The Irish Tech News Podcast

An unconventional discussion on Digital Transformation, exchanging insights from various industries (from manufacturing to financial services), discussing KPIs (from business ones to personal ones), sustainability, and the mastery of challenges.  Mike Flache is an advisor and mentor, former entrepreneur and angel investor. Together with talented teams, he builds digital businesses worldwide. Onalytica’s analysts named him one of the top-10 global thought leaders in digital transformation. Mike helps high-tech innovators in Silicon Valley, Europe, and Asia grow and scale. Together with the Fundment team, he is currently building one of the next billion-dollar companies in financial technology. Mike is also a partner of Fortune 500 companies and technology vendors. He has worked with executives from companies such as the Silicon Valley Innovation Center, Google, Amazon, Huawei, and Mercedes-Benz. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeflache/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikeflache Personal website: https://www.mikeflache.com/ Dr. Efi Pylarinou is the No.1 Global Woman Influencer in Finance & the Data conversation by Refinitiv, a Top Thought Leader by Onalytica, and a Top Digital Futurist, Linkedin and Twitter Voice, by Engatica. A seasoned Wall Street professional & a recognized technology thought leader on innovation topics. Founder of Efi Pylarinou Advisory servicing Big Tech, Financial Services and Fintech clients. She strongly believes in building bridges between the old and the new economy. She shares her passion of content creation with her 190,000+ followers on Linkedin and 18,000+ on Twitter.  Join her on the social platforms ?https://linktr.ee/Efiglobal

DESCRIPTION Tracey Follows, the author and podcaster of The Future of You, explains how your digital identity will evolve. Custodial or self-sovereign? Centralized or Web3? Big Brother-style surveillance capitalism or liberty? What do we mean by digital identity when there is no government-issued credential?   More about Brett Brett King is a futurist, an Amazon bestselling author, an award-winning speaker, hosts a globally recognized radio show, is the Founder of the first mobile, neo-bank globally Moven, and in his spare time enjoys flying as an IFR pilot, scuba diving, motor racing, gaming and Sci-Fi. He advised the Obama administration on the Future of Banking, President Xi had his book on his bookshelf, and he has spoken on the future in 50 countries in just the last few years.

Data gives us superpower. From how much we spend and where we spend it, to the impact of our dollars on the planet, data tells a story. In an era where consumers are becoming more environmentally conscious, the role that financial institutions can and should play in helping us transition to net zero is more crucial than ever. In this episode of One Vision — FinTech Fuse! Theo chats with Emma Kisby, CEO, Cogo EMEA, on the power of data and collective impact. Banks can play an important role in educating customers about the environmental impact of their spending, offering insights and incentives to trigger positive behavioral change. With intention — and action, a fairer and more sustainable world is possible. Planet Earth is our home. We don't have a Plan B.

What is the Elephant in the Room in Banking that comes to mind following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), Signature Bank, First Republic Bank, and recently the Citizens Bank (a small state-chartered Iowa bank)? The problem that bankers and regulators wish someone would solve is the topic of the discussion with serial entrepreneur Michal Cieplinski (founder and CEO of Capstack). Capstack https://www.capstack.com/Michal Cieplinski   / michalcieplinski   is a Silicon Valley veteran with over 24 years of operating and legal experience in financial technology and services. Before founding CapStack, first integrated operating system for banks, he co-founded Pipe, a unicorn and one of the fastest-growing fintech startups. Prior to Pipe, Michal was Senior Vice President at Lending Club, the largest publicly traded fintech lender responsible for operational and legal matters. Prior to that, he co-founded Fundbox, a unicorn B2B fintech lender. He was also Managing Director and SeniorCounsel at The Bank of New York Mellon responsible for wealth management and investment management units. Michal has been recognized by GC Magazine/Legal500 on the GC Powerlist 2019 as one of the top general counsels in the United States in both the finance and technology sectors. He combines left-brain and right-brain thinking with an MFA in Photography, deep expertise in banking and capital markets, and as a graduate of the George Washington University Law School.

Are fintechs still eating bankers’ lunch? What roles will big techs play in consumer financial lives? For fintech founders pitching to community banks, what should they be mindful of? In this episode of One Vision — Fintech Fuse! Theo chats with Pam Kaur, Head of Bank Technology at BankTech Ventures, about her role in fostering connections and innovation in the banking and fintech sectors, and how she gets their portfolio companies ready to work with banks and take the partnership to the next level. The banking community is small and tight-knit. Relationships are an art. Being intentional in lifting others can go a long way in taking partnerships to the next level. A rising tide does lift all boats.

The World Wide Web has gone through three iterations that introduced us to the internet and then evolving over the years bringing along new innovations. The latest version Web 3.0, incorporates concepts such as decentralisation, blockchain technologies, token-based economics, spatial computing and the spatial web.  One startup that is taking full advantage of Web 3..0 and the spatial web is Spongelii and Ronan recently spoke to Al Jones Co-Founder and CEO Spongelii and Julius Yls Co-Founder and CCO Spongelii. Al and Julius talk about their backgrounds, what Spongelii does, working with Steve ‘SPAZ’ Williams and ,more. More about Spongelii: Spongelii delivers live immersive and engaging social Learning experiences powered on the Blockchain for educational and corporate entities. Their ecosystem offers a truly revolutionary approach to immersive education and corporate sector learning management. Their interactive spatial experiences require a spongelii Membership. The Talks are delivered by top industry experts, and provide all attendees with a unique digital token - POAPs. (verifiable proof of attendance).

As banking services grow increasingly digital, how can we best serve the needs of a diverse community and truly make a difference? In a world where everything seems to move at a breakneck pace, leaving behind those who don’t keep up, it is refreshing to witness empathy in action by a true leader who walks the talk and instills hope in others. In this episode of One Vision, Theo chats with Brian Lee, President/CEO at Landings Credit Union, on his journey to running the 70-year old credit union and earning a “Dementia Friendly Business” designation. Serve, and not be served. Much to learn from Brian, we all have. 

Proptech has come on leaps and bounds since it started in the 1980’s. In the early 2000’s proptech innovation emerged and has continued to evolve proptech. One company that is continuing the evolution of proptech is RentDodo, who recently launched TenantCert, a unique new feature that aims to help eliminate growing levels of rental fraud in the midst of a housing crisis. Ronan spoke to Conor McGarry, CEO and Co-founder RentDodo   Conor talks about his background, what RentDodo does, how they are helping mitigate rental fraud and more. More about RentDodo: RentDodo is a proptech startup transforming the rental process in Ireland with its flagship product, TenantCert, streamlining the process for tenants and property managers, whilst helping to curb scammers. RentDodo provides tenants with an easier and more secure rental experience, mitigating friction points between landlords, and property managers.

From fintech being perceived as a competitor to a bank, to acting as a collaborator, much has evolved in the past two decades. As we look forward, how do we anticipate the relationship evolving, especially with the likes of Apple making a formidable entrance into the ecosystem? And how should banks respond and adapt to the changing world? In this episode of One Vision, Theo chats with an old friend, Jim Marous, on the ups and downs of our beloved industry, and what we might expect next.

Betting exchanges have been around for over twenty years and have adopted new technologies as they have come on stream. One such betting exchange is BetDex Exchange, a British blockchain-based betting exchange that has emerged as a pioneering player in the decentralised betting landscape. Ronan recently spoke to BetDex CEO Varun Sudhakar. Varun talks about his background, what BetDex does, how they use blockchain, their new Irish licence and more. More about BetDex: BetDEX are on a mission to create the premier decentralized sports betting protocol. By building on the Solana blockchain, BetDEX can deliver high speeds and low transaction costs while eliminating counterparty risk. In addition, BetDEX is a permissionless protocol allowing anyone to build their own applications on top. Earlier this year Betdex received a remote betting license in Ireland.