What's Next in...: Recent Episodes
Doon Insights
Tim Hyde presents Swan Systems at our Ag | Food Tech 10, Workshop at Bonny Doon.
SWAN Systems is the world's most advanced irrigation technology company on a mission to create a sustainable future for irrigators by optimizing water use. Its cutting-edge water management software and years of field experience enable us to assist farmers, commercial irrigators, and water managers in making the most out of every drop of water.
With SWAN, users can schedule irrigation up to seven days in advance, manage nutrient applications, monitor crop health, and create water and nutrient budgets. Swan's software is configurable and hardware-independent, making it easy for growers to make data-driven decisions that improve crop quality, sustainability, and profitability.
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Ethan Rublee presents Farm-ng at our Ag | Food Tech 10, Workshop at Bonny Doon.
Farm-ng is building general purpose off-road robotics hardware and software products. The company's mission is to transform the food system by democratizing access for the smallest farmer to cutting-edge robotics technology.
The Amiga is farm-ng's flagship product, a modular, affordable electric vehicle system for farms big and small. The Amiga benefits from gps-denied vision navigation technologies developed by farm-ng for the landing of the Blue Ghost spacecraft on a precise location on the Moon's surface.
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Zane Starkewolfe presents Optimized Foods at our Ag | Food Tech 10, Workshop at Bonny Doon.
Optimized Foods is harnessing biology to make better, more sustainable foods. We are unlocking the cell-cultured food category using a cost-effective, scalable production platform, and by targeting premium products for a top-down approach to market entry. Our first product is Cultured Caviar - growing delicious, nutritious caviar, without the fish. But our platform opens up possibilities for partners across the food system.
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Victor Chapela presents Suggestic at our Ag | Food Tech 10, Workshop at Bonny Doon.
Suggestic is a SaaS platform for personalized nutrition and Tele-Wellness. Companies in the Health, Wellness, and Nutrition industries use their white label Apps and modular technology to deliver at scale and increase revenue streams. With Suggestic, they can combine lab tests, wearables, coaching, telehealth, supplements, and food delivery into a unified user experience.
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Windfall Bio is a nature-based agricultural technology company that harnesses methane-eating microbes to transform harmful methane into organic soil nutrients on site. Methane's accumulation in the atmosphere has accelerated rapidly and methane is now responsible for over half of current atmospheric warming and most methane that is emitted today is too dilute to capture economically.
Addressing these methane emissions, one of the largest and most underappreciated problems for global warming, is the most impactful strategy available today to address near-term climate change. To do this, Windfall Bio is developing the first-ever solution for capturing and transforming climate-harming methane emissions into living organic fertilizer. Windfall Bio uses proprietary nature-based technology that enriches natural methane-eating microbes (MEMs) from the soil. These organisms consume methane directly while also capturing nitrogen from the air to produce an organic fertilizer with potentially better bioavailability, reduced runoff, and reduced downstream emissions compared to synthetic ammonia fertilizers. The result is a living organic fertilizer that is more natural for soils and for the environment, available at the same price as current organic fertilizers. This practice enables sustainable farming practices for both large and small farms by providing a low-cost, low-maintenance solution to capture methane emissions.
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Doon Insights' Managing Director Nick Sramek sits down with Shely Aronov, Founder and CEO of Inner Plant, and Amy Wu, journalist and author of From Farms to Incubators. Nick begins by asking Amy about her book which profiles female leaders in agtech and food tech, plus inquires about the state of female startup founders. Shely opens up about her company, Inner Plant, which codes crops to communicate when stressed by pathogens or drought.
For more information about Amy's work, check out her page at https://www.farmstoincubators.com/.
More information on Shely and her company can be found at https://innerplant.com/.
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Howard Chao and Will Foss interview Yasmine Fage of Goggo Network.
Goggo Network is an autonomous mobility company with the vision to provide all people with logistics and people transportation solutions powered by autonomous vehicle technology. They are building the largest vehicle-agnostic operator of autonomous and electric fleets in Europe and Middle East, by connecting businesses with autonomous mobility technology.
Goggo Network provides a seamless end-to-end solution powered by autonomous vehicles and robots, thanks to their proprietary technology operating platform, their regulatory collaboration with public entities, and their on-ground operating expertise and workforce.
Goggo was founded in 2018 by serial entrepreneur Martin Varsavsky and ex-McKinsey Associate Partner Yasmine Fage and has raised over €24M of funding so far from Softbank and Axel Springer Ventures.
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Howard Chao and Rodolfo Elias Dieck interview Alon Podhurst of DriveU.auto.
