Tom Wallace-Smith and Talmon Firestone are the founders of Astral Systems, a Bristol-based deep tech group developing and commercialising multi-state fusion reactor technology.
In this week’s Founder in Five Q&A, Wallace-Smith and Firestone discuss the importance of embracing difficult challenges, why believing in your mission is the best form of motivation and why fusion is a highly misunderstood technology.
What advice would you give to a first-time founder?
TWS: It may sound obvious but don’t shy away from the difficult challenges. We, as founders, have a unique opportunity to change the world, leaving it in a better place than when we found it. Therefore, find a mission where the stakes are high and determine a North Star that holds a long term game-changing vision.
How do you motivate your team?
TWS: We began Astral Systems with a mission of saving lives. It is a moral mission at the heart of what we do and it is what gets me out of bed in the morning (that and a cup of coffee).
The mission is our drive but it’s nothing without an amazing team behind it. We are made up of inquisitive, passionate and genuinely fun people. It’s that family atmosphere we have nurtured that keeps me there until it gets dark.
How do you prevent burnout?
TWS: Taking care of your mental health is critical. Being a founder is trying – even when you have a great co-founder like Talmon to bounce concepts, theories and problems off of. For me, I ensure I carve out personal time to meet my needs; everyone needs to take a break.
Excluding your sector, which nascent technology holds the most promise?
TF: The easy answer would be AI, but I sincerely believe that we are on the verge of a biotech renaissance. Particularly in relation to preventative medicine and biohacking longevity.
Focusing on both increasing the quality of health available to people later into life combined with extending the years we have will dramatically expand the growth of our civilisation! More quality time to live, enjoy, and contribute to our collective journey will reshape humanity for the better.
What is the most misunderstood technology?
TWS: Ahh that’s easy – fusion! Everyone thinks it’s this gigantic technology primarily concerned with future clean energy. But you’d be wrong. It can be micro too but that doesn’t lessen any of its power, like for example saving the lives of cancer patients.
The clock is ticking on nuclear isotope production as we face an imminent supply chain crisis and the UK has the opportunity to lead the global charge. We need new fusion reactors to make that happen – ones that can go in the basements of hospitals and cost a fraction of a nuclear power plant.
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