The Irish Tech News Podcast

The gold rush for the GitHub’s AI-powered companion for developers, called CoPilot inspired me to explore Microsoft`s vision to bake Copilot into its existing apps and ecosystems, starting with Microsoft Office. I reached out to Derek Snyder, Senior Director at Microsoft, leading the product marketing team for Microsoft Teams to understand better the new Copilot AI assistant that is being gradually rolled out on Microsoft 365. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dereklsny... Microsoft 365 Copilot https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/micro... Derek Snyder is a Senior Director at Microsoft, leading the product marketing team for Microsoft Teams. He has over 15 years of experience in product leadership, spanning B2B and B2C domains across mobile apps, SaaS, and e-commerce. Prior to joining Microsoft, Derek was the Chief Product Officer at Dashlane, a password manager and online security app with over 15 million users worldwide. Prior to that, Derek was the Chief Product Officer at TrackMaven (now part of Skyword), a marketing attribution and analytics SaaS product that helped marketers measure and optimize their campaigns. Derek holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Le Moyne College. He lives in New York City with his wife Emily. In his spare time, he enjoys reading books on economics and technology.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

Contrarian Futures Theo Priestley is a Futurist based in Scotland and he's mentored Silicon Valley startups, has written hundreds of articles on AI, IoT, Web3, Metaverse, Fintech and he's the author of "The Future Starts Now" . He has a habit of making some big bets on the future, but also he's not afraid to put out his thoughts on the future as they develop. Priestley is a contrarian at heart though, and his futurist lens comes from the conflict between technological advancements, policy development and human nature. It's not always clear which of these will win out as the future unfolds, and Priestley is not afraid to play off this uncertainty. Brett King is a world-renowned entrepreneur, futurist, speaker, international bestselling author, and media personality. China’s President Xi Jinping cited his book Augmented: Life in the Smart Lane on the topic of Artificial Intelligence in his 2018 national address; the same book that was listed as a Top 10 non-fiction book in North America. In 2019 his book Bank 4.0 was awarded the Top Book by a Foreign Author in Russia for that year. n and innovation. In his professional capacity, Mr. Tercek is a seasoned business executive with deep expertise in digital media and internet services. He is a prolific creator of interactive programs and products. He has designed and launched successful consumer experiences on every digital platform, including digital television, game consoles, broadband Internet, and mobile networks. In 2021, Mr. Tercek was recognized as the Humanitarian of the Year by the Media Excellence Awards for his leadership in designing and launching COVID SMART™, an interactive training program designed to keep workers safe on the job during the pandemic.

We can’t improve what we cannot measure. With the world changing around us, and with humanity facing one of the biggest challenges of our lifetime — climate change — how can companies be more transparent about their operations and provide more non-financial information about the risks and opportunities they face? And how best can institutional investors incorporate environmental, social, and governance concerns into their investment decision making process? After all, making pledges is one thing; being able to measure and quantify the impact, is another. In this episode of One Vision, we chat with Richard Peterson, Head of Data and AI / ESG Enterprise Solution Strategy at FIS on the current landscape of ESG reporting and regulations and what the future holds.

Why Coleraine is an ideal place to store your data, insights with Chris Boorman, Prescient Data Centres About Chris Boorman, Business Development Manager, Prescient Data Centres Hailing from Coleraine on the Causeway Coast, Chris Boorman, started his career designing leading edge Computer Systems for the Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet Aircraft program with GEC Marconi Avionics in Kent. His England-based career took him to the likes of the City of London where he installed digital communication hardware systems, Netscape Internet Communications in a Sales and Marketing role, and Dublin’s Trinity Technology Group where he built Europe’s first fully online Bank (Enba / First-e), with Sun Microsystems UNIX technology, from IBM’s Data Centre in Dublin. On returning to Northern Ireland he took on a role at BT Northern Ireland where he interfaced with all leading IT companies for BT amongst other functions before starting a business consultancy, working on a range of environmental technology projects. His return to ICT has included working with a number of local technology companies including Atlas Communications, bringing back his great breadth of technical experience in Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Communications and Sustainable Technologies, and is now the Business Development Manager for Prescient Data Centres. About Prescient Data Centres Prescient Data Centres, Northern Ireland’s largest purpose-built, sustainably-powered, commercial data centre, is carrier neutral and designed to provide national and international businesses of all sizes with efficient and secure data centre capacity. With ultra-low latency networks to North America and mainland Europe, the £20m, 45,000 square foot Centre provides the ideal platform for organisations that need the ultimate global connectivity solution paired with reliability, security and energy efficiency. Built next to the landing point for the Project Kelvin transatlantic fibre cable that connects Coleraine with Halifax, Nova Scotia, the Centre has capability for expanding customer equipment into six planned data halls, offering significant space for growing companies as well as tailored options for organisations with smaller space requirements. Visit www.prescientdc.com or follow Prescient Data Centres on Twitter or LinkedIn or contact chris.boorman@prescientdc.com to discuss options for your company or to arrange a tour of the Centre.

The DFINITY Foundation, the Swiss non-profit and major contributor to the Internet Computer blockchain (ICP) has recently launched the Proof of Green (PoG) initiative. The PoG initiative aims to bring transparency and cut greenwashing in the blockchain industry by standardising how blockchains report carbon consumption. The DFINITY Foundation is working on the PoG initiative alongside Carbon Crowd - a climate tech startup developing solutions to decarbonise cloud infrastructure. Ronan talks to Aisling Connolly, a Senior Research Scientist at the DFINITY Foundation. Aisling talks about her background, what difinity does, their new green initiative, the Metaverse and more. More about The Proof of Green: The Proof of Green initiative works by measuring the electricity draw of network devices. The carbon intensity of the electricity used by a device is determined by a number of factors, including the energy source e.g. coal, natural gas, wind, solar, hydroelectric. Once the carbon emissions have been determined and validated, it should be reported to the relevant parties, and made public. The data must be human and machine readable. Carbon Crowd has developed and launched the world's first, real-time carbon analytics dashboard for a blockchain protocol - this novel tracker was developed for the Internet Computer blockchain. This allows developers, blockchain enthusiasts and enterprises to make informed and educated decisions before choosing to build on or use the Internet Computer blockchain.

Park Place Technologies, the world’s largest global data centre and networking optimisation firm, is building on Cork’s status as a budding European tech hub by continuing to make notable strides within the local Cork community, since opening their new flagship 24,500 sq ft EMEA Support and Operation Centre in Blarney Business Park, in June last year. Ronan talks to Kieran Collins Senior Director, Global Support Centre Park Place Technologies. Kieran talks about his background, what Park Place Technologies, does sustainability, the pandemic, and their growth in Ireland. More about Park Place Technologies: Park Place’s continued growth has seen them move offices regularly in Ireland since announcing their arrival in the City of Cork in November 2018, first at Lapps Quay. It is hoped that their new location in Blarney Business Park will accommodate the business growth and serve them well for years to come. Since the launch of Park Place’s new EMEA Support and Operations Centre in June, the Blarney Business Park facility, has experienced a 15% growth in headcount as a result of proactive recruitment to help facilitate and accommodate business growth.  This headcount growth has seen recruitment take place across a wide range of business functions, including the addition of a new Customer Success Management (CSM) team, a linguistic customer support team who speak German to support our German customers, field engineers and a number of other managerial and senior roles.

Over the years, the crypto and the web3 industry has suffered from below par user experience and lack the security features that are needed when users hold digital assets. However, that is changing. In this episode of One Vision Arun and Max speak with Ouriel Ohayon, the CEO of Zengo. Zengo is a crypto wallet that uses MPC technology to offer a web2 like frictionless user experience with high levels of security. Ouriel talks about his reasons for founding Zengo, his journeys with the unique MPC technology and the road forward for the firm and the industry.

A look at Switzerland, Brazil, and China through a Fintech lenseConnecting the dots between the Fintech ecosystems of Brazil, Switzerland, and China, with an experienced Digitalization consultant, Marc Lussy. Culture, regulation, and digitalization in these three different Fintech ecosystems, are a fascinating topic. Marc Lussy based in Switzerland is well-known for his global work with all these ecosystems. We also discuss about WealthTech innovations. Marc Lussy is a consultant to banks and wealth managers on digitization and change management. He also helps startups and growth companies to develop market solutions and create value propositions. He is an expert in investment and private banking and IT and has been leading large-scale projects. He has an extensive network in the financial sector including banks, big techs and startups across several continents with a focus on China, Brazil, Europe, and Middle East. He is also a senior Advisor to F10 the top Swiss accelerator (now rebranded Tenity). Marc Lussy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marclussy/ 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

In conversation with Jillian Godsil - meet Kavita Gupta Despite tremendous progress in increasing diversity and inclusion throughout various industries, the world of tech and venture capital is still arguably “a man’s world.” In the UK, for example, only 3% of all VC funding goes to female founders, while in the U.S, startups with all-women teams received just 1.9% of all VC funds in 2022. The underrepresentation of women and marginalized groups has created a significant barrier to entry for aspiring female entrepreneurs and leaders. However, several women within the industry are working to make tech and venture capital more accessible, regardless of gender or appearance.  Enter Kavita Gupta,founder and Managing Partner of Delta Blockchain Fund: an early-stage strategic blockchain fund. With a mission of empowering women and under-represented groups to build sector-defining products, Kavita’s 18 years of investment experience in everything from green energy to cryptocurrency have made her a trailblazer in the industry as well as a valuable voice in the larger conversation.

Tech Infusion This week on the Futurists we catch up with Fox/CNBC tech commentator Shelly Palmer as we dive into the implications of ever pervasive technology in our lives. Shelly, has been following consumer trends for 2 decades and is a mainstay at events like CES, but he says AI is a different sort of beast. We dive into how technology will augment and change our lives moving forward. Brett King is a world-renowned entrepreneur, futurist, speaker, international bestselling author, and media personality. China’s President Xi Jinping cited his book Augmented: Life in the Smart Lane on the topic of Artificial Intelligence in his 2018 national address; the same book that was listed as a Top 10 non-fiction book in North America. In 2019 his book Bank 4.0 was awarded the Top Book by a Foreign Author in Russia for that year. n and innovation. In his professional capacity, Mr. Tercek is a seasoned business executive with deep expertise in digital media and internet services. He is a prolific creator of interactive programs and products. He has designed and launched successful consumer experiences on every digital platform, including digital television, game consoles, broadband Internet, and mobile networks. In 2021, Mr. Tercek was recognized as the Humanitarian of the Year by the Media Excellence Awards for his leadership in designing and launching COVID SMART™, an interactive training program designed to keep workers safe on the job during the pandemic.