The Saturday Morning Newsletter #108

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: PlasmaLeap Technologies

Description: PlasmaLeap Technologies uses modular plasma reactors to produce fertilizer.

Why Is This Company Interesting? PlasmaLeap Technologies recently raised $21M in venture capital funding. PlasmaLeap is a deep-tech startup developing zero-emission chemical manufacturing systems. Using zero-carbon, non-thermal plasma reactors powered by renewable electricity, PlasmaLeap converts air, water, and electricity into green nitric acid and nitrates. They decarbonize fertilizer and primary chemical production without fossil-fuel feedstocks.

#2: AgriPass

Description: AgriPass is a developer of robotic weed control systems.

Why Is This Company Interesting? AgriPass recently raised $7.5M in venture capital funding. AgriPass is an agricultural technology company developing non-chemical, AI-driven weed management solutions. Utilizing computer vision and real-time sensing, its platform identifies and precisely removes weeds from each plant, reducing soil disturbance and eliminating dependence on synthetic herbicides.

#3: Bindbridge

Description: Bindbridge is a crop-protection developer.

Why Is This Company Interesting? Bindbridge recently raised $3.8M in venture capital funding. Bindbridge utilizes AI to discover protein degraders and molecular glues for crop protection. Bindbridge is developing the next generation of crop health products that degrade specific disease-causing organisms or target pests without harming beneficial organisms or crops.

#4: ReNew Green Energy Solutions

Description: ReNew Green Energy Solutions is an operator of renewable energy systems.

Why Is This Company Interesting? ReNew Green Energy Solutions recently raised $95M in venture capital funding. ReNew Green Energy Solutions designs, builds, and operates utility-scale renewable energy infrastructure. Their solutions span solar, wind, hybrid power, green hydrogen, and other energy storage, with the goal of providing clean power solutions for many enterprises and municipalities.

#5: Aurora Hydrogen

Description: Aurora Hydrogen uses methane pyrolysis to produce hydrogen.

Why Is This Company Interesting? Aurora Hydrogen recently raised $3M in venture capital funding. Aurora Hydrogen is a climate-tech startup pioneering methane pyrolysis to generate low-cost "turquoise" hydrogen. By splitting natural gas into hydrogen gas and solid carbon without water or oxygen, Aurora produces clean hydrogen with zero direct carbon dioxide emissions and significantly lower electricity requirements than water electrolysis.

Electrek: US Solar Can Now Power 50M Homes

The United States has now installed enough capacity to generate clean electricity to power 50 million homes, around a third of all US households. This represents 45% YoY growth and continues the exponential trend solar has seen over the last decade in the US and across the globe.

Electrek: Do Wind and Solar Farms Tank Home Values?

One of the most potent arguments against a new wind or solar farm is that it will drag down nearby home values. A new study found that they did not have an impact. The study period was from 2004 to 2024 and was limited to Indiana. It compared home prices before and after large wind and solar projects came online. The study found no statistically significant negative effect on residential sale prices near wind or solar farms.

The New York Times: Warming Played ‘Very Strong’ Role in Himalayan Floods

CO2 emissions have significantly warmed the snow-capped Himalayan region. This is likely a direct cause of the Nepal and Tibet rock collapse, which caused devastating floods. Rising temperatures destabilized the ice and permafrost that underlay the mountain slopes. Nepal currently estimates it will cost $5B to recover and rebuild.

Wired: Astronomers Have Completed the Largest Map of Space

This intricate, 5.6 trillion-pixel map covers approximately 75% of the sky and includes over 4 billion objects. The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument has spent 5 years mapping the cosmos to build this understanding. The result has been the largest 3D map of the universe ever created.

The Wall Street Journal: NASA Explores New Missions With Boeing’s Troubled Starliner Spacecraft

Boeing and NASA are currently in talks to use the Starliner vehicle for an upcoming batch of missions. This is a turnaround for the ship that posed risks to crew members on recent flights to the ISS. The scope could include 10 more missions over the next few years.

Yahoo: Creating and Implementing an IP Strategy

Organizations can analyze their marketplace using Porter’s Five Forces methodology and understand how to implement an IP strategy to strengthen those segments. Every form of IP, including patents, trademarks, design protection, trade secrets, and brand protection efforts, can be critical to establishing and maintaining business value.

Axios: This Obscure Philosophy has Become Trump's New AI Bogeyman

The philosophy of effective altruism promotes using evidence and reason to do the most good for humanity and has helped shape the AI safety movement. At what point should we slow AI development to prioritize a safer buildout? If some go slower, what is preventing others from still going fast?

Reddit: A Guide to Spotting Boundary Violations

This person explains their journey identifying and creating boundaries in their life, as shown above. This isn’t to say it’s a perfect or all-encompassing guide, but it seems directionally correct for a lot of people’s journeys.

That's a wrap on this week’s roundup.

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Drew Jackson

Founder & Writer

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