Use code FTF for $100 off at thronescience.com.

What started as an accidental idea at Arizona State quickly became a powerful new way for student-athletes—especially women and non-revenue sport athletes—to earn income through NIL while inspiring the next generation of kids. Parents get vetted, elite athletes in their homes. Athletes get meaningful income, brand-building, and real community impact.

Timestamps
00:00 – Introduction to Meaghan Franks and Sport Sitters
01:10 – The origin story: athletics, parenting, and NIL colliding
03:00 – How Sport Sitters works for parents (matching, safety, experience)
05:00 – Why parents don’t choose the sport—and why that matters for kids
06:40 – Athletes as role models, not just babysitters
09:00 – NIL explained: why Sport Sitters couldn’t exist before
12:00 – The challenge of international athletes and NIL restrictions
14:30 – Meaghan’s journey as a first-time, non-technical founder
17:00 – Building the platform, tech bottlenecks, and lessons learned
19:30 – Why overusing AI slowed development instead of speeding it up
22:45 – Strong demand, scaling pressure, and “good problems”
23:45 – Pricing, payments, and how parents actually book
28:00 – The long-term vision: Sport Sitters as “first-class” babysitting
31:00 – Where to learn more and how to get involved

This is a must-listen for founders building two-sided marketplaces, anyone curious about NIL beyond brand deals, and parents interested in a new, elevated approach to babysitting that blends athletics, role models, and community.

He shares how his background in robotics, autonomous vehicles, and flying cars at Kitty Hawk shaped his belief that “impossible things are buildable with enough time,” and how that mindset led him to create a camera that can cryptographically prove an image was captured by a real sensor, in a real moment, by a real human.

We dive into:

• Why AI-generated “image slop” is eroding trust online
• How ROC uses sensor attestation + zero-knowledge proofs to verify authenticity
• Use cases from journalism to robotics to combating “this is AI” accusations
• What it takes to build hardware in a world dominated by software
• Why early adopters include cryptography engineers and AI-conscious creators
• July’s thoughts on SF, outrageous ideas, and building hard tech today

If you care about the future of photography, data provenance, or restoring trust to the internet, this is a must-listen conversation.

Learn more at roc.camera and follow July at @0xjuly.

In the conversation, we get into Bo’s path from college basketball to tech, how AI can transform scouting and player development, why legacy tools like Hudl and Synergy are ripe for disruption, and what the future of automated sports analytics could look like. We also talk about AI agents, staying on top of rapid AI progress, and what it means to build an AI-native company in an industry that hasn’t kept up.

If you’re interested in sports, AI, or the intersection of the two, you’ll enjoy this one.

Timestamps:

00:01 – Intro + Welcoming Bo Shaffer

00:30 – What Playswise is and why it matters

01:19 – Bo’s background at Duke + how she got into AI

02:42 – Discovering tech and realizing the basketball world is still manual

03:55 – How the internet (Twitter, open source) helps her build

05:13 – Staying focused while AI evolves so fast

07:06 – How she trains the models and improves accuracy

08:19 – What training looks like behind the scenes

09:41 – Coaches’ reactions + existing tools in the space

10:57 – Thoughts on AI agents and future tech

12:24 – Are agents real or still early hype?

14:02 – College years, Zoom era, and seeing AI rise

16:17 – Her big goals for Playswise over the next few years

17:35 – Why legacy systems like Hudl/Synergy are outdated

18:21 – The accuracy problem in today’s sports tools

19:08 – Where to find Bo + Playswise online

Gulmohar walks through her path from aspiring astronaut to electrical engineer to telecom expert, and how seeing firsthand the limits of today’s 5G and RF-based networks pushed her toward free-space optical communication. She breaks down, in simple terms, why Starlink and other systems can’t get laser signals through clouds, why RF spectrum is physically tapped out, and why optical frequencies represent the next uncongested frontier for 6G-class internet.

She then explains Nyxara’s core breakthrough: using an ultra-high-frequency ground laser to create a “hollow channel” through cloud and fog layers, allowing satellites to send and receive massive data loads reliably — effectively creating a portable, dynamic, distributed network layer in space.

Mat and Gulmohar explore:

• How she broke a world-changing vision into buildable steps
• Why she left Australia for San Francisco, and how the pace, talent density, and serendipity changed everything
• The hardware and optics ecosystem inside Founders Inc
• What a typical day looks like for her — ultramarathon training, deep focus mornings, customer calls, and fundraising
• How Nyxara fits into her broader belief that humanity needs four pillars (vessels, fuel, food/water, and communications) to eventually leave Earth
• Why she hopes one day fiber optic cables will be remembered like floppy disks

Gulmohar closes by sharing where to follow her work: X, Substack, LinkedIn, and the Nyxara newsletter.

If you’re into frontier tech, laser communications, AI-ready infrastructure, or ambitious founder journeys, this is one you’ll want to hear.

Time Stamps:
00:00 Introduction and Backstory: How Mat and Connor First Met  

01:05 What Caddy Is and How It Works  

03:15 The Origin Story: Loom Pain Points, Prototypes, and Pivot Hell  

05:41 Lessons From Loom and Transitioning to Founder Life  

08:25 Moving to SF for Y Combinator  

09:53 SF vs. NYC: Tech Density and Culture  

12:49 Inside YC: Speed, Pressure, and Company-Building  

15:12 Building in a Fast-Moving AI World  

16:59 Current Use Cases, Private Beta, and Product Direction  

19:52 Long-Term Vision: Context, Tone, and the Future of Work  

26:07 What’s Emerging in SF: AI Video and New Frontiers  

28:15 A Day in the Life of a YC Founder  

32:05 Launch Plans: Waitlist, Beta Access, and Community  

34:00 The Billboard Question: Connor’s Final Message  

36:08 Closing Thoughts

00:00 Introduction to Nappr

02:28 Understanding the Nappr Experience

05:05 The Founding Story and Mission

07:56 Navigating the Booking Process

10:49 Marketing Strategies and Brand Awareness

12:57 The Startup Scene: New York vs. San Francisco

18:31 Future Growth and Expansion Plans

00:00 Introduction to DafDef and AI Key

04:44The Technology Behind AI Key

10:06 Development Journey and Background

16:52 Use Cases and Future Applications

26:28 Vision for the Future of Personal AI

We explore his decade-long journey from mathematician to longevity founder, why he believes measuring aging is harder than curing it, and how he built an open-source AI assistant called Longevity GPT to make personalized health insights accessible to anyone, anywhere.

Nikhil also opens up about moving from India to San Francisco, what the Bay Area’s startup culture taught him, and his candid take on Brian Johnson’s Blueprint experiment.

Topics covered:

• What biological age really means
• The science behind AI-powered aging clocks
• How Helome helps people test and track longevity markers
• Lessons from building in the longevity space
• Why SF accelerates founders faster than anywhere else

Learn more about Helome at helome.one and try Longevity GPT at asklongevitygpt.com.

Key Takeaways:

• Control over AI models is essential for long-term stability.
• Data security remains one of the biggest vulnerabilities in AI.
• Hacking risks could have devastating economic consequences.
• OpenAI and similar technologies must be protected with robust safeguards.
• Compromised AI has the power to destabilize global markets.
• Society must better understand AI’s influence on our lives and economies.
• A delicate balance is needed between advancing innovation and ensuring security.
• Collaboration and transparency are crucial to building trust.
• Proactive strategies are necessary to reduce risks before they spiral.

00:00: Introduction to Jonathan Liu and Cupidly

02:09: The Journey of a Tech Founder

04:39: From Coding to Startups

09:08: The Evolution of Jonathan's Projects

10:28: The Shift from VC to Bootstrapping

11:37: Building a Personal Brand on X

13:23: The Viral Phenomenon of Eunice

16:23: Tips for Going Viral

18:38: Future Aspirations and the Dating Tech Landscape

The episode delves into the fundraising journey, where Andrew underscores the importance of social capital and networking in attracting investors and growing a venture. He offers a candid reflection on the unpredictable nature of early-stage startups, highlighting the value of cultivating meaningful relationships within the venture capital ecosystem. In closing, Andrew provides valuable resources and final thoughts, leaving listeners with actionable insights into building a resilient startup in today’s ever-evolving landscape.

Find Edward on LinkedIn or Twitter and learn more about Pareto Holdings here.

• Discussion of Truffle, a device for local inference tied to humanoid robotics and personal intelligence.
• Insights from a unique upbringing in the Middle East and its impact on a technology journey.
• Future of AI agents surpassing human economies and using cryptocurrency primarily.
• Criticism of Sam Altman and OpenAI, calling him the “Antichrist” of Silicon Valley.
• Critique of Y Combinator and the tech industry’s meritocracy, highlighting self-dealing.
• Emphasis on the need for a catalyst to disrupt the current landscape and foster true innovation.

James Cham is a Partner at Bloomberg Beta, a firm focused on investing in the future of work. James invests in companies working on applying machine intelligence to businesses and society. He’s currently invested in companies like Orbital Insight (satellite imaging), Primer (analyst tools), Domino Data Labs (AI model management), and AppZen (expense management). James speaks and writes on the implications of AI for companies, including a landscape of machine intelligence companies (https://t.co/jnBX6Wdr5R). In the past, he's been involved in investments with companies like LifeLock, LinkedIn, Twilio, DropCam (now Nest), and Skybox Imaging. James was previously an investor at Bessemer Venture Partners and Trinity Venture Partners, a management consultant at The Boston Consulting Group, and a software developer. He has an M.B.A. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was an undergraduate in computer science at Harvard College. He currently resides in Palo Alto with his family and children.

Amber Yang is an investor at Bloomberg Beta, where she invests in companies at the pre-seed and seed stages working on machine intelligence, robotics, data infrastructure, and developer tools. In the past, she founded Seer Tracking, a startup working on creating a sustainable space environment by predicting satellite collisions with space debris, which led her to be named Forbes 30 Under 30. She did her master’s and undergraduate degree in computer science from Stanford University and spent a quarter abroad studying philosophy at Oxford University. While she was in college, she was an investment partner at Dorm Room Fund and a fellow at 8VC. She is based in San Francisco and writes about tech and philosophy on Twitter and Substack.

She is also a founder and board member of Delivery Associates, the leading public sector advisory firm implementing technology and large-scale reform worldwide. 

Constantly curious, she has invested in and advised funds, companies, and entrepreneurs who are building companies behind trends that are obviously the future. She has lived and worked globally, including in London, San Francisco, Lagos, and Lahore. Katelyn grew up in Minneapolis and now can frequently be found in New York City and Seattle.

Previously, she co-founded and served as the Managing Director of Pearson Ventures (prior PALF), a $65M venture fund that invests in global EdTech companies. At Pearson, Katelyn served on the board of SPARK schools, APEC schools, Avanti, HarukaEDU, and Omega Schools. She also co-founded the Global Schools Forum, a trade organization for private schools in emerging markets. Katelyn also led the strategy and implementation of Pearson’s global efficacy agenda and was on the founding team of the FT125 Club, a division of the Financial Times. 

Katelyn is a member of Duke University's Learning Innovation Advisory Council, helping Duke imagine the future of learning both on-campus and online.

Katelyn started as a consultant at McKinsey in San Francisco, serving technology companies and large financial institutions. She worked on credit market sustainability with the World Economic Forum and presented at the Annual Meeting in Davos in 2011.

Amy's Bio
Before joining Costanoa, I ran North American sales strategy and operations at Zuora, a public enterprise software company. Prior to that, I spent three years investing in growth stage technology companies at Summit Partners, where my investments included Podium, InfoArmor (acq. AllState), and onXmaps. I began my career on Wall Street, working at JP Morgan where I spent time as a technology investment banker and as a cash equities trader focused on biotechnology and financial services.

In 2016, he joined Canal Partners (2016-2020), a multi-family office specializing in growth capital opportunities, after working at seed-stage venture fund Tallwave Capital as an Associate (2015-2016). During his five-year tenure at Canal Partners, he was jointly responsible for software investing. In addition, he was one of two lead partners for seven investments, serving on the board of directors of 6 companies. Mr. Paul left Canal Partners in 2020 to focus his time on his other investment interests, including DWP Capital.

David started DWP Capital in January of 2021. This investment vehicle focuses on investing in Seed and early Series A stage companies technology companies.

David received his B.A. from Springfield College in 2009 (Cum Laude) and his MBA from Northeastern University in 2013. He is a Trustee of the Linda Tuero Foundation and a Board Member of Social Venture Partners Phoenix. He lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with his wife, Stacy.

More On Justin Clegg (According to LinkedIn)
Justin is an entrepreneurially minded business leader with experience in software as a service. He co-founded three Silicon Valley startups and was selected by The Guardian as a rising star in AI and conversational commerce. Prior to startups Justin led product and marketing efforts for Fortune 500 software companies including Intel, Oracle, and Adobe.

Justin Clegg has studied, lived and operated in a variety of international locations including Singapore, China, Mexico City, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Mozambique and New Delhi and is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, French and conversational Hindi. He has been profiled by VentureBeat, Deseret News and Entrepreneur.com and is a frequent public speaker. In his spare time, Justin enjoys playing indoor soccer, tennis and mountain biking. 

Hiring problems? Check out Recruit.so. Thanks for sponsoring this episode.

Hiring problems? Check out Recruit.so. Thanks for sponsoring this episode.

Thanks to Recruit.so for sponsoring this podcast. If you're having a hard time hiring developers, you need to check out Recruit.so.

This episode of FTF is sponsored by Recruit.so. With Recruit.so, hire pre-vetted ex-YC engineers in days, not weeks.

This episode is sponsored by Journey.io. Ditch your memo, Loom, and pitch deck and just use Journey to tell your story instead.

This episode of FTF is sponsored by Recruit.so. With Recruit.so, hire pre-vetted ex-YC engineers in days, not weeks.

This episode is sponsored by Journey.io. Ditch your memo, Loom, and pitch deck and just use Journey to tell your story instead. 

This episode is sponsored by recruit.so. They help you recruit engineers who deliver. 

A Little More On Kojo (from the Matrix website)

I grew up in Accra, Ghana’s commercial capital known for its bustling street markets. My mother was an entrepreneur who ran a small retail business. She was the first entrepreneur I worked with. From her, I learned that doing what you love leads to persistence and ultimately, success.

In college, I fell in love with math and computer science. I was drawn to programming as a way to turn imagination into reality. I bought in fully to the promise of technology as a tool to solve hard problems. Espresso-fueled late-night coding sessions were common. That and squash round robins were the twin pillars of my college years.

After college, I turned down a corporate job to join a startup called Sirona as the first employee and founding engineer. After building our initial product and early engineering team I took on the challenge of building out a product organization as Head of Product. At Sirona, we built managed cloud infrastructure and machine learning workflows for radiology clinics. Building critical infrastructure and innovating with our users every day was a highlight of my career.

My startup experience at Sirona gave me a deep appreciation for the founder journey and influenced how I approach investing. I look for founders who radically challenge the status quo and have the self-awareness to chart a practical path to their vision.

Chris McCann is a general partner at Race Capital, entrepreneur, and community builder. Prior, Chris founded and led the community program at Greylock Partners, a San Francisco based venture capital firm with $3.5 billion under management which led investments in Facebook, LinkedIn, Dropbox, and Coinbase, among others. Chris has an angel portfolio of over twenty investments within the fintech and blockchain verticals including: Binance, Solana, Serum, among others.

Before he joined the firm, he was the co-founder and CEO of StartupDigest – of the earliest technology focused publications – which he grew from zero to over one million subscribers before being acquired by Techstars. He was an early advisor for the Thiel Fellowship & StartX at Stanford University. He also writes a newsletter covering the fintech & tech sectors and reaches 15,000 entrepreneurs, engineers, and investors on a weekly basis.

Elizabeth Yin is a co-founder and General Partner at Hustle Fund, a pre-seed fund for software entrepreneurs. Previously, Elizabeth was a partner at 500 Startups where she invested in seed stage companies and ran the Mountain View accelerator. In a prior life, Elizabeth co-founded and ran an adtech company called LaunchBit (acq 2014). Elizabeth has a BSEE from Stanford and an MBA from MIT Sloan.

Elizabeth has reviewed over 20k startup pitches from around the world in the last few years and has helped numerous portfolio founders raise hundreds of millions of dollars. Her work and writing on startup fundraising has been featured in numerous publications including TechCrunch, Forbes, Huffington Post, BetaKit, and more.