The Tech Trek
Episodes
How Core Values Drive Real AI Impact
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Brian Clifford, Chief Data Officer at Amica Insurance, shares how his team translates core company values—like exc...
You Can’t Bolt On AI and Win
04 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this deep-dive episode, we explore what it truly means to be "AI-native" versus bolting AI onto existing products. Abhay Mitra, CTO of Ni...
AI Is Changing the Role of Software Engineers
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive deep into the evolving relationship between engineering and product with Pranab Krishnan, CTO of Zeal - a payroll and payment...
Innovation Isn’t a Buzzword—It’s a Culture
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Vinayak Kumar shares how his team at Lynx strikes a practical balance between innovation and efficiency in the heavi...
The Brutal Truth About Enterprise AI Adoption
28 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Amir speaks with Ameya Brid, Global Director of Data & Analytics at Invista, about the maturation of GenAI conversations in the e...
How AI Is Changing Science
22 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir sits down with Andy Beam, CTO of Lila Sciences, to explore how AI is transforming the messy, serendipitous natu...
Why This Startup Hires Straight Out of College
21 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir speaks with Alexander Schlager, founder and CEO of AIceberg, about how his company has tackled the AI talent sh...
How Agentic AI Is Disrupting the Trades
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wyatt Smith, CEO of UpSmith, joins Amir to unpack how agentic AI is transforming the skilled trades industry. From dispatch optimization to human-in-t...
Don’t Build the Wrong AI Product
19 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What separates a successful founder from the rest? In this episode, Harish Abbott—CEO and co-founder of Augment—breaks down how he repeatedly spot...
Building AI Products? Start Here
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir speaks with Patrick Leung, CTO of Faro Health, about what it takes to lead an engineering organization through ...
She’s Building the Future of AI Conversations
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir sits down with Sunita Verma, CTO at Character AI and former engineering leader at Google. Sunita shares how she...
Soft Skills Built This Startup
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir sits down with Emily Long, the CEO and co-founder of Edera, a deep tech startup focused on secure infrastructur...
AI vs AI: The Cybersecurity War
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Arlene Watson, a product and engineering leader in the cybersecurity space with experience at CrowdStrike, ServiceNow, and Tenable, joins the show to ...
Education at the AI Crossroads
12 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Amir sits down with David Marchick, Dean of the Kogod School of Business at American University, to explore how AI is transforming hi...
Why Tech Debt Isn’t the Enemy
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Amir sits down with Brent Keator, an expert advisor at Primary Venture Partners, to unpack one of the most debated engineering challe...
It’s Not the Idea, It’s the Execution
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 sh...
From Blame to Belonging in Engineering Teams
07 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir Bormand talks with Jason Wells, Head of Engineering at BrowserBase, about building a high-performance culture r...
Engineering the Next Energy Breakthrough
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 sp...
Building Engineering Cultures That Deliver
05 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 busi...
The Youngest in the Room and Still Leading It
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 stude...
Engineering with Empathy — How to Lead Align and Grow
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 engineeri...
Winning Your First 90 Days as a Data Leader
30 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Hiring for Potential, Not Just Pedigree
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Navigating Leadership at Every Stage
28 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 constan...
Scaling with Purpose: Building the Future of Green Hydrogen
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 indu...
Engineering Culture in an AI-First World
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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. R...
Building Culture Through Unreasonable Hospitality
23 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 h...
Find Your Edge in a Crowded Market
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Behind the Uptime: How AI Keeps the Internet Running
21 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Amir Bormand sits down with Tony Speller, Division SVP of Technical Operations and Engineering at Comcast, to explore how AI is quiet...
Building AI Agents with Purpose
18 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Building Emotionally Intelligent AI
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 generativ...
Finding the Good: Building Product Teams with Intent
16 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 episod...
From Spy Dreams to Startup CEO: A Founder’s Journey
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Engineering Leadership: Driving Business Outcomes from Engineering
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join us in this insightful conversation with Eric Valasek as we explore the crucial relationship between CEOs, product teams, and engineering leaders....
Exploring Open Source AI
09 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 sourc...
Unlocking Sales Productivity with Agentic AI
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir sits down with Andrew Levy, CEO and Co-founder of AirCover.ai, to explore how agentic AI is transforming the sa...
Improving & Automating Healthcare Data Quality
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Guest: Viraj Narayanan, CEO of Cornerstone AI🔑 Key TakeawaysHealthcare data is messy by default. It's generated by countless sources with diffe...
Startup Playbook: Building Product-First Teams with Engineers
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of The Tech Trek, we're diving deep into the intersection of engineering, product, and business thinking with Vineet Goel — Co-F...
How to Build an Effective Onboarding Plan
02 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Amir sits down with Meg Henry, Head of People & Talent at Companyon Ventures, to unpack a critical—yet often overlooked—aspec...
Data Culture: Building the Data Engine Driving WHOOP
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Carlos Peralta returns to The Tech Trek to dive deep into data culture in the wearable tech space, sharing how WHOOP turns petabytes ...
Founder’s Playbook: Startup Lessons for the Long Game
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir Bormand sits down with Max Mergenthaler-Canseco, CEO and co-founder of Nixla, to explore the nuanced reality be...
Building a Cybersecurity Startup with NSA Tech
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I sit down with Jason Rogers, CEO & Co-Founder of Invary, to explore an unconventional approach to building a cybersecurity start...
From Data to Decisions: Why the Right Questions Matter
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Amir sits down with Kaustav Das to discuss one of the most critical yet challenging aspects of analytics—asking the right questions...
Founder’s Playbook: Turning Passion into Product
26 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when you build a business around what you genuinely love? In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir sits down with Michael Farb, CEO of Boat...
Driving B2B AI Innovation
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Zachary Hanif, VP of AI, ML, and Data at Twilio, joins Amir to talk about the engine behind B2B AI innovation. From selecting the rig...
A CEO’s Guide: Aligning Business & Engineering Teams
24 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Amir chats with Bobby Touran, the non-technical CEO and co-founder of Rainbow, an insurance tech company that thrives on strong engin...
The Leadership Blueprint: Building High-Performing Tech Teams
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Vijay Sankararaman breaks down how to intentionally build a low-churn, high-impact team culture. Whether you’re a tech leader, mana...
Tech Leader’s Guide: Building Data Products
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
From Finance to Founding a Tech Startup
19 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
How to Be an Effective CTO: A Guide to Balancing Vision, Execution, and Building Trust
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 bala...
Why AI Adoption Fails & How to Fix It
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
How to Drive Gen AI Experimentation and Adoption
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 iden...
The Engineering Leader’s Guide to Purpose-Driven Teams
13 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Amir Bormand sits down with Jeremy Goldsmith, VP of Engineering at Branch, to explore leading with purpose and how it impacts enginee...
The CTO’s Guide to Special Projects & Emerging Tech
12 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Rethinking Deadlines: Building Happier, More Effective Engineering Teams
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join Amir Bormand in a captivating discussion with Anand Madhavan, VP of Engineering at Everlaw, as they explore innovative development models, the ar...
How Agentic AI is Transforming Enterprise Knowledge
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Amir Bormand welcomes Scott Persinger, CEO of Supercog AI, to discuss the rise of agentic AI and its applications in modern businesse...
The Founder’s Playbook: Ideas, Validation, Failure & Growth
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Amir Bormand chats with Jake Moshenko about his journey from engineer to founder, the challenges of identifying the right startup ide...
Integrating Gen AI into Engineering
06 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Srini Rajagopal joins us to discuss how Generative AI (Gen AI) is transforming the engineering landscape. We explore the challenges o...
Simplifying Data Governance
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Amir Bormand is joined by Jay Como to discuss how organizations can simplify data governance. Jay shares insights on shifting the per...
Engineering Excellence: Culture, Metrics, and Continuous Improvement
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Amir Bormand sits down with Ganesh Datta, Co-founder & CTO of Cortex, to dive deep into engineering excellence—what it means, h...
Bringing Gen AI to Highly Secure Enterprises
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Artificial intelligence is moving beyond proofs-of-concept and into real-world production—but how do you make it work in highly secure environments?...
Operationalizing Gen AI
27 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 c...
Balancing Leadership and Execution: How to Thrive in Startup Engineering
26 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 dec...
Execution Over Titles: The Mindset That Drives Career Growth
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 lead...
How You Can Fund Your Startup Without Venture Capital
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Jeremy Whittington shares his journey of building a startup without relying on traditional venture capital. Instead, he leveraged alt...
Engineering Without Borders
19 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into blurring engineering lines, full-stack engineering, and the evolving role of software engineers in a rapidly changing la...
Founder Mode vs. Servant Leadership: Delegate or dive in?
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into the evolving role of engineering leadership with Andy Elmhorst, VP of Engineering at Bolt. We explore the delicate balan...
How AI (LLMs) Are Revolutionizing Data Products
13 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode,Sasha Bartashnik shares her insights on howlarge language models (LLMs) are transforming the development ofdata products, making advan...
The CTPO: The Future of Tech Leadership
12 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into the evolution of theChief Product and Technology Officer (CPTO) model, the blending of traditional engineering and produ...
Mastering Change: How to Drive Digital Adoption
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, JD Williams joins Amir Bormand to dive into the critical role ofchange management in driving successful digital adoption. From leadin...
Foundational Data Challenges and Leveraging AI for Growth
06 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode ofThe Tech Trek, Amir Bormand sits down with Stephen Harris, former Corporate Vice President of Global Data Science and Growth Analyti...
Pivoting with Purpose: Navigating Startup Challenges
05 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Amir Bormand is joined by Marty Kausas, Co-founder and CEO of Pylon, a groundbreaking customer support platform for B2B companies. Ma...
Hiring Challenges for Founders
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Tanaz Mody shares insights on the hiring struggles founders face as they scale their companies. We explore how founders navigate the ...
First-Time Founders and Leadership Styles
30 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this insightful episode, James Evans dives into the unique challenges and growth opportunities for first-time founders. From building leadership st...
How a Lawyer Became a Tech CEO
29 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this inspiring episode, Amir Bormand chats with Matt Martin, Co-Founder of Clockwise. Matt shares his unique career trajectory, transitioning from ...
Exploring Data Enablement
28 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir Bormand sits down with Scott Peachey, Director of Data Governance and Oversight at Bread Financial, to explore ...
AI: Leveling the Playing Field in E-Commerce
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Amir Bormand is joined by Vinod Ramachandran, CEO and Co-Founder of Big Sur AI, and Arnaud Weber, Co-Founder and CTO, to discuss how ...
Customer-Centric Engineering
22 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Amir Bormand is joined by Jake Peters, co-founder, CTO, and CPO of Fora, a modern travel agency platform. Together, they delve into t...
From Rural Roots to AI Founder
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Amir Bormand interviews Curtis Northcutt, CEO and Co-Founder of CleanLab. Curtis shares his inspiring journey from humble beginnings ...
From QA to Engineering Leadership
16 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir Bormand sits down with Mayuresh Hajirnis, Director of Engineering at Altruist, to discuss his fascinating journ...
From Founder to Enterprise Leader: Transitioning Back
15 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, host Amir Bormand interviews Jehangir Abdulla, Head of Back Office Development at Schoenfeld, to discuss his unique journey from bein...
Mapping Business to Data Strategy
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Amir sits down with Spencer Lourens, Chief Data Officer at CLA, to discuss the intersection of business strategy and data strategy. S...
The Shift to Platform Engineering
09 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast episode, Amir Bormand sits down with Jason Luce, CTO of Paperless Parts, to discuss the evolution from DevOps to platform engineering....
Navigating Product and Technology Leadership
08 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Amir Bormand interviews Kevin Trilli, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Amount Financial, about balancing product and technolog...
Reimagining Data Teams
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this engaging episode, Amir Bormand interviews Marko Vasiljevic, CTO at Ghost, about the evolving nature of data teams and how businesses can bette...
Leveraging Machine Learning for Healthcare Transparency
02 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Amir Bormand interviews Urvish Parikh, Co-Founder and CTO of Nirvana, to explore how machine learning is transforming the healthcare ...
Building the Future of Advertising and Media
27 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Michael Hudes discusses the evolving landscape of advertising and media, focusing on how connected screens are reshaping consumer eng...
Building Better Products Through Customer-Driven Engineering
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Guest: Andrew Bihl, Co-Founder & CTO at Numeric Overview:In this episode, Andrew Bihl discusses how engineering teams can better integrate custome...
Navigating Global Supply Chains with Data and Machine Learning
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this insightful episode, Amir Bormand speaks with Peter Swartz, Altana's Chief Science Officer and Co-Founder, about using data science and machine...
Excelling in Data Strategy and Governance
12 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Greg Hahn, a data strategy and governance leader, shares deep insights on building a robust data strategy, navigating AI readiness, a...
Navigating Leadership Transitions – Hiring External Tech Leaders
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
,In this episode, Amir hosts Steve Van Lare, VP of Engineering at Anjuna Security, for an insightful discussion on hiring external technology leaders....
Grounded Leadership in Data
05 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, host Amir sits down with Amit Sahani, Global Head of Data at StoneX, to delve into data leadership's practical and strategic aspects....
SW Engineering Career Growth: The I.C. and Manager Relationship
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Tech Trek, host Amir sits down with Shawn Stewart, VP of Engineering at Apartment List, to unpack the complex dynamics between ...
Lowering the Cost of Curiosity in Data
27 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir Bormand is joined by Neil Bhandar, VP of IT Enterprise Data Analytics and Innovation at Generac Power System...
Navigating AI Governance
21 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Amir sits down with Jim Olsen, CTO of ModelOp, to explore the essential role of AI governance in today's organizations. Jim shares pr...
Engineers as Innovators: Beyond Just Writing Code
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Tech Trek, host Amir Bormand talks with Ken Kao, VP of Engineering at Rad AI, about the evolving role of engineers in driving b...
Redefining Tech Debt: Conscious Decisions and Agile Engineering
14 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Guest: Jordan Kaye, Head of Technology at Belvedere Trading Episode Summary:In this episode, Jordan Kaye redefines technical debt through a practical ...
Building Startup Resilience
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Episode Overview: In this episode, Amir Bormand sits down with Amnon Mishor, CTO of Gynger, to discuss startup resilience, founder mindset, and naviga...
Leveling Up: Engineering Leadership and Career Progression
07 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join us for a deep dive into career progression in tech with Anant Gupta, SVP of Engineering and Data Science at Included Health. This episode explore...
Navigating AI Models and Business Security
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Tech Trek, host Amir Bormand sits down with Ron Williams, founder and CEO of Kindle, to explore the evolving world of AI models...