Innovation

airSlate Study Unveils SMBs Are Ready To Utilize AI And Automation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Oct 2, 2023

airSlate - a leader in document workflow automation solutions - announced that it had released new research that reveals that small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are ready to tap into the power of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) to scale and compete effectively in today's business landscape.

Aviat Networks: Wireless Transport And Access Solutions Company Closes $50 Million In Orders

By Noah Long ● Oct 2, 2023

Aviat Networks - a leading expert in wireless transport and access solutions - recently announced it has received orders totaling over $50 million with two separate U.S. State governments for statewide public safety networks.

Cecilian Partners: Proptech Company Closes $11 Million In Series A

By Annie Baker ● Sep 28, 2023

Cecilian Partners - a leading proptech firm providing end-to-end digital solutions for home builders and land developers - recently announced that it has raised $11 million in its first institutional equity round led by Resolve Growth Partners. And Cecilian plans to use the growth funding to accelerate product innovation, expand headcount in critical areas, and continue developing the industry's most client-centric customer success team.

Centinel: How This Financial Firm Assists Families And Businesses Accumulate Wealth

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 28, 2023

Centinel Financial Group is a select team of financial advisors and professionals with backgrounds in finance, business, insurance and investments. And many individuals, families and businesses have chosen to work with Centinel Financial Group for the relationships and trust that they build. With a team of more than 70 advisors and representatives, Centinel Financial Group assists individuals, families and businesses in the accumulation and protection of their wealth. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Centinel Financial Group financial advisor Greg Fortier to learn more.

Boston Scientific To Buy Relievant Medsystems For Over $850 Million: Details

By Noah Long ● Sep 27, 2023

Boston Scientific recently announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Relievant Medsystems. These are the details.

Dragonfly Energy Successfully Uses Lithium Hydroxide From Aqua Metals To Manufacture Battery Cells

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 25, 2023

Dragonfly Energy (the maker of Battle Born Batteries and an industry leader in energy storage), in collaboration with Aqua Metals (a pioneer in sustainable lithium battery recycling), has successfully used high-purity lithium hydroxide that recovered by Aqua Metals from recycled lithium-ion batteries to manufacture a lithium-based battery cell using Dragonfly Energy’s patented dry battery electrode coating technology.

Indxx: A Leading Index Provider Offering Innovative Solutions To The Investment Industry At Large

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 25, 2023

Indxx is a company that endeavors to deliver innovative solutions to the investment management community at large, ranging from end-to-end indexing solutions to index services and technology products. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Indxx President and Co-CEO Rahul Sen Sharma to learn more.

Kettering University: Over 70 High School Robotics Teams Competing At Annual Kickoff Event

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 24, 2023

Kettering University became the center of the robotics universe this weekend when it hosted the annual Kettering Kickoff. Over 70 FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) high school teams from Michigan, Illinois and Ohio have registered to compete in the two-day event.

Why GXO Is Buying PFSweb For $181 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 18, 2023

GXO Logistics (the world’s largest pure-play contract logistics provider) and PFSweb (a tech-enabled e-commerce order fulfillment platform based in the US) recently announced they have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which GXO will acquire PFSweb for $7.50 per share in cash, representing an equity value of approximately $181 million. The enterprise value is $142 million and includes PFSweb’s cash balance of $39 million at June 30, 2023.

HP Reveals Spectre Foldable PC

By Annie Baker ● Sep 17, 2023

HP recently announced the HP Spectre Foldable PC, a 3-in-1 device with a foldable screen that integrates the best features of a laptop, tablet, and desktop for an ultimate hybrid experience.

Pitango: First Closing Of $175 Million Second HealthTech Fund Completed

By Noah Long ● Sep 12, 2023

Pitango HealthTech - which is Pitango VC's dedicated healthcare fund - recently announced the first closing of its second dedicated healthcare fund Pitango HealthTech II. And Pitango HealthTech II, a $175 million fund, will be dedicated to investing in entrepreneurs utilizing data science, AI, medical devices, and novel biology at the forefront of healthcare transformation. The $9 trillion global healthcare market is undergoing dramatic shifts, and Israeli entrepreneurs are building companies that are spearheading this transition.

GlobalFoundries: $4 Billion Expansion Facility Opened In Singapore

By Noah Long ● Sep 12, 2023

GlobalFoundries (GF) recently announced the official opening of its US$4 billion (S$5 billion) expansion fabrication plant (fab) in Singapore. The 23,000 sqm fab will create 1,000 high-value jobs in Singapore, 95% of which will include equipment technicians, process technicians, and engineers. The official opening ceremony was graced by Lawrence Wong, Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, along with Ahmed Yahia Al Idrissi, Chairman of the GF Board of Directors, additional GF Board members, and GF executives, including President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Thomas Caulfield, Chief Manufacturing Officer Kay Chai (KC) Ang, and Senior Vice President and General Manager of GlobalFoundries Singapore Tan Yew Kong, among others.

Intel Selling Minority Stake In IMS Nanofabrication To TSMC For $430 million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 12, 2023

Intel Corporation recently announced that it agreed to sell a 10% stake in the IMS Nanofabrication business (IMS) to TSMC. TSMC’s investment values IMS at approximately $4.3 billion, consistent with the valuation of the recent stake sale to Bain Capital Special Situations. Intel will retain majority ownership of IMS, which will continue to operate as a standalone subsidiary under the leadership of CEO Dr. Elmar Platzgummer. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Certa: Third-Party Compliance Company Secures $35 Million

By Noah Long ● Sep 12, 2023

Certa - an all-in-one third-party management platform - recently announced it has raised a 2x oversubscribed Series B led by Fin Capital and Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia and India, with participation from Tru Arrow Partners. And existing investors Point72 Ventures, BDMI (part of Bertelsmann's corporate venture arm Bertelsmann Investments), the family office of Bernard Arnault’s Aglae Ventures, The Chainsmokers-backed Mantis VC, and GOAT Capital also participated in the round. This funding round brings the total institutional investment in Certa to $50 million.

Qualcomm Is Now Supplying Apple With 5G Chips Until 2026

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2023

Qualcomm Technologies announced today that it agreed with Apple to supply Snapdragon 5G Modem‑RF Systems for smartphone launches in 2024, 2025, and 2026. And the company said that this agreement reinforces Qualcomm’s track record of sustained leadership across 5G technologies and products.

Ibex: AI-Powered Cancer Diagnostics Company Secures $55 Million In Funding

By Annie Baker ● Sep 8, 2023

Ibex Medical Analytics - a leader in AI-powered cancer diagnostics - recently announced it has closed a $55 million Series C financing round led by 83North. And additional participants in the round were Sienna Venture Capital and existing investors in the company, Octopus Ventures, aMoon, Planven Entrepreneur Ventures, and Dell Technologies Capital. The round brings total funding to over $100 million since Ibex's inception in 2016.

Google Previews Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, And Pixel Watch 2

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 8, 2023

Google has updated the Google Store website with information about its new flagship smartphone devices: Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. These devices will be available for purchase on October 4, 2023.

How Morgan Stanley And Crowley Are Advancing U.S. Wind Energy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 8, 2023

Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM) - through Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners (MSIP) and U.S. maritime, energy, and logistics solutions leader Crowley recently announced the creation of a new joint venture to advance offshore wind energy solutions for the U.S.

d-Matrix: Digital In-Memory Computing Solutions Company Raises $110 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 7, 2023

d-Matrix - a leader in high-efficiency generative AI computing for data centers - recently announced it has closed $110 million in a Series-B funding round led by Temasek. The goal for this funding round is to enable d-Matrix to begin commercializing Corsair - which is the world’s first Digital-In Memory Compute (DIMC), chiplet-based inference compute platform, after the successful launches of its prior Nighthawk, Jayhawk-I, and Jayhawk II chiplets.

Quantum Physicists From Quantinuum And Chubu University Collaborating On AI And Cognition Research

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 6, 2023

Quantinuum (the world’s largest quantum computing company) and Chubu University in Japan recently announced a new and timely partnership, co-led by two global experts in quantum models of artificial intelligence, Professors Bob Coecke and Masanao Ozawa. As recognized leaders in their field, they will establish an interdisciplinary team to explore quantum computational linguistics and cognition aimed at building future applications in quantum artificial intelligence.

Celularity And Regeneron Enter Multi-Year Research Collaboration Services

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 6, 2023

Celularity - a biotechnology company developing allogeneic cell therapies and biomaterial products - recently announced a multi-year Research Collaboration Services Agreement with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals to support the research of Regeneron’s allogeneic cell therapy candidates.

Sortera Technologies: Recycling Industry Focused AI Company Secures $30.5 Million

By Annie Baker ● Sep 3, 2023

Sortera Technologies - an innovative material sorting company with a recycling platform powered by artificial intelligence, data analytics, and advanced sensors - recently announced the closing of a $30.5 million Series C funding round led by RA Capital Management-Planetary Health with participation from certain funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, the Mineral Resources Group - which is a part of Mitsubishi Corporation's Business Incubation Unit and Macquarie GIG Energy Transition Solutions (MGETS).

Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max To Drive Most Shipments, Says Analyst

By Dan Anderson ● Aug 31, 2023

The Apple iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro line of devices are expected to be announced on September 12 at an Apple Event called “Wonderlust.” According to credible analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (via MacRumors), the iPhone 15 Pro Max is expected to drive up to 40% of all early iPhone 15 sales.

Firstup: $100 Million In Annual Recurring Revenue Surpassed

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 31, 2023

Intelligent communication platform company Firstup recently announced that it has surpassed $100 million in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR), underscoring its position as a market leader. With over 18 million employees connected worldwide, Firstup is the trusted choice of over 40% of Fortune 100 companies. Industry giants, including Amazon, Dow, Ford, and Hilton, rely on Firstup to connect seamlessly with their workforce, deliver personalized communications, and gain valuable insights to enhance employee engagement.

Gocious Roadmaps Now Supports Jira Integration

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 29, 2023

Gocious is a company that understands that building product roadmaps could be challenging for product management teams. And Gocious Product Roadmap Management (PRM) software has been designed to help product managers communicate and align all stakeholders around a clear and accessible product portfolio roadmap. Gocious recently announced it created a solution that enables engineers and product managers to use their separate tools while integrating the important points of Atlassian Jira.

Pi-xcels: Digital Receipt Solutions Company Raises $1.7 Million

By Annie Baker ● Aug 29, 2023

Pi-xcels - a leader in digital receipt solutions - announced recently that it had completed its seed funding round, raising US$1.7 million. The funding round was led by Wavemaker Partners, with participation from other prominent venture capital firms such as Hustle Fund, Amand Ventures, Black Kite Capital, and strategic angel investors.

Koverly: $7.6 Milllion Seed Funding Raised And Pay In 30 Feature Launched

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 27, 2023

Koverly has raised $7.6 million in seed funding from Accomplice VC, Vinyl Capital, and One Way Ventures. And the company recently introduced the only buy now, pay later (BNPL) solution to give a 30-day extension on FX payments at no cost to the buyer or seller.

Lockheed Martin Wins Deal To Deliver 36 Small Satellites For Space Development Agency’s Communications Network

By Dan Anderson ● Aug 25, 2023

The Space Development Agency (SDA) awarded Lockheed Martin a firm-fixed-price agreement valued at approximately $816 million to build 36 Tranche 2 Transport Layer (T2TL) Beta satellites. T2TL is part of an overarching plan to advance deterrence with more resilient space architectures for beyond line-of-sight (BLOS) targeting, data transport, and advanced missile detection and tracking.

Algoma Capital: $100 Million Credit Fund Launched To Fuel Growth Of Whiskey Brands

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 24, 2023

CEO and founder Brian Rosen recently announced the launch of Algoma Capital with a $100 million credit fund, which would provide working capital to fuel business growth for whiskey brands and distilleries. With more than 40 years of industry expertise, Rosen has established a specialty lending platform to provide credit to premium distillers, brand owners, and suppliers looking to finance barrel inventory on an asset basis. The firm will deploy up to $10 million or more in each investment.

University Of Tulsa Investing $75 Million On New Cyber Institute

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 24, 2023

The University of Tulsa recently announced the formation of the new Oklahoma Cyber Innovation Institute to undertake groundbreaking cyber research and identify, test, and commercially deploy new cyber solutions. This institute will build on the university’s educational foundation in cybersecurity to address cyber workforce development issues.