Issue #8: Revolutionizing Research

Ollie, formerly known as GoodOnes, is an AI-powered photo-sorting app that recently underwent a rebranding. The app helps users manage their "photo mess" by identifying which photos are worth keeping and which should be deleted, saving both time and storage space. The rebranding aligns with the company's shift towards a more AI-driven direction, and the app can now sort a week's worth of your photos in under 60 seconds. The rebranding and AI capabilities make it easier for people to manage their digital memories efficiently.

YouTrip, a Singapore-based fintech company, has secured $50 million in a Series B funding round led by Lightspeed, bringing its total funding to $100 million. The company offers a multicurrency wallet for consumers and business accounts with corporate cards for SMEs. The new funding will be used to expand YouTrip's services to new Southeast Asian markets, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, and to hire over 100 new team members. This expansion could make multicurrency transactions and digital payments more accessible for consumers and businesses in the region.

CentML, a startup focused on optimizing the deployment of machine learning models, has raised $27 million in an extended seed round. The funding, which includes participation from Nvidia and Microsoft Azure AI, will be used to expand CentML's engineering team and further its research and product development. The company aims to make AI and machine learning models run more efficiently on existing hardware, potentially reducing expenses by up to 80% without compromising speed or accuracy. This could make AI more accessible and affordable, especially given the current chip shortage affecting the industry.

Gozen, a startup originally from Turkey but now based in San Francisco, has raised $3.3 million in seed funding to scale up its lab-grown leather production. The company's biomaterial, "Lunaform," is vegan and plastic-free, produced by microorganisms during a fermentation process. The material is intended for use in both the fashion and automotive industries and can be produced in customizable sizes, thicknesses, and textures. The development of this sustainable alternative to traditional leather could have a significant impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and waste.

Oxolo, a German startup based in Hamburg, has raised €13 million in a Series A funding round to develop its generative AI-driven video platform. The platform allows companies to create personalized videos for various purposes, such as corporate training or product promotion, and can automatically adjust the content based on viewer engagement. Unlike other platforms that require manual input, Oxolo's AI can integrate images, context, text-to-speech, and human-based avatars, making the video creation process more efficient and effective. This could revolutionize the way companies engage with their audience, in a market expected to grow to $4.3 billion by 2030.