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Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise und CORTEX2 entwickeln Videokonferenzen mit XR-Technologie

Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise

Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise Rainbow unterstützt das Forschungs- und Innovationsprogramm Horizon Europe bei der Entwicklung von Extended Reality-basierten Werkzeugen für die effektive Telekommunikation in Unternehmen Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, führender Anbieter von Netzwerk-, Kommunikations- und Cloud-Lösungen, beteiligt sich am Konsortium CORTEX2 (COoperative Real-Time EXperiences with EXtended reality). Mit künstlicher Intelligenz (KI) und maschinellem Lernen (ML) unterstützt Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise von seinem Hauptsitz in Colombes/ Frankreich das Konsortium CORTEX2 dabei, den Zugang zur Remote-Zusammenarbeit durch XR-Erfahrungen (Extended Reality) der nächsten Generation zu demokratisieren. Davon profitieren sollen zahlreiche Branchen sowie kleine und mittelständische Unternehmen (KMU). CORTEX2 ist eine mit acht Millionen Euro dotierte Initiative, die von der Europäischen Kommission im Rahmen des Forschungs- und Innovationsprogramms Horizon Europe finanziert wird. Das Konsortium besteht aus zehn Organisationen aus sieben Ländern, die 36 Monate lang zusammenarbeiten werden. Die CORTEX2-Plattform wird von der Alcatel-Lucent-Enterprise-Cloud aus betrieben, die Kommunikationsplattform Rainbow von Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise wiederum dient als Basis für das innovative, auf erweiterte Realität basierende Telekooperationskonzept. Dies soll eine möglichst große Verfügbarkeit und eine schnelle Skalierbarkeit gewährleisten. Die globale Gesundheitskrise hat das Arbeiten aus der Ferne beschleunigt und zu einer verstärkten Nutzung von Videokonferenzen und Plattformen für die Teamarbeit geführt. XR-basierte Tools können die Kommunikation bei der Fernzusammenarbeit verbessern, stellen die meisten Unternehmen aktuell aber vor erhebliche Herausforderungen. Die zehn Partnerorganisationen wollen mit ihrer Zusammenarbeit im Rahmen von CORTEX2 die Einführung der XR-Technologie vereinfachen. Im Einzelnen bedeutet das: Vollständige Unterstützung für Augmented Reality (AR)-Erlebnisse als Erweiterung von Videokonferenzsystemen beim Einsatz heterogener Service-Endgeräte durch eine neuartige Mediation Gateway-Plattform. Ressourceneffiziente Telekonferenz-Tools durch innovative Übertragungsmethoden und automatische Zusammenfassung von gemeinsam genutzten langen Dokumenten. Benutzerfreundliche und leistungsstarke XR-Erlebnisse. Hierbei werden von Umgebungen und Objekten sofort 3D-Rekonstruktionen erstellt sowie erkannte Gesten genutzt, um entsprechender Aktionen in Teammeetings anzustoßen. Verschmelzung von visuellen und akustischen Elementen für eine mehrkanalige semantische Interpretation sowie erweiterte Tools wie virtuelle Gesprächsagenten und automatische Meeting-Zusammenfassung. Vollständige Integration von Internet-of-Things-Geräten (IoT) in XR-Erlebnisse zur Optimierung der Interaktion mit laufenden Systemen und Prozessen. Die Hälfte des Gesamtbudgets des Projekts ist dafür gedacht, Technologie-Start-ups und KMU zu rekrutieren, die bei der gemeinsamen Entwicklung mitarbeiten sollen. Diese Investition zielt darauf ab, neue Anwendungsfälle zu erschließen, um die Fähigkeiten von CORTEX2 zu demonstrieren und die sozialen Auswirkungen zu bewerten, die mit der Einführung der XR-Technologie in externen und internen Anwendungsfällen verbunden sind. Als Teil seiner Aufgabe wird das Konsortium den generischen CORTEX2-Rahmen Dritten, einschließlich KMU, zur Verfügung stellen, damit diese ihre eigenen Dienste entwickeln können. Die Cloud-basierte Rainbow-Kommunikationsplattform unterstützt als Schlüsselkomponente eine vollständig interaktive XR-basierte Zusammenarbeit. Pilotprojekte sind in den Bereichen industrielle Produktion, Geschäftsbesprechungen und Fernunterricht geplant. Industrielle Produktion: ein immersives XR-Erlebnis für eine industrielle Fernwartung mit verschiedenen mobilen Geräten in Umgebungen mit begrenzter Bandbreite. Business Meetings: Um Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality angereicherte Besprechungen sollen Teilnehmer aus der Ferne nahtlos einbeziehen und die Produktivität steigern. Technische Remote-Trainings: VR/AR zur effizienten Wissensvermittlung, bei der der Ausbilder aus der Ferne mehreren Teilnehmern komplexe Vorgänge anhand eines immersiven 3D-Modells einer Industrieanlage demonstrieren kann. „Wir freuen uns sehr, an diesem außergewöhnlichen Projekt teilzunehmen, das den europäischen Nutzern die Erweiterte Realität näherbringt. Mit CORTEX2 werden wir XR-Fähigkeiten durch den Einsatz von VR, AR und KI in den kollaborativen Raum von Rainbow bringen“, so Sylvain Rivier, CORTEX2-Koordinator bei Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise. Das ultimative Ziel dieser Partnerschaft ist es, Videokonferenzen über die Bildschirm-zu-Bildschirm-Interaktion hinaus auszudehnen und XR-basierte Tools in die Unternehmenskommunikation zu integrieren, um eine nahtlose Zusammenarbeit bei der Remote-Kommunikation zu ermöglichen. Die Europäische Union fördert das Projekt im Rahmen des Forschungs- und Innovationsprogramms Horizon Europe unter der Fördervereinbarung Nr. 101070192. Über Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise liefert individuelle Technologieerlebnisse, mit denen Unternehmen alles miteinander vernetzen können, um im digitalen Zeitalter erfolgreich zu sein. Die sicheren und nachhaltigen Netzwerk-, Kommunikations- und Cloud-Lösungen werden flexibel implementiert: in der Cloud, vor Ort oder hybrid. Alle Lösungen bieten integrierte Sicherheit und schonen die Umwelt. Mehr als 100 Jahre Engagement für Innovation und den Erfolg der Kunden haben Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise zu einem führenden Anbieter gemacht, der heute mehr als eine Millionen Kunden in aller Welt betreut. Mit seinem Hauptsitz in Frankreich und mehr als 3.400 Geschäftspartnern weltweit verbindet das Unternehmen globale Reichweite mit lokaler Ausrichtung. Besuchen Sie unsere Webseite: https://www.al-enterprise.com/de-de Aktuelle Nachrichten finden Sie auf LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, und Instagram Kontakt für Medienanfragen Igor Leko ALE Deutschland GmbH igor.leko@al-enterprise.com Globale Anfragen: Carine Bowen press@al-enterprise.com Agenturkontakt: Arno Laxy/Johannes Manger Sympra GmbH (GPRA) Agentur für Public Relations ale@sympra.de 0711 / 9 47 67 0 Contact Details Fox Communications Katherine Skidmore +44 20 3750 6688 katherine@fox.agency Company Website https://www.al-enterprise.com/

