Tech Talks Daily

Tech Talks Daily is pleased to welcome Philip Belamant, co-founder and CEO of Zilch, to share his insights on the payments technology industry and how Zilch is changing the game.

Philip Belamant is a visionary entrepreneur who has spent his career building innovative companies that disrupt established markets. Zilch, which he co-founded and led as CEO, is no exception. However, Zilch stands out from the crowd as a UK-based payments technology company by offering a unique combination of payments and commerce on a single direct-to-consumer platform.

What makes Zilch truly special is its business model, unlike anything we've seen before in the payments industry. By building direct relationships with customers and hosting retailers on its platform, Zilch earns commission from the retailers' marketing budgets. This innovative approach means that Zilch can process vast volumes of payments, at attractive margins, without charging customers any interest or fees.

This business model has resonated with investors, as evidenced by Zilch's recent Series C funding round. Despite the trend of falling valuations in the fintech space, Zilch has maintained its $2bn valuation and even extended its Series C by securing an additional $50m, bringing the total raised to $160m.

Philip Belamant attributes Zilch's success to its focus on the customer and its commitment to building a sustainable business model. "At Zilch, we believe that everyone should have access to financial services that are both affordable and convenient," says Belamant. "We're committed to providing a service accessible to all, regardless of their credit score or financial situation."

Zilch's unique business model, combined with its focus on the customer, has set it apart from traditional BNPL providers like Klarna and Affirm. Investors are responding positively to this different approach, and it's clear that Zilch is on track to revolutionize the payments industry.

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing our planet today. The need to transition to renewable energy sources has never been more pressing, and it requires a new form of climate finance that is efficient, transparent, and accountable.

This is where Reneum comes in. Reneum is a global green energy marketplace built on blockchain technology that provides a platform for individuals and organizations to fund climate action and accelerate the energy transition.

By using blockchain as a mechanism to drive a new form of climate finance, Reneum solves the industry's transparency, accountability, and traceability issues. With Reneum's full proof-of-provenance, stakeholders can gain increased authenticity and ownership of their actions, giving them the ability to look under the hood and see the impact they are making.

Brianna Welsh, CEO and founder of Reneum, is a thought leader on the intersection of sustainability and deep technologies. With an in-depth knowledge of the challenges faced by female founders, Brianna has successfully raised $4.1M in pre-seed funding for Reneum.

Prior to Reneum, Brianna led carbon markets for Sindicatum Renewable Energy in APAC and has worked in mergers and acquisitions in New York and London. She is also a partner in several initiatives for a positive crypto future, including Blockchain for Social Impact, Crypto Climate Accord, and Blockchain for Climate Foundation.

In this episode of the Tech Talks Daily podcast, Brianna discusses why Web3 is key to curbing the climate crisis, what steps organizations must collectively take to propel the industry, and how to catalyze the energy transition to turn climate frustration into real impact. She believes that blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we approach climate finance, enabling us to create a positive-sum ecosystem where individuals and organizations can work together to solve the industry's most pressing challenges.

I learn how Reneum is providing a solution to the challenges faced by the energy sector, offering a platform for individuals and organizations to fund climate action and drive the energy transition forward. With the support of visionary leaders like Brianna Welsh, the future of climate finance is looking bright, and we can all look forward to a more sustainable future for our planet.

Professor Giana M Eckhardt from King's Business School and Willard Ahdritz from Kobalt join me on Tech Talks Daily. Today's topic is how Kobalt leverages technology, to provide music publishing services and promote social responsibility within the music industry.

Kobalt's innovative technology has set them apart from other companies, enabling them to process royalty payments almost instantly and providing unparalleled fairness and transparency in the industry. This is in stark contrast to other tech companies accused of exploiting artists, such as Spotify and YouTube, who pay only a small amount per play.

However, Kobalt's commitment to using technology for good has paid off, as other major players are now forced to follow suit in response to the demands of their clients. Despite this, competitors will struggle to match Kobalt's level of trust and authenticity, as evidenced by the growing number of big names moving their catalogs to Kobalt, including Lorde and Paul McCartney.

I learn how Kobalt has successfully leveraged technology to build a brand centered around purpose-led branding, appealing to both artists and consumers who value transparency and fairness. We discuss how this has led to strong loyalty for both artists and consumers, solidifying Kobalt's position as a leader in the music publishing industry.

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In the fast-paced world of technology, the demand for talented developers and tech professionals has never been higher. With a massive shortage of tech talent in the market, companies are facing the challenge of attracting and retaining top tech professionals. However, Ilya Brotzky, founder and CEO of VanHack, has found a solution to this problem.

VanHack is a fast-growing tech recruitment platform that helps over 1000 companies hire the best tech talent quickly. With a network of over 350,000 developers from 120 countries, VanHack has the largest diverse workforce of tech professionals. This platform also provides a team of 80+ employees in 13 countries, generating mid-seven figures in annual revenues.

