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TIER IV secures additional $54 Million in Series B funding: Deploying Level 4 autonomous driving systems across Japan

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TOKYO, June 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — TIER IV, a pioneer in open-source software for autonomous driving systems, proudly announces the successful extension of its Series B funding round, securing an additional US$54 million (¥8.5 billion). This brings the total Series B funding to US$132 million (¥20.7 billion) and the company’s overall funding to US$243 million (¥38.1 billion).

Background

During the Series A round, TIER IV expanded beyond developing the open-source software Autoware* to commercialize comprehensive software platforms that encompass communication, insurance, and risk management features for autonomous driving systems. The Series B round has further enhanced our software development capabilities, particularly in advocating the concept of reference designs. TIER IV was also selected for the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization’s (NEDO) Green Innovation Fund Project, participating in a substantial US$162 million (¥25.4 billion) R&D initiative aimed at introducing scalability to autonomous driving systems.

Purpose of the funding

The latest funds are earmarked for launching the production of Level 4 autonomous driving systems, leveraging TIER IV’s advanced software platforms and reference designs. The funds will also boost our efforts to develop safety assessment methods that tightly integrate processes and tools.

TIER IV has been selected for a NEDO program to support tech startups, with a focus on advancing electrification modules applicable to various vehicle models, which tackles grand challenges for hardware disparity, software quality, and system dependability from fiscal 2023 to 2025. Furthermore, we have been selected for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) Phase 3 funding, underscoring our commitment to establishing a robust Level 4 certification framework from fiscal 2024 to 2027.

These strategic initiatives align with the Japanese government’s objective to deploy Level 4 autonomous driving systems in 50 locations by 2025 and over 100 by 2027, which aims to improve mobility services nationwide.

Key business areas

From Series A to Series B, TIER IV has significantly advanced its software platforms, with an emphasis on vehicle models and safety assessment methods for Level 4 autonomous driving systems. In collaboration with global partners, we are ready for full-scale commercialization, both in Japan and worldwide. Our main applications include mobility services such as route buses and urban taxis, as well as logistics services encompassing intra-factory transportation and highway trucks, all within a Level 4 regulatory framework.

Future outlook

TIER IV is set to further develop new vehicle models and open safety assessment methods, spearheading the deployment of enhanced mobility and logistics services powered by Level 4 autonomous driving systems. Building on our current reference designs for route buses and urban taxis, we plan to create a new reference design for privately-owned passenger vehicles, which introduces state-of-the-art technologies to the automotive industry. Going forward, TIER IV will focus on developing electric and electronic architectures (EEA) optimized for software-defined vehicles (SDV), along with a new generative world model tailored for end-to-end autonomy.

TIER IV remains committed to harnessing its expertise in software development, vehicle manufacturing, and safety assessment to foster the deployment of Level 4 autonomous driving systems across various environments.

*Autoware is a registered trademark of The Autoware Foundation.

About TIER IV

TIER IV stands at the forefront of deep tech innovation, pioneering Autoware, the world’s first open-source software for autonomous driving, to empower intelligent vehicles worldwide. Harnessing Autoware, we build scalable platforms and deliver comprehensive solutions across software development, vehicle manufacturing, and service operations. As a founding member of the Autoware Foundation, our commitment to open-source software enables individuals and organizations to thrive within the evolving technology for autonomous driving, reshaping the future of intelligent vehicles.

Media Contact
pr@tier4.jp

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SOURCE Tier IV, Inc.

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Uplevel ‘Levels Up’ with a Method for Change that Unlocks the ‘How’ Behind Engineering Success

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Uplevel System Now Blends Trusted Analytics with New Change Enablement Offering — so Organizations Can Turn Engineering Data into Direction that Impacts Their Businesses

SEATTLE, Jan. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Numbers are powerful, but they can’t solve everything. So, Uplevel, the engineering optimization system, has added the Uplevel Method, a hands-on practice to help companies turn engineering metrics into meaningful change.

The Uplevel Method complements Uplevel’s core engineering intelligence platform. Now, with the holistic Uplevel system, companies can combine actionable data with expert guidance to build more effective engineering cultures, tackle productivity challenges head-on, and deliver value to their organizations faster.