December 01, 2022 03:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise and CORTEX2 collaborate to make video conferencing an Extended Reality experience

Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise

Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise Rainbow TM will support the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme in developing extended reality-based tools for effective business telecommunication Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, a leading provider of network, communications and cloud solutions, is taking part in the CORTEX2 (COoperative Real-Time EXperiences with EXtended reality) consortium. With AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning) at the heart of its technology development, ALE will support CORTEX2 on its mission to democratise access to remote collaboration offered by next-generation XR (Extended Reality) experiences across a wide range of industries and SMEs. CORTEX2 is an eight-million-euro initiative funded by the European Commission through the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme. The consortium is composed of 10 organisations across seven countries that will work together for 36 months. The CORTEX2 platform will be operated from the ALE cloud, and Rainbow TM by Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise will be used as a backbone for the innovative extended reality-based tele-cooperation concept to ensure large scale adoption and rapid scaling. The global health crisis accelerated remote working and led to a sharp increase in the use of videoconferencing and platforms enabling teamwork. Today, XR-based tools, which can enhance remote collaboration communications, present significant challenges for most businesses. Through the partnership of all ten organisations CORTEX2 aims to simplify XR technology adoption and will provide: Full support for Augmented Reality (AR) experiences as an extension of video conferencing systems when using heterogeneous service end devices through a novel Mediation Gateway platform. Resource-efficient teleconferencing tools through innovative transmission methods and automatic summarisation of shared long documents. Easy-to-use and powerful XR experiences with instant 3D reconstruction of environments and objects, and using recognised gestures to trigger corresponding actions in collaborative meetings. Fusion of visual and audio elements for multichannel semantic interpretation and enhanced tools such as virtual conversational agents and automatic meeting summarisation. Full integration of internet of things (IoT) devices into XR experiences to optimise interaction with running systems and processes. Half of the total budget of the project will be dedicated to recruiting tech startups and SMEs to support with co-development. This investment aims to engage new use-cases to demonstrate CORTEX2 capabilities and assess the social impact associated with the adoption of XR technology in both external and internal use cases. As a part of its mission, the consortium will enable third parties, including small and medium enterprises, to use the CORTEX2 generic framework to develop their own services. The Rainbow cloud-based Communication Platform as a Service (CPaaS) will be a key component of the project that supports fully interactive XR-based cooperation and will be showcased in three planned pilots: industrial production, business meetings and remote training. Industrial production: Creating an immersive XR experience to carry out remote industrial maintenance using various mobile devices in limited bandwidth environments. Business meetings: Offering Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality enriched business meetings for seamless inclusion of remote participants and improved productivity. Remote technical training: Using VR/AR for efficient knowledge transmission where the remote instructor can demonstrate complex operations to multiple trainees using an immersive 3D model of industrial equipment. "We are delighted to take part in this amazing project that will put Extended Reality at European users’ fingertips. With CORTEX2, we will bring XR capabilities into Rainbow’s collaborative space through the use of VR, AR and AI. It's an exciting time to be at cutting edge of these technologies," said Sylvain Rivier, CORTEX2 coordinator for Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise. The ultimate goal for this partnership is to extend video conferencing to more than just screen-to-screen interactions, enabling the integration of XR-based tools into business communications for seamless remote communication collaboration. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement N° 101070192. About Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise delivers the customised technology experiences enterprises need to make everything connect. ALE provides digital-age networking, communications and cloud solutions with services tailored to ensure customers’ success, with flexible business models in the cloud, on premises, and hybrid. All solutions have built-in security and limited environmental impact. Over 100 years of innovation have made Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise a trusted advisor to more than a million customers all over the world. With headquarters in France and 3,400 business partners worldwide, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise achieves an effective global reach with a local focus. al-enterprise.com | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram Contact Details Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise Katherine Skidmore +44 20 3750 6688 katherine@fox.agency Company Website https://www.al-enterprise.com/

December 01, 2022 03:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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CSG to Present at Sidoti’s Virtual Winter Conference

CSG

CSG ® (NASDAQ: CSGS) today announced that the company will present at Sidoti’s Virtual Winter Conference on Thursday, December 8, 2022. The presentation will be held at 2:30pm EST and will feature comments from CSG chief executive officer Brian Shepherd. The conference presentation will be available via webcast here. About CSG CSG empowers companies to build unforgettable experiences, making it easier for people and businesses to connect with, use and pay for the services they value most. Our customer experience, billing and payments solutions help companies of any size make money and make a difference. With our SaaS solutions, company leaders can take control of their future, and tap into guidance along the way from our more than 5k-strong experienced global CSG services team. Want to learn more about how to be a change maker and industry shaper like our 1,000-plus clients? Visit csgi.com to learn more. Copyright © 2022 CSG Systems International, Inc. and/or its affiliates (“CSG”). All rights reserved. CSG® is a registered trademark of CSG Systems International, Inc. All third-party trademarks, service marks, and/or product names which are referenced in this document are the property of their respective owners, and all rights therein are reserved. Contacts: John Rea Investor Relations +1 (210) 687-4409 john.rea@csgi.com Contact Details Tammy Hovey +1 917-520-2751 tammy.hovey@csgi.com Company Website https://www.csgi.com

November 30, 2022 02:01 PM Mountain Standard Time

Analysts Reiterate Bullish Stance on Asure Software (NASDAQ: ASUR), Collectively Raise Target Price to Average of $11.00

