Welcome to the ThinkData Podcast, in Partnership with Dataworks

Episode 3 of Season 3 features a special guest, Jean-Louis, founder and CEO of Gladia, a French-based speech recognition and audio analysis startup.

This episode offers one of the most open, honest, and upfront conversations yet, providing real insight into what it takes to launch and scale an early-stage startup.

• Jean-Louis' background and the journey that led to founding Gladia
• The problem Gladia is solving and its core mission
• The challenges of understanding product-market fit
• Gladia’s go-to-market (GTM) and sales strategy, along with its ideal customer profiles
• The fundraising journey, what worked, what didn’t, and what he would do differently
• Managing company culture in a rapidly growing, remote-first startup

This is a must-listen for anyone navigating the startup world!

Welcome to the ThinkData podcast in partnership with Dataworks. This is episode 2 of the 3rd season and I am excited to welcome Suzanne El-Morsi to the show.

Suzanne is the co-founder and CEO of Brighthive, a full-stack data management platform, powered by AI. She is a serial entrepreneur with over 22 years of experience in building and scaling tech startups and I am super excited to have her on today!

We covered a lot including -

• Suzanne's background and what inspired her to launch Brighthive
• What Brighthive is and the problem it aims to solve
• Brighthive's go-to-market (GTM) and sales strategy, and the steps being taken to stand out in a competitive space
• Suzanne's thoughts on how products like Brighthive will impact data teams and the broader labor force
• As a 3x founder, Suzanne's advice for aspiring entrepreneurs considering launching their first business

Welcome to the ThinkData podcast in partnership with Dataworks. In this episode, I had the pleasure of welcoming Moshe Tanach to the show.

Moshe is the CEO & Founder of NeuReality, a semiconductors & Artificial intelligence startup.

They operate in a space that has been gathering a huge amount of interest and

excitement from the world of AI.

He gave a fascinating insight into the following:

🤖How did the idea for NeuReality come about?

🤖What is NeuReality and what problem are they trying to solve?

🤖What were some of the early challenges they had to overcome

🤖What was their GTM and Sales strategy and who is their ideal customer profile?

🤖How NeuReality is making AI technology more accessible and affordable to a broader range of users while simultaneously killing the CPU? 

🤖 How Moshe and his team ensure that NeuReality stays at the forefront of technology

🤖 A closer look at his recent Performance Results comparing NR1 Architecture to CPU architecture, specifically Qualcomm's AI-100. 

🤖What can we expect to see from NeuReality over the coming months?

This is the ThinkData Podcast in partnership with Dataworks, and in this episode, I welcome Sasha Krecinic to the show!

Sasha is a Software and AI Investor at Headline, an international venture capitalist firm.

Sasha is very active in the field of AI, and is well-placed to offer his insight into what it takes to build and scale a great business within Artificial Intelligence!

We covered a lot of grounding including:

✅Sasha's background and what brought him to Headline

✅Who is Headline and what companies & founders do they typically look to invest in?

✅Sasha's thoughts on the current state of the startup space within AI

✅What are some of the major pitfalls Sasha sees in startups

✅Best advice to founders looking to scale a company within AI?

✅Predictions for 2024

This is the ThinkData podcast in partnership with Dataworks, and in this episode, I spoke with Yuval Lev, CTO and Co-Founder at Senser who is a fast-growing startup, in the field of AIOps.

This was a cracking discussion, where we tackled a whole host of topics including:

• Yuvals background and what took him from an early career in the Israeli Defense Forces to launching Senser
• What is Senser, and what problem is it trying to solve?
• What makes it different from other observability products out there?
• What has been the standout customer feedback or impression that has stuck with him?
• What were some of the biggest challenges they had to overcome?
• If they had your time again, what would they do differently?
• What can we expect to see from Senser over the coming months?

This is the ThinkData podcast in partnership with Dataworks, and in this episode, I spoke with Rehgan Avon. Rehgan is the Co-founder and CEO at AlignAI who are a fast-growing startup, set up to tackle one of the hottest topics in the world of AI right now, Governance!

Their platform has been set up to ensure that companies are building the right solutions, in the right way!

We covered a lot of ground in this episode:

• Rehgans background and what was the original idea behind AlignAi?
• What specific challenges does AlignAi tackle?
• Historically, governance has been perceived as an obstacle to innovation. How is AlignAi dispelling this notion and actively promoting innovation?
• What impact on team performance can AlignAI bring?
• Why should companies adopt stringent AI/Data Governance practices right from the outset?
• What repercussions might companies face for neglecting the implementation of a robust AI governance strategy?
• What developments or initiatives can we anticipate from AlignAI in the coming months?
• Rehgans fantastic work with Women in Analytics!

This is the ThinkData podcast in partnership with Dataworks, and in this episode, I welcome Stephanie Rieben-de Roquefeuil to the show!

Stephanie is the Co-Founder & CEO of Diedem Capital, which is a funding marketplace for founders.

Stephanie has a wealth of experience within the startup and venture capitalist space, and in my opinion, no better person to give us a real insight into what is happening in the world of Tech and AI right now.

