Latest news with #Tzanev
Powys County Times
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Powys County Times
Newport recover from stoppage-time collapse to beat Barnet on penalties
Newport recovered from conceding twice in stoppage time to beat Barnet 4-2 on penalties after a 2–2 draw in their Carabao Cup preliminary round tie. County appeared to be breezing through to the first round after first-half goals from Cameron Antwi and Michael Reindorf. But Ryan Galvin pulled one back in the seventh minute of added time before Rhys Browne levelled two minutes later. The newly promoted hosts were denied a place in the first round as Joe Hugill and Kane Smith missed in the shootout before Cameron Evans scored the winner. Newport had taken the lead in the 31st minute when Barnet failed to deal with a corner and Antwi rifled a stunning strike into the top corner. Three minutes before the break, Reindorf doubled their advantage with a composed finish after a solo run. Barnet nearly responded when Zak Brunt's powerful shot was tipped over by Nikola Tzanev. The hosts dominated the second half but could not break through Newport's resolute defence, with Browne's goal-bound effort brilliantly saved by Tzanev. The Newport goalkeeper was finally beaten by Galvin's low drive before Browne's header from Idris Kanu's cross forced a shootout, where Hugill hit a post and Smith was denied by Tzanev.
South Wales Argus
6 hours ago
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Barnet v Newport County: David Hughes starts with Carabao Cup win
Summer signing Ged Garner saw his effort saved first up, but Swansea City loanee Ben Lloyd, Cameron Antwi, Bobby Kamwa and Cameron Evans confidently dispatched theirs to secure the win after Joe Hugill hit the post and Nik Tzanev kept out Kane Smith's spot-kick. Two superb first-half strikes from Antwi and summer signing Michael Reindorf looked to be enough to get the David Hughes era off to a flying start in normal time, but a spectacular collapse in the final few minutes of stoppage time allowed Barnet to score in the 97th and 99th minute to take the preliminary round tie to penalties. (Image: Kian Abdullah/Huw Evans Agency) County rode their luck at times and were thankful to several excellent saves from new goalkeeper Tzanev, but this was a relatively encouraging start to Hughes' reign in the end, despite the crazy ending. As well as Tzanev and Reindorf, Hughes also handed competitive debuts to centre-back Lee Jenkins and midfielders Matt Smith, and Ben Lloyd, who officially joined on Monday after impressing during pre-season. Newly-promoted Barnet, playing their first League Cup tie in eight years, were missing last season's top scorer Callum Stead due to injury but they did field former Exiles loanees Emmanuel Osadebe and Anthony Hartigan in midfield. And the hosts made much the better start as they dominated possession and chances for the opening half hour. Ryan Glover gave young right wing-back Joe Thomas a tough examination all night and his dangerous cross from the left beat everyone early on, before Thomas cleared from under his own crossbar shortly afterwards. Glover then saw a cross from the left well cleared by Smith, who looked a classy addition in midfield before being forced off at half-time. A clumsy challenge by Tom Davies after 15 minutes conceded a free-kick in dangerous area and Adam Senior headed wide at the far post. Tzanev was then out quickly to narrow the angle and deny Zak Brunt a shot on goal before Matt Baker blocked Joe Hugill's goal-bound effort and Zak Brunt scooped a shot way over the top from distance. It took 20 minutes for County to seriously threaten at the other end. It came from good hold-up play by Courtney Baker-Richardson, who laid off for Antwi. His shot was blocked before Smith's effort with the outside of his right boot forced new Barnet keeper Joe Wright into his first save, low to his right. But it was back down the other end straightaway and Manchester United loanee Joe Hugill missed a big chance when failed to make contact with his head just yards from goal after Idris Kanu's cross from the right. There was no let-up from the National League champions as Osadebe turned and shot straight at Tzanev from inside the 18-yard-box. County were second-best at that stage, but they nearly snatched the lead on 29 minutes when Reindorf pounced on a short pass by Wright, only for defender Ollie Kensdale to divert his shot over the bar. And two minutes later the Exiles were ahead with a magnificent strike out of the blue from Anwti. The former Cardiff City midfielder Antwi endured a mixed