Kitty Knowles
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Award-winning journalist & TV producer-director for @BBC & #ElectricEelStudios. Former senior staffer @Forbes & forever fan @Siftedeu. ⚡⚡⚡ (Not a big Tweeter!)
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Articles by Kitty Knowles
A aposta do Brasil nos 'coletes inteligentes' para voltar a brilhar na Copa do Mundo
Crédito, Getty Images Article Information Author, Paul Carter e Kitty Knowles Role, BBC Future Published Há 5 minutos Tempo de leitura: 8 min Todos sabem que o Brasil é o país que mais venceu Copas do Mundo até hoje. São cinco títulos e gerações de lendas do futebol, que consolidaram a reputação do Brasil como eterno favorito, em todo início de Copa, a cada quatro anos.
'He was always in the right spot': How Brazil is betting on 'smart vests' in its bid for World Cup glory
Getty Images Player tracking technology has helped the Brazilian football team gather years of data on its stars in the run up to the 2026 World Cup. Brazil has won the men's World Cup more times than any other nation. Five titles and generations of footballing legends have cemented Brazil's reputation as one of the big teams to beat when the Fifa World Cup comes around every four years.
A ride on Japan's joyful 'sake train' Original
Niigata, Japan's snowy coastal prefecture, is famed for its premium sake and centuries-old brewing traditions. Here, travellers can pour their own samples at the station, ride a retro sake train and meet pioneers shaping the drink's future. The concourse of Echigo Yuzawa Station is a dizzying crisscross of shops and commuters but a glowing display of sake bottles immediately catches my eye.
The Japanese town turning cowpats into hydrogen fuel
The Japanese town turning cowpats into hydrogen fuel Paul Carter and Kitty Knowles Getty Images In Japan, a smelly waste product is being reimagined as a potential clean fuel of the future that is powering cars and tractors. We're being eyed suspiciously by dozens of cows. Their breath fogs cartoonishly from their nostrils. We are visiting one farm in Hokkaido that wants to transform the source of the pungent aroma in the air into something valuable. They are turning cattle manure into hydrogen.
The Japanese town turning cowpats into hydrogen fuel
15 hours ago Here's The Hands-Down Best Frozen Seafood To Pick Up At Costco Costco has one of the best freezer sections in the supermarket game. With entire meals, a huge selection of veggies and fruits, breakfast items, … 1 day ago The Japanese farm turning cow manure into hydrogen fuel Some dairy cattle in Hokkaido are not only producing milk but also fuelling a more sustainable future. Some dairy cattle in Hokkaido are not only producing milk but also fuelling a more sustainable future.
Coronavirus Has Changed Dating Apps Irreversibly
SIFTED.EU - May 4 - Dating apps say that virtual features will last beyond the pandemic as video dates become the new norm. "The current normalisation of video communication is in one way irreversible," says Philip Jonzon Jarl, the cofounder of Swedish dating app Relate. "There might be a new kind of pre-date step being born." Founded in 2018 to make matches based on "values" rather than profile pics, and with $1.3M behind it, Relate has seen its active users increase 40% during lockdown.
Coronavirus has changed dating apps “irreversibly”
The $7bn dating app industry was built to bring couples face-to-face. Yet, while the majority of the world endures lockdown, dating apps are getting more attention than ever. US giant Tinder reported its busiest day to date, ringing in more than 3bn swipes globally. Meanwhile, its younger rival Hinge reported a 30% spike in messages during March. Hinge also rolled out a new virtual video date feature, which is here to stay.
Coronavirus has changed dating apps “irreversibly”
The $7bn dating app industry was built to bring couples face-to-face. Yet, while the majority of the world endures lockdown, dating apps are getting more attention than ever. US giant Tinder reported its busiest day to date, ringing in more than 3bn swipes globally. Meanwhile, its younger rival Hinge reported a 30% spike in messages during March. Hinge also rolled out a new virtual video date feature, which is here to stay.
Sextech startups boom in coronavirus pandemic
A quarter of the world is now in coronavirus lockdown, with many people facing more ‘alone time’ than ever. The unexpected impact? Europe’s $30bn ‘sextech’ industry — made up of sex toys, apps and services — is being boosted by those with idle hands and minds. Where US giants like Pornhub are seeing a spike in traffic (this was up 13.7% in March), smaller players are pulling in a profit too.
