NOAA SBIR award supports improvement of water availability predictions with Salient’s advanced weather forecasting technology to aid communities with better resource management

BOSTON, Sept. 6, 2023 — Salient Predictions, a leading pioneer in weather forecasting analytics, has been awarded a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to advance water availability forecasting that spans an unprecedented two to 52 weeks ahead. Focused in the vast agricultural region of Central Valley, California, the Phase I project will concentrate on improving predictions of subseasonal to seasonal (S2S) water availability, enabling communities to more effectively manage resources amid increasing and erratic natural disasters like floods and droughts.

“Global warming has led to an intensification of the water cycle with longer droughts and more intense rainfall events, threatening agricultural production and hydropower generation,” said Ray Schmitt, President and co-founder of Salient. “Salient produces more accurate temperature and rainfall predictions at longer lead times than traditional government sources. This grant will enable us to integrate Salient’s forecasts with a high-resolution hydrologic model that estimates soil moisture, evapotranspiration, and stream flow to provide farmers and hydropower operators with long range estimates of water availability for crops and reservoirs. It will also enable better preparedness for coping with the growing unpredictability and volatility of weather.”

Current hydrological models face challenges related to data inputs, as climate change has been presenting weather patterns atypical from historical data, and government forecast models are only accurate for about two weeks. Salient’s AI-powered S2S forecast technology uses machine learning and various oceanic, atmospheric, and land-based variables to deliver breakthrough levels of reliability and predictability of weather up to a year in advance. The technology has evolved from decades of research at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

“NOAA recognizes the critical need for advancing predictive capabilities related to water availability,” said Dr. Genevieve Lind, SBIR Program Manager at NOAA. “Salient’s proposed technology for enhancing water forecasts aligns with NOAA’s mission to improve our knowledge and management of water resources in a changing climate.”

NOAA’s SBIR program is a highly competitive merit-based grant program that encourages small businesses in the U.S. to engage in research and development (R&D) with the goal of developing innovative and commercially-viable products or services.

For more information on Salient’s revolutionary S2S forecasting solution, go to: https://www.salientpredictions.com/forecasts

About Salient
Salient combines novel ocean and land-surface data with machine learning and climate expertise to deliver the world’s most accurate subseasonal-to-seasonal weather forecasts and industry insights—two to 52 weeks in advance. Bringing together world-leading experts in physical oceanography, climatology and the global water cycle, machine learning, and AI, Salient helps enterprise clients improve resiliency, increase preparedness, and make better decisions in the face of a rapidly changing climate. Learn more at www.salientpredictions.com and follow on LinkedIn and Twitter.

All trademarks recognized.

SOURCE Salient Predictions, Inc.

Shop Circle’s suite of e-commerce solutions delivers a one-stop-shop of cutting-edge technologies to online brands.

LONDON, Sept. 6, 2023 — Shop Circle, the one-stop-shop software provider for e-commerce brands, announced the successful completion of its Series A funding round, raising $120 million. The round was led by 645 Ventures and 3VC, with notable participation from previous backers QED Investors and NfX, with the credit facility provided by i80 Group. The funding was raised through a strategic combination of equity and debt.

Shop Circle reports a substantial 360% year-over-year growth, driven by the integration and strengthening of its extensive suite of back-end and customer-facing solutions.

“We’re thrilled to announce the successful close of our Series A funding round, which will enable us to continue building and expanding our suite of e-commerce tools,” says Luca Cartechini, CEO and Co-Founder of Shop Circle. “Our vision has always been to create a comprehensive operating system for e-commerce brands, providing them with the necessary technology to excel in today’s competitive market.”

Shop Circle is actively developing proprietary AI-driven tools and processes to enhance the scalability of their core operations across all phases.

In addition to its comprehensive platform, Shop Circle has launched a data-driven tech stack consultation program. Leveraging AI and hyper personalized data-driven insights, the company aims to optimize brands’ tech stacks, reducing costs and increasing conversions to deliver exceptional customer experiences.

“Since our inception, we have embraced the AI revolution and promptly built several applications to support and automate the majority of our processes, offering a distinct advantage in operating and growing our suite of software. Our goal is to equip e-commerce entrepreneurs with the high-performance tools and expertise they need to scale business effortlessly,” says Gian Maria Gramondi, Co-Founder and COO of Shop Circle. “With our tech stack review program, we are able to help e-commerce companies unlock their true potential by shedding unneeded tech and costs, enabling long-term success and growth.”

The leadership team includes professionals with experience in Amazon, Shopify, Uber, and leading e-commerce brands.

“Shop Circle’s vision to build a leading SaaS platform for the second wave of commerce brands aligns perfectly with our investment strategy, which is to back exceptional founders building differentiated businesses in large markets,” shares Nnamdi Okike, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at 645 Ventures. “We believe that Shop Circle will be a driving force in shaping the future of e-commerce, and we are proud to support Luca, Gian Maria, and the team in their growth journey.”

“We have great trust in Luca, Gian Maria, and the whole Shop Circle team, as their dedication to creating an exceptional merchant’s experience matches what we look for in entrepreneurs at 3VC. We’re excited to join them on their journey, expecting remarkable success in their future,” adds Peter Lasinger, Partner and Founder with 3VC.

“We’re thrilled to announce our partnership with Shop Circle, the software suite for e-commerce brands. At i80 Group, we’re captivated by the strong growth potential and execution capabilities of the Shop Circle team in the e-commerce enablement space, which Shop Circle is playing a leading role in shaping. We look forward to supporting Shop Circle in their next phase of growth,” says Peter Frank, Managing Director at i80 Group

Shop Circle takes great pride in serving already more than 100,000 e-commerce brands around the globe, cementing its commitment to empowering merchants with cutting-edge technologies and insights for unparalleled growth.

About Shop Circle

Shop Circle, a leading provider of e-commerce software, is a data and technology-driven company dedicated to revolutionizing the e-commerce industry through its comprehensive suite of cutting-edge technologies. By delivering a one-stop solution to innovative e-commerce brands, Shop Circle empowers online merchants to achieve sustainable, continuous growth. With a commitment to innovation, Shop Circle serves over 100,000 businesses worldwide. Shop Circle was founded in 2021 by entrepreneurs Luca Cartechini and Gian Maria Gramondi. For more information about Shop Circle, visit www.shopcircle.co.

About 645 Ventures

645 Ventures is an early-stage VC firm partnering with exceptional founders to build iconic companies. We invest in Seed and Series A stages, using our Voyager platform and network to support scaling. Notable growth-stage firms include Iterable, Goldbelly, Resident, and more. With $550m+ AUM and strong backing from institutions, 645 operates from NY and SF. Learn more at www.645ventures.com.

About 3VC

3VC is a European venture capital group that invests in a carefully handpicked group of European technology startups with global ambition. Focusing on Series A, 3VC’s entrepreneurial team provides tireless support and access to an international co-investment network of VC partners. 3VC’s backs category-defining companies like Assaia, Kaia Health,Lokalise, Picsart, Storyblok, and Tatum. More information at https://three.vc/.

About i80 Group

i80 Group is an investment firm designed to propel the innovation economy forward by empowering growth. The firm provides bespoke financing solutions that are unique to each investment partner’s needs and are designed to help companies advance through critical growth milestones. The firm has offices in New York, San Francisco, and London. For more information, please visit www.i80group.com.

Shop Circle Media Contact
Jonny Sekula, KCPR
[email protected]
+1-415-601-5555

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Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2202088/Shop_Circle_Shop_Circle_Raises__120_Million_in_Series_A_to_Build.jpg 

SOURCE Shop Circle

TAMPERE, Finland, Sept. 6, 2023 — Bioretec Ltd, a pioneering company dedicated to advancing biodegradable orthopedic implants, has received a grant of a maximum of EUR 0.97 million for its research and development (R&D) work from Business Finland’s Co-Innovation project funding for the period 1 March 2023 – 28 February 2025. The grant amount represents 50% of the R&D project’s costs, which in maximum, are estimated at EUR 1.95 million.

In this Business Finland-backed Intelligent Medical Device Solutions to Global Market (IMD1) Co-Innovation project, a consortium composed of various entities possesses complementary knowledge and skills essential for generating innovative solutions in the field of biomaterials within the healthcare sector.

