Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 5.18
September 14, 2023
ff Venture Capital this week announced the opening of its first Upstate New York office within The Tech Garden in downtown Syracuse, the location’s first in-residence investor. The Tech Garden is home to GENIUS NY, which claimed to be “the world’s largest business accelerator for uncrewed aerial systems” or UASes. “This partnership offers ffVC a unique opportunity to be actively engaged with some of the best mechatronic startups in the world, working with them to turn their products into thriving companies generating hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue,” stated Oliver Mitchell, a partner at ff Venture Capital (ffVC). “Central…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.37
September 22, 2022
…HP. Civ Robotics to use funding to build out ff Venture Capital and Alley Robotics Ventures led Civ Robotics' seed round, with participation from Trimble Ventures. “This round is an example of our proactive model of enabling founders to drive revenues and increase customer lifetime value,” said Oliver Mitchell, partner of ff Venture Capital. “CivDot is filling a huge labor void that has only been exacerbated by the pandemic and bolstered by the federal government’s trillion-dollar investments in infrastructure and climate initiatives.” “We look forward to empowering its products to become the most important tool on the construction jobsite,” he…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.98
May 08, 2023
…e-commerce shifts, competitive pressures, and the constrained availability of venture capital. Last week's acquisition of 6 River Systems LLC came as a reminder for robotics startups, established suppliers, and their customers that the market is still evolving. E-commerce provider Shopify Inc. laid off as much as 85% of 6 River Systems' staff prior to selling it to Ocado Group PLC, partly in response to falling customer orders, sources told Robotics 24/7. CEO Tobias Lütke also announced that Shopify was laying off 20% of its total staff and that it was selling Shopify Logistics (formerly Deliverr) to Flexport. AMR market allegedly…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.50
March 25, 2024
…announced a $3.5M Seed+ fundraising round led by Cybernetix Ventures and KST Invest GmbH, with participation from Yamaha Motor Ventures and Digital Media Professionals (DMP). Cambrian said this investment will propel its AI platform, enabling industrial robot arms to perform vision-based tasks across a variety of industries. “We are incredibly excited about the possibilities that our recent fundraising opens up,” said Miika Satori, CEO of Cambrian Robotics. “Our primary goals are to enhance the scalability of the product and strengthen our sales and operations in our main target markets. In addition, we are bringing new AI-vision-based skills to robot arms,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.23
August 16, 2022
…topic of automating analog workflows is the impetus for ff Venture Capital’s Drone & Robotics Summit on Sept. 20, 2022, in New York City. Companies in the ffVC portfolio are already revolutionizing farming, logistics, infrastructure, and food deliveries. As governments and startups work to collaborate in redefining the human-machine relationship in factories, warehouses, offices, and homes, the summit aims to bridge the gaps between inventors, investors, and policymakers. To date, ffVC has a roster of keynotes and panels from leading think tanks, academic labs, accelerators, banks, corporate research centers, and startup innovators. Parties interested in attending or speaking at the…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.19
June 22, 2023
…equal,” said John Fish, CEO of Suffolk Technologies, the venture capital platform of Suffolk Construction and organizer of the fourth-annual BOOST accelerator program. “For the first time in the history of construction, the cost is greater than the value.” Fish noted that the industry, like many others, has a worker shortage, despite inflationary and recessionary pressures. He added that the Empire State Building was completed in 13 months, a feat that seems impossible today. “If we don't come up with creative ways to improve productivity, the industry will slow,” said Fish. “Better collection and understanding of data will ultimately lead…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.19
May 30, 2023
…already interested in philosophy. They just don’t know it.” ff Venture Capital's Oliver Mitchell (left) discussed AI and robotics at Automate 2023. Source: Oliver Mitchell “In fact, just recently, my department has joined forces with neuroscience,” he added. “We’re no longer a Philosophy Department. We’re now the Philosophy of Neuroscience, and now the Department of Law, Neuroscience, and Philosophy.” “Because these students are interested in mind, they are interested in intelligence, but they don’t realize that philosophy has been dealing with an attempt to understand the nature of mind from the very beginning, and the nature of intelligence from the…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.77
February 28, 2023
Last week, I had the good fortune to host ff Venture Capital’s 64th Idea Dinner on the challenges and opportunities facing the automation industry. Part of my firm's mission is to partner with corporates to bolster our portfolio’s reach and contribute to the broader innovation ecosystem. In this spirit, I brought together 15 leaders from manufacturing, real estate, construction, defense, and the wider mechatronics ecosystem. As we ate a steak dinner sponsored by TriNet, each participant shared their experiences with hiring, retaining, and attracting quality talent in the age of Gen Z. Futurist Nikki Greenberg shared five insights about this…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.71
October 16, 2022
…Medium’s site lamenting the stock market’s decline. Since joining ff Venture Capital’s partnership this summer, I’ve been awestruck by the level of optimism that permeates the organization. While others are now constricting their activities, ffVC is plowing ahead by closing its seventh fund and launching an eighth one for Ukrainian startups. Kicking off ffVC's second annual Drones & Robotics Summit last month in New York, Founding Partner John Frankel conveyed this enthusiasm to a packed house of 300 tech luminaries. Frankel’s confidence has been fostered by more than 15 years of portfolio management experience with both fair weather and stormy…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.71
July 15, 2022
…growing pains of a maturing industry and that some venture capital firms (VCs) should be more patient and do their due diligence. “I do think VCs are starting to push for quicker turns on their investments, and that is something many of these firms can’t do, he told Robotics 24/7. “However, I blame the VCs for not doing their homework before putting their money into them. There needs to be more due diligence, especially now more than ever as financial markets lean more towards less risk taking.” Applications matter, according to A3 Not only must robotics startups manage investor expectations,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.41
September 06, 2023
…worker absenteeism. AI as a helpful friend As a venture capitalist, I have seen a growing number of pitch decks for conversational artificial intelligence in place of organic companions. One of the best illustrations of how AI-enabled chatbots are entering human relationships was from The New York Times reporter Erin Griffin, who spent five days testing the AI buddy Pi. Near the end of her article, Griffin stated: “It wasn’t until Monday morning, after hours of intermittent chatting throughout the weekend, that I had my ‘aha’ moment with Pi. I was feeling overwhelmed with work and unsure of how to…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.39
November 29, 2022
…to automate facade work and create a new Manhattan-launched industry. About the author Oliver Mitchell is a partner at ff Venture Capital. His areas of focus are drones, robotics, and applied AI. Mitchell is also an adjunct professor at Yeshiva University. This column is reposted with permission.
