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VEEPIO Announces Landmark Partnership Between NFL Alumni Association and HBCU Week Foundation

VEEPIO Holdings, LLC

VEEPIO Holdings, LLC (VEEPIO), the integrated ecommerce platform using technology to change how athletes can earn money from their names, images, and likenesses (NIL), has announced the formation of a three-way partnership, entitled Project Unite, that includes the NFL Alumni Association (NFLA) and the HBCU Week Foundation, Inc. Using its status as digital agency of record for both parties, VEEPIO will create digital infrastructure and evergreen programs linking NFL Alumni with all HBCUs to activate brand sponsorship dollars and create lasting economic equity for these schools and their students. Project Unite will promote HBCU sports, entertainment, and education through NFL alumni and player stories highlighted during NFL and HBCU tentpole events. These tentpole events include (among others) Super Bowl week, the HBCU Battle of the Bands, and the annual CIAA basketball tournament. In addition, the NFLA will co-host multiple events each year to raise funds for HBCU Week’s scholarship initiatives. Project Unite will rely on VEEPIO's best-in-class digital tools, including an ESPN-like app that will house content from all 101 HBCUs, to fulfill its mission. The app will serve as a mobile command center for HBCU sponsor activation, including sponsored content between the NFLA and HBCUs. These sponsor activation opportunities will extend from HBCUs through to their students and student-athletes, who will have the opportunity to earn sponsorship money through the NCAA’s new NIL rules, while maintaining ownership of their personal and sponsorship data. “Finding unique ways to support and empower HBCUs is a critical part of our mission to serve NFL alumni,” said NFLA President Beasley Reece. “Finding a way to leverage the numerous HBCU graduates in our organization for the betterment of their alma maters is one of our top priorities. VEEPIO’s plan to link the NFLA with HBCU Week will allow us to raise funds for causes close to our players’ hearts and create a lasting economic impact for future generations of HBCU students.” In addition to forming Project Unite, VEEPIO is proud to announce the creation of the Jack Spinks Scholarship, in honor of the first player from an HBCU to be drafted into the NFL. On behalf of Project Unite, VEEPIO will donate a $50,000 scholarship to HBCU Week for every $1 million in sponsorship money raised by the partnership. VEEPIO will also work with HBCU Week and the NFLA to provide internship opportunities for HBCU students. “It is truly an honor to facilitate a partnership between NFL alumni and HBCUs,” said Najee Goode, co-founder of VEEPIO, president of the NFLA’s Jacksonville chapter and Chairman of the National Programs Committee. “Creating lasting economic change through technology is a core part of VEEEPIO’s mission, and working in tandem with the NFLA will allow us to transform the sponsorship and fundraising opportunities that are currently available for HBCUs.” Project Unite will extend the reach of HBCU Week activities exponentially by giving all HBCUs access to the NLFA’s large media network, across platforms including broadcast, radio, podcasts, and social media. Leveraging NFL tentpole events, NFLA chapter reach, and HBCU Week reach, VEEPIO will enable the partnership to highlight and promote key accomplishments and new initiatives. HBCU Week fundraising opportunities will be supported by individual player and school stories that will be distributed through the HBCU Week digital platform and echoed by the NFLA player community. About VEEPIO Holdings, LLC VEEPIO is an integrated ecommerce platform, founded by West Virginia University grads, aimed at transforming how athletes monetize their personal brands. Co-founded by NFL linebackers Najee Goode and Grant Wiley, along with finance and tech expert Jonathan Ohliger, VEEPIO is changing the way fans interact with teams through mobile apps. VEEPIO integrates seamlessly into existing applications, and allows content publishers to link any moving object in video within the app to additional content on the web so that the end user never leaves the platform when browsing. For more information, visit: https://veep.io or follow VEEPIO on Twitter: @VEEPIO, Instagram: @VEEPIO, and LinkedIn. About the NFL Alumni Association The NFL Alumni Association is a nationwide group of former National Football League players, coaches and other employees whose mission is to serve, assist and inform former players and their families. The association offers a variety of health, financial and learning programs to help its members. For more information, please visit: nflalumni.org. About HBCU Week Foundation, Inc. The mission of HBCU Week Foundation is to encourage high school-aged youth to enroll into HBCUs, provide scholarship dollars for matriculation, and sustain a pipeline of employment from undergraduate school to corporate America. HBCU Week is an annual, week-long, programmatic initiative, designed to encourage high school-aged youth to enroll into HBCUs, through exposure to their proud legacies and historical significance. HBCU Week occurs annually, in the Fall. In 2022, HBCU Week will consist of a multi-city tour. The Foundation recently formed a partnership with Disney. HBCU Week will be hosted at Walt Disney World in October 2022. The most impactful event during HBCU Week is the College Fair. This fair is unique in that the majority of the participating colleges engage in an “on the spot” acceptance process, whereby, if the student attends with a copy of their school transcript and a report with the requisite SAT/ACT score, they could be admitted into college on the spot and offered a scholarship award. Since 2017, more than 3,500 acceptances on the spot have been offered and more than $25,000,000 in scholarships have been awarded. The Foundation's brand ambassador is ESPN's Stephen A. Smith. For more information, visit: www.hbcuweek.org Contact Details Caliber Corporate Advisers Josh Eichenbaum +1 203-974-3645 josh@calibercorporateadvisers.com Company Website https://veep.io

