In this electrifying episode (#15) of Two Tokens Short, Robert De La Rosa and Mitchell Newberger sit down with Aaron Davis, co-founder of Fast Pinball, to explore how creativity, engineering, and nostalgia collide in the world of modern pinball. From designing commercial-grade control systems for homebrew builders to rekindling childhood wonder with cutting-edge hardware, Aaron shares the story of how he turned a side passion into a global platform for makers and manufacturers.
The trio dives deep into the intersection of tactile play and intelligent technology — discussing the rise of the homebrew movement, how AI and CNC tools are transforming design workflows, and why analog machines still hold a timeless place in our digital age. Expect laughs, philosophy, and a few wild ideas involving Dark Knight, circuit boards, and pinball machines that just might fight back.
In episode 14 of Two Tokens Short, hosts Robert De La Rosa and Mitchell Newberger sit down with Shintaro Okamoto, founder of Okamoto Studio, a New York–based collective redefining the art of ice.
Shintaro shares his journey from growing up in Alaska to building one of the most respected ice studios in the world — where craftsmanship, design, and engineering meet ephemerality. The conversation explores:
The science and art behind crystal-clear ice and large-scale sculptures
How technology, CNC machines, and AI are transforming artistic workflows
The creative tension between analog craft and digital ideation
The logistics, problem-solving, and beauty of working with a material that’s destined to melt
They discuss how AI tools can accelerate design inspiration while sometimes creating unrealistic client expectations, and how Okamoto’s studio balances innovation with tradition. The result is a fascinating look at how art, nature, and technology intertwine — and what it means to create beauty that disappears.
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In episode 13 of Two Tokens Short, Robert De La Rosa and Mitchell Newberger sit down with brothers Jack & Jason Wu to talk about building a brand that puts function, natural materials, and longevity ahead of trend-chasing. From jackets and totes sewn in New York to modular lamps designed in CAD and tested in AR/VR, the pair unpack how to make beautiful things that are meant to be used for decades, not months.
We trace their path from Parsons and double RL to launching a three-pillar studio—Cloth, Home, Craft—and sourcing folk art and antiques as living references, not shelf props. The conversation moves through domestic manufacturing trade-offs, pricing for value (not volume), and how AI fits (and doesn’t): helpful for research, ops, and forecasting—never as a substitute for voice, story, or craft.
We get into:
Building a startup label around use first design and repairable materials
Why “cost per wear” beats fast fashion every time
Domestic production realities (fabric, sewing, margins, accessibility)
VR/AR prototyping and small-batch industrial design for lamps
Lessons from the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market & artisan partnerships
Healthy skepticism of chatbots vs. practical AI for workflow and data
Marketplace dreams: connecting makers, renters, and heirloom-grade goods
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In Episode 6 of Two Tokens Short, Robert De La Rosa and Mitchell Newberger sit down with Juan Manuel Torres, Co-Founder of Tripping Animals Brewing Co., to explore how a basement hobby in Caracas grew into one of Florida’s most talked-about breweries.
Juan shares what it takes to scale production in a competitive market, why Florida is the brand’s main focus, and how his team balances tradition, creativity, and new trends like hazy IPAs and fruit-forward sours. Along the way, he opens up about the challenges of distribution, the economics of craft brewing, and how trust between co-founders keeps the vision moving forward.
We dive into how AI is already supporting their work — from emails and label ideation to recipe brainstorming — and where it could play a bigger role in forecasting, demand planning, and freeing up time for growth.
Topics we explore:
The origins of Tripping Animals: from Venezuela to Wynwood to Oakland Park
Florida-first expansion strategy vs. chasing national distribution
Lessons learned from building a brand and culture that fans truly connect with
Brewing trends: hazies, sours, clarified fruit beers, and the balance between chasing vs. creating
Practical AI use cases for breweries (today and tomorrow)
What it takes to survive and thrive in a shrinking craft beer market
From hops and barrels to algorithms and investors, Juan shows us how passion, culture, and strategy mix to keep the taps flowing.
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In Episode 5 of Two Tokens Short, hosts Robert De La Rosa and Mitchell Newberger sit down with Eljas Saastamoinen, CEO of Bitwards, to explore the future of mobile access.
Eljas shares the journey of building a Finland-based startup into a global digital access provider—where speed, trust, and user adoption are just as important as the tech itself. He explains why mobile credentials are following the same adoption curve as mobile payments, and how the shift from cards to phones is saving universities, businesses, and institutions millions in costs and waste.
We cover:
The trade-offs between speed, cost, and user experience in scaling access tech
Why education and enterprise are leading the way—and why hospitality, maritime, and automotive are next
How AI is being used to improve both security and user experience in access systems
The battle against silos in legacy hardware and lock industries
The sustainability push: eliminating plastic cards, keys, and outdated waste
From student dorms to Caterpillar machinery to future smart cities, Eljas shows us how digital keys aren’t just about convenience—they’re about building trust, efficiency, and a new ecosystem of access.
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In Episode 4 of Two Tokens Short, Mitchell Newberger and Robert De La Rosa sit down with Greg Gillespie, CEO of Collectiv, to unpack why most companies aren’t actually “AI-ready”—and how to fix it. Greg breaks down Collectiv’s DATA Formula (Data • Alignment • Team → Automation), showing how clean data, process alignment, and real adoption come before the shiny AI layer.
From finance use cases to sales insights, Greg explains how organizations can land quick wins, build a culture of change, and stand up a scalable data lakehouse that any AI agent can tap. We also dig into AI onboarding (think: avatar coaches for new hires), Microsoft Fabric/Power BI realities, and how reusable accelerators slash integration costs.
The DATA Formula: Data quality, Alignment on processes & policies, Team adoption → then Automation/AI
AI FOMO vs. readiness: Why starting small beats “boil the ocean” initiatives
Where to start: Finance as low-hanging fruit; when sales or FP&A should lead
Change management: Centers of Excellence, governance, and keeping pipelines healthy
Architecture that lasts: Lakehouse-first, tool-agnostic AI agents (Azure OpenAI, Databricks, etc.)
Operational wins: Real-time P&L, inventory signals, and reusable NetSuite/Sage connectors
Cost control: Code libraries & accelerators that turn 200 hours into 20–40
Greg’s take is refreshingly practical: make data the foundation, processes the framing, people the heartbeat—then let AI be the curb appeal.
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In Episode 3 of Two Tokens Short, Mitchell Newberger and Robert De La Rosa dive into the intersection of AI, healthcare, and fairness with Alaa Youssef, Chief AI Officer at Basys.ai.
Alaa shares her journey from big data research at the University of Toronto to hands-on AI engineering at Stanford, and now leading AI deployment at Basys.ai. Along the way, she explains why healthcare algorithms are uniquely complex, why reasoning and context matter more than raw outputs, and how equity and bias must be addressed in every step of the pipeline.
We explore:
From policy hurdles to technical safeguards, Alaa makes it clear: AI can transform healthcare — but only if it’s deployed responsibly, with humans in the loop.
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In Episode 1 of Two Tokens Short, Robert De La Rosa and Money Making Mitch press start with Torrey Smith, co-founder and CEO of Endiatx, the team behind the PillBot — a swallowable surgical robot changing the future of healthcare.
We dive into the startup rollercoaster, tackling one of the hardest challenges in tech and medicine: scope creep. Torrey shares the highs and lows of innovating in the medical device space, how to balance ambition with reality, and why swallowing a robot might be the next big leap in diagnostics.
We talk:
How PillBot aims to transform minimally invasive healthcare
Why scope creep happens and how startups can manage it without derailing progress
The lessons learned from building medical tech under pressure
What it takes to keep innovation on track in a field where lives are on the line
This first-level adventure sets the tone for everything to come — bold ideas, big risks, and a little retro flavor along the way.
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In Episode 2 of Two Tokens Short, Robert De La Rosa and Money Making Mitch drop a token into the future of cities with Paul Doherty, architect, technologist, and global leader in smart infrastructure.
Paul takes us on a wild journey from his early IBM days with young Bill Gates, to shaping Vision 2030 in Saudi Arabia, to reimagining smart cities, digital twins, and decentralized infrastructure across the globe.
We talk:
Why he sees AI alone as “cotton candy” without trusted data to back it up
How blockchain and digital twins create a new “simulation century” for real estate and urban planning
Wild stories from Dubai to Miami, where entire buildings become servers and Phoenician shipwrecks inspire design
What it takes to run hackathons that spawned Oculus and other industry-defining innovations
This episode is packed with visionary ideas, practical lessons, and just enough Vegas nostalgia to keep the arcade vibe alive.
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