One of the relatively unsung benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) is that it can power companies whose business models are multi-sided platforms. That's the primary reason why there are massive numbers of AI applications at Facebook, Amazon, Uber, Airbnb and Google--you can't run a platform business without AI. The technology is critical for making the match between buyers and sellers, for knowing who's buying and selling what and for servicing large numbers of customers. Firms whose business models were not previously platform-based are noticing that they are an effective route to faster growth and higher valuations. This gives rise to the "platform pivot"--changing the primary business model to a platform, or at least adding it to existing business models.

As in just about every area of the health and fitness market, technology is increasingly infiltrating yoga, with startups and investors pushing to capitalize on the $80 billion market. Last year, Germany-based Asana Rebel raised more than $17 million from notable backers that include Greycroft to grow its virtual yoga platform, while New York's Mirror has raised sizable funding rounds for a connected mirror that delivers virtual fitness classes, such as yoga and Pilates. Zenia recently entered the fray with a mobile app that leverages machine learning, computer vision, and motion tracking with the promise of helping improve your yoga poses. The company calls it "the world's first AI-powered yoga assistant," and plans to expand its technology to cover all areas of health and fitness. Zenia was officially founded out of Belarus in May of this year by software engineer Alexey Kurov, and the company has secured an undisclosed investment from such notable backers as Misha Lyalin, CEO and chair of Russia-based game developer Zeptolab, and Bulba Ventures, a Belarusian venture capital (VC) firm that invests in AI startups.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is undermining many of our industrial age ideas – including the best ways to develop business models, investment strategies, and critical assets. The result is that many companies are playing with an outdated rulebook, and they are being punished by capital markets for it. The industrial age was, and remains, the foundation of business thinking for most organizations and their leaders, including Michael Porter's 5 P's and even some of the most notable Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences winners. The basics of how businesses and countries are managed and measured no longer bring the admiration of investors. One problematic management approach is accounting systems based on Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), which classifies plant and property as assets, and people and intangible assets as expenses.

News emerged last summer that Google had snapped up computer vision startup AIMatter, the Belarusian company behind the popular funky photo-effects app Fabby. While Fabby continues today under Google's guidance, the app was really a public-facing showcase for AIMatter's underlying technology, which is basically a neural network-powered platform and SDK for detecting and processing images. And that is what Google was really buying into as it battles it out with other major technology companies to secure the most promising AI brain power. The acquisition further highlights the burgeoning computer vision startup scene in Eastern Europe, which saw Facebook acquire Belarusian startup Masquerade; Snapchat snap up Looksery, which has Ukrainian roots; and Russia's Prisma gain widespread attention for its computer vision-powered art photo app. Nearly one year after AIMatter's sale to Google, VentureBeat caught up with Yury Melnichek, the Belarusian serial entrepreneur who was a founding investor in AIMatter and who previously worked as a software engineer at Google and eBay.

Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming an integral part of every tech company's strategy, so it's no surprise that big firms are ramping up their acquisition of AI startups. M&A activity has already seen a fivefold increase in the number of AI startup acquisitions -- from 22 in 2013 to 115 in 2017. While the race is far from over, Google and Apple have acquired the most AI startups since 2012. With close to 14 acquisitions, Google is currently leading the charge to buy AI startups. The company's most recent acquisition involves the conversational commerce platform Banter, which helps businesses connect with their customers over popular messaging platforms like Facebook Messenger, Twitter, and Snapchat.

The search and Android giant has acquired AIMatter, a startup founded in Belarus that has built both a neural network-based AI platform and SDK to detect and process images quickly on mobile devices, and a photo and video editing app that has served as a proof-of-concept of the tech called Fabby. We'd had wind of the deal going down as far back as May, although it only officially closed today. Fabby and Google have confirmed the deal to us and there should be a statement posted on AIMatter's site about the news soon (update: it's up). A Google spokesperson provided TC with a short statement: "We are excited to welcome the AIMatter team to Google." Terms of the sale are not being disclosed, but we understand that Fabby -- which has had over 2 million downloads -- will continue to run, and from what we understand most of AIMatter's employees will come over to Google.