The Saturday Morning Newsletter #99
Books & Life Smarts, China’s Successful Rocket Launch, and How Companies Have Abandoned Climate Goals
This Week I’m Tracking: 12 developments across the sectors shaping our future
Reading Time: 5 minutes of curated insights
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Let’s dive in.
#1: GPS Renewables
Description: GPS Renewables is a developer of biogas and biofuel.
Why Is This Company Interesting? GPS Renewables recently raised $66.3M in venture capital funding. GPS Renewables is the world’s largest biogas engineering company. They specialize in special microbial solutions for advanced gas purification technologies. Their goal is to create the most efficient and captive biogas technologies on the market. Today, it provides end-to-end solutions for the development, production, and distribution of green fuels, continuing to support the net-zero economic development of India.
#2: Avian
Description: Avian is a developer of thermal monitoring solutions for facilities.
Why Is This Company Interesting? Avian recently raised $2.6M in venture capital funding. Avian is software that monitors critical assets to detect abnormal heat, alerts the right people, and helps operators and maintenance crews act before a fire or damage occurs. Avian functions by monitoring abnormal heat, transitioning it into alerts, responses, and maintenance decisions before critical points happen.
#3: Aboard
Description: Aboard develops electric travel trailers with onboard batteries.
Why Is This Company Interesting? Aboard recently raised $13M in venture capital funding. Aboard is a developer of a hybrid-electric smart travel trailer, combining large-format lithium batteries and vehicle technology to extend off-grid living and long-range adventure. Aboard combines a hybrid-electric powertrain, a range extender, and smart towing technology to create a seamless, powerful experience for outdoor enthusiasts.
#4: Stride
Description: Stride is a financier of rooftop solar installations.
Why Is This Company Interesting? Stride recently raised $15M in venture capital funding. Stride is a Vietnamese-based provider of solar installation payments, enabling homeowners to pay for their solar installations in a flexible and efficient way. This enables reductions in electricity bills, increases in property values, and accelerated environmental sustainability, all through the integration of rooftop solar paid for via monthly payments to Stride. This continues to be a global trend, with many companies helping consumers develop and integrate residential solar panels.
#5: Pacifico Biolabs
Description: Pacifico Biolabs is an alternative meats developer.
Why Is This Company Interesting? Pacifico Biolabs recently raised $7M in venture capital funding. Pacifico is developing the next generation of alternative meats using mycelium fermentation technology. The process uses mycelium, a type of fungus, to develop a meat alternative that captures the taste and texture of traditional meat. I can’t say I’ve done a true taste test here yet, but plant- and alternative-based meats continue to hit the market and will likely gain significant traction over the next few years.
NPR: Iran War Pushing Countries to Switch to Renewables
After 4 months after the start of the Iran war, some countries are not going back to fossil fuel imports in the same way they had in the past. Countries across Asia and Africa are increasing their adoption of solar, batteries, and electric vehicles. In this way, countries have continued to recognize the precarity of oil and natural gas supplies worldwide.
The New York Times: How Companies Have Abandoned Their Climate Goals
Over the last decade, many of the largest companies made big promises about saving the planet. These pledges included stopping pollution, transitioning to renewable energy, and using recyclable materials. However, many of these environmental commitments have evaporated, with some changing the way they measure progress and others postponing their deadlines. How do we continue to hold them accountable?
The New York Times: Climate Change Contributes to Rising Wildfire Deaths
Wildfire smoke is linked to tens of thousands of deaths each year. Scientists estimate climate change is responsible for most of them. In the 1960s, this was around 50,000 deaths a year. Now, in the 2010s, this was closer to 100,000 deaths a year. The number of deaths attributed to climate change increased 12-fold over this period and is expected to continue rising.
The New York Times: China’s Successful Rocket Launch & Catch
This week, the Long March 10B rocket successfully completed its initial flight. Notably, the booster slowed to a stop and maneuvered into the grid of wires that caught it. By snagging the booster as such, it eliminated the need for reusable rockets. China’s space industry, while still trailing that of the U.S., may be closing the gap.
Space Daily: ISS Gravity & Motion Physics
The physics of space often baffles me and goes over my head constantly. However, this article distills it well, explaining that although there is still 90% gravity on the ISS, the astronauts continue to feel weightlessness. I’d recommend a read if you’re interested in the science and physics behind the space dynamics.
Lexology: The Value of IP in Defense Tech
In the 21st century, a large portion of defense advancements are driven by private technology companies, startups, and R&D centers. The development is not purely driven by state-owned defense enterprises. Startups continue to face issues as the technology works, investors are interested, and markets are ready, but the rights to these technologies have not been secured, creating additional risk. Properly protecting these assets is important for future development.
Reddit: Books & Life Smarts
“Book smarts and life smarts are driven by the exact same intelligence, study finds. Information learned through personal life experiences and information learned in a classroom are actually driven by exactly the same underlying mental ability.”
This is such an intriguing concept. Growing up, in our house, this was always called “street smarts” and “book smarts.” It was always assumed that some people had one, some people had another, and some had both.
Turns out they might be cut from the same cloth!
Now, this isn’t exactly what it’s made out to be. In fact, it’s not as ambitious a claim as it seems once you look at the underlying research. See, the researchers found that people who are good at school knowledge are pretty good with general life knowledge. Now, life skills in this case were difficult to measure, more amounting to general life trivia, which these book-smart people were able to answer pretty easily.
How critical is this finding? Given this context, a lot less so, but it does hint at a great field primed for further study. I’d personally love to know whether there are any biological or cognitive differences that lead to one, the other, or both.
That’s a wrap on this week’s roundup.
Drew Jackson
Founder & Writer
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