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CDPQ expands AI offering with $250 million fund, new collaboration with Mila (BETAKIT)
“Since Montréal is emerging as a global beacon of excellence in artificial intelligence, we need to enhance our offering,” says Charles Émond, executive VP of Québec and global strategic planning at CDPQ.
What Carol Leaman learned from scaling a company and selling it to Google (BETAKIT)
Speaking to BetaKit ahead of her appearance at TechExit.io on April 10th in Vancouver, the serial CEO shared her lessons learned from leading multiple companies, and reflected on starting, growing, and eventually exiting PostRank.
Driverless trucks ride at night with TuSimple’s improved camera system (VENTUREBEAT)
Using an eight-camera array paired with both lidar and radar, the TuSimple system sees in 360 degrees with a 1,000-meter detection range — a substantial advantage over the 250-300 meters afforded by systems that use lidar alone.
MIT’s AI can train neural networks faster than ever before (ENGADGET)
MIT researchers have developed a NAS algorithm that automatically learns a convolution neural network in a fraction of the time — just 200 GPU hours.
Avidbots raises $31.5 million CAD Series B for floor cleaning robots (BETAKIT)
The round was led by True Ventures, a Silicon Valley-based VC firm, that previously invested in Avidbots in 2017.
Evolv Technologies raises $10 million to automate web A/B testing with AI (VENTUREBEAT)
“[Evolv’s platform] Ascend is an evolutionary AI … that gives marketers the power to simultaneously test multiple potential improvements to their websites and mobile apps, allowing for experimentation to be carried out at a scale never before achieved.”
Nvidia AI turns sketches into photorealistic landscapes in seconds (TECHCRUNCH)
Using generative adversarial networks, users of the software are with just a few clicks able to sketch images that are nearly photorealistic.
Millennials consider AI “threat to future employment”, according to survey (BETAKIT)
“Our generation is concerned about how employment is changing, yet optimistic in our ability to adapt,” says Mary Davidson, a public relations students at Centennial College.
AI has become table stakes in sales, customer service and marketing software (TECHCRUNCH)
Artificial intelligence and machine learning has become essential if you are selling sales, customer service and marketing software, especially in large enterprises. The biggest vendors from Adobe to Salesforce to Microsoft to Oracle are jockeying for position to bring automation and intelligence to these areas.
Alcatraz AI Raises $6M in Funding (FINSMES)
Alcatraz AI, a Palo Alto, a startup advancing a facial authentication product for the enterprise,raised the funding from Hardware Club, Ray Stata, Ruvento Ventures, Hemi Ventures, and JCI Ventures.
MBX 2019 analysis – Oracle updates its AI strategy for B2B, including the impact of DataFox (DIGINOMICA)
As the biggest sales and marketing technology firms mature, they are all turning to AI and machine learning to advance the field. This week, it was Oracle’s turn, announcing several AI-fueled features for its suite of sales tools.
Ojo Labs raises $45 million to develop a chatbot for real estate (VENTUREBEAT)
The funding included participation from LiveOak Venture Partners, real estate and relocation services company Realogy Holdings, Royal Bank of Canada, and Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures.