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Send us a text Engineering culture is a system: incentives, habits, standards, and how decisions get made when things break. On SphereCast, host Adin Heric sits down with Krzysztof Ras to explain how to design that system from zero – and evolve it through scale across the Middle East and China. Kris breaks down what “culture” really looks like before the first engineer is hired, how the first 100 days set long-term norms, and how leadership must shift as teams grow from a handful of builders into distributed organizations. In this episode, we cover: What “culture” means before the team even existsThe first 100 days: what to prioritize (hiring, values, process, delivery)How culture is defined through daily behavior, not decksSpeed vs. stability: architecture, testing, and discipline under pressureLessons from building teams in the Middle EastWhat China’s execution pace changes about leadership expectationsLeading across languages and time zones while maintaining trust and shared valuesHow AI is reshaping engineering culture – where it helps, and where it can harm collaborationWhether you’re a founder hiring your first engineers, a CTO scaling a team, or a leader managing globally distributed development, this episode offers practical frameworks for building a culture that holds up under growth. Key Topics: engineering culture, scaling engineering teams, first 100 days, hiring and values, engineering leadership, clean architecture, testing discipline, startup vs scale-up, distributed teams, cross-cultural leadership, Middle East tech leadership, China tech leadership, AI in software development, SphereCast, Sphere Inc.

Send us a text In this episode of SphereCast, host Adin Heric sits down with Nicolas Cava — serial founder, former Zendesk engineering leader, and now a fractional CTO and executive coach helping tech teams scale without burning out. Nicolas has built startups, led engineering organizations through hypergrowth, and personally experienced burnout twice. Today, he shares practical insights on how tech leaders, CTOs, founders, and engineering managers can build sustainable systems for growth. In this episode, we cover: What burnout really looks like for engineering leadersThe subtle early warning signs most founders ignoreHow “grind culture” still shapes tech organizationsDelegation as a burnout-prevention toolLeadership habits for scaling teams 500%+How AI and uncertainty contribute to stress and “AI anxiety”Why fractional CTO roles are risingHow to stay ambitious without sacrificing wellbeingWhether you’re a founder navigating rapid scaling, a CTO managing distributed teams, or a leader struggling to balance ambition with sustainability, this episode offers actionable strategies and real-world stories to help you lead with clarity — not burnout. Key Topics: Burnout in tech, CTO burnout, engineering leadership, startup scaling, tech leadership podcast, hypergrowth teams, fractional CTO, AI anxiety, engineering management, leadership wellbeing, sustainable tech culture, avoiding burnout in startups, leadership coaching, Nicolas Cava, SphereCast.

Send us a text In this episode of SphereCast, we sit down with Wes Ezzeddine, a seasoned technology leader who’s built and scaled engineering teams across startups and growth-stage companies. Joined by Sphere’s COO and Director of Talent Delivery, Katya Savenkova, we explore what it really takes to scale tech organizations sustainably – balancing speed, quality, and culture. From knowing when to hire internally versus bringing in external experts, to identifying high performers, to keeping accountability clear across blended teams: this conversation dives deep into the real-world challenges behind rapid growth in tech. 💡 You’ll learn: How to structure scaling beyond headcount — and where most teams go wrongWhen to leverage external talent delivery to move faster without compromising qualityHow to spot and nurture true high performersHow to keep execution sharp and accountability clear as teams grow Whether you’re a CTO, COO, or founder, this episode offers practical frameworks and lessons to help you scale smarter, not just bigger. 🎧 Tune in and get insights you can put to work right away. #SphereCast #TechLeadership #TeamScaling #EngineeringManagement #AI #TalentDelivery #Sphere

Send us a text In this episode of SphereCast, host Adin Heric, Head of Marketing at Sphere, and Mario Schwartz, Director of Data and AI, sit down with Ken Pickering, Chief Technology Officer at Scripta Insights, to explore the real-world balance between innovation, risk, and responsibility in AI adoption. Ken brings decades of experience leading engineering teams at Hopper, Starburst, and now Scripta Insights, where he’s helping organizations use data and AI to transform decision-making in healthcare and beyond. Together, we dive into:  - How Ken’s leadership style evolved across fast-growth tech environments.  - The most practical, immediate use cases of AI in business today.  - The trade-off between stability and experimentation in AI-driven systems. - Building strong data governance frameworks for trustworthy AI. - How the role of the CTO is evolving as AI becomes central to every product and process. From lessons in leadership to the realities of implementing AI responsibly, this episode offers a candid look at what it really takes to lead through technological transformation. If you’re a CTO, tech founder, or business leader looking to understand how to balance AI innovation with reliability and governance — this episode is a must-listen.

Send us a text In this powerful episode of SphereCast, Adin Heric (Head of Marketing at Sphere) and Mario Schwarts (Director of Data & AI Practice at Sphere) sit down with Erika Kiely — a transformational tech leader, AI advocate, and founder of ProTechtive Strategies. From growing up in politically unstable Peru to driving AI transformation in insurance and launching her own purpose-led venture, Erika’s story is a masterclass in resilience and intentional leadership. The conversation spans AI in enterprise project management, ethical innovation, and building technology with a human lens. Erika breaks down real-world use cases from her time at American Fidelity, how she personally leveraged AI tools like ChatGPT and low-code platforms to launch her business, and why she believes AI should expand human capacity — not replace it. We also dive into global perspectives: Erika and her daughter travel the world with a mission to give back and grow. She shares how emerging tech, especially AI, can help bridge inequality and accelerate global development — and what legacy she hopes to leave behind. Whether you're a CTO, AI strategist, insurance innovator, or purpose-driven founder, this episode unpacks practical lessons on using AI at scale, building with ethics in mind, and leading through disruption. Topics covered: Resilience in leadership: Erika’s journey from Peru to tech leadershipWhy she founded ProTechtive Strategies and its missionThe role of AI in enterprise project management (insurance & regulated industries)Using AI tools (ChatGPT, automation, site builders) to launch and scale a businessEthical innovation and Erika’s vision for a national AI programAI as a force multiplier, not a replacement for peopleGlobal development, tech inclusion, and Erika’s legacyListen to this episode if you: Want to understand how AI can be used responsibly in highly regulated industriesAre building or scaling a tech-enabled business with ethical foundationsCare about global impact, inclusion, and leaving a legacy through innovationSpecial Guest: Erika Kiely — Founder of ProTechtive Strategies, Former Enterprise Tech Leader at American Fidelity Hosts: Adin Heric — Head of Marketing at Sphere Mario Schwarts — Director of Data & AI Practice at Sphere

Send us a text This SphereCast episode features Adin Heric, Head of Marketing at Sphere, in conversation with Wes Ezzeddine, Director of Engineering at Mamo Pay. Together, they unpack Wes’s journey from early-stage startup environments to leading engineering at a fast-scaling fintech company. Topics span everything from scaling tech teams in VC-backed vs. revenue-driven startups, to balancing speed with code quality, and how to report technical progress in terms business leaders actually understand. A major theme in this episode is AI integration in engineering workflows. Wes shares real-world examples of using tools like ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, and custom GenAI agents to boost productivity and decision-making. We explore what the rise of AI, from Sam Altman’s OpenAI to Google Gemini, means for the future of engineering leadership — including the skills developers need to stay relevant in a rapidly shifting landscape. Whether you're growing your startup from 0 to 1 or scaling a tech team past 100, this episode dives into the practical and strategic sides of AI implementation, team building, and navigating the next era of software development.

