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.

From mind-bending virtual worlds to AI-driven spatial computing, four incredible startups, Geopogo, Mused, Zeality, and N.Link, lit up the stage with live demos and bold visions for the future of VR, AR, and XR. These founders are reshaping how we live, see, and interact with the world around us—proving that the line between human and machine is getting blurrier… and more exciting.