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Drone Startup Shield AI Valued at $2.5 Billion in New Funding Round

Drone Startup Shield AI Valued at $2.5 Billion in New Funding Round

In a groundbreaking development for the autonomous drone technology sector, Shield AI, a startup specializing in military applications, is set to raise an impressive $150 million in funding. 

Drone Startup Shield AI Valued at $2.5 Billion in New Funding Round
Image Source: ts2.space

Sources familiar with the discussions have revealed that this latest round of financing will value the company at an impressive $2.5 billion. While Shield AI has not officially commented on this news, it marks a significant milestone in the company’s journey.

Shield AI is renowned for its innovative software, Hivemind, which essentially acts as a self-driving pilot for aircraft without the reliance on communications or GPS. This unique technology enables drones to operate seamlessly in situations where interference from enemy forces could otherwise disrupt navigation. Such capabilities have garnered Shield AI multiple contracts with the US military, solidifying its position as a key player in the defense technology landscape.

Notably, earlier this year, Shield AI made headlines by announcing a strategic partnership with aerospace giant Boeing Co. The collaboration aims to expedite the integration of Shield AI’s autonomous aircraft software into military applications, underscoring the growing importance of autonomous systems in modern warfare.

Shield AI’s journey began in 2015, when it was founded by Ryan Tseng and his brother, Brandon Tseng, a former Navy SEAL who now serves as the company’s president. Alongside them, Andrew Reiter, a technical fellow at the company, contributed to the development of their groundbreaking technology. Shield AI quickly emerged as a star in the defense technology sector, attracting significant attention and venture capital investments.

The startup’s impressive growth trajectory has been supported by several high-profile investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Point72 Ventures, and Snowpoint Ventures. These investments have not only fueled Shield AI’s research and development efforts but have also positioned the company as a leader in autonomous drone technology.

Also Read: T-Mobile to Buy Up to $3.3 Billion of Airwaves From Comcast

The $2.5 billion valuation is a testament to Shield AI’s dedication to pushing the boundaries of autonomous technology. It reflects the growing recognition of the strategic importance of such innovations in modern defense and security operations. As conflicts evolve, autonomous drones like those developed by Shield AI are becoming essential tools for gathering critical intelligence and executing missions while minimizing risks to human personnel.

In conclusion, Shield AI’s latest funding round signifies a major milestone in the development of autonomous drone technology for military applications. With a valuation of $2.5 billion, the company is poised to continue driving innovation in the defense technology sector, ensuring that cutting-edge autonomous systems become an integral part of the modern military arsenal. The partnership with Boeing and continued support from investors further solidify Shield AI’s position as a frontrunner in this rapidly evolving field.

Gin Bothy Founder on Why She is Moving Distillery to Forfar

Gin Bothy Founder on Why She is Moving Distillery to Forfar

Gin Bothy, a maker of spirits, is relocating to new facilities in Forfar, adding many new jobs in the process.

The new location’s 14,000 square meters makes it twice as big as the business’s original Kirriemuir location. With the opening of a new shop in the coming months, it will be able to increase manufacturing capacity and unify all Bothy products under one roof.

The company, which was established in 2015 by ‘accidental gin-maker’ Kim Cameron, is going to continue to run its Glamis shop and tourist experience, and the new location will enable more manufacturing of Gin Bothy, Hipflask Spirits, as well as the Jam Bothy.

Cameron said: “With a growing team and demand for our products, our office and storage space simply needed to grow to support demand.

“This is an incredibly exciting move for the team as the Forfar facility gives us room to expand, create several more jobs and means we don’t have to outsource warehousing.”

Cameron added: “There are several upcoming collaborations planned, with new flavours and products the Bothy team are working on which we’re really excited to announce later this year.”

insider.co.uk

The firm first operated from a bothy kitchen in Kirriemuir, where Cameron created raspberry gin using the residual juice from the jam she prepared. The old Agricar property in Forfar marks a turning point for the company.

Today, Gin Bothy manufactures over 65,000 units annually, which are distributed throughout the United Kingdom and shipped abroad.

Following the recent signing of export agreements in the US, Germany, as well as Switzerland, growth does not appear to be going down.

Gin Bothy favors the traditional method after being inspired by previous Bothies. They use seasonal produce from the surrounding area to impart flavor to gins in incredibly tiny amounts, each stage of the process being done by hand.

For their Gunshot gin, they received three Great Taste Awards in 2016, were chosen as among Scotland’s top 18 spirits, and were honored by the industry when they won Best Product at the Trade Fair of Scotland in 2017.

The business owner claimed that the wholesale clients have also enjoyed the Jam Bothy line of preserves, which was introduced this year. She stated that it was crucial to preserve manufacturing in Angus while aiming to expand the company.

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“The move means we are still in Angus where we source our fruit from local farmers, but it allows us to triple production and gives us the space to take fruit straight from the field to a jar of jam as we have more storage.

“It also means a new Bothy Larder shop with our full range across all brands will open its doors this October.

thecourier.co.uk
Physics Wallah

How has tech helped Physics Wallah become a unicorn startup?

Physics Wallah is a well-known ed-tech startup that offers online courses for students preparing for engineering and medical entrance exams in India.

Alakh Pandey, the company’s founder and a physics instructor, founded Physics Wallah in 2016 with the goal of ensuring that everyone can access high-quality education, regardless of where they live or their financial status. Physics Wallah has become a unicorn ed-tech firm thanks in large part to technology.

Physics Wallah
Image Source: indiatimes.com

With an initial expenditure of roughly Rs 30,000, PhysicsWallah began as a YouTube channel in 2016. Alakh got to work creating videos with a camera phone, tripod, whiteboard, and a few books. He began by giving lectures on physics and chemistry topics.

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He understood, however, that he would not be able to offer an extensive syllabus for competitive examinations, assign homework, and administer assessments on his own. Despite these issues, he decided to build an app that would offer a comprehensive curriculum for the JEE/NEET exams in 2017 after his channel reached 50,000 followers.

Lakshya (physics for JEE), PW’s inaugural course, received a resoundingly positive response from students all over India when it was made available for the low price of just Rs 999. For the six-month course, about 70,000 people signed up, contributing significantly to PW’s enormous financial success.

The PW app saw 2.1 million downloads in 2021. The tech business now manages 20 offline PW Pathshala centres known as PW Pathshala in 18 cities in addition to YouTube and the app. With a roughly Rs 2 crore initial investment, this arm was launched in October 2021.

The cost of these centres’ one-year JEE or NEET courses ranges from Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000. They currently employ 400 people across all of their centres, and 6,500 students attended during the most recent academic year.

Physics Wallah can now provide online classes thanks to technology, which has increased its customer base. Without having to travel great distances to attend physical lessons, students from every corner of India are able to access the courses from the convenience of their homes.

Technology is used by Physics Wallah to provide interactive educational experiences like movies, animations, simulations, and quizzes. With the aid of this strategy, students are better able to comprehend difficult ideas and interact with the subject matter more deeply.

Physics Wallah can tailor students’ educational experiences by using technology. The business monitors student performance and offers personalised comments and suggestions for development.

The web platform used by Physics Wallah enables the business to expand quickly. Without spending money on new facilities or hiring more employees, the company may offer new courses and reach more students.

To reach a larger audience and establish a strong brand, Physics Wallah has made use of social media sites like YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. Alakh Pandey, the company’s founder, has established a strong social media following that has aided Physics Wallah in growing its user base.

In conclusion, technology has been a key factor in Physics Wallah’s success as an ed-tech firm. It has made it possible for the business to extend its operations, offer online courses, deliver interactive and personalised learning experiences, and promote to a larger audience through social media.

Carta

Carta: Expertise in capitalization table management and valuations technology.

Carta enables users to start businesses, manage their equity, and make investments in emerging firms. The company’s goal is to make equity ownership more accessible to more individuals in more locations.

Carta
Image Source: siliconangle.com

For over two million people worldwide, Carta maintains over two trillion us dollars in equities. More than 30,000 enterprises, over 5,000 investment funds, and 500,000 employees rely on the corporation for capitalization table managing, liquidity venture capital services, compensation management, etc.

About the Company

Formerly known as eShares, Carta is a software company that focuses on capitalization table management and valuations technology. To assist businesses, investors, and employees in managing their equity and to provide a real-time image of firm ownership, the company digitizes paper stock certificates, together with share options, warrants, and derivatives.

Additionally, the business runs the private stock exchange CartaX and publishes studies emphasizing the gender parity gap in several industries. The company is headquartered in San Franciso, USA. The company purportedly tracked more than $2.5 trillion in corporate equity as of August 2022 and has enabled $13 billion in supplementary sales. Slack, Coinbase, Casper, Tilray, and Affirm are a few of its clients.

History

Henry Ward, an entrepreneur, and Manu Kumar, a seasoned investor, started Carta in 2012 as eShares. Ward was appointed CEO, while Kumar was named corporate chairman. When the founders recognized a requirement for venture-backed businesses to electronically handle equity, sell securities, and monitor their cap tables, they founded the company. In 2015, Spark Capital led a $17 million Series B financing for eShares.

