His house burned down. He used the insurance money to build PopSockets.

Admin3 months ago01 mins

Does a consumer hardware company need to get on the VC treadmill to succeed? Eleven years and 290 million products sold across 115 countries later, PopSockets has proven that the bootstrapped, low-dilution path more viable than the industry gives it credit for. The global consumer hardware brand was built on less than $500k, no institutional capital, and a philosophy professor’s determination. Watch as founder and former CEO…

How reality crushed Ÿnsect, the French startup that had raised over 0M for insect farming

How reality crushed Ÿnsect, the French startup that had raised over $600M for insect farming

Admin5 months ago010 mins

French startup Ÿnsect shot into the spotlight when “Iron Man” star Robert Downey Jr. touted its merits on the Late Show during Super Bowl weekend 2021. Now, nearly four years later, the insect farming company has been placed into judicial liquidation — essentially bankruptcy — for insolvency. The company’s demise is hardly a surprise, as…

US manufacturing investment stumbles as clean tech cancellations pile up

Admin9 months ago04 mins

More clean tech manufacturing investments were canceled in the U.S. in the second quarter than were announced, according to a new study from the Rhodium Group and MIT. Companies canceled $5 billion worth of projects, while only $4 billion in new investments was announced. Actual clean tech manufacturing investments, not just announcements, declined by 15%,…

Trump administration to claw back .7B in clean energy and manufacturing awards

Trump administration to claw back $3.7B in clean energy and manufacturing awards

Admin1 year ago04 mins

The Department of Energy announced today that it would be clawing back $3.7 billion worth of awards made under the Biden administration for clean energy and manufacturing. Large corporations and growing startups were caught up in the decision. Energy secretary Chris Wright said the moves were “due diligence” on the part of the Trump administration….

British startup Isembard lands M to reshore manufacturing for critical industries

British startup Isembard lands $9M to reshore manufacturing for critical industries

Admin1 year ago09 mins

Geopolitical pressures are accelerating a demand in many countries and regions to reshore — that is, to redevelop critical industry infrastructure, and to bring back businesses, which had moved or outsourced some or all of their industrial operations to cheaper countries further away. But that is easier said than done. In the key area of…

Fourier is making hydrogen electrolyzers inspired by data centers

Admin1 year ago06 mins

Despite being the most abundant element in the universe, making cheap, clean hydrogen here on Earth has been a surprisingly tough nut to crack. “Hydrogen has always been plagued with a couple problems, One is, how do you make it efficiently? Another one is, how do you distribute it efficiently?” Siva Yellamraju, co-founder and CEO…

#Google co-founder Larry Page reportedly has a new AI startup

Admin1 year ago02 mins

Google co-founder Larry Page is building a new company called Dynatomics that’s focused on applying AI to product manufacturing, according to The Information. Page is reportedly working with a small group of engineers on AI that can create “highly optimized” designs for objects and then have a factory build them, per The Information. Chris Anderson,…

#How ‘nearshoring’ can revolutionize U.S.-China commerce

Admin2 years ago08 mins

In the aftermath of the global pandemic and in light of increasing tensions in between the U.S. and China, “nearshoring” has emerged as a major issue in global production and distribution. Americans suffered from shortages of personal protection equipment and other critical supplies throughout the pandemic. These shortages came about not only due to production…

#Tesla shuts down Shanghai plant as COVID cases in China surge

Admin3 years ago02 mins

“Tesla shuts down Shanghai plant as COVID cases in China surge” Tesla suspended production at its busiest facility in Shanghai, according to an internal memo. No reason was given for the work stoppage, according to Reuters, whose reporters saw the communication. It simply told the morning shift workers they could start their holiday break early….

#iPhone shortages hitting holiday shoppers during China protests

Admin4 years ago06 mins

“iPhone shortages hitting holiday shoppers during China protests” Many holiday shoppers looking to snap up the latest Apple iPhone will have to wait until next year because of shortages caused by violent protests at its main plant in China. The protests in Zhengzhou — sparked by low pay at the Taiwan-owned Foxconn plant and China’s…