SBS Comms

In this week’s Briefing Notes, we interviewed VentureBeat’s senior AI reporter, Emilia David, about what trends will matter most in 2025. Emilia offers her perspectives on how companies can differentiate themselves in a crowded, noisy space. Read on to learn her insights and what PR professionals should know about working with VentureBeat. 🤝

Great segment on Yahoo Finance from Cloudflare CTO John Graham-Cumming, on the company's recent Year in Review report, the AI industry and more. h/t John Hyland

Bright news for downtown SF as Lambda announces a hub for research and technical talent – more from Laura Waxmann in San Francisco Chronicle!

Join us in welcoming our newest Vice President, Elizabeth Gordon to the crew! Prior to joining SBS, Liz spent over five years on Amazon’s in-house global communications team in corporate communications, operations, and consumer PR roles. Prior to that, Liz worked at OutCast for nearly a decade as a Director of Media Strategy, with clients including Amazon, Facebook, HBO, GE, and a16z. We can’t think of a better way to gear up for the new year than expanding our team – 2025 here we come! 🎆

🛰️ 🛰️ 🛰️ Pixxel raised a $24M extension of its Series B funding round, with new capital from M&G Investments and Glade Brook Capital Partners LLC, CEO Awais Ahmed told Payload. The Indian space data company is planning to launch six satellites with high-resolution hyperspectral sensors on the next SpaceX Transporter mission, expected in early 2025. Six more will follow on a subsequent SpaceX rideshare later in the year. Pixxel has been operating three demo satellites since 2022 to develop its technology. https://lnkd.in/gHpTKMD9

No such thing as a holiday slowdown here! It was a busy week at SBS with highlights including: 🌍 Wherobots raising $21.5M to tackle climate challenges with smarter geospatial data. 📊 OpenResearch releasing a new study digging into why the American Dream feels out of reach for many. ⚙️ DEFCON AI’s Paul Selva sharing how AI is reshaping logistics and supply chains. ⚡ Read the stories below across MIT Technology Review, Fortune, Fast Company, Business Insider, Bloomberg, ZDNET, CyberScoop, Forbes, and more.

It's been the honor of my career working with Dr. Elizabeth Rhodes, SBS Comms and the entire team at OpenResearch on the important and inspirational work of asking big open-ended research questions and collecting rigorous data to inform the future.

The US Department of Defense has invested $2.4 million over two years in deepfake detection technology from a startup called Hive AI. It’s the first contract of its kind for the DOD’s Defense Innovation Unit, which accelerates the adoption of new technologies for the US defense sector. Hive AI’s models are capable of detecting AI-generated video, image, and audio content. https://lnkd.in/gz49yy5n

OpenResearch's three-year study on guaranteed cash transfers produced comprehensive data on American life - from participants' thoughts on the American Dream and political behavior to the impacts of the child tax credit rollback. In a new analysis published this morning, the research team detailed how those rollbacks affected study participants' lives. Read more about the analysis in today's edition of Fortune MPW Daily: https://lnkd.in/gexaQpFU

As we wrap up 2025, we’re excited to announce our newest class of fellows: Verónica Angulo and Lizette Gutierrez. Lizette is based in San Diego, CA and has worked within the tech industry for the past two years with clients such as Amazon, Meta, T-Mobile, and Microsoft. She has professional experience in marketing, sales, and recruitment but is interested in creating compelling stories and learning about all things public relations. Outside of work, you can find her at the beach, at the gym, and spending lots of time with friends and family. Verónica joins us as a new resident of Austin, TX, having previous experience with clients ranging from retail, procurement, C-suite hiring, and as a communications consultant for nonprofit organizations from the Seattle area. Outside of work, you can find her reading, at a concert, or trying out new Austin food spots. Her dog, Sirius Black, makes occasional appearances on Zoom and keeps her on her toes! So excited to have them join us at SBS! 🎉