Tech Talks Daily

In today's episode of Tech Talks Daily, I sat down with Matt Dawes, Head of Enterprise Sales at HALOS, to explore the fast-moving world of security technology and how body-worn cameras are rapidly transforming the way businesses approach accountability, staff safety, and incident response. HALOS is rethinking body-worn video with a fresh approach that doesn't stop at hardware. From their subscription-based service model to a real-time AI-powered backend system, their tech stack is designed to meet the growing demands of both frontline teams and the organizations supporting them. During our conversation, Matt shared how the company's origins during the COVID-19 period shaped its purpose and culture and how it has scaled across the UK, Ireland, and the US following its Series A funding in early 2024. We explored how HALOS uses AI for proactive threat detection and fall detection, which is still under development, and how their cloud-based platform, Vault, plays a critical role in evidence management and seamless integration with broader security ecosystems. Matt also shared insights into how their system is already making an impact in sectors such as retail, where the focus isn't solely on theft prevention but also on ensuring frontline workers feel supported and protected against a backdrop of increasing aggression and workplace incidents. One of the standout aspects of the conversation was HALOS' pricing model, which offers all features, including panic alerts and live streaming, under one monthly subscription. This structure eliminates the hidden costs that often hinder full deployment, allowing clients to scale their coverage without compromise. So, how is the security technology space evolving? What role does AI play in improving situational awareness? And how can tech leaders ensure their investment protects people on the ground? Please tune in to hear how HALOS is positioning itself at the intersection of innovation and frontline security.

Join Mark Gray, the UK and Ireland Country Manager at Universal Robots, as he discusses the transformative role of collaborative robots, or cobots, in modern manufacturing. With Universal Robots reaching the landmark sale of their 100,000th unit, Mark highlights how these machines are designed to perform the dirty, dangerous, and dull tasks that often deter human workers. He emphasizes the urgent need for robotics training to bridge the skills gap in the industry, particularly through free apprenticeship programs aimed at inspiring the next generation of engineers.

In this engaging discussion, Patrick Lin, Senior VP and General Manager for Observability at Splunk, shares his insights on digital resilience. He explains how observability has transformed from simple monitoring to a vital part of managing complex infrastructures. The conversation highlights the powerful integration of Splunk with Cisco ThousandEyes, leading to faster incident resolutions and fewer false alerts. Patrick also emphasizes how AI enhances anomaly detection, offering businesses a clearer path through the chaotic digital landscape.

What happens when education stops being about a rigid curriculum and starts focusing on what genuinely sparks a child's curiosity? This question sits at the heart of my conversation with Amir Nathoo, the founder and CEO of Outschool, a fast-growing online learning platform now trusted by over a million families worldwide. In this episode, Amir shares the personal journey that inspired him to challenge the tired one-size-fits-all approach still dominant in classrooms today. We explore how Outschool's unique mix of small group of live classes, diverse topics, and independent educators is giving children the freedom to pursue what excites them most — whether that's coding through Minecraft, exploring anatomy in the quirkiest ways imaginable, or tackling future-focused skills that schools often ignore. We also examine the broader shifts driving parents to supplement or even replace traditional schooling. From the rise of unschooling and passion-led learning to the potential (and limits) of AI tutors, Amir paints a picture of what more flexible, personalised education could mean for the next generation's readiness for jobs that don't even exist yet. If you've ever questioned whether the current system is enough to prepare your kids for the world they'll inherit, this one's for you. How do you see the balance between human teachers and AI shaping up in education? Join the conversation and let me know your thoughts.

How do you measure success when your AI is learning faster than your own business processes can keep up? That's the question I set out to answer in my conversation with SparkBeyond, a company that has spent the past decade transforming how enterprises harness AI. From crawling GitHub code in a modest garage experiment to driving measurable performance gains for global firms, SparkBeyond has charted a path that mirrors the rapid evolution of AI itself. In this episode, I explored how their focus has shifted from discovering hidden performance drivers in customer data to building agentic AI systems that actively close feedback loops and optimize themselves continuously. SparkBeyond brings the rigor of operational excellence into the world of AI agents, a space still notorious for inefficiencies and inconsistent results. Agentic AI isn't just the next shiny term; it represents a practical step forward from passive prediction to autonomous decision-making. Listening to examples like automated troubleshooting for large consumer electronics companies made it clear that this technology is already reshaping daily operations that once consumed countless human hours. We also dug into the realities behind the hype. While some companies have scaled back their experiments, SparkBeyond stays grounded by tying every agent's performance to the same KPIs a human would carry, providing clear ROI and minimizing guesswork. Sagie Davidovich shared thoughtful insights into why verifiability determines where agents thrive first. Digital tasks, high-frequency work, and software development stand out as the front runners. It's hard to argue when you see the rise of coding assistants transforming entire workflows at breakneck speed. But the conversation didn't shy away from the challenges either, from handling biases baked into LLMs to the obstacles of applying agents in the physical world. SparkBeyond's upcoming open-source agent optimizer promises to accelerate adoption while keeping the human benchmarks in sight. This episode gave me a front-row seat to the next frontier of AI where systems aren't static but in a constant state of learning and improvement. If your organization still treats AI like a bolt-on experiment, this discussion may push you to rethink how deeply it should be woven into your daily operations. How ready is your business for an AI that never stops optimizing?

