Apprentice.io, a startup developing a conversational AI and augmented reality platform for pharmaceutical, biotech, and chemical companies, announced it has raised $7.5 million. CEO and cofounder Angelo Stracquatanio says the capital will enable Apprentice to scale to accommodate customer growth attributable to the pandemic.  Apprentice’s suite supports batch execution, with computer vision systems tailored to life sciences that understand how operators are interacting with equipment to provide real-time feedback. The platform allows managers to plan out batches and schedule campaigns for an entire year and to set parameters for batch runs so that every batch remains the same. Using AI and machine learning, Apprentice facilitates dynamic batch flows, data reporting, and data monitoring, and it integrates with existing enterprise systems to make batch record processes ostensibly faster.  The organization, which claims Fortune 100 clients in life sciences based in the U.S., Asia, South America, and Europe, says site deployments have increased 6 times since March as a result of the pandemic. To meet this demand, the company has been shipping lab technicians rapid deployment kits preconfigured with its augmented reality and intelligent software solutions.  Insight Partners led this latest investment, which brings the startup’s total raised to nearly $20 million, following an $8 million round in September 2018.

Ultromics, an Oxford, England-based artificial intelligence firm has raised $10 million in new capital from investors including the Mayo Clinic and is eyeing further expansion into the U.S.  Other existing shareholders including Barcelona health tech investment firm Nina Capital and Oxford Sciences Innovation also pitched in. The firm scored its first clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last year for its EchoGo Core, which automates the analysis of heart ultrasound scans.  A more advanced version of that product, the EchoGo Pro, can predict coronary artery disease from heart imaging, Ultromics said. The AI tool earned approval for use in Europe, with U.S. FDA clearance currently pending.  “Mayo Clinic and Nina Capital bring a strong track record and deep expertise in the health-tech sector. They will help our push into the U.S. market and accelerate the development of new innovations and services,” Ultromics CEO Ross Upton, PhD, said in a statement.  The company is also currently working with “several” providers in the states including Mayo, using its AI system to analyze how COVID-19 affects the heart.

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