Payments and financial solutions are two-a-penny at this point, but mostly for online e-commerce. What about physical stores? In 2023 Qomodo, a Milan-based all-in-one payment methods aggregator for physical merchants, came out with a 34.5 million ($36.9 million) pre-seed round (mostly debt), which we covered, to expand the BNPL model into other categories.Its now raised 13.5 million ($13.9 million) in a Series A funding. The round was co-led by RTP Global and LMDV Capital, with participation from Proximity Capital, Primo Capital as well as other notable investors including the founders of FACEIT, Fiscozen and Freetrade (the latter through Lumen Ventures). That means its now raised 48 million in total ($49.6 million so, 18 million of equity, 30 million of credit facility).Founded in 2023 by entrepreneurs Gianluca Cocco and Gaetano de Maio, Qomodo claims to now serve 2,500 physical merchants, mostly in Italy.The idea is that Qomodo lets small businesses improve their cash flow and increase revenue with a BNPL solution which lets consumers make flexible, interest-free installments on items purchased in-store.This means retailers are more likely to make sales, while at the same time reducing the credit risk from customers.Speaking to TechCrunch Gianluca Cocco, CEO and Co-Founder of Qomodo, said: Our software basically simplifies the merchant transaction to help them reduce payment fees and streamline their operation. You can say that we are digitizing SMBs that have been left behind by FinTech in the physical world.Its a sort of 360 degrees approach, he added. We have a BNPL and POS solution but we are also going to launch other banking products like cards and bank accounts.He said they are in a space where FinTech is not that present, or not at all: Because this is about physical merchants. Usually, financial institutions provide personal loans and traditional lending products, or banking products. So those are our actual main competitors.Louis Dussart, VP, Europe, RTP Global, commented in a statement: Italy has been waiting for a B2B fintech champion and thats why we are delighted to back Qomodo. Theres a huge opportunity, given Italys significant domestic market and standing as the nation of SMBs, to revolutionize and enhance in-store shopping experiences for both retailers and consumers.Qomodo has already partnered with retailers such as Decathlon, Calzedonia, Moschino, Samsonite, Nike, and Pandora.

Breakdown & ShowreelsInvisible: VFX Breakdown by El RanchitoBy Vincent Frei - 21/01/2025 Experience the magic of Invisible on Disney+, brought to life by the really cool visual effects work crafted by El Ranchito. Their standout creation? A magnificent dragon thats as realistic as it is mesmerizing!WANT TO KNOW MORE?El Ranchito: Dedicated page about Invisible on El Ranchito website. Vincent Frei The Art of VFX 2025

