📣 Fun(d) News - 06/20
In the wake of the pandemic, our portfolio companies continue to serve and deliver

Ava introduces new automatic subtitle feature. Pre-pandemic, Ava was one of the highest-rated apps for live transcription of conversations, phone calls, and video calls. This month, they'll introduce a floating box that automatically subtitles conversations in any video chat, whether it takes place in Zoom, Google Hangouts, or elsewhere. "We were supposed to release [the live-captioning update] in September, but the crisis forced him to get it out in three weeks," Ava Founder Thibault Duchemin told MIT Technology Review. These updates are aimed primarily at users who are deaf or hard of hearing but will also benefit others.

Zipline drones deliver supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) to American hospitals. Zipline has been given the green light to deliver medical supplies and PPE to hospitals in North Carolina. This is the first time the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has allowed beyond-line-of-sight drone deliveries in the US. Zipline is now using drones on two specified round-trip routes of up to 48km and is currently negotiating with the FAA to expand to other hospitals and eventually offer deliveries to private homes. This month, Zipline was also named in CNBC's top 50 disruptor companies for 2020.

Seaborg named in top 10 startup teams in Denmark 2020. In the last decade, Denmark's startup ecosystem has thrived, marked by the emergence of several unicorns such as Unity, Sitecore, Tradeshift and Zendesk. "Put simply, [Seaborg is] on a mission to save the world – making nuclear an inexpensive, sustainable and safe technology that can out-compete fossil fuels and revolutionise energy markets," writes The Org. The list also features Index Award 2017 Finalist Labster, which develops fully interactive and advanced lab simulations powered by VR.

Piñatex receives support from the Business of Fashion, Textiles and Technology's (BFTT) Small to Medium Enterprises Creative R&D Program. Piñatex is among the ten UK-based companies selected to receive a share in €1.3 from BFTT. From over 80 applications, 13 were shortlisted and provided with one-to-one mentoring, business workshops and training, and then had to pitch their ideas to a panel of industry and academic experts. The program was created to support companies as they "innovate, research and develop the next generation of products, services and experiences in the fashion, textile and technology sectors".

Destacame highlighted as a fintech company promoting financial education in Latin America. Financial inclusion in Latin America remains low, with 70% of the population considered "unbanked". The list put together by CrowdFund Insider features six businesses working to change this shocking statistic. Destacame is listed in the 'Empowering Consumers to Manage and Save Money' section. Today, Destacame works with more than 25 financial institutions to offer products that help customers manage their finances, and also calculates user credit scores based on alternative data, including bill payments, to determine creditworthiness".

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Image: Ananas Anam