Andrew is a Lecturer in Computer Engineering at San Jose State University, a Lecturer in Computer Science at Sonoma State University

Andrew is a Lecturer in Computer Engineering at San Jose State University, a Lecturer in Computer Science at Sonoma State University Show more

Markus is Senior Consultant at TNG Technology Consulting. From OR planning systems at the University Hospital Erlangen to evaluation and simulation of X-ray experiments at the Technical University of Munich, he has always been interested in complex software problems. At TNG, besides full-stack development, he also likes to deal with software architecture and requirements analysis, preferably in the environment of modern cloud technologies. Currently he supports a customer in the development and delivery of software for the visualization of vehicles.

Markus is Senior Consultant at TNG Technology Consulting. From OR planning systems at the University Hospital Erlangen to evaluation and simulation of X-ray experiments at the Technical University of Munich, he has always been interested in complex s... Show more

Senior Software Developer on project Helidon at Oracle, with more than 7 years of experience in designing and developing Enterprise Java components and APIs. Active open-source contributor, mainly to the project Helidon, but also contributing to the various related Jakarta EE projects such as JSON-B, Yasson and Jersey.

Senior Software Developer on project Helidon at Oracle, with more than 7 years of experience in designing and developing Enterprise Java components and APIs. Active open-source contributor, mainly to the project Helidon, but also contributing to the ... Show more

Speaker Biography: Balaji Venkatasubramaniyar
Balaji Venkatasubramaniyar is a Technical Lead with over 12 years of experience in software development, specializing in architecting scalable enterprise solutions. As his career has evolved alongside the AI revolution, Balaji has developed deep expertise in understanding how AI technologies integrate into modern software architectures and business workflows.
As a Technical Lead, Balaji excels at evaluating emerging technologies and translating complex technical concepts into practical implementation strategies. His extensive background in distributed systems, API design, and software architecture provides a unique lens for analyzing AI orchestration patterns. He has studied how leading AI applications are built, examining the architectural decisions behind successful products like GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, Perplexity AI, and Notion AI.
Balaji's technical foundation spans full-stack development, cloud infrastructure, microservices architecture, and system design—skills that are increasingly critical as organizations integrate AI capabilities into their existing platforms. He brings a pragmatic, engineer-focused perspective to AI adoption, emphasizing practical patterns, common pitfalls, and realistic implementation strategies rather than theoretical ideals.
Passionate about continuous learning and knowledge sharing, Balaji has invested significant time researching AI orchestration frameworks, studying production AI systems, and understanding the engineering challenges teams face when building with LLMs. He believes that successful AI integration requires solid software engineering fundamentals combined with an understanding of AI-specific patterns and constraints.
At the Optimized AI Conference 2026, Balaji will share comprehensive insights into AI orchestration patterns, drawing from extensive research and analysis of well-orchestrated applications in production today.

Speaker Biography: Balaji Venkatasubramaniyar Balaji Venkatasubramaniyar is a Technical Lead with over 12 years of experience in software development, specializing in architecting scalable enterprise solutions. As his career has evolved alongside th... Show more

Krishnan Raghavan is a backend engineer specializing in Go, cloud-native development, security, and applied AI. He works at the intersection of backend systems and emerging AI technologies, exploring how tools like Gemini can make applications faster, smarter, and more secure. Krishnan is also a cybersecurity enthusiast and a freelance backend developer who enjoys turning complex ideas—embeddings, vector search, secure LLM usage—into practical solutions developers can use immediately. He has previously spoken about prompt injection attacks and secure AI development, and he brings a hands-on, real-world approach to every session he delivers.

Krishnan Raghavan is a backend engineer specializing in Go, cloud-native development, security, and applied AI. He works at the intersection of backend systems and emerging AI technologies, exploring how tools like Gemini can make applications faster... Show more

I am the Technical Director and Co-Founder of Auxilium IT Consultancy, based in Scotland, UK. With a deep passion for technology, I specialise in End User Compute, Security, and Managed Service Provider (MSP) services, where we leverage our extensive expertise to support SMEs.

With 20 years of industry experience, I have worked across various sectors, including local and central government, finance, health, insurance, and legal, as well as in high security environments. My experience spans environments ranging from 100 to 100,000 users, giving me a broad perspective on IT infrastructure, security, and scalability.

I am always happy to share my experience across a range of technologies, providing insights through real world customer stories of success, failure, and the valuable lessons learned along the way.

Beyond my professional career, I am passionate about sports and exercise, particularly golf and running.

I am the Technical Director and Co-Founder of Auxilium IT Consultancy, based in Scotland, UK. With a deep passion for technology, I specialise in End User Compute, Security, and Managed Service Provider (MSP) services, where we leverage our extensive... Show more

Senior Frontend Developer at MTN, a computer engineering graduate from Olabisi Onabanjo University.

Senior Frontend Developer at MTN, a computer engineering graduate from Olabisi Onabanjo University. Show more

Senior Solution Architect and AWS Certified x3 | Women in tech 🧑‍💻 and Mom of 3👶.💞 | Evangelista Cloud AWS🧑‍💻 |✨Podcaster in the channel🚨Visit YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@Cloud_Wise and ✨ Spotify 👉 https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/jossytech VISIT MY Link https://linktr.ee/jossy.samhatech

Senior Solution Architect and AWS Certified x3 | Women in tech 🧑‍💻 and Mom of 3👶.💞 | Evangelista Cloud AWS🧑‍💻 |✨Podcaster in the channel🚨Visit YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@Cloud_Wise and ✨ Spotify 👉 https://creators.spotify.com/po... Show more

Ricardo Magalhães is a DevOps Engineer at xgeeks. He is responsible for driving the infrastructure for one of the top automotive companies in today's world. Always striving for bigger and better, Ricardo has an unmatched will to take projects to the next level and of course, make a great story along the way. Because everything is better with a good story.

Ricardo Magalhães is a DevOps Engineer at xgeeks. He is responsible for driving the infrastructure for one of the top automotive companies in today's world. Always striving for bigger and better, Ricardo has an unmatched will to take projects to the ... Show more

I’m a Platform Engineer at Sopra Steria with over 12 years of experience in DevOps and Middleware.

My work focuses on building resilient, secure, and scalable platforms, with a strong emphasis on automation and industrialization.

I’m passionate about sharing real-world insights and lessons learned from deploying Kubernetes in critical environments.

Expertise:
* Design, audit, hardening, and build of Kubernetes and OpenShift platforms.
* Deployment in both cloud and on-premises environments, including secure infrastructures like OVH SecNumCloud.

CI/CD & Tooling:
* Implementation of CI/CD pipelines using GitLab-CI.
* Platform and application managment OpenShift GitOps (ArgoCD)
* Integration of tools such as Helm, Terraform, Dynatrace, and Kasten K10 for observability and backup.

Cloud & Virtualization:
* Management of complex OpenShift migrations (from 3.x to 4.x).
* Cluster deployments on vSphere, OpenStack, OpenShift Virtualisation, AWS or Azure Stack.
* Extensive work with virtualization technologies like OpenShift Virtualisation and vSphere.

I’m a Platform Engineer at Sopra Steria with over 12 years of experience in DevOps and Middleware. My work focuses on building resilient, secure, and scalable platforms, with a strong emphasis on automation and industrialization. I’m passionate... Show more

A student tech founder and full-stack engineer specializing in mobile app development, AI automation workflows, and next-gen AI agents.

A student tech founder and full-stack engineer specializing in mobile app development, AI automation workflows, and next-gen AI agents. Show more

Hi, I’m Rohan, I co-founded Datazip and spend most of my time working on OLake, our open-source project that makes it easier to sync database data into Apache Iceberg. I’ve always enjoyed tinkering with data systems and figuring out how to make them simpler and faster for engineers to use. Along the way, I’ve learned a ton from the open-source community, and I love giving back by sharing what’s worked (and what hasn’t!) as we build. Excited to swap stories and learn from all of you at the meetup!

Hi, I’m Rohan, I co-founded Datazip and spend most of my time working on OLake, our open-source project that makes it easier to sync database data into Apache Iceberg. I’ve always enjoyed tinkering with data systems and figuring out how to make them ... Show more

Brenda Keomany is living proof that authentic leadership is about rising through difficulty, growing stronger, and helping others do the same.
Over a period of six years, Brenda faced a cascade of profound challenges: she lost her mother-in-law; who was like a mother to her and lived with the family for 19 years, as is customary in her late husband’s Khmu tribe, the passing of her father, and supported her husband through a long illness, ultimately becoming widowed at 46 while raising a teenage daughter.
In the midst of these hardships, Brenda returned to Oregon after being away for 24 years. She left behind her established support network to start over, rebuilding her community from scratch and re-establishing her business in a new landscape. Through each upheaval, Brenda chose resilience, adaptability, and growth over resignation.
Today, as President of Status Accounting, LLC, Brenda does more than manage numbers. She and her team partner with clients to create practical workflows and accounting systems that tell the story of their businesses, empowering them to use financial insights for stronger and more strategic decisions. Brenda believes accounting is not just about compliance but about clarity and opportunity.
What sets Brenda apart is her ability to turn adversity into empathy and deep expertise. She guides her family, her team, and her clients through change, complexity, and opportunity, while never losing sight of the importance of community and connection.
Brenda’s talks go beyond inspiration. She offers actionable guidance on building resilience and forging genuine connections, even when rebuilding from the ground up. When you hear Brenda speak, you experience wisdom forged in real life, with practical lessons any business or team can use to thrive, no matter the circumstances.
Listen to Brenda for genuine insight, hard-won resilience, and practical know-how your business can put to use wherever your next chapter begins.

Brenda Keomany is living proof that authentic leadership is about rising through difficulty, growing stronger, and helping others do the same. Over a period of six years, Brenda faced a cascade of profound challenges: she lost her mother-in-law; ... Show more

Thomas Poppelgaard is awarded:
• NVIDIA Enterprise Platform Advisor
• Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) - Windows & Devices (AVD, W365), Azure (HPC, AI)
• Nerdio Valued Professional (NVP)
• Citrix Technology Professional (CTP)
• VMware vExpert
• Parallels VIPP

Thomas Poppelgaard is a Principal Technology Architect with 30 years of professional IT experience, specializing in enterprise architecture, GPU computing, and AI infrastructure. As CEO of Poppelgaard.com, he provides strategic advisory, architectural design, health checks, and implementation services across Microsoft, VMware, Citrix and NVIDIA ecosystems.

Thomas is recognized as a pioneer in GPU virtualization and remote visualization technologies. Since 2008, he has been at the forefront of enabling CAD/CAE/CAM, devops, media, and entertainment applications in virtualized environments, helping organizations unlock business value through workload acceleration and modern EUC solutions.

Thomas Poppelgaard is awarded: • NVIDIA Enterprise Platform Advisor • Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) - Windows & Devices (AVD, W365), Azure (HPC, AI) • Nerdio Valued Professional (NVP) • Citrix Technology Professional (CTP) • VMware ... Show more

Francis Akol is a passionate software engineer and Lead for the GDG Jinja community. With a deep understanding of Angular's architecture and functionalities, WordPress, i leverage my expertise to build robust and scalable web applications. currently working in the gaming and lottery industry and fintech

Francis Akol is a passionate software engineer and Lead for the GDG Jinja community. With a deep understanding of Angular's architecture and functionalities, WordPress, i leverage my expertise to build robust and scalable web applications. currently ... Show more

Clive Akporube is the Co-Founder & CTO of CYVANT, where he leads the design of adversary simulation systems and automated security workflows for enterprise environments. He turns offensive security research into practical, developer-ready defenses, helping teams build resilient systems from the ground up. He is also directing the Africa Pilot of the Google × GOMYCODE BuildWithAI program, training 1,000 developers in generative AI tools like Gemini and Vertex.

Clive Akporube is the Co-Founder & CTO of CYVANT, where he leads the design of adversary simulation systems and automated security workflows for enterprise environments. He turns offensive security research into practical, developer-ready defenses, h... Show more

Alex Lieberman is a visionary serial entrepreneur best known for co-founding Morning Brew, the business media brand that grew from a small student project into a multimillion dollar company with more than four million subscribers. The newsletter’s success led to a $75 million acquisition by Business Insider.

He has earned spots on Forbes 30 Under 30 and AdAge 40 Under 40. Since exiting Morning Brew, Alex has built several new ventures including Storyarb, Distro, GrowthPair, and Tenex. Tenex focuses on helping large companies move fast on AI strategy and implementation. Across his work, Alex blends storytelling, technology, and growth to help teams communicate more clearly and innovate at pace.

As a speaker, he draws on real experience building and selling a major media brand. He covers entrepreneurship, content strategy, revenue growth, and leadership in an AI driven world. He also explores these themes on his podcasts Founder's Journal and Imposters. His sessions focus on practical tools that help audiences refine their messaging, build trust, and turn creative ideas into results.

With a combined following of more than 730,000, Alex has a reputation for clear thinking and straightforward advice on business growth and AI transformation.

Alex Lieberman is a visionary serial entrepreneur best known for co-founding Morning Brew, the business media brand that grew from a small student project into a multimillion dollar company with more than four million subscribers. The newsletter’s su... Show more

Developer with an electronics engineering background. A jack-of-all-trades on the Power Platform, I'm curious to discover new things every day and to present my discoveries.

Developer with an electronics engineering background. A jack-of-all-trades on the Power Platform, I'm curious to discover new things every day and to present my discoveries. Show more

I am Software Engineer 3 at Google. Previously I had worked at Intuit. I have 4+ years experience in the software industry working on cutting edge technologies and building scalable products for millions of users. Apart from tech, I enjoy playing badminton and chess.

I am Software Engineer 3 at Google. Previously I had worked at Intuit. I have 4+ years experience in the software industry working on cutting edge technologies and building scalable products for millions of users. Apart from tech, I enjoy playing bad... Show more

Anh is a passionate Data Professional who has a solid international background in data analytics and data management across Asia and Europe. With more than 11 years of experience in different industries such as finance, ride-hailing, travel technology, manufacturing and wholesale, she is keen on bringing to the audience her unique perspectives, best practices and know-how when it comes to applying disruptive technologies.

Anh is a passionate Data Professional who has a solid international background in data analytics and data management across Asia and Europe. With more than 11 years of experience in different industries such as finance, ride-hailing, travel technolog... Show more

Ramakrishna Yekulla "Ramky" is a Principal Architect within the Application Developer Business Unit at Red Hat. In this role, he focuses on creating distinctive platform features that enhance developer efficiency, streamline data and application connections, and empower customers with the knowledge and resources to prioritize software supply chain security, minimize technical obligations, and achieve compliance goals. His interests lies in System Design, Functional Programming and Observability

Ramakrishna Yekulla "Ramky" is a Principal Architect within the Application Developer Business Unit at Red Hat. In this role, he focuses on creating distinctive platform features that enhance developer efficiency, streamline data and application conn... Show more

Problem obsessed for +15 years, Grant's path to product started in traditional advertising before spending the last dozen years shaping digital products from startup to enterprise. Grant operates as Banking Strategist and Head Coach of Product Management for Ippon USA, a technology consultancy that supports digital transformation, data & cloud modernization and organizational change management. Recently Grant finds passion coaching regional & community banks on data & AI strategy.

Favorite successes -
1) taking a 2-sided market startup redesign from seed round to multi-million Series A;
2) reducing a community bank's account opening by more than 300% that helped support more than $1B in new assets; and
3) playing a leading role in a F500 bank's deployment and rollout of custom agent servicing app for +1500 agents.

Problem obsessed for +15 years, Grant's path to product started in traditional advertising before spending the last dozen years shaping digital products from startup to enterprise. Grant operates as Banking Strategist and Head Coach of Product Manage... Show more

With 14+ years of experience, I specialize in building scalable web applications using PHP, Python, AWS, Postgres, MySQL, and Angular. As a Senior Staff Engineer at NuShift Technologies, I focus on digital transformation in healthcare, leveraging technology for business automation and innovation.

An AWS Community Builder and active member of AWS User Group Bengaluru, I regularly speak at conferences and meetups, sharing real-world insights on Serverless architectures, AWS services, and full-stack development. I also create educational content on InternetKatta.com and @LearnWithAvinashDalvi to simplify complex topics through storytelling.

With 14+ years of experience, I specialize in building scalable web applications using PHP, Python, AWS, Postgres, MySQL, and Angular. As a Senior Staff Engineer at NuShift Technologies, I focus on digital transformation in healthcare, leveraging tec... Show more

Microsoft infrastructure specialist with over 20 years of experience in implementing, operating, and securing complex IT environments for large organizations. Specialized in leading Microsoft 365 migration projects, delivering solutions that are both technically robust and aligned with strategic business goals.

In recent years, the focus has shifted toward cybersecurity, with deep expertise in Zero Trust architecture, Active Directory tiering and hardening, data loss prevention (DLP), and Microsoft Purview Information Protection.

Over the past year, particular attention has been given to data security in a Copilot-enabled environment. With Microsoft Copilot becoming a key part of the modern workplace, extensive experience has been gained in helping organizations manage the associated security and compliance risks ensuring that Copilot serves as a controlled and value-generating platform rather than a potential data exposure.

Combines strong technical capabilities with a solid understanding of regulatory requirements and operational practices across both public and private sectors. Supports organizations in navigating the evolving, AI-driven IT landscape with clarity, control, and confidence.

