Batteries, AI, and Perfect Timing, with Mitra Chem’s Will Chueh & Vivas Kumar

"The one thing that's almost impossible to change—or put another way, it's locked in on day one—is timing," says Stanford Professor Will Cheuh. "If you get the timing right, man, you are on a streak. But if you get the timing wrong, even with the same people, the same idea, nothing will happen." In this episode of the Stanford Ecopreneurship Podcast, join our host Sam McClure and Will Chueh, Director of the Precourt Institute for Energy at Stanford and Vivas Kumar, CEO of Mitra Chem, as they delve into the founding journey of Mitra Chem, discussing: How their immigrant backgrounds shaped their entrepreneurial drive, and why Stanford is uniquely situated to bring together capital & talent How AI can compress battery development from years to months, balancing academic research with startup execution And why government support is essential for anyone looking to build an industrial company at scale, in any country About Mitra Chem: Mitra Chem is innovating and commercializing iron-based cathode materials to enable mass-market electrification in transportation and energy storage. Its founding team also includes CTO Chirranjeevi Gopal, who completed a post-doc in Prof. Chueh’s group. CEO Vivas Kumar also regularly guest lectures in 10+ classes each year across Stanford’s engineering and business schools, helping bridge the gap between academia and industry for the next generation of innovators. Learn more: Mitra Chem Will Chueh Vivas Kumar Sam McClure Produced and edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm This podcast was developed and published by Stanford Ecopreneurship