News Roundup: Arnica, Blotout, Backslash, Wiremock, FunnelStory
Arnica Palo Alto Networks estimated $60B in damage costs from Software Supply Chain attacks. This is an emerging space and Arnica is focused on heads-down execution.
Blotout is the gold standard for marketing API as the cookie deprecates. Blotout has built a zero code stack enabling ID, Consent, and real time transforms that take site activity and convert it into an API feed that any number of core platforms can ingest. Blotout core API sets power Meta, TikTok, Klaviyo and enables SaaS companies zero code infrastructure that powers Attribution, Pixels, and Analytics via turnkey infrastructure.
Wiremock is getting good customer case studies. One of the most important layers in this age of AI is the data transaction layer. The tooling around this layer needs to continue to develop to bring AI to life. There’s a growing market for an API Integration platform for AI apps. This is an area of commercial interest and scientific pioneering and Wiremock is playing in this market.
Backslash In 2023, AI for the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) primarily focused on code generation. Since then, tools have progressed from single line code auto-complete to more complex scenarios. In the past year, we’ve seen a surge of AI tools now being offered across all phases of the lifecycle – plan, build, code, scan, test, deploy and observe. The use of AI generated code will emphasize the need for stronger security scanning to ensure that the suggested code is safe to use and within compliance standards. They were featured in two Gartner reports.
FunnelStory is getting good reviews from early customers. Much of the innovation that came before was digital transformation, but AI will create new ways of doing things in every industry — knowing your customers, their needs, desired outcomes, and how they want to work is king. As AI accelerates the pace of innovation, understanding customers at a deeper level and at a faster rate than competitors is the key attribute of success. They are hosting an event in Palo Alto for revenue leaders.
Discern is now on the Crowdstrike Marketplace. Cybersecurity tool sprawl is driving the emergence of risk mitigation platforms. An average organization has 75+ cyber solutions and the rising number of alerts are overwhelming the security teams. This is the category that Discern plays in.
Databricks, First Rays Venture Partners portfolio company Databricks hosted a Data & AI Summit in June, 2024. As investors (via Arcion acquisition), we were invited to an exclusive preview of the product and the exciting financial performance of the company. The First Rays team is excited about our investment holdings in Databricks and we believe that the company will demonstrate robust performance and growth in the coming years.… Read on here to learn more.
