In this episode, we sit down with Casey Handmer, founder of Terraform Industries, to break down one of the biggest challenges of the next decade: power.
From solar’s insane cost curve to AI data centers overpowering utilities, Casey explains why cheap, abundant energy will decide which countries — and companies — win next.
00:00 – Terraform’s mission: making fuel from sunlight & air
01:00 – Casey’s background (physics, NASA, Hyperloop → startup)
03:00 – Who Terraform’s customers actually are
04:40 – Energy explained like you’re 5 (how the grid really works)
06:50 – Why electricity changed human civilization
09:40 – Solar + batteries permanently destabilize utilities
11:40 – Why solar suddenly got insanely cheap
12:50 – Solar’s 48% learning rate (this is wild)
14:00 – Will solar dominate all primary energy?
16:30 – Electrification myths (cars, heating, transport)
18:30 – Batteries are about to explode in scale
21:00 – Why Tesla is winning energy, not just cars
23:00 – AI data centers are starving for power
25:00 – Why utilities don’t want hyperscalers
27:50 – Nuclear won’t scale fast enough (hard truth)
29:20 – Why solar beats everything on speed & scale
31:00 – Turning solar energy into fuels & materials
34:40 – Mining metals using pure energy (basalt theory)
38:10 – Will data centers replace utilities?
41:00 – The real long-term energy future
43:40 – Careers at Terraform & final thoughts
Rho
Website - https://www.rho.co/
Public
Website - https://public.com/
Casey Handmer
https://www.linkedin.com/in/casey-handmer/
Nichole wischoff
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholewischoff/
In this episode, Nicole breaks down how No Crumbs went from a side project to one of the most in-demand cookie drops in San Francisco selling out weekly with 250+ people waiting, all powered by Instagram, community, and engineered scarcity.
This isn’t a food story.
It’s a distribution, demand, and systems story.
00:00 – How This Cookie Business Accidentally Started
00:50 – Both Working Tech Jobs… Then This Happened
02:35 – The Market Gap in SF Nobody Was Serving
06:45 – Why She Obsessed Over Cookies (Not Cakes)
08:50 – One Base Recipe = Infinite Flavors (Product Moat)
10:55 – The “Cookie Draft” That Changed Everything
13:30 – Growth Hack: Engagement Pods on Instagram
16:35 – Why She Didn’t Sell Anything for Months
18:45 – First Drops: Selling Cookies via DMs
20:55 – Hot Plate: The Inflection Point
23:55 – TikTok Reviews That Exploded Demand (No Ads)
26:45 – Engineering Scarcity on Purpose
29:45 – Running a Bakery From a 1-Bedroom Apartment
33:15 – The Numbers: 70 Boxes / Week, 250 Waiting
36:05 – When Exclusivity Becomes a Problem
38:35 – Scaling Beyond the Apartment (What’s Next)
Rho
Website - https://www.rho.co/
Public
Website - https://public.com/
Nocrumbs (Nicole)
https://www.instagram.com/nocrumbscookies/#
Nichole wischoff
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholewischoff/
Construction is one of the least productive industries in the world — slower, more expensive, and more broken every year.
In this episode, we sit down with Alex, founder of an AI-native construction company that just raised a $12M seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz, to talk about why traditional construction fails and how AI can finally fix it.
00:00 – $12M seed round & why this company came out of nowhere
01:30 – Alex’s background: from software to heavy industry
03:30 – Why building large projects in the US keeps getting worse
05:00 – How industrial construction actually works (developers, EPCs, GCs)
06:40 – The real problem: incentives, finance, and cost-plus contracts
09:20 – Why change orders are where construction companies make money
11:00 – How AI removes risk instead of just “adding software”
13:30 – Automating design to eliminate ambiguity before construction starts
16:00 – Why doing 10,000 design iterations changes everything
18:30 – Why selling software to GCs doesn’t fix productivity
21:00 – Why this company chose to be the GC, not a tool vendor
23:30 – Lessons from failed vertical construction startups (Katara, prefab)
26:30 – Who their customers are: data centers, mining, manufacturing
29:30 – How fast AI-native construction could actually get
32:30 – Why construction should be treated like a software problem
35:00 – Hiring plans & building a multidisciplinary team
37:30 – The long-term vision: rebuilding the physical world faster
Rho
Website - https://www.rho.co/
Public
Website - https://public.com/
Alex Modon
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexmodon/
Nichole wischoff
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholewischoff/
Meet Paces, the startup building the largest permitting and power-availability dataset in the United States — enabling developers, data-center builders, and renewable-energy players to move faster than ever.
