Tag: Tech Startups

  • The Most Valuable AI Startups In Europe

    The Most Valuable AI Startups In Europe

    2 min read

    AI startups in Europe

    The field of AI and MA is one of the most interesting businesses for European venture capital. From the beginning of this year, there were 323 VC contracts in Europe in these businesses. That brought almost $2.1 billion in total.

    Much more than the last year.

    The reason behind is that there are so many fields to apply AI technology.

    This variety is seen in the top five most important European AI startups. Let’s take a look at them.

    Graphcore (Valuation: $1.7 billion) 

    This is one of the most valued AI startups in Europe. As a difference from the other companies, Graphcore is essentially involved in the hardware behind AI tech. This England-based unicorn develops a new-generation computer processor to hasten machine intelligence learning. Graphcore carries the highest valuation of AI startups in Europe. It reached $200 million Series D co-led by Atomico and Sofina.

    Darktrace (Valuation: $1.65 billion) 

    Based in the UK this cybersecurity startup utilizes AI and machine learning to examine and recognize security vulnerabilities and malicious traffic. Darktrace reached its current valuation when it raised a $50 million Series E led by Vitruvian Partners last September KKR and TenEleven Ventures also funded this startup

    Meero (Valuation: $1 billion)

    The France-based developer of an on-demand photography platform is one of two French startups on the list. It uses AI to quickly process digital images for customers in over 100 countries. Meero funded $230 million in a Series C co-led by Eurazeo and Prime Ventures. 

    Iov42 (Valuation: €520 million)

    This startup rides AI and Blockchain. Iov42 develops an AI-powered blockchain-operating platform that gives service to cryptocurrencies. Its latest investment was a €20 million Series C3. 

    ContentSquare (Valuation: €276.8 million)

    ContentSquare develops a platform that assists businesses to understand how and why clients are associating with their app, mobile and web sites. This Paris-based company applies a mixture of behavioral data, AI and big data to give automatic recommendations, measure content performance and understand visitor intentions. In January, the company raised a €52.55 million Series C led by Eurazeo. Highland Europe and Canaan Partners also funded it.

    Bottom line

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is an important sector for Europe and it can be a hack for economic growth. For some people, it still represents destructive robot troops that will wipe out humans.

    As you can see it is worth business.

    Technology, throughout history, has demonstrated to increase the productivity of countries creating new jobs. But instead, this technology is connected to the deadly robot troops.

    We need a new tech generation. Yes, it is very expensive and not truly strong enough to make a notable impact on economies. But it absolutely will be

     

  • THE BUSINESS OF TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE

    THE BUSINESS OF TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE

    1 min read

    THE BUSINESS OF TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE

    CLIMATE CHANGE IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST, IF NOT THE BIGGEST, ISSUES FACING THE PLANET TODAY. ITS SYMPTOMS ARE NUMEROUS AND CATASTROPHIC, AFFECTING PEOPLE – DISPROPORTIONATELY THOSE IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD, ANIMALS, AND ECOSYSTEMS. INCREASINGLY BUSINESSES SEE SUSTAINABILITY AS A COMMERCIAL IMPERATIVE, LINKED TO THEIR FUTURE SUCCESS. HOWEVER, MORE TRULY GREEN-MINDED BUSINESSES ARE NEEDED – BUSINESSES THAT ARE SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE OF THEIR GREEN IDEAS RATHER THAN IN SPITE OF THEM.

    The idea of Postcode Lottery Green Challenge was sparked from a comment made at the Postcode Lottery World Meeting in the Netherlands in 2006. Former President Bill Clinton spoke about the importance of supporting entrepreneurs who are battling against climate change. This stuck with the team here. Our Postcode Lotteries were already making ordinary people winners while providing much-needed income to charities and good causes in our home countries and around the world, but what about start-ups and entrepreneurs? Could we support these innovators throughout the world and their ideas to make it better? With those questions in mind, the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge was born. Worldwide competition for people with carbon emission-reducing ideas who need the funds and support to get their ideas off the ground.

    Now in its 12th year, Postcode Lottery Green Challenge is an international sustainable entrepreneurship competition. There is combined prize money of €1 million for the five best start-ups, of which the winner receives €500,000, to develop their businesses. As chair of the preliminary jury for this year’s challenge, I’ve had the pleasure of gaining an understanding of the 845 environmentally-minded start-ups that applied this year, as well as getting to know the entrepreneurs that have previously been successful.

    What is very clear to me is that it is not only about having the most revolutionary idea or finding a gap in the market, it’s about feasibility and scalability. A low-tech application can make just as big a difference and bring about lasting change.

    London-based start-up bio-bean has grown rapidly since winning Postcode Lottery Green Challenge, thanks to taking a simple but novel idea and executing it well. Based on its premise that there is no such thing as waste, only resources in the wrong place, bio-bean transforms waste coffee grounds into biofuel and biochemicals. Having won the competition in 2014, it started large-scale operations in 2015 and launched its first product in 2016, when the team also grew to over 40 people and research and development was broadened. This is a company that considers both environmental and financial sustainability as integral components to a business and has seen considerable success because of that.

    This year, another British start-up, LettUs Grow, has made it to the final of the global competition, which means it has won at least €100,000 which could be upped to the main prize of €500,000 if it wins. The team at LettUs Grow have designed an efficient irrigation and control technology for indoor farms using soil-free, aeroponic technology where the plant roots are suspended in a nutrient-dense mist. This will improve ‘vertical farming’ in cities; delivering higher crop yields and reducing production costs, as well as meaning we don’t need to follow our taste buds around the globe – it can be grown at the point of consumption. Their plan was to make a product which would allow people to grow their own salad from their kitchen, and it has developed from there.

    The other finalists include, The Great Bubble Barrier from the Netherlands, which has created an air bubble curtain to stop plastic from reaching the sea, the American start-up AlgiKnit, which makes fibres from kelp to transform the highly polluting textile industry into a circular economy, Estonian company Reverse Resources, which has developed a software platform for the clothing industry’s recycling process, and also from the Netherlands, AquaBattery, which has developed a sustainable energy storage system.

    Ideas such as these are the ones that are really going to change the world. Within our current society, individual actions are important and add up, but we need commercial options that will benefit people as well as the planet if we really want to move forward – it’s an exciting time for business.

    Read more HERE

    The original article was published on  https://www.markemlickprivateequity.com

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