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Roberts and Ryan Honors the Families of Fallen Patriots on this Year’s National Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day

Roberts & Ryan Investments, Inc.

Roberts & Ryan, America’s first Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Broker Dealer, pauses today to recognize and honor the nation’s Gold Star Mothers and Families who have lost a loved one in military service to our country. Since World War I, the title “Gold Star Family” has been reserved for the families of military members who have died in the line of duty. In 1936, the last Sunday in September was designated “Gold Star Mother’s Day,” and in 2009, “Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day,” a day to honor these families and the ultimate sacrifice of their loved ones. Roberts and Ryan extends its warm thoughts and gratitude this Sunday to the more than 470,000 Gold Star Families. With over $1.5 million in committed donations to Veteran’s causes, Roberts and Ryan passionately supports those who have fought to protect our freedoms. Roberts and Ryan actively engages with numerous charities and foundations that serve Veterans and their families, such as the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, Children of Fallen Patriots, Boulder Crest, the Robert Irvine Foundation, and many other world-class organizations. Programs focused on issues arising from PTSD, providing funding for Veterans who have lost their mobility, and offering scholarships for children who have lost an active-duty parent are among the ongoing causes Roberts and Ryan fervently supports. This year on Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day, Roberts and Ryan invites us all to consider the sacrifice given in the name of our freedoms and the heroism displayed daily; and extends its deep gratitude to Gold Star Families in honor of soldiers lost. Contact Details Roberts and Ryan Tracy Rosensteel +1 917-887-1227 trosensteel@roberts-ryan.com Company Website https://www.roberts-ryan.com

September 23, 2022 01:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

OPPO Holds “Design in Tech” Workshop, Interpreting Innovative and Elegant Design Aesthetics of OPPO Products

