The Human Orbit Podcast

Most companies treat product and engineering as two separate worlds. What if that’s exactly the problem?Fernando Fanton, CPTO at Property Finder, has spent his career sitting at the intersection of both. In this episode, he gets into why the judgment layer is becoming the real bottleneck as AI agents multiply, how customer support in banking is about to get dramatically better, and what it actually means to build A+ individuals inside a team.A sharp, no-fluff conversation for anyone building at the intersection of product, engineering, and AI.

What happens when AI gets smarter than all of us combined? And what happens after that?Akshay Chopra, FinTech Leader, Inventor, Investor, and Author of After Us, has thought about this more seriously than most. In this episode, he gets into why the AI arms race isn't just a tech story and where it leads isn't pretty. He talks about superintelligence, the very real possibility of conflict and human compromise, and why the transparency and accountability gap inside AI models should worry everyone. He breaks down what the antisenescence research wave could mean for human longevity and how this generation growing up with AI might actually be a welcome shift.One of the most wide-ranging, high-stakes conversations we have had on The Human Orbit.

Cross-border payments move trillions of dollars. Most of it still runs on infrastructure built in the 1970s. Why?Abdul Naushad, Founder & CEO of Buckzy, has spent his career taking that question seriously. In this episode, he gets into why blockchain won't replace SWIFT entirely, how banks with 100,000+ employees are being forced to change from the inside, and why time-to-market is the variable most founders underestimate until it's too late.One of the more grounded fintech conversations we've had on The Human Orbit.

Most companies are running AI pilots. Almost none are seeing real ROI. Why?Ian Wilson, Chief Innovation Officer at N2 Group, has spent years watching enterprises adopt AI the wrong way. He uses JP Morgan as a benchmark: build dedicated AI teams, play the long game, and the returns follow. Most others chased short-term wins by cutting staff and called it transformation. In this episode, he gets into the open vs closed LLM debate, vertical vs horizontal AI strategy for founders, the quiet collapse of SaaS valuations nobody is talking about, and why AI data centres, energy, and geopolitics are shaping the next wave of enterprise decisions.Ian also raises something that should keep every AI startup founder up at night: the Law of Obsolescence. One of our most grounded, no-fluff conversations yet.

Welcome back to another episode of the Human Orbit podcast! In Episode 11, we sit down with Anas Qudah, Founder and CEO of UPFRONT, to answer a fundamental question in today's business landscape: Is Cash Still King?Join us as Anas shares his wealth of knowledge on finance, startup building, and leadership. We dive deep into the realities of being a CFO, the hidden risks of overvaluing your organisation early on, and the non-negotiable traits you need in co-founders. Anas also drops major insights on the future of work, the power of storytelling, his secret sauce for hiring top talent, and why mastering cashflow is the ultimate key to survival.

In Episode 10 of The Human Orbit, we speak with Williem Martiz, Founder and Chairman of NoMoreCourses, about how artificial intelligence is reshaping the future of work.Williem shares his perspective on the massive transformation AI will bring to the job market, why the traditional 9-to-5 model may disappear, and how AI agents will begin operating at scale across industries. We also discuss how individuals and organisations should respond to this shift, why learning how to learn is becoming the most critical skill, and what parents, leaders, and entrepreneurs must do to prepare for an AI-driven future.

In Episode 09 of The Human Orbit, we sit down with Mark Douds, founder and CEO of Responsible, for a candid conversation on entrepreneurship, resilience, and what it really takes to build companies over the long term.Mark shares lessons from starting multiple businesses, navigating exits, and continuing to build after surviving cancer. We explore the mindset required to keep going when things stop being exciting, why bootstrapping can create stronger growth foundations, and how founders should think about metrics, pitching, hiring, and selling products that genuinely make a difference.#entrepreneurship #startupfounders #foundermindset

In Episode 08 of The Human Orbit, we sit down with Othmane Saifaoui, co-founder of Makan, to explore why some of the strongest founders come from management consulting backgrounds and what it really takes to move from structured problem-solving into building real companies.We discuss the shift from consulting frameworks to execution, why selling is a foundational skill for every founder, and how filtering talent becomes one of the most critical leadership decisions as companies grow. Othmane also shares insights on the evolving role of product leadership, the rise of the CPO path, and how AI is reshaping the future of knowledge work across industries.

