Deeptech Investment Opportunities in Energy and Mining

🗝️ The Hidden Chapter in Stanford University’s Emerging Tech Review 2025 Stanford’s Emerging Technology Review 2025 (https://setr.stanford.edu/) outlines ten domains including AI, semiconductors, materials, robotics, space and sustainable energy. Each is advancing rapidly, while reinforcing and accelerating the other. It highlights that innovation leadership is a system, and that universities, talent, and long-term R&D remain its foundation. But as investors, we need to pay special attention to one theme that’s under-emphasized: energy and infrastructure as the enabling substrate. Breakthrough AI becomes stranded if it lacks reliable power, transmission, materials and permitting. The physical grid, baseload capacity, storage systems, and carbon-removal infrastructure are the scaffolding on which all frontier tech builds. We are lucky to see this in action across TDK Ventures portfolio: Type One Energy: fusion power for tomorrow’s baseload Rodatherm Energy Corporation: advanced geothermal delivering affordable firm power Amperesand: solid-state transformer tech for smarter, flexible grid rollout Peak Energy: smarter energy storage scaling to shift the grid cost structure Tulum Energy & Spiritus: carbon-removal and clean hydrogen are critical for net-zero infrastructure SPAN: Smarter homes and buildings grid balancing so demand can flex as supply shifts These companies illustrate what the Stanford Review points to: progress in one domain unlocks others. But they also underscore the missing framing: scaling the infrastructure that underpins them. Three actionable priorities for investors: 1. Energy as Enabler ⚡ View clean, reliable, affordable energy not as a single theme but as the multiplier for every other emerging-tech domain. The grid, baseload plants, storage, flexible loads: all alpha. 2. Infrastructure as Technology 🏗️ Things like transmission, interconnection, storage manufacturing, smart panels and bidirectional flows are not “nice to have”… they are deep tech. 3. Reinforce the Innovation Flywheel 🔄 Universities, long-term R&D, cross-disciplinary talents and committed investors remain the true unlock. Stanford’s Review maps where frontier science is heading. Our job as investors is to ensure that the physical, financial and institutional infrastructure keeps pace. Because if one domain slows, whether grids, baseload, storage, policy, the rest will slow. The future is not just about the next breakthrough. It’s about building the system that makes positive breakthroughs inevitable. 🌍✨

Cement x Deep Tech: Accelerating India’s Industrial Decarbonization Journey The challenge — and opportunity — is bigger than you think. A recent landmark report - ‘Decarbonization Roadmap for Indian Cement Sector’ lays out the bold path to Net-Zero by 2070 ! Let’s break it down. Why Cement Matters? Some eye-opening FACTS : - Cement : 7% of India’s total GHG emissions - 2nd largest cement producer globally (10% of world production) - 98% of cement capacity is privately owned - Per capita cement use 257 kg India vs 540 kg global average — set to 4X by 2070 - 40% Indians expected to live in urban centres by 2036 - 80% of India’s 2070 infrastructure is yet to be built - 40% of global C&D waste comes from India (Upto 500 million tonnes per year)— only 1% is recycled. India’s growth needs cement — but can it be green?  Let’s look at Cement’s Carbon EMISSIONS Challenge: - Calcination (breaking limestone) → 60% of emissions - Combustion (fuel burning) → 30% of emissions - Electricity use (mostly thermal) → 10% of emissions Here’s the Catch: In cement, most emissions come from the rock — not the fuel. That’s why decarbonizing cement demands Innovative deep tech solutions.  Next, the top levers to decarbonize cement ? 1. Cement-Use Efficiency (~30% of emissions cut)  ➔ Smarter material use, better designs, and efficient construction practices to minimize cement demand. Deep Tech Innovators ? - C2CA Technology B.V. (Netherlands): Upcycling demolished concrete into new cement materials (Early investors: Chrysalix Venture Capital; Spinout from TU Delft). - Tvasta (India): 3D-printed Technology, low-carbon construction solutions (Indian Institute of Technology, Madras spinout). 2. Carbon Capture, Utilization & Storage (CCUS) (~25% of emissions cut) ➔ Capture the unavoidable emissions and either store or transform CO₂ into valuable products. Deep Tech Innovators ? - Carbon8 (UK): Accelerated carbonation technology turning Captured CO₂ and cement dust into construction-grade materials (backed by early investors- EDF (UK) and Vicat) 3. Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs) (~16% of emissions cut) ➔ Replace clinker with low-carbon alternatives like fly ash, slag, and calcined clay (LC3). Deep Tech Innovators ? - CarbonStrong (India): Turning steel industry byproducts [BOF/ EAF slags] into supplementary cementitious materials - GreenJams (India): Agrocrete® — bio-concrete using agricultural residues and industrial by-products like steel slag. Let's DISCUSS ! India has the scale, the talent, and the urgency. ➔ How can India become the proving ground for deep tech decarbonization in Cement? Share your thoughts — or tag a builder driving deep tech solutions for low-carbon cement! Santhoshkumar Vijayaraghavan Harsh Jain Tarun Jami Paras Chopra Vidya Basarkod, FICE Naveen Ahlawat Hari Chandana M Sanjay K Singh Brajesh Sharma Manoj Kumar Rustagi Neerja Shonek Piyush Goyal Beena Sharma Meeta Narsinghani Nirupa Shankar