“Big organizations are drowning in data and still struggle to drive meaningful improvement. The challenge is turning data into action that sticks,” said Joe Levy, Uplevel CEO. “That’s why we’ve introduced a complete solution: expanding our platform to include a system of iterative change enablement that supports transformation. For the first time, engineering teams can be confident in taking action, and not just fatigued with another dashboard.”

Tapping into Software + Change

Uplevel’s platform, its primary offering since 2018, surfaces hard-to-see metrics and takes the guesswork out of determining what’s eating up software development cycles. Leading organizations worldwide — including Accolade, Twilio, Xactly and many more — use Uplevel to prioritize the highest-value engineering initiatives and reduce the overhead of operational and support work and bottlenecks in delivery.

But as pressure continues to mount on engineering organizations to improve performance and maximize value to customers, they often need a holistic strategy that accounts for software engineering as both a technical and social practice. According to research from McKinsey, 70% of transformations fail due to an inability to overcome organizational friction, suggesting that the human element often falls behind.

By tapping into insights from Uplevel’s trusted platform and, now, human expertise to help leaders see the full context and gain developer buy-in, companies can reduce the friction engineering leaders must overcome to drive change.

“Larger organizations need to not only instrument their product engineering practices, but also to overlay context and turn that data into useful insights and actions,” said Mark Nelson, former CEO of Tableau (acquired by Salesforce) and adviser to Uplevel. “While engineering organizations each have unique attributes, the overall practice of building great software is repeatable with common organizational attributes. It’s great to see Uplevel leveraging the advanced instrumentation of their platform, along with the personalized services that leverage their knowledge gained from working with multiple organizations, into a single system to help companies build better product engineering practices and organizations.”

What’s New

Because organizational change is complex and often requires more than metrics, Uplevel’s new offering — the “Uplevel Method” — adds the “how” to the “what.” With the Uplevel Method:

Smart data meets smart people — Uplevel brings experienced engineering leaders and change management experts with decades of combined expertise. They understand the unique challenges engineering organizations face and know what it takes to diagnose issues and drive improvements — including results like a 20x increase in deployment velocity and 25% increase in customer satisfaction scores.

The Method starts with an assessment — Through stakeholder interviews and a developer survey, Uplevel puts context to the technical, structural and interpersonal factors that impact engineering organizations. Uplevel’s deep platform data and assessment results provide clarity on the biggest opportunities for action. Results are presented in hands-on insights workshops at the team level to involve developers in ideation for improvement and an “executive readout” with high-level opportunities and recommendations for impactful change.

Leaders learn how to drive results that stick — Using its proprietary WAVE framework for engineering effectiveness, Uplevel’s change experts provide in-depth training and enablement at the team and leadership levels. Organizations build the skills to maximize business value and navigate the challenges of balancing technical and human needs.

Why it Matters

By harnessing the combined power of the Uplevel Method and Uplevel platform, engineering leaders can:

Save time — With the ability to rapidly identify problems and jump straight to solutions.

Make change stick — Getting equipped with insights and skills to tackle issues now and in the future.

Be the hero — Driving measurable improvements to engineering output and culture, while reducing team burnout.

For more information about the Uplevel system, please see https://uplevelteam.com.

About Uplevel
Uplevel is the engineering optimization system that makes it easier for tech leaders to deliver value sustainably and on time. Applying advanced data science to tooling and collaboration data, Uplevel surfaces the hard-to-find signals and enables the changes that organizations need to focus their efforts, prioritize initiatives, and build an effective engineering culture. With Uplevel, software development organizations worldwide push the limits of product velocity and generate exceptional ROI — making reliable decisions with data. For more, visit uplevelteam.com.

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SOURCE Uplevel

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/R E P E A T — Inauguration of CAE new Air Traffic Services Training Centre in Montréal/

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MONTRÉAL, Jan. 13, 2025 /CNW/ – On Thursday, January 16, 2024, NAV CANADA and CAE invite members of the media to attend the inauguration of CAE’s new Air Traffic Services Training Centre in Montréal. As part of this first-of-its-kind partnership in Canada, CAE instructors will deliver initial training for Flight Service Specialists and Air Traffic Controllers using NAV CANADA’s training curriculum and courseware.

