Latest news with #AshleyLewis
Zawya
15-04-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Development Partners International launches DPI Venture Capital
DPI Venture Capital will provide investors access to pioneering, early stage, growth-orientated technology businesses across the Middle East and Africa. As part of the launch, DPI has completed a fund restructuring transaction to provide investment advice to the Nclude Fund, an established venture capital fund with $105 million in assets under management. DPI, through its Venture Capital team, will provide investment advisory services to the Nclude Fund, including its existing investments, and will be responsible for providing investment advisory services regarding further capital deployment. Ashley Lewis, Managing Partner and Head of DPI Venture Capital, along with a team based in Egypt, including Mohamed Aladdin, a General Partner, will be managing the DPI Venture Capital Platform and the Nclude Fund. London and Cairo – Development Partners International LLP ('DPI') is announcing the launch of DPI Venture Capital which will target investments in early stage, growth-orientated technology businesses across Africa. DPI has identified a unique opportunity to support early-stage companies and expand its strategy of investing in companies that positively impact the growing middle class in Africa. DPI has an eighteen-year track record of supporting growing innovation-led businesses, and its existing portfolio is embracing digitisation to improve access to a range of goods and services for Africa's growing population. DPI Venture Capital will be supported by the firm's reach in over 43 African countries and its investments across nearly a dozen sectors, including technology driven businesses. The launch coincides with the completion of a fund restructuring transaction by which DPI commenced advising the Nclude Innovation Fund LP ('Nclude'), a leading fintech fund in Egypt. With the completion of that transaction DPI has taken over the investment advisory responsibilities of the Fund which is the largest fintech focused fund in Africa. Since its establishment in March 2022, Nclude has invested over $28 million across nine transactions including companies such as Paymob, Khazna, Flapkap, and Connect Money. Nclude is backed by LPs from Egypt's largest national banks including Banque Misr, National Bank of Egypt, and Banque du Caire and joined by financial services focused LPs e-Finance Investment Group, EBC, and Mastercard. Nclude was launched with the support of the Central Bank of Egypt. Nclude has the ability to invest up to 30% of its commitments into deals in the wider Middle East and Africa region, to help such companies expand into Egypt. Egypt is a priority market for DPI. The organisation has invested nearly $850 million in Egypt in the last decade and has seen the power of digitisation via portfolio companies such as MNT-Halan and Kazyon. With DPI becoming the investment adviser of Nclude, the firm will now advise the entirety of the Fund's US$105 million of assets under management. DPI is striving to ensure that the fund contributes towards building a thriving FinTech ecosystem in Egypt and increase financial inclusion in the country. The launch of DPI Venture Capital and the completion of the Nclude transaction cements DPI's position as the premier Africa focused private investment adviser and advances the firm's ambitions to provide clients with a range of opportunities to impactfully invest in Africa. DPI Venture Capital is being led by Managing Partner Ashley Lewis and includes an experienced team of venture capital professionals including Mohamed Aladdin who has joined the team as a General Partner. Runa Alam, DPI Co-Founder and CEO said: 'By establishing DPI Venture Capital, DPI has fulfilled its long-standing ambition to provide investors with a range of investment strategies in Africa. The platform provides our limited partners with the opportunity to invest in Africa's most exciting companies from their very beginning. The completion of the Nclude transaction is an opportunity to build on the success of our previous investments in technology led companies and will empower our investors to add exposure to highly innovative growth-orientated businesses.' Ashley Lewis, Managing Partner at DPI Venture Capital said: 'The African venture capital ecosystem is still underpenetrated and there is a fantastic opportunity for Africa focused fund sponsors to make a significant impact on the ecosystem. DPI Venture Capital is excited to welcome the Nclude team, portfolio companies, and LPs to DPI and to expand on their experience and close relationships with Egypt's leading investors and tech visionaries.' About DPI DPI is an Africa focused, multi-strategy private investment firm with over US$3 billion in assets under management and co-investments across three funds, targeting high growth, impact-driven, and innovation-led companies. Since DPI was founded in 2007, its ADP funds have completed 33 investments and many exits across Africa. As a signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) and the Operating Principles for Impact Management, DPI promotes high ESG and Impact standards and seeks to contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. About Nclude Nclude is the region's first fintech innovation engine and the largest fintech focused venture capital platform in Africa. Partnering with Egypt's leading banks and financial system focused LPs, the firm's founder-centric strategy invests all the way from Seed funding to Series C, focused on innovative fintech businesses that help foster financial inclusion in Egypt and beyond. Media Contacts DPI Edelman Smithfield Joe Carton, Alfie Tisdall E: dpi@
