Out Of Office

Join Kartik Sathappan and Jack Dwyer as they sit down with Chris Samra, co-founder of Waves, the viral camera glasses built for creators. We explore how Waves went from a Black Mirror-inspired idea to a launch video with 30M+ views, the privacy debate, and why Chris wants Waves to be more like Ray-Ban than “smart glasses.”𝕏 Follow Chris: https://x.com/crsamra🔗 Waves: https://www.waveglasses.com/🎧 Subscribe to Out of Office:X – https://x.com/outofofficepodxSpotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/2oDg9z0aCNyS6L0YVbEIMDApple – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-office/id1789052920YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@OutOfOfficePodcastX𝕏 Follow Kartik: https://x.com/sathaxe𝕏 Follow Jack: https://x.com/jackndwyerSponsored by Families Fund — backing founders rebuilding education and health for American families.https://www.families.fundChapters:00:00 Meet Chris & Waves05:37 Design that looks good10:45 Privacy debate20:46 From Black Mirror to clips IRL25:25 Capturing human moments30:44 Brand > hardware35:03 Creators as GTM

Join us on this inspiring episode of Out of Office, where Kartik Sathappan and Jack Dwyer sit down with Clayton Mooney, founder of Clayton Farms, to explore the future of healthy fast food and the fight against the lifespan crisis caused by America’s eating habits. Clayton shares his unlikely journey—from growing up on an Iowa farm, to a career in professional poker, to building indoor farms that now power a profitable restaurant model. His mission? To give back millions of years of life to humanity by changing the way we eat, one healthy fast food meal at a time. We cover how Clayton is competing with giants like Sweetgreen, why transparency and open-source food systems matter, and the bold vision of scaling to a thousand restaurants over the next two decades. 🌱 Check out Clayton Farms: claytonfarms.com 🎧 Subscribe and listen to new episodes of Out of Office: X - https://x.com/outofofficepodx Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/2oDg9z0aCNyS6L0YVbEIMD Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-office/id1789052920 YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OutOfOfficePodcastX 𝕏 Follow Kartik: @sathaxe 𝕏 Follow Jack: @jackndwyer 𝕏 Follow Clayton: @MooneyMillions Sponsored by Families Fund — Backing founders rebuilding education and health for American families. https://www.families.fund Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share to stay updated with future conversations! Chapters: 00:00 From Iowa Farm to Poker Pro 06:02 Tackling Food Waste with Kinosol 08:46 Building Clayton Farms: Indoor Farming Innovations 11:26 From Delivery Service to Restaurant Model 19:53 Competing with Sweetgreen & Scaling Healthy Fast Food 30:49 Health, Entrepreneurship & Building a Mission-Driven Brand 44:33 Fundraising, Transparency, and Open Sourcing the Farm 59:21 The Future of Nutrition & Adding 70 Million Years of Life

Out of Office — Ep.20 Kartik Sathappan and Jack Dwyer sit down with Sarv, founder of Origami Computing — a playful “sidekick computer” aiming to make our relationship with tech healthier. We cover the journey from scrappy, screenless prototypes to a colorful device that feels human, why phones exhaust us, and what it really takes to learn hardware, raise a round, and build something people love. 🧭 Links: 𝕏 Follow Sarv: https://x.com/SarvasvKulpati 🔗 Learn more about Origami: https://origamicomputing.com/ 🎧 Subscribe and follow: X — https://x.com/outofofficepodx Spotify — https://open.spotify.com/show/2oDg9z0aCNyS6L0YVbEIMD Apple — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-office/id1789052920 YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/@OutOfOfficePodcastX 👤 Hosts: 𝕏 Follow Kartik: https://x.com/sathaxe 𝕏 Follow Jack: https://x.com/jackndwyer 💡 Sponsor: Sponsored by Families Fund — the first VC fund backing founders rebuilding education and health for American families. https://www.families.fund Chapters 00:00 Meet Sarv and the birth of Origami Computing 02:35 What makes a device “healthy” 05:12 The digicam prototype and retro tech’s comeback 07:46 A silent rebellion against social media 10:50 From screenless experiments to sidekick computers 12:57 Why cute eyes went viral 15:00 AI as self-actualization, not autocomplete 19:59 Moving to SF: from scarcity to abundance 22:27 Teaching himself hardware and PCB design 26:29 Mentors, suffering, and the hard truths of hardware 28:18 Staying true in a hype-driven Silicon Valley 30:56 GTM, social media virality, and the weight of followers 33:38 Building a tiny but mighty team 34:11 Berkeley lessons: liberal arts, CogSci, and POV 39:11 Almost dropping out, Tech Twitter, and finding direction 43:27 Early curiosity: clubs, skateboards, and coding hands 44:53 Creativity beyond tech: music, writing, and art 45:34 Social media, hermits, and healthier online spaces 47:41 Origami’s vision: a phone that feels human 49:09 The future of AI-native devices

In this inspiring episode of Out of Office, Kartik Sathappan and Jack Dwyer sit down with Alex Mathew, a high school student at the experimental Alpha School and the teenage founder of Berry, an AI-powered stuffed animal that teens can talk to for mental health support.Alex shares how his own struggles with therapy and school stress led him to build Berry, why he believes AI will replace traditional therapy, and how a cuddly plushie could help millions of young people reflect and build self-awareness. We dive into the science behind “transitional objects,” what’s wrong with online therapy, and why he’s designing Berry to push back instead of just validate.We also explore Alpha School’s radical education model: three hours of AI-powered academics, no teachers, and afternoons spent launching real-world ventures. Alex explains how he balances building a startup with being a student and how Alpha helps teens find their passion and develop it to Olympic-level standards.🐻 Learn more about Berry: https://berryplush.com/🏫 Learn more about Alpha School: https://alpha.school𝕏 Follow Alex: https://x.com/alxmthew🎧 Subscribe and listen to new episodes of Out of Office:X - https://x.com/outofofficepodxSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/2oDg9z0aCNyS6L0YVbEIMDApple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-office/id1789052920𝕏 Follow Kartik: https://x.com/sathaxe𝕏 Follow Jack: https://x.com/jackndwyerSponsored by Families Fund:The first VC fund backing founders rebuilding education and health for American families.https://www.families.fundChapters: 00:00 Meet Alex Mathew: Teen Founder of Berry and Student at Alpha 01:13 Why He Built an AI Plushie for Teen Mental Health 04:17 Gaps in Therapy and the Problem with ChatGPT as Support 07:33 How Berry Works: Reflection, Voice, and Personalization 11:28 Why a Plushie? Science, Nostalgia, and Virality 18:42 Go-To-Market Strategy: Teens, Parents, Schools, and TikTok 22:45 Data Privacy, Memory, and Ethical AI in Mental Health 25:17 Building a Startup Inside High School 27:41 Inside Alpha School: AI Learning, No Teachers, Big Projects 39:04 Rethinking Focus, ADHD, and the Future of Learning 48:31 Life at Alpha vs Traditional School 51:39 Should You Still Go to College After Alpha? 59:48 Real Role of Guides and How They Motivate Students 01:01:11 Screens, SEL, and Defeating Brainrot 01:06:50 What's Next for Berry and How to Get Involved

Join us on this special episode of Out of Office brought to you by Families Fund, where Kartik Sathappan and Jack Dwyer sit down with Karen Kirchner — a California elementary school teacher — to break down what’s really happening inside public schools today.Karen shares how COVID, politics, and outdated literacy methods have collided to leave kids behind — and what it will take to turn things around. We explore why teachers get so little respect, how the “science of reading” can transform classrooms, and what parents should look for when evaluating their children’s education. From the rise of AI tutors to the false promise of endless tech in the classroom, this conversation cuts through the noise to spotlight what strong schools actually do right.𝕏 Follow Karen: https://www.instagram.com/karenkirchnr/🔗 Learn more about Families Fund: https://www.families.fund🎧 Subscribe and listen to new episodes of Out of Office ASAP:X - https://x.com/outofofficepodxSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/2oDg9z0aCNyS6L0YVbEIMDApple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-office/id1789052920YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OutOfOfficePodcastXSponsored by Noots — Enjoy 25% off your order!https://sendnoots.com/discount/OUTOFOFFICEPODDon’t forget to like, subscribe, and share to stay updated with future conversations!Chapters:00:00 The State of Reading Scores and Education Systems21:25 Science of Reading vs. Balanced Literacy + Teacher Training29:55 Multi-Sensory Learning, Parent Roles, and Cultural Attitudes38:19 Education Policy, Teacher Quality, and Curriculum Gaps45:05 Classroom Management, Tech Hype, and AI Tutors53:44 Alternative Models, Community, and What Traditional Schools Get Right

Episode 17 – Can a Robot Fold Your Laundry? Evan Wineland on Building Weave RoboticsOn this episode of Out of Office, hosts Kartik Sathappan and Jack Dwyer welcomeEvan Wineland, co-founder of Weave Robotics. Evan unveils Isaac—a telescoping,wheeled home robot that folds laundry, tidies rooms, and even taps human tele-operatorswhen autonomy needs a boost. We explore why wheels beat legs (for now), how onboardcompute keeps your data private, what Evan learned while shipping Apple Intelligence,and why your own robo-housekeeper could arrive as early as late 2025.Links𝕏 Follow Evan: https://x.com/evan_winelandWeave Robotics: https://weaverobotics.com𝕏 Follow the show: https://x.com/outofofficepodxSpotify: show linkApple Podcasts: show linkYouTube: channel linkSponsored by Noots — Enjoy 25% offhttps://sendnoots.com/discount/OUTOFOFFICEPODChapters00:00 Introduction & Isaac highlight reel02:45 First impressions: Roomba ≠ Isaac06:45 What Isaac is and isn’t13:40 Wheels > legs: safety & reliability19:40 Why start with laundry-folding & tidying23:40 Mapping, memory & onboarding your home32:00 Tele-operation, trust & guardrails39:30 Pricing, early adopters & parents vs. entropy49:10 From Apple Intelligence to home robots57:00 YC, quadrupeds & pivoting to Isaac1:03:00 Shipping timeline & Weave is hiring!Enjoy the episode, and don’t forget to rate, follow, and share!

Can You Sell Gold Without Getting Scammed? Brandon Aversano on Starting Alloy (Ep.16)In this episode of Out of Office, Kartik Sathappan and Jack Dwyer sit down with Brandon Aversano, founder of Alloy, the online platform making it safe, simple, and transparent to sell gold and precious metals.Brandon shares the wild origin story of Alloy—starting with a cancer diagnosis, medical debt, and a humiliating pawn shop experience. He explains how Alloy offers 80%+ payouts (versus 20–30% industry standard), the challenges of building trust in a scammy industry, and why customer empathy is his biggest weapon. We also discuss the future of jewelry resale, how Brandon bootstrapped his way from a failed app to state-backed funding, and what most people don’t understand about the value of their gold.🔗 Check out Alloy: https://www.alloymarket.com/📺 Watch on YouTube: Out of Office Podcast🎧 Subscribe:X | Spotify | Apple𝕏 Follow Kartik: https://x.com/sathaxe𝕏 Follow Jack: https://x.com/jackndwyer🎙️ Sponsored by Noots — Enjoy 25% off your order!https://sendnoots.com/discount/OUTOFOFFICEPODChapters: 00:00 Introduction to Alloy and Brandon's Cancer Diagnosis 04:23 Selling Gold the Old Way—and the Idea That Sparked Alloy 07:57 Building Empathy Into a High-Trust Customer Experience 10:38 Hiring Non-Salespeople and Operationalizing Support 12:35 Beating the Pawn Shops: Trust, Transparency, and Pricing 15:07 Go-to-Market, SEO Strategy, and Early PR Wins 20:39 Customer Segments, Indian Gold Culture, and Repeat Use 25:32 Alloy’s Wild Origin: FBI Gold Scandal and Elderly Clients 30:01 Partnerships, Value Chain, and Expanding Beyond Gold 37:11 Funding Alloy: From 401k to Institutional Rounds 44:29 Winning Over the State of Pennsylvania 48:09 Fundraising Strategy in a Skeptical Market 49:59 Competition, Ecosystem Vision, and What’s Next 52:00 The Truth About Jewelry Valuation 56:00 Why Gold Beats Diamonds—and Advice for Founders

Join us for an imaginative and deeply thoughtful episode of Out of Office as Kartik Sathappan and Jack Dwyer sit down with Daniel Kuntz — founder of Creature Co. and the mind behind The Little Guy, a wearable digital pet that blends nostalgic design, emotional tech, and low-level engineering into a new kind of companion.Daniel walks us through how a viral demo turned into a funded startup, how Fred Again ended up using his music plugin, and why he's rejecting the software subscription model in favor of playful, expressive hardware. We also dive into his artistic inspirations (like vintage Sony gadgets and absurd watches), the philosophy of meaningful design, and whether generative AI can ever create something with soul. 🦴 Meet The Little Guy 🎹 Try Daniel’s music plugins 𝕏 Follow Daniel 𝕏 Follow Kartik 𝕏 Follow Jack 🎧 Follow Out of OfficeSponsored by Noots — Enjoy 25% off your orderChapters: 00:00 Intro to The Little Guy and Creature Co 03:00 Rethinking Tamagotchi: A Digital Pet for Adults 06:05 Prototyping, Dev Kits, and Early Community Feedback 08:52 Raising $1.2M and the Vision for a Hardware Company 12:06 Business Model, Software Tools, and Artistic Intent 14:55 Daniel’s Journey: Music Apps to Wearable Companions 21:03 Design Philosophy: Playful UIs and Hardware Aesthetics 28:09 Apple, iDog, and the Lost Era of Beautiful Tech 34:28 From Demo to Funding: Going All-In on Hardware 40:23 Can We Have Nice Things Again? 55:11 Generative AI, Creativity, and the Future of Art

Join us for this eye-opening episode of Out of Office, where we sit down with Andrew Song, co-founder of Make Sunsets, to discuss a radical approach to climate change: solar geoengineering. Andrew explains how releasing reflective aerosols into the stratosphere—something volcanoes do naturally—may help cool the planet, buying time for other sustainability efforts to catch up. We also dive into regulatory roadblocks, the role of public perception, and what it’s like to scale a startup focused on reversing global warming.Sponsored by Noots — Enjoy 25% off your order! https://sendnoots.com/discount/OUTOFOFFICEPODFollow Andrew Song: https://x.com/asong408Learn more about Make Sunsets: https://makesunsets.comChapters:00:00 Introduction to Make Sunsets03:23 The Science Behind Solar Geoengineering06:46 Comparing Solutions: Stratospheric Aerosol Injection vs. Carbon Capture10:26 Market Landscape and Competition13:56 Customer Demographics and Engagement17:17 Funding and Business Model21:00 Regulatory Landscape and Challenges24:21 Public Perception and Education28:10 Operational Mechanics of Balloon Deployments31:30 Future Outlook and Mission-driven Goals34:48 Navigating Financial Sustainability37:22 Evaluating Climate Solutions39:13 The Reality of Recycling41:46 Innovating for a Sustainable Future45:16 Personal Journey to Climate Action48:51 Future Aspirations and Opportunities54:24 Building a Climate-Conscious CommunitySubscribe and listen to new episodes of Out of Office:X (Twitter)SpotifyAppleYouTubeDon’t forget to like, subscribe, and share—help us spread the word and keep the conversation going!

Join us on this insightful episode of Out of Office, where Kartik Sathappan and Jack Dwyer sit down with Hirbod Bigvand, founder of Cassius, a unique dating wellness app designed to help men gain confidence, master communication, and build meaningful relationships through personalized coaching.Hirbod shares how seeing his friends struggle on dating apps inspired him to bridge the gap between dating coaches and men searching for authentic connections. They discuss why traditional dating apps like Tinder and Bumble often fall short, the power and challenges of "cold approaching," and why San Francisco can be an especially challenging city for dating. Hirbod also reveals how Cassius leverages both tech and personalized coaching to transform men's dating experiences.Follow Hirbod: XCheck out Cassius: cassius.love🎧 Subscribe and listen to new episodes of Out of Office: X Spotify Apple YouTubeFollow Kartik: XFollow Jack: XSponsored by Noots — Enjoy 25% off your order!sendnoots.comDon't forget to like, subscribe, and share to stay updated with future conversations!Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Cassius and Its Unique Approach 06:33 Journey of Building Cassius and Client Success Stories 11:48 Business Model, Coach Dynamics, and Recruitment Strategies 17:20 Stigma in Dating Coaching and the Future of Dating 27:14 Navigating Real-Life Dating: Gym Encounters and Cold Approaches 31:51 Target Audience and Addressing the Gap in Dating Education 34:47 Impact of Dating Apps and Challenges in San Francisco Dating Scene 45:34 Commitment, Relationships, and the Journey of Self-Discovery 49:14 From Immigrant to Entrepreneur 57:48 Building Cassius Platform and Embracing Entrepreneurial Spirit