🔥 Tech vs. wildfires

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👋 May your week be filled with many indulgences — except for this one: It’s curtains for celebrity chef Salt Bae’s Las Vegas Strip restaurant. Apparently, the market for its $1.5k wagyu steak wrapped in 24-karat gold foil is only so big. Total shocker there.

🎧 On the pod: Why is every household device “smart” now?

NEWS FLASH

DeepSeek seen on App Store displayed on a phone screen.

🤑 OK, that’s more like it: One week ago, markets were reeling after Chinese AI firm DeepSeek released a highly regarded chatbot it claims it built on $5.6m, a number that’d undercut US firms’ expenditures by… a lot. Though DeepSeek could still pose a legitimate threat to Big Tech’s AI supremacy, a little debunking work from research firm SemiAnalysis puts DeepSeek’s total spending at ~$1.3B, which’d still be comparatively lean, just less apocalyptically so.

🔎 They probably should’ve Googled this ahead of time: Perplexity, a leading startup in AI search, is facing an alleged trademark violation over its use of the name “Perplexity,” which it has sported since 2022. The problem? Perplexity Solved Solutions, an HR software provider founded in 2017, applied for the trademark in October 2021. Stealing allegations aren’t new for the AI firm: It’s also fighting a lawsuit from News Corp regarding “content kleptocracy,” AKA scraping news sites and using their copyrighted work in search results.

🌽 Farmers can’t escape AI either: Google’s “moonshot factory,” X, has spun off Heritable Agriculture, a startup that uses machine learning and AI to analyze plant genomes and determine more sustainable, higher-yielding combinations. The startup won’t be developing genetically modified plants, instead selectively breeding crops — though gene editing may play a role in the startup’s future.

MORE NEWS TO KNOW

Apple’s having a weird time with eyes: The maker of the oft-forgotten Vision Pro headset has called it quits on the Mac-connected AR glasses it was developing.
Coming soon to your waffle cones: waffles. Kellanova (née Kellogg’s) is expanding the Eggo brand into ice-cream treats. Same goes for Rice Krispies Treats, because why not?
LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and oncologist Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee announced Manas AI, a startup that will use AI to speed up the drug discovery process, starting with cancer treatments.

SNAZZ YOUR SPIEL

25 ways to sell your startup story

Be honest: Is your elevator pitch weak?

Do you even have an elevator pitch? Oh, Lord.

You never think you need a tight script detailing your business idea and value props until it’s too late and the big fish is shining in front of you.

You’ve gotta be ready. Here are 25 quick-hitting samples for pitching like you’ve been there.

Inside are prompts for fundraising, networking, and more. Use them as fill-in-the-blanks, or to kickstart inspiration.

Pitch-perfect templates

THE BIG IDEA

Startups are using tech to douse the threat of future wildfires

Last month, the world watched in horror as catastrophic wildfires destroyed 57k+ acres and 16k+ homes and buildings in Los Angeles.

And while the two largest fires are now fully contained, it’s not exactly time to breathe a sigh of relief.

Because of climate change, the extreme weather conditions that caused the fires — overgrown vegetation, draught, and strong winds — are estimated to occur every ~17 years, a ~35% increase in likelihood, according to a new study from World Weather Attribution.

With wildfires increasing in frequency and intensity, startups are busy finding innovative ways to fight future blazes, per TechCrunch:

For fire prevention, Vibrant Planet uses data to help utilities and land managers predict where wildfire risk is highest and connect them with stakeholders to mitigate that risk.
BurnBot, which raised $20m last year, created a remote-controlled machine that safely burns vegetation to prevent future fires.
Pano focuses on early detection, using AI to analyze data from field sensors, satellites, cameras, and emergency alerts.
As does FireSat, a Google-backed constellation of satellites that uses AI to track wildfires.

Extinguishing danger

While total prevention or early detection are ideals, other businesses are focusing on the inevitability that some wildfires will spread.

Israel’s FireDome has raised $4.5m in funding to build its AI-powered fire-defense system that’s modeled after the country’s missile defense system, Iron Dome.

FireDome’s system launches capsules containing eco-friendly fire retardant and water into the air.
The capsules release the materials at designated coordinates, creating a perimeter of fire suppressant.
Then, an AI-powered system detects and extinguishes any additional fires caused by airborne embers.

While combatting wildfires won’t be easy, you may find it comforting to know that startups like these are far from alone.

There are 90+ companies working on tech to prevent, detect, and extinguish wildfires, per Dealroom.co, with a total valuation of $5.1B.

🔗

NEWSWORTHY NUMBER

TikTok followers held by Khaby Lame, the 24-year-old who became the platform’s most-followed creator by silently mocking overly complicated hacks.

Lame will now use his platform as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador to champion children’s rights. Lame, who was born in Senegal and now lives in Italy, said, “From my own experience as a child fearing poverty, struggling to find my passion at school, and losing my job during the COVID-19 pandemic, to finding my place and calling in the world, I know that all children can thrive when they are given a chance and opportunity.”

Finally, some wholesome news off the platform where people go viral for licking toilet seats and faking bank heists.

AROUND THE WEB

🖊️ On this day: In 1863, author Samuel Clemens began using his famous pseudonym, Mark Twain, as a reporter for the Virginia City, Nevada, newspaper Territorial Enterprise.

🍅 That’s interesting: Ketchup isn’t just a tomato sauce, but an entire category of sauces.

📸 Wow: Winners of the Close-Up Photographer of the Year contest.

🎤 Opportunity: Take the stage at INBOUND 2025, Sept. 3-5 in San Francisco. Applications are open now through Feb. 19.

🐱 Aww: Who says cats don’t fetch?

SHOWER THOUGHT

There should be a gym where the membership fee is extremely high at the beginning of the month but you earn money back for every day you end up going and working out for at least an hour. SOURCE

Today’s email was brought to you by Juliet Bennett Rylah and Sara Friedman.
Editing by: Ben “Takes his gold medium-rare” Berkley.

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