UPS has started testing its drone delivery system for packages to remote, or hard to reach locations.
Last week, the Atlanta-based delivery giant teamed up with CyPhy Works on a mock urgent delivery to send an inhaler to Children's Island 3 miles off the coast of Marblehead, Massachusetts. CyPhy says the drone is extremely durable, has night vision and secure communications that cannot be intercepted or disrupted.
Mark Wallace, UPS senior vice president of global engineering and sustainability, says they are focused on real-world applications. "We think drones offer a great solution to deliver to hard-to-reach locations in urgent situations where other modes of transportation are not readily available."
UPS will have to work within new federal regulations that don't permit commercial drones to fly over people not involved with their operations. Drones would also have to stay within line of site of their operators, making drone deliveries like this nearly impossible. UPS says they are working with regulators to tweak existing rules. READ MORE
With the first of the presidential debates finally over, the election season is in full swing. And thanks to Facebook, it looks like Georgia voters are gearing up to cast their ballots. Secretary of State Brian Kemp says hits on Georgia's online voter registration system increase by more than 2-thousand percent from this time last year. Of course, 2015 wasn't a big election year. But Kemp says Facebook's new voter registration reminder got many more voters registering to vote by directing them to the state's registration site.
By the way, if you want to vote in this year's presidential election, you must register by October 11. READ MORE
Equifax is making changes to its credit reports to help mortgage lenders. The credit-reporting giant said that traditional credit reports will now include up to two years of debt repayment and balance history.
Equifax says the update gives lenders a better view of how a borrower manages debt and predict their chances for defaulting on a loan. It will also allow those lenders to better reward folks who are responsible with paying back their loans and improve their chances for qualifying for a mortgage. READ MORE
This week, the Bridge III hosted a showcase of their startups at the Coca-Cola Headquarters.
The startup commercialization program sponsored by Coca-Cola, The Weather Company, IHG, Cox Enterprises and other area businesses is designed to connect startups with major companies.
This year's cohort included a dozen startups from around the world including Platica, Newsfusion and DocAuthority. READ MORE
Deal Flow Wrap-Up:
This week's wrap-up starts with $11 million in new funding for Atlanta's MemberSuite.
The Series B funding round was raised by Revolution Ventures out of Washington D.C. and led by AOL co-founder Steve Case. MemberSuite's software is used by trade associations to manage fundraising, event planning and accounting. The company plans to put the funds towards product development, marketing and sales. It also plans to double their staff within the year. The $11 million deal brings MemberSuite's total VC funding up to nearly $20 Million. READ MORE
And SuissRE has put a strategic investment into Sharecare. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports that the partnership is designed to help consumers manage financial stress. The health-related social website was founded by WebMD Founder Jeff Arnold and Dr. Mehmet Oz. SuissRE's investment brings Sharecare's total funding up to $220 million. READ MORE
KPMG is the latest company to announce their plans to put in an innovation center in Midtown.
The so-called "Ignition Center” is expected to create about 200 tech jobs in product development. The Atlanta hub for the professional services firm will be housed at the One Atlantic Center and will focus on big data projects, analytics, business management, taxes, HR and cloud computing. READ MORE
This week, the technology association of Georgia unveiled their latest edition of hub magazine. On the cover is Cameron Clayton, The CEO of The Weather Company. It also features his article "Digital Media & Entertainment: Disruption In Georgia".
And we're also happy to note that several past guests on Atlanta Tech Edge made the list of this year's top Game Changers in Digital Media and Entertainment, including: Paul Hamm of Endavo Media, Todd Harris of Hi-Rez Studios, Molly Proffitt of Ker-Chunk Games and Georgia game developers association executive director Andrew Greenberg. READ MORE
