News
Each day, DailyAlts tracks major developments across the alternative investment world. Our content is procured from primary contacts in the industry and secondary sources across the web. Our goal is to give readers the most up-to-date news and engaging experience to open new doors and areas of knowledge. Our stories cover nine separate verticals of the alternative investment industry.
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Chipmaker AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) has unveiled a range of innovative AI solutions spanning from data centers to personal computers. The AMD Instinct MI300 Series features data center AI accelerators, while the ROCm 6 open software stack introduces new features supporting Large Language Models (LLMs). Additionally, the Ryzen 8040 Series processors come equipped with Ryzen AI capabilities.
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Venture Capital/ESG: Plant-Based Meat Startup Planted Lands CHF 70M (US$72M) Series B Round
Planted, the Swiss startup making vegan meat from plant proteins, announced its $72 million Series B round to fund the launch of its new whole-cut line of products including chicken breast, increase production capacity and expand internationally.
Artificial Intelligence: Why An Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI) Could Destroy Mankind
We’ve been pretty wrong about some historic events that eventually did come to pass. Example: The great physicist Ernest Rutherford had famously proclaimed in 1933 that anyone who propounded atomic power was “talking moonshine.” As recently as 1977, a computer industry pioneer supposedly said computers would not reach our homes. Yet those computers are here and in fact everywhere in various forms and power configurations. In fact, Torres is now worried about the “ever-growing computing power” that is touted as a boon for humanity. Could these rapidly evolving computers and advances in AI technology create an Artficial Superintelligence (ASI) that could then turn upon us – it’s creator?
Artificial Intelligence: AI-Generated Artwork Wins First Prize At State Fair; Ignites Controversy
Jason Allen has ignited afresh the chatter and debate surrounding AI art after his creation won the first prize in the Colorado State Fair’s art competition in the digital category. Allen’s work was made using Midjourney, the text-to-image AI art creation tool.
FinTech: Africa-Focused Payments Company Flutterwave Wins Nigerian Payments Processing License
Widely regarded as the CBN’s most valuable payment processing license, it allows the company to offer transaction switching and card processing services to its customers, including the ability to effect transactions between banks, fintechs and other financial institutions.
FinTech: Jupiter Fund Management Looking To Offload Its 10% Stake In Profitable Digital Bank Starling
UK-based Jupiter Fund Management has reportedly asked Citi to find a potential buyer for its 10% holding in Starling Bank, one of the first challenger banks and fintech to become profitable. The stake, said to be worth more than £ 200 million, is held by Jupiter in its UK Mid Cap Fund, as well as other funds.
Artificial Intelligence: US Government Bans Export Of High-Performance AI Chips To China By AMD and Nvidia
Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) and AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) have been told by the US government to suspend exports of certain high-performance chips, that have application in artificial intelligence, to China. Nvidia clarified in a regulatory filing that US officials had taken the step due to fears that the chips could potentially land up in the hands of a “military end user.”
Artificial Intelligence: Rockefeller Foundation Partners With Atlas AI And e-GUIDE To Boost Economic Development In Africa
The Rockefeller Foundation will leverage machine learning technology and satellite data in a new $ 5.5 million collaboration with e-GUIDE and Atlas AI to boost economic development and build climate resilient infrastructure across sub- Saharan Africa. An innovative digital platform will make available valuable insight into agriculture, energy, and transportation sector development conditions, initially in Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Uganda. The information (“dynamic situational awareness of local conditions”) will enable policymakers to prioritise infrastructure development, promote economic opportunities, and mitigate community vulnerabilities in these sectors.
Venture Capital: Seven Seven Six, A VC Founded By Reddit Co-Founder Ohanian, To Invest $177.6 M In Web3, Crypto
Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit, has floated Seven Seven Six, a venture capital firm focusing on investments in Web 3 and crypto currencies. A new fund from 776, titled Kryptos, is mobilising as much as $177.6 million and is expected its operations in October.
FinTech: Klarna’s First Half Result Sees Losses Triple From Last Year
Higher employee costs, an increase in credit losses, and investments in growth pushed Klarna to a loss of 6.17 billion Swedish crowns ($578.52 million) in the first half of the year, more than 3X of its loss of 1.76 billion crowns in the corresponding period last year.
Artificial Intelligence: An AI Pilot Can Navigate An Autonomous Aircraft Through Congested Airspace
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed an AI-powered system that pilots an autonomous aircraft through crowded airspace. This first-ever “AI pilot” guides the aircraft well enough to avoid collisions, anticipates the likely flight path of other planes in the vicinity and takes actions accordingly, and maintains radio communications with pilots and air traffic controllers (ATCs).
