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CleverTap’s Fintech Benchmark Report: Only 1 in 5 users that install fintech apps sign up within week one

CleverTap

CleverTap, the modern integrated retention cloud, released its Industry Benchmark Report for Fintech Apps 2022. As fintech apps continue to grow more popular, the number of players vying for market share has increased. This has subsequently reduced customer retention and “stickiness” for any one brand. Therefore, today more than ever, it is crucial that fintech companies find ways to drive customer “stickiness” by engaging users in effective ways that eventually drive transactions and fuel growth. The report reflects data collected from Asia-Pacific, Europe, India, Latin America, Middle-East, and North America. The report gives marketers a truly holistic view of key metrics within the fintech app landscape.It also spans a wide variety of fintech apps, including, but not limited to, mobile payment apps, cryptocurrency, and block chain services, along with banking and insurance among others. These insights will not only serve as a helpful starting point for developing successful engagement strategies, but also assist in understanding how an app fares in comparison to global averages. Some of the key metrics in the report include: Install to sign-up rate: Only 1 in 5 users that install fintech apps (21%) end up signing up within the first week. Average time to sign-up: 70% of the users that sign-up, do so within 75 seconds of launching the app for the first time. Sign-up to conversion rate: 95% of newly signed-up users make at least one financial transaction in the first month. Average time to convert: 76% of newly signed-up users move from onboarding to deeper-in-the-funnel engagement within an average of 7 days. Session frequency: On average, fintech app users launch their app around 11 times a month. Average repeat transaction rate for new users: 15% of newly signed-up users complete more than one transaction in the first week. Average click-through rate for push notifications: On average, 9% of Android users and 6% of iOS users will click on and interact with push notifications. Average click-through rate for in-app notifications: The click-through rate for in-app notifications is 24%, that’s about 3 times more than that of push notifications. Average email open rate: 34% users open emails sent by fintech companies Average Stickiness Quotient: Fintech apps enjoy a stickiness quotient of 22%, that indicates nearly one-quarter of MAUs consistently return to their fintech apps “The fintech industry has seen exponential growth in the last few years. Given the relentless competition within the space, fintech platforms need to step up their Omnichannel engagement efforts to better retain customers,” said Jacob Joseph, VP-Data Science, CleverTap. “The benchmark metrics laid out in our report provide a great starting point for growth marketers looking to develop effective marketing strategies. They will be able to compare numbers against global averages and pinpoint which aspects they are excelling at and which areas could use some attention or innovation.” 95% of new fintech users complete a monetary transaction in the first month. This shows that while users see value in fintech apps, it’s important to adopt customized user engagement strategies to boost retention on the platform. Today there is a real need for fintech brands to bake-in effective marketing strategies within their apps. Users will remain responsive as long as the experience is engaging and seamless. The benchmark report helps fintech apps understand how to build successful mobile communication campaigns, and also allows growth marketers to discover areas that require greater focus. The report can be downloaded here. About CleverTap CleverTap is the World's #1 Retention Cloud that helps app-first brands personalize and optimize all consumer touch points to improve user engagement, retention, and lifetime value. It's the only solution built to address the needs of retention and growth teams, with audience analytics, deep-segmentation, multi-channel engagement, product recommendations, and automation in one unified product. The platform is powered by TesseractDB™ - the world’s first purpose-built database for customer engagement, offering both speed and economies of scale. CleverTap is trusted by 2000 customers, including Gojek, Electronic Arts, TED, English Premier League, TD Bank, Carousell, AirAsia, Papa Johns, and Tesco. Backed by leading investors such as Sequoia India, Tiger Global, Accel, and CDPQ the company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, with presence in San Francisco, New York, São Paulo, Bogota, London, Amsterdam, Sofia, Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore, and Jakarta. For more information, visit clevertap.com or follow on LinkedIn and Twitter. Forward-Looking Statements Some of the statements in this press release may represent CleverTap's belief in connection with future events and may be forward-looking statements, or statements of future expectations based on currently available information. CleverTap cautions that such statements are naturally subject to risks and uncertainties that could result in the actual outcome being absolutely different from the results anticipated by the statements mentioned in the press release. Factors such as the development of general economic conditions affecting our business, future market conditions, our ability to maintain cost advantages, uncertainty with respect to earnings, corporate actions, client concentration, reduced demand, liability or damages in our service contracts, unusual catastrophic loss events, war, political instability, changes in government policies or laws, legal restrictions impacting our business, impact of pandemic, epidemic, any natural calamity and other factors that are naturally beyond our control, changes in the capital markets and other circumstances may cause the actual events or results to be materially different, from those anticipated by such statements. CleverTap does not make any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness or updated or revised status of such statements. Therefore, in no case whatsoever will CleverTap and its affiliate companies be liable to anyone for any decision made or action taken in conjunction. Contact Details Sony Shetty sony@clevertap.com Company Website https://clevertap.com/

February 27, 2023 02:51 PM Eastern Standard Time

OnePlus Announces a Technical Partnership with Perfect World Games about Ray Tracing on Mobile

