The Saturday Morning Newsletter #86
Where Did All The Affordable Cars Go?, Asking Weird Questions, and Maximizing Your Social Intelligence
This Week I’m Tracking: 15 developments across the sectors shaping our future
Reading Time: 6 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 the opponents of venture capital - catch up here.
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Let’s dive in.
#1: Turion Space
Description: Turion Space is a developer of spacecraft.
Why Is This Company Interesting? Turion Space recently raised $75M in venture capital funding. Turion Space is building a platform and ecosystem optimized to perform in the next century of space. Their technology anticipates that space will become increasingly congested, requiring next-generation solutions that proactively position and equip hardware to adapt to changing conditions. Their platform is built with this in mind, packaging the software and hardware together for this end scenario.
#2: Agriodor
Description: Agriodor is a developer of natural crop protection products.
Why Is This Company Interesting? Agriodor recently raised $15M in venture capital funding. Agriodor is seeking to further stabilize agricultural outcomes from the effects of pests and insects. Their goal is to develop a biology-based, natural pesticide that repels unwanted invaders while protecting the helpful critters. They’ve created a proprietary blend to do this and are now deploying it to the market.
Description: Citra Space Corporation is a developer of space object identification capabilities.
Why Is This Company Interesting? Citra Space Corporation recently raised $15M in venture capital funding. Citra Space is developing a software solution for space-based objects. Their platform enables the discovery, identification, and tracking of space-based objects, ensuring full transparency in orbit. Technology like this is especially attractive to government entities that wish to ensure dominance in space and prevent bad actors.
#4: Scentian Bio
Description: Scentian Bio is a developer of insect-based sensors.
Why Is This Company Interesting? Scentian Bio recently raised $7M in venture capital funding. Scentian Bio uses insect-based techniques to revolutionize odor detection. They use highly sensitive biosensors that measure the concentrations of thousands of compounds to determine what the “smell” is and should be. They’ve been able to produce this technology at scale, bringing it into the food and beverage, logistics, health, and pest control markets.
Description: Fieldwork Robotics is a developer of berry-picking robots.
Why Is This Company Interesting? Fieldwork Robotics recently raised $3M in venture capital funding. Fieldwork Robotics is creating robot pickers for the raspberry market. They’ve created an autonomous robot that reduces the cost per berry and provides a predictable cost structure. These robots use 3D cameras, sensors, and machine learning to pick fruits at the same speed and quality as human pickers, while operating for extended periods.
Visual Capitalist: The Countries Building the Most Nuclear Power
Based on existing and projected project capacity, China is set to become the leader in nuclear power. This article ranks countries by current and prospective nuclear capacity, showcasing how the world plans to reach 180 GW+. Countries expanding nuclear capacity can reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels, while strengthening energy security and grid safety.
AgWeb: Solar Panel Plague or Progress?
Solar panels have become a large source of income for farmers, but those around them aren’t happy with the change. Farmers are being offered $1,500/acre+. Many critics argue that it reduces local wildlife, destroys the scenery, and reflects poorly on the regions where it’s placed. It’s a complicated affair because, on the one hand, we want to ensure the renewable energy transition, but on the other hand, solar takes up a lot of land, affecting local inhabitants.
The New York Times: Northeast States Set Big Climate Goals
Several years ago, Northeast states adopted some of the most ambitious policies to shift away from fossil fuels towards clean alternatives. Today, after rising electricity bills and the current Administration’s goals, these states are beginning to rethink their goals. Is it possible to achieve clean energy targets? For many, actual events are beginning to point to a miss; there still may be initiatives to help bolster results.
The New York Times: Why Investing in Wind and Solar to Avoid Gas Shocks Hasn’t Added Up For Some
Fuel prices are soaring after prominent geopolitical conflicts. Even as countries are installing record levels of wind and solar power to insulate themselves against energy shocks, the results haven’t been fully proven. This is particularly impactful in Europe, as the way it sets electricity prices can be dramatically affected by fluctuations in fossil fuel prices.
The New York Times: Artemis II Gives NASA Momentum in Renewed Moon Race
For the time being, the United States is ahead of China in the race to the Moon. The recent Artemis II mission demonstrated that their spacecraft can handle transporting human beings to the Moon. The next significant milestone is putting humans back on the Moon in 2028. China aims to put its astronauts on the Moon by 2030, so the U.S. timeline continues to show dominance for now.
The Wall Street Journal: Landing On The Moon Will Be A Lot Harder
Some current and former NASA officials are skeptical that a 2028 landing will be possible, given the technical and operational needs over the next two years. The Artemis II recent mission may end up being the easy part of this initiative. Major progress will be made in 2027 with the Artemis III mission, which will dock the spacecraft with lunar landers in orbit.
The New York Times: Where Did All The Affordable Cars Go?
For better or worse, American society is built on cars. For most Americans, buying a car has become a significant financial burden. The solution is to stop subsidizing American-made cars and open the market broadly to foreign-made cars. This is a complicated solution, as it further promotes offshoring and the use of foreign assets in critical U.S. infrastructure. Yet people at the bottom of the income scale need a solution for the broader society to function.
Clarivate: Impact of AI on Modern IP Decision Making
AI remains ingrained in modern intellectual property workflows. A majority of intellectual property participants use AI in their workflows, with trust developing through exposure to the product. People have slowly moved from skepticism to support once these platforms have proven they can reliably handle every request. The future is expected to only continue this transition.
Albion College: Asking and Answering Weird Questions
Asking weird questions is a fundamental part of philosophy. Similarly, an equally important part of philosophy is the answers it provides. Every good philosopher should practice asking all of the weird questions and be prepared to vehemently defend the answers they give. This is the field’s goal: advancing ideas and answers through rational analysis.
20 Sentences to Maximize Your Social Intelligence (I guide I found on the internet)
To solve an issue quickly, be soft on the person and hard on the problem
Pretend everyone was sent to teach you something
Pause in speaking + eye contact = confidence
Make people feel important with the SHR Method: Seen, Heard, Remembered
A person’s favorite sound is their name, so remember it
“Praise publicly. Criticize privately.” - Warren Buffett
To give feedback, first make the other person feel you care about them
“Unspoken expectations are premeditated resentments.” - Neil Strauss
The best networking strategy is a helping others first strategy
Loneliness is a silent pandemic; assume people want to meet you
Practice going first, e.g., “Hi, I’m Ben.”
Build the habit of responding with “Yes, and” because it advances their idea
Avoid complaining or gossiping (nobody likes to hear it)
Storytelling is a superpower; use a structure like setup, tension, and resolution
Every dog has its day because dogs are friendly (lesson in there)
“The quality of your relationships determines the quality of your life.” - E. Perel
To discover blind spots, build an inner circle that will give you honest feedback
Normalize “I don’t know anything about that yet” as a successful answer
Record and study your speaking like an athlete watching game film
“Great leaders create more leaders, not followers.” - Roy T. Bennett
That’s a wrap on this week’s roundup.
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Drew Jackson
Founder & Writer
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Next Deep Dive: Proponents: Is Venture Capital the Best Asset Class?
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