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EUCAST Engages Castle Placement in Private Equity Offering

EUCAST

EUCAST Global, an advanced wireless LTE, CBRS, and 5G telecommunication company announced it has engaged Castle Placement to lead its capital raising initiative. EUCAST provides wireless communication systems that allow users to access the internet whenever and wherever they want. Its advanced equipment, comprising base stations, application servers, core network, and network management systems, allows users in remote and underserved communities to access the internet. EUCAST also provides private network solutions for businesses that share confidential information and digital twin capabilities. EUCAST is working to equip private and public entities to launch private networks, expand coverage, providing high availability and low latency solutions for users and devices alike. In the private sector, EUCAST will be providing manufacturing, industrial, oil and gas, and mining industries with a turn-key complete coverage private network solution using CBRS and 5G spectrum on their sites. The company provides stationary and portable wireless communication systems that allow users to access the internet whenever and wherever they want – bridging the immediate need for digital technology without the process of installing complicated, costly, and time-consuming infrastructure tower projects or deep fiber extensions. EUCAST 5G base stations are also critical for the deployment of smart poles as part of the smart city initiatives that is happening throughout the U.S. In the public sector, EUCAST offers communication service opportunities for rural areas, including schools and medical facilities, as well as sovereign tribal communities and nations that have been largely ignored by the large telecommunication carriers. Both federal and state governments have identified the lack of broadband access as a significant problem and are deploying funds to provide digital equity in America. EUCAST recently adapted its network in a box technology for drone deployment which will allow for recovery of urgent communication capabilities in the event of emergencies or service interruptions where no communication coverage is available. “EUCAST technology is a solution for service disruptions,” Gary Sumihiro, EUCAST Executive Vice President and Board Member explained. “Our technology allows for continuous communication among users even in the event of emergencies and carrier service interruptions – with a complete network that fits into a backpack, car or ship version, and now drones. We are excited to be working with Castle Placement and bring these opportunities to expand our U.S. operations.” EUCAST is in discussions with many companies and public entities for the deployment of their technology. Castle Placement will be assisting EUCAST on its private equity offering. Specific information on investment opportunities is available here: https://castleplacement.com/portfolio/eucast-global/. “EUCAST solutions should be attractive to investors today," explained Harish Pillai at Castle Placement. “EUCAST’s proven technology solves digital equity issues and enables communications that were previously considered impossible. As more public and private sector entities engage, it is becoming abundantly clear, from farming, security, production, and emergency response, the possibilities are significant. We look forward to inviting our investors to be a part of this opportunity." EUCAST Global is part of the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance and recently announced a partnership with the University of Denver. ### About EUCAST Global EUCAST Global provides end-to-end advanced wireless access solutions including base stations, control servers and gateway, core network, network management systems, and user devices. EUCAST has been a leading force in the advanced wireless access technology marketplace for more than a decade. Please visit https://eucastglobal.com/. For more information or to schedule an interview with a Colorado-based EUCAST spokesperson, contact Dan Rene at 202-329-8357 or daniel.rene@kglobal.com. To contact EUCAST Global directly please email contact@eucastglobal.com or globalsales@eucastglobal.com. About Castle Placement: Founded in 2009, Castle Placement raises equity and debt capital for private middle-market companies across a broad spectrum of industries. Highly experienced investment bankers and a robust, data-driven, innovative technology platform - including artificial intelligence/machine learning - match great companies with global institutional investors. Castle Placement's proprietary app, CPGO, connects companies with investors in real-time. Over 600,000 accredited investors and 65,000 private equity, venture capital and strategic investors, family offices, pension funds, foundations, endowments, sovereign wealth funds, hedge funds, and lenders. For more information, please visit https://castleplacement.com/. Contact Details Dan Rene +1 202-329-8357 daniel.rene@kglobal.com Company Website http://www.eu-cast.com/

August 09, 2022 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

DealMaker announces capability for European issuers to raise capital in both UK and North American markets

