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Here are the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® in 2022, according to nearly 1 million employees

Great Place to Work - USA

Amid a record number of resignations and a reprioritization of American lives, the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® didn’t woo employees with shiny perks, but focused on the essentials of strong company culture. The 100 Best Companies prioritized employee well-being and fostered cultures of inclusion, purpose, genuine listening, caring and empathy. And in return — according to America’s largest ongoing annual workforce study of more than 870,000 confidential employee survey responses, and data from Great Place to Work ® — the employee experience was as good as ever among the 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2022. “Best Companies’ leadership has never been more necessary,” says Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work, the global authority on workplace culture. “As workers struggle with the Great Resignation, burnout and COVID disruptions, these exceptional companies offer workplace experiences as strong as prior to the pandemic.” Cisco topped the list for the second year in a row. The top 10 companies to work for are: 1. Cisco 2. Hilton 3. Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. 4. Salesforce 5. NVIDIA Corporation 6. Accenture 7. Rocket Companies 8. American Express 9. David Weekley Homes 10. Capital One Great Place to Work celebrates 25 years of determining the 100 Best list based on data from its proprietary Trust Index™ employee experience survey. Of note are four organizations who’ve made the list all 25 years: Cisco, Wegmans, Marriott International, Inc., and Publix Super Markets, Inc. What it took to be the Best this year was the ability to adapt to constant change and support employees’ full lives in and outside of work, which includes their families and communities. And regardless of their type of job or where they worked. “These companies get that ‘place’ is wherever their employees are sitting or standing, and they are committed to make that place equitable, safe and productive,” Bush says. “Their commitment to genuinely care for their people through trust, inclusion, purpose and meaningful flexibility for life circumstances goes beyond surface-level perks and is a model for the market to follow.” They encouraged employees to bring their authentic selves to work – and not deny who they are – through diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging programs. Nearly 90% of employees feel like they can be themselves, as opposed to just 64% at an average workplace. And the Best also took steps to connect the organization’s values and goals to employees’ jobs to ensure their work had meaning and purpose – what many workers quit in search of. From listening sessions to employee resource groups (ERGs), the 100 Best took action to ensure all employees felt included. They expanded mental health assistance, elder care support, childcare and well-being resources. They provided financial and professional assistance after layoffs and furloughs, and COVID care during the pandemic. The proof is in the numbers The outcome of great cultures is not guesswork. The 100 Best Companies outperformed the Russell 3000 Index by 3.3 times. According to Great Place to Work research, compared to their industry peers, employees at the 100 Best are: 5.5 times more likely to help recruit 2.2 times more committed to staying with their organization Half as likely to leave their company Best Companies create aspirational workplaces where: 9 out of 10 would strongly endorse their company to friends & family 9 out of 10 feel cared for 4 out of 5 employees feel psychologically & emotionally healthy 4 out of 5 look forward to coming to work 4 out of 5 find meaning in their jobs About the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® Great Place to Work® selected the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® in 2022 based on feedback collected through America’s largest ongoing annual workforce study of over 870,000 employee survey responses and data from Great Place to Work-Certified™ organizations representing more than 6.1 million employees across the U.S. Company rankings are derived from 60 employee experience questions within the Great Place to Work Trust Index™ survey. Read the full methodology. To get on this list next year, start here. About Great Place to Work® Great Place to Work® is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, it has surveyed more than 100 million employees worldwide and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Its employee survey platform empowers leaders with the feedback, real-time reporting and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. Everything they do is driven by the mission to build a better world by helping every organization become a Great Place to Work For All™. Learn more at greatplacetowork.com and on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Contact Details Great Place to Work® Kim Peters +1 415-844-2574 kpeters@greatplacetowork.com Company Website https://www.greatplacetowork.com/

April 11, 2022 07:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Fine Hygienic Holding Continues to Lead on Progressive Female-Friendly Workplace Reforms with Pregnancy Loss Policy

Fine Hygienic Holding

Fine Hygienic Holding (FHH), the world-leading wellness group and manufacturer of hygienic paper products and long-term germ protection solutions, has yet again taken the initiative to introduce new female-friendly policies as part of its continuous workplace reforms which aim to provide the most inclusive and welcoming environment possible for all its employees. Demonstrating that the company is serious about bringing about positive change, it has updated its Parental Leave Policy to include provisions for miscarriage or stillbirth, across all its locations. FHH already has generous maternity leave provisions for working mothers who benefit from 16 weeks of paid leave, above what the International Labour Organization recommends, and it even offers 3 weeks of paid paternity leave, which puts it at the forefront not only in the MENA region but also globally. Employees are eligible for compassionate leave upon the unfortunate event of a female employee or a male employee’s spouse suffering a miscarriage or stillbirth. In both instances the employee is entitled to five days of paid leave, and females may take an additional five days of unpaid leave. This comes in line with FHH’s core values to lead with empathy and extend leave to women needing time to recover physically and emotionally, and to consider the needs of male partners as well. No other company in the region offers such a generous leave policy, with provisions for maternity, paternity, miscarriage or stillbirth, in addition to a monthly day off for females. James Michael Lafferty, FHH CEO, said, “Our company believes that – if we take care of the people, the business will take care of itself – which is why we are constantly on the lookout for practices that support our employees’ wellbeing, especially during pivotal moments in their lives. With our updated policy our aim is to live our values and support our employees through difficult times.” FHH adheres to the highest standards of HR practices with a strong emphasis on supporting and empowering parents within its workforce. It is worth mentioning that the company was recently recognized as a Top Employer Middle East 2022 by the prestigious Top Employers Institute in every country it operates. Fine Hygienic Holding (FHH), one of the world’s leading wellness groups and MENA’s leading manufacturer of hygienic products, serves consumers in more than 80 countries around the world. Originally established as a paper manufacturer, FHH has transformed into a wellness company dedicated to enhancing global health and wellbeing. Committed to becoming “the shining star of the Arab FMCG business world,” the Group focuses on wellness, sustainability, pioneering CSR programs, and state-of-the-art production processes. Fine Hygienic Holding offers a diverse array of award-winning products including sterilized facial tissues, napkins, kitchen towels, toilet paper, baby diapers, adult briefs, jumbo rolls, as well as away-from-home products to accommodate all types of private and public institutions, in addition to its advanced range of personal protective equipment (PPE) and long-lasting germ protection solutions, it also brings Nai natural iced teas and innovative nutritional supplements, Motiva, to the market. Along with multiple accolated and awards over the years, particularly for its products and CSR initiatives, the company was recognized as a Top Employer Middle East 2022 by the prestigious Top Employers Institute in every country it operates. Contact Details Rana Kawalit | │ Corporate Communication & PR Director Rkawalit@finehh.com Company Website https://www.finehh.com/

April 11, 2022 02:59 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Global B2B Marketing Agency BNZSA Records 237% Year-On-Year Revenue Growth For Q1 2022

