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Category: Business

  • MIL-OSI: Liquidia Corporation Strengthens Financial Position by Amending HealthCare Royalty Agreement to Incrementally Add Up to $100 Million

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MORRISVILLE, N.C., March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Liquidia Corporation (NASDAQ: LQDA), a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies for patients with rare cardiopulmonary disease, today announced that it has entered into a sixth amendment to its agreement with HealthCare Royalty (“HCRx”) to provide for up to an additional $100 million of financing in three tranches (the “Sixth Amendment”), subject to certain closing conditions including the funding conditions discussed below. Liquidia intends to use the proceeds to fund ongoing commercial development of YUTREPIA™ (treprostinil) inhalation powder for the potential treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD), continued development of YUTREPIA in other clinical trials, including but not limited to trials for pediatric patients and trials further evaluating the use of YUTREPIA in WHO Group 1 and WHO Group 3 patients, clinical development of L606 and for general corporate purposes.

    Under the terms of the Sixth Amendment, Liquidia will receive $25.0 million at closing with the potential to receive two additional tranches of funding: $50.0 million upon the first commercial sale of YUTREPIA following receipt of final FDA approval for the treatment of PAH and PH-ILD, so long as no injunction has been issued prohibiting Liquidia from commercializing YUTREPIA for either or both of PAH and PH-ILD, and $25.0 million upon the mutual agreement of the parties after achieving aggregate net sales of YUTREPIA in excess of $100 million at any time on or prior to June 30, 2026.

    Michael Kaseta, Liquidia’s Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, said: “We appreciate the trust and commitment demonstrated by HCRx during the past several years. We are optimistic that the combination of the proceeds resulting from the Sixth Amendment, and a successful launch of YUTREPIA following the expiration of regulatory exclusivity in May 2025, could lead to Liquidia reaching profitability without the need for additional capital.”

    Clarke Futch, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of HCRx added: “We continue to look forward to Liquidia’s potential receipt of final FDA approval of YUTREPIA. We strongly believe in YUTREPIA’s ability to address unmet medical needs in patients with PAH and PH-ILD, and we are eager for patients to have access to a new therapeutic option that has demonstrated great clinical promise.” 

    As consideration for the additional $25.0 million funded at closing, Liquidia has agreed to a fixed payment schedule that terminates in 2032. Payments on the last two tranches, when funded, would also follow a fixed payment schedule. The aggregate payments to HCRx are capped at 175% of the total amounts advanced by HCRx, but also include a potential true-up payment to be made by Liquidia if HCRx’s internal rate of return is less than a minimum rate of return on the date the cap is reached. The minimum rates of return for the three new tranches are 16%, 13% and 12%, respectively.

    About Liquidia Corporation
    Liquidia Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies for patients with rare cardiopulmonary disease. The company’s current focus spans the development and commercialization of products in pulmonary hypertension and other applications of its proprietary PRINT® Technology. PRINT enabled the creation of Liquidia’s lead candidate, YUTREPIA™ (treprostinil) inhalation powder, an investigational drug for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD). The company is also developing L606, an investigational sustained-release formulation of treprostinil administered twice-daily with a next-generation nebulizer, and currently markets generic Treprostinil Injection for the treatment of PAH. To learn more about Liquidia, please visit www.liquidia.com.

    About HealthCare Royalty
    HealthCare Royalty is a leading royalty acquisition company focused on commercial or near-commercial biopharmaceutical products. With offices in Stamford, Conn., San Francisco, Boston, London and Miami. HCRx has invested $5+ billion in over 90 biopharmaceutical products since inception. For more information, visit https://www.hcrx.com. HEALTHCARE ROYALTY® and HCRx® are registered trademarks of HealthCare Royalty Management, LLC.

    Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
    This press release may include forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release other than statements of historical facts, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, our strategic and financial initiatives, our business strategy and plans and our objectives for future operations, are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements, including statements regarding clinical trials, clinical studies and other clinical work (including the funding therefor, anticipated patient enrollment, safety data, study data, trial outcomes, timing or associated costs), regulatory applications and related submission contents and timelines, including the potential for final FDA approval of the NDA for YUTREPIA, which may occur after the expiration of the exclusivity period of TYVASO DPI, if at all, the timelines or outcomes related to patent litigation with United Therapeutics in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, litigation with United Therapeutics and FDA in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia or other litigation instituted by United Therapeutics or others, including rehearings or appeals of decisions in any such proceedings, the issuance of patents by the USPTO and our ability to execute on our strategic or financial initiatives, the potential for future advances by HCRx, our anticipated use of net proceeds funded under the HCR Agreement, our estimates regarding future expenses, capital requirements and needs for additional financing, and potential revenue and profitability of YUTREPIA, if approved, involve significant risks and uncertainties and actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied herein. The favorable decisions of courts or other tribunals are not determinative of the outcome of the appeals or rehearings of the decisions. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “would,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, short-term and long-term business operations and objectives and financial needs. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks discussed in our filings with the SEC, as well as a number of uncertainties and assumptions. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment and our industry has inherent risks. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the future events discussed in this press release may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. Nothing in this press release should be regarded as a representation by any person that these goals will be achieved, and we undertake no duty to update our goals or to update or alter any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

    Contact Information

    Investors:
    Jason Adair
    Chief Business Officer
    919.328.4350
    Jason.adair@liquidia.com

    Media:
    Patrick Wallace
    Director, Corporate Communications
    919.328.4383
    patrick.wallace@liquidia.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Enphase Energy Applauds New Rapid Shutdown Standard for Solar Installations in Brazil

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    FREMONT, Calif., March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENPH), a global energy technology company and the world’s leading supplier of microinverter-based solar and battery systems, today commended the introduction of Brazil’s new fire safety standard, Brazilian Association of Technical Standards (ABNT) NBR 17193, which outlines stringent recommendations like rapid shutdown functionality requirements for solar installations in all buildings.

    The new standard emphasizes the importance of safety in solar energy systems, particularly focusing on reducing fire hazards associated with high-voltage direct current (DC) energy components like centralized “string” inverters. Enphase’s microinverter technology intelligently converts low-voltage DC from solar panels into safe low-voltage alternating current (AC) right at the panel, inherently aligning with the new safety standard objectives by eliminating the need for high-voltage DC in residential and commercial solar installations.

    Additionally, all Enphase microinverters support rapid shutdown functionality, a critical safety feature that allows for the immediate de-energization of the system in emergency situations. The new safety standard recommends that all solar installations in Brazil have rapid shutdown functionality before connecting to the grid. This capability not only helps protect property, people, and emergency personnel but also aligns with global best practices for solar system safety. Brazil installers and distributors can learn more about the standard on the Enphase website (English and Portuguese).

    “Enphase’s microinverters have revolutionized our approach to solar installations,” said Adriano Coury, CEO of Onway Energy, an installer of Enphase products in Brazil. “The low-voltage AC design not only simplifies the installation process but also significantly reduces fire risks to help protect homeowners and emergency response teams.”

    “Safety is paramount in our operations,” said João Lucas Silva, CEO of Solusun, an installer of Enphase products in Brazil. “With Enphase’s microinverters, we can offer our clients a solution that complies with the latest safety standards and provides peace of mind.”

    “Enphase’s microinverters arrived in the Brazilian market meeting all safety requirements, ensuring protection for installers and homeowners,” said Marcel Ciriaco, founder of EnergySeg, an installer of Enphase’s products in Brazil. “The NBR 17193 corroborates the compliance of Enphase’s microinverters with global safety standards. Therefore, our Enphase customers will continue to benefit from the credibility and technological efficiency of our solution.”

    “This critical new safety standard is a significant milestone for the Brazilian solar industry, setting new benchmarks for safety and reliability,” said Ken Fong, senior vice president and general manager of the Americas and APAC at Enphase Energy. “Our microinverter technology is designed to meet and exceed these standards, providing Brazilian customers with safe, reliable, and high-performance solar energy solutions.”

    Installers of Enphase’s products in Brazil can order IQ8P™ Microinverters today, with peak output AC power of 480 W, supporting newer high-powered solar modules. All IQ8P Microinverters activated in Brazil come with a 25-year limited warranty. For more information about Enphase Energy in Brazil, please visit the website.

    About Enphase Energy, Inc.

    Enphase Energy, a global energy technology company based in Fremont, CA, is the world’s leading supplier of microinverter-based solar and battery systems that enable people to harness the sun to make, use, save, and sell their own power—and control it all with a smart mobile app. The company revolutionized the solar industry with its microinverter-based technology and builds all-in-one solar, battery, and software solutions. Enphase has shipped approximately 80.0 million microinverters, and approximately 4.7 million Enphase-based systems have been deployed in more than 160 countries. For more information, visit https://enphase.com/.

    ©2025 Enphase Energy, Inc. All rights reserved. Enphase Energy, Enphase, the “e” logo, IQ, and certain other marks listed at https://enphase.com/trademark-usage-guidelines are trademarks or service marks of Enphase Energy, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. Other names are for informational purposes and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including statements related to the expected capabilities and performance of Enphase Energy’s technology and products, including safety, quality and reliability. These forward-looking statements are based on Enphase Energy’s current expectations and inherently involve significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those contemplated by these forward-looking statements as a result of such risks and uncertainties including those risks described in more detail in Enphase Energy’s most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and other documents filed by Enphase Energy from time to time with the SEC. Enphase Energy undertakes no duty or obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events, or changes in its expectations, except as required by law.

    Contact:

    Enphase Energy

    press@enphaseenergy.com

    This press release was published by a CLEAR® Verified individual.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Bitcoin Depot Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Financial Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Q4 Revenue of $136.8 Million Compared to $148.4 Million in the Prior Year Quarter

    Q4 Operating Expenses Down 16% Year-Over-Year to $15.0 Million

    Q4 Net Income up Significantly to $5.4 Million Compared to a Net Loss of $1.7 Million in the Prior Year Quarter

    Q4 Adjusted Gross Profit up 18% Year-Over-Year to $25.4 Million

    Q4 Adjusted EBITDA up 34% Year-Over-Year to $12.0 Million

    ATLANTA, March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitcoin Depot Inc. (“Bitcoin Depot” or the “Company”), a U.S.-based Bitcoin ATM operator and leading fintech company, today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2024. Bitcoin Depot will host a conference call and webcast at 10:00 a.m. ET today. An earnings presentation and link to the webcast will be made available at ir.bitcoindepot.com.

    “As we highlighted in our fourth-quarter pre-announcement, 2024 ended on a strong note, driven by sequential revenue growth and substantial improvements in adjusted EBITDA, both sequentially and year-over-year,” said Brandon Mintz, CEO and Founder of Bitcoin Depot. “In the fourth quarter, we made significant progress in expanding our Bitcoin ATM network and optimizing existing machines to enhance profitability — and the results speak for themselves.

    “Looking ahead, we are confident that the optimization efforts we implemented throughout 2024 will begin to positively impact our financial performance as we move through 2025. With our aggressive international and domestic kiosk expansion strategy, we anticipate that 2025 will mark a strong return to growth for the business. As part of this, we are reintroducing financial guidance, projecting robust growth in the first quarter. Additionally, we remain committed to leveraging our strong cash flow to drive shareholder value initiatives, including the potential for a cash dividend. We have also continued to strengthen our Bitcoin treasury holdings, recently increasing our total to 94 BTC, reflecting our confidence in Bitcoin as a valuable financial asset and an integral part of our business model.”

    Fourth Quarter 2024 Financial Results

    Revenue in the fourth quarter of 2024 was $136.8 million compared to $148.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2023. This decline was driven by the impact of unfavorable legislation that was passed in California that went into effect in January 2024, along with the Company’s continued process of relocating underperforming kiosks to optimize fleet profitability.

    Total operating expenses declined 16% to $15.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2024 compared to $17.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2023 due to the costs of going public in 2023 that did not recur in 2024.

    Net income for the fourth quarter of 2024 increased significantly to $5.4 million compared to a net loss of $1.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2023. The increase was due to lower depreciation and amortization and lower operating expenses in 2024.

    Adjusted gross profit, a non-GAAP measure, in the third quarter of 2024 increased 18% to $25.4 million from $21.6 million for the fourth quarter of 2023. Adjusted gross profit margin, a non-GAAP measure, in the fourth quarter of 2024 increased approximately 400 basis points to 18.6% compared to 14.5% in the fourth quarter of 2023. Please see “Explanation and Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

    Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure, in the fourth quarter of 2024 increased 34% to $12.0 million compared to $9.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2023. The increase was primarily due to the higher net income. Please see “Explanation and Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

    Full Year 2024 Financial Results

    Revenue in 2024 was $573.7 million from $689.0 million in 2023. This decline was largely driven by the impact of unfavorable legislation that was passed in California that went into effect in January 2024, along with the Company’s continued process of relocating underperforming kiosks in order to optimize fleet profitability.

    Total operating expenses declined 5% to $67.2 million compared to $70.6 million in 2023 due to the costs of going public in 2023 that did not recur in 2024 as well as other cost saving measures.

    Net income in 2024 increased by 432% to $7.8 million compared to $1.5 million in 2023. The increase was primarily due to expenses with going public in 2023 that did not recur in 2024 along with other expense reductions.

    Adjusted gross profit, a non-GAAP measure, in 2024 was $91.4 million compared to $101.0 million in 2023. The adjusted gross profit margin, a non-GAAP measure, in 2024 increased 120 basis points to 15.9% compared to 14.7% in 2023. Please see “Explanation and Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

    Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure, in 2024 was $38.7 million compared to $56.3 million in 2023. The decline was due to the lower revenue. Please see “Explanation and Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

    Cash, cash equivalents, and cryptocurrencies were $31.0 million as of the end of 2024 compared to $30.5 million at the end of 2023.

    Q1 2025 Outlook

    Q1 2025 is off to a very strong start as we continue to see growth from our relocation strategy. We anticipate Q1 revenues to be between $151 million and $154 million which would represent growth of between 9% and 11% compared to Q1 2024.

    We are projecting adjusted EBITDA for Q1 2025 to be between $12 million and $14 million which would represent growth of over 200% compared to Q1 of 2024.

    Conference Call

    Bitcoin Depot will hold a conference call at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time (7:00 a.m. Pacific time) today to discuss its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2024.

    Call Date: Tuesday, March 18, 2025 
    Time: 10:00 a.m. Eastern time (7:00 a.m. Pacific time) 

    Phone Instructions
    U.S. dial-in: 646-968-2525
    International dial-in: 888-596-4144
    Conference ID: 8224936

    Webcast Instructions
    Webcast link: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/8kgtbeme

    A replay of the call will be available beginning after 2:00 p.m. Eastern time through March 25, 2025.

    U.S. & Canada replay number: 800-770-2030
    U.S. toll number: 609-800-9909
    Conference ID: 8224936

    If you have any difficulty connecting with the conference call, please contact Bitcoin Depot’s investor relations team at 1-949-574-3860.

    About Bitcoin Depot

    Bitcoin Depot Inc. (Nasdaq: BTM) was founded in 2016 with the mission to connect those who prefer to use cash to the broader, digital financial system. Bitcoin Depot provides its users with simple, efficient and intuitive means of converting cash into Bitcoin, which users can deploy in the payments, spending and investing space. Users can convert cash to bitcoin at Bitcoin Depot kiosks in 48 states and at thousands of name-brand retail locations in 29 states through its BDCheckout product. The Company has the largest market share in North America with over 8,400 kiosk locations as of February 25, 2025. Learn more at www.bitcoindepot.com. 

    Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release and any oral statements made in connection herewith include “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are any statements other than statements of historical fact, and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the expectations of plans, business strategies, objectives and growth and anticipated financial and operational performance, including our growth strategy and ability to increase deployment of our products and services, our ability to strengthen our financial profile, and worldwide growth in the adoption and use of cryptocurrencies. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current beliefs, based on currently available information, as to the outcome and timing of future events. Forward-looking statements are often identified by words such as “anticipate,” “appears,” “approximately,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “designed,” “effect,” “estimate,” “evaluate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “goal,” “initiative,” “intend,” “may,” “objective,” “outlook,“ ”plan,“ ”potential,“ ”priorities,“ ”project,“ ”pursue,“ ”seek,“ ”should,“ ”target,“ ”when,“ ”will,“ ”would,” or the negative of any of those words or similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. In making these statements, we rely upon assumptions and analysis based on our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, and expected future developments, as well as other factors we consider appropriate under the circumstances. We believe these judgments are reasonable, but these statements are not guarantees of any future events or financial results. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on by any investor as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond our control.

    These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including changes in domestic and foreign business, market, financial, political and legal conditions; failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the business combination; risks relating to the uncertainty of our projected financial information; future global, regional or local economic and market conditions; the development, effects and enforcement of laws and regulations; our ability to manage future growth; our ability to develop new products and services, bring them to market in a timely manner and make enhancements to our platform; the effects of competition on our future business; our ability to issue equity or equity-linked securities; the outcome of any potential litigation, government and regulatory proceedings, investigations and inquiries; and those factors described or referenced in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that we do not presently know or that we currently believe are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect our expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our assessments to change.

    We caution readers not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or other factors that affect the subject of these statements, except where we are expressly required to do so by law. All written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

     
    BITCOIN DEPOT INC.
    CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
    (in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
     
        As of December 31,  
        2024     2023  
    Assets            
    Current:            
    Cash and cash equivalents   $ 29,472     $ 29,759  
    Cryptocurrencies     1,510       712  
    Accounts receivable     275       245  
    Prepaid expenses and other current assets     3,076       3,514  
    Total current assets     34,333       34,230  
    Property and equipment:            
    Furniture and fixtures     635       635  
    Leasehold improvements     172       172  
    Kiosk machines – owned     36,831       24,222  
    Kiosk machines – leased     10,367       20,524  
    Total property and equipment     48,005       45,553  
    Less: accumulated depreciation     (21,158 )     (20,699 )
    Total property and equipment, net     26,847       24,854  
    Intangible assets, net     2,320       3,836  
    Goodwill     8,717       8,717  
    Operating lease right-of-use assets, net     2,595       484  
    Deposits     734       412  
    Deferred tax assets     4,558       1,804  
    Total assets   $ 80,104     $ 74,337  
     
    BITCOIN DEPOT INC.
    CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
    (in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
     
        As of December 31,  
        2024     2023  
    Liabilities and Stockholders’ (Deficit) Equity            
    Current:            
    Accounts payable   $ 11,557     $ 8,337  
    Accrued expenses and other current liabilities     14,260       18,505  
    Notes payable     6,022       3,985  
    Income taxes payable     2,207       2,484  
    Deferred revenue     20       297  
    Operating lease liabilities, current portion     858       279  
    Current installments of obligations under finance leases     3,446       6,801  
    Other non-income tax payable     2,259       2,297  
    Total current liabilities     40,629       42,985  
    Long-term liabilities            
    Notes payable, non-current     49,457       17,101  
    Operating lease liabilities, non-current     1,774       319  
    Obligations under finance leases, non-current     1,950       2,848  
    Deferred income tax, net     604       846  
    Tax receivable agreement liability due to related party     2,176       865  
    Total Liabilities     96,590       64,964  
    Commitments and Contingencies (Note 24)            
    Stockholders’ (Deficit) Equity            
    Series A Preferred Stock, $0.0001 par value; 50,000,000 authorized, 1,733,884 and 3,125,000 shares issued and outstanding, at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively     —       —  
    Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value; 800,000,000 authorized, 19,263,164 and 13,602,691 shares issued, and 19,072,544 and 13,482,047 shares outstanding at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively     1       1  
    Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value; 20,000,000 authorized, no shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively     —       —  
    Class E common stock, $0.0001 par value; 2,250,000 authorized, 1,075,761 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively     —       —  
    Class M common stock, $0.0001 par value; 300,000,000 authorized, no shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively     —       —  
    Class O common stock, $0.0001 par value; 800,000,000 authorized, no shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively     —       —  
    Class V common stock, $0.0001 par value; 300,000,000 authorized, 41,193,024 and 44,100,000 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively     4       4  
    Treasury stock     (437 )     (279 )
    Additional paid-in capital     21,491       17,326  
    Accumulated deficit     (44,349 )     (32,663 )
    Accumulated other comprehensive loss     (342 )     (203 )
    Total Stockholders’ (Deficit) Attributable to Bitcoin Depot Inc.     (23,632 )     (15,814 )
    Equity attributable to non-controlling interests     7,146       25,187  
    Total Stockholders’ (Deficit) Equity     (16,486 )     9,373  
    Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ (Deficit) Equity   $ 80,104     $ 74,337  

       

     
    BITCOIN DEPOT INC.
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF (LOSS) INCOME AND COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) INCOME
    (UNAUDITED)
    (in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
     
      Year ended December 31,     Three Months Ended December 31,  
      2024     2023     2024     2023  
    Revenue $ 573,703     $ 688,967     $ 136,827     $ 148,406  
    Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)   482,263       587,938       111,415       126,851  
    Operating expenses:               —       —  
    Selling, general, and administrative   57,158       57,770       13,096       14,525  
    Depreciation and amortization   10,072       12,788       1,888       3,234  
    Total operating expenses   67,230       70,558       14,984       17,759  
    Income from operations   24,210       30,471       10,428       3,796  
    Other (expense) income:               –       –  
    Interest (expense)   (14,199 )     (11,926 )     (3,468 )     (1,806 )
    Other (expense) income   406       (16,737 )     263       (2,713 )
    Loss on foreign currency transactions   (465 )     (289 )     (171 )     76  
    Total other (expense), net   (14,258 )     (28,952 )     (3,376 )     (4,443 )
    Income before provision for income taxes and non-controlling interest   9,952       1,519       7,052       (647 )
    Income tax (expense)   (2,138 )     (49 )     (1,659 )     (1,026 )
    Net income $ 7,814     $ 1,470     $ 5,393     $ (1,673 )
    Net income attributable to Legacy Bitcoin Depot unit holders   —       12,906       —       —  
    Net income attributable to non-controlling interest   19,500       14,666       12,041       6,635  
    Net (loss) attributable to Bitcoin Depot Inc. $ (11,686 )   $ (26,102 )   $ (6,648 )   $ (8,308 )
    Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax               —       —  
    Net income   7,814       1,470       5,393       (1,673 )
    Foreign currency translation adjustments   34       (4 )     35       (70 )
    Total comprehensive income   7,848       1,466       5,428       (1,743 )
    Comprehensive income attributable to Legacy Bitcoin Depot unit holders   —       12,885       —       —  
    Comprehensive income attributable to non-controlling interest   19,500       14,683       12,041       6,565  
    Comprehensive (loss) attributable to Bitcoin Depot Inc. $ (11,652 )   $ (26,102 )   $ (6,613 )   $ (8,308 )

    Explanation and Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

    Bitcoin Depot reports its financial results in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). This press release includes both historical and projected Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Gross Profit, and certain ratios and other metrics derived therefrom such as Adjusted EBITDA margin and Adjusted Gross Profit margin, which are not prepared in accordance with GAAP.

    Bitcoin Depot defines Adjusted EBITDA as net income before interest expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization, non-recurring expenses, share-based compensation, expenses related to the PIPE financing and miscellaneous cost adjustments. Such items are excluded from Adjusted EBITDA because these items are non-cash in nature, or because the amount and timing of these items is unpredictable, not driven by core results of operations and renders comparisons with prior periods and competitors less meaningful. In addition, Bitcoin Depot defines Adjusted Gross Profit (a non-GAAP financial measure) as revenue less cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization) and depreciation and amortization adjusted to add back depreciation and amortization. Bitcoin Depot believes Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Gross Profit each provide useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating Bitcoin Depot’s results of operations, as well as provide a useful measure for period-to-period comparisons of Bitcoin Depot’s business performance. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Gross Profit are each key measurements used internally by management to make operating decisions, including those related to operating expenses, evaluate performance and perform strategic and financial planning. However, you should be aware that Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Gross Profit are not measures of financial performance calculated in accordance with GAAP and may exclude items that are significant in understanding and assessing Bitcoin Depot’s financial results, and further, that Bitcoin Depot may incur future expenses similar to those excluded when calculating these measures. Bitcoin Depot primarily relies on GAAP results and uses both Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Gross Profit on a supplemental basis. Neither Adjusted EBITDA or Adjusted Gross Profit should be considered in isolation from, or as an alternative to, net income, cash flows from operations or other measures of profitability, liquidity or performance under GAAP and may not be indicative of Bitcoin Depot’s historical or future operating results. Bitcoin Depot’s computation of both Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Gross Profit may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures computed by other companies because not all companies calculate such measures in the same fashion. As such, undue reliance should not be placed on such measures.

    Due to the high variability and difficulty in making accurate forecasts and projections of some of the information excluded from the projections of Adjusted EBITDA, together with some of the excluded information not being ascertainable or accessible, Bitcoin Depot is unable to quantify certain amounts that would be required to be included in the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures without unreasonable effort. Consequently, no disclosure of estimated comparable GAAP measures is included and no reconciliation of the forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures is included.

    The following table presents a reconciliation of Net (loss) income to Adjusted EBITDA for the periods indicated: 

     
    BITCOIN DEPOT INC.
    RECONCILIATION OF NET (LOSS) INCOME TO ADJUSTED EBITDA
    (UNAUDITED)
     
      Year Ended December 31,     Three Months Ended December 31,  
    (in thousands) 2024     2023     2024     2023  
    Net income (loss) $ 7,814     $ 1,470     $ 5,393     $ (1,673 )
    Adjustments:                      
    Interest expense   14,199       11,926       3,468       1,806  
    Income tax (benefit) expense   2,138       49       1,659       1,026  
    Depreciation and amortization   10,072       12,788       1,888       3,234  
    Expense related to the PIPE transaction (1)   —       14,896       —       2,615  
    Non-recurring expenses (2)   437       9,298       (767 )     1,634  
    Share-based compensation   3,400       2,524       363       1,198  
    Special bonus (3)   675       3,040       —       (875 )
    Expenses associated with the termination of the phantom equity participation plan   —       350       —       —  
    Adjusted EBITDA $ 38,735     $ 56,341     $ 12,004     $ 8,965  
    Adjusted EBITDA margin (4)   6.8 %     8.2 %     8.8 %     7.8 %
                                   
    (1) Amounts include the recognition of a non-cash expense of $13.9 million related to the PIPE transaction for the year ended December 31, 2023, entered into as of close of the Merger on June 30, 2023.

    (2) Comprised of non-recurring professional service fees incurred by the Company related to the close of the Transaction.

    (3) Amount includes (A) Transaction bonus and related taxes to employees of approximately $1.4 million and (B) Founder Transaction bonus as a result of close of the Merger, of approximately $1.6 million, recognized as share-based compensation, for the year ended December 31, 2023.

    (4) Adjusted EBITDA margin is defined as Adjusted EBITDA divided by revenue. The Company uses this measure to evaluate its overall profitability.
     

    The following table presents a reconciliation of revenue to Adjusted Gross Profit for the periods indicated:

     
    BITCOIN DEPOT INC.
    RECONCILIATION OF REVENUE TO ADJUSTED GROSS PROFIT
    (UNAUDITED)
     
      Year Ended December 31,     Three Months Ended December 31,  
    (in thousands) 2024     2023     2024     2023  
    Revenue $ 573,703     $ 688,967     $ 136,827     $ 148,406  
    Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and
    amortization)    		   (482,263 )     (587,938 )     (111,415 )     (126,851 )
    Depreciation and amortization excluded from cost of revenue   (9,984 )     (12,455 )     (1,894 )     (2,901 )
    Gross profit $ 81,456     $ 88,574     $ 23,518     $ 18,654  
    Adjustments:                      
    Depreciation and amortization excluded from cost of revenue $ 9,984     $ 12,455     $ 1,894     $ 2,901  
    Adjusted gross profit $ 91,440     $ 101,029     $ 25,412     $ 21,555  
    Gross profit margin (1)   14.2 %     12.9 %     17 %     13 %
    Adjusted gross profit margin (1)   15.9 %     14.7 %     19 %     15 %
                                   
    (1) Calculated as a percentage of revenue.
     

    Contacts:

    Investors 
    Cody Slach,
    Gateway Group, Inc. 
    949-574-3860 
    BTM@gateway-grp.com

    Media 
    Zach Kadletz, Brenlyn Motlagh, Ryan Deloney 
    Gateway Group, Inc.
    949-574-3860 
    BTM@gateway-grp.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Captivision Appoints Ric Clark to Board of Directors

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MIAMI, March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Captivision Inc. (“Captivision” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: CAPT), a pioneering manufacturer and global LED solution provider, today announced the appointment of Richard “Ric” Clark to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. Mr. Clark will serve as Chair of the Company’s Compensation Committee and also join the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, bringing decades of executive leadership and corporate governance expertise to the Company.

    Mr. Clark has nearly four decades of real estate, M&A and capital markets experience. He is founder of Burnside Investments, a private investment company, co-founder of WatermanClark, a real estate investment partnership, and a board member of public and private companies in industries including retail, sports and entertainment. Previously, he spent three decades at Brookfield Corp. and its predecessors, serving in various leadership roles, including Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Brookfield Property Group, Brookfield Property Partners and Brookfield Office Properties. Under his leadership, Brookfield’s real estate group grew its assets under management from $5 billion to more than $200 billion and expanded globally across the property spectrum.

    “We are delighted to welcome Ric to Captivision’s Board of Directors,” said Gary Garrabrant, Chairman and CEO of Captivision. “Ric brings an unparalleled experience building and leading one of the world’s largest and most respected real estate companies. His accomplishments as an entrepreneur are equally distinguished as well as his relationships with decision makers globally.”

    Mr. Clark holds a Bachelor of Science from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

    About Captivision

    Captivision is a pioneering manufacturer of media glass, combining IT building material and architectural glass. The product has a boundless array of applications including entertainment media, information media, cultural and artistic content as well as marketing use cases. Captivision can transform any glass façade into a transparent media screen with real time live stream capability. Captivision is fast becoming a solution provider across the LED product spectrum.

    Captivision’s media glass and solutions have been implemented in hundreds of locations globally across sports stadiums, entertainment venues, casinos and hotels, convention centers, office and retail properties and airports. Learn more at http://www.captivision.com/.

    Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
    This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements relating to expectations for future financial performance, business strategies, or expectations for the Company’s respective businesses. These statements are based on the beliefs and assumptions of the management of the Company. Although the Company believes that its plans, intentions and expectations reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that it will achieve or realize these plans, intentions or expectations. These statements constitute projections, forecasts, and forward-looking statements, and are not guarantees of performance. Such statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. When used in this press release, words such as “believe”, “can”, “continue”, “expect”, “forecast”, “may”, “plan”, “project”, “should”, “will” or the negative of such terms, and similar expressions, may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking.

    The risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: (1) the ability to raise financing in the future and to comply with restrictive covenants related to indebtedness; (2) the ability to realize the benefits expected from the business combination and the Company’s strategic direction; (3) the significant market adoption, demand and opportunities in the construction and digital out of home media industries for the Company’s products; (4) the ability to maintain the listing of the Company’s ordinary shares and warrants on Nasdaq; (5) the ability of the Company to remain competitive in the fourth generation architectural media glass industry in the face of future technological innovations; (6) the ability of the Company to execute its international expansion strategy; (7) the ability of the Company to protect its intellectual property rights; (8) the profitability of the Company’s larger projects, which are subject to protracted sales cycles; (9) whether the raw materials, components, finished goods, and services used by the Company to manufacture its products will continue to be available and will not be subject to significant price increases; (10) the IT, vertical real estate, and large format wallscape modified regulatory restrictions or building codes; (11) the ability of the Company’s manufacturing facilities to meet their projected manufacturing costs and production capacity; (12) the future financial performance of the Company; (13) the emergence of new technologies and the response of the Company’s customer base to those technologies; (14) the ability of the Company to retain or recruit, or to effect changes required in, its officers, key employees, or directors; (15) the ability of the Company to comply with laws and regulations applicable to its business; and (16) other risks and uncertainties set forth under the section of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F entitled “Risk Factors.”

    These forward-looking statements are based on information available as of the date of this press release and the Company’s management team’s current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions, and involve a number of judgments, known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the control of the Company and its directors, officers, and affiliates. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company management team’s views as of any subsequent date. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update, add or to otherwise correct any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events, inaccuracies that become apparent after the date hereof or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

    Media Contact:
    Gateway Group
    Zach Kadletz
    +1 949-574-3860
    CAPT@gateway-grp.com

    Investor Contact:
    Gateway Group
    Ralf Esper
    +1 949-574-3860
    CAPT@gateway-grp.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Ascent Solar Technologies Publishes Business Update on Progress to Establish Long-Term Revenue Through Space Solar Solutions Underway

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    THORNTON, Colo., March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ascent Solar Technologies (“Ascent” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: ASTI), the leading U.S. innovator in the design and manufacturing of featherweight, flexible thin-film photovoltaic (PV) solutions, today reported on its commercial progress and achievement of stated annual goals as the Company continues to execute upon its 2025 growth initiatives.

    Ascent is currently engaged with multiple strategic partners in the space market, including a major defense contractor, multiple deployable technology companies, as well as a satellite company to complete extensive integration testing of the Company’s unique thin-film CIGS solar technology. The expected result of successful testing and integration of Ascent’s technology is to secure long-term agreements for consistent annual revenue with a diverse set of customers in the space market.

    “I am happy to report that Ascent’s challenging turnaround process is in the rear-view mirror, as our products now regularly achieve the higher device performance needed to meet customer needs for space-based power,” said Paul Warley, CEO of Ascent Solar Technologies. “Our latest solar efficiency milestones are opening new revenue streams driven by the increasing demand to power space vehicles and beam solar energy. Ascent products – all produced domestically in our facility in Thornton, CO – are uniquely poised to reliably meet that demand in the harsh environment of space, reducing costs and increasing operational efficiency for customers in the public, private and government sectors.”

    Ascent’s leadership team looks forward to building upon its success for the remainder of 2025 and is eager to update its stockholder community with impactful Company announcements and milestones as they are finalized. Interested parties seeking to learn more about the Company, its products/technology, and market opportunity are encouraged to visit https://www.ascentsolar.com or email IR@ascentsolar.com.

    About Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc.

    Backed by 40 years of R&D, 15 years of manufacturing experience, numerous awards, and a comprehensive IP and patent portfolio, Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of innovative, high-performance, flexible thin-film solar panels for use in environments where mass, performance, reliability, and resilience matter. Ascent’s photovoltaic (PV) modules have been deployed on space missions, multiple airborne vehicles, agrivoltaic installations, in industrial/commercial construction as well as an extensive range of consumer goods, revolutionizing the use cases and environments for solar power. Ascent Solar’s research and development center and 5-MW nameplate production facility is in Thornton, Colorado. To learn more, visit https://www.ascentsolar.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical or current fact constitute “forward-looking statements” including statements about the financing transaction, our business strategy, and the potential uses of the proceeds from the transaction. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unknown factors that could cause the company’s actual operating results to be materially different from any historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current assumptions, expectations, and projections about future events. In addition to statements that explicitly describe these risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements that contain terms such as “will,” “believes,” “belief,” “expects,” “expect,” “intends,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “plan,” to be uncertain and forward-looking. No information in this press release should be construed as any indication whatsoever of our future revenues, stock price, or results of operations. The forward-looking statements contained herein are also subject generally to other risks and uncertainties that are described from time to time in the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in our most recently filed reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q.

    Media Contact

    Spencer Herrmann
    FischTank PR
    ascent@fischtankpr.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: 2X Secures Strategic Investment from Insight Partners to Scale Marketing-as-a-Service Category Leadership

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MALVERN, Pa., March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — 2X, a leader in subscription-based marketing as a service (MaaS), today announced a strategic secondary investment from Insight Partners, a global software investor. The investment comes less than two years after 2X’s initial backing from Recognize, further validating the company’s approach to transforming how B2B organizations scale their marketing and revenue operations to accelerate sustainable growth.

    Insight’s investment reflects confidence in 2X’s tech-enabled subscription-based services model, which enables marketing leaders in today’s resource-constrained environment to achieve greater impact and flexibility while lowering the overall cost of growth. Combined with Recognize’s expertise in next-generation, tech-enabled services businesses, Insight’s renowned software expertise will help create a powerful foundation for 2X’s continued innovation and growth.

    “This investment is validation that our marketing-as-a-service model is the solution to the challenges B2B go-to-market leaders face,” said Domenic Colasante, CEO of 2X. “As B2B growth targets become more ambitious while budgets tighten, our solution enables leaders to accomplish more with less—greater impact, reduced costs, and complete flexibility. We’re excited to have Insight on board along with Recognize to help accelerate our mission to transform how B2B organizations scale revenue growth without increasing costs or operational overhead.”

    According to market analysis, the total addressable market for B2B marketing outsourcing, including internal labor, agency services, and technology services, exceeds $100 billion and is expanding at more than 20% annually. With only a small fraction currently being outsourced efficiently, 2X’s scalable MaaS model is well positioned to grow.

    “At Recognize, we believe the next generation of service companies is emerging, and 2X is a prime example of that evolution,” said David Wasserman, Managing Partner at Recognize. “Since our initial investment less than two years ago, we’ve enjoyed working with the talented 2X team. We believe the addition of Insight Partners will accelerate Dom’s vision of building the preeminent B2B marketing-as-a-service firm.”

    “2X first landed on our radar through their work with Insight’s portfolio companies. We were impressed with their innovative business model and strong product-market fit in solving critical go-to-market challenges for B2B organizations,” said Jeff Horing, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Insight Partners. “We’re excited to partner with 2X to help scale this market to its full potential.”

    Richard Matus, Principal at Insight Partners, added: “We believe 2X is a market leader in the subscription tech-enabled services market, and we’re optimistic about the future of this category. 2X addresses a critical inefficiency in how marketing teams operate, creating a great opportunity to transform the B2B go-to-market landscape.”

    “2X, Insight Partners, and 6sense share a vision for revolutionizing go-to-market execution at scale,” said Jason Zintak, CEO at 6sense, an Insight Partners portfolio company and 2X strategic partner. “As their largest technology partner, we’ve seen firsthand how the 2X team can deliver tangible value through innovation and operational excellence. This partnership aims to expand their reach and enhance how B2B companies approach their entire revenue generation process.”

    Canaccord Genuity served as exclusive financial advisor to 2X in this secondary investment.

    About 2X

    2X is a leading B2B marketing-as-a-service firm that helps marketing leaders achieve greater impact while lowering costs through its managed services delivery model. Servicing over 150 clients including SAP, Ricoh, Docker, Hyland, Seismic, Qlik, and GoTo, 2X provides dedicated and highly skilled FTEs who specialize in marketing operations, martech management, campaign execution, content and creative production, and strategy consulting services. With more than 1,000 team members globally, 2X is backed by private equity firms Recognize and Insight Partners and has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing companies in the US by Inc. and the Financial Times. For more information, visit www.2X.marketing or follow us on LinkedIn.

    About Recognize

    Recognize is a technology investment platform exclusively focused on the technology services industry. The firm provides operational expertise, industry insights, and strategic capital to innovative companies in this sector. Recognize is led by industry veterans Frank D’Souza, Raj Mehta, Charles Phillips, and David Wasserman. To learn more, visit www.recognize.com.

    About Insight Partners

    Insight Partners is a global software investor partnering with high-growth technology, software, and Internet startup and ScaleUp companies that are driving transformative change in their industries. As of September 30, 2024, the firm has over $90B in regulatory assets under management. Insight Partners has invested in more than 800 companies worldwide and has seen over 55 portfolio companies achieve an IPO. Headquartered in New York City, Insight has offices in London, Tel Aviv, and the Bay Area. Insight’s mission is to find, fund, and work successfully with visionary executives, providing them with tailored, hands-on software expertise along their growth journey, from their first investment to IPO. For more information on Insight and all its investments, visit insightpartners.com or follow us on X @insightpartners.

    Media Contact:
    Audree Hernandez
    JMAC PR for 2X
    2X@jmacpr.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Nasdaq to Convene Texas Business Leaders to Honor the Legacy of Ross Perot Jr.

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    DALLAS, March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, Nasdaq will convene top leaders across the Texas economy to celebrate the legacy of Ross Perot Jr. and to discuss strategies for the state’s continued economic prosperity. The event will showcase Perot’s role in driving Texas’ economic success and emphasize the vibrant innovation ecosystem that has been developed under Governor Greg Abbott’s tenure.

    “Ross Perot Jr. has been a steadfast advocate for the entrepreneurship and investment that have reshaped the Texas economy. From leading trailblazing developments such as the expansive AllianceTexas project to being a co-founder of Perot Systems, Ross has been a bedrock of the Texas business community and a major contributor to the state’s phenomenal success,” said Adena Friedman, Chair and CEO of Nasdaq. “His dedication to fostering growth through investments in innovative companies and his decades of philanthropic work embody the values Nasdaq is proud to recognize through this award. We thank Ross for his remarkable contributions and Governor Abbott for his tireless leadership in building an economic ecosystem that has become a global epicenter for growth and innovation.”

    The convening will also feature a keynote speech by Governor Abbott, who will underscore the historic achievement of the “Texas Miracle,” the state’s tremendous economic growth over the past 20 years. Texas’ success is deeply rooted in its culture of risk-taking, hard work, and entrepreneurial spirit—evolving from a legacy of resource-driven wealth into a diversified, business-friendly economy. With forward-thinking investments in infrastructure and education, and a strong, growing population, Texas continues to lead nationally in job creation, business expansion, and economic dynamism.

    “Visionaries like Ross Perot Jr. prove that Texas is the blueprint for American success,” said Governor Greg Abbott. “I’ve known Ross for many years and am proud to call him a great friend. He is a true Texas pioneer whose work in real estate, oil and gas, aviation, and economic development created hundreds of good-paying jobs for hardworking Texans. Entrepreneurs like Ross know that they live in a state where they can cast a vision and achieve it. By continuing to work together, Texas will remain the beacon of economic opportunity and prosperity for generations.”

    To celebrate the economic miracle that has positioned Texas as a national and global powerhouse, Nasdaq will present Ross Perot, Jr., Chairman and CEO of Hillwood and the Perot Company, the inaugural Nasdaq Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognizes Mr. Perot’s unparalleled contributions to the Texas economy and his lasting impact on innovation, technology, economic prosperity, and community development.

    In 1989, Mr. Perot spearheaded the development of Fort Worth Alliance Airport, the nation’s first industrial airport, through a groundbreaking public-private partnership. This project became the cornerstone of AllianceTexas, a 27,000-acre master-planned, mixed-use community in North Texas. Today, AllianceTexas serves as a global leader in logistics and innovation, anchored by the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone, an integrated ecosystem for surface and air mobility technology to scale and commercialize. Since its inception, AllianceTexas has generated more than $120 billion in regional economic impact.

    Mr. Perot also co-founded Perot Systems Corporation in 1998 with his late father, where he served in various leadership roles, including CEO, Chairman of the Board, and member of its Board of Directors. The company revolutionized the use of information technology in industries like healthcare and was acquired by Dell Inc. in 2009. Following the acquisition, Mr. Perot served on Dell’s Board of Directors until 2013. Through Perot Jain, his venture capital firm, Mr. Perot continues to invest in innovative companies that redefine industries and drive technological progress.

    As an aviation enthusiast and a former fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force, Mr. Perot chaired the U.S. Air Force Memorial Foundation, leading a 14-year effort to construct the United States Air Force Memorial in Washington, D.C. In addition to his business and philanthropic achievements, Mr. Perot holds several key leadership roles. He serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and is a board member of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and the Hoover Institution. He also holds Board Member Emeritus positions with Vanderbilt University and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

    About Nasdaq
    Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ) is a leading global technology company serving corporate clients, investment managers, banks, brokers, and exchange operators as they navigate and interact with the global capital markets and the broader financial system. We aspire to deliver world-leading platforms that improve the liquidity, transparency, and integrity of the global economy. Our diverse offering of data, analytics, software, exchange capabilities, and client-centric services enables clients to optimize and execute their business vision with confidence. To learn more about the company, technology solutions, and career opportunities, visit us on LinkedIn, on X @Nasdaq, or at www.nasdaq.com.

    About Ross Perot, Jr. and Hillwood
    Ross Perot Jr. is Chairman of The Perot Companies, overseeing family interests in real estate, oil and gas, and financial investments, and of Hillwood, a global real estate firm he founded in 1988. He developed Fort Worth Alliance Airport, the nation’s first industrial airport, anchoring a 27,000-acre mixed-use community generating over $120 billion in economic impact. Perot co-founded and served on the boards of Perot Systems and Dell. Currently, he is Vice Chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and serves on the boards of the Hoover Institution and the American Enterprise Institute. 

    Media Relations Contact:
    David Lurie
    +1.914.538.0533
    David.Lurie@Nasdaq.com

    Michelle Mendiola
    +1.646.634.8350
    Michelle.Mendiola@Nasdaq.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: SEON Accelerates Global Growth with Key Leadership Appointments 

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    AUSTIN, Texas, March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SEON, the leader in digital fraud prevention and compliance, today announced the appointments of Troy Nyi Nyi as SVP & GM, APAC, Adrian Jenkins as Head of Sales, EMEA, and Dan Webb as VP of Global Partnerships.

    Troy brings two decades of expertise in financial services, payments and eCommerce, with a focus on data-driven fraud risk management and AML solutions. Prior to SEON, he served as Global Head of Commercial at BPC Banking Technologies, where he led its Enterprise Fraud Management product line. Previously, he led regional operations for trust & identity intelligence companies Forter and TeleSign.

