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Author: Sourcery with Molly O'Shea

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Interviews with the top VCs & Founders leading the next tech innovation cycle.
82 Episodes
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Factory just raised a $50M Series B from NEA, Sequoia Capital, NVIDIA, and JPMorgan, alongside angels like Frank Slootman, Nikesh Arora, and Aaron Levie. The company is pioneering agent-native development with its flagship “Droids” — autonomous software engineering agents that can handle everything from migrations and refactors to testing, documentation, and incident response.In this Sourcery interview, Factory CEO & Co-Founder Matan Grinberg shares the journey from studying string theory at Berkeley to building one of the fastest-growing AI infrastructure companies in Silicon Valley. He explains why the shift from autocomplete to delegation is the most fundamental change in software development since the move to the cloud, and how Factory achieved real traction with Fortune 500 enterprises like EY, Nvidia, MongoDB, Zapier, Bayer, and Clari.Brought to you by:• Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, & travel.As a Sourcery Listener you get: 75,000 points after spending $3,000 on Brex card(s), white-glove onboarding, $5,000 in AWS credits, $2,500 in OpenAI credits, & access to $180k+ in SaaS discounts. On top of $500 toward Brex travel, $300 in cashback, plus exclusive perks (like billboards..) visit → https://brex.com/sourcery• Turing—Turing delivers top-tier talent, data, and tools to help AI labs improve model performance—and enables enterprises to turn those models into powerful, production-ready systems. Visit: https://turing.com/sourcery• Carta—Carta connects founders, investors, and limited partners through software purpose-built for private capital. Trusted by 65,000+ companies in 160+ countries, Carta’s platform of software & services lays the groundwork so you can build, invest, and scale with confidence. Visit: carta.com/sourcery• Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourceryFollow Sourcery for the latest updates!https://www.sourcery.vc/
Keith Rabois, Opendoor ($OPEN) co-founder & newly appointed Board Chair, Managing Director at Khosla Ventures, & a core member of the PayPal Mafia, joins Sourcery for a masterclass on talent, culture, and contrarian thinking. “You don't want to be the best in the world at what you do. You want to be the only one who does what you do.” Paraphrasing Jerry Garcia, The Grateful DeadHe shares how he scouts extraordinary individuals, why every successful startup begins as a cult, and the frameworks he’s developed to simplify complex problems into actionable advice. From the Barrels & Ammunition metaphor to building Olympian-level work cultures, Keith reflects on lessons from PayPal, Square, Opendoor, and Khosla. We also dive into his takes on stress, sleep, and performance, his potential book, and why he believes venture capital is the best job for the intellectually curious.Book Recommendations:• Upside of Stress• High Output Management• The Score Takes Care of Itself1. Keith Rabois: https://x.com/rabois2. Molly O’Shea: ⁠https://x.com/MollySOShea⁠3. Sourcery: ⁠https://x.com/sourceryvc⁠Brought to you by:• Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, & travel.As a Sourcery Listener you get: 75,000 points after spending $3,000 on Brex card(s), white-glove onboarding, $5,000 in AWS credits, $2,500 in OpenAI credits, & access to $180k+ in SaaS discounts. On top of $500 toward Brex travel, $300 in cashback, plus exclusive perks (like billboards..) visit → https://brex.com/sourcery• Turing—Turing delivers top-tier talent, data, and tools to help AI labs improve model performance—and enables enterprises to turn those models into powerful, production-ready systems. Visit: https://turing.com/sourcery• Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourceryFollow Sourcery for the latest updates!https://www.sourcery.vc/
Keith Rabois, Opendoor ($OPEN) co-founder & newly appointed Board Chair, Managing Director at Khosla Ventures, and a core member of the PayPal Mafia, joins Sourcery to discuss the activist turnaround being led at Opendoor.Opendoor just named former Shopify executive Kaz Nejatian as CEO, with Rabois returning to reshape the company’s cost structure and culture. In his words to CNBC: “There’s 1,400 employees at Opendoor. I don’t know what most of them do. We don’t need more than 200 of them.” He says the business must slash its workforce by as much as 85% to achieve long-term viability.The announcement sent Opendoor stock soaring 78% in a single day before retreating 13% the next — still up nearly 500% year-to-date, fueled by retail investors and hedge fund manager Eric Jackson’s campaign.In this conversation, Rabois breaks down:- Why he returned to Opendoor as Chairman & what went wrong.- The decision to appoint Kaz Nejatian as CEO & why the right CEO changes everything.- How AI will be the biggest unlock in making housing transactions faster, cheaper, & more affordable.- The long-term mission to transform a $289 trillion real estate market.- Lessons from PayPal, Square, and decades of building & backing companies at scale.Brought to you by:• Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, & travel.As a Sourcery Listener you get: 75,000 points after spending $3,000 on Brex card(s), white-glove onboarding, $5,000 in AWS credits, $2,500 in OpenAI credits, & access to $180k+ in SaaS discounts. On top of $500 toward Brex travel, $300 in cashback, plus exclusive perks (like billboards..) visit → https://brex.com/sourcery• Turing—Turing delivers top-tier talent, data, and tools to help AI labs improve model performance—and enables enterprises to turn those models into powerful, production-ready systems. Visit: https://turing.com/sourcery• Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourceryFollow Sourcery for the latest updates!https://www.sourcery.vc/Chapters: (00:00) Keith Rabois(01:49) Why Keith returned to Opendoor as Chairman(03:28) Appointing Kaz Nejatian as CEO & why leadership is everything(07:57) Activist turnaround playbook: talent, cost cuts, innovation(09:41) What went wrong — interest rates, cost structure, & cycles(13:09) AI as the biggest unlock for housing transactions(15:08) The “Buy It Now” button for homes(17:06) Why selling a home is broken — how Opendoor fixes it(22:09) Why DC is becoming a hub for tech founders
Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski joins Sourcery on the eve of their IPO to share the ultimate comeback story — from billion-dollar losses to profit, the hard layoffs, the AI rebuild, and why he let employees lead the charge with new tools. Recorded at the NYSE, this might be the best Sourcery interview to date.We cover how Klarna balances playful branding — pink logos, surreal fish ads, and Snoop Dogg collaborations — with serious technology that powers 111M users and global expansion. Sebastian also addresses misconceptions: Klarna isn’t just “buy now, pay later,” but a full challenger to the $1.2T U.S. credit card market.He explains why Klarna’s business model protects them in recessions, how AI is transforming culture and efficiency, and what he gets out of coding himself at night with Cursor. A company equal parts meme factory and trillion-dollar contender, this was so much fun.1. Sebastian Siemiatkowski: https://x.com/klarnaseb 2. Molly O’Shea: ⁠https://x.com/MollySOShea⁠3. Sourcery: ⁠https://x.com/sourceryvc⁠Brought to you by:• Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, & travel.As a Sourcery Listener you get: 75,000 points after spending $3,000 on Brex card(s), white-glove onboarding, $5,000 in AWS credits, $2,500 in OpenAI credits, & access to $180k+ in SaaS discounts. On top of $500 toward Brex travel, $300 in cashback, plus exclusive perks (like billboards..) visit → https://brex.com/sourcery• Turing—Turing delivers top-tier talent, data, and tools to help AI labs improve model performance—and enables enterprises to turn those models into powerful, production-ready systems. Visit: https://turing.com/sourcery• Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourceryFollow Sourcery for the latest updates!https://www.sourcery.vc/
EXCLUSIVE: Quantum’s SpaceX Moment? Ashlee Vance on PsiQuantum’s MoonshotCore Memory creator, Silicon Valley’s Science Expert, & once–quantum skeptic Ashlee Vance sits down with PsiQuantum’s Co-Founder & CSO Pete Shadbolt for a candid, wide-ranging conversation.After touring PsiQuantum’s secretive labs—more than five years after first covering the company—Ashlee found his skepticism shaken, likening PsiQuantum’s ongoing uphill climb to SpaceX’s decade-long, near-death march toward liftoff. Pete reveals why mission, mindset, and his mantra “always be impressive” are non-negotiables for a team attempting a moonshot that may take years to fully realize.If PsiQuantum succeeds, this may be remembered as the conversation where skeptics began to believe.1. Pete Shadbolt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pete-shadbolt-4b7541126/2. Ashlee Vance: https://x.com/ashleevance3. Molly O’Shea: ⁠https://x.com/MollySOShea⁠4. Sourcery: ⁠https://x.com/sourceryvc⁠Brought to you by:• Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, & travel.As a Sourcery Listener you get: 75,000 points after spending $3,000 on Brex card(s), white-glove onboarding, $5,000 in AWS credits, $2,500 in OpenAI credits, & access to $180k+ in SaaS discounts. On top of $500 toward Brex travel, $300 in cashback, plus exclusive perks (like billboards..) visit → https://brex.com/sourcery• Turing—Turing delivers top-tier talent, data, and tools to help AI labs improve model performance—and enables enterprises to turn those models into powerful, production-ready systems. Visit: https://turing.com/sourcery• Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourceryFollow Sourcery for the latest updates!https://www.sourcery.vc/Chapters: (00:00) Intro: Molly welcomes Pete & Ashlee(00:53) Ashlee’s history covering quantum since 2007(03:11) What makes PsiQuantum different(05:11) Touring PsiQuantum labs: hardware challenges & scale(07:20) Why Ashlee trusted PsiQuantum’s story(08:43) Pete: “Come and see the wafers”(10:23) The academic → startup culture gap in quantum(13:24) Ashlee’s “mind palace” shoot in chaotic engineer’s office(16:12) How PsiQuantum keeps its team motivated for a decade-long mission(17:02) Apollo 11 as a model for focus & alignment(20:01) Pete’s management mantra: “Always be impressive”(20:25) The mud-slinging problem in quantum pitches(22:51) Hardware timelines: SpaceX as a 10–15 year lesson(24:47) Closing reflections: Quantum’s future and PsiQuantum’s place in history
Pete Shadbolt, Chief Scientific Officer & Co-Founder of PsiQuantum, unpacks the company’s landmark $1 billion Series E, bringing total funding to nearly $2 billion & valuing the company at $7 billion. Backed by BlackRock, Temasek, Baillie Gifford, and Nvidia’s venture arm, PsiQuantum is doubling down on its radical bet: you need 1 million qubits to unlock useful quantum computing.Shadbolt explains why PsiQuantum rejected incrementalism, how the partnership with Nvidia and Jensen Huang strengthens the roadmap, and why quantum is positioned as the next wave of compute alongside AI and semiconductors. From photonic chip breakthroughs to government partnerships in Australia and Illinois, this is a rare inside look at the company leading the race to build the world’s first fault-tolerant quantum computers.Previous lead investors include: Playground Global and Redpoint led the Series A in 2016, Founders Fund led the Series B in 2017, Atomico and M12 led the Series C in 2019, and BlackRock led the Series D in 2021.5 Key Takeaways• PsiQuantum closed a $1B Series E, bringing total funding to nearly $2B• Investors include BlackRock, Temasek, Baillie Gifford, Macquarie, Nvidia (NVentures), Ribbit Capital, QIA,1789 Capital & more• PsiQuantum is committed to an “N of 1 Million Qubits” strategy—skipping demos to build at scale• Nvidia and Jensen Huang are strategic partners, collaborating on GPU-QPU integration, algorithms, and photonics• PsiQuantum’s valuation hit $7B, making it the most well-funded quantum company in the world1. Pete Shadbolt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pete-shadbolt-4b7541126/2. Molly O’Shea: ⁠https://x.com/MollySOShea⁠3. Sourcery: ⁠https://x.com/sourceryvc⁠Brought to you by:• Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, & travel.As a Sourcery Listener you get: 75,000 points after spending $3,000 on Brex card(s), white-glove onboarding, $5,000 in AWS credits, $2,500 in OpenAI credits, & access to $180k+ in SaaS discounts. On top of $500 toward Brex travel, $300 in cashback, plus exclusive perks (like billboards..) visit → https://brex.com/sourcery• Turing—Turing delivers top-tier talent, data, and tools to help AI labs improve model performance—and enables enterprises to turn those models into powerful, production-ready systems. Visit: https://turing.com/sourcery• Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourceryFollow Sourcery for the latest updates!https://www.sourcery.vc/(00:00:00) Intro and Recent Funding(00:02:29) Building PsiQuantum: From UK to Silicon Valley(00:03:55) Investment Strategy and Deep Tech Focus(00:05:35) PsiQuantum's Differentiation: Going Big from Day One(00:07:03) Rejecting Incrementalism for Large-Scale Vision(00:09:13) The Rocket Engine Analogy(00:10:59) Timeline Debates and NVIDIA Partnership(00:15:36) Global Manufacturing and Facilities(00:20:21) Path to Becoming a Trillion Dollar Company(00:23:32) Revenue Model and Commercialization Strategy(00:27:53) Working with Global Foundries(00:31:27) Quantum Computing's Role in Semiconductor Industry(00:38:28) Public Trust and Government Validation(00:45:49) The Reality of Quantum Computing Valuations(00:53:12) Zero to One Technology Approach(01:00:19) Global Facilities and Infrastructure(01:09:03) Reindustrialization and Strategic Importance(01:34:02) Personal Journey and Vision(01:44:23) Timeline for Useful Quantum Computing(01:53:54) Looking Ahead: Next Steps and Future Vision
