Good day. Last week we asked about the most underappreciated tech sectors for startups in 2023. Here are some responses, edited for length and clarity.
Jory Bell, general partner at Playground Global: “Synthetic biology, a science that allows us to engineer biological systems and manipulate existing ones, has been underappreciated for a long time. It took two decades to make the first breakthrough of creating a living organism with human-made DNA, but in just the past decade synthetic biology has advanced 10-fold, pioneering solutions that address everything from drug development and climate change to biofuel creation and food security.”
Krish Ramadurai, partner at Harmonix: “Deep technologies in material science have certainly been an underappreciated sector in 2023. Material science innovations spanning advanced composites, biomaterials, metamaterials, and conductive polymers hold great promise in critical applications spanning aerospace to biotechnology. However, this sector has required substantial investment, long R&D timelines, and potentially niche customer segments, making it less attractive for investors.”
Kouki Harasaki, founding/managing partner of Bioluminescence Ventures, said biotechnology startups developing completely new types of therapies, or modalities, aren’t drawing as much interest as they should because many investors are showing a preference for what they regard as lower-risk opportunities. “There are a lot of new modalities that are not getting the attention and financing they deserve,” he said.
Garrett Winther, head of startups and venture at Newlab: “The world needs more startups that will underpin the green re-industrialization and rebuilding of our foundational industries: energy, mobility, materials, manufacturing, infrastructure and industrial technologies. These sectors are key to building future industry titans, and these companies require a different playbook to what Silicon Valley has to offer and will yield outsized opportunities for investors that are willing to bet on it.”