thenextweb-rss
UK startup launches SAF plant at Oxford Airport in quest for greener flights
UK startup OXCCU has opened a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) demo plant at London Oxford Airport, as it looks to make a dent in emissions from air travel. OXCCU spunout from Oxford University in 2021. The startup has developed a type of eFuel made by converting captured CO2 and hydrogen into SAF using renewable electricity. SAF is designed to be used as a “drop-in” fuel, meaning it can be blended with traditional jet fuel and used in existing aircraft engines without modifications. The most well-known kind of SAF is used cooking oil, but companies are currently exploring more scalable alternatives…This story continues at The Next Web
UK startup OXCCU has opened a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) demo plant at London Oxford Airport, as it looks to make a dent in emissions from air travel. OXCCU spunout from Oxford University in 2021. The startup has developed a type of eFuel made by converting captured CO2 and hydrogen into SAF using renewable electricity. SAF is designed to be used as a “drop-in” fuel, meaning it can be blended with traditional jet fuel and used in existing aircraft engines without modifications. The most well-known kind of SAF is used cooking oil, but companies are currently exploring more scalable alternatives…
This story continues at The Next Web
Balderton Capital announces $1.3B fund for European tech
Balderton Capital today announced the closing of its $1.3bn early stage and growth funds in a sign of the European tech sector regaining investor confidence and momentum. We are often disconcerted at the lack of support for European entrepreneurship and innovation in comparison to that across the pond. However, there are investors who champion the region’s changemakers, such as Balderton, which invests exclusively in European startups and scaleups. The new funds — the $615M Early Stage Fund IX and the $685M Growth Fund II — will back “Europe’s most ambitious entrepreneurs from seed stage through IPO,” the VC said in…This story continues at The Next Web
Balderton Capital today announced the closing of its $1.3bn early stage and growth funds in a sign of the European tech sector regaining investor confidence and momentum. We are often disconcerted at the lack of support for European entrepreneurship and innovation in comparison to that across the pond. However, there are investors who champion the region’s changemakers, such as Balderton, which invests exclusively in European startups and scaleups. The new funds — the $615M Early Stage Fund IX and the $685M Growth Fund II — will back “Europe’s most ambitious entrepreneurs from seed stage through IPO,” the VC said in…
This story continues at The Next Web
Climate tech VCs already raised more in 2024 than whole of last year
Climate-focused venture capital funds have already raised $6.9bn since the beginning of 2024, up from $5.2bn for the entirety of 2023, according to a new report from Venture Capital Journal. While climate VCs have closed less funds overall — 24 compared to 26 last year — the average pot size has swelled from $202mn to $267mn so far in 2024. This climate tech cash boost is largely reflective of a new fund from billionaire Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV). The American climate tech funding vehicle recently closed its third fund at more than $839mn. BEV also closed a smaller,…This story continues at The Next Web
Climate-focused venture capital funds have already raised $6.9bn since the beginning of 2024, up from $5.2bn for the entirety of 2023, according to a new report from Venture Capital Journal. While climate VCs have closed less funds overall — 24 compared to 26 last year — the average pot size has swelled from $202mn to $267mn so far in 2024. This climate tech cash boost is largely reflective of a new fund from billionaire Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV). The American climate tech funding vehicle recently closed its third fund at more than $839mn. BEV also closed a smaller,…
This story continues at The Next Web
Inside Bolt’s expansion strategy across 50+ markets
In the business world (and beyond) everybody loves the success story of an underdog. Estonia’s Bolt is one such example. The startup was founded in 2013 by then 19-year-old Markus Vilig with €5,000 in his pocket. Since then, it has successfully become the European challenger to Uber, valued at €7.4bn at its latest fundraising in 2022. The company also claims to be Europe’s first mobility super-app, combining ride-hailing with services including car and scooter sharing as well as food and grocery delivery. Bolt now operates in over 50 countries across its home continent, Africa, Asia, and Latin and North America.…This story continues at The Next Web
In the business world (and beyond) everybody loves the success story of an underdog. Estonia’s Bolt is one such example. The startup was founded in 2013 by then 19-year-old Markus Vilig with €5,000 in his pocket. Since then, it has successfully become the European challenger to Uber, valued at €7.4bn at its latest fundraising in 2022. The company also claims to be Europe’s first mobility super-app, combining ride-hailing with services including car and scooter sharing as well as food and grocery delivery. Bolt now operates in over 50 countries across its home continent, Africa, Asia, and Latin and North America.…
This story continues at The Next Web
Google DeepMind’s new AI robot plays table tennis at ‘human level’
China is currently busy accumulating most of the gold medals in the table tennis events in the Paris Olympics. Meanwhile, an AI-powered robot from Google DeepMind has achieved “amateur human level performance” in the sport. In a study published in an Arxiv paper this week, the Google artificial intelligence subsidiary outlined how the robot functions, along with footage of it taking on what we can only assume were willing enthusiastic ping pong players of varying skill. According to DeepMind, the racket-wielding robot had to be good at low-level skills, like returning the ball, as well as more complex tasks, like…This story continues at The Next WebOr just read more coverage about: Google
China is currently busy accumulating most of the gold medals in the table tennis events in the Paris Olympics. Meanwhile, an AI-powered robot from Google DeepMind has achieved “amateur human level performance” in the sport. In a study published in an Arxiv paper this week, the Google artificial intelligence subsidiary outlined how the robot functions, along with footage of it taking on what we can only assume were willing enthusiastic ping pong players of varying skill. According to DeepMind, the racket-wielding robot had to be good at low-level skills, like returning the ball, as well as more complex tasks, like…
This story continues at The Next Web
Or just read more coverage about: Google