Ashlee Vance, best known as Elon Musk’s biographer, and now the creator of Core Memory, a frontier podcast and video series exploring space, science, and technology, joins Sourcery for a fun behind-the-scenes (BTS) on his most high profile guests.We talk about why Ashlee shifted from journalist to founder, his vision for Core Memory, and the guests who have defined the show — including Palmer Luckey, Bryan Johnson, and Priscilla Chan. Ashlee also reflects on his relationship with Elon Musk and the lessons he’s learned from him on persistence, prioritization, and relentless focus. Notable Guests:• Palmer Luckey (Anduril founder)• Bryan Johnson (Kernel, Blueprint, Don’t Die)• Priscilla Chan (Chan Zuckerberg Initiative)Connect with us:1. Ashlee Vance: https://x.com/ashleevance2. Molly O’Shea: ⁠https://x.com/MollySOShea⁠3. Sourcery: ⁠https://x.com/sourceryvc⁠Brought to you by:• Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, & travel.As a Sourcery Listener you get: 75,000 points after spending $3,000 on Brex card(s), white-glove onboarding, $5,000 in AWS credits, $2,500 in OpenAI credits, & access to $180k+ in SaaS discounts. On top of $500 toward Brex travel, $300 in cashback, plus exclusive perks (like billboards..) visit → https://brex.com/sourcery• Turing—Turing delivers top-tier talent, data, and tools to help AI labs improve model performance—and enables enterprises to turn those models into powerful, production-ready systems. Visit: https://turing.com/sourcery• Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourceryFollow Sourcery for the latest updates!https://www.sourcery.vc/
Adam Goldstein (CEO of Archer), Billy Thalheimer (CEO of REGENT), and Mitch Lee (CEO of Arc) join Molly O’Shea to talk flying cars, flying boats, and the electrification of air & sea travel. Archer is scaling its Midnight aircraft for urban air taxis and defense applications; REGENT is launching high-speed seagliders that combine boats and planes; and Arc is bringing electrification to boats. From winning FAA support and building factories in Georgia and Rhode Island to preparing for the LA 2028 Olympics and contested logistics in the Indo-Pacific, these founders share how they’re creating entirely new transportation categories. 1. Adam Goldstein: https://x.com/adamgoldstein132. Billy Thalheimer: https://x.com/billythalheimer3. Mitch Lee: https://x.com/dontmitch4. Molly O’Shea: ⁠https://x.com/MollySOShea⁠5. Sourcery: ⁠https://x.com/sourceryvc⁠Brought to you by:• Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, & travel.As a Sourcery Listener you get: 75,000 points after spending $3,000 on Brex card(s), white-glove onboarding, $5,000 in AWS credits, $2,500 in OpenAI credits, & access to $180k+ in SaaS discounts. On top of $500 toward Brex travel, $300 in cashback, plus exclusive perks (like billboards..) visit → https://brex.com/sourcery• Turing—Turing delivers top-tier talent, data, and tools to help AI labs improve model performance—and enables enterprises to turn those models into powerful, production-ready systems. Visit: https://turing.com/sourcery• Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourceryFollow Sourcery for the latest updates!https://www.sourcery.vc/Chapters:(00:00) CEOs of Archer, REGENT, Arc Boats(02:16) Archer(03:21) FAA's New Category & Industrialization(04:39) Market Potential & Scaling Challenges(11:19) Midnight Aircraft & Safety Innovations(20:16) Commercial & Defense Partnerships(29:30) REGENT(38:09) Revolutionizing Coastal Transportation(38:47) Navigating Regulatory Challenges(40:51) Mastering Waves & Weather(43:52) Innovations in Manufacturing(45:53) Future of Maritime & Aviation(52:09) Arc Boats(53:48) Reindustrializing the Boating Industry(01:03:43) AI & the Future of Boating
*WARNING* Alex Cohen has one of the wildest founder journeys in tech. Fired by over 11 companies—including Elon Musk’s X, Meta, CrowdStrike, and even Wendy’s—he’s now the founder and CEO of Hello Patient, an AI platform transforming how healthcare practices engage with patients.In this conversation, Alex and Molly O’Shea dive into his underdog story, the viral parody videos that turned heads across the Valley, his 220k+ X following, why storytelling is the ultimate founder superpower, and yes, shares his latest experiments with peptides... Which all leads to Alex announcing Hello Patient’s $22.5M Series A led by Scale Venture Partners, with continued support from 8VC, Bling Capital, Max Ventures, and Remus Capital. Building the future of conversational AI in healthcare.Hello Patient builds conversational AI agents that handle patient-facing workflows across phone, text, and web chat. Instead of patients waiting on hold, missing appointments, or navigating clunky portals, Hello Patient automates scheduling, reminders, follow-ups, and inbound calls. The system is already deployed across urgent care, ENT, behavioral health, med spas, and primary care, giving clinics 24/7 coverage while reducing missed calls and boosting patient satisfaction. With staffing shortages across the healthcare industry, Hello Patient steps in as the digital front desk—scalable, HIPAA-compliant, and deeply integrated with practice management systems.Highlights• The Underdog Story: Alex was fired 11 times before founding Hello Patient, a history that fuels his authenticity and self-deprecating humor.• Parody as Marketing: Launch videos parodying Humane and Sam Altman/Jony Ive weren’t gimmicks—they were strategic brand moments that drove massive inbound traction.• Fundraising Success: Hello Patient raised a $22.5M Series A led by Scale Venture Partners, with participation from 8VC, Bling Capital, Max Ventures, and others.• Healthcare AI Impact: Hello Patient powers omnichannel patient engagement—calls, texts, and chatbots—for urgent care, ENT, mental health, med spas, and more, solving staffing shortages and missed appointments.• The X Factor: With 220k+ followers, Alex’s shitposting persona is more than comedy—it’s storytelling that gives him investor access, customer inbound, and cultural relevance1. Alex Cohen: https://x.com/anothercohen2. Molly O’Shea: ⁠https://x.com/MollySOShea⁠3. Sourcery: ⁠https://x.com/sourceryvc⁠Brought to you by:• Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, & travel.As a Sourcery Listener you get: 75,000 points after spending $3,000 on Brex card(s), white-glove onboarding, $5,000 in AWS credits, $2,500 in OpenAI credits, & access to $180k+ in SaaS discounts. On top of $500 toward Brex travel, $300 in cashback, plus exclusive perks (like billboards..) visit → https://brex.com/sourcery• Turing—Turing delivers top-tier talent, data, and tools to help AI labs improve model performance—and enables enterprises to turn those models into powerful, production-ready systems. Visit: https://turing.com/sourcery• Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourceryFollow Sourcery for the latest updates!https://www.sourcery.vc/Chapters: (00:00) Underdog Story(01:40) Getting Fired 11 Times(02:38) Creating the Launch Video Parody(03:32) Recreating Sam Altman's Look(06:01) Reviewing Past Company Firings(10:41) Transition from Carbon Health to Hello Patient(13:02) Series A Fundraising Process(14:35) Storytelling, Social Media & Fundraising(30:03) Company Growth & Metrics(31:55) Technical Stack & AI Partnerships(38:08) Team and Hiring(41:53) Deep Dive into Peptides(46:23) Discussion on Weight Loss Peptides(50:36) American Food System & Health(53:03) Predictions on Jony Ive & Sam Altman's Device
Patrick McGee, author of Apple in China: The Capture of the World’s Greatest Company, joins Molly O’Shea to unpack his latest bestseller. McGee explains how Apple, once days away from bankruptcy, was saved by Tim Cook’s decision to move manufacturing to China. Tim Cook’s nearly trillion-dollar bet created the most advanced supply chain in history — and left Apple geopolitically captured. From Foxconn’s factory floors to Beijing’s political leverage, McGee shares how Apple’s growth empowered China’s rise as a global tech superpower.Putting numbers behind it, Tim Cook, had pledged $275 billion in new investment to China — more than the U.S. CHIPS Act and equal to two Marshall Plans. Since the launch of the iPhone, Apple’s cumulative investment in China is estimated at over $800 billion. To sustain this scale, Apple engineers trained millions of Chinese workers and thousands of suppliers, building the very ecosystem that now powers Huawei, Xiaomi, and other rivals. Despite Apple’s iconic status, the iPhone has never commanded more than 20% of global market share, while Chinese competitors, leveraging the supply chains Apple helped create, now control more than 55%.McGee argues that Apple isn’t exploiting China — it’s China exploiting Apple. With a labor pool of 350 million floating workers, harsh conditions inside Foxconn factories, and unyielding pressure, Apple has been locked into an environment it cannot escape. Tim Cook’s operational brilliance may have rescued Apple from bankruptcy, but it also created a supply chain that China now firmly controls.Connect with us:1. Patrick McGee: https://x.com/PatrickMcGee_ 2. Molly O’Shea: ⁠https://x.com/MollySOShea⁠3. Sourcery: ⁠https://x.com/sourceryvc⁠Brought to you by:• Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, & travel.As a Sourcery Listener you get: 75,000 points after spending $3,000 on Brex card(s), white-glove onboarding, $5,000 in AWS credits, $2,500 in OpenAI credits, & access to $180k+ in SaaS discounts. On top of $500 toward Brex travel, $300 in cashback, plus exclusive perks (like billboards..) visit → https://brex.com/sourcery• Turing—Turing delivers top-tier talent, data, and tools to help AI labs improve model performance—and enables enterprises to turn those models into powerful, production-ready systems. Visit: https://turing.com/sourcery• Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourcery• Fourthwall—The #1 way to sell merch online — Fourthwall is the easiest way to launch a fully branded merch store—used by big brands like MKBHD, Acquired, & even the Smithsonian. 100+ products. No upfront cost. Visit Fourthwall to start today: https://fourthwall.com/Follow Sourcery for the latest updates!https://www.sourcery.vc/Chapters: (00:00) Tim Cook’s Supply Chain Blind Spot(02:15) Apple’s Wake-Up Call(04:30) The $275B Pledge to China(08:00) Why Apple Moved(10:15) Training Millions: Apple Builds China’s Workforce(13:00) Inside Foxconn: Harsh Realities of Production(17:00) How Apple Helped Create Its Rivals(18:30) Chess vs. Go: Apple’s Capture Explained(21:00) Can Ive & Altman Compete Outside China?(23:30) Apple’s Future: Over $800B Invested, No Exit
In just over a decade, The Thiel Fellowship has produced more than $750B* in value creation, with a ​13.79% unicorn hit rate. Fellows launched some of the most important companies of the 21st century — Vitalik Buterin’s Ethereum, Dylan Field’s Figma, Lucy Guo’s Scale AI, Ritesh Agarwal’s OYO, Laura Deming’s Longevity Fund, and more. In this episode, Danielle Strachman, a Founding architect of the Thiel Fellowship, shares the inside story behind the radical program born out of Peter Thiel’s Thiel Foundation that gave $100K to teenagers willing to drop out of school and build. She reveals the contrarian traits they looked for in founders, and the lessons she learned from working closely with Thiel, whose first-principles thinking shaped the program. Now as co-founder of 1517 Fund, Danielle is scaling that same ethos — backing dropouts and sci-fi scientists at the earliest stages. This is the story of how a contrarian $100K bet on young people rewired Silicon Valley and continues to shape the future of education & entrepreneurship. "What important truth do very few people agree with you on?" P.S. Competition is for losers. Connect with us: ​ Danielle Strachman: https://x.com/DStrachman ​ Molly O’Shea: ⁠https://x.com/MollySOShea⁠ ​ Sourcery: ⁠https://x.com/sourceryvc⁠Brought to you by: ​Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, & travel. As a Sourcery Listener you get: 75,000 points after spending $3,000 on Brex card(s), white-glove onboarding, $5,000 in AWS credits, $2,500 in OpenAI credits, & access to $180k+ in SaaS discounts. On top of $500 toward Brex travel, $300 in cashback, plus exclusive perks (like billboards..) visit → https://brex.com/sourcery ​Turing—Turing delivers top-tier talent, data, and tools to help AI labs improve model performance—and enables enterprises to turn those models into powerful, production-ready systems. Visit: https://turing.com/sourcery ​Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourcery ​Fourthwall—The #1 way to sell merch online — Fourthwall is the easiest way to launch a fully branded merch store—used by big brands like MKBHD, Acquired, & even the Smithsonian. 100+ products. No upfront cost. Visit Fourthwall to start today: https://fourthwall.com/ Follow Sourcery for the latest updates! https://www.sourcery.vc/(00:00) Thiel Fellowship(01:10) $750B+ Outcomes: Ethereum, Figma, Scale AI, OYO(08:32) The Contrarian Question(15:00) The Fellowship: $100K, No School, Radical Freedom(19:00) Media Backlash, Cultural Criticism, & Dropping Out(26:45) Cultural Impact and Future Vision(33:02) Is Peter Thiel Evil?(37:41) How The Fellowship Reshaped Venture’s View of Young Founders(39:10) Key Traits That Predict Success(45:10) Founding 1517 Fund: Scaling The Fellowship Model(52:52) The Next Wave: Dropouts, Sci-Fi Scientists, & Direct Patronage(55:30) The Rise of Alpha School: AI-Based Education
With $10B+ in AUM, Altimeter has made their largest bet in its history on OpenAI. Known for disciplined bets in generational companies like Snowflake, SpaceX, Anduril — and now OpenAI, the firm is now fully committed to the AI supercycle.In this episode, Apoorv Agrawal, Partner at Altimeter focused on AI and software, joins Molly O’Shea to break down how the firm evaluates opportunities in the AI supercycle. Apoorv explains why power laws govern venture returns, how Altimeter evaluated the $500B+ OpenAI opportunity, and why speed is the only defensible moat in AI.We also explore the AI talent wars reshaping Silicon Valley, the rise of XBOW (where AI agents are already outperforming humans), and lessons from Apoorv’s formative years as a forward deployed engineer at Palantir — a culture that has produced billions in founder-led value creation.For institutional investors, allocators, and operators, this conversation offers a rare inside look at how one of the sharpest minds in venture is positioning around AI — from infrastructure and chips to applications and talent.Connect with us:1. Apoorv Agrawal: https://x.com/apoorv032. Molly O’Shea: ⁠https://x.com/MollySOShea⁠3. Sourcery: ⁠https://x.com/sourceryvc⁠Brought to you by:• Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, & travel.As a Sourcery Listener you get: 75,000 points after spending $3,000 on Brex card(s), white-glove onboarding, $5,000 in AWS credits, $2,500 in OpenAI credits, & access to $180k+ in SaaS discounts. On top of $500 toward Brex travel, $300 in cashback, plus exclusive perks (like billboards..) visit → https://brex.com/sourcery• Turing—Turing delivers top-tier talent, data, and tools to help AI labs improve model performance—and enables enterprises to turn those models into powerful, production-ready systems. Visit: https://turing.com/sourcery• Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourcery• Fourthwall—The #1 way to sell merch online — Fourthwall is the easiest way to launch a fully branded merch store—used by big brands like MKBHD, Acquired, & even the Smithsonian. 