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Nearfield Instruments secures €135 million in landmark deep-tech funding round

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ROTTERDAM, the Netherlands, July 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Nearfield Instruments, the developer of state-of-the art Metrology & Inspection (M&I) solutions for the semiconductor manufacturing industry, today announced the successful closure of a €135 million Series-C funding round. The oversubscribed funding round is led by two new major investors, Walden Catalyst, an industry leading US venture capital firm helping the next generation of category-defining businesses in deep-tech, and Temasek, a global investor that also looks into opportunities in emerging technologies to solve complex and high impact challenges, and address market inflections. M&G Investments, a leading global asset manager, through its Catalyst strategy, is acting as a co-investor. The success of this round is further underscored by the participation of existing investors Innovation Industries, Invest-NL, and ING.

The growing complexities in advanced semiconductor manufacturing, driven by the surge in demand for higher performing and lower energy consuming chips, are addressed by Nearfield’s innovative process control solutions. These include the QUADRA 3D metrology system that provides non-destructive, high-throughput, and high-resolution metrology capabilities. Nearfield is deeply engaged with most major chip manufacturers globally, and QUADRA is fully validated and deployed in high-volume manufacturing.

Dr. Hamed Sadeghian, Co-Founder and CEO of Nearfield Instruments: “We are thrilled that Nearfield’s’ QUADRA 3D metrology system has been fully integrated into the first major high-volume semiconductor manufacturing fab. This milestone solidifies our pioneering role in advancing critical metrology for leading-edge nodes. With significant contributions from investment leaders, we are well positioned to meet the growing demand for Metrology & Inspection in the coming decade. This funding will enable us to ramp up production capacity, expand our product portfolio, and strengthen our position as a key player in the semiconductor equipment industry.”

The funding round is the second largest capital raise in the semiconductor fabrication equipment market in Europe and the US in the past 5 years, according to Mergermarket.

Young Sohn, Founding Managing Partner at Walden Catalyst: “Advanced semiconductors are the key pillars for global innovation and growth. The next generation of semiconductors will be driven by Advanced Lithography and 3D Integration, with smaller features, deeper trenches, and tighter tolerances. The high-volume manufacturing of these next gen devices requires new process control tools to enable higher yield and throughput, and Nearfield’s metrology solutions are critical for solving these process control challenges. We are excited to partner with Hamed and his world-class team to further accelerate Nearfield’s growth.”

As a Netherlands-based scale-up, Nearfield is embedded in the strong Dutch ecosystem of semiconductor innovation and investments, an industry that is expected to reach USD 1 trillion in global revenue by 2029. The funding round is the largest deep-tech investment round in the Netherlands and is yet another testimony of the country’s leading position in semiconductors globally.

Eric Meurice, Chairman of the Nearfield Instruments Supervisory Board: “This fantastic outcome enables us to accelerate Nearfield’s efforts to provide unique solutions to meet the industry’s metrology and inspection needs for the most advanced nodes. Providing process control and yield improvement is critical in this global industry. It is great to see the continued support of our shareholders combined with the onboarding of new industry-leading investors who will reinforce our global view and network and cement the company’s position as the leader in Metrology & Inspection.”

About Nearfield Instruments
Nearfield Instruments, a Netherlands based spin-off of Dutch research institute TNO, is bridging the semiconductor industry’s metrology and inspection challenges with in-line, non-destructive process control nanometrology solutions for advanced 3D memory and logic devices. Their groundbreaking technology combines high-resolution with high-throughput, essential for the production of advanced semiconductor nodes. Nearfield is headquartered in Rotterdam with offices in Eindhoven, The Netherlands and Pyeongtaek, South Korea.

For more information, visit www.nearfieldinstruments.com

About Walden Catalyst Ventures
Walden Catalyst is a venture capital firm helping early-stage companies in the U.S., Europe, and Israel build the next generation of category-defining businesses in deep-tech. The firm is led by Young Sohn and Lip-Bu Tan, deep-tech industry pioneers who between them have invested in more than 600 startups across the globe, of which 138 have gone on to IPO. Walden Catalyst is focused on deep- tech investments and their team of innovators and entrepreneurs are passionate about disruptive technologies and committed to excellence. This translates into unparalleled access to operational expertise, global reach, and a network of industry captains eager to help build and scale the companies of the future.

