SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 8, 2023 — Scrum Studio Inc. announced the selection of 12 companies that will join the second year of its Well-BeingX open innovation program. Held in partnership with leading Japanese corporations, including Sumitomo Life Insurance Company, Tokyo Tatemono Co., Japan Tobacco Inc., Hakuhodo Inc., and Lion Corp., the program helps create and grow new business opportunities with startups developing products and solutions that enhance well-being.

This year’s program focuses on products and solutions that address key areas of health and wellness with a particular focus on Women’s Health, Nutrition and FoodTech, and Senior Care and Inclusive Tech.

Among the 12 companies chosen for the program are Canada-based Tuktu, an AI platform that provides family-like support to seniors and individuals needing assistance and Japan’s Croix Co., which has also been selected for its healing sound treatments that promote sleep, meditation, and relaxation through music, nature sounds and video content.

“Scrum Studio is thrilled to welcome this innovative and diverse set of startups for this second year of Well-BeingX” said Michael Proman with Scrum Studio. “Individual well-being has become one of the most important issues of our time and through this program, we’ve already worked with more than 37 startups that are addressing the most pressing issues impacting well-being worldwide. We are particularly excited about launching this second-year program with new startups that are reimagining how to support well-being.”

Starting today, selected companies will begin working with Japanese partner companies, supporter companies, and observer municipalities on business co-creation initiatives – culminating in a “Demo Day” held in December of 2023.

About Scrum Studio, Inc.
Scrum Studio, Inc. is an open innovation platform formed to bridge the gap between iconic Japanese corporations and startups from around the world. The platform focuses on three pillars to create new business opportunities: acceleration, incubation, and connection. Its vertical studio programs include SmartCityX, and Food Tech Studio – Bites! Learn more at https://scrum.vc/studio/.

About Scrum Ventures
Scrum Ventures is an early-stage venture firm based in San Francisco with a growing Tokyo office. With entrepreneurial expertise and a strong network in Japan, we actively support portfolio global growth and success. Learn more at Scrum Ventures.

Media Contact:
Mary Magnani
CodePR
[email protected]

SOURCE Scrum Ventures

DUBAI, UAE, Aug. 8, 2023 — Beond, the world’s first premium leisure airline, is pleased to announce the successful completion of over US$17M Seed Round from a group of esteemed investors. The round was oversubscribed, reflecting the strong confidence and belief in Beond’s vision and potential.

Participants included family offices, angel investors, and strategic partners, signalling a vote of confidence in the company’s ground-breaking approach to leisure travel and promising market potential.

Beond’s Chairman and CEO, Tero Taskila, expressed gratitude towards the investors and partners who believe in the company’s vision for a new and exciting approach to premium leisure air travel. “This funding round marks a significant milestone for Beond,” Taskila said.

“We are humbled and excited to have the support of such remarkable investors who share our passion for innovation and believe in our mission. The investment will empower Beond to realise its full potential and deliver on the promise of both this ground-breaking business model in the airline industry and pioneering experience for passengers. Beond will operate a premium leisure experience for customers while bringing to bear the benefits of a lightweight, low-cost operation based on the collective decades of experience of our team.”

The investment will fuel Beond’s ambitious growth plans, including:

1. Expanding the team: Strengthening the core team with top-tier talent to accelerate product development and innovation, hiring pilots and cabin crew to build the network.
2. Scaling marketing and sales efforts: Increasing brand visibility and market reach to capture a broader customer base.
3. Securing more capacity: Investing in aircraft and latest technologies in full lie-flat premium seats to deliver a unforgettable customer experience.

Beond will begin operations in the fall of 2023, with Maldives as its first hub, pending regulatory approval. The airline intends to fly a fleet of state-of-the-art Airbus A320-family aircraft in a unique luxury, lay-flat configuration, bringing passengers to Maldives from Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.

About Beond
Beond is the world’s first premium leisure airline offering unique and tailored experiences for today’s modern travellers. Beond will initiate flights from a variety of destinations with the latest aviation and luxury travel innovations.

Visit www.flybeond.com

SOURCE Beond

DELFT, Netherlands, Aug. 8, 2023 — Meatable, the industry-leading food tech company, announced today it has raised $35 million in new funding to bring the company’s total funding so far to $95 million. Led by Agronomics, the successful close saw Invest-NL, a Dutch impact fund, coming on board as a new investor. The round also drew significant renewed support from existing investors, including BlueYard, Bridford, MilkyWay, DSM Venturing and Taavet Hinrikus.

The funding will be used to further scale its processes and accelerate commercial launch of its cultivated meat products. The scale up and process optimization reduce the production costs to become cost competitive with traditional meat and reach production to commercial volumes. Starting in Singapore, Meatable is launching in selected restaurants and retailers from 2024. The company is also making solid progress on expanding to the United States and beyond, boosted by recent regulatory developments.

Krijn de Nood, co-founder and CEO of Meatable, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Invest-NL on board and to have renewed support from our existing investors. Both the regulatory landscape and the continued investments are aligning to show demonstrated momentum. This is a huge sign of confidence in the incredible quality, taste, and proven scalability of our product, especially in the current investment climate. We look forward to working closely with our investors as we enter our next growth phase and cement our position as global leaders in the cultivated meat industry.”

To make its cultivated pork, Meatable takes one sample of cells from an animal without harming it and replicates the natural growth process of the cells using patented opti-ox™ technology combined with pluripotent stem cells. This technology makes it possible for Meatable to produce real muscle and fat cells in only eight days. This efficiency will enable the company to scale cultivated meat production quickly and affordably.

Contact:

Antonella Scimemi: [email protected] / +44 (0)7530815018 
Jennifer Reid: [email protected] / +1 778-772-0754 

About Meatable:
Meatable is an innovative, Dutch food company, aiming to deliver, at scale, cultivated meat that looks like, tastes like, and has the nutritional profile of traditional meat. The proprietary opti-ox™ technology enables Meatable to produce meat rapidly, sustainably, and without harming animals.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2169103/Meatable_1.jpg
Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2074076/Meatable_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Meatable

•  Funding provides Bactolife with sufficient capital to commercialise its proprietary Binding Proteins™ and further strengthen its technology platform
•  Financing was led by ATHOS, with participation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and existing investors, incl. Novo Holdings, making it one of the   largest bioindustrial Series A funding rounds in Europe

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Aug. 8, 2023 — Bactolife A/S (“Bactolife”), a bioindustrial company developing proprietary Binding Proteins^TM, which strengthen the gut microbiome of humans and animals with the aim of reducing the burden of gastrointestinal infections and anti-microbial resistance, today announced that it has successfully raised EUR >30 million since its April 2021 seed round.

The financing round is led by ATHOS with participation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and existing investors, incl. Novo Holdings. Proceeds from the financing will enable Bactolife to advance its most mature projects towards commercial launch and strengthen the technology platform and upscaling capabilities.  By doing so, the company aims at retaining its first mover advantage to transform human and animal health with target specific Binding Proteins™.

Sebastian Søderberg, CEO of Bactolife said: “We are very pleased and humbled by the continued confidence that investors have shown us, especially in times of geopolitical uncertainty and market turmoil. The funding allows us to increase our investments in our project pipeline, technology platform, organisation and upscaling capabilities. Further, it will enable Bactolife to accelerate our partnering efforts with world-leading companies and commercialise our first product concepts for humans and animals.”  

Julian Zachmann, Investment Manager at ATHOS, stated: “Infectious diseases and increasing antimicrobial resistance are amongst the biggest threats to global health and development. We are committed to addressing this challenge and believe in Bactolife’s targeted solutions.”

