Small World, Big Problems

Author: JHU SAIS Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies

Small World, Big Problems a SAIS Strategy Podcast. A SAIS student podcast supported by the Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies. In Small World, Big Problems, we ask the experts about the biggest challenges in the world of strategy and national security. Its a small world, and its only getting smaller. But it seems like every day, there is a new problem on the horizon: great power conflict, political extremism, climate change the list goes on and on. In this student podcast sponsored by the Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies, we ask leading experts in the fields of national security, strategy, and statecraft about what problems the world is facing and, more importantly, how to solve them. Please address any questions to SAISStrategyPodcast@gmail.com.
Be a guest on this podcast

Language: en

Genres: Government, News, News Commentary

Contact email: Get it

Feed URL: Get it

iTunes ID: Get it

Get all podcast data

Listen Now...

National Security Business: How to Get Started
Episode 2
Friday, 21 November, 2025

Sanjana Polapragada hosts a two-speaker conversation with Robert Miller, a seasoned “startup statesman” who has advised companies such as CrowdAI (now acquired by Saab) and Hawkeye 360 (now valued at over a billion dollars), and Emma Bates, CEO and founder of Cachai, a dual-use tech company (for both civilian and military purposes) focused on collaborative autonomy and drone innovation in the national security space. Together, they unpack how to navigate the national security startup ecosystem, secure government contracts, and cross the many “valleys of death” that mission-driven ventures face. Aimed at anyone with a concrete, government-focused venture idea, the episode offers practical how-tos for entering and thriving in the field. If you're curious about building a mission-driven venture in national security, this episode is your starting point. Produced in partnership with the Pava Center for Entrepreneurship at Johns Hopkins.Researched and hosted by Sanjana Polapragada; edited by Vishal Gogusetti.