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Kevel has become certified as a Most Loved Workplace® backed by the research and analysis of Best Practice Institute (BPI). Most Loved Workplace (MLW) validation provides the most comprehensive look at workplace sentiment for organizations today.

“Kevel’s driving philosophy regarding the management of our people is that, ‘we are all adults’. We lead with respect, positive intent and transparency, and we actively live our values as the backbone of our regular decision making at all levels of the company. We have continuous growth conversations with our employees and provide company financials openly in regular all-hands meetings to make sure we bring every single person along this journey with us. We collect employee feedback in engagement surveys and openly share the results. We get The regular feedback we get from our employees demonstrates how these practices foster an environment of mental stability, wellbeing and safety that allows us to thrive and grow, driving us towards success as a team.” —James Avery, Kevel CEO and Founder

Kevel has been certified as a Most Loved Workplace® because of its dedication to being a true people-first organization where vulnerability, authenticity and transparency are encouraged and valued. The Kevel team aims to build an environment where every employee feels respected, welcomed and heard. As a remote first organization, Kevel is focused on providing a highly communicative and collaborative environment that enables flexibility and autonomy for its employees. Kevel strives to promote from within and ensure that every employee has the opportunity to reach their full potential.

The Most Loved Workplace accreditation certifies companies where employees are the happiest and most satisfied at work. Kevel became certified as a Most Loved Workplace based on its scores on the Love of Workplace Index™, which surveyed employees on various elements around employee satisfaction and sentiment including the level of respect, collaboration, support, and sense of belonging they feel inside the company.

"I started Most Loved Workplaces out of inspiration from my community of people who consciously place love for their employees at the center of their business model," said Louis Carter, the founder, and CEO of BPI and a social/organizational psychologist, thought leader, entrepreneur, and author. Carter's book, "In Great Company: How to Spark Peak Performance by Creating an Emotionally Connected Workplace," identifies the specific areas needed to become a highly respected, reputable organization where people love to work with each other—a Most Loved Workplace.

Backed by BPI, in its original research that created MLW criteria, Most Loved Workplaces surveyed more than 175 companies and more than 3,000 executives across the United States, the Middle East/Northern Africa, and Southeast Asia. They found that productivity rises as employee sentiment increases, with 94 percent of responders saying they did three to four times more work for a company they loved and 95 percent saying they stayed at companies they loved three to four times longer. The Most Loved Workplace certification is the most valid method to determine employee experience and recognize a great workplace.

To view Kevel’s company certification, visit the certification page. To learn more about the Most Loved Workplace certification, visit ​​https://mostlovedworkplace.com/ and the Best Practice Institute, visit bestpracticeinstitute.org.

About Kevel

Kevel powers world-class retail media networks with the Retail Media Cloud™. With the combination of the Kevel Ad Server and Kevel Audience, multi-brand retailers, marketplaces, and ecommerce companies can launch limitless ad formats and unique targeting segments online and in-store, all with closed-loop attribution. Kevel believes that every digital retailer should have the capability to scale their own distinct ad platform, just like big tech players like Amazon. Customers like Edmunds, Klarna, Delivery Hero, Leroy Merlin, Slickdeals, and other leading retailers and marketplaces all launched their own retail media network with Kevel. The company has garnered numerous accolades, most recently earning recognition as one of the leading 100 innovative tech start-ups driving the future of brand-to-consumer in 2023 and awarded the MarTech Breakthrough Award for best overall ad tech company in 2022. Learn more at www.kevel.com.

Media Contact

Jennifer Choo

+1 973-343-8819

jchoo@kevel.com

The Unbridled Charitable Foundation, Inc. presents the 11th annual Unbridled Eve Derby Gala on Friday, May 3, 2024, at the Galt House Hotel Grand Ballroom in Louisville, KY. 

This memorable event, with previous headliner performances from such musical giants as Luke Bryan, Robin Thicke, Wynonna Judd, Morris Day & the Time, and REM’s Mike Mills, has emerged as a premier pre-Derby party. More than 1,000 guests, including celebrities and VIPs, will experience the glamorous evening featuring dazzling specialty bars, silent auction bidding on 150 unique and coveted items and once-in-a-lifetime experiences, a Bourbon Pull with 150 bottles, and dinner served in the Grand Ballroom exquisitely decorated by Millennium Events. Always highly anticipated, the night is topped off with multi-genre musical experiences featuring many stars of yesterday and today. This year’s performers will be announced shortly.

The Unbridled Eve Derby Gala, an Official Event of the Kentucky Derby, has a charitable component that benefits numerous charitable causes through the Unbridled Charitable Foundation, Inc. a 501(c)(3) organization.

We are currently accepting media credential requests and invite outlets to submit their requests to cover the Unbridled Eve Derby Gala and red carpet on our website: http://www.unbridledeve.com/news/media/

About Unbridled Charitable Foundation

The Unbridled Charitable Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization, and the Unbridled Eve Derby Gala were founded by Tonya York and Tammy York Day. The Foundation’s strategy is to raise money, awareness and big dollar connections for its charitable causes. The Unbridled Eve Derby Gala provides value to its charitable causes through media exposure, cash donations, and introductions to sponsors. For more information, visit https://www.unbridledeve.com.

Media Contact

Soozie Eastman

+1 502-819-4139

media@unbridledeve.com

Bluepeak is accelerating its more than $100 million investment to expand its fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network to over ten new markets in Oklahoma and Texas starting this year.

“We’re thrilled to continue building out our fiber-to-the-home network, expanding into new communities and bringing cutting-edge technology and an incredible value proposition to more customers in Oklahoma, Texas and elsewhere,” said Bluepeak CEO Rich Fish.

The expansion means Bluepeak’s fiber network will soon be available to more than 100,000 new homes and businesses in new markets across Oklahoma and Texas. Denison, Texas, was the company’s most recent fiber expansion market announced in late 2023, and the new investment by Bluepeak will result in more than ten additional communities in the region benefiting from greater choice among their internet options starting in 2024 and 2025.

Since 2021, Bluepeak has been dramatically improving broadband options by bringing fast, reliable, affordable fiber internet to residents of Oklahoma, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota and Texas. The latest network expansion investment is part of Bluepeak’s larger plans to invest more than $200 million to continue building out its network in its currently served markets, reaching more than 200,000 new locations with its fiber network in 2024 and 2025.

With Bluepeak service, customers get fiber-fast speeds, equal upload and download speeds and whole-home WiFi. Bluepeak service features all-in pricing, where the price on the website is the price on the bill, with a minimum service tier of 1 gigabit-per-second (Gbps). Homes can get up to 5 Gbps and businesses 10 Gbps and beyond. Each fiber internet speed package includes Wi-Fi powered by eero, along with the added value of eero Secure, which protects devices from online threats, ads and allows for customized content filtering. Bluepeak's fiber network provides reliable connectivity and the bandwidth to connect more devices for internet, streaming, gaming and more.

Ultimately, Bluepeak service increases broadband competition for internet consumers by providing a fast, reliable, affordable choice for internet in communities where options have traditionally been very limited.

• According to the Federal Trade Commission, competition “benefits consumers by keeping prices low and the quality and choice of goods and services high.”
• In addition, a 2020 report by Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond on “Bringing Broadband to Rural America” determined that broadband access and adoption is linked to increased job and population growth, higher rates of new business formation, higher home values, and lower unemployment rates.

Those interested in more information on Bluepeak service availability and details on the construction process can sign up for updates by entering their service address at mybluepeak.com.

About Bluepeak

Bluepeak is a new kind of internet provider bringing fast, reliable, affordable internet to places that have needed better options for too long. The company has roots serving Great Plains and Midwest communities going back more than 30 years. As the need for internet in the region has evolved so has Bluepeak, upgrading and expanding service to several markets in South Dakota, southwest Minnesota, Oklahoma, Wyoming and North Dakota with the newest cutting-edge technology. These expansion efforts include multi-million-dollar infrastructure projects, community involvement and growth through local hires. Bluepeak is earning the trust of customers and businesses through simple, affordable offerings, responsive, reliable customer service and transparent pricing. The company’s unique approach to delivering internet service has earned Bluepeak accolades for customer satisfaction, network performance, workplace culture and meaningful community partnerships. Visit www.mybluepeak.com to learn more.

Media Contact

Jesse Granger

+1 720-703-4315

mediaqueries@mybluepeak.com

Charleston-based Bond Street Advisors, the leading owner of Class A convenience retail shopping centers across 10 southeastern states, today announced the incorporation of Bond Street Investment Trust, a Perpetual Life Private Real Estate Investment Trust. It is the first and only Private NAV REIT whose portfolio is exclusively invested in the convenience retail sector.

Since 2014, Bond Street has acquired, and continues to manage, a carefully curated portfolio of open air convenience centers in low-tax, high-growth southern markets—all of which are suburban, multi-tenant, highly visible, boulevard facing and largely populated with drive-through fast casual food concepts and daily needs service tenancies. Southeastern markets include South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky and Texas.

Bond Street’s current SPE structured portfolios will be contributed to the REIT sequentially as the current debt instruments allow. Additionally, Bond Street REIT has earmarked up to $100MM over the next eighteen months for continued accretive portfolio acquisitions meeting its investment criteria, responding to the excellent operational metrics and low vacancy levels within its current portfolio. Investor demand for high yielding, inflation hedged, net leased centers concentrated in high growth southern markets remains robust within Bond Street’s private accredited investor capital relationships.

Chairman and founder, Michael D. Reynolds, attributes Bond Street’s growth and success to its asymmetric foundational philosophy that unanchored, non-core, southern strip centers represent the highest visibility, best accessibility and infinitely more convenient real estate in the retail universe, which was largely undervalued and overlooked by the investment community at its inception. Pivoting to the Private NAV REIT structure with a mature and battle tested management team, Reynolds says, “is a natural evolution to ensure long term continued asset ownership, enhanced dividend yield, reduced portfolio risk, the allowance of elective investor liquidity and the adoption of a superior tax structure.” 

Reynolds affirms, “growing concentrated holdings in our sector, NAV appreciation, monthly dividends, liquidity, vertical high touch management with consistent funds from operations growth—in a zero carried interest structure—has been, and will remain, our defining DNA.” 

About Bond Street REIT

Headquartered at 850 Morrison Drive in Charleston, South Carolina, Bond Street REIT is governed by a board of 5 directors and affiliated with advisory firms: Fried Frank, Venable, Forvis, Allen Matkins and Bellwether Enterprises. Bond Street is a non-SEC Registered Reg D exempt Perpetual Life Private Real Estate Investment Trust for accredited investors only. For more information, please visit bondstreetreit.com.

Media Contact

Maria Castellano

maria@bondstreetadvisors.com

CoverSelf, a unified platform for healthcare claims and payment integrity, is today announcing the appointment of Ashish Singh, Advisory Partner at Bain & Company, as Board Director. This development comes on the heels of the company’s recent close of a $8.2 million seed round.

Ashish is a well-known and deeply respected Bain & Company leader. He led Bain’s global Healthcare and Life Sciences (HLS) practice from 2012 to 2018 and served two terms on Bain’s global Board of Directors in the same time period. Ashish also founded Bain & Company’s India office and was at its helm as Managing Director (2005-2011) and Chairman (2011-2014). Over the years, he also co-founded Bain’s Enterprise Software, Media & Entertainment, Pharmaceutical and Payer practices.

Ashish Singh, Advisory Partner at Bain & Company, joins CoverSelf as a Board Director

Ashish’s expertise lies in corporate and BU strategies, market entry strategies, operational improvement, organisational effectiveness, M&A, healthcare IT, and large-scale corporate transformation programs.

“We are thrilled to welcome Ashish onboard as our Board Director. He is a veteran in this space and brings invaluable experience in formulating overall strategy and US GTM strategy, as well as in-depth knowledge of the US healthcare system and health plans. Not to mention, his broad network of relationships across the industry will benefit us in the long term,” said Rajasekhar Maddireddy, Co-founder of CoverSelf.

“We’ve been busy since our funding announcement. We are already live as the secondary editor in three health plans, with an expansion to another four over the next six months in the works. We are in full-scale implementation with a top 10 health plan, and executing a PoC with a Top 5 health plan. These are showing remarkable results, wherein the platform is processing 25 times more claims in the same time window than was done earlier. We will soon start initial moves into markets adjacent to the payment integrity (PI) space via collaboration with a focused set of partners to bring broader integrated solutions to our clients.”

CoverSelf was founded in 2021 by US healthcare domain experts Rajasekhar Maddireddy and Raghavendra Pawar to tackle the ever-increasing claims inaccuracies and waste. The company aims to democratize the healthcare claims and payment integrity industry by creating a first-of-its-kind, fully open and transparent solution that empowers payment integrity teams in health insurance companies (payers) to transparently resolve health claims with hospitals and medical practices (providers).

CoverSelf’s purpose-built platform utilizes multiple approaches, including the smart use of GenAI, to reduce waste while identifying new savings opportunities. The platform empowers payers to adapt to claims and payment inaccuracies by enabling them to configure their policies and logic in simple English-like language or use simple policy-specific templates, overcoming the fear of losing IP and fostering innovation and new concept releases without technical dependencies.

“According to recent reports, the $9 billion PI industry has grown at around 7% CAGR in recent years. This just shows the inherent complexity of the billing processes. The truth is, over the years, there has been a perceptible negative impact on providers' experience with payments, and trust in payers has taken a significant hit. This has resulted in ballooning waste and improper payments. Given this scenario, I’m glad to lend a helping hand to CoverSelf’s mission,” said Ashish Singh, Board Director of CoverSelf.

“I will work closely with the co-founders and top management to increase Coverself's visibility amongst healthcare payers and technology partners and also bring my expertise to assist them in corporate and market strategy. What we are doing in CoverSelf is not just building a product that is looking to solve a few pain points; we are on a once-in-a-lifetime mission to truly democratize healthcare claims and payment integrity and restore faith in the US’s healthcare ecosystem!”

About CoverSelf

CoverSelf is a generational leap forward in healthcare claims and Payment Integrity architecture, built from the ground up for healthcare-specific use by passionate domain experts and strong technology professionals with decades of experience in addressing the pain points faced by Providers and Payers when dealing with the latest technological advancements.

Founded in 2021, CoverSelf’s Payment Integrity Platform engages modern technologies to address payment leakage & claims inaccuracies while remaining transparent & accessible to Payers. The platform empowers payers to prevent and adapt to the ever-evolving claims & payment inaccuracies. We also help you reduce complexity and administrative costs with our unified healthcare dedicated platform.

Bilal Mahmood

+44 7714 007257

b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com

BIMQuote announced the appointment of Ken Trent as President where he’ll be providing cutting-edge technology solutions that help homebuilders save on material costs for new construction builds.

Ken has a background in construction administration with a proven track record of success in cost savings and process improvements. He combines that with over 10 years of experience in eCommerce and digital technology solutions for products and services.

Formerly the Chief of Growth at Builders Capital, the #1 Private Construction Lender Nationwide, Ken implemented strategic initiatives that enhanced the borrower experience by developing online portals where customers could have 24/7 access to their draws and loan details.

"Ken is results-driven with a strong focus on the customer experience," said Travis Dodge, BIMQuote Founder. "His vision and initiative will help private homebuilders gain greater awareness of this revolutionary software and drive home the value that BIMQuote delivers access to the same national buying power that production builders are accustomed to."

Ken commented on the transition, stating, "My background in construction has equipped me with a strong foundation in project management and a keen eye for detail. These skills, combined with my experience in digital technology solutions provide a unique perspective that I believe will be invaluable in the adoption of BIMQuote to homebuilders nationwide. I am thrilled to be part of this innovative team and look forward to contributing to the company's continued success."

BIMQuote is currently being offered to Builders Capital borrowers, who can utilize the software to order localized building materials at discounted prices. The cost savings are based on their national relationships with hundreds of material providers from wood framing to windows, to roofing and appliances and everything in between. The materials are organized by cost code provided in detailed quantity takeoffs based on the homebuilders' submitted plans.

To learn more about BIMQuote and its technology solutions visit BIMQuote.com

About BIMQuote and Customhome.ai

BIMQuote and customhome.ai offer innovative products available to homebuilders, enabling them to operate more competitively, efficiently, and profitably in their business. BIMQuote offers a full project management and procurement suite, with integrated accounting and automated contracting tools such as lien waivers. Customhome.ai allows for the customization of a 3D digital model of a home and immediately generates a material takeoff as well as site-specific residential designs. Learn more at: BIMquote.com and customhome.ai

Media Contact

Trisha Hudson

trisha.hudson@builderscapital.com

IKONA, a New-York-based, patient-focused learning company, and Lifeliqe, a San Francisco-based workforce training and simulation company, have announced a partnership to bring virtual reality (VR) and online learning solutions to the US kidney care market. This collaboration is in response to market demand from healthcare provider organizations and strategic partners across the care delivery ecosystem for more effective educational tools in the management of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD).

This collaboration represents the first of its kind approach to comprehensive, immersive education and training in the kidney care sector. By combining IKONA's expertise in patient education and kidney care with Lifeliqe's advanced workforce training and simulation capabilities, including Patient Care Technician (PCT) training, the partnership is poised to address a broad range of top priorities across healthcare settings, from doctor’s offices and dialysis centers into patients’ homes.

What It’s About

The partnership will initially focus on deploying select elements of Lifeliqe's VR and online learning solutions to meet the needs of IKONA’s end users, tailored specifically for high-priority use cases such as cannulation training for patients and frontline dialysis staff. This strategic approach allows both companies to quickly address immediate needs in the market while gathering valuable feedback to refine and expand their offerings, including areas where critical gaps exist across multiple stakeholders such as vascular access, machine use and safety.

As this partnership unfolds, IKONA and Lifeliqe are excited to contribute to the transformation of kidney care education and training, leveraging the power of XR to create more engaging, effective, and accessible learning experiences.

