The Tech Trek Elevano

This podcast episode features Matt Robben, Co-founder and CTO of Serif Health, discussing the importance of full-stack engineering hires and how to manage operational growth within hiring constraints. Serif Health, a price transparency data company in healthcare, navigates the challenges of being a small seed-stage startup with a limited hiring budget by prioritizing full-stack capabilities to ensure flexibility and comprehensive problem-solving. Matt highlights the transition from hiring generalist engineers to specialists as the company grows and delves into specific areas like data engineering and artificial intelligence, where specialization becomes critical. He shares insights on identifying talent that showcases eagerness and versatility, underscoring the value of adaptability in the fast-evolving tech landscape. The episode also touches on the interview process, supporting team growth towards specialization, and maintaining a balance between immediate needs and future potential in hiring decisions.

Highlights

00:22 Exploring the Trend Towards Full Stack Engineering

00:44 Introducing Serif Health: A Price Transparency Data Company

01:17 The Strategic Value of Full Stack Engineers in Startups

04:38 The Shift to Specialization: When and Why It Happens

08:20 Navigating Hiring Challenges and Interview Processes

12:31 Fostering Growth and Flexibility Within Engineering Teams



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Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek. 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 features Dennis Mortensen, CEO and Co-founder of LaunchBrightly, returning as a guest to discuss the entrepreneurial mindset, his experiences as a serial entrepreneur, and the journey of his latest venture post-x.ai. Dennis shares insights on the importance of solving real pains, the dynamics of pivoting in entrepreneurship, and the personal philosophy that guides him through the ups and downs of startup life. He emphasizes the joy in the entrepreneurial process, the necessity of embracing the sport of entrepreneurship for its own sake, and strategies for maintaining balance, such as his practice of taking long walks for reflection. Additionally, Dennis extends an open invitation to the audience for further engagement and mentorship.

Highlights

00:36 The Evolution of x.ai and Launching LaunchBrightly

01:52 The Birth of a New Venture: Automating Product Screenshots

04:02 Entrepreneurial Mindset: Sticking to the Pain Points

16:59 The Emotional Rollercoaster of Entrepreneurship

23:20 The Love of the Game: Entrepreneurship as a Lifestyle

28:16 Pivoting: When to Stick and When to Shift

32:47 Staying Centered: Dennis's Personal Strategy

Guest links:

LaunchBrightly: https://launchbrightly.com/

Dennis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennismortensen/

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Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek. 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 features a detailed discussion with Akshay Swaminathan, a data scientist with significant contributions to health systems improvement, including 40 peer-reviewed publications and features in the New York Times. Currently an AI Researcher, medical student, and PhD candidate at Stanford University, Swaminathan discusses the potential of data science in healthcare, emphasizing the importance of delivering the right treatment to the right patient at the right time. The conversation covers domain specificity in data science, the trend of healthcare professionals engaging in data science, the importance of cross-functional teams, and the role of traditional IT and data science projects in healthcare. Swaminathan also introduces his book, 'Winning with Data Science,' designed to help non-technical domain experts collaborate effectively with data scientists. The episode highlights the potential obstacles to data-driven healthcare solutions, including data quality, biases, interoperability, and data sharing, and suggests starting with identifying key problems before applying data science solutions.

Highlights:

00:38 The Power of Data in Healthcare Delivery

02:03 The Unique Blend of Healthcare and Data Science Expertise

02:52 Cross-Functional Teams: A Trend in Healthcare Data Science

04:56 Empowering Domain Experts to Leverage Data Science

10:35 Case Study: Improving Crisis Response Times at Cerebral

13:30 The Future of AI in Healthcare: Automation and Co-Pilot Solutions

17:41 Challenges and Solutions for Data in Healthcare AI

24:09 Practical Advice for Leveraging Data in Healthcare

Guest:

.Akshay Swaminathan is a data scientist who works on strengthening health systems. He has more than forty peer-reviewed publications, and his work has been featured in the New York Times and STAT. Previously, he was a data scientist at Flatiron Health and Head of Data Science at Cerebral. He is currently an AI researcher and MD/PhD candidate at Stanford University.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akshay-swaminathan-68286b51

Book: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/winning-with-data-science/9780231206860