Benzinga

As the calendar turns to December, many investors take time to reflect on the year and look for new opportunities for the year ahead and beyond. Overall, 2022 was a very tough year for the stock market. As of this writing, the S&P 500 has returned -17%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is -7% and the Nasdaq leads the year in losses with a return of nearly -30%. Once-reliable mega-cap technology darlings like Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), and Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) have seen a stunning fall from grace in 2022. Apple is down 21% YTD, Amazon has dropped nearly 45% and Google has declined over 34% through the first eleven months of 2022. However, not all stocks have fallen prey to the market’s “doom and gloom” mentality. Asure Software (NASDAQ: ASUR) is one stock that has rebounded after a tough start to 2022 and is now posting a positive gain for 2022, as of this writing. Given the company's strong recent third-quarter 2022 financial results and its continuation of impressive growth, Asure is bucking the overall market and outperforming major indices, as the company’s business model thrives in the current economic environment. Asure Software Thriving Amid Current Economic Environment Asure’s suite of SaaS solutions helps provide comprehensive back-office support for small and medium businesses (SMBs). These services help to streamline important operations such as HR, payroll, employment benefits, taxes, and more, which helps SMBs to cut costs and save money. Not to mention, Asure’s services can help SMBs be more effective in competing for top employee talent, as it allows SMBs to offer enticing employment benefits typically offered by larger businesses. Furthermore, Asure has continued to build relationships with other firms to help bolster its services. Equifax (NYSE: EFX) and its Work Number services help clients quickly verify income and employment history. Asure has also linked up with PrismHR to boost its payroll tax management services and its FlexTax platform. This allows Asure to market its FlexTax platform to PrismHR’s 80,000 registered client base. In recent months, Asure has worked closely with its CPA partners to help develop new technologies to help streamline the demand for Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) filings. This helps CPAs and back office workers to streamline the ERTC filing process and focus on higher-value client work instead. Another major milestone for Asure was its recent expansion of 401(k) plan operations for SMBs. By adding 80+ retirement provider integrations, Asure provides SMBs with the tools to help attract higher-quality employees by offering more comprehensive retirement benefits. The added integrations are compatible with Asure’s payroll system, which helps to streamline enrollment, reduce dual entry and ensure compliance. Throughout 2022, analysts covering Asure stood fast and did not succumb to downgrades. After following the company’s immaculate rebound during the second half of 2022, Asure’s analysts are stepping up their bullish outlook on the HR tech and payroll services company. Let’s take a deeper look into what analysts are saying about Asure: ASUR: Breaking Down the Six Analysts Covering the Stock As of the end of November 2022, the six analysts covering Asure Software have a collective rating of "strong buy" with an average 12-month price target of $11.00, which represents a potential upside of nearly 39% from its current price. The analysts covering Asure are very talented and maintain strong backgrounds. In fact, five of the six analysts have a rating of four stars or higher by TipRanks.com. Let's meet the individual analysts: Richard Baldry: Roth Capital Mr. Baldry is an experienced analyst at Roth Capital. Throughout his analyst career, Baldry has maintained a success rate of 66% (183 out of 278 ratings successful) with an average return per rating of 22.80%. Mr. Baldry is the most bullish of the analysts covering Asure Software. Eight months ago, Mr. Baldry gave Asure a $16.00 price target and a “buy” rating. This implies a potential upside of over 101% from its current price. Jeff Van Rhee: Craig-Hallum Jeff Van Rhee is a five-star analyst based out of Craig-Hallum. Mr. Van Rhee has a success rate of 64%, as 83 ratings were proven to be successful out of 129 picks throughout his career. The average return per rating is an impressive 27.30%. Mr. Van Rhee holds a $10.00 price target for Asure with a "buy" rating attached. This target implies a potential upside of nearly 26% from current prices. Vincent Colicchio: Barrington Vincent Colicchio is a five-star analyst working with Barrington. Over the course of his analyst career, Mr. Colicchio has maintained a rating success rate of 60% (207 successful ratings out of 344 total). Overall, the average return per rating during this time comes out to 11.60%. Mr. Colicchio maintains a $12.00 price target on Asure with a "buy" rating. This implies a potential upside of nearly 51% from its current price. Bryan Bergin: Cowen & Co. Bryan Bergin is a four-and-a-half-star analyst working with Cowen & Co. Mr. Bergin holds a 58% success rating (109 successful ratings compared to 189 total). Furthermore, Mr. Bergin’s average return per rating is 9.80%. Mr. Bergin holds the lowest price target on Asure at $8.00, which implies a potential upside of 0.63% from current levels. However, the analyst has reiterated his “buy” rating on the stock. Eric Martinuzzi: Lake Street Eric Martinuzzi is a four-star analyst out of Lake Street. For his career, Mr. Martinuzzi has had a success rate of 44% (76 successful ratings out of 174 total) and an average return per rating of 5.80%. Mr. Martinuzzi holds an $11.00 price target on Asure and recently reiterated his "buy" rating on the stock. This implies a potential upside of over 38% from current levels. Joshua Reilly: Needham Joshua Reilly is a half-star analyst out of Needham. The youngest analyst of the bunch, Mr. Reilly has a success rating of 30% (22 successful ratings out of 74 total) and an average return per rating of -6.90%. Mr. Reilly holds a “buy” rating on Asure with a price target of $14.00. This implies a potential upside of over 76% from its current price. Overall, there is a lot to be bullish about on Asure Software. The company’s resilience in 2022 has been nothing short of impressive. With 2023 shaping up to be very similar to 2022 with economic uncertainty and volatility, Asure stands to potentially have a very good year in 2023. The proof is in the analysts covering the company and management's guidance outlook for the next year. On a revenue guidance basis, Asure estimates total revenue coming in between $98 million and $102 million for the full-year 2023. For the full-year 2022, management sees total revenue between $90 million and $90.5 million on adjusted EBITDA between $10.5 million and $11 million. This implies a revenue growth range between 9-13% year-over-year for 2023, as margins are expected to increase between 14% and 16%. No matter the economic environment, SMBs will always look for ways to help streamline back-office operations and cut costs. With high inflation and economic uncertainty, the need for SMBs to cut costs and streamline becomes a necessity. This is why Asure Software could stand to potentially benefit in the year ahead and beyond. Disclaimer: Spotlight Growth is compensated, either directly or via a third party, to provide investor relations services for its clients. Spotlight Growth creates exposure for companies through a customized marketing strategy, including design of promotional material, the drafting and editing of press releases and media placement. All information on featured companies is provided by the companies profiled, or is available from public sources. Spotlight Growth and its employees are not a Registered Investment Advisor, Broker Dealer or a member of any association for other research providers in any jurisdiction whatsoever and we are not qualified to give financial advice. The information contained herein is based on external sources that Spotlight Growth believes to be reliable, but its accuracy is not guaranteed. Spotlight Growth may create reports and content that has been compensated by a company or third-parties, or for purposes of self-marketing. Spotlight Growth was compensated five thousand dollars cash for the creation and dissemination of this content by the company. This material does not represent a solicitation to buy or sell any securities. Certain statements contained herein constitute âforward-looking statementsâ within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements may include, without limitation, statements with respect to the Companyâs plans and objectives, projections, expectations and intentions. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the Companyâs industry, managementâs beliefs and certain assumptions made by management. The above communication, the attachments and external Internet links provided are intended for informational purposes only and are not to be interpreted by the recipient as a solicitation to participate in securities offerings. Investments referenced may not be suitable for all investors and may not be permissible in certain jurisdictions. Spotlight Growth and its affiliates, officers, directors, and employees may have bought or sold or may buy or sell shares in the companies discussed herein, which may be acquired prior, during or after the publication of these marketing materials. Spotlight Growth, its affiliates, officers, directors, and employees may sell the stock of said companies at any time and may profit in the event those shares rise in value. For more information on our disclosures, please visit: https://spotlightgrowth.com/disclosures/ The post Analysts Reiterate Bullish Stance on Asure Software (NASDAQ: ASUR), Collectively Raise Target Price to Average of $11.00 First Appeared on Spotlight Growth. Contact Details Benzinga +1 877-440-9464 info@benzinga.com Company Website http://www.benzinga.com

November 30, 2022 11:15 AM Eastern Standard Time

Twitter Alternative, MOXY Creates Verified Cross-Party Discourse

Epluribus LLC

Epluribus® LLC, creators of MOXY™ announced the integration of its Veracity™ identity verification framework. Veracity news ratings were introduced earlier this year and now with release 2.8, MOXY user profiles include two-level identity verification for anyone on the platform – displayed as dual checkmarks that turn from gray to green when verified. MOXY empowers its user base with both official and user-generated content. Quick access to a personalized politician directory, legislation, fundraising, ballots plus a broad-spectrum news feed are among the distinctions in the MOXY platform. Participation in issue-based forums, rating and reviewing politicians, live streaming, point-of-view sharing plus contributing to their favorite candidates and organizations extend civic participation to unprecedented levels. A substantive replacement for echo-chambers plagued by misinformation, MOXY invites all users, politicians and organizations to participate – supported by a foundation of journalistic and official government content. MOXY welcomes open and free expression with required adherence to sensible community rules which are easily accessible. “MOXY continues to add authentic information within the platform to help voters get quick access to official government content along with news sources that are evaluated based on their adherence to broadly accepted journalistic standards. User identity verification supports our mission of enabling bona fide discourse upon a foundation of official resources,” according to César M Melgoza, Founder & CEO of Epluribus LLC, the creators of MOXY. MOXY is currently a U.S.-only platform and is available for Android, iPhone and web browsers. Its non-partisan approach to informing and engaging voters differentiates it prominently from other social platforms. Recent years have seen the spread of misinformation and disinformation – both of which can be damaging to the public. MOXY extracts data from government records, official election and ballot information locally and nationwide, then organizes the information based on its subscribers’ own jurisdictions. Additionally, MOXY includes Veracity™ scores for the vast majority of its news sources via the seamless integration of the NewsGuard API. “These days, social media users are searching for a platform that incorporates diverse viewpoints plus official resources, news and user interaction opportunities. The Veracity user ID feature is a powerful complement to the plethora of valuable assets within MOXY,” emphasized Sonia Cisneros, creator of her Dream America channel on MOXY. Those interested in a substantive, fact-based foundation for civic discourse will find MOXY to be a fresh, no-nonsense alternative to the advertiser-centric, hyper-partisan platforms which dominate today’s social media. MOXY Free is the ad-supported 30-day trial version; MOXY Premium and Power offer more robust feature sets without ads at a nominal subscription rate. Search for MOXY in the app stores or visit the web version at https://www.moxy.live. About MOXY and Epluribus LLC MOXY is an online platform designed for citizen empowerment in a positive, contemporary, educational and non-partisan format. It features detailed location-based information such as elected officials, legislation, ballots, voting process information, a robust news feed and public forums – now with integrated campaign fundraising for both candidates and organizations. It also includes a wealth of survey research which members have the option to participate in. The elegantly simple user interface, its blend of official and user-generated content along with its positive approach to discourse makes MOXY one-of-a-kind among social platforms. MOXY was created and is owned by Epluribus LLC, a Delaware U.S. LLC whose operations are based in Miami, Florida. Visit https://www.moxy.live to learn more and to sign up for a Free account or search for MOXY in the app stores. Contact: news@epluribus.live Contact Details Cesar M Melgoza news@epluribus.live Company Website https://www.moxy.live

November 30, 2022 10:37 AM Eastern Standard Time

This Company Looks To Change The AgTech Industry With The Help Of Some Strategic M&A

