Orbit - An Hg software leadership podcast

Evan Goldberg of NetSuite: 3 decades and 2 platform shifts

23 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Evan Goldberg co-founded NetSuite in 1998 with a five-minute phone call to Larry Ellison when his "graphics stuff" wasn't going great. He pioneered cl...

Marjorie Janiewicz of Mistral AI: flipping the adoption curve - why SaaS with data can win in an AI world

17 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Marjorie Janiewicz has sold enterprise software through every platform shift for three decades: Oracle, MySQL, SAP, MongoDB, HackerOne. Now as Chief R...

The race for alpha: Varun Anand of Clay on inventing a new role and why GTM needs a new AI strategy

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Most B2B software founders don't spend four years working on presidential campaigns. Varun Anand did - on Hillary Clinton's 2016 run - and he argues t...

Everything, everywhere, but not all at once: Hg’s Matthew Brockman on what's really happening in software right now

20 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this rare internal conversation, Matthew Brockman, Hg's Chief Investment Officer, offers an insider's view on what's actually working versus what's...

A certain level of chaos is healthy: Franz Faerber on fighting bureaucracy and the importance of deep domain knowledge in AI

17 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Franz Faerber, co-founder and CEO of Everest Systems and former architect of SAP HANA, challenges Sam Altman's vision of throwaway software, arguing h...

A certain level of chaos is healthy: Franz Faerber on fighting bureaucracy and the importance of deep domain knowledge in AI

11 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Franz Faerber spent 26 years at SAP building Hana before doing something unusual - walking away to build a competitor. Four years in stealth gave Ever...

The corporate immune system: Google Cloud's Daniël Rood on building Europe's first AI team

16 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Daniël Rood, director of AI go-to-market at Google Cloud, offers a masterclass in navigating transformation from inside a tech giant. Building Google...

Skin in the game: Professor Neil Lawrence on vulnerability, accountability and why the next generation will thrive.

18 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From oil rigs to Amazon's machine learning division and now Cambridge's DeepMind chair, Professor Neil Lawrence brings a refreshingly grounded perspec...

The 3 speed problem: Jason Richards speaks to Oji Udezue on CPO leadership in the age of unlimited engineering

09 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Fevered determination: Building Zalos from zero to enterprise in 5 weeks. Hg's Jonathan Wulkan speaks to founder, William Fairbairn

25 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this illuminating conversation from the frontier of AI-native startups, William Fairbairn, founder of Zalos.ai and part of Y Combinator's class of ...

Trust, Velocity, and Building the Answer Engine: Dmitry Shevelenko of Perplexity speaks to Farouk Hussein

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this fascinating conversation, Perplexity's Chief Business Officer Dmitry Shevelenko reveals how a company barely three years old is mounting the f...

The long road to the last mile : Nic Humphries and Matthew Brockman reflect on 25 years of Hg

24 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this candid anniversary conversation, Hg's leadership team of Matthew Brockman and Nic Humphries reflects on 25 years of building one of Europe's m...

AI, Control Points, and the Next Wave of Vertical SaaS with Tidemark Capital founder, Dave Yuan

05 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this compelling conversation, Tidemark Capital founder Dave Yuan shares his journey from Bain consultant to building one of the most thoughtful voi...

Refounding in the face of AI with Des Traynor of Intercom

21 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Orbit 48 sees Dr Amr Ellabban sit down with Des Traynor, co-founder and CSO of Intercom, to explore how AI requires revolutionary thinking from busine...

A golden age of software engineering with Russell Kaplan, Founding President of Cognition

17 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when AI can code? In this illuminating conversation with Cognition's Founding President Russell Kaplan, we explore how AI is fundamentall...

Quick and dirty prototypes with Andrew Ng

18 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Orbit, Matthew Brockman, Managing Partner at Hg, sits down with renowned AI pioneer Andrew Ng to explore the rapidly evolving AI la...

A glimpse of the next generation: Zoe Zhao and Annalise Dragic, co-founders of Azlin Software

21 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Incubation, experimentation and implementation: the real business case for AI today

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In our latest episode Hg’s Managing Partner, Matthew Brockman, presses two CEOs and an AI insider on how a business leader can usefully integrate ge...

Risk-taking & Resilience with Sukhinder Singh-Cassidy CEO of Xero

02 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Hg’s Joe Jefferies sits down with Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, the CEO of Xero, to unravel the intricacies of leading a global software company and the ...

Vulnerability as strength in business: Nick Mehta of Gainsight

07 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this enlightening episode of the Hg podcast series Orbit, host Joe Jefferies converses with Nick Mehta, the long-standing CEO of Gainsight, about t...

