While the goblins and ghouls are throughout the place this month, we also have some really exciting startups with funding news.
From startups attempting to make technology more usable for people with disabilities to those trying to harness the power of the ocean, this month saw some eye-catching technologies raise money.
More accessible technology
Technology and digital products are normally designed to make our lives easier. However, we are able to forget that not all people are the same and some people have to deal with disabilities that make certain products less accessible.
Based in Toronto Fairy tale cooperates with firms reminiscent of Meta AND Microsoft to assist make products more useful and accessible for people with disabilities. This month, the company raised $25 million in Series B funding, led by: The Capital of Five Elms develop your ability to assist create inclusive digital products through accessibility testing and training solutions.
More specifically, the startup will use the money injection to make sure that the hottest thing in technology – artificial intelligence – also includes people with disabilities.
AI training datasets may exclude data representing people with disabilities, which might result in undetected accessibility issues and bias. According to Fable, artificial intelligence can discriminate against people with differences, impacting the 1.3 billion people with disabilities worldwide and many more who will develop disabilities over time.
The Fable platform will seek to expand the community of disabled testers to offer feedback, develop best practices for accessible AI, create inclusive datasets, and even offer training for R&D teams in accessible AI.
Artificial intelligence holds a lot of promise – and that promise should apply to everyone.
The weeds will disappear
Nobody likes weeds – this is very true for farmers where weeds can eat into their profit margins.
That’s right there Carbon roboticsA Seattle-based AI-powered agriculture startup is entering the market. Carbon closed a $70 million Series D deal led by a recent investor Bond. The company plans to make use of the money to develop LaserWeeder software and hardware.
The company says LaserWeeder combines computer vision, deep artificial intelligence learning, robotics and lasers to discover and eliminate weeds using CO₂ lasers – with millimeter accuracy. The company claims that the machines, which may be connected to tractors and driven through crop aisles, reduce weed control costs by 80% while increasing yields and crop quality,
Carbon Robotics says its machines can pull about 5,000 weeds per minute, and growers in North America, Europe and Australia have eliminated more than 10 billion weeds in 100 varieties of crops using AI-powered technology.
The company also had no difficulty in getting investors interested in its invention. Founded in 2018, Carbon has raised $157 million for the company.
If one day in the future, artificial intelligence is in a position to take over the world, it could possibly actually kill some weeds now.
The power of water
Everyone is looking for more clean energy sources – especially with our recent obsession with artificial intelligence.
CorPower Ocean it secured about $35 million in a round led by a Japanese-backed enterprise capital firm NordicNinja VC to assist commercialize energy from an unusual source – ocean waves.
The Swedish startup has operations in Sweden, Norway, Portugal and Scotland and is expanding to the US West Coast to reveal its technological capabilities to handle two major wave energy challenges – storm resilience and efficient power generation in normal ocean conditions.
Although wave energy is more predictable than wind energy, the industry has not yet been in a position to achieve large-scale commercialization.
The recent money comes after the company showed that its wave technology project in Portugal was in a position to operate during Atlantic storms at high power generation capability, so perhaps harnessing energy from ocean waves is becoming more likely.
CorPower has secured over $100 million in financing, so investors clearly think so.
Recycle more
Everyone has faced the problem of what to do with an old laptop or a broken phone.
based in Virginia Molg desires to tackle the e-waste problem and raised a $5.5 million seed round this month, led by Closed loop partners with participation Amazon‘S Climate Commitment Fund among others.
The problem of e-waste is very real. According to data, in 2022, only 22.3% of e-waste was recycled (*5*)data from the UN Global Electronic Waste Monitorand over $62 billion value of critical minerals and precious metals were also unrecovered.
Molg says its automated microfactory can independently dismantle complex electronic products reminiscent of laptops and servers, keeping helpful components and materials out of supply chains and landfills. Molg even works with electronics manufacturers to design products with reuse in mind.
With landfills filling up and the demand for precious metals growing, using what we already have makes sense.
Greater security with data
Everyone desires to be safer, especially in an emergency situation.
To help with this, based in Denver ForceMetrics raised $22 million under leadership Costanoy’s ventures this month.
The startup’s platform gives first responders responding to 911 calls immediate access to key data that helps them make informed, timely decisions that can prevent and resolve emergencies.
The platform is in a position to show signals in search results in real time, giving emergency services actionable insight into critical threats – reminiscent of mental health issues, dementia, drug use and domestic violence – enabling cops, firefighters and others to evaluate potential safety threats and other needs.
ForceMetrics is currently used by 30 police departments in 11 states.