We covered A LOT:

• Stephanie's background and what made her launch Diadem
• What is the aim of the platform, and what makes it unique?
• Stephanie's thoughts on the current state of the generative AI startup scene
• What specific areas/sectors within AI is Stephanie most excited about and why?
• What do investors look at before deciding whether that company is investible?
• What is the general rule of thumb for valuing a start-up in AI? 
• What challenges does Stephanie foresee happening in the AI market for startups over the coming months?
• Stephanie's advice on how founders can navigate a turbulent market!

This is the ThinkData podcast in partnership with Dataworks, and in this episode, I spoke with EMalick Njie.

Emalick is the founder of Ecotone AI, a company with a very clear vision –

"To develop AI-based medicines that can cure approximately 10,000 inherited diseases that would have normally been overlooked by the pharmaceutical industry"

He has a fascinating backstory and is seen by many to be a true pioneer in this space.

We had a great discussion about the following:

✔His background and what led him to launch Ecotone

✔Who is Ecotone and what is their mission & vision?

✔What part AI plays in the product

✔What is an LGM(Large Genome Model)

✔The impact that AI can bring to medicine and rare genetic diseases

✔In a highly regulated space such as medicine, how EMalick and Ecotone navigate the various laws and policies in each state and country.

✔Emalick's thoughts on the current state of the generative AI market.

✔What can we expect to see from Ecotone over the coming months?

Click for a recent whitepaper EMalick released - https://emalick.substack.com/p/emergent-populations-derived-with

This is episode 8 of the ThinkData Podcast in partnership with Dataworks.

In this very special in-person episode, I sat down in NYC with Aditya Khurjekar who is a serial founder from the world of artificial intelligence and content authentication!

We had a great discussion around:

• Aditiya's background, and what brought him to launch his latest venture xign.ai.
• Who is MEDICI and what was the original idea for the platform
• How did the Prove acquisition come about, and how did he know when was the right time to sell
• Aditya's thoughts on what makes a great start-up
• His thoughts on the current state of the AI market
• What are some of the hottest sectors within AI from an investment perspective right now?
• What changes we can expect to see across the global AI market over the next 12-18 months?

In episode 7 of the ThinkData Podcast, I spoke with Sergio Schirmer, Founder & CEO @ Radiolife.

Radiolife is an early-stage start-up in the field of health diagnostics.

They leverage RF technology and AI to advance pathologies research, revolutionizing disease understanding and patient care.

This was a fascinating discussion about the complexities of bringing a health product to market in the US!

We spoke about -

• Sergio's background and what made him launch Radiolife.
• Who is Radiolife, what is their product, and what makes it unique?
• What part does AI play in the product?
• Sergio's top tips for budding entrepreneurs who may have a great idea, but are struggling with how to turn that into a business.
• How to navigate the complexities of one of the most highly regulated markets in the world.
• How they overcame product development challenges to comply with regulations.
• What is next for Radiolife?

This is Episode 6 of the ThinkData Podcast, brought to you in partnership with Dataworks.

In this episode, I met with Chaz Giles who is the Founder & CEO of Revea.

Revea is a precision skincare company using advanced diagnostics, personal analysis, and machine learning to deliver skincare designed for each individual’s biology

This was a great discussion, covering a load of interesting topics such as -

• Chaz's background and how the idea for Revea was conceived?
• What is Revea, what makes the product unique, and how big a part does AI play
• What is Revea's marketing and GTM strategy, and how do they compete against the larger more well-known brands within the cosmetic and skincare space?
• Why most start-ups fail
• Chaz's thoughts on the importance of establishing a clear set of values and competencies that his team is hired against
• When is the "right time" to hire?
• Chaz's thoughts on the current state of the AI market
• What we can expect to see from Revea over the coming months and through 2024

This is Episode 5 of the ThinkData Podcast, brought to you in partnership with Dataworks.

In this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Cal Al-Dhubaib, the CEO & Founder of Pandata.

Pandata designs and develops AI and machine learning solutions for high-risk industries, focusing on responsible and ethical development.

Cal is a highly regarded speaker and consultant in the world of AI, and there isn't much he and his team don't know about the world of AI.

We covered a lot:

• Cal's background and what brought him to launch Pandata
• Who are Pandata, and what type of problems are they brought in to solve
• The steps companies should be taking to ensure AI is being built and used for good
• Why responsible and ethical AI development is so important
• How companies can attract, engage, retain, and upskill their AI & Data Team
• What does Cal expect to see from the AI world over the coming months?

Welcome to the first episode of Season 3 of the ThinkData Podcast in partnership with Dataworks. the ThinkData Podcast in partnership with Dataworks.

On today’s show, I’m excited to welcome Jeff Elton, the CEO of ConcertAI, a global leader in Clinical AI and Real-World Data solutions

Jeff has a wealth of experience in the Life sciences and health space, having worked for Accenture, Novartis, and McKinsey and lectured at Boston University.

• Jeff's background and what led him to become the CEO of Concert
• Who is ConcertAI and what problem does his business solve?
• The challenges that Jeff and the ConcertAI team had to overcome over the past 6 years
• What it means to be in charge of “the world’s largest oncology and hematology dataset”
• With the rise of more solutions that live in the clinical cloud, what are the main considerations leaders should be aware of?
• What are some of the key ways AI and data are transforming precision medicine?
• How do we ensure that AI within the healthcare space isn’t removing that human touch, but instead becoming an asset to it?

