Latest news with #Leonardo.AI
Techday NZ
2 days ago
- Business
- Techday NZ
AWS invites global startups to apply for AI accelerator with USD $1 million credits
AWS has opened applications for the third cohort of its global Generative AI Accelerator programme, which aims to support early-stage startups building foundational generative AI technologies. Programme details The eight-week accelerator is designed to provide up to 40 selected startups worldwide—ten of which will be from the Asia-Pacific and Japan region—with up to USD $1 million in AWS credits, technical guidance and mentorship, go-to-market support, and access to AWS's generative AI technology stack. The focus for 2025 is on startups working on core generative AI technology, including model building, infrastructure, fine-tuning tools, and agentic workflows. AWS is seeking to support companies developing foundational elements that will underpin the next stage of AI advancements. Companies participating in the accelerator should have a functioning Minimum Viable Product (MVP), some customer traction, and a strong technical team; prior experience with AWS is not required. Participants will benefit from a hybrid programme, comprising virtual sessions and an in-person launch at AWS's headquarters in Seattle. The programme concludes with a showcase at the end of the eight weeks. Support for global inclusion The 2025 cohort will be selected from across North America, Asia Pacific and Japan, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Latin America. Startups building large language models, infrastructure tools, fine-tuning platforms, or foundational agents are especially encouraged to apply. AWS will also provide industry-specific mentoring, as well as support for companies operating at the infrastructure and application layers. In the words of Jon Jones, Vice President and Global Head of Startups at AWS: "We are now at a stage where virtually all startups will be applying generative AI to their business in one shape or form. That's why for this year's accelerator, we are honing our focus to support those startups developing the foundational technologies that will define what's possible with AI. This year's program is part of our continued commitment to accelerate generative AI innovation around the world by providing ground-breaking startups with the credits, mentorship, and visibility they need to scale with confidence." Impact from previous cohorts Since its launch, AWS reports over 100 startups have participated in the Generative AI Accelerator, reaching important milestones and contributing to industry transformation. Australian startup which developed a set of generative AI tools for creators, reduced video and image production times significantly and reached more than seven million users. This growth led to its acquisition by Canva in July 2024. Last year, four Australian startups—Contact Harald, Marqo, Relevance AI, and Splash Music—were selected for the programme. Their experiences underscore the value participants derive not only from technical enablement but also increased exposure and commercial support. Sharing insights into the programme's influence, Tiffany Bloomquist, Head of Startups, Asia-Pacific & Japan, AWS, commented: "Startups are at the forefront of generative AI innovation, and we're proud to support the bold founders who are redefining what's possible with AI. The third cohort of the AWS Generative AI Accelerator reflects our continued commitment to helping these builders scale generative AI innovation and bring real-world impact across industries. This program is more than just a launchpad for startups – it's also a powerful learning opportunity for us. These entrepreneurs keep us close to the pulse of innovation and inspire new ways we can harness the cloud and AI as a force for positive global change." Participant experiences Simon Kohl, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Latent Labs, which joined the 2024 cohort, said: "At Latent Labs, we are building AI foundation models to make biology programmable and accelerate and improve drug discovery. The AWS Generative AI Accelerator offered us a unique blend of technical depth and commercial reach, which was instrumental in accelerating both our platform capabilities and our market adoption. AWS moves quickly to adapt to the fast-evolving generative AI landscape, not just with infrastructure and tooling, but with programs designed to help generative AI startups scale. As a founder, you gain access to an ecosystem that understands both the demands of building cutting-edge AI systems and the importance of aligning those systems with real-world customer needs." Tracy Chan, Chief Executive Officer at Splash Music, shared the impact on their business: "At Splash Music, we're reimagining how music is created and discovered, transforming it from a background activity into the interactive, expressive experience Gen Z consumers connect with. The AWS accelerator was a game-changer for us. It gave us early access to cutting-edge AWS tools like SageMaker HyperPod and Trainium, plus hands-on support to migrate our models from a previous provider, significantly accelerating our research velocity and model performance. Beyond the tech, AWS's support with go-to-market strategy, public exposure, and hiring world-class talent helped us hit milestones faster than planned. For any startup building, GAIA is a no-brainer." Continued commitment The 2025 AWS Generative AI Accelerator is intended to maintain the momentum of the previous cohorts, supporting startups developing core generative AI technologies and fostering a diverse international community of founders and technical teams.
CNBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
5. Canva
Founders: Melanie Perkins (CEO), Cliff Obrecht, Cameron AdamsLaunched: 2012Headquarters: Sydney, AustraliaFunding: $589 millionValuation: $32 billionKey Technologies: N/AIndustry: Enterprise technologyPrevious appearances on Disruptor 50 list: 3 (No. 6 in 2024) Canva has become a go-to tool for anyone needing to create a sleek presentation deck, flyer, or social media post. But the Australian design platform, which aims to "democratize design," is now setting its sights far beyond individual creators. "Our goal was to take the entire design ecosystem, integrate it into one page, and then make it accessible to the whole world," co-founder and CEO Melanie Perkins told CNBC. The idea came from her own experience. As a teenager in Australia, Perkins would earn extra money by teaching other students how to use design programs offered by Microsoft and Adobe. Far from intuitive, students found the platforms "crazy hard." Perkins felt there had to be a better, more straightforward solution. "People would have to spend an entire semester learning where the buttons were, and that seemed completely ridiculous," Perkins told CNBC. Canva's bet on simplicity has paid off. The platform now serves more than 220 million monthly users across over 190 countries. In 2024, its annual recurring revenue reached $3 billion — roughly double that of 2023 — as visual content became essential in modern workplaces. It's also made a major push into the enterprise space. More than 95% of the Fortune 500, including HP and Snowflake, now use Canva. Canva Enterprise, made for teams of 100 or more people, includes security, reporting and brand management. Canva's expansion into the enterprise pits it against heavyweight competitors like Adobe Express, CapCut, and fellow Disruptor 50 firms Figma and Notion. To bolster its offerings, Canva made several high-profile acquisitions in 2024. It acquired Affinity, a suite of professional design tools, and which built Australia's first foundational AI model. These additions deepen Canva's capabilities in advanced editing and generative AI. Canva's platform now goes beyond design, including coding, photo editing, spreadsheet and AI chatbot features. On the corporate side, Canva opened new offices in San Francisco, Austin, and London, expanded its workforce by nearly 40%, and brought on Kelly Steckelberg, former finance head at Zoom, who helped the company go public in 2019, as CFO. Investors have taken notice. The company has raised $589 million to date from investors such as Blackbird Ventures, Felicis Ventures, and Goldman Sachs and was recently valued at $32 billion. Still, Canva faces broader questions about the use of AI in design. The company has embraced generative AI, prompting some critics to raise concerns about content safety, user safety and data use for AI training, but the company says it has earned users trust over the years. Perkins is optimistic about the potential for AI to be a democratizing force for Canva's 220 million customers around the world. "I think it's critically important that as the world of humanity, we use AI to truly lift up every single person who lives here, to help everyone have their basic human needs being met," she told CNBC. "And I think there is a huge opportunity for us to be dreaming bigger about what we want with technology accelerating. I think there is a huge opportunity to rethink what we're doing with it and ensuring that it's serving our needs."
