Source: Crunchbase
Summary
Convective, a company that initially focused on investing in fire technology, is expanding its mission to include disaster resilience. According to Crunchbase, Convective aims to support startups working on disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. The company’s new focus includes natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes. Convective’s expansion is part of a growing trend of investors and startups addressing disaster resilience.
Our Reading
The launch follows a familiar script.
Convective’s expansion into disaster resilience is the latest example of a company broadening its scope to address a broader range of challenges. The company’s new focus on disaster preparedness, response, and recovery is likely to involve investing in startups working on everything from emergency response systems to climate resilience technologies. Because what’s new is often just old wine in new bottles, Convective’s “expanded mission” sounds suspiciously like a rebranding of existing efforts.
Author: Evan Null
Rebranding Resilience
Convective’s shift in focus is not unusual in the tech industry, where companies often rebrand existing efforts to capitalize on trendy topics.
Disaster Tech is Not New
The idea of investing in disaster resilience is not new, but Convective’s rebranding efforts make it sound like a groundbreaking development.
Follow the Money
As Convective expands its mandate, it will be interesting to see which startups receive funding and how the company’s investments align with its new focus on disaster resilience.
Resilience is a Buzzword
The term “resilience” has become a buzzword in the tech industry, often used to describe initiatives that are not particularly innovative.
The More Things Change…
Convective’s expansion into disaster resilience may be a positive development, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that it’s just another example of the tech industry’s tendency to rebrand old ideas as new and innovative.
