Invest in Progress

Aurora's CEO Chris Urmson discusses how autonomous trucks can solve the challenges in the trucking industry, such as driver shortages and increasing demand. He explains the potential revolutionary impact of autonomous vehicles, the importance of partnerships and collaboration, the process of building autonomous trucks, the significance of founder-led companies and company culture, and the vast opportunity in the autonomous trucking industry.

Invest in Progress from Scottish Mortgage is back. In season two, we head behind the scenes with the founders and leaders of some of the most innovative companies of our time. We welcome well-known brands such as Moderna and HelloFresh, as well as some you may not have heard of yet like Climeworks, who is on a mission to remove carbon dioxide from the air, Joby Aviation who is pioneering electric air taxis and Aurora who is developing technology to make trucks autonomous.Season two will be available from Tuesday 31 October 2024. Hit follow to never miss an episode.  Check the podcast description to ensure this content is suitable for you. Your capital is at risk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All six episodes of the first season of Invest in Progress are available now!What lies behind the world’s most innovative and exceptional companies?The Scottish Mortgage team invites you behind the scenes to hear the extraordinary conversations that take place when business leaders and entrepreneurs meet Scottish Mortgage managers Tom Slater and Lawrence Burns.In season one, from ecommerce to Alzheimer’s treatments, drone delivery to cultivated meat, discover the real secrets behind building a great company, as well as what makes these businesses potentially great cases for investment.Check the podcast description to ensure this content is suitable for you. Your capital is at risk.Invest in Progress is a Listen production for Scottish Mortgage.Credits:Presenter: Claire ShawAudio production agency: ListenProducer: Phil SansomExecutive producer: Suzy GrantProduction manager: Niamh KiddEditorial lead: Malcolm BorthwickFor more information on Scottish Mortgage and the companies in its portfolio visit scottishmortgage.com where you can sign up to receive regular emails about recent articles, events, portfolio activity, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We speak to UPSIDE Foods about how it makes cultivated meat. The product is genetically identical to the much-loved meat you find central to global cuisine, but avoids animal slaughter and could benefit the environment.In the final episode of Season 1, UPSIDE Foods’ co-founder and chief executive Uma Valeti tells Scottish Mortgage’s deputy manager Lawrence Burns how his firm developed a way to create meat without needing farmed livestock. They explore how the cultivation process works and discuss how a US regulator’s approval paves the way for the product to sell to restaurants and, eventually, supermarkets.The two examine the implications for the broader $2tn meat industry and the potential for the business to enhance the health profiles of different meats using its innovative technology.Valeti, a former medic, founded UPSIDE Foods in 2015. Almost a decade later, it takes stem cells from chickens and grows them in a controlled environment to create meat. The technology involved is species-agnostic. Fish, beef and other produce are on the company’s menu for future development.UPSIDE Foods opened its first large-scale production facility in Emeryville, California, a couple of years ago. It is now seeking final US government approval to let it sell its chicken for public consumption.Check the podcast description to ensure this content is suitable for you. Your capital is at risk.Read more:Op-ed: humans love animals but also love meat – Uma ValetiFDA completes first pre-market consultation for human food made using animal cell culture technologyCredits:Presenter: Claire ShawAudio production agency: ListenProducer: Phil SansomExecutive producer: Suzy GrantProduction manager: Niamh KiddEditorial lead: Malcolm Borthwick Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chris Gibson, Co-founder and CEO of Recursion Pharmaceuticals, discusses how the company uses AI and robotics to create drugs efficiently for rare diseases. They have five drugs in clinical trials, including one for cerebral cavernous malformations. Recursion hopes to tackle a broader range of diseases in the future, improving millions of lives.

We speak to Ocado about how its futuristic technology and platform have cut the cost of preparing home deliveries and unlocked vast opportunities in the grocery market.In this conversation, Ocado’s co-founder and CEO, Tim Steiner, speaks with Scottish Mortgage’s deputy manager, Lawrence Burns. They discuss the enormous complexities involved in delivering groceries, how the firm stays innovative by avoiding complacency, and the origins of Ocado’s name.UK consumers often characterise Ocado as being ‘upmarket’, given that they have been able to order Waitrose and Marks & Spencer’s goods from its site. But the firm also provides behind-the-scenes automation to the supermarket chain Morrisons in the UK and other brands across the world. Ultimately, Ocado aims to drive efficiencies that will reduce the price of the goods sold by all its partners.With AI and robotics at its core, Ocado is one of the most exciting companies in Scottish Mortgage’s portfolio. From swarming ‘hives’ of robots within its fulfilment centres to its constantly-updated ‘smart platform’, the firm’s technology makes deliveries ever faster and more efficient, reducing food waste and making shopping a smoother experience for all involved.Check the podcast description to ensure this content is suitable for you. Your capital is at risk.See the robotic hives in action:Ocado - A company with artificial intelligence and robotics at its core - YouTubeCredits:Presenter: Claire ShawAudio production agency: ListenProducer: Phil SansomExecutive producer: Suzy GrantProduction manager: Niamh KiddEditorial lead: Malcolm Borthwick Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We speak to Denali Therapeutics about overcoming the challenge of the blood-brain barrier to treat devastating neurodegenerative diseases.In this episode, Denali’s founder Ryan Watts tells Scottish Mortgage’s manager Tom Slater why he thinks his company can succeed where big pharma has failed to develop effective treatments for neurological disorders. The two discuss why the biotech company is not only targeting Alzheimer’s but Parkinson’s and the motor neurone disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), among other conditions. In addition, they cover the importance of giving the firm’s staff a strong sense of mission and the need to be prepared for failures along the way.Denali is tackling one of the greatest medical challenges of our time. Every day in the UK, 600 people develop dementia, and roughly one in 14 people over the age of 65 currently live with its effects. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of the condition, and no cure or treatment currently slows it down.Denali’s development of a technology that effectively sneaks large molecules through the biological shield protecting our brains from toxins addresses a factor that has frustrated previous efforts to design viable drugs. It has already developed a promising treatment for Hunter Syndrome, a condition in which the body doesn’t break down sugar molecules causing damage to the brain, and it has candidate drugs for several other diseases in its pipeline.Check the podcast description to ensure this content is suitable for you. Your capital is at risk.Read more:Denali Therapeutics announces key anticipated 2023 milestones for its therapeutic portfolio for neurodegeneration and lysosomal storage diseasesCredits:Presenter: Claire ShawAudio production agency: ListenProducer: Phil SansomExecutive producer: Suzy GrantProduction manager: Niamh KiddEditorial lead: Malcolm Borthwick Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk to MercadoLibre about squaring up to Amazon and the need for constant innovation.In this episode, MercadoLibre’s chief financial officer, Pedro Arnt speaks to Scottish Mortgage’s deputy manager Lawrence Burns. The conversation covers the company’s early days, how it keeps Amazon at bay, and the firm’s role in shaping the future of the Americas.Meaning ‘free market’, its online marketplace lets smaller businesses sell to the masses. In addition, the firm delivers reliable, low-cost financial services to all via mobile apps. That includes many who don’t have a separate bank account. In doing so, it allows millions of people to pay and be paid, to borrow, lend and invest. In a region often beset by political and economic turmoil, the firm has the potential to generate huge long-term value for society and its shareholders.Check the podcast description to ensure this content is suitable for you. Your capital is at risk.Read more:MercadoLibre: the fintech liberating financial services and ecommerce Why we own MercadoLibreCredits:Presenter: Claire ShawAudio production agency: ListenProducer: Phil SansomExecutive producer: Suzy GrantProduction manager: Niamh KiddEditorial lead: Malcolm Borthwick Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk to Zipline about building the world logistics system of the future.In this episode, Zipline's founder Keller Rinaudo Cliffton talks to Scottish Mortgage's manager Tom Slater. They discuss the benefits of working in Africa; how a mission can give a company its competitive edge; and their vision for approximating teleportation with instant delivery.Founded in 2014, Zipline’s first contract was with the government of Rwanda to deliver blood to its hospitals. Since then it’s expanded to Ghana, Japan, Nigeria, and the US, and moved beyond medical supplies to everyday shopping and groceries. While they’ve received attention for their innovative, clean-energy drones, it’s also their software infrastructure, organisational competency, and inspiring vision that has enabled their extraordinary growth.Check the podcast description to ensure this content is suitable for you. Your capital is at risk.Read more:Effect of unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) delivery on blood product delivery time and wastage in Rwanda: a retrospective, cross-sectional study and time series analysisLeapfrogging for Last-mile Delivery in Health CareCredits:Presenter: Claire ShawAudio production agency: ListenProducer: Phil SansomExecutive producer: Suzy GrantProduction manager: Niamh KiddEditorial lead: Malcolm Borthwick Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What drives the world’s most innovative and exceptional companies? Scottish Mortgage invites you behind the scenes to witness the extraordinary conversations that are driving the future forward.In this fascinating series, we go from ecommerce to Alzheimer’s treatments, drone delivery to cultivated meat, to discover the real secrets behind visionary entrepreneurs – as well as what makes them potentially great cases for investment.Invest in Progress is a Listen production for Scottish Mortgage. The producer is Phil Sansom, and the executive producer is Suzy Grant. Mixing and sound design by Jonathan Last. From Scottish Mortgage, the presenter is Claire Shaw, the production manager is Niamh Kidd, and the editorial lead is Malcolm Borthwick.Check the podcast description to ensure this content is suitable for you. Your capital is at risk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.