In this episode of The Techne Connect, Kevin Kleber, CTO and Co-Founder of Suind, explains how they are tackling crop losses through fully autonomous drones designed for complex, real-world environments like India’s rugged rubber plantations. He shares how the team’s mission-driven approach targets the most challenging agricultural conditions, bringing measurable sustainability benefits such as 60% less chemical use and up to 95% less fuel consumption.

He also reflects on his path from university robotics labs at ETH Zurich to building field-ready drones that operate beyond visual line of sight. Kevin discusses why real-world testing is vital for reliability, the need for engineers to master both AI and classical control systems, and the importance of curiosity and resilience in startup culture.

Finally, he explores how agricultural robotics can solve global labour shortages, improve safety, and create new skilled roles in rural communities, while highlighting the need for patient investment in technologies that deliver genuine impact on food production and sustainability.

The Techne Connect Podcast 🎧

Thank you for listening to Techne Connect! This podcast takes you inside the companies and conversations shaping the future of engineering.

From space and defence to robotics, AI, clean energy, advanced manufacturing and next-generation mobility, each episode features the founders, engineers and technology leaders building tomorrow's world.

Through candid discussions on innovation, leadership, product development and career journeys, the podcast uncovers the ideas, challenges and breakthroughs driving the world's fastest-moving industries. Whether you're an engineer, founder, investor or simply fascinated by emerging technology.

Techne Connect offers a front-row seat to the people creating what's next.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Techne Connect, Deepa Ramaswamy, Chief Engineer at Ford, shares how her work is shaping the next generation of software-defined vehicles and advancing automotive innovation.

She explains how her team integrates advanced driver assistance systems, electrical architectures, and AI tools to improve vehicle safety, performance, and quality. Deepa also discusses the lessons learned from leading the first U.S. hybrid SUV program and the importance of holistic engineering in large-scale systems.

Finally, she reflects on her journey from academia to industry, the role of continuous learning in engineering, and why Ford’s collaborative environment and focus on technology make it an inspiring place to build the future of mobility.

The Techne Connect Podcast 🎧

Thank you for listening to Techne Connect! This podcast takes you inside the companies and conversations shaping the future of engineering.

From space and defence to robotics, AI, clean energy, advanced manufacturing and next-generation mobility, each episode features the founders, engineers and technology leaders building tomorrow's world.

Through candid discussions on innovation, leadership, product development and career journeys, the podcast uncovers the ideas, challenges and breakthroughs driving the world's fastest-moving industries. Whether you're an engineer, founder, investor or simply fascinated by emerging technology.

Techne Connect offers a front-row seat to the people creating what's next.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Techne Connect, Dan Scheuer, Director of Engineering (Space) at General Atomics, lifts the lid on building and operating end-to-end space systems.

He traces his path from San Diego aviation fan to leading a 130-strong, full-discipline team delivering optical payloads, space vehicles and ground operations—sharing highlights from MQ-9 Block 50 control stations to weather satellites, wildlife-tracking missions and coronagraphs.

Dan dives into leadership at scale—vision, strategy and the hard art of letting go—plus why ownership, fast decision-making and bi-directional loyalty shape resilient engineering cultures. He unpacks how modern conflict is driving proliferated, replaceable architectures, why digital engineering and electrical design talent are in urgent demand, and how AI should be used for analysis over autopilot. Expect candid advice for graduates, insights on career mobility, and a grounded take on building mission-critical teams that deliver from concept to launch and beyond.

The Techne Connect Podcast 🎧

Thank you for listening to Techne Connect! This podcast takes you inside the companies and conversations shaping the future of engineering.

From space and defence to robotics, AI, clean energy, advanced manufacturing and next-generation mobility, each episode features the founders, engineers and technology leaders building tomorrow's world.

Through candid discussions on innovation, leadership, product development and career journeys, the podcast uncovers the ideas, challenges and breakthroughs driving the world's fastest-moving industries. Whether you're an engineer, founder, investor or simply fascinated by emerging technology.

Techne Connect offers a front-row seat to the people creating what's next.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Techne Connect, Chris Jannette, President and CEO of BlackStar Orbital, reveals how his team is building a hypersonic, reusable spacecraft to make space fast, reliable and built to last.

He traces the journey from the US Air Force and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to leading an engineering-led startup executing a Space Force Phase II contract, fresh from wind-tunnel campaigns and heading to drop tests. Chris unpacks BlackStar’s vision for rapid reconstitution of satellites, the ethics and reality of AI and drone warfare, and why systems engineering, rigorous safety and controlled growth matter.

We also dive into BlackStar’s consumer “SpaceBox” payloads flown on Axiom-4, the case for reusable on-orbit assets, and the skills the company is hiring for. Expect a candid take on leadership, collaboration and a call for innovators not to wait for others to build the future.