Send us a text In this episode of SphereCast, we sit down with Alex Ter-Zakhariants, Field CTO at Sphere, to dive deep into how artificial intelligence is transforming software development, infrastructure resilience, and the battle against technical debt. With 20+ years of experience across startups and large enterprises, Alex shares sharp, real-world insights into: Why AI can’t magically erase tech debt—but how it can accelerate clean-up when used with strong engineering fundamentalsHow to clean up messy, siloed “data swamps” and unlock the real value of AIWhy human-in-the-loop oversight is still essential when scaling AI systemsThe growing role of AIOps platforms like Dynatrace, New Relic, and Datadog in identifying bottlenecks before they break thingsThe pros and cons of today’s AI-powered developer tools such as GitHub Copilot, CodeWhisperer, Tabnine, Replit Ghostwriter, and Cursor AIThe future of intelligent CI/CD, observability, and how to build AI-ready, resilient platforms without cutting cornersWhether you’re a CTO, software architect, DevOps lead, or ML engineer, this conversation cuts through the AI hype and delivers pragmatic advice for integrating AI into modern engineering workflows. Perfect for anyone looking to stay ahead in an age where GenAI, LLMs, and AI-assisted development are fast becoming the new normal.

Send us a text This week, the SphereCast speaks with Emilia De Stasio, COO and Founder at Artscapy. The mission of Artscapy is to lower the barrier to entry into art collection. Within the platform, users can both purchase contemporary art and track the art pieces they own, including documentation and value. Artscapy is merging the worlds of fine art and complex technology — such as blockchain technology — to make the art world more welcoming to new audiences. Emilia has always had an interest in art and art collection — a common thread through a relatively uncommon career path. Emilia thought she was destined for a job as an economist and pointed her life plans in this direction. However, when economics didn’t pan out as expected and through several twists and turns, Emilia began building a business to drive traffic in the direction of that one common thread — art. For Emilia, Artscapy is a place where her passion meets tech. And on the podcast, she dives into both the passion and the technology as she reflects on her time as an entrepreneur. Noteworthy Quotes: ”Our mission is to democratize the art world — to make it accessible. To make it possible for anyone to come in and learn about art. Overcoming those initial barriers to entry. That initial intimidation.” “A key to building any sort of tech business is being in it from the beginning. Understanding what’s the backbone of the business.” “Many people who are interested in building a tech business think, ‘Okay, I need to build every single thing from scratch.’ And that’s not necessarily true. One of the key strengths of a good entrepreneur is finding out how to optimize solutions. Aggregating different solutions. Bringing in the skeletons built by others and expanding on that.” ”Working within a startup, I’ve never worked as much as I am now. But I’ve never been happier than I am now.” “Don’t get too worked up around what you think you need to be doing. Or that there’s only one path for you and that you need to pursue it ad nauseam… In life, the places where you can add the most value develop over time.” “The beauty and the curse of entrepreneurship is that no day is the same. There’s always a challenge. There’s an infinitely growing to-do list. It’s a living, breathing animal that needs love, care, sweat, tears. And that’s also the beauty of it.” “There are different routes to entrepreneurship. At the end of the day, if you can drive your business forward while also staying sane, that’s what matters.” Bullet List of Resources –  Emilia De Stasio LinkedIn Artscapy Company WebsiteInstagramLinkedIn

Send us a text This week, the SphereCast interviews Andy Bray, Chief Financial Officer at Sermo. Sermo is a social platform, connecting more than 1.3 million healthcare providers across 150 countries. This physicians-first online community allows clinicians to communicate about issues that are important to them and their patients. In no other industry is mind-share more important than healthcare, as sharing expertise can literally mean saving lives. The sum is much greater than its parts. Bray has held financial positions in various companies across many different industries — including an early run at one of the “Big 4” accounting firms. Having seen and experienced much over the course of his seasoned career, he offers a unique perspective on what makes a “good” finance department. But one prevailing attribute that spells success in a financial professional? Nosiness. On the podcast, Andy deep dives on the value of curiosity in finance, offers some insightful leadership advice, and much more. Noteworthy Quotes: ”To be a strategic CFO, you absolutely need a strong team. The most important parts of your FP&A team are the people that you have in it. And they need to have an analytical mindset and a curiosity. You need to be nosy and understand what’s going on inside of the company. To look beyond the numbers.” ”Excellence is not perfection.” ”Agility is just huge and is such a key attribute. It’s massively linked to your culture. If you want agility and to be agile, it’s important to live that culture and harness that.” ”As a leader, you have to be respectful of people’s time. You get to meetings on time. You don’t change things at the last minute. You don’t move things around… You have to put your team first.” ”As a leader, listen more than you talk. That’s key. Listen and understand different perspectives, facts, and viewpoints. And once everything has been put forward, make the right decision based on that data.” ”Don’t be afraid to make career decisions that aren’t orthodox. Everyone has a long career, and going down the route that is nontraditional is hugely beneficial. And sometimes people think it’s risky. But that risk is never as great as people fear it is.” ”As a leader, you have to be focused on what needs to be done. Especially when people are going off in many different tangents.” Bullet List of Resources –  Francois Casanova LinkedIn Sermo Company WebsiteFacebookTwitterLinkedIn

Send us a text This week, the SphereCast speaks with Francois Casanova, Founder and CEO at Fitogram. Fitogram is a digital service that takes the pain out of administrative logistics for fitness professionals and business owners. Fitogram offers comprehensive online booking, payment processing, customer management, and accounting — all in an easy-to-use SaaS platform. In its own words, Fitogram believes that “nothing should stand between people and their passion for sports.” In 2012, Fitogram began as a humble Germany-based startup. Since its inception, the company has grown its customer base to tens of thousands of fitness providers across more than 11 European countries. With the growth, Francois’s role has shifted from a fully hands-on CEO to more of a visionary, casting direction for the company and trusting his team to see the vision to reality. On the podcast, among many other things, Francois discusses entrepreneurship, leadership, and trusting your team to do what’s right. Noteworthy Quotes: "Now, my role in management is to serve the company. I don't see myself as a leader. I see myself as a servant of the business. The team is really doing the big chunk of the work at this point. And that has been a massive switch... That helped us unlock so much potential and growth." "When you're the CEO, you feel that you need to help and need to be involved and need to know everything. But you can't. Definitely not... My role has to be as a [visionary]." "A good leader is a good listener. It's about understanding and listening your team and your market. Really taking the time to do that is very important." "I've been part of an entrepreneurial club for a long time now. And we organized an event called Leap and the Net Will Appear. And I think that's very true for every entrepreneurial journey. If you really work hard and go in the right direction, you make stuff happen." "You cannot underestimate the value of a good customer journey." Bullet List of Resources –  Francois Casanova LinkedIn Fitogram Company WebsiteInstagramYouTubeLinkedIn

Send us a text This week, the SphereCast team interviews Yuli Levtov, Chief Technology Officer at Volta XR. Volta is a self-serve XR creation platform that makes producing innovative digital experiences accessible to all. Prior to Volta’s platform, truly engaging digital experiences were reserved for the makers with extensive resources and extremely deep pockets. With Volta, that is no longer the norm. Volta is initially focused on extending its services to the music industry — effectively offering limitless scale to live music performance — but has plans to extend into other verticals as well. For Levtov, Volta is a dream convergence of two of his highest passions — music and technology. And Yuli can rest easy, knowing that he’s doing the good work of making great technology — and, by extension, great live experiences —  accessible to more people. On the podcast, Yuli lays out his history with Volta XR, recounts some of its early challenges, and discusses some learnings made along the way. Noteworthy Quotes: "When you have limited resources — as every startup does, by definition — it's very tricky to know exactly where to be directing the resources. There are lots of interesting options on the table — lots of ways the product could go." "Productivity comes in different ways. You have to work smarter, not harder." "Be more structured around personal development... If you want to be a CTO or a founder or an entrepreneur or something like that, the ability to pull in bits of expertise from different subject areas makes for something greater than the sum of the parts. In order to do that, you have to take a keen interest in learning." Bullet List of Resources –  Yuli Levtov LinkedIn Volta XR Company WebsiteInstagramFacebookTwitterYouTube

