Our featured visitor on the present this week is Jamie Lee, Managing Partner at Tamarack Global. Tamarack Global emerged on our radar final month as one of many traders who participated within the latest sequence B funding spherical for Figure AI. After assembly Jamie Lee for analysis for these information tales, we invited Jamie to return onto the podcast and share his funding thesis and the the explanation why they’re so bullish about humanoids, Figure AI, and particularly Figure CEO and founder Brett Adcock.
The coronary heart of Tamarack’s funding philosophy facilities round investing in robust leaders who rent robust groups and construct options for very giant markets. But you’ll additionally study Jamie’s pragmatic philosophy for evaluating proposals and among the hazard alerts that he appears to be like for when evaluating a possible funding.
News from the week
Viam raised $45 million in Series B funding
Viam has been quiet after all the information final 12 months, however Viam is constructing a modular, interoperable, and open-source software program platform that works throughout all {hardware} and any fleet of machines. Viam said that the funding will allow it to speed up partnerships, drive industrial innovation, and additional develop its platform.
Accenture introduced an funding in Sanctuary AI
Sanctuary is constructing humanoids with embodied AI and so they’ve all the time tightly centered on hand-eye coordination and manipulation over the bipedal strolling facets of humanoid robots. The investment in Sanctuary is the newest transfer by Accenture to construct out a robotics technique. In January 2024, Accenture and Mujin created a three way partnership to assist convey robotics to the manufacturing and logistics industries. Called Accenture Alpha Automation, the brand new enterprise is owned 70% by Accenture and 30% by Mujin. The new firm, referred to as Accenture Alpha Automation, combines Mujin’s industrial robotics experience with Accenture’s digital engineering and manufacturing service, Industry X.
Sanctuary has revealed a sequence of movies of its robots “doing stuff” on YouTube. These movies illustrate the event path of the two-armed humanoid in addition to the AI behind the robots’ decision-making.
Sanctuary YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@sanctuaryai
NYC takes steps to permit Robotaxis in NYC
NYC takes first steps in direction of permitting Robotaxis in New York City this week and introduced new security necessities and allowing tips for firms seeking to take a look at their self-driving automobiles on public roads.
Even with the town’s newfound curiosity in testing, AV commercialization in NYC is tough. New York is without doubt one of the hardest cities for AVs to navigate resulting from its pedestrian-filled streets, unpredictable car visitors, and sensor-disrupting vibrant lights.