Epsilon Theory Podcast The Intentional Investor #41: Pablos Holman
Nov 12, 2025
Pablo Holman, a visionary hacker and deep-tech investor, takes us on a thrilling journey from rural Alaska to innovations like a laser mosquito zapper. He argues why inventors outweigh pop culture icons, drawing parallels between skateboarding and groundbreaking inventions. Holman shares his experiences of live hacking performances and early web development in Alaska. He emphasizes the critical role of deep-tech in solving real-world problems and the importance of a hands-on, Alaskan can-do mindset that fuels persistent innovation.
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Episode notes
Run Invention Like A Portfolio
- Do treat invention like a shots-on-goal business by pursuing many ideas to find the few that pay.
- Scale invention efforts with teams, legal support, and diversified bets.
Wild Lab Projects, Limited Commercial Paths
- The lab built a mosquito-killing laser, TerraPower reactor work, hurricane suppression ideas, and steerable antennas.
- Many inventions proved technically viable but lacked economic or business pathways to scale.
Proved On-Demand Apparel, COVID Sank Scaling
- Pablo built an on-demand apparel business proving zero-inventory manufacturing for custom leggings.
- He scaled the idea toward broader on-demand manufacturing before COVID funding collapsed his plans.