PODCAST · business
Tank Talks By Ripple Ventures
by Ripple Ventures
Join your host, Matt Cohen, Founder & Managing Partner at Ripple Ventures for weekly conversations with leaders in the startup ecosystem discussing the truth about investing, building and running startups. tanktalks.substack.com
Episodes
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Why Investors are Betting on Canadian Startups | NRTH Conference
In this special episode of Tank Talks, recorded at NRTH Festival (formerly Elevate) in downtown Toronto, host Matt Cohen chats with three prominent investors and operators to explore the state of the Canadian tech ecosystem. Michael Garrity, retired CEO of FinanceIt and co-chair of the C100,...
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The Billable Hour is Broken: How Blackletter is Redesigning Law for Startups | Jonathan Rosenbluth (CEO and Co-Founder)
In this episode of Tank Talks, host Matt Cohen sits down with Jonathan Rosenbluth, co-founder of Blackletter, to trace his path from a Harvard JD and McKinsey consultant to employee number 20 at Cohere, and finally to building an AI-native law firm from the ground up. Jonathan shares how a chance...
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The Rundown 9/29/26: Quantum Reality Check, AI Risks, and Why Canada Is Missing Its Tech Opportunity
Welcome back to another thought-provoking episode of Tank Talks! Matt Cohen is joined once again by John Ruffolo to break down the biggest stories shaping the future of technology, investing, and Canada’s economy. From the market reaction following Xanadu’s SPAC lockup expiration to the growing...
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The Holy Grail of Energy: Why Fusion is Finally Having Its Wright Brothers Moment | Henry Gould (Daedal Systems)
In this episode of Tank Talks, host Matt Cohen sits down with Henry Gould, founder of Daedal Systems, to explore his journey from a childhood fascination with physics to building the measurement infrastructure for the entire fusion energy industry. Henry shares his path from Queen’s Engineering...
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Selling Without a Sales Team: How Railway Scaled GTM to $100M+ with Under 10 Reps | Rahul Parmar
In this episode of Tank Talks, host Matt Cohen sits down with Rahul Parmar, Head of Go-to-Market at Railway and Venture Partner at Ripple Ventures, to unpack the real truths of building a sales engine in the modern AI era. Rahul shares his journey from being one of the first sales hires at Google...
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How Biossil is Rescuing Billion-Dollar Drugs Big Pharma Abandoned | Anthony Mouchantaf
In this episode of Tank Talks, host Matt Cohen sits down with Anthony Mouchantaf, co-founder and CEO of Biossil, a biotech company on a mission to resurrect orphaned drugs using AI and a hedge fund–inspired operating model. Anthony takes us through his unconventional journey: from a law school...
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The Rundown 9/14/26: Canada-U.S. Trade Talks Collapse, Anthropic’s AI War, and Miro’s $16B Fall
Matt Cohen and John Ruffolo break down the collapse of Canada-U.S. trade negotiations, the unanswered questions surrounding the failed deal, and whether Canada is protecting legacy industries at the expense of technology and long-term economic growth. They also examine Prime Minister Mark…
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How Rock Bottom Turned Chris Pronger Into an NHL Legend
In this episode of Tank Talks, host Matt Cohen sits down with Chris Pronger, Hockey Hall of Famer, Norris and Hart Trophy winner, Stanley Cup champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and one of the NHL’s 100 greatest players. Chris takes us inside the mindset that transformed him from a booed...
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The infrastructure behind the next wave of interactive AI | Keegan McCallum (uRun, ex-Luma AI)
In this episode of Tank Talks, host Matt Cohen sits down with Keegan McCallum, co-founder and CEO of uRUN, an inference provider built for persistent, steerable, interactive AI experiences. Keegan’s path took him from jailbreaking iPods in Thunder Bay, Ontario, to building the infrastructure that...
