Erin Platts from SVB is joined by Animal Dynamics founder Alex Caccia


We read an article last week that said reading your phone in bed can badly damage your mental health… so we suggest something a little different – download this podcast and listen to another fantastic TechTalk Podcast like it’s an interesting lullaby. The only problem is that it’ll be too interesting and you won’t fall asleep… oh well. 


As this show gets aired on a Thursday, we thought we’d try a little throwback… with a difference. You may recall that we had Tom Butterworth from Silicon Valley Bank on our show last year, it was a great interview and SVB do some great work and we wanted an update.


Erin Platts, Managing Director of Silicon Valley Bank Commercial Banking, came to visit us to discuss some extensive research they’ve compiled about women in tech. Erin had some valuable insight for us; are things improving? You’d better listen to find out.


Our next guest is involved in some tech which is truly mind-blowing. Alex Caccia found himself on our TechTalk22 list recently because of the work his company, Animal Dynamics, are undertaking. They’ve ripped up the rulebook on design and are building better machines based on animal movements – makes sense really. Hear about their drone based on a dragonfly.

When nature knows best

James Dearsley of TLA PropTech & The Digital Marketing Bureau is joined by Jon Scott of TLC 


This is the last TechTalk podcast that you’ll get to enjoy while you’re deleting all of those horrible spammy emails (hopefully)… with the GDPR deadline set for tomorrow, it will be interesting to see how our inboxes start looking.


To be fair, the inboxes of both Paul and Sue are usually a little bit colourful after recording these shows, but they promised to be on their best behaviour for this one.


Our first guests introduced us to a new term, but one that will no doubt become a household name (literally) within the next couple of years.


PropTech… not proper technology, not technology for props but property technology. James Dearsley heads the PropTech working group for the Tech London Advocates and talks us through how it’s likely to influence the landscape of buying and selling your home in the future.


Our next guest is using the technology industry as a motor for positive change, particularly when it comes to charity. Jon Scott founded TLC (Thinking Loud & Clear), the creative industry that is pouring its profits back into charitable causes.

Proper prop tech

This week we welcome Anthony Parker from Cuberoot64 and Sebastien Conran from Consequential Robotics.


Are you ready for a Royal Wedding? While bride-to-be Meghan Markle is no stranger to TV screens, Prince Harry may be a little less comfortable at having his wedding day broadcast to the world.


However, we hear that TechTalk is his favourite podcast and he’ll be listening on the morning of the big day to calm his nerves.


Well, Harry, we have just the show for you. One would imagine that his bank balance (and the taxpayers’) will be running dry – so he may want to consider plumping up his resources by delving into some cryptocurrency.


Anthony Parker from Cuberoot64 came on to the show to walk us through how it all works. So, if you’ve heard of blockchain and bitcoin and fancy the thrill of the market – this is the episode for you.


If digital currencies aren’t your bag, surely robotic dogs will be? You may recall our TechTalk22 feature last year – where we had a run through of the innovative companies to look out for in 2018 – Consequential Robotics particularly caught the eye. Sebastien Conran came on to the show to discuss the uses for the amazing Miro – yep, a fully mobile robotic dog.

Teaching an old dog new tricks

Apparently, this week marks the 40th anniversary of the first-ever spam mail being sent…will GDPR mark the end of this? No more curious sexual remedies, no more $100 billion waiting for us in a Nigerian bank account – what will we do?


Clearly for some companies, GDPR could be a bit of a nightmare. However, refreshingly, we had IT expert, Perry Ashby, on the show who explained that, for most, the new rules won’t be as jarring as they sound.


Perry founded Urban Network and, as well as running through GDPR, he gave us the lowdown on what to do in an IT emergency and how his company could help.


Sorry to stick with the topic, but GDPR will cause slightly more aggro in the recruitment world…so we were grateful that Lucy Smith made the time to talk to us. Lucy founded Digital Grads – a firm focused on helping graduates turn their university-taught skills into employable traits.

Avoid a computer catastrophe

As well as catching up on the TLA event with Russ Shaw, we chat with Joao Fernandes of BuzzStreets and Adi Gaskell.