OnePlus

BARCELONA, SPAIN - Media OutReach - 27 February 2023 - Global leading technology company OnePlus today announces a technical partnership with Perfect World Games on ray tracing technology. Both parties work closely to bring the ray tracing technology to Tower of Fantasy in-game play on the OnePlus 11 5G. “We’re extremely thrilled to cooperate with Perfect World Games to showcase this industry-leading technology that shapes the future of mobile gaming experience on the OnePlus 11 5G”, said Kinder Liu, OnePlus COO and Head of R&D. “OnePlus is dedicated to providing the most immersive game experience to our users and today we take this experience to a new level”. “We’re excited to cooperate with OnePlus to apply this advanced technology that previously only be seen on PCs in mobile phone,” said Dan Xu at Perfect World Games. “As a leading game developer, our mission is to bring the best experience to gamers, and ray tracing technology will dramatically transform the in-game experience”. Ray Tracing on Mobile Gaming Ray tracing is a technology that enables dynamic in-game lighting, reflections, cross-physics illuminations and shadows, allowing for extreme environmental realism when gaming. The newly launched OnePlus 11 5G is equipped with Snapdragon® 8 Gen 2 mobile platform that supports hardware accelerated ray tracing technology, which provides the opportunity for OnePlus to work with Perfect World Games to fully explore the potential of ray tracing on mobile. Ray Tracing in Open World MMORPG on Mobile Compared to traditional MMORPG games, incorporating ray tracing in open-world games has significant technical challenges, especially on mobile platform. Perfect World Games developed techniques such as a distance-based dynamic object frame-updating mechanism and range-based ray tracing culling based on light source perspective, which enables players to experience real-time stable frames while enjoying ray tracing effects. Additionally, for the open-world scenes in Tower of Fantasy, the ray tracing acceleration structures are further optimized through employing small object culling and view frustum culling based on camera frustum solid angle. By accurately simulating the propagation and interaction of light rays, players can immerse themselves in the Vera desert and experience the more realistic effect of flames from the surroundings and the hot sand underfoot. Normally, open world MMORPG game experience is more immersive than traditional MMORPG game due to more realism detailed objects, and this experience is further elevated by ray tracing technology. Occlusion and shadows in open world scenes are accurately calculated to precisely illuminate and shade the objects of all sizes and scales in Tower of Fantasy. This is totally different with traditional rendering methods which often miss intricate details in scenes, leading to inaccurate or missing occlusion and shadows. For instance, by calculating the occlusion effect of the scene under a uniform intensity of light, ray tracing on Tower of Fantasy enhances and improves the contrast between light and dark in the visuals, achieving more realistic shadows and ultimately adding a stronger sense of spatial depth and realism to the game's environments. The introduction of mobile ray tracing technology also enables more accurate capturing of shadows and occlusion effects of objects in the distance and behind other objects, resulting in better visual performance compared to traditional rendering techniques. Moreover, with mobile ray tracing enabled, the game improves the effect of simulating the absorption of physically accurate light as it passes through and reflects off water surfaces. Difficulty here is that light is comprised of various wavelengths of light waves, and when these light waves enter the water, they are absorbed differently. Ray Tracing on the OnePlus 11 5G The objective for this partnership is to improve the visual and performance experience on mobile device. To improve the graphics quality, engineers from OnePlus and Perfect World Games co-developed the Real-time Inline Ray Tracing Pipeline and a novel Fast Temporal Convergence Algorithm for Ambient Occlusion, specifically tailored to meet the demands of “Tower of Fantasy” by utilizing a forward rendering pipeline. To cope with the demanding graphics computing power brought by ray tracing technology, the Spatiotemporal Oversampling is employed. Thanks to its over-the-top hardware specs including 16GB LPDDR5X RAM, 256GB ROM with UFS 4.0, and the new Cryo-velocity VC Cooling System, the OnePlus 11 5G can support the real-time rendering of mobile ray tracing on the graphics of Tower of Fantasy. From February 27 th to March 2 nd, OnePlus will showcase ray tracing enabled Tower of Fantasy at Hall 3, 3M10 at MWC 2023. About OnePlus OnePlus is a global mobile technology brand challenging conventional concepts of technology. Created around the “Never Settle” mantra, OnePlus creates exquisitely designed devices with premium build quality and high-performance hardware. OnePlus thrives on cultivating strong bonds and growing together with its community of users and fans. For more information, please visit OnePlus.com or follow us on: Instagram - https://instagram.com/oneplus Facebook - https://facebook.com/oneplus Twitter - https://twitter.com/oneplus LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oneplus Contact Details OnePlus Malcolm Cheng malcolm.cheng@oneplus.com

February 27, 2023 12:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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Beldex Raises 25M From Web3 Investor DWF Labs

Benzinga

Mahe, Seychelles (Feb 23, 2023) Beldex, a leading privacy-based crypto ecosystem has partnered with DWF Labs, a prominent digital asset market maker and multi-stage Web3 investment firm. DWF supports Beldex, and has committed $25M for the research and development of the Beldex network and ecosystem. DWF will act as the primary supporter and counselor of the Beldex project, aiding in marketing activities to improve the ecosystem participants and the reach of the project. "We are excited about Beldex's ecosystem, which offers scalable and secure decentralized applications prioritizing privacy.” said Andrei Grachev, the Managing Partner of DWF Labs. “The BDX token is integral to this ecosystem, providing a secure means of payment and incentives for users to contribute. We believe that Beldex's innovative solutions and focus on privacy and decentralization make it a strong player in the cryptocurrency space." Beldex provides unique, privacy-preserving, decentralized solutions to mask one’s online identity with its dApps like BChat, BelNet, the Beldex browser, and the Beldex privacy protocol. The dApps of the Beldex ecosystem are interoperable and provide the highest level of autonomy and anonymity to users. Chairman Afanddy Bin Hushni of Beldex said “our ecosystem is rapidly expanding. Both BChat and BelNet are live and we’re adding new features to them while actively working on the research and development of the Beldex browser, another key product in our ecosystem. Our research wing is also researching the integration of EVM to the Beldex mainnet which will allow developers to build privacy preserving smart contracts with use-cases that weren’t possible before.” With its dApps and the integration of EVM, Beldex will bring to Web3, a new paradigm of products that help provide community and enterprise blockchain solutions, some of which may include a highly private, secure, and reliable open-source network for sensitive data transfer and authentication and secure storage to name a few. Discord: https://discord.com/invite/Hj4MAmA5gs Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeldexCoin Telegram: https://t.me/official_beldex About DWF Labs DWF Labs is the global digital asset market maker and multi-stage Web3 investment firm, supporting portfolio companies from token listing to market making to OTC trading solutions. With offices in Singapore, Switzerland, the UAE, Hong Kong, South Korea and BVI, DWF Labs is part of the parent firm Digital Wave Finance (DWF), which consistently ranks among the top 5 trading entities by volume in the cryptocurrency world through its proprietary technology for high frequency trading. About Beldex Beldex is a private Web3 ecosystem building decentralized privacy-preserving applications that help protect user data and identity online. The ecosystem consists of BChat, a private messaging app, BelNet, a decentralized VPN service, the Beldex browser, an ad-free Web3 browser and the Beldex privacy protocol, a cross-chain asset anonymizer. Contact Details Shawn Gabriel shawn@beldex.io Company Website https://beldex.io/

February 23, 2023 01:30 PM Eastern Standard Time

Asure Software (NASDAQ: ASUR) Sets the Tone for 2023 with Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU) TurboTax and ZayZoon Collaborations, While Institutional Investors Boost Positions

Benzinga

By Spotlight Growth U.S. stocks surged in January 2023, as Q4 2022 financial results were not quite as bad as many analysts and experts feared. As a result, the S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY) jumped 6.18%, Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSE: DIA) climbed 2.83% and the Nasdaq (NASDAQ: QQQ) shot up a whopping 10.6% in January 2023 alone. According to S&P Global, the somewhat better-than-expected Q4 results, combined with a late Santa Claus rally and early-year bargain hunting after a brutal 2022, are seen as the key catalysts that drove U.S. stocks to impressive returns to kick off the first month of 2023. However, as we approach March 2023, the “big three” stock indices have since given up nearly all of their gains. As of this writing, the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average have turned slightly negative on the year, while the Nasdaq barely holds on to a 0.08% gain YTD. Despite the continued volatility and “kangaroo market” conditions in early 2023, Asure Software (NASDAQ: ASUR) is picking up right where it left off in 2022. The Human Capital Management (HCM) solutions provider has continued its outperformance, as the company continues to collaborate and leverage key partnerships and provide small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) with the tools needed to remain nimble during the economic uncertainty, while still attracting top-tier employee talent. Asure’s strong 2022 performance and strong start to 2023 are certainly turning heads in the institutional investor community. Let’s dive deeper to understand Asure’s early accomplishments so far this year. New ASUR Collaboration: TurboTax, H&R Block, & ZayZoon Kicking off 2023, Asure sought to bolster its tax prep integrations and features to help employees of SMBs to streamline their tax filing process. To accomplish this task, Asure Software teamed up with the two biggest consumer tax preparation companies in the United States: Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU) TurboTax and H&R Block (NYSE: HRB). The TurboTax and H&R Block integrations are a massive milestone for Asure. Not only does the integration help boost Asure’s profile, but it is also a tremendous win for the company’s clients, which now can offer their employees with streamlined integration of their W-2 tax forms directly into the number 1 and 2 market leaders in the consumer tax prep industry. According to AccountingToday, TurboTax is the number one consumer tax prep company, with an estimated market share of around 30%. Slintel notes that H&R Block is second with a 24.48% market share. “Our goal is to simplify HR and payroll processes for small businesses, which includes identifying ways to help our clients attract new employees now that the war for talent has hit Main Street,” said Pat Goepel, Chairman and CEO of Asure. “We are thrilled to partner with Intuit and offer employees of our clients a seamless and efficient solution for tax filing.” Intending to help SMB clients continue increasing their competitiveness for top-tier employee talent, Asure’s most recent partnership with ZayZoon is a perfect match. ZayZoon is engaged as a market leader in earned wage access and employee financial wellness services. Under the partnership, ZayZoon will integrate its tech solutions with Asure’s payroll and time & attendance solutions to enable employees to obtain real-time wage data. The goal of this integration is to provide SMBs with tools to help employees stay engaged, reduce financial stress and increase retention and productivity. “Financial pressures can impact employees across all industries and job types. By partnering with ZayZoon we can help ease that burden by offering small business employees the option to access the funds they've earned faster when they need them most," said Pat Goepel, Chairman and CEO of Asure. “Earned wage access is fast becoming a necessity in the war for talent and we’re pleased to join forces with ZayZoon to deliver this competitive advantage to main street.” Wall Street Taking Notice of Asure Software One of the greatest forms of validation a public company can receive is strong support from the Wall Street community. Before October 2022, Asure’s top investors were mostly corporate insiders and managers. By the end of 2022, institutions were piling into the HCM provider. Aside from institutional investors, the Wall Street analyst community has been very bullish and supportive of Asure Software as well. Between November 2022 and February 2023, 50 institutions, insiders and big private investors added to their Asure Software positions, while 29 entities cut their positions in the HCM provider. This is a very good parity, which nearly shows there were two investors adding shares for each seller during the period. Top Institutional Shareholders 1. Private Capital Management, LLC: 3,797,305 shares of ASUR Private Capital Management, LLC is a Florida-based asset manager and the largest institutional shareholder of Asure Software, as of December 31, 2022, with a total stake of just under 3.8 million shares. This gives the investor 18.84% control of the company, as noted in a recent 13G filing. 2. ArrowMark Colorado Holdings, LLC: 1,778,292 shares ArrowMark Colorado Holdings aggressively added to its position in late 2022. The Denver, Colorado-based investor increased their stake by an additional 223,525 shares to reach a new total position of 1,778,292 shares, as of December 31, 2022. This represents an 8.82% ownership of Asure Software. 3. Archon Capital Management, LLC: 1,294,987 shares Based out of Seattle, Washington, Archon Capital Management is the third largest shareholder of the HCM provider, with a total stake of 1,294,987 shares, as of the end of 2022. This gives the asset manager a 6.42% stake in Asure. Analyst Updates Since the start of 2023, three analysts covering Asure stock have held their "buy" ratings and increased their price targets in the range of $12 to $14. Joshua Reilly of Needham reiterated his “buy” rating and a $14 price target in early January 2023. Four-star analyst, Eric Martinuzzi of Lake Street, also took the opportunity to reiterate a “buy” rating and a $12.00 price target in January. Vincent Colicchio, a five-star analyst from Barrington, assigned Asure a “buy” rating and a $12 price target in February 2023. Mr. Colicchio joins Richard Baldry of Roth Capital as the only two five-star analysts covering the HCM provider. Mr. Baldry last reiterated a “buy” rating and a $16 price target in March 2022. Overall, Asure Software is finally beginning to gain the recognition from Wall Street it has rightfully deserved. The company’s operational success and resilience amid a very volatile market and uncertain economic environment have certainly caught the attention of the investment community. Furthermore, Asure’s continued partnership outreach and integrations are not only giving SMB clients a notable edge in their HCM efforts but also serving as a validation for Asure as a business. Think about it…not too many other small-caps can say they have partnerships with major, household entities like Intuit TurboTax, H&R Block, Equifax (NYSE: EFX), and more. With 2023 shaping up to feature similar macroeconomic uncertainties as 2022, SMBs will likely continue to heavily rely on HCM services, like those offered by Asure, to help cut costs, streamline operations, and remain competitive in the employee talent search. Overall, 2023 is shaping up to be another break-out year for Asure Software. Disclaimer: Spotlight Growth is compensated, either directly or via a third party, to provide investor relations services for its clients. Spotlight Growth creates exposure for companies through a customized marketing strategy, including design of promotional material, the drafting and editing of press releases and media placement. All information on featured companies is provided by the companies profiled, or is available from public sources. Spotlight Growth and its employees are not a Registered Investment Advisor, Broker Dealer or a member of any association for other research providers in any jurisdiction whatsoever and we are not qualified to give financial advice. The information contained herein is based on external sources that Spotlight Growth believes to be reliable, but its accuracy is not guaranteed. Spotlight Growth may create reports and content that has been compensated by a company or third-parties, or for purposes of self-marketing. Spotlight Growth was compensated five thousand dollars cash by Asure Software for the creation and dissemination of this content by the company. This material does not represent a solicitation to buy or sell any securities. Certain statements contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements may include, without limitation, statements with respect to the Company's plans and objectives, projections, expectations and intentions. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company's industry, management' beliefs and certain assumptions made by management. The above communication, the attachments and external Internet links provided are intended for informational purposes only and are not to be interpreted by the recipient as a solicitation to participate in securities offerings. Investments referenced may not be suitable for all investors and may not be permissible in certain jurisdictions. Spotlight Growth and its affiliates, officers, directors, and employees may have bought or sold or may buy or sell shares in the companies discussed herein, which may be acquired prior, during or after the publication of these marketing materials. Spotlight Growth, its affiliates, officers, directors, and employees may sell the stock of said companies at any time and may profit in the event those shares rise in value. For more information on our disclosures, please visit: https://spotlightgrowth.com/disclosures/ Contact Details Benzinga +1 877-440-9464 info@benzinga.com Company Website http://www.benzinga.com

February 23, 2023 01:00 PM Eastern Standard Time

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Understand the Impact of Recession, AI and ChatGPT With FiscalNote’s (NYSE: NOTE) Board.org Community

Benzinga

By Jad Malaeb, Benzinga History tells us that recessions are a troubling time for businesses and their leaders. In a report by Statista, it was found that even the “short-term” economic downturn instigated by the pandemic in 2020 led to 244 annual U.S. bankruptcy filings. This was the greatest figure recorded since the Great Recession of 2008-09, which saw 225 and 293 bankruptcies in 2008 and 2009 respectively. After an extended bull run between late 2020 and into 2021, it seems that threats of a recession are beginning to surface once more. The International Money Fund (IMF) expects the economies responsible for one-third of global output to shrink during part of this year or next. In the U.S., the job market has teetered along the edge of safety, marking no significant declines yet, but marks of a slowing gross domestic product (GDP) have already been etched into news headlines. Decision-making during these difficult times could mean the difference between survival and bankruptcy – businesses with access to decision-optimization tools or a strong network of proven leaders could have a competitive advantage over their counterparts. FiscalNote’s (NYSE: NOTE) Board.org feature is one of the few places where business leaders can go for help in troubled times. FiscalNote Can Help Leaders Execute Important Decisions In 2021, FiscalNote (NYSE: NOTE), a leading technology provider that helps organizations navigate government policy and regulations and geopolitical risk using AI and machine learning, acquired Board.org, a company providing vendor-free, peer-to-peer communities for people leading the world’s biggest companies. At its core, Board.org is a decision-optimization organization. It creates communities for leaders facing difficult tasks and helps them source advice from their peers. The Data Privacy Board, DEI Board and Talent Marketing Board are just three of the names involved in Board.org, and they’ve been helping the world’s experts since 2007. With this acquisition, FiscalNote enveloped Board.org’s communities into its portfolio of market intelligence products, providing customers with unparalleled access to the world’s leading voices. FiscalNote aims to grow the number of Board.org communities and to encompass more industries through this growth. Board.org Experts Discuss Artificial Intelligence ChatGPT’s rise to stardom is indicative of a coming-of-age of artificial intelligence (AI). While the technology has existed since 1951, it has mostly taken subtle forms in the shape of “intelligent” search browser recommendations, voice assistants (“Hey, Siri.”) and image recognition software on smartphones. ChatGPT encapsulated what most envisioned AI would eventually become: A human-like program that can be asked nearly anything and produce an intelligent answer. The emergence of ChatGPT, however, has introduced new problems. Prompted by instances like ChatGPT’s refusal to describe the characters of Donald Trump and Jordan B. Peterson, AI critics posit that ethical and political consideration in the construction of AI will be key to successfully navigating AI in the future. This is especially true for corporations that aim to leverage AI. In a blog post, the Enterprise Data Strategy Board, a member of Board.org, shows a plethora of case studies of AI gone wrong, including Amazon scrapping an AI recruitment tool that discriminated against women. The blog discusses the threats future corporations face by not appropriately considering AI ethics, an idea reiterated by experts at Forbes, KPMG, and TechTarget. Without pesky vendors or expensive consultants, Board.org packs insight gleaned from corporate experts and rigorous data to produce actionable insights. These insights help corporations tackle relevant problems like AI, recessions, and rising interest rates. Board.org – A Trove Of Insight From The World’s Business Leaders Board.org has strict guidelines for its communities. It screens members to include only leaders in their fields; it prohibits vendors from entering communities, meaning no one will attempt to sell you anything; it facilitates confidential conversations between leaders via its online staff; and it only communicates via phone and email. According to the company, they’ve had an 80% renewal rate for 14 consecutive years. “In a continuously evolving and more globalized world, our customers require access to the information, workflow tools, and communities that propel them to excel at their jobs,” noted FiscalNote founder and CEO, Tim Hwang. “We are excited about deploying Board.org and its proven model to better serve our customers as they wrestle with the various issues that impact their organizations on a daily basis.” FiscalNote’s acquisition of Board.org is just one of the many acquisitions the company has made. With a mission to expand its product holdings and improve its market intelligence, the company has also acquired FactSquared, Oxford Analytica, TimeBase, and FireSide, all of which provide unique intelligence-gathering features in the political domain and beyond. Click here for more information on FiscalNote. This article was originally published on Benzinga here. This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Benzinga +1 877-440-9464 info@benzinga.com Company Website http://www.benzinga.com

February 23, 2023 09:26 AM Eastern Standard Time

U.S. Army Rapper Takes Center Stage

YourUpdateTV

A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/cr-uqJDUPfk Most people don't know that there are more than 200 different careers in the Army, including musicians. Endless opportunities await Soldiers who are seeking an opportunity to serve the country while pursuing their passions and finding their purpose. There is no better example of the unexpected career paths for Soldiers than Staff Sergeant Lamar Riddick. As one of the first hip-hop artists in the Army, Staff Sergeant Riddick is an example of how the Army supports the dreams of Soldiers in and out of uniform. “Find out what your passion is. What do you love to do? See if that is available to you in the Army and you can still serve your country doing what you love” Staff Sgt. Riddick told an interviewer with Greensboro, NC station WGHP (Fox). If music is not your passion, the Army also has careers in the fields of science, medicine, technology, engineering, cyber and more. Soldiers also enjoy competitive benefits to help them continue to advance their careers and personal lives, including everything from healthcare, tuition assistance, home buying benefits, and so much more. “The Army has provided a great opportunity to have stability in my life through health coverage, to mental and physical therapy, to my finances. A great thing about the Army is being supported by an organization that also encourages travel and provides the resources. I had the opportunity to spend 26 days in Scotland preforming with the Army Field Band in front of thousands of people, that blew my mind and felt like a dream and I was able to do that through the support of the Army” Riddick added in an interview on WTTG TV in Washington, D.C. “The possibilities are endless” Riddick shared with the audience on Chicago’s WFLD TV. For more information on life in the Army, www.GoArmy.com Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

February 22, 2023 02:28 PM Eastern Standard Time

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Flagship Collector Brand Tamashii Nations Celebrates Its 15th Anniversary TAMASHII NATIONS WORLD TOUR -TAMASHII NATIONS 15th ANNIVERSARY-

BANDAI SPIRITS CO., LTD.