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The Rundown 8/24/26: Canada’s Hidden Leverage in America’s AI Race
Canada is back at the negotiating table with the U.S., looking for relief from tariffs on autos, steel, aluminum, forestry, and other goods. Matt Cohen and John Ruffolo break down the latest developments, including the possibility of a revived Keystone XL project and the concessions Canada may…
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What 30 years inside critical infrastructure teaches you about security | Karl Holmqvist, CEO of Lastwall
In this episode of Tank Talks, host Matt Cohen sits down with Karl Holmqvist, co-founder and CEO of Lastwall, a FedRAMP-certified identity security platform built for the highest-risk use cases. Karl has been deep in cybersecurity since the 1990s, with early experience building critical...
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The Rundown 8/13/26: AI’s Infrastructure Problem Is Bigger Than We Think
Canada’s venture capital market is showing signs of life, but the recovery comes with a catch: more money is flowing into fewer companies. Matt Cohen and John Ruffolo unpack what that means for Canadian founders, why promising tech companies keep getting acquired before they reach scale, and...
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CRO of Affirm on How “Buy now, pay later” Makes Money
In this episode of Tank Talks, host Matt Cohen sits down with Wayne Pommen, Chief Revenue Officer at Affirm and founder of PayBright, Canada’s first e-commerce buy now, pay later platform. Wayne shares his unlikely journey from competitive rowing, including the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race, to a…
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The Money Behind Money in VC | Julia Maltby
In this episode of Tank Talks, host Matt Cohen sits down with Julia Maltby, a Principal at Fengate Asset Management who has lived the full venture capital lifecycle. Julia started as the first employee at Plum Alley Investments, ran partnerships at WeWork during its hyper-growth phase, spent over...
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Why Software Lost Its Moat and Deep Tech Is Winning with Jacob Jackson of Julian Capital
Everyone Has the Same AI Tools Now. So where’s the Moat? In this episode of Tank Talks, host Matt Cohen sits down with Jacob Jackson, partner at Julian Capital and founder of Deep Checks. A physicist turned SaaS founder turned deep tech investor, Jacob brings a unique perspective on the shifting...
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The Rundown 7/20/26: TouchBistro’s Collapse, Meta’s $13B AI Bet, and Canada’s Defence Boom
Matt Cohen is joined by John Ruffolo for another hard-hitting Tank Talks: The Rundown, covering the biggest stories shaping Canadian technology, venture capital, defence, and artificial intelligence. They break down TouchBistro’s dramatic fall from Canadian tech darling to a roughly $100 million...
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Paul Ziadé: Why Canada’s Defence Complacency Ends with North Vector Dynamics
In this episode of Tank Talks, host Matt Cohen sits down with Paul Ziadé, CEO and co-founder of North Vector Dynamics, a Calgary-based company building full-spectrum precision missile systems for Canada and its allies. A former tenured professor at the University of Calgary turned defence...
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The 4.3 Trillion Dollar Problem: Why Venture’s Liquidity Crisis Is Here to Stay with John Rikhtegar and Peter Walker
In this special episode of Tank Talks, recorded live during Toronto Tech Week at Moomoo Canada’s flagship store in Yorkville, Matt Cohen sits down with two of venture’s sharpest data and investment minds for an unfiltered conversation on the state of private markets. Peter Walker, Senior Director...
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Arctic Edge Panel: Defence Tech, Dual-Use, and the Future of Canadian Innovation
Canada is entering one of the most important moments in its innovation history. As global tensions rise and national security becomes a growing priority, founders, investors, and governments are being forced to rethink how Canadian defence technology is built, funded, and scaled. In this special...
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Toronto Tech Week and the New Era of Canadian Startup Ambition
In this special episode of Tank Talks, Matt Cohen brings listeners inside Toronto Tech Week with a live podcast studio recorded at the Toronto Homecoming event. This episode captures a fast-moving snapshot of the Canadian tech ecosystem through candid conversations with Boris Wertz of Version…
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The Rundown 6/23/26: The AI Hype Machine, Canada’s Capital Gap, and the Return of Hard Tech
In this episode of Tank Talks, recorded live at the Global Startups Conference, Matt Cohen and John Ruffolo take the stage for a wide-ranging conversation on the future of Canada’s innovation economy, the AI infrastructure race, and why this moment feels different, even if John still refuses to...
