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SC Johnson and 4th Family Team Up to Empower Youth in Underserved Communities by Leveraging the Power of STEM and Sports

SC Johnson

SC Johnson, the maker of household consumer brands including Windex ®, OFF! ® and method ®, today announced a partnership with 4th Family, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to empowering youth in underserved communities by combining the relevance of sports with STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning. The partnership will create the “STEM & Sport Team Up,” a learning program that features the science behind the sports children love to play. The program will reach 4,000 middle school-aged children in Chicago, Illinois and Racine, Wisconsin, the location of SC Johnson’s global headquarters. “SC Johnson’s efforts to increase access to education in underserved communities align perfectly with 4th Family’s innovative approach to STEM learning,” said Alan VanderMolen, Chief Communications Officer at SC Johnson. “We are excited to introduce STEM to children in Chicago and Racine in a relevant, engaging way that leads to greater diversity and inclusion in STEM.” Co-founded by John Scottand Jahkeen Hoke in Albany, New York, 4th Family was established as a response to a clear education and employment gap of urban youth in the STEM disciplines. “We grew up in inner-city Albany, and without playing and identifying with sports, we may not have gotten the opportunities to continue our educations and have the careers we have today,” said Jahkeen Hoke, Co-Founder of 4th Family. “We are thrilled that through the ‘STEM & Sport Team Up’ with SC Johnson, we are bringing opportunity, long-term empowerment, and self-belief to more kids in more communities simply by making STEM as relevant and accessible as possible to the next generation, regardless of their background or current beliefs around STEM.” Added John Scott, Co-Founder of 4th Family, “To have our first national partner be SC Johnson, a company with a decades-long commitment to increasing representation in STEM, it feels like the stars aligning.” Each participating school will experience a three-phased program that begins with a large assembly event called “The Science of Slam” showcasing basketball dunks and the science involved with how to dunk. The second phase is a day-long clinic for 100-150 interested children followed by a three-day camp where they will learn via in-depth, interactive programming. Events in Racine begin May 2, with Chicago programming to follow the second week in May. Clinics and camps will take place in June and July, respectively. 4th Family’s STEM Team is led by Dr. John Drazan and Dr. Amy Loya, whose research with 4th Family has been recognized by the MIT Sports Analytics Conference, as well as the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Both Dr. Drazan and Dr. Loya are former college basketball players with PhDs in Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Drazan is currently an Assistant Professor in the Electrical and Biomedical Engineering Department at Fairfield University in Connecticut, and Dr. Loya is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering Department at Union College in New York. “As sports were my pathway into a career in science, I know that for many kids, they don’t necessarily see themselves in STEM. So it’s important to go beyond the traditional things kids associate with STEM like male scientists in white lab coats,” said Dr. Drazan. “Our work shows that the fusion of youth sports programs with sports analytics is an excellent opportunity to serve as an introduction to STEM and to broaden the appeal of STEM among youth in underserved communities.” About SC Johnson Founded in 1886 and headquartered in Racine, Wisconsin USA, SC Johnson believes that a more sustainable, healthier and transparent world that inspires people and creates opportunities isn't just possible – it's our responsibility. A heritage of innovation and bold, transparent decisions is why our high-quality products and iconic brands – including OFF! ® Raid ®, Glade ®, Windex ®, Scrubbing Bubbles ®, Ziploc ®, Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day ®, method ®, Autan ®, Baygon ®, Mr Muscle ®, Duck ®, Lysoform ® and more – are in homes, schools and businesses in virtually every country worldwide. Since 1937, SC Johnson has annually given 5% of all pretax profits to charity. Over the last decade, SC Johnson has invested more than $300 million into families, communities, and the planet worldwide. Today, our community efforts focus on building a more sustainable world, a healthier world, and a world with more opportunity. About 4th Family 4th Family is a not-for-profit organization that hosts teen/community events, mentoring programs, personal development programs, educational programming, wellness & health programs, annual sport leagues & tournaments, as well as educational trips. At 4th Family, we seek to empower urban youth through mentoring and leadership opportunities, especially within the STEM fields. The central thesis for our sports science and other STEM programs is that our young people have the aptitude to learn real skills for the most critical sector of our economy – technology, science and engineering. Invited, supported, and mentored to explore their own interest in and aptitude for STEM, thousands of youth have participated in 4 th Family’s award-winning programs since 2012. Contact Details SC Johnson +1 262-260-2440 GlobalPublicAffairs@scj.com Company Website https://www.scjohnson.com/

