Coffee with Ken

Ken Biberaj

Coffee with Ken is a thought leadership conversation series at the nexus of business, politics and social impact.

  1. 6h ago

    Robotics and Autonomy: What a Trillion-Dollar Market Actually Requires

    Physical AI is not just humanoid robots doing backflips. It's a convergence of four budgets at once: AI compute, energy, critical minerals, and defense, and getting that convergence right could determine who wins a market Barclays estimates could scale 10 to 15 times by 2035.For this Coffee With Ken Summit Series conversation, recorded in partnership with DMV Tech Week, Ken sits down with Zornitsa Todorova (Barclays), Scott Sanders (Forterra), and Ira Renfrew (Familiar Machines & Magic) to get into what's real, what's hype, and what it will actually take to build this industry in the United States.The panel doesn't agree on everything, including whether "dual use" is even the right way to think about the space, and that tension is where the conversation gets interesting.This conversation explores:- Why Barclays sees physical AI as a market that could scale 10 to 15 times by 2035- The case for "multiplicity" over "dual use" as the right lens for capital allocation- Why the drone market has doubled since 2020 and what that signals- The "three Bs" framework: brains, brawn, and batteries, and why the last two are underappreciated- What reshoring manufacturing really requires from the robotics supply chain- Where the US stands against China on critical components and talent- Why consistency in policy matters more than incentives for attracting robotics companies- Why the next five years of autonomy will look less like humanoids and more like specialized, purpose-built machinesWatch the full conversation. Pull up a chair.

  2. 1d ago

    The Golden Age of Transportation | A USDOT Insider on Autonomy, Aviation, and America's Supply Chain

    The next five years could transform transportation more than the previous forty-two combined.Lee White has spent 42 years inside the transportation industry, including 35 years at UPS and time developing strategy for a Level 4 autonomous trucking company. Today, as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology at the U.S. Department of Transportation, he is helping shape the future of autonomous vehicles, advanced air mobility, logistics, infrastructure and the American supply chain.In this Coffee With Ken Summit Series conversation, White joins Ken Biberaj to explain what it will take to modernize how goods and people move across the United States.They discuss the infrastructure required to support trillions of dollars in new U.S. investment, the growing competition facing American ports, the future of autonomous trucking and eVTOLs, and why low water levels on the Mississippi River can make American exports less competitive around the world.White also explains how the Department of Transportation is attempting to accelerate innovation without compromising public safety—and why government, industry, states and cities must collaborate more closely to prepare for what comes next.In this conversation:• Why the next five years could reshape transportation• Lee White’s path from UPS to autonomous trucking and the DOT• How AI and autonomous vehicles could improve transportation safety• The infrastructure needed to support new American manufacturing• Why the Mississippi River is a critical supply-chain asset• How Canada and Mexico are competing for U.S. freight volume• The future of eVTOLs and advanced air mobility• DOT’s approach to EVs and consumer choice• The push to rebuild America’s shipbuilding and maritime capacity• What industry leaders should do to engage with the DOT

  3. 2d ago

    Building a Resilient Democracy | Chris Sununu & Glenn Nye on America at 250

    Is American democracy broken, or is it simply overdue for an update?As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, Ken Biberaj sits down with former New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu and Glenn Nye, President and CEO of the Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress, for a candid conversation about the strength, shortcomings and future of American democracy.Sununu and Nye examine how the country’s system of checks and balances has endured, where Congress has lost influence and why the incentives built into primaries, campaign finance and electoral maps often reward division instead of cooperation.They also discuss New Hampshire’s model of bipartisan governing, the growing national debt, the difference between spending money and delivering results, America’s role in the world and why patriotism should include both celebrating the country and confronting its failures.The central message is ultimately one of optimism: America’s democracy has adapted throughout its history, and citizens still have the power to strengthen it.

  4. 3d ago

    How Electra.aero Is Changing the Future of Flight

    Batteries are 40 to 50 times less energy dense than jet fuel. So why is Marc Allen, the former Boeing executive who could have coasted into retirement, betting everything on an electric airplane?Marc Allen is CEO of Electra.aero, building a hybrid-electric aircraft that takes off and lands in 150 feet. Not a helicopter. Not an eVTOL. A fixed-wing airplane that solves a tradeoff aviation has never solved before: access without giving up efficiency.Ken sits down with Marc to get into what he calls the third era of aviation, pistons, then turbines, then electric, and why it has to start small before it changes everything else. They cover the regional flight gap nobody talks about, why Boeing will never build this plane, and the dual-use case that has the Department of War paying close attention.This conversation explores:Why batteries alone don't work, and the hybrid architecture that doesThe 50 to 500 nautical mile gap in American air travelHow a 150-foot takeoff roll changes where planes can landRunway independence and power at the edge for defense applicationsWhy large manufacturers structurally can't build small aircraftThe regulatory path through Part 23, and why no new rules are neededWhat advanced air mobility means for regional economic developmentElectra's manufacturing ambitions and what comes after the nine-seaterKen Biberaj talks with Marc Allen, CEO of Electra.aero, about advanced air mobility, hybrid-electric aircraft, and the future of regional flight.Watch the full conversation. Subscribe to Coffee With Ken for more conversations at the intersection of business, government, and innovation.

  5. 4d ago

    The $210 Billion Push to Rebuild America’s Industrial Base | David Lorch on Coffee With Ken

    China owns the magnet supply chain. For now.David Lorch is the Director of the Office of Strategic Capital at the Department of War, an office most people have never heard of, with $210 billion in lending authority and a mandate to help rebuild the industrial base the United States has spent decades offshoring.In this Coffee With Ken Summit conversation, Ken sits down with Lorch to unpack what OSC actually does, who it is built to support, and what is already in motion. Lorch explains the magnet supply chain crisis, how OSC capital works alongside private financing, why the office is not a competitor to banks and investors, and what it takes to actually get a deal done.This conversation covers:- What the Office of Strategic Capital is and why it was createdHow $210 billion in lending authority can be deployed toward national security- The magnet supply chain, how the U.S. ceded it to China, and what is being done now- Why OSC is designed to complement private capital, not replace it- Deal size, speed, and what companies need to know before reaching out- How OSC serves as a concierge across federal financing agencies- The sectors OSC is focused on, including critical minerals, drones, energy, semiconductors, shipbuilding, and more- What the next phase of growth looks like for the officeIf your company is working on something that matters to U.S. national security and needs capital to scale, this conversation is worth your time.

  6. 5d ago

    The New Defense Playbook: How Tech is Rewriting Defense Innovation

    What happens when Apple engineers and Marine Corps intelligence officers decide the defense industry needs to be completely rebuilt from scratch?Ken sits down with Andy Baynes, co-founder of Tiberius and veteran of Apple, Google, and Nest, and Matt McKnight, CEO and founder of Perimeter and former Marine Corps intelligence officer, to explore why the West's defense playbook is broken — and how a new generation of tech founders is rewriting it.In this episode:- Why Tiberius is shipping 1,000 low-cost missile rounds to Ukraine this year- How open-architecture, federated weapons manufacturing is the only way to win modern war- Why biology is the next domain of military operations — and China already knows it- How Perimeter's bio-threat platform could have detected COVID months before the world knew- The Defense 3.0 vision: allied nations, shared R&D risk, and private capital at scale☕ Coffee with Ken is a thought leadership series at the nexus of business, politics, and global defense. Filmed at the London Defense Conference.

  7. 6d ago

    The New Industrial Playbook: Site Readiness, Capital, and Competitiveness

    Ken sits down with Ahmed Abonamah, EVP & Chief Financial Officer of Rock Entertainment Group and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Catherine O'Malley Kearney, National Head of Key Private Bank at KeyBank.The conversation highlights the significance of the work being led by Mayor Justin M. Bibb and Cleveland's Site Readiness Fund in support of the reindustrialization of America's industrial base. The city is investing in sites to spur innovation, job creation, and investment, work that has also caught the attention of Dr. Rajiv J. Shah and The Rockefeller Foundation.Tune in for an inside look at how public and private sector leaders are coming together to position Cleveland for the next era of American manufacturing and growth.

  8. Nov 6

    Are We Ready? NATO, Ukraine, and the Future of Western Defense

    What does it mean to be ready in today’s defense landscape?What does it mean to be ready in a world defined by war, disruption, and rapidly shifting alliances?In this episode of Coffee with Ken, Ken Biberaj sits down with Iain Martin, Founder and Executive Director of the London Defence Conference, for a timely conversation on the future of global security, defense readiness, Ukraine, defense technology, industrial capacity, and the transatlantic alliance.Recorded at the London Defence Conference in London, the conversation explores how the conference began after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and has grown into a major gathering for leaders across defense, policy, government, and industry.Ken and Iain discuss why readiness has become one of the defining questions for the UK, Europe, the United States, and allied nations. They also explore the challenge of scaling defense manufacturing, the role of new defense tech companies, the importance of allied cooperation, and why security threats across Ukraine, the Arctic, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific are more connected than ever.Watch the full conversation for a deeper look at the future of global security and the alliances shaping what comes next.

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About

Coffee with Ken is a thought leadership conversation series at the nexus of business, politics and social impact.

Information

  • Creator
    Ken Biberaj
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    181
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Ken Biberaj
  • Show Website
    Coffee with Ken

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