The DriveU.auto connectivity platform enables safe teleoperation of robots, autonomous vehicles, and more, using cellular bonding and dynamic encoding. The platform is already deployed and in use on public roads. It provides high speed, low latency, ultra-reliable transmission of video, audio streams, high-speed data, and control channels, and is available with hardware or as a software-only implementation.
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Howard Chao and David Wang interview Kathy Zhu of Streamline AI
Streamline AI (www.streamline.ai) is an intake and workflow automation platform built for in-house legal teams. Streamline AI solves a critical pain-point that was experienced first-hand by Kathy Zhu as a commercial lawyer at Medallia and as Head of Commercial Legal at DoorDash. Streamline AI has enabled its customers, including Pantheon and Branch.io, to automate its end-to-end request management process, provide real-time visibility and collaboration to stakeholders, and track key metrics like request volume and SLAs to demonstrate the legal team's value.
Howard Chao and Fernando Gomez-Baquero interview Sam Lee of Meili Technologies.
Meili's mission is two-fold: proactively stopping crashes to save lives and enabling mobility for all. Their deep learning medical emergency detection utilizes existing in-vehicle sensors to understand from a driver's behavior and vitals when they are experiencing anything from a heart attack to a seizure to a diabetic emergency. Once this is detected, Meili again uses existing systems to alert the vehicle to come to a stop to avoid a crash, unlock doors for first responders, turn on hazard lights to reduce the risk of a post-stop crash, and alert EMS to ensure the driver receives lifesaving care.
Howard Chao and Umang Kajaria interview Dan O'Day of ECFX
ECFX was founded by attorneys and legal technology experts with a single goal: to address unmet automation needs in the legal industry. We are committed to filling in the gaps in legal workflows with intelligently automated solutions, enabling firms to save time, gain control, mitigate risks, and improve visibility. The company's first product - ECFX Notice - automates the processing of electronic court filing (ECF) notices-saving law firms hundreds of hours a week to focus on the work clients value. The solution is a fit for firms of all sizes and used by global firms such as Dentons, White & Case, ArentFox Schiff, Perkins Coie, and Cooley as well as several smaller firms.
Howard Chao and Haley Altman interview Dorna Moini of Gavel (formerly Documate).
Gavel is the global leader in no-code legal automation, allowing legal professionals to easily set up robust workflows and automate end-to-end processes.
Gavel enables logic-based data collection, powerful document automation, billing and data management, and the ability to launch public-facing legal applications. By automating legal processes, Gavel helps customers provide a better experience to their internal teams and external clients and build scalable legal practices.
Gavel is based in the US with operations globally. Learn more at www.gavel.io.
Howard Chao and Bill Russo interview Salim Youssefzadeh of WattEV.
WattEV, a Long Beach-headquartered company, is successfully solving the challenges of equitable freight transportation electrification through two-prong innovative business strategy. Find more details at www.wattev.com.
Howard Chao and Ali Shahidi interview Matt Spencer of Suited.
Suited is a predictive recruiting platform that uses human psychology and artificial intelligence to drive accurate, efficient, and equitable talent decisions for law firms and other professional services organizations. At over ten times the predictive power of traditional resume factors, Suited removes systemic bias from the recruiting process allowing firms to expand the way they identify and consider talent while providing candidates with a holistic way to demonstrate their potential.
Howard Chao sits down with Bill Russo of Automobility Limited to discuss trends in the global automobility markets. Bill reflects on his journey that led him to his role as a global expert on the development of the automotive industry. They discuss China's recent surge into the mobility market and the country's unique position and role in advancing the future of mobility. They cover how the geopolitical conflicts between the US and China are affecting global strategy in the sector. Finally Howard and Bill discuss the implications of US's recent industrial policies and how legacy automakers should be mapping their path forward.
(00:50) - Bill's journey prior to 2017
(05:00) - China's surge into the mobility market
(12:10) - China's market advantages
(18:50) - Current global trends
(24:38) - Evaluating US's new industrial policies
(28:34) - Response from US's legacy automakers
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Howard Chao and Jeff Peters interview Marc El Khoury of Aifleet.Aifleet is a technology company disrupting the $800B antiquated trucking industry. They are creating the first truly scalable trucking company by reversing the industry trend of underutilized assets and high driver turnover. By leveraging advanced algorithms, they are infusing efficiency into the supply chain, and by treating our drivers with respect — starting with equitable pay — they are humanizing a historically transactional industry.Our website: https://www.dooninsights.com Be notified of future Doon Insights events: https://www.dooninsights.com/notify Twitter: https://twitter.com/DoonInsights LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/71050481/https://youtu.be/EeROv9VmqEI
Howard Chao and Joe Green interview Ambika Sukla of NLMatics.
