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PODCAST

The Tech Trek

The Tech Trek explores how engineering leaders build teams that deliver real outcomes. The show looks at the connection between people, impact, and technology, and how that relationship is changing fast with data and AI now at the center of every product and company. Hosted by Amir Bormand, founder of Elevano, the show features CTOs, VPs of Engineering, heads of data, and technical leaders who have built and scaled teams in high pressure environments. They share the decisions that shaped their

technology

All Episodes

00:29:33

It’s Not the Idea, It’s the Execution

The Tech Trek ·

2025/05/08

In this episode, Amir Bormand sits down with Andy White, CEO of ClosingLock, to talk through his journey from PhD engineer to startup founder. Andy shares the aha moment that launched ClosingLock, a cybersecurity-focused platform protecting real estate transactions, and offers a transparent look at the early struggles of building trust in a skeptical industry. From pitching title companies with Chick-fil-A to learning an entirely new domain from scratch, this is a story about execution, humility,

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00:34:30

From Blame to Belonging in Engineering Teams

The Tech Trek ·

2025/05/07

In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir Bormand talks with Jason Wells, Head of Engineering at BrowserBase, about building a high-performance culture rooted in trust, emotional intelligence, and psychological safety. Jason shares how his unconventional path—including a six-year break from tech—helped shape a management philosophy that puts human connection at the center of engineering leadership. From dismantling blame culture to fostering self-compassion and authentic feedback loops, Jason offers a

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00:22:37

Engineering the Next Energy Breakthrough

The Tech Trek ·

2025/05/06

In this episode, Amir Bormand sits down with Kieran Furlong, CEO and co-founder of Realta Fusion, to explore the unique path of a deep tech startup spun out of a university lab. They discuss building a fusion energy company, navigating complex stakeholder relationships with universities and government agencies, and keeping long-term mission-driven teams aligned. From licensing technology to managing a decade-long development cycle, this conversation reveals how Realta Fusion is working to change the

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00:26:24

Building Engineering Cultures That Deliver

The Tech Trek ·

2025/05/05

In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir sits down with Clark Downum, CTO at Redox, to unpack the deeper dynamics between engineering, product, and business stakeholders. From tech debt and project delays to culture, communication gaps, and delivery trade-offs—this conversation is a candid exploration of how technical teams can drive impact without getting stuck in process perfection.Whether you're a tech leader or aspiring one, this episode offers a fresh lens on ownership, expectation-setting,

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00:24:44

The Youngest in the Room and Still Leading It

The Tech Trek ·

2025/05/02

In this episode of The Tech Trek, Daniel Whatley, co-founder and technical lead at Vividly, shares his journey launching a startup while still a student at MIT. From managing college life during COVID to navigating the CPG industry's digital transformation, Daniel reflects on what it meant to be the youngest in the room, how he grew into executive leadership, and what he wishes he’d known before co-founding a company. A candid look at growth, grit, and the impact of youth in a traditional

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00:17:59

Engineering with Empathy — How to Lead Align and Grow

The Tech Trek ·

2025/05/01

In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir is joined by Jonathan Myron, VP of Engineering at Healthie, to dive into what it really takes to lead engineering teams inside startups. From aligning with founders' visions to building engineering cultures that thrive on autonomy and creativity, Jonathan shares hard-won lessons for engineers stepping into leadership. Whether you're building early-stage or scaling through growth, this episode delivers practical insights on driving value, developing team

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00:24:32

Winning Your First 90 Days as a Data Leader

The Tech Trek ·

2025/04/30

What should you really be asking during your interview as a tech leader? And once you land the role, how do you manage expectations, reduce technical debt, and make meaningful impact fast?In this episode, Justin Nguyen, Technology Director of Enterprise Data & Analytics at Home Depot, shares hard-won insights from his recent leadership transitions. From assessing team maturity to setting realistic AI expectations, we unpack the tactical and strategic moves leaders need to thrive in the first 180

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00:19:19

Hiring for Potential, Not Just Pedigree

The Tech Trek ·

2025/04/29

In this episode of The Tech Trek, Brendan Grove, CTO and co-founder at PrizeOut, shares how his non-traditional background shaped his leadership style and hiring philosophy. Brendan dives into how being curious, humble, and pattern-aware has helped him scale teams and solve complex problems. He also unpacks how hiring for core traits like learning velocity and ownership can outperform chasing resumes full of surface-level skills. We also discuss tech debt, decision-making frameworks, and the role of

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00:24:08

Navigating Leadership at Every Stage

The Tech Trek ·

2025/04/28

In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir sits down with Ronak Vyas, Co-Founder and CTO of Lead Bank, to explore how leadership principles remain constant even as the problems — and companies — change. Ronak shares lessons from leading at Yahoo, Square, and now founding a fintech bank, reflecting on how to adjust to new environments, make high-stakes decisions, and transition from engineering leader to startup founder. If you’re a technology professional considering leadership or even starting your own

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00:20:46

Scaling with Purpose: Building the Future of Green...

