# Agtech VC preferences...
**Next episode:** DMT MoA, vector knowledge hippocampus (it's not a metalcore band, I promise!) and mental models I've long mentioned.
# Pack your cow reactors, Billy!
![](https://i.imgur.com/kWnBZV8.png align="center")
Okay, let's start without a prelude (not that I advise that - on the contrary oh shut up at long last), here's a more readable and concise [summary of technologies Agtech VCs look into investing](https://foodhack.global/articles/Top-food-and-climate-investors) ⇒ I'd view this as an **~informed view of trends to come and overall vertical future directions**:
**Agriculture and Farming:**
* Agricultural water recovery (Christian)
* Computational agroecology (Lauren)
* Crop genetics and biostimulants to improve yield, resilience and nutrition (Marika King)
* Data collection and decision-making support solutions for the farming industry (Piotr Grabowski)
* Regenerative agriculture (Frédéric Krebs, Gil Hosky, Erin Culley, Marika King, Steve Molino, Erika, Paul Rous, Lauren Abda, Jonathan, Daniel, Laura Hodgkiss)
* Technologies that speed up the adoption of regenerative farming practices (Erika)
**Alternative Proteins:**
* Cell cultivation (Jonathan)
* Cell-cultured meat (Marika King)
* Fermentation-based alternative fats or spinning technologies to make fibers that mimic muscles (Marika King)
* Plant-based proteins (Greg Michel)
**Energy and Climate:**
* Carbon capture/carbon removal/methane removal (Frédéric Krebs)
* Carbon mineralisation (David)
* Carbon-negative proteins and food ingredients (Hadar Sutovsky)
* Carbon sequestration technologies with outstanding teams (Erika)
* Clean high-temperature heat for industrial use cases (Christian)
* Climate Fintech (Yael)
* Climate risk analysis (Josef Seidl)
* Climate software that combines ML and AI technologies, can help to improve the traceability of high-quality carbon credits. (Laura Hodgkiss)
* Climate x Agtech: Innovations in animal feed to reduce methane emissions, fertilizers that fix nitrous oxide, and enhanced rock weathering for carbon sequestration
* Efficient approaches to hydrogen electrolysis (Christian)
* Fusion (Alexandre)
* Low carbon air conditioning solutions (Puja Balachander)
**Food Waste Reduction:**
* Nutritious, functional and high-value ingredients through upcycling of sidestreams and other solutions to reduce food waste (Marika King)
* Sidestream valorization/upcycling of waste streams into vital inputs into other alt protein applications (Steve Molino)
* Technologies to extend product shelf life (Lauren Abda)
* Upcycling food that would otherwise be wasted (Lauren Abda)
**Packaging and Materials:**
* Biodegradable packaging (Erin Culley)
* New materials and technologies in the sustainable packaging space (Gil Hosky)
* Sustainable packaging (Frédéric Krebs, Gil Hosky, Erin Culley, Dominique, Paul Rous)
**Data and AI:**
* AI's influence on climate and food tech (Alexandre)
* AI and data services to improve precision agriculture (Paul Rous)
* AI Technologies e.g. for optimizing resource usage, emission leak detection or real estate investment planning (Josef Seidl)
* AI tools to predict and deal with climate risk (Yael)
* Deep learning model application to materials science and synbio (David)
* Generative AI for biological intelligence (David)
Yeah, so somebody's been too lazy to read in whole and just distills the article...
# Linkies-twinkies
## Single mingle
![](https://i.imgur.com/mbMJX1v.png align="center")
Being forever alone may not be THAT bad, [Bella DePaulo notes](https://readwise.io/reader/shared/01gsa1h2cwykvsg68hkmhffjjx):
* Many single people are just as happy or happier than married or partnered people;
* Single people have the freedom to live life the way they want to and are often more integrated into their communities than married people;
* Single people also connect more with families, neighbors, and friends, and are more available to assist others;
* Singlehood satisfaction tends to increase after midlife. This goes in line with [overall life satisfaction rising after 40s](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/happiness/happiness-over-the-lifespan)?
A nice quote: `“The dangerous part of some of these societal messages is that it makes it seem like romantic relationships are some kind of a quick fix,” he says. “It’s important to get right with yourself first—to develop emotional stability and build a life you’re happy with, consistent with your values. Otherwise, a romantic relationship is just a recipe to make two people miserable instead of one.”`
## [Optimizing complex systems](https://readwise.io/reader/shared/01gkza3vqkp7s3hvk21t4wzm7j/)
![](https://miro.medium.com/max/700/0*QbOCjktsTsre6HDf align="center")
**Stakeholders** are those with skin in the game. No, not the ones waiting to stake a vampire. And designing a system that satisfies all requirements stated is sometimes a daunting task. As with, say, relationships, it's a tight uh oh interplay of trade-offs and OMGs.
* One problem is that stakeholders hold different views on the system's goals - hence they may even describe the requirements in different ways, with no obvious method of normalizing that;
* A way to overcome the aforementioned problem is to describe the system's goals as metrics with thresholds/constraints;
* Another potential bummer is planning for [unintended consequences](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unintended_consequences), or sometimes perverse consequences - ideally we've got to have several laws that make the system adaptable to those, but who cares?