AgriFORCE Growing Systems

Click Here to Read the Latest Report on AgriFORCE. As Christmas approaches, AgriFORCE Growing Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ: AGRI) is looking back on a series of exciting mergers and acquisitions (M&As) and forward to a fresh 2023. AgriFORCE is an agricultural technology company using cutting-edge innovations and leveraging a robust intellectual property (IP) portfolio to find solutions for the future of how food is developed and grown to meet demand from growing populations. The company has recently announced and has pending a series of acquisitions, including data and consulting company Delphy Group, biotech company Deroose Plants NV and IP from Manna Nutritional Group (MNG). These form part of its growth model for the future. Building On A Foundation Of Four Pillars AgriFORCE’s clear mission to the agricultural industry is supported by four pillars: 1) Facility and lighting design. The company delivers controlled-environment agriculture solutions emphasizing innovative designs. These utilize the power of natural sunlight within a controlled facility to create optimal plant growth conditions. 2) Automation and artificial intelligence. Its facilities use cutting-edge growth technology via artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet of things (IoT) to harness the fullest genetic potential of the product while minimizing resources and costs. 3) Fertigation and nutrients. Channeling its technological advantage, AgriFORCE uses lower feed applications for higher yields that simultaneously reduce environmental impact. 4) Micropropagation and genetics. Using IP, as well as tissue culture developments, the company uses asexual propagation to produce healthy and robust plants. AgriFORCE has strengthened its commitment to these pillars through its recent closed and pending acquisitions. The European agricultural technology (agtech) consultancy company Delphy is expected to soon join AgriFORCE, bringing its expertise in innovation and solutions in the agricultural and controlled-environment sectors. Expanding the company’s global reach, the pending Delphy acquisition will continue AgriFORCE’s solutions development through “top-tier R&D capabilities, a more diverse product pipeline, increased IP development capabilities and a broader footprint," said AgriFORCE CEO Ingo Mueller. The company also announced acquiring food processing and development IP from MNG. This includes patent-pending technologies to increase natural grain healthiness, amplifying AgriFORCE’s commitment to providing nutrient-dense, low-impact foods. Mueller commented on the Manna IP acquisition, “This acquisition is aligned with our broader strategy of leveraging our IP to meet the growing demand for healthy, delicious and nutritious foods.” Another company AgriFORCE has publicly announced a Binding Letter of Intent is leading tissue-culture and young plants company Deroose Plants. This commitment strengthens the company’s position in core markets and provides it with fresh abilities to increase its micropropagation and genetics portfolio. These closed (Manna) and pending (Delphy and Deroose) acquisitions represent a reinforcement of AgriFORCE’s position in the agtech market and complement each of its mission-driven pillars. Other companies working in the agtech space include FMC Corp. (NYSE: FMC) and Tyson Foods Inc. (NYSE: TSN). The company is excited for 2023 as it proceeds to launch its (UN)THINK food brand of high-protein, high-fiber, low-carb grains. Anticipation of closing of announced acquisitions, paired with future M&A in next-gen proteins, the company continues its vertical integration journey to achieve status as agtech 2.0. AgriFORCE is focussed and excited for further developments for 2023! Learn more about AgriFORCE by visiting its website. AgriFORCE Growing Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ: AGRI; AGRIW) is an agtech company focused on building an integrated agtech platform that combines the best technology, intellectual property and knowledge to solve an urgent problem – providing the best solutions to help drive sustainable crops and nutritious food for people around the world. Looking to serve the global market, the Company’s current focus is on North America, Europe and Asia. The AgriFORCE vision is to be a leader in delivering plant-based foods and products through an advanced and sustainable agtech platform that makes positive change in the world—from seed to table. This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details TraDigital IR - Malaika Temu malaika@tradigitalir.com Company Website https://agriforcegs.com/

November 30, 2022 09:26 AM Eastern Standard Time

Crowdfunding 2.0 May Attract Larger, More Profitable Companies

ACFN Franchised Inc.

