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Velocity Global achieves ISO 27001 international data security certification

Velocity Global

Velocity Global, the leading provider of global employment solutions, announced today it achieved ISO 27001:2013 certification, the international standard for information security management. The ISO 27001 standard, published by the International Organization for Standardization, specifies the requirements to establish, implement, maintain, and continually improve an information security management system (ISMS). Brands rely on Velocity Global’s expertise and global infrastructure to hire a compliant global workforce without the cost or complexity of setting up their own foreign legal entities or state registrations. As the Employer of Record (EoR), Velocity Global manages in-country and in-state compliance, payroll, and benefits for its clients’ supported employees. “Compliance is a cornerstone of our business and our industry, and this third-party certification demonstrates our commitment to uphold the highest international security standards,” said Dave Martelon, Velocity Global chief technology officer. “Hundreds of brands trust us with their data, and more importantly, that of their global remote workforce. We foster a culture of security to earn the trust of our clients, and this milestone is a testament to the dedication of our team.” Clients that use EoR services rely on Velocity Global to remain compliant with global employment regulations, including protecting sensitive data for their supported employees. Non-compliance is costly and disruptive to their business. The ISO 27001 certification validates Velocity Global’s data security process according to the standard that also emphasizes continuous improvement, aiding the company’s ability to stay ahead of evolving global legislation. Velocity Global announced its ISO 27001 certification just weeks after it announced a $100 million growth investment from private equity firm FFL Partners, and its acquisition of iWorkGlobal, an established authority in global workforce management. The combined company is the largest global Employer of Record at scale, in 185 countries and all 50 United States. Velocity Global also offers Independent Contractor Compliance to assess a workforce and Agent of Record (AoR) to streamline payments to contractors globally. The company achieved its certification from Schellman & Company, LLC, a leading independent provider of attestation and compliance services. Velocity Global's certification is publicly available for verification at Schellman’s certification directory. ABOUT VELOCITY GLOBAL Velocity Global accelerates the future of work beyond borders. Its platform enables businesses to employ remote teams and expand internationally through global expertise, best-in-breed technology, and scale. More than 700 brands rely on its Employer of Record model and infrastructure, also called an International PEO (Professional Employer Organization), in 185 countries and all 50 United States to compliantly employ thousands of supported employees, access global talent, and grow revenue. Named a “Leader” in Global Employer of Record services by prominent analyst firm NelsonHall, Velocity Global is a strategic partner to its clients through additional comprehensive services including Immigration, Independent Contractor Compliance to assess a workforce, and Agent of Record (AoR) to streamline payments to contractors globally. Founded in 2014, the company is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, with regional headquarters in Amsterdam, Bogotá, and Singapore, with local employees in 16 countries. Contact Details John Hall +1 720-650-4348 johnhall@velocityglobal.com Company Website https://velocityglobal.com/

April 27, 2021 07:02 AM Mountain Daylight Time

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Make Mother’s Day Personal with Shutterfly

YourUpdateTV

After a year like no other, no one deserves to be celebrated quite like mom. Whether for a new mom, grand-mom, pet mom or plant mom, the best way to celebrate the mom in your life is to give something unique and personalized. In fact, a recent survey conducted by Shutterfly revealed that when talking to consumers about personalized gifts more than 85% believe that giving a personalized gift is more meaningful and almost one-third do so to connect with others. A personalized gift is a great way to share all of the moments- both big and small that were missed with family or friends this past year. Jim Hilt, President of Shutterfly Inc. conducted a nationwide media tour in conjunction with YourUpdate Tv to share his recommendations for the best ways to honor and celebrate mom (or any special person) this Mother’s Day. Here are some of the favorites perfect for any mom: Photo Tiles: (From $14.99) Transform your most memorable photos or best “mom quotes” into works of art with lightweight, portable photo tiles. The high-quality metal tiles are hung with a double-sided adhesive, which means no tools, nails or hooks required. Customized Blanket: (From $34.99) Wrap your mom or someone special in cozy fleece. Personalize with your favorite photos, names, or quote for a one- of-a-kind blanket and share a “hug” even if you’re still physically apart this year. Breakfast plates: ($ 9.99) Serve mom breakfast in bed on a plate that’s uniquely to her. Just add your favorite photos or words to add personalization to these ready-made designs. Photo Books: (From $9.99) Remember all the moments of the last year that are hard to forget with a personalized photo book. Available in a multitude of styles and sizes, this is a perfect gift for moms who haven’t seen their loved ones in quarantine. Drinkware: (From $8.50) From coffee to wine, mom can sip from the cup of her choice and indulge in that all-too-important “me time.” Personalized Jewelry: (From $41.99) Custom jewelry designed by you is a unique gift for anyone on your list. From bar necklaces to charm bracelets and key rings, these one-of-a-kind pieces of customized jewelry will be treasured forever. About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

