Tacos and Tech Podcast

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Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News!

I’m Neal Bloom from Rising Tide Partners.

My co-host in this episode is Fred Grier, journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds, and M&A through his newsletter.

Before we dive in, we wanted to thank and ask our listeners to help us grow the show, leave a review and share with one other person who should be more plugged in with the SD Tech Scene. Thank you for the support and for helping us build the San Diego Startup Community!

3/12

* Seasats visit debrief

* BlueNalu tasting debrief

* SD Angel Academy Debrief

* $100 Genome by Element Bio

* New fundings:

* Candid Therapeutics reverse merger of $500M+

* Spinogenix

* Qureator

* NuFund Ventures Closes Most Successful Year Since 2021

* BAE Systems wins support contract for F-16

* Carlsbad proposed for undersea hub for cables between US and Australia

Curated Events List – For full list – check The Social Coyote

Longevity Innovation Forum 2026 March 11

San Diego AgTech Gathering March 19

March Mingle March 25

SD AI x Bio March 26

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe

Episode Summary

In this episode of the AI Builders Roundtable, the builders cross a line.

Instead of just discussing AI-native companies, they use one - Polsia AI - to start new businesses live on the show.

Neal, Craig, and Greg spin up real ventures, fund them, and watch agents begin executing tasks in real time. MVPs get scoped. Outreach campaigns get drafted. Websites get built. Autonomous execution starts.

What begins as a demo turns into a deeper conversation about ownership, liability, trust, agent-to-agent commerce, and what happens when company creation becomes a commodity.

This isn’t a thought experiment. It’s builders testing the edge.

Key Topics

* Launching AI-native companies live with Polsia AI

* Funding autonomous agents to build and operate startups

* When execution collapses toward zero

* Agent-run outreach, marketing, and MVP development

* Who holds liability when agents transact autonomously

* Micro-venture economics and short business life cycles

* Building for agents, not just humans

* Why emotional trust may become more valuable in an autonomous world

Links & Resources

* Polsia AI

Connect on LinkedIn

* Neal Bloom

* Craig Lauer

* Greg Moser

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of Tacos & Tech, Neal Bloom sits down with Peter Goldsborough, co-founder and CTO of Rune, to unpack one of the most overlooked but decisive factors in modern warfare: logistics.

Peter shares how his background in software and defense tech led him to a simple realization-while billions have been spent on weapons and command systems, military logistics still runs on spreadsheets, whiteboards, and paper. The conversation explores why future conflicts will be won or lost on decision speed, not firepower, and how Rune is turning logistics into a real-time, data-driven decision system used by the Army and Marines today.

This episode dives into defense innovation, software in degraded environments, and why fixing logistics isn’t just a military problem-it’s a cognitive one.

Key Topics

* Why logistics decides wars

* The problem with spreadsheets and whiteboards in the DoD

* Turning logistics into a real-time decision system

* Defense tech speed vs legacy procurement

* Software for disconnected and high-stress environments

* Lessons from Ukraine and the Pacific theater

* When logistics becomes the bottleneck

* Building resilient software for the physical world

Links

* Rune

Connect on LinkedIn

* Peter Goldsborough

* Neal Bloom

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe

Episode Summary

In Episode 3 of the AI Builders Roundtable, the conversation jumps right into deployment.

Craig, Greg, and Derrick break down what it actually looks like to run AI agents inside real companies - from shipping production code with Cursor to publishing crowdsourced sports data on-chain, to experimenting with autonomous bots that learn in public.

This isn’t a hype conversation. It’s builders comparing notes while actively rewiring their businesses around AI-native workflows.

The throughline:The interface is changing. The architecture is changing. The buyer may not even be human anymore.

Key Topics

* Why founders can’t afford to “wait and see” on AI

* Edge models vs. cloud models - and why local compute is resurging

* OpenClaw, Claude Code, GLM, and the new agent toolchain

* Publishing data to blockchain as an AI settlement layer

* Turning APIs into agent-friendly microtransactions

* How AI compresses feedback loops inside product teams

* SEO in a world where agents, not humans, query first

* Building for networks vs. building for agents

Links & Resources

* ScoreStream

Connect on LinkedIn

* Neal Bloom

* Craig Lauer

* Greg Moser

* Derrick Oien

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Neal sits down with Samantha Pantazopoulos, co-founder of Vizer, to unpack the company’s pivot from a consumer fitness rewards app to a B2B retail demand engine used by brands like Olipop and Health-Ade.

What started as a mission-driven app tying workouts to food bank donations evolved - through COVID, retailer shutdowns, and customer pull - into a platform helping brands drive measurable retail velocity across Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, and beyond.

This conversation dives into what it really takes to pivot, how offers power demand generation, and why grocery may be one of the most complex - and fascinating - battlegrounds in tech today.

Key Topics

* How Vizer pivoted from consumer app to enterprise CPG platform

* Why COVID forced a rethink of the original marketplace model

* The fragmented world of grocery offers: paper, rebate, retailer apps, and beyond

* Turning marketing impressions into measurable retail conversions

* Compressing the funnel with QR codes, paid media, and off-site offers

* The tension between DTC, Amazon, and in-store retail strategies

* Why data in CPG has historically lagged behind DTC

* How brands are thinking about AI in retail

* What drives trial and long-term retention in grocery

* Creative campaigns: sweepstakes, surprise-and-delight, and experiential activations

Links & Resources

* Vizer

Connect on LinkedIn

* Samantha Pantazopoulos

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe

Listen & subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube.

Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News!

I’m Neal Bloom from Rising Tide Partners.

My co-host in this episode is Fred Grier, journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds, and M&A through his newsletter.

Before we dive in, we wanted to thank and ask our listeners to help us grow the show, leave a review and share with one other person who should be more plugged in with the SD Tech Scene. Thank you for the support and for helping us build the San Diego Startup Community!

2/22

* SD Wind Tunnel Debrief

* Biotech Mixer Debrief

* Cal AI acquired

* Atrium Spins out from Novartis with $270M

* Tandem Diabetes bests $1B in sales

* Software programs decline except at ucsd

* https://x.com/aakashgupta/status/2024710361950384531?s=20

* Fred named to SDBJ Black Leaders of Influence

Curated Events List – For full list – check The Social Coyote

* SDAC Founder Applications are due this Thursday March 5

* SD Founders Hike March 6

* SD Angel Academy March 6

* Alliance Societal Impact - Family Office Summit March 15-16

* March Mingle March 25

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe

A short audio reflection on what changes when context stops resetting.

And what happens when it starts compounding instead.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of Tacos & Tech, Neal Bloom sits down with Troy Helming, founder and CEO of EarthGrid, to explore one of the most ambitious infrastructure plays of our time: building an underground super grid. Troy shares how a chance conversation about Navy SEAL plasma cutters sparked the idea for plasma-based tunnel boring, and how EarthGrid is now using that technology to dramatically reduce the cost, time, and friction of underground infrastructure.

The conversation spans Troy’s decades-long journey through clean energy, wind, solar, and transmission, the real bottlenecks slowing the energy transition, and why underground infrastructure may be the fastest path to unlocking renewable power, AI data centres, water systems, and broadband at scale. From melting granite with plasma to navigating regulation as a registered utility, this episode is a masterclass in deep tech, systems thinking, and building for generational impact.

Key Topics Covered

* The origin story of EarthGrid and plasma-based tunnel boring

* How a Navy SEAL plasma cutting torch inspired a new approach to excavation

* The 10–20 year reality of permitting overhead power lines

* How underground infrastructure cuts permitting timelines dramatically

* Troy’s background in wind and solar and building multi-billion-dollar energy platforms

* Plasma excavation vs traditional drilling, blasting, and tunneling

* EarthGrid’s patented “Thunderdome” spoils removal system

* Trenching vs tunneling use cases for data centers, utilities, and substations

* Why EarthGrid operates as both a contractor and a utility

* The BOOM model: Build, Own, Operate, Maintain

* Underground infrastructure as long-term, cash-flowing real estate

* AI-driven data center demand and the infrastructure crunch

* Why regulation can be a competitive advantage, not a blocker

* Troy’s long-term vision for quality-of-life improvements through infrastructure

Links & Resources

* EarthGrid

Connect on Linkedin

* Troy Helming

* Neal Bloom

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe

In the span of days, the “AI news cycle” moved again: OpenClaw has been acquired.

Craig Lauer (longtime Qualcomm builder turned angel investor), Ross Young (CEO of Clinically AI, building tools for behavioral health), and Greg Moser (CEO of ShipCalm) break down what they’re seeing… then Greg takes it from theory to practice with a real demo of how he’s deployed autonomous agents inside his company via Slack.

Key Topics:

* Why OpenClaw’s biggest breakthrough wasn’t just autonomy - it was memory + agency

* The difference between 1:1 AI chat and social, collaborative AI inside teams

* Why “execution” may no longer be the moat - mental models might be

* How to think about AI security when giving agents real power

* What the “adoption layer” means - and why it may be the next big opportunity

* How companies can move from AI-curious to AI-native

Links & resources

* ShipCalm

* Clinically AI

* Cursor

Connect on LinkedIn

* Craig Lauer

* Ross Young

* Greg Moser

* Neal Bloom

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe

Listen & subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube.

Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News!

I’m Neal Bloom from Rising Tide Partners.

My co-host in this episode is Fred Grier, journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds, and M&A through his newsletter.

Before we dive in, we wanted to thank and ask our listeners to help us grow the show, leave a review and share with one other person who should be more plugged in with the SD Tech Scene. Thank you for the support and for helping us build the San Diego Startup Community!

2/18

TechCon Southwest Debrief

Fund raises:

Shield AI - possibly raising $1B on $12B

Seasats $20M Series A raise

Karmel Capital new fund

Plantible FDA Approval

Curated Events List – For full list – check The Social Coyote

SD Gaming Tech Leaders Gathering - Feb. 24

Biocom Investor Conference - Feb. 24-26

SD Angel Academy - March 6

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe