Future Optimist

Joining us today is Alan Liu, the co-founder of Persperion Diagnostics, an innovative startup based in San Diego that aims to revolutionize diabetes management with its non-invasive glucose monitoring technology. Founded in 2022 by Alan Liu and Lu Yin, the company leverages cutting-edge touch-based sweat-sensing technology to detect a wide range of biomarkers from a simple fingertip touch. This technology was developed in the nanoengineering lab of UCSD Professor Dr. Joseph Wang, with whom Liu previously worked as a research assistant. After securing a substantial $4 million in venture capital seed funding in June, Persperion is now gearing up for a series of funding rounds to scale up manufacturing and prepare for clinical trials. The company, which has recently expanded to a hybrid lab and office space in Kearny Mesa, aims to start its pilot trial in Q1 of this year and seeks FDA approval later. Liu and Yin, who also co-founded the flexible battery startup Ocella, have been recognized for their pioneering work, making the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the Science category in 2024. As they continue to develop their diagnostic platform, Persperion Diagnostics remains focused on making health monitoring more accessible, affordable, and accurate for millions of people worldwide. ➡️ https://persperiontech.com ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

Brooke Harris, founder of Goodmylk Co., embarked on a transformative journey from a childhood on a dairy farm to spearheading the creation of one of the world's leading alternative dairy companies.  Her awakening to the benefits of a plant-based diet—driven by personal health challenges—unveiled the stark reality of conventional "nutritious" alternatives marred by unhealthy additives. Determined to offer a genuine, healthful option, Brooke's venture into crafting plant-based milks without compromises led to the inception of Goodmylk. We talk about the challenges of building and running an ethical business, making this episode deeply personal and real. ➡️ https://goodmylk.co/ ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

John Hacker is a biomedical engineer and the CEO of NeurGear. His latest innovation is the ZenBud, the market's first ultrasonic vagus nerve stimulator, designed to promote relaxation and combat stress. In this episode, Jon Hacker discusses the underlying technology, its decades of research, and its implications for future wellness applications. He sheds light on the challenges and excitement surrounding new tech developments, emphasizing the blend of existing scientific knowledge with innovative application methods to enhance user experience. Our conversation dips into the broader topic of technological advancements in the medical field, touching upon ethical considerations, potential impacts on pharmaceutical dependencies, and the importance of scientific rigor and regulatory compliance in bringing devices like the ZenBud to market. ➡️ https://zenbud.health ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

Today, we're diving into the intersection of deep tech and innovation with Massimo Portincaso, the Founder and CEO of Arsenale BioYards. As the creator of this groundbreaking bio-manufacturing platform (what does that even mean!?!), he’s using crazy tools like yeast to build… Anything! No this isn’t Star Trek… but this is undeniably the kind of future tech that humans have only dreamed about for generations. Beyond Arsenale, Massimo leads Deepwave Ventures, offers his expertise on several advisory boards, and champions the deep tech mission through his work with Hello Tomorrow. His journey from a senior role at BCG to a key player in the bio-economy illustrates a commitment to practical innovation. Arsenale BioYards, recognized for its pioneering approach and backed by its first round of funding, stands as a testament to Massimo's vision of a more efficient and economically viable bio-economy. In short? This man is building the future! ➡️ https://www.arsenale.bio/ ➡️ https://rosspalmer.com/massimo-portincaso ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

Greg Johnson is the Co-Founder and CEO of AquiPor Technologies. His company offers groundbreaking tech for porous concrete, meaning the sidewalk can collect and capture rain water! AquiPor promotes a new type of material technology intended for urban stormwater management. We will investigate the effectiveness and environmental impact of their products, including their permeable concrete and low-carbon technology claims. The discussion will also cover AquiPor's approach to infrastructure solutions and their real-world applications. Join us as we look beyond the marketing to understand the actual contributions of AquiPor Technologies to urban water systems, and why this crazy tech is so important right now. ➡️ https://aquipor.com/ ➡️ https://rosspalmer.com/greg-johnson ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