We were at the TLA 5th birthday event a few weeks ago, hosted by Russ Shaw (who features as presenter in this episode), and we were wowed by the little delivery robots which are disrupting the food industry. Well, it’s happening sooner than expected as it was announced this week that 1,000 of them will be hitting UK streets soon. 


It wasn’t the only dazzling thing at the event that night and Russ was delighted with how it all went and how London is on its way to becoming the tech capital of the world.


To make that happen, we need our Tech Heroes and thankfully we had a few in the studio. Adi Gaskell is a pretty key one too. Adi has his finger on the pulse for all things technology and writes for all sorts of publications like Forbes, Huffington Post and BBC – in this podcast we talk all about the new technologies that are influencing business. 


Another one of the Heroes is helping us to find our way across London, but with a difference. Yep, Google Maps helps you through the streets but BuzzStreets goes as far as helping you in nightmare locations like shopping centres and sporting arenas. Joao Fernandes tells us where the idea comes from.

Buzzing around the London tech scene

In a bit of a start-up special, we welcome Maryam Mazraei from Autopsy and Matt Jonns of Ucreate


We, as Producers, didn’t really set-out to do this…but it just so happens that we’ve got a start-up special podcast for you.


Our guests this week have lived through the highs and lows of being a start-up and base their current businesses around those trials and tribulations.


We hope it’s not the case but the first half of the podcast could scare people away from building a business (both guests are big advocates of starting your own business). Maryam Mazraei has compiled a list of failed start-ups through her company Autopsy, rather than being a scare though – it was actually an extremely educational discussion and is a great pointer of the things to avoid when going into business.


Matt Jonns is also used to working with start-ups, but successful ones! He founded Ucreate - A startup studio for non-tech founders who want to build ambitious tech businesses. They have helped over 20 businesses to build and launch so far – and that number is sure to keep rising.

Start-ups: Dead or alive?

Jillian Kowalchuk talks about her app, Safe and The City, while Ivo Weevers talks us through Albert. 


 


Feeling hot, hot, hot…the mercury is finally rising and it’s giving us those happy vibes. Don’t bother booking a summer holiday just yet, there’s plenty of quality tech happening here in the UK.


London has a number of different sun traps to discover in beautiful weather like this, but if you’ve followed the news recently you’ll know that it’s not always the safest city.


Our first guest on this week’s show is Jillian Kowalchuk – she has founded the fantastic Safe In The City App. It allows its users to indicate incidents of sexual assault, harassment, stalking and lots of other things. Primarily for women, we discuss how it can be tough for some women to come forward and speak out about their experiences.


We meet a lot of companies on this show who have built amazing tech companies, having started as a one-man band. Somebody fighting their corner is Ivo Weevers, he has created the Albert platform which is saving time against time consuming chores like expenses.

Keeping Albert safe in the city

Dr Sue Black explains how she helped to save Bletchley Park, Philip Sheppard discusses music and Jo Davies talks branding with VIM Group


Mark Zuckerberg sat in a booster chair during a five-hour Facebook grilling, YouTube had its highest-viewed video of all time deleted and Trump probably upset people on Social Media – a week in the world of tech…thankfully we’ve got another brilliant TechTalk podcast to keep you sane.


We’re excited about this one.


Our first guest this week is arguably one of the most inspiring women in tech. It was an honour to have Dr Sue Black on the show. She’s done just about everything and I don’t get paid by the word, so I’ll keep it to the point and say that she’s a computer scientist, academic and social entrepreneur who helped to save Bletchley Park. Oh, and she has an OBE. Just click play to hear the full inspiring story. 


Although the bar was set high by our first guest, Philip Sheppard also wowed us with his knowledge, innovation and experience within the music industry – not something we’ve covered before. Phillip is working on some amazing technology which you need to keep your eye on – he is about to disrupt the market.


Branding is an important element to both Dr Black and Philip Sheppard, so it was great to welcome Jo Davies on to the show too. Jo is the Managing Director of VIM Group – a company with over 25 years of experience, achieving success on over 1,000 projects.

Saving Bletchley Park

Hussain Hilli talks Byoot and Anthony Impey introduces Optimity


 


Word on the street this week is that Apple’s next iPhone won’t even need to be touched – because using your thumb is far too much exercise in 2018... We’re on-board with it all though, as long as it can read your mind and stream TechTalk at all hours of the day.


