GPS tech could ease racetrack injuries for horses | Digibee raises $60 million in funding round
GPS tech could cut down on horse injuries/deaths
LOUISVILLE, KY—Renowned Kentucky racetrack Churchill Downs has suspended their operations in order to review on why 12 horses died at the track last month. Officials will look at data from sensors made to monitor horses during morning workouts that have been used since the Spring Meet. The goal is to eventually use a sensor on every horse in training to reduce the number of catastrophic injuries during races. StrideSafe, the company who created the sensors, is also located in Louisville.
Purdue University opens Hypersonics and Applied Research Facility
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN—Purdue University has opened a new facility dedicated to enhancing the school’s capabilities in hypersonics evaluation and testing. Purdue leaders and industry folks celebrated the opening of the Hypersonics and Applied Research Facility (HARF), a $41 million, 65,000-square-foot building that is home to two cutting-edge wind tunnels – the only Mach 8 quiet wind tunnel in the world and the hypersonic pulse (HYPULSE) reflected shock/expansion tunnel. The tunnels recreate different scenarios, such as spacecraft re-entry or missile flight through the atmosphere, as well as replicating unique engine conditions for extremely high-speed propulsion.
AI could curb deaths of preterm babies
ST. LOUIS, MO—According to the World Health Organization, in 2020 an estimated 13.4 million babies were born preterm (before 37 completed weeks of gestation). Complications from preterm birth are the leading cause of death among children under 5 years of age. Three-quarters of these deaths could be prevented with current, cost-effective interventions. Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis are looking to improve those odds through the use of artificial intelligence. They have developed a deep learning model that can predict preterm births by analyzing electrical activity in the woman’s uterus during pregnancy.
RxLightning closes on $17.5 million in fresh capital
NEW ALBANY, IN–Frustrated by the manual, paper-based process of the specialty medication enrollment process, Julia Regan and her co-founder Brad Allen, launched their own company in 2020—RxLightning. After only three years in existence the company has just closed on $17.5 million in fresh capital, making its total capital raised to $20.5 million. The round was led by LRVHealth, with participation from McKesson Ventures and existing investors Novartis. The company plans to triple its workforce with the infusion. (Here’s an interview we did with CEO Julia Regan when the company first launched.)
Digibee raises $60 million in Series B funding round
WESTON, FL—Digibee, a company that offers a low-code platform for solving complex integrations across critical systems, has raised $60 million in a Series B funding round. The round was led by Goldman Sachs with participation from Leadwind, Southern Europe, Vivo Ventures, Brazilian telco Vivo, Kinea, and G2D. Digibee, which has roughly 250-plus customers, plans to expand its workforce to over 300 people by the end of the year.