Wow – 200 interviews in the bag! So what’s next? In this mini-episode I’m going to be telling you three things I’ve learned from the 200 interviews I’ve conducted for the Beat the Often Path podcast. I’m also going to be going into more detail about an exciting change that’s coming up – the name of the podcast is changing to…*drumroll*… Future Optimist! We’re going to explore the world of the future in all its good and bad glory with the entrepreneurs and visionaries who are building the world of tomorrow. I’m excited for this new era of the show, and I hope you’ll join me in becoming a Future Optimist! ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

In this very special 200th interview, I’m joined by Deniz Kent, the Co-Founder & CEO of Prolific Machines, a biotech company at the forefront of sustainable and healthy food. Starting his career with notable research in cancer immunotherapy at the University of Bristol, Deniz has been recognized for his contributions to science, including winning the award for “outstanding contribution to research” while at GlaxoSmithKline focusing on asthma. Deniz is a key player in cell production for agriculture, aiming to make cultured meat competitively priced against conventional farming. With $42M+ in funding and support from people like Mark Cuban, Emily Ratajkowski, and Ciara to name just a few, Prolific Machines is redefining food sustainability and accessibility. ➡️ https://www.prolific-machines.com/ ➡️ https://rosspalmer.com/deniz-kent ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

Joining us today is Lin Kayser, the co-founder of Leap 71 – a Dubai-based company pioneering the emerging field of Computational Engineering. Lin started coding as an 8-year-old and is a serial entrepreneur with 30 years of experience in building high technology ventures. ➡️ https://leap71.com/ ➡️ https://rosspalmer.com/lin-kayser ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

Can plants be more like meat, no really? In this episode, we're spotlighting Moolec Science, a trailblazer in the food industry harnessing the power of Molecular Farming technology. Not sure what that is? Great! Because neither am I. At the helm (and joining us today) is CEO and Co-Founder Gastón Paladini, who brings a wealth of experience from his 20-year tenure at Argentina's meat production heavyweight, Paladini Group. Now Moolec Science aims to disrupt the food sector by infusing plants with animal protein genes. This company is crafting a novel category between plant-based and cell-based technologies—frankly it’s a wild concept I haven’t heard of before until right now. Moolec Science is dedicated to creating food ingredients that merge the cost and environmental benefits of plant-based food with the taste and functionality of animal proteins. Basically, can you make soy beans taste and behave like pork? Today, Moolec Science is traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the ticker "MLEC". This idea is just so crazy, I had to explore it.  ➡️ https://moolecscience.com/ ➡️ https://rosspalmer.com/gaston-paladini ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

Today we’ll embark on a journey of innovation and environmental impact with Niklas Kluger, co-founder and COO of InPlanet. We’ll learn how this GreenTech pioneer, with a rich background in environmental engineering and tropical agriculture, is revolutionizing carbon dioxide removal. From scaling urban farming globally to pioneering something I had never heard of called “Enhanced Rock Weathering” in Brazil, Niklas is at the forefront of combating climate change and regenerating tropical soils. Their rock powder is able to remove CO₂ while regenerating soil, two vitally important things for our sustainable future on this planet. So let’s explore InPlanet's mission to create a carbon-neutral future, one gigaton at a time." ➡️ https://www.inplanet.earth/ ➡️ https://rosspalmer.com/niklas-kluger ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

Saman Farid is the CEO and founder of Formic Technologies, a company at the forefront of revolutionizing automation in manufacturing. With a passionate commitment to boosting productivity in U.S. industries, his company Formic, specializes in offering cutting-edge robotic solutions that elegantly simplify automation. These versatile robots not only streamline the packing and palletizing processes but also contribute to the production of a diverse range of products, from delightful chocolate chip cookies to specialty chemicals. Saman’s journey in the tech and robotics realm is marked by significant achievements, including founding Comet Labs, an AI-focused investment fund and incubator. He also ran the global investment fund at Baidu Ventures  focusing on AI, Machine Learning, and its effects on the way we work and live, so it’s safe to say he knows what he’s talking about in this space.  His expertise and enthusiasm for technology have led him to invest in and guide over 25 businesses in robotics, AI, and technology. A childhood fascination with robots, coupled with his later study of automation and breakthroughs in AI, propelled him to establish Formic in 2020, a company that has since garnered over $30M in funding and numerous accolades such as FAST Company’s 2023 “Most Innovative Companies” Award. Beyond his professional endeavors, Saman is deeply invested in youth empowerment and actively supports technology education through local non-profits. ➡️ https://formic.co/ ➡️ https://rosspalmer.com/saman-farid ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