February 10, 2022 11:32 AM Eastern Standard Time

6WIND selected for 5G Campus project by French & German Governments

6WIND

6WIND, a leading High Performance, and Secure Virtualized Networking Software company is delighted to announce that they are part of a novel Franco-German project, aimed at developing 5G private networks and applications. Germany and France have pledged €17.7 million in support of four carefully selected cross-border cooperative projects. The objective is to prove the value of state-of-the-art 5G wireless ultra-broadband technology in specific private-network use cases; in industry, commercial areas, campuses, and hospitals. This initiative will enrich Europe’s technology and telecommunications ecosystem, help transform the economies of the EU through thoughtful application and further development of state-of-the-art technologies, and contribute towards European digital sovereignty. 6WIND participates in the 5G for Business Parks (5G4BP) project – also referred to as “5G Campus”. This project will establish an open-architecture 5G network solution for business parks and under-served communities which have not been covered by fifth-generation broadband public mobile communications networks. 6WIND contributes to the 5G4BP consortium by leveraging its tried and tested, high-performance, high-efficiency, and highly secure Virtual Service Router (VSR) solution suite. 6WIND will provide end-to-end routing and security capabilities that align with the Open RAN requirements and empower the 5G private network solution. 6WIND VSR solutions can be deployed on ubiquitous COTS servers, in private and public clouds. It caters for vPE, vCSR, vSecGW, vCG-NAT, and other essential networking functions that are the backbone of any modern telecommunication network – fixed or mobile. 6WIND’s partners in the 5G4BP consortium are Highstreet Technologies (GER), Xelera Technologies (GER), Alsatis (FR), AW2S (FR), and Spectronite (FR). Julien Dahan, CEO, 6WIND commented: “We are very proud to be selected for this project by the French and German governments, based on our expertise in the market. We have a proven set of VSR solutions, embracing openness and the cloud-native architecture that will be critical in delivering this 5G Campus project in collaboration with the other selected partners. This further proves the lead 6WIND has within the virtualized networking software space and we are confident this 5G Campus project will be a huge success!” About 6WIND 6WIND is a virtualized networking software company and the worldwide market leader for Virtual Service Router (VSR) solutions. 6WIND software is deployed globally by Service Providers, Systems Integrators, Cloud Providers and Tier-1 OEMs, allowing customers to replace expensive hardware with software and virtualization for routing and security use cases. 6WIND has a global presence with Headquarters based in Paris, France and in Santa Clara, California. For more information visit: https://www.6wind.com Contact Details Neelam Bahal, VP Global Marketing +44 7805 090701 neelam.bahal@6wind.com Company Website https://www.6wind.com

February 10, 2022 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

Foresight: Eye-Net Selected by Paris2Connect Consortium to Participate in an Urban Mobility Experiment, Consortium Members Include Nokia, ATC France, Aximum, RATP Group and Signify

Foresight Autonomous Holdings Ltd.

Foresight Autonomous Holdings Ltd. (Nasdaq and TASE: FRSX), an innovator in automotive vision systems, announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary, Eye-Net Mobile Ltd. (“Eye-Net” or “Eye-Net Mobile”), was one of five winners selected by the Paris2Connect consortium to participate in an urban mobility experiment to take place in Paris’ Urban Innovation District. The Paris2Connect consortium includes Nokia (HEL: NOKIA), ATC France (a subsidiary of American Tower Corporation), Aximum, RATP Group, and Signify N.V. (AMS: LIGHT). Eye-Net expects to benefit from testing its solution in an operational environment under real conditions along a 3.5-kilometer route in the heart of Paris. The project will test urban solutions that serve citizens while accelerating the development of innovative solutions for the management of public space. Eye-Net will test its collision prediction solution in real-life conditions which is intended to reduce the risk of accidents between micromobility users and public transport systems. “Eye-Net is honored to have been selected by the Paris2Connect consortium to collaborate with leading European companies to enhance road safety and reduce the rate of road accidents involving vehicles and other vulnerable road users. We believe that Eye-Net offers a unique life-saving accident prevention solution particularly suited to large, active metropolitan areas like Paris. We also believe that having the support of a European technological consortium will help us grow our presence in Europe, an important target market for Eye-Net in the upcoming year,” said Dror Elbaz, COO & Deputy CEO of Eye-Net Mobile. For more information about Eye-Net Mobile, please visit www.eyenet-mobile.com, or follow the Company’s LinkedIn page, Eye-Net Mobile; Twitter, @EyeNetMobile1; and Instagram channel, Eyenetmobile1, the contents of which are not incorporated into this press release. About Paris2Connect Paris2Connect, an innovative project initiated in late 2018 aims to demonstrate how a shared urban digital infrastructure can meet the growing needs of the Smart City, connectivity and autonomous mobility, in an inclusive and environmentally friendly way. Within the framework of this project, the different actors of the consortium (ATC France, Aximum, Nokia (HEL: NOKIA), RATP group, Signify N.V. (AMS: LIGHT)), are working in close collaboration with the City of Paris to respond to the multiple challenges of the city of tomorrow, paving the way for a more virtuous urban future that meets the needs of the community. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other Federal securities laws. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates" and similar expressions or variations of such words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. For example, Foresight is using forward-looking statements in this press release when it discusses Eye-Net’s participation in an urban mobility experiment, the benefits intended to be realized by the use of the Eye-Net product, that Eye-Net offers a unique life-saving accident prevention solution that is particularly suited to large, active metropolitan areas like Paris, and that the support of a European technological consortium will help Eye-Net grow its presence in Europe, which is an important target market for Eye-Net in the upcoming year. Because such statements deal with future events and are based on Foresight’s current expectations, they are subject to various risks and uncertainties, and actual results, performance or achievements of Foresight could differ materially from those described in or implied by the statements in this press release. The forward-looking statements contained or implied in this press release are subject to other risks and uncertainties, including those discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in Foresight's annual report on Form 20-F filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on March 30, 2021, and in any subsequent filings with the SEC. Except as otherwise required by law, Foresight undertakes no obligation to publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. References and links to websites have been provided as a convenience, and the information contained on such websites is not incorporated by reference into this press release. Foresight is not responsible for the contents of third-party websites. About Foresight Foresight Autonomous Holdings Ltd. (Nasdaq and TASE: FRSX) is a technology company developing smart multi-spectral vision software solutions and cellular-based applications. Through the Company’s wholly owned subsidiaries, Foresight Automotive Ltd. and Eye-Net Mobile Ltd., Foresight develops both “in-line-of-sight” vision systems and “beyond-line-of-sight” accident-prevention solutions. Foresight’s vision solutions include modules of automatic calibration, sensor fusion and dense 3D point cloud that can be applied to diverse markets such as automotive, defense, autonomous vehicles and heavy industrial equipment. Eye-Net Mobile’s cellular-based solution suite provides real-time pre-collision alerts to enhance road safety and situational awareness for all road users in the urban mobility environment by incorporating cutting-edge AI technology and advanced analytics. For more information about Foresight and its wholly owned subsidiary, Foresight Automotive, visit www.foresightauto.com, follow @ForesightAuto1 on Twitter, or join Foresight Automotive on LinkedIn. Contact Details Investor Relations Contact: Miri Segal-Scharia, CEO, MS-IR LLC +1 917-607-8654 msegal@ms-ir.com Company Website https://www.foresightauto.com/