In April 2012, President Barack Obama signed the JOBS Act (Jumpstart Our Business Startups), also known as “the crowdfunding bill,” into law. The JOBS Act aimed to lessen regulatory burdens on small businesses and legalized equity crowdfunding, including removing the ban on a general solicitation that prevented entrepreneurs from publicizing that they were raising money. In practical terms, the JOBS act allowed businesses and investors to connect earlier in the development cycle enabling private investors to gain benefits previously reserved only for wealthy investors and Venture Capitalists (“VCs”). The initial bill imposed a maximum of $1,070,000 on the amount raised. Indiegogo and Kickstarter developed as two of the most popular crowdfunding platforms where entrepreneurs, startups and people with creative projects could raise capital to fund development. This appealed to a particular sector of business development but left out a lot of larger, more profitable quality businesses with larger capital needs. Crowdfunding 2.0 – building on the initial success of Crowdfunding and to expand the addressable market that can benefit from this relatively new method of raising capital, on November 2, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commissions (“SEC”) announced new rules for equity Crowdfunding. Those new rules went into effect on March 15th, 2021. Key Takeaways: Regulation Crowdfunding annual limits increased from ~$1 million to $5 million Some other improvements made it easier to raise via equity crowdfunding Crowdfunding Market to Grow by USD 196.36 Billion during 2021-2025 With these new rules in place, will equity crowdfunding finally live up to its promise of disrupting early-stage financing? With the higher limit of $5,000,000, some companies like ACFN Franchised Inc. (“ACFN”) took note and are taking action. Crowdfunding platform Republic is one of the largest and most successful SEC-approved platforms facilitating Crowdfunding offerings with more than $1 Billion raised. ACFN decided to conduct its Crowdfunding campaign on Republic “They seemed very organized and had a corporate approach to the process that was a good fit for ACFN,” said Jeffrey D. Kerr, Founder and CEO of ACFN. “They have a due diligence process that both limits and qualifies the offerings on their platform resulting in higher quality offerings for their community of investors,” said Mr. Kerr. With audited financials reflecting revenue of $12,225,000 and a net profit of $613,000 in 2021, ACFN is a larger, more profitable company compared to the typical company raising capital with Crowdfunding. “We had no interest in Crowdfunding when the limit was only $1,070,000. There are simpler and quicker ways to raise capital at that rate as we did when we raised $2.25 million to help fund acquisitions in 2018 and then again in 2020,” said Jeffrey D. Kerr, Founder and CEO of ACFN. “When the limit was increased to $5 million, that was a game changer for ACFN and other companies like us,” said Mr. Kerr, that expects other larger, more profitable companies to enter the space as platforms and other support systems and services continue to develop. Of the 102 live opportunities listed on Republic, as of November 21 st, 2022 ACFN is the largest company by annual revenue and the only company with annual revenue above $10 million with ACFN revenue in the most recent 12 months reaching $14.5 million. “We are Crowdfunding to raise capital for current and specific acquisitions opportunities that will grow revenue substantially and profits exponentially,” said Jeffrey D. Kerr Founder and CEO of ACFN. “Crowdfunding is a great way for good companies with real growth opportunities to connect with investors directly, creating the opportunity for greater returns,” said Mr. Kerr. Both Founders and Investors are embracing Crowdfunding and billions of dollars have already been raised through SEC approval and regulated portals. Crowdfunding is connecting investors and companies directly and earlier in the growth cycle, creating mutually beneficial opportunities. Learn more about ACFN and other Crowdfunding opportunities on Republic Founded in 1996 and franchised in 2003, ACFN Franchised Inc. (“ACFN”) provides services to 2,700+ businesses in 46 states in collaboration with our network of 220+ franchise owners.Since inception, ACFN has provided a cumulative $5,000,000,000 of spending power to support and increase sales for our partner businesses. In just the last 12 months a total of $367,566,000 was dispensed through our network, generating more than $14,500,000 in fee revenue for ACFN. This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Jeffrey Kerr Investor-Relations@acfn-solutions.com Company Website https://acfn-solutions.com/

November 30, 2022 08:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

Venus Protocol Explores Isolated Markets, Allowing Users To Lend Or Borrow Virtually Any Token On The BNB Chain

Venus Protocol

Venus Protocol (CRYPTO: XVS) is one of the largest algorithmic money markets and synthetic stablecoin protocols on the BNB Chain, intended to enable a fully decentralized finance-based lending and credit system for its users. It does this by enabling users to utilize their cryptocurrencies by supplying collateral to the network which can then be borrowed by pledging overcollateralized cryptocurrencies. In a major update to its user interface the platform integrated even more decentralized finance (DeFi) functions and interface upgrades to make Venus more interoperable, user-friendly, decentralized and community-oriented. Now, the Venus team is eyeing isolated lending pools in its next big update. Isolated Markets would enable users to lend and borrow virtually any token on the BNB Chain. Venus accounts for about an 84% market share of lending total value locked (TVL) — or the total value of assets available for lending on the BNB chain, making it the leading lending protocol on the chain. With the increased selection of lending pools, the platform could see even more growth in Venus’s TVL and number of users. Existing Lending Models Limit Users’ Asset Choices To understand isolated markets, it helps to first understand how lending works on Venus Protocol right now. The platform uses a common collateral pool model where all assets are deposited into one liquidity pool, which the protocol can then use to make loans to others. This model is great for capital efficiency because it allows the protocol to easily pull funds for loans at scale and on demand. But it also means all assets in the pool are vulnerable to bankruptcies in a single asset, as happened in May when errant pricing behavior for Terra (CRYPTO: LUNA) in a flash loan attack led to $11 million in losses for Venus Protocol. While the lending platform was quick to suspend the LUNA market and implement protective measures, the costly event is a prime example of why common pools require such conservative risk profiles for chosen assets. As a result, only a small selection of relatively low-risk assets like Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC), Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) or Binance coin (CRYPTO: BNB) are supported, leaving few options for users interested in lending or borrowing newer or riskier assets. How Isolated Markets Could Create More Choices While Managing Risk The goal of implementing an isolated markets model in Venus Protocol is to expand the selection of assets available for lending and borrowing without exposing the entire liquidity pool to the risks of those new assets. With these independent lending environments, separate from the main protocol pool, individual users can choose which pools to participate in based on their personal risk preferences. More conservative users can stick to the main protocol pool while those who want to engage in lending riskier assets can participate in the isolated lending pools. To make that new future user-friendly and more intuitive for users of all experience levels, Venus wants to include a risk rating system that analyzes a range of exchange data and lending market metrics for assets to create a custom pool risk rating. That risk rating would make it easier for users to quickly and easily identify which custom pools meet their personal risk preferences. The resulting isolated markets model would open the door to creating lending pools out of virtually any token on BNB Chain and enable users to participate in the latest innovative protocol tokens — all while benefiting from a more transparent risk assessment system that makes it easier for users to find lending pools that fit their risk profile. Venus Protocol (“Venus”) is an algorithmic-based money market system designed to bring a complete decentralized finance-based lending and credit system onto Binance Smart Chain. Venus enables users to utilize their cryptocurrencies by supplying collateral to the network that may be borrowed by pledging over-collateralized cryptocurrencies. This creates a secure lending environment where the lender receives a compounded interest rate annually (APY) paid per block, while the borrower pays interest on the cryptocurrency borrowed. These interest rates are set by the protocol in a curve yield, where the rates are automated based on the demand of the specific market, such as Bitcoin. The difference of Venus from other money market protocols is the ability to use the collateral supplied to the market not only to borrow other assets but also to mint synthetic stablecoins with over-collateralized positions that protect the protocol. These synthetic stablecoins are not backed by a basket of fiat currencies but by a basket of cryptocurrencies. Venus utilizes the Binance Smart chain for fast, low-cost transactions while accessing a deep network of wrapped tokens and liquidity This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Venus Protocol contact@Venus.io Company Website https://venus.io/

November 30, 2022 08:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

What Are Politicians Really Saying In Their Speeches? See How FiscalNote (NYSE: NOTE) Uses AI Bot Margaret For Some Clues

Benzinga

Margaret, the artificial intelligence (AI) bot, has a knack for interpreting presidential mannerisms. Dubbed a specialist in ‘Trump-speak,’ Margaret has an internal record of the former president’s distinctive use of syntax, phrases and sentence structures. The bot, for example, reportedly knows the extent of Trump’s vocabulary, how many words he speaks per minute, what body part he moves when he’s angry and other distinct mannerisms. By carefully measuring his distinct features, Margaret is possibly capable of gauging Trump’s stress levels during political speeches, predicting what he might say in public before he does and even suggesting when he might be lying. In short, the bot is a bona fide expert on former president Trump. She knows his tics, tells, tendencies and habits. How, you may be wondering, did she get there? Teaming up with a computer expert with a Ph.D. in machine punctuation, Bill Frischling fed his AI bot over 40 years’ worth of Trump-like speech gleaned from Trump’s interviews, public letters, tweets and television appearances. The result is an 11-million-word data mine, a proverbial treasure chest of the Trump lexicon, which Margaret was taught to decipher and understand. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. When Frischling first started working on his AI bot, it crashed while transcribing Trump’s speech commemorating the anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea. The speech – with all of Trump’s syntax, sub-clauses, trail-offs and mannerisms that make up his distinctive style – caused the bot to malfunction. Now, some might say, the bot knows more about Trump than most Americans do. FiscalNote Acquires FactSquared: The Details The interesting news is that this technology is now available to consumers. FactSquared, the company responsible for Margaret’s creation, is now a part of FiscalNote (NYSE: NOTE), a specialist in data collection provides insight into regulatory processes in the U.S. Margaret can reveal incredible things about U.S. presidents after digesting so much information. For example, Frishling told the Los Angeles Times that Trump doesn’t appear stressed when he’s lying. Frischling has taken his work with Trump and extended it to important political candidates. As reported in the Los Angeles Times, he proposes that certain members of Congress “tend to forecast when they are about to make a policy shift, focusing more on their public comments on a given topic and altering their language.” It’s clear that such information, which gives stakeholders a hint at what the future may hold, could create a huge edge over competitors. Speaking of the acquisition, CEO Tim Hwang said: “Receiving timely and accurate read-outs of comments made by our public officials is a crucial service to our clients. FactSquared’s commitment to innovative rigor in the transcripts space will not only further strengthen the robust set of products and services we provide clients, but also drive meaningful technological innovation as we continue expanding the breadth and depth of our offerings globally.” FactSquared has evolved its AI prowess to include information on current U.S. President Joe Biden and even corporate earnings calls. The two additions are available on the factba.se website, which was cited over 4,000 times by local and global media sources. Through FiscalNote, any customer can now unlock AI’s predictive capabilities to see through political guises and uncover the truth. Learn more about FiscalNote here. This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Benzinga +1 877-440-9464 info@benzinga.com Company Website http://www.benzinga.com

November 30, 2022 08:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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What Are Politicians Really Saying In Their Speeches? See How FiscalNote (NYSE: NOTE) Uses AI Bot Margaret For Some Clues