Welcome to AI Weekly Digest ?? Your essential AI briefing, carefully curated by me, Rubén Colomer, AI Specialist and GP at Next Tier Ventures. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest AI breakthroughs, key funding news, innovative tools, thought-provoking reads, and the best AI job opportunities - it's all here!
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News ?????
- OpenAI to Release 'Operator' AI Agent Capable of Performing Tasks for Users OpenAI is set to launch an autonomous AI agent, codenamed "Operator," in January, designed to handle tasks like coding and booking travel on behalf of users, according to a Bloomberg report. Initially offered as a research preview and through OpenAI's API, the tool is part of the company’s expansion into AI-driven task management
- SoftBank bets on AI and IPO revival after $7.7 billion profit. SoftBank posted a $7.7 billion profit, driven by Vision Fund gains in companies like DiDi and Revolut. Vision Fund 2, which recently invested $500 million in OpenAI, saw a $900 million gain. CEO Masayoshi Son aims to capitalize on AI, backing firms like Perplexity and Graphcore to drive future growth amid favorable IPO conditions.
- Amazon steps up effort to build AI chips to challenge Nvidia. Amazon is expanding its AI chip capabilities with the rollout of Trainium 2, aiming to compete with Nvidia’s dominance in AI processors. Spearheaded by its Annapurna Labs, Amazon seeks to cut costs and reduce dependency on Nvidia by developing specialized chips for machine learning tasks. Trainium 2 is currently tested by firms like Anthropic and Databricks, while Inferentia chips are already offering a 40% cost reduction for certain AI applications.
- Greg Brockman returns to OpenAI after three months of leave. Greg Brockman, OpenAI co-founder and president, is back after a three-month sabbatical. His return follows OpenAI's recent $157 billion valuation funding round and a wave of executive departures, including CTO Mira Murati and research chief Bob McGrew. OpenAI, now moving to a for-profit model, has faced internal shifts and controversies, including the closure of safety teams. Brockman remains a key ally of CEO Sam Altman, with whom he has shared challenges in OpenAI’s leadership transitions.
- The Beatles’ final song is now streaming thanks to AI. Machine learning has enabled Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr to finish “Now and Then,” a Beatles song left incomplete for decades. Originally recorded as a demo by John Lennon, the track was revived with AI-based audio separation technology developed during Peter Jackson's Get Back documentary. This tech isolated Lennon’s voice, allowing McCartney and Starr to add new recordings, creating a full Beatles collaboration.
- YouTube is testing a feature that lets select creators remix songs using AI. YouTube’s new feature in the Dream Track toolset allows select creators to remix songs by describing the desired style change, generating a 30-second AI-crafted snippet for Shorts. Powered by Deepmind’s Lyria model, this tool maintains the song's original essence while reimagining its genre or mood. Remixes are credited to the original song and marked as AI-modified
Funding ????
- Writer Raises $200M to Scale Enterprise Generative AI Platform. Generative AI startup Writer has secured $200 million in Series C funding, bringing its valuation to $1.9 billion. Led by Premji Invest, Radical Ventures, and ICONIQ Growth, with support from Salesforce Ventures, Adobe Ventures, B Capital, and others, the funding will expand Writer’s enterprise-focused AI solutions. CEO
May Habib
aims to strengthen the platform’s AI capabilities for mission-critical tasks
- Elon Musk's Neuralink rival Precision Neuroscience secures $93M. Brain-implant startup Precision Neuroscience raised $93 million in funding, boosting its valuation to approximately $500 million. The New York-based company, founded by ex-Neuralink cofounder
Benjamin Rapoport
and led by CEO
Michael Mager
, develops the Layer 7 Cortical Interface, a brain implant allowing users to control digital devices through thought
- Kardome Secures $10M Series A Funding to Pioneer Spatial Hearing AI Technology. Kardome, led by CEO
Dani Cherkassky
, raised $10 million in Series A funding to advance its Spatial Hearing AI technology, which enhances human-computer interaction through context-aware, voice-driven interfaces for wearables and other devices. The round was led by Korea Investment Partners (KIP), with participation from
Next Gear Ventures
,
KB Investment
,
Honeystone Ventures
, J-Ventures, Hyundai Motor Group, Talcar Corp., and Techstars
- Neo Financial raises $266M to challenge Canadian banks with AI-driven financial products. Neo Financial, led by CEO
Andrew Chau
, secured $266 million in Series D funding ($81 million in equity, $185 million in debt). Key investors include
Tobias Lütke
(Shopify) and
Stewart Butterfield
(Slack). Neo leverages AI for high-interest savings, AI-based insights, and automated savings, positioning itself as a competitive alternative to traditional banks in Canada.
- Shiru raises $16M Series B to advance AI-driven ingredient discovery. Shiru, led by CEO Dr.
Jasmin Hume, PhD
, has raised $16 million in a Series B round led by S2G Ventures, with participation from CPT Capital, Lux Capital, Nourish Ventures, and Meach Cove Capital. Shiru's AI-powered platform, ProteinDiscovery.ai, aids in discovering sustainable proteins and innovative ingredients for food, skincare, and agriculture.
- Alison.ai raises $13.3M to scale AI-powered video ad platform. Alison.ai, led by CEO
??Asaf Yanai
, closed a $13.3 million Seed round, with backing from Almaz Capital, Foresight Group,
Cardumen Capital
, Crescendo Venture Partners, and Alumni Ventures. The Israeli startup’s platform uses AI to create video ads by analyzing both customer data and competitor
- Robin AI Raises $25M to Enhance Legal AI Solutions. Robin AI secured an additional $25 million in a “Series B Plus” round, backed by PayPal Ventures, Willets (Michael Bloomberg’s family office), and the University of Cambridge. Led by CEO
Richard Robinson
, Robin AI blends AI and human expertise to provide legal services, including document review and contract analysis. Its AI platform, particularly the “Reports” tool powered by Anthropic’s Claude model, helps streamline legal workflows
- Cogna Raises $15M to Revolutionize ERP with AI-Powered Platform. U.K.-based ERP startup Cogna Ltd. has raised $15 million in a Series A round led by Notion Capital, joined by Hoxton Ventures and Chalfen Ventures. CEO Andrew Oliver's AI-driven platform enables rapid ERP deployment, reducing setup times to two weeks
- Research Grid Secures $6.5M to Automate Clinical Trial Administration with AI London-based Research Grid has raised $6.5 million in a seed round led by Fuel Ventures, with participation from Arve Capital, Ada Ventures, Morgan Stanley Inclusive Ventures Lab, and others. Founded by Dr.
Amber Michelle H.
, Research Grid uses AI to streamline clinical trial processes, helping medical institutions save time and reduce costs
M&A ??
- Integral Federal Acquires Pragmatics for Strategic Expansion in National Security AI Services. Integral Federal, led by CEO Wayne Wilkinson, has acquired Pragmatics, an IT services firm specializing in Agile development and DevSecOps in the cloud. Pragmatics’ CEO, Long Nguyen, emphasized the shared mission to provide high-quality, innovation-driven solutions. This acquisition, based in McLean, Virginia, strengthens Integral’s capabilities in AI-powered mission-critical support for government agencies, enhancing its influence in the national security sector through Pragmatics' established relationships and 40 years of experience.
- Bluecore Acquires Alby to Boost AI-Powered Shopping Assistance. Bluecore, led by CEO Fayez Mohamood, has acquired Alby, an AI-driven virtual shopping assistant platform founded by Max Bennett. Alby utilizes generative AI to answer customer questions, enhancing engagement through predictive, real-time responses. Alby’s technology integrates large language models like OpenAI's ChatGPT, allowing brands to tailor responses based on consumer data
- Xilligence Acquires Hi-Tech to Expand IT Service Offerings and Integrate AI Solutions. Xilligence Technologies, led by CEO Vikram Nair, has acquired Chennai-based Hi Tech Informatics to strengthen its IT service offerings. This acquisition merges Xilligence's expertise in software and cloud solutions with Hi Tech's infrastructure management services. Hi Tech, founded by Madhyamvetu Shivadas, will continue to operate under its brand with Santosh Menon as the new CEO.
Interesting Reads ????
- 33 of the best AI courses you can take online for free. A range of free AI courses are available on Udemy, offering foundational knowledge without cost. Courses include "AI-900: Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals," "AI Art Generation Guide," "AI-Powered Chatbot: Build Your Own with No Code," and "Introduction to Artificial Intelligence." While they lack certificates and instructor interaction, these resources provide extensive content to help learners explore AI at their own pace
- How real-world businesses are transforming with AI: 200 use cases. Microsoft's AI tools are driving transformation across industries, with companies seeing a $3.70 return for every $1 invested. Fortune 500 companies use AI to enhance employee productivity, streamline customer interactions, optimize processes, and accelerate innovation. Examples include Access Holdings cutting task times with Microsoft 365 Copilot and Adobe boosting creativity with generative AI.
- AI transforms SaaS: Incumbents and startups prepare for agent economy shake-up. AI-driven agents are reshaping the software industry, shifting from task augmentation to full automation, challenging traditional SaaS models. As agentic systems expand into payroll-dominated markets, both incumbents and startups face a new landscape of competition, pricing changes, and the need for adaptable tech architectures to succeed.
- Graph-based AI model maps the future of innovation. MIT's Markus Buehler has developed a graph-based AI model that uncovers hidden links between diverse fields like science, music, and art to inspire new materials. By using category theory and generative AI, the model finds shared patterns of complexity across domains, as seen in parallels between biological structures and Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 9.” The AI also suggested creating a mycelium-based material inspired by Kandinsky's abstract art, hinting at future sustainable materials and bio-inspired designs that could reshape material science.
- Fintech revolution: How AI is reshaping financial services. AI is transforming finance by automating customer service, enhancing risk management, and enabling hyper-personalized products. In the UAE, AI-driven fintech innovations are building a more efficient, digitally-focused financial ecosystem.
- AI's transformative impact on data strategies: Organizations worldwide are embracing generative AI (GenAI) as a powerful tool for innovation and productivity. The Databricks "State of Data + AI" report reveals that businesses are now significantly more efficient at deploying machine learning (ML) models in production, with a threefold increase in efficiency. Natural language processing (NLP) continues to dominate as the most-used AI application, while vector databases and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) are reshaping how companies integrate proprietary data into large language models (LLMs) for enhanced accuracy.
- McKinsey Technology Trends Outlook 2024. Which technology trends matter most for companies in 2024? New analysis by the McKinsey Technology Council highlights the adoption, development, and industry effects of advanced technologies.
Startups / Tools ?????
- PaperGen: A tool that helps generate well-structured, long-form academic papers with fully referenced citations, ensuring originality, clarity, and precision. It includes AI detection bypassing for more human-like writing, auto-generates charts and graphs for data visualization, and provides options for credentialed web citations.
- Herbie: An AI research agent tailored for founders, analysts, and executives, designed to handle market research, competitor analysis, and report generation. Herbie operates through email requests, creates detailed briefs, and delivers in-depth reports by connecting to the Internet and internal data sources as needed. It is capable of web research, video analysis, and internal data review, offering data-driven insights and tailored reports in minutes, 24/7.
- Browse AI: A no-code platform that allows users to train robots to extract and monitor data from any website in minutes. It supports scheduled data extraction, real-time monitoring for changes, and provides prebuilt robots for popular tasks. Browse AI integrates with over 7,000 applications like Google Sheets, Airtable, and Zapier, making data management seamless and scalable.
- Sona: A conversation capture tool that records, transcribes, summarizes, and generates actionable insights from meetings or discussions. Available on iPhone, Apple Watch, and Desktop, Sona allows users to easily obtain transcriptions, summaries, action items, and insights, and even chat for follow-up questions. With support for over 99 languages, Sona operates discreetly in the background without visible bots, enhancing productivity for teams and individuals.
- Bidcrunch: A top platform for government contractors, Bidcrunch provides access to over 3.5 million tenders across Europe. With AI-driven smart search, users can find tailored results, save favorite listings, and receive notifications on relevant updates. Bidcrunch’s competitive intelligence tools enable tracking of competitors’ contract wins and expirations, while its market analytics offer customizable reports.
NTV Highlights ????
Next Tier Ventures will participate in the VIII Congreso de Científicos Emprendedores on November 28 and 29 at Fundación Botín in Madrid. We'll join a roundtable discussion titled AI for Change: Exploring New Frontiers in Scientific Entrepreneurship alongside Andreu Climent (Corify Care), Ignasi Belda (AESIA), and Mikel Artetxe (Reka AI). Looking forward to exploring the impact and potential of AI in scientific entrepreneurship.
The VDS2024 concluded with over 12,000 attendees last week, where Next Tier Ventures played a key role in organizing, content creation, and bringing speakers, especially in AI and VC. If you’ve been in Valencia visiting us these past days, here’s the link to all the event photos.
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Stay tuned for more AI insights and updates in the next issue of AI Weekly Digest!. Until then, keep exploring the exciting world of artificial intelligence.
