Basis Points

Reversing Parkinson’s, diabetes, blindness. Meet Ali Afshar, CEO of Mytos

What if the biggest barrier to life-changing medicine wasn’t science, but the cost of making it? Harriet speaks with Ali Afshar, the co-founder and CEO of Mytos, a biotech company automating the manufacturing of human tissue to make regenerative medicine affordable and accessible at scale. Ali believes that within 50 years, every tissue in the body will be replaceable, and that the way there is through engineering, rather than traditional drug discovery. They get into: * Why tissue replacement works where drugs fail, and what a 90% fail rate says about the pharmaceutical industry * The conditions Mytos is targeting first, from Parkinson’s and diabetes to macular degeneration * Why the UK was the right place to launch, and the role sovereign nations play in funding biotech infrastructure * Tech as a deflationary force, and Ali’s first principles belief that better healthcare should cost less * And why keeping hardware, software and biology in one vertically integrated team is non-negotiable. Subscribe for more conversations with founders, builders, and operators shaping the future of technology, capital, and global systems. Check out Mytos: https://www.mytos.bio/ [https://www.mytos.bio/]  https://www.linkedin.com/company/mytosbio/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/mytosbio/]  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-afshar-0246002b/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-afshar-0246002b/]  More on Basis: https://www.buildbasis.com/ [https://www.buildbasis.com/]  https://www.youtube.com/@BasisCapital [https://www.youtube.com/@BasisCapital]  https://www.linkedin.com/company/basiscapitalltd/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/basiscapitalltd/]  https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrietsgreen [https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrietsgreen/]

How to decentralise the real world. Meet Unruly Capital.

What happens when the systems we rely on – states, money, infrastructure – start to fall out of sync with the world around them? Harriet speaks with Stefano Bernardi and Francesco Moiraghi of Unruly Capital, a venture capital firm focused on backing ideas that feel early, unconventional, and often uncomfortable. Their work centres on a simple thesis: many of the institutions built over the past 70 years are no longer sufficient for what comes next, and new builders and systems are emerging to fill that gap. They get into: * Portable sovereignty and the ability to move wealth across borders * The migration of power from states to technology systems * The urgency of the AI compute and energy race and what it means for Europe * A new generation of founders building from conviction * Bitcoin and programmable money Subscribe for more interviews with founders, builders, and operators shaping the future of technology, capital, and global systems. Check out Unruly Capital: https://unrulycap.com/ [https://unrulycap.com/] https://www.linkedin.com/company/unruly-capital/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/unruly-capital/]  https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanobernardi/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanobernardi/] https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesco-moiraghi/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesco-moiraghi/] More on Basis: https://www.buildbasis.com/ [https://www.buildbasis.com/]  https://www.youtube.com/@BasisCapital [https://www.youtube.com/@BasisCapital]  https://www.linkedin.com/company/basiscapitalltd/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/basiscapitalltd/]  https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrietsgreen [https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrietsgreen/]

How to change the energy market forever. Meet Rivan’s CEO, Harvey Hodd.

Harriet sits down with Harvey Hodd, who is working on a 20-year plan to build and scale synthetic fuels – changing how humans generate energy forever.  Rivan is developing a new way to produce synthetic natural gas using sunlight, water, and captured CO2 – with the aim of decarbonising industries that cannot easily be electrified. Harvey explains how Rivan’s fully vertically integrated model, in-house manufacturing, and low-cost solar strategy could transform the economics of synthetic fuels, direct air capture, and industrial decarbonisation. They discuss:  * Why cheap solar changes everything for industrial energy * The benefits of vertical integration in climate tech and hard tech * Building advanced manufacturing in London and scaling UK industry * Hiring, apprenticeships, curiosity, and how Rivan evaluates talent * Capitalism, innovation, energy abundance, and the future of climate solutions * Rivan’s £25M Series A and plans to build the largest synthetic natural gas plant in Europe #Rivan #HarveyHodd #ClimateTech #CleanEnergy #UKStartups #FounderInterview Check out Rivan: https://rivan.com/ [https://rivan.com/] https://www.linkedin.com/company/rivanindustries/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/rivanindustries/] https://www.linkedin.com/in/harveyhodd/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/harveyhodd/]  More on Basis: https://www.buildbasis.com/ [https://www.buildbasis.com/]  https://www.youtube.com/@BasisCapital [https://www.youtube.com/@BasisCapital]  https://www.linkedin.com/company/basiscapitalltd/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/basiscapitalltd/]  https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrietsgreen [https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrietsgreen/] Subscribe for more conversations on rebuilding institutions, incentives and public services.

Building the first reusable rocket. Meet Astron Systems’ CEO, Eddie Brown.

What will it take to bring orbital launch back to the UK? In this interview, Harriet sits down with Eddie Brown, co-founder and CEO of Astron Systems, to discuss the future of the British space industry, fully reusable rockets, small satellite launch, defense applications, climate monitoring, and why the UK could become a major player in orbital launch again. Astron Systems is building the first 100% reusable small launch vehicle in its class, designed to deliver small payloads to orbit – and back again – more affordably, flexibly, and sustainably than current launch systems. Eddie explains how reusable rockets work, why full reusability matters, how Astron emerged from Imperial College London, and what it takes to turn advanced rocket engineering into a commercially viable space company. This is a deep dive into one of the most ambitious aerospace companies being built in Britain today. Topics covered: * Astron Systems and its reusable rocket vision * UK launch capability and SaxaVord Spaceport * Defense, responsive launch, and space as critical infrastructure * Climate monitoring, Earth observation, and sustainability in space * Why the UK still can build big things If you enjoyed this conversation, subscribe for more interviews with founders, builders, and operators shaping the future of technology, industry, and innovation. Check out Astron Systems: https://astronsystems.com/ [https://astronsystems.com/] https://www.linkedin.com/company/astron-systems/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/astron-systems/] https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddie-brown-943417194/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddie-brown-943417194/]  More on Basis: https://www.buildbasis.com/ [https://www.buildbasis.com/]  https://www.youtube.com/@BasisCapital [https://www.youtube.com/@BasisCapital]  https://www.linkedin.com/company/basiscapitalltd/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/basiscapitalltd/]  https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrietsgreen [https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrietsgreen/] #Space #UKSpace #AstronSystems #ReusableRockets #RocketEngineering #SpaceStartup #SmallSat #DefenseTech #Aerospace #SpaceIndustry

How etn. is building the Bloomberg for European tech. Meet Ronan Chambers.

Europe’s old tech media is collapsing, just when European tech is booming. Someone needs to tell the story. Harriet sits down with Ronan Chambers, co-founder of the European Technology Network (etn.), a twice-weekly live broadcast that covers the founders, investors and companies driving growth in Europe.The goal is to be the voice of European technology and its future founders. They talk about why legacy media models are breaking, how new creator-led media is reshaping the industry, and why founders and companies increasingly need to become storytellers themselves. Ronan shares insights from building etn., the rise of live tech shows and why Europe needs to shout about its tech winners more loudly. They get into: * Why legacy media is struggling in the age of AI and real-time news * The rise of founder-led media and live tech broadcasts * Why etn. built a live show instead of another podcast * The growth hacks behind modern tech media * Why Europe has a “marketing problem” in tech * The future of journalism, PR and content in the AI era If you think European tech deserves better media, this is the conversation. Watch etn.: https://www.etnshow.co/ [https://www.etnshow.co/] https://x.com/etnshow [https://x.com/etnshow]  https://x.com/ronanchamberss [https://x.com/ronanchamberss]  More on Basis: https://www.buildbasis.com/ [https://www.buildbasis.com/]  https://www.youtube.com/@BasisCapital [https://www.youtube.com/@BasisCapital]  https://www.linkedin.com/company/basiscapitalltd/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/basiscapitalltd/]  https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrietsgreen [https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrietsgreen/]