Empress Capital has just announced two investments that they have made to launch their Australian and New Zealand Artificial Intelligence fund. The two companies that they are backing are Airseed and Quintessence Labs.
An efficient and effective way of addressing deforestation
Airseed Technologies is an Australia-based company aiming to plant 100 million trees annually by 2024 to accelerate global-scale reforestation. Known for using drones, the company plants trees twenty-five times faster than traditional methods. Airseed also utilises patented seed-pod technology, artificial intelligence, and Geospatial mapping to re-vegetate logged and burned forests.
Airseed Technologies has developed a proprietary, innovative and scalable solution for reforestation and re-vegetation that is faster and cheaper than traditional manual planting practices.
The company has seen a lot of interest from large corporations looking to deploy the technology and they will be announcing some large partnerships in the coming months.
In light of the investment, the founder of Empress Capital, Yash Varma, said, "We believe Airseed Technologies has the team and the technology to be a game changer in so many ways. They have a highly scalable solution that is getting a lot of interest within Australia and overseas. Through their use of drones, artificial intelligence, patented seed pods, and unique commercial models, we believe they will have a positive impact on the world."
A new era for cybersecurity
Quintessence Labs is at the forefront of quantum cybersecurity, providing the strongest data protection to keep information safe against today's and tomorrow's threats. Their capabilities extend from quantum key generation and crypto-agile key management through quantum key distribution.
Quintessence Labs harnesses the power of quantum computing to prevent cyber-attacks, data theft, and the breakdown of information systems. The company believes it will be mainstream and become indispensable to cybersecurity. Quintessence Labs employs technologies like Quantum Random Number Generators, Quantum Key Distribution, and Quantum-Enabled Key Management for its security measures.
As humans demystify quantum computing, there is no telling what purpose it will be used for. The company also foresees the coming of a huge cybersecurity threat they call quantum risks a problem that can only be solved at a quantum level. Beyond protection from currently known cyber hazards, Quintessence Labs claims that its technology is also a preparation for unknown future threats.
Empress Capital general partner Yash Varma said, "we have invested in Quintessence Labs not just because they have a world-class team but also because of our belief that being Quantum safe will be required for future AI (and other) solutions. Many organizations will be exposed without this technology and we view this as a major threat for most organizations. We believe that it is a massive opportunity for companies like Quintessence Labs."
In 2021, Quintessence Labs secured a $25 Million investment from Main Sequence and TELUS Ventures, with participation from InterValley Ventures and Terry Snow's Capital Property Group. An investment from Chevron Technology Ventures in March 2022 pushed the total funds raised by the cybersecurity company to shy of $50 Million. The company said it would use the funds to deliver advanced quantum-enhanced cybersecurity solutions to large enterprise customers worldwide.
About Empress Capital
Empress Capital is a venture fund backing early-stage Australian & New Zealand Artificial Intelligence Companies. They focus on pre-seed and seed-stage investments. They also invest in a small number of later-stage companies like Quintessence Labs.
