EIRLive

ICYMI: Ramya Swaminathan on spinning out of Google X, raising $120M+ for hard tech, and why every pivot comes too late. One of our most packed episodes yet. Full conversation → Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/eir… Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/2TBj8ZLbH… Others: podcast.eir.live

"By being there, by observing, you are yourself a participant. You are changing the nature of the interaction." Ramya Swaminathan on how anthropology shaped her infrastructure leadership. Participant observation applies everywhere. @LiveEIR

"There are many more good technologies than get commercialized. Some of the reasons are heartbreaking." Ramya Swaminathan on why great tech fails. Hint: it's rarely the technology. @LiveEIR → podcast.eir.live

"Balance of plant is more than 50% of the cost. People are experts in the widget, not what it plugs into." This blind spot kills hard tech companies. @LiveEIR co-host @IlyaTabakh on the hidden costs founders miss. Full ep with Ramya Swaminathan → podcast.eir.live

"I've never been educated for anything I've done professionally. I say that as a statement of hope for everybody." Anthropology → Investment banking → Hydropower CEO → Google X spinout → Board member Ramya Swaminathan on why credentials matter less than learning. @LiveEIR

"For the first time in decades, we have load growth. That's placing a twin crisis of reliability and affordability." Ramya Swaminathan on why the grid urgency creates opportunity for innovation. Full episode → podcast.eir.live @LiveEIR @engineventures

NEW EPISODE "There is no pivot I've made that I shouldn't have made sooner." Ramya Swaminathan spun Malta out of Google X and learned the hard way why founders resist change. Her Gollum analogy is unforgettable. Full episode → podcast.eir.live @LiveEIR @engineventures

ICYMI: Our last episode of 2025 with @Vic_Muchiri Kenya → Construction → Fintech → VC → one of the only EIRs in construction → @BuildVisionTech 🎧 Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/eir… 🎧 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/2TBj8ZLbH… Leave us a review if you enjoy @LiveEIR!

"EIR roles, you really can't apply for them... they are really created." @Vic_Muchiri wrote a memo proposing his own EIR position at Barton Malow. That experience now fuels his work at @BuildVisiontech. @LiveEIR Episode 15: podcast.eir.live

"It's a bit of a Rorschach test... you see a bunny and I see a duck." Same data. Different conclusions. @Vic_Muchiri on why the best EIRs are translators, not advocates. He now brings this skill to @Buildvisiontech @LiveEIR Episode 15: podcast.eir.live

"I am not going to be that superintendent... that just did not come natural to me." @Vic_Muchiri 's career took off when he stopped forcing a bad fit. Honest self-assessment is underrated. @LiveEIR Episode 15: podcast.eir.live

"I can't create a new ASML. That's just too hard." @Vic_Muchiri isn't chasing moonshots. He's building where he can actually win. That's not small thinking. That's strategic thinking. Full episode with @LiveEIR: podcast.eir.live

Tomorrow on @LiveEIR: @Vic_Muchiri went from Kenya to construction sites to fintech to venture capital to becoming one of the rarest EIRs in the industry. His path? Completely unconventional. New episode drops 8 AM CT.

ICYMI: Episode 14 is live. Peter Winton on 50+ years of manufacturing experience, becoming an "accidental" EIR, and why universities need to rethink commercialization. @LiveEIR → podcast.eir.live

95% of startups fail. So why are universities afraid of matching the existing track record? Peter Winton on why fear of failure kills innovation. @LiveEIR Episode 14 → podcast.eir.live

After 2 years as an EIR, Peter Winton thought he'd accomplished "not a lot." Year 3 changed everything. Why EIR terms need to be longer than most programs allow. @LiveEIR Episode 14 → podcast.eir.live

At Rolls-Royce, the competitor was GE. At universities, it's the professor next door. Peter Winton on the insight that changed his EIR approach. @LiveEIR Episode 14 → podcast.eir.live

"The most powerful three words in the English language: I don't know." Peter Winton on why intellectual honesty matters more than having all the answers. @LiveEIR Episode 14 → podcast.eir.live

"The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth." Peter Winton chose breadth over height. That decision shaped everything about his EIR approach. @LiveEIR Episode 14 → podcast.eir.live

NEW EPISODE: Peter Winton spent 50+ years in manufacturing before becoming an "accidental" EIR. Watch him transform dense academic language into a pitch anyone gets. Full episode with @LiveEIR → podcast.eir.live