Corporates and innovation

you-can-now-eat-dinner-in-space-—-for-just-e120k

You can now eat dinner in space — for just €120K

Corporates and innovation, Deep tech, Insider, Next Featured, Startups and technology / /
You can now eat dinner in space — for just €120K

Siôn Geschwindt

Story by

Siôn Geschwindt

It turns out you don’t need a rocket to explore the edge of space. 

French startup Zephalto has just announced plans to send eager tourists to the stratosphere in a space balloon by 2025. Starting at €120,000 per person, the six-hour round trip would offer “unparalleled views” of Earth and a fine dining experience from the comfort of a luxurious pressurised capsule named Celeste.      

“We choose 25 km high because it’s the altitude where you are in the darkness of space, with 98% of the atmosphere below you so that you can enjoy the curvature of the Earth in the blue line. You’re in the darkness of space, but without the zero gravity experience,” Vincent Farret d’Astiès, Zephalto founder and aerospace engineer, told Bloomberg.  

The trip would include gourmet meals both before and during the flight, aperitifs, winetasting, stratographic photography, and the possibility to share the experience instantly with the people back on Earth via Wi-Fi. The capsule, currently being designed by French architect Joseph Dirand, would have 20 square metres of interior room, accommodating six passengers and two pilots.  

Zephalto’s capsule, which hasn’t yet been built, would transport six passengers and two pilots, and intends to be a lap of luxury. Credit: Zephalto.

The balloon, filled with helium or hydrogen, would depart from France and rise to 25 km over the course of about one and a half hours. This is about twice as high as commercial jets operate but well below the boundary of space (which lies 80-100 km above sea level). Once at peak altitude, the balloon will hover for three hours to ensure you have enough time to soak up the views, before descending back to the ground.  

While this might seem like a load of hot air, the startup, founded in 2016, has already secured backing from some high-profile players, including Airbus, Dassault, National Center for Space Studies (CNES), and European Space Agency (ESA). 

Zephalto aims for 60 flights per year once it begins commercial operations. It has already conducted three test flights with pilots on board, though none have reached the full altitude. However, the company expects to hit the target height in a test flight later this year. 

A prototype of Zephalto’s space balloon, carrying two passengers, took off successfully for the first time during a test flight on August 21, 2020. Credit: Zephalto.

Crewed high-altitude balloons are not a novel idea. In 1931, Swiss physicist Auguste Piccard ascended 16km in a pressurised capsule attached to a helium balloon, becoming the first person to ever reach the stratosphere. Since then, crewed high-altitude balloons have risen to over 34km, although the technology has never gone commercial — yet. 

Space Perspective and Worldview, both US-based, are also developing their own versions of the technology. They both plan to launch even earlier than Zephalto, in 2024. Spanish startup Zero2Infinity is also developing a space balloon although it has yet to announce a launch date. Furthermore, Japanese startup Iwaya Giken has built a much smaller capsule that it hopes will cost just tens of thousands of dollars once the company achieves economies of scale.   

While perhaps not quite as alluring as blasting off into real space aboard a rocket, as promised by billionaire-owned firms like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic, proponents say balloon trips offer a number of distinct advantages. 

Firstly, they’re a lot cheaper. A Virgin Galactic flight starts at $450,000, while a trip aboard one of SpaceX’s rockets could set you back tens of millions of dollars. Even though the balloons don’t travel as high as these rockets, which average altitudes between 50-120km, operators say they still fly high enough for viewers to experience the overview effect — an intense perspective shift that many astronauts say kicks in when you view Earth from above. 

An image of Earth taken from an unmanned weather balloon at an altitude of 23km, similar to the heights that Zephalto’s space balloon will ascend to. Credit: Forbes/University of Leicester

What’s more, despite numerous advances in recent years, rockets remain complex, expensive, and unpredictable (SpaceX’s launch failure this week is a prime example). Passengers must undergo significant training and medical checks before even thinking of boarding one. However, Zephalto says that anyone healthy enough to fly on an airliner can board a space balloon.  

The startup also claims that the first Celeste flight will mark the lowest amount of CO2 generated by a space flight: 26.6 kg for the entire 6-hour journey, equivalent to the carbon footprint of a “pair of denim trousers.” By contrast, at a launch in 2016, the Space X Falcon 9 rocket emitted a whopping 116 tons of CO2 in just 165 seconds.

All this equates to what could become a more sustainable and accessible alternative to rocket-based space tourism. 

However, Zephalto hasn’t even completed its first commercial test flight or arrived at the final design for the capsule, and keeps pushing back the launch date. The startup is also vague on a number of details, including where exactly the balloons will launch from, or whether it has secured permission to fly from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Other startups like Worldview follow a similar trend — it announced in 2013 that its space balloons would enter commercial operations in 2016.

But despite the fact that the space balloon startup scene seems better at making promises than delivering them, Zephalto, like most of the other startups mentioned, is already taking pre-reservations. Lift-off could take place in two years’ time — if all goes to plan.    

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Spanish surgeons perform world’s first fully robotic lung transplant

Corporates and innovation, Deep tech, Next Featured / /
Spanish surgeons perform world’s first fully robotic lung transplant

Siôn Geschwindt

Story by

Siôn Geschwindt

A Spanish hospital has successfully completed what is believed to be the world’s first fully robotic lung transplant. 

Surgeons at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona used a four-arm robot dubbed ‘Da Vinci’ to carry out the procedure. The patient was a 65-year-old man called Xavier, requiring a lung transplant due to pulmonary fibrosis, a life-threatening lung disease.  

Typical lung transplants are highly invasive: a 30 cm incision must be made in the chest and multiple ribs broken. This allows surgeons to access a patient’s lung, remove it, and replace it with a healthy lung from a donor. 

But thanks to Da Vinci, the surgeons were able to cut a much smaller access route in the chest without having to break any bones. The new lung was deflated so that it could enter through the tight incision, which was only 8 cm wide. Smaller cuts were made in the side of the ribs to accommodate the robot’s arms and 3D cameras — which give surgeons a 360-degree view inside the lung.   

Juice will make the 6.6 billion km trip to study three of Jupiter’s 92 known moons: Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa. Each of these worlds has an ocean of water hidden underneath an icy shell — an important target for astronomers searching for life beyond Earth.  

In the two weeks after launch, the satellite will deploy all of its antennas and instrument booms. This will be followed by a three-month long period where all of the spacecraft’s scientific instruments will be commissioned. 

It will take even longer for its first fly-by, which is only set for August 2024. At that time, it will fly by the Moon and then Earth about one and a half days later. The satellite will take advantage of the Earth-Moon gravitational field to sling itself on course for Jupiter. 

Juice is set to arrive at Jupiter in July 2031. Once it arrives it will spend three and a half years orbiting the gas giant and making close fly-bys of three of its moons. 

Juice will become the first ever spacecraft to orbit a moon other than Earth’s. Credit: ESA.

In December 2023, the spacecraft will change orbits moving from Jupiter to Ganymede. By doing so, Juice will become the first satellite ever to orbit around a moon other than Earth’s. 

But it won’t be alone out there. NASA is also launching a Jupiter-bound spacecraft, the Europa clipper, in 2024, that will orbit Europa.

Norbert Krupp, an interdisciplinary scientist at the Juice programme, says the presence of NASA’s satellite is perfect timing and “allows for a two-point comparison of data” that will improve the overall impact of the mission.

Juice is equipped with 10 instruments that aim to give scientists a look not just at the surface of Jupiter and its icy moons, but what lies beneath. The hope is that this will allow for the creation of computer-generated, three dimensional images of its interior.

The satellite will use radar to look into the moons, lidar to create 3D maps of their surfaces, and magnetometers to explore their intricate electrical and magnetic environments. Other sensors will collect data on the whirling particles that surround the moons, and cameras will send back countless pictures to Earth.  

Juice is equipped with 10 instruments that will give scientists an unprecedented look at Jupiter and its icy moons. Credit: Airbus.

Dr Caroline Harper, the head of space science at the UK Space Agency, believes it will confirm the existence of salty oceans beneath the surface of Ganymede.

“JUICE is not in itself designed to look for life on an icy moon, but if we’re going to find life elsewhere in the solar system, chances are it’s going to be underneath the ice, if there is an ocean, underneath the ice on one of those moons,” she said.

“So it’s going to be very exciting to look and see whether we do find what we expect to find, whether there are salty oceans under the icy crust that could contain the conditions that support life”.

Scientists are interested in Jupiter’s moons because they appear to harbour massive oceans of liquid water hidden by tens of miles thick shells of ice, and these oceans might possess favourable conditions for some form of life to exist. 

Although Juice is unlikely to find evidence of life on Jupiter’s moons, the mission will help scientists better understand whether the right conditions for life exist on these moons or not.   

Juice mission controllers plan to dispose of the spacecraft by crashing it onto the surface of Ganymede. This controlled destruction will prevent Juice from turning into a piece of space junk that could collide with future missions.  

The €1.6 billion launch of Juice comes after a series of setbacks for Europe’s launches, the most notable of which was the launch failure of Vega-C in December 2022.

However, on a more positive note, new research shows that Europe overtook the US in spacetech investment in the first quarter of this year, making it the world’s biggest market for private spacetech funding.  

The hope is that this funding will boost Europe’s domestic space capabilities, and offer startups the propulsion they need to scaleup. 

Europe’s Juice space mission blasts off towards Jupiter Read More »

germany-and-intel-in-funding-dispute-over-e17bn-chip-plant

Germany and Intel in funding dispute over €17bn chip plant

Corporates and innovation, Deep tech, Government and policy, Next Featured / /
Germany and Intel in funding dispute over €17bn chip plant

Siôn Geschwindt

Intel’s plan to construct a massive chip plant in Magdeburg, Germany, is arguably the centrepiece of the EU’s strategy to ramp up domestic production of semiconductors. 

But cash flow has proven to be a major stumbling block for the mega-project. Intel attributes this to rising costs, partly a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

To close the funding gap, last month, the US semiconductor giant requested an additional €4-5 billion euros in subsidies to construct the plant.

