Privahini Bradoo on turning Kiwi ingenuity into deeptech success, engineering with AI and identifying “force of nature” talent in NZ

The ‘Diaspora’ podcast features Blackbird entrepreneur in residence (EIR) and investor, David Booth, profiling the founders, innovators, and emerging leaders of the great Kiwi expat community.

In this episode, Booth sits down with Privahini Bradoo, the cofounder and CEO of Plank, a venture that helps companies build and scale AI-enabled engineering teams and train the next generation of computer scientists.

Born in India, Privahini immigrated to New Zealand during her school years. While pursuing a degree in Biomedical Science and a PhD in Neurogenetics and Drug Discovery at the University of Auckland, she led the establishment of the Spark business competition (now Velocity) and co-founded Chiasma, an organisation linking the biotech academic community with industry.

Drawn back off-shore in 2006, Privahini landed a Fulbright scholarship to pursue an MBA at Harvard Business School and then settled back in the San Francisco Bay Area, joining Lanzatech as one of the first commercial hires in the United States.

In 2011, Privahini cofounded BlueOak Resources to revolutionise how we treat and recycle end-of-life electronics, raising ~$50 million from Kleiner Perkins and others along the way.

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In today’s episode, they discuss:

• From brain science to business: Privahini’s unexpected career leap
• The early days of Auckland’s startup scene and Velocity business competition
• Lessons from LanzaTech and BlueOak, navigating the complexities of deep tech startups, systems thinking across the supply chain of inputs/outputs, recycling industrial waste
• The future of AI - engineering, revolutionising remote work, COVID as an accelerating force at Plank.
• Optimism in the face of global realities
• How to foster ‘force of nature’ talent in NZ