Somewhat unrelated to what we do.........
If you are new to NFTs, you might want to read this article from The Verge to get acquainted with this technology trend.
I see many applications for NFTs, but I am constantly amazed at how people and companies create opportunities in blockchain. It's fascinating and a bit concerning how much the virtual and actual worlds nowadays blend.
You can now 'own' one-of-a-kind NFT luxury watches, as reported by the NY Times. It seems useless to me but hey...
Oh, and Tom Brady also just launched an NFT company! More here. (Source: BBJ)
Ok, but now let's go back to more corporeal matters of Hardware Startups and what matters to them.
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A still image of the Jacob & Company
nonfungible token, or NFT, known as SF24
Tourbillon Piece Unique. The NFT itself is a 3-
D animation. Credit via Jacob & Company
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Also, NPA's Boston Hardware Startups were super busy last month. Lots of acquisitions, funding, new products, and other success. More on this below. |
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AND NOW SOME OPERATIONS NEWS |
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This Operations Update is provided with generous support from. |
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The latest PMI Index of 64.7% strongly supports the large economic gains reported for March. Big gains in employment and continued positive signals in production.
Last time the PMI registered this high was in Dec. 1983!
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Supply Chain delays & low inventories remain key challenges. |
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Raw material pricing keeps increasing across all industries.
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Supply Chain Update
Our sponsor, EPE Components, was so kind to provide the latest insights for several electronic component OEMs.
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Microchip, NXP, Raltron & Nexperia are announcing or will announce another round of price increases likely for the 2nd half of 2021.
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Renesas’s recent fire at their Naka factory in the Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Prefecture in Japan, will result in a minimum 120-day delay in manufacturing and likely includes part numbers R1LV1616SA-4SI#B1 & R1LV1616SA-4SI#S1 (ultra lower power async SRAMS).
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AC-DC, DC-DC products are affected by raw material shortages creating extended lead times in these power products.
- The latest component Leadtimes are:
- Murata - 42 wks
- Texas Instrument - 35 wks
- Bel Power - 22 wks
- XP Power - 26 wks
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Need Supply Chain expertise?
Try our Supply Chain Flat Rate Service!
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Would you join Clubhouse to discuss Boston Hardware Startup topics ? (check all that apply)
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Yep, but I need an invite.
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No, I unfortunately don't have an I-Phone.
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The Startup Update is provided with generous support from. |
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The US Air Force Lab with MassChallange accelerator program announced its second cohort. Ten startups were selected to participate in this competitive accelerator program and are meanwhile working with their special mentors from the US Air Force and MassChallange. More on this here. |
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Applications are open for the 36th New England Innovation Awards. Better hurry as the application deadline is April 30th. |
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Find the latest updates of the hottest Boston Startups here.
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Accion Systems added three 'heavyweight' company Advisors to expand their government efforts. Jeanne C. Foster, former executive at multiple U.S. intelligence agencies; Dr. Michael Griffin, former NASA Administrator and Department of Defense CTO; and Dr. Lisa Porter, former Department of Defense Deputy CTO, founding Director of IARPA, and Executive Vice President of In-Q-Tel. More on this here. (Source: PRWeb)
Clip Bike announced they raised a $1.57M seed round to further develop their product and help the world navigate in a cleaner and healthier way. Read more about this here. (Source: Clip)
Embr Labs introduced their Wave 2 product. A thermal Wellness wearable to improve Physical and emotional well-being. Find out more here. (Source: PRNewswire)
GelSight was the runner-up Champion in the highly competitive 2021 BostInno Tech Madness. Congrats! See the full bracket here. (Source: BostInno)
Optimus Ride announced that they are teaming up with Polaris to co-develop a new low-speed, electric, and self-driving vehicle. Find out more here. (Source: TheVerge)
AppHarvest acquired Root AI for $60M. AppHarvest said the game-changing advantage of Root AI's technology is in the data the robots can collect and will allow AppHarvest to maximize its sustainable harvesting methods even further. More on this here. (Source: Food Navigator)
Sunthetics Daniele Blanco, Co-founder, and CTO represents the US in the global "Own the Room" National Geographic film that follows 5 students on their journey to win one of the world's most prestigious competitions for student entrepreneurs. Here is a short video. (Source: National Geographic)
WaveSense secured a $15M new funding round to accelerate next-generation ADAS and autonomous features with the world's most precise and reliable Ground Positioning Radar (GPR). More details can be found here. (Source: Businesswire)
Tive acquired UK-based MyTracking Devices to expand its footprint in Northwestern Europe. Read more about this here. (Source: SupplyChainDive)
Waypoint Robotics partnered with Productive Robotics to make mobile manipulation accessible to small and mid-sized companies. More details can be found here. (Source: RoboticsTomorrow)
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ICYMI
Crypto goes mainstream. Time Magazine announced that it will accept payment in Bitcoin and will keep it on their Balance Sheet. NewWorldAccounting (Source: Decrypt)
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Just when you thought WFH couldn't get any worse. Let's buy some candles to recreate the smells of the office. From "Warm 96 page deck left on the printer" to "Zesty cleaning spray" HyperosmiaGalore (Source: Fast Company)
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NASA is mapping billions of Microbes on the ISS to better understand, prevent, and mitigate dangerous outbreaks in space. The journey to Mars is long. |
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You all have a great rest of your week!
Cheers,
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P.S. We are looking for Part-Time Buyers & Quality Engineers.
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