In this compelling episode of Data Hurdles, hosts Chris Detzel and Michael Burke sit down with Rich Williams, Senior VP and Head of Data Partnerships and Strategy at Hexaware Technologies. Rich shares his remarkable health transformation journey, from weighing 280 pounds and facing life-threatening medical complications to losing over 100 pounds and completely reinventing his approach to wellness. Rich candidly discusses his wake-up call—a serious medical emergency involving gallstone pancreatit...
May 15, 2025•42 min•Ep. 52
In this revealing episode of "Data Hurdles," hosts Chris Detzel and Michael Burke interview Matthew Cox, Chief Data Officer at Fusable, about his journey transforming data strategies across traditionally underserved industries. Matthew shares his unique position overseeing product, data, engineering, cybersecurity, enterprise applications, and professional services at Fusable - a company created from multiple acquisitions to deliver vital data services to agriculture, construction, and trucking ...
Apr 14, 2025•38 min•Ep. 51
In this thought-provoking episode of Data Hurdles, hosts Chris Detzel and Michael Burke welcome back Ramon Chen, Chief Product Officer at Acceldata, for an insightful discussion on the rapidly evolving world of enterprise data observability and agentic AI. Ramon shares how data observability has evolved from an emerging concept to a "full-blown tidal wave" in the industry, now widely recognized as a crucial component of data management that ensures proactive data quality and trustworthiness thro...
Apr 07, 2025•30 min•Ep. 50
In this thought-provoking episode of Data Hurdles, hosts Chris Detzel and Michael Burke speak with Ram Bulusu, Head of Applied Artificial Intelligence of Warp9Ai about his work developing advanced surveillance technologies for public safety applications. The conversation primarily explores Ram's development of an AI-enabled camera system designed for airports and border crossings that uses multimodal data inputs to identify potential security threats in real-time. Ram explains his concept of "be...
Mar 31, 2025•40 min•Ep. 49
In this insightful episode of Data Hurdles, hosts Chris Detzel and Michael Burke sit down with Nishith Trivedi, Enterprise Data Governance and Global MDM Lead at Pfizer. Nishith shares his journey from chemical engineering to becoming a data expert, and details how his team is transforming Pfizer's data landscape to support AI initiatives. Nishith provides a fascinating look at how a pharmaceutical giant manages data across multiple verticals—from supply chain to R&D—while explaining the cha...
Mar 17, 2025•44 min•Ep. 48
The episode features hosts Chris Detzel and Michael Burke discussing DeepSeek, a Chinese AI company making waves in the large language model (LLM) space. Here are the key discussion points: Major Breakthrough in Cost Efficiency: - DeepSeek claimed they trained their latest model for only $5 million, compared to hundreds of millions or billions spent by competitors like OpenAI - This cost efficiency created market disruption, particularly affecting NVIDIA's stock as it challenged assumptions abou...
Feb 22, 2025•25 min•Ep. 47
This episode of Data Hurdles features an in-depth conversation with Noy Twerski, CEO and Co-founder of Sherloq, a collaborative SQL repository platform. The discussion, hosted by Chris Detzel and Michael Burke, explores several key themes in data analytics and management. Key Topics Covered: 1. Introduction to Sherloq - Sherloq is introduced as a plugin that integrates with various SQL editors including Databricks, Snowflake, and JetBrains editors - The platform serves as a centralized repositor...
Feb 17, 2025•34 min•Ep. 46
The Data Hurdles Impact Index (DHII) provides a comprehensive analysis of the top Master Data Management platforms, evaluating vendors based on multi-domain capabilities, core features, AI enablement, data governance integration, architecture flexibility, total cost of ownership, market reach, and vendor stability. This inaugural DHII analysis covers ten leading MDM platforms that are shaping enterprise data management in 2025. The assessment, led by 20-year MDM veteran Rohit Singh Verma , Direc...
Dec 01, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 45
In this insightful episode of Data Hurdles, hosts Chris Detzel and Michael Burke sit down with Alex Welch, Head of Data at dbt Labs, to explore the transformative impact of AI on data organizations and the future of analytics. With over a decade of experience in FinTech and now leading data initiatives at dbt Labs, Alex shares valuable perspectives on: • Data Quality & Governance: - The critical importance of establishing data quality frameworks - How to approach data governance without crea...
Nov 01, 2024•51 min•Ep. 44
In this comprehensive episode of Data Hurdles, hosts Chris Detzel and Michael Burke engage in a deep and insightful conversation with Willem Koenders, a global data strategy leader at ZS Associates, about the increasingly popular concept of data mesh. The episode begins with Willem providing his background and expertise in the data field, setting the stage for a rich discussion. He explains the core concept of data mesh, describing it as a domain-driven approach to data architecture that emphasi...
Sep 29, 2024•42 min•Ep. 43
In this enlightening episode of "Data Hurdles," hosts Chris Detzel and Michael Burke engage in a deep conversation with Shubh Sinha, CEO and co-founder of Integral, about revolutionizing healthcare data sharing. Sinha, leveraging his experience at LiveRamp and his current leadership role at Integral, offers valuable insights into the intricate world of regulated data in healthcare. He elucidates how data fragmentation across various healthcare touchpoints creates significant challenges in compre...
Aug 10, 2024•27 min•Ep. 42
In this insightful episode of Data Hurdles, hosts Chris Detzel and Michael Burke welcome Malcolm Hawker, Chief Data Officer at Profisee, for an in-depth discussion on the evolving landscape of data management and the role of Chief Data Officers (CDOs) in today's organizations. The conversation kicks off with Malcolm sharing his journey from product management to becoming a prominent figure in the data management space. He provides valuable insights into his experiences at Dun & Bradstreet an...
Jul 27, 2024•46 min•Ep. 41
This episode of Data Hurdles features an in-depth interview with Christopher Bergh, CEO and Head Chef of Data Kitchen. Hosts Chris Detzel and Michael Burke engage in a wide-ranging discussion about the challenges and opportunities in data analytics and engineering. Key Topics Covered: Introduction and Background Chris Bergh introduces Data Kitchen and explains the company name's origin and significance. He shares his background in software development and transition to data analytics. Core Chall...
Jun 30, 2024•42 min•Ep. 40
Welcome to another episode of the Data Hurdles podcast! In this episode, hosts Chris Detzel and Michael Burke are thrilled to have a special guest, Somya Kapoor , the CEO and Co-Founder of TheLoops . Somya brings a wealth of experience from her leadership roles at SAP and ServiceNow and shares her remarkable journey of transitioning from big corporations to the startup world. Episode Highlights: Introduction and Background: Chris and Michael kick off the episode with a warm welcome and a brief c...
Jun 08, 2024•42 min•Ep. 39
In this episode of Data Hurdles, hosts Chris Detzel and Michael Burke engage in a wide-ranging discussion about the current state and future trajectory of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in both the job market and product development. The conversation begins with Mike sharing insights on the changing job market for AI and ML professionals. Despite the high demand for these skills in recent years, he notes that the market seems to be softening, with even experienced candida...
May 18, 2024•24 min•Ep. 38
In this episode of the Data Hurdles podcast, hosts Chris Detzel and Michael Burke interview Collin Graves, CEO and founder of North Labs, an AWS data and analytics partner based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Collin shares his background, starting with his military service and early exposure to cloud computing through Amazon Web Services (AWS) in 2007. He then discusses the founding of North Labs and its focus on helping industrial organizations, such as those in CPG, retail, and oil and gas, set data ...
Apr 07, 2024•33 min•Ep. 37
In this episode of Data Hurdles, hosts Mike Burke and Chris Detzel interview Jeremy Merle, founder and partner at Craft, a digital product design studio. Jeremy shares his background in design and user experience, having worked with various Fortune 500 companies and startups, including his role as a founding designer at Brightcove, an online video platform. The conversation delves into Kraft's mission and vision, particularly in relation to AI. Jeremy explains how his company is investing in AI ...
Mar 27, 2024•30 min•Ep. 36
In this compelling episode of the Data Hurdles podcast, hosts Chris Detzel and Michael Burke sit down with Kunal Agarwal, theCo-founder and CEO of Unravel Data , to delve into the fascinating realm of data observability. The conversation explores the challenges faced by organizations in managing complex data environments and how Unravel Data is leading the way in providing comprehensive solutions. Starting the discussion on a lighthearted note, Chris and Michael acknowledge the dedication of the...
Feb 19, 2024•23 min•Ep. 35
The main guest, Jay Nathan , shares his career journey and varied experience in startups, having founded companies, sold companies, and worked in executive roles focused on growth, customer success, and retention. Balancing growth vs profitability, explaining metrics like the "Rule of 40" that investors use to evaluate SaaS companies. He discusses how the market has changed to favor profitability more than unsustainable growth. How early stage startups should think about data, metrics, and setti...
Feb 11, 2024•33 min•Ep. 34
In this conversation, Krishnan Venkata , Chief Client Officer at LatentView Analytics , discusses the impact of generative AI on various industries and business functions. He highlights the importance of understanding the business problems that can be solved with generative AI and starting with small pilots to test its effectiveness. Krishnan also addresses misconceptions about generative AI and emphasizes the need for human expertise in complex problem-solving and customer interactions. He sugg...
