The Saturday Morning Newsletter #25

👋 Hello friends,

Thank you for joining this week's edition of The Saturday Morning Newsletter. I'm Drew Jackson, and today we're exploring 15 articles, essays, companies, ideas, podcasts, videos, or thoughts that caught my attention this week for their potential to significantly impact our future.

Before we begin: The Saturday Morning Newsletter by Brainwaves arrives in your inbox every Saturday, a concise and casual digest of current events, optimistic news stories, and other interesting tidbits about venture capital, economics, space, energy, intellectual property, philosophy, and beyond. I write as a curious explorer rather than an expert, and I value your insights and perspectives on each subject.

Time to Read: 5 minutes.

Let’s dive in!

#1: Urban Sky

Description: Urban Sky is a developer of high-altitude balloons.

Why Is This Company Interesting? Urban Sky recently raised $30M in venture capital funding. Their balloons offer quick, easy, long-duration flight in the stratosphere. Their technology allows for rapid deployment, high-wind launch capabilities, solid durability, and fantastic navigation abilities.

#2: Tidal Vision

Description: Tidal Vision is a company that is developing chitosan from crab shells.

Why Is This Company Interesting? Tidal Vision recently raised $140M in venture capital funding. What is chitosan? Chitosan is a derivative of chitin, the second most abundant biopolymer. It’s the only biopolymer with a naturally positive electrostatic charge meaning it has a strong affinity for ions, metals, molecules, and more.

#3: Modern Synthesis

Description: Modern Synthesis is turning bacteria into textile fibers.

Why Is This Company Interesting? Modern Synthesis recently raised $5.5M in venture capital funding. Their technology reinforces the material strength and allows for a more customized look, feel, and function. A new class of nonwoven materials is upon us.

#4: Chestnut Carbon

Description: Chestnut Carbon is a developer of nature-based carbon capture.

Why Is This Company Interesting? Chestnut Carbon recently raised $160M in venture capital funding. Partnering with Microsoft, their carbon restoration projects are delivering companies high-quality carbon removal credits. They have planted hundreds of thousands of acres of new forestland to remove millions of tons of carbon dioxide.

#5: Mast Reforestation

Description: Mast Reforestation is a reforestation startup.

Why Is This Company Interesting? Mast Reforestation recently raised $25M in venture capital funding. They go in after wildfires and replant trees, helping the ecosystem bounce back and trap the large carbon sources. Companies purchase their carbon removal credits, allowing them to increase their reach across the nation.

Carbon Brief: 95% of Countries Missed the UN Deadline to Submit 2035 Climate Pledges

Of the 195 countries that signed the Paris Agreement, only 13 submitted their new emissions-cutting plans by the 10th of February deadline. Countries missing the deadline represent 83% of global emissions and nearly 80% of the world’s economy—a large portion currently unaccounted for. There are few enforcement mechanisms for this, mainly pressures from other countries, but if the world majorly isn’t following this, who will keep them in line?

NPR: Dog Treats from Lab-Grown Meat in the UK

In 2024, the UK became the first country in Europe to legalize lab-grown meat. Meatly is producing its Chick Bites, a new lab-grown meat dog treat. Cells are taken from a chicken egg and cultivated in a lab, then combined with plant-based ingredients. There hasn’t been a mass test in the open market for lab-grown meat for humans yet, but this is a critical first step.

Atlantic Council: Nuclear Power is Making a Comeback Around the World

Fatih Birol, the director of the International Energy Agency, stated, “Today I can confirm that nuclear power is making a comeback…. More than forty countries have concrete plans and projects in place to build or expand their nuclear capacity…. We have never seen this before.” The nuclear renaissance is beginning to show on the worldwide level, as many countries choose to ramp up their development of nuclear reactors.

Solar Energy Industries Association: We Need Solar and Storage to Address the Energy Emergency

This article explains the issue very simply:

President Trump recently declared an energy emergency. In his Executive Order, he states “We need a reliable, diversified, and affordable supply of energy to drive our Nation’s manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, and defense industries, and to sustain the basics of modern life and military preparedness.” Currently, the fastest and least expensive way to meet that goal is with solar and energy storage projects that are already under development.

The growing demand for electricity needs a rapidly deployable solution. Developing new power plants takes years, but the demand is here now. Solar is capable of being deployed quickly and can be the solution necessary for this energy emergency.

McKinsey: Residential Solar: Down, Not Out

Between 2020 and 2023, there was a 30% annual growth in residential solar installations, a large increase. However, in 2024, there was a decline in growth as fewer panels were installed. This led to large capital injections, major bankruptcies, job losses, and much more. McKinsey believes that the future of solar is still bright: rooftop solar is still competitive, costs are likely to keep coming down, and customer interest is at an all-time high.

The New York Times: Trump Is Freezing Money for Clean Energy. Red States Have the Most to Lose

The Inflation Reduction Act and other prominent Biden-era pieces of legislation are being stopped and undone by the new administration. These changes are primarily affecting Republican districts, which have accounted for ~80% of the manufacturing investments and tax breaks from these legislations.

Pitchbook: Trump’s CFPB Shutdown Makes Consumer Protection A Selling Point

Fewer enforcement mechanisms will likely invite more bad actors, but companies that operate fairly and sustainably could capitalize on these trends, becoming a new marketing moat. Companies are going to start marketing buyer protections as benefits against competitors.

History of Philosophy: Visualized

I found it hard to find a nice way to think about philosophy and philosophers. This new visualization shows the similarities between different philosophers, so if you read one and wanted to learn more about that topic from someone else, you could see who also is involved in that theory. It’s a fun, simple way to see which philosophers are similar or different from each other.

Psychology Today: Philosophy As a Tool for Self-Supervision

Psychologists can use philosophical thought to positively reflect on their practice. Philosophy can prompt psychologists (and everyone else) to explore their implicit assumptions, cognitive biases, and emotional responses to events. Taking time to introspect on these topics can help you learn, grow, and adapt to your tendencies that you weren’t broadly aware of.

Comfort is a silent killer of dreams.

Comfort brings stagnation. When we’re comfortable, we stop pushing ourselves. We settle into our routines because we feel safe, however, these routines can become weights that drag us down.

The fear of discomfort prevents us from taking risks. As you’ve probably heard, growth requires risk. But risk comes with discomfort, uncertainty, and often failure. Many people, including myself, let the fear of these things stop them from even trying.

The key is to push past this comfort, recognizing the resistance, but leaning into the growth that it will provide.

See you Wednesday for Brainwaves,

Drew Jackson

Website: brainwaves.me

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.