In this special episode, we speak with Jordyn Willens, the Global Program Director at Weve Acceleration, where she is responsible for supporting international growth-stage startups looking to enter and scale in the US market.

She offered great insight into what it takes to set up, launch, and scale a startup in the US.

We discussed the following -

✔Who is Weve and what makes their service unique

✔The steps companies should take when looking to make their first full-time hire in the US

✔What companies should consider when looking to make their first hire?

✔The steps companies should take to a) stand out, b) attract the best possible talent and c) ensure they are embedding the company culture from day one

✔What are the best states/cities to set up in, and why?

✔Are companies better off building an "in-office" culture, or going for fully remote upon launch?

This is Episode 3 of the ThinkData Podcast, brought to you in partnership with Dataworks.

In this episode, I sat down with Rohan Doctor, the Founder and CEO of Louisa.AI.

Louisa AI maximizes the revenues of Financial Institutions by connecting Expertise + Relationships + Intel.

We had a great discussion, talking about the following -

• Rohan's background and how the idea for Louisa came about
• Who is Louisa and what problem is it trying to solve
• What were some of the initial challenges/considerations Rohan and the team had to overcome when taking an "idea" and turning that into a fully fully-fledged business
• The steps Rohan took to adapt from the large corporate life of Goldman to the Founder and CEO of a start-up.
• What is the long-term vision for the company
• Rohan's thoughts on the current state of the AI market
• His advice for budding entrepreneurs

This is Episode 2 in the second season of the ThinkData podcast!

Our podcast is presented in partnership with Dataworks, and today, I am very excited to have Suman Kanuganti on the show.

Suman is the Co-Founder & CEO of Personal.ai, which has been making a huge amount of noise in the AI space.

Personal AI uses your data, and opinions to create a unique interactive messaging experience!

In this episode, we will be showcasing how effective this tool is in real time!

We discussed -

• Suman's background and when did he come up with the idea for personal.ai

• What is the long-term vision for the company, and where does Suman see his tool having the biggest impact?

• How personal.ai address concerns around AI ethics and data privacy

• How personal.ai stays ahead of the competition and adapts to emerging trends

• What is next for peronal.ai?

This is the first episode of Season 2 of the ThinkData Podcast in partnership with Dataworks and what better way to kick off the new season than to welcome Amit Govrin to the show!

Amit is the Co-Founder & CEO at Kubiya, the world's first DevOps virtual assistant, powered by AI!

Kubiya was launched back in May 2022, and since then has experienced rapid growth and gained a huge amount of interest from the world of cloud and DevOps!

Amit gave a really detailed account of what it is like to conceive and launch an AI product, and we spoke about:

• What led him to launch Kubiya

• What is Kubiya, and what makes their product unique?

• What were the first steps they took when deciding when and who to hire?

• What the some of the key challenges they had to overcome in the early stages?

• What was their GTM and marketing strategy when launching, and how did that change over time

• Amits top tips to future founders when it comes to launching a new business from scratch

• What is next for Kubiya?

This is Episode 30 of the ThinkData podcast which also marks the end of Season 1.

Our podcast is presented in partnership with Dataworks, and today, we're delighted to have Thierry Tremblay on the show.

Thierry is the CEO and founder of Kohezion, a platform specializing in low-code and no-code database software solutions

We covered a huge amount, including:

• What is the backstory to launching Kohezion, and how has Thierry's vision for the platform evolved since its inception
• How will no-code/low-code tools evolve, and what are the major advantages they offer to businesses and individuals
• What are some of the biggest challenges that Thierry and his team are currently solving
• How does Kohezion ensure the security of the data and applications created on its platform
• What users can expect in terms of future features & enhancements to the Kohezion platform

This is Episode 29 of the ThinkData podcast in partnership with Dataworks and on today's show, we welcome Solomon Kahn!

Solomon is the Founder & CEO of Delivery Layer. This SaaS Data Platform has been built, “to improve the time to market and customer experience for data products”.

With over 15 years of experience working in Data & Analytics, Solomon has worked for Paperless Post, Nielsen, and Helium 10 before launching his own start-up Delivery Layer in August 2023.

We spoke about -

• His background and what made him launch Delivery Layer

• Who is Delivery Layer and what makes the platform and product unique

• What steps Solomon took to build a best-in-class data team, while maintaining a culture?

• Solomon's thoughts on how Data & Analytics teams will be set up in the future when factoring in the huge number of layoffs that have happened over the past 6-12 months.

• What positions, or functions within a classic Data team will be displaced, or impacted the most by Artificial Intelligence.

This is Episode 28 of the ThinkData podcast in partnership with Dataworks and on today's show we welcome Amanda Fetch!

Amanda is the Head of Applied Science at Data Squared and has over 20 years of experience in Data and analytics, which has seen her work for The Bloc, SiriusXM, and Macy's.

Amanda provides training, support, and mentorship to the next cohort of Data professionals, and has recently been recognized by Linkedin as a Top voice within Artificial Intelligence

This was a great discussion, covering a lot of areas, including:

• Amanda's background and how she broke into Analytics?
• How Amanda upskilled herself
• Advice and tips to those who are trying to make it in the world of Data
• The steps potential candidates can take to stand out when applying for roles
• How companies should approach hiring to put themselves in the best possible position to avoid redundancies.
• What does the future hold for AI?

This is Episode 27 of the Thinkdata podcast in partnership with Dataworks and on today's show, I welcome Ahmet Gyger to the show.

Ahmet is the Senior Director of AI product at Domino Data Lab and has a wealth of experience in product management which has seen him work for the likes of Apple, Microsoft & Salesforce.

Ahmet leads AI product development at Domino, the Enterprise MLOps platform trusted by over 20% of the Fortune 100.

We spoke about:

• His background and what made him leave the relative comfort of "Big Tech" to join Domino.
• Who is Domino and what makes them and their platform unique
• The steps Domino Data Lab takes to ensure that its platform and technology remain current and can continue meeting the needs of the AI practitioners that use the platform
• How does Domino Data Lab address the ethical considerations and potential biases that can arise during the AI model development process
• Ahmet's thoughts on what makes a great Data product, and what considerations should companies make before looking to build out a dedicated AI product team.
• What new tools and features can we expect to be released by Domino over the next 12-18 months?

This is Episode 26 of the Thinkdata podcast in partnership with Dataworks and today we welcome Chris Brown to the show.

Chris is a Partner Manager at Nvidia, responsible for supporting startups by giving them access to Nvidia resources, and full go-to-market support.

Nvidia engineers the most advanced chips, systems, and software that powers Artificial intelligence, and is one of the fastest-growing technology companies of all time.

Chris gave a fascinating insight into what it is like to work for a company like Nvidia, and what we can expect to see from the world of Gen-AI over the next 6-12 months.

• Who is Nvidia & what is behind their rapid growth over the last 5-10 years?
• What is Nvidia’s growth strategy and how they approach building partnerships and onboarding customers in the startup and Enterprise space
• What has been the biggest technological advancement & product release at Nvidia recently and why?
• Chris's thoughts about the current state of the GenAI space
• What does the future hold for Nvidia and GenAI

This is Episode 25 of the Thinkdata podcast in partnership with Dataworks and in this episode, we welcome Amanda Bickerstaff to the show.

Amanda is a former high school biology teacher and Edtech executive who is now the Founder and CEO at “AI for Education”.

Their mission is to help educators and academic institutions adopt AI technology, responsibly!

We covered a lot of topics, including -

• Background to Amanda, and when did she come up with the idea for AI for Education
• How Amanda took that vision and turned it into a fully-fledged business
• How AI is being used to personalize learning
• How AI can help make education more accessible to students from all backgrounds
• What are the ethical considerations for using AI in education
• How can AI help to prepare students for the jobs of the future
• What are some of the challenges that need to be addressed in order to make AI more widely adopted in education

Amanda is a hugely knowledgeable, passionate, and engaging Founder, with a very clear vision and mission to revolutionize teaching and learning through the power of AI!

Welcome to a special edition of the ThinkData Podcast, brought to you in partnership with Dataworks!

In this episode, we examine the dynamic landscape of AI and tech hiring in Europe and the United States.

We’re thrilled to be joined by two exceptional guests, Serena Huang and Rob Wersley, who share invaluable insights from both sides of the Atlantic.

Together, we explore some of the most pressing topics shaping the world of Data & AI today. Here's a glimpse of what’s in store:

• A deep dive into the state of the Data & Analytics job market from a hiring and talent perspective.
• Actionable steps organizations can take to harness Data & AI for enhancing employee engagement, performance, and productivity.
• Insights into why many companies struggle to attract and retain top talent in the Data & AI space.
• Plus, you won't want to miss Serena and Rob’s favorite out-of-the-box interview questions!

This was a fascinating discussion packed with practical advice and thought-provoking perspectives. Tune in and enjoy!

This is Episode 24 of the Thinkdata podcast in partnership with Dataworks and I am pleased to welcome Bryce York to the show.

Bryce is the Director of Product Management for Tatari, which is a leading platform for buying and measuring advertising across linear and streaming TV.

They use cutting-edge Data & AI technology to help advertisers buy and place adverts!

Bryce is an expert in his field and for anyone who has the slightest bit of interest in how AI is helping drive advertising within TV, then this is the episode for you!

We talked about -

• Background to Bryce and what brought him to the US and Tatari
• Who is TATARI and how does artificial intelligence help their customers?
• How AI & Data product management differ from the more classic software PM.
• What makes a great Data & AI product?
• With privacy concerns and changes in data regulations, how does Tatari ensure the ethical and responsible use of AI in ad measurement, while still delivering accurate and actionable insights to clients?
• What does the future hold for AI and advertising measurement?

This is Episode 23 of the Thinkdata podcast in partnership with Dataworks and in this episode, I spoke to Scott Breitenother.

Scott is the CEO and founder of Brooklyn Data company, and they are regarded as one of the leading modern data analytics consulting firms out there.

Following the acquisition by Velir in March this year, he assumed the role of Chief Data officer, and is now working across the group helping to drive data-driven decision-making across their customer base!

Scott's passion, and excitement for this space shone through, and for anyone interested in hearing what it takes to launch, scale, and go through an acquisition, this is a MUST listen.