DealMaker

DealMaker Inc, a leading digital capital raise platform, is the only platform now built for international capital market raises. Launching in September of 2022, UK issuers will now be able to invite investors from the UK, the US, and Canada to participate in their capital raise simultaneously. This is a groundbreaking event - tackling the regulatory complexity for each market as well as the untapped potential that pre-IPO companies can now unlock. “This is incredibly exciting for us,” Mat Goldstein, Co-founder & CSO states, “our mission has always been to work towards one global capital market, and this offering is an incredible first step.” Typically, raising capital has been limited by geography due to unique regulatory bodies and requirements from country to country, even state to state. With this new streamlined approach provided by technology, issuers are able to meet regulatory requirements in a consolidated way, and tap into investor interest around the globe. Contacts Leigh Nolan, leigh.nolan@dealmaker.tech DealMaker is on a mission to create the most sophisticated capital markets tools on the planet, empowering capital to flow faster. It offers a suite of primary issuance, shareholder management, and capital raising solutions including investor ranking algorithms and data analytics tools to support all global private placements exemptions. Its innovative technology was designed to enable organizations to own and control exempt market raises to get the money they need, faster. DealMaker puts forward-thinking organizations in control to run streamlined, successful capital raises in one centralized platform. The company’s offices are located in Toronto, Canada, Austin, Texas and Tampa, Florida. Visit DealMaker.tech for more information. Contact Details DealMaker Leigh Nolan +1 416-554-0949 leigh.nolan@dealmaker.tech Company Website https://www.dealmaker.tech/

August 09, 2022 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

HKBU launches Turing AI Orchestra as next milestone in human-AI art co-creation

Hong Kong Baptist University

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 9 August 2022 - Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) has announced the launch of the world’s first “Turing AI Orchestra” today (9 August) as the next milestone in its visionary plan to broaden the scope and explore potential opportunities in art co-creation by humans and artificial intelligence (AI). The Turing AI Orchestra is the world’s first AI ensemble. By applying state-of-the-art AI technology, the Orchestra aims to achieve a new form of symbiotic artistic creation and performance between humans and AI systems. The announcement of the launch of the Orchestra was made at the “ Human, Machine, Art, Creativity: International Symposium ” co-organised by HKBU and the Hong Kong Productivity Council, at which world-renowned researchers and artists from academia and industry gathered to discuss the development of human-AI symbiotic art creativity. Mr John Lee Ka-chiu, Chief Executive of the HKSAR; Mr Xu Jie, Deputy Director-General, Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China; Dr Zhang Zhihua, Director-General, Youth Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR, graced the occasion and gave video addresses. Professor Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the HKSAR Government also gave an opening address in person. Other officiating guests of the opening ceremony included Professor James Tang Tuck-kong, Secretary-General of the University Grants Committee; Ms Zhu Yihua, Deputy Director-General, New Territories Sub-office of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR; Mr Mohamed Butt, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Productivity Council; Dr Clement Chen, Chairman of the Council and the Court of HKBU; Ms Rosanna Choi, Treasurer of the Council and the Court of HKBU; Professor Alexander Wai, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKBU; Professor Guo Yike, Vice-President (Research and Development) of HKBU; Ms Christine Chow, Vice-President (Administration) and Secretary of HKBU; and Professor Johnny M Poon, Associate Vice-President (Interdisciplinary Research) of HKBU. In his address, Chief Executive Mr John Lee Ka-chiu said: “Hong Kong Baptist University, with its commitment in discovering and nurturing new technologies and big ideas, is a leading force in comprehensive research and development for arts technology. The pioneering and innovative project Building Platform Technologies for Symbiotic Creativity in Hong Kong is funded by the Research Grants Council. It is one of China's biggest artificial intelligence technology research projects. It seeks to radically advance human and AI interaction and contribute to the sustainability of our arts ecosystem.” In his welcoming speech, Dr Clement Chen said: “With the emerging trend of applying technology to art creation, our scholars at HKBU are also pushing the frontiers of art-tech to transform the creation of art and culture. We are also impressed and encouraged by the increased amount of support offered by the National 14th Five-Year Plan and the HKSAR Government’s drive to promote and develop art-tech. Against such a backdrop, our important initiatives will definitely support and spearhead the development of art-tech in Hong Kong and enable the SAR to assume a leading position in art-tech on the global stage.” In his address, Professor Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the HKSAR Government said: “Leveraging the advanced development in the AI technologies, art creations can be transformed and propelled to the next level, bringing new experiences to audiences and significant socio-economic benefits to the city. I must say, the Hong Kong Baptist University has best demonstrated how AI can be a creative force in performing music, cross-media art and dance at its Symphony Orchestra Annual Gala Concert held last month. It truly marks a milestone in the history of arts tech, showing the harmonious collaboration between human and machine.” Outlining the concept of the Turing AI Orchestra (TAIO), Professor Guo Yike said that it offers an open platform for artists and scientists from around the world to collaborate within a dynamic and innovative environment, and it will produce groundbreaking AI research that will disrupt the world of art. “The Turing AI Orchestra also echoes one of the project tasks stated in the project proposal – building a Digital Art and Policy Network, for symbiotic creativity collaboration and related policy innovation. It is envisaged that TAIO, as a vibrant and sustainable development base, can help us put our vision, philosophy and technology into practice via creative performances in the context of active international collaboration. By using Blockchain technologies, TAIO will realise the world’s first Decentralised Autonomous Organisation (DAO) ecosystem for art creation through collaboration between scientists and artists. TAIO will promote transdisciplinary whole-person education to the next generation in Hong Kong. It will propel strategic policymaking by the Government to guide Hong Kong’s cultural and creative industries development going forward, thus contributing toward building Hong Kong to be an international cultural exchange and Intellectual Property trading hub,” said Professor Guo. Apart from launching the TAIO and introducing ongoing HKBU initiatives in human-AI symbiotic art creativity, today’s Symposium also covered topics including the enabling technologies of symbiotic art creation and manifestation, the aesthetics and cognitive values of symbiotic art creativity, the new trend of the art economy with the ecosystem of Metaverse, new issues raised by the new forms of art in society, and the impact on art community stakeholders, among others. Following the first human-AI collaborative performance of its kind in the world at the Annual Gala Concert of the HKBU Symphony Orchestra on 14 July, today’s Symposium is another key deliverable of the “ Building Platform Technologies for Symbiotic Creativity in Hong Kong ” research project supported by HK$52.84 million in funding from the Theme-based Research Scheme under the Research Grants Council. Contact Details Wong Suk-ling +852 3411 2119 hkbunews@hkbu.edu.hk

August 09, 2022 07:57 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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China Tower Forging ahead "One Core and Two Wings" strategy to capture market opportunities

China Tower Corporation Limited

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 9 August 2022 - The world's largest telecommunications infrastructure service provider China Tower Corporation Limited ("China Tower", or the "Company") (Stock Code: 0788.HK) is pleased to announce its interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2022. Performance Highlights Our revenue maintained healthy growth while profitability continued to improve in the first half of 2022, with operating revenue reaching RMB45,479 million, up by 6.6% year-on-year. Our EBITDA 1 amounted to RMB31,958 million, an increase of 2.5% over the same period last year, with an EBITDA margin 2 of 70.3%. Profit attributable to owners of the Company totaled RMB4,224 million, up by 22.2% year-on-year, with a net profit margin of 9.3%. Our cash flow remained strong. In the first half of 2022, net cash generated from operating activities amounted to RMB31,306 million, an increase of 29.2% year-on-year. Capital expenditures were RMB9,085 million, a reduction of 12.3 year-on-year. As a result, our free cash flow 3 reached RMB22,221 million, up by 60.1% year-on-year. Our financial position remained stable and healthy, with the Company's total assets reaching RMB313,523 million as of 30 June 2022. Our interest-bearing liabilities stood at RMB92,428 million with a gearing ratio 4 of 31.1%, 5.9 percentage points lower than the same period last year. In the first half of 2021, despite the adverse impact of the pandemic re-emerging in various regions in China, we orchestrated our Covid-19 containment measures and operating activities under the guidance of established strategy, strengthening our capabilities in resource coordination and sharing. Building on the stable development of our telecommunication service provider ("TSP") business, our Smart Tower business and Energy business continued to experience rapid growth. Dual growth engines of "5G + DAS" enabled stable growth in TSP business Given the increasing coverage and penetration of 5G network in China, we maintained our focus on the latest market trends and evolving customer demands over the first half of the year and furthered resource coordination and sharing. As a result, we were able to build large-scale 5G networks in a cost- effective and highly efficient manner through offering innovative service and construction models. The Company undertook 318,000 5G base-station demand in the first half of 2022, with the cumulative number reaching 1.544 million as of 30 June 2022, of which 97% were fulfilled by sharing existing resources. Additionally, increasing DAS construction demand promoted even greater growth of DAS business. Given this, "5G + DAS" have emerged as dual growth engines, which secured stable growth of TSP business and cemented our leadership in the construction and operation of telecommunications infrastructure in China. As of 30 June 2022, the Company was managing a total of 2.049 million tower sites, representing a net increase of 11,000 sites compared to the end of 2021. During the same period, we gained 42,000 new TSP tenants, bringing the total number to 3.302 million. Our TSP tenancy ratio also grew from 1.60 as at the end of 2021 to 1.62. With regard to our DAS business, we had covered buildings with a cumulative area of 5,970 million square meters, up by 35.4% from the same period last year, while the high-speed railway tunnels and subway coverage totaled a cumulative length of 18,276 kilometers, an increase of 26.6% over the same period last year. In the first half of 2022, our TSP business revenue reached RMB41,345 million, up by 3.9% year-on- year, among which tower business revenue accounted for RMB38,592 million while DAS business represented RMB2,753 million, a year-on-year growth of 2.3% and 32.0% respectively. Strengthening advantages in resources and capabilities, Two Wings business maintained the momentum of growth The development of the digital economy and the national "dual carbon" goals have presented ample opportunities to our business. We leveraged our resources and strengths to scale up and explore new possibilities of sharing, enabling the advancement of digitalization and adoption of new energy applications in society. As a result, our Two Wings business continued to experience rapid growth. Over the first half of the year, Two Wings business recorded revenue of RMB4,010 million, a year-on- year increase of 46.5%, accounting for 8.8% of our overall operating revenue and contributing 45.4% of the incremental operating revenue. Smart Tower business expanded industry applications and sharpened competitive edge. We seized new opportunities flowing from the rapid development of the digital economy and sped up the upgrading of "telecommunication tower" to "digital tower" by utilizing our existing site resources, localized operations and maintenance, and centralized digital platform. For Tower Monitoring service, we increased investment on research and development, launching differentiated products to meet customer needs while enhancing our digital services, with a focus on key sectors including environmental protection, forestry, agriculture and land. In the first half of 2022, Smart Tower business recorded revenue of RMB2,584 million, representing a growth of 39.4% year-on-year. Of this, Tower Monitoring business revenue reached RMB1,584 million, accounting for 61.3% of Smart Tower business revenue. Energy business focused on core segments and continued to scale up. We further strengthened our core business segments of battery exchange and power backup to enhance the economies of scale in Energy business as well as the quality of delicate management approach. We have deepened our penetration of the delivery and courier markets and consolidated our leadership in the battery exchange market for light electric vehicle. In addition, we offered four-in-one comprehensive solutions covering power backup, generation, monitoring and maintenance, to key industries including telecommunications, finance, healthcare and education. As of 30 June 2022, we had attained a cumulative 782,000 battery exchange users, an increase of 170,000 since the end of 2021. Energy business recorded revenue of RMB1,426 million in the first half of 2022, representing an increase of 61.3% year-on-year, among which, revenue from battery exchange business accounted for RMB802 million, or 56.2%. Mr. Zhang Zhiyong, Chairman of China Tower said, "To capture growth opportunities in the second half of 2022, we will set a clear focus on realizing our goal of becoming a 'world-class integrated information and communications infrastructure service provider and a highly competitive information and new energy applications provider'. This positioning will drive the development of the Company centering around sharing, service, innovation, technology and value creation, and build upon an operating system that is professional, intensive, delicate, efficient and digitalized. We will strive to sustain stable revenue growth and generate higher value for our shareholders, customers and society as a whole." Note 1: EBITDA is calculated by operating profit plus depreciation and amortization. Note 2: EBITDA margin is calculated by dividing EBITDA by operating revenue, and multiplying the resulting value by 100%. Note 3: Free cash flow is the net cash generated from operating activities minus the capital expenditures. Note 4: Gearing ratio is calculated as net debt divided by the sum of total equity and net debt, then multiplied by 100%. Net debt is calculated as the amount of interest-bearing liabilities minus the amount of cash and cash equivalents. About China Tower Since its incorporation on 15 July 2014, China Tower Corporation Limited (“China Tower”) has developed into the world’s largest telecommunications tower infrastructure service provider with compelling market advantage under the national strategy of Cyberpower. The Company implements the strategy of “One Core and Two Wings”. “One core” refers to the traditional tower business and indoor Distributed Antenna System (DAS) business, which provide services to the TSPs based on site resources; while “Two Wings” refers to the Smart Tower business which mainly provides tower site resources and information services to different industries, as well as Energy business to satisfy the growing demands on innovative energy services in the society, such as battery exchange, power backup and charging. China Tower adheres to the “sharing” philosophy for business development. It promotes site co-location and provides a wide range of services to fulfill the specific needs of its customers. As of the end of June 2022, the Company’s total assets amounted to RMB313,523 million. China Tower operated and managed 2.049 million tower sites across 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in the PRC, and served over 3.521 million tenants with the tenancy ratio of 1.72. Contact Details iPR Ogilvy Ltd. Callis Lau / Gary Li / Emily Chiu / Katrina Hui chinatower@iprogilvy.com

