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Efficiently Manage & Optimize Distributed Energy Resources with FSIGHT

We chatted with FSIGHT’s CEO, Emek Sadot! FSIGHT offers state-of-the-art artificial intelligence software solutions that allow the energy service provider to predict, optimize and trade energy on behalf of the end user. In this episode, Emek shares FSIGHT’s critical role in effectively managing distributed energy, explains the changes that occurred resulting in end-users actively participating in the energy transition, and discusses how FSIGHT’s solution brings value to SAP customers and contributes to the greater good and a more sustainable reality.

Customer Success

“We just ran a successful pilot with a very large European utilities company, and we improved their forecasting efficiency and results by 2x. We are in the process of closing a deal with them, and will actively pursue other utilities based on this success story.”

Standing Out from the Competition

“We realized that one crucial component is missing in the energy transition: how to manage these distributed energy resources in order to make the grid sustainable and allow the energy reseller and the end-user to save money and be greener. FSIGHT addresses the void of how you manage and optimize these resources across the board for the benefit of the end-user, the benefit of the utility, and the benefit for all stakeholders.”

Working With SAP

“FSIGHT brings innovation, creates value, and quickly seizes new market opportunities through our technologies in artificial intelligence and machine learning. In order to scale and replicate our solution, we need the right partners. SAP brings a global presence and large customer base, and we find a spark in SAP’s people, its agenda, and in the music.”

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BigID Data Security Platform is SAP.iO’s First Startup Unicorn

SAP.iO reveals in its 2020 Impact and Insight Report that BigID, one of the its early investments and an SAP Solution Extension Partner, is the first startup unicorn in the SAP.iO portfolio with a valuation of over $1 billion. The company’s data security platform helps organisations secure customer data, satisfy privacy regulations, and manage risks.

According to the Wall Street Journal, following the emergence of increased remote work (brought on by the global COVID-19 pandemic) and a rise in high-profile cyberattacks, risk-management and cybersecurity startups are in the spotlight among venture capitalists.

SAP.iO, SAP’s early-stage venture-capital arm, invested an undisclosed sum in BigID in multiple rounds between 2017 and 2019. As of December 2020, BigID announced a $70 million Series D on a valuation of $1 billion. 

In 2019, BigID and SAP forged a global reseller agreement, allowing SAP to sell two BigID powered products: SAP Privacy Management application by BigID and SAP Data Mapping and Protection application by BigID.

Now, more than ever, effectively managing risk and privacy compliance associated with big data is critical and a must for organisations. 

John Licata, Vice President and Fellow at SAP.iO Startup Accelerator explains:

“Data is increasingly valuable, and the backbone to AI, so tapping next-generation cybersecurity technologies is no longer a nice have. It’s a requirement to secure data and leverage it for growth opportunities. At least it should be for the modern enterprise that will witness over 500 billion connected things by 2030.”

Driving Innovation in Data Security

BigID is a recognised as a leader in data-centric personal data discovery and privacy, intelligence and automation. The cybersecurity startup has been bestowed with several awards for its innovative privacy technology, including:

  • 2018 RSA Conference Innovation Sandbox winner
  • CB Insights 2018 Cyber Defender
  • Network Products Guide 2018 IT World Awards “Hot Company of the Year” winner
  • 2019 InformationWeek Vendor to Watch
  • 2019 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer
  • 2020 Forbes Cloud 100
  • Business Insider 2020 AI Startup to Watch
  • Database Trend-Setting Products 2020

Dimitri Sirota, CEO and co-founder of BigID, explains how the startup’s data security platform provide the best of breed point solutions that address enterprise security gaps:

“Since starting in 2016, BigID has aimed to rethink how organisations provide data accountability to their customers through more intelligent data accounting. Before BigID, data privacy was largely about policy and process. BigID put data at the center, redefining how enterprises find, manage and protect their most important asset: their customer and employee data.”

The BigID data security platform leverages advanced machine learning (ML) and identity intelligence to help enterprises better protect their customer and employee data at petabyte scale. BigID’s technology enables organisations to manage IT complexities, minimise risk, and comply with ememerging data protection regulations such as the Europian Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

BigID also plans to expand its marketplace to third-party developers, offering them the ability to build applications on top of its data security platform. According to Sirota, the company aims to further accelerate sales and marketing in 2021.

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Zippin Hires Former VP of SSP and Aramark, Gary Jacobus, to Lead Business Development

Zippin, an industry leader in checkout-free technologies for brick-and-mortar retail, today announced it has hired veteran business development executive, Gary Jacobus, as Senior Vice President, Business Development. Most recently, Jacobus was with SSP America, the leading operator of food & beverage concessions in travel locations, where he grew the business by over $470 million in annual revenue during his three-year tenure. His proven track record within the sports, entertainment and transportation venue verticals will help to further expand Zippin’s footprint in these core markets.

Previously he held a similar role within Aramark’s Sports and Entertainment Division which serves professional and collegiate sports stadiums & arenas, convention centers and amphitheaters. He also held senior business development positions with the NBA, NFL, IMG and the United States Tennis Association.

“As retailers look beyond the pandemic, they see a world changed forever,” said Zippin CEO Krishna Motukuri. “Technologies that would normally take several years to achieve mass adoption have become commonplace in a matter of months, and frictionless retail is no exception. Gary’s expertise will help continue our momentum and take advantage of the demand we’re experiencing. His knowledge in both the airport business channels and pro and collegiate sports venues makes him the ideal candidate to lead our global expansion.”

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Seven Entrepreneurs and Experts Tell You What it Takes to be an energenius in the Utilities World

Trying to break in to the utilities field? Check out these words of wisdom from energy experts from our latest podcast mini-series, energenius! 

Emek Sadot, CEO of FSIGHT

“It’s really about the combination of two things: You need to have a deep understanding of the market and its pain point, and you need to have the right technology to address the pain point and its perceived value. Once you have that, you can found a startup, build and motivate a team — the whole nine yards. But you need to understand what is really needed, and bring the technology that makes the difference.”

Listen to FSIGHT’s full podcast episode here. 

Chris Law, Founder & CEO of Future Grid

“You have to be a bit crazy. We are in a very big, regulated, and slow-to-move market. You have to have a strong vision for where the market is going, and you have to have a plan that’s going to sustain you for when the market is ready. The trick in energy, since the cycle is so long, is that you need to have an idea that you can sell now, even if that’s not your end-game, in order to make money and sustain you, and then plan for the market to be ready for your product.”

Listen to Future Grid’s full podcast episode here. 

Bert Lutje Berenbroek, Founder & CEO of NET2GRID

“You need a passion to make this place a better world and make sure we are tackling all of the challenges that the energy transition brings us. We are just trying to deliver our piece of the big puzzle that it is. It is all about cooperation. We can do only so much, and you need to interact with many different partner companies, many different customers, many different stakeholders to make this happen. And it takes a lot of creativity, discipline, and flexibility to work together, but in the end, that’s the recipe to success.”

Listen to NET2GRID’s full podcast episode here

Oliver van der Mond, Co-Founder & CEO of Lemonbeat

“What is actually necessary is that you can think beyond just energy-related applications. You are using what the energy industry brings to the table, like large networks and a large asset base, but I think what is necessary that you then have the vision or the creativity to think outside of pure energy-related use cases. Let’s say with Amazon, they started with selling books online, but that was not the vision. If they would have just said ‘OK — we are the biggest dealer for books online, and all of the stuff we want to offer our customers has to do with selling books,’ I don’t know if we would have the Amazon Echo today. You need to be courageous and forward-looking enough to think what kind of data you can get out of this.”

Listen to Lemonbeat’s full podcast episode here. 

Florian Kaiser, Co-Founder & CTO of OXYGEN TECHNOLOGIES

“No matter whether it’s in the energy industry or not, the important thing is that you don’t just take it as it is and think you can’t change anything. It’s important to realize that you can make a change and if you try hard, you will get the opportunity to change the status quo. There is a huge transition in the next 15–20 years in the utilities industry, I think it needs more people with IT skills or engineers that will really sit together and imagine the future energy system and how it could work with those millions of devices. And it needs good partners! The energy transition is a huge challenge, and we need to partner and put our forces together.”

Listen to OXYGEN TECHNOLOGIES’ full podcast episode here. 

Michael Waldner, Co-Founder & CEO of Pexapark

“To be open to new things, to be positive-minded and see the glass half-full, and for every problem, to see there will be a solution. Maybe it’s my naive optimism, but that is how I think. You need to stay connected with the market. Be in continuous exchange with other clients and providers. Also, you need to stay up-to-date; there is a lot of cool innovation outside of our company in the market, and you should discuss with these companies what could change in the business. We actually developed an app called :, where all the renewable energy players can get a track record in the market and connect with other like-minded people.”

Listen to Pexapark’s full podcast episode here. 

Mike Goldstein, Co-Founder and Chairman of Raycatch

“Anybody can become an energenius! We have been active in the solar energy for the last ten years, building projects, designing and developing electronics and equipment. But, five years ago, we saw an interesting phenomenon — that even though people had the data, they didn’t know to appreciate the value or the gold they had in their own hands. So, we decided that was our opportunity. This is just one example. We believe that if you pay attention and keep your focus, you’ll find enough opportunities within the growing solar energy, where you can be an expert in the domain that you choose to focus on.”

Listen to Raycatch’s full podcast episode here. 

In Their Own Words: The 7 Startups Leading the Energy Transformation to a More Sustainable Future

With forty five of the fifty top utilities companies in the world running SAP solutions, SAP is a leading force in helping utilities light the way as the world transitions to a more sustainable, renewable, and digital energy reality. Through SAP.iO Foundry Tel Aviv’s latest accelerator program, SAP.iO along with SAP Utilities business unit has been working closely with seven selected startups to create new integrations and joint offerings for our utilities clients.

Here is your chance to meet the seven startups and learn about their customer successes, how they stand out from the competition, and the value they bring to SAP’s utilities clients.

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15 companies to look for in 2021

2020 witnessed a plethora of changes, particularly with tech companies cementing their place on the market. I expect more of the same as I head into 2021. Before discussing the 15 companies to look for in 2021, you ought to be aware of four major industries that have drastically affected online presence, leads, and revenue generation. These four industries are Email Marketing, eCommerce, CyberSecurity, and Customer Experience.

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Sompo Japan Selects EasySend No-Code Customer Journey Platform

Sompo Japan (Tokyo), the second-largest non-life insurance company in Japan, has selected EasySend (Tel Aviv) to introduce the vendor’s no-code digital customer journey platform into Sompo’s marine insurance accident notification system.

To meet customers’ evolving needs and expectations, Sompo Japan reports that it has devoted three digital labs, in Tokyo, Tel Aviv, and Silicon Valley. Sompo Digital Labs focus on promoting digital transformation, exploring innovative, emerging start-ups, and conducting joint proof-of-concept projects with SOMPO Holding’s different business units. According to a joint statement from Sompo and EasySend, Sompo Digital Labs played a key role in introducing EasySend’s no-code development platform to Sompo Japan, resulting in a commercial agreement between the two companies aiming to improve Sompo Japan’s customer experience (CX) and work efficiency.

EasySend provides a cloud-based, no-code development platform to insurance and other financial service companies in Europe, the United States, and Israel. The company says it transforms paperwork into digital journeys in a very short period of time. EasySend says its platform does not require any programming expertise and allows non-developers to create digital journeys quickly and easily with an intuitive drag-and-drop interface and pre-made templates. The firm asserts that its platform greatly improves CX and reduces time-to-market as well as operational costs. By continuously developing digital journeys to improve customer experience and operational efficiency, EasySend says it enables businesses to flexibly respond to the ever-changing business environment and customer needs.

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Archlet secures $2.8m to fuel its growth

Procurement software company Archlet offering an AI-based strategic sourcing platform, today announces that it has completed a $2.8 million oversubscribed seed round led by Munich-based Senovo and Berlin-based La Famiglia. The funds will fuel growth and allow the startup to democratize data-based decision making in strategic sourcing. 

Alongside Senovo and La Famiglia are further investors including Nicolaus Schefenacker, David Nothacker and Julius Köhler, the founders of unicorn start-up sennder. Existing investors Wingman Ventures, Flavio Pfaffhauser (Founder of Beekeeper) and Karin Hagen-Gierer (Chief Procurement Officer at Ardagh Group) also participated in the round. 

The capital will enable Archlet to address supply chain challenges as companies are under increasing pressure to create bottom-line savings through their procurement departments while also incorporating non-price parameters in order to diversify risks, increase sustainability and improve supplier diversity. This pressure was greater than ever in 2020 when global supply chains were put under unprecedented stress due to the global pandemic crisis. Existing sourcing software solutions are mainly focused on simple price analysis, and they are complicated to use, making sourcing a tedious experience for company buyers.

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AI Plus IoT Are Among The Most Important Ingredients In Pandemic Vaccine Cold-Chain

The combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and internet of things (IoT) technology may be the biggest disruption to the industrial refrigeration industry since the invention of the first commercial ice-making machine two centuries ago.  

In this second year of a modern pandemic, startup Youtiligent has developed an AIoT-based technology to help companies keep vaccines cold across complex distribution supply chains. Moving far beyond sensor-based temperature monitoring, Youtiligent’s promise is to securely capture real-time electric power anomalies in onsite commercial refrigerators, allowing distributors to take action before vaccine spoilage.

“Sensors that capture when a product’s temperature has decreased below the acceptable degree range are not effective when it comes to distributing something like the coronavirus vaccine,” said Avichai Belitsky, co-founder of Youtiligent. “We combined AI with IoT technology to deliver real-time alerts for cost-effective predictive and preventive maintenance. Organizations can act faster in making data-driven business decisions based on what’s happening in real-time, such as sending in a repair technician, before it’s too late.”

EKG for cooling appliances

Based in Israel, Youtiligent is piloting its offering with healthcare organizations in that country. Belitsky also expected high interest from refrigeration manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies, as well as medical and other institutions with clinics, pharmacies, and research labs, such as hospitals and universities. The startup continues to serve customers in its original target markets that include the food and beverage and retail industries.

“This is what we call ‘EKG for appliances,’ tracking electric current across compressors, engines, and pumps that power any cooling machine, whether it’s making ice cream to be sold the next week, or cooling expensive chemicals that researchers safely store and use over many years,” said Belitsky. “Every machine action has a unique fingerprint, and being able to track each one with algorithms yields valuable, actionable insights.”

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Exploring How Diversity Fuels Innovation at the Intersection of Supply Chain, Technology, Sustainability, and Gender Equity with Sallie Jian

In episode 50, you’ll hear insights on top skills needed in the tech world, what’s driving leadership in global supply chains, the common threads of success in scaling innovation, and how to leverage the SDGs in your partnerships and hiring practices.

Listen as Sallie Jian shares why she decided to lead the SAP.iO NY foundry.

Shippeo Secures $32M Investment From Battery Ventures and Existing Investors, Bringing Total Funds Raised to $71M Since Launch

Shippeo, the European leader in real-time transportation visibility (RTTV), today announces a $32 million investment. This new round is co-led by Battery Ventures, a global, technology focused investment firm and existing investors (NGP Capital, ETF Partners, Partech and Bpifrance Digital Venture). Shippeo will use the investment to strengthen its market-leading position and continue delivering on product innovation.

The Covid-19 crisis has highlighted the need for supply-chain visibility, with major shippers across industries needing enhanced transparency more than ever before. With many countries in lockdown and with unpredictable border closures, companies with advanced visibility solutions managed to mitigate transport delays and the associated operational inefficiencies. Beyond tracking shipments, visibility platforms now give supply chains the data-driven transparency to meet varying customer demands in uncertain and challenging market conditions.

Despite the unprecedented global economic impact of Covid-19, Shippeo has more than doubled its subscription revenues year on year, while successfully increasing its customer base in 2020 with major industrial brands and fourth-party logistics providers such as Kuehne+Nagel, Total, Hager or Krone. Last October, Shippeo acquired the French company oPhone, bringing major customers in the retail and manufacturing sectors into its community. Finally, Shippeo’s total workforce has more than doubled in the last 12 months, now totaling 160 employees, of which 45% work in R&D.

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The Ascent Podcast – LaaS: Leadership as a Service

In episode six of the Ascent podcast, Andrew Tarvin speaks with Vanessa Liu, Vice President of SAP.iO Foundries North America. They discuss topics including diversity and inclusion in the start-up community, habits of successful entrepreneurs, and Vanessa’s experience working with founders at SAP’s accelerator. Andrew and Vanessa also discuss thoughts on their outlook for 2021 and the changing nature of the start-up community.

Listen in here…

SAP Invests in Accounts Receivable Solutions with Newest Venture Paid Pronto

SAP’s newest employee-led venture, Paid Pronto by SAP, is an application that automates accounts receivable processes. It has received seed investment and officially joined SAP.iO Venture Studio with the goal of building a new growth business to impact SAP’s business and customers.

SAP.iO Venture Studio cultivates an environment for in-house innovation by investing in small, entrepreneurial teams to build, launch, and scale products that address some of the biggest problems in enterprise. SAP employees are encouraged to tap into their entrepreneurial spirit to pitch product ideas to the program. After a competitive selection process, the founders can develop their product inside the company.

The idea for Paid Pronto came out of an understanding of how difficult and time-consuming the process of collecting money can be for businesses. In the U.S., Atradius reports that 47% of invoices are not paid on time, and approximately two of every three late invoices still are not paid after another 30 days. Typically, to get a customer to pay these invoices, teams have to manually follow up to understand why customers aren’t paying, help them work through issues like billing disputes and invoice updates, and update internal teams on progress.

At enterprise scale, this is a massive undertaking. Keeping up with all of these processes for thousands of invoices and customers can often prove to be challenging. Therefore, improving accounts receivable operations can provide significant benefits for working capital management.

Paid Pronto aims to drive cash into businesses faster by accelerating receivable processes through automation. It does this by automating standardized tasks, like customer correspondence, to support receivables teams in covering their large book of customers. Through the automated communication solution, customers receive personalized and easy-to-digest reminders beginning when an invoice is first released until payment is received. These communications help ensure customers have full transparency into what they owe and can flag issues or questions earlier in the process.

Paid Pronto aims to deliver value to enterprises in three ways. First, it increases the total cash collected by improving customer response rates and getting more customers to pay their invoices. Second, it decreases the days of outstanding sales by surfacing issues sooner. And third, it helps reduce the total number of open invoices, limiting the number of items a collector needs to follow-up on.

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