Sigma Squared Society

RedStone Oracles, founded by our Sigma Squared Fellow Marcin Kaźmierczak ⛓️, has secured a $15M Series A Round led by Arrington Capital! 🎉 RedStone’s modular oracles offer gas fee-optimised price feeds for EVM and rollup-as-a-service networks, supporting over 60 blockchains. This funding will help expand their products and hire technical talent, focusing on Central Eastern Europe. Since its launch in January 2023, RedStone has grown its Total Value Secured (TVS) from $250 million to over $4 billion, serving over 100 clients. Congrats to Marcin and the team! Read more: https://lnkd.in/d83-mBsT

Two Sigma Squared Fellows have been selected for the prestigious 776 Climate Fellowship! 🌎🚀 776 Climate Fellowship was founded by Alexis Ohanian Sr. (Reddit, Inc. Co-founder, ex-Y Combinator partner) and is focused on combating climate change. The program offers 20 individuals aged 24 or younger the opportunity to work on ambitious climate-related ideas for two years, providing both scholarship and network support. This year, Donát Posta 🌾🌎🧑🌾 and Franco Rodriguez Viau will join the cohort! Donat co-founded scoutlabs creating affordable solutions to help farmers optimise crop protection during critical periods, boosting profitability and sustainability. Franco co-founded Satellites on Fire where he pioneers innovative solutions in wildfire detection and prevention through advanced satellite and AI technology. Congratulations to both of you! We can't wait to see where this journey will take you! 🎉

Sigma Squared's Michael Bervell raises $4M in seed funding for his venture TestParty! 🎉 TestParty is an innovative platform dedicated to automating accessibility compliance for websites and mobile applications. This funding will be instrumental in expanding TestParty's capabilities, enabling it to provide comprehensive solutions that ensure ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and EAA (European Accessibility Act) compliance based on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). TestParty is on a mission to make websites and mobile applications accessible to everyone. Their platform identifies accessibility issues, such as missing alt text on images or improper heading structures, and automatically fixes them. This makes it easier for companies to ensure their digital content is accessible to users with disabilities. By making compliance easier, TestParty helps companies avoid costly lawsuits and reach a broader audience. Congratulations, Michael! We look forward to seeing TestParty's impact in making the digital world more accessible for everyone. 👏 Read more: https://lnkd.in/gS9FpuJj

We're thrilled to announce that Sigma Squared Fellow, Fabian Kamberi, has successfully raised $5M in seed funding for his company, SLAY! SLAY, the innovative Berlin-based social gaming company, is the creator of a popular virtual pet game, Pengu. With over 2.5 million monthly active users and more than 10 million downloads, Pengu has taken the gaming world by storm. This new funding round, led by Accel and including prominent angel investors like Scott “Scooter” Braun or Riccardo Zacconi, will empower SLAY to expand its immersive social gaming platform, incorporating AI features and enabling users and developers to create custom content and virtual worlds within Pengu. The investment will be used to enhance Pengu’s ecosystem with new customizable games, characters, and features to improve user interaction and socialization. SLAY also aims to provide a developer platform for creating unique content and virtual worlds, expanding the game's capabilities and fostering a vibrant community. Big congratulations, Fabian & the team! 👏🚀 Read more: https://lnkd.in/deP5K2Fu

Per ridurre il divario di genere nell’accesso alla cura e ridisegnare i percorsi di salute delle donne, a fine 2022 Gaia Salizzoni e Vittoria Brolis hanno co-fondato Hale la prima clinica virtuale per condizioni ginecologiche. La clinica virtuale fondata dalle due ragazze di Trento opera attraverso una piattaforma online che guida la paziente attraverso le varie fasi di cura, dall’anamnesi alla diagnosi, fino alla scelta del trattamento più efficace

Our latest Fellow Story shines a light on Philip Mburu! 🌟 Philip is the founder of Hurupay, a digital wallet that simplifies cross-border money transfers for African migrants using blockchain technology. His journey began in 2021 while studying in Ghana, where he struggled with costly and inefficient money transfer options to send funds to his family in Kenya. Discovering the potential of stablecoins on Binance, he realised there was a better way and founded Hurupay. In just nine months, Hurupay has processed over 25,000 transactions, totalling $1,500,000, and boasts 2,000 active users across Ghana, Kenya, and Rwanda. April 2024 was a landmark month, featuring a $25,000 grant from Prezenti, recognition from President William Ruto in Ghana, and the expansion of his team with developer MAXWEL OCHIENG. When he's not working, Philip loves reading books like "The Hard Thing About Hard Things" and watching series such as "SWAT." Philip is passionate about financial inclusion and is excited to connect with fellow Sigma members who share his dedication to using technology to solve pressing challenges. Welcome to Sigma, Philip! 🚀

We are thrilled to continue our partnership with the European Forum Alpbach this year! 🇦🇹🚀 This annual interdisciplinary conference in Alpbach, Austria, gathers leaders and innovative thinkers from politics, business, civil society, culture, and science to drive ideas and solutions for a strong and democratic Europe. This year's theme, "Moment of Truth," perfectly aligns with our mission by emphasising the need to confront and address the critical issues facing our world today, fostering meaningful dialogue and collaboration among participants from around the globe. See you in Alpbach! 🌟

Niya, co-founded by our Fellow Holly Simmons, has just raised £1.5M! Niya is a London-based startup that has developed an AI-powered career management platform to help refugees, migrants, and individuals from low-income backgrounds advance their careers through upskilling, mentoring, and employment opportunities. With a recent £1.5M funding round, Niya plans to expand its services to include credit, finance, housing, and visa assistance, and to grow its presence across Europe. The platform helps match users with training, services, and job opportunities, working with 200 corporates and SMEs, including major tech companies like IBM and Microsoft. Well done to Holly and the whole Niya team! 🚀 Read more: https://lnkd.in/gsfVmxC7

Oko wins the Apple Design Award 2024! 🚀 We are thrilled to announce that Oko, created by our Sigma Fellow, Willem Van de Mierop and his team, has won the Apple Design Award 2024! This award recognises app design and innovation, celebrating apps that deliver exceptional user experiences and make a significant impact. Out of 2 million applications, Oko stood out for its innovation and value, with over 3 million streets safely crossed. Oko, developed by AYES (Co-founded by Willem) in Belgium, provides an essential service for visually impaired pedestrians by alerting them to the state of signal lights through haptic and audio feedback. It leverages Apple technologies like VoiceOver and Dynamic Type to ensure a safe and inclusive experience for users of diverse backgrounds and abilities. Congratulations to Willem and the entire team! We look forward to more developments from AYES. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gGceQAvB

Sigma Squared Fellows on Necker Island! 🌎 Several of our Sigma Fellows have recently visited Necker Island, Sir Richard Branson’s private paradise. This unique event hosted by Forming Impact brought together 40 visionary entrepreneurs from around the globe to foster connections and explore new opportunities. There, leaders from diverse fields—unicorn founders, investors, CEOs of multi-billion dollar enterprises, artists, and political figures—come together to navigate the evolving landscape of business and investment. This year, our Sigma Fellows — Michael Kowatschew, Eloa Guillotin, Ana Maria Pricop, Zvezdin B., Daniel Keinrath, Niklas Leck, Joël Van Dijk, and advisory board member Max von Bismarck — were among the attendees. Being alongside Richard Branson, driven entrepreneurs, globally influential creators, and insightful investors was truly inspiring. As Richard Branson wisely said, “The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all". This event showed how taking bold steps and making connections can create great opportunities. A big thank you to Michael Kowatschew, Fiona Macintyre, Forming Impact, and all the people who made this week so special!