Shows / The Tech Trek
The Tech Trek
The Tech Trek is a podcast about how founders, operators, and technology leaders build and scale technology companies. Each episode explores the decisions behind building products, teams, and technical organizations, with conversations spanning engineering, AI, data, product, hiring, leadership, and growth. Guests share what they are building, what they are learning, and how they are navigating the challenges that come with turning technology into a successful company.
Episodes
The Tech TrekSetting up your startup’s legal entity and evaluating equity in a job offer with Greg Miaskiewicz, Co-founder of Capbase
Meet: Greg Miaskiewicz, CEO & Co-Founder at Capbase, a startup building legal & financial tools for startups. Previously, CEO & Co-Founder of Swarm, a bot…
The Tech TrekTalking about the growth of AI in healthcare with Sanji Fernando, SVP Artficial Intelligence & Analytics Platforms at Optum
Meet: Sanji Fernando is a senior vice president at Optum, where he leads the Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Analytics Platforms team for Optum Enterprise…
The Tech TrekCareer advice for data analysts and scientists to keep growing and building diverse data teams with Marick Sinay, the Head of Data Science and Analytics at Aspiration
Meet: Marick S. Sinay, Ph.D. is Vice President Head of Data Science and Analytics for Aspiration. Dr. Sinay has been in the broader financial services industry…
The Tech TrekUnlocking the data that is in your documents, videos, and images with Ankur Goyal, Co-founder and CEO of Impira
Meet: Ankur Goyal is the co-founder and CEO of Impira. previously built and scaled the engineering team at MemSQL as employee #2 and VP of Engineering. Ankur…
The Tech TrekIntroducing Apache Airflow 2.0 - talking about the major new features with Ash Berlin-Taylor and Kaxil Naik
Meet: Ash Berlin-Taylor is an active committer and member of the PMC for Apache Airflow and Director of Airflow Engineering team at astronomer.io. Before…
The Tech TrekMentoring vs coaching, leadership through influence, and importance of messaging and tone with Mike Bennett, Director of Enterprise Digital Farming at Climate Corp
Meet: Mike Bennett, Director of Enterprise Digital Farming at Climate Corp - Bayer Crop Science. Responsible for Enterprise data governance and new business…
The Tech TrekGetting the feedback cycle early, having a deep interest in product, and embedded data science teams with Doug Puett, Head of Data Science at UserTesting
Meet: Doug Puett is the Head of Data Science at UserTesting. UserTesting has the world’s greatest data source on how user research is done. Prior to joining…
The Tech TrekTaking advantage of innovation and advice if you want to get into data science with Marian Farah, Manager Experiments and Optimization at Zymergen
Meet: Marian manages the Experiments and Optimization team at Zymergen. She spent the last ten years building data science solutions for problems in remote…
The Tech TrekMachine Learning software development for B2B vs B2C, the value of AI and how to build the right AI team with Xin Heng, the Vice President, Head of Data at Punchh
Meet: Xin Heng is currently the VP/Head of Data at Punchh. Before joining Punchh, he was the Head of Data Science at StubHub and a Data Science Manager at…
The Tech TrekEstablishing a security champion and culture and developers make for great security engineers with Arkadiy Tetelman, Head of Application & Infrastructure Security at Chime
Meet: Arkadiy is Head of Application & Infrastructure Security at Chime. He is passionate about all forms of digital harm reduction, ranging from technical, to…
The Tech TrekDealing with Covid’s impact on security within the retail space and security becoming more agile with Rick Medina, Security Practitioner
Meet: Rick Medina is a security practitioner, OSINT junkie, button pusher, and checkbox un-checker What you’ll learn: Dealing with Covid’s impact on security…
The Tech TrekBootstrapping a security program and security policy as code with CISO Kyle Randolph
Meet: Kyle is a CISO and VP, Security, Privacy, and Compliance. He has 18 years of establishing, growing, and leading Security and Software Engineering Teams…
The Tech TrekModern data warehousing and data engineering viewed as specialized software engineering with Ken Farmer, Data Engineering Manager at Alto Pharmacy
Meet: Ken is the data engineering manager at Alto Pharmacy - which offers free, same-day medication delivery to customers. Alto's data engineering team…
The Tech TrekAdjusting to a less regulated industry and technology choices and tradeoffs with Nikhil Goyal, Director of Data & Analytics at LeafLink
Meet: Prior to LeafLink, Nikhil led the data science function for Gartner’s Marketing practice, gaining deep expertise in building scaled data products for…
The Tech TrekEmpowering engineers to understand the why behind what they are working on with Nachi Joshi, Director of Engineering at Electric.AI
Meet: Nachi is a Director of Engineering at Electric.AI. Having started his career building software at a large investment bank, he has since transitioned into…
The Tech TrekMoving security from a black box view, thinking about security earlier in the design and development phase, and mental health aspects for security professionals with Kunal Bhattacharya, Head DevSecOps
Meet: Kunal Bhattacharya is a Security Leader, Organization builder, and mentor who helps organizations build robust Cyberdefense and detection capabilities…
The Tech TrekLearning from a security breach and applying an innovative mindset to healthcare with Chris Millikin, Head of Infrastructure and Security at Nuna
Meet: Chris Millikin is the Head of Infrastructure and Security at Nuna. Prior to Nuna, Chris spent over a decade building security engineering teams focused…
The Tech TrekThe impact of machine learning in healthcare data and can machine learning be overused with Ben Birnbaum, Senior Director of Software Engineering at Flatiron Health
Meet: Ben is a Senior Director of Software Engineering at Flatiron Health, where he leads the Machine Learning Team. Prior to Flatiron, he worked at Google on…
The Tech TrekNavigating Compliance as a Growing Company, Mainland China Deployments, and CI/CD Business Systems for Performance and Security with Joel Anderson, VP Technical Operations at MongoDB
Meet: Joel Anderson has worked in cybersecurity and IT as an engineer, advisor, and executive with impact across public, private, and social sectors: -…
The Tech TrekMove quickly and optimize later and new data science features that impact business revenue with Ella Alkalay Schreiber, VP of FinTech at Hopper
Meet: Ella Alkalay Schreiber, Head of Pricing and Recommendations she leads a cross-functional team of product managers, data scientists, designers, and…
The Tech TrekUnderstanding your “impact”, how to better run your projects and communicate more effectively with Wen-Ying Feng, the Vice President of Analytics at Plastiq
Meet: Wen-Ying is helping revolutionize how data insights can be turned into accelerators for strengthened growth at Plastiq. She has been a leader and…
The Tech TrekMoving towards scale, bringing in more specialization to help scale, and the pillars of engineering management with Sen Xu, Head of Engineering at Replica
Meet: Sen Xu is the head of engineering at Replica, where he leads the engineering effort to build a scalable data solution to provide movement insights. Prior…
The Tech TrekBrand growth in emerging markets and removing bias from investing with Anjali Samani, Director of Data Science
Meet: Anjali Samani is a Director of Data Science at Salesforce. When we recorded this episode, she was leading the Predictive Modelling team at CircleUp…
The Tech TrekTransitioning to the data industry via a code camp and stepping up to a manager role with Allen Ko, Data Science Manager at States Title
Meet: Allen Ko is a data science manager working at States Title, where he's leading the company's efforts to automate document processing and parsing. He has…
The Tech TrekHow to hire and grow your Data Science team, the future of data scientists and a Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) example with Connan Snider, Head of Data Science at Just Auto Insurance
Meet: Connan has a strong background in Economics with his Ph.D. and has also taught at UCLA as a professor. He was a Data Scientist at Uber for over 4 years…
The Tech TrekFocusing on delivering the most value for the business and Fueling growth by discovering a new uses case for a product with Anson Whitmer, Head of Data at Calm
Meet: Anson Whitmer - Head of Data. After completing a Ph.D., then a post-doc at Stanford, in cognitive neuroscience, Anson transitioned into data science. He…
The Tech TrekFinding ways to identify new requirements and evaluating soft skills through virtual interviewing with Dan Gremmell, Head of Data at Policygenius
Meet: Daniel Gremmell is the Head of Data at Policygenius where he leads data engineering, data analysis, and data science. Before Policygenius, he was VP of…
The Tech TrekHow and when to hire for your data science team and the pros and cons of building in-house vs 3rd party apps, with Peter Jaffe, Head of Data at Teachable
Meet: Peter has held management-level positions at Hearst and Freestar, before landing at Teachable, where he is the Head of Data. He also has his MBA from…
The Tech TrekThe convergence of AI and Art with Marnie Benney, Co-founder of AIArtists.org
Meet: Marnie Benney is an Independent Curator working at the juncture of contemporary art and technology. Over the last decade, she has produced 27 exhibitions…
The Tech TrekGraduate school, what you get from it and what you can do to jumpstart your career and the pros/cons of remote work, with Bryan Davis, Data Science Manager at Nextdoor
Meet: Bryan has worked at Facebook and Indeed on the Data Science and Machine Learning teams. He’s currently the Data Science Manager at Nextdoor. What you’ll…
The Tech TrekFinding a small pilot project to start shifting security left and becoming more of an engineering-based security team with CISO Josh Scott
Meet: Josh Scott, an experienced security leader that focuses on building high performing and innovative security programs that are business-focused…
The Tech TrekCreating a data moat and how data scientists can quantify their value, with Sean Chang, Data Science Manager at Goodwater Capital
Meet: Sean has worked at Google and Facebook. He was a Data Science Manager at Facebook working on the VR team before moving over to Goodwater Capital as their…
The Tech TrekUnderstanding the relationship between product and data science and the risk of optimizing your model before doing enough experimentation with Clare Corthell, Product Manager at Lyft
Meet: Clare Corthell is an entrepreneur and product manager in mapping and data science. She founded companies in drone mapping, data science consulting, and…
The Tech TrekFinding the right balance as a product-focused CISO and compliance requirements as your SaaS solution sells to the enterprise space with CISO Silvano Silva
Meet: Silvano has 20 years of experience in IT and Information Security and his interests include DevSecOps, AppSec, and business-driven risk-based approach…
The Tech TrekSeize the opportunity to develop soft skills and ask for help sooner (don’t spin your wheels wasting time) with Jesse Lehmier, Data Engineering Manager at ASAPP
Meet: Jesse Lehmier is a data engineering manager at ASAPP. He previously worked in analytics, big data, and full-stack software engineering roles. What you’ll…
The Tech TrekMachine Learning, commoditization of tooling, how to structure ML at your org and getting traction with ML projects with Adam Oliner, the Head of Machine Learning at Slack
Meet: Adam Oliner, Head of Machine Learning at Slack. Prior to Slack, Adam was leading the team at Splunk. He has his Masters and Ph.D. in Computer Science…
The Tech TrekLeveraging AI to deliver answers faster to your mobile device and why aren’t enterprise apps as easy to use as consumer software with Rohit Vashisht, CEO of whiz.ai
Meet: Rohit Vashisht is the co-founder and CEO of whiz.ai, a conversational AI platform for Life Sciences commercial ops and field teams. Previously, Rohit was…
The Tech TrekMachine learning driving business value and the machine learning battle against email hackers with Jesh Bratman, Head of Machine Learning at Abnormal Security
Meet: Jeshua Bratman is an expert in building technology products powered by artificial intelligence. He’s a founding member of Abnormal Security and head of…
The Tech TrekMachine Learning, how to effectively apply ML, managing ML reality vs expectations and mentoring advice for aspiring leaders with Gagan Sandhu, the Sr. Engineering Director at Square
Meet: Gagan Sandhu, Sr. Engineering Director at Square. He leads the ML, Data Engineering and Mobile engineers within the e-commerce product division at…
The Tech TrekThe impact of AI on the music-making process and how Amper Music empowers people to compose and create music easier with Drew Silverstein, CEO of Amper Music
Meet: Drew Silverstein is the CEO and co-founder of Amper Music. Founded in 2014, Amper Music combines the highest levels of artistry with groundbreaking…
The Tech TrekDevOps culture shift and the delicate dance of replacing older technologies with Adam Robertson, Director of DevOps
Meet: Adam Robertson is a DevOps Leader with more than 15 years of professional experience architecting and building technical organizations from early-stage…
The Tech TrekConversation around web search, applying trust to data sources, and validating statements with Jude Gomila, Founder of Golden
Meet: Jude Gomila is currently CEO and Founder of the startup Golden. Jude Gomila was previously President and Co-Founder of Heyzap (Union Square Ventures and…
The Tech TrekData engineering interview tips and when do you buy vs build with Kunal Haria, Data Engineering Manager at StyleSeat
Meet: Kunal Haria, Data Engineering Manager at StyleSeat. He has his Masters in Information Management from Syracuse University. What you’ll learn…
