Best Project A | The Operational VC Podcasts (2025)

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Scaling in the AI Era with PagerDuty CEO Jen Tejada 47:07

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14m ago47:07

47:07

Jen Tejada is CEO of PagerDuty, a public company serving 30,000+ customers worldwide. She joined Village Global GP Ben Casnocha for a masterclass on scaling in the AI era, followed by live feedback sessions with four founders building AI-native companies. Takeaways: Enterprise sentiment has shifted from “fear of missing out” to “fear of getting in.…

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115. The 'D' Got Deleted: How VC Funding Broke the Innovation Ecosystem 45:52

1h ago45:52

45:52

The 'D' Got Deleted: How VC Funding Broke the Innovation Ecosystem Last week's whitepaper isn't production-ready. But someone's already pitching it to your board. Kence Anderson has deployed 100+ autonomous AI systems for Fortune 500 companies—and watched venture capital create a research-to-PR pipeline that skips development entirely. The 'D' in R…

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114. Stack or Stall: Why Credentials Collapse but Ecosystems Compound 46:25

8d ago46:25

46:25

Stack or Stall: Why Credentials Collapse but Ecosystems Compound Last year's Chemistry Nobel went to non-chemists. The lasting power of domain-specific credentials is collapsing - but David Julian has seen this pattern before across four technological revolutions and knows what compounds instead. From Hotjobs.com to Google's global EdTech partnersh…

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113. Engineering Heritage: Transforming Departing Expertise into Operational Capability 42:10

17d ago42:10

42:10

Operators with 30 years of pattern recognition leave for competitors. Engineers carrying legacy system intelligence depart. Everyone understands the risk. Few solve the execution: Systematically extracting tacit intelligence that experts can't articulate because it operates below the conscious threshold. Dr. Refiloe Mabaso and Wisdom Ndashe archite…

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112. Accelerating the Hydrogen Stack 55:20

1M ago55:20

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Hydrogen infrastructure requires billion-dollar cryogenic systems. That's the conventional wisdom keeping hydrogen grounded. Dr. Jalaal Hayes proved it's wrong—and the implications for expeditionary operations are immediate. Hayes developed Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers (LOHC) technology, which stores hydrogen at ambient temperatures using exist…

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111. Engineering Velocity: Unlocking Value Constellations 54:59

1M ago54:59

54:59

The most transformative strategic leaders understand that building ever-larger organizational infrastructure is counterproductive. Instead, they leverage resources and achieve impact by engineering robust, trust-based networks. Jane Wei-Skillern, a Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business whose network leadership research has been dow…

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110. Ecosystemic Infrastructure: Unlocking Complex Systems Intelligence 57:30

2M ago57:30

57:30

Information management delivers data. Knowledge management unleashes organizational intelligence - transforming how multi-stakeholder ecosystems coordinate, decide, and optimize performance across dynamic and complex networks. D. Jasen Graham, Director of Enterprise Risk and Knowledge Management for VA's $400M+ Financial Management Business Transfo…

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109. Mission as Organizing Principle: How Purpose Shapes Ecosystems 54:05

2M ago54:05

54:05

Mission functions as a powerful organizing principle in market-based ecosystems. Faisal Hoque, a three-time Deloitte Fast 50 winner and transformation partner to DoD and CACI, reveals how architecting purpose into systematic structures creates a gravitational pull, drawing diverse actors into a coordinated flow. Key insight: exemplary architecture …

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108. From Command Centers to Cognition Networks: The New Architecture 50:49

2M ago50:49

50:49

By [email protected] (Dyan Finkhousen: CEO of Shoshin Works)

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107. The Architecture of Resilience: Human Adaptive Capacity 51:44

2M ago51:44

51:44

What if we could measure adaptive capacity with the same precision we apply to engineering rocket systems? Dr. Irena Chaushevska Danilovska reveals how neuroscience capabilities integrate with distributed innovation ecosystems to create a mission assurance architecture for organizations seeking resilience in dynamic environments. After building sta…

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106. Human Systems Engineering: Vision as Gravitational Force 43:26