Born in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, raised in Vancouver, Canada, and with a degree in business administration from Cornell University in the US, Ilya's journey to creating VanHack began in Rio de Janeiro. While working as a management trainee with Brazilian mining giant Vale S.A., he met software engineers who wanted to relocate to Canada but lacked English skills. This inspired him to start VanHack in 2015, providing English resumés and interview skills to help them get hired by companies seeking hard-to-find tech talent.

Ilya has been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, and Time, and has helped raise over $100,000 for various charities in Africa and South America. In this podcast, we talk to Ilya about the current shortage of tech talent, the changes happening in the workspace and recruitment industry, and how remote hiring can help companies build a more diverse workplace.

The current shortage of software developers and other tech talents is a problem faced by many companies. Ilya explains that this shortage is due to the rapid growth of technology, leading to an increased demand for tech professionals. Companies are struggling to find the right talent to meet their needs, and VanHack provides a solution to this problem.

The workspace and recruitment industry are undergoing massive changes, and Ilya highlights the importance of these changes in the tech industry. With remote working becoming increasingly popular, companies have the opportunity to build a more diverse workplace, attracting top tech professionals from around the world.

Finally, Ilya talks about how remote hiring can help tech companies build a more diverse workplace. Remote working provides companies with access to a larger pool of talent, enabling them to find the best candidate for the job, regardless of location. This also helps to break down geographical barriers, leading to a more inclusive and diverse workplace.

I learn how VanHack is helping companies to overcome the challenge of attracting and retaining top tech talent, providing a solution to the current shortage of software developers and other tech professionals. With the changes happening in the workspace and recruitment industry, remote hiring is the key to building a more diverse workplace and finding the best tech talent from around the world.

Yubico, the company behind the YubiKey, is revolutionizing online security with its hardware-based security keys. These keys provide an extra layer of protection for your online accounts, making them less vulnerable to cyber threats such as phishing, man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks, SIM swapping and account takeovers. The YubiKey is the world's first security key and protects over 4,000 organizations worldwide.

The shift to remote work due to the pandemic has highlighted the need for better cybersecurity measures. According to Yubico's research, 42% of people feel more vulnerable to cyber threats while working from home, and 39% feel unsupported by IT. However, hardware-based security keys like the YubiKey provide a more secure solution while reducing friction at login. They meet the FIDO2 and WebAuthn standards, helping to pave the way for interoperability.

Niall McConachie, Regional Director (UK & Ireland) at Yubico discusses the most common cyber threats people face and why not all security is equal. He emphasized that while one-time passcodes (OTPs) sent by SMS or mobile authentication apps are the most popular forms of two-factor authentication (2FA), they are still vulnerable to attacks. On the other hand, hardware-based security keys provide strong authentication and reduce the friction of logging in to multiple apps and accounts each day.

Niall also discusses the future of secure, passwordless authentication. The evolving modern authentication ecosystem, with the help of hardware-based security keys, is paving the way for a future where passwords are no longer the primary form of authentication. This not only makes our online accounts more secure, but also reduces the hassle of remembering multiple passwords.

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Yegor Sak shares his journey of building Windscribe and the challenges he faced along the way. He explains how he was able to grow the company to more than 50 million active users, despite the intense competition in the VPN industry. Yegor highlights the importance of providing a high-quality product, excellent customer support, and focusing on the needs of the user.

Yegor also discusses his approach to scaling the company with a small team. He believes in the power of remote work and investing in technology to automate processes. This has allowed him to build a global team and scale the company effectively.

One of the key topics of discussion was the ongoing consolidation in the VPN industry and its impact on the consumer. Yegor believes that as larger companies gain more control, prices may increase and privacy may decrease. He also shares his decision to not terminate Russian access to Windscribe, as he believes that people in the country should have access to real news outside of the state media propaganda.

In addition to his work with Windscribe, Yegor also discusses his other company, ControlD. This fully customizable DNS service allows users to block annoyances like malware, tracking, ads, and IoT telemetry, and unblock over 200 services through a network of servers in over 100 cities. All without any apps to install.

Yegor Sak is a true visionary in the tech industry. With his passion for programming and commitment to providing a high-quality product, he has been able to build two successful companies, Windscribe and ControlD. His insights on scaling a company with a small team and the impact of consolidation in the VPN industry are valuable lessons for any entrepreneur.

Private wireless networks have become increasingly important in achieving networking success, with telecom providers and tech giants investing in new capabilities to drive private 5G adoption among enterprises. By 2030, it is estimated that over 150 million cellular devices will be connected to local private networks, a significant increase from 5 million by the end of 2022. The industry for private networks within enterprises is expected to grow to $109 billion.

As industries adopt private 5G networks, enterprises must understand why this shift from traditional network infrastructure is so important and how they can adapt to achieve success. On The Tech Talks Daily Podcast, Darren Parkes, Country Practice Leader - Network & Edge at Kyndryl, shares his insights on this topic.

Darren emphasizes the need for highly secured and reliable networks for enterprises that require high-security reliability. He also discusses the cost benefits of private networks, as it allows enterprises to better prioritize operational costs and remain agile with a faster application pace.

5G network technologies provide a higher level of security for enterprises due to the use of licensed spectrum and embedded security standards. As a result, private 5G, if implemented correctly, offers a more robust security posture and greater control over the network for enterprises. The implementation process for private networks involves understanding the spectrum to be used, matching it with the technology to be deployed, and connecting to local area networks, wide area networks, and the public cloud to transfer or analyze data.

Darren also made predictions for the future, with private 5G serving as a "trigger" for the general use of Edge as a third landing zone for data beyond on-prem or cloud. This expansion of options for working with data highlights the importance of private networks as key enablers for advancement.

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In today's episode, we dive into the world of personalized customer experience with Meghann York, Global Head of Product Marketing at SAP Emarsys. Meghann takes us on a journey to understand how brands are leveraging AI-powered automation to provide highly relevant and personalized recommendations to their customers across multiple channels.

One of the critical elements of the Emarsys platform is its ability to unify, cleanse and analyze first-party data. This data, which includes information from business applications, customer data, and commerce solutions, is used to build a rich profile of each customer. This information allows the platform to automate communications and provide personalized recommendations to customers.

Meghann also shares her insights on the role of technology in customer obsession, retention, and loyalty. We also discuss insights gained from the Emarsys Customer Loyalty Index. Meghann shares what will drive customer loyalty in 2023 and beyond based on their findings.

Listen in as Meghan provides valuable insights into personalized customer experience and how brands leverage AI-powered automation to provide highly relevant and personalized recommendations. She also highlights the importance of unifying first-party data and how it plays a critical role in building rich customer profiles and driving customer loyalty.

Mario Peshev is the CEO of DevriX, a global WordPress agency serving industries from publishing to fintech, healthcare, e-commerce, and more. Peshev focuses most of his time on running his business and leading distributed tech teams at DevriX of 50+ people crafting high-scale WordPress solutions optimized for revenue.

Mario started with development as a hobby and built his first website in 1999. Since 2015, DevriX has consistently ranked among the top 20 WordPress consultancies worldwide, scaling world-known enterprise brands and high-traffic publishers with up to 900M monthly page views on top of WordPress. He also has over 10,000 hours of training and consulting activities for organizations such as CERN, Saudi Aramco, VMware, SAP, and many others, coaching business owners on growth strategy, technical architecture, marketing funnels, and digital presence.

In addition to leading DevriX, Peshev also advises up-and-coming web developers and tech entrepreneurs, attracting over 2.5 million views to his transparent Quora discussions on his experience of entrepreneurship and IT work life, and he recently authored the book 126 Steps to Becoming a Successful Entrepreneur: The Entrepreneurship Fad and the Dark Side of Going Solo. Follow him on Twitter @no_fear_inc and connect on LinkedIn.

Mario joins me on Tech Talks Daily to discuss some of the high-scale WordPress solutions that DevriX has developed for clients in various industries. He also shares his thoughts on the importance of digital transformation for businesses and how DevriX helps companies in this process. Finally, I learn more about his book 26 Steps to Becoming a Successful Entrepreneur: The Entrepreneurship Fad and the Dark Side of Going Solo.

Justdiggit is a non-profit organization dedicated to regreening degraded land in Africa. The company works with local farmers to implement cost-effective, nature-based solutions to increase biodiversity and improve ecosystems. The ultimate goal is to capture more CO2 and help cool the planet.

So far, the company has made significant progress in its mission. They have dug 200,000 water bunds and brought back 9.7 million trees. This has resulted in 300,000 hectares of land being regreened. The company aims to reach 350 million farmers by 2030, and they plan to make this a reality.

One way Justdiggit achieves this goal is through its regreening app. Harnessing the growth and penetration of mobile technology in Africa, the app provides farmers with the tools and instructions they need to restore their own land. Once fully developed, the app will make everyone with a mobile phone an ambassador of regreening, helping to spread the message and reach more people.

Justdiggit is also utilizing technology to track the progress and impact of their work. In partnership with Planet Labs, they are using daily earth data and high-res satellite imagery to evaluate their regreening projects. This allows them to understand the tangible change they are making to the land, including the amount of water retained and changes in biomass.

Listen in to Sander de Haas as he shares the story behind this inspiring organization and how they are working with local farmers and using technology to track their progress, they are restoring degraded land and making the planet a greener place.