272: Scaling Environmental Impact: Luca Franchi’s Journey with Ambient and DePIN Innovation

Explicit content warning

10/18/24 • 35 min

Luca Franchi is the CEO and a co-founder of Ambient, a decentralized network of air quality sensors. Luca brings to Ambient over two decades of leading growth at several startups and large corporations in the US and Europe (O2 UK, Telefónica, Sky) across enterprise and consumer verticals.

In this episode, Luca shares his fascinating journey from working in startups and corporates like Sky in Silicon Valley to leading a decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN). The conversation delves into Ambient's strategic pivot from Algorand to Solana, their $2 million seed round led by Borderless Capital, and the operational challenges of launching a decentralized network.

Luca elaborates on how Ambient’s air quality sensors and the AmbiGo! app aim to engage the community and commercialize data. We also discuss the importance of founder experience, particularly in recruiting industry experts to navigate enterprise sales and legal structuring in DePIN projects. The episode concludes with Luca reflecting on the importance of passion and perseverance in entrepreneurship, and what it takes to approach the founders’ journey with longevity in mind.

Ambient is a DePIN at the leading edge of decentralized environmental monitoring, harnessing the power of its vast sensor network to deliver real-time, hyper-local, actionable environmental data. By utilizing distributed technologies and a community-focused participation model, Ambient not only enhances environmental awareness but also drives impactful change across the globe.

The Techstars Web3 accelerator invests in entrepreneurs building in web3 and enabling the next wave of growth in the decentralized internet and in tokenized economies. Applications are now open for the Spring 2025 class, so check out techstars.com/accelerators/web3 to apply.

TIMESTAMPS:

02:03 Luca's Career Journey and Founding Ambient

08:21 Challenges and Strategies in Building Ambient

11:51 How Ambient Works and Future Plans

13:15 The AmbiGo! App: Enhancing User Experience

16:10 The Importance of Data in Decentralized Networks

19:12 The Importance of DePIN in Web3

22:44 Raising the $2 Million Seed Round

25:24 The Startup Journey: Moving Fast and Staying Passionate

28:43 Balancing Work and Life: Advice for Founders

33:42 Conclusion and Contact Information

TIMESTAMPS:

Follow Luca Franchi

-X/(Twitter): https://x.com/luckyluca

-LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucafranchi/

Learn more about:

-Ambient: https://ambient.network/

-Techstars Web3 Accelerator: https://www.techstars.com/accelerators/web3

Leave a review and subscribe on

-Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1455819294

-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4F8uOLxiscYVWVGEfNxTnd

-Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvaaHrJjizUEd0-93mjCKsQ

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TIMESTAMPS:

02:03 Luca's Career Journey and Founding Ambient

08:21 Challenges and Strategies in Building Ambient

11:51 How Ambient Works and Future Plans

13:15 The AmbiGo! App: Enhancing User Experience

16:10 The Importance of Data in Decentralized Networks

19:12 The Importance of DePIN in Web3

22:44 Raising the $2 Million Seed Round

25:24 The Startup Journey: Moving Fast and Staying Passionate

28:43 Balancing Work and Life: Advice for Founders

33:42 Conclusion and Contact Information

TIMESTAMPS:

Follow Luca Franchi

-X/(Twitter): https://x.com/luckyluca

-LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucafranchi/

Learn more about:

-Ambient: https://ambient.network/

-Techstars Web3 Accelerator: https://www.techstars.com/accelerators/web3

Leave a review and subscribe on

-Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1455819294

-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4F8uOLxiscYVWVGEfNxTnd

-Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvaaHrJjizUEd0-93mjCKsQ

MoneyNeverSleeps newsletter on Substack: https://moneyneversleeps.substack.com/

MoneyNeverSleeps website: https://www.moneyneversleeps.ie/

Email us at [email protected]

Follow on X(Twitter):

Previous Episode

271: Luis Ramirez and Mawari | Building the 3D Internet

Luis Ramirez is the Founder and CEO of Mawari, a pioneer in cloud rendering and streaming technology. The Mawari team got started in Tokyo in 2017, and since then, the team has effectively built the foundation for the 3D internet.

Mawari enables real-time 3D content streaming to spatial computing devices like the Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3 through a global network of GPUs, leveraging Web3 elements such as DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network) to overcome the limitations of traditional centralized networks.

Uniquely positioned to address one of the core challenges in the spatial computing industry, formerly known as XR (eXtended Reality), Mawari focuses on delivering scalable infrastructure for real-time 3D applications. Mawari has since launched the Mawari Network — a DePIN and the only full-stack spatial computing platform offering decentralized compute and storage resources optimized for AR/VR experiences.

As a side note and in the spirit of transparency, Mawari recently announced the closing of their $10.8mn strategic funding round, and I’m thrilled to be part of the round as an angel investor.

In this episode, Luis and I riff on his journey from music to technology, the inception of the Mawari vision, building the team and overcoming challenges, the role of decentralization in the Mawari Network, Luis’ lessons learned from raising $17.3mn across two rounds in 3 years, and the essence of persistence, creativity, and the strategic foresight required to scale a tech startup in the evolving landscape of AR, VR, and Web3.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:39 Meet Luis Ramirez: From Music to Technology

06:18 The Birth of Mawari and Its Vision

15:02 Challenges and Innovations in XR and Web3

21:40 Building and Scaling the Mawari Team

32:20 Fundraising Journey and Future Milestones

38:57 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Follow Luis Ramirez

-LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luismawari/

Learn more about:

-Mawari: https://mawari.net/

-Techstars Web3 Accelerator: https://www.techstars.com/accelerators/web3

Leave a review and subscribe on

-Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1455819294

-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4F8uOLxiscYVWVGEfNxTnd

-Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvaaHrJjizUEd0-93mjCKsQ

MoneyNeverSleeps newsletter on Substack: https://moneyneversleeps.substack.com/

MoneyNeverSleeps website: https://www.moneyneversleeps.ie/

Email us at [email protected]

Follow on X(Twitter):

-Pete Townsend: https://twitter.com/petetownsendnv

-MoneyNeverSleeps: https://twitter.com/MNSshow

Follow on LinkedIn:

-Pete Townsend: https://...

Next Episode

273: Mission Minded Founder | Niall Dennehy & AID:Tech | Fixing Humanitarian Relief and Digital Identity

Niall Dennehy is an Irish entrepreneur and the co-founder and COO of AID:Tech, who are bringing traceability and transparency to the flow of funds for governments, NGOs and charities with their payments and digital identity infrastructure bridging web2 to web3.

In this episode, Pete Townsend reconnects with Niall to explore the groundbreaking journey of their mission-driven company since Niall was last on MoneyNeverSleeps in 2018 (episode 11 linked here and below).

The conversation spans the company's digital identity and payments innovations, especially through their Kare Wallet which accelerates financial assistance to disaster survivors. Leveraging blockchain technology, the platform ensures transparent, traceable, and secure distribution of relief funds, partnering with entities like Walmart to prevent misuse.

Niall reflects on the emotional impact on both survivors and AID:Tech employees, underscoring the mission that deeply resonates with their team. The discussion delves into strategic approaches to funding, including securing non-dilutive grants, engaging with VCs, and the valuable experiences from accelerator programs like Techstars.

Niall and Pete also touch upon the 'Five H's' of success - happy, hungry, humble, helpful, and healthy - emphasizing the importance of holistic wellbeing in driving sustained impact and growth for AID:Tech. Overall, this episode offers an insightful look into AID:Tech's ethos, their strategic growth, and the pivotal role of technology in enhancing disaster relief efforts.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:36 Meet Niall Dennehy: Co-Founder of AID:Tech

01:48 AID:Tech's Impact and Innovations

03:19 The Evolution of AID:Tech

04:22 The Core Mission: Identity and Payments

07:44 Real-World Applications and Success Stories

11:18 Challenges and Perseverance in the Startup World

13:08 Future of Payments and Digital Identity

14:19 The Kare Survivor Wallet in Action

20:02 Community Impact and Personal Stories

24:55 The Flywheel of a Mission-Driven Startup

26:02 Philosophical Insights and Team Alignment