Line of Sight Podcast · Don Heider PhD, Brigit Helms PhD

From Communist Romania to cutting-edge innovation: Andrei Iancu’s entrepreneurial journey

·52 min·3 clips

Andrei Iancu describes standing in bread and milk lines in communist Romania and learning resource scarcity early.

The opening is technical, almost on purpose. Halo Industries arrives in one dense sentence about laser-based systems for advanced materials and device fabrication, with ties to electric vehicles, charging, infrastructure, wind, solar, rail, motors, and the grid. Bridget admits she wants to understand the line she just read, which lets the conversation slow down and breathe. Andrei's story has real strain in it. He talks about working at Boeing while going to school, saving money, then watching those savings drop after the company went private. Capital did not show up right away. Finding the right investor and getting the first money over the line took time, and he describes that early stretch as hard both psychologically and financially. The opportunity cost was not subtle. Offers from Google, Apple, and Facebook were far bigger than what the startup could pay. Then the sharper lesson lands: starting a company is like playing life on the hardest difficulty, with no certainty and everything built from scratch. The risk was shared, too. He talks about cofounders and later teammates who had easier financial options but cared enough about the technology to take the hit. The mission stays grounded. This is about better manufacturing for solar cells, semiconductors, and power electronics, not innovation as a slogan. The hosts ask about challenges, lessons, and advice for someone tempted by the same road. Near the end, Andrei brings up childcare and childhood education as places he hopes to help if there is a useful path. It closes warmly, with Bridget saying the first sentence finally makes more sense.

As heard by us

A clear look at laser based manufacturing, startup risk, and why hard hardware still matters.

The piece tracks Andrei Yankou, founder and CEO of Halo Industries, as he explains how laser based systems support advanced materials and device fabrication. The emphasis stays practical: less waste, better quality, and the pressures that come with high volume power electronics.

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Why you'd press play

If you want a founder story grounded in hardware, risk, and real industrial use, press play.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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