April 14, 2022 07:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Drug Residue Found in Empire Kosher Meat

Jewish Initiative For Animals

Nonprofit Jewish Initiative for Animals (JIFA) found drug residue in Empire kosher chicken by testing samples of meat purchased from supermarket shelves. The drug, fenbendazole, is widely used in conventional animal agriculture to treat or prevent parasites that are common in crowded conditions on factory farms. "Many shoppers, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, might perceive Empire's products to be higher quality and more ethically produced because they're kosher," said Melissa Hoffman, JIFA Director. "However, our testing found drug residue in Empire chicken. This reinforces what we already know: virtually all kosher chicken found in grocery stores comes from factory farms which pose an enormous risk to public health and where animals suffer tremendously." Health Motivates Kosher Purchases According to Mintel, more than 40 percent of all the food on U.S. store shelves is kosher. Why? Americans perceive kosher foods as more health-conscious. A recent survey by JIFA found that more than half of all adult shoppers of kosher food say they purchase kosher out of concern for public health (65 percent). Yet, kosher-certified animal products often fall short of consumer expectations. Pandemics and Superbugs On The Rise The widespread use of antibiotics and other drugs to treat animals has been known for years, but concerns are growing around the use contributing to the rise of superbugs or infections resistant to standard antibiotics. Farmed animals raised in confinement with no access to pasture provide a breeding ground for superbugs and pandemics. The current avian flu outbreak sweeping the globe shows how easily pandemics that originate in animals can spread. Kosher Humanewashing Continues Adding to shoppers' misconception that kosher certification equates to better conditions for animals, retailers and producers continue to deceive consumers with labels designed to mislead shoppers into buying products they think are healthier or more humane than they really are. Like Empire, kosher companies use claims such as "raised without antibiotics" and "humanely raised" to imply that the meat comes from animals who are treated with compassion and have access to the outdoors. The reality is that most meat purchased in the U.S., including virtually all kosher meat, comes from factory farms where drugs are needed to keep animals alive in conditions that may otherwise kill them. "More than 250 rabbis and Jewish leaders have already called upon Jewish communities to serve food that better aligns with their values, such as reducing meat consumption and serving plant-based foods by default," said Hoffman. "Drugs are used abundantly in kosher poultry, and shoppers have been misinformed. This is yet another reason why our communities must take action to adopt ethical food policies." To learn more, visit jewishinitiativeforanimals.org. About JIFA The Jewish Initiative for Animals (JIFA) supports innovative programs to turn the Jewish value of compassion for animals into action while building ethical and sustainable Jewish American communities in the process. JIFA is an initiative of Farm Forward. Contact Details SUSAN PETERS +1 708-759-7175 susan@farmforward.com

April 13, 2022 12:37 PM Pacific Daylight Time

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NFT standards have a long road ahead, says Huobi Research Institute

Huobi Research Institute

The Non-Fungible Token (NFT) market appears prosperous of late. According to data from NFTGO, total traded volume for 30 days reached US$6.2 billion. However, the most commonly adopted standard for NFTs, ERC-721, contains elements that may result in unfairness towards buyers. A new report from Huobi Research Institute examines several other proposed standards and concludes that standards innovation could prompt the industry to re-invent itself. In a new report titled “ The Advanced Road for NFT Standards”, the disadvantages of the ERC-721 standard are analyzed, including the need to pay gas fees multiple times for an NFT series to be minted and how bots can be used to mint rare NFTs if certain conditions are met. While some projects seek to avoid such a situation by randomly distributing NFTs with different properties according to their tokenIDs, users remain in the dark as to whether the distribution was indeed conducted fairly, as the right to issue NFTs still lies very much in the hands of project developers. The report further examines ERC-721A, a new standard whose main selling point lies in saving gas fees by allowing for the gas cost for minting multiple NFTs to be almost equivalent to that of minting a single NFT. In ERC-721A, a holder’s address is updated only once when a batch of NFT is minted so long as two preconditions are met: 1. The user has sufficient balance to mint and 2. The NFT minted by batch is of a continuous tokenID. In addition, ERC-721A removes the redundant storage requirements associated with ERC-721. Several new standards, dubbed ERC-721R, have also been hotly debated of late, with the two most famous ones attempting to solve the unfairness issues linked to ERC-721. ERC-721R, proposed by exo-digital-labs provides for trustless refunds, while ERC-721R proposed by erc721r.org seeks to distribute NFTs to minters more fairly by pseudo-randomly assigning tokenIDs. “The value offered by setting standards lies in unifying the basic attributes of NFT products so developers can better focus on NFT content,” says Yeyan Wei, Researcher, Huobi Research Institute and author of the report. “More innovative standards will lead to the development of the entire industry, and it would do good for the NFT industry to re-invent itself.” Click here for the full report. About Huobi Research Institute Huobi Blockchain Application Research Institute (referred to as "Huobi Research Institute") was established in April 2016. It is committed to researching and exploring new developments in the global blockchain industry. Its goal is to accelerate the research and development of blockchain technology, promote its applications, and improve the global blockchain industry ecosystem. Huobi Research Institute covers industry trends, emerging technologies, innovative applications, new business models, and more. Huobi Research Institute partners with governments, enterprises, universities and other institutions to build a research platform that covers the entire blockchain industry. Its professionals provide a solid theoretical basis and analyze new trends to promote the development of the industry. Contact Details Ker Zheng +86 139 2280 3249 media@global-hgroup.com Company Website https://huobiresearch.medium.com/

April 13, 2022 02:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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NAMEPA receives grant from Cargill to implement program for educating students to become Marine Environment Protectors

North American Marine Environment Protection Association

The North American Marine Environmental Protection Association (NAMEPA) has received funding from Cargill to implement an afterschool enrichment program for youth in grades 6-8 in underserved communities in the greater Miami area with a goal to educate and activate students to be “Marine Environment Protectors”. The project will help “Save Our Seas” by encouraging this generation to become responsible stewards of the marine environment through hands-on educational programs and projects. NAMEPA’s Marine Environment Protectors program increases ocean literacy among underrepresented youth, highlights workforce development in marine fields, allows for long-term scientific research, and creates a framework for similar projects to expand across North America. “Cargill believes in being strong community partners and actively supports valuable programs that protect and promote our planet,” explained Jan-Willem van den Dijssel, Cargill’s Americas Lead for Ocean Transportation. “We are partnering with NAMEPA to help foster ocean literacy amongst students of today and steer them to become ocean ambassadors of tomorrow. This program supports this goal and will drive lasting positive change.” NAMEPA Co-Founder and Executive Director Carleen Lyden Walker commented, “ NAMEPA is grateful to Cargill Cares Community Fund for providing opportunities for organizations such as NAMEPA to engage with students in local communities to be better overall stewards. Marine Environment Protectors will provide hands-on educational programming by utilizing the natural environment, scientific instrumentation, and immersive classroom instruction. This funding allows NAMEPA to continue our educational outreach toward the goal of activating communities to ‘Save Our Seas’.” CARGILL - Cargill’s 155,000 employees across 70 countries work relentlessly to achieve our purpose of nourishing the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way. Every day, we connect farmers with markets, customers with ingredients, and people and animals with the food they need to thrive. We combine 157 years of experience with new technologies and insights to serve as a trusted partner for food, agriculture, financial and industrial customers in more than 125 countries. Side-by-side, we are building a stronger, sustainable future for agriculture. NAMEPA - The North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) is a marine industry-led organization of environmental stewards preserving the marine environment by promoting sustainable marine industry best practices and educating seafarers, students and the public about the need and strategies for protecting global ocean, lake and river resources. Visit us at www.namepa.net. Contact Details NAMEPA Carleen Lyden Walker +1 203-260-0480 executivedirector@namepa.net Company Website https://namepa.net/

