Rima S. Chakrabarti

VC @ KdT Ventures. Physician Scientist investing in computational biology on all fronts

[Gaurab Chakrabarti @Gaurab]

Tomahawk cruise missiles and M16 bullets need the same thing to fire: Black powder. It's not the main explosive, but the igniter that starts the chain reaction. It was invented in the 9th century in China. Until June 2021, a single plant in Minden, Louisiana made all of it for the U.S. military. Then it exploded. The military imported from overseas while rebuilding. A 1,100-year-old chemical was the single point of failure for 300+ modern munitions. The Pentagon has identified 27 more critical chemicals with zero U.S. production.

[Gaurab Chakrabarti @Gaurab]

Normalize whiteboards in living rooms.

[Gaurab Chakrabarti @Gaurab]

Half the people alive exist because of one reaction: Haber-Bosch. No fertilizer -> no crops -> no food for 4 billion people. Chemistry is the most vital infrastructure no one sees.

[Gaurab Chakrabarti @Gaurab]

When we made our first product, we listed 100 possible markets. Flowers. Semiconductors. Antiseptic packaging. The only one that made sense? Float spas. Those sensory deprivation tanks needed peroxide. We became the peroxide kings of an obscure niche. $300K a year from 300 customers.

[Gaurab Chakrabarti @Gaurab]

Rare earths aren't rare. They're everywhere. The bottleneck is chemistry. There are 17 rare earth elements and they all occur together in the same ore. Separating them requires multi-stage solvent extraction. Until April 2025, America's only rare earth mine shipped its concentrate to China for processing. To the same Chinese company that's a major shareholder in Greenland's Kvanefjeld deposit. China has a 40-year head start. If we want to secure the military of the 2030s, we need to close that gap.

[Rima S. Chakrabarti @RChakraba]

@gaurab I see a great co-branding opportunity for induction stoves and cultivated meat co’s, geared to the climate conscious consumer with $$.

[Seth Bannon @sethbannon]

We should be clear what we're talking about here: forcing women to give birth and throwing them in prison if they refuse.

[Rima S. Chakrabarti @RChakraba]

@DrSynbio Just talked about this at our team offsite. Would love any thoughts on how best to track culture. Can a “legendary culture” be measured and are there effective metrics (ex. NPS for employers?) that can track/protect that culture as a company scales?

[KdT Ventures @KdT_Ventures]

KdT team offsite in New Orleans- trumpets, beads, and jambalaya!
@benjileibo @KetanYerneni @RChakraba @philgrayeski @CmanMD @uddinym @mackhealy

[Gaurab Chakrabarti @Gaurab]

Climate change is not the problem. It is a consequence of the problem.

[Gaurab Chakrabarti @Gaurab]

This piece on @solugen is doubly exciting for me because it was @ashleevance’s biography on @elonmusk that gave me the courage to marry deep tech and business to start Solugen.

Also, the intro is hilarious…but don’t huff gasoline kids

https://t.co/FkPtgS9su2

[Rima S. Chakrabarti @RChakraba]

Check out the latest episode of #AshleeVance's 'Hello World'- a fantastically fun way to learn how Solugen makes chemicals with zero petrochemistry, zero carbon emissions, period. Bonus: The #Solugen origin story with throw-back pictures and Tex-mex! https://t.co/5fEmT2FTVm

[Bloomberg @business]

Solugen Bio produces chemicals using bio-based feedstock instead of fossil fuels, a potential game-changer when it comes to pollution and climate change https://t.co/WgDuVZnydF

[Gaurab Chakrabarti @Gaurab]

What makes a geological formation ideal for CO2 storage?

The 4 most important criteria:

1. Formation porosity and permeability
2. A depth >800 meters
3. An impermeable caprock
4. Thick and continuous over a large area

Why?👇

[Rima S. Chakrabarti @RChakraba]

@elamadej @SlushHQ You’re amazing!

[Gaurab Chakrabarti @Gaurab]

Can we just stop investing in garbage and just focus all of our money and efforts on fixing this shit? We need a WWII like effort with the smartest people focused on global warming and nothing else #ClimateCrisis

[Solugen @solugen]

Oh hello there, Bioforge!

[Solugen @solugen]

The future is bright for bioindustrials. The first example of cells being able to make completely synthetic polymers and macrocycles that are genetically encoded with engineered tRNAs. Polymerization beyond alpha-l-amino acids will make this legit. https://t.co/lDylINjx0N

[Gaurab Chakrabarti @Gaurab]

Not talked about: hand sanitizer shortage in healthcare settings. Folks stealing sanitizer from bathrooms and call rooms. Will likely hear about hospitals asking for sanitizer donations in a week or so...