Too hot to handle - the new reality of extreme heat

World-first research on how long humans can survive in wet bulb temperatures 🔥; soap that can treat skin cancer 🧼; and Small Steps’ upcoming makeover 💅.

Kick start

💅 Small Steps is getting a makeover – yes, you heard it here first! Starting with our next edition, we’ll be shifting to a monthly publication and diving even deeper into the critical impact areas of climate, health, and empowerment and education. 

The Small Steps community has come such a long way since we first launched in 2020, as have the solutions to the global challenges we’re all working to solve. We’re now keen to share more of the deep thinking that our investment team has been doing through content that reflects the complexity of these challenges – in key impact areas including sustainable aviation, femtech, and decarbonising the built environment, to name just a few! 

Stay tuned for our next edition, arriving in your inbox on Thursday 3 October. 👋

What we’re thinking about 

🌡️ It’s getting hot in here. World-first research from the University of Sydney has disproved the existing theory on how humans can survive extreme heat. Until now, the running theory has been that no human can survive more than 6 hours at a wet-bulb temperature of 35 degrees Celcius – meaning at 100% humidity. 

The name comes from the temperature a thermometer would read if it were covered in a wet cloth, cooling the bulb the same way sweat cools our bodies. A thermometer wrapped in wet cloth will show 35C under different combinations of temperature and humidity, as lower humidity allows for more evaporation, lowering the thermometer temperature and making the heat more bearable. 

On a very humid day, your sweat will struggle to evaporate – which is a big problem, given it’s the evaporation that actually cools you down. Things get fatal as your core temperature rises to 40C, when heat exhaustion kicks in, and at 43C, death is all but guaranteed. 

However, USyd’s new research shows that this number could actually be as low as a wet-bulb temperature of 25.8C for healthy, young people, and for older people, as low as 21.9C. The biggest difference to the original model is where air temperatures are very high and humidity is low. 

It’s a very real possibility that, by the end of this century, these weather conditions could be common place during summer in at-risk cities like London, Beijing, New York, across Australia, and anywhere in the mid-latitude belt. Understanding these risks are most important for vulnerable populations – many people will be living in these conditions 24/7. 

It’s not just a future problem as well – with 2023 having been the hottest year on record, we already saw over an estimated 47,000 heat-related deaths in Europe, highlighting the importance of adaptation measures to keep people safe.  

We highly recommend reading the article for more detail.

Images sourced here.

🧼 The kids are alright. 15-year-old scientist, Heman Bekele from Virginia, USA, has been crowned TIME’s Kid of the Year for inventing a kind of soap that can treat, and maybe one day even prevent, skin cancer. 

A passion that started as mixing potions of household chemicals under his bed at age 7, has grown into a deep-rooted passion for skin cancer research, fuelled by his early childhood memories of watching labourers work in the blistering Addis Ababa sun without adequate skin protection. 

His solution uses imiquimod, a drug that can help combat tumours and usually comes as a cream, but instead delivers it as a soap to increase accessibility. Bekele has said, “What is one thing that is an internationally impactful idea, something that everyone can use, [regardless of] socioeconomic class? Almost everyone uses soap and water for cleaning. So soap would probably be the best option.” 

As a dash of hope for your Friday morning, we’ll leave you with this quote from Bekele: “A lot of people have this mindset that everything’s been done, there’s nothing left for me to do,” he says. “To anybody having that thought, [I’d say] we’ll never run out of ideas in this world. Just keep inventing. Keep thinking of new ways to improve our world and keep making it a better place.” 

Image sourced here. 

New paths

👩🏻‍💻 Who Gives a Crap is hiring an Amazon Business Manager (Melbourne). 

🔋 Amber Electric is looking for a Senior People Operations Manager, a Legal Counsel and a Senior Compliance Specialist (Operations) (Melbourne). 

🧻 Who Gives A Crap is after a Collaboration and Projects Consultant (Melbourne, Remote).

🧠 Mindset Health is hiring a Content Writer (Clinical) and a Growth Product Manager (Melbourne). 

