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  <ul>
    <li>
      <p>
        Radiant Matter, a UK-based startup that produces bio-based shimmer and color effects, has secured GBP 1.2 million (~USD 1.5 million) via a pre-seed round led by Sustainable Ventures, with participation from Ada Ventures, Evenlode Impact, Martlet Capital, and the Cambridge Angels group.
      </p>
    </li>
    <li>
      <p>
        The funds will be utilized to expand Radiant Matter&rsquo;s operations,, including research and development, intellectual property progression, and broadening manufacturing and commercial aspects.
      </p>
    </li>
    <li>
      <p>
        Radiant Matter was founded in 2018 with its first solution targeting the fashion industry. Its cellulose-based BioSequin embellishment has been utilized by eco-friendly fashion brands such as Stella McCartney, BEEN London, and Pinko. The company&rsquo;s technology is claimed to have applications spanning textiles, cosmetics, coatings, packaging, and the automotive industry.
      </p>
    </li>
  </ul>
  <p>
  </p>
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<div>
  <p>
    <a href="https://www.sustainableventures.co.uk/sustainable-stories/whyweinvestedradiantmatter">
      Press release
    </a>
  </p>
</div>


Bio-based Materials

<div>
 <p>Radiant Matter, a UK-based startup specializing in bio-based shimmer and color effects, has secured GBP 1.2 million or approximately USD 1.5 million. This pre-seed funding round was led by Sustainable Ventures and saw contributions from Ada Ventures, Evenlode Impact, Martlet Capital, and the Cambridge Angels group.</p>
 <p>This newly acquired funding will be used to bolster Radiant Matter’s operations. Areas of expansion include research and development, intellectual property progression, as well as enhancing manufacturing and commercial aspects of the business.</p>
 <p>The startup was established in 2018, initially targeting the fashion industry with its innovative cellulose-based BioSequin embellishment. Notable eco-friendly fashion brands like Stella McCartney, BEEN London, and Pinko have utilized this product. Beyond fashion, Radiant Matter's technology reportedly has uses in diverse industries including textiles, cosmetics, coatings, packaging, and the automotive sector.</p>
 
</div>

Radiant Matter raises GBP 1.2 million in pre-seed funding to expand operations

Technologies bringing about a new reality

Extended Reality

ANALYST_QUICK_TAKE

INCUMBENTS_PRESENT

PROMINENT_CATEGORY

<div>
 <p>Logitech is collaborating with Meta to create MX Ink, a mixed reality (MR) pen tailored for the Quest 2 and 3 headsets. This pen, costing USD 130, will be available from September 2024.</p>
 <p>This stylus enables 2D drawing on physical surfaces as well as 3D design tracking. It is equipped with 6-DoF tracking, haptic feedback, numerous buttons, and a tip sensitive to pressure.&nbsp;</p>
 <p>The MX Ink can be alternated with touch controllers seamlessly and various settings can be modified according to the user's requirements. It is compatible with 3D designing, sketching, and modeling software such as Painting VR, Engage XR, OpenBrush, and Arkio.</p>
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
 </b> The MR pen is marketed toward individuals in creative industries, allowing Meta to better compete with Sony’s <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/25277"> upcoming </a> VR headset (debuted at CES 2024) for 3D professionals. Although Logitech is known for its gaming peripherals, it also offers a <a href="https:<br>
//www.logitech.com/en-us/shop/o/stylus-pens"> range </a> of stylus pens under its “Masters Series” and the <a href="https:<br>
//ir.logitech.com/press-releases/press-release-details/2022/Introducing-Logitech-Pen-Rechargeable-Stylus-for-USI-enabled-Chromebooks-Designed-for-Students/default.aspx"> Logitech Pen </a> , tailored toward students and professionals.</p>

Logitech partners with Meta to launch Logitech MX Ink MR pen for USD 130

Autonomous and connected technologies shaping the future of the auto industry

Auto Tech

<div>
 <p>Ottopia, a startup from Tel Aviv, has launched a new platform powered by artificial intelligence for the remote operation of autonomous vehicles. The platform utilizes existing components of the vehicle such as modems and cameras, working in conjunction with AI for the real-time analysis of data related to the environment of the vehicle. This will enhance autonomous driving safety by improving situational awareness.</p>
 <p>The platform is intended to operate as the primary control center for all remote driving tasks. It offers the capability for human operators to remotely provide assistance for various driving-related tasks. These include finding parking spaces, refuelling or recharging, carrying out routine check-ups and repairs, managing errands, overseeing family drop-offs and pick-ups, as well as stepping in with remote control when the driver is stressed or fatigued.</p>
</div>

Ottopia launches integrated remote control system for autonomous cars

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

AI Drug Discovery

<div>
 <p>Biotechnology firm Enveda Biosciences, utilizing AI, has secured USD 55 million in a Series B2 funding round following their Series B-1 round in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/17886"> April 2023 </a> which raised USD 51 million. This round included new investors Premji Invest, Lingotto Investment Fund, Microsoft, and The Nature Conservancy, along with previous investors such as Kinnevik and True Ventures.</p>
 <p>The raised capital will be employed by the company to further develop its innovative AI-powered platform and initiate Phase I clinical trials for its three lead programs in the end of 2024 and beginning of 2025.</p>
 <p>Enveda Biosciences, based in Colorado, creates ground-breaking therapeutics derived from plants and natural chemistry to remedy diverse ailments including Wilson’s Disease, NASH, and Parkinson’s disease. The company's proprietary platform, backed by machine learning and metabolomics, serves as a discovery tool for new drug candidates.</p>
</div>

Enveda Biosciences raises USD 55 million in Series B-2 funding to bolster pipeline

Exploring the limitless possibilities of AI

Generative AI Applications

<div>
 
 <p>Picsart, a photo-editing application, is collaborating with Getty Images to introduce a new GenAI model. The AI model will learn solely from Getty Images' licensed content, giving Picsart users the capabilities to create commercially secure AI images with comprehensive commercial rights. Users are also able to edit and personalize these AI-produced images using Picsart's editing tools. The goal of this partnership is to allay copyright issues related to AI-generated art and to serve marketers and small businesses that use Picsart for their creative requirements. </p>
 
</div>
 <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
 </b> Picsart already provides subscribers various GenAI-powered features, including an AI image generator based on the open-source Stable Diffusion project. Similarly, Getty Images, familiar with AI, launched its own image generator last year and previously sued Stable Diffusion for allegedly stealing 12 million copyrighted works.</p>

Picsart partners with Getty Images for commercially safe AI image generation

<div>
 <p>DataMesh, a Mixed Reality (MR) design and collaboration platform, has secured an undisclosed amount of venture funding. The funding round saw participation from KDDI Open Innovation Fund 3, the venture fund of Japanese telecom giant KDDI, and Singtel Innov8, the venture fund of Singaporean telecom firm Singtel, among other investors. </p>
 <p>This funding is intended to accelerate the Research &amp; Development (R&amp;D) activities of DataMesh, as well as expand the market presence of its Industrial Metaverse platform.</p>
 
</div>

DataMesh raises undisclosed amount in funding to expedite R&D efforts

Clean, congestion-free air travel gets liftoff

Passenger eVTOL Aircraft

<div>
 <p>Volant Aerotech, a Chinese firm that specializes in the development, production, and servicing of passenger eVTOL, has successfully closed a Series A funding round, adding approximately CNY 100 million (~USD 14 million) to its coffers. The lead investor in this round was QF Capital, with other participants including Nanshan SEI Investment, Dunhong Capital, and WeLight Capital who is already an existing investor.</p>
 <p>The investment obtained will be directed towards supporting test flights and trials for Volant's VE25 X1 validation aircraft, and to aid in the development and production of its forthcoming AC101 aircraft, which is anticipated to hit the market by the year 2027.</p>
 
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This is a summary of the HTML above; it's shorter and still captures the main points of the original, emphasizing the funding round's amount and usage, and naming the main participants. Note that the HTML format is preserved.

Volant Aerotech secures ~USD 14 million funding from its latest Series A funding round

Foundation Models

<div>
 
 <p>AI-powered HR solutions provider, Borderless AI, has collaborated with the AI startup Cohere based in Toronto. The partnership will focus on creating tailored AI agents dedicated to facilitating HR tasks.</p>
 <p>The intention behind the collaboration is to integrate AI into the HR industry, improving and simplifying processes such as onboarding and payroll operations. It will also assist in real-time payments, treasury functions, and provide valuable insights on HR best practices and employment law. Furthermore, the partnership will enable complex rationalization and identification of discrepancies in contracts.
 
</div>

Borderless AI partners with Cohere AI to develop tailored AI agents for HR industry

<div>
 
 <p>Meta has temporarily halted its plans to train AI systems on data sourced from users in the UK and EU due to objections raised by the Irish Data Protection Commission and the UK's Information Commissioner's Office. The objections request that Meta's activities be suspended until their concerns are appropriately addressed.</p>
 <p>Contentions have arisen due to the absence of clear opt-out choices for European users and the challenging objection-filing process. Furthermore, Meta justified using public data for AI model training via the "legitimate interests" clause under the GDPR.</p>
 
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
 </b> Earlier this month, reports emerged on Meta’s plans to start using public social media posts from Europe to <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/30318"> train its AI models </a> . This controversy has arisen amidst the company facing complaints from <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/30245"> Austrian privacy group NOYB </a> for allegedly bypassing GDPR by using personal data for AI model training without proper user consent, leading to significant legal challenges and potential fines. Meta's pause on using European user data for its AI development underlines the tension faced by tech firms trying to enhance AI capabilities while navigating strict data privacy regulations.&nbsp;</p>

Meta pauses user data AI training due to regulatory pressure

Empowering Tomorrow's Innovations with Generative AI Infrastructure

Generative AI Infrastructure

<div>

<p>NVIDIA launched Nemotron-4 340 billion, an open suite of synthetic data generating models for training Language Learning Models (LLMs) in commercial applications. Developers can access and scale this tool without any charge. Nemotron-4 340 billion is composed of base, instruct, and reward models, forming a pipeline that produces, filters and grades diverse synthetic data similar to real-world data. The base model can be personalized using proprietary data.</p>

<p>According to NVIDIA, this open pipeline empowers developers to build robust LLMs using excellent synthetic training data. Getting high-quality data for such training is usually pricey and challenging. The models launched are optimized for NVIDIA's Neural Modules (NeMo) and TensorRT-LLM for effective training and making inferences.</p>

</div>

NVIDIA launches open synthetic data generation pipeline to train LLMs

Leveraging personal data for custom-fit diagnosis and treatment

Precision Medicine

<div>
 <p>Takeda Pharmaceutical Company has signed an option agreement with bio-pharmaceutical company Ascentage Pharma. This agreement gives Takeda the chance to exclusively license a new therapy, olverembatinib, for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and other forms of blood cancer.</p>
 <p>Should Takeda choose to exercise the option, it might receive global licensing rights to further develop and market olverembatinib everywhere in the world except in Mainland China and certain other territories. In exchange, Ascentage Pharma will benefit from a $100 million upfront payment and a minority equity investment from Takeda, which could be followed by potential milestone payments and royalty fees upon successful regulatory approval of olverembatinib. Regardless of the agreement, Ascentage will still be responsible for overseeing the clinical development of olverembatinib, which is currently in Phase III trials.</p>
 
</div>

All Updates

Radiant Matter raises GBP 1.2 million in pre-seed funding to expand operations

Logitech partners with Meta to launch Logitech MX Ink MR pen for USD 130

Ottopia launches integrated remote control system for autonomous cars

Enveda Biosciences raises USD 55 million in Series B-2 funding to bolster pipeline

Picsart partners with Getty Images for commercially safe AI image generation

DataMesh raises undisclosed amount in funding to expedite R&D efforts

Volant Aerotech secures ~USD 14 million funding from its latest Series A funding round

Borderless AI partners with Cohere AI to develop tailored AI agents for HR industry

Meta pauses user data AI training due to regulatory pressure

NVIDIA launches open synthetic data generation pipeline to train LLMs

Takeda and Ascentage Pharma partnered for exclusive rights to leukemia treatment olverembatinib

Bio-based Materials

Radiant Matter raises GBP 1.2 million in pre-seed funding to expand operations

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