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

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes182Founded4 years ago
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Artwork for Valley of Depth

Latest Episodes

Stoke Space’s approach to full reuse is easiest to understand when you can actually see the hardware. During an exclusive post-Series E tour of the company’s 168,000-square-foot headquarters outside Seattle, CEO Andy Lapsa walks us through the evolut... more

Stoke Space was founded around a simple but radical belief: launch is not solved until rockets are fully and rapidly reusable. That thesis is now getting much bigger. Stoke has raised another $1 billion, bringing total capital raised to $2.3 billion,... more

YouTube

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

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Isaac Roberts
CSO, Skyways
Skyways
Episode: The Flying Supply Chain, with Isaac Roberts (CSO of Skyways)
Rhea Sedaris
Floor correspondent, director at Arkaea Media
Arkaea Media
Episode: LIVE: Space & Defense Update at the NYSE | July 24, 2026
Erik Kriessmann
Partner at Altimeter Capital
Altimeter Capital
Episode: LIVE: Space & Defense Update at the NYSE | July 24, 2026
Dan Wright
CEO of Armada
Armada
Episode: LIVE: Space & Defense Update at the NYSE | July 24, 2026
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)

Hosts

Jack Kerr
Co-host of Space & Defense Update
Mo Islam
Host of Space & Defense Update

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.

Great guests; industry insights are highly actionable for sponsors.
Covers high-stakes topics with depth and clarity.
Integrates policy, capital, and hardware perspectives effectively.
Thoughtful, tech-forward discussions with real-world impact.

Chart Rankings

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

Apple Podcasts
#81
Sweden/Business/Investing
Apple Podcasts
#159
Japan/Business/Investing
Apple Podcasts
#172
South Korea/Business/Investing
Apple Podcasts
#233
Sweden/Business

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.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
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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?

The show centers on deep-tech trends with a heavy emphasis on space, defense, and national security infrastructure. Across episodes, conversations rotate between founders, investors, government officials, and military leaders, exploring how complex technologies move from concept to scalable systems—from autonomous drones and hypersonic aircraft to space habitats, orbital data, and next-gen propulsion. Notable throughlines include the shaping of policy and regulation, the role of private capital in rapidly advancing hardware-heavy programs, and the practical realities of manufacturing at scale under government programs. The podcast often surfaces candid takes on timelines, risk, and the interplay between defense needs and commercial ecosyste... 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. TBPN
5. Dwarkesh Podcast

How many episodes of Valley of Depth are there?

Valley of Depth launched 4 years ago and published 182 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Valley of Depth?

Recent guests on Valley of Depth include:

1. Isaac Roberts
2. Rhea Sedaris
3. Erik Kriessmann
4. Dan Wright
5. Soren Monroe-Anderson
6. Bridgit Mendler
7. Howard Morgan
8. Shaun Maguire

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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