OPPO

LONDON, UK - Media OutReach - 23 September 2022 - OPPO presented at the 2022 London Design Festival as the support partner and hosted Design in Tech Workshop interpreting the innovative and elegant design aesthetics of OPPO, and the mission to elevate life through technological artistry. Design professionals including Patrik Schumacher, Principal of Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA), Professor Rama Gheerawo, Director of The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design at Royal College of Art, and young creators shared their experiences, and discussed about the fusion of technology and design. During the festival, OPPO also holds OPPO Renovators 2022 exhibition, featuring classic product designs and the winning entries from Renovators Emerging Artists Project. OPPO pursues the synergy of aesthetic satisfaction and innovative technology to create elegant products As leading smart device brand, OPPO believes that the application of technology and product design ultimately returns to a combination of design aesthetics and core needs of users. OPPO is committed to connecting technology with people through elegant design and ultimately transforming cutting-edge technology into user-perceivable detail. “Technology for Mankind, Kindness for the World” is not only OPPO's mission but also OPPO’s response to future trends in technology and design. At the workshop, OPPO Design spokesperson Xi Zeng shared OPPO’s persistence in innovative and elegant design and its efforts to break through boundaries. The concept of “going over every possible technical obstacle in details and striving for simplicity and elegance in design” runs through OPPO’s product design process. “Product design embodies our emotions and ideals.” said Xi Zeng. In recent years, OPPO has continued to explore innovation in new form factors of smartphone. After several years of refinement and innovative breakthroughs, Find N brings the overall using experience of a foldable smartphone to a whole new level. Neil Monger, OPPO Product Marketing Manager, talked about the Find N’s golden ratio and waterdrop hinge design stories. To ensure that the screen of OPPO X 2021 rollable phone automatically retracts and extends smoothly as a picture scroll, structural engineers and designers have implemented several technical innovations into the rollable display and traceless design. This not only retains the thin appearance of the rollable display to greater extent but also proposes new possibilities for the future development of intelligent devices. OPPO is also dedicated to presenting elegant design and comfortable experience for users. OPPO ColorOS 13 was released in August this year. Its Aquamorphic Design draws inspiration from nature, integrating the inclusive and healing features of water into the visual language of the system to create a concise visual experience and user-friendly UI. The curves from nature also inspired OPPO's elegant product design. OPPO Find X5 series’ volcano-like back cover design mimics the curves of nature and is made of microcrystalline ceramic material, giving the rear design an organic feel for a natural tactile experience. Design Masters Gather at the V&A Museum to Discuss the Future of Technology and Design OPPO and Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) have been in partnership over the new OPPO headquarters project since 2020. As partners, Zaha Hadid Architects recognized OPPO's design principles and appreciated the coincidence in design insights between ZHA and OPPO. At the workshop, Patrik Schumacher, Principal of ZHA, delivered inspiring speech. As one of the most prominent thought leaders within the fields of architecture, urbanism and design, Patrik provided an insight into the ZHA's design philosophy and his understanding of the relationship between people, technology and design. He said that technology is absolutely fundamental to human freedom, to human prosperity on this planet. That’s the true dynamic for progress of this world. Professor Rama Gheerawo, an advocate of inclusive design, talked about the importance of inclusive design: “A core component of accessibility is the human reaction, such as the joy you feel when holding a phone with a comfortable, smooth tactile touch. That is a part of accessibility and a part of Inclusive Design.” Encouraging Art and Tech Innovations, OPPO Aims to Build a Global Community for Young Artists to Exchange Ideas and Grow In 2019, OPPO launched the Renovators Emerging Artists Project. By initiating a global competition, OPPO aims to empower young creators worldwide and encourage them to innovate through art and tech. During the London Design Festival, OPPO also held the Renovators 2022 Exhibition at the Cromwell Place. The artworks presented in the exhibition were from the 2022 Renovators global competition which ended in early September. After the workshop, participants also went to the exhibition area to enjoy the artworks created by young artists from more than 30 countries. The exhibition attracted a large number of visitors who were captivated by the imaginative and creative works of art and the exquisite designs of OPPO products. Participants of Renovators 2022 showed their unique thinking around topics such as smart living, low-carbon and environment protection, traditional culture inheritance, technology, human society development, and many others. OPPO hopes that young creators around the world will gain inspirational strength to overcome challenges, and maintain their passion for creation. About OPPO OPPO is a leading global smart device brand. Since the launch of its first mobile phone - “Smiley Face” - in 2008, OPPO has been in relentless pursuit of the perfect synergy of aesthetic satisfaction and innovative technology. Today, OPPO provides a wide range of smart devices spearheaded by the Find X and Reno series. Beyond devices, OPPO also provides its users with ColorOS operating system and internet services such as OPPO Cloud and OPPO+. OPPO has footprints in more than 60 countries and regions, with more than 40,000 employees dedicated to creating a better life for customers around the world. Contact Details OPPO International PR Team press@oppo.com

September 23, 2022 03:39 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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It’s All in the Crust Celebrating National Pizza Month at Schlotzsky’s

YourUpdateTV

A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/DcY33qUP6Vk Calling all cheese connoisseurs, pepperoni people, and toppings lovers! National Pizza Month is just ahead (Oct 1st – Oct 31st) and pizza lovers everywhere are rejoicing. To celebrate, Schlotzsky’s, the popular fast-casual restaurant, is expanding its pizza menu by releasing new flavors and deals. The restaurant is redefining pizza by taking their made-in-house, oven-baked sourdough bread and turning it into delicious pizza crusts. The new flavor toppings include one for the cheese lovers with a Four Cheese White Pizza with Garlic Butter, for the meat lovers Schlotzsky’s is introducing the Meaty Pizza topped with Pepperoni, Italian Sausage and Bacon, and then a Supreme Pizza topped with all of your favorite veggies accompanied by Pepperoni and Italian Sausage. All pizzas are freshly baked and made to order, and start at just $8.79 Schlotzsky’s is so excited for National Pizza Month this year, that they launched a new, limited time Bare Naked Pizza! The Bare Naked Pizza is available now until the end of National Pizza Month, and is priced at $4.99. In addition to the Bare Naked Pizza, Schlotzsky’s is celebrating with a special buy one pizza, get one free deal, which is available every Wednesday. You can enjoy any of the new or existing pizzas by taking advantage of the BOGO deal. This offer also runs through the end of October and is available to Schlotzsky’s Rewards members when ordering online, in-store or through the Schlotzsky’s Rewards app at one of the 320+ locations nationwide. For more information on all things Schlotzsky's, the newest pizza flavors, and Bare Naked Pizza, visit schlotzskys.com. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

September 22, 2022 04:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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LiveChat Helps Brands Get their Customer Service Ready for Younger Customers

LiveChat

LiveChat, a customer service platform with a 20-year presence on the market, witnessed plenty of changes in business communication first-hand. This time, the company took a closer look at younger customers’ needs and offers suggestions on how businesses can meet them. According to the forecast report released today by LiveChat, companies should continue to invest their resources in modern technology solutions for customer communication to gain more traction in their chat. Following the market observations, younger customers demand easy, effective service providing them with personalized experiences that are in line with their needs and values. The predictions presented in the report are based on the LiveChat usage data gathered over two years between July 2020 and June 2022. The team has analyzed 1.7 billion chats from 59,558 businesses worldwide and combined them with global trends. The Generation Z Trends Forecast Report focuses on people who were born between 1997 and 2012, so now their ages range from 10 to 25. Many of them already have a job or two on their resumes and disposable income to spend on products and services. They value immediate feedback while looking for recommendations and immediate answers while looking for support. “When communicating with Gen Z, it’s all about their convenience, availability and simplicity. Omnipresence is a must as most of the communication happens on the go. That also means the solution is expected to be provided right away, so make sure you have the right tools for the job,” says Szymon Klimczak, CMO at LiveChat. The current state of live chat shows that companies understand the high importance of this tool in their communication processes. A business chat application is a key engagement channel and an integral part of any business’s digital strategy. It helps to fulfill the expectations of convenient, fast, and meaningful service. Yet, simply having the tool implemented on a website is not enough to improve customer experience, especially among younger customers. Key takeaways: In December 2022, businesses can expect twice as many monthly chats compared to the same period in 2021, with more and more Gen Zers doing their holiday shopping online. To get ahead of the curve, companies should keep their first response time between 35-40 seconds because that’s the range businesses will be working in by midway 2023. Support agents should not force a change in their writing style with more and more emojis. The predictions suggest that customers do not need them to communicate their message. LiveChat’s data presents that businesses can expect a 38% increase in the number of bot chats between June 2022 to June 2023. That means that this is the right time for companies to invest in chatbot technology as it is getting out of the adoption phase in customer communication. To download "The Generation Z Trends Forecast Report," visit the website: https://www.livechat.com/gen-z-communication/. About LiveChat LiveChat is a complete customer service solution that offers several ways for businesses to communicate with buyers. Our industry-leading portfolio of products includes LiveChat, ChatBot, HelpDesk, and KnowledgeBase – all designed to enable contact with companies at any time and through a variety of communication channels. A wide range of business customers use the platform because of its customization capabilities and limitless integrations. LiveChat encourages tech firms and developers to build their own solutions on the platform’s back-end, allowing organizations to configure the application to fit their specific needs. It also integrates with all popular messaging channels and hundreds of other tools such as Shopify, Hubspot, and Google Analytics. Founded in 2002 with offices in both Poland and the United States, LiveChat is actively used by more than 36,000 companies worldwide and supports over 75 million chats monthly. Learn more at www.livechat.com. Contact Details LiveChat, Inc. Patrycja Bilińska p.bilinska@livechat.com Company Website https://www.livechat.com/

September 22, 2022 02:08 PM Eastern Daylight Time

“Ready for Ron” Team Growing, Generating Tremendous Support, Amplifying Pro-DeSantis Message

Ready for Ron

Ready for Ron, a draft committee encouraging Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to run for President is seeing growing momentum as the only credible organization working to draft, and elect, Ron DeSantis President in 2024. Ready for Ron launched an advertising and grassroots mobilization effort in late May to convince Ron DeSantis he has the support to win the Presidency in 2024. The PAC also filed a formal Advisory Opinion Request with the Federal Election Commission to defend their right to share the names of Draft petition signers with Governor DeSantis to convince him to run –an act of Constitutionally protected political speech. A new draft advisory opinion from the FEC is expected in the coming days. In addition to the progress at the FEC, a series of recent op-eds and news coverage show the significant and growing support DeSantis has throughout the country among political veterans and grassroots activists alike: Ed Rollins, Ready for Ron Senior Strategist wrote for FoxNews.com “…An alternative is clearly needed, and worthy up-and-comers like Gov. Ron DeSantis exhibit many of the same leadership qualities that made Reagan so successful. Americans are ready for a leader like DeSantis to reclaim Reagan’s vision for America, follow in Donald Trump’s footsteps, and lead from the front… Vanessa Porras, a Venezuelan immigrant, software engineer, cybersecurity consultant, and advocate for Ready for Ron PAC wrote for TownHall.com, “…Americans don’t need politicians who experiment with socialist policies, such as student load cancellation. In 2024, we need an actual leader who is willing to call out the radical Left…Ron DeSantis is that leader. We as ‘Ready for Ron’ because we’re ready to defeat socialism – before it’s too late..." Business executive, author, commentator, and Ready for Ron advocate, Joseph Semprevivo wrote in the South Florida Sun Sentinel, “Ron’s results speak for themselves. Florida-based employers have added jobs for 27 consecutive months, exceeding the national rate for 16 consecutive months since April 2021…Business expansion. Job creation. Economic growth. Those are the staples of the DeSantis platform, and Floridians are ready to see it go national. All Americans should be ready for Ron’s resurgence…” Lilian Rodrigues Baz, Ready for Ron’s Chief Legal Counsel wrote in The Washington Times, “…From Florida to the blue states north and west, America is ready for Mr. DeSantis. He will make America great again, carrying on the Trump tradition and inspiring hope in our country yet again. It can’t come soon enough…” “Americans want more Florida-style freedom and prosperity, not more inflation, crime, and out of control spending we get from the Biden Administration, stated Lilian Rodríguez-Baz. “We are building the biggest grassroots movements ever, and with support for DeSantis growing like this, it will happen even quicker than anticipated.” “We are 100 percent committed to drafting and electing Ron DeSantis in 2024. Ron DeSantis is the best choice to carry the America-First agenda forward,” Ed Rollins said. “In record time, Joe Biden has undone so much of what was gained, and is poised to do more harm to our country. In this time of crisis, we need a new kind of young, energetic, charismatic leadership to stand up for America.” Ready for Ron continues its TV and online advertising efforts to engage with the tens of thousands of Americans who already signed the petition at www.ReadyForRon.com to Draft Ron DeSantis to run in 2024. ### For more information or to schedule an interview with a ‘Ready for Ron’ spokesperson or advocate, please contact Dan Rene at 202-329-8357 or dan@readyforron.com Contact Details Dan Rene +1 202-329-8357 dan@readyforron.com Company Website https://www.readyforron.com/

September 22, 2022 12:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Trust Relations President and Founder April White Named Finalist in 19th Annual Stevie® Awards for Women in Business

