Pioneer Series

Most founders obsess over what they're building, but completely skip the why.

In this episode, tech philosopher Jean Arnaud breaks down why that's backwards. After studying at Stanford and building (then pivoting from) a metaverse education startup, Jean's learned that without a clear philosophy, you're basically building blind.

We dive into:

• Why "accelerating for acceleration's sake" leads nowhere
• The real difference between California and East Coast investor mindsets
• How his "failed" metaverse company taught him about market timing
• Why money should never be your primary goal (and what should be instead)

Jean's take? We've abandoned our responsibility to actually shape the future we want. Time to take it back.

Whether you're pre-idea or scaling up, this conversation will make you rethink how you approach building.

Episode Links:

Jean Arnaud's Website: https://www.jeanarnaud.org/

Jean Arnaud's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jean-arnaud-14887b1b4

Aethos: aethos.org

Ever wonder how to really get VCs to listen? Extremely interesting conversation with Samantha Tabone: General Partner at XEIA Ventures. She invests in early-stage companies driving "Human 3" - the next era of health, wellbeing and performance through life sciences, AI, hardware, and deep tech. Extremely interesting convo on:- Deep tech startups + due diligence- How to reach out to VCs…- The next era of health - Human 3- Startup ideas with untapped potentialEpisode Links:Samantha's LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/samtaboneXEIA Ventures: https://www.xeiavp.com/

Amarjot Singh, Founder of Skylark Labs, is revolutionizing physical AI.

He's building brain-inspired foundational robotic models that run efficiently on edge devices, challenging the LLM scaling paradigm.

A must-listen for founders and future-builders in deep tech.

Episode Links:

Amarjot's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amarjot-singh-phd-b5269815/

Skylark Labs: https://skylarklabs.ai/

Other Resources Mentioned: Ryan Holiday, Calm App

Podcast Links:Substack: https://thinkingthomas.substack.com/⁠ X: https://x.com/fortoulthomas⁠Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pioneer-series/id1797833313LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-fortoul/

🚨 He generated billions from a single patent.
Now he's on a mission to help humans live to 200 years old.

Meet Dr. BK Nayak (PhD in Electrical Engineering, MIT MBA), and the mind behind a breakthrough in optical connectivity that reshaped an entire industry.

Today, he’s building Spike Well, an AI company reimagining healthcare, not to treat illnesses, but to prevent them entirely.

I sat down with Dr. Nayak on the Thinking Tech podcast, and what he shared blew me away:

💡 “With personalized medicine and ai, human lifespan easily go to 200 years”

From predictive AI to biological age reversal, this episode dives into the science (and ambition) of radical longevity, and why the next healthcare revolution will start before you ever feel unwell.

This isn’t science fiction. It’s a glimpse at your future.

Nick quit his job to build Trieve.1 year later, he joined YC with $3.5M raised.Here's the story:Trieve is an AI search platform powering 30k+ experiences.But it isn't just a search bar.It's building the future of online retail: replicating the human retail associate experience online using AI.Imagine a personal retail shopper that you can talk to.• Voice Input? Yes.• Image Search? Upload a pic, find similar items.• Even Image Generation? See what you'd look like wearing those shoes by uploading your photo. Wild.I asked Nick the #1 mistake founders make.What he said goes against most advice you'll hear.“If it's not worth doing manually? It's likely not a worthwhile business.”I sat down with Nick to explore:- Building an AI infrastructure startup- The surprising reality of founder strategy- and the #1 mistake building for developersCheck it out!

Meet Iulian Serban.
From coding at 12 to raising $14M with Khosla and Bengio.
Here's his crazy story:

In 2014, he started his PhD at Mila under Yoshua Bengio
In 2017, he co-founded Korbit AI.
It was the first AI-powered tutor, before ChatGPT existed.
2 years later, they raised $2M+ and grew to 20,000+ users.

But they hit a wall, they struggled with engagement.

So Iulian pivoted: AI code reviews for engineers.
And it clicked.
In 2023, they raised $11.3M and are growing like crazy.

I spoke with Iulian on his story, the future of education with AI, and the implications of agents in the workforce.

Chapters:

0:00 The Power of Technology in Modern Times
1:31 The Journey of Iulian Serban
1:54 What is Korbit AI?
02:37 The Value of Learning to Code
05:47 Early Beginnings in Tech
11:43 Theoretical vs. Practical Knowledge
14:02 Transition from Research to Entrepreneurship
17:48 The Evolution of Korbit AI
25:13 Challenges and Opportunities in Education
27:32 The Role of Universities and Self-Learning
32:20 Corporate Learning and Employee Development
37:07 Pivoting to Code Management
37:49 Building and Testing POCs
38:48 Focusing on Bug Detection
40:14 Understanding User Feedback
43:51 Launching the Product
44:35 Targeting Engineering Managers
47:41 The Role of AI in Code Reviews
49:52 Future of AI and Product Management
58:50 Virtual Personas and AI Agents
01:12:42 Concluding Thoughts and Future Steps

From Albania to Amazon, Irena's story is incredible:

• 2013: Left Albania to chase a dream in the US

• 2015: Juggled a full-time job, PhD studies, and raising two kids

• 2021: Applied to ONE tech job - and got into Amazon

• 2025: Leading Amazon’s AI revolution and inspiring change

She shares her hard-earned lessons on resilience, embracing uniqueness, and her vision of the future with AI.