AI’s Hidden Winners May Be Mining and Energy Companies The artificial intelligence boom is often viewed through the lens of software, semiconductors, and data centers. However, a growing number of investors argue that the true beneficiaries extend far beyond technology companies. As AI infrastructure expands globally, demand is rising for the metals, minerals, and energy resources required to build and power the digital economy. According to major mining investors, AI is creating a new wave of commodity demand. Every AI data center requires enormous quantities of copper, aluminum, steel, rare earth elements, and other industrial materials. These facilities also require massive power generation and electrical infrastructure, driving demand for transmission systems, transformers, and energy-related resources. As a result, the AI revolution is increasingly becoming a resource story as much as a technology story. The challenge is that mining supply cannot expand overnight. Developing new mines often requires years of permitting, construction, financing, and environmental review. As AI-related infrastructure spending accelerates, some investors believe mining companies may struggle to keep pace with growing demand. This imbalance could create favorable conditions for commodity producers and resource-focused investment strategies. The trend extends beyond metals alone. AI data centers consume significant amounts of electricity, making reliable energy generation a strategic priority. Utilities, grid operators, nuclear energy providers, natural gas suppliers, and renewable energy developers are all becoming important participants in the broader AI ecosystem. The infrastructure required to support AI is creating ripple effects throughout the global economy. Key Takeaways The AI boom is driving increased demand not only for chips and servers but also for the metals, minerals, and energy needed to build and operate AI infrastructure. Copper, aluminum, steel, rare earth elements, electrical equipment, and power generation assets are becoming increasingly important components of the AI value chain. Mining and energy companies may emerge as significant beneficiaries of long-term AI expansion. The broader implication is that artificial intelligence is evolving into a full-scale industrial transformation rather than simply a software revolution. The companies enabling AI will include not only technology leaders but also the firms supplying the physical resources that power the digital economy. Investors, policymakers, and business leaders may increasingly view AI through the combined lenses of technology, energy security, industrial capacity, and resource availability. I share daily insights with tens of thousands followers across defense, tech, and policy. Keith King https://lnkd.in/gHPvUttw

Founders: the federal government just issued a call for startups that can help source more energy and critical minerals here in the US. It could mean millions of dollars in non-dilutive funding. The program is run by Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s arm for funding early-stage, high-risk energy technology. The goal is to get more resources out of low-permeability rock, the dense formations that hold a lot of our oil, gas, geothermal heat, and minerals but are hard and expensive to tap. 🎯 The goal: double the per-well recovery of energy and critical minerals from low-permeability formations, while holding or lowering both cost and wastewater versus today's methods. 🔬 Two categories: → Category A — Shale and tight oil & gas (expected to be the majority of awards) → Category B — Other low-permeability resources, including geothermal and mineral systems 🧪 Expertise they want to bring together: → Reservoir, petroleum, and mining engineering → Geology and geochemistry → Chemistry, chemical engineering, and materials science → Numerical modeling and data science → Sensors and instrumentation → Technoeconomic analysis → Commercial deployment partners with field sites and permitting experience (oil & gas, geothermal, mining) A quick note on what this actually is: ARPA-E has opened a Teaming Partner List, a step before the formal funding solicitation, so project teams can form early. Link to sign up in the comments. If someone in your network is working on subsurface, geothermal, or critical minerals, tag them. #AmTech #EnergyTech #CriticalMinerals #DeepTech #Startups

