The Pair Program hatch I.T.

Frontiers: Exploring the World of Data | The Glaciers of Gaming | Beyond The Program
In this episode our guest host, Jazmin Furtado, speaks with Tuck Ngun, Principal Insights Analyst for League of Legends at Riot Games, to discover how he uses data to literally change the game in the Gaming Industry.
They discuss:
How Tuck landed in Gaming, turning some of his best childhood memories into his professionWhat makes the Gaming Industry so exciting and rewarding for him as an analystA few stand-out stories of how he uses data to enhance the gaming experience for millions of usersAnd some fun facts you may not know!
About today’s host: Jazmin Furtado has been a part of the software innovation realm for the Department of Defense where she has overseen large-scale Data and Artificial Intelligence programs in the Air Force and Space Force. She has also held various leadership and advisory roles with organizations such as Google, SpaceX, and Massachusetts General Hospital, where she designed and scaled AI, data, and education and training programs.
About today’s guest: Tuck Ngun is the Principal Insights Analyst for League of Legends at Riot Games. He has been at Riot for 5 years. In his time there, he has worked on a variety of questions, helping to shape strategy around audience growth, game direction, and content development and distribution. Prior to joining Riot, Tuck was a data scientist at Sense360 and DataScience.com (which was acquired by Oracle). He believes data is one of the most powerful ways to unlock a deeper understanding of the world.
Sign-Up for the Weekly hatchpad Newsletter: https://www.myhatchpad.com/newsletter/

Valor in the Workforce: Unlocking Veteran Talent with Headlamp | The Pair Program Ep45
Join us for an inspiring episode as we shine a spotlight on the crucial role of veterans in the workforce and the innovative solutions driving their successful transition into civilian life. Our guests, Steve Chang, founder of Headlamp, and Jeremy Hitchcock, co-founder of a venture firm backing Headlamp, share their insights and experiences in leveraging veteran talent to solve pressing challenges in the tech industry and beyond.
From Steve's personal journey as a former army recruiter turned startup founder to Jeremy's commitment to supporting Headlamp's mission, this episode explores the untapped potential of veterans and the imperative of optimizing their skillsets for the benefit of both businesses and national security.
Discover how Headlamp's cutting-edge technology is accelerating veteran transition and fostering partnerships with companies eager to harness the unique capabilities of this valuable talent pool. Whether you're passionate about veteran empowerment or interested in the impact of mission-driven startups, this episode offers valuable insights into the intersection of talent, innovation, and social impact.
About Steve Chang. A distinguished former special forces officer and the founder of Headlamp. Steve’s team at Headlamp is on a mission to rebuild the backbone of American business, with veterans.
About Jeremy Hitchcock. Jeremy Hitchcock is a co-founder/partner of New North Ventures, an early stage venture fund investing at the intersection of national security and innovation. He was previously a co-founder of Dyn, an Internet infrastructure company acquired by Oracle and Minim, and IoT cybersecurity company.
Sign-Up for the Weekly hatchpad Newsletter: https://www.myhatchpad.com/newsletter/

CTO Wisdom with Mike Grushin | Beyond the Program
Welcome to CTO Wisdom. In this series, we interview technical leaders who have stepped into executive positions.
Today’s guest host, Eric Brooke, speaks with Mike Grushin, Co-founder and CTO at Next League.
In today’s episode, Michael shares about:
Moving from the Ukraine to the USAHis career journey from pre-med, to Software Engineer, to CTO, and finally Co-founderThe impact a business coach for all staff can have on your teamThe problem that arises if you are the smartest person in the roomAdvice for CTO’s to always be the last person in the room to speak The Importance of conflict prevention, management and resolution as a founder
About today’s guest: Formerly a founding partner of OMNIGON and Chief Product Officer at InfrontX, Mike is a co-founder and CTO at Next League. He leads the global Technology team, working with partners to analyze their challenges and opportunities while designing the technical solutions to achieve their business objectives. Mike has extensive experience in executive-level positions, including COO, where he oversaw company operations, and CTO, where he was responsible for developing and managing technology and product services. Mike played a critical role in the commercialization of InfrontX products and services.
In addition to his role at Next League, Mike is also a co-founder of ProFolios.ai, a SaaS Platform that empowers students and seasoned professionals to create “a professional presence that they are proud to share”. Mike and his wife are grateful parents to their 3 sons and live in Boca Raton, FL.
About today’s host: Eric Brooke has a rich and varied leadership career - leading up to 21,000 people and Billions in revenue, throughout 14 countries. In their career, they have been an Executive six times (e.g. President, CEO, CMO, and CTO) and a Board member of multiple organisations. Eric has been a CTO of scaling startups from 0 to 120 engineers. As an adviser and mentor, they have helped multiple other startups scale both in Canada and the US. As well as supporting multiple startup incubators such as 1871 in Chicago and TechStars.
Sign-Up for the Weekly hatchpad Newsletter: https://www.myhatchpad.com/newsletter/

