The Domestic Premium: Can American Manufacturing Compete?

Edward Shenderovich (  / shenderovich  ) is the Founder and CEO of Roebling (https://roebling.com/) , a software platform that helps industrial companies evaluate, design, and finance manufacturing projects before breaking ground. After initially setting out to solve bottlenecks in biomanufacturing, Shenderovich and his team uncovered a broader challenge: the economics of scaling physical infrastructure are often poorly understood until it's too late. In this episode of Inevitable, Cody and Edward explore whether the US is making the same mistake with domestic manufacturing that climate tech once made with the “green premium.” If consumers were unwilling to pay more for cleaner products, will they pay more for American-made ones? The conversation examines China's long-term manufacturing strategy, the gap between scientific breakthroughs and industrial scale-up, and why engineering—not invention—is often the missing link in commercial success. Edward argues that national security, data sovereignty, and AI infrastructure may become the forces that justify renewed domestic investment in manufacturing and energy systems. They also discuss the lessons learned from the recent biomanufacturing boom and bust, why many bioindustrial companies struggled to achieve economic viability, and how AI can help bridge the gap between R&D and large-scale industrial deployment. Finally, Edward shares how Roebling is using AI-powered techno-economic analysis to help companies build factories that can actually compete on cost and performance. Episode recorded on May 28, 2026 (Published on June 9, 2026). In this episode, we cover:  • (0:00) An overview of Roebling  • (3:37) Why consumers rarely pay more for domestic or sustainable products  • (6:12) How the US can compete with China's manufacturing strategy  • (7:25) The gap between R&D innovation and industrial scale-up  • (9:13) Why engineering is often the bottleneck  • (11:25) AI data centers as a catalyst for industrial and energy infrastructure  • (14:30) National security, data sovereignty, and domestic manufacturing  • (17:31) Roebling's origins in biomanufacturing  • (20:03) Why AI may finally help unlock biology at scale  • (23:25) Building products that are better, not just greener  • (26:11) How Roebling helps companies plan and finance factories  • (31:08) Lessons from the biomanufacturing boom and bio-winter  • (34:33) The opportunities of nuclear energy and industrial growth  Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) . Connect with MCJ: • Cody Simms on LinkedIn (  / codysimms  ) • Visit mcj.vc (https://mcj.vc) • Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter (https://newsletter.mcj.vc) *Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)