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MintNeuro Secures £1M Investment to Advance Transformative Semiconductor Technology for Neural Implants

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 Latest capital raise will accelerate delivery of silicon roadmap to drive next-generation implantable devices for neurological applications

LONDON, Nov. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — MintNeuro, a pioneer of scalable, low-power semiconductor technology for minimally-invasive neural implant applications, today announces that it has raised £1 million in a funding round led by Empirical Ventures. Additional investment came from Parkwalk Advisors (through the Imperial College Enterprise Fund), Imperial College London, Plug & Play, Excellis Holding, and several prominent angel investors.

Neurological disorders impact over a billion people globally and pose a significant social and economic burden. Current treatments, especially pharmaceuticals, are often ineffective or fail to provide long-term solutions. With drug development becoming increasingly costly and less productive, many patients are left without effective care options. Neural implants offer a promising alternative, yet traditional technologies remain bulky, power-intensive, and reliant on invasive surgeries that limit accessibility and increase patient risk.

Developed at Imperial College London, MintNeuro uses semiconductor technology to make neural implants smaller, more efficient, and scalable. With over £14 million in underpinning R&D grant funding to date, the MintNeuro team leverages semiconductor manufacturing to allow cost-effective, mass-producible neural devices. Unlike conventional implants, its compact, low-power chips enable modular designs adaptable to various neurological conditions, offering sensing, stimulation, and processing capabilities to enhance both functionality and accessibility.

“Our semiconductor-based approach is fundamentally reshaping what neural implants can achieve,” said Timothy Constandinou, CTO and co-founder of MintNeuro. “By offering a customisable, compact solution that integrates seamlessly into medical devices, we’re empowering a new era of neural interfaces that are not only more powerful but also less invasive. This marks a transformative shift in neurological care.”

“Millions of patients with neurological disorders face limited treatment options,” said Dorian Haci, CEO and co-founder of MintNeuro. “Our goal is to bridge that gap with safer, more accessible, and effective neural technology. This investment accelerates our chip development and enables us to expand our team of experts, bringing game-changing neural implants to clinicians for the benefit of patients everywhere.”

MintNeuro’s innovative semiconductor solutions have already gained considerable traction through strategic partnerships with leading institutions and medical device companies. Collaborations include the NIHR-funded DREAM project with Imperial College London and King’s College London and Hospital, targeting development of a breakthrough device for epilepsy monitoring, with a first-in-human study planned for next year. Additionally, MintNeuro’s partnership with Amber Therapeutics, which has recently secured $100 million in funding, is focused on developing a neuromodulation therapy chipset through an Innovate UK Smart grant. This technology initially targets mixed urinary incontinence, with the potential for future applications of the MintNeuro chipset in conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, dementia, and depression.

“MintNeuro is uniquely addressing the core limitations of neural implants with a semiconductor-based approach,” said Johnathan Matlock, General Partner at Empirical Ventures. “We are excited about the market opportunity and the potential of entrepreneurial scientists like Dorian and Tim to drive forward the next generation of neural implants.”

The global neural implant market is experiencing rapid growth, with rising interest from major healthcare and technology players. Recent Morgan Stanley research estimates that, in the US alone, the Total Addressable Market (TAM) for brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies could span almost 10 million patient candidates – seeking optimised treatment options for health conditions ranging from multiple sclerosis to strokes – and total around $400 billion in potential revenue from initial implant procedures.

Martin Glen, Investment Director at Parkwalk Advisors, added: “MintNeuro’s innovative technology has the potential to change the lives of millions of patients suffering from a diverse range of neurological conditions. Its accessible, adaptable solution represents a major advancement in treatment options, and we’re extremely excited to be supporting the team in its journey to revolutionise neurological care.”

Notes to editors

About MintNeuro (www.mintneuro.com)

Founded as a spinout from Imperial College London, MintNeuro leads in advanced semiconductor technology for neural implants. With strong roots in world-class academic research and a dedication to innovation, the company boasts a robust portfolio of intellectual property underpinning its groundbreaking solutions. MintNeuro’s proprietary chip technology tackles core challenges in neurology with scalable, low-power solutions that enhance the efficiency and accessibility of implantable devices. Strategic partnerships with leading institutions and medical device companies place MintNeuro at the forefront of adaptable systems addressing a range of neurological conditions, including epilepsy, movement disorders, and cognitive dysfunctions. For more information, visit our website.

