Nihara Gooneratne

Sustainable Finance Insight

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Sustainable Finance: investing with a purpose

A new wave of meat, fish, and poultry alternatives are driving this hyper-growth industry into the mainstream.

Plant-based Meat

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 <p>Plant-based meat brand SIMULATE, renowned for its Nuggs vegan chicken products, has been bought by recently established holding company Ahimsa Companies. The terms of the acquisition, which include a mix of cash and equity, have not been disclosed.</p>
 <p>The acquisition's main goal is to aid SIMULATE in re-establishing its presence on shelves and in consumers' meals following recent difficulties, such as the removal of its products from supermarkets. Ahimsa Companies aims to reinvigorate the Nuggs brand and facilitate the development of SIMULATE's fiber-spun technology for creating whole-muscle plant-based meat alternatives.</p>
 <p>SIMULATE was founded in 2018 and became popular amid the Covid-19 pandemic due to its tech-savvy approach to plant-based meat production. The company has been dedicated to continually refining its formula and sharing updates, offering a range of vegan chicken options. SIMULATE was once estimated to be worth USD 250 million.</p>
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
 </b> This latest acquisition marks another step in Ahimsa Companies’ strategy to expand its plant-based meat portfolio through vertical integration. In <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/30086"> June 2024 </a> , the company acquired Wicked Kitchen and its associated brands to support its diversified retail product offerings and expand its foodservice category.</p>

SIMULATE acquired by Ahimsa Companies for undisclosed sum

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

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 <p>Instacart has added three new features to its AI-powered Caper Cart: gamified quests, location-based coupons, and aisle-aware advertising. The Caper Cart, which was acquired by Instacart in October 2021, includes scales, sensors, touchscreens, and computer vision technology.</p>
 <p>The gamified quests are interactive mini-games that customers can play using the Caper Cart. These games show up on the cart's digital screen and use lights and sound to notify customers when they're available. The location-based coupon feature notifies shoppers about nearby offers and discounts for relevant products as they navigate through the store.</p>
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
 </b> Instacart continues to enhance and upgrade its Smart Cart technology offering. In September 2023, the company introduced several <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/21702"> upgrades </a> to its smart cart solutions, including enhanced AI models that improve the performance of the carts, additional features such as in-store reward systems, and a new charging station that supports stacked charging. The company also launched a new <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/25321"> personalized ads </a> feature for Caper Carts in January.</p>

Instacart adds gamification to smart cart solution

Reinventing gene therapies with next-generation technologies

Human Gene Editing

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 <p>GenKOre, a South Korea-based gene editing biotech company has partnered with Samyang Holdings. The collaboration aims to develop new gene therapies to address unmet medical needs by combining the companies' gene-editing technologies. However, the terms and financial details of the agreement have not been disclosed.</p>
 <p>The collaboration merges GenKore’s gene editing technology, TaRGET, with Samyang’s gene delivery platform, SENS in order to expedite and enhance the process of gene therapy development, and aim to provide safe and effective therapies.</p>
 <p>GenKOre specializes in gene-editing technology, with a focus on developing tools optimized for in vivo gene editing applications. GenKore's proprietary platform, TaRGET, features a variety of hypercompact CRISPR-Cas tools including TaRGET-cleavage, TaRGET-base editing, TaRGET-gene regulation, and TaRGET-gene correction system, all deliverable through a single adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector.</p>
 
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GenKOre partners with Samyang Holdings to develop new gene-edited therapies

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 <p>Three Chinese patients at Naval Medical University in Shanghai have received the world's first donor cell therapy, supervised by a rheumatologist. The first patient, diagnosed with systemic sclerosis, reported improved condition and regained motor skills, including finger and mouth movement, following the novel therapy. Another patient with autoimmune myopathy also reportedly showed clinical improvements post-treatment.</p>
 
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
 </b> This marks a significant step in gene-editing technology. So far, the general treatment process has been to derive T-cells from the patient and enhance them using the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool. This is the first time that donor cells have been used for the treatment instead. The goal of the study is to develop a technique to produce therapies on a large scale using one donor’s cells.</p>

The world's first donor cell therapy cures autoimmune disorder patients in China

Functional Nutrition

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 <p>Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), a global food and nutrition company, has introduced a new solutions platform that serves the nutritional requirements of people using GLP-1 receptor agonists and other anti-obesity medications. The platform is not only designed for current users but also those who are stepping down from these medications.</p>
 <p>The solutions platform uses ADM's proprietary research and scientific analysis to devise over 25 ready-to-market concepts that address different issues including muscle health, intestinal discomfort, hydration, and appetite control. The solutions are developed using plant-based ingredients, prebiotic fibers, probiotics, postbiotics, botanical extracts, and sweetening solutions, among others.</p>
 <p>Through the usage of advanced technologies and scientific research, ADM develops personalized nutritional solutions according to individual requirements. The company integrates factors like genetic composition, lifestyle, and health goals to provide specific dietary recommendations.</p>
 
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ADM launches supportive solutions platform for GLP-1 and anti-obesity medication users

Using data and automation to achieve 24/7 production.

Smart Factory

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 <p>ABB has introduced an Energy Efficiency Service targeted at manufacturers. This service encompasses consultation, analytical processes and the implementation of tools to enhance the energy efficiency of robots.</p>
 <p>The service is inclusive of three central tools: Standby Energy Optimisation, Program Optimization, and Energy Monitoring and Benchmarking. These tools are designed to evaluate actual energy usage, analyse the function of robot operating programs and keep a consistent check on the energy consumption of robots. ABB asserts that this service will assist manufacturers in cutting costs and offer potential energy savings of up to 30%.</p>
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
</b> ABB Robotics has been heavily active in robotic software over the last year, adding several new solutions to its product portfolio. This release marks ABB’s second product release over the past month since it <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/34084"> launched Ultra Accuracy </a> , a new feature for its GoFa cobot family that enables them to achieve a path accuracy of 0.03 mm. Moreover, in June, the company also <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/30189"> launched OmniCore </a> , an advanced robotics automation platform that enables users to create robotic automation applications.</p>

ABB Robotics launches Energy Efficiency Service for manufacturers

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

Bio-based Materials

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 <p>The Lenzing Group, a specialty fibers supplier based in Austria, has bought a minority stake in TreeToTextile AB, a textile fiber manufacturer from wood pulp based in Sweden. While the purchase price remains undisclosed, this acquisition has added Lenzing to the existing shareholders of TreeToTextile, including H&M Group, Inter IKEA Group, Stora Enso, and LSCS Invest.</p>
 <p>TreeToTextile aims to leverage Lenzing's expertise to accelerate its market growth. Lenzing claims that this partnership aligns with its corporate strategy and commitment to fostering innovation in producing sustainable fibers.</p>
 <p>Founded in 2014, TreeToTextile focuses on the development and commercialization of a renewable and resource-efficient cellulose fiber for both textile and nonwoven applications. The company's aim is to produce fibers that reduce environmental impact through decreasing the usage of chemicals and conserving water and energy.</p>
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Lenzing Group acquires minority stake in TreeToTextile for undisclosed sum

The toolkit to build machine learning applications at scale

Machine Learning Infrastructure

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 <p>The AI Platform Alliance, a consortium that specializes in AI compute services, has widened its membership to now include cloud-managed service providers, system suppliers and integrators, and software companies, apart from its original AI accelerator firm members.</p>
 <p>In an effort to augment the power and cost efficiency of AI inference and outperform regular GPU-based solutions, the alliance has introduced a new marketplace on its website that offers innovative solutions.</p>
 <p>The objective of the AI Platform Alliance is to foster better cooperation and openness in AI, verify combined AI solutions, and present alternatives to vertically integrated GPU-based platforms. Its goal is to hasten AI innovation, bolster AI's capability to tackle real-world issues, and create a socially responsible and environment-friendly infrastructure on a large scale.</p>
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AI Platform Alliance expands consortium to include AI compute solutions

Quantum information processing is slowly becoming a reality, ushering in a new technological era.

Quantum Computing

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 <p>TreQ, a quantum computing startup based in the UK, has secured USD 5 million in a seed funding round. Lavrock Ventures led the round with additional investments from Creator Fund, firstminute capital, and Green Sands Equity. The capital raised will be used to expand the company's operations and improve its manufacturing capabilities. TreQ aims to strengthen its focus on open-architecture quantum computers by partnering with its network of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).</p>
 <p>The company is dedicated to the development of open-architecture quantum processors. Its goal is to accelerate the shift from quantum components to fully functional quantum computing systems that can tackle complex computational problems in various industries. TreQ's solutions are designed to be used in scientific discovery, economic opportunities, and national security.</p>
 
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TreQ raises USD 5 million in seed funding to expand operations and improve manufacturing capabilities

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 <p>Both D-Wave and Rigetti, two quantum computing companies, have received warnings from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq due to their share prices consistently falling below the USD 1 threshold. The falling share prices have led to delisting alerts from the respective stock exchanges.</p>
 <p>For 30 straight trading days, D-Wave's share prices remained under the USD 1 mark, earning it its third warning from the NYSE. The company has a six-month period to correct this situation.</p>
 <p>Rigetti, meanwhile, has until mid-March 2025 from Nasdaq to elevate its stock prices as they too have dipped below the USD 1 threshold.</p>

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