In order to offer stock management to Zenefits’ platform, eShares teamed with the cloud-based human resources startup Zenefits in 2016. In 2017, eShares acquired Silicon Valley Bank Analytics, a competitor’s valuation firm. The company later changes its name to Carta. In 2021, the company developed a private stock market named CartaX to enable owners and staff to sell private equities before an acquisition or IPO. The company sold under $100 million of its individual shares on CartaX in February. In 2022, Carta purchased UK rival Capdesk for an unknown amount.

Products and Services

Carta’s software helps assist businesses in maintaining their capitalization charts, which display the ownership percentages, stock dilution, and equity value for every round of funding by inventors, founders, and other owners. Customers can monitor their valuations, portfolio investments, and equity plans online with the aid of the company’s software.

The software from Carta enables business owners to issue digital share certificates to stock option-eligible parties like investors, employees, and others. Additionally, it creates a single dashboard that allows issuers to monitor shareholding, the timing and cost of securities issued, and the willingness of owners to sell. The portfolio management software from Carta is widely used by venture capital organizations.

The company also runs the private stock exchange CartaX, which allows staff members and investors to sell their shares ahead of the company’s IPO or acquisition. Table Stakes is a group of equity gap studies that were produced as a result of the company’s emphasis on capitalization tables. In a range of industries, namely high tech, the surveys identify equity inequalities between company employees and founders in terms of gender, color, ethnicity, and region.

Founders: Henry Ward; Manu Kumar

Henry and Manu Kumar pointed out in 2012 that investing in a business was the same whether it was a railway or a cryptocurrency start-up: Stock certificates were physically issued, and businesses used spreadsheets to keep track of capitalization tables. It was a cumbersome approach that makes it challenging to transmit information and can result in expensive mistakes. This resulted in the formation of the company in 2012.

Fisker Inc.

Fisker Inc. – Develops And Sells Electrification Technology.

Fisker Inc. is a company that produces automobiles. The business develops and sells electrification technology, zero-emission automobiles, and electric vehicles. This automaker was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in California, USA.

About The Company

Fisker Inc is an American company that manufactures electric vehicles (EV). The Fisker Karma was manufactured by Fisker Automotive, which was replaced by Fisker Inc. The Fisker Ocean, an electrical sport utility vehicle (SUV) being developed by Fisker Inc., is anticipated to go into production in late 2022. It has an estimated range of 300-350 miles (480-560 km). Fisker was also developing solid-state battery technology that could provide up to 500 miles of range with a one-minute charge until 2021. In July 2020, Fisker Inc. announced a merger with Spartan Energy Acquisition, a SPAC supported by private equity company Apollo Global Management, and an IPO on the NY Stock Exchange. The company concluded the reversed merger on October 30, 2020.

History

Henrik Fisker and Bernhard in 2007 established Fisker Automotive. One of the first premium plug-in EVs in production, the Fisker Karma, was created by the business and debuted in 2008 before the first deliveries were made in 2011. After about 2,000 of the cars had been sold globally, production was halted in 2012 as a result of the insolvency of its battery provider, A123 Systems. Wanxiang Group acquired the assets of Fisker Automotive in 2014, and the new business was given the name Karma Automotive. The Fisker brand and trademarks were kept by Henrik Fisker.

Fisker Inc.
Image source: pxcrush.net

The creation of Fisker Inc., an American manufacturer designing and manufacturing cutting-edge electric vehicles with a more extended range, autonomous driving capability, and superior battery tech, with Geeta Fisker as president and CFO, was announced by chairman and CEO Henrik Fisker on October 3, 2016. Fisker first announced in July 2016 that he intended to create an entirely connected electric vehicle with autonomous driving capabilities and a beautiful exterior. Fisker Inc. unveiled the design and technical details of the upcoming electric car, the Fisker EMotion, on October 31, 2016. The Orbit, a truly automated, connected, electric shuttle destined for smart cities, public airports, and campuses, was introduced by the corporation in November 2017. In that same month, Fisker Inc. declared that it had submitted patent applications for designs of flexible solid-state batteries, with mass production of the batteries beginning in 2020. The business revealed its plans to create a bulk market for all-electric luxury SUVs in September 2018.

In 2019, the company released the official Fisker Flexee mobile application for iOS and Android. Customers can plan test drives for the Fisker Ocean e-SUV and make reservations through the application.

Vehicles

Fisker Inc has launched various electronic vehicles in the automotive industry. The Fisker Orbit, an autonomous electric shuttle connected, and intended for smart cities, was unveiled in 2017. For this product, Fisker Inc. collaborated with Protean Electric, a manufacturer of motor technology, as well as Jack Wong of the Chinese business Hakim Unique Group. A few of its popular products include Fisker Alaska, Fisker EMotion, Fisker PEAR, and Fisker Ocean.

Founder – Henrik Fisker

Henrik Fisker founded Fisker Inc in 2007. Henrik Fisker is a renowned designer and entrepreneur. Henrik is known for taking risks, embracing innovation, and defying conventional wisdom. He is a top automobile designer, entrepreneur, inventor, innovator, mentor, and brand ambassador. The BMW Z8, Rocket, Destino V8, and Force 1 are among his most famous works. He has previously served on the boards of Aston Martin, BMW Designworks USA, Fisker Automotive, and Fisker Coachbuild. He has served in a number of honorary capacities, including as a judge at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and as an advisor and judges for automotive design at the Royal College of Art, UK, in 2010.

Udayy

Edtech Startup Udayy Shuts Shop In India, Fires All The Employees.

New businesses over the nation over are finding it hard to stay aware of the inflation. After Unacademy, Vedantu, another ed-tech startup, Udayy, fails horrendously. While Vedantu and Unacademy have just laid off a specific level of their labour force, Udayy has totally closed its business in India. The ed-tech organization experienced colossal misfortunes when the schools returned following a break of two years.

Udayy, which offered a web-based learning stage for grades 1 to 8, has laid off the entirety of its 100 workers as the firm couldn’t oversee supportable development in a hyper-cutthroat ed-tech competition.

Udayy
Image source: amazonaws.com

Udayy’s prime supporter and CEO Saumya Yadav affirmed the improvement. To date, the company has raised more than $10 million in financing, including conspicuous financial backers like AlphaWave, InfoEdge, and Better Capital.

Established in 2019 by Karan Varshney, Mahak Garg, and Yadav, the ed-tech stage offered maths and English preparation to youngsters in the age groups of 6-11 years involving an intuitive web-based study hall of 3-5 kids in each cluster. It likewise sent off a free application giving day-to-day worksheets to understudies.

As indicated by the organization’s site which is presently outdated, it has directed in excess of 130,000 classes with north of 200 qualified educators and 50,000 children have learned from them as of 2022.

Yadav let people know that after the organization shut down activities in April, it proceeded to give outplacement administrations to every one of the impacted workers. Udayy likewise offered a severance bundle to workers, and a medical coverage bundle, as per Yadav.

It was a very difficult decision but we did it in the best way possible so everyone finds a good place. We started during the pandemic and were doing very well during the pandemic. But, after the pandemic when offline schools opened up, growth stalled and it became very expensive to get new customers and service the old ones,” she mentions.

Source: www.financialexpress.com

Saumya Yadav, a fellow benefactor of the organization, said that Udayy was confronting obstructions in growing the model of online school when the schools started reopening.

Udayy was witnessing the post-pandemic world for the first time. As the kids went back to school, we faced roadblocks in growing the original model of online, live learning. We evaluated multiple strategies and adjacent pivots. However, none of them were promising enough,” she said.

Source: entrackr.com

Udayy was established by IIT Delhi and Stanford University graduates, Yadav, Mahak Garg, and Karan Varshney. Uday joins the rundown of new companies that had terminated representatives in the primary quarter of 2022. Up until this point, the Indian start-ups have terminated in excess of 5600 workers.

Numerous tech new companies have either closed down or rebuilt tasks.

In February, ed-tech start-up Lido Learning likewise reported that it was closing down, due to comparable reasons. Last week, edtech stage FrontRow reported cutbacks as the organization went into rebuilding mode to increment efficiencies and protract its runway.

Following quite a while of hypergrowth, ed-tech firms are presently preparing for a stoppage in subsidizing, and a couple, including Unacademy and Vedantu, have conserved workers to reduce expenses.

Until now in ed-tech, Unacademy has laid off around 1,000 representatives, while Lido has closed shop in the wake of relinquishing around 150 workers. Most of late, Vedantu terminated 624 workers, referring to an intense macroeconomic scenery and difficulties from disconnected training places recovering unmistakable quality. On Monday, people group learning start-up FrontRow laid off 150 representatives of its all-out labour force of 500, due to an apparent money crunch. Aside from this, the much-advertised metaverse-based edtech fire up, Metaversity, established by previous Twitter India boss Manish Maheshwari laid off another 20 representatives last week as the organization failed to take off. Last week, the founder of Unacademy, Gaurav Munjal, whose organization let go north of 1,000 on-roll and authoritative staff as of late, informed the workers in an email that “winter is here” and that cost-cutting would be the organization’s vital concentration as subsidizing would stay scant for essentially the following 12-year and a half.

A few ed-tech firms are by and by wandering into hybrid learning models that include both on the web and disconnected learning. Nonetheless, Udayy couldn’t take advantage of that portion.