<div>
  <ul>
    <li>
      <p>
        Firefly Aerospace's CEO, Bill Weber, has stepped down after two years in the position. The company announced that board member Peter Schumacher will serve as interim CEO until a replacement is selected.
      </p>
    </li>
    <li>
      <p>
        Bill Weber was appointed CEO of Firefly after the company was acquired by private equity giant AE Industrial Partners in February 2022. Weber previously served as CEO of KeyW Corporation, an aerospace executive.
      </p>
    </li>
    <li>
      <p>
        The company's statement did not reveal the reason for Weber's departure and whether he resigned or was fired. However, Weber's exit from the company comes two days after 
        <a href="https://payloadspace.com/firefly-aerospace-investigates-ceos-alleged-inappropriate-relationship/">
          Payload
        </a>
         published a story that Firefly Aerospace was investigating allegations of an inappropriate relationship between Weber and a female employee.
      </p>
    </li>
  </ul>
  <p>
  </p>
</div>


<div>
  <p>
    <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/17/bill-weber-out-as-ceo-of-firefly-aerospace/?guccounter=1">
      TechCrunch
    </a>
  </p>
</div>


Space Travel and Exploration Tech

<div>
 <p>The CEO of Firefly Aerospace, Bill Weber, has resigned from his position after serving for two years. The company has announced that Peter Schumacher, a board member, will function as the interim CEO until a new chief executive is appointed.</p>
 <p>Weber became the CEO of Firefly Aerospace post its acquisition by AE Industrial Partners, a private equity company, in February 2022. Prior to this, he held the position of CEO at KeyW Corporation, acting as an aerospace executive.</p>
 <p>No reasons for Weber's dismissal have been provided by the company in their statement, and it is unclear whether Weber was asked to leave or resigned by choice. His departure, however, occurred two days after <a href="https://payloadspace.com/firefly-aerospace-investigates-ceos-alleged-inappropriate-relationship/"> Payload </a> alleged that an investigation was being carried out by Firefly Aerospace into claims of an inappropriate relationship between Weber and a female employee.</p>
 
</div>

Bill Weber removed as CEO of Firefly Aerospace

Leveraging personal data for custom-fit diagnosis and treatment

Precision Medicine

<div>
 
 <p>Immatics, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in oncology, has recently declared its public offering of 16.25 million shares at USD 9.25 each. In addition, an option to purchase an extra 2,437,500 shares has been provided. The offering is predicted to gross approximately USD 150 million and is scheduled to close on October 15, 2024, if all closing conditions are met satisfactorily.</p>
 <p>As of now, the company has not clarified the intended use of the funds that will be raised.</p>
 <p>The primary focus of Immatics is the development of T-cell redirecting cancer immunotherapies. It amalgamates the discovery of genuine cancer targets with the creation of suitable T-cell receptors. This enables a specific response of the T-cells against these targets. XPRESIDENT, its proprietary technology platform, is used for target discovery and XCEPTOR is used for T-cell receptor engineering techniques. The company's remedy range comprises two major therapeutic modalities: Adoptive Cell Therapies (ACT) and T-cell engaging receptor (TCER) bispecifics.</p>
 
</div>

Immatics raises USD 150 million in public funding

Novel therapies to reboot cells and organs

Cell & Gene Therapy

<div>
 
 <p>Immatics, an oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company, announced an underwritten public offering of 16.25 million shares at USD 9.25 each and an additional purchase option for 2,437,500 shares. Expected to gross around USD 150 million, the offering is scheduled to close on October 15, 2024, if closing conditions are met.</p>
 <p>The company did not specify an intended use for the raised capital.</p>
 <p>Immatics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, specializes in the production of T-cell redirecting cancer immunotherapies. It achieves this by pairing the discovery of genuine cancer targets with the development of the appropriate T-cell receptors, triggering a specific T-cell response against these targets. Among their proprietary technology platforms are XPRESIDENT for target discovery and XCEPTOR for T-cell receptor engineering. Immatics' pipeline includes two main therapeutic modalities: Adoptive Cell Therapies (ACT) and T-cell engaging receptor (TCER) bispecifics.</p>
 
</div>

Empowering Tomorrow's Innovations with Generative AI Infrastructure

Generative AI Infrastructure

ANALYST_QUICK_TAKE

INCUMBENTS_PRESENT

PROMINENT_CATEGORY

<div>
 <p>Asus has announced a variety of servers that utilize AMD EPYC 9005-series processors and MI325X accelerators. These servers are designed to power AI-driven data center workloads and come in versions tailored for AI, scalable multi-node, and general-purpose applications.</p>
 <p>The ESC A8A-E12U and ESC8000A-E13P AI servers are included in the announcement, supporting up to eight GPUs ideal for large-scale AI model training. The RS520QA-E13 serves as a multi-node server suitable for electronic design automation and cloud computing. Several general-purpose servers are also part of the lineup including the RS720A-E13, RS700A-E13, RS521A-E12, and RS501A-E12, designed to handle a range of workloads.</p>
 <p>Asus emphasizes the superb performance of AMD EPYC 9005-series processors, stating these offer the highest vCPU density and optimal compute and AI capabilities. They promise to deliver enhanced performance particularly in AI inference tasks.</p>
 
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
</b> The recent launch expands ASUS's AI infrastructure offerings under the "All in AI" <a href="https:<br>
//www.myeverydaytech.com/asus-ai-infrastructure-with-comprehensive-solutions/"> initiative </a> , showcasing a more integrated approach to AI solutions.</p>

Asus launches servers with AMD EPYC 9005-series CPUs and MI325X accelerators to enhance product offering

Providing a seamless consumer experience is one hope for bringing back brick and mortar retail, automated stores are being built to do just that.

Automated Stores

<div>
 <p>A2Z Smart Technologies has entered into an agreement with retail technology integrator Trixo to install and provide support services for their smart carts. The collaboration will enable the distribution of A2Z's smart carts to retailers in Mexico and Central America, with Trixo offering installation and support services. This represents a potential opportunity for growth in the region's retail market for both companies.</p>
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
 </b> A2Z has recently displayed an enhanced focus on expanding its North American market presence. In <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/20949"> August 2023 </a> , it announced a strategic expansion of its smart cart solutions to the US retail market by launching Cust2Mate USA. In <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/33805"> September 2024 </a> , it partnered with Level 10 for smart cart installation and support services in the US. A2Z’s North American customers include New York-based supermarket chain <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/19127"> Morton Williams </a> and Mexican retailer <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/8418"> Chedraui </a> .&nbsp;</p>

A2Z signs agreement with Trixo for smart cart services in Mexico and Central America

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

Additive Manufacturing

<div>
 <p>Nikon has launched an Additional Powder Feeder (APF) specifically for its Lasermeister 102A (LM102A) metal additive manufacturing system. The purpose of the APF is to supply various metal powders into the LM102A, a machine that uses direct energy deposition (DED) technology. </p>
 <p>Such a feature enables the creation of new, value-added alloys and components made from assorted metals. Importantly, it's possible for users to integrate between 2 to 4 APF units into a single LM102A system. Furthermore, each APF can feed up to four diverse metal powders, with a maximum limit of 5kg per unit. </p>
 <p>According to Nikon, the APF has the potential to contribute to the development of innovative superalloys through the combination of multiple metals. This could result in superior performance in applications within fields such as aerospace, defense, and energy where high durability and corrosion resistance are crucial.</p>
 
</div>

Nikon releases additional powder feeder for metal additive manufacturing

<div>
 <p>German firm BigRep has unveiled DRYCON, an industrial filament dryer for 3D printers that handle high-performance, flexible, and high-temperature materials. The machine can simultaneously dry, store, and anneal spools and parts.</p>
 <p>DRYCON features dual chambers capable of heating up to 180°C, an air exchange system that replaces humid air with fresh air, and four filament outlets for direct feeding into 3D printers. It can accommodate up to 36 kg of filaments, storing 16 spools of 1kg, eight spools of 4.5kg, or four spools of 8kg filament.</p>
 <p>BigRep asserts that its DRYCON device has the potential to enhance 3D print quality, diminish extrusion issues, and bolster the mechanical strength of 3D printed components.</p>
 
</div>

BigRep launches industrial filament dryer ‘DRYCON'

<div>
 <p>Australian company, Titomic has been invited to partake in DNV's Joint Industry Project (JIP), ProGRAM. Titomic provides cold spray additive manufacturing (AM) solutions.</p>
 <p>The goal of this project is to introduce standardized practices for additive manufacturing specific to the oil and gas sector. It's especially aimed at manufacturing and repairing of equipment utilizing cold spray technology. The initial focus will be on qualifying standards for manufacturing structural and machine parts with Alloy 625, <a href="https://www.voxelmatters.com/deep-emerges-from-stealth-with-waam-3d-printed-subsea-habitat/"> subsea parts </a> with low-alloy carbon steel, and for cold spray repair procedures.</p>
 
</div>

Titomic joins DNV's project to standardize additive manufacturing

Foundation Models

<div>
 <p>Google has introduced Imagen 3, its AI image-generation model, for all Gemini users. The model, which can be accessed through the web, mobile app, or Android integration, is designed to generate highly realistic square-format images with rich details and colors.</p>
 <p>According to Google, Imagen 3 surpasses rival models such as DALL-E 3, Midjourney v6, and Stable Diffusion 3 in internal testing.</p>
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
</b> Google rolling out its image generation model could indicate the company’s strategy in navigating among the competition. Furthermore, two weeks earlier, <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/34014"> Google announced its plans </a> to incorporate Gemini AI chatbots as a standard feature in its workspace productivity suite under Business, Enterprise, and Frontline plans. The tech giant could refine its models as its initial tactics for entering the media industry.&nbsp;</p>

Google rolls out ‘Imagen 3’ image-generation model for Gemini users

Earth-friendly biotech solutions for the textile, packaging and construction industries.

Bio-based Materials

<div>
 <p>BaCta, a bio-synthetic rubber startup, successfully secured EUR 3.3 million in a pre-seed funding round. The funding round was led by OVNI Capital and saw participation from Kima Ventures, Sharpstone Capital, another.vc, and numerous business angels.</p>
 <p>With this new funding, the startup plans to expand its team, enhance research efforts and boost its production capabilities. BaCta aims to work in conjunction with leading fashion and industry companies to manufacture its first prototypes. The company also has plans to engineer a microbial strain that can produce high-quality natural rubber at the pilot scale.</p>
 <p>Established in 2024, BaCta uses engineered Escherichia coli bacteria to produce natural rubber in vitro, asserting that its method is carbon neutral. The technology used by the company leverages a synthetic organelles platform that was developed at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM). BaCta aims to diversify its feedstock sources with the goal to lower costs and achieve a negative carbon footprint.</p>
</div>

BaCta raises EUR 3.3 million in pre-seed funding to produce bio-synthetic rubber

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

AI Drug Discovery

<div>

 <p>Ailux Biologics, an AI-powered biologics discovery and engineering platform and a division of XtalPi, has entered a licensing agreement with global biotechnology company, Janssen Biotech. The deal licenses Janssen to use Ailux's proprietary biologics AI platform, XtalFold, which uses sequence data to model biomolecule interactions that are central to therapeutic substances like monoclonal antibodies. </p>
 <p>Through this agreement, Janssen will be able to expedite the discovery and engineering of new biotherapeutics by leveraging XtalFold. The AI platform has reportedly shown effectiveness in more than 30 programs and has demonstrated considerable promise in aspects such as antigen design and epitope identification among others.</p>
 
</div>

All Updates

Bill Weber removed as CEO of Firefly Aerospace

Immatics raises USD 150 million in public funding

Immatics raises USD 150 million in public funding

Asus launches servers with AMD EPYC 9005-series CPUs and MI325X accelerators to enhance product offering

A2Z signs agreement with Trixo for smart cart services in Mexico and Central America

Nikon releases additional powder feeder for metal additive manufacturing

BigRep launches industrial filament dryer ‘DRYCON'

Titomic joins DNV's project to standardize additive manufacturing

Google rolls out ‘Imagen 3’ image-generation model for Gemini users

BaCta raises EUR 3.3 million in pre-seed funding to produce bio-synthetic rubber

XtalPi's Ailux Biologics licenses AI platform XtalFold to Janssen for biologics discovery and engineering

Space Travel and Exploration Tech

Bill Weber removed as CEO of Firefly Aerospace

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