💼 Are you a strategic investor exploring dual-use tech in space, defence or advanced comms? Let’s connect. Book a 1:1 here: 🔗 https://calendly.com/podcast-psion/30min

The world is transparent to light, but opaque to heat. We have eyes in space that can identify a factory or a tank, but we are often blind to whether that factory is running or if that tank is real.

For the promise of a true "digital twin" of Earth to be realized, we must move beyond visual features and geometry to capture the missing link: the "activity layer". The company that can accurately monitor the planet’s temperature holds the key to unlocking water security, industrial productivity, and the next generation of unhideable defence intelligence.

In this episode of Tech Command Investing, host Alain Gavin is joined by Dr. Max Gulde, co-founder and CEO of constellr. constellr is building a global network of thermal infrared satellites designed to measure the Earth's surface temperature with unprecedented precision. This isn't just about hot and cold; it is about translating thermal physics into actionable economic and defence intelligence.

This conversation unpacks the new operational realities of thermal-from-orbit. We explore why temperature is the "master variable" for resilience—from detecting water stress in crops before they turn brown, to monitoring industrial output in real-time. For strategic investors, we dive into the unit economics of the "Spotify model" for space data, breaking the old paradigm of buying entire "albums" of imagery to access a single insight.

We discuss the critical dual-use applications for defense, where thermal imagery pierces through camouflage that fools visual sensors—distinguishing between a cold inflatable decoy and a warm, running engine. From ensuring sovereign food security in Saudi Arabia to mapping the potential $1 trillion economic loss caused by urban heat islands, this episode reveals the invisible engine of the global economy.

This episode features a deep dive into the constellr platform, showing how they track patterns of life, detect underground infrastructure changes, and optimise urban cooling strategies in real-time.

Figures: Figures: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/0jwehssiregg2mrza8uh7/AAglpUglb43k1GFpsf-P8yk?rlkey=3mzmadpqt9py9s5n695or6448&st=10yp6441&dl=0

The next internet revolution is being built in space, but its greatest vulnerability is right here on Earth: the air we breathe. For the multi-trillion-dollar promise of laser-based satellite internet to work, operators must first solve the problem of clouds and atmospheric turbulence. The company that can reliably forecast the sky holds the key to unlocking global, high-capacity connectivity.

In this episode of Tech Command Investing, host Alain Gavin is joined by Jean-Edouard Communal, co-founder and CEO of Miratlas. Miratlas is building the invisible foundation for optical communications; without their atmospheric data and forecasts, laser satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) simply cannot connect reliably to the ground.

This conversation unpacks the new operational realities of optical-to-orbit comms. We explore why the ground, not the satellite, is the real bottleneck and how Miratlas's network of "Sky Monitors" provides the data-as-a-service needed to make it work. This isn't just about weather; it's about translating atmospheric physics into actionable link budgets and operational revenue.

For strategic investors, we dive into why optical connectivity is inevitable, moving satellite comms from a niche RF market to a core part of the multi-trillion-dollar global telecom industry. We discuss the "chicken-and-egg" problem of ground infrastructure, what a realistic Phase 1 network looks like, and the critical dual-use applications for defense, from stealthy, unjammable comms to ensuring sovereign control of data.

This episode features a live demo of the Miratlas platform, showing how they map global cloud cover and turbulence to find the optimal locations for ground stations, balancing atmospheric conditions with existing fiber infrastructure.

📊 Watch the live platform demo from this episode in our show notes.

📚 Additional resources and books mentioned in this episode:

How the World Really Works by Vaclav Smil

Figures: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/2uq3717e1u5j1t9gtcmye/AAQxE1akNlk0NZlbNEPj6Fs?rlkey=i03ncqwcyyr89dknvm5jg7f83&st=j8qt8250&dl=0

💼 Are you a strategic investor exploring dual-use tech in space, defence or advanced comms? Let’s connect. Book a 1:1 here: 🔗 https://calendly.com/podcast-psion/30min

The new frontline of warfare isn’t on the ground—it’s in the narrative. In a world saturated with information, the most potent weapon is the ability to shape perception, poison data, and undermine reality itself. From election interference to military strategy, the fight against coordinated disinformation is becoming one of the most critical security challenges of our time.In this episode of Tech Command Investing, host Alain Gavin is joined by Ksenia Iliuk founder and CEO of Let's Data, a pioneering startup at the intersection of AI and national security.

Drawing from her personal experience on the frontlines of Russia’s decades-long information war in Ukraine, Ksenia reveals why the West is still struggling to grasp the nature of the threat.Ksenia argues that we must stop treating disinformation as a content problem about "fake news" and recognize it for what it is: a security and defense operation. This isn't about freedom of speech; it's about identifying the crime.

This conversation unpacks the new operational realities of this unseen war, from detecting military intent before kinetic operations begin to the emerging threat of AI model poisoning. We explore how hostile actors are weaponizing large language models and how Let's Data uncovered a sophisticated malware campaign impersonating OpenAI—a blind spot for even the most advanced tech companies.For strategic investors, we dive into the emerging market of disinformation security, what product-market fit looks like, and the distinct needs of commercial versus defense clients. With case studies on everything from the Romanian presidential election to the battlefields of Ukraine, this episode provides a playbook for understanding and countering the forces that seek to control our digital reality.

📊 Explore key figures and case studies from this episode:https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/cikylor3zx9moccrojv4n/AAaKR84562irfejPxuzrhOk?rlkey=3gk0lwpczttc97of862evcoo4&st=6w99hvpz&dl=0

📚 Additional resources and books mentioned in this episode:Active Measures:

The Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare by Thomas Rid

This is Not Propaganda by Peter Pomerantsev

Cyber War by Richard A. Clarke

Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari

💼 Are you a strategic investor exploring dual-use tech in space, defence or advanced comms? Let’s connect. Book a 1:1 here: 🔗 https://calendly.com/podcast-psion/30min🎧

Tune in to understand why disinformation security is the new, essential sovereign capability for the 21st century.