Podcast
The Irish Tech News Podcast
Hosted by Irish Tech News · EN
Irish Tech News are Ireland's number one online tech publication and often Ireland's number one tech podcast too.
We aim to cover innovation, entrepreneurs, startups, green tech, clean tech and tech for good that aims to help the planet.
If you have a good story drop us a line.
15episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Whose Agent Is It? The Merchant Side of Agentic Commerce with Marc Massar
2w ago00:52:17Tap to summarizeWhen AI agents start buying and selling on our behalf, who do they really represent? In this new episode of One Vision Podcast, Theodora Lau sits down with Marc Massar — payments veteran and founder of Aura Labs — to unpack the merchant side of agentic commerce that most of the industry is overlooking. They dig into why today's agentic protocols are still walled gardens, what happens when transaction context disappears but liability doesn't, why dynamic pricing gets dangerous at machine speed, and what merchants need to do now before they get trapped in someone else's ecosystem. Marc draws on past lessons to make the case that market design — not smarter agents — is what will determine whether agentic commerce works for everyone or just the platforms that control it.00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro03:03 Protocols and Walled Gardens10:25 Who Does the Agent Serve14:20 Post Purchase Identity and Disputes22:54 Merchant Playbook for Agentic Search32:41 Consent and Payments Friction35:25 Dynamic Pricing Meets Agents39:06 Market Design and Controls44:48 Seller Data Playbook51:35 Closing 📍Hot take: "Whose agent is it? Who benefits?"Keywords: AI, Agentic Commerce, Fintech, Autonomous Agents, Protocols, Market Design, Digital Commerce, Payments, Data Management#AI #Fintech #AgenticCommerce #Data #Payments More about our guest 🌐Marc Massar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcmassar/ More about our host and One Vision Podcast 🌐Theodora Lau on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theodoralau/ 🌐Banking on (Artificial) Intelligence (book): https://www.bankingonaibook.com/ 🌐Unconventional Ventures (company): https://www.unconventionalventures.com/ 🌐Listen to all One Vision Podcast episodes by visiting: https://shows.acast.com/one-vision
Transcribe →
The market has evolved and the technology has evolved Sheila Kavanagh, engineer and Network Director Vodafone Ireland
2w ago00:25:34Tap to summarizeThe market has evolved and the technology has evolved Sheila Kavanagh, female engineer and Network Director Vodafone IrelandLast month, Vodafone made telecoms history with Ireland’s first-ever mobile video call via satellite through a smartphone. Satellite video calls happen when data is beamed directly to and from satellites orbiting Earth. It means regular phone users in Ireland will soon be able to access the internet and make video calls via satellites, without needing to own a clunky satellite phone. It’s a significant move in the right direction for Ireland’s telecommunications industry, which regularly experiences connectivity challenges due to flooding, big freezes and heatwaves. I caught up with Sheila Kavanagh, engineer and Network Director Vodafone Ireland to find out more about this.Shelia talks about her background, Ireland’s first-ever mobile video call via satellite through a smartphone, the growing popularity of video calls and audio messages and more.More about Ireland’s Ireland’s first-ever mobile video call by Vodafone via satellite: Powered by AST SpaceMobile BlueBird satellite, Vodafone hopes this new technology will help people stay connected, even in the most hazardous climate conditions. In January last year, it was estimated that over one third of mobile phone users were affected by Storm Éowyn. In addition, the National Climate Change Risk Assessment (NCCRA) published by the Environmental Protection Agency last June identified 115 risks to Ireland from climate change, the most pressing being risks to energy and communications infrastructure due to extreme winds.
