Author: wp_archive_user

The Midas Touch: Investing in the future of gesture-based technology

The Midas Touch: Investing in the future of gesture-based technology

Aug 8, 2013 | , ,

View from the Mountain The physical and digital worlds are converging. The process has occurred over time, caused by the advent of sensors that turn physical events into digital data. The next iteration of convergence is here, and is set to explode onto the market: gesture-based technologies, which interpret and react to human movement. Gesture-tech has taken time to gain mainstream momentum. In 2010, The New York Times summed its history up nicely—it is “one of the most significant changes to human-device interfaces since the mouse appeared next to computers in the early 1980s, but no significant products have gotten much traction.” The lull is now over. The Explosion Gesture-tech’s applications are only limited by imagination. It can be applied to sign language, so the deaf can transcribe their movements into text. It has been applied in rehabilitative medicine, to dictate diagnostic robots interaction with patients. The entertainment industry also stands to benefit. Increasingly complex and realistic video games have been able to leverage the technology to build increasingly human movement in the models and refine artificial intelligence. Gesture-tech can even interpret and respond...

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Beam Me Up, Scotty! The Next Generation of Transportation Technology

Beam Me Up, Scotty! The Next Generation of Transportation Technology

Aug 5, 2013 | , , ,

Is it a bird? A plane? Neither, in fact; it’s the Hyperloop, the soon-to-be-released tube-based transportation system and newest brainchild of Elon Musk, founder of PayPal, Tesla, and SpaceX. Heralded as the “fifth mode of transportation” – the other four being the train, plane, automobile, and boat – the Hyperloop is expected to traverse the approximately 350 miles between San Fransisco and Los Angeles in 30 minutes, which averages to a speed of 700 miles per hour, just shy of the speed of sound. Can this be done? After spurring disruptive innovation in other industries, has Mr. Musk finally gone Hyperloopy? Or, like Ford with the popular automobile and the Wright brothers with the airplane, will this herald the new method of transportation that will forever change the rhythms of our lives? The Hyperloop is just one example of a larger trend towards the next generation of transportation, a shift that will indelibly change our lives. In this post, I would like to discuss 3 areas of  massive change : the Hyperloop personal space flight innovation for automobiles The...

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The Startup Nation’s Hall of Fame: The top M&A in Israeli history

The Startup Nation’s Hall of Fame: The top M&A in Israeli history

Jul 30, 2013 | , ,

As the question is posed in Start-up Nation, how could Israel, a country of 7.1 million people, have more high-tech start-ups and a larger venture capital industry per capita than any other country in the world? Authors Senor and Singer attribute the success of the high-tech world to two main factors, including immigration and mandatory military service to maintain the nation’s strong defense system. Moreover, the success of Israel’s high-tech sector has attracted an unprecedented amount of attention from business journalists around the world. The Israeli startup scene is booming. Six out of Israel’s top ten largest high-tech deals occurred in the past three years alone.  According to the IVC Research Center, 2012 was one of Israel’s most successful years for high-tech M&A in the past decade, and the Israeli M&A environment for 2013 has so far been up to par. All of these small (and large) success story are part of and form the miraculous history of the Startup Nation. Here’s a list of all the high-tech M&As in Israeli history. The Start-Up Nation’s Hall of Fame View more lists from OurCrowd...

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Immigration Innovation: Why Israel has world-class startups

Immigration Innovation: Why Israel has world-class startups

Jul 25, 2013 | , ,

According to a report conducted by the National Foundation for American Policy, 46% of top companies in America backed by venture capital had at least one immigrant founder. In Israeli society, the implication of this statistic resurfaces when looking at the influences of immigration in the startup world. Immigration policy in Israel reflects the positive sentiments towards newcomers and their role in the “Start-Up Nation,” in which players welcome the innovative ideas and talent brought by scientists, engineers, and business professionals. Since Israel’s re-establishment in 1948, Israelis and their descendants immigrated to the Jewish state after facing a long history of displacement, making Israel a nation of immigrants. There are over 70 represented nationalities in the state of Israel. This country’s story of its people’s migration explains part of the innovative culture and the illustrious chutzpah that is the “Startup Nation.” Perceptions of Immigration in Israeli Society Israel has had to focus on more than simply maintaining the strength and progression of its citizens within its surrounding borders; rather, its people were scattered around the world and consequently immigrants are...

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