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10 Things You Didn’t Know About Josh Wolfe

Josh Wolfe

Josh Wolfe is the CEO and co-founder of Lux Capital, an organization, which supports startups that pursue counter-conventional solutions to modern problems. He works closely with his co-founders in identifying startups in the technology industry that could benefit from their support. Wolfe manages over $40 billion in assets for Lux Capital and actively engages in fund drives with other investors to support disruptive technology startups.

10. Co-Founded Kurion

He co-founded Kurion, a company that uses innovative vitrification processes to turn radioactive nuclear waste into stable items like glass. His focus on this industry was based on its potential impact on the environment as such cleanups effectively reduce the presence of unstable radioactive material in the environment. His team developed world-class robots that could be sent to places that were considered too dangerous for people. According to an article published on Medium, Kurion was among the first technology companies to respond to the Fukushima Daiichi disaster. Kurion was acquired by Veolin in 2016 for approximately $400 million, which was more than 30 times the amount that Wolfe had invested in the company.

9. Works as the Director in Other Companies

Aside from being the CEO and co-founder of Lux Capital, Josh Wolfe is also the director of other companies. He serves on the boards of companies like Kymeta (Bill Gates’ metamaterials company, which makes antennas for space communication and global satellite) and Shapeways (a 3D printing company). He also works as the director at Kallyope, Strateos, Variant, CTRL-labs, and has helped companies like Planet, Clarifai, and Authorea by guiding them in their investment decisions.

8. Previously Worked in Investment Banking

Josh Wolfe worked at Solomon Smith Barney, an investment bank that was founded in 1910 that was characterized by a cutthroat corporate culture and risk-taking behaviors associated with massive profits. The culture at Solomon Smith Barney might have influenced his work and interest in developing Lux Capital, which also takes risks on technology-based startups. He also worked at Merrill Lynch in capital markets. Generally, his professional life been an intersection of science and finance.

7. He was Born and Raised in Coney Island

Wolfe was born in California and raised in Coney Island by a single mother. They lived with his grandparents and his grandfather was a nighttime delivery man for the Daily News. They did not have much money growing up. According to his profile on Lux Capital’s website, his mother raised Wolfe and his siblings a few hundred yards from the Cyclone rollercoaster on the island. He was a skeptical child with half-squint eyes and enjoyed growing up on the boardwalk. He believes that he developed his shrewd eye for identifying con-men and fraudsters while living in Coney Island.

6. He was an Editor for a Tech Report

Josh Wolfe was an editor for a Tech Report at Forbes. The Tech Report, is an investment publication that highlights stories on emerging technologies and current trends in different technology sectors. Emerging technologies that are commonly addressed in the publication include nanotechnology, nuclear, solar, and clean technology. The newsletter targets the effects of emerging technology on the economy. Aside from that, he is also a columnist with Forbes and has been actively involved in writing articles that address technology and its impact on Wall Street.

5. He is Westinghouse Semi-Finalist

Wolfe is a Westinghouse semi-finalist, which is a science talent search that focuses on creative innovations. It is a research-based science competition conducted in the United States for students who are in their final year in high school. It is still considered the most prestigious and oldest science competition in the country.

4. Most Exciting Innovation

Wolfe believes that the most exciting innovation in the past was the rise of the GPU from the gaming market to powering artificial intelligence and promoting the development of robotic surgery and 3D printing. He also believes that the future will be characterized by the increased use of gaming GPU in machine learning and artificial intelligence. He also believes that chronobiology and the global use of CRISPR gene editing.

3. He is Passionate about Education Reforms and Science

Josh Wolfe is passionate about celebrating science and the heroes in science who come up with solutions to modern-day problems. He chairs a charter school named Coney Island Prep in his native Coney Island Brooklyn. As one of the board of trustees at the school, he supports the school’s leadership with financial and strategic guidance, legal counsel, and holds the school accountable for its education strategies and results.

2. He believes in closing the gap between SCI-FI and SCI-Fact

Wolfe believes that science fiction books and films shape the thoughts of innovators. He believes that SCI-FI contributes to the need to develop better technological devices that meet the needs of the public, solve global problems like nuclear waste management, and promote health-related advances in the treatment of rare diseases. He often refers to the technologies seen in older films and how they shaped the products used today.

1. He Originally Wanted to Study Biology at Cornell University

When he joined Cornell, he initially wanted to be a biologist because of his childhood interest in science and technology. In a live video on exploring science and AI investing, Wolfe stated that he also wanted to get a doctorate in medicine and philosophy before he joined Cornell University. He ended up pursuing a bachelor of science in economics and finance. His interest in modern technology and science are based on his childhood love for science and his interactions with different individuals in science-based fields over the years.

Conclusion

Josh Wolfe is the CEO and co-founder of Lux Capital. He is interested in closing the gap between SCI-FI and SCI-Facts by promoting startups in the science and technology industry. He has worked with numerous companies that are based on science and finance. His educational background in finance and economics and his interest in technology has contributed to his success in these fields.

Allen Lee

Written by Allen Lee

Allen Lee is a Toronto-based freelance writer who studied business in school but has since turned to other pursuits. He spends more time than is perhaps wise with his eyes fixed on a screen either reading history books, keeping up with international news, or playing the latest releases on the Steam platform, which serve as the subject matter for much of his writing output. Currently, Lee is practicing the smidgen of Chinese that he picked up while visiting the Chinese mainland in hopes of someday being able to read certain historical texts in their original language.

Read more posts by Allen Lee

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