Rephonic
Artwork for Valley of Depth
Spacex
National Security
NASA
Nuclear Energy
Department Of Defense
China
Venture Capital
Climate Change
Space Industry
Golden Dome
Lunar Architecture
Space Exploration
Electra
Lockheed Martin
Missile Defense
Hybrid Electric Aircraft
Public-Private Partnerships
Mars
Artificial Intelligence
Space Economy

Valley of Depth is a podcast about the technologies that matter — and the people building them. Brought to you by Arkaea Media, the team behind Payload (space), Ignition (nuclear energy), and Tectonic (defense tech), this show goes beyond headlines and hype. We talk to founders, investors, government officials, and military leaders shaping the future of national security and deep tech. From breakt... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes180Founded4 years ago
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Artwork for Valley of Depth

Latest Episodes

Skyways has spent nearly a decade working on a problem most of the drone industry largely ignored: logistics. While billions poured into drones built to see targets or strike them, Skyways focused on something less flashy but arguably just as importa... more

YouTube

This month, Mo and Jack host a live Space & Defense Update from the NYSE, featuring leading investors and executives:

• Erik Kriessmann, Partner at Altimeter Capital

• Zach Shore, CEO of Hermeus

• Dan Wright, CEO of Armada

We discuss the latest... more

Antares just closed a massive $470M Series C, was welcomed to the Oval Office by President Trump to celebrate becoming the first startup to achieve reactor criticality under the Department of Energy's reactor pilot program, and is now racing toward d... more

YouTube

Ian Cinnamon didn’t set out to build a satellite company. After selling his first startup to Palantir, he became convinced the real bottleneck in space wasn’t launch or payloads, but the spacecraft itself. While rockets were getting cheaper and paylo... more

YouTube

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Soren Monroe-Anderson
CEO of Neros, defense drone founder
Neros
Episode: Solving America’s Drone Problem, with Soren Monroe-Anderson (CEO of Neros)
Bridgit Mendler
CEO of Northwood, space networking entrepreneur
Northwood
Episode: The Global Ground Layer, with Bridgit Mendler (CEO of Northwood)
Howard Morgan
Legendary investor, chair of B Capital
B Capital
Episode: SpaceX's $1.75T IPO (LIVE from NYSE)
Shaun Maguire
Partner at Sequoia, early public supporter of SpaceX
Sequoia
Episode: SpaceX's $1.75T IPO (LIVE from NYSE)
Liz Stein
Investor, representative from USIT (growth-stage fund focused on national interest tech)
USIT
Episode: SpaceX's $1.75T IPO (LIVE from NYSE)
Dan Ives
Global Head of Technology Research at Wedbush
Wedbush
Episode: SpaceX's $1.75T IPO (LIVE from NYSE)
Ross Fubini
Managing Partner of XYZ VC
XYZ Venture Capital
Episode: The OG Defense Check, with Ross Fubini (Managing Partner of XYZ VC)
Jason Kim
CEO of Firefly Aerospace
Firefly Aerospace
Episode: A Firefly Future, with Jason Kim (CEO of Firefly Aerospace)
Jonathan Cirtain
CEO, Axiom Space
Axiom Space
Episode: Space & Defense Market Update - May 2026 (LIVE from NYSE)

Host

Mo Islam
Host of several technology-focused programs, frequently discusses space, defense, and national security topics.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 154 ratings
  • The go-to podcast for space founders and VCs

    I discovered this podcast two weeks before I was preparing to moderate a panel on New Space for a deep tech conference and it was exactly what I needed to get up to speed on the opportunities and challenges of space commercialization. Mo finds just the right balance in unpacking both technology and business implications, and it’s a master class in the key metrics, terminology and “bleeding head” problems in the various sectors.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    renitakalhorn
    United Statesa year ago
  • Engaging Conversation

    Just finished listening to Mo’s latest podcast with Jane Poynter and Tabor MacCallum from Space Perspective. It gave me goosebumps with the prospect of any one of us going to space, including me, and what that would do for modern civilization.

