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DOSS, the company building an AI-native Operations Cloud for physical-goods companies, today announced it has raised $55 million in Series B funding. The round was co-led by Madrona and Premji Invest. Intuit Ventures joined the round alongside new investors Greyhound Capital and Commerce Ventures, with continued support from Theory Ventures, General Catalyst, Contrary Capital, Mintaka, Pathlight VC, and 47th Street Partners. Madrona Managing Director Karan Mehandru will join the DOSS board.

The company was founded to solve a problem that has frustrated operators for decades across consumer goods, retail, wholesale, and manufacturing: ERP systems take years to deploy and fail to keep pace once live.

Most product companies today manage dozens of sales channels, complex supplier networks, and multiple fulfillment partners. But their applications were designed for a far less complex world. This forces teams into spreadsheets and manual workarounds, or costly re-implementations of their existing systems every time the business changes.

DOSS takes a different approach. Its Operations Cloud is a composable, extensible system built on a unified data model. It is designed so companies can deploy and adjust business modules for procurement, inventory, orders, and fulfillment to match how the company actually works, not the other way around.

Operations Cloud features an Adaptive Resource Platform (ARP) with modules across the value chain, a robust integration layer, a workflow engine, real-time business intelligence, and an AI copilot. This lets users make changes, fix errors, and pull reports through chat, all while keeping existing accounting software in place. As businesses grow, teams can add new channels, products, or processes and reconfigure operations without re-implementation.

“Traditional ERP deployments often take so long that by time they go live, the business has already fundamentally changed,” said Wiley Jones, co-founder and CEO of DOSS. “Worse, they lock teams into a way of working that no longer fits. Where legacy ERP locks in the entire operating model the moment it goes live, DOSS keeps changing. Every customer gets software that keeps rebuilding itself as their business changes.”

Enterprise resource planning systems have gone through three generations since the 1960s: mainframe (Gen1), client-server (Gen2), and cloud (Gen3). Each was defined by how applications were built, deployed, and changed. In every generation, implementation meant assembling the entire system at once. This took months or years of customization, integration, and configuration that locked teams into a rigid operating model.

DOSS inverts that approach with what it calls its Gen 4 architecture. The AI-native platform ingests a company’s business context and operational data. It generates a purpose-built setup and keeps refining it through software rather than professional services. Customers review and validate the setup before launch, but the platform learns from every deployment to continuously improve itself.

In the past 12 months, DOSS has grown its customer base more than tenfold, expanding from consumer goods into retail, wholesale, and manufacturing. Verve Coffee Roasters went live on DOSS in weeks, cutting manually batched orders from 30% to 1% and saving over 20 hours a week. “DOSS solved this without replacing existing tools and gave us fast insights across the entire organization,” said Anthony Fassio, Chief Retail and Operations Officer at Verve. Mezcla, meanwhile, automated order-to-cash across multiple sales channels and doubled purchase order processing speed.

According to Gartner, global IT services spending will reach $1.86 trillion in 2026 — more than five times the size of the software market itself — with much of it tied to implementation, integration, and maintenance. DOSS has created a platform designed to absorb that work.

“ERP is one of the largest software markets in the world, yet customer satisfaction remains remarkably low,” said Karan Mehandru, Managing Director at Madrona. “Markets like this don’t break open often, and when they do, it’s usually because the underlying technology has shifted enough to make the old architecture indefensible. We believe that moment has arrived for operations software, and DOSS has built the right foundation to capitalize on it.”

The company has been making this architectural bet since its founding in late 2022. “We founded DOSS on the conviction that enterprise systems would eventually build themselves. We just assumed it would take a decade to get there,” said Arnav Mishra, co-founder and CTO of DOSS. “Three years in, we’re already starting to deliver it. The platform can generate, validate, and evolve a company’s system instead of relying on manual consultant configuration, and it gets better with every deployment.”

DOSS is seeing massive accelerations in capabilities due to underlying model improvements that will ultimately unlock self-driving implementations in 2026. The company plans to more than double its engineering team by year-end and is hiring across engineering, product, and sales out of San Francisco.

“What stood out to us was how quickly customers are adopting DOSS in environments where operational complexity is the norm,” said Vedant Agrawal, Vice President at Premji Invest. “The team has built strong traction with companies managing real supply chain challenges across retail, manufacturing, and consumer brands.”

About DOSS

DOSS is the AI-native Operations Cloud for the physical economy, connecting the flow of goods, dollars, and data. The platform serves as the operational core around a company’s existing general ledger, managing inventory, orders, procurement, and fulfillment in a single system with real-time visibility, automated workflows, and adaptive operations. For more information, visit www.doss.com.

For media inquiries, please contact press@doss.com.

Vishal Group, a diversified business group headquartered in Nepal, announced the expansion of its consumer distribution platforms and global brand partnerships across South Asia and select emerging markets, including Africa and the Middle East. The initiative aims to improve market access, strengthen supply chain integration, and support multinational fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), luxury, and consumer lifestyle brands operating in complex emerging economies.

Expansion Focuses on South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East

The expansion comes as global consumer brands increasingly look beyond mature economies for sustained growth. Markets across South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East continue to see rising demand driven by demographic growth, urbanization, and expanding access to modern retail. According to multiple global industry forecasts, emerging markets are expected to account for a significant share of global consumer growth over the next decade. At the same time, these markets present operational complexity that requires strong local execution, regulatory expertise, and reliable infrastructure.

For many international brands, the ability to scale depends on partners that can navigate fragmented distribution networks and adapt global standards to local market realities. Vishal Group addresses these challenges by building consumer access platforms designed for sustained growth and long-term market development.

In South Asia consumer markets, the expansion includes strengthening route-to-market execution across modern retail and general trade channels. Vishal Group aims to improve product availability and distribution coordination while supporting brand rollouts beyond primary metros into secondary cities.

Distribution Investments Support Market Access

Distribution infrastructure plays a central role in enabling brands to operate across emerging economies, where logistics and supply chain coordination directly affect market reach. In West Africa, growing urban populations and expanding retail networks continue to drive FMCG demand, according to a Maersk report on FMCG demand in West Africa, supported by improvements in port connectivity, warehousing, and inland logistics in markets such as Nigeria and Ghana.

Across Africa, the FMCG sector serves a consumer base of more than 1.2 billion people, with the continent’s consumer market projected to reach about USD 2.5 trillion by 2030, according to a AMENA AFRICA report on Africa’s consumer market growth. This growth underscores the need for scalable distribution platforms.

Vishal Group has developed distribution infrastructure designed to support regulatory compliance, supply chain coordination, and localized execution across diverse operating environments. These platforms are designed to improve product availability while supporting efficient supply chain operations across diverse market environments.

Diversified Operating Model Supports Market Execution

Vishal Group operates across multiple sectors, allowing it to support brands through an integrated ecosystem that extends beyond distribution. By aligning distribution, advisory capabilities, and consumer engagement, the company strengthens execution across different stages of market development.

Within this broader structure, FMCG distribution represents one of Vishal Group’s largest and fastest-growing verticals. The company continues to scale operations focused on improving product availability across complex markets. Through its distribution ecosystem, Vishal Group supports product access across multiple markets, operating across markets representing a combined consumer base of more than 2.5 billion people. It also facilitates the movement of billions of product units annually.

These capabilities reflect the group’s focus on building long-term platforms rather than transactional distribution relationships.

Leadership Perspective on Long-Term Growth

Arpit Agrawal, executive director of Vishal Group, said the company views distribution as a strategic capability that supports sustainable expansion across emerging markets. 

“Sustainable expansion in emerging markets requires execution models that combine global brand standards with localized infrastructure and regulatory alignment,” Agrawal said. “The focus is on building scalable platforms that allow international brands to operate effectively while responding to evolving consumer demand across diverse markets.” (Learn more about Agrawal and Vishal Group’s execution model in a New Business Age article from 2014.)

Alongside its distribution expansion, Vishal Group continues to invest in experiential retail and hospitality projects that integrate international brand standards with local consumer insights. These initiatives are designed to enhance brand visibility and consumer engagement across emerging markets.

The company continues to work with international brands, investors, and distribution partners seeking reliable platforms for long-term growth across developing economies.

About Vishal Group

Vishal Group is a diversified business conglomerate headquartered in Nepal with operations across manufacturing, financial services, consulting, retail, real estate, CPG distribution, automobiles, infrastructure, and hospitality development. Through its integrated distribution ecosystem and partnership-led approach, the company connects global brands with high growth emerging markets across South Asia and Africa. For more information, visit vishalgroup.com.

Media Contact

Vishal Group
info@vishalgroup.com

Shook & Stone, a leading Nevada personal injury and disability law firm, is proud to announce its 30th anniversary of legal service. To commemorate three decades of advocacy, founders John B. Shook and Leonard H. Stone have pledged over $50,000 in community support initiatives throughout the year, reinforcing the firm’s long-standing commitment to the residents of Southern Nevada.

The anniversary comes on the heels of the firm’s recent "Free Gas" event, where Shook & Stone provided $10,000 in fuel assistance to Las Vegas residents. This initiative is a cornerstone of a broader mission to provide practical, immediate support to the community beyond the courtroom.

"Giving back has always been part of who we are," said co-founder John B. Shook. "It’s not something separate from the business; it’s part of the same responsibility we feel toward the people we serve every day. As we reach this 30-year milestone, our focus remains on providing legal support that is both accessible and consistent."

Since its founding, Shook & Stone has specialized in a multi-disciplinary approach to injury law, managing overlapping personal injury, workers’ compensation, and Social Security disability claims within a single organization. This model was designed to streamline the legal experience for clients facing complex, simultaneous challenges.

"Our responsibility doesn’t stop once a case is filed," said co-founder Leonard H. Stone. "It’s about making sure clients understand what’s happening and how to move forward with confidence. We stay engaged throughout the process, ensuring clients feel supported from start to finish."

Key features of the Shook & Stone service model include:

• Contingency-based advocacy: Removing financial barriers by ensuring legal fees are only incurred if a case is successfully resolved.
• Proactive communication: A structured engagement approach that prioritizes regular updates and timely responses to client inquiries.
• Comprehensive representation: Addressing the intersection of workplace injuries and long-term disability to provide a coordinated client experience.

As Shook & Stone enters its fourth decade, the firm continues to prioritize legal excellence alongside its $50,000 annual commitment to local fundraising and community events.

About Shook & Stone

Founders John B. Shook and Leonard H. Stone built Shook & Stone into one of Nevada’s leading personal injury firms through nearly three decades of relentless advocacy for the injured and disabled. Shook is known for multimillion-dollar verdicts and a career devoted to protecting the underdog, while Stone brings deep expertise in catastrophic injury litigation and statewide legal leadership. Together, they emphasize client accessibility, clear communication, and community service, shaping a firm grounded in justice and compassion. For more information, visit www.shookandstone.com.

Media Contact

Scott Eberstein
marketing@shookandstone.com

Mirage, the AI video company used by more than 20 million creators, small businesses, and enterprises worldwide, today announced $75 million in growth financing from General Catalyst’s Customer Value Fund (CVF), bringing its total funding to more than $175 million.

To date, more than 250 million videos have been created on Mirage's platform by individual creators and enterprises including HubSpot, CoreWeave, and King.

Building on this momentum, the company will use the capital to accelerate its growth engine with key products and regions. Specifically, Mirage plans to further expand in high-growth Asian markets.

CVF provides growth capital to companies like Mirage that have demonstrated strong unit economics and efficient, scalable acquisition strategies — enabling accelerated growth without additional equity dilution.

“AI makes it dramatically faster to build products, eroding traditional software moats and shifting the real advantage to companies that have efficient capital allocation and scaled distribution,” said Gaurav Misra, CEO of Mirage. “This partnership enables us to expand aggressively in new markets while continuing to invest deeply in product innovation and foundation model development.”

“Gaurav, Dwight and the Mirage team have built a powerful customer acquisition engine around a category-defining AI product. We’re proud to partner with Mirage as they accelerate growth and double down on their ambitious product roadmap," said Andrew Ziperski, Partner at General Catalyst, Customer Value Fund.

Agentic end-to-end video creation

Captions, Mirage's hero product, handles the content creation workflow from start to finish. It brings the judgment of a video editor to every project, while letting anyone refine their vision through simple text prompts. From generating to editing to refinement, Captions understands intent and executes with taste, so that users, regardless of technical skill, can produce polished videos.

With General Catalyst’s support, Mirage is entering its next chapter — accelerating global expansion while pushing the frontier of agentic video creation.

About Mirage

Mirage is an AI video company that enables professional-quality video creation and editing through natural language. Its flagship product, Captions, is available on iOS and web and is used by millions of creators, small businesses, and enterprises worldwide. The company is headquartered in New York City, recognized by Forbes AI 50, and backed by leading investors including General Catalyst, Index Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, HubSpot Ventures, and Adobe Ventures. For more information, visit mirage.app.

Media Contact

Callie Costello
press@mirage.app

The Apexmind Summit 2026 was successfully held in Hong Kong today, bringing together leading global strategists, scholars, and business and policy leaders. The summit featured high-level dialogue on how emerging strategic opportunities are reshaping the global competitive landscape.

During the event, Apexmind Consulting officially announced the inauguration of its Hong Kong office. In addition, Mr. Yao Rongjun, founder and chairman of Apexmind Consulting, was honored as an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants Hong Kong (IMCHK).

These dual milestones highlight how the Chinese strategic consulting force, represented by Apexmind, is actively fostering a “cultural handshake” with the global business community through Hong Kong. Guided by the vision of “Strategic Co-evolution,” the firm continues to advance its global expansion in a meaningful and tangible way.

Redefining the Logic of Competition and Interpreting the Essence of Strategy in the New Era

Mr. Yao Rongjun delivered a keynote address offering a profound analysis of how competitive dynamics are evolving in the new era. He emphasized:

“Competition is not about meeting demand, but about winning the mind. The purpose of business is not to create customers, but to occupy a position in the mind. Business is not about improving efficiency, but about winning people’s hearts. Decisions should not be made from the inside out, but from the outside in. Strategy is not the sum of parts, but an integrated system.”

In his view, as Chinese enterprises transition from product globalization to brand and model globalization, the global market increasingly requires a strategic language that is both universally applicable and capable of engaging in meaningful dialogue with the world.

Gaining Recognition from International Professional Forces, Co-Building a New Global Consulting Ecosystem

Nicholas Warn, Chair of the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes, delivered a keynote address in which he shared his vision for deepening cooperation with Apexmind. He emphasized the importance of jointly building a global business ecosystem and driving the evolution of the consulting industry.

He noted, “What Chinese consultancies can bring to us — particularly firms like Apexmind — is an enrichment of what we have already.”

This recognition from a leading global consulting body, together with Mr. Yao’s honor as an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants Hong Kong (IMCHK) on the same day, signals a pivotal shift. Chinese strategy consulting is evolving from a recipient of global business wisdom into a co-creator of original strategic thought leadership.

Identifying Seven Strategic Opportunities, Mapping the Growth Blueprint for Chinese Enterprises

Co-President of Apexmind Consulting, Mr. Chen Ji released “Seven Strategic Opportunities for Chinese Enterprises” on site, presenting a structured strategic methodology that provides companies with clear, actionable growth pathways and breakthrough directions. Each opportunity reflects insights refined through real-world strategic engagements with 62 enterprises. These frameworks enable companies to transform external uncertainty into sustainable growth certainty.

From Hong Kong to the World: Powering Shared Growth Across the Greater Bay Area

Distinguished speakers from academia, industry associations, and the business community also shared valuable insights. Professor Shi Weilei of The Chinese University of Hong Kong emphasized from a global perspective that the transnational strategies of Chinese enterprises must strike a balance between localization and global collaboration.

Mr. Yang Yang, Professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Director of the HKUST Shanghai Center, highlighted the value created by disruptive innovation in smart city development. He noted that, in the AI era, data and algorithms are opening entirely new competitive arenas for global entrepreneurs.

Daniel Chan, President of the Institute of Management Consultants Hong Kong (IMCHK), noted that Hong Kong is evolving from a “super connector” into a “super value-chain enhancer.” By building a strategic bridge for Chinese enterprises expanding globally and international firms entering new markets through two-way empowerment, Hong Kong continues to demonstrate its unique value as a global hub.

Dr. Huang Weihong, Vice President of The Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong, offered a Hong Kong perspective on how brands can achieve strategic breakthroughs in the new wave of consumer demand. He highlighted the importance of leveraging regional advantages and strategic insight to unlock new growth opportunities.

The establishment of Apexmind Consulting’s Hong Kong office, together with the successful conclusion of the summit, marks an important milestone in Apexmind’s global journey. While it represents a modest step for the firm, it signifies a meaningful leap for Chinese strategy consulting toward “cultural handshake” and “strategic co-evolution.”

With a proven track record of enabling 62 enterprises to achieve billion-scale growth, Apexmind Consulting continues to propel the industry forward — from setting local benchmarks to contributing to global standards.

Looking ahead, Apexmind remains committed to an open and collaborative vision, bringing strategy frameworks rooted in China and validated through real-world practice to the global stage. In an increasingly dynamic global business landscape, Apexmind Consulting is well positioned to elevate the Chinese consulting industry to new international heights.

AtomBite.AI, a pioneer in software-first embodied intelligence, today announced the launch of its flagship product, the M1 Takeout Packing Robot. This physical AI system is designed to solve one of the most persistent challenges in commercial kitchens: the flexible, error-prone nature of takeout packing. The M1 targets a global market of more than 15 million restaurants, including over 8 million that offer delivery services.

Purpose-built for the chaotic, high-speed environment of modern kitchens, the M1 addresses the critical “last meter” problem where variability in packaging, food containers, and order formats has historically limited the effectiveness of traditional automation. Unlike hardware-heavy systems of the past that relied on rigid, pre-programmed movements, the M1 is powered by AtomBite.AI’s proprietary dual-model architecture. This system combines foundation models to manage complex edge cases with Edge AI systems optimized for high-frequency, real-time execution.

“Takeout packing is the ultimate stress test for robotics,” said Dr. Dong Wang, CEO of AtomBite.AI and former CTO of Meituan Delivery. “The challenge isn’t mechanical precision — it’s intelligence. The M1 is designed to handle real-world variability, from crushed paper bags to leaking containers, in real time. We looked at the history of food robotics and saw a pattern of too much focus on hardware and not enough on intelligence. With the M1, we are building the brain first and enabling existing hardware to perform at a much higher level.”

This software-first approach reflects a broader industry shift toward “Physical AI.” By focusing on the “AtomBite Brain,” the company transforms standard robotic arms into flexible operators capable of navigating the most complex stages of the kitchen workflow. The M1 acts as an intelligent control layer, adapting dynamically to unpredictable conditions while maintaining the speed and reliability required for commercial operations.

To facilitate rapid adoption, the M1 is offered through a Robot-as-a-Service (RaaS) model. This eliminates upfront capital investment and converts automation into a predictable operating expense ranging from $2,200 to $2,900 per month. For a typical North American restaurant processing approximately 100 takeout orders per day, the M1 can replace one full-time packing role and recover up to $2,000 per month in refund losses through AI-powered visual verification. This results in a net monthly benefit of up to $2,825, helping operators address rising labor costs and ongoing staffing challenges.

