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Episode #89: Three Breakthroughs: The Future of Fighting Wildfires

Tech Optimist Podcast — Tech, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation

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Alumni Ventures

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In this Three Breakthroughs episode of the Tech Optimist Podcast, Mike Collins and Lucas Pasch explore game-changing innovations. They dive into OpenAI’s Tasks feature, a step toward AI agents, wildfire prevention powered by AI and robotics, and neuroscience advancements like regenerative medicine and lab-grown brain cells. Join them as they break it all down!

Episode #89: Three Breakthroughs: The Future of Fighting Wildfires

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This week on the Tech Optimist podcast, join Alumni Ventures’ Mike Collins and Lucas Pasch as they spotlight three transformative innovations:

  1. AI Evolution: OpenAI’s new Tasks feature marks a major step toward AI agents, streamlining workflows and redefining automation.
  2. Wildfire Prevention: AI-powered cameras, firefighting robots, and public-private partnerships are transforming how we predict and combat devastating wildfires.
  3. Neuroscience Breakthroughs: Advances in regenerative medicine and lab-grown brain cells offer new hope for treating neurodegenerative diseases.

This episode offers an inspiring look at how these innovations are shaping the future of science, technology, and human collaboration.

Watch Time ~38 minutes

The show is produced by Alumni Ventures, which has been recognized as a “Top 20 Venture Firm” by CB Insights (’24) and as the “#1 Most Active Venture Firm in the US” by Pitchbook (’22 & ’23).

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Creators and Guests

Michael Collins
Michael Collins
CEO, Alumni Ventures

Mike has been involved in almost every facet of venturing, from angel investing to venture capital, new business and product launches, and innovation consulting. He is the CEO of Alumni Ventures and launched AV’s first alumni fund, Green D Ventures, where he oversaw the portfolio as Managing Partner and is now Managing Partner Emeritus. Mike is a serial entrepreneur who has started multiple companies, including Kid Galaxy, Big Idea Group (partially owned by WPP), and RDM. He began his career at VC firm TA Associates. He holds an undergraduate degree in Engineering Science from Dartmouth and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Lucas Pasch
Lucas Pasch
Senior Principal, Purple Arch Ventures

Lucas brings an operator’s perspective to Venture Capital, having led teams at fast-growing startups in digital health, proptech, and retail. Most recently, he led BizOps at LetsGetChecked, an at-home lab diagnostics company that helps people detect conditions early and live longer lives. Lucas earned his MBA from Kellogg, where he focused on entrepreneurship and venture. During that time, he founded a marketplace for esports viewing events called FanHome, culminating in a first-place victory in The Garage’s summer accelerator demo day. Complementing that experience, Lucas worked part-time while in business school as an investment associate at MATH Venture Partners, where he focused on evaluating early-stage SaaS investments and developed a passion for venture. Prior to business school, Lucas cut his teeth in investment banking at KeyBanc Capital Markets, as well as on the strategy team at Trunk Club. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan.

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Alumni Ventures

Alumni Ventures is a network-powered VC firm that helps accredited individuals invest in venture capital.

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