AAA June 2018 – Page 9

Interview: Roel Bulthuis, Merck

How do you feel that the venture unit has changed the parent, particularly given how long you have been at Merck? I started this venture unit as part of Merck, and as a pure-play healthcare therapeutics focused fund, investing strategically for the benefit of Merck’s pharma business. It improved the reputation of the corporate to… Continue reading Interview: Roel Bulthuis, Merck

Slight decrease in May

The number of corporate-backed rounds reported in May was 209, down slightly from the 215 in the same month last year. Total investment value fell to $8.99bn, down 4% from $9.3bn in May 2017. Compared with the first four months of 2018, May registered weaker results than March and April, with their 272 and 234… Continue reading Slight decrease in May

Wayra and Edinburgh combine for AI accelerator

Wayra UK, a subsidiary of telecommunications firm Telefónica, has joined University of Edinburgh to form a UK-based artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain accelerator. The Edinburgh initiative will be Wayra’s first in Scotland and will receive assistance from state-owned economic development agency Scottish Enterprise. It will be open to spinouts and startups, and will accept 20… Continue reading Wayra and Edinburgh combine for AI accelerator

Cambricon canters to nine-figure series B round

China-based artificial intelligence chipset developer Cambricon Technologies has secured hundreds of millions of dollars in series B funding from investors including e-commerce firm Alibaba, China Money Network reported today. SDIC Venture Capital, a subsidiary of state-owned investment holding firm China Reform Holdings, co-led the round with the Chinese government-owned Capital Venture Investment Fund and its… Continue reading Cambricon canters to nine-figure series B round