Liftoff with Keith: Conversations with Super Founders and Growth Experts sharing useful insights

What if your AI assistant didn't just answer questions—but actually understood how you work and helped get things done?
In this episode of Liftoff with Keith, Keith sits down with Jean-Denis Greze, Co-Founder & CEO of Town, to explore the future of personalized AI assistants and what it takes to build AI that can work across the tools people already use.
The conversation dives into how AI can move beyond the traditional chatbot experience to help manage tasks, workflows, email, calendars, and more—while learning from the context of how each person actually works.
Jean-Denis also shares insights into building an AI product, the challenges of creating a truly useful assistant, and the broader opportunity to make AI more accessible to everyday users and businesses.
If you're interested in AI, AI assistants, startups, productivity, entrepreneurship, and the future of work, this episode is for you.
Sponsor Info: We are strategic business advisors with decades of leadership experience and a proven track record of driving businesses’ growth. We specialize in creating custom-tailored strategies to introduce your company, drive growth, build leadership teams, and ensure companies implement appropriate compensation programs. Our mission is to utilize our expansive network to benefit your company https://www.compass-strategic-advisors.com/
Connect with Jean-Denis:
Website: https://www.town.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeandenisgreze/

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What do Iraq, SpaceX, the EV boom, and autonomous freight have in common?
In this episode of Liftoff, Keith sits down with Kevin Damoa , Army combat veteran and founder & CEO of Glīd, to explore the future of logistics and the technology transforming how freight moves between road and rail.
Kevin shares how nearly 25 years of logistics experience, including military logistics, SpaceX, and leadership roles across the EV industry, inspired him to tackle one of the biggest challenges in global supply chains: making rail transportation more accessible.
We discuss how Glīd is building autonomous vehicles designed to streamline the road-to-rail transition, why the company has focused on building more cost-efficiently, and how Kevin's experiences at SpaceX shaped his approach to culture, innovation, and solving seemingly impossible problems.
Kevin also shares lessons on:
Building hard tech with limited capital
Why culture can make or break a startup
The importance of solving customer pain before commercialization
How to evaluate risk before launching an MVP
The future of autonomous freight and physical AI
Why logistics is facing a growing labor and infrastructure challenge
What SpaceX taught him about belief, ingenuity, and making the impossible possible
From combat logistics to rocket logistics to autonomous freight, this is a conversation about building technology that could fundamentally change how the world moves.
Sponsor Info: We are strategic business advisors with decades of leadership experience and a proven track record of driving businesses’ growth. We specialize in creating custom-tailored strategies to introduce your company, drive growth, build leadership teams, and ensure companies implement appropriate compensation programs. Our mission is to utilize our expansive network to benefit your company https://www.compass-strategic-advisors.com/Connect with Kevin Damoa:
Website: https://www.glidtech.us/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-a-damoa-9b514770
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What if AI could understand the physical world as well as it understands text?
In this episode of The Liftoff, Keith sits down with Paul Powers, CEO & Co-Founder of Physna, to explore why the next wave of AI won't just generate content—it will understand objects, manufacturing, engineering, and supply chains.
Paul explains how Physna's "Physical DNA" technology enables AI to understand 3D objects, helping companies dramatically improve product design, procurement, robotics, digital twins, and manufacturing intelligence. The conversation also covers reshoring manufacturing, AI infrastructure, startup timing, and why physical AI could become one of the biggest technology shifts of the decade.
In this episode:
What Physical AI actually means
How Physna teaches computers to understand 3D objects
Why AI struggles with the physical world today
Saving manufacturers hundreds of millions of dollars
Digital twins, robotics & engineering AI
The future of manufacturing and reshoring
AI, 3D printing & security challenges
Startup lessons from building deep-tech companies
Why timing matters more than most founders realize
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Sponsor Info: We are strategic business advisors with decades of leadership experience and a proven track record of driving businesses’ growth. We specialize in creating custom-tailored strategies to introduce your company, drive growth, build leadership teams, and ensure companies implement appropriate compensation programs. Our mission is to utilize our expansive network to benefit your company https://www.compass-strategic-advisors.com/

Connect with Trip Hawkins:
Website: https://www.ea.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/triphawkins/
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#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #PhysicalAI #Physna #PaulPowers #Manufacturing #Engineering #Robotics #DigitalTwins #SupplyChain #Innovation #DeepTech #Startup #Entrepreneurship #TheLiftoff

What does it take to build a company that changes an entire industry?
Note: Due to some video connection challenges the host wasn't on the video feed for the entire program
In this episode of Liftoff with Keith, legendary entrepreneur Trip Hawkins, Founder of Electronic Arts (EA) and creator of one of the world's most influential gaming companies, shares the principles behind building category-defining businesses.
From launching EA and helping create the Madden franchise to investing in the next generation of AI startups, Trip explains why lasting companies don't simply build better products they change customer behavior.
In this conversation, you'll learn:
How Electronic Arts transformed the gaming industry
The strategy behind creating billion-dollar companies
Why changing customer behavior creates lasting value
What investors really look for in founders
AI opportunities every business leader should understand
Why enterprise AI readiness matters more than AI hype
Lessons from decades of innovation and venture investing
Whether you're an entrepreneur, founder, investor, executive, or technology leader, this episode is packed with timeless insights on innovation, leadership and building businesses that last.
If you enjoyed this conversation, like the video, subscribe, and share it with someone building the future.
Sponsor Info: We are strategic business advisors with decades of leadership experience and a proven track record of driving businesses’ growth. We specialize in creating custom-tailored strategies to introduce your company, drive growth, build leadership teams, and ensure companies implement appropriate compensation programs. Our mission is to utilize our expansive network to benefit your company https://www.compass-strategic-advisors.com/Connect with Trip Hawkins:
Website: https://www.ea.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/triphawkins/
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The AI boom isn't over but the first wave is.
In this episode of Liftoff with Keith, Keith sits down with Clint Chao, Co-Founder & General Partner at Moment Ventures, to discuss where AI is really headed, why enterprise software is entering a new phase, and what founders should focus on as the hype settles.
They explore venture capital, AI adoption, enterprise transformation, startup execution, and what separates companies that create lasting value from those simply following the latest trend.
Whether you're a founder, investor, operator, or simply curious about the future of AI, this conversation is packed with practical insights.
Key Topics
Why the first wave of AI is ending
What comes next for Enterprise AI
Building companies during technology shifts
Venture capital perspectives on AI startups
Enterprise software trends
What investors are looking for today
Long-term opportunities in AI
If you enjoy conversations with world-class founders, investors and operators, subscribe to Liftoff with Keith.
Sponsor Info: We are strategic business advisors with decades of leadership experience and a proven track record of driving businesses’ growth. We specialize in creating custom-tailored strategies to introduce your company, drive growth, build leadership teams, and ensure companies implement appropriate compensation programs. Our mission is to utilize our expansive network to benefit your company https://www.compass-strategic-advisors.com/Connect with Clint Chao:
Website: http://www.momentventures.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clintchao
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