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kairos Power's reactor plans for Oak Ridge and beyond
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first of two stories on Kairos Power's plans for building test reactors in Oak Ridge this decade and nuclear power plants next decade using two technologies based on Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) innovations. Three construction permits from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for three proposed advanced nuclear reactors that will be cooled with molten salt instead of the water used in conventional reactors. A partnership with Google, which wants nuclear power as a reliable source of electricity for its power-hungry data centers to be used to test artificial intelligence chatbots and other models. A completed excavation of an Oak Ridge site for the new reactors that will use uranium fuel, located where a gaseous diffusion plant once produced enriched uranium for nuclear power plants. Those were some of Kairos Power's achievements in the past year or so, starting in December 2023 when the first construction permit was granted to the company based in Alameda, California. An update on Kairos Power's progress in 2024 and timelines over the next decade for its advanced Generation IV nuclear reactor projects in Oak Ridge and elsewhere was provided by company officials during a recent Zoom call with a volunteer reporter for The Oak Ridger. Edward Blandford, Kairos Power's co-founder and chief technology officer, and Ashley Lewis, senior marketing communications manager, were on the call from California. On Dec. 12, 2023, the NRC voted to issue a construction permit to Kairos Power for the Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor. Kairos Power said that its first test reactor will show the company's capability to deliver nuclear heat as part of its quest to provide safe, affordable, carbon-free nuclear power to meet growing demands for electricity and to delay climate change. The 35-megawatt-thermal (35 MWt) high-temperature nuclear reactor, which will be cooled by a molten fluoride salt, was the first U.S. non-water-cooled reactor to receive a construction permit in more than 50 years. The company calls its concept the Kairos Power fluoride-salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor (KP-FHR) technology. In September 2023, the NRC accepted for review Kairos Power's construction permit applications for the Hermes 2 Demonstration Plant, which were submitted in July 2023. The demonstration plant would consist of two FHRs with power generation systems for producing steam to generate electricity that can be fed to the grid. On Nov. 21, 2024, Kairos Power received two construction permits from the NRC for the two 35-megawatt (35-MWt) reactors to be housed in the Hermes 2 Demonstration Plant in Oak Ridge. The heat from the reactors is carried by the molten salt coolant to the steam generation system. All three reactors will be built on the K-33 site, where a gaseous diffusion plant for enriching uranium was built in 1954, operated until 1985 and decommissioned and demolished in 2011. The site, known by many people as the "K-25 Site," is part of the Heritage Center industrial park, located in the East Tennessee Technology Park in Oak Ridge. In 2024, the K-33 site was excavated by a Kairos Power contractor, Barnard Construction Co. Inc., of Bozeman, Montana. Blandford, who lives in Oakland, California, said he spent part of the year in Oak Ridge, overseeing the excavation and working with other partners to 'repurpose the brownfield site.' Blandford is responsible for all engineering and technology development functions at Kairos Power. These include hardware demonstrations, fuel and salt supply infrastructure, manufacturing, supply chain and procurement, environmental health and safety, construction management and engineering operations. Asked about the excavation, Blandford said that the contractor, along with the environmental remediation support of Los Alamos Technical Associates (LATA), had to remove considerable amounts of underground concrete and electrical duct banks left over from the historic gaseous diffusion plant. Duct banks that protect underground electrical wires, footer pedestals and foundation footings below the surface soil were removed by Barnard staff. 'The concrete and other material, such as lead and asbestos, must be managed appropriately,' Blandford said. 