The Irish Tech News Podcast

In this episode of One Vision — FinTech Fuse podcast, Theodora Lau and Jas Randhawa discuss the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) and implications for agentic commerce. They explore the challenges of chargebacks, the need for regulatory clarity, and the importance of consumer independence in the evolving landscape of e-commerce. While adoption is likely to grow, major risks include consumer manipulation, monopolistic outcomes, and the amount of personal data agents may require (buying, browsing, health, and other patterns), increasing privacy and security concerns. Now is the time to engage with policymakers and advocate for regulatory clarity and for the well-being of consumers. 00:00 Welcome Back to One Vision + Introducing Jas Randhawa (StrategyBRIX)01:10 What Is the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP)? The Big Picture03:27 How UCP Works: Product Cataloging for AI Shopping Agents07:05 KYA (Know Your Agent): Identity, Authorization & Trust08:58 Chargebacks in Agentic Commerce: Who’s Liable When Things Go Wrong?12:02 Fraud Detection Breaks: Geolocation, New Signals & Re-Engineering Controls13:44 Agent Independence & Consumer Protection: Bias, Collusion, and Oversight Gaps21:28 Regulatory Clarity (or Lack Thereof): The ‘Wild West’ Phase + T&Cs Reality28:06 Time to Get Ready: Travel Use Cases, Audit Trails, and Dispute Proof33:26 Sanctions, VPNs, and High-Velocity Agent Behavior: Financial Crime Risks37:12 Are We Too Early? Will Consumers Adopt—and at What Cost?42:59 Privacy, Data Control & The Need for Neutral Standards Bodies (Wrap-Up)47:45 Final Thoughts#AI #AgenticCommerce #UCP #Agents #Fintech Hot take:  ”The amount of information this agent now needs to have about me is shocking and it scares me a little bit because you're talking about buying patterns, browsing patterns, sleeping patterns, health pattern. For this agent to be really effective, it just needs to know everything that's in my head, right? It's gonna be very effective, but that's again, a major risk because no one's watching out for the consumer.”Hot take: “ The future of this world is unfortunately not you or me. It's a lot of these younger kids, their ecosystem is a lot different. These products are being designed for them."More about our guest 🌐Jas Randhawa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randhawajas/ More about our host and One Vision Podcast 🌐Theodora Lau on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theodoralau/ 🌐Banking on (Artificial) Intelligence (book): https://www.bankingonaibook.com/ 🌐Unconventional Ventures (company): https://www.unconventionalventures.com/ 🌐Listen to all One Vision Podcast episodes by visiting: https://shows.acast.com/one-vision **

Late last year MyCelsius launched their cooling bracelet in the UK and they are planning to launch it in Ireland this year. I recently caught up with Aonghus O’Donovan the CTO and Co-Founder of MyCelsius.Aonghus spoke about his background, how MyCelsius was founded, the technology behind MyCelsius, their plans to launch the Cooling Bracelet in Ireland in 2026 and more.More about MyCelsius:MyCelsius Cooling Bracelet is a groundbreaking innovation developed to support people affected by heat and hot flushes.  At the heart of what they do, they developed one of the smallest and most powerful cooling systems in the world.Founded with the mission to close the gap in women’s health innovation, the company has designed a stylish, science-driven wearable that brings comfort, confidence and wellbeing to women. 

In this week’s One Vision Podcast, we welcome back Sandeep Mangaraj, now co-founder of Aileron Group, to discuss lessons from building a company in a crowded AI market and why AI success is more about people and process than technology. The conversation covers executives rushing into GenAI due to FOMO, the importance of starting with desired outcomes rather than applying GenAI everywhere, and why mid-market institutions may benefit from faster time-to-decision, less technical debt, and faster learning cycles. The key question is whether firms can afford the downside of waiting. And the answer is increasingly: No.00:00 Welcome Back: Meet Sandeep Mangaraj 00:55 Building Aileron: Lessons From a Crowded AI Market03:49 The AI ROI Myth: What’s Actually Being Measured?05:28 FOMO vs Outcomes: Picking the Right AI Use Cases10:09 Falling Costs & Speed of Learning12:40 Who Owns AI Outcomes and Who’s Accountable When It Breaks?14:55 Third-Party Risk: Regulators, Vendors, and Dependencies19:51 “Can You Afford to Wait?”23:02 Closing: Act With Purpose in 2026Hot take:  The barrier to AI success isn't technology, it's people and process. #AI #Fintech #GenerativeAI #DigitalTransformation

We caught up with Jana Kominek Vecerkova to learn more about the EUSPA CASSINI Challenge, which is now looking for more interesting startup space ideas for future EU launches. See more details about the project here CASSINI Challenges competition is open | EU Agency for the Space Programme Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams   (webinar on the CASSINI Challenge call).Jana is a startup ecosystem builder with over 15 years of experience in entrepreneurship, product development, and project management. At the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), she supports space ventures as part of the CASSINI initiative, helping space ventures scale, secure investment, and transform bold ideas into market-ready solutions. As a serial founder, she has launched an acclaimed tech education program and a real estate micro-investment marketplace. Earlier in her career, Jana worked in Brussels managing pan-European projects, collaborating with public and private stakeholders. She holds an MSc in European Political Economy from the London School of Economics.

Jon Neale recently joined Kahoot!, Europe’s largest edtech to expand its education and business partnerships across the UK and Ireland. Jon is an expert in scaling edtech adoption across K-12, Further Education, and Higher Education, with over two decades of experience working in edtech. He joins Kahoot! following senior roles at Quizizz and Ed Before Tech. I recently caught up with Jon to find out more about Kahoot! and edtech.Jon talks about his background, what Kahoot! does, the UK & Ireland priorities for edtech expansion right now and more.More about Kahoot!:Kahoot! already partners with industry giants worldwide such as Disney, Sanrio (makers of Hello Kitty), TED, and Wikipedia, among others. The game-based learning platform is used by 97% of Fortune 500 companies and widely used by FTSE 100 to engage workforces.

Dive into the future of wealth with AI in Asia! 🌏🚀 Join Theodora Lau on the latest episode of One Vision podcast as she chats with Yves Roesti, Managing Partner & CEO Synpulse Group, about how AI is transforming the industry across APAC. From cultural nuances to regulatory challenges, they explore the intricate balance of human touch and technology, the unique challenges and opportunities in the region, the vision behind OpenWealth Association, and how AI impacts the future of consulting and wealthtech. 📍Hot take:“I actually think that junior consultants are uniquely positioned to be supercharged by the AI movement. The question to ask is, what skills do you need to have, in order to thrive in an AI-enabled world?  Being resilient, being creative, asking the right questions, being curious, and having empathy and having interpersonal skills.” Episode highlights  00:00 - Introduction and Welcome02:21 - AI Trends in APAC vs. US11:56 - OpenWealth Association18:00 - Future of Consulting with AI24:11 - Contrarian Views on AI 30:58 - Concluding Thoughts#AI #Fintech #WealthTech #Asia More about our guest 🌐Yves Roesti on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yves-roesti/ More about our host and One Vision Podcast 🌐Theodora Lau on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theodoralau/ 🌐Banking on (Artificial) Intelligence (book): https://www.bankingonaibook.com/ 🌐Unconventional Ventures (company): https://www.unconventionalventures.com/ 🌐Listen to all One Vision Podcast episodes by visiting: https://shows.acast.com/one-vision 

Numen Technologies Limited, is an Irish technology company driven by a simple but powerful principle: privacy is at the heart of everything they do, and in the modern age of AI, this is so important. To find out more about what they do I caught up with  one of their co-founders Jeethu Rao.Jeethu talks about his background, on device SLM’s, current AI, moravec paradox, Chat GPT and more.More about Numen technologies Limited: Numen technologies was founded in 2020, in Dublin, Ireland and they specialise in on-device machine learning and care deeply about privacy. They also build ML powered products that are private by default.Numen build three products that put privacy first. Private LLM is an on-device AI assistant offering fully private, subscription-free intelligence on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Slop or Not uses models trained on millions of samples, optimised for Apple Neural Engine, to detect AI-generated text and images. Clean Links strips tracking from URLs and reveals what's behind shortened links and QR codes. Everything processes locally. No tracking.

Join Theodora Lau on this new episode of One Vision — the FinTech Fuse, as she hosts Elias Kruger, Managing Principal at Long-Range AI Consulting. Elias shares his journey from his role at Wells Fargo to launching his own AI consultancy. Discover insights into the transformative potential of AI, the importance of responsible implementation, the potential impact on training, and what the future might hold. Be part of the conversation and let's shape a responsible AI future together! 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome00:38 Elias Kruger's Career at a Big Bank05:06 Transitioning into Entrepreneurship07:02 AI's Impact on the Workplace11:46 The Future of AI and Responsible Use22:32 Hopeful Innovations in AI📍Hot take: You can't beat competition by simply cutting your staff. You have to innovate with AI, you have to grow with AI.#AI #FinTech #FutureOfWork #Innovation #ResponsibleAI #BankingOnAI #DigitalTransformation Find Elias Kruger on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekruger1/ Find Theodora Lau on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theodoralau/ 🔗 Theo’s latest book: Banking on (Artificial) Intelligence: https://www.bankingonaibook.com/ 🔗 About Unconventional Ventures and the One Vision Podcast: https://www.unconventionalventures.com/ 

Founded by Stefan George, Martin Köppelmann, and Friederike Ernst, Gnosis, a web 3.0 company  has grown from a shared vision into a leading force in building open, community-driven systems. What began as an experiment in decentralised prediction markets evolved into a foundational ecosystem for coordination and governance. A decade on, Gnosis continues to demonstrate how DAO-governed infrastructure can create systems that are more transparent, resilient, and stable than centralised alternatives. By seamlessly integrating governance, payments, and blockchain infrastructure, Gnosis sets the standard for leadership and innovation in decentralised finance.I recently caught up with Friederike Ernst to find out more about a decentralised web 3.0.Friederike talks about her background, web 3.0, social media, crypto and more. More about Gnosis:As the world’s biggest banks and financial institutions have adopted and invested in blockchain, Gnosis’ renewed strategy and brand is driven by the belief that centralised financial institutions building on blockchain isn’t proof that the technology has value - it’s proof that institutions are trying to contain it. Instead, they plan to activate the new brand in a series of marketing campaigns to highlight that true progress in DeFi means that users, not intermediaries, hold the keys and reap the rewards of blockchain’s role in financial solutions.

🌟 New episode alert! One Vision — FinTech Fuse is back with a power-packed conversation with Jody Bhagat, North America President at Engine by Starling. We talk about the critical role of technology in transforming banking operations and delivering exceptional customer experiences. Whether you're grappling with legacy systems or eyeing the cutting-edge of AI, Jody's insights offer valuable guidance on modernization strategies and the transformative potential of technology. Check out this engaging discussion to learn how this dynamic industry can be both vital and cool! 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome01:39 Understanding Engine by Starling04:43 Challenges and Opportunities in the US Market06:13 The Importance of Modern Technology in Banking13:58 AI and Its Impact on Banking21:38 Strategies for Bank Transformation26:31 Looking Ahead: The Future of Banking29:46 Conclusion and Farewell📍 Hot take: Most banks and credit unions are spending 70 to 80% of their IT spend just on maintaining their legacy core, and it's providing little or no differentiation.#DigitalTransformation #AI #FinTech Find Jody Bhagat on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/digitalbusinessgrower/ Find Theodora Lau on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theodoralau/ 🔗 Theo’s latest book: Banking on (Artificial) Intelligence: https://www.bankingonaibook.com/ 🔗 About Unconventional Ventures and the One Vision Podcast: https://www.unconventionalventures.com/

ServiceNow is one of the world’s biggest SaaS and digital transformation companies is ServiceNow. When their Chief Experience Officer Amy Lokey was recently in Dublin, I caught up with her to find about what her job entails and how AI is being used by ServiceNow.Amy talks about customers user experience, how ServiceNow has embraced AI, how AI has influenced how ServiceNow use CRM’s and more.More about ServiceNow:ServiceNow helps organisations connect AI, data, and workflows on one platform. Work works better for everyone across every corner of the business. Their AI platform delivers apps that predict issues, automate processes, and make time for people-powered innovation.

International Rose of Tralee and apprentice electrical engineer Katelyn Cummins has been announced as one of the first headline speakers for I Wish 2026, as the organisation continues to showcase applied STEM at its re-imagined I Wish Festival, taking place on 5 February 2026 at the RDS Dublin. To find out more about I Wish, I spoke to Caroline O’Driscoll, Co-Founder of I Wish.Caroline talks about background, what I Wish does, stem and more.More about I Wish:As technologies such as artificial intelligence continue to reshape design, builds and innovation, the 12th annual I Wish will place a strong emphasis on applied STEM skills and future-ready career pathways for females. This includes a new dedicated Construction Zone, delivered in partnership with the Construction Industry Federation (CIF). The zone will provide hands-on demonstrations; insight into apprenticeships and engineering pathways; and direct engagement with women working across this evolving sector.Almost 4,000 female teenage students from across the island of Ireland will attend the 12th annual I Wish Festival for an immersive, experience-led programme designed to build confidence, curiosity and awareness of real-world STEM careers. Registration is still open at iwish.ie/tickets.