Alternative Investments/ESG: TD Asset Management Debuts Carbon Credit ESG ETF
The new ETF from TD Asset Management offers access to the global carbon credit marketplace. The TD Global Carbon Credit Index ETF (TCBN) launched by TD Asset Management offers investors the opportunity to participate in the returns from investments in global ‘cap-and-trade’ carbon emission credits, as measured by the Solactive Global Carbon Credit CAD Hedged…
Alternative Investments/Digital: The Rex Short MSTR ETF Allows Investors To Bet Against Michael Saylor’s MicroStrategy Inc
Here’s a proxy bet on a further fall in bitcoin, which is already down about 70% from its life highs reached in November 2021: Though it is difficult for average investors to short bitcoin [or MicroStrategy (NASDAQ: MSTR), one of the biggest listed investors in bitcoin], they can obtain a bearish exposure to either by buying units of the Rex Short MSTR ETF, an inverse ETF.
Artificial Intelligence: Restaurant Chain Panera Pilots Voice AI Ordering At Two Drive-Through Outlets
Panera, the chain store of bakery-café fast casual restaurants with over 2,000 locations across the United States and Canada, is trialling acceptance of customers’orders through an AI-driven voice ordering system in drive-thru lanes at restaurants around Rochester, NY.
Artificial Intelligence: AI Detects Hidden Swimming Pools, Leads French Taxmen To Millions In Revenue
An AI software developed by Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) and French consulting firm Capgemini (EPA: CAP) deployed as an experiment by French tax authorities resulted in a handsome payoff after it detected more than 20,000 undeclared private swimming pools from aerial images of nine French regions.
Alternative Investments/ESG: NBA Superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo Partners With Calamos On Sustainable ETF
NBA superstar and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, also known as the “Greek Freak,” has partnered with Illinois-based Calamos Advisors on a stock ETF that has a sustainable edge. Titled the Calamos Antetokounmpo Sustainable Equities Fund, the new ETF will invest only in firms that comply with ESG standards determined internally.
Venture Capital: Digital Asset And Metaverse Giant Animoca In $100M Extension Raise Led By Temasek
Temasek, the Singapore state investor, is leading a $100 million investment round in Animoca Brands, a global leader in gamification and blockchain with a large portfolio of over 340 investments, and with a goal to advance digital property rights and contribute to building the open metaverse. Animoca intends to take advantage of the massive bear market in digital assets to scoop up assets, including tokens and other industry participants, on the cheap.
Venture Capital: Korean Agtech Tridge Nabs $37M Series D
Tridge, a Korean agtech which functions as a ‘transaction-bridge’ between parties in the food and agricultural sectors in the global marketplace, has raised $37 million in a Series D funding round which valued the company at $2.7 billion. The round was led by prominent South Korean investor DS Asset Management.
Digital Assets: Rising Panic Of Mt. Gox Bitcoin Dump Quelled By Creditor
As this is being written, bitcoin is trading at $19,987.56, and below the psychological and technical support level of $20K. Twitter has been agog with rumors that a massive supply of bitcoin is likely to hit the market on August 28 and emanating from users of the defunct Mt Gox exchange.
Venture Capital: Lunar Energy Raises $300M To “Remove The Use Of Fossil Fuels From Every Home”
Lunar Energy, a startup aiming to transform how we power our homes by building an ecosystem of all-electric products starting with a next-generation home battery system, announced its raise of $ 300 million over two rounds by Sunrun (NASDAQ: RUN), the leading American residential solar and battery storage provider, and South Korea’s SK Group (KRX: 034730).
Artificial Intelligence: AI-Enabled Gate Blocks Invasive Salmon Species From Entering Norwegian River
Norway’s coastline and rivers suffer from the influx of non-native Pacific salmon that has spread after their introduction in Russia’s White Sea the 1950s. These invasive salmon species introduce new diseases to the native Atlantic salmon and compete with them for food and spawning grounds. Because the Pacific Salmon reproduce faster, their numbers are rapidly increasing compared to the native species. In an effort to block their entry into Norway’s waterways, Huawei has partnered with Norway’s Berlevåg Jeger-og Fiskerforening (BJFF, or Berlevåg Hunter and Fisherman’s Association) to create an AI-enabled gate that distinguishes and allows the native Atlantic salmon into the river, while blocking other species.
FinTech: PayPal Launches “Grant Payments” For Electronic Payments To Charities
PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL), in partnership with National Philanthropic Trust (NPT) and Vanguard Charitable, announced Grant Payments, aimed at the faster and electronic processing of charitable donations.
Digital Assets: Latam Crypto Exchanges To Launch Crypto Cards
Ripio, a crypto exchange located in Argentina, and Bitso, a Mexican exchange, have tied up with Visa (NYSE: V) and MasterCard (NYSE: MA) respectively, for the proposed launch of crypto currency debit and credit cards.
Venture Capital: Landing, A Network Of Furnished Apartments For Rent, Raises $125M
Landing has successfully closed a $125 million series C raise comprising both equity and debt funding. Delta-v Capital led the round which also received participation from new and existing investors,including Greycroft and Foundry.
Venture Capital: Independent Mental Health Providers’ Network Alma Lands $130M
Alma, a membership-based network of independent mental health care providers, has closed a $130 million series D funding led by Thoma Bravo, a leading software investment firm, with participation from Cigna Ventures. Existing investors Insight Partners, Optum Ventures, Tusk Venture Partners, Primary Venture Partners, and Sound Ventures also participated.