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PODCAST

The Tech Trek

The Tech Trek is a podcast for founders, builders, and operators who are in the arena building world class tech companies. Host Amir Bormand sits down with the people responsible for product, engineering, data, and growth and digs into how they ship, who they hire, and what they do when things break. If you want a clear view into how modern startups really get built, from first line of code to traction and scale, this show takes you inside the work.

technology

All Episodes

00:23:50

The Leadership Blueprint: Building High-Performing...

The Tech Trek ·

2025/03/21

In this episode, Vijay Sankararaman breaks down how to intentionally build a low-churn, high-impact team culture. Whether you’re a tech leader, manager, or individual contributor aiming to level up your leadership skills, Vijay shares tangible lessons and frameworks to keep your team motivated, productive, and resilient—without sacrificing authenticity.📚 Lessons & Leadership TakeawaysLesson 1: Crafting Vision That Sticks"Am I valued?" — the question every team member subconsciously

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00:20:39

Tech Leader’s Guide: Building Data Products

The Tech Trek ·

2025/03/20

In this episode, Amir sits down with Santhosh Kumar, Head of Data at Trepp, to unpack the evolving world of Data as a Product. Data is no longer just a support function—it’s becoming a core business driver. Santhosh shares how data teams are embracing a product-oriented approach, aligning closely with business goals while mirroring software engineering practices.If you’ve ever wondered:How data can be treated like a shippable productWhat mindset shifts data teams needAnd how collaboration between

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00:22:47

From Finance to Founding a Tech Startup

The Tech Trek ·

2025/03/19

In this episode, Amir sits down with Trevor Lee, Co-founder and CEO of Myko AI, to unpack his unconventional leap from the finance world to building a cutting-edge tech company. Trevor shares how he navigated leaving a comfortable corporate job, using an MBA to break into tech, and the iterative process of finding product-market fit, including pivotal moments and lessons learned while bootstrapping and scaling his business.🔥 Key Takeaways:Trust Your Gut & Bet on Yourself: Trevor realized early

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00:24:53

How to Be an Effective CTO: A Guide to Balancing...

The Tech Trek ·

2025/03/18

In this episode, Amir is joined by Sachin Nene to explore what it really takes to thrive as a modern CTO. Sachin shares actionable strategies for balancing vision and execution, managing relationships with CEOs and fellow executives, and staying relatable and credible with engineering teams. They dive deep into the challenges of expectation management, engineering metrics, and how AI tools like LLMs are reshaping the future of engineering leadership.Whether you're already in a leadership role or

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00:23:56

Why AI Adoption Fails & How to Fix It

The Tech Trek ·

2025/03/17

In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir Bormand sits down with Nirmal Ranganathan, CTO, Global Public Cloud at Rackspace, to dissect one of the hottest and most crucial topics in today’s tech landscape—trust in AI applications. They explore how enterprises can drive adoption of AI solutions, what key factors are needed to foster trust, and why guardrails, security, and change management play a pivotal role. Whether you're a developer, tech leader, or AI enthusiast, this episode dives deep into

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00:29:59

How to Drive Gen AI Experimentation and Adoption

The Tech Trek ·

2025/03/14

In this episode, we dive into the real-world experimentation of Generative AI (Gen AI) with Naveed Asem. Naveed shares his hands-on experience in identifying, testing, and scaling AI-driven solutions. We discuss how organizations should approach experimentation, set success metrics, manage stakeholders, and navigate governance challenges.If your company is exploring Gen AI or struggling with moving AI pilots to production, this episode is packed with insights to help you move forward.Key Takeaways🔹

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00:28:44

The Engineering Leader’s Guide to Purpose-Driven Teams

The Tech Trek ·

2025/03/13

In this episode, Amir Bormand sits down with Jeremy Goldsmith, VP of Engineering at Branch, to explore leading with purpose and how it impacts engineering teams. Jeremy shares his philosophy on leadership, the psychology behind motivation, and how connecting individual contributions to a larger purpose can unlock potential and drive performance.This conversation is a must-listen for engineering leaders, tech managers, and individual contributors who want to cultivate a stronger sense of purpose in

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00:21:45

The CTO’s Guide to Special Projects & Emerging Tech

The Tech Trek ·

2025/03/12

In this episode, I sit down with Nate Sullivan, the CTO at Academia.edu, to discuss technology strategy and special projects. Nate shares insights on identifying and prioritizing emerging technologies, balancing innovation with business needs, and collaborating with product teams to drive impactful technical advancements.Key TakeawaysThe Role of a CTO in Special ProjectsNate focuses on exploring technologies a few quarters ahead while aligning them with business strategy.Balancing Exploration with

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00:27:06

Rethinking Deadlines: Building Happier, More...

The Tech Trek ·

2025/03/11

Join Amir Bormand in a captivating discussion with Anand Madhavan, VP of Engineering at Everlaw, as they explore innovative development models, the art of integrating into new company cultures, and why Everlaw prioritizes quality code over strict deadlines. Anand reveals how Everlaw's unconventional engineering practices cultivate a sustainable, high-quality development environment focused on long-term success.Key Takeaways:Embracing a Unique Development Model:Everlaw's "no

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00:28:14

How Agentic AI is Transforming Enterprise Knowledge

The Tech Trek ·

2025/03/10

In this episode, Amir Bormand welcomes Scott Persinger, CEO of Supercog AI, to discuss the rise of agentic AI and its applications in modern businesses. They explore the evolving role of AI agents in knowledge management, team collaboration, and enterprise automation, particularly in environments like Slack. The conversation delves into how AI is reshaping work, privacy and ethical considerations, and the future of human-AI collaboration.Key Takeaways🔹 Agentic AI vs. Traditional AI – Agentic AI

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00:25:51

The Founder’s Playbook: Ideas, Validation, Failure &...

