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Business Journals
13-05-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
German SaaS firm GBTEC opens Providence office
A German company that offers AI-powered business transformation services has opened an office in Providence. GBTEC is now up and running at 225 Dyer St. at the Cambridge Innovation Center. Providence is an "ideal launchpad" for its growth strategy in North America, the company said this week. The office is led by Scott Leddy, vice president USA of the GBTEC Group, headquartered in Bochum, Germany. GET TO KNOW YOUR CITY Find Local Events Near You Connect with a community of local professionals. Explore All Events 'The U.S. market holds tremendous potential for us. We're focused on building future-ready projects with our clients and positioning GBTEC as the go-to SaaS partner for digital process excellence in North America," said Leddy. GBTEC provides business process modeling. It offers enterprise architecture management, digital process automation, and software for compliance, risk and governance. The company said its new office allows for closer collaboration with local clients who want faster execution of digital transformation initiatives on-site. It's the second U.S. office for GBTEC, which also has a location in Delaware. In addition to its headquarters in Germany, GBTEC has offices in Spain, Australia, and the U.K. It employs around 300 people globally. 'The growth of our U.S. operations is a core element of our international strategy,' said GBTEC co-founder Marc Stromberg. The global SaaS market size was valued at $266 billion in 2023 and expected to grow at a compound rate of 20% through 2032, according to Fortune Business Insights. The growth comes as companies seek automation, secure cloud-based solutions, and data-driven analytics to compete in today's economy.
Miami Herald
12-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
How one brand is transforming the THC soda industry
The alcohol industry has seen some major changes over the last decade that you may have noticed. First, there was the overwhelming adoption of White Claw in 2019, which you could hardly miss if you went anywhere where drinks were being sold. It seemed everyone was holding that white can with the colorful strip at one point in time; it was simply the drink of choice for a while. You may have been bewildered as to what the fuss was all about if you actually tasted one - seltzer and a whiff of fruit air freshener was definitely the effect one got - but hey, it was trendy, right? While White Claw's luster has come and gone, it paved the way for canned ready-to-drink cocktails like no other product - and not just alcohol-infused options, either. In fact, it was only about a year after White Claw's big debut that another trend started to gain a major foothold in the beverage market: THC seltzers. Related: Struggling whiskey company closes operations, no bankruptcy yet These drinks often contain a small amount of Delta 9 THC - typically less than 10 mg - and can be sold legally in many states, depending on their laws. People really embrace the drinks as an alternative to alcohol that allows them to enjoy themselves and relax, not to mention skip the traditional hangover. Consumers are clearly enamored with these drinks for a myriad of reasons, from seeking out a healthier alcohol alternative to experiencing new ways to chill. The global cannabis beverage market hit an astonishing 2.04 million in 2023 and is projected to hit 117.05 billion by 2032, according to Fortune Business Insights. It's clearly a market with a great runway, so it's no wonder so many new businesses are jumping into the mix. That said, a lot of THC drinks on the market don't taste great (think: hempy or weedy) or are hard to consistently find at your local liquor store. So while there's great potential for the product, there are still many problems to solve. That's where Plift comes in. Image source: Shutterstock While many people want in on the burgeoning THC soda industry, co-founder Todd Harris, one of the three people behind the brand Plift, has a much more personal reason for founding his brand. "I was an alcoholic," says Harris, who told TheStreet that his mother also struggled with alcohol dependence. Years of drinking and masking in social situations eventually wore down Harris' battery, making him turn to recovery and abstinence. It was then that he began to consider THC sodas, first consuming them and then deciding to build Plift with co-founders Glenn McAfresh and Andrea Slinde. "The name is one letter short of 'Uplift,' because it's missing you," Harris said. Related: White Claw creator adds a whole new alcohol line The Black-owned brand has been on the market for only three years but has seen great success. Harris thinks that's due to a mix of factors, one being that the drinks actually taste good. All three flavors are based on classic cocktails, making them recognizable to consumers and appealing to drink. Another thing Harris cares deeply about is making Plift accessible to all markets. At $9.99 for a six-pack, it's an affordable product, and it can also be found through beer and wine retailers. Total Wine also carries it, making it easy for many people to find. Today, Harris says that since swapping out his alcohol use for cannabis sodas, he's been a much better father, spouse, friend, and business partner, and has increased awareness of his social battery. But perhaps best of all, Harris was able to introduce his mother to the world of cannabis sodas, which he says she now reaches for instead of alcohol. "If nothing else comes from this business, I helped an alcoholic of 50 years to change," Harris said. The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
TechCrunch
05-05-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
Datadog acquires Eppo, a feature flagging and experimentation platform
