Harini Venkataraman

Emerging Ecosystems in Agrifood and Health More...

January 29, 2020

Probiotics

Live microorganisms (bacteria and yeast) that, when administered in the right amounts, confer host microbiota-targeted health benefits. Probiotics will continue to garner attention, given their potential to impact multiple application areas. Expect to see more investment activities around the ... read more.

Technology

Arij van Berkel

Future Grid More...

January 29, 2020

Greenbird Integration Technology

Utility data integration and analytics

Greenbird was started by Thorsten Heller in 2010; it has raised about €4.6 million ($5 million), with contributions from Statkraft Ventures and ETF Partners; the company is part of the 2018 cohort of the Free Electrons accelerator Greenbird's Utilihive platform enables the integration of various ... read more.
Company Profile

Josh Kern

Autonomous Systems 2.0 More...

January 28, 2020

Houston Mechatronics

Robotics system developers for harsh and unstructured environments

Develops robotic hardware, control software, and cloud services for inspection, repair, and maintenance of underwater assets Recently developed Aquanaut, a robot that can transform between a long-distance travel mode and a tetherless remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) mode for light ... read more.
Company Profile

Patricia Seoane da Silva and Benjamin Torda

Energy Storage More...

January 28, 2020

Power Grid 2019 Year in Review

This insight is part of the Lux Energy Team's Year in Review series examining the highlights and key developments of the energy industry in 2019. For an overview of the entire energy ecosystem, see the hottest energy topics and highlights across four key storylines. For deep dives into particular ... read more.

Analyst Insight

Nardev Ramanathan

Digital Health and Wellness More...

January 27, 2020

Ebb Therapeutics

Wearable headband that maintains optimal temperature during sleep

The company was founded by Eric Nofzinger, who was a Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine for more than 30 years. To date, the company has raised approximately $38 million in one funding round in January 2017. Among its investors, we highlight Kohlberg Kravis Roberts. The ... read more.
Company Snapshot

Tiffany Hua

Accelerating Materials Innovation More...

January 27, 2020

The Biodesign Challenge: Leveraging crowdsourced open innovation in biotechnology

In the past two decades, there has been major growth in crowdsourced open innovation, including hackathons, open conferences, startup pitches, and innovation challenges. We have seen these events transform the computer science space into a sandbox environment by encouraging and facilitating ... read more.

Analyst Insight

Kristin Marshall

Accelerating Materials Innovation More...

January 24, 2020

Bowil Biotech

Bacterial nanocellulose for medical applications like wound care, burn care, and pre- and post-cosmetic treatments

Bowil Biotech is a bacterial nanocellulose company commercializing technology initially developed at the Lodz University of Technology (LUT) in Poland; the company was founded in 2006, establishing ties with LUT in 2009 resulting in the purchase of LUT's "know-how" for bacterial cellulose production... read more.
Company Snapshot

Kristin Marshall

Accelerating Materials Innovation More...

January 24, 2020

P2 Science

Ozonolysis of bio-oils into diacids, aldehydes, and other specialty chemicals

Developed an ozonolysis platform to convert vegetable oils and other bio-based feedstocks into diacids, aldehydes, and other oxidation products; primarily uses high-oleic oils like palm oil and soybean oil as feedstock Continuous small-volume process reduces the potential danger associated with ... read more.
Company Profile

Chad Goldberg

Energy Storage More...

January 24, 2020

Joby Aviation

eVTOL aircraft developer

The company was founded by JoeBen Bevirt in 2009 to develop a piloted, four-passenger electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft intended for service as an air taxi. To date, the company has raised approximately $720 million; among its investors, we highlight Intel Capital, JetBlue Technology ... read more.
Company Snapshot

Chloe Herrera

Digital Transformation More...

January 24, 2020

QIQ Global

E-bikes and e-scooters powered by supercapacitors

QiQ is a rental company for e-bikes and e-scooters powered by supercapacitors; the company designs the vehicles and software for the customer and fleet observation. The e-bikes and e-scooters can be charged to full power in seven minutes for a range of 9 km to 15 km; the e-bike uses a pedal-assist ... read more.
Company Snapshot

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Diversification of the Pulp & Paper Industry

Coverage Areas: Accelerating Materials Innovation More...

Planned Publication Date: Q2 2020

Decades ago, graphic paper was a powerhouse, its global demand growth consistently outpacing GDP growth. Things have changed: The majority of inefficient paper mills have already been shut down, and others are now seeing a shift towards packaging and specialty products. In this report, we will explore new innovation needs and opportunties in the modern pulp and paper industry, from diversification into flexible paper packaging and nanocellulose products to progress on converting long-standing biomass waste sources like lignin.

The Future of Automotive Lightweighting

Coverage Areas: Accelerating Materials Innovation

Planned Publication Date: Q2 2020

Lightweighting is one of the most promising routes to improved automotive fuel efficiency, including for promoting vehicle electrification. This report surveys the lightweighting options from materials to design, assesses which will have the greatest commercial impact, and evaluates how they're interact with other critical auto industry trends like vehicle autonomy, connectivity, and novel ownership models.

Materials & Manufacturing in an Age of Mass Customization

Coverage Areas: Accelerating Materials Innovation

Planned Publication Date: Q2 2020

In the age of mass customization, brand owners are looking for tech-driven ways to provide more personalized experiences to consumers. This evolving landscape will have lasting implications on how products are being manufactured and the materials being used to manufacture them. This report gives our take on technologies being developed to provide more custom products to consumers and how materials producers can position themselves to avoid the risk of getting left behind.

Ultra-wideband radar sensors

Coverage Areas: Consumer IoT More...

Planned Publication Date: Q2 2020

Ultra-wideband (UWB) radar is a promising technology for the detection of humans and moving objects, through-wall imaging, and search and rescue applications due to its high-resolution and high-accuracy features. With the progressive development of miniaturized, energy-efficient, and low-cost radar sensors, the applications expand to personal electronics, IoT devices, health care products, and robotics. This report will outline the landscape of the technology, reveal the challenges that need to be overcome, and provide outlooks on the future roles of the UWB radar sensors.

Autonomous Vehicle Cost Model 2020

Coverage Areas: Autonomous Systems 2.0 More...

Planned Publication Date: Q3 2020

As the cost of sensors, processors, and batteries go down, the overall cost of an autonomous vehicle is starting to approach feasible levels for ride-hailing and logistics customers. While fleets operating businesses in those industries will almost immediately realize cost-effectiveness, through a cost modeling analysis, we'll explore when other industries and consumers will be able to afford this emerging technology.

Solving Connectivity in Remote Industrial Locations

Coverage Areas: Digital Transformation More...

Planned Publication Date: Q3 2020

Across industries, cloud computing has created an analytics revolution. But when a cloud connection isn’t easy to come by, for example on an oil rig in the ocean or at a remote wellhead, poor connectivity can stifle the impact of IoT and analytics. This report will discuss various solutions to the connectivity challenges presented by remote sites, including ways to transmit data and ways to reduce the need for transmitting data, and how to combine these solutions to enable complex analytics applications.