Official news releases and announcements from organizations worldwide, distributed by EZ Newswire.
Milkinside founder Gleb Kuznetsov joined industry leaders at the 10th anniversary edition of Digital Design Days (DDD) in Milan, where he spoke about the role of human taste, judgment, and creative leadership as artificial intelligence continues to reshape design and digital product development.
Founded and curated by Filippo Spiezia, DDD has grown over the past decade from an independent design gathering into an international platform for conversations about creativity, technology, branding, product design, and the future of digital experiences. Before founding DDD, Spiezia built an award-winning design career that included years in the United States, working between San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, with the renowned experience design studio Second Story. That background has helped shape the event’s distinctive curation and global network, attracting leading speakers, major brands, and creative professionals from around the world.
Now in its tenth year, DDD has engaged more than 240,000 participants worldwide across its in-person and online editions. Its latest event welcomed more than 3,500 attendees from 48 countries, and Google has cited DDD as one of the three most authoritative events in its field.
Across three days of talks, workshops, and conversations, one concern kept returning: AI is not only making creative production faster. It is making polished mediocrity easier to ship. That is why the strongest conversation in Milan was not about tools. It was about taste.
For Kuznetsov, one of the event’s standout speakers, the message was clear: AI has not made taste less important. It has made the value of taste visible.
The 2026 edition arrived at a time when artificial intelligence is transforming how products, brands, and digital experiences are created. Across talks, panels, and discussions, recurring themes included creativity, craft, technology, burnout, business transformation, and the future role of human judgment in an increasingly automated world.
Speakers approached those themes from different angles, with Stefan Sagmeister emphasizing beauty and craft, Marina Willer bringing a brand and identity perspective, Wesley ter Haar addressing AI’s impact on creative operations, and Kuznetsov focusing on taste and judgment as increasingly important forms of design leadership.
Before Apple challenged the category, personal computers were largely accepted as gray, functional boxes. Apple refused that standard and made technology feel personal, emotional, and desirable. With AI technology, design leadership faces this same challenge today.
Kuznetsov drew parallels to earlier moments in technology history. Before companies such as Apple challenged prevailing assumptions about personal computers, the market largely accepted functional but uninspiring products as the norm. In his view, designers face a similar responsibility today: not simply accepting what AI can generate, but determining what deserves to exist and what should be rejected.
The significance of these discussions extended beyond the design profession itself. Agencies are rethinking workflows, brands are reassessing differentiation strategies, founders can now generate products faster than ever before, and creative teams are navigating uncertainty about how AI will reshape their roles. DDD provided a forum for addressing not only the opportunities created by AI, but also the business, cultural, and human questions emerging alongside it.
An Emerging Role for Modern Designers
One of the themes that emerged repeatedly throughout DDD was that the role of designers is evolving rather than disappearing. Speakers explored how creative professionals are increasingly becoming curators, directors, and decision-makers who shape outcomes rather than simply execute them. Kuznetsov’s keynote offered one of the clearest articulations of that shift.
At the intersection of AI and creativity, designers are moving from makers to maker-directors. They are not losing the ability to make. They are gaining a bigger responsibility: directing tools, shaping outcomes, and deciding what deserves to exist.
For Kuznetsov, this is where taste and judgment become most valuable. As AI makes production faster and more accessible, the ability to discern quality, make decisions, and define what is worth creating may play an increasingly important role in the future of product design.
Positioned in this context, a designer does not need to view AI technology as some kind of threat. With this new perspective, it will be a lack of human craft in AI that should be avoided. To this end, the existence of AI design may be understood as a force multiplier. Designers are not competing with AI on speed alone, but on judgment, empathy, memory, cultural awareness, and the ability to distinguish between what is generated for its own sake and what may be felt on a human level.
“We did not become designers to ship the average,” Kuznetsov stated. “AI can generate the average faster than any human. Our job is to bring memory, empathy, friction, history, and taste into the work. That is the human layer machines cannot replace.”
This perspective resonated with one of the event’s broader themes: as AI makes the production of “good enough” outputs easier and faster, competitive advantage may increasingly come from taste, judgment, differentiation, and the ability to create experiences that connect with people on a deeper level. Several speakers explored how these human qualities could become more valuable, not less, as generative technologies continue to mature.
A Turning Point for the Creative Industry
The 10th anniversary edition of Digital Design Days was more than a milestone event. It reflected an industry grappling with fundamental questions about creativity, productivity, technology, and the future of work.
While AI remained a dominant topic throughout the program, the conversation in Milan ultimately centered on human value: the role of judgment, the importance of taste, and the responsibility of creative leaders to shape outcomes rather than simply accelerate production.
As one of the standout voices at the event, Kuznetsov contributed to that discussion by arguing that AI has not diminished the importance of human creativity. Instead, it has made the value of human judgment more visible.
For many attendees, that idea captured the broader message of DDD 2026: the future of design is not becoming less human. It is becoming more human.
Spiezia’s role as founder and curator has become central to the event’s identity, giving DDD a point of view that is shaped by design culture rather than by a conventional conference model. Following its 10th-anniversary edition, Digital Design Days is positioned to continue serving as an independent international platform for discussions on AI, creativity, design leadership, and the future of creative work.
About Milkinside
Milkinside is a San Francisco-based design agency that focuses on creating innovative product design, interactions, branding, and motion design. Founded in 2011 by Gleb Kuznetsov, the company takes digital products from idea to launch. For more information, visit milkinside.com.

At the 10th anniversary edition of Digital Design Days in Milan, Milkinside founder Gleb Kuznetsov delivered a standout keynote addressing how artificial intelligence is forcing the creative industry to prioritize human taste, judgment, and originality over automated volume.
Everyone is asking whether AI will replace designers. That may be the wrong question.
The real challenge is that AI has made average work infinite. Polished interfaces, competent visuals, and functional products can now be generated at unprecedented speed. As the cost of producing acceptable work approaches zero, the qualities that make creative work memorable—taste, judgment, originality, and the willingness to reject easy answers—are becoming more valuable, not less.
That tension sat at the center of discussions during the 10th anniversary edition of Digital Design Days (DDD) in Milan, where designers, technologists, founders, brand leaders, and creative executives gathered to examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping creativity, product development, and decision-making.
For many attendees, DDD felt less like a conference and more like an early look at where the creative industry is heading. As AI rapidly lowers the cost of production, the conversation has shifted from what can be made to what is worth making.
One of the speakers at DDD was Gleb Kuznetsov, founder of Milkinside, whose keynote challenged a common assumption about AI: that technology reduces the importance of human creativity.
His argument became one of the event’s defining ideas: “AI did not make taste less important. It made the value of taste visible.”
Rather than diminishing human judgment, Kuznetsov argued, AI may be exposing its importance. When everyone can generate polished work, the ability to recognize what is original, meaningful, or culturally relevant becomes easier to see, and harder to replace.
Digital Design Days Marks a Turning Point for the Creative Industry
The 2026 edition of Digital Design Days represented more than a milestone anniversary. It arrived at a moment when creative industries are being forced to reconsider where value actually comes from.
Founded by Filippo Spiezia, Digital Design Days has evolved over the past decade into an international platform focused on design, creative technology, branding, motion, product thinking, and digital experience.
Its reputation has been built on curation rather than scale, attracting practitioners who often encounter major shifts in design, technology, and culture before those shifts become mainstream industry conversations.
The 10th-anniversary edition brought together a global speaker lineup that included Stefan Sagmeister, Marina Willer, Wesley ter Haar, Emily Rickard, Robert Hodgin, Itay Schiff, and Gleb Kuznetsov, among many others.
That range mattered. Sagmeister brought a long-term perspective on beauty, craft, and cultural value. Willer spoke from the experience of shaping brand identity at global scale. Ter Haar addressed the operational realities facing agencies as AI changes how creative work is produced. Kuznetsov focused on something different: the growing economic value of taste and judgment in a world where production is becoming abundant.
Rather than focusing solely on emerging tools, many conversations centered on larger questions about creativity, originality, business value, and the future role of human judgment in an era where AI can generate content, interfaces, code, and design concepts at unprecedented speed.
AI’s Impact on the World of Business
Across talks on design, branding, products, and innovation, a common question emerged: if everyone has access to increasingly powerful creative tools, where does differentiation come from?
One of the clearest answers came from Gleb Kuznetsov, founder of Milkinside: “AI did not make taste less important. It made the value of taste visible.”
The statement resonated because it reframed the AI conversation. Much of the public debate focuses on whether AI can generate work. Kuznetsov's argument was that generation is becoming the easy part. Selection, judgment, and conviction remain difficult.
The shift is bigger than design alone.
For founders, agencies, and brand leaders, the question increasingly becomes which ideas deserve investment, attention, and distribution. AI can generate more possibilities than ever before. Human judgment still determines which of those possibilities matter.
The Challenges of the Design Industry
For many attendees, the challenge is no longer whether AI will influence creative work, but how creative professionals can maintain originality, quality, and cultural relevance in an environment where generating polished outputs has become significantly easier.
Kuznetsov argued that AI’s greatest impact may be its tendency toward the average. AI can generate endless variations, concepts, interfaces, and campaigns, but it cannot explain why one idea matters more than another.
That observation connected with a broader concern running through the event. As production becomes easier, creative industries risk becoming more homogeneous. Distinction increasingly comes from perspective, taste, and the willingness to reject obvious answers.
These Issues Stretch Well Beyond AI
While AI has brought these issues of sameness to the forefront, it is far from being the cause of them. The industry has always adopted templates, frameworks, and dominant trends. Bootstrap, Material Design, Tailwind, SaaS templates, and startup design systems have already pushed digital products toward similarity. AI has simply accelerated this pattern and made it impossible to ignore.
What made the conversations at DDD notable was the recognition that this is not really an AI story. It is a cultural and economic story about what becomes valuable when production stops being scarce.
A Conversation Bigger Than One Speaker
While speakers approached the topic from different angles, DDD’s 10th-anniversary edition captured a broader industry realization: AI is raising the value of distinctly human judgment.
Kuznetsov’s keynote reflected that broader conversation. His argument that AI has made the value of taste more visible resonated with ongoing discussions about how designers are evolving from makers into directors of outcomes, helping determine not only what can be created, but what should be created.
Final Thoughts
The most memorable conversations at DDD were not about what AI can do. They were about what remains difficult to automate.
The takeaway that lingered long after the talks ended was Kuznetsov's observation that AI has made the value of taste visible. The easier creation becomes, the more obvious it becomes who can recognize quality, originality, and cultural relevance, and who cannot.
That idea gave DDD’s anniversary edition its sense of urgency.
For many attendees, DDD felt like one of the first places where the implications of that shift were being discussed seriously. The event's significance was not that it asked whether AI would change creative work. It was that many of the industry's leading voices appeared to agree on what becomes valuable after that change has already happened.
About Milkinside
Milkinside is a San Francisco-based design agency that focuses on creating innovative product design, interactions, branding, and motion design. Founded in 2011 by Gleb Kuznetsov, the company takes digital products from idea to launch. For more information, visit milkinside.com.

Bryan Crabtree, a veteran Lowcountry real estate broker with over 27 years of local market experience, has officially announced the listing of 5010 Timber Race Course. Situated on a prime one-acre lot within the prestigious The Plantation at Stono Ferry, this four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath estate offers a rare combination of marsh-front proximity, championship golf access, and full-service equestrian amenities.
As inventory for premium, multi-amenity communities in the Charleston region remains highly competitive, this property represents a significant opportunity for buyers seeking a blend of coastal luxury, historical depth, and an active outdoor lifestyle.
"Stono Ferry remains one of the few communities in the Charleston area where deep historical roots, equestrian facilities, and world-class golf truly coexist," says Bryan Crabtree of IndigoOak – Christie’s International Real Estate. "5010 Timber Race Course isn't just a home; it's an estate designed for the active Lowcountry lifestyle, particularly for buyers who value space, privacy, and unparalleled community amenities."
Property Specifications and Key Features
To provide clear transparency for prospective buyers and real estate analysts, the core features of the property include:
Premium Interior and Exterior Layout
The residence has been intentionally designed to support both remote work flexibility and formal Lowcountry entertaining.
Neighborhood Infrastructure: The Stono Ferry Lifestyle
Living in The Plantation at Stono Ferry provides access to a micro-market that historically holds strong valuation due to its unique, non-replicable amenities:
Private, qualified showings can be scheduled directly through the listing brokerage.
About Bryan Crabtree Real Estate
Bryan Crabtree is a Charleston, South Carolina real estate broker and Realtor® with IndigoOak | Christie’s International Real Estate, serving Charleston, Mount Pleasant, and the surrounding Lowcountry. With over 27 years of experience, more than 5,500 homes sold, and over $1 billion in career sales, he has consistently been recognized as one of the top-performing agents in the Charleston market. Crabtree specializes in luxury homes, historic properties, golf communities, and waterfront real estate, working with both local and relocating buyers and sellers. He is widely known for his expertise in pricing strategy, advanced marketing, and maximizing value for his clients. For more information, visit www.therealestateexperts.com.
Media Contact
Bryan Crabtree
Real Estate Broker, IndigoOak | Christie's International Real Estate
bc@therealestateexperts.com
+1 843-343-4141

In a world where most people feel either disconnected or spend their days managing emotions, curating reactions, and keeping composure, sport and intimacy both offer a rare exception. And now the biggest event of all is about to start in North America with teams and Fans from all over the world.
For ninety minutes, fans openly surrender to anticipation, joy, heartbreak, tension, disbelief, and euphoria. They scream. They cry. They jump into other people’s arms. Their faces tell the story before they ever say a word, they truly ‘Feel Everything’ in moments of shared pleasure and togetherness.
The same happens in the bedroom and during intimacy, and that has always been the North Star of SKYN, one of the world's fastest-growing intimate wellness brands: Feel Everything for shared pleasure.
Ahead of the global tournament, SKYN is celebrating those unfiltered moments in a new global campaign called "Faces." The campaign captures supporters during the tournament's most emotionally charged moments, spotlighting the instinctive reactions that emerge when people stop holding back and allow themselves to feel everything. Those faces look incredibly intimate and recall the very moment where you Feel Everything with your partner.
At first glance, the campaign's close-up portraits appear intensely intimate. Eyes closed. Mouths open. Breaths held. Expressions suspended somewhere between anticipation and release.
The reveal: they're not moments of intimacy. They're football fans watching the world's biggest sporting event.
Created in partnership with award-winning creative agency L&C, "Faces" extends SKYN's global "Feel Everything" platform into one of culture's most emotionally powerful experiences. The campaign is inspired by a simple observation: football is one of the few remaining cultural rituals where adults feel comfortable expressing every emotion openly and unapologetically, like they do during intimacy.
Science suggests those reactions aren't just emotional — they're physical. A 2026 study published in Scientific Reports found that fans attending a match in person recorded average heart rates 23% higher than fans watching elsewhere, with heart rates climbing above 100 beats per minute during pivotal moments. Researchers described the phenomenon as "football fever" — a measurable state of emotional and physical arousal.
"The upcoming global football tournament is one of the few moments where people completely let go, publicly," said Marta Toth, VP Global Marketing & Innovation at LifeStyles. "Fans scream, release tension, celebrate, and react instinctively because they care so deeply. Those are the moments that stay with us. With Faces, we wanted to celebrate the passion and emotional intensity that make football fandom such a powerful human experience, much like the shared intimate pleasure SKYN champions.”
While many brands focus on the competition itself, SKYN is spotlighting the feelings behind it: the tension before a penalty kick, the anticipation of extra time, the eruption of joy after a last-minute goal.
"Football creates a level of emotional honesty that's incredibly rare," said Rolando Cordova, Co-founder and Co-CCO at L&C. "For a few hours, people stop worrying about how they look and simply react. That's what fascinated us. The faces people make while watching football can be surprisingly intimate because both experiences come from the same place: complete emotional investment."
The campaign will run globally across social, connected TV, and digital platforms throughout the tournament inviting fans everywhere to embrace every gasp, scream, celebration, heartbreak, and unforgettable moment.
Because whether it's sport, culture or intimate connection, the experiences we remember most are the ones that make us feel everything.
About SKYN
SKYN® is on a mission to reimagine intimacy — designing condoms, lubricants and massagers that center shared pleasure, comfort and connection. With SKYNFEEL®, a technologically advanced and patented soft non-latex material, designed to adapt smoothly & seamlessly to the body for the most natural fit and feeling, the brand invites people to experience more — without compromise. SKYN® is a brand of LifeStyles Healthcare, a global leader in the sexual wellness sector, owned by the Chicago based private-equity firm Linden Capital Partners.
Media Contact
Emma Swanson
emma@lc-nyc.com

