From business insight to real product: A founder’s first build

The new role of treasury: From cash management to value architect

Treasury's job description has changed. The function that used to manage cash and banking relationships now owns risk, technology decisions, and working capital strategy — often without the structure, staffing, or clarity of ownership to match. In this episode of Invention Mode, Tanya Kohen speaks with Justin Guerra, Senior Vice President at Kaufman Hall's Treasury and Capital Markets Practice, about what it actually takes to redesign treasury for the role it's expected to play. They discuss how to evaluate treasury workloads against the value they generate, why working capital optimization belongs in treasury even when multiple teams claim it, and why data — however clean — stays inert without analytics on top. A practical conversation for treasury and finance leaders who want to build the function intentionally, not inherit it by accident. * * * ✦ Share your own story of invention with Tanya Kohen on LinkedIn  — https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanyakohen/ ✦ Justin Guerra on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-guerra-pokorney-a73a0498/ * * * Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the guest speakers on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of their current or previous employers or affiliated organizations.

From business insight to real product: A founder’s first build

Most founders enter their first product build expecting a journey from point A to point B. What they discover is something closer to a continuous loop — where the original idea accounts for barely a fifth of what eventually ships, and the real design work starts only after launch. In this episode of Invention Mode, Tanya Kohen speaks with Samuel Ary and Dilyara Daminova, founders of Local Pros — a mobile-first platform connecting people with trusted local professionals. They bring something rare to the conversation: the perspective of non-technical founders who spent years refining a business idea, navigated a two-year search for the right development partner, and watched their product transform substantially at every stage — from early development through live market testing. They cover why finding the right team is harder than having the right idea, how feedback from people who don't know you reshapes what you thought you built, and why the cleanest-looking products are often the most technically demanding to deliver. They also address the financial reality most first-time builders underestimate: a launch is not an endpoint, and budgeting for continuous iteration is not optional. * * * ✦ Share your own story of invention with Tanya Kohen on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanyakohen/] ✦ Dilyara Daminova on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dilyara-daminova-67214730/] ✦ Samuel Ary on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-ary-339597117/] ✦ More about the Local Pros development [https://www.wave-access.com/public_en/blog/local-pros-mobile-first-platform-for-finding-local-professionals/] ✦ Local Pros app for Android [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.localpros.app&pli=1] |  Local Pros app for iOS [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/local-pros/id6749898950] * * * Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the guest speakers on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of their current or previous employers or affiliated organizations.

Your first AI Agent: Lessons from real implementations

Many companies rush to build their first AI agent. Few stop to think what happens after it works. In this episode of Invention Mode, host Tanya Kohen talks with Integration & AI Solution expert Paul Chayka about how to implement your first AI agent in a way that delivers real business value and doesn’t break when it’s time to scale. Based on real implementations in finance, treasury, and operations, they discuss how to choose the right initial use case, decide between low-code and custom development, and define metrics that prove ROI to leadership. The conversation focuses on fundamentals that determine long-term success: clean data, stable processes, integration-ready architecture, and governance that prevents a growing patchwork of disconnected agents. Featuring practical cases — from reporting automation to conversational BI and multi-agent support systems — this episode offers a grounded guide for leaders moving from AI experimentation to sustainable impact. * * * ✦ Share your own story of invention with Tanya Kohen on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanyakohen/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanyakohen/] ✦ Paul Chayka on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-chayka-5a0511250/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-chayka-5a0511250/] ✦ Watch the webinar where Tanya Kohen and Paul Chayka break down how AI is adopted in treasury operations — https://youtu.be/UUr3Vjd1Adg?si=JsKkFQxCxjzoamjo [https://youtu.be/UUr3Vjd1Adg?si=JsKkFQxCxjzoamjo] * * * Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the guest speakers on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of their current or previous employers or affiliated organizations.

Beyond dashboards: How conversational AI is reinventing finance

Are we witnessing the end of the dashboards? For years, charts and graphs have been the primary window into complex financial data, but what if you could simply talk to it instead? This episode explores how conversational AI is reshaping the way finance teams work — from speeding up analysis to giving experts direct, on-demand access to deeper insight. Instead of digging through static reports, professionals can now ask complex questions in natural language and get clear, context-aware answers in seconds. Tanya sits down with AI strategist Daniel Huszar to discuss what this shift means in practice: faster decision cycles, stronger forecasting, leaner operations, and a new level of confidence for teams that rely on accurate, timely data. They examine the architectural choices behind conversational systems and how LLMs amplify the strength of domain expertise rather than replace it. A focused, practical conversation for leaders who want finance to move at the speed of the business — not the speed of dashboard refreshes. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the guest speakers on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of their current or previous employers or affiliated organizations. *   *   * Please subscribe and leave a review https://creators.spotify.com/pod/prof... [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbGJwVmtwaFF0bHN1SWktSkhIZGFkSXctWmRYd3xBQ3Jtc0tsa2ctWHQ2Tml5UmFCYjJUeUw4V3lJUEZsVzNLaHdrSjJIalR2MlZmRlN5MVRZREpaTVZnMmxWSUdSeVlEXzc1MUFpdjBibEtBc3ZHTGRqOElObWtveGJOMmdjdnNYZ3c4amt4U3JEaVdqNzV5U1Rydw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fcreators.spotify.com%2Fpod%2Fprofile%2Fwaveaccess%2F&v=BoswjDwoOeo].  Share your own story of invention with Tanya Kohen on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanyakohen/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanyakohen/] Article "The End of the Dashboard? Why Your Next Data Interface Will Be a Conversation" by Daniel Huszar https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/end-dashboard-why-your-next-data-interface-daniel-huszár-u6uye/ [https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/end-dashboard-why-your-next-data-interface-daniel-husz%C3%A1r-u6uye/] Contact us at hello@wave-access.com

From tech debt to growth: Inventing the startup's financial and operational core

"Building the plane while flying it" is a common startup mantra. But when it comes to the tech stack, the patchwork of apps and tools becomes a silent growth killer, leading to conflicting data, security risks, and endless manual work. In this episode of Invention Mode, host Tanya Kohen talks with fractional CFO Maria Frolova about applying an inventive mindset to this core challenge. They unpack the early warning signs founders miss, why clean data is more critical than any single tool, and how to build a scalable financial engine from seed to Series C. Learn a simple, no-budget exercise to identify your team's biggest inefficiencies, understand why the CFO role is key to your entire company's tech strategy, and get a practical framework to stop patching problems and start building a solid foundation for growth. Essential listening for founders and finance leaders in FinTech ready to turn tech stack chaos into a strategic advantage. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the guest speakers on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of their current or previous employers or affiliated organizations.