> These startups progress slowly and at great expense, earning them the moniker “tough tech” because they work on difficult problems that require fundamental breakthroughs.<p>I am genuinely curious if for-profit startups is the right setting for "fundamental breakthroughs". Could the current nuclear power technology have been invented by a startup for example?
<i>Zero Mass Water: A startup selling specialized panels that use solar power and batteries to pull water from the air. The goal is to reduce the amount of energy needed to access clean drinking water without geographical limitations.</i><p>There is a lot of energy involved in the phase change of water. We've also had dehumidifiers for over 100 years. The takeaway from that is, dehumidifiers produce don't produce water well in arid environments.<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc7WqVMCABg" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc7WqVMCABg</a><p>This makes me wonder if the Gates Foundation is properly utilizing scientific expertise.