Is the AI trade moving from the cloud to the ground? ⛏️ Since early 2025, the MSCI Metals and Mining Index has surged nearly 90%, outperforming semiconductors, global banks, and even the Magnificent Seven. While the world has been focused on chips and LLMs, fund managers are realizing that the digital revolution has a massive physical footprint 👣. We are likely entering a new Commodity Supercycle. Here are three key takeaways from the recent shift in the mining sector: 1️⃣ AI is a Physical Play: You cannot build data centers, robotics, or EVs without copper, aluminum, silver, and nickel. These metals have become structural investments essential to the energy and tech transitions. 2️⃣ The "Buy over Build" Era: We are seeing a wave of massive M&A (think Anglo American and Teck Resources Limited). Because it is becoming harder and more expensive to bring new mines online, industry giants are choosing to buy existing production to gain scale. This "scarcity value" is a massive tailwind for valuations. 3️⃣ The Valuation Gap: Despite the 90% gain, the sector still trades at a significant discount (about 20%) to its long-term price-to-book average. While some caution is warranted regarding iron ore and China, the "pure-play" copper and precious metals miners are positioned as the new portfolio anchors — capturing both monetary policy shifts and technological transformation. ➡️For investors seeking exposure to AI 🤖 and energy transition⚡️beyond crowded tech valuations, mining deserves serious reconsideration.⬅️ Based on reporting by Michael Msika and Winnie Hsu (Bloomberg) (+++Opinions are my own. Not investment advice. Do your own research.+++) 👋 Follow me for my daily investing nuggets, musings on markets, and hilarious investing memes. 💸

🚀 Deep Tech Founders — Australia has a $15B opportunity waiting for you🚀 It’s called the National Reconstruction Fund (NRF) — and it’s here to back the next generation of companies shaping our economy. 💡 What is the NRF? The National Reconstruction Fund is a $15 billion Australian Government initiative designed to rebuild industrial capability, scale emerging technologies, and strengthen economic resilience. It’s not a grant. The NRF provides commercial investment, designed to co-invest alongside the private sector in companies working on big, nationally significant problems. 🧠 Key areas include: 🔹 AI, robotics, and quantum tech 🔹 Advanced manufacturing 🔹 Clean energy and low-emissions tech 🔹 Medical science 🔹 Critical minerals 🔹 Defence capability 🔹 Value-added resources and agriculture 📜 Where did it come from? The NRF was established under the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation Act 2023, as a direct response to global supply chain disruptions and a need for greater economic sovereignty. Its goal is to: 🔹 Boost Australian-led innovation 🔹 Build resilient local industries 🔹 Support future-facing jobs 🔹 Attract private investment into strategic sectors 🏛️ How is it governed? The NRF is managed by the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation (NRFC) — an independent corporate Commonwealth entity. It’s governed by a board appointed by the Minister for Industry and Science (Ed Husic MP) and Minister for Finance (Katy Gallagher), and led by CEO David Gall appointed in consultation with government. This structure ensures commercial discipline while aligning investments with national priorities. 💰 Who’s already secured investment? 💲 Harrison.ai – $32M for AI-powered radiology diagnostics 💲 Quantum Brilliance – $13M for local quantum diamond chip production 💲 Vault Cloud – $22.5M to scale sovereign cloud services 💲 Loam Bio – $70M in climate tech for carbon removal through soil 💲 Myriota – $25M to manufacture satellite IoT modules in Australia 💲 Arafura Rare Earths Limited Rare Earths – $200M to build critical minerals capability 💲 Russell Mineral Equipment – $40M to expand Aussie-based manufacturing 💲 Resource Capital Funds – $100M commitment toward industrial innovation 📣 What this means for you as a founder: If you’re building in one of these sectors, NRF capital could: 🔹 Help de-risk your raise 🔹 Bring co-investors to the table 🔹 Signal strong alignment with national priorities 🔹 Give your company a credibility boost 🔗 Learn more at the NRF website. Link in comments #NRF #Founders #StartupFunding #AI #ClimateTech #AdvancedManufacturing #DeepTech #QuantumTech #NationalReconstructionFund #SovereignCapability #FutureOfWork

Between AI compute demand, industrial electrification and Europe's push for sovereignty, energy has become one of the most strategic deep tech battlegrounds right now. Here is what the ecosystem actually looks like. REPowerEU mobilised close to €300 billion, and by 2024, 47% of EU electricity came from renewables for the first time, with solar overtaking coal and wind beating gas. These are structural market shifts, not policy wins on paper. They have created one of the most serious deep tech investment landscapes in Europe. The capital is responding. European energy storage startups have raised €2.14 billion in total equity, nearly half of it in the last three years. — Future Energy Ventures closed a €205 million Fund II.  — SET Ventures a €200 million Fund IV.  — Terra One raised €150 million for grid-scale batteries in Germany alone. What makes this ecosystem compelling is the convergence across the stack: grid software, storage, power electronics, hydrogen, and industrial systems, all moving inside a regulatory environment that is finally pulling in the same direction as the technology. The founders building here are solving coordination problems at a continental scale that have no real analogue anywhere else. — Follow us at APEX Ventures and subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive content on groundbreaking Deep Tech startups: https://t2m.io/EV2qHQuo

Rare earth elements are suddenly everywhere, and not just in mining reports or geopolitical headlines. They have become central to everything from EV motors and wind turbines to smartphones and defense systems. But the deeper you go, the more complicated the story becomes. The extraction process is environmentally destructive, the supply chains are highly concentrated, and there are very few scalable alternatives. In my latest Substack post, I explore why REEs (rare earth elements) are becoming a critical bottleneck in deep tech innovation. More importantly, I highlight how startups are stepping in with real solutions. Here are a few insights: - Permanent magnets, which rely heavily on REEs, are at the core of EV motors and wind turbine generators. - Extracting REEs is harmful to the environment, often producing radioactive waste and toxic byproducts. - The global supply is concentrated in a small number of countries, which adds strategic and political risk. Fortunately, innovation is happening: Companies like Niron Magnetics, Inc., Phoenix Tailings, Turntide Technologies, and others are proving that cleaner tech isn’t just possible, it’s scalable. The rare earth challenge is not only a materials science issue. It is also a design problem, a systems problem, and a supply chain problem. As with many foundational shifts in technology, the most promising solutions are coming from startups that are reimagining how things are built. If you are working at the intersection of deep tech, climate, and advanced manufacturing, this is a topic you will want to watch. Read the full newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/g4Y9HtgJ #DeepTech #ClimateTech #RareEarths #AdvancedManufacturing #Startups #VC #EVs #Sustainability #HardwareInnovation

$700M raised for new funds in energy transition, deep tech + CEE... NGP Commits $500M Investment To Energy Transition Strategy Will invest in real asset development platforms across the energy transition including clean power, clean fuels, carbon, transportation, and critical minerals. Each investment would range between $50 and $150 million. The fund has already completed investments in three companies: Segue Renewables II, which invests in development-stage energy transition projects, Cloverleaf Infrastructure which collaborates with regional U.S. utilities and data center operators to deliver scalable clean electricity, and CO280 Solutions which partners with pulp and paper companies on carbon removal projects to deliver verifiable carbon removal credits. AgFunder VC closes Fund IV at $102M with deep tech portfolio focus Investing in startups that can positively impact food and agriculture, and accelerate human progress. The new fund is already over a third deployed and includes a global mix of startups with a deep tech focus – such as the no-code AI, self-driving labs platform Atinary Technologies that’s accelerating materials discovery by 100x, and the UK’s Nium, a nanotechnology company disrupting ammonia production. LEAD VENTURES launches €100M fund for CEE startups Targeting startups in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region at late Seed & Series A companies whose products and services have already been validated on the market and require substantial capital to drive their next phase of growth. The fund will offer investments ranging from €2M to €10M. Previous successful exits include aiMotive, a leader in autonomous vehicle technology, which was the biggest exit in Hungary to date and Amodo, an innovative insurance technology provider. The energy transition is very capital intensive - important we're seeing more funds focusing on this and deep tech. Links to sources in comments. #venturecapital #energytransition #deeptech #greentech #sustainability #startups

Mining Innovation: The Metal Dilemma   The need for metal is surging and the future of mining is filled with opportunity—innovation is the key to unlocking it. Demand is surging: - Global copper demand grew at 2.4% CAGR (2010–2020), driven primarily (D(by construction and electronics. - Today, the energy transition fueled by EVs, renewables and data centers, is pushing demand even higher—BHP projects a 70% increase by 2050. The challenge? Mining is one of the largest industrial GHG emitters, with excavation, processing, and transport being energy-intensive. Scaling new mining technology takes over a decade, leaving a gap between innovation and real-world adoption. What needs to change? - Mining CVCs like BHP and Vale are recognizing the innovation gap and investing in startups like Allonnia while providing critical resources to develop new tech. - Leaders like Rio Tinto and Lundin Mining Corporation are leaning into emerging technologies to drive efficiencies. - Investors with a long-term view will reap outsized returns by backing disruptive solutions. - Consortiums like Clareo and Newlab are bridging the gap between agile startups and legacy mining processes. The industry is at a tipping point—change must happen. Those who adapt will define the future of sustainable mining. #MiningInnovation #EnergyTransition #SustainableMining #DeepTech #ClimateAction https://lnkd.in/eK97EqZm https://lnkd.in/ekYyqgw2