TNW Startup Pitch Battle: How to pitch a complex product in 3 mins — and win
Pitch battles are a great way for startups to gain exposure and attract a room full of potential investors, future employees, and new customers, all in a quick-fire three minutes on-stage. But… what if you have a complicated product that solves a problem that’s unfamiliar to most of the audience? Or what if you need a PhD to actually understand the technology behind your solution? Whether you have a finance platform that disrupts a common accounting woe or a product that pushes the boundaries of quantum mechanics, it can be extremely difficult, not only to explain your approach in a…This story continues at The Next Web
Pitch battles are a great way for startups to gain exposure and attract a room full of potential investors, future employees, and new customers, all in a quick-fire three minutes on-stage. But… what if you have a complicated product that solves a problem that’s unfamiliar to most of the audience? Or what if you need a PhD to actually understand the technology behind your solution? Whether you have a finance platform that disrupts a common accounting woe or a product that pushes the boundaries of quantum mechanics, it can be extremely difficult, not only to explain your approach in a…
This story continues at The Next Web
Elon Musk has a new nemesis: Ireland
Elon Musk is having a rough week. His daughter has denounced him as a fake Christian, an absent father, and a serial adulterer. He’s been in court to fight a custody battle. His ex-partner Grimes said he “‘cannot distinguish the truth.” And that’s just his personal life. Musk’s businesses are also under fire. Tesla stock has plummeted. X has repelled so many advertisers that Musk has sued them over an alleged “illegal boycott.” Politicians have accused the platform of fuelling race riots. Musk has also been slammed for claiming “civil war is inevitable” in Britain. But his next battle could…This story continues at The Next Web
Elon Musk is having a rough week. His daughter has denounced him as a fake Christian, an absent father, and a serial adulterer. He’s been in court to fight a custody battle. His ex-partner Grimes said he “‘cannot distinguish the truth.” And that’s just his personal life. Musk’s businesses are also under fire. Tesla stock has plummeted. X has repelled so many advertisers that Musk has sued them over an alleged “illegal boycott.” Politicians have accused the platform of fuelling race riots. Musk has also been slammed for claiming “civil war is inevitable” in Britain. But his next battle could…
This story continues at The Next Web
Paris Olympics air taxi flights scrapped over certification delays
Volocopter won’t be operating an air taxi service at the Paris Olympics after all, following a delay in the certification of its aircraft’s engine, AFP reports. The setback deals a major blow to the German startup, which has been lobbying hard for several months to get its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles ready in time for the Games. In July, French authorities cleared Volocopter’s two-seater, 18-rotor craft for takeoff. The mini-copters were going to whisk passengers, including French president Emmanuel Macron, to and from a “vertiport” built on a barge on the River Seine. However, certification for the…This story continues at The Next Web
Volocopter won’t be operating an air taxi service at the Paris Olympics after all, following a delay in the certification of its aircraft’s engine, AFP reports. The setback deals a major blow to the German startup, which has been lobbying hard for several months to get its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles ready in time for the Games. In July, French authorities cleared Volocopter’s two-seater, 18-rotor craft for takeoff. The mini-copters were going to whisk passengers, including French president Emmanuel Macron, to and from a “vertiport” built on a barge on the River Seine. However, certification for the…
This story continues at The Next Web
Hate speech and misinformation on social media are out of control — here’s what we should do about it
“There comes a time when free speech can cause real-life harm and that’s when social media platforms need to react,” said former Danish PM and current chair of Meta’s Oversight Board, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, during a session at TNW Conference 2024. There’s no better example of this than what’s happening in the UK right now. As the country grapples with an eruption of violence from extreme right groups at asylum shelters across the country, PM Keir Starmer made a point to address not only those inciting violence but also the platforms that enable them to spread misinformation and organise. “Let me…This story continues at The Next Web
“There comes a time when free speech can cause real-life harm and that’s when social media platforms need to react,” said former Danish PM and current chair of Meta’s Oversight Board, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, during a session at TNW Conference 2024. There’s no better example of this than what’s happening in the UK right now. As the country grapples with an eruption of violence from extreme right groups at asylum shelters across the country, PM Keir Starmer made a point to address not only those inciting violence but also the platforms that enable them to spread misinformation and organise. “Let me…
This story continues at The Next Web
Delft startup bags €6.5M for nanotech that enables material discovery in 1 year
Delft-based VSParticle has raised €6.5mn to accelerate material discovery for industrial solutions, such as the production of green hydrogen. Discovering new materials in the lab typically takes years, often close to 10 or even more. VSParticle aims to change this paradigm and reduce discovery time to as little as one year. To do this, the company has tapped nanotechnology. It develops tools that can break down, synthesise, and manipulate materials at the nano-scale. Nano-scale particles of inorganic materials, also known as nanoparticles, exhibit unique properties that, when combined, can lead to the creation of novel materials. The startup offers various tools…This story continues at The Next Web
Delft-based VSParticle has raised €6.5mn to accelerate material discovery for industrial solutions, such as the production of green hydrogen. Discovering new materials in the lab typically takes years, often close to 10 or even more. VSParticle aims to change this paradigm and reduce discovery time to as little as one year. To do this, the company has tapped nanotechnology. It develops tools that can break down, synthesise, and manipulate materials at the nano-scale. Nano-scale particles of inorganic materials, also known as nanoparticles, exhibit unique properties that, when combined, can lead to the creation of novel materials. The startup offers various tools…
This story continues at The Next Web