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PODCAST

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.

technology

All Episodes

00:30:12

Turning Compliance Into Product

The Tech Trek ·

2026/01/26

Deborah Hanus, Co-founder and CEO at Sparrow, joins Amir to unpack the founder journey from academia to building a scaled company. They dig into why leave management is still a messy, high stakes problem, and how Sparrow is turning it into a clean, guided experience for both HR and employees.Sparrow helps companies provide employee leave across the United States and Canada, and Deborah shares what it really takes to scale a compliance driven business without slowing down. From founder resilience and

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00:24:31

Why Insurance Is a Goldmine for AI and Data

The Tech Trek ·

2026/01/23

Max Bruner, Founder and CEO of Anzen, joins Amir Bormand to break down why insurance is quietly one of the biggest data and workflow opportunities in tech right now. They dig into Max’s unconventional path from foreign policy to building an executive liability marketplace, and what it really takes to modernize a slow moving industry with AI.If you care about building in real world markets, scaling with discipline, and using AI for more than content, this one will sharpen your thinking fast. Key

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00:29:12

Defending Against Bots At Scale

The Tech Trek ·

2026/01/22

Stu Solomon, CEO of HUMAN, joins Amir to unpack a blind spot most teams underestimate: a huge share of online activity is not people at all, it is automated traffic. They break down how verification really works at internet scale, why agentic workflows change the rules, and what it will take to build trust when bots transact with bots.If you have ever wondered how fraud, fake clicks, account abuse, and synthetic behavior get caught in real time, this episode is a clear, practical look behind the

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00:26:11

Trust but Verify, How Great Tech Leaders Delegate

The Tech Trek ·

2026/01/21

Mek Stittri, CTO at Stuut, breaks down a leadership skill that sounds simple but gets messy fast, trust, then verify. You will learn how to delegate without losing control, how to stay close to the work without becoming a micromanager, and how AI is changing what it means to review and own technical outcomes. Key takeaways• Trust and verify starts with alignment, define success clearly, then keep a real line of sight to outcomes• Verification is not micromanagement, it is accountability, your team’s

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00:23:24

Insurance is really just a big data problem

The Tech Trek ·

2026/01/20

Michael Topol, Co-founder and Co-CEO at MGT Insurance, explains why insurance is quietly becoming one of the most interesting data and AI problems in tech.We get practical about turning messy legacy data into usable signals, how agentic tools change decision making, and why culture and team design matter as much as the models.MGT Insurance is building a fully verticalized AI and agentic native insurance company for small businesses, pairing experienced insurance operators with top tier

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00:25:54

How VCs Really Pick Winners in Open Source and AI

The Tech Trek ·

2026/01/19

Marco DeMeireles, co founder and managing partner at ANSA, breaks down how a modern VC firm wins by being focused, data driven, and allergic to hype. If you want a clearer view of how investors evaluate open source, mission critical industries, and AI categories, this is a practical, operator minded look behind the curtain. Marco explains ANSA’s focus on what they call undercover markets, from open source and open core businesses to defense, intelligence, cybersecurity, healthcare IT, and

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00:28:51

AI That Actually Improves Customer Experience

The Tech Trek ·

2026/01/16

AI is everywhere, but most teams are stuck talking about efficiency and headcount. In this episode, Dave Edelman, executive advisor and best selling author, shares a sharper lens, how to use AI to create real customer value and real growth.We get into the high road vs low road of AI, what personalization should look like now, and why data has to become an enterprise asset, not a bunch of disconnected departmental files.Key Takeaways• Efficiency is table stakes, the real win is using AI to build new

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00:25:03

The New Go To Market Playbook

The Tech Trek ·

2026/01/15

Amanda Kahlow, CEO and founder of 1Mind, joins Amir to break down what AI changes in modern sales and go to market, and what it does not. If you lead revenue, product, or growth, this is a practical look at where AI creates leverage today, where humans still matter, and how teams actually adopt it without chaos.Amanda shares how “go to market superhumans” can handle everything from early buyer conversations to demos, sales engineering support, and customer success. They also dig into trust,

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00:30:12

Students Run This 100M Venture Fund

The Tech Trek ·

2026/01/14

What if the best people on your investing team are still in college? Peter Harris, Partner at University Growth Fund, breaks down how they run a roughly 100 million dollar venture fund with 50 to 60 students doing real diligence, real founder calls, and real deal work.You will hear how their student led model stays disciplined with checks and balances, why repeat games matter in venture and in business, and how this approach creates a flywheel that helps founders, investors, and the next generation

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00:24:34

Remote Surgical Robotics Is Coming Faster Than You Think

The Tech Trek ·

2026/01/13

Yulun Wang, executive chairman and co founder at Sovato Health, joins Amir Bormand to unpack the next wave after telemedicine, procedural care at a distance. If you have ever wondered what it would take for a top surgeon to operate without being in the same room, this conversation gets practical fast, from the real bottlenecks inside operating rooms to the health system changes required to make remote robotics mainstream.Key takeaways• Better care can actually cost less when the right expertise