🚀New Episode Alert! 🎙️Dive into the world of FinTech with our latest episode of One Vision — the FinTech Fuse. Join Theo and our guest Alex Jimenez, the OG of FinTech OG, as they explore the major themes for 2026 from innovation to governance, as AI and M&A take center stage. Explore how money movement might become ‘invisible’. Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion on the future of AI, digital transformation, and the evolving landscape of the banking industry.00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome00:51 Reflecting on 2025: Key FinTech Trends03:22 AI in FinTech: Current State and Future Prospects04:09 Challenges and Considerations in AI Implementation13:27 The Evolution of Banking Industry23:34 Looking Ahead: 2026 and Beyond📍 Hot take: “When you start thinking about the daily experience of digital banking for retail customers … the next wave is conversational.”#AI #FinTech #DigitalTransformation #BankingOnAI #BankingIndustry Find Alex Jimenez on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralexjimenez/ Find Theodora Lau on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theodoralau/ 🔗 Theo’s latest book: Banking on (Artificial) Intelligence: https://www.bankingonaibook.com/ 🔗 About Unconventional Ventures and the One Vision Podcast: https://www.unconventionalventures.com/

The tech skills gap is ever worsening in Ireland, with even large firms struggling to compete with multinationals to snaffle the best professionals. One person who knows all about this is Gillian Whelan, Managing Director and Country Manager of Emagine Ireland. Gillian has tackled the challenge of accessing specialised tech skills with a model she calls ‘Bestshoring’,  bringing together bespoke, global teams for each project, using the best people from the right locations, at the right cost. In other words, building a custom ‘Avengers dream team’ of global experts. I recently caught up with Gillian.Gillian talks about her background, fixing Ireland’s devastating tech skills gap, the need for security by design and more.More about Gillian Whelan:Since joining Aspira in 2017 as a Senior Executive, Gillian has made a significant impact on the business, progressing to head up the very successful Project Management Training Practice within the company. She was subsequently promoted to Chief Commercial Officer in late 2021 and became the natural choice for the leading role, as the consultancy evolves and grows through its strategic partnership with Emagine. Gillian then took over from former Ireland MD Peter Ryan. 

In this episode of One Vision — FinTech Fuse, we took a deep dive into Walmart with Finovate’s very own Julie Muhn. We started with Walmart's bold move to apply for an ILC charter in 2005, their foray into fintech with OnePay, and the wide array of services they now provide beyond retail. The conversation explored Walmart’s integration of emerging technologies like AI and agentic commerce, as well as potential future developments and implications for traditional banks in retaining customer loyalty and trust in an increasingly digital financial landscape.00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome01:07 Walmart's Evolution in Financial Services02:43 Walmart's Super App Ambitions03:41 Walmart's Diverse Service Offerings07:15 Challenges and Limitations of Walmart's App11:01 Agentic Commerce and Future Prospects18:31 Behavioral Data and Consumer Trust26:23 Conclusion and Final Thoughts📍Hot take: (Referring to Walmart) They don't just have financial data, they have behavioral data. 📍Hot take: The banking relationship or relationships will be secondary as the AI kind of chooses which payment method to use. #Walmart #Fintech #AI #AgenticCommerce Find Julie Muhn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julieschicktanz/ Find Theodora Lau on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theodoralau/ 🔗 Theo’s latest book: Banking on (Artificial) Intelligence: https://www.bankingonaibook.com/ 🔗 About Unconventional Ventures and the One Vision Podcast: https://www.unconventionalventures.com/ 

OpenAI’s new Sora reached approximately 627,000 downloads on iOS in its first week but the milestone quickly turned sour as deepfake videos of celebrities, historical figures, and copyrighted characters flooded social media. Families of Robin Williams and Martin Luther King Jr. have condemned the unauthorised AI re-creations, while studios and estates demand OpenAI protect likeness rights. One person who is well placed to talk about this is Ken Jon Miyachi the Co-Founder of BitMind, a deepfake detection company focusing on social platforms. I recently caught up with Ken and he spoke about his background, deepfakes, AI, social media and more.More about BitMind:BitMind is dedicated to the future of trustworthy, scalable AI. they are building an orchestration layer that accelerates the deployment of AI models across decentralised networks, empowering developers to contribute to groundbreaking projects like Bittensor Subnet 34—the world’s first decentralised deepfake detection system and a keystone of their mission. Through their open-source subnet and API,  BitMind power a suite of applications that deliver unmatched detection fidelity for AI-generated content from social media, search engines, and image hosting platforms, showcasing the transformative potential of decentralised AI.