Thousands of small experiments: Merete Hverven of Visma

15 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As the CEO of Scandinavian software success story, Visma, this is Merete Hverven's second appearance on Orbit. Last time she pondered the reasons behi...

The art of pattern recognition: Darren Roos of IFS

26 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A veteran of the software industry for 25 years, Darren Roos is a disciple of the wisdom that failure breeds success. Battlescars that bring perspecti...

Do tech leaders have to be tech experts?: Elona Mortimer-Zhika of IRIS

03 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As CEO of IRIS Software, Elona Mortimer-Zhika has been a valued part of the Hg Orbit for 8 years and counting. In Orbit 39, she speaks to long-term fr...

The business case for AI: Brent Hayward of Salesforce, David Carmona of Microsoft & Nagraj Kashyap of Touring Capital

13 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the final Orbit recorded at Hg's recent 'Software Leadership Gathering', we brought together three perspectives all investigating the AI wave throu...

The greatest tech comes when we ignore ROI: Raghu Raghuram of VMware

23 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Inspired by watching the surge in space exploration during his childhood in 70s India, through the 80s microchip era and on into the internet boom and...

Mastering the billion-dollar software playbook: Joe Lonsdale of 8VC & Eric Poirier of Addepar

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Born of the same crucible as Reid Hoffman, Peter Thiel and Elon Musk, Joe Lonsdale and Eric Poirier have been building and investing in software for o...

What drives business quality in an era of AI and digital platforms?: Jonathan Knee of Evercore

30 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Time for a conversation with one of the greats. As Professor of Finance and Economics at Columbia, former senior banker at both Morgan Stanley and Go...

Pace of innovation: Nick Crowne speaks to Rod O'Reilly

09 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The advances in technology on the clinical side of healthcare were shown convincingly in the speed of our response to Covid and in the new discoveries...

Harnessing a new superpower: Chris Kindt speaks to Guido Appenzeller Part 2

02 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After a year when the sudden leap forward of Gen AI and LLMs took almost everyone by surprise, it’s a good time to ignore the hype, take a step back...

LLM AI, the fourth pillar of software: Chris Kindt speaks to Guido Appenzeller Part 1

02 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After a year when the sudden leap forward of Gen AI and LLMs took almost everyone by surprise, it’s a good time to ignore the hype, take a step back...

Life as a service: Dr Katherine Wiles speaks to Kara Marx

07 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Always at the forefront of scientific progress, the world of healthcare continues to advance as technology and software are drawn in and adopted. But ...

Insuring the insurers: Andrew Land speaks to Elliot Richardson

04 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The world of reinsurance may seem obscure to most of us, but it is an elemental ingredient vital in keeping the wheels of business turning. Insuring t...

Future ancestors: Dr David Dempsey speaks to Caroline Löfgren

20 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

“From this absolute belief that we could democratise an industry, to the belief that we can also help to democratise the society we live in.” A c...

The modern data stack: Tim Harrison speaks to Tristan Handy

30 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As CEO of dbt Labs, Tristan Handy finds himself at the centre of the "modern data stack" of many leading businesses. But what defines the modern appro...

What does AI mean to you? : Amr Ellabban speaks to Jon Krohn

28 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A catch-all term sweeping the tech world, 'Artificial Intelligence' couldn't be more exciting, daunting and, inevitably... vague. Thankfully Hg's Head...

Investors in Enduring Growth: Matthew Brockman and Nic Humphries look back at 2022

14 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Hg sees the continued growth of software and technology as still just the early stages of a multi-decade trend. Combining ever-increasing performance,...

Poacher turned Gatekeeper: Steve Burn-Murdoch speaks to Pirum's Philip Morgan

02 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A born problem-solver, a career spent around the trading desks of large banks meant that Philip Morgan’s efforts were often hampered by the status q...

The Pace of Automation: Hg's Matthew Brockman and David Toms talk it out

06 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the second of our conversations between Hg's Managing Partner, Matthew Brockman, and our Head of Research, David Toms, they once again dive into th...

Insurance, the O.G. Data Business: Max Dewez speaks to {Carpe Data's Max Drucker

20 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ever since the mortality tables of the seventeenth century, the world of insurance has been a very early adopter in using data to illuminate the world...

Building a Growth Engine: Mark Fulford and Jolanta Pilecka discuss Hg's Growth Framework

31 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The role of a software Chief Growth Officer encompasses a range of functions, from product marketing to pricing to sales. Getting these functions to w...

Unravelling the Orthodoxy: Andrew Land speaks to George Netherton of Oliver Wyman

18 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Even the notoriously resistant world of insurance has felt the influence of technology, data and software. Most recently, it has thrown open the doors...

To be of Value: Mark Fulford speaks to Mark Billige of Simon-Kucher

28 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How do you talk about value in an inflationary environment? A new challenge for many who work within the shifting boundaries of sales, marketing and p...

Sustainable IT and IT for Sustainability: Caroline Löfgren speaks to Amazon Web Services' Christopher Wellise and Visma's Robin Åkerberg

13 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There can be no businesses left not having to address the challenges of climate change but the larger you are the broader and deeper your impact on th...

Unlocking real-time behavioral data in SaaS: Tim Harrison speaks to Snowplow Analytics' Yali Sassoon

15 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today, nearly all businesses are using some form behavioral customer data to drive insight. There is a wide spectrum of sophistication emerging, from ...

Why Tech is Deflationary in an Inflationary World: Matt Brockman speaks to David Toms

14 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

"Tech is deflationary in an inflationary world…” in an Hg Orbit Podcast Special and the first of a quarterly conversation, Matthew Brockman (Manag...

The Feedback Loop – Part 2 of a conversation with Cal Henderson, Co-Founder of Slack

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An incredibly reactive and evolutionary software, Slack is constantly learning from its users and challenging its creators’ view of how it is used. ...

The Death of Email? – Part 1 of a conversation with Cal Henderson, Co-Founder of Slack

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Initially developed as a direct digitisation of the inter-departmental memo, email has been long embedded into our work lives. The emergence of a new ...

The Digital Construction Site: Trackunit’s Soeren Brogaard on transparency and connection

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Trackunit is quietly revolutionising and illuminating the construction industry. By bringing data and analysis to a world where high levels of uncerta...

Never a better time than now: team.blue’s Jonas Dhaenens and his Founder’s journey

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Having founded Benelux-based web services group, team.blue (then Combell), at the age of 16, Jonas Dhaenens has stayed with his business through growt...

The Future of SaaS - Part 2: Input is Error

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Part 2 of our miniseries: 'The Future of SaaS' The benefits of the SaaS model is increasingly well recognised and is well placed to be the next move f...

The Future of SaaS - Part 1: Visma’s Øystein Moan on the advantages of SaaS, the challenges to get there and how much road there is left

10 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Part 1 of our miniseries: 'The Future of SaaS' The benefits of the SaaS model is increasingly well recognised, but the pain and challenges to success...

Data Science in Drug Development: Evaluate’s Jon Moser on what biopharma learnt about data science in 2020

10 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The COVID-19 pandemic has been incredibly disruptive for people all across the world, but has really thrown the spotlight on pharma companies. We’ve...

The Art of Cross-sell: Peter Sherlock on how the Citation Group built a cross-sell engine

10 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As a fast-growing business, with many business units newly added through M&A, Citation had huge cross-selling opportunities. But taking cross-selling ...

You are only as strong as your weakest point: cybersecurity risk in the M&A process

10 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As software companies come together, often across geographical lines where different rules may apply, the spectre of cybersecurity issues often raises...

“I choose me”: how the latest generation in the workplace want to own their destiny

10 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

With the workplace currently containing at least five different generations of employees, each with their own priorities and expectations, how can bus...

Purpose vs Profit: Benevity’s Bryan de Lottinville on the new era of corporate purpose

10 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As the lines between our professional and personal lives increasingly blur, the desire to connect with something bigger than ourselves through our wor...

Navigating Change in US Tech: Andy Hovancik of Sovos

09 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The last year in the United States has been a year unlike any other. As software businesses dealt with a changing landscape, the importance of purpos...

Respond, React & Adapt: Tech Transformation at McDonald's with Phil Le-Brun

09 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Now an Enterprise Strategist at AWS, Phil Le-Brun's previous role saw him tackle transforming the technology landscape at the global fast food behemot...

The Scandinavian Question: Merete Hverven of Visma considers how the Nordics became a tech powerhouse

09 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The last century has seen Scandinavia switch from a fishing and oil economy to become a major centre of innovation in tech and software. Is there some...

Born in the Cloud: a new breed of tech entrepreneur with Joris van der Gucht & Tim Vandecasteele of Silverfin

09 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

To be ‘born in the cloud’ is a status to be envied in the software sector. But what real advantages does it have, and are there any downsides? How...

Volcano Cat Bonds and Other Innovations: Charlie Langdale of Howden on New Applications for Insurance

09 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The convergence of technology and data with traditional insurance activity, and the appetite from institutional investors in the non-correlated return...