As a part of this project, Bioretec is dedicated to researching and advancing the understanding of the use of biomaterials in the context of bone fracture fixation. The primary focus revolves around the development of coatings for RemeOs™ magnesium alloys. This innovation aims to enhance our ability to control and direct degradation processes, consequently also broadening the scope of indications for RemeOs™ products.

“Following our recent achievement of market authorization for our RemeOs™ screw in the U.S., we are continuing to explore materials and technologies to expand our portfolio of trauma products. This grant will contribute to our efforts.  We are deeply appreciative of Business Finland’s trust and support, recognizing Bioretec’s capabilities and the consortium’s dedication to delivering intelligent medical devices to a demanding global market.” said Timo Lehtonen, CEO of Bioretec.

Business Finland’s Co-Innovation funding program brings together R&D projects of companies and research organizations to promote high-quality research, accelerate renewal and international growth, and build competitive innovation ecosystems. Joint projects are formed based on specific eligibility criteria and by a consortium of at least two companies that apply for funding from Business Finland for a joint R&D project.

Further enquiries

Timo Lehtonen, CEO, tel. +358 50 433 8493
Johanna Salko, CFO, tel. +358 40 754 8172

Bioretec in brief

Bioretec is a globally operating Finnish medical device company that continues to pioneer the application of biodegradable orthopedic implants. The company has built unique competencies in the biological interface of active implants to enhance bone growth and accelerate fracture healing after orthopedic surgery. The products developed and manufactured by Bioretec are used worldwide in approximately 40 countries. 

Bioretec is developing the new RemeOs™ product line based on a magnesium alloy and hybrid composite, introducing a new generation of strong biodegradable materials for enhanced surgical outcomes. The RemeOs™ implants are absorbed and replaced by bone, which eliminates the need for removal surgery while facilitating fracture healing. The combination has the potential to make titanium implants redundant and help clinics reach their Value-Based Healthcare targets while focusing on value for patients through efficient healthcare. The first RemeOs™ product market authorization has been received in the U.S. in March 2023, and in Europe, the CE-mark is expected to be received during 2023. Bioretec is positioning itself to enter the addressable USD 7 billion global orthopedic trauma market and become a game changer in surgical bone fracture treatment.

Better healing – Better life. www.bioretec.com

SOURCE Bioretec

Funding Accelerates Buildout of Pilot Plant Capable of Producing More Than 5,000 Gallons of SAF Annually

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 6, 2023 — Lydian, a startup aiming to produce sustainable, CO₂-derived fuels and chemicals, has announced $12M in new seed funding co-led by Congruent Ventures and Galvanize Climate Solutions. Participating investors included Grok Ventures, Voyager Ventures, Union Square Ventures (USV), Overture VC, and Overlap Holdings. This funding adds to $3M in previously unannounced funding in June 2022 from Congruent, USV, Voyager, and Global Founders Capital. The company plans to use the new funding to build an integrated pilot plant in 2024 which will be capable of producing over 5,000 gallons of SAF per year. Lydian is already producing small quantities of e-fuel in its Cambridge-based lab.

Lydian’s proprietary, high-temperature electric reactor enables the production of the world’s lowest cost e-fuels, a category of drop-in alternatives to transportation fuels made from captured CO₂ and renewable electricity. Lydian also aims to produce carbon-negative versions of many other industrial chemicals. 

Demand for sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) has surged in recent years as airlines push to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and new regulations seek to mandate increasing use of SAF across the aviation industry. E-fuels are expected to be an important piece of the puzzle, with some experts estimating that they could contribute as much as 60% of final energy demand for aviation by 2050. But e-fuels are currently very expensive, largely as a result of their significant energy requirements.

“We are pulling the energy efficiency lever,” said Joe Rodden, Lydian’s CEO. “We believe fuels produced with our technology will consume less energy per gallon than any other e-fuel.” 

Lydian’s technology can achieve a total energy consumption approaching 2 kWh per kilogram for the reduction of CO₂, a key step in the process, which the company says will be 30% to 50% lower than competing technologies like CO₂ electrolysis. At the scale projected for e-fuels, this could represent a total annual energy savings of more than 200 TWh (terawatt-hours), equivalent to the electricity consumption of over 20 million households.

