The Frontier State Podcast: Venture Capital, Innovation Policy & DeepTech
The Frontier State Podcast: Venture Capital, Innovation Policy & DeepTech
Podcast Description
Two Harvard researchers - Ira Jackson and Tushar Kanade - talk about the 'frontier state of things' in cutting-edge technologies and businesses and the frontier 'states' (Boston, NYC, Silicon Valley as well as India, Japan, Germany etc.) pioneering innovation and enterprise. Collectively, we interview trailblazers advancing innovation in USA, across public policy (Wasington-led IRA, ARPA-E), venture capital (first-time VCs to veterans from SoftBank), and disruptive technologies (nuclear fusion to AI). thefrontierstate.substack.com
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast explores themes of innovation ecosystems, public policy, and emerging technologies, featuring discussions about nonprofit accelerators, climate policy leadership, and advanced technologies such as compact nuclear fusion and brain-computer interfaces, with episodes diving into topics like the economic imperative of climate action and the role of accelerators in fostering startup growth.
Two Harvard researchers – Ira Jackson and Tushar Kanade – talk about the ‘frontier state of things’ in cutting-edge technologies and businesses and the frontier ‘states’ (Boston, NYC, Silicon Valley as well as India, Japan, Germany etc.) pioneering innovation and enterprise. Collectively, we interview trailblazers advancing innovation in USA, across public policy (Washington-led IRA, ARPA-E), venture capital (first-time VCs to veterans from SoftBank), and disruptive technologies (nuclear fusion to AI).
Excited to announce the new season of The Frontier State podcast at Harvard University, debuting this week!Interviewed throughout 2025, we will release full episodes over the next few weeks exclusively on Substack.The Summer ’25 drop includes 7 conversations with builders, investors, & thinkers – at the frontier.First up: Ravi Jain (ex-CTO, Project Tapestry, GoogleX, The Moonshot Factory ) on “the Google Maps for the Electric Grid” – stay tuned for the episode drop this week!Among others, this season will include: – Jason Shuman (General Partner, Primary Venture Partners): Day-0 signals that predict seed winners in Vertical AI- Philip Johnston (Starcloud / Y Combinator S24): Space-based data centers – hype vs physics- Amy Duffuor (Co-Founder & General Partner, Azolla Ventures): Climate seed investing without the fluff- Oluseun Taiwo (CEO, Solideon, ex-Virgin Orbit): Autonomous manufacturing – Jay Ash (Ex-Housing & Econ. Development Secretary, Commonwealth of Massachusetts & President, Massachusetts Competitive Partnership): Compete-to-build playbook- Emily Knight (CEO, The Engine Accelerator, an MIT spin-off): The systems that move lab→marketAt The Frontier State, Ira Jackson and I will continue covering: – 21st Century frameworks of innovation, – the growth of cities and radical technologies, and – the equitable ways civilization can fund new economies.
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