Sierra C on Quantum, AI, and Deep Tech Innovation

Dr. Sanjoy Paul rice joins AI Counsel Code host Margaret Welsh to break down what it really takes to move AI from research to real world deployment. He shares how Rice Nexus evaluates new AI startups, why the biggest failures come from people���not technology—and how guardrails and security need to be part of every stage of development. Dr. Paul also explains the changing landscape of AI research funding and why Houston’s deep domain expertise positions it as a rising AI powerhouse. Listen to our podcast here: https://lnkd.in/gEctZdXH

Judith Dada, General Partner at Visionaries Club, on why VC is a status-driven industry even without the effects of AI: "AI or VC is I think in many ways a very kind of status-driven industry, where working in VC has a certain status and kind of then backing the best founders also has a certain status." While she recommends Naval Ravikant's writing on status, which is one's position on the social hierarchy, Judith discusses whether the concept of status has changed within the age of AI. Check out the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/d-AeqkzQ OR by searching "Scaling Europe - Judith Dada and Visionaries Club" on Youtube or Spotify! The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel and sponsored by SurrealDB, Omni and Venture Comet LTD.

Google's VP of Global Startups just said something founders need to hear. "If you're really just counting on the back-end model to do all the work and you're almost white-labeling that model, the industry doesn't have a lot of patience for that anymore." That was Darren Mowry, head of Google's global startup organization, on TechCrunch's Equity podcast. February 2026. His words, not a prediction. A verdict. The examples he cited as survivors? Cursor. Harvey AI. Deep domain. Vertical specificity. Proprietary moats. Wrapping thin IP around GPT-5 or Gemini is no longer a differentiator. It is a check engine light. Build the moat. Not the skin.

RKS Family Professor of Computer Science and Vice Dean of Computing and Artificial Intelligence, Vishal Misra, joins the a16z podcast to discuss why simply scaling current AI models won’t solve AGI—using examples from his latest research on how LLMs actually work under the hood. Produced by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, the a16z podcast tackles the most important questions in technology with the people on the front lines building it. Watch the episode: https://bit.ly/4bKur7a

Listen to the a16z podcast episode with Columbia Engineering's Vice Dean of Computing and Artificial Intelligence, Vishal Misra, for insight into AGI.

Is #VentureCapital finally increasing effort to the physical world? 💸🤖 This #PhysicalAI Podcast recorded at the Physical AI Builders event during SXSW! this conversation features Anupam Govil (An angel investor, LP of multiple funds) and Thomas Miranda of Topline Ventures discussing the massive upswing in capital flowing into robotics, embodied AI, and hardware. For years, VC money heavily favored software and data centers, but the tide is turning. Here are the key takeaways: 🌍 Out of the Digital Closet: For decades, industrial robotics and AI developed on separate paths, but they are finally converging. Investors are thrilled to see AI emerge from software into the real world, navigating physics, fluid dynamics, and unsupervised environments. 💡 Evaluating Hardware vs. Software: Building a software MVP is relatively easy, but hardware startups face massive capital and prototyping hurdles. To get funded, VCs are looking for strong ecosystem partnerships, proof of concepts, and the use of digital twins to quickly simulate real-world applications without expensive physical prototypes. 🚀 Opportunities Beyond Humanoids: While general-purpose humanoids grab the headlines, investors see massive potential in specialized use cases. Hot sectors include supply chain logistics, commercial drones, space aviation, and healthcare—including AI-powered robotic companions that can monitor and converse with elderly patients. 🤠 The Rise of the Texas Ecosystem: Silicon Valley and the Boston corridor have historically dominated robotics, but Austin is rapidly becoming a powerhouse hub for Physical AI. Driven by a strong industrial base, edge compute partners, and a collaborative community, Texas is building the infrastructure needed to scale these hardware startups. If you are a founder building in the physical AI space or an investor looking for the next big hardware disruption, this panel is packed with actionable insights! Watch the full conversation below. 👇 #PhysicalAI #SXSW #VentureCapital #Robotics #HardwareStartups #Founders #SupplyChain #TechInvestment #AustinTech https://lnkd.in/gj6jvhHV

My talk on the rapid rise of Physical AI and Robotics at SXSW. AI is emerging from its Digital closet into the real world! Avasant #PhysicalAI #Robotics

