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 leadership
• Why she founded ProTechtive Strategies and its mission
• The role of AI in enterprise project management (insurance & regulated industries)
• Using AI tools (ChatGPT, automation, site builders) to launch and scale a business
• Ethical innovation and Erika’s vision for a national AI program
• AI as a force multiplier, not a replacement for people
• Global development, tech inclusion, and Erika’s legacy

Listen to this episode if you:

• Want to understand how AI can be used responsibly in highly regulated industries
• Are building or scaling a tech-enabled business with ethical foundations
• Care about global impact, inclusion, and leaving a legacy through innovation

Special 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 fundamentals
• How to clean up messy, siloed “data swamps” and unlock the real value of AI
• Why human-in-the-loop oversight is still essential when scaling AI systems
• The growing role of AIOps platforms like Dynatrace, New Relic, and Datadog in identifying bottlenecks before they break things
• The pros and cons of today’s AI-powered developer tools such as GitHub Copilot, CodeWhisperer, Tabnine, Replit Ghostwriter, and Cursor AI
• The future of intelligent CI/CD, observability, and how to build AI-ready, resilient platforms without cutting corners

Whether 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.