About Empirical Ventures (www.empiricalventures.vc)

Empirical Ventures leads pre-seed and seed rounds for deep science startups that are creating century-defining technologies. The team are looking for exceptional science-led startups that are using the latest technological advances to solve some of the most pressing challenges facing society and our planet. Empirical fills a key need in the DeepTech landscape in the UK by leading due diligence on deep science startups, helping to de-risk early-stage investments for their investors and co-investors. Empirical Ventures operates as an appointed representative of SFC Capital Partners. For more information about Empirical Ventures and its mission, please visit our website.

About Parkwalk (www.parkwalkadvisors.com)

Parkwalk is the largest growth EIS fund manager, backing world-changing technologies emerging from the UK’s leading universities and research institutions. With £500m of assets under management, it has invested in over 180 companies across its award-winning Parkwalk Opportunities and Knowledge Intensive EIS Funds, as well as the enterprise and innovation funds Parkwalk manages for the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, Bristol and Imperial College. Parkwalk invests in businesses creating solutions to real-world challenges, with IP-protected innovations, across a range of sectors including life sciences, AI, quantum computing, advanced materials, genomics, cleantech, future of mobility, medtech and big data. For more information, please go to our website.

About Plug and Play (www.plugandplaytechcenter.com)

Plug and Play is the leading innovation platform connecting startups, corporations, venture capital firms, universities, and government agencies. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we’re present in 60+ locations across 5 continents. We offer corporate innovation programs and help our corporate partners in every stage of their innovation journey, from education to execution. We also organize startup acceleration programs and have built an in-house VC to drive innovation across multiple industries where we’ve invested in hundreds of successful companies including Dropbox, Guardant Health, Honey, Lending Club, N26, PayPal, and Rappi. For more information, visit our website.

About Excellis Holding (www.excellis.it)

Excellis is a private holding that invests in early-stage deep-tech companies founded or co-founded by exceptional Italian expatriate researchers, recognized for their expertise and contributions to their fields.

Press contacts:

EvokedSet PR for MintNeuro
nicky@evokedset.com
+44 (0)118 328 2916

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/mintneuro-secures-1m-investment-to-advance-transformative-semiconductor-technology-for-neural-implants-302301653.html

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Huawei Cloud in France: Building an AI-Native Cloud to Amplify Intelligence on the Tech Stage

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PARIS, Nov. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — HUAWEI CONNECT 2024 PARIS commenced today, featuring the first Huawei Cloud Summit France. Huawei Cloud is building an AI-native cloud through systematic innovation and service reshaping. Moving forward, Huawei Cloud will continue to drive innovation in both the “AI for Cloud” and “Cloud for AI” directions, accelerating the intelligent transformation across industries in France.

Jacqueline Shi, President of Huawei Cloud Global Marketing and Sales Service, delivered a welcome speech in her digital presence built using Huawei Cloud MetaStudio. She stated, “Innovation is the heart of our success, our competitiveness, and our growth. That’s why we invest heavily in R&D to bring you the most secure and reliable cloud services possible, including cloud native, AI, and big data. In Europe, Huawei Cloud has collaborated with over 500 local partners to deliver a wide range of industry-specific solutions and proven expertise, enabling European businesses to expedite their cloud adoption, leverage global resources, and achieve leapfrog growth.”

In his keynote speech, William Dong, President of Huawei Cloud Marketing, highlighted the importance of AI in building economic moats. To this end, Huawei Cloud launches Pangu models to enable intelligent upgrades across industries, with over 400 use cases in 30 industries now benefiting from Huawei Cloud’s AI-native cloud infrastructure that extends cutting-edge technologies and premium experiences to European customers. On the tech stage, Huawei Cloud is set to amplify intelligence.

Huawei Cloud’s AI-native strategy has been a cornerstone of the company’s innovation. This strategy is twofold: AI for Cloud and Cloud for AI, marking significant advancements in Huawei Cloud’s capabilities. “AI for Cloud” means integrating Pangu models with cloud services for product R&D, data governance, security, and O&M to make them more intelligent and efficient.

