Why do even the most sophisticated tech investors often shy away from biotech? It often seems like an impenetrable maze of regulations, clinical trials, and complex science.

Enter Hannu Rajaniemi, who brings a refreshingly clear perspective to the world of biotech. As both the CEO of Helix Nanotechnologies and a bestselling science fiction author, he bridges the gap between cutting-edge science and practical business insights. In conversation with Mercury CEO Immad Akhund and Lima co-founder Raj Suri, Rajaniemi reveals the real dynamics shaping the future of medicine.

The discussion unpacks several game-changing trends that every tech entrepreneur should understand: how AI reasoning models are revolutionizing research and development, why global competition is making traditional biotech business models obsolete, and what really matters when evaluating biotech investments. 

What happens when the ultimate startup veteran joins a 3,000-person company? 

In this gripping episode, Mercury CEO Immad Akhund and serial founder Rajat Suri sit down with serial entrepreneur Hiten Shah (Crazy Egg, KISSmetrics, Nira, sold to Dropbox) for a candid conversation about founder identity over the course of an entire career. 

Get practical insights on choosing the right customers, surprising parallels between AI and the AWS revolution, and the hidden truths about venture-backed versus bootstrapped companies. 

Whether you're building your first startup or considering an exit, you'll learn from three founders who challenge conventional wisdom while sharing hard-won lessons from decades of company building. 

As founders of VC-backed startups face tough choices between down rounds and running out of cash, Jesse Tinsley is turning unprofitable startups profitable at incredible speed by tossing out the typical M&A playbook.

Jesse is a prominent entrepreneur and investor in the HR technology and recruitment industry. He is Founder and CEO of multiple successful companies, including Employer.com and Recruiter.com.

In this conversation with Mercury CEO Immad Akhund and Tribe co-founder Raj Suri, Jesse unveils his counterintuitive strategy—from how he finds companies, why VCs actually love working with him, and how he structures deals with limited capital.

He shares candid details about his recent acquisition of Bench Accounting and even discusses his current bid for TikTok, offering a masterclass in seeing opportunity where others see distress.

Join Immad Akhund and Raj Suri as they dive deep into the implications of DeepSeek and the rapidly evolving AI landscape with Richard Price, founder and CEO of Academia.edu.

The conversation explores the fascinating shift in AI development costs, with DeepSeek challenging assumptions about the resources needed to build frontier models.

Richard shares insights about Academia.edu's work applying AI to academic research, while the trio discusses the geopolitical dynamics between China and the US in the AI race.

Through candid exchanges about synthetic data generation, regulatory challenges, and the future of human-AI integration, this episode offers a unique perspective on the advancing AI frontier from three tech leaders at the intersection of startups and artificial intelligence.

Join Raj Suri as he sits down with Jeevan Kalanithi, co-founder and CEO of OpenSpace AI, to explore the revolutionary impact of computer vision technology in construction and beyond.

From his early days at MIT Media Lab to founding innovative startups, Jeevan shares insights on how OpenSpace is transforming construction site management through spatial AI and 360-degree documentation.

Discover why Jeevan believes we're still in the early stages of a camera revolution that will reshape how we interact with physical spaces.

Whether you're interested in AI, tech for the physical world, or the future of spatial computing, this episode offers a compelling look at how computer vision is becoming an invisible but essential part of our world.

Join Mercury CEO Immad Akhund and Lima & Tribe co-founder Raj Suri as they explore tech's evolving relationship with politics.

From Biden's "tech industrial complex" remarks to the changing power dynamics between tech companies and their employees, they discuss how the industry's traditional political neutrality is giving way to partisan alignment.

The conversation delves into startup fundraising strategies, the importance of market size, and hard-earned lessons about the five-year journey to product-market fit.

Whether you're a founder navigating the VC landscape or interested in tech's growing political influence, this episode offers valuable insights from two seasoned entrepreneurs.

In a special episode to kickoff the New Year, Mercury CEO Immad Akhund and Lima co-founder Rajat Suri share personal reflections and industry predictions. From Raj's mission to revolutionize international talent recruiting through Lima to Immad's vision for expanding Mercury beyond startup banking, the conversation offers a candid look at their entrepreneurial journeys and goals. The discussion then shifts to the evolving landscape of crypto infrastructure with ZeroHash founder Edward Woodford. As a fellow British entrepreneur in America, Woodford shares invaluable insights on navigating regulated industries, the transformation of stablecoin technology, and the delicate dance of policy-making in Washington DC. From the intricacies of crypto compliance to the realities of building relationships on Capitol Hill, this episode provides a fascinating glimpse into the intersection of financial technology, regulation, and entrepreneurship in 2025.

What drives entrepreneurs to push boundaries is often a deep desire to leave a lasting mark on the world. In this episode, System 2 founder Dilan Dane joins Mercury CEO Immad Akhund and Lima co-founder Rajat Suri to explore how this entrepreneurial drive naturally extends into the realms of human potential and discovery. From his journey out of Sri Lanka to becoming a serial founder and biohacking enthusiast, Dane embodies the restless curiosity that characterizes many founders. The conversation weaves through cutting-edge longevity science, space exploration, and consciousness itself—revealing how the entrepreneurial impulse to build and transform doesn't stop at building companies, but extends to reimagining the very limits of human existence and our place in the universe.

Join Immad Akhund and Raj Suri as they dive deep with John Bicket, co-founder and CTO of Samsara and previously Meraki, into the rare feat of building two successful hardware-software companies. From turning MIT research into a cloud networking pioneer at Meraki to revolutionizing fleet operations at Samsara, John shares candid insights about the existential challenges of serial entrepreneurship, the discipline of testing product-market fit, and how to scale company culture while staying ruthlessly focused on customer impact. The conversation offers a unique window into what it takes to spot technological waves early and build enduring businesses in the challenging hardware-software space.

Connect with us on Tribe:

https://trbcht.com/invites/WmHNjar5ZN

In this episode of Founders in Arms, Immad and Raj sit down with Daniel Kivatinos, founder of JustPaid and DrChrono. The group starts by sharing their startup war stories, including Raj's shocking tale of an intern-turned-criminal and Daniel's unconventional recruitment of a Chipotle employee. The discussion then delves into the complexities of healthcare in America, sparked by recent news of the UnitedHealth CEO shooting, before transitioning into valuable insights about the M&A process. Daniel shares his experience selling DrChrono after 14 years, exploring the challenges of startup acquisitions, the role of investment bankers, and the evolving landscape of startup resources and information available to founders today.

Connect with us on Tribe:

https://trbcht.com/invites/WmHNjar5ZN