    These two interviewees are remarkable humans - check out their past with Biosphere 2, Paragon Space Development, and StratEx. And hats off to the interviewer, Mo, for bringing all this to our attention in a fascinating interview.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Houston, we have an answer
    United States3 years ago
  • Love pathfinder

    Love the host and all the interesting guests…

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    AGB FOR REAL
    United States3 years ago
  • Current trends and valuable space insights

    I love hearing all the tips and latest trends from the guests who are active in the space industry. This is a great way to stay current on all the exciting space activities!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Sponz
    United States3 years ago
  • Educational - awesome - on point

    This is one of the most educational podcast I listen to on a monthly basis. Ari and the team at payload ensure we are an educated space community though thoughtful engagement and digestible podcasts! Thank you all! 🙏🏻😎🛰️

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    fvargas22012
    United States3 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

The host pushes thoughtful questions that uncover real-world challenges and opportunities.
Guests are credible and well-prepared, offering valuable market and tech insights.
Content is consistently focused on space, defense, and hard tech investments, appealing to engineers and investors.
Listeners praise practical, depth-filled conversations with industry leaders.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The Reactor Renaissance, with Jordan Bramble (CEO of Antares)
Q: What's the timeline for delivering electricity, and what could cause delays?
We're targeting 2027 for electricity generation with first customers in 2028. Delays could come from the power conversion system readiness, regulatory readiness, and the ability to scale the fuel supply chain, but we are actively mitigating these through parallel development streams and aggressive testing campaigns.
The Reactor Renaissance, with Jordan Bramble (CEO of Antares)
Q: What makes Antares' path to electricity unique, and what are the biggest blockers you've faced?
Our approach centers on safety as the driving design principle, early regulator engagement, and a testbed that accelerates qualification of hardware, fuel, and processes. The biggest blockers have been regulatory alignment and ensuring the supply chain—particularly fuel fabrication and neutron detectors—can scale with demand, which we're actively addressing through partnerships and in-house development.
The Reactor Renaissance, with Jordan Bramble (CEO of Antares)
Q: Walk me through your specific tech—how do micro-reactors fit into the landscape from SMRs to gigawatt plants?
We're a micro-reactor developer spanning kilowatts to tens of megawatts, with a focus on factory-based production and passive safety. The core idea is to enable autonomous licensing, fleets, and a lower cost of ownership through TRISO fuel and a compact, air-cooled heat-exchanger system, supported by a regulatory pathway tailored for low-consequence, low-source-term reactors.
Solving America’s Drone Problem, with Soren Monroe-Anderson (CEO of Neros)
Q: What keeps you up at night regarding the business and technology risks?
The challenge of balancing multi-threaded ambitious goals with focus, ensuring that scaling both the drone and component manufacturing pipelines happens in sync, and avoiding overreach that could jeopardize the company's long-term viability while trying to close the capability gap for national security.
Solving America’s Drone Problem, with Soren Monroe-Anderson (CEO of Neros)
Q: What surprised you most about manufacturing at scale and getting to 1,000 drones per week?
The amount of discipline and evidence required to prove sustained production; many companies promise scale but fail to demonstrate repeatable, reliable manufacturing at high cadence, so Neros focuses on design-for-manufacturability and rigorous testing to support scalable output.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Valley of Depth

What is Valley of Depth about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Valley of Depth delivers in-depth conversations with founders, investors, policymakers, and military leaders who are shaping national security and deep-tech ecosystems. Episodes repeatedly surface themes around space-tech infrastructure, defense innovation, AI-enabled geospatial capabilities, and the regulatory or geopolitical dynamics impacting high-stakes technologies. The show often features candid discussions about funding, scale, and the practical realities of bringing ambitious technology from concept to deployment. A standout aspect is its mix of operator- and investor-perspective guests, which helps listeners understand both the technical potential and the market/building blocks behind next-generation defense and space applications.... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Valley of Depth?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Valley of Depth:

1. Main Engine Cut Off
2. Off-Nominal
3. Sourcery
4. The a16z Show
5. Relentless

How many episodes of Valley of Depth are there?

Valley of Depth launched 4 years ago and published 180 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Valley of Depth?

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What guests have appeared on Valley of Depth?

Recent guests on Valley of Depth include:

1. Soren Monroe-Anderson
2. Bridgit Mendler
3. Howard Morgan
4. Shaun Maguire
5. Liz Stein
6. Dan Ives
7. Ross Fubini
8. Jason Kim

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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