Pioneer Series

Thomas Fortoul
  • 0.0 (0)
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

A series of conversations with today's pioneers. Entrepreneurs, industry experts, investors, politicians, artists and everything in between, these people are shaping the world of tomorrow.

  1. 08/05/2025

    #15 - Jean Arnaud: Building with Purpose, Philosophy in Tech

    Most founders obsess over what they're building, but completely skip the why. In this episode, tech philosopher Jean Arnaud breaks down why that's backwards. After studying at Stanford and building (then pivoting from) a metaverse education startup, Jean's learned that without a clear philosophy, you're basically building blind. We dive into: Why "accelerating for acceleration's sake" leads nowhereThe real difference between California and East Coast investor mindsetsHow his "failed" metaverse company taught him about market timingWhy money should never be your primary goal (and what should be instead) Jean's take? We've abandoned our responsibility to actually shape the future we want. Time to take it back. Whether you're pre-idea or scaling up, this conversation will make you rethink how you approach building. Episode Links: Jean Arnaud's Website: https://www.jeanarnaud.org/ Jean Arnaud's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jean-arnaud-14887b1b4 Aethos: aethos.org

    46 min

  2. 07/29/2025

    #14 - Samantha Tabone: VC Secrets, Human 3, Deep Tech

    Ever wonder how to really get VCs to listen? Extremely interesting conversation with Samantha Tabone: General Partner at XEIA Ventures. She invests in early-stage companies driving "Human 3" - the next era of health, wellbeing and performance through life sciences, AI, hardware, and deep tech. Extremely interesting convo on:- Deep tech startups + due diligence- How to reach out to VCs…- The next era of health - Human 3- Startup ideas with untapped potentialEpisode Links:Samantha's LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/samtaboneXEIA Ventures: https://www.xeiavp.com/

    59 min

  3. 07/22/2025

    AI Robots, Drones, $20m+ Series A? -- Amarjot Singh, Skylark Labs

    Amarjot Singh, Founder of Skylark Labs, is revolutionizing physical AI. He's building brain-inspired foundational robotic models that run efficiently on edge devices, challenging the LLM scaling paradigm. A must-listen for founders and future-builders in deep tech. Episode Links: Amarjot's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amarjot-singh-phd-b5269815/ Skylark Labs: https://skylarklabs.ai/ Other Resources Mentioned: Ryan Holiday, Calm App Podcast Links:Substack: https://thinkingthomas.substack.com/⁠ X: https://x.com/fortoulthomas⁠Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pioneer-series/id1797833313LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-fortoul/

    54 min

  4. 05/27/2025

    #12 - BK Nayak: Billion Dollar Patents, Living to 200 and the Future of Healthcare with AI

    🚨 He generated billions from a single patent.Now he's on a mission to help humans live to 200 years old. Meet Dr. BK Nayak (PhD in Electrical Engineering, MIT MBA), and the mind behind a breakthrough in optical connectivity that reshaped an entire industry. Today, he’s building Spike Well, an AI company reimagining healthcare, not to treat illnesses, but to prevent them entirely. I sat down with Dr. Nayak on the Thinking Tech podcast, and what he shared blew me away: 💡 “With personalized medicine and ai, human lifespan easily go to 200 years” From predictive AI to biological age reversal, this episode dives into the science (and ambition) of radical longevity, and why the next healthcare revolution will start before you ever feel unwell. This isn’t science fiction. It’s a glimpse at your future.

    58 min

  5. 05/20/2025

    #11 - Nicholas Khami: The Real Magic of Building a YC-Backed Startup (It’s Not the Tech)

    Nick quit his job to build Trieve.1 year later, he joined YC with $3.5M raised.Here's the story:Trieve is an AI search platform powering 30k+ experiences.But it isn't just a search bar.It's building the future of online retail: replicating the human retail associate experience online using AI.Imagine a personal retail shopper that you can talk to.• Voice Input? Yes.• Image Search? Upload a pic, find similar items.• Even Image Generation? See what you'd look like wearing those shoes by uploading your photo. Wild.I asked Nick the #1 mistake founders make.What he said goes against most advice you'll hear.“If it's not worth doing manually? It's likely not a worthwhile business.”I sat down with Nick to explore:- Building an AI infrastructure startup- The surprising reality of founder strategy- and the #1 mistake building for developersCheck it out!