April 12, 2022 03:47 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Toy Trends & Top Picks For The Children In Your Life

YourUpdateTV

A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/1cFzvKKiSB8 Active play helps with a child’s physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development. Additionally, toys often provide an opportunity for youngsters to learn by engaging their senses, sparking their imaginations, and encouraging them to interact with others. A recent Toy Association-commissioned survey revealed that most parents (82%) believe that toys are important for supporting imaginative play and discovery.Toy Trends Specialist with The Toy Association, Jennifer Lynch, says whether it is a stuffed animal, action figure, puzzle, or doll, toys help encourage play, which is important for healthy brain development. With that in mind, she highlights a few of this year’s top toys. TOP TOYS: LITTLE LIVE PETS CHAMELEON, MOOSE TOYS Lynch says one of the newest youth electronic offerings from Little Live Pets, Sunny the Bright Light Chameleon is a one-of-a-kind interactive light up pet that is packed with personality and full of features and surprises. She points out that it’s “Soft, squishy and fun to hold, Sunny responds to love and attention with more than 30 sounds and reactions along with a full body of coloring changing rainbow lights that reflect Sunny’s mood — from happy to super happy, full to sleepy and warm to cold and more. Kids will be delighted when they hear Sunny repeat back what they say.” Like a true chameleon, Lynch adds, “Sunny blends in everywhere. Switch to party mode and Sunny flashes to the beat of the music, and when the party really gets going Sunny sings. Get Sunny dancing on the ceiling, walls, windows – wherever – with the suction feet feature of this one-in-a-chameleon pet.” Direct link: https://www.moosetoys.com/our-toys/little-live-pets/bright-light-chameleon-sunny/ VTECH® KICK & SCORE PLAYGYM™, VTECH Babies are able to achieve motor-skill milestones with this multi-stage, developmental play mat that includes a detachable plush soccer ball, learning panels and gym pieces. Lynch says babies start with floor play by kicking the ball or swatting the giraffe, flip to tummy time to strengthen core muscles, and parents can engage kids during seated play with the interactive, detachable learning panel that reinforces language skills and provides on-the-go play and exploration. Direct link: https://www.vtechkids.com/product/detail/20258/Kick_and_Score_Playgym GABBY’S DOLLHOUSE FAIRY KITTY GARDEN, SPIN MASTER Inspired by the enchanted Cotton Candy Tree from the show, Lynch says, “This treehouse playset features lights, a transforming canopy, secret room, vine zipline, swing, figures, accessories and furniture pieces to play out exciting adventures!” Fans are able to explore the treehouse’s two floors with Kitty Fairy and an exclusive 3.5-inch-tall Gabby Girl figure. They can also discover a tree canopy that opens up to reveal a play area. After exploring all the features, youngsters can unbox their special Dollhouse Delivery, just like Gabby does in the show, and find a surprise watering-can accessory to use in their storytelling. Lynch highlights that there’s also a thumbwheel built into the floor. Kids can spin it to find a secret room in the trunk of the tree and watch as the trunk and table light up (batteries included)! For one last surprise, she says fans can scan the QR code inside the Dollhouse Delivery to unlock a special reward in the free Gabby’s Dollhouse App (available on iOS and Android). Direct link: https://www.spinmaster.com/brands/gabbys-dollhouse/gabby-s-dollhouse-transforming-garden-treehouse-playset-with-lights-2-figures-5-accessories-1-delivery-3-furniture-kids-toys-for-ages-3-and-up SONIC SPEED RC, JAKKS PACIFIC Lynch concludes with the world’s favorite blue hedgehog that’s back for a next-level adventure. The latest offering allows fans to recreate the action from the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie with this RC. She points out it includes an iconic ring-shaped controller allowing for forward motion, turns and spinning action. The toy trends specialist adds that the RC lights up when fans select Turbo mode for that extra boost. For convenience and additional fun, the six-inch scale articulated Sonic figure is removeable. Direct link: https://www.jakks.com/sonic-the-movie/sonic-the-hedgehog-2-sonic-speed-rc/ For more information, go to thegeniusofplay.org. Facebook: Facebook Instagram: Instagram Twitter: Twitter Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

