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This week Funding Friday's focus falls on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, simply known now as Industry 4.0. "4IR" can be defined as "the integration of intelligent digital technologies into manufacturing and industrial processes. It encompasses a set of technologies that include industrial IoT networks, AI, Big Data, robotics, and automation." We've got participants from Australia to the US to Germany and amounts up to and over half a billion dollars. Congratulations to all. Details below: ProhostAI | $1.47m | Pre-Seed San Francisco-based AI-powered operating system for Airbnb hosts. Cognitivo | undisclosed | Pre-Seed Sydney HQ'd and building solutions to help organisations adopt and scale AI faster and in a responsible way. Napkin AI | $10m | Seed Back to California, a visual AI for business storytelling. Napkin transforms your text into visuals, perfect for presentations, blogs and more. Aviva | $5.5m | Seed Mexico City-based fintech startup building an AI-powered digital bank with a laser focus on the needs of the underbanked in LatAm. DC Connected Car GmbH | €2.1m | Seed German startup from the automotive and AI environment that has set itself the task of revolutionising the future of vehicle maintenance. Opteam | $570k | Seed Decision Intelligence for Asset Management based in Dubai. EDIMA solutions | €40k | Seed The Czech Republic has given us EDIMA solutions, an AI generative tool that provides comprehensive solutions in industrial digitisation and process optimisation. Protect AI | $60m | Series B Seattle headquartered Protect AI offers a cybersecurity platform specialising in protecting machine learning models and artificial intelligence systems. Groq | $640m | Series D California's third entrant this week, Groq radically simplifies compute to accelerate workloads in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and high-performance computing. FLYR | $225m | Series D Santa Monica's FLYR is a technology company that unlocks freedom to innovate for the travel industry. #industry40 #artificialintelligence #machinelearning #iot #bigdata #automation #robotics #funding #investment

Following from yesterday's post about Cybersecurity focusing on "Optimising for Performance" from Gartner's "Top 9 Trends in Cybersecurity for 2024", today we'll look at the 4 trends under "Optimising for Resilience": Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) Organisational attack surfaces have expanded enormously in recent years. This growth has been driven notably by accelerated adoption of SaaS, expanding digital supply chains, increased corporate presence on social media, custom application development, remote working and internet-based customer interaction. Third-Party Cybersecurity Risk Management The inevitability of third parties experiencing cybersecurity incidents is pressuring SRM leaders to focus more on resilience-oriented investments and move away from front-loaded due-diligence activities. Extending IAM’s Cybersecurity Value Identity and access management’s (IAM’s) role in cybersecurity has been increasing steadily. As of 2023, IAM is the second-most-popular topic of discussion by security and risk management (SRM) leaders who use Gartner’s client inquiry service. Privacy-Driven Application and Data Decoupling Multinational companies that have relied on single-tenant applications for decades face rising compliance demands and business disruption risks. This is due to increasing nationalistic privacy and data protection and localisation requirements that result in enforced fragmentation of enterprise application architectures and data localisation practices. Again, we invite members of our #cyber community to comment and give their thoughts on these findings #cybersecurity #gartner

When Gartner released its' "Top 9 Trends in Cybersecurity for 2024", the trends were split into 2 sub-sections, focusing on: "Optimising for Performance" and "Optimising for Resilience". Today we'll focus on the 5 trends under "Optimising for Performance": Generative AI SRM leaders can improve the security function’s reputation and performance by using generative AI (GenAI) in proactive collaboration with business stakeholders. This will help lay the foundations for ethical, safe and secure use of this disruptive technology. Cybersecurity Outcome-Driven Metrics (ODMs) are operational metrics with special properties — that enable cybersecurity’s stakeholders to draw a straight line between cybersecurity investment and the delivered protection levels that investment generates. Cybersecurity Re-skilling Multinational companies that have relied on single-tenant applications for decades face rising compliance demands and business disruption risks. This is due to increasing nationalistic privacy and data protection and localisation requirements that result in enforced fragmentation of enterprise application architectures and data localisation practices. Security Behaviour and Culture Programs Security behaviour and culture programs (SBCPs) encapsulate an enterprise-wide approach to minimising cybersecurity incidents associated with employee behaviour. Increased focus on the human elements of SBCPs continues to show promise in the mission to minimise the impact of employees’ unsecure behaviour. Evolving Cybersecurity Operating Models The acquisition, creation and delivery of technology continues to move from central IT functions to lines of business. This breaks traditional cybersecurity operating models. SRM leaders are adapting their operating models to meet their business needs. The skills that cybersecurity teams need are changing drastically, yet cybersecurity leaders continue to hire for legacy roles and skills. SRM leaders must re-skill their teams by retraining existing talent and hiring new talent with new profiles. Is this what you're seeing across the market #cyber leaders and what would you add? Check in tomorrow for "Optimising for Resilience". #cybersecurity #gartner

This Funding Friday focuses on the role of the Venture Capital in today's SaaS market. Please comment below with your thoughts. Venture capital firms are not just financial backers; they are strategic partners providing the vital resources, mentorship, and networks SaaS companies need to scale and succeed. In an industry where speed and agility are essential, the support of the VC is invaluable. Venture capital enables startups to focus on groundbreaking ideas without the immediate pressure of generating revenue. This freedom to experiment and iterate rapidly is critical in developing innovative solutions that can disrupt markets. Early-stage funding allows startups to invest in research and development, attracting top talent and exploring technologies that might otherwise be out of reach. Access to capital allows companies to expand their teams, enhance their technology stack, and enter new markets more aggressively. This scalability is essential for staying competitive in a fast-paced industry. With the financial backing of venture capital, startups can invest in robust infrastructure, optimise their product offerings, and scale their operations to meet growing demand. Experienced venture capitalists bring a wealth of knowledge and industry insights. Their strategic guidance on go-to-market strategies, product development, and customer acquisition is invaluable for early-stage companies navigating the complexities of the SaaS landscape. VCs often have a deep understanding of market dynamics and can help startups refine their business models, identify key growth opportunities, and avoid common pitfalls. Venture capitalists open doors to a vast network of potential clients, partners, and other investors. This connectivity accelerates business growth and fosters synergistic collaborations. Being part of a VC’s portfolio often means access to exclusive industry events, introductions to key stakeholders, and potential partnerships that can drive significant growth. Securing venture capital is a strong signal of market potential and credibility. It reassures stakeholders, including customers, partners, and future investors, that the business model is sound and the growth prospects are promising. This market validation can be a powerful tool in attracting additional funding, negotiating strategic partnerships, and building a loyal customer base. The relationship between SaaS startups and venture capital will continue to drive digital transformation across industries. The ongoing investment in SaaS innovation is paving the way for more efficient, scalable, and accessible software solutions that empower businesses and consumers alike. For entrepreneurs in the space, partnering with the right VC can be the catalyst that turns visionary ideas into market-leading companies. By providing not just funding, but also strategic support and expansive networks, VCs are playing a crucial role in shaping the future of SaaS. #SaaS #VentureCapital #Startups

We forgo this week's Funding Friday with a shout out to our entire team for making yesterday's mid-year SKO such a great day. A day of reflection, strategy, planning and a real sense of positivity for the second half of this year, with a fantastic team looking to do great things both internally and externally for our business. We finished the day with cocktails and an immersive dinner on the Murdér Express, which we'd highly recommend. So, H2, let's get after it! #recruitment #executivesearch #saas #technology

Happy Independence day to all of our friends, colleagues and clients on the other side of the pond! We look forward to catching up with you all after the long weekend. #independenceday

After last night's match, this week's Funding Friday post is dedicated to Denmark, typically famed for it's suitable for all ages, Lego; it's perfectly quaffable, Carlsberg and amazing story teller, Hans Christian Andersen. With a booming economy, regularly ranked in the top 5 in Europe, Denmark supports a high standard of living - its per capita gross national product is among the highest in the world - with well-developed social services. The economy is based primarily on service industries, trade, and manufacturing; only a tiny percentage of the population is engaged in agriculture and fishing. However, it's the Danes' SaaS scene we'll be highlighting today and according to our friends over at Crunchbase, these are the 10 businesses to have received funding so far this year... SynergyXR | DLKK15,000,000 | Venture Round N/A SynergyXR provides enterprise-level Extended Reality (XR) software tailored for the industrial, energy, and manufacturing sectors. Formalize (formerly Whistleblower Software) | €15,000,000 | Series A Formalize is an intuitive yet comprehensive compliance operations platform. Pleaz | Amount Unknown | Seed Pleaz is the hybrid co-pilot for employee activity clubs, fostering Community, Wellbeing and Engagement. Subsets (YC S23) | $1,650,000 | Pre-Seed Subsets is an artificial intelligence company that offers AI-driven retention automation for subscription media. BeCause | $600,000 | Seed AI-powered Sustainability Management Hub for Travel. Hakio | €4,000,000 | Seed Hakio is a B2B SaaS solution with AI-driven demand forecasts in fashion for optimised inventory and less waste. Go Autonomous | $13,310,551 | Series A SaaS, B2B, Autonomous Commerce, commerce, order-to-cash. Aegir Insights | $9,585,228 | Series A Aegir Insights helps clients make better decisions about offshore wind investments, faster. Portchain | $5,000,000 | Seed Using technology to solve the hardest operational problems in shipping. Keepit | $103,786,328 | Debt Financing Keepit provides cloud backup and SaaS workload protection services for Office 365, Google Apps, and Salesforce. Not only great to see, but also a fantastically diverse range of products and sectors highlighted above. And as far as the football goes, "held og lykke med resten af turneringen". #funding #venturecapital #saas #denmark #technology

A great team collaboration day in London yesterday, full of sharing best practices, working smarter and streamlining processes. This was followed by an evening of Chinese food and, of course, a couple of espresso martinis. Exciting times ahead - what a team! Dan Rhodes Damian Bird James Harrington Karin Themsen Ben A. Anthony S. Ben Hopkins Dani Blake

Get in touch with Karin Themsen if you believe you are suitable for any of the roles she's currently working on... #fintech #accountingtech #gtm

This week, Industry 4.0 has seen close to 100 businesses receive funding. Below are 10 of the larger deals to take place across the likes of AI, Machine Learning, NLP, Industrial Manufacturing and Autonomous Vehicles: Pika | Series B | $80,000,000 - Californian startup Pika develops an AI-powered platform for editing and generating films from captions and still images. restor3d | Series A | $55,000,000 - Restor3d creates 3D-printed orthopedic implants using Artificial Intelligence and biomaterials to enhance personalised musculoskeletal care. Twelve Labs | Series A | $50,000,000 - Twelve Labs is making video foundation models accessible via APIs to empower businesses and developers to build intelligent video products. Neural Concept | Series B | $27,000,000 - Based in Switzerland, Neural Concept revolutionises industrial engineering design with AI Deep Learning algorithms Vantage Discovery | Series A | $16,000,000 - Vantage Discovery is a generative AI-powered SaaS search and content discovery platform that provides personalised shopping recommendations. Modyfi | Venture (unknown) | $14,649,959 - Modyfi is an LA based image editor that provides designers with AI-native design, tools, and real-time collaboration. LEMMO | Seed | $10,000,000 - Lemmo is a smart electric light transportation service provider headquartered out of Berlin. Testsigma | Venture (unknown) | $8,200,000 - Californian Testsigma is a cloud-based continuous testing platform for Agile and DevOps teams. Parkable | Venture (unknown) | $6,143,371 - Parkable is a peer-to-peer community based mobile app to help drivers share, find and exchange street parking spots. Sloyd | Seed | $3,000,000 - Founded in Oslo, Norway, Sloyd is enabling creators to make 3D assets really fast and really easy. Congratulations to everyone involved! #venturecapital #vc #funding #industry40 #AI #NLP #machinelearning #industrialmanufacturing #autonomousvehicles