☕️ Innovation Espresso #18
Google’s big layoffs, OpenAI’s Deep Research, and why AI can’t replace real users—served with your weekly dose of corporate venturing news!
Welcome to Innovation Espresso, a quick yet powerful dose of curated news, articles, videos, reels, newsletters, and podcasts that I’ve found particularly interesting throughout the week. While I focus on Open Innovation and Corporate Venturing, you’ll find this quick yet potent dose covers more ground. Enjoy with your morning coffee!
💊 Innovation Pills
• 🤖 Robot takeover? Factory automation has doubled in just seven years, according to the International Federation of Robotics. Read more (IFR).
• 💊 AI is disrupting drug discovery, and startup Mana is leading the charge with its innovative approach to pharmaceutical research. Full story (Mana).
• 🛠️ Google is offering voluntary buyouts to employees in its hardware and platform teams. Could this signal a strategic shift? Details here (CNBC).
• 🤖 If the internet becomes AI, does advertising become a matter of persuading agents? Thought-provoking take (LinkedIn).
• 🎨 OpenAI has undergone its first-ever rebrand, aiming to give a fresh feel to ChatGPT interactions. Check it out (Wallpaper).
• 🔍 OpenAI is also launching Deep Research, a tool designed to rival human analysts. More on this (OpenAI).
• 🏠 Meta is studying how humans and robots can collaborate on housework—could this be the future of smart homes? Find out (TechCrunch).
• 🚀 Chinese astronauts have developed a method to create rocket fuel in space using artificial photosynthesis—a breakthrough with huge implications for space travel. Read the science (Futurism).
☕️ Your weekly sip of Corporate Venturing News
• 💼 Hitachi Ventures Launches $400M Fund Targeting Fusion and AI
Hitachi Ventures has secured $400 million for its fourth fund, aiming to invest in cutting-edge sectors including fusion energy and artificial intelligence. This move underscores Hitachi’s commitment to pioneering technologies that promise to shape the future. Source: TechCrunch
• 🔥 Toho Gas Introduces $33M Venture Fund to Explore New Industries
Japanese utility company Toho Gas has established a ¥5 billion ($33 million) venture fund named Shin Infrastructure Fund. The fund will focus on startups in food and agriculture, wellness, real estate, and tourism, reflecting Toho Gas’s strategy to diversify beyond traditional gas services. Source: Global Venturing
• 🛡️ Okta Ventures Highlights Exit Challenges for Cybersecurity Startups
Austin Arensberg, head of Okta Ventures, notes that while funding remains robust for cybersecurity startups, achieving profitable exits has become increasingly challenging. He emphasizes the need for startups to develop strategic plans from Series B onwards to navigate the complex exit landscape. Source: Global Venturing
• 📈 Corporate Investors Amplify Presence in Startup Funding
The past decade has seen a threefold increase in corporate investors, who now participate in one out of every six startup funding rounds. In 2024 alone, funding rounds involving corporate investors surged by 20% in value, totaling $133 billion. Source: Global Venturing
• 🧩 Microsoft’s Strategic Acquisitions from 2022 to 2024
Microsoft has strategically acquired companies like Inflection AI, Fungible, and Lumenisity to bolster its AI, data center infrastructure, and high-speed networking capabilities. Source: Capital Riesgo
• 📊 The Pre-M&A Myth in Corporate Venture Capital (CVC)
Tobias Gutmann debunks the idea that CVCs primarily drive acquisitions. Instead, they serve as innovation scouts, fostering partnerships and identifying disruptive tech. Read more on LinkedIn
📹 Something to watch
Over the last 40 years, China has built the world’s most sophisticated digital border, known as the Great Firewall of China.
🎧 Something to listen
Marc Andreessen joins the Lex Fridman Podcast to discuss Trump, power, technology, AI, immigration, and the future of America.
🛠️ Something to try
GigaBrain scans billions of discussions on Reddit and other online communities to find the most useful posts and comments. It helps cut through the noise to provide real answers from real people.
🤔 Did you know?
🥐 Espresso is not enough?
In the article “The Case Against AI-Generated Users,” IDEO explores the limitations of using AI-generated personas in design research. The authors argue that while generative AI can simulate user responses, it falls short in capturing the depth and complexity of real human experiences. They highlight the importance of engaging with actual users to uncover unexpected insights, emotional nuances, and contextual factors that AI cannot replicate. The piece emphasizes that relying solely on synthetic users can lead to shallow understandings and potentially flawed design outcomes.
Did you enjoy this edition? Share it with anyone you like and give it a heart. Subscribe to receive it every week.
See you next week,
Davide