 


Rivalling Apple for their innovation is our first guest on this week’s podcast, Hussain Hilli. He’s a bit of a star in the tech world. He has been named in the Forbes 30 under 30 list and has founded Byoot. The company are helping you build your designs from the ground up.


 


Moving on……………………………………oh, sorry about that. Looks like we’re having some buffering issues. Must be dodgy internet. We’d better call Optimity. Anthony Impey founded the company who are coming to the aid of businesses who are stuck with rubbish speeds, thanks to their solutions in the sky.

Building up and buffering down

Tom Adeyoola talks Metail while Grant Dudson & Luca Amaduzzi introduce us to Cycl


 


When it rains, it pours, and things continue to pour down on Facebook. By contrast, we’ll be basking in the Easter sunshine (hopefully, but probably not) with another great hour of TechTalk. Four days off work…yes please. 


 


Our first guest on this week’s show introduced a topic which we haven’t really talked about before…clothes. Ever find yourself giving the postie a backache by ordering bag after bag of online shopping?


 


We don’t blame you, it’s quite tough and none of it ever fits. However, Tom Adeyoola has a solution with Metail. They are using the cleverest tools in tech to make sure that everything fits just right.


 


Our other guests on the show are on a mission to get the country cycling safer. They already wooed the judges on Dragons Den and now they’ve got our presenters impressed with their winglights. Why do we still use hand signals? Luca Amaduzzi & Grant Dudson pondered the same and went about setting up Cycl.

Finding the right fit

Getting techy with it.
Join in the TechTalk.

Innovation aplenty with Andrea Zitna's Elvie product and Emma Maslen's expenses revolution with SAP Concur.


 


The folk at Facebook have taken a bit of a beating this week – they’ve been a bit naughty and Mark Zuckerberg’s earnings have taken a multi-billion-dollar hit.


While we probably don’t need to set up a JustGiving page for him, the American innovator might be relieved to find that his favourite podcast is back with another episode and is entirety free to stream and download.


Facebook is arguably the pinnacle of Social Media, but our first guest on the show this week is leading the way in FemTech. You may recall our TechTalk 22 feature just before Christmas – our top 22 innovative companies to watch out for in 2018 – and Elvie were extremely highly regarded. Previously a taboo topc, Andrea Zitna explains how her company are tackling an important female health issue with their Kegel trainer. 


We also welcomed Emma Maslen on to the show. Why? We needed to talk about expenses, that’s why. Emma is the Managing Director of SAP Concur – they are a big company who are aiming to tackle the nightmare of the recurring receipts. They’re making it more techy and easier…sign us up!

Losing expenses, building muscles

Robots Learn

Bernadine Brocker from Vastari, Mostafa El Sayed from Automata Technologies and James Gupta from Synap. 



 



New Zealand are winning the race for pilotless air taxis with their release this week, but we still think the UK is flying highest in the world of technology. We had three guests this week to help us get off the ground.  



 Even Russ Shaw, from the USA, believes that the British Isles – and London in particular – are the right places to be in this tech revolution. That’s why he created the Tech London Advocates.



To kick us off, we delved into a topic that we haven’t really explored in the past art exhibitions. You may think that art & tech don’t mix – but there’s so much going on behind the glass of the exhibits that you wouldn’t even be aware of. Bernadine Brocker is our tour guide and walks us through the story.



From art on to robots, we spoke to Mostafa El Sayed who builds robots for a living. Imagine that. His Automata Technologies company have developed Eva – an elegant, simple and affordable robot arm built for professionals. It improves productivity on a production line, in a lab or in a classroom.



Let’s end things with a quiz. How cool is the Synap platform? Answer: very cool. Synap makes it easy to create, practice and share multiple choice tests and quizzes – James Gupta talks us through.



 

Robots learn how to get arty

Tim Sadler talks Tessian, David Raine explains EveryLife Technologies and Ian Napier tells us why we should use Switchee


 


We’re too good to you guys. Yeah, we always have the best techy guests on our podcast, but we’ve gone above and beyond this time around. All of this week’s guests are metaphorical life savers in one way or another.


 Our first gift comes in the form of Tim Sadler and his company, Tessian. Have you ever sent a private email to the wrong person? Of course you have. These guys are pioneering the generation of email security – you don’t need to worry about it anymore.


 From one legend to another, we then welcomed David Raine on to the airwaves. David is from EveryLife Technologies, they are giving the care industry a proper makeover by revolutionizing the way that notes are made for patients who need the most clarity.


Finally, we met somebody who can save you a pretty penny or two. Ian Napier has gone from the TA to the tip top of home tech with Switchee. They have created a Smart Connected Thermostat – designed to help affordable housing providers fight fuel poverty.


 

Tip top techy treats

Dan Bladden introuduces the future of mobile charging with Chargifi & Alastair Barrow talks us through Haptics in the medical world with Generic Robotics


 


 


How many techies does it take to figure out a solution to keep Britain’s public transport moving when it starts snowing? Evidently not enough. We only had to hike through the blizzards, whilst getting frostbite, to bring you this podcast. Thank us later.


 


Our snowy trek left us pretty short of juice on our phone; no adventure would be complete with a Snapchat selfie or two, obviously.


 


Luckily, we had a wireless charging guru who graced us with his presence. Dan Bladden founded the Chargifi brand which is working on world domination when it comes to getting their technology into your favourite cafes and restaurants. Amen to that.


 


Our last guest, Alastair Barrow, both terrified and reassured us with equal gusto. Alastair has founded Generic Robotics, they create training devices for clinical skills built around “haptics” – the science of touch feedback. Terrifying because trainee surgeons have, in the past, been left feeling inexperienced in key situations. Reassuring because this new training method will cut mistakes, potentially life-ending mistakes. Cheery.

Recharge, don’t flat line

We like a bit of consistency; user updates are  still offending Snapchat users and TechTalk still has fantastic guests to chat to each week – this week is no exception and Russ Shaw was back in the presenting chair for this one.


Now, our researchers back at TechTalk HQ usually give our guests a quick scout before we start recording, but, to chart our first guest’s professional experience it would take weeks and weeks to get it all down on paper.


Jacqueline de Rojas is the President of Tech UK and has worked for some huge firms in the past. With so much experience in the tech world, we were delighted to hear her thoughts on the industry.


Our other guest is no stranger to us either. Daghan Cam was named as one of our top techies to watch in 2018, as part of the TechTalk22, with his company, AI Build. Originally an architect, Daghan is turning his hand to 3D printing using robots. Wow. Mind blowing.

Virtually Building the Future of Tech

Sally Durcan and Mehran Zadeh of Talk to Mums are joined by Jana Hlistova 


 


 


We love a bit of controversy on the TechTalk Show, although we tend to call it ‘fierce debate’, and this week’s show doesn’t fail to disappoint as we tackle some very difficult subjects.


 


First of all, we were delighted to meet Sally Durcan from Talk to Mums. She has developed a fantastic platform which allows busy mums to share valuable thoughts and opinions on a range of products, which also allows them to keep an income.


 


Companies love working with Talk to Mums as a source of marketing. What goes into marketing? Psychology, of course. Who better to talk about Psychology? A Neuroscientist, obviously. Joining Sally was Mehran Zadeh, who digs into the fascinating insight of how the brain can affect your purchases.


 


Bringing the show to a close was the fantastic Jana Hlistova – she setup JH Consulting and has arich experience in the business world. As a gender advocate, we took the opportunity to discuss some hard-hitting topics like the gender pay gap and discrimination in the workplace.

Combatting gender discrimination

Action AI's John Taylor is joined by Hayley Freedman of CHARGit.


 


Yeah yeah, Elon Musk has sent some bits and bobs up into space. Big bloody whop. In the words of Shania Twain – ‘that don’t impress me much’. The best thing to happen to the tech world this week is this podcast.


Sue, Sarah and Paul had plenty to get their heads around this week – it all starts with a chit chat about live chat.


Experience of online chat can vary for lots of people. Some will be a robot that won’t understand you, others will be humans that will take an age to reply to you (probably because they have so many on-the-go) and then you’ll have some really good ones. If it’s the latter – it’s probably down to John Taylor’s company Action AI. They’ve been using some clever software to improve customer experience.


