Building Companies for the Physical World

​Building a company around robotics, mobility, energy, advanced infrastructure, or other physical-world technology comes with challenges that software startups do not always face. How do founders validate demand, attract capital, prepare for manufacturing, and prove their technology works beyond the lab? Hear from leaders who help technical founders launch, fund, test, and scale ambitious companies. Whether you’re building, investing, or simply curious about how complex technologies reach the market, this conversation offers an inside look at what it takes to turn technical innovation into a successful business.

​Panelists:

• ​Emily Heintz — Curiosity Lab
  Curiosity Lab is a living laboratory for place-based deployment - where connected mobility, infrastructure, logistics, and other emerging technologies are built, tested, and brought to life in an active city.

• ​Emily Dinu — Founding Partner, Numinous Capital
  Numinous Capital is an early-stage venture firm investing in the critical infrastructure of the deep tech economy, with a focus on energy, materials, photonics, commercialization readiness, and scalable unit economics.

• ​Rahul Saxena — Executive Director, Create-X
  CREATE-X is Georgia Tech’s entrepreneurship initiative, helping students and technical founders build confidence, validate ideas, launch companies, secure customers, and turn university innovation into scalable businesses.