Sextech startups boom in coronavirus pandemic
A quarter of the world is now in coronavirus lockdown, with many people facing more ‘alone time’ than ever. The unexpected impact? Europe’s $30bn ‘sextech’ industry — made up of sex toys, apps and services — is being boosted by those with idle hands and minds. Where US giants like Pornhub are seeing a spike in traffic (this was up 13.7% in March), smaller players are pulling in a profit too. Advertisment Ferly is a thriving sextech app.
Coronavirus: Which startups are winning and losing?
Clearly, nobody ‘wins’ when it comes to coronavirus, which has now spread across the world, infecting nearly 250,000 people at the time of publication. In Europe those living in Italy, Spain, Germany and France have been the most impacted so far — and the situation is set to worsen. The knock-on effect on startups has also been huge, but some businesses are faring better than others.
Coronavirus: Which startups are winning and losing?
Clearly, nobody ‘wins’ when it comes to coronavirus, which has now spread across the world, infecting nearly 250,000 people at the time of publication. In Europe, those living in Italy, Spain, Germany and France have been the most impacted so far — and the situation is set to worsen. The knock-on effects for startups have also been huge, but some businesses are faring better than others.
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After years of neglect, femtech is getting substantial investment
So-called ‘femtech’ — where technology and women’s health collide — is about so much more than menstruation, and the sector is having a...
Blue Ocean Robotics: Dutch startup sells 100s of robots to China
It’s been a torrid few years for robotics companies, with a string of high profile failures around the world. But at least one company, Denmark’s Blue Ocean Robotics, is doing well, helped recently by the coronavirus outbreak. Led by Claus Risager, the startup has started to ship hundreds of its hospital robots to China through its subsidiary UVD Robots. UVD’s robots rove around healthcare facilities spreading UV light to disinfect rooms contaminated with viruses or bacteria.
Blue Ocean Robotics: Danish startup sells 100s of robots to China
It's been a torrid few years for robotics companies, with a string of high profile failures around the world. But at least one company, Denmark's Blue Ocean Robotics, is doing well, helped recently by the coronavirus outbreak. Led by Claus Risager, the startup has started to ship hundreds of its hospital robots to China through its subsidiary UVD Robots. UVD’s robots rove around healthcare facilities spreading UV light to disinfect rooms contaminated with viruses or bacteria.
From robots to AI drugs, here are six tech startups fighting coronavirus
Some daft tech is being proposed to help combat the spread of coronavirus, from a facepalm-inducing advice bot in Times Square to personalised face masks that promise to help you unlock your smartphone. But there are dozens of tech startups pioneering health projects to really help fight the virus, Covid-19, which has now spread to six continents and has triggered more than 85,000 cases of respiratory illness and 3,000 deaths.
From robots to AI drugs, here are six tech startups fighting coronavirus
Some daft tech is being proposed to help combat the spread of coronavirus, from a facepalm-inducing advice bot in Times Square to personalised face masks that promise to help you unlock your smartphone. But there are dozens of tech startups pioneering health projects to really help fight the virus, Covid-19, which has now spread to six continents and has triggered more than 85,000 cases of respiratory illness and 3,000 deaths.
Nine mental health startups smashing "taboo" in Europe
Mental health startups have never been hotter, with global investment surging above the £500m mark. A new report from Octopus Ventures, one of Europe’s largest venture capital funds, found that over the last six years global funding in this area has rapidly increased from £120m in 2014 to £580m in 2019. But while US leaders — like Big Health, the company behind sleep app Sleepio, and meditation app Calm (which has hit coveted unicorn status) — are leading the way, Europe is slower off the mark.
Nine mental health startups smashing "taboo" in Europe
Mental health startups have never been hotter, with global investment surging above the £500m mark. A new report from Octopus Ventures, one of Europe's largest venture capital funds, found that over the last six years global funding in this area has rapidly increased from £120m in 2014 to £580m in 2019. But while US leaders — like Big Health, the company behind sleep app Sleepio, and meditation app Calm (which has hit coveted unicorn status) — are leading the way, Europe is slower off the mark.
