User Group: Investor

  • The Cyber Valley Start-up Network continues to grow

    The Cyber Valley Start-up Network continues to grow

    AskUI

    AskUI is an AI-powered automation platform that allows users to automate user interfaces (UI) across different operating systems, devices, and applications using natural language instructions. It does not rely on traditional selectors like XPath or CSS to identify UI elements. Instead, it uses computer vision and machine learning to visually recognize and interact with UI components.

    Subsequent

    Subsequent is a provider of highly accurate, real-time tracking systems and motion analysis based on simple video recordings. No complex multi-camera infrastructures are required. Subsequent's customers include sports clubs and associations, as well as clinics, research institutes and home fitness companies.

    NeurCG

    NeurCG provides cutting-edge AI-based graphics technologies and services that produce realistic human faces. It aims to revolutionize various industries by leveraging their advanced AI capabilities to generate highly realistic human faces, offering innovative and intelligent services to their clients. 

    EndoSurge 

    EndoSurge provides robotic interventional tools compatible with existing clinical magnetic reasonance imaging (MRI) scanners. This extends surgeons' capabilities by enabling radiation-free and image-guided treatment of heart disease for improved patient outcomes. 

    Ventus Technologies

    Ventus Technologies specializes in high-resolution weather forecasts and nowcasts for roads, enhancing the safety and efficiency of electric and autonomous vehicles. Utilizing advanced physical downscaling and AI, the start-up delivers precise, location-specific weather data. It also helps car makers and fleet operators integrate these into exisiting range and consumption estimation systems. 

    In joining the Cyber Valley Start-up Network, these five start-ups enhance the diversity and collaborative culture of the Cyber Valley Community. We are pleased to have them on board!

  • Silo AI and Cyber Valley forge partnership to advance multilingual open-source AI

    Silo AI and Cyber Valley forge partnership to advance multilingual open-source AI

    Helsinki & Tübingen, 21.06.2024 – Silo AI, Europe’s largest private AI lab, and Cyber Valley, the largest center for excellence in AI research, have established a strategic partnership. The joint initiative is aimed at strengthening Europe’s position in the AI landscape and building an open-source foundation for multilingual AI, covering all official European Union languages. Additionally, the partnership will explore cooperation with Cyber Valley’s industrial and scientific partners. 

    “We’re very happy to partner with the leading center for excellence in AI and modern robotics in Europe, with partners from both academia and industry. Silo AI’s existing research co-operation with the professors Frank Hutter and Matthias Bethge at the co-located University of Tuebingen and ELLIS Institute on open LLMs provides a good basis for collaboration among Cyber Valley’s industrial partners Amazon, BMW, IAV, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Bosch, and ZF”, says Peter Sarlin, CEO and co-founder of Silo AI. 

    Rebecca C. Reisch, Managing Director of Cyber Valley, adds: “This alliance represents a remarkable turning  point, not just for Cyber Valley and Silo AI, but for multilingual AI development. It resonates with our goal to assist in fostering an AI ecosystem that respects cultural and ethical values that we as the Cyber Valley Community stand for. We are excited to explore this and other opportunities with Europe’s leading private AI lab.”

    Together with partners, Silo AI is committed to developing a series of state-of-the-art, open-source and transparent foundation models for European languages, starting with all the official ones, and aiming to include other languages of significant economic and cultural value. The partnership will aim to support this objective and enable even tighter cooperation not just between Cyber Valley and Silo AI, but also with other research and industrial partners. Open-source models based on these LLMs will serve as platforms to leverage data for generating wider economic and societal benefits while upholding stringent standards of privacy, security, safety, and ethics.

    About Silo AI

    Silo AI is Europe’s largest private AI lab on a mission to ensure Europe has a flagship AI company. We’re a trusted AI partner that brings competitive advantage to product R&D. We build AI-driven solutions and products to enable smart devices, autonomous vehicles, industry 4.0, and smart cities. Silo AI provides its customers unique access to world-class AI models and expertise, as well as the SiloGen model-as-a-service platform. As part of SiloGen, Silo AI is currently building market leading open-source LLMst to ensure European digital sovereignty and democratize access to LLMs.

    About Cyber Valley

    Cyber Valley is Europe’s largest and leading center for excellence in artificial intelligence and modern robotics. Its mission and public mandate are to advocate for the research, development, application, and acceptance of technologies and methods in the field of intelligent systems. Cyber Valley encourages entrepreneurship by uniting scientific excellence with innovation and technology transfer. In addition, Cyber Valley facilitates critical reflection on the ethical and social implications of AI through public engagement. Cyber Valley envisions a future in which the full potential of intelligent systems is leveraged for the greater good of the world.   

    Press Contact Silo AI

    Heli Thoren
    heli.thoren@silo.ai
    +358 (0) 50 572 9377
     

    Press Contact Cyber Valley

    Rebecca Beiter 
    Rebecca.beiter@cyber-valley.de 
    +49 (0) 160 9448 1797

  • Excellence meets capital: Deep Tech & Investor Day brings AI start-ups and investors together

    Excellence meets capital: Deep Tech & Investor Day brings AI start-ups and investors together

    Stuttgart, June 20, 2024 – On the second day of the Cyber Valley Days, the Deep Tech & Investor Day is dedicated to the financing of AI companies. By fostering connections between start-ups and investors, Cyber Valley supports the development of Baden-Württemberg as a hub for technology transfer. It aims to bring decisive innovations in AI into application. One of the day’s highlights is the scientific symposium of the first ELLIS Institute in Tübingen. 


    Cyber Valley builds bridges between investors and entrepreneurs  

    “We don't just want to conduct outstanding research – we also want to put it into practice and thus help shape our future as a business location. With the Investor Day, we are connecting visionary ideas with the necessary capital to bring innovation into application,” says Rebecca C. Reisch, Managing Director of Cyber Valley GmbH.

    For investors, the day offers the opportunity to network with the most innovative AI start-ups with roots predominantly in the excellent research of the Cyber Valley Community and are looking for strategic partnerships for further development and market implementation.  

    “We started working with selected investors around five years ago. These included Atlantic Labs from Berlin, Grazia from Stuttgart and IT Farm from Tokyo. This has now resulted in a community of early-stage companies all the way through to companies that are becoming SMEs and hidden champions. They benefit from the close connection to our Cyber Valley Investor Network – and vice versa, more and more investors are also looking at our start-ups,” says Alex Diehl, Investor and Cyber Valley Senior Advisor. “We think that the number of start-ups will continue to grow in the future thanks to our AI Incubator. The quality is also increasing as a result of our growing international network.”

    Yann LeCun and other world-leading AI researchers visit Tübingen  

    One of the day’s highlights is the scientific symposium organized by the first ELLIS Institute in Tübingen, the new center for basic AI research. ELLIS stands for “European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems”, and the institute is the lighthouse project of the Europe-wide network for artificial intelligence. Internationally renowned AI experts such as Yann LeCun and Max Welling will provide an insight into the AI research of the future. “The ELLIS Institute will continue to advance modern AI in Tübingen, while being embedded in European values. We want to attract the best talent and build a special place together,” says Prof. Dr. Bernhard Schölkopf, Scientific Director of the ELLIS Institute.

    Cyber Valley Days are a three-day event in Stuttgart and Tübingen from June 19 to 21, 2024 to celebrate the Cyber Valley Community. The program focuses on entrepreneurship and scientific innovation in artificial intelligence and modern robotics from Baden-Württemberg. 

    Information about Cyber Valley Days

    cyber-valley.de/cyber-valley-days 

    About Cyber Valley 

    Cyber Valley is Europe’s largest and leading center for excellence in artificial intelligence and modern robotics. Its mission and public mandate are to advocate for the research, development, application, and acceptance of technologies and methods in the field of intelligent systems. Cyber Valley encourages entrepreneurship by uniting scientific excellence with innovation and technology transfer. In addition, Cyber Valley facilitates critical reflection on the ethical and social implications of AI through public engagement. Cyber Valley envisions a future in which the full potential of intelligent systems is leveraged for the greater good of the world.    

    About the ELLIS Institute Tübingen 

    The ELLIS Institute is set to become a world-renowned center for pioneering basic research in the field of artificial intelligence. The Institute aims to attract the world's best machine learning talent, providing them with outstanding conditions to conduct research in a state-of-the-art facility located in Tübingen, Germany. The vision is part of a broader initiative, the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS), which aims to build a pan-European institution for machine learning research.

    Media Contact 

    Rebecca Beiter  
    Rebecca.beiter@cyber-valley.de  
    +49 (0) 160 9448 1797

  • Start-up BW Summit 2024

    Start-up BW Summit 2024

    Was ist der Start-up BW Summit?

    Beim Start-up BW Summit erwartet Euch ein abwechslungsreiches Programm mit hochkarätigen Speakerinnen und Speakern, eine Messe mit spannenden Start-ups, Pitches und Wettbewerben sowie viele Angebote für Gründerinnen, Gründer und alle, die es werden wollen. 

    Auch der AI Start-up Community in Baden Württemberg wird beim Start-up BW eine Bühne geboten.

    Cyber Valley veranstaltet ein Panel zum Thema KI-Innovation in Baden-Württemberg: Chancen und Herausforderungen für Start-ups mit:
     

    1. Elias Schneider (CEO, Codesphere)
    2. Max-Frederick Gerken (Geschäftsführer, Optocycle)
    3. Martin Phelan (CEO, EndoSurge)
    4. Frauke Goll (Institut für angewandte KI)
       

    Moderiert von Rebecca C. Reisch (Managing Director, Cyber Valley).

     

    Wir freuen uns sehr, ein aktiver Teil der Jury zu sein, die 3 Start-Ups für den Venture Partnering Award in den folgenden Kategorien auswählen wird: Innovation | Impact | Kontinuität. Der Preis wird von Gründermotor organisiert und von der L-Bank finanziert. Die 3 Gewinner werden am Veranstaltungstag bekannt gegeben!
     

    Außerdem können Sie uns an unserem Stand treffen und den ganzen Tag über mit Cyber Valley Start-ups in Kontakt treten!

     

    Wo?

    Messe & Kongress: Haus der Wirtschaft, Stuttgart

    Festival: Börsenplatz, Stuttgart

     

    Wann? 

    Messe & Kongress: ab 10:00 Uhr 

    Festival: ab 17:00 Uhr

     

    Interesse?

    Mehr Informationen über den Start-up BW Summit 2024 finden Sie hier. 

     

    Sie möchten dabei sein? 

    Falls Sie es noch nicht getan haben, können Sie sich noch hier anmelden unter: https://anmeldung.startupbw.de/register

  • The AI Festival in Baden-Württemberg: Cyber Valley Days Begin!

    The AI Festival in Baden-Württemberg: Cyber Valley Days Begin!

    Stuttgart, June 19, 2024 – Our future will be shaped by the brightest minds of our time, especially through the use of AI. Experts from the German and international AI and robotics community will celebrate Cyber Valley Days from June 19 to 21. For today's kick-off event, entrepreneurs from the Cyber Valley Start-up Network, international AI experts from the Cyber Valley Community, and political representatives are gathering in Stuttgart at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems.  

    “Our Cyber Valley Innovation Campus represents groundbreaking research and serves as a best-practice example of close collaboration between science and industry”, says Dr. Stegmann, Minister of State and Head of the State Chancellery. “Cyber Valley Days – with their numerous regional and international partners – show us the level of expertise in AI technology we already have here, as well as the significant untapped potential. The event proves the leading role of this internationally renowned research consortium. Through collective efforts, we are shaping the future of trustworthy AI in Germany and Europe to drive important innovations forward.” 

    “The Cyber Valley Days mark an important milestone: With our network, we have already established ourselves as an internationally recognized, excellent research location with spin-off dynamics. Our community is not only innovative – it is also growing, according to the motto #bettertogether. In this way, we are putting Baden-Württemberg on the global map in the field of intelligent systems in the long term,” says Rebecca C. Reisch, Managing Director of Cyber Valley GmbH.  

    The AI Incubator as a springboard for founders  

    At the Expo, the exhibition of the Cyber Valley Community, the public can get to know the minds behind the future of AI and gain an insight into Baden-Württemberg’s innovative power. With close to 70 AI companies, the Cyber Valley Start-up Network is active in a wide range of industries, including healthcare, construction, mobility, and agriculture. Established and leading AI companies from Baden-Württemberg include vialytics, Sereact and Computomics. Other network members such as preML, hydrop systems and Swarm Logistics Technologies will be showcasing the latest AI trends at their booths at the Cyber Valley Days opening.

    Pitches from the participants of the AI Incubator in the afternoon will provide an insight into what the AI business models of the future will look like. Through The AI Incubator program, Cyber Valley supports AI researchers and young entrepreneurs in expanding their start-up ideas and successfully implementing them in the market. Renowned entrepreneurs and start-up coaches are on hand to provide them with free advice and support. The program is currently in its fourth round with 25 AI founders. The AI Incubator is financed by the Carl Zeiss Foundation.  

    Cyber Valley Days are a three-day event in Stuttgart and Tübingen from June 19 to 21, 2024 to celebrate the Cyber Valley Community. Its program focuses on entrepreneurship and scientific innovation in artificial intelligence and modern robotics from Baden-Württemberg.  

    Information about Cyber Valley Days 

    cyber-valley.de/cyber-valley-days

    Photos of the Cyber Valley Days can be downloaded from 18:00 CEST. 

     

    About Cyber Valley 

    Cyber Valley is Europe’s largest and leading center for excellence in artificial intelligence and modern robotics. Its mission and public mandate are to advocate for the research, development, application, and acceptance of technologies and methods in the field of intelligent systems. Cyber Valley encourages entrepreneurship by uniting scientific excellence with innovation and technology transfer. In addition, Cyber Valley facilitates critical reflection on the ethical and social implications of AI through public engagement. Cyber Valley envisions a future in which the full potential of intelligent systems is leveraged for the greater good of the world.   

     

    About the Cyber Valley Start-up Network 

    The Cyber Valley Start-up Network builds and promotes a vibrant community of AI entrepreneurs. Members get access to exclusive events and a diverse network of AI researchers, investors, and other start-up founders. The prerequisite for membership is a connection to Cyber Valley, such as being members or alumni of the Cyber Valley Community, or a location in Baden-Württemberg. The business models must have intelligent systems at their core. Further information: cyber-valley.de/start-up-network. 

    Media Contact: 
    Rebecca Beiter 
    Rebecca.beiter@cyber-valley.de 
    +49 (0) 160 9448 1797 

  • Almost 70 AI spin-offs: Cyber Valley’s Start-up Network continues to grow 

    Almost 70 AI spin-offs: Cyber Valley’s Start-up Network continues to grow 

    Stuttgart, 14. Juni 2024 – A unique community for start-ups in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged around the Cyber Valley. The Cyber Valley Start-up Network supports founders in the state to transfer AI research into applications. The model is extremely successful: many of its 67 start-ups to date have raised millions from international investors. At Cyber Valley Days, which is taking placefrom June 19 to 21, start-ups from the network will introduce themselves and present current AI trends. June 21 marks the beginning of a new phase of the Cyber Valley. During a ceremonial event, the first ELLIS Institute in Europe will be opened by Minister President Winfried Kretschmann and Science Minister Petra Olschowski. 

    “Start-ups are generators and drivers of innovation. They bring AI applications into society – from healthcare to mobility and agriculture,” said Science Minister Petra Olschowski on June 14 in Stuttgart. “Our Cyber Valley innovation campus offers founders optimal conditions: every month, three to five new start-ups join the network – including start-ups by AI researchers, but also existing new companies. With their innovative strength, these entrepreneurs are further strengthening Baden-Württemberg as a center of research and business. As the Ministry of Science, we helped to initiate the founding of Cyber Valley; and we will continue to support our AI innovation campus to the best of our ability in the future.” 

    Baden-Württemberg as the location for AI start-ups 

    “Artificial intelligence is complex and extremely fast-paced in its application. Those who want to start a business can develop their ideas wherever they find the best conditions – including an international and thematically diverse environment, access to computing power, and start-up capital. In other words, where the future is already being created, such as at the excellent science locations in Baden-Württemberg,” said Rebecca C. Reisch, Managing Director of Cyber Valley GmbH.  
     
    As a supplement to the Cyber Valley Start-up Network, the AI Incubator supports those interested in setting up a business in the Cyber Valley innovation campus environment. Over the course of eight weeks, participants learn how to expand their business models and successfully launch them on the market supported by experienced entrepreneurs and start-up coaches. The fourth cohort of 25 founders is currently going through the program. The AI Incubator is funded by the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung.  
     
    “AI will rapidly change the way we work, communicate, learn, or play – and Germany must be at the forefront of this change to maintain our quality of life. This change will be driven by innovative start-ups. Cyber Valley's mission is to create the basis for scientific breakthroughs and to support start-ups that will lead the AI future,” says Michael Black, spokesperson for Cyber Valley and Director at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Tübingen. 

     

    Millions invested in AI start-ups: three examples 

    Cyber Valley's AI start-ups are successful with investors:

    • In 2023, NEURA Robotics, a supplier of innovative cognitive robots, raised €65 million in two financing rounds.
    • The Esslingen-based start-up MARKT-PILOT developed a solution for dynamic and market-oriented spare parts pricing. To mark its fourth anniversary, the company announced one of the largest Series A financing rounds with 40 million euros.
    • Octomind, an AI-based end-to-end testing platform for development teams, recently received €4.8 million in seed capital. 

     

    Cyber Valley Days 2024: June 19 to 21 

    The network's almost 70 start-ups are active in a wide range of industries – including the healthcare sector, construction industry, in the field of mobility, and agriculture. This diversity will be highlighted at the Cyber Valley Days, a three-day event from June 19 to 21. The program focuses on entrepreneurship and scientific innovation in artificial intelligence and modern robotics. On Wednesday, June 19, start-ups and other members of the Cyber Valley Community will present in Stuttgart. Afterwards, the teams of the AI Incubator will pitch their AI business ideas to potential investors.   
     
    At the final on June 21, the new ELLIS Institute Tübingen of the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) will be opened in the presence of Minister President Winfried Kretschmann and Science Minister Petra Olschowski. This first ELLIS institute in Europe will further strengthen the Cyber Valley innovation campus as an internationally visible beacon for research into artificial intelligence. The world's most talented AI researchers will be able to advance their ideas and developments in an optimal environment. The opening of the ELLIS Institute also marks the beginning of the next phase of the Cyber Valley Innovation Campus. 
     
    Cyber Valley is the country's first innovation campus, located in the Stuttgart/Tübingen region. Cyber Valley was launched in 2016 as a joint initiative of the state, science, and industry. Its aim is to put Baden-Württemberg at the forefront of AI. The innovation campus combines excellent basic research and practical application. The scientific backbone is formed by three academic founding partners: the Universities of Stuttgart and Tübingen and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems. There are also other established partners from business and research. 
      
     

    Information about Cyber Valley Days:  

    cyber-valley.de/cyber-valley-days 

    Registration

    for the Start-up Expo on Wednesday, June 19, at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart: shorturl.at/euuwd 
     
    Registration for media representatives for the ceremony and opening of ELLIS on Friday, June 21, via
    Rebecca Beiter, Director Communications & Society Cyber Valley GmbH
    0160/9448 1797
    Rebecca.beiter@cyber-valley.de 
     

    Further information 
     

    About Cyber Valley    

    Cyber Valley is Europe’s largest and leading center for excellence in artificial intelligence and modern robotics. Its mission and public mandate are to advocate for research, development, application, and acceptance of technologies and methods in the field of intelligent systems. Cyber Valley encourages entrepreneurship by uniting scientific excellence with innovation and technology transfer. In addition, Cyber Valley facilitates critical reflection on the ethical and social implications of AI through public engagement. Cyber Valley envisions a future in which the full potential of intelligent systems is leveraged for the greater good of the world.  

     

    About the Cyber Valley Start-up Network   

    The Cyber Valley Start-up Network builds and promotes a vibrant community of AI entrepreneurs. Members get access to exclusive events and a diverse network of AI researchers, investors, and other start-up founders. The prerequisite for membership is a connection to Cyber Valley, such as being members or alumni of the Cyber Valley Community, or a location in Baden-Württemberg. The business models must have intelligent systems at their core.
    Further information: cyber-valley.de/start-up-network.  

  • Cyber Valley welcomes five new start-ups to its Start-up Network

    Cyber Valley welcomes five new start-ups to its Start-up Network

    Hellstern Medical 

    Hellstern Medical develops innovative ergonomic solutions for operating rooms, with a focus on reducing surgeon fatigue and pain during long procedures. Their flagship product is the NOAC (Surgeon Support System), an intelligent robotic exoskeleton device that uses motion capture technology to hold surgeons in any desired position at the operating table. The company uses operating room data to drive automation and revolutionize surgical procedures through the integration of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI). 

    Textverstehen  

    TextVerstehen specializes in developing artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for text understanding and natural language processing. The company is developing AI models and algorithms that analyze text data, enabling applications such as automated text summarization, question answering, and content analysis. 

    OSORA 

    OSORA is a software company that has developed a predictive analytics tool for simulating and analyzing the healing process of bone fractures. Using digital twin technology, their software is designed to provide patient-specific predictions of how a particular bone fracture will heal over time. 

    Enerlace 

    Enerlace develops innovative software solutions that enhance visualization and reporting capabilities to speed up the deployment of renewable energy. By providing these solutions, the company seeks to help wind farm operators and other industry players optimize their operations, improve efficiency, and ultimately drive the growth of sustainable wind energy production. 

    Semanux 

    Semanux is dedicated to fostering digital independence, particularly those with motor disabilities. With their innovative Semanux Access software, users can intuitively control their computers not just with their hands, but also with their head, eyes, and feet. This innovation opens a new realm of possibilities for accessibility in technology. 

    In joining the Cyber Valley Start-up Network, these five start-ups enhance the diversity and collaborative culture of the Cyber Valley Community. 

  • Cyber Valley Research Fund’s self-supervised robot project

    Cyber Valley Research Fund’s self-supervised robot project

    Led by Prof. Dr. Jörg Stückler, Research Group Leader, and a dedicated team of researchers, the project, “Self-supervised learning of mobility affordances for vision-based navigation", has advanced the field of mobile robotics. They believe that mobile robots, whether in logistics or autonomous vehicles, should be able to properly adapt their navigation actions according to the surrounding environment. 

    The Cyber Valley Research Fund supported the project from March 2020 until its conclusion in October 2023. In this project, the team investigated novel approaches for adapting kinematic and dynamics models of wheeled mobile robots in a self-supervised way. The team’s goal was to develop modularized perception and motion control methods that allow dynamics models to learn through interaction with the environment. Stückler’s team created a method that uses camera images and inertial measurements to estimate the robot's motion.  

    They improved two types of robot platforms: one for indoor and one for outdoor use. Initially, they focused on a motion model for indoor wheeled robots controlled by setting target velocities. Then, they expanded this method to adjust parameters for a robot with car-like, steerable front wheels. Evaluating their online adaptation techniques showed better trajectory estimation and prediction accuracy compared to offline calibration or visual-inertial trajectory estimation without motion model information. 

    The Cyber Valley Research Fund, supported by six partners, has invested five million euros in fostering innovation and scientific excellence. Research groups were invited to submit project proposals, with ethical and societal considerations playing a crucial role in the evaluation process.   

    This project has yielded the following peer-reviewed publications: 

    • Li, H., Stueckler, J. Tracking 6-DoF Object Motion from Events and Frames. In Proc. of IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2021. DOI: 10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9561760 

    • Li, H., Stueckler, J. Visual-Inertial Odometry with Online Calibration of Velocity-Control Based Kinematic Motion Models. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L), 2022. DOI: 10.1109/LRA.2022.3169837 

    • Li, H., Stueckler, J. Online Calibration of a Single-Track Ground Vehicle Dynamics Model by Tight Fusion with Visual-Inertial Odometry. Accepted for IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (2024). Preprint arXiv:2309.11148. 