3M ago43:26

43:26

The future belongs to organizations that engineer ecosystems with spacecraft-level precision. Carol Erikson reveals the breakthrough: applying aerospace systems engineering to organizational transformation unlocks exponential performance gains across speed, cost, and effectiveness. After 30 years leading aerospace missions and digital transformatio…

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105. The Space Manufacturing Revolution That Changes Everything 1:06:15

3M ago1:06:15

1:06:15

Many ecosystems fall short of their full potential because they're designed around Earth's limitations. The revelation? Gravity isn't just a physical force—it's an economic barrier costing America trillions in unrealized breakthroughs across semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and defense technologies. While ecosystem architects optimize terrestrial m…

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104. The New Rules of Power 52:15

3M ago52:15

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Traditional geopolitical analysis is dead. A $10,000 drone can now destroy a $100 million military platform—and this "budgetary exhaustion" strategy is already transforming how smart companies compete. We need systems thinking to navigate the four forces reshaping global power: balance of power, technology, climate change, and the nature of warfare…

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103. Source Code 57:02

3M ago57:02

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The universe's most sophisticated R&D lab has been running experiments for 4 billion years—and we're just learning how to read the results. The revelation? Nature's laboratory has field-tested solutions for health and resilience—we need human discernment to look in the right places, ask the right questions, and apply the right tools. Dr. Martin Kus…

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102. Orchestrated Autonomy: The Ecosystem Accelerator Government Misses 38:57

4M ago38:57

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The Apollo Program achieved humanity's most significant technological leap through "orchestrated autonomy"—a hidden methodology for ecosystem velocity and optimization that modern government partnerships miss. Breakthrough insight? True innovation requires autonomous components working independently first, then strategic orchestration second. Lieut…

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101. The 1-Ton Shock: Why Single Solutions Fail Complex Systems (Quantum Cities Reveal All) 43:00

4M ago43:00

43:00

The revelation that shattered systems thinking: Replacing every combustion car with electric vehicles improves urban efficiency by only 6%—revealing why isolated optimizations fail in complex ecosystems. Dr. Parfait Atchadé from MIT Media Lab discovered this through quantum-enhanced urban modeling in Boston's Kendall Square. His breakthrough: human…

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100. Infrastructure 2.0: Your Next Airport Powers More Than Planes 51:39

4M ago51:39

51:39

Transportation infrastructure is about to flip inside-out. The revelation? Advanced Air Mobility isn't just creating flying cars—it's concurrently addressing energy opportunities by transforming airports from power consumers into community power providers. While mobility experts focus on autonomous aircraft, they're missing the bigger disruption: t…

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99. Reality Architects: How Master Deceivers Reveal Fatal Flaws in "Smart" Systems 1:37:08

5M ago1:37:08

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Harvard scientists fell for table-flipping séances while 8-year-olds saw through million-dollar magic tricks. The revelation? Your organization's most intelligent people systematically miss the most obvious solutions and risks —and this expertise blind spot is limiting every "intelligent" system we build. Stacy Alan, licensed therapist turned menta…

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98. Mind the Gap: Where Ecosystems Miss 50% of Human Behavior 59:53

5M ago59:53

59:53

Many ecosystems fail because they're designed for rational actors. The revelation? Humans are systematically irrational—and the ecosystems that embrace this reality dramatically outperform those that don't. While ecosystem architects optimize for logical decision-making, they overlook the implicit forces that drive actual stakeholder behavior. Dr. …

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97. Ecosystemic Design: How Nature Redirects 1,200 G-Forces 48:43

5M ago48:43

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Engineering often builds systems to withstand extreme forces. Nature's ecosystems build interconnected systems that never experience them through geometric redirection. Woodpeckers don't have super-strong skulls that absorb 1,200 G-forces—they instead have interconnected geometric features that fragment and redirect energy, so the brain never exper…

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96. Unraveling Linear Thinking: Unlocking $500B in Hidden Economic Value Through Ecosystemic Transformation 44:08

5M ago44:08

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Linear thinking squanders $500 billion annually. The revelation? Ecosystemic collaboration across value chains unlocks it. Textile innovators shatter assumptions—strategic design choices create immediate circular economics. Dr. Rawaa Ammar, Chief Sustainability & Impact Officer at Resortecs, reveals a counterintuitive reality: While companies optim…

