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PODCAST

The Tech Trek

The Tech Trek is a podcast about how modern technology companies are actually built, with a focus on AI, data, platform, and engineering leadership. Host Amir Bormand talks with founders, CTOs, and technical operators about building products, scaling teams, and making the decisions that shape fast-growing companies.

technology

All Episodes

00:30:04

The Future of Voice AI

The Tech Trek ·

2025/09/17

Russ d’Sa, founder and CEO of LiveKit, joins the show to unpack the rise of voice AI and what it means for how we interact with technology. From the shift away from static decision trees to dynamic, LLM-powered systems, Russ explains why voice is emerging as one of the most natural interfaces for humans—and one of the most disruptive opportunities for builders. This episode goes beyond surface-level hype to explore real-world use cases, infrastructure shifts, and what’s coming next as voice moves

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00:30:54

From Prototype to Production

The Tech Trek ·

2025/09/16

Sumit Arora, VP of Advanced Technology at Ascend Learning, joins the show to unpack the real challenges of turning AI prototypes into production-ready systems. From managing non-deterministic outputs to rethinking the relationship between engineering and product, Sumit shares hard-earned lessons on what it actually takes to build AI that works at scale. If you’re navigating how to move beyond experiments and deliver AI products that stick, this episode will give you a clear look at the path

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00:36:51

From Sales Leader to Startup CEO

The Tech Trek ·

2025/09/15

Sean McCarthy, co-founder and CEO of BackOps, shares how a career in sales prepared him to build an AI-driven logistics company from the ground up. In this episode, Sean reveals how observing real-world pain points at Amazon inspired BackOps’ mission and why coming from a non-technical background can actually be a founder’s advantage. This is a conversation about scaling, selling, and leading with insight — perfect for anyone thinking about making the leap from operator to founder.Key TakeawaysWhy

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00:36:02

AI Is a Journey, Not a Destination

The Tech Trek ·

2025/09/12

Dmitri Sedov, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Allvue, joins to explore why transformation isn’t a destination but an ongoing journey. He shares how financial services are navigating the current wave of AI, what it means to balance short-term expectations with long-term strategy, and why open, modular ecosystems are critical to staying competitive. This conversation goes beyond buzzwords to uncover how leaders can embrace change without getting lost in it.Key Takeaways• Transformation isn’t about

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00:25:15

Can Tech Make Work Feel Less Like Work?

The Tech Trek ·

2025/09/11

What if the key to real work-life balance isn’t about escaping work, but transforming it into your outlet for curiosity and passion? In this episode, Hassaan Raza, co-founder and CEO of Tavus, explores how technology is removing friction in our daily lives and why teaching machines to be more human could unlock new levels of creativity, accessibility, and balance. From redefining what “work you love” actually means to the role AI will play in democratizing opportunity, this conversation challenges

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00:25:22

Evolving as a Founder

The Tech Trek ·

2025/09/10

Dane Atkinson, CEO and founder of Odeko, joins the show to unpack the reality of evolving as a founder. He shares why the first idea you start with rarely survives, how to know when it’s time to pivot, and why anchoring on a mission instead of a product keeps you in the game. This conversation dives into frameworks for making hard calls, the messy middle of startup life, and what it really takes to endure as a multi-time founder.Key Takeaways• Your first idea probably won’t be the one that

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00:32:02

A Day in the Life of a Startup CTO

The Tech Trek ·

2025/09/09

What does a day in the life of a startup CTO really look like? Mo El Mahallawy, CTO and co-founder of Shepherd, shares the unfiltered journey from being engineer number one to leading a 50-person Series A company. He opens up about the hardest phases of building, what shifts as your company scales, and how he manages energy, priorities, and mental health along the way. This episode is a practical playbook for any founder, CTO, or tech leader navigating growth.Key Takeaways• The early days as a

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00:24:57

Scaling Without a Roadmap in Fast-Moving Markets

The Tech Trek ·

2025/09/08

What does it take to build a startup in a space where the ground shifts every 90 days? Rahul Sonwalkar, founder and CEO of Julius AI, joins the show to share how he navigates product market fit, resource constraints, and constant model evolution while scaling an AI-first company. Instead of relying on long-term roadmaps, Rahul runs Julius with rapid feedback loops, deep user focus, and a mindset that every team member contributes to AI development. This conversation is a playbook for founders and

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00:26:49

How Tech Is Transforming Elderly Care

The Tech Trek ·

2025/09/05

Matt Lynch, CTO and co-founder of Sage, joins the show to share how his team is using modern technology to transform elderly care. From rethinking outdated nurse call systems to capturing real-time data that improves both patient safety and caregiver retention, Matt breaks down the technical and human challenges of modernizing this critical industry. This is a story of mission-driven innovation, scale, and the surprising role data plays in quality of life.Key Takeaways• The aging population is

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00:27:29

Should Startups Stay in Stealth?