Joining us right now is Paul Shapiro, CEO of the Better Meat Company—a company on a mission to reinvent "meat". They’ve got plug-and-play mycoprotein formulations that quickly and cost-effectively enhance (or even replace) meat products while improving nutrition, flavor, and yield. He's also the author of the best-selling book, Clean Meat: How Growing Meat Without Animals Will Revolutionize Dinner and the World, and the host of the Business for Good Podcast, a podcast that I might add closely mimics what we're doing here, except of course, his is better no doubt, because as a host, let’s face it, I am questionable at best. He's been a five-time TEDx speaker And has published more than 100 articles on food sustainability. Now, he's using mycoprotein to satiate, humanity’s collective "meat tooth". ➡️ https://www.bettermeat.co/ ➡️ https://rosspalmer.com/paul-shapiro ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

In today’s episode, we’re going to talk about Blue Oceans and Red Oceans, a concept talked about in Blue Ocean Strategy by Renée Mauborgne, W. Chan Kim. Broadly speaking, a “blue ocean” is uncontested market space—something that no one else is really doing, like Cirque Du Soleil when they first started. Compare that with a “red ocean”, or a supersaturated market in which you’re unlikely to succeed, like me selling you my NFTs of my head spliced onto Ryan Reynold’s body for the low low price of just 2 ETH! Joining us today is Ramiro Velasco, President and Co-Founder of GoAvance, a company that specializes in Amazon e-commerce but specifically in Latin America. The reason I wanted to do this show is because we tend to think only of opportunity in the country we live in. But perhaps, if certain techniques no longer work in your country, the blue ocean is applying those ideas to a different market, in this case, Mexico. I try to expand your ideas of what’s possible with this show, and maybe moving to Mexico and setting up shop there is exactly what you should do to find your own, uncharted waters. We’ll talk about practical tips for selling on Amazon in any country and also some general trends in marketing and ecommerce—this is especially relevant if you’ve ever wanted to sell something online. ➡️ https://goavance.com/ ➡️ https://rosspalmer.com/ramiro-velasco ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

Today we’ve got an AWESOME episode for you. Joining us is Matt Rogers, whom I believe we can accurately call a tech legend. Matt's career began at Apple, where his talent and dedication led him to build the software team responsible for ten generations of the iconic iPod. As one of the pioneering engineers on the original iPhone, his influence extended through five generations of the device and into the creation of the first iPad. His remarkable contributions to these groundbreaking products have left an indelible mark on the technology landscape. As if that wasn’t enough… Matt co-founded Nest Labs, revolutionizing the smart home device industry with the Nest thermostat. This innovation caught the eye of Google, leading to a high-profile acquisition for $3.2 billion in 2014. But Matt's ambitions didn't stop there. After Nest, he turned his focus towards philanthropy, particularly in climate-related initiatives. This path led him to a startling realization about food waste, and together with his former colleague Harry Tannenbaum, he conceived Mill. This ingenious kitchen bin transforms food scraps into chicken feed—basically indoor composting that doesn’t smell—offering a sustainable solution to household waste and contributing significantly to environmental conservation. With Mill, Matt Rogers is not just redefining waste management; he's shaping a future that aligns with the ambitious zero-waste goals of cities worldwide, promising a significant reduction in emissions and deforestation. Join us as we explore the journey of this extraordinary innovator and how his latest venture, Mill, is set to make a lasting impact on our planet. ➡️ https://www.mill.com/ ➡️ https://rosspalmer.com/matt-rogers ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

Today, I’m honored to have Fabian de la Fuente joining us. Fabian is a six-time serial entrepreneur with a 33-year history in technology innovation, holding over 100 patents in software, electronics, and photovoltaics. He has led diverse teams on four continents and launched numerous technology products globally. As the Co-founder and CEO of Solaires Entreprises Inc., a Canadian cleantech company, he's pioneering the development of perovskite-based solar cells, aiming for higher efficiency and sustainability in solar energy. If you're wondering what it takes to build and scale and sell a business in the eco space, this episode is for you. ➡️ https://www.solaires.net/ ➡️ https://rosspalmer.com/fabian-de-la-fuente ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

