We all dream of finding the next big thing in tech, and some of us may remember coming into contact with some of the biggest tech companies in the world before they made it big – but how about being there and contributing to the formation of some of the biggest brands? That’s a blessing, a privilege only a few have enjoyed, but we got one of these few here on our podcast – meet Saeed Amidi, the CEO of Plug and Play, the world’s largest early-stage investor and business accelerator, a company which invested early in brands like Google, PayPal, N26, and many others. We sat down with Saeed to talk to him about how he approaches innovative ideas and start-ups, and what are the makings of a start-up that you can tell is destined for the stars. Key Takeaways from the episode: • Why hard work will always beat ideas • How missed opportunities can sometimes be a blessing in disguise • Why leadership is all about empowering people, and why sometimes leaders are viewed as an orchestra conductor

CTOs are naturally curious creatures, and some of them have unconventional journeys to becoming tech leaders. In this episode, we have Mike Couvillion, CTO at Kazoo HR, who is, and get this – a fighter pilot turned CTO. We can dive deep into the ‘how’ and ‘why’ and tell it all, but truth be told, you can hear it from the man himself by just clicking ‘Play’. Key takeaways: • Tech leaders should be skilled in the financial and business aspects of a business, not just the tech • How the military actually has aspects of Agile methodology, which can help grow businesses and teams • How hiring A-players will get you A-paying clients Our Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-couvillion-alexaguru/ Website: https://www.kazoohr.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

As the world is leaning heavily on the digital sphere to deliver solutions and lighten to load on all aspects of life, there is an ever-increasing need for platforms that will help make important life decisions smoother and easier. Meet One Dome, a company developed to help make the process of choosing and buying your next home a lot, lot easier. We sat down for a talk with Turan Rustamli, One Dome's CTO, who shared the how's and why's behind this project. Turan talked a lot about the rationale behind this project, its motivation, and how his leadership style helped style the company and its success. Key takeaways: - It's immensely important to be an active member of every group you're part of - Seek out opportunities to learn, but also teach - A holistic approach to an idea will always develop it into something valuable Our Guest: Turan Rustamli LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rustamli/ Website: https://www.onedome.com/business/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/nehfy

In this episode, we get a glimpse into the industry that makes our everyday lives easier, safer, and flow seamlessly - cybersecurity. Matt Clark, the VP of Technology & Product Development at Smiths Detection, joined us to share his experience as a tech leader. We covered everything - from his beginnings in the industry, all the way to the challenges he thinks we'll face in the foreseeable future, all with the purpose of shining a bit of light on an industry that is ever-present, yet invisible. His unique leadership style and point of view all revolve around three focal points: - How cybersecurity affects our everyday lives and how they're different from other digital systems; - Steps crucial for proper product/service development, marketing, and selling; - The consequences of our actions, and how they can shape the future of a company, as well as the market. Our Guest: Matt Clark LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-clark-2a7ba123/ Website: https://www.smithsdetection.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

In this episode, we talk to Chris Clarke about his journey as the CTO and founder of EdTech company Talis. Having successfully scaled and sold the business, Chris now operates under the umbrella The Scale Up CTO - using his experience, success and mistakes to advise other businesses and startups on their scale up journey. Chris’s journey is one that’s rooted in the essence of technical leadership, and the turn from an individual contributor to becoming a catalyst for others. Key takeaways from the podcast are: - How to build trust and respect by demonstrating it - Why it's important to own the process of hiring, and the role of genuine employee experience in doing so - Delivery success based on the perfect tension between Engineering, Product and User Experience - and how to integrate this successfully with Agile

A fellow podcaster, Ryan Purvis, Chief Information Technology Officer at HiLo Maritime Risk Management, is one of those techies that simply had it in him to lead. From starting out in Johannesburg as a developer, he quickly climbed through the ranks, doing gigs in various industries, before ending up in HiLo. Here, you can hear all about his journey to becoming a tech leader, how he leads, and what it means to hold yourself responsible for your actions. Key Takeaways: • How to never be the bottleneck to anything you’re doing • How listening and trying to understand will lead your whole team to the solution • Why accountability is paramount in not just company, but also personal growth Our Guest: Ryan Purvis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanpurvis/ Website: https://hilomrm.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryanpurvis Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

Welcome to the start of a special series – in this series, we’ll be talking to techies and tech leaders who have worked at Amazon – the Amazonians – and how it has shaped their futures in the world of IT. And the one hosting this series will be Charles Griffith, CTO at MileZero, a Capstone Company. Each of the individuals that will come on this series will bring their own unique brand of leadership and experience! In this one, you’ll have the honor to meet Charles, as a nice intro in what we’re sure you’ll enjoy! LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesgriffith/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

Sustainability – it's the thing we hear more than once every day, in regards to human relationships, the way we work, and how we interact with the world around us and consume products. It all began as we started looking for ways to lower our impact on nature. One of the tech leaders driving us towards a more sustainable future is Ali Bouhouch, CTO & Digital Strategy Executive at SZENTIA, a company looking to revolutionize the skincare industry. TC sat down with Ali to learn more about what drives him, how he got to where he is now, and how he leads his teams. Key takeaways from this episode: • How to nurture curiosity without becoming engulfed by it • Why being your whole-self at work can be beneficial • Why it’s important for leaders to make the first step in initiating contact with their teams Our Guest: Ali Bouhouch LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-bouhouch-4774372/ Website: https://www.szentia.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

Worldpay is a service that many of us have used, sometimes knowingly, sometimes through other vendors, but the truth is, it’s everywhere. But how does one company get to this level? We got Usman Bashir, Head of Engineering at Worldpay, down for a chat with our TC Gill, in which he got down to sharing his amazing journey to becoming a tech leader, as well as all the cool and amazing tech he’s into right now at Worldpay. After honing his skills as an engineer, Usman then had the chance to learn from more experienced heads and hone his leadership skills, which is something he has taken to as a duck to water – everything from then on, as they say, is history. He has developed into a leader that drives teams with passion and support, enabling them to express by delivering high-quality services and products. Key takeaways from the podcast are: • Why you should look for people who add to your culture, not the ones who like to align themselves to it • Why teams need to be integrated into the feedback loops and how this helps the whole process of improving a product or a service • How to lead people by letting go of control and still get the best results Our Guest: Usman Bashir LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/usmanbashir80/ Website: https://online.worldpay.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/UzmanB Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

The open-source world is a wonderful democracy and meritocracy of innovation, software elements, and applications. Its creativity is incorporated into countless (if not all) major applications across the tech arena. But with it comes complexities. And in this podcast, we get to speak to Brian Fox, the CTO & Co-founder of Sonatype, about those complexities. In particular, the worrying world of security. Sonatype runs the central repository of Maven, where the world gets its open-source Java. A kind of Center of the open-source universe. Or at least one of them. Sonatype also focuses on developing a smarter, faster, and more secure software development for the open-source world and its clients. Key takeaways from the podcast are: • The new attack vectors that hackers are using to get their grubby hands on your systems and data • Visual analogies for software development and the software supply chain and how they create clarity on the mistakes that are being made in the tech industry • The impact that the SolarWinds attack is having on the regulation and practices for the software development industry (especially for critical systems) Our Guest: Brian Fox LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianefox/ Website: https://www.sonatype.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/sonatype Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)