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The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts a 350% increase in global renewable energy generation capacity by 2030.
Energy storage is crucial to enable a consistent and dependable supply of electricity as electricity consumption is expected to rise to 50%-70% of total energy consumption by 2050.
Quino Energy aims to deliver renewable energy at a lower cost than fossil fuels with their water-based organic flow battery.
The battery offers a cheaper installed cost of energy storage, is non-flammable, and has a longer operational lifetime compared to lithium-ion batteries.

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Meet Peter Thiel, the controversial tech billionaire and GOP kingmaker

Peter Thiel, Silicon Valley's controversial billionaire has become a powerful GOP kingmaker and is known for his outspoken political views. He actively supported Trump in 2016 and helped in VP-elect JD Vance's rise to election, securing his position as a conservative kingmaker and one of tech's most powerful political players. Thiel is a former PayPal CEO and venture capitalist who has spent his career as a connector, mentor, and invested in early-stage tech startups. His personal politics and contrarian streak define Thiel, setting him apart from the largely Democrat Bay Area.
Thiel's net worth jumped after Trump's re-election, reaching a record high of $14 billion on Friday, making him a billionaire with silo political and economic interests. Interestingly, although he did not donate to the 2020 presidential campaigns, Thiel has become a major GOP donor and has supported more than a dozen Conservative candidates for senate, and other political offices in 2022.
Thiel has been known as a mentor and helped create the Thiel Fellowship which gave $100K and two years of support to founders under 20. His political beliefs are those of a Libertarian. He hates confiscatory taxes, totalitarian collectives, and the idea of the inevitability of the death of every individual.
Thiel's relationship with Vance goes back to at least 2011 when Thiel visited Yale Law School, where Vance was a student. Vance, who praised Thiel's Christianity, called the talk where Thiel discussed the achievement rat race, the most significant moment of his time at Yale Law School. Thiel went on to champion Vance's career, writing a blurb for Vance's 2016 'Hillbilly Elegy' book, hiring him to work at his VC firm Mithril Capital, and investing in Vance's own venture fund, Narya Capital.
Thiel was pivotal in turning Vance, who was once a Never-Trumper into a MAGA Republican. He helped bankroll Vance's campaign, pouring at least $15 million into his 2022 senatorial bid, aiding him in securing an endorsement from Trump following a 2021 Mar-a-Lago meeting where he introduced Vance to Trump.
Thiel is also known for his involvement with PayPal Mafia, one of tech's most influential groups, which includes Elon Musk, Keith Rabois, David Sacks, and Reid Hoffman. He also has early investments in Facebook, LinkedIn, and Palantir, a startup he co-founded. Thiel's venture capital firm, Founders Fund has invested in SpaceX and Airbnb, where he remains a partner. He also cofounded Valar Ventures and Mithril Capital.
Thiel's feud with Gawker led to a attack on free speech, causing rifts with others in the tech world. Reed Hastings at that time, on Facebook's board with Thiel, called Thiel's Trump support 'catastrophically bad judgment,' and there were calls for Y Combinator, where Thiel worked as an advisor, to fire him. He also called Silicon Valley a 'one-party state' at a 2018 talk at Stanford.
Thiel is now one of tech's most powerful political players and conservative kingmakers. With Vance in the White House, it remains to be seen what Thiel's relationship with Trump will be.
Thiel's contrarian point of view is proving right at least this time. His involvement with JD Vance is likely to continue and he will remain a controversial figure in both tech and politics.

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6 Brutal Truths About Fundraising

Everyone wants to fund the same thing, which is unicorns.
Pattern matching is common in fundraising, creating hurdles for underprivileged founders.
Investors view startups as bets and their own firms as products.
Most successful startups are new versions of existing categories and products.

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Medium

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HardTech Reads vol. 8-European Edition

Deep Tech sector is growing rapidly and addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
Europe is progressing in the Deep Tech market, establishing itself in fields such as green technology, advanced robotics, and space exploration.
Deep Tech is one of the biggest VC investment categories in Europe, and in 2023 alone, venture capital investments in European deep tech startups exceeded $16 billion.
Europe faces several challenges in scaling and commercializing its innovations, particularly the United States.
Deep Tech start-ups face similar failure and success rates as regular tech start-ups, the time to reach unicorn status, or exit is comparable to traditional tech start-ups.
European Deep Tech start-ups are more likely to scale to unicorn status than regular tech ventures.
European investors face challenges in scaling and exiting Deep Tech ventures.
The US leads in Deep Tech with around 50–60% of global funding.
Europe has strong foundational capabilities, including R&D expenses, science publications, and the number of developers.
The European Deep Tech sector is at an inflection point, with significant potential to grow and generate outsized returns.

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Insider

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Silicon Valley is on edge as Trump's immigration policy sparks fears of a high-tech talent shortage

U.S. tech firms are concerned that President-elect Donald Trump may make it harder to hire immigrants, potentially cutting off an important source of technical talent for the sector.
The largest work visa programme is the H1-B visa programme and according to USCIS data, of petitions approved in the previous fiscal year, 65% went to workers in computer-related roles.
Trump's new administration could snap back to a pandemic-era worker shortage for tech firms, leading to an impact on the country's global artificial intelligence standing.
Elon Musk is being suggested as someone who could help change the US's high skilled immigration system along with VP-elect JD Vance who has a venture capital background.
In his first term, Trump signed an executive order to suspend temporary work visas like the H-1B for skilled workers.
The tech sector is already understaffed, and recruiting for artificial intelligence skills is particularly tough.
Experts say stricter immigration laws could hinder America's global edge in artificial intelligence.
Aaron Levie, the CEO of Box and one of Silicon Valley's senior statesmen, offered hope that Elon Musk, at Trump's side, could bring a fresh approach to the issue.
Shin Yi Chong, a H1-B visa holder, makes the case that H-1Bs visa's may become more difficult to obtain under Trump.
Many companies are scouring university programs, enticing students with six-figure salaries and resources to fill the AI skills gap.

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Medium

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The VC Landscape: Reflections and Optimism for the Future

The global venture capital (VC) market is slowly finding balance after a drop in 2022, with falling interest rates and the return of large institutional investors stabilizing deal-making. VCs are now focusing more on quality than quantity.
Early-stage startups face a more selective environment, with investors expecting clear paths to profitability and sustainable growth.
The VC landscape has seen a more balanced relationship between founders and investors, driven by the growth of AI companies and renewed interest in high-potential sectors.
Valuations have leveled off, and down rounds are becoming more common, but capital availability remains high, with emphasis on strong execution and proof of sustainable growth.

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Medium

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FSA & METI — Venture Capital: Recommendations and Expectations

Following a public consultation, the Expert Panel finalized and published "Venture Capital: Recommendations and Expectations," which outlines recommended and expected practices for Venture Capital firms in Japan.
The practices suggested in the report are aimed at improving governance standards of VCs seeking funding from institutional investors and also enhancing the overall appeal of VC as a long-term asset class.
The recommendations and expectations are intended for VCs seeking funding from a broad range of domestic and international institutional investors and represent a principles-based approach rather than imposing strict rules.
The document emphasizes that implementing these practices is left to the discretion of individual LPs and GPs, and the practices are based on current market practices and the perspectives of institutional investors.
The recommended strategies aim to enhance VC governance, facilitate smoother capital flow from domestic and international institutional investors, and promote the growth of later-stage investments.
The primary goal of these practices is to promote the development of a vibrant startup ecosystem in Japan by providing a valuable framework for the maturation and development of the Japanese VC industry.
The practices highlight the importance of strengthening the investment value chain, where household funds flow to asset management companies, to growth companies via investments, and then back to households as returns.
The Expert Panel on Venture Capital, hosted jointly by the Financial Services Agency (FSA) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), held three meetings before publishing the final version on November 8, 2024.
The document calls for ongoing monitoring and review by stakeholders to ensure that the recommended practices remain relevant and effective in the ever-evolving market conditions.
This document provides a much-needed framework for the development of a flourishing startup ecosystem, aiming to attract more institutional capital and promote the growth of the VC industry in Japan.

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Medium

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Good Morning America: AI, Trump and the Future

The 2020 US election outcome surprised many, with a diverse group of electors backing Trump in a virtual landslide victory.
Trump cleverly captured the discontent of voters, who preferred him to Kamala Harris due to the Democrats' perceived lack of empathy for the poor.
While Silicon Valley largely voted Democrat, they expect to benefit from Trump's lower taxes and less regulation, leading to higher stock gains.
Democrats now face the challenge of reinventing themselves and reflecting on their failure to address the needs of the majority.

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Medium

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Kickstarting Excellence: HR Leadership implementation projects with HTT Academy ❤️

HTT Academy partners with a focus on enhancing HR function.
Collaborative project to improve strategic workforce planning and talent development.
Efforts to foster a high-performance culture and optimize operational efficiency.
Highlights include leadership development, HR process automation, and change management support.

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Saastr

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Iconiq Capital: Scale-Ups Are 20%-25% More Efficient Than They Used To Be

Iconiq Capital has released a report on SaaS metrics, highlighting the efficiency of scale-ups.
SaaS start-ups with less than $25m ARR are not more efficient than in 2017-2019, at $130,000 per employee/FTE.
SaaS scale-ups at $25m-$100m ARR are 25% more efficient than before, generating $172,000 in revenue per employee/FTE.
Scale-ups with $100m+ ARR are 20% more efficient, with $249,000 in revenue per employee.

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VC Cafe

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The AI Services Revolution: Why VCs Are Betting Big on Agentic AI

Agentic AI is the evolution of AI, which now allows AI systems to take initiative and complete complex workflows without human intervention and make intelligent decisions.
VCs have earmarked agentic AI as a $4 trillion opportunity in the future, as AI is expected to disrupt services, labor, and software markets across various industries.
In October 2024, $12.2 billion worth of investments was made in agentic AI, which accounted for 38% of the total funding in that month.
There are several agentic AI startups and categories that investors are excited about, such as AI-natives, systems of agents, unstructured data infrastructure, AI-powered design tools, and human-AI collaboration platforms.
Founders can reinvest in SaaS by building intelligence-first applications and adopting new design patterns that leverage agentic AI’s capabilities.
Winning AI companies will be those that own valuable data sources, solve real labor shortages, and create entirely new service categories with AI at the core.
The next 18-24 months will be a critical phase of early adoption to prove use cases and business models concerning agentic AI revolution.
Companies that win in agentic AI space will be those that address ethical concerns head-on, build trust with both users and regulators and have the best technology.
VCS and Remagine Ventures are already investing in products in the agentic AI space, such as a product manager co-pilot and an agent-to-agent service for the transactional web.

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Medium

260

Decoding AI Startup Valuations: Investor Expectations and Market Dynamics

AI startups are securing higher valuations compared to non-AI counterparts.
In 2023, early-stage AI companies achieved valuations over 20% higher than other startups.
Investors are drawn to AI's rapid advancements and potential to revolutionize business models.
The elevated valuations reflect investor confidence in the transformative potential of artificial intelligence.

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Medium

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Investment Prospects for Web3 Gaming

Web3 technology is revolutionising gaming as Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), decentralised finance (DeFi) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) introduce new elements to gameplay. Web3 is decentralising the industry, shifting power away from central authorities into the hands of players.
Despite being in its infancy, 'GameFi', as the industry is known, is attracting investors with its potential to enhance user experience and create new economic models. Web3 projects must find a way to become a hotspot for investment to compete with other emerging technologies.
Web3 economies operate autonomously on blockchains, self-regulating and accruing value from an array of sources. Decentralised gaming networks deploy NFTs to represent in-game items, enabling free-market ownership over virtual assets. Web3 networks enable interoperability of tokenised assets, so players can buy, sell and trade freely between different gaming platforms.
As a new industry, GameFi is exploratory and waiting for a killer product that could catalyse mass adoption. Total value locked (TVL) is a key metric to gauge the popularity and activity of a decentralised application (dApp). The most popular Web3 games have significantly lower user numbers than centralised games - in June, even the most popular games attracted just 2.5mm and 2.27mm daily users respectively.
Investor sentiment and market perception play a crucial role in funding for GameFi. Positive sentiment can stimulate prolific private financing while negative sentiment can stifle innovation and lead to a slowdown in application development and user support.
Web3 gaming, along with other emerging technologies, faces regulatory and ethical challenges. Proactive regulation can boost investor confidence by providing clear legal guidelines and protections. Ethical dilemmas will arise when players invest in NFTs with the expectation of long-term value, only to see a market downturn.
Investment in Web3 gaming carries risk, but investors can support development teams to focus on technological innovation, asset proliferation and user expansion. Integrating DLT into the gaming ecosystem can be transformative and unlock substantial value for investors and GameFi.
Aside from private investment funds, top video game companies are actively venturing into the Web3 space by directly investing in GameFi projects, developing their own Web3 games or hiring for blockchain-related positions.
Web3 has the potential to revolutionise digital ownership and enhance user experience in gaming, but balancing Web3 innovation with ethical responsibility will be key to ensuring long-term viability. The right mix of technological innovation, effective regulatory frameworks, and responsible investment practices can unlock substantial value for both investors and the Web3 gaming ecosystem.

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