The Story of Software

Listen to Sam Sengupta, CEO of Finray Europe, on surgical market segmentation, building repeatable fintech products, and why clean data is the foundation every AI strategy depends on.

The Guest:

Sam Sengupta is the CEO of Finray Europe, a platform designed to automate complex financial operations for some of the world's largest institutions. His route into fintech leadership was shaped by three forces: an inquisitive, globally curious mindset, a personal decision to relocate to Ireland in 2006, and the influence of private equity investment cycles across the firms he has worked for. He began his career at Morgan Stanley, spanning London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and New York over a decade, before moving into fund services with Citco in Dublin, then into corporate services with TMF, and eventually into a series of Series A and Series B startups. That range — from global investment bank to early-stage venture — gave him a front-row view of how technology strategy changes at every stage of a company's growth.

In this episode, we move beyond high-level product-market fit theory and into the actual methodology Sam has used to find surgical entry points into financial services markets, build repeatable product blueprints, and frame ROI in a way that makes technology adoption feel non-negotiable rather than optional. The conversation also tackles the uncomfortable reality that data is still being ignored in most organisations, and why that makes the coming AI disruption far more abrupt than most incumbents expect.

Some of the episode highlights include:

• Why "spray and pray" is not just acceptable in early-stage startups — it is necessary, and how Finray's foundational data model makes pivoting between verticals faster than competitors expect
• Budget-back problem framing: finding the segment where the money already exists to solve the problem, rather than trying to create a new budget line
• Building a rinse-and-repeat product blueprint: why 80% of the product should be out-of-the-box, and how to protect that core from bespoke client requests
• The six-to-eight week data integration proof of value, and why the "wow moment" it produces is replacing multi-year consulting engagements
• Human-agent collaboration in financial services: why 99.9% accuracy is not good enough, and what "agent-ready" data infrastructure actually looks like
• The Kodak moment coming for fund administration and broader financial services, and why the organisations that wait until the fire is burning may already be too late

Listen to the Story of Software on any podcast platform of your choice. The Story of Software Podcast is produced by Zartis, a software services company. We hope you enjoy listening to this tech podcast and feel free to share any feedback with us: [email protected]

Wesley Yu is the Head of Engineering at MetaLab, a product agency working with venture-backed startups at the intersection of design and technology. His route into engineering was non-traditional, starting in media studies and radio production before moving into content marketing at a tech startup in the early 2010s. That shift put him close to the ambition and pace of the Silicon Valley startup world, and eventually led him into a coding bootcamp, learning Ruby on Rails and finding a “maker” mindset through software. He has since spent over a decade building web and mobile products and leading engineering teams.

In this episode, we look at how each major software wave changes user expectations without fully replacing what came before. Wesley frames AI interfaces as arriving into a landscape shaped by mobile responsiveness, sensor permissions, and real time collaborative productivity tools. 

Some of the episode highlights include:

• Why software “layers” expectations over time, and what mobile taught users to demand from AI products
• Designing for latency: keeping users oriented with streaming, status cues, and comprehension time
• Making context visible: what an AI agent can see, what tools it can call, and what safeguards exist
• Coding agents in practice: when multi agent output helps, and when it harms understanding and conceptual integrity
• The biggest interface problem in AI: reducing over trust by exposing sources, uncertainty, assumptions, and verification paths
  
  

Q: Where do you see the greatest long-term market value being generated, in AI-enhanced products or AI-enabled products built from scratch?

“I think there are two different ways to look at long-term value. One is where you get power-law winners, where a small number of companies capture an outsized share of value by creating an entirely new category. That is where AI-enabled products really shine. These are products that simply could not exist without AI at the centre of the value proposition. Things like autonomous driving, AI-native education platforms, or AI-first search fall into this bucket, and some of those companies may become category-defining businesses.

But if you zoom out and look at aggregate value across the economy, I think the clear winner is AI-enhanced products. These tools will diffuse across many existing productive sectors where value is already being created and captured. AI will sit in the middle of workflows people already use and amplify them. We already see this with developer tooling, like GitHub Copilot, or creative tools where AI is embedded directly into products like Photoshop or Premiere.

There is still a lot of innovation happening at the model and product level, but the bigger opportunity in the near to medium term is diffusion. People’s habits, skill sets, and organisational structures have not yet caught up with what the technology can do. Because of that, enhancing existing products and processes with AI is where I expect the largest total amount of value to be generated, even if the biggest individual winners may come from AI-enabled products.”

Listen to the Story of Software on:

Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, & any other podcast platform of your choice. The Story of Software Podcast is produced by Zartis, a software services company. We hope you enjoy listening to this tech podcast and feel free to share any feedback with us: [email protected]

Adrian Sanchez de la Sierra, Head of AI & Innovation at Zartis, explores AI transformation, reimagining systems beyond replacement, and building production-ready AI.

The Guest:

Adrian Sanchez de la Sierra, Head of AI & Innovation at Zartis, works at the intersection of research, product, and real-world delivery. His background is deliberately unconventional. From film production and education technology to data science and machine learning, Adrian has spent his career connecting problems with solutions, often before the discipline around them formally existed. Today, he focuses on helping Zartis and our clients move beyond AI demos; into reliable, production-ready systems that deliver sustained value.

As we kick off season 5 of the Story of Software, the conversation centres on what true AI transformation actually looks like. Rather than viewing AI as a tool to replace existing processes, Adrian argues that its real value comes from reimagining how organisations operate altogether - and we couldn't agree more!

Drawing on historical examples such as electricity, power grids, and industrial transformation, he frames AI as a general-purpose technology that requires new mental models, new organisational structures, and patience to unlock its full impact.

Some of the episode highlights include:

• Why most organisations are still in the “replace” phase of AI adoption, and why reimagining systems is far harder but far more valuable.
• How historical technologies like electricity followed long, uneven paths before delivering transformational gains.
  
  
• The hidden gap between perceived and actual expertise in building production-grade AI systems.
• Why prompt-based AI development often leads to fragile products that fail silently in production.
• How coding agents and AI tools for non-developers could unlock major organisational productivity gains.
• The importance of leadership commitment, long-term thinking, and the right KPIs for transformational AI initiatives.

Listen to the Story of Software on any podcast platform of your choice. The Story of Software Podcast is produced by Zartis, a software services company. We hope you enjoy listening to this tech podcast and feel free to share any feedback with us: [email protected]

Sandra Trittin, Co-Founder and CGO of Beebop, discusses grid flexibility, consumer centric innovation, and scaling cleantech solutions.

The Guest:

Sandra Trittin brings more than a decade of cleantech leadership experience spanning energy flexibility, virtual power plants, and distributed energy innovation. After beginning her career in Switzerland’s telecommunications sector, she transitioned into energy with the founding of Tiko Energy Solutions. There she helped pioneer residential flexibility well before the market was ready. Today she is the Co-Founder and CGO of Beebop, an AI powered grid flexibility platform, and serves on multiple boards across the European energy ecosystem.

The Topic:

This episode explores the evolution of residential flexibility, lessons from scaling early stage energy platforms, and the market conditions that shaped the launch of Beebop. It also examines how Beebop approaches grid and trading optimisation, why consumer centricity remains a barrier, and what is required to accelerate adoption across global markets.

Some of the episode highlights include:

• Why early flexibility ventures struggled to find product market fit in the absence of market awareness and connected assets.
• The shift from technical proof points to commercial and consumer engagement challenges across the energy transition.
• How Beebop uses AI to optimise real time flexibility and integrate diverse sub VPPs into trading systems.
• What growing an international cleantech team requires during high growth phases.
• Why risk appetite, communication simplicity, and fact based information shape the pace of adoption.

Listen to the Story of Software on any podcast platform of your choice. 

The Story of Software Podcast is produced by Zartis, a software services company.

We hope you enjoy listening to this tech podcast and feel free to share any feedback with us: [email protected]

Priya Mishra, Director of Technology at Carelon Global Solutions Ireland, shares a practitioner’s perspective on scaling innovation and preparing organisations for the future of work.

The Guest:

Priya Mishra is Director of Technology at Carelon Global Solutions Ireland, where she leads the design of transformative, cloud-native solutions that are reshaping healthcare systems. Honored with the Women in STEM – Technology award, she is passionate about people, culture, and reimagining how engineering teams work in the age of AI. With deep global experience in R&D, product development, and team leadership, Priya brings a practitioner’s perspective on scaling innovation and preparing organisations for the future of work.

Together, we unpack the move from rigid hierarchies to fluid, networked teams, the rise of “super generalists,” and why empowered experimentation, psychological safety, and observability matter more than ever. Priya shares her perspective on cognitive overload, the redefinition of software roles, and the real blockers to AI-enabled transformation - especially leadership reluctance and fear of failure. It’s a grounded, practitioner-led look at what the future of work actually requires, far beyond the hype.

Some highlights of this episode include:

• AI’s Impact on Team Culture & Ways of Working
• The Evolution of Roles: From Specialists to “AI Orchestrators”
• Managing AI Adoption: New KPIs & Leadership Challenges
• Training for the Future: New Literacies & AI Fluency
• Change Management & Transformation Strategy in the AI Era

Listen to the Story of Software on any podcast platform of your choice. The Story of Software Podcast is produced by Zartis, a software services company. We hope you enjoy listening to this tech podcast and feel free to share any feedback with us: [email protected]

Richard Bell, Head of Engineering at CoinShares, shares insights on how to successfully lead large-scale transformations and motivated teams.

The Guest:

Richard Bell is a seasoned technology leader with deep experience in financial services and large-scale transformations. Over his career, he has led major projects in organisations such as large international banks, building and scaling teams across geographies while tackling some of the toughest technology and organisational challenges. 

Richard joins us to talk to us about how to successfully lead large-scale transformations and build motivated teams.

Some highlights of this episode include:

• What makes large-scale transformations succeed or fail
• How to build and motivate teams over long, tough programs
• The mix of personalities and skills needed for big transformations
• Leadership philosophy and hard choices as a manager
• The impact of AI on software work and careers

Listen to the Story of Software on any podcast platform of your choice. The Story of Software Podcast is produced by Zartis, a software services company. We hope you enjoy listening to this tech podcast and feel free to share any feedback with us: [email protected]

Chris Bernkopf, CEO of Podero, shares how they help utilities optimise energy use and offers advice on growing in the cleantech sector.

The Guest:

In this episode, we are joined by Chris Bernkopf, Co-Founder and CEO of the Austrian energy flexibility startup, Podero. With a background that spans physics, edtech, and electric mobility, and experience at CERN and Y Combinator, Chris brings a rare mix of scientific insight and entrepreneurial drive to the clean energy sector. Under his leadership, Podero develops software that helps utilities optimise device control, trade energy more efficiently, and reduce costs and emissions.

Chris shares how the rise of renewables is transforming the way we consume and manage power, and why this shift demands smarter, more adaptive systems. He reflects on his journey from physics and Y Combinator to tackling one of the biggest challenges in climate tech, discussing how technology, markets, and user behaviour are converging to accelerate the clean energy transition. The conversation delves into Europe’s evolving energy landscape, the business and climate benefits of flexibility, and what it takes to build resilient solutions in a sector shaped by regulation and rapid change.

Some highlights of this episode include:

• The shift in energy flexibility focus
• Podero's three-part business model
• The "Positive Flywheel" of decarbonisation
• Building resilient solutions in a sector shaped by regulation and rapid change
• Advice on overcoming sector overwhelm

Listen to the Story of Software on:

Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, & any other podcast platform of your choice. The Story of Software Podcast is produced by Zartis, a software services company. We hope you enjoy listening to this tech podcast and feel free to share any feedback with us: [email protected]

Lee Provoost, CTO at Flagstone, talks about his journey growing into technical leadership, from leading high-stakes projects while learning on the job, to navigating imposter syndrome and finding his footing as a leader.

The Guest –Lee Provoost, CTO at Flagstone

Today we are joined by Lee Provoost, the CTO at Flagstone, a UK-based Fintech company helping clients get better returns on their savings. In this episode, Lee reflects on his journey growing into technical leadership, from leading high-stakes projects while learning on the job, to navigating imposter syndrome and finding his footing as a leader.

Some highlights of this episode include:

• Non-linear path to CTO 
• Learning on the job & being “comfortable with being uncomfortable” — 
• Startup vs. corporate reality 
• Leadership self-care & transparency
• AI’s impact on product engineering 

Q: In your leadership journey, have you ever experienced imposter syndrome? If so, how do you deal with it?

"Yeah, it’s something that lingers in the back of your mind all the time, but it lessens over time. I still feel it quite regularly, but I remind myself that I got this role because I clearly bring something to the table and the people around me have recognized that. It’s also why, three years later, I’m still the CTO of this business—you need to remind yourself of that regularly.
When I ran my own business many years ago, I printed a meme as a massive poster in the office: a Labrador sitting at a keyboard with the caption, ‘I have no idea what I’m doing.’ I did it to normalize that none of us really knows everything—we’re all learning.
Surround yourself with good coaches or mentors, and with peers on your leadership team. It can be lonely, and occasional validation from peers—‘that was a great job’ or ‘you handled that well’—definitely helps"

Listen to the Story of Software on any podcast platform of your choice. The Story of Software Podcast is produced by Zartis, a software services company. We hope you enjoy listening to this tech podcast and feel free to share any feedback with us: [email protected]

In this episode, we’re joined by Ali Elgamal, EVP and CTO at Tamara, one of Saudi Arabia’s three fintech unicorns and a market leader in the buy now, pay later (BNPL) space. 

The Guest: Ali Elgamal, EVP and CTO at Tamara

Ali takes us through his journey that led to Tamara, sharing his leadership philosophy, strategies for building top tech talent, and insights into navigating BNPL in a regulated environment. He also offers his vision for the transformative role of AI in the future of fintech.

Some highlights of this episode include:

• Career journey and experience
• Hypergrowth challenges and lessons learned
• Leadership and talent strategy
• Cultural and regional differences in tech
• AI and the future of software development

Listen to the Story of Software on any podcast platform of your choice. The Story of Software Podcast is produced by Zartis, a software services company. We hope you enjoy listening to this tech podcast and feel free to share any feedback with us: [email protected]

Discover the current and future state of the renewable energy sector with Brenda Park, COO of the ground-breaking Scottish energy storage business, StorTera.  

The Guest:

Brenda is a seasoned operations leader with a PhD in Physics and over a decade of experience in the renewable energy sector. As COO and Director at StorTera—an Edinburgh-based energy storage innovator—she has been instrumental in building and leading the company’s core team of scientists and engineers, propelling the development of groundbreaking Single Liquid Flow Battery (SLiQ) technology and the StorAI platform 

Brenda’s expertise spans agile project management, renewable systems, and the commercialization of innovative energy storage solutions, making her a key force in advancing the mission towards a more sustainable and resilient energy infrastructure.

Some highlights of this episode include:

• The Problem of Wind and Solar Curtailment
• Limitations of Lithium-Ion Batteries
• Sustainability and Circular Economy Practices
• Community Energy Projects and AI-Enhanced Smart Grids

Listen to the Story of Software on any podcast platform of your choice. The Story of Software Podcast is produced by Zartis, a software services company. We hope you enjoy listening to this tech podcast and feel free to share any feedback with us: [email protected]