TechVibe Pittsburgh

What if your brand isn't really your logo, your tagline or even your product features? In this episode of TechVibe, Jonathan Kersting hangs out with Carlos Tribino of The Machine for a fired-up conversation on what truly builds lasting brands: story, belief, authenticity and the emotional glue that turns customers into fans. Carlos brings serious global branding chops to the conversation, with exp...

What happens when vintage race cars, Pittsburgh streets and one of the region's most beloved summer traditions all converge at full throttle? Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix Executive Director Dan Del Bianco joins Mike Broeker of Bedford Management Partners to preview another action-packed year of racing, car shows and automotive camaraderie. They detail the return of the full Schenley Park course,...

Can AI help you build software faster without leaving your business swinging from a technological tree branch? Adam Wynne, founder of Pittsburgh-based Wynne Technologies, joins TechVibe to explain how his APES methodology, short for  AI Project Engineering with Specs , takes AI-powered development beyond flashy demos and turns promising ideas into secure, scalable, production-ready products. Wynne...

What happens when outside investors begin placing major bets on Pittsburgh's AI founders, ideas and talent? On this episode of TechVibe , Pittsburgh Technology Council President and CEO Audrey Russo joins Jonathan Kersting to unpack a remarkable wave of AI investment sweeping across the region. From $50 million raises for Gray Swan and Sooth Labs to the continued growth of ProfitMind, Gecko Roboti...

Allegheny Health Network President Mark Sevco is helping shape one of the most important conversations in Western Pennsylvania: how health care evolves in a time of rapid technology change, financial pressure and growing community need. In this episode of TechVibe Radio, Jonathan Kersting and Audrey Russo recap Sevco's recent Pittsburgh Technology Council Breakfast Briefing, where he shared his jo...

Plug in and turn it up. The debut episode of TechVibe's  AMP'd Pittsburgh kicks off with Paul Heffernan of Clark Testing, a company proving that some of the world's most critical products are tested, validated and battle-hardened right here in the Pittsburgh region. Host Jonathan Kersting goes inside Clark Testing's Jefferson Hills campus, where giant shake tables, seismic simulations, structural...

Want some amazing business-building insights to crack the Inc. 5000?  Jonathan Kersting of the Pittsburgh Technology Council and TechVibe sits down with Dan Desko, founder of Echelon Risk + Cyber, to talk about the company's rapid growth and Inc. 5000 ranking at  #433 . Desko explains Echelon as a full-service cybersecurity firm offering professional and managed services, including governance, ris...

What happens when AI moves beyond buzzwords and starts helping pharmacists get critical medications to patients faster, safer and more accurately? On this episode of TechVibe Radio , we welcome LiAna Tschen, VP of Platform Operations at SoftWriters , and Danielle Greer, VP of Product , to explore how the Pittsburgh-based company is bringing intelligent automation into long-term care pharmacy. Soft...

It is not every day you get to sit down with someone helping shape the future of health care across Western Pennsylvania. In this special TechVibe conversation, Jonathan Kersting of the Pittsburgh Technology Council talks with Mark Sevco, President of Allegheny Health Network, ahead of his upcoming Breakfast Briefing on June 11. Sevco brings deep Pittsburgh roots, decades of health care leadership...

Can food waste become one of Pittsburgh's next big innovation stories? On this episode of TechVibe, we're talking with Dylan Lew, Co-Founder of Ecotone Renewables, a Pittsburgh company turning discarded food into data, fertilizer and serious climate impact. Ecotone's Zeus biodigesters are built inside reused shipping containers, powered by smart automation and designed to transform food scraps int...

What happens when 21 startups spend five months getting sharpened, challenged and prepared for the real world? Innovation Works' AlphaLab Demo Day is back for the first time since COVID, and TechVibe takes you inside the room where Pittsburgh's next wave of startups stepped into the spotlight. Hear from Aaron Tainter on how AlphaLab helps founders de-risk their businesses, sharpen their go-to-mark...

What if the best seat for the 2026 FIFA World Cup isn't in the stadium, but right on your couch? In this episode of TechVibe, Jonathan Kersting talks with Vito Forlenza, VP of Sports and Entertainment at Comcast, and Kelly Wright, Director of Sports Marketing at Comcast, about how Xfinity is preparing to turn World Cup viewing into a full-on immersive experience. With the largest World Cup ever ki...

