The Irish Tech News Podcast

In this episode of One Vision Podcast, Danny Friday, CEO and Founder of Sail, joins Theodora Lau to unpack why the "boring" corners of fintech — HSA and FSA accounts — are exactly where the next wave of meaningful innovation is hiding. 
Danny shares the origin story behind Sail: a claim over a Spanish-language dental receipt that exposed a deeper challenge about regulated industries: most of their software isn't broken by accident, it's broken by indifference to user experience. They dig into why no one had built itemized, embedded HSA/FSA infrastructure before now, what changed technically to make it possible, and why Danny insists AI should never make the hard calls. The conversation closes on a bigger bet: that within three to five years, every digital banking app will help people reimburse tax-advantaged expenses, and what that means for the industry. 

🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

Keywords: AI, Fintech, Healthcare, User Experience
#AI #fintech #healthcare #UX #innovation #podcast 

Timestamps & Hot takes
00:00 — Welcome, and the energy Danny brought to his pitch in Delaware
01:30 — Why "boring" markets are where the money (literally) sits untouched
03:00 — The stat: Americans forfeit billions in unused FSA dollars every year 
05:30 — The origin story: a Mexico dental receipt, a Spanish-language invoice, and an endless loop with a benefits administrator
07:00 — Regulated industries and the quiet acceptance that "software just sucks"
08:30 — How Sail eliminates the HSA/FSA card entirely and why no one had built this before
13:00 — The accountability question: "In most AI products, the cost of a wrong answer is embarrassment. In ours, it's an IRS audit."
14:30 — Hot take: "AI should make it easy for the 95% to disappear so a human can spend all their judgment on the 5% that matters."
16:00 — Trust as "new car smell" 
19:00 — Inheriting trust through distribution: why showing up inside existing benefits relationships matters
21:00 — AI and the founder journey: "It collapsed the barrier between an idea and a prototype."
23:30 — Why understanding your industry still can't be prompted into existence
25:00 — What's next: Sail's move from app to infrastructure, and a bet that every banking app will handle tax-advantaged reimbursement within 3–5 years
26:30 — Closing: "We found money for you."

**

More about our guest 
🌐Danny Friday on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-friday-b86930112/ 

More about our host and One Vision Podcast 
🌐Theodora Lau on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theodoralau/ 
🌐Banking on (Artificial) Intelligence (book): https://www.bankingonaibook.com/ 
🌐Unconventional Ventures (company): https://www.unconventionalventures.com/ 
🌐Listen to all One Vision Podcast episodes by visiting: https://shows.acast.com/one-vision

Robotics and AI comes in many shapes and sizes revolutionising many different sectors. One of these sectors being revolutionised is the commercial cleaning industry, using autonomous cleaning, robotics, and innovation creating efficiency.
To find out more about this I spoke to Shane O’Flaherty from CleaningMachines.ie. Shane talks about his background, what CleaningMachines.ie does, robots, AI and more.
More about CleaningMachines.ie:
CleaningMachines.ie have been supplying and servicing the cleaning industry for decades. In that time, they have built up a wealth of knowledge and earned ourselves a skilled and committed team.
At CleaningMachines.ie, they don’t just sell cleaning equipment, they live and breathe it. Behind every scrubber dryer, industrial vacuum, or ride-on sweeper we offer, there’s a story of family, grit, and generations of hands-on experience.

NTT DATA, a global leader in AI, digital business and technology services, opened its new Dublin office earlier in the week and I attended the opening. Whilst I was there I interviewed Peter Burke, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Marianne Checkley, CEO Kinia and Professor Dan Kilper, Director CONNECT Centre Trinity College Dublin. 
I spoke to Minister Burke about NTT DATA being good for the Irish economy. I then spoke to Marianne Checkley about the excellent stem work Kinia is doing and how NTT DATA is helping them. Lastly I spoke to professor Dan Kilper about the great work the Connect Centre in Trinity College Dublin is doing with NTT DATA.

Since 2023, illicit financial activity has surged by $1.3 trillion, reaching an estimated $4.4 trillion globally. The reason isn't a mystery: bad actors have AI now too.
In this episode of One Vision Podcast, Theodora Lau sits down with Tyler Allen, CEO of Unit21, to unpack what's happening on the front lines of AI-powered fraud. Tyler was Unit21's founding software engineer and he is now leading the company through a moment he calls "have your cake and eat it too": AI is finally cheaper than the human labor it could replace, and unlike humans, it doesn't get alert fatigue.
The conversation goes deeper on:
• The fundamental asymmetry between attackers and defenders — and why AI made it worse
• Why majority of AI pilots fail (hint: it's almost never the technology) 
• Why AI makes sense for financial crime prevention and detection 
• What he asks potential buyers, from ownership and goals, to risk tolerance and more 
• What every FI should be demanding from their AI vendors
A conversation about the new physics of fraud — and the human consequences of getting it wrong. 

🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

📍Hot take:   ”It's a have your cake and eat it too moment … it feels good to be in a space where you do have societal impact.”

Keywords: AI, AI Agents, Fintech, Fraud, Risk Management

Timestamps
00:00 Welcome and Intro
00:26 Robots to AI Fraud
01:31 AI Fuels Crime Surge
05:19 Alert Fatigue and Checks
07:26 Who Adopts AI Fastest
09:30 First Questions for Buyers
16:18 Vendor Evaluation Checklist
22:25 Pilot to Production Lessons
27:26 Tyler’s Career Origin Story
31:36 Books, Podcasts, and Learning

More about our guest 
🌐Tyler Allen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylertallen/ 

More about our host and One Vision Podcast 
🌐Theodora Lau on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theodoralau/ 
🌐Banking on (Artificial) Intelligence (book): https://www.bankingonaibook.com/ 
🌐Unconventional Ventures (company): https://www.unconventionalventures.com/ 
🌐Listen to all One Vision Podcast episodes by visiting: https://shows.acast.com/one-vision

In partnership with Heineken Ireland, AssistiV, wants to bring life changing technology to the hospitality sector that will support growth in the trade by helping fill job vacancies and foster inclusivity. To find out more about this I spoke to 
Barbara Anne Richardson, Sustainability and Public Affairs Manager at Heineken Ireland and Alan Craughwell, AssistiV Ireland CEO. Barbara and Alan talk about their backgrounds, what AssistiV does, Heineken’s partnership with AssistiV, Heineken’s  and AssistiV’s rollout across the company and more. 
More about AssistiV :
AssistiV is an assistive technology platform that supports people with intellectual disabilities, autism, and learning disabilities to complete workplace tasks independently through step-by-step guidance.
It offers personalised prompts, routine reminders, and guidance whether preparing breakfast, packing a bag, or catching the bus.  By removing barriers to employment like numeracy and literacy challenges, AssistiV levels the playing field and makes it easier for people with disabilities to work. To date, AssistiV is already supporting people with intellectual disabilities in hospitality and in other sectors - with aim to support 1,000 jobs within 5 years.