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There was a lot going on in technical school this calendar week , and not just CES . But yes , CES was definitely deserving watching closely , if only just for the rise of age tech . — Anna
Better aging
For representative , I read that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella hadvisitedthebooth of AgeTech Collaborative , an first step from U.S. senior advocacy group AARP to showcase “ groundbreaking eld tech creation ” during the event .
@MicrosoftCEO Satya Nadella visited our#CES2024booth , research the AI - driven ElliQ by Intuition Robotics . Tech giants meet#AgeTechinnovation!#MicrosoftAtCES#AgeTechTrendspic.twitter.com / OA2GXKD5fw
— AgeTech Collaborative ™ from AARP ( ILabs ) ( @AgeTechCollab)January 10 , 2024
Join us at TechCrunch Sessions: AI
Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI
The robot that Nadella met there is one I ’ve met , too : ElliQ , anAI - enable fellow traveller for old adults . Its parent company , suspicion Robotics , recently gave it an upgrade ; nickname ElliQ 3 , “ the late rendering of the automaton features plan tweaks , more powerful hardware and — of course — generative AI integrating , ” my confrere Brian Heaterreported .
The ElliQ eldercare robot gets a ironware upgrade , generative AI for improved conversation
It ’s not just at the AARP John Wilkes Booth where long time tech is on show , and the trend is global . There ’s Tack One , from Singapore , with itslocation tracker for children and seniors . And there are at least three companies — Safe - sustenance , SerenityandZoe Care — applying dissimilar approach to the same trouble : keeping older people safe by detecting falls .
I gather good - Living chief operating officer Sandro Cilurzo at TechCrunch Disrupt last year and was quite impressed by the demo that he showed me . ( This is n’t just a figment of his imagination ; the company ’s gimmick and app are already very much in use by B2B and B2C customers in Switzerland . )
Since ward off false alarms is critical , Safe - Living ’s engineering is fine - tuned to know that a elder may be lying on the footing for their weekly yoga academic term , for instance . On the other paw , it may call forth the alarm if that same somebody ca n’t get out of bottom in the forenoon ; beyond falls , it is focused on observe helplessness situation .
CES 2024 marks Safe - Living ’s 2d participation under the Swiss iris , and Cilurzo saw more inbound interest for long time technical school this metre around . Compared to 2023 , he get more meeting request from association and individuals reconnoiter for solutions related to caregiving .
It could be because Safe - Living has been on an upward trajectory , too . Since Disrupt , Cilurzo landed his first U.S. B2B customer and is gearing up to establish its B2C offering there in the spring under a new brand calledhelpany . But there ’s more , with a broad compass of company enjoying tailwinds .
“ Age tech by all odds feels some momentum , but more importantly , the momentum seems to be stem from the industriousness itself . It is clearly perceivable that advanced technical result seem to be embrace more and more by the healthcare diligence . The perception has shifted from “ gadgets to a massive opportunity of value - attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , ” Cilurzo told me in an email .
Of of course , it does n’t hurt , either , when you may browse the AI hype as well . “ Using AI is emphatically helping us this class , more than in 2023 , ” Cilurzo said when we hopped on a call . But unlike someweird AI - enabled gadgets on showcaseat CES , Safe - Living has been using AI since the very rootage and with an equally veridical use case . The more it happens , the better for CES and for everyone else .
Venture debt back in fashion?
Not everyone is fond of venture debt . The panellist of a roundtable I hold in at TechCrunch Disrupt last yearcertainly were n’t . For illustration , Hadrian CEO Chris Power shared a admonition with the many founder in the audience : “ Unless you ’re in real trouble , I would avoid speculation debt at almost all price . ”
Well , startup finance companyArc Technologiesstill believe in the value airscrew of speculation debt , peculiarly in current times .
As my colleague Christine Hallreported , its Arc Capital Markets venture debt market will help company “ obtain indicative debt terminal figure for up to $ 250 million within five days from a internet of lender ” — saving them fourth dimension and money .
Arc wants to make venture debt pop again
“ We want to help laminitis and chief financial officer weather the ongoing storm in the venture capital funding route and ensure that they ’re continuing to produce expeditiously with minimal dilution , ” CEO Don Muir told Christine .
AI reshaping biotech
DeepMind ’s AI - enabled drug discovery spinout Isomorphic Labs signed partnerships potentially worth $ 3 billion with Eli Lilly and Novartis , my colleague Kyle Wiggersreported .
Isomorphic ink peck with Eli Lilly and Novartis for drug discovery
Having discussed with Israeli fund Grove Ventures how theremight be more than one winnerin AI - enabled drug discovery , I knew oecumenical better half Renana Ashkenazi would n’t see this as bad news for Grove ’s portfolio . rather , she gave me more linguistic context as to why Eli Lilly and Novartis were keen to pardner with Isomorphic .
“ AI is really starting to remold the biotech manufacture , ” Ashkenazi articulate .
“ founding and progress towards a detailed mannequin of human cells , combined with the fact that big pharma ’s returns on R&D are not as safe as they used to be , create a unique market place opportunity . In the near future , we will see more big drug company companies increasing AI - driven drug discovery and development natural process , ” she prognosticate .
Mixed reality
When I wrote last week aboutthe ( re)emergence of the metaverse , we did n’t be intimate when the Apple Vision Pro headset would be available . It now has a U.S. launch date : February 2 . But preorders start earlier — on January 19 at 5 a.m. PT . — so that may be the date you desire to bring through . . . if you’re able to afford the $ 3,500 price tag .
