Kamran Elahian

📚 Holiday weekend reading: “Plurality.” This philosophical approach applies open technologies to foster diverse collaboration and coordination and solve our societal challenges. Technology can and will bring diverse viewpoints together with the transparent debates needed to come to coordinated solutions. These open technologies today encompass the powerful capabilities in our innovation systems today: open source #AI models, permissionless #blockchain, community #web3tokens, interoperable #metaverses, among the many public goods enabled by emerging technologies. Our social relationships provide the universal values and effective direction for such innovations to impact our world towards positive sum growth. “Plurality” is the central subject of a new book by Microsoft’s internal economist Glen Weyl and Taiwan’s former Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang. That book collects ideas in a donation supported ebook.

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Fantastic event (and ecosystem) that Patrick Meier, PhD and his team at the Climate Robotics Network are creating. Highly recommend you check out the Climate Robotics Summit, done in partnership with EPFL, SOSV, Cybernetix Ventures, ETH Zürich, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. I just had the pleasure of moderating a panel just now on investing in climate robotics, alongside Urvi Nagrani, Malini Samtani, Sashi Jayatileke and Fady Saad. Here are some of the key insights: 1) Applications for robotics to climate challenges (adaptation AND mitigation) are enormous: support to farmers as conditions for humans become too hot to farm for long hours, drones that help capture data on forests and wildlife, supporting with installation of maintenance in large solar fields, wind turbines, circular economy applications - e.g. de-manufacturing - to just name a few. 2) Investing in robotics is simply different - it doesn't fit the standard SAAS VC strategies, often having a lot of engineering input and require non-dilutive funding upfront - e.g. similar barriers to investing in hardware writ large. Thus, it sits in a bit of its own asset class, so investors and entrepreneurs alike need to understand how these solutions behave, esp. in the early-stages of building/testing. That said, there is a growing pool of funds that have been specializing in this area. 3) So how do we move robotics solutions up the TRL ladder faster? It can take a LONG time for any robotics solution to be truly market ready. Even when there is theoretical product-market fit doesn't mean that it's ready in investors' eyes. Lots of testing as well as setting proper expectations with customers is critical, and part of this long process. Non-dilutive funding is rare to find in most countries, but in the US in particular there is a growing pool of grant funding that can help. 4) Development finance institutions and donors have a critical role here, especially in vulnerable countries/communities: Robotics could have bit impact in supporting climate solutions in vulnerable communities, but we need to ensure that there is an enabling environment for these solutions, which means that the policy, academic, and traditional finance space (e.g. local commercial banks)

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If you are a founder building in climate and/or deep tech - check out this webinar tomorrow hosted by Newlab. A killer panel diving into Techno-Economic Analyses (TEA) and Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) Mastering TEA and LCA for Deep Tech Success - August 20 at 2:30pm ET - Understand how these tools drive the economic viability and environmental sustainability of your venture Link to register below!

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I’m delighted to showcase a special guest blog from my Stanford colleague, Dr. Frederik G. Pferdt. Frederik is Google’s original Chief Innovation Evangelist, and just published his first book, “What’s Next Is Now.” *** Let’s face it: our minds are wired to crave certainty about the future. We scour the news, analyze trends, and even check our horoscopes—all in search of a glimpse into what’s coming next. But here’s the thing: that relentless hunt for predictions is a mistake! Why? Because the future isn’t something that happens to you. It’s something you actively shape. By obsessing over predictions, we become passive observers, waiting for the future to unfold. But what if we flipped the script? What if we stopped worrying about what might happen and started creating the future we want? I’m a future optimist because I believe in embracing the opportunities ahead rather than fearing uncertainty. The choices you make today are the building blocks of your future. The more intentional and varied your choices, the more opportunities you create for yourself. On the flip side, if you avoid stepping outside your comfort zone, someone else ends up making choices for you. Ever wonder how people find themselves in unfulfilling careers? It’s often because they stopped making intentional choices that could have led them down a different path. They become passengers in a car driven by fate, luck, or happenstance. But here’s the good news: You don’t have to be a passenger. You can be the driver. Imagination is your most powerful tool. By engaging with the possibilities of each moment, you start to see a different landscape for your future. (More insights at the link in comments below!)

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It was very fun to develop this AI judge for Climatech's Great Global Innovation Challenge and see it in action. Research has demonstrated that "Data-driven initiatives have been shown to help VC firms reduce gender bias and make better, fairer investment decisions" (https://lnkd.in/g2afQDnv / https://lnkd.in/gDnf4att). Additionally, "Machine learning models have already been proven to outperform human investors in deal screening" (https://lnkd.in/g2afQDnv / https://lnkd.in/gwGAmbET), helping to identify high-potential startups more effectively. By incorporating AI into our evaluation process, we aimed to ensure a more equitable and objective selection of startups. Thanks Tod Hynes Daniela G. Alejandro Sevilla Russ W. ClimaTech Live for the great collaboration. #climate #AI #climatechange #startups #startupcompetition

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👉An interesting overview #BusinessAngels #VentureCapital #LPs #GPs #Innovation #InnovationManagement #CorporateInnovation #CorporateStrategy #DigitalTransformation #StartUps #StartusInsights #InnovaticGroup InnovaticGroup. Create the Future Now

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Octavia Carbon, a 🇰🇪 Kenyan-based #cleantech startup, has raised a $5 million seed round. The company will use the funds to build its Direct Air Capture (DAC) storage plant. 💨 Direct air capture technology removes #carbon dioxide directly from the #atmosphere by drawing #air into a machine, filtering out the carbon dioxide, and storing it safely underground. Excess #CO2 in the atmosphere depletes the earth’s ozone layer, increasing ultraviolet (UV) radiation that can cause skin cancer, cataracts, and plant damage. 🌱 Launched in 2022 by Martin Freimüller and Duncan Kariuki, Octovia Carbon designs, builds, and uses machines to capture CO2 from the atmosphere. Those machines take carbon dioxide and store it underground, keeping it out of the atmosphere. ➡️ More here: https://lnkd.in/ernSDynp

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