    52 min

  6. 05/14/2025

    #10 - Iulian Serban: PhD to $14M Raised and Korbit AI, The Future of AI in Software Engineering

    Meet Iulian Serban. From coding at 12 to raising $14M with Khosla and Bengio. Here's his crazy story: In 2014, he started his PhD at Mila under Yoshua Bengio In 2017, he co-founded Korbit AI. It was the first AI-powered tutor, before ChatGPT existed. 2 years later, they raised $2M+ and grew to 20,000+ users. But they hit a wall, they struggled with engagement. So Iulian pivoted: AI code reviews for engineers. And it clicked. In 2023, they raised $11.3M and are growing like crazy. I spoke with Iulian on his story, the future of education with AI, and the implications of agents in the workforce. Chapters: 0:00 The Power of Technology in Modern Times 1:31 The Journey of Iulian Serban 1:54 What is Korbit AI? 02:37 The Value of Learning to Code 05:47 Early Beginnings in Tech 11:43 Theoretical vs. Practical Knowledge 14:02 Transition from Research to Entrepreneurship 17:48 The Evolution of Korbit AI 25:13 Challenges and Opportunities in Education 27:32 The Role of Universities and Self-Learning 32:20 Corporate Learning and Employee Development 37:07 Pivoting to Code Management 37:49 Building and Testing POCs 38:48 Focusing on Bug Detection 40:14 Understanding User Feedback 43:51 Launching the Product 44:35 Targeting Engineering Managers 47:41 The Role of AI in Code Reviews 49:52 Future of AI and Product Management 58:50 Virtual Personas and AI Agents 01:12:42 Concluding Thoughts and Future Steps

    1h 16m

  7. 05/06/2025

    #9 - Irena Xhurxhi: From Albania to AI at Amazon

    From Albania to Amazon, Irena's story is incredible: • 2013: Left Albania to chase a dream in the US • 2015: Juggled a full-time job, PhD studies, and raising two kids • 2021: Applied to ONE tech job - and got into Amazon • 2025: Leading Amazon’s AI revolution and inspiring change She shares her hard-earned lessons on resilience, embracing uniqueness, and her vision of the future with AI. Chapters 0:00 Introduction and Personal Reflections 3:35 Academic and Professional Challenges 8:14 Balancing Family and Career 14:48 Leadership and Mentorship 21:39 Embracing AI at Amazon 29:20 Testing AI's Strategic Thinking 30:29 AI in Education: Pros and Cons 31:55 Incorporating AI in Academic Courses 38:30 Ethical Use of AI in Universities 44:12 Navigating Career Transitions 48:55 Future Skills and AI Integration 56:36 Final Thoughts and Advice Episode Links: Irena's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ipxhurxhi/ Podcast Links:Substack: https://thinkingthomas.substack.com/⁠ X/Twitter: https://x.com/fortoulthomas⁠ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4nUcKzoV5nHhwFqZrIit9w Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-tech/id1797833313 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-fortoul/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ONyHJ7p13KQrYyOH1WPAh

    58 min

  8. 04/29/2025

    #8 - Nao Yukawa: Unlocking Human Potential with AI

    We dive deep into the intersection of health and productivity with Nao Yukawa, co-founder of Lifestack and DeMind. Nao has a fascinating journey, from studying in Japan to moving to San Francisco and New York, navigating the startup world during the pandemic, and developing the revolutionary AI-integrated calendar app, Lifestack. This episode is packed with insights on innovation, the startup landscape, and the future potential of brain-computer interfaces.Chapters0:00 Introduction to Health-Driven Productivity1:13 Exploring Lifestack: The AI-Integrated Calendar App3:00 From Japan to San Francisco: An Entrepreneurial Journey5:47 A Meditation Crypto App8:31 Founding DeMind: A New Beginning13:04 The Vision Behind Lifestack20:09 Insights from the Startup Ecosystem23:41 Learning from New York vs. San Francisco24:51 Experiences with VCs and Funding27:23 Visa Challenges and Entrepreneurial Journey30:10 Influential Books and Recommendations37:08 Future Plans for Lifestack43:36 Personal Goals and Future StepsEpisode Links:Nao's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naoyukawa/Lifestack: https://lifestack.ai/Podcast Links:Substack: https://thinkingthomas.substack.com/⁠ X/Twitter: https://x.com/fortoulthomas⁠Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4nUcKzoV5nHhwFqZrIit9wApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-tech/id1797833313LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-fortoul/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ONyHJ7p13KQrYyOH1WPAh

    46 min
See All (16)

Trailer

About

A series of conversations with today's pioneers. Entrepreneurs, industry experts, investors, politicians, artists and everything in between, these people are shaping the world of tomorrow.

Information

  • Creator
    Thomas Fortoul
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Thomas Fortoul
  • Show Website
    Pioneer Series