DeepTech Unleashed – Détails, épisodes et analyse

In this episode of DeepTech Unleashed, host Christian Noske talks to Benoit Lemaignan, a key player in Europe’s battery industry who, as CEO and Co-Founder of @Verkor, has raised €2bn to support Verkor’s mission to fast-track low‑carbon battery production. Their discussion centres on the two critical yet contrasting phases every founder must face, crisis and expansion, through the prism of the battery industry. 

Topics include: 

The importance of European strategic autonomy 

The investments Europe needs to make in fusion and hydrogen 

Why Benoit is excited about SMRs and decarbonisation 

What Europe has ‘forgotten’ about manufacturing in the age of outsourcing

The European mindset v the US mindset 

The role of management boards in crisis spotting 

Managing risk through doing things ‘one step at a time’ 

Revisiting traditional concepts of risk 

The urge to push during an expansion phase 

Changing speed during expansion can be as difficult as managing a crisis 

The vision skill set vs the execution skill set

How humility and letting go are important to both phases

Chapters

00:00 Navigating Expansion and Crisis in Startups

02:39 The Vision Behind Vercor

05:42 The Importance of Electrification and Decarbonization

08:58 The European Startup Mindset and Innovation

12:15 Governance and Execution in New Ventures

14:50 Balancing Expansion and Crisis Management

18:49 The Role of Leadership in Crisis and Growth

23:32 Risk Management and Strategic Planning

27:24 Recruitment Challenges and Team Dynamics

30:34 The Rewards of Overcoming Challenges

34:53 Future Trends in Battery Technology and Decarbonization

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In this episode of DeepTech Unleashed, host Christian Noske speaks with Jan Goetz, CEO and co-founder of IQM, a Finnish company at the cutting edge of the global quantum revolution about the uncertainty principles of deep tech entrepreneurship, building trust with different audiences, and the current state of the quantum industry. 

Topics covered include: 

Adopting a founders’ mentality to living with uncertainty

The current state of possibility in the quantum industry in Europe compared to the US and China

The certainty of how high-potential new tech will always develop in unexpected directions 

Why ‘sexy ideas’ aren’t enough 

Why superconducting will be the ‘winning tech’ in quantum

‘Creating facts’ through repeating patterns of delivery 

How changing your language, not your story builds trust across different audiences

How IQM’s Nordic culture affects how they do business 

Why Jan rejects the ‘we’ll let you know when it’s ready’ approach to delivery

Jan’s prediction for the most exciting technology of the next 10 years 

Chapters

00:00 Navigating Uncertainty in Deep Tech Entrepreneurship

09:59 The Current State of the Quantum Industry 

19:52 Team Building, Communication & Company Culture

29:53 The Future of Quantum and Other Technologies

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In this episode of Deep Tech Unleashed, host Christian Noske speaks with Philipp Roesch-Schlanderer, CEO and founder of eGym, a company bringing health and fitness into the digital age about one of the biggest questions deep tech founders face: choosing a business model that delivers real, long-term value to customers and investors. 

Topics covered include: 

What the ‘rock star’ companies of the future will look like 

Why AI makes hardware more important than ever 

Hardware as your ‘moat’ and key to defensibility, even if it isn’t the majority of your revenue

Operational rigor and the dangers of being overly fluid just because you’re growing fast

The real meaning of ‘efficiency’ and ‘accountability’ 

How to know when when you’re creating value rather than just making money

When to work in parallel and when to work sequentially 

Why ‘no’ doesn’t necessarily mean you’re wrong, it might just mean you’re talking to the wrong people

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Deep Tech Unleashed

01:00 The Vision Behind eGym

06:12 Hardware vs. Software: eGym's Approach

10:49 Navigating Complexity in Deep Tech

14:03 Business Models and Value Creation

21:59 Operational Resilience and Investor Relations

28:02 The Importance of Focus in Growth

35:51 AI and the Future of Deep Tech

47:13 Looking Ahead: The Future of Deep Tech

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In this episode of DeepTech Unleashed (recorded in late 2024), host Christian Noske speaks with Marta Sjögren, co-CEO and co-founder of Paebbl, a deep tech startup focused on turning CO2 into solid, sustainable building materials, about building a world-class team and growth hacking for deep tech startups. 