April 12, 2022 02:15 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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BLOK SPORTS Partners with Premier Rugby Sevens to Enable Peer-to-Peer Sports Betting for Groundbreaking Sports League

Premier Rugby Sevens

BLOK SPORTS, the peer-to-peer sports betting platform that leverages blockchain technology, announced a partnership with Premier Rugby Sevens (PR7s). Through a decentralized betting exchange, BLOK SPORTS’ technology allows fans to securely place wagers on PR7s events directly with friends. The partnership is the first of its kind for a U.S.-based sports league. BLOK SPORTS is backed by several sports tech investors, including NFL legends Marshawn Lynch and Andre Reed. Bloksports.bet is licensed under a Curacao license and is approved to operate in several international markets, including Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, and select European Union countries. BLOK SPORTS is working towards licenses in the U.S. on a state-by-state basis. Since the platform is running on blockchain, all wagers will be transacted securely through a common stable coin, such as USDC, accessible through the BLOK SPORTS app. BLOK SPORTS has removed the frictions associated with other decentralized apps so that even non-crypto savvy users and casual fans can join in. The app will integrate with PR7s’ content to provide a seamless experience for fans to follow the action live while participating in an immersive social wagering experience. “We couldn’t have aligned ourselves with a better partner than Premier Rugby Sevens,” said Mitchell Chun, Founder and CEO of BLOK SPORTS. “PR7s is reinventing the way fans experience the world’s most electric sport. PR7s showcases high-action games that are ideal for sports betting via live broadcasts, digital engagement, and new technologies. At BLOK SPORTS, we’re reinventing how the next generation of fans bet on sports. We’re thrilled to be working with PR7s to deliver a new social betting experience.” “With over two games completed every hour and competitive parity between teams, rugby sevens is an ideal new experience for sports betting enthusiasts. Our partnership with BLOK SPORTS is a historic first step toward integrating wagering into rugby sevens,” said Owen Scannell, CEO of Premier Rugby Sevens. As we scale in 2022, we look to be at the forefront of implementing innovative ways to engage new fans. Being aligned with BLOK SPORTS shows our commitment to leveraging technology to heighten the fan experience and integrating fun gamified platforms.” PR7s recently announced its nationwide expansion into new cities in 2022. The league’s tournaments will bring the famous rugby sevens festival experience to Major League Soccer (MLS) stadiums in San Jose at PayPal Park (Saturday, July 9), Washington, D.C. at Audi Field (Saturday, July 16), and Austin at Q2 Stadium (Saturday, July 30). As the first league of its kind with men’s and women’s teams competing under one umbrella with equal pay, each PR7s event will boast a party-like atmosphere with bands, DJs, games, contests, partner integration, and special appearances. PR7s also unveiled a revolutionary new prize that unites the men’s and women’s competitions, with combined points throughout the season determining the winner of the United Championship. Eight teams compete within four franchises: Experts, Headliners, Loggerheads, and Loonies. A men’s team and a women’s team represent each franchise. About BLOK SPORTS BLOK SPORTS is a decentralized sports betting exchange enabling anyone anywhere to bet others instantly, reliably, and securely without the involvement of a middleman. Its platform safeguards against fraud, removes the need for the house, and provides an unparalleled level of fairness and transparency for players around the world. BLOK SPORTS’ products also include predictive analytics, a suite of social and fan engagement solutions, and a network designed around the upcoming BLOK SPORTS token. Learn more at www.about.bloksports.com. About Premier Rugby Sevens Premier Rugby Sevens (PR7s) is a groundbreaking professional sports league in North America that debuted in 2021. With a focus on accessibility and entertaining content for fans, the league showcases the electrifying sport of rugby sevens through a touring format in cities across the United States and Canada. PR7s is the first sports organization of its kind, with four women’s teams and four men’s teams under one umbrella with equal pay. To learn more about Premier Rugby Sevens, go to PRSevens.com and follow the league on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. # # # Contact Details Eric Nemeth eric.nemeth@prsevens.com Company Website https://prsevens.com/

April 12, 2022 09:47 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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DICK’S Sporting Goods Named Official Sporting Goods Store of Ripken Baseball

Ripken Baseball

Ripken Baseball, the leader in youth sports events, announced they have entered a multi-year partnership with DICK’S Sporting Goods to be the official sporting goods store of The Ripken Experience™ in Aberdeen, Md., Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Pigeon Forge, Tenn. As the official sporting goods store of Ripken Baseball, DICK’S Sporting Goods will receive an integrated media plan and the opportunity to bring experiential elements from their stores to life at The Ripken Experience™ facilities. This program is designed to increase the awareness of their game-changing equipment, provide expert advice, and offer players, coaches, and families special offers on an assortment of merchandise and gear. “This partnership aligns two incredible brands in the youth sports industry,” said Amanda Shank, Vice President of Business Development for Ripken Baseball. “With an equal passion to grow America’s favorite pastime, this is more than a sponsorship relationship. Through DICK'S, our teams and families across the country will access the best selection and value on equipment so they're ready to take the field." In addition, Ripken Baseball event participants will continue to benefit from the partnership as DICK’S Sporting Goods will be the first brand incorporated in the inaugural multi-city Ripken Select tour. Ripken Select Tournaments will occur in Illinois, Florida, and Texas. Four Ripken Select Tournaments replicate the Ripken Experience™ that over 5,000 teams and 250,000 guests enjoy at Ripken Baseball’s permanent facilities in Maryland, South Carolina, and Tennessee. “We’re excited to partner with Ripken Baseball and bring together two great brands to support youth athletes,” said Aimee Watters, Senior Director Sports Matter and Community Marketing for DICK’S Sporting Goods. “At DICK’S we understand that the right equipment can make all the difference to an athlete and are proud to offer the best selection to keep kids in the game.” About DICK’S Sporting Goods DICK’S Sporting Goods (NYSE: DKS) creates confidence and excitement by personally equipping all athletes to achieve their dreams. Founded in 1948 and headquartered in Pittsburgh, the leading omnichannel retailer serves athletes and outdoor enthusiasts in more than 850 DICK’S Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, Field & Stream, Public Lands, Going Going Gone! and Warehouse Sale stores, online, and through the DICK’S mobile app. DICK’S also owns and operates DICK’S House of Sport and Golf Galaxy Performance Center, as well as GameChanger, a youth sports mobile app for scheduling, communications, live scorekeeping and video streaming. Driven by its belief that sports make people better, DICK’S has been a longtime champion for youth sports and, together with its Foundation, has donated millions of dollars to support under-resourced teams and athletes through the Sports Matter program and other community-based initiatives. Additional information about DICK’S business, corporate giving, sustainability efforts and employment opportunities can be found on dicks.com, investors.dicks.com, sportsmatter.org, dickssportinggoods.jobs and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. About Ripken Baseball Ripken Baseball brings teammates, coaches, and families together through its Big-League Experiences, while teaching the values of the game, and how to play it the right way – the Ripken Way. Recently expanding the best experience in youth sports to satellite locations through Ripken Select Tournaments, Ripken Baseball continues to innovate the game through tournaments, camps, clinics, and spring training at their state-of-the-art baseball and softball facilities – The Ripken Experience™ Aberdeen (Maryland), The Ripken Experience™ Myrtle Beach (South Carolina), and The Ripken Experience™ Pigeon Forge (Tennessee). Contact Details Eric PR & Marketing, LLC Eric Nemeth +1 602-502-2793 nemeth@ericpr.com Company Website https://www.ripkenbaseball.com/