Globally, there are more than 1.6 billion cases of diarrheal diseases annually which at best means stomach upsets. At worst, they can lead to life-threatening illnesses. Annual healthcare costs are increasing, and there are limited options to avoid disease manifestation in the first place. It is estimated that 760,000 children die annually from gut infections, and in those who survive, both infections later in life and growth stunts are observed. Today, most infections are treated with antibiotics that are either highly expensive or contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Bactolife takes a unique approach to gut health for the greater good of humans and animals by developing Binding Proteins™ that can reduce the risk of developing gut health infections, thereby reducing the need for antibiotics, at an affordable price point.

Aleks Engel, Partner, Novo Holdings, said: Aleks Engel, Partner, Novo Holdings, said: “The successful Series A is another validation of Bactolife’s impressive achievements and opportunity for the future. Bactolife is a great example of the strong Danish biotech ecosystem, as its technology platform originates from a Danish University, and was then further enabled by pioneering Danish biotech companies and talents. This bodes well for the future of not only Bactolife, but the Danish biotech sector as a whole. Further, I am very pleased that the international investors share our enthusiasm for finding solutions to the global AMR crisis. Combatting antimicrobial resistance requires all hands on deck.” 

About Bactolife A/S

Bactolife is a Danish industrial biotech company with approx. 40 employees. Bactolife uses its proprietary Binding Protein technology to develop novel biological solutions, strengthening the gut microbiome and helping solve the daunting challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) development, as well as the general burden of infectious diseases. Its proprietary platform consists of a technology for selecting and producing Binding Proteins that acts on toxins without targeting growth or killing the bacteria directly. The company is developing and will market ingredients for Mothers & Children, Elderly, Immunodeficient, Travelers & Deployed and Animal Health. The company has proof of concept (PoC) of its technology among others from testing its most advanced animal health product, Ablacto+ that stabilizes the gut of piglets and reduce the severity of post weaning diarrhea (PWD), in more than 6,000 piglets. Bactolife is among others backed by Novo Holdings, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and now also a leading Central European life science investor.

Binding Proteins™ are milk-homologous proteins designed to bind to the toxins from gastrointestinal pathogens. Binding Proteins™ are produced in large scale using state-of-the-art biomanufacturing, making them broadly applicable as part of a normal diet. Binding Proteins™ represent a new paradigm within precision gut microbiome by bringing together state of the art protein science with an affordable, broadly applicable, food and feed product registration.  

www.bactolife.com

About ATHOS

ATHOS is a Munich based single family office. ATHOS with its heritage in healthcare and life sciences invests in teams with exceptional science expertise, and technology-driven companies with an entrepreneurial and value-based approach.

About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman, under the direction of Co-chairs Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates and the board of trustees.

About Novo Holdings A/S

Novo Holdings is a holding and investment company that is responsible for managing the assets and the wealth of the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The purpose of Novo Holdings is to improve people’s health and the sustainability of society and the planet by generating attractive long-term returns on the assets of the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

Wholly owned by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Novo Holdings is the controlling shareholder of Novo Nordisk A/S and Novozymes A/S and manages an investment portfolio with a long-term return perspective. In addition to managing a broad portfolio of equities, bonds, real estate, infrastructure and private equity assets, Novo Holdings is a world-leading life sciences investor. Through its Seeds, Venture, Growth, and Principal Investments teams, Novo Holdings invests in life science companies at all stages of development. As of year-end 2022, Novo Holdings had total assets of EUR 108 billion.

www.novoholdings.dk

About the Novo Nordisk Foundation

Established in Denmark in 1924, the Novo Nordisk Foundation is an enterprise foundation with philanthropic objectives. The vision of the Foundation is to improve people’s health and the sustainability of society and the planet. The Foundation’s mission is to progress research and innovation in the prevention and treatment of cardiometabolic and infectious diseases as well as to advance knowledge and solutions to support a green transformation of society.

www.novonordiskfonden.dk/en

SOURCE Novo Holdings

First-of-its-kind developer tool visualizes and generates system architectures, facilitates design reviews and enables real-time collaboration

NEW YORK, Aug. 7, 2023 — Multiplayer, a collaborative tool for teams that work on distributed software, emerges from stealth with $3M in funding. The round was led by Bowery Capital with participation from Okapi Venture Capital, Mitch Wainer, co-founder of DigitalOcean, and Edith Harbaugh, founder of LaunchDarkly.

Conceptualized and built by developers to fill a gap in the market, Multiplayer provides a visual collaborative tool for the multi-layered system architecture that underpins a company’s operations. Until now, development teams have relied upon makeshift solutions to collaborate on backend software design, such as whiteboards or poor diagramming tools. Multiplayer visualizes system architecture holistically and in its component parts with software built for this purpose.

Key features of Multiplayer:

• AI Assist generates everything teams need for distributed software, including: system architectures, APIs, service implementations, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), documentation and more.
• Visualizes system architecture at the highest level and enables detailed views of specific features and changes in real time.
• Communicates design intent by pulling together multiple document types (i.e. platform diagrams, APIs, sketches, rich-text docs, source code) Enables formal design reviews including  feedback from all parties (team leads, developers, QA, CTO’s DevOps, etc.) before moving to implementation.
• Facilitates real time collaboration among distributed teams (akin to Figma but for the back end).
• Enables version control + branching.
• Ensures that system architecture will be recorded in a company-owned space where the evolution of the platform is retained.
• Tames the SaaS sprawl by integrating with source control providers, SaaS and cloud providers with a centralized system dashboard for teams.

Says CEO and co-founder Steph Johnson, “Having been immersed in the developer world for years at DigitalOcean and MongoDB, I’ve observed the communication gaps within development teams. There needs to be a better way to visualize and communicate architectural design decisions when working on distributed software. Surprisingly, in a world with so many dev tools, nothing facilitates seamless collaboration on backend software like Multiplayer, which we built specifically for this purpose.”

Adds CTO and co-founder Thomas Johnson, who brings 20 plus years as a developer at companies like Citrix, “This is an idea whose time has come. With distributed software being the norm today and teams being more spread out than ever, the gap in the market for a tool like Multiplayer has become very clear. Developers no longer need to bypass design reviews because they are ‘too much trouble.’ Multiplayer gives them an easy, organized way to share ideas and information before final implementation.”

“Companies all over the world are developing distributed software. These systems are becoming more complex and harder to change without breaking things,” says Mitch Wainer, co-founder of DigitalOcean. “There’s a dire need for a dev tool that helps teams visualize and collaborate when making changes to their backend software. Multiplayer makes design reviews and feature development easier and more collaborative, targeting a massively underserved market in the dev tool space.”

Multiplayer will be available as a public beta this fall. To sign up, please visit www.multiplayer.app.

About Multiplayer:
Multiplayer is a collaborative tool for teams that work on distributed software. Started in 2023 by Steph and Thomas Johnson, Multiplayer brings together all the elements of backend software development in one platform to allow teams to both visualize their system and work on it collaboratively. To learn more, visit www.multiplayer.app.

Press Contact: 

Ruth Sarfaty
201 960 4664
362740@email4pr.com

SOURCE Multiplayer

MIAMI, Aug. 7, 2023 — Taptok, a Miami-based technology startup and innovator in Enterprise and Business software, unveils the latest addition to their platform: the groundbreaking “Environmental Impact” dashboard. This innovative tool empowers businesses and professionals to quantify their contribution towards a more sustainable planet through the adoption of Taptok’s revolutionary digital solutions, including the electronic business cards.

The Environmental Impact dashboard provides quantifiable metrics on Total Paper Saved and CO2 Saved, illuminating the environmental benefits of transitioning away from traditional business practices. Taptok’s scientifically backed calculations put the power in users’ hands to track their progress towards creating a more sustainable future.

“By replacing traditional paper business cards with Taptok’s electronic counterparts, businesses not only modernize their operations but also reduce their environmental footprint. Our new dashboard brings this often-overlooked impact to the forefront, providing transparent, evidence-based metrics for our users,” said Taptok CEO, Jaime Manteiga.

With this launch, Taptok reaffirms its commitment to maintaining a 100% carbon-neutral platform, in partnership with tech giant Microsoft. The Miami-based startup is not only transforming the way businesses connect and engage with their audiences but also reshaping the role of technology in quantifying positive environmental impact.

With this launch, Taptok reaffirms its commitment to not only transforming the way businesses connect and engage with their audiences but also pioneering the role of technology in binding innovation and sustainability, an integral part of Taptok’s mission. “We believe that innovation and sustainability must go hand in hand,” added Jaime Manteiga.

The Environmental Impact dashboard is a unique value proposition for businesses and professionals seeking to demonstrate their environmental responsibility, offering a tangible and quantifiable means of measuring their positive impact. This tool also offers the transparency and trust required by forward-thinking investors committed to supporting sustainable businesses.

The launch of the Environmental Impact dashboard solidifies Taptok as a pioneering technology startup, providing solutions that drive both business performance and environmental sustainability. This exciting development positions the company as an attractive opportunity for investors looking to support innovative solutions that align with their sustainability commitments.

Taptok invites environmental enthusiasts, reporters, investors and the press to explore the new Environmental Impact dashboard, signaling a new era in how technology and businesses can collaboratively tackle environmental challenges.

About Taptok:

Taptok is a Miami-based technology startup focused on Enterprise and Business software. The company is revolutionizing how businesses connect and engage with their audiences by offering a set of physical and digital solutions in a 100% carbon-neutral environment.

Press Contact:
Rocco Aruzzi
Miami, FL
[email protected]
https://tt.social
+1 (888) 337-0949

SOURCE TAPTOK

• IVIX raised a $12.5M Series A round led by Insight Partners with participation from Team8, Citi Ventures, and Cardumen Capital.
• IVIX’s innovative AI-powered technology helps tax authorities in the U.S., Europe and Asia identify large-scale tax evasion, money laundering and other financial crimes.
• This investment will support IVIX in increasing its R&D team and global expansion plans.

NEW YORK, Aug. 7, 2023 — Today, IVIX, the first AI-powered platform designed to help governments address pervasive financial crimes and tax evasion at scale, announced the successful closing of a $12.5M Series A funding round led by Insight Partners with participation from Team8, Citi Ventures and Cardumen Capital. This investment comes after significant growth and customer acquisition and will position IVIX to accelerate its research and development capabilities — expanding its capacity to help more governments identify financial crimes and close the tax gap.

Every year, at least $20 trillion in global business activity goes unreported to tax authorities. In the United States, the toll of that underreporting is estimated to total $1 trillion in annual tax loss. And the gap is growing – in both traditional cash-based industries such as construction and new ways such as crypto and e-commerce. The cost of the shadow economy is real: it limits the ability of governments to provide public services such as healthcare, education and infrastructure.

IVIX offers a solution to this multi-trillion-dollar problem. The company’s innovative technology leverages publicly available data to equip tax authorities with the information they need to do their job more accurately and efficiently in today’s environment. With adoption by multiple tax authorities, IVIX’s AI-powered solution provides its government customers insight into the shadow economy so they can address tax evasion at scale.

IVIX is currently used by major government agencies around the world, including the U.S. Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division and multiple states’ tax authorities in the US. The company has attracted top talent and expertise, including former IRS Chief of Criminal Investigation John D. (Don) Fort as Chief Business Officer and former IRS commissioner Fred Goldberg as a member of IVIX’s advisory board. The company was founded in 2020 by CEO Matan Fattal and CPO Doron Passov, both with experience in elite intelligence units.

Matan Fattal, CEO and co-founder of IVIX, said: “IVIX has already helped cities, states and countries around the world recover billions in lost revenue and we’re excited about continuing our expansion with this new investment. We’re proud to give governments the tools they need to gain visibility into the shadow economy and our Series A success is a testament to both our history of success and potential for growth. We’re excited for this next phase of our business and look forward to helping more customers level the playing field.”

Hagi Schwartz, Managing Director at Insight Partners, said: “IVIX’s AI-powered platform is a game changer for government agencies combatting financial crimes. The platform’s level of sophistication and adoption by tax authorities globally is impressive, and has the potential to enable governments to provide better services to its citizens. We at Insight are thrilled to support IVIX as they continue to scale their important work.”

Sarit Firon, Managing Partner at Team8, said: “As the lead investor in previous funding rounds, Team8 was an early believer in IVIX’s mission to illuminate the shadow economy.  The IVIX platform, powered by AI and other data-driven tech, has significantly reduced tax evasion and fraud in multiple tax jurisdictions worldwide. We warmly welcome new investor Insight Partners into the fold, and look forward to helping IVIX roll out their solution to a rapidly growing base of global tax authorities.”

Cardumen Capital Co-Founder and General Partner Gonzalo Martínez De Azagra said: “As IVIX’s first institutional investor, we are excited to continue supporting the company. Their vision of employing leading-edge AI to detect fraud in an increasingly digitized economy convinced us then and convinces us even more now.”

About IVIX

IVIX’s innovative platform helps tax authorities in the U.S., Europe and Asia identify large-scale tax evasion, money laundering and other financial crimes. Powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning, IVIX gathers and enriches publicly available business activity data to accurately identify businesses, their revenue, and taxpayer entities. For more information visit: https://www.ivix.ai/.

About Insight Partners

Insight Partners is a global software investor partnering with high-growth technology, software, and Internet startup and ScaleUp companies that are driving transformative change in their industries. As of December 31, 2022, the firm has over $75B in regulatory assets under management. Insight Partners has invested in more than 750 companies worldwide and has seen over 55 portfolio companies achieve an IPO. Headquartered in New York City, Insight has offices in London, Tel Aviv, and Palo Alto. Insight’s mission is to find, fund, and work successfully with visionary executives, providing them with right-sized, right-time practical, hands-on software expertise along their growth journey, from their first investment to IPO. For more information on Insight and all its investments, visit insightpartners.com or follow us on Twitter @insightpartners.

SOURCE IVIX

Tracer la voie de l’évolution de la santé numérique

AUSTIN, Texas, 4 août 2023 — Significo Health, anciennement Vilua Healthcare GmbH, a annoncé aujourd’hui un changement de marque décisif.

Le changement de marque de la société fait suite à l’investissement majoritaire stratégique des entrepreneurs Rick McCartney et Chris Koha et à la réussite d’un cycle de financement de série A de 12 millions de dollars. Forte de 20 ans d’expertise dans la fourniture de services logiciels sécurisés aux principaux organismes de santé en Allemagne, Significo est prête à avoir un impact majeur sur le paysage mondial des technologies de la santé.

« L’annonce de ce changement de marque stratégique est un moment palpitant pour nous, a déclaré Rick McCartney, PDG de la société. Non seulement nous sommes mieux équipés pour servir nos clients existants sous la bannière Significo, mais notre équipe renforcée nous permet de fournir des expériences de santé numérique hautement personnalisées et pertinentes aux utilisateurs du monde entier. »

La feuille de route de la société présente des stratégies audacieuses conçues pour stimuler la croissance et être les pionniers de l’innovation dans le secteur. Il s’agit notamment d’élargir la gamme de produits pour répondre à un plus grand nombre de besoins des clients et de continuer à offrir une valeur exceptionnelle aux clients existants en renforçant les offres et l’assistance à la clientèle.

Démontrant sa volonté de constituer une équipe de technologues convaincus que leur métier permettra de placer l’homme au centre des soins de santé, Significo renforce son équipe par des recrutements de haut niveau afin d’étoffer sa capacité opérationnelle. Elle se trouve ainsi en position de force pour assurer une croissance et un succès durables à l’avenir.

À propos de Significo :
Significo imagine un monde où les technologies de la santé catalysent des changements transformateurs dans la vie des gens et révolutionnent le secteur en donnant la priorité à l’expérience humaine. En tant que société internationale avec des centres à Austin, au Texas, à Berlin, en Allemagne et en Espagne, Significo crée des produits et des technologies numériques qui résolvent de manière élégante des problèmes de santé complexes, laissant un impact durable sur le bien-être des individus. Grâce à son dévouement constant à la création de solutions utiles, Significo redessine le paysage de la santé numérique et apporte des transformations positives dans la vie de ses utilisateurs. Avec Significo, la santé rencontre l’humanité.

Pour obtenir plus d’informations, rendez-vous sur www.significo.com.

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2169399/Significo_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Significo

Five Individuals Will Receive a $10,000 Grant and Access to O’Shaughnessy Ventures’ Network of Founders, Investors and Experts

GREENWICH, Conn., Aug. 4, 2023 — O’Shaughnessy Ventures LLC (“OSV”), an investment firm that empowers creators, has announced the launch of the O’Shaughnessy Grants program.

Five individuals have been selected as the inaugural O’Shaughnessy Grants recipients. They will each receive a $10,000 grant and access to OSV’s network of founders, investors and experts to support them in bringing their projects to life.

O’Shaughnessy Grants is a sister program to O’Shaughnessy Fellowships. The five recipients of the O’Shaughnessy Grants were selected from the pool of O’Shaughnessy Fellowship applicants. They will be encouraged to reapply for the O’Shaughnessy Fellowships when applications reopen on January 1, 2024.

OSV’s founder and CEO, Jim O’Shaughnessy, commented:

“The team and I were blown away by the quality of the applications to the O’Shaughnessy Fellowships. We were so impressed that we have expedited the launch of the O’Shaughnessy Grants program to enable as many talented individuals as possible to unleash their infinite potential.”

About the Grant Recipients

Max Reisner

Max Reisner is a hardware engineer with a focus on electromechanical systems and a passion for the environment. He will use his grant to continue developing adaptable battery systems to simplify the process of incorporating renewable energy storage into products for small teams.

To find out more about Reisner’s project, sign-up here.

Justh

Justh is a singer-songwriter creating original Hindi songs with poetic lyricism as their backbone. He will use his grant to write new music and complete production work on his existing songs.

More about Justh can be found on his website.

Akhil Tolani

Akhil Tolani’s work focuses on building products that use experimental technologies like artificial intelligence for the mainstream audience. He will use his grant to continue working on CassetteAI, which fuses generative AI with music to democratize music creation, allowing everyone to create and listen to music they love based on their preferences.

More about Tolani can be found on his website.

Jack Oswald

Jack Oswald is a rocket propulsion engineer and entrepreneur dedicated to a human future in space.  His startup aims to develop powerful electric propulsion on-orbit to make reusable spacecraft and enable Moon and Mars missions that aren’t feasible today.  Oswald will contribute his grant to the proof-of-concept test of this technology.

More about Oswald can be found on his LinkedIn page.

Ben Reinhardt

Ben Reinhardt is the founder of Speculative Technologies, a new kind of research organization working to unlock materials and manufacturing technologies. Reinhardt will use his grant to continue building Speculative Technologies.

More about Reinhardt can be found on his website. For more information on Speculative Technologies, visit https://spec.tech.

About O’Shaughnessy Ventures

OSV is a creative investment firm that empowers and inspires creators to bring their ideas to life. Founded by Jim O’Shaughnessy, a pioneer in quantitative investing, founder of O’Shaughnessy Asset Management, and author of four books on investing, OSV aims to provide financial support and to partner in growing the next life-changing creative ideas.

OSV combines Jim’s deeply rooted interest in all things art, science, investing, and tech with his long-held desire to establish scenarios designed to help promising creators and their inspiring ideas succeed, regardless of age, location, job history, or level of education. For more information, visit https://www.osv.llc.

Ena Gong
O’Shaughnessy Ventures LLC
(917) 355-7420
[email protected] 

SOURCE O’Shaughnessy Ventures