The Tech Trek

In this episode of the podcast, Amir talks to Vlad Eidelman. Vlad is the CTO of Fiscal Note and joins this podcast to discuss his journey toward becoming CTO. Fiscal Note is a software-as-a-service company that collects, analyzes, and refines policy and regulation data from local to global levels to help its customers understand how laws and regulations can impact their businesses and nonprofits. Vlad has been working in the industry for 15 years, focusing on building machine learning systems, becoming the first data science hire, and ultimately managing the R&D side of the business.

[00:05:48] Perseverance in career growth.

[00:06:33] Continuous Learning and Development.

[00:11:21] Helping People Ask Questions Comfortably.

[00:14:20] Overcoming communication barriers.

[00:17:06] Importance of self-assessment.

[00:19:50] Leadership and team structure.

[00:24:30] Transitioning to a manager.

[00:28:13] Value of computer science education.

Vlad Eidelman is the CTO and Chief Scientist at FiscalNote, where he is responsible for setting the technology vision and execution strategy for the global R&D organization. He holds a Ph.D. in CS and has over 15 years of experience developing, leading, and advising technology teams, building diverse SaaS and consumer products with state-of-the-art machine learning and NLP systems.

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

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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)

On this episode of Tech Trek, Amir asks Suresh Teckchandani, the VP of Product and Engineering at Ancestry, how to balance the need for speed with quality when delivering value at scale. As companies grow and expectations increase, quality becomes crucial to making or breaking a product. Suresh explains that the key is to focus on automation and establishing good communication channels between teams to ensure that quality is not sacrificed for speed.

Highlights

[00:01:15] Balancing quality and velocity.

[00:03:44] Experimenting with ideas.

[00:07:15] Managing tech debt properly.

[00:10:51] Team-specific metrics.

[00:14:26] Company's Purpose and Execution.

[00:19:26] Successful team values and principles.

Suresh Teckchandani

Technology executive with over 25 years of experience building customer-facing SaaS products and services, technology platforms, and mar-tech stacks at scale.

Connect with Suresh at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teckchandani/

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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)

On this episode of Tech Trek, Lisa Hall, Chief Information Security Officer, talks about her experiences building a security program at the genetic testing company. The program covers infrastructure security, application security, product security, governance, risk, and compliance. Lisa discusses the challenges and strategies in building and maintaining a security program in a constantly evolving landscape.

Highlights

[00:02:29] Building security strategies.

[00:03:42] Adapting to different company cultures.

[00:07:16] Engineering first organizations.

[00:11:16] Finding security champions.

[00:14:30] Celebrating quick wins.

[00:17:25] Finding the right leadership voice.

[00:20:49] Cybersecurity and Business Impact.

[00:23:55] Productivity and motivation.

[00:27:47] Call-to-action for engagement.

With over 16 years of experience in information security, Lisa Hall has built security programs from the ground up and optimized existing security and compliance initiatives at scale. She focuses on building holistic security strategies and comprehensive information security management programs- ensuring products and business systems are developed with security in mind.

Lisa has experience building and growing teams, leading companies through IPO, acquisitions & mergers, and leading Application/Product Security, Infrastructure Security, and Compliance programs (SOX, SOC2, ISO 27001, FISMA, FedRAMP, & HITRUST). She believes security should make it easy to do the right thing. Lisa has previously held Information Security roles at PagerDuty, Twilio, and EY.

Lisa is a Venture Advisor at YL Ventures and an Advisory Board Member for Day of Shecurity. She is also a co-author in "Reinventing Cybersecurity"- A JupiterOne book authored by female and non-binary security practitioners.

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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, the host interviews AJ Wasserman, Portfolio Product Owner of Cloud FinOps & Tech Data Insights at Liberty Mutual Insurance, about the financial aspects of cloud computing. She discusses the challenges and cost considerations that come with cloud migration and the importance of monitoring and optimizing cloud usage to maximize cost savings. She provides valuable insights for businesses considering or currently utilizing cloud computing.

Highlights:

[00:02:34] Cloud financial operations.

[00:03:26] Cloud cost management.

[00:08:50] Cloud adoption challenges.

[00:11:29] Automation for optimization.

[00:13:03] Cloud cost optimization strategies.

[00:17:50] FinOps and DevOps integration.

[00:19:15] Cloud cost optimization advice.

[00:23:23] Pace of change in the cloud.

Guest:

Angela “AJ” Wasserman, Portfolio Product Owner of Cloud FinOps & Tech Data Insights, Liberty Mutual Insurance

AJ has over 20 years of experience in both financial management and data analytics. In her current role, she is responsible for the development and execution of strategic global priorities within the Cloud FinOps and Tech Data Insight spaces, with a focus on leveraging data to improve the developer experience and to optimize technology investments.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-aj-wasserman-0871146/

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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)

On this episode of The Tech Trek, Shiva Parinandi, SVP of Cloud Infrastructure and Advancement at Paramount+, joins as a guest to discuss the challenges of dealing with the cloud at a large scale. He discusses the scale of his company and how they handle the technical aspects of dealing with cloud operations at a large scale. He explains that the amount of preparation needed depends on the size of the event. Shiva guides us through the significance of both the science and art of scaling for such large operations.

Highlights

[00:01:31] Large-scale live events on a streaming platform.

[00:07:30] Website traffic monitoring.

[00:10:20] Scaling for high-pressure situations.

[00:13:14] Scaling cloud infrastructure horizontally.

[00:18:06] Cloud Security Implications.

[00:22:05] Competition in the entertainment industry.

Guest:

Shiva Paranandi 

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

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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?

In this episode of Tech Trek, Amir interviews Charlie Greene, the co-founder, and CEO of Rimento. This mobile app allows users to collect and enrich their family's most treasured stories and memories. Charlie talks about his journey of chasing his passion and turning it into a business. He shares details about Rimento's science-backed framework for uncovering stories and how it provides the tools to record, organize, and share memories with loved ones. Charlie also discusses his responsibilities as CEO, including fundraising, finance, strategy, marketing, and partnerships. Overall, this episode offers insight into the intersection of personal interests and business growth.

Notes: 

[00:02:31] Finding purpose through storytelling.

[00:03:42] Importance of home video footage.

[00:08:43] Career pivots and Steve Jobs.

[00:12:06] Solving the problem of legacy.

[00:14:11] Starting a Business. Just Start!

[00:17:30] Building without code.

[00:20:41] Importance of storytelling.

[00:23:47] Contact Information.

Guest:

Charlie is the Co-Founder and CEO of Remento, an early-stage venture making it easier than ever to collect and enrich your family’s most treasured memories. Before founding Remento, Charlie held a variety of media and storytelling roles, including as a speechwriter in the Obama Administration and Public Affairs Director at 21st Century Fox. Previously, Charlie was a consultant with Burson-Marsteller’s crisis communications team and held multiple roles at NBC News. Charlie received a BA in Political Science from Brown University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-greene-2b649b23/

https://twitter.com/greenechar

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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?

This episode of Tech Trek features Susan Dikramanjan, a member of the IT leadership team at John Hancock, a Manulife company, who shares her insights on upskilling and ensuring optimal team efficiency, performance, and execution. Susan discusses her experience setting up an upskilling program at Manulife and the benefits of promoting a culture of lifelong learning within a team. As a lifelong learner, she highlights the importance of constantly seeking new knowledge and developing new skills for personal and professional growth.

Highlights: 

[00:01:09] Upskilling program.

[00:03:54] Gamifying Learning with Salesforce.

[00:07:39] Balancing workload and upskilling.

[00:11:37] Upskilling for marketability.

[00:16:28] Learning new technologies.

[00:20:24] Upskilling program insights.

[00:23:59] Delivery efficiency in management.

Susan Dikramanjian is part of the IT Leadership Team at John Hancock / Manulife. Susan is accountable for the teams building the Storefronts, Contact Center Automation, Chatbots /AI, Back End APIs, and the Platform Teams. Susan has been with Manulife for nearly four years and has over 20 years of industry experience. Before Manulife, Susan worked in various Software Provider Companies. Susan holds an undergraduate Computer Science Degree as well as a Finance MBA.

www.linkedin.com/in/susan-dikramanjian
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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)

How do you know when you’re ready to start a company, especially with few resources or capital? Ken Babcock, Co-Founder and CEO of Tango, offers his insights on this episode of The Tech Trek. Ken also discusses several key moments in his career with host Amir Bormand.

Show Notes

03:23 - Ken discusses his past experiences with Uber and Atomic.

08:05 - How do you know when you’re ready to start a company?

11:43 - Going back to school vs. searching for more opportunities.

20:26 - How can you resolve your weaknesses as a founder?

27:28 - Do priorities and goals change during your tenure as a founder?

About:

Ken Babcock is the Co-founder and CEO of Tango, which allows users to create step-by-step how-to guides with perfectly cropped screenshots, in seconds. Ken, along with his co-founders Brian Shultz and Dan Giovacchini, dropped out of Harvard Business School during the pandemic to start the company. Since then, the company has grown to over 300,000 users and 35 full-time team members. Tango’s launch on Product Hunt in September 2021 earned many accolades: #1 Product of the Day, #1 Product of the Week, and one of four finalists for Product Hunt’s Product of the Year.

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

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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)

Allan Cutler, Director of Engineering at Endpoint, discusses why data-driven leadership is important on this episode of The Tech Trek. Allan also shares several standout moments from his 15 years as a technology leader with host Amir Bormand.

Highlights

00:47 - Allan explains what data-driven leadership means to him.

06:03 - Finding the right software for the right job.

11:17 - Using data to overcome tech debt.

16:35 - The impact of high-level metrics on data.

21:12 - Allan’s best practices for continued education concerning data.

About:

Allan Cutler is a technology leader with 15+ years in the software industry. Extensive experience leading engineering and creative teams through the software delivery lifecycle, while staying customer and product-driven. Proven track record for building highly capable technology organizations to meet business goals within startup and enterprise environments.

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

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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)

This episode of The Tech Trek features Harish Parwani, the VP of Platform Engineering at CarGurus. Host Amir Bormand and Harish discuss the intricacies of shared services and how teams can maximize their productivity. 

Highlights

00:56 - Harish offers his perspective and experience with shared services.

03:12 - Why do we need shared services?

06:37 - How do shared services impact team structure?

13:02 - Demonstrating the value of shared services to leadership teams.

16:45 -  Prepping shared service teams for mergers and acquisitions.

21:04 - What’s the “wrong way” of organizing shared services?

About:

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

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)