Melding quantum mechanics with artificial intelligence is going to change how we understand our world.

Several years ago, a small team was pursuing a deeper understanding of the quantum sciences while tracking advancements in machine intelligence. Combining two complex and misunderstood fields of study, Fernando Dominguez Pinuaga, Vice President, and his colleagues formed SandboxAQ, a growing juggernaut in materials discovery, cybersecurity, computational simulation, and so much more.

This episode is our first among several in which we examine the quantum sciences. Percolating in the burgeoning overlap between artificial intelligence and quantum mechanics, the potential areas of overlap can appear, to an outsider, to be disconnected or unfocused. However, as Fernando reveals in our conversation, there is a core upon which they are learning, building, and educating. With “the century of atoms” ahead, join us as we learn about security, navigation, and the science of discovery.

An early-stage startup will offer unparalleled weather data when it unfolds its orbital sensors.

Captivated by the stars and focused on improving life on Earth, Mithril Technologies founder and CEO, Scarlett Koller, is venturing into weather awareness and storm tracking by launching and commercializing a large space-based sensor. In this episode, we have the privilege of learning how Koller and her co-founder are translating a new technology out of the lab and into a space business.

Aviation, shipping, insurance, and defense industries are each keen to get better clarity on Earth’s complex atmosphere at any given place and time. Where we currently get a partial image once a day, Mithril's technology offers nearly a complete image per second, a significant improvement that could have profound implications for disaster management. Utilizing microwave radiometry and with an incredible ambition to create huge 100-meter-diameter orbiting reflectors, Mithril’s platform would change the way storms are tracked by providing real-time images of the whole internal structure of a storm. Such holistic data is not available today, as some of the best approaches over the decades continues to be the reliance on specialized flight crews to fly instrumented airplanes through a storm... a risky, imperfect strategy that only provides incomplete snapshots of a storm system. Likewise, satellite imagery to-date provides only slivers of a weather pattern.

Though complex and fraught with challenges, the allure of space and its relationship to our planet inspires and drives tough tech trailblazers like Koller. With Mithril, she hopes to make an impact in the field of Earth observation and contribute to the realization of humankind's space dreams.

P.S. Tough Tech Today is now open to patron support, so we have launched a pay-if-you-can membership so you can help us bring Tough Tech Today to more folks!
🧠Relevant Links:

• Episode homepage: https://www.toughtechtoday.com/tracking-weather-from-space/
• Scarlett Koller on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scarlett-koller-17748682/
• Mithril Technologies homepage: https://www.mithril.space

👏Credit Roll:

• Producers: Jonathan 'JMill' Miller and Forrest Meyen
• Guest: Scarlett Koller
• Hosts: JMill and Forrest Meyen
• Editing: JMill
• Transcript: Alan Yan and JMill
• Blog Author: JMill
• Art Design: JMill

🔖Topic Timecodes:

• timecodes will be available after release.

📖Transcript:

Transcript is viewable here: https://otter.ai/u/93uhbOa_QUnHu3_8HDut2FamviI

• Digitization of the physical world brings new synergies and expanding attack surfaces – so it is key to invest in those who defend us.

—————

Overview:

Probing the cybersecurity of 3D printing, scaling the digital transformation of manufacturing, and developing quantum-safe encryption for the next evolution of the Internet, Matt Goldstein, Managing Director at M12, Microsoft’s Venture Fund, shares with us the criticality of investing in companies exploring the frontiers of cybersecurity and infrastructure.

“No one thinks their front door lock is obnoxious,” shares Goldstein, yet there remains a consumer hurdle in adopting baseline cybersecurity practices such as updating software, avoiding password reuse, and leveraging multi-factor authentication. Fear-mongering is one approach, but also “it’s up to us both as cybersecurity practitioners – call them lockbuilders – as well as the homebuilders, the application builders, to make their solutions and products inherently more secure and inherently less attractive to attackers,” tells Goldstein.

Also discussed is Goldstein’s path from being a “bad software developer” to venture capital, including the workings of M12, its relationship with Microsoft, and ever-present opportunities for value creation among security startups. “Cybersecurity will never be solved. It is a fundamentally asymmetric problem. The economic incentives of attackers to get incredibly creative match the economic incentives of defenders to find newer and better creative solutions to their attacks.”

—————

Show Notes:

• Episode page, transcript, and podcast listening links: https://toughtechtoday.com/cybersecurity-investing/
• Matt Goldstein on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattgoldsteinpc/
• M12 (firm): https://m12.vc
• Subscribe with your favorite podcast service: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1169378/8742841-m12-bets-big-on-the-digital-frontier-with-matt-goldstein
• Watch this show on Youtube: https://youtu.be/lkEhiZ_QbtU

In one sentence...

Human health upgrades may be unlocked by a data storage expert focused on probing the proteome.

Overview:

It’s not everyday that one hears about the crucial relationship between digital data storage and biology, yet this is core to Sujal Patel’s work leading Nautilus Biotechnology. By any measure already an accomplished tech entrepreneur, Sujal’s experience building Isilon Systems (acquired by EMC for $2.5 billion) became a perfect, if non-obvious, ingredient for disentangling the complexities of proteins.

If successful in analyzing the proteins within thousands of cells, Patel, his co-founder Parag Mallick, and their team may discover new drugs for present and emerging diseases. Pioneering the birth of this new proteome sequencer instrument involves deep and broad interdisciplinary collaboration. Patel says, “On our staff are mechanical engineers, software engineers, electrical engineers, and biophysicists working side-by-side with biochemists, organic chemists, bioengineering majors – all these disciplines come together to build a complete solution.”

Topic Timecodes:

[00:00] Episode preview
[00:59] Nautilus Biotechnology and why the need to understand what’s going on at the protein level
[05:03] Isilon to Nautilus
[11:23] Early stages of Nautilus
[14:13] Tough stuff at Nautilus
[19:13] Goal of Nautilus
[21:14] How Sujal went about learning a completely new field
[24:17] What exactly is Nautilus building
[26:54] Broader landscape of proteomic analysis companies
[32:17] What is unique about Nautilus Bio
[35:53] Nautilus Bio’s relationship with customers
[38:22] Nautilus and COVID-19 / other pandemics
[41:37] Going faster at Nautilus due to high demand
[43:51] Adjusting to life with COVID-19 at Nautilus
[48:02] Priorities for Nautilus in the near-term
[50:58] What’s been the most fun for Sujal in building Nautilus?
[53:36] Shameless plugs

The blue parts of our planet are beautiful yet stunningly punishing for even our toughest of technologies.

Dark, crushing, unexplored, and unknown – the depths of the seas are where an explorer like Jeff Smith has devoted his career to understanding. As the Vice President and General Manager of Autonomous and Undersea Systems at Saab, Inc., Smith has experience developing submersibles of nearly every shape and size, including some of the most advanced systems for remotely-operated and autonomous research vessels.

A distinguished figure in the undersea robotics realm, Smith brings a wealth of experience from his involvement in innovative startups and contributions to significant projects supporting the US Navy and other long-standing partners in ocean exploration. His journey, inspired by childhood memories of Jacques Cousteau's adventures, has led him to a career where his passion for the seas intersects with cutting-edge technology, embodying the adage that when you do what you love, it hardly feels like work.

Our conversation with Smith offers an insightful look into the challenges and opportunities within ‘blue technologies’. He highlights the critical role of autonomy and robotics in probing and protecting over 70% of the Earth's surface covered by oceans. His work developing cost-effective undersea systems underscores the importance of practical approaches in advancing our understanding and capabilities in marine environments. Smith also shares his entrepreneurial journey, from his start with a credit card and a dream to building Riptide Autonomous Solutions (acquired by BAE Systems), a major force in the unmanned undersea vehicle space.

This episode not only peers into the technical aspects of undersea exploration but also touches on the broader implications for environmental conservation and defense. Smith’s emphasis on the need for continued innovation, especially in battery technology and onboard machine intelligence, points to a future where autonomous undersea vehicles play a pivotal role in addressing some of the planet's most pressing challenges. This conversation with Jeff Smith not only educates but also inspires, reminding us of the vast, unexplored frontiers beneath the waves and the tough tech required to navigate them safely.

P.S. Thank you to our episode sponsor, The End Effector! JMill will be decoding deep tech over there, so join the mailing list to get read-in.

P.P.S. Thank you to our tough tech champions. We really appreciate your support! If you’d like to follow Erika’s example, take a look at our pay-if-you-can membership options so you can help us bring Tough Tech Today to more folks!