How can early-stage investors deliver repeatable, outsized returns—without chasing hype?

In this episode of Techoventure, Mark Fernandes, Managing Director at Sierra Ventures, shares the disciplined model behind one of the industry’s most consistent early-stage venture firms. Sierra’s strategy is designed for repeatable 3–5x returns by focusing on founder-market fit, tight portfolio construction, and tech-savvy sectors like AI, cloud, and cybersecurity.

Key insights include:

The four-part rubric Sierra uses to vet early-stage founders

Why fund size discipline is critical to long-term VC performance

How Sierra balances seed and Series A checks with portfolio theory

The power of “AI enablers” in healthcare, legal, and vertical SaaS

The 20-year evolution of Sierra’s CXO Board and its enterprise value

Is AI coming for your job—or just changing how you work?

In this episode, Wall Street Journal technology columnist Christopher Mims shares a grounded, deeply informed perspective on how AI is reshaping productivity, creativity, jobs, and knowledge work. From the pitfalls of overhyping generative AI to the rise of agentic systems and the enduring role of classic AI, Christopher unpacks what leaders need to know now. He also highlights how experts benefit most from AI, what happens when organizations anchor too heavily on AI tools, and why handwritten notes, walking meetings, and skepticism are critical in the AI age.

Key highlights from the episode:

How does a 100-year-old manufacturing leader reinvent itself through autonomy and AI?

In this episode, Caterpillar CTO Jaime Mineart shares how her team is transforming industrial work sites using robotics, machine intelligence, and real-time data. From mining to construction, the company is applying decades of engineering expertise to modern digital challenges, partnering with customers to co-develop scalable automation solutions.

Key highlights from the episode:

1048: What if the hiring process wasn’t broken—but reimagined?

Anthony Moisant, Chief Information Officer and Chief Security Officer at Indeed, details how his teams are building trusted systems, tackling AI bias, and leveraging background agents and AI sourcing to solve the “black hole” of hiring. He also reflects on the importance of early-career talent, skill-based hiring, and the balance of self-learning and leadership-led growth.

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1047: What does it take to lead tech—and the enterprise—in 2026?

In this episode of Technovation, we feature a panel from our October 2025 Metis Strategy Summit where Steven Norton speaks with three top executive recruiters: Craig Stephenson (Korn Ferry), Jamey Cummings (JM Search), and Scott Robbin (Heidrick & Struggles). Throughout the conversation, each recruiter gives their perspective on the evolving mandate of the CIO.

The conversation covers:

Enterprises aren’t failing at AI. They’re failing at data.

Daniel Docter, Managing Director at Dell Technologies Capital, shares why the biggest barrier to enterprise AI isn’t models or talent—it’s the fractured, unstructured, and context-free data that most companies still struggle to harness.

In this episode of Technovation, Daniel and Peter High explore:

Why data context is critical to enabling enterprise reasoning

How Redis and other startups are fixing the AI performance gap

What Dell Technologies Capital looks for in early-stage enterprise AI

How corporate VC has evolved into a founder-enabling force

Why the next five years will reward enterprises that fix their data layer

Digitization was just the first step. True digital transformation in healthcare is only beginning.

Dr. Michael Pfeffer, Chief Information and Digital Officer at Stanford Health Care, shares how he and his team are moving beyond electronic health records to deliver real-time, AI-powered care. From building ChatEHR, a secure, embedded LLM interface, to developing Stanford’s FIRM framework for responsible AI, Pfeffer provides a behind-the-scenes look at one of the nation’s most advanced digital health systems.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Why “digitized” isn’t the same as “digital”

How Stanford built the first integrated LLM in clinical workflows

What makes healthcare AI safe, useful, and equitable

Where AI adds real clinical value and where it doesn’t

The vision behind precision health at scale

1045: AI is no longer a side experiment—it’s a core capability. But are your people, partnerships, and governance models ready for it?

In this special Metis Strategy Summit panel episode, three seasoned technology leaders explore what it really takes to build trust, scale talent, and lead responsibly in the age of AI:

Paul Ballew, Chief Data & Analytics Officer, National Football League

Lakshman Nathan, EVP & CIO, Paramount

Mark Sherwood, EVP & CIO, Wolters Kluwer

Moderated by Peter High, the conversation dives into transformation through the lens of distributed governance, workforce readiness, and the human element behind every AI ambition.

Key themes from the panel include:

How the NFL’s “One-to-One” fan engagement model blends personalization and privacy

What happens when $2B in savings depends on department-level AI strategy (Paramount)

Why “value realization” starts with your CFO and ends with trust (Wolters Kluwer)

The limits of centralization—and why distributed innovation may win out

How to balance Copilot rollouts with responsible AI guardrails

What happens when a former startup CEO brings performance management discipline into city government?

In this episode of Technovation, Peter High speaks with San José Mayor Matt Mahan about applying data-driven decision-making, KPIs, and accountability—practices familiar to tech leaders—to the public sector. Drawing from his experience running venture-backed startups, Mahan explains how focus, measurement, and feedback loops are reshaping how City Hall operates.

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How do you build and scale digital innovation inside a 170-year-old company?

Luke Gebb, EVP of Global Innovation at American Express, joins Peter High to share how Amex Digital Labs brings emerging technologies to market through a disciplined stage-gate process.

Gebb outlines how his team incubates and graduates products that become core to Amex’s customer experience—from peer-to-peer payments to blockchain-based travel rewards. He also shares lessons in navigating cross-functional execution, partnering with big tech, and launching products customers actually use.

Key topics include:

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