The CTO Show with Mehmet Gonullu #472 Reinventing Cooling: Faizan Ahmed’s Solid-State Revolution
In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, we dive into the world of deep tech and hardware innovation with Faizan Ahmed, founder and CEO of Invensify. From solving his father’s insulin storage problem to building a patented solid-state cooling module, Faizan walks us through the journey of reinventing refrigeration and building a product-as-a-service business in a legacy-driven industry.
🎯 Key Takeaways
• What solid-state cooling really is—and why it matters
• The surprising size of the pharma cold chain logistics market
• Why hardware innovation must be 10x better to be taken seriously
• How a Product-as-a-Service model creates defensibility
• Fundraising for deep tech: what works and what doesn’t
• Real-world sustainability beats greenwashing
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📚 What You’ll Learn
• How to identify deep tech opportunities from personal problems
• The trade-offs of designing hardware with no moving parts
• Why solid-state cooling is more sustainable and scalable than compressors
• What it takes to commercialize deep tech in a SaaS-obsessed world
• How to overcome industry resistance to innovation
👤 About the Guest
Faizan Ahmed is a second-time hardware founder with a background in electrical engineering and solid-state physics. Before Invensify, he exited a startup that built camera lens rain deflectors, and earlier contributed to a defense tech company acquired by the U.S. Air Force. Today, he leads Invensify in building energy-efficient, compressor-free cooling systems for healthcare and beyond.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/faizan-ahmed-a720b411/
🕒 Episode Highlights & Timestamps
00:00 – Intro and guest welcome
01:30 – Faizan’s engineering background and past exits
03:55 – The insulin travel problem that sparked Invensify
05:30 – Cold chain logistics is a $6.2B market still using ice packs
06:45 – What is solid-state cooling? Tech foundations explained
10:00 – Efficiency, battery weight, and key trade-offs
12:30 – Designing lightweight, plug-and-play cooling systems
14:00 – Zero moving parts = low maintenance + high reliability
15:00 – Accidental sustainability: how climate impact became a bonus
17:00 – Key verticals: pharma, EV batteries, AI chips, data centers
21:00 – Product-as-a-Service: Why Faizan avoided hardware sales
24:30 – ESG regulations and sustainability tailwinds
28:00 – Manufacturing in Malaysia and global expansion plans
29:00 – Fundraising lessons from deep tech
31:00 – The importance of 10x differentiation in hardware
34:00 – Transferable skills from previous startups
36:00 – Will solid-state cooling replace traditional refrigeration?
39:00 – Faizan’s vision: Cooling fridges in off-grid areas
42:00 – Which is harder—tech innovation or mindset shift?
47:00 – Final advice to founders