With full-stack systemic innovations, “Cloud for AI” covers data centers, cloud platform architectures, and infrastructure services, enabling efficient and high-performance data preparation, training, inference, and application of foundation models. The distributed cloud database GaussDB features high performance, high intelligence, and easy migration. Huawei Cloud Stack 8.5 provides more than 120 locally deployed cloud services and 50 industry-specific solutions, building the optimal hybrid cloud for intelligent transformation.

At this summit, Huawei Cloud officially released the Flexus cloud services for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in France. Flexus feature flexible specifications, AI-driven high speed, 6x burst speed, compute hot upgrade, and ultimate experience.

Presently, Huawei Cloud has more than 500 customers, partners, and developers in France. Song Wanying, President of Huawei Cloud France, shared insights on fostering business growth through cloud innovation and introduced new media & entertainment, e-commerce, and retail solutions for the French market, furthering intelligent initiatives.

Huawei Cloud has upgraded media services in a 3E approach: efficiency, experience, and evolution. For instance, AIGC for virtual humans can significantly reduce the time required for short video production from days to mere minutes. In terms of experience, Huawei Cloud leverages its self-developed RTP protocol to minimize latency to 500 ms and reduce frame freezing to 10%. For business model evolution, Huawei Cloud offers virtual human technology to facilitate efficient video production, leading to new business opportunities and growth.

In retail and e-commerce, Huawei Cloud has developed the B.R.A.N.D. model to assist retailers in driving innovation and growth. Through professional services, deterministic operations, security, reliability, and 16 sub-scenario solutions, B.R.A.N.D. enables retailers to build agile, efficient, and secure business systems.

In terms of ecosystem expansion, Huawei Cloud has partnered with Station F, the world’s largest startup incubator, to launch a sustainability-themed incubation program. This program aims to provide comprehensive support for startups, including cloud resources, investment opportunities, and dedicated office spaces. Additionally, Huawei Cloud and 20 ecosystem partners have unveiled the Industry Partner Innovation Program at the summit.

This two-day event features a packed agenda, including the partner forum and the Cloud Native Elite Club (CNEC) roundtable. At this year’s HUAWEI CONNECT Europe, CNEC returned to Europe and invited its first members to join this technical community built for European technology pioneers.

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/huawei-cloud-in-france-building-an-ai-native-cloud-to-amplify-intelligence-on-the-tech-stage-302306351.html

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ALBERT GAHFI, NEWCO CAPITAL GROUP CEO, NOMINATED FOR THE U.S. FINTECH AWARDS’ INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR

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NEW YORK, Nov. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — NewCo Capital Group is proud to announce that Albert Gahfi, CEO of NewCo Capital Group and Co-Founder and Director of Bizcap, has been nominated for the prestigious Innovator of the Year Award by the U.S. FinTech Awards. This recognition highlights Albert’s groundbreaking contributions to the FinTech sector and his dedication to founding companies that empower small businesses with forward-thinking capital solutions.

We are focused on what’s next—continuing to build the tools and services that will drive the future of FinTech

As a proven enterprise-building founder and CEO, Albert co-founded Kings Cash Group and oversaw its merger with a large FinTech consortium that included an SEC-registered fund. As the Co-Founder and CEO of NewCo Capital Group, Capytal.com, and NewCo Canada, as well as the co-founder of Melbourne-based BizCap, Albert’s global expansion strategy has led to the opening of offices in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and a recently announced strategic initiative in Asia via Singapore.

The nomination for Innovator of the Year underscores NewCo’s commitment to reshaping how small-to-medium businesses and enterprise companies access financing. Since its founding, NewCo has remained at the forefront of Specialty Finance within the FinTech sector, continually creating custom capital solutions that leverage advanced technology, nuanced underwriting, and a deep understanding of client needs.

Bruce Gurvitsch, Chief Revenue Officer for NewCo Capital Group and Capytal.com, commended the nomination, stating, “Albert’s nomination for Innovator of the Year reflects his unwavering pursuit of excellence—a drive that defines our mission at NewCo. We’re committed to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in FinTech, ensuring that SMBs have access to the capital they need for growth, job creation, and long-term success.”

NewCo and its affiliate companies have transformed traditional financing models, making it easier, faster, and more efficient for businesses to secure funding. With over $1.8 billion deployed across 40,000+ businesses globally, NewCo continues to lead the charge in specialized financing and working capital.

Reflecting on the nomination, Gahfi remarked, ‘This recognition from the U.S. FinTech Awards validates our efforts and inspires us to continue delivering the most innovative solutions to the market.’ He emphasized NewCo’s long-term vision, adding, ‘We are focused on what’s next—continuing to build the tools and services that will drive the future of FinTech. Our mission has always been to empower small businesses globally.’

For more information about NewCo Capital Group, visit www.NewCoCapitalGroup.com or email Info@NewCoCapitalGroup.com.

About NewCo Capital Group & Capytal.com

Founded in 2020, NewCo Capital Group and its affiliate companies empower SMBs globally with fast, accessible financing and funding. The companies have successfully deployed $1.8 billion to over 40,000 SMBs while maintaining a 4.9/5 Trustpilot rating.

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SOURCE NewCo Capital Group

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Enrollsy Unveils Brand Refresh and New Website to Enhance Enrollment Experience for Schools, Camps, Nonprofits, and More

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LEHI, Utah, Nov. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Enrollsy, the platform dedicated to making enrollment simple and accessible for organizations of all sizes, is thrilled to announce its brand refresh and launch of a new website at www.enrollsy.com. With a renewed focus on simplifying enrollment processes and delivering unparalleled support, Enrollsy’s brand refresh reinforces its commitment to empowering non-technical professionals with a seamless, user-friendly experience.

Enrollsy is online enrollment software made easy.

The name “Enrollsy” reflects the platform’s mission: combining “enroll” and “easy” to describe a solution that effortlessly manages the enrollment process—from sign-up to payments and communications—without requiring technical expertise or IT support. Enrollsy’s customizable platform is designed to solve enrollment challenges and make life easier for administrators everywhere.

Empowering Purpose, Mission, Vision, and Values

Driven by a purpose to create an exceptional experience from the first interaction to ongoing support, Enrollsy ensures every aspect of its service is tailored to customer needs. Enrollsy’s mission—to provide an amazing enrollment experience to 10 million people in a single year—drives the platform to innovate, simplify, and perfect enrollment solutions for organizations managing data, payments, and communications.

Enrollsy envisions a world where education, enrichment, and connection drive better outcomes, helping organizations fulfill their missions. As a trusted partner, Enrollsy shares its values with customers by prioritizing consistency, honoring commitments, and maintaining clear, actionable communication.

Unmatched Customer Experiences

Enrollsy’s brand refresh also highlights its commitment to delivering value through real-life customer success stories. Elizabeth Fizer, owner of Fizer Fine Art, shares, “Enrollsy transformed our registration process from an absolute nightmare to easily manageable. Their unmatched customer service and ability to tailor the software to meet our specific needs allowed us to offer flexible schedules and simplified invoicing—enabling me to focus on my family during a busy registration period. Parents found it easy and intuitive, which only enhanced our customer experience.”

Similarly, Matthew Vinson from Common Ground on the Hill, a nonprofit, noted, “Enrollsy exceeded our expectations by listening to our unique needs and creating a system that integrates with our existing applications seamlessly. They understood our operations and provided features we needed, making the registration process efficient and stress-free.”

Visit the New Enrollsy Website

Enrollsy’s reimagined website offers a refreshed look at how the platform simplifies enrollment, billing, and communication for education, enrichment, and nonprofit organizations across the U.S., Australia, and Canada. Visitors are invited to explore www.enrollsy.com to discover how Enrollsy’s solutions are transforming the enrollment experience and simplifying administrative processes.

About Enrollsy Enrollsy provides a complete, easy-to-use solution for managing enrollments, payments, and participant communications. Designed for non-technical professionals, Enrollsy’s mission is to simplify enrollment for organizations while delivering unmatched support and flexibility. Visit www.enrollsy.com to learn more about how Enrollsy is shaping the future of enrollment.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/enrollsy-unveils-brand-refresh-and-new-website-to-enhance-enrollment-experience-for-schools-camps-nonprofits-and-more-302306358.html

SOURCE Enrollsy, Inc.

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