Hello!

Welcome to The Saturday Morning Newsletter, a concise and casual digest of current events, optimistic news stories, and other interesting tidbits to round out your week. The concept is simple: 17 articles, essays, companies, ideas, podcasts, videos, or thoughts that caught my attention this week for their potential to significantly impact our future.

I want this to be a collaborative effort, so if you see examples of things that truly impact our future, let me know here. I’ll give you credit for sharing them.

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Let’s get started.

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#1: Planet A Foods

Description: Planet A Foods is a startup developing sustainable, cocoa-free chocolate.

Why Is This Company Interesting? Planet A Foods recently raised $30M in venture capital funding. Cocoa is only able to be grown in certain parts of the world, leading to mass deforestation and huge environmental damages. Plant A Foods uses a proprietary technology to ferment plant-based ingredients, which are capable of naturally recreating the flavors and fats in the foods we know and love. These plant-based ingredients are used in place of cocoa in their new chocolate products.

#2: Intersect Power

Description: Intersect Power is a business that develops, owns, and operates renewable energy projects.

Why Is This Company Interesting? Intersect Power recently raised $800M in private equity funding. $800M! Their portfolio currently has some of the world’s largest renewable energy projects, comprising over 2.2 GW of solar and 2.4 GWh of battery storage. It’s incredible to see this amount of funding be dedicated to renewable energy, enabling utility-scale results.

#3: Pixxel

Description: Pixxel is a startup building imaging satellites to capture detailed images of Earth.

Why Is This Company Interesting? Pixxel recently raised $24M in venture capital funding. Pixxel’s goal is to detect, monitor, and predict threats to Earth that are invisible to satellites today. Specifically targeted at climate action, Pixxel aims to foster a sustainable future through informed insights.

#4: Molten Salt Solutions

Description: Molten Salt Solutions is a developer of isotopically-enriched lithium for nuclear reactors.

Why Is This Company Interesting? Molten Salt Solutions recently raised $3M in venture capital funding. The next generation of nuclear reactors will require vast amounts of isotopically-enriched lithium. Molten Salt Solutions is providing this answer plus a unique metal salt synthesis method to drive the next generation of nuclear power inputs, primed to capitalize on the current nuclear trends.

#5: Terradot

Description: Terradot is a next-generation carbon removal startup.

Why Is This Company Interesting? Terradot recently raised $58.2M in venture capital funding. Their unique process leverages the Earth’s natural rock weathering process, where silicate rocks are crushed into powder and then when it rains, the rocks weather, generating alkalinity, and pulling CO2 out of the atmosphere and into the water molecules. Yet another way we’ve seen to solve parts of the carbon capture/removal process.

Bloomberg: China’s Oil Demand May Peak Early on Rapid Transport Shift

The newest forecasts project China’s oil demand may peak in 2025. It was only 10 months ago that projections were estimating the peak oil demand would be in 2030. The rapid influx of electric vehicles in China is exponentially increasing this transition away from oil and may be a large reason the world could hit its climate goals.

The Atlantic: A New Reckoning for Nuclear Energy

This spring, the United States added to its nuclear capacity for the second year in a row, the first time since 1990. In June, Congress passed a law to accelerate nuclear energy development. As trumpeted before and probably after today, nuclear may be in a revival state currently, with promising growth trajectories ahead.

Amazon: 7 Ways Amazon is Thinking Big About Nuclear Energy

From the mouth of Big Tech itself, here are the 7 ways Amazon is thinking big about nuclear: (1) advancing small modular reactors, (2) ensuring existing nuclear reactors stay online, (3) creating and preserving jobs, (4) investing in companies building new nuclear technology, (5) partnering with utilities and government leaders, (6) supporting research, (7) learning and being curious.

Nuclear Engineering International Magazine: The Future Of Nuclear Energy: An Expert Insight

This is an interview with a former deputy director of the IAEA, Dr. Alexander Bychkov. An interesting Q&A to highlight is “Q: Many of these new reactor designs are targeting 2030 for deployment of their first reactor. Is this practical? A: I don’t think companies will be able to deploy new design reactors by then. Of course, it is a good sign that small businesses and venture companies are making efforts in this area. However, my long-term experience in the nuclear industry shows that, without government support, it is not possible to establish long-term development”

World Nuclear News: Accelerating the Next Wave of Nuclear to Power AI Innovation

Meta joins the group of large tech companies looking at nuclear to power new AI data centers. Meta is seeking to build around 4 GW of capacity by the early 2030s, a lofty goal when it comes to nuclear. It’ll be interesting to see if the desires of all of these tech companies combined can influence nuclear regulations and infrastructure to expedite these processes.

The New York Times: What is Venture Capital Now Anyway?

This article is a fantastic comparison and pseudo-history of the venture capital landscape in the United States and how next-gen firms like a16z have transformed the industry from ~$230B in AUM in 2009 to $1.2T in AUM in 2023 (a 13% growth rate each year). Some worry venture funds have become too big, with smaller firms struggling to compete against the big funds. Will the landscape change again in the next decade? Probably, but no one knows yet how.

KSN: U.S. Department of Labor Recommends Phasing Out Paying Those With Disabilities Less Than Minimum Wage

This is fantastic news. The Department of Labor has recommended phasing out paying those with disabilities less than minimum wage. At least 15 states have eliminated paying subminimum wages to people with disabilities. After a review of comments, the Department of Labor will potentially phase out the subminimum wage within 3 years, so no immediate impacts.

Pitchbook: 9 VC Firms Collected Half of All Money Raised by US Funds in 2024

9 firms collected 50% of all VC money raised in 2024. Just 9, out of the thousands that exist. Connecting to the article above, have venture capital firms become too big? This could be evidence that they have, and the system needs a correction.

Forbes: Intellectual Property in Horticulture

I learned something brand new today. When an inventor creates a new, distinct, and unique type of plant, they can apply for a patent for that plant. This encourages people to enhance various plant traits such as disease resistance, flower color, and sustainable growth habits. If granted, a patent gives the owner exclusive rights to sell, market, and license the new plant for 20 years.

Forbes: What It Means to “Do Philosophy”

How do you do philosophy on your own, outside of a classroom/student setting? Begin to wonder. Wondering means you are unsatisfied with the status quo and you want to look closer and deeper at things. This is when you start to do philosophy. The idea is that we’re missing something and with that thought, and any subsequent, you are engaging in philosophy.

The New York Times: Ready for the Next Extreme-Weather Catastrophe? Here’s How to Pack a ‘Go Bag’

Let’s skip to the good stuff. What should you pack? Cash, copies of important documents, water, nonperishable food for 3 days, medical necessities, a first aid kit, changes of clothing for 3 days, a flashlight, extra chargers/batteries/power banks, hygiene supplies, pet supplies, and a small multi-tool/toolkit.

I saw an image this week that said the following:

The real luxuries in life:

time

health

a quiet mind

slow mornings

ability to travel

rest without guilt

a good night’s sleep

calm and “boring” days

meaningful conversations

home-cooked meals

people you love

people who love you back

See you Wednesday for Brainwaves,

Drew Jackson

Twitter: @brainwavesdotme

Email: brainwaves.me@gmail.com

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Disclaimer: The views expressed in this content are my own and do not represent the views of any of the companies I currently work for or have previously worked for. This content does not contain financial advice - it is for informational and educational purposes only. Investing contains risks and readers should conduct their own due diligence and/or consult a financial advisor before making any investment decisions. Any sponsorship or endorsements are noted and do not affect any editorial content produced.