Emily Yu

Breaking down our latest newsletter section by section, starting with our expanded focus in Deep Tech: --- We have built expertise in the robotics sector, and will continue to double (and triple) down on investing in this category, but we have been increasingly finding that robotics is naturally steering us into two exploding adjacent areas: Aerospace, and Advanced Manufacturing (which we define as industrials, semiconductors, materials science, and energy production). Stepping back, this expansion makes perfect sense. Robotics is an inherently horizontal platform - meaning it can be applied productively across multiple industries. This quality, paired with the fact that robotics has long shown the highest TRLs of any deep tech technology, makes it a kind of “gateway” to other sectors in the hard sciences. Now with the recent breakthroughs in AI for robotics, growing semiconductor demand, and the resurgence of aerospace and defense tech, we are seeing a dramatic uptake of robotics and relevant technologies in both advanced manufacturing and aerospace. As an added bonus of the expansion, many of the founder (and funder) networks across these landscapes have natural overlaps and linkages. For AlleyCorp Deep Tech this means that we can be extremely helpful, knowledgeable, and engaged across all three sectors right away, and continue to be the best-in-class investing team across these categories.  --- More in our newsletter: https://lnkd.in/ewiTuYq6

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#ObsessivelyEnthusiasticInvestor #UnreasonablyEnthusiasticInvestor #IrrationallyEnthusiasticInvestor at REFASHIOND Ventures: The Industrial Transformation Fund. We look for the people we believe are doing the best work in Industrial Transformation & Supply Chain Technology; Attempting the impossible. Then we go all-in on them. With obsessive and unreasonable enthusiasm. Join us. #IndustrialTransformation #SupplyChain #Innovation #Technology #Startups #VentureCapital #DemandTheImpossible #UnreasonableEnthusiasm #ObsessiveEnthusiasm #IrrationalEnthusiasm 

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🏦 OpenAI showed us what is possible when you apply AI to enterprise workflows on the office floor. 🏭📦 We think AI has the ability to fundamentally transform not just the office floor, but also the factory floor and the warehouse floor. Industrial applications of AI will supercharge productivity and drive efficiency gains while enhancing safety. It is with this thesis that Woven Capital is leading the Series C round for Third Wave Automation which is delivering impressive ROI for warehouses across the U.S. with their autonomous forklifts offering. Nicole LeBlanc, CPA Prashant Kumar Bothra Jarek Khoilian Read the full press release below -

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Summary: Lacey Hunter, founder of TechAid, went through the Newchip accelerator in 2022 and was blindsided when the organization filed for bankruptcy in May 2023. The bankruptcy court is auctioning off the warrants held by Newchip in over 1,000 startups, causing outrage and forcing some companies to shut down. Newchip had a tumultuous history, facing criticism for its CEO's leadership style and ultimately filing for Chapter 11 and 7. Key takeaways: Many startups paid thousands of dollars to go through the Newchip accelerator, giving the organization the right to buy shares in their company at a future date. Now, the bankruptcy court is auctioning off these warrants, causing distress and in some cases, leading to the closure of startups. Newchip's founder and CEO, Andrew Ryan, faced criticism for his leadership style and reportedly fired a manager in front of the entire company as a "test" of loyalty. The bankruptcy revealed that Newchip had missed keeping track of some companies that had exited or raised money, potentially causing the organization to miss out on millions of dollars in potential upside. Counter arguments: Newchip may argue that their bankruptcy was due to unforeseen circumstances and was not a #vc #startups #accelerators

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The robots are coming.....for the pick and pack jobs. Congratulations to the founders of Covariant , a University of California, Berkeley -based robotics startup, who were recently acquihired by Amazon. This move may signal a significant shift in warehouse automation. It will be fascinating to observe how politicians, economists, and the media "adjust" their narratives about job creation and its impact on the economy and stock market over the coming years. Remember, the monthly job report can swing the stock market several percentage points in either direction, as we saw last Friday (September 6th). The question looms: What happens when increasing robot jobs = improved productivity = lower cost of production = potentially higher *human* unemployment? https://lnkd.in/g3pBzRKx #FrontierTechnology #AI #Robots #UCBerkeley