Trust Relations

April White, the president and founder of Trust Relations, has been named a finalist in the Most Innovative Woman of the Year - Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations category in the 19th annual Stevie® Awards for Women in Business, and will ultimately be honored as a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Stevie Award winner in the program. The Stevie® Awards are the world's premier business awards. They were created in 2002 to honor and generate public recognition of the achievements and positive contributions of organizations and working professionals worldwide. In short order, the Stevie has become one of the world's most coveted prizes. The Stevie Awards for Women in Business honor women executives, entrepreneurs, employees and the companies they run––worldwide. Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners will be announced during a gala event at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on Friday, November 11. Nominated women executives and entrepreneurs from the U.S.A and several other countries are expected to attend. The event will be broadcast on Livestream. This is the first time White has been named a finalist in The Stevie Awards for Women in Business. She was nominated by her colleagues for her leadership and vision that inspired Trust Relations, the first fully remote PR and integrated marketing agency that bypasses the traditional agency model by matching clients with a collective of industry experts across the globe and offering a full suite of PR and marketing services to deliver a 360-degree solution. The agency’s disruptive approach also includes facilitating a proprietary “Trust Analysis” to align clients’ authentic actions, goodwill and trust, and ensure their storytelling and storydoing are one and the same. “I am extremely honored to be named a finalist in the renowned Stevie Awards for Women in Business, alongside such a highly accomplished group of female entrepreneurs and industry experts,” says White. “When I started Trust Relations in 2019, I imagined reinventing the traditional agency structure and experience for both clients and employees. It has been incredibly rewarding to witness that vision come to life––and now be recognized for it. This award is a culmination of those efforts and the ongoing dedication of our amazing team.” More than 1,500 entries were submitted this year for consideration in more than 100 categories, including Executive of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Company of the Year, Startup of the Year, Women Helping Women, and Women Run Workplace of the Year. White is a Finalist in the Most Innovative Woman of the Year - Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations category. This year’s Stevie Awards for Women in Business event will be complemented by the fifth edition of the Women|Future Conference, a three-day educational and networking conference that will be presented virtually on November 8-10. “In its 19th year, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business received a remarkable collection of outstanding nominations,” said Maggie Miller, president of the Stevie Awards. “We’re looking forward to recognizing the Stevie Award winners in Las Vegas in November.” Details about the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, White’s nomination, and the list of finalists in all categories are available at www.StevieAwards.com/Women. About Trust Relations Trust Relations, founded in 2019, is a virtual integrated marketing communications firm that creates nimble and proactive “dream teams” for clients through a national network of the industry’s best and brightest practitioners. "Trust Relations" is a term coined by President and Founder April White to describe a new approach to strategic communications focused on communicating clients' authentic actions, values, and goodwill. In technology, trust relationships are an administration and communication link between two domains. In communications, they are a bond of mutual respect between a brand and the people it serves. The firm excels at identifying inspiring ways for clients to show their brand value by identifying supportive proof points and ideating creative activations that demonstrate their unique story and value proposition. For more information, visit www.trustrelations.agency. About The Stevie Awards Stevie Awards are conferred in eight programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards®, The International Business Awards®, the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 nominations each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.StevieAwards.com. Contact Details Briana Cusimano marketing@trustrelations.agency

September 22, 2022 09:05 AM Eastern Daylight Time

This Japanese Tech Company Just Boosted Its Capabilities As It Expands Into The US Market