The M1 was developed by a founding team with deep experience in scaling algorithmic systems for large-scale operations. Led by CEO Dr. Dong Wang, Head of Data Dr. Tao Li, and Head of Commercialization Steven Li, the team brings expertise from Meituan’s high-volume logistics networks to the world of embodied AI. This background informs the M1’s ability to learn from real-world interactions and continuously improve performance in the field.

About AtomBite.AI

AtomBite.AI is an artificial intelligence application company building the "AtomBite Brain" — a foundation model for flexible manipulation in commercial robotics. While the industry focuses on building robotic hands, AtomBite.AI focuses on the cognitive software layer that enables robots to see, reason and act in unstructured environments. Founded by former Meituan executives with deep expertise in large-scale logistics algorithms, the company's first product is the M1 Takeout Packing Robot. Utilizing a proprietary dual-model architecture and a zero-capex robot-as-a-service (RaaS) model, AtomBite.AI automates the chaotic last meter of food delivery fulfillment for the global restaurant industry. For more information, visit atombite.ai.

Life Assure, a prominent medical alert system provider, recently announced the expansion of its line of senior safety products by introducing GPS-enabled medical equipment. The launch is indicative of growing usage of mobile safety products that are oriented to independent living and can offer the caregiver assurance that they can respond rapidly in case of an emergency.  

With the aging population, the issues of elderly safety are becoming more pragmatic. The percentage of Canadians aged 65 and older, as given by Statistics Canada, was estimated at approximately 7.6 million or 18.9% of the total Canadian Population. This ratio is estimated to grow to 21.4–23.4% by 2030.  

Simultaneously, there is increasing use of medical alert systems, with Canada having a medical alert system adoption rate of around 15% amongst older people. Such trends prove that there is a shift towards active safety measures, allowing the elderly to be independent without compromising security.

As more older adults choose to remain active within their homes and communities, traditional medical alert systems have struggled to keep pace. Historically limited to in-home use and reliant on landline or short-range connectivity, these devices often leave users without coverage once they step outside — creating critical safety gaps during everyday activities such as walking, shopping, or visiting friends.

To address these limitations, GPS-enabled medical alert devices now provide continuous protection wherever cellular service is available. With the press of a button, users can instantly connect with trained monitoring professionals who assess the situation, pinpoint the user’s location via GPS, and dispatch emergency services when needed. This capability is particularly vital in situations where individuals may be injured, disoriented, or unable to clearly communicate their location.

This advancement underscores Life Assure’s commitment to addressing real-world safety challenges faced by older adults and their families. By integrating GPS tracking into its medical alert platform, the company empowers seniors to maintain active lifestyles while ensuring rapid and accurate emergency response — without adding complexity for users or caregivers.

For caregivers — especially adult children supporting aging loved ones — location-enabled devices offer greater peace of mind. Real-time location insights enable faster, more reliable responses from both family members and emergency services. This is particularly important for individuals living with cognitive conditions such as dementia or Alzheimer’s, where wandering and disorientation can present serious risks.

Adoption of senior safety technology is driven not only by functionality but also by perception. Many older adults are hesitant to use traditional medical devices, often associating them with a loss of independence. Life Assure addresses this concern by positioning its solutions as tools that promote autonomy. With discreet, GPS-enabled protection, users can continue their daily routines and social activities with added confidence, knowing support is always within reach.

The company’s growth aligns with broader trends in healthcare and consumer technology. Advances in cellular connectivity, battery life, and wearable sensors have made GPS-enabled safety solutions more accessible and practical. As awareness grows around the importance of rapid emergency response in improving health outcomes, mobile medical alert systems are increasingly becoming a standard component of senior care planning.

From a broader healthcare perspective, timely intervention through effective alert systems may also help reduce long-term costs by minimizing injury severity, shortening hospital stays, and delaying the need for assisted living or long-term care services — delivering both financial and emotional benefits for families.

At the same time, caregiving continues to place significant emotional and logistical demands on families balancing work and personal responsibilities. Life Assure’s GPS-enabled devices are designed to ease this burden by offering continuous monitoring and reliable emergency access without requiring constant check-ins, allowing seniors to maintain independence while providing caregivers with reassurance.

As demand for mobile, reliable medical alert solutions continues to grow, Life Assure plans to further invest in technologies that integrate seamlessly into everyday life. The introduction of GPS-enabled devices marks a key milestone in the company’s ongoing commitment to innovation, user-centered design, and comprehensive senior safety.

With its expanded product offering, Life Assure continues to deliver solutions that support independent living while ensuring immediate access to help — whenever and wherever it is needed.

For more information, visit Life Assure at www.lifeassure.com.

About Life Assure

Operating for over a decade, Life Assure offers personal emergency response systems that ensure the safety and independence of the elderly. The company provides wearable medical alert products, home solutions, and GPS-based technology with 24/7 professional monitoring. These devices are available to customers across the country, providing the elderly and their caregivers with confidence and tranquility in the face of aging. For more information, visit www.lifeassure.com.

Smartling, the LanguageAI™ translation company, today announced it has been named No. 3 in Business Services on Fast Company’s prestigious list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2026. This year’s list shines a spotlight on businesses that are shaping industry and culture through their innovations. Alongside the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies, Fast Company recognizes 720 honorees across 59 sectors and regions.

"We’re thrilled to be recognized by Fast Company and grateful for every customer and Smartling team member who made this possible," said Bryan Murphy, CEO of Smartling. "In 2025, leading enterprises moved past the pilot phase and started running AI translation infrastructure at scale. As a result, they were able to scale faster globally, for a fraction of the cost. We're building a platform that combines cutting-edge AI with translation you can trust, making global growth accessible to any company."

In 2025, Smartling’s AI-driven translation grew 218% year over year as enterprises moved from experimentation to production deployment. Smartling expanded its platform significantly: new AI agents now autonomously handle routing, error-checking, hallucination detection, and quality review, removing the manual bottlenecks that made translation slow and expensive. On average, customers saw costs drop by 60% and turnaround time improve by 6x compared to traditional methods.

The results are clear. A Fortune 500 software company saved $3.4 million in a single year with Smartling while maintaining near-perfect quality scores across 50 million words, while Coinbase translated crypto content into 21 languages in under two months. Launching in early Q2, LQA (Linguistic Quality Assurance) Agent will help localization teams scale AI Translation by delivering instant evaluations across more content—integrated seamlessly with existing workflows. 

The World’s Most Innovative Companies is Fast Company’s hallmark franchise and one of its most anticipated editorial efforts of the year. To determine honorees, Fast Company’s editors and writers review companies driving progress around the world and across industries, evaluating thousands of submissions through a competitive application process. The result is a globe-spanning guide to innovation today, from early-stage startups to some of the most valuable companies in the world. On the 2026 list, Smartling joins the ranks of Google, Nvidia, Adidas, Walmart, and more.

“Our list of the Most Innovative Companies is about spotlighting organizations that don’t just adapt to change — they drive it,” said Brendan Vaughan, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “The companies we honor this year are redefining what leadership looks like in 2026, pairing bold ideas with measurable impact and turning breakthrough innovation into real-world value. They are setting the pace for their industries and offering a blueprint for what sustained innovation can achieve.”

The full list of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies honorees can now be found at www.fastcompany.com. It will also be available on newsstands beginning March 31, 2026.

About Smartling

Smartling’s LanguageAI™ platform is revolutionizing digital content translation and localization. Recognized as the top translation management system by CSA Research and G2 users, Smartling uses AI and machine learning to eliminate manual tasks, integrate with existing techstacks, and deliver translation quality at scale — all at a fraction of the cost and turnaround time of traditional translation. For more information, visit www.smartling.com.

About Fast Company

Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with fellow business publication Inc. For more information, please visit www.fastcompany.com.

Media Contact

Sarah Lehman
Smartling
sarah@sixeastern.com

Enrollment is now open for the 2026–2027 school year at the following tuition-free public charter schools serving students across Florida:

• Virtual Preparatory Academy of Florida (K-12): A statewide online school offering college-preparatory coursework with live instruction from certified teachers.
• Jefferson Classical Academy of Florida at DeSoto County (K-8): A classical online school grounded in the time-tested Trivium model of grammar, logic, and rhetoric.

Both schools provide Florida families with flexible learning environments designed to support strong academics while allowing students to learn from home.

Virtual Preparatory Academy of Florida

Virtual Preparatory Academy of Florida offers students a rigorous online learning environment that combines the expectations of a prep school with the accessibility of a tuition-free public charter school.

Students benefit from:

• Prep-school expectations with public school access: Students receive rigorous academics in a tuition-free online environment.
• Live instruction from certified teachers: Students participate in structured classes rather than self-paced worksheets.
• Flexible learning without sacrificing quality: Families get the benefits of online education with strong academic accountability.
• Opportunities to accelerate: Students can access advanced coursework and college-credit options.
• A partnership with families: Parents stay connected to their child’s learning while teachers lead instruction.

Families can learn more or apply at florida.virtualpreparatoryacademy.com/admissions or contact 407-392-1866. Enrollment is open to students in grades K-12 who reside in the state of Florida.

Jefferson Classical Academy of Florida at DeSoto County

Jefferson Classical Academy of Florida at DeSoto County provides students with a classical education rooted in the Trivium — grammar, logic, and rhetoric — designed to develop strong thinkers and communicators.

Students benefit from:

• A return to the timeless foundations of education: The school follows the classical Trivium: grammar, logic, and rhetoric.
• Intellectual rigor and clear thinking: Students learn to analyze ideas, build arguments, and communicate effectively.
• Content-rich curriculum grounded in primary texts: Students engage with classic works in history, literature, and philosophy.
• Character and citizenship matter: The school emphasizes virtues that support responsible leadership.
• Leadership with national credibility: The program is guided by former U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. William J. Bennett.

Families can learn more or apply at florida.jeffersonclassicalacademy.com/admissions or contact 863-226-1538. Enrollment is open to students in grades K-8 who reside in the state of Florida.

Frequently Asked Questions About Online School

What distinguishes online learning from traditional schooling?

Students complete the same curriculum and meet the same academic standards as they would in a traditional public school. The difference is that learning takes place online, providing flexibility in how and where students participate.

Why do families explore online school options?

Families often consider online learning because it offers flexibility, personalization, safety, and support. It can be a strong option for students who benefit from a different pace or learning environment.

How can parents help their child thrive?

Parents can help by encouraging consistent routines, acknowledging their child’s efforts, monitoring activity through the learning platform, and maintaining communication with teachers.

What keeps students motivated in online school?

Regular check-ins, clear expectations, structured routines, and encouragement can all help students remain engaged. Motivation often increases when students feel supported and notice their own progress.

What supplies should families expect to have?

Most online programs require a computer, a reliable internet connection, and a quiet place to learn. Some schools provide laptops to qualifying families, so it’s helpful to check with the school directly.

How do students connect with peers?

Online schools offer social opportunities through live classes, collaborative assignments, clubs, and other activities designed to support student interaction.

What happens if our family’s schooling needs change later?

Because online schools align with state standards, students remain academically on track. If circumstances change, the school team can assist families with transitioning to another setting.

About ACCEL Schools

ACCEL Schools is an educational service provider to more than 100 public charter schools serving K-12 students across the United States. The organization directly manages or supports brick-and-mortar, online, and hybrid schools tailored to the needs of the communities they serve. ACCEL Schools supports a range of innovative educational models, including college prep, career and technical, classical, dropout prevention, and other specialized academic pathways. For more information, visit accelschools.com.

About Jefferson Classical Academy

Jefferson Classical Academy is a tuition-free online public charter school built on the principles of classical education and academic rigor. The school emphasizes the foundations of grammar, logic, and rhetoric to help students think clearly and communicate effectively. Guided by former U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. William J. Bennett, Jefferson prepares students for college success and thoughtful leadership. For more information, visit florida.jeffersonclassicalacademy.com.

About Virtual Preparatory Academy

Virtual Preparatory Academy is a tuition-free online public charter school that brings college-preparatory learning to families across the country. Students learn through live instruction with certified teachers, high academic expectations, and personalized support. By combining the flexibility of online education with rigorous coursework and college-credit opportunities, Virtual Prep prepares students for success in college and beyond. For more information, visit florida.virtualpreparatoryacademy.com. 

Media Contact

Warren Cohn
warren@rocketshippr.com

Lynn R. Webster, MD, pain and addiction expert, author, and scientist, announces the upcoming release of his new book, "Deconstructing Toxic Narratives: Data, Disparities, and a New Path Forward in the Opioid Crisis." The book is expected to offer a broader perspective on the opioid crisis by examining how commonly accepted narratives have shaped public understanding and policy responses.

According to Dr. Webster, the motivation behind the book stems from years of clinical experience and research in pain management and substance use. Over the course of his career, he has published hundreds of peer-reviewed articles and developed widely adopted tools designed to help clinicians assess risk when prescribing opioids. “I have spent much of my career working at the intersection of pain relief and addiction, trying to understand both the benefits and the risks associated with opioid use,” said Dr. Webster.

The book explores the idea that the opioid crisis cannot be fully understood through a single narrative. From Dr. Webster’s perspective, public discussions have often focused on simplified explanations, which may overlook the broader social, economic, and structural conditions that influence substance use. “The opioid crisis is not one story, and when we treat it as if it is, we risk missing the factors that actually shape vulnerability,” he noted.

Drawing from research and lived clinical experience, the book examines how elements such as trauma, social isolation, economic instability, and access to care intersect with substance use patterns. These factors often exist long before substance exposure, shaping the conditions in which risk emerges. “This is not just about the substances themselves,” Dr. Webster explained. “It is about the environments people are living in and the challenges they face within those environments.”

A central theme of "Deconstructing Toxic Narratives" is the role of data in shaping public perception. While statistics are frequently used to illustrate the severity of the crisis, Dr. Webster suggests that they do not always capture the full picture. He explains that differences in classification, reporting, and interpretation can influence how the crisis is understood. “Data are essential, but they do not interpret themselves,” he noted. “We have to be careful about the conclusions we draw from them.”

The book is designed to be accessible to a broad audience, including policymakers, clinicians, researchers, journalists, and members of the general public. According to Dr. Webster, the goal is to bridge the gap between academic research and public understanding. He noted that while research plays a critical role in shaping knowledge, it does not always reach those in a position to influence broader conversations: “If people do not understand the problem, it becomes difficult to create meaningful change.”

In addition to examining the challenges associated with current narratives, the book outlines a framework for approaching the crisis with greater nuance. Dr. Webster emphasizes the importance of moving beyond reactive responses toward more comprehensive strategies that consider long-term conditions and structural factors: “We need to move toward approaches that are grounded in understanding, not just reaction."

The release of "Deconstructing Toxic Narratives" reflects an effort to contribute to a more informed and balanced conversation about the opioid crisis. Rather than presenting a single solution, the book encourages readers to engage with the complexity of the issue and consider multiple perspectives. Dr. Webster noted that this shift in understanding is an important step toward more effective responses: “Change begins with how we think about the problem.”

As discussions around the opioid crisis continue to evolve, the book is positioned as a resource for those seeking a deeper understanding of the issue. By bringing together data, research, and real-world insight, it aims to support conversations that extend beyond simplified explanations.

Ultimately, "Deconstructing Toxic Narratives" is intended to do more than inform. It is meant to encourage reflection, dialogue, and a broader reconsideration of how the opioid crisis is understood. Dr. Webster added, “If we can change the way we think about this issue, we can begin to explore new ways of addressing it.”

About Lynn R. Webster, MD

Lynn R. Webster, MD, is a pain and addiction expert, researcher, and author with decades of experience studying the intersection of pain management and substance use. He has published hundreds of peer-reviewed articles and developed widely used clinical risk assessment tools. His upcoming book, "Deconstructing Toxic Narratives," examines how prevailing assumptions shape opioid crisis discourse, advocating for a more nuanced, data-informed understanding to support better policy, clinical decision-making, and public awareness. To learn more, visit lynnwebstermd.com.

Media Contact

Lynn Webster
lrwebstermd@gmail.com

Luasai, the emerging category leader in global software transaction infrastructure, today announced that Scott Campbell, one of enterprise SaaS’s most respected revenue executives, has joined the company as an investor and board advisor.

Campbell has spent three decades building and scaling high-performance revenue engines at some of the most influential software companies of the past 20 years. His leadership track record includes helping take multiple ISVs from early-stage to IPO or major acquisition. His appointment brings significant operational depth and category credibility to Luasai at a moment when global software procurement is undergoing rapid transformation.

A Veteran of Multiple Hypergrowth Journeys

Across his career, Campbell has held senior revenue leadership roles at several high-growth enterprise software companies, helping scale global sales organizations and drive major growth milestones, including acquisitions and public market listings.

Most recently at Docker, Campbell played a key leadership role during a period of rapid expansion, helping grow revenue by approximately 19x over 3.5 years as the company scaled its commercial operations globally.

Earlier in his career, Campbell helped lead revenue organizations at multiple enterprise software companies across developer infrastructure, enterprise automation, cybersecurity, and collaboration platforms. Several of these companies went on to achieve successful exits through acquisitions or IPOs.

These experiences helped shape many of the modern go-to-market frameworks still adopted by SaaS leaders today. Campbell joins Luasai to help address what he describes as “the missing operational layer beneath every enterprise software transaction.”

Why Campbell Invested in Luasai

In discussions with Luasai’s leadership, Campbell highlighted a bottleneck he has witnessed across every scale-up he has worked with: companies achieve strong product-market fit, demand accelerates globally, enterprise opportunities expand, and then operations break down at the transaction layer.

“Every startup that begins to scale hits the same wall: international demand grows faster than the company’s operational ability to transact,” Campbell said. “Luasai solves that bottleneck with the kind of precision and scale I wish I had twenty years ago.”

Campbell emphasized that his decision to join Luasai is rooted not only in market need but also in the execution discipline of founders Luke Hasty and Zaheer Javaid, with whom he has previously worked at multiple hypergrowth companies.

“Luke and Zaheer have a track record of building systems that actually work at scale,” Campbell said. “They understand the operational underbelly of enterprise selling better than almost anyone. When you combine that with what Luasai is building, it is clear this should be part of the standard playbook for every modern ISV.”

A Market Undergoing Rapid Transformation

Campbell notes that enterprise purchasing behavior is shifting faster than most ISVs can keep up with. Cloud marketplaces are maturing into default procurement channels. AI is reshaping partner ecosystems. Global SIs are repositioning around automation and modernization. Regional compliance requirements are tightening.

Instead of simplifying enterprise procurement, these shifts have made the transaction layer more complex than ever.

“The old model of hiring a regional salesperson and hoping for the best no longer works,” Campbell said. “The future requires infrastructure, not headcount.”

This is the exact problem Luasai was created to solve.

Luasai’s Transaction Infrastructure Layer

Enterprise software transactions involve far more than a closed deal. They include an interconnected system of:

• Marketplaces
• Resellers and channel partners
• GSIs
• Regional tax and FX workflows
• Country-specific compliance
• Procurement steps
• Legal and contracting
• Invoicing and collections

Luasai provides a unified operational layer that enables ISVs to transact through any route, in any region, with speed, accuracy, and full compliance.

