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Artificial Intelligence Breakthroughs Lead to Unprecedented M&A Growth, Reveals Hampleton Partners’ Report

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Hampleton Partners’ latest analysis of the Artificial Intelligence M&A market reveals that over 150 deals were disclosed in 2018, up from 105 deals in 2017. The first half of 2019 is also showing impressive AI-related M&A momentum, with 65 deals already recorded and a total of near 100 deals forecast for the half-year only. In terms of market value, AI is forecast to grow from $21.46 billion in 2018 to $190 billion by 2025 – in other words, to grow nine-fold over the next seven-year period[1].

Heiko Garrelfs, sector principal, Hampleton Partners, said:
“Q1 2019 has set the pace for the rest of the year, with record-breaking M&A transaction volumes in two of three artificial intelligence sub-sectors. With the growth and competitiveness of many industries now dependent on the development of these AI technologies, strategic investors across all sectors and continents are stepping up their acquisitions and investments.

“Artificial intelligence is one of the fastest-moving sectors, thriving off great momentum and yielding game-changing outcomes.”

Artificial intelligence has moved from the experimental into the developmental phase of the innovation cycle. As the application of AI grows increasingly widespread across almost all verticals, several industries are now dependent on AI advancements to ensure their growth and competitiveness, including autonomous vehicles, IoT, healthtech, e-commerce, insurance and smart cities.

These industries look for artificial intelligence that can propel their next technology push, improve efficiency and productivity, streamline business models, and reduce latency and fragmentation.

Machine data analysis and edge AI
The first quarter of 2019 has proven a record period in M&A transaction volume for the machine data analysis sector with 46 deals.

Machine data analysis has recently shown an inclination towards Edge AI – i.e. running AI algorithms on edge devices such as smartphones or cars, rather than communicating with a central cloud or server – which allows devices to safeguard privacy, avoiding the purported insecurity of cloud-based data systems.

Edge computing also allows devices to process information locally and respond more quickly, which is vital for the development of Internet of Things (IoT) and autonomous vehicle technology, where immediate response is a necessity.

Computer vision
Computer vision experienced a stellar half-year in 2H 2018, mainly owing to growth in hot trends such as facial recognition, check-out-free retail or motion analysis, all of which enable the collection of more insights and provide information for future market opportunities.

Facial recognition is fast becoming a dominant form of biometric authentication, with early commercial applications in security, retail, payments and consumer electronics – Apple’s latest smartphone technology for Face ID logins and payments being one of the commercially popular use-cases. Retailers are also adopting the technology to recognise returning customers – a strategy used to offer special discounts as part of loyalty programmes.

Furthermore, as increasingly smart city infrastructure adopts security cameras, video analytics can be widely applied using facial recognition to detect and track offenders or suspects in public spaces.

Language analysis and conversational AI
Global tech companies east and west have focused heavily on Conversational AI. Google’s integration of Duplex – its new AI-driven automated reservation-making system – into the Pixel 3 smartphone, transformed the Google handheld device into an AI powerhouse.

However, Apple’s Siri has lagged far behind Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Assistant in terms of voice recognition ability and development. It was no surprise, therefore, that in February 2019 Apple acquired PullString, a speech recognition software development SaaS which enables businesses to build interrelated applications for IoT devices.

Many companies believe the problem is not the speech recognition technology itself, but the lack of focus and reasoning within these systems. As a result, intent detection – i.e. the ability to determine from context what the user wants – has become the new research focus area for speech recognition start-ups who are willing to challenge the hegemons and fill in the gaps in big tech AI.

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AeC Recognized by Frost & Sullivan for Leading the Customer Relationship Industry in Brazil

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AeC is the largest customer relationship company in Brazil and its reliable and customized customer care solutions help businesses create seamless end-user experiences.

SAN ANTONIO, March 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Frost & Sullivan recently researched the customer experience outsourcing services industry and, based on its findings, recognizes AeC with the 2023 Company of the Year Award. AeC is connecting technology with outstanding customer service to increase efficiency and optimize the customer’s business journey. AeC leverages artificial intelligence (AI), data intelligence, machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP), fraud prevention, and real human experiences to guarantee an optimal customer experience (CX) in its clients’ business operations.

The company helps businesses deliver a remarkable CX to remain competitive in the marketplace and meet its clients’ demands. It consistently aims to enhance end-user CX by carefully analyzing customer data, testing new business models, and adjusting its processes based on customer feedback.

AeC drives its clients’ digital transformations with innovative tools that provide superior business process outsourcing (BPO) services. The company launched Vision, an advanced and intuitive solution that allows managers to track agents’ performance and deliver effective support. Moreover, its AeC HR technology platform, Robbyson, assists businesses by increasing engagement and efficiency with AI to automatically estimate, suggest, and forecast outcomes.