In Episode 07 of The Human Orbit, we bring together two very different worlds to explore the future of healthcare innovation.A futurist who advised Obama on FinTech strategy is building an AI-powered smart toothbrush with a dentist. We sit down with Brett King, futurist and co-founder of Luma Brush, and Dr. Julia Michelin, dentist and co-founder of Luma Brush, to discuss how technology, healthcare, and entrepreneurship intersect in unexpected ways.

Welcome to the 6th episode of the The Human Orbit podcast where we sit down with Saqr Ereiqat, serial entrepreneur and futurist, for a conversation on crypto-native banking, the future of financial infrastructure, and whether blockchain-enabled banks could challenge digital banking platforms like Revolut.We explore how money, payments, and financial primitives are shifting on-chain, what founders often misunderstand about selling versus building, and why scaling requires letting go of roles instead of holding onto them. Saqr also shares insights on rejection, pitching, hiring, and why education becomes a competitive advantage in emerging markets.Topics include: • Crypto-native digital banks vs digital-first banks• Blockchain, digital payments, and financial infrastructure• Raising capital and pitching with clarity• Build vs sell trade-offs for founders• Scaling teams and hiring for talent density• Integrating AI with blockchain for the future workforce• Founder mindset and handling rejection

Episode 5 of The Human Orbit features Mark Chahwan, founder and CEO of Sarwa, a fintech platform that set out to make investing simple, accessible, and designed for real people rather than finance insiders.We talk about why simplicity is hard to execute in financial services, why profitability has to be intentional from day one, and why selling doesn’t feel like selling when people actually believe in what you’re building. Mark also breaks down why storytelling is a core founder skill, how trust compounds faster than features, and why companies that can’t explain the value clearly rarely earn the right to grow.We go deep on:• Making investing simple for first-time investors• Profitability as a strategic choice, not an afterthought• Why sales feels effortless when trust is earned• Storytelling as a non-negotiable founder skill• Wealth for real people, not just HNWI segments• Building fintech companies in GCC/regulated environmentsListen till the end for insights on wealth, trust, and building profitable products in fintech.

In this episode of The Human Orbit, we sit down with Michele Ferrario (Co-founder and CEO of StashAway) for an honest conversation on work, money, and building companies in financial services and fintech.We explore how expectations around careers and compensation have shifted, how financial products are built inside regulated environments, and why starting a company in financial services requires discipline, clarity, and resilience. Michele also reflects on leadership, hiring, pressure, and the personal milestones founders navigate outside of work.

In this episode of The Human Orbit, we explore what it really takes to build companies in a digitally evolving world.The conversation focuses on digitising staff, leading digital transformation beyond tools and buzzwords, and the practical realities of starting and scaling a company. We discuss how organisations enable people through technology, where digital initiatives fail, and what founders often underestimate when building from the ground up.This episode is for founders, operators, and leaders navigating transformation while trying to build in banks and fintechs that last.

In this episode of The Human Orbit, we sit down with Ned Philips, founder of Sales Movement, for an honest conversation on sales, company building, and the realities founders navigate beyond the work.The discussion covers what it takes to build a sales-led business, hire and lead high-performing teams, raise capital, and make decisions that compound over time. Ned also reflects on personal milestones, pressure, and how life outside work influences leadership, judgment, and ambition inside it.This episode is for founders, operators, and sales leaders who want a clear view of how sales shapes companies and the people building them.

In this episode of The Human Orbit, we sit down with Coen Jonker, Founder and Group CEO, Tyme Group, to unpack what it really takes to build and scale digital banks.Coen Jonker has a unique perspective on the "yin and yang" of banking innovation, from knowing which rules to follow to knowing exactly when to break them. We dive deep into:⚖️ The Banker Balance: Why the most successful digital banks employ a mix of seasoned bankers and bold non-bankers.🌍 Customer Immersion: Why Coen took his team to live in a rural village to truly understand the people they serve.🔮 The Death of the App: Why the future of banking isn't an app, but embedded, contextual experiences that show up exactly when you need them.🤝 Sales & Humility: Why sales is the most honorable profession for any entrepreneur.Whether you're a fintech founder or a traditional banker looking to disrupt the status quo, this conversation is packed with "boots-on-the-ground" wisdom.▶️ Listen till the end for insights founders and operators rarely talk about.