We investors usually sit back and wait to see what founders will create. But today, I'm going to tell you the exact startups I want you to make.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it: take one of these ideas. Make it a startup. Then come talk to me.
Here's what I want to see…
1) Missile defense. Nuclear war could destroy human civilization in minutes. Preventing it is the most important thing we can do.
This summer, I read Nuclear War: A Scenario. It's an excellent and very scary book. And it really drove home to me how important it is to prevent such a war.
So, I'm very interested in startups that could protect us from missiles. That could involve missiles that intercept those of our enemies, systems that produce chaff that take missiles down, or other technologies to neutralize opposing nukes.
2) Ways to extend fertility. Declining fertility is a key threat to the world. Today, the United States is well below replacement rates.
I've spent a lot of time in Japan. So I've seen what happens when a country's population declines: the nation slowly fades away.
Every year, the economy gets a little worse and everyone gets a little poorer. There are fewer people to do the nation's work, and more elderly to support.
We cannot let that happen here.
Most of the decline in fertility is among women in their 20's. If we could balance that with increased fertility in their 30's and 40's, and perhaps even 50's and 60's, we might get back to population growth.
So I'm very interested in technologies that help older women have children more easily. That could be new drugs, supplements, better IVF techniques, or something else.
Scientists, get to work!
3) Making permitting easier. If we're going to produce lots of beautiful new families, they're going to need somewhere to live! Unfortunately, we face a housing crisis today.
So I'm very interested in tools that could make it easier to build housing. Perhaps AI systems could get developers through permitting more easily. Or AI lawyers could spin up lawsuits against NIMBYs.
4) Plastic houses. Sounds kooky, I know. But what lasts longer than plastic?
Our plastic bags are going to outlive us all. Plastic is cheap and readily available.
So why aren't we building plastic houses?
I spoke with a homebuilder on Twitter recently, and he said that he thinks a plastic house could work. But as far as I know, no one has ever tried it.
If we can build more durable houses for less money, housing costs will decline. This plus improved permitting could end the housing crisis.
Wrap-Up
Every one of these technologies is a long shot. But that's the business we're in — and it's a wonderful business.
We're here to make the future, not to create slightly better business software until we croak.
Let's address ourselves to the world's central problems. I think the risk of nuclear war, declining fertility, and the housing crisis are some of the biggest problems we face.
And I'm very excited to meet any startups working to make these problems history.
What kind of startups are you excited about?
Have a great weekend, everybody!
More on tech:
Nuclear War: A Scenario
One Trillion Scientists
The New Figure 02 — the World's Best Robot?
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