Topics covered include:

Marta's filters for evaluating climate tech opportunities

The ‘humbling experience’ of transitioning from investor to operator

Aligning expectations between operators and VCs

Creating honest board dynamics 

How Marta’s hub building model allows for talent optimization

Hiring for a growth mindset 

Testing for culture fit to reduce mismatches in hiring

Deep tech growth hacking strategies 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Deep Tech Unleashed

01:13 Building a World-Class Team

02:12 Marta's Journey to Founding Paebbl

05:54 Filters for Climate Tech Investment

10:11 Transitioning from Investor to Operator

13:59 Expectations Between Operators and VCs

18:09 Hub Building in Europe

21:56 Hiring for Hub Culture

26:12 Cultural Cohesion in Diverse Teams

32:23 Building Team Culture and Communication

44:06 Growth Hacking in Deep Tech

50:44 Personal Recharge and Family Support

53:34 Moments of Magic in Leadership

01:00:07 Future Technologies and Climate Solutions

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In this episode of DeepTech Unleashed, host Christian Noske speaks with Cyrille Kabbara, CEO and founder of Shark Robotics, about building successful partnerships between Deep Tech startups and governments/public bodies.

Topics covered include:

Cyrille’s unique journey from military intelligence to founding a robotics company focused on saving lives

The ‘Chess game’ of selling to governments

Transitioning from being project-based to product-driven

The importance of thinking in terms of Op Ex v Cap Ex

Overcoming the cultural differences between startups and governments

Magic moments from Cyrille’s Deep Tech journey

The potential of AI to revolutionise robotics

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Deep Tech and Shark Robotics

02:12 Cyril's Unique Background and Journey

05:22 The Evolution of Shark Robotics

11:44 The Role of Robotics in Firefighting

13:38 Selling to Governments: Challenges and Strategies

20:14 Navigating the Public Sector Sales Process

23:30 Future Innovations in Robotics

29:21 Personal Insights and Moments of Magic

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In the first episode of DeepTech Unleashed, host Christian Noske talks to Péter Fankhauser, Co-Founder and CEO of ANYbotics about an area of founder life that is as vital as it is challenging: enterprise sales.

Founded in 2016, Péter and his fellow founders have turned ANYbotics into a spectacular European DeepTech success story. Trusted by hundreds of industry leaders and recognised as the Next Global Hot Thing at the Digital Economy Awards 2023, ANYbotics connects the physical and digital worlds by teaming up humans and autonomous robots.

Topics covered include:

How AI is revolutionizing the field of robotics

Understanding customer needs on an individual level even when dealing with large companies

Shifting from a research to a customer focus

When to start selling

Enjoying the journey and ‘falling in love with the problem’

The importance of storytelling

Recognizing the right moment for scaling

Magic moments from across Peter’s DeepTech journey

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to DeepTech Unleashed

02:07 The Journey of ANYbotics

05:54 AI and Robotics: A Paradigm Shift

09:50 Challenges in Enterprise Sales

14:07 Building Relationships in B2B Sales

17:54 The Importance of Storytelling

22:14 Customer-Centric Approach in Robotics

26:00 Balancing Life as a Deep Tech Founder

29:47 Moments of Magic in the Journey

34:05 Future of Robotics and AI

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In this episode of DeepTech Unleashed, host and partner at NGP Capital, Upal Basu, sits down with Brian Manning, Co-Founder and CEO of Xona, to explore the future of satellite navigation. Xona is pioneering a secure, high-performance navigation system from low Earth orbit (LEO) designed to meet the demands of modern automation, providing accuracy down to the centimetre level.

The Entrepreneurial Spark: From tinkering in a family plumbing business to working at SpaceX on the Falcon rocket thrust structure, and how those formative experiences shaped Brian’s journey.

The Limitations of GPS: Why traditional GPS is no longer sufficient for the era of 'hands-off' machine control, autonomous vehicles, and automated infrastructure.

Validating Deep Tech: The parallel approach required to prove complex satellite technology and market demand simultaneously, avoiding the pitfalls of building in a vacuum.

Overcoming the Doubters: Navigating early fundraising hurdles, managing runway through volatile periods like COVID-19, and the ultimate validation of launching Xona’s first satellite.

The Launch Bottleneck: The current state of the space industry where satellite manufacturing capacity heavily outstrips available commercial launch supply.

A Vision of Ubiquitous Precision: Looking ahead to a future where high-precision positioning transforms precision agriculture, critical infrastructure, and consumer applications.

00:00 Introduction to Pulsar-0 and Market Opportunity

02:57 Brian Manning's Journey to Entrepreneurship

05:57 Inspiration from SpaceX and the Apollo Era

09:04 The Transition from Automotive to Space Tech

11:52 Identifying the Gaps in GPS Technology

14:47 Commercial vs. Defense Applications of Navigation Systems

17:47 Overcoming Investor Skepticism

21:12 Parallel Validation of Technology and Market Needs

24:06 Building a Strong Founding Team

27:24 The Early Struggles of Fundraising

34:05 The Launch of Pulsar-0 and Its Impact

37:02 Transitioning from Technology Developer to Service Provider

39:50 Future Use Cases and Consumer Impact

46:05 Reflections and Advice for Entrepreneurs

Upal has worked in the mobile and software technology industry for over 20 years. At NGP Capital, Upal leads the US investment team. Prior to NGP Capital, he was Founder and CEO of Mformation Technologies, the world’s largest mobile device management company, which was acquired by Alcatel-Lucent. 

Previously he was a management consultant for McKinsey & Company in New York and London. Prior to joining McKinsey, Upal led Product Management activities for Risk Management Solutions (RMS), a leading provider of software technologies for the management of insurance risks. 

Upal has an MBA from Harvard Business School, an MS in Engineering from Stanford University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Imperial College, London.

Follow Upal Basu on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/upalbasu 

Find out more about NGP Capital here: https://www.ngpcap.com 

Brian Manning is the Co-Founder and CEO of Xona. An engineer and mechanic at heart, he holds an aerospace engineering degree and an MBA from London Business School. He is dedicated to building the foundation layer for the next generation of autonomous and connected devices by providing modern, secure, and ultra-precise satellite navigation.

Follow Brian Manning on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-manning-x/ 

Find out more about Xona here: https://www.xonaspace.com/ 

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In this episode of DeepTech Unleashed, host Christian Noske sits down with Rhona Togher, the CEO and co-founder of Lios. Based in Dublin, Lios is on a mission to reduce noise pollution and prevent hearing damage through advanced material science. Rhona and her co-founder, Eimear O'Carroll, have developed SoundBounce, an award-winning acoustic material that is thinner, lighter, and significantly more effective at dampening low-frequency noise than traditional solutions. From its origins as a school science project to winning the European Patent Office’s Invention of the Year 2023, Rhona shares the remarkable story of Lios’s growth. The conversation explores the challenges of building a hardware powerhouse in a risk-averse industry, the importance of long-term customer relationships, and the unique dynamics of a co-founder partnership that began in high school.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

The Founder’s Journey: How Lios evolved from a high school science project in Sligo into an advanced materials company operating across the automotive, aviation, and construction sectors, and even in space.

A Unique Co-Founder Partnership: Insights into building a long-term, successful co-founder relationship, and how constant, transparent communication serves as the foundation for overcoming the challenges of a deep tech startup.

Overcoming Industry Resistance: Strategies for convincing veteran, risk-averse industries to adopt new, breakthrough materials through multi-phase processes and long-term engagement.

Supporting Women in Tech: Why visibility and community are vital for encouraging more women to pursue careers and leadership roles in deep tech.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Deep Tech Unleashed and Rhona Togher

01:22 Lios’s Mission and SoundBounce Technology

05:04 Origin Story: From High School Project to Business

11:50 Building the Team and Scaling

14:23 Managing Funding and Capital Efficiency

18:56 Navigating Early Investor and Supplier Challenges

23:04 The Power of the Co-Founder Relationship

26:11 Challenges and Opportunities for Women in Deep Tech

31:13 Best Practices for Entering Risk-Averse Industries

34:35 Moments of Magic and Recognition

39:24 Personal Insights and Life Outside of Work

About the Guest: Rhona Togher

Rhona Togher is the co-founder and CEO of Lios, an advanced materials company based in Dublin. Along with her co-founder Eimear O'Carroll, she has spent over ten years developing breakthrough acoustic materials to combat noise pollution. Rhona’s work with Lios has earned significant recognition, including being named the European Patent Office’s Invention of the Year 2023. She is a passionate advocate for women in deep tech and focuses on building sustainable, customer-driven technology that has applications across global industries and in space.

Follow Rhona on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhonatogher/ 

Find out more about Lios here: https://lios-group.com 

About the Host: Christian Noske

Christian Noske is a Partner at NGP Capital, where he focuses on industrial tech, enterprise software, and deep tech investments. With a wealth of experience in the venture capital landscape, Christian is dedicated to supporting founders who are solving complex technical challenges. Through DeepTech Unleashed, he brings listeners behind the scenes of the world’s most ambitious startups to uncover the human stories behind the hardware and code.

Follow Christian Noske here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-noske/

Find out more about NGP Capital here: https://www.ngpcap.com/

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In this episode of DeepTech Unleashed, host Christian Noske sits down with Jonas Schneider, founder of Daedalus and one of Europe’s most visionary deep-tech builders. From being the first engineer at OpenAI to now spearheading Europe’s AI-powered manufacturing renaissance, Jonas shares an insider’s perspective on how software, robotics, and human craftsmanship will reshape the continent’s industrial backbone.

Jonas unpacks why Europe’s strength in complex, high-precision industrial parts is both its biggest advantage and its biggest bottleneck — and how Daedalus is using AI-driven, asset-light factories to preserve artisan-level quality while massively scaling production. He explains why every high-end industrial part is “a mini-project”, why the real bottleneck is human cognitive load rather than machines, and how software can capture decades of tacit manufacturing knowledge before it’s lost.

Together, Christian and Jonas explore:

Europe’s unique opportunity to lead in high-complexity manufacturing, not mass production

The clash — and fusion — between Silicon Valley’s “move fast” culture and German precision craftsmanship

Why CNC shops often run at only 15–20% machine utilization, and how Daedalus is already doubling that

The demographic time bomb threatening Europe’s industrial ecosystem

How AI co-pilots, automation, and integrated digital factories unlock new productivity

What Europe still lacks to build globally dominant deep-tech companies — and how to fix it

Jonas’s take on AI hype vs. reality, and the long-term technologies he’s personally most excited about

This episode is a rare deep dive into the future of European industry from someone who helped build the future of AI.

Chapters:

00:00 The Challenge of Manufacturing Innovation

06:03 Silicon Valley vs. Traditional Manufacturing

11:58 The Concept of Asset-Light Manufacturing

18:11 Software's Role in Modern Manufacturing

23:59 Building Resilience in European Manufacturing

27:31 The Hidden Champions of European Manufacturing

30:51 Navigating the European Industrial Ecosystem

34:28 Bridging the Gap: Risk Appetite in Europe

36:41 Integrating Blue Collar and White Collar Workers

42:05 Moments of Magic in Innovation

48:01 AI: Hype vs. Usefulness

51:20 Future Technologies: Dreams of Tomorrow

Find out more about Daedalus here: www.daedalus.de 

Follow Jonas Schneider here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonas-schneider  

Find out more about NGP Capital here: www.ngpcap.com 

Follow Christian Noske here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-noske  

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