Merge Club Podcast

About Merge Club Podcast

Merge is a club for grant recipients — hackers, scientists, and creators of all kinds. mergeclub.substack.com (https://mergeclub.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Julian Weisser & Ari Dutilh

Category

business · technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

16 May 2024

Latest episode

10 Apr 2025

Latest episodes

14 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   10 Apr 2025

   Ep 14 | Kyrylo Kalashnikov: This Engineer Will Freeze Himself For Centuries

   Humanity has long accepted death as inevitable, but advances in cryogenics and biopreservation are challenging that idea. Once confined to science fiction, the prospect of preserving life—or even intelligence—is becoming a serious scientific pursuit. Few are actively pushing the boundaries of this field. Kyrylo is one of them. Listen to our conversation with Kyrylo, who is working on freezing himself for centuries. You can watch on YouTube (or Spotify/Apple) - Like and Subscribe so more people can discover Merge! Born in a Ukrainian mining city to a family of engineers, Kyrylo's journey started when his father made him learn to code—not because it was special, but because it was as fundamental as learning to read. After moving to Canada at 13, he turned that foundation into a series of ambitious projects: from leading robotics competitions to developing self-assembling micro-robots for satellite repair. Now, he's working on technology to preserve human tissue for centuries. Together, we explore his journey—from navigating a new country to tackling some of the biggest challenges in science. He shares powerful insights for young builders: why putting all your eggs in one basket sometimes pays off, how to turn being "the outsider" into your advantage, and why the best opportunities often come from asking "what would make me proud?" rather than "what's practical?" His story shows that early technical skills, combined with the courage to think bigger, can open doors you never knew existed. Enjoy the conversation. (00:00) - Engineering roots in Ukraine's coal country (10:23) - Finding your place in a new culture (21:44) - From coding fears to robotics wins (31:37) - Building micro-robots for space (37:36) - The power of dedicated thinking time (42:07) - How to discover your true interests (45:05) - Landing roles at ambitious companies (52:04) - The science of human preservation (1:03:18) - Breaking ground in cryonics technology Find Kyrylo on the internet: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyrylo27/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyrylo27/) Twitter: https://x.com/kyrylok95 (https://x.com/kyrylok95) Substack: https://substack.com/@kyrylok (https://substack.com/@kyrylok) Merge is a club for microgrant recipients working on big ideas. Meet new builder friends and make progress on your project: https://merge.club/ Are you looking to apply to grant and fellowship programs? Use our Grant Guide: https://merge.club/guide (https://merge.club/guide) Hosts: Julian Weisser: https://x.com/julianweisser (https://x.com/julianweisser) Ari Dutilh: https://x.com/aridutilh (https://x.com/aridutilh) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mergeclub.substack.com (https://mergeclub.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

2. 

