Graphcore
Bristol-based Graphcore is the latest British processor success story, although its designs are a bit more specialised than, for instance, ARM. Graphcore’s chips are specifically designed for artificial intelligence applications and, led by Nigel Toons, it’s been valued just shy of $2 billion for its efforts. The aim is to boost processing for deep-learning and machine-learning systems, allowing for gains in research and development in everything from medicine to driverless cars. At the moment, the company’s cloud-based virtual version is prioritising companies working on Covid-19 solutions.
Fly Now Pay Later
Pity travel companies – it’s a tough market at the moment. But Jasper Dykes could be onto a winner with Fly Now Pay Later, which does exactly what it says. Airline tickets are often expensive. What if you, or your business, could spread the payment over instalments the way you do a new TV or home appliance?
“Specialising entirely on the travel sector, we allow customers to stagger the cost of a trip over a period of up to 12 months, via leading travel brands, such as lastminute.com, TravelUp and the Moresand Group,” founder and CEO Dykes said.
Sound appealing? You’ll have to wait – and not just because travel is currently challenging, to say the least. “We were ready to launch the Fly Now Pay Later App just as the Covid-19 pandemic hit, so for obvious reasons have paused on an official launch until we have better clarity as to when border restrictions begin to ease and people can start to book flights again with confidence,” said Dykes. That could be handy as flight prices are expected to climb. “It’s predicted that once lockdown restrictions begin to ease, airlines will need to recoup costs, leading to unavoidable price rises in the future,” said Dykes. “By removing financial boundaries, we hope to open the post-Covid 19 world for travellers and reconnect people with their friends and families around the globe.”
WeWalk
Navigating with impaired or no vision isn’t easy, but this startup hopes to help with a smart attachment to the traditional cane. “When walking, WeWalk vibrates to inform the user of low-hanging obstacles that the bottom of a cane may typically miss, such as a sign or tree branch,” said co-founder Gökhan Meriçliler. Plus, it pairs to a smartphone device to add
“By removing financial boundaries, we hope to open the post-Covid 19 world for travellers and reconnect people”
navigation support, voice feedback, and even public transport information. Thanks to partnerships with Microsoft and Imperial College London, the project is adding features, such as indoor navigation. “WeWalk’s vision is to make it a personal hub for the visually impaired, a central tool for all their mobility needs,” said Meriçliler.
That’s particularly relevant during social distancing, when it’s harder for people to ask for physical support. “Traditionally, visually impaired people could use physical contact, such as holding on to a sighted person’s arm to navigate,” said Meriçliler. “Given the new requirements for social distancing, this physical assistance which the visually impaired have relied on as a backup to their independent mobility now may be much more difficult to facilitate, especially when considering the elevated health risks.”