ZUG, Schweiz, 29. Februar 2024 — In einem bedeutenden Schritt hin zur Revolutionierung der Web3-Infrastruktur hat Validation Cloud stolz den erfolgreichen Abschluss seiner ersten externen Investitionsrunde bekannt gegeben, bei der 5,8 Millionen US-Dollar gesammelt wurden. Unter der Leitung von Cadenza Ventures mit Sitz in San Francisco übertraf diese Finanzierungsrunde die Erwartungen mit Beiträgen einer beeindruckenden Liste internationaler Investoren, darunter Blockchain Founders Fund, Bloccelerate, Blockwall, Side Door Ventures, Metamatic, GS Futures und AP Capital.

Alex Nwaka, Mitbegründer von Validation Cloud, äußerte sich begeistert über die Finanzierung: „Diese Investition ist ein entscheidender Moment für Validation Cloud, da wir den dringenden Bedarf an skalierbarer und konformer Web3-Infrastruktur decken wollen. Wir fühlen uns geehrt, mit unseren Investoren zusammenzuarbeiten, die maßgeblich dazu beitragen, die weltweite Verbreitung unserer Plattform bei führenden Netzwerken, Entwicklern und Vermögensverwaltern voranzutreiben.”

Validation Cloud steht an der Spitze der Web3-Technologie und hat eine innovative Systemarchitektur entwickelt, die den Weg für bedeutende Fortschritte in diesem Sektor ebnet. Das Unternehmen, das als “Cloudflare des Web3” bekannt ist, bietet eine robuste, skalierbare und intelligente Plattform, die Staking-, Node-API- und Datendienste bereitstellt und sich dabei vom transformativen Einfluss von Cloudflare auf die Web2-Infrastruktur inspirieren lässt.

Validation Cloud wurde von Veteranen des Proof-of-Stake-Bereichs gegründet und verfügt über ein Team von sehr erfahrenen Fachleuten, die aus renommierten Unternehmen wie Uber, Workday, Deloitte, Citadel, Morgan Stanley, Binance, Crypto.com, Figure, R3 und anderen stammen, wobei der Schwerpunkt auf einem talentorientierten Ansatz mit einer weltweiten Belegschaft liegt.

Kumar Dandapani, Managing Partner bei Cadenza Ventures, hob die strategische Vision hinter der Investition hervor: „Bei Cadenza investieren wir nicht in irgendein Unternehmen, sondern in die Zukunft von transformativen Technologien. Die Pionierrolle von Validation Cloud im Bereich Proof-of-Stake und sein unermüdliches Streben nach einer Web3-Infrastruktur der nächsten Generation haben es zu einem der führenden Unternehmen im Web3-Bereich gemacht.”

Aly Madhavji, Managing Partner bei Blockchain Founders Fund, äußerte sich zu der Investition: „Wir glauben an die transformative Kraft von Web3 und seine Fähigkeit, die Arbeitsweise von Unternehmen neu zu definieren. Die Investition in Validation Cloud passt perfekt zu unserer Vision, innovative Plattformen zu unterstützen, die bereit sind, die nächste Welle der digitalen Transformation anzuführen.”

Validation Cloud hat sich einen Ruf für seine engen Partnerschaften mit Netzwerken in der Anfangsphase erworben und unterstützt eine breite Palette von Ökosystemen, von etablierten wie Chainlink, Hedera und Stellar bis hin zu aufstrebenden Netzwerken wie Aptos, Eigenlayer und Berachain. Seine Plattform legt den Grundstein für die Einführung von Netzwerken in Unternehmen und positioniert Validation Cloud als einen der Hauptakteure in der Web3-Infrastrukturlandschaft.

Weitere Informationen zu Validation Cloud und seinen Angeboten finden Sie unterhttps://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4102046-1&h=3782949955&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.validationcloud.io%2F&a=%C2%A0 www.validationcloud.io.

Bitte kontaktieren Sie uns: Kelly Clark, Leiterin der Kommunikationsabteilung | [email protected]

Foto – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2349304/Validation_Cloud_Validation_Cloud_Secures__5_8_Million_in_Inaugu.jpg

Foto – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2349305/Validation_Cloud_Validation_Cloud_Secures__5_8_Million_in_Inaugu.jpg

ZUG, Zwitserland, 29 februari 2024 — In een belangrijke stap op weg naar een revolutie in de Web3-infrastructuur, kondigt Validation Cloud met trots de succesvolle afronding aan van zijn eerste externe investeringsronde, waarbij $ 5,8 miljoen werd opgehaald. Onder leiding van het in San Francisco gevestigde Cadenza Ventures overtrof deze financieringsronde de verwachtingen met bijdragen van een indrukwekkend aantal internationale investeerders, waaronder Blockchain Founders Fund, Bloccelerate, Blockwall, Side Door Ventures, Metamatic, GS Futures en AP Capital.

Alex Nwaka, medeoprichter van Validation Cloud, sprak enthousiast over de financiering: “Deze investering markeert een cruciaal moment voor Validation Cloud, omdat we tegemoet willen komen aan de dringende vraag naar schaalbare en compliant Web3-infrastructuur. We zijn vereerd om samen te werken met onze investeerders die een belangrijke rol spelen in de wereldwijde adoptie van ons platform onder geavanceerde netwerken, ontwikkelaars en vermogensbeheerders.”

Validation Cloud is koploper op het gebied van Web3-technologie en heeft een innovatieve systeemarchitectuur ontwikkeld die de weg vrijmaakt voor aanzienlijke vooruitgang in de sector. Het bedrijf staat bekend als de “Cloudflare van Web3” en biedt een robuust, schaalbaar en intelligent platform dat Staking, Node API en Data- services biedt, geïnspireerd door Cloudflare’s transformerende impact op de Web2 infrastructuur.

Validation Cloud is opgericht door veteranen in het Proof-of-Stake-domein en met zijn team van zeer ervaren professionals van gerenommeerde organisaties zoals Uber, Workday, Deloitte, Citadel, Morgan Stanley, Binance, Crypto.com, Figure, R3 en meer, legt het de focus op een talentgerichte aanpak met een wereldwijd personeelsbestand.

Kumar Dandapani, Managing Partner bij Cadenza Ventures, benadrukte de strategische visie achter hun investering: “Bij Cadenza investeren we niet in zomaar een bedrijf; we investeren in de toekomst van transformatieve technologieën. Validation Cloud’s pioniersrol in Proof-of-Stake en hun niet aflatende streven naar de volgende generatie Web3-infrastructuur onderscheiden hen als leiders in de Web3-ruimte.”

Aly Madhavji, Managing Partner bij Blockchain Founders Fund, gaf zijn mening over de investering: “Wij geloven in de transformerende kracht van Web3 en haar vermogen om de bedrijfsmethoden te herdefiniëren. Investeren in Validation Cloud sluit perfect aan bij onze visie om innovatieve platformen te ondersteunen die klaar zijn om de volgende golf van digitale transformatie te leiden.”

Validation Cloud heeft zijn reputatie opgebouwd dankzij de nauwe partnerschappen met netwerken vanaf hun beginstadia. Het bedrijf ondersteunt een breed scala aan ecosystemen, van gevestigde netwerken zoals Chainlink, Hedera en Stellar tot opkomende netwerken zoals Aptos, Eigenlayer en Berachain. Hun platform legt de basis voor de adoptie van netwerken door bedrijven en positioneert Validation Cloud als een belangrijke speler in het landschap van de Web3-infrastructuur.

Ga voor meer informatie over Validation Cloud en het aanbod naar www.validationcloud.io.

Neem contact op met: Kelly Clark, Directeur Communicatie | [email protected]  

Foto – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2349304/Validation_Cloud_Validation_Cloud_Secures__5_8_Million_in_Inaugu.jpg

Foto – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2349305/Validation_Cloud_Validation_Cloud_Secures__5_8_Million_in_Inaugu.jpg

NEW YORK and PARIS, Feb. 29, 2024 — Vibe.co, the “Google Ads of Streaming,” announced today a successful Series A funding round of $22.5M USD led by venture firm Singular. They plan to leverage these funds to continue building a more efficient streaming TV advertising ecosystem and become the #1 CTV ad resource for SMBs.

The round, led by Singular, also comes with a reinvestment from Elaia Partners and the participation of Sequoia’s Scout Fund, Motier and seasoned Ad Tech investors like Benjamin Antier, Cyril Vermeulen, Laurent Asscher, Very Group, and Alain Roubach.

“Vibe’s growth confirms the SMB market’s massive appetite for streaming advertising – especially as an alternative to classic AdTech duopolies with entrenched players. We believe that Vibe’s unique product, positioning, and vision will make them a leader in this new ecosystem. We are excited to be alongside them,” says Raffi Kamber, General Partner & Co Founder at Singular.

Vibe.co radically democratizes access to streaming TV advertising for SMBs with an easy-to-use ad platform mimicking the power and ease-of-use of Google or Meta, but for CTV and OTT.

The process is simple: in just a few clicks, advertisers select which app(s), channel(s), or live sports league(s) to advertise with, target specific audiences, optimize their spend based on performance metrics, upload their creative assets, and go live on TV in 5 minutes.

Because Vibe.co has unique relationships with premium streaming services and channels, bolstered by powerful automatic optimization capabilities, it consistently delivers over 2X ROAS for clients across the board – from major gaming studios, to large e-commerce companies, to small local brands.

Hot on the heels of an initial $7M Seed funding round in September 2022 and the launch of its self-serve ad platform, Vibe.co experienced the kind of hyper growth entrepreneurs dream of:

• 2,000+ US clients
• 8 figure revenue in 2023 (+850% growth YoY)
• Deals with most major TV Networks and Streaming Apps

Vibe.co leadership plans to leverage the fruits of their fundraising efforts to triple the size of their tech & machine learning department, build a large, seasoned sales team (the company achieved the aforementioned figures with very limited sales resources), and set up strategic publisher deals in the next few months. By the end of the year, the company’s employee roster is set to grow from 40 employees to 110.

Thanks to its expanded workforce, Vibe.co will continue to develop best-in-class performance measurement solutions and proprietary targeting capabilities, double down on automated campaign optimization, and deliver a full set of features for publishers to better leverage their SMB demand.

“We are just getting started. Vibe is still a very small company compared to the untapped $60B market that US SMBs represent. SMBs are craving new, scalable, performance-focused ad channels and we have proven that our product-driven approach is the right one for this market, both on the supply and demand sides, as Connected TV Advertising fills a real need for diversification, transparency, and performance. We strongly believe that Vibe.co and SMBs will be the #1 revenue driver for TV networks, broadcasters, and streaming apps within the next 5 years. We are committed to build a just and fair ecosystem for them by delivering value in a transparent, unbiased, and efficient way. We’ve only laid down the first bricks for a new TV Advertising ecosystem,” says Arthur Querou, CEO of Vibe.

About Vibe.co: 
Vibe.co was founded in September 2022 by two computer scientists & serial entrepreneurs, Arthur Querou (YCombinator, 2X Ad Tech Exits) and Franck Tetzlaff (Makemereach & Doctolib ($6B+ valuation), who previously founded KMTX (the french leader in semantic targeting) together and sold it to Seedtag in 2022. The company is HQed in both France and US with the engineering team based in Europe and the Sales, Ops & Marketing team based in the US.

Press Contact: 
Caitlin Hassinger – Content Director Vibe – [email protected]
Louisa Mesnard – CMO Elaia – [email protected]

SOURCE Vibe.co

• Investments from Microsoft, OpenAI Startup Fund, NVIDIA, Jeff Bezos (through Bezos Expeditions), Parkway Venture Capital, Intel Capital and others
• Figure and OpenAI are collaborating to develop next generation AI models for humanoid robots
• Figure will leverage Microsoft Azure for AI infrastructure, training, and storage

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb. 29, 2024 — Figure, an AI robotics company developing general purpose humanoid robots, today announced that it has raised $675M in Series B funding at a $2.6B valuation with investments from Microsoft, OpenAI Startup Fund, NVIDIA, Jeff Bezos (through Bezos Expeditions), Parkway Venture Capital, Intel Capital, Align Ventures, and ARK Invest. This investment will accelerate Figure’s timeline for humanoid commercial deployment.

In conjunction with this investment, Figure and OpenAI have entered into a collaboration agreement to develop next generation AI models for humanoid robots, combining OpenAI’s research with Figure’s deep understanding of robotics hardware and software. The collaboration aims to help accelerate Figure’s commercial timeline by enhancing the capabilities of humanoid robots to process and reason from language.

“We’ve always planned to come back to robotics and we see a path with Figure to explore what humanoid robots can achieve when powered by highly capable multimodal models. We’re blown away by Figure’s progress to date and we look forward to working together to open up new possibilities for how robots can help in everyday life,” said Peter Welinder, VP of Product and Partnerships at OpenAI.

The Figure team, made up of top AI robotics experts from Boston Dynamics, Tesla, Google DeepMind, and Archer Aviation, has made remarkable progress in the past few months in the key areas of AI, robot development, robot testing, and commercialization (Figure recently announced its first commercial agreement with BMW Manufacturing to bring humanoids into automotive production). This new capital will be used strategically for scaling up AI training, robot manufacturing, expanding engineering headcount, and advancing commercial deployment efforts.

Figure will leverage Microsoft Azure for AI infrastructure, training, and storage. “We are excited to collaborate with Figure and work towards accelerating AI breakthroughs. Through our work together, Figure will have access to Microsoft’s AI infrastructure and services to support the deployment of humanoid robots to assist people with real world applications,” said Jon Tinter, Corporate Vice President of Business Development at Microsoft.

“Our vision at Figure is to bring humanoid robots into commercial operations as soon as possible. This investment, combined with our partnership with OpenAI and Microsoft, ensures that we are well-prepared to bring embodied AI into the world to make a transformative impact on humanity,” said Brett Adcock, Founder and CEO of Figure. “AI and robotics are the future, and I am grateful to have the support of investors and partners who believe in being at the forefront.”

Qatalyst Partners provided strategic and financial advice to Figure on this transaction.

ABOUT FIGURE

Figure is an AI Robotics company developing autonomous general purpose humanoid robots. Our Humanoid is designed for initial deployment into the workforce to address labor shortages, jobs that are undesirable or unsafe, and to support supply chain on a global scale. Figure is a Sunnyvale, California-based company with a team of 80 employees, founded 21 months ago.

For more information about Figure AI, please visit: www.figure.ai

SOURCE Figure AI Inc.

LanzaJet is van plan Southwest Airlines te ondersteunen met Amerikaanse SAF-productie en met de ontwikkeling van ethanol uit landbouwafval met SAFFiRE Renewables

CHICAGO, 29 februari 2024 — LanzaJet, Inc. (LanzaJet) een toonaangevend bedrijf op het gebied van duurzame brandstoftechnologie en producent van duurzame brandstoffen, heeft vandaag aangekondigd dat Southwest Airlines Co. (Southwest) van plan is om een bedrag van 30 miljoen dollar in LanzaJet te investeren. De overeenkomst tussen LanzaJet en Southwest heeft als doel een productiefaciliteit voor duurzame vliegtuigbrandstof (SAF) te ontwikkelen en samen te werken om de activiteiten van een technologiebedrijf waarin Southwest heeft geïnvesteerd en dat maïsstoof in ethanol omzet, te bevorderen: SAFFiRE Renewables, LLC (SAFFiRE).

LanzaJet is van plan om projectontwikkeling te starten voor de SAF-productiefaciliteit in de Verenigde Staten, met Southwest als de belangrijkste SAF-afnemer. De bioraffinaderij zal naar verwachting profiteren van LanzaJet’s baanbrekende technologie, die de capaciteit heeft om de productie op te schalen naar het niveau dat nodig is om de luchtvaart koolstofvrij te maken. Hiervoor maakt het bedrijf gebruik van algemeen beschikbare en duurzame grondstoffen, opkomende commerciële oplossingen op basis van reststoffen en veelbelovende rentabiliteit. LanzaJet gaat ook de inspanningen van Southwest ondersteunen om SAFFiRE’s technologie voor het verwerken van maïsstoof in ethanol, op de markt te brengen.

“De VS is een ongelooflijk belangrijke markt voor ons. Het is onze thuisbasis, waar onze technologie is ontstaan en zich heeft ontwikkeld, de locatie van onze en ‘s werelds eerste commerciële ethanol-naar-SAF-fabriek. Dit biedt een enorme kans om de bestaande Amerikaanse biobrandstoffen- en ethanolindustrie te ondersteunen dankzij onze toonaangevende ethanol-to-SAF-technologie,” zegt Jimmy Samartzis, Chief Executive Officer van LanzaJet. “Met dit akkoord tussen Southwest en LanzaJet vormen zij een sterk tweetal dat het potentieel heeft om de SAF-waardeketen te integreren en de Amerikaanse ethanol-, luchtvaart- en biobrandstofindustrie te verdubbelen. Dankzij onze samenwerking komen wij dichter bij onze doelstellingen om de luchtvaart koolstofvrij te maken door de SAF-productie in de Verenigde Staten verder op te schalen en tegelijkertijd het potentieel van de Amerikaanse ethanolindustrie aan te boren om de volgende generatie van SAF-productie te versnellen.”

De Amerikaanse faciliteit die LanzaJet gaat ontwikkelen is ook bedoeld voor de conversie van SAFFiRE’s cellulose-ethanol in SAF.

“We nemen de volgende stap op ons duurzaamheidstraject op weg naar onze netto nul-doelstelling in 2050,” aldus Bob Jordan, President & CEO van Southwest Airlines. “We kijken uit naar de samenwerking met LanzaJet, dat het potentieel heeft om een belangrijke technologie te ontwikkelen, waarbij Southwest meer mogelijkheden worden geboden om schaalbare SAF te verkrijgen. Dit zal in belangrijke mate meespelen bij het behalen van onze milieuduurzaamheidsdoelstelling om tegen 2030 10% van onze vliegtuigbrandstofconsumptie te vervangen door SAF.”

De investering van Southwest volgt op de opening van LanzaJet Freedom Pines Fuels – ‘s werelds eerste ethanol-naar-SAF-fabriek op commerciële schaal. De historische fabriek in Soperton, Georgia, zal naar verwachting SAF en hernieuwbare diesel produceren uit koolstofarme en duurzame ethanol met ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification). LanzaJet Freedom Pines Fuels dient als blauwdruk voor het gebruik van unieke innovatie om de SAF-productie op te schalen en maakt LanzaJet’s streven naar een productie van 4 miljard liter SAF in 2030 mogelijk.

Southwest voegt zich bij LanzaJet’s portfolio van investeerders en financiers waaronder aandeelhouders British Airways, LanzaTech, Mitsui & Co, Shell en Suncor Energy en financiers zoals Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund, Breakthrough Energy en All Nippon Airways (ANA).

OVER LANZAJET

LanzaJet is een toonaangevend technologiebedrijf op het gebied van duurzame brandstoffen dat de overgang naar schone energie wil versnellen. Als leverancier en producent van duurzame vliegtuigbrandstof (Sustainable Aviation Fuel, SAF) met gepatenteerde ethanol-gebaseerde alcohol-naar-jet (ATJ) technologie, creëert LanzaJet een kans voor toekomstige generaties door de inzet van SAF en andere schone technologieën te versnellen die cruciaal zijn voor het aanpakken van de klimaatcrisis en het transformeren van de wereldeconomie. Meer informatie is beschikbaar op https://www.lanzajet.com/

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2349717/LanzaJet_Logo_and_Southwest_Logo.jpg

TORONTO, Feb. 29, 2024 – Bench IQ, the groundbreaking AI-powered legal technology company, is transforming the landscape of legal research by offering unparalleled insights into judges’ rulings. The company recently announced the successful closure of a $2.1M (USD) pre-seed funding round. This investment was co-led by notable VCs Maple and Haystack. It also received contributions from tech leaders such as Jason Boehmig, CEO of Ironclad, and Qasar Younis, CEO of Applied Intuition and former COO of Y-Combinator. Additionally, top law firms like Cooley¹, Fenwick, and Wilson Sonsini, along with senior partners at Kirkland & Ellis, participated. This underscores the tech and legal community’s belief in Bench IQ’s disruptive approach to legal research.

