Tim De Chant, Author at TechCrunch

How Trump’s election could affect the startup-friendly Inflation Reduction Act

Tim De Chant — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 15:59:18 +0000

While Trump's administration is unlikely to be supportive of certain climate tech startups, it will have a harder time ending the broadly popular law.

Google is opening an AI hub in oil-rich Saudi Arabia

Tim De Chant — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 19:55:03 +0000

The new AI hub will support research into Arab language AI models and “Saudi-specific AI applications.”

Oil giant BP is killing 18 hydrogen projects, chilling the nascent industry

Tim De Chant — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 17:45:34 +0000

The hydrogen industry, which has relied on oil and gas companies both financially and through lobbying efforts, is preparing for a grim outcome.

How a box on a roof helped Transaera land $8.2 million in funding

Tim De Chant — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 16:00:40 +0000

The company has been toiling for seven years, developing a novel air conditioning technology and searching for a beachhead market.

Regulators deliver successive blows to Amazon and Meta’s nuclear power ambitions

Tim De Chant — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 19:00:21 +0000

A series of recent rulings from regulators dashed the Big Tech companies' hopes of finding a quick fix for their electricity needs.

When to sell your company? Look for these signals

Tim De Chant — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 20:14:00 +0000

Startups are 16-times more likely to get acquired than to IPO. Here's how to decide when o cash out.

How to build a company that can save the world and generate a profit

Tim De Chant — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 12:53:00 +0000

For startups that hope to save the world, or at least make it a better place, balancing impact with profit can be tricky.

Apple will buy renewable power for its Mac mini users

Tim De Chant — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Apple went to unusual lengths to ensure it accounted for and neutralized all the pollution that the new Mac Mini might produce.

Why Crosscut Ventures is ‘following the founders’ into climate, space, and beyond

Tim De Chant — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 14:00:00 +0000

The focus of the new $100 million fund, Crosscut’s sixth, will include energy and power, space and underwater exploration, advanced manufacturing, advanced materials, and security and defense.

SpiralWave’s pulsing plasma towers transform carbon dioxide into liquid fuel

Tim De Chant — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 18:24:10 +0000

If there’s anything that came from one of the worlds that was promised to us in “Back to the Future” or “The Jetsons” or innumerable other sci-fi franchises, it’s what SpiralWave co-founder and CEO Abed Bukhari showed me on a video call. Purple-tinged waves of white plasma rhythmically rose and vanished within a metal-screened column, […]

NitroFix wants to use electricity to make ammonia without the pollution

Tim De Chant — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 17:58:42 +0000

Ammonia may conjure thoughts of off odors, but the world is entirely dependent on the smelly stuff as a fertilizer and for use in myriad other industries. Problem is, nearly all the ammonia produced today is heavily dependent on fossil fuels. Making the compound releases more than 450 million metric tons of carbon dioxide every […]

Merlin Solar bets twisty panels will help it land on rooftops everywhere

Tim De Chant — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 15:00:00 +0000

The startup uses standard silicon solar cells but connects them using bendy materials, giving them better durability and more flexibility.

Cement startup Furno lands $20M grant to build low-carbon micro-kilns in Chicago

Tim De Chant — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 19:08:19 +0000

Furno’s micro-kilns promise to reduce pollution and eliminate transportation costs.

Turnover Labs is helping chemical plants to reuse their waste CO2

Tim De Chant — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 12:30:00 +0000

Turnover Labs was born out of Marissa Beatty’s doctoral research into improving the durability of electrolyzers.

Former watch trader is now building the AWS of grid storage, Terralayr

Tim De Chant — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 04:00:00 +0000

The startup's technology is a twist on the virtual power plant concept, in which batteries are aggregated and portions of the whole are sold off to various customers.

Amazon jumps on nuclear power bandwagon by investing in X-Energy and promising small reactors

Tim De Chant — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 16:36:30 +0000

The company revealed three deals, including an investment in a fission startup and two development agreements to add nuclear power to the grid.

Treehouse uses AI to help electricians install tech like EV chargers and heat pumps more cheaply

Tim De Chant — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 13:00:00 +0000

The startup seeks to reduce inefficiencies for electricians, including from site visits while quoting jobs.

Google signed a deal to power data centers with nuclear micro-reactors from Kairos — but the 2030 timeline is very optimistic

Tim De Chant — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 22:33:50 +0000

With the deal, Google joins Microsoft and Amazon in turning to nuclear power to satiate its thirst for electricity.

Aerleum plans to turn CO2 directly into fuel for cargo ships and, eventually, airplanes

Tim De Chant — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 13:00:00 +0000

To cut direct air capture's costs, the startup has developed a material that, in a two-step process, absorbs carbon dioxide and transforms it into another compound.

Scope3 starts tracking the carbon footprint of AI

Tim De Chant — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 13:00:00 +0000

The startup, which already monitors the climate impact of digital advertising, is expanding to include artificial intelligence.