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Why Canada’s Trading Market is Ready for Disruption with Michael Arbus of moomoo Canada
In this episode of Tank Talks, Matt Cohen sits down with Michael Arbus, CEO of moomoo Canada, for a wide-ranging conversation on Wall Street trading floors, Canadian fintech, crypto regulation, AI-powered investing, and what it really takes to build and scale financial technology companies....
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The Brutal Truth About Hardware Startups and Physical AI with Aidan Madigan-Curtis of Eclipse Capital
In this episode of Tank Talks, Matt Cohen sits down with Aidan Madigan-Curtis, Partner at Eclipse, for a sharp conversation on physical AI, frontier tech, robotics, manufacturing, and the future of building in the real world. Aidan shares her unlikely path from a small mountain town in Penticton…
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The Rundown 6/4/22: Alphabet’s $80B AI Bet, Anthropic’s IPO Push, and the New AI Capital War
In this episode of Tank Talks, Matt Cohen and John Ruffolo unpack the latest leaked details around Canada’s national AI strategy, including a proposed Canadian Tech Growth Fund that would take direct equity stakes in AI startups and scale-ups. John pushes back on whether creating yet another...
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The Rundown 5/25/26: SPACs Are Back: Xanadu, UniUni, and Canada’s Capital Gap
In this episode of Tank Talks: The Rundown, Matt Cohen and John Ruffolo break down a huge week across Canadian tech, quantum computing, SPACs, AI infrastructure, vertical SaaS, and the reported SpaceX IPO filing. They start with Xanadu’s $300 million at-the-market equity facility and what it...
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The Case for Concentrated Seed with Jason Shuman of Primary Ventures
In this episode of Tank Talks, host Matt Cohen sits down with Jason Shuman, General Partner at Primary Ventures, New York’s largest dedicated seed fund. With a journey that spans from raising money for a nonprofit at eight years old to driving Uber at night while sourcing deals like Latch…
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Inside Canada’s Most Ambitious Space Infrastructure Company with Mina Mitry of Kepler Communications
In this episode of Tank Talks, host Matt Cohen sits down with Mina Mitry, CEO and Co-Founder of Kepler Communications, one of the world’s most ambitious space infrastructure companies. With a journey that spans from winning $75,000 in university pitch competitions to building the world’s first...
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Bring it Home: Canada's Regulatory Gridlock & Real Estate Recovery with Jon Love of KingSett Capital
In this episode of Tank Talks, host Matt Cohen sits down with Jon Love, founder and executive chair of KingSett Capital, one of Canada’s largest and most experienced private equity real estate platforms. A seasoned investor who has navigated multiple market cycles, Jon is known for his frank,...
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The Rundown 4/28/26: Canada’s $25B Sovereign Wealth Fund: Genius Move or Political Slush Fund?
In this episode of Tank Talks, Matt Cohen and John Ruffolo break down one of the biggest economic policy announcements in Canada’s innovation economy: Mark Carney’s proposed $25 billion Canada Strong Fund, a sovereign wealth fund designed to invest in nation-building projects, strategic…
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How to Get VC Funding in 2026 with Matt Cohen
Originally recorded as Matt Cohen’s guest appearance on Mantle Mondays hosted by Amar Varma. In this special episode of Tank Talks, Matt Cohen joins Amar Varma on Mantle Mondays for a candid conversation about how to get VC funding in 2026, what early-stage investors actually look for, and where...
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The Rundown 4/15/26: Canada’s AI Crackdown, the Exit Tax Backlash, Cohere’s Germany Deal, and Hootsuite’s Reset
In this episode of Tank Talks, Matt Cohen and John Ruffolo break down the latest developments shaping Canada’s tech landscape, from AI policy and government regulation to talent flight and emerging cybersecurity risks. They discuss proposals to restrict AI chatbot access for minors, the broader...
