Bits, Bytes and Business

In this week's podcast we're talking with Irene Grant from Craigelachie Consulting.

Irene has had an illustrious career with HSBC and has taken her years of corporate experience working in a global markets and started a consulting business that provides mentoring and coaching services to the next generation of leaders.

In this podcast we talk about the difference between mentoring and coaching, how to find and work with a mentor or a coach and we also touch on women in business and how we can increase diversity in the workplace and bring together the current and new generation of business leaders

To learn more about Craigelachie please visit the website:

http://craigelachie.org.uk/

In this week's podcast I'm talking with a local Bulgarian celebrity, Benjamin Kane.

Ben is a Sunderland native that moved to Bulgaria in 2007 and has recently started TechPods which helps business find top tech talent in Bulgaria

In this podcast we talk about nearshoring in Bulgaria, how TechPods helps businesses scale their tech team, what to expect when engaging Ben and his team, the differences in working culture and what it's like to be a TV football pundit

To learn more about TechPods, visit their website: https://techpods.co/

In this week's podcast we are talking with Evan Pappas from Ocyan, a blockchain startup that provides a cloud infrastructure platform for businesses deploying blockchain based applications.

Evan is a techie turned entrepreneur and in this podcast he describes blockchain technology for the non-technical listener as well as how Ocyan is helping businesses take advantage of the key facets of blockchain through their cloud infrastructure

We also talk about his tranistion from techie to CEO and he gives advice to young developers out there looking to emulate his success. Ocyan is currently closing a funding round to help them expand into the rest of Europe.

For more information on the company visit:

https://www.ocyan.com

In this week's podcast we are talking with Sorcha Lorimer from Trace about "Privacy by Design" and making GDPR fun!

More on Trace:

"At Trace, we help your company protect, visualise and find personal data, automate GDPR compliance documentation, and stay on top of privacy risk. Trace delivers data discovery, audits and reporting when you need it.

Build trust, protect your busines with Trace’s secure Software as a Service (SaaS) platform and our brilliant Data, Privacy + Data Professional Services."

https://trace.ventures/

In this week's podcast we are talking to Selby Cary, the founder of Casta Spes Technology a robotics company based in Edinburgh. Selby is a young, exciting entrepreneur that has built a successful startup in a very short space of time. We talk about his founder's journey, his journey from Zimbabwe to Scotland and how young founders can go from an idea to a multi-million pound company.

More about Casta Spes Technology:

CST are keeping people, property and physical data collection safer with autonomous robotics. Our modular and accessible robotic vehicle collects data autonomously enhancing existing security systems, integrating effortlessly with ONVIF compliant cameras and augmenting manned patrols. Our online security platform provides full accountability of perimeter monitoring with reliable robotic patrols combining a variety of sensors and AI-driven plug-ins.

In this podcast we are talking to Oliver Gabbay from Snippet, a company that specialises in providing employee benefits in the form of salary loans

Oliver is an ex-banker turned serial entrepreneur that has built global businesses in the finance space. We talk about Snippet, how businesses should think about going global, what you should think when you decide to start your own business and the startup ecosystem in Tel Aviv

For more information on Snippet, visit their website:

http://snippet.co.jp/en

In this week's podcast I'm talking with Ray Wright and Diedre McGettrick from Kuldea, an online platform that takes the pain out of interior design

The company was founded out of Ray and Diedre's passion for interior decorating and the gap they perceived in the market for a platform that can provide a one-stop-shop for people searching for home furnishings.

The platform is more than just an e-commerce site with Ray and Diedre providing users with insights on how to make the right choices when furnishing and avoiding the pitfalls of buying the wrong items for your home

For more information visit their website:

https://www.kuldea.com/

In this week's podcast we are talking with Graham Brennan from ANI Connects a company that helps businesses improve their public engagement.

Graham is an ex-academic turned entrepreneur that saw that his PhD work could be applied to the business world to help businesses connect with their customers and increase engagement

We cover a range of topics in this podcast:

Is there a magic bullet for building public engagement?

How do you effectively build engagement?

How long does it take to build engagement?

How do you identify your audience?

Graham's transition from academia to the business world and many more topics!

For more information about ANI Connects please visit their website:

https://www.aniconnects.com/

In this week's podcast we are talking to Matt Borka, a digital marketing expert that advises small businesses at the Google Digital Garage.

Matt talks to us on a wide range of topics from how to start with digital marketing for your business, how to manage costs, creating a social network and most importantly - do you really need a website!

For more information about Matt visit his Instagram page:

https://www.instagram.com/matt_borka/

Or find him on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mate-ferenc-borka/

In this week's podcast we are talking with Alan Clarke from Business Growth Partnership.

Alan started life in the world of advertising and then becoming an entrepreneur and starting the first nationwide rock radio station

We cover a range of topics from how businesses should create an advertising / marketing strategy to the Scottish startup ecosystem and not least Alan gives advice to young entrepreneurs that are thinking of starting a new business

For more information about Alan and his business, visit his website:

https://www.tbgp.co.uk/