   23 Jan 2025

   The 19-Year-Old Building Tree-Planting Robots to Combat Deforestation

   Young people are growing up in a world that is finally coming to terms with humanity’s disregard for the impact we have the climate. Record breaking temperatures, unprecedented wildfires, loss of biodiversity, the list goes on. Most understand the problem, few are actively working to solve it. Marta is one of those few. Listen to our conversation with Marta Bernardino - a 19-year-old trying to solve deforestation with tree-planting robots. You can watch on YouTube (or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/5WQQ5YvTnhDYUQcPc2TOsY)/Apple (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/merge-club-podcast/id1746801467)) - Like and Subscribe so more people can discover Merge! Marta’s story is evidence of how childhood curiosity can evolve into real-world impact. Growing up helping her father in his car mechanic workshop, she developed a passion for robotics at 9 years old. She simultaneously grew up witnessing the environmental changes in Portugal’s countryside — from deforestation to beach pollution — which inspired her to leverage her skills in robotics to solve these huge issues. Together, we discuss her journey developing Trovador, a six-legged robot designed to tackle Portugal’s reforestation challenges. She shares her experience building the first prototype for just $15, winning support from National Geographic, and preparing for their upcoming pilot program. This episode offers insight into how to be scrappy about getting your ideas into the world, finding your purpose and why that matters, and how builders around the world are attempting to solve some of the world’s largest challenges with the technologies they know best. Enjoy the conversation. (01:15) – Early beginnings in mechanics and robotics (02:27) – Finding purpose through her community (06:18) - Challenges with traditional education (12:36) - The importance of finding purpose (30:24) – Building a $15 prototype (34:55) - How the robot actually works (42:03) - Future plans for her startup, Trovador (45:33) - Building credibility and partnerships with municipalities Find Marta on the internet: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martabernardino/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/martabernardino/) Trovador: https://trovador.eu/ (https://trovador.eu/) Twitter: https://x.com/MartaBernardin (https://x.com/MartaBernardin) Merge is a club for microgrant recipients working on big ideas. Meet new builder friends and make progress on your project: https://merge.club (https://merge.club) Are you looking to apply to grant and fellowship programs? Use our Grant Guide: https://merge.club/guide (https://merge.club/guide) Hosts: Julian Weisser: https://x.com/julianweisser (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbEpxZUczTE5JT2REbzZwNU5iQTgwQVRvS2l0QXxBQ3Jtc0tsU2FGSlNyU3lUaWR4b212WlRQOFdZOEUtN0VBSjV0RUNsYVVtcUlFOU81QVhtUkd5a01zWFlydy1wZ1hqWmd2VFVveThKNUllSUdTcF83Q3FvLWNNNllOSzBfRDRNd1pFc281RlhNQTJpbW1ScEdqdw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fx.com%2Fjulianweisser&v=3hvugySLMEo) Ari Dutilh: https://x.com/aridutilh (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa0FqS3FPU3JMUmN4NGY4UVlxYWpBUzhrVmptUXxBQ3Jtc0tsaW9iX1lWbFhkbmh5YmRGb3h0TkVNcDJxalZuRHk1UnNrWmp0elpfT1lFWHdjN3QwSnpwWEhxUk1EcjRZT0doVE55MXRpNlpUbVpsRl9pNFhBNFB4TmNBNGVjYVZVbFNDM3J4R1lLd2R6R3RIYzRBcw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fx.com%2Faridutilh&v=3hvugySLMEo) Watch/Listen on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/5WQQ5YvTnhDYUQcPc2TOsY)/Apple (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/merge-club-podcast/id1746801467). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mergeclub.substack.com (https://mergeclub.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

3. 

   5 Dec 2024

   Ep. 12 Alex Mathew: 16-Year-Old Building an AI Plushie Transforming Teen Mental Health

   16-year-old Alex Mathew shares his innovative approach to transforming teen mental health with AI plushies and rethinking childhood development, unlocking ambition through personalized learning.

4. 

   21 Nov 2024

   Ep. 11 Theodore Grether-Murray: The Most Ambitious 16-Year-Old Innovator in Energy-Tech

   16-year-old innovator Theodore Grether-Murray shares his rapid momentum-building journey in energy-tech, offering priceless learnings on serendipity, non-dilutive capital, and community.

5. 

   24 Oct 2024

   Ep. 10 Tehseen Dahya: How "3rd door" thinking got him a meeting with the Co-Founder of LinkedIn

   Have you ever been flown out to meet the co-founder of a $25B company to pitch your project as a high school student? No? Me neither, but Tehseen has. Listen to our conversation with Tehseen Dahya - a teenager obsessed with finding 3rd door paths to awesome outcomes. You can watch on YouTube (or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/5WQQ5YvTnhDYUQcPc2TOsY)/Apple (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/merge-club-podcast/id1746801467)) - Like and Subscribe so more people can discover Merge! Tehseen’s story is unconventional: hustling his way to a paid-for flight to San Francisco, scoring a meeting with the LinkedIn Co-Founder, and landing an internship at BloXroute through some creative hustling as just a few examples. He shares core learnings from his experiences building ambitious projects at a top STEM accelerator for teens, The Knowledge Society (https://tks.world). Such as considering the incentives of the person you’re pitching to better align with their goals, and testing theories with prototypes (or manually) before investing time in building the technology. This episode offers a variety of gems for listeners, especially those starting out with smaller track records. In our conversation, we go over: (02:44) - What questions should you be asking? (08:31) - How do you decide what to work on? (11:16) - How Tehseen uses 3rd door hustling (17:56) - Key takeaways from TKS (19:46) - Flying to San Francisco for free (21:44) - First time experiencing SF (25:14) - How to prep for your first SF trip (35:10) - What about Toronto he’d like to export to SF Find Tehseen on the internet: Twitter: https://x.com/tehseen_0 (https://x.com/tehseen_0) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tehseen-dahya-jr/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tehseen-dahya-jr/) Merge is a club for microgrant recipients working on big ideas. Meet new builder friends and make progress on your project: https://merge.club (https://merge.club/) Are you looking to apply to grant and fellowship programs? Use our Grant Guide: https://merge.club/guide (https://merge.club/guide) Watch/Listen on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@mergedotclub/videos)/Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/5WQQ5YvTnhDYUQcPc2TOsY)/Apple (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/merge-club-podcast/id1746801467). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mergeclub.substack.com (https://mergeclub.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

6. 