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Demystifying Venture Debt: Funding Growth with Less Dilution with Marshall Hawks
Venture debt might be the most misunderstood tool in startup finance. Ask ten founders to explain it, and you will get ten different answers, most of them wrong. In this episode of Tank Talks, Matt Cohen sits down with Marshall Hawks, a 16-year Silicon Valley Bank veteran who structured hundreds…
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What Makes a Startup “Click”, Before it Even Exists? with Matt Cohen
Originally recorded as Matt Cohen’s guest appearance on the Make It Click podcast hosted by Willson Cross. Matt Cohen joins Willson Cross on the Make It Click podcast for a sharp, no-fluff conversation on what actually makes early-stage startups click. As the founder and managing partner of…
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The Rundown 3/30/26: Ontario’s $4B AI Fund, SpaceX’s IPO, and Why Claude Is Winning Enterprise
In this episode of Tank Talks, Matt Cohen and John Ruffolo unpack a major week across Canadian venture capital, deep tech liquidity, sovereign investment strategy, and the rapidly shifting AI software stack. The conversation opens with Ontario’s newly announced $4 billion Protect Ontario Account...
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Canada’s $35 Billion Arctic Push, the New Cost of War, and Building Sovereign Capability with Glenn Cowan of ONE9
In this episode of Tank Talks, host Matt Cohen sits down with Glenn Cowan, a former Canadian Special Forces squadron commander, world-record skydiver, and founder of ONE9 Investments, one of Canada’s most focused venture firms in defence, national security, and dual-use tech. He has experienced...
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Why Building AI Matters More Than Using It with Ali Asaria of Transformer Lab
In this episode of Tank Talks, Matt Cohen sits down with Ali Asaria, Co-Founder of Transformer Lab, to unpack the less visible side of the AI boom, from broken machine learning tools to the rise of autonomous research agents. Ali shares what it really looks like inside modern AI development and…
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The Rundown 3/13/26: Canada’s Defence Tech Push, Constellation’s AI Test, and the Private Credit Mess
In this episode of Tank Talks, Matt Cohen and John Ruffolo unpack a volatile moment across software, capital markets, AI, and Canadian industrial policy. The conversation opens with Constellation Software’s AI-era challenge, as new president Mark Miller faces investor skepticism around whether...
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The Future of Money in Canada: Stablecoins, Custody, and Crypto Rails with Didier Lavallée of Tetra Digital Group
In this episode of Tank Talks, host Matt Cohen sits down with Didier Lavallée, Founder and CEO of Tetra Digital Group, to explore one of the most important frontiers in Canadian fintech: regulated digital assets and the rise of a sovereign Canadian stablecoin. Didier shares his journey from more...
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The Rundown 3/3/26: Upfront Summit Recap, AI Layoffs, Private Credit, and the AI Safety Debate
In this episode of Tank Talks, Matt Cohen and John Ruffolo unpack the most pressing trends shaking up the innovation economy, from AI-driven layoffs to the ongoing turbulence in the private credit market. The conversation kicks off with insights from the Upfront Summit 2026, where AI dominated…
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Xanadu's Historic SPAC Merger: What it Means for the Future of Quantum Computing with Christian Weedbrook of Xanadu and Bill Fradin of Crane Harbor Acquisition Corp
In this episode of Tank Talks, Matt Cohen sits down with Christian Weedbrook, founder and CEO of Xanadu, and Bill Fradin, CEO of Crane Harbor Acquisition Corp., to explore the historic SPAC merger that is bringing Xanadu to the public markets. With a focus on photonic quantum computing, Xanadu…
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The Rundown 2/23/26: Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy, LLMs in SaaS, and the Shift in Tech Investments
In this episode of Tank Talks, Matt Cohen and John Ruffolo dive into Canada’s bold new defence industrial strategy, backed by $6.6 billion to reduce U.S. dependency and prioritize domestic tech suppliers. They discuss the challenges of defining a “Canadian” company and whether the strategy has…
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How Tokenized Gold is Revolutionizing Wealth Preservation with Peter Grosskopf of Argo Digital Gold
Why is gold suddenly back in the spotlight? In this episode of Tank Talks, Matt Cohen sits down with Peter Grosskopf, a seasoned veteran in the precious metals and investment management world. Peter has seen it all. He helped scale Sprott from $5 billion to over $20 billion in assets under...
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Fragmented Portals to Single Source: AI for LP Operations with Amar Varma of Mantle
In this episode of Tank Talks, Matt Cohen sits down with Amar Varma, CEO and Co-Founder of Mantle, a revolutionary platform designed to transform the private investing landscape. As a serial entrepreneur with experience as both a General Partner (GP) and Limited Partner (LP), Amar offers a rare,...
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The Rundown 2/6/26: Canada’s AI Strategy Goes LLM-Powered, YC’s Canada U-Turn, SpaceX–xAI Shock Deal
In this episode of Tank Talks, Matt Cohen and John Ruffolo rip through a stacked rundown of tech, venture capital, and geopolitical “sovereignty” theater. They open with Europe’s accelerating shift away from Microsoft Office and big U.S. platforms toward open-source alternatives, then jump…
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The Blueprint for a Canadian Rocket Supply Chain with Hugh Kolias of Canada Rocket Company
In this episode of Tank Talks, Matt Cohen sits down with Hugh Kolias, Co-Founder and CEO of Canada Rocket Company, right as the company exits stealth with a $6.2M all-Canadian seed round backed by Ripple Ventures, BDC, Garage Capital, and others. Hugh breaks down the real mission: give Canada...
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The Rundown 1/29/26: Garry Tan's Controversial Move: Y Combinator's New Rules for Canadian Companies
In this episode of Tank Talks, Matt Cohen and John Ruffolo unpack the ripple effects of Y Combinator’s decision to exclude Canadian startups from their investment portfolio unless they’re incorporated in the U.S. or other tax-friendly jurisdictions. This move has sent shockwaves through the...
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The Rundown 1/23/25: Truth Bombs at Davos, Chaos in Markets, Big IPOs Ahead
In this episode of Tank Talks, Matt Cohen and John Ruffolo unpack Prime Minister Mark Carney’s China agreement and his Davos speech, calling out the collapse of the rules-based international order and pushing “middle powers” to coordinate against coercion. John and Matt agree the speech was…
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Building a Solo GP Fund with Timothy Chen of Essence VC
In this episode of Tank Talks, Matt Cohen sits down with Timothy Chen, the sole General Partner at Essence VC. Tim shares his remarkable journey from being a “nerdy, geeky kid” who hacked open-source projects to becoming one of the most respected early-stage infrastructure investors, backing...
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The Rundown 1/15/26: Kepler’s Space Lasers, RBCx Fundraising Lows, and the New Fight for Tech Sovereignty
In this episode of Tank Talks, host Matt Cohen and recurring guest John Ruffolo kick off the new year with a true “only in 2026” combo: a front-row seat to a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch carrying Kepler Communications’ satellites, followed by a hard reality check on Canada’s venture capital slowdown....
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The Art of the Roll-Up: How Carma Corp. Quintupled in Size for a Major Exit with Michael Platt
In this episode of Tank Talks, host Matt Cohen sits down with Michael Platt, CEO of Carma Corp., and lifelong friend, to explore his incredible journey from corporate lawyer to building and selling one of Canada’s leading sub-metering companies. Michael shares how he transitioned from practicing...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Join your host, Matt Cohen, Founder & Managing Partner at Ripple Ventures for weekly conversations with leaders in the startup ecosystem discussing the truth about investing, building and running startups.
tanktalks.substack.com
HOSTED BY
Ripple Ventures
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How many episodes does Tank Talks By Ripple Ventures have?
Tank Talks By Ripple Ventures currently has 349 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Tank Talks By Ripple Ventures about?
Join your host, Matt Cohen, Founder & Managing Partner at Ripple Ventures for weekly conversations with leaders in the startup ecosystem discussing the truth about investing, building and running startups. tanktalks.substack.com
How often does Tank Talks By Ripple Ventures release new episodes?
Tank Talks By Ripple Ventures publishes regularly with 349 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
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Tank Talks By Ripple Ventures is created and hosted by Ripple Ventures.
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