Former RAF pilot turned deep-tech founder, Kyle Thomas is building SAIF Autonomy—the “application firewall” for autonomous systems. We get into embodied AI vs deterministic autonomy, what it takes to certify and deploy robots in the real world, the UK vs US VC mindset, nearly running out of cash (with £22 left in the bank), and why veterans often thrive in startups.

What's in the episode:

- Embodied AI in the physical world (and why “trust layers” matter)

- Defense to startup: decision-making under uncertainty

- Real use cases: drones, logistics, shipping, aviation, space

- Public perception & regulation: earning societal trust

- Raising $1.2M from Silicon Valley as a UK deep-tech startup

- Culture design: borrowing the best of military leadership

- Practical founder advice: start sooner, ignore the naysayers

Chapters:

0:00 Cold open — embodied AI, safety & “wrappers”

1:12 Intro — Kyle’s RAF background & SAIF’s mission

2:23 Military → startup: decision-making & stress tolerance

4:09 UK vs US mindset on speed, growth & work ethic

6:30 Meeting co-founder Matt; origins in RAF programs

7:22 Rapid Capabilities Office & TRL (3→7 fast)

8:42 From scripted autonomy to embodied, goal-based systems

10:03 Real-world examples (drones, Waymo, sidewalk bots)

11:01 Autonomy vs AI — clear definitions

12:53 Deterministic vs embodied AI (and their failure modes)

13:53 Today’s drone deliveries (hospitals, corridors, BVLOS)

14:10 Scaling without city-wide infrastructure

15:52 Proving it on land, sea, air… and space

18:19 Public perception, safety cases & building trust

19:13 Logistics, shipping & aviation use cases

20:06 “Application firewall” for autonomy (trust layer)

22:19 Fundraise story — $1.2M pre-revenue from Silicon Valley

24:03 Why UK/EU VC often feels like PE (risk appetite)

25:59 US lead, diligence, patents & why it clicked

27:12 UK engineering talent vs US scaling capital

29:05 CEO self-awareness: when to level up or step aside

30:39 Targeting specialist US funds next

33:17 Sponsor break — Opus community

33:49 Near-death runway tale: £22 in the bank

36:50 Money lands at 8:22pm on New Year’s Eve

43:17 Split-second RAF story — refuelling saves lives

47:49 Why veterans can excel in startups

49:17 Culture & leadership: high trust, high standards

52:04 Practical rituals (socials, flexibility, outcomes)

55:11 Advice to younger self: start sooner, be bold

58:07 Founder communities: Opus, ICE, Founders Pledge

1:00:12 Be in the room — why London matters

1:01:12 Trust over impressions (in-person beats ads)

1:02:30 Luck vs talent (and timing)

1:03:55 Where to find Kyle (LinkedIn, site, IG)

1:04:45 Blog & updates coming soon

1:05:08 Outro

About Kyle / SAIF Autonomy

Kyle Thomas, Co-founder & CEO, SAIF Autonomy

Mission: a safety & assurance “trust layer” so autonomous systems can operate safely at the edge (air, land, sea, space)

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