Build To Succeed: Digital Experience Design & Product Development; Flutter, AI & Tech Leadership

Latest Episodes:

Martin Remmelgas, Codemagic — The Power of Community in Scaling DevOps and CI/CD for Flutter Dec 03, 2025

Show notes

On this episode, we're joined by Martin Remmelgas, whose previous roles include Industrial Placement in Singapore and Consultant at Ernst & Young. He is currently CEO at Codemagic, a company deeply embedded in the Flutter ecosystem. Martin discusses his journey from chemistry to technology, how Codemagic became a key player in the Flutter community, and what it takes to scale developer tools from startups to enterprise-level adoption.

Key Takeaways:

(00:00) Introduction.

(02:01) Martin shifts from chemistry to tech for its speed and ease.

(06:00) Codemagic started as an internal DevOps project at Nevercode.

(11:34) Turning to the Flutter community becomes the key to growing Codemagic.

(15:06) Early community work evolves into measurable marketing ROI.

(18:50) Community feedback drives Codemagic to clarify pricing and build trust.

(21:33) Conference ROI is clear, but real value comes from community ties.

(26:34) SOC 2 certification boosts Codemagic's enterprise credibility.

(30:09) Codemagic's new feature simplifies app testing and collaboration.

(34:21) Flutter's small team powers vast developer opportunities.

(38:59) Competition drives Codemagic to keep innovating.

Resources Mentioned:

Martin Remmelgas

Codemagic Codemagic Flutter

Google

Michael Harker, Ritchie Bros – AI, Customer Empathy & Scaling Legacy Enterprises Oct 29, 2025

Show notes

On today's episode, we're joined by Michael Harker, whose previous roles include Director of Product Management at Comcast and Director of Corporate and Business Development at SAP. He is currently Vice President of Product Management at Ritchie Bros., the world's largest marketplace for used commercial equipment. Michael discusses product leadership, customer empathy, and driving digital transformation in a 70-year-old company. Michael also unpacks his journey from startups to enterprise roles and highlights the nuances of serving a diverse customer base ranging from farmers with flip phones to global financial institutions.

Key Takeaways:

(00:00) Introduction.

(01:19) Ironman shows how consistency and small steps drive progress.

(09:11) A customer-first culture builds loyalty but challenges standardization.

(15:31) Framing tech debt as customer problems makes change actionable.

(20:50) The North Star was speed - rebuild fast and avoid delays.

(24:58) Building digital products is tough when customers lack email or internet.

(30:28) Strong partners adapt products to meet needs, easing our roadmap.

(35:40) Clear principles and communication make alignment easier.

(41:02) Small changes can create a big impact in transforming companies.

Resources Mentioned:

Michael Harker

Comcast Comcast SAP SAP Ritchie Bros.Ritchie Bros.ChatGPT

Claude

Figma

Pierre Benz, Headspace — Merging Culture, Codebases, and Care With Purpose Jun 02, 2025

Show notes

Pierre Benz, Engineering Manager at Headspace, brings a unique blend of experience in mobile development, agency work, and mental health tech. Before joining Headspace, he held roles at design agency AKQA and in multiple startups spanning IoT and consumer apps. He began his career focused on game development and human-computer interaction at the University of Cape Town, blending technical depth with a keen interest in user psychology.

In this episode, Pierre shares how his team at Headspace transitioned from fragmented native codebases to a unified Flutter architecture. He details the cultural, technical, and organizational hurdles of managing a high-stakes migration, balancing performance, feature parity, and developer sentiment. Pierre also reflects on parenting, leadership, and what it means to ship value fast when people's mental well-being is on the line.

Key Takeaways:

(03:33) Early agency and startup work shaped Pierre's engineering values.

(04:10) Headspace's merger sparked major architectural challenges.

(16:00) Two legacy apps were integrated under intense deadlines.

(21:00) Flutter helped achieve cross-platform feature parity.

(26:27) Engineers were given time to upskill, but not all stayed.

(33:57) Flutter UI quality exceeded expectations, even for designers.

(40:23) A centralized migration team sped up execution.

(48:00) Trust, failure, and growth as leadership pillars.

Resources Mentioned:

Pierre Benz

Headspace Headspace Flutter

David Goldman, Celesta Capital — Investing in Deep Tech That Shapes the Future May 07, 2025

Show notes

On today's episode, we're joined by David Goldman, whose career journey includes roles in investment banking and diversified investing before becoming a Partner atCelesta Capital. David shares insights into deep tech investing, the realities of venture capital, and strategies for navigating technological change in dynamic markets. He also reflects on the role of conviction in startups, the evolving impact of AI, and the traits he sees in successful founders and companies.