    • Li, H., Stueckler, J. Observability Analysis of Visual-Inertial Odometry with Online Calibration of Velocity-Control Based Kinematic Motion Models abs/2204.06651, CoRR/arxiv, 2022 

  • Cyber Valley Welcomes Five New Start-ups

    Cyber Valley Welcomes Five New Start-ups

    IPS

    Inline Process Solutions (IPS) transforms industrial operations using AI-driven sensor technology and image analysis in chemical plant operations. This technology minimizes disruptions and energy consumption, optimizing processes with unparalleled precision.

    Kora Labs

    Kora Labs uses AI-based management tools to optimize fertilizer use, maximize yields, and minimize waste in the agriculture sector. By prioritizing efficiency, Kora Labs enables farmers to achieve higher yields with lower input costs, promoting economic growth.

    Logikon AI

    Logikon AI improves AI reliability by building AI applications to evaluate and control advanced large language model (LLM) systems. The start-up's tools and metrics can automatically debug, evaluate, and score LLM reasoning traces, allowing for faster development, reliable deployment, and higher reasoning quality of advanced LLM apps.  

    Mirelo AI: Enhancing Multimedia Experiences 

    Mirelo AI enhances multimedia experiences by fusing music and multimedia. Through developing foundational music models and applications, the start-up enhances engagement and creativity in videos and games.

    Octomind

    Octomind redefines software reliability by introducing an end-to-end test platform that preemptively identifies and resolves bugs for developers, vastly improving software reliability.

    In joining the Cyber Valley Start-up Network, these five start-ups enhance the diversity and collaborative culture of the Cyber Valley Community. We are pleased to have them onboard!

  • Unveiling anomalies for safer connections

    Unveiling anomalies for safer connections

    Six partners within the Cyber Valley Community have generously contributed to the Cyber Valley Research Fund, totalling five million euros, to facilitate independent basic research. Research groups were invited to submit project proposals for the Research Fund, which the Cyber Valley Public Advisory Board evaluated, taking into account scientific excellence, as well as ethical and societal considerations.

    The research project’s core objective was anomaly detection within networked datasets, primarily focusing on identifying abnormal behavior across diverse network types, including social, communication, and transportation networks. The project thereby aimed to provide early warnings of potential threats or irregularities.

    The research introduced a novel approach that combined community structure with anomaly detection, enabling the identification of anomalies as edges that deviate from regular patterns. This innovative technique leveraged the structure of dynamic networks over time and inferred anomalies by integrating domain knowledge, such as community membership, into the analysis.

    The project yielded promising results, showcasing the model’s accuracy in capturing both community and anomaly structures, and its significant performance in predicting links within networks. The developed ideas and methodologies hold pertinent applications, particularly in fields such as cybersecurity and social network analysis, offering promising avenues for addressing critical challenges like fraud detection and network security enhancement. This includes applications such as uncovering fake users on social media platforms and detecting fraudulent activities in financial transactions.

    Furthermore, the research provided valuable insights into the dynamics of real-world networks by leveraging community structure alongside dynamic patterns of edge additions and deletions. Ultimately, the project not only advanced scientific understanding of network dynamics but also holds substantial potential for meaningful real-world impact. These discoveries herald new possibilities for addressing complex issues and enhancing the security and efficiency of various network systems.

    This project has yielded three peer reviewed publications:

    • “Anomaly detection and community detection in networks”, H. Safdari and C. De Bacco, J Big Data 9, 122, https://doi.org/10.1186/s40537-022-00669-1, 2022.
    • “Anomaly, reciprocity, and community detection in networks”, H. Safdari, M. Contisciani and C. De Bacco, Phys. Rev. Research 5, 033084, https://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.5.033084, 2023.
    • “Community detection and anomaly prediction in dynamic networks”, H. Safdari and C. De Bacco, work in progress, 2024. Paper and preprint expected to be submitted by April 2024.

    It also yielded two inventions: