Planet43: One Year of Separating Signal from Noise

Let's be brutally honest about what we've built at R3I CAPITAL R3i Ventures R3i Impact Foundation and Planet43 .

In a year when tech headlines screamed about AI hallucinations and crypto carnage, we quietly did something radical:

We built a no-BS deeptech certification program that works. Not because we're smarter than everyone else but because we're stubborn enough to do the hard, unglamorous work that matters.

The Numbers That Matter:

• 2500+ deeptech founders vetted across 5 continents
• 32 companies graduated, and 24 companies Planet43 certified
• Millions in follow-on funding secured by our graduates and more underwriting!
• Commercial pilots launched with Fortune 500 companies
• Government contracts secured
• Patents granted

But here's what really matters: We've created something that didn't exist before - a bridge between brilliant technical founders and the capital they desperately need. A place where quantum physicists and climate scientists don't have to learn startup buzzwords to be taken seriously.

The Hard Lessons:

1. Technical brilliance alone isn't enough. The founder who can explain quantum mechanics to a five-year-old usually beats the one with the fancier PhD.
2. The best deals rarely come from flashy pitch competitions. They come from dusty university labs, forgotten industrial parks, and long-haul PhD Programs.
3. True innovation and its investment don't fit into neat 12-week accelerator programs. We had pushed deadlines - twice!

Real breakthroughs and funding take time, patience, and countless failures.

The Real Trenches

Behind the polished metrics and success stories, there's a messier reality:

• That corporate pilot that died in legal review after eight months of work
• The founder team that imploded over IP rights just as they were gaining traction
• Three promising technologies that weren't ready for commercialization, despite our hopes

But then there are the moments that remind us why we do this:

• Watching a healthcare diagnostic team secure crucial regulatory approval, knowing their technology could save millions of lives
• Seeing a climate tech solution move from lab concept to real-world implementation
• The first time a skeptical LP finally "gets it" after visiting one of our portfolio companies

Looking Forward with Clear Eyes and Full Hearts

Yes, we're facing headwinds. The deeptech funding winter might extend through 2025. Technical talent is increasingly expensive, and university partnerships need deeper standardization.

But here's what keeps me up at night with excitement: somewhere out there, probably in a lab you've never heard of, someone is working on something that could change everything.

We're doubling down on what works: our battle-tested technical due diligence, our trust in key research ecosystems, our commitment to finding and funding the unfundable. We're launching specialized tracks in water, climate, and healthcare not because they're trendy, but because they're necessary.

To every founder working through another late night in the lab: we see you.

To every LP who's trusted us to navigate these uncharted waters: thank you.

To every potential partner wondering if this is for them: if you believe that the most important innovations often start with a single scientist asking "what if?" – let's talk.

The revolution isn't on Twitter. It's in those fluorescent-lit labs at 3 AM, where brilliant minds are quietly reshaping reality. And we're just getting started.

Because while others chase the next viral AI app, we'll be here, doing what matters: building the future, one impossible breakthrough at a time.

What's Next?

We're doubling down on what works:

• Expanding our coinvestment collaboration with Striders Corporation Hatcher+ and PureTerra Ventures . Forging new Corporate Partnerships and Investor programs for the 3 specialized tracks: water, climate, and healthcare for second half.
• Building deeper partnerships with national labs and high-performance computing centers
• Creating Planet43 IP Commercialization and funding programs with the world′s most ambitious Universities with deeptech experts
• Launching our 501c3 Planet43 Venture Philanthropy fund in 2025!

But more importantly, we're staying true to our core belief: That somewhere out there, probably in a lab you've never heard of, someone is working on something that could change everything. Our job is to find them, fund them, and get the hell out of their way.

The deeptech startup ecosystem runs on trust, delivery, and, eventually, actual money.

Year two starts now. We've got quantum computers to build, carbon to capture, and diseases to cure.

Let's get to work.

But let's get crystal clear about something. This isn't a casual stroll through the startup park. Venture capital is a marathon that tests every fiber of your conviction. It's not about quick exits or easy wins - it's about having the grit to go the distance.

If you're an accredited investor with iron resolve and an appetite for transformation, strap in tight. But if you're hunting for safe bets and comfortable returns, this isn't your playground. We're operating in a different league entirely.

One year in, and we're just warming up. We've weathered storms that would send most running for shelter. Yet here we stand, still swinging for breakthroughs that make others' "moonshots" look like backyard cricket.

So here's to another year of bold defiance and history in the making. Another year of being the ones who dare to dream dangerously. The ones who look at seemingly insurmountable challenges and say "Challenge accepted." Because those crazy enough to believe they can reshape reality are the ones who actually do.

Happy Australia Day, you brilliant mavericks. Time to show the world what Australian innovation and mateship really means.

Because while everyone else is chasing the next viral AI app, we'll be here, doing what we've always done: Building the future, one impossible breakthrough at a time.

The revolution isn't on Twitter. It's in the lab.

How you can join the Planet43 Journey

• Introductions to LPs - CVCs, Family Offices, and Institutions for R3i Future Fund / Planet43 Collaboration
• Customer / Capital Matchmaking / Grant support for Portfolio Companies
• Donate your time to our Portfolio of Impact Pioneers or get engaged on Projects at R3i Impact Foundation
• Join the mission Fundraising for our 100 Champions of Change (501c3 Donations)

The future belongs to those bold enough to build it.?

Together, we rise!

Leesa Soulodre is the Managing Partner of R3i Capital, a Delaware-based applied AI and emerging tech Venture Capital fund. A serial entrepreneur and Fortune 500 advisor turned deep tech investor. Leesa is a board member of the AI Asia Pacific Institute and has a portfolio of IP-backed emerging tech companies scaling impact.

She teaches Strategy and Entrepreneurship at SMU Cox School of Business and recently authored "Algorithmic Investment Roulette: Who Survives, Who Thrives, Who Codes Your Future" (2025).

Want to learn more about our deeptech investment thesis?

Visit www.r3icapital.ai and discover Planet43