Hear from industry leaders, founders, and investors.
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How do Companies Prepare for the Future?
Conor and Alex chat with Mike Bechtel, Chief Futurist at Deloitte. Michael discusses what it means to be a futurist, how to analyze trends that are defining future operating systems and opportunities, and how companies can prepare workforces for changing technological environments. Get a glimpse into his thought process and learn about how you can prepare yourself for careers in large corporations.
Cloud Technology and Big Data
Conor and Alex chat with Rory Conway, Principal Product Manager at Walmart Global Tech. We discuss the necessity of cloud software solutions, the value of data in business operations, and the threat of this data with respect to cyber security. Rory also provides insight on how to position yourself for success in tech.
Democratizing AI
Conor and Alex chat with Michael Hortatsos, VP of Partnerships at Dataiku, a leading enterprise AI company focused on providing a centralized data platform for businesses. We discuss the basics of enterprise AI, Dataiku’s mission to enable professionals of all backgrounds to be data-driven, and the key applications of AI in industry. Michael also dives into what leading partnerships entails and how to position new technology products to potential customers in a market.
The Art of Selling Technology
Conor and Alex chat with Michael Watt, VP of Sales, Strategy, and Operations at expert.ai, an enterprise artificial intelligence company focused on natural language processing. This episode dives into the key corporate objectives of the CEO, mission-critical priorities of the sales team, and the rise of growth marketing. We also discuss the relationship between marketing and sales departments as well as utilizing consultative and value selling to acquire clients.
Reimagining Education Financing
Tess Michaels, founder of Stride Funding, talks with Conor and Alex about her journey to expand the opportunities available to students for financing their education. Tess discusses the basics of income share agreements (ISA’s) and Stride Funding’s efforts to provide a differentiated service to students. We also chat about the importance of hiring a strong team as well as Tess’ experience raising capital from both traditional venture capitalists and strategic investors.
Navigating Innovation
Conor and Alex chat with Jay Newman, director of strategy at Jump, a strategy and innovation consulting firm. This episode provides insight into what it’s like to work as an innovation consultant, and also discusses the struggle of trying to find and develop innovative new products. Learn about why this branch of consulting is becoming a must-have service for innovators.
Creating a B2B SaaS Platform
Ireland Carter, founder of innovative management platform Bricleir, joins the show to discuss the process of creating a B2B SaaS business. Specifically, Ireland highlights her experience with convincing different stakeholders to join her platform, facilitating corporate and startup partnerships, and pursuing a career in tech with a liberal arts background.
The Tech Transforming the Cannabis Industry
Ryan G. Smith is the co-founder and CEO of LeafLink, a wholesale cannabis marketplace and technology platform. Ryan talks about growing a technology business in a highly regulated space and his focus on creating diversified business solutions that tackle hair on fire problems for cannabis brands and retailers. We discuss his navigation of raising capital, including his plans for the $40 million his company just raised from Founders Fund, and examine the biggest challenges LeafLink has faced during its product-market fit and growth stages. Finally, Ryan tells us about his experiences maintaining company culture during rapid hiring as well as his expectations for the cannabis industry moving forward.
Leveraging Liberal Arts in Tech
Conor and Alex talk with Tom White, an ex-Googler and current writing partner at On Deck. Tom has worked in a variety of roles at Google including an associate for Google Launchpad’s pre-incubation program, senior editor for responsible innovation, and mentor with Google for Startups Accelerator Program. We discuss how Tom pursued a career in technology with a liberal arts background and his current entrepreneurial ventures as an advisor for a Silicon Valley startup and writing partner for On Deck, a platform serving the many strands of identity of ambitious people who want to change the world.