Metal 3D printer manufacturer Velo3D has completed the strategic review process it initiated in December 2023. The California-based company has now finalized a series of corporate actions that it claims will position the company forsustainable growth starting in 2025.These updates include a debt-for-equity exchange which saw Arrayed Notes Acquisition Corp. acquire 95% of Velo3Ds issued and outstanding common shares. Through the transaction, the Arrayed Additive subsidiary canceled approximately $22.4 million, or 81.7% in principal amount, of its outstanding senior secured notes and 369,000 USD of accrued interest in exchange for 185,151,333 newly issued shares of Velo3Ds common stock.Following this, Brad Kreger was replaced as Velo3D CEO in December 2024 by Arun Jeldi, CEO of Arrayed Additive, who also joined the companys Board of Directors. Concurrently, six incumbent board members tendered their resignations.Moving forward under the ownership of Arrayed Additive, Velo3D will work to grow its position in the metal additive manufacturing market, targeting applications in defense, aerospace, and space. The company has also launched a new go-to-market strategy, which seeks to identify and maximize multiple revenue streams. It will also increase focus on delivering a total solutions-based approach, incorporating both system and parts sales.The new-look company believes these actions will improve its operational and financial performance, improve its competitive position, and ultimately enable long-term sustainable and profitable growth.Completing the strategic review is a significant milestone for Velo3D and I am pleased to be leading Velo3D in the new era of growth, commented Jeldi. Our focus remains on providing customers with our industry-leading, large-format metal 3D printing solutions and look forward to working with all of our stakeholders to make the company successful.Velo3D-3D printed turbine engine blade disk. Photo by 3D Printing Industry.New-look Velo3D targets growth following Strategic ReviewVelo3Ds strategic review was initiated back in December 2023. This move saw then-CEO Benny Buller resign at the request of the Board, who named Kreger as his replacement.The large-format metal 3D printing specialist also announced plans to raise $18 million through a registered direct offering, selling 36 million shares and warrants at $0.50 each, exercisable at $0.565. It entered into securities purchase agreements with an existing lender and new investors to enhance working capital, capital expenditures, and corporate goals.Additionally, Velo3D announced a cash payment of $25 million to noteholders, repaying approximately $20.8 million of Secured Notes principal and accrued interest. To further strengthen its financial position, it amended the Secured Notes, removing certain redemption requirements and cash maintenance obligations.Despite these initiatives, the metal AM company continued to face financial challenges. In July 2024, the firm received a noncompliance notice from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) after Velo3Ds total market capitalization and stockholders equity fell below $50 million over a consecutive 30-day period. The following month, it announced the registration of up to 1,650,000 shares of its common stock. This was linked to July 2024 Warrants, connected to an amendment of the companys senior secured notes due in 2026.Now, the new-look Velo3D hopes strategic restructuring will bolster its financial position. We have taken a number of steps to accelerate our path to profitability and execute on a sustainable, long-term business model, added Jeldi. While I am very happy with what the Company has accomplished to date, I am much more excited about the future of Velo3D as we embark on our next chapter of growth.Former Velo3D CEO Benny Buller. Photo via Benny Buller, Linkedin. Velo3D announces Q3 2024 resultsThroughout 2024, Velo3Ds P&L performance remained unsteady. In Q1, it reported revenue of $9.8 million, down 63.3% Y/Y from $26.8M in Q1 2023. The gross loss came to -$2.8M, a significant drop from a gross profit of $2.5M reported the year prior.The following quarter saw a similar downward trajectory, as revenue fell 58.8% YoY from $25.1M to $10.3M. While gross loss continued to underperform at -$2.9M, operating loss showed some signs of recovery. This figure came to -$20.5M, a 20.2% improvement from -$25.7M in Q223. At the time, the 3D printer manufacturer announced a number of cost-cutting measures, including an approximately 30% reduction in headcount, as quarterly expenses were reduced by 37% YoY.Despite this, Velo3Ds latest financial figures for Q3 show little sign of improvement. Revenue came in at $8.2 million, down 65.7% YoY from $24.1M in Q323, with a gross margin of 49.4%. The companys -$22.9 million net loss continued to rise, increasing 33.3% YoY from -$17.1M in the previous year.Velo3D reported a non-cash gain of $9.2 million on the change in the fair value of warrants and contingent earnout liabilities. However, this was offset by a $10.9 million interest expense and $6.7 million in bad debt expenses. Overall, operating expenses for Q3 2024 were $22.8 million, up 14.6% from $26.7M YoY.Velo3D Sapphire XC larger format 3D printer. Image via Velo3D.3D printing firms target strategic changesVelo3D is the latest additive manufacturing firm to enact strategic changes to achieve financial and market growth. Earlier this month, German 3D printing materials company Forward AM altered its strategic strategy in North America. It has partnered with distributor and service provider RP America to ensure ongoing product availability and on-site support for US, Canada, and Mexico customers, bridging gaps left by BASFs market exit. This collaboration integrates Forward AMs materials portfolio with on-site engineering assistance and training to strengthen local additive manufacturing capabilities.Elsewhere, Israeli electronics 3D printer manufacturer Nano Dimension underwent a boardroom reshuffle, which saw Yoav Stern replaced as CEO amid the growing influence of activist shareholder Murchinson Ltd. The decision was made during the companys Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (AGM), which also saw Michael X. Garrett removed from the Board of Directors. Simultaneously, Ofir Baharav and Robert Pons, nominated by Murchinson, were elected as Directors. Following this, six of Nano Dimensions incumbent directors, Dr. Yoav Nissan-Cohen, Eitan Ben-Eliahu, Oded Gera, Roni Kleinfeld, Chris Moran, and Georgette Mosbacher, resigned.This new-look boardroom could see a move away from Sterns stringent mergers and acquisition efforts, which included a $183 million deal for Desktop Metal and a $115 million agreement for Markforged. Previously, Murchinson published a letter calling these acquisition efforts overpriced and misguided. The investment management firm has now outlined an opportunity for the new board to carefully and critically examine the merits and success of past and present acquisitions.Who won the 2024 3D Printing Industry Awards?All the news from Formnext 2024.Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to keep up with the latest 3D printing news.You can also follow us on X, like our Facebook page, and subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry Youtube channel to access more exclusive content.Featured image shows a Velo3D-3D printed turbine engine blade disk. Photo by 3D Printing Industry.

