EPISODE
Prof. Alex Young, Jason Kim, Chad Janis, Jordan Bramble, Andy Dunn, Josh Reeves
00:01:00 Prof. Alex Young, an Assistant Adjunct Professor in Human Genetics at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, specializes in statistical genetics and serves on the steering committee of the Social Science Genetic Association Consortium (SSGAC). In his conversation, he discusses his involvement with Herasight, a company applying advanced genetic testing to embryos to predict disease risks and traits, highlighting the development of algorithms that utilize polygenic scores and rare variant analysis to enhance embryo selection in IVF. He also addresses the ethical and regulatory challenges in the field, emphasizing the need for balanced oversight to foster innovation while ensuring patient safety.
00:02:00 Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace, discusses the company's achievements, including being the first commercial entity to land on the Moon and executing a rapid 24-hour launch for the Space Force. He highlights Firefly's advancements in lunar exploration, such as deploying Nvidia Jetson modules for space domain awareness and imaging, and outlines future missions targeting the Moon's far side and South Pole. Kim also shares his background, from immigrating from South Korea to serving in the U.S. Air Force, and emphasizes the growing integration of space technology into various industries.
00:03:00 Chad Janis, founder and CEO of Grüns, discusses the inception of his company, which was inspired by his desire to create a more enjoyable and convenient daily nutrient intake solution, leading to the development of gummy-based supplements. He highlights the company's rapid growth, attributing success to novel innovation, a culture of urgency, and a strong, autonomous team. Janis also reflects on the challenges faced during the company's expansion, including supply chain issues and the strategic decision to enter retail markets, culminating in Grüns' recent acquisition by Unilever.
00:04:00 Jordan Bramble, CEO and Co-Founder of Antares, leads the company in developing transportable microreactors aimed at providing resilient energy solutions for defense, space, and industrial applications. In the conversation, he discusses Antares' focus on leveraging nuclear power's unique characteristics to enhance energy resiliency, particularly through modular power plants with high uptime and reduced supply chain dependencies. He also highlights the company's progress, including the development of a graphite-moderated reactor design using TRISO fuel and heat pipe cooling, and outlines their testing and deployment timeline, aiming for an electricity-producing system by 2027.
00:05:00 Andy Dunn, co-founder of Bonobos and author of "Burn Rate," discusses his new venture, Pie, an app designed to foster real-life social connections by suggesting events, communities, and people to meet. He shares that the idea stemmed from his own experience of feeling isolated after moving back to Chicago during the pandemic, realizing he lacked local friends. To address this, Pie offers an AI agent named Penelope to help users coordinate social gatherings, aiming to combat adult loneliness by facilitating meaningful in-person interactions.
00:06:00 Josh Reeves, CEO and co-founder of Gusto, discusses the challenges small businesses face with compliance across local, state, and federal levels, emphasizing the burden of tasks like state tax registration and managing notices. To alleviate these issues, Gusto is developing an end-to-end compliance solution, including comprehensive state tax registration services and acting as a registered agent to handle notices directly. Reeves also highlights the increasing number of new businesses being created, attributing this trend to improved tooling and the inspiration individuals feel to start their own ventures.