From automating 80%+ of the energy-development workflow to unlocking hidden power on the grid, Paces is quietly shaping trillions of dollars worth of energy infrastructure.
00:00 – Why America Has 28,000 Permitting Jurisdictions
01:12 – How Paces Began: The Origin Story
03:40 – Early Problems in Renewable Development
06:30 – Why Paces Joined YC
08:55 – Building the Largest Permitting Dataset in the US
11:20 – Scraping, Cleaning & Using LLMs for Zoning Laws
14:05 – Finding Power on the Grid (and why it got harder)
16:50 – Transformer Shortages & Multi-Million-Dollar Deposits
19:40 – Data Centers vs Utilities: The New Reality
22:15 – Can Clean Energy Actually Power AI?
24:30 – Solar + Batteries vs Gas vs Nuclear for Speed
27:00 – The True Bottleneck: Capital & Supply Chain Timing
29:10 – How Startups Can Innovate in Energy Hardware
32:45 – The One-Person Billion Dollar Power Company
36:00 – Automating 80% of Energy Development
38:10 – Future of Energy, AI & Infrastructure
40:00 – How to Contact Paces / Hiring
The Electric Slide
https://www.notboring.co/p/the-electric-slide
Rho
Website - https://www.rho.co/
Public
Website - https://public.com/
James McWalter
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmcwalter/
Nichole wischoff
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholewischoff/
In today’s episode, we sit down with Jacob, co-founder & CEO of NewLimit, a company that has raised $247M to push the frontier of aging science from epigenetic reprogramming to AI-driven drug discovery.
We dive deep into how NewLimit plans to restore youthful function in human cells, what’s actually possible with aging reversal, how AI accelerates drug discovery, why GLP-1s changed the game, and whether there’s a real chance that none of this works.
If you're curious about biology, longevity, AI in drug discovery, or what it takes to build a $1.5B+ biotech startup from scratch this episode is a must-watch.
Timestamps
00:00 – 00:58
How epigenetic reprogramming works & why aging might be reversible
00:58 – 01:03
How big AI models changed biotech
01:03 – 02:21
NewLimit’s origin story — Jacob, Brian Armstrong & Blake Byers
02:22 – 05:20
Early breakthroughs, skeptical experiments & why results surprised them
05:20 – 08:25
Choosing the first targets: liver, immunity & where aging hits hardest
08:25 – 11:35
AI in drug discovery — protein language models, predicting experiments, and cutting years of R&D
11:35 – 14:10
What medicines could actually make us “feel” younger?
14:10 – 16:15
Diseases of aging vs. problems that hit everyone after 25
16:15 – 19:10
How biotech actually works — discovery → development → commercialization
19:10 – 21:00
Why Eli Lilly invested & how a drug goes to market
21:00 – 23:30
How close NewLimit is to human trials
23:30 – 25:50
What needs to happen before a drug ever touches a human
25:50 – 27:45
Phase 1, 2, 3 trials explained simply
27:45 – 29:20
Building the team: from 5 scientists to a world-class 40-person biotech
29:20 – 31:20
Why staying small is a superpower in biotech
31:20 – 33:10
Fundraising: why aging reversal needs $200M+ instead of $5M
33:10 – 35:10
Is there a chance they discover nothing? Startup-like risk in drug discovery
35:10 – 38:02
What Jacob is most excited about: GLP-1s, diagnostics, AI & the future of health
38:02 – 38:30
How to get in touch + final thoughts
Rho
Website - https://www.rho.co/
Public
Website - https://public.com/
Jacob Kimmel
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-kimmel/
Nichole wischoff
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholewischoff/
Today’s guest is Max, the founder & CEO of Superpower, one of the fastest-growing AI-driven healthcare companies in the U.S.