Our other guest is solving one of the most frustrating issues in this modern technological age. Charging. Don’t you hate it when you’ve got 2% left on your commute home but you’ve got no wires to juice up. Enter CHARGit – Hayley Freedman explains how she got into the wireless charging industry.

Chatboting & charging

On this week's podcast, we meet Alina Bezuglova from TLA Russia and Tom Lipinski & Danya Kivell of Q-Bot


 


If you’re still not over the stress of filling out a rushed last-minute tax return to HMRC, we’ve got a podcast that might calm things down. 


After all, who doesn’t love a bit of tech debate? Sue, Sarah and Russ were delighted to get talking with this week’s guests. 


First up, we talked about Russia.


What do you think of when you think of Russia? Red Square, The Kremlin, Vladimir Putin? What about all of the amazing technology coming out of the huge state? We were delighted to be joined by Alina Bezuglova – she is co-founder of the TLA Russia Group and also Rutech Ventures. She has her finger on the pulse of Russian technology.


From Eurasia, we flew back home and burrowed into the nooks and crannies of UK houses for our next guest. We were delighted to be joined by two of the team at Q-Bot – they provide a layer of insulation in the hardest-to-reach places with their clever technology. Tom Lipinski tells us how a passion for architecture turned into the creation of this company and Danya Kivell tells us how she’s the brains behind the work itself as Mechatronic Design Engineer.

From Russia with tech

Marty the Robot talks travel with Tamara Lohan from Mr & Mrs Smith and rides a Slick Revolution e-board


 


So it seems this week that Apple could be ready to make a landmark decision by ceasing production on the iPhone X after sales figures flopped. Oh dear. We never make a bad podcast here at TechTalk though, and you don’t need to lose a limb to listen to us either.


 


Variety was the name of the game this week as Sue Nelson and Sarah Luxford talked robots, skateboards and travel in the space of one hour. Impressive.


 


First up was Dr Sandy Enoch and his buddy, Marty. Sandy did all the talking and is the brains behind the business but all the eyes were on the robot that he has developed. Through the Robotical Ltd team, Marty was created to teach kids how to code. He loves a dance too. What a little legend.


 


Marty is quite a small chap and could easily sneak into the suitcase of our next guest, Tamara Lohan. It would be a good move for the robot, because Tamara is the CEO of Mr & Mrs Smith – a travel brand selling, quite literally, the best hotel rooms on the planet. She explained the difficulties she’s faced and how she’s using tech to beat the giants in the travel industry.


 


Our final guest brought the show to a close by introducing our transport home. Forget public transport – you need a Slick Revolution skateboard. Yep, Robert Simpson showed off his amazing electronic boards which are making waves in the e-board industry. His products can travel up to 25mph and have the best range in the industry. This is the best way to get around the city, bar none.

Marty rides an e-board around the world

Tom Gere who heads up the TLA VR and AR working group is joined by Taff Morgan from The Open University


If you were a latecomer to the Bitcoin craze, you’ll probably be quite glad that this is a free podcast. While you count losses, the next hour might give you some good advice on where to invest next time.


Sue Nelson and Russ Shaw had some extremely interesting topics to discuss on this week’s show – Space & VR anybody?


 To start with we chatted to Thomas Gere from Realities Centre, who is also head of the TLA VR & AR working group. Anything that he doesn’t know about VR or AR, isn’t worth knowing!


 From a virtual world, to out of this world and into Space, Sue recently met Taff Morgan at an event. Taff works for the Open University in the Physical Science department – we talked about the future of Space travel, among many other exciting and futuristic things.


 


 

A whole new world

The TechTalk Show's Podcast

The best podcast episodes on romantic relationships. Episodes talk about the 5 love languages, intimacy, and the taboo topics of sexual desires and infidelity. This topic is a deep dive into the science and complexities that face us in our relationships with others. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

Best Episodes on Relationships & Love

The best podcast episodes on non-current politics. Covering topics such as universal basic income, democracy, poverty & justice and more. For anyone interested in learning more about politics that affect that world, not just now, but in the longer term. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!