Founders in Arms

• How Washington Really Works: Innovation Policy with Alec Stapp

  Alec Stapp is the Co-CEO of the Institute for Progress, a non-partisan innovation policy think tank in Washington D.C. works to accelerate and shape the direction of scientific, technological, and industrial progress. Headquartered in Washington D.C., IFP works with policymakers across the political spectrum to make it easier to build the future in the United States.What you'll learn:Why cutting R&D spending won't meaningfully reduce the national debt (it's less than 3% of federal budget)How the U.S. is winning the global AI competition and what could derail our leadThe bipartisan immigration deal that 75% of Americans support but politicians won't pursueWhy solar + battery storage is changing the renewable energy equation for RepublicansThe lawsuit that could revolutionize small nuclear reactor regulationHow Alec's "X Labs" proposal could transform government-funded scienceWhy naval shipbuilding reform represents billions in potential savingsThe real story behind U.S.-China relations from someone who's traveled extensively in both countriesHow progress studies differs from progressive politics in WashingtonWhy energy abundance is key to everything from AI to transportation costsIn this episode, we cover: (00:00) Introduction to Alec Stapp and Institute for Progress (02:02) Progress studies vs. progressive politics clarification(05:08) What America is doing right in AI competition (08:05) Immigration policy disappointments and opportunities (10:02) Why government science funding matters for innovation (13:52) The federal budget reality: entitlements vs. R&D spending (16:20) National debt concerns and productivity growth solutions (18:00) AI's economic disruption and the care economy transition (23:16) Building stronger institutions for technological change (25:47) Fertility rates, immigration, and America's competitive advantage (29:13) U.S.-China relations and cultural similarities (33:09) Solar energy, battery storage, and Republican energy policy (39:06) Nuclear power's regulatory challenges and state-level solutions (42:03) The Techno-Industrial Policy Playbook overview (47:04) X Labs: Reforming how we fund scientific breakthroughs (49:11) Naval shipbuilding procurement reform opportunities

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• Pre-Selling Your Way to Space with Topher Haddad (Albedo)

  Topher Haddad is the co-founder and CEO of Albedo, building satellites that fly in very low Earth orbit (VLEO) at 275km—twice as close as traditional imaging satellites. This proximity enables commercial imagery at resolutions previously only available from classified government systems or expensive aircraft operations.What you'll learn:How VLEO satellites capture imagery quality that replaces planes and drones commerciallyWhy atmospheric drag and atomic oxygen create unique engineering challenges at 275km altitudeTopher's journey from Lockheed Martin engineer to Y Combinator space startup founderThe pre-sales strategy that secured double-digit millions in binding contracts before launchWhy they pivoted from outsourcing to vertical integration mid-developmentHow to navigate defense sales as a startup without traditional prime contractor relationshipsThe surprising accessibility of space—getting a satellite up for $1M in just monthsWhy only imaging and communications make business sense in today's space economyThe capital journey from founding in 2020 to $100M raised before first satellite launchHow SpaceX's ecosystem is enabling a new generation of space companiesIn this episode, we cover: (00:00) Introduction to Topher Haddad and Albedo (01:04) What is VLEO and why fly satellites so low (03:09) Engineering challenges of atmospheric drag and atomic oxygen (06:12) Solar activity cycles and satellite lifetime considerations (07:30) Commercial use cases replacing planes and drones (11:41) Timeline from quitting Lockheed to first satellite launch (13:24) The surprisingly low barrier to entry for simple satellites (14:22) What space markets actually work today vs. future bets (17:08) How launch cost reductions enable new business models (19:04) Navigating defense sales and government relationships (25:23) Why space startups survived the 2022 market crash (38:41) The importance of pre-sales and customer deposits for deep tech (46:03) Rapid fire: skateboarding, support systems, and space observations

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• David vs Goliath in the Wearables Industry with Eric Migicovsky (Core Devices, Pebble, Beeper)