BNZSA

Leading global B2B IT sales and marketing agency, BNZSA, delivered 237% revenue growth in Q1 2022. This is supported by a headcount increase of 159%, with around 400 employees currently on staff. BNZSA is one of Europe’s largest B2B marketing agencies, delivering sales-ready leads to many of the world´s leading technology brands including Acer, Dell, HP, Oracle and SAP. With a 95% client retention rate, much of BNZSA’s growth has been driven by expansion and referrals with their existing customer base. The company has made strategic investments to enable existing clients to grow their portfolio with the agency. These include: Increased global coverage: New North America and Asia Pacific teams mean that more markets can be covered. 9 additional languages were added from Q1 2021 to Q1 2022, bringing the total to 25 languages covered by employees from 45 nationalities – meaning that outreach can be covered by experts with regional and cultural insights. Overall headcount growth: this has grown by 159% year-on-year, with around 400 employees currently on staff across two main bases in Madrid and Tangier, with some based in the UK and France. The new Roadies programme will allow BNZSA to scale faster with employees based anywhere in Spain. Investment in additional services: BNZSA has scaled data strategy and digital marketing offers to enable clients to commission additional services from a single point of contact. This promotes efficiency in the marketing funnel as insights are retained within the BNZSA ecosystem. Strategic hires: BNZSA has invested in bringing in strategic leaders to support the next stage of growth. These include Chief Operating Officer Johan Olberding, Intel veteran Marc Beckers as Training & Onboarding Consultant, and data intelligence strategy expert Angela Beresford as Head of Insights. CEO Brahim Samhoud says, “2022 is going to be a huge year for us. We marked a significant shift by moving to our beautiful new campus in Las Rozas, where many multinationals have their Madrid HQs. But this is just the beginning of our next phase - we’re building our data and digital teams to ensure we have the best predictive analytics and targeting to reach tech buyers at the right moment. “I’m proud to say that most of our growth is driven by referrals. We maintain a 95% retention rate and our clients are our key advocates – we see them referring us inside their companies, contracting us when they ·move roles to new organisations and recommending us to their peers and contacts. “Regardless of the many acronyms in our industry, what our clients want are leads that will convert to revenue. Our conversion rate is around 70% and climbing – we’re building our data and digital teams to ensure we have the best predictive analytics and targeting to reach buyers at the right moment.” About BNZSA BNZSA is a leading sales & marketing agency specialising in data and tele-based demand generation with a team of 400 who are experts in delivering qualified, sales-ready leads. It was established in 2013 and has grown rapidly over eight years. BNZSA is privately-owned, has never relied on third-party funding, and has been profitable since day one. The company is based in Madrid, Spain, and has offices in the UK, France, and Morocco. It invests heavily in its agents who are all native language speakers and deliver client campaigns in languages globally. In addition to the uniquely human and personal dimension of the company, BNZSA is a leader in the application of technology to underpin its value proposition. It built its own bespoke CRM platform and is a pioneer in the use of Artificial Intelligence, Neuro Linguistic Programming and Machine Learning technologies. For more information, visit our website or contact Chief Marketing Officer Soniya Ganvir. Contact Details BNZSA Soniya Ganvir +44 7944 228328 soniya@bnzsa.com Company Website https://bnzsa.com/

April 08, 2022 06:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Kivvit Earns Top 5 Spot In Multiple Specialty Categories In O’Dwyer’s 2022 Rankings

Kivvit

Kivvit previously announced it once again ranked among the top 20 largest firms overall, driven by revenue growth of 12.9% to $39.8 million last year. The latest specialty rankings from O’Dwyer’s showcase Kivvit’s leadership in a diverse array of categories, demonstrating our depth across critical industries and issue areas, as well as our ability to apply innovative approaches and achieve outcomes in any context. Kivvit landed in the top 5 for the following specialty categories: #1 Real Estate Finance & Development #2 Energy #2 Non-Profit #3 Education #4 Purpose/Corporate Social Responsibility “From wind and solar to transmission or utilities, Kivvit teams worked with clients in every area of clean energy in 2021. We also supported a number of innovative companies in the greentech space that are helping support the transition to a clean energy economy,” said Maura Farrell, Managing Director and co-leader of Kivvit’s energy working group, which convenes subject matter experts from across the firm to address the industry’s most pressing issues. “We are so proud to work in this industry during this most dynamic time.” “2021 was the year for colleges and universities to get their students back on campus after the turmoil of 2020. Higher education took the largest hit to their revenue model since the financial crisis. Through Kivvit’s crisis communications capabilities, reputation management insights, and an “audience first” approach to student enrollment, we worked with elite universities and access oriented colleges and universities to boost enrollment with innovative advertising and creative content to help them stand out from their peer institutions.” said Managing Director Kent Holland, who co-leads Kivvit’s higher education working group. Kivvit also achieved top rankings in several other categories, including Environment, Sustainability, and Greentech (#6); Sports (#6); Automotive and Transportation (#7); Industrial (#10); and Healthcare (#18). About Kivvit Kivvit is one of the largest and fastest-growing independent strategic communications and public affairs firms in the United States, with over 130 professionals across six offices in Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. Kivvit has earned over 60 awards and recognitions in the past 5 years, including Public Affairs of the Year (Reed Awards), Digital Agency of the Year (PRovoke SABRE North America), Most Innovative Agency (Bulldog Stars of PR Awards), and a Best Agency to Work For (PRovoke). Kivvit also leads O'Dwyer's national rankings of independent communications firms across multiple categories, including #1 for Non Profits, #2 for Energy, #3 for Corporate Social Responsibility, #3 for Real Estate, and #4 for Education. To learn more and see what we do, visit www.Kivvit.com and follow us @TeamKivvit. Contact Details Zach Silber +1 212-929-0669 zsilber@kivvit.com Company Website https://www.kivvit.com/