Feb 03, 2024•29 min•Ep. 33
In this conversation, Chris Detzel and Mike Burke discuss the Rabbit R1, a phone that uses large language models to take action on behalf of the user. They explore the potential of on-device AI and its impact on app integration and simplifying complex processes. They also discuss the challenges and opportunities for AI in both B2B and B2C contexts, as well as the cost of large language models and the role of OpenAI in promoting AI to the masses. Overall, they highlight the rapid advancement of t...
Jan 21, 2024•30 min•Ep. 32
In this episode of the Data Hurdles podcast, Chris Detzel and Mike Burke interview Shane Mishler, COO of SD Tech, a managed service provider. They discuss Shane's career journey across different industries and the key skills and mindsets necessary for adapting effectively. They also explore the role of technology in small businesses, the use of data for consistency and quality, and the impact of emerging technologies like automation and AI. The conversation highlights the importance of documenta...
Jan 02, 2024•34 min•Ep. 31
In this episode, Aditya Varanasi , CEO and Founder of Awarity , shares insights on advertising and marketing. He discusses his background in chemical engineering and how he transitioned to marketing. Aditya explains the importance of emotion in advertising and the role of advertising in meeting consumer needs. He also discusses the future of advertising, including greater control over privacy and more relevant ads. Aditya emphasizes the need to start with a specific use case when integrating AI ...
Dec 17, 2023•31 min•Ep. 30
In this episode, Chris and Mike discuss the European Union's comprehensive AI act and its impact on AI development and usage. They explore the elements of the AI act, including risk levels and exclusions, and the concerns surrounding the use of AI in various sectors. The conversation delves into the challenges of balancing ethical concerns and the legislative process. They also discuss the role of Europe in shaping global AI standards and the need for education and transparency in AI governance....
Dec 09, 2023•37 min•Ep. 29
OpenAI has been making waves in the world of artificial intelligence, but a sudden leadership shakeup has thrown the company into upheaval. In this episode, we dive deep into the drama at OpenAI, analyzing the ousting of former CEO Sam Altman and what it means for the future of the AI pioneer. We discuss how Altman was abruptly fired by OpenAI's board of directors without consulting major investors like Microsoft. In response, other leaders like Greg Brockman resigned in protest. But the story d...
Nov 20, 2023•16 min•Ep. 28
The landscape of artificial intelligence and machine learning is evolving rapidly. In this podcast, hosts Chris and Michael gaze into their crystal balls to predict the top AI and ML trends that will shape the industry in 2024 and beyond. They discuss major advancements on the horizon like the evolution of large language models, proliferation of edge AI, trends in explainable AI, and integration of AI into cybersecurity. Chris and Michael also explore how AI will transform major sectors like hea...
Oct 21, 2023•48 min•Ep. 27
This episode of Data Hurdles podcast features guest Ramon Chen, Chief Product Officer at Acceldata, discussing the emerging concept of data observability. Data observability involves monitoring and gaining visibility into your data supply chain to identify issues and optimize. Key Topics Covered: What is data observability? It means tracking data from raw sources through the supply chain to consumption, monitoring for reliability, quality, and performance issues. How data observability integrate...
Oct 14, 2023•46 min•Ep. 26
Buckle up for a high-octane conversation on tearing up the data highways with ClickHouse. Altinity CEO Robert Hodges takes the wheel to navigate building fast analytics engines that would smoke any legacy database in a street race. Learn how their souped-up columnar database design wrings out blistering acceleration measured in milliseconds. If you crave speed, this adrenaline-filled test drive will leave you breathless. The pedal will be flat to the floor as Hodges pushes ClickHouse to the limi...
Sep 23, 2023•36 min•Ep. 25
The Evolution of Computing - From Mainframes to Mobile with Edge Computing In this episode of the Data Hurdles podcast, hosts Chris Detzel and Michael Burke have an in-depth discussion on the emerging technology of edge computing. They start by explaining what exactly edge computing is - processing data closer to the source, rather than relying solely on the cloud. Michael provides examples of edge computing use cases, like manufacturing, agriculture, and defense. Key benefits discussed include ...
Sep 17, 2023•26 min•Ep. 24
This episode of the Data Hurdles podcast dives into the emerging concept of data mesh architecture and the critical role of governance in implementing it successfully. Host Chris Detzel and Michael Burke interviews Lauren Maffeo, author of "Designing Data Governance from the Ground Up," about the key principles and benefits of a data mesh approach. A data mesh involves distributed domain-specific data lakes that connect to a shared catalog, enabling single access point to data while keeping it o...
Jul 29, 2023•37 min•Ep. 23
