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TechCrunch
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DeepRoute raises $100M in push to beat Tesla’s FSD in China
- DeepRoute.ai, a Shenzhen-based autonomous driving technology startup, has raised $100 million from an unidentified Chinese automaker.
- The company aims to deploy its automated driving systems in as many vehicles in China as possible before Tesla launches its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system in the country next year.
- DeepRoute plans to install its ADAS in around 200,000 cars in China by the end of 2025, a significant increase from the current deployment of 20,000 vehicles.
- The company charges automakers a licensing fee per car and collects data to improve its AI's ability to handle complex traffic situations.
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ISN
1w
878
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D2C brand Wow Skin Science reports Rs 233.5 crore in FY24; losses decline by 24%
- Wow Skin Science, a D2C beauty and personal care brand, reported a decline in operating revenue by 9.6% in FY24.
- The company's net loss reduced by approximately 24% in the same period.
- Expenses were significantly reduced, with advertising and promotional expenses seeing a 46% reduction.
- Wow Skin Science plans to achieve near break-even in Q4 and full profitability in the coming year.
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Pymnts
1w
954
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Zaelab Acquires Trellis to Bolster B2B eCommerce Offerings
- Zaelab has acquired Trellis to bolster its B2B eCommerce offerings.
- The acquisition enhances Zaelab's capabilities in supporting B2B organizations across major sales channels, including B2B, D2C, and marketplaces.
- Trellis brings expertise in user experience, digital strategy, and platform capabilities like Shopify, BigCommerce, and Adobe Commerce.
- Zaelab solidifies its position as a leading provider of end-to-end B2B digital transformation solutions with the addition of Trellis.
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VIE Stories
1w
271
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HCLTech and Singapore Economic Development Board launch AI/Cloud Native Lab
- HCLTech has announced the creation of a new AI/Cloud Native Lab in Singapore, expected to open in 2025.
- The lab will collaborate with Nanyang Polytechnic and Singapore Polytechnic to develop AI talent.
- It will join HCLTech's network of labs in the US, UK, Germany, and India, receiving support from EDB.
- The lab aims to accelerate AI projects and strengthen Singapore's position as a regional hub for AI innovation.
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Gritdaily
1w
1.4k
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Cyber Brain Academy Named CompTIA’s “Rising Star” for Excellence in Cybersecurity Education
- Cyber Brain Academy has been named CompTIA's 'Rising Star' for excellence in cybersecurity education.
- The academy provides quality education in the field of cybersecurity and offers training for various experience levels.
- Founded by Victor Nzeata, a former army cyber officer, Cyber Brain Academy aims to educate the next generation of professionals in response to the increasing cyber threats.
- The academy focuses on small class sizes, individualized attention, and aims to empower students to become leaders in the cybersecurity field.
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Geek Wire
1w
87
‘Uber for ocean intelligence’ startup wins Bellingham Angel Investors pitch competition
- Astraeus Ocean Systems, a startup that aims to field a fleet of autonomous boats to gather and analyse information on environmental conditions, has won the Bellingham Angel Investors’ Startup Pitch Competition.
- The contest, which awarded a total of $10,000 in prize money, was the first annual pitch event to highlight entrepreneurs in Northwest Washington state.
- A total of 12 local entrepreneurs pitched their business concepts in front of a panel of judges and an audience of about 50 people.
- Astraeus CEO Alex Parker said he envisioned a globally distributed fleet of solar-powered autonomous surface vessels that can be rapidly dispatched to gather and share sensor data at a lower cost than current ocean data collection methods.
- Ten of the 12 finalists, including Astraeus, were from Bellingham and 10 were tech-related.
- Bellingham-based Astraeus, which also won the "audience favourite" award, plans to conduct trials in Puget Sound this year and hopes to start its first paid pilots in early 2025.
- Other winners included a child care and learning center, an app to help gardeners and a no-code business process automation platform.
- Bellingham Angel Investors said active investments are usually in the $2m to $5m range and the competition was the first step in stimulating the entrepreneurial community in the region.
- Startups also had the opportunity to take part in coaching and workshop sessions in advance.
- Rhys Faler, one of the judges, is the driving force behind Innovate Bellingham, which is hosting a festival in January that he thinks could fit well into the annual cadence of the pitch competition.
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Yourstory
1w
46
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Enhancing business with advanced SaaS cash flow management
- In the dynamic world of business, the mantra of sustainable growth is underpinned by the ability to manage cash flow effectively.
- SaaS cash flow management platforms come into play, offering enhanced capabilities for tracking collections and payables and forecasting future cash flows.
- SaaS platforms, businesses can access their cash flow data anytime and anywhere, ensuring they remain agile in a fast-paced market environment.
- Also ReadAI is reshaping SaaS globally and Indian firms are swiftly adapting to the shift.
- One of the standout features of advanced SaaS cash flow management platforms is its ability to provide real-time insights into sales and revenue.
- Advanced SaaS solutions use AI and ML to analyze past patterns and predict future trends, offering more accurate and dynamic cash flow forecasts.
- By linking financial data with customer interactions, businesses can gain a 360-degree view of their customers’ payment behaviours, preferences, and purchasing patterns.
- Automation also ensures that payments are received on time, reducing the risk of cash flow disruptions.
- SaaS cash flow management platforms provide detailed analytics and reporting features that empower businesses to make data-driven decisions, including insights into revenue growth drivers, sales performance, and profitability metrics.
- As companies continue to adapt to digital transformation, those that leverage advanced cash flow management solutions will be better positioned to maximize their sales potential, boost revenue, and achieve long-term financial stability.
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Gritdaily
1w
403
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55 Years of Excellence: Industry Veteran Paul Williamson, Founder and President of Art Sign Works Inc., Recognized by Marquis Who’s Who
- Paul Williamson, founder and president of Art Sign Works Inc., has been recognized by Marquis Who's Who.
- With multiple degrees and a 55-year career in engineering, program and contract management, and entrepreneurship, Williamson embodies innovation and adaptability.
- Art Sign Works Inc., under Williamson's leadership, has become the largest manufacturer of high-quality carved and dimensional signs in the US.
- The company serves a diverse clientele, including government agencies, military services, educational institutions, corporations, and individuals worldwide.
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Yourstory
1w
254
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Q&A with Swiggy leaders ahead of IPO; Sanjeev Bikhchandani on AI rising
- Foodtech unicorn Swiggy is going public soon and its leaders are on a roadshow covering 25 cities across India to woo retail investors.
- Swiggy’s quick commerce arm is expected to outpace its core food delivery business and reach over 40% of Swiggy’s food delivery business in terms of gross order volumes in four years.
- In the same report, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son said that he is bullish on Swiggy’s prospects and believes that the startup can lead the delivery and food commerce market.
- Two-wheeler maker Hero MotoCorp clocked its highest-ever festive sales this year, with the rural segment catching up with the urban category. The season also gave relief to other automakers as the vehicle inventory—which had piled up to 7.9 lakh vehicles—was brought down by record sales.
- Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Founder and Executive Chairman of Info Edge (India), believes startups will increasingly use AI in the coming years.
- Bikhchandani says India has a strong need for vertical AI applications, and educational institutes and academia can help push young entrepreneurs towards riding this wave.
- Himalayan Blooms, founded by Pratibha Krishnaiah, recognises a talent for knitting and crocheting in Khetikhan, Uttarakhand, and began providing training and opportunities to women to become skilled artisans. Its empire has now grown to 250 women across 40 villages in the region.
- Boeing workers will vote on a third contract agreement that could end a seven-week strike that has halted production at the troubled planemaker.
- The Indian rupee touched its weakest level on record on Monday, as persistent equity outflows blunted the impact of a weaker dollar that helped lift the currency's regional peers ahead of the US presidential election. The rupee closed at 84.1150 against the US dollar.
- The Great Fire of London in 1666 was the pivotal moment that led to the development of modern insurance practices.
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Startupnation
1w
42
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How to use Cold Prospecting to Generate More Leads
- Cold prospecting is a sales and marketing technique used to reach out to potential clients that have had no prior contact with your business.
- This approach facilitates building fresh relationships with customers, is a cost-effective form of outreach, and allows businesses to get immediate feedback.
- Prospects reached via cold outreach are typically your ideal customers and is focused on building brand awareness and educating customers about the products.
- Cold prospecting involves reaching out to potential customers through methods like unsolicited telephone calls, emailing, social media outreach, SMS, networking, and door-to-door prospecting.
- The types of cold prospecting you choose should contain social proof via customer reviews, show industry expertise, and address customer's pain points.
- Before starting your cold prospecting, identify your target audience, set measurable goals, plan your strategy, write a script, follow-up, and track progress.
- Cold prospecting evolves with shifts in sales trends and technology, which makes it challenging to develop.
- However, when executed correctly, cold prospecting is one of the best strategies to maximize lead generation and improve business performance.
- Businesses invest in cold prospecting short-term while driving long-term revenue and improving conversion rates and ROIs.
- One added bonus of cold prospecting is that pursuing cold prospects also allows you to gather immediate feedback from consumers.
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TechCrunch
1w
67
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Datadog challenger Dash0 aims to dash observability bill shock
- Observability remains a major budget drain for organizations, with high costs and the need for transparent pricing.
- Startup Dash0 aims to address the cost issue by improving transparency in observability through the use of the open-source framework OpenTelemetry.
- Dash0 raised a $9.5 million seed funding round and is led by founder Mirko Novakovic, who previously sold his company Instana to IBM.
- Dash0 plans to unlock the benefits of OpenTelemetry with an intuitive UI, dashboards, and integrations, targeting companies with 50-5,000 employees.
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Inc42
1w
242
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Why Ola Electric’s Road To Profits Is Long And Rocky
- Ola Electric has lost market share to rivals such as Ather Energy and legacy players amid concerns about poor servicing quality and customer complaints. Ola Electric has bled market share these past three months, and there are renewed apprehensions that its path to profitability might be stretched. As per analysts, Ola Electric would need to focus on growing sales volume by about 30%-40% from the current levels to reach the breakeven mark, which would take at least two to three years for the company. Ola Electric needs to focus on addressing its product quality issues. The after-sales servicing should be the top priority for the company right now.
- Even though the EBITDA margin is likely to improve from -25.3% in FY24 to -0.7% in FY27, Goldman Sachs’ projection is based on operating leverage arising from higher volumes, deflationary battery prices, and backward integration supporting the capital expenditure base.
- Despite the company’s plans to expand into the electric three-wheeler segment and diversify into electric motorcycles to improve its market share, the company should focus on improving its core competence in electric two-wheelers by addressing the issue with product quality and after-sales service.
- Globally, Tesla took five years after production commenced to reach profits, but Tesla’s focus on the US market sets it apart from Ola Electric. Furthermore, battery manufacturing might further delay Ola Electric’s profitability timeline, as it is highly capital expenditure-intensive and operationally complex, with technology rapidly evolving in terms of battery chemistry and the charging vs swapping debate.
- In general, the auto industry is highly cost-intensive due to the high capital expenditure required to set up manufacturing facilities. However, at the moment, the cost of building an EV is comparatively lower than petrol or diesel (ICE) vehicles, even despite the high battery costs. EVs require fewer components, so comparing Ola’s trajectory to that of Bajaj or TVS who started as ICE OEMs wouldn’t be fair.
- The EV market will likely grow every year, but capitalizing on this growth to build a profitable electric vehicle OEM is unprecedented in the Indian context. Ola Electric must focus on the basics in the automobile industry to improve its reputation, which has a direct impact on sales and fundamentals.
- Ola Electric has brought in audit giant EY India for a “service transformation” in response to the public outcry. However, the focus must be on addressing the fundamental issue with poor servicing quality and customer complaints, as any adverse word of mouth or lapses in service of the product could impact the company's demand in the mid- to long-term.
- Battery manufacturing is a risk for any company until execution is proven, given that procurement of raw material is still fraught with issues. The manufacturing process for new battery standards in the future could take a significant time to reach perfection.
- Ola Electric’s battery production ambitions remain another key variable in deciding its fate to improve fundamentals. However, given the product and servicing-related issues, diversification might not be the best idea till these critical issues are fixed.
- As a public company, Ola Electric faces the twin challenges of heavy losses and a drop in EV registrations amid customer complaints. The company's future hinges on two crucial factors — its ability to turn the narrative around in relation to poor servicing and lack of profitability, which is directly linked to sales volume.
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Geek Wire
1w
33
Former Gates Foundation leader lands $1.8M for engineered bamboo building materials startup
- Former Gates Foundation leader, Alexa Bednarz, raised $1.8 million for her startup Ocean, which produces sustainable bamboo building materials.
- Ocean's bamboo panels are safer, more affordable, sustainable, longer lasting, and cooler than many alternative building products.
- The manufacturing facility in India is scheduled to start construction this month, and Ocean plans to sell corrugated bamboo panels in India and the U.S. next year.
- Ocean's panels are structurally strong, low-cost, and have a paint coating that keeps them cooler, with a lifespan of up to 25 years.
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StartupDaily
1w
326
Rocket pads Gilmour Space and Southern Launch get ready for lift off
- Rocket launch pads in Queensland and South Australia have been granted permits by the Australian Space Agency.
- Gilmour Space aims for lift off before Christmas with the first Australian-made orbital rocket.
- Southern Launch granted final environmental approvals for its Whalers Way Orbital launch complex.
- The complex offers versatile launch trajectories and azimuths for rapid access to orbit.
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TechCrunch
1w
373
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Bowery Farming is ceasing operations
- Agtech unicorn Bowery Farming is shutting down, according to internal documents and company employees.
- The New York-based company built vertical farms to produce crops like lettuces, herbs, and berries.
- Bowery Farming raised over $700 million in funding from various venture capitalists.
- Vertical farming has proven to be a challenging industry, with other companies like AeroFarms and AppHarvest facing difficulties.
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