debut season at Rodney Parade, but he began the new campaign in some style with the opener on 31 minutes - a sublime right-foot volley from the edge of the area after a hopeful punt from Thomas was headed into his path by Jenkins. Barnet would have felt aggrieved to be behind and they attempted to hit back straightaway, but Thomas did well to clear the danger at the far post from Hartigan's cross. County could have had a second when Antwi's cross from the right was nodded on by Reindorf and headed goalwards by Baker-Richardson but his effort was straight at Wright and the striker took a blow to the head that may well have led to his substitution early in the second half. There was still time for Barnet defender Danny Collinge to fluff a shot from six yards and Antwi to blot hos copybook with a yellow card for what the referee deemed a dive before Reindorf took centre stage. The Bluebirds loanee served notice of his talent with an exquisite second goal to put the Exiles in charge three minutes before the break. The 20-year-old Londoner beat two men before curling a powerful effort into the top corner from 20 yards to the disbelief of almost everyone at The Hive Stadium. Tzanev still had to be at his best to keep it at 2-0 at the break, however, as he palmed away a Collinge header in the 45th minute and tipped a rocket of a shot from Brunt over the bar in stoppage time. (Image: Kian Abdullah/Huw Evans Agency) The second half was a more low-key event until the very end, with the visitors largely content to hold on to their lead. And they looked like doing so relatively comfortably until a chaotic final few minutes of stoppage time as first Galvin and then Rhys Browne scored from close range to unexpectedly take the tie the full distance. Barnet (4-3-3): J Wright; I Kanu, D Collinge (R Galvin, 81), A Senior, R Glover (K Smith, 67); O Kensdale, E Osadebe (D Adeniran, 46), A Hartigan; Z Brunt (S High, 67), J Hugill, M Shelton (R Browne, 67) Subs not used: R Crichlow-Noble, O Evans, R Matyar, N Ofoborh, K Smith Booked: I Kanu County (3-5-2): N Tzanev; L Jenkins, J Clarke, M Baker; J Thomas, M Smith (C Evans, 46), C Antwi, B Lloyd, T Davies (A Glennon, 72); M Reindorf (B Kamwa, 63), C Baker-Richardson (G Garner, 49) Subs not used: M Alexander-Walker, Corey Evans, H Ogunneye, N Sanca, J Wright Booked: C Antwi, L Jenkins Referee: D Drysdale
South Wales Argus
03-07-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Nik Tzanev to help Newport County find their mean streak
It was announced last month that the 28-year-old had agreed a deal with the Exiles to replace stalwart Nick Townsend, who has signed for National League Eastleigh. Tzanev has linked up with his new teammates for the first time after returning from international duty with New Zealand. He is now working towards getting the nod for the Carabao Cup preliminary clash with Barnet at the Hive on Tuesday, July 29, a game that is followed by the League Two opener against Notts County in Newport. The Kiwi featured 23 times for League One Northampton when he shared the gloves with Lee Burge but he wants to rack up more games in the coming campaign. 'I got my break at Wimbledon and played regularly for a few years, but the back end of my time there was tough because I wasn't playing as much,' said Tzanev, who will battle fellow new recruit Jordan Wright and Jacob Carney. 'Last season I got back into the rhythm, playing more games, and now I just want to kick on from here and help push this team up the table.' Tzanev has signed up to play under new manager David Hughes but will have a close working relationship with Lee Kendall, the goalkeeping coach. 'Lee played a big part in the decision. I had really good conversations with him, and speaking to other goalkeepers about the club helped too,' he said. 'I'm really excited to get going. Now I'm in with the lads and the coaches, I just want to crack on, kick-start pre-season, and make sure we begin the season really strongly,' he continued. County finished last season in the final safe position and with the worst defensive record, while they conceded an alarming amount of goals from set pieces. 'Everything we've discussed is positive. We want to play attacking football but also be hard to beat,' said Tzanev. 'We want to run teams over, keep clean sheets, and stay compact as a unit. It's a big focus this season to be solid defensively and limit the goals we concede. 'Personally, it's about building strong relationships with the back line and keeping as many clean sheets as possible. It's not just about the defence, and we've got to work together as a team.'
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NexGen Cloud secures $45m to bolster AI infrastructure
UK-based GPU cloud services startup NexGen Cloud has raised $45m (£35m) in its Series A funding round to bolster its AI infrastructure platform for European enterprises. The company announced the funding on LinkedIn, revealing that the round was supported by a group of family trusts and high-net-worth individuals, though their identities were not disclosed. Founded in 2020, NexGen Cloud initially provided cloud infrastructure for blockchain applications before pivoting to artificial intelligence. Now operating as a GPU-as-a-Service provider, it enables customers to access high-performance computing resources required for AI training and inference. Rather than owning its own data centres, NexGen Cloud has established long-term agreements with major hyperscalers to access GPU resources. These are offered to customers on-demand through the company's Hyperstack platform, which includes infrastructure services and consulting support for AI project planning. Describing itself as an "AI factory," the company reported a significant revenue increase, growing from $3m in 2023 to more than $70m by the end of 2024. According to NexGen Cloud, revenue from its AI cloud operations increased by 380% in the past year. Its client base now includes more than 10,000 organisations, including Red Hat, and ArchiLabs. The company operates within a sector expected to see significant growth. Industry forecasts from SNS Insider estimate the global GPU-as-a-Service market will rise from $3.3bn to over $34bn by 2032. Despite competition from firms such as Vultr, Akamai Technologies, and Lambda Labs, NexGen Cloud believes its European base provides a competitive edge. It aims to serve companies with heightened concerns over data privacy and regulatory compliance, positioning itself as a 'sovereign AI infrastructure provider.' The company offers AI workload support on dedicated virtual machines within local data centres to address data security concerns. With the new funding, NexGen Cloud plans to invest around half in expanding its GPU capacity and allocate the remainder to advancing its platform development. This includes the launch of a Fine Tuning-as-a-Service offering, team expansion, and potential acquisitions. NexGen Cloud co-founder and chief strategy officer Youlian Tzanev in an interview with Forbes said the company sees demand for accessible and straightforward cloud solutions. 'It has been something of a monopolistic market, dominated by a handful of giant US technology companies,' Tzanev said. 'But now, people are exploring other options.' "NexGen Cloud secures $45m to bolster AI infrastructure" was originally created and published by Verdict, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Forbes
09-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
NexGen Cloud Raises $45 Million In Series A Funding
Enterprises the world over are looking for data center capacity As the artificial intelligence (AI) boom has swept round the world over the past two years, the space has largely been dominated by US technology businesses. In London, however, growth at an entrepreneurial UK AI company has also been gathering pace. Today, NexGen Cloud will announce it has raised $45 million of new funding, valuing the company at just over $350 million. NexGen was founded in 2020, initially focusing on blockchain applications, but rapidly pivoting into cloud solutions for AI. The company's revenues totalled only $3 million in 2023, the year after its shift of emphasis, but grew almost seven times' last year to reach $20 million. 'We deliver cloud in the way it's meant to be delivered,' says Youlian Tzanev, one of NexGen's co-founders and now its chief strategy officer. In essence, NexGen gives its customers access to the computing power they need to perform tasks such as training and developing large language models for generative AI applications. The company rents space and power in established data centers, enabling customers to secure time on GPUs, the machines that are vital to powering AI. Customers use NexGen's Hyperstack platform as their way into this power. The cloud-based solution means they don't have to build their own infrastructure to support their work with AI. 'Enterprises are looking for a solution that is simple and easy to use,' adds Tzanev. 'And as their AI projects develop and grow, they need something they can scale up quickly.' Demand is growing rapidly. Data from SNS Insider suggests the market for GPU as a service was worth only $3.3 billion globally in 2023 but will be worth $34 billion by 2032 – growth of almost 30% a year. Naturally, this acceleration has seen competitors target the market. The big names in cloud computing – including AWS, Microsoft and Google – are all present, but SNS Insider also points to a range of other players – including the likes of Vultr, Linode and Lambda Labs. Nevertheless, NexGen is convinced it can carve out a space for itself. It points to the merit of building a European-native cloud AI business, given the growing regulation of the sector. Local providers may be better placed to cope with European regulation – both in the European Union and the UK – on data privacy and management, for example. The business also sees partnerships as critical to expansion, pointing to alliances with firms such as cloud marketplace Shadeform. 'NexGen has been an incredibly reliable partner as we've scaled our cloud marketplace,' says Shadeform's CEO, Ed Goode. In time, NexGen hopes that customers using it for AI development will opt to host other data and activity via its cloud service. 'If we can deliver the most complex cloud solutions successfully, we'll be trusted to host other storage,' Tzanev explains. Tzanev believes the cloud solutions market is on the verge of a significant change. 'It's been something of a monopolistic market, dominated by a handful of giant US technology companies,' he says. 'There was a time when the feeling was that 'no-one gets fired for hiring AWS, say', but now people are exploring other options.' Many enterprises are focused on usability and scalability, as well as price, Tzanev argues. He points to NexGen's team of technical specialists, who provide troubleshooting advice and support on performance and optimisation, as one possible source of competitive advantage. Certainly, the business appears to be getting traction with customers, particularly in Europe. Current clients include organisations such as Red Hat, Tyne, and ArchiLabs. At the latter company, Brian Bakerman, CEO, says it switched to Hyperstack based on its 'support and pricing'; ArchiLabs switched to NexGen for 'GPU-accelerated cloud' after working with competitors in the market, he explains. The company's strategy for the next year and beyond focuses on developing partnerships that enhance access to and delivery of AI-compute services. It has plans for further improvements to its infrastructure services and for the launch of new products that make it easier for enterprises to integrate AI across the entire development cycle. One particular priority is dedicated virtual machines, giving customers greater control over privacy and data security. Today's fund-raising will help in this regard, giving NexGen greater balance-sheet strength and supporting its technology roll-out as it continues to add GPU capacity. The company's Series A round gives it a post-raise valuation of $354 million, with the funding primarily sourced from family trusts and high-net-worth individuals, led by Moore & Moore Investment Group. It's an important raise, both for NexGen itself, and for UK technology companies, which have often struggled to raise scale-up finance. 'Funding is tighter in Europe than in the US, with liquidity in short supply,' says Tzanev. 'The upside of that is that it forces us to keep proving ourselves.'
