Deep Tech Briefing #44: 🚀Reusable rockets; 💊 Eli Lilly & A16Z's health tech fund; 🔋 Low-cost lithium production; 🤖 AI Hardware startup Goes Public and more...

An insider’s update on Deep Tech Ventures: Your dose of tech innovations, startups, exponential industries, policies, and market moves to stay ahead and capitalize on it.

Jan 19, 2025

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Welcome to #44 Deep Tech Briefing! Each week, we cut through the noise to highlight the forces shaping deep tech’s most important moves. This isn’t just about big numbers and shiny breakthroughs—it’s about understanding the trends, strategies, and opportunities behind the headlines. Think of it as your weekly map to where deep tech ventures is heading—and why it matters now.

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This week, over $1 billion was poured into deep tech startups tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Stoke Space’s $260M raise is accelerating reusable rockets, while Truveta’s $320M genomic project signals AI’s growing role in transforming medicine. At the same time, Moment Energy is giving EV batteries a second life with a $15M investment, showing how sustainability and innovation are becoming inseparable.

On the geopolitical front, moves to secure supply chains are intensifying. Electralith’s $17M push for domestic lithium production is reshaping critical materials markets, while Vertical Compute’s €20M AI chip funding reflects Europe’s ambitions to reduce reliance on global bottlenecks.

Governments aren’t sitting on the sidelines. From the UK greenlighting launches in the Shetland Islands to New York accelerating nuclear energy, public-private partnerships are breaking down barriers to progress and creating fertile ground for innovation to scale.

So, let’s dive into the details and unpack what’s next.

Deep Tech Week in 10 Data

$260M – Stoke Space’s reusable rockets:
Space just got a little closer. Stoke Space’s $260 million round aims to cut costs with reusable rockets, accelerating competition in the private space sector.
Why it matters: Lower costs mean more frequent launches, unlocking new frontiers for exploration and innovation.
€20M – Vertical Compute's AI chip memory fix:
AI's bottleneck might be solved. Vertical Compute secured €20 million to tackle memory constraints in AI chips, paving the way for faster, smarter systems.
Why it matters: Hardware limitations have held AI back—this could unlock its true potential.
$144M – Inari's agricultural gene-editing tech:
Feeding the future. Inari raised $144 million to create resilient, high-yield seeds, addressing food security challenges head-on.
Why it matters: With climate change pressuring agriculture, biotech like this could be a game-changer.
$32M – Overland AI’s off-road autonomy:
Taking AI where the roads end. Overland AI raised $32 million to build autonomous vehicles for extreme environments, starting with defense.
Why it matters: Off-road autonomy opens new possibilities for military, rescue, and exploration missions.
$30M – SEEQC's quantum computing chips:
Quantum made practical. SEEQC secured $30 million to develop chips that solve real-world problems with quantum computing.
Why it matters: Bridging the gap between theory and application could change everything, from logistics to cryptography.
$15M – Moment Energy’s EV battery recycling:
Batteries get a second life. Amazon and others invested $15 million in Moment Energy to recycle EV batteries for sustainability.
Why it matters: Second-life batteries reduce waste and make EVs even greener.
$500M – Eli Lilly & Andreessen Horowitz's health tech fund:
The future of healthcare. With $500 million on the table, this partnership is betting big on life sciences and health tech innovation.
Why it matters: Advanced healthcare solutions are critical as the global population grows older and sicker.
$320M – Truveta’s genomic data project:
AI meets biotech. Truveta’s $320 million raise will fuel a massive genome project, transforming personalized medicine.
Why it matters: Genomic data could unlock breakthroughs in how we prevent and treat diseases.
$120M – Neura Robotics’ humanoid tech:
The robots are here. Neura Robotics landed $120 million to develop humanoids and collaborative robots (cobots) for the workplace.
Why it matters: As labor shortages persist, these robots could fill critical gaps in manufacturing and logistics.
$17M – Electralith's low-cost lithium production:
Breaking free from China. Electralith’s $17 million raise aims to create a lithium supply chain outside of China, cutting costs and boosting independence.
Why it matters: Lithium is the backbone of EVs and energy storage—control over its supply changes the game.

Chart of the week

Industrial Robots Are Scaling—Where Does It Go From Here?

Industrial robots saw unprecedented adoption by 2022, with over 500,000 annual installations and 3 million active units worldwide. This momentum highlights a turning point: automation isn’t just about cost reduction—it’s about unlocking new capabilities across industries.

However, the 2025 outlook could depend on critical factors. If robotics becomes more tightly integrated with generative AI and IoT, we could see exponential adoption, particularly in logistics and healthcare. But rising protectionism and component shortages could stall this growth, leaving the market fragmented.

Startups in edge computing, robotics-as-a-service (RaaS), and supply chain optimization could thrive in this climate. How do investors position for a world where every industry has to grapple with “robot-first” strategies?

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Week Macro Trend

This week, the deep tech landscape continued to evolve under several converging trends that reveal a broader narrative of technological maturation and strategic capital reallocation.