100+ products. No upfront cost. Visit Fourthwall to start today: https://fourthwall.com/Follow Sourcery for the latest updates!https://www.sourcery.vc/Chapters: (00:00) Welcome & Altimeter’s $10B+ AUM strategy(01:57) Why Altimeter concentrated its largest investment ever in OpenAI(04:45) The power law in venture capital: why 0.3% of companies drive 99% of returns(09:25) Consumer adoption of ChatGPT & enterprise spillover(12:08) Velocity: Why speed is the ultimate moat in AI(14:18) Parasocial relationships with ChatGPT(19:29) Adoption curves: raising the ceiling vs. raising the floor(23:30) Defining AGI & DOOM(25:40) GPT-5 release: volatility, iteration, & anti-fragility(32:00) XBOW AI: When AI becomes the world’s top hacker(38:22) Where AI value accrues — chips, infrastructure, or applications(42:50) The billion-dollar talent wars & Meta’s AI strategy(44:12) Palantir’s billion-dollar FDE culture(50:10) Lessons from Shyam Sankar & Alex Karp(53:52) Evaluating founder performance & IPO readiness in today’s market(55:36) IPO Predictions: Klarna, Discord, Databricks, Cerebras, Anduril
With $6B+ in AUM, 8VC has taken a different approach to venture capital: instead of just funding startups, they also build them.Founding Partner Drew Oetting joins Sourcery to unpack 8VC’s infamous “Build” Program, where nearly 30% of the fund’s capital goes into companies they co-found. With a track record of creating 28 companies—including Affinity, Saronic, Epirus, and Resilience—alongside massive outcomes like Palantir ($370B), Addepar (Managing $7T+), and OpenGov ($1.8B acquisition), 8VC’s DNA is centered around building (*ehem Joe Lonsdale*).In this episode, we dive into:• How 8VC identifies opportunities worth building in-house• Why structuring incentives and culture is key to balancing venture + company creation• Case studies from OpenGov, Saronic, and Resilience• 8VC’s perspective on biotech, AI, defense, and reindustrialization• The role of public & private collaboration, startups, and capital in rebuilding AmericaConnect with us:1. Drew Oetting: https://x.com/andrewoetting2. Molly O’Shea: ⁠https://x.com/MollySOShea⁠3. Sourcery: ⁠https://x.com/sourceryvc⁠Brought to you by:• Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, and travel. As a Sourcery Listener you get: 75,000 points after spending $3,000 on Brex card(s), white-glove onboarding, $5,000 in AWS credits, $2,500 in OpenAI credits, & access to $180k+ in SaaS discounts. On top of $500 toward Brex travel, $300 in cashback, plus exclusive perks (like billboards..) visit → https://brex.com/sourcery• Turing—Turing delivers top-tier talent, data, and tools to help AI labs improve model performance—and enables enterprises to turn those models into powerful, production-ready systems. Visit: https://turing.com/sourcery• Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourcery• Fourthwall—The #1 way to sell merch online — Fourthwall is the easiest way to launch a fully branded merch store—used by big brands like MKBHD, Acquired, & even the Smithsonian. 100+ products. No upfront cost. Visit Fourthwall to start today: https://fourthwall.com/Follow Sourcery for the latest updates!https://www.sourcery.vc/(00:00) Intro: Drew Oetting, Founding Partner 8VC(03:33) Origins Of 8VC & Lessons From Joe Lonsdale’s Founder DNA(05:48) Early Experiments In Building Companies Inside 8VC(07:03) Formalizing The Build Program (30% Of Capital)(08:33) How 8VC Works With EIRs To Co-Found Startups(10:33) Why Most VC Firms Fail At In-House Company Building(13:03) Portfolio Highlights: OpenGov, Saronic, Epirus, Affinity(17:03) Case Study: Resilience & Biotech Manufacturing(27:03) American Reindustrialization, Policy, & Capital Allocation(39:03) The Future Of AGI & Its Real-World Impacts(45:33) Rapid-Fire Round: Recession Odds, National Debt, Aliens(54:03) Closing Thoughts On Building America’s Future
Sophia Amoruso is more than a founder, she’s a cultural icon. She built Nasty Gal from an eBay store into a $350M fashion powerhouse, bootstrapping to $28M in revenue, owning 80% at peak valuation, & crossing $100M in sales before VC funding led to bankruptcy.At the same time, she created GirlBoss—one of the first major movements for women in business & culture. It became a bestselling book, a Netflix series, & a global brand, cementing Sophia as a media and branding legend, with nearly 1M+ followers across platforms.But Sophia didn’t stop there. She started investing, getting into companies like Kindbody, Superhuman, Pipe, Liquid Death, Public.com, and Eight Sleep, and eventually launched her own VC firm, Trust Fund. Her backers include some of Silicon Valley’s most famous names: Marc Andreessen, Paris Hilton, Ev Williams (Twitter), Chris Dixon (a16z), Andrew Chen (a16z), Rob Hayes (First Round), Josh Elman (Greylock, Twitter, Facebook), Anthony Nodo (CEO of SoFi), and yes, even Jason Calacanis.Sophia opens up about:• How to build a $100M+ cult brand.• Building Nasty Gal & GirlBoss from scratch into cultural movements• The brutal reality of inflated VC valuations, fundraising, & collapse• Why consumer businesses face unique challenges with venture capital• Building Trust Fund with Marc Andreessen, Paris Hilton, & moreThis is a conversation about ambition, failure, resilience, and the power of branding, told by one of the most iconic entrepreneurs of her generation.Connect with us:1. Sophia Amoruso: https://x.com/sophiaamoruso2. Molly O’Shea: ⁠https://x.com/MollySOShea⁠3. Sourcery: ⁠https://x.com/sourceryvc⁠Brought to you by:• Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, and travel. As a Sourcery subscriber you get: 75,000 points after spending $3,000 on Brex card(s). Plus, white-glove onboarding, $5,000 in AWS credits, $2,500 in OpenAI credits, and access to $180k+ in SaaS discounts. On top of $500 toward Brex travel, $300 in cashback, plus exclusive perks (like billboards..) visit → https://brex.com/sourcery• Turing—Turing delivers top-tier talent, data, and tools to help AI labs improve model performance—and enables enterprises to turn those models into powerful, production-ready systems. Visit: https://turing.com/sourcery• Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourcery• Fourthwall—The #1 way to sell merch online — Fourthwall is the easiest way to launch a fully branded merch store—used by big brands like MKBHD, Acquired, & even the Smithsonian. 100+ products. No upfront cost. Visit Fourthwall to start today: https://fourthwall.com/Follow Sourcery for the latest updates! https://www.sourcery.vc/Chapters: (00:00) Branding Icon: Sophia Amoruso(02:30) The Art of Naming: From Nasty Gal to Trust Fund(07:13) Rethinking Venture Culture(10:28) Angel Investing Early & Building Relationships That Matter(13:20) Investing in Liquid Death, Superhuman, Kindbody(14:30) Why She Invests in Software & B2B Brands(18:48) What Anduril Gets Right About Branding(22:18) Raising Trust Fund: Marc Andreessen, Paris Hilton, Jason Calacanis(24:45) The Power of the Right Audience & Right Eyeballs(27:29) AI in E-Commerce & the Future of Consumer-Brand Engagement(32:04) Angel to VC(37:23) Fundraising Myths: Why Raising Money Isn’t “Winning”(42:17) Building Business Class: Her Own “Internal Podcast” for Founders(44:18) Girlboss: The Book, the Netflix Show & Becoming Part of the Zeitgeist(47:07) Lessons in Leadership, Scaling & Why She Prefers Early-Stage(50:00) Life Today & Living in London
In this episode of Sourcery, Augustus Doricko (Rainmaker) & Alex Levy (Atmo) break down how they’re reengineering the weather to solve one of humanity’s biggest challenges: freshwater scarcity.Rainmaker delivers water to farms, ecosystems, and watersheds through a modern precipitation enhancement system—combining radar validation, AI modeling, weather-resistant drones, and sustainable cloud seeding. It’s the only immediate, scalable solution for creating abundant freshwater.Atmo powers the system with next-gen AI meteorology, offering forecasts 100x more precise and 45,000x faster than legacy models—used by the U.S. Air Force, sovereign governments, and renewable energy operators.Together, they’re tackling drought, powering reindustrialization, and restoring water as a strategic resource in an era of climate stress and geopolitical competition.Highlights• How cloud seeding actually works (and what myths to ignore)• The U.S.–China race for weather control and engineered rainfall• Why Atmo’s AI systems outperform NOAA’s current forecasting tools• Rainmaker’s role in America’s reindustrialization—from cooling chip fabs to powering hydro dams• Public perception challenges after the Texas floods—and how the narrative is changingConnect with us:1. Augustus Doricko: https://x.com/ADoricko2. Alex Levy: https://x.com/alevy3. Molly O’Shea: ⁠https://x.com/MollySOShea⁠4. Sourcery: ⁠https://x.com/sourceryvc⁠Brought to you by:• Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, and travel. As a Sourcery Listener you get: 75,000 points after spending $3,000 on Brex card(s), white-glove onboarding, $5,000 in AWS credits, $2,500 in OpenAI credits, & access to $180k+ in SaaS discounts. On top of $500 toward Brex travel, $300 in cashback, plus exclusive perks (like billboards..) visit → https://brex.com/sourcery• Turing—Turing delivers top-tier talent, data, and tools to help AI labs improve model performance—and enables enterprises to turn those models into powerful, production-ready systems. Visit: turing.com/sourcery• Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourcery• Fourthwall—The #1 way to sell merch online — Fourthwall is the easiest way to launch a fully branded merch store—used by big brands like MKBHD, Acquired, & even the Smithsonian. 100+ products. No upfront cost. Visit Fourthwall to start today: https://fourthwall.com/Follow Sourcery for the latest updates!https://www.sourcery.vc/Chapters: (00:00) Why water is as critical as energy in AI and industrial growth(02:00) What Rainmaker actually does — cloud seeding 2.0(03:00) Atmo’s AI meteorology: 100x more precise, 45,000x faster(04:40) How cloud seeding works — science behind artificial rain(06:00) Why Rainmaker + Atmo is a game-changing partnership(07:45) Attribution: Proving man-made precipitation with radar & models(09:15) Why the U.S. is falling behind in weather innovation(11:00) China’s lead in drones, materials, and the weather tech race(13:00) Rainmaker’s drone: the only NATO UAV that flies in icing(14:45) Facing public backlash: Texas floods, chemtrails, and trust(16:30) Making cloud seeding safe — how Rainmaker differs from China(19:00) Cloud seeding for reindustrialization: water as industrial input(21:00) Use cases: hydro, chips, data centers, and agriculture(27:00) Atmo as a U.S. export: modern meteorology for the world(34:00) How AI models simulate physics and save lives
Vulcan Elements CEO John Maslin joins Sourcery to announce their $65M Series A led by Altimeter (Brad Gerstner, Erik Kriessmann) with participation from One Investment Management (Rajeev Misra) to build the most advanced rare earth magnet factory in America—fully decoupled from China. Bringing their total funding to $75M.We cover why rare earth magnets are the “essential invisible building blocks of the economy,” powering everything from everyday consumer electronics, AI data centers, EVs, and robotics to satellites, drones, and every major U.S. defense platform. Maslin explains why China’s 90%+ dominance in magnet manufacturing is a national security risk, how Vulcan has decoupled from Chinese supply chains, and the company’s plans to scale from hundreds to thousands of tonnes of production this decade. From building a factory from scratch in North Carolina to deploying AI inside the magnet-making process, this is a behind-the-scenes look at the startup quietly powering the future of U.S. national security and AI.Highlights​ $65M Series A led by Altimeter, bringing total funding to $75M.​ China makes 94% of magnets; the U.S. makes less than 1%.​ Magnets power everything: phones, drones, data centers, robotics, EVs – demand could 10x from robotics alone.​ Reindustrializing America: North Carolina “Research Triangle” facility with U.S.-made equipment, local talent, SpaceX alums, and PhDs.​ Next-gen factory: AI-driven production using Vulcan’s own sensor and material data for a “2025-era” industry 4.0 plant.Connect with us:​ John Maslin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmaslin/​ Molly O’Shea: https://x.com/MollySOShea​ Sourcery: https://x.com/sourceryvcBrought to you by:​ Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, and travel. As a Sourcery Listener you get: 75,000 points after spending $3,000 on Brex card(s), white-glove onboarding, $5,000 in AWS credits, $2,500 in OpenAI credits, & access to $180k+ in SaaS discounts. On top of $500 toward Brex travel, $300 in cashback, plus exclusive perks (like billboards..) visit → https://brex.com/sourcery​ Turing—Turing delivers top-tier talent, data, and tools to help AI labs improve model performance—and enables enterprises to turn those models into powerful, production-ready systems. Visit: turing.com/sourcery​ Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourcery​ Fourthwall—The #1 way to sell merch online — Fourthwall is the easiest way to launch a fully branded merch store—used by big brands like MKBHD, Acquired, & even the Smithsonian. 100+ products. No upfront cost. Visit Fourthwall to start today: https://fourthwall.com/Follow Sourcery for the latest updates!https://www.sourcery.vc/Chapters: (00:00) Introduction to Domestic Production and Resilient Supply Chains(01:59) $65M Series A Led by Altimeter(04:01) Vulcan Elements(05:27) Why Rare Earth Magnets Are Critical(08:58) Decoupling from China: Challenges & Strategies(12:24) American Talent & Reindustrialization(14:23) Assembling a SpaceX-Level Team in the Research Triangle(17:58) Scaling Up: New Facilities and Hiring Plans(19:14) The Manufacturing Process of Rare Earth Magnets(29:25) Challenges and Innovations in Manufacturing(32:02) The Role of AI and Advanced Technologies(36:18) Future Milestones and Policy Impacts
Isaiah Taylor (Valar Atomics), JC Btaiche (Fuse), & Packy McCormick (Not Boring) join Molly O’Shea to explore how nuclear energy—fission and fusion—is at the heart of America's industrial resurgence and the race for AI dominance.Isaiah unpacks Valar Atomic’s plan to scale modular fission reactors across the U.S., breaking decades of regulatory stagnation and reimagining how America powers its factories and data centers. JC shares Fuse’s rapid-fire progress in fusion technology, from breakthroughs in pulse neutron generation to vertical integration strategies that echo SpaceX. Packy ties it all together with insights from his investing & writing in Nuclear through Not Boring, explaining why energy-rich, hardware-driven businesses will define the AI age... Bonus we talk about his popular essay The Great Differentiation.Together, we dive into:• Fission to fusion, atoms to AI, and Detroit to D.C.• The role of next-gen nuclear in energy sovereignty• The strategic urgency to outpace China• Regulatory tailwinds post-EOs and DOE testing• Why AI’s energy demands are the catalyst• How differentiated brand, design, & execution will define the winners in an AI slop worldThis conversation is part of Sourcery’s “Made in America” Mini-Series recorded at the Reindustrialize 2025 Summit.Connect with us:1. Isaiah Taylor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaiahptaylor/2. JC Btaiche: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcbtaiche/3. Packy McCormick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/packym/4. Molly O’Shea: https://x.com/MollySOShea5. Sourcery: https://x.com/sourceryvcBrought to you by:• Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, and travel. As a Sourcery Listener you get: 75,000 points after spending $3,000 on Brex card(s), white-glove onboarding, $5,000 in AWS credits, $2,500 in OpenAI credits, & access to $180k+ in SaaS discounts. On top of $500 toward Brex travel, $300 in cashback, plus exclusive perks (like billboards..) visit → https://brex.com/sourcery• Turing—Turing delivers top-tier talent, data, and tools to help AI labs improve model performance—and enables enterprises to turn those models into powerful, production-ready systems. Visit: turing.com/sourcery• Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourcery• Fourthwall—The #1 way to sell merch online — Fourthwall is the easiest way to launch a fully branded merch store—used by big brands like MKBHD, Acquired, & even the Smithsonian. 100+ products. No upfront cost. Visit Fourthwall to start today: https://fourthwall.com/Follow Sourcery for the latest updates!https://www.sourcery.vc/(00:00) The American Atomic Age(01:15) Isaiah Taylor on U.S. nuclear industry(03:34) Why modular reactors are the key to scale(06:47) China’s nuclear lead(08:32) Valar’s path to criticality & DOE testing(11:06) Foreign funding & misinformation campaigns(13:01) Nuclear myths: “It wouldn’t fill an Olympic pool”(15:29) Why Gen IV reactors are meltdown-proof(17:29) AI as a tailwind for nuclear infrastructure(19:21) Misconceptions in nuclear & energy performance(21:13) Pressure to deliver in this presidency term(22:59) The future of global energy(24:26) JC Btaiche: Building the world’s highest-power pulse system(26:41) Fuse’s strategy: revenue today, power tomorrow(28:34) Fusion’s role in reindustrialization(33:12) The AI-power constraint: “Energy = Intelligence”(35:31) Can we catch up to China in energy?(38:13) Packy McCormick on vertical integration(41:11) The Great Differentiation: Why brand matters in the age of AI
Henry Ward, CEO of Carta, joins Sourcery to share how the company scaled to nearly $500M in ARR, raised $1B across seven rounds, and evolved from a startup serving cap tables to a platform targeting massive markets like private equity and private credit. Ward discusses the Peter Thiel-inspired strategy of dominating small markets before expanding, the importance of focusing on inputs over outputs, the challenges of selling to both hoodie-wearing founders and Midtown CFOs, and Carta’s AI-driven future. This wide-ranging conversation dives into scaling lessons, product innovation, network effects, and why private equity is the future. Carta was a classic 3x, 3x, 2x, 2x, to $100M in Revenue & are now growing 20%+ at scale.Highlights• Carta has raised $1B to date & is approaching $500M in ARR, growing 20%+ annually.• Strategic shift from venture into larger asset classes like private equity & private credit.• Peter Thiel’s “competition is for losers” philosophy shapes Carta’s market-entry strategy.• AI as both a customer-facing differentiator & an internal productivity engine.• Scaling up to delivering million-dollar enterprise solutions for institutional private equity & private creditConnect with us:1. Henry Ward: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heward/2. Molly O’Shea: https://x.com/MollySOShea3. Sourcery: https://x.com/sourceryvcBrought to you by:• Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, and travel. As a Sourcery Listener you get: 75,000 points after spending $3,000 on Brex card(s), white-glove onboarding, $5,000 in AWS credits, $2,500 in OpenAI credits, & access to $180k+ in SaaS discounts. On top of $500 toward Brex travel, $300 in cashback, plus exclusive perks (like billboards..) visit → https://brex.com/sourcery• Turing—Turing delivers top-tier talent, data, and tools to help AI labs improve model performance—and enables enterprises to turn those models into powerful, production-ready systems. Visit: turing.com/sourcery• Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourcery• Fourthwall—The #1 way to sell merch online — Fourthwall is the easiest way to launch a fully branded merch store—used by big brands like MKBHD, Acquired, & even the Smithsonian. 100+ products. No upfront cost. Visit Fourthwall to start today: https://fourthwall.com/Follow Sourcery for the latest updates!https://www.sourcery.vc/Chapters: (00:00) Competition is for Losers(01:07) Carta’s Growth: Approaching Half a Billion ARR(02:51) $1B Funding Journey & Board Evolution(05:30) Measuring Success: Inputs vs Outputs(07:55) Product Portfolio & Power Law in Software(10:58) Peter Thiel’s Influence: “Competition is for Losers” & Growth Strategy(12:02) Expanding from Small Markets to Big Impact(14:00) Entering Private Equity & Credit(15:59) Network Effects: Global vs Local(18:02) Product Market Fit & Building a 10X Product(20:30) Relationship with Mark Andreessen & Board Insights(23:10) Company Building vs Product Building(25:58) AI at Carta: Internal & Customer-Facing Innovations(31:29) The Impact of AI on Jobs & Workflow(34:33) Personal Motivation & Performance(35:44) Looking Forward: New AI Products & Excitement for the Year
Scott Nolan, Founder & CEO of General Matter and Partner at Founders Fund, joins Sourcery to break down America’s urgent need to rebuild its nuclear fuel supply chain. With $50 million in funding led by Founders Fund, General Matter is developing U.S.-based production of HALEU (high-assay low-enriched uranium), the nuclear fuel critical for powering next-generation reactors. As part of the recent investment, Peter Thiel, Founders Fund Partner & billionaire investor, is joining the board–a notable move for Thiel, who stepped down from Facebook’s board in 2022 and rarely takes on new board roles beyond his long-standing position at Palantir.Nolan shares how General Matter is applying a “SpaceX x Palantir” playbook to reindustrialize the U.S., from assembling a cross-functional engineering team to securing government contracts and navigating executive orders. We dive into the HALEU bottleneck, AGI power demand, reactor deployment timelines, and the energy arms race with China—and why enrichment is the unlock for nuclear to become the cheapest, safest, & most scalable baseload energy source.This conversation is part of Sourcery’s “Made in America” Mini-Series recorded at the Reindustrialize 2025 Summit.Highlights• America’s Enrichment Deficit: The U.S. currently supplies less than 0.1% of global nuclear fuel enrichment, with 25% of its supply still coming from Russia.• General Matter’s Mission: Founded in 2023 to make enrichment affordable and scalable, enabling nuclear to become the lowest-cost baseload power.• SpaceX/Anduril-style Playbook: Blending industry veterans with startup talent to accelerate execution: “1/3 incumbents, 2/3 Silicon Valley engineers”• AI Energy Demands: By 2030, AI is projected to consume the equivalent of today’s entire U.S. power grid, making energy production the bottleneck.• Executive Orders & Industrial Strategy: Recent U.S. government actions aim to re-regulate nuclear, fast-track licensing, and quadruple nuclear output by 2050—backed by DOE, DOD, and NRC.Connect with us:1. Scott Nolan: https://x.com/ScottNolan2. Molly O’Shea: https://x.com/MollySOShea3. Sourcery: https://x.com/sourceryvcBrought to you by:• Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, and travel. As a Sourcery Listener you get: 75,000 points after spending $3,000 on Brex card(s), white-glove onboarding, $5,000 in AWS credits, $2,500 in OpenAI credits, & access to $180k+ in SaaS discounts. On top of $500 toward Brex travel, $300 in cashback, plus exclusive perks (like billboards..) visit → https://brex.com/sourcery• Turing—Turing delivers top-tier talent, data, and tools to help AI labs improve model performance—and enables enterprises to turn those models into powerful, production-ready systems. Visit: turing.com/sourcery• Kalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourcery• Fourthwall—The #1 way to sell merch online — Fourthwall is the easiest way to launch a fully branded merch store—used by big brands like MKBHD, Acquired, & even the Smithsonian. 100+ products. No upfront cost. Visit Fourthwall to start today: https://fourthwall.com/Follow Sourcery for the latest updates!https://www.sourcery.vc/(00:00) U.S. Nuclear Resurgence(00:56) Why General Matter Was Founded(02:49) Making Nuclear The Cheapest Baseload Energy(04:00) Enrichment And Fuel Process Breakdown(05:16) Decline Of U.S. Enrichment Capacity(07:26) Building General Matter & SpaceX/Palantir Playbook(09:55) Skunkworks Team: Nuclear Experts + Generalist Engineers(11:11) Breakdown Of The Four Executive Orders(16:35) Geopolitics, GDP, & The China Energy Gap(21:14) End Of Stranded Assets & AI’s Power Bottleneck(24:40) AGI & Software’s Role In Nuclear Deployment(31:13) General Matter’s 12–18 Month Milestones
Christian Garrett, Partner at 137 Ventures and Co-Founder of the Hill & Valley Forum, returns to Sourcery for a deep dive into Winning the AI Race—a high-stakes summit bringing together Trump, J.D. Vance, top tech CEOs, and government leaders to chart America’s AI future. In this fast-moving conversation, Christian breaks down how AI is driving reindustrialization across mining, energy, and manufacturing, why pricing—not capital—is the real bottleneck in U.S. mining, and how the Pentagon's landmark deal with MP Materials could start to reshape the global rare earths market. He also unpacks Applied Intuition’s $600M Series F at a $15B valuation, the rise of venture opportunities enabled by new policy, and why the Invest America Act—seeding every American newborn with a $1,000 investment account—could be the most important wealth-building policy of this generation.Join us for a quick dive into the state of national resilience, generational investing, and the convergence of tech, defense, and policy.This conversation is part of Sourcery’s “Made in America” Mini-Series recorded at the Reindustrialize 2025 Summit. HighlightsReindustrialization with AI across mining, energy, & manufacturingCreating new wealth for Americans with the Invest America ActApplied Intuition’s $600M Series F at $15B valuationMP Materials’ rare earths deal with the PentagonChina’s control of pricing—not capital—is stalling U.S. mining growthWinning the AI Race summit with Trump, Vance, and tech leaders pushing for U.S. AI dominance and job creationConnect with us:1. Christian Garrett: https://x.com/CGarrett_152. Molly O’Shea: https://x.com/MollySOShea3. Sourcery: https://x.com/sourceryvcBrought to you by:Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, and travel. As a Sourcery Listener you get: 75,000 points after spending $3,000 on Brex card(s), white-glove onboarding, $5,000 in AWS credits, $2,500 in OpenAI credits, & access to $180k+ in SaaS discounts. On top of $500 toward Brex travel, $300 in cashback, plus exclusive perks (like billboards..) visit → https://brex.com/sourceryTuring—Turing delivers top-tier talent, data, and tools to help AI labs improve model performance—and enables enterprises to turn those models into powerful, production-ready systems. Visit: turing.com/sourceryKalshi—The largest prediction market and the only legal platform in the US where people can trade directly on the outcomes of future events: https://kalshi.com/sourceryFourthwall—The #1 way to sell merch online — Fourthwall is the easiest way to launch a fully branded merch store—used by big brands like MKBHD, Acquired, & even the Smithsonian. 100+ products. No upfront cost. Visit Fourthwall to start today: https://fourthwall.com/Follow Sourcery for the latest updates!https://www.sourcery.vc/Timestamps:(00:00) – Christian Garrett Returns(01:30) – Hill & Valley, Reindustrialize, & 137’s Industrial Bets(06:10) – AI + Legacy Industry = New Industrial Revolution(08:30) – Big Bets On Defense, Auto (Applied Intuition), & Mining(10:55) – MP Materials + Pentagon: Rare Earth Strategy(13:15) – U.S. Needs Pricing Support + Vertical Integration(15:30) – Policy Drives Markets: Dodd-Frank, JOBS Act, 174(17:45) – Invest America: $1K Seed Accounts For All Newborns(20:10) – “Winning The AI Race” Summit: Tech X Government
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