Latest news with #Prague-based
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Waypoint AI Raises $3.1M Pre-Seed Round; Deploys first AI Customer Support Engineer for industry leaders including ClickHouse and Kpler.
Backed by 42CAP and Dreamcraft Ventures, Waypoint AI is helping fast-growing software companies reclaim 15% of engineering capacity spent on customer-reported escalations. SILICON VALLEY, CA / ACCESS Newswire / June 26, 2025 / Waypoint AI, the AI customer support engineer that triages, investigates and resolves product defects, is announcing a $3.1 million pre-seed round led by 42CAP and Dreamcraft Ventures, with participation from Berkeley SkyDeck Fund and Lumiere AI Ventures. Founded in 2024 by Tomas Polivka, Steve Boogar and Liam Boogar-Azoulay, Waypoint AI has developed its AI Customer Support Engineer to supercharge escalation management, the most expensive cross-department challenge facing software organizations. Waypoint AI automates intake, triage and escalation report generation for customer support teams; assists with investigation and resolution for engineers; and generates detailed timelines and postmortems for incident commanders. "As organizations scale, software maintenance eats an increasing portion of engineering resources. Intelligent escalation automation is a strategic lever for leaders to unlock critical support and engineering capacity while improving CSAT" said Steve Boogar, CEO of Waypoint AI. Enterprise software leaders including Kpler and Clickhouse have seen their mean time to resolution (MTTR) cut in half in a matter of weeks, recapturing engineering capacity lost to reactively triaging issues. Waypoint AI embeds in clients' existing support, engineering and chat systems to proactively engage on new escalations. "Our philosophy is to back exceptional, product-driven founders with global ambition" said Thomas Wilke, General Partner at 42CAP. "The Waypoint AI team embodies this spirit. They are not just data-driven; they are using AI to fundamentally reshape how software companies operate by tackling one of their most expensive cross-departmental challenges. Their commitment to building a category-defining, intelligent automation platform is exactly what we look for, and we are thrilled to partner with them on their journey." The newly added funds enable Waypoint AI to rapidly grow its Prague-based engineering office as they continue to scale the platform to meet customer demand. About Waypoint AI Waypoint AI is a Silicon Valley startup founded in 2024 to automate software maintenance so engineers can focus on development. Their flagship product generates deflection and escalation remediation paths leveraging large language models (LLMs) and their proprietary Escalation Graph which stitches together tribal knowledge buried in documentation, chat threads, support and engineering tickets comments, commit notes and internal tools. To learn more, visit About 42CAP 42CAP invests in early-stage technology companies across Europe with global ambition. The team behind 42CAP consists of seasoned entrepreneurs who have transitioned into investors. With Hybris and eCircle, they previously built two of Europe's largest B2B software companies, culminating in $1.6b cash exits to SAP and Teradata, respectively. The 42CAP credo "Peers amongst Entrepreneurs" is reflected in our investment approach, with which we support B2B data- and technology-driven business models, product-focused founders and sustainable venture development. About Dreamcraft Ventures Dreamcraft Ventures is a Danish venture capital firm investing in early-stage companies. Dreamcraft invests in pre-seed and seed stage Digital Entertainment and B2B SaaS companies in the Nordics and Europe and supports them in achieving the next rounds of funding. Dreamcraft has raised two funds and its portfolio companies include Baller League, AirHelp, Kvantify, MannyAI and GRID. Media contact Songue PR for Berkeley SkyDeckskydeck@ SOURCE: Berkeley SkyDeck
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Waypoint AI Raises $3.1M Pre-Seed Round; Deploys first AI Customer Support Engineer for industry leaders including ClickHouse and Kpler.