   11 Oct 2024

   Ep. 9 Aaryan Harshith: Creating the "spreadsheet" of viruses that could change biotech forever

   Watch on YouTube - Like and Subscribe so more people can discover Merge! Today we’re diving into the awesome story of Aaryan Harshith. From using light waves to detect cancer in cells at 14 to creating the world’s largest database of Phages as a Stanford researcher, Aaryan’s story is a must-listen. He shares the largely untold story of Phages: the world’s most underrated organism — with applications ranging from cancer treatment to antibiotics, food seasoning and even alternatives to electric wire. We discuss how naivety can be an asset, how he uses writing as a forcing function for growth and learning, how to convince people to work with you as someone with no track record, and more. (03:41) Phages: the world’s most underrated organism (09:30) Naivety as an asset when starting out (11:07) Using writing as a forcing function for growth (16:56) Convincing people to work with you when you have no track record (19:31) Origin story of Phagebase (25:05) The future of Phages and how Phagebase plays a part (29:42) What’s next for Phagebase (31:56) 3 steps to get involved with phages/biotech Follow Aaryan on Twitter: https://x.com/AaryanHarshith (https://x.com/AaryanHarshith) Intro to phages/biology links: Kurzgesagt’s video on Bacteriophages: BBC’s 1hr history of Phagetherapy: Merge is a club for microgrant recipients working on big ideas. Meet new builder friends and make progress on your project: https://merge.club Are you looking to apply to grant and fellowship programs? Use our Grant Guide: https://merge.club/guide (https://merge.club/guide) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mergeclub.substack.com (https://mergeclub.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

7. 

   26 Sept 2024

   Ep. 8 Alex Hu: Raising the Floor and Removing the Ceilings of Education, From 14yo Education Non-Profit Founder to Building Mentava

   Alex started a nonprofit at 14 to teach English to students in rural China, scaling to 1,500 students across 20 schools while in high school. He dropped out of college to pursue a nutrition startup before pivoting to join one of the most exciting EdTech startups of the past few years, Mentava (https://www.mentava.com/). Now, at Mentava, he's working to revolutionize education by giving agency back to students and parents. (06:19) Non-profit at 14 years old (12:10) Scaling Education For All (34:15) Uncapping kids’ growth Mentava (https://www.mentava.com/) Follow Alex on Twitter: https://x.com/AlexHuHJY (https://x.com/AlexHuHJY) Merge is a club for microgrant recipients working on big ideas. Meet new builder friends and make progress on your project: https://merge.club Are you looking to apply to grant and fellowship programs? Use our Grant Guide: https://merge.club/guide (https://merge.club/guide) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mergeclub.substack.com (https://mergeclub.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

8. 

   16 Sept 2024

   Ep. 7 Ivoine Strachan: From no Electricity and Learning to Code on his Phone to Building a Haptic VR Suit in San Francisco

   Today we welcome Ivoine Strachan to the podcast. He has an incredible story - growing up in the Bahamas with limited access to electricity and internet, he became a chess champion so he could get access to computers and wifi. He learned how to build and fix electronics, how to code using only his phone, and then managed to fundraise for a solo trip to San Francisco at just 16 years old where he interned at Roblox. Now, he’s developing a Ready Player One-inspired VR suit. (01:29) From chess champion to coder (13:50) Sleeping at airport for first trip to SF (18:19) Shocking friends: Building a haptic VR suit Follow Ivoine on Twitter: https://x.com/ivoinetech (https://x.com/ivoinetech) Merge is a club for microgrant recipients working on big ideas. Meet new builder friends and make progress on your project: https://merge.club Are you looking to apply to grant and fellowship programs? Use our Grant Guide: https://merge.club/guide (https://merge.club/guide) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mergeclub.substack.com (https://mergeclub.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

9. 

   29 Aug 2024

   Ep. 6 Robert Tolan: Emergent Ventures Fellow on Housing and Cold Emails

   Today we welcome Robert Tolan to the podcast. He received a grant from Emergent Ventures to start a think tank on Irish housing policy. He was a founding fellow in the Polaris Fellowship and is now working on an LLM job matching system for the Irish tech industry. (02:55) Leveraging cold emails as an “outsider”(13:59) Housing Theory of Everything(25:01) The Polaris Fellowship and getting a grant from Emergent Ventures Follow Robert on Twitter: https://x.com/rob_tolan Merge is a club for microgrant recipients working on big ideas. Meet new builder friends and make progress on your project: https://merge.club Are you looking to apply to grant and fellowship programs? Use our Grant Guide: https://merge.club/guide This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mergeclub.substack.com (https://mergeclub.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

10. 

    25 Jul 2024

    Ep. 5 Brad Cox

    Today, we’re welcoming Merger Brad Cox to the podcast. Brad shares his journey from student to entrepreneur, telling us how his frustration with exam preparation in Australia led him to create Exam Insights (https://exam-insights.com/). He discusses lessons learned from a failed initial idea, insight into the Australian tech scene, his experience with non-dilutive funding, and his vision for the future of his EdTech startup. Enjoy the conversation. Find Brad online: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradley-cox-/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradley-cox-/) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mergeclub.substack.com (https://mergeclub.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

11. 

    6 Jun 2024

    Ep. 4 Sasha Przybylski

    Today, we’re welcoming Merger Sasha Przybylski to the podcast. Sasha tells us about what it was like getting her start at The Knowledge Society, how a book on sports science kicked off her obsession with material science and chemistry, and what she learned after spending 5 months building an extended kalman filter to estimate battery state of charge from the ground up. Enjoy the conversation. Find Sasha online: https://x.com/sashaprzybylski (https://x.com/sashaprzybylski) https://www.linkedin.com/in/sasha-przybylski-72935322a/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sasha-przybylski-72935322a/) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mergeclub.substack.com (https://mergeclub.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

12. 

    30 May 2024

    Ep. 3 Kai Goodall

    Today, we’re welcoming Merger Kai Goodall to the podcast. Kai got his start at The Knowledge Society, a STEM accelerator program for teens. There, he discovered his love for propulsion tech and rocket science. At just 16 years old, he landed a job designing satellites at Telesat, the largest satellite company in Canada. Kai tells us about his approach to learning, cold emailing experts on LinkedIn, and the impact a grant from 1517 Fund had on his most recent project. Enjoy. Find Kai online: https://x.com/mcmgoodall https://www.linkedin.com/in/kai-goodall-607bbb205/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mergeclub.substack.com (https://mergeclub.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

13. 

    23 May 2024

    Ep. 2 Andrew Nijmeh

    Today, we’re welcoming Andrew Nijmeh to the podcast. Andrew got his start coding at a startup when he was just 12 years old and recently received a grant from Tyler Cowen at Emergent Ventures to build his first company, focused on solving traffic using AI and reinforcement learning. A quick note: the audio on this recording leaves something to be desired, but I assure you the conversation does not. On the show today, Andrew tells us about how he made his first dollar online, what he learned working with people far older than himself, and his experience building his startup. Enjoy. Find Andrew online: https://nijmeh.world https://twitter.com/nijmehvm https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewnijmeh/?originalSubdomain=ca Join Merge today at https://merge.club This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mergeclub.substack.com (https://mergeclub.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

14. 

    16 May 2024

    Ep. 1 Sohi Patel

    Today we’re welcoming Merger, Sohi Patel to the podcast. Sohi got her start at school science fairs where she discovered her love of chemistry, material sciences, and engineering. She and her co-founder recently received a grant from Tyler Cowen at Emergent Ventures to build their new company, Organ, focused on recording hyper-personalized health context, at the molecular level. On the show today, Sohi tells us about how she found her first mentors, her experience selling her startup to a US Defense company in her senior year of high school, how she thinks about non-dilutive funding, and her experience building her new startup. Find Sohi online: https://sohipatel.com https://twitter.com/sohi_patel https://www.linkedin.com/in/sohipatel This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mergeclub.substack.com (https://mergeclub.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 43 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

62

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

60

Contact Merge Club Podcast

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.