The Tech Trek ·

2025/09/04

What does it really mean to build in stealth—and when does it help or hurt? In this episode, Amir sits down with Yoni Michael, co-founder of Typedef, an AI infrastructure startup that recently came out of stealth. Yoni shares why his team chose to stay under the radar early on, how they balanced secrecy with customer discovery, and the lessons they learned about finding product-market fit in a noisy AI landscape. If you’re a founder or tech leader navigating early-stage strategy, this conversation

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00:25:10

Where Software Meets Hardware

The Tech Trek ·

2025/09/03

Simone Kalmakis, VP of Engineering at Viam, joins the show to share what it takes to lead teams that bridge hardware and software in the robotics space. With a background in software and machine learning, she now manages engineers with expertise ranging from code to mechanical systems. Simone talks about how she fosters collaboration across disciplines, adapts her leadership style, and keeps her teams aligned while building cutting-edge robotics solutions. If you want to understand what it’s really

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00:32:11

What “Data-Driven” Really Means

The Tech Trek ·

2025/09/02

What does it really mean to be data-driven? Mark Gergess, VP of Data and BI at DoubleVerify, joins the show to unpack how data teams can go beyond dashboards to drive meaningful business action. From building an internal consulting lens to evaluating the latest AI tools, Mark shares how his team translates complex data flows into measurable revenue impact. If you’ve ever wrestled with the gap between insights and outcomes, this conversation will hit home.Key Takeaways• Being data-driven is about

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00:27:23

How Gen Z Leaders Think Differently

The Tech Trek ·

2025/08/29

Teddy Solomon, co-founder and CEO of Fizz, joins the show to share his journey from Stanford dropout to leading one of the fastest-growing Gen Z social platforms. In this conversation, Teddy breaks down what it’s like to learn leadership on the fly, the misconceptions around Gen Z founders, and how he’s scaling a product used by 95% of students at some of the top universities in the country. His story is a rare look at what it takes to build, adapt, and lead with composure at a young age.Key

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00:24:02

AI vs Human Nature: The Security Dilemma

The Tech Trek ·

2025/08/28

Desiree Lee, one of the Business CTOs at Armis, joins Amir to unpack one of the toughest realities in cybersecurity: the biggest risks aren’t always technical, they’re human. From phishing and deepfakes to the way AI is reshaping both attackers’ and defenders’ playbooks, Desiree shares hard-won insights on what companies should actually prioritize. If you’re a tech leader navigating the expanding attack surface, this episode will sharpen how you think about security in the AI era.Key Takeaways• Most

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00:28:36

The New Rules of Mobile Development

The Tech Trek ·

2025/08/27

Chris Ghanbarzadeh, Senior Director of Engineering at Game Changer, joins the show to unpack the shifting landscape of mobile development. From balancing quality with speed to navigating the rise of AI-assisted engineering, Chris shares how teams can adapt to new tools, methodologies, and user expectations. If you’re building mobile products—or leading teams that do—this conversation will sharpen how you think about stability, velocity, and the future of software development.Key Takeaways• Why

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00:24:38

Why Legacy Security Can’t Protect AI

The Tech Trek ·

2025/08/26

Moinul Khan, co-founder and CEO of Aurascape, joins the show to unpack what it takes to build a cybersecurity startup in the age of AI. With decades of experience at companies like Zscaler, Palo Alto Networks, and FireEye, Moinul shares why AI demands an entirely new security stack, how agentic AI is changing the game, and why prevention—not dashboards—must be at the heart of real solutions. If you’re a tech leader navigating the future of AI and security, this is a conversation you won’t want to

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00:32:49

Real Lessons on Moving Up in Tech Leadership

The Tech Trek ·

2025/08/25

Cat Miller, CTPO of Talkiatry, shares her unconventional path from coding to leadership, including a detour into acting before rising into executive roles. She talks candidly about the realities of building a tech career you actually want, navigating transitions from engineering to management, and what it takes to succeed at the VP and C-level. This conversation is packed with lessons for anyone in tech who’s asking themselves, “What’s next for me?”Key Takeaways• Career paths in tech don’t have to

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00:23:09

The Founder’s Path Is Never Straight

The Tech Trek ·

2025/08/22

What does it take to reimagine how hardware products are built in a world moving at the speed of AI? Michael Corr, founder and CEO of Duro, shares how he turned two decades of experience in engineering and manufacturing into a modern platform that helps hardware teams move faster and smarter. From journaling early product ideas to navigating the relentless pace of innovation, Michael reveals what it really means to be a founder when the path is anything but straight.Key takeaways• Why traditional

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00:28:07

The Future of Money: AI Economics Explained

The Tech Trek ·

2025/08/21

Sean Neville, co-founder and CEO of Catena Labs (and co-founder of Circle), joins the show to explore the rise of AI economics and what it means for the future of payments, trust, and financial systems. From stable coins powering machine-to-machine transactions to identity layers for AI actors, Sean unpacks the building blocks that could reshape how value flows online. This episode is for anyone curious about the intersection of AI, crypto, and the next era of digital finance.Key Takeaways• AI

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00:23:42

Why This Ex-Wall Street Banker Left It All to Build...

The Tech Trek ·

2025/08/20

Sara Wyman, founder and CEO of Stackpack, joins me to share her journey from investment banking and a Wharton MBA to launching a company that’s redefining how finance and operations teams manage vendors. From surviving the Bear Stearns collapse to scaling Etsy and Affirm through IPOs, Sara’s career has been built on spotting patterns and acting with conviction. In this episode, she breaks down how she validated her idea with 75 CFOs before writing a line of code, why timing and conviction matter

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