You might think the final frontier is in space, but the technology getting us there is being built right here in Pittsburgh. In this episode of Thought Liters: Mitch Fogelson, founder of Beyond Reach Labs, discusses "physical intelligence", which is the hardware side of robotics often overshadowed by AI.

Mitch breaks down how his company is creating structures that pack flat (like IKEA furniture) but deploy into massive, rigid infrastructure for lunar habitats, solar arrays, and even disaster relief towers on Earth.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why robots need "Physical Intelligence," not just AI.
• How to fit a skyscraper in a backpack (literally).
• Why Taylor Swift’s tour trucks could be reduced by 90%.
• The future of "Space LEGOs" and artificial gravity stations.
• Why Pittsburgh is the champion city for deep tech founders.

00:00 The Final Frontier is in Pittsburgh

01:35 Flight 1

03:17 The "Googly Eyed Robot" that started it all

04:37 Why Japan loves robots (and the West fears them)

06:33 Talking to robots before LLMs existed

09:42 Flight 2

10:17 What is "Physical Intelligence"?

11:45 Artificial gravity & spinning space stations

13:37 Demo: Hoberman spheres & pop-up trusses

18:42 How to fit a space station in a suitcase

23:04 Flight 3

23:28 Disaster relief: Cell towers in backpacks

27:35 COWs (Cell on Wheels) vs. Cheetahs

29:56 Reducing Taylor Swift's 90-truck tour convoy

33:59 Flight 4

34:21 Space LEGOs & Lunar Homes

37:10 Drug discovery & solar energy in space

39:06 Digital Twins: Solving the James Webb problem

41:28 Surviving the "Vomit Comet" (Zero-G Flight)

43:08 Flight 5

43:49 The Founder Mentality: Working backwards

46:27 Why build Deep Tech in Pittsburgh?

49:35 How to avoid "Shiny Object Syndrome"

52:43 Flight 6

53:04 Vision: Becoming the IKEA of space infrastructure

57:31 Final Advice: Be like a duck

59:12 Outro

This episode is part of our Six Pack mini-series with Innovation Works, spotlighting the founders and leaders building Pittsburgh's future.

#businesspodcast #pittsburgh #thoughtliters

WHAT IS THOUGHT LITERS?

Thought Liters is a series created and hosted by Adam Conner. On the show, Adam learns from the top of the world through the bottom of their glass. Each episode, we share a flight of local craft with the best and brightest brand minds around – whether it be an entrepreneur, an athlete, an artist, or otherwise. The questions evolve as the sip changes.

The show is proudly founded and produced in Pittsburgh, PA.

The whole goal is to have conversations about business with a more lighthearted look and feel. Adam thinks most business content is dry, and wants to change that.

If you’re interested, follow along! If not, that’s cool too. But if you wanna be where the thought leaders are…you’ll tune in to where Thought Liters is.

Migraine affects 1 in 6 people globally, yet 95% of patients aren’t getting properly diagnosed. In this episode, we explore how AI is finally giving patients weapons to fight the "Migraine Wars."

Sophia Fang is the founder of Peachy Day, a startup using data to help chronic pain sufferers reclaim their lives. Over a flight from the Pittsburgh Juice Company (no adult bevs today, as they can trigger migraine!), we discuss:

-- The shocking shortage of neurologists in the US.

-- How AI can predict chronic pain attacks before they happen.

-- Why "data privacy" in health tech needs a revolution.

-- How painting murals helps Sophia manage the pain of startup life.

00:00 The "Invisible" Crisis: 1 in 6 Americans

01:07 Meet Sophia Fang & The Juice Flight

02:14 A Family Legacy of Chronic Pain

04:29 The "Ice Pick" Month: Hitting Rock Bottom

05:53 The Shocking Lack of Headache Specialists

08:30 Why Build a Tech HQ in Pittsburgh?

10:36 How Peachy Day Uses AI to Predict Pain

14:59 Managing a Startup While in Chronic Pain

17:25 Art as Pain Management (The Muralist Side)

21:55 Is There an End to the "Migraine Wars"?

26:09 The Problem with Big Tech & Health Data

29:32 Advice for Mission-Driven Founders

31:41 The Final Taste Test

This episode is part of our Six Pack mini-series with Innovation Works, spotlighting the founders and leaders building Pittsburgh's future.

#businesspodcast #pittsburgh #thoughtliters

WHAT IS THOUGHT LITERS?

Thought Liters is a series created and hosted by Adam Conner. On the show, Adam learns from the top of the world through the bottom of their glass. Each episode, we share a flight of local craft with the best and brightest brand minds around – whether it be an entrepreneur, an athlete, an artist, or otherwise. The questions evolve as the sip changes.

The show is proudly founded and produced in Pittsburgh, PA.

The whole goal is to have conversations about business with a more lighthearted look and feel. Adam thinks most business content is dry, and wants to change that.

If you’re interested, follow along! If not, that’s cool too. But if you wanna be where the thought leaders are…you’ll tune in to where Thought Liters is.

Vote for Adam to be Thought Leader of the Year: https://technical.ly/vote

Globally, we waste a billion tons of food every single year. That's equivalent to 30-40% of the US food supply, and $1 trillion of economic value thrown in the trash.

But what if the solution isn't just about "eating your vegetables," but about treating trash like data?

On this episode of Thought Liters, Adam sits down with Nolan Sulpizio, founder of Clean Plate Innovations, to discuss how he is using machine learning to solve this gluttonous problem.

Over a flight of Pittsburgh’s finest, they pour over:

• The "Butterfly Effect" of throwing away a single burger.
• How a brutal critique at a pitch competition forced a pivot from "gamification" to "data is dollars".
• Why "AI" might just be a buzzword, and how actual Machine Learning differs.
• The future of food waste regulations and corporate responsibility.

00:00 - The 1 Billion Ton Problem

02:46 - The Butterfly Effect of Wasting Food

07:23 - From the "Bee Crisis" to Entrepreneurship

12:26 - Creating a Business in 4 Days (Startup Weekend)

16:58 - The Pitch Competition: "Where's the Money?"

23:28 - The Pivot: Why Data is the New Oil

31:32 - How Clean Plate Technology Actually Works

33:23 - Why He Says "AI" Isn't Real (The Emissions Problem)

39:15 - The Future: $10,000 Fines and Regulations

45:49 - Building a Startup in Pittsburgh

49:49 - Can Tech Solve a Human Problem?

#businesspodcast #pittsburgh #thoughtliters

WHAT IS THOUGHT LITERS?

Thought Liters is a series created and hosted by Adam Conner. On the show, Adam learns from the top of the world through the bottom of their glass. Each episode, we share a flight of local craft with the best and brightest brand minds around – whether it be an entrepreneur, an athlete, an artist, or otherwise. The questions evolve as the sip changes.

The show is proudly founded and produced in Pittsburgh, PA.

The whole goal is to have conversations about business with a more lighthearted look and feel. Adam thinks most business content is dry, and wants to change that.

If you’re interested, follow along! If not, that’s cool too. But if you wanna be where the thought leaders are…you’ll tune in to where Thought Liters is.

Vote for Adam to be Thought Leader of the Year: https://technical.ly/vote

Today: Prisoners get 2 hours of outdoor time a day. Kids get less than 7 minutes. How did we get here? And how do we fix it?

In this episode of Thought Liters, Adam Conner shares a flight with Ketaki Desai, CEO of Dashstrom, to break down the crisis of "safetyism" and the loss of play. From the psychological impacts of over-parenting to the science of neuroplasticity, we explore how to rewire the next generation for resilience.

We discuss why kids are more anxious than ever, the "growth mindset" methodology, and why confidence only comes from doing hard things—whether that's on the playground or climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

About Dashstrom: Dashstrom builds resilience and confidence in kids through a unique curriculum of physical challenges and empowerment principles.

This episode is part of our Six Pack mini-series with Innovation Works, spotlighting the founders and leaders building Pittsburgh's future.

00:00 Trailer: Prisoners vs. Kids

01:04 The Death of "Go Out and Play"

02:11 Why Parents Became Overprotective (Safetyism)

06:42 The Prisoner Statistic (20x More Playtime)

09:46 Ketaki’s Story: Growing Up Below the Poverty Line

15:40 Neuroplasticity & The Growth Mindset

18:34 The Dashstrom Origin: From "Smoking Pot" to Iron Man

24:18 The "Negative Thoughts" Game

27:58 The Crisis: Suicide Stats & Screen Addiction

32:20 Expanding the Vision to Pittsburgh Schools

37:23 The Summit: Climbing Kilimanjaro at -60°C

41:22 Advice for Founders: Focus on the Shoes

45:45 Outro & Cheers

#businesspodcast #pittsburgh #thoughtliters

WHAT IS THOUGHT LITERS?

Thought Liters is a series created and hosted by Adam Conner. On the show, Adam learns from the top of the world through the bottom of their glass. Each episode, we share a flight of local craft with the best and brightest brand minds around – whether it be an entrepreneur, an athlete, an artist, or otherwise. The questions evolve as the sip changes.

The show is proudly founded and produced in Pittsburgh, PA.

The whole goal is to have conversations about business with a more lighthearted look and feel. Adam thinks most business content is dry, and wants to change that.

If you’re interested, follow along! If not, that’s cool too. But if you wanna be where the thought leaders are…you’ll tune in to where Thought Liters is.

Pittsburgh's tech scene is booming, but a fatal flaw is holding it back. Only $0.02 of every dollar invested in the city comes from within it.

So, what's the fix?

To find out, Adam shares a flight of Pittsburgh's finest craft beers with Ven Raju, CEO of Innovation Works , one of the nation's most active early-stage investors. Ven lays out the exact blueprint for the "flywheel" : a strategy to close the 2% capital gap , create more unicorns , and turn this underdog city into a self-sustaining economic powerhouse.

This episode kicks off our special Six Pack mini-series with Innovation Works, spotlighting the founders and leaders building Pittsburgh's future.

00:00 The $1.89 Billion Problem Holding Pittsburgh Back

01:32 Meet Ven Raju

02:20 Pittsburgh's "Perfect Confluence" of Strengths

05:08 Why Ven Raju Came to Pittsburgh

09:03 The Flywheel Problem: Pittsburgh's 2% Crisis

12:16 Why Resident Capital is The Key to The Flywheel

14:52 Why Does Local Investment Lag Behind Nashville & Raleigh?

17:10 Pouncing on University Talent

21:35 The Grander Vision: How to Manufacture Unicorns

24:55 The Next Wave: Cross-Pollinating AI, Robotics & Life Science

29:17 The 3-Year Outlook: A $10 Billion Future?

32:03 Ven's #1 Advice for Founders (Problem vs. Tools)

34:35 Kicking Off the Innovation Works Mini-Series

#businesspodcast #pittsburgh #thoughtliters

WHAT IS THOUGHT LITERS?

Thought Liters is a series created and hosted by Adam Conner. On the show, Adam learns from the top of the world through the bottom of their glass. Each episode, we share a flight of local craft with the best and brightest brand minds around – whether it be an entrepreneur, an athlete, an artist, or otherwise. The questions evolve as the sip changes.

The show is proudly founded and produced in Pittsburgh, PA.

The whole goal is to have conversations about business with a more lighthearted look and feel. Adam thinks most business content is dry, and wants to change that.

If you’re interested, follow along! If not, that’s cool too. But if you wanna be where the thought leaders are…you’ll tune in to where Thought Liters is.

What is the price of a purpose-driven life? For over a decade, Jordan Corcoran has been a leading voice in youth mental health, building the nationwide movement "Listen, Lucy" from her own personal trauma. But what happens when the story that defines you also begins to trap you?In this raw and unfiltered conversation, Jordan shares the brutal truth about her entrepreneurial journey. She reveals the "unhealthy work ethic" and "touch of delusion" it took to survive a seven-year grind before seeing success. Jordan details the devastating moment she lost everything overnight during the pandemic and the resilience it took to pivot and build her second successful company, The Corcoran Collective, from the ashes.This is a receipt of the unspoken cost of being a founder, the courage it takes to step back from the very mission that defines you, and how to evolve beyond your origin story without losing the purpose that drives you.00:00 Is Having a Purpose Worth the Pain?01:02 Pittsburgh Pale01:27 Welcome to Pittsburgh02:22 Firehouse Red02:28 What Fires You Up? (The Good Way)04:50 What Fires You Up? (The Bad Way)05:43 Who is Lucy?08:57 The Birth of the Corcoran Collective11:26 Helltown DVE Rocks12:22 The Impact of Listen, Lucy15:36 Evolving Beyond the Origin Story18:25 Cobra Toes19:10 How to Survive the Entrepreneurial Grind26:22 Erie's Railbender26:42 The Future of Mental Health in America31:20 Weizen Up32:28 Wising Up the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs35:48 How to Connect with Jordan#businesspodcast #pittsburgh #thoughtlitersWHAT IS THOUGHT LITERS?Thought Liters is a series created and hosted by Adam Conner. On the show, Adam learns from the top of the world through the bottom of their glass. Each episode, we share a flight of local craft with the best and brightest brand minds around – whether it be an entrepreneur, an athlete, an artist, or otherwise. The questions evolve as the sip changes.The show is proudly founded and produced in Pittsburgh, PA.The whole goal is to have conversations about business with a more lighthearted look and feel. Adam thinks most business content is dry, and wants to change that, inspired by Hot Ones and Chicken Shop Date and Sundae Conversation and Hart to Heart and a laundry list of others.Because if you wanna be where the thought leaders are…you’ll tune in to where Thought Liters is.

Jim Gibbs, CEO of Meter Feeder, pops the top to talk legacy, problem-solving, and advice for future entrepreneurs.

Today we fizz over the following:-- Jim's beginnings, including coding his own video games-- The $100M parking problem you didn't know existed-- What puts Jim in a pickle-- Taking inspiration from Carnegie to solve conflict-- What Jim would pursue if he weren't CEO of Meter Feeder-- Advice for the next thought leader00:00 Intro: Parking Sucks & A CEO Who Wants to Be Forgotten 00:30 First Chapter: Jim Gibbs' Origin Story 01:15 Root Beer & Roots: Coding Games Since '77 03:07 The Meter Feeder Pitch: Solving the $100M Parking Problem 05:09 Ten Years in Tech: The CEO Who Wants to Be Forgotten 06:32 Pickle Pop Challenge: The High-Ranking Ticket Scandal 09:53 Sarsaparilla & Strategy: Buses with Cameras & $33K Hidden Tickets 13:42 Co-Founder Conflict: "I Can Make You More Money!" 14:34 Ketchup Soda & Killing Your Creations: A "Back of the Bar Napkin" Idea 17:00 Cherry Supreme Wisdom: Jim's Unfiltered Advice for Entrepreneurs 20:32 Final Cheers & Where to Find Jim Gibbs

WHAT IS THOUGHT LITERS?Thought Liters is a series created and hosted by Adam Conner. On the show, Adam learns from the top of the world through the bottom of their glass. Each episode, we share a flight of local craft with the best and brightest brand minds around – whether it be an entrepreneur, an athlete, an artist, or otherwise. The questions evolve as the sip changes.The show is proudly founded and produced in Pittsburgh, PA.The whole goal is to have conversations about business with a more lighthearted look and feel. Adam thinks most business content is dry, and wants to change that, inspired by Hot Ones and Chicken Shop Date and Sundae Conversation and Hart to Heart and a laundry list of others.Think, Hot Ones for entrepreneurs, or business. That's what he's going for.If you’re interested, follow along! If not, that’s cool too. But if you wanna be where the thought leaders are…you’ll tune in to where Thought Liters is.

Kloopify founder Daniela Osio takes flight to share how she's saving the planet via sustainable procurement (and, explains what all those buzzwords mean).Daniela on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielaosio/Kloopify: https://www.kloopify.com/Today we pour over:-- Daniela's family inspiration for becoming an entrepreneur-- The one-woman DuPont wrecking ball-- The story of Kloopify-- Getting punched in the face by NO-- The roller coaster ride of entrepreneurship-- How Daniela builds teams, and her favorite people-- Last Call: advice to tomorrow's entrepreneur#businesspodcast #pittsburgh #thoughtlitersWHAT IS THOUGHT LITERS?Thought Liters is a series created and hosted by Adam Conner. On the show, Adam learns from the top of the world through the bottom of their glass. Each episode, we share a flight of local craft with the best and brightest brand minds around – whether it be an entrepreneur, an athlete, an artist, or otherwise. The questions evolve as the sip changes.The show is proudly founded and produced in Pittsburgh, PA.The whole goal is to have conversations about business with a more lighthearted look and feel. Adam thinks most business content is dry, and wants to change that, inspired by Hot Ones and Chicken Shop Date and Sundae Conversation and Hart to Heart and a laundry list of others.Think, Hot Ones for entrepreneurs, or business. That's what he's going for.If you’re interested, follow along! If not, that’s cool too. But if you wanna be where the thought leaders are…you’ll tune in to where Thought Liters is.