The Saturday Morning Newsletter #67
$17M for Pea-Based Milk, Electric Boating Fads, Lessons to Make You Stronger
This Week I’m Tracking: 13 developments across the sectors shaping our future
Reading Time: 5 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 dreaming big dreams - catch up here.
Let’s dive in.
#1: ExploMar
Description: ExploMar is a developer of electric propulsion systems for boats.
Why Is This Company Interesting? ExploMar recently raised $10M in venture capital funding. ExploMar is developing the next generation of electric boat propulsion engines. These engines are lightweight, sustainable, and provide higher transfer efficiency than current market solutions.
#2: Arctus Aerospace
Description: Arctus Aerospace is building aircraft for earth observation.
Why Is This Company Interesting? Arctus Aerospace recently raised $2.6M in venture capital funding. Arctus is developing unmanned aircraft that serve as live Earth observation platforms. These aircraft are currently built only for defense applications, but commercial use could be extensive in the future, opening up significant growth opportunities.
#3: Antares
Description: Antares designs micro nuclear reactors.
Why Is This Company Interesting? Antares recently raised $71M in venture capital funding. Antares is striving to develop the first commercial micro nuclear reactor. Their timetable is to have one in commercial production by 2027, providing their technology and creating a pipeline of future orders. This market will likely be won by the first to succeed, and Antares believes it will be that company.
#4: Ripple Foods
Description: Ripple Foods is producing pea-protein-based milks.
Why Is This Company Interesting? Ripple Foods recently raised $17M in venture capital funding. Ripple Foods is striving to produce a new category of plant-based milk, all centered around peas. They claim their product has as much protein as dairy milk, but fewer sugars and more calcium. It also performs better than almond or oat milk. Is it the future? It’s unclear at this moment, but they may be a significant contender.
#5: Addis Energy
Description: Addis Energy is producing ammonia underground.
Why Is This Company Interesting? Addis Energy recently raised $8.3M in venture capital funding. Addis is harnessing next-gen scientific techniques to create ammonia. By using iron under the Earth’s surface, they can split water into hydrogen and oxygen, which react and produce ammonia. This production process is more efficient and much less energy-intensive than current market solutions.
Wall Street Journal: Can the U.S. Make Big Nuclear Reactors?
The United States recently unveiled plans to partner with Westinghouse and other nuclear companies to accelerate nuclear power deployment. This could result in 8 new reactors, each capable of powering mid-sized cities or AI data centers. Westinghouse estimated the overnight cost of each reactor at ~$10B, which doesn’t factor in financing costs.
The New York Times: Many Fighting Climate Change Worry They Are Losing the Information War
Delegates wrapped up the annual UN climate talks last week, with some interesting conclusions. Firstly, the oil and gas industries continue to downplay the scientific consensus that the burning of fossil fuels is dangerously heating the planet. Secondly, many are seeing surging disinformation online and in politics as undermining international efforts to respond to the climate change threat.
Reuters: South Korea’s 4th Space Rocket Launch Successful
South Korea successfully launched the fourth rocket, Nuri, this week, putting more than a dozen satellites into orbit. This is the country’s first launch jointly conducted with a private company, opening a channel for future public-private partnerships. South Korea aims to test at least 2 more rockets by 2027, slowly becoming a more significant player in the global space industry.
The New York Times: Russian Launch Issue
A major launchpad Russia uses to send astronauts and cargo to the ISS and other space locations is out of commission. A rocket launch caused the platform to fall into the flame trench, out of position, and be mangled. This raises questions about the future of the Russian space program and its role in the current space race.
The New York Times: AI Is A Bubble. Maybe That’s OK
This opinion writer takes the view that we may be in a “rational bubble” that will take our economy to a better place (rather than other speculative bubbles throughout history). Bubbles are often irrational, but the AI bubble represents a transformation of the entire economy, shaping the future. Investors are theorizing that there will be 1000x returns on investment from a few key sources, and that’s worth throwing money at the problem today.
The New York Times: Don’t Fear the Bubble Bursting
Progress usually happens under pressure. This opinion article argues that generative AI needs to course-correct for energy efficiency and for its own advancement. If we only scale up our current approach, we won’t reach our full potential. There are “better” AI models in our future, and they require many of the current ones to break in order to reassess and build better the next time.
Psyche: The Struggle Between We and Us
If you’re like me, you probably haven’t thought much about the differences between “we” and “us.” Drawing on phenomenological insights, philosophers have extensively explored issues surrounding consciousness, the self, and first-person plurals. Many have and are currently studying the effects of transitioning from ‘I’ to a ‘we’ from the experience being singularly mine to collectively ours. Adding in ‘us’ is the next step in that journey.
Reddit: 20 Stoic Lessons That Will Make You Stronger
Anger is punishment you give yourself.
Discipline is the highest form of self-love.
Ego is the enemy — stay humble.
Do the right thing, not the easy thing.
You become unstoppable when you stop seeking approval.
You don’t need to respond to everything.
The world owes you nothing — earn your life.
Most fears are illusions — face them.
Let go of what you can’t change — or it will own you.
The strongest person is the one in control of themselves.
Emotion kills logic — breathe, don’t react.
You suffer twice when you worry about tomorrow.
Not everything deserves a reaction — silence wins battles.
If it doesn’t matter in five years, let it go today.
Become the person your past self prayed for.
Focus on effort, not outcome — outcome belongs to fate.
A wise mind listens twice before speaking once.
Suffering becomes strength when you accept it.
Routine builds warriors — chaos builds victims.
Your time is your life — guard both.
That’s a wrap on this week’s roundup.
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Drew Jackson
Founder & Writer
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Brilliant. Your synthesis of these developments is always so valuable. The pivot from defense to commercial in aerospace, exemplified by Arctus, realy mirrors a significant trend in technological evolution. It often provides a crucial springboard for widespread innovation, redirecting foundational research toward broader societal benefits. Fascinating.