Podcast
Tacos and Tech Podcast
Hosted by Neal Bloom · EN
The Tacos and Tech Podcast highlights the builders of companies, technologies, ecosystems with a local flair for our lifestyle as well.
risingtidepartners.substack.com
risingtidepartners.substack.com
45episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Beyond the Blueprint
6d ago00:28:44Tap to summarizeEpisode SummaryNeal sits down with Janine McMurdie, Chief Commercial Officer of Pictor, a proteomics platform company that expanded from New Zealand to Carlsbad. Janine explains why your DNA is only the blueprint - and why proteins, which change in real time as your body responds to a drug or an infection, tell the fuller story. They get into Pictor’s partner-driven, capital-efficient model, how the platform runs a complex panel of biomarkers as a single answer (for everything from cattle herds to HIV comorbidities to humans), and the new Pictor Imager launching at ADLM. Plus why San Diego’s density of talent, tools, and investors made Carlsbad the right home and Janine’s favorite tacos from Encinitas to Thousand Oaks.Key Topics* Why DNA is the blueprint but proteins are the building* Running 20 tests as one multiplexed answer* Pictor’s partner-driven, capital-efficient model* One platform, many species: cattle to humans* The new Pictor Imager, launching at ADLM* Why Carlsbad won: talent, tools, and investorsLinks & Resources* Pictor* ADLM (Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine) Connect on LinkedIn* Neal Bloom* Janine McMurdie This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
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Why Great Companies Go Bad
2w ago01:08:04Tap to summarizeEpisode SummaryRecorded live at the San Diego Angel Conference finale at SDSU, Eric Ries — author of The Lean Startup — sits down with product leader and founder coach Vidya Dinamani to unpack his new book, Incorruptible. His argument: there’s a gravitational force that pulls even mission-driven companies toward decay — “the making of money without the creating of value” — and the more successful you get, the bigger a target you become. Eric walks through how it happens (stack-ranking by ROI, the “what would investors want” ghost in every meeting, Groupon’s two-emails-a-day spiral), why the fix has to come earlier than anyone wants (“it’s too early until it’s too late”), and the concrete governance moves that keep the great ones honest. Along the way: the San Diego origin story of Costco, Cloudflare giving away its best paid feature, Anthropic’s long-term benefit trust, a hard-nosed take on AI, and a health insurer whose customer-service reps act like guardian angels.Key Topics* Corruption as “making money without creating value”* The gravity that pulls companies from mission to mediocrity* Costco’s San Diego origin — and why FedMart died* Why stack-ranking by ROI buries the work that builds trust* “It’s too early until it’s too late” — protecting the mission in time* The PBC filing and binding your board to the mission* AI as a “Dunning-Kruger factory,” and how to actually use it* “Love” as an operating framework: the Devoted Health storyLinks & Resources* Incorruptible* The Lean Startup* Long-Term Stock Exchange (LTSE)* San Diego Angel ConferenceConnect on LinkedIn* Neal Bloom * Eric Ries* Vidya Dinamani This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
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Diversification Is Overrated
3w ago00:41:24Tap to summarizeEpisode SummaryNeal sits down with Dr. Adam Link, founder of Fireweed Capital and a recovering engineer who spent a decade in tech — including six years at Coinbase through its IPO — before becoming a financial planner for founders and tech professionals. Adam makes the case that diversification is overrated, that concentration is how wealth actually gets built, and that the real skill is knowing where conviction ends and wipeout risk begins. They get into why you can’t “test your finances in prod,” how AI quietly forgot a 37% tax bill, and why the era of the low-skilled generalist is ending. Plus the best tacos in Duluth, Minnesota — trailhead included.Key Topics* Why diversification is overrated for founders* Concentration as the real path to wealth* Keeping your portfolio uncorrelated with your business* The line between conviction and wipeout risk* You can’t test your finances in prod* Where AI breaks down in wealth management* Angel investing vs. founder charity* Why specialists beat generalists in the AI eraLinks & Resources* Fireweed Capital* Rising Tide PartnersConnect on LinkedIn* Neal Bloom* Dr. Adam Link This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
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Inside the San Diego Angel Conference
Jun 2401:29:47Tap to summarizeEpisode SummaryRecorded live at the San Diego Angel Conference (SDAC 8) finale at SDSU, where Neal - the SDAC Fund 8 manager - and 40+ investors spent months turning 135 applications into six finalists, then handed out the checks on stage. You’ll hear all six pitches: * Cytodyme’s compliance automation for biotech, * Vium’s sinus device that makes antibiotics 36x more effective, * Polyvascular’s pediatric heart valve that grows with the child, * Shezza’s viral anti-blister sock (funded by a cross-country lawnmower race), * SESH’s blood test for a cancer biomarker most thought impossible to detect, and * My Village Innovations’ first reimagined speculum in 180 years. Key Topics* How SDAC turns 135 applications into six finalists* 40+ investors building conviction together* Cytodyme: compliance automation for biotech & medtech* Vium: a device that makes antibiotics 36x better* Polyvascular: a heart valve that grows with the child* Shezza: the viral anti-blister sock funded by a lawnmower race* SESH: a blood test for an “impossible” cancer biomarker* My Village Innovations: the first new speculum in 180 yearsLinks & Resources* San Diego Angel Conference * SDSU Lavin Entrepreneurship Center* The Lean Startup* Companies featured: Cytodyme, Vayim, Polyvascular, Shezza Socks, Sesh, My Village Innovations (ROSA Spec)Connect on LinkedIn* Neal Bloom* San Diego Angel Conference This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
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Greener Only Scales When It's Less Expensive
Jun 1700:42:54Tap to summarizeEpisode SummaryRecorded at Natilus HQ in downtown San Diego, Neal sits down with Aleksey Matyushev, CEO and co-founder of Natilus, and Dr. Fabiano Piccinno, Global Head of Sustainability for Air Logistics at Kuehne+Nagel, for a roundtable on the real economics of decarbonizing flight. They get into why ordering a new plane today means a 12-year wait, why sustainable aviation fuel still costs nearly double Jet A, and how Natilus’s blended wing body cuts cost and emissions at the same time - the rare case where the greener choice is also the less expensive one. Along the way: fuel-price shocks emptying transatlantic cabins, aviation’s pull back toward defense, and a FedEx flight that hops the San Diego–Tijuana border in ten minutes. Plus the best plant-based tacos in Mexico City.Key Topics* The 12-year backlog to order a new aircraft* Why global aircraft production must nearly double* Sustainable aviation fuel at ~2x the cost of Jet A* Blended wing body: 30% less drag, ~50% lower cost* When sustainability and economics finally align* Fuel volatility emptying transatlantic flights* Aviation’s pull toward defense and dual-use* Inside the Natilus × Kuehne+Nagel feasibility studyLinks & Resources* Natilus* Kona (Natilus regional freighter) * Kuehne+Nagel* ZeroAvia (hydrogen-electric partner)Connect on LinkedIn* Neal Bloom* Aleksey Matyushev* Fabiano Piccinno This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
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Sleep Is the Last Unprotected Hour
Jun 900:43:05Tap to summarizeNeal sits down with co-founders John Sjolund (CEO) and Jon Brilliant(CFO) of Luna Diabetes, two serial diabetes tech founders building what they call “sleep only automation” - the world’s smallest patch pump designed to automate insulin delivery while you sleep. With over 1700 nights of real-world wear and a pivotal study on the horizon, Jon and John make the case that nighttime is where the biggest gains in diabetes management are hiding - and almost no one is solving for it. Neal shares a personal connection through his father’s decades-long journey with Type 1, and the conversation closes with taco picks spanning a hidden Sorrento Valley gem and an upscale Palo Alto staple.Key Topics* Why 80%+ of glucose-lowering automation benefit happens at night* The founding story: from a Hannah Montana watch to the world’s smallest patch pump* Sleep disruption as the #1 reported issue among people with diabetes* Building trust through consistency in an intimate use case* Capital efficiency in medtech: $40M to market vs. the $200M industry average* The disconnect between what clinicians prioritize and what patients actually need* Consumerizing medical devices - why diabetes tech still feels like a Game Boy* WellDoc, Bigfoot Biomedical, and the lineage of connected insulin deliveryLinks & Resources* Luna Diabetes: lunadiabetes.com* WellDoc: welldoc.com* Bigfoot Biomedical: bigfootbiomedical.com* The Craft Taco (Sorrento Valley, San Diego)* Reposado (Downtown Palo Alto)Connect on LinkedIn* Neal Bloom* Jon Brilliant* John Sjolund This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
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Rebuilding the Protein Stack
Jun 300:38:58Tap to summarizeTony Martens, co-founder of Plantible Foods, joins Neal to walk through the company’s eight-year arc - from a free greenhouse in San Marcos to a commercial-scale rubisco protein facility in West Texas. They get into the science of duckweed and why rubisco is both the most abundant and most bioavailable protein on the planet, the modular “crawl, walk, run” scaling philosophy that kept Plantible from getting buried under capex, and how landing in El Dorado, Texas lifted the surrounding county’s median household income by 62%. Plus: why the Taco Stand in Encinitas remains the most-mentioned spot on the pod.Key Topics* Why our food supply chain hasn’t been updated in 3,000 years* How rubisco from duckweed competes with eggs, dairy, and meat* The “crawl, walk, run” approach to commercial scale-up* Why avian flu volatility is driving bakery and egg-replacement demand* Modular agriculture vs. billion-dollar capex projects* Living on the San Marcos farm in RVs through COVID lockdown* Lifting a West Texas county’s median household income by 62%* Where Plantable products are showing up on shelves todayLinks & ResourcesPlantible Foods Connect on LinkedInTony MartensNeal Bloom This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
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SAFEs, Notes, and SPVs
May 2600:51:03Tap to summarizeAngel Academy Session 5 brings in Brian Dirkmaat, a startup attorney at Rimon, P.C and longtime SDAC sponsor, to walk the room through the legal mechanics of angel investing. Brian covers the full evolution of startup investment instruments - from the original bridge notes of the 1990s to today's post-money SAFEs - and breaks down the real differences between convertible notes, SAFEs, and priced equity rounds. The session goes deep on valuation caps, pro rata rights, the unresolved IRS question around QSBS treatment for SAFEs, and the practical tradeoffs between investing directly into a company versus through an SPV. If you've ever looked at a term sheet and wondered what you were actually signing, this is the session.Key Topics* The evolution from bridge notes to convertible notes to SAFEs* How YC's post-money SAFE works: valuation caps, discounts, and MFN provisions* SAFE vs. convertible note: the unresolved IRS code 1202 (QSBS) question* Priced equity rounds: Series Seed vs. Series A (NVCA docs)* SPVs vs. direct investing: platforms, carry, admin fees, and when each makes sense* The California C Corp trap: unpaid founder wages and W-2 classification* Term sheet fundamentals: liquidation preferences, anti-dilution, board seatsLinks & Resources* San Diego Angel Conference (SDAC)* Rimon, P.C* YC SAFE Documents* NVCA Model Legal Documents* Series First Documents* Rising Tide PartnersConnect on LinkedIn* Brian Dirkmaat* Neal Bloom This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
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From Operator to Fund Manager
May 1900:46:56Tap to summarizeEpisode SummaryNeal sits down with Will Alaynick, managing partner at Phase Two Ventures, for a fireside chat on what it actually looks like to go from building a company to running a venture fund. Will walks through his journey from operating a life science instrumentation startup - backed by a strategic investor who gave him governance, talent, and manufacturing access - to raising a fund focused on the tools and infrastructure layer of biotech. They dig into how fund managers evaluate deals differently than angels, why SBIR funding can be a double-edged sword, and what it takes to say no for a living.Key Topics* How a strategic investor provided governance, talent, and manufacturing - not just capital* Building Phase Two Ventures from operator pattern recognition* Evaluating life science deals through the lens of an ex-founder* SBIR funding as a signal - and when it becomes a distraction* The difference between angel deal evaluation and fund-level portfolio construction* Why most of the venture job is saying no - and how to do it humanely* AI's emerging role in life science - and why wet labs still matter* What angels should know before making the leap to managing a fundLinks & Resources* Phase Two Ventures* San Diego Angel Conference* Rising Tide PartnersConnect on LinkedIn* Will Alaynick* Neal Bloom This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
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The Operator's Edge: From San Diego Angel Academy
May 1301:03:01Tap to summarizeAngel Academy Session 3 brings together a panel of San Diego operators who crossed over to the investor side - including Katherine Chapin, Dane Chapin, Ken Potashner, and Bardia Moayedi with backgrounds spanning investment banking, corporate law, and consumer products. The conversation gets honest fast: what it means to bet on a founder who introduces herself as "just a mom," why losing money on a deal teaches you more than any pitch deck, and how San Diego's open, collaborative angel community creates a fundamentally different deal flow than Silicon Valley's closed-door networks.Key Topics* Operating experience as an angel investor's real edge* The "just a mom" story: why passion beats pedigree every time* Dane Chapin's board game company postmortem and what losing taught him* San Diego's open angel ecosystem vs. Silicon Valley's closed networks* Underestimating risk: the Coin investment and what it revealed* Co-investing with spouses and building shared conviction* Why brand obsession signals a founder worth backing* Pitch contests vs. relationship-driven deal flowLinks & Resources* San Diego Angel Conference (SDAC): https://sdangel.com* SDSU ZIP Launchpad: https://ziplaunchpad.sdsu.edu* Rising Tide Partners: https://risingtidepartners.coConnect on LinkedIn* Dane Chapin* Katherine Chapin* Ken Potashner* Bardia Moayedi* Neal Bloom This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
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