Send us a text This week, the SphereCast team speaks with Gandolf Finke, Founder and MD at Mika. Mika is a digital companion platform that walks with cancer patients through every step of their difficult journeys through sickness. The app offers up personalized evidence-based content, including digital interventions and trusted education. Prior to his work at Mika, Finke spent time as a consultant with a large global firm, primarily focusing on healthcare organizations. Cancer in no stranger to Gandolf. Several instances of cancer that personally impacted him ultimately drove him towards creating a solution like Mika. Easing others’ difficulties with this horrible disease is at the core of Mika’s mission, and Finke is dedicated to maintaining focus on this objective. In fact, in a world where the norm for digital apps is to sell personal data, Mika has drawn a line in the sand and has chosen to forego short-term monetary gains for the good of its users. On the podcast, hear the full inspirational story and pick up some solid entrepreneurial advice along the way. Noteworthy Quotes: "One really important aspect for us is to stick to our core... In the digital healthcare industry, it's very easy to get pulled into, 'Why don't you create this great tool that takes all of the data from patients and then monetizes on that and sends it to pharma companies?' And I get it. Totally fine. But we took a conscious decision against some of these demands. We believe, at our core, that we want to empower the people that are using Mika that are impacted by cancer.” "When building a business based on a nontraditional model, you very much relay on the story that you can tell. If you don't have a great story that's valuable and helpful, you can't find people to give you money." "A huge challenge for my company in our journey is constantly questioning and iterating around what we're doing. Are we doing the right thing? Is it really working how we want it to? What are the proof points?" "Being an entrepreneur is about facing challenges and dealing with them. There were tough times. There were easy times. And you have to celebrate the highs and, somehow, manage to go through the lows." "In order to hire the right people, you have to have a very clear understanding of what you actually need. Write it down, and be very strict in grading people against that." "Human resources is different now. People look at their employer differently now than they would have 30 years ago. It's no longer a, 'I'm going to join this company and work there for the rest of my life.' It's much more of a, 'I want to work on things that are purposeful. I want to pursue things outside of work.' So you have to adjust how you operate the company accordingly." Bullet List of Resources –  Gandolf Finke LinkedIn Mika Company WebsiteInstagramFacebookLinkedIn

Send us a text This week, the SphereCast team interviews Emma Kay, Founder and Chief Marketing Officer at WalkSafe. The WalkSafe app visualizes real-time crime reports by plotting these incidents clearly onto a map, allowing users to build a detailed understanding of local area crime patterns and plan safer walking routes. The WalkSafe app also features loads of other pro-safety functionality, keeping users safe while out and about. Emma was inspired to start this business after speaking with her brother about her fears — and other women’s fears — of walking alone. And she was ultimately brave enough to take a step out as a female entrepreneur. But a key part of Emma’s journey was finding a belief in herself — by proving to herself that she had what it takes and that her gut instincts were right and true. Only then did she experience true success. On the podcast, hear Emma’s entire entrepreneurial journey and how she hopes her story inspires other women to find their voices and trust their intuitions. Noteworthy Quotes: "I've learned that my intuition is right. And if I fundamentally believe in something and feel very strongly about something, I need to stand up for what I believe in and speak about it." "You can't pull from an empty cup. I'm trying to learn that. I want to say 'yes' to everything... And I'm always striving for perfection. Taking time to prioritize is really important. What can wait? Asking the question is the best course of action." "As a leader, it's important to know where your strengths and weaknesses lie and where you can learn from someone else." "We fundamentally believe in keeping the majority of our app free for the user. We believe that personal safety is a basic human right — one that everyone should feel." "I truly feel that our users' voices are really important. We have spent a lot of time fine-tuning things, and we will continue to do that to keep evolving the app and making the best it can be." "With a startup, you're always learning. The power of hindsight is always there." Bullet List of Resources –  Emma Kay LinkedIn WalkSafe Ltd. Company WebsiteInstagramTwitterFacebookLinkedIn

