Innovantage Podcast

Max Golikov
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  • Technology
  • Biweekly

Welcome to the Innovantage podcast, where technology, business, and innovation converge. Join host Max Golikov as we explore the transformative power of artificial intelligence and digital advancements across various industries. Each episode features in-depth conversations with industry leaders and offers practical insights on integrating technology into your business. Subscribe to stay ahead in today’s rapidly evolving tech landscape and discover how AI drives change and inspires new business strategies. Tune in to unlock your competitive edge in the world of technology!

  1. 2d ago

    “My profession is gone”: how AI agents are changing software engineering | Innovantage Podcast #60

    AI is changing more than how software gets written. It's changing what engineers do, how companies build products, and which skills will remain valuable. Meet Ákos Maróy, a Zurich-based fractional CTO/CDO, innovation expert, startup mentor, and deep tech strategist. His career spans entrepreneurship, building machine learning startups, working at Google and Meta, and evaluating European innovation funding proposals. As AI agents take over more of the coding process, technical expertise isn't disappearing, but the way we use it is changing. And with smaller teams gaining the ability to build their own tools, the future may depend less on how much we can create and more on knowing what's actually worth building. 0:00 Introduction 0:29 Ákos Maróy's career across entrepreneurship, Google and Meta 4:30 The biggest challenges of switching between corporate and entrepreneurial careers 6:54 Why Ákos left corporate life to build his own company 10:51 Inside the European Commission's startup funding decisions 12:36 When EU funding makes more sense than venture capital 18:49 From bootstrapped service business to launching product startups 24:25 Building a machine learning startup back in 2009 27:14 The personal decision that brought Ákos into big tech 36:35 How mass layoffs changed the culture of big tech 42:12 “My profession is gone” as AI transforms software engineering 47:38 The future of software and the rise of disposable tools 55:07 Will AI make our lives better or worse? 57:29 Why technical fundamentals still matter in the AI era 1:03:11 Where to find Ákos Maróy Connect with our guest Ákos Maróy – https://www.linkedin.com/in/akosmaroy/  Connect with Max  Max Golikov –  https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxim-golikov/ Sign up to our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/sigli/innovantagenewslettersignup      🎧 Listen Now Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/19M3HKc1pbeTkYcOeOkJc0?si=aab60a9ec2864ba2  Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/pl/podcast/innovantage-podcast/id1749330437  Follow for More Insightful Episodes Innovantage Podcast:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovantage-podcast/  Sigli:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/sigli/      Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sigli.gang  Did something surprise you in this conversation? Drop a comment below — we read every single one. Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode of Innovantage Podcast.

  2. Oct 15

    What really happens to IT when two insurers merge? | Innovantage Podcast #59

    How do two major insurers merge their IT, data, and teams without customers feeling a thing? In this episode of the Innovantage podcast, we go inside the ERGO and Gjensidige integration across Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia to see what insurance M&A really demands from technology and people. Kristaps Spundins is Information Technology and Operations Officer at ADB Gjensidige and Deputy CIO at ERGO Latvia, with more than 14 years in insurance after starting his career as a software engineer. He now works at the center of a cross-border transformation, bringing two established insurers’ organisations, processes, systems, products, and data under one roof while keeping service running smoothly for every customer. You’ll come away knowing how to make hard integration calls faster, keep a regulated business stable while everything underneath it changes, and protect the knowledge and relationships that give an acquisition its real value. Introduction 0:00 From software engineer to 14 years in insurance 0:27 Why ERGO bought Gjensidige’s Baltic business 4:00 How to decide which systems survive a merger 9:14 Who gets blamed when the merger slows everything down? 13:00 Why trust drives successful post-merger integration 16:16 The hidden cost of overplanning a merger 20:53 Why software is now the engine of every business 26:47 Insurance is boring? 30:00 Legacy systems and when to kill, upgrade, or keep them 31:47 Why data is the asset every merger must protect 37:13 What makes mergers survive? 40:26 Can you pay AI to recommend your brand? 44:48    Will AI replace people in insurance? 51:09 What insurance will look like in the next 5 years? 56:03 Where to find Kristaps 58:50 Connect with our guest Kristaps Spundins – https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristaps-spundins/  Connect with Max  Max Golikov – https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxim-golikov/ Sign up to our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/sigli/innovantagenewslettersignup      🎧 Listen Now Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/19M3HKc1pbeTkYcOeOkJc0?si=aab60a9ec2864ba2  Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/pl/podcast/innovantage-podcast/id1749330437  Follow for More Insightful Episodes Innovantage Podcast:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovantage-podcast/  Sigli:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/sigli/      Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sigli.gang  Did something surprise you in this conversation? Drop a comment below — we read every single one. Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode of Innovantage Podcast.