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95. High-Velocity Market Ecosystems: ASEAN's Integrated Industrial Exchanges 51:15

5M ago51:15

51:15

Global consensus is the enemy of market efficiency. The solution lies in interconnected market ecosystems that work, while others debate. Many business leaders assume that global alignment is necessary first, followed by implementation. But ASEAN is proving the opposite—regional market ecosystems can out-innovate global bureaucracy. Dr. Renard Siew…

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94. Connected Care Networks: How Strategic Technology Adoption Reshapes Healthcare Ecosystems 45:36

6M ago45:36

45:36

🔗 How do you scale from a startup to $2 billion in revenue while transforming healthcare delivery models? Denise Hatzidakis cracked this code at WellBe Senior Medical, directing 8,000 developers at Deutsche Bank (achieving 40% faster delivery), and enabling $50+ million in hospital savings at Premier Healthcare Alliance. Her strategic approach reve…

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Vibe Coding and The Rise of AI Agents with Amjad Masad and Yohei Nakajima 58:59

6M ago58:59

58:59

Amjad Masad (@amasad), founder and CEO of Replit, and Yohei Nakajima (@yoheinakajima), Managing Partner at Untapped Capital, joined Village Global partner Ben Casnocha for a live masterclass with Village Global founders. Takeaways: AI agents are rapidly evolving, with coding and deep research agents showing the most traction today. But general-purp…

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93. Cultivating Tomorrow: The Ag-Powered Future 42:29

6M ago42:29

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Cultivating Tomorrow: The Ag-Powered Future 🌱 How do you ensure humanity thrives when traditional agriculture faces supply chain disruptions and geographic constraints? Most food security solutions focus on single variables, such as increasing yield, improving efficiency, or reducing costs. But as global populations urbanize and supply chains becom…

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92. Vertical Integration: NEOM's Ground-Up Approach to eVTOL Ecosystems 51:58

6M ago51:58

51:58

Vertical Integration: NEOM's Ground-Up Approach to eVTOL Ecosystems 🚁 How do you build the future when no blueprint exists? Most breakthrough technologies fail not because of technical limitations, but because we try to solve them sequentially: we develop the technology first, then figure out the regulation, then build the infrastructure, and then …

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Executing as a Best-In-Class Firm: Operational Excellence From The Inside of Over 50 VC Firms with Kristen Ostro of Strut Consulting 50:23

6M ago50:23

50:23

Jacob Mullins, Venture Partner at Village Global, welcomes Kristen Ostro, founder and CEO of Strut Consulting, to discuss the foundational elements that set venture capital firms up for long-term success. Kristen shares how her career began under the mentorship of Dick Kramlich at NEA, where she was trained in the core values and operational excell…

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The Secret to Startup M&A: How To Set Your Companies Up for Big Outcomes with Ezra Roizen of Advsr 55:20

6M ago55:20

55:20

Jacob Mullins, Venture Partner at Village Global, sits down with Ezra Roizen, General Manager of Advsr and author of "The Magic Box Paradigm," to demystify the world of startup mergers and acquisitions (M&A) on Jacob’s private podcast, VC Mastermind, which we are cross-posting on the Village Global podcast. Drawing on decades of experience as both …

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91. Navigating the Cognitive Revolution: What Makes Us Human in an AI World 49:22

6M ago49:22

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As AI systems approach and potentially surpass human cognitive benchmarks, how do we design hybrid intelligence frameworks that preserve human agency while leveraging artificial cognitive enhancements? In this exploration of human-AI convergence, anthropologist and organizational learning expert Dr. Lollie Mancey presents a framework for the "cogni…

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90. From Silos to Ecosystems: Rebuilding Construction Futures with Advanced Technologies 46:31

7M ago46:31

46:31

The $13 trillion construction industry is experiencing its first systemic transformation in decades. In this groundbreaking episode, we examine how advanced technologies are dismantling the silos that have trapped the $13 trillion construction industry in decades of declining productivity. Francesco "Frio" Iorio, CEO of Augmenta and pioneer of gene…

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89. The Renaissance Graduate: Education for Complex System Challenges 47:41