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00:28:58

From AI Pilot to Production

The Tech Trek ·

2026/01/12

Moiz Kohari, VP of Enterprise AI and Data Intelligence at DDN, breaks down what it actually takes to get AI into production and keep it there. If your org is stuck in pilot mode, this conversation will help you spot the real blockers, from trust and hallucinations to data architecture and GPU bottlenecks.Key takeaways• GenAI success in the enterprise is less about the demo and more about trust, accuracy, and knowing when the system should say “I don’t know.”• “Operationalizing” usually fails at the

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00:20:35

The Right Way to Lead in Your First 90 Days

The Tech Trek ·

2026/01/09

New leaders face a choice fast. Do you adapt to the organization you inherit, or reshape it around the way you lead?In this conversation, Amir sits down with Gian Perrone, engineering leader at Nav, to unpack how org design really works in the first 30 to 120 days, and how to drive change without spiking anxiety or losing trust.You will hear how Gian treats leadership as triage, why “listen and learn” is rarely passive, and what separates a thoughtful reorg from one that feels chaotic.Key

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00:28:11

How to Ship AI Agents Fast Without Breaking Everything

The Tech Trek ·

2026/01/08

Nir Soudry, Head of R&D at 7AI, breaks down how teams can move from early experimentation to real production work fast, without shipping chaos. If you are building AI features or agent workflows, this conversation is a practical look at speed, safety, and what it actually takes to earn customer trust.Nir shares how 7AI ships in tight loops with a real customer in mind, why pushing decisions closer to the engineers removes bottlenecks, and how guardrails and evaluation keep fast releases from

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00:27:13

Why Pricing Breaks as You Scale

The Tech Trek ·

2026/01/07

B2B pricing is still way harder than it should be, even in 2026. In this conversation, Tina Kung, Founder and CTO at Nue.ai, breaks down why quote to revenue can take weeks, and how a flexible pricing engine can turn it into something closer to one click.You will hear how fast changing pricing models, AI driven products, and new selling motions are forcing revenue teams to rethink the entire system, not just one tool in the stack.Key takeaways• B2B quoting is basically a shopping cart, but the real

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00:26:51

Physical AI in Farming, Autonomy That Actually Pays Off

The Tech Trek ·

2026/01/06

Tim Bucher, CEO and cofounder of Agtonomy, joins Amir to break down what physical AI looks like when it leaves the lab and shows up on the farm. Tim shares how his sixth generation farming roots and a lucky intro computer science class led to a career that included Microsoft, Apple, and Dell, then back into agriculture with a mission that hits the real world fast.This conversation is about building tech that earns its keep, delivers clear ROI, and improves quality of life for the people who keep the

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00:22:43

The Simple Framework to Pick AI Projects That...

The Tech Trek ·

2026/01/05

Data and AI are everywhere right now, but most teams are still guessing where to start. In this episode, Cameran Hetrick, VP of Data and Insights at BetterUp, breaks down what actually works when you move from AI hype to real business impact. You will hear a practical way to choose AI and analytics projects, how to spot low risk wins, and why clean, governed data still decides what is possible. Cameran also shares a simple mindset shift, stop copying broken workflows, and start rethinking the

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00:21:48

How To Hire Outlier Software Engineers

The Tech Trek ·

2025/12/30

Yogi Goel, cofounder and CEO of Maxima AI, breaks down how he hires outlier talent, people who think like future founders and thrive when the plan changes fast. We get practical on what to look for beyond pedigree, how to assess it without relying on easy resume signals, and how culture scales when your team doubles.Yogi also shares what Maxima AI is building, an agentic platform for enterprise accounting that automates day to day operations and month end work, and why the best teams win by pairing

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00:26:03

From Big Tech to Startup Founder, What Changes Fast

The Tech Trek ·

2025/12/29

Chandan Lodha, Co-founder at CoinTracker, joins Amir Bormand to unpack the real shift from big tech to building your own company. From Harvard to Google to Y Combinator, Chandan shares what pushed him to take the leap, how he found the right idea, and what he had to unlearn to lead at startup speed.This conversation is for builders and leaders who want to grow faster, ship faster, and build teams that can actually execute.Key Takeaways• The early career advantage is learning velocity, optimize for

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00:32:03

Engineering for EBITDA and the Private Equity Playbook

The Tech Trek ·

2025/12/23

Joel Dolisy, CTO at WellSky, joins the podcast to reveal why organizational design is the ultimate "operating system" for scaling tech companies. This conversation is a deep dive into how engineering leaders must adapt their strategies when moving between the hyper growth of Venture Capital and the disciplined profitability of Private Equity.Building a high performing team is about much more than just hiring. Joel explains the necessity of maximizing the "multiplier effect" where

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00:24:20

Why Your AI Strategy Will Fail Without A Business Plan

The Tech Trek ·

2025/12/22

Stop chasing shiny objects and start driving real business outcomes. Marathon Health CTO Venkat Chittoor joins the show to explain why AI is the ultimate enabler for digital transformation but only when it is anchored by a rock solid business strategy. Essential Insights for Tech LeadersAI is not a standalone strategy. It is a powerful tool to accelerate a pre-existing business North Star. Success in digital transformation follows a specific maturity curve. Start with personal productivity, move to

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709 results

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