The Tech Trek ·

2025/04/25

In this episode, Marty Neese, CEO of Verdagy, joins Amir to unpack what it takes to scale a company in one of the most innovative and high-stakes industries—green hydrogen. From managing a purpose-driven culture to embracing failures as a strategic advantage, Marty shares insights on leading ambitious climate tech initiatives while staying grounded in economic reality. Whether you're in tech, energy, or just love solving complex problems, this one's for you.🔑 Key TakeawaysPurpose as a North

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00:24:16

Engineering Culture in an AI-First World

The Tech Trek ·

2025/04/24

In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir chats with Rob Williams, co-founder and CTO at Read AI, about what it truly means to be an AI-native company. Rob shares how Read AI uses its own tools internally, how his small but mighty engineering team balances speed and structure, and the evolving role of AI in productivity workflows. Whether you're building AI products or trying to adopt them effectively, this conversation offers a unique peek behind the curtain of a startup navigating the future of

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00:24:00

Building Culture Through Unreasonable Hospitality

The Tech Trek ·

2025/04/23

In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir sits down with Abhi Sharma, CEO and Co-Founder of Relyance AI, to unpack the philosophy of "unreasonable hospitality"—a framework for building unforgettable customer and team experiences. From small gestures like a humidifier in the interview room to culture-embedded rituals, Abhi reveals how this principle fuels trust, retention, and performance at every level. If you're building teams or scaling a company, this one is packed with actionable

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00:27:17

Find Your Edge in a Crowded Market

The Tech Trek ·

2025/04/22

In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir sits down with Sasha Gainullin, CEO of Battleface, to explore how focusing on a small, underserved niche in the travel insurance industry unlocked global opportunity. Sasha shares how Battleface used in-house technology to revolutionize the outdated travel insurance model, expanding from serving adventure travelers to powering major partners through their service platform, Robin Assist. This is a conversation about focus, customer empathy, and tech-driven

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00:23:20

Behind the Uptime: How AI Keeps the Internet Running

The Tech Trek ·

2025/04/21

In this episode, Amir Bormand sits down with Tony Speller, Division SVP of Technical Operations and Engineering at Comcast, to explore how AI is quietly but powerfully transforming the customer and employee experience at one of the world’s largest media and technology companies. From self-healing network devices to predictive outage detection, Tony walks us through Comcast’s internal innovation playbook—blending in-house AI solutions with strategic partnerships. Whether you’re a technologist,

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00:28:18

Building AI Agents with Purpose

The Tech Trek ·

2025/04/18

In this episode, Amir sits down with Nirman Dave, co-founder and CEO of Zams, an enterprise AI platform built to help businesses design and deploy AI agents with ease. They dive into Nirman's founding story—launching during the pandemic, navigating the evolution of the AI ecosystem, and the unique challenges of maintaining customer focus amid shifting trends and rising competition. Nirman also shares lessons from pitching investors, building trust with customers, and the art of product

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00:24:56

Building Emotionally Intelligent AI

The Tech Trek ·

2025/04/17

In this episode of The Tech Trek, I sit down with Artem Rodichev, Founder & CEO of Ex-Human, to explore the emerging world of empathetic generative AI. We discuss how today’s LLMs fall short on emotional intelligence and how Ex-Human is building AI that can emotionally connect with users. Artem shares the vision behind their product Botify AI, its real-world applications—from gaming and education to mental health—and the crucial role of guardrails in ensuring safe, ethical AI development.🔑 Key

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00:24:53

Finding the Good: Building Product Teams with Intent

The Tech Trek ·

2025/04/16

What does it mean to find out what your team is actually good at—and how do you use that insight to grow, scale, and lead effectively?In this episode, Amir sits down with Pallavi Pal, Head of Product at Grata, to unpack the nuanced art of identifying strengths within product teams. From hiring with purpose to fostering technical and soft skills, Pallavi shares how she built her team from the ground up and established a culture of collaboration and excellence. Whether you’re a product leader,

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00:22:13

From Spy Dreams to Startup CEO: A Founder’s Journey

The Tech Trek ·

2025/04/15

In this episode, Amir sits down with Zach Barney, Co-founder and CEO of Mobly, the system of record for event marketers. Zach’s story takes us from his early ambitions of joining the NSA to a career-altering injury, a serendipitous fall into sales, and eventually the founding of Mobly. This episode explores not only the career pivots that led Zach to entrepreneurship, but also the mental, financial, and strategic challenges he faced along the way.If you’ve ever thought about switching paths or

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00:21:48

Engineering Leadership: Driving Business Outcomes...

The Tech Trek ·

2025/04/10

Join us in this insightful conversation with Eric Valasek as we explore the crucial relationship between CEOs, product teams, and engineering leaders. Eric shares his expertise on managing prioritization, strategic tech debt, and ensuring engineering teams stay focused and insulated amidst business dynamics.Key Takeaways:Balance is Crucial: A company's success depends heavily on balancing business goals, product demands, and engineering capabilities.Strategic Tech Debt: Not all tech debt is

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00:29:28

Exploring Open Source AI

The Tech Trek ·

2025/04/09

In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir Bormand sits down with Shang Wang, Co-founder and CTO of CentML, to explore the dynamic landscape of open source AI technologies and how enterprises are rapidly adapting to this growing ecosystem. Shang offers expert insights into why open source solutions are becoming essential in AI development, the advantages in security and privacy, and how CentML strategically contributes to this evolution.🌟 Key Takeaways:Open Source Dominance in AI: Open-source

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