GeekWire Uncommon Thinkers 2025: Solar spacecraft, sci-fi biology, destroying PFAS, beyond AI chatbots, and better social media
Dec 13, 2025
Join innovators Jeff Thornburg, CEO of Portal Space Systems, who’s developing a solar-powered spacecraft for rapid space logistics, and Anindya Roy, co-founder of Lila Biologics, who’s using AI to design novel cancer-fighting proteins. Jay Graber of Bluesky discusses building a decentralized social network for user empowerment, while Kiana Ehsani at Vercept aims to replace traditional input methods with efficient AI agents. Lastly, Brian Pinkard from Aquagga shares his tech for destroying harmful PFAS chemicals in wastewater, pushing for a cleaner future.
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Solar Thermal Propulsion Enables Rapid Orbital Mobility
- Concentrated solar thermal propulsion can enable rapid on-orbit mobility measured in minutes and hours instead of weeks or months.
- Jeff Thornburg says this mobility underpins Earth-Moon logistics, defense, and future deep-space exploration.
From Two Suitcases To AI-Designed Proteins
- Anindya Roy recounts coming to the U.S. with two suitcases and $2,000 and joining David Baker's lab before ML revolutionized protein design.
- He says ML raised success rates from under 1% to roughly 5–20%, enabling practical computer-designed antibodies.
Use ML To Shrink Protein Design Scope
- Use machine learning-driven algorithms instead of legacy tools for protein design to dramatically improve hit rates.
- Design fewer candidates (hundreds not tens of thousands) and advance potent binders to drug development faster.