In this talk, Andy Lombard, Founder and Managing Partner of Tesoro Venture Capital, shares a candid look at what it truly takes to scale AI and semiconductor startups. Drawing on decades of experience as a serial founder, investor, and former Motorola executive, he explains why deep-tech companies face fundamentally different challenges than software startups—and how global supply chains, capital strategy, and cross-border partnerships, especially between Silicon Valley and T

In this episode of Silicon Valley Unplugged: Investing in Hard Tech, Nicolas Sauvage, President of TDK Ventures, joins host Jillian Sun for a candid conversation on what it really takes to build and fund deep-tech companies. From evaluating founders to scaling hardware, energy, AI, and climate technologies, this episode unpacks how breakthrough ideas move from the lab to real-world impact—and what separates promising demos from enduring companies.

As AI reshapes global industries, all roads lead to silicon — and TSMC stands at the center. Nvidia’s Jensen Huang credits the Taiwanese foundry for making modern AI possible, while Elon Musk eyes a bold move to build Tesla’s own fab. This deep-dive unpacks the chip bottleneck defining our technological era and why investing in hard tech has never mattered more. Join Investing in Hard Tech, Nov 18 at CreaTV San Jose.