KAUST startup Uvera, founded by KAUST alumna Asrar Damdam, received a CES 2023 Innovation Award for Aurora, an AIoT device that extends the shelf life of fresh foods by up to 97% without chemicals. Aurora uses an AI-powered app to track food inventory, predict spoilage, and notify users. Uvera's mission is to reduce food waste by 50% by 2030, aligning with UN goals for human security. Why it matters: This award highlights the potential of AIoT solutions developed in the region to address global challenges like food waste and sustainability.
KAUST Ph.D. student Asrar Damdam won a Silicon Valley pitching competition with her biotechnology startup UVERA, which uses ultraviolet light to extend the shelf life of fresh food. The idea ranked first out of 116 others and was deemed the most investable by venture capitalists. UVERA's technology reduces food pathogens like E. coli and Salmonella, aiming to reduce food waste. Why it matters: This award highlights the potential for innovative foodtech solutions emerging from Saudi universities and their ability to attract global investment.
MBZUAI researchers have introduced MIRA, a novel framework for improving the factual accuracy of multimodal large language models in medical applications. MIRA uses calibrated retrieval to manage factual risk and integrates image embeddings with a medical knowledge base for efficient reasoning. Evaluated on medical VQA and report generation benchmarks, MIRA achieves state-of-the-art results, with code available on GitHub.
Saudi Arabian generative AI startup Newera.ai has raised $2.1 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Khwarizmi Ventures. Participants also included angel investors and strategic firms. The company plans to use the funds to develop their technology and expand their reach in the Saudi market. Why it matters: This funding signals increasing investor interest in local AI startups addressing regional needs within Saudi Arabia.