Yoga Dojo | French + TyeThe Yoga Dojo is a standalone pavilion designed for meditation and relaxation in a private garden in Greater London. It is an extension of the home, positioned at the end of a planted walkway. The project follows householder-permitted development rights, integrating with the surrounding landscape. The structure provides a quiet space separate from daily activities, emphasizing a connection with its natural setting.Yoga Dojo Technical InformationArchitects1-2: MW ArchitectsLocation: Greater London, England, United KingdomArea: 60 m2 | 645 Sq. Ft.Project Year: 2019Photographs: French + TyeKeen to be honest in its construction, the engineering bricks used are exposed internally and externally and are set in whole brick dimensions. The structure of the roof is an exposed metalwork grid open to the main space. MW ArchitectsYoga Dojo PhotographsAeria View | French + TyeAerial View | French + TyeFacade | French + TyeNight View | French + TyeInterior | French + TyeInterior | French + TyeInterior | French + Tye French + Tye French + Tye French + TyeYoga Dojo Design and Spatial CompositionThe clients request for a dedicated retreat space informed the pavilions design. It functions as a place of withdrawal while maintaining visual and physical links to the garden. The design focuses on functionality and simplicity, creating a space conducive to quiet activities.The pavilion is approached via a planted walkway, creating a transition from the main house. The structure is divided into three primary spaces: a main meditation and yoga area, a glazed courtyard with an external hot tub, and a separate WC. The layout ensures each space remains distinct while maintaining a visual and material connection.Material selection plays a key role in the design. Exposed engineering bricks are used both internally and externally, maintaining consistency. The timber elements, charred on-site, contribute to the overall aesthetic and conceal mechanical systems. The roof structure consists of an exposed metalwork grid, reinforcing the straightforward construction approach.Structural and Material ConsiderationsThe pavilion emphasizes precision in detailing. The roof has an ultra-thin edge, contributing to its lightweight appearance. A sedum roof was incorporated, improving insulation and blending the structure with its surroundings.Material selection balances durability and simplicity. The exposed brickwork provides texture, while the glazing creates a connection with the garden. The courtyard, which includes an external hot tub, introduces a transitional space between the interior and exterior, reinforcing the relationship between built elements and nature.Architectural Context and ImpactThe Yoga Dojo demonstrates the role of small-scale architecture in residential settings. It reinterprets the traditional garden pavilion, focusing on material clarity and spatial efficiency. The project uses exposed materials and a restrained palette to maintain a straightforward construction approach.Beyond its structural aspects, the pavilion incorporates sustainable elements such as a sedum roof, which supports biodiversity and enhances insulation. The simple layout and material honesty contribute to a functional and adaptable space.The Yoga Dojo is an example of compact architecture that integrates construction precision with its environment. It provides a dedicated space for meditation and relaxation, balancing structural clarity with its setting.Yoga Dojo PlansFloor Plan | MW ArchitectsSection | MW ArchitectsYoga Dojo Image GalleryAbout MW ArchitectsMatthew Benjamin Wood is a UK-based architect known for his precision-driven design approach and seamless integration of architecture with nature. With a keen emphasis on material honesty and refined detailing, his work often explores the intersection of craftsmanship, engineering, and spatial serenity. His designs, such as the Yoga Dojo, reflect a sensitivity to the built and natural environments, creating immersive spaces that foster mindfulness and well-being. Woods architectural philosophy prioritizes clean lines, structural clarity, and sustainable design elements, ensuring each project resonates with aesthetic and functional intent.Credits and Additional NotesArchitect: Matthew Benjamin WoodClient: Private Residential OwnerConstruction Materials: Engineering bricks, charred timber, metalwork grid, generous glazing, sedum roofSustainability Features: Sedum green roof for biodiversity and thermal performance

Rough and ReadyOffice JDY exposes masonry, wood, concrete, and stucco for VEJAs Williamsburg storeByKelly Pau January 21, 2025East, Interiors (Eric Petschek)SHAREA hodgepodge of masonry, wood, concrete, and stucco materials can often be found in old New York City buildings that have swapped owners (and thus designs) over time, and the Brooklyn locale for French sneaker brand VEJA is no different. Rather than concealing this idiosyncrasy,Office JDYrepaired and remediated the amalgamation while revealing it as the concept for the stores new interior. The mixed materials are paired with white surfacesthe only new finishes in the storemade with a custom lime-plaster mix developed with local craftspeople. This forms a textured wall and display of boxes to highlight products.Read more about the store on aninteriormag.com.

An excerpt of a Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant for a soldier named Charles Hart, North CarolinaPractice Your Cursive as a Citizen Archivist and Preserve Thousands of Historic DocumentsJanuary 21, 2025HistoryKate MothesIn 2010, the newly established Common Core State Standards program, which outlines skills and knowledge students should acquire between kindergarten and high school, did not include cursive in its English requirements. As a result, many young people can no longer read or write in cursive. But if you canor are willing to learna wealth of historical documents await you in the U.S. National Archives.The federal organizations Citizen Archivist program is recruiting volunteers to help transcribe thousands of documents in its collection. Records in need of review are categorized into missions, like paperwork relating to women in the First World War or submarine patrol reports during the Second World War.An excerpt of a Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application for James Lucas, Virginia. Image courtesy of the National ArchivesAnother major mission involves transcribing the records of more than 80,000 of the nations first veterans. Each file is associated with a surviving Revolutionary War soldier, his widow, or children, who applied for a pension based on the veterans service during War for Independence (1775-1783), says a statement from the National Parks Service, which has partnered with the National Archives for this initiative in time for the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.The National Archives also needs people to tag photographs and other materials to help identify people, events, or places. By improving searchability, the archives become more accessible to historians, genealogists, students, and the public.Its easy to get started: just register and select a document to begin transcribing. Theres no application, and you can contribute as much or as little as youd like. National Parks Service interpretation planner Joanne Blacoe says, We wanted something that was going to last beyond an anniversary, not just in our own archives but in a place that everybody could access.Find more on the National Archives website.Next article