Lydian has also demonstrated a version of its technology that can use alternative hydrogen sources like biomethane, which could further reduce energy consumption relative to water electrolysis.

“Lydian is the best-positioned technology we have come across in this space,” said Joshua Posamentier, co-founder and managing partner, Congruent Ventures. “Joe, Branko and the team have made incredible progress over the past 12 months to help drive e-fuels to market in a massive way.”

“The development of sustainable aviation fuels is critical to decarbonizing aviation in-line with climate targets,” said Cliff Ryan, co-head of Innovation + Expansion at Galvanize Climate Solutions. “Lydian, with its differentiated e-fuel technology and extremely effective team, which we have been fortunate to get to know over multiple years, represents an exciting solution in various hard-to-abate sectors over time.”

“We’re lucky to have an amazing team of scientists and engineers who are setting a rapid pace of development,” said Branko Zugic, Lydian’s CTO. “We look forward to tapping into the deep talent pool in the greater Boston area as we continue to grow the team with this capital.”

The U.S. Department of Energy’s SAF Grand Challenge Roadmap set a domestic production goal of 3 billion gallons by 2030 and the EU recently passed a law that will require the use of SAF at EU airports, increasing to 70% of total fuel consumption by 2050. In an effort to meet these targets and their own sustainability initiatives, airlines have signed agreements to purchase over 10 billion gallons of SAF globally over the coming years, with more than half of that volume already committed since last year.

About Lydian
Founded in 2021, Lydian is addressing more than 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions by creating the fuels, plastics, and other chemicals we need out of carbon dioxide and water, not petroleum. For more information, visit www.lydianlabsinc.com.  

Business Contact:
[email protected]

Media Contact:
Chris Allieri
[email protected] 

SOURCE Lydian Labs

Led by 83North, This Round of Financing Brings Total Funding to Over $100 Million

TEL AVIV, Israel, Sept. 6, 2023 — Ibex Medical Analytics (Ibex), the leader in AI-powered cancer diagnostics, today announced it has closed a $55 million Series C financing round led by 83North. Additional participants in the round were Sienna Venture Capital and existing investors in the company, Octopus Ventures, aMoon, Planven Entrepreneur Ventures and Dell Technologies Capital. The financing brings total funding to over $100 million since Ibex’s inception in 2016.

Ibex is transforming cancer diagnostics with AI-powered solutions that help pathologists improve the quality of diagnosis and support laboratories with enhanced efficiency and better turnaround times. Cancer incidence is rising around the world while its diagnosis becomes more complex and nuanced, causing heavy workloads for pathologists and laboratories. The increasing demand is compounded by a global shortage of pathologists who still rely heavily on manual work and solely on visual analysis of biopsies. Ibex’s Galen platform helps overcome these challenges with AI-powered workflows and decision support tools that pathologists use in their everyday practice.

“Ibex is leading the market in live customer deployments as we remain steadfast in our mission of providing every patient with a timely, accurate and personalized cancer diagnosis,” said Joseph Mossel, Co-Founder and CEO of Ibex. “This latest financing round will enable us to take major steps toward reaching our goal. We will be using the funds to expand our footprint in the United States to meet the increasing demand for AI-powered diagnostic solutions, and to accelerate the growth of our product portfolio to create more tools for pathologists and labs as they digitally transform their practices. This financing round highlights our strong commercial momentum and our tenacity in pursuing the opportunities that lie ahead.”

Ibex’s Galen platform is the most widely deployed AI technology in pathology and has been deployed in laboratories and pathology departments around the world. Ibex achieved several significant milestones recently, including live deployment of Galen at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), the completion of national roll out throughout Wales, and collaboration with AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo for the development of an AI-powered biomarker scoring product for breast cancer. Galen provides health systems and diagnostic laboratories with an integrated solution for cancer diagnosis and biomarker scoring, capable of detecting more the 100 different cancer and non-cancer pathologies while offering enhanced interoperability with scanning systems, image management solutions and lab information systems. Ibex was recently showcased in a KLAS Research report which provided consistently favorable feedback from global customers.