Chapters

0:00 Introduction and Personal Reflections

3:35 Academic and Professional Challenges

8:14 Balancing Family and Career

14:48 Leadership and Mentorship

21:39 Embracing AI at Amazon

29:20 Testing AI's Strategic Thinking

30:29 AI in Education: Pros and Cons

31:55 Incorporating AI in Academic Courses

38:30 Ethical Use of AI in Universities

44:12 Navigating Career Transitions

48:55 Future Skills and AI Integration

56:36 Final Thoughts and Advice

Episode Links:

Irena's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ipxhurxhi/

Podcast Links:Substack:

https://thinkingthomas.substack.com/⁠

X/Twitter: https://x.com/fortoulthomas⁠

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4nUcKzoV5nHhwFqZrIit9w

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-tech/id1797833313

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-fortoul/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ONyHJ7p13KQrYyOH1WPAh

We dive deep into the intersection of health and productivity with Nao Yukawa, co-founder of Lifestack and DeMind. Nao has a fascinating journey, from studying in Japan to moving to San Francisco and New York, navigating the startup world during the pandemic, and developing the revolutionary AI-integrated calendar app, Lifestack. This episode is packed with insights on innovation, the startup landscape, and the future potential of brain-computer interfaces.Chapters0:00 Introduction to Health-Driven Productivity1:13 Exploring Lifestack: The AI-Integrated Calendar App3:00 From Japan to San Francisco: An Entrepreneurial Journey5:47 A Meditation Crypto App8:31 Founding DeMind: A New Beginning13:04 The Vision Behind Lifestack20:09 Insights from the Startup Ecosystem23:41 Learning from New York vs. San Francisco24:51 Experiences with VCs and Funding27:23 Visa Challenges and Entrepreneurial Journey30:10 Influential Books and Recommendations37:08 Future Plans for Lifestack43:36 Personal Goals and Future StepsEpisode Links:Nao's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naoyukawa/Lifestack: https://lifestack.ai/Podcast Links:Substack: https://thinkingthomas.substack.com/⁠ X/Twitter: https://x.com/fortoulthomas⁠Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4nUcKzoV5nHhwFqZrIit9wApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-tech/id1797833313LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-fortoul/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ONyHJ7p13KQrYyOH1WPAh

Join us with Nick Lawton, the founder of Side Shift, a platform dedicated to connecting Gen Z with part-time work opportunities. Hear about Nick's journey and discover how Side Shift is transforming the recruitment process for local businesses, startups, and brands by providing a seamless connection to talented Gen Z individuals. Learn about the challenges and rewards of building a startup, the importance of community, and how AI tools are shaping the future of job recruitment. Whether you are a college student, a recent grad, or a business owner, this conversation is packed with insights on innovation, growth, and determination.

Chapters

0:00 Episode Highlights

2:03 Nick's Background, SideShift

5:09 The Personal Journey Behind Side Shift

8:03 Building a Community and Brand

13:13 The Importance of Distribution

15:39 Technical Challenges and Team Building

19:49 Leveraging AI in Side Shift

22:32 AI's Impact on Workflows and Productivity

24:45 Next Steps for Side Shift

28:44 Mentorship and Entrepreneurial Journey

31:25 Lessons from Nick’s Past Ventures

34:05 Advice for University Entrepreneurs

36:40 Future Vision for Side Shift

Episode Links:

Nick’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicklawton100/

Nick’s X Account: https://x.com/nicholasnlawton

SideShift: https://www.sideshift.app/

Podcast Links:

Substack: https://thinkingthomas.substack.com/

⁠X/Twitter: https://x.com/fortoulthomas⁠

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4nUcKzoV5nHhwFqZrIit9w

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-tech/id1797833313

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-fortoul/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ONyHJ7p13KQrYyOH1WPAh

In this episode, we dive deep into the fascinating world of AI and neuroscience with Dr. Blake Richards, a researcher at Mila and an associate professor at McGill University. Dr. Richards shares his insights on the critical intersection of these fields, discussing the principles of intelligence, the importance of studying the brain for artificial systems, and his academic journey. We explore the efficiency of AI systems, potential risks, and the broader implications of AI in real-world applications. Dr. Richards also offers his perspective on the challenges and opportunities within the Montreal AI ecosystem and the vital role of collaboration and innovation for future advancements. Whether you are an AI enthusiast or a curious learner, this episode is packed with thoughtful discussions and valuable insights.

Chapters

0:00 Episode Highlights

01:31 Meet Dr. Blake Richards

04:30 Discovering Neural Networks

08:25 Intersection of Neuroscience and AI

17:39 Challenges and Future Directions in AI

26:48 Principles of Intelligence

30:37 AGI and Human Extinction

34:48 Potential Dangers of AI Misuse

37:45 AI's Economic Impact and Adoption Challenges

45:57 Montreal's AI Ecosystem and Future Prospects

Episode Links:

Blake on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/tyrellturing.bsky.social

Blake’s Research Lab: https://linclab.mila.quebec/team/blake

Podcast Links:

Substack: https://thinkingthomas.substack.com/⁠

X/Twitter: https://x.com/fortoulthomas

⁠Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4nUcKzoV5nHhwFqZrIit9w

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-tech/id1797833313

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-fortoul/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ONyHJ7p13KQrYyOH1WPAh