CMC Aureon

Lord Peter Cruddas on Building CMC Markets and the Future of Fintech

62K views · 2mo ago · 29:04

In this episode, CMC Markets founder and CEO Lord Peter Cruddas reflects on building the company over 37 years, from launching an early online trading platform to investing in AI and global B2B technology. He also shares lessons on entrepreneurship, founder-led decision-making and why successful companies must keep adapting.

Topics: How CMC Markets became a fintech pioneer · Building a founder-led business · Peter Cruddas on his early life and ambition · Starting CMC Markets and betting on the internet · AI, Technology and CMC Market's next phase of growth · Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs

How Recursion Is Using AI to Rethink Drug Discovery

17K views · 4mo ago · 42:18

Guest: Ben Taylor

In this episode, Ed is joined by Ben Taylor, Chief Financial Officer and President of Recursion UK, to discuss how AI is reshaping drug discovery, biotech, and the future of medicine. Ben explains how Recursion uses AI, lab automation, biological data, and machine learning to improve the way new medicines are discovered and developed.

Topics: AI in drug discovery · Deciding on development focus · Differentiation from other biotech companies · Exporting peptides · Exciting programmes & clinical trials · Recursion's business model

The AI Tax Firm Challenging How Americans Use Money

21K views · 5mo ago · 37:58

April is rethinking tax as something that should happen year-round, not just at filing time. In this episode, co-founder and CEO Ben Borodach explains how April embeds AI-powered tax filing, planning and estimation tools into financial platforms, why tax can become a more useful part of everyday financial decision-making, and how the company is building trusted infrastructure for banks, fintechs and millions of American households.

Topics: Rethinking tax: a year-round approach · Growth drivers and company evolution · The role of AI in tax solutions · Changing perceptions of tax · The next chapter for april

How to Build an AI-Native Company in 2026

21K views · 7mo ago · 49:35

In this episode of Opto Sessions, we are joined by Amir - the co-founder of Humblytics, an AI-native analytics and conversion optimisation platform, and a repeat founder with two exits. You’ll learn what an AI-native company looks like in practice, how to start using tools like Claude Code properly, and what forward-thinking teams should be building now.

Topics: Where is AI right now? Is the hype real? · How a co-founder can use AI in their day-to-day · Do you need a human in the loop? · What's limiting AI performance today · Slack agent as Chief of Staff · What does the enterprise of the future look like?

Kratos CEO on Drones, Hypersonics & the Future of Defense

19K views · 7mo ago · 36:32

What can Kratos Defense do that larger defense primes can’t? In this episode of Opto Sessions, CEO Eric DeMarco explains the company’s low-cost approach to AI drones, hypersonic systems and space infrastructure, and makes the case that the future of defense belongs to scalable, software-enabled, affordable systems.

Topics: Kratos's origin story & what they do today · What does it mean to be an affordability-driven disruptor? · Most important part of Kratos's portfolio · Space segment and its future in Kratos · Future outlook · The role of AI

Healthcare Is Breaking: AI Agents Are the Fix

4.7K views · 8mo ago · 53:05

AI agents are targeting the biggest problem in healthcare: slow, expensive operations. In this episode, Autonomize AI founder & CEO Ganesh Padmanabhan breaks down why approvals like MRIs can take weeks and how AI agents streamline prior authorisation workflows to deliver faster decisions and lower costs in healthcare.

Topics: Understanding healthcare inefficiencies · How was Autonomize AI founded? · Challenges of traditional automation in healthcare · The concept of agents in healthcare · Driving value in healthcare · Guardrails for AI decision-making

How AI Will Transform These Stocks in 2026

20K views · 10mo ago · 18:53

In this AI Christmas special of OPTO Sessions, we revisit standout moments from this year’s conversations on how AI is changing products, cost bases and competitive moats, from and Upstart in lending, to Box and Intercom in enterprise workflows and customer service, and SoundHound in voice AI. We look at near-term execution over the next year, longer-term positioning over five years, and the best criteria for spotting real AI advantage.

Topics: AI in action: what to expect in the next 12 months · The five-year AI outlook · Cutting through the hype: how to spot real AI value

AI in Lending: Real Innovation vs Hype

14K views · 11mo ago · 1:06:30

Leah Price, VP of the Tinman AI platform at , joins OPTO Sessions to unpack the company’s pivot to a full-stack GenAI mortgage OS and Betsy, the chat- and voice-based assistant embedded across the experience - delivering up to 75% faster cycle times, 45% lower fulfilment costs, and 10× volume, plus a first look at a pre-release avatar advisor.

Topics: Overview of Tinman AI and its vision · Democratizing access to AI in mortgage lending · Market size and growth opportunities · Distinguishing genuine AI Innovation from hype · Rule-based automation vs machine learning · Regulatory challenges and AI governance

How Intercom Is Automating Up to 94% of Customer Support

15K views · 11mo ago · 33:50

Intercom co-founder and CSO Des Traynor joins OPTO Sessions to unpack the company’s AI-first shift and Fin, the AI customer service agent that delivers better, faster answers up to 94% of the time. If you enjoyed this interview, consider subscribing to our Substack channel for more in-depth insights designed to help you invest smarter

Topics: Transitioning to an AI-first company · Understanding Fin: The AI customer support agent · Fin's functionality architecture & current challenges · The future of AI in customer support · How to evaluate a company - four criteria · Intercom's competitive moat

QS Stock: Revolutionising Battery Tech with Solid State

12K views · 1y ago · 34:05

Guests: QS Stock, Solid State

QuantumScape CFO Kevin Hettrich joins OPTO Sessions to unpack solid-state lithium metal cells for EVs, why this tech could enable faster charging, more range and improved safety, and what Volkswagen’s partnership means for QS stock.

Topics: Key milestones · What problems QS solves: application examples · Understanding the competitive advantage · Financial strategy · Execution risks and how to mitigate them · Next big idea in battery technology

UPST Stock: Upstart's Co-Founder on 92% Loan Automation

10K views · 1y ago · 46:30

Guest: UPST Stock

Upstart co-founder and CTO Paul Gu joins OPTO Sessions to explain how AI underwriting powers 92% fully automated loans and lifts conversion to approximately 24% as the AI lending marketplace returns to profitability with triple digit revenue growth. He unpacks fraud controls, the Upstart Macro Index, and expansion into HELOC and auto.

Topics: Upstart's competitive advantage · Expanding into new markets · What is the last 8% that is not automated? · Q2 numbers - what's driving growth? · Ensuring fairness in AI lending · The future of AI in lending

Box CEO Aaron Levie: AI Agents Will Reshape Work

5.4K views · 1y ago · 26:31

Guest: Box CEO Aaron Levie

Box CEO and co-founder Aaron Levie returns to OPTO Sessions to reveal how AI agents are turning 90% of unstructured corporate data into instant answers, powering automation across roles. He maps where enterprise AI is headed, the real obstacles to adoption, and Box’s strategy for scaling AI workflows that deliver measurable business value.

Topics: Unlocking insights from unstructured data · AI agents in everyday workflows · Security controls & integration challenges · Dream state of agent capabilities · The path forward for Box and AI · Financials: what's driving growth

Plug Power CEO: Is PLUG Stock Ready for a Hydrogen-Fueled Comeback?

9.5K views · 1y ago · 29:21

Guest: Plug Power CEO

Andy Marsh, Plug Power President and CEO, joins OPTO Sessions to discuss the current state and future of green hydrogen, emphasizing how hydrogen production can free up scarce grid electricity for other uses while accelerating national sustainability goals. He explains the company’s playbook to profitability - scaling electrolyzers, locking in offtake, and driving costs down - highlighting real-world deployments and growing customer momentum.

Topics: Value as a Key Growth Driver · New Technology Applications & Who’s buying · Playbook to Profitability · How Plug Attracts the Best Talent · What to Expect in the Next 10 Years · Next Big Idea in Hydrogen

Sezzle’s $808M Quarter: Why Buy Now, Pay Later Is Just the Beginning

3.5K views · 1y ago · 39:06

Charlie Youakim, CEO and Co-Founder of Sezzle, joins OPTO Sessions to discuss company’s journey from startup to a leading public company in the fintech space, the evolution of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) model and record growth in the past 12 months.

Topics: Passport: the Startup that Paved the Way · The Secret to Competing in Fintech · Innovative Product Features: an Overview · Navigating Customer Feedback & Product Testing · The Rise of BNPL & Sezzle’s Growth · Marketing Strategies for New Products

SoundHound Stock: Is Voice AI the Untapped $50B Frontier?

13K views · 1y ago · 28:21

Guest: SoundHound Stock

Nitesh Sharan, CFO of SoundHound AI, returns to OPTO Sessions to discuss the company’s accelerating momentum and why Voice AI is fast becoming the default interface of the future. As pioneers in the space, with deep AI roots, a strong patent portfolio, and an agnostic architecture spanning cloud, edge, and agentic AI, SoundHound is leading the evolution of natural human-machine interaction.

Topics: The Evolution of Voice AI Technology · Product offering: the Three Pillars · Core Competitive Advantage · The Role of Edge in Voice AI · Technology Evolution: Agentic AI · Customer Diversification