But German officials want Intel to meet them in the middle — they will consider boosting subsidies, but only if the company is willing to spend more on infrastructure. 

“It’s logical that if the scale of the investment is increased, then the level of subsidy would also rise,” Sven Schultze, the economy minister for Saxony-Anhalt, told the Financial Times. 

Intel had initially estimated that the project would cost €17 billion and had reached an agreement for €6.8 billion in government subsidies. Now, however, the company expects to spend €20 billion, citing rising energy and construction costs.  

Construction of the chip plant has already been delayed, and resolving the funding dispute will be critical if Intel is to deliver on its broader plans to invest €80 billion over the next decade into the EU’s semiconductor industry.  

While it may seem a simple matter of throwing a few billions more at the project, the chipmaker is facing serious cash flow problems. Late last year, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, said the company would cut as much as $10 billion in annual spending by 2025. 

The German ministry said it is currently discussing ways to fill the project’s cost gap. It also added that any additional funding would likely need approval from the European Commission first.  

Additional subsidies for the project could come from the European Chips Act, which aims to mobilise more than €43 billion to end Europe’s dependence on China and produce 20% of the world’s semiconductors by 2030. 

The act is expected to get the green light next week, which could throw Intel a crucial financial lifeline.

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Winamp relaunches — and breaks my nostalgic heart

Corporates and innovation, Ecosystems, Insider, Next Featured / /

Oh, to be an innocent young techie in the ’90s again. Merrily downloading Metallica albums from Napster, joyriding from bird’s eye views in GTA 1, and praying that 30-second porn clip would buffer before mom got home in four hours. It was a golden era — I mean, that’s what my friend told me.

One thing we both enjoyed, however, was the magical world of Winamp. A skeuomorphic design resembling shelf stereos, gorgeous visualisations that matched audio frequencies, cutting-edge features like the colour-changing volume slider… and the customisations. Oh, the customisations.

Not only were there endless skins to transform the classic look, but also the array of mods built by the community of users. Truly, these were the glory days of the internet. Naturally, they couldn’t last.

As iTunes and streaming services absorbed digital music, Winamp was ushered into the tech graveyard. At least, that’s what I thought.

Don’t call it a comeback

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Winamp’s decline was punctuated by a series of transactions. In 1999, AOL acquired the app’s original developer, Nullsoft, for $80 million. In 2013, AOL announced that Winamp would be shut down in a month — but that never happened. Instead, the music player was snapped up by Radionomy, a Belgian audio platform, as part of a deal for the entire Nullsoft brand.

After a merger and a rebrand, Radionomy evolved into the Llama Group. As Winamp veterans may remember, a llama was the original app’s mascot. The move renewed hopes of a comeback  — but, apparently, the app never really went away.

The original Winamp
miss u. Image credit: Christiaan Colen

According to Lllama Group, Winamp still has 83 million users worldwide. I presume they all live in a remote tribal community, which abandoned the outside world to survive the millennium bug. (Lads, if you’re reading this, please send me your location.)

Despite the enduring popularity, Lllama Group has a bigger target: 250 million users. How will it get them? By launching a new player, of course.

Ok, you can call it a comeback

A revamped Winamp arrives today — and it’s a major departure from the iconic version. In the vision of Llama Group, the overhaul empowers both artists and listeners.

For creators, that means there’s a new “Fanzone” for selling exclusive content and experiences. Llama aims to attract 1 million artists to the feature.

Listeners, meanwhile, get a new mobile-responsive web player, with mobile apps based on the classic version due later this year. As well as music, the new platform offers podcasts, radio stations, and — coming soon — the ability to play local files and connect to streaming services. 

“Our aim is to empower creators to make more money.

Alexandre Saboundjian, CEO of Llama Group, said Winamp’s “challenger spirit” was needed more than ever in the streaming era. 

“With the new Winamp player, our aim is to empower creators to make more money, at a time when they really need it,” Saboundjian said in a statement. “Winamp’s mission is to change the mindset of artists — from one where they feel like victims of poor revenues from the DSPs, to one of empowerment about what they can achieve by themselves.”

That all sounds lovely, but it hasn’t revived my memories of Winamp’s vintage years. The look is more reminiscent of Spotify, while the web-based app is far removed from Winamp’s desktop player. Plans to integrate NFTs have further alarmed fans of the original.

It certainly looks familiar — but not to Winamp
It certainly looks familiar — but not to Winamp. Credit: Llama Group

The new app may offer some market differentiation, but my dewey-eyes are disappointed. Sadly, it seems my wistful childhood memories have been depraved again. I guess nostalgia isn’t what it used to be.

Winamp relaunches — and breaks my nostalgic heart Read More »

inside-arm’s-vision-for-the-‘software-defined-vehicle’-of-the-future

Inside Arm’s vision for the ‘software-defined vehicle’ of the future

Corporates and innovation, Government and policy, Insider, Next Featured, Sustainability / /

The digitisation of cars has made comparisons to “data centres on wheels” so common that they’ve become clichéd. It’s also built a booming market for tech firms — few of which have capitalised as adeptly as Arm. 