“Our continued investment in Ibex is a testament to the company’s progress in recent years, bringing its unparalleled technology to laboratories, hospitals and digital pathology networks worldwide, catapulting the industry into an AI-powered era,” added Gil Goren, Partner at 83North and Board Director of Ibex. “Ibex’s successful deployments demonstrate its responsiveness to market and customer needs, while its product portfolio continues to grow and meet new market demands. We are eager to see Ibex forge the way with new uses of AI in cancer diagnosis, supporting providers as they work to improve patient care and outcomes.”

About Ibex Medical Analytics

Ibex Medical Analytics (Ibex) is transforming cancer diagnostics with world-leading, clinical grade AI-powered solutions, empowering physicians to provide accurate, timely and personalized cancer diagnosis for every patient. Our Galen™ suite of solutions is the first and most widely deployed AI-technology in pathology and is used as part of everyday routine, supporting pathologists and providers worldwide in improving the quality and accuracy of diagnosis, implementing comprehensive quality control, reducing turnaround times and boosting productivity with more efficient workflows. Ibex’s Artificial Intelligence technology is built on Deep Learning algorithms trained by a team of pathologists, data scientists and software engineers. For additional company information, please visit https://ibex-ai.com/ and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.     

The Galen™ platform includes certain solutions which are CE marked and registered with the UK MHRA. The solutions are for Research Use Only (RUO) in the United States and not cleared by the FDA. For more information, including indication for use and regulatory approval in other countries, contact Ibex Medical Analytics.

Media Contacts

Ibex Medical Analytics
Nechama Rosengarten
FINN Partners
Nechama.rosengarten@finnpartners.com  
+1 929 588 2009    

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1839936/Ibex_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Ibex Medical Analytics

Streamlined Ventures led recent round of $3.5 million of new investment to further accelerate development of the Antaris Cloud Platform

LOS ALTOS, Calif., Sept. 6, 2023 — Antaris, the software platform for space, announced the company has closed a preferred seed funding round of $3.5 million, led by California-based Streamlined Ventures. In conjunction with its initial seed and seed extension rounds, Antaris has now raised nearly $10 million, significantly exceeding original seed-stage investment targets. Ullas Naik, Founder and General Partner of Streamlined Ventures, has joined the Antaris Board of Directors.

“Our investors have been tremendous champions of Antaris at every step of the way,” said Tom Barton, Co-Founder and CEO of Antaris. “The addition of Streamlined Ventures to our strong investor base will help us to accelerate the next stage of our growth, and we welcome Ullas to our Board of Directors.”

“This is an incredibly exciting time for the space ecosystem,” noted Ullas Naik, Founder and General Partner of Streamlined Ventures. “Antaris is the first company we’ve seen that is committed to building a pure-play software and SaaS company to support satellites and space data networking. This platform is game-changing for anyone looking to put a satellite into orbit or to operate satellite constellations.”

The round also includes additional investment from existing insiders—including venture capital firms HCVC, E2MC and Antaris founders. The company’s first seed round and a recent seed extension were completed in partnership with existing investors Acequia Capital, HCVC, Possible Ventures, Lockheed Martin Ventures, E2MC and Ananth Technologies.

Antaris was recently awarded a contract to support the US Department of Defense and is preparing to launch its second technology demonstration satellite, JANUS-2, in the coming months.

About Antaris
Antaris, the software platform for space, is on a mission to make space open, accessible and scalable. We dramatically simplify the design, simulation and operation of satellites, giving customers the flexibility and security to deliver mission success at a fraction of typical costs. Learn more at www.antaris.space

SOURCE Antaris

De financiering zal ViAqua de mogelijkheid bieden om zijn eerste product op de markt te brengen, te investeren in R&D voor toekomstige producten en het vermogen van het platform te bewijzen om op RNA gebaseerde oplossingen op schaal te leveren.

HAIFA, Israël, 5 september 2023 — ViAqua Therapeutics, een biotechnologiebedrijf en ontwikkelaar van een platform voor oraal toegediende RNA-deeltjes ter bevordering en verbetering van de diergezondheid in de aquacultuur, heeft bekendgemaakt de financieringsronde van USD 8,25 miljoen te hebben afgerond onder leiding van S2G Ventures en met deelname van Rabo Ventures, The Trendlines Group Ltd., Agriline Limited, Nutreco, I-Lab Angels en Circle Investments LLC.