What if a brain scan was a part of our regular checkup? What if we could detect and prevent diseases like dementia far in advance, with non-invasive tech? Something as simple as just putting on a bicycle helmet? Could we accelerate treatment discovery? Improve patient outcomes? And transform neuromedicine? Joining us today is the CEO of Kernel, a company based here in Los Angeles that is up to out-of-this world stuff. I was lucky enough to visit their offices, and their tech is truly game-changing. I’ve even tried it on! Ryan Field is an inventor with more than 20 granted US patents, and Kernel has received over $150 million in funding and counting. Buckle up for an awesome episode. ➡️ https://www.kernel.com/ ➡️ https://rosspalmer.com/ryan-field ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

Today's episode feels like pure science fiction. What is a digital twin? How could this help us make better and faster pharmaceuticals? And why is that important? We know that there is so much data about us and our bodies and soon, our brains. Is there a reality in which we can use data to remove human testing from the process of finding new drugs? How can we use machine learning and artificial intelligence to better understand the data that we have? If this feels like something with massive, profound implications for our future, you’re right. And I’ll be honest: I barely understand what any of this means. That’s why we’re lucky that joining me right now is Mike Loos, the Vice President of Solution Architecture at TetraScience, a tech/bio company with over 100 leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies as customers. ➡️ https://www.tetrascience.com/demo ➡️ https://rosspalmer.com/mike-loos ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

Tom Frazier is the co-founder and CEO of Redivider, a company that is making sustainable & responsible edge computing. But first, what is edge computing? You might not realize it, but every single device you use and every single platform you interact with is storing massive amounts of data somewhere. And the farther away from you physically these data centers are the more inefficient and unsustainable they become. Edge computing is the idea that we should keep the source of our data closer to where we're physically located, which is no easy task. In theory, this could help us be more sustainable, more efficient, and more secure in a world where our data is floating around everywhere, and can easily fall into the wrong hands. Now this is one of those subjects that is extremely timely, especially as we march headfirst into a future that is entirely digital. Redivider builds modular, smaller facilities, and diverse locations which enables faster data processing and increased to capacity, and they're also focused on improving sustainability, because their modular solutions are hydrogen powered. This episode falls into the category of something that humanity desperately needs, but we don't necessarily know we do yet, and that's why I'm so excited to share this conversation with you today. ➡️ https://www.redivider.co/ ➡️ https://rosspalmer.com/tom-frazier ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

Do you know those water bottles you've seen everywhere? Every single time you go to the airport, it seems like every single person has one? Well, it turns out that that's called the Hydro Flask, and it was invented by Travis Rosbach. Today we are going to discuss the unlikely journey and strange path of a true entrepreneur’s entrepreneur. Prior to founding his first company, Travis was a SCUBA dive master, a US Merchant Marine Boat Captain, and a commercial airline pilot in addition to being a world explorer. And yet somehow he ended up inventing what would go on to become one of the world’s most successful eco-friendly consumer products. He since sold that company and has helped countless others as an advisor, so his advice is something that we all should take very seriously. Brace yourself for truly enjoyable conversation with somebody I deeply respect. ➡️ https://www.travisrosbach.com/   ➡️ https://rosspalmer.com/travis-rosbach ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

Robin Simsa is the CEO of Revo Foods, the first company to sell 3D printed, vegan “salmon” filets – already available all over Europe. They're making 100% plant-based seafood to reduce overfishing and relieve pressure on our marine ecosystem. Robin himself has a PhD in biotech from the university of Gothenburg and Tufts University, and he was also nominated to Forbes 30 Under 30. 3D printing food is one of those exciting or terrifying ideas depending on your perspective, especially if “it's people!” is still ringing through your brain and you're worried about a Soylent Green future. However, I see technologies like this as a necessary step towards our evolution as a species, which is why I'm so excited about this episode and I'm not the only one; investors have already poured up to $400 million into alternative seafood start-ups in recent years, including over $7 million into Revo Foods. ➡️ https://revo-foods.com/ ➡️ https://rosspalmer.com/robin-simsa ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer