In this episode, Michael and Colin are joined by their Perkins Coie partner, Janice Ta, as they speak with Ben Burrus and Kevin Turpin of Weavix. Weavix is a company that combines real-time communication with AI-powered analysis of worker-interaction data to transform everyday conversations into actionable insights.

Problems looking for solutions will always find them. In this special holiday episode, Michael and Colin discuss wacky patents.

Timestamps:

0:46 – Gravity Wheel Apparatus, Patent No. 3,625,089

3:34 – Fresh-Air Breathing Device and Method, Patent No. 4,320,756

6:31 – Aircraft Landing System, Patent No. 3,380,690

9:37 – Device for Waking Persons from Sleep, Patent No. 256,265

11:50 – Combination Toy Dog and Vacuum Cleaner, Patent No. 3,771,192

13:42 – Internet Canine Communication Device and Method, Patent No. 9,723,813

16:32 – Banana Protective Device, Patent No. 6,612,440

18:59 – Walking Through Walls Training System, Patent Appl. No. 10,890,635

Colin Fowler and guest host, Ben Brokesh, visit TechCrunch Disrupt 2025. Listen in as they meet with some of the foremost startup entrepreneurs.

Timestamps:

3:24 – HyWatts (Sam Ruben, CBDO and Co-Founder): Delivers clean, modular energy systems that turn renewable power into reliable electricity.

14:23 – Tesollo (Youngjin Kim, President and CEO; Wooseok Ryu, CTO): Solves complex problems and creates new value for their customers through advanced robotic automation solutions utilizing robotic grippers.

19:46 – Carbon Native Solutions (Keith Crossland, CEO): Invented a new class of multi-objective AI that transforms local industrial waste and minerals into high-performance, carbon-negative cement materials using standard equipment.

29:23 – Steg.AI (Eric Wengrowski, CEO): Trains in-house deep learning models for watermarking and poisoning for use through APIs, web applications, and third-party integrations.

41:27 – Ascender Systems (Jorge Muniz, Co-Founder and CEO): Patented a climbing robot that can scale utility/light/flag poles, pipes, and columns of varying shapes from 3 inches to 22 inches.

49:49 – Ponderosa.ai (Scott Benson, Founding Software Engineer): Develops cost-effective AI-enabled fire suppression drone swarms that can be broadly distributed and prepositioned in areas of high risk.