Tech for Non-Techies
Episodes
101. How companies really use AI
01 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
AI is a great tool to help you make decisions, but it's often not sophisticated enough to make good decisions by itself. This is why companies often r...
100. My story: ambition, tech and the camel incident
25 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today, I'm doing something a bit different. As our smart community grows, I know that some of you might not know much about me, my story or how I got ...
99. The top skill you need to succeed in the Information Age
22 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen famously wrote that "software is eating the world." While digital transformation is everywhere, and even your coff...
98. Feature creep – why apps get too complicated
11 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When an app has too many features and pop ups, most users get confused and frustrated. This is feature creep: when the product's core functionality be...
97. How I built Make Love Not Porn - with Cindy Gallop
03 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Would you leave a high flying career in advertising to set up an adult content site? Most people wouldn't, but Cindy Gallop is not most people. Afte...
96. How to innovate at a corporate - lessons from Apple and Intel
27 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Every company wants to be innovative, but how do you balance the risk of innovation with the need to keep the lights on? Listen to this interview with...
95. Top mistakes non-technical founders make in UX design
20 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Design is often at the core for why products go viral or flop. But, how can you tell good design from bad right at the start? How do you hire the righ...
94. Learning effects: why getting more users isn't the only key to success
13 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You've probably heard about network effects, but they aren't the only thing you need. Learning effects build the ultimate moat against your competitio...
93. Lessons from the Netflix C Suite
06 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How do you get to the top of a tech company as a non-technical professional? How can you drive innovation, when you're not building the technology you...
92. How to get people to be nice to each other on your platform
30 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On Airbnb, people stay at strangers' homes. On Twitter, people get trolled. Both are global tech platforms, but why do people treat strangers well on ...
91. How to launch a platform when you've got no users
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How do you launch a dating app, if you have no men and no women on it? Or, how do you launch a market place with niether buyers nor sellers? This is t...
90. What makes platform businesses SO successful
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Facebook disrupted the media market forever. The Apple App Store created the app economy, valued at $6.3 trillion today. What makes platforms like the...
89. How to burn $2 billion
09 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Does having $2 billion in the bank account and celebrity backing guarantee success for a consumer app? Not necessarily. Listen to how one company burn...
88. You can't be half pregnant
02 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Developers don't work in the same ways as non-technical professionals. If you don't know how to work with developers, you can waste thousands of doll...
87. How to commercialise innovation
23 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Success in tech consists of two parts: making great products and using them to build a business. No matter how brilliant an app or algorithm is, if pe...
86. What is coding? The quick guide for non-coders
16 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The terms coding and programming are ubiquitous, yet many non-technical professionals do not know what they mean in practice. Why are there different...
85. "Don't be afraid of the tech," lessons from a non-technical founder
09 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nasi Rwigema doesn't have a background in software, but that didn't stop him from building his tech platform: Umwuga, a social network for blue colla...
84. What UX designers do and how to work with them
02 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
"Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like. People think it's this veneer — that the designers are told, 'Make it look g...
83. How tech companies bring new ideas to life
26 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If you have an idea for a new product in a traditional business, you will probably have to work on an extensive plan before you do anything else. T...
82. Intro to agile for non-techies
19 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Agile is now a ubiquitous management term, but few people understand what it means in practice. For some products, agile is THE BEST system, for other...
81. Technology is just another business tool. Don't put it on a pedestal.
12 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's easy to put the tech sector on a pedestal, as we're constantly bombarded with its power and profits. But "technology is just a tool to affect bus...
80. Why 2022 brings even MORE opportunity to non-techies in tech
05 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The tech sector is massive and is set to get even bigger in 2022. As it matures, the number of non-technical roles increases. Listen to this episode t...
79. Why human insight will drive success in tech in 2022
29 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
No code apps and outsourced product studios mean that there is more opportunity than ever for non-technical founders and traditional businesses to get...
78. How to review your year with UX Designer Sang Valte
21 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action" - Peter Drucker. As 2021 comes to a...