Key Takeaways:

(03:16) Celesta Capital's focus on early-stage deep tech companies with differentiated technology.

(05:04) Technology VC ranges from quick, high-volume investing to deep, conviction-based partnerships.

(10:01) Venture capital requires long-term commitments, unlike the quick moves of public market investing.

(17:40) Improving productivity in health care, housing and education can make these essentials more accessible and affordable.

(23:03) Most AI investment today focuses on foundation models and infrastructure.

(30:27) Companies should anchor decisions in their core value to customers before reacting to external changes.

(34:54) Startups benefit from being small, enabling tighter collaboration across teams.

(41:27) Deep tech investments often require years of R&D before reaching the market.

Resources Mentioned:

David Goldman

Celesta Capital Celesta Capital Mech robots of Dexterity

OpenAI

Dan Hou, Eskridge — Driving High-Impact Solutions With AI-Native Workflows Mar 05, 2025

Show notes

Dan Hou, Founder and Partner at Eskridge, joins us to discuss how companies can effectively integrate AI into their operations and digital products. With a career spanning Microsoft, Motorola, Huge and Amazon, Dan has spent years identifying paradigm shifts in technology. Now, at Eskridge, he helps mid-market businesses deploy AI strategies that drive real impact.

Key Takeaways:

(07:08) AI in businesses falls into two categories: internal efficiency and product innovation.

(08:51) High-impact AI use cases are those that meaningfully affect cost, revenue or productivity.

(12:48) AI use cases vary - what works for one company may not fit another.

(17:01) It's better to start with AI now than to over-optimize later.

(20:08) AI-native workflows drive more impact than simply adding AI to existing processes.

(24:39) A chat interface often leads to poor UX due to unclear user expectations.

(29:49) AI-powered search is reshaping how users find and interact with information.

(35:27) AI model selection is becoming more specialized, with different models excelling at different tasks.

(38:02) AI governance and legal concerns remain key barriers to enterprise adoption.

(42:23) AI isn't going away - businesses must get comfortable with it.

Resources Mentioned:

Dan Hou -

Eskridge-

AI For Everyone -

Jorge Coca, Very Good Ventures — Simple Solutions for Solving Complex Problems at Scale Feb 05, 2025

Show notes

On this episode, we're joined by Jorge Coca, Head of Engineering at Very Good Ventures, whose career spans over a decade of innovative contributions to the Flutter ecosystem and mobile engineering. Jorge's journey includes pivotal roles at BMW, where he spearheaded Android and Flutter development, and SPR, where he led impactful consulting projects.

Jorge discusses the evolution of scalable and user-friendly engineering practices, the importance of aligning technology with business goals and fostering innovation within engineering teams. He also shares insights into balancing complexity with simplicity in solutions, the role of Flutter in transforming mobile app development, and the emerging frontier of augmented reality and wearable technologies.

Key Takeaways:

(01:12) The parallels between cooking, music and coding.

(02:21) Jorge's journey from Spain to the US through the Erasmus program.

(04:31) User experience clicked, inspiring interest in website development.

(08:19) First Android hire at BMW, tasked with rapid delivery.

(13:06) BMW apps serve multiple brands and regional variations globally.

(17:34) Past engineering mistakes taught lessons on balancing complexity.

(25:14) Data-driven decisions led to adopting Flutter across engineering.

(28:06) Engineering leaders must foster cultures where failure drives learning.

(31:34) Scalable solutions require critical, focused ideas with broad impact.

(34:21) Avoid over-engineering by focusing on practical, impactful changes.

(36:43) Success means delivering value without compromising business stability.

(42:26) Wearables may introduce new platforms complementing tools like Flutter.

Resources Mentioned:

Chris Synan, Keller Williams Realty, Inc. — Transforming Real Estate Through Cutting-Edge Tech Jan 22, 2025

Show notes

On today's episode, we're joined byChris Synan, Vice President of Engineering atKeller Williams Realty, Inc. Chris has been with Keller Williams since just before the COVID lockdown and has played a critical role in driving the company's technology transformation. With experience managing large teams and overhauling systems at companies such as Dell, AMD, CA Technologies, and General Motors, Chris has valuable insights on large-scale innovation, team culture transformation and technological development.

Key Takeaways:

(04:42) Investing in technology to drive business forward.

(06:37) The importance of simplifying tech processes.

(10:55) Transitioning to React Native for scalability.

(12:33) Building a culture of trust in the team.

(15:48) The importance of strong leadership during difficult times.

(17:50) Expert knowledge is critical to building great tech.

(23:33) Starting fresh with expert guidance boosts efficiency.

(31:10) Scaling the tech stack to support rapid growth.

Resources Mentioned:

Chris Synan

Keller Williams Realty, Inc.-

Keller Williams Realty-

React Native

How AI and Flutter Are Shaping the Future of Development Sep 04, 2024

Show notes

Ready to revolutionize your approach to tech? We're joined by Teresa Wu, VP of Software Engineering at JPMorgan Chase & Co., whose previous roles include Senior Staff Engineer at tide, and Android and Mobile Lead at Ostmodern. Teresa shares invaluable insights on mastering new technologies like AI and Flutter, emphasizing the critical role of community, curiosity and strategic risk management in successful product development.

Key Takeaways:

(08:45) AI's broad appeal spans various roles, including product design, marketing and software engineering.

(09:52) Balancing personal interests and professional development is crucial in staying engaged and innovative.

(10:11) Understanding AI as a software engineer can enhance your problem-solving abilities and product development.

(17:29) The importance of thorough MVP and POC testing before integrating new tools into mature products.

(19:12) AI will significantly change how products are designed and used, especially with customer-facing features.

(22:09) Most work in AI projects involves data preparation and model training, not just coding.

(33:26) The community behind a technology can be more important than the technology itself.

(37:47) Continuous learning without the pressure to become an expert in every new field is key to personal growth.

Resources Mentioned:

Teresa Wu

JPMorgan Chase & Co

Google Cloud Platform

Flutter

Innovation vs. Operation: Striking the Balance Jul 31, 2024

Show notes

On this episode, we're joined by Carsten Wierwille, former Executive at ustwo, Method, GlobalLogic and frog, and current Board Director at Very Good Ventures. Carsten shares his insights on building sustainable habits, transforming company culture and balancing purpose with profit.

Key Takeaways:

(01:04) The importance of focusing on habits to achieve long-term goals.

(03:18) How incremental improvements lead to significant changes.

(05:16) The role of a leader in fostering a company's creative ambition.

(07:00) Insights on converting a company from founder-led to employee-owned.

(12:51) The relevance of purpose-driven frameworks like B Corp certification.

(14:04) The influence of remote work on company purpose and employee choice.

(17:25) How to effectively manage team dynamics and individual motivations.

(22:15) Balancing innovation with operational excellence.

(27:45) Strategies for prioritizing tasks and managing time efficiently.

(32:30) The impact of culture on the success of digital product companies.

Resources Mentioned:

Carsten Wierwille

Very Good Ventures

"Atomic Habits" by James Clear

B Corp Certification

Lin Ostrom's Work on Common Pool Resources

Harnessing Innovation To Shape the Future of Cross-Platform Development Jul 31, 2024

Show notes

In the first episode of "Build To Succeed," we're joined by Eric Seidel, Founder of Shorebird, Co-Founder of Flutter and former Director of Engineering at Google. Eric discusses his career journey, shares insights on building impactful products and tackles distinctive approaches to addressing business challenges, particularly focusing on his work with Flutter and Shorebird.

This podcast explores the world of building successful tech products by talking to leaders who have brought ideas to life and nurtured them into long-term successes. The show highlights the importance of building "the right thing, the right way" - crafting products for longevity while optimizing for business goals.

Key Takeaways:

(01:49) Eric's name appears in every WebKit installation, underscoring his vast influence in the tech world.

(05:00) Eric's journey began almost 20 years ago with a focus on improving web development and eliminating redundant work.

(15:27) Problems of success are good problems to have but should not be solved prematurely.

(17:20) Eric keeps an accountability log to ensure he is working on the most important tasks.

(24:37) A mistake made with Flutter was to focus too long on greenfield applications rather than brownfield ones.

(26:51) The shift from JavaScript to Dart was crucial for Flutter due to performance issues on iOS.

(30:10) Eric's definition of success has evolved from financial security to making a significant impact.

(35:00) Failure is an essential part of learning and progress, often overlooked by adults.

Resources Mentioned:

Eric Seidel on LinkedIn

Shorebird on LinkedIn

Shorebird Website

Flutter on LinkedIn

Flutter Website

Google on LinkedIn

WebKit Website

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