His journey started with years of unresolved health issues insomnia, migraines, surgeries, and doctors who couldn’t find the cause. That experience exposed him to elite $100,000+ precision medicine and eventually sparked the idea behind Superpower:
Using AI to bring world-class healthcare to everyone for just $199/year.
In this episode, Max breaks down how Superpower is building a parallel healthcare system, why 100 million Americans are pre-diabetic, how hormones are collapsing for both men and women, and why AI can now outperform doctors in creating personalized health protocols
00:00 — Intro: Max’s mission & America’s health crisis
01:05 — Max’s personal health struggles & early obsession with medicine
03:40 — Discovery of elite doctors & the $100k healthcare model
05:10 — ChatGPT moment: AI unlocking elite healthcare for all
07:50 — Meeting co-founders & building the company
10:20 — Early days, early mistakes & 2022 origin story
13:05 — What Superpower does today: 100+ biomarker tests
16:40 — AI protocols vs. doctors
19:00 — Common issues: metabolism, hormones, lipids
23:00 — Integrating CGMs, wearables & real-time insights
25:40 — Behind the scenes: full-stack healthcare infrastructure
29:50 — Marketing: Meta ads, virality & the “Healthiest Hoodie”
33:05 — Why competitors help their growth
35:10 — The hard part of healthcare + regulations
41:20 — Two healthcare systems: sick care & optimization
45:30 — Seed & Series A fundraising story
48:00 — What customers get today for $199
50:10 — Hiring insanely brilliant talent
52:10 — Market size: building a $300B company
55:00 — Closing thoughts
Rho
Website - https://www.rho.co/
Public
Website - https://public.com/
Superpower.com
Website - https://superpower.com/
Max Marchione
https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxmarchione/
This episode features an in-depth conversation with Zack Peng, founder and CEO of Seel, discussing the company's remarkable journey from a software engineering background to building an eight-figure revenue AI-enabled service platform. The discussion explores Seel's evolution in the e-commerce returns management space, tackling the significant problem where merchants spend 25% of GMV on returns, refunds, and post-purchase services. Zack shares candid insights about early technical challenges, operating at -200% contribution margins, discovering surprising behavioral signals like the impact of human models in product images on return rates, and the strategic transition from SMB to enterprise clients. The conversation covers founding philosophy, product-market fit discovery, the advantages of AI-enabled services over traditional SaaS models, scaling from minimal revenue to approaching nine figures with a lean team of 30 people, and contrarian views on the future of agentic shopping in e-commerce. Zack discusses how Seel uses proprietary underwriting algorithms with hundreds of signals to predict return probability, enabling merchants to offer risk-free shopping experiences while protecting their margins.
00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:42 - Pre-Seel career and algorithmic underwriting origins
00:01:29 - Early experimentation and proof of concepts
00:02:25 - Discovery of e-commerce returns opportunity
00:03:21 - Early algorithm development and behavioral insights
00:05:22 - Business model evolution and AI-enabled services
00:07:20 - Building vertical-specific applications at scale
00:09:21 - Growth strategy: SMB to enterprise transition
00:11:46 - Founder-led sales and learning enterprise motion
00:13:29 - Building with modern technology and lessons learned
00:15:13 - Current product offering and value proposition
00:18:22 - Team growth and hiring across functions
00:20:30 - Ideal customer profile and market positioning
00:21:42 - Future of e-commerce and agentic shopping
00:24:50 - Closing thoughts
SEEL
Website - https://www.seel.com/
Zack Peng
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/zackpeng/
Malory McLemore, Co-Founder and CEO of Stell Engineering, discusses her career path from aerospace engineer at Airbus and Raytheon to founding a venture-backed defense technology startup that is revolutionizing the way the aerospace and defense industry manages digital engineering requirements.
In this episode, Mallory reveals:
- The frustrations that led her from the factory floor to Harvard Business School
- How Anduril inspired her to start Stell Engineering
- Navigating government contracts and achieving Authority to Operate (ATO)
- Why developer tools for hardware engineering is a $10B market opportunity
- Building a dual-use strategy serving both DoD and prime contractors
00:00 - Introduction & Welcome
00:31 - Background and Origin Story
00:45 - Early Career in Aerospace Engineering
01:27 - Challenges in the Defense Industry
01:54 - Decision to Pursue Business School
02:26 - Discovering Defense Tech Startups
02:51 - Internship Experience
03:16 - Meeting the Co-Founder
03:51 - Working at a High-Growth Defense Company
04:35 - Starting Stell Engineering
06:13 - The Problem They're Solving
07:15 - Product Vision and Strategy
08:29 - Navigating Government Sales
08:51 - Going Enterprise and Dual-Use Strategy
09:10 - Current Customer Base
10:13 - Marketing Strategy
10:50 - Sales Cycle Timeline
11:00 - Team Structure and Hiring
11:30 - Go-To-Market Strategy
12:09 - Product-Led Growth Approach
12:17 - Cybersecurity Requirements
12:40 - Major Milestone Achievement
14:25 - AI in Regulated Industries
15:30 - Building Practical Solutions
17:25 - Company Culture
18:15 - Hiring and Open Positions
19:52 - Key Roles Hiring For
20:11 - Future Hiring Plans
20:37 - Future Market Outlook
21:11 - Industry Predictions
21:32 - Investment Thesis
22:00 - Closing Thoughts & Contact Info
STELL ENGINEERING
Website - https://www.stell-engineering.com/
Malory McLemore
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/malorymclemore/
This week I sat down for conversation with Postscript Founder/CEO Adam Turner as he shares his remarkable journey from selling solar panels door-to-door to building a venture-backed tech powerhouse. Adam candidly discusses the early struggles of startup life, including living in questionable apartments and surviving on Costco corn dogs, before revealing the strategic moves that led to Postscript's acceptance into Y-Combinator and their path to generating significant revenue.
The episode dives deep into the brutal realities of competing in a cutthroat tech market, including shocking stories of competitors offering $100,000 to poach customers and the critical importance of early hiring decisions. Adam provides invaluable insights on startup growth, the future of mobile marketing, and the delicate balance between profitability and fundraising.
00:00 Introduction and Early Challenges
00:28 Interview with Adam: Background and Early Career
00:51 Founding the First Startup
04:01 Lessons Learned and Moving Forward
04:54 The Birth of Postscript
06:40 YC Experience and Early Growth
12:27 Navigating the Competitive Market
18:45 Fundraising Journey
22:00 Impact of AI and Future Plans
26:22 Reflections and Final Thoughts
I sat down with Ryan Serhant as he shares his remarkable journey from struggling actor and hand model making just $9,000 a year to building one of New York City's most successful real estate empires. He reveals how his father's tough love rule against taking "survival jobs" pushed him to aim higher, and how riding a purple Vespa to client meetings marked his humble beginnings in the industry.
The conversation takes an unexpected turn as Ryan discusses how COVID-19 became his biggest break, creating the perfect opportunity to launch his own company. He also opens up about personal challenges, including his ongoing battle with "Friday scaries" and the therapeutic journey of learning to be a "human being" rather than just a "human doing."
00:00 Introduction and Early Life
01:40 College and Early Career Aspirations
05:22 Struggles and Breakthrough in Real Estate
12:48 Rise to Fame and Million Dollar Listing
19:32 Starting His Own Brokerage
26:03 Raising Venture Capital and Starting a Brokerage
27:36 Challenges of Starting Fresh
29:05 Inflection Points and TV Shows
32:22 Personal Life and Work Balance
38:24 Innovations and Future Plans
This week I sat down with Justin Lopas—Co-Founder/COO of Base Power—a former SpaceX and Anduril engineer who shares incredible stories from the early days of Starship development in Boca Chica. He speaks on how his team ingeniously leveraged water tower construction techniques to build rockets, transforming an empty field into what would become Starbase.
