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Commonweal Ventures is thrilled to host Nicolas Niarchos for a discussion on his new book, The Elements of Power: A Story of War, Technology, & the Dirtiest Supply Chain on Earth.
Niarchos, a journalist whose work focuses on energy, war, & migration, investigates the hidden, often brutal, supply chain for battery metals like cobalt & lithium. The book connects the global race for these minerals, essential for the energy transition & for the development of modern technology, to conflict, exploitation, & geopolitical competition, particularly in places like the Democratic Republic of Congo, while also exploring the roles of big tech, big business, & China's dominance.
As Patrick Radden Keefe, the author of Say Nothing, described the book: "A tale of rapacious colonialism, Cold War spy games, dazzling technical innovation, big business rivalry, big power geopolitics . . . Niarchos has produced an unflinching, landmark work on the nature of extractive capitalism."
Niarchos will be joined in conversation by Nate Loewentheil, managing partner of Commonweal Ventures & former Obama White House advisor. The discussion will be followed by audience Q&A.
Schedule:
6:00 PM - Doors open, networking
6:30 PM - Moderated conversation & audience Q&A
7:30 PM - Networking
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nicolas Niarchos is a journalist whose work focuses on energy, war, & migration. His work has been published in The New Yorker, The Nation, & The New York Times. He has testified on the effects of Congolese battery metal mining on Capitol Hill. His work on mining in Indonesia was shortlisted for a 2024 Livingston Award. In 2023, he won an Edward R. Murrow Award for a radio report from Ukraine for The New Yorker & WNYC.
ABOUT THE MODERATOR
Nate Loewentheil is the Founder & Managing Partner of Commonweal Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in startups at the intersection of technology & government. He is an early-stage investor in companies like Palantir, Robinhood, & Roivant. He is a former Forbes 30 under 30 & Aspen Ideas Fellow & has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, & Fast Company, among many other outlets.
He served in the Obama White House as a Special Assistant to the President at the National Economic Council, where he advised President Obama on emerging technology. Nate holds a BA from Yale College & a JD from Yale Law School.
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