'We are coordinating with the Department of Energy to ensure proper removal of material from the Hermes footprint. That's a process we're working through now.' A Kairos Power video provides 'excavation by the numbers' information on the work at the K-33 site: 4,900 cubic yards of topsoil, stripped and stockpiled on the site; 182 remnant concrete footers removed from the Hermes reactor footprint; 2,119 feet of remnant electrical duct banks removed; 52,900 cubic yards of soil, excavated and stockpiled onsite; 7,901 tons of densely, graded aggregate placed, and 17,000-plus staff hours completed by Kairos Power and its contractors. In July 2024, Barnard and Kairos Power began collaborating on the excavation and preparation of the K-33 site for the 2025 pouring of concrete for the foundations and construction of two buildings. They are Kairos Power's third non-nuclear, molten salt Engineering Test Unit (ETU 3.0), which should be complete by late 2025 or early 2026, and the structure for the Hermes 1 Demonstration Reactor, which will follow it. Kairos Power has projected that the Hermes 2 Demonstration Plant housing two reactors and a shared turbine will be built and ready to operate 'toward the end of the decade,' Lewis said. Results from the non-nuclear Engineering Test Unit series will inform the construction and operation of the Hermes reactors. Engineering Test Unit 1.0 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, demonstrated the largest FLiBe salt system ever built after the unit was loaded with 14 tons of lithium fluoride (LiF) and beryllium fluoride (BeF2), the salt coolant that the Hermes reactors will use to remove heat from TRISO fuel pebbles. In February 2024, ETU 1.0 completed its pumped salt operations using surrogate non-nuclear fuel pebbles. In a Jan. 30 news release, Kairos Power announced it had completed the design, fabrication and installation of the first internally produced reactor vessel for ETU 2.0, which is being completed in Albuquerque. 'It is the first reactor vessel to be fabricated in-house at Kairos Power's Manufacturing Development Campus in Albuquerque,' the news release stated. 'With ETU 2.0, the company is ramping up output of ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) U-stamped pressure vessels, advancing the production of specialized reactor components and gaining proficiency in modular construction methods.' ETU 3.0 and Hermes reactors will be built in Oak Ridge using modular construction techniques piloted at Kairos Power's Manufacturing Development Campus in Albuquerque. The reactor modules will be fabricated in Albuquerque and shipped to Oak Ridge for on-site assembly. This year, Blandford said, the next phase of construction involves putting in 51 drilled concrete piers on the K-33 site. Each pier of this deep foundation system consists of a large-diameter concrete cylinder formed by pouring fresh concrete and installing reinforcing steel into a drilled shaTft. Each pier will support an above-ground structure by transferring its weight to more stable soil or rock. Blandford said the drilled piers being currently built are for the non-nuclear ETU 3.0 building. The experience that the Barnard-Kairos team gains from that construction will help them put in the drilled piers for the Hermes 1 reactor later this year. This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Kairos Power's reactor plans for Oak Ridge and beyond
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Goals aplenty in Sunday league as North Watford score nine in cup victory
It was another morning of goals galore in the Watford Sunday League as 75 were scored in just 12 games, an average of 6.25 goals per match as six players also netted hat-tricks. For the second week running North Watford banged in nine goals as they beat Third Division promotion contenders Chorleywood Club AFC 9-3. An upset looked to be on the cards when Andy Pryor gave Chorleywood an early lead but the Premier Division leaders hit back with four goals before the break from Ashley Lewis, Gurkan Gokman, Bertie Saunders and James Mullane. They then put the game out of sight as Saunders completed his treble with further goals from Lewis, Lee Armitt and Jamie Speer. Chorleywood scored two late consolations as Pryor completed his hat-trick. A last-minute winner saw Hertfordshire Atheltic knock out West Herts. (Image: Supplied) There were no upsets in the third round as the four clubs expected to win did so. Two Premier Division sides with home advantage, Evergreen and St Josephs, both progressed against lower-ranked opponents. Evergreen beat Second Division Batchworth 3-0 after Max Sahota opened the scoring following a melee in the box from a corner in the first half. The win was wrapped up after the break thanks to a penalty converted by Joss Dunham and a one-on-one finish from Tom Verbana. St Josephs put five unanswered goals past First Division Sparta Phoenix, who had chances to draw level in the first half after going behind early on. Lewis Putman scored twice with the other goals coming from Owen Deamer, Dan Griggs and Chris Blunden. Hertfordshire Athletic were again the team in the mood for cup goals and drama, this time they won the all-Second Division tie against West Herts 4-3. Athletic took the lead after a Sam Nelmes cross was turned home by Max Davies. The advantage was doubled when a Chris Frater cross was hooked home by Jack McLaughlin. West Herts pulled one back after a defensive mix-up left Dylan Caton with an open goal just before the break. The Stags levelled in the second half when Caton scored his second, this time turning in a cross, and he completed his hat-trick after the ball was nodded back across the goal for another simple tap in. However, Athletic, who are gaining a deserved reputation for never giving in this season, levelled the tie when James Hicks clipped the ball out wide to Henry Gibbor who ran clear and squared for Cory Sayers to tap home. With penalties looming for a second successive week, Athletic snatched victory in the last minute when Gibbor scored from an Ed Rogers cross. In the tie between the leaders of divisions two and three, it was Woodside who ran out 5-1 winners against Bricket Wood Acorns. The home side took the lead after ten minutes through Jamie Dunlop's header. Josh Towle then doubled Woodside's advantage nine minutes later after breaking clear following a Tom Garratt flick-on. Ellis Constantinou made it 3-0 with a 25-yard strike just before the half hour mark, but Acorns pulled a goal back before half-time from Harrison Fisher. Constantinou added two more goals to complete his hat-trick in the first nine minutes of the second half. More action from Hertfordshire Athletic's cup success. (Image: Supplied) With leaders Forza Watford not in action, St Joseph's Reserves took the chance to cut the advantage at the top of the table to five points, with a game in hand, as they beat bottom-placed Watford Town 5-4 in a thriller. Joes took the lead thanks to an Anton Collins penalty before Umayr Anwar levelled with a well-taken finish after Adam Anwar slid the ball into his path. It was then Joes' turn to take control as Collins was put through on the left and pulled the ball back for Mitchell Tearle, who finished with a shot low into the corner. Dillon Hemington then finished from 12 yards before Collins made it 4-1. Despite being reduced to nine men, United battled back thanks to a Nitharshan Sellathurai header, only for Tearle to restore the three-goal cushion. United were not finished though, as Daanyaal Anwar converted a penalty and Sellathurai completed his brace. Third-placed Watford Town beat Watford Youth Sports 1st 2-1. After a goalless first half, it was Sports who went ahead early in the second period when Kyle Davis flicked the ball through for Luke Carey, who made no mistake from close range. They held that lead until the final ten minutes when a shot was blocked by the keeper into Alieu Gibril's path to tap home, and soon after Laurence Manning was brought down for a penalty which Alex Diaz converted. Everett Rovers kept in the promotion race as they beat Chess United 4-3. It looked to be an easy morning for Everett as they took a 3-0 lead into the break thanks to Lucas Roberts and a brace from Emmanuel Ojeah. Chess pulled a goal back from Sam Blackwood, Everett added to their tally through a header from Thomas Horton before Blackwood completed his hat-trick with two more goals. With the top two teams in cup action, the big game in the division saw two of the other promotion contenders face off as Watford Youth Sports 2nd moved above their opponents WD Bushey Rangers Reserves into third place in the table with a 4-0 victory. Gabriel Wright was Sports' star performer as he struck a hat-trick, opening the scoring with a clinical finish after a weighted pass from Oliver Frost. The second goal came from another superb piece of play by Frost. After receiving a pass from Louie Munci, Frost spotted Wright's run and delivered a lobbed pass behind the defence, Wright latched onto it and coolly slotted a low drive past the advancing keeper. After enduring a period of heavy pressure, Sports rounded off the win with two goals in the final 18 minutes. Jack Darnell-Brown produced a solo run from his own half, beating two defenders before unleashing a shot that was blocked with the rebound falling perfectly to Freddy Emmanuel Mocto, who rifled a low drive into the net from around 20 yards out. With ten minutes left, Callum Shellard's pass allowed Aldo Petagine to deliver a pin-point cross into the six-yard box where Wright met it with a composed side-footed finish to complete his hat-trick. Langleybury beat Inter 6-2 with Robbie Edgar and Tom Hedger both netting doubles, alongside goals from Ashley Defries and Toby Dixon. Tom Caton and Sorin Craciun replied for Inter. The win for Langleybury leaves them eight points clear of the bottom two. Once again this season, the bottom division is proving it is the most open and competitive in the league. FC Railway would have fancied their chances at home to Surely Wood, but it was the visitors who ran out 5-2 winners. Brett Fincham, Jordan Woodcock, George Barnett, Darius Murray and Keith McAspurn netted for the victors, with Nathan Tannian and Tom Coleman replying. Abbots Wanderers moved four points clear of the bottom two as they beat second-from-bottom Dome Bar 3-1, Tim Bracq, Matt Zanders and Jake Mepham with the goals, with Antwone Inglis replying. This win means the top seven clubs in the division are now separated by just nine points.
