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PODCAST

Machine Minds

Machine Minds - the minds behind the machines! This is the show where we dive deep into the intricate worlds of robotics, AI, and Hard Tech. In each episode, we bring you intimate conversations with the founders, investors, and trailblazers who are at the heart of these tech revolutions. We dig into their journeys, the challenges they"ve overcome, and the breakthroughs that are shaping our future. Join us as we explore how these machine minds are transforming the way we live, work, and understand

technology

All Episodes

50:03

Building Deep Tech Ventures Through Strategic Capital...

Machine Minds ·

2025/11/28

What does it take to guide a robotics startup from a napkin sketch to a $775 million exit? Oliver Mitchell, a venture capital partner at FF Venture Capital and author of "A Startup Field Guide in the Age of Robotics and AI" returns to Machine Minds to share hard-won lessons from the trenches of deep tech investing. From the dramatic rise and fall of Webvan to the triumph of Kiva Systems (now Amazon Robotics), Oliver reveals why product-market fit isn't found in the lab - it's discovered in re...

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48:11

Episode 112 | Reinventing Construction with...

Machine Minds ·

2025/11/20

Construction is one of the world’s most complex, risk-filled, and operationally fragmented industries — and also one of the last to benefit from automation. At Raise Robotics, CTO Rishabh Aggarwal is helping change that. From capturing diesel soot to turn into ink, to designing CubeSats at NASA, to building autonomous harvesting robots in ag-tech, Rishabh’s journey has always been about one thing: building real technology that solves real problems. In this episode, he breaks down ho...

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47:41

Episode 111 | The Coming Shift to Lightweight AI and...

Machine Minds ·

2025/11/13

From satellite missions and drone startups to international development work in Haiti, Peter Haas has carved one of the most unconventional and globally minded paths in robotics. Today, he’s combining decades of experience across academia, entrepreneurship, government, and humanitarian work to answer a pivotal question: How can robotics and AI help the half of the world living on less than $5.50 a day? In this episode, Peter shares his journey - from working on NASA’s Gravity Probe B, to co...

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38:18

Episode 110 | The New Era of Agile Warehouse...

Machine Minds ·

2025/11/07

From retrofitting automation into existing warehouses to redefining how fast robotics can be deployed, SIMPL Automation is pioneering a more flexible, less disruptive path toward warehouse transformation. In this episode, Ayman Labib, co-founder and CEO of SIMPL Automation, shares how his 25+ years in manufacturing and integration led him to build a company that’s challenging the traditional timelines, costs, and risks of warehouse automation. We explore how adaptive ASRS (Automated Storage a...

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65:38

Episode 109 | The Operating System for Robots:...

Machine Minds ·

2025/10/29

Florian shares his journey from cryptography researcher to big tech product leader — at companies like Microsoft, Adobe, and Facebook — and how that experience inspired him to tackle one of robotics’ biggest challenges: making robots work together seamlessly across diverse fleets and environments. From interoperability and observability to performance and safety, this episode explores how InOrbit.AI is building the connective tissue of the robotics world — a “Google Translate for robots” tha...

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53:57

Episode 108 | The Future of Field Manufacturing: How...

Machine Minds ·

2025/10/23

From printing parts in combat zones to creating a rugged, mobile printer that works on land, sea, and air — Crater’s mission is transforming logistics and supply chains for the military. Eric shares how the company was born from collaboration with the Marine Corps, what it means to innovate under pressure, and why continuous, in-motion 3D printing could change how we build and repair in the most extreme conditions. Highlights: - Eric’s early days in the rep-rap era of DIY 3D printing and ho...

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56:54

Episode 107 | Autonomy at Bedrock: Building the...

Machine Minds ·

2025/10/20

Kevin shares his 20-year journey from building self-driving cars and moon landers to leading autonomy at Waymo and now building machines that can literally move mountains. From lessons learned in scaling robotics startups to his philosophy on product milestones and company culture, this conversation dives deep into the realities of building technology that transforms the physical world. Highlights: - Why the best companies balance short-term sustainable business models with long-term transf...

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45:11

Episode 107 | Trusted Counsel for Visionaries | Ryan...

Machine Minds ·

2025/09/29

Ryan and I dig into the legal backbone founders skip until it hurts—how to build an IP strategy that actually matches your business, when patents vs. trade secrets make sense, and why a “north star” patent plan should track where you’re going in 5–10 years, not just what you’re shipping today. We also get into the investor lens on patents (signal, diligence transparency, and moat), what happens to IP if the company pivots—or even shuts down—and why a fractional or early GC can save you 10x th...

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46:21

Episode 105 | Inside the Mind of a Growth-Stage...

Machine Minds ·

2025/09/22

I sat down with Manas Punhani, Senior Associate at Woven Capital (Toyota’s growth fund), to dig into how growth investors judge traction, price risk, and help founders scale in industrial tech, robotics, and “physical AI.” We broke down what Toyota’s backing really changes, how to balance moonshots with near-term wins, and the operational details factories care about beyond pure throughput. What we cover How growth investors read “proof points,” set milestones, and think about $50M–$100M reve...

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59:54

Episode 104 | AI & Automation Unlocking Materials...

Machine Minds ·

2025/09/12

Episode 104 | AI & Automation Unlocking Materials Discovery | Joseph Krause In this episode of Machine Minds, I sit down with Joseph Krause, co-founder and CEO of Radical AI. We talk about Joseph’s path from Rice University and the Army National Guard to building Radical AI. He explains how AI and self-driving labs can speed up materials discovery, why failed experiments are critical data, and where this will first change the world—across aerospace, defense, semiconductors, and energy. ...