April 07, 2022 03:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Decentralized MuskMelon Tokens to Embrace Meme Creators Community

MuskMelon

MuskMelon, the disruptive new addition to the world of NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) and Gaming, is launched with a promising solution for the meme creator’s community. MuskMelon allows the meme creators to spread their word, build a strong community and earn. The entire process of MuskMelon is decentralized and will help aspiring meme creators showcase their talent to the world. melonmusk is an already popular social media feed. To give the melonmusk social media and digital creators community avenues to earn, MuskMelon is launched. MuskMelon will redefine the world of melonmusk, bring out the truth, the good, the bad and the ugly, and modify the meme creation process for the meme creators by procuring them with monetary assets in real-time. MuskMelon ecosystem will also launch a series of melon based lazy games and provide play-to-earn opportunities. “The platform allows people to create their Melon avatars and even host them on the NFT marketplace for auction, bid, or sale. Melon is the native currency used to purchase NFTs, In-Game assets, and even contribute to the Ukraine Relief Fund,” said Neal Mathews, Project Advisor of MuskMelon. The MuskMelon project is planning a comprehensive penetrative strategy with a public sale of 10 billion Melons, of which 5 billion will be released initially at a launch price of $0.05 apiece. The sale is designed to start on Bitmart and XT shortly, and it is widely being considered one of the most exciting projects of its kind to watch out for this year. Binance Gaming NFT has a total of 16 listed projects with a total of $884 million in volume. The project lures the gaming community with an exciting storyline. MuskMelon, who is a Multibillionaire and Influencer, is currently on a rampage on the financial and emerging technology landscape. MuskMelon has made many people angry with his wavery mind, fickle attitude, and unrealistic plans. People from around are now seeking revenge on MuskMelon. MuskMelon has created mini melons and distributed himself amongst various universes. People have now picked up the Baton and are hunting MuskMelon across these universes (MiniGames). For more information, kindly visit the website https://muskmelon.org/ Contact Details MuskMelon hello@muskmelon.org

