Game Changers

Konvoy

Welcome to Game Changers, the podcast that takes you beyond the games and into the heart of the gaming industry's future. Brought to you by Konvoy, a Denver-based venture capital firm investing in the platforms and technologies at the frontier of gaming. This podcast is your backstage pass to the pioneers, innovators, and visionaries who are redefining how we play and experience these virtual worlds. In each episode, your hosts—Josh Chapman, Jason Chapman, and Jackson Vaughan, the founders of Konvoy—invite you to join them for candid and open conversations with the industry's most influential leaders. These guests are the “Game Changers”, the masterminds behind the scenes who've built remarkable enterprises and continue to push the boundaries of what's possible for our industry. Whether you're a gamer, a tech enthusiast, or a startup aficionado, the Game Changers podcast offers valuable insights, inspiring stories, and exclusive access to the minds shaping the future of the gaming industry. Join us as we explore who these Game Changers are, what they've built, and what they're doing now. Are you ready to level up your understanding of the gaming industry? Subscribe now to "Game Changers" and embark on a journey that goes beyond the screen to uncover the stories behind the gaming world.

  1. 2025-12-08

    Newsletter: A System Under Strain: The U.S. Navy

    This week on the Konvoy Newsletter audio edition, host Jason Chapman explores the U.S. Navy’s mounting challenge: maintaining maritime dominance as China’s shipbuilding juggernaut accelerates. With China projected to surpass the U.S. in naval combat power by 2027, Josh unpacks why this looming crossover point matters—and how the Navy is responding by overhauling its strategy, force structure, and talent pipeline. From industrial decline to robotic resurgence, Jason traces the Navy’s transformation from traditional capital ships to a new “Hybrid Fleet” of unmanned vessels operated by a digitally native, gamer-trained workforce. As warfighting increasingly resembles gaming, the Navy is betting that the next generation of sailors—raised on consoles and virtual strategy—will be its competitive edge in a high-tech future. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why the U.S. shipbuilding base collapsed—and what’s being done to revive itHow China’s naval growth threatens U.S. power projection in the PacificWhy the Navy is shifting to autonomous surface and underwater dronesHow Xbox controllers, gaming skills, and digital interfaces are redefining military trainingWhat the $1B+ “Replicator” program signals about the future of robotic warfareWhere new opportunities lie in defense tech, dual-use infrastructure, and unmanned systems Whether you’re tracking defense trends, investing in dual-use tech, or curious about how gaming intersects with military innovation, this episode offers a sharp look at the high-stakes transformation underway in the U.S. Navy. Love what you’re hearing? Subscribe to the Game Changers Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Want more insights like this every week? Sign up for the Konvoy Newsletter to stay ahead of key industry trends, challenges, and opportunities.

    13 min
  2. 2025-11-24

    Newsletter: The Air Gapped Home

    This week on the Konvoy Newsletter audio edition, host Josh Chapman digs into the growing movement toward privacy, control, and hyper-secure infrastructure inside the home — a trend fueled by AI, smart devices, and rising distrust in cloud-based systems. As more of our daily lives become mediated by connected technology, Josh explores why consumers are beginning to rethink what they share, who they trust, and how much control they want over their digital environments. Josh breaks down the concept of the “air-gapped home” and examines the forces pushing people toward self-hosting, local AI, and more secure home networks. From DIY home automation enthusiasts to mainstream creators evangelizing self-hosted stacks, this episode looks at how privacy concerns, subscription fatigue, and Big Tech frustration are converging into a broader shift toward local control. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why cameras and computer-vision devices are becoming the next battleground for home privacyHow “home hackers” are using self-hosted servers, VLANs, and local AI models to build secure, customizable home systemsWhy Big Tech fatigue, subscription overload, and recent cloud outages are accelerating demand for locally controlled solutionsHow open-source AI and better tooling are making self-hosting accessible to non-technical usersWhere new opportunities lie for companies building privacy-centric smart home platforms, local-compute devices, and turnkey self-hosted solutionsWhy the next generation of home automation may prioritize trust, transparency, and user control over convenience alone Whether you’re curious about the future of smart homes, watching shifts in consumer trust, or tracking how privacy concerns are reshaping technology adoption, this episode offers a grounded look at the forces driving the move toward more secure, self-directed digital living. Love what you’re hearing? Subscribe to the Game Changers Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Want more insights like this every week? Sign up for the Konvoy Newsletter to stay ahead of key industry trends, challenges, and opportunities.