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39:11

Episode 103 | Inside The Defense VC Boom | Nick Snoad

Machine Minds ·

2025/08/27

I sat down with Nick Snoad, VP at Marlinspike, to talk about the surge of capital into defense and dual-use tech—and how he actually evaluates teams, markets, and milestones at the earliest stages. What we get into: - Why dual-use matters: bigger markets, more paths to scale - How stage changes the bar: from “prove the tech and market” at seed to “execute and expand” post-A - Using non-dilutive routes (SBIRs, DIU, OTAs, TACFI/STRATFI) without losing the product roadmap - Where adoption i...

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56:20

Episode 102 | Active Physical Intelligence Unleashed...

Machine Minds ·

2025/07/25

How do you get AI to seek the right data in the real world instead of drowning in all of it? In this episode, I sit down with Tara Javidi (UCSD professor and AI researcher) and Sam Bigdeli (repeat founder & former semiconductor supply‑chain exec), co-founders of Kav AI, to talk about “active physical intelligence”—hypothesis‑driven, curiosity‑led AI that hunts for the signals that matter in physical systems. We cover: Why passive, data-soaks-everything AI hits a wall in the physica...

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53:37

Episode 101 | AI Powered Compliance = Faster...

Machine Minds ·

2025/07/16

In this episode I sit down with Akshay Chalana, CEO & co‑founder of Saphira AI, to unpack how "TurboTax for robot compliance” can slash the time, cost, and confusion that stall hardware roll‑outs. We cover: - Why safety & certification are the hidden blockers for robotics at scale - How Saphira’s agent‑based platform turns CAD files, schematics, and risk regs into an actionable compliance plan - Real‑world wins (industrial arms, home humanoids) and what “shift‑left safety” looks l...

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55:51

Episode 100 | Robots Built for People | Anthony Jules

Machine Minds ·

2025/07/01

We’ve officially hit Episode 100! 🎉 I sat down with Anthony Jules, co-founder & CEO of Robust AI, to unpack how Carter—the cart-shaped AMR that workers can literally steer—delivers a 60 % productivity boost for DHL without changing the warehouse layout. Talking points Why “agency” (humans grabbing the robot’s handle) was the missing piece in previous AMRs.Vision-only navigation, no LiDAR: the leap to 4th-gen mobile robotics.Human-centric UX as the real adoption moat.Hiring for clos...

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49:58

Episode 99 | Unlock Human + Machine Potential | Zac...

Machine Minds ·

2025/06/26

In this conversation I sit down with Zac Engler, founder of Bodhi AI, to talk about turning generative-AI hype into practical wins for smaller companies—and why “shadow-AI” bans often backfire. We cover: The moment Zac realised a recruiter could build a full-stack product in three weeks for < $1 k.Tactical first steps for any team: discovery sprint → 30/60/90 quick-win plan → agentic workflows.The trifurcation of work (AI-only, human-in-loop, human-only) and how to spot the right bucket.W...

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51:15

Episode 98 | Flexible Robots Transform Warehouse...

Machine Minds ·

2025/06/11

In this episode I sit down with Andy Williams, EVP Sales – North America at Exotec, to unpack how a single “mobile AS/RS” platform is helping retailers, 3PLs and grocers keep pace with labor shortages and same-day delivery promises. We cover: Why Exotec’s Skypod robots store, climb and travel like no other goods-to-person system.The shift from legacy conveyor projects to agile, software-defined warehouses.What “mobile AS/RS” really means for densification, throughput and expansion.Andy’s les...

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47:01

Episode 97 | Robots Tackle Harsh Worksites | James...

Machine Minds ·

2025/06/03

In this episode I sit down with James Emerick, co-founder & CEO of Cosmic Robotics, to hear how his family’s four-generation construction roots and a detour into autonomous heavy equipment sparked a new kind of job-site robot. Cosmic’s first product—the “Cosmic 1A”—lifts and places solar panels in 100-degree deserts and icy plains, giving short-staffed EPCs a safer, drop-in replacement for back-breaking manual installs. We talk through the realities of outdoor perception, why a “slightly ...

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50:08

Episode 96 | Empowerment Is the New Algorithm | Grace...

Machine Minds ·

2025/05/29

In this episode I sit down with Grace Kay Matelich, a philosopher-turned-operator who went from running Montana’s suicide-hotline to scaling AI data-ops at Invisible Technologies—and now to co-founding Bloomscroll, a “light-mirror” alternative to doom-scrolling. We unpack why recommendation engines are already an alignment problem, how subscription-based curation can flip the incentive model, and what it will take to put humans—not algorithms—back in the driver’s seat. We covered: - Lessons...

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54:43

Episode 95 | Robots Replace Traditional Warehouses |...

Machine Minds ·

2025/05/19

In this episode I sat down with serial entrepreneur Yegor Anchyshkin, co‑founder & CEO of Instock, to break down why small‑ and mid‑size fulfillment sites need a radically different ASRS architecture. Yegor traced his journey from founding Viewdle (AI video‑search; later acquired by Google) to launching Ukraine’s first online‑grocery service and leading Takeoff Technologies—experiences that shaped Instock’s “one lightweight robot, static grid” design. We dug into: - Why traditional ASRS ...

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48:13

Episode 94 | SVB: Powering Startup Success Stories |...

Machine Minds ·

2025/05/02

In this episode, I sit down with Julian Nash, Managing Director at Silicon Valley Bank, to explore how SVB supports startups and the broader innovation economy. Julian shares insights into how SVB goes beyond traditional banking, providing critical resources, debt financing solutions, and strategic support tailored specifically for Frontier Tech startups. We discuss: - Julian’s unique journey from professional soccer to finance at SVB. - The full suite of SVB's services for early-stage and...

en-us

134 results

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