From Sidewalks to Scale: What It Actually Takes to Build Real-World Robotics | The Pair Program Ep96

What does it take to turn autonomous robotics from a demo into real-world infrastructure? In this episode of The Pair Program, Paige Craig, Managing Partner at Outlander VC, and Zach Rash, Co-founder & CEO at Coco, discuss scaling autonomous delivery, building operational moats through real-world data, navigating regulation and reliability, and what separates successful robotics companies from the rest. They also explore the future of physical AI and the founder traits behind category-defining businesses.

What we cover in this episode:

• Why real-world deployment matters more than perfect demos
• Building operational moats in robotics and physical AI
• The economics and challenges of last-mile delivery
• How autonomous systems learn from real-world data
• Reliability as the key to scaling logistics networks
• The future impact of autonomy across industries
• Founder-market fit and what investors look for in exceptional founders

About Paige Craig: Paige is the Managing Partner of Outlander VC, where he invests in founders building category-defining companies. A former Marine Corps officer and entrepreneur, he successfully scaled a national security company before transitioning into venture capital, backing companies such as Lyft, SpaceX, and AngelList early in their growth.

About Zach Rash: Zach is the CEO and co-founder of Coco, an autonomous delivery company focused on transforming last-mile logistics. Since launching the company, he has helped expand autonomous delivery services across multiple cities while advancing sustainable, technology-driven solutions for urban transportation.

This episode is supported by Defense Unicorns

Defense Unicorns builds platform technologies that help deliver mission-critical capabilities faster and more reliably. Their open architecture approach enables secure, scalable systems without vendor lock, creating flexibility across the software ecosystem. Backed by a team of engineers, innovators, and veterans, they bring deep experience across defense and federal tech.

Get in touch at hello@defenseunicorns.com

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Designing the Impossible: AI, Quantum Mechanics, and the Future of Materials | The Pair Program Ep95

In this episode of The Pair Program, we’re joined by Joseph Krause, Co-Founder and CEO of Radical AI, and Nathan Doctor, Founder and Managing Partner of Infinite Capital, for a conversation on the future of AI-driven scientific discovery and the rise of physical AI. From autonomous labs and materials science to robotics, semiconductors, and frontier tech investing, the discussion explores how breakthroughs in the physical world could define the next era of innovation.

What the conversation explores:

• Why the traditional scientific process is too slow for modern innovation
• How self-driving labs could transform materials discovery
• The importance of failed experiments and “messy data” in AI systems
• Why materials science may unlock the next major technological breakthroughs
• The growing intersection of AI, robotics, hardware, and the physical world
• How founders and investors think about long-term, world-changing innovation

About Joseph Krause:

Joseph is the co-founder and CEO of Radical AI, a company building autonomous research systems to accelerate breakthroughs in materials science. His background includes military research, semiconductor innovation, and deep tech investing through roles at Army DEVCOM and AlleyCorp. Joseph is focused on using AI to reshape how scientific and industrial innovation happens at scale.

About Nathan Doctor:

Nathan is the Founder and Managing Partner of Infinite Capital, focused on investing in emerging technologies across AI, aerospace, autonomy, and decentralized systems. Before Infinite, he founded Codewars and Qualified, platforms centered on developer education and technical assessment.

This episode is supported by Defense Unicorns

Defense Unicorns builds platform technologies that help deliver mission-critical capabilities faster and more reliably. Their open architecture approach enables secure, scalable systems without vendor lock, creating flexibility across the software ecosystem. Backed by a team of engineers, innovators, and veterans, they bring deep experience across defense and federal tech.

Get in touch at hello@defenseunicorns.com

Exploring your next tech role? Get insider job advice and the latest startup & govtech openings – delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe here: https://www.myhatchpad.com/newsletter/

From Services to Software: How Dual-Use AI Companies Actually Scale Inside Government | The Pair Program Ep94

In this episode of The Pair Program, we’re joined by Darren Kimura, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AI Squared, and Abir Ray, CEO of Expression, for a deep dive into what it really takes to scale AI in complex, high-stakes environments. From the “last mile” problem in AI adoption to the realities of deploying technology in government systems, this conversation explores where innovation meets execution, and what breaks along the way.

Inside the episode:

• Why embedding AI into real workflows is harder than building the models
• The “last mile” problem and what it takes to operationalize AI
• How cognitive overload impacts decision-making in AI-driven environments
• The shift from services to scalable software platforms
• Why human-in-the-loop systems are still critical
• What breaks when moving from pilot to production, and how to fix it

About Darren Kimura: Darren is a technology executive, entrepreneur, and venture investor with 30+ years of experience across AI, enterprise software, cybersecurity, and energy. He currently leads AI Squared, focused on secure enterprise and federal AI deployment.

About Abir Ray: Abir is the CEO of Expression, a defense technology firm specializing in AI/ML systems, cloud-native platforms, and cybersecurity. He also teaches at Cornell and is an expert in spectrum operations and trustworthy AI.

This episode is supported by Defense Unicorns

Defense Unicorns builds platform technologies that help deliver mission-critical capabilities faster and more reliably. Their open architecture approach enables secure, scalable systems without vendor lock, creating flexibility across the software ecosystem. Backed by a team of engineers, innovators, and veterans, they bring deep experience across defense and federal tech.

Get in touch at hello@defenseunicorns.com

Exploring your next tech role? Get insider job advice and the latest startup & govtech openings – delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe here: https://www.myhatchpad.com/newsletter/