The discussion also explores the critical relationship between energy access and human prosperity, leading to Justin's current mission with Base—Revolutionizing grid storage. He provides unique insights into the challenges of American manufacturing, how Texas has become the perfect testing ground for grid innovation, and the war for manufacturing between the US and China.
00:47 Meet Justin Lopez: Co-Founder of Base Power Company
01:33 Justin's Journey: From SpaceX to Anduril
09:04 The Birth of Base Power Company
11:10 Base Power's Vision and Strategy
15:49 Why Texas? Strategic Insights
19:50 Funding and Scaling Challenges
22:35 The Future of Manufacturing in the U.S.
29:56 Training and Workforce Development
31:42 The Role of AI in Energy Solutions
33:16 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
In this episode, Adam Goldstein (Founder/CEO Archer Aviation) shares his extraordinary journey from witnessing 9/11 as a young investment banker, to founding Archer Aviation, a pioneering electric aircraft company. After experiencing the tragic events of September 11th firsthand, Goldstein navigated through six failed startups before building a successful company, learning invaluable lessons about product-market fit and sustainable business models along the way.
The conversation takes a dramatic turn as Goldstein reveals the intense legal battle with Boeing—That nearly destroyed Archer Aviation before its IPO—Offering rare insights into high-stakes corporate litigation. He also discusses how the Russia-Ukraine war exposed opportunities in modern defense, leading to Archer's strategic pivot into autonomous military solutions. Throughout the episode, Goldstein shares fascinating details about raising $2 billion for a flying car startup and why tackling massive, world-changing problems can actually be easier than building smaller companies.
00:00 Introduction and Host Welcome
00:41 Meet Adam Goldstein: From Finance to Tech
01:43 The Birth of Vettery
02:54 Investment Banking and 9/11 Experience
04:36 Lessons from the Hedge Fund World
06:44 Building and Scaling Vetteri
11:24 The Acquisition of Vettery
15:26 Founding Archer: A New Venture
19:27 The Challenge of Raising Capital]
19:47 Navigating the eVTOL Industry
21:20 Building a Credible Team
22:30 The Impact of COVID-19
23:12 Securing Initial Funding
24:40 Developing the First Prototype
24:53 Entering the SPAC Market
29:18 The Boeing Lawsuit
32:38 Future Prospects and Defense Opportunities
36:06 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
In this episode, former Third Point executive Keri Findley takes us behind the scenes of Wall Street's intense culture in the 2000s, sharing raw stories about her life navigating the world of finance. From learning to chug beer in Morgan Stanley conference rooms to being handed control of $200 million at age 25, Findley's journey offers a rare glimpse into the high-stakes world of Wall Street capital markets.
The conversation takes an fascinating turn when Findley reveals how a casual dinner conversation led to Peter Thiel becoming the sole investor in her $300M fund. She also provides valuable insights into why she ultimately rejected venture capital, and how the 2008 financial crisis created a massive opportunity in private credit that continues to shape markets today.
01:14 Carrie Finley's Background
02:00 Early Career and Challenges
05:54 Journey to Third Point
11:04 Founding Tacora Capital
14:47 Raising Funds and Peter Thiel's Support
20:13 Current Focus and Future Plans
Rahul Vohra, founder and CEO of Superhuman, shares the fascinating journey of raising the company's initial capital through an unconventional approach. Rather than pursuing traditional venture capital, he strategically approached angels who had earned 3-22x returns from his previous startup Rapportive. This strategic decision, combined with a methodical three-step fundraising process, allowed him to maintain control while proving progress.
The story takes an interesting turn with a late-night steak dinner at Andreessen Horowitz that unexpectedly led to naming the company Superhuman. The conversation also reveals how a sophisticated family office preempted their Series A with just 10 users, recognizing the massive potential in the email market - where 1 billion professionals spend 3 hours daily, creating a trillion-hour annual opportunity. Perhaps most compelling is Vohra's unique approach to achieving product-market fit through personal onboarding sessions with wine and whiskey, demonstrating the power of high-touch customer development in building a product people love.
01:24 Raoul Vora's Journey Before Superhuman
01:58 The Early Days of Superhuman
02:45 Raising the Initial Capital
04:04 Challenges and Strategies in Fundraising
05:55 The A16Z Story
09:23 Series A and Beyond
15:04 The Waitlist Strategy
19:02 Series C and Market Reflections
24:05 Raoul Vohra as an Investor
In this episode, we examine key trends in venture capital through 2024 and into 2025. Specifically, the dramatic 80% drop in first-time funds since 2021, why established VCs are leaving major firms like Sequoia, and breaking down the valuation gap between AI and non-AI startups using recent Carta data.
We also cover shifts in round sizes since the 2021 peak and provides insights into multi-stage funds' increasing presence in seed rounds, concluding with my predictions for venture capital in 2025.
Brian Distelburger co-founded Yext in 2006 when NYC had virtually no tech scene, eventually taking the company public with remarkable capital efficiency. In a time when everyone was pursuing finance careers, Distelburger helped pioneer New York's startup ecosystem, turning his teenage dream into reality by building one of the city's earliest tech success stories. The company's dramatic reveal of $20M in revenue at TechCrunch's TC50 competition marked a turning point, leading to intense interest from Silicon Valley VCs who had previously overlooked the East Coast startup.
Now, Distelburger is tackling a new frontier with Windmill, which gives AI superpowers to managers. Drawing from his experience leading thousands of employees, he's addressing the fundamental challenge of how leaders can more effectively run their team in the way that works for them. With 400 companies already on the waitlist, Windmill is fundamentally reshaping how organizations think about span of control by leveraging AI to enable domain experts to manage larger teams effectively, all while the company takes a measured approach to growth and funding.
01:11 Founding Yext
01:40 Early Ventures and Challenges
03:53 Fundraising Journey
07:01 TechCrunch Disrupt and Growth
16:35 Transition and New Ventures
18:01 Building Windmill
Ilir Sela is the Founder & CEO at Slice, a technology company helping independent pizzerias manage their day to day operations. Slice has raised over $100M from notable investors like KKR, Notable Capital, Primary Ventures and 01 Advisors.
-Not knowing a thing about venture capital and bootstrapping to $40M GMV
-Acquiring first customers going door to door in NYC
-Why he raised VC when the company vs bootstrap given early traction
-Relaunching from MyPizza to Slice in 2016
-The value of VCs when you're a solo founder
Mark Ghermezian is the co-founder and prior CEO of Braze, a customer engagement platform used by businesses for multi-channel marketing. Braze raised $180M before its IPO from leading investors Meritech Capital, Battery Ventures and ICONIQ. Mark is now the founding GP at MXV.
In this episode we dig into:
Starting AppBoy/Braze and hustling to raise initial capital
Randomly meeting his co-founders on a street corner in NYC
The importance of building relationships between rounds with VCs
Why you should always get on a plane to close the deal
Stepping back as CEO pre-IPO
Building a VC firm from scratch
Tarek is the co-founder and CEO of Kalshi, the first CFTC regulated exchange dedicated to trading on the outcome of future events. In this episode we discuss:
- Not being a hot company in YC
- Suing the government as a startup and winning
- Raising money from Sequoia, Henry Kravis, Schwab and others
- Being unable to take on more deposits because of demand during the presidential election
- The power of building a company that is "anti-pattern" to other companies
Gaurav Misra is the co-founder and CEO of Captions, the leading video AI company building the future of video creation. Captions has raised over $80M from leading investors Sequoia, Kleiner Perkins, Index and A16Z. We dig into:
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