<div>
  <p>
    &lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Airwallex, a cross-border payment and fund transfer infrastructure provider, raised USD 100 million as part of an extension of its Series E funding round, which was 
    <a href="https://sp-edge.com/sectors/financial-services/updates/5583">
      announced in September
    </a>
    , bringing the company&rsquo;s valuation to USD 5.5 billion. The round was led by Lone Pine Capital, with participation from 1835i Ventures and Sequoia Capital China. This round brings the company&rsquo;s total funding to USD 802 million.&lt;/ul&gt;
  </p>
  <ul>
    <li>
      <p>
        This round of funding follows an improved performance in 3Q 2021, where the company reported a 165% YoY growth in revenue. Additionally, the company also hired over 200 new employees.
      </p>
    </li>
  </ul>
  <ul>
    <li>
      <p>
        The funds will be used for expanding into new markets, M&amp;A, and to invest in product development.
      </p>
    </li>
  </ul>
  <p>
  </p>
</div>


<div>
  <p>
    <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211117005918/en/Airwallex-Raises-Additional-US100-Million-in-Series-E1-Led-by-Lone-Pine-Capital-Valuation-Reaches-US5.5b">
      Press release
    </a>
  </p>
  <p>
    <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2021/11/17/airwallex-raises-100m-at-a-5-5b-valuation-to-expand-its-business-banking-and-payments-platform-globally/">
      Tech Crunch 
    </a>
  </p>
</div>


FinTech Infrastructure

Airwallex raises USD 100 million in Series E funding at a USD 5.5 billion valuation

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

AI Drug Discovery

<div>
 <p>LabGenius, an AI-powered drug discovery startup, has raised GBP 35 million (USD 44.5 million) in a Series B funding round. M Ventures led the round, with participation from existing investors Atomico, Kindred Capital, and new investors Octopus Ventures and LG Corp.</p>
 <p>The investment will be used to expand LabGenius' ML-powered discovery platform and progress its proprietary pipeline of multispecific antibodies towards clinical trials. This comes after the successful research partnership with Sanofi, with the expanded platform expected to allow for new partnerships in various therapeutic areas.</p>
  
</div>

LabGenius raises GBP 35 million in Series B funding to advance AI-powered drug discovery

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

Truck Industry Tech

ANALYST_QUICK_TAKE

INCUMBENTS_PRESENT

PROMINENT_CATEGORY

<div>
 <p>Volvo, in collaboration with Aurora Innovation, has introduced its production-ready self-driving Class 8 semi-truck. The autonomous vehicle is based on the VNL model from Volvo and utilizes advanced cameras and sensors to power Aurora's Level 4 autonomous driving system. This technology doesn't require a driver and will be a foundation for upcoming autonomous vehicles in Volvo's range.</p>
 <p>The two companies have conducted considerable testing on public roads, and their aim is to significantly increase the rollout of these self-driving vehicles in the next decade.</p>
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
</b> Volvo first partnered with Aurora in <a href="https:<br>
//www.volvogroup.com/en/news-and-media/news/2021/mar/news-3932948.html"> March 2021 </a> to jointly develop autonomous trucking solutions at scale for applications in North America. It unveiled a prototype version of the truck in <a href="https:<br>
//www.volvogroup.com/en/news-and-media/news/2021/sep/news-4075850.html"> September 2021. </a></p>

Volvo and Aurora reveal first production-ready autonomous truck for long-haul transportation

Leveraging personal data for custom-fit diagnosis and treatment

Precision Medicine

<div>
 <p>Coya Therapeutics has raised USD 5 million in a private placement from The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) by selling 603,136 of its common shares at USD 8.29 each.</p>
 <p>The company plans to use the investment to fund the Phase II clinical trials of its primary therapeutic candidate, COYA 302. The drug is under evaluation for its potential to treat multiple neurodegenerative diseases, including frontotemporal dementia.</p>
 <p>As a clinical-stage biotechnology company, Coya Therapeutics is committed to creating treatments based on regulatory T cells (Tregs) for neurodegenerative, autoimmune, and metabolic diseases. Their pipeline includes several Tregs-based programs, including COYA 302, which uses COYA 301 (a low-dose IL-2) and CTLA4-Ig to strengthen Treg function and decrease pro-inflammatory mediators. This approach could lead to treatments for diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease​.</p>
</div>

Coya Therapeutics raises USD 5 million in private placement for Phase II clinical trials of lead candidate COYA 302

Empowering Tomorrow's Innovations with Generative AI Infrastructure

Generative AI Infrastructure

<div>
 <p>Kyndryl and NVIDIA have formed a partnership designed to speed up the development and application of data derived from AI for business outcomes. NVIDIA's AI software and accelerated computing will be incorporated into Kyndryl Bridge, making possible end-to-end AI lifecycle management for companies. Kyndryl Consult will assist clients in testing and applying Gen AI solutions for use in various aspects, such as automating IT operations, customer service, preventing fraud, and real-time data analysis.</p>
 <p>The purpose of this collaboration is to promote the adoption of Gen AI across different sectors by offering services and optimized solutions which include GPU-aware workload placement. It is anticipated that this integration will boost performance and energy efficiency and will also augment the performance of AI applications like virtual avatars and chatbots.</p>
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake</b> :<br>
 Kyndrl’s partnerships with key incumbents in the GenAI space are seen to continue as highlighted by its recent collaboration with Google Cloud in <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/26427"> February 2024 </a> to develop responsible GenAI solutions, showcasing its dedication to advancing technology.</p>

Kyndryl partners with NVIDIA to accelerate AI-powered insights and business outcomes

Clean, congestion-free air travel gets liftoff

Passenger eVTOL Aircraft

<div>
 
 <p>Archer Aviation, a company listed on the NYSE and a manufacturer of eVTOL aircraft, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Etihad Training, a pilot training organization of repute. The purpose of this MoU is to recruit and train pilots for Archer's Midnight aircraft particularly for the UAE region.</p>
 <p>Through this partnership, the companies aim to develop an efficient Urban Air Mobility (UAM) network across Abu Dhabi and other parts of the UAE. This network would comprise of pilots proficiently skilled to operate Archer's Midnight aircraft. Archer also has plans to install a Midnight aircraft simulator at the ET's center situated in Abu Dhabi. The simulator will be utilized for research and development purposes in pilot training, as well as to aid in obtaining regulatory certifications.</p>
 
</div>

Archer Aviation partners with Etihad Training to recruit and train pilots in UAE

Sustainably solving the food shortages of the future

Smart Farming

<div>

<p>Sentera, a Minnesota-based agriculture drone and sensor provider, has forged a partnership with UAV solution provider, Drone Nerds. The collaboration will see the integration of the Sentera PHX drone and its sensors into Drone Nerds' product line. </p>

<p>This union marries Drone Nerds' proficiency with Sentera's high-level aerial imaging capabilities. The resulting solution will use drones in a broad range of sectors including, but not limited to agriculture, construction, infrastructure, and environmental monitoring, to deliver advanced aerial imaging.</p>

</div>

Sentera partners with Drone Nerds to enhance aerial imaging solutions across diverse industries

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

Vertical Farming

<div>
 
 <p>Agrify Corporation, a manufacturer of indoor farming solutions, has cancelled its proposed merger with controlled environment agriculture firm, Nature's Miracle Holdings Inc., stating unfavorable market circumstances. </p>
 
 <p>In addition, the debt purchase contract within the merger deal has also been ended. Agrify declared that its future plans involve persisting with its current growth scheme concentrating on its cultivation and extraction business sectors while considering strategic opportunities. </p>
 
</div>

Agrify Corporation and Nature's Miracle Holdings terminate merger

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

Business Expense Management

<div>
 
 <p>Expensify, a platform that provides business expenses and payout management solutions, has launched a new feature on its Expensify Visa Commercial Card - Unlimited virtual cards. This will allow businesses to generate an unlimited number of virtual cards to handle company expenses across various merchants or employees. The cards feature options like setting a fixed or monthly spending limit for each card and naming the virtual cards for simpler categorization and assignment. The introduction of this feature aims to offer businesses more control over their spending by providing a detailed and organized view of expenses along with the ease of managing one-time and recurring costs.</p>

</div>

Expensify launches unlimited virtual cards feature for Visa Commercial Card

Longevity Tech

<div>
 
 <p>WHOOP, a company offering diagnostic and lifestyle products, has launched its services in India. This will allow customers across the country to access the membership services of its fitness tracker device, the WHOOP strap. The company has not revealed any specific details regarding the pricing of this service. </p>
 <p>The WHOOP strap monitors a variety of health-related metrics like heart rate, quality of sleep, and levels of physical activity. This collected data is analyzed by WHOOP's coaching platform, providing users with customized advice and insights.</p>
 <p>The company stated that this new service is potentially beneficial for a wide range of people with different fitness levels. The data-driven suggestions offered by WHOOP can be a useful resource for people looking to optimize their performance and improve their recovery, regardless of whether they are professional athletes or individuals with fitness goals.</p>
 
</div>

WHOOP fitness tracker launches in India

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>This is about the collaboration between Mashgin, a company that designs AI-powered self-checkout kiosks, and Verifone, which offers payment solutions. They are integrating Mashgin's kiosks with Verifone's Commander, a site management service used by over 50,000 operators.</p>
 <p>The partnership will allow retailers to implement Mashgin self-checkout kiosks into their businesses while controlling payments, operations, and loyalty programs centrally through the Commander Site Controller. Additionally, Mashgin will get the capability to offer fuel sales to petrol companies that are using Commander as a result of this collaboration.</p>
 
</div>

All Updates

Airwallex raises USD 100 million in Series E funding at a USD 5.5 billion valuation

LabGenius raises GBP 35 million in Series B funding to advance AI-powered drug discovery

Volvo and Aurora reveal first production-ready autonomous truck for long-haul transportation

Coya Therapeutics raises USD 5 million in private placement for Phase II clinical trials of lead candidate COYA 302

Kyndryl partners with NVIDIA to accelerate AI-powered insights and business outcomes

Archer Aviation partners with Etihad Training to recruit and train pilots in UAE

Sentera partners with Drone Nerds to enhance aerial imaging solutions across diverse industries

Agrify Corporation and Nature's Miracle Holdings terminate merger

Expensify launches unlimited virtual cards feature for Visa Commercial Card

WHOOP fitness tracker launches in India

Mashgin partners with Verifone to integrate self-checkout kiosks with Verifone Commander

FinTech Infrastructure

Airwallex raises USD 100 million in Series E funding at a USD 5.5 billion valuation

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