Send us a text This week, the SphereCast team speaks with Ansgar Lange, Chief Operating Officer at Nostos Genomics. Globally, nearly 300 million people live with a rare genetic disease, and, for many, discovering and diagnosing these illnesses can take years. Nostos Genomics is changing the game by leveraging new technologies to dramatically reduce this timeframe. Prior to his work at Nostos Genomics, Ansgar worked in various senior-level roles at other healthcare-related companies. Ansgar is a master of scalability. His resume tells the story of one who can prep a small company for fast expansion. This skill is a difficult one to master, but its level of difficulty is elevated even higher, considering Ansgar’s industry-of-choice — healthcare. How does one go about building a rapid growth, innovative company in a highly regulated industry? On the podcast, Ansgar discusses the challenges of a COO in a healthcare startup and how to properly innovate within the bounds of your chosen industry.  Noteworthy Quotes: "It's really interesting for me to use cutting edge technologies to help others and innovate the healthcare sector." "Trust with startups in the digital healthcare sector is always a challenge." "I've seen this many times. People have great ideas, but if you don't play it back to your customers, you'll never get back to a proper product that's adopted quickly." "A COO typically has to really juggle lots of different activities and make sure they're all aligned nicely in the end… And saying ‘no’ is one of the most difficult decisions a COO has to make.” "COVID brought the remote-first hybrid model. The opportunity that is offering is to work across the globe with different people in different time locations. It was a negative impact in the short run, but in the long run, it's an advantage." "It's an illusion to stay on top of all business and technology innovations. There are so many out there that you have to focus quite a bit." "In retrospect, I could have spent less time focusing on academics. In general, people value commercial achievement over academic achievement." "I wish I would have started building my network earlier... Having a network of many different people is extremely valuable, especially when building a company." Bullet List of Resources –  Ansgar Lange LinkedIn Nostos Genomics Company WebsiteLinkedInTwitter

Send us a text This week, the SphereCast team interviews Miruna Bicoli, Chief Operating Officer at BlueBat Games — a Vancouver-based company that produces white label social casino games for ground-based casinos. Before being promoted to Chief Operating Officer in January of 2022, Miruna spent nearly two years as BlueBat’s VP of Product and Managed Services. Prior to her run at BlueBat, Miruna held a variety of product, operations, and customer service roles at various gaming and software companies. Miruna’s passions for product and leadership come to the forefront throughout this interview. To Miruna, the data only tells part of the story. A true product professional will know how to find the balance between hard data and real customer feedback. And, for product leaders, even while navigating this friction, they must stay concerned with developing employees, encouraging innovation, and promoting integrity. All of this and so much more on this week’s episode of SphereCast.     Noteworthy Quotes: "The role of leaders has dramatically changed over the past few years... They need to be enablers of innovation, even if it means making mistakes... They must focus on developing and mentoring others... And they need to be promoters of ethics and integrity." "Data without context tells you nothing... If you don't combine data with actual feedback, you basically have nothing. You only have assumptions." "There are moments in the product world where data will say one thing, but end user feedback will say another thing... That's when the value of a real product person is shown... You must pay attention to why the end user is giving you that feedback." "Here, we build a platform for our clients — the casinos. But we need to have in mind the end users — the players. So the main challenge with our product is having to always have B2B-world and B2C-world aligned... Sometimes you know what the client wants is not what the end user needs." "You never really get it right. Product isn't about getting it right. Product is about putting something out and iterating on it, based on feedback you get. You throw something against the wall and see what sticks." "I am a product-focused person at the core. Working in customer service, I witnessed how bad products impact customers." "When it comes to the latest technology innovations, I have to say I 100% rely on my team... I know products, and I know what I want to do with the product that I'm managing. I don't know how to get there, so I have to rely on everyone around me to take me there." "If you hire someone, you start by trusting them right away. They don't have to earn your trust. Otherwise, don't hire them." "You need to be ready for anything. You plan for something, and your plans change. You need to be able to quickly adapt everything in your life to the new plan." Bullet List of Resources –  Miruna Bicoli LinkedIn BlueBat Games Company WebsiteLinkedInTwitterFacebook