In the current climate, it seems that most businesses have finally agreed that the old way of doing things is just not going to cut it anymore. But where do you begin to build an innovation strategy or a culture of innovation? And how can tech help business recovery in a post-covid world?

A company called Sidetrade uses artificial intelligence to empower marketing, sales, and finance teams to grow sales and accelerate cash. Sidetrade also identifies untapped business opportunities on the customer journey with Aimie, its Artificial Intelligence platform. 

Mark Sheldon was appointed group CTO of Sidetrade in July 2019, after the British AI start-up he co-founded, BrightTarget, was sold to Sidetrade. After a consultancy and in-house career in the software and digital transformation space, he now oversees Sidetrade's global R&D strategy, leads a team of data engineers and data scientists, and oversees the company's annual Coding Academy for college and university leavers.

Mark also recently opened the company's newest tech hub in the centre of Birmingham, backed by £30m investment for new jobs in R&D and community engagement. Mark is also sharing his story and offering his advice for would-be and current entrepreneurs and those looking help grow tech in the West Midlands at the Birmingham Tech Week event.

In today's episode of Tech Talks Daily, Mark shared his insights around how to anticipate technological evolutions in AI. He discusses how to stay at the forefront of innovation, hiring, and keeping tech talent. Finally, Mark also shares the global R&D recruitment drive at Sidetrade and how listeners can get involved.