A naukri.com initiative
Funding News
SiliconCanals
5h
473
Image Credit: SiliconCanals
London-based PolyAI secures $50M at $500M valuation to advance its enterprise conversational assistants powered by AI
- London-based PolyAI has raised $50M at a valuation of $500M in a funding round led by Hedosophia and NVentures.
- PolyAI provides customer-led voice assistants for enterprises using conversational AI.
- The company's voice assistants understand and solve customer problems across various industries.
- PolyAI's solutions are used by global companies like FedEx, Marriott, Carter's, and Caesars Entertainment.
Read Full Article
5 Likes
Pymnts
11h
237
Image Credit: Pymnts
Aeropay Raises $20 Million for Pay-by-Bank Offering
- Digital payments company Aeropay has raised $20 million in new financing.
- Aeropay specializes in pay-by-bank and aims to develop new products, enhance partnerships, and explore new opportunities with the funding.
- The company's bank-driven payments network utilizes Aerosync, a bank aggregator, to offer industry-high approval rates and minimize fraud risk.
- PYMNTS Intelligence shows that pay-by-bank users are highly satisfied with their experience, but a lack of understanding might hinder wider adoption.
Read Full Article
14 Likes
Siliconangle
13h
304
Image Credit: Siliconangle
Business intelligence startup Sigma closes $200M round at $1.5B valuation
- Business intelligence startup Sigma has raised $200 million in a Series D funding round led by Spark Capital and Avenir Growth Capital.
- The funding values Sigma at $1.5 billion, a 60% increase compared to its previous valuation.
- Sigma provides a business intelligence platform that allows companies to analyze and visualize data in cloud data warehouses.
- The funds raised will be used to enhance platform integrations with generative AI models and expand presence in the US and international markets.
Read Full Article
18 Likes
Siliconangle
4h
443
Image Credit: Siliconangle
Cloud developer tools startup Replit lays off 20% of its workforce amid generative AI push
- Cloud developer tools startup Replit has announced the layoff of 20% of its workforce, around 30 employees.
- The decision was made to ensure Replit's long-term success and its push towards generative AI coding.
- Replit provides a browser-based integrated development environment, making it easier for developers to get started.
- The company recently launched Replit Teams, integrating generative AI capabilities into its coding tools.
Read Full Article
4 Likes
SiliconCanals
5h
430
Image Credit: SiliconCanals
Zurich-based aerial intelligence company SwissDrones secures €9.2M from Chevron Technology Ventures, others
- Zurich-based aerial intelligence company SwissDrones has secured €9.2M in a Series B equity growth funding round.
- The funding round was backed by investors including DiamondStream Partners, Chevron Technology Ventures, and Ingleside Investors.
- The investment will help SwissDrones expand its global footprint and deliver integrated solutions for various applications.
- SwissDrones manufactures and operates long-range unmanned helicopter systems for surveillance, inspection, and search & reconnaissance missions.
Read Full Article
3 Likes
Global Fintech Series
5h
690
Image Credit: Global Fintech Series
Aeropay Announces $20M in Series B Financing, Further Solidifying Position as a Leader in U.S. Open Banking & A2A Payments
- Aeropay, a leading provider of Pay-By-Bank solutions for businesses, has announced $20 million in Series B financing.
- The funding round was led by fintech venture capital firm Group 11, with participation from Chicago Ventures and Continental Investment Partners.
- Aeropay has experienced 10X revenue growth over the past year and is processing over $1 billion in volume annually.
- The funds will be used to develop new product offerings, enhance strategic partnerships, and explore new markets.
Read Full Article
20 Likes
Economic Times
5h
353
Image Credit: Economic Times
Acacia Inclusion leads $45 million funding in Battery Smart
- Battery-swapping services provider Battery Smart has raised Rs 376 crore ($45 million) in funding.
- Acacia Inclusion led the round with an investment of Rs 125 crore.
- The company plans to expand beyond the northern belt of India and enter cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, and Kolkata.
- Founded in 2019, Battery Smart offers two-minute battery-swapping facilities primarily for electric three-wheelers.
Read Full Article
Like
Siliconangle
9h
163
Image Credit: Siliconangle
Frontend development startup Vercel valued at $3.25B following new $250M round
- Frontend development startup Vercel has raised $250 million in a Series E funding round.
- The funding round values Vercel at $3.25 billion.
- Vercel is the creator of Next.js, an open-source toolkit for building websites.
- The company plans to enhance its cybersecurity features and expand its v0 artificial intelligence service.
Read Full Article
9 Likes
Medium
11h
306
Image Credit: Medium
An Analysis of Startup Conference Attendance for CEOs and Founders
- Startups must conduct a cost-benefit analysis before committing to conference attendance to assess the potential return on investment (ROI).
- The financial burden imposed by conferences can strain cash-strapped startups' limited resources, but alternative funding sources and discounted rates can help mitigate costs.
- The likelihood of closing an investment deal directly from a conference contact is relatively low, as securing funding typically involves a more complex process beyond just initial introductions at conferences.
