the energy is always greener on the other side of … the atmosphere
barrels of next-gen energy jobs + presidential advice on landing your next j.o.b.
Hello and good morning to all the weirdos and the cool kids and the in-betweeners. May we all find our places in this world and with each other.
🫡 Jordan
It was a big week in my world, of course, as a16z organizes NY Tech Week!
SF may be the El Dorado of tech startups, but NYC is the new frontier. It’s home to more startups than anywhere else outside the Bay Area. There’s nothing like mingling IRL with the best minds in tech, so don’t miss the networking tips below.
Company spotlight: Exowatt
I pointed y’all to climate tech startup Exowatt a couple of weeks ago (because they’re hiring), but really they’re worth more fanfare, esp. if we’re talking about next-gen energy leaders.
There’s a lot to be said for solar power—it’s clean, it’s sexy, it’s…uh…bright - as long as the sun is shining. But what if it’s not?
Exowatt is all about around-the-clock solar. If you’re thinking of powering data centers, you’re right on the money. Huge applications for this technology, and interest is high. They launched their flagship tech, Exowatt P3, in September of last year and announced a $70 million series A in April.
That brings them to $90 million in total funding. Open jobs here. In Miami. I mean, c’mon!
Jobs, jobs, jobs
Today’s job roster is all about next-gen energy companies—those making clean energy, those reinventing the current supply chain, and those blasting energy into outer space. (With all the time we’re spending out there, it turns out we need more. Like, a lot of it.)
Solestial, which makes the next generation of space-stable silicon photovoltaics, is hiring in Tempe, AZ. I had to look that one up too. Basically, they’re using silicon to send lots of energy into space so people can build things up there. Space lasers? Neat.
They’re not the only ones sending energy into space. Try in space, on earth, and underwater. That’s what Antares is doing with fission microreactors. They’re looking for all kinds of engineers in Los Angeles.
Reflect Orbital sells sunlight from space. Yes, you read that right. Lots of open jobs at their HQ in Hawthorne, CA.
Realta Fusion, which announced its $36 million series A in May, is on a mission to decarbonize industrial heat. They’re hiring at the company’s Madison, WI, headquarters.
Giddy up cowboys, Texas is calling. Austin-based energy company Base solves the problem of expensive, unreliable power grids with affordable, distributed batteries. Plenty of engineering jobs here.
Oklo is designing advanced fission power plants for clean energy. Check out their remote-optional jobs.
The Nuclear Company just announced its $51.3 million series A in April, with plans to hire 100 new employees. See their oodles of noodles of open jobs in South Carolina.
Founded by a Tesla alum Drew Baglino, Heron Power is finally updating super outdated electrical transformers with solid-state ones. Land <insert job you excel at>in Scotts Valley, CA. (That’s not a typo, it’s an actual listing).
Founding gigs
Next-gen energy not your thing? Or want to go a bit earlier and join truly nascent ventures? Here’s a quick list of founding engineer roles in the a16z speedrun network:
Rork is hiring a founding support eng + a founding infra eng
Ye Wang, founder of EverCurrent, is looking for a founding full stack eng
The AndThen team, including Kevin Pereira (ya, from G4), is looking for a founding full stack eng (+ a few other roles!)
The team at Mocksi.ai is hiring a Founding AI Engineer
Our friends at Limy.ai are looking for a Data Scientist, AI Researcher, Backend Eng, and a full stack eng
A cute li’l line graph
Investment $$ in clean energy has outpaced investment $$ in fossil fuels for years now, and it shows no sign of slowing, TechCrunch reported the big bucks are going to hit new highs this year.
TobyTalks (expert advice on landing that next j.o.b.)
Inspired by real events
Tim Paradis at Business Insider argues that “there’s really only one way to get a new job these days.” That way—I’m sure you could guess—is networking. Lucky for you, BI was kind enough to publish a few tips.
tl;dr:
Chat to people in person whenever possible
But if that’s not an option, stop copy+pasting for cold outreach, it’s just gross
Behave like an adult (a *respectable* adult) online and IRL
Dress for the industry you want to work in
Ask not what your contacts can do for you—ask what you can do for your contacts 🇺🇸
A closing thought
If there’s no AI, is it even real? I’m still catching up with news from WWDC that happened on Monday. It’s worth noting that Apple didn’t stuff every announcement with AI features. As much as I love AI and all its power, it’s nice to remember that at this point, being judicious about its application shows a lot of restraint.
👨🏻💻 Thanks for reading. See you next week…I miss you already.
PS: Can I help you + your job search? Just hit reply or the comment button to tell me.
PPS: Don’t forget to apply to the a16z talent network. We (humans!) actually look at the job seekers (no, really) who come to us, then match applicants to startups.