ProtoPod

This episode of ProtoPod features Eric Turkington, Chief Product Officer at Rain Stella Technologies, joining us from Abu Dhabi to discuss how RST is transforming healthcare across the Middle East & Africa.
Eric shares how Rain Technology and Stella Technology merged to form a unified platform delivering voice-enabled AI, EMR solutions, health information exchange, and surgical workflow automation. We explore the challenges of innovating in clinical environments, what it really takes to scale AI for patient-facing impact, and how RST is deploying systems across 17 healthcare networks in five countries.
We also dive into Orva, RST’s voice-AI surgical assistant; Constellation (HIE); Equinox (EMR); and the company’s broader vision for interoperability, analytics, and AI-driven insights.
A must-listen for anyone working in digital health, product development, or regulated tech sectors.
Tune in now.

On this episode of The ProtoPod, we’re joined by Joe Cavazos — embedded electronics designer, spacecraft avionics architect, and founder of HoustonMicro. With nearly 40 years across NASA, Lockheed Martin, Honeywell, and more, Joe has helped build avionics and FPGA systems for the Orion spacecraft, ISS communications, and mission-critical test equipment.
Joe shares how he approaches complex hardware design, why testing is the hidden backbone of spacecraft reliability, and how small teams can deliver world-class engineering with the right tools — including his longtime use of Protocase and Protocase Designer for fast, precise prototyping.
Listen now to dive into a rare 40-year perspective on spacecraft systems, embedded electronics, and the engineering mindset behind products built to last.
 
 

In this episode of The Protopod, we sit down with David Hagan, founder and CEO of QuantAQ, the company transforming air quality monitoring with high-accuracy, Internet-connected instruments designed to be affordable, scalable, and reliable.
David shares how he launched QuantAQ straight out of his MIT PhD, why starting with scientific rigor sets his team apart, and how rapid iteration has fueled their growth from prototype to production—even through supply chain turmoil. We explore the future of air quality data, what’s still missing from today’s monitoring landscape, and how better, faster, real-time information could reshape everything from building operations to public health policy.
A must-listen for anyone interested in hardware startups, environmental technology, or building complex products at high velocity.

Today’s guest is Tom Mikolyuk, Mechanical Engineer and early team member at Chiplytics, a Seattle-based startup that’s making the world’s electronics safer by testing chips using a groundbreaking technology called Power Spectrum Analysis.
Tom joined Chiplytics as their very first intern — and went on to become their first full-time hire. Since then, he’s helped lead hardware development, product design, and system integration as the company’s grown from concept to funded startup.
We’ll talk about how Chiplytics is transforming electronics testing, what it’s like working at the intersection of hardware and software, and the lessons Tom’s learned helping build a company from the ground up.

In this episode, we’re joined by Jason Sicotte — Vice President of Global Product and Engineering for AMFT. Jason has spent more than three decades driving innovation in materials science, spring technologies, and product design across automotive, aerospace, and industrial sectors.
We’ll talk about how AMFT is engineering resilience into their supply chain, what ‘global yet local’ manufacturing looks like in practice, and how design thinking applies just as much to operations as it does to components.

Today on the ProtoPod, we’re excited to welcome two student leaders from UGA Rocketry — Brooklyn Schnupp and Parsa Novin. As part of the University of Georgia’s student rocketry team, Brooklyn and Parsa competed in the International Rocket Engineering Competition earlier this year, which is the world’s largest intercollegiate rocket event. They’ll be sharing what it’s like to lead a student rocketry team, the challenges and breakthroughs of building rockets from the ground up, and what excites them most about the future of aerospace.

On today's episode, we have Gladys Wong, co-founder of Domatic, a company reinventing how buildings are wired and smart systems deployed. Gladys leads the strategic vision, making smart buildings easier, safer, and more efficient. Also joining us is Josh Horne, Domatic’s technical and hardware lead, who takes the vision and makes it real in the field. Between them, they’ll unpack how Domatic combines low-voltage power and data on one cable, tackles real-world hardware constraints, and drives toward a future where every building is intelligent by default.

On this episode, we’re joined by Olivier Lamarre, a Ph.D. student at the University of Toronto’s STARS Laboratory, where he focuses on advancing planetary rover autonomy. Olivier has collaborated with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and co-founded the McGill Robotics Mars Rover Team, leading them to multiple podium finishes at international competitions. This month, he is joining our friends at NordSpace as a Systems Engineer.