The First In-Person Machine Minds with Flyhound, Modovolo, Flox Intelligence, and Aerialoop
A rare in-person episode brings together four founders building at the frontier of drones, autonomy, and physical AI. Recorded live from the Drones and Robotics AI Summit in New York, this conversation spans search and rescue, wildlife protection, aerial logistics, and next-generation drone platforms—offering a real-time snapshot of where the industry is heading.
From detecting phones in disaster zones to decoding animal communication, deploying drone delivery networks at city scale, and rethinking the cost-performance curve of aerial systems, each founder shares how they are tackling hard, real-world problems—and what it takes to move from prototype to deployment.
In this conversation, Greg speaks with Manny Cerniglia (Flyhound), Sara Nozkova (Flox Intelligence), Santiago Barrera (Aerialoop), and Justin Call (Modovolo) about:
How Flyhound is turning everyday devices into life-saving signals by enabling drones to locate and identify phones, even without cell service, for search and rescue and disaster response
Why radio frequency complexity remains one of the hardest challenges in real-world deployment, and how environmental factors shape system performance
How Flox Intelligence is using AI to decode animal communication and prevent human-wildlife conflicts across airports, railways, and industrial sites
The shift from drone-based systems to edge-deployed stationary units, and what it takes to move from research to validated, real-world impact
Why physical AI startups face unique hurdles in funding, scaling hardware, and bridging the gap between prototype and production
How Aerialoop built a “metro system in the sky,” operating high-frequency drone logistics networks and moving everything from food to medical samples in dense urban environments
Lessons from scaling to hundreds of daily drone flights, including what breaks first in operations, manufacturing, and training
The importance of regulatory collaboration—and how working alongside governments can accelerate deployment instead of slowing it down
Why finding the right early customers is as critical as finding the right investors when building frontier technology
How Modovolo is rethinking drone design to dramatically improve performance while reducing cost, unlocking new use cases across defense, public safety, and commercial sectors
The growing demand for modular, payload-driven drone systems—and why enabling customer innovation is key to long-term adoption
Where safety, regulation, and real-world constraints still limit deployment—and how companies are navigating those trade-offs today
This episode is a fast-moving look at the builders pushing drones and robotics out of the lab and into the real world—one deployment, one partnership, and one hard-earned lesson at a time.
Connect with Manny Cerniglia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mannyce/
Learn more about Flyhound: https://www.flyhound.com/
Connect with Sara Nozkova: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sára-nožková-91339685/
Learn more about Flox Intelligence: https://floxintelligence.com/
Connect with Santiago Barrera: https://www.linkedin.com/in/santiagobarrerav/
Learn more about Aerialoop: https://www.aerialoop.com/
Connect with Justin Call: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justincall/
Learn more about Modovolo: https://modovolo.com/
Connect with Greg Toroosian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtoroosian/