August 2025 – Matthew Mandel
1 post published by matthewmandel during August 2025| Matthew Mandel
I’m very interested in what society looks like if we achieve AGI but don’t end up in a totally unrecognizable utopia/dystopia. One question is what work will be meaningful in such a wor…| Matthew Mandel
One of the most exciting trends in energy is the rise of programmable power. Energy devices have become increasingly software-controllable. Developers can now build large virtual energy systems out…| Matthew Mandel
The Information Age was a consequence of two developments: the ability to work with information programmatically and the democratization of that capability. We are now entering a similar period in …| Matthew Mandel
I recently finished Quantum Computing for Everyone, which is a great intro to the basic ideas and math behind quantum computing. I particularly enjoyed its account of Bell’s inequality, which offer…| Matthew Mandel
We recently announced our first biotech investment at USV in a company called Humane Genomics. They engineer viruses that can be made to selectively infect different kinds of cells. To start, they’re focused on viruses that kill cancer cells (“oncolytic viruses”). The first oncolytic viral therapy to be approved in the US was in 2015. […]| Matthew Mandel
I’ve written previously about the deep tech opportunity. While lean software startups have been a great place to invest venture capital over the last thirty years, I believe we’re livin…| Matthew Mandel
The dramatic reduction in the cost of solar energy means we can cheaply produce clean power– but only when the sun is out. Batteries are a natural companion to solar, capable of soaking up surplus energy when the sun is shining, and using that energy or feeding it back to the grid at night. Fortunately, batteries […]| Matthew Mandel
Electric vehicles are a prime example of how electricity will be used in more complex ways as we electrify everything to reduce carbon emissions. As batteries, they enable shifting electricity usag…| Matthew Mandel
Venture History Modern venture history begins with General Georges Doriot’s American Research and Development (ARD) Corporation. ARD invested in a wide range of novel technologies, from off-shore o…| Matthew Mandel
Humans are not simple creatures. Although we like to present ourselves as coherent wholes to the outside world, on the inside, we’re divided. Marvin Minsky argues in The Society of Mind that minds are composed of smaller agents, each with specialized roles and drives. Inside Out similarly imagines the mind as made up of joyful, […]| Matthew Mandel
