Joyce’s picks: musings and readings in AI/ML, January 6, 2025
5-minute weekly must-read on data science and artificial intelligence news, funding, and research, curated by Joyce Shen.
📌 Musings and Readings
“The Golden Opportunity for American AI” (Microsoft)
“AI Robots Are Entering the Public World—With Mixed Results” (WSJ)
“IRS deploys AI tools to combat emerging tech’s role in new fraud schemes” (News)
“LLaMA-Mesh: Unifying 3D Mesh Generation with Language Models” (Nvidia)
“Resource-efficient photonic networks for next-generation AI computing” (Nature)
👏 Deals
boon AI, a CA-based startup building a fleet management solution that integrates systems and automates data entry, dispatch, and load sourcing, has raised $20m in series A financing.
Vitalic, a MA-based startup offering tech-enabled programs to engage seniors, improve mental well-being, and reduce cost through specialized geriatric psychiatry care, has raised seed funding.
Qolab, a Wisconsin-based company focusing on developing utility-scale superconducting quantum computers with reliable, scalable qubits to address real-world computational challenges, has raised $16m in series A financing.
Rembrand, a CA-based company utilizing AI to integrate brands into video content with hyper-realistic, non-interruptive product placements to engage customers, has raised $23m in series A financing.
Deterrence, a CA and DC-based defense tech startup specializing in autonomous manufacturing for critical components to enhance the defense industry with higher quality and stronger capabilities, has raised $10m in financing.
Ver.iD, a Dutch-base startup building a platform for secure and compliant online identity verification, enabling businesses to streamline onboarding and meet regulatory requirements, has raised €2m in financing.
Apheris, a Germany-based company focusing on secure, privacy-preserving, and governed computations on distributed data for machine learning and analytics, has raised $20.8m in series A financing.
Infinant, a NC-based fintech startup providing the interlace platform to enable banks to expand digital services, manage payments, and ensure compliance, has raised $15m in series A financing.
StruxHub, a CA-based construction tech startup building a platform for construction management to help general contractors to streamline deliveries, inspections, and construction schedules with trade partners, has raised $4m seed financing.
General Proximity, a CA-based biotech company developing proximity medicines focusing on cancer, cardiometabolic, neurodegenerative conditions, and longevity, has raised $16m in seed financing.
Jentic, an Irish startup providing an integration layer for AI to enable secure and efficient connections between agents and APIs with a focus on reliability and scalability, has €4m in pre-seed financing.