The Saturday Morning Newsletter #66
Big Bets on The Future of Running, Bill Gates’ Views on Climate, $1B to Restart Three Mile Island
This Week I’m Tracking: 12 developments across the sectors shaping our future
Reading Time: 4 minutes of curated insights
Your weekly pulse check: The most important events in venture capital, energy, space, economics, intellectual property, philosophy, and more. I distill the most important developments across sectors I track, saving you hours of research while keeping you ahead of the curve.
New to these updates? They pair with our bi-weekly Brainwave analyses for comprehensive sector coverage. Wednesday’s deep dive explored Brainwaves year in review - catch up here.
Let’s dive in.
#1: DePoly
Description: DePoly is a European plastic recycling company.
Why Is This Company Interesting? DePoly recently raised $23M in venture capital funding. DePoly envisions a world built through recycling. They are striving to create a circular economy by reusing and repurposing old plastics into new products. Less than 10% of all plastic products are currently recycled, leaving a significant market gap that firms like DePoly can help fill.
Description: Nascent Materials is a battery materials startup.
Why Is This Company Interesting? Nascent recently raised $2.3M in venture capital funding. Over 90% of our battery parts are sourced from overseas. Given the critical role the battery industry will play in the future, companies like Nascent are pivotal to our energy security. What’s the point of having U.S.-generated energy if we can’t store it? Nascent is working to build a domestic battery supply chain, providing energy security for decades to come.
#3: Gridcare
Description: Gridcare is a software for energy utilization monitoring.
Why Is This Company Interesting? Gridcare recently raised $13.5M in venture capital funding. Gridcare is the missing link for the current AI data center craze. Energy units are often underutilized due to a lack of data and visibility into usage. Gridcare provides unparalleled transparency on an asset level, enabling grid operators to more efficiently and effectively deploy their assets.
#4: Kumulus Water
Description: Kumulus Water is a developer of atmospheric water generators.
Why Is This Company Interesting? Kumulus recently raised $3.5M in venture capital funding. Kumulus partners with businesses to provide fresh, sustainably sourced water for their employees. Their technology captures air and then compresses it to produce water. This water undergoes filtration, creating a clean, efficient end product.
#5: Voltfang
Description: Voltfang repurposes EV batteries.
Why Is This Company Interesting? Voltfang recently raised $17M in venture capital funding. Voltfang is addressing a growing problem: spent EV batteries. As the adoption rate of electric vehicles continues to climb globally, previous generations will begin to age out, leaving behind large amounts of waste batteries. Voltfang is a home for these batteries, repurposing them to provide a sustainable energy source for businesses worldwide.
CNN: Trump Administration Lends $1B to Restart Three Mile Island Nuclear Reactor
The Trump administration announced it has loaned Constellation Energy $1B to restart the Three Mile Island Nuclear reactor. In 2024, Constellation signed a deal with Microsoft to restart the reactor, which would offset Microsoft’s electricity use in its data centers. This restart will help support the regional grid by providing stable, large, and affordable energy.
Recharge: Rising Profits for Onshore Wind
Recently, the five major Western wind turbine manufacturers were still loss-making. Still, now Nordex and Vestas are posting rising net profits, with other manufacturers signalling they may be about to break even. Onshore wind is making a comeback, and the economics are becoming more favorable.
The New York Times: Give Nuclear Power Another Chance
During this year’s climate conference, Governor Newsom noted that nuclear energy has gone from being a contested energy source to the key to America’s “low-carbon green growth strategy.” Critics cite laws passed in California that effectively make it illegal to build nuclear power plants. Nine states still have statewide moratoriums in place. To give nuclear power another chance, these laws need to be reconsidered.
The New York Times: Bill Gates Has a Point
Environmentalists have traditionally argued that climate change is a threat to all of human civilization. However, these views of the world are missing a key point: we won’t all suffer equally. Those who are threatened by climate disasters tend to be unhoused, older, or living in poverty. Separately, Bill Gates has written that “Climate change is a serious problem, but it will not be the end of civilization.” Many agree with this, but emphasize that it remains a significant issue that needs to be addressed.
Pitchbook: Strava’s Acquisition of Runna
Since the pandemic, running has become much more popular, with interested and active adults spending more on the sport. Strava’s acquisition of Runna continues this bet, emphasizing that running isn’t just a simple sport about putting on a pair of tennis shoes; it’s about technology, gear, and preparation.
The Collector: Aristotle’s Important Works
This article details eight works from Aristotle that shaped Western Philosophy. An ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle’s published works have profoundly impacted Western philosophy. Only 31 of his treatises survived. If you’re interested in philosophy and haven’t read these before, I would highly recommend them.
It’s Thanksgiving week!
If you’re like me, you’ve spent a bit of time appreciating the people in your life and being grateful for the positives (and perhaps negatives) in your life.
Unfortunately, if you’re like me, after this week, you won’t spend enough time appreciating the people in your life and being grateful. Take some time to think about how you can further integrate that into your life.
Maybe the solution is a gratitude journal, maybe it’s a weekly or daily calendar reminder, maybe it’s about serving in your community more. There are many ways to act; the value is in the thoughtfulness behind each act.
That’s a wrap on this week’s roundup.
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Drew Jackson
Founder & Writer
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