The discussion dives deep into energy abundance, nuclear power, superconductors, venture capital, and the cultural rise of deep tech in the U.S. Andrew shares his philosophy on building technology that meaningfully advances civilization - arguing that energy, physics, and fundamental engineering breakthroughs form the true foundation of economic prosperity. A bold and intellectually electric episode about ambition, failure, resilience, and the pursuit of technologies indistinguishable from magic.

[00:00:00] Introduction — Who is Andrew Côté?

[00:00:22] From Anthropology to Engineering Physics

[00:01:54] Falling in Love with Cosmology & Particle Physics

[00:02:15] Choosing Engineering Physics Over the Safe Path

[00:03:05] Deep Tech Before It Was Trendy (2014 Context)

[00:04:28] Turning Down Academia to Start a Company

[00:05:33] First Startup Attempt — Computational Imaging & Light Field Displays

[00:07:26] Tech Risk & Hardware Fundraising Challenges

[00:08:44] Pivoting & Early Entrepreneurial Experiments

[00:09:31] The Move to San Francisco

[00:09:50] Chan Zuckerberg Biohub & Bioengineering During COVID

[00:11:04] Spinning Out an Early LLM Startup (Pre-ChatGPT)

[00:12:23] Philosophy: Doing What Only You Can Do

[00:15:00] Intrapreneurship Inside a Nonprofit

[00:17:07] LLMs for Drug Discovery — Too Early?

[00:18:50] Startup Failure & Moving Back to Canada

[00:19:36] Returning to Fusion Engineering

[00:20:19] Fusion vs Quantum Computing — What Matters Most?

[00:21:26] Why Energy Abundance Changes Civilization

[00:22:45] Nuclear Energy, France vs Germany

[00:25:15] Energy Policy & Industrial Competitiveness

[00:26:26] Back to Fusion — The Dream Job at Princeton

[00:27:33] Writing Online & Building a Deep Tech Audience

[00:27:51] The LK99 Superconductor Saga

[00:28:32] Going Viral on Tech Twitter

[00:29:04] Venture Capital Interest & New Opportunities

[00:32:43] What Is Deep Tech Really?

[00:33:05] Underwriting Technical Risk

[00:34:00] Founders vs Investors in Deep Tech

[00:36:30] The Origin of Deep Tech Week

[00:39:00] Building a Cultural Movement Around Engineering

[00:42:30] Hyperstition — Technology Indistinguishable from Magic

[00:45:00] Are We Entering a U.S. Deep Tech Renaissance?

Fault Lines Podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing in this podcast constitutes investment, financial, legal, or tax advice, nor a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security or pursue any investment strategy. Nothing here is an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security or interest in any fund. The views expressed are those of the host and guests in their personal capacity and do not represent the views of OVNI Capital LLC, OVNI Capital SAS, or any affiliated entity. Opinions expressed by guests are their own. Information is believed accurate as of the recording date but is not guaranteed. Listeners should consult their own professional advisors before making any financial decisions.

Hosted by Audiomeans. Visit audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite for more information.

From boardroom dynamics to billion-dollar AI theses, the conversation blends sharp investor insight with candid reflections on startups, founders and the changing nature of venture capital. A thoughtful and unfiltered discussion on where the next wave of innovation will emerge, and why the most valuable opportunities often hide inside “unsexy” industries.  

[00:00:00] Introduction & Alex Niehenke’s journey into venture capital
[00:02:41] From MySpace to Silicon Valley: the evolution of startup ecosystems
[00:06:14] Why San Francisco became the capital of the AI era
[00:07:33] Scale Venture Partners’ biggest bets: DocuSign, Box, Motive & AI startups
[00:09:20] Why the future of AI is vertical, not horizontal
[00:12:59] Proprietary data, regulation & the defensibility of Vertical AI
[00:16:19] Why lawyers became one of AI’s fastest-growing markets
[00:18:28] Why AI wrappers may matter more than people think
[00:20:27] Is venture capital running out of money again?
[00:21:58] Lessons from the boardroom: scaling companies from seed to IPO
[00:24:03] The hidden reality of board work & founder relationships
[00:27:02] Building trust between founders and investors
[00:28:14] How great board members actually operate

[00:30:02] The discipline, pressure & emotional weight of board governance
[00:32:11] What founders misunderstand about venture capital
[00:34:07] Why “unsexy chaos” creates the biggest startup opportunities
[00:36:18] The hidden industries AI is about to transform
[00:38:42] How Alex evaluates founders beyond the pitch
[00:41:03] Spotting massive markets before everyone else
[00:43:11] Why the best startups solve painful operational problems
[00:45:02] Closing thoughts: AI, vertical software & the future of venture investing

Fault Lines Podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing in this podcast constitutes investment, financial, legal, or tax advice, nor a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security or pursue any investment strategy. Nothing here is an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security or interest in any fund. The views expressed are those of the host and guests in their personal capacity and do not represent the views of OVNI Capital LLC, OVNI Capital SAS, or any affiliated entity. Opinions expressed by guests are their own. Information is believed accurate as of the recording date but is not guaranteed. Listeners should consult their own professional advisors before making any financial decisions.

Hosted by Audiomeans. Visit audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite for more information.

Hosted by Audiomeans. Visit audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite for more information.