Lifesight, the agentic unified marketing measurement platform trusted by over 300 global brands, today announced the launch of Lifesight MCP. This innovative connector, built on the open Model Context Protocol (MCP), gives users direct, secured access to their company’s live marketing measurement data directly within Claude (Desktop) and ChatGPT (Custom Connectors) with no analyst intervention, API tokens, or coding.
The new integration fundamentally transforms how marketing and finance teams interact with critical business data. Lifesight’s platform unifies Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM), geo-based incrementality testing, and incrementality-adjusted attribution. Through Lifesight MCP, executives can now ask complex performance questions in natural language and receive immediate, actionable answers, closing the gap between raw data and executive decision-making.
"For a long time now, marketing measurement insights lived in notebooks and dashboards that only some specialists could read correctly," said Tobin Thomas, CEO and co-founder of Lifesight. "Lifesight MCP changes who gets to ask the question. When a CMO or a CFO can query the model directly inside the assistant they already work in the distance between insight and decision collapses from weeks to minutes. That decision speed, compounded over a year, is a real competitive advantage."
Empowering Leaders with the Skills Library
To cater specifically to executive workflows, Lifesight MCP features a built-in skills library, allowing users to execute high-level marketing and financial analyses instantaneously. The launch capabilities include:
"The hardest part was never the model. It was getting the right answers and decisions out of it," explained Rajeev Nair, Chief Product Officer and co-founder of Lifesight.
"Every question used to be routed through a small team, which meant most questions never got asked at all. Lifesight MCP opens the model up to everyone who needs it. The people closest to the decision can finally ask their own questions and act on the answers and the experts get their time back for the work that actually needs them."
Enterprise-Grade Security and Governance
Designed to meet strict enterprise procurement standards, the Lifesight MCP architecture is deliberately read-only at launch, ensuring complete governance over live budgets and model parameters.
Setup is completed through simple OAuth using an existing Lifesight login, and connector permissions map exactly to the user's existing workspace access. The integration inherits the Lifesight platform’s rigorous compliance posture including GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2, and ISO 27001 certifications while maintaining a complete audit trail for every query made through the connector.
Lifesight MCP is available immediately to all current Lifesight customers. For more information about Lifesight and its unified measurement capabilities, visit lifesight.io.
About Lifesight
Lifesight is an agentic unified marketing measurement platform that gives enterprise marketing and finance teams a single, trusted, causal view of what drives business growth. Combining marketing mix modeling (MMM), geo-based incrementality testing, and incrementality-adjusted attribution, Lifesight empowers brands to forecast outcomes, optimize ad budgets, and drive sustainable growth. Currently managing over $4 billion in global marketing spend, Lifesight serves more than 300 brands worldwide. For more information, visit lifesight.io.
Media Contact
Stephanie Balaconis
Director of Demand Generation, Lifesight
stephanie@lifesight.io

Odience, an Estonia-based performance influencer marketing platform, announced that it has paid more than $2.8 million to creators across nearly 2,000 completed campaigns worldwide, marking a milestone for the company's conversion-based approach to creator partnerships.
The milestone reflects increasing demand from brands and creators for influencer marketing models tied to measurable outcomes, including tracked clicks, leads, sales, and other verified campaign actions.
Based in Tallinn, Estonia, Odience is part of the country's growing technology sector. The company said its latest milestone shows how technology platforms built in smaller European markets can support creator campaigns at a global scale.
Odience supports performance-based campaign models including CPA, revenue share, and hybrid payout structures. These models have been used across the nearly 2,000 campaigns included in the company's latest payout milestone.
"Reaching more than $2.8 million in creator payouts shows that performance-based partnerships can create meaningful opportunities for creators," said Marii-Heleen Penu, Influencer Marketing Manager at Odience. "Many creators rely on short-term brand deals, which can make it difficult to build predictable success. Long-term partnerships can change that when creators are compensated for measurable results."
The milestone aligns with a broader shift as brands continue to increase investment in influencer partnerships while placing greater emphasis on measurable success from creator campaigns. Odience said its platform is designed to address that shift by connecting creator compensation directly to verified campaign performance.
"The creator-brand relationship has become increasingly focused on measurable outcomes," said Valeri Pevnitski, Brand Partnerships Specialist at Odience. "Many brands still approach influencer marketing through CPC or CPM-style metrics. Influencer marketing includes brand awareness, trust, community engagement, and direct communication with target audiences. Performance data helps make those partnerships more transparent for both sides."
Odience is available worldwide for creators through its self-serve platform. Brand partnerships are available by request.
About Odience
Odience is an Estonian technology company operating a performance-based influencer marketing platform that connects creators and brands through tracked, measurable campaigns. The platform enables creators to build success on verified actions, including clicks, leads, and sales, while providing brands with transparent campaign performance data. Odience has facilitated nearly 2,000 campaigns globally and paid more than $2.8 million to creators through its platform. For more information, visit odience.io.
Media Contact
Liise-Kristiine Laas
PR & Communications Coordinator, Odience
l.laas@odience.io
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The 7th Qingdao Multinationals Summit is scheduled to take place June 15–17, 2026 at the Qingdao International Conference Center in Fushan Bay, bringing together corporate leaders and business representatives from around the world to discuss economic cooperation, investment opportunities, and industry development.
According to summit organizers, the event will host 435 corporate delegates from 36 countries and regions, including 355 senior executives from overseas multinational companies.
As a platform for dialogue between multinational enterprises, government officials, and industry stakeholders, the Multinationals Summit has become one of several major international events hosted by Qingdao in recent years. Organizers say the event is intended to facilitate trade and business exchanges, strengthen international partnerships, and provide multinational companies with opportunities to explore developments in China's economy and regional markets.
Qingdao's position as a major port city and economic center continues to play a key role in attracting international business participation. Located on China's eastern coast, the city serves as an important gateway for the Yellow River Basin and a transportation and logistics hub connected to the Belt and Road Initiative. Qingdao Port ranks among the world's leading container ports and has maintained the highest sea-rail intermodal transport capacity in China for 11 consecutive years.
The city is also home to established manufacturing, transportation and marine industries, including smart home appliances, rail transit and marine technology. Qingdao's marine science and research sector has attracted significant investment and research activity, contributing to its role in China's broader ocean economy development strategy.
In addition to its industrial base, Qingdao has continued efforts to improve its business environment and support international investment through infrastructure development, business services, and innovation initiatives.
Media Contact
Junrong Wei
qms-info@mncsummit.org.cn

Sundance Growth, a growth equity firm focused on partnering with mission-critical B2B software companies, today announced a strategic investment in CDWare, the leading fleet and delivery management software purpose-built for specialized heavy-duty vehicle operations, to support the company's continued North American expansion and product innovation.
CDWare serves fleet and delivery operators in ready-mix concrete, snow and ice control, waste collection, street sweeping, and hazardous goods transport—industries that mainstream technology was never built to support. These are mission-critical, heavily regulated operations where a missed delivery, a compliance gap, or a vehicle out of position can become an operational emergency. The product was built specifically for that reality, providing a platform that offers on- and off-road navigation, automated e-ticketing, digital proof-of-delivery, quality assurance data capture, and ELD and EDVIR compliance, all unified in a single visibility portal that gives operators and their customers one source of truth across every truck, driver, and load in the field. For industries that had no choice but to run on paper tickets, radio dispatch, and disconnected hardware, CDWare is the platform that fills those gaps.
The company is led by Marc-André Côté and Marie-Christine Côté, whose partnership runs deeper than any boardroom could produce. Marc-André and Marie-Christine are a brother and sister duo who chose to build on complementary strengths and a shared conviction that specialized fleet operators deserved a purpose-built solution, not an adaptation of tools designed for generic, light-duty fleets. That depth of trust and unity of vision is what allows CDWare to move the way it does, decisively, without hesitation. In an industry where the window to become the category-defining platform is open right now, that kind of alignment is a structural advantage. Where most companies deliberate, CDWare acts.
“Our customers don’t run generic fleets; they run some of the most operationally complex and regulated routes in the economy, and they’ve been underserved by technology for decades. We’re seeing that change rapidly. Operators who used to manage dispatch on whiteboards and paper tickets are now running fully digital, compliance-ready operations, and they’re growing faster because of it. This investment from Sundance accelerates what’s already working: a product that’s earning category-defining retention in every vertical we serve and a U.S. expansion that’s already showing early traction. We’re not just entering a market; we're building the operating system for an entire segment of the economy that’s been waiting for this.” — Marc-André Côté, CEO, CDWare
The investment will enable CDWare to expand its North American footprint, including continued execution against its U.S. growth plan. It will also accelerate development of new product capabilities designed to meet the evolving needs of regulated, heavy-duty fleet operators.
“Specialized heavy-duty fleet operators run some of the most complex and regulated workflows in the economy, where routing, compliance, and asset-level visibility are mission critical. CDWare has built a vertical-specific platform that serves as the operating system for these fleets, replacing fragmented legacy tools with a single, integrated solution. The company has demonstrated strong growth, exceptional customer retention, and clear product-market fit across its core verticals. We believe CDWare is uniquely positioned to become the North American category leader in vertical fleet management software, and we are proud to partner with Marc-André, Marie-Christine, and the team as they scale the platform and expand into the U.S.” — Christian Stewart, Managing Partner, Sundance Growth
About Sundance Growth
Founded by Christian Stewart, a former Accel-KKR investor, Sundance Growth is a growth equity firm focused on mission-critical B2B SaaS companies. The firm raised a $125 million debut fund in 2025. Sundance provides founders with flexible capital and hands-on support to grow organically and through strategic M&A. Sundance invests in companies with $3 to $10 million in ARR. For more information, visit www.sundancegrowth.com.
About CDWare
CDWare Technologies is a leading provider of industry-specific fleet and delivery software for construction materials, public works, and hazardous goods operators. Leveraging deep expertise in routing, connected vehicle data, and IoT-enabled workflows, the platform delivers operational intelligence that improves execution, reduces waste, and drives predictable outcomes across complex, field-driven environments. The company is headquartered in Montreal, Canada. Learn more at www.cdware.com.
Media Contact
Christian Stewart
Managing Partner, Sundance Growth
cstewart@sundancegrowth.com

Cash App today announced the pilot launch of Cash App Mobile, an unlimited 5G phone plan. The premium plan runs on AT&T’s network and is designed for Cash App’s Modern Earners — the young adults, underbanked consumers, and gig workers who depend on connectivity to manage daily life. Powered by Gigs, the global leader in embedded connectivity, Cash App Mobile is priced at $40 per month including taxes and fees.
Phone bills represent one of the most universal, high-frequency payments Modern Earners make regardless of income predictability. With millions of users already using the Cash App Card to pay their phone bills, Cash App is expanding into mobile service to offer a more affordable and accessible option. According to a 2026 Cash App survey of U.S. respondents, 46% experienced friction when paying recurring phone bills.¹ This product is designed to remove common barriers and introduce an entirely new category of financial value:
“Modern Earners deserve mobile service that works as hard as they do. They’re building their futures, managing multiple income streams, and every dollar matters,” said Owen Jennings, Executive Officer and Head of Business at Block (the parent company of Cash App). “By integrating connectivity directly into Cash App, we’re delivering the affordability and convenience our customers have been asking for, and managed all in one place.”
“For years, connectivity has been built around rigid contracts and legacy carrier models that don’t reflect how people live or earn today,” said Hermann Frank, CEO and co-founder of Gigs. “We built Gigs to change that. Mobile connectivity is essential infrastructure for how people participate in the economy. Cash App Mobile demonstrates how carriers and technology leaders can come together to build experiences that best serve modern consumers.”
Cash App Mobile is rolling out to select users, with broader availability planned in the coming months.
Notes
¹ Cash App survey of U.S. respondents conducted in 2026.
² Source: Block Investor Day presentation, November 2025.
About Gigs
Gigs, the operating system for mobile services, empowers tech companies to seamlessly embed connectivity into their offerings in weeks. By bundling phone plans and travel data with their core services, Gigs' customers can increase stickiness and unlock a new recurring revenue stream with digital mobile experiences that create meaningful value for consumers. Gigs' end-to-end platform provides everything brands like Revolut, Klarna, Nubank and OnePay need to launch and operate their own multi-market mobile service: premium connectivity, a hosted checkout, billing, subscription management, analytics, and AI-powered customer service. Backed by Ribbit Capital, Google, Y Combinator, Speedinvest and BoxGroup, Gigs was founded by Hermann Frank and Dennis Bauer in 2020. For more information, visit gigs.com.
About Cash App
Cash App is the money app. Banking* on Cash App is easy: customers can receive paychecks early with direct deposit, spend money where Visa is accepted with a personalized Cash App Card, and grow their money with a separate savings balance — all without hidden fees. Customers can also create a unique $Cashtag to share with anyone to get paid fast, make purchases with Cash App Pay, trade stocks and buy and sell bitcoin**. With Afterpay***, customers can also pay over time in a way that best fits their financial needs through participating merchants or directly in the app. Download Cash App for free at cash.app/download.
*Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App’s bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. Cash App Visa® Debit Flex Cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC, and The Bancorp Bank, N.A., pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. See terms and conditions for the Sutton prepaid card, Sutton debit flex card, and Bancorp debit flex card. See cash.app for more details.
**Brokerage services provided by Cash App Investing LLC, member FINRA/SIPC, subsidiary of Block, Inc. Stablecoin, Bitcoin Map, and Lightning Network are not available to New York residents. Bitcoin services provided by Block, Inc. Bitcoin services are not licensable activity in all U.S. states and territories. Block, Inc. operates in New York as Block of Delaware and is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the New York State Department of Financial Services. Investing and bitcoin are non-deposit, non-bank products that are not FDIC insured and involve risk, including monetary loss. Cash App Investing does not trade bitcoin and Block, Inc. is not a member of FINRA or SIPC. For additional information, see the Bitcoin and Cash App Investing disclosures.
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The American Kratom Association (AKA) today applauded the American Medical Association (AMA) for recognizing the growing public health concerns associated with highly concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) products but urged the AMA to more clearly distinguish these chemically manipulated opioid products from traditional natural kratom leaf products.
In a policy statement adopted at its annual meeting, the AMA highlighted concerns about concentrated 7-OH products and supported restrictions on their sale and marketing, particularly where children and adolescents may be exposed. The AMA specifically noted that manufacturers are increasingly extracting and concentrating 7-OH into products that are chemically manipulated opioids that have no legitimate relationship to traditional kratom leaf products.
While the AMA’s concerns regarding chemically manipulated 7-OH opioid products are justified, the American Kratom Association believes the policy statement unintentionally contributes to ongoing public confusion by repeatedly characterizing these products as “kratom products” when they have no resemblance to natural kratom leaf products.
“The AMA correctly identifies the danger posed by concentrated 7-OH products, but it stops short of making the most important distinction,” said Mac Haddow, Senior Fellow on Public Policy for the American Kratom Association. “These chemically manipulated 7-OH opioids are not traditional kratom products. They are highly concentrated opioids manufactured through chemical conversion processes that fundamentally alter the natural composition of kratom.”
Natural kratom leaf contains mitragynine as its dominant alkaloid, while 7-OH exists only in trace amounts. The products now appearing on the market often reverse that natural relationship by chemically converting mitragynine into concentrated 7-OH opioids, creating products with pharmacological profiles dramatically different from natural kratom leaf.
The scientific evidence increasingly demonstrates why policymakers must distinguish between these chemically manipulated opioids and natural kratom.
In a human dose-finding safety study conducted under FDA oversight, healthy adult participants consumed kratom doses up to 12 grams of leaf material without experiencing serious adverse events. Researchers concluded that kratom was generally well tolerated across all dose levels tested, with only nausea being the most commonly reported non-serious adverse event experienced by both the kratom and the placebo test groups.
More recently, the National Institutes of Health announced the approval of a groundbreaking human clinical trial evaluating whether kratom can serve as a treatment for opioid use disorder and help individuals reduce or eliminate dependence on more dangerous opioids. That study, led by researchers at the University of Florida, could not proceed without approval by an independent Institutional Review Board (IRB), which is legally and ethically required to determine that human participants will not be exposed to unreasonable or unacceptable safety risks.
“The significance of the NIH announcement cannot be overstated,” Haddow continued. “A study designed to evaluate kratom as a tool to help people overcome opioid addiction could not move forward unless an independent ethics review concluded that participation in the study presents an acceptable safety profile for human subjects. That is fundamentally inconsistent with the narrative that natural kratom leaf is itself a significant public health threat.”
The AKA strongly supports federal and state actions targeting chemically manipulated 7-OH products. In fact, the Association has consistently advocated for strict regulation and scheduling of chemically converted 7-OH opioids that are marketed as kratom despite possessing pharmacological characteristics far removed from natural leaf material.
The FDA itself has warned consumers about concentrated 7-OH products, and both HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former FDA Commissioner Marty Makary have emphasized that federal enforcement efforts are focused on chemically manipulated 7-OH products rather than properly manufactured natural kratom leaf products.
Unfortunately, when public statements fail to clearly distinguish between natural kratom and concentrated 7-OH opioids, consumers, healthcare providers, legislators, and regulators are left with the mistaken impression that all kratom products present the same risks. That confusion undermines efforts to develop evidence-based public health policy.
The American Kratom Association calls on the AMA, public health officials, and policymakers to accurately identify the source of the emerging safety concerns: chemically manipulated 7-OH opioid products masquerading as kratom.
“The solution is not to stigmatize or prohibit natural kratom leaf products that millions of Americans use responsibly,” Haddow said. “The solution is to focus regulatory attention where it belongs — on chemically manipulated 7-OH opioid products that are fundamentally different from natural kratom and should not be marketed as kratom in the first place.”
The AKA remains committed to advancing science-based regulation, protecting consumers from dangerous synthetic and chemically manipulated 7-OH opioid products, and preserving access to properly manufactured natural kratom leaf products that meet established safety and quality standards.
About American Kratom Association (AKA)
American Kratom Association (AKA) is a consumer-based, nonprofit organization, focused on furthering the latest science as guidance for kratom public policy. AKA works to give a voice to millions of Americans by fighting to protect their rights to access safe and natural kratom. For more information, visit www.americankratom.org and learn more at kratomanswers.org.
Media Contact
Mac Haddow
Senior Fellow on Public Policy
press@americankratom.org
+1 571-294-5978

Marquis Who’s Who honors Sanford L. Moskowitz, PhD, for contributions to innovation research, technology history and interdisciplinary scholarship. Dr. Moskowitz, a full professor in the Department of Global Business at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University, is recognized for his work examining the intersection of science, technology, economics and history through research, consulting and authorship.
Recognition for Interdisciplinary Scholarship
Dr. Moskowitz has built a career that bridges scientific research, economic history, technology studies and writing. His work focuses on how innovation evolves across industries and societies, particularly in advanced materials, global competitiveness and the commercialization of emerging technologies.
Dr. Moskowitz’s research has been cited by organizations and publications including The Economist, Wired, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. His work has also appeared in doctoral dissertations and academic studies involving engineering, architecture and industrial development.
A Career Shaped by Science and History
Dr. Moskowitz earned a Bachelor of Science in physics with a minor in mathematics from the City College of New York before pursuing graduate studies at Columbia University, where he completed a master’s degree in history, a Master of Philosophy and a Doctor of Philosophy in economic history and the history of technology.
Although accepted into graduate physics programs at institutions including the University of Chicago and the University of California, Berkeley, Dr. Moskowitz chose a broader interdisciplinary path combining science, history and economic analysis. He has often credited his father, Dr. Fred Moskowitz, as a major influence on his intellectual development. Dr. Fred Moskowitz was an electrical engineer whose work on the Moskowitz Factoring Theorem became foundational in network reliability systems.
Books and Research Contributions
Throughout his career, Dr. Moskowitz has authored books exploring innovation, technology management and industrial change, including “The Advanced Materials Revolution: Technology and Economic Growth in the Age of Globalization,” “Advanced Materials Innovation: Managing Global Technology in the 21st Century” and “Cybercrime and Business: Strategies for Global Corporate Security.”
Dr. Moskowitz’s most recent book, “Managing Technology from Laboratory to Marketplace: Cheating the Valley of Death,” was published in 2024 as part of Springer Nature’s Management for Professionals series. The book examines the challenges organizations face when moving technological innovation from research environments into commercial markets.
In addition to his academic work, Dr. Moskowitz has consulted for multinational corporations, technology firms and government agencies. He has also served as an expert witness in legal matters involving technology and innovation.
Continued Research and Future Projects
Dr. Moskowitz continues to write and conduct research on innovation and industrial transformation. He is currently developing projects focused on global nanotechnology, national competitiveness and the long-term economic effects of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including a book for Springer Nature scheduled to be published in 2028.
Marquis Who’s Who’s recognition reflects Dr. Moskowitz’s longstanding commitment to scholarship, intellectual curiosity and interdisciplinary analysis. His work continues to influence researchers, students and professionals studying the relationship between technology, innovation and society.
About Sanford L. Moskowitz
Sanford L. Moskowitz, PhD, is a professor, researcher, author and consultant whose work explores the intersection of innovation, technology, economics and history. A faculty member in the Department of Global Business at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University, Dr. Moskowitz specializes in technology management, advanced materials, industrial competitiveness and the commercialization of emerging technologies. His research has been cited by leading organizations, policymakers and academic institutions, and he has authored numerous books on innovation, technology strategy and economic development. Through his scholarship, consulting and writing, Dr. Moskowitz examines how technological change shapes industries, markets and society. For more information, follow on LinkedIn.
About Marquis Who’s Who
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the first edition of Who’s Who in America®, Marquis Who’s Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who’s Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms worldwide. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who’s Who® website, marquiswhoswho.com.
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Marquis Who’s Who
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Concentrate AI today launched out of stealth with the LLM gateway built for companies running AI in production. The platform gives teams one API to access every major frontier and open-source large language model with enterprise-grade security, governance, compliance, and spend controls built in by default and free. It arrives as AI legislation reaches every state in the country and as companies shift from AI experimentation to AI as core infrastructure.
The launch comes as the AI gateway and token routing market is heating up. Companies are no longer just asking how to use more AI. They are asking how to control it: which models to use, where traffic should route, how much each team is spending, what happens when providers go down, and how to keep sensitive data out of model streams. The model landscape is fragmenting faster than any team can track: new models, providers, and price-performance tradeoffs every week. Using more than one model once meant juggling separate contracts, SDKs, and integrations, with changes that could take weeks. Concentrate makes it easy: instant access to models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI, Kimi, and more through one integration, with the ability to switch by changing a single line of code.
"Everything we build comes down to giving developers back their two most precious resources — time and money," said Ari Jacoby, co-founder and CEO. "The model landscape is fragmented. New models launch every week, prices keep changing, and teams need a safer, simpler way to choose the right model for the job."
At the center of the launch is an inversion of how enterprise AI controls have always been sold. The full stack (single sign-on, role-based access controls, audit logging, sensitive-data guardrails, and zero data retention) is free and on by default for every customer, from two engineers to two thousand. No enterprise sales cycle required.
Compliance is a core driver. In 2025, all 50 states introduced AI legislation for the first time, with 1,208 bills introduced and 145 enacted. Trackers count more than 2,000 AI bills across the country in 2026. Just as state privacy laws made data compliance non-negotiable for companies of every size, AI is following the same path but faster. Concentrate gives companies the controls they need to govern AI requests, protect sensitive data, and maintain an audit trail from day one.
Cost gets the same treatment. In the early wave of AI adoption, "tokenmaxxing" became a badge of progress: more usage meant more experimentation. But as AI moves into production, spend is a budget line item that finance, engineering, and security teams all need to understand. Concentrate gives companies one real-time view of AI usage across teams, users, models, providers, and applications with SMS and email alerts the moment spend looks anomalous, whether from a successful product launch, a misconfigured workflow, or a developer accidentally leaving a loop running overnight.
"Every dollar spent on AI should have a purpose," said Jacoby. "The companies that win won't just be the ones spending the most on tokens. They'll be the ones that know where that spend is going, what it is producing, and how to control it."
The platform is also built for production reliability. Concentrate routes across multiple providers and clouds, so if one endpoint fails, traffic automatically falls back to another. Customers can access Anthropic models through multiple providers, for example, reducing dependence on any single endpoint.
"Concentrate is for the in-production systems businesses depend on, not just experiments," said Todd Lieberman, co-founder and CTO. "When one AI provider goes down, we automatically route to another so our customers stay up, even when their providers don't."
Concentrate is free, with tokens billed at cost and no platform markup. The company recently raised more than $5 million in pre-seed funding led by True Ventures and RRE Ventures to expand the core platform, improve the developer experience, and support companies deploying AI at scale. Premium enterprise tiers, including extended logging, SLAs, and dedicated support, are available for teams that need them.
About Concentrate AI
Concentrate AI is the operating layer for enterprise AI — a fully managed LLM gateway giving organizations of any size unified access to every major model through one API, with security, governance, compliance, spend controls, and production reliability built in by default. By making those controls free and on by default, Concentrate lets every company run AI responsibly and at scale, without platform markups or vendor lock-in. Learn more at concentrate.ai.
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Concentrate AI
support@concentrate.ai

China's first major project under the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), the Three Gorges New Waterway, officially commenced construction on June 8. The project, for which China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG) serves as the responsible entity, has an estimated static investment of 77.208 billion yuan ($11.4 billion) and is expected to significantly enhance the Yangtze River's shipping capacity in response to growing freight demand.
Related video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqURo6yMjKs (Produced by Hubei Media Group)
Zhao Yin, who has sailed between Chongqing and Shanghai for 15 years, calls this long-awaited news. He estimates the new waterway will cut his shipping costs by about 20% with much faster voyages.
"Back then, lock transit was fast, but things are different now. There are far more ships on the water. Once the new lock is finished, we’ll save lots of waiting time. I’m really looking forward to it," said Zhao Yin, Captain of Vessel Kuihang 908.
The 59-kilometer river reach between the Three Gorges and Gezhouba Dams forms a critical shipping bottleneck on the Yangtze. The Three Gorges ship locks officially opened to navigation in June 2003 and have maintained efficient operation for over two decades. Driven by China’s robust economic growth, the annual cargo throughput of the Three Gorges ship locks surged from an initial 18.02 million tons to 170 million tons by the end of 2025, exceeding its designed handling capacity by 70%.
Carving a brand-new water corridor one kilometer away
The Three Gorges New Waterway is a parallel corridor about 1km north of the existing locks. 6,680 meters long, it has double-line five-stage ship locks that lift 10,000-ton vessels over the dam like a staircase. To handle the increased flow, the downstream Gezhouba Dam is being demolished and expanded, with the whole project taking nearly a decade. Upon completion, annual lock capacity will jump from 100 million to over 300 million tons.
Why does the whole world care about this river?
The Yangtze is far more than an ordinary river today. It acts as a vital economic artery: upstream stretches carry energy and mineral resources, mid-reaches transport factory machinery, and downstream waterways connect to ocean-going giant ships bound for all corners of the globe.
"After the Three Gorges new waterway is put into operation, Chongqing's logistics costs for the manufacturing industry will drop by 30%. International investors will be more willing to develop relevant resources in upstream regions," said Qin Zunwen, Secretary-General of the Yangtze River High-End Think Tank Alliance, Research Fellow at Hubei Academy of Social Sciences.
Qin Zunwen said the new waterway links west to Europe via China-Europe Railway Express and east to Southeast Asia, forming a key Belt and Road rail-water artery. When completed, it will slash business logistics costs and boost efficiency. Upper Yangtze goods will reach estuary containers more reliably; foreign raw materials and equipment will ship straight to Chongqing, giving inland China easier access to global supplies.
While constructing a massive infrastructure project in a mountainous region, planners prioritized harmonious coexistence with aquatic wildlife inhabiting the river.
The Three Gorges, home to the Chinese sturgeon and Yangtze finless porpoise, has robust conservation measures built into the project. Acoustic deterrents keep fish away from construction sites. When operational, protected areas will have dedicated shipping lanes and speed limits, plus rare fish breeding and release programs to sustain populations. As 10,000-ton giant vessels steadily climb this aquatic staircase, the economic pulse of the Yangtze will beat stronger than ever.

