The Saturday Morning Newsletter #53
Trampoline, Dumpster, Zipper, Velcro, Band Aid, and More
👋 Hello friends,
Thank you for joining this week's edition of The Saturday Morning Newsletter. I'm Drew Jackson, and today we're exploring 14 articles, essays, companies, ideas, podcasts, videos, or thoughts that caught my attention this week for their potential to significantly impact our future.
Before we begin: The Saturday Morning Newsletter by Brainwaves arrives in your inbox every Saturday, a concise and casual digest of current events, optimistic news stories, and other interesting tidbits about venture capital, economics, space, energy, intellectual property, philosophy, and beyond. I write as a curious explorer rather than an expert, and I value your insights and perspectives on each subject.
Time to Read: 5 minutes.
Let’s dive in!
#1: General Fusion
Description: General Fusion is a Canadian developer of fusion energy.
Why Is This Company Interesting? General Fusion recently raised $22M in venture capital funding. They claim to be pursuing the fastest, most practical path to bring fusion energy to market using magnetized target fusion. They’re on track to deliver energy to the grid by the early to mid-2030s.
#2: Reframe Systems
Description: Reframe Systems is a home construction automation startup.
Why Is This Company Interesting? Reframe Systems recently raised $20M in venture capital funding. Reframe builds portions of homes in microfactories, then moves them in place, eliminating many of the construction headaches. This helps them build resilient homes faster, more predictable, and without compromises.
#3: OSW
Description: OSW is a solar equipment wholesaler.
Why Is This Company Interesting? OSW recently raised $5.5M in venture capital funding. OSW is a leading Australian provider of solar equipment. This new capital will help fuel their next phase of international growth, funding the rollout of their proprietary tech program. This model has succeeded in Australia and hopefully will continue the advancement of the renewable economy.
#4: Iceye
Description: Iceye is a developer of observation satellites.
Why Is This Company Interesting? Iceye recently raised $11M in venture capital funding. Their satellites provide actionable intelligence for quick responses, primarily focused on the defense and intelligence industries. Their focused on natural catastrophe insights, providing governments and insurance companies with proprietary data to create a more resilient future.
#5: Vulcan Elements
Description: Vulcan Elements is a developer of rare-earth magnets.
Why Is This Company Interesting? Vulcan Elements recently raised venture capital funding. Rare earth magnets are critical to many electric processes around us, from consumer electronics, satellites, motors, power tools, semiconductors, and much more. They are committed to developing a resilient, Western-based rare earth supply chain.
The Hill: America’s Nuclear Energy Moment is Here
A new generation of nuclear reactors make accidents virtually impossible. Combined with the fact that electricity demand is soaring, primarily driven by advances in artificial intelligence, nuclear seems to be the solution. Rising geopolitical risks have underscored the need for energy that is safe, reliable, and able to be deployed everywhere. Nuclear fits those criteria and is the best candidate for our future. Now, this is a strongly opinionated article, but an interesting read to see what proponents of nuclear believe.
The Verge: Google Announces Next Nuclear Energy Plan
Google is partnering with public power utility Tennessee Valley Authority to purchase energy from one of its next-generation nuclear reactors. This is the first agreement of its kind for a public utility company, marking a milestone of public-private partnerships within the nuclear space in the 21st century.
New York Times: Trump Starts Investigation That Could Lead to Tariffs on Wind Turbines
From the get-go, President Trump hasn’t been kind to wind energy. This week, the newest crusade has been a trade investigation that could result in tariffs on imported wind turbines. This could be in an attempt to stymie the industry, instead of the traditional rational of protecting American businesses.
Reuters: Solar Estimated to Account for Half of New Energy Installed in US in 2025
Developers are projected to install around 33 GW of new solar power in 2025 across the United States, around half of the total new energy generating capacity planned to be installed. This would be a new record high for solar. New battery storage could also hit a new high this year, signaling renewable capacity will continue its meteoric rise.
The New York Times: 20 Years After Katrina
New Orleans was significantly affected by hurricane Katrina and it continues to be plagued by all manner of hardships over the last two decades. Residents have slowly been getting back to their feet over time but it’s been difficult. Insurance premiums have dramatically increased, homeownership rates are starting to normalize. There may be hope.
The Wall Street Journal: SpaceX Seeks to Push Past Starship’s Fiery Troubles
SpaceX’s Starship rocket series continues to face hardships by leaks, mixing propellants, and fires during test missions. These failures have pushed back SpaceX’s ambitions to use Starships to accelerate its Starlink satellite business. They are in a place where they need the next series of launches to succeed so they can maintain their prestige in the industry.
The New York Times: 3 Experts on What Trump is Doing to the Economy
3 economics experts weigh in to discuss the perilous status of economic data and the uncertain state of the economy. Topics include the jobs reports, economic conditions, survey methods, and more. It’s worth a read.
Aeon: Philosophy in Prison
A new inside-out prison exchange program has begun nationally. There are 20 students in one of the courses, half are students from a nearby liberal arts college and half are “inside” students. They’ve discussed various aspects of philosophy and both parties had a unique perspective on issues given their backgrounds and experiences.
Reddit: Genericide
Apparently, the legal term for when a brand loses its trademark because the name becomes too common is “genericide.” Famous examples include “escalator,” “aspirin,” and “thermos.”
I think this is a fascinating intersection between popular thought and intellectual property.
These terms are more popular than we would think, because some of these items have seemingly been known for that name forever.
Trampoline
Rollerblades
Dumpster
Zipper
Velcro
Band Aid
There’s really not much more to this thought, just thought it was interesting.
See you Wednesday for Brainwaves,
Drew Jackson
Website: brainwaves.me
Twitter: @brainwavesdotme
Email: brainwaves.me@gmail.com
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Disclaimer: The views expressed in this content are my own and do not represent the views of any of the companies I currently work for or have previously worked for. This content does not contain financial advice - it is for informational and educational purposes only. Investing contains risks and readers should conduct their own due diligence and/or consult a financial advisor before making any investment decisions. Any sponsorship or endorsements are noted and do not affect any editorial content produced.