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Scalenut powers organic content for businesses via AI platform as it raises $3.1M funding round

Scalenut

Businesses know that content is king when charming customers but as channels and types of content have exponentially grown, it will be important to know which content is winning customers. AI-powered SEO and content marketing platform Scalenut is prevailing through its AI-generated organic content for SMBs and mid-market businesses with 100,000 users signed up in just a few months since going live this year. As it scales the platform and expands into new geographies, Scalenut is today announcing a $3.1M seed plus funding round led by Saama Capital & Amit Singhal (Former Senior VP of Google and Head of Google Search). The company had previously raised $400,000 in seed funding led by Titan Capital, First Principles VC, AngelList, Abhishek Goyal, and other leading angel investors. In early 2022, they launched their SaaS platform for public use, and in the past six months, they have seen 10X revenue growth. Scalenut, focusing primarily on the US and the UK markets, helps businesses and brands plan, research and create content in 1/5th the time it normally takes. In addition, it reduces costs by 90% and significantly scales up content production. Scalenut’s Co-founder Mayank Jain said, “The pandemic spurred rapid digitization across businesses, with a greater emphasis being placed on digital marketing. However, after spending a huge amount of money on paid advertising for growth, they realized that it is not sustainable in the long run and therefore, there has been an increased focus on organic marketing to grow sustainably.” He added “In order to increase organic growth, SEO and content marketing teams juggle multiple tools for sound SEO research, content creation, optimization, and performance measurement. Not only is it inefficient, but it also leads to siloed team efforts based on broken insights and incomplete strategy. This is why most businesses struggle to scale content marketing successfully.” Scalenut’s AI platform brings everything needed by them to one place so they can strategize and scale easily and at a pace that helps them achieve business goals. “With Scalenut, we aim to empower the SEO and content teams to put the paddle on their organic marketing efforts from a single platform and help businesses grow sustainably,” said Mayank Jain. As per a Databox study, almost 20% of marketers get more than 60% of their traffic from search engines i.e. organic traffic, and 71% of the marketers said that creating new content is their most important tactic for growing their organic traffic. Commenting on the successful closing of the funding round, Mayank Jain commented, “This funding is to continue building the platform, hiring talent, and expanding to new geographies. We have set our sights on solving a massive problem that marketers across the world face today. The opportunity in the market and our progress so far excites us to work harder and make a dent in this domain”. “Businesses associated with us have witnessed 3x growth in their organic traffic in just 3-4 months. Not only have we seen 10x growth in revenue in the last six months, but we are also trending at a seven-digit revenue run rate right now. We are in a hyper-growth stage and are on track to meet our major revenue milestones.” Talking about investing in Scalenut, Ash Lilani, managing partner at Saama Capital said, “With content consumption increasing worldwide, content is a key driver for business growth. One common problem that businesses face to power up their organic marketing is scaling content meaningfully. There is no easy way to scale content and Scalenut is solving precisely that with its robust AI platform. This is a big value add. Since launching its SaaS platform in Jan 2022, Scalenut has seen good traction with over 100,000 registered users. We were quite impressed seeing the product team has built and the market response they have got.” Amit Singhal, Former Senior VP of Google and Head of Google Search, said “There is no one better than Scalenut to help businesses scale organic traffic. With deep domain expertise and passion to help businesses grow sustainably, I am super excited to be part of the team. Their recent growth has validated our belief and I am super excited for what’s in the store.” About Scalenut Scalenut was founded by Mayank Jain, Gaurav Goyal, and Saurabh Wadhawan. In early 2022, they launched their AI-powered SEO and content marketing platform for public use. The SaaS platform helps SMBs and mid-market businesses to scale content and grow sustainably through organic marketing. Other than thousands of SMBs across the world, Scalenut also counts leading enterprises like Snapdeal, PharmEasy, Foyr, Hubilo, and Mosaic Wellness as its clients. Learn more about Scalenut here: www.scalenut.com Contact Details Scalenut Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://www.scalenut.com/

August 26, 2022 10:24 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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DistroTV Expands Distribution, Now Streaming Free on VIZIO Smart TVs

DistroTV

DistroTV, the nation’s largest, independent, free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) app, today announced that it is expanding its content offerings to VIZIO (NYSE: VZIO). Now millions of VIZIO users can stream DistroTV’s impressive and diverse content lineup — 270 channels and growing, plus thousands of hours of VOD content — for free, anytime on the VIZIO Smart TV platform. DistroTV features more than 270 multicultural channels and is growing, with everything from news, sports, movies, music & entertainment, and lifestyle content. This includes original content and new channel offerings that cater to English, Southeast Asian / Indian and Spanish-speaking audiences, as well as a recently released channel bundle that targets the African community. Available to stream for free in more than 60 markets through its apps on streaming devices and smart TVs, as well as worldwide on the web through distro.tv, the platform truly features something for every viewer. With no registration, sign-up, or fees required. DistroTV’s comprehensive streaming library includes: An impressive wave of new channels available to stream for free that appeal to DistroTV’s core US, UK, and Canadian audiences, which includes a total of: 45 sports channels, with the most diverse collection of live & linear mainstream sports, combat sports, niche sports and outdoors channels, like Stadium, beIN SPORTS Xtra, Swerve Sports, IMPACT Wrestling Channel, FightNetwork, Wired2Fish, ACL Cornhole, MotoAmerica TV and FuelTV. Broad array of diverse movies & entertainment channels including CineLife by Magnolia Pictures, Kweli TV, Watch It Scream, FrightFlix, Bowery Classics, Dark Matter, CinePride and many more. 13 documentary channels, including Goalcast, Magellan TV, Beautiful Planet, and True History. Notable new additions to the entertainment, lifestyle & food category, including AXS TV Now, Trace Urban, Bite, Planet Eat, and GustoTV. A total of 21 Spanish-language channels available in North America, such as Estrella, beIN Sports XTRA Ñ, Top Cine, Canela.TV, Trace Latina, Casa Comedy and Spanglish and more Spanish language entertainment, movie, documentaries, news and sports channels. 36 live streaming DistroTV Desi South Asian news, entertainment, and music channels featuring WION, TimesNow, Mastiii, Epic, MirrorNow, BritAsia and much more. African channel bundle, DistroTV Africa, featuring 11 entertainment and music-oriented channels available to stream for free. Providing audiences in the U.S. and Canada with home screen access to must-have apps like Apple TV+, BET+, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, FuboTV, Netflix, Paramount+, Peacock, Prime Video and YouTube TV, VIZIO users now have round-the-clock access to DistroTV. VIZIO and DistroTV are aligned in their missions to provide content and access for everyone; including movies and syndicated TV shows in the sports, kids and family, news, lifestyle, gaming, and music categories, and more. “We are thrilled to join the VIZIO family, particularly at a time when we are continuing to grow our viewership and channel content at a rapid pace,” said Navdeep Saini, co-founder and CEO of DistroScale, parent company of DistroTV. “By expanding our distribution via VIZIO Smart TVs, we can continue to provide audiences with the content they crave, and all while maintaining our FAST no-sign up, credit card, or email required model.” “VIZIO appreciates DistroTV’s dedication to building personalized experiences for today’s streaming audience,” said Chris Tanquary, Senior Director of Business Development at VIZIO. “VIZIO strives to be a place where viewers have endless entertainment options across all categories and genres, so, there is something for everyone.” About DistroTV DistroTV is the largest, independent, free, ad-supported streaming television service on the market. Launched in 2019 by parent company DistroScale, the platform caters to a multicultural, rapidly expanding, globally-minded audience of passionate viewers. Satisfying the growing demand for premium video content in multiple languages, DistroTV delivers premium video content from producers globally across North America, the UK, Bollywood, Latin America, China, Southeast Asia, and growing. With more than 270 channels plus thousands of Video on Demand (VOD) shows, DistroTV cultivates content that covers a broad spectrum of topics to connect with peopleâs passion points around Entertainment, Lifestyle, Sports, News, Documentaries and International Content in live, linear and video-on-demand formats. DistroTV is available to stream for free on the web, as well as through Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and major smart TV platforms including VIZIO. About DistroScale DistroTV is the first direct-to-consumer offering from DistroScale, a technology company founded in 2013 and known for providing a global clientele of thousands of media properties with the industryâs most comprehensive video platform for web, apps, and streaming. DistroScale is an all-in-one solution providing infrastructure, content delivery, curation, analytics and a full suite of monetization options. Video enabled by DistroScale reaches more than 250 million visitors per month. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. To become a DistroTV viewer, visit www.distro.tv. More information on DistroScale & DistroTV is available at www.distroscale.com. About VIZIO Founded and headquartered in Orange County, California, our mission at VIZIO Holding Corp. (NYSE: VZIO) is to deliver immersive entertainment and compelling lifestyle enhancements that make our products the center of the connected home. We are driving the future of televisions through our integrated platform of cutting-edge Smart TVs and powerful operating system. We also offer a portfolio of innovative sound bars that deliver consumers an elevated audio experience. Our platform gives content providers more ways to distribute their content and advertisers more tools to connect with the right audience. For more information, visit VIZIO.com and follow VIZIO on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Contact Details DistroScale, Inc. DistroScale PR press@distroscale.com VIZIO - Fabric Media Melissa Hourigan +1 720-608-1919 melissa@fabricmedia.net Company Website https://www.distro.tv

August 26, 2022 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Minuteman Press Franchise in Swindon, England Reopens Doors After Flooding and Fire

Minuteman Press International Inc

Minuteman Press in Swindon, England has reopened its physical location at 19-21 Newport Street (Ground Floor – Newport House). After suffering water damage from flooding in July of 2021 and electrical fire damage in October of 2021, owner James Beckwith and his team continued to operate and serve clients as repairs were being made. James shares, “The community has been fantastic, we officially remained open the whole time taking orders from the website and emails, as well as keeping our phone lines open. We have had nothing but positive comments and folks telling us they are so happy we are back open. Some customers have commented that though they had to go elsewhere for a time, the quality of the print and the quality of the service just didn’t compare to what they received when working with us.” During this critical time and leading to the reopening of their facility, James was grateful to be part of the Minuteman Press franchise family, who stepped in and provided crucial support in many areas. James says, “Mark Jones (UK South Regional VP) and Richard Myers (local field rep) and Duncan Diesel (at MPIHQ) have been invaluable to us. I routinely spoke with Duncan on equipment decisions when ours was being replaced as well as marketing ideas and technical help with Minuteman Press FLEX software and the new website. Richard has been out to see us during the time we had no premises to work up a plan once we were back open and he has been out since opening to assist with production processes and marketing ideas. Mark Jones was always at the end of the phone if we needed advice on anything. He was very key in us making the decision to stay in our current premises when we were investigating moving locations.” Being part of the Minuteman Press system also enabled James to receive vital support from choice vendors like Xerox. James states, “I want to particularly give a shout out to Xerox. They were amazing throughout the entire process. The Xerox kit was always the most expensive shop item and there were lots of negotiations on price to replace the two Versants that were damaged. They ultimately gave us the opportunity to acquire the Xerox Iridesse and offline booklet maker to match the requirements from the two previous Versants while keeping the insurance company happy on cost. Xerox also gave me near free reign of their Uxbridge HQ where I was allowed to run one particular job on their presses every month for six or seven months.” Today, with the repairs finished, new equipment in place and new signage installed, James is excited about the upgrades that have been made to the business. He says, “Our offices and production area have been refurbished, and we can now provide more services than before.” James continues, “We now have totally new kit, and because it is so versatile, we can offer more options than before, with an even faster turnaround. The new Xerox Iridesse is a full production press allowing us more and faster capabilities as well as improved image quality over our previous presses.” He adds, “Even our booklet-making capacity has improved. Whereas before, making a large number of booklets could take several hours, we can now produce up to 3,000 booklets in an hour.” James further explains the benefits of the new equipment installed at Minuteman Press in Swindon: “The Iridesse is absolutely amazing. The image quality is second to none. The job that I would run at Xerox HQ was a monthly magazine run for a local village. 1050 copies, ranging from 20 – 32 pages each month. On our Versants, the job would take 6 – 8 hours. Now the entire job takes us about 2 hours!” We were able to update our Duplo 615 to the 618 and that piece of kit is a dream. Touch screen, easy to configure and very dependable. We replaced our SureColour T5200 with the same model, however now we have the large format scanner which was one area we were sorely lacking. Customers would routinely come in with paper plans looking to get copies or scans and we would have to turn them away, now we can handle the full job for them. We replaced our HP Latex 330 with the Latex 335 that has the Print & Cut feature. We couldn’t be happier with the decision. We are still getting our feet wet with the Print & Cut, but so far we are producing work on all the new kit.” Minuteman Press in Swindon also plans to re-add dye sublimation and add a self-service area for walk-in customers who need a simple print job. James says, “This is really ideal if someone wants a return label printed, for example. We always offered this kind of service for customers, but soon they will be able to do it on a DIY basis.” James concludes, “We are happy to be back in our new and improved facility, and we are excited to continue to welcome back our clients. We are so thankful for them and all of the help we’ve received from our community and MPIHQ, and now we are ready to serve our clients better than ever before.” For more information about Minuteman Press in Swindon, visit https://minuteman.com/uk/locations/england/swindon/ To learn more about #1 rated Minuteman Press franchise opportunities and to see Minuteman Press franchise reviews, visit https://minutemanpressfranchise.co.uk or https://minutemanpressfranchise.com Contact Details Chris Biscuiti +1 631-249-1370 cbiscuiti@mpihq.com Company Website https://minutemanpressfranchise.com

August 26, 2022 05:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Direct Help for Mass Shootings Families and the Communities that Experience Them

YourUpdateTV

Mass shootings seem like a weekly event but what hasn’t changed is the need to support victims and their families after the attention fades while helping provide help to the communities experiencing the unthinkable. Those who comprise VictimsFirst know this personally as they all have been directly impacted by mass shootings. After her cousin was killed in the Aurora theater shooting in 2012, VictimsFirst CEO Anita Busch learned firsthand of the challenges faced by survivors and families and has put that knowledge to work directly helping in the aftermath of 37 shootings so far. Another family member survived the Las Vegas concert during that attack. Busch then led families of the deceased from previous mass shootings from Columbine, VA Tech, NIU, Aurora, Oak Creek Sikh Temple and Newtown to help create a new model for charitable giving – one that ensures public intent so that 100% of donations collected for victims of mass casualty crime actually go directly to those victims. They helped launch the National Compassion Fund. Now some of those same families comprise VictimsFirst. It was for these worthy reasons that D S Simon Media decided to partner with VictimsFirst to conduct a pro bono media tour to raise awareness for the work that they do. “Victims First is an incredible organization. They’re passionate about their important mission, helping people during a time in which their lives have been changed forever” said D S Simon Media, CEO, Doug Simon. “And my hope is that everyone who learns about them, decides to support them.” VictimsFirst responds immediately to mass casualty crimes by helping the community organize in the best interests of the victims/survivors themselves and providing resources, including immediate financial resources to the victim base. They work pro bono and 100% collected into their Victims’ Fund goes directly to victims/survivors. The resulting media tour resulted in 28 interviews across the country, an expected audience reach of over 60 million, and immediate donations in markets where the media tour interviews took place. For more information, visit VictimsFirst.org Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

August 25, 2022 05:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Has This Company ‘Sekured’ Safe Messaging In The Wild West Of User Data Protection?

Sekur Private Data Ltd

Concern has reportedly grown in recent years about insecure messaging and data harvesting of private electronic activity. This has seemingly been countered by a steady shift toward data encryption as one solution, but widespread online protection remains a relatively new, underdeveloped field. Nevertheless, text messaging, multimedia messaging and app-to-app messaging have exploded in the past couple of decades. On a daily basis, 27 billion texts, 60 billion WhatsApp messages and 319 billion emails are sent worldwide. All of these messages constitute data, which is precious and personal, as reflected in the saying, “Data is the new oil,” coined by mathematician Clive Humby. Unfortunately, many companies might be unscrupulous about harvesting and selling users’ private data. Numerous scandals cropped up in recent years, which indicates that users’ data is not safe. For example, the Cambridge Analytica breach in 2018, which involved Meta Platforms Inc. ’s (NASDAQ: META) Facebook platform allowing data to be used for political advertising; LinkedIn having a major data breach, with all its users’ data posted to the dark web; and users en masse ditching WhatsApp in 2021 over secure messaging concerns. In response to these events, alternative messaging platforms have popped up in the past few years. Prominent among these are Signal, Telegram and Threema. These platforms remain almost exclusively focused on messaging, possibly leaving the field open for a company to produce a more comprehensive, self-sufficient system that replicates the data storage and communication offerings of mainstream companies but on a secure and encrypted platform. The Platform Inviting Communication Expansion? Sekur Private Data Ltd. (OTCQX: SWISF) is building an ecosystem it says is based on protecting privacy while maximizing efficient use — the Switzerland-hosted company uses a proprietary, non-open source, military-grade encryption service that runs off Swiss International Standard for Organization-certified data centers that house Sekur’s private servers. Using its own servers means the system avoids any main cloud service, provided by companies like Alphabet Inc. 's (NASDAQ: GOOGL) Google and Microsoft Corp. ’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) Azure, which can reportedly be more vulnerable to hacking and data breaches. Sekur’s comprehensive Communications platform goes beyond messaging. It includes messaging, chat-by-invite, letting Sekur users message non-Sekur users and includes secure instant messaging, group creation, audio recordings, encrypted email with proprietary SekurSend feature and a 100Gb storage for its SekurMail solution. Sekur’s Data and document management suite includes secure email, document storage, disaster recovery and encrypted password management. The company reports that unlimited storage is available for Sekur messages, and all data is securely backed up multiple times in multiple locations in Switzerland. The plethora of social media apps can be overwhelming and may discourage people from using obscure messaging apps. But Sekur says its secure and private ecosystem can communicate with users outside of its platform through its recently developed Chat-By-Invites function. Chat-By-Invite uses email or text messaging to invite a user who is not on Sekur to message privately and securely via the Sekur platform without using the app or purchasing the service. After the conversation, the Sekur user has the ability to destroy the messages at both ends of the communication and wipe them from the server, protecting the integrity of the secure system. Another advantage of the Sekur platform is that it does not require users to give their phone numbers to register, reducing dramatically the risk of hacks and creating a more private experience for senders and recipients. This function is also available for emails with SekurSend. Sekur’s Chat-By-Invite and SekurSend initiatives are seen as important because they provide a cohesive platform with the flexibility to reach beyond itself while data privacy is maintained. Sekur Chat-By-Invite has facilitated conversations in over 61 countries covering a population of over 3.4 billion, and the company says it will continue to expand to more countries as a global messaging service. “We are excited to have released Chat-By-Invite via SMS,” Sekur Private Data CEO Alain Ghiai said. “This milestone puts us closer to offering a unique package of secure and private communications to individuals, businesses and governments looking to protect their communications without having to divulge their phone numbers, without data mining and without forcing the recipient to also download the same application. “We look forward to continuing to offer true data privacy to all individuals and their businesses and protect their intellectual property and their privacy, from data miners and malicious hackers.” To learn more about Sekur Private Data Ltd., visit its website. Sekur Private Data Ltd. is a Cybersecurity and Internet privacy provider of Swiss hosted solutions for secure communications and secure data management. The Company distributes a suite of secure cloud-based storage, disaster recovery, document management, encrypted e-mails, and secure communication tools. Sekur Private Data Ltd. sells its products through its websites www.sekur.com and www.sekursuite.com, and approved distributors, and telecommunications companies worldwide. Sekur Private Data Ltd. serves consumers, businesses and governments worldwide. This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Corporate Department corporate@sekurprivatedata.com Company Website https://sekur.com/en/about

August 25, 2022 03:39 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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This Company Believes Biometrics Could Be One Of The New Super Powers Of The Digital World

BIO-key International, Inc.

In March 2017, Netflix’s official Twitter Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) account tweeted "love is sharing a password." Five years later, media reports created a furor, hinting that Netflix was considering ways to curtail password sharing with people beyond the main user’s household. Password sharing on digital streaming platforms like Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) and Amazon.com Inc. ’s (NASDAQ: AMZN) Prime Video is common practice with multiple people sharing a single account with different user profiles. But what Netflix has taken issue with now, and is trying to curtail, is the unauthorized and illegal sharing of passwords through password-sharing marketplaces run by bad actors, which it says costs the company more than $6 million in annual revenue loss. The consequences of credential-related cyber crime could prove to be very expensive for organizations if the spate of reported incidents is anything to go by. Some of the most significant password-related security breaches of the last year include those at Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT), SolarWinds Corp. (NYSE: SWI), and GoDaddy Inc. (NYSE: GDDY). Microsoft reported a cyberattack by Chinese hacking group Hafnium, which targeted thousands of its servers across the United States and affected government agencies and businesses, exposing the email communications of each affected organization. In a separate incident, U.S. government agencies were compromised in a series of nationwide attacks involving software from the cyber security firm SolarWinds where hackers reportedly exploited a vulnerability in its network monitoring software, allowing them to infiltrate companies that were using that software and gain access to their email communications. Cybercriminals apparently had access to GoDaddy’s systems for over two months before they were detected and their access blocked, by which time considerable damage had already been done. Rising Cyber Crime Could Be Driving Companies’ Focus Toward Identity And Access Management User credentials are the entry point to an organization’s data, and securing the network and access to data has become a top priority for businesses in the highly digital world. Companies like BIO-key International Inc. (NASDAQ: BKYI), 3M Co. (NYSE: MMM), Fujitsu Ltd. (TYO: 6702), and Safran SA (SAF.PA) provide secure access management solutions in different parts of the world could play an important role in addressing the challenges that are inherent with password-based security solutions and the risk and cost associated with traditional methods of access management. More organizations are moving away from password-based solutions to biometric authentication. Identity-Bound Biometrics (IBB) provides a type of authentication that verifies the actual identity of the individual behind the keyboard, and BIO-key says its world-class biometric platform integrates into its customers’ Identity and Access Management (IAM) strategy. The company reports that it offers multiple Identity and Access Management system options when it comes to enforcing stronger security and multi-factor authentication. It is showcasing new innovations at the Gartner Identity and Access Management (IAM) Summit (Booth 232) at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, August 22-24th. At the Summit, BIO-key will highlight new authentication methods, as additions to its current PalmPositive TM palm scanning method, for its BIO-key MobileAuth ™ mobile app, including FacePositive™ for server-secured facial recognition, device-based biometrics for Android and iOS, and new push token support. It boasts decades of expertise in the field and claims it has a proven track record of successful Identity & Access Management (IAM) project delivery and strong customer relationships in financial services, healthcare, education, manufacturing, communication, transportation, and government. BIO-key says its signature product — PortalGuard® IDaaS (Identity-as-a-Service) — has flexible single sign-on and various authentication options to meet the security goals of most modern organizations to deliver an optimized user experience. Features the company says make PortalGuard an attractive access management solution include: Accessibility to a suite of apps from multiple devices without requiring the user to manage numerous, difficult-to-remember passwords. Multi-factor Authentication (MFA), including biometric authentication options like Identity-Bound Biometrics, to prevent unauthorized access if an attempt to access an application is made from outside of the company’s usual geography. Reduced operational costs and a less heavy burden on tech support to enable password resets because users can quickly reset their own passwords using their fingerprint as their authentication method of choice. To learn more about BIO-key’s biometric solutions visit the company webpage. BIO-key is revolutionizing authentication and cybersecurity with biometric-centric, multi-factor identity and access management (IAM) software managing millions of users. Its cloud-based PortalGuard IAM solution provides cost-effective, easy to deploy, convenient and secure access to devices, information, applications, and high-value transactions. BIO-key's patented software and hardware solutions, with industry-leading Identity-Bound Biometric (IBB) capabilities, enable large-scale Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS) solutions, as well as customized on premises solutions. This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Catalyst IR- William Jones, David Collins +1 212-924-9800 BKYI@catalyst-ir.com Company Website https://www.bio-key.com/

August 25, 2022 03:16 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Tips on Navigating the Back-to-School Season

YourUpdateTV

A new school year brings the return of many emotions – excitement, happiness, and of course, a little stress. Siri Daly is partnering with Juicy Juice and recently participated in a nationwide satellite media tour to share her tips for conquering the organized chaos of back-to-school mornings. A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/SeVtdSpQXLk With the school year just kicking-off, it’s inevitable for parents to be running around the house in the morning, scrambling to get the kids ready for school and out the door. Siri’s advice? Plan, plan, plan. Planning out outfits, schedules, and of course, lunches, helps to create a sense of calm in the morning. When it comes to packing those lunches, Siri suggests switching things up and asking the kids what they want to eat. If they ask for something specific, they’re more likely to eat it once at school – even if it’s leftovers from the night before! To help parents with lunches, Siri has created lunchbox ideas to add into the monthly rotation that are budget-friendly, well-balanced, and delicious enough that kids look forward to eating them each day. The lunchbox ideas call for simple staples and Juicy Juice 100% juice – an easy choice for mom and kids with a variety of flavors, no added sugar, no high fructose corn syrup and no artificial sweeteners. Here’s a taste of Siri’s kid-friendly lunches that can be prepped the night before to move through mornings with ease: PB&J Roll-ups+ Pretzels + Grapes + Juicy Juice 100% Juice, Fruit Punch Cheesy Egg Bites + Cherry Tomatoes + Tortilla Chips + Juicy Juice 100% Juice, Grape Cheese & Salami Kabob + Crackers + Cucumbers + Yogurt + Juicy Juice 100% Juice, Berry Juicy Juice is also giving parents the chance to win money for back-to-school supplies and groceries to make Siri’s lunchbox ideas. Each week for four weeks, one grand prize winner will win a $1,000 gift card and 10 others will win a $100 gift card. Juicy Juice will share a weekly post on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter asking followers to answer a question about their back-to-school moments. To enter, parents must follow @JuicyJuiceUSA, either post a photo or comment on Juice Juice’s weekly post in response to the prompt and include the following hashtags: #SIRIouslyRealBTS and #Sweepstakes. Parents can go to JuicyJuice.com/backtoschool to download and print the lunchbox calendar and learn more about the SIRIously Real Back-to-School Sweepstakes. About Siri Daly: Siri Daly is quickly leaving her mark on the entertainment-lifestyle landscape. She is the founder of Siriously Delicious, a popular food blog that chronicles real-life cooking and a former Food Contributor on the TODAY show where she still regularly appears as a guest chef for cooking segments. In addition to Siri’s primary Instagram, Siriously Delicious, she also has a comedic Instagram account, Real Moms Wear Grey where she shares a personal take on being a mom. Siri’s first cookbook, Siriously Delicious: 100 Nutritious (and Not So Nutritious) Recipes for the Real Home Cook was published by Time, Inc. books in 2018. Siri, along with her husband, Carson Daly and their four children live in the greater New York area. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

August 25, 2022 02:04 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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How Will Social Media Adapt to the Advertising Squeeze?

QYOU Media

ValueTheMarkets.com News Commentary - Total worldwide internet users numbered 5 billion in April 2022, with Statista data showing 4.65 billion people use social media as numbers continue to rise. But with advertising spending knocked lower, how are social media businesses adapting? This article discusses the issue with reference to Twitter (NASDAQ: TWTR), Snap (NYSE: SNAP), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and QYOU Media (TSX: QYOU) (OTCQB: QYOUF). QYOU Media (TSX: QYOU) (OTCQB: QYOUF) operates as a media company, producing and distributing content created by social media influencers, artists and digital content creators on television networks, satellite television, over-the-top media and mobile platforms. The company also manages influencer marketing campaigns for major film studios and key household brands. QYOU Media’s most recent earnings, which covered the three-month period ended 31 March, showed that the company had grown revenue by an astronomical increase of 2,410% against the same period 12 months prior. The business expects that, even with advertising headwinds, each of the rest of its quarterly updates across the year ahead will show record revenues. That expectation comes as the company’s Chtrbox subsidiary, which is one of India’s leading creator-powered companies connecting brands and social media influencers, has announced the launch of a new division. The ChtrSocial division will focus on helping brands multiply their social audiences with modern creative methods, including micro-videos and personalized brand storytelling. QYOU Media says the operation will offer cost effective and scalable solutions to community building for brands, allowing brands to become digital creators themselves. It sounds like an attractive offering in an environment where many advertisers are cutting back on advertising spend, while also focusing more on social media. With QYOU Media’s wealth of experience in influencer marketing on-hand, ChtrSocial could be an exciting project. Twitter (NASDAQ: TWTR), which was cofounded by Jack Dorsey, provides online social networking and microblogging service, offering users the ability to follow other users' activity, read and post tweets. It might be one of the planet’s major players when it comes to social media, but the business has had a rocky ride over recent months. The company’s second quarter earnings saw average monetizable daily active usage rise by 16.6% on the same period in 2021. Even so, revenue dropped from $1.19bn to $1.18bn amid advertising headwinds. However, the company also blamed the drop on instability associated with Elon Musk’s $44bn takeover bid. In fact, Twitter is now suing the enigmatic South African billionaire in an effort to force him to follow through on the accepted bid. Legal wrangling could hurt the business further, but Twitter is unlikely to let the matter drop as Musk’s bid, which equated to $54.20 per share, represents a premium on the current share value. These difficulties may have contributed to the decision to increase the Twitter Blue service’s monthly price, which is climbing from $2.99 to $4.99 for new subscribers. However, subscription and other revenue decreased in the company’s most recent quarter, falling by 27% to $101m. This decline, coupled with the miniscule contribution from subscription revenue compared to ad revenue, calls into question the company’s capacity to deal with slowing ad revenues. With advertising revenue likely to dip, other industry peers also seem to be on the lookout for new or enhanced revenue streams. Snap (NYSE: SNAP) is one company trying out the subscription model for size. The business provides technology and social media services, developing mobile camera application products and services that allow users to send and receive photos, drawings, text and videos. The company, which runs the Snapchat platform, has changed its executive team amid advertising troubles but is having some success with new monetization efforts. The business is offering users a ‘premium’ service in the form of Snapchat+, available for $3.99 a month. It has seen some success, with Snap confirming that it had brought in more than 1 million subscribers less than six weeks after launch. Even without the potentially major impact of this subscription service, Snap reported revenue growth of 13% in its most recent earnings update. In its current state, this contribution is minor compared to the company’s overall revenue of more than $1bn in its second quarter, but the company will be hoping it is the springboard to further growth. CEO Evan Spiegel has hinted there could be further changes, stating the company is aiming to cultivate “new sources of revenue to help diversify our topline growth”. But when it comes to social media subscriptions, there is one offering which leads the way. Headed by Satya Nadella, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) offers applications, extra cloud storage, and advanced security solutions, serving customers worldwide. It might not be the first company you associate with social media, but the software giant’s business networking oriented social media offering, LinkedIn, looks to have been going from strength to strength. Microsoft acquired LinkedIn for $26.2bn in 2016, with the aim to grow the site and integrate software such as Office 365. Since then, it has achieved significant growth and become something of a money spinner. In the company’s most recent earnings, which covered the three-month period ended 30 June 2022, LinkedIn revenue jumped by 26% compared to the same period a year prior. This increase came even as Microsoft’s platform was impacted by a general downturn in advertising spend. The company has long operated a premium subscription service for users, which allows them to access in-depth statistics about their profiles, better visibility in messaging and access to training courses. Microsoft is also pushing ahead with integration of LinkedIn with its huge library of software applications, with one of the latest updates including integration with video chat software Teams. The software giant will be hoping that its multiple revenue streams and powerful synergy with other applications will mean that LinkedIn can continue to rake in the revenue despite an advertising slowdown. ValueTheMarkets.com News Commentary IMPORTANT NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER PAID ADVERTISEMENT This communication is a paid advertisement. 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August 22, 2022 11:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Florida Pell Grant Recipients Eligible for Free Internet Service

Comcast Florida

Students in Florida receiving Federal Pell Grants attending public or private colleges and universities may be eligible for another federal program that could cover their monthly internet bills. The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) provides qualified individuals and households with a monthly credit of up to $30 to pay for internet and/or cellular phone service. Comcast is an ACP program participant and qualified customers can use the ACP credit towards any tier of Xfinity Internet service, including Internet Essentials. Internet Essentials is Comcast’s signature digital equity initiative and the nation’s largest and most comprehensive broadband adoption program. It provides low-cost, in-home internet service for qualified households, the option to purchase an Internet-ready computer for less than $150 before taxes, plus multiple ways to access online digital literacy and skills training. The Internet Essentials tier offers 50 Mbps internet service for $9.95 a month for qualified households. The new Internet Essentials Plus tier offers 100 Mbps internet service, which is twice as fast, and costs $29.95 a month. The ACP’s $30 a month credit for internet and/or cellular phone service completely covers the monthly bill for Internet Essentials or Internet Essentials Plus. According to a study by Educationdata.org, 34% of undergraduate students nationwide received a Pell Grant in the 2020-2021 school year, including nearly 490,000 in Florida. Pell Grants are awarded based on annual household income, household size, and the number of dependents. “Pursuing a college education is expensive and students need all the financial support they can get,” said Javier Garcia, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Comcast in Florida. “By combining the ACP $30 per month credit with our Internet Essentials program, broadband service can be free for qualifying college students, and they can free up money in their budgets for other necessities like books, groceries or gasoline.” For more than a decade, Comcast has been committed to advancing digital equity, connecting 10 million low-income Americans to Internet Essentials and the resources necessary to navigate and excel in an increasingly digital world. In 2021, Comcast announced Project UP, a 10-year $1B commitment to reach 50 million people from low-income households and provide tools, resources, skills, and training to bridge the digital divide and unlock unlimited possibilities. For more information on Internet Essentials and the ACP, visit www.internetessentials.com or call 1-855-8-INTERNET (1-855-846-8376). Contact Details Comcast Florida Region Cindy Arco +1 904-738-3412 cynthia_arco@comcast.com Company Website https://florida.comcast.com/

August 22, 2022 10:32 AM Eastern Daylight Time