In this episode of Let's Talk About Tech, host Philipp Sakuler sits down with Max Sherwood, CEO and co-founder of H2O Nodes, to explore the world of blockchain infrastructure, from Bitcoin mining in 2013 to running validators on Solana, Sui, Monad and Ethereum, and building real-yield products on top.

Recorded live at Vienna Blockchain Week 2026, organized by neob.ai and Austrian Blockchain Center - ABC Research, the conversation explores what it really takes to keep decentralized networks secure, resilient, and online 24/7.

They discuss why H2O Nodes runs its own bare metal instead of the cloud, what node operators actually do and why decentralization depends on it, and how a lean team decides which chains are worth betting their time and hardware on. Max also breaks down Distributed Validator Technology (DVT), unpacks RevTech, a staking pool that splits Solana's yield into two separate liquid staking tokens, and shares his perspective on where blockchain infrastructure goes next as stablecoins, prediction markets and new L1s take shape.

Guest Speaker: Max Sherwood ➡️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/max-sherwood/

H2O Nodes: https://www.h2o-nodes.com

Vienna Blockchain Week: https://viennablockchainweek.org

Moderator: Philipp Sakuler ➡️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipp-sakuler/

Venionaire Capital:

🌐 Website: https://www.venionaire.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/venionaire/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/venionaire/ 

In this episode of Let's Talk About Tech, host Berthold Baurek-Karlic sits down with John Kojiro Moriwaka — better known as "Crazy John," global ambassador of the World Venture Forum, the global event for investors in the first week of July in Kitzbühel, Austria. John, as the winner of its Crystal Unicorn Award of Excellence, explores how genuine relationships, not transactions, build a truly global network. From conference culture and cross-border friendships to bringing Japanese founders onto the world stage. They discuss what really makes the World Venture Forum special, how John stays connected across 15+ countries without ever chasing return on investment, why getting out of your comfort zone is essential to developing a global mindset, and how he inspires Japanese entrepreneurs to engage the world. John also breaks down the role of local chapters and ecosystem-building from Israel to Kyrgyzstan, shares his upcoming travels across South America and beyond, and makes the case for his ultimate legacy: entrepreneurship as the biggest peace project on earth.

⛰️World Venture Forum: https://worldventureforum.info 

Guest Speaker: John Kojiro Moriwaka ("Crazy John") ➡️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kojiro-moriwaka-431a334a/

Moderator: Berthold Baurek-Karlic ➡️ https://www.baurek-karlic.at/

Venionaire Capital:

🌐 Website: https://www.venionaire.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/venionaire/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/venionaire/

In this episode of Let’s Talk About Tech, host Philipp Sakuler sits down with Christoph Boschan, CEO of the Vienna Stock Exchange, to explore how European capital markets are evolving, from IPO dynamics to tokenization and the increasing role of financial infrastructure as a tech business. They discuss why Europe struggles with equity participation, how listing decisions are really made, and Boschan also breaks down the transformation of exchanges into fully digital infrastructure providers and shares his perspective on tokenization, regulation, and the future of capital markets in Europe.

Guest Speaker: Christoph Boschan ➡️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christoph-boschan-67bb21b/

Moderator: Philipp Sakuler ➡️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipp-sakuler/

Venionaire Capital:

🌐 Website: https://www.venionaire.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/venionaire/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/venionaire/

In this episode of Let's Talk About Tech, CEO of Venionaire Capital Berthold Baurek-Karlic sits down with Dr. Günther Dobrauz-Saldapenna, Founder & Partner of exelixis capital, to explore his journey from decoding disruption and the science behind it with his publications on interlinked S-Curves, pioneering Venture Capital, spending more than 15 years combined at Deloitte and PwC to navigating the future of exponential technologies like AI, longevity, and the blockchain economy.

Guest Speaker: Dr. Günther Dobrauz-Saldapenna ➡️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dobrauz/

Moderator: Berthold Baurek-Karlic ➡️ https://www.baurek-karlic.at

Venionaire Capital:

🌐 Website: https://www.venionaire.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/venionaire/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/venionaire/

What is the actual key to a long, healthy life? In this episode of Let’s Talk About Tech, host Berthold Baurek-Karlic speaks with Johannes Weiss, founder and CEO of Longevity Center Vienna, who reveals why there isn't just one "magic pill," but rather a biological "key" involving your brain, your cells, and your community. We move past the hype of social media supplements to discuss the Root Cause Medicine that is actually moving the needle. Johannes explains how to modulate your nervous system to erase stress and why the next generation of humans might just breeze past the 120-year mark.

