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 German-based RIIICO, a maintenance and monitoring company in the digital twin industry, has raised USD 1.5 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Earlybird Venture Capital and the company&rsquo;s US-based investors.&nbsp;
 
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 The company did not disclose the use of funds.&nbsp;
 
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 RIIICO has developed a digital twin creation platform, specifically for manufacturing companies to generate digital layouts of its factory. The company uses AI and meshing algorithms on 3D scans to build the digital twin and enable virtual simulations and monitoring of a factory via VR/AR applications. The company&rsquo;s key customers include Siemens, Porsche, and Volkswagen.&nbsp;
 
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Digital Twin

RIIICO raises USD 1.5 million in pre-seed funding

Empowering Tomorrow's Innovations with Generative AI Infrastructure

Generative AI Infrastructure

ANALYST_QUICK_TAKE

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 Snowflake, a company specializing in cloud-based data and AI infrastructure, has agreed to acquire Datavolo, a provider of multimodal data pipelines for AI, for an undisclosed sum.
 Datavolo uses Apache NiFi, an open-source project initiated by the NSA, to develop a platform that streamlines data flows between enterprise data sources. Datavolo's technology is designed to process, extract, clean, transform, and enrich data for GenAI applications.
 In the wake of the acquisition, Snowflake intends to integrate Datavolo into its own platform, thereby enhancing its data engineering capacities. This will allow customers to swap out complex, direct connectors for more flexible and reusable pipelines. Snowflake also plans to continue maintaining the Apache NiFi project, while also aiming to expand its presence in the public sector.
</div> Analyst QuickTake: 
 This strategic acquisition aligns with Snowflake's focus on the public sector and follows its previous acquisition of <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/33819"> Night Shift Development </a> in September 2024. This move aimed to enhance decision-making for government agencies by establishing a dedicated entity for the US public sector, enabling new methods of collaboration with public organizations.

Snowflake acquires Datavolo to enhance data integration capabilities for undisclosed sum

Data Infrastructure & Analytics

<div>
 Snowflake, a company specializing in cloud-based data and AI infrastructure, has announced its intentions to acquire Datavolo, a firm that provides robust data pipelines for AI applications. The financial details of the agreement remain undisclosed.
 Datavolo makes use of Apache NiFi, an open-source project originally developed by the NSA, to design a platform that automates the movement of data between various enterprise data sources. Their technology handles processing, extraction, cleansing, transformation, and enrichment of data for GenAI applications.
 Post-acquisition, Snowflake intends to absorb Datavolo into its platform in a move to bolster its data engineering capabilities. This merger will enable Snowflake's customers to substitute complicated point-to-point connectors with versatile, reusable pipelines. Furthermore, Snowflake plans to continue the upkeep of the Apache NiFi project and looks forward to expediting its growth in the public sector.
</div> Analyst QuickTake: 
 This strategic acquisition aligns with Snowflake's focus on the public sector and follows its previous acquisition of <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/33819"> Night Shift Development </a> in September 2024. This move aimed to enhance decision-making for government agencies by establishing a dedicated entity for the US public sector, enabling new methods of collaboration with public organizations.

Technology providers that enhance satellite operations

Next-gen Satellites

INCUMBENTS_PRESENT

PROMINENT_CATEGORY

<div>
 ICEYE, a company specializing in Earth observation, is to take the lead role in a consortium created to develop space technologies for the Finnish Ministry of Defense F-35 program. Other participants in the consortium will include Lockheed Martin, Insta, Huld, DA-Group, and the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
 The objective of this partnership is progress in the field of space and joint intelligence technologies. This includes the development of AI-derived analytics, mobile intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) cell development, and high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging. Lockheed Martin will provide its Ground Antenna Transmit Receive (GATR) system for automated satellite imagery analysis, while Finnish firms will contribute their expertise on command and control, digital solutions, and radio frequency systems.
 The goal of this initiative is not just technological innovation, but also strengthening the security and aerospace capabilities of Finland and fostering partnerships with friendly nations and NATO Allies. Other top priority issues this initiative plans to handle are AI cybersecurity, with Lockheed Martin and the National Institute of Standards and Technology working on standards that will protect AI systems from hostile machine learning attacks.
</div>

ICEYE partners with Lockheed Martin and Finnish firms to develop defense space technologies

