Merge Club Podcast

Julian Weisser & Ari Dutilh

Merge is a club for grant recipients — hackers, scientists, and creators of all kinds. mergeclub.substack.com

  1. Ep 14 | Kyrylo Kalashnikov: This Engineer Will Freeze Himself For Centuries

    04/10/2025

    Ep 14 | Kyrylo Kalashnikov: This Engineer Will Freeze Himself For Centuries

    Humanity has long accepted death as inevitable, but advances in cryogenics and biopreservation are challenging that idea. Once confined to science fiction, the prospect of preserving life—or even intelligence—is becoming a serious scientific pursuit. Few are actively pushing the boundaries of this field. Kyrylo is one of them. Listen to our conversation with Kyrylo, who is working on freezing himself for centuries. You can watch on YouTube (or Spotify/Apple) - Like and Subscribe so more people can discover Merge! Born in a Ukrainian mining city to a family of engineers, Kyrylo's journey started when his father made him learn to code—not because it was special, but because it was as fundamental as learning to read. After moving to Canada at 13, he turned that foundation into a series of ambitious projects: from leading robotics competitions to developing self-assembling micro-robots for satellite repair. Now, he's working on technology to preserve human tissue for centuries. Together, we explore his journey—from navigating a new country to tackling some of the biggest challenges in science. He shares powerful insights for young builders: why putting all your eggs in one basket sometimes pays off, how to turn being "the outsider" into your advantage, and why the best opportunities often come from asking "what would make me proud?" rather than "what's practical?" His story shows that early technical skills, combined with the courage to think bigger, can open doors you never knew existed. Enjoy the conversation. (00:00) - Engineering roots in Ukraine's coal country (10:23) - Finding your place in a new culture (21:44) - From coding fears to robotics wins (31:37) - Building micro-robots for space (37:36) - The power of dedicated thinking time (42:07) - How to discover your true interests (45:05) - Landing roles at ambitious companies (52:04) - The science of human preservation (1:03:18) - Breaking ground in cryonics technology Find Kyrylo on the internet: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyrylo27/ Twitter: https://x.com/kyrylok95 Substack: https://substack.com/@kyrylok Merge is a club for microgrant recipients working on big ideas. Meet new builder friends and make progress on your project: https://merge.club/ Are you looking to apply to grant and fellowship programs? Use our Grant Guide: https://merge.club/guide Hosts: Julian Weisser: https://x.com/julianweisser Ari Dutilh: https://x.com/aridutilh This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mergeclub.substack.com

    1h 6m

  2. 01/23/2025

    The 19-Year-Old Building Tree-Planting Robots to Combat Deforestation

    Young people are growing up in a world that is finally coming to terms with humanity’s disregard for the impact we have the climate. Record breaking temperatures, unprecedented wildfires, loss of biodiversity, the list goes on. Most understand the problem, few are actively working to solve it. Marta is one of those few. Listen to our conversation with Marta Bernardino - a 19-year-old trying to solve deforestation with tree-planting robots. You can watch on YouTube (or Spotify/Apple) - Like and Subscribe so more people can discover Merge! Marta’s story is evidence of how childhood curiosity can evolve into real-world impact. Growing up helping her father in his car mechanic workshop, she developed a passion for robotics at 9 years old. She simultaneously grew up witnessing the environmental changes in Portugal’s countryside — from deforestation to beach pollution — which inspired her to leverage her skills in robotics to solve these huge issues. Together, we discuss her journey developing Trovador, a six-legged robot designed to tackle Portugal’s reforestation challenges. She shares her experience building the first prototype for just $15, winning support from National Geographic, and preparing for their upcoming pilot program. This episode offers insight into how to be scrappy about getting your ideas into the world, finding your purpose and why that matters, and how builders around the world are attempting to solve some of the world’s largest challenges with the technologies they know best. Enjoy the conversation. (01:15) – Early beginnings in mechanics and robotics (02:27) – Finding purpose through her community (06:18) - Challenges with traditional education (12:36) - The importance of finding purpose (30:24) – Building a $15 prototype (34:55) - How the robot actually works (42:03) - Future plans for her startup, Trovador (45:33) - Building credibility and partnerships with municipalities Find Marta on the internet: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martabernardino/ Trovador: https://trovador.eu/ Twitter: https://x.com/MartaBernardin Merge is a club for microgrant recipients working on big ideas. Meet new builder friends and make progress on your project: https://merge.club Are you looking to apply to grant and fellowship programs? Use our Grant Guide: https://merge.club/guide Hosts: Julian Weisser: https://x.com/julianweisser Ari Dutilh: https://x.com/aridutilh Watch/Listen on Spotify/Apple. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mergeclub.substack.com

    56 min

  3. 12/05/2024

    Ep. 12 Alex Mathew: 16-Year-Old Building an AI Plushie Transforming Teen Mental Health

    What would you do if you were tasked with solving the youth mental health crisis in America? I’m personally not sure I’d know where to start — but Alex Mathew has some ideas. Listen to our conversation with Alex Mathew - a 16-year-old trying to solve this very problem with AI plushies. You can watch on YouTube (or Spotify/Apple) - Like and Subscribe so more people can discover Merge! Alex’s story is a great example of what can happen when curiosity meets opportunity. At 16, he’s already examining the education system and rethinking childhood development. Experiencing a typical public school taught him the baseline experience for kids raised in America. Now, at Alpha High School — where studies are condensed into three hours a day, Alex leverages his time to explore technology and builds his new startup. Together, we discuss his journey so far. He shares his passion for helping solve mental health, his approach to validating ideas early on, and his experience with non-dilutive capital and microgrants. This episode is a peek behind the curtain of some of the problems we hear about often when it comes to GenZ, but might not know a lot about. Enjoy the conversation. In our conversation, we go over: (05:28) – Leaving public school for an alternative education (10:46) – How personalized learning unlocks ambition (18:39) - Bare bones approach to shipping his product (20:28) - Alex’s big picture goals (21:32) - Why is this new generation anxious? (30:40) - How tech is improving childhood education (34:20) - Core learnings from 50 user interviews (42:57) - Thoughts on 1517’s Medici Grant Find Alex on the internet: Twitter: https://x.com/alxmthew LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alxmat/ Alex's startup, Berry: https://plushies.so/ Hosts: Julian Weisser: https://x.com/julianweisser Ari Dutilh: https://x.com/aridutilh Merge Club: Merge is a club for microgrant recipients working on big ideas. Meet new builder friends and make progress on your project: https://merge.club Are you looking to apply to grant and fellowship programs? Use our Grant Guide: https://merge.club/guide Watch/Listen on Spotify/Apple. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mergeclub.substack.com

    51 min

  4. 11/21/2024

    Ep. 11 Theodore Grether-Murray: The Most Ambitious 16-Year-Old Innovator in Energy-Tech

    You wake up and you’re 16 again. You decide you want to conquer the world and kickstart your career and jump into private equity, AI, energy and climate tech. How do you go about it? Luckily, Theodore can give you a lot of those answers because for the past couple years, he’s been figuring out exactly that. Listen to our conversation with Theodore Grether-Murray - very possibly the most ambitious 16-year-old innovator in Energy and Climate tech. You can watch on YouTube (or Spotify/Apple) - Like and Subscribe so more people can discover Merge! Theodore’s story is like a mad scientist’s: At 14, not feeling fulfilled spending hours every day trying to master the violin at music school, he followed in his brother’s footsteps and joined The Knowledge Society: the top STEM accelerator program for teenagers. Everything that came after has been a blizzard of rapid momentum building, learning, and executing on ideas. From falling in love with energy to being recruited by a billion dollar private equity firm, and now trying to solve noise pollution in the ocean. He shares many of his core learnings from his journey so far: how to maximize personal surface area for serendipity, how even one person can generate manifold momentum for you, the power of non-dilutive capital and community, and much much more. This episode offers some priceless learnings for listeners regardless of where they currently stand in their story’s progression. In our conversation, we go over: (09:34) - Don’t make decisions based on fear (13:01) - Unintended benefits from exploring AI (14:22) - Momentum and meeting the right people (17:27) - What the hell are Carbon Credits (20:01) - Energy as a catalyst for humanity’s momentum (24:34) - Early non-dilutive capital and community (26:00) - Removing noise pollution from the ocean (and why it matters) (29:13) - How the hell did he stumble on this problem? (31:12) - How to maximize surface area and serendipity (34:47) - The power of putting yourself out there (37:30) - How to tap into microgrants Find Theodore on the internet: Twitter: https://x.com/GretherMurray LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theodore-grether-murray/ Hosts: Julian Weisser: https://x.com/julianweisser Ari Dutilh: https://x.com/aridutilh Merge Club: Merge is a club for microgrant recipients working on big ideas. Meet new builder friends and make progress on your project: https://merge.club Are you looking to apply to grant and fellowship programs? Use our Grant Guide: https://merge.club/guide Watch/Listen on YouTube/Spotify/Apple. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mergeclub.substack.com

    41 min

  5. 10/24/2024

    Ep. 10 Tehseen Dahya: How "3rd door" thinking got him a meeting with the Co-Founder of LinkedIn

    Have you ever been flown out to meet the co-founder of a $25B company to pitch your project as a high school student? No? Me neither, but Tehseen has. Listen to our conversation with Tehseen Dahya - a teenager obsessed with finding 3rd door paths to awesome outcomes. You can watch on YouTube (or Spotify/Apple) - Like and Subscribe so more people can discover Merge! Tehseen’s story is unconventional: hustling his way to a paid-for flight to San Francisco, scoring a meeting with the LinkedIn Co-Founder, and landing an internship at BloXroute through some creative hustling as just a few examples. He shares core learnings from his experiences building ambitious projects at a top STEM accelerator for teens, The Knowledge Society. Such as considering the incentives of the person you’re pitching to better align with their goals, and testing theories with prototypes (or manually) before investing time in building the technology. This episode offers a variety of gems for listeners, especially those starting out with smaller track records. In our conversation, we go over: (02:44) - What questions should you be asking? (08:31) - How do you decide what to work on? (11:16) - How Tehseen uses 3rd door hustling (17:56) - Key takeaways from TKS (19:46) - Flying to San Francisco for free (21:44) - First time experiencing SF (25:14) - How to prep for your first SF trip (35:10) - What about Toronto he’d like to export to SF Find Tehseen on the internet: Twitter: https://x.com/tehseen_0 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tehseen-dahya-jr/ Merge is a club for microgrant recipients working on big ideas. Meet new builder friends and make progress on your project: https://merge.club Are you looking to apply to grant and fellowship programs? Use our Grant Guide: https://merge.club/guide Watch/Listen on YouTube/Spotify/Apple. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mergeclub.substack.com

    36 min

  6. 10/11/2024

    Ep. 9 Aaryan Harshith: Creating the "spreadsheet" of viruses that could change biotech forever

    Watch on YouTube - Like and Subscribe so more people can discover Merge! Today we’re diving into the awesome story of Aaryan Harshith. From using light waves to detect cancer in cells at 14 to creating the world’s largest database of Phages as a Stanford researcher, Aaryan’s story is a must-listen. He shares the largely untold story of Phages: the world’s most underrated organism — with applications ranging from cancer treatment to antibiotics, food seasoning and even alternatives to electric wire. We discuss how naivety can be an asset, how he uses writing as a forcing function for growth and learning, how to convince people to work with you as someone with no track record, and more. (03:41) Phages: the world’s most underrated organism (09:30) Naivety as an asset when starting out (11:07) Using writing as a forcing function for growth (16:56) Convincing people to work with you when you have no track record (19:31) Origin story of Phagebase (25:05) The future of Phages and how Phagebase plays a part (29:42) What’s next for Phagebase (31:56) 3 steps to get involved with phages/biotech Follow Aaryan on Twitter: https://x.com/AaryanHarshith Intro to phages/biology links: Kurzgesagt’s video on Bacteriophages: BBC’s 1hr history of Phagetherapy: Merge is a club for microgrant recipients working on big ideas. Meet new builder friends and make progress on your project: https://merge.club Are you looking to apply to grant and fellowship programs? Use our Grant Guide: https://merge.club/guide This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mergeclub.substack.com

    43 min
  7. Ep. 8 Alex Hu: Raising the Floor and Removing the Ceilings of Education, From 14yo Education Non-Profit Founder to Building Mentava

    09/26/2024

    Ep. 8 Alex Hu: Raising the Floor and Removing the Ceilings of Education, From 14yo Education Non-Profit Founder to Building Mentava

    Alex started a nonprofit at 14 to teach English to students in rural China, scaling to 1,500 students across 20 schools while in high school. He dropped out of college to pursue a nutrition startup before pivoting to join one of the most exciting EdTech startups of the past few years, Mentava. Now, at Mentava, he's working to revolutionize education by giving agency back to students and parents. (06:19) Non-profit at 14 years old (12:10) Scaling Education For All (34:15) Uncapping kids’ growth Mentava Follow Alex on Twitter: https://x.com/AlexHuHJY Merge is a club for microgrant recipients working on big ideas. Meet new builder friends and make progress on your project: https://merge.club Are you looking to apply to grant and fellowship programs? Use our Grant Guide: https://merge.club/guide This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mergeclub.substack.com

    43 min
  8. Ep. 7 Ivoine Strachan: From no Electricity and Learning to Code on his Phone to Building a Haptic VR Suit in San Francisco

    09/16/2024

    Ep. 7 Ivoine Strachan: From no Electricity and Learning to Code on his Phone to Building a Haptic VR Suit in San Francisco

    Today we welcome Ivoine Strachan to the podcast. He has an incredible story - growing up in the Bahamas with limited access to electricity and internet, he became a chess champion so he could get access to computers and wifi. He learned how to build and fix electronics, how to code using only his phone, and then managed to fundraise for a solo trip to San Francisco at just 16 years old where he interned at Roblox. Now, he’s developing a Ready Player One-inspired VR suit. (01:29) From chess champion to coder (13:50) Sleeping at airport for first trip to SF (18:19) Shocking friends: Building a haptic VR suit Follow Ivoine on Twitter: https://x.com/ivoinetech Merge is a club for microgrant recipients working on big ideas. Meet new builder friends and make progress on your project: https://merge.club Are you looking to apply to grant and fellowship programs? Use our Grant Guide: https://merge.club/guide This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mergeclub.substack.com

    31 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Merge is a club for grant recipients — hackers, scientists, and creators of all kinds. mergeclub.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Julian Weisser & Ari Dutilh
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Merge Club
  • Show Website
    Merge Club Podcast