The Irish Tech News Podcast

We talk with Tom Gorman to learn more about trends in colocation and sustainability initiatives taking place in Ireland Tom joined Interxion with over 29 years of experience working with global organisations, managing strategic technical projects and teams across global networks, Construction, Electrical & Mechanical Services, Safety and Quality Management Systems among other areas. More recently, Tom has spent the past 5 years working in Senior Operational roles within AWS Data Services, both in Ireland and Germany where he was responsible for developing & mentoring an Agile World Class Operations team tasked with delivering Operational Excellence across multiple regions. Interxion, A Digital Realty Company Interxion, A Digital Realty Company, supports the world’s leading enterprises and service providers by delivering the full spectrum of data centre, colocation and interconnection solutions. PlatformDIGITAL®, the company’s global data center platform, provides customers a trusted foundation and proven Pervasive Datacenter Architecture (PDx™) solution methodology for scaling digital business and efficiently managing data gravity challenges. Digital Realty’s global data center footprint gives customers access to the connected communities that matter to them with 290 facilities in 47 metros across 24 countries on six continents. To learn more about Digital Realty, please visit digitalrealty.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

We hear so much about the dangers of new technology and artificial intelligence but what about the benefits it can have on our lives when put into action? HaloCare is a company that uses technology and AI to helps elderly people stay in their own homes for longer, with the added comfort of an around the clock support system monitoring their vital health data, fall prevention, personal and environmental safety, and social and cultural interconnectivity. This use of new technology and artificial intelligence will result in people staying in their homes longer and will revolutionise health care in the home. Ronan talks to Niall Kelly, HaloCare’s Chief Technology Officer. Niall talks about how HaloCare started, what HaloCare does, how technology such as AI helps, why wearables aren’t there yet, HaloCare’s four pillars, and what he see’s coming down the line technology wise. More about HaloCare: HaloCare’s software can monitor a client’s posture, movement, and even count steps, all without the use of cameras. Additional devices can also remotely monitor the symptoms of chronic diseases, and support is readily available from the experienced nurses and care specialists in their Carlow based Care Hub. While technology and older people don’t often go hand in hand, HaloCare’s innovative idea is a clear demonstration to the older generation of the benefits of technology.

Cryptocurrency: How digital money could transform finance is the latest instalment of the Penguin/Wired small handy guidebooks. Cryptocurrency has become the new global talking point with people like Elon Musk discussing Dogecoin on SNL, labelling it a ‘hustle’. Gian Volpicelli discusses with Ebony the importance of why everyone should know about Cryptocurrency and the status it will have as we move towards a more digital world. Gian M. Volpicelli is a senior editor at Wired UK. His areas of interest include cryptocurrency, technology regulation and digital politics. Twitter

We catch up with Manuel Heyden, cofounder of nextmarkets who are aiming to revolutionise trading with a fee-free model, which includes free expert coaching. Manuel Heyden (M. Sc. , born 1980) is co-founder and CEO of nextmarkets, Europe's fee-free neobroker based in Cologne. As CEO, he heads offices in Cologne, Lisbon and Malta with currently 42 employees. nextmarkets is backed by leading venture capitalists such as Peter Thiel, Founders Fund, Christian Angermayer, Axel Springer, Falk Strascheg and the listed FinLab AG. In addition to one of the largest offerings on the market and innovative financial products such as fractional trading or the specially developed money market product, nextmarkets is characterised by its clear focus on conveying stock market knowledge through free coaches. Manuel Heyden | CEO, Co-founder Manuel was born in Cologne, Germany, in 1980. He started his career in 1999 founding his first online marketing company at age of 19. Since then Manuel has followed his passion for product development, design and online marketing especially in the financial technology sector. After spending two and a half years in investment banking with ABN AMRO Bank in Frankfurt and London to establish an online brokerage company, he founded the social trading company, ayondo, in 2007 and sold most of his shares in 2014. Manuel holds a Master of Science from European Business School, Oestrich-Winkel. nextmarkets is Europe's fee-free neobroker based in Cologne. The German fintech operates offices in Cologne, Lisbon and Malta with currently 42 employees. nextmarkets is backed by leading venture capitalists such as Peter Thiel, Founders Fund, Christian Angermayer, Axel Springer, Falk Strascheg and the listed FinLab AG. In addition to one of the largest offerings on the market and innovative financial products such as fractional trading or the specially developed money market product, nextmarkets is characterised by its clear focus on conveying stock market knowledge through free coaches.

When it comes to planning for your finances, who do you turn to? Friends? Family? Colleagues? Or the Internet? With global fintech investment reaching US$98 billion across 2,456 deals in the first half of 2021 alone, one would have thought that planning for longevity wouldn’t be such a shot in the dark.  In this episode of One Vision, Theo and Bradley chat with Rhian Horgan, Founder and CEO of Silvur, about the state of retirement planning today and her journey towards helping baby boomers navigate retirement.

Suzanna Hayek met with Nick Ayton to discuss crypto's increased popularity, its role in countries in financial collapse, NFTs and NFAs, and finally, his TV drama.  According to crypto.com, the global crypto population in June doubled compared to the number of users in January, increasing from 106 million to 221 million. Nick discussed some of the possible reasons behind the growth in uptake, including new trends in crypto, people having more free time during the pandemic, DeFi, Elon Musk, and disenfranchisement in governments. Nick also comments on the shift towards cryptocurrency in countries with highly volatile currencies due to poor fiscal policies as they seek alternatives to their unreliable centralised systems. Some countries have backed crypto, while others have imposed strict regulations, but Nick argues that crypto is here to stay. There are security challenges, however. With increased decentralisation and smart contracts, there are more vulnerabilities, which hackers can exploit. On the topic of NFTs and NFAs, Nick explains that when you buy an NFT, you buy a token; the asset linked to it is on another chain, creating problems. The solution is NFAs, which bind the token exchange with the asset exchange within a legal framework. And finally, the discussion steers to Nick's TV drama about hacking and espionage. Nick Ayton is a leading deep technology influencer and thought leader who operates at the forefront of AI, Blockchain, Quantum Computing and is involved in Quantum Photonic Silicon Processing, real-time 3D rendering, Post Quantum Cryptography… A sought after speaker and strategist; he founded Chainstarter Ventures that helps entrepreneurs capital from Family Offices. The business focuses on the middle east and assists with capital raising, business development and market entry. Having spent 45 years in technology, founded several tech startups, he is a prolific writer and is making a TV series set against the backdrop ion the existential risk of AI and the race for supremacy between Russian, China and the USA. Suzanna Hayek is a Kuwait-born, MA Journalism student in London. Suzanna is interested in covering social issues, ocean conservation, and water sports. She is fluent in Arabic and English. Suzanna's love affair with the sea started whilst teaching English as a Foreign Language at a leading international organisation in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In her free time, Suzanna volunteers at EduPact, an initiative by a London-based, non-profit, which aims to provide free online lessons to children in Lebanon – where she is originally from. Suzanna is happiest when freediving and her favourite sharks are tiger sharks.

In today's podcast I speak with Chris Bellant and Jonathan McCormick about the role of Mars Initiative as a whole and how adding a HODL Strategy has been so successful for their brand.   Chris Bellant  Chris Bellant is an operations planner for the International Space Station (by day, but by night, he’s the executive director for the Mars Initiative. Through this nonprofit, he’s able to help humanity get closer to exploring Mars through both grant programs and its Mars Prize Fund. Jonathan McCormick (Pictured) Jonathan A. McCormick, Jr. is a cryptocurrency consultant and volunteer-at-large for the Mars Initiative. He is passionate about accelerating the growth of technologies and ideas that can improve the human condition, including making humanity multiplanetary. Outside of the Mars Initiative, Jonathan also builds censorship-resistant websites, writes articles, and pursues self-education. Website

Neftyblocks is a free service for NFT artists to put together NFT collections in digital boxes. This sophisticated software was once extremely expensive and consultancies would charge thousands of dollars to create these boxing and other crafting solutions. However, time moves fast in the blockchain world and founder of Neftyblocks, Juan Paniagua, wanted to create his own solution for a fun Alpacaworlds collection. He did this and then decided to put the service online for free for other artists. The resulting Neftyblocks is a web application that allows artists to easily manage their collections on the WAX blockchain. It is built on top of the AtomicHub marketplace, meeting AtomicHub standards.  Neftyblocks.com Your host is Jillian Godsil, award winning journalist, broadcaster and author. Her latest book can be found at https://persons-of-interest.io/

NFT’s are becoming more popular and they are being used in many innovative ways. One company doing this is Olyseum the star-led, virtual social engagement platform for fans and brands to trade and rent experiential Non-fungible Tokens (xNFTs). Olyseum has introduced a new breed of NFTs, which they call 'xNFTs', and these grant holders the rights to a predefined in-person or digital interactions with one of Olyseum’s 40+ stars, which includes former FC Barcelona football players Carles Puyol and Andrés Iniesta, MotoGP star Jorge Martín, motorcycling icon Toni Bou, and 5-star Michelin chef Eneko Atxa. The company's star roster encompasses icons from a wide range of verticals: sports, fashion, culinary arts, Moto, film, and this roster will continue to grow this year. Ronan talks to Shant Kevonian the Chief Operating Officer of Olyseum about his background, what Non-fungible Tokens are, what Olyseum does, the FC Barcelona link, and Olyseum’s upcoming milestones. More about Shant: As COO of Olyseum, Shant works closely with Olyseum CEO Carlos Grenoir in directing the company’s growth strategy, while overseeing the day-to-day administrative and operational functions of the business. During his distinguished career to date, Shant has excelled at creating proprietary algorithms and solutions geared towards scaling early and medium stage enterprises. Shant has demonstrated exceptional analytical, managerial, and technical acumen across a number of C-suite positions, including CTO of cang.eco,  a marketplace for eco-conscious brands and sustainable products, and CTO of Youtiful.net, the carbon-neutral cosmetics brand and genesis platform that would subsequently launch cang.eco. An entrepreneur in his own right, Shant founded Prodcast.tv in 2018.  A fully-integrated marketplace and live video-streaming platform delivering a dynamic video-shopping experience to consumers, providing a competitive alternative to Twitch and Amazon. Prior to this, Shant served as Head of R&D at Pippa&Jean, a social selling community geared towards empowering 100,000 women to start their own business, as well as CTO of Deliverea, a cloud shipping management service that manages the logistics of users’ e-commerce platforms. Shant is passionate about driving fan engagement forward through NFT and crypto innovations, while leveraging technology as a force for good.

From studying at home during the pandemic, to working at home with Irish Tech News, Ria McGuire talks to Ebony about all thing’s internship. Ria was a college student that graduated from Dublin City University. She interned with ITN for three months and during her time she was a sub-editor, podcast host and managed to write her own pieces too. We discuss challenges Ria faced, things she would have done differently, and she gives advice on how to successfully get through an internship. Ria McGuire studied journalism for three years at Dublin City University. She has written for TheJournal.ie, Irish Tech News and Leicester Leader.