Transcribe →
AI as the Operating System: Inside bunq's AI-Native Approach to Fintech
3w ago00:27:46Tap to summarizeWhile the conversation around AI often centers on automation and efficiency, the real opportunity lies in AI’s ability to act as a decision-making layer. In this episode of One Vision podcast, Theodora Lau hosts Bianca Zwart, Chief Strategy Officer at bunq, to unpack what it truly means to be AI-native. For bunq, AI isn't a feature bolted onto an existing model. It's the operating system. Bianca shares how bunq's obsession with the user experience drives every technology decision. The conversation also explores what's next for agentic AI — and why the future isn't about AI taking over, but about making users smarter supervisors of their own financial lives.Plus: bunq's bold move into the US market, the needs of the people navigating life on both sides of the Atlantic, and why Bianca believes trust — not technology — is ultimately the only thing that matters.📍Hot take: “... the first question that you always need to answer is, what is in it for the user?”📍Hot take: “You can copy features. But you cannot copy DNA (of a company).”00:00 Welcome and Introductions00:47 Why bunq Is AI Native03:42 Meet Finn GenAI Platform08:26 US Expansion Strategy13:00 User First AI Mindset18:39 Privacy Trust and Transparency22:10 AI Fraud Prevention Journey24:11 What Keeps Bianca Going27:20 Closing and FarewellKeywords: AI, Fintech, User Experience, Banking Industry, User Centricity, GenAI, AI Ethics, AI in Banking, FraudMore about our guest 🌐Bianca Zwart on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bianca-zwart/ More about our host and One Vision Podcast 🌐Theodora Lau on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theodoralau/ 🌐Banking on (Artificial) Intelligence (book): https://www.bankingonaibook.com/ 🌐Unconventional Ventures (company): https://www.unconventionalventures.com/ 🌐Listen to all One Vision Podcast episodes by visiting: https://shows.acast.com/one-vision **
Transcribe →
It’s still a very people centric business Bharat Sharma, founder and CEO of Apex
3w ago00:30:04Tap to summarizeBharat Sharma, is the founder and CEO of Apex, and he spent over a decade building complex B2B commerce platforms through Monsoon Consulting, gaining firsthand insight into the recurring operational challenges mid-market merchants face. Some of those challenges, such as manual and fragmented processes involving multiple buyers, layered approval, and strict financial controls, could not be solved with traditional B2C platforms, and this was when he noticed a pattern in B2B commerce platforms and why B2C tools are not fit to meet their challenges. Bharat also noticed that almost 65% of B2B executives reported that B2B online commerce is "broken" due to poor data, inefficient processes, and an inability to meet B2C-like convenience standards. Noticing these patterns across multiple projects, and this inspired him to create Apex, a purpose-built platform that addresses these pain points at scale. I recently caught up with Bharat and he spoke to me about his background, what Apex does, the challenges of B2B commerce and more.More about Apex:Apex is an out-of-the-box ready B2B eCommerce product for manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers. Apex knows B2B e-commerce is hard which is why it makes it easy, providing everything you need, from pricing and quoting to self-serve dashboards. It is ready to go out of the box, so you can focus on growth, not setup.
Transcribe →
Choices chances changes Caroline O’Driscoll, co-founder I Wish
4w ago00:26:25Tap to summarizeI Wish is a multi-award-winning programme dedicated to driving the power of STEM to female students in Ireland and across the globe. I Wish brings STEM education to life in a high-energy, fun space, igniting a flame in the minds of girls.In the past 12 years, I Wish has engaged with 65,988 girls. 23,365 girls have shared their voices through the annual surveys to date. Initiatives include showcase events. To find out more about iWish I spoke to Caroline O’Driscoll the co-founder of I WishCaroline talks about her background, What I Wish does, STEM, gender bias, the speakers at this year I Wish event and more,More about Caroline O’Driscoll:As well as being the co-founder of I Wish, Caroline is a Corporate and International tax partner with Deloitte Ireland focused on the technology sector. Caroline is an Adjunct Professor in the College of Business and Law at University College Cork (UCC). Caroline is a former member of the gender balance advisory group for the Department of Education to achieve better gender balance in STEM education at the post-primary level. Caroline has held a number of board positions in the not-for-profit and charity sector.
Transcribe →
From iPhone to AI-Native Banking: Rethinking Customer Journeys, Platform Strategy, and Human Value in a Tech-Driven World
Apr 1900:45:25Tap to summarizeIn the ever-evolving world of digital banking, understanding the shifts and trends is crucial for industry practitioners and innovators. In this episode of One Vision, Theodora Lau hosts Dharmesh Mistry and Dave Wallace to explore the transformative moments in banking and fintech over the past decade, the impact of technology on the financial services industry, and the future of work. They discuss the rise of 5G, smartphones, digital banking, and the need for industry revaluation to adapt to rapid technological convergence.00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome02:20 The Game Changers and Misreads11:57 The Role of Fintechs and Neobanks21:24 The Future of Banking: A New Paradigm32:16 Rethinking Banking for the Future34:09 AI Native Banking37:03 Jobs and the Human Contribution 📍Hot take: “ We've had a new layer of financial services by the fintechs … and we totally overestimated the impact of these new players to the existing players.”📍Hot take: To create a better industry industry. It doesn't have to be FinTech completed. It's. Destroying banks. It doesn't have to be banks, completely destroying newcomers. There are so much, there's so much room for us to all play together to create a better ecosystem for all of us. Keywords: AI, FinTech, Digital Banking, Financial Services, Disruption, Future of Work, 5G, Banking InnovationMore about our guests 🌐Dave Wallace on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davejvwallace/ 🌐Dharmesh Mistry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dharmesh-mistry-b81207/ 🌐Demystify Podcast on Fintech Futures: https://www.fintechfutures.com/keyword/demystify-podcast More about our host and One Vision Podcast 🌐Theodora Lau on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theodoralau/ 🌐Banking on (Artificial) Intelligence (book): https://www.bankingonaibook.com/ 🌐Unconventional Ventures (company): https://www.unconventionalventures.com/ 🌐Listen to all One Vision Podcast episodes by visiting: https://shows.acast.com/one-vision #AI #Fintech #FutureOfWork #BankingIndustry #DigitalTransformation #5G
Transcribe →
AI is able to do lots of things now Sean O’Grady, Lead Learning Designer and Deputy AI Futurist at the IDEA Lab, Imperial Business School
Apr 1400:37:09Tap to summarizeAs AI is becoming more common place and innovative, new uses are being found for it. Higher education for example could benefit from the implementation of bespoke AI chatbots. One person who knows all about this is Sean O’Grady, Lead Learning Designer and Deputy AI Futurist at the IDEA Lab, Imperial Business School. The IDEA Lab is developing tailor-made, course-specific AI avatar lecturers that act as digital twins to several of Imperial’s teaching professors. A key strength of the avatars is that they can provide students with real-time specialist knowledge, regardless of geographical distance or time zone differences (in the case of online courses. I recently caught up with Sean and he spoke to me about his background, AI, bespoke AI chatbots, and more.More about Sean O’Grady:As Lead Learning Designer in the IDEA Lab, Sean collaborates with faculty, academic and programme management and media to design and evaluate online programmes within the business school, primarily the Global Online MBA (GMBA). Sean explores how technology can be used to create impactful learning experiences while maintaining a pedagogy first approach to my work.