  3. Oct 1

    What makes VCs trust you? | Innovantage Podcast #58

    𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗩𝗖 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀? 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 #𝟱𝟴 𝗴𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆-𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗩𝗶𝗸𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗷𝗮 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗹. Viktorija Trimbel is a VC investor, strategic advisor, and Managing Director at Coinvest Capital, an evergreen sovereign venture capital fund investing alongside business angels and other VCs. With more than 30 years across corporate governance, M&A, investing, and fundraising, she brings both an investor’s view of risk and a long-term perspective on how startup ecosystems develop. Funding is rarely just about having the strongest idea or the best-looking pitch deck. The real edge comes from understanding how investors think, what builds trust, where risk actually sits, and how to build a company that can attract capital without losing sight of the business itself. Introduction 0:00 Lithuania’s startup tiger is finally awake 0:25 You have to be Viktorija to run Coinvest 01:58 Does Coinvest’s investment model actually work 10:03 Why Coinvest backs real defense startups 14:04 What investors really look for in founding teams 19:55 Maternity leave, military service and startup funding 22:00 What founders always underestimate when raising capital 29:20 When startup founders turn out to be criminals 34:13 How co-investing reduces investment risk 38:29 How much luck does building a unicorn take 43:11 Lithuania’s startup ecosystem 45:23 The Baltic startup “sibling rivalry” 49:30 Where Lithuania’s startup ecosystem goes from here 54:42 What founders should do before approaching investors 58:55 Where to find Viktorija 1:05:35 Connect with our guest Viktorija Trimbel – https://www.linkedin.com/in/viktorijatrimbel/   Substack – https://substack.com/@huba  Coinvest – https://www.coinvest.lt/  Connect with Max  Max Golikov – https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxim-golikov/   🎧 Listen Now Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/19M3HKc1pbeTkYcOeOkJc0?si=aab60a9ec2864ba2  Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/pl/podcast/innovantage-podcast/id1749330437  Follow for More Insightful Episodes Innovantage Podcast:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovantage-podcast/  Sigli:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/sigli/      Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sigli.gang  Did something surprise you in this conversation? Drop a comment below — we read every single one. Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode of Innovantage Podcast.

  4. Sep 17

    What Actually Makes a Brand Memorable? | Innovantage Podcast #57

    𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲? 𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁, 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗦𝗮𝗶𝗸𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗸𝗮𝗶𝘁ė 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀. Justina Saikauskaitė is a Fractional CMO and Brand Strategist helping startups and challenger brands turn chaotic marketing into brand-led strategy that supports revenue growth. Her experience spans positioning, go-to-market strategy, brand and product launches, and fractional marketing leadership across agency, in-house, and freelance roles. Strong branding is less about having the perfect creative idea and more about making deliberate choices, testing whether they work, and committing long enough to become recognizable. From sharper positioning to smarter use of AI, the practical takeaway is simple: more marketing activity means little when people cannot understand, remember, or trust the brand behind it. Introduction 0:00 What actually makes a brand noticeable and memorable 0:28 Why looking like your competitors kills your brand 4:57 Can you trust AI to analyze your competitors 7:02 Being boring became a brilliant brand strategy 8:57 When should startups actually start investing in brand 13:21  The marketing mistakes that keep startups from growing 16:00 How to balance brand and performance marketing 18:29 Why B2B and B2C need different marketing strategies 20:36 How startups can find the right audience faster 23:14 AI is changing marketing and brand reputation 26:28 More leads won’t always solve the problem 34:14 One message can be enough for small companies 36:38 The future of mass reach through smaller niches 40:55 Traditional branding is coming back 42:57 Message for founders 46:56 Where to find Justina 49:45 Connect with our guest Justina Saikauskaitė – https://www.linkedin.com/in/justina-saikauskaite/   Connect with Max  Max Golikov –  https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxim-golikov/   Sign up to our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/sigli/innovantagenewslettersignup  🎧 Listen Now Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/19M3HKc1pbeTkYcOeOkJc0?si=aab60a9ec2864ba2  Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/pl/podcast/innovantage-podcast/id1749330437  Follow for More Insightful Episodes Innovantage Podcast:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovantage-podcast/  Sigli:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/sigli/      Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sigli.gang  Did something surprise you in this conversation? Drop a comment below — we read every single one. Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode of Innovantage Podcast.

  5. Sep 4

    AI Is Blurring the Line Between Business and Tech | Innovantage Podcast #56

    How is AI changing the relationship between business and technology — and what happens when even great tech fails to deliver business value? On the Innovantage Podcast, Gediminas Zalys from Accenture UK & Ireland unpacks what digital transformation actually looks like inside large enterprises. Gediminas Zalys is an engineering leader focused on AI, machine learning, and business transformation. With experience spanning engineering, consulting, entrepreneurship, and enterprise technology at Accenture, he has seen both sides of the equation: ambitious technology built without the right business case, and business decisions transformed by what new technology suddenly makes possible. 0:00 Introduction 0:27 How Gediminas became an engineering leader at Accenture 5:16 What is Accenture Song and why does it exist? 13:39 Consulting across completely different industries 23:31 How to handle business pushback 32:19 How great technology failed billion-dollar brands 38:38 Can technology change the direction of a business? 43:33 When emotion beats rational business decisions 45:28 Why Gediminas’ restaurant startup failed 50:11 How AI is disrupting the corporate world 54:48 Is SaaS really dead? 58:29 How enterprises need to transform for AI 1:03:31 The future of business and technology 1:08:30 Where to find Gediminas Connect with our guest Gediminas Zalys – https://www.linkedin.com/in/g-zalys/    Connect with Max  Max Golikov –  https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxim-golikov/   🎧 Listen Now Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/19M3HKc1pbeTkYcOeOkJc0?si=aab60a9ec2864ba2  Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/pl/podcast/innovantage-podcast/id1749330437  Follow for More Insightful Episodes Innovantage Podcast:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovantage-podcast/  Sigli:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/sigli/      Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sigli.gang  Did something surprise you in this conversation? Drop a comment below — we read every single one. Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode of Innovantage Podcast.

  6. Aug 21

    What Recruiters Actually Look for in Salespeople | Innovantage Podcast #55

    Sales and recruiting rarely get discussed together, even though they shape each other constantly. This episode, Max sits with Edvin Vosylius, founder of European Sales Headhunting Agency, a Vilnius-based recruitment agency focused specifically on sales talent, to unpack how those two functions collide in practice. Edvin brings 19 years of hands-on sales experience to the table, having worked as a rep, a head of sales, and a chief sales officer before building a business around placing salespeople for a living. That path, including a failed corporate venture and a startup collapse, shapes everything he now looks for when hiring or advising others in the field. In this episode, hear about mid-market versus enterprise sales, the mechanics of building a profitable recruitment agency, the traits recruiters look for in top salespeople, and how AI is reshaping CVs and interviews. Chapters 0:00 Introduction 1:00 How Edvin founded a recruitment agency 3:56 Why mid-market deals beat enterprise sales 9:27 Is the agency business still relevant? 15:00 What companies get wrong about hiring salespeople 21:07 Different types of salespeople explained 24:41 How to identify a great salesperson? 29:31 Why great salespeople fail in new industries 33:16 Do you really need to start a business? 51:06 How recruitment agencies actually make money 56:11 Advice for salespeople and hiring managers 57:48 AI in sales 1:03:30 Where to find Edvin Connect with our guest Edvinas Vosylius – https://www.linkedin.com/in/edvinasv/   HEMES – https://www.wearehemes.com/  Connect with Max  Max Golikov –  https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxim-golikov/   🎧 Listen Now Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/19M3HKc1pbeTkYcOeOkJc0?si=aab60a9ec2864ba2  Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/pl/podcast/innovantage-podcast/id1749330437  Follow for More Insightful Episodes Innovantage Podcast:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovantage-podcast/  Sigli:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/sigli/      Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sigli.gang  Did something surprise you in this conversation? Drop a comment below — we read every single one. Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode of Innovantage Podcast.