We covered a lot -

• What led Scott to launch Brooklyn Data Company back in 2018
• The steps he took to launch and lead a business that saw year-on-year growth since inception.
• How did he know when was the right time to become part of Velir
• How Scott got the people and talent piece right from the outset
• How he created a brand and a compelling story that people would buy into, and want to work for
• With the rapid rise of AI tools and products currently entering the space, what are Scott's thoughts on how this will impact the way Data teams are set up moving forward

This is Episode 22 of the ThinkData Podcast in partnership with Dataworks and we had the pleasure of speaking with Hardika Narula from Involve AI & R2D2.

Hardika is the Senior Director of Product at Involve AI & R2D2 and was recently voted one of the United States' top 100 directors in Artificial intelligence.

Involve AI is a Series A SaaS platform within the customer intelligence space who have been experiencing rapid growth since its Series A towards the back end of 2021.

This was a really insightful discussion around -

• Hardika's background and what brought her to Involve.ai
• Who is Involve.ai and what makes their product and service unique?
• What were some of the challenges Hardika and her team had to overcome in the early stages, and then following their Series A investment?
• What steps did Hardika take when building her Data & AI Product team?
• Hardika's thoughts on what is next in the world of AI

For anyone that is interested in hearing what it takes to build a SaaS AI start-up, then this is a must-listen!

This is Episode 21 of the ThinkData Podcast in partnership with Dataworks and it was my pleasure to welcome Jay Sarmaz to the show.

Jay is the CEO and Co-founder at Truve. Truve is an AI-powered legal analytics platform for law firms and their platform helps firms understand performance whilst at the same time helping to drive efficiencies across all parts of the business.

We had a great discussion, covering a number of topics, such as -

• Jay's background, what brought him to the US, and then to launch Truve.
• The vision behind Truve and what makes it a unique proposition within the field of Legal AI
• The steps Jay took to establish a founder team, and then launch.
• His advice to other founders who are looking at launching their own business
• The steps that Jay and his founder team take to establish a core set of values/principles that his team was hired and reviewed against?
• What makes a great startup vs. an average one
• What is next in the world of AI

Jay is an extremely charismatic and engaging leader and no surprise his business has done so well! This episode is a great listen to anyone who wants to understand what it takes to conceive an idea and then subsequently launch your own AI start-up!

This is Episode 20 of the Thinkdata podcast in partnership with Dataworks and it is great to welcome Rajesh Kandaswamy to the show.

Rajesh spent 10 years at Gartner where he was their chief of research and fellow and is now in the process of launching his own AI product, whilst also advising a handful of companies that are looking to realize the full potential of AI and generative AI.

Widely recognized as one of the leading voices in the world of AI, Rajesh offers a refreshing and fascinating insight into this space.

• What led Rajesh to leave Gartner after a decade, to now focus his efforts on advising AI companies and launching his very own AI startup.
• What are the key factors that large enterprises should consider when contemplating investments in artificial intelligence?
• What are some of the misconceptions about AI adoption and what can be done about it?
• How does Rajesh feel about the growth trajectory of AI compared to other emerging technologies, such as blockchain?
• What factors will ultimately determine the success of an AI product within Generative AI?
• What are his predictions and insights regarding the future direction of AI and its potential impacts on various industries and aspects of daily life?

This is Episode 19 of the ThinkData Podcast in partnership with Dataworks and I am pleased to welcome Alex Furman to the show

Alex is the Co-founder and CEO of Performica who are a SaaS platform within the People and Performance management space.

Their tool helps managers and companies retain key staff, improve culture, and ultimately increase profits!

Alex started out as a Software engineer, and has a wealth of experience in building and launching greenfield products from the ground up!

This was a very open, informative, and eye-opening account of what life as a Co-Founder is really like.

We talked about -

• His journey as a founder and how he came up with the idea for Performica
• How Performica is making a difference in how businesses approach workforce management and employee engagement
• How he and Performica overcome the issues regarding employee Data privacy and security and how their platform ensures the confidentiality and integrity of the data that is collected
• His advice to any budding entrepreneur
• His thoughts on what the future of people analytics could look like

Alex is a highly successful and passionate Founder, and this podcast is a must listen to anyone that is curious about what life as an entrepreneur is really like!

This is Episode 18 of the ThinkData podcast in partnership with Dataworks and in this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Calvin Gerus.

Calvin is the Director of Product at Borealis, the AI research arm of the Royal Bank of Canada.

He started his career as an electrical engineer in 2007, and since then, he has gone on to build AI and Data teams for the likes of Autodesk, Foresee, and Allocadia.

We discussed -

• What brought him from a career in electrical engineering to now leading research projects within Artificial intelligence
• Who Borealis is, and what type of projects & use cases are they working on
• What is behind the rapid rise in the adoption of LLM’s for organizations and product companies alike?
• How are startups within the Gen AI space going to create products that ultimately stand out?
• What sectors will be impacted the most by AI and what sectors will ultimately see job cuts and jobs being replaced by AI and Automation?
• What is next for AI?

Calvin is both technically astute, commercially aware, and highly passionate about this space. This is a must-listen-to anyone interested in the more technical side of AI and what we can look forward to in the upcoming months.

In this episode, we spoke with Vinesh Sukumar, the Senior Director of AI and ML product at Qualcomm.

Vinesh has a wealth of experience in Product Management and Artificial intelligence and has worked for the likes of Nasa, Intel, Lenovo, and most recently Qualcomm.

He is also a member of the board of advisors for the AI forum, and is an AI advisor to San Francisco & California state university!

