Tech Leader Talk

Need help growing your tech company? Learn from a serial technology entrepreneur who created and incubated nearly a dozen startups.

On today's episode, I am talking with Jay Bartot.

Jay is the CEO of Zeitworks, which is an artificial intelligence-powered business process intelligence platform. The Zeitworks systems provide enterprises with data-driven insights and tools to improve and transform their business process operations.

Jay is a serial technology entrepreneur and innovator with more than 20 years of experience developing data and machine learning applications. As a co-founder of several companies, Jay has built technology teams, innovative analytics, and machine learning platforms.

Prior to founding Zeitworks, Jay was CTO and Managing Director at Madrona Venture Labs, where he helped create and incubate nearly a dozen startups.

Jay is also involved with Go Vertical, which provides startup creation workshops focused on technology entrepreneurship.

I hope you enjoy my discussion with Jay, where he shares tips and recommendations for launching and growing tech companies.

"Acquiring a tech startup can help larger companies stay at the forefront of technology and innovation." – Jay Bartot

Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast:

- Using artificial intelligence to improve business processes

- Experiences with company acquisitions

- Lessons learned from incubating tech startups

- Developments in RPA (Robotic Process Automation)

- Maintaining effective communication channels between team members

Connect with Jay Bartot:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-bartot/ (get Jay's attention by mentioning that you heard him on the Tech Leader Talk podcast)

Website: https://zeitworks.com

Thanks for listening!

Be sure to get your free copy of Steve's latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover his proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.

Looking for tips from an experienced tech startup leader?

On today's episode, I am talking with Joyce Durst.

Joyce is the CEO and co-Founder of Growth Acceleration Partners (referred to as "GAP"). GAP is a strategic technology solutions partner and a leader in digital transformation consulting.

When Joyce was a kid, she refused to accept the belief that "girls don't do math" and kids from her small hometown don't pursue college degrees. Joyce overcame both of those mindsets and earned a B.S. in Computer Science from Texas A&M University.

Joyce started her career at IBM and moved into Executive roles at multiple companies before founding Growth Acceleration Partners.

Joyce is a sought-after speaker on the topics of leadership and women in business.

"I realized that if I really wanted to have impact on a company's direction and on the lives of other people, I would need to become a CEO." – Joyce Durst

Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast:

- Lessons from 21 years of experience as a CEO

- Starting with a foundation of values

- Tips for growing your team

- Managing remote work for team members

- The importance of occasional in-person team meetings

Connect with Joyce Durst:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joycedurst/

Website: https://www.growthaccelerationpartners.com/

Thanks for listening!

Be sure to get your free copy of Steve's latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover his proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.

On today's episode, I'm talking Ali Davachi, who is a serial entrepreneur with 25 years of experience working with Fortune 500 organizations in healthcare, consumer products, and financial services. He helps businesses develop innovative solutions that save money and support new business opportunities.

Ali is a Digital Transformation expert and shows companies how to stay focused on business outcomes.

During our discussion, he shares his story of going from medical school to the world of technology.

"Digital transformation means meeting companies and clients where they are." – Ali Davachi

Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast:

• How companies can stay focused on business outcomes
• Why Digital Transformation is so important today
• Ali's approach to helping entrepreneurs and small companies that are just getting started
• A process for incremental testing, measurement, and adjustment

Mentioned Resources:

• Realware

Connect with Ravi:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alidavachi/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/adavachi

Thanks for listening!

Be sure to get your free copy of Steve's latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover his proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.

Are you following your passion?

On today's episode, I have a fun conversation with Paul Baron where Paul talks about the importance of following your passion.

Paul is the CEO of The Wall Printer, which produces printers that can print vertically. He started his career as a high school teacher, then became an entrepreneur who has started several businesses.

In addition to running The Wall Printer, Paul serves as a mentor at the Univ. of North Carolina – Wilmington and at their Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He also serves on advisory boards at non-profit organizations and privately held businesses.

On this episode, Paul and I discuss his thoughts on mentoring and how he has developed creative teams at high-tech startups.

