Venture fund seeks investors interested in advanced nuclear, deep decarbonization

Seeing that Idaho Falls is a place where one finds an enthusiastic level of support for nuclear energy, I thought I might share this with people looking for a "hot" investment opportunity. Nucleation Capital is looking for people interested in supporting the next generation of nuclear technologies and advanced decarbonization.

The sentence that jumped out at me in this blog post from Atomic Insights, reprinted in its entirety below, was this: One of the key ways that our fund differs from most other venture funds, is that we will be able to accept investments from accredited individuals at a fairly low level of capital commitment (i.e. in the tens of thousands, rather than in hundreds of thousands or millions). I'm certain there are accredited investors in eastern Idaho with enough money to consider this something worth investigating.

Change is in the wind: Commencing a new phase as a Venture Capitalist

February 3, 2021 By Rod Adams

Atomic energy is a tool that is capable of helping address some of humanity’s most wicked challenges. Clean, abundant, reliable and affordable power makes everything we do a little easier and is becoming increasing urgent in the era of climate change.

Unfortunately, atomic energy is a long way from reaching its potential or even achieving the impact envisioned by its pioneers.

We’ve had numerous discussions here about reasons for the slow progress. (See, for example, here, here and here.) I have long believed that the next generation of nuclear reactor designs can address many of the existing concerns about nuclear energy. Therefore, some of the longstanding obstacles to greater deployment can be overcome through the successful commercialization of next-gen designs.  In particular, I have blogged about the need to increase investment in the development of this next generation of nuclear technologies.

In early 2018, I was contacted by a reader to discuss ways to increase funding to advanced nuclear in response to a request I posted for anyone thinking about this to be in touch. In the course of several long conversations, I  learned that this reader, Valerie Gardner, a former hightech entrepreneur who had co-founded an investment firm back in 2002, was interested in developing a fund to invest in advanced nuclear and asked for my help. In keeping with my career-long strategy of finding ways to help others work more successfully – often motivated by my own desire to stay abreast of the latest trends – I agreed to assist.

Fast forward through almost three years and numerous stages of development, I am pleased to announce that I am joining forces with Valerie Gardner to become a managing partner at Nucleation Capital. Nucleation Capital will be investing in innovative companies enabling what we call the “carbon-managed economy” of the 21st century, with primary focus on advanced nuclear energy, advanced smart grids and deep decarbonization ventures.

By blending my expertise with hers and that of a few other extremely capable people, we expect to identify, fund and help great teams overcome barriers that limit their ability to bring clean energy products and services to market, foremost of which is access to capital.

Throughout our development process, we were advised by attorneys not to talk publicly about the fact that we were developing a fund due to certain SEC restrictions. Over the last two quarters, however, we have made some changes which shift our operating paradigm and we now can discuss the fund publicly, which is a welcome change, especially for me.  I look forward to sharing more about this fund and why and how that change happened: hint, it has to do with new technology. For the moment, I am leaving that for another post and/or podcast.

My purpose today is to alert you that there are some changes in the works both for me and Atomic Insights. I have invited Valerie to also join me in publishing related blog posts here. She has a wealth of experience in technology development, startups, financial management, investment and environmentalism. Some of you might already know her; she has been actively participating in climate, energy and investment-related groups and discussions for years. We are also moving forward with a long-delayed upgrade to the Atomic Insights website, with the goals of improving your ability to find and stay on top the material that is of interest to you.

You can be assured that we will keep writing about nuclear energy but we will also be looking at the kinds of newly commercializing “climate services” that nuclear will be ideally suited to power, including desalination, hydrogen production, and various types of carbon capture, utilization and sequestion (CCUS) activity. Of course, I will also be writing more about Nucleation Capital, the process of venture investing, the ways that venture capital differs from other components of the capital stack that support the deployment of clean energy, and our experience working to fulfill our vision to help “nucleate the carbon-managed economy.”

For those impatient to learn more about Nucleation Capital, please visit the website. One of the key ways that our fund differs from most other venture funds, is that we will be able to accept investments from accredited individuals at a fairly low level of capital commitment (i.e. in the tens of thousands, rather than in hundreds of thousands or millions). If you want to learn more about the fund as a potential investor, please use the link at the bottom of the Fund page on the Nucleation website.

I will be busier now but I promise to keep sharing my new experiences and what I learn through this process to continue to build on the base of accumulated knowledge which has been shared widely by readers.  As usual, I welcome your comments, questions and suggestions.

Idaho Falls to host discussions on growth, development

The City of Idaho Falls is inviting residents to join in a discussion on the future of growth through an innovative initiative entitled “Imagine IF.”

“Imagine IF” is a plan to move Idaho Falls forward through communitywide discussion about growth and change. As part of the initiative, residents will be asked to complete a short survey about their vision for the city. The survey will be available online at www.imagineif.city later this month.

Residents can also request a paper copy of the survey be mailed to them by calling 208-612-8799, or they can pick one up at the Idaho Falls Community Development Services Department, located in the Idaho Falls City Hall Annex at 680 Park Avenue in downtown Idaho Falls.

In addition to the survey, there will be neighborhood meetings all across the city in February and March. These will be hosted with limited in-person attendance and in accordance with the most current Covid-19 guidelines while being broadcast online through the Webex virtual meeting platform and on Facebook Live.

“For the first time ever, we will be adding neighborhood meetings into the process to give people an opportunity to talk about the part of town they have the most investment in," said Brad Cramer, director of Community Development Services for the city. "We see this all as a great opportunity to learn from each other and explore both big and small ideas to make improvements to our community now and into the future.”

A link or phone number to the meetings can be obtained by visiting www.imagineif.city or by emailing imagineif@idahofallsidaho.gov. Links to the meetings will also be advertised and available on the city’s Facebook page. Each meeting will begin at 6:30 pm and will run until 7:45 pm. A full list of dates and locations for the meetings will be announced within the next few weeks.

All of the feedback from the meetings and the data from the survey will be used to help complete a major update to the city’s comprehensive plan being conducted this year.

“Idaho Falls is growing at a rapid rate," Cramer said. "Growth can be exciting, but it can also bring concerns and be seen as a threat to the way of life we’ve come to enjoy. ’Imagine IF…’ is an opportunity to come together as a community to talk about those concerns as well as the excitement that comes with growth and change.”

Swimming with a trend | Eric Browning, Fin Fun

Eric Browning

Many of us know Fin Fun as the company that created the first real swimmable mermaid tail, but how many of us know it took 40 different business ideas for serial entrepreneurs Karen and Jerry Browning to hit on that successful idea? “They were always doing something and my dad was always feeling out the next idea,” their son Eric said.

When the Brownings' granddaughter came to grandma Karen and asked her to sew a mermaid tail, their life changed. Once their granddaughter's friends saw the tail, they all asked for one. Word spread and in a short time they had created an eCommerce site and employed seven part-time seamstresses to keep up with the demand.

It was at this same time that Karen and Jerry decided to serve a church mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. “That's when I (knew) their character because they finally found something that was working and they said ‘You know what, we feel impressed that it's our time to serve a mission',” Eric said.

Although thriving in his own career, Eric said at this time he'd been observing what they were doing and helping here and there, but he felt impressed that he needed to keep Fin Fun going. Eric's brother Steve and he decided to become partners with their parents and take over the business in their absence. “My goal was that (my parents) would never have to work again,” Eric said.

Eric and Steve knew right away they needed to make changes to take the business to the next level. They soon added the mono-fin, a rigid fin that could create propulsion.

“It's not just something that looks cool, you can swim really well in these,” he said.

Once the mermaid idea was born, it blossomed. Fin Fun has a website dedicated to the fantasy world of mermaids and tells stories of mermaid friends all over the world as well as games and other mermaid themed content meant for kids. “We just kept going. Why not go for it, let's just go for it and we've had a lot of fun,” Eric said. He admits that he's had a great team that has been the foundation of Fin Fun's success.

“The challenge within our business is riding a trend and staying within that trend. Certainly, the mermaid tail, when it came out, was a huge trend. And the trend has come off like anything would so you have to find other ways to continue to keep a business rolling. That's the challenge we all face,” Eric explained. He has learned that any idea is a stepping stone to the next idea.

Fin Fun works to stay true to its mission of service and is involved in giving back to the community through different means, including donations.

Eric also explained that they are working to show they live the mission for their employees too. This has included being flexible throughout the COVID-19 pandemic where the majority of the team are now working from home.

The company was founded on family and there are many family members involved in the business. “It wasn't just because they were family, they had the skills,” Eric said. He admits that as the company has matured it has had to evolve and learn and always put the people in the right seats despite their relation. “You have to remove the egos and get it out of the way,” he said. He admits that includes himself.

When asked about whether or not he's had feelings of doubt he admitted that he has. “I understand that I make mistakes, we've made a lot of mistakes. The key is to learn from those mistakes,” Eric said. He admits taking on the family business and all the responsibility that accompanied that was a lot of pressure. He said it motived him to be successful.

Eric said that business has helped him learn about himself and improve. He advises others to surround themselves with talented people and be grateful that everyone has different skills that can be leveraged. “You don't want to have a business that depends on one person,” he said. He supports that a true leader is one that can walk away and the business continues without them and has led Fin Fun with that philosophy.

