Flux Grant by 1517 Fund: Backing Garage Science and Sci-Fi Tech
632nm10 Mai 2025

Flux Grant by 1517 Fund: Backing Garage Science and Sci-Fi Tech

In this episode of the 632nm podcast, we sit down with 1517 Fund’s Danielle Strachman and Michael Gibson to explore their Flux program, a unique pre-seed fellowship backing wild, unorthodox scientific and technical ideas. They share how they’ve helped founders transform “garage science” projects—like nuclear batteries, quantum computing prototypes, and cutting-edge materials—into serious startups. Along the way, they discuss the pitfalls of chasing academic prestige, the power of genuine curiosity, and how to leverage minimal resources for big ambitions.

We also learn about the flexibility of Flux’s “cannon launch” grants, what it takes to persuade investors when your idea sounds like sci-fi, and why “hyper-fluency” and high agency are crucial for founders. Whether you’re a postdoc itching to leave the lab or a solo tinkerer with a radical concept, this conversation offers actionable insights on securing early funding and taking that bold plunge into world-changing tech.

Our Guests:

Danielle Strachman: https://x.com/DStrachman

Michael Gibson: https://x.com/William_Blake

1517 Fund: https://t.co/Ltt0eiRJkz

Want to apply for Flux? https://t.co/O8b5C0f21s


Follow us:

Twitter: https://x.com/632nmPodcast

Substack: https://632nmpodcast.substack.com/

Michael Dubrovsky: https://x.com/MikeDubrovsky

Misha Shalaginov: https://x.com/MYShalaginov

Xinghui Yin: https://x.com/XinghuiYin


Subscribe:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/632nm/id1751170269

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4aVH9vT5qp5UUUvQ6Uf6OR

Website: https://www.632nm.com/

Episoder(45)

Why Do Quantum Computers Make So Many Mistakes? | Mikhail Lukin on Quantum Error Correction

Why Do Quantum Computers Make So Many Mistakes? | Mikhail Lukin on Quantum Error Correction

You can’t copy a qubit. So how do quantum computers remember anything?In this episode, we sit down with Mikhail Lukin, Harvard physicist and co-director of the Harvard Quantum Initiative, whose lab is...

21 Okt 20251h

We Interviewed the Winners of the Ig Nobel Prize | Ig Nobel 2025

We Interviewed the Winners of the Ig Nobel Prize | Ig Nobel 2025

The scientific stories behind this year's research that made people LAUGH, then THINK.Watch the 2025 Ig Nobel Ceremony here: https://youtu.be/z1cP4xKd_L4In this episode, we bring together three of thi...

9 Okt 20251h 5min

What Science can Learn from Startups | Adam Marblestone on Focused Research Organizations

What Science can Learn from Startups | Adam Marblestone on Focused Research Organizations

Science has stalled. And Adam Marblestone thinks he knows why.Check out the Research Gap Map here: https://www.gap-map.org/?sort=rankIn this episode, we sit down with Adam Marblestone, neuroscientist,...

7 Okt 20251h 41min

What Optical Atomic Clocks Tell Us About Space-Time | Jun Ye

What Optical Atomic Clocks Tell Us About Space-Time | Jun Ye

Times have changed. And cesium clocks can't keep up.In this episode, we sit down with Jun Ye, Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (JILA) Fellow and pioneer of optical lattice clocks, whose wor...

23 Sep 20251h 52min

Laser Cooling and Quantum Timekeeping | Bill Phillips

Laser Cooling and Quantum Timekeeping | Bill Phillips

How did cooling atoms with lasers revolutionize our understanding of time?In this episode, we speak with Bill Phillips, Nobel Laureate in Physics, about his groundbreaking work on laser cooling and tr...

9 Sep 20252h 24min

Inside the Battle for Psychedelic Therapy | Rick Doblin

Inside the Battle for Psychedelic Therapy | Rick Doblin

What does it take to turn a banned psychedelic into an FDA-approved medicine?Visit MAPS to read about the latest progress is psychedelic research: https://maps.org/In this episode, we speak with Rick ...

26 Aug 20252h 38min

Biology's Biggest Chicken and Egg Problem | Jacob Fine

Biology's Biggest Chicken and Egg Problem | Jacob Fine

Life’s First Blueprint Wasn’t DNA; it was RNA.Read Jacob Fine’s latest publication here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022283625001901Today we spoke with Jacob Fine, graduate stu...

12 Aug 20251h 31min

The Final Interview with MIT Physicist Keith Johnson

The Final Interview with MIT Physicist Keith Johnson

One of Keith Johnson’s final interviews: a brilliant mind on dark matter, water, and fusion.Read about Keith’s legacy here: https://news.mit.edu/2025/keith-johnson-materials-scientist-independent-film...

5 Aug 20252h 15min

Populært innen Vitenskap

fastlegen
tingenes-tilstand
rekommandert
jss
liberal-halvtime
rss-rekommandert
sinnsyn
forskningno
villmarksliv
rss-paradigmepodden
fjellsportpodden
dekodet-2
pod-britannia
rss-overskuddsliv
tidlose-historier
hva-er-greia-med
tomprat-med-gunnar-tjomlid
katastrofe-i-hjernen
rss-lundqvist-podden
rss-nysgjerrige-norge