7M ago47:41

47:41

How can higher education cultivate versatile, adaptable graduates prepared to navigate the increasingly complex systems of our technological world? In this episode of Ecosystemic Futures, we engage with Dr. Lisa Kahle-Piasecki, whose expertise spans business education, workforce development, and technological innovation. The conversation explores h…

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88. Orchestrating Urban Mobility Ecosystems: The Convergence of Technology, Infrastructure, and Human Experience 49:07

7M ago49:07

49:07

How can we transform fragmented urban transportation networks into resilient, adaptive ecosystems that drive economic value while addressing complex societal challenges? In this episode of Ecosystemic Futures, host Marco Annunziata engages with Robin Hutcheson, whose multifaceted expertise spans the complex urban transportation ecosystem. The conve…

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87. Edge Systems Thinking: Navigating Innovation Paradoxes 55:53

7M ago55:53

55:53

How do boundary zones fuel innovation breakthroughs in complex organizations? Join host Marco Annunziata as he welcomes Jaspar Roos, a member of the European Commission's OISP innovation group and founding partner of the Human and Tech Institute. With MIT credentials in AI Strategy and implementation experience with ISO56001 innovation frameworks, …

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86. Quantum Resonance: The Hidden Patterns Connecting All Systems 1:42:56

8M ago1:42:56

1:42:56

How might understanding the interconnected nature of quantum physics, consciousness, and anomalous phenomena transform our approach to ecosystemic innovation? This episode of Ecosystemic Futures explores how seemingly disparate knowledge systems form an interconnected knowledge ecosystem. Dr. Hal Puthoff, Dr. Diana Pasulka, and John von Blauch join…

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85. Fluid Systems, Firm Results: Architecting The First Mile of the Innovation Ecosystem 1:01:20

8M ago1:01:20

1:01:20

The complex challenges of our interconnected world demand new approaches to discovery and collaboration. In this powerful episode from NASA Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project in collaboration with Shoshin Works, innovation expert Teri Schindler tackles how the traditionally chaotic "first mile of innovation" can be transformed from a bottlene…

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84. Silk's Surprising Superpowers: How Nature's Ancient Fiber is Revolutionizing Modern Technology 40:52

8M ago40:52

40:52

What can a 5,000-year-old textile teach us about cutting-edge technology? In this episode of Ecosystemic Futures, presented by NASA's Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project in collaboration with Shoshin Works, host Marco Annunziata explores the revolutionary potential of silk as a biomaterial platform with Dr. Fiorenzo Omenetto, the Frank C. Dobl…

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83. Anticipating the Curve: Strategic Ecosystem Navigation in Transitional Economies 47:52

8M ago47:52

47:52

Is your organization built for a world where 90% of organizational value now comes from intangibles? Rita McGrath explores why traditional hierarchies are dissolving into ecosystem constellations. In this thought-provoking episode of Ecosystemic Futures, host Marco Annunziata welcomes Columbia Business School professor and strategy expert Rita McGr…

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82. Nanotech Networks: Systems Thinking at Molecular Scale 46:08

8M ago46:08

46:08

Could the next nanotechnology breakthrough come from a college student's laptop rather than a million-dollar lab? In this Ecosystemic Futures episode, Marco Annunziata speaks with Dr. Aaron Santos, physicist and president of DNP123 Company. Santos examines nanotechnology as complex molecular networks rather than isolated components. Santos explains…

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81. The Space-Earth Ecosystem: How Orbits Shape Our Future 55:00

9M ago55:00

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In this enlightening episode of Ecosystemic Futures, Shelli Brunswick, CEO & Founder of SB Global LLC and former Chief Operating Officer of Space Foundation, reveals the measurable impact of space innovation on Earth's most pressing challenges. The numbers tell a compelling story: The global space economy, valued at $630 billion in 2023, is project…

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80. Orchestrating Ecosystems: Creating Harmonious Innovation 57:20

9M ago57:20

57:20

In this eye-opening episode of Ecosystemic Futures, hosts Marco Annunziata and Vikram Shyam welcome Dr. Giulia Ajmone Marsan, Head of Startups and Inclusion, at the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia. Dr. Marsan challenges conventional wisdom about innovation with complex data. In just 20 years, the global share of patenting activi…

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79. Biology as Technology: Advanced Biosystems for Space Exploration 54:38

9M ago54:38

54:38

In this data-driven episode of Ecosystemic Futures, host Marco Annunziata interviews Dr. Tiffany Vora, a molecular biologist, Singularity Fellow in Biotechnology, and Vice President for Innovation Partnerships at ExploreMars. Drawing from her background in pharmaceutical research, teaching at Stanford University, and extensive work in space innovat…

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78. The Wisdom Bridge: Ancient Practices for Digital Ecosystems 44:03

9M ago44:03

44:03

In this fascinating episode of Ecosystemic Futures, host Marco Annunziata interviews Himanshu Bharadwaj, a design strategist who applies cognitive science principles from Eastern traditions to modern digital ecosystems. Trained at the National Institute of Design and Syracuse University, Bharadwaj presents empirical observations on how his Joyful D…

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77. The Health Dividend: How Organization Wellness Pays 3X Returns 41:28

10M ago41:28

41:28

What's the measurable return on organizational health? Through rigorous assessment frameworks and 25 years of transformation data, former IBM Change Leader Dr. Donna-Marie Arias quantifies the dividends of workplace wellness. She unpacks a landmark case study: a troubled global financial institution's 3.5-year journey to becoming an industry health…

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Abhay Parasnis on Creating Moats, AI Strategy, and Selling to Enterprise 47:45

10M ago47:45

47:45

Abhay Parasnis is founder and CEO of Typeface, is former CTO/CPO at Adobe, and sits on the board of Dropbox and Schneider Electric. He joined Ben Casnocha, co-founder and partner at Village Global, for a live masterclass for Village Global founders. Takeaways: If you can break into the top tier of the enterprise market, it’s hard to dislodge you. B…

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76. Advanced Air Mobility: Transforming Aviation Infrastructure & Urban Ecosystems 40:42

10M ago40:42

40:42

Join host Marco Annunziata in conversation with Gloria Bouillon, distinguished aviation strategist and founder of Aviatrice Advisors, for a critical discussion on one of the nation's most strategic infrastructure opportunities. As global competition in advanced air mobility intensifies, the U.S. faces a pivotal moment in transforming its aviation i…

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Fundraising in AI with Aaron Harris 46:26

10M ago46:26

46:26

Aaron Harris was a partner at YC for 7.5 years where he funded Deel, OpenSea, Scale AI, Rappi, Lattice, and others. He also built YC's Series A program where he worked with founders on over 200 Series As and Bs that raised in excess of $3B in capital. He joined Sam Kirschner, VP at Village Global, to give Village Global founders helpful tips on fun…

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75. Future, TBD 46:20

10M ago46:20

46:20

What happens when industrial design meets strategic foresight? Lucy Ziegler, founder of TBD Futures and former McKinsey design strategist, reveals how leaders can transform business uncertainty into opportunity. Through scenario planning and design thinking, she demonstrates why the future isn't something to predict—it's something to design. Highli…

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74. From Fringe to Frontier: Material Futures from UAP 1:09:41

11M ago1:09:41

1:09:41

Stanford professor Dr. Garry Nolan reveals how UAP observations should refactor our approach to materials science. In this compelling episode, Dr. Nolan demonstrates how studying anomalous phenomena provides unprecedented insights, reshaping materials research and development. Drawing from his pioneering work in biotechnology and advanced analysis,…

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73. From Taboo to Testimony: Technology, Citizen Science, and the Evolution of UAP Research with Leslie Kean, Ryan Graves, and Christine Kim 1:19:17

11M ago1:19:17

1:19:17

The landscape of UAP research has transformed dramatically over the past two decades from a taboo topic to congressional testimony. In this pivotal episode, pioneering investigative journalist Leslie Kean bridges past discoveries with current developments, including the latest wave of mass sightings across multiple states. Featuring crucial insight…

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Hiring Technical Talent with Kathy Copic and Lindsay Pettingill 57:37

11M ago57:37

57:37

Kathy Copic is founder of Fieldwork Partners, where she works closely with early stage companies on scoping technical projects, getting early ML models into production, and helping them hire. She was interviewed by Lindsay Pettingill, Investment Partner at Village Global, during this masterclass for Village Global founders. Takeaways: Maintain at l…