👋 Hello friends,

Thank you for joining this week's edition of The Saturday Morning Newsletter. I'm Drew Jackson, and today we're exploring [xyz total number] 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!

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#1: DeepIP

Description: DeepIP is an AI-powered assistant for intellectual property professionals.

Why Is This Company Interesting? DeepIP recently raised $15M in venture capital funding. They believe intellectual property isn’t just a legal necessity but also a strategic asset. Generative AI represents a shift in the industry, allowing them to have better and faster patent drafting. The software helps with patent preparation, drafting assistance, iteration & review, and other administrative actions.

#2: Focused Energy

Description: Focused Energy is a fusion energy company.

Why Is This Company Interesting? Fusion Energy recently raised $150M in venture capital funding. Focused Energy achieved fusion in 2021, with a net energy gain in 2022. Their fuel is a mix of sea water and lithium, increasing energy output by 30x compared to current solutions on the market. Their design focuses on manufacturability, with components that can be mass-produced and easily shipped.

#3: Aetherflux

Description: Aetherflux is a network of small satellites in space.

Why Is This Company Interesting? Aetherflux recently raised $50M in venture capital funding. The sun delivers more energy to Earth in an hour than humanity uses in an entire year. As such, the sun is an abundant, currently majorly untapped source of energy. Firms like Aetherflux are beginning to build solar energy satellites in space, capable of sending energy through infrared lasers back to Earth.

#4: GravitHy

Description: GravitHy is an eco-friendly steel producer.

Why Is This Company Interesting? GravitHy recently raised $64.8M in venture capital funding. Their flagship factory utilizes low-carbon and renewable hydrogen to manufacture decarbonized direct-reduced iron. The steel sector is responsible for 8% of global emissions, so any technologies capable of reducing those emissions are incredibly important.

ICF: 5 Factors That Will Shape Nuclear Energy’s Future

The ICF argues that there are 5 main factors that will positively or negatively affect the future of nuclear energy. They are the following:

1. Nuclear costs and revenue
2. The timing of the next nuclear plant
3. Federal incentives for nuclear
4. Nuclear fuel availability and disposal
5. Public acceptance of nuclear energy

The Independent: See-Through Solar Panels Could Turn Skyscrapers into Power Stations

Researchers for the CitySolar project have developed a new transparent solar cell with efficiency close to that of commercial solar cells. It’s unclear what the unit economics would be at this time, but if possible, it could be added to almost every business building in the world (not to mention residential buildings), generating electricity without having any rooftop space used. The market for this technology is probably hundreds of billions of dollars, if not trillions.

Scientific American: World’s First Carbon Removal Plant Powered Directly by Wind

A new carbon capture plant has been planned to be developed in Texas, sponsored by 3 European companies. This facility would run mainly on low-cost, clean power derived from wind turbines. With capacity to remove up to 500,000 metric tons of carbon from the atmosphere per year (more than the average annual emissions of a natural gas plant), this business model may end up being the future, a net negative producer of carbon emissions.

European Commission: Wind Energy in the European Clean Energy Transition

European plans for the clean energy transition have wind energy playing a large role, with renewables generating 48% of all electricity in the EU in 2024. This transition has been led by many financing programs, allowing grants for 40+ projects across countries. In addition, renewables have been used to decarbonize energy-intensive industries. The EU expects to continue funding and promoting wind energy growth.

The New York Times: The Everyday Climate Initiatives

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the climate and environmental news everywhere. For many, the world seems to be going off the deep end. Yet, there are things happening all over the country (and the world) every day. It’s the beginning of their series, but writers from The New York Times are highlighting one environmental change that’s working in every state, showing progress being made across the country.

Space: An Analysis of Space Pirates

Eventually, there will be space pirates (like you’ve seen in movies). Some argue that these practices have already started with early attempts to hack satellites. With the increasing commercialization of space, piracy will continue to increase. As such, the United States and other world entities should begin to proactively address these issues so they do not get out of hand.

The New York Times: Orbital Rocket Crashes After First Launch From Continental Europe

The rocket launched by Isar Aerospace this week was the first orbital flight outside of Russia to leave continental Europe. Unfortunately, about 30 seconds after the rocket cleared the launchpad, it pitched to the side and went into the ocean. The company is very happy with their results, as it has given them a large amount of data to analyze and discuss how their next rocket can do better.

UNESCO: What a Trapped Tiger Can Teach Kids About Philosophy

Many proponents believe that “children should learn not only how to gather evidence but also have to interpret it from the point of view of values and meaning in the social world, in a particular context and time.” New UNESCO initiatives are promoting this through the use of philosophy in classrooms. The goal is not only to teach students what we know, but how and why we have come to know it.

The New York Times: How to Buy a Home Knowing Its Climate Vulnerabilities

Millions of Americans have already begun to face climate issues in their homes and lifestyles, with the risk only expected to increase over time. When deciding to buy a home, knowing how much climate risk you face is key, as many people stay in their homes for decades with much of their wealth tied up in them. This resource provides many key questions to consider when choosing to buy a home.

A random wholesome post on Reddit the other day talked about how “It's not a stop sign, just a speed bump. Slow down if you need to, but don't park here.”

The thought is that when things come up in your life, treat them as a speed bump rather than a stop sign.

Don’t assume that your circumstance is the end of the journey on that road; instead, slow down, but continue moving forward.

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.