Latest news with #Vy
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Vercept Raises $16M With Google Legend And Dropbox Co-Founder Backing To Build Future Of Workflows With Vision-Based Mac App Called Vy
Vercept, a Seattle-based AI startup, has secured $16 million in seed funding to develop Vy, a computer vision-powered Mac application designed to automate digital workflows with a single natural language command, GeekWire reports. The company was founded by a group of former leaders from the Allen Institute for AI, and according to GeekWire, its backers include some of the most prominent names in tech, such as former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Google DeepMind chief scientist Jeff Dean, Dropbox (NASDAQ:DBX) co-founder Arash Ferdowsi, and Cruise founder Kyle Vogt. Don't Miss: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. The round was led by San Francisco-based venture firm Fifty Years, with participation from Point Nine and the AI2 Incubator, which was Vercept's first institutional investor, GeekWire says. Vy Uses Vision AI To Mimic Human Computer Interaction Vercept's flagship product, Vy, uses artificial intelligence to "see" and interpret screens the way a human does, allowing it to replicate complex workflows after observing them once, GeekWire reports. According to the company's website, Vercept was founded with the goal of radically rethinking how people interact with technology, aiming to replace the maze of menus and code-heavy workflows with a seamless, intuitive interface that feels like an extension of the user's mind. The company describes its mission as enabling users to do more with less effort, tackling tasks that were once considered too technical or time-consuming to attempt. Users can perform any digital task, such as filling out forms, organizing invoices, or creating content, while Vy records the actions, and then it automates those same tasks using natural language commands. Trending: Invest where it hurts — and help millions heal:. Unlike traditional robotic process automation tools, GeekWire says that Vy does not require pre-built application programming interfaces, connectors, or hardcoded steps to engage with software. Vercept CEO Kiana Ehsani told GeekWire that the product is a 'unified paradigm for interacting with the computer.' Ehsani previously led robotics and embodied AI projects at Ai2, while other Vercept co-founders include Oren Etzioni, the founding CEO of Ai2, and Matt Deitke, who worked on prominent AI projects like Molmo, ProcTHOR, and Objaverse, GeekWire reports. Luca Weihs, another co-founder, was a research manager and infrastructure lead at Ai2, focusing on AI agents and reinforcement learning. According to GeekWire, Ross Girshick, a pioneer in combining deep learning and computer vision, also joined the founding team after stints at Meta (NASDAQ:META) AI and has already found traction with a wide range of early adopters, from students using it to manage assignments to businesses automating administrative workflows. In one example, GeekWire reports that individuals with disabilities have integrated Vy with speech-to-text systems, allowing them to remotely operate computers and complete digital tasks independently. While user growth and revenue figures were not disclosed, Ehsani told GeekWire that the reception to Vy has exceeded expectations. Vercept currently employs eight full-time staff members. As major tech players like OpenAI, Google, and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) explore generative AI tools for task automation, GeekWire says that Vercept is differentiating itself with a visual-first solution that requires no technical setup or custom coding. Read Next: Here's what Americans think you need to be considered wealthy. Deloitte's fastest-growing software company partners with Amazon, Walmart & Target – Image: Midjourney Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Vercept Raises $16M With Google Legend And Dropbox Co-Founder Backing To Build Future Of Workflows With Vision-Based Mac App Called Vy originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Sign in to access your portfolio
Local Norway
22-04-2025
- Business
- Local Norway
Norway's Vy warns of significant rail disruption in eastern Norway
Train company Vy has warned network rail operator Bane Nor of potential issues for travellers, public broadcaster NRK reported. The reason is that the Sundland workshop in Drammen will be closed from April until August, meaning that more single set trains will be in use during rush hour – reducing capacity. The workshop is used to maintain around half of the trains that operate in the general Oslo area, and there could be up to 15 missing trains. The missing trains could lead to reduced timetables and more frequent cancellations. 'It [the work] is being done in a way that unfortunately has very big consequences for our customers, in that we do not get enough trains into traffic,' Vy's director of marketing and communications, Marius Holm, told public broadcaster NRK. The lines that could be affected by reduced capacity are the RE11, the R12, the R13, the R14 and the R21. Advertisement Holm said that Vy would've preferred if the work for the workshop had been carried out in a different way. The closure of the workshop will eventually see it rebuilt by 2027, which Vy said could affect train traffic well beyond the April to August window first projected. The rail tracks around eastern Norway are already among the most congested in the country, and issues with train travel in the region have contributed to national punctuality targets being missed several times in the past few years. READ ALSO: What are your rights if your train in Norway is delayed or cancelled?
Local Norway
13-02-2025
- Business
- Local Norway
Norway gives green light to controversial train firm merger
The merger process was supposed to begin at the turn of the year, but it was held up by the Norwegian Competition Authority, which ruled on Wednesday that there was no basis to halt Flytoget from becoming a subsidiary of state-owned Vy. 'After an overall assessment of the case, we have concluded that there is insufficient evidence that the merger significantly impedes effective competition and that there is, therefore, no basis for intervention,' Vegard Aandal-Nilsen from the Norwegian competition authority said. The watchdog looked into the merger as Vy and Flytoget are the only rail firms offering services between Drammen and Oslo Airport. As a result, the authorities were concerned that the lack of competition would lead to increased prices and worsened service. A completion date of 2028 has been set for the merging of the two state-owned train firms. When the merger was proposed last year, transport minister Jon-Ivar Nygård said passengers would eventually be able to use tickets across the same services. Under current rules, travellers with Vy cannot use their tickets on Flytoget services and vice versa, even though both companies stop at several of the same stops and use the same lines. Tickets for Vy's services from Oslo to the airport are currently around 100 kroner cheaper than Flytoget's and can be bought via the Ruter transport app, but these services also take around 10 minutes longer to get to the airport from the city centre. Norway's government has argued that merging the two firms would increase capacity for trains in and out of Oslo without building new infrastructure. However, union officials working in Flytoget, the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise, and opposition parties such as the Conservative Party and the Progress Party have been critical of the merger.