Backed by 42CAP and Dreamcraft Ventures, Waypoint AI is helping fast-growing software companies reclaim 15% of engineering capacity spent on customer-reported escalations. SILICON VALLEY, CA / ACCESS Newswire / June 26, 2025 / Waypoint AI, the AI customer support engineer that triages, investigates and resolves product defects, is announcing a $3.1 million pre-seed round led by 42CAP and Dreamcraft Ventures, with participation from Berkeley SkyDeck Fund and Lumiere AI Ventures. Founded in 2024 by Tomas Polivka, Steve Boogar and Liam Boogar-Azoulay, Waypoint AI has developed its AI Customer Support Engineer to supercharge escalation management, the most expensive cross-department challenge facing software organizations. Waypoint AI automates intake, triage and escalation report generation for customer support teams; assists with investigation and resolution for engineers; and generates detailed timelines and postmortems for incident commanders. 'As organizations scale, software maintenance eats an increasing portion of engineering resources. Intelligent escalation automation is a strategic lever for leaders to unlock critical support and engineering capacity while improving CSAT' said Steve Boogar, CEO of Waypoint AI. Enterprise software leaders including Kpler and Clickhouse have seen their mean time to resolution (MTTR) cut in half in a matter of weeks, recapturing engineering capacity lost to reactively triaging issues. Waypoint AI embeds in clients' existing support, engineering and chat systems to proactively engage on new escalations. 'Our philosophy is to back exceptional, product-driven founders with global ambition' said Thomas Wilke, General Partner at 42CAP. 'The Waypoint AI team embodies this spirit. They are not just data-driven; they are using AI to fundamentally reshape how software companies operate by tackling one of their most expensive cross-departmental challenges. Their commitment to building a category-defining, intelligent automation platform is exactly what we look for, and we are thrilled to partner with them on their journey.' The newly added funds enable Waypoint AI to rapidly grow its Prague-based engineering office as they continue to scale the platform to meet customer demand. About Waypoint AI Waypoint AI is a Silicon Valley startup founded in 2024 to automate software maintenance so engineers can focus on development. Their flagship product generates deflection and escalation remediation paths leveraging large language models (LLMs) and their proprietary Escalation Graph which stitches together tribal knowledge buried in documentation, chat threads, support and engineering tickets comments, commit notes and internal tools. To learn more, visit About 42CAP 42CAP invests in early-stage technology companies across Europe with global ambition. The team behind 42CAP consists of seasoned entrepreneurs who have transitioned into investors. With Hybris and eCircle, they previously built two of Europe's largest B2B software companies, culminating in $1.6b cash exits to SAP and Teradata, respectively. The 42CAP credo 'Peers amongst Entrepreneurs' is reflected in our investment approach, with which we support B2B data- and technology-driven business models, product-focused founders and sustainable venture development. About Dreamcraft Ventures Dreamcraft Ventures is a Danish venture capital firm investing in early-stage companies. Dreamcraft invests in pre-seed and seed stage Digital Entertainment and B2B SaaS companies in the Nordics and Europe and supports them in achieving the next rounds of funding. Dreamcraft has raised two funds and its portfolio companies include Baller League, AirHelp, Kvantify, MannyAI and GRID. Media contact Songue PR for Berkeley SkyDeck [email protected] SOURCE: Berkeley SkyDeck press release
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
EU to give Radio Free Europe 5.5 million euros after Trump funding freeze
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Union will donate 5.5 million euros ($6.2 million) to support Radio Free Europe following a freeze on U.S. federal grants to the media outlet by the Trump administration, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday. WHY IT MATTERS The financial pledge comes after Trump ordered the termination of grants in March as part of sweeping efforts to downsize the U.S. government. Critics said the move could devastate a rare source of reliable news in authoritarian countries. A U.S. District Court judge placed a temporary pause on the termination order but a federal appeals court this month blocked the ruling. QUOTES "In a time of growing unfiltered content, independent journalism is more important than ever," Kallas told reporters after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. "This will support the vital work of Radio Free Europe," she said, describing the move as "short-term emergency funding" to provide a "safety net" for independent journalism. Radio Free Europe was not immediately available for comment. CONTEXT Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty was set up during the Cold War to reach people in communist-run states. The Prague-based outlet still broadcasts to countries in Eastern Europe, including Russia and Ukraine. The Czech Republic, as the media outlet's host country, has been pushing for Europe to find funds to keep it going. "Our aim is to keep the mission, and the mission is providing free and fair information to societies in Russia, Belarus, Iran,' Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky told Reuters after the ministers' meeting. Sweden said earlier this month it would donate 20 million crowns ($2.07 million) to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, saying the U.S. decision meant people in many countries risked losing access to free media. ($1 = 0.8868 euros) ($1 = 9.6523 Swedish crowns)
Hindustan Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
EU to give Radio Free Europe 5.5 million euros after Trump funding freeze
BRUSSELS, - The European Union will donate 5.5 million euros to support Radio Free Europe following a freeze on U.S. federal grants to the media outlet by the Trump administration, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday. WHY IT MATTERS The financial pledge comes after Trump ordered the termination of grants in March as part of sweeping efforts to downsize the U.S. government. Critics said the move could devastate a rare source of reliable news in authoritarian countries. A U.S. District Court judge placed a temporary pause on the termination order but a federal appeals court this month blocked the ruling. QUOTES "In a time of growing unfiltered content, independent journalism is more important than ever," Kallas told reporters after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. "This will support the vital work of Radio Free Europe," she said, describing the move as "short-term emergency funding" to provide a "safety net" for independent journalism. Radio Free Europe was not immediately available for comment. CONTEXT Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty was set up during the Cold War to reach people in communist-run states. The Prague-based outlet still broadcasts to countries in Eastern Europe, including Russia and Ukraine. The Czech Republic, as the media outlet's host country, has been pushing for Europe to find funds to keep it going. "Our aim is to keep the mission, and the mission is providing free and fair information to societies in Russia, Belarus, Iran,' Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky told Reuters after the ministers' meeting. Sweden said earlier this month it would donate 20 million crowns to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, saying the U.S. decision meant people in many countries risked losing access to free media.
The Sun
15-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Molex Collaborates with Prusa Research to Scale Rapid Growth Trajectory for 3D-Printing Pioneer
• Robust yet simple connectivity solutions leveraged in widely popular 3D printers used by home hobbyists, students, small businesses and large industrial companies • More than one million components populated on Prusa printers last year, using up to 16 types of Molex CLIK-Mate connectors for flexible, flawless performance • More than 20 printer designs rely on Molex to ensure seamless connectivity while streamlining printer-kit assemblies, as well as machine modifications and upgrades LISLE, IL - Media OutReach Newswire - 15 May 2025 - Molex, a global electronics leader and connectivity innovator, is growing right along with Prusa Research, a rising star in the fast-paced world of 3D printing with more than 1,000 employees on three continents supporting a diverse and devoted base of customers worldwide. The Prague-based company strives to offer seamless experiences and unmatched flexibility for a variety of printing needs. Guided by a steadfast commitment to community, sustainability, as well as open-source hardware and software principles, Prusa offers its printers fully assembled or as Do It Yourself (DIY) printer kits. Equally important is the ability for customers to unlock new capabilities over time through hardware and software modifications, add-ons and upgrades. 'Prusa Research needed connectivity systems with the right balance of functionality and simplicity without compromising quality,' said Brian Hauge, SVP and president, Consumer and Commercial Solutions, Molex. 'With support from Arrow Electronics, we provide a full portfolio of connectors that are robust yet easy to use. Molex also stays in lockstep with Arrow and Prusa engineers to align emerging printer designs with new innovative connector solutions to ease new product introductions and upgrades.' Rapid Growth Trajectory Prusa's unwavering customer focus, passion for community and strong technology partnerships are cornerstones for driving a sustained rate of incredible growth. The company processed more than 300,000 orders for printers, filaments, resins and accessories last year while opening a U.S. subsidiary called Printed Solid, in Newark, Del., to further expand global reach by manufacturing printers and filaments in the United States. 'In 2024, Prusa grew 25% year over year, and we are excited for this year, which will be even bigger,' said Josef Prusa, CEO of Prusa Research. 'We populated over one million parts using Molex CLIK-Mate connectors last year and they all have performed very well. We now have more than 20 printer designs, and they all use Molex connectors. Looking ahead, we will continue to work with Arrow and Molex to drive our further expansion in Europe while building out manufacturing capabilities in the U.S.' To drive sustained growth, Prusa deployed Molex CLIK-Mate wire-to-board connectors, which align well with the company's high standards for performance and straightforward operation. Ideal for devices that require connectors to carry more signal lines in less space, these wire-to-board connectors feature a unique tuning-fork terminal design that provides low-insertion force while maintaining secure contacts. Prusa particularly appreciates the audible 'click' sound that offers immediate confirmation of secure contact, as well as easy automatic board placement and simplified set-up for at-home customers. Not only do CLIK-Mate connectors prevent DIY users from inserting them in the wrong orientation, but they also enable Prusa engineers to streamline production by speeding surface mount technology (SMT) line assembly. Compact, high-performance Molex Micro-Fit Connectors, which blend power and flexibility without impacting space or reliability, also are deployed by Prusa. In addition, Molex ultra-microcoaxial RF connectors are used to link Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectors, along with other Molex solutions for supporting high-speed data and RF microwave technology. Up to 16 types of CLIK-Mate connectors currently help Prusa streamline printer production. Molex connectors are featured across Prusa's printer line, including the new CORE One printer, which hit the market this past January. Other connectivity solutions, such as Molex's Easy-On FFC/FPC Connectors, as well as custom connectivity solutions, are being explored to enhance support for existing and new printers.