Europe’s fastest growing startups with female founders | Sifted
Just 2.5% of European startups with multiple founders have entirely female founder teams, while around a fifth of startups have a sole female founder. Yet studies from the likes of Boston Consulting Group and First Round Capital continue to suggest female founders prevail against the odds, even bringing in better sales when judged like for like. With this in mind, we’ve chosen to showcase a handful of fast-growth female-founded startups to watch in 2020.
Europe’s fastest growing startups with female founders
Just 2.5% of European startups with multiple founders have entirely female founder teams, while around a fifth of startups have a sole female founder. Yet studies from the likes of Boston Consulting Group and First Round Capital continue to suggest female founders prevail against the odds, even bringing in better sales when judged like for like. With this in mind, we've chosen to showcase a handful of fast-growth female-founded startups to watch in 2020.
Pexxi: VCs are “painfully” clueless about the pill says femtech CEO
Millions of women take the contraceptive pill across Europe — yet half put up with negative side effects like headaches, nausea and mood swings. Now one British femtech startup thinks it can solve this problem with an algorithm. Pexxi is the world’s first business to develop a personalised oral contraception service. Founded in 2018, it combines data from an online questionnaire, DNA and hormone test kits to predict the best pill for individual women.
Pexxi founder says venture capital funds are “painfully” clueless about birth control
Millions of women take the contraceptive pill across Europe — yet half put up with negative side effects like headaches, nausea and mood swings. Now one British femtech startup thinks it can solve this problem with an algorithm. Pexxi is the world's first business to develop a personalised oral contraception service. Founded in 2018, it combines data from an online questionnaire, DNA and hormone test kits to predict the best pill for individual women.
Otto Bock: "Forget the money, startups" says unicorn CEO
“In today’s startup universe, too often the aim is to become a millionaire as quickly as possible,” says Hans Georg Näder, the CEO of Europe’s oldest unicorn Otto Bock. Otto Bock, a high-tech prosthetics company founded in 1919 to cater for the large market of post-war amputees, became a unicorn in 2017 with a valuation of $3.5bn when Sweden’s EQT Partners bought a 20% stake in the company. The company is understood to be considering a stock market listing, possibly as early as 2020.
With €2.7m, Iceland’s star therapy startup is springing into Europe
Is Iceland the perfect proving ground for Europe’s startups? The tiny market is a low-risk environment for trial and error, and can serve as a springboard onto the continent. “Iceland is a super good testbed—it’s really easy to network and sit down with people,” says Thorbjorg Helga, founder and CEO of therapist support startup Kara Connect. The psychology graduate founded the startup in Reyyavik in 2014 to help the therapists reach more patients through secure finance and planning tools.
With €2.7m Iceland’s star therapy startup is springing into Europe
Is Iceland the perfect proving ground for Europe’s startups? The tiny market provides a low-risk environment for trial and error, and can serve as a springboard onto the continent. “Iceland is a super good testbed — it's really easy to network and sit down with people,” says Thorbjorg Helga, founder and chief executive of therapist support startup Kara Connect.
“Forget the money, startups” says chief executive of German unicorn Otto Bock
“In today’s startup universe, too often the aim is to become a millionaire as quickly as possible," says Hans Georg Näder, the chief executive of Europe’s oldest unicorn Ottobock. Ottobock, a high-tech prosthetics company founded in 1919 to cater for the large market of post-war amputees, became a unicorn in 2017 with a valuation of $3.5bn when Sweden’s EQT Partners bought a 20% stake in the company. The company is understood to be considering a stock market listing, possibly as early as 2020.
Startup travel disrupter Duffel raises another $30m and launches
The travel sector is ready for a big old shake up — and it could just be driven by a European startup. Duffel, a UK-based travel tech startup, has just raised $30m in a round led by Index Ventures, bringing its total funding up to $56m. Its VC backers are an all-star lineup, including Blossom Capital, Benchmark and Kima.
Monzo snags Deloitte consultant to shape recruitment and company culture
Monzo has hired Deloitte consultant Sheree Atcheson as head of diversity and inclusion, Sifted has learned, as Europe’s challenger banks continue to lure top city-talent. The Northern Ireland born consultant is set to start full-time at Monzo’s London headquarters on Nov 4 after publicly announcing her departure from Deloitte on Monday. Atcheson spent over three years at Deloitte and most recently served as its inclusion lead in the UK.
Members of exclusive 'ICE' tech network rush to Jennifer Arcuri's defence
Multi-millionaire technology entrepreneurs and investors are rallying behind US businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri as the press continues to question her friendship with Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The techies, who belong to an elite invite-only network known as ICE, claim in a WhatsApp group seen by Sifted that Arcuri has been mistreated by the media. Arcuri, also a member of ICE, has thanked people for their messages of support in the WhatsApp group.
Health tech startups look beyond Europe for expansion
Charlotta Tönsgård, founder of Swedish healtech startup Kind, says she needs to grow her tech business outside of her the local market. The product, which is like a Slack for specialist healthcare providers, requires scale for the economics to work. But instead of aiming to expand in Europe, she is looking to the Middle East and South America. This is because she says, the regulation in Europe, as well as attitudes, makes innovations in healthcare exceptionally difficult.
Fintech exits have raked in €83bn since 2013 amid in European funding boom
Challenger banks such as Monzo or Revolut may have no immediate plans to sell-up, but their fellow European fintech startups have shown there’s money out there waiting for them. The sales of European fintechs via initial public offering, trade sale or private equity have pulled in €83bn over the past 6 years, according to a new report by Dealroom and Finch Capital. This is twice as much as the next biggest category, enterprise software.
German entrepreneurs call for €5bn government startup fund
One of Germany’s best-known entrepreneurs is calling on the government to create an investment fund for scale-up businesses similar to the €5bn fund announced by France last month. Frank Thelen, chief executive of venture capital fund Freigest Capital and television personality, says that the country’s tech sector is being held back by the inability of startups to raise late-stage capital from local institutions. “We don’t have enough capital.
Seven exoskeleton startups rising up in Europe
Any Avengers fan will know the power of the ‘super-suit’. Tony Stark, after all, used a robot IronMan suit to restore his heart to health after injuries sustained at war. But robotic exoskeletons—devices worn to support and mobilise the body—are very real: the global market is already worth more than $125.6m and generates well over $100m in revenue each year. By some estimates, the size of the market is expected to hit nearly $1.9bn by 2025.
Seven exoskeleton startups rising up in Europe
Any Avengers fan will know the power of the ‘super-suit’. Tony Stark, after all, used a robot IronMan suit to restore his heart to health after injuries sustained at war. But robotic exoskeletons—devices worn to support and mobilise the body—are very real: the global market is already worth more than $125.6m and generates well over $100m in revenue each year. By some estimates, the size of the market is expected to hit nearly $1.9bn by 2025.
Visionable is using 5G to build smart ambulances | Sifted
Take a trip in a “smart” ambulance, and you won’t just be treated by a paramedic. You will be treated by a whole suite of specialists who can connect remotely thanks to new streaming technology. The UK’s first smart ambulances, unveiled at a trial last month, have been kitted out by Visionable, a London healthtech startup with £8m behind it. Visionable’s tech lets clinical teams share video calls, data visualisations and other medical information over a 5G network.
Visionable is using 5G to build smart ambulances
Take a trip in a 'smart' ambulance and you won’t just be treated by a paramedic. You will be treated by a whole suite of specialists who can connect remotely thanks to new streaming technology. The UK’s first smart ambulances, unveiled at a trial last month, have been kitted out by Visionable, a London healthtech startup with £8m behind it. Visionable’s tech lets clinical teams share video calls, data visualisations and other medical information over a 5G network.
Europe's blockchain ecosystem: cutting through the noise
In blockchain’s short 10 years, the US and Asia-based startups have dominated media coverage and venture capital investments. The US has more funded blockchain companies than the UK, China and Singapore combined, taking the bulk of the $23.7bn raised since 2013. But Europe’s blockchain scene is now “catching up”, offering a hub of well-funded, early-stage startups and talent.
