We’re back! This time with Casey Handmer, founder and CEO of Terraform Industries. Terraform is building a system to turn cheap solar electricity into methane. To pull this off they’ll need to commercialize the most performant and lowest-cost electrolysis, carbon capture, and Sabatier reactors ever seen. Casey had a ton of interesting thoughts abou…

Today’s episode is brought to you by Strata. Elevate your enterprise identity with Strata today. Go to https://strata.io/firstprinciples to learn more! ====== Episode 11: Cuby is creating the Factory that builds the Homes. These factories can generate 1 home per day, but instead of building the homes themselves, Cuby works with local operators who …

Molson Hart is the CEO of Viahart, an educational toy company. He has deep experience selling products manufactured in China, using Amazon and other platforms. He produced a documentary about the challenges Amazon's market dominance creates for sellers and buyers worldwide. His recent video about a recent trip to visit factories in China went viral…

EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/firstprinciples Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! ====== Episode 10: Impulse Labs has a master plan to revolutionize the grid by building the world’s highest-performance home appliances. They started with a stove. Here’s how it works. ====== (00:00) - Introduction (00:40) - What Im…

Last week we sat down with Dave Riess, the CEO and co-founder of Wunder. They’re working hard to scale mid-sized commercial solar projects, where they believe the real TAM is in this market. Dave is an awesome guy who’s been grinding in the space for years now, so we naturally had a ton to talk about. * (00:02:55) Introduction and Guest Overview: I…

Today’s sponsor: If you want a platform that empowers your team to collaborate effectively and focus on shared goals, you can get started with Coda today for FREE. Head over to https://Coda.io/fp ====== Episode 9: Justin worked at SpaceX and Anduril before starting Base Power, which is aiming to build a modern power company — and an energy trading …

Michelle Lucas loves Space. She studied Aerospace Engineering, Communications & Space Studies at Purdue University and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. She’s trained astronauts, conducted microgravity fluids research on NASA’s KC-135 aircraft, worked at space camp, worked with the ISS, and lots and lots more. She loves space. So much so that s…

Episode 8: Ben Nowack built a fusion reactor in high school. Now he’s building huge mirrors in space that reflect sunlight onto solar farms at night. ====== (00:00) - Intro (00:39) - What Reflect Orbital is Building (02:30) - How the Satellite Mirrors Work (06:16) - Deploying the Mirrors in Space (10:14) - Mirror Size Considerations (13:51) - Deali…

Jaan Tallinn is a billionaire computer programmer and investor. He was a co-founder of Skype, and has invested in companies like DeepMind and Anthropic. Tallinn is a leading figure in the field of existential risk, having co-founded both the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (CSER) at the University of Cambridge, in the United Kingdom and th…

Glenn Luk has worked as an investment banker, private equity investor, and startup founder. He has closely analyzed aspects of the Chinese economy, including its GDP and high speed rail system. Steve and Glenn discuss: (00:00) - Introduction (01:21) - Glenn Luk's Background: HK, Taiwan, China (07:59) - Evolution of Chinese Companies and Economy (14…

Nato decided against building a laser-powered rocket in favor of Longshot Space: a gun powered by pressurized air that can shoot payloads into orbit. ====== (00:00) - Intro (00:42) - Nato's Early Idea for a Laser Rocket at Astranis (02:30) - Nato Initially Being Skeptical of Longshot's Gun Idea (04:02) - Writing a Simulation that Showed a 4km Gun C…

An excellent chat. Continued. Yoichi Shiga, PhD, discusses new beginnings, life, planet earth, woodworking, and everything. Music at the end from Heart Bones with This Time It’s Different.By David Huntsberger

We’re back! This time we sat down with Quincy Lee, CEO and co-founder of Electric Era, an electric vehicle refueling company. Quincy has a super cool background - starting with designing skyscrapers, then moving on to space technology, and now he’s der-pilled. We talk about all kinds of stuff in this one: * what SpaceX and Starlink were like * why …

Fantastic guest and friend of the show, Yoichi Shiga, PhD, is back to chat about new developments, a new career, woodworking, sustainability, life, and tons more. He sips some Bundaberg Ginger Beer while Dave has some Orange Juice. Music at the end from Warpaint with Common Blue.By David Huntsberger

Casey Handmer (PhD, Caltech, general relativity) is the founder of Terraform Industries. He is one of the most capable and ambitious geo-engineers on planet Earth! Terraform Industries is scaling technology to produce cheap natural gas with sunlight and air. Using solar energy, they extract carbon from the air and synthesize natural gas, all at the…

Sponsor: Remove your personal information from the web at JoinDeleteMe.com/FP20 and use code FP20 for 20% off DeleteMe international Plans: https://international.joindeleteme.com ====== Episode 6: When heated, sodium emits energy via visible light at 2.1eV (or 589 nm wavelength). So, if you make an engine that heats up sodium, you can tune a solar …

Episode 5: Garrett wants to deliver any good in under ten minutes, for under a quarter, using drones that burrow underground. ====== (00:00) - Intro (00:50) - What Pipedream is Building (02:17) - Garrett's Background and Learning to Build Businesses (04:02) - How Pipedream Moves Things Efficiently in Cities (07:07) - Why Pneumatic Tubes are Not the…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.dertaskforce.com We’re back! This time with a VIDEO POD. We recorded this live at DTECH a few weeks ago and haven’t had time to upload it. But this is a fun one that you don’t want to miss. Not only did we finally find out what a DERMS is, but we also became fully converted distribut…

Russell Clark is a hedge fund investor who has lived and worked in both Japan and China. He writes the widely followed Substack Capital Flows and Asset Markets: https://www.russell-clark.com/ Steve and Russell discuss: 0:00 Introduction 0:52 Russell's background and experiences in Japan 13:25 Hong Kong and finance 31:53 China property bubble 48:54 …

Sponsor: Remove your personal information from the web at JoinDeleteMe.com/FP20 and use code FP20 for 20% off DeleteMe international Plans: https://international.joindeleteme.com ====== Episode 4: Augustus Doricko isn’t trying to play God with his weather-modification company, Rainmaker, but he does admit that quelling hurricanes or creating atmosp…

We’re back, this time joined by Jesse Jenkins - professor at Princeton and lead of the Zero Lab. We cover a ton of ground in this one, including: * Jesse’s DERs journey, including skepticism at times and optimism at others. * A ton of discussion on rate design. * Jesse’s recent pod on rooftop solar. * How the hell is rooftop solar so expensive here…

Episode 3: Extropic is building a new kind of computer – not classical bits, nor quantum qubits, but a secret, more complex third thing. They call it a Thermodynamic Computer, and it might be many orders of magnitude more powerful than even the most powerful supercomputers today. Check out their “litepaper” to learn more: https://www.extropic.ai/fu…

Stephen Grugett is the co-founder of Manifold Markets, the world's largest prediction market platform where people bet on politics, tech, sports, and more. Steve and Stephen discuss: 0:00 Introduction 0:52 Stephen Grugett’s background 5:20 The genesis and mission of Manifold Markets 11:25 The play money advantage: Legalities and user engagement 20:…

Sponsor: Remove your personal information from the web at JoinDeleteMe.com/FP20 and use code FP20 for 20% off DeleteMe international Plans: https://international.joindeleteme.com ====== Episode 2: Casey Handmer, the polymath founder and CEO of Terraform Industries, explains the first principles behind his idea to synthesize hydrocarbons (starting w…

Part two of a lovely chat with Lisa Delarios and more Taco Truck Lager from Dust Bowl Brewing. Music at the end from Real Estate with Water Underground.By David Huntsberger

Longtime friend from Austin, hilarious comedian, antique enthusiast, animal lover, and dog trainer Lisa Delarios stops by and share some Taco Truck Lager from Dust Bowl Brewing and chat about Dogs. Music at the end from Viji with Sedative.By David Huntsberger

Sponsor: Secure by Design - http://tinyurl.com/5ds2pyjv ====== [Series Premiere] Founder Ian Brooke gives his first public interview to talk about Astro Mechanica, a new startup building electric-adaptive jet engines. And, possibly, the world’s fastest plane. And the cheapest way to orbit. (It’s an ambitious startup idea.) ====== (00:00) - Intro (0…

We’re back! This time with Lynne Kiesling, Director of the Institute for Regulatory Law & Economics (IRLE) at Northwestern University. Lynne is an Economist who has been working on power systems issues since the early 2000s, with a focus on power markets, transactive energy, and “quarantining the monopoly” as she says. Lynne was a panelist at DERVO…

Episode 0: On First Principles, Christian Keil ( https://twitter.com/pronounced_kyle ), Host and Chief of Staff at Astranis, dives into the complex world of deep tech startups — and hopes to make them approachable, and PhD-optional. ====== Production and marketing by The Deep View ( https://thedeepview.co ). For inquiries about sponsoring the podca…

Raymond McGovern is a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) analyst, serving from 1963 to 1990. His CIA career began under President John F. Kennedy and lasted through the presidency of George H. W. Bush. McGovern advised Henry Kissinger during the Richard Nixon administration, and during the Ronald Reagan administration he chaired National Inte…

Continuation of an excellent chat with Botanist and host of In Defense Of Plants, Matt Candeias. Music at the end from Akira Galaxy with Silver Shoes.By David Huntsberger

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.dertaskforce.com Back in November we threw DERVOS, our annual distributed energy summit. It turned out awesome. We really couldn’t be happier or more grateful for how it went. The panels and speakers were great, the crowd that turned up was amazing, and the vehicle to rave afterparty…

Matt Candeias, of the great In Defense of Plants, is back to share some lager and chat about Botany. Music at the end from Alaska Reid with Back to This.By David Huntsberger

Steve discusses DNA and the origin of life on Earth, the Fermi Paradox (is there alien life?), AI and its implications for the Simulation Question: could our universe be a simulation? Are we machines, but don't know it? Slides: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CrWLiKYhLbDLG8yTOBySrsKrzAUbV-FES1toeJL-UWE/edit?usp=sharing Further discussion of the…

We’re back! This time we sat down with Pier LaFarge, co-founder and CEO of Sparkfund. Those who listened to the DERVOS recording released last week may remember Pier pitching a utility-led DER deployment model. It was a pretty interesting idea that we felt deserved its own deep dive on a pod, so we invited Pier on to make the case for what is likel…