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S2 | E4 — Privahini Bradoo (Co-founder of Plank, BlueOak) on turning Kiwi ingenuity into deep tech success, engineering with AI, and identifying “force of nature” talent in NZ.

Jul 26, 2024

37:42

Privahini Bradoo is the co-founder and CEO at Plank — helping companies build and scale AI-enabled engineering teams + training the next generation of computer scientists.

Born in India, Privahini immigrated to NZ in her school years. Her time with us down-under was impactful… while pursuing a degree in Biomedical Science, then PhD in Neurogenetics and Drug Discovery at the University of Auckland, she also led the establishment of the Spark business competition (now Velocity); and co-founded Chiasma, an organisation dedicated to linking the biotech academic community with industry.

Drawn back off-shore in 2006, Privahini landed a Fulbright scholarship to pursue an MBA at Harvard Business School, and then settled back in the San Francisco Bay Area, joining Lanzatech as one of the first commercial hires in the U.S.

In 2011, Privahini co-founded BlueOak Resources to revolutionise how we treat and recycle end-of-life electronics - raising ~$50M from Kliener Perkins and others along the way.

In today's episode, we discuss:

* From brain science to business: Privahini's unexpected career leap.

* the early days of Auckland's startup scene and Velocity business competition.

* Lessons from LanzaTech and BlueOak… navigating the complexities of deep tech startups, systems thinking across the supply chain of inputs/outputs, recycling industrial waste.

* The future of AI - engineering, revolutionizing remote work, COVID as an accelerating force at Plank.

* Optimism in the face of global realities.

* How to foster 'force of nature' talent in NZ

Where to find Privahini Bradoo:

* LinkedIn

* Twitter/X

* University of Auckland Graduate Stories

* KEA - World Class New Zealander

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(01:43) Privahini's origin story

(04:30) Inside the Velocity programme