New at Red Chalk Blog
A collection of stories about our industries, capabilities, research, and the evolution of our firm.
Securing a patent can be a pivotal decision for your business. It’s not just about protection—it’s about strategy, investment, and foresight. Here’s a candid look into the world of patents from someone who’s been in the trenches for four decades.
Hotel operators are shifting their focus to sustainability initiatives. While price remains the primary decision factor for hotel guests, sustainability accreditation, the use of sustainable resources, and waste management policies have become increasingly important, even more so than guest reviews and loyalty programs.
As sensing/location technologies have matured and the agricultural industry seeks to drive higher yields/efficiencies in light of increasing input costs, a range of technology suppliers have emerged providing data collection, automated systems, and insights / platforms for end-user control.
Within the broader PropTech industry, property management systems (PMS) have continually evolved to enhance building operations. Initially focused on basic operations (e.g., booking, invoicing), PMS now offers cloud and mobile-based solutions emphasizing user experience and accessibility.
As Semiconductor-based processing reaches physical limits of transistor density on Silicon wafers, calling into question Moore’s Law, the next frontier for processing power / performance growth is required to address significant demand for compute – Quantum represents a path forward.
Energy consumption from data centers in the U.S. is projected to grow nearly 4x by 2030, potentially accounting for 9% of all U.S. power consumed, driven by increasing use of AI applications (e.g., generative AI, autonomous AI), led by computing innovations from Nvidia and Intel.
EV Investment by Auto OEMs: OEMs have invested or signaled future investment in electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing capabilities and capacity. These investments are critical to support strategic goals outlined by OEMs, who are targeting 50-100% of annualized sales being EV by 2030.
To address stringent targets set by governments worldwide to achieve net-zero emissions, both established and emerging companies have developed technologies aimed at reducing emissions across the concrete manufacturing value chain.
Recent M&A activity across the global access control market suggests a trend to pursue commercial applications, supported by moves focused on software-focused M&A (e.g., facial recognition technology) to bolster access platforms, and hardware-focused M&A (e.g., security cameras) to augment portfolio strategies.
Cybersecurity has become increasingly critical as organizations grapple with a rapidly evolving threat landscape, intensified by advances in artificial intelligence, which is both augmenting defensive capabilities and enabling more sophisticated cyber attacks.
Live sports are a dominant force in media, backed by steady viewership and valuable assets like leagues and teams. This drives escalating content rights, as seen with the upcoming $76B NBA broadcast deal.
The role of membrane technologies is underscored by their impact on major global megatrends such as sustainability, energy efficiency, and resource scarcity.
Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) technologies, spanning from widely established pumped hydro to new, innovative chemical and mechanical systems, are essential for integrating renewable energy and enhancing grid stability over diverse time frames.
Based on the growth of advanced technologies and the rise of AI tools / platforms (e.g., OpenAI), production value chain players (fabs, foundries, IDMs) and equipment suppliers / tool OEMs are driving innovation to support global demand.
Evolution of macro trends in the Life Sciences (LS) industry (e.g., IoT, emerging economies) has resulted in an expansion of the R&D pipeline for pharmaceuticals (small molecule) and biologics (large molecule) over the past decade (e.g., ~$262B in R&D pharmaceutical spend ’23).
Commercial buildings, responsible for 35% of U.S. emissions, are pursuing Net Zero targets through energy efficiency, renewable generation, carbon credits, and carbon capture, driven by CSR goals and regulations like New York's 2040 deadline.
Access control has experienced an evolution across applications and sectors, shifting from traditional physical keys / credentials, and driving technology / digital enhancements towards mobile-enhanced credentials and biometric solutions.
The in-vehicle dashboard ecosystem has evolved, driven by technology advancements in the connected car landscape, resulting in development in the infotainment system via vehicle operating systems as well as smartphone projection systems.
Across the industrial automation and component supplier landscape, acquisitive players have pursued M&A since 2018, addressing sector trends that underpin the automation environment.
Based on the rapid growth / expansion of e-commerce and logistics, software has become a critical enabler and nexus for the automation of warehousing. Given the data-centric environment of the warehouse efficiency, accuracy, and real-time tracking are important inputs to Warehouse Management Software (WMS) and Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP) to manage complex workflows, drive efficiency, and achieve optimization.
Given the sector transformation taking place across the automotive and mobility industry value chain, significant growth in VC capital has reflected the ongoing adoption curve and maturation of enabling technologies (e.g., battery, electric vehicles, autonomous).
Based on interest / investment in renewable energy, sustainability efforts, and technology evolutions, the Power / Electricity Value Chain is undergoing significant shifts to support the future needs of a Sustainability-focused world.
Based on the expected growth of electric vehicle (“EV”) demand and investments by Auto OEMs in vehicle electrification, EV battery production has elevated as a critical strategic supply chain challenge for car makers.
Driven by broader automation / technology trends in Discrete (e.g., Automotive, Electronics) and Hybrid industries (e.g., Food & Beverage), IIoT / Industry 4.0, and pursuit of operational efficiencies / optimization, industrial end-users have increased adoption of industrial robots.