Visit us at www.waldencatalyst.com or follow @Walden Catalyst Ventures

About Temasek
Temasek is a global investment company headquartered in Singapore, with a net portfolio value of S$389 billion (€267b) as of 31 March 2024. Temasek’s Purpose “So Every Generation Prospers” guides it to make a difference for today’s and future generations. Operating on commercial principles, it seeks to deliver sustainable returns over the long term. Temasek has 13 offices in 9 countries around the world: Beijing, Hanoi, Mumbai, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Singapore in Asia; and Brussels, London, Mexico City, New York, Paris, San Francisco, and Washington, DC outside Asia. 

For more information, visit https://www.temasek.com.sg  

About M&G
M&G Investments is part of M&G plc, a savings and investment business, which listed as an independent company on the London Stock Exchange in October 2019. It has €396 billion of assets under management (as of 31 December 2023) and customers in the UK, Europe, the Americas and Asia. M&G has a rich heritage of investing in private markets through a range of strategies in its €84 billion Private Markets business. It launched Catalyst in 2021 a multi-billion purpose-led flexible private markets strategy which invests in innovative solutions to some of the world’s biggest environmental and social challenges on behalf of M&G’s Life business and its 4.7 million customers.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/nearfield-instruments-secures-135-million-in-landmark-deep-tech-funding-round-302199612.html

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Altimetrik Accelerates Enterprise AI Transformation with Google Cloud’s Gemini for Healthcare

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BENGALURU, India, Nov. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Altimetrik, an AI engineering company, has launched new industry-specific AI capabilities built on Google Cloud’s Gemini for healthcare to automate complex enterprise workflows. As an integration partner, Altimetrik will help healthcare organizations put agentic AI to work on their most complex operational challenges.

Together, Google Cloud and Altimetrik will put these capabilities to work by integrating AI with existing enterprise data, systems, and workflows for healthcare organizations. Combining Google Cloud’s advanced AI capabilities with Altimetrik’s healthcare domain expertise and enterprise engineering, the collaboration aims to streamline administrative processes, improve access to clinical and operational information, and support more effective care coordination.

Altimetrik will build and deploy these solutions using its ALTi AIOS™ framework, complementing Google Cloud’s technology with workflow orchestration, and governance. The framework incorporates agent permissions, auditability, and human oversight into solution design, enabling healthcare organizations to adopt agentic AI responsibly.

“Pilots are easy. Scaling is the hard part, especially when AI must operate within decades of established systems, data, and processes,” said Raj Sundaresan, CEO of Altimetrik. “In healthcare, AI must earn the trust of the people delivering care. Since joining Google Cloud’s AI-native partner cohort earlier this year, our forward-deployed engineers have been helping organizations move agentic AI from pilot to production through ALTi AIOS™, ensuring every agent is permissioned, auditable, and accountable. Gemini for healthcare provides a powerful foundation for the industry, and we are proud to build on that foundation as a launch partner, while keeping care teams firmly in control.”

“Healthcare organizations need solutions that bridge cutting-edge AI with day-to-day operational realities,” said Satish Thomas, Vice President, Google Cloud. “Our collaboration with Altimetrik brings Gemini directly into mission-critical workflows, helping healthcare leaders to streamline administrative processes, improve coordination, and make data more actionable.”

Altimetrik first partnered with Google Cloud earlier this year when it became a part of the company’s cohort of AI-native partners to scale agentic AI across the global enterprise.

Learn more about how Altimetrik is building governed, agentic solutions that help healthcare teams make more confident decisions.

About Altimetrik

Altimetrik is an AI engineering company helping some of the most revered and iconic enterprises modernize systems, data, and processes at the heart of their business, so they can move faster, operate more efficiently, and innovate continuously. Through ALTi AIOS™, its AI-native operating system, Altimetrik combines the latest AI capabilities with deep engineering expertise to help clients solve complex challenges, accelerate modernization, and deliver measurable outcomes at scale.

Altimetrik’s clients get access to the latest AI innovations while maintaining flexibility to choose the right technologies for their business, through trusted relationships with OpenAI, Google Gemini, Anthropic, Databricks, and major hyperscalers.

