A good month for Massachusetts startups

Hi all!

I love robots, but I am pretty sure my wife would kick me out if I insisted on the robotic night light in this month’s ICYMI section. Nice idea, poor execution.

There were lots of fun events in April and early May. It was good seeing many of you, and some of the team had massive fun, too.

The State of Manufacturing

The Manufacturing PMI Index contracted in April and registered 49.2%, down 1.1 percentage points compared to March’s reading of 50.3 percent.

The New Orders and Production both moved back into contraction territory.

The Backlog of Orders is down compared to the March reading.

Like many others, you might have wondered which technologies the massive CHIPS Act actually supports.

The McKinsey article provides excellent data on why leading-edge fabs are needed in the foreseeable future.

Generative AI: The next S-curve for the semiconductor industry? 

McKinsey dives deep into the subject, as generative AI applications such as ChatGPT and Sora rise and the demand for computational power is skyrocketing.

Massachusetts startups raised $900 million in venture capital in April, a significant increase from March’s $788.9 million and the February total of $410 million.

Massachusetts VC activity remains slow in Q1, according to Pitchbook and the National Venture Capital Association's latest report. There were 169 deals in Massachusetts in Q1 2024, down from 232 in Q4 2023.

LiftWave Inc., which does business as Rise Robotics, raised approximately $14.4 million in equity from 22 investors, according to a Form D dated April 22. Congrats Arron and team!

Cyvl Inc., a transportation infrastructure startup, raised $6 million in equity. The company uses 3D mapping sensors and A.I. to help government and civil engineers manage infrastructure.

Boston Dynamics retires its hydraulic humanoid robot ‘Atlas’ and announces its electric version. The new model has improved design, greater strength, and range of movements and is enough to retire the hydraulic version

In our April survey, we asked which proactive measures your company currently has in place to prevent supply chain disruptions.

The majority of our respondents said that diversifying suppliers (13.3%) and

regularly assessing supplier risks (13.3%) are their key measures to prevent future disruptions.

AI has emerged as a transformative force, revolutionizing industries and redefining the way organizations operate. The average number of AI capabilities in an organization has doubled in the past five years.

However, many organizations find themselves struggling to maintain this momentum as they scale their AI efforts.

Considering your organization's current AI initiatives and future plans, we'd like to know:

Explore NASA’s best photos of the year.

This robotic night lamp guides you to the bathroom at night…but it looks like a spider. TheFutureIsCreepy

The invisible seafaring industry that keeps the internet afloat. TheCloudUnderTheSea

Cheers,

Sign up HERE