Hi ,

'It still feels like a bag of squirrels' 

- Ken Miles, reacting to his most recent test lap in Ford vs Ferrari

Ken knew the GT40 had potential, but he still didn't trust the car to win. This is how climate action feels to us right now. Clear paths exist for GHG reduction, but approaches to adaptation are much more sketchy. And then there is the under-discussed 5x force multiplier of climate actions.   

#startup_introductions

Our latest cohort of investments are unlocking urban density opportunities via electrification of transportation and logistics, expanded financing for building energy retrofits, construction and maintenance efficiencies and improved public health. You can read more about URBAN-X Cohort 7 on Techcrunch. 

#good_reading

The (post-WeWork) Softbank investment effect continues to show that Softbank’s backed companies are aggressively pursuing better margins and profitability. Recent layoffs at Fair are part of a broader portfolio shift to killing the “capital-intensive supply side of the business”.  More importantly, companies are trying to avoid overselling the realities of their path to profitability. 

“The goal for a marketplace is to invest in a supply-demand balance.” We’ve found Lenny Rachitsky’s research on what makes marketplaces work to be a helpful resource. Jerry Neuman draws on decades of successful digital marketplace investments to list 10 factors to consider when evaluating the potential success of a new marketplace opportunity.

Matt Mochary’s Gdoc (now for sale on Amazon) might be one of the best collections of tactical things you can do at a startup to increase chances of success from OKRs and process descriptions to customer focus and infrastructure. 

More on the climate impact of density; Our investments in marketplaces like Cove Tool and Architizer aim to capture the carbon reduction capacity of construction using more climate positive materials, an architectural design methodology called embodied energy and carbon. Many ideas and data points are captured in this fun book.  

And as we continue to support startups helping cities fight climate change, climate change is already changing how city bonds are priced, how homeowner’s insurance policies are shaped, and how homes are mortgaged (when everyone has accepted that some places can’t be saved).  

#opportunities

The Lee Kuan Yew Global Startup Challenge is recruiting cutting edge early technology startups working on smart city/sustainable urban innovations. 

NYCEDC is launching a call for (unpaid) pilots in NYC building stock with an emphasis on low-income housing.

Incubatenergy Labs is built for startups to engage utilities in paid demonstration projects in the advancement of electrification, decarbonization and grid modernization with utilities from around the world.

#jobs_and_talent

Miles is looking for a Marketing Manager, Avvir is hiring a Director of Marketing, and Cove Tool is looking for talented coders, architects, and sales execs. Seamlessdocs is looking for developers and SDRs. 

Another 18 Urban Us portfolio companies are hiring too. 

#urban_us

Congrats Sandeep Ahuja, founder and CEO of Cove Tool, for her feature in this year's Forbes 30 under 30.

We’re thrilled to share the launch of Near Space Labs (formerly Swiftera), and free trials of their industry first urban imagery product! Learn more on NSL’s launch on Medium and TechCrunch. 

Learn how portfolio co, TOGGLE, uses industrial robots to bring efficiency to large construction projects and how Evolve Energy uses machine learning and analytics to save renewable energy customers money. 

$1,000 a month for rent in SF Bay Area? Not a typo. We’ve hit a major milestone with the new Starcity launch in Oakland.

Upshift has already surpassed its crowdfunding goal on Republic. They’re scaling up fractional car leasing services to reduce the need for car ownership in cities.

Liz recently joined “The Movement Podcast” (episode 42) to share how she translates between the public and private sectors to help ensure city dwellers benefit from urban tech. Shaun joined the Green New Dealflow panel organized by URBAN-X exploring the intersection of climate, policy and startups. 

Going to CES? Reply to this email or drop us a note on Slack.

Happy Holidays,
Shaun, Stonly, Liz, Mark & Anthony. 

What’s up with the #hashtags? This content comes from our slack channels where we review contributions from people like you. So you can wait for this newsletter or join us on Slack.