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- DTN 056: Rockets, God, and the Rise of Defense Tech Startups
DTN 056: Rockets, God, and the Rise of Defense Tech Startups
Plus: Delta IV Heavy’s final launch, cancer vanishes in drug trial, Musk’s Grok detailing how to make bombs, a clock for the Moon, and more.
The Big Picture
“Within the Gundo, almost every startup hopes to turn the Defense Department or some other government entity into a customer. It was an unpopular strategy until Thiel’s Palantir and Musk’s SpaceX proved that startups could secure government contracts when competing against established giants like Raytheon and Boeing. And the increase in defense tech startups in the Gundo mirrors the broader rise in venture-backed startups working defense purposes over the few years, spurred on by SpaceX’s example, as well as rising geopolitical tensions in places including China, Ukraine and Israel. Realistically, of course, securing government contracts remains a long and potentially fruitless endeavor, which could mean many of the El Segundo startups disappear as quickly as they appeared.” (The Information)
Deep Tech News
JPEG of the Week
In the Swiss Alps, two companies are converting decommissioned satellite antennas into massive solar panels. The mountainous terrain in Leuk, Valais, allows for optimal solar energy generation, as the high-altitude panels receive more direct sunlight, especially during winter, compared to installations in mistier, low-lying urban areas.
One antenna of the kind can meet the energy needs of 25 households, according to CKW Group. The antennas covered in solar panels, which resemble flying saucers, measure 32 meters (105 ft) in diameter and are located some 1,000 meters above sea level, allowing them to receive an optimal level of sunlight, even in winter. (via Reuters)
Peer Review
Cloud engineering could be more effective ‘painkiller’ for global warming than previously thought
New technological advance for fast and efficient 3D imaging of objects
Muscle tissue harvested from mice cells move ‘biohybrid’ robots
Advancing real-time 3D holographic display: A new method for computer-generated holography
Funding x M&A
Basemark raises $23.9M for AI-based computer vision and AR experience in cars
Proxima Fusion raises $21M to build on its ‘stellarator’ approach to nuclear fusion
Varda Space’s orbital drug factory success fuels $90M in new funding
TSMC receives $4.4B to build chip factories under U.S. CHIPS and Science Act
Leash Biosciences, an AI/ML-native biotech startup, raised $9.3M seed round
Windfall Bio raises $28M Series A to scale methane capture and transformation solution
Watttron, a developer of sustainable packaging tech solutions, raised €12M in Series B funding
Collaborative Robotics is prioritizing ‘human problem solving’ over humanoid forms
Zero-emission truck developer Windrose Technology Completes $110M Series B financing
SunCulture, a Nairobi, Kenya-based solar irrigation startup, raised $27M in Series B funding
Miscellanea
TikTok plots using virtual influencers for advertising / With little urging, Grok will detail how to make bombs, concoct drugs (and much, much worse) / ‘My eyes hurt’ searches spike on Google following solar eclipse / Big Tech’s underground race to buy AI training data / Top Israeli Spy Chief accidentally revealed his true identity online / The wealthy are starting to have more babies than the poor again / Home insurers are dropping customers based on aerial images / Neurons in the brain appear to follow a distinct mathematical pattern / My son and 27 others have died at skydiving center. How is it still open? / She built a microcomputer empire from her suburban home / France has a military drone radar everyone’s desperate to get
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