How Sigrid Therapeutics escaped the grasp of Big Pharma
Sana Alajmovic is an unusual life science cofounder. She is young, she is a woman, she is outspoken and she’s more business than science. And she is not relying on Big Pharma to acquire her company. Sigrid Therapeutics, which she founded together with professor Tore Bengtsson in 2014, is developing an engineered silica powder that can decrease the risk of developing type-2 diabetes. The product slows down digestion and cuts down on glucose peaks.
CMR Sugical: Inside Britain’s $1bn robot surgeon startup
Around 400 people work in CMR Surgical’s vast 55,000 square foot office in Cambridge. A cluster of part-built robotic arms are visible across the indoor “street”, and to the right, employees clamber across on the city’s largest indoor climbing wall. Martin Frost, the cofounder, tells Sifted that the office’s high-tech atmosphere makes it feel “like Silicon Valley”.
Britain’s $1bn robot surgeon startup is taking on "unloved" medtech
Around 400 people work in CMR Surgical’s vast 55,000 square foot office in Cambridge. A cluster of part-built robotic arms are visible across the indoor “street”, and to the right, employees clamber across on the city’s largest indoor climbing wall. Martin Frost, the cofounder, tells Sifted that the office’s high-tech atmosphere makes it feel “like Silicon Valley”.
Rebranding the menopause
Attitudes to the menopause are being transformed, and wellness companies, fem-tech and beauty brands are stepping up to champion this fundamental life stage. The silence that once existed around the menopause has been broken. Now, women reaching this life stage are creating noise and fuelling new brands and platforms to share stories and learn from each other. The silence that once existed around the menopause has been broken.
Fashion startup Lookiero bags $19m: “We’re not worried about Stitchfix”
In the US, Stitchfix has shown just how lucrative the application of AI can be to a fashion startup. The women’s clothing recommendation and delivery service pulls in annual revenue of more than $1.5bn and has grown at pace since its initial public offering in 2017. The US leader event entered Europe this summer with a UK launch. But its rivals say they are not scared. Spain’s Lookiero just raised $19m from MMC ventures bringing its total funding to $23m after a $4m raise last year.
Danish Trustpilot has become the beating heart of online business
Would you ever book an Airbnb stay without checking the scores of the host? Or agree to take a long journey with an Uber or Bolt driver with a low score? Online reviews today have the power to make or break a business. Two-thirds of consumers look at these reviews before using a service online. Emerging as the centre of the world of customer-reviews is the Danish startup Trustpilot, which has become hugely powerful to the brand of smaller online companies.
Fashion startup Lookiero bags $19m: “We’re not worried about Stitch Fix”
Introducing AI to the world of fashion has proven to be a lucrative affair. Look at Stitch Fix, a US-based women’s clothing recommendation service, which pulled in over $1.5bn in annual revenue and has grown at pace since its initial public offering in 2017. European investors are also now showing renewed interest in the space, with Spain's fashion startup Lookiero raising $19m from MMC ventures this week.
Hey, Elon Musk! Europe's startups are also biohacking the brain
America’s Elon Musk wants to put implants in our brains “to secure humanity’s future as a civilization.” The Tesla founder’s new biohacking startup Neuralink sounds straight out of sci-fi, but while the US getting all the excitement, Europe has been biohacking hotspot for decades.
Hey, Elon Musk! Europe's startups are biohacking the brain
America’s Elon Musk wants to put implants in our brains “to secure humanity’s future as a civilization.” The Tesla founder’s new biohacking startup Neuralink sounds straight out of sci-fi, but while the US getting all the excitement, Europe has been biohacking hotspot for decades.
ZeroAvia gets £2.7m grant to develop 'clean' hydrogen fuel for flights Sifted
What if we could solve the aviation industry’s carbon emissions problem by using hydrogen fuel cells to power flights? This is the idea that ZeroAvia, a California-based hydrogen fuel company will be testing in the UK, after receiving a £2.7m grant from the government. ZeroAvia will initially be testing to see if it can use zero-emissions hydrogen fuel to fly a 6-seater aircraft for a distance of up to 300 nautical miles (about the distance of London to Luxembourg).
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