For those that are new around here, this is an extension of my weekly newsletter where I highlight new and innovative AI products that are worth exploring.
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Happy Wednesday!
Here’s your news in newsletter!
In this Issue:
Your Weekly Industry News Recap
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The Raise Recap
Headliner: AI Agents Now Talk to BigQuery: Google’s Agent‑to‑Data Revolution
Google has hatched something new, something spicy, something with a LOT of potential. Yes it’s a toolset, yes, this is par for the Google course, but frankly, this one is SUPER for its own merits: AI agents can directly execute queries inside BigQuery, fetch metadata, and interact programmatically with datasets—dramatically simplifying data‑driven agent workflows. If that isn’t enough, agents can fish for schema and dataset details on the fly, generate SQL, and perform automated analytics tasks—all without coding by hand. This means your BI analysts are about to get supercharged, and for the startup founders in the chat: this means you can build your product’s reporting suite with incredible speed through the Vertex AI Agent Builder and Looker. This is one more step in the long walk to make AI agents operational in real-world data environments—faster, smarter, and more dynamic. AI agents meet data warehouses!
Your Weekly Industry News Recap
Neural tech drives the growth of the AI wearables market
AI wearables (think smart rings, wristbands, AR glasses) are expected to soar from ~$21B to over $160B by 2030—projection is wild! 📈 Read moreSOPHiA GENETICS × AstraZeneca expand collaboration for breast cancer outcomes These partners are using AI to combine genomic, imaging & clinical data to fine‑tune treatment plans for patients. ❤️ Read more
AppOmni launches new SaaS & AI security packages to tackle rising risks
AppOmni rolled out Foundations, Advanced & Enterprise packages to fight shadow AI usage and Harden SaaS apps. 🛡️ Read moreQwen‑Image: powerful open‑source AI image generator
Alibaba’s Qwen‑Image churns out images with embedded English/Chinese text that’s pixel‑perfect—designers rejoice! 🎨 Read moreGoogle AI unveils MLE‑STAR: ML engineering agent
Google’s MLE‑STAR agent automates tasks like model evaluation, code refinement, and workflow orchestration… ML ops next‑level! 🤖 Read moreIEEE explores data‑labeling scalability for AI agents
IEEE Spectrum dissects the challenges of scaling labeled data pipelines needed to train reliable autonomous AI agents. 📚 Read moreWEF on AI literacy and strategic transformation
World Economic Forum urges organizations to invest in AI literacy and leadership to thrive during digital transformation. 🧠 Read moreBig tech revising AI product claims after scrutiny
Livemint reports tech giants are dialing back bold AI promises for caution & compliance in light of emerging regulatory focus. 🔍 Read moreTechPolicy on overlooked climate risks from AI
AI's environmental impact—from energy-hungry data centers to e‑waste—is often overlooked, warns this policy brief. 🌍 Read moreOpenAI launches new 'Study Mode' for ChatGPT
New ChatGPT feature helps students learn by summarizing, quizzing, and explaining concepts interactively. 📚 Read moreAltair shows 100 engineering uses of AI in manufacturing
Altair lays out how AI is used across manufacturing—from simulation to design, inspection, and process optimization. ⚙️ Read moreIBM report: 13% of organizations suffered AI breaches, 97% lacked access controls
A new IBM study finds serious gaps in AI security hygiene across enterprises globally. 🧯 Read more
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Subscriber Exclusive: Which One Of These Do You Want First?
This Week’s Raise Recap 📈💰
n8n seeks $1.5B valuation amid VC bidding war
Berlin-based AI automation startup n8n is in talks raising over $100M at a dramatic jump from €300M to $1.5B+ valuation—its ARR hit ~$40M too. 🚀 Read moreBhindi AI raises $4M in pre‑seed round
(Presentation based on SaasNews listing) Emerging AI startup Bhindi AI picked up $4M in early funding to fuel its next phase. 🌱 Read moreSixSense (female‑founded semiconductor AI startup) raises funding
TechCrunch reports SixSense secured an undisclosed round boosting its AI chip ambitions—women-led semiconductor innovation! 💡 Read moreCline raises $32M seed funding
Cline’s seed round hit $32M to scale its AI marketing automation platform—talent and traction attracting investors fast. 💼 Read moreConversion AI gets $28M for marketing automation tool
StartupHub notes Conversion’s seed funding round brings in $28M to fuel growth in AI-powered marketing automation. 📈 Read moreFlovision Solutions raises $87M Series A for AI in food production
Flovision’s Series A brought $87M to bring computer vision tech into industrial food manufacturing ops. 🍔 Read moreRamp valued at $22.5B in funding round
WSJ reports AI finance app Ramp just hit a massive $22.5B valuation amid its latest funding round. 📊 Read moreTakeUp raises $11M in Series A
TakeUp’s Series A funding raised $11M to support its AI-driven SaaS tools for workplace learning and productivity. 📚 Read moreJulius AI raises $10M in seed round
Julius AI grabbed $10M seed capital to accelerate its brand-focused AI analytics platform. 🔍 Read moreBC tech firm raises $40M to expand AI-powered mushroom harvesting
A Vancouver startup is growing mushrooms using AI robotics, and they just landed $40M in funding. 🍄 Read moreLumana secures $40M Series A for security AI
Security-focused startup Lumana closed $40M in Series A to expand its AI-driven monitoring and threat management tools. 🔐 Read moreLemongrass launches Clean‑Core AI accelerator under SAP
Lemongrass started a new accelerator for SAP clients aiming to adopt clean-core AI and streamline transformations. 🌿 Read more
Stay well, and see you next week!
-✌🏽 Sam
Cue the legal stuff: The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are solely my own and do not reflect the views, positions, or policies of my employer or any organizations I am affiliated with. All content is for informational purposes only and to express opinion.