“I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that.” That’s probably one of the most chilling lines of any sci-fi AI villain. HAL, the sentient computer that runs the ship in 2001: A Space Odyssey, has decided that humans are superfluous to its mission. That iconic scene has influenced how we think about the role […]
Investing in a company with no revenues is like fronting some guy you don’t know 50 bones for a sack of chronic. First, you need to trust that he’ll actually return with your product. If he does return, you’re hoping it’s the skunk he promised, and not some Mexican brick weed. If he does return […]
They say you only need to know three things about real estate: location, location, location. And if your location happens to be in Hong Kong, San Francisco, or New York, then you’re probably paying premium dollars to live there. All three are among the most expensive places on Earth, with monthly rent on a two-bedroom […]
It seems everyone is chasing Elon Musk’s dream of electric vehicles in every garage, even as investors bet against the success of Tesla (TSLA) through short selling its stock. A big part of Musk’s strategy seems predicated on taking control of key parts of his supply chain, with energy storage obviously playing an outsized role. […]
There are all sorts of statistics out there about how often tech startups fail, with data research firm CB Insights saying that 70% of upstart businesses close shop in less than two years. Some industries are obviously tougher than others, like consumer hardware with a 97% death rate. We’d wager that launching a rocket or […]
One of the silver linings in the current coronavirus pandemic that is making ESG-investing types particularly happy is the news that Mother Nature is finally getting a breather as the wheels of commerce grind to a halt. Greenhouse gas emissions are way down because no one is going anywhere and factories aren’t producing stuff. Of […]
Thematic investments in disruptive technologies are tricky. Even if you’re able to find some pure-play stocks, technologies and business models evolve so quickly that you may find that you backed an entire pack of losing horses. Solar and 3D printing are both great examples of under-performing themes that have disappointed investors over the past decade. […]
News just broke that the $26 billion-plus merger between Sprint (S) and T-Mobile (TMUS) is going forward. Apparently, the federal judge in the case weighed the arguments carefully and decided that consolidation of the two telecommunications companies is good for the free market. (More likely, he already bought one of the new 5G-enabled phones and […]
We recently sent our hardest drinking working MBA to New Zealand to milk an article out of the technological innovations underway in the country’s dairy industry. In that article, we noted how agriculture companies like the Hamilton-based Livestock Improvement Corporation now leverage satellite imagery to assess the amount of grass available to feed New Zealand’s […]
This past summer we sent one of our MBAs up to Alaska to search for the origins of Alaskan Thunderfcuk and to see if any innovation might be happening that far up north. We managed to come across a great story about an Alaskan service provider, Microcom, that’s working with a satellite firm called Astranis, to provide the State’s population with affordable broadband […]