The Daily Brief

Tuesday, August 09, 2016

Talk-back Tuesday:
If one of you isn’t enough, take a look at Olly, the robot-in-development by U.K.-based startup Emotech. The company claims that Olly will be the first AI-based personal assistant with personality: yours. Through adaptive learning, the assistant evolves to mimic its owner’s personality, complete with traits you aren’t particularly happy about.

TODAY'S TOP STORY

Two Chinese VC Firms Invest in U.K.-Based Robot Developer Emotech

BY: STAFF WRITER － AUGUST 9, 2016

CREDIT: HEYOLLY.COM

U.K.-based startup Emotech has raised more than $10 million in Series A funding, according to TechCrunch. The round was led by Shanghai-based Lightning Capital, a VC firm focused on artificial intelligence technology and health tech. They seem to be betting on Emotech’s flagship product, which is an AI-enabled robot named Olly — according to the startup, the first bot with actual personality. Read more →

ALSO IN THE NEWS

500 Startup’s Nordic Fund Invests in Oslo-Based Socius

BY: RAN XU － AUGUST 9, 2016

CREDIT: SOCIUSLIVE.COM

Oslo-based content curation platform Socius has received $400,000 in seed funding from 500 Startup’s Nordic Fund and Raa Invest, according to a report in TechCrunch. The Nordic Fund is 500 Startup’s $15-million regional fund targeting the Nordic region, including Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. Read more →

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