”This is an exciting moment for IKONA and our partners who see the power of having effective, accessible learning tools available for their patients and care teams. This partnership with Lifeliqe arrives at a critical time in our industry, as we explore new ways to support high-quality care delivery in clinics and homes. Lifeliqe is a best in class workforce training platform, we're confident they will play a vital role in helping us reshape kidney care in the US and beyond,” said Tim Fitzpatrick, CEO of IKONA.

"We are thrilled to announce our partnership with IKONA, a leader in the healthcare education field, known for their extensive collaborations with patients, clinics, and other kidney care stakeholders. This partnership marks a pivotal moment where cutting-edge simulation technology meets exceptional instructional design and market understanding. Our combined expertise ensures that our products are not only technically advanced but also perfectly tailored to the needs of potential customers who have been facing these training challenges for years." added Matouš Tlapák, CEO of Lifeliqe.

Why It Matters For Kidney Care

This partnership aims to address key barriers in kidney care’s ongoing shift to value-based and in-home care delivery. Despite early progress following several regulatory and payment tailwinds in recent years, adoption of home-based therapies remains well below national goals and international peers. A lack of access to effective, scalable education and training solutions continues to stand in the way of this effort. 

An all-in-one learning platform opens up several near-term opportunities to tackle some of kidney care’s toughest challenge from staff training to home adoption and retention:

• More Patients are Facing Kidney Failure: Around 360 people start dialysis every 24 hours in the United States. Over 130,000 people reach kidney failure each year in the US alone, with the vast majority transitioning from hospitals to one of 7,638 dialysis centers across the country.
• Patient Fears of Self-Cannulation: Many patients express apprehension about self-cannulation, an essential step in home hemodialysis (HHD). A study of people on dialysis found that 47% said needle phobia kept them from doing self-care treatments.
• Low Uptake of Home Hemodialysis: Despite its benefits, less than 2% of patients are on home hemodialysis (HHD) today due to barriers including cannulation fears and lack of adequate training.
• Dialysis staffing challenges: Patient Care Technicians (PCTs) are a critical part of the dialysis care team and patient safety. Staffing challenges continue to put pressure on recruitment, training and retention of PCTs in the dialysis workforce. In a recent survey, only half of PCTs reported that they plan to be working as a dialysis PCT in 3 years. 
• Training Gaps in Home Modalities: A limited number of training sessions available for home dialysis modalities contributes to patient uncertainty and low retention. Home HD training represents a substantial investment in time for patients and providers. It takes around 30 hours of in-person training to train one home patient, which is constrained by staffing, scheduling, transportation and logistical needs.
• Patient Transition and Retention Challenges: Data indicate notable failure rates for patients transitioning to home hemodialysis, with a significant percentage discontinuing treatment within the first year. The percentage of patients on home HD at one year was substantially lower among patients who attended 10 or fewer sessions (31-35%) compared to those with 11 or more. The percentage on PD at one year was lowest for those who attended 1-3 sessions (48%).

By focusing on these critical areas, IKONA and Lifeliqe are committed to transforming kidney care education, empowering patients and professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate and succeed across kidney care settings, scenarios and machines.

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chronic Kidney Disease in the United States, 2023.
2. U.S. Renal Data System, USRDS 2023 Annual Data Report
3. Plantinga LC, Bender AA, Urbanski M, et al. Patient Care Technician Staffing and Outcomes Among US Patients Receiving In-Center Hemodialysis. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(3):e241722. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.1722
4. Plantinga LC, Rickenbach F, et al. Professional Fulfillment, Burnout, and Turnover Intention Among US Dialysis Patient Care Technicians: A National Survey. AJKD Vol 82, Issue 1, 22 - 32.e1. 2023
5. Fitzpatrick T, Butt Q, Maddox T. Enhancing Home Dialysis Training and Retention through Interactive Virtual Reality. Nephrol Nurs J. 2023
6. Fresenius Medical Care North America, IKONA Health Receive Major Grant to Expand Virtual Reality Healthcare Education, Improve Access in Rural Mississippi (PR Newswire - January, 2023)

About IKONA

IKONA, Inc. is a learning platform trusted by over 250 clinics to improve outcomes for people with end stage kidney disease (ESKD) using virtual reality and analytics. The company's expert team of clinicians, patients, scientists, and technologists are building a pipeline of evidence-based learning products across complex chronic areas, including End Stage Kidney Disease (ESKD), Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), Transplantation, Diabetes and more. IKONA is funded by the National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, StartUp Health, On Deck, NVIDIA and was named a Top 200 EdTech Startup globally in the 2022 and 2023 GSV Cups. To learn more about the company's mission to launch 10 million personalized learning journeys by 2030, please visit http://www.ikona.health.

About Lifeliqe

Lifeliqe is the world’s leading workforce development and education tool for learning experiences in interactive 3D, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR). Following its merger with 3D content publisher Corinth in 2023, the company is setting a new global standard for upskilling, reskilling, and workforce training across classrooms and clinics in more than 100 countries. Lifeliqe has partnered with leading nephrology vocational schools and nonprofits to create and scale dialysis and clinical staff training through a hybrid in-person and VR curriculum. For information about Lifeliqe, visit http://www.lifeliqe.com.

Media Contact

IKONA Press

hello@ikona.health

Michal Mizerak

michal.mizerak@lifeliqe.com

Leela AI, a provider of visual intelligence solutions for improving productivity and safety in manufacturing, today announced the availability of Leela Platform on Google Cloud Marketplace. Leela AI has exclusively hosted its SaaS visual intelligence software on Google Cloud and was recently approved as a Google Cloud partner level for the build engagement model. With the new Google Cloud Marketplace availability, Google Cloud users have easier access to Leela Platform, providing advantages such as faster procurement, unified billing, and deeper product integration.

Leela Platform delivers continuous time and motion analysis of manufacturing activities to enable deep insights for continuous improvement. The visual intelligence software measures and analyzes the complex interactions between people, tools, machinery, robots, parts, and products to identify bottlenecks, safety hazards, and best practices. The software can also help industrial engineers compare productivity across shifts and stations. Plant managers can see real-time performance numbers and make timely decisions that lead to hitting their targets every day.

Google Cloud Marketplace enables users to discover, purchase, and deploy third-party software solutions that are optimized to run on Google Cloud infrastructure. The Google Cloud Marketplace serves as a centralized repository for applications, services, and virtual machine images that are ready to run on Google Cloud.

"Google Cloud has been essential to our early success," said Cyrus Shaoul, CEO of Leela AI. "Thanks to Google Cloud and our fast-training AI, customers can quickly set up a trial to see if Leela Platform is right for their operation. Google Cloud Marketplace will make it even easier for new manufacturing customers to sample, deploy, and expand the power of visual intelligence."

The Marketplace link for Leela AI’s platform is: https://console.cloud.google.com/marketplace/product/leela-ai-public/leela-ai-visual-intelligence-service-1

(You will need to set up a free Google Cloud account if you don’t already have one.)

About Leela AI

Leela AI is helping manufacturers achieve greater visibility into their operations to drive performance and continuous improvement. Leela’s privacy-enabled visual intelligence software identifies and times every step in the manufacturing process to spotlight best practices, bottlenecks, and safety hazards. Leela Platform helps our customers track hourly performance, support standard work, reduce waste, boost capacity, and improve safety while also expanding digitization beyond machine data.

Media Contact

Eric Brown

eric@leela-ai.com

Comtex News Network, Inc. (Comtex), a leading provider of news aggregation and distribution services to top firms in financial services, news publishing, syndication, and analytics, proudly announces the launch of its innovative API platform, Omnia.

Omnia is a state-of-the-art API platform designed to revolutionize the way businesses access and utilize news content. Omnia empowers users with instant access to real-time streaming news, AI-generated article summaries, enhanced tagging and categorization based on NLP, advanced filtering, and access to an extensive catalog of curated news sources.

Key features of Omnia include:

• Real-time Streaming News: Omnia provides real-time streaming news via websockets push and REST API for seamless integration into existing systems.
• Enhanced Tagging and Categorization: Leveraging AI and proprietary NLP-based algorithms, Omnia offers enhanced tagging and categorization of content, including press releases, earnings releases, product categories, and more.
• AI-Generated Article Summaries: Omnia utilizes AI to generate concise and searchable article summaries, enabling users to quickly grasp an article before reading it.
• Advanced Filtering: Omnia's advanced filtering capabilities allow users to customize their news feeds based on specific criteria, ensuring they receive only the most relevant content.
• Access to an extensive collection of curated, high-quality sources used by top companies in financial services, analytics, research and a broad range of industries.

Omnia is designed for rapid integration and serves a variety of use cases, including training of LLMs, financial platforms, asset management, trading, academic research, legal research, market research, and much more.

Commenting on the launch, Comtex CEO Kan Devnani said, "We are pleased to bring a flexible, state-of-the-art news platform with access to curated, premium news sources to market. Omnia is an extendable platform, combining AI with our rich experience applying NLP to news content. This will allow clients to derive more intelligence and insights from the news content we offer and help clients curate and identify the content most relevant to them. Comtex will use Omnia to deliver evolving analytics and insight to its users."

Access to Omnia can be trialed by visiting https://www.comtex.com/api. Comtex encourages users to explore its features and capabilities.

To learn more about Omnia and request a demo, please contact sales@comtex.com or visit https://www.comtex.com/api.

About Comtex News Network

Comtex News Network, Inc. (Comtex) is a leading provider of news aggregation services to top firms in financial services, news publishing, syndication, and analytics. With a wealth of experience and expertise, Comtex delivers comprehensive news solutions that empower businesses to make informed decisions and stay ahead of the competition. Comtex also offers syndication services to content providers and platforms to generate traffic to online content.

Media Contact

Media Relations

sales@comtex.com

Scope Zero, a financial and environmental wellness platform, today announced that it has released its first case study highlighting the successful 2023 pilot of its Carbon Savings Account® (CSA) with New York Life, the largest mutual life insurance company in the United States. The Carbon Savings Account® (CSA) is an employee benefit solution that fosters employee financial wellness and corporate ESG. In just five months, the CSA reduced the participating New York Life employees’ annual utility bills by over $11,000 and reduced carbon emissions equivalent to removing five homes from the grid.

The case study showcases the real-world impact of Scope Zero’s innovative approach to employee benefits and corporate sustainability. Not only does the CSA significantly reduce the cost of living for employees, it also drastically decreases scope 3 work-from-home and commute emissions. This allows companies to reduce expenses on employee turnover and to further their net-zero corporate sustainability goals.

Amanda Lechenet, New York Life’s CVP of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility, commented on the release of the case study, stating, “Scope Zero created an innovative solution to get employees to think about their carbon impact. The program proved popular as everyone is looking for ways to reduce exorbitant monthly electric and water bills. The CSA is a great way to help employees save money at home while also serving as a meaningful corporate sustainability benefit.”

Looking ahead, Scope Zero is currently piloting the CSA with HearstLab, one of their investors, and continues to validate their benefits solution by expanding their network of large enterprises. Each enterprise recognizes the financial, environmental, and social wellness value of the Carbon Savings Account® for their organization and their employees.

“I am delighted to announce HearstLab’s strategic partnership with Scope Zero to further our efforts to bring cutting-edge benefits solutions to our employees. CEO Lizzy Kolar has brilliantly built the Carbon Savings Account® (CSA) to create a win-win for enterprises and employees that we anticipate will lead to higher employee retention, satisfaction, and engagement. By mitigating utility costs and carbon emissions, HearstLab is proud to underscore our commitment to employee well-being and corporate environmental stewardship,” says Eastin Rossell, HearstLab’s Venture Director, who oversees HearstLab’s pre-seed and seed investments.

The full New York Life case study can viewed at https://scope-zero.com/case-studies/

About Scope Zero

Scope Zero is a financial and environmental wellness platform and creator of the Carbon Savings Account® (CSA). Think health savings account, but for home technology and personal transportation upgrades that foster employee financial wellness and corporate ESG. For employees, the CSA increases the affordability and accessibility of upgrades that reduce their utility bills, fuel expenses, and carbon footprint. The CSA lowers the upfront costs of upgrades with employer matches and referral discounts from CSA marketplace vendors. For employers, the CSA measures, reduces, and reports scope 3 work-from-home and commute emissions. As an employee benefit within the US, the CSA can save over $300B per year in utility bills and fuel expenses, reducing carbon emissions equivalent to removing 125M cars from the road. For more information, please visit https://scope-zero.com

Media contact

Lizzy Kolar

lizzy@scope-zero.com

Nappr, the innovative marketplace that revolutionizes the way that busy professionals rest and recharge, has achieved a significant milestone by securing its 1,000th hotel partner worldwide. This achievement, in the context of the growing on-demand service industry, marks a major step forward in Nappr’s mission to provide on-the-go individuals with convenient access to quality rest and amenities at nearby hotels in 24 countries across the globe.

Nappr's unique platform offers hotel day rates ranging from 4 to 10 hours at a diverse network of properties, which includes brands like Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Sheraton, and many boutique hotels as well. Their flexible booking system allows users to tailor their rest periods to fit their specific schedules and helps them meet the demands of their busy lifestyles. With Nappr, users can enjoy up to 50% off typical overnight rates while experiencing all the comforts and amenities of the property.

"We are thrilled that we have 1,000 hotels on our network! We started with 10 less than a year ago so this is a significant milestone for us, and underscores our commitment to providing unparalleled convenience and value to our users," said Jared Lerner, Nappr's founder and self-proclaimed "ZzZEO." "Our platform is also a big value-add for hotels as well since they can maximize their revenue potential and fill any unused capacity during the day."

Nappr's expanding network of hotels spans many large cities and airports, ensuring that users can easily find accommodations that suit their needs wherever they may be. Nappr offers a seamless solution for individuals seeking flexible and affordable lodging options.

For more information about Nappr and to explore their growing list of partner hotels, visit https://www.nappr.io.

About Nappr

Nappr is a leading marketplace that offers hourly day rates at nearby hotels, allowing busy professionals to rest, recharge, and meet the demands of their unique schedules. With a network of 1,000 global properties, Nappr provides users with convenient access to quality accommodations at up to 50% off the overnight rate, along with all the amenities they need. Nappr also empowers hotels to maximize their revenue potential by filling unused capacity through hourly bookings.

Visit us on social media: Instagram / TikTok /Twitter / LinkedIn

Media Contact

Jared Lerner

+1 ‪917-409-8674‬

jared@nappr.io

BridgeFT, a cloud-native, API-first wealth infrastructure software company that enables financial institutions, fintech innovators, and registered investment advisors (RIAs) to deliver better, data-driven outcomes for their clients, today announced that it has been selected as winner of the “Data Warehouse Solution Provider of the Year” award in the 5th annual Data Breakthrough Awards program conducted by Data Breakthrough, an independent market intelligence organization that recognizes the top companies, technologies and products in the global data technology market today.

BridgeFT’s WealthTech API is the industry’s first WealthTech-as-a-Service platform, offering an open API to AI and trade-ready multi-custodial data, advanced analytics, and application services. The WealthTech API eliminates the need for individual data feeds from a range of custodians and back-office providers, enabling wealth management firms and wealthtech application providers to create differentiated, next-generation wealth management applications.

“Large amounts of client and investment account data–whether from custodians, alternatives or held-away assets–is powering the wealth management industry, which is why we created the WealthTech API: to make it simpler for businesses to access these insights to further enable differentiation and accelerate growth,” said Joe Stensland, Chief Executive Officer of BridgeFT. “We are honored to receive this award from Data Breakthrough. As we continue to build out our services, this award serves as an important validation of our modern, API-first WealthTech-as-a-Service platform.”

The annual Data Breakthrough Awards is the premier awards program founded to recognize the data technology innovators, leaders and visionaries from around the world in a range of categories, including DataOps, Data Analytics, AI, Business Intelligence, Data Privacy, Data Storage and many more. The 5th annual Data Breakthrough Award program attracted thousands of nominations from across the globe.

“By offering access to complex and hard-to-get data through a modern technology infrastructure, BridgeFT allows superior data breadth and depth with value-add processing for high data quality. Providers rely on outdated legacy solutions for financial data aggregation. These processes are often riddled with inaccuracies and lengthy deployment without the relevant applications to deploy the financial data once received,” said Steve Johansson, Managing Director, Data Breakthrough. “Congratulations to BridgeFT; their WealthTech API and unique approach to data technology goes beyond data aggregation by integrating robust functionalities into its platform to make best use of the data.”

About BridgeFT

BridgeFT is a cloud-native, API-first wealth infrastructure software company that enables financial institutions, FinTech innovators, TAMPs, and registered investment advisors to deliver better, data-driven outcomes for their clients. Our WealthTech-as-a-Service platform, WealthTech API, makes wealth management technology better by accelerating, simplifying and reducing the cost of app development and maintenance, so our clients can focus on delivering next generation wealth management applications and unique digital experiences that amplify their differentiators. Leading financial services firms and technology companies trust BridgeFT to power their digital wealth management ecosystems and automate critical back-office operations--seamlessly aligning multi-custodial data aggregation, advanced analytics and reporting, and application services to deliver truly personalized client experiences. For more information, visit bridgeft.com.

About Data Breakthrough

Part of the Tech Breakthrough organization, a leading global provider of market intelligence and recognition platforms for technology innovation and leadership, the Data Breakthrough Awards program is devoted to honoring innovation and market disruption in data technologies, services, companies and products. The global Data Breakthrough Awards program provides a forum for public recognition around the achievements of data companies and solutions in categories including data analytics, management, infrastructure and hardware, storage, Business Intelligence and more. For more information visit DataBreakthroughAwards.com.

Tech Breakthrough LLC does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our recognition programs, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with award designations. Tech Breakthrough LLC recognition consists of the opinions of the Tech Breakthrough LLC organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Tech Breakthrough LLC disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this recognition program, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Media Contact

media@bridgeft.com

Trust & Will, the leading digital estate planning and settlement platform in the U.S., introduces significant enhancements to its Trust & Will for Advisors platform, serving over 11,000 financial advisors nationwide.

With a focus on simplifying estate planning and probate, Trust & Will for Advisors offers comprehensive solutions encompassing wills, trusts, and probate services. The latest features include:

• Estate Reports: Visualizations of clients' estate plans, providing advisors with automated insights into assets, succession, and planning opportunities.
• Estate Summary: Client-centric summaries detailing key estate decisions, ensuring advisors maintain visibility and adaptability as clients' circumstances evolve.
• Personalized Client Insights: Tailored insights derived from clients' estate decisions, facilitating proactive engagement and fostering lasting advisor-client relationships.
• Legacy Contact: Client-assigned read-only access for designated individuals to assist during the settlement process.
• New Dashboard Design: Introducing a sleek, user-friendly interface tailored exclusively for financial advisors.
• Dedicated Support Team: A committed support team providing seamless onboarding for financial professionals utilizing the platform.

"We're excited to expand our product offerings tailored for financial advisors, enhancing their ability to serve clients effectively," says Andres Mazabel, Head of Advisors at Trust & Will. "By incorporating direct feedback from our advisor network, we've reimagined the advisor experience from start to finish. These new features empower advisors with enhanced visibility into their clients' holistic financial landscapes, fostering enduring and impactful relationships."

Financial professionals can register for a free webinar on April 17, 2024, to learn more about Trust & Will for Advisors.

In conjunction with these enhancements, Trust & Will conducted a study to explore generational preferences in financial advisory services amid the impending Great Wealth Transfer. Key findings from Trust & Will’s 2024 Annual Study: “Planning Through the Pressure: The Millennial Approach to Estate Planning” include:

• More than half of Millennials and Gen Z (57%) express interest in working with financial advisors for estate planning, suggesting a generational shift towards professional guidance.
• A striking 28% of respondents, predominantly from Gen Z (48%), express a preference for using the same financial advisor as their parents or family members.
• Almost a quarter of respondents (23%) included hiring a financial advisor as part of their 2024 or 2025 financial goals.

For the complete study results, please visit http://trustandwill.com/study.

Since its inception in 2017, Trust & Will has facilitated estate planning for nearly 700,000 families, safeguarding sensitive financial information through bank-level encryption and SOC 2 Type II compliance. With a network exceeding 11,000 financial advisors, Trust & Will remains the largest estate planning platform tailored specifically for financial professionals in the U.S.

Study Methodology

For general population data, Trust & Will worked with OnePoll to survey a nationally representative sample of 1,000 Americans aged 18 and older from March 12-13, 2024.

About Trust & Will

Trust & Will is simplifying estate planning and settlement with attorney-approved, legally valid documents and processes designed to adhere to individual state guidelines. Since 2017, we've helped hundreds of thousands of Trust & Will members leave their legacy with an affordable way to create an estate plan or settle the estate of a loved one. Our platform uses bank-level encryption that protects customer data and complies with the highest security standards, including SOC 2 and HIPAA. Trust & Will is the official estate planning benefit provider for AARP members, along with several leading financial institutions, who all believe in our mission of helping every family leave their legacy. To learn more, visit trustandwill.com.

Trust & Will is an online service providing legal forms and information. Trust & Will is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.

Media Contact

Danielle Nuzzo

631-807-7772

danielle@trustandwill.com

A former Chicago Public School student has retained the Chicago law firm, Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley, PLLC, to represent her regarding her claims that Chicago Public Schools negligently hired, supervised, and retained a former Dean of Students who raped her, failing to protect the then 15-year-old student even after they learned of the abuse. The lawsuit alleges that the Little Village Lawndale High School maintained a pattern of practice of exploiting children entrusted to their care, identifying a cadre of teachers and administrators who have allegedly abused other students during the same time frame and covered it up.

The lawsuit alleges that the former Dean of Students at Chicago Public Schools’ Little Village Lawndale High School, Brian Crowder, groomed and repeatedly sexually abused the child, subjecting her to two pregnancies and abortions while a student. To circumvent Illinois law which requires familial consent for a minor to receive an abortion, the CPS Dean allegedly misinformed the clinic that he was the student’s stepfather, signing consent forms under a false name. The survivor alleges that she reported the abuse to a teacher—who is required by law to report sexual abuse committed by a CPS employee—but the teacher did nothing. Employees of the school allegedly commented on how much time the child spent in Dean Crowder’s office and made jokes about their romantic involvement with Dean Crowder while she endured years of sexual abuse.

Chicago Public Schools’ longstanding problem of perpetuating and concealing sexual abuse was first exposed by the Chicago Tribune’s “Betrayed” investigative series. The Tribune analyzed 523 Chicago Police Reports from 2008 through 2017 and found a staggering 72 school employees alleged to have sexually abused students, including teachers, counselors, coaches, security guards, and more. The series alleged that ineffective background checks exposed students to educators with identifiable criminal convictions, and that teachers and principals routinely failed to uphold their legal duty to alert child welfare investigators or police of known abuse. The Illinois Office of the Inspector General (“OIG”) has taken over all investigative duties regarding child sexual abuse at Chicago Public Schools. Since then, the OIG has received an additional 2,188 reports of sexual misconduct from students against CPS employees. The OIG has substantiated policy violations in 363 of those cases.

The victim’s attorney, Martin Gould, Founding Partner of Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley, PLLC, released the following statement:

"The Chicago Public Schools have ignored a longstanding and egregious problem of sexual abuse of minors within its schools. No child should have to experience sexual abuse at the hands of the very adults entrusted with their personal development and safety. Our schools should be a place where students feel safe and where parents feel safe sending their children. Unfortunately, CPS has treated mandatory reporting as an optional guideline, providing a platform for abusers to access children and creating a safe  haven where their actions will be tolerated if not concealed. As a result of clear disregard for mandatory reporting requirements, children like our client were repeatedly subjected to incomprehensible trauma. We are here to ensure that survivors receive the justice they deserve, that their abusers are held accountable, and that appropriate policies are put in place and followed to ensure this does not happen again. We are inspired by the bravery of our client who chose to speak out about her experiences in the hope of ensuring that school administrators take seriously their duty to protect students from experiencing the sexual abuse she was forced to endure. We encourage anyone who may have information related to this matter to contact our law firm."

The victims are additionally represented by Mike Grieco, Founding Partner of SGGH Law, and Nicholas Wainwright, also a lawyer with expertise in sexual abuse at the firm. The attorneys will discuss survivor experiences and harms, legal theories, and a demand for justice during a press conference on Thursday, April 11 at 10:00 a.m. CT, at Thompson Hotels, 21 E Bellevue Pl., Chicago, IL 60611. Media are asked to arrive early to set up.

Press Conference Details:

Date: Thursday, April 11, 2024

Time: 10:00 a.m. CT

Location: Thompson Hotels, 21 E Bellevue Pl., Chicago, IL 60611

Please note the student sexually abused in this case will be in attendance at the press conference tomorrow and available for interviews. IMPORTANT: We ask journalists to please conceal her identity.

If you are a former student, or the parent of a current student, who experienced sexual abuse at the Chicago Public Schools, or have any information, please contact Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley, PLLC (justice@SGGHLaw.com; www.sgghlaw.com) to discuss your legal rights. For media inquiries, please contact lynn@lynnsmithtv.com.

About Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley, PLLC

Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley, PLLC is a prestigious, boutique, national personal injury firm dedicated to advocating for victims of abuse and catastrophic injuries in high-stakes litigation. SGGH’s lawyers have represented hundreds of survivors of rape, sexual assault, and childhood sexual abuse across the country in finding justice, financial compensation, and closure through the legal system. These cases include claims against institutions such as the Boy Scouts of America, the Boys & Girls Club, University of Michigan (Dr. Robert Anderson), Michigan State University (Dr. Larry Nasser), professional sports teams, Jeffrey Epstein, private and public schools, elite private boarding schools, orphanages, foster care programs, hospitals, mental health facilities, Fortune 500 companies, and numerous religious institutions. Recent successes include participating in global settlements valued at nearly $3 billion. For more information, visit https://www.sgghlaw.com.

Media Contact

Lynn Smith

+1 646-717-0354

lynn@lynnsmithtv.com

The Investments & Wealth Institute (“the Institute”), the leading membership organization and credentialing body for financial advisors and wealth management professionals, is pleased to announce updates to its renowned and accredited Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®) certification program. On August 1, 2024, changes to the learning requirements for the CIMA certification, the curriculum taught by the Investments & Wealth Institute and their elite educational partners, and revisions to the exam itself will go into full effect.

Changes to the CIMA certification are reflected in the Defining Wealth Management report, published by the Investments & Wealth Institute, to summarize the knowledge and professional capabilities required of wealth management professionals, teams, and firms.

CIMA certification teaches and tests advisors on creating, managing, and evaluating model portfolios, target-date funds, ETFs, and index funds. They learn to manage risk and return — including when and how to incorporate alternative investments into client portfolios — and how to build proper investment policy statements. CIMA certified professionals understand how to apply behavioral finance to address cognitive biases in client decision-making, and how capital markets and global macroeconomic trends affect portfolio design. In summary, they are equipped to prudently assemble, evaluate, and/or manage portfolios that meet client objectives and outcomes as fiduciaries.

A CIMA certified professional is an investment or wealth management professional, with at least three years of experience, who can integrate a complex body of investment knowledge, ethically contributing to prudent investment decisions by providing objective advice and guidance to individual and institutional investors. Fewer than 3% of advisory professionals have earned and maintained the certification. However, more than 15% of teams or practices with $500M or more in AUM have at least one CIMA certified professional serving on the team. (Cerulli Associates, 2023)

“Since 1988, the CIMA certification has served the industry’s most respected wealth management practices,” said Sean Walters, CAE®, Chief Executive Officer of the Institute. “The changes our volunteers are making in 2024 reflect the latest advancements in the practice of competent and ethical investment advice. These updates have been derived, as always, from a painstaking examination of the knowledge and skills needed by today’s most advanced financial and investment consulting professionals to ensure the CIMA certification remains on the leading edge of technical portfolio construction and risk management.”

The 2023 job task analysis study was performed in coordination with HUMRRO — a non-profit test development organization. The CIMA job analysis applied a scientifically administered survey which required 300 investment practitioners to rate a series of knowledge and skill statements using a variety of metrics by importance, time spent performing a task, level of ability required for tasks, and relevance of certain knowledge required to perform the job.

The CIMA Certification Commission adjusted the exam blueprint according to the findings of the survey. Registered Education Providers then updated their curricula to reflect the updated blueprint. With the newly updated curriculum having launched on April 1, 2024, the whole process will culminate on August 1, 2024, with the debut of the new exam.

Certified Investment Management Analyst practitioners are required to exhibit knowledge of 89 topics, organized within 20 sections and five knowledge domains. Approximately 20% of the revised exam and learning requirements have been updated. Notable highlights of these updates include:

• Alternative investments and private markets are increasing (from 2% to 5% of the examination)
• Portfolio Construction is increasing (from 5% to 8% of the exam)
• Risk and risk measurement calculations are decreasing (from 12% to 6% of the exam)
• Performance Measurement and risk attribution are decreasing (from 8% to 5% of the exam)
• Client discovery and investment policy are decreasing (from 8% to 6%)

Perhaps the most significant new section of content will be on investment implementation approaches (5% of the new exam). Many wealth management firms have outsourced investment management expertise to TAMPs, model portfolios, and AI/digital-allocators. However, research on clients of advisors has consistently reported that investment management is the most important technical competency that they expect from their advisor. CIMA certified practitioners must now demonstrate knowledge competencies related to investment implementation approaches — from applications of asset allocation methodologies to resolving concentrated positions in the existing portfolio. Advisors must evaluate questions of accumulation and distribution based on the realities of client time horizons, assets and liabilities, and desired objectives. Candidates must properly differentiate between applicable investment management models and help clients make appropriate selections to meet their goals.

“From an ethical standpoint, advisory professionals who don’t fully understand the portfolios they recommend to clients, or who don’t know how to effectively and prudently create, manage and adjust portfolios catered to client objectives, are doing their clients a disservice,” said James LaFleur, CIMA®, CPWA®, RMA®, CAIA, MSIT, chair of the CIMA Certification Commission, a volunteer committee of subject matter experts who established the revised requirements.

CIMA certification candidates must have three years, at minimum, of verified professional experience in financial services or a related industry at the time of certification. Candidates must successfully pass two background checks — at time of application and at time of certification. The CIMA curriculum is taught through Registered Executive Education partners, including programs offered by two of the world’s most elite business schools, the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and the Yale School of Management. The CIMA certification examination will be administered as a four-hour, 120-question multiple choice examination at an established testing center or via an approved online proctored exam provider. The examination currently has a 48% first time pass rate (two-year average).

About the Investments & Wealth Institute

Founded in 1985, the Investments & Wealth Institute is the premier professional association, education provider, and standards body for financial advisors. Through its award-winning events, publications, courses, and acclaimed certifications — Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®), Certified Private Wealth Advisor® (CPWA®), and Retirement Management Advisor® (RMA®) — the Institute delivers Ivy league-quality, highly practical education to more than 20,000 practitioners annually in over 40 countries. Members of the Institute include the industry's most successful investment consultants, advanced financial planners, and private wealth managers who embrace excellence and ethics in applying a broad set of knowledge and skills in their daily work with clients.

Media Contact

Allison Edmondson

+1 303-850-3207

aedmondson@i-w.org

Global professional services firm Alvarez & Marsal’s Consumer and Retail Group (A&M CRG) released its latest consumer report, Consumer Sentiment Survey Spring 2024, which examines the influence of inflation and resulting changes in consumer spending over the last year, as well as spending outlook for the upcoming six-month timeframe.

This is the sixth chapter of its bi-annual Consumer Sentiment Report, based on a survey of 1,800+ consumers matching the U.S. adult population according to gender, age, ethnicity, region and income. The report delves into shifting behaviors in response to personal finances and economic conditions. It includes insights into consumers' shopping priorities across categories, concerns about increasing prices, vacation plans, and other factors shaping purchase decisions for the upcoming spring season, among other relevant insights.

“Our semi-annual survey aims to analyze the influence of ongoing economic concerns on consumer spending patterns, channel preferences, and their overall confidence in financial stability over time. Retailers can utilize the data and insights from our report to develop financial plans, efficiently manage inventory, enhance marketing campaigns, and establish pricing strategies at a category level,” stated Chad Lusk, Managing Director at Alvarez & Marsal’s Consumer and Retail Group. “This survey cycle reveals a growing consumer pessimism as we head into the spring season, with intentions to exercise greater caution in spending especially in higher income households.”

The study found that:

• Consumer outlook for spring is weaker as consumers are anticipating spending less and having less money versus Fall ‘23
• Consumers are planning to reduce spending across the board but show the smallest decline in spending intentions for experiences compared to Fall ‘23, with a rising number of respondents planning vacations this year
• In higher income brackets, there's a notable trend towards prioritizing saving over spending. In the $200K+ income bracket, the percentage of respondents prioritizing saving surged by 12% compared to Fall '23. Across various spending categories, we consistently observed the most significant decreases in desire to spend in the higher income households
• Higher income households are turning to second-hand shopping to save money. The number of respondents earning $100K+ who shop second-hand to save costs increased by 10% this spring.

"Retailers must recognize the cautious consumer mindset and adjust strategic priorities accordingly to align with spending plans," Lusk advised. "Retailers, particularly ones servicing higher income consumers, should anticipate providing discounts and promotions across different categories as the season progresses, also while implementing flexible inventory strategies to minimize overall liabilities, given that those typically less affected by recession or inflation will be spending less.”

To download a pdf of Consumer Sentiment Survey Spring 2024, please visit: https://alvarezandmarsal-crg.com/insight/consumer-sentiment-survey-spring-24/

About Alvarez & Marsal Consumer and Retail Group (A&M CRG)

The Alvarez & Marsal Consumer and Retail Group (CRG) is a management consulting firm that tackles the most complex challenges and advances its clients, people, and communities towards their maximum potential. CRG combines the best of A&M’s broader firm's bias toward action and practicality with deep consumer and retail industry experience. CRG partners with businesses across a wide range of categories including Food & Beverage, Beauty & Personal Care, Grocery, Mass Merchandise, and Apparel & Footwear to drive significant performance improvement.

Media Contact

David Schneidman

dschneidman@alvarezandmarsal.com

Activate, the pioneering live-action gaming venue and viral sensation on TikTok, is excited to announce the grand opening of its first North Carolina location in Charlotte, opening on May 3, 2024. The unique and dynamic venue promises an opportunity for guests to immerse themselves in the nationwide gaming phenomenon. Activate Charlotte is located at 1848 Galleria Blvd Suite 9B, Charlotte, NC, 28270, USA.

With 20 locations in North America's hottest cities, such as Houston, Plano, Chicago, Atlanta, and New Jersey, Activate Charlotte joins the family, promising an electrifying mix of games that will put your agility and wit to the ultimate test.

"Charlotte's vibrant culture is the perfect match for our physically immersive gaming adventures," said Bryce Anderson, Partner at Activate. "We can't wait to energize the city with our unique blend of tech and play. It’s a destination where every visit is a new challenge, every game a fresh conquest."

Activate Charlotte’s new state-of-the-art gaming facility welcomes all ages and skill levels, encouraging players to explore and create their own unique gaming experience. Here’s what to expect:

• Guests can sign up in groups of two to five players
• Through progress tracking via Activate’s high-tech electronic RFID wristbands, players can rack up points, level up, and earn prizes along the way.
• Top gaming rooms include the TikTok viral sensation Mega Grid with 500+ multi-activated rainbow-colored tiles, blasting the beaming bullseye in a game called Strike, and feeling like a modern-day spy in the Laser room.
• Try Level 1, easy, or take it to Level 10, extreme.
• Play as a team in cooperative mode, or challenge your friends in competitive mode games.

