharing. However, technology is just one part of a larger human system of connection and relatio

Rootstrap is a full-service custom design and development shop specializing in responsive web/mobile solutions and custom applications. They help companies scale people, processes, and products through outcome-driven development. The company has helped launch more than 750+ digital products with more than 100 million combined downloads. Their mission isn't to merely build pretty interfaces. Instead, it's to iteratively design software solutions. The outcome? Achieving your business goals & generating ROI. Patrick Ward, Vice President of Marketing, Rootstrap, joins me on Tech Talks Daily to share his story. We also explore emerging tech trends on the way to Web3, why AI isn't going to take your job, and why NFTs aren't just a get-rich-quick fad.

Last year, Divi and LaLiga agreed on a deal that would bring crypto to the masses as fans' love for football and crypto overlapped for the first time. I wanted to learn more about this deal and their most well-known project Divi Wallet which enables instant crypto payments for everyone. Nick Saponaro, CEO of The Divi Project, joins me on Tech Talks Daily to discuss how they aim to increase the adoption of digital currency. The most well-known project is Divi Wallet, which enables instant crypto payments for everyone. Since beginning in the crypto space in 2013, Nick has become one of the leading experts in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space with media appearances in Nasdaq, The Fintech Times, and Quartz. Nick shares his perspective on risk, given the stock market's current untethering from reality and the historical crashes that have followed periods like the one we're living through now. We also discuss the future of crypto, decentralization goals, and the importance of crypto's investment narrative.

techUK is the trade association that brings together people, companies, and organisations to realise the positive outcomes of what digital technology can achieve. With over 850 members (the majority of which are SMEs) across the UK, techUK creates a network for innovation and collaboration across business, government, and stakeholders to provide a better future for people, society, the economy, and the planet. Matthew Evans, Director for Markets, techUK, joins me on Tech Talks Daily in a conversation about why digital transformation is critical to the decarbonisation journey of organisations in every sector. I learn more about how industries are converging across supply chains and sectors with tech partners to find innovations that reduce carbon emissions and efficiencies that drive down energy use. By 2030, digital technology can cut global emissions by 15%. Cloud computing, 5G, AI, and IoT have the potential to dramatically reduce carbon emissions in sectors such as transport, agriculture, and manufacturing

Sightly is a market insights resource that helps brands anticipate the unexpected. Its proprietary Brand Mentality platform uses data science, predictive algorithms, and expert human know-how to help brands maximize their media planning & outcomes, maintain authenticity and understand when, why, and how to effectively lean into controversial, hot-button issues in a meaningful way. Robert Helstrom, SVP of Marketing, Sightly, talks about how they are helping brands navigate shifting marketing insights while holding themselves to a higher accountability standard. We also discuss the current trends within adtech and how brands should plan to adapt to get ahead of the metaverse and Web3.

Girish Redekar is a CEO & Co-Founder of Sprinto.com. A company helping SaaS brands become SOC-2 compliant, close enterprise deals faster, and pass vendor security assessments easily. Previously, he ​​built and bootstrapped RecruiterBox to 2500+ customers and 50+ employees in the US and India. The company was acquired by San Francisco based private equity firm Turn/River Capital in an undisclosed all cash deal (no stock or earn-outs). Girish is a passionate programmer and entrepreneur, keen on helping other SaaS businesses demonstrate security chops and close enterprise deals faster. So I invited him on Tech Talks Daily to share the startup story of how he took his first company from SMB to Enterprise, gaining over 2500 customers and exiting in an all-cash deal.

Hundreds of businesses around the world rely on REPL to help them solve critical enterprise problems. They develop intimate partnerships with businesses in order to transform their people, supply chain, and customer experience to create and deliver long-lasting value. Tech and retail sustainability expert Graeme Hamlet from REPL Group joins me on Tech Talks Daily in a conversation about sustainability leadership and its implications for businesses. We talk about the multitude of opportunities to make positive changes, increased transparency on production and consumption, reduced waste and emissions, improved working conditions, and greater learning & development goals. Graeme also discusses supply chains, in-store technology, workforce management, data science, and project delivery concerning sustainability goals for the industry.

Lumin balances energy storage needs and multiple power sources (traditional electrical grid, solar PV, backup generator) by adding standard electrical panels and making ordinary circuits smart and responsive. Alex Bazhinov joins me on Tech Talks Daily to share how Lumin is helping homeowners automatically or manually control their home's microgrid to enhance and protect their investment in solar PV and energy storage. I learn more about the tech that makes it possible and how Lumin can connect to any existing circuit breakers, while competitors may require LG or Stalla to be installed. In addition, you do not have to purchase a costly, time-consuming upgraded circuit breaker to implement the smart control features that Lumin provides.

Metaphysic is building the AI tools and resources that creatives, the entertainment industry, and brands need to develop hyperreal content and tell incredible stories. The software being developed by Metaphysic will help creators process datasets, mix and remix proprietary and open-source AI models and integrate traditional production workflows. The result is a decentralized production process that can generate exponentially more hyperrealistic content without extra time and cost. Founded by the creators of @DeepTomCruise, Metaphysic and its team have worked with such brands as South Park, Gillette, and The Belgian Football Association. Metaphysic CEO and co-founder Thomas Graham joins me on the Tech Talks Daily podcast. We discuss the story behind the Tom Cruise Fake videos and how it has raised $7.5 million from leading tech investors and creators, including Section 32, 8VC, TO Ventures, Winklevoss Capital, and Logan Paul. I learn how the funding will help expand Metaphysic's groundbreaking work in pushing