February 10, 2022 09:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

FreshEdge Launches New Website

FreshEdge

FreshEdge, a family of produce and specialty food companies, has launched a refreshed and expanded www.freshedgefoods.com. FreshEdge partnered with DMA Solutions (Dallas, Texas), a marketing agency dedicated to exclusively serving the fresh produce industry. The website creates opportunities for connecting with FreshEdge’s operating companies and engaging in what makes their family unique. FreshEdge now operates with 1,640 employees, approximately 700,250 square feet of warehouse space, with a fleet of more than 650 trucks, delivering fresh food to customers in 22 states. Through rapid growth and consistent execution, FreshEdge has quickly amassed a reputation for adding value throughout the fresh foods industry. “FreshEdge’s new website is a splash of freshness,” said Steve Grinstead, CEO of FreshEdge. “It also symbolizes who we are – a growing family of customer-obsessed fresh food companies who care.” Greg Corsaro, President and COO of FreshEdge, added, “The revamped website reflects FreshEdge’s value proposition of providing dependable, customized solutions with cutting-edge technology for consistent, reliable delivery of fresh food with a sense of family and trust.” “We’re excited about the unique space this new website delivers for connecting FreshEdge, its family, and our industry partners,” said Daniel Corsaro, President of Indianapolis Fruit (FreshEdge retail operating company) and participant in the development of the new site. About FreshEdge FreshEdge was formed in 2019 through the combination of Get Fresh Produce (Bartlett, IL, founded in 1982) and the IF&P Foods family of companies, primarily composed of Indianapolis Fruit (founded 1947) and Piazza Produce (founded 1970). McCartney Produce (Paris, TN) joined the FreshEdge family in November 2020 followed by Valley Produce (Knoxville, TN) in June 2021, Vine Line (Grand Rapids, MI) in October 2021, and Monteverde’s (Pittsburgh, PA) in November 2021. Collectively, these leading fresh food distribution companies have several hundred years’ combined experience serving the grocery and food service industries. In addition, FreshEdge includes two Garden Cut branded fresh-cut processing facilities, a tomato re-packer, a USDA fresh kitchen (CIBUS Fresh), and two transportation companies. Today, FreshEdge is a category leader in providing both the foodservice and retail industries with fruit, vegetables, fresh grab-n-go offerings, dairy, floral and specialty products. For more, visit www.freshedgefoods.com. Contact Details FreshEdge Greg Corsaro +1 317-981-3440 gcorsaro@freshedgefoods.com Company Website https://www.freshedgefoods.com/

February 10, 2022 07:43 AM Eastern Standard Time

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SaaS recruitment platform Manatal raises $5.1 million in funding to transform hiring globally