The Techne Connect Podcast 🎧

Thank you for listening to Techne Connect! This podcast takes you inside the companies and conversations shaping the future of engineering.

From space and defence to robotics, AI, clean energy, advanced manufacturing and next-generation mobility, each episode features the founders, engineers and technology leaders building tomorrow's world.

Through candid discussions on innovation, leadership, product development and career journeys, the podcast uncovers the ideas, challenges and breakthroughs driving the world's fastest-moving industries. Whether you're an engineer, founder, investor or simply fascinated by emerging technology.

Techne Connect offers a front-row seat to the people creating what's next.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Techne Connect, Jonathan Andree, Technical Director at Galvion, shares how his team builds integrated soldier systems. He explains tactical helmet platforms, the Cortex AR capability, and open architectures that join radios, sensors, and Android tools to deliver the right information at the right time

Jonathan traces his path from financial IT into defence. He talks about shifting from cost savings to capability, systems thinking across hardware, embedded software, and UI, and rigorous lab and field testing, including Galvion’s Warfighter Lab.

There are practical lessons on handling project “yellow lights,” collaborating across engineering and business, and why breadth of skills matters. We cover AR and HUD design, edge compute, security, and human performance. Jonathan also outlines the roles Galvion recruits, from embedded and FPGA to UX, network, and ex-mil specialists. Expect a clear view of soldier-worn technology, how to integrate complex kits, and where defence software is heading.

The Techne Connect Podcast 🎧

Thank you for listening to Techne Connect! This podcast takes you inside the companies and conversations shaping the future of engineering.

From space and defence to robotics, AI, clean energy, advanced manufacturing and next-generation mobility, each episode features the founders, engineers and technology leaders building tomorrow's world.

Through candid discussions on innovation, leadership, product development and career journeys, the podcast uncovers the ideas, challenges and breakthroughs driving the world's fastest-moving industries. Whether you're an engineer, founder, investor or simply fascinated by emerging technology.

Techne Connect offers a front-row seat to the people creating what's next.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Techne Connect, Werner Koestler, Executive Officer at Pioneer, explores how next-generation in-car experience is evolving at the intersection of human–machine interface, immersive audio and autonomous mobility to build trust and safety in real-world environments.

He shares his journey from Vienna to Tokyo, becoming Pioneer’s first Western board member, and reflects on lessons from leading an 800-person team on Volkswagen’s EV computing platform. Werner discusses how curiosity, systems thinking and team diversity drive innovation from concept to production, and why communication and culture are key to success in global engineering.

He highlights the shift towards passenger-centric design, personal audio zones and vehicle-to-pedestrian communication, while advocating for hiring based on attitude, the power of mentorship and the need for more women in engineering. Finally, he explains why robotics and mobility are merging into one of the most exciting frontiers for future careers as AI and physical systems converge.

The Techne Connect Podcast 🎧

Thank you for listening to Techne Connect! This podcast takes you inside the companies and conversations shaping the future of engineering.

From space and defence to robotics, AI, clean energy, advanced manufacturing and next-generation mobility, each episode features the founders, engineers and technology leaders building tomorrow's world.

Through candid discussions on innovation, leadership, product development and career journeys, the podcast uncovers the ideas, challenges and breakthroughs driving the world's fastest-moving industries. Whether you're an engineer, founder, investor or simply fascinated by emerging technology.

Techne Connect offers a front-row seat to the people creating what's next.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Techne Connect, Anshuman Kumar, Head of Hardware at Matic Robots, unpacks how consumer robotics is moving from flashy demos to real, in-home utility. He shares how Matic built a genuinely effective floor-cleaning robot, picking up dirty water rather than spreading it, while driving down noise and filing multiple patents across mechanics, electronics and perception.

He traces his path from IIT Delhi and Carnegie Mellon to Tesla’s power electronics team, where he helped take Model 3 inverters from yield pain to stable production. Along the way, he explains why reliability engineering is the unsung hero, why integration is a team sport, and why “build painkillers, not vitamins” should guide every product decision. He argues that breakthroughs in AI and compute are finally removing software bottlenecks, opening the door for robots that deliver full solutions to real problems.

Anshuman also talks candidly about scaling from lab to factory, supplier calls across time zones, recruiting for growth, and designing the machine that makes the machines. For students and engineers, he shares career advice on failing fast, hiring for attitude, and the overlooked opportunities in motors, actuators and reliability.

The Techne Connect Podcast 🎧

Thank you for listening to Techne Connect! This podcast takes you inside the companies and conversations shaping the future of engineering.

From space and defence to robotics, AI, clean energy, advanced manufacturing and next-generation mobility, each episode features the founders, engineers and technology leaders building tomorrow's world.

Through candid discussions on innovation, leadership, product development and career journeys, the podcast uncovers the ideas, challenges and breakthroughs driving the world's fastest-moving industries. Whether you're an engineer, founder, investor or simply fascinated by emerging technology.

Techne Connect offers a front-row seat to the people creating what's next.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Techne Connect, Rishabh Aggarwal, CTO at Raise Robotics, shares how his team is redefining construction and manufacturing safety through autonomous robotics.

Rishabh discusses his journey from mechanical engineering and automotive design to leading-edge robotics, spanning renewable energy, aerospace collaborations with NASA, and agricultural automation. He explains how Raise’s mobile robots, equipped with precision robotic arms, are performing high-risk tasks such as drilling, scanning, and inspection on skyscrapers with sub-inch accuracy, pushing the limits of what is possible in outdoor robotics.

He reflects on the lessons learned from building reliability into real-world robots and why collaboration in the robotics industry must evolve beyond silos, then explores how mechatronics, perception engineering, and machine learning are shaping the next frontier of physical AI. He outlines how Raise’s next-generation designs bridge software, hardware, and AI for safer worksites, why robotics should be seen as a tool rather than a replacement for human labour, and how interdisciplinary thinking continues to shape the future of automation.

The Techne Connect Podcast 🎧

Thank you for listening to Techne Connect! This podcast takes you inside the companies and conversations shaping the future of engineering.

From space and defence to robotics, AI, clean energy, advanced manufacturing and next-generation mobility, each episode features the founders, engineers and technology leaders building tomorrow's world.

Through candid discussions on innovation, leadership, product development and career journeys, the podcast uncovers the ideas, challenges and breakthroughs driving the world's fastest-moving industries. Whether you're an engineer, founder, investor or simply fascinated by emerging technology.

Techne Connect offers a front-row seat to the people creating what's next.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Techne Connect, Youssef Demitri, VP of Engineering at Wingtra, lifts the lid on building robots that map the world at scale. He explains how Wingtra’s end-to-end platform spans hardware, firmware and software to turn vast sites into accurate 2D and 3D digital twins for construction, mining and environmental monitoring.

He shares what his day really looks like, switching between long-term strategy and hands-on technical decisions, and why reliable hardware at scale is so hard to achieve. He traces his journey from Egypt to Germany and ETH Zurich, the early breakthroughs in VTOL design, and the lessons that come from seeing a product through from research to widespread use.

We dig into customer-led innovation, systems thinking, and why great engineers balance constraints rather than chase complexity. He highlights data skills as future-critical, the practical role of AI, and a powerful search-and-rescue use case. He also offers grounded career advice and the skills Wingtra is hiring for across the full stack.

The Techne Connect Podcast 🎧

Thank you for listening to Techne Connect! This podcast takes you inside the companies and conversations shaping the future of engineering.

From space and defence to robotics, AI, clean energy, advanced manufacturing and next-generation mobility, each episode features the founders, engineers and technology leaders building tomorrow's world.

Through candid discussions on innovation, leadership, product development and career journeys, the podcast uncovers the ideas, challenges and breakthroughs driving the world's fastest-moving industries. Whether you're an engineer, founder, investor or simply fascinated by emerging technology.

Techne Connect offers a front-row seat to the people creating what's next.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Techne Connect, Jim Castelaz, Founder and CEO of Arcticar and former Founder of Motive Electric Trucks, shares how a lifelong mission to free fleets from fossil fuels shaped his path from Stanford engineer to serial entrepreneur.

Jim reflects on the leap from academia to founding Motive, why values-based hiring and strong customer support built lasting trust, and the moment electric trucks proved commercially viable without subsidies. He explores lessons for founders and engineers—balancing conviction with feedback, evolving from engineer to leader, and building culture around clear purpose and accountability.

The conversation moves to Arcticar, where Jim reveals how all-electric refrigerated trailers can replace diesel-powered systems with efficient, zero-emission technology. He discusses the health, cost, and sustainability gains, and his ambition to decarbonise cold-chain logistics.

A must-listen for anyone passionate about climate innovation, sustainable transport, and the realities of scaling mission-driven engineering ventures.

The Techne Connect Podcast 🎧

Thank you for listening to Techne Connect! This podcast takes you inside the companies and conversations shaping the future of engineering.

From space and defence to robotics, AI, clean energy, advanced manufacturing and next-generation mobility, each episode features the founders, engineers and technology leaders building tomorrow's world.

Through candid discussions on innovation, leadership, product development and career journeys, the podcast uncovers the ideas, challenges and breakthroughs driving the world's fastest-moving industries. Whether you're an engineer, founder, investor or simply fascinated by emerging technology.

Techne Connect offers a front-row seat to the people creating what's next.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.