<div>
  <ul>
    <li>
      <p>
        Impossible Foods, a California-based producer of plant-based meat alternatives announced the launch of its new Impossible Chicken Patties, which it claims can be cooked and tastes similar to traditional chicken while using 49% less land and 44% less water and generating 36% less greenhouse gas emissions during production.
      </p>
    </li>
    <li>
      <p>
        The patties are identical in taste, texture, crispy coating, as well as nutritional profile to that of Impossible&rsquo;s chicken nuggets and contain 10 grams of protein per serving while having 50% less saturated fat than its meat counterparts, according to the company.
      </p>
    </li>
    <li>
      <p>
        Impossible Chicken Patties will launch nationwide at retailers such as Safeway and Sprouts in the frozen aisles with thousands more locations&ndash;including Kroger and Albertson&ndash;slated to follow in the future. The company is also launching the patties at fast food chain Burger King for a limited time in the form of Impossible Original Chick&rsquo;n Sandwich in Cincinnati, Ohio.
      </p>
    </li>
  </ul>
  <p>
    &lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;
    <b>AnalystQuickTake: </b>
    Impossible Foods is taking a bold step with product trials at a fast-food chain during a time where plant-based meat demand has dipped, falling well below analyst expectations. Most recently, 
    <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/118530">
      Beyond Meat
    </a>
    , one of Impossible Foods&rsquo; direct competitors, experienced 
    <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/12075">
      less-than-expected performance with its McPlant burger
    </a>
     and at several other Yum Brands locations. While it is a good move by Impossible Foods to limit the product launch to one state, if the company can capitalize on it, it will possibly be able to gain an advantage over Beyond Meat.&lt;/ul&gt;
  </p>
</div>


<div>
  <p>
    <a href="https://vegconomist.com/products-launches/impossible-chicken-patties/">
      Vegconomist
    </a>
  </p>
</div>


Plant-based Meat

Impossible Foods launches new chicken patties

Autonomous and connected technologies shaping the future of the auto industry

Auto Tech

ANALYST_QUICK_TAKE

INCUMBENTS_PRESENT

PROMINENT_CATEGORY

<div>
 <p>NVIDIA, a tech company, has established a partnership with Chery Automobile, a Chinese car manufacturing giant, to create an intelligent driving platform. This platform will be based on NVIDIA's "DRIVE Thor," a centralized car computing technology, and will be initially employed in Chery's high-end vehicle models.</p>
 <p>The advanced AI capabilities of DRIVE Thor chip will be integrated into the future models of Chery to enhance the driving experience.</p>
 <p>Notably, this collaboration is an advancement from NVIDIA’s existing "DRIVE Orin" platform, utilized in Chery's latest model, "EXEED STERRA ET." This model offers features like automated driving assistance and intelligent parking.</p>
 
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
</b> NVIDIA's Drive Thor chip introduced <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/13215"> in September 2022 </a> is anticipated to power a range of next-generation vehicles, including robotaxis, autonomous delivery vehicles (ADVs), and long-haul trucks. ADV developer <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/companies/454812"> Nuro </a> and autonomous truck manufacturer <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/companies/1410679"> Waabi </a> have already integrated Drive Thor into their driving systems. Other Chinese automakers like <a href="https:<br>
//www.teslarati.com/nvida-drive-thor-chip-autonomous-vehicles/"> BYD, Li Motors, and Xpeng </a> also plan to incorporate Drive Thor into their upcoming vehicle models, highlighting the chip's broad adoption and pivotal role in advancing autonomous transportation technologies.</p>

NVIDIA to offer 'Drive Thor' platform to Chery to develop intelligent driving functions

Automation and robotics are finally creating solutions for the complexities of doorstep deliveries.