This is not traditional distribution. This is not a marketplace listing tool. This is the operational backbone enabling software companies to move from: “The customer said yes” to “Revenue collected” — without operational drag or multi-quarter delays.

Founders’ Perspectives

Campbell has collaborated with Luasai co-founders Luke Hasty (CEO) and Zaheer Javaid (CRO) for more than a decade across multiple scale-ups, forming a foundation of shared trust and execution rigor.

“Scott helped build the scale-up playbooks the SaaS world still studies,” said Hasty. “Having him join Luasai is a strong signal that the old way of scaling is collapsing under its own weight. We are building the infrastructure that makes global scale possible for the next generation of ISVs.”

Javaid added, “Speed, compliance, and deal execution should never be the reason a software company loses momentum. Scott has spent his entire career fixing these bottlenecks at the world’s fastest-growing companies. His experience helps us accelerate the mission of making global transaction execution effortless for ISVs.”

How Campbell Will Accelerate Luasai’s Mission

Campbell brings deep expertise in:

• GTM strategy and design
• Sales organizational architecture and compensation
• Forecasting and RevOps infrastructure
• International expansion sequencing
• Channel and marketplace strategy
• Pricing and packaging
• Global deal execution
• Cross-functional alignment at scale

These competencies map directly to the challenges ISVs face as they pass $20 million ARR and begin selling across multiple markets.

Campbell’s role will focus on two core impact areas:

1. Operational experience that shortens Luasai’s learning curve: His firsthand knowledge of bottlenecks at scale enables faster innovation.
2. Category credibility that accelerates adoption: When Campbell validates a GTM motion, ISVs pay attention — a critical advantage for an emerging category.

About Luasai

Luasai is the transaction infrastructure for modern ISVs, powering how software companies sell globally through marketplaces, partners, resellers, and GSIs. The platform manages the operational complexity behind every transaction, including tax, FX, compliance, cross-border contracting, marketplace offers, partner routing, onboarding, collections, and quote-to-cash acceleration. Luasai enables ISVs to focus on building products, generating demand, and scaling revenue, rather than navigating global procurement friction. For more information, visit luasai.com and Luasai's LinkedIn page.

Media Contact

Iresha Hettiarachchi
Head of Marketing, Luasai
marketing@luasai.com

Ascendant Capital and Black Lake today launched RESOLVE™, the first complete end-to-end platform purpose-built for pricing, trading, and transferring scratch and dent mortgage assets. It operates through a seamless, transparent auction process powered by Black Lake’s proprietary auction technology, MATRIX™. RESOLVE™ brings institutional-grade efficiency to a market segment that has long relied on fragmented, manual workflows, and advances how lenders, investors, and servicers manage non-performing and defective loan portfolios.

Scratch and dent assets are loans with manufacturing defects, documentation gaps, or compliance issues. They represent a significant and growing segment of the mortgage market. Despite their scale, the trading of these assets has remained largely opaque and inefficient, creating value destruction for both buyers and sellers. RESOLVE™ was designed to solve this problem by bringing institutional-grade infrastructure to the mortgage market.

Powered by Black Lake’s proprietary auction technology, and managed and operated by Ascendant Capital, RESOLVE™ delivers a unified experience from initial loan-level pricing through final settlement and transfer. The platform replaces the patchwork of spreadsheets, emails, and disconnected systems that have historically defined scratch and dent trading with a single, integrated solution. This accelerates execution, reduces operational risk, and maximizes recovery for sellers while providing buyers with access and transparency.

How RESOLVE™ Works

RESOLVE™ streamlines the entire scratch and dent asset lifecycle into a single, cohesive platform. Sellers can upload loan pools, set auction parameters, and receive real-time, loan-level pricing powered by Black Lake’s advanced analytics engine. Qualified buyers gain access to comprehensive due diligence packages, bid competitively through structured auction formats, and execute trades with full transparency. Post-trade, the platform manages the complete transfer, settlement, and document delivery process. This ensures a clean handoff from seller to buyer, with full audit trails and compliance documentation.

“As the platform’s operator, Ascendant Capital is committed to delivering an institutional-quality experience that meets the needs of both sellers seeking maximum recovery and buyers seeking efficient access to a diversified pipeline of assets,” said Craig Haack, Managing Member at Ascendant Capital. “Together with Black Lake’s technology, we’re setting a new standard for how these assets are priced, traded, and transferred.”

“Black Lake has built an end-to-end mortgage ecosystem that spans the full lifecycle of a loan—from underwriting and pricing to trading, transfer, settlement, tokenization, and third-party staging,” said Alan Qureshi, CEO and co-founder of Black Lake Services. “By unifying every stage of the asset lifecycle with RESOLVE™, we’re eliminating the inefficiencies and information asymmetries that have plagued this market for decades. RESOLVE™ represents a major milestone in that mission to make mortgage markets faster, fairer, and more transparent.”

Key Platform Capabilities

• End-to-End Workflow: A single platform covering pricing, auction, trade execution, settlement, and asset transfer—replacing fragmented, manual processes with seamless automation.
• Loan-Level Pricing & Analytics: Black Lake’s proprietary pricing engine delivers granular, data-driven valuations at the individual loan level, enabling more informed bidding and better price discovery.
• Structured Auction Formats: Configurable auction parameters give sellers control over timing, reserve pricing, and buyer qualification, while providing buyers with a fair, competitive bidding environment.
• Transparent Due Diligence: Comprehensive loan-level data, documentation, and analytics packages are delivered directly through the platform, reducing friction and accelerating buyer decision-making.
• Automated Settlement & Transfer: Post-trade workflows, including document delivery, compliance verification, and asset transfer, are fully integrated, ensuring clean, auditable transactions.

Availability

RESOLVE™ is available immediately to qualified institutional participants. Lenders, investors, and servicers interested in learning more about the platform or participating in upcoming auctions are encouraged to contact Ascendant Capital or Black Lake directly.

About Ascendant Capital

Ascendant Capital is a leading mortgage asset management and advisory firm specializing in the acquisition, disposition, and servicing of residential mortgage assets. With deep expertise in scratch and dent, non-performing, and re-performing loan portfolios, Ascendant Capital brings twenty-four years of operational excellence and institutional rigor to every transaction it manages. For more information, visit ascendant-capital.com.

About Black Lake Services

Black Lake Services (“Black Lake”) operates a comprehensive end-to-end mortgage technology ecosystem spanning underwriting, pricing, trading, transfer, settlement, tokenization, and third-party staging. By unifying every stage of the mortgage lifecycle on a single platform, Black Lake delivers institutional-grade infrastructure that makes mortgage markets faster, more transparent, and more efficient for all participants.

Black Lake is the marketing name for a group of affiliated companies providing a range of services. All services are provided through separate agreements with each company. This material is for general information purposes only and is not intended to provide specific advice or a specific recommendation. Black Lake Investment Solutions LLC wholly owns Black Lake Services LLC and Black Lake Investments LLC. Black Lake Services LLC offers proprietary technology services for the pricing, trading, and transfer of mortgage assets. 

Black Lake does not provide tax, legal, or accounting advice. Black Lake is not a licensed insurance company and does not underwrite or sell insurance products.

For more information, visit blacklakeinvestmentsolutions.com

Forward-Looking Statements

The statements contained herein may contain certain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are, by their nature, subject to significant risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, statements relating to the company’s business prospects, future developments, trends and conditions in the industry and geographical markets in which the company operates, its respective strategies, plans, objectives and goals, ability to control costs, operations, margins, and overall market trends.

When used herein, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “feel,” “estimate,” “expect,” “going forward,” “intend,” “may,” “ought to,” “plan,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” “would,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect Black Lake and Ascendant’s current views with respect to future events and are not a guarantee of future performance or developments. You are strongly cautioned that reliance on any forward-looking statements involves known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results and events may differ materially from information contained in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including any changes in the laws, rules, and regulations relating to any aspects of the company’s business operations, general economic, market, and business conditions, including capital market developments and changes or volatility in interest rates, and developments of the company’s competitors.

Subject to the requirements of applicable law, neither Black Lake nor Ascendant intends to update or otherwise revise such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. As a result of these and other risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, forward-looking events and circumstances discussed herein might not occur in the way Black Lake or Ascendant expects, or at all.

Accordingly, you should not place reliance on any forward-looking information or statements. All forward-looking statements herein are qualified by reference to the cautionary statements set forth in this disclaimer.

Today, Global App Testing (GAT) launches AI GroundTruth, a new service that deploys real humans across more than 190 countries to evaluate GenAI outputs for trust, safety, and Responsible AI compliance; before products reach market.

GenAI is scaling fast. But most AI products are evaluated by other AI; synthetic benchmarks, automated scoring, and LLM-as-a-judge tools that can't catch cultural missteps, trust failures, or the edge cases that only real humans in real contexts will find. Companies are shipping blind. And the risks are real: reputational damage, regulatory exposure, and user trust that once lost is nearly impossible to rebuild.

Introducing GAT AI GroundTruth

"Think less testing, more evaluation," said Nick Viney, CEO of Global App Testing. "GenAI applications are in ferocious competition, and the winners won't just be the ones who scale fastest. They'll be the ones who understand how their product actually behaves with real users in real markets; and how it holds up against the Responsible AI standards that regulators and users increasingly expect."

Powered by GAT's crowd of over 120,000 professional evaluators across more than 190 countries, AI GroundTruth gives AI leaders three things no automated tool can provide:

• Risk mitigation: Catch trust failures, safety risks, and Responsible AI gaps before they reach customers; not after
• Cultural readiness: Validate how your AI performs with real users in every target market, identifying cultural missteps before they become reputational damage
• Deployment confidence: Get structured human feedback and executive-ready evaluation reports in days, not months

Why Is Evaluation Not the Same as Testing

GenAI is fundamentally different from traditional software. Every response is unique, context-dependent, and shaped by the user asking the question. You can't test your way to confidence. You need human judgment.