April 23, 2021 03:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Embracing Diversity in Haircare

YourUpdateTV

Diversity in haircare is a lot more than just putting someone with curly hair in a campaign. It's about understanding what that hair really needs to look its best and making sure those needs are met. Recently, Matrix Artistic Director and Ulta Senior Vice President, Store & Services Operations, Nick Stenson, teamed with YourUpdateTV on a satellite media tour to discuss the importance of brands embracing diversity in haircare and some popular new trends and products. A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/wHiK92Bzu1s Haircare giant Matrix is rebranding, and a major part of its overhaul is making serious moves to address the fact that the country is getting increasingly more diverse. With more and more people embracing their natural hair textures, it's crucial for haircare brands to make sure that everyone's hair-care needs are served. Enter the "Hair Diversity Matrix”. The system, created in collaboration with internal labs, hairstylists, and the brand's education community, consists of four key dimensions: level, underlying pigment, diameter, and pattern. The Hair Diversity Matrix ensures that all products and education materials are developed to address the needs of every hair type. Nick’s favorite new product? The Unbreak My Blonde Collection. Now salon clients can take home an effective survival kit, designed to strengthen, nourish, and revive lightened, bleached, colored and chemically-treated hair after they leave the salon. The new MATRIX Total Results Unbreak My Blonde three-part system leaves hair 3x stronger after lightening, highlights or any in-salon chemical service and works for all hair types and textures. The innovative, sulfate-free formulas feature citric acid, which reinforces the structural bonds that are often compromised by hair color, bleach, and texturizing chemicals. For more information, visit Matrix.com About Nick Stenson: As an international beauty expert and celebrity stylist, Nick Stenson advises a wide range of celebrity clients, film directors, theatre touring companies, network news programs and the elite of New York’s Fashion Week. He routinely flexes his fashion muscle to establish an ever-changing vogue in beauty trend innovation for both hair and skin. As the Chief Artistic Director for ULTA Beauty, Nick has the privilege of setting the course for salon and services direction through trend development, as well as for training and advising stylists at over 950 salons and stores across the country. As the Chief Artistic Director for ULTA Beauty, Nick has the privilege of setting the course for salon and services direction through trend development, as well as for training and advising stylists at over 950 salons and stores across the country. As Artistic Director and celebrity stylist for Matrix, a L'OREAL brand, Nick serves as a platform artist and spokesperson to some of the world’s best stylists at national venues such as Matrix Imagination, Destination Premiere, America’s Beauty Show and other industry trade shows. About Matrix: MATRIX, the leading professional haircare and haircolor company in the United States, is part of L’Oréal USA's Professional Products Division. Founded in 1980, MATRIX is committed to the development of the salon professional and offers a wide range of products including: COLORGRAPHICS, COLORINSIDER, SOCOLORSync, Logics, Oil Wonders, SOBOOST, SOCOLOR, Style Link, and Total Results (MATRIX professional products are available only in salons and can be guaranteed authentic when purchased from authorized retailers.) Visit Matrix.com for hairstyle and haircolor inspiration as well as MATRIX trends and tips! About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

April 23, 2021 12:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Inovo catalyses global investors as it closes new fund on €54m, to scale Polish startups

Inovo

Inovo, the venture capital fund investing in technology startups across Poland and Central & Eastern European region (CEE), has today announced the final close of its second fund, Inovo II, at €54m. A range of global funds, entrepreneurs and family offices joined the European Investment Fund (EIF) as the cornerstone investor. Inovo specialises in identifying disruptive tech startups and supporting their development and growth through participation in early-stage, post-traction seed and Series A funding. Having a diverse range of LPs in the fund will enable portfolio companies to secure global funding as they scale and expand abroad. The new fund has already committed funding to several investment opportunities with leading international investors, including European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Andreessen Horowitz, Hoxton Ventures and Point Nine Capital. Notable investments include: Spacelift, Infermedica, Jutro Medical, AI Clearing, Zowie, Preply, Packhelp, Intiaro, Tidio, Allset and Eyerim. This fundraise follows the success of Inovo I which generated 3.2x return on investments from a portfolio of 15 high-growth tech startups, most of which have since been sold profitably, two have IPO’d, and three top-performing remain in the portfolio. One of the remaining investments is Booksy, the marketplace for beauty services where Inovo invested at the Seed stage. Now the company is one of the world’s top 100 marketplaces with 10 million app downloads and raised $70m in a Series C round (led by CatRock). Booksy is widely considered to become one of the first unicorn startups (those that have a valuation of $1b) from Poland. Tomasz Swieboda, Managing Partner at Inovo commented: “The tech ecosystem in the CEE region is growing at an exceptional pace. In Poland the growth rate is 70% year-on-year. In 2020, almost €500m in venture capital was deployed to 300 companies, which will almost certainly grow this year. It is our expectation that this decade will produce 10 unicorns and a few decacorns from Poland.” With the launch of its second fund, Inovo is aiming to cement its reputation as one of the leading early stage investors in Poland and the CEE region, while helping enterprising startups realize their potential, paving the way for later-stage funding from international VCs. “With 38 million people, Poland is a large market itself. Last year we've seen IPOs of two tech companies valued at over $1bn and focused on the domestic market - Allegro and InPost. Market size is both an advantage and an obstacle, resulting in Polish ecosystem being not very well connected to the West. At Inovo we strive to change that. We are perfectly placed to act as a catalyst to accommodate the new wave of ambitious local founders who want to follow in the footsteps of Booksy, Brainly and Docplanner and target global markets. Through our collaborative approach and international network we can help bridge them to larger investors ” added Tomasz Swieboda. Stefan Batory, Cofounder & CEO at Booksy commented: “The growth of the Polish startup ecosystem will accelerate after seeing success stories, proving that it’s possible to build global businesses out of the CEE region. I am certain that Booksy will serve as one such example, and then many will follow in our footsteps. However, for this to happen, startups need access to VCs like Inovo, which will provide not only capital, but also guidance and international connections for businesses to scale rapidly.” About Inovo Inovo is a venture capital fund investing in rapidly growing tech companies at Seed / Series A across Poland and the Central and Eastern Europe region (CEE). We back early-stage, post-traction startups with up to €3M of initial investment, and help them build global brands, while driving growth of the local startup ecosystem. We take great pride in being close to top founders who think big. We’re investors in: Booksy, Restaumatic, Sotrender, Infermedica, Spacelift, Tidio, AI Clearing, Zowie, Jutro Medical, Intiaro, Packhelp, Preply, Eyerim, Allset. Contact Details Inovo Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://inovo.vc/

April 22, 2021 09:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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NAMEPA’s Maritime Sustainability Program Receives Global Recognition

North American Marine Environment Protection Association

Green4Sea has announced that the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) has won the 2021 Green4Sea Initiative Award for its CSR/ESG (Corporate Social Responsibility/Environment, Social and Governance) Maritime Sustainability Program. The Green4Sea award is given to an organization that has sparked, realized, or significantly contributed with a specific initiative towards greener shipping. NAMEPA is extremely proud of its contribution to the maritime industry with its CSR/ESG Program being the first known standards program of its kind developed especially for the maritime industry. Successful participants of NAMEPA’s CSR/ESG Program receive the Maritime Sustainability Passport and MSP Seal, signifying a participant has met, or exceeded benchmarks set by the program. The program encompasses the three strategies of CSR/ESG: environment, corporate governance, environment and the human element. “After reviewing the global maritime landscape, and verifying with The Governance and Accountability Institute, we have learned that NAMEPA’s CSR/ESG is the only ESG accreditation standard for maritime,” stated Carleen Lynden Walker, NAMEPA’s Co-Founder and Executive Director. “We are honored that we can provide this opportunity for the industry to be credibly recognized for its high standards on these measures which are important to the public as well as investors in shipping and the industry at large.” The first companies to qualify for NAMEPA’s Maritime Sustainability Passport were Cargill, The American Club and Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). These three exemplary companies successfully completed all three phases of the program, including supplying supporting documentation for their claims. Their submissions were then evaluated by a team of independent assessors to determine whether they met the criteria of the CSR/ESG Program and were eligible to receive NAMEPA’s MSP Certificate and Seal. Cargill, The American Club and MSC successfully demonstrated to the assessors their qualifications to receive the Maritime Sustainability Passport, and have proven their dedication and continuing efforts to Save Our Seas. “The maritime industry is rapidly recognizing the importance of demonstrating its commitment to sustainability” stated NAMEPA Chairman Joe Hughes, CEO and President of the Shipowners Claims Bureau. “NAMEPA identified the need to provide the industry with a standard guideline of expectations relating to a company’s efforts in CSR/ESG. We are pleased to provide this tool for the industry to support its efforts towards sustainability.” To learn more about NAMEPA’s CSR/ESG Program, visit NAMEPA's CSR/ESG Maritime Sustainability Program - NAMEPA or email CSR-ESGProgram@nameapa.net with any relevant questions. The program is offered to NAMEPA members at no cost to qualify for the Maritime Sustainability Passport and receive the MSP seal. Non-members are welcome to apply to participate at a cost of $2000 or become NAMEPA members and have the fee waived. To protect the proprietary information of the qualifying companies, NAMEPA offers a non-disclosure agreement. The North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) was officially launched in 2007. NAMEPA is a marine industry-led organization of environmental stewards preserving the marine environment by promoting sustainable marine industry best practices and educating seafarers, students and the public about the need and strategies for protecting global ocean, lake and river resources. For more information, go to www.namepa.net. Contact Details NAMEPA Carleen Lyden Walker +1 203-255-4686 executivedirector@namepa.net Company Website https://namepa.net/