Manatal

Recruitment and onboarding SaaS platform Manatal today announced they have closed US$5.1 million in seed funding from Sequoia India’s Surge alongside angel investors. This funding round comes as the company is quickly scaling. They have placed close to 100,000 people in jobs since 2019 and are used in over 130 countries. Revenues have grown 3x every year. The fresh funds will be channeled into engineering as the startup looks to enhance their product offering and AI-recommendation engine in the following months. Thousands of SMEs, tech companies and startups have joined Manatal as it aims to become the leading recruitment platform for millions of SMEs while ensuring the highest security and confidentiality with user data. According to a case study by McKinsey & Company, companies can realise a 40 percent increase in the quality of hires and a 12 percent decrease in first year attrition after they become more thoughtful and data-driven about hiring. As the war for talent continues to intensify amidst changing employee expectations and an increasingly borderless world, companies are also looking for simplified technology-based platforms to enhance their candidate experience. This is to ensure that recruiters have time to focus more on strategic interactions with stakeholders and candidates and less on the tactical aspects of the process. Manatal’s simplicity helps recruiters leverage the latest technologies to streamline the entire recruitment flow from the sourcing to the onboarding. It also supports companies to improve internal and external communication, enrich their recruitment data sets, track KPIs and provide AI-powered recommendations. With Manatal, SMEs around the globe can combat challenges around talent recruitment and reach their hiring goals in a more affordable way than offered by the various enterprise recruitment solutions in the market. “Manatal was designed to hire faster and better in a world where getting the best talents is critical for any company's success. With Manatal, companies can now match the perfect fit for positions they are recruiting for in minutes. We’re proud of the success the platform has seen and are looking forward to further expanding our global reach”, shared Co-Founder and CEO of Manatal, Jeremy Fichet. Manatal was founded in January 2019 by Jeremy Fichet (French) and Yassine Bel Mamoun (Moroccan) in Bangkok, Thailand. Jeremy has held senior positions in companies like Cdiscount, Orami and Groupon for over 15 years. Yassine has worked as an IT Consultant at Agility Factory, Data Scientist at Orami and served as a Quantitative Research Analyst at BNP Paribas. Manatal is part of Surge's sixth cohort of 20 companies that build fresher, smarter solutions to help consumers and businesses adapt to a changing world. About Manatal Manatal is a Bangkok-based end-to-end recruitment and onboarding SaaS platform on a mission to transform how the world recruits. Manatal helps companies onboard in minutes and leverage the latest technologies to win the war for talent. For more information, please visit https://www.manatal.com/ About Surge Surge is Sequoia India’s rapid scale-up program for startups in India and Southeast Asia. Surge combines $1 million to $2 million of seed capital with company-building workshops, a global curriculum and support from a community of exceptional mentors and founders. The program’s goal is to supercharge early-stage startups and give founders an unfair advantage, right out of the gate. For more information on Surge, visit www.surgeahead.com. Contact Details Manatal Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://www.manatal.com/

February 10, 2022 07:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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News Release

edatanetworks Inc. USPTO Grants Patent Benefitting Communities with Digital Commerce & Advertising

edatanetworks Inc.

edatanetworks Inc. announced the approval of patent 17/086,860 from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This USPTO patent 17/086,860 relates to the utilization of tokenized transaction data with a comprehensive, high-tech digital capability creating actionable insights, key analytics, and intelligent decisions. This drives predictive capabilities from transaction data enabling the direction of merchant driven micro-donations for local communities and charitable organizations. This also provides merchants with valuable consumer insights and real time feedback from the transactions. “Small and medium sized businesses continue to search for new ways to connect digitally with their customers and support their communities with measured results on their marketing spend. It creates a community-minded movement through the connection of local consumers and merchants with local community and charitable organizations through digital fundraising." stated Terry Tietzen, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of edatanetworks. “This recognition from the USPTO demonstrates our unmatched commitment to innovation while doing good for our communities. It has been in our DNA since our inception. We don’t have an innovation team or lab; our work is driven by the need of the communities where we live and prosper.” said Tietzen. About edatanetworks edatanetworks Inc. (edata), edatanetworks.com, a privately held intellectual property company established in 2001, has worked with many organizations and conducted multiple live market deployments creating patented philanthropic innovations utilizing existing technological and financial infrastructures—connecting consumers, local merchants, charitable and community organizations, digital media groups, communications companies, search providers, social networks, banks, payment networks, trusted intermediaries and other financial services organizations. Contact Details Catherine Keill +1 780-690-5283 Company Website https://www.edatanetworks.com

February 09, 2022 01:59 PM Eastern Standard Time

Telos EVM, the World’s Fastest EVM is Offering a Propelling 12 Million Crypto Grant to Developers

