What’s Possible: 10th December, 2021

We hope you enjoy this week's hand-picked selection of important and interesting stories from the frontiers of tech.

Pack McCormick: Replit — Remix the Internet

Replit raises $80M Series B to bring the next billion software creators online.

“I’m just going to call it: Replit will be a $100 billion+ company, but more importantly, its users will generate multiples of that number in value for themselves.” (read)

Most Influential 2021: Roham Gharegozlou

The man behind CryptoKitties and NBA Top Shot has big plans for digital sports and the open metaverse. The future is meow. (read)

Mind The Gap: On-Demand DNA Printing And Synthetic Biology's Promise

There's often a gap between a technology's promise and its fruition. The Human Genome Project provided tantalizing glimpses into DNA's potential to advance research and clinical care, but it took next-generation sequencing (NGS) to really make that actionable. Even now, 20 years after the human genome was sequenced, we are only beginning to see NGS technologies in the clinic. (read)

Fusion’s Time is (Finally) Coming

VC interest in nuclear fusion startups has skyrocketed in the past year — what does this mean for how and when fusion energy might become part of our energy mix? @azeem discusses with @FLF_Nick (read) (listen)

From pollutant to product: the companies making stuff from CO2

Vodka, jet fuel, protein… according to a new clutch of carbon-to-value startups, these are just some of the things that can be manufactured from thin air. (read)

International Energy Agency (IEA) Renewables 2021 - Analysis and forecasts to 2026

Renewables 2021 is the IEA’s primary analysis on the sector, based on current policies and market developments. It forecasts the deployment of renewable energy technologies in electricity, transport and heat to 2026 while also exploring key challenges to the industry and identifying barriers to faster growth. (read)

A mission to protect oceans monitors ships’ AIS from satellites

Learn how Global Fishing Watch is applying advanced data analytics and machine learning technology to AIS tracking data. (read)

Aussie space industry to blaze a trail to the moon

The Australian space industry can now put its hands up to lead the nation’s first mission to the Moon as part of the Morrison Government’s plan to grow the sector and create jobs here at home. The Trailblazer program officially opened today, with businesses now able to apply for the up to $50 million made available for a consortium of Australian businesses and researchers to develop and build a small rover that will head to the Moon with NASA as early as 2026. (read)

Australian Space Agency @AusSpaceAgency

We’re calling on the 🇦🇺 space industry to put their hand up to lead the nation’s first mission to the Moon. Applications are now open after we reached an agreement with @NASA to send an Aussie made rover to the Moon as early as 2026. For details visit: minister.industry.gov.au/ministers/pric…

11:11 PM ∙ Dec 6, 2021243Likes77Retweets

Stripe Capital drives sharp increases in small businesses’ revenue growth

Stripe today released data revealing that businesses who accepted Stripe Capital financing grew their revenue 114% faster than their otherwise comparable peers. (read)

VC Investments in Consumer Crypto Startups Soar 26-Fold

Venture capitalists investing in consumer startups are writing more checks for crypto companies than ever before. The deals underscore how blockchain technology is reshaping industries like gaming and e-commerce, pushing long-standing consumer investors to remake themselves as crypto backers. (read)

Interesting adjacencies

• Projects on Immutable’s testnet quadruple in 40 days — probably nothing (thread)
• WhatsApp launches cryptocurrency payments pilot — probably nothing (read)
• Ribbonfarm: Magic Beans — what is the best mental model for NFTs? (read)
• SOSV: Meat The Future — Behind the Scenes of the Next Agricultural Revolution (watch)

If you'd like to see more of what we’re exploring at Possible Ventures, you can follow us on Twitter.

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