NEW YORK, US - Media OutReach - 22 February 2023 - Bandai Spirits Co., Ltd. (President and Chief Executive Officer: Nao Udagawa/ HQ: Tokyo Minato Ward) will commemorate its 15 th anniversary in 2023. To celebrate, it will take its flagship collector brand Tamashii Nations on a world tour: TAMASHII NATIONS WORLD TOUR -TAMASHII NATIONS 15 th ANNIVERSARY-. This event will visit five cities across the world, starting with New York (4/28 – 4/30). ▲New York Venue Key Visual Tamashii Nations was first established in 2008, and has produced many well-known brands such as the S.H.Figuarts and Chogokin series. With a rich lineup of high-quality figures, robots, and more, it quickly earned itself a dedicated worldwide following. April 2023 marks its 15 th birthday, and to both celebrate and show its appreciation for all of its passionate fans across the globe, it is launching a world tour. Tamashii Nations will kick off its world tour with its first location in New York, USA from Friday, April 28 th to Sunday, April 30 th. The second leg will be held from Friday, May 26 th to Tuesday, July 18 th in Tokyo, Japan (Akihabara), at its flagship store (Tamashii Nations Store Tokyo). It will be held to Mexico City, Mexico, Shanghai, China, and Paris, France. The New York event will be located in Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal (Vanderbilt Hall) and Times Square (Duffy Square). The latest figures and robot for popular series such as Dragon Ball series and Mobile Suit Gundam series will be on display. There will also be specially-crafted photo spots, and first-ever reveals of brand-new products. Special commemorative items will also be handed out to visitors, and limited-edition event items will be available for purchase.Lastly, unique content has been planned for each world tour location. We will continue to do our utmost to share the fun and joy of figures and robots with our customers all around the world, and to innovate and evolve. Event Summary ◆TAMASHII NATIONS WORLD TOUR -TAMASHII NATIONS 15th ANNIVERSARY- Commemorative Products *Details on how to purchase these are available on the official website: https://tamashiiweb.com/special/tour/?wovn=en *Prices shown are for Japan only. Actual prices will vary by location. For details, see our official website. ◆Event Attendee Special Gift (One of Several) Event visitors will receive a number of special gifts. Details will be available on our official website at a later date: https://tamashiiweb.com/special/tour/?wovn=en STAGE TAMASHII NATIONS WORLD TOUR -TAMASHII NATIONS 15th ANNIVERSARY- SPECIAL DESIGN A display stand for S.H.Figuarts and other series products. This stand features a special Tamashii Nations 15 th anniversary design. *Gifts and how to obtain them will vary by event location. *Stocks are limited, and distribution will end once stocks run out. Bandai Spirits Collector Brand: Tamashii Nations Overview Established in 2008, Tamashii Nations has produced many well-known product series, such as S.H.Figuarts and Chogokin. With a rich lineup of quality figures, robots, and more, it has earned itself a worldwide following. Today, it continues to expand its global outreach. Official website (Tamashii Web): https://tamashiiweb.com/ Tamashii Nations World Tour Official Site: https://tamashiiweb.com/special/tour/?wovn=en Tamashii Nations Official Site (Tamashii Web): https://tamashiiweb.com/ Bandai Spirits Corporate Home Page: https://www.bandaispirits.co.jp/ *Information contained in this press release is current as of February 22 nd, 2023, but may change without prior notice. *Images contained in this press release may differ from actual products. *This event and all products therein are intended for ages 15+. Contact Details Bandai Spirits Co., Ltd. Collectors Toy Department Sakuma c-sakuma@bandai-sp.jp

February 22, 2023 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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Chronicle raises $7.5M seed round from Accel and Square Peg to reimagine presentations

