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CNN
18 minutes ago
- CNN
This pinecone-sized device could transform the fight against wildfires
In the multibillion-dollar global fight against wildfires, early detection is critical. Satellites, drones, thermal cameras and manned lookout towers are just some of the tools currently used to alert authorities and first responders to imminent threats. In under-resourced areas, however, these defenses can be prohibitively expensive. That's why a group of recent design graduates has developed a smaller, simpler and, they say, cheaper solution: A pinecone-sized fire detector that can give vulnerable communities an invaluable head start in the race to escape or contain major blazes. Made primarily from wax and charcoal composites, Pyri's sensors are designed to blend in with — and leave no footprint on — the environment. The device can be deployed in fire-prone areas and left for years without maintenance, according to its creators. When a fire occurs, the heat melts an internal trigger, producing a low-frequency signal that raises the alarm. 'It can help people evacuate sooner, and it can stop fires from growing before they're uncontrollable — before they're really devastating,' Pyri co-founder Karina Gunadi told CNN in a video interview. 'If you can catch a fire small, it's a lot easier to put out.' Pyri started in London as a college assignment between four design engineering students, three of whom decided to pursue it as a commercial venture beyond their graduation last year. Their company's name comes from the scientific word 'pyriscence,' which describes the ways nature adapts to wildfires. As an example of a 'fire-dependent species,' Gunadi pointed to various types of pine tree that not only thrive in fire-prone areas — they need blazes to reproduce, as their seeds are only released when the resin sealing their pinecones melts in high heat. This idea directly influenced Gunadi and her fellow designers. 'What if we can be inspired by how nature already responds to fire, take that, use nature-based materials and create the simplest form of wildfire detection we can?' she said, recalling the genesis of the group's design. Pyri's pinecone-like appearance is also functional: The lightweight sensors' shape and ribbed structure helps protect them against impact, especially if deployed from the air when covering large or hard-to reach areas. But the designers also wanted them to escape the attention of passersby, whether human or animal. 'We've actually lost one in the environment. So, in terms of camouflage, we're doing maybe a little too well!' Gunadi joked. Another major challenge stems from the co-founders' commitment to non-toxic materials — especially when it comes to the electronics required to produce a signal. Although Pyri is not publicly detailing its trigger technology or disclosing its precise material composition (a patent application is pending), the designers looked to organic electronics and are avoiding rare earth metals and lithium-ion batteries. Once the devices 'burn up,' Gunadi wants to ensure they are 'not going to leave any negative impact on the environment.' Extreme wildfires are becoming more frequent globally, with fire seasons now longer, hotter and drier than before. Climate change is a major contributor, as drought and rising global temperatures make the infernos bigger, faster and harder to stop. This, in turn, may worsen the climate crisis. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), wildfires were responsible for an estimated 6,687 megatons of carbon dioxide pollution in 2023 — seven times more than was emitted by global aviation that year. UNEP predicts a 30% increase in extreme fires by the end of 2050 — and a 50% increase by the end of the century. Major blazes are also occurring in places that have not, historically, been considered fire-prone, from America's eastern seaboard to Siberia, Russia. The impact of wildfires is, for Pyri's creators, personal. One of the company's co-founders, Richard Alexandre, hails from Brazil, where he witnessed first-hand the devastation of forest fires in Pantanal, a region that experienced a record-breaking number of blazes last summer. Gunadi, meanwhile, grew up in Palo Alto, California. She was living in San Francisco during the 2020 North Complex Fire that engulfed the city in smoke. 'I woke up and the sky was dark orange, and it was like that for days,' she recalled. 'That was really scary.' Wildfires spread at speeds of up to 14 miles per hour, so every minute counts. A 2020 study into early bushfire detection by the Australian National University found that a one-hour reduction in response time could reduce the frequency of large fires by 16%. Earlier this year, the outgoing Biden-Harris administration earmarked $15 million in funding to construct and deploy a 'new suite of fire weather observing systems' in high-risk US locations (though it is unclear what impact, if any, President Donald Trump's attempts to block funds associated with the bipartisan infrastructure law will have on these programs). Google, meanwhile, recently announced $13 million in funding for its FireSat initiative, which will use a 'constellation of satellites' to track