DTN 004: Branding the New Space Age

Plus: an AI for smells, a nuclear Mars rocket, a first nuclear fuel recycling facility, Ferrari simulating engine sounds for EVs, and more.

January 27, 2023

Welcome to The Deep Tech Newsletter, a weekly exploration of the business, science, and engineering behind the world’s most important frontier technologies.

Robin Seemangal is a co-founder of Space Agency, a new creative agency that spun out of Supercluster, a space-focused digital media platform created by GrandArmy and A24. In this interview, Robin discusses the genesis of Space Agency, how top space startups are using branding to win the war for talent, and more.

On marketing to aerospace employees: "A lot of space startups need SpaceX employees to leave and come and work in their shop. I hate to be that specific, but that’s where we are in the industry right now. It’s pretty well known that there are only a couple of feeder companies into these startups–they’re all founded by former Blue Origin or SpaceX employees. That’s a perpetual problem, there’s never enough talent in aerospace. So that’s the ground level of where these companies are coming from with their marketing and advertising goals.”

On branding the new space age: “We’re going back to the very basics here. These companies need a logo that looks good and is instantly recognizable. It’s what people are going to see in the newswire or on the launch livestream. That brand awareness is something that is shared by every industry, but the space industry is kind of just waking up to the importance of becoming a global brand that is recognized by everyday people.”

The Big Picture

“The $30 billion global fragrance industry relies on raw ingredients that are becoming increasingly difficult or controversial to source…Chemists at fragrance companies have figured out how to replicate some natural aromas, but it’s still a largely manual process, and many scents don’t have synthetic substitutes. With $60 million in an initial funding round led by New York-based Lux Capital and GV (Google Ventures), Osmo aims to create the next generation of aroma molecules for perfumes, shampoos, lotions, candles, and other everyday products.” (WIRED)

“Like other DNA biosensors, the device takes advantage of the fact that a single DNA strand, when not paired with another within the familiar double helix, is primed for chemical bonding. Part of the device is coated with single strands of DNA. When these “probes” encounter DNA biomarkers that have a corresponding, or complementary, genetic sequence, the two strands bind, sending a signal that is picked up by the device.” (NIST)

“Neither DARPA nor NASA have disclosed details about the demonstration mission itself, which uses a spacecraft called X-NTRV…the vehicle would operate in orbit at an altitude of at least 700 kilometers, and perhaps as high as 2,000 kilometers, to ensure that any radioactive materials would have decayed to acceptable levels before reentry.” (SpaceNews)

While overall corporate funding for energy storage increased to record levels in 2022, venture capital invested in energy storage declined by a little over one-third after hitting a record $8.8 billion in 2021.“Cost is where the challenge is,” Mercom CEO Raj Prabhu said. “To get to that next level of growth, the cost needs to come down.” (Utility Dive)

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