Unlike many venture capitalists, Katie Rae is a fan of startups that take on big and complicated problems.
TECH VENTURE CAPITALIST KATIE RAE is trying to prove that “tough tech” is worth the tough work. The Engine, the $200 million fund she leads, invests in startups whose products require years of research and development before they’re ready.
In short, they’re startups that many other venture capitalists avoid—like one firm that’s pursuing a viable form of fusion energy—because they require more time to get off the ground than the typical photo app and more time to pay off, if ever.
Rae’s three-year-old fund is an independent offshoot of MIT, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school, a hotbed for tough tech, wanted to help founders make their potentially world-changing ideas a reality.
Since its inception, The Engine has invested in over a dozen startups focussed on energy, agriculture, and health. The fund takes a holistic approach, providing its startups with space, equipment, and business connections along with long-term capital.
Rae is a veteran of the Boston tech scene: She cofounded venture capital firm Project 11 and Boston’s chapter of the Startup Institute, and served as managing director at Techstars Boston, a startup accelerator programme. Fortune spoke with Rae about The Engine and the ethical challenges some tech companies face. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
FORTUNE:
How is The Engine different from other venture capital firms?
ãã®èšäºã¯ Fortune India ã® January 2019 çã«æ²èŒãããŠããŸãã
7 æ¥éã® Magzter GOLD ç¡æãã©ã€ã¢ã«ãéå§ããŠãäœåãã®å³éžããããã¬ãã¢ã ã¹ããŒãªãŒã9,000 以äžã®éèªãæ°èã«ã¢ã¯ã»ã¹ããŠãã ããã
ãã§ã«è³Œèªè ã§ã ?  ãµã€ã³ã€ã³
ãã®èšäºã¯ Fortune India ã® January 2019 çã«æ²èŒãããŠããŸãã
7 æ¥éã® Magzter GOLD ç¡æãã©ã€ã¢ã«ãéå§ããŠãäœåãã®å³éžããããã¬ãã¢ã ã¹ããŒãªãŒã9,000 以äžã®éèªãæ°èã«ã¢ã¯ã»ã¹ããŠãã ããã
ãã§ã«è³Œèªè ã§ã? ãµã€ã³ã€ã³
CAN AI MAKE VIDEO GAMES MORE IMMERSIVE? SOME STUDIOS TURN TO AI-FUELED NPCS FOR MORE INTERACTION
For decades, video games have relied on scripted, stilted interactions with non-player characters to help shepherd gamers in their journeys.
Watch SERIES 10 & ULTRA 2: REFRESHING THE LINEUP WITH NEW FINISHES & BOLD COLORS
At this yearâs September Event, Apple unveiled the Apple Watch Series 10, a device set to redefine the smartwatch landscape with its sleek design, advanced display, and innovative health, fitness, and connectivity features.
APPLE BEGINS TESTING AI SOFTWARE DESIGNED TO BRING A SMARTER SIRI TO THE IPHONE 16
Apple is giving more people the chance to test a software update that will implant artificial intelligence into its virtual assistant Siri and automate a variety of tedious tasks on the latest iPhone coming out.
TECH TIP: USING INSTAGRAM'S NEW TEEN ACCOUNT SETTINGS TO SUPERVISE YOUNG USERS
Worried about your teenâs Instagram use? Faced with growing pressure to do more to stop online harm, the social media platform has rolled out a major new update to protect young people and give parents more control.
OPENAI CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER MIRA MURATI AND 2 OTHER EXECS ARE LEAVING THE CHATGPT MAKER
A high-ranking executive at OpenAI who served a few days as its interim CEO during a period of turmoil last year said sheâs leaving the artificial intelligence company.
UN EXPERTS URGE UNITED NATIONS TO LAY FOUNDATIONS FOR GLOBAL GOVERNANCE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
A high-powered U.N. advisory body said that global governance of artificial intelligence is âimperativeâ and urged the United Nations to lay the foundations for the first inclusive global institutions to regulate the fast-growing technology.
PHONE DEAL FOR VISITING FANS AT 2026 WORLD CUP PART OF VERIZON SPONSOR PACT WITH FIFA
Soccer fans arriving in North America for the 2026 World Cup have been promised help with their cell phone coverage from Verizon as part of a sponsor deal with FIFA announced this week.
X RELEASES ITS FIRST TRANSPARENCY REPORT SINCE ELON MUSK'S TAKEOVER
Social media platform X on Wednesday published its first transparency report since the company was purchased by Elon Musk.
FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA'S 'MEGALOPOLIS' IS ONE FROM THE HEART
Francis Ford Coppola believes he can stop time. Itâs not just a quality of the protagonist of Coppolaâs new film âMegalopolis,â a visionary architect named Cesar Catilina ( Adam Driver ) who, by barking âTime, stop!â can temporarily freeze the world for a moment before restoring it with a snap of his fingers.
GOOGLE BEGINS ITS DEFENSE IN ANTITRUST CASE ALLEGING MONOPOLY OVER ADVERTISING TECHNOLOGY
Google opened its defense against allegations that it holds an illegal monopoly on online advertising technology with witness testimony saying the industry is vastly more complex and competitive than portrayed by the federal government.
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION SEEKS TO BAN CHINESE RUSSIAN TECH IN US AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES
The Commerce Department said this week itâs seeking a ban on the sale of connected and autonomous vehicles in the U.S. that are equipped with Chinese and Russian software and hardware with the stated goal of protecting national security and U.S. drivers. `
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE SUES VISA. ALLEGES 7 THE CARD ISSUER MONOPOLIZES DEBIT CARD MARKETS
The U.S. Justice Department has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Visa, alleging that the financial services behemoth uses its size and dominance to stifle competition in the debit card market, costing consumers and businesses billions of dollars.
CALIFORNIA BECOMES LATEST STATE TO RESTRICT STUDENT SMARTPHONE USE AT SCHOOL
School districts in California will have to create rules restricting student smartphone use under a new law Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed this week.
STRIKE BY MORE THAN 1,000 SAMSUNG WORKERS ENTERS A THIRD WEEK IN INDIA
A strike by more than 1,000 workers at a Samsung India Electronics plant has entered its third week, and management is at an impasse over their demands for recognition of the employeesâ union and higher pay, a workers union spokesman said,
CALIFORNIA SUES EXXONMOBIL AND SAYS IT LIED ABOUT PLASTICS RECYCLING
California sued ExxonMobil this week, alleging the oil giant deceived the public for half a century by promising that the plastics it produced would be recycled.
ALMOST ALL SMALL BUSINESSES ARE USING A SOFTWARE TOOL THAT IS ENABLED BY AI
As the use of artificial intelligence is expands, more small firms say theyâre harnessing AI to help their businesses.
VIDEO GAME ACTORS' UNION CALLS FOR STRIKE AGAINST 'LEAGUE OF LEGENDS'
Hollywoodâs actors union called a strike against the popular multiplayer online game âLeague of Legendsâ on Tuesday, arguing the company that produces the game attempted to get around the ongoing video game strike by hiring nonunion actors to work on a union title.
META UNVEILS CHEAPER VR HEADSET, AI UPDATES AND SHOWS OFF PROTOTYPE FOR HOLOGRAPHIC AR GLASSES
Meta unveiled updates to the companyâs virtual reality headset and Ray Ban smart glasses on Wednesday as it tries to demonstrate its artificial intelligence prowess and the next generation of computing platforms beyond smartphones and computers.
BEFORE YOU SIGN UP FOR A STORE CREDIT CARD, KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GETTING INTO
When Mykail James was 19 and working a holiday job at Victoriaâs Secret, she took out a store credit card with a $2,000 credit line.
FOUND: What It Really Means to Have Dense Breasts
A new FDA rule says women must be told if their breasts are considered dense a factor that raises breast cancer risk. What you need to know
Kerry Mellin
Home: Hidden Hills, CA/Age: 66 Occupation: Founder of EaZyHold
PLACENTA HUNGER GRIPS HOLLYWOOD!
Celeh mothers follow risky fad of eating their own afterbirth
MARIAH'S MAXIMUM SPENDING EXPOSED!
Why sheâs leveragin luxury rea estate
TWISTED TEEN BUSTED FOR KILLING MOM AFTER ARREST FOR SHOOTING DAD
BAD seed son Collin Griffith fatally stabbed his mother in Florida â 19 months after the psycho 17-year-old gunned down his dad in Oklahoma, lawmen say.
VAMPIRE KIDS BEHEADED SO THEY CAN'T RISE AGAIN!
IN A chilling and gruesome discovery, archaeologists have unearthed the ancient burial ground of âvampire childrenâ â with one of the tiny skeletons decapitated to prevent the pint-sized bloodsucker rising from the grave!
NEWLYWEDS NAILED IN WEIRD WEDDING PARTY MURDER
THE bride wore an orange jumpsuit â and so did her new husband â when they were thrown in the slammer on charges of mowing down and murdering their groomsman after an âargumentâ on their wedding day!
WENDY SUES LIFETIME TO PAY HER DOC BILLS!
Lawyers say TV channel profited from her misery
WILLIAM THINKS BRO IS DUMB AS DIRT!!
Royal ranks closed to clueless Harry
MY DEATHBED PROMISE TO SUPERMAN
Chris Reeveâs son tells all
BRITNEY MONEY MESS!
Ending S1M child 7 to K-Fed but lowing cash like drunken sailor