3567: What a Chief Communications Officer Really Does and Why It Matters
Tech Talks Daily
What actually happens when a company loses control of its own voice in a world full of channels, platforms, and constant noise? In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I sat down with Joshua Altman, founder of beltway.media, to unpack what corporate communication really means in 2026 and why it has quietly become one of the most misunderstood leadership functions inside modern organizations. Joshua describes his work as a fractional chief communications officer, a role that sits above individual campaigns, tools, or channels and focuses instead on perception, trust, and consistency across...
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3566: How Ergodic Predicts Complex Disruptions Before They Happen
Tech Talks Daily
What if your AI systems could explain why something will happen before it does, rather than simply reacting after the damage is done? In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I sat down with Zubair Magrey, co-founder and CEO of Ergodic AI, to unpack a different way of thinking about artificial intelligence, one that focuses on understanding how complex systems actually behave. Zubair’s journey begins in aerospace engineering at Rolls-Royce, moves through a decade of large-scale enterprise AI programs at Accenture, and ultimately leads to building Ergodic, a company developing what he describes...
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3565: CKEditor and the Reality of Supporting Developers Across Every Tech Stack
Tech Talks Daily
What does it actually take to build trust with developers when your product sits quietly inside thousands of other products, often invisible to the people using it every day? In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I sat down with Ondřej Chrastina, Developer Relations at CKEditor, to unpack a career shaped by hands-on experience, curiosity, and a deep respect for developer time. Ondřej’s story starts in QA and software testing, moves through development and platform work, and eventually lands in developer relations. What makes his perspective compelling is that none of these roles felt...
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3564: Why Banking Is the Ultimate Test for Responsible AI
Tech Talks Daily
If artificial intelligence is meant to earn trust anywhere, should banking be the place where it proves itself first? In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I’m joined by Ravi Nemalikanti, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Abrigo, for a grounded conversation about what responsible AI actually looks like when the consequences are real. Abrigo works with more than 2,500 banks and credit unions across the United States, many of them community institutions where every decision affects local businesses, families, and entire regional economies. That reality makes this discussion feel...
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3563: Vijay Rajendran on Why Startup Advice Fails When Reality Kicks In
Tech Talks Daily
What really happens after the startup advice runs out and founders are left facing decisions no pitch deck ever prepared them for? In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I sit down with Vijay Rajendran, a founder, venture capitalist, UC Berkeley instructor, and author of The Funding Framework, to discuss the realities of company building that rarely appear on social feeds or investor blogs. Vijay has spent years working alongside founders at the sharpest end of growth, from early fundraising conversations through to the personal and leadership shifts that scaling demands. That experience shapes...
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3562: Veeva Systems on AI and the Future of Clinical Trials
Tech Talks Daily
What happens when decades of clinical research experience collide with a regulatory environment that is changing faster than ever? In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I sat down with Dr Werner Engelbrecht, Senior Director of Strategy at Veeva Systems, for a wide-ranging conversation that explores how life sciences organizations across Europe are responding to mounting regulatory pressure, rapid advances in AI, and growing expectations around transparency and patient trust. Werner brings a rare perspective to this discussion. His career spans clinical research, pharmaceutical development,...
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3561: Xero on Trust, Technology, and the Future of Accounting Relationships
Tech Talks Daily
What happens when an industry that has barely changed for generations suddenly finds itself at the center of one of the biggest shifts in modern work? In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I’m joined by Kate Hayward, UK Managing Director at Xero, for a conversation about how accounting is being reshaped by technology, education, regulation, and changing expectations from clients and talent alike. Kate describes this moment as the largest reorganization of human capital in the history of the profession, and as we talk, it becomes clear why that claim is gaining traction. We explore how AI is...
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3560: How People.ai is Turning Sales Activity Into Answers Leaders Can Act On
Tech Talks Daily
What does sales leadership actually look like once the AI experimentation phase is over and real results are the only thing that matters? In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I sit down with Jason Ambrose, CEO of the Iconiq backed AI data platform People.ai, to unpack why the era of pilots, proofs of concept, and AI theater is fading fast. Jason brings a grounded view from the front lines of enterprise sales, where leaders are no longer impressed by clever demos. They want measurable outcomes, better forecasts, and fewer hours lost to CRM busywork. This conversation goes straight to the...
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3559: Conviva CEO on Turning Experimental AI Agents Into Reliable Systems
Tech Talks Daily
In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I sat down with Keith Zubchevich, CEO of Conviva, to unpack one of the most honest analogies I have heard about today’s AI rollout. Keith compares modern AI agents to toddlers being sent out to get a job, full of promise, curious, and energetic, yet still lacking the judgment and context required to operate safely in the real world. It is a simple metaphor, but it captures a tension many leaders are feeling as generative AI matures in theory while so many deployments stumble in practice. As ChatGPT approaches its third birthday, the narrative suggests...
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3558: Do You Really Have an Offline backup, or Just the Illusion of One?
Tech Talks Daily
In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I sit down with Imran Nino Eškić and Boštjan Kirm from HyperBUNKER to unpack a problem many organisations only discover in their darkest hour. Backups are supposed to be the safety net, yet in real ransomware incidents, they are often the first thing attackers dismantle. Speaking with two people who cut their teeth in data recovery labs across 50,000 real cases gave me a very different perspective on what resilience actually looks like. They explain why so many so-called “air-gapped” or “immutable” backups still depend on identities, APIs, and...
info_outlineBrian Verne is the CEO of WAVE, sports media for the next generation of fans. The company builds communities and enables two-way conversations on the consumer's platform of choice.
Verne also previously founded Phenom, an angel-backed sports technology company. Phenom, an angel-backed startup based in San Francisco, CA, and a 500 Startups Batch 16 company, was founded out of a desire to give young athletes a voice. He built the largest community of young athletes, enabling them to talk about the products that they love and share stories about their athletic achievements.
Today I want to learn more about how WAVE powers many of the most popular brands at the intersection of sports and entertainment on the social and digital platforms that Gen Z and millennials think of today as television. In just two years, WAVE has become one of the largest digital publishers in the world, generating over 2.5B video views and 90M+ engagements per month. WAVE has over 40M followers/subscribers and reaches over 300M sports fans each month.
However, with the Coronavirus pandemic stopping sport across the globe, I also wanted to learn more about how they are overcoming the challenges that COVID-19 is bringing to their business. But also why they are optimistic about the future and how they are creating opportunities.