It’s Been A While…
I can’t believe it’s been almost three years since I last wrote here. It feels like much longer, doesn’t it? So, why restart the blog now? Well, a lot has shifted, and I’ve found myself in a field I never thought I’d be part of—materials science. It’s fascinating, and I’m excited to share this journey with you.
The intersection that brought me here, is the rapid advancement of generative AI. I’ve been involved with AI for years (such as with my last startup: TenPoint7), but now, the way it’s revolutionizing industries—particularly legacy industries like materials discovery, has brought me to this current opportunity.
For over a century, materials science has been stuck in the slow lane, relying on the same trial-and-error approach that Edison used. But now, with AI entering the scene, everything is about to change—and fast. That’s what brings me to my new venture.
Introducing Yonder (Formerly CombiMatrix AI)
My new company is — CombiMatrix AI, soon to be rebranded as Yonder. I never imagined I’d dive into materials science, but here I am, excited by the prospect of using AI to revolutionize the way we discover and create new materials. Our mission is to speed up discovery processes that have traditionally taken decades and to do it in a way that leverages real data, not just computational models. I can’t wait to tell you more about how this all works in the coming posts.
But first, let me introduce you to an incredible new AI tool that does a great job of explaining our complex story in simple conversational format.
Notebook LM by Google: A Game-Changer
One of the tools I’ve been experimenting with lately is Notebook LM by Google. It’s an AI product that can sift through vast amounts of data and produce creative outputs—like podcasts. Yes, you heard that right—AI can now take data and generate a conversational-style summary that feels like a podcast.
I decided to try this out to introduce you to Yonder. To source the podcast, I uploaded three key documents into Notebook LM. The first outlined our thesis on “The Economics of AI-Directed Materials Discovery.” The second was our position on “AI for Materials Synthesis.” And the third was feedback from various venture capitalists after we pitched them. The result? An AI-generated podcast that summarizes these complex topics into a digestible conversation.
I’d love for you to listen to it and get a sense of what we’re building at Yonder. You can check it out here:
What’s Next?
In future posts, I’ll dive deeper into the exciting world of AI and materials science, and what it means for industries—and for people like you and me. I hope you’ll stick around and join me as I explore this fascinating journey. It feels good to be writing again.
Meet John Song 