Christopher Gates

Founder CRG Consulting | Previously @Lux_capital, @techcrunch | Webby Award-Winning Producer

[Christopher Gates @CGates123]

https://t.co/mjQUXVJPOV

[Christopher Gates @CGates123]

https://t.co/LCJCEiOJfg

[Christopher Gates @CGates123]

@lulumeservey Bet it works for AI researchers

[Christopher Gates @CGates123]

@alex Omg! Congratulations. So happy for you all.

[Christopher Gates @CGates123]

@nmasc_ Congragulations Bloomberg! Great get.

[Christopher Gates @CGates123]

I think the real tension here is not Technology vs No Technology but the pace of change.

"Luddite" is used as shorthand for "I can't metabolize the rate of change"

Tho the rate at which technology becomes mundane is extremely fast. So maybe there is hope.

[The Orthogonal Bet by Lux Capital @OrthogonalBet]

So you say you’re a Luddite...

but you’re wrapped in technology you’ve forgotten is technology.

Language. Windows. Shoes. The alphabet.
The only tech we fear is the stuff invented after we were born.

So the real question: are you a Luddite or just nostalgic?

@TinkeredThinker

[Christopher Gates @CGates123]

If you like your sci-fi with fewer doomsday cult vibes and more actual imagination, this episode is your jam.

Loved producing this one—Sam and Tinkered Thinking got into the good stuff.

Highly recommend.

[The Orthogonal Bet by Lux Capital @OrthogonalBet]

“If the stories we tell shape the future, maybe we should tell better ones.”

On the new Orthogonal Bet, @arbesman talks with @TinkeredThinker, author of White Mirror, about AI futures, doomer brainworms, and what happens when humans live way past 80.

📚 Book giveaway ↓

[Christopher Gates @CGates123]

Such a fun project!

[Neal Agarwal @nealagarwal]

You can now embed any captcha from I'm Not a Robot onto your site!

use it on your fintech site, b2b saas, edu platform, possibilities are endless

[Madeline Renbarger @maddierenbarger]

So far, seven defense-tech startups — SpaceX, Anduril, Helsing, Shield AI, Saronic, Epirus, and Hadrian — have raised $500 million in VC cash or more. You might call the group “the Capital Cannons Club.” Here at Newcomer, we’ll be doing more coverage of these heavily-funded defense-tech companies, whose businesses depend on obtaining long-term engagements and whose progress therefore can be hard to assess.

First up is Saronic, which raised a $600 million Series C in February, catapulting its valuation to approximately $4 billion and funding its flagship “Port Alpha” autonomous shipyard initiative in San Diego. We’ve got a fundraising deck that Saronic used to make its case last year. (Paid subscribers can see the newsworthy slides below.)

Saronic builds “autonomous surface vessels,” or put more simply, drone boats, along with the software to pilot them. It has six models that range from 6-foot skiffs to 150-foot small ships, which can be used for a variety of surveillance, intelligence-collection, and combat purposes. The smaller boats can be outfitted with missile launchers, and the larger boats can be configured for torpedoes.

Saronic has raised just under $850 million in VC funding to date, making it the fifth most capitalized defense-tech startup.

So far, Saronic has secured several one-off contracts from the military that provide funding for early prototyping and testing but are not permanent revenue streams. The real prize would be a big, ongoing procurement contract, known in industry lingo as a “program of record.”

We got our hands on a copy of Saronic’s May 2024 pitch deck to investors for its Series B funding round. Link below to see the pitch.

[Danny Crichton @DannyCrichton]

Are OpenAI and Anthropic mirages? @contrary's
@kwharrison13 and I debate their futures as valuations crescendo to record highs

[Ali Ghodsi @alighodsi]

Databricks just signed a Series K term sheet at >$100B valuation to scale two flagship products:

🔥 Lakebase — serverless Postgres with true compute/storage separation
🧠 Agent Bricks — agentic framework with built-in reasoning guardrails for enterprise data

https://t.co/rgM5vMggwe

[Eliot Peper @eliotpeper]

I wrote a book!

[Christopher Gates @CGates123]

@jasonjoyride @wolfejosh started Lux investing in Nanotechnology. He would have a historical perspective and a good read on the current state.

[Christopher Gates @CGates123]

I wrote down some thoughts on the problems that AI researchers face from a recent conversation between @arbesman and @kenneth0stanley

https://t.co/lJiF1krBKE

[Christopher Gates @CGates123]

@Lpevs Congrats Laurence! Here is to the next chapter in your story together.

[Nikunj Kothari @nikunj]

Founder launch strategy June ‘25..

In:
- direct (video, memo, sbstack)
- tech optimist live-ish TV (@tbpn, @sourceryvc, @PirateWires, others)
- independent star journalists (@ashleevance, @EricNewcomer, others)
- founder interviews with focused audience (@dwarkesh_sp, others)

Out:
- traditional tech publications
- PR news wire
- large podcasts
- older established communities

What’s missing?

[Christopher Gates @CGates123]

Something is not adding up with this story.

Freak storm sinks luxury superyacht of tech millionaire celebrating an acquittal.

Salvage diver mysteriously dies in the investigation....

[Alex Konrad @alexrkonrad]

Nine new AI startups launch today at Hugging Face and Granola backer @betaworks' AI Camp 🤖

@UpstartsMediaCo spoke with 3 of them -- as well as with @wolfejosh about why VC firm @Lux_Capital committed $100M+ to back 🇺🇸 scientists' bets as a new 'coalition of the confident.'

[Marc Benioff @Benioff]

Fun convo with @EricNewcomer and @cityofthetown on the @newcomermedia podcast. We covered a lot, but the future of #Agentforce is what's really exciting to me. As I told Eric and Tom, the speed of innovation is unbelievable – and it’s only the beginning. We’re focused on making agentic AI adoption a reality for our customers. Just look at 1-800 Accountant. Agentforce handled 70% of their customer chats autonomously during tax week. 🤖
https://t.co/at1gR2xPq4

[Christopher Gates @CGates123]

@spotifypodcasts 💯 The Orthogonal Bet. Best discovery tool for new ideas and unique thoughts out there. From the story behind SimCity to The Magic of Code. Not to be missed

https://t.co/rWW1jHtadT