Joyce Shen’s picks: musings and readings in AI/ML, September 16, 2024

?? Musings and Readings

“Fei-Fei Li’s World Labs comes out of stealth with $230M in funding”? (Tech Crunch)

“The new followup to ChatGPT is scarily good at deception” (Vox)

Apple’s On-Device and Server Foundation Models for Apple Intelligence (Apple)

“A toxic language filter built for speed” (IBM)

“An Open-Source Soft Robotic Platform for Autonomous Aerial Manipulation in the Wild” (Paper)

“Source2Synth: Synthetic Data Generation and Curation Grounded in Real Data Sources” (Paper)

?? Deals

PIN AI, a CA-based AI infrastructure startup creating the open platform for personal AI to convert mobile phones into privacy-focused AI-driven devices to enable users to control their data, has raised $10m in pre-seed financing.

Allegro Energy, an Australia-based climate tech startup specializing in water-based energy storage technology to offer safer, cleaner and more cost-efficient energy storage solutions, has raised $17.5m in series A financing.

Track3D, a CA-based AI startup developing an AI-driven platform providing precise progress monitoring and deviations detecting across various job activities for the construction industry, has raised $3.4m in seed financing.

Ucaneo, a Berlin-based climate tech startup specializing in biomimetic direct air capture technology to extract CO2 from the air and transform it into pure gas suitable for industrial uses, has raised €6.75m in seed financing.

StackGen, a CA-based startup building an infrastructure-as-code platform to streamline infrastructure management for developers to enhance productivity without requiring infrastructure expertise, has raised $12.3m in seed financing.

Cashmere, a LA-based wealthTech firm developing an AI-driven client acquisition platform designed to simplify the process of discovering and connecting with potential clients for wealth management companies, has raised $3.6m in seed financing.

Cerrion, a Switzerland-based startup specializing in developing video AI for industrial automation to help manufacturers achieve efficiency, cut disruptions, minimize downtime and lower injury risks, has raised $5m in financing.

Protege, a NYC-based company building a platform for AI data training to help data owners transfer their data assets to the AI ecosystem swiftly and securely, has raised $10m in seed financing.?

Illuma Labs, a TX-based fintech startup offering seamless voice authentication to replace traditional authentication methods to enhance operational efficiency and fraud prevention for bank contact centers, has raised $9m in series A financing.?

Realm.Security, a Boston-based startup providing cybersecurity data management solutions through its AI-driven data processing technology to transform extensive security data into a unified, intelligent system, has raised $5m in seed funding.?

PathPresenter, a NJ-based startup building an image sharing platform to enable pathologists to connect with the global expertise of their colleagues and AI models, has raised series A $7.5m in financing.

Operant AI, a CA-based company developing a runtime AI application protection platform to protect every layer of live applications from infrastructure to APIs, has raised $10m in series A financing.?

Beebop.ai, a Belgium-based climate tech startup developing the software to enhance grid flexibility in consumer devices by turning them into tradable assets to cut up to 50% off energy bills, has raised $5.5m in seed funding. ?

Safi Biotherapeutics, a MA-based biotech startup specializing in on-demand manufactured cell therapy products including red blood cells as a substitute for donor blood transfusions, has raised $5m in seed financing.

Bounti, CA-based startup building an AI-driving teammate platform to reduce time spent on routine tasks, allowing for more personalized and effective customer interactions, has raised $16M in seed funding.