- Startup companies can diversify investment by directing funds toward product development, marketing and sales initiatives, talent acquisition, or strategic partnerships.
- Effective diversification of investment can drive tangible progress, accelerate growth, and increase the likelihood of long-term success.
- Securing funding can be achieved through engaging with angel investors, venture capital firms, accelerators, crowdfunding platforms, pitch competitions, networking events, and online communities.
- Each of these funding sources has unique advantages and considerations, depending on the startup's stage of development, funding needs, investor preferences, and long-term growth aspirations.
- Conference attendees must actively manage the investment process, effectively preparing and targeting engagement, and demonstrating relationship-building and strategic follow-up.
- Attending startup conferences can offer valuable networking opportunities and exposure to potential investors, but the decision to allocate resources should be carefully evaluated in the context of the startup's objectives, stage, and financial constraints.
- Here's a detailed list of various North American and international conferences targeting startup companies and investors to help in their journey.
Read Full Article
18 Likes
Pymnts
12h
130
Image Credit: Pymnts
AI Money: Earnings Reports Show a Tech Firm Bonanza
- Tech firms are experiencing a boom with Q1 sales results indicating strong demand for cloud computing and voice assistants.
- Santa Clara-based SoundHoud experienced a particularly strong quarter amidst increased interest in voice-based AI use for customer service.
- Voice AI appears to be increasingly becoming a necessity amongst consumer services.
- Nvidia, which sells computer chips that power AI systems, reported better-than-expected earnings for Q1; Microsoft unveiled plans to invest $4.3bn in French technology in order to secure 1 million people and bring back 2,500 AI ventures by 2027 and Drive.ai commenced trials amidst claims that it had developed a 'low-cost retrofitting solution for enterprises to drive transformation'.
- Microsoft's funds will go towards cloud computing, AI training, and startup support.
- Baidu posted better-than-expected results for Q1 helped in part by investments in AI.
- Digital Ocean, which caters to small and midsize businesses, invested in AI and machine learning offerings.
- Investors will be closely watching such tech giants to see who can harness the power of AI and emerge as leaders in this growing market.
Read Full Article
7 Likes
Pymnts
12h
234
Image Credit: Pymnts
Yendo Raises $165 Million for ‘Vehicle-Secured’ Credit Card
- FinTech company Yendo has raised $165 million in funding for its 'vehicle-secured' credit card.
- The funding includes $150 million in debt financing and $15 million in equity.
- Yendo aims to offer affordable credit to underserved consumers by leveraging the equity of their car.
- Customers can access up to $10,000 of revolving credit, and as they pay down their auto loans, their credit card availability increases.
Read Full Article
14 Likes
Guardian
15h
18
Image Credit: Guardian
The chancellor should ditch the NatWest retail share offer. It’s not needed
- The UK government’s retail share offer of NatWest is not needed since the trading plan is working splendidly.
- The Treasury is disposing of the state’s NatWest shares by selling them on the stock market.
- The plan is to dribble shares into the market without disturbing the underlying price and thus obtaining full value.
- In a retail offer brokers suggest a 10% discount would be needed to entice punters, costing the Treasury up to 300m of the market price value.
- The government's deadline for a full exit is Spring 2026, with the trading plan looking capable of delivering ahead of schedule.
- The government promotes wider financial services priorities and retail investing as reasons for a retail sale.
- A retail sale to the public in which public money slips between the cracks is not necessary.
- The trading plan adopted in 2021 is said to be working splendidly.
- The surest sign of NatWest as a bank is that its valuation is well above reported net asset value.
Read Full Article
1 Like
Medium
16h
219
Image Credit: Medium
Scrappy or Not to Be
- Being scrappy is often a necessity for startups in their early stages as they build revenue and brand capital.
- However, being scrappy has significant cost implications and can lead to delivering features that do not deliver value, increased churn, and higher costs of change in the future.
- Mature organizations cannot afford to be scrappy due to the higher cost of failure and change.
- Encourage teams to understand the context and make informed decisions about when to be scrappy and when not to be.
Read Full Article
13 Likes
Economic Times
16h
212
Image Credit: Economic Times
Online astrology platform InstaAstro raises $2.3 million in funding led by Artha Venture Fund
- Online astrology platform InstaAstro has raised $2.3 million in a funding round led by Artha Venture Fund.
- The funds will be used to enhance the platform, onboard more astrologers, expand footprint and build a stronger brand presence.
- InstaAstro offers horoscopes, tarot readings, and numerology in various regional languages.
- The company has more than 200,000 monthly app installations and is recording an annualized revenue run rate of $5 million.
Read Full Article
12 Likes
VentureBeat
17h
341
Unified API Recall pulls conversational data from Zoom and Google Meet to power AI bots
- Recall, a startup helping enterprises mobilize their data asset, has raised $10 million in funding.
- The company plans to build a unified API for different platforms and expand its team.
- Recall's API allows easy access to conversational data from video conferencing platforms like Google Meet and Zoom.
- The company has seen significant growth, attracting over 300 companies and ingesting millions of hours of meeting data.
Read Full Article
20 Likes
For uninterrupted reading, download the app