Artificial intelligence is racing into every corner of business, but too many organizations are still treating it like a shiny productivity toy instead of a serious cybersecurity and business-risk issue. On this episode of TechVibe Radio , Jonathan Kersting talks with Isabelle Syring and Robert Ragan of  CUSTOS IQ about how AI is changing the cybersecurity landscape, especially for companies using...

What happens when national security, advanced data technology and a culture of "people first, mission always" all collide inside one fast-moving Pittsburgh company? That is exactly what we're digging into on this episode of TechVibe  as we welcome back Damon Mathews of Qintel . The last time Damon joined us, we only scratched the surface of what Qintel is building, and we knew we had to go deeper....

Last week's Cyburgh's keynote address brought together law enforcement, legal prosecution and frontline cybersecurity perspectives to deliver a ransomware reality check rooted in action, timing and preparation. Featuring Richard Evanchec, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office; Kelly Locher, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania; and David Kane of Eth...

What if Pittsburgh held the blueprint for helping more young people become innovators in an AI-driven world, and it was built through gaming, storytelling, digital twins, and STEAM? In this episode of TechVibe Radio, we talk with Damola and Wole Idowu of TOYZ Electronics about the bold vision behind DAH Varsity AI and TOYZ STEAM. Their platform is designed to help students discover their strengths...

Is the marketing funnel dead... or has it simply mutated into something far messier? In this episode of Techvibe's Mash Up Rewind , Jonathan Kersting of the Pittsburgh Technology Council and Cooper Munroe of the Motherhood unpack one of the biggest questions facing marketers today: has the traditional funnel collapsed into a maze of search, social, AI, Reddit, reviews, referrals, and word-of-mouth...

What does it take to build a company that lasts more than three decades… and then have the courage to hand it off so it can grow even bigger? In this episode of TechVibe Radio, we sit down with Barbara VanKirk , founder of IQ Inc , to unpack a story that's been 30+ years in the making. From her early days at Westinghouse Electric Corporation to building a people-first engineering company in Pittsb...

What happens when AI is already in production, but security teams are still racing to catch up? In this episode of TechVibe, Jonathan Kersting talks with Brenasia Ward-Caldwell, Senior Security and AI Solutions Engineer at Microsoft, about her upcoming AI Security in Production panel at Cyburgh . Brenasia works with organizations across the country, helping them think through modern security strat...

What if hiring the right tech talent wasn't a gamble… but a precision-engineered system? In this episode of TechVibe Radio , we sit down with Sandesh Sukumaran, founder of Outcome Logix, to unpack how he's rewriting the rules of hiring in a world where speed, accuracy, and AI-driven insights matter more than ever. Sandesh takes us inside his "tech-enabled staffing" model, where proprietary platfor...

What happens when AI stops being a buzzword and starts helping the physical world work better? In this episode of TechVibe Fireside Chat , Jonathan Kersting sits down with Aaron Morris, Head of AI at Woolpert , to explore how one of the world's most fascinating architecture, engineering, and geospatial firms is using artificial intelligence to solve real-world problems at serious scale. You'll hea...

What happens when a nonprofit starts thinking like a high-performing tech-enabled organization? In this TechVibe/Fireside Chart conversation, we sit down with Monica Fletcher, Chief Administrative Officer of Auberle , to explore how a 75-year-old human services organization is embracing data, digital tools, and AI to better serve thousands of people across Western Pennsylvania. Fletcher shares how...

What happens when one of the country's fastest-growing product communities brings in one of product management's biggest names for a live, idea-packed showdown? You get this episode of TechVibe! Host Jonathan Kersting sits down with  Nathan Mancine , the force behind ProductCamp Pittsburgh , and Dan Olsen , author of The Lean Product Playbook , to talk about why this year's event is shaping up to...

What does it really take to get innovative technology into the hands of the people who need it most, especially when the customer is the U.S. government? In this episode of TechVibe Radio , Daniel Mihalcik of MCM Learning breaks down how his company helps bridge the gap between great engineering and real-world deployment. With roots in audio, video, and performance-based training, MCM Learning has...

For most Pittsburghers, Qintel is the company with the big sign on the North Side skyline. For their numerous federal partners across law enforcement, the intelligence community, and the Department of War, it is something else entirely: a data technology-driven threat intelligence company supporting national security to help make sense of a world full of fast-moving threats. We reached out to Damo...