Often described as the UK’s leading IT company, SoftBank-owned Arm designs energy-efficient computer chips. The company’s architectures are found in endless applications, from smart cities to laptops, but they’re best-known for powering mobile devices. Around 95% of the world’s smartphones use Arm’s technology.

In recent years, however, the company’s fastest-growing division has been the automotive unit. Arm has reportedly more than doubled its revenues from the sector since 2020. 

Dennis Laudick, Arm’s vice president of automotive go-to-market, attributes the growth to a convergence of three trends: electrification, automation, and in-vehicle user experience (UX).

“All of those are driving more compute into the vehicle,” he says — and more compute means more business for Arm.

As the company prepares for a long-awaited public listing, Laudick gave TNW a glimpse into his automotive strategy.

Electric avenues

Gradually, EVs are engulfing the car market. Last year, fully-electric vehicles comprised over 10% of car sales in Europe for the first time. Globally, their total sales hit around 7.8 million units — as much as 68% more than in 2022. To serve this growing market, automakers have to integrate a complex new collection of electronics.

“When you do that, it becomes a lot more complicated system,” says Laudick. “You need to look at even more electronics to manage it, and that causes people to rethink their architectures.”

The result is firmer foundations for more digital features. Take the all-electric Nissan Leaf, which runs Arm’s Cortex-R4 processor alongside an electric powertrain.

To control the power inverter, a microcomputer core has to accurately repeat a series of processes — such as sensing, calculation, and control output — for events that occur in 1/10,000-second cycles. In this tiny computation window, the system has to deliver efficient, responsive, and precise control. 

By placing the battery and other heavy items close to the center of gravity, the yaw moment of inertia has been reduced compared to front-engine vehicles for improved stability and smoother cornering.
The Leaf’s battery has been moved closer to the car’s centre of gravity. According to Nissan, this provides better stability and cornering than front-engine vehicles. Credit: Nissan

The Leaf also has a new electronic pedal system, which the driver uses to control the car’s speed by applying pressure to the accelerator.

When the accelerator is fully released, regenerative and friction brakes are activated automatically, bringing the car to a complete stop — even on steep slopes — until the accelerator is pressed again. And if the driver gets tired, an intelligent cruise control system can automatically match the car’s speed to the flow of traffic, while a lane assist feature makes subtle steering corrections to keep the vehicle centred.

It’s a convenient package of features, but one that reimagines the whole foundations of a car. The likes of Nissan had spent decades establishing the controls and architectures that run internal combustion engines (ICEs) for decades. They’re now rapidly replacing their hardwarewith digital operations. The shift has fostered a concept called the “software-defined vehicle.”

“The whole industry is aware of this disruption that’s converting them from a mechanical mindset to a software mindset — and they’re all trying to reinvent themselves,” says Laudick.

“It equates to more powerful electronics.

Undoubtedly, the transition has opened up new business opportunities for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), component suppliers, startups, and semiconductor companies. But all the new features and revenue streams have to fit within the tight constraints of power consumption, heat dissipation, and physical space. 

That’s where Arm wants to step in. The company’s suite of processor IP, tools, and software solutions offers the automotive sector the promise of maximising innovation. 

“From our perspective, it basically equates to more electronics — and more powerful electronics,” says Laudick.

Autonomy rules

The transition to EVs has coincided with an expansion of autonomous features. While level 5 cars haven’t arrived as quickly as advertised, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), from lane detection to park assist, have become commonplace. As a result, the applications for Arm’s architectures are proliferating. 

“The more autonomous functionality we drive into cars, the more exponential the compute demands are,” says Laudick. “And if you look at some of the data systems that people are looking at putting in cars in five years’ time, they’re really high-end.”

At present, Arm powers everything from processors that Dream Chip Technologies applies to radar to smart electronic fuses that Elmos uses to supply stable power. As the use cases expand, so does the demand for chips — and the rules that surround them.

EC President Ursula von der Leyen
The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has pushed to ban new combustion-engine cars. Credit: European Parliament

Both EVs and autonomous features are being pushed by regulators. Governments are encouraging electrification for environmental reasons, and autonomy for accident prevention.

In the EU, several safety features will soon become compulsory. The European Parliament has made measures including intelligent speed assistance (ISA), advanced emergency braking, and lane-keeping technology mandatory in new vehicles from May 2022. 

“This will make all of us safer.

The lawmakers made a compelling case for their intervention. In 2018, around 25,100 people died on EU roads, while 135,000 were seriously injured. According to EU estimates, ISA alone could reduce the fatalities by 20%.

“ISA will provide a driver with feedback, based on maps and road sign observation, always when the speed limit is exceeded,” said MEP Róża Thun, who steered the legislation. “We do not introduce a speed limiter, but an intelligent system that will make drivers fully aware when they are speeding. This will not only make all of us safer, but also help drivers to avoid speeding tickets.”

It’s a similar story for electric vehicles. According to the European Commission, cars are responsible for 12% of total CO2 emissions in the EU. To mitigate the impact, the union recently approved a law requiring all new cars sold from 2035 to have zero CO2 emissions. In addition, already from 2030 their emissions must be 55% lower than they were in 2021. 

