The Tech Trek

In this episode, Amir Bormand interviews Emilio Schapira, VP of Engineering at Clear Street. They discuss the importance of innovation and migrating applications and processes with care. Emilio shares insights on the challenges and impact of migrations, especially in the complex world of finance. With his expertise in modern technology and infrastructure, Emilio sheds light on how Clear Street is revolutionizing the industry by rebuilding traditional banking practices using cloud-based solutions. Tune in to learn more about the role of engineering in the prime broker space and the careful approach required for successful migrations.

Highlights:

00:02:07 Migrations require careful planning.

00:06:52 Agile testing enables faster innovation.

00:12:09 Testing and comparing systems for data quality during migration.

00:17:21 Deep specialization in the finance industry.

Guest

Emilio Schapira is VP of Engineering at Clear Street, a fintech prime broker building a completely cloud-native prime brokerage and clearing system designed for a complex, modern global market. Before joining Clear Street, Emilio founded two Google Cloud Platform services, Pub/Sub and IoT Core, and led engineering for Waze Ads & Monetization. Emilio has led teams of 60+ engineers and is a founding member of VideoMining Inc., which uses ML and Computer Vision for passive customer behavior research. He has a master's in Computer Science and Engineering from Penn State University and a bachelor's in Computer Science from Universidad Simon Bolivar in Venezuela.

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Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

In this episode, Hrishank Jhildiyal, the Head of Analytics at Rokt, discusses the impact and growth of engineering in data. He explains how data is becoming more software engineering and how data is becoming more complex to deliver. Tune in to learn more about the evolving role of engineering in data.

Highlights:

00:04:33 Analytics drives business impact.

00:09:56 Metrics drive team performance and impact.

00:12:03 Engineering mindset is key.

00:19:26 Exploring new technologies drives value.

Hrishank is an Analytics and Data Science leader with a strong track record of transforming teams to drive value to organizations through data, models, analyses, and structured analytical thinking. He loves all things data and believes in driving business outcomes by forging a connection between company strategy and data.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hrishank/

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Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

In this episode, Amir Bormand speaks with Vikas Kumar, the Head of Data, AI, and ML at CNA Insurance. Vikas discusses the importance of a holistic approach to data transformation in moving from legacy to cloud systems. He emphasizes the need to tie this journey to business value, starting with small KPIs, metrics, and OKRs, and involving the business from the beginning to get the best value from the journey.

00:00:12 Productize data with business value.

Guest: Vikas Kumar is the Head of Data, AI & ML at CNA Insurance. He is a customer-focused visionary, an accomplished executive, technologist, change agent, innovator, inquisitive, and entrepreneur with over 20+ years of building software, data products, and platforms with solid leadership/technical/product management experience. Deep knowledge in data, AI/ML, on-premises to cloud transformations, and analytics space. Intentional, methodical, and progressive track record at C-level in building and growing teams from start-up to large enterprise with ownership of overall data transformations and product strategies and delivery functions.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vksnov9/

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Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

In this episode, Amir Bormand interviews Utkarsh Sengar, the Director of Engineering at Webflow, about growth engineering and measuring customer behavior. They discuss Webflow's mission to make website building accessible to everyone, regardless of their coding skills, through their no-code platform. Utkarsh explains his role in managing the growth team and building the third-party ecosystem. This episode provides valuable insights into growth engineering and its importance in driving business success.

Highlights

00:03:13 Growth engineering bridges product and business needs.

00:09:21 Partnership with data drives growth.

00:12:03 Impact measurement challenges for growth teams.

00:20:14 Balance FOMO with concrete use cases.

00:22:35 Importance of growth engineering collaboration.