Volodymyr Nosov, founder and president of W Group and WhiteBIT, has acquired a significant stake in Dutch luxury sports car manufacturer Spyker. As part of the transaction, Spyker will become part of the global W Group ecosystem, marking the group's expansion beyond fintech and digital assets into premium manufacturing and luxury mobility.
For W Group, the investment in Spyker represents more than the acquisition of a stake in an iconic automotive brand. It signals the next phase of the group's evolution from a fintech and blockchain ecosystem into a diversified international holding company. By expanding into traditional industries and premium manufacturing, W Group aims to bridge the gap between Web3 technologies and established Web2 businesses, creating a business ecosystem where innovation, digital infrastructure, and real-world assets operate within a single strategic framework.
The investment is intended to support the revival and long-term development of one of Europe's most historic automotive brands. Founded in 1880, Spyker is renowned for its handcrafted sports cars, aviation-inspired design, and limited-production approach that has made the marque highly sought after by collectors worldwide.
Alongside the investment, W Group and Spyker will launch Spyker Digital, a new technology company focused on developing digital infrastructure and ownership solutions for the premium automotive sector. The initiative aims to explore how emerging technologies can enhance customer experience, vehicle ownership, and brand engagement while preserving the exclusivity and craftsmanship that define the Spyker brand.
"For many years, I have been invested in rare automobiles and have always admired Spyker's unique design language and extraordinary heritage," said Volodymyr Nosov. "Becoming a co-owner of Spyker is both a personal and strategic investment. Our goal is to preserve everything that makes the brand special while helping it enter a new era of growth, innovation, and global relevance. Spyker Digital will become a synergy of the finest traditions of European engineering and the digital economy, where a sports car is integrated with blockchain products and tokens."
Victor Muller, founder and CEO of Spyker, welcomed the partnership, describing it as a significant milestone in the company's return to the global automotive market.
"The enthusiasm we have seen since announcing the new Spyker C8 Preliator XXV confirms that there is strong demand for the return of Spyker," said Muller. "With Volodymyr Nosov and W Group joining us as partners, we gain not only long-term strategic support, but also access to technologies and expertise that will help us build the next chapter of the Spyker story."
The investment in Spyker Cars expands W Group’s portfolio beyond fintech and digital assets, adding a premium manufacturing brand with a strong heritage and global recognition. For the W Group of companies, this step is an important part of its long-term strategy to enter traditional non-digital markets. This model of global expansion, in which digital assets and premium physical manufacturing operate within a single technological framework, creates a more multifunctional and resilient business ecosystem.
The Road to Pebble Beach
Spyker’s return starts off with the launch of the new Spyker C8 Preliator XXV at The Quail in Carmel, California, on August 14, followed by a display on the Concept Car Lawn of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on August 16, two of the most prestigious events in the world of automotive luxury.
The technical specifications of the new Spyker C8 Preliator XXV show a significant leap in performance: it boasts 800 bhp from a non-hybrid twin-turbo V8, allowing the car to reach a top speed of 350 km/h (217 mph).
About W Group
W Group is a global fintech ecosystem that makes blockchain and crypto easy, secure, and accessible for everyone. It is built on the values of security, professionalism, and innovation, serving 35 million users across 150 countries worldwide. At the center of W Group is WhiteBIT, the largest European crypto exchange by traffic, offering over 900 trading pairs, over 340 assets, and supporting 8 fiat currencies. WhiteBIT collaborates with Visa, FACEIT, FC Barcelona, Juventus FC, and the Ukrainian national football team. For more information, visit w.group.
About Spyker
Founded in 1880 in the Netherlands, Spyker is one of the world’s oldest ultra-luxury automotive brands, hand-building exclusive hypercars to individual commission. The brand’s rich heritage includes creating the world’s first four-wheel-drive car in 1903, building planes from 1914 to 1918, and participating in Formula One and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Today, the company produces vehicles exclusively in extremely limited numbers featuring aviation-inspired design elements. For more information, visit spykercars.com.
Media Contact
Whitebit PR Team
pr@whitebit.com
NeedTags, an authorized California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) business partner specializing in online vehicle registration services, today announced a structured customer feedback initiative designed to guide future enhancements to its digital platform. The program formalizes how customer input is collected, analyzed, and incorporated into service updates for California vehicle owners who rely on online registration solutions.
NeedTags operates within the DMV’s Business Partner Automation program, allowing it to electronically process registration renewals, title-related transactions, and replacement documents through integrations with state systems. The company focuses on helping drivers complete DMV-required transactions online, reducing the time and effort required for in-person visits.
The new customer feedback initiative creates a centralized channel for users to share detailed experiences with services such as instant registration renewal, expedited title transfer processing when required documents are submitted, and next-business-day shipment of replacement registration documents to addresses throughout the United States. Feedback will be used to prioritize improvements to workflows, communication, and self-service tools for California drivers.
Since launch, NeedTags estimates it has supported roughly two million customer interactions, including processed registrations and resolved questions from California vehicle owners navigating DMV requirements. Its platform is designed to address common problems such as avoiding lapses in registration tags and clarifying steps for required paperwork, particularly for busy drivers who may otherwise face delays or penalties.
“This initiative is about listening in a more structured way to the people who use our services every day,” said Eddy Asmerian, CEO of NeedTags. “Organizing customer feedback and tying it directly to product changes allows the company to focus on practical improvements that make DMV compliance faster and more straightforward for California drivers.”
The company’s services are built around electronic submission of DMV documentation and real-time or accelerated processing timelines made possible through application programming interface (API) connectivity with state systems. NeedTags maintains a strong online reputation, including a 4.8-star rating on the ShopperApproved review platform, reflecting satisfaction with its registration renewal and support offerings.
“Our goal is to consistently refine how we guide customers through each step of the process, from entering their vehicle information to receiving proof of registration,” Asmerian added. “Customer input highlights where instructions need to be clearer, where communication can be more proactive, and where automation can safely reduce friction.”
Customers will be able to submit feedback through designated forms on the NeedTags website, with an emphasis on detailed, transaction-specific experiences such as renewals close to expiration dates, replacement documents after a move, or questions about DMV notices. The initiative is open to all platform users, and submissions will be periodically reviewed to identify recurring themes and opportunities for system updates.
The program is intended to run on an ongoing basis, with NeedTags planning to periodically share information about categories of improvements that emerge from the feedback, such as interface changes or updated help resources. The company continues to focus exclusively on the California market, where it supports a high volume of vehicle registrations within a single, highly regulated environment.
“Customer feedback has always been present in our operations, but this initiative gives it a more formal and visible role in how we plan updates,” Asmerian said. “As vehicle registration requirements and digital expectations evolve, the direct experiences of California drivers will help us align our services with what they need from an authorized online DMV partner.”
About NeedTags
NeedTags is a California-based vehicle registration services provider that participates in the California DMV’s Business Partner Automation program, enabling it to process many common registration transactions online on behalf of vehicle owners. Through its web platform, NeedTags offers services such as instant registration renewal, electronic proof of registration, and shipment of physical documents, with a focus on helping drivers remain compliant with state requirements while minimizing time spent on administrative tasks.
Media Contact
Media Relations
media@needtags.com

