Clark Parsons

Could Austria be Europe's next #XR hub? We believe so. Last year when we first hosted AWE in Vienna, I was amazed to discover how many companies are involved with #immersive #tech there. It's fantastic. Thanks to Kirstie Pickering of Sifted for this article and to Georgeta Bocșe for pointing it out to our team. Also it's cool to note that Martin Herdina, one of our Start-Up Pitch Competition judges is featured. We'll have a lot of great sessions & booths at #awe2024 that highlight Austrian businesses and one in particular comes to mind. For anyone interested in the status of XR in the region, I'd definitely recommend "XR in Europe: Corporate Client Stories from Austria," a panel featuring Matthias Grabner | AI Austria, Dr. Larissa Neuburger | FHWien der WKW, JUNGHWO PARK | Umdasch Group, Sehrschön Harald | Fill, and Alexander Schlager | WienIT GmbH. This is going to be an excellent session. If you don't have a ticket yet, you can use the code SPKR24D for 20% off. We'll see you soon! #VR #AR #MR #emerging #technology #womenintech #enterprise #business https://lnkd.in/eg_6fsNf

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Blockchain interoperability can not be the responsibility of a single project, it needs to be an industry-wide effort, argues Temujin Louie. https://lnkd.in/gfXQQeVd

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How AI lies, cheats, and grovels to succeed - and what we need to do about it https://lnkd.in/dxU7GP3t #technie #tech #technology

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Long live post quantum encryption! Enter Google new breakthrough Willow quantum computing chip. https://lnkd.in/dU5RS4eq "Today in Nature, we published results showing that the more qubits we use in Willow, the more we reduce errors, and the more quantum the system becomes. We tested ever-larger arrays of physical qubits, scaling up from a grid of 3x3 encoded qubits, to a grid of 5x5, to a grid of 7x7 — and each time, using our latest advances in quantum error correction, we were able to cut the error rate in half." The full research paper was published in Nature: https://lnkd.in/dGC_RG3T

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AT SXSW 2025, SANDY CARTER BUSTS MYTHS "10 Myths Busted: The Real Impact of AI and Emerging Tech" is the presentation that Sandy Carter (Chief Operating Officer at Unstoppable Domains) will deliver at SXSW 2025 in March in Austin. We asked Carter for her tips for understanding AI, for making the most out of SXSW and for compelling reading. https://lnkd.in/gafxT_u7 SXSW: What do people get wrong when they think about artificial intelligence? CARTER: That’s almost my whole presentation at SXSW 2025! But from my recent work, I’ll share my top three. Many people believe that AI is too expensive or complex for smaller businesses, but the reality is quite the opposite. Tools like no-code platforms and AI-as-a-Service make it possible for even small businesses—like local restaurants, dry cleaners, and dental practices—to leverage AI for customer engagement, scheduling, and operational efficiency. Another common misconception is that AI has emotions or consciousness. While AI can simulate empathy and sentiment analysis in customer interactions, it doesn’t actually understand or feel anything. AI excels at pattern recognition and automation, but attributing human-like qualities to it creates unrealistic expectations about its capabilities. And finally, many think AI will work perfectly right out of the box without any oversight. In reality, AI requires ongoing management, training, and evaluation to ensure it performs well and aligns with your goals. Without proper oversight, AI can reinforce biases or provide inaccurate results, leading to poor outcomes. SXSW: What is your best tip for first-time SXSW attendees? CARTER: Plan ahead, but leave room for spontaneity. SXSW is packed with incredible events, so creating a detailed schedule can help you make the most of your time. That said, some of the most memorable moments come from stepping outside your comfort zone—attending an unexpected session, exploring new topics, or striking up a conversation with another attendee. SXSW: What's the last great book you read? CARTER: "The Terminal List" by Jack Carr, an action-packed thriller written by a former Navy SEAL. It’s full of intrigue, unexpected twists, and intense moments that keep you guessing until the very end. I love books like this because they challenge my problem-solving skills and make me think strategically—qualities that are just as important in leadership as they are in solving a great mystery. I also recently re-read "Atomic Habits" by James Clear. It’s such a powerful book about how small, consistent changes can lead to remarkable transformations, both personally and professionally. It’s a timeless guide to creating sustainable success, which ties back beautifully to the innovative and actionable ideas I’m inspired by every year at SXSW. Buy your badge now to see Sandy Carter's presentation and hundreds of other forward-thinking SXSW sessions -- sxsw.com/attend. Sandy Carter, #SXSW, #artificialintelligence

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Max at Reuters uncovers Intel's anti-portfolio, ie a company they could have invested in (in this case OpenAI) but didn't https://lnkd.in/e-79egWA Having the opportunity from CVC as an 'eyes-and-ears' look for disruptive tech makes sense and not every nascent winner will be grasped. In this case, genAI was only becoming more possible with 2017's breakthrough Transformers paper by Google researchers. Still, an organisation has to have, as Azeem notes in his excellent Exponential View blog, a leader with "imagination" to really grasp the AI age https://lnkd.in/e_grycwd And Intel in this period was starting to go through executive change as CFO Bob Swan became CEO in January 2019 after the ousting of Brian Krzanich. Intel instead went through the purchase of Habana and Nervana to try and tackle the AI opportunity. In venture, as in much of life, the pareto principle - sometimes called the power law - indicates the few winners will more than make up for everything else tried. But knowing the winners in advance is impossible so you have to keep taking the shots. Sadly, too few senior executives understand this and hence view CVC as a risk rather than a vital complement to R&D and M&A that will also deliver over the longer-term if supported and nurtured and with the right training. www.GlobalVenturing.com

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Thoughtful analysis by @june yoon at the FT: "SoftBank was sitting on a cash pile of ¥6.2tn at the end of March. Son has been doubling down on investments in AI and chip-related themes, with SoftBank leading a $1.05bn funding round for UK self-driving start-up Wayve Technologies last week. It is reported to be in talks to acquire British semiconductor start-up Graphcore [H/T Nigel]. Arm is also looking to develop its own chips, setting up an AI chip division to build a prototype." https://lnkd.in/eX7eXqAR Suspect UK-based Arm is already involved in its dealmaking. Having originally targeted AI - and backed Nvidia early - SoftBank got sucked into a host of random bets without a tech core eg WeWork(?!) and had to sell crown jewels like Nvidia too early. Suspect the mistake won't be made again. Just like Google owns another $100bn tech champion from the UK in DeepMind under Demis while its other co-founder in Mustafa to help Microsoft develop its AI strategy so the country's tech talent remains astonishingly strong and a wave of cool AI and tech platforms are emerging at both the hardware and applications level H/T Matt It was fascinating to have Silicon Valley's main tech champions and VC gurus Andrew, Jeff, George etc at our GCVI Summit in March so next month's GCV Symposium promises to deliver the next ground-breaking startups from across industries www.GCVsymposium.com The question is whether the UK can also find its own scale-up champions to support them? 👀 Douglas, Michael, Edmund, John, Edward, Jim, Andrew, Chris, Brent, Simon, Chris, Benjamin, but fortunately the corporate cavalry is starting to ride to their rescue if the smart thinkers get their way and judging by the record attendance and interest in the #GCVInstitute at least

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Relevance has always been the key to survival and growth for news organizations. Throughout history, during times of disruption, news organizations have had to adapt to stay relevant. Today is no different. So how do local news organizations remain relevant and sustainable now and into the future? 🤔 That was the focus of the Local News Impact Consortium workshop at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis on May 14-15. 💡 The Local News Impact Consortium was organized by Benjamin Toff (Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication - University of Minnesota), Damon Kiesow (Missouri School of Journalism), and Matthew Weber Matthew Weber (Rutgers University School of Communication and Information). They brought together a group of journalism leaders, professors, scholars, researchers, data scientists, strategic business consultants, public media experts, and funders from across the United States to discuss how the #journalism industry can work together to make an impact on #localnews through #research, #data, and #action. 💪 This workshop examined local news from a few perspectives: ✅ News Content Collection Methods—How do we best gather local news content for analysis in systematic, scalable, comprehensive ways? ✅ News Audience Research Methods—How do we best assess diverse communities' information needs, preferences, attitudes toward what they see as relevant and trustworthy sources of information? ✅ News Outlet Database Building Methods—How do we assemble more comprehensive lists of local news outlets linked to census data, ownership? ✅ News Content Analysis Methods—How do we best analyze local news content at scale? ✅ Closing the Loop With News Organizations and the Public—How can the consortium facilitate responsive, publicly engaged research? ✅ Coordination, Training, and Funding—How can the consortium best serve stakeholders? The Local Impact News Consortium wants to create uniform research standards and comprehensive resources (a clearinghouse of data, toolkits, maps, guides) for news organizations + communities. 🏆 We made progress in creating a human/community-centered plan. 🙌 The consortium aims to formalize + implement that plan over the next months to advance + strengthen journalism, local news, and communities across America for generations. 🏦 🎯 Design 🏃🏿‍♂️ Test 📚 Learn 👏 Iterate Great things happen when you bring smart people together. 🚀 Stay tuned. 🤝 Anna Nirmala Kate Myers Duc Luu Stephen Holmes Ernest Kung Amy L. Kovac-Ashley Garry Pierre-Pierre Jesse Holcomb Andrew Haeg Elisia Cohen Rebekah Nagler Jennifer H. Edward Malthouse Sarah Stonbely, PhD Matthew Barnidge Endalkachew Chala Jennifer Brandel Jai Winston Kyla Gabriel Chase Davis randy picht Tazbia Fatima Jerry Zremski Sarah Gollust Harsh Taneja , PhD Talia Stroud Jessica Mahone Johanna Dunaway Stephanie Edgerly Zachary Metzger Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gJsuQvk4