We had a cracking discussion about -

• His background, which started Nasa in an early AI & Data science capacity through to heading up AI and ML at Qualcomm
• Who Qualcomm are and why is Generative AI becoming more important for players like Qualcomm?
• What is behind the rapid rise in importance and demand for a dedicated Product team aligned explicitly to ML and AL
• What are some of the challenges AI product teams usually face and how is this handled?
• How do people break into Product management
• What does the future hold for Generative AI?

This is Episode 16 of the Thinkdata podcast in partnership with Dataworks and I am excited to welcome Santiago Pombo to the show.

Santiago is the Director of Product at Thoughtspot, responsible for leading their Search and AI product team.

He has over 10 years of product management experience, which has seen him build and launch products for the likes of Meltwater, HP, Adobe, and most recently Thoughtspot.

This was a fascinating episode with Santiago offering a deep insight into his career to date, as well as explaining who Thoughtspot are, and why they are such a force to be reckoned with in the world of Business intelligence and Artificial intelligence.

We spoke about -

• Santiago's background and what ultimately brought him to Thoughtspot.
• Who are Thoughtspot and what makes their product unique?
• How Santiago approached integrating GenerativeAI at Thoughtspot, and what impact will this product have for the industry as a whole moving forward
• How do you set up your Product Team to maximize ROI
• With so many companies entering the AI/Search space, how are these products going to remain competitive and offer consumers/businesses something unique
• What is next in the world of Large language models and GenerativeAI?

This is Episode 15 of the ThinkData podcast in partnership with Dataworks.

On today’s show, I am pleased to welcome Irene Bratsis.

Irene is the Director of Digital product and Data for the international WELL building institute, the Author of the AI product managers handbook as well as the NYC Co-Lead for Women in Data. She also moderates the Women in AI (WAI) Talks.

This was a very upbeat and energetic discussion, and we spoke about a LOT, including -

• Background to Irene, and what took her from a role in sales to Data Product management?
• Who are the IWBI and why does Data play such an integral part in their future?
• What is behind the rapid rise in the demand for dedicated product teams within Data & AI
• What made Irene want to write the "AI product managers handbook"?
• What led Irene to become involved in the Women in Data & AI
• Why is it so important to have a diverse Data team, and what steps can Women take in order to pursue a career in Data
• What does Irene think the future holds for AI?

Irene has an infectious energy and passion for this space and with a wealth of experience leading specialist Data and AI teams, give her page a follow on Linkedin and this episode a listen!

Welcome to the ThinkData Podcast, produced in partnership with Dataworks. I am pleased to welcome Josh Clayman to the show in today's episode.

Josh brings over 30 years of experience in data center technology, having worked with industry leaders such as NCR, AT&T, and Dell.

He currently serves as the CEO of Accelsius, a company at the forefront of advanced cooling technology for data centers.

We covered a huge amount, including:

• Background on Josh’s career journey and what led him to become the CEO of Accelsius.
• Josh’s role at Accelsius and what a typical week looks like as CEO
• The mission of Accelsius and the specific problem the company is solving within the industry.
• A closer look at the environmental impact of AI systems and data centers
• The steps he took to build awareness and drive ARR
• Some of the challenges Josh has had to overcome as CEO

This is episode 14 of the ThinkData podcast in partnership with Dataworks

On today’s show, we welcome Serena Huang, the Founder of Data with Serena and the Chief Data officer at ABE.

Serena has worked for the likes of Paypal, Kraft Heinz, and GE within People Analytics and has also recently joined Linkedin as a course instructor!

We had a great conversation about the following -

• Serena's background and what ultimately brought her to ABE.work
• Who are ABE and what is the vision behind it?
• As someone who has championed personal branding, Serena offered up great advice on where to begin when it comes to creating a personal brand
• What is People analytics and why is it such an important part of the wider talent piece that organizations so often overlook
• What steps can companies take to ensure that they are getting the most out of their people, and in turn increase engagement and retention?
• At what stage should companies look to invest in people/HR/talent analytics and what is your advice on how to drive a “data-driven culture” in organizations?

Serena's passion and evident expertise in creating data-driven talent and people strategies for some of the world's leading brands made for a great episode! Make sure you give her page a follow and this episode a listen!

This is episode 13 of the ThinkData podcast in partnership with Dataworks.

Today we welcome Ghalib Suleiman, the Founder and CEO of Polytomic, the world's first anywhere ETL platform.

Ghalib has over 15 years of experience within Data & Tech which saw him launch Polytomic back in 2019.

We spoke about

• His background in Data and Tech and what led him to launch Polytomic
• What is Polytomic and what makes their platform and product unique
• What you should try and avoid when you're a data team of one?
• What makes a great team and how should companies set their data teams up for maximum ROI
• What does the future hold for the modern data stack and analytics engineering
• What should you consider when deciding whether to pursue a career in management or continue along the individual contributor route?

This is a great episode for anyone who wants to hear what it takes to grow and launch a tech business in the world of the modern data stack.

This is episode 12 of the ThinkData podcast in partnership with Dataworks. In this episode, we welcomed Ari Kaplan from Databricks.

Ari is the Head Evangelist responsible for increasing awareness of the Databricks product and has a fascinating background in Sports analytics, where he spent several years with the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs. His career has seen him then work for the likes of Nielson and Datarobot where he has been at the forefront of Data and AI for over 15 years.

We covered a lot, including -

• What does a week in the life of an evangelist look like and what IS an evangelist?
• What took him to a career in sports analytics and then on to work for some of the most recognized Data vendors in the world?
• Who are Databricks and what makes them such a force to be reckoned with?
• In a market with a new tool and vendor being released each day, what key considerations should organizations make before deciding what tools and tech stack to go with?
• What is behind the seemingly rapid rise and adoption of AI Tools and techniques to the mainstream
• What are Ari's predictions for the next 12/18 months in the world of Data & AI
• His advice for anyone looking to break into the more commercial side of AI

Thank you Ari for a cracking discussion, and for anyone interested in finding out more about him and Dataworks, make sure you give him a follow on here.

This is Episode 11 of the ThinkData Podcast in partnership with Dataworks. In this episode, I spoke with Mitch Vidler who is the Global Director of Marketing Analytics and Investments at Entain Group (owners of Ladbrokes, Bwin, Gala).

Mitch heads up a global team of specialists who are tasked with ensuring Entain's £1billion+ marketing budget across new and existing customers around the globe is delivering maximum short and long-term sustainable growth.

We discussed -

• What took Mitch from his early career in advertising and marketing through to Leading Marketing Analytics for one of the world’s largest B2C media brands
• What is “Marketing analytics” and why is it such an important function for any customer-led organization?
• How does Marketing analytics differ from more traditional BI?
• What steps should companies take BEFORE they look to make their first “Marketing analytics” hire?
• Best ways to unite and grow a remote workforce?
• What makes a great “Marketing analyst” and for those candidates currently working in a more classic BI/Data role, what can they do to break into “Marketing analytics”.
• What does the future hold for marketing analytics?

This was a great discussion, where Mitch provided a cracking insight into the world of marketing and analytics! For anyone interested in understanding how organizations know how to target and market to you, this is the episode for you!

This is Episode 10 of the ThinkData podcast in partnership with Dataworks and I had the pleasure of speaking with Kedeisha Bryan who is a Senior Data Consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton.

Kedeisha's career started in the US Navy where she was an Aviation Electronics Technician, and in 2021 she decided to pursue a career in Data!

Kedeisha has amassed a fantastic following on Linkedin and is a regular contributor to the Data and Tech community.

She is the founder of Data in Motion which is a fantastic ed-tech platform for the Data community, which has a whole host of resources for any aspiring data professional!

We covered a LOT, including -

• What steps Kedeisha took to become a consultant in Data from an early career in the US Navy
• What made Kedeisha set up and launch Data In Motion
• Her top tips and advice to anyone that is looking to break into the world of analytics?
• What steps companies should take to retain and create a more committed and engaged Data workforce?
• What are the most important factors job seekers should consider when moving roles?
• What the future holds for Analytics engineering?

This is a MUST listen for anyone that wants to know what it takes to break into this fascinating space from someone that did just that!

This is Episode 9 of the ThinkData podcast in Partnership with Dataworks and ACV and I am super excited to welcome John Coles to the podcast in this episode.

John is the Senior Director of Data Science and Analytics at ACV and they are one of America’s largest digital marketplaces and data services partners for the automotive sector.

In the first episode of a 3 part series, we will be talking about how ACV trained, hired, and developed their very own Data Team in the Buffalo area!

We discussed -

• The background to the project at ACV and why Data & Analytics are seen as such an important driver behind their growth.
• The importance of having senior stakeholder buy-in and support from the very beginning.
• How John and ACV overcame the challenges of building and hiring a specialist data team in Buffalo, New York.
• What was behind their vision for launching a boot camp and how that worked in practice
• As John looked to scale out his team, what steps did he take in order to create a management layer?
• How John created and established a clear set of values and guiding principles that the team was brought into?

This is a great episode for anyone that is interested in hearing what it takes to create a brand new team, from scratch and overcome one of the MAJOR blockers to many firms that look to hire, LOCATION!

This is Episode 8 of the ThinkData Podcast and in this episode, we spoke with Alon Bochman who heads up Privacy, Transparency & Compliance at YouTube Ads.

He has an excellent background in Artificial intelligence and Machine Learning which has seen him build and launch some of the most innovative and cutting-edge AI products for Microsoft, YouTube, and Genpact.

We discussed -

• His background and journey to Google(from a non-classic career in finance to launching and selling his first software firm)
• When should companies look to establish a dedicated Data Product function, and what considerations should they make before making those first hires?
• What is behind the demand and interest in Data Product Management?
• What should people consider before deciding on a career in Data Product management?
• What considerations should candidates consider before deciding whether to join a FAANG or Large Tech firm?
• What does the future hold for AI and ML heading(from a Product perspective)

Here are the resources Alon mentioned for anyone looking to switch to a Product career!

1. Cracking the PM Interview

2. Cracking the PM Career

3. Inspired

4. Product School

5. Exponent

This is Episode 7 of the ThinkData Podcast and we had a great chat with Michelle Ballen who heads up Data & Analytics at Future who are a fast-growing Personal training platform in the US.