Utkarsh Sengar is a Director of Engineering at Webflow, leading their Growth and Ecosystem pillars. He has previously held various roles at eBay, OpenTable, and Upwork. Moreover, he utilizes his expertise as a technical advisor for startups and as a scout for Cowboy Ventures.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/utsengar

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Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

In this podcast episode, the VP of Engineering at Fond, Srividhya “Vidhya” Chandrasekaran, shares her insights on getting the best out of engineers. She discusses the importance of empowerment, accountability, and mentorship. Vidhya emphasizes the need for leaders to lead the way of their teams rather than telling them what to do. She encourages empowering engineers to come up with their own solutions and ideas, promoting involvement and accountability.

Highlights:

00:02:52 Empower your engineers for success.

Guest:

Srividhya “Vidhya” Chandrasekaran is a passionate leader in the software and technology sector with a knack for solving complex problems by synergizing technology and people.

She has consistently held leadership positions throughout their career, guiding teams and products to success while enjoying the process of mentoring others. She's committed to personal and professional development, often seeking insights from expert speakers and literature.

Believing in the potential of everyone, they strive to uplift those who may not be performing at their best, tracing root causes and offering solutions. She encourages continual learning and the challenge of conventional methods in favor of innovation.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/srividhya-chandrasekaran

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Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

In this episode, Nav's VP of Engineering, Gian Perrone, joins Amir Bormand to discuss organizational design and leadership styles. The discussion focuses on how leaders can adapt to the company's culture or change the organization to fit their leadership style. They discuss the importance of assessing the organization before making any changes and the potential pitfalls of imposing a leadership style that doesn't fit the company culture. 

Highlights

[00:01:29] Adapting leadership style to organization.

[00:05:21] New leaders and reorgs.

[00:07:04] Change management in organizations.

[00:10:23] Comms plan and collaboration.

[00:14:43] Dealing with organizational change.

Guest:

Gian Perrone is the Head of Engineering at Nav. Before joining Nav, he served as an Engineering Lead at Square Banking, where he played a key role in launching various financial products. Before Square, he worked as a web developer at The Folio Society and a research programmer at the University of Waikato.

He holds a BS and MS in Computer Science from the University of Waikato and a Ph.D. from the IT University of Copenhagen.

With a decade of witnessing small business owners' financial challenges, Gian looks forward to simplifying business financing at Nav. He works from Milwaukee, adding to Nav's distributed team across 23 states.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gianp/

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Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

In this episode, Amir Bormand interviews Prabhath Karanth (PK), the Global Head of Security & Trust at Navan, an all-in-one travel and expense management SaaS platform. They discuss the growth and evolution of the security function and how it interacts with engineering and technology. PK shares insights into how security is scaling and taking on more functions, with everything becoming "as a code." The conversation also covers the role of PK's team in relation to their other peers.

Highlights:

[00:02:02] Security in hypergrowth companies.

[00:03:56] Emerging Technologies and Security.

[00:08:31] Embracing AI technology.

[00:11:11] Privacy risks in document summarization.

[00:16:52] Emerging AI Testing Companies.

[00:17:54] Connecting with experts.

Prabhath Karanth is the Global Head of Security & Trust at Navan, where he oversees product and platform security, detection and response, enterprise security, security architecture, engineering, and GRC & Trust functions. 

Prior to joining Navan, Prabhath oversaw cybersecurity at Adobe during the company’s cloud journey and hyper-growth trajectory from $30B to $300B. With 18+ years of experience in the industry, he also has a passion for working with startups and sitting on boards of directors to advise on product & business strategy, market positioning, governance, and solving security and business problems at scale.

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Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

In this episode of Tech Trek, Amir Bormand interviews Andy Foglia, the Director of Engineering at JupiterOne, to discuss adjusting management styles after joining a new company. Andy talks about his experience of transitioning from a big company to a startup and gives insights on how to adapt to new management styles. He also sheds light on the Jupiter One product that helps security practitioners understand what assets they have within their enterprise and identify potential vulnerabilities.

Highlights:

[00:01:15] Adjusting your management style.

[00:03:05] Transitioning to a new challenge.

[00:06:36] Taking risks in management.

[00:10:05] Startup planning cycles.

[00:11:26] Building relationships for success.

[00:15:31] Transitioning to startups.

[00:17:29] Managing engineers and staff.

Guest: Andy Foglia has over eight years of experience as a Director of Software Engineering in education technology and Cybersecurity. Andy currently works at JupiterOne, a data platform applied to security use cases that delivers unified cyber insights to organizations. He manages the Integrations and Site Reliability engineering teams, which focus on data collection from 100+ platforms and enabling the engineering organization to improve the design and operation of its systems to be more reliable and scalable. JupiterOne secured Series C funding in 2022 with a $1B valuation. Previously, Andy worked at McGraw Hill as a Director of Software Engineering focused on Enterprise Integrations with 3rd party systems and all K12 digital products. During his time there, the organization transformed its business towards digital solutions, and Andy was responsible for building and managing several engineering teams focused on new digital products. Andy received a BS in Computer Science and Engineering from UCLA.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-foglia-ab244758/

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Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

Rebecca Greene, Co-Founder and CTO of Regal.ai, shares her unconventional journey from financial services to leading engineering and product at a fast growing SaaS company. In this episode, she opens up about what it takes to build a product led organization without a computer science background, how she balances technical leadership with business vision, and why hiring great people early changes everything.

Rebecca’s story shows that becoming a CTO isn’t about your degree. It’s about curiosity, adaptability, and learning to lead both people and technology.

Key Takeaways

• The line between product and engineering is intentionally blurred at Regal.ai and it drives faster decisions and better collaboration.

• Nontechnical founders can build successful engineering organizations by hiring strong leaders early and fostering trust through documentation and data.

• Understanding data models is a powerful way to bridge product and engineering.

• Balancing multiple executive roles requires knowing when to go deep and when to step back.

• The modern CTO must think beyond code since hiring, infrastructure choices, and culture are just as critical.

Timestamped Highlights

[00:01:00] How Regal.ai helps B2C brands connect with customers during key buying moments

[00:03:00] From financial services to product management and why Rebecca pivoted into tech

[00:07:00] Learning engineering through hiring, data, and curiosity

[00:09:00] Why “show, don’t tell” became a core part of Regal’s engineering culture

[00:12:00] When to give up titles and hire leaders stronger than you

[00:17:00] What she would change if she could start her career again

[00:19:00] Why nontechnical founders have more tools than ever to build technical companies

One Thing She Said That Stuck

“I’d love to give up every title I have except cofounder because that means I’ve hired people better than me to do the job.”

Pro Tips

For nontechnical founders, learn to speak the language of engineering through data and documentation. You don’t need to code to lead, but you do need to understand how things work and why.

Call to Action

If you enjoyed this conversation, follow The Tech Trek for more real stories from the builders shaping technology. Subscribe on your favorite platform and connect with us on LinkedIn to keep the conversation going.

In this episode, the host interviews Peter Kapur, the Head of Data Governance and Data Quality at CarMax. They discuss the importance of data governance as an offensive strategy rather than just a defensive one. Peter explains his role in making data an asset that drives business and improves profitability, customer experience, and associate experience. They also touch on privacy as a component of data governance and the need to change the mindset around data governance from a defensive weapon to an offensive one.

Highlights:

00:00:09 Data governance as an offensive enabler.

00:07:00 Shift from defense to offense.

00:12:40 Think outside the framework.

00:19:25 Data governance adds business value.

Guest:

Peter Kapur has more than 25 years in driving innovation in Data Management, with a focus on practical operationalization of Product Strategy, Data Strategy, Data Governance, Master Data, Data Quality, Metadata, and Data Stewardship. He is an Industry leader & Visionary, having led the operationalization of Data Analytics and Data Governance for several organizations, including Waste Management, JP Morgan, AIG, Depository Trust, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs & Credit Suisse.

An industry pioneer in driving a business-centric view in leveraging a component-based Data Strategy tied to specific business objectives

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

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Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)