That Tech Pod is off for Memorial Day weekend so we are reposting one of our all time favorite pods. We'll be back next week!

This pod originally aired as Bonus pod on Thursday, May 19, 2022.

Laura and Gabi speak with Dr. Avi Loeb, theoretical physicist who works on astrophysics and cosmology and the Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University. Dr. Loeb is author of Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth which can be purchased here and recently wrote about the congressional hearings regarding UAPs which you can read here.

Laura and Gabi discuss all things UFOs, how the government is finally recognizing these unexplained sightings, and his research with the Galileo Project, an organization whose goal is to bring the search for extraterrestrial technological signatures of Extraterrestrial Technological Civilizations (ETCs) from accidental or anecdotal observations and legends to the mainstream of transparent, validated and systematic scientific research. This project is complementary to traditional SETI, in that it searches for physical objects, and not electromagnetic signals, associated with extraterrestrial technological equipment.

Today Laura and Kevin speak with Andrea Baur, the cofounder of Effective Energy Invest out of Munich, Germany.

Ms. Baur has over 20 years of experience advising and working directly with clients in the renewable energy sector, based in Germany—serving Europe, United Kingdom, and Asia. Ms. Baur has been an entrepreneur within this sector since 2002 with the establishment of the Kyoto Protocols; and brings an extensive track record (almost 1M MW’s in solar, wind, waste-to-energy) in sourcing, structuring, and executing transactions in the renewables space. Ms. Baur co-founded 2EINVEST Gmbh in 2012. Prior to that, she worked for four years with an Australian Fund, Castle Pines Global Equities, as it’s General Manager for Western Europe. Ms. Baur has longstanding experience in advising clients in the renewable energy sector on the global stage. Ms. Baur is a German citizen, born in Hungary, who is fluent in five languages.

Today Laura chats one-on-one with Relativity CEO Phil Saunders. They chat about Phil's origin story and his journey to Relativity including a desire to work with Andrew Sieja, the Godfather of many things eDiscovery. They discuss if eDiscovery is boring and what keeps Phil up at night. Laura gets Phil's take on Relativity being either the 800 lbs. gorilla in the room, Bruce Lee or even Wayne Gretzky. They talk about Relativity's view on AI, the Say-Do Ratio, the innovator's dilemma and Winston Churchill's cabinet position designed to get to the truth. They also chat about a new approach and framework started by a group of industry leaders, Legal Data Intelligence. Finally, they debate if pickle juice is gross (it is).

Phil Saunders joined Relativity as Chief Executive Officer in December 2022. He has more than three decades of operating experience in the technology industry. Phil has significant expertise in sectors germane to Relativity including enterprise SaaS, as CEO of both Cornerstone OnDemand and Saba Software; infrastructure technology, in roles at Oracle and Motorola; and cybersecurity, as an executive at SafeNet and Thales (formerly Gemalto). He received his bachelor’s degree from University at Albany, SUNY and his MBA from Seton Hall University.

Today Laura and Kevin speak with Aslak de Silva, the CEO of Selfly Store, where they're using the latest developments in loT, machine learning, and AI to offer smart vending machines that make grab-and-go food shopping as easy as using your home fridge. We talk about intelligent vending machines, how AI comes into play, demand-predicting machines, dynamic pricing, new solutions in the ever-evolving landscape of technological innovation. We also hear about Laura's history with office coffee and Kevin's gas station days.

Aslak de Silva has 15+ years business executive experience, specializing in future trends in unmanned retail, disrupting the home delivery markets, and the future of intelligent IoT solutions in vending. Before becoming CEO at Selfy Store, he was the CEO of Nordic Business Forum, one of the world's biggest business and leadership conferences, with 7K+ attendees annually from 50+ countries and featuring world-class speakers like Barack Obama, George Clooney, and Steve Wozniak. Selfly Stores are used by 100+ companies in 22 countries across Europe, and in 2023, Selfly Store was named among the "50 Most Innovative Companies To Watch" by CEO Views.

Today Laura and Kevin are joined by Shashwat Sehgal, the Co-Founder and CEO of P0 Security on a bonus episode. We talk about the RSA Conference next week in San Francisco. We talk about the Innovation Sandbox and P0 Security's nomination as a top 10 finalist!

We talk about Shashwat's and P0 Security's journey from the launch of your flagship product in November 2023 to being selected as a top 10 finalist for the RSAC Innovation Sandbox 2024. We hear how Shashwat envisions universal access for all identities, both human and non-human, evolving in the future and how P0 Security leverages automation. Shashwat also shares his thoughts on the current state of cloud security, and trends shaping the industry in the coming years.

Shashwat Sehgal is the Co-Founder and CEO of P0 Security. He’s spent most of his career building security and observability products for developers, DevOps, and security teams. Shashwat is passionate about solving the problem of cloud access security and helping security engineers control 'who has access to what sensitive resources' in their clouds. He enjoys playing tennis, spending time with his family, teaching his son how to play chess, and geeking out on all things security.

The RSA Conference RSA has been a driving force behind the world’s cybersecurity community. The conference is an ongoing source for timely insights, thoughtful interactions, and actionable intelligence designed to help cybersecurity professionals continually strengthen their organizations and push their careers further. The RSAC Sandbox fosters innovative advancement in multiple disciplines of cybersecurity through interactive, cutting-edge experiences.

Today Laura and Kevin chat with Frank Kyazze, the the founder and CEO of GRC Knight. We talk about the combination of AI and cybersecurity. We talk about the reauthorization of Section 702 of the FISA bill which expands the NSA's surveillance program. We talk nuke simulators and WW3, new AI laws and their impact, the Ed Sheeran/Marvin Gaye copyright lawsuit, cool new gadgets like Humaine.ai, the digital trust, the AT&T breach and the Roku breach, and Frank's new AI LLM, Francine.ai.

Frank Kyazze's career is a blend of innovation, ethics, and humanism in technology. Over the last decade, he become a leader in digital trust, covering cybersecurity, governance, risk management, compliance, privacy, and AI ethics. As the founder and CEO of GRC Knight, Frank champions strategies that protect national security and our society's infrastructure. His work spans traditional sectors to startups and venture capital, advocating for cybersecurity as a growth engine.

With certifications like CISSP, CIA, CEH, CIPP/E, CIPM, and ISO Lead Auditor, Frank's expertise is unmatched. Frank is a thought leader who connects technology's tangible aspects with its philosophical roots, offering insightful perspectives on technology, national security, and the digital economy. Frank Kyazze is not just a name in the tech industry; he is a storyteller, a philosopher in the digital age, and an architect of trust in a world that increasingly depends on it. His journey and insights offer a unique blend of depth, pragmatism, and visionary thinking, making him a compelling voice in the ongoing conversation about our digital future.

Today Kevin and Laura speak with John Conafay about space technology. We talk about John's origin story and a desire to stop human trafficking. We also share eclipse stories and why space matters to normal people (GPS, & Tinder?) and if they can really view a license plate from space. We also talk about John's company, Integrate, and its mission, why space junk matters, the Kessler effect, the movies The Mist and I.S.S. This one is a fun pod!

John Conafay is a US Air Force Veteran and the CEO and Co-Founder of Integrate, building program management software with a systems engineering approach for the world’s most ambitious machines.

Previously he was an early employee at three space unicorns – Head of BD at ABL Space Systems, was one of the first ten employees at Astranis, and Interned at Spire Global early on. He also worked at the Office of the CFO NASA Headquarters while at BryceTech and was a Director of Business Development at Spaceflight.

In this bonus pod, Kevin and Laura talk about FOIAs. You get to hear a few excerpts from the panel session Kevin moderated at the Digital Government Institute's eDiscovery, Records and Information Management Conference. Kevin was joined on stage with Michael Sarich of the VA and Michael Heise from EEOC.

As the volume of digital information continues to grow, the scope of electronic records management has expanded exponentially and is an increasingly critical issue for government agencies, particularly as it relates to providing electronic access and retrieval of government records. Key government and industry experts gathered at the 21st annual eDiscovery, Records and Information Management Conference to discuss current technology solutions/requirements, policy updates/changes and review examples of successful electronic records, FOIA and e-discovery programs.

Michael Sarich is the FOIA Director at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). He leads one of the federal government's most extensive FOIA programs, managing a team of 900+ FOIA and Privacy Act Officers dispersed across 151 facilities. Leveraging over a decade of expertise in FOIA and Privacy Policy at the VA, the Social Security Administration and the Bureau of Land Management, he specializes in navigating intricate requests, handling litigation, and ensuring rigorous regulatory compliance in FOIA. He also plays a pivotal role as the co-chair of the Chief FOIA Officer Council's Technology Committee, spearheading initiatives to revolutionize FOIA service delivery on a government-wide scale.

Michael Heise is the Attorney Advisor at Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He is an experienced FOIA analyst, and licensed attorney with a strong background in electronic discovery at all stages. He has a strong aptitude for explaining complicated legal principles in a straightforward and clear manner. He significant experience with project management and supervision after 9 years with CACI.