77. Avoid these mistakes if you want to break into tech
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know that 54% of all jobs in tech companies are non-technical, according to research by Glassdoor. This means there is plenty of opportunity f...
76. From offline business owner to tech entrepreneur
08 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Creating a successful business is a huge feat, but even founders with profitable exits struggle when they first break into tech. Bryan Clayton co-foun...
75. Do this before hiring developers
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Money isn't enough to hire the best product teams. If you want to hire great people to build your product, you need to convince them that your vision ...
74. How I got to the top in tech
24 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jennifer Byrne studied Psychology at university and went on to become the Chief Technology Officer of Microsoft US. Listen to this episode to learn ...
73. How I transitioned into a career in tech
17 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Lots of smart people want to transition into careers in tech, but don't know how to get started. If that sounds like you, then listen to how Alexandra...
72. Break into tech: three examples of successful career transitions
10 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The number of technology oriented jobs is predicted to rise to 190 million in 2025, according to Microsoft. But, if you're a non-techie, how do you ge...
71. Why Uber competes with Tinder and with Chocolate
03 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Consumer facing tech businesses like Uber aren't just competing with other firms that provide a similar service. They're competing with everything tha...
70. How to solve the right problem
27 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
95% of new products fail, according to Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen. But, usually this isn't because they are badly made, but...
69. What do Heads of Innovation do?
20 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Working in innovation at a large company can be a great way to join the tech boom for non-techies. But what do you do when you get there? Innovati...
68. How smart start-ups and corporates hire product teams
13 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What's technology for? Tech products can make our lives better and make businesses a lot of money. But, without a focus on the user and on the busin...
67. What Product Managers do and how to become one
06 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, and Ben Horowitz, the co-founder of VC fund A16Z, both started their careers as Product Managers (PMs). PMs rise ...
66. Why cloud computing isn't just for techies
29 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
You've probably heard the term cloud computing, but like most non-techies, you're not sure what it means. In this episode, you'll learn what it is and...
65. Fundraising For Non-Technical Founders
22 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Many investors view non-technical founders as more risky. Sometimes this is plain silly, but there are legitimate investor concerns that non-techi...
64. Product Management at Apple vs Amazon
15 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Product managers combine user perspectives, business needs and technology capabilities in one job. But, what they do day to day varies widely. In this...
63. There are no lone wolves in tech: all products are interconnected
08 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Every app and site is made up of lots of different tech tools and languages. Like a house, one part is built on top of another and they need each...
62. How I used accelerators to build a tech business
01 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Andi Govindia has gone through three accelerators on her start-up journey. This helped her build a business model, find co-founders and get her first ...
61. How To Hire Product Teams: Outsourcing vs In-House
25 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Hiring developers and designers to build your tech product is always risky, because as a non-techie, you're hiring people to do things you don't know ...
60. Why the VC market is changing and how to succeed it
18 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
More money is entering venture capital today than ever before. This means more career opportunities for investors, and funding options for founders. I...
59. What on Earth is growth hacking?
11 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Why do some products go viral and others die a quiet death? The answer lies in growth hacking. Growth hacking is a type of marketing that combines w...
58. How to pivot your way to success
04 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Neither life nor business are linear. Startups often pivot their business models several times to find product market fit, just as we try out differen...
57. How to have a great career in tech, lessons from Reid Hoffman
28 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"The business strategies employed by highly successful start-ups and the career strategies employed by highly successful individuals are strikingly si...
56. How space tech impacts us all
21 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Space tech developments aren't just a battle between middle aged billionaires. Nor is it a Cold War leftover. The technologies we use every day to w...
55. What data scientists do and how to work with them
14 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Big data and predictive analytics can help you make profits, sell clothes and strike oil. But, unless you know how to ask data scientists the right qu...
54. How I built a party platform
07 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Put on your party pants! In this episode, you'll hear from Julie Novack, the CEO & non-technical co-founder of PartySlate. PartySlate is a platform th...
53. The hidden cost of cat videos
30 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Storing stuff costs money, this is why it's good to look in the back of the cupboard and decide whether you really need all those spices you bought 5 ...
52. Introduction to Venture Capital
23 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A robust venture capital industry is one of the pillars of the today's tech boom, because it provides the funding for new companies to grow. But "vent...
51. The career secret all tech innovators know
16 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Most start-ups fail, but founders and investors can still use this for career success. Learning how tech products get made and how the companies behin...
50. How to work with developers: advice from a CTO
09 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Come to developers with good research and understand your customer. If you don't understand your customer, how can you expect the developer to build ...
49. AI, visual search & entrepreneurship with Jenny Griffiths MBE
01 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"The biggest lie told in tech is that you that you need to be a coder. I think that being able to understand the user experience behind tech, being ab...
48. How to make a prototype for your product (Part 2)
26 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Making a prototype is a key step in your journey in bringing your tech idea to life. Begin with UX research, which we covered in last week's epis...
47. How to make a prototype for your product (Part 1)
19 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The prototyping process is the first step in the product development journey. To go from idea to live app, site or algorithm, you need to test it with...
46. How technology moves money around the world
12 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: APIs are tiny snippets of code that allow one tech product to be integrated into another tech product. For examp...
45. Apps have brains too: a quick guide to servers
05 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: The bit of an app or site you interact with is called a front end. If you can touch it, swipe it or speak to it...
44. The new fashion for designer CEOs
28 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: The new breed of tech successes today value people who have a strong understanding of the user, not only enginee...
43. What's technical debt and why should non-techies care?
21 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: Technical debt is the mess that gets left over from writing code and should be regularly cleaned up in order for th...
42. How To Measure Success In Your Product
14 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Key learning notes from this episode: A product is a solution to a problem someone is experiencing. The goal of your product is to solve that problem...
41. From tech entrepreneurship to venture capital
07 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: Venture capitalists have three main jobs: sourcing deals and investing, raising capital for their own funds and ...
40. How to use No Code apps to build your first product
31 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: The no code movement is the idea that you can build a digital product using existing tools, which you assemble to...
39. What do tech CEOs actually do?
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes: The tech CEO's job is to work with other people who have different skills to reach a clear business aim. It is not to supervise everyt...
38. Founder Stories: How I Built IVY, the Social University
17 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: Beri's first hire was a designer, not a developer. He found her through via a recommendation. This is the best way ...
37. APIs: why Uber uses Google Maps
10 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: The server is like a brain: it is a processing organ. But, just as a brain needs sensory organs to give and receive...
36. How To Validate Your Product
03 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: A product is a solution to a people problem. Before even contacting a product team, take time to investigate the peo...
35. Apple vs Android: an introduction to the app economy
24 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: While there are more apps on the Google Play store, Apple apps account for 70% of all revenue generated on Apple...
34. How I Built A Fintech AI Business As A Non-Technical Founder
17 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: An algorithm is just a set of instructions that you put into a computer. JS created a prototype of his algorithm u...
33. What Is A Product?
10 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: A product is a solution to a people problem Companies that are successful over a long period of time understand ...
32. What Developers Do: Front End vs Back End
03 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Key learning notes from this episode: Developers write computer code to make the design come alive. The vast majority of apps will need to have a fro...
31. How To Transition Into Venture Capital
27 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: Venture capitalists are investors in startups, but they also have to raise money from investors. Investors that ...
30. Listener Q&A Vol 1
20 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
To get your questions answered, submit them via Direct Message to our Facebook or Instagram. Here are the resources Sophia mentioned her the answers...
29. How To Hire Product Teams: A Guide For Non-Technical Founders
16 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: Work with designers first: your first hire should be a user experience designer, not a developer. You don't need...
28. How To Hire And Work With UX Designers
09 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: Always work with designers before hiring developers. Come to UX designers with a problem you want to solve, ra...
27. Good Product Manager Vs Bad Product Manager According To Ben Horowitz
02 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Learnings notes from this episode: Good product managers Know the market, the product and the competition Take full responsibility for the success...
26. How to Get Into Product Management and Growth Hacking For Non-Techies
25 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: To get into product management, you need to build a product. I doesn't have to be a full mobile app. You can sta...
25. Founder Stories: How I Built Home Made
18 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: Asaf Navot does not have a technical co-founder at Home Made. His first technical hire was a Product Manager, no...
24. You Don't Need A Technical Co-Founder
11 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: There is a difference between technology enabled businesses and deep tech businesses. Technology enabled busines...
23. What non-techies can learn from Steve Jobs
04 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Lessons from this episode: These lessons are based on Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs. "The reason Apple can create products like the iP...
22. What Investors Really Need To Know About Tech
28 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: There is a difference between deep tech investing, such as bio tech, and investing in commercial and UX innovati...
21. Key Skills For Non-Technical Founders
21 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: Non-technical founders are the interface between the product team and the users. They focus on making the right ...
20. Camels: The Alternatives To The Silicon Valley Unicorn Model
14 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: The Silicon Valley unicorn model of growth at all costs is not applicable to all tech startups. "Camel companies...
19. How To Transition Into A Career In Tech
07 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: The time to transition into tech is now, as lockdowns have moved our lives online. You can do this with a job ch...
18. Introduction to Design for Technology
30 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: The design process begins with questioning whether a product needs to exist in the first place. Start with resea...
17. Non-Technical Founders Don't Need to Code
23 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: As a non-technical founder, you don't need a technical co-founder, but you do need a web of tech experts to advi...
16. How to Hire and Work with Outsourced Product Teams
16 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: Outsourcing can be done in 3 ways: with an agency (focus on design), a development shop (focus on engineering) o...
15. How to Find a Technical Co-Founder
19 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: Prepare to pitch to a technical co-founder as you would to an investor: have a plan, understand your market and ...
14. Transition into Product Management from a Non-Technical Career
12 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: Networking is key to making a career transition. Meet people who are doing the job you are interested in and lea...
13. How to Succeed in Big Tech
05 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: If you want to transition into Big Tech from a non-technical career, start by working on digital initiatives U...
12. Intro to Product Strategy
29 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Check out Parth's book Swipe to Unlock: The Insider's Guide to Tech and Business Strategy. Learning points from this episode: Product strategy ...
11. How to Transition into Product Management for Non-Techies
20 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Learning notes from this episode: Product managers define "the what, the when and the why of the product," - what the product is, what the priorit...
10. Intro to Technology Acquisitions
13 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Key learning points from this episode: The tech sector is growing exponentially, so the time to invest in tech is now. A decade ago only 1 company...
9. The Business of AI with Harvard Business School Prof Marco Iansiti
06 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Key learning points: AI is already changing industries and the economy by making simple operations run faster A business model is how a company ai...
8. Intro to User Experience Design
29 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Key Learning Points: The International Standardisation Organisation defines user experience as "a person's perceptions and responses that result f...
7. Intro to Algorithms and Big Data
22 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The key learning points from this episode are: Algorithms are just sets of rules for computers to follow Algorithms need data to be useful Data is by...
6. Intro to Product Management with Facebook's Rags Vadali
17 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Sophia Matveeva talks to Rags Vadali about what product management is, what PMs do and what you need to get a job in PM. Rags Vadali ...
5. Top Mistakes Non-Technical Founders Make
12 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Sophia Matveeva covers the top five mistakes non-technical founders make, most of which she made herself. The main five mistakes to ...
4. What Non-Technical Founders Need to Know About Tech
04 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
David Segura is a perfect example of how non-techies can thrive in technology. His first venture, Giant Media, was a native video advertising exchange...
The Most Important Thing About Tech
04 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tech products like apps, sites and algorithms are constantly evolving. Every time an app is released, its makers track how people use it. They use tha...
1. What's Tech for Non-Techies?
02 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This podcast is for non-technical founders and established small-to-mid-size business owners who want to launch an app or add a tech-enabled offering—...