August 09, 2022 06:25 AM Eastern Daylight Time

OPPO to launch all-new ColorOS 13 based on Android 13 on Aug 18th

OPPO

SHENZHEN, CHINA - Media OutReach – 9 August 2022 - OPPO unveiled the date of the online launch event for its latest mobile operating system, ColorOS 13 today. It will be one of the first OEM operating systems based on Android 13 to be launched. ColorOS 13 – Among one of the firsts of OEM operating system based on Android 13 OPPO has been working closely with Android to deliver the best possible operating system experience on ColorOS. Back at Google I/O in May, OPPO announced that the OPPO Find N and OPPO Find X5 Pro would be among the first smartphones worldwide to receive the Android 13 beta update. ColorOS 13 integrates with Android 13’s underlying safety and privacy features, and provides customization features similar to Google’s Material You. ColorOS 13 Global Launch Event-Aug 18, 2022 7:00 PM GMT+8 ColorOS 13 includes a range of new smart features developed by OPPO that are tailored to deliver the best experience with large displays, provide seamless interconnectivity between multiple devices, and enhance productivity and efficiency. A brand-new design will also be introduced on the OS to deliver a concise, comfortable, and smooth Android experience. For more information about ColorOS 13, please join the ColorOS Official Launch Event on YouTube and Twitter at 7:00 PM GMT+8 on August 18 th. About OPPO OPPO is a leading global smart device brand. Since the launch of its first mobile phone - “Smiley Face” - in 2008, OPPO has been in relentless pursuit of the perfect synergy of aesthetic satisfaction and innovative technology. Today, OPPO provides a wide range of smart devices spearheaded by the Find X and Reno series. Beyond devices, OPPO also provides its users with ColorOS operating system and internet services such as OPPO Cloud and OPPO+. OPPO has footprints in more than 60 countries and regions, with more than 40,000 employees dedicated to creating a better life for customers around the world. About ColorOS ColorOS is a highly customized, efficient, intelligent, and richly designed Android-based mobile OS from OPPO. With over 500 million global monthly active users, ColorOS supports 67 languages, including English, Hindi, Thai, and Indonesian. Contact Details OPPO Media Contact press@oppo.com

August 09, 2022 05:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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GLOBAL LEADER ZERO LATENCY LAUNCHES ITS NEXT GENERATION IMMERSIVE ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM IN THE U.S.

Zero Latency

Zero Latency, a global leader in immersive entertainment, is announcing the expansion of its next generation technology to the U.S., beginning with Las Vegas and brand new locations in Seattle, Houston, Dallas, Cincinnati, and Orlando opening later this year. Since Zero Latency first introduced the concept of free-roam virtual reality to the world in Melbourne, Australia in 2015, the company has continued to push the progression of the industry forward. Today, its next generation virtual reality entertainment platform release allows Zero Latency to once again provide customers with the most effortless, immersive experience available anywhere. In partnership with HTC, Zero Latency is able to bring up to eight players together to experience the same amazing content game library, but now with more freedom of movement and agency than ever before. Now, with the ability to remove backpacks and extra wires, Zero Latency customers will experience the most distraction-free, immersive experience available to them in the world. The new platform uses an exclusive remote rendering stack, the latest 6E wireless technology to seamlessly stream 5K VR to all players simultaneously, and the HTC VIVE Focus 3 to deliver an increased performance that is up to 16 times greater than that of traditional all-in-one headsets. “The new Zero Latency platform offers the closest experience yet to simply stepping inside another world. We intentionally provide effortlessly immersive experiences that we think people will enjoy, and we can’t wait to share that with more customers around the world,” said Tim Ruse, Chief Executive Officer at Zero Latency. “By removing equipment, like backpacks, we’re actually able to provide a heightened player experience to our customers in the United States and across the world. Our existing titles feel better than ever, and we can’t wait to blow people away with what we have coming next.” Customers can now discover Zero Latency’s award-winning library of game titles without wires through its seven premium game environments, including Ubisoft-exclusive “Far Cry VR,” “Sol Raiders,” “Undead Arena,” “Singularity,” “Outbreak Origins,” “Engineerium,” and “Zombie Survival.” The HTC VIVE Focus 3, customized to enhance the experience offered at Zero Latency, provides awe-inspiring 5K visual fidelity with a 90Hz refresh rate and 120 degree field of view, immersing players and up to seven of their friends in mind-bending worlds that sound just as real as they look. Its range of hardware and software features are game changing for location based entertainment, improving player experience and operational efficiency. “Our customers often tell us Zero Latency is the best VR experience they’ve ever had,” said Scott Vandonkelaar, Chief Technology Officer at Zero Latency. “Delivering experiences as deep and interactive as ours has never been possible with an all-in-one headset, so we built our own solution. Remote rendering and 6E wireless streaming means we can deliver our experiences at previously impossible performance levels, with less technology and fewer player distractions than ever. We’re thrilled by the results and can’t wait for customers to experience it for themselves.” Zero Latency's latest platform doesn't just improve the experience for customers; it changes the game for owners and operators globally too. With a decrease in entry costs for new owners, hardware management, equipment maintenance, and a simplified player onboarding experience, it's the most affordable and easy-to-use iteration of the Zero Latency platform yet. Customers can experience the new Zero Latency platform now in the United States at Zero Latency Las Vegas located in the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino or in one of over 20 additional venues launching worldwide in the coming months. For more information about Zero Latency, go to https://zerolatencyvr.com/. ### ABOUT ZERO LATENCY: Zero Latency is a global leader in immersive entertainment, working at the cutting edge of VR and location-based experiences. With more than 55 venues across over 20 countries, Zero Latency is the largest free-roam VR network in the world. Since opening the world’s first free-roam VR venue in 2015, Zero Latency has thrilled more than 2 million players worldwide. Over the past year alone, the company has seen a 124% jump in games played within the U.S. and 288% growth globally. Zero Latency is continuously innovating to raise the bar for customers, owners, and operators. Other firsts include: Partnering with Microsoft in 2019 to develop “inside out” tracking technology Launching Sol Raiders in 2019, the world’s first free-roam eSports game Releasing the AAA-exclusive Far Cry VR experience alongside Ubisoft in 2021 SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS: Instagram and TikTok: @zerolatencyvr LinkedIn: Zero Latency VR Contact Details Jive PR + Digital Kiandra Madison +1 404-376-9490 kiandra@jiveprdigital.com Company Website https://zerolatencyvr.com/