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Just finished reading "The Next Giant Leap" by Space Capital - a pioneering VC investing in the emerging Space Economy. The report speaks to how SpaceX’s Starship is more than just the most powerful rocket ever built—it is poised to reshape the global space economy in profound ways. With its immense payload capacity, reusable design, and lower cost per launch, Starship will unlock entirely new industries and transform existing business models. But how should industries and businesses evolve to align with this paradigm shift? 📈 Rethinking Business Strategies & Supply Chains - For businesses, Starship represents an era of mass-production over precision engineering. This means moving away from the focus on mass efficiency toward cost-effective, redundant, and scalable production. - In terms of supply chains, this opens opportunities for new players in manufacturing, materials, and space components. The demand for off-the-shelf parts and non-aerospace suppliers will rise dramatically. 💡 New Use Cases & Opportunities   The opportunities Starship unlocks go beyond launching satellites. - In-space manufacturing of high-value products like pharmaceuticals and advanced materials that cannot be created on Earth. - Mega-constellations of satellites for global broadband, expanding on what Starlink has already begun. - In-orbit assembly and servicing, allowing for larger space structures like telescopes or even habitats to be built in orbit, radically reducing costs. - Lunar infrastructure and resource extraction will become more viable, paving the way for sustainable human presence on the Moon and, eventually, Mars. 📊 What Should Businesses Do Now?   1. Embrace Redundancy & Scale – Instead of focusing on one-off, high-cost solutions, businesses should embrace redundancy and mass production.    2. Simplify Design – With Starship’s payload capacity, there is less pressure to optimize for mass efficiency. Simplified, scalable designs will allow for faster production and iteration cycles, akin to how SpaceX rapidly tests and evolves Starship itself. 3. Develop Strategic Partnerships – Collaborating with forward-thinking space startups, suppliers, and even non-aerospace sectors will be essential to capitalize on the opportunities Starship provides. 🌌 A New Era of Innovation   Starship will democratize access to space, lowering the barriers for businesses to create and scale. The next decade will witness breakthroughs in scientific exploration, energy production, and in-space transportation that we can only begin to imagine today. #SpaceEconomy #Starship #Innovation #SupplyChain #Manufacturing #SpaceTech #Entrepreneurship #FutureOfSpace https://lnkd.in/gNdbwXdq

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RethinkX's recent publication on The Rise of Human Robots and The Future of Work is quite interesting. Tony Seba and his team including Adam Dorr and Bradd Libby, do an excellent job dissecting the emerging humanoid robot technology market. Here's a brief summary, with a more in-depth summary from Cern Basher, CFA, an expert on the future financial impacts of humanoid robots, linked in the comments below: The rise of humanoid robots is poised to disrupt human labor across industries, much like how automobiles disrupted horses. This convergence of technologies creating a "labor engine" will enable robots to eventually perform virtually any task better and cheaper than humans. Initially, robots will complement human workers by taking on simpler tasks. However, their capabilities will rapidly improve until they can do almost anything humans can by the 2040s. This disruption represents both a massive opportunity and challenge for society. As the marginal cost of robotic labor approaches zero, we can expect sweeping deflationary pressures and quality improvements across the economy. Labor supply will explode, uncoupled from population growth, giving nations with robust robotics industries a strategic advantage. While creating prosperity, this transition will destabilize conventional economics and the social contract around work. Thoughtful policymaking will be critical to avoid catastrophic unemployment or stifling innovation through misguided protectionism. Ultimately, humanoid robotics could lead to superabundance and liberation from labor. But achieving this will require rethinking economics, embracing the disruption responsibly, and prioritizing policies that protect people over obsolete jobs and industries. https://lnkd.in/gjNDVQe4 #humanoids #robotics #futurefrontier

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Friends, Q2 was a quarter of progress and learning for us at HawkTower, where we invest in early-stage startups applying breakthrough computing technologies to maximize California's natural resource markets. Our focus is on technology-enabled interventions (e.g., AI-enabled geospatial radars for lithium-ion batteries in the waste stream) for critical, market-level imperatives (e.g., disaster prevention) that can drive rapid commercial adoption (e.g., placed on every recycling truck in the world). Our current investment priorities are: - Agricultural productivity and efficiency - Biomanufacturing - Labor and mobility automation - Waste stream optimization and decarbonization - Disaster prevention and management Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve been up to: Milestones and Investments: - In late April, we officially launched our fund, filing with the SEC. Yay. - By June, we completed our first fund close ahead of schedule, with backing from family offices, foundations, high-net-worth individuals, and organizations aligned with California's future. - Our portfolio now includes three early-stage investments (Farm-ng, Agriful Software, and Nexstera Tech). Strategic Partnerships: - We believe that startups operating closer to their customers and resources, especially in agriculture and biomanufacturing, have a strategic advantage. For instance, the Salinas Valley, a major agricultural hub, is less than an hour from Silicon Valley and serves as a center of thought leadership in the convergence of agriculture and AI (from Western Growers, Taylor Farms, and others). - Similarly, the North San Joaquin Valley is emerging as a biotech and agtech innovation hub, and we are proud to support BEAM Circular, a startup hub for the circular bioeconomy. Key Relationships: - Karen Warner, CEO of BEAM Circular, joined HawkTower as a strategic advisor. - Jackie Cruz, Ed. D. Cruz, Hartnell College’s VP of Advancement, advises on Salinas Valley and workforce development. - Ben Palone from Western Growers, with his technical background in agriculture, became a trusted advisor. - Matthew Hoffman from Driscoll's Global R&D team provides insights on global agriculture, product positioning, and investment strategy. - We collaborated with Monterey Bay DART for workforce development and automation in agtech. - Dominic Milano and the Milano Technical Group from Merced collaborated on key initiatives and advised us on investments. - HawkTower is participating in Santa Cruz Works's accelerator cohort as a mentor and advisor. Thank you Doug Erickson. - We published an overview of entrepreneurship across the UC system with input from across the University of California system. Moving into the fall, we remain deeply committed to supporting founders shaping California's future natural resource markets. Stay tuned and be in touch! : ) Db

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🤖 Robotics: What's new, and why now is the time to pay attention 🤖 The robotics sector is undergoing transformative changes, fuelled by advancements in AI, machine learning, and automation. 🚀 Read the latest MMC Ventures research to learn more. My colleagues Advika Jalan and Alexandra Reinert outline what’s driving the new wave of robotics innovation and why now is the perfect time to engage in the space. 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 #Automation #Robotics #AI

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New space startups are launching left and right, and college students might soon be sending their science projects into orbit! In this clip from Lobster Talks, Daniel Driscoll, co-founder of Elodin (YC W24), dives into the exciting Space Renaissance happening right now. From plummeting launch costs to the rise of space debris cleanup companies, the space industry is booming. But every new space venture faces a critical challenge: building reliable flight software. That's where Elodin comes in. Want to learn more about how Elodin is empowering the next generation of space explorers? Listen to the full episode of Lobster Talks with Daniel Driscoll for a deep dive into: -The factors driving the Space Renaissance -The challenges and opportunities for new space startups -How Elodin's platform is making space exploration more accessible than ever Listen on your fave pod platform or watch now - https://lnkd.in/eHp_WWGc . . . . . #spacerenaissance #newspace #spacetech #spaceexploration #startups #podcast #lobstertalks #elodin #flightsoftware

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Well-written and sourced article describing what's going in seed-stage venture market. At 9point8 Collective we tend to orbit the seed-stage (both ideating and developing companies to reach seed and helping post-seed companies refactor and scale in anticipation of A) and for many companies it's a critical inflection point which determines their long term success or failure. The main takeaways I was able to gather: 1️⃣ Many startups that raised seed rounds in 2021-2022 are struggling to secure Series A funding due to tighter market conditions and increased investor expectations. 2️⃣ Seed investors are becoming more cautious, leading to longer diligence processes and a preference for startups with strong traction or experienced founders. As a result, valuations have stayed relatively high even as deal flow reduces. 3️⃣ Startups are adopting various strategies to navigate this challenging environment, including cutting costs, raising bridge rounds or convertible notes, and M&A/acqui-hires. 4️⃣ Despite the challenges, there are opportunities for both startups and investors in this new landscape, particularly for those who can adapt to the changing market conditions. Investors are accumulating dry powder -- and with rates on the decline -- will be looking to deploy into companies with stronger fundamentals than their 2021-2022 counterparts.

