<div>
  <ul>
    <li>
      <p>
        LetsGetChecked, a company offering more than 100 at-home tests (including fertility tests), raised USD 150 million in Series D funding led by Casdin Capital, with participation from seven other investors. This round values the company at over USD 1 billion and brings its total funding to USD 260 million.&nbsp;
      </p>
    </li>
  </ul>
  <ul>
    <li>
      <p>
        The funds will be used to expand internationally and strengthen its telehealth services, pharmacy capabilities, and increase its at-home testing options.&nbsp;
      </p>
    </li>
  </ul>
  <ul>
    <li>
      <p>
        Headquartered in Dublin and New York, LetsGetChecked (LGC) offers more than 100 at-home health care test kits for fertility, cholesterol, diabetes, thyroid, and Covid-19, among others. It provides the test results online and also offers follow-up care through its telehealth and pharmacy offerings. As of June 2021, the company served more than 300 corporate customers and had administered over 2 million tests across the US and EU since its inception in 2015. 
      </p>
    </li>
  </ul>
  <p>
  </p>
</div>


<div>
  <p>
    <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210608005134/en/LetsGetChecked-Announces-150-Million-Series-D-Fundraise-to-Grow-Comprehensive-Virtual-Care-Capabilities">
      Press release
    </a>
  </p>
  <p>
    <a href="https://vator.tv/news/2021-06-08-letsgetchecked-raises-150m-to-expand-its-virtual-care-platform">
      Vator news
    </a>
  </p>
  <p>
    <a href="https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2021/0607/1226504-letsgetchecked-funds-unicorn/">
      RTE
    </a>
  </p>
</div>


Fertility Tech

LetsGetChecked raises USD 150 million in Series D funding

Bringing fresh produce closer to consumers with efficient, advanced technology.

Vertical Farming

PROMINENT_CATEGORY

<div>
 
 <p>Intelligent Growth Solutions and ReFarm have formed a partnership to supply vertical farming technology for GigaFarm, a waste-to-value farm in Dubai. The 900,000 sq ft facility will recycle 50,000 tons of food waste and produce over two billion plants each year, resulting in three million kgs of produce. Construction will commence in mid-2024 in Food Tech Valley, and the farm is scheduled to be operational by 2026.</p>
 
</div>

Intelligent Growth Solutions partners with ReFarm to provide vertical farming technology for GigaFarm

Reinforcing recycling, rerouting refuse, and reducing wasteflows

Waste Recovery & Management Tech

INCUMBENTS_PRESENT

<div>
 
 <p>Republic Services, a US recycling and waste management company, has opened a plastic recycling facility called the Polymer Center in Las Vegas. The facility, costing USD 70 million, aims to recycle rigid plastic consumer goods such as water bottles. Its goal is to upcycle these plastics into other consumer goods rather than downcycling them.</p>
 <p>The Polymer Center hopes to recycle plastic bottles up to six or seven times before downcycling becomes necessary. It has the capacity to produce over 100 million lbs of recycled plastics annually. Additionally, the facility can sort plastic based on food/non-food usage and color.</p>
 
</div>

Republic Services opens innovative plastic recycling center in Las Vegas

Using online platforms, autonomy, electric and fuel-cell tech solutions to shape the future of trucking.

Truck Industry Tech

<div>
 
 <p>LeddarTech, a Canadian company, is partnering with Prospector Capital Corp to merge and operate as LeddarTech Inc. They offer environmental remote sensing platforms for autonomous vehicles.</p>
 <p>The partnership will use LeddarTech's AI and sensor fusion technology to provide advanced perception solutions for autonomous driving and driver-assistance systems. Prospector's investment is expected to support LeddarTech's expansion and global reach.</p>
 <p>Shareholder and regulatory approval is still pending, but the merger is expected to be finalized in 2023.</p>
 
</div>

LeddarTech and Prospector Capital Corp to form merged entity LeddarTech Inc.

Using AI to automate, enhance and optimize marketing activities

Marketing Automation

<div>
 
 <p>Microsoft Advertising and Baidu Global have partnered to create an advanced advertising solution with GenAI. The plan is to integrate Microsoft's Chat Ads API into Baidu Global Keyboard's mobile app. This will allow for personalized sponsored content and wider advertising coverage. The partnership aims to reach diverse audiences, including Gen-Zers, across different app environments, improving the user experience with more relevant ads. The solution is set to launch in 2024 in key markets such as the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia.
 
</div>

Microsoft Advertising and Baidu Global partner to enhance GenAI in advertising

ANALYST_QUICK_TAKE

<div>
 <p>AppsFlyer, a mobile app attribution analytics firm, has acquired oolo, a provider of AI-powered decision-making tools, for an undisclosed amount.</p>
 <p>oolo specializes in AI technology that improves growth strategies by providing valuable insights and alerts in real time. This includes full-funnel acquisition, monetization, and retention strategies. Its customers include Outfit7, Amanotes, TapNation, GAMELOFT, and JustPlay.&nbsp;</p>
 <p>Post-acquisition, AppsFlyer plans to integrate oolo's AI capabilities into its platform offerings to increase the efficiency of AppsFlyer's decision-making tools for businesses. In addition, oolo will become part of AppsFlyer's Privacy Cloud Marketplace to pioneer innovative privacy-centric AI products.</p>
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake: </b> AppsFlyer's acquisition of oolo builds on its earlier acquisition of <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/23662"> Devtodev </a> to strengthen the clean room data collaboration market. It appears that these acquisitions represent a focused effort by AppsFlyer to strengthen its position in the industry, leveraging the combined strengths of oolo and Devtodev to advance data-driven decision-making. These acquisitions are expected to significantly enhance AppsFlyer's capabilities, drive innovation, and solidify its position in the evolving landscape of data collaboration solutions.</p>

AppsFlyer acquires analytics provider oolo to strengthens data-driven decision-making

<div>
 
 <p>Integral Ad Science (IAS), an ad verification and optimization company, announced the pricing of a public offering of 11 million shares of its common stock at USD 14 per share by investment funds affiliated with Vista Equity Partners.</p>
 <p>The company will not receive any proceeds from the shares sold by the selling shareholders. However, IAS will be responsible for covering the expenses associated with the sale of these shares, excluding any underwriting discounts and commissions.</p>
 <p>IAS offers a suite of products designed to ensure the quality and effectiveness of digital advertising campaigns. Its solutions include ad fraud detection through advanced AI and ML, brand safety and suitability measures, contextual targeting, viewability verification, and efficiency optimization tools.</p>
 
</div>

Integral Ad Science raises USD 154 million in common stock offering

Additive manufacturing makes objects by systematically adding material via a CAD program

Additive Manufacturing

<div>
 
 <p>Velo3D, a provider of metal 3D printing, has achieved the US Department of Defense's (DoD) Green-level Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) Compliance for its Sapphire series of 3D printers.</p>
 <p>The firm is claimed to be the first to attain this standard, facilitating a secure connection of the printers to the DoD's Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNet).</p>
 <p>The Sapphire printers' core features consist of the highest network security and optimal protection of data and software, minimizing the risk of security breaches. This level of security is consistent across all Sapphire variants, including Sapphire, Sapphire 1MZ, Sapphire XC, and Sapphire XC 1MZ.</p>
 
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake: </b> Attaining this certification presents significant benefits to clients, including the ease of integration of Velo3D printers into defense and government operations. This certification converts Velo3D's printers into secure units for manufacturing classified or International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) protected parts. Further, existing users of Velo3D can upgrade their Sapphire printers to ensure a high level of data security.</p>

Velo3D 3D Sapphire printers obtain US Department of Defense's green-level STIG compliance

Conservation Tech

The California-based carbon credit platform, Pachama, has raised $9 million in an extended Series B round. The funding comes from T.Capital and existing investors Lowercarbon Capital and Positive Ventures. Pachama plans to use the funds for further research and development of artificial intelligence (AI) applied to geospatial data. Additionally, they will offer new products and services to businesses and project developers. <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:</b> The extended capital brings Pachama's total Series B funding to USD 64 million, with <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/10236"> USD 55 million </a> raised in May 2022 for business and team expansion. In addition, the company has also formed partnerships to fund its reforestation initiatives. Last month, it partnered with <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/23689"> Ducks Unlimited and PERENfra </a> on a USD 12 million project focused on rehabilitating agricultural land in the Lower Mississippi River Valley. In September, the company partnered with <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/22209"> Mercado Libre </a> for a USD 23 million investment dedicated to restoring native forests and biodiversity in Latin America.</p>

Pachama raises USD 9 million in extended Series B funding for AI-driven geospatial solutions

Empowering sustainable food innovation through food engineering tech

Novel Foods

<div>
 <p>Bühler, a Switzerland-based food processing equipment manufacturer, is partnering with Agroloop, a Hungarian insect farming company, to provide crate-based nursery and rearing technology for Agroloop's black soldier fly plant. The plant will be constructed in Üllő, Hungary and is projected to generate over 25,000 metric tons of black soldier fly larvae. These larvae will then be transformed into up to 4,000 metric tons per year of sustainable feed ingredients for the pet food, aquaculture, and livestock industries.</p>
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:</b> Bühler continues to provide technology for the growth systems used in large-scale black soldier fly (BSF) farms serving the animal feed industry. To date, the company has formed strategic partnerships with several insect farming companies, including <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/23582"> Divaks </a> , <a href="https://www.buhlergroup.com/global/en/media/media-releases/buehler_builds_large-scaleinsectplantforagronutrisinfrance.html"> Agronutris </a> , <a href="https://www.buhlergroup.com/global/en/media/media-releases/buehler_and_entocyclepartnertodeliverend-to-endtechnologysolutio.html"> Entocycle </a> , and <a href="https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/buhler-and-nrgene-collaborate-to-increase-competitiveness-of-black-soldier-fly-industry-839760417.html"> NRGene </a> .</p>

Bühler partners with Agraloop for insect growth system technology

<div>
  <p>Clean Food Group has received GBP 1 million funding from the UK Government's Novel Low-Emission Food Production Systems: Industrial Research Grant. The company plans to use the funding to expand manufacturing capabilities and work on microbial oils with the University of Bath. Clean Food Group was established in 2022 and specializes in producing sustainable alternatives to traditional oil and fat ingredients using yeast strains and fermentation technology. By 2024, the company aims to validate its technology and establish a commercial-scale manufacturing facility.</p>
</div>

All Updates