In this episode, Bill sits down with Robert Otręba of Grinn, a Poland-based embedded engineering company operating for nearly 18 years. Robert shares how Grinn grew from a two-person startup into a 70-engineer team specializing in system-on-modules (SOMs), embedded Linux, and high-speed hardware design.

In this episode of Beyond the Bench, Bill Brock sits down with Dhruv Diddi, Founder of Solo Tech, to explore how Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models are transforming robotics.

Dhruv breaks down how these models enable robots to see, understand, and act, bridging AI and the physical world. The conversation covers real-world training challenges, hardware integration, and the rise of open-source robotics powered by edge AI and community innovation.

Talk to Peridio: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.peridio.com/contact

In this episode of Beyond the Bench, host Bill Brock talks with Henrik Flodell, Senior Marketing Director at Alif Semiconductor, a company redefining embedded AI. They discuss how AI is evolving in the semiconductor industry and how Alif’s architecture - combining neural processing units (NPUs) with microcontroller cores, enables low-power, hardware-accelerated intelligence at the edge.

Talk to Peridio: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.peridio.com/contact

Connect with Bill - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbrock25/

In this episode of Beyond the Bench, host Bill Brock sits down with Chris Matthieu, VP of Developer Ecosystem and Chief Hacker at RealSense, to discuss the company’s spinout from Intel and its recent $50 million Series A raise. They explore how RealSense balances developer creativity with production readiness, advances in robotics and AI, the power of open source, and the growing importance of domestic tech manufacturing.

Connect with Bill - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbrock25/

Talk to Peridio: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.peridio.com/contact

In this conversation, Bill Brock interviews Alexander Schwartz, the Embedded Business Line Manager of SolidRun, discussing the company's innovative embedded solutions and the evolving landscape of AI and hardware technology. Alex shares his journey as a tech entrepreneur, the importance of performance in AI on-device applications, and the development of the SolidSense AIoT platform inspired by wildlife monitoring.

The discussion also covers the challenges of choosing the right chipsets, the ARM vs x86 debate, and emerging applications in low Earth orbit. Alex emphasizes the need for customer flexibility and the exciting advancements in the ARM space, as well as the role of NVIDIA in high-end applications.

Connect with Bill - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbrock25/

Talk to Peridio: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.peridio.com/contact

In this episode of Beyond the Bench, Bill Brock interviews Rob Taylor, the CTO of Chip Flow. They discuss Rob's journey in the semiconductor industry, the evolution of open source in chip design, the challenges faced by companies in this space and the decision-making process for companies when it comes to chip design.

Connect with Bill - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbrock25/

Talk to Peridio: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.peridio.com/contact

In this conversation, Guy Forster, CEO of ipXchange, discusses the complexities of engaging with design engineers in today's chaotic market. He reflects on the evolution of Silicon Valley's culture from wild west to corporate, the importance of in-person connections post-COVID, the rise of Edge AI, and the need for companies to adapt to the changing landscape by engaging more deeply with their audiences.

Connect with Bill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbrock25/

Talk to Peridio: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.peridio.com/contact

In this episode of Beyond the Bench, Bill sits down with Mirza Shah, Co-Founder & CTO of Simbe Robotics, the company behind the popular retail robot Tally.

Simbe recently closed a $50M Series C round led by Goldman Sachs, tripled its team, and is pioneering the future of retail intelligence with AI-powered robotics. They discuss how Simbe is transforming retail with AI, robotics and computer vision, the challenges of scaling from startup to enterprise, and how Tally has become a beloved presence in grocery stores.

Connect with Bill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbrock25/

Talk to Peridio: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.peridio.com/contact

In this episode of Beyond the Bench: Hardware Stories that Matter, host Bill Brock sits down with Bill Flaherty, VP of Technology Development at Alloy Enterprises.

They dive deep into stack forging, a breakthrough manufacturing process for high-performance thermal management parts powering the future of AI, GPUs, and data centers. From diffusion bonding to liquid cooling challenges, this conversation uncovers how Alloy is pushing the limits of hardware innovation at production scale.

Connect with Bill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbrock25/

Talk to Peridio: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.peridio.com/contact

In this episode of Beyond the Bench, Bill Brock sits down with Jan Sulaiman, VP of Global IoT Solutions at 1NCE, to explore the challenges and opportunities of scaling IoT from a handful of devices to millions worldwide.

Jan shares how 1NCE grew from a 12-person startup to serving 25,000+ customers and 30M+ connected devices, the key hurdles in global connectivity, and why simplicity is the foundation of their success.

Connect with Bill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbrock25/

Talk to Peridio: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.peridio.com/contact