PwC Israel teams up with OurCrowd’s Israel Resilience Fund
A weekly selection of news and investment opportunities from OurCrowd, the global venture investing platform
Startup of the Week
D-ID: Humanizing virtual interactions with Gen AI, funding round closing soon
GenAI and large language models are transforming the business world. OurCrowd portfolio company and Y Combinator graduate D-ID is at the forefront of this revolution with its “Agents” AI platform. The AI avatars can hear, think, and speak, enabling businesses of all sizes to provide consumers with lifelike customer experience and service on demand. The D-ID platform taps retrieval augmented generation (RAG) technology, enabling the Agents to comprehend the user’s environment and respond with over 90% accuracy in under two seconds. D-ID’s ARR grew 10X YOY at the end of 2023 and the company forecasts a further 3X YOY ARR increase by the end of 2024. The company recently signed 10 enterprise deals with clients such as NTT, Fidelity, and SoftBank. D-ID’s current funding round is closing soon but is still available to OurCrowd investors for a limited time. Additional details are available under NDA.
PwC Israel teams up with OurCrowd’s Israel Resilience Fund?
PwC Israel will provide business support to portfolio companies in OurCrowd’s Israel Resilience Fund . Launched in November 2023, the fund is a pioneering initiative that is investing in Israeli startups impacted by the Swords of Iron war. “Our involvement in the program is focused on helping the portfolio companies with their business development and fundraising efforts in Israel and abroad, connections to a large pool of finance executives who are committed to supporting the companies, dedicated mentorship from our experts, and more,” says Guy Preminger, Technology Leader at PwC Israel. Investors have committed over $17M to the fund which has so far approved financing for 34 startups, of which half are outside the existing OurCrowd portfolio. The Israel Resilience Fund is currently funding on the OurCrowd platform.?
Hailo taps Toyota’s NEXTY for automotive market expansion
Hailo , our pioneering chipmaker of edge AI processors, chose NEXTY Electronics , one of the core members of the Toyota Tsusho Group’s electronics business, as its second sales partner in Japan where it will focus on further advancing the company’s AI products in the automotive market. “Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) is a key area of growth for Hailo and our partnership with NEXTY Electronics will be critical to help us expand our market presence,” says Nori Kojima, General Manager of Hailo Japan. “Hailo’s edge AI processors are cost effective and offer high-performance data processing and low power consumption to the automotive market, making advanced ADAS and autonomous driving features accessible for mass market vehicles.” Hailo’s current funding round is fully subscribed and available for a limited time to OurCrowd investors.?
EU fund joins $20M NeuReality round
The EIC Fund, the venture arm of the European Commission’s EIC Accelerator program, joined the $20M funding round of our portfolio company NeuReality which helps accelerate the adoption of AI. NeuReality provides a proprietary infrastructure for AI processing with dedicated architecture that significantly improves performance while cutting hardware and energy costs. “We recognize the increasing importance of the European Union’s leadership in AI and blazing a different path of high efficiency versus high spending,” says Svetoslava Georgieva, Chair of the EIC Fund Board. “NeuReality’s vision and disruptive technology align with our commitment to fortifying the region’s deep tech and AI investments for a sustainable, AI-powered future.” The EIC Fund joins OurCrowd investors in the round alongside Varana Capital, Cleveland Avenue, XT Hi-Tech, Cardumen Capital, Glory Ventures and Alumni Venture Group.
Postcards from the edge AI revolution
Morgan Stanley, UBS and other experts predict that AI technology will shift decisively from centralized data centers to edge devices of all kinds, creating a major investment opportunity in startups developing next-generation edge AI chips – like our portfolio company Hailo , says OurCrowd CEO Jon Medved. Read more in his new ‘Investors on the Frontlines’ column.
NVIDIA taps Classiq software in new quantum simulation platform
NVIDIA integrated software from our portfolio company Classiq in a new quantum computing cloud service. Quantum Cloud enables researchers and developers to push the boundaries of quantum computing exploration in key scientific domains including chemistry, biology, and materials science. With Classiq’s integration, quantum researchers are able to generate large, sophisticated quantum programs and to deeply analyze and execute quantum circuits.