    11 min
  3. 2025-11-15

    Newsletter: Robotics: Generalized vs Specialized

    This week on the Konvoy Newsletter audio edition, host Jason Chapman breaks down one of the biggest questions in modern robotics: will the future be driven by generalized humanoid robots or specialized task-specific machines? With companies like Tesla and 1x pushing toward adaptable humanlike robots and long-proven systems like Roomba, Kiva, and TUG excelling at narrow functions, the industry is split between broad ambition and focused efficiency. Jason explores how humanoids promise versatility and real-world learning at scale, yet face hurdles in cost, complexity, privacy, and reliability. He contrasts this with specialized robots that already deliver consistent value today through simplicity, precision, lower maintenance, and safer operation. The episode also touches on benchmarking standards and why evaluating robotics performance remains challenging for consumers and enterprises alike. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: • Why humanoid robots are gaining momentum and where their greatest limitations lie • How specialized robots have achieved widespread adoption across homes, healthcare, logistics, and industrial workflows • The trade-offs between universal adaptability and task-specific efficiency • How economies of scale could influence long-term cost curves for humanoids • Why stronger benchmarking frameworks are essential for evaluating real-world performance • Konvoy’s view on why specialized robots will likely maintain an advantage over the next decade Whether you’re building in robotics, investing in automation, or curious about how AI and hardware are reshaping daily life, this episode offers a grounded look at the opportunities and constraints driving the next wave of intelligent machines. Love what you’re hearing? Subscribe to the Game Changers Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Want more insights like this every week? Sign up for the Konvoy Newsletter to stay ahead of key industry trends, challenges, and opportunities.

    11 min
  4. 2025-11-07

    Newsletter: The Holding Company

    This week on the Konvoy Newsletter audio edition, host Jackson Vaughan explores the origins, evolution, and reinvention of holding companies in America — from Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Trust to the decentralized empires of Berkshire Hathaway and Alphabet. As regulatory pressure, financial engineering, and technological disruption have shaped these corporate structures over time, the holding company remains one of the most powerful — and controversial — tools in modern capitalism. Jackson unpacks how holding companies were born out of the Second Industrial Revolution, how antitrust enforcement reshaped them in the 20th century, and why tech giants and private equity firms are adopting new versions of this structure today. From tax efficiency to risk isolation, this episode explores the strategic logic — and the trade-offs — behind the HoldCo model. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: How 19th-century trusts paved the way for modern holding companiesWhy the Sherman Act and New Deal reforms cracked down on corporate concentrationHow Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway redefined the HoldCo with decentralization and disciplineWhy Alphabet and Meta restructured into holding companies in the 2010sThe key advantages and drawbacks of the holding company model today Whether you’re building a business, investing in company structures, or curious about the legal and financial levers behind corporate empires, this episode offers a deep dive into one of the most enduring strategies in American business history. Love what you’re hearing? Subscribe to the Game Changers Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Want more insights like this every week? Sign up for the Konvoy Newsletter to stay ahead of key industry trends, challenges, and opportunities.

    16 min
  5. 2025-10-30

    Newsletter: Satellites + Data Centers

    This week on the Konvoy Newsletter audio edition, host Josh Chapman explores how artificial intelligence is transforming the skies above us — from autonomous satellites avoiding orbital debris to the emergence of data centers in space. As investment in AI and compute accelerates on Earth, we’re beginning to see its influence ripple far beyond the atmosphere. Josh unpacks the intersection of AI, space infrastructure, and quantum technology, highlighting how machine learning is already powering smarter orbits, faster communications, and new opportunities for computation in Low Earth Orbit. With tens of thousands of satellites now circling the planet, this episode examines how intelligence in orbit could reshape the way we connect, compute, and secure data across the globe. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why orbital debris has become one of the biggest challenges in modern space explorationHow AI is helping satellites make autonomous decisions and reroute data traffic in real timeThe rise of space-based data centers — and why vacuum cooling and solar energy make them so efficientHow quantum-secure communications are setting new standards for encryption between space and EarthWhy the next decade of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) could redefine connectivity, security, and cloud computing Whether you’re fascinated by AI, investing in frontier technologies, or simply curious about how space is becoming the next computing frontier, this episode offers a grounded look at the future of intelligent infrastructure beyond Earth. Love what you’re hearing? Subscribe to the Game Changers Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Want more insights like this every week? Sign up for the Konvoy Newsletter to stay ahead of key industry trends, challenges, and opportunities.