The Tech TrekMoving from academia to business and data science challenges within the cybersecurity industry with Phillip Schafer, Director Data Science at IronNet
Meet: Phillip Schafer leads the data science team at IronNet. He has a PhD in physics from Penn State, where he developed voice recognition algorithms modeled…
The Tech TrekBeing the 1st Data Science hire, transitioning to being a manager, and letting your ego go in coding with Ryan Scolnik Head of Data Science at FortressIQ
Meet: Ryan Scolnik, the Head of Data Science at FortressIQ. He was employee #4 and currently leads the company's data science, computer vision and AI strategy…
The Tech TrekTips to hire security professionals, insights on how to break into the security field, and keeping security at the foreground with Michael Weiss, CISO at Funding Circle
Meet: Michael Weiss has spent the past 16 years in information security. While at Microsoft, he managed the Security Assurance Program for Windows 7. His…
The Tech TrekData Analyst interview/resume advice and career advice for women in sharing their achievements and job promotions with Shailvi Wakhlu, the Head of Analytics at Komodo Health
Meet: Shailvi Wakhlu, the Head of Analytics at Komodo Health. She loves to volunteer, mentor, and inspire within the data and analytics community. What you’ll…
The Tech TrekImpacts of CCPA and GDPR on a business, dealing with data deletion requests, and how to make the process more efficient with Daniel Barber, DataGrail CEO
Meet: Daniel Barber is the CEO & Co-founder of DataGrail. In the new age of privacy, DataGrail is the only purpose-built privacy management platform that…
The Tech TrekBecoming a mentor, working with mentees, and what to look for in a mentor with Chris Byington, VP of Data at Updater
Meet: Chris Byington is VP of Data at Updater, where he leads the Data team in partnering with stakeholders to bring data to bear on the company’s toughest…
The Tech TrekPersonalized 3D avatars, Zoom fatigue, and digital personas during Covid with Mahesh Ramasubramanian, CEO at Loom.ai
Meet: Mahesh Ramasubramanian is the co-founder and CEO of Loom.ai, a San Francisco-based company that has developed an end-to-end deep learning platform for…
The Tech TrekHow do be happy in your career, what makes a good data engineer and the internal data engineering academy program she started with Lisa Mirkovic, VP of Data Engineering at Capital Group
Meet: Lisa Mirkovic, VP of Data Engineering at Capital Group. Lisa has been at the Capital Group for over 20 years and is passionate about paying it forward…
The Tech TrekTransitioning into data science, ramping up during the pandemic, and balancing delivery with Mike Doll, Head of Data at Udacity
Meet: Mike Doll is the Head of Data at Udacity, an online education platform dedicated to training the world's workforce in the careers of the future. Mike is…
The Tech TrekBuilding Data Analytics Teams
In this episode, we talk to Suxi Li, the head of data analytics at Investors Business Daily in Los Angeles, California. They discuss building teams, onboarding…
The Tech TrekTransitioning from Academia to a Career in Data Science
Sivan Aldor-Noiman, Data Science leader, speaks on the podcast about her transition from academia to industry and why data science is an ideal field for…
The Tech TrekHiring and building teams, interview pointers and an interview failure to learn from with Sri Sethupathy Vice President of Data and Analytics at Age of Learning
Meet: Sri Sethupathy, the VP of Data and Analytics at Age of Learning. Sri built the analytics team at Hulu. He has served as an executive advisor to multiple…
The Tech TrekEstablishing ROI for AI projects, AI models, and the future of data science roles with Pedro Alves, Founder and CEO of Ople.ai
Meet Pedro Alves, founder and CEO of Ople.ai. Pedro founded Ople.ai in 2017. He started Ople with the goal of creating a platform that puts the knowledge and…
The Tech TrekStart-ups do’s and don’ts, in-demand data science skills and interview tips with Raghu Dhara Head of Data Science at KeepTruckin
Meet Raghu Dhara, the Head of Data Science at KeepTruckin. He is a Harvard grad who founded a start-up from his dorm room and was also a staff writer on the…
The Tech TrekHiring, trusting and managing your Data Science team with Jon Morra, Chief Data Scientist
Today’s guest is Jon Morra, the Chief Data Scientist at Zefr, in episode #2 of The Tech Trek. Jon founded a start-up early in his career and was the Director…
The Tech TrekEntrepreneurship, the startup race, and AI scheduling assistants with Dennis Mortensen, CEO of X.ai
I had an insightful conversation with Dennis Mortensen, CEO and founder of x.ai, about the software’s uses and the people it serves. Founded in 2014, x.ai is a…