Datadog is on an acquisition spree. Just a few weeks after snatching up Metaplane, an AI-powered observability startup, the cloud monitoring and security company has acquired Eppo, a feature flagging and experimentation platform. Eppo will continue supporting existing customers and bringing on new ones under the brand 'Eppo by Datadog.' Terms of the deal weren't disclosed, but a report last week from Ustarts Media suggested Datadog was planning to pay $220 million. Despite the demand for tools that let developers experiment with different versions of apps, the infrastructure required for product analytics remains relatively complex to build. Beyond data pipelines and statistical methods, experimentation infrastructure relies on analytics workflows often sourced from difficult-to-configure cloud environments. In an interview two years ago, Eppo co-founder and CEO Che Sharma told TechCrunch that Eppo was inspired by his experiences building experimentation platforms as a data scientist at Airbnb and Webflow, a website builder. Eppo offers what Sharma called 'confidence intervals' to make it easier to understand and interpret the results of a randomized app experiment. The platform supports experimentation with AI and machine learning models, leveraging techniques to perform live experiments that show whether one model is outperforming another. While plenty of startups have emerged in recent years to abstract away the app experimentation infrastructure, including Split, Statsig, and Optimizely, Eppo has managed to stand out in the crowded field. The San Francisco, California-based company raised $47.5 million from VC firms including Innovation Endeavors, Menlo Ventures, and Amplify Partners prior to its exit, according to CrunchBase. Eppo had around 15 employees as of June 2022, when the startup was valued at $80 million. Back then, Eppo's customer base included Goldbelly, Netlify, and Kumu, among others. Techcrunch event Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you've built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you've built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | BOOK NOW 'Eppo wants to bring a high velocity, experiment-first culture to companies of every size, stage, and industry,' Sharma said in a press release. 'With Datadog, we are uniting product analytics, feature management, AI, and experimentation capabilities for businesses to reduce risk, learn quickly, and ship high-quality products.' For Datadog, which recently reported a better-than-expected net profit but a revenue forecast that fell below what analysts expected, the Eppo buy could bolster the company's current product analytics solutions. The sector is a large and healthy one. According to Fortune Business Insights, the global market for product analytics was worth $9.09 billion last year and could reach $27.01 billion by 2032. 'The use of multiple AI models increases the complexity of deploying applications in production,' Michael Whetten, VP of Product at Datadog, said in a statement. 'Experimentation solves this correlation and measurement problem, enabling teams to compare multiple models side-by-side, determine user engagement against cost tradeoffs, and ultimately build AI products that deliver measurable value.'
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
2 Quantum Computing Stocks to Buy Right Now
Quantum computing represents the next technological frontier, potentially revolutionizing fields from drug discovery to cybersecurity. The global quantum computing market is expected to grow exponentially in the coming decades. These two companies are foundational players in the quantum computing revolution. Quantum computing stands at the precipice of transforming our technological landscape. In 1981, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman first proposed the concept of quantum computers, recognizing that classical machines could never efficiently simulate quantum systems. Unlike classical computers that process information in binary bits (0s and 1s), quantum computers leverage quantum mechanics principles (superposition and entanglement) to rapidly perform complex calculations. This revolutionary approach promises to solve problems previously deemed impossible, from drug discovery and materials science to financial modeling and artificial intelligence (AI) optimization. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » Though still in its nascent development phase, the quantum computing market is rapidly accelerating toward commercial viability. According to Fortune Business Insights, the market value is projected to rise from $1.2 billion in 2024 to $12.6 billion by 2032, reflecting a remarkable compound annual growth rate of 35%. This trajectory offers astute investors a rare ground-floor opportunity in what could be the defining technological innovation of the 21st century. Here is an overview of two big tech companies poised to capitalize on quantum computing's extraordinary potential. Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) has established a formidable presence in quantum computing through its cloud division, Amazon Web Services (AWS). In 2019, AWS launched Amazon Braket, a specialized quantum computing service that offers developers and researchers pay-as-you-go access to various quantum hardware platforms, including those from IonQ, Rigetti Computing, and QuEra Computing. This marketplace approach allows customers to experiment with different quantum technologies without a massive up-front capital investment or an extensive development timeline. Amazon isn't a one-trick pony only in the quantum realm, however. In February 2025, AWS unveiled Ocelot, its first in-house quantum chip designed to tackle quantum error correction -- the primary obstacle to practical quantum computing. Ocelot's architecture reduces error-correction resource requirements by up to 90% compared to conventional approaches, potentially accelerating the timetable for commercially viable quantum computing applications. For investors, Amazon's strategy minimizes technological risk while leveraging AWS' dominant cloud market position to monetize quantum computing regardless of which hardware approach ultimately prevails. As enterprises begin exploring quantum applications for optimization problems, drug discovery, and financial modeling, AWS stands to benefit as both service provider and technology developer. International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM) is quantum computing's frontrunner, thanks to decades of consistent investment and innovation in the groundbreaking tech. In April 2025, IBM announced plans to invest $150 billion in America over the next five years, including more than $30 billion specifically for research and development to advance its manufacturing of mainframe and quantum computers. This commitment strengthens IBM's position as the operator of what it calls the world's largest fleet of quantum computing systems. IBM's quantum roadmap has reached significant milestones with the deployment of the Condor and Heron processors. The 1,121-qubit Condor processor represents a breakthrough in scale with a 50% increase in qubit density, while the 133-qubit Heron processor delivers 3 to 5 times higher performance over previous generations. In 2024, IBM demonstrated that Heron can execute circuits with 5,000 two-qubit gates, a critical threshold that moves quantum computing into the realm of practical utility. Looking forward, the company has extended its quantum roadmap through 2033, planning increasingly powerful systems capable of executing more complex quantum circuits. IBM projects a major inflection point in 2029 with its Starling processor executing 100 million gates over 200 qubits, followed by Blue Jay reaching 1 billion gates across 2,000 qubits by 2033. For investors, IBM's dual focus on quantum hardware advancement and cloud-based quantum services provides multiple revenue opportunities as the industry transitions from experimental to commercial applications. Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you'll want to hear this. On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a 'Double Down' stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you're worried you've already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it's too late. And the numbers speak for themselves: Nvidia: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009, you'd have $296,928!* Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you'd have $38,933!* Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you'd have $623,685!* Right now, we're issuing 'Double Down' alerts for three incredible companies, available when you join , and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon.*Stock Advisor returns as of April 28, 2025 John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. George Budwell has positions in IonQ and Rigetti Computing. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon and International Business Machines. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 2 Quantum Computing Stocks to Buy Right Now was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
2 Millionaire-Maker Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stocks
Roblox has done a great job with growth and has massive potential. Upstart has been leveraging AI to improve its capabilities. These aren't low-risk stocks, but they have tremendous potential. There is no shortage of opportunities in artificial intelligence (AI) stocks. Quite frankly, AI is such a massive tech trend that there is room for many long-term winners. However, some companies have a rare combination of incredible growth momentum and massive (and largely untapped) market opportunities. Here are two AI stocks in particular that I own in my personal portfolio that could grow to many times their current size in the years to come. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » Gaming and metaverse platform Roblox (NYSE: RBLX) has been growing rapidly. In the first quarter, bookings grew by 31% year over year, and free cash flow more than doubled to $426.5 million. There are now nearly 98 million daily active users (DAUs), 26% more than a year ago, and as a particularly good sign, the number of paying users is growing at an even faster 29% rate. All of the first quarter numbers were above management's recent guidance. Just how big could Roblox get? Management has said that its long-term goal is to have 1 billion active users in its ecosystem, which would be more than 10x the current size of the business. If the company can achieve this and expand its profit margins to a level comparable to other software businesses, it could be a home run for investors. There are lots of potential catalysts that could help take Roblox to the next level. For example, there's a new affiliate program that could bring more content creators onto the platform, and the AI potential for Roblox's platform is truly limitless. In addition to the core gaming business, management has discussed other potential use cases for the platform, like e-commerce, academics, and entertainment, In fact, the global metaverse market itself is expected to roughly 10x in size from 2024 through 2032, according to Fortune Business Insights, so it's completely conceivable that Roblox could grow by the same amount or even more. Upstart (NASDAQ: UPST) is trading for about 88% less than its all-time high reached in 2021, but its business is far stronger today than it was back then. The company, which uses proprietary AI models to approve loans on behalf of third-party banks, reported impressive results for 2024 and has massive potential over the long term. We'll start with the recent numbers. In the fourth quarter of 2024, Upstart reported 56% year-over-year revenue growth, $38.8 million in adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), up from less than $1 million in the year-ago period. The company expects its first billion-dollar revenue year ever in 2025, and that includes the pandemic-era days when loan demand was off the charts. Plus, data shows that Upstart's lending model does a better job of predicting risk than the traditional FICO model alone. Upstart's personal loan origination business has plenty of room to grow, but it's the two newer lending verticals, auto lending and home equity lines of credit (HELOCs), that are most exciting. The auto loan industry is more than four times the size of the personal loan market, and due to soaring real estate values and high interest rates, U.S. homeowners are sitting on about $35 trillion in home equity. The two expansion markets currently make up less than 4% of Upstart's volume, but the recent momentum is encouraging. Auto loan and HELOC origination volume increased, respectively, by 61% and 59% sequentially in the fourth quarter, and that's in an environment where interest rates are historically high and consumer confidence is low. If we get a falling-rate environment over the next couple of years, as many experts think we will, it could be a massive catalyst to take Upstart to the next level. Before you buy stock in Roblox, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Roblox wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $623,685!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $701,781!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 906% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 164% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of April 28, 2025 Matt Frankel has positions in Roblox and Upstart and has the following options: short December 2025 $95 calls on Upstart. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Roblox and Upstart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 2 Millionaire-Maker Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stocks was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