The targets aim to accelerate electrification. In theory, this should benefit drivers, passengers, pedestrians — and Arm.

Getting flexible

As automotive compute shifts from hardware to software, demand is growing for infotainment and cockpit features. According to Arm, more than 90% of in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems use the company’s chip designs. The architectures are also found in various under-the-hood applications, including meter clusters, e-mirrors, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) control.

Munich-based automotive company Apostera aims to remove this disconnect between the real world and the infotainment system by transforming the windshield of a vehicle into a mixed reality screen.
Munich-based Apostera is using Arm’s designs to transform car windshields into mixed-reality screens.

The shift to the software-defined vehicle has also stimulated another IT feature: updates. Historically, vehicle software was not only rudimentary, but also fairly static. Today, that’s no longer the case. 

“There’s an opportunity to continue to add to the functionality of the vehicle over its lifetime,” says Laudick.

An expanding range of features, from sensor algorithms to user interfaces, can now be enhanced over-the-air (OTA). As cars begin to resemble personal devices, consumers can expect a comparable update service. As Simon Humphries, the chief branding officer of Toyota, put it: “People want control over their own experiences.”

Laudick likens modern cars to platforms, upon which software and functionality can evolve. That’s an obvious magnet for Arm, whose products and processes are fundamentally about running software. 

Carmakers are also becoming savvier about software. For example, General Motors’ self-driving unit, Cruise, is now developing its own computer chips for autonomous vehicles. The company has previously used Arm designs, but is now exploring an open-source architecture known as RISC-V — which is becoming a popular alternative. The instruction set’s low costs and flexibility have created a threat to Arm’s automotive ambitions. 

“One executive I was talking to said: ‘The best negotiating strategy when Arm comes in is to have a RISC-V brochure sitting on my desk’,” Jim Feldhan, the president of semiconductor consultancy Semico Research, said last year. “It’s a threat. Arm is just not going to have its super dominant position in five or 20 years.”

“There’s been a move to create more flexibility.

Currently, however, RISC-V could be regarded as riskier than Arm’s established standards. In a further challenge to RISC-V, Arm is gradually becoming more open. The Cortex-M processor series, for instance, now allows clients to add their own instructions, while extra configurability has been added to Arm software and tooling.

“We obviously try to control the products reasonably well, otherwise we just end up with a wild west. But there’s been a move in the company in the last several years to create more flexibility in certain areas,” says Laudick. 

Mobileye, the Israeli self-driving unit of chip maker Intel
Mobileye, a self-driving unit of Intel that went public at $16.7 billion last year, is among a growing list of companies applying RISC-V architecture to vehicles. Credit: Mobileye

RISC-V is far from Arm’s only challenger. Established rivals such as Intel and Synopsys are also fighting for a chunk of the expanding market for automotive chips.

Nonetheless, Laudick is bullish about the future. He notes that today’s cars run about 100 million lines of software code, while a Boeing 787 is estimated to have “only” 14 million. By 2030, McKinsey predicts that vehicles will expand to roughly 300 million lines of code. 

“I see the vehicle being, without doubt, the most complex software device you will own — if not that will exist,” says Laudick.

Inside Arm’s vision for the ‘software-defined vehicle’ of the future Read More »

the-world’s-first-self-driving-bus-fleet-will-soon-hit-scotland’s-streets

The world’s first self-driving bus fleet will soon hit Scotland’s streets

Corporates and innovation, Government and policy, Next Featured, Sustainability / /

Next time you board a bus in Scotland and it’s driving itself, don’t freak out — this is all part of a government plan to bring self-driving tech into the mainstream.

Five fully autonomous buses will be taking to the streets near Edinburgh next month, announced Stagecoach, the UK’s largest bus and coach operator, who will be managing the fleet.

The UK government said the project, named CAVForth, would be the world’s first full-size, self-driving public bus service. CAV stands for “connected and autonomous vehicles.”

The service, which aims to transport 10,000 passengers weekly, will initially run a 22.5km circuit route, including a stretch across the iconic Forth Road Bridge – one of Scotland’s major landmarks. 

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The vehicles have sensors enabling them to travel on pre-selected roads at up to 80kph. The buses will be operating at AV Level 4, meaning they have a trained safety driver onboard, but the driver will not be expected to touch the controls whilst the vehicle is in autonomous mode.

Fully driverless cars are not legally permitted in the UK. A safety driver is required at all times in all autonomous vehicles, although the government is working on an updated legal and assurance framework.

The iconic Forth Road Bridge connects Edinburgh to Fife. Credit: Ian Cardwell

Scottish Minister for Transport, Kevin Stewart, said the “innovative and ambitious project” was an “exciting milestone” that will help Scotland “establish its credentials on the world stage.” 

Estimated to cost around £6.1m, Project CAVForth is part-funded by the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV), delivered in partnership with Innovate UK. It is part of the UK government’s £100 million Intelligent Mobility Fund, which aims to speed up the commercialisation of self-driving transport technology. 

CAVForth’s rollout of the autonomous bus fleet next month will mark a culmination of over four years’ of research, planning, and development. Similar CAV projects are planned in Sunderland and Belfast.  

Driverless buses are not a new concept. In 2021, a new driverless electric bus began operating in Malaga, Spain, in a project presented as a first in Europe.

In the UK, the Cambridge Connector project, which aims to deploy 13 automated electric vehicles across the city, is set to launch next year. 

Perhaps Europe’s biggest self-driving car project is ULTIMO, which has a budget of over €55m and will test autonomous public transport services in three European cities: Geneva, Switzerland; Kronach, Germany; and Oslo, Norway. 

Fully autonomous vehicles have long been a goal for major automakers and companies, with plenty of startups vying for a stake in the industry. It is, however, unlikely that self-driving cars without safety drivers will be spotted on public roads within the next decade. 

The world’s first self-driving bus fleet will soon hit Scotland’s streets Read More »

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TNW València 2023 was a blast — here are our favourite moments

Corporates and innovation, Ecosystems, Investors and funding, Next Featured, Startups and technology / /

For 16 memorable years, TNW Conference has been at the center of Amsterdam’s tech ecosystem, but on March 30 and 31, TNW València brought — for the very first time — the heart of tech to Spain’s east coast.

But we didn’t choose Valencia simply for its bright blue sea, delicious paellas, or sunny weather. The vibrant city is Spain’s fastest-growing entrepreneurial ecosystem, and has the most startups per capita of anywhere in the country — transforming itself into Mediterranean’s startup powerhouse.

“Valencia’s tech ecosystem is a breath of fresh air,” says Myrthe van der Erve, TNW’s CEO.

At València’s marina, the conference brought together over 300 startups, 90 exhibitors, 100 speakers, and 75 investors to discover what’s next in tech and connect with industry pioneers, C-level executives, department heads, and product developers.

TNW Valencia 2023
Aerial view of the conference’s venue.

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During the two days, over 2,000 attendees enjoyed inspirational talks, networking events, deals, pitches, and the same festival vibes as our Amsterdam flagship. Across 105 meetings and 50 mentoring sessions, the event also delivered real business outcomes.

TNW Valencia 2023

Here are some of our favourite moments:

1. The official opening ceremony and party

The fun started on March 29, a day before the conference’s agenda kicked off. At our opening party at Zeus València, we enjoyed drinks, bites, and networking right by the sea — dancing the night away with like-minded tech enthusiasts.

TNW Valencia 2023
The success recipe for an opening party: sea, sun, drinks, tech enthusiasts, and industry leaders.

Our guestlist also contained an array of the city’s most influential politicians. These included Diana Morant, Spain’s Minister of Science and Innovation; Sandra Gomez, Deputy Mayor of València; Arcadi España García, Minister of Finance of the Generalitat Valènciana; and Borja Sanjuán, Deputy Mayor of Economic Development at the City of València.

TNW Valencia 2023
The conference’s ribbon-cutting ceremony during the opening party.

2. Unmissable speakers

We assembled a sensational line-up of keynote speeches, fireside chats, panel discussions, and workshops.

TNW Valencia 2023

These featured inspiring founders, such as Vivino’s Heini Zachariassen and Zeleros Hyperloop’s David Pistoni; influential investors such as Speedinvest’s Jullian Blessin and BMW i Ventures’ Marcus Behrendt; and key representatives of the Valèncian tech ecosystem, including Guillermo Sánchez, Project Manager at Invest València, and Lucia Calabria, Deputy Director of Entrepreneurship at València Activa.

TNW Valencia 2023
Andrii Degeler, Head of Media at TNW, spoke with Janneke Niessen, Founding Partner at CapitalIT, and Katica Roy, gender economist and CEO & founder of Pipeline Equity, about the importance of innovating for inclusion, equality, and equity.

Amongst the many highlights, Jen Carter, Global Head of Technology at Google.org, talked about how technology is being harnessed to help nonprofits; Katica Roy, award-winning gender economist and founder of Pipeline Equity, explained how companies can increase their profit by closing the gender equity gap; and Alex Roca, who recently became the first person with a 76% physical disability to complete a marathon, spoke about the importance of resilience and self-confidence.

Alex Rocca TNW Valencia
Alex Roca, speaking at TNW València.

3. The FT Power Hours

The Financial Times, our beloved parent company, brought some of their brightest minds to València. At a series of sessions called FT Power Hours, they talked about tech’s latest business trends with industry leaders, including Teresa Parejo Navajas, Head of Sustainability and Social Corporate Sustainability at IBERIA, and Juan Manuel Diez, Strategy & Innovation Director at Port Authority of València.

TNW Valencia 2023
Panelists discussed topics including sustainable tourism.

4. The Startup Pitch Battle

In a fiery TNW València pitch battle, eight of Europe’s hottest startups survived a series of knockout clashes to reach the contest final on March 31.

TNW Valencia 2023
Internxt was among the eight startup finalists.

Following 10 minutes of nail-biting voting, our audience and all-star jury selected a winner: Crowmie. The València-based startup has developed the first investment platform in tokenised renewable energy projects.

TNW Valencia 2023
Fernando Dávila Ponce de León Gámez, co-founder and CEO at Crowmie (left), with our MC for the event, Oison Lunny.

Crowmie won an array of amazing prizes, including a 4 square-meter exhibitor’s booth at TNW València 2024 and two business passes for TNW Conference in Amsterdam on June 15-16. But the best of all the prizes? A full profile feature on TNW’s website by our beloved media team.

5. The closing party

It goes without saying: a proper tech festival needs an unforgettable closing party. Attendees and TNWers alike ended the conference with a blast, on a dreamy VIP boat right next to the event venue.

TNW Valencia 2023
Yes, this is the party boat.

6. The Ferris wheel

It wouldn’t be a TNW festival without our emblematic Ferris wheel. There’s no better way to savor fun rides and breathtaking city — or simply trap your interlocutor for a private meeting.

TNW Valencia 2023

Looking back,TNW València 2023 — powered by The Financial Times and in collaboration with Ajuntament de València — was even better than we could have imagined!

TNW Valencia 2023
The TNW team at València.

After such a successful first edition, we are set to bring the heart of tech to the bustling Mediterranean city again in 2024! Good news, folks, you can already pre-register here.

And for those of you who (justifiably) can’t wait that long, join us in Amsterdam for TNW Conference, Europe’s leading tech festival, on June 15 and 16.

Don’t miss out on TNW València 2024! Our conference is in high demand, and already sold out this year. By pre-registering now, you’ll be the first to know about our early bird tickets and secure your spot for next year’s event.

TNW València 2023 was a blast — here are our favourite moments Read More »

tnw-valencia-has-arrived!-here-are-some-highlights-from-day-1  

TNW València has arrived! Here are some highlights from Day 1  

Corporates and innovation, Ecosystems, Next Featured, Startups and technology / /

TNW València is finally here! Founders, investors, business leaders, and tech enthusiasts descended on València’s marina this morning to discover the next in tech, now. Before long, the venue — nestled between the historic inner city and the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean — was bustling with talks, deals, pitches, and a whole lot of fun.

TNW València is officially open! It’s #Time4València and you are all invited to enjoy the @FinancialTimes #tech festival and to discover the Valencian innovative ecosystem.

Let the future of technology surprise you! 🖤👾 pic.twitter.com/e1oAse7yEF

— VLC Tech City (@VLCTechCity) March 29, 2023

The conversations covered everything from funding secrets to sector spotlights, across keynote speeches, startup battles, panel discussions, workshops, fireside chats, and much more. Too much in fact to attend it all  — but don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Read on for a few highlights.

MC Oison Lunny speaks to a packed audience at the Impact Stage on Day 1 of TNW València

Our MC for the event, the award-winning Oison Lunny, kicked things off with a call for connections across València’s tech sector. “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. If you want to go fast AND far, go as part of an ecosystem,” he said. 

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. If you want to go fast AND far, go as part of an ecosystem.

   

After the opening speech, a battle ensued between Valencia’s most promising startups. There were some seriously impressive pitches, and the winners will now face-off at the finals tomorrow.   

TNW_valencia-startup-battle
The winners from today’s startup battles will go head-to-head at the finals tomorrow.

The role of ecosystems was a recurring theme on day one. Phill Robinson, the CEO of Boardwave, explained how Europe can replicate Silicon Valley’s famous network effects, while Erwin Verstraelen, digital chief at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, divulged why he founded ‘The Beacon’, an IOT ecosystem of startups, scaleups, and researchers, to boost innovation.

Many of the startups in attendance harbour plans for global expansion, but the conference speakers stressed that they need local roots. At a talk titled, “Going global: a VC’s guide to preparing for international investment,”  Vanessa Palmer of CaixaBank DayOne said startups need people “working on the ground in that country who understand that market.”

We’re here at ‘Going global: a VC’s guide to preparing for international investment’ at #TNWValència. For startups to succeed overseas, says @vpalmerbcn, they must have people “working on the ground in that country who understand that market.” pic.twitter.com/UEY39dsY3Z

— TNW (@thenextweb) March 30, 2023

The balance was succinctly summarised by one of the contenders in the startup pitch battle.“Our base is in Spain, but our focus is global,” said Mario García-Granero, CEO and co-founder of Feending.

Amid the rush to innovate and grow, attendees of the event frequently expressed the importance of the tech for the good — particularly around sustainability. “We need to speed up,” said Raquel Espada, sustainability lead at Schneider Electric in Spain. We don’t have time. Climate change is happening, there’s a wildfire near here right now and it’s 30 degrees [centrigrade] in March.” 

No doubt one of the most inspiring moments of the day came when endurance athlete and Barcelona ambassador Alex Roca took to the stage to share his unique perspective on persevering against the odds. 

We could go on and on about the highlights of Day 1, but then you wouldn’t have any time to enjoy tonight’s festivities and side events. See you tomorrow for another day of TNW València. To discover what’s on the agenda click here.

TNW València has arrived! Here are some highlights from Day 1   Read More »

7-unmissable-highlights-of-tnw-valencia

7 unmissable highlights of TNW València

Corporates and innovation, Ecosystems, Government and policy, Insider, Investors and funding, Next Featured, Startups and technology / /

Ladies and gentlemen, the moment has almost arrived: TNW València is next week! 

