How Building in Space Will Improve Life on Earth with Delian Asparouhov

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Podcast Notes Key Takeaways  Think of crafting an early-stage startup like you’d create a movieWrite the script ahead of time, identify and place the ideal profiles in the appropriate roles, lock everyone in a room for six to twelve months, forge product-market fit, and emerge with the productAll other variables held constant, an in-person startup will beat out a remote startup The best way to level the playing field is through our republic democracy via votes and policy; early-stage startups should not be forced to be the catalyst for implementing political change “The person that is likely going to contribute the most to climate change is going to look like a heavily capitalist, venture-backed, private startup, and not through some global, large, public policy.” – Delian AsparouhovA material percentage of the Environment, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) groups in the United States are funded by Russia and China; they are not acting in the best interests of the United States The Chinese Communist Party operates on multi-decade time horizons; the recent, tragic developments in the United States are not by accident Almost all of the best innovations in history came from cross-pollination, oftentimes unexpected cross-pollination, from two completely different fields consisting of top-tier, multi-disciplinary, physically co-located people working incredibly hard and incredibly smart on separate things Organic, spontaneous connections between unrelated disciplines do not happen if you’re working entirely remote Delian’s company, Varda Space Industries, will manufacture high-quality materials in low-orbit and then bring those materials back down to earthManufacturing products such as pharmaceuticals and human organs in zero-gravity space has certain advantages over manufacturing them on Earth

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Are you stuck creating on the couch? In today's episode, we explain how one small group can change the world, debate whether these people need to meet in real life, and Delian shares why he feels start-ups must hire based on merit. Hosts Sahil Bloom and Greg Isenberg are joined by guest Delian Asparouhov, principal at the Founders Fund and co-founder of Varda. Delian explains the secret to running a billion-dollar fund while simultaneously launching his first company, shares his take on where the venture world is headed and explains how China is taking control with TikTok.

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THIS EPISODE

Delian Asparouhov: https://twitter.com/zebulgar

Sahil Bloom: https://twitter.com/SahilBloom

Greg Isenberg: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg

Production & Marketing Team: https://penname.co/

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SHOW NOTES

00:00 Sneak Peek

01:11 Welcoming Delian

02:23 How a Small Group Can Change the World

07:54 Hiring Based on Merit

10:14 Did ESG Create Change?

13:40 TikTok Data Rights

17:36 You Can’t Change the World from Your Couch

21:55 Greg's Unique Perspective On Working Hard and a 10-Year Bet

28:33 What is Varda and its Origin Story?

37:31 Separating Design (+) Manufacturing = Innovation

42:51 How to Become a Leader and Expert in Space

45:34 The Secret to Founding a Start-Up and Running a Fund

50:48 Delian’s Origin Story and His Prediction for the Future

56:04 Thanks for Listening