As an endowed professor at The University of Central Florida College of Optics and Photonics (UCF CREOL), Andrea Blanco-Redondo focuses on some of the most exciting topics in photonics research. While some of her research interests are just beginning to emerge in commercial and consumer applications, others stand very solidly in the realm of R&D, eagerly awaited by industry. Our conversation spans topics in soliton photonics, slow light, and quantum topology. Also, Torsten Vahrenkamp and Matthias Trinker of the management team at ficonTEC, discuss ELAS Technologies Investment — a capital firm spurring high-tech business success at global scale.