Exalate, a global provider of real-time, two-way integration software for enterprise teams, is marking 15 years since the start of its company journey as integration becomes a strategic layer for organizations operating across fragmented tools, external partners, and AI-assisted workflows.
The milestone comes as Exalate expands its global enterprise footprint, reporting 26% year-over-year revenue growth, more than 2,500 customers across 85 countries, an active partner network of more than 200 organizations, and over 40% of core revenue from the U.S. enterprise market.
Solving the Legacy of Software Fragmentation
Exalate’s trajectory reflects the broader acceleration and fragmentation of the global enterprise software landscape. The technology was originally conceived to address a persistent structural problem in corporate environments: collaboration breaks down when enterprise data is isolated across siloed team environments.
What began as a targeted solution to keep engineering and service teams aligned has expanded over a decade and a half into an enterprise-grade platform that bridges major corporate systems, including Jira, ServiceNow, Salesforce, Azure DevOps, Zendesk, Freshservice, Asana, and others.
Today, Exalate supports organizations ranging from fast-scaling startups to multinational corporations, managed service providers, and cross-company networks, helping them keep fast-moving data aligned across conflicting tools, permissions, and organizational boundaries. The company’s market distinction is built on a fundamental architectural principle: each side of an integration must retain control over its own data, local configurations, security protocols, and business logic.
This approach has grown increasingly critical as enterprise organizations weave artificial intelligence into their core operational workflows. AI systems can accelerate work, but their efficacy relies on the accuracy, context, and governance of the data flowing between business systems. When the underlying integration layer is fragile, corporate risk scales alongside automation speed. Incomplete context, broken sync logic, or unmonitored data movement can propagate errors across an enterprise before internal compliance teams can intervene.
“The governance gap in enterprise integration isn’t new. What’s new is the consequence,” said Francis Martens, co-founder and CEO of Exalate. “As AI agents begin to actively execute tasks across enterprise workflows, executive leadership needs to know exactly what data is moving, where it is routed, who controls it, and what happens when an upstream system changes. Basic connectivity is no longer sufficient. Governed integration is what keeps operational speed from turning into organizational chaos.”
De-Risking Complex Enterprise Workflows
Exalate’s ongoing product direction has been explicitly informed by complex, real-world enterprise scenarios where operational visibility and data control are mandatory. These include cross-border incident escalation, vendor-customer collaboration, large-scale M&A workflow consolidation, migration coexistence, managed service operations, and highly regulated data boundaries.
In today's business environments, standardizing on a single software tool across an entire ecosystem is rarely realistic. An internal support organization may operate natively in one system, engineering in a second, and an external strategic vendor in a third. Each entity operates under distinct compliance frameworks, security permissions, and definitions of workflow progress. Exalate is uniquely engineered to harmonize this systemic complexity without forcing any participant to yield control of their local environment.
“Fifteen years ago, integration was frequently dismissed as a back-office IT task,” notes Martens. “Today, as AI transforms enterprise operations, the reliability of that underlying synchronization layer is a boardroom priority. If your data infrastructure lacks context awareness and reliability, automation only accelerates your operational errors.”
Building AI-Assisted Integration Without Losing Control
To address these infrastructure challenges, Exalate introduced a redesigned product experience in 2026 that makes complex integrations easier to build, test, and govern while preserving enterprise control. The updated framework includes a unified management console, script versioning with rollback, and test run capabilities to validate changes before they affect live workflows.
A central element of this update is Aida, Exalate’s purpose-built, context-aware AI assistant embedded directly within the configuration flow. Aida allows operational teams to translate plain-language business intent into secure sync logic, interpret errors in context, and troubleshoot configuration issues. Rather than replacing human oversight, the AI assistant reduces manual configuration friction while ensuring all integration logic remains fully reviewable, auditable, and accountable.
This balance of operational flexibility and clear control mirrors a broader market shift. Integration has evolved past simple software connectivity to become part of the infrastructure governing how work and data move across corporate networks.
“Scaling from our roots in Antwerp into a technology provider trusted by global organizations required relentless discipline at every milestone,” says Hilde Van Brempt, CFO and co-founder of Exalate. “Our steady, product-led expansion was built by staying close to complex enterprise edge cases and making intentional architectural choices. The stability behind Exalate gives enterprise clients a foundation they can trust, while our product focus remains squarely on what’s next.”
As global enterprises scale their software footprints and deploy AI across critical workflows, Exalate’s 15-year milestone underscores an undeniable market reality: automation can only be trusted when the data layers beneath it remain synchronized, governed, and completely under control.
About Exalate
Exalate provides AI-assisted, real-time, two-way synchronization infrastructure across enterprise tools, internal teams, and corporate borders. Specifically engineered for complex ITSM, DevOps, migrations, managed service providers (MSPs), and secure cross-company B2B collaboration, Exalate allows organizations to build resilient operational bridges while maintaining ownership over their private data, local workflows, and compliance logic. The company is ISO 27001 certified and has been recognized in the Main Software 50 Benelux for three consecutive years. For more information, visit exalate.com.
Media Contact
Dafina Hristova
Brand & PR Manager, Exalate
pr@exalate.com
+32 3 318 00 81

The Scientific Association for Botanical Education and Research (SABER) today applauded the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for advancing the first randomized, placebo-controlled Phase I clinical trial evaluating mitragynine, the primary alkaloid found in the natural botanical kratom, as a potential treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD).
The study, sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), will evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of a purified mitragynine formulation known as MG001 in healthy adult volunteers. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial represents the first human study conducted under an FDA-regulated drug development program for mitragynine.
"This is an important moment for kratom research," said Thomas Brendler, PhD, Chair of SABER's Scientific Steering Committee. "For years, there has been considerable discussion about mitragynine's potential benefits and risks, but limited controlled human data. NIH's decision to move this compound into clinical testing reflects the growing recognition that these questions deserve rigorous scientific investigation."
The study will evaluate escalating doses of mitragynine while monitoring a range of safety measures, including cardiovascular, respiratory, and pharmacokinetic outcomes. Researchers will examine how the compound is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and eliminated in humans while collecting critical safety information needed for future studies.
According to NIH, the research is intended to support the development of mitragynine as a potential treatment for opioid use disorder. While the current study is not designed to evaluate efficacy, it represents an important first step toward understanding whether mitragynine can be safely administered under controlled clinical conditions.
"The significance of this study extends beyond the trial itself," said Dr. Mary Hardy, MD, another member of SABER’s Scientific Steering Committee. "Federal agencies are investing in research to understand the components of botanicals rather than relying on assumptions. That's exactly what many scientists, clinicians, and public health advocates have been calling for."
Hardy noted that the study focuses on purified mitragynine rather than the synthetic or semi-synthetic drugs that have emerged in recent years.
"As policymakers consider how to approach kratom and related products, it is important to recognize that not all products are the same," she said. "Research can help clarify those differences and support more informed public health decisions."
SABER views the launch of the trial as part of a broader shift toward studying botanical compounds through the same scientific framework used for other promising therapeutic candidates and commends NIH, NIDA, FDA, and the research team for advancing this work and looks forward to the publication of the study findings.
About Scientific Association for Botanical Education and Research (SABER)
The Scientific Association for Botanical Education and Research (SABER) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the evidence-based study, science-forward regulation, and safe access to botanical compounds. Led by a Scientific Steering Committee of medical professionals and researchers, SABER utilizes research partnerships, policy advocacy, and public education to ensure that natural products are studied responsibly and regulated appropriately. To learn more, visit www.saberscience.org.
Media Contact
Paloma Lehfeldt
info@saberscience.org

Krupp Agency, an independent New York-based public relations and communications strategy firm specializing in thought leadership, personal branding, and thought-led brands, today celebrates its 30th anniversary. Founded in 1996 by Heidi Krupp, who got her start at ABC NEWS 20/20 as a production secretary, Krupp Agency was launched with $5,000 and an unshakeable conviction that every expert, author, founder, and visionary brand has a backstory that is the foundation to their brand. The agency has three decades of experience transforming experts into household names and brands into cultural icons.
Over 30 years, Krupp Agency has launched more than 100 bestselling books, engineered culture-shaping campaigns and movements, and built a signature methodology centered on positioning authors, the original influencers, as authorities and businesses as influential brands. That approach has become a blueprint for modern thought leadership, PR, and strategic communications grounded in purpose.
What makes this milestone remarkable is not just its longevity, but the backstory behind it. Heidi Krupp launched her firm from Hoboken, New Jersey, with virtually no capital and no traditional path into publishing or the public relations industry but had an exceptional training ground getting her first publicity credit on Barbara Walters’ Most Fascinating People of the Year. A top literary agent recognized something in Krupp that she didn’t yet see in herself, and that lived experience being seen, elevated, and championed became the agency’s founding philosophy.
Today, helping others realize and recognize limitless potential drives every client engagement by uncovering the authentic human story behind founders, experts, authors, and brands, connecting it to larger cultural conversations, and activating it through the agency’s unrivaled network of conscious connections. Remarkably, the agency’s growth over the past 30 years has been driven entirely through referrals and long-standing client and media relationships, reinforcing its reputation as one of the industry’s most trusted independent PR firms.
“Krupp has never been just a PR agency. From the start, we’ve been producing and sharing purpose-driven stories to help inspire action and change. We look forward to continuing this into the next 30 years,” said Heidi Krupp, founder and CEO. “Throughout our history, we learned from more than 1,200 thought leaders and brands, generated 1 trillion media impressions, helped inspire 75 million readers of books sold and promoted, and represented 100+ best sellers, with 30 landing in the No. 1 slot on the New York Times list. This anniversary is our chance to finally celebrate our own story and to share everything we’ve learned from the extraordinary clients who trusted us to help tell theirs.”
To mark the 30th anniversary, the Krupp Agency is debuting a new commemorative logo and celebrating throughout 2026 by reflecting on the clients, milestones, and insights that have defined three decades of success in independent thought leadership, PR, authentic storytelling, and brand strategy.
The milestone anniversary arrives during a banner year for the firm. In 2026, Krupp Agency and its leadership have secured eight prestigious industry awards and honors recognizing excellence in strategic communications, media innovation, and independent leadership. These include high-profile distinctions from PRovoke Media's 100 Best Agencies in the US, the American Business Awards® (The Stevie® Awards), Campaign US Inspiring Women, PRNEWS Top Women in PR & Communications, the Entreprenista 100, and the Titan Women in Business Awards.
For 30 years, Krupp Agency has helped its clients tell their stories with clarity, purpose, and impact. In its anniversary year, the firm is finally turning that same lens on itself. Coinciding with the milestone, Heidi Krupp recently launched Krupp Connects, a biweekly LinkedIn newsletter focused on mentorship, entrepreneurship, authentic storytelling, brand building, and personal growth. After three decades of elevating other people’s voices, the newsletter serves as a platform for Krupp to share the insights, lessons, and conscious connections she has cultivated throughout her career as an entrepreneur, brand strategist, and thought leadership expert.
True to the agency’s foundational ethos, Krupp is also developing a charitable give-back initiative focused on important causes they work with, as well as mentorship, storytelling, and supporting emerging entrepreneurs, with a full rollout planned for later in 2026. To kick off the campaign, Krupp will donate its 30th anniversary to client charity: water, with a fundraising effort and matching commitment to help ensure people around the world have unconstrained access to life’s most basic need: clean water.
“Reaching 30 years as an independent agency in today’s rapidly evolving media landscape is an incredible milestone,” said Darren Lisiten, Chief Financial and Operating Officer of Krupp Agency. “Our longevity comes from staying true to our values, remaining agile, and continuously reinvesting in our people, processes, technology, and ultimately, our clients. We’ve intentionally protected our independence so we can focus on work that genuinely creates impact and helps thought-led brands and visionary founders grow with authenticity and purpose.”
To follow Krupp Agency’s 30th anniversary journey, subscribe to the Krupp Connects newsletter and explore thought leadership insights from one of the country’s leading independent PR and brand strategy firms; visit Krupp Agency on LinkedIn and Instagram.
About Krupp Agency
Celebrating its 30th anniversary, Krupp is a premier PR agency for visionary thought leaders and their thought-led brands. Founded in 1996 by former television producer Heidi Krupp, the agency operates at the intersection of public relations and brand strategy. With a legacy of launching more than 100 New York Times bestsellers, Krupp specializes in transforming experts into household names and brands into cultural icons. The agency is built on the core belief that every brand has a transformative story to tell; its mission is to uncover those narratives and activate them through an unparalleled network of "conscious connections" to drive global impact. Recognized by industry leaders such as PRovoke Media, the Stevie Awards, and the Inc. 5000, Krupp remains a leading independent voice in the industry. Founder and CEO Heidi Krupp has received numerous distinctions, including Campaign US's Inspiring Women and PRNEWS' Top Women in PR.
Media Contact
Deborah Sierchio
EVP/Managing Director, Krupp Agency
dsierchio@kruppagency.com
+1 201-240-5440