Microsoft infrastructure specialist with over 20 years of experience in implementing, operating, and securing complex IT environments for large organizations. Specialized in leading Microsoft 365 migration projects, delivering solutions that are both... Show more

Xiang Fu is a seasoned software engineer and entrepreneur, currently serving as the co-founder of StarTree, a leading SaaS data analytics company. Prior to launching StarTree, Xiang made significant contributions to the tech industry as the architect of Uber's streaming data platform, where he tackled complex challenges in data serving, processing, and analytics at an unprecedented scale, supporting diverse applications such as Uber Rides, Uber Eats, and Uber Freight.

A distinguished member of the Apache Software Foundation, Xiang is the founder and a Project Management Committee (PMC) member of Apache Pinot, an open-source, real-time, distributed OLAP datastore. His work on Apache Pinot, which began during his tenure at LinkedIn, has left a lasting impact on the real-time data analytics landscape.

Beyond his professional endeavors, Xiang is an avid aficionado of fine red wines and whiskies, enjoying the nuanced tastes and rich histories behind each bottle. His journey from engineering innovative software solutions to shaping the future of data analytics, coupled with his personal passions, exemplifies a profound commitment to excellence and a deep appreciation for the finer things in life.

Xiang Fu is a seasoned software engineer and entrepreneur, currently serving as the co-founder of StarTree, a leading SaaS data analytics company. Prior to launching StarTree, Xiang made significant contributions to the tech industry as the architect... Show more

Kseniia Ilchenko is a product leader and AI specialist with over 10 years of experience transforming complex data into impactful products. She has led AI and data initiatives at companies across Europe bringing both data and product expertise and a passion for responsible, real-world applications of AI

Kseniia Ilchenko is a product leader and AI specialist with over 10 years of experience transforming complex data into impactful products. She has led AI and data initiatives at companies across Europe bringing both data and product expertise and a p... Show more

Ha iniziato la sua carriera programmando su piattaforme UNIX, arrivando a progettare e realizzare infrastrutture di rete complesse. Ha gestito sistemi informatici e database per importanti società ed enti di rilievo internazionale, implementando architetture cloud e soluzioni di disaster recovery per garantirne la continuità operativa.
Ogni tappa del suo percorso — dalla programmazione in C#, Python e PLC alla gestione di reparti NOC e SOC — ha consolidato un bagaglio di competenze pratiche che oggi mette a completa disposizione dei propri clienti.

Ha iniziato la sua carriera programmando su piattaforme UNIX, arrivando a progettare e realizzare infrastrutture di rete complesse. Ha gestito sistemi informatici e database per importanti società ed enti di rilievo internazionale, implementando arch... Show more

Being actively involved with the SaaS and Open Source industry, Shruti has a good hold on everything eCommerce and has expertise in strategising GTM, studying audience preferences, and framing content, including web content, web marketing, and guest posts. Staying up-to-date with industry trends, she delivers the right content to help the end audiences grow their eCommerce sales.

Ms. Tiwari is a proud Ambassador at Women Techmakers, I am Ramarkable facilitator, and lead the content marketing and partner collaboration between CEDCommerce and the Grow Big Initiative. When not working, Shruti can be found napping, binge-watching, or making friends.

Being actively involved with the SaaS and Open Source industry, Shruti has a good hold on everything eCommerce and has expertise in strategising GTM, studying audience preferences, and framing content, including web content, web marketing, and guest ... Show more

Riccardo started his career as an embedded developer, but switched to backend development as soon as he discovered (and fell in love with) Elixir.

He enjoys dad jokes, yak shaving, good coffee, and making music both in usual and strange ways (from Game Boys to live coding).

Riccardo started his career as an embedded developer, but switched to backend development as soon as he discovered (and fell in love with) Elixir. He enjoys dad jokes, yak shaving, good coffee, and making music both in usual and strange ways (from... Show more

Luca Raveri is a Software Engineer with a strong focus on backend development and cloud architectures. With a background in Computer Engineering and hands on experience in building scalable applications, Luca has worked across diverse industries, including banking, CRM systems, and SaaS tools. His main expertise lies in JavaScript (Node.js), PHP (Laravel), and AWS services, with a particular interest in monitoring and observability.

Luca Raveri is a Software Engineer with a strong focus on backend development and cloud architectures. With a background in Computer Engineering and hands on experience in building scalable applications, Luca has worked across diverse industries, inc... Show more