Overcoming the Valley of Death: Startup Solutions in Government Tech | The Pair Program Ep44
Join us for an insightful exploration into the intricate landscape of government technology modernization, as we delve into the daunting valley of death faced by startups in the defense sector.
Our guests, Warren Katz and Col Aneel Alvares, bring unparalleled expertise and firsthand experience in overcoming the regulatory, bureaucratic, and scalability hurdles that often impede innovation in government operations.
They offer invaluable insights into the funding gap, product-market fit challenges, and the transformative potential of government reform. From navigating long sales cycles to addressing scalability and integration issues, this episode paints a comprehensive picture of the current state of affairs and highlights the critical need for a healthier ecosystem for small businesses in government tech.
About Aneel Alvares. Col Aneel "Cramden" Alvares helps lead engagement with the DoD and is the Boston Lead at the Defense Innovation Unit. His military background includes experience as a B-1 pilot, terminal attack controller, and operational test and evaluation leader, with service in both Iraq and Afghanistan. In his current role, he leads a team that frames new projects by leveraging commercial sector technologies to address priority DoD problems, while also working to engage the greater Boston and east coast innovation ecosystems.
About Warren Katz. Warren is currently Chairman of The Board of The Alliance for Commercial Technology in Government. Previously, Warren was the Managing Director for Techstars’ Air Force Accelerator, helping AFWERX and the US Air Force become more attractive customers to startup companies. He is an angel investor and mentor to dozens of dual-use companies and was formerly the CEO of MAK Technologies. With Bachelor’s in both Mechanical and Electrical Engineering from MIT, Warren possesses deep technical and business acumen, with specific expertise in barriers to doing business with the government.
Sign-Up for the Weekly hatchpad Newsletter: https://www.myhatchpad.com/newsletter/

CTO Wisdom with Alexis Smirnov | Beyond the Program
Welcome to CTO Wisdom. In this series, we interview technical leaders who have stepped into executive positions.
Today’s guest host, Eric Brooke, speaks with Alexis Smirnov. Alexis is the CTO of Dialogue, Canada's premier virtual healthcare and wellness platform, providing affordable, on-demand access to quality care.
In today’s episode, they discuss:
A career starting on a programmable calculator, to Russian Space Research Institute to Microsoft to Co-founding two tech companiesWorking in HealthTech and the Purpose it can give youImportance of promoting yourself into new rolesImportance of building relationships through your careerHow you grow in your career and the importance of selling Vision and working with others to create the actions to achieve itAs a co-founder how important to recognize when you hit a wall, or when your work as IC is less important than the co-ordination of othersHow much of your focus at C-suite is on the growing of a healthy and sustainable business
About today’s guest: Over his three decades in the software industry, Alexis has used transformational technologies to build products and services at startups and Fortune 100 companies. In 2016, he co-founded and is serving as the CTO of Dialogue, Canada's premier virtual healthcare and wellness platform, providing affordable, on-demand access to quality care. Before Dialogue, he led the design and development of the social analytics system, built an award-winning semantic search engine, and incubated a platform for conversational apps. Alexis has co-founded Pi Corp, a pioneering cloud startup and successfully sold it to EMC. An active member of Montreal's technology startup community, Alexis holds several software patents.
About today’s host: Eric Brooke has a rich and varied leadership career - leading up to 21,000 people and Billions in revenue, throughout 14 countries. In their career, they have been an Executive six times (e.g. President, CEO, CMO, and CTO) and a Board member of multiple organisations. Eric has been a CTO of scaling startups from 0 to 120 engineers. As an adviser and mentor, they have helped multiple other startups scale both in Canada and the US. As well as supporting multiple startup incubators such as 1871 in Chicago and TechStars.
Sign-Up for the Weekly hatchpad Newsletter: https://www.myhatchpad.com/newsletter/

Frontline Innovators: Transforming Defense Technology with AFWERX and Second Front Systems | The Pair Program Ep43
In this enlightening episode, we explore the groundbreaking work of Second Front Systems and AFWERX – both organizations that are driving technological advancements for our nation's warfighters. Join our guests, Donald 'Chee' Gansberg and Enrique Oti, as they share their remarkable journeys and insights at the intersection of software innovation and national security.
Chee, a former special operations forward air controller turned software evangelist at AFWERX, and Enrique, Chief Strategy Officer at Second Front Systems and retired Air Force Colonel, provide unparalleled perspectives on government tech modernization and the challenges of navigating the federal acquisition process. They delve into the mission of AFWERX to foster internal innovation within the Air Force and Second Front
Systems' quest to bridge the gap between cutting-edge technology and government utilization.
From overcoming bureaucratic barriers to building trust with the government, this episode offers invaluable insights for
anyone passionate about defense tech innovation and the transformative power of collaboration between startups and government agencies. Tune in to discover how these visionary leaders are reshaping the future of defense technology.
About Donald ‘Chee’ Gansberger:
Chee Gansberger was a computer programmer in the IndyCar series and the Silicon Valley who decided one day in September, 2001, that he'd rather jump out of airplanes and blow things up. After years as a special operations forward air controller including numerous deployments as a front-line operator, he ended up first in traditional acquisitions and then in the innovation scene. After helping usher in modern software reform while part of DIUx he then moved to AFWERX, as a software evangelist trying to bring innovative use of software to the warfighter.
About Enrique Oti:
Enrique Oti is the Chief Strategy Officer of Second Front Systems (2F), where he fast-tracks government access to disruptive, commercially-proven software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications for national security missions. Prior to joining 2F, Enrique had a 23-year career in the United States Air Force, during which he served in multiple assignments as a cyber warfare officer and China Foreign Area Officer. Enrique commanded an intelligence support squadron in Korea, and was a co-founder of the Defense Innovation Unit in Silicon Valley. He co-founded the Kessel Run software development program, and in his final assignment served as the Kessel Run commander, retiring as a Colonel. Enrique earned a BS in History from the U.S. Air Force Academy, an MS in Strategic Intelligence from the Joint Military Intelligence College, and an MA in International Relations from Zhejiang University in China, where he studied as an Olmsted Scholar.
Sign-Up for the Weekly hatchpad Newsletter: https://www.myhatchpad.com/newsletter/