“With a legacy of BPO services leadership, the company’s compelling value proposition underpins its sustained success. AeC holds a solid position with a diversified client base, serving industry leaders of every market, including four of the top five Brazilian unicorns and two of the top five energy organizations in Brazil,” said Sebastian Menutti, industry principal at Frost & Sullivan.

With its customer-centric approach, the company provides consulting and highly customized projects for its clients. AeC bases its operations on the core principle that its success depends on customer satisfaction. For this reason, the company meets with clients at the pre-sales stage to identify their specific business requirements and challenges to develop tailor-made solutions.

“The company acknowledges that offering a complete product portfolio that aligns with broader market trends (e.g., omnichannel customer services, automation capabilities, and tools that address security challenges) is a key differentiator. Therefore, it constantly leverages technology to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its services, such as automating processes and using data analytics to gain insights into end users’ behaviors and preferences,” noted Valentina Barcia, best practices research analyst at Frost & Sullivan.

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents a Company of the Year award to the organization that demonstrates excellence in terms of growth strategy and implementation in its field. The award recognizes a high degree of innovation with products and technologies, and the resulting leadership in terms of customer value and market penetration.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in various regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analyses, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.

About Frost & Sullivan

For six decades, Frost & Sullivan has been world-renowned for helping investors, corporate leaders, and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models, and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion.

Contact:

Kristen Moore
P: +1 (210) 247-3823
E: [email protected]

About AeC

AeC is a Brazilian technology company specializing in customer relations. Leading by innovation, the most outstanding is the warm way of dealing with people and applying cutting-edge technology in its processes, such as artificial intelligence, cloud services, analytics, and automation tools. For over 30 years, it has developed customized consumer experience solutions in the market, helping companies in different segments, such as digital businesses, fintech, financial sector, telecommunications, services, retail, insurance, energy, and health. Currently, AeC has more than 43,000 employees and is certified by the Great Place to Work Institute (GPTW).

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2374892/Frost_and_Sullivan_AeC_Award_Logo.jpg

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/C O R R E C T I O N — Roborock/

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Roborock Reports 2023 Full Year Financial Results

Achieving Record-breaking Financial Success and Reaching Historic High in Total Assets

HONG KONG, March 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Roborock, a global leader in ultra-intelligent home robotics engineered to simplify daily life, today announced its financial results for the full year ending December 31, 2023.

Roborock achieved remarkable financial success during the reporting period, posting revenue of 8.65 billion Yuan (US$1.22 billion), representing a significant 30.55% Year-On-Year increase. The company recorded a net profit of 2.05 billion Yuan (US$288 million), achieving an annual growth rate of 73.32%.

Roborock’s total assets reached an all-time high of 14.38 billion Yuan (US$2.02 billion), reflecting Year-On-Year growth of 32.71%. These achievements solidify Roborock’s position as one of the leading players in the smart vacuum industry. The company also recorded impressive overseas revenue, growing at a rate of 21.42%, while total robot vacuums shipments surpassed 2 million units.

“Ever since we founded Roborock back in 2014, our long-term mindset and unwavering commitment to focusing on delivering true value to our customers is what has gotten us to where we are today. It’s been an amazing journey, and we are truly proud to emerge as a global leader in smart vacuums.” said Richard Chang, Founder & CEO of Roborock.

“As we approach our 10-year anniversary, we are excited to introduce more of our cutting-edge vacuums, including the S8 MaxV Ultra which we unveiled at CES 2024. This flagship innovation represents our most technologically advanced one-stop cleaning solution to date, underlining our focus on enriching future lifestyles within the smart home ecosystem to enhance the quality of life for our customers worldwide.

Financial Performance Highlights

Sales and Net Profit

  • Total revenue recorded was 8.65 billion Yuan (US$1.22 billion)
  • Of this, 4.23 billion Yuan (US$595 million) is attributed to Roborock’s overseas operations, accounting for 49% of total revenue
  • Roborock’s overseas operation recorded a revenue growth of 21.42% compared to the previous year
  • The company achieved a net profit of 2.05 billion Yuan (US$288 million), with an annual growth rate of 73.32%
  • Roborock’s total assets reached a historic high of 14.38 billion Yuan (US$2.02 billion), reflecting a remarkable 32.71% Year-On-Year growth

Growth across Product Categories

  • Roborock’s total robot vacuums shipments surpassed 2 million units, generating an income of 8.09 billion Yuan income (US$1.14 billion) and achieving a Year-On-Year growth of 27.14%
  • Roborock experienced rapid growth across new product categories (product portfolios except robot vacuums), with an income of 554 million Yuan (US$78 million) income and a Year-On-Year growth of 109.4%

Research & Development

  • R&D expenditure amounted to 619 million Yuan (US$87 million), accounting for 7.15% of total revenue. This represents a year-on-year growth of 26.69%
  • During the reporting period, 522 new domestic and overseas patents were filed

Major accounting data and financial indicators in the past 3 years

(Unit: Yuan; Currency: RMB)

2023

2022

Year-On-Year
Growth (%)

Total Assets

14,376,641,614

10,833,053,890

32.71

Net assets
attributable to
shareholders of
listed companies

11,380,526,122

9,556,378,416

19.09

Revenue

8,653,783,788

6,628,716,402

30.55

Net profit
attributable to
shareholders of
listed companies

2,051,217,414

1,183,476,942

73.32

Net profit
attributable to
shareholders of
listed companies
after deducting
non-recurring
gains and losses

1,826,089,668

1,197,719,439

52.46

Net cash flow
from
operating activities

2,185,931,368

1,120,467,567

95.09

About Roborock

Roborock is committed to innovation in researching, developing, and producing home cleaning devices, particularly robotic, cordless, and wet/ dry vacuum cleaners. Every Roborock product has been designed with an eye on solving genuine problems, so Roborock customers can live better lives. Currently, Roborock is available in more than 40 countries, including the U.S., Germany, France, and Spain. The company operates out of four locations, with offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. For more information visit https://us.roborock.com/.

Exchange Rate Information

This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars at a specified rate solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to U.S. dollars and from U.S. dollars to RMB are made at a rate of 7.1132 Yuan to US$1.00, the spot exchange rate at the annual reporting date of December 31, 2023. The company makes no representation that the RMB or U.S. dollars amounts referred could be converted into U.S. dollars or RMB, as the case may be at any particular rate or at all.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2374470/Roborock_2023_Financial_Results.jpg

 

 

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Sleep interiors brand gets job offer from Peter Jones despite not securing investment in Dragons Den

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LONDON, March 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Tonight on BBC1, REMY founder Abeer Iqbal, entered the Den, and despite intense grilling and no investment, left with a six-figure job offer from Peter Jones

Abeer’s pitch began with the Dragon’s keen to experience his sleep-enhancing furniture. When Steven and Peter laid on his hero  ‘The Pod’, a reinvention of the beanbag, and under REMY’s best-selling ‘The Lounger’ weighted blankets, the dragons closed their eyes and pretended to snore. Which was ironic, as despite being told he’d enter the Den around 5pm, Abeer actually went in at 9.30pm, after the dragons had been receiving pitches since early that day, which to Abeer’s own admission “wasn’t easy”. Deborah Meaden said, “This might have been a fatal mistake to put your dragons to sleep before we start the pitch” – recognising that it had been a long day.

After 10+ years working in tech, helping multi-million pound businesses grow their empire at software giants like Shopify, Abeer experienced burn-out, which led him to develop REMY. Despite Abeer telling the dragons that he left the high-pressure industry due to stress and anxiety Peter Jones still offered him a job back in the rat race with a six-figure sum (which he still hasn’t taken). 

After leaving the Den, Abeer admitted feeling the “most anxious ever” and that he “just wanted to get back to his wife for a hug”.  Abeer shared, “I didn’t sleep for days, replaying every moment in my mind. I wanted to forget it.” But it’s not all bad, as Abeer explains, “the anxiety I experienced from the Den gave me a lightbulb moment and led me to create our most popular product yet – The Hugger Pillow. I needed a hug, so I created one”. 

Abeer continues, “I returned the next day to collect my items from the studio. I bumped into a fresh-faced Peter and Toukar in the carpark, they both praised my experience, Peter once again offered me a job and Toukar asked me to call him when I start the next business.”

The global ‘sleep economy’ is booming, projected to reach a record high of $585 billion this year. But Abeer felt he was unable to communicate this, “If I could have my time again, I would focus on the industry of Rest and Sleep rather than the specific products we were trying to innovate. I don’t think I articulated to the Dragon’s the size of the business opportunity that there is with REMY. In terms of what’s next, we are moving towards becoming a household name in rest and sleep but offering products in multiple categories.”

The Dragon that seemed to understand Abeer’s passion for this industry was Sara Davies, saying “I actually fundamentally don’t agree with what I’ve heard here. What I see in front of me, yes he is great at the e-commerce side of things but he gave up a career in corporate because he was passionate about this area. And if there’s one thing I know about business it’s that you will succeed when you pursue the thing you are passionate about. I wouldn’t discourage you to give up. Keep doing it and good luck. I think you could sell anything”.

You can watch Abeer Iqbal on Dragons’ Den on BBC iPlayer.

remysleep.com / @WEAREREMY

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2374872/REMY_Sleep_1.jpg

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