Guest Speaker: Johannes Weiss ➡️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johannes-weiss-8ab828197/

Moderator: Berthold Baurek-Karlic ➡️ https://www.baurek-karlic.at

Venionaire Capital:

🌐 Website: https://www.venionaire.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/venionaire/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/venionaire/

In this episode of Let's Talk About Tech, CEO of Venionaire Capital, Berthold Baurek-Karlic, sits down with Andreas Perotti, Defense Tech expert and entrepreneur. They explore why the "startup community" in defense exploded after 2022 , the reality of the "drone war" in Ukraine , and whether true technological resilience is even possible in a globalized world.

Guest Speaker: Andreas Perotti ➡️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreasperotti/

Moderator: Berthold Baurek-Karlic ➡️ https://www.baurek-karlic.at

Venionaire Capital:

🌐 Website: https://www.venionaire.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/venionaire/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/venionaire/

In this episode of Let’s Talk About Tech, host Berthold Baurek-Karlic sits down with Florian Wagner, CEO and Founder of Emerald Horizon, to explore one of the most ambitious energy innovations currently emerging in Europe. From hedge fund management to building a deep tech company in the energy space, Florian shares how his journey led to the development of Emerald Horizon's core technology ADES which are SMGs (Small Modular Generators) — a potential alternative to traditional SMRs.

Guest Speaker: Florian Wagner ➡️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/florian-wagner-emerald/

Emerald Horizon: https://emerald-horizon.com/en/

Moderator: Berthold Bauer-Karlic ➡️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/berthold-baurek-karlic-30228045/

Venionaire Capital:

🌐 Website: https://www.venionaire.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/venionaire/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/venionaire/

In this episode of the Let’s Talk About Tech podcast, host Philipp Sakuler sits down with Simon Laubscher, Head of Innovation at Swarovski, to explore how Swarovski continues to innovate and reinvent itself.

Guest Speaker: Simon Laubscher ➡️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-laubscher/

Swarovski: https://www.swarovski.com/de-AT/

Moderator: Philipp Sakuler ➡️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipp-sakuler/

Venionaire Capital:

🌐 Website: https://www.venionaire.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/venionaire/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/venionaire/

In this episode of Let’s Talk About Tech, host Berthold Baurek-Karlic speaks with Dr. Bernhard Müller, Industry Lead Aerospace & Defense at PwC and former officer of the Austrian Armed Forces. We discuss how defense innovation increasingly emerges from the private sector, why dual-use technologies such as AI, drones, and satellites are reshaping modern defense capabilities, and how governments and startups collaborate to build resilient systems.

Guest Speaker: Bernhard Müller ➡️

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernhard-müller-06b015a7/

PwC Legal Austria: https://www.pwclegal.at

Moderator: Berthold Baurek-Karlic ➡️

Website: https://www.baurek-karlic.at

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/berthold-baurek-karlic-30228045/

Venionaire Capital:

🌐 Website: https://www.venionaire.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/venionaire/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/venionaire/

In this episode, host & CEO Berthold Baurek-Karlic speaks with Anja Hintermeier, Head of New Business and Venture Development at Wien Energie, about how cities can innovate their way toward climate neutrality, build new energy revenue streams, and collaborate with startups to stabilize future grids. From venture building inside utilities to decentralized energy systems and grid stability challenges, this episode explores how infrastructure operators are becoming innovation platforms.

Guest Speaker: Anja Hintermeier ➡️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anja-hintermeier/

Wien Energie: https://www.wienenergie.at/ueber-uns/unternehmen/innovation-forschung/

Moderator: Berthold Baurek-Karlic ➡️ Website: https://www.baurek-karlic.at

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/berthold-baurek-karlic-30228045/

Venionaire Capital:

🌐 Website: https://www.venionaire.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/venionaire/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/venionaire/