STUTTGART — Bosch Ventures, the corporate venture capital unit of the Bosch Group, joins forces with companies from the Schwarz Group and Innovation Park AI (Ipai) in Heilbronn, Germany, to co-lead the Series-B investment round in the AI startup Aleph Alpha, according to a recent press release. Aleph Alpha is set to receive over USD 500 million in funding from a consortium of seven new investors, along with participation from existing backers. This substantial financial backing aims to propel Aleph Alpha’s AI research, accelerating the development and commercialization of generative AI across critical sectors like manufacturing, healthcare, finance, law, government, and security, according to a press release published on EuropaWire.
Jonas Andrulis, Founder and CEO of Aleph Alpha, emphasizes the significance of generative AI in fostering collaboration between humans and machines, stating, “Our partners are industry leaders who offer enormous potential for innovation and scaling, and we are committed to building these partnerships to leading positions in their respective industries.”
Bosch Ventures, known for its investments in innovative technology startups, sees generative AI as a transformative force in various sectors. Dr. Ingo Ramesohl, managing director of Bosch Ventures, highlights the importance of trustworthy and explainable AI solutions, expressing high hopes for Aleph Alpha’s future developments.
The investment consortium, led by Bosch Ventures, Innovation Park AI (Ipai), and Schwarz Group companies, includes new investors such as Christ & Company Consulting, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, SAP, and Burda Principal Investments. Existing institutional investors round out the oversubscribed round.
Dr. Tanja Rückert, member of the Bosch board of management, underscores the transformative potential of generative AI, likening it to the invention of the computer. She emphasizes the importance of actively developing generative AI for Europe’s technological sovereignty.
In addition to the investment, Bosch plans to collaborate more closely with Aleph Alpha to explore new use cases for associates and customers. This strategic partnership aims to leverage Aleph Alpha’s strengths in generative AI, fostering mutual learning and collaboration on cross-domain use cases. Aleph Alpha’s solutions will be operated in Bosch’s data centers, ensuring greater security for confidential data.
Bosch’s collaboration with Aleph Alpha complements its existing partnerships with Microsoft, Google, and AWS in the realm of generative AI, signaling the company’s commitment to shaping the future of AI technology.