Telos Foundation

Telos Blockchain, the most robust and advanced layer 1 platform has gone live with its Telos Ignite grant initiative. Telos Ignite seeks to finance advanced Web 3.0 development and to assist the development of projects that will create synergy and growth for the Chain. To fuel the expansion of the ecosystem, the Telos Foundation has aggressively locked in 12 million TLOS crypto tokens to support this exciting initiative over the next four years. “We’re incredibly excited to be announcing Telos Ignite and can’t wait to see all of the amazing projects that the developer community brings to the table.” AJ Dinger, Head of Business Development at Telos Foundation. Telos is a highly scalable 3rd generation layer 1 smart contract platform supporting both Solidity ( tEVM ) and fee-less native C++ smart contracts. Without any code modifications Ethereum projects can simply replicate their dApps and deploy to Telos tEVM using familiar tool sets, including MetaMask, Hardhat, Truffle, Remix, ethers.js and others. With half second block times, a sustainable transaction capacity that is in the hundreds of millions per day, fixed/independent of coin price gas fees (under $0.10 transaction), complete insulation from any Front Running/Mev, plus a fully decentralized block producer network, Telos believes it is the most robust and decentralized 3rd Generation Layer 1 crypto solution available. "The Telos team has worked hard to create the most powerful and accessible smart contract platform in existence. This grant program will help attract new, innovative dApps to the platform, allowing it to reach its full potential.” Douglas Horn, Telos Chief Architect. Telos Ignite is looking for passionate teams that want to contribute to Web3 applications and build projects that significantly impact the growth of the Telos ecosystem. There are three categories of projects where we encourage teams to apply: Ecosystem Projects: Telos is seeking projects that support the development of the Telos ecosystem through a wide range of use cases. Our key areas of focus include DeFi, GameFi, NFTs and more. This category aims to grow the Telos ecosystem by providing useful services and utility to the platform, allowing our community to experience the full breadth of what blockchain technology has to offer. Tools and Infrastructure: Telos is also looking for developers who can build support and infrastructure development tooling that other Telos developers need. Examples include Wallets, Block Explorers, APIs, Component Libraries and various other tools to support the Telos ecosystem. ESG Initiatives: From its inception, Telos has been committed to the principles of ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance). As part of the program, Telos is seeking to attract developers who are passionate about addressing current ESG challenges. If you have a project that you believe helps solve these issues, Telos Ignite is here to support these initiatives. “Telos Ignite enables us to bring in the projects which show off the network's speed and performance at scale we haven't seen before. We look forward to being able to prove our capabilities in a way that Solana and other projects have been talking a big game about but coming up short. An influx of new applications will enable us to do this.” Justin Giudici, Acting CEO at Telos Foundation. The Telos Ignite grant program offers several benefits to contributors: Funding in the form of native Telos tokens (TLOS) Developer tools and resources to help facilitate a streamlined development process Communication and direct support with members of the Telos team End to end support, from the building process to the technical and commercial strategy Recognition as a grant winner Registrations are now open for the first cohort of projects. The Ignite program is available to projects built on both the network's EVM and C++ Native platforms. You can learn more about the program and apply for a grant here. About The Chain Telos is a 3rd generation smart contract platform that offers compatibility with Solidity, Vyper and Native C++ smart contracts, providing full EVM/Solidity support as well as a fee-less native smart contract layer upon which the EVM is built. Telos performance is unrivaled in the industry and was purpose-built to offer speed, scalability, cost-effectiveness, decentralization and end-user fairness. The network can sustainably support hundreds of millions of transactions per day, produces blocks in 0.5 second intervals on a first-in-first-out basis (eliminating frontrunning on the network), offers a fee-less native and low per transaction cost EVM (<$0.10), and a fully decentralized block producer network. About The Foundation The Telos Foundation is a Decentralized Autonomous Organization established as a promotional and funding body to advance the Telos Blockchain Network and provide support to network applications. Contact Details Telos Foundation The Team hello@telosfoundation.io Company Website https://www.telos.net/

February 09, 2022 09:07 AM Eastern Standard Time

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Customer Experience Revenue in the Travel & Hospitality Industry Declined by 33% Between 2019 and 2021, According to Dash Research

