Tech Talks Daily

• 3322: SparkBeyond Unlocks ROI with Always Optimized AI

  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?      

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• 3321: Instabug and the Quest for Self Healing Mobile Apps

  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.

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• 3320: How Chase for Business Balances Innovation and Stability for Businesses

  How are small businesses influencing the future of financial technology at a scale few can match? In this episode, I sit down with Jameson Trautman, 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.    

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• 3319: Inside Innventure: Pivoting Big Ideas Toward Real-World Value

  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.

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• 3318: RICOH Spaces and the Role of Tech in Workplace Experience Management

  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?

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