What does it look like to invest not just in companies, but in the future of human civilization? Jacob Flores, Head of Research at Type One Ventures, joins this Brand Highlight to explain how the Kardashev Scale shapes an investment thesis that spans manufacturing in space, neurotechnology, and human longevity — and why the line between science fiction and venture capital is getting thinner every year.
A Brand Highlight Conversation with Jacob Flores, Head of Research at Type One Ventures
There is a version of investing that asks what the return will be. And then there is the version that asks what kind of future the investment makes possible. Jacob Flores, Head of Research at Type One Ventures, is working firmly in the second category.
Type One Ventures takes its name from the Kardashev Scale — a framework developed by Soviet astrophysicist Nikolai Kardashev that ranks civilizations by their level of technological advancement. A Type One civilization has mastered its home planet and is beginning to extend its reach beyond it. That is the destination this firm is trying to fund. Flores, a former engineer and product manager with roughly a decade of experience across industries, leads the research function at Type One with a focus on AI, neurotech, and biotechnology.
The firm's investment lens is as much philosophical as it is financial. Type One looks for platform builders — companies whose core technology can be stacked across multiple applications, cultivating new marketplaces and entirely new categories of industry. Manufacturing in space is one clear example: in microgravity, it becomes possible to grow proteins, print circuits, and develop materials that cannot be produced the same way on Earth — yet those products have immediate, tangible value back on the ground.
The thesis extends well beyond orbit. Type One is also backing neurotechnology companies working to restore vision and movement for people who have lost those abilities, and longevity research aimed at extending healthy human life. Flores frames these not as moonshots for their own sake, but as the new foundation layer for an entirely new level of global industry.
This is a Brand Highlight. A Brand Highlight is a ~5 minute introductory conversation designed to put a spotlight on the guest and their company. Learn more
Host Marco Ciappelli, Co-Founder, ITSPmagazine
Guest Jacob Flores, Head of Research, Type One Ventures
Resources Type One Ventures Type One Ventures on LinkedIn
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Keywords: Jacob Flores, Type One Ventures, Marco Ciappelli, brand story, brand marketing, marketing podcast, brand highlight, space technology, deep tech, venture capital, multi-planetary civilization, Kardashev Scale, manufacturing in space, neurotech, longevity, AI, biotechnology, frontier technology, space investing, human longevity, platform builders
When Sci-Fi Becomes the Business Plan | A Brand Highlight Conversation with Jacob Flores, Head of Research at Type One Ventures
Marco Ciappelli [00:00:00]: Welcome to another Brand Highlight. Here with me, Marco Ciappelli. Today we're going to go into space — and we're going to especially look at the technology that is happening in space. I think there's a lot going on up there. So, quickly introducing Jacob Flores, who is going to present Type One Ventures to us. Welcome.
Jacob Flores [00:00:20]: Thanks so much, Marco. Great to be here.
Marco Ciappelli [00:00:22]: Yeah. So, a little bit about you and what Type One Ventures is all about.
Jacob Flores [00:00:27]: Yeah, so I am a former engineer and product manager. I worked for about ten years across several industries before jumping into venture. Within venture, I focus specifically on AI, neurotech, and biotechnology, and I'm heading up our research department here at Type One. Type One is focused on investing in the technologies that will advance us to be a multi-planetary, sustainable civilization. We're very proud to invest in both space companies and the terrestrial companies that ensure a prosperous future for us here on Earth.
Marco Ciappelli [00:01:00]: Yeah. And I know you had an event in London not too long ago — I already spoke to you guys about that one — and there were a lot of awards to innovators in technology and space, of course. So how do you pick the companies and the products you want to invest in?
Jacob Flores [00:01:15]: Great question. We pick the companies in our portfolio by assessing their fit in advancing our collective civilization to be Type One. When we look at companies, we're looking for platform builders — people developing technologies that can be stacked on top of and cultivate new kinds of marketplaces, new capabilities, and really extending the reach of humanity, not just out into the stars, but also our ability to live longer, healthier lives and embrace new creative opportunities.
Marco Ciappelli [00:02:00]: So it's not just about investing in something that's going to make money, but actually investing in something that you believe in. Can you give me a couple of examples of the kinds of industries you are investing in? Because in space there is a lot going on — it's not just going around, right?
Jacob Flores [00:02:15]: Yeah. So we're proud investors in several manufacturing-in-space companies. Because there is so little gravity in orbit, it's a great opportunity for developing materials or even bioproducts — because there is a lot of surface area for you to print circuits or grow proteins. And these assets, even though they're developed in space, are actually very valuable down on Earth. The platforms that these assets get developed within can translate across multiple products. So it isn't specifically just one kind of drug or one kind of semiconductor — it could be pushing the frontier of material science. We're also looking at companies developing neurotechnologies that can enable people to see again or to move again if they've lost those abilities. We're investing in companies developing drug regimens that enable us to live longer. These are the kinds of things we think are in store for everyone in the future. And there are big businesses to be made there, but they're also going to be the new foundation layer for an entirely new level of industry in the world.
Marco Ciappelli [00:03:20]: And just out of curiosity, for those that don't know what "Type One" refers to — can you share a little bit about the name, the choice of the name?
Jacob Flores [00:03:30]: So it's kind of ironic because we're a venture capital firm, but the person who coined the term "Type One civilization" — Nikolai Kardashev — was a Soviet scientist. The reason he came up with this system of tiering civilizations into Type 1, 2, and 3 is in thinking about our place in the stars. If we were ever to come upon some alien civilization that had mastered its own ability to live on its planet and travel to other planets, we'd probably need to see them higher up on that technical ladder than us. So that's the background on the whole framework of a Type One civilization.
Marco Ciappelli [00:04:15]: I love it. This is where reality and the future meet — where the present and sci-fi are becoming one. So as we get toward the end of our five minutes, share how people can get in touch with you if they have a company to pitch, or if there's something coming up on your horizon in terms of events or anything you want to highlight.
Jacob Flores [00:04:35]: Please do feel free to reach out to any of us on the team if you are a founder, or if you're a prospective investor interested in getting some exposure to the markets I was talking about. You can find us on our website, you can find us on LinkedIn, and we'd be more than happy to talk about your company or your investment thesis. We have an event coming up in May in Japan — part of our Frontier Event series — and we'll be inviting founders and investors from around the world to explore what the frontier of technology looks like.
Marco Ciappelli [00:05:10]: Wonderful. I can't wait to get in touch with you guys again and get an update on what's going on in space. For everybody listening: it's Type One Ventures. Go find out what they're all about. This was a Brand Highlight, here with me, Marco Ciappelli. Thank you very much, Jacob.
Jacob Flores [00:05:25]: Thank you, Marco.