    Jenkins, an expert in scaling global SaaS revenue teams, was most recently Managing Director, Fintech at Fenergo and previously served as Chief Commercial Officer at Sentinels, where he drove 244% ARR growth. He has also held leadership roles at Arkose Labs.

    A seasoned channel chief, Webb most recently served as Vice President of Global Channel Sales and Alliances at Expel, where he grew partner-sourced business from 9% to 47% of global bookings in four quarters, forming key alliances with Visa and Wiz. At Alert Logic, he pioneered ISV co-sell success with AWS, generating tens of millions in Marketplace revenue. Webb previously led EMEA strategic alliances at RSA Security, forging joint ventures, including a Fraud Prevention offering with Deloitte UK.

    “With deep regional and global experience in scaling SaaS-based fintechs, Troy, Adrian and Dan will play a critical role in accelerating our expansion across key regions and markets,” said Matt DeLauro, President, GTM, SEON. “Their expertise in fraud and AML, combined with their impressive track records of growth, will be invaluable as we strengthen our presence worldwide and help more businesses fight fraud effectively.”

    About SEON
    SEON helps top-tier risk teams detect and stop fraud. By combining real-time digital footprint analysis, device intelligence and AI-driven rules, SEON empowers over 5,000 businesses globally to prevent threats before they occur. SEON operates from Austin, London, Budapest and Singapore. Learn more at seon.io.

    Media
    Press@seon.io

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: ClearlyRated Announces the 2025 Best Staffing Firms for Women™ List

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PORTLAND, Ore., March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ClearlyRated®, the leading provider of client, talent, and employee satisfaction surveys and service quality research for staffing agencies, announced the firms that have qualified for inclusion on its third annual Best Staffing Firms for Women™ list on ClearlyRated.com.

    “I’m excited to unveil the companies recognized on this year’s third annual Best Staffing Firms for Women list,” stated Baker Nanduru, CEO of ClearlyRated. “As we continue to celebrate Women’s History Month, these exceptional firms deserve applause for championing and empowering their female employees. Despite persistent challenges like pay disparity and limited advancement opportunities, these firms are at the forefront of fostering growth and elevating women in the workforce. Congratulations and heartfelt thanks to these outstanding organizations for their unwavering commitment to gender diversity and equality.”

    Staffing and recruiting firms that conducted internal employee surveys with ClearlyRated are eligible to earn the Best of Staffing® award in the Employee Satisfaction category. Within this category, firms that included identity-based demographic survey questions and met additional criteria related to female employee Net Promoter® Score (eNPS) and representation earned the prestigious designation as a member of the Best Staffing Firms for Women list.

    More than 90 staffing firms in the U.S. and Canada with close to 14,000 internal employees participated in the Best of Staffing internal employee survey for the 2025 award year, growing the ClearlyRated survey database to become the largest repository of internal employee responses on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the staffing industry. Some of the notable findings from ClearlyRated’s internal staffing employee data analysis include the following:

    • Women comprise 67% of all internal positions at staffing firms, yet half of directors and two thirds of executives are men.
    • Women working at staffing firms are:
      • 44% more likely to be detractors of their firms.
      • 49% less likely to feel they are compensated fairly.
      • 31% less likely to believe advancement is merit-based.

    Fewer than 0.2% of staffing firms in the United States and Canada qualified to earn the Best Staffing Firms for Women designation, making this a prestigious recognition for staffing firms seeking to hire and retain top internal talent.

    Want to learn more? Register for our panel discussion featuring female leaders in the staffing industry discussion ClearlyRated’s research data and sharing strategies and advice for firms and the women who work there. Click here to register.

    About ClearlyRated
    ClearlyRated is the leading CX platform designed specifically for staffing & recruiting firms. We offer firms a sophisticated alternative to manual processes and basic survey tools, then pair that with world class customer care and support. Ours is an efficient, industry-focused solution that provides data-driven insights to equip service teams with a real-time understanding of client and internal employee interactions and satisfaction.

    About Best of Staffing
    ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing® Award is the only award in the U.S. and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients, placed talent, and internal employees. Award winners are showcased by city and area of expertise on the ClearlyRated.com online business directory, which helps buyers of professional services find service leaders and vet prospective firms with the help of validated client ratings and testimonials.

    Net promoter, NPS, and Net Promoter Score are trademarks of Satmetrix Systems, Inc., Bain & Company, and Fred Reichheld.

    Contact
    Stephen Banbury, Vice President of Marketing
    p. (503) 977-6295
    stephen.banbury@clearlyrated.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Motion Ventures launches largest-ever maritime tech fund at $100M to meet the industry’s new pace of adoption

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Singapore, March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Motion Ventures has unveiled its US$100 million second fund (Motion Ventures Fund II or “Fund II”) the largest maritime-focused tech fund to date. 

    “We launched Motion Ventures with the belief that maritime is entering a new era—one where technology, capital, and industry collaboration converge to redefine the sector’s trajectory. In recent years, we’ve seen digitalisation and decarbonisation shift from ideas to industry imperatives. Fund II goes beyond writing bigger checks; it’s about uniting the right founders, corporate leaders, and strategic allies to accelerate an industry-wide shift, ensuring that solutions can be tested, adopted, and scaled faster than ever before,” said Shaun Hon, Founder and General Partner of Motion Ventures.

    Over the next 18–24 months, Fund II aims to deploy cheques of US$250,000 to US$10,000,000 into at least 25 companies, targeting solutions that digitise and decarbonise the global maritime supply chain. 

    The Motion Ventures team, investors and advisors. 

    By design, the new fund can now back startups developing more asset-intensive hardware solutions, recognising that maritime innovation demands solutions beyond software alone—an evolution spurred by growing corporate demand for deeper, faster progress in sustainability, vessel operations, and port modernisation.

    To date, Motion Ventures has raised more than half of Fund II’s target with investments already deployed in OceanScore and Fernride. These developments cement Motion Ventures position as maritime’s most active investor, having done more than 30 investments across Fund I and Fund II, while expanding its industry consortium to 17 major maritime and supply chain stakeholders across both funds—the broadest partnership of its kind.

    Fund II builds on the proven track record of Motion Ventures’ inaugural fund. Launched in 2021, Motion Ventures Fund I has already generated two profitable exits, placing the firm in the top 10% of 2021 vintage VC funds globally. The firm’s broader deal pipeline is underscored by a rigorous investment process, which has seen them evaluate more than 8,000 startups since its inception in 2021.

    Nakul Malhotra, Vice President – Emerging Opportunities Portfolio at Wilhelmsen Group said: Being part of Motion Ventures’ journey from a concept into one of the most active maritime investors has been remarkable. We value industry collaboration and are impressed to see the dedication and focus they bring to the early-stage venture capital space for an industry that is hungry for innovative solutions with robust value propositions. With Fund II, they’re scaling that impact even further, and we’re proud to remain a cornerstone partner on this journey.”

    Albrecht Grell, Managing Director of OceanScore said: “Maritime is the backbone of commerce, but it’s time to move faster and bolder, especially when building digital solutions in the compliance space. Shaun and the Motion Ventures team get that. Having them on our cap table has fast-tracked our expansion into new markets and helped to unlock access to a strategic network within the shipping community. With their support and deep sector expertise, we’re on track to building our global leadership in maritime compliance solutions.

    ⁠Jan Holm, Advisor to Motion Ventures said: “The maritime industry is no stranger to complexity, but the challenges we face now—from lowering emissions to digitizing operations—require a new level of collaboration. By pairing ambitious founders with strategic backers, Fund II represents a crucial step forward: bringing together fresh solutions, both digital and hardware-based, and fast-tracking their path to scale. It’s a boost this industry has been waiting for.”

    This consortium-driven approach is the cornerstone of Motion Ventures’ value creation. The Motion Ventures Alliance, a network of over 80 seasoned maritime executives, provides portfolio companies with expert mentorship, enterprise access, and swift pilot opportunities.

    Looking ahead, Motion Ventures aims to be the catalyst that transforms global maritime supply chains, now backed by the largest dedicated fund in the sector’s history. The maritime digitisation market alone is projected to reach $423.4 billion by 2031, and mounting pressure from regulators and customers alike demands faster progress. Fund II will harness that momentum, uniting startups and industry leaders to deliver cleaner, more efficient operations and, ultimately, shape the future of maritime commerce.

    ENDS

    Media images can be found here. 

    About Motion Ventures 
    Motion Ventures is a venture capital fund catalysing digital and energy transitions across global supply chains. Backed by a unique network of corporate leaders, industry executives, and government partners, we empower founders to navigate complexities and achieve unparalleled success. Our collaborative approach, engaging stakeholders across and beyond the maritime sector, drives transformative changes that reshape global supply chains. For more information please visit: https://www.motion.vc/ 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: CURRENC to Develop 500MW Hyperscale AI Data Center in Malaysia

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SINGAPORE, March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CURRENC Group Inc. (Nasdaq: CURR) (“CURRENC” or the “Company”), a fintech pioneer empowering financial institutions worldwide with artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, today announced plans to acquire 100 acres of land in Johor, Malaysia, to build a hyperscale Artificial Intelligence Data Center (AIDC).

    Featuring a total planned capacity of 500MW, the 100-acre AIDC campus will be developed in phases. Phase 1, comprising 100MW, is targeted for completion and operation by the end of 2026. The campus will provide co-location and wholesale leasing solutions to hyperscalers, enterprise clients, and other data center users, catering to diverse needs and ensuring a robust tenant base. Upon completion, the facility is expected to be one of Southeast Asia’s largest AIDCs and will serve as a cornerstone in CURRENC’s strategy to accelerate financial institutions’ adoption of AI technology.

    The Company is currently in discussions with anchor tenants. Construction of each phase of the facility will commence once the Company has secured long-term tenants to occupy a substantial portion of that phase’s planned capacity.

    “This investment marks the beginning of a new chapter in CURRENC’s development, complementing our existing portfolio of AI tools for financial institutions,” said Alex Kong, Founder and Executive Chairman of CURRENC. “With open-source models such as DeepSeek and Qwen quickly reducing the cost of AI deployment and large language model training, AI is rapidly becoming a necessity to remain competitive in the financial industry, boosting global demand for AI technology and support. Our new AIDC will deliver unmatched computing power as well as the flexible, scalable infrastructure that financial institutions require to implement AI throughout their operations and thrive in the digital era. Bolstered by our AIDC, CURRENC’s comprehensive AI solutions will continue to lower entry barriers for financial institutions to adopt AI, empowering growth across the financial industry and leading the digital transformation in Southeast Asia and beyond.”

    Johor, located approximately 20 kilometers north of Singapore, is rapidly emerging as Asia-Pacific’s fastest-growing data center hub. The region offers outstanding international data connectivity with direct fiber optic links to Singapore, reliable power infrastructure and attractive tax incentives for both operators and employees offered by the Malaysian government. These favorable conditions position Malaysia as a prime destination for data center operations, particularly catering to the burgeoning demand across the ASEAN region.

    About CURRENC Group Inc.
    CURRENC Group Inc. (Nasdaq: CURR) is a fintech pioneer dedicated to transforming global financial services through artificial intelligence (AI). The Company empowers financial institutions worldwide with comprehensive AI solutions, including SEAMLESS AI Call Centre and other AI-powered tools designed to reduce costs, increase efficiency and boost customer satisfaction for banks, insurance, telecommunications companies, government agencies, cryptocurrency exchanges and other financial institutions. The Company’s digital remittance platform also enables e-wallets, remittance companies, and corporations to provide real-time, 24/7 global payment services, advancing financial access across underserved communities.

    Safe Harbor Statement
    This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “target,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to” or other similar expressions. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties, or factors is included in the Company’s filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

    Investor & Media Contact
    CURRENC Group Investor Relations
    Email: investors@currencgroup.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Alto Ingredients, Inc. Enters into Letter Agreement with Bradley L. Radoff and Michael Torok

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PEKIN, Ill., March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Alto Ingredients, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALTO), a leading producer and distributor of specialty alcohols, renewable fuels and essential ingredients, today announced that it has entered into a letter agreement (the “Letter Agreement”) with Bradley L. Radoff and Michael Torok (collectively with their affiliates, the “Radoff/Torok Group”), under which the Radoff/Torok Group has agreed that during the period commencing on the date of the Letter Agreement until the date that is the earlier to occur of (i) thirty (30) days prior to the deadline for delivery of notice under the Company’s Amended and Restated Bylaws for the nomination of director candidates for election to the Board of Directors (the “Board”) at Alto Ingredients, Inc.’s (the “Company”) 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “2026 Annual Meeting”) or (ii) one hundred twenty (120) days prior to the first anniversary of the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of the Company, currently scheduled for June 25, 2025 (the “Standstill Period”), at each annual or special meeting of the stockholders of the Company, the Radoff/Torok Group will cause all shares of the Company’s common stock beneficially owned by it in favor of all directors nominated by the Board for election and otherwise in accordance with the recommendations of the Board, and against the election of any director nominee not so recommended by the Board.

    Pursuant to the terms of the Letter Agreement, the Radoff/Torok Group has also agreed to customary standstill and other provisions. The full text of the Letter Agreement will be filed as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

    About Alto Ingredients, Inc.
    Alto Ingredients, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALTO) is a leading producer and distributor of specialty alcohols, renewable fuels and essential ingredients. Leveraging the unique qualities of its facilities, the company serves customers in a wide range of consumer and commercial products in the Health, Home & Beauty; Food & Beverage; Industry & Agriculture; Essential Ingredients; and Renewable Fuels markets. For more information, please visit www.altoingredients.com.

    Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
    Statements and information contained in this communication that refer to or include Alto Ingredients’ estimated or anticipated future results or other non-historical expressions of fact are forward-looking statements that reflect Alto Ingredients’ current perspective of existing trends and information as of the date of the communication. Forward-looking statements generally will be accompanied by words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “plan,” “could,” “should,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “outlook,” “guidance,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “will,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” or other similar words, phrases or expressions. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning Alto Ingredients’ projected outlook and future performance, including the timing and effects of its cost savings initiatives and its acquisition of a liquid carbon dioxide processor adjacent to its Columbia plant; Alto Ingredients’ capital projects, including its carbon capture and storage (CCS) project and opportunities to optimize carbon; and Alto Ingredients’ other plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. It is important to note that Alto Ingredients’ plans, objectives, expectations and intentions are not predictions of actual performance. Actual results may differ materially from Alto Ingredients’ current expectations depending upon a number of factors affecting Alto Ingredients’ business and plans. These factors include, among others adverse economic and market conditions, including for renewable fuels, specialty alcohols and essential ingredients; export conditions and international demand for the company’s products; fluctuations in the price of and demand for oil and gasoline; raw material costs, including production input costs, such as corn and natural gas; adverse impacts of inflation and supply chain constraints; and the cost, ability to fund, timing and effects of, including the financial and other results deriving from, Alto Ingredients’ repair and maintenance programs, plant improvements and other capital projects, including CCS, and other business initiatives and strategies. These factors also include, among others, the inherent uncertainty associated with financial and other projections and large-scale capital projects, including CCS; the anticipated size of the markets and continued demand for Alto Ingredients’ products; the impact of competitive products and pricing; the risks and uncertainties normally incident to the alcohol production, marketing and distribution industries; changes in generally accepted accounting principles; successful compliance with governmental regulations applicable to Alto Ingredients’ facilities, products and/or businesses; changes in laws, regulations and governmental policies, including with respect to the Inflation Reduction Act’s tax and other benefits Alto Ingredients expects to derive from CCS; the loss of key senior management or staff; and other events, factors and risks previously and from time to time disclosed in Alto Ingredients’ filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including, specifically, those factors set forth in the “Risk Factors” section contained in Alto Ingredients’ Quarterly Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 13, 2025.

    Company IR and Media Contact:                 
    Michael Kramer, Alto Ingredients, Inc., 916-403-2755
    Investorrelations@altoingredients.com

    IR Agency Contact:
    Kirsten Chapman, Alliance Advisors Investor Relations, 415-433-3777
    altoinvestor@allianceadvisors.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Nuvini Group Announces Term Sheet for the Acquisition of B2B SaaS Platform Munddi

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ~ Strengthens Portfolio with Strategic Expansion in Latin America ~

    ~ First of Four Anticipated Acquisitions in 2025 ~

    NEW YORK, March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Nuvini Group Limited (Nasdaq: NVNI) (“Nuvini” or the “Company”), a leading acquirer of private B2B SaaS companies in Latin America, today announced that it has entered into a term sheet (the “Term Sheet”) for the acquisition of Munddi Soluções em Tecnologia Ltda. – ME (“Munddi”), an online platform that connects brands with consumers, suppliers, and retail chains based in São Paulo, Brazil. This acquisition, if completed, will mark the first of four planned for 2025 as part of Nuvini’s ongoing expansion strategy. The transaction is expected to close in approximately 60 days, subject to the execution of the relevant definitive transaction documents and the satisfaction of applicable conditions precedent.

    “The acquisition of Munddi is a perfect fit for our portfolio and a strong start to our 2025 acquisition pipeline,” said Pierre Schurmann, CEO of Nuvini. “Munddi’s platform aligns seamlessly with our existing companies, including Onclick, Leadlovers, and Mercos, creating new synergies that drive revenue growth and enhance our ecosystem of B2B SaaS solutions. We remain committed to our strategy of acquiring, managing, and scaling companies that add strategic value to our network.”

    Strategic Fit & Growth Potential

    After the acquisition, Munddi will strengthen Nuvini’s growing ecosystem of SaaS businesses, particularly in retail and supply chain solutions. Its integration with Onclick, Leadlovers, and Mercos will unlock cross-selling opportunities, optimize business intelligence, and expand service offerings for Latin American enterprises.

    About Munddi

    Founded in 2015, Munddi helps small retailers acquire new customers by providing strategic insights and facilitating online product sourcing from regional suppliers. The platform empowers both manufacturers and retailers with data-driven business opportunities, streamlining the connection between buyers and sellers in the retail supply chain.

    About Nuvini

    Headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil, Nuvini is Latin America’s leading private serial acquirer of B2B SaaS companies. The company focuses on acquiring profitable, high-growth SaaS businesses with strong recurring revenue and cash flow generation. By fostering an entrepreneurial environment, Nuvini enables its portfolio companies to scale and maintain leadership within their respective industries. The company’s long-term vision is to buy, retain, and create value through strategic partnerships and operational expertise.

    Disclaimer and Forward-Looking Statements

    Any obligation of the Company under the Term Sheet is subject to, among other things, the execution of the relevant definitive transaction documents, the result of a due diligence on Munddi, the satisfaction of conditions precedent for a transaction of this nature. There can be no assurance that any definitive transaction agreements will be entered into or that the potential Munddi acquisition will be consummated on the terms set forth herein, or at all. Therefore, it is possible that such potential acquisition may never occur.

    Statements about future expectations, plans and prospects, as well as any other statements regarding matters that are not historical facts, may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the potential Munddi acquisition and the Term Sheet, including the Concurrent Investment and the other terms thereof. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including, without limitation: the Company’s ability to negotiate and enter into a definitive agreement with respect to the potential Munddi acquisition or any other alternative proposals on terms satisfactory to the Company, as well as the desirability of any such potential Munddi acquisition compared to alternatives which may be available to the Company; if a definitive agreement is reached, the Company’s ability to complete the potential acquisition on the anticipated timeline or at all; general market conditions that could affect the consummation of the potential acquisition; if definitive documents with respect to a potential acquisition are executed, whether the parties will achieve any of the anticipated benefits of any such Proposed Transaction; and other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s Quarterly and Annual Reports filed with the SEC, and the risks described in other filings that the Company may make with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

    Investor Relations Contact
    Sofia Toledo
    ir@nuvini.co

    MZ North America
    NVNI@mzgroup.us

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: StepStone Group Announces 2025 Partner and Managing Director Promotions

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — StepStone Group Inc. (Nasdaq: STEP), a global private markets investment firm focused on providing customized investment solutions and advisory and data services, has named 10 new partners and 24 new managing directors.

    Partner and CEO Scott Hart said, “The momentum of the StepStone franchise is as strong as ever, which is a testament to the great talent we have attracted, cultivated, and promoted into leadership positions over the years. Congratulations to the newest class of partners and managing directors.”

    2025 Partner Class

    • Christopher Bernadino joined StepStone in 2015 and is based in La Jolla. He serves as Global Head of Information Technology and Chief Information Security Officer.
    • Elizabeth Ferry joined StepStone in 2019 and is based in La Jolla. She serves as Head of Operational Due Diligence.
    • Anthony Giambrone joined StepStone in 2021 and is based in Baltimore. He is a member of the Venture Capital and Growth Equity team.
    • Remo Kämpf joined StepStone in 2016 and is based in Zurich. He is a member of the Private Debt team.
    • Laia Massague joined StepStone in 2017 and is based in London. She is a member of the Real Estate team.
    • Pooja Patel joined StepStone in 2014 and is based in London. She is a member of the Real Estate team.
    • Tim Rees joined StepStone in 2014 and is based in London. He is a member of the Infrastructure and Real Assets team.
    • Anja Ritchie joined StepStone in 2020 and is based in Frankfurt. She is a member of the Real Estate team.
    • Stephen West joined StepStone in 2021 and is based in Baltimore. He is a member of the Venture Capital and Growth Equity team.
    • Joey Wong Castillo joined StepStone in 2020 and is based in London. She serves as Head of Legal, Infrastructure and Real Assets.

    New Managing Directors

    • Michael Bermel, Private Wealth, Charlotte
    • Elise Chanlatte, Fund Accounting, La Jolla
    • Jo-Anne Curchod, Corporate Finance and Accounting, Zurich
    • James Connolly, Operations, Dublin
    • Alec Darbyshire, Real Estate, San Francisco
    • Colin Donnelly, Real Estate, Chicago
    • Sean Doyle, Private Debt, Dublin
    • JD Hall, Venture Capital and Growth Equity, Baltimore
    • Patrick Hart, Product Management, La Jolla
    • Nichole Kim, Private Equity, New York
    • Daniel Krikorian, Private Equity, La Jolla
    • Gray Layden, Real Estate, San Francisco
    • Richard Lowe, Real Estate, London
    • Alex Morsy, Data and Software Engineering, La Jolla
    • Akhilan Nesaratnam, Private Equity, London
    • Simi Olusoga, Product Management, New York
    • Miriam Penney, Operational Due Diligence, Dublin
    • Selin Pinarci, Product Management, Zurich
    • Dylan Quesada, Product Management, New York
    • Veith Riebow, Business Development, Frankfurt
    • Jared Root, Private Debt, New York
    • Nicholas Russell, Portfolio Analytics and Reporting, La Jolla
    • Jonathan True, Private Equity, New York
    • Theodore Wong, Product Management, New York

    About StepStone

    StepStone Group Inc. (Nasdaq: STEP) is a global private markets investment firm focused on providing customized investment solutions and advisory and data services to its clients. As of December 31, 2024, StepStone was responsible for approximately $698 billion of total capital, including $179 billion of assets under management. StepStone’s clients include some of the world’s largest public and private defined benefit and defined contribution pension funds, sovereign wealth funds and insurance companies, as well as prominent endowments, foundations, family offices and private wealth clients, which include high-net-worth and mass affluent individuals. StepStone partners with its clients to develop and build private markets portfolios designed to meet their specific objectives across the private equity, infrastructure, private debt and real estate asset classes.

    Contacts

    Shareholder Relations:
    Seth Weiss
    shareholders@stepstonegroup.com
    +1 (212) 351-6106

    Media:
    Brian Ruby / Chris Gillick / Matt Lettiero, ICR
    StepStonePR@icrinc.com
    +1 (203) 682-8268

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI China: 6 killed in aircraft crash off Roatan Island

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Honduran National Police officers and rescue teams from the Honduran government work in rescue operations after a small plane crashed into the sea, on Roatan island, Honduras, on March 17, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    At least six people were killed after a small plane lost control and crashed on Monday evening upon taking off from Roatan Island in northern Honduras, said Octavio Pineda, minister of Infrastructure and Transportation of Honduras.

    The plane carried 18 people, including 15 passengers and three crew members, said the official.

    The aircraft lost power upon takeoff and fell into the sea some 1 km from the side of the airstrip, Miroslava Cerpas, the presidential commissioner of the National 911 Emergency System of Honduras told Xinhua.

    The aircraft of the Lanhsa company was carrying out a local flight from the Juan Manuel Galvez International Airport in Roatan to the city of La Ceiba.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Chancellor to slash ‘duplicative and burdensome rules’

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    Chancellor to slash ‘duplicative and burdensome rules’

    Chancellor hosts Fintech CEOs in No. 11 as the Treasury streamlines regulation to boost growth as part of the Government’s Plan for Change.

    • Chancellor and CEOs discussed the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, following the Prime Minister’s pledge to cut the administrative cost of regulation on business by a quarter.

    • The Chancellor also delivers on her Mansion House commitment to reform capital markets regulations and boost the attractiveness of the UK’s capital markets.

    This morning (18 March), the Chancellor hosted senior representatives from the Fintech sector in No. 11 Downing Street to discuss the biggest growth opportunities for Fintechs and new draft legislation to streamline regulation and boost the attractiveness of our capital markets.

    This new legislation will deliver reforms to the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) rules, which were inherited from the European Union, and will enable the FCA to scrap any rules which are duplicative and unnecessarily hold UK firms back by designing a new regulatory framework that supports economic growth, this government’s number one mission.

    The Chancellor committed to reforming these rules at her Mansion House speech in November to ensure that they work better for UK companies and they deliver for investors, firms, and support growth across the UK.

    This will mark the next milestone in delivering the government’s wholesale market reforms and will boost the attractiveness of the UK’s capital markets.

    This forms part of the Chancellor’s radical action plan to cut red tape, boost growth, and create a more effective regulatory system, delivering on the Prime Minister’s pledge to cut the administrative cost of regulation on business by a quarter.

    The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said:

    We are taking action to make our rulebook more competitive to support growth, the number one mission for our Plan for Change, and have asked the FCA to reform the regulatory structure around capital markets to make it work better for UK firms. This will ensure they can grow and invest across the economy, kickstarting growth and getting more money in people’s pockets.

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Registration for the qualifying round of the International Financial Security Olympiad is open

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

    The Olympiad is organized by Rosfinmonitoring jointly with the Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry of Education of Russia, as well as universities of the International Network Institute in the field of AML/CFT, including the Higher School of Economics. This year, HSE experts took methodological part in developing the tasks of the invitational round. Schoolchildren and students who registered for the selection round before March 30 are allowed to participate.

    International Financial Security Olympiad — is an intellectual competition that is held annually on the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. Its main objectives include popularizing financial security as a norm of life, minimizing the risks of involving young people in illegal activities and forming a new type of thinking: from the financial security of an individual to the financial security of the state and the commonwealth of states. Over the four years of its existence, the Olympiad has already united over 6 million people from 36 countries!

    The Olympiad is held for students in grades 8–10 in the unified profile “financial security” based on such school subjects as mathematics, computer science and social studies, and for students (1–3 years of bachelor’s degree, 1–4 years of specialist degree and 1st year of master’s degree) — in separate areas of training:

    jurisprudence;

    Mathematics, Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Mathematics and Computer Science, Fundamental Computer Science and Information Technology, Computer Science and Computer Engineering, Applied Computer Science, Information Security, Business Computer Science;

    economics, finance and credit, economic security;

    international relations, foreign regional studies.

    The International Financial Security Olympiad is held in several stages. The first of them is an invitational one, which allows you to get acquainted with the format of the tasks, study additional materials and prepare for the new cycle. The second stage is a qualifying one. It is organized in the form of two rounds – from March 31 to April 4 and from April 9 to 15 – in an online format using the Sodruzhestvo platform. You can start completing the tasks only after registration, which must be completed before March 30.

    The third important stage is the qualification stage, which is scheduled for the period from August 1 to September 3.

    The final will take place from September 28 to October 3 at the Siberian Federal University (Russia, Krasnoyarsk).

    Winners and prize winners of the Olympiad will receive advantages when entering a university and offers for practical training and internships with the possibility of further employment from Rosfinmonitoring, the Bank of Russia, PAO Promsvyazbank, MUMCFM, leading financial organizations and partners. Schoolchildren who show high results will be able to enroll in a bachelor’s/specialist’s degree at the Higher School of Economics without entrance examinations or get 100 points for the entrance examination. The benefits apply to the programs of the National Research University Higher School of Economics in Moscow.Information security“, “Computer security” And “Jurisprudence: Digital Lawyer“, as well as to the relevant programs in Nizhny Novgorod And Perm.

    “We invite students not only to test themselves by participating in the Olympiad, but also to delve into the issues of financial security in more detail! For this purpose, in 2025 we are launching a minor”Financial Security and Computer Investigations”. You will be able to obtain the necessary knowledge base and form a framework of important legal, financial and digital competencies, and upon completion – an official document confirming the additional qualification received. Thanks to this, new career opportunities in this field will open up for you,” comments Alexander Chepovsky, Director of Strategic Work with Applicants.

    The micro-qualification obtained by the minor is “specialist (expert) in the field of financial and information security”. It will allow you to be a sought-after employee in the corporate sector, government agencies, budgetary organizations and non-profit organizations.

    Minor Selection Campaign will take place in the near future: March 20 and 21 – the first wave, March 25 – the second.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: Stardust Power Announces Year End 2024 Earnings Release Date, Conference Call

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    GREENWICH, Conn., March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Stardust Power Inc. (NASDAQ: SDST) (“Stardust Power” or the “Company”), an American developer of battery-grade lithium products, today announced that it will release its year end 2024 financial results after market close on Thursday 27 March, 2025.

    Roshan Pujari, Founder and Chief Executive Officer and Uday Devasper, Chief Financial Officer will host a conference call at 5:30pm ET on Thursday 27 March, 2025 to discuss the Company’s results.

    Participants may access the call by clicking the participant call link to ask questions:

    https://register-conf.media server.com/register/BIa452f3fd54bf4f7486c84cbbebebf5e4. Upon registering at the link, you will receive the dial-in info and a unique PIN to join the call as well as an email confirmation with the details.

    You can also access the call via live audio webcast using the website link to listen in: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/39cnop5g

    Participants should log in at least 15 minutes early to receive instructions.

    About Stardust Power Inc.

    Stardust Power is a developer of battery-grade lithium products designed to bolster America’s energy leadership by building resilient supply chains. Stardust Power is developing a strategically central lithium refinery in Muskogee, Oklahoma with the anticipated capacity of producing up to 50,000 metric tons per annum of battery-grade lithium. The Company is committed to sustainability at each point in the process. Stardust Power trades on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “SDST.”

    For more information, visit www.stardust-power.com

    Stardust Power Contacts

    For Investors:

    Johanna Gonzalez
    investor.relations@stardust-power.com

    For Media:

    Michael Thompson

    media@stardust-power.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Zoom Named to Fast Company’s Annual List of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    The AI-first open work platform joins the ranks of Waymo, Nvidia, Duolingo, and more

    SAN JOSE, Calif., March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Zoom Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZM), has been named to Fast Company’s prestigious list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2025 for the second year in a row. This year’s list shines a spotlight on businesses that are shaping industry and culture through their innovations to set new standards and achieve remarkable milestones in all sectors of the economy. Alongside the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies, Fast Company recognizes 609 organizations across 58 sectors and regions.

    “Inclusion on the 2025 Fast Company List of the Most Innovative Companies for the second year in a row is a recognition of the vision, leadership, and dedication of our teams to continually advance Zoom’s AI-first open work platform to enable human connection, ” said Smita Hashim, chief product officer at Zoom. “At Zoom, we are reshaping the way people collaborate with AI at the core. This recognition is a testament to the speed and scale of our innovation as we meet our customers where they are, helping them work smarter, collaborate better, and achieve more.”

    Zoom has evolved from a video meetings company into an open AI-first work platform built for human connection, helping customers accelerate their productivity, reimagine teamwork, and create seamless customer experiences with Zoom Workplace and Zoom Business Services.

    Just yesterday at Enterprise Connect, Zoom announced the expansion of AI Companion across its entire platform with agentic skills, agents, and models to deliver high-quality results and help users improve productivity, get more work done, and strengthen relationships.

    Additionally, Zoom continues to enhance its Zoom Business Services suite for marketing, customer care, and sales, which includes AI-first solutions that are tightly integrated with Zoom Workplace and designed to help customer-facing employees strengthen customer relationships and improve customer experiences.

    The World’s Most Innovative Companies stands as Fast Company’s hallmark franchise and one of its most anticipated editorial efforts of the year. To determine honorees, Fast Company’s editors and writers review companies driving progress around the world and across industries, evaluating thousands of submissions through a competitive application process. The result is a globe-spanning guide to innovation today, from early-stage startups to some of the most valuable companies in the world.

    “Our list of the Most Innovative Companies offers both a comprehensive look at innovation today and a playbook for the future,” said Fast Company editor-in-chief Brendan Vaughan. “This year, we recognize companies that are harnessing AI in deep and meaningful ways, brands that are turning customers into superfans by overdelivering for them, and challengers that are introducing bold ideas and vital competition to their industries. At a time when the world is rapidly shifting, these companies are charting the way forward.”

    The full list of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies honorees can now be found at fastcompany.com. It will also be available on newsstands beginning March 25.

    Fast Company will host the Most Innovative Companies Summit and Gala for honorees on June 5. The summit features a day of inspiring content, followed by a creative black-tie gala including networking, a seated dinner, and an honoree presentation.

    About Zoom
    Zoom’s mission is to provide one platform that delivers limitless human connection. Reimagine teamwork with Zoom Workplace — Zoom’s open collaboration platform with AI Companion that empowers teams to be more productive. Together with Zoom Workplace, Zoom’s Business Services for sales, marketing, and customer care teams, including Zoom Contact Center, strengthen customer relationships throughout the customer lifecycle. Founded in 2011, Zoom is publicly traded (NASDAQ: ZM) and headquartered in San Jose, California. Get more information at zoom.com.

    ABOUT FAST COMPANY
    Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with fellow business publication Inc. For more information, please visit fastcompany.com.

    Zoom Public Relations
    Bridget Moriarty
    press@zoom.us 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Long, unplanned stay in space will have taken a toll on minds and bodies of stranded astronauts

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Craig Jackson, Professor of Occupational Health Psychology, Birmingham City University

    US astronauts Sunni Williams and Barry Wilmore have been stranded in low earth orbit onboard the International Space Station for nine months. They are now finally due to return to Earth. Their planned return from their one week mission was abandoned due to concerns with the return vehicle, the Boeing Starliner-1, and this resulted in them being in space for 290 days.

    Wilmore and Williams do not hold the record for the longest stay in orbit, which belongs to cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who spent 437 continuous days on the Soviet Mir space station. Nine other US astronauts have spent more than 200 days each in orbit during a single spaceflight – but Wilmore and Williams do hold the record for the longest unplanned spaceflight among US astronauts. Could the unplanned nature of their extended trip produce effects not seen in other planned long-term spaceflights?

    The risks and hazards of space flight are well understood by Nasa and referred to as “RIDGE” – short for Radiation, Isolation and confinement, Distance from Earth, Gravity effects and hostile Environments. Aerospace medicine takes such issues seriously.

    Some physical effects include blood clots and pooling, reductions in bone density, poor digestion, lower nutrient absorption, musculoskeletal atrophy (muscle and bone loss), and poorer cardiovascular function due to reduced blood pumping in zero gravity. Other impacts include changes to the eyeballs due to the pooling of fluids, pooled cerebrospinal fluid around the skull area, and a semi-permanent feeling of congestion.

    The reduced sense of smell may be a blessing, as many space capsules develop an unpleasant smell. Physical effects from fluids can be improved, but not entirely negated, by cuff compression (a fabric sleeve that compresses an area of the body) to relieve pain and swelling. Musculoskeletal atrophy can be reduced with the help of an aerobic treadmill and resistive exercises to help maintain the muscles and cardiovascular function.

    Exposure to radiation is a serious concern, and longer exposures can increase the likelihood of astronauts developing some cancers later in life. The health of Wilmore and Williams will be monitored for many years to come.

    While stranded, Wilmore and Williams will have been providing vital data to help measure the impacts of prolonged stays – every bladder and bowel movement they had will have been weighed and checked for any signs of illness and to monitor changes brought about by their unplanned extension.

    On their return to Earth, they will require gentle physiotherapy to regain muscle function and strength, and for cardiovascular rehabilitation, paced carefully due to the physical fatigue and limitations they will suffer for a few weeks. Dizzy spells, reduced muscle function, and visual disturbances will be common and even walking will take some practice. Their skin will be “baby soft” after nine months of not having their clothes rub against their bodies.

    Of more interest may be the psychological challenges they face, from their concerns over the “near miss” by not returning to Earth in the vehicle they arrived in because Nasa decided it was too risky, through to having to live in confined quarters with others for so long, with a lack of privacy, and enforced companionship.

    Confinement in restricted space, isolation and prolonged separation from family means it is more likely that behavioural problems or psychiatric conditions may develop.

    Problem solving mentality

    Behaviour in others that was initially a minor annoyance can quickly become serious sources of stress and irritation during enforced confinement. Astronauts are selected and screened based on temperament, personality, aptitude and their ability to cope when things go wrong. A problem solving mentality and a will to live, coupled with an ability to follow commands and maintain order in the most difficult of circumstances are what makes astronauts better than most of us.

    They are trained to cope under any situation, such as crash-landings in deserts, or technical failures on board the spacecraft. But despite excellent training, human fallibility and failings will emerge given time.

    Astronaut training also instils the importance of resilience, despite the most trying circumstances, and they will have been trained to keep their fears and anxieties hidden for the benefit of the mission. It might only be after their return that Wilmore and Williams may express their relief. Depression and anxiety can be common after returning to Earth according to others who have been there, with Buzz Aldrin admitting it happened to him and others in his 1973 autobiography Return to Earth.

    Keeping busy will have helped keep worries away.
    Nasa

    They may have experienced feelings of abandonment and questioned why they could not be rescued sooner, or may have developed an understandable lack of trust in technology, and a lack of faith in their fellow mission crew members. They will no doubt have missed important dates with their families, experienced homesickness and possibly even questioned if they could last until rescued.

    Video-link contact with family will have kept them going but will have also been painful and difficult at the same time. Knowing that their families are worried about them, yet equally unable to do anything about it must have been particularly difficult. Although keeping themselves busy as a distraction will have helped, there would have been downtime when their worries must have been almost overwhelming.

    Sleep disturbances and the inability to get regular sleep to allow their brains to rest will have led to cumulative fatigue – both physical and mental. Some astronauts struggle to ever get used to sleeping in space – resulting in lack of performance in the sufferer.

    Being stranded on the ISS and unable to get back home while being able to see home fly by with every rotation of the Earth presents a unique form of frustration. One positive effect reported by many astronauts is the “overview effect” where a sense of peace and oneness with the planet is experienced when viewing the Earth from a whole new perspective. The overview effect seems to have a permanent impact, staying with astronauts for the rest of their lives.

    A complication in understanding any psychological effects of spaceflight is that many astronauts hope to continue their careers and have more missions, and therefore may not be honest about any negatives they experienced. With Nasa planning missions to Mars at some point in the future, the unique experiences of Wilmore and Williams will be useful to behavioural scientists planning such future missions and trying to understand the best psychological characteristics for selecting astronauts for long term spaceflights.

    Craig Jackson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Long, unplanned stay in space will have taken a toll on minds and bodies of stranded astronauts – https://theconversation.com/long-unplanned-stay-in-space-will-have-taken-a-toll-on-minds-and-bodies-of-stranded-astronauts-252528

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Forecast for public finances: uncertain outlook for federal finances and social security funds

    Source: Switzerland – Department of Finance

    The public sector’s financial development differs depending on the level of government. The latest forecasts of the Federal Finance Administration (FFA) through to 2028 show that the Confederation’s financial situation will depend heavily on the relief package in particular. The cantons are likely to continue to generate surpluses, while the municipalities are set to return to small structural deficits from 2026 onward. Due to the unresolved funding for the 13th monthly AHV pension payment, there is still considerable uncertainty for the social security funds.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI: Concerns about AI and social media grow among journalists ahead of Federal Election, survey finds

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SYDNEY, March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A new survey of more than 500 journalists revealed growing concerns about the rapidly changing media landscape, particularly regarding the rise of generative AI and the fragmentation of news sources due to social media.

    The findings raise concerns about the state of journalism just months away from the Federal Election.

    A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.

    The Medianet 2025 Media Landscape Report uncovered a slow adoption of generative artificial intelligence, with 63% of journalists claiming not to have used AI tools yet. Even though adoption has increased slightly, widespread anxiety about the impact of AI on journalistic integrity and job security remains high, with 88% of respondents expressing concerns about generative AI and 16% reporting job losses linked to AI.

    Most journalists point to ‘disinformation’ and ‘fake news’ as the top threat to public interest journalism. Concerns about media outlet closures have risen by nearly a quarter compared to the previous year. Nearly half of respondents believe AI is a threat as well.

    “While some journalists acknowledge the need and inevitability of these changes, the vast majority are struggling to adapt and fear what these changes might mean for them, their industry and the implications for our society,” says Medianet Managing Director, Amrita Sidhu.

    The report also highlights the complex relationship journalists have with social media. Seventy percent of journalists use social media as a source, yet 67% believe it contributes to misinformation and echo chambers.

    Among the preferred social media platforms for professional use, Facebook continues to rank at the top, followed by Instagram and LinkedIn. Elon Musk’s X suffered a sharp decline in usage as a story source dropping from 69% in 2022 to 58% in 2023, and further down to 48% in 2024. Competitor Bluesky is now being used by 19% of journalists.

    The majority of journalists surveyed recognised a decline in media trust, attributing it to fragmentation, polarisation, and misinformation. Furthermore, 28% of journalists said that their own reporting is not free of bias.

    “This year’s report highlights the significant pressures facing Australian journalists,” said Sidhu.

    “They are grappling with issues of trust and the evolving role of technology, all while navigating a precarious media landscape.”

    • To download the full report, click here.
    • To download graphics, click here.
    • To download a summary of the report, click here.

    About the Medianet Media Landscape Report

    The Medianet Media Landscape Report offers a yearly snapshot of the Australian journalism and media industry, capturing the current work conditions, challenges, opinions, and developing trends as experienced and observed by working journalists.

    Since 2019, Medianet has surveyed hundreds of journalists to gather their views and experiences on industry-related issues, and to track developing trends over the years. The report also offers valuable insights to PR professionals by examining what journalists need and want from PR, what kind of stories they are looking for, and where they are looking for them.

    Key Facts:

    Generative AI/Large Language Models and the media

    • The majority of journalists (63%) had not personally used generative AI/LLMs in their work.
    • This represents an increase in adoption of AI in comparison to 2023, when 74% of journalists said they had not used AI/LLMs.
    • A significant majority (88%) of respondents said they were concerned about the impacts that generative AI/LLMs could have on the overall integrity or quality of journalism compared to 79% in 2023.
    • There was also an increase in the level of concern from 18% in 2023 to 37% being ‘extremely concerned’ in 2024.
    • 45% of respondents also view AI/LLMs as a threat to public interest journalism (an increase from 36% in 2023)
    • 16% of journalists said they had lost work or knew someone who had lost work due to the adoption of generative AI/LLMs in 2024. This represents a 33% increase in comparison to responses from 2023.

    Trust, bias, and the future of journalism

    • Respondents were asked whether they considered their reporting to be free of bias. Over 70% of respondents said that they believed their reporting is free of bias. Nearly a third (28%) of respondents said they believed their reporting was not free from bias.
    • Those working in community media had the largest proportion of respondents saying their reporting was not free of bias (38% of respondents) while those working in commercial media had the largest percentage of respondents claiming their reporting is free of bias (74% of respondents).
    • Almost 20% of respondents said that they have faced negative repercussions for voicing their personal views in their reporting.
    • Almost 40% of respondents said they are or have considered reporting for an additional or alternative platform or channel such as Substack. Of those that use alternative platforms or considered doing it, 53% said they did so to supplement their current income. Forty-seven percent said their motivation was to be able to share opinions they would not be able to in their primary media outlet.
    • Despite the high use of social media as a source of news, 67% of respondents believe it negatively impacts the media by causing misinformation and echo chambers, rather than providing opportunities for diverse perspectives.
    • There is a general agreement among respondents that trust in the media has decreased with many pointing to the fragmentation and dissemination of misinformation as the cause for the fall in trust.

    Journalists’ sources and social media

    • Press releases were the second most used story source, used by 83% of journalists.
    • Of the survey respondents who used press releases to source stories in 2024 (83%), the majority (88%) said their PR contacts email them directly with press releases.
    • For 36% of respondents, the top reason that would stop them from using a press release is ‘lack of news value’. For 27% of respondents, the top reason is lack of relevance, and for 17% of respondents, an unknown source is the main reason for not using a press release.
    • Over time, industry and professional contacts have remained the top story source for journalists (used by 88% of respondents in 2024).
    • Almost three quarters (70%) of journalists in 2024 used social media as a story source.
    • Facebook continued to be the most commonly used platform by journalists professionally in 2024.
    • There was a significant drop in professional Twitter/X usage in 2024, with 48% of respondents saying they used the platform, down from 58% in 2023. Overall, reported usage of Twitter/X has dropped 30% since its takeover by Elon Musk.
    • The platform with the most growth however was Bluesky. In just one year, Bluesky was reported to be used by 19% of respondents.

    Challenges for journalists and threats to the media

    • 38% of male journalists who disclosed their pay received a salary of more than $100,000 in 2024, compared to 23% of females. No journalists who identified themselves as non-binary claimed to earn more than $100,000 per year.
    • There was also a significant difference in pay depending on the areas journalists worked. Journalists working in the city received far higher salaries overall compared to regional or suburban journalists who were far more represented in the less than $60,000 pay bracket.
    • 67% percent of respondents felt they were underpaid in 2024.
    • For the third year in a row, the greatest challenge identified by journalists was money.
    • Uncertainty about the future and changes to workload were the other two most common greatest challenges experienced by journalists in 2024.
    • 75% of journalists said an increase of disinformation or ‘fake news’ threatened public interest journalism in 2024.
    • Compared to results from the 2024 survey, concern about media outlet closures have risen by nearly a quarter, making it now the second largest threat to public interest journalism according to respondents.
    • In total, over one fifth of respondents (21%) say that they have faced some form of harassment.
    • Of those who say they have faced harassment or abuse, the most common reason was due to their coverage of topics (43%), followed by other reasons and/or not knowing the reason for the abuse (34%), gender (28%) and finally, racial background (6%).

    Work and employment of journalists

    • The majority of respondents (65%) were employed full-time in 2024. The next most common employment types were freelance (16%) and part-time (12%).
    • Politics, business and health were the three most covered topics or subject areas by journalists surveyed in 2024.
    • Of all survey respondents, 42% said their job or role had changed in some way, including changing jobs in the industry, changing roles at the same organisation, taking on additional work, or starting a ‘side hustle’. Six percent said they had started looking for a job outside of journalism.
    • The most common pay bracket for journalists in 2024 was between $80,000 to $99,999 per year, followed by $60,000 to $79,999 per year.

    Key findings for PR

    • Industry and professional contacts remained the top story source for journalists (used by 88% of respondents in 2024).
    • Press releases were the second most commonly used story source, used by 83% of journalists.
    • Most journalists (88%) who use press releases said their PR contacts email them directly with press releases.
    • For 36% of respondents, the top reason that would stop them from using a press release is ‘lack of news value’ followed by ‘lack of relevance’ (27% of respondents).
    • Facebook remained the most used social media platform by journalists professionally in 2024.
    • There was a significant drop in professional X/Twitter usage in 2024, with 48% of respondents saying they used the platform, down from 58% in 2023.

    About Medianet

    Medianet, a division of Mediality, is a PR platform and media intelligence business servicing both the media and public relations industries. Survey responses were collected anonymously in January 2025.

    Contact details:
    Amrita Sidhu – Managing Director, Medianet
    +61 481 177 686
    asidhu@medianet.com.au

    Mercedes Carrin – Head of Marketing, Medianet
    +61 430 729 397
    mcarrin@medianet.com.au

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: KIP’s First Superior Agent Trading Tournament Concludes, Showcasing AI-Driven Market Evolution

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SINGAPORE, March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — KIP Protocol, the Web3 base layer for AI, has successfully completed the first-ever fully autonomous on-chain AI trading tournament, marking a significant milestone in self-learning artificial intelligence. Powered by Superior Agents, the world’s first truly autonomous AI framework, the competition demonstrated how AI-driven market strategies can evolve, adapt, and execute trades without human intervention.

    Over 48 hours of live trading, AI agents started with an equal balance of $500, dynamically refining their strategies in real-time. By the tournament’s conclusion, SEFER, running on o3-mini, secured first place with a 34.8% increase in capital, finishing at $674. PONDER, powered by Gemini 2.0 Flash Lite, followed with a 6.2% gain, reaching $531. DEIXIS, operating on Claude 3.7 Sonnet, closed at $530 with a 6.0% increase, while VERITY, using DeepSeek V3, ended with a slight 1.0% loss at $495. The competition also awarded a $150 USDT prize to @Zardl00n, who made the most accurate prediction of SEFER’s final balance.

    Unlike traditional algorithmic trading models, Superior Agents do not follow predefined rules or static datasets. Instead, they self-learn, refine their decision-making, and develop novel strategies through trial and error. The tournament served as a stress test for financial autonomy, proving that AI can navigate and optimize within a live trading environment without human oversight. This marks a fundamental shift in AI capabilities, moving beyond programmed behaviors to dynamic, self-improving intelligence capable of surviving and thriving in real-world economic conditions.

    Dr. Jennifer Dodgson, Co-Founder and Chief Researcher of Superior Agents, emphasized the tournament’s significance in the evolution of AI. “This event was more than just a competition—it was a proof of concept. We now have AI agents that are not only trading but actively learning from their successes and failures, evolving their strategies in real-time. This is a glimpse into the future of AI-driven economies, where autonomous agents sustain themselves financially and operate independently in complex environments.”

    Following the success of the tournament, KIP Protocol plans to expand the Superior Agent framework into new domains, including cybersecurity, AI-driven gaming, and autonomous business intelligence. Future iterations will introduce more challenging environments, increasing complexity and pushing the limits of self-learning AI. With deeper integration into the KIP Protocol ecosystem, these advancements will unlock new opportunities for $KIP holders, further solidifying AI’s role in decentralized economies.

    As Superior Agents continue to evolve, the next phase of testing will explore how they adapt to unpredictable, high-stakes environments. The upcoming challenges will not only refine AI autonomy but also reshape the landscape of AI-driven finance and beyond. The question remains—how far can these agents go? Stay tuned as KIP continues to push the boundaries of AI and its real-world applications.

    About KIP Protocol
    KIP Protocol builds cutting-edge Web3 infrastructure for AI developers and creators, enabling seamless deployment, monetization, and ownership of AI assets. The platform empowers a decentralized AI economy where creators thrive, retaining digital property rights and unlocking sustainable income streams. KIP solves mission-critical challenges faced in decentralized AI deployments, with an aim to jumpstart wholly new business ecosystems, and ensure the economic benefits brought about by AI can be enjoyed by all.

    Media Contact
    Alisa Jiang
    Operation Director 
    press@kip.pro

    Disclaimer: This press release is provided by KIP Protocol. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice. Investing in crypto and mining related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector–including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining–complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed. Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release.

    Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an “as-is” basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above.

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/65665efe-d29c-4059-aedc-38048acbeeab

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Massachusetts Department of Transportation Selects Draganfly for Drone Medical Delivery Demonstration and Reports Its Successful Completion

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Boston, MA., March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Draganfly Inc. (NASDAQ: DPRO) (CSE: DPRO) (FSE: 3U8A) (“Draganfly” or the “Company”), an award-winning, industry-leading drone solutions and systems developer, is excited to announce it was selected by Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Aeronautics Division for and, successfully completed a demonstration for the simulated delivery of medical supplies for use in support of home-based healthcare.

    The medical delivery demonstrations took place between August and October 2024 and involved three selected companies, including Draganfly.

    “This medical delivery demonstration underscores the value of drones for many operational needs,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt, “Drones already have proven useful with operations, including MBTA track corridor inspections, MassDOT Highway bridge inspections, overhead project evaluations, and other needs. We continue to assess the use of drones for other purposes in the future.”

    “This demonstration project underscores our commitment to exploring the use of drones to meet critical needs, such as the timely and cost-effective delivery of supplies and devices for healthcare and emergency management, across the Commonwealth,” said MassDOT Aeronautics Acting Administrator Denise Garcia.

    “We are grateful to have been selected for this groundbreaking pilot project,” said Cameron Chell, President and CEO of Draganfly. “Our drone technology has the potential to revolutionize the delivery of medical supplies, providing timely and cost-effective solutions for home-based healthcare and emergency responses. This collaboration with MassDOT Aeronautics underscores our credibility and commitment to advancing public safety and healthcare through innovative drone solutions.”

    Draganfly’s participation in the Drone Medical Delivery Pilot is a testament to its capabilities, reputation and dedication to providing drone solutions that define industry standards, empowering global organizations, to save time, money, and lives.

    About Draganfly

    Draganfly Inc. (NASDAQ: DPRO; CSE: DPRO; FSE: 3U8A) is the creator of quality, cutting-edge drone solutions, software, and AI systems that revolutionize how organizations can do business and service their stakeholders. Recognized as being at the forefront of technology for over 24 years, Draganfly is an award-winning industry leader serving the public safety, agriculture, industrial inspections, security, mapping, and surveying markets. Draganfly is a company driven by passion, ingenuity, and the need to provide efficient solutions and first-class services to its customers around the world with the goal of saving time, money, and lives.

    For more information on Draganfly, please visit us at www.draganfly.com.

    For additional investor information, visit

    CSE
    NASDAQ
    FRANKFURT

    Media Contact
    email: media@draganfly.com

    Company Contact
    Email: info@draganfly.com

    This release contains certain “forward looking statements” and certain “forward-looking ‎‎‎‎information” as ‎‎‎‎defined under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements ‎‎‎‎and information can ‎‎‎‎generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as ‎‎‎‎‎“may”, “will”, “expect”, “intend”, ‎‎‎‎‎“estimate”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “continue”, “plans” or similar ‎‎‎‎terminology. Forward-looking statements ‎‎‎‎and information are based on forecasts of future ‎‎‎‎results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and ‎‎‎‎assumptions that, while believed by ‎‎‎‎management to be reasonable, are inherently subject to significant ‎‎‎‎business, economic and ‎‎‎‎competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Forward-looking statements ‎‎‎‎include, but are not ‎‎‎‎limited to, statements with respect to the project’s ability to revolutionize the delivery of medical supplies, providing timely and cost-effective solutions for home-based healthcare and emergency responses. Forward-‎‎‎‎looking statements and information are subject to various ‎known ‎‎and unknown risks and ‎‎‎‎‎uncertainties, many of which are beyond the ability of the Company to ‎control or ‎‎predict, that ‎‎‎‎may cause ‎the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to be ‎materially ‎‎different ‎‎‎‎from those ‎expressed or implied thereby, and are developed based on assumptions ‎about ‎‎such ‎‎‎‎risks, uncertainties ‎and other factors set out here in, including but not limited to: the potential ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎impact of epidemics, ‎pandemics or other public health crises, including the ‎COVID-19 pandemic, on the Company’s business, operations and financial ‎‎‎‎condition; the ‎‎‎successful integration of ‎technology; the inherent risks involved in the general ‎‎‎‎securities markets; ‎‎‎uncertainties relating to the ‎availability and costs of financing needed in the ‎‎‎‎future; the inherent ‎‎‎uncertainty of cost estimates; the ‎potential for unexpected costs and ‎‎‎‎expenses, currency ‎‎‎fluctuations; regulatory restrictions; and liability, ‎competition, loss of key ‎‎‎‎employees and other related risks ‎‎‎and uncertainties disclosed under the ‎heading “Risk Factors“ ‎‎‎‎in the Company’s most recent filings filed ‎‎‎with securities regulators in Canada on ‎the SEDAR ‎‎‎‎website at www.sedar.com and with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on EDGAR through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes ‎‎‎no obligation to update forward-‎looking ‎‎‎‎information except as required by applicable law. Such forward-‎‎‎looking information represents ‎‎‎‎‎managements’ best judgment based on information currently available. ‎‎‎No forward-looking ‎‎‎‎statement ‎can be guaranteed and actual future results may vary materially. ‎‎‎Accordingly, readers ‎‎‎‎are advised not to ‎place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or ‎‎‎information.‎

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How Donald Trump and Elon Musk are waging a deep and wide ‘uncivil war’

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Eli Sopow, Associate Professor, MBA Faculty of Leadership & People Management, University Canada West

    Never mind concerns about how the United States seems on the brink of another civil war. Thanks to President Donald Trump and his consigliere, Elon Musk, it’s now sinking wide and deep into what historical patterns show is an ugly “uncivil” war.

    Historians and neuro-scientists show there are well-established psychological patterns that explain how personal fear fosters anger that leads to a need for action to eliminate the fear.

    This dynamic has been evident in much of my 40 years of experience and research on public protests, including my doctorate on public order policing and subsequent ongoing analysis.

    Google Trends offers a scientifically valid rating of global search engine topics rated on a weighted scale of 100. In the U.S. on March 10, 2025, for example, the search topic “I am so angry all the time” hit the top of the 100 index, the highest in more than 20 years.

    The widespread public reaction to staffing cuts under Musk’s direction is receiving high domestic and international blowback from not only natural political critics, but Trump’s own Republicans. The reaction follows that tried-and-true trajectory of public dissent and protest escalating from fear to anger to action.

    This is evident in the reactions currently ranging from street-level public protests, a litany of court challenges and online outrage to U.S. government departments refusing to respond to the latest missive from Musk’s team demanding employees prove their worth or quit.

    Mad as hell?

    In the powerful 1976 movie Network, actor Peter Finch — playing a volcanic TV newscaster — goes berserk, rises from his desk and yells, “I’m a human being, goddamn it! My life has value … I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!” In response, thousands go to their windows and scream his rallying cry.

    A clip of the famous scene in Network when Peter Finch proclaims ‘I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!’

    In perhaps a similar vein, leaders at the Pentagon, Federal Bureau of Investigation, the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Energy recently instructed federal workers not to reply to a weekend email from the Office of Personnel Management with the subject line: “What did you do last week?”

    The fear-anger-action dynamic is now unfolding in America.

    Republican Sen. John Curtis of Utah told CBS news:

    “If I could say one thing to Elon Musk, it’s ‘Please put a dose of compassion in this. These are real people. These are real lives …. It’s a false narrative to say we have to cut, and you have to be cruel to do it, as well. We can do both.”

    The response from Musk and Trump to the outrage follows a proven pattern of action and anti-action my colleagues and I have termed the “4-D defense” of deny, divert, delay and destroy. We discovered this pattern through many years of research on public activism for both industry and government agencies, and it was the focus of my PhD dissertation.

    We analyzed the content of thousands of traditional news stories, public opinion surveys and the socio-demographics of fearful groups that were angry they were being impacted by actions that were unfair, unlawful, dangerous and arbitrary.

    We found that the defensive 4-D reaction works like this:

    • First deny there’s a problem.

    • When proven true, then divert the cause to someone else.

    • When proven you’re the cause, agree to remedies but delay the process as long as possible through promises and endless consultations.

    • When this is unacceptable, then destroy those protesting by besmirching their credibility and reputations with erroneous and confusing counter-facts and entangled lawsuits.

    Trump prefers the ‘destroy’ part

    Trump is quick to jump to the “destroy” part of 4-D defense through threats that have included bullying and crushing tariffs.

    Another example of this Trump tendency was a recent heated Truth Social post in which he vowed to “imprison or deport students who participate in certain protests” against his attacks on education.

    Musk responded on his social media site, X, that reactions by frightened and angry employees to arbitrary firings was “EXTREMELY troubling that some parts of government think this is TOO MUCH!! What is wrong with them?”



    Read more:
    Musk’s ruthless approach to efficiency is not translating well to the U.S. government

    Musk appears to be embracing the 1911 “scientific management” style of Frederick Taylor, an American inventor and engineer who is known as the father of scientific management. He argued that the “greatest evil” in the workplace was lazy employees who were simply “replaceable cogs on a wheel.”
    When Musk asks “what is wrong with them?” in reference to the fear, anger and demands for protective action from hundreds of thousands of federal employees, he should perhaps watch Network.