Transcribe →
The word cloud is in our name Glenn Weinstein, CEO Cloudsmith
Apr 700:32:46Tap to summarizeNorthern Ireland is a launchpad for thriving startups, and one startup that has done very well is Belfast based Cloudsmith. Back in March they had an oversubscribed Series B which raised £18m from key investors. To find out more about Cloudsmith and the startup scene in Belfast I caught up with Glenn Weinstein the CEO of Cloudsmith.Glenn talks about his background, what Cloudsmith does, Belfast, Unix, open source libraries and more.More about Cloudsmith:Made with love in Belfast and trusted around the world. Cloudsmith is the fully-managed solution for controlling, securing, and distributing software artifacts. Led by industry veterans united by a common passion to make it easier for software teams to do their jobs well. They are building the future of the software supply chain.
Transcribe →
Neobanks, Subscriptions, and Trust: Who Can Win in the U.S. Market?
Apr 200:28:34Tap to summarizeWith a record number of companies vying for US bank charters, it’s crucial to understand the driving forces behind this surge. The regulatory environment is more welcoming than ever, allowing fintechs to innovate and meet the needs of consumers who feel underserved by traditional banks. But it's not just about quantity; it’s about quality. In a saturated market, how can these new entrants provide real value that stands out? It's all about solving real problems and creating unique offerings that resonate with consumers. Keep an eye on companies that understand the nuances of the market and can adapt their strategies. What’s your take? Tune in and hear the take from Tiffani Montez and David Penn, in the latest episode of One Vision Podcast, hosted by Theodora Lau.00:00 Underserved Banking Opportunity14:44 Life Stage Subscriptions15:54 Niche Neobanks Strategy16:28 Who Will Win18:21 Incumbents Reaction20:09 Pressure To Modernize21:25 Rethinking Bank Models22:33 Trust And Charters24:36 Next 12 Months OutlookHot take: “We don’t need more banks. We need better banks.” Tiffani MontezHot take: “The sky is getting darker.” David PennKeywords: Fintech, Financial Inclusion, Neobank, Open Banking #Fintech #neobank #AI #Financialinclusion More about our guests 🌐Tiffani Montez on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffani-montez-b794283/ 🌐David Penn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-penn-25431313/ More about our host and One Vision Podcast 🌐Theodora Lau on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theodoralau/ 🌐Banking on (Artificial) Intelligence (book): https://www.bankingonaibook.com/ 🌐Unconventional Ventures (company): https://www.unconventionalventures.com/ 🌐Listen to all One Vision Podcast episodes by visiting: https://shows.acast.com/one-vision **
Transcribe →
People opening their minds to remote working for the first time, John Brady CEO and Co-Founder Bowsy
Mar 3100:37:09Tap to summarizeBack in 2020 I had John Brady CEO and Co-Founder of Bowsy on the Irish Tech News podcast. John had just launched Bowsy during Covid and since then Bowsy has grown and are launching a new service powered by AI. John is back on the podcast to talk about what’s happened since we last spoke and the new AI powered service launching in April.. John talks about apprenticeships, careers advice, remote working, AI, more women in stem and more.More about Bowsy:Bowsy is an AI-powered talent assessment and early careers platform that helps organisations identify, assess and recruit high-potential talent more effectively. Our platform combines AI-driven profiling with real-world project assessments to improve hiring decisions across graduate recruitment, early careers programmes and specialised workforce assessments such as driver capability.based on real-world business challenges.Bowsy helps organisations move beyond traditional CV screening and recruitment channels by providing a data-driven approach to identifying candidate potential, motivation and role fit.
Transcribe →