Entrepreneur Sets Up Fund to Invest in "Sci-Fi" Start-ups

The most counterintuitive, surprising, and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every Thursday.

There’s a neat profile over at Fortune right now about serial tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, who has established a $100 million fund to support companies that seek to bring a sci-fi sort of future into the present. Johnson invests with a particular focus on advancing technology that would enact positive social change. The entrepreneur, who made his riches as founder of Braintree, seeks to boost companies with seemingly “crazy” ideas and make them viable.

JP Mangalindan of Fortune explains:

“He has already invested $15 million in seven startups. Planetary Resources, one of those companies, wants to spark an interstellar gold rush by mining asteroids for precious metals. Another called Vicarious wants to build a computer system that learns like the human brain. Human Longevity aims to lengthen the human life span to 120 years. Meanwhile, Matternet is fine-tuning a new kind of $3,000 drone for emerging markets and third-world countries.”

Matternet in particular is an interesting company because its goal is to program drones to deliver food and other necessary items to people in need. Funding Matternet reflects Johnson’s refreshing investing philosophy that prioritizes social impact over commercial success.

Learn more about Bryan Johnson and his fund by reading the full article, linked below.