    It seems they’re “mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.”

    Eli Sopow does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. How Donald Trump and Elon Musk are waging a deep and wide ‘uncivil war’ – https://theconversation.com/how-donald-trump-and-elon-musk-are-waging-a-deep-and-wide-uncivil-war-251538

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Members of the Committee on Fuel Poverty reappointed

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Members of the Committee on Fuel Poverty reappointed

    Caroline Flint (chair), Gordon McGregor, Belinda Littleton and Anthony Pygram have been reappointed to the Committee on Fuel Poverty (CFP).

    Caroline Flint has been reappointed to the Committee on Fuel Poverty (CFP) in the role of Chair. This reappointment took effect from 31 January 2025 and will last for 3 years.

    Belinda Littleton, Anthony Pygram and Gordon McGregor have also been reappointed to the Committee. Gordon McGregor’s reappointment takes effect from 17 May 2025 for 2 years. Belinda and Anthony’s reappointments each take effect from 3 May 2025 for 3 years.

    The Committee on Fuel Poverty advises on the effectiveness of policies aimed at reducing fuel poverty and encourages greater co-ordination across the organisations working to reduce fuel poverty.

    Biographies

    Caroline Flint

    Caroline has a wealth of experience in politics as a Labour MP for Don Valley, from 1997-2019. She was the first woman MP for Don Valley and a Minister in 5 government departments, developing legislation and leading major policy initiatives, before serving in Her Majesty’s Opposition Shadow Cabinet from 2010 to 2015. During her significant political career, she led the Smoke Free England legislation, led Opposition strategy on energy market reform and climate change, has contributed to multiple All-Party Parliamentary Groups and committees, including the Commons Public Accounts Committee and Intelligence and Security Committee.

    Caroline was appointed chair of Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust in 2021 and has been re-appointed for a second term. She was a member of the UK Commission on COVID Commemoration which reported to the government on how our collective experience of the pandemic should be remembered. Caroline is an Advisory Board member for the thinktank Reform, works with Dods delivering training on how government and Parliament works and is a broadcaster and commentator on news and current affairs. She won Celebrity Mastermind in 2021 with her specialist subject the movie ‘Alien’ raising money for the National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACOA). She lives in Doncaster.

    Belinda Littleton

    Belinda Littleton works for National Grid and is currently Head of Asset Engineering Assurance, Electricity Transmission. She is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology. Belinda’s work at National Grid has included:

    • leading a team of specialists to deliver appropriate system upgrades that provide value to the consumer during the clean energy transition
    • focusing on enabling a net zero future that doesn’t leave anyone behind
    • setting out National Grid’s strategic perspective on the decarbonisation of transport

    Previously working as an economist at Ofgem, Belinda looked at the impact of the smart meter rollout on vulnerable customers.

    Belinda has also previously worked at PwC. During this time she worked with the former Department of Energy and Climate Change to develop their Household Energy Efficiency Strategy considering the carbon reduction contribution that could be made by households.

    Belinda is passionate about designing inclusivity into future policy that delivers against net zero commitments within the UK.

    Anthony Pygram

    Anthony Pygram is a regulatory expert. He was the Director of Conduct and Enforcement at Ofgem (where, amongst other things, he oversaw the development of Ofgem’s Consumer Vulnerability Strategy). He was subsequently a specialist adviser to the House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee for its Ofgem and net zero inquiry, and more recently a Senior Manager at the Payment Systems Regulator.

    Anthony is Lay Vice President and a member of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, a Lay Member of the Regulatory Board of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales, and the independent Chair of the Code Change Committee for the non-household water market.

    Gordon McGregor

    Gordon has worked for over 3 decades in the energy and utilities sector. He has a depth of experience working in retail, distribution, generation and corporate management. Most recently, he has helped lead a number of highly innovative companies that have a strong focus on energy efficiency, renewables and clean technology.

    Gordon was a founding member of the Electricity Association Taskforce on Fuel Poverty, working on how energy regulation and industry structures could improve energy efficiency and affordability. Throughout his career, he has helped design energy efficiency programmes, developed affordable payment approaches, created social action initiatives and has helped design tariffs that help priority and vulnerable customers. He has also been involved in market design and managed the implementation of regulations to support new renewable targets. As a director of a vertically integrated utility, he helped lead the transition from a largely fossil fuel based portfolio towards a lower carbon alternative.

    Gordon is Chief Sustainability and Digital Officer for Sweco UK & Ireland, a leading European engineering and architecture consultancy. Gordon also sits on the Natural Environmental Research Council and is a member of the UKRI Advisory Board for Building a Green Future.

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Video: President Ursula von der LEYEN in Copenhagen, Denmark @ the Danish Defence College

    Source: European Commission (video statements)

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    Visit our website: http://ec.europa.eu

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4qXxGNws6w

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI USA: UConn Study of Hashtag – #childhoodcancer – Shows Families Leading the Conversation

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Fourteen minutes ago, the nonprofit advocacy group Children’s Cancer Cause posted on the social media app X that members were on Capitol Hill asking Congress for funding to fight #childhoodcancer.

    Three days ago, a special education teacher from Texas posted about a young girl, Caitlyn, who twice survived #childhoodcancer, along with a difficult bone marrow transplant. She included a link to the girl’s GoFundMe account.

    Seventeen hours ago, the chairman and CEO of a cancer response team sought prayers for Kellan, who’s in a battle with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and by virtue of his courage is heralded a “#childhoodcancer warrior.”

    These are just three posts from a search of the hashtag on X (formerly Twitter) in late February, a snapshot of the thousands – many, many thousands – shared on the app over the years. A new study from UConn researchers looked at 1,000 posts from October to December 2022 to understand who’s leading the conversation about childhood cancer and what they’re saying.

    “We found the largest number of tweets on childhood cancer were not from health care professionals, like oncologists. They were not from nonprofit organizations, like American Cancer Society. They were from individuals – parents, caregivers, and family members. These were the people actually doing the most in terms of raising awareness,” says Sherry Pagoto, allied health sciences professor and director of the UConn Center for mHealth & Social Media.

    Pagoto and human development and family sciences professor Keith Bellizzi, along with four students from the high school, undergrad, and graduate levels, recently published, “A Content Analysis of #Childhoodcancer Chatter on X,” in the Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology.

    They found that “educational” tweets and ones that discussed “science” accounted for a combined 28.1% of posts about childhood cancer. Next came “fundraising” with 21.2% of tweets – Twitter did not become X until mid-2023, after the study. “Advocacy” was most prominent in 20.2% of tweets, and “motivational” posts comprised 17.5%.

    “Cancer disrupts lives, bringing uncertainty and hardship to individuals and their families,” Bellizzi says. “These findings highlight how different stakeholders may reclaim a sense of control in a situation that often feels uncontrollable. By turning to social media, they are not just sharing stories, they are actively shaping the conversation, raising funds, spreading awareness, and building a supportive community.”

    The study says a total of 3,217 tweets were captured from that three-month period in late 2022 by searching on the hashtag, so researchers pared down the total and randomly selected 1,000 to review. They came from 454 unique accounts.

    We can study all these different sources of data, but social media gives us a unique form of data by showing us how patients, caregivers, and health care professionals talk about health in their natural environment. &#8212 Professor Sherry Pagoto

    Among those accounts, researchers found that family members of children with cancer accounted for most of the content on childhood cancer, making up 41.5% of the tweets that were reviewed. Nonprofit organizations were next at 38.6%, followed by health professionals at 8.7%, academic and/or medical centers at 4.2%, and for-profit companies at 3.5%.

    “We can study human behavior in a lot of ways,” Pagoto says. “We can do surveys. We can do focus groups. We can take blood samples. We can study all these different sources of data, but social media gives us a unique form of data by showing us how patients, caregivers, and health care professionals talk about health in their natural environment.”

    Cameron Cordaway ’23 (CLAS), who majored in physiology and neurobiology and worked on the study her last year at UConn, says she wasn’t surprised to find individuals sharing their stories, sometimes in great detail, on social media.

    After all, sharing experiences with others in a digital way is second nature for her generation, she says.

    “When I got into dental school, the first thing I did was text my whole family and post it on social media,” Cordaway says of her acceptance to the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, where she’ll begin studies this fall. “For my generation, our whole lives are on social media. It’s second nature when something happens in your life to tell people on your phone in some way.”

    She continues, “Something as heavy as a cancer diagnosis, while it might not be the first thing you would post in public, people definitely would use social media to communicate, inform, and educate about it. It’s also a good way to let people know, ‘Hey, this is what’s going on with me. This is why I haven’t reached out or why I haven’t been as present.’”

    Pagoto says she and Bellizzi conceived the project after noticing that a father chronicling his young son’s cancer journey on Twitter had become a trending topic on the site.

    “It really enraptured Twitter users for months, as people watched from afar as this father shared his family’s journey through his child’s cancer treatment,” Pagoto says, explaining that got her thinking about how social media was being used among those thinking about, dealing with, and focused on childhood cancer.

    (Amanda Alamsyah / Adobe Stock)

    She and Bellizzi turned to digital natives like Cordaway, Cindy Pan ’24 MPH, clinical psychology grad student Jessica Foy, and Andie Napolitano ’28 (CAHNR) who was a high school junior when she worked on the project.

    Napolitano, who was a student at Amity Regional High School in Woodbridge, says the school offers a science research program that allows young teens in their sophomore year to start working with university-based researchers.

    That year she worked with a professor from the University of New Haven, she says. The last two years of high school, though, were spent with Pagoto and Bellizzi.

    She says she liked the idea of a research project dealing with social media and wanted to use the experience to test drive UConn as a potential for her undergraduate work. A bonus was that like the other students, she could be part of the project from start to finish.

    Pagoto notes that many research studies take many years to complete, thus students see only a small piece during the year or two they’re on board.

    Since tweets are in the public domain and searching Twitter back then was easy, data collection was almost effortless, and the four students could quickly get to work analyzing the tweets.

    That’s the fun stuff, they say.

    “I have an interest in social media research because people spend so much time on it and so many think it’s a bad thing and that only misinformation spreads online,” Napolitano says.

    Doing a project that looks at its benefits especially appealed to her.

    Pagato says that in addition to X, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok also get heavy use from people using the platforms to talk about their other physical issues and even mental health problems.

    “There are influencers with Tourette syndrome, depression, cancer, and any condition you can imagine, and, yes, while there is misinformation on social media, there’s also community on social media and these influencers are sharing their experiences and garnering support,” she explains.

    “It’s a little like, ‘Here’s my experience. I have this diagnosis, and this is what my life is like,’” she continues. “Health influencers on social media destigmatize many disorders that have been hiding in the shadows, particularly mental health disorders.”

    Those with similar diagnoses, she says, can learn from others about what to expect, how to cope with side effects, how to find clinical trials, and what questions to ask.

    “Patients have a lot to say about their experience. They’re the ones who must live with the disease. Their voices matter. I wonder if that’s what draws them to social media – to be heard. Oftentimes, we’ll hear in studies that patients don’t feel heard by their doctors. They may not even feel heard by their family members,” Pagoto says.

    Napolitano agrees.

    “In today’s mainstream media environment, for a lot of reasons, stories don’t get heard. Social media is a way for people to make themselves be heard,” she says.

    And that includes the mother of a son treated for neuroblastoma in 1999 who posted four hours ago in a conversation about bringing a newborn into a crowded airport that she had to protect her young son from viral exposures the first eight years of his life: “This is what having a child w/ #childhoodcancer or a #survivor with vulnerable health is like.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Chancellor and fintech bosses to slash ‘duplicative and burdensome rules’

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Chancellor and fintech bosses to slash ‘duplicative and burdensome rules’

    Chancellor hosts Fintech CEOs in No. 11 as the Treasury streamlines regulation to boost growth as part of the Government’s Plan for Change.

    • Chancellor and CEOs discussed the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, following the Prime Minister’s pledge to cut the administrative cost of regulation on business by a quarter.

    • The Chancellor also delivers on her Mansion House commitment to reform capital markets regulations and boost the attractiveness of the UK’s capital markets.

    This morning (18 March), the Chancellor hosted senior representatives from the Fintech sector in No. 11 Downing Street to discuss the biggest growth opportunities for Fintechs and new draft legislation to streamline regulation and boost the attractiveness of our capital markets.

    This new legislation will deliver reforms to the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) rules, which were inherited from the European Union, and will enable the FCA to scrap any rules which are duplicative and unnecessarily hold UK firms back by designing a new regulatory framework that supports economic growth, this government’s number one mission.

    The Chancellor committed to reforming these rules at her Mansion House speech in November to ensure that they work better for UK companies and they deliver for investors, firms, and support growth across the UK.

    This will mark the next milestone in delivering the government’s wholesale market reforms and will boost the attractiveness of the UK’s capital markets.

    This forms part of the Chancellor’s radical action plan to cut red tape, boost growth, and create a more effective regulatory system, delivering on the Prime Minister’s pledge to cut the administrative cost of regulation on business by a quarter.

    The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said:

    We are taking action to make our rulebook more competitive to support growth, the number one mission for our Plan for Change, and have asked the FCA to reform the regulatory structure around capital markets to make it work better for UK firms. This will ensure they can grow and invest across the economy, kickstarting growth and getting more money in people’s pockets.

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New non-executive directors join Defra board

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    New non-executive directors join Defra board

    Sachin Jogia and Indro Mukerjee appointed to the departmental board

    The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has today (18 March 2025) announced the appointment of two new non-executive board members – Sachin Jogia and Indro Mukerjee. 

    Non-executive board members are senior figures from outside government, appointed to provide challenge to government departments. All non-executive board member appointments are made in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. 

    Sachin and Indro begin their appointments today, with their terms lasting for three years. 

    The Defra board provides strategic, corporate leadership to the department and has particular responsibility for monitoring performance and delivery. 

    Biographies

    Sachin Jogia

    Sachin Jogia has a technology and product leadership background across global organisations, most recently as Group Director of Technology Strategy and Transformation at Sky.

    Previously, he was Chief Technology Officer at Ofcom, overseeing innovation across the areas they regulate including online safety, broadcasting and telecoms. Before that, he spent nine years at Amazon in the UK and USA, most recently as General Manager for Alexa Smart Home International.

    Sachin was the founding Chairman of the British Heart Foundation’s Technology Advisory Group and has championed initiatives supporting disadvantaged communities, including Amazon Future Engineer. He is a Trustee and non-executive director at City Year UK, a founding member of the Corporate Advisory Board at Save The Children UK and has mentored Imperial College students and senior leaders with BeTheBusiness.

    Indro Mukerjee

    Indro was CEO of Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, for three and half years until September 2024.

    He is a highly experienced business leader, with CEO experience across technology and industrial businesses from multinationals to startups and private equity-backed ventures.

    With a global career spanning Asia, the US, and Europe, Indro has led innovation, fast growth, spinouts, M&A, and business transformation across many different business situations. He has been strongly committed to supporting skills development, including co-founding and chairing the UK Electronics Skills Foundation.

    He has an engineering degree from Oxford University, a graduate of the Wharton Advanced Management Program, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an elected Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Academy of Medical Sciences.

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –