OV038-Deep-Tech-email-header2

issue #5

Hello World, 

Excited to bring you the fifth edition of the Deep Thoughts Newsletter! I’m Karan, reporting from the US of A. I am the boots on the ground supporting our 70+ portfolio in their US expansion phase. Drop a line to say hello!  

View FAQs

We’re thrilled to announce our recent investment in AudioTelligence. They’ve developed a novel audio source separation technology that can help speech applications deal with noisy environments. Creating video chats without interference from ambient chatter is a seriously hard problem to tackle, but AudioTelligence’s technology nails it. Check out Zoe’s post and this TechCrunch feature to learn more. 

gray-line - a

In the past few weeks, we have been: 

  • Continuing to listen to Darknet Diaries, a fantastic podcast with stories from the dark side of the internet, including an episode detailing the terrifying extent of the NotPetya worm in the Ukraine and beyond. 
  • Watching the press pick up on OV portfolio company WaveOptics as it released the lightest, thinnest waveguide ever for Augmented Reality displays. 
  • Looking through this fun survey data of quantum computing researchers' responses to questions about whether Google reached quantum supremacy last year. IBM thinks they didn’t :) 
  • Geeking out on why DevOps for machine learning systems is so hard and different. Read here. 
  • Surprised, as always, while analysing the Gartner Hype Cycle for artificial intelligence 2019. 
  • Worried that privacy is getting heavily breached in the name of detecting corona virus? 
  • Perusing through the 72 page UK guide to artificial intelligence and public standards, guidance and ethical principles of building an AI engine. 
  • Miffed to see that we didn’t feature on the deep tech VCs in Europe list.  We assumed we would always be on these lists given our credentials (here)! 
  • Enjoying Anna Khan’s framework on what she looks for in Open Source businesses. 
  • Fascinated by how this scientist treats human organs to make them transparent. 
  • Impressed at Slamcore’s video of panoptic segmentation (and explanatory blog to go with it). 
  • Interested to see one author’s take on where Jeff Bezos should direct his $10bn climate change fund. 
  • Piqued by claims around nuclear fusion technology made by these bold Australian scientists. 
gray-line - a

In the next few weeks, we will be attending: 

If you find yourself at any of the above, do shout! 

gray-line - a

And feel free to drop me a line karan@octopusventures.com to chat about anything Deep Tech if you’re ever in New York, and remember to sign up to receive our next edition. 

Karan 

gray-line - a