11 - Lakekeeper - Viktor Kessler

In this episode, we chat with Giannis Polyzos, principal streaming architect at Ververica and long-time contributor to major stream-processing ecosystems including Flink, Fluss, and more. Giannis shares insights from a decade of building large-scale real-time systems and discusses why streaming adoption still lags despite improving technology. We explore the rise of Flink, the evolution of streaming architectures, and how new systems like Fluss and Paimon aim to simplify state management, unify tables and streams, and bring true low-latency processing into the modern data stack. Giannis also offers a rare window into China’s fast-moving data ecosystem, where streaming-first architectures and open table formats have advanced years ahead of Western markets.

In this episode, we chat with David Wilson, co-founder and CEO of Hunch. David shares how Hunch pivoted from tackling data latency to building an AI-powered canvas for complex workflows, and now to Overclock, a new platform for creating agent-driven automations. We discuss the challenges of trust and reliability in AI, how users are pushing the limits of current models, and what it takes to build products at the frontier of a rapidly evolving space.

In this episode, we speak with Christoph Wurm, the first Solution Architect at ClickHouse. Christoph provides an in-depth look at ClickHouse’s architecture, the challenges of scaling analytics databases, and the evolving landscape of open source and cloud solutions. We discuss the future of data lakes, open formats, and the impact of AI on analytics and data accessibility.

In this episode, we chat with Johan Baltzar, Co-founder and CEO of Steep. Johan shares his journey from building analytics at Spotify to co-founding Steep, and discusses the challenges of traditional BI tools, the evolution toward metrics-first analytics, and how Steep aims to make data more accessible and intuitive for business users. We explore the importance of user experience in BI, the role of semantic layers, and the future of AI-driven analytics and self-serve reporting.

In this episode, we chat with Viktor Kessler, co-founder of LakeKeeper, an open-source Iceberg REST catalog. He shares why catalogs are the next frontier in data infra, how metadata can become actionable, and what it takes to build open, vendor-neutral platforms in a Snowflake vs. Databricks world.

In this episode, we chat with Opher Kahane, an entrepreneur with three successful startups under his belt. He shares his experience transitioning from founder to advisor, working with over 40 startups. The discussion covers the rapid evolution of AI and data platforms, challenges faced by startups, and the potential of AI to improve data quality. This episode is packed with insights on the future of data and AI, and the traits that drive successful entrepreneurship.https://www.linkedin.com/in/okahane/

In this episode of The Data Builders Podcast, we dive into a lively conversation with Demetrios founder of MLOps Community. He shares his journey from being a sales guy to running a global community of AI/ML practitioners with over 20,000 members. He discusses the importance of creating psychological safety in communities, the evolution of data science and machine learning projects, and the rise of AI engineers. We also explore fascinating AI agent use cases, their challenges, and the cognitive load involved in interacting with chatbots. Join us for behind-the-scenes look at building a thriving community in the tech world.

In this episode, we chat with Rakesh Sony, an enterprise data veteran with extensive experience at Databricks and Airbnb. Rakesh shares his journey, recounting his time building Databricks from its early days with a small team to becoming a leading data platform. We explore the evolution of Databricks, its strategic decisions around open source, and the data challenges at large-scale consumer web companies like Airbnb. Rakesh also shares his current work with early-stage data and AI startups, offering insights into industry trends and the exciting intersection of data science and AI today.https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonirakesh/

In this episode, we had the pleasure of diving deep into the realms of Iceberg and general data trends with one of the most insightful voices in data today - Roy Hasson. As an AWS veteran who helped develop many of the cloud's core services we rely on, Roy has spent the past 3+ years leading product for Upsolver, which was recently acquired by Qlik, a leading data analytics and business intelligence software company.If Roy's name rings a bell, you already know this episode is worth your time. If not, tune in to get his perspective on what's genuinely transformative in data today versus what's just hype. Either way, you're encouraged to follow him at https://www.linkedin.com/in/royhasson/ for more of his expert insights.

In this episode we talk to Edward Valentine, Principal Decision Scientist at Aimpoint Digital. We explore his work building repricing and prediction models for different organizations, consider a dating app for time-series enthusiasts, and debate on the joys (and challenges) of using Databricks. We wrap up with a thoughtful discussion on the evolving roles of data scientists and engineers in today’s tech landscape. Enjoy! https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-spenner-valentine/