fires as small as 5 square meters (54 square feet) using realtime images that refresh every 20 minutes. Pyri is by no means the only company developing simpler, on-the-ground sensor technology. Since 2019, the US Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has been researching and trialing new wildfire detectors in collaboration with small businesses including Maryland-based N5 Sensors, which says it can detect ignition within five minutes, even if a fire is 'only a few square meters in size.' Traditionally, sensors have relied on optical cameras or thermal imaging that could 'see' the flames, but S&T says it hopes its new devices can 'sniff' gases or solid particles in the air. It is also using data from earlier trials to inform artificial intelligence algorithms used in its latest sensors. Pyri's designers are also looking to artificial intelligence: When one of their devices is triggered, AI can analyze available weather and satellite data to assess the likelihood that the signal was indeed the result of a wildfire. The number of devices required in any given area will depend greatly on the geography of the site, including topography and vegetation, Gunadi said, adding that 'fire dynamics are very complicated.' Pyri is hoping to sell a per-kilometer subscription package that bundle together sensors with installation and monitoring software. Declining to reveal the startup's future pricing, Gunadi said it is aiming for fees that are 'half the cost of our nearest competitor.' As such, Pyri hopes to target customers with fewer resources — whether that is money, skilled labor, infrastructure or time — to tackle wildfires. It aims to start with the forestry, agriculture and utility sectors in the US, but has fielded queries from around the world. Since graduating, Pyri's co-founders have been carrying out research and development and raising funds — including a £5,000 ($6,677) prize from winning a James Dyson Award, an international student design competition founded by the titular British inventor and Dyson founder. The company hopes to run small-scale tests and demonstrations later this year, with a view to operating larger pilots next year and launching commercially in 2027.
Bloomberg
28 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
What Gothenburg Got Out of Congestion Pricing
Perched on the North Sea halfway between Oslo and Copenhagen, the Swedish city of Gothenburg is known as the birthplace of Volvo, a hub for island-hopping, and a place to eat cinnamon rolls the size of dinner plates. Gothenburg has another distinction as well: With around 600,000 residents (in a metropolitan area of just over 1 million), it is one of the smallest municipalities worldwide to implement a congestion pricing policy. Today, those driving into the city pay up to 22 kronor ($2.33) for the privilege. Ever since New York City implemented its high-profile congestion pricing program in January, there has been a fresh surge of interest in the efficacy of such policies. London's tolls were intensely controversial when launched in 2003, but they succeeded in declogging streets; in Milan, congestion pricing has been hailed for reducing air pollution and raising funds to improve public transit. Early evidence from Manhattan, where most drivers must fork over $9 to enter south of 60th Street, indicates that the policy has sped up bus service and dampened urban noise, and it's on track to produce about $500 million for transit investments this year, after expenses.
Forbes
28 minutes ago
- Forbes
VCs Are Turning Away From The ‘fixer-Upper' Founder
Faster. Better. Smarter. Smoother. What might sound like a Daft Punk lyric has become something of an anthem for tech startups. In recent years, a strong proportion of the pitches I've reviewed have been for startup ideas focused on incremental gains. Think faster versions of existing tools, smoother, more interoperable systems, and any other kind of upgrade ending in '-er'. Of course, aiming for better is no bad thing. By improving on great ideas, we can drive progress and develop more tailored solutions. And there have been brilliant, highly successful businesses that have emerged as a result of this philosophy: zoning in on a need and applying tech or better design to make it more efficient, effective or enjoyable. But, as I covered in my recent piece on moat building, the rise of vibe coding and open-source AI means being the 'best version right now' is no longer defensible as a long-term strategy. Betting on being the next best upgrade is a losing game. It leaves your offering just one fix or disrupter away from being replaced. Computer service and assistance concept with work tool icon on a laptop keyboard 3D illustration. That's why VCs like me are turning away from 'incremental improvers' in favour of paradigm-shifting experiences; startups who are building something genuinely novel with a user experience that's 5 or even 10 times better. So if you're a founder hoping to attract investment, here are three things you can do to demonstrate that you're more than a fixer-upper. 