Google Cloud, BioCatch offer financial crime prevention to emerging markets
Google Cloud and our behavioral biometrics intelligence pioneer BioCatch , are offering digital-fraud detection and financial-crime prevention products to emerging markets with an initial focus on Southeast Asia. “The APAC market has seen a massive rise in advanced financial cybercrime, with criminals adopting sophisticated social engineering tactics that have proved difficult to foil in real-time with legacy security controls,” says Richard Booth, BioCatch's Head of the APAC market. “This exciting partnership with Google Cloud allows us to meet these attackers head-on, leveraging an advanced global infrastructure to scale our solutions and fight fraud as it occurs.”?
领英推荐
Dataloop integrates NVIDIA AI software?
Our AI development pioneer Dataloop is integrating software from NVIDIA AI Enterprise into its platform to help businesses develop and refine AI applications. The move will enable better data management and curation, as well as improved data automation workflows for Dataloop clients. “Our collaboration with NVIDIA marks a significant milestone in the AI development cycle,” says Avi Yashar, Co-founder and CEO of Dataloop. “By combining Dataloop's platform with NVIDIA AI technologies, we are enhancing AI development and deployment, empowering our customers to leverage high-quality, optimized AI applications.”
Nexa3D acquires 3D-Fuel?
Our 3D printing innovator Nexa3D acquired sustainable filament maker 3D-Fuel, Michael Molitch-Hou reports for 3D Print.com . 3D-Fuel produces plastic-based filaments using plant-based inputs and carbon captured from plants in its main product lines. By leveraging Nexa3D’s expertise and resources, 3D-Fuel aims to expand its product range, enhance operational efficiency, and drive forward research and development efforts. 3D-Fuel customers will have access to Nexa3D’s portfolio of validated resins, metals, and thermoplastic materials.
BlueGreen Water launches World Water Day campaign
BlueGreen Water Technologies launched its Beware the Bloom! campaign to raise awareness of harmful algal blooms. Timed to coincide with World Water Day, the campaign warns people about cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, which can be found in hundreds of lakes across the US. Triggered by rising temperatures, they often produce dangerous toxins that can sicken people and pets, threaten drinking water supplies, and hurt businesses, livelihoods, and local economies. “Unfortunately, toxic algae is now a year-round occurrence,” says Jan Spin, President of Americas at BlueGreen. “We hope Beware the Bloom! helps everyone make informed decisions, not just during prime harmful algae season, but any time they are near a body of water.”
IDF reservist declares victory with Insightec treatment
After serving four months in reserve duty as a platoon commander in Gaza, 57 year-old Motti Ben-Lulu was called up to fight another battle, this one against the severe hand tremors he has suffered from for over 30 years, Lior El-Hai reports for Ynet . Ben-Lulu was treated with MRI-guided focused ultrasound technology from our portfolio company Insightec at Rambam hospital in Haifa. The technology burns a tiny part of the brain which serves as a relay station for transmitting electrical signals. Ben-Lulu, who is now adjusting to his new life, emphasizes that it's nothing short of a miracle: “I'm doing things I never thought I'd be able to do - eating spaghetti, hammering a nail, holding a steady hand. I'm a completely new person,” he says.
Check out all funding opportunities on the OurCrowd platform
More than 2,200 high-tech jobs worldwide
Looking for a job? You may find your next adventure with an OurCrowd portfolio company on our?Portfolio Jobs ?page. We have more than 2,200 vacancies at our portfolio companies around the world, seeking skilled staff at all levels from coders to bookkeepers, data scientists to dealmakers. Click on the link and start looking for the next step in your high-tech journey.
?
About this Newsletter
Startup Beat?is a weekly selection of news and investment opportunities from?OurCrowd , the global venture investing platform.
Subscribe now to receive Startup Beat every week.
OurCrowd is a global venture investing platform. To date we have more than $2.3 billion in commitments, 230,000 registered investors, 440 portfolio companies, 56 venture funds and 63 exits.
Are you interested in investing in privately held startups, funds and exclusive private market alternatives? Join our worldwide community of accredited investors. Register for the OurCrowd platform?HERE .
Nothing contained in and accompanying this communication shall be construed as an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation to purchase any security by OurCrowd, its portfolio companies or any third party. Information regarding OurCrowd’s limited partnerships and/or portfolio companies and the investment opportunities on OurCrowd’s website is intended and available for accredited investors only (criteria at?our website ). OurCrowd urges potential investors to consult with licensed legal professionals and investment advisors for any legal, tax, insurance, or investment advice.
?