The Irish Tech News Podcast

Nick Almond, Finance.Vote Herding cats is how Nick Almond describes managing academics and suggests that achieving consensus and governance in a university space is akin to running a decentralized organisation. As a result when he met blockchain and DAOs (decentralized autonomous organizations) he was all in. Almond’s arrival into blockchain was nevertheless a windy path. He studied physics for ten years – from undergraduate right the way through to his PhD. He became particularly interested in the intersection of physical systems on the biological – part of condensed matter science – and discovered that the most fascinating things happen at surfaces. Despite being heavily involved in this work, which involved examining DNA through spectroscopy (using light to illustrate molecules). Almond came to realise the life of a scientist was not for him. “Being an experimental physicist requires an incredible level of methodological rigor. As I reached the end of my PhD, I began teaching to supplement my income and discovered I loved teaching people, helping to find the next scientist. I loved the concept of teaching.” Perhaps another intersection but it led Almond to becoming a mathematics lecturer in the Astrophysics Research Institute at John Moore university – back to his first principles – and to number theory. From there it was a small jump into cryptography. To find out more, tune into the podcast. Your host is Jillian Godsil, award winning journalist, broadcaster and author. Her latest book can be found at https://persons-of-interest.io/

Entrepreneurs are unique, especially serial entrepreneurs and one such entrepreneur is Rupert Schneider. Rupert is the Co-Founder of two Fintech companies, Gardenia Technologies and Vidarr Capital. This is part 2 of my interview with Rupert. Rupert talks about some of the mistakes tech companies have made, smart watches and health, abuse of data, the power of Facebook, companies undergoing digital transformation, and becoming digitally native. Rupert also talks about the future smartphones, looking at internal data, the pro bono side of tech companies and the difference between big data and smart data. More about Rupert Schneider and Gardenia Technologies: Rupert is an experienced director with a demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry. He is skilled in Structured Credit, Special Situations, Start-ups, Trading, and Financial Risk. Gardenia Technologies offers a secure automated solution that digitises the origination, structuring and securitisation process to deliver financial initiatives customised around corporates' working capital needs & lower complexities. Technology-enabled and data-driven, services are delivered seamlessly by integrating with Corporates’ ERP, analysing transactional data, accurately predicting risks & providing scaled liquidity at or before the point of trade.

Ria talks with Rebecca about her previous struggle with balancing freelance work and how that struggle developed into the 2020 book, ‘SOLO: How To Work Alone (And Not Lose Your Mind)’. She speaks about her podcast ‘The Solo Collective’ and how she never expected a book she wrote in 2019 would resonate so much with today’s world. Rebecca elaborates on her experiences of being a female journalist and how to prepare for the world of work. Rebecca Seal is the author of SOLO: How To Work Alone (And Not Lose Your Mind), host of the Solo Collective podcast, and a freelance journalist. Her work is published in the Guardian, Observer, Financial Times, and Telegraph as well as in magazines and newspapers around the world. She also writes cookbooks and has just finished her tenth. She wrote SOLO in 2019, with the aim of helping other solitary workers cope with the strangeness of working in a company-of-one. She had no idea quite how relevant the book would become; today she gives talks and workshops about how to thrive when you're never in an office. She has two daughters and lives in south London where she also runs a photography business with her husband. It is not unrelated to all the above that she is extremely interested in burnout and how to avoid it.

Ria talks with Steven Roberts about his recently published book ‘Data Protection for Marketers: A Practical Guide’, and how data protection is constantly changing. He also speaks about GPDR and the difficulties that can be faced by marketers and market teams when implementing GDPR principles. Steve elaborates on his work and how keeping up to date with data protection regulations will create transparency within and out of the work environment. Steven Roberts is head of marketing at Griffith College. He is a certified data protection officer and vice-chair of the ACOI’s data protection and information security working group. His new book Data Protection for Marketers: A Practical Guide, published by Orpen Press, is available now at all good bookstores.

Transitioning global payments from fiat to Bitcoin, and the transition of analog to digital, with Matt Senter and Lolli Matt Senter is the CTO & Co-founder of Lolli, a rewards application that gives people bitcoin when they shop online from 1,000+ top merchants. Matt was previously the CTO & Co-founder of Cosmic, the leading e-commerce gateway, which was acquired by PopSugar in 2015 and then by Ebates in 2017. Prior to Cosmic, Matt was the CTO & Co-founder of SeedMatrix, a groundbreaking agricultural data analysis tool used by Fortune 100 and Fortune Global 500 companies to identify their best performing seeds in various planting conditions, acquired by Context Network in 2010. During the dotcom boom, Matt was the CEO and Founder of Senternet, one of the world’s first Java-based web hosting companies, sold in 2002. He is an advocate for online privacy and security and considers those foundational tenets of a free society. Matt is also a father of three. Jamil Hasan is a crypto and blockchain focused podcast host at the Irish Tech News and spearheads our weekend content “The Crypto Corner” where he interviews founders, entrepreneurs and global thought leaders. Prior to his endeavors into the crypto-verse in July 2017, Jamil built an impressive career as a data, operations, financial, technology and business analyst and manager in Corporate America, including twelve years at American International Group and its related companies. Since entering the crypto universe, Jamil has been an advisor, entrepreneur, investor and author. His books “Blockchain Ethics: A Bridge to Abundance” (2018) and “Re-Generation X” (2020) not only discuss the benefits of blockchain technology, but also capture Jamil’s experience on how he has transitioned from being a loyal yet downsized former corporate employee to a self sovereign individual. With over fifty podcasts under his belt since he joined our team in February 2021, and with four years of experience both managing his own crypto portfolio and providing crypto guidance and counsel to select clients, Jamil continues to seek opportunities to help others navigate this still nascent industry. Jamil’s primary focus outside of podcast hosting is helping former corporate employees gain the necessary skills and vision to build their own crypto portfolios and create wealth for the long-term.

Offering Decentralized Finance Yield, Meeting Regulatory Compliance, and Building Compliant Platforms, with Raymond Hsu @ Cabital Raymond Hsu is the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer for Cabital. Cabital is a leading cryptocurrency institution in the digital finance industry. Since 2020, Cabital has strived to bring professional financial services to the world of cryptocurrencies. Leveraging the teams extensive experience in traditional finance along with the power of blockchain technology, Cabital empowers people from all walks of life to generate high income from their digital assets safety, creating a more sustainable financial industry. “Cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies are projects that are much bigger than any one of us. It’s bigger than any one person, any one companyany one government. It’s a mission that Cabital takes seriously and we are committed to providing the world with a sustainable and safe digital platform to generate passive income, fulfilling our purpose of helping people achieve their financial goals.” After extensive conversations with people across the globe, Raymond noticed one reigning theme about investing in cryptocurrencies: the lack of security, peace of mind and ease of doing business. He was then convinced that the world needed a simple solution to buy crypto safety and easily, where everyday investors can earn much higher dividends without worrying about the market’s volatility. Jamil Hasan is a crypto and blockchain focused podcast host at the Irish Tech News and spearheads our weekend content “The Crypto Corner” where he interviews founders, entrepreneurs and global thought leaders. Prior to his endeavors into the crypto-verse in July 2017, Jamil built an impressive career as a data, operations, financial, technology and business analyst and manager in Corporate America, including twelve years at American International Group and its related companies. Since entering the crypto universe, Jamil has been an advisor, entrepreneur, investor and author. His books “Blockchain Ethics: A Bridge to Abundance” (2018) and “Re-Generation X” (2020) not only discuss the benefits of blockchain technology, but also capture Jamil’s experience on how he has transitioned from being a loyal yet downsized former corporate employee to a self sovereign individual. With over fifty podcasts under his belt since he joined our team in February 2021, and with four years of experience both managing his own crypto portfolio and providing crypto guidance and counsel to select clients, Jamil continues to seek opportunities to help others navigate this still nascent industry. Jamil’s primary focus outside of podcast hosting is helping former corporate employees gain the necessary skills and vision to build their own crypto portfolios and create wealth for the long-term.

Ria speaks to Ben Harkin about his recently self-published book ‘Time Nor Tide: Ireland and Climate Change’ and explains his experience writing a book during the pandemic. He also speaks about his initial worry writing about climate change due to his age and the inspiration behind his title. Ben elaborates on his research and explains what he would like to see for Ireland in terms of climate change prevention and green hydrogen. Drawing on research from Ireland and across the world, this book explains what we can expect for the future in Ireland with climate change, and how we can move to limit the worst impacts. Combining studies and stories, Ben Harkin explains how we can use the technology we already have to bring our country to being carbon neutral while building a better future for all.

A conversation with Alex Mitrovich, CEO Unique.network Alex Mitrovich is both an investor and an entrepreneur, but the latter definitely comes first. “More specifically I am an entrepreneur in the tech space and have been so for the past 20 years. I understand tech without being a developer. I understand the opportunities.” This is clearly reflected in his previous enterprise, Luxoft, which he built with his partner over ten years into a global operation and into one of the Fortune Top 500 companies. Next up UseTech, formed in 2017 with co-founder and CTO, Gregory Zaitsev, which has been busy building blockchain projects ever since for its clients. The blockchain penny dropped for Mitrovich around 2016. A good friend of his and successful tech entrepreneu, Zoe Adamovitzwas posting blockchain stories on Facebook. It made him do some digging and very soon he understood that blockchain had the potential to be mainstream. He looked at the different chains, offering faster, cheaper, better solutions. He worked on different projects, upskilling his team and figuring out which chain was going to pop. He admired Ethereum but recognised its main asset is the network effect of the community. “It’s hard to stand out in a crowded market.” Accordingly, when Mitrovich decided to step directly into the NFT space he already had his seasoned team of developers headed up by Zaitsev on board. And as a startup in PolkaDot, he came armed to the teeth. Mind you, he admits the deeply technical nature of PolkaDot hurts his head. “But I could see the power of the emerging community, the beauty of the Web 3 Foundation and the endless flexibility of Substate as a building block." To find our more, listen to the interview Your host is Jillian Godsil, award winning journalist, broadcaster and author. Her latest book can be found at https://persons-of-interest.io/

Ria talks with Amit Katwala about his new book ‘Quantum Computing: How it Works and Why it Could Change the World’. He speaks about what Quantum Computing is and how it could be the technology of the future. Amit also elaborates on his experience of witnessing Google’s Quantum Computing lab and the current restrictions on Quantum Computing from advancing and why there is excitement surrounding it. Amit Katwala is a senior editor at the WIRED UK. He edits the culture coverage online, works on the Start section of the magazine, appears regularly on the WIRED podcast, and writes features about science, technology, and culture.

Entrepreneurs are unique, especially serial entrepreneurs and one such entrepreneur is Rupert Schneider. Rupert is the Co-Founder of two Fintech companies, Gardenia Technologies and Vidarr Capital. This is part 1 of my interview with Rupert. Ronan talks to Rupert Schneider about his background, what Gardenia Technologies does, AI and machine learning, and analytics. Rupert also talks about crypto, retail investing, Vidarr Capital, early adopters, and Apple. More about Rupert Schneider and Gardenia Technologies: Rupert is an experienced director with a demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry. He is skilled in Structured Credit, Special Situations, Start-ups, Trading, and Financial Risk. Gardenia Technologies offers a secure automated solution that digitises the origination, structuring and securitisation process to deliver financial initiatives customised around corporates' working capital needs & lower complexities. Technology-enabled and data-driven, services are delivered seamlessly by integrating with Corporates’ ERP, analysing transactional data, accurately predicting risks & providing scaled liquidity at or before the point of trade.