"To have the best opportunity for success, you need to learn which hats (activities) you like to wear and the ones you don't like to wear. Then move towards the activities you enjoy and that benefit the stakeholders." – Paul Baron

Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast:

- Tips for developing creative teams in high-tech startups

- Attracting and retaining great employees

- Lessons learned from being a mentor

- Making the jump from high school teacher to entrepreneur

- Following your passion

Demo Video of The Wall Printer in action: https://thewallprinter.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/10-Sec-Oak-Island-Loop.mp4

Connect with Paul Baron:

Website: https://thewallprinter.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pbbaron/

Thanks for listening!

Be sure to get your free copy of Steve's latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover his proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.

It's hard to believe that there's less than two months left in 2022. That means 2023 is just around the corner.

Since the new year is approaching fast, on this episode I talk about three things you can do now to be sure your Patent Strategy is off to a good start in 2023.

The three things I recommend are:

1. Check for patent filing deadlines.
2. Educate your team regarding how to identify inventions AND encourage them to submit their ideas.
3. Create a group of people to evaluate the inventions submitted by your team.

I discuss all three of these activities in today's episode.

If you're ready to start building (or expanding) your patent portfolio in 2023, now is a great time to get started.

"There are three activities that automatically trigger a 12-month patent filing deadline in the United States." – Steve Sponseller

Questions?

If you have any questions about building a strong portfolio of patents, contact me to schedule a Free Introductory Call so I can help you with your next steps.

Contact me via email: [email protected]

Or visit my website: https://www.SteveSponseller.com

Download my free white paper, InventLock™ Protection Guide for Tech Startups, at: https://stevesponseller.com/guide

Thanks for listening!

Be sure to get your free copy of my latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover my proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.

Are you moving fast enough?

On today's episode, I have a wonderful discussion with Nick Donofrio, who has spent most of his life as a technology leader. Although Nick had countless accomplishments, he wonders if he was moving fast enough.

Nick worked in various roles at IBM for 44 years. During that time, he redefined innovation at IBM and initiated worldwide collaboration for the company.

Nick was the first Executive Vice President of Innovation and Technology at IBM. And, he was named one of Business Week's 25 top innovation champions.

Nick is the author of the book: If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes. The book discusses how Nick and others led IBM's global technical team.

During our discussion, Nick talks about how Innovation played an important role in IBM's transformation during his 44 years at the company.

I'm sure you will enjoy this discussion (and get some tips for your own business, like I did) as Nick shares his knowledge and experiences during his many years at IBM.

"Transforming IBM into an innovation company was all about value creation." – Nick Donofrio

Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast:

- How IBM was transformed into an innovation company

- Helping your team members be more successful

- The role of Nick's mom in his career

Nick's Book:

If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes: https://www.amazon.com/If-Nothing-Changes-Donofrio-Story/dp/1544531346

Connect with Nick Donofrio:

Website: https://www.nickdonofriobook.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-donofrio-7588609/

Download Steve's free white paper, InventLock™ Protection Guide for Tech Startups, at: https://stevesponseller.com/guide

Thanks for listening!

Be sure to get your free copy of Steve's latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover his proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.

Eric is a best selling author, speaker, and pragmatic futurist.

Eric is focused on addressing disruption by increasing the creative capacity of individuals, teams, and organizations to ignite change, innovation, and foster continuous growth.

Eric has an undergraduate degree in engineering, an MBA in Information Systems, and a Ph.D. in Global Leadership. His doctoral work primarily explored complexity sciences centered on executive cognition and their use of intuitive improvisation, decision-making, artificial intelligence, and data-based decision models.

Eric's recent book, Surfing Rogue Waves released last year. His love of being active and outdoors led him to use the parallels between life and surfing as a metaphor for how we can deal with the changes happening around us.

