Past Defense Innovation Unit Director, visiting Scholar at Stanford, former large tech company CEO, and current venture capitalist Mike Brown is this interview guest on the Cold Star Project. Host Jason Kanigan asks Mike about the role of commercial technology in Great Power competition. We discuss: what "commercial technology" is (not just silicon chips) the organizing principle of commercial tech development for great powers, and whether there is a difference in war or peacetimewhat national leaders frequently fail to focus on that punishes the nationwhat the focus of tech dev in peacetime is, and whether the speed of that development matters when war beginsthe shocking truth about the defense industrial base and the tiny number of companies funded by Pentagon spending (6 vendors receive 2/3 of all Pentagon procurement spending)infiltration of US commercial tech dev by foreign powers through venture investment, and just how meaningful this isthe question Peter Zeihan poses about the breakdown of the global supply chain, and whether we in the US ought to be concerned. USEFUL LINKS: Mike Brown's 2017 DIUx Report: https://www.k-state.edu/research/faculty/other-resources/facility-security-office/documents/diux-study.pdf Secret History of Silicon Valley slides download from my Google Drive: https://coldstartech.com/steveblank Innovating Victory: Naval Technology in Three Wars by O'Hara and Heinz: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1682477320/ OpEx Society: https://www.opexsociety.org Talk to Cold Star: https://coldstartech.com/talktous

US Navy Commander and defense contractor Tim Anderson returns to the Cold Star Project to give an update on what he's seen in the space industry over the past six months. This interview has a different format than usual. Host Jason Kanigan and Tim have a relaxed conversation about talent acquisition and collaboration, quantum computing, AI for space, launch systems, and a lot more. The big takeaway? That conversations in the space industry previously held behind closed doors are now happening in the open because of the need for collaboration. USEFUL LINKS: OpEx Society: https://www.opexsociety.org Talk to Cold Star: https://coldstartech.com/talktous

"Recovering aerospace engineer" Rand Simberg is on the Cold Star Project to discuss three space industry issues. With host Jason Kanigan, Rand elaborates on: Overvaluing "safety first" in the space industry, and his book, Safe Is Not An OptionBuilding codes for orbital, cislunar, and BEO facilities (which do not exist yetThe uniqueness and benefits of equatorial LEO. USEFUL LINKS: Safe Is Not An Option book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Safe-Not-Option-Rand-Simberg/dp/0989135519/ OpEx Society: https://www.opexsociety.org Talk to Cold Star: https://coldstartech.com/talktous

Paul Rulkens is frequently hired by organizations looking to install or improve their high performance culture. Examples are KPMG, Nestle, Uber, Siemens, and Mercedes Benz. But what does this mean in practical terms? What are these leaders bringing Paul Rulkens in to do? Jason Kanigan of the Cold Star Project continues the conversation with Paul about what it takes to have a high performance culture. USEFUL LINKS: Paul Rulkens website: https://www.paulrulkens.com/ OpEx Society: https://www.opexsociety.org Talk to Cold Star: https://coldstartech.com/talktous

ZC Institute founder Greg Hodgin is the guest this time on the Cold Star Project. Dr. Hodgin is assembling a tech development consortium comprised of space industry labs and researchers. How has he done it? Where does the funding come from? Host Jason Kanigan asks Dr. Hodgin: How did you get into the space industry?What is your long term vision and how did you arrive at it?Can you share strategic vs tactical considerations you thought of in the planning stage for carrying your plan out?How did you decide on the “Institute” organization, why this way? How does intellectual property ownership work? Eg. When you have something, who owns the technology?Where does the money come from?What unexpected factors or reactions have you encountered in your journey putting this group together? How will you know when you’re “done”? Does the organizational structure change at that point, eg. to a new company to execute scaled production? USEFUL LINKS: ZC Institute website: https://zcinstitute.com/ OpEx Society: https://www.opexsociety.org America's Future Series: https://www.americas-fs.org/ Talk to Cold Star: https://coldstartech.com/talktous

Michelle Hanlon, PhD, is a well-known space lawyer. With Jason Kanigan, host of the Cold Star Project, she discusses initiatives in space law that have happened over the past couple of years. We address these questions: What in your opinion are the major updates in space law in the past several years? How do they impact the industry? (Artemis Accords, Lux/UAE, Space Resource Utilization topics)You’ve written that the UN wants to prevent an arms race in space. How does this play out using space law as a tool? Are member states bound to agree to what the senior body negotiates?Geopolitics: Is it true that China wants to claim the Moon first, and what can we do about it?Are there any indications of how AI will affect space law? (content creation for new law, citing of previous documents in decisions, faster decision making on reporting, crime detection, and enforcement?) What paths to space law enforcement do you see coming any time soon? USEFUL LINKS: For All Moonkind website: https://www.forallmoonkind.org/ Talk to Cold Star: https://www.coldstartech.com/bookcall

Fellow copywriter John Caprani joins Jason Kanigan on the Cold Star Project. Their topic: Methods by which the social media content you post can be an advertisement for your skills. When does this work? When does it not? John and Jason dig into the answers. Questions covered include: Who is this for? Why is using content as an advertisement for your skills important? Where does it lead?What does the process and outcome look like, in detail?How do you know when you're done?How do you try to ensure you don't talk over the level of your audience? USEFUL LINKS: John Caprani on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jdcaprani Jason Kanigan official website: https://jasonkanigan.com Talk to Cold Star: https://www.coldstartech.com/bookcall

Robert Twiggs and Matt Craft, through Twiggs Space Labs, have run pilot Space and STEM / STEAM training programs for kids through the state of Virginia. Bob Twiggs is known as the "Father of the CubSat" for his co-development of the CubeSat standard. As they expand to serve the rest of the United States, Bob and Matt appear on the Cold Star Project to share their practices and vision. Host Jason Kanigan asks Bob and Matt about their: Personal historiesProducts & programBenefits for students, teachers, space & defense businesses and the nation from the STEM / STEAM trainingExperience with Virginia, NASAExpectations with PrimesNext Steps for themselves and those wanting to be involved. USEFUL LINKS: Twiggs Space Lab (TSL) website: https://twiggsspacelab.com/ TSL is very interested in working with academic institutions, aerospace and defense companies, technology companies, and federal agencies, including NASA, DoD, and NOAA. The support can take many forms including: Participating in outreach programs and mentoring studentsSponsoring STEM programs by purchasing STEM products for schoolsSponsoring STEM Challenges (CanSat, PocketQubes, etc.)Consulting with and advising TSL of critical skill development opportunitiesPromoting TSL programs and productsFinancial support through grants or buying STEM products for schools. Please feel free to contact TSL at bob.twiggs@twiggsspacelab.com ormatt.craft@twiggsspacelab.com Talk to Cold Star: https://www.coldstartech.com/bookcall

Sales Performance Team founder Nicholas Loise returns to the Cold Star Project. He was President of Glazer Kennedy Inner Circle - GKIC/Magnetic Marketing, involved with GKIC 8 years; Owner of a Direct Response Agency and Outsourced Sales Leader Company; Adjunct Professor of Marketing, North Park University; MBA from North Park; VP Sales & Marketing Provena Mercy Medical Center 9 yrs, a $156 Million division. With host and fellow sales expert Jason Kanigan on the Cold Star Project, Nick illuminates how brick and mortar business owners who lead sales teams can get better results. Not only can they increase their enterprise valuation figure, but they can also see lower sales cycles, better visibility into what's happening, and of course improved revenue. Is there a hole in your sales process, or do you have to create your sales process? Join us and find out! USEFUL LINKS: Nick Loise email at Sales Performance Team: nick@salesperformanceteam.com Nick Loise phone number: 847-720-4264 Playlist: https://www.coldstartech.com/play Subscribe: https://www.coldstartech.com/subs Talk to Cold Star: https://www.coldstartech.com/bookcall

Jacob Meyer, PhD, is VP of Technology at ATSP Innovations. He has experience with SBIRs and the struggles of creating commercial products from them. Host Jason Kanigan of the Cold Star Project discusses these challenges with Dr. Meyer. USEFUL LINKS: ATSP Innovations website: https://www.atspinnovations.com/ OpEx Society: https://www.opexsociety.org America's Future Series: https://www.americas-fs.org/ Talk to Cold Star: https://coldstartech.com/talktous

Dr. Paul van Susante of Michigan Technological University, a past guest (link below), returns to the Cold Star Project. We're discussing his participation in a number of investigative projects and NASA challenges related to powering our first projects on the Moon. Host Jason Kanigan asks Paul about the: LuSTR grantNASA Watts on the Moon centennial challenge phase I, where they won the $100k grand prize for scenario 2. They submitted to Phase II, level 1 and were selected as one of 7 teams to advance to level 2 and received $200kNASA Break the Ice challenge centennial challenge phase I where they won a runner up prize ($25k). They submitted an entry to Break the Ice phase II, level 1 and were last month selected as one of 15 teams to advance to level 2 (all US teams (13) got $38.5k)Winning several other grants and are currently working on those related to landing pad construction, site preparation, hardware testing in their dusty thermal vacuum chamber as well. USEFUL LINKS: HuskyWorks website: https://huskyworks.space/ Paul's previous appearance on the Cold Star Project: https://coldstarproject.com/aus02e42paulvansusante OpEx Society: https://www.opexsociety.org America's Future Series: https://www.americas-fs.org/ Talk to Cold Star: https://coldstartech.com/talktous

Did you know there are people with a specific skill set who can jumpstart your business? Copywriters like Jon Reyes and Jason Kanigan have the knowledge and experience to grow your business fast. Jon Reyes has been a copywriter for many years and worked for some of the top personal development names. With fellow copywriter and Cold Star Project host Jason Kanigan, Jon discusses: * working with the major factor of Compliance in copy, and how to scale with compliance as a limiter on what you can say * the power of using revealing flaws and shortcomings in copy, the use of repulsive copy and story telling to attract the best audiences and push away those who are not a fit, and how superiority creates skepticism--and how to fight that * Conversion Rate Optimization, and how CRO can work on two levels--technical, like button colors, versus business building CRO, such as brand voice * structuring copywriting deals today, compared with 5-10 years ago * why a business owner is better off hiring an experienced copywriter rather than an inexperienced hotshot who promises the world USEFUL LINKS: Jon's website: https://www.jonreyes.net/ Email Jon at: jon@copyblueprints.com OpEx Society: https://www.opexsociety.org America's Future Series: https://www.americas-fs.org/ Talk to Cold Star: https://coldstartech.com/talktous

Bill Conley was a DARPA Program Manager, then the US Department of Defense's expert on electronic warfare for four years, and is now Chief Technology Officer at Mercury Systems. Our topic is a comparison of the 19th Century's Concert of Europe vs Modern Day's communication and methods of deterrence. Cold Star Project host Jason Kanigan asks Bill Conley: What is effective communication, especially in context of diplomacy and deterrence of conflict?Why doesn’t the Behavioralist/Rational Economics approach work in practice when it comes to national conflicts?Do you believe the match-up of 2020s China-US is similar to the 1910s UK-German? Are there historical correlations?The WWI era was about the disintegration of the old order, and paradigm shifts. Are there indicators of a similar instability of the existing order today?As a nation’s capabilities increase, so do its ambitions. Many of these ambitions seem to end up with the idea of autarky. Do you believe we’re close to experiencing another such outbreak of these ideas today?How could a modern day China-US conflict proceed?   USEFUL LINKS:   "Mitchell Hour: State of Electronic Warfare in the DOD" [Dr. Conley lecture]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR_PPGDnejo  "What Is Eurasia?" [Dr. Stephen Kotkin lecture]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ghn1X7sRFs  Mercury Systems website: https://www.mrcy.com/  OpEx Society: https://www.opexsociety.org  America's Future Series: https://www.americas-fs.org/  Talk to Cold Star: https://coldstartech.com/talktous

President and CEO of Orbital Assembly Rhonda Stevenson is our guest this time on the Cold Star Project. With host Jason Kanigan she discusses the challenges of building a truly commercial space company. We cover the capabilities of Orbital Asembly, as well as Rhonda's personal efforts to build consortiums and attract customers to the space industry.   USEFUL LINKS:   Orbital Assembly website: https://orbitalassembly.com/  OpEx Society: https://www.opexsociety.org  America's Future Series: https://www.americas-fs.org/  Talk to Cold Star: https://coldstartech.com/talktous

Just because you CAN create a product doesn't mean you SHOULD. What Scaling Problems Can You Find In SBIR/STTR Product Commercialization? While small batches may work in the lab, commercializing will require large quantities and unexpected issues from supply chain through chemical reactions may change. The results from these issues may well prove the venture impossible to complete under current conditions. David Driscoll of Storm Castle joins Cold Star Project host Jason Kanigan to discuss a real life example of struggling with scaling for commercialization. While the concept had been proven to work, making it happen at a scale that would make money turned out to be a dead end. Jason asks David: Q: What professional roles have you held? From what context are you speaking to these challenges? A: Glacigen (Founder), Montana State University (Senior Research Scientist), Storm Castle Technical Products (Current; Founder) Q: What was Glacigen all about? A: Commercialization of an advanced manufacturing technique; freeze tape casting. FTC is a hybridization of an industrial processing technique with well-established lab scale technique. It produces large area sheets of materials with highly engineered microstructures. Materials which have been known for a long time can exhibit great performance enhancement with new processing. (Flour, baking soda, eggs, sugar, etc…..could be awful or masterpiece it’s all in the processing. We tend to focus too easily on exotic alloys and entirely new materials (good and valuable), when opportunity is left on the table with respect to using existing ingredients better. Q: What kind of applications were you looking at? A: Started all over the board. FTC arrived as a solution looking for a problem. Composites of high temperature materials (hypersonics), solid oxide fuel cell electrodes, catalyst scaffolds, thermal interface materials, actuators….finally battery electrodes. In my eyes, battery electrodes represented the convergence of good technical fit with strong merit, market of relevant scale, and opportunity to address true customer pain point. Q: Which pain point is that, exactly? A: Specifically for customers of high performance applications: energy density (without destroying power density). Cost is important even for those with performance applications. Q: How did you realize commercializing this as a product, rather than having it remain as a lab invention, was important? A: That was intrinsic, and a primary motivating factor of launching Glacigen. I saw potential for real impact in the FTC process which obviously couldn’t be realized within academia. There was a commitment to commercialization from the outset, but some learning required to understand how that looks. Q: What steps did you take towards commercialization? What did you learn? (eg. would you start the process earlier?) A: Early steps were technically focused: scalability, repeatability, application-based proof of concept. Early strategic steps came after technical work, but work focused on matching applications with strong FTC applicability with customer needs ‘pain points.’ We began working with a company building EV batteries. This led to a great deal of learning that springboarded us towards conversations with larger and more established manufacturers. Engaging with the customer more intentionally, and much earlier would have been critical. The first level is understanding need, which we did reasonably well. We misidenitfied barriers to adoption, which could have - in retrospect been identified much sooner. Same applies to thinking you understand strength of market pull, pain points, value propositions etc. Those things need to be constantly tested and when necessary, iterated. USEFUL NOTES: Storm Castle Technical Products: https://www.stormcastletechnicalproducts.com/ OpEx Society: https://www.opexsociety.org America's Future Series: https://www.americas-fs.org/ Talk to Cold Star: https://coldstartech.com/talk

Sales trainer Wes Schaeffer is back on the Cold Star Project, and our topic is his free 12 Weeks To Peak sales accountability program. Host Jason Kanigan participated in 2022 Q4's version and 12 Weeks To Peak has been re-released for 2023. The two sales trainers share elements and results of this free accountability program for founders and salespeople. Come along with us and find out if it's right for you!   USEFUL LINKS:   12 Weeks To Peak website: https://info.thesaleswhisperer.com/12-weeks-to-peak  Jason Kanigan's Effective Prospecting video series: https://jasonkanigan.com/ytep  Past appearances of Wes Schaeffer on the Cold Star Project:   "What CRM Should I Get?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv2JAgKPzHY  "Process Before Login" (choosing a CRM) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRE5MYudGQM  OpEx Society: https://www.opexsociety.org  Talk to Cold Star: https://coldstartech.com/talktous

Past Chief Software Officer of the US Space Force and Air Force Nic Chaillan is back on the Cold Star Project. Over the past year, Nic has developed his own learning platform, Learn With Nic. He has also hosted his own show, In The Nic Of Time. Host Jason Kanigan asks Nic: What have you learned in running your own show, In The Nic Of Time?What have you learned about the general state of software security in the US from your guests? Did this confirm what you already were aware of, or did they add any detail?If you could wave a magic wand and have leaders and developers realize some fundamentals of DevSecOps that are practical to implement as well as effective, what would a couple of those be?Are you still convinced we’re lagging and that China is going to overtake and “beat” us? How do you define that: simply economically, or technologically, militarily? What can we do about it, and are you seeing any evidence of leadership attempting to take action?I hear more and more Americans becoming concerned about TikTok, even leaders in fields I thought would be far away from the edges of national security. I believe we should be more explicit about what can be done with TikTok, beyond “they’re collecting all our data!”. Have your thoughts about TikTok evolved over the past year? What’s your opinion about the InfraGard hack? To me this seems like “the security guys got hacked”. What could have been done to stop this from happening? Is it symptomatic of a condition or just bad luck? What other kinds of software-based platforms should we be worried about the security of? Teach us a couple of DevSecOps terms that are probably new to us.    USEFUL LINKS:   Learn With Nic platform: https://www.learnwithnic.com/  OpEx Society: https://www.opexsociety.org  Get new episodes directly in your inbox: https://www.coldstartech.com/msb  Talk to Cold Star: https://coldstartech.com/talktous

Former Air Force Lt. Colonel and instructor Glenn Carlson was president of the electronic warfare industry's Assocation of Old Crows in 2022. Cold Star Project host Jason Kanigan asks AOC President Glenn Carlson:  -  Tell us about how the AOC startedTell us about your background, how you joined the Old Crows, and how you became its president What’s your mission? How do you stay energized and sharp after 36+ years in the role as a member, board member, and president?How did the Journal of Electromagnetic Dominance come about? What’s its purpose and what involvement do you have with it?What is the state of electronic warfare in US defense?What impact does the AOC have that is likely out of the public eye?What does the AOC offer its members?    USEFUL LINKS:   Glenn Carlson LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenn-powder-carlson-ba24a614/  Association of Old Crows website: https://www.crows.org/  OpEx Society: https://www.opexsociety.org  Talk to Cold Star: https://coldstartech.com/talktous

Mike Read is in the role of Manager, ISS Business and Economic Development Office at NASA Johnson Space Center. But what does the International Space Station have to do with the commercialization of space? Cold Star Project host Jason Kanigan asks Mike: You have a non-engineering background yet are in the space field. Tell us about how this happenedWhat is the scope of your responsibilities in the ISS Business and Economic Development Office? What constitutes a success over the period of a year? Can you share some recent wins?How long is the ISS expected to be available?If/when commercial operators have private space stations in orbit, is NASA expecting to simply be a customer?Who do you want to speak with? What makes a good discussion or project for you?   Useful Links:   Houston, We Have a Podcast 2019 interview with Mike Read: https://www.nasa.gov/johnson/HWHAP/space-tourism-and-commercialization  OpEx Society: https://www.opexsociety.org  Talk to Cold Star: https://coldstartech.com/talktous

High performance culture expert Paul Rulkens returns to the Cold Star Project, and this time we're discussing how to manage smart people. In "brain" organizations, people have strong opinions and they're often right. So how do you lead these intelligent, educated and strong willed people to achieve great results?   Cold Star Project host Jason Kanigan asks Agrippa Consulting founder Paul Rulkens:   What does “High Performance Culture” mean from Paul Rulkens’ perspective? How do you know when you have it / what’s the target to be aiming for? What does a “success environment” really mean? (is your performance management geared towards accelerating the best, or is it designed to gradually improve the average? This distinction is the secret to creating outliers.)   Regarding managing smart people… What % would you typically find “smart people” in organizations? Is it the same as “high performers”?  “Only small chunks of your own time matter”--let’s discuss.   What about people who will say something like, “I line up my tasks and appointments so that I have maximum impact every moment I can? Surely larger amounts of my time and attention matter more than that!”  Assuming we have an 80/20 Rule application here (maybe it’s more like 98/2) how do we apply this as leaders of smart people? What circumstances demonstrate this concept?   When you don’t know as much about the subject matter as the smart people around you, what should you do? How can you pull the best out of your smart team?    As the leader, how can you add value to verify the smart people on the team are thinking accurately? What are your three platinum questions when you lack knowledge of any subject matter, and how do you use them? If you’re not a subject matter expert, what can you coach your team on? What else can you do?   Smart people often disagree. What should you do as a leader if your team has disagreements?  Regarding Succession planning with smart individuals, what are the 5 actions you can take when important people leave?   USEFUL LINKS:   Past appearance of Paul Rulkens on the Cold Star Project: https://coldstarproject.com/yts02e56paulrulkens  Paul Rulkens website: https://www.paulrulkens.com/ OpEx Society: https://www.opexsociety.org  Talk to Cold Star: https://coldstartech.com/talktous