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Aloe Blacc’s fame means nothing in biotech (and that’s the point) | Equity Podcast

When Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Aloe Blacc got COVID despite being vaccinated and boosted, he tried to fund research for a better solution and quickly ran into a hard truth about biotech: you can’t just write a check and move science forward. Regulatory requirements, commercialization plans, and university IP rules mean even well-intentioned philanthropy doesn’t easily translate…

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When Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Aloe Blacc got COVID despite being vaccinated and boosted, he tried to fund research for a better solution and quickly ran into a hard truth about biotech: you can’t just write a check and move science forward. Regulatory requirements, commercialization plans, and university IP rules mean even well-intentioned philanthropy doesn’t easily translate into clinical progress.

Now? Aloe is bootstrapping a cancer drug platform targeting pancreatic cancer and deliberately waiting to raise outside capital until peer-reviewed research can make the case for him.

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan sits down with Aloe Blacc to talk about what happens when a creator steps into biotech, how AI is reshaping both drug discovery and music, and who actually stands to win in each industry’s transformation.

Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:20 From musician to biotech founder

05:15 How COVID led to cancer research and PeptoID

08:00 Funding strategy and waiting for the right moment

11:00 AI’s role in drug discovery

15:20 AI is reshaping the music industry

18:40 Should artists get paid when AI trains on their work?

22:40 Using Suno to prototype music

26:55 Outro

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Science & Technology

I Let DaddyGPT Parent My Kids. Here’s What I Learned | Stephen Remedios | TED

As the world races toward digital perfection, tech humanist Stephen Remedios tried to optimize the messiest and most imperfect of all human work: parenting. He shares the story of DaddyGPT, a digital version of himself built to help raise his kids — until they began to prefer it over him. What unfolds is a personal…

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As the world races toward digital perfection, tech humanist Stephen Remedios tried to optimize the messiest and most imperfect of all human work: parenting. He shares the story of DaddyGPT, a digital version of himself built to help raise his kids — until they began to prefer it over him. What unfolds is a personal look at the limits of AI, and a reminder that what matters most isn’t getting it right every time but showing up with the authentic imperfection only humans have. (Recorded at TED@BCG on October 23, 2025)

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The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less) — plus originals, podcasts and exclusive content. Look for videos on Technology, Entertainment and Design as well as science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Visit for our entire library, transcripts, translations and personalized recommendations.

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#TED #TEDTalks #AI

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Science & Technology

The long road to driverless with Aurora’s Chris Urmson (Live at HumanX) | Equity Podcast

Self-driving has been “almost here” for over a decade. But somewhere between DARPA challenges and a handful of driverless trucks hauling freight between Dallas and Houston, Aurora co-founder and CEO Chris Urmson’s story changed. The self-driving truck company started commercial driverless operations last April and is now scaling from a handful of trucks to hundreds…

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Self-driving has been “almost here” for over a decade. But somewhere between DARPA challenges and a handful of driverless trucks hauling freight between Dallas and Houston, Aurora co-founder and CEO Chris Urmson’s story changed. The self-driving truck company started commercial driverless operations last April and is now scaling from a handful of trucks to hundreds this year.

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, we’re bringing you a conversation Rebecca Bellan had with Urmson at the HumanX conference in San Francisco. The pair dug into the long road from lab to highway and how physical AI differs from the LLM boom everyone else is chasing.

Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

00:49 Urmson’s self-driving journey from DARPA to Aurora

03:30 How macro headwinds and supply constraints are shaping Aurora’s roadmap

06:08 Why trucking beats robotaxis as a business

13:46 How Aurora’s path diverged from Waymo’s

18:09 What 24 years in physical AI teaches you about building a startup

19:33 Why safety hits different when there’s no human in the loop

23:38 Verifiable AI vs. end-to-end systems: why it matters for safety

27:11 Other autonomy companies worth watching

29:04 Real-world data vs. simulation: do you still need both?

30:03 Outro

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CNET

Google’s Got Glasses Coming: What We Expect From Google IO

A whole bunch of Google glasses are on their way this year. And guess what? We’re probably going to hear a lot more about them very soon. Let’s break down what we know and what we think is coming. You can find the products mentioned in this video linked below XREAL One Pro AR Glasses…

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A whole bunch of Google glasses are on their way this year. And guess what? We’re probably going to hear a lot more about them very soon. Let’s break down what we know and what we think is coming.

You can find the products mentioned in this video linked below
XREAL One Pro AR Glasses with X1 Chip
VITURE Luma Pro XR Glasses
Samsung Galaxy XR 256 GB | Silver Shadow
*Cnet may get commission on this offer.

Read more about it on CNET.com
Xreal Unveils Project Aura, New AI-Powered Android XR Glasses, at Google I/O
I Hated Smart Glasses, but Google’s Android XR Let Me See a New Future

0:00 Introduction to Google Smart Glasses
0:23 Google I/O 2026 Expectations
0:46 AI Capabilities & Smart Glasses Partnerships
1:48 Gemini AI Phone Integration & Demos
2:40 Project Aura and Mixed Reality
4:02 The Future: Phone Integration
5:01 Conclusion

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#smartglasses #xr #vr #ai #google #apple #samsung

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