While industries across the world are impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak leaving millions of companies and people in a state of confusion and panic, the tech ecosystem is coming up with helpful solutions. There are tech startups that are introducing innovative products to make sure it is possible to combat the global crisis. These European startups not only ensure that their innovative solutions help fight the pandemic but also intend to let businesses continue the way they have to be. Having said that, here is a list of weekly updates that you should know only on Silicon Canals.
Online food vs COVID-19
Italian AI-driven startup BOOM Imagestudio has launched a new service called BOOM@Home to help restaurants go online with professional photos during the ongoing lockdown. This service lets customers in the food industry receive high-quality images for their business. This way, even freelance photographers can continue earning a living during the lockdown in a safe way. Given that food delivery platforms have teamed up with restaurants during the global crisis, there is an increase in the demand for photos of dishes to be posted online and this is where BOOM@Home comes to play. The dishes are prepared by the restaurant for which the shoot will be previously booked and delivered directly to the photographer’s home to be photographed.
WonderWork for employees
Wonderflow, which is a leader in AI-driven feedback analysis has launched WonderWork, its which is a free employee feedback tool. During the COVID-19 crisis, companies can leverage this employee feedback tool to support new ways of working, improving employee well-being, and monitoring the same. Amsterdam-based company’s new tool WonderWork combines both Natural Language Processing (NLP) tech and the employee feedback analysis experience to support new ways of working and the team’s well-being. The free version of WonderWork supports companies with over 50 employees and provides real-time access to actionable insights.
Riccardo Osti, Wonderflow’s CEO says, “The idea behind WonderWork dates back to 2018 when, to serve one of our enterprise clients in the transportation industry, we have developed a technology to analyze drivers’ feedback and improve their work experience. In a few months, the company managed to implement corrective actions that grew drivers’ satisfaction by 100%. This incredible result pushed us to plan the development of a new version of Wonderflow, dedicated to employee feedback. The idea never managed to become real due to the vast amount of work required to serve the growing customer base of our flagship product, the Wonderboard.”
He adds, “We finally decided to speed up the development of Wonderwork with the spread of the Coronavirus epidemic, when from one day to another, millions of people had to work from home, losing direct contact with employers and colleagues. We wanted to develop a solution to help brands understand the new needs of their employees to better support them now and in the future. Hence, we created a task force, starting from our team of linguists and developers, and in less than a month, we launched Wonderwork. The software is built on the same artificial intelligence that runs our enterprise product, considered one of the global top-performers for text analysis. In line with the reason behind its creation, which is helping brands navigate these challenging times, we decided to give WonderWork for free for the entire year. I believe that this is a unique opportunity for enterprises and SMEs to digitise, putting the well-being of their employees to the first place”.
Patient care via imaging AI
Icometrix, a leading software solutions service provider based in Leuven (BE) and Chicago collaborated with universities and hospitals in a global initiative to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) in the fight against COVID-19. It has developed an AI algorithm called icolung, which received the CE-marking for clinical use in Europe. icolung has the potential of further decreasing workload in clinical practice by providing a fully automated and very reliable disease assessment. Such solutions can significantly alleviate the increasing burden on the ICU and allocate resources during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
Ex-Uber exec to establish European startup funding HQ in London
Expa was founded by serial entrepreneur and Uber co-founder Garrett Camp to help entrepreneurs create and launch new companies. Recently, Expa announced that industry veteran David Clark will join as its newest Partner. Based in London, Clark has experience working with fast-growing companies such as Uber and will focus on expanding Expa’s presence throughout Europe and funding European-based startups. Also, the ex-Uber executive will open a startup funding headquarters in London marking the debut of a new era for the startup studio Expa that helps early-stage startups with capital and a network of advisors and experts.
Wearable Health T-shirt
Chronolife, an AI company that specialises in digital health has secured Class IIa medical certification from EU for its medical-grade smart T-shirt called KeeSense. This wearable device is fitted with multiple sensors that continuously monitor ECG, abdominal respiration, thoracic respiration, skin temperature, physical activity, and thoracic impedance so that healthcare professionals can remotely track vital clinical data of patients. KeeSense T-shirt is designed for all-day use and can be reusable. It is washable just like any other piece of garment. The T-shirt transmits data to the smartphone paired with it via Bluetooth and this is sent to a secure and certified server to be monitored by the healthcare team.
Collaboration to accelerate on-demand delivery in rapid time
Paazl, a multi-carrier shipping platform offers the option for on-demand deliveries along with Packaly, a Dutch mobility startup. The collaboration between these platforms gives retailers the chance to debut on-demand deliveries quickly via the Paazl platform. As of now, Packaly is active in Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Utrecht, and The Hague. It is growing at a fast pace and delivers packages for several big retailers such as Decathlon within 60 minutes or the same evening between 5PM and 9PM. Eventually, Paazl customers can deliver within Packaly’s active cities the same evening or the next day.
Curbing online fraud
UK-based leading free credit score and credit marketplace ClearScore has launched a new service called ClearScore Protect. It is a free anti-fraud dark web monitoring service. It is said that more than 55% of UK customers are more worried about online fraud now during the COVID-19 pandemic than ever before. This signifies the importance of having thorough security measures in place for any personal online activity. And, this is why ClearScore Protect has been developed. It is a free service that monitors the dark web for any stolen passwords and notifying users about potential breaches once in three months. The stolen information will be shown on a page containing all the beached passwords and will let users know how to change them.
TNW announces new series of online events
TNW announces a new series of online events along with supporting partner We Are Live. These new events are meant to bring communities together to discuss the shifting landscape, explore solutions for recovery, and outline success strategies with the help of experts and decision-makers. Dubbed TNW Couch Conferences, these events will be centered around five key topics. The new series of events are Re: Brand, Sprint, Checkout, Ecosystems, and Transform and these will be held from May 29 to July 2. The largest TNW event will take place in October this year.
EUvsVirus hackathon concludes successfully
The largest-ever pan-European online hackathon initiated by the European Commission, #EUvsVirus to find practical solutions to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic witnessed the submission of over 2100 projects. In less than two weeks, the European Commission managed to unite more than 30 European hackathon organisers related to COVID-19 to create a task force over more than 400 volunteers to come up with innovative solutions aimed at combating the virus outbreak. And, the #EUvsVirus included more than 37 challenges segmented into six different domains. Over the weekend, the hackathon managed to bring people together out of their homes virtually so that they can work as a community to end the crisis.
Telehealth startup intends to reshape mental health
During the COVID-19 outbreak, telehealth services are focusing on treating mental health conditions remotely and Flow Neuroscience is one such startup that is widespread due to its social distancing efforts. The Flow brain stimulation headset lets users manage their depression at home. It is a one-of-its-kind telehealth treatment to be medically approved in the UK and EU. The Flow headset uses tDCS, a type of brain stimulation, which is listed as a treatment to cure depression on the NHS website. While using the headset, users can engage with a therapy app that will treat depression by improving nutrition, exercise, and sleep.
Main image picture credits: Flow Neuroscience
Stay tuned to Silicon Canals for more European technology news.
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