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3496: Why the LoopUp Startup Story Is a Masterclass in Leading Through Uncertainty

Tech Talks Daily

Release Date: 11/23/2025

3496: Why the LoopUp Startup Story Is a Masterclass in Leading Through Uncertainty show art 3496: Why the LoopUp Startup Story Is a Masterclass in Leading Through Uncertainty

Tech Talks Daily

What happens when your entire market disappears overnight? That was the reality facing LoopUp when the pandemic transformed the way the world communicates. In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I sit down with Steve Flavell, co-CEO of LoopUp, to talk about how his company turned disruption into a defining moment of reinvention. LoopUp began in 2003 with a mission to make conference calls less painful. For over a decade, the company grew steadily, even going public on the London Stock Exchange in 2016. But when Teams and Zoom became household names during the pandemic, LoopUp’s core business...

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3495: How Adebimpe Ibosiola is Bringing Clarity to Digital Transformation in Regulated Industries show art 3495: How Adebimpe Ibosiola is Bringing Clarity to Digital Transformation in Regulated Industries

Tech Talks Daily

What happens inside a transformation program when every decision must withstand scrutiny, every dependency carries weight, and every undocumented rule inside a legacy system can change the outcome of an entire initiative? That was the starting point for my conversation with , a specialist who has spent her career working in regulated industries where nothing is ever as simple as it looks on paper. In a space where leaders often feel pressure to modernize at speed, she argues that the real progress comes from slowing down long enough to understand the truth of the systems, people, and cultures...

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3494: The Fastest Way to Recover Endpoint Devices During an IT Outage show art 3494: The Fastest Way to Recover Endpoint Devices During an IT Outage

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Why do entire organisations invest millions building resilient data centres yet leave their endpoints exposed to outages that can last days? That question kept coming back to me during my conversation with of IGEL at the , because it highlights a gap that most IT leaders still underestimate. James walked me through the reality he sees every day. Companies have high availability strategies for their servers, cloud platforms, and networks, yet the devices workers rely on remain the weakest point. When ransomware or system failure hits, the response often involves scrambling for spare laptops,...

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3493: Industrial AI in Action, Somya Kapoor on Digital Workers and ROI show art 3493: Industrial AI in Action, Somya Kapoor on Digital Workers and ROI

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What happens when a founder who built a billion dollar company during a global crisis steps into the centre of industrial AI and begins reshaping how entire organisations think and work? That question sat at the heart of my conversation with CEO of , recorded live on the show floor at Somya’s journey carries a level of grit and perspective that shines through every answer. She shared how surviving the Gulf War as a child shaped her instinct to take on the hardest problems in technology. That mindset not only guided her early career at SAP, ServiceNow, and other enterprise giants, it also...

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3492: How Mammoth Enterprise AI Browser Redefines Security at the Endpoint show art 3492: How Mammoth Enterprise AI Browser Redefines Security at the Endpoint

Tech Talks Daily

Have you ever wondered what happens when the browser stops being a simple window to the web and starts becoming the control point for how AI touches every part of enterprise life? That was the starting point for my conversation with Michael Shieh, founder and CEO of Mammoth Cyber. What followed was a detailed look at why the browser is turning into the foundation of enterprise AI and why the shift is arriving faster than many expect. Michael shared why employees already spend most of their working lives inside a browser and how this makes it the natural place for AI to support decisions, speed...

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3491: From NHL Ice to Enterprise Data: Ataccama’s CEO on Building AI That Actually Works show art 3491: From NHL Ice to Enterprise Data: Ataccama’s CEO on Building AI That Actually Works

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What happens when a former NHL player who once faced Wayne Gretzky ends up running a global data company that sits at the center of the AI boom? That question kept coming back to me as I reconnected with , the CEO of seven years after our last conversation. So much has shifted in the world since then, yet the theme that shaped this discussion felt surprisingly grounded. None of the big promises of AI can take hold unless leaders can rely on the data sitting underneath every system they run. Mike brings a rare mix of stories and experience to this theme. His journey from the ice to the C...

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3490: How Zenoti Is Redefining Guest Experience With AI show art 3490: How Zenoti Is Redefining Guest Experience With AI

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What happens when a former Microsoft leader walks away from tech, immerses himself in personal wellbeing, and accidentally discovers one of the biggest blind spots in the global spa, salon, and wellness industry? That question sat with me as I spoke with , founder and CEO of who has shaped one of the most influential platforms powering beauty, wellness, and fitness operations in more than fifty countries. This conversation takes an interesting path. Sudheer began his career inside Microsoft during its high-growth era, then built and exited a successful enterprise software company, only to...

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3489: Tredence on Why Data Darwinism Will Shape the Next Wave of Enterprise AI show art 3489: Tredence on Why Data Darwinism Will Shape the Next Wave of Enterprise AI

Tech Talks Daily

What happens when enterprise AI moves faster than the data foundations meant to support it? That question guided my conversation with , CTO and Co-Founder of who joined me while travelling between customer meetings on the US West Coast. Sumit has a clear view of what is coming next, and he believes we are entering a phase he calls data Darwinism.  In his view, the next stage of AI advantage will not be won by the companies with the most models or the flashiest demos, but by those with the strongest data habits. Clean, governed, connected data is now the primary fuel for autonomous...

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3488: How Akeneo Sees the Future of Product Experience in an AI First Retail World show art 3488: How Akeneo Sees the Future of Product Experience in an AI First Retail World

Tech Talks Daily

What happens when AI becomes the centre of how we shop, yet trust still determines whether any of it works? That question shaped my conversation with , CEO of , who joined me to unpack the latest consumer data on AI driven shopping experiences. Retail giants might be setting the pace, but the real story sits in how everyday shoppers feel about these new tools. Akeneo’s recent research caught my attention when it revealed that eighty four percent of consumers who acted on an AI recommendation were satisfied with the purchase. The appetite is clearly there, yet trust remains fragile,...

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3487: vFairs Explains the Next Chapter of Event Tech show art 3487: vFairs Explains the Next Chapter of Event Tech

Tech Talks Daily

What happens when events become the most human channel in a world increasingly shaped by AI? That thought set the tone for my conversation with , founder and CEO of  who has spent years helping organisations design in-person, virtual, and hybrid experiences at a remarkable scale. With more than fifty thousand events delivered and over one hundred million attendees served, he has a front row view of how event technology is changing and why the next wave will look very different from what planners have relied on until now. Rather than fearing the impact of AI, Muhammad sees a...

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More Episodes

What happens when your entire market disappears overnight? That was the reality facing LoopUp when the pandemic transformed the way the world communicates.

In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I sit down with Steve Flavell, co-CEO of LoopUp, to talk about how his company turned disruption into a defining moment of reinvention.

LoopUp began in 2003 with a mission to make conference calls less painful. For over a decade, the company grew steadily, even going public on the London Stock Exchange in 2016. But when Teams and Zoom became household names during the pandemic, LoopUp’s core business all but vanished.

Faced with that challenge, Steve and his team made a bold pivot, moving into global cloud telephony for Microsoft Teams. That shift didn’t just save the company, it transformed it into what Steve now calls the world’s most multinational telco, providing enterprise voice services in 136 countries.

Steve shares what it took to steer through that transformation, from managing fivefold surges in traffic to building a scalable global service model. He also reflects on the leadership lessons learned along the way, including the power of persistence, transparent communication, and the strength of his 22-year co-founder partnership with Michael Hughes.

This is a story of resilience, clarity, and strategic courage. For any founder or business leader who’s ever faced a market shock or wondered how to evolve when everything changes, Steve’s journey offers an honest and inspiring roadmap for rebuilding stronger than before.