From Combat Zones to Satellites: the Future of Earth Intelligence | Luke Fischer (Podcast #25)

Luke Fischer is the Co-Founder and CEO of SkyFi, an industry-leading Earth Observation marketplace company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Before co-founding SkyFi, Luke was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Shield Capital, focusing on investing in Space, Autonomy, AI, and Cyber. Prior to joining Shield Capital, he led Government Operations at Joby Aviation, and prior to Joby was Head of Flight Operations at Uber. Luke is also a highly decorated US Army Special Operations Aviation veteran with experience leading teams in demanding environments.

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(0:00) Intro

(1:13) About SkyFi and How It Works

(5:20) Luke’s Background - Army to Entre

(14:00) Austin4America

(20:05) Getting into Business

(23:11) Partnering with Bill Perkins and Fundraising

(26:32) VTOL Aircraft

(29:13) SkyFi Customer Base & Use Cases

(34:43) Roadmap for SkyFi

(38:05) The Value in Satellite Imaging

(40:55) The Drone Problem + Luke's Lived Experience

(46:10) DoD innovation Must be Faster

(49:45) Supporting the American Market & Industrial Base

(53:43) Autonomous Vehicles in the Military

(1:01:49) The Drone Dual Use Dilemma

(1:08:59) Display Ads are Underrated

(1:12:43) Bill Perkins Book + TVs and Movies

(1:18:26) Aliens

(1:19:35) Outro

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