The Saturday Morning Newsletter #90
Arguments Against Veganism, Zugunruhe, and Gas Prices Driving the Sale of EVs
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 collaborative frontier - catch up here.
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Let’s dive in.
Description: Satellites on Fire is a wildfire detection startup.
Why Is This Company Interesting? Satellites on Fire recently raised $2.7M in venture capital funding. Satellites on Fire integrates cameras on watchtowers with satellite imagery to rapidly identify and address new wildfires. They are currently identifying around 95 new wildfires a month, ensuring proper response and prevention. This tool is valuable to municipalities and state governments worldwide, delivering a high ROI.
#2: Voltify
Description: Voltify is a converter of diesel trains to electric.
Why Is This Company Interesting? Voltify recently raised $30M in venture capital funding. Voltify is overhauling traditional locomotives into new electric motors. These trains are then powered by renewable energy instead of fossil fuels. This enables the train system to save up to 66% on fuel costs.
#3: Entrix
Description: Entrix is a battery optimization startup.
Why Is This Company Interesting? Entrix recently raised $43M in venture capital funding. Entrix uses AI technology to optimize battery storage space and lifecycles. Their company also enables the trading of extra energy to drive further revenue for their customers. Currently, they’re executing over 30,000 trades per day.
#4: Zevero
Description: Zevero is a carbon accounting platform.
Why Is This Company Interesting? Zevero recently raised $7M in venture capital funding. Zevero enables companies to manage, track, and act on carbon emissions. Their clients are hitting their net-zero goals early by partnering with Zevero. Their in-house sustainability experts help advise clients on opportunities to continue making progress towards their goals.
#5: Renasens
Description: Renasens is a textile recycling technology.
Why Is This Company Interesting? Renasens recently raised $10M in venture capital funding. Renasens recycles old apparel using a waterless process for tried-and-true results. They start by removing dyes, then separating fibers, and finally cleaning the recycled fibers to complete the recycling process. Circular manufacturing is becoming increasingly important in our global consumerist economy, and Renasens is well-positioned to facilitate it.
Canary Media: America’s Nuclear Dry Spell is Over
After a decade without new nuclear power construction in the United States, two companies have broken ground on projects, with others hot on their heels. TerraPower and Kairos Power both began construction of their nuclear power plants in a dramatic race to the finish line to see who can commercialize energy the fastest and win large energy contracts.
Financial Times: Solar Panel Prices Rising
Solar panel prices are rising after China implemented a program to curb competition among producers. This trend could spell the end of increasingly affordable solar cells—following the Moore’s law trajectory they’ve been on. This surge in prices is driven by both rising silver prices and the crackdown on competition, which has caused billions of dollars in losses in the sector. This may be the rock bottom of prices for the time being.
The New York Times: Fuel Prices Driving the Sale of EVs
The war in Iran and the resulting increase in oil and gas prices have led to a surge in electric vehicle sales globally as consumers aim to transition away amid higher costs. This is beginning to hurt sales of fossil-fuel-powered cars, even as electric vehicle adoption slowed in China and the United States.
The Wall Street Journal: Why Companies Are Racing to Put Satellites in LEO
Low Earth orbit is increasingly sought after by technology companies looking to deploy satellites to provide internet and other services worldwide. This video effectively details the competitive environment, showcasing motivations and potential areas for pause.
Space: SpaceX or Blue Origin for 2028 Moon Landing?
NASA’s redefined plan for the Artemis program puts a test in orbit in 2027, with an attempted landing in late 2028. The two companies previously selected to build this technology are SpaceX and Blue Origin, both of which are currently in development and are facing tight timelines to accomplish this feat. The next few months will determine who is ready and optimally positioned to succeed in this complex task.
The New York Times: Geothermal IPO
This week, Fervo Energy, a geothermal energy player, raised ~$1.9B in its IPO. This was above analyst and investor expectations, signaling confidence in the industry over the longer term. Investors have confidence that this model can be successful, repeatable, and scalable. Hopefully, geothermal only continues to grow in its share of the energy mix.
Pitchbook: Anthropic vs. OpenAI
This article details three charts that help investors and the general public think about the rivalry between Anthropic and OpenAI. It seems as though Anthropic is gaining significant momentum right now. OpenAI was the major leader from the start, so it’s unclear who is currently in the lead.
The New York Times: China Is Weaker Than It Seems
This economist’s viewpoint is that in the long run, a structure similar to the United States’ is bound to succeed more than that of China’s. “Because history shows that the most productive national assets are political freedom and open markets — the freer, more open and more competitive, the better.” This has been shown in the past and continues to ring true today; however, with the recent declines in the United States, the gap is thinning.
Big Think: Zugunruhe
Zugunruhe is a German term for the relentless urge birds feel when caged. This term also applies to humans, as seen in movies where the actor begins to restlessly pace the room they’re stuck in. Philosophers have started using this term to identify when your environment isn’t a good fit for you, causing this reaction—it isn’t a personal flaw.
What is the most interesting philosophical argument against veganism?
Doing some quick research on this topic in Gemini provided some intriguing answers.
For instance, there’s a viewpoint that argues that eating meat actually benefits animals. Flipping the argument on its head, philosophers argue that if the demand for meat drops, then fewer farm animals will be bred. Thus, ethical raised meat will be lower, reducing the number of future lives that would never be.
Another argument is the harm causation argument, which targets the impact of an individual’s choices. The idea is that if you don’t decide to purchase meat, that won’t meaningfully alter the number of chickens slaughtered. The market only responds to massive, macro-level shifts in demand. Thus, the animal on your plate is already dead, and your refusal to eat it changes nothing for the next generation of livestock.
Finally, another argument points out the general hypocrisy of a pure vegan diet. Agriculture of any kind requires clearing land, which destroys natural habitats and kills millions of small mammals, birds, and insects. Some argue that eating a single grass-fed cow results in fewer total animal deaths than a diet reliant on intensive crop farming. Trying to completely detach yourself from the cycle of death is a philosophical impossibility.
That’s a wrap on this week’s roundup.
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Drew Jackson
Founder & Writer
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