Founded by the pioneering minds behind ROSS Intelligence, Bench IQ was created by CEO Jimoh Ovbiagele, CTO Maxim Isakov, and a former Kirkland & Ellis partner, Jeffrey Gettleman. The company addresses a long-standing issue in legal practice: the fact that judges publish written opinions for only about 3% of all rulings. By leveraging the latest advancements in Large Language Models (LLMs), Bench IQ has compiled and is exploiting a new legal dataset. This dataset provides comprehensive insights into the decision-making patterns of judges, covering 100% of their rulings. Details on this achievement are currently confidential due to pending patents.

“We created Bench IQ for the best and brightest, working on cases with the highest stakes. They work tirelessly to deliver the best results. We help them anticipate the unexpected and leave absolutely nothing to chance,” said Ovbiagele. At present, Bench IQ is privileged to partner closely with 12 of the AmLaw 100 firms and counting. Given the competitive advantage Bench IQ offers, the company must keep these partnerships confidential to maintain its clients’ edge. Bench IQ looks forward to sharing more soon as circumstances change.

Gettleman, who originally conceived the idea for Bench IQ during his tenure at Kirkland & Ellis, added, “Over almost two decades at Kirkland, I learned how vital it is to understand how a judge thinks to achieve your objective. Bench IQ allows lawyers to understand their judge in a way no other resource can. It helps them build arguments they can be confident in and deliver the desired results.”

The burgeoning interest in legal AI, highlighted by Thomson Reuters’ acquisition of Castext for $650M and over $100M invested in legal AI startups in the last three months, signals a growing adoption of AI-enhanced legal processes. Amidst this investment surge, Bench IQ differentiates itself by not just offering efficiency but also greater effectiveness. Bench IQ has carved out a niche in the rapidly growing sector by specializing in judicial intelligence and improving lawyers’ courtroom results. The fact that 12 of the AmLaw 100 firms are already working with Bench IQ validates this approach, underscoring its relevance and impact in the legal marketplace.

Andre Charoo, General Partner at Maple, said, “We think Bench IQ has the potential to create the new standard of law—one that is based on understanding the players in the legal game, not just about the rules of the game. The team has uncovered a unique insight that is not obvious to most, and we’re incredibly excited to be part of their journey in changing the legal industry as we know it.”

“Bench IQ immediately stood out to us as a novel way to use LLMs to solve a persistent challenge in legal research,” added Aashay Sanghvi, Partner at Haystack Ventures. “We are delighted to partner with Jimoh, Maxim, and Jeffrey as they build the leading legal reconnaissance platform.”

Also participating in the round were Inovia Capital, Soma Capital, Roach Capital, Alumni Ventures, Boon Fund, Andrew Arruda (CEO, Flexpa), Zain Manji, Arif Bhanji, Nivrith Sekhar, and Ronald Gosio, alongside additional angel investors.

About Bench IQ:

Bench IQ pioneers AI-enhanced legal research tools, enabling lawyers to gain unparalleled insights into judges’ rulings in order to hone their legal arguments and strategies. Founded by two legal AI pioneers behind ROSS Intelligence (CEO Jimoh Ovbiagele and CTO Maxim Isakov) and a legal industry veteran from Kirkland & Ellis (VP Legal Services Jeffrey Gettleman), Bench IQ is backed by leading investors Maple and Haystack and law firms Cooley, Fenwick, and Wilson Sonsini.

Learn more at www.benchiq.com. 

SOURCE Bench IQ

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