30: Cutting off a Hand, Implant Technology, Building a Team, Finding Mentors, and the Startup Journey of Amal the CEO of VivoKey Technologies

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Implants, the concerns, the benefits, and why he has dedicated his life to building great implants. We also get into how to build a team, find mentors, get involved, and how to learn more about implants. Check the hyperlinked timestamped show notes on the website to see more about the topics we cover!

Linkedin Profile, VivoKey website, and his Ted talk.

About VivoKey:

“We believe the power of cryptography should be in everyone’s hands, literally. Using traditional security tokens means managing them, remembering to bring them everywhere you go, and worrying you might lose them or that they may be stolen. Mobile phones and SMS messages do work for cryptography and two-factor authentication, but cryptographic keys are often stored virtually unguarded on the phone and two-factor SMS messages can be intercepted or even re-routed by malicious attackers or hostile governments.” VivoKey website

About Amal:

“Amal Graafstra, founder of biohacking company Dangerous Things, recognized that identity and the issues surrounding establishing, managing, validating, and protecting identity are currently a huge mess. Your biological self and the collection of accounts, services, messages, transactions, and records which make up your digital identity exist as two identities, which are only loosely coupled by vulnerable account passwords and impractical or interceptable technologies. So, he launched Project UKI (/yoo key/) to change that, which eventually became VivoKey. You can be you (and nobody else can), anywhere, all the time. You + VivoKey means your biological and digital identities can be cryptographically merged, ensuring the one true you is the only you using your devices, sending your messages, reading your email, accessing your accounts, opening your doors, driving your vehicles, and spending your money.” VivoKey website

Hyperlinked Timestamped Show Notes (only clickable on this website):

1. [ 02:10 ] Why he chose implants as the thing he was going to work on and innovate, and how he started implanting for the first time.
2. [ 05:44 ] How much time and energy he is saving with implants, and how he thinks about implants as reducing the phone, keys, wallet juggle we do in our daily lives.
3. [ 07:00 ] How people’s concerns about implants stack up against reality.
4. [ 10:20 ] Medical information being stored on the chips, and his thoughts on establishing the right protocol and procedures.
5. [ 12:10 ] How expensive the tech is, and his thoughts on a paywall.
6. [ 15:30 ] His thoughts on finding compelling reasons and applications to get people to get excited about implants.
7. [ 18:00 ] How current token technology and security is similar to releasing cats to control rat populations, and then releasing dogs to control the cat population, and how Amal’s technology simplifies all of that.
8. [ 22:23 ] How your body reacts to having an implant, and how they have built their implants to be really safe.
9. [ 23:50 ] The talk about whether someone can steal, cut off your hand, and how safe the implants are. This is a great spot to listen to if you want to hear a back and forth on violent crime, implant safety, and ease of access.
10. [ 29:20 ] How I would consider it to be similar to pick-pocketing and we continue to discuss security concerns.
11. [ 33:54 ] If it’s possible to clone a chip and how secure his system is. Also, a fun story of how unsecured other systems are.
12. [ 36:30 ] We use Elon Musk and his rockets/dreams as an analogy to what he is working on in terms of safety and concern.
13. [ 39:55 ] His thoughts on him using any open source or other developers to build out the platform.
14. [ 42:25 ] The mutual benefit of developers working with VivoKey, and an example of a person trying to do so and how that would work.
15. [ 43:20 ] Who all is a part of his team and what they do.
16. [ 43:54 ] How he picked the team and how mentors helped out in the process, and how Rebelbio and SOSV helped him in the startup journey.
17. [ 46:30 ] Where he goes to find mentors, and specific advice on how to find them.
18. [ 48:22 ] How he thinks about equity as an incentive, and how he has used his personal equity to get people involved. Also, common mistakes he has noticed people make.
19. [ 53:10 ] Where he goes to learn about business stuff, and how Rebelbio and accelerator programs are huge catalysts for change.
20. [ 55:23 ] How he balances finding business relationships (i.e. mentors) and developing friendships.
21. [ 58:50 ] How local angel groups are great resources.
22. [ 1:00:00 ] Where he and VivoKey are going in the future, and the big things he is thinking about.
23. [ 1:05:00 ] The key places to follow along.
24. [ 1:06:00 ] Great primers to learn more.
25. [ 1:07:00 ] Advice for people who want to get involved and learn more about implants. Key places to check out.