Chronicle

The slide format was created in the 1980s to design overhead projector slides. 40 years later, the way we work has completely transformed but we are still stuck with this slide format. Not only is it extremely time consuming and tedious to make great presentations, the affordances of this format make it extremely easy to make bad presentations. Today, Chronicle is announcing a new storytelling format to revolutionize storytelling for modern teams. Founded by Mayuresh Patole and Tejas Gawande, Chronicle believes that this problem needs to be solved with world-class information design. They are making a completely new way to make impactful, interactive presentations that are effortless to create. Creating presentations on Chronicle is completely different from hours of pixel pushing. Instead of spending hours tweaking slides, Chronicle allows users to create with ‘pre-designed blocks’. These blocks are interactive and are designed with world-class information design in mind. This radically reduces the time required to create a story that is highly impactful. Chronicle wants to deliver a dummy-proof creation experience - layouts are created much like arranging widgets on your iPhone meaning it's impossible to make a bad-looking Chronicle presentation. The founders have spent the last decade helping thousands of people make presentations while working in product, growth, and management consulting roles. Mayuresh Patole, Co-Founder and CEO at Chronicle, commented: “This started at university where I accidentally ended up teaching lecture halls full of students to build presentations because they thought I'd developed some kind of new interactive format. In reality, I was spending hours hacking Powerpoint to deliver a novel, interactive and engaging format. Today, with the explosion of social media, remote work, and a plethora of modern design tools, the world is ready for a new way to tell stories. I’m so excited that I can now bring that power to create visually stunning stories to anyone in seconds or minutes, not hours.” The founders realized big changes were happening in how people were telling stories - both in the creation and consumption experiences. Tejas Gawande added: “Social media has completely hijacked how people consume complex information. Attention spans have reduced by 33% since 2000 and have given rise to shorter formats across almost everything we consume. Today, most audiences stop paying attention to the presentation at the 10-minute mark. As younger generations have entered the workplace this feeling of ‘death by Powerpoint’ has only grown more acute.“ Simply making tools that lead to faster creation of poorly designed slides with chartjunk and bad information design only further aggravates this issue. Users are also spending hours making bad presentations. Employees spend, on average, more than a month every year writing and finessing these presentations. Mayuresh and Tejas were struck with a strong realization when they saw users move from conventional slide-based design tools to simpler formats that offer one core thing that users want - convenience. According to the founder, the problem is not that you cannot create great presentations with existing tools but rather that it is that the tools do not help in the process. Not only do existing tools and formats make it very difficult to deliver great presentations, they make it quite easy to make bad ones. Chronicle wants everyone to be able to share their story and be proud of the output they create. They also want to make storytelling a joyful experience. To do this they’re breaking the tyranny of the slide and replacing it with interactive blocks that work like magic. Mayuresh Patole added: “Our early adopters are able to use Chronicle to create some of the best decks in just 8 minutes instead of 8 hours. Eventually, we see Chronicle being the best way to anchor any meeting or discussion, in-person, remote, or asynchronous. It is a huge opportunity to impact millions of people who aren’t happy with how stories are told today and we are incredibly excited about it.” The founders used their platform to make their investor pitch deck that caught the eye of Accel’s Shekhar Kirani and it was quickly evident how much impact a simple, well-designed, interactive format could create. Shekhar Kirani, Partner at Accel, commented: “Chronicle is reimagining storytelling. The team is obsessed with fixing the problem and making the experience of crafting impactful stories not just bearable but joyful. Mayuresh and Tejas have put together a global, remote-first team that is fixated on solving the pressing issues that prevent people from delivering their best story, both sync and async. With its opinionated design and delightful experience, Chronicle has already started emerging as the choice of storytelling tool with modern ventures. We are thrilled to be a part of their mission and kick off a new generation of no-design tools.” Paul Bassat, founder at Square Peg, said, “It is rare to find a founder who has such a special connection with the problem. Mayuresh is absolutely obsessed and uniquely skilled to craft a new storytelling medium. When he showed us what he means by ‘a new format’ it was immediately clear that the opportunity is huge and they are thinking about this very differently. We are thrilled to be a part of their mission.” Over the course of their journey, the founders have attracted some of the most prominent thought leaders mapping out the future of work from organizations such as Apple, Google, Slack, Stripe, Superhuman, OnDeck, and Adobe. Chronicle is a fully remote team of 15, operating across the US, India, and Australia. They are currently in closed beta, rapidly iterating with their early adopters on the first version of their product that focuses on helping founders make pitch decks - a use case that is very close to the founders. They will soon be expanding to other internal and external storytelling use cases. About Chronicle Chronicle is a new format of presentations that lets you create impactful stories effortlessly. Chronicle is doing to presentations what Notion did to docs. We are not making a faster tool to make slides, we are fundamentally reimagining the format itself by taking away the design burden, making it interactive and engaging. Find out more and join the waitlist at Chronicle (chroniclehq.com) Chronicle is led by a strong team of storytellers, and product and information design leaders. Mayuresh Patole co-founded Chronicle after witnessing a significant void in the way stories are created and shared. After being repeatedly asked at talks and events about how he made his presentations, he ran a workshop on effective presentations which was a surprise success. He went on to join BCG where he would spend the next 5 years surrounded by presentations again. Tejas Gawande is a product geek who brings his deep expertise in customer and go-to-market from working across the US and 10 APAC countries in eCommerce and management consulting. He also writes a product newsletter for thousands of subscribers. Mayuresh and Tejas met at university (IIT Bombay) and have known each other for a decade. About Accel Accel is a global venture capital firm that aims to be the first partner to exceptional teams everywhere, from inception through all phases of private company growth. Accel has been operating in India since 2008, and its investments include companies like BookMyShow, BrowserStack, Flipkart, Freshworks, FalconX, Infra. Market, Chargebee, Clevertap, Cure Fit, Musigma, Moneyview, Mensa Brands, Myntra, Moglix, Ninjacart, Swiggy, Stanza Living, Urban Company, Zetwerk, and Zenoti, among many others.We help ambitious entrepreneurs build iconic global businesses. For more, visit www.accel.com About Square Peg Square Peg is a global investment firm on a mission to empower exceptional founders. Square Peg was founded in 2012 and has grown into a global investment firm with teams in Sydney, Melbourne, Tel Aviv, and Singapore. Square Peg invests in emerging technology companies across the internet economy. Since 2012, it has invested in over 50 companies including Canva, Fiverr, Stripe, Tomorrow, and Airwallex. For more, visit www.squarepegcap.com Contact Details Chronicle Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://chroniclehq.com/

February 21, 2023 09:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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Comcast Plans Major Network Expansion in Texas

Comcast Houston

Comcast announced today it will significantly expand its next-generation network, the Xfinity 10G Network, in a major way across several southeast Texas counties in 2023. The media and technology company said it will invest more than $100 million to install at least one thousand miles of new fiber-rich highways that will reach up to 80,000 homes and businesses by the end of this year. The planned expansions add to Comcast’s ongoing $2.8 billion investment in Texas over the last three years. Network expansion efforts will begin in Kingwood, Pinehurst, Prairie View, Waller, New Caney and Conroe. Construction will continue in other communities that have ongoing network infrastructure builds in the Houston area. Construction has started in Kingwood, which will be the largest expansion of the year; it is expected to be complete by the end of 2023 and will reach nearly 24,000 Kingwood homes and businesses. These locations will have the foundational next-generation network in place to begin deploying DOCSIS 4.0, setting the stage for the introduction of new symmetrical multi-gigabit Internet options. “We will bring our fiber-rich network to twice the number of homes and businesses this year compared to the number we passed last year,” said Ralph Martinez, Senior Regional Vice President of Comcast’s Texas Region. “Southeast Texas’ rural and suburban communities have been growing fast, and we are building out our next-generation Comcast network in tandem with the growth. We will continue to expand to even more rural communities in the next few years.” Once complete, Comcast, the nation’s largest provider of 1.2 Gigabit per second speeds, will give consumers access to reliable and fast Xfinity Internet and Xfinity Mobile service that outperforms its competitors. Comcast engineers have also developed multiple artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies that make the network faster and more reliable while delivering up to 100 Gbps for Comcast Business customers. In addition, Comcast’s next-generation technology provides multiple layers of security that automatically detect and block hundreds of thousands of cyber events every second, and a Smart Network that automates many core network functions and dramatically reduces the number of outages. “Access to reliable internet and telecommunications services is something that we cannot go without in our day-to-day activities,” said Houston Mayor Pro-Tem and Kingwood resident, Dave Martin. “Comcast and their new construction project in Kingwood is a perfect example of a business working to bridge the gap to connect more people to much-needed services while increasing accessibility to much-needed services and their dependability. I appreciate Comcast’s partnership and commitment to District E.” Comcast is also committed to addressing digital equity in communities we serve, through Project UP, the company’s $1 billion dollar commitment to help tens of millions of people connect to the internet and build futures of unlimited possibilities. Last year, Comcast Texas invested more than one million dollars to help local community organizations provide personalized digital skills training, offer workforce development/readiness workshops and other tech education to students, adults, and people with disabilities. The funding also supports ongoing efforts to build awareness about connectivity programs like Internet Essentials and the federal government’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which offers eligible households up to $30/month credit, or up to $75 for households on tribal lands, for home Internet. Comcast proudly participates in the Affordable Connectivity Program, and offers Internet Essentials Plus, a $29.95/month home Internet service that is effectively free for eligible households, once the ACP credit is applied. Interested customers can visit Xfinity.com/ACP or call 1-800-Xfinity to learn more about this program and find out if they qualify. For more construction details and updates, visit ComcastTexas.com/Expansion. Powered by the Xfinity 10G Network Comcast’s next-generation network and Internet experience are powering homes today and into the future: · Ultimate Capacity: Xfinity customers connect nearly 1 billion devices across the company’s network annually. The Xfinity 10G Network with the next-generation Xfinity gateways deliver the most advanced WiFi technology carrying three times more bandwidth to power streaming, gaming, videoconferencing, and more, simultaneously. · Fastest Internet: 10 million+ Xfinity Internet customers subscribe to gigabit speed products, and Ookla rated Xfinity the fastest Internet provider at the end of 2022*. Symmetrical gig speeds to the first homes are planned for later this year. · Unprecedented Coverage: The latest Xfinity Gateway provides a more reliable connection throughout the home. Customers can get wall-to-wall WiFi coverage with a powerful xFi Pod that extends coverage to hard-to-reach areas, with plans for an offering of increased support for in-home WiFi through a “boost guarantee” later this year. · Most Reliable Connection: Comcast is scaling the nation’s largest and most reliable network – the Xfinity 10G Network – that passes 60 million homes and business and counting. The company plans to launch a new device that is “storm-ready” with cellular and battery backup to help keep customers connected even when the power goes out. · Ultra-Low Latency: The Xfinity 10G Network and the latest xFi Gateway are a powerful combination that deliver ultra-low latency for those moments when response times matter most like video games, a fast-growing category with Xfinity households averaging more than one gaming console per home. For local businesses, Comcast Business offers a suite of connectivity, communications, networking, cybersecurity, wireless, and managed solutions to help organizations of different sizes prepare for what’s next. Powered by the nation’s largest Gig-speed broadband network, and backed by 24/7 customer support, Comcast Business is the nation’s largest cable provider to small and mid-size businesses and one of the leading service providers to the Enterprise market. Comcast Business has been consistently recognized by industry analysts and associations as a leader and innovator, and one of the fastest-growing providers of Ethernet services. Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company that connects people to moments that matter. We are principally focused on connectivity, aggregation, and streaming with 57 million customer relationships across the United States and Europe. We deliver broadband, wireless, and video through our Xfinity, Comcast Business, and Sky brands; create, distribute, and stream leading entertainment, sports, and news through Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, Universal Studio Group, Sky Studios, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, multiple cable networks, Peacock, NBCUniversal News Group, NBC Sports, Sky News, and Sky Sports; and provide memorable experiences at Universal Parks and Resorts in the United States and Asia. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information. Ookla’s SpeedtestTM Market Index report shows that Xfinity delivered the fastest median download speeds to its Internet customers in the United States for the final quarter of 2022. Contact Details Comcast Steve Campion +1 832-920-2001 Steve_Campion@Comcast.com Company Website https://houston.comcast.com/

February 20, 2023 10:08 AM Central Standard Time

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