Charleston luxury real estate advisor Bryan Crabtree of IndigoOak Christie’s International Real Estate today announced the listing of 222 South Plaza Court, a waterfront residence located within The Renaissance on Charleston Harbor in Mount Pleasant.
The residence is situated adjacent to Charleston Harbor and offers proximity to the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge pedestrian and cycling path, downtown Charleston, Shem Creek, Patriots Point and Charleston Harbor Marina. According to the listing, the property also features views of Charleston Harbor, the Cooper River and the downtown Charleston skyline.
Located near the foot of the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, the property provides convenient access to one of the region's most frequently used recreational corridors, connecting Mount Pleasant and downtown Charleston for cyclists, runners and pedestrians. The bridge pathway extends nearly three miles across Charleston Harbor and is a prominent feature of the surrounding area.
The residence is also located within a short distance of Shem Creek, known for its waterfront dining, boating and recreational activities. Sullivan's Island and Isle of Palms are accessible via nearby roadways, while downtown Charleston's dining, cultural and business districts are located across the harbor.
The Renaissance on Charleston Harbor is positioned adjacent to Patriots Point Links and Charleston Harbor Marina. The marina serves recreational and transient boaters throughout the region, while Patriots Point offers public golf overlooking Charleston Harbor.
Community amenities at The Renaissance include a waterfront swimming pool, fitness facilities, secure access, guest accommodations and landscaped common areas. The property is located within a residential setting that provides direct access to many of the area's waterfront and recreational destinations.
“There are luxury properties throughout the Charleston area,” said listing agent Bryan Crabtree. “But very few locations allow residents to experience this much of the Charleston lifestyle from a single front door. You can walk the Ravenel Bridge before breakfast, bike to Shem Creek for lunch, play a round at Patriots Point in the afternoon, meet clients downtown, have dinner on King Street, and be back home with a glass of wine overlooking the harbor before ten. The completeness of this lifestyle is what separates The Renaissance from virtually everything else available in the market right now.”
For additional information about 222 South Plaza Court, contact Bryan Crabtree at +1 843-343-4141 or visit www.therealestateexperts.com.
About Bryan Crabtree Real Estate
Bryan Crabtree is a Charleston, South Carolina real estate broker and Realtor® with Indigo Oak | Christie’s International Real Estate, serving Charleston, Mount Pleasant, and the surrounding Lowcountry. With over 27 years of experience, more than 5,500 homes sold, and over $1 billion in career sales, he has consistently been recognized as one of the top-performing agents in the Charleston market. Crabtree specializes in luxury homes, historic properties, golf communities, and waterfront real estate, working with both local and relocating buyers and sellers. He is widely known for his expertise in pricing strategy, advanced marketing, and maximizing value for his clients. For more information, visit www.therealestateexperts.com.
Media Contact
Bryan Crabtree
Real Estate Broker, IndigoOak | Christie's International Real Estate
bc@therealestateexperts.com
+1 843-343-4141

Cardtonic, a leading African fintech platform serving over 1.8 million active users across Nigeria and Ghana, announced the participation of its chief executive officer, Emmanuel Sohe, in the "The New Go-To-Market Blueprint: Building Predictable Revenue in 2026" panel session at Web Summit Vancouver 2026. The global tech conference is held between May 11 and 14 at the Vancouver Convention Centre, Canada.
Sohe was among the invited operators who shared practical, experience-backed insights on building predictable and sustainable revenue. What made Cardtonic’s story stand out is that the company reached this scale without raising a single dollar of institutional seed capital.
Building Predictable Revenue in an Emerging Market
Sohe opened his contribution by putting the challenge in context. “If you are from an emerging market where I am from, where trust, infrastructural constraints, and regulatory complexity make it a bit difficult to predict your revenue, you are quick to learn that you need more than just a blueprint to scale in the market,” he told the audience.
For Cardtonic, operating in a volatile macroeconomic environment forced a level of structural discipline that most well-funded startups never develop. Growth was tied to actual customer demand rather than vanity metrics like total downloads, page views, or registered user counts.
That discipline is visible in how the business scaled: from a manual gift card trading operation to a multi-product super-app offering virtual dollar cards, NFC contactless cards, eSIMs, bill payment services, and a gadget store, all funded by cash-flowing utility rather than outside capital.
Three Things Cardtonic Says Every Product Needs
Sohe outlined three practical requirements he believes any product must meet to generate predictable revenue, particularly in the African market.
“One, your product needs to be innovative. What are you bringing to the market? Can your users depend on it? You can come up with all of the frameworks and models you need, but without an innovative product, there’s a high chance that you’ll still fail. Two, pricing is a big deal back home in Africa. People are very careful about their one cent. So your pricing also has to be competitive. Third, your tech needs to be agile. Your engineering velocity is almost proportionally related to your revenue velocity,” Sohe said.
The Role of Product in Revenue Strategy
The panel also explored whether siloed departments hurt or help a startup’s ability to generate consistent revenue.
Sohe’s answer was direct: the product is what ties everything together. “When you have a growth, tech, finance, and marketing team all doing separate work, the product is what unifies everyone,” he said.
His recommendation was to create a unified KPI that mirrors the product’s performance, so every team is pulling in the same direction rather than optimising for separate outcomes.
Focus on What Happens After Acquisition
Sohe closed his session with a challenge to founders on where they place their attention. “Most founders obsess over user acquisition. But what you should obsess over is what happens after the user acquisition. Where do you go from there? And what do you want to do differently?”
That shift in focus, from acquiring users to retaining and growing them, reflects the broader theme of the session: in today’s funding climate, investors are paying closer attention to companies with clear paths to profitability. Sustainable growth has become the real competitive advantage.
Cardtonic’s presence at Web Summit Vancouver and the practical lessons Sohe contributed make a strong case for why African fintech operators are increasingly relevant in global conversations about building businesses that last.
About Cardtonic
Cardtonic is a fast-growing fintech super-app enabling payments beyond borders through alternative channels such as virtual dollar cards and digital assets. The platform serves more than 1.5 million users, providing frictionless access to global payments, secure gift card exchange, international bills, and digital connectivity via eSIMs.
With a strong culture of discipline, speed, and customer trust, Cardtonic gives Africans the freedom to transact globally without relying solely on limited traditional banking rails. For more information, visit cardtonic.com.
Media Contact
Partnerships Team
clients@memoir-communications.com
