In conversation with Shahin Farshchi, Partner at Lux Capital, $7B DeepTech Fund Accelerating SciFI
Shahin has been investing in deeptech for about 20 years now and is an investor in companies like Planet, Zoox,
Timestamps:
00:00 - 00:52 – Intro
00:53 - 01:44 – The next American century
01:45 - 03:33 – Discussion on why "only the paranoid survive" and how a state of concern drives national prosperity and security.
03:34 - 05:43 – Perspectives on re-industrialization, emphasizing the alignment of incentives over simple deregulation to achieve national independence
05:44 - 07:15 – The role of robotics and automation as an economic platform for the physical world
07:16 - 08:52 – Automation's impact on employment, highlighting that automated economies historically have higher wages and better quality of life
08:53 - 11:10 – The emergence of robotics companies that lower the barrier to entry for smaller businesses through "robots as a service" models
11:11 - 12:59 – How technology democratizes specialized skills
13:00 - 17:41 – The history and growth of the Hill & Valley Forum as a bipartisan bridge between Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C.
17:42 - 19:18 – Advice for founders on engaging with policymakers early to help shape markets rather than reacting to regulation later
19:19 - 22:26 – Trends in aerospace and defense, and the expectation of new generational companies emerging from the current investment cycle
22:27 - 26:51 – A critique of the "dual-use" label, suggesting founders focus on building products that are 10x better regardless of the end customer
26:52 - 28:55 – Changed thesis on data centers in Space
28:56 - 29:43 – Closing thoughts