NLMATICS is a powerful platform for analyzing legal documents. Its unparalleled search and data extraction capabilities help legal professionals instantly access unique insights from thousands of documents. Unlike current contract analytics products that tag handful data points in simple contracts, the NLMATICS platform can be quickly customized to accurately extract custom data points from a wide range of complex documents such as SEC filings, credit agreements, bond indentures, M&A and VC deals.
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Howard Chao and Patrick Hogan interview Thibault Baldivia of Ascendance Flight Technologies.Founded in 2018 by Jean-Christophe Lambert, Thibault Baldivia, Clément Dinel and Benoît Ferran, Ascendance Flight Technologies is a start-up that has set itself the mission of de-carbonizing aviation. Established in 2020 in the heart of Toulouse, the European aeronautics capital, it is developing an innovative hybrid propulsion system called STERNA and a vertical take-off and landing aircraft (VTOL) fitted with this technology, called ATEA. ATEA is the future of vertical mobility. This 4-to 5-seat aircraft is a vertical take-off and landing aircraft designed as a clean, quiet and efficient alternative to the helicopter and will be presented in partnership with ADP at the 2024 Olympics. With its 400-km endurance and reduced noise emissions, it is designed for urban and regional use in passenger transportation, tourism, medical emergencies, logistics and surveillance. STERNA is a hybrid propulsion technology which unlocks cleaner air mobility. STERNA's innovative electric architecture and embedded intelligence allow for simultaneous use of several energy sources. STERNA is modular, so it can accommodate a thermal module or new hydrogen solutions, helping drive energy transformation in the aviation industry. The company has filed several patents on these technologies. Our website: https://www.dooninsights.com Be notified of future Doon Insights events: https://www.dooninsights.com/notify Twitter: https://twitter.com/DoonInsights LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/71050481/https://youtu.be/EeROv9VmqEI
Howard Chao and Mike Suchsland interview Jeroen Plink of Legaltech Hub.
Legaltech Hub is the global directory of legal technology solutions, tools, and services where buyers of legal technology can research the legal tech they need to manage a 21st century law firm or in-house department, vendors can showcase their solutions, and investors can understand the marketplace.
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Howard Chao and Ignacio Garcia interview Biswajit Kundu Roy of Coastr.Coastr is digitising the vehicle rental, leasing, subscription, and car-sharing ecosystem with its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform for vehicle rental and fleet management. Coastr brings together unique tech-enabled partnerships with key players in the market and connected vehicle solutions using telematics (IoT) and direct integration with vehicle manufacturers to manage fleet and enable contactless rental and fleet services. Coastr's mission is to decarbonise rental and fleet operations and make fleet operators future-ready to cater to new consumer and market trends. Our website: https://www.dooninsights.com Be notified of future Doon Insights events: https://www.dooninsights.com/notify Twitter: https://twitter.com/DoonInsights LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/71050481/https://youtu.be/EeROv9VmqEI
Howard Chao interviews Hudson Hollister of Hdata.
HData's SaaS platform helps professionals in the regulated energy industry manage and understand regulatory information. With over 30 enterprise customers, HData is the first RegTech platform in the energy industry and the first to combine compliance, search, and business intelligence.
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Howard Chao and Gur Kimchi interview Corvin Huber of Skyroads.Skyroads AG, based in Munich, Germany, was founded in 2019 by CEO Corvin Huber and a pioneering team of entrepreneurs, engineers and industry experts who are united by one goal: Make flying accessible for everyone. Skyroads allows Advanced and Urban Air Mobility to scale by providing automation leading towards autonomous flight. Enabling flight without humans in the control loop creates the unit economics required to make this new transport mode a sustainable success. Skyroads' Automated Airspace Management and Vehicle Guidance System (AAVS) manages passenger and cargo drones in the demanding environment over densely populated metropolitan areas. Skyroads is currently establishing a low-threshold flight test area over a populated area in Southern Germany with noted industry partners, leading the quest for efficient and flexible integration of eVTOLs and Drones into existing air and ground traffic. A commercial duplication in the US is currently under negotiation. Stay connected:Our website: https://www.dooninsights.com Be notified of future Doon Insights events: https://www.dooninsights.com/notify Twitter: https://twitter.com/DoonInsights LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/71050481/https://youtu.be/EeROv9VmqEI
Howard Chao and Mike Bryant interview Tim Londergan of Tangibly.Tangibly's SaaS platform enables companies to implement best-in-class management of their trade secrets. Trade secrets can be almost anything, from algorithms to chemical processes to client lists and are among the most valuable assets for many companies. Tangibly helps demystify legal requirements and implement best practices to establish company assets as legally enforceable trade secrets. These best practices include cataloging assets, acknowledgment workflow, access management, tracking required legal agreements (NDAs, employment agreements, partnership agreements, etc), as well as employee/partner education and training.
