Tech Talks

On today's podcast David is sitting down with Francisco Vigo, CEO (and cofounder) of GeoSurge, a start-up who have just emerged from stealth to tackle a crisis at the heart of marketing departments.

ChatGPT is the fastest-growing marketing channel in human history, yet massive brands can vanish from its memory overnight. Francisco tells us why traditional SEO isn't sufficient in the era of Generative AI, and offers an alter...

On today's show you're going to get to hear about the next social media craze before before anyone else, and get your chance to 'lock in'.Raye Easterly, founder of Byio (By Invite Only), details the launch of the first AI-native, invite-only social universe built by Black women. She explains why she chose a two-invite-per-user model, deliberately counterintuitive to traditional tech growth, to ensure community control, eliminate bo...

On today’s Tech Talks episode, David sits down with Hedgehog Lab CTO Joe Thompson, who argues that tech is finally maturing, moving beyond optimising for convenience, and towards genuine digital inclusion and accessibility. After all, there are more people in the world than affluent 25-year olds!

We unpack the massive "accidental influence" technologists hold, suggest that the industry needs a ‘Hippocratic Oath’ of its own...

Today's guest is Synthflow AI's CEO and co-founder Hakob Astabatsyan. He reveals how his company built real-time conversational voice AI for customer support. He addresses the biggest hurdle: preventing AI hallucinations, explaining the work undertaken to de-risk enterprise deployments. Hakob argues the industry must shift from chasing pure innovation to delivering quantitative, measurable ROI. He also explores the new huma...

On today's show Beckie Taylor unpacks her pivotal, perhaps even dark, journey of identity after stepping away from Tech Returners.

She opens up about the difficult transition after relinquishing her CEO title and the subsequent refocus on deep impact, including empowering female founders and building a non-profit. David and Beckie also chat about her upcoming documentary, which uncovers the self-sabotage and fear that prevents ...

On today's podcast Juice Co-founder Katherine Chan tells us the true cost of the UK’s £22bn funding gap. It's not just capital, it's confidence. 56% of small businesses avoid seeking finance because they're worried about the stigma of debt and rejection.

So what's the tonic? Juice use real-time data to create solutions that offer the clarity and control so many leaders are desperate for.

Take part in the H...

On today's podcast we're looking at how to prevent someone stealing your photos and posting them without your permission.

Centralized content moderation is failing, allowing image abuse and IP theft to scale due to a lack of consequence.

Thomas Eriksson, founder of Sasha, reveals how a friend’s trauma led him to build a deep-tech system. Learn how Sasha embeds an invisible, unique signature into images that survives alteration, dem...

The internet wasn't built for kids, but it doesn't mean it shouldn't be an environment they thrive in.

Kate O'Loughlin, CEO of Super Awesome, explains how platforms must adapt to the next generation, moving beyond the blunt force of regulation. We dive into the three big challenges: data privacy, appropriateness (avoiding addiction), and meeting youth on platforms like Roblox, which is central to youth entertainment...

In today’s Tech Talks episode David explores how compliance and AI are cleaning up global payments.

Lissele Pratt (Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree) founded Capitalixe to service the high-risk industries, think about the likes of crypto and iGaming, that traditional banks refuse to onboard.

She discusses spotting this market gap at age 23, building trust as an emerging voice in finance, and using blockchain to connect underserved global co...

Today's guest is Forbes Under 30 recipient Avanti Sharma. Avanti has been on 'Tech Talks' twice before, aged 11, and 17. Now she's back to argue that Gen Z holds unprecedented power thanks to the looming "Great Wealth Transfer."

She details how this financial shift empowers the generation to demand corporate transformation based on shared cultures and values. Avanti explains why iGen (or GenZ) cares less a...

Is your car in danger of being hacked? Today’s guest is Thomas Cardon (QNX), and he joins David Savage to unpack the realities of the Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) revolution. 

They discuss the critical hurdles facing automakers, including massive costs and regulations preventing widespread autonomous driving. Thomas reveals why cybersecurity is the most challenging obstacle (55% of developers report delays) and explains why AI is ...

Today David is talking to Fabio Bin (the WeRoad Co-founder and CMO), who reveals how Europe's fastest-growing travel startup achieved $100M revenue by ignoring conventional marketing playbooks. 

The real trick? They don't sell trips; they solve the modern loneliness epidemic. 

Fabio explains how focusing on community, soft-skilled travel coordinators, and bold, punchy branding created a profoundly human business that thrives ...

Today we have a real treat for you! Rabble Evan Henshaw-Plath, Twitter’s first employee, reveals the chaotic, hackathon origins of the platform.

He details how user feedback built Twitter's core features (hashtags, retweets), and why the subsequent shift to advertising destroyed the original promise. We unpack the critical concept of ‘inshitification’ and how new open-protocol platforms like Bluesky are designed to combat centraliz...

Buying a house is really, really hard. It took our host David 15 years of renting until he was in a position to get on the career ladder. It's a huge milestone, but it comes with debt, and interest. But does it have to?

Former career banker Chris Smith chats to David about his mission to expose how the traditional financial system has failed home ownership, turning the market into a "game of monopoly". He reveals Blox...

Today David is join by Michael Tefula (of Ada Ventures) to discuss how we can power inclusion in venture capital, and how proprietary technology fits into the picture.

As an investor who can code, Michael reveals how they utilize tools like their internal investment memo software and Deck Genius (formerly Ada GPT) to source high-potential, overlooked founders and run AI-driven bias checks. Crucially, he explains why, even with cutt...

Recording on Tuesday (Day One) of Web Summit 2025, David Savage talks to leaders about what truly matters on the ground.

Louise Thomas shares her successful fundraising round, confirming AI and health tech are capturing investor attention. Janine Luk and Katerina Chantzi reveal how they navigate the overwhelming conference strategically, prioritizing quality over quantity.

The conversation turns serious as they discuss whether algo...

Today's show features a conversation recording at Web Summit with two future (and present) leaders : Raya Mardani and Aarav Sharma. They are 15 and 16 respectively and already building incredible solutions with a real mission and purpose.

They joined me on stage for a talk called "Young Minds, Bright Futures" and it was too good not to follow up and record with them both whilst here.

As Web Summit themselves put it, "Gen Z hold immen...

On today's podcast David is talking to Nancy Beaton, President of Uphold, to discuss the high stakes for banks and fintechs entering the fragmented crypto space.

She explains that younger generations demand instant, 24/7, borderless financial tools, viewing assets like Bitcoin as superior savings technology. We explore how leveraging Uphold’s compliant, battle-tested API platform allows traditional companies to move on-chain for ef...

In today's episode David is joined by founder and entrepreneur Megan Caywood Cooper.Starling Bank and Barclays veteran Megan (Forbes 30 Under 30) details banking’s shift to Agentic AI.

She explains why AI agents are moving beyond prediction to take autonomous action, becoming the "CFO in your pocket" for consumers and managing complex tasks like liquidity for banks.

We discuss the challenge of risk aversion in legacy i...