Tech Bytes

Hi Greg, Mobile is the most addictive device ever-made by humans. What makes mobile commerce so effective in retaining its audience? “The winners in mobile have always been those that create ‘frictionless’ experiences. Removing the obstacles from getting the things we want - be it commerce (Amazon), food (Grubhub) or a taxi (Uber) - has become a societal trend and changed how we live our lives day to day. Previously, commerce was a scheduled, time-oriented activity, but mobile has allowed shopping to become a behavior to…

"Currently, most marketers use third-party measurement. I expect brands to increasingly take ownership of their own data (first-party measurement) using tools provided by tech companies." Tell us about your role and the team/technology you handle at Kenshoo I am leading a super talented group of Engineers building all Kenshoo products. Our Engineering organization is organized in independent full-stack development teams that continuously deliver business value to our clients. Women make up nearly 50% of our R&D…

Tell us about your role and the team/technology you handle at boost.ai. I work as Chief Data Scientist at boost.ai, a Norwegian software company specializing in conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI). My role involves developing state-of-the-art algorithms for Natural Language Processing and Natural Language Understanding, as well as managing the Machine Learning team. I’m responsible for the machine work behind-the-scenes and building the backbone of our solution. Our work ensures that any customers interacting with…

You have a long track-record of successfully working in and managing diverse Product development teams. How did you arrive at Looker and what attracted you to the BI ecosystem? A database class during my sophomore year in college inspired me to pursue a career in Data and Analytics. The idea that information can be organized and used to make rational, fact-based decisions has always appealed to me personally. I’ve been in this industry for 20+ years so long enough to know when a company is moving in the right direction.…

What inspired you to start PreciseTarget? It all started with a question: why don't all retailers personalize their e-commerce experience? The journey led me to understand that retailers have sparse data about their customers. For example, the largest non-Amazon apparel retailer averages only two items sold per customer, per year. If you only buy a sweater and a pair of socks from a merchant, it barely knows you. Compare this with Amazon, which is selling over 100 items per year to its prime customers. PreciseTarget's…

Could you tell us about your role and journey into technology? I’ve worked in technology for over 12 years but before that, my career started client-side with a creative flair as a graphic designer at IKEA. I’ve always had an interest in joining a start-up and to experience the thrill of the constant challenge. My determination led me to begin a journey into successful Silicon Valley start-ups where I headed up the EMEA Marketing division. The move from design to Marketing seemed like a very natural transition. I love…

What lead to the partnership between Crownpeak and BEACON? Darren: Crownpeak has been at the intersection of customer experience and privacy management for the past 10 years. Now, with new global regulations, such as Europe’s GDPR and the forthcoming CCPA, companies must engage with their consumers and ensure they not only agree to share their personal data but are informed enough to reasonably give consent, in order to be legally compliant. Too often though, brands are missing the need to also make this accessible, a…

How have you interacted with smart technologies like AI and Cloud-based Analytics platforms. Prior to joining KeepTruckin, I worked at Uber where I served as Senior Director of Product and Data Science, managing Machine Learning and AI, Data, Marketing systems, and Operations tooling. Prior to joining Uber, I served as Senior Director of Product Management at Cloudera. How did you start in this space? What galvanized you to start at KeepTruckin? Without exaggeration, trucking is the life-blood of our modern economy.…

How would you best describe your journey through technology? My journey through technology is based on diverse experiences. I got my start in technology shortly after electronic trading began to permeate the financial services industry, focusing first on helping to create the plumbing that connects trading floors to exchanges and ultimately working on algorithmic trading systems in their early days. Eventually, I caught the startup bug and launched a company that built regulatory compliance software for financial…

Tell us about your role and the team/technology you handle at Adobe XD. As Director of Product at Adobe, I lead the team building voice integration capabilities for the UX design platform Adobe XD. I also drive Product strategy for emerging technologies within XD. We’re building a UX design tool that will address the needs of designers not only today but in the future, so my role is focused on identifying emerging technologies that will be critical to UX design and figuring out how we introduce them to XD. Why has the…

Could you tell us about your role and the team/technology you handle at Contentstack? I am the VP of Engineering at Contentstack and lead our Engineering organization in India, which includes Product Innovation and Development, Project Management, Cloud Operations, Service Reliability, Security, QA, and docs. Our team is the innovation engine at Contentstack and uses some of the most cutting edge technologies to make Contentstack the most powerful, most trustworthy and most cherished platform for our customers. What is…

Could you tell us about your role and the team/technology you handle at DISQO? I lead the Brand Marketing efforts for DISQO, a rapidly growing consumer-first insights platform that is moving market research forward. While DISQO helps marketers and researchers-tune in and listen to audience opinions and behaviors, I serve as a microphone: defining our voice, crafting our story, and otherwise driving discovery by shining a spotlight on the amazing solutions we offer — and the people who make it possible. As I would…

Could you tell us about your role and the team/technology you handle at your company? I’m the Senior Director of Digital Marketing and Brand at Demandbase. Not only am I responsible for driving the top-of-funnel Marketing, but I’m also an Account-Based Marketing (ABM) evangelist. As a marketer at a company that offers the leading ABM platform, I am always pushing myself to innovate using our own technology to drive the business and help our customers do the same. How do you see ABM evolving with the maturity of Customer…

Could you tell us about your role and the team/technology you handle at your company? At Savings United we work alongside media houses to bring brands and shoppers together on our joint coupon platforms. We help brands achieve their business goals and help shoppers save on products from a number of verticals such as fashion, tech and more. As Partnerships Manager - US, I work with advertisers to develop tailored campaigns that drive success for all involved, while negotiating the best discounts and deals for savvy…

Could you tell us about your role and the team/technology you handle at Savings United? As Group Commercial Director at Savings United, I oversee our commercial relationships with media houses and advertisers in 13 countries, with a particular focus on the US. Together with our media partners, our joint coupon platforms help advertisers achieve their business goals and ensure shoppers find the best discounts and deals. How do you see Retail Technology (Retail Tech) evolving with the maturity of Mobile? Mobile is…

Could you you tell us about your journey into digital commerce and your role at Astound Commerce? I cut my career-teeth in the world of book clubs and direct marketing in the UK, just as Amazon began its own journey, seismically disrupting not just publishing, but every vertical it took on. Direct Marketing is the precursor to digital commerce, founded upon the principles of using customer data to build highly targeted engagement strategies, driving transactions and measurable, profitable long-term relationships. However,…

Could you tell us about your current role and the team/technology you handle at Twilio SendGrid? As VP of Industry Relations at Twilio SendGrid, I represent the company among various industry trade groups that range from the anti-abuse community, such as the Messaging, Malware, Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group (M3AAWG), to policy-focused organizations and Email Marketing forums. can has been part of the fabric and underlying growth of the internet since the first email was sent in 1971. As a result of email’s pervasive…

Could you tell us about your journey? What led you to start Identity Automation? I’ve worked in IT throughout my professional career. I previously worked for big companies like Coca-Cola, Veritas Software, Symantec, and Cray. My Co-founder Troy Moreland proposed the idea of starting our own identity and access management (IAM) consulting company in the early 2000s, which was the genesis of Identity Automation. When we initially started the company in 2004, we helped customers implement other IAM providers’ solutions,…

Could you tell us about your role and journey into Technology? I have been in the Digital Enterprise and Marketing world for over a decade now so technology has always been intertwined with my roles. My fascination and curiosity towards psychological drivers behind online interactions and what lies beneath surface-level consumer-brand engagement date back to my undergraduate years. Following a few years in the field of strategy in the agency world, my interest and involvement in data and consumer research grew. I soon…

What makes Veritone’s latest partnership with SF Giants so unique in the Digital Marketing space?  Veritone provides the San Francisco Giants with the ability to maximize the utilization and monetization of its rich media assets. By ingesting their archive content into our Cloud-based DMH (Digital Media Hub), powered by aiWARE cognition, we provide an indexed, searchable and actional media library. Now, this content is immediately available for Marketing campaigns and sponsorships, consumer experience, social media…