"Activate is about igniting that team spirit and passion for fun," added Anderson. "We're here to create epic stories, memorable laughs, and to cheer as our guests shatter records. We believe in fun that fuels the soul and games that push you to your playful limits!"

Additional Activate locations are set to open in 2024 across the U.S. in markets such as Kansas City, Columbus, and Detroit, along with internationally in the UK and UAE. Today, Activate operates in over 20 locations across Canada and the U.S.

Plan Your Visit

• Book in advance to save time and ensure a game room is available. Each game lasts 1-3 minutes. The full gaming experience lasts 75 minutes.
• Complete the safety waiver required for you to play in advance.
• Wear activewear and flat, closed-toe shoes.
• Age requirements: Children 10 and under require a paid adult with them at all times in gaming rooms. Children ages 11 to 13 must have an adult present at the facility.
• Where: 1848 Galleria Blvd, Suite 9B, Charlotte, NC 28270
• When: Sun-Thu: 9:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m., Fri-Sat: 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.

For a sneak peek into Activate’s action-packed gaming experience, and to keep tabs on the Activate Charlotte grand opening, visit https://playactivate.com/charlotte.

Join the Inner Circle to be the first to hear about new locations, behind-the-scenes information, deals, and more. As a thank you for signing up, Activate will extend 50% off your first booking, valid until June 3rd, 2024.

Please find imagery assets here.

To keep tabs on the grand opening, visit https://playactivate.com.

About Activate

Founded in 2019, Activate is a state-of-the-art gaming facility with locations across the United States and Canada. Each Activate location offers a variety of unique gaming rooms with over 700 levels for players to compete, earn stars, and track achievements online. Activate combines physical activity and gaming to create an immersive experience as part of a healthy lifestyle. To learn more about Activate, please visit https://playactivate.com. Follow Activate on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/activategames and Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/activategames/.

Media Contact

Jalila Singerff

+1 613-614-6777

jalila@jiveprdigital.com

Keystone announced today that it has recently made a string of high-profile new additions to the firm’s roster of economists, data scientists, and technologists. The new hires’ arrival marks the latest chapter in Keystone’s expansion of its capabilities in state-of-the-art quantitative analyses made possible by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technology in econometrics. 

For clients of the firm’s Global Economic and Technology Advisory (ETA) group, the application of AI/ML within the econometric toolkit typically applied to merger reviews enables advanced economic analyses with increased precision and reliability. These advanced AI/ML tools—once the sole provenance of Big Tech—have become increasingly critical to antitrust and competition analyses. 

Keystone’s economists and data scientists are led by Patrick Bajari, who joined Keystone from Amazon last year as Chief Economist and Managing Director for CoreAI. The new hires in the US and Europe bring deep expertise in applying econometrics to address business operations issues and antitrust and competition matters at major companies, including Amazon and Spotify. The hires include:

• Dr. Evgeni Drynkin, who joins as an Engagement Manager from Cornerstone Research. Dr. Drynkin received his PhD in Economics from Stanford University.
• Dr. Omar Farooque, who joins as a Principal Economist from Spotify, where he was a Senior Research Economist. He received his PhD in Economics from Northwestern University.
• Dr. Ashish Rajbhandari, who joins as a Principal Economist. Dr. Rajbhandari was previously a Senior Economist at Amazon and received his PhD in Economics from UC Irvine.
• Dr. Stefan Weiergraeber, who joins as a Senior Economist. Dr. Weiergraeber was previously a faculty member at Indiana University Bloomington, and received his PhD from University of Mannheim.
• Dr. Jingchen Wu, who joins as a Senior Principal Scientist from Flexport, where he was a Senior Manager in Applied Science. Dr. Wu received his PhD in Applied and Interdisciplinary Mathematics from the University of Michigan.
• Dr. Adler Xie, who joins as a Senior Principal. Dr. Xie was a Senior Data Science Manager at Twitter, and received her PhD in Economics from the University of Illinois-Champaign.

"I’m thrilled to welcome these talented and accomplished economists to our global team of world-class experts,” said Bajari. “They not only bring deep familiarity with the complex and evolving issues facing the tech industry, but also have bona fide experience applying econometrics to real-world problems and collaborating closely with technology teams to inform and improve AI and machine learning systems.” said Bajari.

The economists and data scientists partner closely with technologists led by Devesh Mishra to build out platform capabilities with data, and enable sophisticated Machine Learning demand estimation techniques, best high-end forecasting models, and the ability and familiarity to work with extremely large datasets. Mishra, the former Vice President, Global Supply Chain at Amazon, recently joined the firm as President and Chief Product and Technology Officer of CoreAI. New hires include:

• Ms. Iqra Imtiaz, Data Engineer, joins from Wavely Diagnostics where she was a software engineer. Imtiaz earned her Masters of Engineering in AI for Product Innovation from Duke University.
• Dr. Muntasir Rahmn, who joins as a Principal Engineer from Microsoft’s Business Copilot Applied AI group, where he was a principal Machine Learning engineer. Dr. Rahmn received his PhD in Computer Science from the University of Illionois at Urbana-Champaign.
• Mr. George Vorobiov, Senior Principal Engineer, who joins from Amazon where he was a Principal Engineer. Vorobiov received his MSc, Computer Science from Southern State University. 

The joint team of economists and technologists also partners with strategy consultants to ground analyses with a business perspective, and collaborate to contextualize and interpret outputs with an eye toward practical uses and outcomes. Keystone refers to the intersection of economics, technology and strategy as its “triad of skills,” a key point of difference from other advisory firms.

About Global Economic and Technology Advisory (ETA)

ETA provides economic analysis and expert testimony on a wide range of topics, such as mergers and acquisitions, antitrust litigation, intellectual property, privacy, and regulation. The practice has worked on some of the highest-profile antitrust assignments in the tech industry, such as Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision late last year and Epic Games’ litigation against Apple and Google in the US and Australian courts, in which Keystone’s advanced analytical capabilities were an essential tool in understanding the competitive dynamics.

About CoreAI

The CoreAI practice launched in 2023 to unify Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning capabilities in a focused service offering to build, operate and transfer customized AI/ML solutions tackling individual clients’ unique challenges. CoreAI capabilities can be applied both within business contexts and in support of compliance matters and disputes.  

About Keystone

Keystone Strategy, LLC (“Keystone”) is a leading innovative strategy, economic, and technology consulting firm dedicated to delivering transformative ideas and cutting-edge solutions to Fortune Global 500 companies, top law firms, and government agencies. Keystone combines experience in digital transformation, data platform design, analytics, AI and information risk to deliver bold strategies with far-reaching implications for business, consumers, and public policy. It also possesses unique expertise in competition, IP, litigation, and tax and transfer pricing matters. Keystone was founded by Mr. Greg Richards and Professor Marco Iansiti, Keystone’s Chairman of the Board and the David Sarnoff Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. Keystone now boasts a roster of hundreds of top academic experts in the digital economy and innovation sectors, supported by more than 150 professionals. The firm has offices in New York, San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, and London. Learn more about Keystone at www.keystone.ai.

Media Contact

Rob Chedid

Head of Marketing and Communications

rchedid@keystone.ai

The Investments & Wealth Institute (the Institute)—the premier professional association, education provider, and standards body for financial advisors—has announced its partnership with CEG Worldwide, an elite financial advisor coaching, research, and consulting firm, at the Institute’s flagship annual conference, Experience 2024, in Las Vegas.

CEG Insights—CEG Worldwide’s research arm dedicated to providing knowledge of the concerns and expectations of high-net-worth (HNW) families and the best practices of the industry’s top financial advisors—will collaborate with the Institute to create several types of research deliverables to enterprise, team, and individual stakeholders who serve or aspire to serve HNW clients.

“At the Investments & Wealth Institute, our mission is to deliver premier investment and wealth management education to help financial advisors better serve their clients,” said Sean R. Walters, CAE®, Chief Executive Officer for the Institute. “Our 2023 Institute member-needs survey indicated that nearly 70 percent of our members already find Investments & Wealth Research—a component of the Institute’s Investments & Wealth Monitor publication—to be a valuable member benefit. We expect this partnership with CEG Worldwide to further enhance our research offering as CEG has an unparalleled understanding of how elite advisors who operate in the HNW space can further elevate their practices to be successful and provide even more successful outcomes for clients.”

“Our collaboration with the Investments & Wealth Institute is a game-changer for financial advisors who serve high-net-worth clients,” said John Bowen, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CEG Worldwide. “By combining the Institute's deep industry knowledge with CEG's expertise in understanding the needs and expectations of wealthy families, we will create powerful resources that enable advisors to elevate their practices and deliver unparalleled value.”