The State of digital government review, published by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, has portrayed the highly fragmented nature of public sector digital services.A root cause of the problems with public sector digital services, according to the review, is that fragmentation is a feature of the system. One of the challenges noted by the authors of the review is that public sector organisations are independent bodies with limited mechanisms to contract services from each other.Most choose to build and maintain their own technology estate, inhibiting standardisation, interoperability and reuse, and constraining the ability to benefit from scale, the review stated.This leads to inconsistencies in architectural design, product management, operations and development between organisations, and hence fragmented digital services. For instance, compared with services such as remote banking, which is used by 86% of adults, the review reported that approximately half of central government and NHS services still do not offer a digital pathway.The review noted that while the government budget for technology initiatives was 26bn in 2023/24 (5.9% of the governments operating fund), data from Gartner suggests this is 2.9% lower than the percentage of operational expenses spent on technology in similar-sized organisations.The review warned that this underinvestment in technology increases long-term costs and the total cost of ownership, with maintenance of legacy systems costing three to four times that of modern alternatives, as demonstrated by HMRCs contracts for the maintenance of Cobol systems.It also reported that the government tends to be biased towards new programmes, with insufficient prioritisation of effective operation and maintenance of legacy assets.The reviews authors warned that legislation often comes without additional funding, which forces reprioritisation of previously allocated budgets.The funding challenge is set to worsen given that digital and data projects are moving from capital expenditure towards subscription-based services, which increases the reliance on committed ongoing funding.The shift from outsourcing to building internal teams and buying platform services is also covered in the review. The authors noted that government procurement and supplier management processes have not changed from a focus on a capital purchase model to a subscription-based model and the move away from on-premise systems towards software as a service (SaaS) and cloud computing.They also pointed out that systems integrators have become the dominant service providers, acting as resellers for major platforms. The technology supply chain has consolidated over time as platform providers take on more traditional supplier roles, such as hardware provider, datacentre provider and database software provider.The review recommended that government sourcing decisions should more actively incorporate these market drivers and conditions, as well as requirements and preferences of the contracting organisation.Another area of concern raised in the review is the ability of public sector bodies to take advantage of shared services, identifying seven resellers that provided Google products (services, software and licences) across 12 departments with 10% in missed volume discounts. It also found that the government was exposed to VMwares pricing increases following the Broadcom acquisition due to the lack of a cross-government commercial agreement.Additionally, it said each of the NHSs 209 secondary care entities negotiates and buys its own infrastructure including cloud, networking and end user computing and each of the 320 councils largely negotiates its own technology agreements outside of buying groups.Looking at why government digital services appear to be disconnected, the review found that a combination of technical limitations, risk-averse cultures, unclear regulations and different governance standards is leading to data fragmentation. The reviews authors reported that legacy systems pose a major challenge to real-time data sharing, such as Cobol systems in HMRC, which require additional software to share data via application programming interfaces (APIs).Another of the issues identified as making digital public services less than ideal is the challenge for councils to ensure that systems and data are interoperable. This is often due to barriers put in place by legacy IT suppliers and/or the high costs of APIs needed to integrate different systems. This, according to the review, significantly hinders digital transformation.Overall, the review warned that underinvestment in technology and a heavy reliance on legacy systems mean artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies will continue to be underutilised due to the cautious cost/benefit-driven funding approaches applied to nascent technologies. It said this lack of investment means public sector bodies are missing automation, productivity and service delivery opportunities.Secretary of state for science, technology and innovation, Peter Kyle, said the review shows the gap between the state and the private sector. Describing the review as, a comprehensive evaluation of the United Kingdom's public sector digital infrastructure and capabilities, he said: Successes are too often achieved despite the system: they rely on the dedication of experts doing their best with limited resources, navigating processes which were not designed for a digital age, and implementing policies which were not designed to be digital first.Read more government IT storiesCan UK government achieve ambition to become AI powerhouse? The artificial intelligence opportunities action plan has been largely well received, but there are plenty of questions about how it will be achieved.UK government secures 10bn AI datacentre investment from US firm: The prime minister has announced that 10bn in overseas investment has been secured to fund the construction of a hyperscale, AI datacentre in Northumberland.

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