Info Junkie
Sean Ahlum
Director, tekMountain

As director of business development for CastleBranch and director of its attached tekMountain, Sean Ahlum says he uses technology of all aspects of his life. “From entertainment (I cut the cord from cable almost two years ago), to communication, to scheduling and to project management, I use some sort of technology. I even track my sleep patterns and my surf sessions.”

Reads CIO magazine, TechCrunch, CB Insights, PitchBook, Inside Higher Ed, Modern Healthcare and ExitEvent. “I try to do a comprehensive industry scan each day for anything that touches new tech, investment or business strategy within medtech/health care IT, fintech, HR tech and edtech.”

His favorite new blog – from Wilmington-based HealthImpacts.co – focuses on finding balance in daily life and hits close to home. “Full disclosure, this is my wife’s business, but it gives me a great deal of insight into my everyday work life.” Also checks out sites for The Cleanest Line, Patagonia’s blog; Marine Layer Productions, Surfline, 72andSunny and Well+Good.

Podcast picks are Planet Money and Hidden Brain. “I like to listen to the Occ-Cast, a podcast from surfing legend and former World Champion Mark Occhilupo.”

Reading preferences span genres. “I have a soft spot for thriller spy novels – my dad was a huge James Bond fan, and I was named after Sean Connery, so I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree – and have been steadily plowing my way through the Gabriel Allon series by Daniel Silva.”

Go-to apps include Swell Info, Buoy Data, Surfline, Magicseaweed, FishTrack and the NOAA Weather forecast apps. “ “My most go-to apps help me balance my love for the ocean with my need to excel professionally."

You can find him on Instagram @ahlums, Twitter @seawb or @tekMountain, Facebook at facebook.com/sean.ahlum, and Linkedin at Linkedin.com/in/ seaneahlum