Welcome to the first Venture View of 2024 and our monthly round-up of positive news stories from Praetura and our portfolio businesses. A new year is well and truly underway, with some exciting developments already taking place over the month.
AeroCloud named on TechRound’s list of 20 EU/UK AI startups to watch
AeroCloud has been celebrated for its work in the artificial intelligence field with a mention on TechRound’s list of promising EU and UK startups. AeroCloud, which has developed an industry-leading product called AeroCloud Optic to monitor the flow of passengers, has also announced it is working with Des Moines International Airport in the United States. Furthermore, the business has welcomed Travis Kimmel, former co-founder and CEO of cloud-based productivity and analytics solution GitPrime, to act as independent advisor.
Transreport raise £10m in funding to move into aviation
Transreport has made business headlines, following a recent £10m raise intended to facilitate the company’s move into the aviation space. The news follows the success of Transreport’s Passenger Assistance app, which enables passengers with accessibility needs to book help at departure and destination train stations. Having made a big impact in rail, Transreport is now looking to do the same at airports. This is an incredibly exciting time for founder and CEO Jay Shen and the wider Transreport team, and we look forward to supporting them further with More Than Money.
BlueSkeye AI in attendance at CES 2024 conference in Las Vegas
The Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, is one of the biggest events on the digital calendar, and BlueSkeye AI was there in January exhibiting at Nevada’s Las Vegas Convention Center. Founding CEO Michel Valstar and a team from the company were on hand, talking attendees through their innovative approach to machine learning, which is helping health tech companies and automotive manufacturers track behaviour at scale to improve healthcare services and motorist safety respectively.
Decently receive coveted ORCHA certification for health platform Melo
Congratulations to one of our most recent portfolio additions Decently on receiving certification from ORCHA for its health platform Melo, which tracks behaviour on brain trauma wards to increase safety. ORCHA is a global leader in helping healthcare professionals and the public find trusted health apps. According to Decently’s co-founder, James Burch, only 1 in 5 products exceed the 65% approval benchmark, making this a major milestone for the company.
Futr launch new game-changing feature ‘Collective Intelligence’ in Live Chat
Futr has launched its newest feature, drawing on the vast array of datasets (Q&As, PDFs, web content, transcripts) held by companies to enhance its customer service chat bots like never before. Essentially, Collective Intelligence not only answers customer queries but also enriches those answers with ‘the wisdom of an entire organisation’ to uphold high service standards. You can find out more about Futr’s latest launch via this blog post on the company’s site.
Percayso MD talks ‘full throttle’ 2024 plans with BusinessCloud
Percayso Inform’s Managing Director Richard Tomlinson recently caught up with BusinessCloud editor Jonathan Symcox for an interview in which the two discussed Percayso’s plans for the year ahead, following 200% annual growth. Speaking to Jonathan, Richard – who joined Percayso in 2017 following roles at Experian and TransUnion – said insurance providers ‘need to be smarter with data and write better business to survive and ultimately thrive’, which is where Percayso comes in. Read the full interview here.
Sticky launch new website for 2024 to promote its no-code solutions
Sticky, which specialises in near-field communication (NFC) stickers called stickies that are used across the hospitality sector, has launched a new website (sticky.to), putting its unique technology at the forefront. As well as key case studies, the website also clearly explains the Sticky proposition to the brands and how its technology enables brands to take contactless payments, collect donations and manage their itinerary.
wi-Q celebrates collaboration with London-based US Embassy
wi-Q’s CEO, Patience Tucker, is among the recognisable names to be highlighted in a recent video, celebrating the Embassy of the United States of America, London and the strong relationships being built between the UK and USA. Patience said: ”As we continue to explore avenues for expansion, I am confident that our collective efforts will open doors to exciting possibilities. I feel privileged to have contributed to this initiative and look forward to the positive outcomes it will bring.” Watch the video here.
XR Games celebrates ‘Best in the World’ and ‘Best in Gaming’ awards
XR Games is still celebrating after topping off 2023 with not but two wins at the Australian XR Festival, winning the ‘Best in Gaming and ‘Best in the World’ for the update to its breakout game. Zombieland: Headshot Fever Reloaded, released for PlayStation VR2, received high praise at the event. Elsewhere, XR has just closed applications for its XR Futures internship programme, which has this year seen a record 2,300 applications – a 427% increase from the previous year!