Scottish Deep Tech Ecosystem A very interesting event kick-off event yesterday at STAC. The challenges of Deep Tech are well documented. See the graphic from Dealroom highlighting the greater levels of risk. As Mark Logan said yesterday "today's deep tech. is tomorrows normal". I realised that my first ever design role was in a Deep Tech business founded in 1971 - Druck Ltd. A pressure sensing business based in Leicester, fully vertically integrated manufacturing by the mid 1990s (my era) and aquired by GE in 2002 for £229m. Importantly this business Scaled & Anchored in the region and the HQ remains in Groby, Leicester today. For me the important learning is the core FOCUS - "pressure sensing technology" allowing the business to become a global leader in this domain, their chosen field. In the event we discussed supporting deep technology businesses to "Anchor & Scale" in Scotland and my reminiscing above provides a practical example of this for a physical technology / product based company. It's clear from the event Scotland has a strong pipeline of DeepTech start-ups. The ambition being Anchor & Scale building manufacturing in Scotland. The support program is evaluating MRL and CRL for the start-ups involved. This comprehensive assessment is vital in identifying those gaps where risks and critical decisions lie ahead. My Key Takeways - Rapid Learning Cycles is a framework that could be hugely beneficial to support decision making in the Deep-Tech sector. - Failure will likely be often before finally success. So frameworks on "Failure" and how to fail intelligently is so important. - People will be a critical success factor. Working on and promoting a"geek" culture of Science / Ownership / Speed & Openness may well be extremely useful.

Is Physical world finally attracting attentions of #VentureCapital 💸🤖 This #PhysicalAI Podcast recorded at the Physical AI Builders event during SXSW! Moderated by managing partner David Cao, with Anupam Govil and Thomas Miranda of Topline Ventures For years, VC money heavily favored software and data centers, but the tide is turning. Here are the key takeaways from the panel on what investors are looking for in the era of Physical AI: 🌍 Out of the Digital Closet: For decades, industrial robotics and AI developed on separate paths, but they are finally converging. Investors are thrilled to see AI emerge from software into the real world, navigating physics, fluid dynamics, and unsupervised environments. 💡 Evaluating Hardware vs. Software: Building a software MVP is relatively easy, but hardware startups face massive capital and prototyping hurdles. To get funded, VCs are looking for strong ecosystem partnerships, proof of concepts, and the use of digital twins to quickly simulate real-world applications without expensive physical prototypes. 🚀 Opportunities Beyond Humanoids: While general-purpose humanoids grab the headlines, investors see massive potential in specialized use cases. Hot sectors include supply chain logistics, commercial drones, space aviation, and healthcare—including AI-powered robotic companions that can monitor and converse with elderly patients. 🤠 The Rise of the Texas Ecosystem: Silicon Valley and the Boston corridor have historically dominated robotics, but Austin is rapidly becoming a powerhouse hub for Physical AI. Driven by a strong industrial base, edge compute partners, and a collaborative community, Texas is building the infrastructure needed to scale these hardware startups. If you are a founder building in the physical AI space or an investor looking for the next big hardware disruption, this panel is packed with actionable insights! Watch the full conversation below. 👇 #PhysicalAI #SXSW #VentureCapital #Robotics #HardwareStartups #Founders #SupplyChain #TechInvestment #AustinTech https://lnkd.in/g7nTA7wB

Is #PhysicalAI more sexy than before for #VentureCapital 💸🤖 This investor talk #PhysicalAI Podcast recorded at the Physical AI Builders event during SXSW! Moderated by managing partner David Cao, with Anupam Govil and Thomas Miranda of Topline Ventures Here are the key takeaways: 🌍 Out of the Digital Closet: For decades, industrial robotics and AI developed on separate paths, but they are finally converging. Investors are thrilled to see AI emerge from software into the real world, navigating physics, fluid dynamics, and unsupervised environments. 💡 Evaluating Hardware vs. Software: Building a software MVP is relatively easy, but hardware startups face massive capital and prototyping hurdles. To get funded, VCs are looking for strong ecosystem partnerships, proof of concepts, and the use of digital twins to quickly simulate real-world applications without expensive physical prototypes. 🚀 Opportunities Beyond Humanoids: While general-purpose humanoids grab the headlines, investors see massive potential in specialized use cases. Hot sectors include supply chain logistics, commercial drones, space aviation, and healthcare—including AI-powered robotic companions that can monitor and converse with elderly patients. 🤠 The Rise of the Texas Ecosystem: Silicon Valley and the Boston corridor have historically dominated robotics, but Austin is rapidly becoming a powerhouse hub for Physical AI. Driven by a strong industrial base, edge compute partners, and a collaborative community, Texas is building the infrastructure needed to scale these hardware startups. If you are a founder building in the physical AI space or an investor looking for the next big hardware disruption, this panel is packed with actionable insights! Watch the full conversation below. 👇 #PhysicalAI #SXSW #VentureCapital #Robotics #HardwareStartups #Founders #SupplyChain #TechInvestment #AustinTech https://lnkd.in/g7nTA7wB