The Derby Mill Series – Details, episodes & analysis

In the premiere of the Intrepid Growth Partners’ podcast, we meet with Rae Jeong, the CEO of Maneva AI, a Toronto-based company whose mission is to use artificial intelligence to make factories autonomous—completely run, maintained and improved by machine-learning algorithms and manufacturing robots. 

Rae joins our panel of experts:

Ajay Agrawal, co-founder and partner, Intrepid Growth Partners 

Richard Sutton, pioneer of reinforcement learning and professor, University of Alberta

Sendhil Mullainathan, MacArthur Genius grant recipient and professor, MIT

Niamh Gavin, Applied AI scientist, CEO, Emergent Platforms

“The ambition that we have… is to leverage some of the work that [Derby Mill host Richard Sutton] pioneered in reinforcement learning,” says Jeong, who foresees a future with zero workforce injuries and where the cost of production is simply the cost of energy.

LINKS    

Derby Mill show website: insights.intrepidgp.com/podcast

Maneva AI website

Maneva CEO Rae Jeong LinkedIn

A short video about Maneva’s work transforming Laura Secord chocolate production

Rich Sutton’s home page. Follow Rich on X

Sendhil Mullainathan’s website. Follow Sendhil on X

Intrepid Growth Partners is excited to release the official sizzle reel for our new podcast: The Derby Mill Series: Intrepid Pioneers of the Next Economy. Featuring discussions with entrepreneurs at the forefront of deploying machine intelligence and brainstorming sessions about where the technology will go—at the limit. 

 Intrepid Senior Advisors Rich Sutton (pioneer of reinforcement learning), Sendhil Mullainathan (MacArthur Genius recipient), and Niamh Gavin (Applied AI scientist) join Intrepid co-founder and partner Ajay Agrawal to explore the possibility frontier. Join them as they connect with guest founders and practitioners that are currently implementing AI-based solutions and pushing out the productivity frontier.

The Chinese tech start-up DeepSeek used reinforcement learning and other creative techniques to develop an ultra-efficient chatbot that was less costly to make, uses fewer chips and requires much less electrical power than better-known alternatives, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Anthropic’s Claude.

To discuss the implications, Intrepid Growth Partners gathered the Derby Mill team, including the pioneer of reinforcement learning himself, Richard Sutton, as well as Sendhil Mullainathan and Niamh Gavin, all of whom are Intrepid GP senior advisors. The team joins show host and Intrepid partner Mark Shulgan along with special guest Kevin Bryan, economist and co-founder of the AI start-up, All Day TA.

Questions our hosts discussed:

* How can DeepSeek perform as well as OpenAI's most advanced technology for many tasks—but operate at a fraction of the cost?

* What potential economic effects could result from DeepSeek’s open-source code and technical specifications?

* What implications does DeepSeek have for investors seeking strategies to invest in the future of AI?

* We’ll also make some predictions about where things go from here.

LINKS

* Derby Mill show website: https://insights.intrepidgp.com/podcast.

* The DeepSeek academic paper that started it all. Plus: DeepSeek’s website.

* Find Kevin Bryan on X @afinetheorem and on Bluesky @afinetheorem.bsky.social. His website is kevinbryanecon.com.

* See Kevin Bryan’s start-up, All Day TA, which provides AI assistants for university professors.

* Rich Sutton’s home page. Follow Rich on X @RichardSSutton.

* Sendhil Mullainathan’s website. Follow Sendhil on X @m_sendhil.

* Ajay Agrawal’s website. Follow Ajay on X @professor_ajay.

DISCLAIMER

The content of this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as marketing, solicitation, or an offer to buy or sell any securities or investments. The opinions expressed in this video are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of Intrepid Growth Partners or its affiliates. Any discussion of specific companies, technologies, or industries is for illustrative purposes and does not constitute investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to consult with their own financial, legal, and tax advisors before making any investment decisions.