HeartCore Enterprises

Learn More about HeartCore Enterprises, Inc. by gaining access to the latest research report Technology solutions company HeartCore Enterprises Inc. (NASDAQ: HTCR) recently agreed to acquire a majority stake in information technology (IT) solutions provider Sigmaways. An aspiring leader in its industry, HeartCore offers software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology solutions to businesses, primarily through its platform that facilitates marketing, sales and customer service. Under the terms of the agreement, HeartCore will acquire a 51% share in California-based Sigmaways in an effort to expand its offerings — particularly in the United States. HeartCore will most likely integrate Sigmaways as its software solutions provider with the goal of improving customer experience and satisfaction. The deal is expected to reduce HeartCore’s outsourcing costs, as the company will now be able to use Sigmaways’s in-house IT specialists. Both companies anticipate an expansion in their customer bases through upselling and cross-selling to their complementary markets. HeartCore says it was drawn to acquiring Sigmaways because of the company’s similar workplace philosophy and ethos. Both companies pride themselves on premier customer service. This acquisition represents what HeartCore hopes will be its strong entry into the U.S. market. HeartCore also collaborates with International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM), distributing its myInvenio mining process technology in Japan. The vertical integration of technology services gained through acquiring Sigmaways will allow HeartCore to enter the same markets as Seattle-based software engineering companies like Qualtrics International Inc. (NASDAQ: XM) and Infobird Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: IFBD). At The Heart Of An Industry “Sigmaways is a well-respected organization that has successfully proven its ability to utilize technology to help customers reach their business goals, which is on brand with our corporate philosophy and culture,” HeartCore CEO Sumitaka Kanno Yamamoto said. “Our team is thrilled to continue its work at the intersection of machine learning, language and sales, and we look forward to the closing of this acquisition, as we intend to fully capitalize on all the synergies hand in hand with the Sigmaways team.” Sigmaways Founder and CEO Prakash Sadasivam said, “Our deep expertise as a system integrator in product engineering and technology solutions has helped clients turn IT into strategic assets through our digital advisory services. This collaboration will bring a network of IT professionals to clients across multiple industries.” HeartCore recently closed an initial public offering in the U.S. at $15 million. As the industry continues to grow, with its compound annual growth rate (CAGR) predicted to be 11.3% per year, HeartCore hopes to become a leader in the field. Meanwhile, Sigmaways generated almost $9 million in revenue in 2021. Learn more about HeartCore at its website. Learn more about Sigmaways at its website. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, HeartCore Enterprises, Inc. is a leading software development company offering Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions to enterprise customers in Japan and worldwide. The Company also provides data analytics to create tailored web experiences for their enterprise clients. HeartCore’s customer experience management platform (CXM Platform) includes marketing, sales, service, and content management systems, as well as other tools and integrations, which enable companies to enhance the customer experience and drive engagement. HeartCore also operates a digital transformation business that provides customers with robotics process automation, process mining, and task mining to accelerate the digital transformation of enterprises. This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details TraDigital IR - Malaika Temu malaika@tradigitalir.com Company Website https://heartcore-enterprises.com/

September 21, 2022 02:08 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Synthetic speech startup Murf AI raises $10Mn Series A to help your words find a voice

Murf

Murf AI, a fast-growing synthetic speech technology startup that is transforming the way voiceovers are created, is today announcing a $10M Series A funding round led by Matrix Partners India with participation from existing investor Elevation Capital, as well as prominent angel investors such as Ajay Arora - SVP Product, Disney Streaming, Ankit Bhati - Founder, Ola, Ashwini Asokan - Founder, Mad Street Den, Pushkar Mukewar - Founder, Drip Capital and Yamini Bhat - Founder, Vymo. Murf plans to use these funds to drive further product innovation, accelerate R&D, and scale its presence in focused geographies. Founded in October 2020 by IIT-Kharagpur class mates Sneha Roy, Ankur Edkie, and Divyanshu Pandey, Murf provides an AI-enabled SaaS tool that allows users to generate “human-like” voice overs for videos and presentations—without the need for complex recording equipment or hiring a voice artist. In May of 2021, the company raised a $1.5M Seed funding round led by Elevation Capital and a few angel investors which helped them recruit talent, invest in product innovation, and user acquisition. Since then, Murf has grown 22x in ARR and synthesised 1 million+ voice over projects. According to market reports, the global text to speech market is expected to reach $7.06B by 2028, growing at a 14.7% CAGR. In addition, the voiceover and the dubbing market is predicted to generate a total of $8B annually by 2027. Tapping into this unparalleled opportunity, Murf aims to make high-quality voice overs accessible to all by placing a simple yet powerful online voice studio in the hands of every content creator. From conversational to aspirational, casual to authoritative, excited to sad, cheerful to angry, Murf’s AI voices can simulate a variety of speaking styles and tones. The firm has a high-quality AI voice for every use case, including eLearning, advertising, podcasting, L&D, and audiobooks. While text to speech has been around for years, limitations in quality restricted the usage of the technology to primarily IVR and chat bots. Recent advances in AI and deep learning have however made it possible to build synthetic voices that mimic the natural prosody and pronunciation of human speech. Murf’s AI engine has been trained on hours of actual human speech to produce high-fidelity synthetic AI voices that mimic the nuances and subtleties, including the likeness, style, and uniqueness of the human voice. The 120+ human-parity AI voices offered by Murf Studio across 20+ languages are rich with emotion and intonation. The startup is also working towards bridging the diversity gap that exists in traditional text to speech platforms by ensuring the inclusion of voices across varied accents like African American, British, and Australian English. “Synthetic media is poised to become omnipresent in the near future and voice is at the core of it. At Murf, we continue to make advances in our speech technology to bring the diverse abilities of talented voice actors at our customers’ fingertips through AI. This Series A investment would further bolster our commitment towards simplifying and scaling voiceovers,” said Ankur Edkie, Co-Founder and CEO, Murf AI. Akin to the human brain, Murf’s AI-powered TTS can track and learn from a vast amount of contextual information to return a relevant response. Serving as an all-in-one voice solution, its simple-to-use AI voice generator enables users to add images, videos, and background music and sync the voiceover with the visuals and music. The platform also offers key features for smart pronunciations using IPA, voice customizations that enable users to change pitch, pause, emphasis, and speed, and ability to clone a voice. "AI-driven, life-like voiceovers are the next frontier in the text to speech market. Murf, with their stellar founding team and unique IP, is perfectly poised to gain a leadership position in this space. Their execution prowess and tech-first focus is evident in the solid traction and growth that they've demonstrated so far. We are really excited to double down on our partnership with Murf.", commented Mukul Arora, Co Managing Partner, Elevation Capital. “We’re big believers that AI will reinvent every market and Murf is reinventing a multi-billion dollar category with their AI-voiceover technology. Creating voiceovers is hard, and Murf’s unique IP makes it easy for every individual to create emotional and theatrical voices—faster, better, and cheaper. With phenomenal customer love and international traction, Murf is an early category leader and we’re excited to partner with Ankur, Sneha, and Divyanshu on their next phase of growth,” commented Pranay Desai, Principal, Matrix India. About Murf AI Murf helps businesses simplify the process of creating natural-sounding voiceovers using AI. The firm’s AI-powered Saas tool enables users to create lifelike voices for their content in a matter of minutes. From L&D, educators, authors, and podcasters to animators, product developers, YouTubers, freelancers, and corporate coaches, the platform has a voice for every creator across all industries. Murf’s curated voice library of 120+ realistic sounding AI voices in 20+ languages, is ideal for those on a tight budget who want to create voiceovers at scale. Murf’s geographic footprint spans worldwide, with 80 percent of its customers coming in from the US, Canada, and EU regions. For more information please visit https://murf.ai/ About Elevation Capital Elevation Capital is a leading venture capital firm which provides seed and early stage capital for emerging companies in India. Elevation Capital has been investing in India since 2002 deploying almost $2 billion of capital in over 150 companies. The firm announced its eighth pool of capital of $670 million in April 2022. The firm is led by Co-Managing Partners Ravi Adusumalli and Mukul Arora, along with three Managing Directors Mridul Arora, Deepak Gaur and Mayank Khanduja. The firm has invested in over 150 companies across Consumer Internet, SaaS, Fintech, Consumer Brands, Edtech, Healthtech and Web3/Crypto, and has offices in Bengaluru, Gurgaon and Salt Lake City. About Matrix Partners India Founded in 2006, the firm invests in Indian companies targeting the consumer and enterprise market at seed, early, and early growth stages. Matrix India has invested in several market-leading companies such as Ola (mobility), Dailyhunt (mobile local language platform), Razorpay (payments), OfBusiness (B2B Commerce, fintech), Five Star Business Finance (SME lending), Ola Electric (electric vehicles), DealShare (social commerce platform), Stanza Living (tech-enabled student housing platform), OneCard (mobile-first credit card), Country Delight (D2C dairy & fresh foods brand), GoKwik (e-commerce enablement platform), Captain Fresh (seafood marketplace), Bijnis (B2B platform for factories), MoEngage (intelligent marketing cloud platform), Superops (MSP software), Zupee (skill-based gaming app), Rocketlane (customer onboarding software), 100ms (live video infrastucture startup) and Itilite (corporate travel SaaS platform) among others. Matrix India has advisory offices in Bangalore, Delhi, and Mumbai. Further information is available at www.matrixpartners.in. To know more about our investment philosophy & ideologies, check out the #MatrixMoments podcast. Contact Details Murf Ai Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://murf.ai/

September 21, 2022 12:10 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Patient Experience Is Rapidly Becoming a Strategic Priority for Healthcare Providers, According to Dash Research

Dash Network

Patient engagement and patient experience (PX) are areas of significant interest, focus, and concern in the US healthcare system and globally. Healthcare consumers’ expectations today require providers to be more customer centric. According to a new report from Dash Research, healthcare consumers expect to be treated as whole persons with individualized needs, not as problems to be solved, and they demand greater convenience, better access to care, and more seamless experiences. Dash Research forecasts that global CX software and services revenue in the healthcare industry will increase from $8.8 billion in 2021 to $13.5 billion annually by 2026. During that forecast period, the functional areas with the highest levels of investment will include customer relationship management (CRM), customer data & analytics, and contact center solutions. Other notable areas of investment, according to the CX market intelligence firm, will include personalization & optimization, customer data platforms (CDPs), customer feedback, and employee experience (EX). “As the experience economy becomes the new currency among healthcare consumers, improving the healthcare customer experience has become a strategic priority for healthcare providers in their efforts to build brand loyalty, retain customers, and drive profitability,” says senior analyst Andrew Broderick. “Although the market environment is driving organizations to act, the healthcare industry’s capacity to use technology and data to operationalize a consumer-centric patient experience models currently lags that in other industries. However, it is only a matter of time before their capacity will advance to transform the industry.” Broderick adds that as consumer loyalty and retention become key drivers of profitability for healthcare providers, patients increasingly have more choices as to where and when they access and receive care. In a market where brand loyalty and customer retention are increasingly important competitive differentiators, patients want: Access and convenience (e.g., affordable care, ease of navigation, and frictionless continuity) To be seen as an individual and treated with respect To be engaged, consulted, and involved in decisions To trust, feel safe, and cared for by their healthcare providers Dash Research’s analysis indicates that there are reasons for optimism when it comes to the market opportunities for improving patient experience. Healthcare organizations that prioritize PX understand that it signals their commitment to the patient, and also has the potential to establish the foundations for building deeper relationships that will contribute to improving care outcomes. From an operational perspective, healthcare organizations also recognize that provider behaviors play a role in PX management through the impact that their interactions with patients can have. Underscoring this recognition is their dual commitment to better support and address workforce experience as critical for delivering superior patient experience. The net result is that PX improvement efforts play a critical role in helping organizations establish competitive advantage in the battle for customer and workforce loyalty and retention. Dash Research’s report, “CX in the Healthcare Industry”, forecasts the global market for CX/CE software and services to monitor a patient’s overall healthcare experience or their experiences with specific provider staff and service facilities. Dash Research calculated the current and future market potential for software and services, taking 2019 as the base year, and forecasting revenue growth through 2026. The primary product or service is broken into platforms, applications, and services. Vendor offerings are classified further into functional categories on the basis of whether the application focus is on employee experiences, customer experiences, or relationship management from a customer-facing or back-office perspective. Finally, market segmentation provides localized insights into the same industry segments across five world regions. An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the firm’s website. Dash Research, the market intelligence arm of Dash Network, provides in-depth research and insights on the worldwide CX market including a comprehensive assessment of technology solutions, business issues, market drivers, and end-user dynamics across industry sectors. Dash Research’s global market coverage combines qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to provide a complete view of emerging business opportunities surrounding contact center technologies, customer data & analytics, customer data platforms, customer insights & feedback, customer relationship management, personalization & optimization, and employee experience. For more information, visit www.dashresearch.com or call +1.720.603.1700. Contact Details Clint Wheelock +1 720-603-1700 press@dashnetwork.com Company Website http://www.dashnetwork.com

September 20, 2022 05:10 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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