Dash Network

While all industry sectors have needed to pivot and flex to address the global pandemic, few other industries have had to reinvent their processes and solutions the way the travel & hospitality market has needed to. Constantly changing restrictions and regulations have made any sort of market recovery in this sector lumpy, at best. The travel & hospitality sector has always needed to walk the line between internal operational and cost efficiencies and personal attention to the guest or traveler. According to a recent report from Dash Research, the global COVID-19 pandemic caused many travel & hospitality companies to reassess their priorities and current technology status, focusing on those that will result in even greater efficiencies as they navigate the upcoming recovery, and provide a smooth, friction-free, and positive customer experience for those traveling. Dash Research estimates that the global market for customer experience (CX)/customer engagement (CE) software and services totaled $3.5 billion in 2021, a 32.7% decline from 2019 when revenue for the sector was $5.2 billion. The market intelligence firm does not anticipate revenue returning to 2019 levels within the duration of its forecast period (2019 to 2026). Worldwide CX/CE revenue is forecast to rise moderately over the next several years, reaching $4.3 billion in 2026. “The customer journey of a traveler can be complicated and leverages many disparate technologies,” says senior analyst Sherril Hanson. “The process of researching a trip via the wide variety of channels and third-party providers, booking, paying, moving through a transportation hub, and arriving at a destination of choice has a lot of opportunities to rise to the occasion to provide outstanding CX or fall short of expectations.” Hanson adds that each touchpoint in that journey is an opportunity to build brand loyalty, trust, and positive emotions. Dash Research concludes that this is both a challenge and an opportunity for implementing CX technologies and services. While the industry will take some time to fully rebound, an exploration of CX in this sector demonstrates that it is a market primed to reap the benefits of implementing CX technologies. Dash Research analysis indicates that the key market drivers spurring the purchase of CX software platforms, applications, and ancillary services in the travel & hospitality market include the following: Demand for omnichannel interactions and self-service along the various touchpoints Changes in the nature of the travel experience and a desire for personalization Acceleration of contactless and convenience technologies Increased communication needs However, a multi-year global pandemic represents an unprecedented challenge for the travel & hospitality industry, and several key related market barriers that are tempering the growth of CX software and services include the following: Market uncertainty and budget constraints Fragmented and sometimes outdated technology stacks Labor shortages and employee burnout Consumer concern over health and safety issues Opportunities abound for the growth of CX solutions in travel & hospitality, but amidst all the current challenges, these solutions must be implemented with a keen eye toward evolving consumer behavior and attitudes, greater efficiency and convenience for travelers, timely and personalized communications, and a strong and sustained focus on employee experience (EX) in an environment of scarce labor resources. Dash Research’s report, “CX in the Travel & Hospitality Industry”, focuses on the software platforms, applications, and services that are offered to travel & hospitality companies to help them achieve excellent CX that leaves travelers feeling safe, satisfied, and eager for a return trip via all the companies that eased their journey. The report examines the current and future market issues, market drivers and barriers, and case studies within the travel & hospitality CX/CE industry. Market sizing and forecasts include segmentations by geography, functional area, product offering, and visibility to the customer. Discussion on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the industry is responding, is also included. An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the firm’s website. Dash Research, the market intelligence arm of Dash Network, provides in-depth research and insights on the worldwide CX market including a comprehensive assessment of technology solutions, business issues, market drivers, and end-user dynamics across industry sectors. Dash Research’s global market coverage combines qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to provide a complete view of emerging business opportunities surrounding contact center technologies, customer data & analytics, customer data platforms, customer insights & feedback, customer relationship management, personalization & optimization, and employee experience. For more information, visit www.dashresearch.com or call +1.720.603.1700. Contact Details Clint Wheelock +1 720-603-1700 press@dashnetwork.com Company Website http://www.dashnetwork.com

February 09, 2022 06:15 AM Eastern Standard Time

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News Release

Compliance Automation Platform for SaaS Companies, Sprinto, Raises $10M Led by Elevation Capital, participation from Accel and Blume Ventures

Elevation Capital

Sprinto, the compliance automation platform for fast growing SaaS companies, has raised $10M in Series A funding led by Elevation Capital with participation from Accel, and Blume Ventures. The funding will be used for team expansion across key functions and R&D to ensure long-term growth. Earlier, in January 2020, the company had raised $1.5M in seed funding from Blume Ventures. Reflecting this expansion, Sprinto will open its first North American office, in Utah, by this quarter’s end and will ramp up North American hiring. Publicly launched in mid-2021, Sprinto is a compliance automation platform that helps SaaS companies obtain compliances, such as SOC 2, ISO27001, GDPR, HIPAA etc., in a quick and hassle-free manner. Obtaining these compliances helps Sprinto customers close enterprise deals and pass vendor security assessments easily. It was co-founded by Girish Redekar and Raghuveer Kancherla, who have been colleagues for 15 years. Developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), SOC 2 (Systems and Organizations Controls 2) is a set of compliance requirements for companies, especially service organizations, which use cloud-based storage for their customers’ data. It is based on five core Trust Services Criteria of security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. SOC 2 audits have become essential in regulatory oversight, vendor management programs, internal governance, and risk management. As enterprise SaaS continues to grow exponentially, businesses are increasingly relying on compliances like SOC 2 to get assurance that their SaaS vendors keep their data safe. And SaaS vendors need SOC 2 compliance to close high-ticket deals. Currently, obtaining and maintaining SOC 2 compliance takes 300+ hours of work each year. Sprinto’s SaaS platform makes this process 10x faster. It helps clients create a real time monitoring system that provides visibility into the processes and policies governed by compliance checklists, tracks the status of these systems, and alerts relevant teams if a system is not operating within the required baseline limits or in case of any policy violations. “As compliance with these standards, including SOC 2, is becoming a critical business need, most companies must rely on infosec consultants and auditors to get the necessary certifications,” explained Sprinto co-founder Girish Redekar. “With a consultant, companies would take around 3-4 months to be ready for SOC 2 assessment. Using Sprinto’s compliance automation platform, companies can complete the SOC 2 readiness assessment in just days. This levels the playing field, helping smaller companies lacking the resources of larger firms.” Sprinto co-founder Raghuveer Kancherla added, “A decade ago, only large enterprises demanded SOC 2 compliances. With the changes mandated by the AICPA in 2018, all SaaS businesses, irrespective of size, need to be SOC 2 compliant and are required to collect SOC 2 reports from their critical vendors. Thus, being SOC2 compliant has become a revenue concern for SaaS businesses of all sizes. Recognizing this growing need, Sprinto aims to become the infosec OS of choice for SaaS service providers. It’s creating a new product category that’s fundamentally different from existing automation tools. Sprinto is focused on delivering outcomes, not just automation. This is ingrained into the team’s design, outlook, internal processes, and culture.” “We’re very excited about partnering with Raghu and Girish as they build the future of compliance automation. Sprinto solves a critical business need in a growing market. It has created a world-class product which is already emerging as the compliance automation platform of choice for SaaS companies and generating tremendous customer acclaim,” said Deepak Gaur, Partner, Elevation Capital. Since its website launch in June 2021, Sprinto has grown rapidly, doubling its ARR over the last 10 weeks alone. Despite competition from a few emerging U.S. companies, Sprinto is proving to be the compliance automation platform of choice. It’s already acquired 100’s of customers, including such enterprise-level accounts as HP and Hackerrank. About Elevation Capital: Elevation Capital is a leading venture capital firm which provides seed and early stage capital for emerging companies in India. Elevation Capital has been investing in India since 2002 and is currently investing out of its seventh pool of capital. The firm is led by Co-Managing Partners Ravi Adusumalli and Mukul Arora, along with three Managing Directors Mridul Arora, Deepak Gaur and Mayank Khanduja. The firm has invested in over 150 companies across Consumer Internet, SaaS, Fintech, D2C, Edtech, Healthtech and Web3/Crypto, and has offices in Bengaluru, Gurgaon and Salt Lake City. Contact Details Marc marc@trustrelations.agency Nicole Hopwoood nicole@trustrelations.agency

February 08, 2022 08:30 PM Eastern Standard Time

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