In case you’ve been living under a rock (or frequenting another tech site, you traitor), we’re taking our cherished festival on the road. After 16 glorious years in Amsterdam, we’re bringing the show to Spain’s Mediterranean coast — and you’re all invited.

We’re not only there for the sun, sea, and sand — far from it, in fact. València has the fastest-growing innovation ecosystem in Spain, and the most startups per capita in the country. On March 30th and 31st, we’ll showcase the best tech in the region to over 2,000 guests.

Across the two days, attendees will enjoy inspirational talks, networking events, learning opportunities, and the same festival vibes as our Amsterdam flagship. The entire editorial team will also be there, awaiting your company, ideas, and, of course, abuse.

València has become one of the world’s most exciting tech hubs
València is one of the world’s most exciting tech hubs.

In total, we’re hosting over 100 speakers, 75 investors, 90 exhibitors, and 3,000 meetings. Admittedly, this has created one big problem: you simply can’t catch them all. To help find your way through the jam-packed agenda, here are eight highlights at TNW València.

1. The official opening ceremony and party

While the main agenda kicks off on March 30, the fun starts a day earlier, at our opening party.

Our guestlist contains a range of political heavyweights. They include Diana Morant, Spain’s Minister of Science and Innovation; Sandra Gomez, Deputy Mayor of València; Arcadi España García, Minister of Finance of the Generalitat Valenciana; and Borja Sanjuán, Vice Mayor of Economic Development at the City of València.

Join them (and us) for drinks, bites, and networking from 19: 00 at Zeus València. To register for the party, click here.

2. A game of padel

The opening party is one of 10 side events, offering a healthy mix of learning, networking, and partying. On March 31, you can even join a padel tournament at the València Tennis Center. I’ll be waiting on the court, so you better bring your F-game.

3. Unmissable speakers

We’ve assembled a dazzling array of keynote speeches, fireside chats, panel discussions, and workshops. With more tech luminaries than a PayPal reunion, it’s hard to rank the speakers — but here are five of my favourites:

Heini Zachariassen, Founder and CEO of Vivino

Zachariassen built the world’s most-downloaded wine app and largest online wine marketplace. His company has made wine more accessible — and I speak from experience. My use of Vivino has become alarmingly frequent, but at least it’s finding me quality plonk at bargain prices.

TNW Valencia
Our speakers will shine lights on sustainability, AI, deep tech, and much more.

Katica Roy, Founder and CEO of Pipeline Equity

An award-winning economist and former Global 500 executive, Roy founded Pipeline Equity in 2017. At València, she’ll discuss how to close the innovation gap.

Miguel Ángel Leal, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at LaLiga

As a digital chief at LaLiga, Ángel injects innovation into a  legendary football league. His role combines the best of both tech and sports, which sounds like a dream job for me — other than my position at TNW, of course.

Jen Carter, Global Head of Technology at Google.org

Carter leads the pro bono initiatives at Google.org, the Big G’s philanthropic arm. Having spent six years at the organisation, and a decade in Google’s Trust and Safety team, Carter has a unique understanding of using tech for good.

Alex Roca, Ambassador at FC Barcelona

It’s not only tech leaders that are taking the stage. One of our most intriguing speakers is Alex Roca, who recently became the first person with a 76% physical disability to complete a marathon. At TNW València, he’ll give his first public speech since achieving the feat. 

4. The FT Power Hours

Our beloved overlords at the Financial Times are bringing their best brains to València. At a series of sessions dubbed FT Power Hours, they’ll discuss tech’s hottest business trends with industry leaders.

5. The Startup Pitch Battle

It’s not all fun and games. While we don’t condone violence at TNW, we do love a pitch battle — and this one’s sure to be fiery. Some of the world’s most exciting startups will be presenting their ideas to our distinguished jury.

As well as Beckett's workshops, TNW Valencia will feature a startup pitch battle.
The startup stakes will be high.

The challengers will compete for the attention of top investors, a collection of prizes, and — most importantly of all — a profile by your favourite editorial team. I mean us, by the way.

And if you need to sharpen your skills, check out the startup pitching workshop at 12: 30 on Thursday.

6. A ride on the TNW Ferris wheel

It wouldn’t be a TNW festival without our cherished Ferris wheel. As well as offering fun rides and stunning views, the carriages are the perfect place for private meetings — partly because your interlocutor can’t leave.

7. A stroll through the business floor

Our exhibition floor has racked up a vibrant mix of ideas and products.

The 92 organisations in the business hall encompass big brands such as Mercadona, Hubspot, and Helloprint; Valencian tech players like Sesame HR, Social Nest, and Delivers.AI; and government agencies including Spain Up Nation, Valencia Activa, Generalitat, Invest in Valencia.

There’s a lot to see, but our floor plan can smooth your route through the space.

TNW València Digital Floorplan
The arena is dotted with stages, exhibitors, and lounges

I could go on and on, but my schedule is already bursting at the stems. Hopefully, these seven tips are enough to help your enjoy the festivities.

If they’re not, feel free to give me feedback at the bar. I’ll have an Aigua de València, por favor.

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