The Tech Trek ·

2025/03/07

In this episode, Amir Bormand chats with Jake Moshenko about his journey from engineer to founder, the challenges of identifying the right startup ideas, and navigating both venture capital and bootstrapping. They also discuss decision-making, failure, and the growing role of AI in authorization systems.Key TakeawaysTurning an Idea into a Startup: Jake emphasizes the importance of picking the right problems to solve—ones that are painful, widely felt, and worth paying for.The "Muscle" of

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00:21:18

Integrating Gen AI into Engineering

The Tech Trek ·

2025/03/06

In this episode, Srini Rajagopal joins us to discuss how Generative AI (Gen AI) is transforming the engineering landscape. We explore the challenges of integrating AI into legacy products vs. building AI-first solutions from the ground up, the impact on developer productivity, and how teams prioritize AI-driven innovation while bringing stakeholders along for the ride.🔹 How should engineering teams think about AI adoption?🔹 Where do AI-driven efficiencies actually go?🔹 What does success look like

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00:29:07

Simplifying Data Governance

The Tech Trek ·

2025/03/05

In this episode, Amir Bormand is joined by Jay Como to discuss how organizations can simplify data governance. Jay shares insights on shifting the perception of governance from a bureaucratic burden to a business enabler, how emerging technologies like Gen AI can assist in governance challenges, and strategies for making governance policies more effective and accessible.🔑 Key TakeawaysData Governance Has a Stigma – But It Can Be OvercomeTraditional governance has been slow and bureaucratic. The key

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00:23:57

Engineering Excellence: Culture, Metrics, and...

The Tech Trek ·

2025/03/04

In this episode, Amir Bormand sits down with Ganesh Datta, Co-founder & CTO of Cortex, to dive deep into engineering excellence—what it means, how to measure it, and how to build it into the culture of a technology organization. They explore product thinking, shared standards, accountability, and continuous improvement, as well as the challenges of maintaining excellence across different types of companies.Whether you're an engineering leader or a developer striving for high standards, this

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00:30:31

Bringing Gen AI to Highly Secure Enterprises

The Tech Trek ·

2025/02/28

Artificial intelligence is moving beyond proofs-of-concept and into real-world production—but how do you make it work in highly secure environments? In this episode, Ben Van Roo, CEO & Co-Founder of Yurts, joins Amir Bormand to discuss the challenges of implementing Gen AI in government, financial institutions, and enterprises with strict security requirements.Ben breaks down why 2024 is the year of POCs, but 2025 will be the year of production, the biggest "gotchas" companies face

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00:22:15

Operationalizing Gen AI

The Tech Trek ·

2025/02/27

In this episode, we dive deep into getting the right results from Gen AI with Timm Peddie, an expert in operationalizing AI at scale. We discuss the common pitfalls companies face, what "right results" actually mean, and how organizations can effectively implement Gen AI solutions. Timm shares practical strategies for AI adoption, the importance of rapid failure, and how companies can avoid costly mistakes.🔍 Key Topics Covered:✔️ Defining "Operationalizing Gen AI" and why it’s

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00:25:16

Balancing Leadership and Execution: How to Thrive in...

The Tech Trek ·

2025/02/26

In this episode, I sit down with Varun Madan, Head of Engineering at OneHouse, to discuss how startups must operate with slimmer margins—both in decision-making and execution. We dive into the high-stakes hiring process, balancing efficiency with impact, managing context switching, and transitioning between IC and leadership roles.Key Takeaways:✅ Hiring at a startup requires extreme precision. Every hire matters, and balancing speed vs. fit is key to avoiding costly mistakes.✅ Prioritization is

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00:23:32

Execution Over Titles: The Mindset That Drives Career...

The Tech Trek ·

2025/02/25

In this episode, I sit down with Wade Bruce, CTO of Fetch, to explore his journey from engineer to CTO. We dive into what it takes to grow into a leadership role, how to create influence, and why focusing on value over titles leads to career progression. Wade shares his unique perspective on filling gaps within a company, playing "free," and embracing challenges without the fear of failure.If you're in tech and aspiring to level up your career—whether you're an engineer, manager,

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00:25:10

How You Can Fund Your Startup Without Venture Capital

The Tech Trek ·

2025/02/20

In this episode, Jeremy Whittington shares his journey of building a startup without relying on traditional venture capital. Instead, he leveraged alternative funding paths, including government grants and accelerators. We dive deep into the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, the I-Corps program, and how startups can secure non-dilutive funding to kickstart their business. If you're an entrepreneur looking for funding beyond VC, this episode is for you!Key Takeaways:🔹 SBIR Grants

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00:29:19

Engineering Without Borders

The Tech Trek ·

2025/02/19

In this episode, we dive into blurring engineering lines, full-stack engineering, and the evolving role of software engineers in a rapidly changing landscape. Sahil shares insights on how generative AI is reshaping engineering, the shift towards problem-solving over-specialization, and how teams can optimize for speed and business value.Key Takeaways:🔹 Blurring Engineering Roles: Traditional engineering roles (frontend, backend, DevOps) are blending, leading to more end-to-end ownership. Engineers

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623 results

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