COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Feb. 29, 2024 — BioInnovation Institute (BII), an international non-profit foundation incubating and accelerating world-class life science research, today announces that twelve new companies have entered its Venture Lab acceleration program for early-stage companies. The cohort is strategically aligned with BII’s focus on supporting innovative early-stage start-ups that can improve human and planetary health. 

The 12-month Venture Lab program is designed to support start-up companies with business acceleration, scientific, and team development, and provides a founder-friendly convertible loan of EUR 500,000 (approximately 4M DKK) plus access to labs and offices at the BII in Copenhagen. In becoming a part of the Venture Lab program, the early-stage companies also get an exclusive opportunity to apply for EUR 1.3M in follow-up funding through BII’s Venture House program.

Bobby Soni, Chief Business Officer at BioInnovation Institute, said: “Working across the planetary, therapeutics, women’s health, health tech and quantum industries, these twelve start-ups have demonstrated the drive and tenacity that align with BII’s mission in creating innovative solutions to address current challenges in these sectors. We once again look forward to supporting these start-ups in bringing their innovations into fruition by providing our knowledge, network, funding, and infrastructure to build successful companies.”

Each start-up will be supported in undertaking the necessary steps to reach initial proof-of-concept, to make a business plan and to set up a team. Assisted by a dedicated scientific advisor, a leadership coach and a BII business development expert, the new ventures will be guided in developing a detailed milestone plan and will be assisted in overcoming the challenges of growing a business allowing them to progress rapidly towards the market.

The new companies BII has accepted into the Venture Lab acceleration program are:

Planetary Health

• CAMBIOTICS is developing precision probiotics for PFAS detoxification.
• SNL Biosolutions has developed an innovative technology platform that can produce fermentation-based oils at scale and prevent deforestation. The technology can be used to produce a wide range of products spanning from food ingredients to sustainable aviation fuel.
• SymbioMATCH produces effective biofertilizers tailored to each soil condition and legume crop.

Therapeutics

• PreTT is a pioneer in advancing pre-targeted radioimmunotherapies to improve the lives of millions of cancer patients.
• Polyceutix is transforming cancer treatment by unleashing the full power of the immune system exactly where it is needed.

Women’s Health

• Pharmista Technologies is developing a reusable pregnancy test which will be the start of a new generation of reusable diagnostics.
• oasicare is on a mission to improve women’s health during childbirth and postpartum on a global scale. The Company’s first solution is a medical device preventing the risk of birth tears.

Health Tech

• Zeta Diagnostics is developing a portable audio device that allows physicians to detect middle ear problems before they become permanent complications.
• Glaze Life Sciences is developing a non-invasive device to measure blood glucose to improve the everyday life of people living with diabetes.

Quantum

• DiaSense is developing a quantum diamond-magnetic microscope to be used by neuroscientists to diagnose diseases and find cures.
• Sqale is revolutionizing biomanufacturing by using quantum technologies.
• Alea Quantum Technologies has developed a quantum random number generator that will enable safe and trusted data sharing in the post-quantum era.

Since its inception in 2018, BII has supported 100 start-ups and projects with EUR 89 million alongside the venture capital, industry and business expertise it provides to help them accelerate to the next level.  In total, BII’s start-ups have raised over EUR 428 million in external funding from both local and international investors.  Recent company successes include Embark Laboratories, Adcendo, Stipe Therapeutics, Twelve Bio, Octarine Bio, and Cirqle Biomedical.

Read more about the Venture Lab program 

About the BioInnovation Institute Foundation:

At BioInnovation Institute (BII), we accelerate world-class life science start-up innovation for the benefit of people and society. As a non-profit institute, BII operates the company creation programs, Bio Studio, Venture Lab and Venture House, to support life science start-ups with knowledge, network, infrastructure and funding of up to 3M EUR per projects and 1,8 M EUR per start-up. With our expertise, network, funding, and infrastructure, we empower startups to succeed and believe in the transformative power of life science innovation. Read more on www.bioinnovationinstitute.com 

SOURCE BioInnovation Institute

SINGAPORE, Feb. 28, 2024 — We are thrilled to announce that BounceBit has successfully closed a $6-million funding round to build BTC Restaking infrastructure. This milestone round was led by prominent venture capital firms Blockchain Capital and Breyer Capital.

“We’re thrilled to lead the seed round for BounceBit as they’re pushing the frontiers of BTC Restaking and yield generation,” said Ted Breyer, Partner at Breyer Capital.

“There is a huge opportunity to bring DeFi and other innovations to the Bitcoin community through BTC restaking — we’re excited to back BounceBit as they lead the charge,” said Aleks Larsen, General Partner at Blockchain Capital.

The round includes participation from dao5, CMS Holdings, Bankless Ventures, NGC Ventures, Matrixport Ventures, Primitive Ventures, Arcane Group, IDG Capital, Bixin Ventures, Nomad Capital, Geekcartel, DeFiance Capital, General Mining Research, OKX Ventures, Mirana Ventures, HTX Ventures, Mexc Ventures, Bodhi Ventures. Additionally, notable angel investors include Nathan from Anchorage Digital, Calvin and Jessy from Eigenlayer, Kevin and Ashwin from Brevan Howard, Smokey from Berachain, George Lambeth, Pranay Mohan, James Parillo, RookieXBT, MacnBTC, Pentoshi and others.

“Their expertise and support will be instrumental in our mission to build restaking infrastructure to support yield generation for all types of Bitcoin across a variety of networks.” said Jack Lu, Founder & CEO of BounceBit. BounceBit has accumulated $445M TVL in just three weeks after Early Access launch. Early TVL contributors can earn BounceBit points at bouncebit.io.

At its core, BounceBit’s innovation stems from its BTC Restaking mechanism. This relatively new concept acts as the foundation of the project. BounceBit will build a plethora of infrastructure, exploring the use-cases of Restaking for various types of Bitcoin. These infrastructure components are called Shared-Security Clients (SSC).

BounceBit’s first showcase of such an SSC will be its BTC Restaking Chain. The BounceBit chain is secured by validators staking both BTC and BounceBit’s native token – A dual-token system leveraging native Bitcoin‘s security, liquidity and low volatility. Unlike existing Layer 2 solutions, BounceBit interacts with Bitcoin only on the asset level instead of the protocol level, taking a Layer 1 Proof of Stake approach. BTC Restaking provides shared security to infrastructure and DApps on BounceBit, e.g. bridges and oracles will be validated by restaked BTC.

Another highlight of BounceBit is its transparent CeFi foundation that secures users’ assets via the regulated custody of Mainnet Digital and Ceffu, while leveraging on-chain asset traceability. Through an innovative CeFi + DeFi infrastructure, BounceBit empowers BTC holders to earn yield through delta-neutral strategies, whilst being additionally protected by an insurance fund.

Looking ahead, BounceBit’s roadmap is structured towards the Mainnet Launch in April, coinciding with the Bitcoin halving. Testnet is expected to go live in early March.

About BounceBit

BounceBit is building a BTC restaking infrastructure that provides a foundational layer for different restaking products, secured by the regulated custody of Mainnet Digital and Ceffu. The BounceBit chain, designed as a showcase of a restaking product within the BounceBit ecosystem, is a PoS Layer 1 secured by validators staking both BTC and BounceBit’s native token – A dual-token system leveraging native Bitcoin‘s security with full EVM compatibility. Critical ecosystem infrastructure like bridges and oracles are secured by restaked BTC. Through an innovative CeFi + DeFi framework, BounceBit empowers BTC holders to earn yield across multiple networks.

Website | X (Former Twitter) | Discord | Medium

BounceBit Branding Assets: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1J3d8nCL7TQUnB04ZkMkXxLfIGjhZDsz5

SOURCE BounceBit

ARPA-H contract will supercharge Every Cure’s work to identify existing medicines that can be repurposed to treat currently untreated diseases.

Initial progress utilizing a pilot version of the AI platform and stakeholder engagement has led to the identification of potential treatments for sickle cell disease, ALS, and autism spectrum disorder.

NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2024 — Every Cure, a nonprofit on a mission to save lives by repurposing existing medicines, announced today significant funding from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). The three-year, $48.3 million contract was unveiled at the White House this evening and represents a substantial federal investment in drug repurposing. It will accelerate Every Cure’s mission to unlock the full potential of existing drugs to treat more diseases through the development of an AI-powered platform, called ML/AI-enabled Therapeutic Repurposing In eXtended uses (MATRIX).

“I’m alive and in remission from my rare disease thanks to a repurposed drug that I discovered. While Ozempic is a recent example of drug repurposing, the concept is not new,” said David Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA, MSc, Co-Founder and President of Every Cure and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. “Through Every Cure, we are working tirelessly to unlock the full potential of FDA-approved drugs to treat many more diseases. This funding comes at a pivotal time, allowing us to scale our approach across diseases to pioneer new treatments for millions of people around the world without options.”

Established in 2022 by the Biden-Harris Administration, ARPA-H is a new federal agency that aims to advance high-potential, high-impact biomedical and health research that cannot be readily accomplished through traditional research or commercial activity.

The ARPA-H funding will enable Every Cure to:

• Develop an open-source drug repurposing database.
• Establish a portal for physicians, researchers, and patients to contribute repurposing ideas.
• Publicly release predictive efficacy scores for all drugs against all diseases.
• Select numerous drugs for advancement to address neglected diseases in neglected populations.

 “Rather than the current, one-step-at-a-time drug discovery process, we have an opportunity to use artificial intelligence to rapidly understand how already approved drugs could be effective against other diseases,” said ARPA-H Director Renee Wegrzyn, Ph.D. “Through this project, we hope to unlock the full potential of existing medicines to quickly and safely bring therapies to people with rare or currently untreatable diseases.” 

New drug discovery and traditional drug repurposing begins with one disease or one drug and seeks to identify the most promising matches for it, thus limiting the potential for finding the most promising life-saving treatments across all opportunities. Every Cure looks across all drugs and all diseases simultaneously and then quantifies the strength of those connections to find the most promising new treatments to help patients.

The MATRIX project builds upon previous work led by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) Biomedical Data Translator Program to structure biomedical data and perform targeted queries. In 2023, Every Cure partnered with an NCATS funded investigator at Penn State University, David Koslicki and other members of the Translator Program, to generate pilot rankings for all 3,000 FDA-approved drugs to treat all human diseases. One of the top hits was for a drug that was recently used to save a patient’s life.

By leveraging novel AI techniques to analyze the world’s biomedical knowledge, Every Cure is working to identify 100 potential treatment opportunities in the next five years and advance 25 into further research, including clinical trials. Promising early leads include arginine for sickle cell disease, folinic acid for autism spectrum disorder, and bosutinib for ALS.

Within the last year, Every Cure has received funding from leading organizations such as the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Flagship Pioneering, Elevate Prize Foundation, and Lyda Hill Philanthropies. With government and philanthropic support, Every Cure is seeking partnerships with healthcare organizations that may be open to sharing data and well-positioned to bring cures to patients who need them most.

“Society’s greatest life-saving resource is the trove of medicines we already have. Leveraging a systematic, disease agnostic approach for drug repurposing enables us to rapidly unlock new diseases they can treat and confirm the validity of AI discoveries in patients,” says Grant Mitchell, MD, MBA, Co-Founder & CEO of Every Cure. “We’re excited to make our research tools available to the public, advancing data-driven discovery and offering hope to patients worldwide.” 

For more information or to express interest in partnering with Every Cure, please contact Brent Shaw ([email protected])

About Every Cure

Every Cure is a nonprofit organization dedicated to unlocking the full potential of every existing medicine to treat every disease possible. Repurposing existing drugs is the fastest and most efficient way to treat diseases with the greatest return on investment for saving lives. However, systemic barriers impede repurposing, so patients suffer while potential treatments are not fully utilized. Every Cure overcomes these barriers to systematically identify and advance promising repurposing opportunities and save lives. Every Cure is taking a revolutionary and disruptive approach to overcome these systemic barriers by developing a comprehensive, open-source data engine to generate predictive efficacy scores for all 3,000 drugs against all 12,000 diseases and rapidly advance treatments to patients. In partnership with academia, industry, and government, Every Cure is integrating proprietary and public data into a comprehensive dataset, optimizing AI ranking algorithms, validating the most promising drug-disease matches, performing clinical trials, and works to ensure optimal and equitable access to effective therapies.

For more information, please visit EveryCure.org or connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

SOURCE Every Cure

ZUG, Switzerland, Feb. 27, 2024 – In a significant stride towards revolutionizing Web3 infrastructure, Validation Cloud has proudly announced the successful closure of its first external investment round, amassing $5.8 million. Spearheaded by San Francisco-based Cadenza Ventures, this funding round exceeded expectations with contributions from an impressive roster of international investors, including Blockchain Founders Fund, Bloccelerate, Blockwall, Side Door Ventures, Metamatic, GS Futures, and AP Capital.

Alex Nwaka, Co-Founder of Validation Cloud, expressed enthusiasm about the funding, “This investment marks a pivotal moment for Validation Cloud as we aim to address the urgent demand for scalable and compliant Web3 infrastructure. We’re honored to collaborate with our investors who are instrumental in propelling the global adoption of our platform among cutting-edge networks, developers, and asset managers.”

Validation Cloud is at the forefront of Web3 technology, having developed an innovative system architecture that paves the way for significant advancements in the sector. Known as the “Cloudflare of Web3,” the company offers a robust, scalable, and intelligent platform providing Staking, Node API, and Data services, drawing inspiration from Cloudflare’s transformative impact on Web2 infrastructure.

Founded by veterans in the Proof-of-Stake domain, Validation Cloud boasts a team of highly experienced professionals from renowned organizations such as Uber, Workday, Deloitte, Citadel, Morgan Stanley, Binance, Crypto.com, Figure, R3, and more, emphasizing a talent-first approach with a worldwide workforce.

Kumar Dandapani, Managing Partner at Cadenza Ventures, highlighted the strategic vision behind their investment, “At Cadenza, we do not invest in just any company; we invest in the future of transformative technologies. Validation Cloud’s pioneering role in Proof-of-Stake and their relentless pursuit of next-generation Web3 infrastructure have set them apart as leaders in the Web3 space.”

Aly Madhavji, Managing Partner at Blockchain Founders Fund, shared his thoughts on the investment, “We believe in the transformative power of Web3 and its ability to redefine how businesses operate. Investing in Validation Cloud aligns perfectly with our vision of supporting innovative platforms that are ready to lead the next wave of digital transformation.”

Validation Cloud has earned a reputation for its close partnerships with networks from their nascent stages, supporting a wide array of ecosystems from established ones like Chainlink, Hedera, and Stellar to emerging networks such as Aptos, Eigenlayer, and Berachain. Their platform lays the groundwork for the enterprise adoption of networks, positioning Validation Cloud as a key player in the Web3 infrastructure landscape.

For further details on Validation Cloud and its offerings, please visit www.validationcloud.io.

SOURCE Validation Cloud

New Female Entrepreneur Competition Series from Emma Grede and Ashley Graham to air on Roku Channel on March 1st, 2024

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 28, 2024 — Powerhouse investor and entrepreneur Jesse Draper has joined the new Roku Channel competition series Side Hustlers, and will appear as a guest star in the series that premieres on March 1st, 2024. As the founding partner of Halogen Ventures, the first solo female General Partner in Los Angeles, and a 4th generation venture capitalist and gender advocate, Draper brings her killer track record for investing in women entrepreneurs who are building billion dollar businesses to the show.

Draper has been a leading voice in technology and entertainment for well over a decade and started her non-traditional career as a Nickelodeon star on ‘The Naked Brothers Band’. In 2008, she created and hosted the first technology talk show of today, the Emmy nominated television series, The Valley Girl Show where she interviewed some of the most prolific technology entrepreneurs of our time including Elon Musk, Eric Schmidt, Jessica Alba, Marc Cuban, Ted Turner, Sheryl Sandberg and Bryan Armstrong from Coinbase. Draper saw the huge gender disparity happening in venture capital and technology during this time through the show and set out to interview 50 percent female founders. She quickly proved there was no lack of women starting companies and today sees 10,000 deals a year come through her inbox, there’s only a lack of Venture Capital funding going to female founders.

Draper saw the massive potential to invest in female founders and in 2015, she followed in her father Tim Draper’s footsteps with a female twist and founded Halogen Ventures, an early stage venture capital fund investing in consumer technology companies led by women. Among Draper’s 75+ portfolio companies, are Babylist, ThirdLove, Ellevest, The Skimm, HopSkipDrive, The Flex Company, Squad (acquired by Twitter), Eloquii (sold to Walmart) and This is L (sold to P&G). 

Roku Channel’s Side Hustlers is a docu-follow series where savvy investors mentor aspiring entrepreneurs in a first-of-its-kind format. The investors guide the side hustlers through a high-stakes boot camp aimed at transforming their side hustles into sustainable main hustles that could potentially make millions. The investor decides if they want to put a large amount of cash into the business. And the side hustlers decide if they are going to walk into their boss’s office and finally quit their day job. The series is produced by Hello Sunshine in association with Ally. Reese Witherspoon and Sara Rea executive produce for Hello Sunshine. Emma Grede, Co-Founder and CEO of Good American and Founding Partner of Skims as well as model and entrepreneur Ashley Graham co-host the series. 

About Jesse Draper
Jesse Draper is a mother of 3 boys and founding partner of Halogen Ventures focused on early stage investing in consumer technology companies led by female and co-ed teams. Draper, the first solo female GP in Los Angeles is also a 4th generation venture capitalist, the creator and host of Emmy nominated television series, The Valley Girl Show, and host of the MOMumental Podcast. She is a fierce advocate for investing in women and the opportunity for using technology and innovation to solve some of the biggest issues facing women and families today. Among her 75+ portfolio companies, are the Skimm, Babylist, ThirdLove, HopSkipDrive, The Flex Company, Squad (acquired by Twitter), Eloquii (sold to Walmart) and This is L (sold to P&G).

Selected as one of the top 10 early stage female investors by Business Insider, Draper was also listed by Marie Claire magazine as one of the ’50 Most Connected Women in America’, nominated by the NRF as a DealMakeHers, Variety’s Holly’s New Leaders, and Refinery29 30 Rising Stars.” Draper has been a contributor to Marie Claire, Forbes, and is a regular investor and tech personality showcased on Cheddar, CNBC, CNN.

Following Jesse’s viral Medium piece, Investing in Women Isn’t a Fucking Charity, she’s become a leading voice of women in technology. Draper is also a Kauffman Fellow.

She proudly sits on the board of directors of Trust & Will, Flex and the non-profit board Project Glimmer. Draper supports the Parkinson’s Institute and is very involved with growing UCLA’s female entrepreneurship community. She and her team also created the ‘Halogen Fellowship in Venture Capital’ to increase diversity and inclusion in the industry.

Media Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Halogen Ventures

Series B funding round led by Blue Heron Capital, with participation from North Coast Ventures, Refinery Ventures, Mutual Capital Partners, Rev1 Ventures and M25 

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 28, 2024 — Redi Health today announced that it has closed $14 million in Series B funding. The funding round was led by Blue Heron Capital, with participation from North Coast Ventures and existing investors Refinery Ventures, Mutual Capital Partners, Rev1 Ventures and M25. Redi Health will use the financing to foster innovation, develop and launch new products, expand its unique network and accelerate overall growth. The funding underscores Redi Health’s success in reaching millions of patients across the country, solidifying its position as a leader in the digital health space.

Luke Buchanan, Co-Founder, and CEO of Redi Health stated, “We are at a pivotal moment in healthcare, where technology integration can significantly enhance patient care and outcomes. This new financing is a testament to the hard work of our team and the support of our investors. With Blue Heron Capital’s backing, we are poised to bring new products to market, expand our reach, and continue to innovate at the intersection of technology and healthcare. Our goal is to make comprehensive, patient-centered care accessible to millions more across the country.”

Current Patient Support Programs (PSPs), which are typically provided by pharma to patients who are taking their complex, high-cost medications, have proven to make a significant impact on patients, but they are outdated and extremely challenging to access. PSPs require a large number of full-time employees, rely primarily on phone and fax communication, and need a healthcare provider (HCP) to enroll patients using a physical enrollment form. This results in a non-adherence rate of approximately 70%, resulting in an estimated annual revenue loss of $637 billion for the pharmaceutical industry.

Redi Health bridges the gap between consumer technology and clinical health and support, connecting Pharma, providers, and patients in one platform. Redi Health engages patients daily and offers medication reminders, symptom management, diet and nutrition advice, weight and activity tracking, and health literacy and education. Uniquely integrated pharma support provides brand-specific content, condition-focused trackers, and digitally accessible financial assistance, as well as enrollment into Patient Support Programs.

Redi Health creates a fully connected ecosystem that efficiently informs all involved parties of access status. This is the first pharmaceutical platform that enables the free flow of real-time information with Redi Health’s unique compliance architecture. Furthermore, it offers significant efficiency in a traditionally labor-intensive market.

As part of the Series B funding Blue Heron Capital OA Collaborative member Jim Clair, who has extensive pharmacy tech experience, will join Redi Health’s Board of Directors. Jim expressed enthusiasm for the investment, stating, “Redi Health’s innovative approach to digital healthcare sets them apart in today’s rapidly evolving industry. We are impressed by Redi Health’s commitment to improving patient outcomes and their ability to scale effectively.”

Gordon Crenshaw, Partner at Blue Heron Capital, added, “Our investment in Redi Health reflects our confidence in the vision of the leadership team. The digital health sector presents a tremendous opportunity for innovation, and Redi Health is at the forefront of this transformation. We look forward to being a part of the company as they continue to innovate and positively impact the lives of patients nationwide.”

About Blue Heron Capital

Blue Heron Capital is an early-stage growth equity firm funding big ideas in healthcare and enterprise technology industries. Using a powerful combination of financial and human capital through their OA Collaborative, they build businesses that make big impacts. To learn more, go to www.blueheroncap.com.

About Redi Health

Redi Health empowers patients with chronic conditions to understand, manage and track their total health through digital pharma support. Combining health management technology and pharmaceutical manufacturer support into one tool, Redi Health provides a mobile platform that allows patients to manage everything from multiple medications and symptoms to diet and exercise. By delivering a pathway for pharmaceutical companies, providers and patients to connect and engage, Redi Health customizes the complete health journey to drive better health outcomes and adherence.

Media Contact:
Angelique Faul
513-633-0898
[email protected]

SOURCE Redi Health

LanzaJet Plans to Support Southwest Airlines with U.S. SAF Production and with Development of Ethanol from Agriculture Residue with SAFFiRE Renewables

CHICAGO, Feb. 28, 2024 — LanzaJet, Inc. (LanzaJet) a leading sustainable fuels technology company and sustainable fuels producer, today announced a $30 million investment by Southwest Airlines Co. (Southwest) in LanzaJet. As part of the agreement, LanzaJet and Southwest intend to work toward the development of a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production facility and collaborate to advance the operations of a corn stover to ethanol technology company in which Southwest is invested: SAFFiRE Renewables, LLC (SAFFiRE).

LanzaJet plans to undertake project development efforts for the SAF production facility in the United States, with Southwest as the anchor SAF offtaker. The biorefinery is expected to utilize LanzaJet’s pioneering technology, which is capable of scaling production to the levels needed to decarbonize aviation through widely available and sustainable feedstock, emerging commercial residue-based feedstock solutions, and promising economics. LanzaJet will also support Southwest’s efforts to commercialize SAFFiRE’s technology that processes corn stover into ethanol.

“The U.S. is an incredibly important market for us – it’s our home, where our technology originated and scaled, the site of our and the world’s first commercial ethanol-to-SAF plant, and an important opportunity to support the existing U.S. biofuels and ethanol industries with our leading ethanol-to-SAF technology,” said Jimmy Samartzis, Chief Executive Officer of LanzaJet. “The alignment of Southwest and LanzaJet is a powerful combination that has the potential to integrate the SAF value chain and to double-down on the US ethanol, aviation, and biofuel industries. Our work together will lead us closer to meeting aviation’s decarbonization goals by continuing to scale SAF production in the United States, while also tapping into the U.S. ethanol industry’s potential to catalyze the next generation of SAF production.”

The U.S. facility to be developed by LanzaJet is also intended to enable the opportunity to convert SAFFiRE’s cellulosic ethanol into SAF.

“We’re taking the next step in our sustainability journey toward our goal of net zero by 2050,” said Bob Jordan, President & CEO of Southwest Airlines. “We look forward to working with LanzaJet, which is developing potentially important technology that could create more opportunities for Southwest to obtain scalable SAF, a critical component in the success of our environmental sustainability goal to replace 10% of our jet fuel consumption with SAF by 2030.”

Southwest’s investment comes on the heels of the opening of LanzaJet Freedom Pines Fuels – the world’s first commercial-scale ethanol-to-SAF plant. Located in Soperton, Georgia, the historic plant is anticipated to produce SAF and renewable diesel from low-carbon and sustainable ethanol which has International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC). LanzaJet Freedom Pines Fuels serves as a blueprint for utilizing first-of-its-kind innovation to scale SAF production and enables LanzaJet’s aspiration for 1 billion gallons of SAF production by 2030.

Southwest joins LanzaJet’s portfolio of investors and funders that includes shareholders British Airways, LanzaTech, Mitsui & Co., Shell, and Suncor Energy and funders such as Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund, Breakthrough Energy, and All Nippon Airways (ANA).

ABOUT LANZAJET

LanzaJet is a leading sustainable fuels technology company dedicated to accelerating the clean energy transition. As a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) technology provider and producer with patented ethanol-based alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) technology, LanzaJet is creating an opportunity for future generations by accelerating the deployment of SAF and other clean technologies critical to addressing the climate crisis and transforming the global economy. Further information is available at https://www.lanzajet.com/

SOURCE LanzaJet

NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2024 — Lionize, an innovative AI-driven influencer search tool and influencer marketing platform, today announced the initial closing of a funding round of up to $2M led by Cultivation Capital. This investment marks a significant milestone in Lionize’s mission to revolutionize influencer marketing through the use of AI.

In the evolving landscape of digital marketing, managing a high volume of influencer partnerships has traditionally been a resource-intensive endeavor, often requiring substantial time and financial investment to scale effectively. Lionize’s platform addresses this challenge head-on, providing an all-encompassing solution that manages every aspect of influencer marketing. The additional support from Cultivation Capital will further fuel the development of Lionize’s groundbreaking platform as the company aims to make influencer marketing a more manageable and effective strategy for any brand or agency regardless of their expertise in the space.

“Our platform isn’t just about connecting brands with influencers; it’s about redefining the management of influencer relationships,” said Chris Buetti, CEO of Lionize. “We take the heavy lifting out of the process – from sourcing and recruitment to contracting, tracking, reporting, and even payment. This comprehensive approach is especially crucial when dealing with large numbers of micro-influencers, where the complexity can escalate quickly. We are grateful for Cultivation Capital’s support as we continue to expand our product capabilities and drive value for clients.”

Heather Wood, Partner at Cultivation Capital, commented, “Lionize is not just innovating; they are solving a significant pain point in the influencer marketing industry. Their approach to managing micro-influencer communities efficiently is what sets them apart, and we’re excited to support their growth.”

Lionize’s value proposition is clear: it addresses the significant pain points marketers face in activating and managing micro-influencers. The platform’s proprietary search engine automates the sourcing and qualification process, enabling the efficient management of influencer partnerships at scale and even turning non-influencers into influential voices for brands. By tackling the time-intensive recruitment and communication challenges with micro-influencers, Lionize ensures genuine interest and collaboration. Moreover, its systematic approach streamlines diverse processes across the industry, overcoming the inefficiencies of traditional influencer marketplaces and simplifying complex marketing campaign setups. Leveraging experience from over 600 influencer campaigns, Lionize offers a data-driven, automated setup for optimal campaign outcomes, making it a budget-friendly option that allows working with larger quantities of influencers.

This news follows the launch of Lionize’s self-service model and will further democratize the influencer marketing space by allowing businesses of all sizes to effortlessly tap into the power of influencer networks. This innovation is a direct response to the industry’s demand for scalable, efficient, and cost-effective influencer marketing strategies.

About Lionize

Lionize is leading the evolution of influencer marketing with its innovative AI-driven platform, designed to simplify and enhance the efficacy of influencer campaigns, especially in managing large communities of micro-influencers. Founded in 2021, Lionize is headquartered in New York City. For more information about Lionize and its revolutionary approach to influencer marketing, visit www.lionize.ai.

About Cultivation Capital

Cultivation Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in software technology, life sciences, agriculture technology, and geospatial technology companies. Since its founding in 2012, the firm has invested in over 150 companies and is recognized as one of the most active early-stage investors in the United States. For more information, visit https://cultivationcapital.com.

Media Contact:
Austin Rosenthal
Co-founder
Lionize
[email protected]

SOURCE Lionize

Serving as a co-pilot for CFOs, the platform enables issuing equity to teams anywhere, staying in compliance locally, and protecting employees from tax penalties; Reducing a costly process that normally takes several months into minutes

WILMINGTON, Del. and TEL AVIV, Israel, Feb. 28, 2024 — Slice, the only global equity platform utilizing AI for continuous compliance, announced today it has emerged from stealth with a $7 million seed funding round led by TLV Partners, with participation from R-Squared Ventures, Jibe Ventures, leading international law firms Wilson Sonsini, Fenwick & West and notable angel investors.

Workforces have become truly global, and as the job market becomes more competitive, equity makes up a significant part of the talent compensation package. But issuing equity is a minefield riddled with complex and ever-changing tax laws and regulations that greatly differ from country to country making it extremely challenging for companies to avoid compliance risks and financial penalties, which can significantly impact employee retention.

Slice’s mission is to help CFOs and companies issue and manage equity to their international employees while navigating the complexity of ever-changing regulations and tax codes across multiple jurisdictions simultaneously and at scale. The AI-powered platform automatically ensures that all global equity operations are compliant and tax-optimized to maximize and protect the benefits of equity plans, both for employers and employees.

Slice is the first to apply LLMs to the world of equity compliance, enabling its pre-trained platform to quickly learn and apply country-specific tax codes and regulations that impact equity awards. Actively monitoring, analyzing and implementing the latest changes across multiple countries concurrently, the end-to-end platform uniquely covers all types of employee stock options, addressing compliance and tax-code challenges to avoid the potential risk of financial penalties facing both employers and employees.

“Having spent 13 years as a corporate lawyer, I saw companies struggle to grant and manage equity to their international employees. I recognized the almost impossible task they faced of understanding and applying the complex and constantly changing law and tax regulations in various countries, and know of individual fines reaching well over $200K due to mistakes being made,” says co-founder and CEO Maor Levran. “We’ve built a co-pilot for CFOs for equity management that is capable of handling months of complex work they’d normally request from local lawyers and tax advisors in a matter of minutes. This equates to a substantial saving on time and costs, and also helps avoid distress employees may experience over potential penalties. Slice is the first equity compliance platform that empowers companies and their employees to optimize the value of global equity without fear of compliance or tax issues, a problem that nearly all companies will encounter when issuing stock options.”

Shawn Lampron, a partner in Fenwick & West, one of America’s leading technology law firms, and co-author of “Executive Compensation for Emerging Companies” had this to say after experiencing the capabilities of Slice platform first hand, “I’ve worked for more than three decades on compensation and benefits programs with global companies so seeing Slice’s international compliance capabilities in action was thrilling. Slice simplifies the massive complexities associated with global compensation, automating an ever-changing process where the stakes for making a mistake are high. I’m so excited for what this will mean for our industry.”

“We were excited about Slice from day one as there’s a massive gap in the Global CFO stack around equity,” says co-founder and managing partner of TLV Partners Eitan Bek. “It’s still extremely complicated to grant equity to international employees from a compliance and tax perspective. Existing solutions do not fully address the global complexities of equity grants. Slice is going after this precise area with a unique combination of talent and a top-notch legal, engineering, and product management team. We firmly believe they will quickly be able to deliver a new standard for global equity management and compliance.”

“Slice is uniquely positioned to solve a long-standing problem in the equity space and they’re poised to make a similar impact that Papaya has with payroll,” added Eynat Guez, CEO, Papaya Global and angel investor in the company. “For finance and HR teams dealing with equity for global teams, take a look at Slice. Their solution deals with all the nitty-gritty details surrounding legal and tax issues to save others from doing so.”

Slice was co-founded by Maor Levran (CEO), a lawyer repeatedly ranked as Top Tech Attorney by The Legal 500, Aviram Berg, (CTO), a highly skilled data scientist, engineer and entrepreneur formally of Dataloop, and the Weizmann Institute of Science), and Yoel Amir (CPO), an AI Product Management executive formerly at Salesforce, Google and two acquired startups.

Slices’s Global Equity Assurance Platform capabilities include:

• AI-based compliance engine that continuously analyzes changes in equity regulation and taxation
• Optimizes tax for all types of equity grants, including qualified and non-qualified
• Sends pre-emptive actionable alerts to employers and employees, enabling them to steer clear of legal and tax exposure
• Provides fully customizable equity workflows that are easy to add and modify with no code, off-the-shelf templates
• Supports 23 countries including the US, UK, France, India, Australia, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan and Brazil
• Scaling to over 100 countries by the end of 2024

Slice is using the funding to further develop its platform and implement go-to-market strategies across the US and Europe.

About Slice

Slice is a Global Equity Assurance Platform incorporating AI-driven continuous compliance to safeguard employers and employees from the risk of financial penalties resulting from ever-changing equity regulations. Scaling across multiple countries simultaneously, Slice eliminates the need to hire local lawyers and tax advisors, making equity ownership simpler than ever before. Visit sliceglobal.com for more info.

SOURCE Slice