  Eric Migicovsky is the Founder of Core Devices, and the original founder of Pebble, the pioneering smartwatch that raised $10 million on Kickstarter before being acquired. Eric has launched Core Devices to continue building the smartwatch platform he believes in, complete with Google's newly open-sourced Pebble operating system.What you'll learn:1. The Kickstarter phenomenon: How Pebble became one of the first massive Kickstarter successes, raising $600K in the first day with a $100K goal2. Hardware's inventory trap: Why missing revenue projections by 20% ($80M vs $100M target) created a $20M inventory crisis that nearly sank Pebble3. The sustainable hardware model: Eric's new approach of targeting profitability at 5,000 units and eliminating inventory risk through pre-orders4. Inventor vs. founder mindset: The difference between building products you love versus building scalable companies5. Fighting Big Tech: How Eric's Beeper Mini challenged Apple's iMessage monopoly and led to DOJ antitrust action6. Getting software from Google: The surprising story of how Google open-sourced Pebble's operating system to enable Core Devices7. Hardware manufacturing today: Why building smartwatches is easier now than in 2011, and what's still challenging8. The artisanal hardware movement: Building premium, limited-run products for passionate niche audiences9. Regulatory battles: Apple's API restrictions and how they limit third-party smartwatch functionality10. AI integration: Adding ChatGPT and voice capabilities to modern smartwatchesIn this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction and reconnecting with Eric(01:18) The Core Devices relaunch and getting Pebble IP from Google(02:33) Eric and Raj's Waterloo connection and early entrepreneurship(04:48) From Pebble's precursor to YC and the smartwatch vision(09:30) The legendary Kickstarter launch day and calling Raj at 2am(14:00) Five years of overnight success and authentic marketing(16:07) Inventor vs. founder mindset and product obsession(19:21) The 2015 inventory crisis that changed everything(27:20) Eric's new sustainable hardware model with Core Devices(32:00) Using existing Pebble cases and Google's open-source software(36:58) The artisanal approach: 3 people, no VCs, limited production runs(41:14) AI integration and ChatGPT on the wrist(49:36) Secondary markets and public company trading restrictions

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• Startup to State: Sahil Lavingia on Gumroad, Profitability, and His Time at DOGE

  Sahil Lavingia is the founder and CEO of Gumroad, a platform that helps creators sell digital products and has facilitated over $1 billion in creator earnings. After raising a $7M Series A from Kleiner Perkins, Sahil took the unconventional path of transitioning from venture-backed growth to a profitable, dividend-paying company—and even spent time as a software engineer with DOGE at the Department of Veterans Affairs.What you'll learn:How Sahil transitioned Gumroad from venture-backed to profitable without selling or shutting downThe remarkable story of Kleiner Perkins selling their stake back for just $1 and the tax implicationsWhy AI coding tools like Cursor and Devin are making senior engineers more valuable while challenging junior developersWhat it's really like working inside the federal government as a Silicon Valley software engineerHow Sahil automated contract reviews at the VA and helped identify $1.6 billion in cutsThe three-pronged DOGE strategy: cutting contracts, workforce reduction, and shipping softwareWhy radical transparency (public board meetings, open-source code) became Gumroad's competitive advantageHow to implement a dividend model for private companies instead of traditional growth/exit strategiesThe challenges and opportunities of bringing private sector expertise to government agenciesWhy cooperation beats disruption when trying to modernize massive bureaucratic systemsIn this episode, we cover: (00:00) Introduction and Sahil's early Pinterest days (05:26) The decision to drop out of college for startups (08:12) Building Gumroad and raising from Kleiner Perkins (25:26) How AI is changing software engineering and hiring (39:02) The 60-day DOGE experience at the Department of Veterans Affairs (50:15) Transitioning from venture-backed to profitable company (57:16) The Kleiner Perkins $1 buyback story (1:02:45) Implementing dividends and radical transparency (1:09:04) Why transparency makes you better at everything

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• Two Decades of Reddit: Steve Huffman on Building the Front Page of the Internet

  Steve Huffman is the co-founder and CEO of Reddit, one of the internet's most essential platforms with 100 million daily active users and a $20 billion public market valuation. Over 20 years, Steve has guided Reddit through multiple existential challenges, from early acquisition to content moderation crises to competing with AI-generated content.What you'll learn:How Reddit achieved product-market fit in just 2 months and the early signs that indicated massive potentialWhy Steve sold Reddit for $10 million after 18 months and what he learned during his 9-year absenceThe existential crisis that brought him back as CEO in 2015 and how he rebuilt the platformReddit's evolution through three distinct eras: link aggregator, intentionally not social media, and authentic human content in an AI worldThe strategic decision in 2008 to let users create subreddits and how it transformed the platformBuilding content moderation and safety infrastructure from scratch while preserving free speech valuesThe challenges and benefits of taking Reddit public while maintaining community ownershipHow Reddit is addressing AI-generated content and the fight for human authenticity onlineThe business model evolution from advertising to AI data licensing partnershipsSteve's vision to make Reddit "universal" and expand from 100 million to billions of usersIn this episode, we cover: (00:00) Introduction and Reddit's 20-year milestone(02:40) Early product-market fit signals and the $10M acquisition (06:25) Steve's 9-year absence and return in 2015 (08:30) Content moderation challenges and building safety infrastructure (14:10) Reddit's three evolutionary eras and strategic positioning (16:40) The subreddit explosion and community self-organization (18:08) Positioning as the human platform in an artificial world (19:15) Human verification challenges and potential solutions (25:22) AI partnerships, data licensing, and monetization strategy (29:02) Search evolution and Reddit's role in the new ecosystem (35:07) Leadership philosophy and staying true to company values (37:43) The decision to go public and community ownership (42:18) Managing public company pressures while maintaining long-term vision (48:27) Steve's vision for Reddit's universal future

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