Episodes

Open Architecture, Closed Loop: Inside Industry Partnerships for Autonomous Maritime Systems | The Pair Program Ep104 We’re joined by Paul Lwin, Co-Founder and CEO of Havoc, and Barry Hinckley, President of Blue Ops, a Red Cat company, to explore how software and hardware partnerships are shaping the future of uncrewed surface vessels (USVs). From open architecture and autonomy-driven vessel design to real-world testing and manufacturing at scale, the conversation looks at what it takes to move ...

Rethinking Medevac: Autonomy for a Contested Pacific | The Pair Program Ep103 What happens when a wounded service member needs care, but a helicopter cannot reach them? Today’s guests, Major Sarah Blackthorne of the National Guard Bureau and Ben Pinx of Lyntris, explore whether autonomous vessels could deliver blood, medical supplies, and eventually patients across contested waters. Drawing on a Northern Strike exercise, they discuss: Why traditional casualty evacuation may fail in the Indo-Pac...

How We Hatched: Charles Sanders, Founder and CEO of PrimeRFP In this How We Hatched episode, we sit down with Charles Sanders, founder and CEO of PrimeRFP, to unpack the journey behind building an AI-native platform for government capture. Charles traces his path from taking apart electronics as a kid to working across software, infrastructure, and cybersecurity before becoming a founder. The episode takes a closer look at: How curiosity shaped Charles’s career in technology The frustration th...

How Maritime Autonomy Is Proving a New Model for Defense Tech | The Pair Program Ep102 Maritime autonomy is becoming a test case for a shift in defense technology. In this episode, Tim and Sean sit down with Mike Flanigan, co-founder and CEO of Seasats, and Jason Chapman, co-founder of Konvoy, to explore why the future may rely less on a few exquisite, expensive platforms and more on distributed systems that can be built, deployed, and improved quickly. From operating uncrewed vessels in the Tai...

From Space Domain Awareness to Space Intelligence: Building the Infrastructure for Real-Time Decision Making in Orbit | The Pair Program Ep101 On this episode of The Pair Program, we’re exploring the infrastructure behind the rapidly evolving space economy, and what it takes to turn awareness in orbit into intelligence teams can actually act on. Today’s guests are Rich Minford, COO at Turion Space, and Zachary Kirstein, CRO at Northwood. Together, they bring perspectives from both sides of the e...

How modern defense technology companies get capabilities into the hands of end users | The Pair Program Ep100 This week on The Pair Program, we’re joined by Nick LaRovere, Co-Founder & CEO of Pryzm, and Allie Coukos, Partnerships Lead at Onebrief, for a conversation on how AI is transforming the defense technology ecosystem. Together, they explore the evolution of federal business development, why startups have more opportunities than ever to enter the government market, and how strategic partne...

Beyond the Quantum Hype: Real Applications, Real Results | The Pair Program Ep99 What happens when traditional computing reaches its limits? In this episode of The Pair Program, we’re joined by Martin Sajon and Bill Collier to explore how quantum computing is moving from theory to real-world applications. They discuss where quantum is already delivering value, why it works best alongside AI rather than replacing it, and how organizations can begin preparing for the next wave of innovation. From ...

Built for Pressure: What a 15-Year-Old Professional Muay Thai Fighter Can Teach You About Performing When It Matters This special bonus episode explores a different kind of high-performance journey. Today’s guest is Elijah Hinzman, a 15-year-old professional Muay Thai fighter competing on some of Southeast Asia’s biggest stages. While his arena is the ring, the qualities behind his success are the same ones we often explore on this show: discipline, preparation, resilience, and performing under ...

Founder-Led Growth in the AI Era: Rethinking the CRM from First Touch to Close | The Pair Program Ep98 What happens when your sales stack becomes the bottleneck instead of the growth engine? In this episode of The Pair Program, we are joined by David Zhu, CEO of ReevoAI, and Lukas Haffer, CEO of Casca, to explore how AI-native platforms are reshaping modern sales. They discuss why traditional CRMs are failing founders, how AI can eliminate manual work instead of adding to it, and why connected s...

From Snapshots to Systems: Why 3D Earth Awareness Is Becoming Critical Infrastructure | The Pair Program Ep97

From Sidewalks to Scale: What It Actually Takes to Build Real-World Robotics | The Pair Program Ep96 What does it take to turn autonomous robotics from a demo into real-world infrastructure? In this episode of The Pair Program, Paige Craig, Managing Partner at Outlander VC, and Zach Rash, Co-founder & CEO at Coco, discuss scaling autonomous delivery, building operational moats through real-world data, navigating regulation and reliability, and what separates successful robotics companies from th...

Designing the Impossible: AI, Quantum Mechanics, and the Future of Materials | The Pair Program Ep95 In this episode of The Pair Program, we’re joined by Joseph Krause, Co-Founder and CEO of Radical AI, and Nathan Doctor, Founder and Managing Partner of Infinite Capital, for a conversation on the future of AI-driven scientific discovery and the rise of physical AI. From autonomous labs and materials science to robotics, semiconductors, and frontier tech investing, the discussion explores how bre...

From Services to Software: How Dual-Use AI Companies Actually Scale Inside Government | The Pair Program Ep94 In this episode of The Pair Program, we’re joined by Darren Kimura, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AI Squared, and Abir Ray, CEO of Expression, for a deep dive into what it really takes to scale AI in complex, high-stakes environments. From the “last mile” problem in AI adoption to the realities of deploying technology in government systems, this conversation explores where inno...

From Chip to Constellation: Building a New Global Network in Space | The Pair Program Ep93 In this episode of The Pair Program, we sit down with Jonathan Dyer, Co-Founder & CEO of Muon Space, and Alex Haro, Co-Founder & CEO of Hubble, to explore how space is evolving from exploration to infrastructure. From Bluetooth-powered satellites to scalable constellation manufacturing, this conversation dives into what it takes to build the next layer of global connectivity and why the future of space loo...

Mission Speed: How Commercial Innovation Is Reshaping Defense Acquisition | The Pair Program Ep92 In this episode of The Pair Program, we sit down with Darian Harris, Founding GP of Connected Capital and co-founder of Fuse Accelerator, and Drew Trojanowski, President and CEO of the Southwest Mission Acceleration Center (MAC), to unpack what it really takes to move innovation at mission speed. From navigating defense acquisition to scaling dual-use startups, they share how founders and operators ...

Contested Logistics Reimagined: The Case for Dual-Use Air Systems | The Pair Program Ep91 In this episode of The Pair Program, we’re joined by Arthur Dubois, CEO of Grid Aero, and Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Leonard Kosinski, Chief Strategy Officer at Air Space Intelligence. From autonomous aircraft to AI-powered logistics, they break down how supply chains are being rethought for a world where speed, scale, and resilience are critical. The conversation dives into what’s broken today, and how founders and o...

Building Tech For Tactical Decision Dominance | The Pair Program Ep90 In this episode of The Pair Program, we sit down with Garrett Smith, Founder & CEO of Reveal Technology, and Les Craig, General Partner at Next Frontier Capital. Together, they explore how new technologies are reshaping the tactical edge and what it takes to build and fund defense startups that deliver real capability for operators in the field. From battlefield insight to venture investment strategy, the conversation highligh...

Policy to Production: Fielding Faster, Governing Smarter | The Pair Program Ep89 In this episode, we sit down with Michael Weigand, Founder & CEO at Aventra, and Joshua Stiefel, Vice President for Government Relations at Second Front, to explore what it really takes to move defense technology from idea to execution. The conversation centers on the practical challenges of building, scaling, and adopting new capabilities inside government systems, where speed, policy, and production all collide. F...

Insurtech at Speed: Engineering the Future of Specialty Insurance | The Pair Program Ep88 In today’s episode, we’re joined by Nathan Hall, Chief Technology Officer at Ledgebrook, and Mike Mansell, investor at American Family Ventures, for a deep dive into how modern technology is reshaping specialty insurance. The conversation explores how speed, automation, and broker-first design are redefining underwriting, where AI truly adds value, and why human judgment still matters in high-stakes, regula...

From Tickets to Autonomy: Reinventing IT with AI Agents | The Pair Program Ep87 On today’s episode of The Pair Program, we’re joined by Jake Stauch, Founder & CEO of Serval, and Patrick Chase, Managing Director at Redpoint Ventures, for a deep dive into the future of IT service management. The conversation explores why legacy ITSM tools are breaking under modern demands, how AI-native automation is changing the way work actually gets done, and what it takes to build and back a category-defining ...

Mission Modernized: How AI is Reshaping Intelligence from the Inside Out | The Pair Program Ep86 On today’s episode of The Pair Program, we’re joined by Sheetal Patel, former CIA Assistant Director for the Transnational and Technology Mission Center, and Bruce Frost, Vice President of Intelligence at Rhombus Power, to discuss how AI is reshaping modern intelligence. With decades of experience across government and industry, they break down what it really takes to modernize analysis, move faster ...

Feeding the Beam: Powering Directed Energy & Counter-UAS | The Pair Program Ep85 In today’s episode, we’re joined by Adam Warmoth, Founder & CEO of Chariot Defense, and Michael LaFramboise, CEO & Co-Founder of Aurelius Systems, for a deep dive into one of the most overlooked constraints in modern warfare: power. Together, they explore how energy, autonomy, and cost collide at the tactical edge, and why rethinking power systems is critical for counter-UAS, directed energy weapons, and future defe...

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From Open Source to Open Skies: Why Sapphire Ventures Backed Defense Unicorns | The Pair Program Ep84 In this episode of The Pair Program, we sit down with Rob Slaughter, CEO of Defense Unicorns, and Jai Das, President, Partner, and Co-Founder at Sapphire Ventures, for a deep dive into what it takes to modernize defense software—and why a leading enterprise VC made its first-ever bet in defense tech. The conversation explores how open source is reshaping national security, what scalable governme...