April 21, 2021 12:01 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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How 529 College Savings Plans Work by Jennifer Lang Financial Services

Jennifer Lang Financial Services, LLC

Contact Details Jennifer Lang Financial Services, LLC. Jennifer Lang +1 877-487-8926 mail@jenniferlangfinancialservices.com Company Website https://www.jenniferlangfinancialservices.com

April 20, 2021 10:05 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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CMMC Center of Excellence Announces Engagement Agreement with CICER ONE TECHNOLOGIES

Interoperability Clearinghouse

The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Center of Excellence ( CMMC COE ), hosted by the Information Technology Acquisition Advisory Council (IT-AAC), a public-private partnership serving the public and private sectors for more than 15 years, is excited to announce a partnership with Cicer One Technologies, an innovative company with a suite of communications and data management and protection tools that are specifically designed to end 3rd party exposure of sensitive information, to protect CUI, intellectual property and sensitive financial, customer, and employee data. Decentralized Autonomous Edge Computing by Cicer One Technologies Inc provides turn-key compliance solutions for CMMC, NIST 800-171, ITAR and Federal or State level privacy requirements. Zero-trust, jurisdictionally controlled management of users, documents, and chat communications enables non-technical business owners the confidence and ease-of-use required to achieve compliance in a cost-effective manner. This unique partnership will extend efforts to identify and include proven capabilities within the CMMC COE Marketplace to improve cybersecurity protection and resilience for the global defense industrial base network of contractors, vendors, and suppliers. The executed Engagement Agreement establishes a collaborative engagement between Cicer One Technologies and the CMMC COE to partner in the furthering of their respective and complementary missions and objectives regarding the adoption, use, and expansion of CMMC based cybersecurity practices, risk management, and compliance for the DIB contractor, vendor, and supplier community of providers creating a broader CMMC ecosystem globally to improve security and resilience. Specific actions will include: The co-development of CMMC advisory services, cyber training and education programs to accelerate CMMC certification, increase cyber adoption and improve cyber protection & resilience. Co-sponsor symposiums, training programs and podcasts leveraging their combined cyber and IT expertise. Host regular working groups, with other partners, to enable collaboration and communications. Establish an independent Industry Cyber Security Advisory Council with peer organizations to advise and educate leaders across government and industry on the continued evolution and effectiveness of CMMC. The CMMC-COE ( http://cmmc-coe.org ) and Cicer One Technologies ( https://ciceronetech.com ) partnership will focus on bringing together the many disparate cyber and national security communities of interest to reduce complexity, improve awareness, and accelerate industry effort to become more cyber resilient against the growing threats from nation states and criminal enterprises. “We are excited to embark on this journey with Cicer”, said John Weiler, Chairman of the Board at CMMC Center of Excellence, “The foundation of CMMC starts with visibility into devices in the network and the risks they bring. This new partnership will further help advance the goals and objectives for improving the supply chain security and resilience for the US Department of Defense (DoD)”. Cicer One Technologies adds to the growing list of recognized technology providers contributing to the growth and advancement of the CMMC compliance knowledge base, product refinement, and education collateral. Together we share the responsibility to accurately disseminate knowledge and education thereby building cyber resiliency across the DIB supply chain. “This new partnership further enables important and critical discussions regarding cybersecurity and the protection of the DIB supply chain. We are excited to contribute in the development and education of policy, products, and services throughout the adoption of the CMMC protocol supporting contractors across the country,” said Robert Embleton, CEO. The CMMC-COE establishes both a Market Place and Knowledge Clearinghouse that will include resources that support the overall effort, including white papers; tutorials; recorded webcasts; presentations; and more that will help reduce the cost and burden on small and medium size contractors already struggling from the impact of COVID. For more information on the CMMC Center of Excellence, please visit http://cmmc-coe.org, email info@cmmc-coe.org or call 703-863-3766 For more information on Cicer One Technologies, please visit https://ciceronetech.com/ email info@ciceronetech.com or call 512-582-7009 About Us ---------- CMMC-COE.ORG is a unique non-profit public-private partnership, with a vision to accelerate Cybersecurity Maturity Model (CMM) adoption, and reduce time & cost for security compliance for our partners by leveraging commercial best practices, CMMC standards, and innovative solutions for a measurable success. Our mission, focused on DOD mission objectives, cost containment and expeditious CMMC compliance, is to help the DIB improve cyber posture and resilience, and simplify its acquisition. The CMMC-COE is hosted by the Information Technology Acquisition Advisory Council (IT-AAC), a public/private partnership (P3) chartered in 2007 as an honest broker to reach outside the confines of the Federal IT advisories that lack dynamic reach into the Global IT Market, and dedicated to the adoption of commercial IT management standards of practice and innovations emanating from the Global IT market. Team IT-AAC has already demonstrated the value of its decade long investment, and provides a unique value to agencies seeking to achieve accelerate the transformation of legacy processes and systems. Our Just-in-Time SMEs apply an innovative suite of Technology Business Management and Agile Acquisition Processes needed to assure the business value of commercial IT. The Interoperability Clearinghouse (ICH), is the managing partner that make up the 24 NGO/SDO organizations that make up the IT-AAC. ICH provides the contract vehicles, clearances, and critical resources proven to guide sustainable, measurable and repeatable processes needed to drive better investment decisions as the speed of mission need, while aligning existing processes, methods and workforce with IT reform mandates contained in Clinger Cohen Act, FITARA, IT MGT Act, EO13838. Contact Details Bob Dix +1 703-975-6633 bob.dix@it-aac.org Company Website https://cmmc-coe.org

April 20, 2021 06:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

XA Network expands and appoints senior advisory board, as Southeast Asia digital economy races ahead

XA Network

The XA Network [the X denotes any tech firm with $1b+ valuation and the A refers to Alumni], the leading member-based investment network of executives from prominent tech firms in Southeast Asia, has today appointed an advisory board. The appointments signal the organisation's growth and reach, as the Southeast Asian digital economy proves resilient and is racing ahead at full velocity. John Wood (ex-Microsoft, Room To Read), Steve Chen (co-founder of YouTube), Maya Hari (Twitter) and David Thevenon (Balderton Capital, ex-Google) have been appointed to advisory board positions. They will work directly with the members as the organisation scales and will champion the new purpose - to be an organisation that fosters inclusive innovation for the benefit of start-ups across Southeast Asia. On his appointment, John Wood, advisory board member at XA Network commented: “I’m delighted to join this esteemed board to support and drive the ambitious community of investors. The XA Network brilliantly embodies Metcalfe's law – e.g., the value of a network rises exponentially as the number of users grows. I believe this generation of technology leaders, by working together to support the start-up ecosystem in Southeast Asia, will have an immense impact on the region. We are all very committed to the power of smart capital, intense mentoring and fuelling inclusive innovation. This approach resonates with me on many levels and I look forward to helping XA Network scale to the next level”. The XA Network is made up of 100 tech leaders from companies including Alibaba, Gojek, Grab, Google, Amazon, Netflix, YouTube amongst others. These investors offer an unmatched array of skills and counsel to their portfolio companies from engineering advice, product management, to marketing and partnership building experience. As a collective, this is embodied in their purpose to foster inclusive innovation beyond simply investing in start-ups. The XA Network exists to empower the tech community in Southeast Asia with its inclusive innovation approach. The Southeast Asia digital economy is forging new ground every year* and 2020 was no different, despite COVID-19. Over 70% of the region is now online, accounting for 400 million people (of a total population of 580 million). Digital adoption of consumer-service businesses increased as more people spent time online during lockdowns. HealthTech and EdTech based companies are earmarked to take-off in the coming years. Overall, the digital economy added USD $100 billion to the region and is poised to grow to over USD $300 billion by 2025. The XA Network portfolio businesses are making a positive impact across the region such as Indonesian startups, Sampingan who enable access to the gig economy and Bukukas who enable small businesses to digitize their operations. Meanwhile, Singapore-based mentor platform Tigerhall is connecting the world’s most successful people with young professionals. Nellie Wartoft, CEO at Tigerhall commented: "We raised $2m in 2020, it was a huge milestone for the company but we had a lot to do. The XA Network members are some of the absolute most supportive investors I've ever had on my cap table. They're never afraid of rolling up their sleeves and doing real work either, which is rare to find amongst investors. They feel much more like an extended team than just financial investors to me, and have been key to Tigerhall's success." The appointments come at an exciting time for XA Network as they achieved their first exit. Lomotif, Singapore’s video-sharing service, was acquired by a syndicate for US$125 million. The deal is said to be one of the biggest exits by a tech startup in Singapore in recent years. XA Network highlights (last 12 months) Membership base increased from 50 to 100 people in March 2021 XA Network portfolio includes 30 start-ups in a range of sectors including mobility, healthtech, foodtech, edtech, adtech, fintech, social commerce, proptech Portfolio companies have also gone on to raise $82m in follow-on capital Notes to the editor * e-Conomy SEA 2020 Report About the XA Network The XA Network [the X denotes any tech firm with $1b+ valuation and the A refers to Alumni] is an investment network comprising senior executives from prominent tech companies including Alibaba, Gojek, Grab, Google, Amazon, Netflix and Twitter amongst others. Its mission is to invest and empower early-stage companies across Southeast Asia through their inclusive innovation approach, by exposing these businesses to the wide array of skills in the network. Since 2018, they have made 30 investments and expanded their member base to 100 people. XA Network has invested in a wide variety of promising companies including Bukukas, Tigerhall, Sampingan, Neuron, and Infradigital as well as the Vertex Southeast Asia and India fund. Contact Details XA Network Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 press@xanetwork.co Company Website https://xanetwork.co/

April 19, 2021 08:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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The big move: A third of UK households to move home as COVID-19 set to change where Britons live

Romal Capital

Millions of us are set to move home permanently, as a consequence of the pandemic, citing remote working as the facilitator and quality of life as the ambition, according to new research by property developer Romal Capital. The national survey* of 2,000 households found that nearly a third (31%) are planning to change their living arrangements following successive lock-downs and remote-working experiences. This is a staggering increase as only between 4% to 5% of households, typically, move homes in any given year**. The need to move is slightly higher in the 25-34 years age category (32%) compared to slightly less in those over 60 (28%). One fifth (20%) will have aimed to move within the next three months. The ability to combine working from home and in the office in a hybrid working environment influenced more than a quarter of respondents (26%) to consider relocation. Remote working aside, over a quarter of those surveyed (26%) mentioned the need for suitable jobs in the local area. “We’re seeing a paradigm shift in how this country wants to live and work,” says Romal Capital’s CEO Greg Malouf. “Hybrid working options and lifestyle changes are two key elements driving this change in behaviour. Moreover, the temporary stamp duty holiday and the desire to cash-in on significant property price increases in 2021 have also empowered decision making. In fact, in the same period a 16% property price-hike in Liverpool alone, underlines this very bullish market. The current UK housing market simply does not match this new reality, and with these changing demands, there needs to be a country-wide rethink on meeting housing needs.” While still considering location, 29% said that a good standard of living will be the most important factor in deciding their future location. It seems however people do not want to go completely remote with almost a quarter of respondents (23%) citing road networks and connectivity as two important criteria, with areas perceived likely to increase in value (10%) and locations near hospitals (9%) closely following. People ranked Waterfront living, whether by the sea, lake or canal, as the top “X-factor” draw for their new living location followed by substantial green spaces and good community feel. Of these, over half (51%) of 35-44 year olds selected community feel in contrast to 41% of the over 60’s who opted for waterfront living (61%). Notes to the editor *Research findings based on a survey of 2,000 UK households carried out in April 2021 for Romal Capital by LMRMC (Market Research Society approved partner and ESOMAR corporate member). ** ONS, Families and households in the UK. About Romal Capital Romal Capital is an international award-winning property developer based in Liverpool. The team brings to the city over 60 years of combined property development experience from across Liverpool, and other major UK and international cities. Contact Details Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://www.romalcapital.co.uk/

April 16, 2021 04:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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