Join us for an inspiring conversation with Adam Tank, co-founder and CCO of Transcend, a Series B infrastructure technology company revolutionizing how critical infrastructure is designed. From his unexpected journey starting as a microbiology student who won pitch competitions without business knowledge, to working at General Electric and founding a robotics startup that was successfully acquired, Adam shares invaluable insights on building mission-driven companies that create measurable social impact. With Transcend's software already affecting over 400 million people globally, Adam discusses the art of "collecting dots before connecting them," the reality of scaling from founder mode to operational excellence, and why infrastructure innovation represents one of the greatest opportunities of our generation.

Chapters

[00:00:00] Guest Introduction & Serendipitous Connection Story 
[00:04:04] Early Life: From Microscopes to Medical School Dreams 
[00:05:04] First Entrepreneurial Win: The Papa John's Pizza Competition 
[00:08:03] MBA & Second Competition Victory: Airbnb for Business Travelers 
[00:11:44] Collecting Dots Before Connecting Dots 
[00:17:31] Mexico Volunteering & Life Perspective 
[00:21:44] GE Water: Entering the Water Industry 
[00:26:00] The Digital Water Revolution & 30% Water Loss Crisis 
[00:29:00] From GE Ventures to Founding Industrial Optic (Robotics) 
[00:31:30] Suez Experience & Corporate vs Startup Reality 
[00:36:00] Building Transcend: Mission-Driven Infrastructure Innovation 
[00:41:00] Scaling Challenges: Series A to Series B Transition 
[00:46:00] Infrastructure as Opportunity: The Unsexy Gold Mine 
[00:49:40] Corporate Innovation vs Startup Execution 
[00:52:00] War Wounds: California Tax Story & Resilience 
[00:54:00] Vision for the Future: Designing Cities from Scratch 
[00:56:00] Personal Life: Foster Parenting & Work-Life Integration 
[00:58:00] Final Reflections & How to Connect

Key Takeaways

1. Collect dots before connecting them: Diverse experiences that seem unrelated often converge to create unique entrepreneurial capabilities. Actively seek experiences outside your comfort zone.
2. Mission drives resilience: Having a clear purpose and measurable impact (Transcend tracks helping 400M+ people) provides stability during the inevitable volatility of entrepreneurship.
3. Scale requires different skills: The transition from "just get shit done" founder mode to building systems and processes is necessary but challenging. Know when to ask "Who can do this?" instead of "How do I do this?"
4. Infrastructure presents massive opportunity: With U.S. water infrastructure rated D and 30% of treated water lost, there's tremendous potential for innovation in "unsexy" but critical sectors.
5. Bridge corporate and startup worlds: Both environments have misconceptions about each other. Success comes from recognizing complementary capabilities and building mutual respect.

Notable Quotes

[00:00:14] Adam Tank: "You have to collect the dots before you can connect the dots. You have to have all of these experiences and only in hindsight can you actually connect them and make sense."

[00:18:00] Adam Tank: "Happiness and fulfillment have very little to do with your job title or how much money you make. Really, the things that are most important are your health, the health of your friends and family, that you have people that love you."

[00:36:00] Adam Tank: "My mindset is just get shit done. You might piss some people off along the way... but you just need to get it done. And that's not our company anymore."

[00:39:00] Adam Tank: "Every time someone runs a design using our software, we know that there is a percentage likelihood that someone in the world is going to get access to clean water or renewable power because of it."

[00:52:00] Adam Tank: "The things that you think you need to worry about inevitably never come to fruition, and the stuff that you're not worried about does."

Organizations & Resources Mentioned

• Transcend Software: Infrastructure design platform (https://transcendinfra.com)
• General Electric (GE): Water division, GE Ventures, ECLP rotational program
• General Mills: Quality engineering and food safety
• Suez: French water and infrastructure company - https://www.suez.com/en/north-america
• Industrial Optic: Adam's robotics startup (acquired by Mueller Water Technologies)
• Kansas State University: Bachelor's in Microbiology
• University of Arizona: MBA in Marketing & Entrepreneurship
• Book: "Who Not How" by Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy - https://whonothow.com/
• David Perel: Writing expert referenced for "collect the dots" concept - https://x.com/david_perell/status/1765416669948637399
• American Society of Civil Engineers: Infrastructure Report Card - https://infrastructurereportcard.org/
• Ralph Exton: Adam's mentor at GE Water - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralpherikexton/

🔗 Connect with Adam Tank

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamtank/
• Website: https://adamtank.com
• Company: https://transcendinfra.com

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▪️ Suggest Guest

• (00:00) - Guest Introduction & Serendipitous Connection Story
• (04:04) - Early Life: From Microscopes to Medical School Dreams
• (05:04) - First Entrepreneurial Win: The Papa John's Pizza Competition
• (08:03) - MBA & Second Competition Victory: Airbnb for Business Travelers
• (11:44) - Collecting Dots Before Connecting Dots
• (17:31) - Mexico Volunteering & Life Perspective
• (21:44) - GE Water: Entering the Water Industry
• (26:00) - The Digital Water Revolution & 30% Water Loss Crisis
• (29:00) - From GE Ventures to Founding Industrial Optic (Robotics)
• (31:30) - Suez Experience & Corporate vs Startup Reality
• (36:00) - Building Transcend: Mission-Driven Infrastructure Innovation
• (41:00) - Scaling Challenges: Series A to Series B Transition
• (46:00) - Infra...