We discussed -

• What steps companies should take when establishing a culture and environment of self-service analytics and who is ultimately responsible for the internal adoption of those tools?
• Why Data governance should be embraced and not feared.
• What are the benefits of organizations adopting and fostering an experimentation-based culture regarding product development and analytics?
• What should leaders do in order to create a united workforce and an environment of continual learning?
• What steps did Michelle take to navigate her career which saw her becoming a "Head of Data" within the modern data stack for some of the most exciting tech firms in the US today?

This was a cracking episode for anyone interested in how to create a culture of self-service analytics and fantastic work culture, whilst also appreciating that the success of so many projects within Data start and end with a robust and strict Data governance process!

This is Episode 6 of the ThinkData Podcast and we had a great chat with Tre Williams who heads up Data modeling at Bitly, the world leading Link management platform.

We discussed -

• What is behind the rise in importance and demand for Data modelers with experience in the modern data stack
• How DBT has become the modeling tool of choice
• How Tre navigated his way through to his current role, despite not having the classic STEM education and Data analyst background
• Why is it so important for data engineers and architects to be as strong on the stakeholder/business side as they are technical?
• Best advice to analysts trying to break into the Data architecture and engineering field.
• What steps could hiring managers take when trying to attract and retain engineers?
• What makes a good Data architect?

This episode will provide aspiring Data professionals with the confidence and tools to pursue a career in data, irrespective of their background!

This is Episode 5 of the ThinkData Podcast and we had the honor of speaking with Rob Strechay who is the Founder of Smuget Consulting that are a specialist consultancy focused on the Data product space.

Rob has a wealth of experience within Tech and Data and has built and scaled Product teams for the likes of HP, Amazon, NetApp, Zerto, and Snowplow.

We discussed -

• What is behind the rise in demand for Data Product Managers
• What are the main blockers for companies when it comes to setting up a product team within Data
• What makes a good Data product manager
• What does the future hold for Data product
• What steps should companies consider before looking to make their first Data product hire
• For those candidates who don’t have a classic product and/or Data background, what steps should they take to break into this space? www.pragmaticinstitute.com

This episode is a MUST listen to anyone that is interested in knowing more about Data product management and what is behind its rapid rise in popularity!

Welcome to the ThinkData podcast, in partnership with Dataworks!

On today’s episode, I’m joined by Jason Abrams.

Jason is the VP of Revenue Strategy at Plenful, a Series A SaaS and AI startup in the digital health space. With over 15 years of sales experience, he’s successfully led and grown teams at LinkedIn, Lyra Health, Color, and Spring Health.

In this episode, we’ll dive into building and scaling Sales and GTM teams within a startup.

We covered a lot of ground:

• Jason's background and what brought him to Plenful
• Who is Plenful and what problem is it looking to solve
• Jason's thoughts on the Healthtech market
• What are the most important factors and considerations companies should consider when building their ARR?
• What impact has AI and associated software had on sales teams
• What makes a great sales leader
• Jason's advice to candidates who may be looking at sales as a career path

It's Episode 4 of the ThinkData Podcast and Alex had the pleasure of speaking with Zachary Wilner who is the Head of Data & Analytics at Pair. They are one of the most exciting direct-to-consumer startups in the market today, and very early on decided to invest in and commit to building out a best-in-class modern data stack!

In this episode, we will discuss -

• The importance of having a clear roadmap and infrastructure in place before trying to perform any analysis and deliver reporting capability to stakeholders
• How Zach defined his team's values on day one BEFORE a single hire had been made
• What steps he took when deciding on what the modern data stack should consist of
• How to strike that right balance of player and coach in a growing business
• Top tips and advice for those looking to break into management
• The benefit of networking and building up a trusted network of contacts in this space
• What is behind the rise in popularity of Analytics engineering, and how to break into it

Its Episode 3 of the ThinkData Podcast and Alex welcomes Madison Schott to the show. Madison is currently an Analytics Engineer, Technical writer, and Author of the "Learn Analytics Engineering" newsletter

In this episode, we will be discussing

• The steps Madison took to become an Analytics engineer
• What is behind the rise in popularity and demand for Analytics engineers
• How the role of the "Data engineer" could be changing
• What can people do to put themselves in the best possible position to secure that dream analytics role
• What are the best ways to stand out in this crowded and very competitive market

Its Episode 2 of the ThinkData Podcast and Alex is happy to welcome Brandi Beals and Dustin Schimek to the show.

In this episode, we will be discussing

• What led Dustin and Brandi to set up the www.datacareerssummit.com
• What steps can organizations and hiring managers take in order to secure the best possible talent
• With the market being so competitive and the average tenure of a Data scientist being 18 months, what can companies do to create a more committed and engaged workforce
• What are the most important factors job seekers should consider when looking to move positions
• For entry-level analysts, what are the best ways to stand out and get noticed?
• How can you learn and pick up new tools without the need to spend ANYTHING!

Its Episode 1 of the ThinkData Podcast and Alex is excited to welcome Khurram Tehseen who is the VP of Data Science at Preston Ventures to the show.

In this episode, we will be discussing

• How Khurram forged a career in Data science which saw him transition from actuarial science to data science, filling the skill gaps and making strategic moves
• How he went about doubling his team of data scientists and engineers in 2022
• What steps you should take when building an elite analytics team
• How to build a retain a top data team
• Advice to new leaders in data science and tips on how to manage up and down
• When moving roles, what are the most important factors to consider
• How to market yourself and the steps you should take when creating an online presence