Scott Nolan, Founder & CEO of General Matter and Partner at Founders Fund, joins Sourcery to break down America’s urgent need to rebuild its nuclear fuel supply chain. With $50 million in funding led by Founders Fund, General Matter is developing U.S.-based production of HALEU (high-assay low-enriched uranium), the nuclear fuel critical for powering next-generation reactors.

As part of the recent investment, Peter Thiel, Founders Fund Partner & billionaire investor, is joining the board–a notable move for Thiel, who stepped down from Facebook’s board in 2022 and rarely takes on new board roles beyond his long-standing position at Palantir.

Nolan shares how General Matter is applying a “SpaceX x Palantir” playbook to reindustrialize the U.S., from assembling a cross-functional engineering team to securing government contracts and navigating executive orders. We dive into the HALEU bottleneck, AGI power demand, reactor deployment timelines, and the energy arms race with China—and why enrichment is the unlock for nuclear to become the cheapest, safest, & most scalable baseload energy source.

This conversation is part of Sourcery’s “Made in America” Mini-Series recorded at the Reindustrialize 2025 Summit.

Highlights

• America’s Enrichment Deficit: The U.S. currently supplies less than 0.1% of global nuclear fuel enrichment, with 25% of its supply still coming from Russia.

• General Matter’s Mission: Founded in 2023 to make enrichment affordable and scalable, enabling nuclear to become the lowest-cost baseload power.

• SpaceX/Anduril-style Playbook: Blending industry veterans with startup talent to accelerate execution: “1/3 incumbents, 2/3 Silicon Valley engineers”

• AI Energy Demands: By 2030, AI is projected to consume the equivalent of today’s entire U.S. power grid, making energy production the bottleneck.

• Executive Orders & Industrial Strategy: Recent U.S. government actions aim to re-regulate nuclear, fast-track licensing, and quadruple nuclear output by 2050—backed by DOE, DOD, and NRC.

Connect with us:

1. Scott Nolan: https://x.com/ScottNolan

2. Molly O’Shea: https://x.com/MollySOShea

3. Sourcery: https://x.com/sourceryvc

Brought to you by:

• Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, and travel.

As a Sourcery Listener you get: 75,000 points after spending $3,000 on Brex card(s), white-glove onboarding, $5,000 in AWS credits, $2,500 in OpenAI credits, & access to $180k+ in SaaS discounts. On top of $500 toward Brex travel, $300 in cashback, plus exclusive perks (like billboards..) visit → https://brex.com/sourcery

• Turing—Turing delivers top-tier talent, data, and tools to help AI labs improve model performance—and enables enterprises to turn those models into powerful, production-ready systems. Visit: turing.com/sourcery

• Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourcery

• Fourthwall—The #1 way to sell merch online — Fourthwall is the easiest way to launch a fully branded merch store—used by big brands like MKBHD, Acquired, & even the Smithsonian. 100+ products. No upfront cost. Visit Fourthwall to start today: https://fourthwall.com/

Follow Sourcery for the latest updates!

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(00:00) U.S. Nuclear Resurgence

(00:56) Why General Matter Was Founded

(02:49) Making Nuclear The Cheapest Baseload Energy

(04:00) Enrichment And Fuel Process Breakdown

(05:16) Decline Of U.S. Enrichment Capacity

(07:26) Building General Matter & SpaceX/Palantir Playbook

(09:55) Skunkworks Team: Nuclear Experts + Generalist Engineers

(11:11) Breakdown Of The Four Executive Orders

(16:35) Geopolitics, GDP, & The China Energy Gap

(21:14) End Of Stranded Assets & AI’s Power Bottleneck

(24:40) AGI & Software’s Role In Nuclear Deployment

(31:13) General Matter’s 12–18 Month Milestones

Christian Garrett, Partner at 137 Ventures and Co-Founder of the Hill & Valley Forum, returns to Sourcery for a deep dive into Winning the AI Race—a high-stakes summit bringing together Trump, J.D. Vance, top tech CEOs, and government leaders to chart America’s AI future. In this fast-moving conversation, Christian breaks down how AI is driving reindustrialization across mining, energy, and manufacturing, why pricing—not capital—is the real bottleneck in U.S. mining, and how the Pentagon's landmark deal with MP Materials could start to reshape the global rare earths market. He also unpacks Applied Intuition’s $600M Series F at a $15B valuation, the rise of venture opportunities enabled by new policy, and why the Invest America Act—seeding every American newborn with a $1,000 investment account—could be the most important wealth-building policy of this generation.

Join us for a quick dive into the state of national resilience, generational investing, and the convergence of tech, defense, and policy.

This conversation is part of Sourcery’s “Made in America” Mini-Series recorded at the Reindustrialize 2025 Summit. 

Highlights

• Reindustrialization with AI across mining, energy, & manufacturing

• Creating new wealth for Americans with the Invest America Act

• Applied Intuition’s $600M Series F at $15B valuation

• MP Materials’ rare earths deal with the Pentagon

• China’s control of pricing—not capital—is stalling U.S. mining growth

• Winning the AI Race summit with Trump, Vance, and tech leaders pushing for U.S. AI dominance and job creation

Connect with us:

1. Christian Garrett: https://x.com/CGarrett_15

2. Molly O’Shea: https://x.com/MollySOShea

3. Sourcery: https://x.com/sourceryvc

Brought to you by:

• Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, and travel. 

  As a Sourcery Listener you get: 75,000 points after spending $3,000 on Brex card(s), white-glove onboarding, $5,000 in AWS credits, $2,500 in OpenAI credits, & access to $180k+ in SaaS discounts. On top of $500 toward Brex travel, $300 in cashback, plus exclusive perks (like billboards..) visit → https://brex.com/sourcery

• Turing—Turing delivers top-tier talent, data, and tools to help AI labs improve model performance—and enables enterprises to turn those models into powerful, production-ready systems. Visit: turing.com/sourcery

• Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourcery

• Fourthwall—The #1 way to sell merch online — Fourthwall is the easiest way to launch a fully branded merch store—used by big brands like MKBHD, Acquired, & even the Smithsonian. 100+ products. No upfront cost. Visit Fourthwall to start today: https://fourthwall.com/

Follow Sourcery for the latest updates!

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Timestamps:
(00:00) – Christian Garrett Returns

(01:30) – Hill & Valley, Reindustrialize, & 137’s Industrial Bets

(06:10) – AI + Legacy Industry = New Industrial Revolution

(08:30) – Big Bets On Defense, Auto (Applied Intuition), & Mining

(10:55) – MP Materials + Pentagon: Rare Earth Strategy

(13:15) – U.S. Needs Pricing Support + Vertical Integration

(15:30) – Policy Drives Markets: Dodd-Frank, JOBS Act, 174

(17:45) – Invest America: $1K Seed Accounts For All Newborns(

20:10) – “Winning The AI Race” Summit: Tech X Government

Paul Klein IV, founder & CEO of Browserbase, announces their $40M Series B at a $300M valuation led by Notable Capital. Browserbase has raised $67.5M in total funding in just 15 months (!!) since founding the company. Existing investors include big Silicon Valley funds like Kleiner Perkins, CRV, Basecase, and more. 

Paul shares how Browserbase is powering the next generation of AI agents and “vibe coders” by providing programmable, cloud-hosted browser infrastructure—what he calls “Twilio for headless browsers.”

Special thank you to John at Strike Capital for the introduction, as well as Bucky Moore and Turner Novak for some incredible questions. This is an awesome interview.

We cover:

* How Browserbase works and real-world automation use cases

* Round dynamics, fundraising strategy & investor support

* Their all-star angel network: Jeff Lawson (Twilio), Patrick Collison (Stripe), Guillermo Rauch (Vercel), founders of Okta, Stitch, WorkOS, and more

* The evolution of their brand (emoji story)

* Go-to-market strategy and scaling past 1,000 customers

* Launching Director.ai for “vibe coders”

* The future of AI agents, authentication, and automation

* Paul’s solo founder journey and team culture in SF

Whether you’re building an agent, automating legacy workflows, or just curious how infra startups are scaling fast in AI, this one’s for you.

Check out Browserbase: https://www.browserbase.com/

Molly on X: https://x.com/MollySOShea

Paul on X: https://x.com/pk_iv

Brought to you by:

Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, and travel. As a Sourcery listener, you can unlock up to $500 toward Brex travel or $300 in cash back, plus exclusive perks to help you move even faster: https://brex.com/sourcery

Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourcery

Fourthwall—The #1 way to sell merch online — Fourthwall is the easiest way to launch a fully branded merch store—used by big brands like MKBHD, Acquired, & even the Smithsonian. 100+ products. No upfront cost. Visit Fourthwall to start today: https://fourthwall.com/

Follow Sourcery for the latest updates! 

https://www.sourcery.vc/

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Series B Fundraise Announcement

02:21 - Introduction to Browserbase

04:04 - Use Cases & Applications

07:56 - Customer Growth & Product Development

10:48 - GTM & Branding Strategies

22:53 - AI Agent Ecosystem & Authentication

28:08 - AI Regulation & Deep Fakes

30:07 - Launching Director AI

30:54 - Empowering Vibe Coders

33:52 - Customer Service & Team Composition

41:28 - Why Founding a Startup Should Be Last Resort

44:38 - Managing Performance As A Solo Founder 

48:38 - Future Outlook & Kalshi Predictions

#Browserbase #AIInfrastructure #PaulKlein #Startups #Automation #SeriesB #AIagents #DeveloperTools #VibeCoders #podcast #investing #technology #venturecapital #entrepreneur #startup #siliconvalley

Cameron McCord, CEO & Founder of Nominal, discuss their recent $75 million Series B round led by Sequoia, bringing their total funding to over $100 million. With this funding, #1 on the Midas list investor, Alfred Lin of Sequoia is joining their board.

Alongside Stephen Slattery, Growth & Product at Nominal, they delve into Nominal’s rapid 10-day funding process, driven by thorough due diligence and their impressive customer testimonials. We go deeper into their innovative core products, Core and Connect, for hardware testing, software management, and their impressive traction in aerospace, defense, energy, and maritime industries. Closing large early customers like Shield AI, Antares, and Vatn.

Cameron and Steven, share insights into their backgrounds, including experiences in the US Navy, Anduril, SpaceX, and other prestigious institutions, and how these experiences led them to create Nominal. Learn how Nominal accelerates testing processes, the company’s growth strategies, and the unique challenges and advancements in the hardware sector. Plus, Cameron’s fascinating background as a submarine officer.

Molly on X: https://x.com/MollySOSheaCameron on X: https://x.com/cameronlmccord

Brought to you by:

Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, and travel. As a Sourcery listener, you can unlock up to $500 toward Brex travel or $300 in cash back, plus exclusive perks to help you move even faster: https://brex.com/sourcery

Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourcery

Fourthwall—The #1 way to sell merch online — Fourthwall is the easiest way to launch a fully branded merch store—used by big brands like MKBHD, Acquired, & even the Smithsonian. 100+ products. No upfront cost. Visit Fourthwall to start today: https://fourthwall.com/Earn Sourcery

Content Rewards: https://whop.com/sourcery/?a=sourcery

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - $75M Series B Led by Sequoia

03:12- The Journey to Nominal: Backgrounds and Convictions

06:01 - Market Opportunities & Challenges in Aerospace and Defense

08:58 - Continuous Hardware Testing: The Future of Development

11:48 - Nominal's Unified Operating Platform: Features and Benefits

15:03 - The Role of Connect in Hardware Testing

17:55 - Trends and Predictions in the Defense Sector

20:48 - Navigating the Supply Chain and Testing Landscape

23:48 - The Importance of Collaboration with Primes

26:49 - Delta Qualification: Accelerating Hardware Development

34:06 - Nominal's Products: Core and Connect

44:27 - Scaling Success with Nominal

48:21 - Performance Management in Complex Industries

52:10 - Case Studies: Aerospace, Nuclear, and Maritime

01:00:24 - Efficiency Gains & Cost Savings for Customers

01:03:20 - Navigating Innovation in a Rapidly Changing Landscape

01:06:49 - Go-to-Market Strategies for Diverse Customers

01:09:10 - Building a Talented Team for Growth

01:14:57 - Lessons from Fundraising and Future Outlook#podcast #investing #technology #venturecapital #entrepreneur #startup #siliconvalley

With $32M in total funding, Nucleus CEO Kian Sadeghi joins Molly to discuss the groundbreaking launch of Nucleus Embryo, a genetic optimization software designed to give children the best possible start in life. Kian explains how the software analyzes comprehensive genetic profiles of embryos, helping parents make informed decisions about traits such as disease risks and physical characteristics.

The conversation delves into partnerships with companies like Genomic Prediction, the significance of this innovation in the broader context of the fertility crisis, and the ethical considerations and future implications of genetic optimization. Nucleus also touches on the affordability and accessibility of this technology, ensuring it becomes a universal tool for all prospective parents.

Molly on X: https://x.com/MollySOShea

Kian on X: https://x.com/KianSadeghi5

Visit Nucleus for Embryo, Family Planning, & Health Testing: https://mynucleus.com/

Brought to you by:

Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, and travel. As a Sourcery listener, you can unlock up to $500 toward Brex travel or $300 in cash back, plus exclusive perks to help you move even faster: https://brex.com/sourcery

Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourcery

Fourthwall—The #1 way to sell merch online — Fourthwall is the easiest way to launch a fully branded merch store—used by big brands like MKBHD, Acquired, & even the Smithsonian. 100+ products. No upfront cost. Visit Fourthwall to start today: https://fourthwall.com/

Earn Sourcery Content Rewards: https://whop.com/sourcery/?a=sourcery

Follow Sourcery for the latest updates!

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TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Kian Sadeghi/Nucleus Intro

0:55 - What is Nucleus Embryo?

2:08 - What does genetic optimization for embryos mean?

4:13 - Why is this now possible vs 5 years ago?

6:11 - The current state of fertility

7:48 - Brex feature

10:53 - How does Nucleus fit into the fertility crisis?

12:20 - Why do you think parents still feel like having children is hitting a lottery ticket?

13:18 - The defining moment for the genetics industry

15:46 - What does this all mean for users?

18:09 - How accurate is your analysis?

19:58 - How far can you take picking out traits for your baby?

22:59 - The controversy and ethics around embryonic selection

24:37 - Kian's message to the critics and sceptics

27:04 - Fourthwall feature

27:53 - The goal is to have anyone and everyone to have access to this

29:02 - What's next for Nucleus?

31:25 - What do you think the best AI will be this month?

32:15 - Will DeepSeek be banned in the US this year?

32:50 - How many times will Trump visit Mar-a-lago this month?

33:20 - What will Tim Cook say during the Apple WWDC event?

35:00 - Thank you for coming on the show Kian

In this episode, John Andrew Entwistle, founder & CEO, breaks down Wander’s explosive growth and recent $50M Series B round led by QED Investors and Fifth Wall, with support from Redpoint, Uncork, Starwood Capital, and Breyer Capital.

Wander is building the first vertically integrated platform in vacation rentals, targeting the $35B luxury short-term rental segment with over 1,000 homes, a best-in-class 85 NPS, and 35,000+ nights booked to date.

Earn Sourcery Content Rewards: https://whop.com/sourcery/?a=sourcery

Molly on X: https://x.com/MollySOShea

Jack on X: https://x.com/jacksharkey11

Brought to you by:

Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, and travel. As a Sourcery listener, you can unlock up to $500 toward Brex travel or $300 in cash back, plus exclusive perks to help you move even faster: https://brex.com/sourcery

Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourcery

Follow Sourcery for the latest updates!

https://www.sourcery.vc/

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - John Andrew Entwistle Introduction

1:00 - Series B Benchmark: $5M–$15M ARR

3:32 - What is Wander?

5:20 - Maintaining a high NPS through various transitions

6:10 - The Unscalable Beginning

8:15 - Building the First Vacation Rental REIT

10:46 - Brex Sponsorship Break

11:48 - Market Size: $35B GMV in Top 5%

13:42 - Customer Experience Philosophy

17:00 - Solving the Marketplace Cold Start Problem

19:15 - Hardest Challenge: The 2022 Crisis

23:47 - Sourcing Premium Properties

25:30 - Favorite Properties and Hidden Gems

28:51 - B2B Opportunities

32:34 - The Technology Stack

36:18 - Founder Background

39:59 - Advice for Young Founders

41:37 - Staying Clear During Rapid Scaling

43:53 - Team Structure and Hiring

48:56 - Efficient Marketing and Operations

51:04 - Demand Generation Strategy

53:22 - Activation Over Growth

55:27 - Business Model Deep Dive

57:59 - Capital Raised: $100M+

1:00:13 - What to Look for in Investors

1:02:20 - Life Philosophy: The Four Rules

1:06:24 - Looking Forward

#podcast #investing #technology #venturecapital #entrepreneur #startup #siliconvalley

Whop CTO Jack Sharkey reveals how they built a $1.2 billion GMV run rate platform with just 20 engineers, processing $108 million monthly & 5+ billion views for 28,000 creators worldwide. Whop has raised $80 million, valued at $800 million. He shares controversial takes on why junior engineers should skip big tech to build their own projects, how AI is making developers 5-10x more productive, and Whop's radical culture of requiring employees to have personal side projects with real users.

Earn Sourcery Content Rewards: https://whop.com/sourcery/?a=sourceryMolly on X: https://x.com/MollySOSheaJack on X: https://x.com/jacksharkey11

Brought to you by:

Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, and travel. As a Sourcery listener, you can unlock up to $500 toward Brex travel or $300 in cash back, plus exclusive perks to help you move even faster: https://brex.com/sourcery

Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourcery

Follow Sourcery for the latest updates! https://www.sourcery.vc/

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Jack Sharkey/Whop Intro

1:30 - Whop's Mission, Origin Story & Hyper-growth

4:43 - Whop's Funding & $800M Valuation

15:22 - Key Metrics & Global Growth

22:48 - Engineering Challenges & AI Philosophy

33:26 - Database Migration Deep Dive

40:07 - Company Culture & Side Projects

48:40 - Future Plans & Kalshi Predictions

Erik Kriessmann, Partner at Altimeter, joins Molly O'Shea to share his journey from leading human capital at Khosla & Index to writing $100+ million checks into Aerospace & Defense at Altimeter's $10 Billion AUM Fund. We go deep into his investment strategies, and his thoughts on key industry trends.

Learn about his work with prominent companies like SpaceX, Anduril, and K2 Space, as well as the unique approach Altimeter takes in supporting founders and investing in transformative technologies.

Erik also discusses the evolving exit environment, the impact of AI, and future opportunities in aerospace, defense, and hard tech. Don't miss this comprehensive dive into the minds of one of venture capital's most under-the-radar legends.

Molly on X: https://x.com/MollySOSheaErik on X: https://x.com/ekriessmannBrought to you by:Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, and travel. As a Sourcery listener, you can unlock up to $500 toward Brex travel or $300 in cash back, plus exclusive perks to help you move even faster: https://brex.com/sourceryKalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourceryFollow Sourcery for the latest updates! https://www.sourcery.vc/

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Introduction

00:49 From Khosla & Index to Altimeter

06:50 Building Relationships & Trust

08:35 Sponsorship Message from Brex

09:38 Investing in Real World Technologies, Aerospace, & Defense

14:19 Deep Dive into Anduril

24:22 Spotlight on K2 Space

29:54 Building a Winning Team

31:41 Recruitment Challenges & Strategies

34:14 Altimeter's Investment Approach

40:28 Evaluating Success in Investments

41:46 Exit Strategies & Market Trends

45:36 Opportunities in Aerospace & Defense

50:58 Kalshi Predictions (AI, Wealthiest Person, SpaceX, Aliens)

#podcast #investing #technology #venturecapital #entrepreneur #startup #siliconvalley

Bucky Moore joins Molly O'Shea to announce his new role as Partner at $30B AUM Lightspeed Venture Partners. Bucky opens up about his transition from Kleiner Perkins, the decision to join an established platform versus launching his own fund, the structural and economic elements of changing funds, and what it means to invest at the earliest stages during a generational market cycle.

We dive deep into the evolution of megafunds, the heat they’re receiving, the shifting LP landscape, and how venture capital is being reshaped by the rise of targeting trillion-dollar outcomes in companies like OpenAI and SpaceX. Bucky shares his insider take on how to win deals in a hyper-competitive market, the importance of long-term founder relationships, and why early-stage investing is still the soul of great VC firms—even at scale.

From navigating fund transitions and valuation froth to unpacking the real impact of AI and what makes a high-stake founder, Bucky brings sharp insights and grounded wisdom. He also reflects on the power of gratitude, taste, and team in an increasingly complex venture ecosystem.

Molly on X: https://x.com/MollySOShea

Bucky on X: https://x.com/buckymoore

Follow Sourcery for the latest updates! 

https://www.sourcery.vc/

Follow for exclusive Sourcery content & early releases on Passes: https://www.passes.com/mollysoshea

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Transition to Lightspeed

01:48 - Why Lightspeed Over Own Fund? Transition Dynamics

05:01 - Mega Funds & Trillion-Dollar Strategies

09:19 - “Venture Arrogance Score”

18:28 - How to Win Competitive Rounds

22:03 - The Importance of ‘Picking’ as a Lead Investor

26:32 - Valuations in Pre-Seed & Seed Rounds

30:46 - The Concept of Taste in Venture Capital

38:02 - Sourcing & Building Relationships with Founders

44:22 - Looking Forward: New Beginnings at Lightspeed

#podcast #investing #technology #venturecapital #entrepreneur #startup #siliconvalley

Leigh Marie Braswell, Partner at Kleiner Perkins, speaks with Molly O'Shea on the rise of AI and its impact on venture capital. We discuss KP's 21st venture fund, KP21, an $825M fund to back early stage companies, and their third select fund, KP Select III, a $1.2 billion fund to back high inflection investments. We also go deeper into key AI infrastructure trends and machine learning applications, investments in companies like Windsurf, Glean, and Ambience, and the evolution of Kleiner Perkins over its 50+ years. Learn about the firm's investment strategy, the significance of maintaining a small team, and the process of finding exceptional talent. Leigh Marie also shares her background at Scale AI and insights into creating 'talent vortexes.' A must-watch for entrepreneurs, investors, and AI enthusiasts.

Leigh Marie Braswell is a Partner at Kleiner Perkins, where she focuses on investing in infrastructure and machine learning (ML) application startups. She joined the firm in 2023 after serving as a Principal at Founders Fund. Previously, she was an early engineer and the first product manager at Scale AI, leading development for 3D annotation products used in autonomous vehicles, robotics, and AR/VR.

Molly on X: https://x.com/MollySOShea

Guest on X: https://x.com/ttunguz

Follow Sourcery for the latest updates!

https://www.sourcery.vc/

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Introduction

00:25 $10B+ AUM: Kleiner's Legendary Generational Transformation

08:08 Windsurf: Angel Investment to Potential $3B Acquisition

18:21 Hyper-Competitive AI Landscape

25:43 ARR, Fraud, & Scams

31:52 Code-Gen Competition: Cursor, Devin, Copilot, Windsurf

35:48  Key Trends in AI Infra & ML Applications

40:13 Leigh Marie's Background & Scale AI Journey

46:17 Talent Vortexes & Investing

52:34 Seed-Strapped Companies & Growth

58:37 Poker Nights & Networking

01:03:05 Looking Forward: AI and Founders

Jacob Peters, CEO & Co-Founder of Superpower, shares their recent $30 million Series A funding led by Forerunner Ventures. We go deeper into their ambitious vision of having an AI doctor in everyone's pocket and his own personal health journey that inspired the creation of Superpower.

Superpower aims to provide a holistic and data-driven alternative to traditional medicine, offering personalized insights and actions to improve overall health. He also shares the meticulous steps taken to build the Superpower brand, including the creation of 'the world's healthiest hoodie' and securing the superpower.com domain. Get a glimpse into the future of healthcare, the challenges of the current medical system, and how Superpower plans to disrupt the industry for the better.

Molly on X: https://x.com/MollySOShea

Jacob on X: https://x.com/j__cub?lang=en

Follow Sourcery for the latest updates! 

https://www.sourcery.vc/

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Welcome Jacob To Sourcery!

00:49 - $30 Million Series A Led by Forerunner

03:57 - Building a Brand: The Story Behind Superpower

08:02 - Securing the Superpower Domain & Social Handles

14:41 - The "Healthiest Hoodie" Ever Made

17:54 - Jacob's Personal Journey & Founding of Superpower

22:03 - Misaligned Health System Incentives

25:06 - Holistic Medicine & Concierge Care

25:48 - The Birth of a Health Company

30:50 - The Shocking State of American Health

33:42 - Revolutionizing Healthcare with AI

34:02 - Building a Mission-Driven Team

36:56 - Comprehensive Health Testing

45:29 - Future of Healthcare & Business Model

#podcast #investing #technology #venturecapital #entrepreneur #startup #siliconvalley

Chris Josephs, Co-Founder of Autopilot, dives into the intricacies of political insider trading, the venture-backed journey of Autopilot, and their innovative growth strategies. Chris discusses the evolution from their social investing app, Iris, to launching Autopilot, which allows retail investors to follow top investors' portfolios. 

We explore high-profile topics including Nancy Pelosi's trading patterns, the history and nuances of insider trading laws, and the potential impact of banning politicians from stock trading. Discover the secret sauce behind Autopilot's viral growth, their creative marketing tactics, and what lies ahead for the company as they partner with creators to further democratize investment opportunities. 

Whether you're an investor, entrepreneur, or simply curious about the intersection of technology, politics, and finance, this conversation is packed with insights and actionable takeaways.

DISCLAIMER: Not Financial Advice. For entertainment purposes only.

Follow Sourcery for the latest updates! 

https://www.sourcery.vc/

Molly on X: https://x.com/MollySOShea

Chris on X: https://x.com/Chrisjjosephs

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - The Hypocrisy of Politicians Trading Stocks

00:42 - Introducing Chris Josephs of Autopilot & Nancy Pelosi Stock Tracker

02:03 - The Evolution of Insider Trading

05:43 - The Stock Act and Its Loopholes

08:58 - The Richard Burr Scandal

11:45 - AOC's Push for a Trading Ban

21:21 - Autopilot's Mission and Growth

36:15 - Viral Growth Marketing Strategies

39:15 - Challenges and Opportunities in FinTech

40:19 - Navigating Media and Investor Relations

45:43 - The Future of Retail Investing

59:34 - VC Fundraising and Business Growth

01:04:26 - Exciting Plans for the Future

#podcast #investing #technology #venturecapital #entrepreneur #startup #siliconvalley

Samir Vasavada joins Molly O'Shea on Sourcery to share how he and his co-founder Runik Mehrotra launched Vise as teenagers and scaled it to over $22 billion in platform assets with their leanest team ever: just about 40 people. After a record-breaking Q2 and 1275% YoY growth, Vise is leading the shift to Wealth 3.0 with personalized, automated portfolios that go beyond mutual funds and ETFs.

Backed with $130 million in funding at a $1B valuation from Sequoia Capital, Founders Fund, and Allen & Co, Vise uses AI to help advisors build, manage, and explain portfolios across nearly every asset class and client type.

Since recording this episode Vise has grown from $15B to $22B platform assets in just a few months.

In this episode, Samir breaks down:

• Bootstrapping Vise at 16: From seed to unicorn in 18 months

• Raising $130M from investors like Sequoia, Founders Fund, + Allen & Co

• How Vise saves clients $60M+ in taxes

• What tech billionaires actually do with their equity

• The $10T RIA opportunity—& why the legacy wealth stack is broken

• Retail demand for private credit, real estate, & alternative assets

• Global wealth shifts from London to Dubai, Milan, & Southeast Asia

• Why scaling back from 150+ employees to 40 made the company stronger

“There needs to be one platform that is functionally the platform that powers the global multi-trillion dollar asset management industry. And it will be Vise”

Molly on X: https://x.com/MollySOShea

Samir on X: https://x.com/samir_vasavada

Visit Vise: https://vise.com

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• Turing—Turing delivers top-tier talent, data, and tools to help AI labs improve model performance—and enables enterprises to turn those models into powerful, production-ready systems. Visit: turing.com/sourcery

• Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: kalshi.com/sourcery

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Chapters:

(00:00) $83T Market → Vise Hits $22B platform assets, 1275% YoY Growth

(01:30) Founding Vise at 16 & Becoming a Unicorn in 18 Months

(03:04) Pivoting to $10T Enterprise RIA Market

(05:28) Lean 40-Person Team → Fastest Growth Ever

(06:23) What Vise Actually Does

(10:23) State of Retail Market: $83T in wealth, $2T+ in Access to Alts

(22:45) $63M+ Saved via Daily Tax-Loss Harvesting

(24:38) Servicing Clients from $200 to $150M Accounts

(30:45) Why Zuckerberg & Elon Take “$0 Salaries”

(32:42) Billionaire Playbook: Financing Homes & Jets via Stock Loans

(39:21) Scaled to 150 Employees to “Refounding” with 40 “Barrels” (Keith Rabois Strategy)

(43:20) Vision: World’s Biggest Tech-Powered Asset Manager

Zach Dell and Justin Lopas, co-founders of Base, discuss their recent $200 million Series B funding and their ambitious vision for revolutionizing the energy industry. Co-led by Addition, Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Valor Equity Partners with participation from existing investors Thrive Capital, Altimeter, Terrain, Trust and others. As part of the fundraise, Addition founder Lee Fixel will join Base Power’s board alongside Antonio Gracias of Valor Equity Partners. 

The new capital aims to unlock the next phase of growth for Base, including team expansion, market entry, and new product development. The episode delves into Base's unique approach to vertically integrating battery technology, offering both grid services and affordable, reliable power to homeowners. The conversation highlights the founders' experiences at SpaceX, Anduril, and Thrive Capital, shedding light on their mission to fix the power grid through aggressive, technology-driven execution. Learn how Base aims to become a household name and the SpaceX of the energy sector, starting with deployments in Texas and expanding nationwide.

About Base Power:

Founded in 2023 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, Base Power is an energy company building a grid for the future—starting with battery-powered home energy service. The company’s mission is to advance human prosperity through energy abundance—delivering reliable and affordable power for all. Learn more at basepowercompany.com.

Molly on X: https://x.com/MollySOShea

Zach on X: https://x.com/

ZachBDellJustin on X: https://x.com/JLopas

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - $200M Series B Announcement

00:51 - Base's Vision & Execution Strategy

02:28 - Energy Technology & Market Expansion

03:41 - The US Energy Problem & Grid Challenges

06:30- Why Texas? Strategic Location & Market

09:32 - Founders' Backgrounds & Entrepreneurial Journey

18:24 - Early Challenges & Iterative Approach

23:21 - Vertical Integration & Cost Advantage

26:05 - Customer Journey & Installation Process

30:34 - Energy Industry Breakdown

35:16 - Texas Energy Market & Regulatory Environment

38:38 - Scaling & Expansion Plans

42:45 - Team & Company Culture

46:58 - Future Vision & Goals

#podcast #investing #technology #venturecapital #entrepreneur #startup #siliconvalley

Delian Asparouhov, Co-Founder of Varda & Partner at Founders Fund | We discuss Varda's recent space missions, regulatory challenges, and the broader impact of venture capital in the aerospace industry. Delian shares insights on the complexities of defense and space regulations, the relationship between Silicon Valley and Washington DC, and in particular, the context of the Hill and Valley Forum, which aims to bridge the gap between tech leaders and defense officials. He also shares his thoughts on the future of space exploration—from adapting to other gravitational environments like Jupiter's, to the rise of the “Space Club,” including Eric Schmidt’s new role as CEO of Relativity.

In addition, we go deeper on Delian’s investment strategy as he just hit the 6 year mark at Founders Fund, the importance of having an operational background in venture investing, and why seed investing might just be more effective as a hobby. Delian gives us the inside look at his investments in companies like Ramp, Sword Health, Varda, Hadrian, and more.

Molly on X: https://x.com/MollySOShea

Delian on X: https://x.com/zebulgar

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TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Welcome Delian To Sourcery!

0:40 - Live From Varda Space Factories

02:36 Stranded Astronauts

13:10 Varda's Big Milestones

20:38 Growing Space Club: Eric Schmidt, New Entrants & Competitors

23:11 The Role of Public Policy in Space Exploration

28:07 Defense Funding & Government Contracts

29:37 Friction in Venture Capital & Defense Tech

33:12 Hill & Valley Forum: Bridging Silicon Valley & DC

36:05 Challenges in Defense Tech Funding

40:17 Founders Fund Reflection & Investing Strategies

53:28 Lessons From Fatherhood

#podcast #investing #space #technology #venturecapital #entrepreneur #startup #siliconvalley

Molly O'Shea speaks with Christian Garrett, Partner at 137 Ventures. Christian shares his insights on the current state of private markets, the mechanics of high profile secondaries, and the growing liquidity squeeze faced by VCs.

We also take a closer look at SpaceX's financing history, how 137 Ventures got involved, and why SpaceX runs tenders every six months. Christian discusses the potential reopening of the IPO window, the rise of generational talent from companies like Anduril, SpaceX, and Palantir, and why he thinks defense tech might be overrated right now.

Other highlights include the evolving relationship between Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C., government initiatives like the Replicator Initiative and FedRAMP, and the origins of the Hill & Valley Forum. On a personal note, Christian reflects on his career journey, his mentorship with Trae Stephens, and shares some spicy hot takes on topics like return-to-office policies, San Francisco’s future, and his unexpected bullishness on Europe.

If you're interested in venture capital, private markets, or the intersection of tech and policy, this is a must-watch episode!

Molly on X: https://x.com/MollySOShea

Christian on X: https://x.com/CGarrett_15

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Welcome to Sorcery: Christian Garrett's Journey

00:39 - How Secondaries Work: SpaceX, Figma, Ramp, Plaid, Databricks

04:46 - 137 Ventures: Origin and Investment Thesis

06:36 - SpaceX: A Case Study in Private Market Success

10:38 - The Benefits of Staying Private

18:28 - Generational Talent in Tech: Anduril, SpaceX, Palantir

21:07 - Defense Tech: Opportunities and Challenges

26:02 - Tech and Government: Building Stronger Partnerships

34:25 - Hill and Valley Forum: Bridging Tech and Policy

38:58 - Christian's Journey to Becoming a Partner

42:02 - Trae Stephens & The Role of Mentorship in Success

43:45 - Helping Founders Beyond Capital

52:00 - Christian's Spicy Takes on Industry Trends

01:02:54 - The Future of 137 Ventures

01:09:31 -  Looking Forward: Exciting Prospects Ahead

#podcast #investing #technology #venturecapital #entrepreneur #startup #siliconvalley

Behind the Magically Weird: Arielle Zuckerberg on Long Journey Ventures, Unique founders, and Purpose-Driven Investing

Molly O'Shea speaks with Arielle Zuckerberg, diving into her journey at Long Journey Ventures, discussing her unique investment philosophy and the importance of purpose-driven investing. From her hobbies like skiing and DJing to the critical lessons learned from legendary mentor John Doerr, Arielle shares how she evaluates founders using the 'Rizz and Tiz' theory. We uncover Long Journey's creative diligence adventures, the value of unusual startup ideas, and how Long Journey Ventures fosters a unique community for 'magically weird' founders. Whether you're an investor or startup enthusiast, gain insights into navigating the fast-changing VC landscape and focusing on the human element of investing.

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Molly on X: https://x.com/MollySOShea

Arielle on X: https://x.com/ariellezuck

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Welcome Arielle To Sourcery!

01:22 - The Rizz and the Tiz Theory

05:31 - Lessons from John Doerr

08:49 - VC Twitter and Deal Flow

17:01 - $100M ARR AI Companies

22:05 - Portfolio Companies: Superpower, Autopallet

31:45 - Building a Vibrant Founder Community

36:43 - The Role of Purpose

39:52 - Hot Takes on Venture Capital

42:21 - The "Bubbe" Philosophy

44:19 - Looking Forward: Personal and Professional Goals

#podcast #investing #technology #venturecapital #entrepreneur #startup #siliconvalley

Tarek Mansour, is the Co-Founder & CEO of Kalshi, a regulated exchange & prediction market where you can trade on the outcome of real-world events (buy and sell event contracts). Kalshi has had a huge start to the year post-election from unlocking significant new markets, launching new products, integrating with top brokers like Robinhood and Webull, and welcoming Donald Trump Jr. as an advisor. Mansour delves into the process of navigating regulatory hurdles, including the surprising decision to sue the government. as well as the maddening  journey, challenges, and bold actions needed to be made in order to create an entirely new asset class.

Key Takeaways:

- How Kalshi is reimagining financial markets by letting users trade on anything in the news.

- The difference between gambling and investing in event trading.

- Why Tarek believes prediction markets could one day rival the stock market in size.

- Kalshi’s vision to make trading on real-world events accessible to everyone, from politics to sports and entertainment.

Kalshi is a federally regulated financial exchange and prediction market based in New York City. It allows users to trade on the outcomes of future events through event contracts. The platform was launched in July 2021 and is designed for both retail and institutional traders. Kalshi is notable for being the first federally regulated exchange of its kind, approved by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

The company was founded in 2019 by Tarek Mansour and Luana Lopes Lara, both of whom are MIT graduates. Tarek worked at Goldman and Citadel, Luana worked at Bridgewater and Citadel. Kalshi was part of Y Combinator’s Winter 2019 batch and has raised $110M from SV and Wall Street heavy weights like Sequoia, Henry Kravis, Charles Schwab and more.

Molly on X: https://x.com/MollySOShea

Tarek on X: https://x.com/mansourtarek_

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Introduction: Struggles of Launching a Regulated Product

00:40 Welcoming Donald Trump Jr. as an Advisor

05:15 Vision for Prediction Markets

15:27 Expanding into Sports and Entertainment

23:11 The Future of Prediction Markets

30:38 Institutional Demand and Market Potential

31:52 Gambling vs. Investing

41:37 Insider Trading in Commodity Derivatives

43:38 Entrepreneurship vs. Trading

47:30 Business Model and Revenue Streams

52:16 Future Goals and Product Development

#podcast #investing #technology #venturecapital #entrepreneur #startup #siliconvalley

Dylan Diamond is the Co-Founder & CEO of Saturn, a viral Gen Z calendar app that's raised $68M after starting as a high school project. In this conversation, Dylan shares his journey of attracting major investors like Jeff Bezos and Mark Benioff, scaling the app to millions of users, and maintaining high retention rates across 18,000 schools.

We also get insights into Gen Z behavior, the role of AI in app development, and building a sustainable product. This episode also explores the unique ad model Saturn has created, its long-term vision, and the challenges of maintaining growth and user engagement.

I've teamed up with Passes to grant us access to a pro podcast studio in LA, exclusive early releases, audience Q&A, & BTS content. Sign up for Passes for more Sourcery content! https://www.passes.com/mollysoshea

Molly on X: https://x.com/MollySOShea

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Introduction

00:43 - Reconnecting in Westport

01:43 - Raising From Bezos, Benioff, Dara & More.

03:06 - From School Project to VC-Backed Company

05:09 - User Retention and Growth Strategies

12:29 - Onboarding and Ambassador Programs

16:56 - Adapting to Gen Z Trends

19:50 - AI Integration and Future Plans

22:41 - Advertising Model and Monetization

25:28 - Building and Maintaining a Consumer Product

28:16 - Expanding Saturn Beyond High School

31:47 - Recruiting and Team Composition

33:58 - Capital Raising and Investor Relations

36:54 - Gen Z Insights and Future Trends

#podcast #investing #technology #venturecapital #entrepreneur #startup #siliconvalley

Packy McCormick

I've teamed up with Passes to grant us access to a pro podcast studio in LA, exclusive early releases, audience Q&A, & BTS content. Sign up for Passes for more Sourcery content! https://www.passes.com/

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Molly on X: https://x.com/MollySOShea

Packy on X: https://x.com/packyM

TIMESTAMPS:

1:30 - Growing to 239k+ Subscribers

5:00 - How Writing Led to a $50M VC Fund

8:00 - The 'Not Boring' Creative Process

13:50 - Top Founder Characteristics

16:00 - Following Instincts vs Over-Intellectualization of VC

22:00 - Packy’s Best Investments (Ramp, Scale AI, Replit, Chroma, Varda, Hadrian, Pipedream)

25:55 - Intro to Vertical Integrators (Base, Fuse, Varda, Hadrian)

38:00 - Why American Dynamism Won

42:45 - YC RFS Hot Take

46:00 - Can Heavy CapX Companies Raise Growth Funding?

49:15 - Packy’s Hot Take On AI - Is It Alive? Just A Marketing Stunt?! DOGE Recruiting?

1:00:00 - What Packy Is Most Excited About in 2025

#podcast #investing #technology #venturecapital #entrepreneur #startup #siliconvalley

Today Molly O’Shea speaks with Founding GP Gordon Ritter & new Partner Yaz El-Baba of $2.3B AUM VC fund Emergence Capital. We cover everything from the IPO window, Stargate, the macro environment, the state of AI, the app layer to infrastructure, preventing the AI plateau, to Emergence’s history & evolution.

Emergence Capital is a venture capital firm known for its specialization in early-stage investments in enterprise cloud software companies. The firm's focus is on businesses that leverage technology to improve workplace productivity, business outcomes, and the customer experience. Emergence is widely regarded as a pioneer in the SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) space and has backed some of the most successful companies in the category, such as Salesforce, Veeva, Box, Yammer, Bill.com, Zoom, Blend, and Doximity.

Founded in 2003, Emergence Capital operates with a philosophy of fostering long-term partnerships with entrepreneurs and helping them build world-class companies.

Notable Investments:

Salesforce (CRM software giant)

Zoom (video conferencing leader)

Veeva Systems (cloud solutions for life sciences)

Box (cloud-based content management)

Emergence Capital is recognized for its deep commitment to its portfolio companies and its expertise in scaling enterprise-focused startups.

Stats:

$320B+ Market Cap of Portfolio (current and former)

$2.3B AUM

Six (VI) Funds

100+ Portfolio Companies

20 Exits and Private Valuations Greater than $500 Million

Molly on X: https://x.com/MollySOShea

Gorfon on X: https://x.com/gordonritter

Yaz on X: https://x.com/yazanelbaba

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TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Welcome Yaz & Gordon!

1:20 - Current State of VC

6:45 - Emergence's IPOs, Salesforce, Zoom, Bill.com

10:00 - Veeva $37B story

18:10 - Stargate $500B Investment In AI

21:20 - ROI of AI

29:50 - Is SAAS Dead?!

32:30 - Together AI

38:40 - Which Founders Will Win Today?

41:00 - The AI Plateau

58:00 - How Marc Benioff Helped Start Emergence

1:03:10 - Navigating Changes In The Market

1:09:30 - Resolving Partner Tensions In A Fund

1:13:40 - Investment Announcement!

1:16:00 - 1 Deal That You Regret

1:17:50 - Yaz & Gordon's 2025 Outlooks

#podcast #investing #technology #venturecapital #entrepreneur #startup #siliconvalley

Tomasz Tunguz is a prominent venture capitalist and the founder & GP of Theory Ventures, a $688M AUM fund. Theory focuses on investing $1-25m in early-stage companies that leverage technology discontinuities into go-to-market advantages. Before Theory, he was a managing director at Redpoint Ventures, where he led investments into companies such as Looker, Expensify, Monte Carlo, Dune Analytics, and Kustomer. Throughout his career, Tunguz has been recognized for his data-driven approach to investing and his very popular, personal blog, TomTunguz.com.

Tomasz recently raised $450 million in November of 2024 for Theory Ventures' second fund, which marks a significant milestone for the firm. This follows his initial breakout fund, launched in 2023, with $238 million.

This is a very fun conversation where we go deep into everything AI, LLM business models, predictions, and more.

Molly on X: https://x.com/MollySOShea

Tomasz on X: https://x.com/ttunguz

Follow Sourcery for the latest updates! 

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TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Welcome Tomasz To Sourcery

1:00 - State of AI Adoption

6:45 - Hyperscaler Power Dymnmic

9:50 - AI Inference

15:00 - Monetizing

20:00 - Raising $600B

28:00 - Decade Of Data

33:30 - Parterning with Former Palantir Executive

35:45 - Tomasz's Childhood

37:40 - What Is Tomasz Looking Forward To The Most This Year

#podcast #investing #technology #venturecapital #entrepreneur #startup #siliconvalley

Joe De Sena is the founder and CEO of Spartan Race, Inc. In this conversation, we discuss Joe’s 20+ years of Spartan Race, surviving covid, acquiring competition and investing in fitness companies. We also get into fitness tips, what to avoid, and how you can train for a Spartan Race.

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Molly on X: https://x.com/MollySOShea

Joe on X: https://x.com/realJoeDeSena

TIMESTAPS:

0:00 - Welcome Joe De Sena To Sourcery!

0:30 - Mental Resilience

3:30 - Creating A Resilience Flywheel

5:20 - Building Spartan Race For 20 Years - Surviving Covid

8:15 - The Spartan Cult

12:15 - How Tech Will Improve Spartan Race

14:00 - Biggest Lesson Of The Last 24 Years

16:30 - Chasing Money vs. Purpose

18:30 - Acquiring Competition & Scaling

21:00 - Thoughts On Investing In The Fitness Industry

23:15 - Worst Fitness Trend That Joe Fell Into

26:25 - How To Approach Fitness In The New Year

31:40 - Training For Spartan Race

33:25 - What Joe Is Most Excited About For 2025

#podcast #investing #venturecapital #business #saas

Rune Kvist, CEO & Founder of the Artificial Intelligence Underwriting Company (AIUC), joins Sourcery to break down how his team is building the confidence infrastructure for AI adoption — and why every AI agent will soon need to be certified and insured.

AIUC just came out of stealth with a $15M seed round led by Nat Friedman (NFDG), with participation from Emergence, Terrain, Ben Mann (Anthropic co-founder), former CISOs of Google Cloud & MongoDB, and other top AI operators.

Rune was the first product & GTM hire at Anthropic, and now he’s building the “confidence infrastructure” for the AGI era — combining standards (AIUC-1), audits, and insurance to de-risk AI deployments.

Key Takeaways:

• CEO Rune Kvist: Anthropic’s first product & GTM hire

• AIUC is building insurance, standards, and audits for AI agents

• Enterprises won’t adopt AI without trust & accountability

• AI agent failures — like hallucinations or leaks — are inevitable

• AIUC-1 is a fast-updating standard to certify agents (SOC 2 for AI)

• Every AI agent will need certification and insurance

Molly on X: https://x.com/MollySOShea

Rune on X: https://x.com/RuneKvist

Visit Artificial Intelligence Underwriting Company: https://aiuc.com

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As a Sourcery subscriber you get: 75,000 points after spending $3,000 on Brex card(s), white-glove onboarding, $5,000 in AWS credits, $2,500 in OpenAI credits, & access to $180k+ in SaaS discounts. On top of $500 toward Brex travel, $300 in cashback, plus exclusive perks (like billboards..) Visit: brex.com/sourcery

• Turing—Turing delivers top-tier talent, data, and tools to help AI labs improve model performance—and enables enterprises to turn those models into powerful, production-ready systems. Visit: turing.com/sourcery

• Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: kalshi.com/sourcery

• Fourthwall—The #1 way to sell merch online — Fourthwall is the easiest way to launch a fully branded merch store—used by big brands like MKBHD, Acquired, & even the Smithsonian. 100+ products. No upfront cost. Visit Fourthwall to start today: https://fourthwall.com/

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(00:00) Launching AIUC: $15M Seed Led by Nat Friedman

(01:49) What AIUC Does: Insurance, Standards, and Audits for AI Agents

(04:20) History Repeats: How Insurance Enabled Innovation (Franklin, UL, Cars)

(08:14) The AI Divide: OpenAI vs Anthropic vs SSI

(10:39) Confidence Infrastructure: Helping Enterprises Trust AI

(14:13) How AIUC Tests Agents & Updates Standards Frequently

(17:03) Underwriting AI: Modeling Risk When Agents Go Rogue

(21:40) From AGI to Superintelligence: What Comes Next?

(28:36) Why AI Regulation Won’t Be Federal This Year

(34:36) What Is a Kill Switch — And Do We Need One?

(39:28): One Dominant Standard for AI Insurance

(45:41) What Enterprise AI Will Look Like in 3–5 Years

In this episode, Molly O'Shea speaks with Cyan Banister and Lee Jacobs to discuss the unique investment strategy of Long Journey Ventures, focusing on their ethos of 'Magically Weird.' Their investments include breakout companies like SpaceX, Uber, Anduril, Crusoe, Notion, DeepMind, Loom, Postmates, and more. We explore how they build a community of independent thinkers, create memorable events, and foster authentic connections among founders.

"We're looking for misfits, free thinking people." - Cyan

The conversation also goes deep on the rise of spirituality, the importance of aligning profit with purpose, and the shift in venture capital sentiment, highlighting the cynicism among founders and investors. The dialogue culminates in reflections on the future of startups and the significance of community and shared values in achieving meaningful success.

Molly on X: https://x.com/MollySOShea

Cyan on X: https://x.com/cyantist

Lee on X: https://x.com/LeeJacobs

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TIMESTAMPS:

Lucy Guo is a prominent entrepreneur and investor, known for her role as a co-founder of various technology startups. She gained recognition as one of the early employees at the artificial intelligence startup, Scale AI.

We recorded this episode live from Lucy's new studio in Los Angeles! In this conversation, we discuss building in the creator economy, signing huge names, building a creator HQ in LA, biggest misconceptions, raising $50M in 2 yrs, ditching web3,  and competitive fintech & data strategy.

Molly on X: https://x.com/MollySOShea

Lucy on X: https://x.com/lucy_guo

Follow Sourcery for the latest updates! 

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TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Welcome Lucy To Sourcery! 

2:20 - Future Of Consumer Social

6:15 - How To Become The 1% Of Creators

9:00 - Lucy's Studio In Los Angeles, The Next Gen Of Agencies

12:00 - Lucy's Goal For Passes

15:00 - Working With  Shaq, Kygo & Olivia Dunne - Any Dream Creators?

18:20 - Strategizing Brand Activation

21:45 - Regrets From Moving On From Web3?

24:00 - Misconceptions Of Passes

27:00 - LA Psychics 

29:00 - Raising $50M In 2 Years - Fundraising Strategy

31:00 - Lucy's Long Term Goals

#podcast #investing #venturecapital #entrepreneur #startup

Today Molly O'Shea speaks with Dan Wright, CEO of Armada, backed with $100M to date from notable investors like Trae Stephens from Founders Fund, 137 Ventures, Lux, Dragon Global, Microsoft’s M12, 8VC, Shield Capital, among others. Armada is a leading edge computing company deploying servers for advanced AI applications in remote locations.

More impressively, this company barely started 2 years ago and has been out of stealth for less than a year, while achieving critical milestones like partnerships with Starlink, Skydio, Hallibutron, and more, we’ll discuss shortly.

Dan is a remarkable figure in the world of data coming from key executive positions at DataRobot and AppDynamics, while Armada’s COO Jon Runyan led Okta through its IPO, and CTO Pradeep Nair was VP of MSFT Azure. This is a great sneak peek into the early innings of one of the next most important rocket ship companies in technology.

Disclosure: The Fund Molly works for is an investor in Armada 

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Follow on Twitter 

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https://x.com/danwrightsf

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Check out Armada

https://www.armada.ai/

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Archer's Midnight is a piloted four passenger aircraft designed to perform rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between flights. Learn more about how Archer is set to open up a new world of opportunity for passengers by providing safe and efficient access to people, places, and events across the communities they live, visit https://www.archer.com/

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COMPANIES MENTIONED:

Founders Fund: https://www.foundersfund.com

137 Ventures: https://www.137ventures.com

Starlink: https://www.starlink.com

Microsoft Azure: https://azure.microsoft.com

SpaceX: https://www.spacex.com

DataRobot: https://www.datarobot.com

AppDynamics: https://www.appdynamics.com

Okta: https://www.okta.com

Halliburton: https://www.halliburton.com

Skydio: https://www.skydio.com

Cisco: https://www.cisco.com

Palantir: https://www.palantir.com

Anderol: https://www.anderol.com

Rippling: https://www.rippling.com

Ramp: https://www.ramp.com

Goldman Sachs: https://www.goldmansachs.com

OpenAI: https://www.openai.com

Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com

Databricks: https://www.databricks.com

Cockroach Labs: https://www.cockroachlabs.com

Metronome: https://www.metronome.com

--

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Introduction & Founding of Armada 

(01:29) The Role of Early Investors 

(02:52) Recruiting Top Talent 

(04:34) Armada's Product Suite: Connect, Edge, and OpsAI 

(07:55) The Galleon: Design and Engineering 

(09:58) The Marketplace and Partner Ecosystem 

(12:30) Building vs. Partnering for AI Applications 

(14:20) Go-to-Market Strategy and Global Expansion 

(16:46) The Go-to-Market Team and Hiring Philosophy 

(18:24) Pitching to Public and Private Sectors 

(21:01) Addressing the Market's White Space 

(22:42) Key Partnerships and Building a Moat 

(24:02) Sourcing Hardware and Scaling Production 

(25:51) Growth Strategies Across Companies 

(27:52) Capital Allocation and Milestones 

(30:39) Crazy Edge Cases, Team Expansion, and Hiring Priorities 

(33:33) Wrap 

(34:00) Post-Interview Advertisement

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ Unpack Pricing

Dive into the dark arts of SaaS pricing with Metronome CEO Scott Woody and tech leaders. Learn how strategic pricing drives explosive revenue growth in today's biggest companies like Snowflake, Cockroach Labs, Dropbox and more. 

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765716600 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/38DK3W1Fq1xxQalhDSueFg

Molly O'Shea talks with Joshua Browder, Founder & CEO of DoNotPay, a $200M AI champion designed to help people fight against big corporations and beat bureaucracy. Joshua shares his journey from dropping out of Stanford for a Thiel Fellowship to founding DoNotPay. To date, DoNotPay has saved consumers $100M+ on over 1.6M cases and attracted significant venture capital interest.

We go deeper into the innovative features of DoNotPay, its ‘spicy’ media strategy, and the importance of building a subscription-based business model.

Browder also reflects on his experiences as a Thiel Fellow and his investment philosophy as “statistically” the most active Thiel Fellow investor.

Our discussion concludes with his predictions for the future of the tech market and the potential for a new tech bubble.

--

Follow on Twitter 

https://x.com/MollySOShea

https://x.com/jbrowder1

--

Check out Do Not Pay

https://donotpay.com/

--

Subscribe to Sourcery:

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--

Sponsor: Archer

Archer's Midnight is a piloted four passenger aircraft designed to perform rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between flights. Learn more about how Archer is set to open up a new world of opportunity for passengers by providing safe and efficient access to people, places, and events across the communities they live, visit https://www.archer.com/

–

COMPANIES MENTIONED:

• DoNotPay: https://donotpay.com

• Google: https://google.com

• Meta: https://meta.com

• Amazon: https://amazon.com

• Comcast: https://xfinity.com

• IBM Watson: https://www.ibm.com/watson

• Equifax: https://www.equifax.com

• Harper's Magazine: https://harpers.org

• McDonald's: https://www.mcdonalds.com

• Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com

• Polymarket: https://polymarket.com

• Character AI: https://character.ai

• Riverside: https://riverside.fm

• Figma: https://www.figma.com

• Andreessen Horowitz: https://a16z.com

• Founders Fund: https://foundersfund.com

• Kotu Capital: https://www.kotucapital.com

• Index Ventures: https://www.indexventures.com

• Lux Capital: https://www.luxcapital.com

• Tribe Capital: https://tribecap.co

• Day One Ventures: https://www.dayoneventures.com

• DST Global: https://dst-global.com

• Owner.com: https://www.owner.com

• Wanda: https://www.wanda.co

• Robinhood: https://robinhood.com

• Umami Burger: https://umamiburger.com

  
  

--

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Preview

(01:03) DoNotPay: Fighting Big Corporations and Bureaucracy

(02:13) A Modern-Day David vs. Goliath

(03:33) AI and DoNotPay: Not Just Agents, But Robots

(04:20) Scale and Impact: DoNotPay's Success Stories

(05:17) Key Use Cases: Free Trial Credit Card and Robo Revenge

(07:10) Unexpected Allies: Warren Buffett and IBM Watson

(10:50) Media Strategy: Tapping into Anger and Current Events

(12:40) Supreme Court Challenge: A Million Dollar Offer

(14:55) Sponsor: Archer

(15:39) Enemies and Good Media Strategy

(17:05)) Business Model: Subscription, Profitability, and Dividends

(21:40) Investor Relations: Favorable Relationships and Strategies

(23:40) Thiel Fellowship: Investing in Young Entrepreneurs

(29:40) The State of Entrepreneurship: Challenges and Opportunities

(33:00) Leadership: Values and Influences

(35:10) 2025 Predictions: Voice AI, Tech Bubble, and M&A

(37:55) Wrap

--

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ Unpack Pricing

Dive into the dark arts of SaaS pricing with Metronome CEO Scott Woody and tech leaders. Learn how strategic pricing drives explosive revenue growth in today's biggest companies like Snowflake, Cockroach Labs, Dropbox and more. 

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765716600 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/38DK3W1Fq1xxQalhDSueFg

Molly O'Shea interviews Jason Fiedler, Managing Partner at Left Lane Capital, a $2B+ venture fund focused on consumer and internet businesses.

They discuss his unique investment strategies focused on consumer goods, sports, and the evolving retail landscape, diving into specific subcategories and his portfolio companies. Jason shares insights on the importance of NPS Delta, the application of software frameworks to consumer investing, his Sims City vision, pearls & strings system, and the rapid growth of his firm. He emphasizes the significance of sourcing deals through a rigorous process, keeping track of 'crazy' ideas, and the big opportunity for innovative beverage brands in a changing market.

The discussion also touches on the risks of fast growth and the future trends in consumer behavior.

--

Follow on Twitter

⁠https://x.com/MollySOShea⁠

https://x.com/jfeedler

--

Check out Left Lane Capital: ⁠https://www.leftlane.com/⁠

--

Subscribe to Sourcery: ⁠https://www.sourcery.vc/ ⁠

--

Sponsor: Archer

Archer's Midnight is a piloted four passenger aircraft designed to perform rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between flights. Learn more about how Archer is set to open up a new world of opportunity for passengers by providing safe and efficient access to people, places, and events across the communities they live, visit https://www.archer.com/

--

COMPANIES MENTIONED:

Investment Companies:

Left Lane Capital: ⁠https://www.leftlanecap.com/⁠

Insight Partners: ⁠https://www.insightpartners.com/⁠

Left Lane Capital Portfolio Companies:

Blank Street: ⁠https://www.blankstreet.com/⁠

Kings League: ⁠https://kingsleague.pro/⁠

Olipop: ⁠https://drinkolipop.com/⁠

Holy (German beverage): ⁠https://drinkholyfood.com/⁠

League One Volleyball: ⁠https://www.l1volleyball.com/⁠

Jason's Personal Investments:

Farmer's Dog: ⁠https://www.thefarmersdog.com/⁠

Figs: ⁠https://www.wearfigs.com/⁠

Major Companies Referenced:

Coca-Cola: ⁠https://www.coca-cola.com/⁠

Pepsi: ⁠https://www.pepsi.com/⁠

Monster Energy: ⁠https://www.monsterenergy.com/⁠

Starbucks: ⁠https://www.starbucks.com/⁠

McDonald's: ⁠https://www.mcdonalds.com/⁠

Driscoll's: ⁠https://www.driscolls.com/⁠

TCBY: ⁠https://www.tcby.com/⁠

All Birds: ⁠https://www.allbirds.com/⁠

Liquid Death: ⁠https://liquiddeath.com/⁠

Rao's: ⁠https://www.raos.com/⁠

--

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Preview and Intro

(01:50) Inspiration from Starbucks and Investment Strategy

(04:07) Subcategories of Interest

(05:14) Applying Frameworks from Software to Consumer

(06:56) LTV to CAC and LTV to CapEx

(08:43) The Sims Framework

(10:35) NPS Delta(11:51) Growth and Current Stats

(14:50) Sponsor: Archer

(15:33) Number of Investments and Board Seats

(16:15) Sourcing Deals and Thematic Approach

(19:18) Identifying Breakout Companies

(20:41) The App Store Influence

(21:29) Risks of Rapid Growth

(23:08) Olipop Investment

(25:24) The Holy Investment and Powder-Based Beverages

(29:25) Conviction on Sports Investments

(31:51) Crazy Ideas and Future Investment Areas

(34:10) The Next Big Trends

(37:08) Outro and Next Steps

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ This Won't Last

Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics.

Apple Podcasts:⁠ https://podcasts.apple.com/id1765665937⁠

Spotify:⁠ https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz⁠

YouTube:⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast⁠

Molly O’Shea interviews Saurav Shroff, Founder & CEO of Starpath, a company developing megascale propellant production systems for lunar and Mars operations. For full show notes, visit: https://highlightai.com/share/65820d0a-9323-4de8-a526-9bb3aca1baeb

--

Follow on Twitter

https://x.com/MollySOShea

https://x.com/SauravShroff5

--

Check out Starpath

https://starpath.space/

--

Subscribe to Sourcery:

https://www.sourcery.vc/

--

Sponsor: Archer

Archer's Midnight is a piloted four passenger aircraft designed to perform rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between flights. Learn more about how Archer is set to open up a new world of opportunity for passengers by providing safe and efficient access to people, places, and events across the communities they live, visit https://www.archer.com/

--

Companies mentioned:

SpaceX https://www.spacex.com/

Blue Origin https://www.blueorigin.com/

NASA https://www.nasa.gov/

Investors:

8VC https://www.8vc.com/

Fusion Fund https://fusionfund.com/

Day One Ventures https://www.dayoneventures.com/

Hummingbird https://hummingbird.vc/

--

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Introduction and multi-planetary discussion

(01:19) Starpath's mission and fundraising

(02:50) Breakdown of core systems

(04:50) Technical details of mining operations

(08:30) Regulatory considerations for lunar mining

(10:10) Energy demand and power generation

(12:30) Sponsor break

(13:14) Market context and SpaceX developments

(15:06) Prototyping and scaling strategy

(16:40) Power generation system design

(21:30) Testing methodology

(24:09) Lunar night survival challenges

(25:40) Facility and operations

(26:40) Business model and revenue strategy

(28:19) Competition landscape

(29:30) Founder's conviction and vision

(31:00) Hiring plans and closing remarks

--

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ This Won't Last

Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics.

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/id1765665937

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast

In this fascinating episode of Sourcery, host Molly O'Shea sits down with Richard Socher, founder and CEO of You.com and co-founder of AIX Ventures. Richard shares insights on building an AI-powered productivity engine, the future of AI agents, and his journey from academic researcher to successful entrepreneur and investor. Special offer for Sourcery listeners: https://www.you.com/business/sourcery For full show notes, visit: https://highlightai.com/share/43165ac6-1745-4dbb-bd68-18f13862e8db

--

For key insights on the podcast, visit:

https://highlightai.com/share/c297f6aa-b0d3-4c10-8c37-a862d495b0dc

--

Follow on Twitter 

https://x.com/MollySOShea

https://x.com/RichardSocher

--

Check out You.com

https://you.com/

--

Subscribe to Sourcery:

https://www.sourcery.vc/ 

--

Sponsor: Archer

Archer's Midnight is a piloted four passenger aircraft designed to perform rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between flights. Learn more about how Archer is set to open up a new world of opportunity for passengers by providing safe and efficient access to people, places, and events across the communities they live, visit https://www.archer.com/

--

Companies mentioned:

Anthropic - https://anthropic.com 

OpenAI - https://openai.com 

Google - https://google.com 

AIX Ventures - https://aix.ventures 

Salesforce - https://salesforce.com 

Hugging Face - https://huggingface.co 

Perplexity - https://perplexity.ai 

Weights & Biases - https://wandb.ai 

Whisper - https://whisper.ai 

Georgian - https://georgian.io 

NVIDIA - https://nvidia.com 

GenDigital - https://gen.com 

SBV Asia (formerly SoftBank Ventures Asia) - https://softbank.com 

DuckDuckGo - https://duckduckgo.com 

DayOne Ventures - https://dayoneventures.com 

Minecast - https://mimecast.com 

Moon Hub - https://moonhub.ai

-

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro and Preview 

(02:33) Series B Funding and Growth Plans 

(08:08) User Growth and API Traffic 

(09:33) Load Distribution and AI Agents 

(13:32) Sponsor: Archer 

(14:16) Competitive Landscape: Accuracy vs. Features and Marketing 

(18:56) Ensuring Accuracy and Reliability 

(25:04) Introducing Multiplayer Functionality for Teams 

(31:07) Key Customers and Their Growth Potential 

(34:25) The Marginal Cost of Intelligence and its Impact 

(38:16) Future of You.com and AI Agents 

(40:52) Richard's Journey into AI: From Research to Founding You.com 

(45:26) Investing in AI Agents: Opportunity and Challenges 

(51:04) AI Funding Market Landscape 

(52:31) Investment Thesis and Portfolio Highlights 

(53:50) Excitement for the Future of AI 

(56:05) Hiring Opportunities at You.com 

(56:34) Final Thoughts and Appreciation

-

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ This Won't Last

Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics.

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/id1765665937

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast

Molly talks to Jeff Morris Jr (JMJ), GP of Chapter One and infamous product leader at Tinder. As emerging funds face an existential crisis, JMJ explores the stark realities of an industry in flux. From the looming specter of industry consolidation & shutdowns, to the relentless pressure to prove relevance, JMJ challenges conventional wisdom about what it takes to succeed in modern VC.

JMJ offers a candid look at the struggles and strategies of today's fund managers, painting a picture of an ecosystem where only the most adaptable will survive. He talks about the delicate balance between chasing deals and building a sustainable franchise, all while navigating a landscape where past glory holds diminishing returns.

This conversation isn't just about the state of VC – it's a glimpse into the future of innovation financing. As traditional models are upended and new players emerge, JMJ's insights offer a roadmap for those daring enough to reimagine the role of venture capital in shaping tomorrow's tech giants.

The discussion also touches on the solo GP experience, product development, and the significance of location in building a venture career (AKA why LA is the best city).

JMJ was a former VP of Product Revenue and an early employee at Tinder and is a seed investor in 13 unicorns, including Mercury, Superbase, and Compound Finance. Chapter One is a product-driven early-stage venture fund based in LA backed by notable institutions including Cendana Capital, Sequoia, Kleiner Perkins, and Marc Andreessen.

--

Follow on Twitter:

https://x.com/MollySOShea

https://x.com/jmj

--

Check out Chapter One:

https://www.chapterone.com/

--

Subscribe to Sourcery:

https://www.sourcery.vc/ 

--

Sponsor: Archer

Archer's Midnight is a piloted four passenger aircraft designed to perform rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between flights. Learn more about how Archer is set to open up a new world of opportunity for passengers by providing safe and efficient access to people, places, and events across the communities they live, visit https://www.archer.com/

--

Companies mentioned:

Tinder: https://tinder.com/

Snap: https://www.snap.com/

SpaceX: https://www.spacex.com/

Anduril: https://www.anduril.com/

Mercury: https://mercury.com/

Superbase: https://superbase.com/

Compound Finance: https://compound.finance/

Captions AI: https://www.captions.ai/

Lux Capital: https://www.luxcapital.com/

Equal Ventures: https://www.equal.vc/

Sapphire Ventures: https://sapphireventures.com/

Allocate: https://allocate.co/

Bessemer Venture Partners: https://www.bvp.com/

Andreessen Horowitz: https://a16z.com/

Index Ventures: https://www.indexventures.com/

Variant: https://variant.fund/

Kleiner Perkins: https://www.kleinerperkins.com/

Social Capital: https://www.socialcapital.com/

Bonfire Ventures: https://www.bonfirevc.com/

General Catalyst: https://www.generalcapital.com/

Lafamilia: https://www.lafamilia.vc/

--

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro and Preview

(00:40) VCs in LA: The Quiet Majority

(02:02) The Tweet: Emerging Fund Consolidation

(02:34) Venture Capital Shakeup: Uncertainty and Options

(05:14) Conversations with Beezer: Institutional Backing

(08:32) Current Conditions for Emerging Managers

(13:42) Recent Consolidation Examples

(14:50) Sponsor: Archer

(15:33) Consolidation Challenges: Timing and Culture

(17:47) Structuring and Incentive Alignment in Consolidation

(20:43) Venture Capital Landscape: Numbers and Consolidation

(25:08) Venture Fund Consolidation: Future Projections

(31:02) The Battle of the Brands: Attracting Talent and Founders

(35:06) The Solo GP Life: A Reality Check

(42:20) Chapter One's Future Product Plans

(50:46) LA vs. The Bay: A Perspective on Ecosystem Differences

(53:21) Embracing the Ecosystem Debates

(53:26) Wrap

--

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ This Won't Last

Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics.

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/id1765665937

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast

Molly O’Shea is joined by Alex Kolicich, Founding Partner of 8VC. Before his venture capital career, Alex was an engineer and early product advisor at companies like Clarium, Palantir, and Google.

In this discussion, Alex talks about the current investment landscape citing the "AI capabilities gap," the potential for a "trough of AI disillusionment," and highlights the tension between AI's promise and its current limitations.

Why is Silicon Valley suddenly embracing the Pentagon? Alex explains how defense has transformed from a controversial investment to a sought-after opportunity, citing successes like Anduril, Palantir, and SpaceX, and details 8VC’s approach to investing in defense startups, including their "build program" and shares resources for government engagement.

Alex and 8VC were early investors in defense technology companies when it was not a popular area for venture capital. Some of their investments include Anduril, Saronic, Epirus, and Chaos Industries. 8VC has a "build program" where they incubate and co-found defense technology companies, providing resources like capital, government relations expertise, and shared infrastructure.

--

Follow on Twitter

https://x.com/MollySOShea

https://x.com/alexkolicich

--

Check out 8VC:

https://www.8vc.com/

--

Subscribe to Sourcery:

https://www.sourcery.vc/

--

Sponsor: Archer

Archer's Midnight is a piloted four passenger aircraft designed to perform rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between flights. Learn more about how Archer is set to open up a new world of opportunity for passengers by providing safe and efficient access to people, places, and events across the communities they live, visit https://www.archer.com/

--

Companies mentioned:

OpenAI: https://openai.com/

Microsoft: https://www.microsoft.com/

Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/

Google: https://www.google.com/

Nvidia: https://www.nvidia.com/

Amazon (AWS): https://aws.amazon.com/

Palantir: https://www.palantir.com/

SpaceX: https://www.spacex.com/

Anduril: https://www.anduril.com/

Inflection AI: https://inflection.ai/

Adept AI: https://www.adept.ai/

Raytheon: https://www.rtx.com/

Epirus: https://www.epirusinc.com/

Saronic: https://www.saronic.com/

Case Text: https://casetext.com/

Sequoia Capital: https://www.sequoiacap.com/

Kleiner Perkins: https://www.kleinerperkins.com/

Character AI: https://beta.character.ai/

CRV (Charles River Ventures): https://www.crv.com/

Founder's Fund: https://foundersfund.com/

xAI: https://x.ai/

--

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Preview and Intro

(01:01) AI Optimism & Uncertainty

(06:51) Public & Private Market Dynamics

(12:34) Sustainable Multiples & Oversupply of Capital

(13:49) Sponsor: Archer

(14:33) Risk & Returns of Mega Checks

(22:35) Opportunities Within the Gap

(27:18) The Exit Environment & Acquihires

(31:14) The Defense Wave

(40:26) Resources for Defense Startups

(46:42) Startup Advice for Defense

(46:51) Technical Excellence, Government Relations & Fundraising

(49:23) Surprises & Changes in H1 2024

(49:55) Shifting Views on Application Layer & OpenAI

(52:44) Wrap

--

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ This Won't LastEavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics.

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/id1765665937

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast

Molly O'Shea talks to Sam D’Amico, founder of Impulse Labs which has created one of the highest quality battery-powered induction stoves, offering unparalleled power, precision, and energy storage.

Following a strong career in consumer electronics, including work at Google Glass and Oculus, Sam envisions a future where distributed battery storage in appliances could help balance grid load and reduce the need for grid infrastructure upgrades. All the while, delivering a premium performance cooktop fit for Michelin-star chefs to pancake fanatics. 

Sam discusses the evolution of battery technology, particularly the advancements made by the U.S. and Tesla to Chinese manufacturers in lithium iron phosphate batteries. Going deeper into the ongoing shifts in global battery manufacturing and the potential for increased U.S. production.

Learn how Impulse Labs, which has raised a $20 million Series A round led by Josh Wolfe of Lux Capital in 2022, aims to be a "Trojan horse" for decentralized battery-powered homes, potentially revolutionizing home energy management and grid stability. 

--

Follow on Twitter 

https://x.com/MollySOShea

https://x.com/sdamico

--

Check out Impulse Labs: 

https://www.impulselabs.com/

--

Subscribe to Sourcery:

https://www.sourcery.vc/ 

--

Sponsor: Archer

Archer's Midnight is a piloted four passenger aircraft designed to perform rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between flights. Learn more about how Archer is set to open up a new world of opportunity for passengers by providing safe and efficient access to people, places, and events across the communities they live, visit https://www.archer.com/

--

Companies mentioned:

Lux Capital - https://www.luxcapital.com/

Tesla - https://www.tesla.com/

Google - https://www.google.com/

Oculus - https://www.meta.com/quest/

Meta - https://about.meta.com/

Bosch - https://www.bosch-home.com/

Thermador - https://www.thermador.com/

Gaggenau - https://www.gaggenau.com/

Samsung - https://www.samsung.com/

LG - https://www.lg.com/

Viking - https://www.vikingrange.com/

Fisker - https://www.fiskerinc.com/

CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited) - https://www.catl.com/en/

BYD (Build Your Dreams) - https://www.byd.com/

Gotion - https://www.gotion.com.cn/en/

Ford - https://www.ford.com/

Restoration Hardware (RH) - https://rh.com/

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro 

(01:04) Sam's Journey: From Pizza Ovens to Battery-Powered Homes

(02:22) Early Influences: Oculus & Google Glass

(08:14) Funding & the Landscape of Home Energy Usage

(10:20) Energy Usage Trends & Appliance Distribution

(12:08) Innovation in the Stove: Power, Precision, and Efficiency

(15:13) The Advantage of Battery Integration: Faster Cooking & Efficiency

(19:34) Sponsor: Archer

(20:18) Integrating Battery-Powered Stoves into Homes

(22:54) Pricing & Market Positioning: Premium Performance & Incentives

(27:47) The Science of Pancakes: Temperature Control & UI/UX

(31:08) The 20-Year Vision: Decentralized Energy & Home Self-Sufficiency

(34:57) Decentralized Grid & Emergency Power Solutions

(38:39) Marketing & Distribution: Targeting Various Markets

(41:12) The Battery Revolution: Technological Advancements & China's Influence

(48:03) Lithium Mining & the Future of Battery Manufacturing

(52:57) A New Economy & the Everyday Appliance Revolution

(53:54) The Path Ahead: Shipping the Product & Scaling the Vision

(54:29) Looking Ahead: Exciting Times for Impulse Labs

(55:07) Wrap

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ This Won't Last

Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics.

Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/id1765665937

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast

Greg Little, Senior Counselor at Palantir, joins Sourcery to discuss how AI is reshaping national defense, why America must rebuild its manufacturing base, and the urgent need to weaponize capitalism. He shares a Game of Thrones-inspired breakdown of the defense ecosystem—from Lockheed to startups—and how Palantir’s tools are driving outcomes across the U.S. Navy, industrial supply chains, and even hospital systems. We unpack how the Pentagon needs to evolve, why AI isn’t just hype, and why Palantir’s First Breakfast initiative could be the key to winning the next great power competition.This conversation is part of Sourcery’s “Made in America” Mini-Series recorded at the Reindustrialize 2025 Summit. Topics include:- Palantir’s work with the Navy and defense contractors- The national security implications of China’s manufacturing scale- Why America must learn to build again- How AI is being deployed in shipbuilding, logistics, and battlefield awareness- A defense-tech Game of Thrones: Pentagon = Iron Throne, Lockheed = Lannisters, Startups = Starks- The economics of government procurement vs. value- Financial audits as a weapon of war- Palantir’s infrastructure advantage for startups- How AI can close the “kill chain” and the “cash chain”

Timestamps:(00:00) Palantir's Role in Reindustrializing America(04:02) How Palantir is deploying AI across the U.S. Navy(05:16) The China Shipbuilding Gap: 200 to 1(06:34) Game of Thrones Analogy: Defense tech's competing houses(13:18) “First Breakfast”: “Weaponizing Capitalism”(17:13) Why the Pentagon’s obsession with cost hurts national security(21:03) AI + Capitalism vs. Bureaucracy: Who Wins?(24:51) What Palantir actually does(26:45) Can financial audits help win wars? (Yes!)(30:21) Ontologies, explained (kind of)(34:12) The “Alien Autopsy Room”Connect with us:1. Palantir: https://x.com/PalantirTech2. Molly O’Shea: https://x.com/MollySOShea3. Sourcery: https://x.com/sourceryvcBrought to you by:Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, and travel. As a Sourcery Listener you get: 75,000 points after spending $3,000 on Brex card(s), white-glove onboarding, $5,000 in AWS credits, $2,500 in OpenAI credits, & access to $180k+ in SaaS discounts. On top of $500 toward Brex travel, $300 in cashback, plus exclusive perks (like billboards..) visit → https://brex.com/sourceryTuring—Turing delivers top-tier talent, data, and tools to help AI labs improve model performance—and enables enterprises to turn those models into powerful, production-ready systems. Visit: turing.com/sourceryKalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourceryFourthwall—The #1 way to sell merch online — Fourthwall is the easiest way to launch a fully branded merch store—used by big brands like MKBHD, Acquired, & even the Smithsonian. 100+ products. No upfront cost. Visit Fourthwall to start today: https://fourthwall.com/Follow Sourcery for the latest updates!https://www.sourcery.vc/

Molly O'Shea talks to Molly Alter, Partner at Northzone, a $1.2 billion fund with around $4 billion AUM and discusses her successful investments (Frame.io’s $1.2B exit to Adobe), founder qualities, VC biases and decision-making, as well as the firm's global approach to identifying opportunities.

Alter believes in the potential of Europe's tech ecosystem, citing higher net IRR for European VC funds compared to North American ones over 10-15 year horizons. She shares perspectives on US and European VC landscapes, successful investments, and emerging opportunities in vertical AI and software for hardware.

Focusing on meritocracy and founder-friendliness with a balanced approach between US and European investments, Alter also explains why she's bullish on workflow SaaS and vertical AI, despite changing market conditions and valuation multiples.

--

Follow on Twitter https://x.com/MollySOShea

--

Check out Northzone: https://northzone.com/

--

Subscribe to Sourcery: https://www.sourcery.vc/

--

Sponsor: Archer

Archer's Midnight is a piloted four passenger aircraft designed to perform rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between flights. Learn more about how Archer is set to open up a new world of opportunity for passengers by providing safe and efficient access to people, places, and events across the communities they live, visit https://www.archer.com/

--

Companies mentioned:

Frame.io - https://frame.io/

Glia - https://www.glia.com/

Wayve - https://wayve.ai/

Spotify - https://www.spotify.com/

Klarna - https://www.klarna.com/

Spring Health - https://www.springhealth.com/

Adobe - https://www.adobe.com/

Mistral AI - https://mistral.ai/

--

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro and Preview

(03:07) Molly Alter’s Career Journey

(07:26) Insights from Working in Different VC Firms

(11:38) Investment Focus and Thesis

(14:13) Sponsor: Archer

(15:28) Impactful Investments: Frame.io and Glia

(18:54) Qualities of World-Class CEOs and Founders

(22:17) Northzone: History, Strategy, and Values

(26:06) Global Reach and US-Europe Investment Split

(29:13) Defending European Tech Ecosystem

(32:27) Innovation from Restrictions in Europe

(35:35) Software for Hardware: Opportunities and Challenges

(42:08) Specific Areas of Interest in Software for Hardware

(45:05) The Future of SaaS and Hybrid SaaS Models

(47:30) Example of Hybrid SaaS: GovDash

(50:26) Wrap

–

Recommended Podcast:

🎙️ This Won't Last - Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics.

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-wont-last-with-keith-rabois-kevin-ryan-logan/id1765665937

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxmO9C_PEjbMf0Z8lYjwT7Q

Molly O'Shea talks to Zamp's CEO, Rohit Bhadange as he shares his journey from Wall Street to founding the fastest growing sales tax compliance platform. 

Zamp, an innovative platform is simplifying sales tax compliance for e-commerce and SaaS companies, recently raised a $10M Series A funding round led by Valor Equity Partners, bringing their total funding to $14 million.

Learn about their rapid growth and vision for the future in helping e-commerce and SaaS companies automate complex tax processes and avoid costly mistakes.

-

Follow on Twitter 

⁠https://x.com/MollySOShea⁠

⁠https://x.com/salestaxceo⁠

-

Check out: Zamp: ⁠https://zamp.com/⁠

-

Subscribe to Sourcery: ⁠https://www.sourcery.vc/⁠

-

Sponsor: Archer

Archer's Midnight is a piloted four passenger aircraft designed to perform rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between flights. Learn more about how Archer is set to open up a new world of opportunity for passengers by providing safe and efficient access to people, places, and events across the communities they live, visit ⁠https://www.archer.com/⁠

-

Companies mentioned:

Valor Equity Partners:⁠ https://www.valorep.com⁠ 

Rippling:⁠ https://www.rippling.com⁠ 

Yelp:⁠ https://www.yelp.com⁠ 

Amazon:⁠ https://www.amazon.com⁠ 

Day One Ventures:⁠ https://www.dayoneventures.com⁠ 

Soma Capital:⁠ https://www.somacap.com⁠ 

Misfits Market:⁠ https://www.misfitsmarket.com⁠ 

Avalara:⁠ https://www.avalara.com⁠ 

TaxJar:⁠ https://www.taxjar.com⁠ 

Shopify:⁠ https://www.shopify.com⁠ 

Stripe:⁠ https://stripe.com⁠ 

BigCommerce:⁠ https://www.bigcommerce.com⁠ 

Magento:⁠ https://business.adobe.com/products/magento/magento-commerce.html⁠ 

QuickBooks:⁠ https://quickbooks.intuit.com⁠ 

Cult Gaia:⁠ https://cultgaia.com⁠ 

Sanzo:⁠ https://drinksanzo.com⁠ 

Everyday Dose:⁠ https://everydaydose.com⁠ 

Glamnetic:⁠ https://glamnetic.com⁠ 

ProBuilt Software:⁠ https://www.probuilt.com⁠ 

Puzzle:⁠ https://puzzle.io⁠ 

Zeni:⁠ https://www.zeni.ai⁠ 

CBiz:⁠ https://www.cbiz.com⁠ 

Markham:⁠ https://www.markum.com⁠

--

RECOMMENDED PODCASTS:

🎙️ This Won't Last - Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics.

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765665937

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast

Molly O'Shea is joined by Astasia Myers, GP at Felicis, to discuss their new $825M fund, totaling Felicis’s AUM to $3B. Astasia goes deep on her focus on AI infrastructure, AI-enabled SaaS, and AI-enabled services and breaks down how AI is changing the face of enterprise software exploring the evolution of enterprise software and how AI is transforming data stacks.

She explains how the AI landscape has evolved, highlighting the rise of alternative foundation models and AI agents, and emphasizes the importance of founder market fit and unique insights when evaluating startups. The conversation underscores the transformative potential of AI in empowering individuals and reshaping various industries, while also touching on the rapid pace of innovation and the need for adaptability in venture capital strategies.

--

Follow on Twitter 

https://x.com/MollySOShea

https://x.com/AstasiaMyers

--

Check out: 

Felicis:

https://www.felicis.com/

--

Subscribe to Sourcery:

https://www.sourcery.vc/ 

--

Sponsor: Archer

Archer's Midnight is a piloted four passenger aircraft designed to perform rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between flights. Learn more about how Archer is set to open up a new world of opportunity for passengers by providing safe and efficient access to people, places, and events across the communities they live, visit https://www.archer.com/

--

Companies mentioned:

LaunchDarkly: https://launchdarkly.com/ 

Hex: https://hex.tech/ 

Superbase: https://www.superbase.com/  

Google: https://www.google.com/ 

Cisco: https://www.cisco.com/ 

Cohesity: https://www.cohesity.com/ 

GuardiCore: https://www.guardicore.com/ 

RedPoint: https://www.redpoint.com/ 

Quiet Capital: https://www.quiet.vc/ 

Snowflake: https://www.snowflake.com/ 

Fivetran: https://www.fivetran.com/ 

Airbyte: https://airbyte.com/ 

Looker: https://looker.com/ 

dbt: https://www.getdbt.com/ 

PyTorch: https://pytorch.org/ 

TensorFlow: https://www.tensorflow.org/ 

OpenAI: https://openai.com/ 

Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/ 

Mistral AI: https://mistral.ai/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ 

Runway: https://runwayml.com/ 

Poolside: https://www.poolside.ai/ 

11X: https://www.11x.ai/ 

Notion: https://www.notion.so/ 

Figma: https://www.figma.com/ 

Zendesk: https://www.zendesk.com

--

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Introduction and Founding Story of Felicis Ventures

(06:39) Astasia Myers' Background and Journey to Venture Capital

(11:45) The Evolving Landscape of AI and Infrastructure

(14:59) Sponsor: Archer

(19:27) AI-Enabled SaaS and AI-Enabled Services

(27:16) Technical Unlock: Foundation Models and AI Agents

(33:30) Changing Perspectives and Emerging Trends in AI

(37:47) Research and Identifying White Spaces of Opportunity

(47:05) The Effects of Technical Unlock and Future of AI

(50:36) Wrap

–

Recommended Podcast:

What separates the most enduring and generation-defining venture firms? Turpentine VC talks to Ben Horowitz, Vinod Khosla, Alfred Lin, Mike Maples, Roger Ehrenberg, and more to find out. Subscribe: https://link.chtbl.com/TurpentineVC

Molly O'Shea is joined by Gené Teare, senior data editor at Crunchbase News, and brings her wealth of experience and insight to the world of venture capital and startup ecosystems.

Gené Teare provides a comprehensive overview of the current venture capital landscape, highlighting the ongoing two-year slowdown in the VC market, and points out a trend towards concentration in late-stage funding. She also touches on the topic of diversity, reporting that female-founded companies received only 3% of total funding in 2023, despite representing 8% of deals. 

Lastly, Gené touched on the growing concern about liquidity in the VC industry due to lack of exits, and the potential of AI as a catalyst for innovation, drawing parallels to the mobile wave that emerged after the 2008 financial crisis.

Learn how AI funding is surging amidst a broader VC slowdown, why late-stage investments are concentrating, and what's happening with M&A and IPOs. Discover insights on unicorn trends, female founder funding, and the potential impact of AI on the tech industry's future.

--

Follow on Twitter 

https://x.com/MollySOShea

https://x.com/geneteare

--

Check out: 

Crunchbase News:

https://news.crunchbase.com/

--

Subscribe to Sourcery:

https://www.sourcery.vc/ 

--

Sponsor: Archer

Archer's Midnight is a piloted four passenger aircraft designed to perform rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between flights. Learn more about how Archer is set to open up a new world of opportunity for passengers by providing safe and efficient access to people, places, and events across the communities they live, visit https://www.archer.com/

--

Companies mentioned:

Crunchbase - https://www.crunchbase.com/ 

OpenAI - https://openai.com/ 

Microsoft - https://www.microsoft.com/ 

Google - https://www.google.com/ 

Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/ 

Meta - https://about.meta.com/ 

Nvidia - https://www.nvidia.com/ 

Cloudflare - https://www.cloudflare.com/ 

Airtable - https://www.airtable.com/ 

Zapier - https://zapier.com/ 

Stripe - https://stripe.com/ 

Anduril - https://www.anduril.com/ 

Revolut - https://www.revolut.com/ 

Rippling - https://www.rippling.com/ 

Applied Intuition - https://www.appliedintuition.com/ 

Anthropic - https://www.anthropic.com/ 

Clio - https://www.clio.com/ 

Harvey - https://www.harvey.ai/ 

xAI - https://x.ai/

CoreWeave - https://www.coreweave.com/ 

Scale AI - https://scale.com/ 

EQT - https://eqtgroup.com/ 

KKR - https://www.kkr.com/

--

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Introduction and State of Technology in 2024 

(02:05) Venture Slowdown and Funding Fluctuations 

(06:04) The Rise of AI Funding 

(09:15) Challenges in the M&A Markets 

(13:48) Sponsor: Archer

(24:26) Power Laws in VC: Concentration of Capital 

(34:55) Representation of Female Founders in the Industry 

(39:38) The Future of IPO Markets

–

Recommended Podcast:
What separates the most enduring and generation-defining venture firms? Turpentine VC talks to Ben Horowitz, Vinod Khosla, Alfred Lin, Mike Maples, Roger Ehrenberg, and more to find out. Subscribe: https://link.chtbl.com/TurpentineVC

Molly O'Shea talks to Grace Isford of Lux Capital, the firm’s youngest Partner, on computational sciences, the current AI Landscape, her investment thesis on New York City's AI sector, and implementing AI in companies.

Grace discusses the potential and challenges of AI agents, the current state of the technology as well as the companies making progress in this space. She also provides practical advice on how companies can implement AI, emphasizing the importance of defining your goals, finding the right tools, and proving value.

Is it time to invest in AI? Listen to Grace’s insights and perspectives on the current investment climate and where opportunities lie in the evolving AI landscape, highlighting the potential and challenges of infrastructure and application companies.

-

Follow on Twitter

⁠⁠https://x.com/MollySOShea⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://x.com/graceisford⁠⁠

--

Check out:

Lux Capital: ⁠⁠https://www.luxcapital.com/⁠⁠

--

Subscribe to Sourcery: ⁠⁠https://www.sourcery.vc/ ⁠⁠

--

Sponsor: ArcherArcher's Midnight is a piloted four passenger aircraft designed to perform rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between flights. Learn more about how Archer is set to open up a new world of opportunity for passengers by providing safe and efficient access to people, places, and events across the communities they live, visit ⁠⁠https://www.archer.com/⁠⁠

--

Companies mentioned:

Handshake: ⁠⁠https://www.joinhandshake.com/⁠⁠

Canvas Ventures: ⁠⁠https://www.canvas.vc/⁠⁠

Runway: ⁠⁠https://runwayml.com/⁠⁠

LangChain: ⁠⁠https://www.langchain.com/ ⁠⁠

Sakana AI: ⁠⁠https://sakana.ai/⁠⁠

Together AI:⁠⁠ https://www.together.ai/⁠⁠

Hugging Face: ⁠⁠https://huggingface.co/⁠⁠

Mosaic ML (now part of Databricks): ⁠⁠https://www.databricks.com/ ⁠⁠

Osmo AI: ⁠⁠https://www.osmo.ai/⁠⁠

Modal: ⁠⁠https://modal.com/ ⁠⁠

Bloomberg: ⁠⁠https://www.bloomberg.com/ ⁠⁠

Ramp: ⁠⁠https://ramp.com/ ⁠⁠

OpenAI: ⁠⁠https://openai.com/ ⁠⁠

Anthropic: ⁠⁠https://www.anthropic.com/ ⁠⁠

MongoDB: ⁠⁠https://www.mongodb.com/ ⁠⁠

Datadog: ⁠⁠https://www.datadoghq.com/⁠⁠

Factory AI: ⁠⁠https://www.factory.ai/⁠⁠

Maven AGI: ⁠⁠https://www.mavenagi.com/ ⁠⁠

Evolutionary Scale: ⁠⁠https://www.evolutionaryscale.ai/⁠⁠

Cilvr Lab: ⁠⁠https://wp.nyu.edu/cilvr/⁠⁠

Columbia University: ⁠⁠https://www.columbia.edu/⁠⁠

Cornell Tech: ⁠⁠https://tech.cornell.edu/⁠⁠

Princeton University: ⁠⁠https://www.princeton.edu/⁠⁠

Santa Fe Institute: ⁠⁠https://www.santafe.edu/⁠⁠

--

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:01) Introduction and Background

(00:50) Investment Strategy

(03:13) API Economy and Research Process

(05:58) Sourcing Strategy and Sakana AI Investment

(10:28) Japanese AI Investment

(14:59) Sponsor: Archer

(15:22) Investment Stages

(16:16) Hugging Face Business Model

(17:59) Technical Evaluation of Companies

(22:19) New York as an AI Hub

(28:54) Current State of AI Investments

(36:58) AI Agents

(41:00) Implementing AI in Businesses

(46:59) Wrap

–

Recommended Podcast:

What separates the most enduring and generation-defining venture firms? Turpentine VC talks to Ben Horowitz, Vinod Khosla, Alfred Lin, Mike Maples, Roger Ehrenberg, and more to find out. Subscribe: ⁠⁠https://link.chtbl.com/TurpentineVC⁠⁠

Molly O'Shea is joined by Nucleus Genomics CEO Kian Sadeghi discussing the integration of DNA into daily life, from predicting health risks to unlocking personal insights.

Nucleus Genomics launches Nucleus IQ, a report that analyzes your genetic contribution to intelligence. Throughout the discussion, Sadeghi emphasizes the potential of genetic information to transform healthcare and personal wellness, while also touching on some of the ethical and practical challenges in the field.

Discover how Nucleus Genomics is using whole genome sequencing to provide personalized insights into your health and intelligence. Learn about the company's mission to democratize access to this groundbreaking technology and empower individuals with their own genetic data.

--

Follow on Twitter

https://x.com/MollySOShea

https://x.com/KianSadeghi5

--

Check out:

Nucleus Genomics:

https://mynucleus.com/

--

Subscribe to Sourcery:

https://www.sourcery.vc/

--

Sponsor: Archer

Archer's Midnight is a piloted four passenger aircraft designed to perform rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between flights. Learn more about how Archer is set to open up a new world of opportunity for passengers by providing safe and efficient access to people, places, and events across the communities they live, visit https://www.archer.com/

--

Companies mentioned:

23andMe: https://www.23andme.com/en-int/

Ancestry: https://www.ancestry.com/

Illumina: https://www.illumina.com/

LabCorp: https://www.labcorp.com/

Apple: https://www.apple.com/

Whoop: https://www.whoop.com/us/en/

Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/

Levels: https://www.levels.com/

--

TIMESTAMPS:

[00:00:00] Introduction to Nucleus Genomics and Whole Genome Sequencing

[00:01:44] Recent Product Launch: Nucleus IQ

[00:03:58] Demonstration of Personal Nucleus IQ Report

[00:08:12] Controversy in Providing Genetic Insights to Consumers

[00:11:43] Differentiating Intelligence, IQ Tests, and Genetic Contributions

[00:15:00] Sponsor: Archer

[00:15:59] History of Consumer Genomics and 23andMe

[00:19:48] The Future of Consumer Healthcare and Genomics Integration

[00:23:59] Kian Sadeghi's Personal Story and Founding of Nucleus

[00:27:28] Nucleus' Sequencing Partnerships and Process

[00:29:25] Detailed Breakdown of Nucleus' Product Offerings

[00:31:59] Nucleus' Business Model and Future Integration Plans

[00:34:00] Composition and Expertise of Nucleus Team

[00:35:39] Current and Potential Future Partnerships

[00:36:59] Upcoming Product Launches and Growth Plans

[00:37:37] Closing Remarks

[00:37:59] Outro

–-

Recommended Podcast:

What separates the most enduring and generation-defining venture firms? Turpentine VC talks to Ben Horowitz, Vinod Khosla, Alfred Lin, Mike Maples, Roger Ehrenberg, and more to find out. Subscribe: https://link.chtbl.com/TurpentineVC

In this episode, Molly O'Shea is joined by Jordan Noone, an aerospace engineer, former Founding CTO of Relativity Space, Co-Founder and General Partner at Embedded Ventures, and Executive Chairman at Zoo.

Zoo is automating hardware development, and their Text2CAD technology - an AI-powered CAD engine that turns text prompts into real-world designs- enables engineers to focus on innovation.

Zoo is building the world's first computational geometry engine based in the cloud that's GPU-optimized, API-accessible, and cloud-based.

Join Molly and Jordan in discussing Zoo's impactful AI tools that's revolutionizing hardware development and impacting a trillion-dollar market. Explore Jordan’s journey from founding Relativity Space to leading Zoo, and how he is using his expertise to transform hardware design with Zoo's groundbreaking AI solution

–

Follow on Twitter

https://x.com/MollySOShea

https://x.com/theJordanNoone

--

Check out:

Zoo: https://zoo.dev/

Embedded Ventures: https://www.embedded.ventures/

Relativity Space: https://www.relativityspace.com/

--

Subscribe to Sourcery:

https://www.sourcery.vc/

--

Sponsor: Archer

Archer's Midnight is a piloted four passenger aircraft designed to perform rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between flights. Learn more about how Archer is set to open up a new world of opportunity for passengers by providing safe and efficient access to people, places, and events across the communities they live, visit https://www.archer.com/

--

Companies mentioned:

Autodesk: https://www.autodesk.com/

SpaceX: https://www.spacex.com/

HRL (Hughes Research Lab): https://www.hrl.com/

Blue Origin: https://www.blueorigin.com/

Docker: https://www.docker.com/

Oxide Computer Company: https://oxide.computer/

OpenAI: https://openai.com/

GitHub: https://github.com/

Venrex: https://www.venrex.partners/

–

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro

(01:02) Understanding Zoo's Mission and Market

(02:32) Challenges in Hardware Development

(04:42) Zoo's Innovative Solutions

(06:15) Target Industries and Adoption

(09:18) Core Products and Future Plans

(13:32) Sponsor: Archer

(16:09) Onboarding and Open Source Strategy

(21:47) Meet the Team: Jordan Noone's Background & CEO Jessie Frazelle

(24:53) Transition to Zoo

(26:28) Challenges in Hardware Design Automation

(28:47) Founding and Growth of Zoo

(30:45) Team Composition and Expertise

(35:58) Building a Local Data Center and Factory

(45:55) Funding and Strategic Partnerships

(47:44) Future Growth and Exciting Features

–

Recommended Podcast:

What separates the most enduring and generation-defining venture firms? Turpentine VC talks to Ben Horowitz, Vinod Khosla, Alfred Lin, Mike Maples, Roger Ehrenberg, and more to find out. Subscribe: https://link.chtbl.com/TurpentineVC

In this episode, Molly O'Shea talks to John Coogan, EIR at Founders Fund and co-founder of Lucy and Soylent. They cover topics such as his role as an EIR at Founders Fund, his journey from starting Soylent & going through YC, becoming a successful YouTuber (over 430K subscribers & over 8M views), as well as his insights into the history of nicotine & tobacco with his company Lucy.

John dives into all of the complexities of startup entrepreneurship, the importance of really good storytelling in marketing, working in a regulated industry, as well as shares some hot takes in the VC/tech world.

Learn the misconceptions about nicotine, the realities of “big tobacco,” the future of nicotine replacement therapy, and his business journey building & marketing Lucy. Lucy was founded to help adult tobacco users who are looking to try high-quality alternatives to cigarettes and traditional tobacco products, without the carcinogens.

Nicotine is an addictive chemical, use responsibly.

Follow on Twitter https://x.com/MollySOShea https://x.com/johncoogan

Check out: John Coogan: https://www.johncoogan.com/ Founders Fund: https://foundersfund.com/ Lucy: https://lucy.co Soylent: https://soylent.com/

Subscribe to Sourcery: https://www.sourcery.vc/

Sponsor: Archer Archer's Midnight is a piloted four-passenger aircraft designed to perform rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between flights. Learn more about how Archer is set to open up a new world of opportunity for passengers by providing safe and efficient access to people, places, and events across the communities they live, visit https://www.archer.com/

Companies mentioned:

Helium: https://www.helium.com/

Coinbase: https://www.coinbase.com/

Flexport: https://www.flexport.com/

Varda: https://www.varda.com/

SpaceX: https://www.spacex.com/

Palantir: https://www.palantir.com/

Zyn: https://www.zyn.com/ph/en/home.html

Juul: https://www.juul.com/

Altria: https://www.altria.com/en

Nicorette: https://www.nicorette.com/

Dollar Shave Club: https://us.dollarshaveclub.com/

Warby Parker: https://www.warbyparker.com/

Red Antler: https://www.redantler.com/

Swedish Match: https://www.swedishmatch.com/

General Snus: https://www.generalsnus.com/

Newport: https://www.newport-pleasure.com/

TiVo: https://www.tivo.com/

Vita Coco: https://vitacoco.com/

Pepsi: https://www.pepsi.com/

Casamigos: https://www.casamigos.com/en-us

Teramana: https://teremana.com/

Rabbit R1: https://www.rabbit.tech/

Rizz: https://rizz.app/

Tinder: https://tinder.com/

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) The Origin Story of Lucy

(00:41) Introducing John Coogan

(01:20) What does an EIR at Founders Fund do?

(04:22) The Birth of Soylent

(08:31) The Viral Success of Soylent

(10:50) Challenges in the Nutritional Supplement Space

(12:40) The Regulatory Landscape of Nicotine Products

(14:46) Sponsor: Archer

(16:42) The Juul Phenomenon

(22:59) The Complexities of Tobacco Regulation

(36:25) Debunking Nicotine Myths

(37:38) Nicotine as a Stimulant

(39:33) The Smoking Epidemic

(40:31) Regulatory Challenges and Big Tobacco

(42:48) Building a CPG Company

(47:30) Marketing and Storytelling

(55:46) Tech Hot Takes and AI Gadgets

(59:38) The Future of AI in Consumer Products

(1:07:23) Closing Thoughts and Reflections

Recommended Podcast: What separates the most enduring and generation-defining venture firms? Turpentine VC talks to Ben Horowitz, Vinod Khosla, Alfred Lin, Mike Maples, Roger Ehrenberg, and more to find out. Subscribe: https://link.chtbl.com/TurpentineVC

In this episode, Molly O'Shea is joined by Eric Newcomer, founder of "Newcomer”. Eric shares insights from the New York Cerebral Valley Summit, where VCs and founders explored the move beyond foundation models to applications, the rise of AI in established businesses, and the future of creativity in a generative AI world. Eric Newcomer, founder of the newsletter “Newcomer” on the startup and venture capital industry, discusses the evolution of the AI market and his experiences hosting the Cerebral Valley Summit in this interview. He notes a shift in focus from building foundational AI models to developing applications leveraging existing models. He highlights the emergence of AI-powered applications in various fields, including music creation, coding assistance, synthetic data generation, and customer support. He also shares his observations on the VC downturn and the challenges facing emerging managers, as well as his thoughts on the importance of innovation and the need for companies to demonstrate viable exit strategies. Newcomer expresses his enthusiasm for continuing to report on the evolving AI landscape and shares his plans for future events and expansions of his company. -- Follow on Twitter https://x.com/MollySOSheahttps://x.com/EricNewcomer -- Check out: Newcomer: https://www.newcomer.co/ – Subscribe to Sourcery: https://www.sourcery.vc/ – Companies mentioned: AI Companies: OpenAI: https://openai.com/ Inflection: https://inflection.ai/ Adept: https://www.adept.ai/ Suno: https://suno.com/ XAI: https://x.ai/ Runway: https://runwayml.com/ Writer AI https://writerai.netlify.app/ Poolside AI: https://poolside.ai/ Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/company Harvey: https://www.harvey.ai/ Lambda: https://lambdalabs.com/ Modal: https://modal.com/docs/guide/gpu Databricks: https://www.databricks.com/ Other Companies: MongoDB: https://www.mongodb.com/ Data Dog: https://www.datadoghq.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/ Salesforce: https://www.salesforce.com/ Intercom: https://app.intercom.com/ Goldman Sachs: https://www.goldmansachs.com/ Snowflake: https://signup.snowflake.com/ Thompson Reuters: https://www.thomsonreuters.com/en.html Madrona Venture Group: https://www.madrona.com/ Sequoia Capital: https://www.sequoiacap.com/ Lux Capital: https://www.luxcapital.com/ Hewlett Foundation: https://hewlett.org/ Yale: https://www.yale.edu/ – TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Introduction and Evolution of the Cerebral Valley Summit (00:44) Takeaways from the New York Summit: Shifting Towards Building Applications (02:28) LLMs Find PMF? (04:10) OpenAI's Transition from Enterprise to Consumer Product (05:21) Other Themes: Creativity, Open Source, and Established Businesses (07:44) Debate on Open Source and the Pragmatic Cycle of AI (11:23) Themes from Breakout Groups: AI Agents and Open Source (13:44) State of the Tech Markets and Predictions for the Future (13:40) Sponsor: Archer (17:07) Expectations for Q2 and Disillusionment with Foundation Models (

Chris Power, CEO of Hadrian, returns to Sourcery to break down the company’s newly announced $260M Series C.. bringing Hadrian’s total investment to ~$500M since founding the company in 2020. This round was closed in 3 weeks, with equity led by Delian Asparouhov of Founders Fund and Lux Capital, alongside a factory expansion loan facility from Morgan Stanley. The funding supports Hadrian’s rapid U.S. expansion, including Factory 3 in Mesa, Arizona, and the build-out of new divisions like Hadrian Maritime.

Chris explains how Hadrian is evolving from precision part production to full product manufacturing, covering everything from components to assemblies to mission-critical platforms. He also shares how the company is integrating AI across its stack, building proprietary labeled data in a space where legacy manufacturing systems have long been offline.

The conversation touches on geopolitics, the Davidson window, industrial readiness, and why Hadrian is betting big on automation and American workforce reinvention.

Highlights:

• $260M Series C to expand into full product manufacturing and naval defense

• Factory 3 opening in Arizona with 270,000 sqft

• Hadrian generating one of the only scalable labeled data sets for AI in manufacturing

• 10x YoY Growth & National Expansion Plans

Connect with us!

1. Chris Power: https://x.com/2112Power

2. Molly O’Shea: https://x.com/MollySOShea

3. Sourcery: https://x.com/sourceryvc

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Subscribe to Sourcery for the latest updates!https://www.sourcery.vc/

Timestamps:

(00:00) - Chris Power Returns

(01:00) - $260M Series C: Founders Fund, Lux, Morgan Stanley

(03:35) - Factory 3 in Arizona & expansion

(05:10) - Hadrian’s product vision: parts, assemblies, full systems

(06:55) - Customers: hardware startups, primes, DoD

(08:30) - Why America needs 20 Hadrians

(10:50) - Financing factories like solar & data centers

(13:45) - ReIndustrialize 2025: momentum in policy & defense

(15:45) - The Davidson Window: China, Taiwan, and U.S. readiness

(22:57) - AI in manufacturing: Hadrian’s data moat & automation strategy

(25:55) - Future Predictions: Trump, China, Recession

(30:30) - Bloopers

#Hadrian #AdvancedManufacturing #ReindustrializeAmerica #DefenseTech #SupplyChainResilience #BuildInAmerica #ChrisPower

In this episode, Molly O'Shea sits down with Jake Harper and Amol Kapoor of Soot, a spatial, self-organizing file system that revolutionizes how they interact with their data. Joining the group is Soot investor Kobie Fuller, GP at Upfront Ventures. Jake talks about Soot as a consumer-grade vector database with a user-friendly GUI, simplifying data navigation and making AI tooling accessible. He emphasizes the importance of beauty and user experience, aiming to empower and inspire users. Amol also highlights how the company prioritizes seamless user experience with advanced AI capabilities hidden behind the scenes. They aim to empower users with a spatial, self-organizing view of their data, enabling intuitive exploration and collaboration. From an investor’s perspective, Kobie believes Soot is a game-changer in how we interact with digital assets, emphasizing its spatial organization and intuitive design, and its ability to streamline content discovery, along with its potential to revolutionize file management. Soot's founders discuss how their platform is revolutionizing design workflows and empowering creatives to share their work in new ways. – Follow on Twitter https://x.com/MollySOShea https://x.com/kobiefuller https://x.com/freakthefilter https://x.com/theahura_ -- Check out: Upfront Ventures: https://upfront.com/ Soot: https://www.soot.com/ . – Subscribe to Sourcery: https://www.sourcery.vc/ – Companies mentioned: Soot: https://www.soot.com/ Upfront Ventures: https://upfront.com/ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/ Salesforce: https://www.salesforce.com/ap/ Zoox: https://zoox.com/ Google: https://www.google.com/ Figma: https://www.figma.com/ Goat: https://www.goat.com/ Telfar: https://telfar.net/ Meta: https://about.meta.com/ Gucci: https://www.gucci.com/us/en/ Jordan: https://www.nike.com/jordan Miles and Milan: https://milesandmilan.com/ Revolve: https://www.revolve.com/ Dazed: https://www.dazeddigital.com/ – TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Introduction & Context (02:00) Kobe's Perspective on Soot (03:33) Jake's Explanation of Soot: (07:09) Emphasis on Beauty & Emotional Response (09:50) Team Background & Founding Story (12:30) Team Composition & Hiring (16:37) Soot Demo & Functionality (22:37) Kobe's User Testing Experience (25:24) Technical Aspects & Underlying AI (29:40) Graphics Performance & Design Decisions (33:20) Target Customer Profiles & Future Features (37:05) Soot as a Vector Database & User Feedback (38:23) The Rainforest Analogy & Search Efficiency (43:22) Design in Service of Technology (44:20) Closing Thoughts

In this episode, Molly O'Shea interviews Mark Suster, Managing Partner of Upfront Ventures, about venture capital investing strategies and market insights. 

Mark discusses the value of disciplined investments at lower valuations, diverse buyer outcomes, the exit landscape, and Upfront Ventures' focused investment in seed stage, early growth, and secondary funds. He emphasizes the importance of founder-market fit, market timing, and the influence of macroeconomic trends on investment decisions. 

Mark explores the challenges of traditional IPOs and highlights alternative exit paths for startups in today's market, while also reflecting on the lessons from his time as a CEO, and offers perspectives on promising sectors such as healthcare, national defense, and space.

The interview concludes with book recommendations, showcasing Suster's interest in historical context and its relevance to understanding current trends. He emphasizes the importance of informed perspectives on issues like geopolitical tensions, technological advancements, and the history of Israel.

–

Follow on Twitter 

https://x.com/MollySOShea

https://x.com/msuster

--

Check out: 

Upfront Ventures: https://upfront.com/

–

Subscribe to Sourcery:

https://www.sourcery.vc/ 

–

Companies mentioned:

• Upfront Ventures: https://upfront.com/

• Invoca: https://www.invoca.com/

• Density: https://www.density.io/

• Nanit: https://www.nanit.com/

• Maker Studios: https://t.co/oIlCqwIhjg

• Salesforce: https://www.salesforce.com/ap/?ir=1

• Rula (formerly Path): https://www.rula.com/blog/brand-announcement/

• Pragma: https://www.pragma.co/en/ 

• Bionaut: https://bionautlabs.com/

• Apex (satellite bus company): https://www.apexspace.com/

• Anduril: https://www.anduril.com/

• Oura Ring: https://ouraring.com/

• Whoop: https://www.whoop.com/us/en/

• Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/

• Peloton: https://www.onepeloton.com/ 

• Apple: https://www.apple.com/

• Riot Games: https://www.riotgames.com/en

• Google: https://www.google.com/

• Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/

• Ring: https://ring.com/

• NVIDIA: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/

• Yahoo: https://www.yahoo.com/

• Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/

• SpaceX: https://www.spacex.com/

–

Book Recommendations:

Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II - Arthur Herman: https://www.amazon.com/Freedoms-Forge-American-Business-Produced/dp/0812982045

Chip War: The Quest to Dominate the World's Most Critical Technology Audible Logo Audible Audiobook – Unabridged Chris Miller:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TX24J5Y

The End of the World Is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization by Peter Zeihan:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=The+End+of+the+World

Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth:

https://www.amazon.com/Israel-Simple-Guide-Misunderstood-Country/dp/B08R7VV25R/ref=sr_1_1

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Preview

(03:00) Upfront Ventures' Fund Structure and Investment Approach

(12:30) Conviction Factors: Founder, Market, and Upfront Fit

(18:58) The Barbell Strategy and Upfront's Integrity

(23:43) Lessons Learned as a Founder and the Importance of Directness

(27:29) Emerging Categories and Macro Trends

(33:36) Challenging the Misconceptions About Capital-Intensive Categories

(36:06) Hardware and the Evolving Software Landscape

(40:13) Exit Opportunities and Market Dynamics

(42:12) The Future of Exits: Private Equity and M&A

(47:20) Book Recommendations and Closing Thoughts

Hunter Walk discusses the evolution of his venture capital firm, Homebrew, and their contrarian decision to become a self-funded fund in a world of increasingly large megafunds. Homebrew focuses on working with early-stage companies and keeping things simple, without the constraints of a traditional fund structure. He explains the differences between their fund structure and traditional funds, highlighting their commitment to aligning incentives with founders. He also shares some of their successful investments, such as Chime, Plaid, Gusto, and Cruise, and emphasizes the importance of being a true partner to entrepreneurs. Hunter also talks about the creation of Screendoor, a fund of funds that backs emerging managers, and explains the purpose of ScreenDoor and how it provides access to venture capital for investors who can't buy it in the ' stock market’ of venture capital returns. He emphasizes the importance of building a successful firm and the need for differentiated strategies in the venture industry. Walk also offers advice for emerging managers, including being self-aware, honest, and confident, and not changing too much too quickly. -- Follow on Twitter https://x.com/MollySOShea https://x.com/hunterwalk -- Check out: Homebrew: https://homebrew.co/ Screendoor: https://www.screendoor.co/ -- Subscribe to Sourcery: https://www.sourcery.vc/ -- TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Introduction & Homebrew's Self-Funded Fund (01:55) Homebrew's Origins & The Shift to Self-Funding (07:25) Addressing Common Misconceptions & The Impact of Fund Size (12:00) Traditional Fund Structure vs. Homebrew's Model (21:00) The Need for a Different Playbook & The Power of Concentration (25:00) Homebrew's Investment History (33:00) Introducing Screendoor & Its Mission (41:00) Screendoor's Approach & Investment Criteria (51:00) The Evolution of Screendoor's Screening Process & Advice for Emerging Managers (57:00) Fundraising Strategies for Emerging Managers (1:04:00) Final Advice & Takeaways

Sourcery’s Molly O’Shea sits down with Doug Bernauer, Founder and CEO of Radiant, a company pioneering portable nuclear reactors designed to replace traditional diesel generators. Doug shares insights from his experience working with Elon Musk at SpaceX and delves into Radiant’s mission and key innovations. He discusses their ambitious goal of fuel testing by 2026 and provides a technical deep dive into the technology, history, and safety measures of nuclear power. Discover how Radiant aims to meet clean energy needs in remote locations with their one-megawatt transportable nuclear reactors.

Quick Stats on Radiant:

• 1 MW electric

• 1.9 MW heat, recoverable up to 80 degrees Celsius

• Unit lifetime of 20 years with 4 cores, cores are replaced at the factory

• Transportable by land, air, sea

• Passive safety features

• TRISO fuel is meltdown-proof and handles temperatures up to 1600 C

• Helium coolant does not become radioactive, eliminating the impact of a release

• Passive cooling air jacket keeps fuel and vessel temperatures controlled even if power is lost

• Planning to test Kaleidos at the Idaho National Lab DOME in 2026, first commercial units in 2028

-

Follow on Twitter 

https://x.com/MollySOShea

https://x.com/DougBernauer

Check out: 

https://radiantnuclear.com/

Subscribe to Sourcery:

https://www.sourcery.vc/ 

- 

Companies mentioned:

SpaceX: https://www.spacex.com/

Radiant Nuclear: https://radiantnuclear.com/

Idaho National Lab: https://inl.gov/

Oak Ridge National Lab: https://www.ornl.gov/

Union Square Ventures: https://www.usv.com/

A16z: https://a16z.com/

–

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro

(01:42) Meet Doug Bernauer: Founder and CEO of Radiant

(02:30) Doug's Journey at SpaceX

(04:38) The Radiant Team and Their Backgrounds

(07:27) Founding Radiant Nuclear

(10:45) Innovative Nuclear Technology

(14:05) History of Nuclear Energy

(18:56) Public Sentiment and Nuclear Energy

(23:01) Challenges in Nuclear Industry

(24:42) Radiant's Commitment to Innovation

(25:25) Vertical Integration and Product Development

(27:28) Microreactors: A New Frontier

(28:40) Building the Nuclear Playbook

(32:09) Funding and Financial Strategy

(33:09) Remote Communities and Nuclear Power

(37:41) Technical Insights and Safety

(41:25) Team Building and Future Goals

(44:55) Wrap

Accelerating US Skilled Immigration to Power Technological Progress

This episode features Minn Kim, founder of Lighthouse, an early-stage company offering skilled immigration solutions for technology pioneers.

The discussion, led by Molly O'Shea, highlights the problematic nature of the current U.S. employment-based immigration system, which Minn describes as outdated and heavily reliant on a lottery system due to the high demand for a limited number of visas. Lighthouse aims to streamline the complex visa application process for the world's brightest in the startup and tech industries, using software to enhance efficiency and provide a high-quality U.S. immigration experience.

Minn shares her personal journey from a career in financial services and venture capital to founding Lighthouse, fueled by the ambition to democratize access to high-skilled immigration. The conversation also delves into the specifics of visa categories like the O-1 'extraordinary alien' visa and how Lighthouse is leveraging technology to simplify and expedite the application process.

Minn elaborates on the broader potential of Lighthouse to transform the landscape of legal immigration services, touching on future goals and partnerships, and concludes with a note on her experiences as an immigrant and the vibrant culture of San Francisco as a hub for tech innovation.

--

Follow on Twitter

https://twitter.com/mollysoshea

https://twitter.com/minney_cat

Check out: https://lighthousehq.com/

--

Companies mentioned:

Bloomberg Beta: https://www.bloombergbeta.com/

On Deck: https://www.beondeck.com/

Fragomen: https://www.fragomen.com/

Ericsson: https://www.theericssonlawfirm.com/

Ogletree: https://ogletree.com/

USCIS: https://www.uscis.gov/

--

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) The Visa Lottery Challenge: A Deep Dive

(01:55) Minn Kim's Journey: From New York to Lighthouse Founder

(05:38) Lighthouse: Revolutionizing Immigration for Tech Talent

(16:53) The O-1 Visa: Silicon Valley's Best Kept Secret

(22:15) Building Lighthouse: A New Approach to Immigration Services

(28:32) The Future of Lighthouse and Immigration Innovation

(34:18) Minn Kim's Personal Reflections and The SF Hype

(40:12) Closing Thoughts: Lighthouse's Goals and Opportunities