Shortcast over Coffee

Today my guest is Tea Scientist Ajit Bhaskar. Ajit has been researching on tea for over a decade. Ajit is also a marathon runner, a podcast host and a foodie. In this episode I talk to him about his journey towards the current role and everything about tea! I still cannot believe we spent an hour just talking about tea. Ajit has wealth of knowledge about the industry and the best part is that he loves sharing it too. So what are you waiting for? Ek cup chai banao aur video start karo!

Today, my guest is Raffi Krikorian. Raffi has had a distinguished career in tech, a career most would dream of. He graduated from MIT and went on to work in senior leadership positions at Twitter and Uber. He was the Senior Director of Engineering at Uber’s Advanced Technologies Center and the first-ever Chief Technology Officer of the Democratic National Committee. Raffi is currently serving as the Chief Technology Officer of Emerson Collective, where he works on developing opportunities and solutions in education, environment, immigration, and many more pressing problems in the world today. Check out Raffi’s work at www.emersoncollective.com and do check out this podcast on technology and governance, Technically Optimistic, wherever you get your podcasts. In this episode, I talk to him about his days at Twitter and Uber, his days with the Democratic National Committee, and his thoughts on ethics and policymaking around artificial intelligence. Please do like, share, and subscribe to this podcast, Shortcast Over Coffee, on top podcast platforms like Spotify, Apple, etc.

My guest today is Utkarsha Agwan. Utkarsha is a core team member of Climate Change AI, a global nonprofit that catalyzes impactful work at the intersection of climate change and machine learning. CCAI has led the creation of a global movement in climate change and machine learning, encompassing researchers, engineers, entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, companies, and NGOs. She holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from UC Berkeley, where her research focused on distributed energy resources, specifically batteries, electric vehicles, and flexible loads, and how they can participate in the larger power grid. In this episode, I talk to Utkarsha about AI ethics in climate tech, the top problems in climate change being tackled using machine learning, and solving nuclear fusion. In the last part of this episode, both Utkarsha and I mistakenly say "nuclear fission" instead of "nuclear fusion"... and I hope you guys excuse us for the slip of the tongue. https://www.climatechange.ai/

Today my guests are the co founders of the startup Voltpost Jeff Prosserman and Luke Maira. Voltpost is a hardware-as-a-service company that transforms lampposts into smart electric vehicle charging stations. In today's episode, I talk to Jeff and Luke about how they started Voltpost, how different the North American EV charging infra structure is compared to Europe and how they look forward to working with cities and policy makers to enable fast, convenient and reliable charging to the urban environment. Please do like share and subscribe this channel shortcast over coffee on top podcast platforms like Spotify, Apple etc. Checkout more https://www.voltpost.com/ https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/24/ev-charging-voltpost-3-6m-seed-round/

Today, my guests are Chinmay Malaviya and Charlie Depman, the co-founders of the exciting startup Ridepanda. Ridepanda is a digital platform offering e-bikes, e-scooters, and e-mopeds as a way to promote eco-friendly transportation. In this episode, I talk to Chinmay and Charlie about their inspiration behind starting Ridepanda, their shift from micromobility to leasing bikes at an enterprise scale, and their observations and learning about the state of urban transportation in the U.S. Please do like, share, and subscribe to this channel, Shotcast Over Coffee, on YouTube and all podcast platforms.

Today my guest is Akash Banerjee. Akash is political and social satirist. He established and hosts #TheDeshbhakt, recognized as India's most influential and widely viewed political satire platform. The Deshbhakt distinguishes itself by blending factual analysis with a mix of sarcasm and dark humor, addressing the myriad challenges facing modern India. Prior to venturing into the digital realm, Akash had an extensive career spanning over 15 years in traditional media. His diverse roles included working as a Radio Jockey, News Reporter, Anchor, and Author. Akash's educational background is equally impressive, having attended La Martiniere College in Lucknow for his schooling, followed by a Graduation and Masters in History from the prestigious Hindu and St. Stephens Colleges.

Today my guest is Gaurav Mittal. Gaurav Mittal is a Researcher in Mobility Governance. His research interests lie at the intersections of urban transformations, political economy, and transport governance. He works on investigating the policies that shape material urban mobilities in small and medium size cities in the Global South. In today's episode, Gaurav on his current research and his PhD work on urban transportation in Indian cities. https://www.tsu.ox.ac.uk/person/dr-gaurav-mittal

Today my guest is Andrew Revkin. Andrew is best known for his groundbreaking work at The New York Times, where he covered climate change and environmental issues, bringing complex scientific topics to the public. Throughout his career, Andrew has traveled from the Amazon rainforests to the Arctic, witnessing the world's environmental triumphs and crises, and has sat down with world leaders and activists alike. In today's episode, Andrew tells us why carbon capture, though important may not be the only thing climate scientists and venture capitalists should be after. He also shares with us his early journalism career and reporting from Brazil on the environmental effects caused on the amazon rainforest. Please do like share and subscribe this channel shortcast over coffee on top podcast platforms like Spotify, Apple etc. More on Andrew's work: https://revkin.substack.com/p/with-billions-of-dollars-to-invest-22-09-23https://revkin.substack.com/p/after-reporting-on-global-warming-22-01-14?utm_source=%2Fsearch%2Fscariest%2520science&utm_medium=reader2https://archive.nytimes.com/dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/bill-gates-the-impatient-optimist-lays-out-his-clean-energy-innovation-agenda/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/opinion/bill-gatess-clean-energy-moon-shot.htmlulio Friedmann: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCn5vl6zouA

David Roberts, an influential writer and communicator on clean energy and climate change policy, discusses topics such as transitioning from academia to journalism, the dominance of luxury vehicles in the US EV market, climate change technology investing, the relationship between the IRA and the Build Back Better Act, perspectives on climate change within the Republican Party, carbon sequestration and carbon capture, and the benefits of transitioning to renewable energy.

Today my guest is Karthik Kumar. Karthik is an actor, director, writer, standup comedian, and an entrepreneur. He is the well known founder of Evam. He has acted in popular movies like Alaipayuthe, Yaaradi Nee Mohini, Poi Solla Porom and recently Rocketry. Karthik will be touring in the last leg of his tour with his 4th comedy special "Mansplaining" which will cover multiple cities across the US, culminating in London between February and March. Check out the show notes for more. In this episode I will talk to Karthik about his life as an actor and entrepreneur and everything about his venture Evam. About Karthik and Evam https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/karthik-kumars-latest-show-aansplaining-is-therapy-disguised-as-stand-up-comedy/article65602619.ece https://www.karthikkumar.live/ https://www.instagram.com/evamkarthik/?hl=en