"If we don't 'ride' the 4th Industrial Revolution, we will be left behind." – Eric Pilon-Bignell

Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast:

- What is the 4th Industrial Revolution and how is it changing the world

- How surfing is related to the 4th Industrial Revolution

- Why disruption is the new normal

- Technology advancements are happening exponentially faster and converging with each other

Resources Mentioned:

Eric's Book: Surfing Rogue Waves

Connect with Eric Pilon-Bignell:

Website: http://ericpb.me

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericpilonbignell/

Thanks for listening!

Be sure to get your free copy of Steve's latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover his proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.

Are you practicing user-centered design?

On this episode, I talk with Eric Weiss, who is an Executive Coach to fast-growing tech companies. He is also the Host of the Chaos to Clarity podcast.

For the past 15 years, Eric has helped companies build amazing products, engage their customers, find the right product-market fit, raise capital, and scale their businesses quickly.

Eric has been obsessed with technology since he was a child, which led him to the work he's doing today with tech companies. He loves helping tech founders build and implement their product strategy to grow their companies.

During our discussion, Eric talks about challenges facing tech companies today and how to overcome those challenges.

Eric also shares a great tip to organize your week and schedule focus blocks in your calendar every day.

"Tech leaders can be a bottleneck to their company's growth if they don't let go of some activities." – Eric Weiss

Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast:

- The importance of user-centered design

- Engaging with customers early and often

- Eric's "continuous discovery" system

- The "weekly sprint" Eric uses to stay focused

Eric's Podcast:

Chaos to Clarity podcast: https://www.fullcycleproduct.com/podcast

Connect with Eric Weiss:

Website: https://www.fullcycleproduct.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericmweiss/

Download Steve's free white paper, InventLock™ Protection Guide for Tech Startups, at: https://stevesponseller.com/guide

Thanks for listening!

Be sure to get your free copy of Steve's latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover his proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.

In this episode, Marco Silva and I have a great discussion about artificial intelligence and cloud technologies.

Marco lives in Portugal and is a Cloud Solution Architect for Microsoft with many years of experience. As a Cloud Solution Architect, he challenges customers with new ideas and new ways to use cloud technologies.

Marco has experience in Computer Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, and Computer Graphics. He is part of the AI Ambassador team at Microsoft, which means he empowers people to leverage AI and create new uses of AI.

Marco is also a professional speaker and teaches courses on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at ISEG in Lisbon, Portugal.

"Simulated environments are necessary for learning anywhere." – Marco Silva

Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast:

- Why every business needs AI

- New business models that didn't exist until a year or two ago

- Digital transformation includes looking at AI for your business

- A new pricing model for Rolls-Royce airplane engines that optimizes AI

- What you must have to effectively use Machine Learning in your company

Resources Mentioned:

Microsoft Mesh – A collaboration and communications platform developed by Microsoft.

Connect with Marco Silva:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marconsilva/

Thanks for listening!

Be sure to get your free copy of Steve's latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover his proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.

Are you looking for a new approach to create unique products?

On this podcast episode, I have a great discussion with Mike Rizkalla, the CEO and co-founder of Snorble. Snorble makes an interactive companion for children that helps promote the development of healthy habits.

Mike is a visionary entrepreneur with a deep understanding of robotics, innovation, and user experiences. He enjoys merging different technologies together in a unique way.

Mike also loves innovation and experimenting with "Crazy Ideas." And, he shares his story of being a guitarist in a Canadian punk rock band and what he learned from that experience.

During our call, Mike discusses building strong organizational cultures across a team of diverse talents, which he has done with Snorble. And, he talks about how he came up with the idea for the Snorble product.

"Many of the lessons I use in business came from my experience as a musician in a Canadian Punk Rock band." – Mike Rizkalla

Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast:

- Mike's approach to creating innovative products

- Building strong teams with diverse talent

- Combining multiple technologies to create new things

- How Mike came up with the idea of pairing AI/robotics with kids' sleep

- Incorporating innovation into your regular business operations

Connect with Mike Rizkalla:

Website: https://snorble.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikerizkalla/

Thanks for listening!

Be sure to get your free copy of Steve's latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover his proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.