The CTO Show with Mehmet Gonullu

In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, we have a thought-provoking conversation with Francis Lacoste, an executive coach specializing in CTOs and VPs of engineering. Francis shares his journey from being a software engineer to taking on leadership roles at Salesforce and Heroku, and now coaching executives in scaling startups. He delves into the challenges faced by startups as they grow, par...

In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, we have the pleasure of speaking with Jean-Philippe Diel, the founder of SymbionIQ, who joins us from New Zealand. Jean-Philippe shares his fascinating journey from his early days in FMCG to his passion for technology and eventual transition into the tech industry. He describes his experiences working with major companies like Samsung and his ventures i...

In this episode of “The CTO Show with Mehmet,” Mehmet is joined by Vivek Ramachandran, the CEO and founder of SquareX, for an in-depth discussion on cybersecurity, AI, and browser security. Vivek, a veteran in the cybersecurity field with over 20 years of experience, shares his journey from working at Cisco Systems to becoming an entrepreneur and starting multiple companies, including SquareX. He...

In this episode of “The CTO Show with Mehmet,” we are joined by Brad Micklea, the CEO of Jozu. Brad shares his extensive experience in the tech industry, detailing his journey from leading the Amazon API Gateway to founding Jozu. Jozu is building what they believe is the first control plane for AI projects inside enterprises, aiming to help organizations accelerate their AI development and protect...

In this episode of “The CTO Show with Mehmet,” we are joined by Dr. Michael Proksch, Chief Scientist at AccelerEd, who shares his extensive journey from academia to the industry, focusing on AI and value creation. Dr. Proksch discusses his background in economics and how it led him to work with organizations across the globe in the fields of data and AI. He emphasizes the importance of understandi...

In this episode of “The CTO Show with Mehmet,” Mehmet welcomes Luis Garcia, co-founder and president of PETE. PETE, which stands for Personalized Education, Training, and Enrichment, provides AI-powered learning tools for workforce development. Luis shares his journey from being a programmer to taking on various roles in project management, product management, and general management, eventually le...

In this episode of the CTO Show with Mehmet, we are joined by Isar Bhattacharjee, an expert in people and organizational psychology. Isar discusses his journey and why he chose to focus on startups, especially those in rapid growth stages. He explains the evolution of HR from traditional roles to performance-focused approaches and introduces the concept of organizational debt, comparing it to tech...

In this episode of the CTO Show with Mehmet, we are joined by Jafar Shunnar, co-founder of TAP, a groundbreaking career acceleration platform based in Palestine. Jafar delves into his inspiring journey and the mission of TAP to bridge the job gap for high-potential youth in Palestine and Jordan by connecting them with global startups. He sheds light on the unique challenges faced by educated youth...

In this episode of “The CTO Show with Mehmet,” we are joined by Arnaud Lucas, the CTO of Wanderu, a small startup focused on e-commerce solutions for ground transportation in North America. Arnaud, originally from France, shares his extensive experience in the tech industry, having worked with both startups and large companies like Iron Mountain, TripAdvisor, and Wayfair before returning to the st...

In this episode of “The CTO Show with Mehmet,” host Mehmet Gonullu welcomes leadership development expert Thom Dennis. With over 40 years of experience, Thom shares his journey from serving in the Royal Marines to becoming a pioneer in leadership development and the founder of Serenity in Leadership. Thom discusses the concept of conscious leadership, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness,...

In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, guest Will Pemble, founder of PageLeap and Web.com, shares his journey from founding successful tech companies to re-entering the web hosting industry with PageLeap. Will discusses how his experiences led to the creation of PageLeap, a platform aiming to outperform current competitors in the crowded landing page market by focusing on superior speed, pre...

In this episode of “The CTO Show with Mehmet,” we delve into the fascinating world of unstructured data and its impact on the future of AI with Kirk Marple, the founder and CEO of Graphlit. With over 30 years of experience in software development, Kirk shares his journey from Microsoft to founding his own company and the vision behind Graphlit. Discover how unstructured data can unlock valuable in...

In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, we sit down with Sonia Couto, a two-time tech founder from Toronto, Canada. Sonia shares her incredible journey from working in accounting and operations to becoming a successful entrepreneur in the tech industry. She discusses the pivotal moments in her career, the importance of resilience and authenticity in leadership, and how she turned challenges i...

In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, Matt Swalley, co-founder and Chief Business Officer of Omneky, joins us to explore the transformative power of AI in marketing. Matt shares his journey from a 13-year tenure at AT&T, leading sales teams and corporate strategy, to co-founding Omneky, an AI-powered marketing platform. He discusses how Omneky leverages data and generative AI to create...

In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, we welcome Karthik Suresh, co-founder of Ignition, an AI product success platform. Karthik shares his remarkable journey from Wall Street’s high-frequency trading to product management roles at Facebook, and ultimately to co-founding Ignition. He discusses the pivotal moments that led him to focus on product management and startup growth, highlighting t...

In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, we welcome Ben Johnson, the CEO of Particle41. Ben shares his journey from being a paperboy to becoming a serial technical co-founder and leader of a technology services company. He discusses the concept of T-shaped teams, emphasizing the importance of combining deep technical expertise with broad soft skills for enhanced productivity and collaboration....

In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, we are joined by Blake Burch, co-founder and CEO of Shipyard, a modern data operations platform. Blake starts by introducing himself and explaining how his background in marketing led him to teach himself SQL and Python to overcome the repetitive tasks he faced. This journey sparked the creation of Shipyard, which simplifies data workflows by allowing u...

In this episode, Mehmet Gonullu welcomes Roshan Shah, an accomplished entrepreneur and investor, to discuss his extensive experience in Bitcoin mining, real estate investments, and strategic growth in the digital currency space. Roshan shares his journey, insights, and advice on making smart investments in the evolving world of cryptocurrency and beyond. Key Topics Discussed: 1. Roshan’s Backgroun...

In this episode, Mehmet sits down with Alexander Ponomarev, the COO of Syrve in the Middle East, to discuss the transformative role of technology in the restaurant industry. Alexander shares his journey from IT and hardware technology to food tech, emphasizing the integration of AI and automation in enhancing restaurant operations. The conversation covers key trends, challenges, and the future out...

In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, we are joined by Sam Obletz, CEO and co-founder of Claim, a rewards-based social app designed for Gen Z. Sam shares his inspiring entrepreneurial journey, starting from his early ventures in Portland, Oregon, to founding Claim and securing funding from major investors like Sequoia Capital. We delve into the motivations behind Claim, the challenges faced...

In this insightful episode of “The CTO Show with Mehmet,” host Mehmet Gonullu sits down with Ken Pomella, the CEO of RevStar, to explore the transformative power of AI for small businesses and startups. Ken shares his extensive experience in the tech industry, from his early fascination with technology to founding and growing RevStar, a company that specializes in custom AI solutions. This episode...

In this episode of “The CTO Show with Mehmet,” we dive into the fascinating journey of Edward Brawer, the visionary founder and CEO of PodcastAI. Edward shares his unique path from studying biology to becoming a tech entrepreneur, his experiences with building websites and apps for over 25 years, and how he ventured into the world of AI-driven podcasting. Discover how Edward’s innovative platform,...

In this episode of “The CTO Show with Mehmet,” we are joined by Björn Kolbeck, co-founder and CEO of Quobyte. With a rich background that includes a PhD in distributed systems, experience at Google, and a passion for high-performance computing (HPC), Björn shares his journey and insights into the world of scalable data storage solutions. Join us as we delve into the intersection of AI, HPC, and en...

In this insightful episode of "The CTO Show with Mehmet," we dive deep into the world of startup growth and scaling with Bechir Omran, the VP of Growth at Wonderflow. Bechir brings a wealth of experience from his diverse career in media, content production, rights management, e-commerce, mobile apps, travel tech, and SaaS. He shares his journey, pivotal career moments, and the strategies...

In this insightful episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, we are joined by Shanif Dhanani, founder of Locusive, an AI-powered platform revolutionizing customer success. Shanif brings a wealth of experience in software engineering, machine learning, and startups, having previously built and sold Tap Commerce to Twitter and founded Apteo, a predictive marketing company. Join us as Shanif delves into h...