Episode #2: Not Your Grandpa’s Nuclear Reactor
Tech Optimist Podcast — Tech, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation
The Tech Optimist podcast’s second episode discusses nuclear energy, venture capital trends, and Nanopath, a company focusing on women’s health conditions. The episode highlights the potential of nuclear energy and the importance of sovereign technology for economic and national security. It concludes with an interview with Dr. Amogha Tadimety, co-founder of Nanopath, discussing the company’s work in molecular diagnostics.
Episode #2: Atomic Opportunities
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The Tech Optimist Podcast, hosted by Mike Collins, founder and CEO of Alumni Ventures, explores the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, and venture capital. In the second episode, we discuss nuclear energy, venture capital trends, and the work of Nanopath. The podcast highlights the potential of nuclear energy as a misunderstood and underutilized source, capable of producing clean energy economically and safely. They also discuss the importance of sovereign technology, emphasizing the need for the U.S. to excel in key technologies for economic and national security. The episode concludes with an interview with Dr. Amogha Tadimety, co-founder of Nanopath, discussing the company’s work in molecular diagnostics for women’s health conditions.
Watch Time ~64 minutes
The show is produced by Alumni Ventures, which has been recognized as a “Top 20 Venture Firm” by CB Insights (’24) and as the “#1 Most Active Venture Firm in the US” by Pitchbook (’22 & ’23).
READ THE FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Creators and Guests
HOST
Mike Collins
CEO, and Co-Founder at Alumni Ventures
Mike has been involved in almost every facet of venturing, from angel investing to venture capital, new business and product launches, and innovation consulting. He is currently CEO of Alumni Ventures Group, the managing company for our fund, and launched AV’s first alumni fund, Green D Ventures, where he oversaw the portfolio as Managing Partner and is now Managing Partner Emeritus. Mike is a serial entrepreneur who has started multiple companies, including Kid Galaxy, Big Idea Group (partially owned by WPP), and RDM. He began his career at VC firm TA Associates. He holds an undergraduate degree in Engineering Science from Dartmouth and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
GUEST
Matt Loszak
CEO, Aalo Atomics
Matt Loszak is CEO of Aalo Atomics, a company on a mission to make nuclear cheap enough to power the majority of the world’s clean energy needs while maintaining safety. They have identified a path to achieve 3¢ / kWh electricity, enabling rapid real-world deployment.
GUEST
Naren Ramaswamy
Principal, Spike & Deep Tech Fund at Alumni Ventures
Naren combines a technical engineering background with experience at startups and VC firms. Before joining AV, he worked with the investing team at venture firm Data Collective (DCVC) looking at frontier tech deals. Before that, he was a Program Manager at Apple and Tesla and has worked for multiple consumer startups. Naren received a BS and MS in mechanical engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. In his free time, he enjoys teaching golf to beginners and composing music.
GUEST
Amogha Tadimety
Co-Founder & CEO at Nanopath
Amogha Tadimety is the Co-Founder and CEO of Nanopath, a molecular diagnostics company disrupting traditional testing methodologies. Nanopath aims to improve women’s health by providing granular and clinically actionable information within a single office visit.
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