Last-mile Delivery Automation

<div>
 <p>Alphabet's drone delivery division, Wing, is partnering with the National Health Services (NHS) in the UK to test drone-based blood sample deliveries between London hospitals. They will be working alongside Apian, a medical logistics firm and this project will be financially supported by the NHS.</p>
 <p>The service is set to roll out in summer of this year, and is planned to run for six months, with potential expansion if successful. The drones will be used to transport high-priority samples between Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals in South London. The goal is to make 10 daily deliveries during weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the trial period.</p>
 
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
</b> Alphabet Wing’s upcoming UK trial would mark the company’s first drone-based delivery operations in the country. This positions the company to potentially launch ahead of <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/companies/203208"> Amazon </a> <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/22843"> this year. </a> Furthermore, Wing has previously collaborated with Apian <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/21053"> in August 2023 </a> for drone deliveries in Ireland. On a separate note, NHS is already experienced in drone-based deliveries, having previously conducted UK trials in partnership with startups including <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/companies/69024"> Zipline </a> <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/25057"> (December 2023), </a> &nbsp; <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/companies/865738"> Skyports </a> <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/20818"> (August 2023), </a> and <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/companies/1311070"> Skyfarer </a> <a href="https:<br>
//www.commercialdroneprofessional.com/coventry-universitys-medical-drone-start-up-skyfarer-takes-flight/"> (September 2020). </a></p>

Alphabet's Wing partners with NHS and Apian for drone-based blood sample deliveries between London hospitals

Foundation Models

<div>
 
 <p>Chemistry foundation model provider, Yoneda Labs, has successfully raised 4 million USD in seed funding. The investment round featured significant players including Khosla Ventures, 500 Emerging Europe, 468 Capital, Fellows Fund, and Y Combinator.</p>
 
 <p>With the funds secured, Yoneda Labs aims to establish a robotics lab designed to perform experiments on a specific set of 20,000 chemical reactions. The company's ambitious plans also extend to being able to conduct and analyze 200 experiments on a daily basis by the year's end.</p>
 
 <p>Yoneda Labs specializes in creating AI-powered software and models for the chemical industry, with a primary focus on optimizing reaction conditions. Their innovative offerings, such as Yoneda Optimize and Yoneda Predict, facilitate and improve the work of chemists. Yoneda Optimize, a desktop application, accelerates the optimization of chemical reactions, while Yoneda Predict provides medicinal chemists with accurate reaction conditions, eliminating the need for wet lab tests and preventing reaction failures due to parameter errors.</p>
 
</div>

Yoneda Labs raises USD 4 million in seed funding for product development

<div>
 
 <p>Reports suggest that Apple is in discussions with OpenAI and Google for incorporating ChatGPT and Gemini Chatbot into iOS 18. This collaboration is aimed at enhancing Siri's abilities in terms of question resolution, precise analysis, and improved assistance in writing and coding. Further information about this collaboration will be disclosed at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in June.</p>
 
</div>

Apple in talks with OpenAI and Google for advanced AI integration in iOS 18

Using data and automation to achieve 24/7 production.

Smart Factory

<div>
 
 <p>Deltia, an industrial data analytics platform, has successfully secured EUR 4.5 million (~USD 4.8 million) through a seed funding round. Cavalry Ventures was the lead investor, alongside participation from Merantix.</p>
 <p>With this new capital, Deltia intends to expedite its customer onboarding process.</p>
 <p>Operating out of Germany, Deltia provides data analytics solutions that enhance assembly line productivity. By melding AI with computer vision technology and station-mounted cameras, the company facilitates real-time monitoring and analysis of manual operations on the production floor. Besides, users can incorporate data from their existing IT systems, including ERP and MES, to digitalize manual manufacturing tasks such as assembly, packaging, and machinery tuning.&nbsp;</p>
 
</div>

Deltia raises EUR 4.5 million in seed funding to expand customer base

Exploring the limitless possibilities of AI

Generative AI Applications

<div>
 
<p>xAI, a rival AI company to OpenAI developed by Elon Musk, is said to be on the brink of securing funding worth 6 billion USD. The estimated worth of the company prior to this funding is about 18 billion USD. Leading participants in this round of funding include Sequoia Capital and Future Ventures, with the possible involvement of Valor Equity Partners and Gigafund.</p>
<p>The exact purpose of the funds remains undisclosed, however, Musk is believed to have plans to use data from his numerous ventures like Tesla, SpaceX, The Boring Company, and Neuralink to train the AI.</p>

</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
 </b> The reported round signals a significant shift in the GenAI chatbot landscape and heightened competition in the space. This influx of capital will likely enable XAI to accelerate the development and deployment of its GenAI models and products, potentially challenging the dominance of established players like OpenAI and Microsoft's Copilot.&nbsp;</p>

xAI to raise USD 6 billion in venture funding

Artificial intelligence is identifying and testing new therapies faster than ever.

AI Drug Discovery

<div>
 <p>Yoneda Labs, specializing in AI-driven software to optimize chemical reactions for pharma and materials science industries, has secured USD 4 million in seed funding from Khosla Ventures, 500 Emerging Europe, 468 Capital, Fellows Fund, and Y Combinator.</p>
 <p>The investment will enhance the development of Yoneda’s AI model. The company has identified 20,000 chemical reactions to generate proprietary data for the initial model, which has demonstrated a 95% success rate in trials. Yoneda Labs aims to use the newly raised funds to establish a robotics lab. The firm is also planning to further train the AI model by running tests on additional 20,000 chemical reactions, aiming to conduct and examine 200 chemical experiments a day.</p>
 <p>The company has two main products: Yoneda Optimize and Yoneda Predict. These solutions aim to aid the process of defining optimal reaction conditions, such as temperature, concentration, and catalyst, which can speed up the R&amp;D stages of drug discovery.</p>
</div>

Yoneda Labs raises USD 4 million in seed funding to create AI model for drug discovery

Platforms, apps, and cards to keep the corporate wallet in check

Business Expense Management

<div>
 
 <p>AP automation platform provider, AvidXchange, has expanded its collaboration with M3 Accounting Solutions. This is aimed at offering an automated financial management solution to hotels that use M3 products.</p>
 <p>Under the extended partnership, M3 customers have the ability to access AvidXchange's payment automation technology through the M3 Accounting CoreTM solution.</p>
 <p>The integration of M3's hospitality-focused ERP with AvidXchange's extensive payment network is predicted to enhance supplier relationships for hotels, boost efficiency, and deliver a more user-friendly experience to customers.</p>
 
</div> <p><b>Analyst quicktake:<br>
 </b> Avidxchange’s partnership with M3 began in <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/24711"> November 2023 </a> , and the latest extension sees a further deepening of product integrations to enhance customer experiences. This aligns with its objective of deepening adoption of its solutions across a range of industries.&nbsp;</p>

AvidXchange extends partnership with M3 to automate financial management for hoteliers

<div>
 <p>Pfizer, in partnership with the Austrian Academy of Sciences’ Research Center for Molecular Medicine (CeMM), has developed an AI and machine learning method for identifying potentially therapeutic small molecules. These findings were published in an article in Science, which detailed how the AI and machine learning platform measures the interactions between small molecules and human proteins. This research has resulted in the creation of a catalog that can serve as a foundation for future drug development. The models and data derived from this work are readily available for other researchers via a web-based application.</p>
</div>

Pfizer’s collaboration with Austrian Academy's CeMM leads to development of new AI-driven drug discovery model

The toolkit to build machine learning applications at scale

Machine Learning Infrastructure

<div>
 
 <p>AI development platform Snorkel AI has launched an upgrade for Snorkel Flow. This new update aims to simplify the process of coupling enterprise data with machine learning models for businesses.</p>
 <p>The latest improvement optimizes the integration of enterprise data. It provides connectivity to Vertex AI, Databricks Unity Catalog, and Microsoft Azure Machine Learning. These platforms allow for simplified data labeling, even facilitating coding-based labeling of multimodal data.</p>
 <p>Furthermore, the platform can be seamlessly linked with Language Learning Models (LLMs) such as Google’s Gemini 3 and Meta’s Llama 3. Such an integration offers businesses the flexibility to choose appropriate LLMs.</p>
 <p>Snorkel AI has also introduced a feature for role-based access controls (RBAC) specifically for Snorkel Flow account administrators. These controls allow administrators to manage the accessibility of enterprise data.</p>
 
</div>

All Updates