Square Peg invests in emerging technology companies across the internet economy in Australia, Singapore and Tel Aviv. The fund supports outstanding entrepreneurs solving big problems in a unique and differentiated way. The company is a group of individuals united by a passion for technology and its potential to change the world. It partners with outstanding entrepreneurs that are building online and technology leaders of tomorrow and support them by leveraging their decades of experience building, investing in, and advising technology businesses, from start-up to multi-billion dollar public enterprises. We focus on Australia and New Zealand, South-East Asia, and Israel.

Square Peg Capital

OIF Ventures is a leading Australian venture capital firm that champions exceptional founders, driven by purpose, who add material value to their customers, markets, and communities. They invest in early stage companies with innovative, high-growth and disruptive technologies and have deep conviction in the power of technology founders and give their all to make them succeed.  Founded in 2016, OIF Ventures is headquartered in Sydney, New South Wales.

OIF Ventures

Skip Capital is passionate about backing technology-enabled businesses. It invests in founders and teams with deep experience, who are solving global problems. Skip Capital has made investments in artificial intelligence (AI), software as a service (SaaS), health tech, artificial intelligence, internet of things (IoT), energy, food, education, wellness, and infra-tech. The firm was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Sydney, New South Wales.

Skip Capital

Prosus Ventures is a venture investing arm of Prosus that invests in technology startups. They identify companies and founders with high potential and the ambition to scale globally correctly. Their goal is to help companies quickly impact the communities where they operate and provide them with tailored support that enables them to be leaders in their chosen markets.

Prosus Ventures

EQT is a private equity firm. They invest in companies and regions where there is an industrial approach. Their investment strategies include private capital, assets, credit, and public value, guided by an ownership approach and an industrial growth strategy.

Partners Group are a unique, global alternative asset manager with strong Swiss roots, proactively providing their international client base with innovative, customized solutions. With CHF 19.2 billion in private equity assets under management, a global team of over 130 private equity professionals in seven offices, and over 300 partnership investments led by over 200 general partners, Partners Group is one of the largest private equity asset managers worldwide.

Partners Group

Neara

Neara offers predictive modeling software that enables utilities to govern their networks proactively. The platform allows users to simulate severe weather scenarios and assess network vulnerabilities, ensuring informed decision-making.

Australia-based Neara provides a digital twin platform to maintain and monitor assets in the energy and utility industry. Applying AI and ML on the data captured, the software creates digital models to perform complex engineering analysis on infrastructure networks and assets to optimize the use of renewable energy and reduce the impact of weather disruptions.&nbsp;

Using real-time data to create dynamic virtual representations of the real world

Digital Twin

Neara banks $45 million to expand its global utility partnerships

Australia-based Neara provides a digital twin platform to maintain and monitor assets in the energy and utility industry. Applying AI and ML on the data captured, the software creates digital models to perform complex engineering analysis on infrastructure networks and assets to optimize the use of renewable energy and reduce the impact of weather disruptions.&nbsp;Apart from the digital twin solution, the company offers the spatial modules (automate workflows), design modules (for design process), and analyze modules (for asset performance).&nbsp;As of May 2022, the company had modeled over 390,000 of network miles and a total of 2.4 million assets.&nbsp;Key customers and partnershipsThe company has several customers in the energy and utility industry, including PowerCo Australia, Essential Energy, Western Power, United Energy, and Southern California Edison.In July 2022, Australian electricity distributor Endeavour Energy used Neara’s platform to model the impact of floods on its network, staff, and customers.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Norway-based Cognite is a provider of digital twin modeling software for an entire operation through complex industrial data. With machine learning and physics simulators, companies are able to use these for predictive maintenance, production optimization, and better decision-making.&nbsp;Its main solution Cognite Data Fusion offers an open industrial digital twin by integrating IT, operational, and engineering data from sources such as ERPs, MES, and IoT platforms. The data is cleaned and contextualized into a single location and turned into insights for actionable advice, which then is used to build and automate workflows. The company claimed to be the first company to <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/17445">achieve DNV-RP-A204 compliance </a>for its core product, Cognite Data Fusion.&nbsp;In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16217">February 2023</a>, the company advanced with new data-modeling capabilities to accelerate (up to 10–25x) deployments of industrial digital solutions and reduce cost and complexity for users. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/25399">January 2024</a>, the company launched the beta version of a GenAI remote operations control room at the Celanese facility to deliver real-time operational transparency.&nbsp;Key customers and partnershipsThe company provides its solution mainly to the oil and gas, power and utilities, and manufacturing sectors. Its key customers include Siemens and Rockwell Automation.&nbsp;The company had partnered with Microsoft in January 2024 to integrate Cognite Data Fusion with Microsoft Fabric and deliver an AI-powered industrial data operations solution. In June 2022, Cognite formed a joint venture, CNTXT, with Saudi Aramco to provide its digitization services in the Middle East region for the private and public sectors. Also, in October 2022, the company partnered with industrial automation company Rockwell Automation to develop an industrial data hub for the manufacturing sector by combining Rockwell’s software, FactoryTalk, and Cognite Data Fusion.Furthermore, in September 2022, the company partnered with Schlumberger to integrate Cognite Data Fusion to Schlumberger’s Enterprise Data Solution to contextualize data in an interoperable platform.&nbsp;Funding and financialsThe company raised USD 150 million in May 2021 in an equity funding round from TCV, which brought the valuation of the company to USD 1.6 billion. The funds were allocated toward expanding its platform to global industries.&nbsp;Furthermore, in January 2022, petroleum and gas company Saudi Aramco purchased 100% of Aker BP's shares in Cognite to own a majority stake of 7.4% at a value of USD 183 million.

Cognite

Nexar is a developer of smart dash cams that gathers real-time street footage to create a digital twin of the physical world and provide data to users for decision-making. As of June 2024, the company had covered over 1.5 billion miles of imagery and holds 4T images in a neural library.&nbsp;Using AI and computer vision, captured images and videos from cars are localized on a map to detect any changes in roads to provide actionable changed data across the platform CityStream and Nexar network. The platform provides features such as detecting changes on the road (such as road blockages, potholes, and construction), driver behavioral maps, autonomous vehicles systems, and compute and connectivity optimization.&nbsp;In August 2022, the company acquired Portugal-based Veniam to combine its data with Veniam’s communications technology and provide real-time mapping for mobility applications.&nbsp;Key customers and partnershipsThe company operates a B2B business model providing its services to enterprises and institutions in the logistics, road construction, and insurance industries. Its key customers include the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, which partnered with Nexar in May 2021 to improve road management in Las Vegas. Also, in August 2021, the company partnered with Black Car Fund to provide cameras for Black car operators (rideshare drivers) in New York to protect Black Car Fund members in the case of accident or assault.&nbsp;It also partnered with AWS to deploy images, videos, and AI detections using AWS.&nbsp;Funding and financialsThe company raised USD 53 million in November 2021 in a Series D funding round led by Qumra Capital. The funds were used to scale its digital twin service using dash cam footage for automotive OEMs and cities.

Nexar

Seeq is a provider of data analytics enabling insights, predictions, and collaboration for better production and business outcomes.The company’s product portfolio includes software for data analytics including 1) Seeq Workbench for advanced analytics, 2) Seeq Organizer for publishing reports and dashboards, 3) Seeq Data Lab for accessing Python libraries, and 4) Seeq Cortex for IT governance, data connectivity, and calculation features. Furthermore, the company provides deployment via cloud, SaaS solutions, and on premise depending on the customer’s system.Key customers and partnershipsThe company provides its services in more than 40 countries focusing on process manufacturing industries, including oil and gas, pharmaceutical, chemical, energy, mining, and food and beverage. In June 2024, Seeq partnered with Equinor, an international energy company, to leverage Seeq's platform across Equinor's global assets.Seeq’s software is built on long-term vendor partnerships such as SIsoft, Honeywell (since 2017), and Siemens (since 2017). Seeq has also partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure to develop features specific to their offerings, recognizing Seeq's expertise in providing cloud solutions for the manufacturing and industrial sector. Other partners include Schneider Electric and Inductive Automation.

Seeq

Q Bio provides a predictive assessment platform to analyze existential risk in an individual’s health. The company claims its platform, Gemini Digital Twin, is the fastest and safest scanner, and taking 15 minutes to scan the entire body.The company provides the Q Exam, which gathers millions of data points from the individual’s body, such as blood, saliva, and vitals, and sends results via a web-based Q Dashboard to the individual’s physicians. Data is facilitated via the Gemini platform that captures whole body patient vitals in a non-invasive manner.&nbsp;&nbsp;The company operates a B2B2C business model offering services via employers and to individuals. It charges membership plans for one year at USD 3,495 for one exam and USD 6,495 for two exams.&nbsp;Q Bio's is developing the Mark I scanner which uses proprietary tensor field mapping technology to offer full-body scans with 3,000 anatomical measurements in just 10 minutes, creating digital twins and large biological models for health insights. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/31878">July 2024</a>, Q Bio secured USD 27 million in strategic funding to propel the Mark I scanner toward market launch.&nbsp;Key customers and partnershipsIn May 2021, the company partnered with Amazon Web Services to provide Q Bio’s services on its cloud platform.

Q Bio

Israel-based Locusview has developed a digital construction management platform to allow companies to manage projects from start to end. The platform is supported by technological capabilities in physical assets, such as plastic and steel pipes, to enable a digital thread (information of an asset such as model or size) and for supply chain and asset traceability.&nbsp;The platform provides features to manage construction projects in and off the field including GPS and sensor-based data collection, fieldwork validations, cloud-based deployment and scaling, real-time progress tracking, online approvals, and built-in reports. Furthermore, companies can lease the complete solution or get a consultation for a customized solution.The company operates a B2B business model, providing its services mainly to the energy, utilities, and telecom industries.&nbsp;Key customers and partnershipsThe company’s customer base includes more than 30 leading energy utilities and telecom companies. The company has a market presence in India, the US, Australia, Mexico, the UK, and Israel.&nbsp;The company had partnered with Esri to offer a complete end-to-end solution for Esri-based utilities. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Funding and financialsThe company raised USD 64 million in April 2021 in a Series A funding round led by Israel Growth Partners. The funds were used to expand the platform capabilities and for market expansion.

Locusview

Companies that facilitate the creation of digital twins to monitor and maintain assets, including buildings and network infrastructure.

Platforms that facilitate digital twin modeling by either collectively or individually offering any combination of data capture and analytics solutions.

Companies that offer digital twins to gain insights for use in commercial planning, logistics and distribution, and other supply chain processes.

Companies that offer digital twins to assess risks and recommend solutions in areas such as disaster management, DNA testing, clinical trials (to simulate effects of treatments), etc.

Companies that offer digital twins to design and build components contributing to smart cities, roads, airports, public transportation systems, etc.

Startups can create digital twins of cities; enables modeling/simulation to improve efficiency/quality of life

Startups can use digital twins to automate and proactively monitor industrial production lines and facilities

Digital twins are the primary enabling technology for the digital twin industry

ANALYST_QUICK_TAKE

<div>

Australia-based digital twin provider Neara raised USD 45 million in Series C funding led by EQT, with participation from Partners Group, Square Peg Capital, Skip Capital, and Prosus Ventures.
 The new funds will accelerate Neara's global operations across the US, UK, Europe, and Asia-Pacific and expand its modeling and simulation capabilities to new infrastructure sectors, including telecommunications and public transportation.

</div> Analyst QuickTake: 
 Since raising an additional USD 10 million in a Series B extension in <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/22272"> September 2023 </a> , Naera has expanded its modeling by 50% to cover over 12 million infrastructure assets. This growth aligns with its ongoing strategy to accelerate global expansion.

Neara

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