“The past few years have been an almost nonstop parade of good news for climate tech in the US. Headlines about billion-dollar grants from the government, massive private funding rounds, and labs churning out advance after advance have been routine. Now, though, things are starting to shift.
About $8 billion worth of US climate tech projects have been canceled or downsized so far in 2025.”
A weekly dispatch featuring exclusive interviews with deep tech founders & a roundup of the most important deep tech news.
- Saronic introduces ‘Mirage’ and ‘Cipher’ autonomous surface vessels
- DIU barrels ahead with tri-regional expansion plans
- China’s rare-earth mineral squeeze will hit the Pentagon hard
- US Army holds first-ever nuclear response drill in South Korea
- Geothermal energy growing as renewable energy resource
- The deep space economy begins on the moon
- High-powered solar cells are poised to replace batteries
- DARPA requests proposals for water-prospecting lunar orbiter
- Pulsar Fusion unveils nuclear-powered rocket
- Atmos Space Cargo declares first test flight a success despite reentry uncertainty
- BAE announces breakthrough in explosives manufacturing tech
- Finland could be the first country in the world to bury nuclear waste permanently
- Bug-size robots that fly and flip could pollinate futuristic farms’ crops
- Sam Altman steps down from nuclear power startup
- China to launch new crewed mission into space this week
- Plug Power Group commissions hydrogen liquefaction plant in Louisiana
- First baby born in UK to woman with transplanted womb
- Quantum computer makes random-number breakthrough
- Western Digital launches hard disk drive recycling process that reclaims rare earth elements, cuts out China
- PHNX Materials found a way to decarbonize concrete using dirty coal waste
- The U.S. national security case for deep-tech big bets
Neuroscientists and companies are rapidly advancing brain-to-speech technology using AI and brain implants to help people who have lost the ability to speak due to conditions like stroke or ALS. By decoding brain signals into synthetic speech, researchers have significantly reduced response time and improved accuracy, though challenges remain in capturing natural speech qualities and speeding up the training process. Companies like Precision Neuroscience and academic teams in California are leading the way, aiming to make voice neuroprostheses viable for broader clinical use. (via Ars Technica)
- Scientists develop artificial leaf, uses sunlight to produce valuable chemicals
- Bioprinting technique brings vascularized tissue one step closer
- Quantum messages travel 254 km using existing infrastructure for the first time
- Nano-material breakthrough could revolutionize night vision
- Layered room-temperature altermagnet shows promise for advanced spintronics
- Granite Bio emerges with $100M raised and two immunology assets
- Overture Life raises $20.6M; $57M in total funding for embryology lab procedures
- Etiome emerges with $50M from Flagship Pioneering and goal of preempting disease
- Avidicure’s $50M seed round for developing avidity engineered antibodies for cancer
- Electra lands $186M to scale up its clean iron electrowinning process
- Neuralink raising $500M at $8.5B valuation
- Electra.aero secures $115M to launch ultra short takeoff aircraft
- Grove Biopharma raises $30M in Series A financing
- British startup Isembard lands $9M to reshore manufacturing for critical industries
- Araceli Biosciences closes $11.2M seed financing for high-content imaging and AI-powered analysis
- RepAir Carbon, an electrochemical carbon capture solution, raises $15M in Series A extension
- New VC firm CIV raises $200M to bet on manufacturing, energy
- Biolinq, a healthcare technology company providing precision multi-analyte biosensors, closes $100M Series C financing
- Durin digs up $3.4M to automate drills for critical minerals exploration
- Nuclear reactor developer Terra Innovatum to go public via SPAC
- German deeptech VC First Momentum raises €35M fund to back energy, automation and AI
- Early-stage VC Kompas raises €150M for second fund
- Bridgit Mendler raises $30M for space startup Northwood
- TBD VC unveils $35M venture fund to back Israeli deep tech startups
- Cosmic Robotics attracts $4M to boost AI-powered technology in solar projects
- Semiconductor materials startup ChEmpower raised $18.7M in funding
Hegseth had an unsecured internet line set up in his office to connect to Signal / China Quietly Drops 125% Retaliatory Tariff on Crucial U.S. Semiconductors / Oldest ant fossil ever found reveals history of ‘hell ants’ / Deep-Sea Fishers Fight for Wi-Fi / The mind-bending innovations that built quantum computing / Magic: The Gathering Fans Harness Prime Number Puzzle as a Game Strategy / The Rise of Luxury Doomsday Prepping / Blog hosted on a Nintendo Wii / Columbia student suspended over interview cheating tool raises $5.3M to ‘cheat on everything’ / ChatGPT spends ‘tens of millions of dollars’ on ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ / “Lab leak” marketing page replaces federal hub for COVID resources / Actors Who Sold AI Avatars Stuck In Black Mirror-Esque Dystopia / China pits humanoid robots against humans in half-marathon / UAE set to use AI to write laws in world first / Scientists modified the eyes of 5 humans to see an ‘unprecedented’ new color / AI as normal technology