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 TrekFrom Founder to CEO
In this episode, Rebecca Price joins Amir to discuss the critical transition founders face when evolving into successful CEOs. Rebecca, leveraging her…
The Tech TrekWhy Org Charts Matter for Scaling Companies
In this episode, Chris Fahey, SVP of Talent and HR at Volition Capital, discusses the often-overlooked value of org charts for growing companies. He discusses…
The Tech TrekThe Value of Hiring Data Professionals Early
In this episode, Amir Bormand chats with Christina Stejskalova, Director of Data at Ontra, about the pivotal role of data professionals in startups and the…
The Tech TrekNavigating Data Challenges & AI
In this episode, we dive into how businesses leverage data platforms and AI to serve the business effectively. Addhyan Pandey shares insights into Zoro’s AI…
The Tech TrekHow to Structure Startup Equity
In this episode, I sit down withMatt Birnbaum, Partner atPear VC, to discuss one of the most critical aspects of early-stage startups:structuring equity for…
The Tech TrekThe Lonely Journey of Founders: A Roadmap to Success
In this episode, Amir Bormand speaks withSandeep Bhadra, General Partner at Vertex, about the journey and challenges of early-stage founders. Sandeep dives…
The Tech TrekUnlocking Automation in Insurance
In this episode, Amir Bormand sits down with John Cottongim, Co-Founder and CTO of Roots Automation, to explore how automation and generative AI (GenAI) are…
The Tech TrekFrom Prototype to Production: Building Gen AI Solutions
In this podcast episode, Amir Bormand interviews Michelle Avery, Group VP of AI at WillowTree, a TELUS International Company. They discuss the process of…
The Tech TrekLearning Shouldn’t Be One-Size-Fits-All
What if the best way for your child to learn wasn’t in a traditional classroom? In this episode, Amir Bormand sits down with Amir Nathoo, Co-Founder and Head…
The Tech TrekNavigating Technical Debt and Critical Decisions
In this engaging episode, Amir Bormand sits down with Brian Moseley, Co-Founder and CTO at Sixfold, to explore the nuances of making critical technical…
The Tech TrekLeadership Hiring in Early Stage Startups
In this episode, Amir interviews Jen Kodner, a Talent Partner at Threshold Ventures and DFJ Growth, to discuss best practices and challenges in leadership…
The Tech TrekBetter, Cheaper, Faster: The Future of Software Development
In this episode, Amir Bormand sits down with Joe Emison, CTO and Co-Founder of Branch Insurance, to discuss how modern software development can be made…
The Tech TrekFrom Nonprofit to AI Startup Founder
In this episode, Amir interviews Rehgan Bleile, Co-Founder and CEO of AlignAI, about her transition from founding a nonprofit organization to leading a…
The Tech TrekStartup Strategy: Balancing Roadmaps, Reality, and Long-Term Vision
In this episode, Amir sits down with Eli Wachs, Co-Founder and CEO of Footprint, to dive into the real-world challenges of building a startup with long-term…
The Tech TrekThe Evolution of XOps: AI, Automation & the Future of Manufacturing
In this episode, we dive into the evolution of XOps with Jai Prakash, exploring how a 100-year-old company like Pella Corporation is leveraging DataOps, MLOps…
The Tech TrekBuilding an Impactful Data Science Team
In this episode, Amir Bormand chats with Sarah Guidry, Head of Analytics and Data Science at LendingTree, about the intricacies of organizing work in data…
The Tech TrekNavigating Platform Shifts and AI Investments
In this episode, Amir chats with Samir Kumar, Co-Founder and General Partner at Touring Capital, about platform shifts in technology and the role of AI in…
The Tech TrekRevolutionizing Dentistry with AI
In this episode, Amir sits down with Sergei Azernikov to discuss how AI and generative AI (GenAI) are transforming the dental industry. Glidewell Dental, a…
The Tech TrekEvery Exec Wants AI. Here’s the Problem
Beth Falder, AVP of Data Management and Analytics at Nuvance Health, joins Amir to unpack a challenge every tech leader is facing right now: how to stay…
The Tech TrekKey Attributes of Great Leadership
In this episode, Amir talks with Nathan Fabian, Managing Director and Head of Talent at WestCap, about the essential qualities of great leaders. They explore…
The Tech TrekThe Evolving Landscape of Data Culture
In this episode, Chris Morgan, VP of Data Science at Lincoln Financial Group, dives into the evolving landscape of data culture. He discusses the impact of…
The Tech TrekGenAI Strategy and Scaling
In this episode, Amir chats with Brajesh Jha, SVP and Global Business Leader of Data Tech and AI at Genpact, about scaling Generative AI (Gen AI). They explore…
The Tech TrekNavigating Data Transformation and AI in CPG
In this episode, Amir talks with JD Hannick, an Executive Advisor to Fortune 500 and private equity firms with a deep background in consumer data from Foot…
The Tech TrekUnderstanding LLM Hallucinations and Accuracy
In this podcast episode, Amir welcomes Arjun Bansal, CEO of Log10, to discuss the ongoing challenges and solutions surrounding Large Language Model (LLM)…
The Tech TrekFounder’s Playbook: Hiring Your First Go-To-Market Leader
In this episode of The Tech Trek, I sit down with Atli Thorkelsson, VP of Talent Network at Redpoint Ventures, to unpack one of the most pivotal and complex…
The Tech TrekData Governance and Quality within GenAI
In this episode, Amir Bormand interviews Amie Bright, VP of Enterprise Data and Analytics at GitLab, about the importance of data governance, especially in the…
The Tech TrekThink Differently. Lead Smarter.
What happens when a 160-year-old insurance company decides to embrace AI? Peter Maynard, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Guardian Life, joins Amir to break…
The Tech TrekExploring the Road Ahead for AI Startups
In this podcast episode, Bob Stefanski, Co-founder and Managing Director of eLab Ventures joins Amir to discuss the promising future and current landscape of…
The Tech TrekUnlocking AI Innovations in Supply Chain Management
This episode features a conversation with Maria Latushkin, Group VP of Technology and Engineering at Albertsons, discussing AI's role in supply chain…
The Tech TrekNavigating the Engineering Hiring Process
In this episode, Amir Bormand interviews David Ayers, SVP of Engineering at Invitation Homes. They delve into the intricacies of hiring in the engineering…
The Tech TrekThe Essentials of Being a Good Founder
In this episode, Amir hosts Healey Cypher, CEO at BoomPop and COO at Atomic. The discussion covers various aspects of being a good and successful founder, what…
The Tech TrekGenAI Won’t Save You From Bad Data
In this episode, Willem Koenders, Global Leader in Data Strategy at ZS, joins Amir to unpack how companies can—and should—approach GenAI with realism, not just…
The Tech TrekBuilding Technical Operational Capacity
This podcast episode features Matt Robben, Co-founder and CTO of Serif Health, discussing the importance of full-stack engineering hires and how to manage…
The Tech TrekA Founder’s Mindset: Love the Game, Not Just the Exit
In this episode, Amir welcomes back Dennis Mortensen — serial entrepreneur, former founder of x.ai, and now CEO of LaunchBrightly — for an unfiltered dive into…
The Tech TrekInnovating Healthcare Delivery with Data Science
This episode features a detailed discussion with Akshay Swaminathan, a data scientist with significant contributions to health systems improvement, including…
The Tech TrekEngineering Systems That Save Lives in Seconds
In this episode, Amir sits down with Zach LaValley, EVP of Engineering at RapidSOS, to explore the high-stakes world of emergency response technology. Zach…
The Tech TrekHow Can You Trust Data in the AI Era?
In this episode, Amir Bormand sits down with Harrison Tang, CEO and Co-founder of Spokeo, to explore a problem most people in AI, data, and digital identity…
The Tech TrekIntegrating AI in Everyday Life and Its Future Applications
This podcast episode features Dr. Andrea Isoni, the Chief AI Officer at AI Technologies, discussing AI's current and future integration into everyday life and…
The Tech TrekWhy Most AI Projects Fail
In this episode, Nir Kaldero, Chief Data & AI Officer at NEORIS, breaks down what it really takes for enterprises to adopt AI effectively. From selecting the…
The Tech TrekAI & Cybersecurity – Closing the Skills Gap
In this episode, Amir Bormand sits down with Shashank Tiwari, Co-founder and CEO of uno.ai, to explore how AI is shaping the cybersecurity industry. They dive…
The Tech TrekData-Driven Decisions with a Value-First Data Strategy
In this podcast episode, Deepak Jose, a Data Analytics and AI Expert with experience in companies like Coca-Cola, ABB, Asurion, and Mars, discusses the…
The Tech TrekEvolving Data Design Strategies
In this podcast episode, Amir Bormand and guest Santona Tuli, the Head of Data at Upsolver, discuss the complexities of modern data projects and the evolving…
The Tech TrekData as Core Engineering
This podcast episode features Vidya Eashwer, CTO at Forge, discussing the evolution and significance of treating data as core engineering within the tech…
The Tech TrekHow Founders Shape Company Culture
In this episode, Amir sits down with Michel Tricot, CEO and Co-founder of Airbyte, to unpack what startup culture really means—and why it’s not for everyone…
The Tech TrekThe Journey Up The Management Ladder
This episode features Loic Houssier, Senior VP of Engineering at Productboard, discussing the journey and challenges of transitioning from mid-level management…
The Tech TrekStakeholder Expectation and Expected Delivery Value
In this podcast episode, Mo Villagran, Associate Director of Insights, Analytics, and Data at Cambrex and author of 'Data Insights Delivered', shares her…
The Tech TrekAligning Personal, Team, and Company Goals
This podcast episode features Gregg Altschul, the Vice President of Technology at FanDuel. The discussion focuses on aligning personal, team, and company goals…
The Tech TrekGaining Competitive Advantage with Machine Learning and GenAI
In this podcast episode, Otkrist Gupta, VP of Research and Development at LendBuzz, talks about the process he utilizes to evaluate machine learning (ML)…
The Tech TrekTurning Data Into Real Business Impact
In this episode, Amir welcomes Barb Wixom, Principal Research Scientist at MIT Sloan’s Center for Information Systems Research, to unpack what data…
The Tech TrekExploring the Impact of Domain Expertise in Data Science
In this podcast episode, Naomi Yudanin, the Director of Medical Data at Munich Re, discusses the relevance of domain-specific data science expertise. She…
The Tech TrekNew capabilities and extending your technical impact
The podcast features Suresh Martha, Head of Data-Driven Innovation and Analytics at EMD Serono, discussing extending technical impact, particularly in AI and…
The Tech TrekUsing Data to Improve the Patient Journey
In this podcast episode, Amir interviews John O'Toole, the Senior Director of Data Analytics at Tendo, a software-first company specializing in improving…
The Tech TrekLeveraging AI in the Insurance Industry
In this episode, Amir Bormand talks to Will Ross, the CEO and co-founder of Federato, about how insurance companies are adopting AI. They discuss the…
The Tech TrekThe Impact of Data on the Insurance Industry
In this episode, Jason Ash, Chief of Data at Symetra, joins the podcast to discuss the transformation happening within the insurance industry. He highlights…
The Tech TrekBuilding a Vision for Data and Delivering Value
In this episode, Vineeth Loganathan, the Director of Machine Learning at ViralGains, discusses building a successful data program. He explores the importance…
The Tech TrekData Strategy Fails Without Business Alignment
In this episode, Amir Bormand sits down with Clay Callaway, Director of Operations Data Insights & Analytics at Delta Dental of California, to unpack a…
The Tech TrekHiring Your First Head of People
On this podcast episode, Amir Bormand interviews Madeline Minshew, the Vice President of Culture at True Ventures. They discuss the importance of hiring your…
The Tech TrekSoftware is Eating the World and AI is Accelerating It
In this episode, Amir Bormand interviews Tariq Shaukat, co-CEO at Sonar, about the impact of software and AI on companies. They discuss how every company wants…