You might think the final frontier is in space, but the technology getting us there is being built right here in Pittsburgh. In this episode of Thought Liters: Mitch Fogelson, founder of Beyond Reach Labs, discusses "physical intelligence", which is the hardware side of robotics often overshadowed by AI.

Mitch breaks down how his company is creating structures that pack flat (like IKEA furniture) but deploy into massive, rigid infrastructure for lunar habitats, solar arrays, and even disaster relief towers on Earth.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why robots need "Physical Intelligence," not just AI.
• How to fit a skyscraper in a backpack (literally).
• Why Taylor Swift’s tour trucks could be reduced by 90%.
• The future of "Space LEGOs" and artificial gravity stations.
• Why Pittsburgh is the champion city for deep tech founders.

00:00 The Final Frontier is in Pittsburgh

01:35 Flight 1

03:17 The "Googly Eyed Robot" that started it all

04:37 Why Japan loves robots (and the West fears them)

06:33 Talking to robots before LLMs existed

09:42 Flight 2

10:17 What is "Physical Intelligence"?

11:45 Artificial gravity & spinning space stations

13:37 Demo: Hoberman spheres & pop-up trusses

18:42 How to fit a space station in a suitcase

23:04 Flight 3

23:28 Disaster relief: Cell towers in backpacks

27:35 COWs (Cell on Wheels) vs. Cheetahs

29:56 Reducing Taylor Swift's 90-truck tour convoy

33:59 Flight 4

34:21 Space LEGOs & Lunar Homes

37:10 Drug discovery & solar energy in space

39:06 Digital Twins: Solving the James Webb problem

41:28 Surviving the "Vomit Comet" (Zero-G Flight)

43:08 Flight 5

43:49 The Founder Mentality: Working backwards

46:27 Why build Deep Tech in Pittsburgh?

49:35 How to avoid "Shiny Object Syndrome"

52:43 Flight 6

53:04 Vision: Becoming the IKEA of space infrastructure

57:31 Final Advice: Be like a duck

59:12 Outro

This episode is part of our Six Pack mini-series with Innovation Works, spotlighting the founders and leaders building Pittsburgh's future.

#businesspodcast #pittsburgh #thoughtliters

WHAT IS THOUGHT LITERS?

Thought Liters is a series created and hosted by Adam Conner. On the show, Adam learns from the top of the world through the bottom of their glass. Each episode, we share a flight of local craft with the best and brightest brand minds around – whether it be an entrepreneur, an athlete, an artist, or otherwise. The questions evolve as the sip changes.

The show is proudly founded and produced in Pittsburgh, PA.

The whole goal is to have conversations about business with a more lighthearted look and feel. Adam thinks most business content is dry, and wants to change that.

If you’re interested, follow along! If not, that’s cool too. But if you wanna be where the thought leaders are…you’ll tune in to where Thought Liters is.

Migraine affects 1 in 6 people globally, yet 95% of patients aren’t getting properly diagnosed. In this episode, we explore how AI is finally giving patients weapons to fight the "Migraine Wars."

Sophia Fang is the founder of Peachy Day, a startup using data to help chronic pain sufferers reclaim their lives. Over a flight from the Pittsburgh Juice Company (no adult bevs today, as they can trigger migraine!), we discuss:

-- The shocking shortage of neurologists in the US.

-- How AI can predict chronic pain attacks before they happen.

-- Why "data privacy" in health tech needs a revolution.

-- How painting murals helps Sophia manage the pain of startup life.

00:00 The "Invisible" Crisis: 1 in 6 Americans

01:07 Meet Sophia Fang & The Juice Flight

02:14 A Family Legacy of Chronic Pain

04:29 The "Ice Pick" Month: Hitting Rock Bottom

05:53 The Shocking Lack of Headache Specialists

08:30 Why Build a Tech HQ in Pittsburgh?

10:36 How Peachy Day Uses AI to Predict Pain

14:59 Managing a Startup While in Chronic Pain

17:25 Art as Pain Management (The Muralist Side)

21:55 Is There an End to the "Migraine Wars"?

26:09 The Problem with Big Tech & Health Data

29:32 Advice for Mission-Driven Founders

31:41 The Final Taste Test

This episode is part of our Six Pack mini-series with Innovation Works, spotlighting the founders and leaders building Pittsburgh's future.

#businesspodcast #pittsburgh #thoughtliters

WHAT IS THOUGHT LITERS?

Thought Liters is a series created and hosted by Adam Conner. On the show, Adam learns from the top of the world through the bottom of their glass. Each episode, we share a flight of local craft with the best and brightest brand minds around – whether it be an entrepreneur, an athlete, an artist, or otherwise. The questions evolve as the sip changes.

The show is proudly founded and produced in Pittsburgh, PA.

The whole goal is to have conversations about business with a more lighthearted look and feel. Adam thinks most business content is dry, and wants to change that.

If you’re interested, follow along! If not, that’s cool too. But if you wanna be where the thought leaders are…you’ll tune in to where Thought Liters is.

Vote for Adam to be Thought Leader of the Year: https://technical.ly/vote

Globally, we waste a billion tons of food every single year. That's equivalent to 30-40% of the US food supply, and $1 trillion of economic value thrown in the trash.

But what if the solution isn't just about "eating your vegetables," but about treating trash like data?

On this episode of Thought Liters, Adam sits down with Nolan Sulpizio, founder of Clean Plate Innovations, to discuss how he is using machine learning to solve this gluttonous problem.

Over a flight of Pittsburgh’s finest, they pour over:

• The "Butterfly Effect" of throwing away a single burger.
• How a brutal critique at a pitch competition forced a pivot from "gamification" to "data is dollars".
• Why "AI" might just be a buzzword, and how actual Machine Learning differs.
• The future of food waste regulations and corporate responsibility.

00:00 - The 1 Billion Ton Problem

02:46 - The Butterfly Effect of Wasting Food

07:23 - From the "Bee Crisis" to Entrepreneurship

12:26 - Creating a Business in 4 Days (Startup Weekend)

16:58 - The Pitch Competition: "Where's the Money?"

23:28 - The Pivot: Why Data is the New Oil

31:32 - How Clean Plate Technology Actually Works

33:23 - Why He Says "AI" Isn't Real (The Emissions Problem)

39:15 - The Future: $10,000 Fines and Regulations

45:49 - Building a Startup in Pittsburgh

49:49 - Can Tech Solve a Human Problem?

#businesspodcast #pittsburgh #thoughtliters

WHAT IS THOUGHT LITERS?

Thought Liters is a series created and hosted by Adam Conner. On the show, Adam learns from the top of the world through the bottom of their glass. Each episode, we share a flight of local craft with the best and brightest brand minds around – whether it be an entrepreneur, an athlete, an artist, or otherwise. The questions evolve as the sip changes.

The show is proudly founded and produced in Pittsburgh, PA.

The whole goal is to have conversations about business with a more lighthearted look and feel. Adam thinks most business content is dry, and wants to change that.

If you’re interested, follow along! If not, that’s cool too. But if you wanna be where the thought leaders are…you’ll tune in to where Thought Liters is.