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Jacobi Robotics, one of my portfolio companies, has closed a $5M seed round led by Moxxie Ventures. Other (new) investors include Foothill Ventures, Humba Ventures, and The House Fund. Additional investments from Swift Ventures, Berkeley SkyDeck, LDV Partners, and Courtyard Ventures. Congratulations to the Jacobi crew!! tl;dr - - Jacobi has pioneered an AI-powered robot motion-planning technology - Releases Jacobi Palletizer: a software app to deploy palletizers 95% faster! - Enables faster programming of robots by 20x, reduces deployment time by 95%, and enables 24% savings in project costs - Customers - Formic (robotics solutions provider), companies in CPG & electronics verticals - Jacobi is an off-shoot of Berkeley AI Research (#BAIR) Lab and CMU #robotMotionPlanning #softwareDefinedRobots #softwareDefinedRobotArms Max C. Yahav Avigal Ken Goldberg https://lnkd.in/g7d49cMM

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Economies thrive with automation, and Formic is accelerating state-of-the-art robotics & AI across our factories and warehouses:

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118 VCs (one hundred eighteen!) are gathering in San Diego next week - to meet with 30 SD startups. But it's so MUCH bigger than just those 30 co's. It brings VCs back - when they see quality companies. It helps those who are next-in-line and adjacent. It enables us to send deal flow all year 'round. It attracts talent and other companies. It inspires entrepreneurship. Connect is working for SD. Together, we're building the best damn innovation ecosystem on the planet. Year over year. Five.Ten.Thirty.

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Looking beyond #VC funding for your #startup? Aakash Shah of Wyndly (YC W21) reveals how he built a multi-million dollar #healthtech company using creative capital strategies. Learn how he leveraged Y Combinator's network and alternative funding methods to revolutionize allergy treatment. In case you missed it, you can watch the #FundraisingDemystified #podcast here: https://lnkd.in/eZT63YS4

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With Elon Musk’s aggressive push towards launching robots in the next few years, the robotics sector is quickly becoming an area of massive growth. We’re seriously considering expanding our strategic partnerships to support this sector. The rise of robotics isn’t just an exciting technological shift—it’s opening new doors for industries that will need top-tier tech talent to make it happen. The question we’re asking ourselves is: How can we position ourselves to be ready for this coming wave? Robotics will likely touch every corner of tech—from AI and machine learning to IoT and cloud computing. It’s not just about building the robots; it’s about the software, systems, and infrastructure behind them. This shift could reshape industries like manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, and even household services. We’re already seeing signs of what’s to come, with AI playing a huge role in automation and robotics development. That means keeping an eye on where tech talent demand is headed. With Musk and other innovators pushing boundaries in robotics, we expect a surge in the need for specialists in robotic systems, AI integration, and real-time data processing. Our next move could be expanding our partnerships to accommodate this growth, bringing in the best minds in tech to support companies diving into robotics. The question is, how far will this trend go? And what sectors will feel the most impact as robots enter our daily lives? For us, this represents an incredible opportunity to not only be part of the robotics revolution but to help drive it by connecting businesses with the tech talent they need to succeed in this evolving space. How should companies prepare for the rise of robotics development? #Robotics #StrategicPartnerships #TechTalent #AI #Automation #HireOdesa #BuildInPublic

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"There are a few big reasons that I think now is such a fertile time to build $100 billion+ Techno-Industrials: Tools. There are simply more tools at builders’ disposal – AI, traditional software, improving hardware, programmable biology, cheaper energy, robots, and more – that they can combine into vertically integrated companies. Cracks. The old system is showing cracks. The grid is struggling. Planes are falling apart. Carbon emissions have to go. Healthcare costs are through the roof. Metals discoveries are declining. Supply chains are breaking down. America’s industrial base has atrophied. The biggest systems in the world need to be rebuilt. Enormous Markets. Most of the largest companies by revenue are not tech companies, and most of the world’s GDP is outside of tech: in energy, healthcare, labor, real estate, and manufacturing. These are multi-trillion dollar markets. Pent-Up Opportunity. Entrepreneurs and investors have largely ignored these categories in favor of software, which means there are more opportunities left to build power law winners in them. There can only be one Power Law social network or search engine, but there can be a winning tech company in each sector and subsector of the physical economy. Examples. Companies like Anduril, Tesla, and SpaceX have shown founders that it’s possible to build enormous businesses by building hard things. " // YES

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