Tech Inspired

Robots aren’t coming “someday",  they’re already building the world around you.   In this final episode of our Tech Inspired Physical AI & Robotics series, Andie Zhang joins Priska Burkard for a grounded, eye-opening conversation on the real future of robotics - beyond the viral humanoid headlines.   From collaborative robots assembling your everyday products to AI-powered automation transform...

What if AI didn’t just think, but also moved, learned and worked alongside us?   In this episode of Tech Inspired, Yulia Sandamirskaya joins Priska Burkard to unpack the next frontier of innovation: Physical AI and cognitive robotics.   Essentially it is about what happens when intelligence leaves the screen - and enters the real world.   Yulia has spent her career building at the intersection of...

What if AI success isn’t about better tech - but better thinking?   In this episode of Tech Inspired, Nina Habicht joins Priska Burkard to challenge the way we approach AI - from the inside out.   The idea is that most AI projects don’t fail because of the technology, they fail because people were never brought along for the journey.   Nina has been building in AI long before the recent hype - lau...

Everyone’s talking about AI. But how many actually understand what’s behind it?   In this episode of Tech Inspired, Priska Burkard sits down with Sonja Angehrn - AI lecturer at OST and former industry leader - to unpack what it really means to become AI-ready in today’s world.   Because the truth is that AI didn’t just appear overnight, and upskilling isn’t about learning prompts - it’s about unde...

AI isn’t just for tech teams anymore. So why are so many people still on the sidelines?   In this episode of Tech Inspired, Priska Burkard sits down with Fabienne Lorenz, a leadership and learning expert with 15+ years of experience at the intersection of technology, business, and people development.   We are living through a major shift - AI has moved from niche to necessary, from specialist tool...

AI upskilling is broken. Too much tool talk, not enough human design. In this episode of  Tech Inspired , Priska Burkard sits down with  Chantelle Larsen  to unpack one of the most urgent questions in tech right now: how do we upskill for AI in a way that is actually useful, ethical, and built to last? Chantelle cuts through the hype. As Founder and CEO of Systematic-X and a Chief Human & AI O...

Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs start with someone simply taking a chance on you. When no one would hire her without experience, Yeliz Obrist didn’t give up - she got creative. Today, she’s leading cloud platform and architecture at NatWest, building systems that power a global private bank. But the road here? Anything but straight.   In this episode of Tech Inspired, Priska Burkard sits down...

 Turning Imposter Syndrome into a Tech Superpower   What happens when the path you planned doesn't pan out - yet leads you somewhere better? In this episode of Tech Inspired, we meet Intissar “Inti” Ghozlani, a back-end software engineer at Swiss digital bank Alpian. She’s reshaping how we think about women in tech - and showing that confidence isn't a requirement to start, it's a result of stayin...

You don’t need to code to lead in AI. You need to translate. And Afke Schouten is building the bridges where others see barriers.  In this episode of  Tech Inspired , Priska Burkard sits down with Afke - Founder and Managing Partner of  AI Bridge  - to explore how she turned frustration with miscommunication into a business model that’s helping companies unlock real ROI from AI. From her unconvent...

Tech wasn’t on her radar - until she discovered how it connects with the things she already loved. Catherine Kosten started out painting, drawing and sculpting, not coding algorithms. Now? She’s Head of AI at a Zurich-based law firm, helping legal teams understand and integrate powerful tools like large language models - safely and smartly. 🎯 In this episode of Tech Inspired, Priska sits down wit...

Tech Inspired with Alexandra Grozea    On this episode of Tech Inspired, the Managing Director of TechFace, Priska, sits down with Alexandra Grozea, Partner Solution Sales Lead for Data & AI at Microsoft , as she shares her unexpected - and empowering - journey into tech. From teaching in a classroom to driving innovation at global giants like HP, IBM, and Microsoft, Alexandra’s path is anythi...

Engineering the Future: Dona’s Journey in Robotics  How do you go from dreaming of teleportation as a child to leading a robotics team building the  eyes and brains  of autonomous machines? In this episode of  Tech Inspired , Priska sits down with  Dona , the  Robotic Systems Team Lead  at   Sevensense Robotics , to talk about her incredible journey from Romania to Berlin and Oxford, from aerospac...