August 08, 2022 01:52 PM Pacific Daylight Time

The Trajectory Of Growth In E-commerce In Southeast Asia — A Case Of Indonesia

Society Pass Incorporated

Countries in Southeast Asia are experiencing serious growth in e-commerce. E-commerce sales are expected to reach nearly $90 billion this year, up about $16 billion from last year, according to eMarketer. E-commerce in the region is projected to pass the $100 billion mark by 2023, a significant increase from $37.22 billion in 2019. Unlike other geographies that are forecasted to experience moderate growth, Southeast Asia might witness a 20.6% increase, the largest globally. Behind Southeast Asia is Latin America, which would be the only region to hit the 20% threshold this year. Which Countries In Particular? E-commerce sales in four countries are projected to grow faster than in all of Southeast Asia this year, and two of them — the Philippines and Indonesia — are in the region. The Philippines ranks first with a growth rate of 25.9%, while Indonesia comes third at 23%. The other countries are India with 25.5% and Brazil, which is expected to grow by 22.2%. Why Indonesia? Indonesia’s e-commerce adoption is one of the largest in the world. In 2020, up to 90% of internet users between ages 16 and 64 purchased something online. Indonesians are “among the world’s most passionate adopters of digital technology”. According to the consulting firm McKinsey & Co., an average Indonesian spends four hours per day on the internet using a handheld device — twice the time spent by a U.S. resident. With 99.15 million users, the country has the fourth-largest population of Meta Platforms Inc. ’s (NASDAQ: META) Instagram users and the largest in the Southeast Asia region. The country also is among the largest for number of Twitter Inc. (NASDAQ: TWTR) users at 18.45 million. E-commerce In Indonesia Of Indonesia’s 278.3 million people 138 million do their shopping online, according to a report by the Institute of Southern Asian Studies. The e-commerce industry accounts for 72% of the total value of the digital economy. Indonesia’s e-commerce sector is expected to reach almost $63 billion in 2022, according to Statista. By 2025, the market is projected to reach $90 billion. The e-commerce market seemingly runs on two models: e-commerce platforms such as Shopee, Tokopedia and Bukalapak and social commerce, which involves buying and selling goods on social media platforms. E-commerce platforms account for 60% of all transactions while 40% of shopping is conducted via social commerce. Society Pass Inc. (NASDAQ: SOPA) is an example of an acquisition-focused e-commerce holding company that could be looking to become the Goliath of e-commerce in Indonesia and overall Southeast Asia. The company operates in six verticals: loyalty, lifestyle, food and beverage, telecom, digital media, and travel. It reports connecting millions of consumers and merchants in the region. SoPa Rolls Out Loyalty App On June 27, SoPa announced the launch of a beta version of its loyalty app that enables customers to earn and redeem points at different retailers while building customer loyalty for merchants. The company reports that the app helps merchants generate more revenue by retaining existing customers, attracting new ones, reducing customer turnover and synching customer data through personalized advertising campaigns. “The Southeast Asian retail sector is at the cusp of a massive transformation powered by the data-driven meta economy. We designed a gorgeous user interface backed by sophisticated backend infrastructure to kickstart a virtuous cycle of revenue generation and loyalty creation, where Society Pass and Society Points generate more revenues for merchants,” SoPa Founder, Chairman and CEO Dennis Nguyen said at the launch of the beta application. SoPa reported plans to modify and integrate the app with select customers and merchants across Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Singapore in the second quarter of the year. The company expects to fully launch the app by the end of the year, when customers will be able to pay for goods and services in-store, in-app or online. As a loyalty and data marketing ecosystem, Society Pass operates multiple e-commerce platforms across its key markets in SEA. Its business model focuses on analysing user data through the expected launch of its Society Pass loyalty platform and circulation of its universal loyalty points, which seamlessly connects consumers and merchants across multiple product and service categories to foster organic loyalty. Since its inception, SoPa has amassed over 1.6 million registered consumers and over 5,500 registered merchants/brands on its platform. It has invested 2+ years building proprietary IT architecture with cutting edge components to effectively scale and support its consumers, merchants, and acquisitions.Society Pass provides merchants with #HOTTAB Biz and #HOTTAB POS – a specialized POS technology solution, a comprehensive system for payment, loyal customer management, user profile analytics, and convenient financial support packages for small and medium-sized enterprises.In addition, SoPa operates Leflair.com, Vietnam’s leading lifestyle e-commerce platform, Pushkart.ph, a popular grocery delivery company in Philippines, Handycart.vn, a leading online restaurant delivery service based in Hanoi, Vietnam, and Gorilla Networks, a Singapore-based, blockchain/web3-enabled mobile virtual network operator.For more information, please check out: http://thesocietypass.com/. This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Society Pass Dennis Nguyen: Founder, Chairman & CEO +1 877-440-9464 dennis@thesocietypass.com Company Website https://thesocietypass.com

August 08, 2022 12:43 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Yoodli Announces $6M Funding for AI Platform to Overcome Fear of Public Speaking

Yoodli

Yoodli, a startup building an artificial intelligence platform to help people communicate more effectively, announced that it has raised $6 million in a seed round co-led by Madrona Venture Group and Cercano Management (formerly Vulcan Capital). Other investors include J4 Ventures, Ascend, Jeff Richards from GGV Capital, Dave Rosenberg (founder of Mulesoft), and renowned communication experts Renn Vara and Maureen Taylor. Yoodli is already being used by thousands of professional speakers, coaches, students, and corporate professionals to get data-driven insights on their speaking presentations. “Effective communication is the single determinant of success in the workplace and more broadly in life,” said Craig Valentine, Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking. “I’ve been working with clients for over 20 years, but Yoodli has completely transformed my coaching business. I’m now able to work with many more clients at once while saving up to 10 hours per week! I ask my clients to record their practice sessions on Yoodli, improve with AI feedback, and then share their speeches with me for asynchronous work. AI will not replace speech coaches but is certainly helping us be more efficient.” Yoodli makes preparing for a speech or interview fun and judgment-free. The platform provides an instant transcript and real-time analysis on your use of filler words, non-inclusive language, pacing, body language, and much more. It also makes it easy to collaborate with friends and coaches on upcoming presentations. Want to test your ability to think on your feet or strike up a conversation with a stranger? Try the one minute ‘Spin a Yarn’ challenge, which throws out fun words to blend into a compelling impromptu speech. The seed round brings Yoodli’s total funding to $7.1 million. The new funds will be used to support Yoodli’s product development, as well as sales and marketing expansion. Patrick Ennis, who has decades of experience as a scientist, engineer, businessman, and venture capitalist at Madrona, ARCH Venture Partners, Intellectual Ventures, and Bell Labs, will be joining the Yoodli Board of Directors. “We are delighted to support Yoodli’s journey,” Ennis said. “The fear of public speaking has affected humanity throughout history and across cultures. At Madrona, we see the massive impact that Yoodli will have by improving communication for everyone.” Yoodli’s founders, Esha Joshi and Varun Puri, are deeply familiar with the fear of public speaking and teamed up to start Yoodli at the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence in June 2021. Yoodli’s team includes engineers and product managers from Facebook, Apple, Google, and an advisory board consisting of TEDx coaches, top AI researchers, among others. Yoodli uses natural language processing, computer vision, and speech algorithms to help users get detailed feedback on speeches recorded on the platform. The speeches are private to the user but shareable to friends, coaches, and others if external feedback is desired. Becoming a good public speaker is no small task, and to prove that point Yoodli has analyzed the speeches of famous celebrities, tech execs, and politicians. Even some of the world’s most prominent figures are not perfect when it comes to speech delivery. Elon Musk, for example, might have a limited word count on Twitter, but he used over 70 filler and hedging words (“really,” “basically”, “actually”) in a 5-minute window during a 2014 commencement speech. Check it out at https://app.yoodli.ai/share/gfYhf3qU. Yoodli allows you to record and playback your speech with filler words removed, and then provides simple, strategic and customized tips to help you refine and improve your public speaking skills. The platform is free and can be accessed at www.yoodli.ai. About Yoodli: Yoodli is an AI-enabled communication skills improvement platform that records users as they deliver presentations, and then points out tips such as where they could speak more clearly, cutting back on "ums" and filler words, as well as improving their use of eye contact and gestures. Users can also solicit feedback from colleagues and get connected to an expert coach. The company was founded in 2021 and is based in Seattle, Washington. Contact Details Forrest Carman +1 206-859-3118 forrestc@owenmedia.com Company Website https://www.yoodli.ai/

August 08, 2022 09:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time

Industrial Defender Appoints Jay Williams as Chief Executive Officer

Industrial Defender

Industrial Defender, a leader in OT cybersecurity technology, today announced that Jay Williams has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Industrial Defender effective August 8, 2022. Williams is a highly regarded cybersecurity executive with 30 years’ experience in operational environments and industrial control systems and 25 years’ executive leadership experience. As CEO, Williams will leverage his industry expertise and passion for team building to lead Industrial Defender through its next phase of growth, opening and expanding go-to-market channels, scaling the sales and innovation functions, and strengthening relationships with key partners and customers around the world. Williams brings a vision to elevate Industrial Defender as an integral enabler of OT cybersecurity transformation. “Jay is a respected leader in the space, whose deep understanding of operational business drivers, relentless customer focus and strategic experience driving global growth will be invaluable assets to Industrial Defender,” said Joseph Roark, Operating Partner at Teleo Capital and Chairman of Industrial Defender. “We’re excited to have Jay as part of the executive team and look forward to working with him to further scale the business and solidify Industrial Defender’s position as the leader in OT cybersecurity.” “I am honored to have the opportunity to lead and nurture the amazing talent and technology at Industrial Defender. With almost two decades of successfully implementing OT cybersecurity solutions at scale, we will continue to invest in complete, cost competitive technology to meet the needs of the future,” said Williams. “We have some very exciting new solutions being launched in the coming months that will empower security teams with the programmatic technology necessary to manage their entire OT cyber transformation from beginning to end. Every organization deserves to be secure no matter their size or budget, and Industrial Defender is committed to providing companies of all sizes with a competitive solution to protect their critical infrastructure.” Williams’ impressive background includes roles creating and leading OT cybersecurity divisions at Ernst & Young, Veracity Networks, Parsons Corporation, and Siemens. He is also an associate of the ICS Village and member of the Cybersecurity Advisory Council for the Syracuse City School District, teaching the next generation of students the core concepts to understand, assess and protect information security systems. To learn more about Jay Williams, why he chose Industrial Defender, and where the future of OT cybersecurity is heading, connect with him in person during BlackHat and the Defcon ICS Village August 8-15, 2022 in Las Vegas, NV. About Industrial Defender Industrial Defender protects the world’s critical infrastructure from cyberattacks. As a leader in OT cybersecurity innovation, the company’s scalable platform is used by organizations around the world to empower security stakeholders with actionable data collected from their OT and IIoT infrastructure, enabling them to make informed risk management decisions and manage their OT cybersecurity program in a concise, single vendor dashboard. Learn more at www.industrialdefender.com. Contact Details Industrial Defender Erin Anderson +1 617-675-4206 eanderson@industrialdefender.com Company Website https://www.industrialdefender.com

August 08, 2022 09:15 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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