What We Find in the Field

"What we consistently find is that AI products optimized for English-speaking Western users fail in ways their builders never anticipated when deployed in other markets," said James Atkin, Global Lead for GenAI Evaluation at Global App Testing. "The failures aren't random; they're systematic. And they're only visible when real people in those markets actually interact with the product. That's the gap GAT AI GroundTruth was built to close."

Early Results

A leading conversational AI platform used GAT AI GroundTruth to identify 18 cultural misalignments and three critical trust-breaking moments before launching in Southeast Asia; avoiding potential PR backlash, reducing Responsible AI exposure, and accelerating time-to-market by six weeks.

GAT clients have historically achieved 250% market share increases through real-world product optimization. The company is now bringing that same rigor to GenAI evaluation.

Why Now

The next phase of AI growth won't come from scale alone. Regulators are tightening. Users are more discerning. And Responsible AI is no longer a nice-to-have; it's a commercial imperative. The companies that will win are the ones that know how their product behaves with real users, in real markets, before it ships.

GAT AI GroundTruth is the only service that combines the scale of a 120,000-plus global crowd with the rigor of structured human evaluation; giving AI leaders the confidence to deploy responsibly in any market, for any user, without guessing.

About Global App Testing

Global App Testing is the trusted crowdtesting partner for enterprise software. With over 120,000 professional evaluators and more than one million-plus user profiles across 190-plus countries, GAT helps global software leaders release faster, optimize for growth, and deliver product-market fit. ISO 27001 certified and rated 4.5/5 on G2. Learn more at www.globalapptesting.com.

Media Contact

Laura Cooke 
laura.cooke@explore-communications.com

Vishal Group, a diversified business conglomerate headquartered in Nepal, is accelerating its global brand partnerships and consumer distribution expansion across South Asia and select emerging international markets. The initiative strengthens long-term collaborations with multinational fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), lifestyle, and luxury brands by building scalable distribution infrastructure and localized consumer engagement platforms across developing economies.

Global consumer brands continue to look beyond mature markets for sustained growth. South Asia and comparable regions offer large populations, expanding retail channels, and rising consumer demand. At the same time, brands entering these markets often encounter fragmented distribution networks, regulatory complexity, and inconsistent supply chain performance. Vishal Group addresses these challenges through an integrated consumer distribution platform that enables consistent market entry, execution, and scale across multiple countries, forming the foundation of its broader emerging-market expansion strategy.

The company’s expansion centers on strengthening physical distribution capacity, regional execution teams, and market-specific operating models. Vishal Group designs its distribution systems to align with local regulations, retail structures, and consumer purchasing behavior. This approach improves product accessibility in underserved markets while providing brand partners with clear operational visibility and control as they expand across borders.

Vishal Group combines regional market knowledge with end-to-end supply chain management. The company coordinates sourcing, logistics, inventory planning, and last-mile distribution across its operating markets. By managing these functions within a single platform, Vishal Group reduces operational complexity for brand partners. It supports reliable product availability in both major urban centers and fast-growing secondary markets. This operating model supports a disciplined FMCG growth strategy for multinational brands seeking scale in developing economies.

Through its integrated distribution ecosystem, Vishal Group supports product availability across markets that together represent a combined consumer base of more than 2.5 billion people. The company facilitates the movement of billions of consumer product units annually, reinforcing its expansion in South Asia and strengthening supply chain stability in select emerging regions. This scale positions Vishal Group as a long-term distribution partner for multinational companies expanding beyond established markets.

Beyond distribution, Vishal Group operates across FMCG distribution, manufacturing, financial services, consulting, retail, and hospitality development. This diversified structure allows the company to coordinate market entry and expansion activities across sectors. Brand partners gain access to services that include market assessment, regulatory coordination, channel strategy development, localized marketing execution, and ongoing distribution management, reducing execution risk and accelerating time to market.

Within its broader consumer ecosystem, Vishal Group has developed a dedicated beauty vertical focused on premium beauty, skincare, and fragrance brands. The company supports beauty partners through structured last-mile execution that includes formal education and training programs, beauty tech and experience centers, onboarding and continuous development of beauty advisors, and localized brand storytelling that protects the DNA and positioning of each brand. This approach ensures that consumer experience and brand education remain central to long-term success in the beauty category.

Localized consumer engagement remains a core focus of the company’s expansion strategy. Vishal Group works closely with brand partners to align global brand standards with regional consumer behavior, cultural preferences, and retail environments. Under the strategic direction of its leadership team, including Arpit Agrawal, the company emphasizes disciplined execution and long-term partnerships that support sustainable growth across emerging markets.

Alongside its distribution growth, Vishal Group continues to invest in experiential retail and luxury hospitality development projects across emerging markets. These projects apply established global brand standards while incorporating locally informed design and service concepts, supporting premium and lifestyle brands as they build physical presence and long-term customer relationships in high-growth regions.

For global beauty stakeholders evaluating market entry or expansion, Vishal Group offers the infrastructure, market understanding, and execution capabilities required to responsibly scale and build world-class beauty brands across South Asia and its broader operating markets.

The expansion reflects Vishal Group’s long-term vision for emerging market expansion, connecting global innovation with demand through scalable, partnership-led business models. The company continues to invest in infrastructure, execution capabilities, and sustainable growth to support long-term value creation for brand partners, investors, and regional economies.

Additional information about Vishal Group’s consumer distribution platform and strategic growth initiatives is available at vishalgroup.com.

About Vishal Group

Vishal Group is a diversified business conglomerate headquartered in Nepal with operations across manufacturing, financial services, consulting, retail, real estate, CPG distribution, automobiles, infrastructure, and hospitality development. Through its integrated distribution ecosystem and partnership-led approach, the company connects global brands with high growth emerging markets across South Asia and Africa. For more information, visit vishalgroup.com.

Media Contact

Vishal Group
info@vishalgroup.com

On March 21, the world’s first International Taijiquan Day officially opened. The event was jointly organized by the Wushu Sports Administration Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, the Chinese Wushu Association, the Hubei Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, the Hubei Provincial Sports Bureau, and the Shiyan Municipal People’s Government. As one of China’s four main venues, Shiyan staged a themed performance at Wudang Mountain under the banner “Wudang of the World; Taiji for Humanity.” At the same time, the “Hundreds of Countries, Thousands of Cities, Ten Thousand Events” Cloud Taiji global flash mob was launched, inviting Taijiquan enthusiasts worldwide to perform together and witness this historic moment.

Watch the International Taijiquan Day performance.

At 9:00 a.m., nearly a thousand guests, inheritors, and Taiji culture enthusiasts from China and abroad gathered at the foot of Wudang Mountain. Landmark locations around the world — including Times Square in New York, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Sydney Opera House, and the Egyptian pyramids — joined via live video to collectively “dance the charm of Taiji.”

Practitioners of all ages, genders, and ethnic backgrounds moved in unison, bringing the global flash mob concept to life. Meanwhile, Yuzhen Palace — covering nearly 60,000 square meters — was transformed into a sea of Taiji. One thousand practitioners dressed in white performed the Wudang Taiji Nine Postures together, creating an unprecedented global relay of Taiji culture and a powerful cross-continental cultural resonance. The scene vividly illustrated how civilizations become richer and more vibrant through exchange and mutual learning.

On the same day, the tutorial video “Meet Wudang; Practice Taiji” was released globally. It featured a live demonstration by Yang Qunli, a Chinese wushu ninth-degree master, creator of the Wudang Taiji Nine Postures, and representative inheritor of the provincial intangible cultural heritage project of Wudang martial arts.

The event also showcased a series of Taiji-themed cultural performances, including a grand thousand-person Taiji exhibition, the combined song-and-martial performance “Taiji of the World Meets Wudang,” the martial arts performance “Quest for Wudang,” a Wudang Taiji costume show with a global design release, and the traditional performance “Ode to Wudang Taiji.” Together, these offerings presented a rich and immersive Taiji cultural feast to a global audience.

On November 5, 2025, the UNESCO General Conference officially designated March 21 as International Taijiquan Day. This marks the first time UNESCO has established an international day dedicated to a martial art, recognizing Taijiquan — an essential part of traditional Chinese culture — as a shared cultural heritage of humanity.

Wudang Mountain is a key birthplace of Taiji culture. Today, it has established 57 martial arts promotion centers both in China and internationally, attracting more than 3 million Taijiquan practitioners from over 150 countries and regions. Globally, more than 500 million people now practice Taijiquan. Each year, tens of thousands of international visitors travel to Wudang to study martial arts, improve their health, and experience its cultural heritage.

Shiyan has also hosted numerous major international events, including the International Wudang Taiji Culture Festival, the Wudang Taiji International Fellowship Competition, the World Taijiquan Health Conference, and the World Traditional Wushu Festival.

In recent years, Shiyan has leveraged Wudang Taiji cultural heritage to drive tourism development, extend related industry chains, and promote sectors such as cultural pilgrimage tourism and ecological wellness. The city is building globally influential tourism products and internationally aligned service environments, shaping “Wudang of the World, Taiji for Humanity” into a key symbol of Chinese traditional culture in global exchanges.

At the same time, Shiyan continues to promote Taijiquan through public programs in communities, schools, government institutions, and enterprises — bringing this thousand-year-old martial art into everyday life.

Unlisted, a groundbreaking digital real estate community focused on the 98% of homes that aren’t for sale — yet, announced today that Aly Beck of Vista Sotheby’s International Realty has joined the platform as the exclusive Local Expert for ZIP code 90274 in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.

Unlisted’s technology creates new opportunities across the real estate landscape. Buyers gain access to homes that align with their lifestyle and long-term goals, not only those currently listed on the MLS. Homeowners gain insight into how their property fits within local demand and the ability to connect with interested buyers on their own timeline. Real estate professionals benefit from tools that elevate their expertise, strengthen community presence, and encourage more thoughtful, earlier conversations with clients and neighbors.

The platform uses publicly available data to generate a digital property profile for every home in the United States. These profiles can be searched and organized into curated collections that match a buyer’s criteria, even when homes are not actively for sale. For homeowners, the profiles provide clarity around market interest and help illuminate opportunities they may not have previously considered.

Each vetted real estate professional on Unlisted receives an agent profile connected to every home profile within their assigned ZIP code. Only one agent is selected per ZIP code, reinforcing Unlisted’s commitment to trusted local representation, deep market knowledge, and credibility. As the network continues to grow, Unlisted remains focused on transparency, connection, and opportunity throughout the home journey.

Aly brings a deeply personal, community-rooted approach to her role as a Local Expert. A lifelong Southern California resident and mother of three school-aged children, she offers firsthand insight into the neighborhoods, schools, and lifestyle considerations that matter most to families navigating major real estate decisions.

Recognizing the value of real estate investing early, Aly purchased her first home at just 19 while building her career as an account executive in computer sales in Nashville, Tennessee. Having entered the workforce at 15, she developed a strong work ethic and business acumen that continue to shape her client-focused approach today. She is both a Certified Palos Verdes Specialist and a Certified Probate and Trust Specialist, providing trusted expertise, discretion, and strategic guidance across a wide range of transactions.

Deeply involved in her community, Aly volunteers with local sports and 3 different local philanthropy groups. Known for her refined eye and ability to recognize a home’s true potential, she blends market knowledge, strong negotiation skills, and white-glove service to deliver exceptional results while ensuring clients feel informed, confident, and supported throughout the process.

Speaking about the partnership, Aly shared: “Rancho Palos Verdes is a special place to live and raise a family, and the real estate decisions here are deeply personal. Unlisted gives buyers and homeowners a smarter, more transparent way to explore opportunities, and I’m excited to bring that experience to my clients.”

Katie Hill, founder and CEO of Unlisted, also commented on the announcement: “Aly’s commitment to her community, her professionalism, and her thoughtful approach to client care make her an outstanding Local Expert. She embodies the trust and attention to detail we aim to deliver in every ZIP code we serve.”

To learn more about Unlisted, visit UnlistedHomes.com. For Unlisted for Agents, visit UnlistedHomes.com/Agents. To learn more about Aly, visit her Unlisted Profile or her website.

About Unlisted

Unlisted unlocks the potential in homes that aren’t for sale — yet. The company empowers home buyers to join the Waitlist for homes they love that aren’t for sale — in other words, unlisted. At the same time, homeowners collect a Waitlist of interested buyers for whenever the time comes to sell, giving everyone a head start. Unlisted also allows homeowners to control how their home is presented online; they can create a stunning up-to-date property profile that shows off the home’s best features and attracts more interest. With more time and more connection, Unlisted is a more human way to explore real estate that drives better outcomes for all. Selected for TechCrunch’s 2025 Startup Battlefield 200 as one of the top tech startups globally, and backed by HearstLab, Hearst Newspapers, VC414, StageNext Fund, and prominent angel investors, Unlisted gives buyers a competitive edge in today’s challenging housing market. For more information, visit UnlistedHomes.com.

Media Contact

Maura Racz
maura@unlistedinc.com

Unlisted, a pioneering digital real estate community focused on the 98% of homes that are not for sale yet, is spotlighting the strategic approach and market leadership behind Arthur Goodrich, founder of The Goodrich Group at Sotheby’s International Realty. Goodrich serves buyers and homeowners across Napa and Sonoma Valley ZIP codes 94515, 94574, 94599, and 95448, bringing disciplined execution and long-term perspective to one of California’s most nuanced luxury markets.

Recognized by RealTrends as one of the Best Real Estate Agents in the United States for three consecutive years, Goodrich has built a reputation defined by preparation, discretion, and results. Having exceeded $150 million in his first five years in real estate, his track record reflects both market fluency and an ability to position complex properties effectively, even in challenging conditions.

Among his most notable transactions is the sale of 225 Franz Valley School Road, which closed at $13.5 million, marking the highest single-family residential sale in Napa Valley at the time since June 2023. The transaction underscored Goodrich’s ability to align pricing strategy, buyer expectations, and market timing at the highest level.

Another defining example was the sale of 3870 Mountain Home Ranch Road, a property with a challenged location but distinctive modern architecture. Rather than competing on conventional comps alone, Goodrich developed a strategy that emphasized the home’s design-forward appeal alongside its eligibility for short-term rental income within an approved area. The result was a sale that closed near asking price in record time, demonstrating the impact of focused positioning and clear seller guidance.

Goodrich’s approach is rooted in deliberate strategy and expectation management. Drawing on more than 30 years of corporate leadership experience, where he led national sales teams and growth initiatives, he brings operational rigor and business acumen to every transaction. Prior to real estate sales, he founded Mayastoga Property Group, a luxury vacation rental and concierge firm representing more than 25 homes across Napa Valley, further deepening his understanding of the region’s lifestyle and investment dynamics.

While Napa and Sonoma Valley remain central to his practice, Goodrich has also expanded his advisory reach to include San Francisco, where he spent 18 years building a strong professional network and where a significant portion of his clients maintain residences. This cross-market perspective allows him to guide buyers and sellers whose real estate decisions span multiple regions and priorities.

“Arthur brings clarity and intention to every decision,” said Katie Hill, founder and CEO of Unlisted. “His ability to position properties thoughtfully and guide clients with confidence reflects exactly what Unlisted was built to support. He is a trusted advisor in markets where precision matters.”

Goodrich’s alignment with Unlisted reflects a shared belief that meaningful opportunities often emerge before a home ever reaches the public market. By enabling earlier insight, controlled visibility, and informed connection, the platform complements Goodrich’s disciplined, client-first approach.

Looking ahead, Goodrich remains focused on refining strategy, expanding his advisory footprint, and delivering outcomes grounded in preparation rather than reaction. His work continues to be defined not by volume alone, but by consistency, trust, and results achieved through intention.

To learn more about Unlisted, visit UnlistedHomes.com. For Unlisted for Agents, visit UnlistedHomes.com/Agents. To learn more about Arthur Goodrich, visit his Unlisted Profile or The Goodrich Group website.

About Unlisted

Unlisted unlocks the potential in homes that aren’t for sale — yet. The company empowers home buyers to join the Waitlist for homes they love that aren’t for sale — in other words, unlisted. At the same time, homeowners collect a Waitlist of interested buyers for whenever the time comes to sell, giving everyone a head start. Unlisted also allows homeowners to control how their home is presented online; they can create a stunning up-to-date property profile that shows off the home’s best features and attracts more interest. With more time and more connection, Unlisted is a more human way to explore real estate that drives better outcomes for all. Selected for TechCrunch’s 2025 Startup Battlefield 200 as one of the top tech startups globally, and backed by HearstLab, Hearst Newspapers, VC414, StageNext Fund, and prominent angel investors, Unlisted gives buyers a competitive edge in today’s challenging housing market. For more information, visit UnlistedHomes.com.

Media Contact

Maura Racz
maura@unlistedinc.com

Unlisted, a groundbreaking digital real estate community focused on the 98% of homes that aren’t for sale — yet, today announced that Leslie Gossett Warden, a leading Austin real estate professional and global real estate advisor at Kuper Sotheby’s International Realty, has joined as the exclusive Local Expert for buyers and homeowners in ZIP codes 78703 and 78746. Recognized among Austin’s top 1% of agents, Warden brings over 17 years of experience, deep market expertise, and a design-forward approach to Unlisted’s growing national network.

Unlisted’s platform is designed to bring transparency and opportunity to every side of the real estate experience. Buyers can explore homes that capture their interest beyond what’s listed on the market, homeowners can control their home’s online image and gauge demand, and agents gain a new way to connect with clients and showcase their expertise.

Using publicly available data, Unlisted builds a digital property profile for every home in the country. These profiles allow buyers and agents to create tailored lists of homes that fit their needs — even if those homes aren’t currently for sale. Buyers can then join the Waitlist for the properties they love, signaling real-time interest and creating meaningful connections between homeowners, buyers, and agents.

Each Local Expert selected by Unlisted receives an agent profile connected to every home in their ZIP code. Only one agent per ZIP is chosen, reflecting their proven market knowledge, professionalism, and trusted reputation. As Unlisted continues to grow across the U.S., its mission remains the same: to empower buyers, homeowners, and agents through connection, transparency, and possibility.

With a degree in finance from Texas Christian University and a background spanning staging, art curation, and luxury real estate, Leslie Gossett Warden brings an elevated, detail-oriented perspective to every transaction. Her experience as a founding agent and Managing Partner at The Agency Austin, paired with her current role at Kuper Sotheby’s International Realty, has cemented her reputation as a trusted advisor with a passion for design and a deep understanding of Central Texas’s most desirable neighborhoods. Known for her creativity, precision, and client-first approach, Leslie helps homeowners and buyers navigate Austin’s dynamic market with confidence and care.

“I’m excited to be part of Unlisted’s growing community and to serve as a resource for homeowners and buyers across Austin’s most sought-after ZIPs,” said Warden.

“Leslie’s combination of market insight, design expertise, and dedication to client experience make her an incredible addition to Unlisted,” said Katie Hill, founder and CEO of Unlisted. “She embodies the professionalism, warmth, and forward-thinking energy that define both Austin and our growing network of Local Experts.”

To learn more about Unlisted, visit UnlistedHomes.com or UnlistedHomes.com/Agents. To learn more about Leslie Gossett Warden, visit her Unlisted profile or LeslieGossett.com.

About Unlisted

Unlisted unlocks the potential in homes that aren’t for sale — yet. The company empowers home buyers to join the Waitlist for homes they love that aren’t for sale — in other words, unlisted. At the same time, homeowners collect a Waitlist of interested buyers for whenever the time comes to sell, giving everyone a head start. Unlisted also allows homeowners to control how their home is presented online; they can create a stunning up-to-date property profile that shows off the home’s best features and attracts more interest. With more time and more connection, Unlisted is a more human way to explore real estate that drives better outcomes for all. Selected for TechCrunch’s 2025 Startup Battlefield 200 as one of the top tech startups globally, and backed by HearstLab, Hearst Newspapers, VC414, StageNext Fund, and prominent angel investors, Unlisted gives buyers a competitive edge in today’s challenging housing market. For more information, visit UnlistedHomes.com.

Media Contact

Maura Racz
maura@unlistedinc.com

Unlisted, a groundbreaking digital real estate community focused on the 98% of homes that aren’t for sale — yet, announced today that Alex Hachiya of Sotheby’s International Realty’s San Francisco brokerage has joined the platform as the exclusive Local Expert for ZIP codes 94114 and 94123.

Unlisted’s technology opens new possibilities across the real estate ecosystem. Buyers can explore homes that align with their lifestyle and long-term goals, not just those actively listed on the MLS. Homeowners gain a clearer picture of how their property fits into local demand and can connect with interested buyers on their own terms. Real estate professionals are equipped with tools that amplify their local expertise, deepen community relationships, and support more informed conversations well before a sale is underway.

The platform uses publicly available data to create a digital property profile for every home in the United States. These profiles allow buyers to search, organize, and track homes that meet their criteria, even when those homes are not currently on the market. For homeowners, the profiles offer transparency into interest and demand, helping them better understand their options over time.

Each vetted real estate professional within Unlisted’s network receives an agent profile that is connected to every home profile in their designated ZIP codes. Only one agent is selected per ZIP code, reinforcing Unlisted’s commitment to credibility, hyperlocal knowledge, and trusted representation. As the network continues to expand, Unlisted remains focused on fostering meaningful connection, clarity, and opportunity for everyone involved in the home journey.

Alex Hachiya brings decades of experience, deep market knowledge, and a reputation built on trust to his role as a Local Expert. Consistently ranking in the top 1 percent of San Francisco agents, Alex has successfully guided clients through both strong and challenging economic cycles. His client-first approach, availability, and skillful negotiation style have earned him the respect of both clients and colleagues across the industry.

With more than $750 million in San Francisco residential sales, Alex offers particular expertise in single-family homes, luxury condominiums, and income properties. His background in income property acquisition, management, and sales, combined with degrees in legal studies, linguistics, and Spanish from the University of California, Berkeley, enables him to serve a discerning local and international clientele. Known for his passion for problem-solving and long-term relationship building, Alex approaches each transaction with a focus on achieving thoughtful, win-win outcomes.

“San Francisco is a city of distinct neighborhoods and incredibly nuanced housing opportunities,” Alex Hachiya shared. “Unlisted creates a space where buyers and homeowners can explore those possibilities earlier and more thoughtfully. I’m excited to bring that level of insight and access to the communities I serve.”

Founder and CEO Katie Hill also commented on the announcement. “Alex exemplifies the caliber of expertise and integrity we look for in our Local Experts,” Hill said. “His deep understanding of San Francisco real estate and his commitment to client success make him an exceptional addition to the Unlisted network.”

To learn more about Unlisted, visit UnlistedHomes.com. For Unlisted for Agents, visit UnlistedHomes.com/Agents. To learn more about Alex Hachiya, visit his Unlisted Profile or his website.

About Unlisted

Unlisted unlocks the potential in homes that aren’t for sale — yet. The company empowers home buyers to join the Waitlist for homes they love that aren’t for sale — in other words, unlisted. At the same time, homeowners collect a Waitlist of interested buyers for whenever the time comes to sell, giving everyone a head start. Unlisted also allows homeowners to control how their home is presented online; they can create a stunning up-to-date property profile that shows off the home’s best features and attracts more interest. With more time and more connection, Unlisted is a more human way to explore real estate that drives better outcomes for all. Selected for TechCrunch’s 2025 Startup Battlefield 200 as one of the top tech startups globally, and backed by HearstLab, Hearst Newspapers, VC414, StageNext Fund, and prominent angel investors, Unlisted gives buyers a competitive edge in today’s challenging housing market. For more information, visit UnlistedHomes.com.

Media Contact

Maura Racz
maura@unlistedinc.com

The Global Recognition Awards has named FREUDINC LTD as a 2026 recipient, honouring founder Nathan McAdam Freud. FREUDINC LTD has been recognised with a 2026 Global Recognition Award for artistic accomplishment, a designation arrived at through psychometric evaluation, not public relations. Seven years ago, Freud was a drug addict with a court date and no clear future.

The distance between those two points is the story. It runs through a rehabilitation centre in southeast London, a soldier's quiet act of generosity, six consecutive Ironman finishes, a published book of poetry, and an oil painting that sold for £500 in April 2020. It now anchors a body of work that has generated returns of 3,600 percent over six years.

FREUDINC LTD was formally incorporated in England and Wales on January 30, 2026, under Company No. 17004465. The incorporation gave legal structure to what had been building informally since that first sale. This creative enterprise now operates across painting, poetry, endurance sport, and addiction mentorship, with an international exhibition calendar and a growing collector base.

The Moment That Set It in Motion

Freud grew up in Bermondsey and Peckham in southeast London. A court in Camberwell sent him to rehabilitation, where a soldier named David Skinner, from Inverness, handed him paints, pens, and paper with a single instruction: use your mind. Skinner had served his country; he understood what it meant to carry weight. The act was unhesitating and straightforward, and it proved to be the most consequential moment of Freud's life.

Skinner later took his own life. That loss is not a detail Freud uses lightly, and it is not peripheral to FREUDINC's identity. It is the centre of it. Every painting made, every race entered, and every person mentored carries the memory of Skinner, his name, his service, and the decision he made on an ordinary day to hand a broken young man a reason to continue.

Freud has been clean for seven years. He sold his first oil painting to the owner of his rehabilitation facility for £500 in April 2020. His work now sells for tens of thousands of pounds. In evaluating FREUDINC LTD's application, the evaluation panel used the Rasch model, a psychometric framework that constructs a linear measurement scale to enable precise comparisons across applicants working in different fields, and rated FREUDINC at the highest level across all six dimensions of artistic accomplishment: originality, international recognition and exhibitions, influence on artistic trends, cross-cultural impact, innovation in technique and medium, and preservation or evolution of cultural heritage.

Work Rooted in Documented Experience

What separates Freud's output from comparable work is not its subject matter but its source. The grief running through his paintings is not abstract; it has a name. His techniques and mediums have developed continuously since that first oil sale, and collectors paying high prices for the work reflect genuine market confidence. His published book of poetry, available on Amazon, extends the same voice into a second medium, coherent and self-sustaining rather than opportunistic.

"FREUDINC LTD represents precisely the kind of achievement this award was created to recognize, a founder who turned the most difficult circumstances into a creative and commercial body of work that operates at a world-class level and gives back meaningfully to the communities that shaped him," said Alex Sterling, spokesperson for Global Recognition Awards.

Freud's upcoming London show at Morocco Bound in Wandsworth is scheduled for September 20, 2026. It follows his planned participation in the IRONMAN Extreme Blacklake event in Montenegro on September 12, 2026. The sequencing is deliberate. FREUDINC treats endurance sport and fine art as expressions of the same discipline, the capacity to keep going when there is every reason to stop.

Mentorship, Endurance, and a Wider Reach

Freud has completed an Ironman event every year for six consecutive years, raising substantial funds for Cancer Research UK and the Beer Harris Memorial Trust. He has mentored hundreds of individuals through addiction recovery, not as a separate programme but as a direct continuation of his own experience, carried out in deliberate honour of Skinner. "Losing Skinner made the work more urgent, more necessary, and more deeply tied to the lives of those who encounter it," Freud said.

The result is a company whose relevance is felt equally in rehabilitation centres, international race circuits, and fine art collections. That breadth, achieved without institutional backing or inherited advantage, is what distinguished FREUDINC's application in the eyes of the Global Recognition Awards evaluation panel. Cross-cultural impact, the panel found, was achieved through the authenticity of the story itself, one that carries meaning across language and geography without requiring explanation.

FREUDINC is actively seeking a corporate sponsor to stand alongside the Montenegro and London events. A corporate partner will be represented at the IRONMAN Extreme Blacklake event and the Morocco Bound exhibition, carried by Freud and his support crew at all subsequent events where the partnership proves mutually beneficial. Organisations wishing to make contact are invited to do so directly.

David Skinner's name belongs in this story, not as a dedication, but as a foundation. He gave a young man from southeast London a set of paints and a reason to use them, and in the years since, that act has produced an internationally recognised artist, a six-time Ironman finisher, a published poet, and a mentor to hundreds, the kind of return on a single human gesture that no balance sheet is built to measure.

About Global Recognition Awards

The Global Recognition Awards is an international organization that recognizes exceptional companies and individuals who have made significant contributions to their respective industries. For more information, visit globalrecognitionawards.org.

Media Contact

Alex Sterling
alex@globalrecognitionawards.org