In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I sit down with Jim Douglas, CEO of Instabug, to unpack the hidden world of mobile app development and the hurdles developers face every time you tap an icon on your phone. Mobile apps live in unpredictable conditions, surrounded by millions of device variations and users who are quick to abandon any app that fails to deliver a flawless experience. Our discussion begins with a deep dive into why mobile apps remain so vulnerable to user churn. Jim shares a striking figure that 56 percent of users will delete an app after a single crash, a statistic that keeps many developers up at night. He explains how Instabug's platform provides a layer of mobile observability powered by AI, which helps catch problems early and offers real insights into how real people interact with apps. Instead of guessing why a user is frustrated, developers gain clear visibility through session replays and in-app surveys that reveal what KPIs alone cannot show. Jim also outlines how Instabug aims to push mobile development into a future where self-healing apps become reality. He describes Smart Resolve, a feature that already helps automate issue resolution, marking a first step toward a world where apps can detect and fix their own bugs. This evolution frees up development teams to invest their energy in innovation rather than repetitive troubleshooting. We look ahead to upcoming changes in the mobile ecosystem, touching on expectations for iOS 19, improvements in power management using AI, and the possibility that voice interfaces will soon play a bigger role in how we interact with our phones. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone building or using mobile apps who wonders why some apps feel polished while others crash and burn. Are self-healing apps closer than we imagine, and how will that reshape the daily work of developers and the experiences we all take for granted? Join us to find out.

How are small businesses influencing the future of financial technology at a scale few can match? In this episode, I sit down with Jameson Troutman, Head of Product for Small Business at Chase for Business. With two decades shaping payment solutions for entrepreneurs, he opens up about how a team inside one of the largest financial institutions stays flexible enough to build smarter tools, quicker payments, and more practical customer insights while serving millions of small business owners across the country. What I found particularly interesting was how Chase for Business keeps innovation moving without disrupting the stability its clients expect. Jameson pulls back the curtain on how phased testing and piloting help fine-tune new products, ensuring they truly solve day-to-day challenges before reaching a national audience. He talks through the fine line between empowering owners with rich data and overwhelming them with information that does little to drive better decisions. We also explore the development of Chase's customer insights platform and how it shifts from static reports to timely, useful signals that guide business owners through cash flow hurdles and growth opportunities. Jameson highlights the real-world use of artificial intelligence, sharing where it lifts weight off small businesses and where human judgment still plays a key role. Another compelling part of our conversation is the candid discussion about fraud prevention and why smarter authentication must protect customers without blocking their vital operations like payroll and supplier payments. Jameson's explanation shows how balancing risk management with speed has become a daily focus for product teams handling payments at scale.

When did you last pause to consider what it takes to turn daring ideas from a lab into reality? In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I spend time with Mike Otworth, Executive Chairman of Innventure, whose career reveals what happens when breakthrough technology leaves the safety of research and collides with real-world demands. Mike's view offers an honest look at what changes when you match influential inventions with a team that moves quickly and welcomes a little discomfort. We begin with Mike's unexpected transition from working on Capitol Hill to joining a group of brilliant scientists in Florida. That twist of fate shaped his life's direction and planted the seed for what later became Innventure. He explains how they tackle a problem that many overlook: big companies often create advanced solutions but lack the speed or drive to launch them effectively. His answer was to build an organization that runs on agility, quick learning, and a firm belief that course corrections are normal, not failures. One idea that sticks is what Mike calls "adaptive strategic positioning." In plain English, it means leaders must remain flexible and innovative enough to adjust their direction as soon as reality reveals something new. For founders juggling investors and product timelines, this can feel uncomfortable, yet it remains a necessary task. He also shares why he looks for "athletes" rather than box-ticking hires. For Mike, mindset beats a perfect CV every time. He seeks individuals who bring determination, resilience, and an appetite for new challenges, regardless of their starting point. We also explore how team culture can't be built with beanbags and table football alone. Real innovation teams keep an eye on the big goal and value shared wins more than individual credit. Mike also discusses giving every team member a stake in the outcome, ensuring everyone rows in the same direction. He gives a heartfelt nod to Dr. John Scott, a mentor whose sharp mind and honest opinions shaped his knack for spotting which tech has a chance in the market. This episode is more than another story of startup life. It's a clear window into how leadership must evolve as a company grows from a scrappy experiment to a trusted player. Mike's reflections on when to step back and let new leaders steer add a layer of honesty that many founders rarely share. If you enjoy hearing how a few bold decisions can ripple through entire industries, this chat offers plenty to chew on. Expect thoughtful lessons about courage, flexibility, and what it takes to build a company where every person is trusted to run with an idea and find a way forward. For anyone curious about early-stage success beyond the headlines, settle in and hear how Mike and Innventure prove that speed, trust, and the right people still matter most.

In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I sit down with Nathan Thomas, Director of Innovation, Ricoh Europe, who oversees innovation across Ricoh Europe. Nathan joined me to unpack new findings from Ricoh's study of thousands of workers and business leaders across Europe. We discussed why some countries are advancing in terms of workplace productivity while others struggle to keep pace. Spain, for example, stands out for its high productivity, which Nathan attributes to cultural changes and experiments, such as shorter working weeks and a stronger focus on employee well-being. Meanwhile, the UK and Ireland lag, with many companies still relying on legacy systems and being slow to adopt new work habits. Nathan highlighted that only about a quarter of UK employees feel adequately equipped to work together efficiently, a statistic that raises fundamental questions about how businesses can better support their people. Our conversation turned to the slow progress many companies face in embracing AI and automation. Nathan explained that uncertainty and poor understanding of how these tools work remain huge roadblocks. He emphasized that real results emerge when companies have a plan, not just when they plug in a tool without considering how it integrates with their data and workflows. T This is where Ricoh aims to help by providing a complete workplace platform that goes far beyond what people still assume about Ricoh and its legacy as a print company. Nathan described how Ricoh Spaces brings together workplace management, process automation, sensor technology, and more into one connected experience that helps people work smarter and stay focused. What stood out for me was Nathan's approach to staying informed. He spoke about watching full-length talks online, listening to audiobooks, and reading broadly to keep ideas fresh. His mindset demonstrates how curiosity can inform better decisions, especially in an era of rapidly changing technology. If you're trying to tackle productivity challenges in your workplace, this episode offers real insights into what holds teams back and what might propel them forward. After hearing from Nathan, I am even more convinced that culture, clear plans, and openness to new ways of working can transform any workplace. How prepared is your company to take that next step?

When was the last time you truly paused to consider how far artificial intelligence has come and where it's heading next? On today's episode of Tech Talks Daily, I dive into this fast-moving frontier with Mo Cherif, Vice President of Generative AI and Innovation at Sitecore. This conversation explores what 2025 holds for agentic AI and why this technology is poised to completely reshape the marketing landscape. Agentic AI isn't just an iteration of automation; it's a rethinking of how AI can operate independently, plan, reason, and collaborate with humans to create experiences that are more tailored and impactful than ever before. In our chat, Mo shares how Sitecore, in collaboration with Microsoft, has launched the Martech industry's first AI Innovation Lab, an ambitious initiative designed to give marketers a real-world playground to prototype and validate AI-driven solutions without the fear of wasted time or sunk cost. As Mo explains, so many marketing teams are eager to embrace AI but hesitate when it comes to proving ROI and finding the right entry point. The Lab strips away that uncertainty by pairing businesses with experts and offering a safe, agile space to experiment and co-create. We unpack how agentic AI is transforming traditional customer journeys into instant, hyper-personalized interactions. Picture a world where a single conversation with a chatbot handles discovery, decision-making, and purchase, all while retaining every piece of context for a seamless experience. Mo explains why context and governance are critical pillars that organisations need to master to harness this new era of AI without compromising brand integrity. Mo also paints a picture of the future where AI co-pilots are not an add-on but an integral part of daily workflows, taking the tedious tasks off human plates and freeing teams to focus on innovation, storytelling, and strategy. It's a future where businesses don't just talk about digital transformation, they live it, powered by AI that works alongside humans, not in their place. If you've been wondering how to start your own journey with agentic AI, this conversation offers practical insights and a glimpse into Sitecore's vision of brand-aware, goal-driven AI. How ready is your organisation to rethink its content operations and customer engagement for this new reality? Tune in and ask yourself, are you prepared to lead in the age of agentic AI?