
Future Optimist
Mind-expanding tales of entrepreneurship and people building the world of tomorrow, brought to you by aloa.agency.
Latest episodes

Jan 19, 2024 • 51min
Ep. 194 – Why Ramiro Velasco Thinks Amazon Latin America Is the Next Big Gold Rush
In today’s episode, we’re going to talk about Blue Oceans and Red Oceans, a concept talked about in Blue Ocean Strategy by Renée Mauborgne, W. Chan Kim. Broadly speaking, a “blue ocean” is uncontested market space—something that no one else is really doing, like Cirque Du Soleil when they first started. Compare that with a “red ocean”, or a supersaturated market in which you’re unlikely to succeed, like me selling you my NFTs of my head spliced onto Ryan Reynold’s body for the low low price of just 2 ETH! Joining us today is Ramiro Velasco, President and Co-Founder of GoAvance, a company that specializes in Amazon e-commerce but specifically in Latin America. The reason I wanted to do this show is because we tend to think only of opportunity in the country we live in. But perhaps, if certain techniques no longer work in your country, the blue ocean is applying those ideas to a different market, in this case, Mexico. I try to expand your ideas of what’s possible with this show, and maybe moving to Mexico and setting up shop there is exactly what you should do to find your own, uncharted waters. We’ll talk about practical tips for selling on Amazon in any country and also some general trends in marketing and ecommerce—this is especially relevant if you’ve ever wanted to sell something online. ➡️ https://goavance.com/ ➡️ https://rosspalmer.com/ramiro-velasco ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

Jan 12, 2024 • 49min
Ep. 193 – Matt Rogers: From Selling Nest for $3.2 Billion to Founding Mill, A Truly Brilliant In-Home Solution for Reducing Food Waste
Today we’ve got an AWESOME episode for you. Joining us is Matt Rogers, whom I believe we can accurately call a tech legend. Matt's career began at Apple, where his talent and dedication led him to build the software team responsible for ten generations of the iconic iPod. As one of the pioneering engineers on the original iPhone, his influence extended through five generations of the device and into the creation of the first iPad. His remarkable contributions to these groundbreaking products have left an indelible mark on the technology landscape. As if that wasn’t enough… Matt co-founded Nest Labs, revolutionizing the smart home device industry with the Nest thermostat. This innovation caught the eye of Google, leading to a high-profile acquisition for $3.2 billion in 2014. But Matt's ambitions didn't stop there. After Nest, he turned his focus towards philanthropy, particularly in climate-related initiatives. This path led him to a startling realization about food waste, and together with his former colleague Harry Tannenbaum, he conceived Mill. This ingenious kitchen bin transforms food scraps into chicken feed—basically indoor composting that doesn’t smell—offering a sustainable solution to household waste and contributing significantly to environmental conservation. With Mill, Matt Rogers is not just redefining waste management; he's shaping a future that aligns with the ambitious zero-waste goals of cities worldwide, promising a significant reduction in emissions and deforestation. Join us as we explore the journey of this extraordinary innovator and how his latest venture, Mill, is set to make a lasting impact on our planet. ➡️ https://www.mill.com/ ➡️ https://rosspalmer.com/matt-rogers ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

Jan 5, 2024 • 52min
Ep. 192 – Fabian de La Fuente: How a Serial Entrepreneur is Reshaping Solar Tech
Fabian is a six-time serial entrepreneur with a 33-year history in technology innovation, holding over 100 patents in software, electronics, and photovoltaics. He has led diverse teams on four continents and launched numerous technology products globally. As the Co-founder and CEO of Solaires Entreprises Inc., a Canadian cleantech company, he's pioneering the development of perovskite-based solar cells, aiming for higher efficiency and sustainability in solar energy. If you're wondering what it takes to build and scale and sell a business in the eco space, this episode is for you. ➡️ https://www.solaires.net/ ➡️ https://rosspalmer.com/fabian-de-la-fuente ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

Dec 22, 2023 • 53min
Ep. 191 – Ryan Field: Ingenious Tech Revolutionizing Neuroscience and Neuromedicine (Raised Over $150 Million)
Ryan Field is the CEO of Kernel, a neurotech company that's raised over $150 million revolutionizing neuromedicine. What if a brain scan was a part of our regular checkup? What if we could detect and prevent diseases like dementia far in advance, with non-invasive tech? Something as simple as just putting on a bicycle helmet? Could we accelerate treatment discovery? Improve patient outcomes? And transform neuromedicine? Joining us today is the CEO of Kernel, a company based here in Los Angeles that is up to out-of-this world stuff. I was lucky enough to visit their offices, and their tech is truly game-changing. I’ve even tried it on! Ryan Field is an inventor with more than 20 granted US patents, and Kernel has received over $150 million in funding and counting. Buckle up for an awesome episode. ➡️ https://www.kernel.com/ ➡️ https://rosspalmer.com/ryan-field ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

Dec 15, 2023 • 49min
Ep. 190 – Mike Loos: How AI and "Virtual Twins" Will Make Better Medicine, Faster
Today's episode feels like pure science fiction. What is a digital twin? How could this help us make better and faster pharmaceuticals? And why is that important? We know that there is so much data about us and our bodies and soon, our brains. Is there a reality in which we can use data to remove human testing from the process of finding new drugs? How can we use machine learning and artificial intelligence to better understand the data that we have? If this feels like something with massive, profound implications for our future, you’re right. And I’ll be honest: I barely understand what any of this means. That’s why we’re lucky that joining me right now is Mike Loos, the Vice President of Solution Architecture at TetraScience, a tech/bio company with over 100 leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies as customers. ➡️ https://www.tetrascience.com/demo ➡️ https://rosspalmer.com/mike-loos ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

Dec 8, 2023 • 47min
Ep. 189 – Tom Frazier: Why We All Need to Care about Sustainable Edge Computing
Tom Frazier is the co-founder and CEO of Redivider, a company that is making sustainable & responsible edge computing. But first, what is edge computing? You might not realize it, but every single device you use and every single platform you interact with is storing massive amounts of data somewhere. And the farther away from you physically these data centers are the more inefficient and unsustainable they become. Edge computing is the idea that we should keep the source of our data closer to where we're physically located, which is no easy task. In theory, this could help us be more sustainable, more efficient, and more secure in a world where our data is floating around everywhere, and can easily fall into the wrong hands. Now this is one of those subjects that is extremely timely, especially as we march headfirst into a future that is entirely digital. Redivider builds modular, smaller facilities, and diverse locations which enables faster data processing and increased to capacity, and they're also focused on improving sustainability, because their modular solutions are hydrogen powered. This episode falls into the category of something that humanity desperately needs, but we don't necessarily know we do yet, and that's why I'm so excited to share this conversation with you today. ➡️ https://www.redivider.co/ ➡️ https://rosspalmer.com/tom-frazier ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

Nov 30, 2023 • 59min
Ep. 188 – Travis Rosbach: Building a 600% Growth Company In Hydro Flask
Travis Rosbach is the creator and founder of Hydro Flask, and a brilliant 600x MoM serial entrepreneur. Do you know those water bottles you've seen everywhere? Every single time you go to the airport, it seems like every single person has one? Well, it turns out that that's called the Hydro Flask, and it was invented by Travis Rosbach. Today we are going to discuss the unlikely journey and strange path of a true entrepreneur’s entrepreneur. Prior to founding his first company, Travis was a SCUBA dive master, a US Merchant Marine Boat Captain, and a commercial airline pilot in addition to being a world explorer. And yet somehow he ended up inventing what would go on to become one of the world’s most successful eco-friendly consumer products. He since sold that company and has helped countless others as an advisor, so his advice is something that we all should take very seriously. Brace yourself for truly enjoyable conversation with somebody I deeply respect. ➡️ https://www.travisrosbach.com/ ➡️ https://rosspalmer.com/travis-rosbach ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

Nov 24, 2023 • 53min
Ep. 187 – Robin Simsa: The Genius of 3D-Printed, Fungi-Based “Salmon” Filets
Robin Simsa is the CEO of Revo Foods, the first company to sell 3D printed, vegan “salmon” filets – already available all over Europe. They're making 100% plant-based seafood to reduce overfishing and relieve pressure on our marine ecosystem. Robin himself has a PhD in biotech from the university of Gothenburg and Tufts University, and he was also nominated to Forbes 30 Under 30. 3D printing food is one of those exciting or terrifying ideas depending on your perspective, especially if “it's people!” is still ringing through your brain and you're worried about a Soylent Green future. However, I see technologies like this as a necessary step towards our evolution as a species, which is why I'm so excited about this episode and I'm not the only one; investors have already poured up to $400 million into alternative seafood start-ups in recent years, including over $7 million into Revo Foods. ➡️ https://revo-foods.com/ ➡️ https://rosspalmer.com/robin-simsa ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

Nov 17, 2023 • 41min
Ep. 186 – Nicki Driscoll, PhD: Brain Implants as Thin as a Human Hair
Nicki Driscoll, PhD is a post-doc researcher at MIT, and CTO of NeuroBionics, a company that has developed a new kind of neural interface using microscale, flexible, bioelectronic fibers that seamlessly integrate with the body. Have you ever seen a fiber optic cable? Imagine a tiny strand that is as thin as a human hair. Each fiber integrates a range of functions, such as electrical, chemical, and optical capabilities to sense and modulate the biological environment. This gives us unprecedented access into the “symphony” of a properly functioning brain (something we’ll talk about later that is ultra ultra cool…) and also a better understanding of the brain when it’s not functioning properly. This is the kind of stuff the sci-fi future is made of, so buckle up! ➡️ https://neurobionics.io/ ➡️ https://rosspalmer.com/nicki-driscoll ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer

Nov 10, 2023 • 54min
Ep. 185 – Viraj Mane, PhD: Can We Cure Disease with Human Breast Milk?
Viraj Mane is the co-founder & Chief Scientific Officer at Lactiga, an award-winning, venture-backed biotherapeutics company treating and prevent infections using an unusual but genius method…human milk. That’s right, Lactiga uses human breast milk to battle even the world’s most dangerous pathogens. It turns out, some people would benefit tremendously from what’s found in the breast milk of other humans, and if done right, the power of this novel approach is astounding. Viraj has a PhD in Human Genetics from Baylor College of Medicine, and has completed two post-doc fellowships, including one for the U.S. FDA. After he became a father, he had a strange but brilliant idea after seeing excess breast milk stored in the freezer. I know you’ll love this episode from a very smart person. ➡️ https://lactiga.com/ ➡️ https://rosspalmer.com/viraj-mane ➡️ Follow me on Instagram: @therosspalmer ➡️ Subscribe on YouTube: @therosspalmer