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Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek. 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 podcast episode features an in-depth conversation with Zach LaValley, EVP of Engineering at RapidSOS, discussing the transition towards holistic awareness in public safety. The conversation touches on the challenges of disconnected data, the evolution from landlines to mobile and IoT devices, and the significance of consistent data across distributed systems. RapidSOS's role in moving data from devices to emergency services for better decision-making, the importance of location services, and the complexity of integrating multiple data points are highlighted. Additionally, the discussion explores the future of 911 services with AI, the impact of data privacy, and the technical challenges of creating reliable and speedy responses in emergencies. Zach also sheds light on the ongoing efforts to enhance the effectiveness of 911 call centers and emergency responses through advanced mapping, cloud-based systems, and partnerships with OS providers and device manufacturers. The episode concludes with thoughts on public adoption and the potential of AI to improve emergency services.

Highlights:

01:16 The Evolution of Emergency Response: From Landlines to Digital Ecosystems

03:30 Navigating the Complexities of 911 Call Centers and Data Routing

04:50 The Technical Backbone: Cloud Systems and Data Management

05:36 Enhancing 911 with Technology: Partnerships and Privacy Concerns

11:08 Engineering Challenges: Balancing Speed and Reliability

14:37 Testing and Deployment: Ensuring System Integrity

17:23 The Future of Emergency Services: AI and Public Perception

Guest:

A lifelong learner, Zach LaValley is passionate about helping companies achieve their strategic goals through technology. He has a proven ability to create and scale successful business solutions and is adept at managing medium to large organizations with a diverse technical skill set. Experienced in agile methodologies, Zach combines excellent communication skills with technical acumen, enabling him to deliver in fast-paced and ever-changing environments.

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

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Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek. 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, Harrison Tang, CEO and Co-founder of Spokeo, discusses Gen AI's role in data creation and the complexities of entity resolution. Spokeo is highlighted as a leading platform that organizes billions of records to resolve millions of entities for user verification. The conversation delves into the nature of identity in both the physical and digital worlds, the challenges of comparing vast amounts of data, and the criteria for establishing the truth within data sets. The discussion also covers the impact of generative AI on data creation, emphasizing the importance of data quality from inception and the evolving landscape of data privacy and security. The episode concludes with insights into the future of entity resolution technology and the ongoing need to discern truth in an era of increasing digital fabrication.

Highlights

02:01 The Complex World of Entity Resolution

03:28 Challenges in Data Processing and Entity Resolution

05:20 The Role of Generative AI in Data Creation

16:02 Navigating the Future of Data Verification and Privacy



Harrison Tang is a CEO, Co-Founder and President at Spokeo.

Harrison Tang is the founder and president of Spokeo, which he created in 2006 with a group of four friends from Stanford University. They envisioned a new way to approach social networks by providing an easy user interface to keep track of friends’ activities online. Since then, Spokeo

has grown into a leading people search engine, reconnecting individuals to others all across the United States.

As founder and president, Harrison is responsible for the overall direction and product strategy for the company. He leads the team focusing on building an easy-to-use system that can aggregate billions of records and return results within one second.

Harrison grew up in the Silicon Valley. He attended Stanford University and received his Bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Electrical Engineering and his Master’s in Electrical Engineering in 2005.

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

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Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek. 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 podcast episode features Dr. Andrea Isoni, the Chief AI Officer at AI Technologies, discussing AI's current and future integration into everyday life and the corporate world. Isoni highlights how AI already serves as a co-pilot in many aspects of daily activities and how it is adopted across various industries like cybersecurity and manufacturing automation. He also touches on the media's impact on AI perception and the potential for more complex, integrated solutions. The conversation covers the importance of AI in enhancing efficiency and the critical role of Cybersecurity as AI adoption increases. Isoni emphasizes that while AI adoption in enterprises may be slower due to legacy systems and regulations, the consumer market quickly embraces AI tools. He also discusses the evolution of software development, predicting a shift towards more integration, customization, and assurance roles rather than traditional programming.

Highlights

02:06 The Current State of AI Adoption

03:26 AI in Everyday Life and Future Technologies

07:05 AI's Impact on Industries and Consumer Adoption

10:51 Evaluating ROI in AI Projects

14:49 Adoption Challenges and Trust in AI

26:32 The Future of AI, Cybersecurity, and Job Evolution

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Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek. 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)