Steve Blank No Science, No Startups: The Innovation Engine We’re Switching Off
a day ago
- Science involves theorists (who develop models) and experimentalists (who run tests), with basic science building foundations for applied science.
- U.S. universities perform ~50% of basic science research, funded mainly by federal agencies like NIH and NSF, and this underpins national power and economic growth.
- Engineers build on scientific discoveries to create products; entrepreneurs and venture capitalists commercialize them, but VC funding avoids basic research risk.
- Defunding science weakens long-term economic and defense capabilities, as seen in historical comparisons with the UK and Soviet Union.
- The scientific method relies on hypothesis testing, reproducibility, and learning from failure; AI augments, not replaces, scientists.
- Cutting U.S. science funding shifts research leadership to countries like China, harming national competitiveness.