Shaping Robotics, Building Communities, and Thriving in Tech In this Tech Inspired episode, Priska sits down with Kateryna Portmann , Senior Product Manager at ⁠ANYbotics⁠ and co-lead of Women in Robotics Switzerland to talk through her groundbreaking work in robotics as well as championing inclusivity in tech. What you’ll love about this episode: Finding Her Path: How Kateryna transitioned from b...

Bridging Business and Tech: Ravina’s Story   In this exciting episode of  Tech Inspired , host Priska sits down with Ravina Mutha, co-founder of Enterprise Bot, about her inspiring journey into the tech world. From navigating challenges to scaling a global team, Ravina shares how curiosity, adaptability, and collaboration helped her transform from a non-tech founder to a leader in conversational A...

Let's Talk About Allyship!  In this special episode of  Tech Inspired , we bring you the  thought-provoking   closing panel from the  #wetechtogether conference 2024 , which focused on the powerful theme of allyship. This year’s edition, held on 27 -28 September in Zurich, gathered industry leaders, researchers, and advocates to discuss one of the most pressing issues in the tech world today: how...

Join us on the latest episode of Tech Inspired as Priska sits down with Martina Niggli, a passionate advocate for diversity in tech and builder of an online toolbox for conflict resolution at the workplace. Martina shares her fascinating journey from a curious child eager to learn to navigate the challenges of studying physics and eventually stepping into the tech world with experience at companie...

On this episode of "Tech Inspired," we sit down with Marion Schleifer, the Head of Developer Education at HASURA and founder of Code Blossom. Marion’s story is one of determination and passion, from her beginnings in multilingual communication to becoming a leading figure in tech education. 🚀 Key moments from the episode: Transition to Tech:  Discover how Marion transitioned from a background in...

Ready to get inspired? Join us for an electrifying episode of  Tech Inspired  where Priska sits down with the familiar to us Sinja Christiani, winner of our Hidden Figures Awards 2022! 🌟 Sinja, now the head of Data Platforms and Products at Zurich Insurance, shares her incredible journey in tech, from her early teenage fascination to becoming a leader in data analytics and leadership. Sinja is ab...

Join us on this episode of the "Tech Inspired" as we catch up with Emmanuelle David , one of the first Hidden Figures Award winners from 2020. Emmanuelle, now the Executive Director at eSpace within EPFL, has had an incredible journey over the past four years, and we're excited to dive into her story.  She discusses her current role at EPFL, where she combines her passion for sustain...

Join us on a new episode of the Tech Inspired podcast where we catch up with Anais Salson, the vibrant Head of Partnerships at 42 Lausanne and last year’s audience favourite at the Hidden Figures Award. Anais shares her unconventional journey into the tech world, from her studies in political sciences and the pivotal moments that steered her towards technology as a powerful tool for solving real-w...

Meet Viola Sini on the latest episode of the Tech Inspired podcast - Information Security Officer at the Swiss Post and a passionate volunteer for ISACA SheLeadsTech . Viola shares her unique journey from a marketing intern at IBM to a leader in cybersecurity. Discover how a background in languages and translation paved the way for her career in technology, and the events that led her to the foref...

Today’s episode of "Tech Inspired," welcomes back Akira Brand for an insightful discussion on her continued evolution in the tech industry since our initial conversation in 2022. Having transitioned from opera singing to the tech space before our first interview, Akira has since made significant strides in software engineering and cybersecurity.  Akira shares her experience moving from d...

In our latest podcast episode, we had a fascinating conversation with Solveig, a dynamic software engineer and AI enthusiast based in Switzerland. We delved into her unexpected journey into tech, the challenges she faced, and her experiences working in both big corporations and startups. Ever wondered how to break into tech without a traditional background? Solveig's advice is simple: don'...

Lerne Simona kennen, Chief Operation Officer bei Textshuttle in Zürich, ein schweizerischer Unternehmen für maschinelle Sprachübersetzung. Obwohl Simona bereits in der Schule und zu Hause bei den Eltern die ersten Erfahrungen mit Computern sammeln konnte, fehlte ihr doch der direkte Bezug zur Technologie. Dies führte dazu, dass sie sich bei der ersten Berufswahl für eine wirtschaftliche Richtung e...

Meet Kristin Umbrach, Head of Development at Swiss IC Security Group, a cybersecurity company. Kristin started her career in a very non-technical way. Although she wanted to become a marine biologist, she soon figured out that this is not the place for her. So she started studying Business Administration. She was always eager to work in an environment and with people who are ambitious so that she...