The research partnership in its first year includes:

Custom & Semi-Custom Research Reports for Corporate Clients—The Institute and CEG Insights will jointly develop and deliver co-branded, custom research to interested Institute enterprise (firm-level) clients who seek help in solving the needs that their advisor teams have to be able to improve and grow their businesses and better serve HNW clients. The topic of these research projects will be driven by the enterprise client and based on a negotiated fee agreed upon by the Institute, CEG Insights, and the enterprise client involved.

Wealth Management Mastery Series—CEG Insights already offers a subscription service to its stakeholders via the Wealth Management Mastery Series, a highly regarded research series that provides a wide range of knowledge and strategies for successfully serving HNW clients. The Institute will help promote a curated version of the Mastery Series to its enterprise clients who represent potential prospects for CEG in an effort to further expand awareness and adoption.

Investments & Wealth Research Series—Since 2008, the Investments & Wealth Monitor has provided IWI members with a quarterly research publication called Investments & Wealth Research. This informative series delivers practice-oriented topics designed to help members better serve their clients and distinguish their expertise in a global, and highly competitive marketplace. CEG Insights will work with IWI editorial staff to develop and deliver new research findings as part of this series.

The May/June Investments & Wealth Monitor will feature an article by CEG's Bowen on bridging the wealth management divide. The article will reveal substantial gaps between the services advisors report providing and what clients perceive they receive. At Experience, Bowen will present CEG Insights' latest findings, suggesting that now is an ideal time to work with affluent entrepreneurs: 20% of those surveyed, with an average of $15.6 million in assets, will likely change advisors within two years.

About Investments & Wealth Institute

Founded in 1985, the Investments & Wealth Institute is the premier professional association, education provider, and standards body for financial advisors. Through its award-winning events, publications, courses, and acclaimed certifications—Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®), Certified Private Wealth Advisor® (CPWA®), and Retirement Management Advisor® (RMA®) certifications—the Institute delivers Ivy league-quality, highly-practical education to more than 30,000 practitioners annually in over 40 countries. Members of the Institute include the industry's most successful investment consultants, advanced financial planners, and private wealth managers who embrace excellence and ethics in applying a broad set of knowledge and skills in their daily work with clients. Learn more at www.investmentsandwealth.org.

About CEG Worldwide & CEG Insights

CEG Worldwide and CEG Insights are recognized providers of research, coaching, and consulting services for financial advisors and the wealth management industry. Specializing in serving high-net-worth clients, CEG Worldwide offers business development strategies, coaching, and training to help advisors grow their practices and build successful businesses. CEG Insights, the research arm of CEG Worldwide, researches the needs and expectations of wealthy families and the best practices of top advisors. Together, CEG Worldwide and CEG Insights support advisors in achieving success, delivering excellent client experiences, and navigating the evolving industry landscape. Learn more at www.cegworldwide.com and www.ceginsights.com.

Media Contact

Allison Edmondson

+1 303-850-3207

aedmondson@i-w.org

Businesses are facing mounting pressure to prioritize security risks and ensure compliance with leading security and privacy standards. Non-adherence can result in loss of business, hefty regulatory fines, and damage to reputation. However, despite the critical importance of these activities, they struggle to build a robust, responsive risk and compliance program due to the amount of manual work involved and the limited availability of resources.

Helping businesses to address these challenges, leading automated risk and compliance platform Sprinto is today announcing a $20 million funding round. Accel led the series B funding round with participation from existing investors Elevation Capital and Blume Ventures. Including this round, Sprinto has raised $31.8 million to date. Sprinto will use the fresh funds for R&D, with a sharp focus on intelligent automation and AI, and expanding into new markets.

To empower businesses in navigating risk and compliance with clarity and confidence, Sprinto has pioneered technology rooted in intelligent automation that eliminates barriers to establishing trust. The platform plugs into a company's processes to create intelligent workflows using AI. By doing so, Sprinto tears down silos and produces a connected view of assets, risks, controls, and compliance. This structured approach enhances security programs, fostering seamless operations and tangible results.

Founded in 2020 by Girish Redekar and Raghuveer Kancherla, Sprinto marks their second entrepreneurial endeavor. The company has amassed thousands of customers and extended its reach to more than 75 countries. The co-founders observed first-hand the challenges of dealing with compliance with their first venture Recruiterbox (acquired in 2018). They found it to be tedious, manual, confusing, and costly. Sprinto was born out of this frustration, designed and engineered to help other companies eliminate busywork through intelligent automation, liberating themselves from compliance drudgery and reclaiming time to do business.

Girish Redekar, co-founder and CEO of Sprinto, said: “Companies are increasingly dependent on third and fourth parties to provide mission-critical services – from payroll processing to managed web hosting. It’s inevitable that this will expose them to vulnerabilities. They are doing their best to follow best practices for cybersecurity, but less than a quarter of execs believe they are meeting the bar (Bain & Company). Compliance serves as a way of seeding good security behaviors that help maintain security while ensuring high operating standards, high service levels, and risks under control. I’ve seen how CEOs are now increasingly engaged in risk and compliance-related projects, transitioning from viewing it solely as a monitoring and reporting mechanism for regulators to recognizing its potential as a driver of growth. Trust is the currency of any business transaction. Removing barriers to establishing trust can hyper-accelerate the GDP growth of B2B commerce. We are committed to building the technology that enables this mission.”

Sprinto customer Alessio Panni, Partner and Head of Cloud & Platforms practice at Prometeia commented: "As a leading company in the field of consulting services and software solutions for the financial sector, we firmly believe security and compliance lie at the very heart of our SaaS Cloud offering for risk management and wealth management. Sprinto is our trusted security and compliance platform, enabling us from the early days to enhance protection for our client's assets and to accelerate the path towards secure growth and compliance goals.

The Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) market is undergoing unprecedented changes. Total spending reached $54.61 billion in 2023, and it’s expected to climb to $134.86 billion in 2030 (source: Grandview Research). With its automation-first, intelligent, and adaptive risk and compliance platform, Sprinto is primed to succeed. The founding team and core leadership bring together decades of collective SaaS experience, drawing from diverse backgrounds as former founders, investors, and senior management professionals at companies like IBM, McKinsey, LinkedIn, Tata Consultancy Services, and BrowserStack.

Shekhar Kirani, Partner at Accel, commented: “With the proliferation of data across digital platforms, the secular shift to the cloud, and the growing adoption of SaaS tools, information security is gaining central importance in the enterprise. Every company - whether tech-enabled or traditional, large or mid-sized - is increasingly required to comply with standard frameworks and protocols. Sprinto is doing an incredible job of helping companies focus on their core business by making compliance low-touch, automated, and efficient. With a deep understanding of the product and a sharp focus on execution, Sprinto has been on a rare growth trajectory. We are thrilled to partner with Girish, Raghuveer, and their team at Sprinto in their mission to ensure that compliance becomes a driver of growth for businesses,”

Ravi Adusumalli, Co-managing Partner, Elevation Capital added: "We are thrilled to deepen our partnership with Sprinto as they continue to disrupt cloud security and compliance. Girish, Raghu, and the team have created a superior and comprehensive product, enabling hundreds of customers to achieve their compliance necessities. Sprinto's reviews and customer feedback are a testament to the product quality, which has enabled the company to grow over twenty times in a highly capital-efficient way since we led their Series A fundraising in 2021."

About Sprinto

Thousands of ambitious businesses trust Sprinto to streamline and automate their risk and compliance. Sprinto supports all major standard security frameworks, including SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS, as well as custom frameworks tailored to your needs. With flexible and intelligent features, including adaptive automation, Sprinto equips businesses with a comprehensive toolkit to navigate cyber risk and regulatory requirements seamlessly, ensuring that compliance and audits never hinder growth.

About Accel

Accel is a leading global venture capital firm that aims to be the first partner to exceptional teams everywhere, from inception through all phases of private company growth. Accel has been operating in India since 2008, and its investments include companies like BookMyShow, BrowserStack, Flipkart, Freshworks, Cure.fit, Musigma, Mensa Brands, Myntra, Swiggy, Urban Company, Zetwerk, and Zenoti, among many others. We help ambitious entrepreneurs build iconic global businesses. For more information, visit www.accel.com

About Elevation Capital

Elevation Capital is a leading venture capital firm that provides seed and early-stage capital for emerging companies in India. Having invested in India since 2002, Elevation has deployed over $2 billion of capital in over 150 companies. The firm announced its eighth pool of capital of $670 million in April 2022. Co-led by Managing Partners Ravi Adusumalli and Mukul Arora, along with Partners Mridul Arora and Mayank Khanduja, the firm has invested across Consumer Internet, SaaS, Fintech, Consumer Brands, Edtech, Healthtech, Gaming, and Deeptech. Elevation Capital has offices in Bengaluru and Gurgaon. For more information, visit elevationcapital.com

About Blume Ventures

Blume is an early stage venture fund that backs startups with both funding as well as active mentoring. We typically invest in tech-led startups, led by founders who are obsessed with solving hard problems, uniquely Indian in nature, and impacting large markets. Our vision is to be the leading platform that sources, funds, nurtures, and creates value for India's brightest young startups—helping them blume. For more information, visit blume.vc