The following executives will be in attendance:

Marc Parent, President & CEO, CAEMarie-Christine Cloutier, Vice President, Civil Strategy, Performance & Marketing, CAEMark Cooper, President, CEO, NAV CANADADiana Kelly, Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, NAV CANADAAlan DeSousa, Mayor of Saint-Laurent

Members of the media will have the opportunity to tour CAE’s new centre and experience a hands-on session in a state-of-the-art simulator. As such, they will discover the work environment and critical tasks of Flight Service Specialists and Air Traffic Controllers, and better understand the crucial importance of communication between air traffic controllers and aircraft pilots.

In summary

Date

Thursday, January 16, 2025

Time

9:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Media interview & photo op 

11:00 a.m.

Location

8585 Côte-de-Liesse, St-Laurent (Québec) Canada H4T 1G6

Beverages and a light breakfast will be served.

For further information or to confirm your attendance, please contact: Patricia Archambault at patricia.archambault@cae.com.

SOURCE CAE Inc.

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Vantiq’s Dr. Ryan Vega Honored with 2025 BIG Innovation Award

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WALNUT CREEK, Calif., Jan. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Vantiq proudly announces that Dr. Ryan Vega, Chief Health Officer, has been named a winner of the prestigious 2025 BIG Innovation Awards, presented by the Business Intelligence Group. This recognition celebrates Dr. Vega’s trailblazing contributions to healthcare innovation, transforming patient outcomes and saving lives through the power of real-time intelligent software.

“Innovation isn’t just what we do at Vantiq—it’s who we are,” said Marty Sprinzen, CEO of Vantiq. “Dr. Vega’s ability to merge clinical expertise with groundbreaking technology has not only helped Vantiq solve some of healthcare’s most pressing challenges but also redefined the possibilities of patient care. This award is a testament to his extraordinary leadership and impact on the healthcare industry.”

Dr. Vega’s work at Vantiq exemplifies the intersection of technology and healthcare, driving solutions that enable faster, smarter and more effective care. By leveraging real-time intelligent systems, he has spearheaded initiatives that address critical challenges such as improving care coordination, enhancing emergency response and optimizing patient outcomes.

“Humanity relies on innovation to improve our lives and the planet,” said Russ Fordyce, CEO of the Business Intelligence Group. “Dr. Ryan Vega and Vantiq exemplify what it means to push boundaries and make a lasting impact globally. We’re thrilled to honor their achievements.”

The BIG Innovation Awards recognize organizations and individuals that are advancing their industries through creativity, measurable results and significant impact. Winners are selected by a panel of seasoned executives who evaluate nominees based on their contributions to innovation and leadership.

For more information on the 2025 BIG Innovation Awards, visit https://www.bintelligence.com.

About Vantiq
Our mission is to tackle the world’s most critical challenges—from guiding emergency responders during disasters such as the LA wildfires to enabling smart safety across 10,000 cameras with Tag & Track technology at KAFD or delivering life-saving care through Mayo Clinic’s intelligent ambulances.

Empowering organizations to create intelligent systems that save lives, improve outcomes and enhance productivity, our GenAI-powered software platform drives real-time intelligent solutions in healthcare, defense and disaster management. No other platform matches our ability to run anywhere, connect to anything, and communicate seamlessly—or take decisive action—when every second counts. For more information, please visit www.vantiq.com.

About Business Intelligence Group
The Business Intelligence Group was founded with the mission of recognizing true talent and superior performance in the business world. Unlike other industry award programs, these programs are judged by business executives having experience and knowledge. The organization’s proprietary and unique scoring system selectively measures performance across multiple business domains and rewards those companies whose achievements stand above those of their peers.

Contact Information:
Maria Brown
FLXPR for Vantiq
315-719-3856
388846@email4pr.com

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SOURCE Vantiq

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