In this episode of One Vision, Theo hosts Amanda Estiverne-Colas, Director of Payments Practice at Perficient. Amanda shares her journey in financial services, focusing on financial inclusion and fairness by design, as well as the importance of empathy in banking. They also touch on the challenges and opportunities within the financial ecosystem, the need to adapt to changing consumer needs, in order to build a more inclusive future.00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome01:25 Amanda's Journey in Financial Services05:39 Empathy and Financial Inclusion06:33 Challenges and Opportunities in FinTech12:19 Global Perspectives and Innovations19:31 Consumer Protection 24:02 Closing Thoughts📍Hot take: “We're focused on automation and efficiency, have we lost the art of relationship building?”📍Hot take:  ”If self-regulation works, then why did we introduce new rules in the last decade or so?” #AI #Fintech #FinancialInclusion #Empathy Find Amanda Estiverne-Colas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-e-37061b28/ Find Theodora Lau on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theodoralau/ 🔗 Theo’s latest book: Banking on (Artificial) Intelligence: https://www.bankingonaibook.com/ 🔗 About Unconventional Ventures and the One Vision Podcast: https://www.unconventionalventures.com/

Halo, the world’s first AI-powered equine performance predictor and insurance platform, launched late last year, redefining how risk is measured and managed in the bloodstock industry. Its insurance capabilities have been developed in conjunction with leading reinsurance broker, Guy Carpenter, and underwriter, Markel. Unlike traditional offerings, Halo integrates real-time predictive analytics with embedded, flexible cover to deliver protection that finally matches how the industry actually operates. I caught up with Neil Sands the Founder of Halo.Neil talks about his background, what Halo does, predicting the horses value, AI and more.More About Halo:Halo is an AI-driven insurtech platform designed for the equine industry. By combining predictive analytics, performance modelling, and embedded insurance, Halo delivers real-time risk insights and tailored protection for horse owners, trainers, and insurers. Its proprietary AI agent, Hailey, provides advanced sales, breeding, and race planning recommendations, making Halo the new intelligence layer for bloodstock. Halo is part of the Fox Design venture studio.

As AI becomes more prominent in our daily lives, it is also reshaping the cybersecurity landscape. So how do Irish  organisations and businesses build a stronger resilience against emerging threats? To find out more about this I spoke to Ivor Buckley Field CTO at Dell Technologies Ireland & Northern Ireland.Ivor talks about his background, multi-cloud, AI, cyber resilience and more.More about Dell Technologies:Dell Technologies is a global team united under a single purpose: to drive human progress through the power of technology. Through AI-powered automation and intelligence, their services help you enhance your IT and end user experiences to maximise innovation end-to-end.

In today’s fast-paced digital world, the way we interact with organizations continues to evolve. In this episode of One Vision — FinTech Fuse, Theo sits down with Charles Oligbo, founder and CEO of Sawport. They discuss how Sawport is filling a gap in the banking experience with virtual branches, enabling customers to engage with their financial institutions without the need for physical visits while still maintaining the personal touch and security needed in today’s world. Banking should be accessible to everyone, anytime, and anywhere. How important is accessibility in banking for you? And what features would you like to see in your experience next? #AI #VirtualBanking #Innovation #CX #DigitalTransformation #BankingTechnology #FinTech  📍Hot take:  Why don't we just take the branch and put it right at their fingertip where they can do everything without having to step out of their house? 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome00:36 Inspiration Behind Sawport01:34 Virtual Branch and Target Market07:33 Challenges and Future Capabilities13:08 Future Vision and AI IntegrationFind Charles Oligbo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesoligbo/ Find Theodora Lau on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theodoralau/ 🔗 Theo’s latest book: Banking on (Artificial) Intelligence: https://www.bankingonaibook.com/ 🔗 About Unconventional Ventures and the One Vision Podcast: https://www.unconventionalventures.com/