  7. Aug 7

    How to Build a Defense Tech Startup & Raise €1.1M | Innovantage Podcast #54

    What does it take to build a defense tech startup, raise €1.1 million, and manufacture drone technology in Europe? In this episode of the Innovantage Podcast, Elvinas Kukys, CEO and Co-Founder of Luna Robotics, shares how the Lithuanian hardware startup is building advanced vision systems for unmanned platforms without relying on Chinese supply chains or unnecessary AI. Drawing on his military background and startup journey, Elvinas explains how Luna Robotics grew from an idea into one of Lithuania's emerging defense tech companies, developing dual-use technology designed for both military and civilian applications. Learn what investors actually look for, how to become better at pitching, when bootstrapping becomes a mistake, and why building a hardware startup requires a different mindset than chasing the latest AI trend. Introduction 0:00 Luna Robotics and Elvinas' journey  0:31 How AI hallucinates drone camera images  05:51 Why Luna Robotics is China free  07:34 Manufacturing hardware in the Baltics  09:52 How Luna Robotics raised €1.1 million  15:34 Mastering the art of startup pitching  21:41 Why you shouldn't bootstrap too much 27:13 Building a startup with dual use technology  33:33 Never build custom features for only one customer 38:15  What metrics investors actually pay attention to 46:20 Lithuania's defense tech boom and AI's future  50:23 Advice to my 20 year old self   56:33 Where to find Elvinas 57:37 Connect with our guest Elvinas Kukys – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekukys/  Luna Robotics – https://www.lunarobotics.eu/  Connect with Max  Max Golikov –  https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxim-golikov/   🎧 Listen Now Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/19M3HKc1pbeTkYcOeOkJc0?si=aab60a9ec2864ba2  Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/pl/podcast/innovantage-podcast/id1749330437  Follow for More Insightful Episodes Innovantage Podcast:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovantage-podcast/  Sigli:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/sigli/      Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sigli.gang  Did something surprise you in this conversation? Drop a comment below — we read every single one. Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode of Innovantage Podcast.

  8. Jul 24

    Why 70% of Mergers & Acquisitions Fail (And How to Avoid It) | Innovantage Podcast #53

    Why do 70% of mergers and acquisitions fail after closing?  In this episode of the Innovantage Podcast, integration strategist Sabine Janssens shares what separates successful M&A integration from value destruction, why the first 100 days are critical, and how companies can turn acquisitions into long-term growth. Sabine Janssens has led more than 40 M&A integration projects over the past four years and developed a pragmatic 100-day integration model used in buy-and-build environments. Drawing on decades of strategic marketing and integration experience, she works with acquiring companies to align strategy, operations, technology, and people after the deal closes. Rather than treating integration as an operational checklist, this episode explains how to preserve business value, avoid the mistakes that derail acquisitions, manage IT integration without disrupting customers, and keep founders, employees, and leadership aligned throughout the transition. 0:00 Introduction 0:29 Sabine's journey into 40+ M&A integrations 4:51 Which industries see the most M&A activity 6:37 Why only 30 percent of acquisitions succeed 12:46 Early warning signs an integration is failing 16:27 Why the first 100 days matter most 21:52 Common challenges when integrating IT 26:03 Biggest IT integration mistakes 31:28 What founders experience after selling 45:56 The hidden cost most companies underestimate 54:14 The biggest misconception about M&A 56:50 Where to find Sabine Connect with our guest Sabine Janssens – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabinejanssens/  Connect with Max  Max Golikov –  https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxim-golikov/   🎧 Listen Now Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/19M3HKc1pbeTkYcOeOkJc0?si=aab60a9ec2864ba2  Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/pl/podcast/innovantage-podcast/id1749330437  Follow for More Insightful Episodes Innovantage Podcast:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovantage-podcast/  Sigli:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/sigli/      Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sigli.gang  Did something surprise you in this conversation? Drop a comment below — we read every single one. Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode of Innovantage Podcast.

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About

Welcome to the Innovantage podcast, where technology, business, and innovation converge. Join host Max Golikov as we explore the transformative power of artificial intelligence and digital advancements across various industries. Each episode features in-depth conversations with industry leaders and offers practical insights on integrating technology into your business. Subscribe to stay ahead in today’s rapidly evolving tech landscape and discover how AI drives change and inspires new business strategies. Tune in to unlock your competitive edge in the world of technology!

Information

  • Creator
    Max Golikov
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    60
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved
  • Show Website
    Innovantage Podcast