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A report commissioned by the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) indicates that generative AI could reduce musicians' revenues by 24% by 2028, potentially leading to a €22 billion loss over five years. This stems from AI-generated content supplanting original works, raising concerns about the unauthorized use of artists' creations and the need for regulatory measures to protect creators' rights. #musicindustry

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If anyone is looking for a prescient novel set in mind-bending near-future featuring #superheroes and #AI in a world ravage by #climatechange I highly recommend #2084 by A.L.F.I.E. It's listed as one of the best books of 2018 by the publishing gold standard: https://lnkd.in/duk9DZd "A young man must make radical leaps in perception to save humanity from a powerful artificial intelligence in this debut sci-fi novel." "A thrilling superhero journey that remains smart and thoughtful."

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Great research by Thierry on why two-thirds of US universities have no venture fund - even if they're offered the cash to set one up in some cases!! https://lnkd.in/eD7yhddg On the other side, some regions and universities are trying to raise and creating deal flow for others but can't. Lots of inefficiencies in this space it seems so check out Global University Venturing and catch up with the team at the www.GCVsymposium.com in 10 days or so

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There's an interesting debate about which groups have the most successful corporate venture building approaches - and the longest-lived? Some point to Google's development of the Waymo autonomous driving service from a university and government (Darpa) grant project nearly 20 years ago to a multi-billion giant. Others more to the P&G style of consumer product development or drugs companies like Novo and Eli Lilly that spent decades developing the GLP-1 drugs to reduce obesity. Outside venture building studios or firms, such as a Mach 49 or Silicon Foundry or Science or Entrepreneur First, have notable success stories, too, building off seminal insights from Heidi's Venture Imperative book. Universities or related organisations like Marty at SETsquared, are increasingly taking up a role in this light. It, unquestionably, is a tough area to get data on - hence we're delighted to have ~500 corporations respond to our GCV Keystone survey at the end of 2024. But with supply of capital and entrepreneurs becoming effectively elastic then the issue is understanding demand and accelerating the bets and the frequency they can be made to find the right timing (which as Bill at Idealab found after decades of work) for when something might work. Here, AI could make all the difference and so it's exciting to see Jan at Fifth Row and others accelerate their impact and new collaborative tools, such as Matt at Ideaonomy, emerge. After plenty of false dawns, the time for a rigorous professional approach is now here it seems and thoughts and feedback welcome at www.GlobalVenturing.com and our next events H/T Christina, Charlie, Ivana

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🔥 Groundbreaking News: AI Meets Hollywood! The SAG-AFTRA actors' union has just made history by partnering with Narrativ, allowing actors to sell advertisers the rights to replicate their voices using AI. Imagine the endless possibilities for voiceover work and branding! This deal could revolutionize how we think about intellectual property in the digital age. Actors can now monetize their voices like never before, breaking barriers and creating new revenue streams. But what does this mean for the future of creativity and authenticity in advertising? Are we on the brink of a new era or opening Pandora's box? Read more: https://lnkd.in/gW_c-uze Your thoughts? 🚀 💬 Engage with me and share your insights below! Follow -> #AIWithAlan #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #MachineLearning #AIResearch #TechForGood #DataScience #AITools #techinnovation #DeepLearning

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Dude Perfect raised $100M for global biz expansion. The deal is getting lots of buzz, but our team’s math signals challenges ahead. Let’s break it down… DEAL DETAILS • $100 - 300M growth capital investment • Led by Highmount Capital • Unclear if 100% invested upfront OR draw down of commitment over time • No previous capital raised USE OF FUNDS • Hire mgmt team to expand biz • More live experiences incl int’l tour, consumer products • Grow content formats, frequency, channels, global localization e.g. animation, TV, movies, streaming • Extend brand beyond 5 founders by building talent network • New HQ in Frisco, TX as prod facility and “family-friendly entertainment destination”: – Retail store, podcasts / gaming / fan UGC spaces, trick shot tower, DP museum, mini golf, restaurants – Original plans for 3-story, 30 acre facility est to cost $100M+, 2 yrs to build COMPANY OVERVIEW: Dude Perfect • Digital-native comedy and sports media brand • Faith-based mission: “We’re about giving back, spreading joy and glorifying Jesus Christ”  • Other YouTube franchises: “Stereotypes,” “Overtime”, “Bucket List”  • Media brand also incl books, mobile games, board games and toys, and merch / retail / food and beverage partnerships • 25 current team members PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS • 60M YouTube Followers, 17B views • Est 2024 revenue: $50M per DP • Est 2023 and 2022 revenue: $25M and $20M per WSJ  • Consumer product partnerships incl Nerf toy line, Columbia Sportswear • Partnered with A Parent Media co to launch a streaming service • ESPN “30 for 30” doc premiering at Dallas Int’l film festival • TV series on CMT in 2016, later aired on Nickelodeon • Alternate broadcasts for Amazon’s Thursday Night Football • 4 live nationwide tours as of 2023 ORIGIN STORY • Founded 2009 by 5 friends at Texas A&M • Cofounders = twins Coby Cotton and Cory Cotton, Tyler Toney, Cody Jones, Garrett Hilbert • Started as YT channel featuring trick shot videos INVESTOR OVERVIEW: Highmount Capital • Growth stage and middle mkt PE fund for tech, media, healthcare • Founded in 2023 by jason illian and David Hawkins • 4 team members on website + advisor • 3 team members have faith-based ties per bios • No other investments listed on website other than DP My takeaway... I really like and support the trend of increased investment into YouTubers and digital-native media brands. But as I wrote about in my 2024 State of Creator x Media capital markets reports (will link them below), investment must match market and opportunity size. To ensure good ROI, and to set good precedent for future investment into our space. The DP bet is exciting, but could be overly optimistic based on our prelim math. My colleague Michael Booth's post breaks the math down (link below). More analysis to come in my Friday newsletter. —- I’m the founder of RockWater Industries. We do m&a and strategy advisory for media, agencies, and creator economy. My dm’s are open. #media #agency #creatoreconomy

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Amazon and Proto turned William Shatner into a hologram, therefore proving AI can craft interactive, lifelike 3D avatars. This brings new ways to engage with digital media, making experiences more immersive. But holograms are still rare, therefore adoption lags behind innovation. This tech could redefine education or healthcare, thus creating real-world impact. Yet, scaling it demands practicality, and the focus must shift from novelty to solving real problems. #AI #Holograms #Innovation

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Keep an eye on Rembrand, a digital platform using AI to add virtual product placement into videos. They just raised $23 million from savvy investors like Tom Chavez and others. The concept is relatively simple and has been around for a while, but the company is definitely getting some traction. Rembrand began with YouTube and expanded to LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram. They’ve also worked with about 20 brands including those under PepsiCo, L'Oréal, and Amazon. The company is led by CEO Omar Tawakol, who has great startup experience. He sold data management platform BlueKai to Oracle in 2014 and voice collaboration platform Voicea to Cisco in 2019. It’s another intriguing use of AI and video, and it gives advertisers another weapon in their arsenal as they monetize content. What other uses of AI advertising have you seen that impresses you?

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How #ugc impacts a game's livelihood is pretty much a given at this point. What #roadblocks are you still holding onto that keeps you from an integrated and complimentary #creatoreconomy that lifts users and #revenue by 20%+? Check out what Larian Studios and the GOTY have to say about it.

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