## [Products that monetize](https://readwise.io/reader/shared/01gwqcprje69hmjv8e58pd7ywp/)
![The Product Strategy Playbook from McKinsey Alum - Free PPT Templates](https://www.stratechi.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Product-value.png align="center")
[Zoe Chew](https://whizzoe.substack.com/)'s spewing gold, as usual - now on **value** categories a **product can deliver**:
**Functional Value**: Create practical benefits for users by incorporating relevant technical features into your product:
* **Speed:** Offer a faster way to accomplish a specific user’s goal
* **Performance:** Easy to use and user-friendly
* **Friction removal:** Reduce obstacles and unstuck the user’s journey
* **Technical benefits:** More accurate and secure
**Monetary Value**: Combine functional value with monetary value by helping customers save money, avoid losses, and increase savings:
* **Affordability:** Attract price-sensitive customers with high-quality products at affordable prices
* **Reduce expenses:** Eliminate middlemen, complex cost structures or hidden fees
* **Great savings:** Offer discounts for bulk purchases or long-term subscriptions
* **Loyalty program:** Offer point-based rewards, exclusive discounts, and perks to frequent customers
**Emotional Value**: Increase product value by creating strong pleasant experiences for customers. Consider how your product makes customers feel after they use it.
* **Reduce stress:** Simplify people’s lives by removing complexities
* **Reduce uncertainty:** Remove doubts by providing transparent detail about how your product or service works
* **Increase confidence:** Provide a guarantee or promise that your product will deliver the desired results
* **Remove fears:** Assure customers by addressing their concerns
**Social Value**: Fulfill a person’s social status or social needs by creating a sense of community around your product and providing additional support, guidance, and resources.
* **Belongings:** Create a sense of community around your product by building an engaged online community where users can connect with like-minded people.
* **Motivation:** Provide additional support, guidance and resources to help users when they are stuck.
* **Recognition:** Provide rewards or celebrations when they achieve certain milestones.
I'd put this right near [NFX's Network effects' manual](https://www.nfx.com/post/network-effects-manual) on usefulness, and would strongly advise doing a checklistey list when designing a product.
## Current AI landscape
[by NFX](https://www.nfx.com/post/generative-ai-hot-75-list)
![AI 75 Hot List](https://www.nfx.com/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcontent.nfx.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F04%2FOG-V6-scaled.jpg&w=3840&q=75 align="left")
The spreadsheet itself:
## [Tiny habits](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/Panels/) for ... anything
Some nice free slide decks with tiny/[atomic habits](https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits) (they're too similar) for almost every gripe one usually has, from lack of focus to introvert lives...
* [Overcoming Overwhelm](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Overcoming-Overwhelm-Panel-Discussion-1.pdf)
* [Focus](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/TH-for-Focus-Panel-Discussion.pdf)
* [Introverts](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Introverts-Panel-Discussion.pdf)
* [Emotional Eating](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/TH-for-Emotional-Eating-Panel-Discussion.pdf)
* [Reducing Stress](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/TH-for-Reducing-Stress-Panel-Discussion.pdf)
* [Healthy Relationships](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Healthy-Relationships-Panel-Discussion.pdf)
* [Vibrant Energy](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Vibrant-Energy-Panel-Discussion.pdf)
* [Get Fit](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Get-Fit-Panel-Discussion.pdf)
* [Mindful Eating](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Mindful-Eating-Panel-Discussion.pdf)
* [Family Gatherings](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Family-GatheringsPanel-Discussion.pdf)
* [Reduce Screen Time](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Reduce-Screen-Time-Panel-Discussion.pdf)
* [Parenting Kids with ADHD](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Parents-of-Kids-with-ADHD-Panel-Slides.pdf)
* [Back to School](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Back-to-School-Panel-Discussion-1.pdf)
* [Powerful Mornings](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Powerful-Mornings-Panel-Discussion.pdf)
* [Procrastination](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Procrastination-Panel-Discussion.pdf)
* [Better Sleep](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Better-Sleep-Panel-Discussion.pdf)
* [College Success](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/College-Success-Panel-Discussion.pdf)
* [Workplace Self Compassion](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Workplace-Self-Compassion-Panel-Discussion.pdf)
* [Engaging Employees](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Engaging-Employees.pdf)
* [Productivity](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Productivity-Panel-Discussion.pdf)
* [Adults with ADHD](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Adults-w_ADHD-Panel-Discussion-5.6.22.pdf)
* [Engaging Leadership](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Engaging-Leadership-Panel-1.pdf)
* [Midlife Health & Wellbeing](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Midlife-Health-Wellbeing-Panel.pdf)
* [Time Management](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Time-Management-Panel-Discussion-1.pdf)
* [Busy Moms](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Busy-Moms-Panel-Discussion-2.pdf)
* [Fitness](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Fitness-Panel-Discussion-1.pdf)
* [Brain Health](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/1Brain-Health-Panel-Discussion-1.pdf)
* [Anxiety](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Anxiety-Panel-Discussion-1.pdf)
* [Creating Gratitude](https://tinyhabitsacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Tiny-Habits-for-Creating-Gratitude-Panel-1.pdf)
---
Welcome to **Teleogenic/YAWN/Boi Diaries**❣️
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