1. Disrupt, don't decorate The idea that 'disruptors' have the greatest potential for long-term impact is nothing new. But now, in a market increasingly saturated by 'add-on' technology, it's more important than ever that founders distinguish themselves from what's already out there. That means daring to imagine where technology is heading, not just where it is today. Startups able to do this have a much greater shot at reaching and dominating untapped markets. Revolut's $48 billion valuation and Airbnb's $11bn annual revenue didn't come from minor upgrades or applying a bit of polish around the edges. They're the achievements of founders who believed that things could be done differently to deliver a customer experience that was unlike anything else. And then built platforms that made it a reality. Perhaps you're disrupting an industry because you've lived its challenges first-hand. This was the case for Molly Johnson-Jones, who co-founded Flexa (an Ada portfolio company) after being fired for asking to work from home while managing a chronic health condition. Today, millions of people use the platform to access transparent, verified information on different working environments and cultures, so candidates can find roles that actually work for them. With no predecessor and no playbook, Flexa has carved out a category of its own and become indispensable to modern jobseekers. Or maybe you're introducing much-needed digital solutions to fix an age-old analogue problem. Take Patchwork Health for example. Founded by two NHS doctors who were frustrated by the relentless pressure and lack of flexibility on the frontline, their digital workforce management tools are making sustainable staffing a reality in healthcare. Patchwork's tech-led approach includes an app which lets clinicians book shifts, request holiday and manage their own schedules all in one place. Meanwhile, managers can view staffing trends and fill vacancies through the same platform. This isn't just an upgrade, it's a huge step in modernising a process that's long been held back by archaic systems, siloed data and painstaking admin. So if you find yourself saying 'we're the next [insert successful company],' it's worth asking: am I a disruptor, or merely a decorator neatly papering over cracks? 2. Uncover, then unlock Fixer-upper founders jostle for space in a market. Real disruptors prise open the doors to places no one has set foot yet. They identify the unmet needs that have existed for so long that everyone else has just taken them for granted. And then they set about solving them. A great example of this in action is Valla (an Ada portfolio company). Their AI-powered legal tech platform empowers workers embroiled in employment law disputes to access advice. An estimated 12.4 million employees are affected by employment law breaches each year. By bringing down costs and democratising access to support, Valla are unlocking a vast, overlooked user base with huge potential for growth. They're truly offering a type of service that simply doesn't exist anywhere else today. Another example, also in the legaltech space, is Orbital. Through machine learning and AI, their platform streamlines the dense, paperwork-heavy processes of property due diligence, giving lawyers an instant view of the risks and red flags buried in leases and deeds. They're not competing with innovations from last year - or even from this century. Instead, they're transforming processes that date back to the Victorian era. This is what investors like me are after: solutions to long-written-off problems, not face-lifts for challenges that have largely been addressed. 3. Think far, not fast Disruption is not a product, it's a process. It requires a continued commitment to uncover new market opportunities and develop new solutions for consumers. There is perhaps no greater example of this than the stratospheric rise of Netflix. What began almost 30 years ago as an innovative new model for DVD rentals is now the world's largest streaming platform; an entertainment behemoth constantly improving to stay ahead of the competition. Netflix's dominance isn't just the result of one good idea, or one small improvement to existing services, it's a testament to their ability to look ahead. Instead of stopping at streaming (or indeed at rental by post!), Netflix has continued to lead the market with award-winning original content and unique in-app features. The lesson for founders here is clear: success requires you to champion a business model and a mindset that embraces change. Of course, startups will always need to tinker with existing products and make tweaks to improve their offering. But this shouldn't come at the expense of thinking big. This is where initiatives such as Google's famous '20% time' policy can be helpful; encouraging teams to regularly focus their efforts on more future-gazing projects, and proving to investors that you're serious about driving impact. Fixer-upper founders are stuck in the here and now. They admirably take on the pain points of today, but offer little inspiration for tomorrow. True disruptors don't just muscle their way into new markets; they create new categories, cater to unmet needs, and put the work in to stay on top. If we're to address some of society's biggest challenges, we need more innovators and fewer renovators. And investors have their eyes trained on the difference.
