Feb 2, 2022Soil: Secret Weapon in Fighting Climate Crisisby Andrew Schoen and Henry Magun Leveraging best-in-class AI and robotics, Aigen builds solar-powered robots that empower farmers to weed their crops autonomously, reduce or eliminate tillage and herbicide use, regenerate healthy soil, and naturally sequester substantial amounts of atmospheric carbon. Over the last 200 years, agricultural practices have advanced…VC6 min readVC6 min read
Nov 20, 2021Remembering Harry Weller: 5 YearsFive years ago today I was sitting in the dining hall of Schwarzman College in Beijing and my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was Amit Mukherjee, my NEA partner, texting me a cryptic “Can you talk?” I rang him immediately. He picked up and said “I have rough news…Harry Weller7 min readHarry Weller7 min read
Feb 22, 2021The Next Wave in Plant-Based AlternativesDecember 8, 2020 By: Andrew Schoen with support from Cynthia Schoen (Schoen Editing Services), Jess Ou (NEA), and Jordan Shapiro (NEA). The rise of plant-based protein signifies one of the most important consumer trends in decades. Plant-based protein products are not new; the first commercially available vegan meats were developed…Plant Based7 min readPlant Based7 min read
Jan 31, 2020Jan 1, 2020: 10 Black Swan Surprises for the 2020sJan 31, 2020 Update: These predictions were meant to be about this decade not this month. These predictions were written in the weeks leading up to Jan 1: the Pandemic prediction was written before news of the SARS-CoV-2 (novel coronavirus) spreading in Wuhan broke in the US. Below are 10…5 min read5 min read
May 12, 2018Pilot Wave Theory and TimeI’m becoming more and more intrigued by Pilot Wave Theory’s (DeBroglie–Bohm theory) description of the mechanisms underlying quantum dynamics. Specifically, it seems to do a good job of sensibly illustrating quantum phenomena without the need to believe in some of the more exotic aspects of the Copenhagen interpretation or the…Physics3 min readPhysics3 min read
May 31, 2017An AI that can make you smile or cryIf you’re in a quiet place or can put on headphones, I encourage you to press play on the track below. It’s only 32 seconds long. It was written by an AI.Artificial Intelligence7 min readArtificial Intelligence7 min read
Apr 3, 2017STOP SAYING “ON-PREMISE”TLDR: It’s “on-premises” or “on-prem.” You should NEVER say “on-premise.” In IT, on-premises (or “on-prem” as it’s often abbreviated) refers to software that runs on hardware that’s physically located on the premises (e.g., in the building), as opposed to software that runs remotely (e.g., in the cloud). NEVER say “on-premise.”…Data2 min readData2 min read
Jan 31, 2017Innovation Physics: Part 2By Harry R. Weller and Andrew A. Schoen of New Enterprise Associates Note: This post is continued from Innovation Physics: Part 1. The technological “abilities” described in this post are emergent phenomena of the “tools” described in the prior piece. …Technology7 min readTechnology7 min read
Jan 11, 2017Innovation Physics: Part 1By Harry R. Weller and Andrew A. Schoen of New Enterprise Associates This post is dedicated to Harry R. Weller. We worked together in framing it and writing it for over two-and-a-half years. The contents are largely his vision, which informed his investment decisions for over a decade. I learned…Venture Capital8 min readVenture Capital8 min read
Oct 25, 2016A Brief Geological History of Ithaca and Tompkins County:From Cambrian to Cornellian Tompkins County owes its stunning topography to its intricate and variegated Phanerozoic geologic history. Of principal influence over the region’s surficial geology are Devonian Period sedimentary processes as well as glaciation events which took place during the recent Pleistocene Ice Age — a period which still…Science23 min readScience23 min read