April 12, 2022 09:13 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Metabolic fitness platform Ultrahuman acquires consumer-focused wearable company LazyCo

Ultrahuman

Ultrahuman, the world’s most advanced metabolic fitness platform, has today announced the acquisition of consumer-focused wearable company LazyCo famed for creating the Aina ring wearable. LazyCo will integrate with Ultrahuman’s global in-house hardware development team as they seek opportunities to enhance the user experience and help improve global metabolic health standards. Ultrahuman will leverage the LazyCo team’s expertise to generate deeper metabolic insights and better overall health insights for consumers. The metabolic health crisis is unarguably one of the largest healthcare crises that exist today. Over a billion people in the world suffer from a metabolic health disorder which contributes to almost 85% of all chronic diseases in the world. By helping people understand how food and exercise affect their metabolic health, people would be able to make informed choices about what they eat and their activity levels. The approach is a geography/diet agnostic way to help people eat and exercise better. Measuring a powerful biomarker like glucose can reveal so much about how a particular food item affects the user’s metabolic health by measuring the glucose response. This response is unique to an individual and it depends on various factors like their gut microbiome diversity, stress levels, time of the day, food ingredient quality, etc. With this acquisition, the idea would be to expand the set of real-time biomarkers that could provide unique health insights upon correlation. LazyCo was founded by engineers turned product designers, Apoorv Shankar and Yogansh Namdeo in 2017. The company focused on building hardware products that made daily life easier. One of the notable products included the Aina Ring - an AI-powered smart ring designed to predict and automate daily tasks without the need to take the phone out of the pocket. Digital tasks such as booking cabs, controlling smart home devices, activating SOS alerts, and taking phone calls, were 7x faster and easier through the ring. LazyCo completed a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2019 and won several design and startup awards from the likes of Alibaba and Qualcomm. “Ultrahuman’s vision of making health more personalized and impactful for people syncs with LazyCo’s vision of building products that solve problems for people in the most effortless ways. Together, we can create a deeper impact on the overall health of the world,” said Apoorv Shankar, Co-Founder and CEO, LazyCo. Ultrahuman launched with a wearable (the “Ultrahuman M1”) - a metabolic health tracking platform that provides intelligent nudges based on glucose biomarkers. This helps people optimize their exercise, sleep and nutrition based on deep insights from the platform. The M1 tracks the wearer’s metabolism as they go about their day. It triggers timely nudges to the user such as alerts to a high blood glucose event and suggestions to take a walk for optimizing their glucose levels. “We want to make it easy to get healthy. At Ultrahuman, we’re deep believers in passive personalized health, specifically in a health platform that requires very minimal effort from a user’s perspective. This perfectly aligns with the philosophy of LazyCo.” said Mohit Kumar, Founder and CEO, Ultrahuman. Ultrahuman was started by Mohit Kumar and Vatsal Singhal who were also co-founders at Runnr which later merged with India’s largest food delivery service Zomato. Mohit is an avid cyclist, biohacker and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu enthusiast. Vatsal is a cross-fit enthusiast and a biohacker. Mohit was training at one of the largest MMA Camps in the world (Tiger Muay Thai in Thailand). There, he observed athletes train smartly via the usage of data, recovery tools and protocols. He got together with Vatsal and they came up with a vision for Ultrahuman where they can make the journey of fitness for people more personalized and impactful. Ultrahuman is a venture-backed startup that has raised $25m to date. Their investors include Alpha Wave Incubation (AWI), which is backed by DisruptAD and managed by Falcon Edge, Steadview Capital, Nexus Venture Partners, Blume Ventures and Utsav Somani’s iSeed fund, and a range of marquee founders and angel investors including Tiger Global’s Scott Schleifer. About Ultrahuman Ultrahuman is the world's most advanced metabolic fitness platform. By using glucose and other biomarkers, Ultrahuman is helping people improve their energy levels, lose fat and avoid metabolic disorders. For more information and updates on Ultrahuman, please visit ultrahuman.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Contact Details Ultrahuman Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://ultrahuman.com/

April 12, 2022 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Minuteman Press Franchise in Welshpool, Perth, Western Australia Celebrates 17 Years, Shares Growth Strategies

Minuteman Press International Inc

Rod Hambley has owned his Minuteman Press printing franchise in Welshpool since March of 2005. In May of 2021, Rod purchased 15-year independent print shop Images on Paper. Following the acquisition, Rod merged staff from both businesses and has been producing more in-house orders with the equipment that was added. The result has been doubling and even tripling monthly sales in the months following the acquisition. This includes a record sales month for his 17-year business, Rod says, “We’ve clearly had sustained business growth since the acquisition. Sales for both new and existing clients are in line with past turnover for both.” Welcome to Minuteman Press in Welshpool Prior to buying Minuteman Press in Welshpool, Rod worked in the banking industry. He shares, “I was in banking for 25 years and worked as Branch Manager for several banks. I found Minuteman Press at a franchise show and in gaining a rapport with the Regional Vice President, I saw this as a viable option I could venture to when finished at the bank.” Under Rod’s leadership and following the acquisition of Images on Paper, Minuteman Press in Welshpool has continued to grow its core business. Rod says, “Our core business is always in high demand. We offer our clients high quality printing from our wide format machine which produces posters, signage, and stickers of all shapes and sizes. Our digital machine prints booklets, flyers, business cards, and much more. We also still run an offset machine for NCR Books, envelopes, and spot colour work that are all still in demand.” “It is important for local businesses to market and promote themselves. We are able to design and produce the items they need for those purposes and they also need printing of workbooks, forms, and plenty of other items for their operations as well.” -Rod Hambley, owner, Minuteman Press, Welshpool Acquiring Images on Paper As for how the acquisition of Images on Paper came about, it was a combination of Rod being proactive in looking at local acquisition targets in his area as well as the local Minuteman Press outreach campaign initiated by Regional Vice President Glenn Coyle. Rod says, “We have had our eye on this business in the area for a number of years among others. I have done smaller acquisitions over the years that were successful as I still have some clients from those. I saw Images on Paper as a good prospect where the owner might be looking to retire, and Glenn Coyle also identified them through an acquisition campaign.” Glenn Coyle says, “I reached out to Images on Paper and set up a confidential meeting with the owner Harry and his wife Robyn. We chatted for a while and after we got to know each other and I learned about their business, we all moved forward with a plan for Rod to acquire the business if all went well so Harry and Robyn could sell the business and retire.” Glenn adds, “Once I looked over the paperwork they provided, I met with Harry and Robyn again and told them my plan to introduce their business to Rod. They were happy for me to do this. After Rod met with Harry and Robyn, things went well, and they ultimately came to an agreement on price, terms, equipment, staff, and changeover date.” Rod shares, “The benefit to the seller was to save on brokerage costs, and the benefit to me was the increased sales as well as merging staff and added equipment for in-house jobs.” Advice for Others When asked what advice he would give to others looking to own a business, Rod answers, “Be prepared to work hard and find good staff. Also, you should ensure that you have steady cash flow and enough for a rainy day or two.” Minuteman Press in Welshpool is located at U2 119 Welshpool Rd., Welshpool, WA 6106. For more information, visit their website: https://www.welshpool.minutemanpress.com.au. Learn more about Minuteman Press franchise opportunities in Australia at https://minutemanpressfranchise.com.au. Contact Details Minuteman Press International Chris Biscuiti +1 631-249-1370 cbiscuiti@mpihq.com Company Website https://minutemanpressfranchise.com

April 11, 2022 10:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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