A member of the World Economic Forum’s Centre for AI Excellence, the Forum’s global hub for shaping responsible AI, Altimetrik is also recognized in the 2025 Constellation Research ShortList™ for Global AI Services and named a Major Contender in multiple Everest Group PEAK Matrix® assessments, including Software Product Engineering Services (2026), Enterprise Quality Engineering Services (2025), and Digital Engineering Services for BFSI and Life Sciences. Learn more at altimetrik.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/altimetrik-accelerates-enterprise-ai-transformation-with-google-clouds-gemini-for-healthcare-302935320.html

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20th Global Entrepreneurship Week China 2026 Kicks off in Shanghai

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SHANGHAI, Nov. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On November 10, 20th Global Entrepreneurship Week China 2026 (hereinafter referred to as “Entrepreneurship Week”) kicked off in Shanghai.

Running from November 10 to 14, 2026 for five days, this edition features more than 50 entrepreneurship events, bringing together over 100 distinguished global guests, representatives from nearly 500 cutting-edge tech enterprises and professional investment institutions, and more than 1,500 entrepreneurs.

By focusing on “Learning”, “Showcase”, “Matchmaking” and “Empowerment”, Global Entrepreneurship Week China builds an all-round entrepreneurship support ecosystem and creates an international platform for in-depth exchanges among entrepreneurs.

This year’s event further elevates its international profile. Jonathan Ortmans, Founder and President, Global Entrepreneurship Network, led a delegation of more than 20 international guests, including outstanding entrepreneur representatives and seasoned entrepreneurship mentors from the Republic of Korea, the United States, Chile, Germany, Egypt, New Zealand and other countries, to Global Entrepreneurship Week China, enabling Chinese and foreign entrepreneurs to share valuable experience from diverse entrepreneurial ecosystems with zero distance.

Taking the 20th anniversary as an opportunity, this year’s Entrepreneurship Week further highlights its role in disseminating innovative ideas. It features five themed days tailored to Shanghai’s industrial tracks, catering to the growth needs of entrepreneurs across the full lifecycle. Future Intelligence Day focuses on cutting-edge areas including intelligent computing, general AI, quantum technology and humanoid robots; Future Manufacturing & Materials Day focuses on sectors such as humanoid robots, precision intelligent equipment and flexible manufacturing; Future Energy Day focuses on controllable nuclear fusion, advanced nuclear energy, long-duration energy storage, hydrogen energy, solid-state batteries and other fields; Future Health Day covers tracks of brain-computer interface, cell and gene therapy, biomanufacturing and regenerative medicine; Angel Fund & Future Space Day centers on campus entrepreneurship, early-stage startup pitching, entrepreneurship research, commercial aerospace, low-altitude economy, future mobility and other themes.

More than 50 entrepreneurship activities including startup project pitching, achievement exhibitions, sci-tech innovation community exchanges, and cultural and sports interactions will be held successively on Fuxing Island. These activities build a platform for global entrepreneurs to connect technologies, capital and industrial resources, and the event will run through November 14.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/20th-global-entrepreneurship-week-china-2026-kicks-off-in-shanghai-302936055.html

SOURCE Global Entrepreneurship Week China

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Dragonpass Acquires iCoupon the Leading Global Voucher Redemption Network to Build International Loyalty-as-a-Service Platform

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Strategic Acquisition Combines Dragonpass’ Loyalty Infrastructure, Powering 35 of the World’s 50 Largest Banks, With iCoupon’s Vouchering Technology Supporting Over One Billion Passengers

SINGAPORE, Nov. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Dragonpass, the global travel and lifestyle benefits platform serving more than 45 million members worldwide, has announced the acquisition of iCoupon, the intelligent digital vouchering technology business whose network spans over 400 airports worldwide. The transaction represents a strategic expansion of Dragonpass’ technology and distribution capabilities, combining established financial services relationships with extensive airline and retail integrations to accelerate its development of a global loyalty-as-a-service platform.

The acquisition follows almost a decade of commercial collaboration between the two businesses, initially focused on delivering digital dining benefits across airports. While Dragonpass has developed its global presence through partnerships with financial institutions, including some of the world’s largest banks and payment networks, iCoupon has built complementary infrastructure connecting 200 airlines, over 400 airports and 4,000 retail units across 56 countries. The combination creates immediate opportunities to expand dining and retail offerings, alongside access to previously untapped solutions and customer segments across both networks.

In the near term, Dragonpass will focus on extending its dining and retail propositions through iCoupon’s established network, while introducing additional Dragonpass services to iCoupon’s airline and airport partners. Longer term, the business will explore how transferable integrations can support a wider lifestyle offering beyond aviation, creating opportunities to deliver relevant benefits across more frequent customer interactions. iCoupon’s existing team will remain in place, with its open-network model continuing to operate, ensuring continuity for existing partners while supporting new opportunities across the combined business.

Dragonpass acquires iCoupon following nearly a decade of collaboration, expanding its financial services, aviation and retail capabilities.iCoupon’s network spans over 200 airlines, 400+ airports and over 4,000 retail units across 56 countries, with support already available to over one billion passengers.iCoupon issued over £100 million in digital vouchers in 2025, demonstrating the scale of its existing distribution and redemption infrastructure.Dragonpass research finds 50% of Britons consider loyalty schemes outdated, while 76% value affordable everyday treats.The deal strengthens dining and retail offerings in the near term, supporting Dragonpass’ wider ambition to build a global loyalty-as-a-service platform

Jane Zhu, CEO & Co-founder at Dragonpass, shares:

“The acquisition of iCoupon represents a significant step in our strategy to build a global loyalty-as-a-service platform. Having worked together for almost a decade, we recognise the strength of its technology and network, and the immediate opportunity to expand our dining and retail offering while exploring applications across new lifestyle markets.

“The future of loyalty lies in connecting customer intelligence with relevant benefits at scale. By bringing together complementary distribution networks and investing in more intelligent engagement technology, we’re building the infrastructure to help our partners deliver greater value to customers, precisely when they need it.”

iCoupon’s technology enables airlines and other partners to distribute vouchers, discounts and customer entitlements through existing identifiers, including boarding passes, barcodes and QR codes. Integrated directly into participating retailers’ point-of-sale systems, its platform supports real-time redemption, transaction tracking and automated reconciliation. Having issued over £100 million in digital vouchers during 2025, including 12 million food and beverage entitlements, iCoupon has expanded into 13 technology modules spanning passenger care, retail and other travel services, providing Dragonpass with additional capabilities and new commercial opportunities.

Richard Bye, CEO and Co-founder at iCoupon, shares:

“For too long, loyalty has been constrained by fragmented ecosystems, disconnected rewards and experiences that often fail to reflect what customers genuinely value. This acquisition is about helping accelerate a shift away from traditional points-based programmes towards real-time, contextual engagement that delivers meaningful benefits exactly when and where they matter most. By combining Dragonpass’ global distribution and customer intelligence capabilities with iCoupon’s powerful airline connected redemption infrastructure, we are creating the foundations for a new generation of loyalty; one that is intelligent, frictionless and seamlessly embedded into the everyday lives of consumers around the world.”

Dragonpass’ nationally representative Comfort Index finds 50% of Brits consider loyalty schemes outdated, revealing the mounting pressure on traditional loyal models to demonstrate value while 48% of Brits are more likely to switch long-term providers due to rising costs, poor support or irrelevant rewards. Meanwhile, 69% say brands that reduce everyday friction are more likely to earn their loyalty. Demand for practical benefits is also growing, with 76% valuing affordable everyday treats, despite 56% worrying about the cost of dining, drinks and experiences.

This expansion forms part of Dragonpass’ broader investment in data orchestration and customer engagement technology. By connecting a wider global benefits supply chain with more intelligent distribution and personalisation capabilities, the company aims to address a longstanding challenge for enterprise loyalty programmes: sourcing relevant benefits across markets and delivering them through a seamless customer experience. Its longer-term strategy is to enable financial institutions, airlines and other partners to move beyond static rewards catalogues, offering benefits aligned with individual customer needs, while strengthening engagement and commercial value across its network.

About Dragonpass

Established in 2005, Dragonpass is a leading global travel and lifestyle platform, providing premium benefits and experiences to more than 45 million members worldwide. Its growing ecosystem spans travel, health and wellness, lifestyle and entertainment, with a global network covering more than 140 countries and regions and partnerships with more than 800 enterprises.

About iCoupon

iCoupon is a market-leading intelligent vouchering company with a global presence, specialising in the provision of digital vouchering services within the aviation industry and beyond. Collaborating with an extensive network of more than 200 airlines, spanning over 400 airports and in excess of 4,000 retail establishments, the company’s aim is to share value and place it where it counts. iCoupon leverages its unique technology to facilitate the seamless distribution of intelligent vouchers by airlines, airports, ground handlers and retailers directly to passenger boarding passes, enhancing the value-sharing experience.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/dragonpass-acquires-icoupon-the-leading-global-voucher-redemption-network-to-build-international-loyalty-as-a-service-platform-302936106.html

SOURCE Dragonpass

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