Software & Technology by MarketScale

Have you ever wondered how we know about things that happened in a closed meeting or court proceeding? Or exactly how the television knows what to display when closed captioning is in use? Project Steno is providing a window into that process, as well as a doorway into the profession. On today's podcast, our host spoke with Nancy Varallo and Jim DeCrescenzo, executive director and president of Project Steno.

They discussed the reasons for the longevity of the profession, a few of the benefits of court reporting as a career, the unique viewpoint stenographers possess, and how Nancy and Jim were way ahead of the curve on "text speak". "Court reporting offers a view into all the courtrooms throughout the country, the halls of Congress, Hollywood, Camp David. There's no glass ceiling. We have a ringside seat to history," DeCrescenzo said.

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Sometimes it really is all in the name. On today's podcast, our host spoke with the CEO of Simplistic IT Solutions, Dan Miller. "I can't think of anybody that has ever called us and says 'Hey. How do I make this difficult to use?' It just doesn't happen," Miller said. The two discussed the clear mission of the company that is embodied in the name, the importance of keeping your head and hands in the technology game, and some wise advice that Dan's father shared with him. (No, it was NOT about bacon. But, the topic might have come up.)

As integrated solutions like automation, robotics, and process development become more and more integrated in the manufacturing industry, we decided to sit down with Dan Allford, president of ARC Specialties, to get some insight on his industry and break down just why “manufacturing became cool again.”

"One thing that I see that proves my point is all the high school robotics programs. We’re very active with U.S. First for example, where the kids design and build robots. I’ve been working with them since 2001, and it’s a great program. It’s just like when I was a kid except we didn’t have a formal outlet for it," Allford said. The ARC Specialties President also talked on how he built ARC right out of his garage, what to look for in building the right team, his development on the first collaborative welding robot, and how innovation in manufacturing technology is affecting global trade.

No matter the industry, HR executives are looking for new ways to glean meaningful insights from their workforce to improve the company’s culture. In today's episode, Disco co-founder Justin Vandehey explains how more than 30,000 HR teams across the country are using his application to do just that. By socializing success, Disco is changing the way businesses give real-time feedback and workplace recognition. "As an HR professional you don't have to prod or poke people to respond to a survey," Vandehey said. "Parallel to all of the engagement that's happening with Disco, we've started to collect and aggregate information for the culture and HR executive."

Cell phones are an expensive investment, but a standard one, and now more than ever, companies are fighting to get customers on their plans. Whether it's Verizon now offering unlimited data, AT&T offering free HBO subscriptions, or T-Mobile being so bold as to pay for your latest Netflix binge, companies are getting inventive. Even more inventive could be FreedomPop's method: a freemium business plan that currently keeps over 50 percent of active users paying zero dollars for their wireless data. Today, Stephen Stokols, the CEO of FreedomPop, joins us to talk about the effects of unlimited plans, the Sprint and T-Mobile merger, and the intricacies of a freemium business plan model to help you make better sense of the digital wireless carrier landscape.

As blockchain products and projects continue to enter the market and make the technology more ubiquitous, we invited Joseph Pitluck, CEO of Free Range Spaces, to help us make sense of the current landscape. Though blockchain is making its way into almost every facet of our lives, Joseph also talked about the difficulties with getting mainstream consumer adoption and some of the tech’s true potential. “In order for this to go mainstream, we need to get rid of gas fees. Like, imagine if on Facebook every time you clicked a like button you had to pay 20 or 30 cents of cryptocurrency," said Pitluck.

Animals have a natural tendency to form groups, whether for social reasons, or strictly for survival. Some groups are stronger simply by the nature of the individuals in the group. The financial industry has traditionally been a difficult club to join for smaller businesses and entrepreneurs, and now Azlo is trying to level the playing field. On today's podcast, our host had a chat with the Co-founder and CEO, Brian Hamilton. They discussed the simple motivation to help smaller businesses survive (and thrive), the regulatory challenges of being globalized, and how businesses need help in rediscovering why they exist in the first place.

The first generation of chatbots didn’t have real natural language processing capabilities and most of them didn’t even provide correct responses after multiple tries. However, the current generation of chatbots do, and now report high, near perfect levels of accuracy. What about the next generation? Here to talk about this evolution and the consumer benefits of AI is Ravi N, Raj, CEO and co-founder of Passage AI.

Stepping out of your alma mater and into the workforce is one of life's biggest decisions, and more-so than ever, young professionals with high expectations and focused goals are struggling to find that perfect first job, not wanting to make a misstep early in their career and not wanting to settle. Zac Cherin, Co-Founder and CEO of Secret Sauce, saw this among his peers, and didn't want to stand on the sidelines. After several signs pointed him in the right direction for his career, including powerful mentors and an encouraging and challenging job offer, he decided to give back and share the secret sauce that made his career possible. He sat down with us to give us insight on what drove him to the tech industry, the disconnect between universities and start-ups, the power of a good mentor (accepting one and being one), and how he's aiming to connect hungry self-starters with growing companies.

For the latest news, videos, and podcasts in the Software & Electronics Industry, be sure to subscribe to our industry publication.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – twitter.com/TechMKSL

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On today's podcast, Sean Heath talked with Jonathon Nelson, the CEO of HACK Fund. They discussed the challenges that blockchain technology faces with regard to regulation, the flexibility that this liquid approach creates in the investor space, the massive opportunity that liquidity provides to entrepreneurs, and how world-altering a lower cost of entry can be for ALL investors. (Sean also got the distinct impression that Jonathon wants Sean to stop sending him cat photos on social media.)