Tech Leader Talk

Do you want to simplify your data analysis activities? That's what I'm talking about today with my guest, Tim Tutt. Tim is CEO of Nightshift Development, which helps organizations make sense of their data. Tim and I discuss some of the common problems companies face trying to analyze large amounts of data. And, Tim explains some of the problems that occur if companies cannot accurately understand their data. Tim also shares information about the constantly changing keywords and phrases used by consumers. This requires data analysis systems to adapt to these changing keywords and phrases. Tim also talks about improving the efficiency of data analytics and machine learning systems through the use of automation and continuous learning. He also discusses the process for Innovation that he and his team use to identify new solutions and products for their company. This innovation process led to a valuable feature related to automated insights. Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast: - Process automation - The importance of user questions to identify relevant data - Continuous learning in data analytics - Customer-driven innovation - Focusing on the non-technical user Book Recommendation: The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz: https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Thing-About-Things-Building/dp/0062273205 Connect with Tim Tutt: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timtutt/ Website: https://www.clearquery.io/ Thanks for listening! Be sure to get your free copy of Steve's latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover his proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.

Are you looking for a successful approach to implementing engineering processes and building a culture of innovation? That's what my guest, Steve Massey, is discussing on this episode. Steve is the CEO and Co-Founder of Prewitt Ridge, which creates software tools for engineering. He discusses what he and his team are doing to build new and creative approaches to engineering. Steve has previously worked for two Space Tech companies: SpaceX and Slingshot Aerospace. He shares his insights and lessons learned while working for those companies. Steve also talks about engineering processes that tackle difficult problems in deep tech. For example, his team has created an engineering collaboration environment that eases friction when designing, assessing, and managing complex systems. You're going to enjoy this discussion with Steve and get some valuable insights to implement in your own business. "The most important thing is to make sure you're sharing the right information with everyone so that they're able to make the best decision." – Steve Massey Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast: - Innovative approaches to engineering - Managing difficult problems in deep tech - Mob programming and its effectiveness - Automating the approval process to streamline compliance and safety - Project ownership and sprint cycles Book Recommendations: Terminal World by Alastair Reynolds: https://www.amazon.com/Terminal-World-Alastair-Reynolds/dp/0316362298 The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber: https://www.amazon.com/Dawn-Everything-New-History-Humanity/dp/0374157359 Connect with Steve Massey: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lostorbit/ Website: https://www.prewittridge.com/ Thanks for listening! Be sure to get your free copy of Steve's latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover his proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.

This is a special episode of the podcast – I'm celebrating the 3rd birthday of Tech Leader Talk. I'm also sharing my thoughts about a great mentor and friend, Dan Miller, who passed away recently. So, this episode is bittersweet: celebrating a milestone for the podcast and grieving the loss of an important person in my life. It's important to talk about Dan Miller when discussing the podcast's birthday because Dan was one of my biggest supporters and encouraged me to launch the Tech Leader Talk podcast. Without Dan's encouragement, I don't know if the podcast would have launched. Today I share some of the things I learned from Dan Miller and lessons that everyone can benefit from. I enjoyed racing Porsche 911s with Dan, valuable one-on-one conversations, reading his many books, and listening to most of his 950+ podcast episodes (48 Days to the Work you Love podcast) during 17 years. Dan was special. I encourage you to listen to this episode and pick up one or two tips that will help keep Dan's legacy alive. Dan's Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/48-days-to-the-work-you-love-internet-radio-show/id178145160 Dan's Books (my three favorites): 48 Days to the Work and Life you Love: https://www.amazon.com/48-Days-Work-You-Love/dp/1642799785 An Understanding Heart: https://www.48days.com/product/an-understanding-heart No More Dreaded Mondays: https://www.amazon.com/No-More-Dreaded-Mondays-Revolutionary/dp/0307588777 Thanks for listening!

In this solo episode, I talk about patent filing deadlines that are important to tech companies and inventors. There are three important activities that automatically trigger a 12-month deadline in the United States for filing a patent application to protect your invention. In most situations, if you miss this deadline, you forfeit the ability to protect the invention. This often means your competitors can freely use that invention in their products because you can't protect it with a patent. Unfortunately, many business leaders are unaware of this deadline and inadvertently lose patent rights to their inventions. Too often, I've had to tell company leaders, "It's too late to protect your invention." Listen to this episode so you understand the deadlines and make an informed business decision before forfeiting your patent rights. Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast: The three activities that trigger a 12-month patent filing deadline in the United States: - Public disclosure of the invention - Sale of a product that contains the invention - An offer to sell a product that contains the invention Solution: - Identify all of the three triggering activities. - If the invention is valuable to your business, file a patent application BEFORE the 12 month deadline. Questions? If you have any questions about these deadlines, contact me to schedule a Free Introductory Call so you don't forfeit any critical patent rights. Schedule a call at: https://stevesponseller.com/call Contact me via email: Steve@SteveSponseller.com Thanks for listening! Be sure to get your free copy of my latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover my proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.

On today's episode, I'm talking with Rob Whalen about his experience at several technology companies including the company he co-founded, PTO Exchange. As a serial entrepreneur, Rob discusses when he believes it's time to "switch" to a new opportunity. He also talks about how his degree in accounting gives him an edge as an entrepreneur. I love hearing stories about how new business ideas come about. When working with inventors, I always want to hear about how the inventors came up with a particular invention. During our discussion, Rob shares how a meeting at his house generated the idea behind PTO Exchange. Anyone listening to this episode can do the same thing! Rob also talks about how his current company found its first customers and how they needed to make some changes early on to attract their "real" target customers. "I look at money as someone's time that they worked to make that money." – Rob Whalen Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast: - Testing demand for a product before launching the company - Deciding when to "switch" to a new entrepreneurial opportunity - How the idea for PTO Exchange came about - The importance of failing - How PTO Exchange helps companies attract and retain employees Connect with Rob Whalen: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-whalen-1287077/ Website: https://www.ptoexchange.com/ Thanks for listening! Be sure to get your free copy of Steve's latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover his proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.

What happens when a successful Silicon Valley executive leaves the tech startup world and joins a Fortune 500 company? Listen to this episode to find out what happened when Atif Rafiq made that move – and learn what he discovered by working in both of those environments. On today's call, Atif shares his insights as a business leader and the first Chief Digital Officer in the history of the Fortune 500. He is regarded as one of today's top management thinkers and is regularly quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, Forbes, and TechCrunch. Today, Atif is the CEO and Co-Founder of Ritual, which transforms team-based problem solving through workflow and artificial intelligence. Atif talks about how Ritual was created and how his previous experiences in Silicon Valley and the Fortune 500 impacted the formation and operation of Ritual. I know you will enjoy learning about Atif's unique business experiences. And, I'm certain you will get some new ideas for your own business – just like I did! "Purposeful exploration is more than just prototypes. It's about defining the problem well." – Atif Rafiq Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast: - The core components of good problem-solving - Empowering teams to think and act differently - Leadership lessons learned from both Silicon Valley and the Fortune 500 - The future of knowledge management - Applying Fortune 500 techniques to tech startups Book: Decision Sprint by Atif Rafiq – https://www.decisionsprint.com/ Connect with Atif Rafiq: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atif1/ Re:Wire newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/re-wire-6765332215867031552/ Ritual website: https://www.ritual.work/ Thanks for listening! Be sure to get your free copy of Steve's latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover his proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.

Would you like to learn how to leverage Artificial Intelligence tools for disruptive innovation? That's what I'm discussing today with Kevin Surace. Kevin is the CTO of Appvance.ai, which is a leader in Generative AI for software quality. On today's call, Kevin shares his insights on the transformative potential of AI and discusses the need for a culture that encourages disruptive innovation. He talks about how AI is reshaping industries and everyday tasks. During Kevin's career, he has been a pioneer in the Artificial Intelligence space since the 1990s, and he was named as INC Magazine's Entrepreneur of the Year in 2009. Kevin has helped build multiple startups to $1B valuations. Kevin is passionate about the power of AI to revolutionize businesses and the future workforce. He shares tips about how technology companies can use AI to create innovation in their organization. I'm sure you will enjoy this discussion with Kevin and I know you will get some valuable tips and insights you can implement in your own business. "If you want your company to be disruptively innovative, you have to have a culture from the top that encourages a certain amount of risk taking and certainly encourages people to not feel that they will be shamed if they do or say something that's way outside the box." – Kevin Surace Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast: - The future of LLMs for work and personal life - How AI can amplify human productivity - Using disruptive innovation and AI to stay ahead of your competition - Ways that AI will revolutionize businesses - The exciting future of AI Book Recommendation: Impromptu: Amplifying Our Humanity Through AI by Reid Hoffman - https://www.amazon.com/Impromptu-Amplifying-Our-Humanity-Through/dp/B0BYLSCPPV Connect with Kevin Surace: Website: https://kevinsurace.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ksurace/ Thanks for listening! Be sure to get your free copy of Steve's latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover his proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.

Do you have a patent strategy for 2024 that protects your team's valuable inventions that provide a competitive advantage, attract investors, and increase company valuation? On today's episode, I'm going to share 7 activities to help you create a 2024 patent strategy for your organization. You don't need to include all 7 activities in your patent strategy. I suggest you consider selecting 2 or 3 activities that are most important to your company for the coming year. 1. Review Your Current Patent Portfolio 2. Identify Upcoming Patent Filing Deadlines 3. Train Your Team to Identify All Inventions 4. Schedule Invention Mining Sessions for Projects Approaching Completion 5. Review (or Create) Your Invention Evaluation Process 6. Consider an Invention Contest 7. Map Out Your Patent Strategy for 2024 For more than 25 years, my team and I have worked with the world's leading technology companies to build high-value patent portfolios. If you want to discuss your patent strategy for 2024, I'm happy to help you map out a plan. Contact me to schedule a complimentary call. Email me at: steve@stevesponseller.com Or, schedule a call at: https://stevesponseller.com/call

Are you keeping up with the constantly changing cybersecurity landscape? On this episode, I'm talking with James Fair who has more than 35 years of experience in IT (information technology) and leadership. Today, he combines his love of IT and cybersecurity with his passion for leadership development. James started as an entry-level technician and worked his way through many positions to become a Senior Vice President. During that time, he gained significant experience in all aspects of IT. Now, James teaches other IT professionals and IT leaders how to create high-performance teams through people-first focused leadership. He teaches these principles to corporate teams as well as individuals. "Transformative and inspirational leaders aren't born, they're made." – James Fair Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast: - James' unique perspective on IT issues after working in many IT roles - How companies can keep up with the constantly changing cybersecurity landscape - The biggest cybersecurity mistake made by small companies - The point at which a company should consider outsourced IT services - A discussion of people-first leadership Resources Book: Dare to Lead by Brene Brown – https://brenebrown.com/book/dare-to-lead/ Connect with James Fair: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmfair/ Website: https://executech.com Thanks for listening! Be sure to get your free copy of Steve's latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover his proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.

Alina is an award-winning professional working with Financial Services organizations in the areas of cloud-based systems, data, and digital technologies. She was recently recognized in the "Who's Who in Cloud?" report as an influencer and keynote speaker. Outside of work, Alina gives back to her community by mentoring immigrants and women of diverse cultural and social backgrounds. Alina presented a TEDx Talk titled "Fail But Never Give Up." Her presentation currently has more than 500,000 views. She discusses her TEDx Talk and explains how the stories in that presentation have changed her life. "Let your failures be your catalyst that motivates you to adapt." – Alina Timofeeva Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast: - How have failures motivated Alina - The real value of using cloud technologies - What changes may be coming to cloud technologies - Mentoring immigrants and women of diverse cultural and social backgrounds - Is it time to remediate cloud Resources Alina's TEDx Talk: Fail But Never Give Up - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPZYSBBpRwU Connect with Alina Timofeeva: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atimofeeva/ Thanks for listening! Be sure to get your free copy of Steve's latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover his proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.