Howard Chao and Reilly Brennan interview Brian Manning of Xona Space Systems. Xona Space Systems is building PULSAR, a constellation of small but powerful "Super-GPS" satellites designed to enable safer operation of modern devices by providing ultra-reliable high-precision navigation services. PULSAR combines navigation technology from the worlds of military security, high-precision machine control, and civil aviation safety with high-power new-space technology to provide a service with sub-10cm level accuracy that is over 100x more resistant to interference than existing GPS. Delivered via secure and powerful signals from Xona's low Earth orbit satellites, the patent-pending PULSAR service aims to enable the next wave of connected technology.Stay connected:Our website: https://www.dooninsights.com Be notified of future Doon Insights events: https://www.dooninsights.com/notify Twitter: https://twitter.com/DoonInsights LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/71050481/https://youtu.be/EeROv9VmqEI
In our first Legal | Reg Tech episode, Howard Chao and Zach Posner interview Cloverleaf AI. Cloverleaf AI is delivering actionable insights from the massive amount of decentralized government meetings, empowering government affairs teams and large enterprises to make the right decisions. (00:00) - Introduction to podcast(05:30) - Opportunities in legal tech(09:36) - What makes a legal tech startup successful?(11:31) - How will legal tech change the competitive landscape?(13:28) - Introduction to CloverLeaf AI(14:44) - Cloverleaf AI interview
Howard interviews Jason Devitt of Compound Eye, a high performance perception software company using automotive-grade cameras, Mike Watts and Greg Smolka of Analog Photonics, an advanced solid state lidar company, and Ashwini Choudhary of Undertow, an advanced radar chip company. Joining Howard in the interviews are Raymond Zheng of Honda Innovations and Yvonne Lutsch of Robert Bosch Venture Capital.
(00:00) - Introduction to episode (03:55) - Intro - Raymond Zheng of Honda Innovations (04:50) - Compound Eye Interview (with Raymond Zheng) (21:28) - Analog Photonics Interview (with Raymond Zheng) (39:35) - Intro - Yvonne Lutsch of Robert Bosch Venture Capital (41:08) - Undertow Interview (with Yvonne Lutsch)
Howard sits down with Andrew Harper and Justin Savage, partners at Sidley Austin LLP, to discuss the current transaction environment in the auto/mobility tech space, plus the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act on the auto sector.
Justin Savage is the global co-leader of the firm’s Environmental practice and co-leads the Automotive and Mobility sector team. Andrew Harper provides strategic counseling to companies, ranging from newly formed startup teams to mature late-stage private companies, on matters spanning the entire corporate life-cycle, including pre-incorporation planning, general corporate representation and counseling, venture capital financings, joint ventures, and mergers and acquisitions.
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Introduction to podcast
(05:28) - Introduction to episode
(09:45) - Andrew Harper Intro
(11:25) - Justin Savage Intro
(12:30) - Disruptions in the auto industry
(14:20) - How is the broader VC market trending?
(19:40) - Changes in evaluations
(23:25) - New climate change regulations providing tailwinds
(24:15) - Down round financing
(28:35) - Inflation Reduction Act - Reason for FoMO
(35:09) - Competing with China's battery minerals production
(39:05) - Incentives for sustainable aviation and fuels
(40:45) - The effect of the Ukraine war
(42:35) - How do companies take advantage of the IRA?
(45:35) - Can startups really benefit from the IRA?
(48:15) - Optimism for the future of Auto tech
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Ron Meeusen of Cultivian Ventures (https://cultiviansbx.com) takes us on a tour of the Ag | Food tech innovation and investment landscape. He shares how he got his start in the sector and the major shifts in investment emphasis he has experienced over the past 20+ years. Howard and Ron touch on several hot topics and trends in the agriculture and food tech space. Finally, Ron shares his affection for chestnuts.
Time stamps:
(00:00) - Introduction to podcast
(05:28) - Introduction to episode
(08:23) - Ron Meeusen Intro
(09:10) - Origins
(10:00) - Starting a venture capital fund
(14:15) - Investment trends over the past 20 years
(17:45) - Exciting ideas today
(21:23) - Longer cycles of innovation - it's effects on funding
(24:45) - Effects of disruptions of global food supply chain
(28:29) - Alternative agriculture in US
(31:55) - Agriculture in developing world
(33:50) - Future of animal production
(36:53) - Need for fermentation capacity
(40:20) - Return of the Chestnut
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Nick and Howard introduce our next podcast: What's Next In...
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