Debjit Mukerji, Partner at NGP Capital, explains why deep tech’s defining moment has finally arrived. Drawing on a thesis-driven approach, he shares how he evaluates companies at the intersection where “atoms meet bits”, backing founders building in the physical world. Debjit breaks down the convergence of three powerful forces—labor shortages, generative AI’s expansion into industrial use cases, and faster hardware development cycles—that are unlocking a new era of opportunity for physical technology companies.

In this episode, you'll learn:

[05:28] Why venture capital?

[07:40] Inside NGP Capital’s deep tech focus

[11:05] Why now is the moment for deep tech

[17:02] What Debjit looks for in founders

[19:17] The Tractian story: founder intensity

[31:39] Key deep tech trends: Robotics & AI

[35:43] What makes a great deep tech pitch

The nonprofit organization Debjit is passionate about: MedShare

About Debjit Mukerji

Debjit Mukerji is a Partner at NGP Capital, where he focuses on Deep Tech investments across robotics, AI, and industrial systems.

With over two decades in venture capital, Debjit brings a strong technical foundation, holding a PhD in mechanical engineering from Stanford University. His career has spanned roles across multiple leading firms and industrial technology platforms, where he has consistently focused on translating breakthrough research into real-world impact.

He is particularly passionate about backing founders building at the intersection of software and the physical world—where innovation is hardest, but most enduring.

About NGP Capital

NGP Capital is a global venture capital firm dedicated to investing in Deep Tech companies. With a focus on “digital-physical convergence,” the firm backs startups that apply AI, software, and hardware to transform physical industries.

NGP Capital invests primarily at the Series A and B stages, with a global footprint spanning North America, Europe, and beyond. The firm partners closely with founders building in sectors such as robotics, industrial software, space technology, and connected systems, supporting companies that aim to redefine how the physical world operates.

Subscribe to our podcast and stay tuned for our next episode.

Danielle Strachman and Michael Gibson, Founders and General Partners at the 1517 Fund, discuss their unconventional approach to venture capital. The firm backs ambitious founders, many of whom choose to leave college early to pursue breakthrough ideas.

Drawing on their experience building the Thiel Fellowship, Danielle and Michael explain how working closely with hundreds of young innovators shaped their belief in character driven investing. They share how they identify talent before traditional signals appear and why curiosity, conviction, and “hyper fluency” matter more than credentials.

In this episode, you'll learn:

[01:03] Danielle Strachman and Michael Gibson on building the Thiel Fellowship and founding 1517 Fund

[07:56] Lessons from working with hundreds of Thiel Fellows and identifying exceptional young builders

[14:32] Why leaving college early can be an acceleration, not a dropout

[18:47] The story behind the name 1517 Fund

[23:41] How 1517 evaluates founders and why character matters more than credentials

[29:06] Investing in frontier technologies that sound like science fiction

[36:58] Advice for young builders and how founders can connect with the 1517 community

The nonprofit organization Danielle is passionate about: Foresight Institute

Danielle Strachman is Co Founder and General Partner at 1517 Fund. She has spent more than a decade working with young entrepreneurs and unconventional builders.

In 2010 she joined the founding team of the Thiel Fellowship, where she led the design and operations of the program. During that time she worked with founders such as Vitalik Buterin and Ritesh Agarwal.

Before that, Danielle founded and directed Innovations Academy in San Diego, a K–8 charter school focused on student led and project based learning.

At 1517 Fund, she focuses on identifying ambitious young builders and helping them turn early ideas into companies.

Michael Gibson is Co Founder and General Partner at 1517 Fund.

In 2010 he helped launch the Thiel Fellowship with Peter Thiel. The program was built on a simple belief. Exceptional founders can appear without credentials and often in unexpected places.

Michael frequently challenges the influence of credential driven institutions across education, government, and industry. His work focuses on supporting founders who push the edges of science and technology.

About 1517 Fund

1517 Fund is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2015 by Danielle Strachman and Michael Gibson.

The firm backs young founders, uncredentialed builders, and renegade scientists working on ambitious ideas. Its philosophy grew out of the success of the Thiel Fellowship, which helped launch companies such as Ethereum, Figma, Luminar Technologies, OYO Rooms, and Longevity Fund.

The name 1517 references the year Martin Luther sparked the Reformation. In the same spirit, the firm challenges the modern belief that credentials and diplomas are required to build important things.

Subscribe to our podcast and stay tuned for our next episode.

Jessica Karr, Founder and Managing Partner at Coyote Ventures, shares how she backs AI-driven startups focused on improving health access, outcomes, and equity. Drawing from her six years at Impossible Foods, where she helped build a product from prototype to global phenomenon, Jessica explains how she brings a product innovator's lens to healthcare's most overlooked problems: women's health, racial disparities, rural access, and aging care. Jessica demonstrates why solving for equity isn't just morally right; it's economically smart through better outcomes and cost savings. She also discusses how her Health Equity Innovator Summit has become the convergence point where founders, health systems, payers, and policymakers forge the partnerships that turn healthcare's biggest gaps into its biggest opportunities.

In this episode, you'll learn:

[02:40] Jessica’s journey from Texas to San Francisco and her early work in R&D at Impossible Foods

[04:55] The idea behind plant based meat and how innovation can reshape consumer behavior

[07:30] Why Jessica started Coyote Ventures and how the firm focuses on overlooked areas of healthcare

[10:35] How AI driven digital health platforms can improve patient outcomes between doctor visits

[13:15] What Coyote Ventures looks for when evaluating seed and pre seed healthcare startups

[18:55] How AI is changing healthcare products and operations

[22:35] Advice for founders building healthcare startups in a complex and relationship driven system

[28:45] The Health Equity Innovator Summit

The nonprofit organization Jessica is passionate about: Reproductive Freedom for All

About Jessica Karr

Jessica Karr is the Founder and Managing Partner of Coyote Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm focused on improving healthcare access and outcomes. She previously worked in research and development at Impossible Foods, where she helped develop early prototypes of the company’s plant based meat products and contributed to patents. After earning her MBA and working closely with startups, Jessica launched Coyote Ventures to back founders building innovative healthcare solutions, especially in areas that have historically been underserved.

About Coyote Ventures

Coyote Ventures is an early stage venture capital firm investing in digital health and healthcare technology companies that improve access, outcomes, and equity in healthcare. The firm focuses on areas such as women’s health, mental health, caregiving, aging, and other underserved segments of the healthcare system. Coyote Ventures invests in AI driven platforms and digital health solutions that help patients, healthcare providers, and payers deliver better care at scale. Portfolio companies include Alvee, Betterleave, Flex, Gabbi, Hera Biotech, Magnolia, Malama Health, Maude among others.

Subscribe to our podcast and stay tuned for our next episode.