Scaling Hard Tech: Key Takeaways on AI and Aerospace-Defense from LA Times Studios Tech Day
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On Monday, Oct. 12, LA Times Studios hosted the inaugural Tech Day. Presented by Cambium, and the City of El Segundo, the event was an afternoon of panel discussions taking place during Los Angeles’ Tech Week,.
The event started with a panel “The New Industrial Revolution: How AI Is Changing What America Can Build” that focused on incorporating AI into digital and physical workflows. The panel included Jordan Black, chief executive and co-founder of Senra Systems; Timothy Gardner, chief informatics officer at Cambium; Dr. Ariyan Kabir, chief executive and co-founder of GrayMatter Robotics, Karan Talati, chief executive and co-founder of First Resonance; and Dr. Anita Sengupta, chief executive of Hydroplane Ltd., who also served as moderator.
The discussion focused on the ways that AI technology can be implemented into workflows from robotic factories to software workflows for defense and aerospace applications. Panelists also discussed the importance of training engineers to work with these new technological advancements.
The second panel entitled “The SoCal Aero-Defense Boom” focused on Southern California as a hub for aerospace and defense, featured Jennifer Krolikowski, chief operating officer of GetChkd; Todd Wiest, corporate lead executive in Los Angeles of Kratos Defense, Scott Ziegler, co-founder and chief technology officer of Space Kinetic; and moderated by Drew Boyles, El Segundo city council member and former mayor.
This conversation explored the region’s continued growth as a hub for aerospace and defense innovation as well as emerging technologies, with executives utilizing their backgrounds working with commercial and military clients
The last panel of the afternoon was a fireside chat between Stephan Herrera, co-founder, chief marketing officer & head of government affairs at Cambium and Ed Mehr, chief executive and co-founder of Machina, an advanced manufacturing company. The panel, entitled “From Prototype to Production: The Hard Part of Hard Tech” discussed the challenges with building a startup focused on hard technology.
A key point that was discussed focused on qualifications of parts and technologies. The cumbersome process can slow innovation and it’s hard for young engineers to turn ideas into reality. However, removing qualification barriers and providing tools that can turn ideas into reality faster will advance technologies at a much faster pace. Herrera also mentioned a group of UC Berkeley students who are working with the company on a project and explained the importance of working with students to bring a new generation into the workforce. Mehr explained that the newer generation is AI-native and encourages founders to empower the younger team members to help push forward technologies and solutions for robotics and manufacturing.
They also discussed the importance of hiring both graduates of science, technology and mathematics programs, but also focused on graduates from a wide variety of backgrounds who may have different approaches to problem solving. Mehr mentioned that he looks for people with a unique voice. While finance and tech jobs may have more appeal, the challenge is enabling this next generation to create and build in the physical world.
