This morning marks the Alchemist Accelerator’s demo day, featuring the debut of 22 companies spanning a diverse array of industries. Whether you’re venturing into construction, solar panel cleaning, or delving into quantum computing, there’s something here for everyone.
In an exciting development, Alchemist has unveiled a partnership with Microsoft. As part of this collaboration, Microsoft will extend startups a generous $350,000 in Azure credits, seemingly adopting a “first one’s free” approach to lure them into their suite of services, particularly their burgeoning generative AI offerings.
Starting at 10:30 AM Pacific time, you can tune in to witness all the companies from the 34th class make their presentations. However, I’ve handpicked five of them for a sneak peek:
Critical Loop: You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of magnetic tapes hurtling down the highway.” Well, Critical Loop applies a similar concept to electric vehicle (EV) batteries, acting as a mobile energy asset management network. It balances the grid by physically adding capacity where the existing infrastructure falls short. Although it involves intricate grid analysis and logistics, they believe that a “Sneakernet for power” will have a significant role in our increasingly decentralized energy economy.
Kara Technologies: While many new technologies enhance accessibility, there’s a common misconception that a transcript suffices for deaf individuals to comprehend auditory presentations. ASL interpreters offer valuable live translation, but they’re not always available or practical. Kara Technologies has developed 3D sign language avatars to fill this crucial role in such situations. These avatars don’t replace interpreters but serve as an on-demand alternative, especially useful in emergencies or dynamic, live scenarios.
SunnyApp Robotics: With the rapid growth of solar capacity, there’s a growing concern about maintaining and inspecting millions of solar panels efficiently. SunnyApp Robotics, a subsidiary of the installer, has created a cleaning robot that automates this task, using less water. Human oversight is still required to move the robot from panel to panel. (It’s worth noting that this batch also includes a wind turbine monitoring company, Werover.)
Beamlet: In the realm of robots, autonomous vehicles, and smart homes, advanced sensing technology is paramount. However, current solutions sometimes fall short. Beamlet has engineered an incredibly small photonic sensor that appears to measure Doppler effect on reflected light to deduce velocity and other physical parameters with remarkable precision. While it won’t replace the Face ID on your phone, it could emerge as a go-to sensor in robotics and autonomy.
LiveDiagrams: Imagine a “Google Maps for cloud infrastructure.” It may sound peculiar until you consider the convoluted tools network engineers currently employ to navigate the intricate web of services and connections crucial to companies. LiveDiagrams simplifies this information, presenting it visually, automatically, and with real-time updates, potentially enhancing the mental well-being of sysadmins.
Furthermore, Alchemist is celebrating its alumni who have successfully raised funds at various stages. The company reports a 70% increase in applications compared to the previous year, emphasizing the stiff competition for aspiring applicants.