    11 min
  6. 2025-10-23

    Newsletter: AI’s Impact on the Job Market

    This week on the Konvoy Newsletter audio edition, host Jackson Vaughan examines the growing impact of AI on the job market—and the narrative tug-of-war between mass automation and human resilience. With fears of widespread job loss competing with the promise of productivity, this episode cuts through the hype to provide a historically grounded, economically sound view of what’s really happening. Jackson unpacks new insights from Anthropic’s latest report, drawing connections between past waves of automation and the roles AI is already beginning to reshape. From copywriters to coders, we explore who’s at risk, who’s adapting, and what this means for the future of work. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why AI’s effect on jobs echoes past automation cycles—but also breaks new groundHow economic principles like Marginal Productivity Theory explain rising wages amid tech adoptionWhat Anthropic’s data reveals about the top professions already using AI todayWhy mid-to-high-salary roles may be more exposed this time aroundThe difference between job “automation” and “augmentation,” and why it mattersWhat long-term optimism looks like, even as short-term disruption loomsHow founders, investors, and workers can navigate the shifting job landscape Whether you're building AI tools, investing in the future of work, or simply curious about your own career path, this episode offers a pragmatic yet hopeful lens on how AI will shape the labor economy moving forward. Love what you’re hearing? Subscribe to the Game Changers Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Want more insights like this every week? Sign up for the Konvoy Newsletter to stay ahead of key industry trends, challenges, and opportunities.

    8 min
  7. 2025-10-17

    Newsletter: Soulless Social

    This week on the Konvoy Newsletter audio edition, host Jason Chapman dives into the rise of AI-generated social media—and the growing tension between creativity, attention, and authenticity. With Meta’s new Vibes platform and OpenAI’s Sora leading the charge, the next generation of short-form content is being created not by people, but by machines. Jason explores how this shift could reshape everything from user engagement to mental health, and why AI’s integration into the attention economy may deepen the very challenges social platforms have struggled with for years. What You’ll Learn in This Episode:How Meta’s Vibes and OpenAI’s Sora are redefining the social media landscapeWhy AI-generated content might amplify issues like burnout, misinformation, and lonelinessThe economic incentives driving the race toward infinite, personalized feedsWhat “soulless” AI content means for creativity and cultural connectionHow deepfakes, likeness rights, and consent challenges are reshaping trust onlineWhy understanding AI’s role in attention-based business models is critical for the next decadeWhat this evolution means for founders, investors, and the broader digital ecosystem Whether you’re investing in consumer platforms, studying the future of digital media, or just curious about where AI-driven creativity is heading, this episode breaks down the technologies, risks, and opportunities defining the next chapter of social media. Love what you’re hearing? Subscribe to the Game Changers Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Want more insights like this every week? Sign up for the Konvoy Newsletter to stay ahead of key industry trends, challenges, and opportunities.

    8 min
  8. 2025-10-09

    Newsletter: Health and Hardware

    This week on the Konvoy Newsletter audio edition, host Josh Chapman unpacks the resurgence of consumer health hardware, sparked by Oura’s $875M Series E round. From smart rings to medical-grade wearables, the health and wellness market is evolving fast—and it’s not just about fitness anymore. Jackson explores how workplace wellness programs, enterprise contracts, and next-gen tech like on-device AI and XR are shaping the next chapter for both startups and incumbents like Whoop, Garmin, and Apple. With hardware startups finding new momentum and software-only players like Calm and Headspace facing engagement headwinds, this episode looks at what’s driving sustained growth—and what risks still linger beneath the hype. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why Oura’s latest fundraise signals more than just strong consumer demandHow B2B sales and corporate wellness programs are fueling growth in wearablesWhat sets Oura and Whoop apart—and why Garmin is far from out of the raceWhy software-only wellness platforms are struggling to hold user attentionHow on-device AI, XR, and longevity science are reshaping wearablesThe risks of over-reliance on enterprise adoption in a crowded marketWhat’s next in personalized, privacy-first, tech-enabled health Whether you’re investing in healthtech, tracking enterprise adoption, or curious about the future of wearable wellness, this episode offers a detailed look at where the space is headed—and who’s leading the way. Love what you’re hearing? Subscribe to the Game Changers podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Want more insights like this every week? Sign up for the Konvoy Newsletter to stay ahead of key industry trends, challenges, and opportunities.

    11 min

About

Welcome to Game Changers, the podcast that takes you beyond the games and into the heart of the gaming industry's future. Brought to you by Konvoy, a Denver-based venture capital firm investing in the platforms and technologies at the frontier of gaming. This podcast is your backstage pass to the pioneers, innovators, and visionaries who are redefining how we play and experience these virtual worlds. In each episode, your hosts—Josh Chapman, Jason Chapman, and Jackson Vaughan, the founders of Konvoy—invite you to join them for candid and open conversations with the industry's most influential leaders. These guests are the “Game Changers”, the masterminds behind the scenes who've built remarkable enterprises and continue to push the boundaries of what's possible for our industry. Whether you're a gamer, a tech enthusiast, or a startup aficionado, the Game Changers podcast offers valuable insights, inspiring stories, and exclusive access to the minds shaping the future of the gaming industry. Join us as we explore who these Game Changers are, what they've built, and what they're doing now. Are you ready to level up your understanding of the gaming industry? Subscribe now to "Game Changers" and embark on a journey that goes beyond the screen to uncover the stories behind the gaming world.