In this episode of The Innovators & Investors Podcast, host Kristian Marquez sits down with Edward Hieatt, Chief Customer Officer and Board Member at Mechanical Orchard, to explore the complex challenge of modernizing legacy mainframe systems that underpin many of today’s largest enterprises. Edward shares the genesis of Mechanical Orchard, a startup dedicated to solving the decades-old problem of migrating critical, often fragile, mainframe-era code—written in languages like COBOL—into modern, cloud-based environments.

The conversation delves into why these systems remain entrenched despite the risks and high maintenance costs, the unique technological hurdles involved, and how Mechanical Orchard’s innovative approach leverages AI not just for code translation but for recording and emulating system behaviors to ensure proven equivalency and reduce migration risks. Edward highlights their incremental, data-driven migration strategy as a disruptive alternative to traditional, often risky “big bang” cloud migrations.

Listeners also gain insight into the enterprise sales challenges faced by startups tackling such a mission-critical problem, the importance of strategic partnerships, and the role of patents in protecting truly unique innovations. The episode closes with a thoughtful discussion on AI agent workflows’ potential and Edward’s personal reflections on pursuing a career driven by passion in the evolving tech landscape.

This deep dive offers valuable lessons on innovation, enterprise tech transformation, investor relations, and the emerging intersection of AI and legacy modernization—essential listening for founders, investors, and technology leaders navigating disruption in large-scale enterprise IT.

Learn more about Edward's work at https://www.mechanical-orchard.com/

Connect with Edward on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwardhieatt/

Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply at https://finstratmgmt.com/innovators-investors-podcast/

Want to learn more about Kristian Marquez's work? Check out his website at https://finstratmgmt.com