Aquacultuur is essentieel voor het verbeteren van de voedselzekerheid, het bieden van een gezonde en duurzame voedselbron en het beschermen van wilde visbestanden in het licht van de groeiende vraag naar mariene eiwitten. Maar volgens een analyse van Kontali is ziektebeheer op dit moment het grootste probleem waarmee de aquacultuursector te maken heeft, met een economische impact van meer dan USD 8,5 miljard voor alleen al de garnalenindustrie.

Om dit probleem aan te pakken heeft ViAqua een op biotechnologie gebaseerd platform voor orale toediening ontwikkeld voor het gericht toedienen van op RNA gebaseerde oplossingen om de ziekteresistentie in de aquacultuur te verbeteren.

“Oraal toedienen is de heilige graal van de gezondheidsontwikkeling in de aquacultuur, omdat het onmogelijk is om garnalen individueel te vaccineren, maar ook de operationele kosten van ziektebeheer substantieel te verlagen en tegelijkertijd de resultaten te verbeteren”, aldus Shai Ufaz, CEO van ViAqua. “We zijn verheugd met de marktintroductie van deze technologie om tegemoet te komen aan de behoefte aan betaalbare ziekteoplossingen in de aquacultuur.”

Vooral garnalen, een van de meest geconsumeerde zeevruchten ter wereld, zijn erg vatbaar voor ziekten vanwege hun gebrek aan adaptieve immuunsystemen, en er zijn momenteel geen producten beschikbaar tegen garnalenziekten. Het eerste product van het bedrijf is een voedingssupplement om de weerstand tegen virale infecties bij garnalen te vergroten, waarbij de eerste toepassing zich richt op het White Spot Virus (WSSV), dat een jaarlijks verlies van ongeveer USD 3 miljard veroorzaakt en een vermindering van 15 procent in de wereldwijde garnalenproductie. Deze oplossing zal garnalenkwekers de broodnodige productiestabiliteit bieden en tegelijkertijd de mogelijkheid creëren om de productie per bedrijf te verhogen zonder het ziekterisico te vergroten.

“Aquacultuur is van cruciaal belang voor de duurzame aanvoer van mariene eiwitten”, zegt Kate Danaher, algemeen directeur van het Ocean and Seafood-fonds van S2G Ventures. “Met de platformtechnologie zal ViAqua verder kunnen gaan dan WSSV en tal van andere ziekten in de aquacultuur kunnen aanpakken, waarbij het nog jaren duurt voordat soortgelijke technologieën de markt bereiken.”

ViAqua produceert zijn capsuleproducten met behulp van commerciële, industriële processen en schaalt de productie op om zijn eerste product op de markt te brengen. Met plannen om de productie in India begin 2024 te starten, is het bedrijf een commercieel samenwerkingsverband aangegaan via een gezamenlijke ontwikkelings- en marketingovereenkomst met Skretting, een Nutreco-bedrijf, om het product op de markt te brengen. Terwijl ViAqua zich momenteel richt op de garnalenproductie, heeft de toedieningstechnologie talloze toepassingen in de aquacultuur en daarbuiten, die het bedrijf graag wil verkennen.

“We zijn echt enthousiast over het potentieel van ViAqua’s technologie vanwege de waarde die het ontsluit voor de planeet en de garnalenkwekers. Ziekten veroorzaken sterftecijfers tot wel 50%, wat ertoe leidt dat jaarlijks 25-30% van de garnalenkwekerijen failliet gaat. Dit is enorm onproductief en schaadt veel bestaansmiddelen,” legt Shishir Sinha, investeringsdirecteur bij Rabo Ventures, uit. “De aquacultuurspecialisten van onze bank, Gorjan Nikolik en Novel Sharma, waren onder de indruk van de baanbrekende impact van een oplossing voor een probleem dat de sector al decennialang teistert en dat een betekenisvol verschil kan maken in het leven van de kleine garnalenkwekers, die 80% van het aanbod vertegenwoordigen.”

Over ViAqua Therapeutics

ViAqua is opgericht om tegemoet te komen aan de groeiende behoefte aan effectief, specifiek en betaalbaar gezondheidsbeheer van ziekten in de aquacultuur. Een van de grootste uitdagingen bij de overgang naar een duurzame aquacultuur is de preventie en de behandeling van ziekten. ViAqua ontwikkelt een op biotechnologie gebaseerd platform voor het oraal toedienen van op nucleïnezuur gebaseerde oplossingen ter bevordering van de gezondheid bij mariene soorten.

Over S2G Ventures:

S2G Ventures, het directe investeringsteam van Builders Vision, werkt samen met ondernemers die werken aan oplossingen voor enkele van ‘s werelds grootste uitdagingen op het gebied van voedsel, landbouw, oceanen en schone energie. Wij bieden kapitaal, mentorschap en middelen met toegevoegde waarde aan bedrijven die innovatieve, commerciële oplossingen nastreven die positieve sociale, ecologische en financiële rendementen genereren. Wij bieden onze partners flexibele kapitaaloplossingen die kunnen variëren van start- en durffinanciering via groeikapitaal tot schuld- en infrastructuurfinanciering. Ga voor meer informatie over S2G naar s2gventures.com of volg ons op LinkedIn.

Over Rabo Ventures:

Rabo Ventures, onderdeel van de Rabobank, werkt samen met startende bedrijven in de hele waardeketen om hun groeiambities te ondersteunen en de vitale transities mogelijk te maken die nodig zijn in de wereldwijde voedsel- en landbouwindustrie. We investeren in geweldige managementteams die oplossingen ontwikkelen voor echte problemen, met de nadruk op het stimuleren van innovatie en duurzaamheid. Met een lokale aanwezigheid in 25 landen en ruim 100 toegewijde sectorspecialisten en onderzoekers is de Rabobank wereldleider op het gebied van Food & Agriculture banking. Als onderdeel van de captive investment-franchise van de Rabobank, Rabo Investments, maken we gebruik van het platform, de kennis en het netwerk van de banken om uw bedrijf te ondersteunen en te laten groeien en tegelijkertijd de van belang zijnde transities te versnellen.

Mediacontact:
Ally Dunne
Ally.Dunne@zenogroup.com

SOURCE ViAqua Therapeutics

NEW YORK, Sept. 5, 2023 — The Shipyard, advised by JEGI CLARITY, has received an investment from Alaris Equity Partners.

Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Columbus, OH, The Shipyard is an integrated marketing agency renowned for “Engineering Brand Love” by uniquely combining data science with integrated media, creative, and analytical processes to discover and engage all relevant audience segments via omnichannel marketing campaigns, driving marketing outcomes and accelerating brand growth. The Company’s audience discovery approach, “No Customer Left Behind”, is supported by a proprietary data intelligence engine, The Helm, combined with a full-suite of end to-end, agency of record marketing solutions to drive measurable and sustainable results for brands. The Shipyard has developed vertical expertise across highly attractive sectors, including Travel & Tourism, Financial & Professional Services, Energy & Sustainability, and Consumer Packaged Goods/Retail, with significant runway and ongoing initiatives to further penetrate each.

This new partnership will enable The Shipyard to strengthen their current offerings and expand their presence in the market. Rick Milenthal, Chairman & CEO of The Shipyard said, “The Alaris investment model is perfect for a growing successful company like The Shipyard. They back our team and fuel our growth, fully empowering our management team to do what is best for our people and our clients.”

About JEGI CLARITY
JEGI CLARITY is a pre-eminent M&A advisory firm for the media, marketing, information and technology industries. With a global reach from New York, London, Boston, Sydney and San Francisco, we have closed more than 800 transactions during our 35+ year history. For more information, visit www.jegiclarity.com.

Contact: Kelsey Kovachik, Vice President of Marketing
+1 212 754 0710 | [email protected] | www.jegiclarity.com/

SOURCE JEGI CLARITY

The platform allows companies to spot and react to current consumer trends, by providing AI-generated product attributes from titles, descriptions, ingredients, reviews, and more

NEW YORK, Sept. 4, 2023 — Harmonya, a software company transforming CPG and retail with AI-powered product data, announced today their $20M Series A, bringing their total funding to $25M. The round was led by Bright Pixel Capital with the participation of existing investor Team8, as well as Arc Investors, J Ventures, Silicon Road Ventures, Allen & Company, LiveRamp Ventures, and Susa Ventures. The funds will be used to further develop Harmonya’s proprietary generative AI technology, enhance its suite of tools, and scale its go-to-market operations.

The current product data infrastructure used by major retailers and consumer packaged goods companies relies on outdated, static data models that lack a granular understanding of individual products. “When a new consumer trend emerges, like Sustainability or Wellness, CPGs and retailers need to go over all of their existing products after the fact and manually add attributes to each,” said Cem Kent, CEO and Co-Founder of Harmonya. “This limits their ability to quickly identify and respond to emerging consumer preferences, power accurate demand forecasting, and create tailored shopping experiences.”

Harmonya offers an AI-powered product data enrichment, categorization, and insights platform for retailers and brands. The solution harnesses the power of cutting-edge generative AI and large language models to dynamically surface product attributes from a wide range of sources. Harmonya’s platform helps its users identify consumer drivers of market performance, uncover category insights, optimize assortment and merchandising, guide innovation, and automate the process of product coding.

“The CPG and retail industries are vast and ever-changing, presenting countless opportunities for innovation–especially in the area of product data, where current approaches and technology don’t meet the standards of modern data-driven organizations,” said Francisco Nunes of Bright Pixel Capital. “Harmonya’s groundbreaking platform positions the company as a key player in unlocking the untapped potential within these industries, bringing them closer to how consumers perceive and experience products.”

Harmonya’s customers include four of the top ten global CPGs as well as some of the largest US retailers. The company has grown its customer base significantly in the first half of the year, serving data teams in HQ as well as customer teams working directly with merchants and buyers. Harmonya’s proprietary technology ingests information from millions of online product listings and creates unique tags from titles, descriptions, ingredients, consumer reviews, and more, and relies on a proprietary large-language model trained on their retail-specific data repository.

“Bright Pixel Capital’s deep understanding of retail and CPG technology further validates the transformative potential of the Harmonya platform,” said Cem Kent. “This investment will help us further our mission to bridge the gap between legacy product data, which lacks descriptive and diagnostic power and limits what organizations can do, and the modern need for a dynamic product language to power more impactful analytics and decision-making.”

“We’ve been looking closely at potential uses of data technologies and data infrastructure,” said Yuval Shachar, Managing Partner and Executive Chairman of Team8. “It was clear to us that there’s a market need for a company to disrupt the space in the retail industry and unlock tremendous value by adapting product data for the AI era. Harmonya is doing just that, and we are glad to partner with Harmonya’s great team, as part of Team8’s unique company-building model, to help retailers and CPGs gain a consumer-centric perspective in a modern, AI-powered fashion.”

About Harmonya

Harmonya is the all-in-one AI-powered product data enrichment, categorization, and insights platform for retailers and brands. Based in New York with an office in Tel Aviv, the company builds revolutionary technologies and tools to help its customers realize their full potential through deeper product understanding. Harmonya transforms static, commoditized product data into a dynamic resource to enrich, categorize, and draw insights from products and help Fortune 500 CPGs and retailers grow their businesses.

To learn more, please visit: www.harmonya.com.

About Bright Pixel Capital (formerly Sonae IM)

Bright Pixel Capital, formerly known as Sonae IM, is the technology investment arm of the multinational group Sonae. With a special focus on cybersecurity, digital infrastructure, and retail technologies, it has a portfolio of more than 50 companies, from early to growth stages. Bright Pixel Capital acts as a partner that brings specialized know-how, a global footprint, and a wealth of experience in helping companies from early stage to IPO.

Find out more at brpx.com.

About Team8

Team8 Group is a global Company-Building and Venture Capital group that creates and invests in companies focusing on Cybersecurity, Data & AI, Fintech, and Digital Health.

Team8’s signature foundry model is designed to identify meaningful problems, create theses on potential solutions, and build innovative companies that tackle these challenges.

Team8 foundry model leverages an in-house multi-disciplinary team of more than 90 company-builders located in Tel Aviv and New York, together with dedicated communities of global C-level executives and thought leaders grouped as Team8 domain-focused villages.

Visit www.team8.vc to learn more.

SOURCE Harmonya