AMP Robotics, a Denver, Colorado-based startup creating robotic systems that sort recyclable material, this morning announced it has closed a $55 million series B funding round led by XN. The startup says it will use the funds to scale its business operations and develop AI product applications that integrate into materials recovery facilities to increase recycling rates for its customers.Accor...

Asian stock markets have finished 2020 strong, leaving behind European and U.S. counterparts in the COVID-19 pandemic. Asian countries were more successful on the whole to reign in the spread of infections and to avoid prolonged shutdowns, but the fact that markets did not budge when the virus returned for second and third waves in South Korea and Japan did raise some eyebrows. In November, the...

From collaborations with celebrity pets to pet lifestyle products, luxury’s pet potential is huge in China — and certainly goes beyond pet accessories.[Moncler launched its first-ever dog wear collection in Fall 2020 with Poldo Couture. Photo: Courtesy of Moncler.]This week, top Chinese livestreamer Li Jiaqi’s five pet dogs are showcasing their short but high-profile careers at a trade show...

With sales down significantly in 2020, luxury retailers are reinventing themselves to survive.Infographic : https://bit.ly/3rSWWI1[bain]

A new fintech startup called EarlyBird wants to help families invest in their children’s financial futures. Through the EarlyBird mobile app, parents in just a few minutes can create a custodial account, also known as a UGMA (Uniform Gifts to Minors Act) account. These accounts typically allow a parent, aka the “custodian,” to invest in stocks, bonds, mutual funds and other securities on beh...

Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) are shell companies created with the sole intent to raise capital and buy a private organization, or a stake in a company. In 2020, 248 new SPACs went public, an increase of more than 300% from 2019.2020 was a record-breaking year for SPACs on many fronts. For instance, Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square Tontine Holdings raised $4 billion—the largest r...

In looking for ways to reduce carbon emissions, especially in the transportation industry, designers have proposed solutions that would decrease carbon emissions from delivery trucks. Why so specific? The problem with these short-distance deliveries is that they burn a disproportionate amount of fuel compared to the size of the package being dropped off.Here’s where we introduce the Beep, a se...

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted mobility, and its effects will linger well into next year. How will changing consumer preferences, technologies, and regulations shape the market in 2021?COVID-19 swept across the globe in a matter of months, jeopardizing lives, upending businesses, and setting off a worldwide economic slump. Consumers are intensely focused on health and have altered many lon...

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially granted Apple a second AirPods Pro patent relating to new input methods. This time Apple is researching ways of using a next-gen "through body" sensor system that would allow a user to touch their face in such a manner that it would be interpreted by AirPods Pro as a control request.Apple's granted patent describes systems, devices, and techniques rel...