AI, robotics, and IoT to streamline the flow of goods and information

Logistics Tech

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 Dematic, a warehouse automation solutions provider, has installed its AutoStore goods-to-person (GTP) system at South West Healthcare's Regional Logistics Distribution Centre in Warrnambool, Victoria. The implementation features selective pallet racking for large items and supports 13 hospitals in the region.
 The AutoStore GTP system uses robots to fetch totes from a storage grid and transport them to ergonomic pick stations, automating the picking process with order fulfillment capabilities. It sports a modular design to allow future growth. The system can accommodate up to 6,500 totes and requires 80% less space than conventional manual racking arrangements.
 With the new system, storage capacity has reportedly increased from one week to six to eight weeks for regularly used items, reduced picking errors due to automation, and improved order fulfillment times with same-day delivery for the main hospital and next-day delivery for regional branches. 24/7 remote IT support and quarterly maintenance are included in the system, provided by Dematic's service team based in Victoria.
 
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Dematic installs AutoStore system at South West Healthcare logistics hub

<div>
 Pickle Robot, an AI-enabled robotic automation systems developer for truck unloading, has received USD 50 million in Series B funding from diverse investors such as Teradyne Robotics Ventures, Toyota Ventures, and Ranpak.
 The funding will be utilized to bolster feature development, grow commercial teams, and penetrate new international markets. The company's vision is to automate inbound and outbound processes at 1 million warehouse doors in the upcoming decade, and to diversify its product offerings to include parcel-type freight service.
 In Q3 2024, Pickle Robot has secured orders for over 30 production robots from six customers, which are scheduled for deployment in 1H 2025.
</div> Analyst QuickTake: 
 This follows the recent trend of funding secured by warehouse automation solution providers such as <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/35988"> Vecna Robotics </a> , <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/35986"> Agility Robotics </a> , and <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/35898"> Brightpick </a> in November to enhance further product development and support deployment.

Pickle Robot raises USD 50 million in Series B funding

<div>
 Cloud-based data and AI infrastructure firm, Snowflake has entered into a strategic partnership with AI model and chatbot developer, Anthropic. This multi-year alliance aims to integrate Anthropic's AI models, specifically Claude 3.5, into Snowflake's platform.
 As a result of this partnership, Anthropic's Claude 3.5 models will be accessible within Snowflake Cortex AI on AWS. This arrangement will facilitate enterprises in building AI products and workflows, with improved security and governance features.&nbsp;
 Furthermore, Snowflake will employ Claude as a crucial model for its agentic AI solutions, such as Snowflake Intelligence and Cortex Analyst. It will allow functionalities such as conversational assistants and extensive language processing capabilities.
 </div> Analyst QuickTake: 
 Snowflake has actively pursued partnerships over the recent past.&nbsp;Last month, it partnered with <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/35224"> ServiceNow </a> to enable zero-copy data integration for enterprise AI and with <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/34701"> Cloudera </a> to develop a unified hybrid data lakehouse platform.

Snowflake partners with Anthropic to integrate Claude AI models into AI Data Cloud

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 AI governance firm, Saidot, has partnered with Microsoft Azure AI to offer Azure users integrated governance solutions. Saidot's new 'Model Catalogue' feature will be introduced through this partnership, allowing users to import models, manage their use cases, and connect models to risks and datasets.
 This feature, available from December, will assist organizations in automating governance tasks and ensuring adherence to AI regulatory standards. The partnership will facilitate cross-functional AI governance among various roles - data scientists, product engineers, legal teams, and business teams.
 Microsoft's single and multi-cloud customers will benefit from a unified governance approach across diverse cloud environments thanks to this collaboration.
</div> Analyst QuickTake: 
 The round builds on Saidot's EUR 1.5 million (~USD 1.6 million) seed funding round in <a href="https: 
//www.saidot.ai/insights/saidot-raises-seed-round-to-grow-its-ai-governance-platform"> October 2023 </a> . The funds were earmarked to grow the sales of its AI governance Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform in Europe and launch new tools to aid enterprise and government customers in evaluating and implementing safety systems for their GenAI systems.

Saidot partners with Microsoft Azure AI to enhance AI governance solutions

Leveraging personal data for custom-fit diagnosis and treatment

Precision Medicine

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 23andMe, a personal genomics and biotechnology company, has entered a research collaboration with Mirador Therapeutics, a precision medicine firm. The partnership will focus on advancing immunology and inflammation-related disease therapy developed by Mirador.
 This collaboration will allow Mirador to utilize a specific set of de-identified genetic and phenotypic data obtained from the 23andMe research database. Such data will be used in conjunction with Mirador's proprietary Mirador360 technology. The main objective of this partnership is to increase target validation and precision of medication. The intention is to move forward the development of transformative precision therapies for chronic immune-influenced inflammatory and fibrotic conditions.
 Mirador Therapeutics specializes in creating first-in-class therapeutics for immunology and inflammation problems. The company employs its unique Mirador360 development engine for this purpose. This technology examines patient molecular profiles to detect and validate genetic associations linked to immuno-fibrotic diseases. Also, it helps in identifying novel therapeutic targets and scrutinizing target-to-target interactions for potential combination therapies. The company focuses on diseases affecting the gastrointestinal tract, lung, and skin.
 
</div> Analyst QuickTake: 
 In <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/27838"> March 2024 </a> , Mirador Therapeutics raised USD 400 million in a seed funding round led by ARCH Venture Partners, including initial investments from OrbiMed and Fairmount. The funding was planned to be directed toward developing several therapeutic initiatives focused on immune-mediated inflammatory and fibrotic conditions. Through this partnership, it appears the company is moving ahead with its intentions.

23andMe and Mirador Therapeutics partner for research in immunology and inflammation medicine

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 Myriad Genetics and Illumina have strengthened their collaboration to enhance genetic cancer testing by integrating Myriad's Genomic Instability Score (GIS) into Illumina's research assay for all samples. This collaboration merges Myriad’s Homologous Recombination Deficiency (HRD) technology with Illumina’s wide-ranging genomic profiling expertise. It aims to provide a broader spectrum of cancer types with GIS results and HRD status.
 This development is anticipated to create new clinical research possibilities and could potentially spur the creation of companion diagnostics for HRD-based therapies beyond just ovarian cancer. The integration of GIS results into Myriad’s clinical reports is likely to expand the company’s oncology product line.

 </div> Analyst QuickTake: 
 The partnership between Myriad Genetics and Illumina was initiated in <a href="https: 
//www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/01/11/2156569/0/en/Myriad-Genetics-Forms-Strategic-Partnership-with-Illumina-in-Oncology.html"> January 2021 </a> , aiming to develop companion diagnostics for the oncology market. The partnership was later expanded in <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/16829"> March 2023 </a> &nbsp; to increase the reach and availability of oncology homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) testing across the US. With the recent development, it seems the companies are combining their capabilities to further their shared commitment to improving cancer diagnostics through advanced genomic technologies.&nbsp;

Myriad Genetics expands partnership with Illumina to refine genomic profiling for cancer detection

New technologies are opening up mental health services to previously overbooked and underserved populations.

Mental Health Tech

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 KeyCare, a virtual care platform based on Epic, has collaborated with Array Behavioral Care, a virtual psychiatry and therapy platform. The partnership enables the integration of mental health records with patients' physical health records.
 This collaboration allows Array's mental health providers to have access to extensive patient medical records via the Epic system. Details such as allergies, medications, lab results, and physical health provider notes are included in this integrated patient record. Such an integration facilitates coordinated care between mental and physical health services. It is vastly beneficial to patients who are in the transition from hospital to post-acute care.
 The ultimate goal of this partnership is to prevent care fragmentation. It grants behavioral health providers the ability to access Epic-based solutions, which are currently being utilized by approximately 60%-70% of health systems. Besides, it elevates the quality of care provided by enabling superior data coordination and technology integration.
 
</div> Analyst QuickTake: 
 This marks the fourth partnership KeyCare has secured in 2024. The company previously partnered with WellSpan, Samaritan Health Services, and Deaconess Health System in <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/26595"> February </a> , <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/27947"> March </a> , and <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/30659"> June </a> , respectively. The company appears to be pursuing a strategy of growing its market presence via partnership agreements, a trend it appears to be continuing through its partnership with Array Behavioral Care.

All Updates

RIIICO raises USD 1.5 million in pre-seed funding

Snowflake acquires Datavolo to enhance data integration capabilities for undisclosed sum

Snowflake acquires Datavolo to enhance data integration capabilities for undisclosed sum

ICEYE partners with Lockheed Martin and Finnish firms to develop defense space technologies

Dematic installs AutoStore system at South West Healthcare logistics hub

Pickle Robot raises USD 50 million in Series B funding

Snowflake partners with Anthropic to integrate Claude AI models into AI Data Cloud

Saidot partners with Microsoft Azure AI to enhance AI governance solutions

23andMe and Mirador Therapeutics partner for research in immunology and inflammation medicine

Myriad Genetics expands partnership with Illumina to refine genomic profiling for cancer detection

KeyCare partners with Array Behavioral Care to integrate virtual mental health records into Epic platform

Digital Twin

RIIICO raises USD 1.5 million in pre-seed funding

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