🔥 Want to work for an impact company? Fill out our expression of interest form for roles across our portfolio. There’s even more jobs at ethical companies on the global B-Work job board.

Giant leaps

👩🏻‍🎓 HEX is on a roll. Not only was it named a finalist in the Australian Financial Review Higher Education Awards, but CEO and co-founder Jeanette Cheah shared her thoughts on Australia’s proposed cap on international students and how this is “counterintuitive to a thriving international student sector in Australia” in an  interview with The Age.

🎉 Goterra and Great Wrap have been named in Forbes Asia’s Annual Top 100 Watchlist. 

📢 Trace’s CEO and co-founder Cat Long and Giant Leap partner Adam Milgrom shared their views on the new mandatory emissions reporting regime in StartUp Daily. 

For the road

🦠 Can plastic-eating microbes become human food? Using microbiology to break down plastics isn’t new. However, scientists are now researching ways to convert these microbes into something nutritious for human consumption. The trick will be finding microbes that are both safe to eat and actually break down plastics. Would you eat food raised on plastic waste? 

🤖 It’s signing time for the world’s first international AI treaty. The US, EU and UK are set to sign the first legally binding international treaty on AI this week. The AI Convention, which has been in drafting for years and was adopted in May, deals with the risks posed by AI and the need for responsible innovation. 

♻️ Lego ditches oil-based plastics. The toymaker has committed to ditching fossil fuels by 2032, replacing them with renewable materials and recycled plastics. However, this doesn’t mean Lego sets will cost more to buy – they’re committing to internalising the additional costs of the sustainable materials. 

🐄 European farming lobbies recognise the need to cut meat. In a shared vision report, Europe’s food and farming lobbies have recognised the need to eat less meat, calling for “urgent, ambitious and feasible” change in our food systems. It also envisages a “just transition fund” to help farmers adopt sustainable practices. 

🔌 The right to disconnect has gone live. Australia is turning global heads with its new ‘right to disconnect’ legislation. But as the ABC points out, it’s yet to be seen how this will actually impact our ‘excessive’ work culture and that employers will need to lead by example for a real shift to take place. 

✅ We need to change the culture around emissions audits. Mandatory emissions reporting has arrived. But in order for change to occur, companies need to understand the full extent of their emissions. That level of auditing is spooking some firms, but Kara Baskin from MIT Sloan Management School argues that companies shouldn’t be afraid of seeing their emissions increase as a result of a full audit. With accurate data comes accurate reduction.

🦾 Apple’s next big product could be a home robot. Lower your expectations though.The latest rumours indicate it’s starting small: think of an iPad with a movable robotic arm. The aim is to turn around Apple’s smart home division, which has been underperforming compared to other areas of its business. 

📈 Booms, busts and everything in between. Here’s 25 years of VC in one chart (credit to Amity Ventures’ VP Marcelino Pantoja in this post here).

Save the date 

📅 September 26: HEXPO is coming to Melbourne! It's time to lock in your calendar for a fun and inspiring day in Melbourne, the perfect Thursday before the long weekend 🏉.

HEXPO 2024 is coming to The Edge, Federation Square on 26th September, and you don’t want to miss out. A one-day startup and careers conference where the Olympic fever will be burning, bringing together students, early-stage founders, and curious professionals for a day of inspiration.

HEX has got 18+ powerhouse speakers, 9 sessions of pure innovation, and over 100+ legends already registered. With 15+ partners and 25+ companies helping to craft this epic experience, it’s going to be a game-changer. 

Giant Leap is excited to collaborate with HEX to create a legacy of innovation and inspiration that transcends boundaries and reaches new heights! 

Get your tickets here! 👉 https://next.startwithhex.com/hexpo/

📅 November 21: The ARENA and Innovation Bay Showcase. They’re currently canvassing rolling applications for climate tech companies to present at their annual event to over 100 investors. Applications close when the event fills up, so get in quickly if interested. 

💰 NSW-based startup? Apply for the MVP Ventures Program. This NSW Government-run program helps startups through the commercialisation phases with grants up to $3m. Read more about the guidelines and deadlines here.