Like all businesses, COVID-19 threw Fin Fun a curveball. Over the last couple of years, Fin Fun has employed SethAaron Henderson of Project Runway fame as their lead designer. Among other projects, SethAaron created a clothing line for the company. However, the timing of its launch hit just as COVID was ramping up and retail plummeted. Eric and Steve were faced with the difficult decision to pull the plug on the project. “SethAaron would still work with us in a minute and we'd work with him, but the timing isn't right now,” Eric said.

During the pandemic business actually has boomed because people have been buying backyard pools and staying home. “Even during the toughest times, there are businesses that are ready to have success. Find a way to rearrange yourself to find a solution,” Eric said. He is optimistic that 2021 is going to be a great year for Fin Fun.

The plan for the future is to acquire or build up businesses through their parent company Blue Spring Partners. “I feel very strongly to say this time next year we will have acquired or have a new business that's moving along,” Eric said.

Information

To learn more about Fin Fun visit their website at https://www.finfunmermaid.com/. Find them on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

 

I.F. chamber leader supports continuation of emergency declaration

Bonneville County's 7-day moving average COVID-19 incidence rate was at 28 on Jan. 24, the lowest it has been since Sept. 22 last year. Likewise, the number of cases reported last week was 262, the lowest since Oct. 3.

The Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce has taken the stand that Gov. Brad Little's emergency declaration should continue to stand. Here is the text of a Jan. 22 letter sent to state Legislators:

The Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce is the leading advocate for businesses in Eastern Idaho, representing over 600 businesses with over 25,000 employees actively engaged in growing our region’s economy. On their behalf, we request our legislators cease their efforts to declare an end to the emergency declaration regarding Idaho’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chip Schwarze

We appreciate their concern and desire to move forward by putting this emergency declaration behind us; however, the real-world consequence of a premature end to the emergency declaration will further harm our ability to recover physically and financially from this pandemic. Ending the emergency declaration risks losing federal aid to our state that would provide support for immunization distribution, for deployed National Guard members, and for rebounding businesses still struggling to recover from this pandemic.

With Idahoans being immunized daily and by continuing to follow the recommended safety guidelines of wearing masks, social distancing, and personal hygiene, we can see that the end is near for this pandemic. Now is not the time to declare victory—especially if doing so would jeopardize the financial support facilitating our recovery. Further, after thousands of deaths in our state, we must do all we can to mitigate further loss of life. Declaring an end to the pandemic prematurely will endanger more Idahoans.

We urge our great legislators to withdraw their efforts to symbolically end this pandemic. Be patient until we can safely return to normality. Withdraw SCR101 and all other bills designed to end this emergency declaration regarding COVID-19. Having heard from leaders of FEMA and other agencies, a strong concern is that the end the emergency declaration would bring an end to the federal aid helping our local businesses get back on their feet. East Idaho businesses are counting on vaccines to open our economy completely. Do not endanger funding which can ensure our bright future when we are almost through this pandemic.

Sincerely,

Chip Schwarze
President/CEO

INL researcher honored with Asian American Engineer of the Year (AAEOY) award

INL Senior Staff Researcher Dr. Dong Ding

Dr. Dong Ding, a senior staff researcher at Idaho National Laboratory, has been named an Asian American Most Promising Engineer. He is one of only four in the United States to receive the honor this year.

The Asian American Engineer of the Year (AAEOY) Awards have taken place each year since 2002 as part of the U.S. National Engineers Week to honor outstanding Asian American professionals in academia, public service, and industries. It is hosted by the Chinese Institute of Engineers/USA (CIE-USA), and sponsored by corporations and the community.

At INL, Ding leads a group of researchers in electrochemical processing and electro-catalysis for clean energy storage and conversion. He is a principal investigator for multiple projects including direct funded and Laboratory Directed Research & Development. 

Here are a few links to follow if you want to know more about his research:

Low-temp hydrocarbon cracking could make plastics from natural gas

INL research highlighted in the journal Advanced Materials

Idaho laboratory joins national research programs for making ‘green’ hydrogen 

In addition to his research at INL, Ding is an adjunct professor in the departments of Chemical & Materials Engineering at New Mexico State University and University of Idaho. He has 89 peer-reviewed publications and holds three U.S. patents and 11 patent applications.

“Congratulations to Dr. Ding on becoming AAEOY’s Most Promising Engineer of the Year," said Dr. John Wagner, INL director. "This is an amazing accomplishment, which publicly recognizes his dedication to scientific innovation. His work will continue to have a tremendous impact on the scientific and energy communities well into the future,”

Traditionally, AAEOY holds a banquet and awards ceremony to recognize and celebrate the achievements of the awardees. However, due to the uncertainty and restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the banquet and ceremony have been postponed tentatively to May 2021.