Hey Tech Entrepreneurs! Here's Why AI Won't Replace Experts

Can a video game help save someone's life? Pittsburgh's Schell Games is proving that gaming technology can do far more than entertain. In this episode of 10 Minute Tech Talks, founder Jesse Schell takes us inside Night Shift, an innovative medical training game developed with UPMC and Dr. Deepika Mohan to help emergency room physicians make critical trauma care decisions. Discover how immersive storytelling, emotion and interactive gameplay can help doctors practice complex decisions and why the psychology behind great games can also make powerful educational tools. It's a fascinating example of Pittsburgh innovation at the intersection of gaming, healthcare and human behavior. Watch Jesse's entire TechVibe Radio interview here. Produced by the Pittsburgh Technology Council, this is a podcast for tech and manufacturing entrepreneurs exploring the tech ecosystem, from cyber security and AI to SaaS, robotics, and life sciences, featuring insights to satisfy the tech curious.

Can paying customers help fund the technology behind your next stage of growth? Titan Robotics' Stuart Lawrence explains how early seed support, government-funded development and a deliberate push toward commercial markets helped build the Pittsburgh robotics company. In this episode of 10 Minute Tech Talks, Jonathan Kersting and Audrey Russo explore Titan's financing journey—from Innovation Works and friends-and-family support to repaying that financing during COVID and considering outside investment after building a substantial operating business. Three reasons to listen: • Understand how customer-funded development helped Titan build its capabilities. • Hear why moving from defense work into commercial markets takes sustained effort. • Explore how a track record changes the conversation about raising growth capital. An entrepreneurial lesson in capital efficiency, commercialization and knowing what investment should help you accomplish.

What happens when the contract opportunity you're counting on stalls? Titan Robotics' Stuart Lawrence shares how anticipated Air Force contract awards ran into resistance—and why the Pittsburgh robotics company began expanding beyond laser coating removal into manufacturing applications. In this episode of 10 Minute Tech Talks, Jonathan Kersting and Audrey Russo explore the customer conversations that helped shape Titan's direction, from robots that require specialized programmers to tools that give operators more control. Three reasons to listen: • Hear how Titan responded when its original growth plan hit a wall. • Discover why easier adoption can be as important as technical capability. • Learn why Stuart's advice to entrepreneurs is simple: "Don't lie to yourself"—check the data behind your claims. A candid conversation about entrepreneurship, customer discovery, robotics and building products that deliver measurable value.

What does it take to build a tech company from scratch? For Ben Taylor, co-founder and CEO of SoftLedger, it started with frustration, a piece of printer paper, and an idea for a better way to manage accounting. In this episode of 10-Minute Tech Talks, host Jonathan Kersting of the Pittsburgh Technology Council and TechVibe Radio sits down with Ben to unpack the realities of tech entrepreneurship — from sketching a software concept by hand, to building the product from the ground up, to sending more than 10,000 emails before landing on his first customer. Ben shares what it took to bridge the gap between basic accounting tools like QuickBooks and complex enterprise ERPs, and why slower early growth gave SoftLedger the foundation to build something stronger. If you're a tech entrepreneur or aspire to be one, this conversation is a reminder that the first breakthrough doesn't always arrive with fireworks. Sometimes it arrives after email number 10,001.

What determines what your business is actually worth? In this episode of 10-Minute Tech Talks, host Jonathan Kersting of the Pittsburgh Technology Council sits down with Christine Robinette and Bryan Reft of Fragasso Financial Advisors for the final installment of a three-part mini-series on exit planning and business valuation. Bryan breaks down two critical concepts every Tech Entrepreneur should understand: the wealth gap: whether your business can fund the life you want after you sell; and the value gap: why a company that looks just like yours might be worth millions more. The answer comes down to one word: risk. You'll learn about the four intangible capitals — human capital, customer capital, structural capital, and social capital — that drive 80% of your company's value yet never appear on a financial statement. If you're a Tech Entrepreneur thinking about exit planning, employee ownership, or simply building something worth owning, this episode gives you the framework to start closing the gaps while you still have time. Produced by the Pittsburgh Technology Council, this is a podcast for tech and manufacturing entrepreneurs exploring the tech ecosystem, from cyber security and AI to SaaS, robotics, and life sciences, featuring insights to satisfy the tech curious.