April 06, 2022 07:19 PM Eastern Daylight Time

EagleTree Backed Companies, Arc and The Channel Company, Acquire Incisive Media

The Channel Company

Arc, the global events, data, and media platform, announced today it has acquired Incisive Media’s financial services and business sustainability portfolios. These portfolios expand Arc’s sector diversity across the UK market with the addition of leading financial services and business sustainability brands such as Investment Week, Professional Pensions, Professional Adviser, and BusinessGreen. The Channel Company, a leading IT-channel focused B2B marketing company, will acquire Incisive’s technology portfolio. The acquisition will reunite CRN and CRN UK under the same company. The technology portfolio also includes the Computing and Channel Partner Insight brands. Simon Foster, CEO of Arc, said, “This is a pivotal step in the evolution of Arc. We are pleased to welcome Incisive Media CEO, Jonathon Whiteley, and the financial services and business sustainability teams to Arc, and look forward to growing and developing these portfolios. We also look forward to further developing the Arc platform through this acquisition with the addition of more resources and channels with which we can grow our network.” Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company, said, “We are excited to add Incisive’s technology channel brands to our portfolio, and believe the reunification of the US and UK CRN brands will provide substantial benefit to our audiences and clients. This acquisition gives us the opportunity to link Incisive’s Computing brand with our Midsize Enterprise Services brand in a powerful, connected, global end-user community. Altogether, the acquisition results in a leading position for The Channel Company in content and events in both the US and EMEA.” Jonathon Whiteley, CEO of Incisive Media, said, “Following a very successful period of growth over the last few years, Incisive Media is now ready for its next stage of development. The global platforms of Arc and The Channel Company offer natural homes for Incisive Media’s brands and people. Our audience and customer centric approach to growing and supporting the end markets that we serve fits squarely with the philosophies of both Arc and The Channel Company. This split allows us to support that growth in a relevant and focused way. I am excited about the future and look forward to working with Simon and his team at Arc to take Incisive Media into this next and exciting chapter.” Cardean Bell advised Incisive on the transaction and Macfarlanes provided legal advice. Arc’s M&A advisor was Canson Capital Partners. Jones Day was legal advisor to both Arc and The Channel Company. Plural Strategy Group advised Arc and The Channel Company on commercial due diligence. Incisive Media Based in the heart of London, Incisive Media is an award-winning business to business digital media and events business established in 1995. Operating in the financial services, enterprise technology and business sustainability markets we have some of the most influential, engaging and well-known brands in business media. We are a tech-enabled, forward facing marketing services business that connects and informs business professionals through our analyst-grade content and our market leading events. We offer our clients the ability to reach their customers through advanced and integrated digital marketing activations and we are constantly adapting to the ever-changing digital marketplace. www.incisivemedia.com Arc Arc is a B2B platform backed by investment funds managed by EagleTree Capital that intends to redefine business networks by building the next generation events and media business. With a customer-centric approach, guided by data and intelligent insight, Arc seeks out ways to connect communities, wherever, whenever, or however, people need to come together to meet, network, learn, and grow their businesses. http://www.arc-network.com The Channel Company The Channel Company is focused on the technology industry and its CRN brand is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2022. Headquartered in Westborough, MA, The Channel Company has been servicing the technology channel community for over 40 years. From CRN, the #1 source of technology news, insights and analysis for the IT Channel, to industry-leading events that connect clients to customers, to powerful research, consulting and engaging education to accelerate growth, to transformative marketing services to maximize investment, The Channel Company provides a full suite of outcome-driven services focused on addressing the channel’s unique needs worldwide. The Channel Company is a portfolio company of investment funds managed by EagleTree Capital, a New York City-based private equity firm. www.thechannelcompany.com EagleTree Capital EagleTree Capital is a leading New York-based middle-market private equity firm that has completed over 35 private equity investments and over 75 add-on transactions over the past 20+ years. EagleTree primarily invests in North America in the following sectors: media and business services, consumer, and water and specialty industrial. For more information, visit www.eagletree.com or find EagleTree on LinkedIn. Contact Details The Channel Company Corporate Communications +1 508-531-9172 corporatecommunications@thechannelcompany.com Incisive Media Sophie Eke +44 20 7484 9802 sophie.eke@incisivemedia.com Arc Caitlin Read +44 7727 860756 caitlin.read@arc-network.com Company Website https://www.thechannelcompany.com

April 06, 2022 06:27 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Minuteman Press Franchise in Bath, England Moves to New Location, Lands Bath City FC Sponsorship

Minuteman Press International Inc

After 23 years in business and now entering their 24 th year, the long-time Minuteman Press franchise in Bath England has moved to a beautiful new location located on Pines Way Industrial Estate in central Bath. Since the move, Minuteman Press in Bath has nearly doubled production capacity and produced quicker turnaround times for their clients. In what has been a busy year for Minuteman Press in Bath, they have also landed a back of shirt sponsorship for Bath City FC. Throughout the 2021/2022 season, Minuteman Press in Bath has had their logo on player uniforms to increase their brand awareness and visibility. Managing Director David Ghent and Marketing Director Dave Dixon talk about the history of the business as well as what the future holds for Minuteman Press in Bath. What is the history of the business? Dave Dixon: “It all started in 1998 when our MD David Ghent had a vision to provide the best printing services in Bath. He saw a gap in the market for a city-centre location to offer on-site print and copying services. We’ve since outgrown our Walcot Street site and have developed into a commercial, print and signage service in our new facility at Pines Way.” How has the business grown and what are the keys to your success? David Ghent: “For us it’s always been about putting our customers first. We like to help them stretch their marketing budgets as far as possible. Sometimes it’s not about finding the cheapest option, it’s about the maximum return on investment. The success of our customer base is our success. We still have customers today that placed their first orders back in 1998!” What would you say have been the major changes to the printing industry over the past decade? Dave Dixon: “Speed and print enhancements! Sure, if you want a simple brochure to go through the door or get picked up with a load of other flyers that’s great, we can produce thousands of those and you’ll get a small percentage return rate. However, we find that once we add a spot of gloss, gold ink or foil it stands out from the crowd. We’ve also invested heavily over the years in the most up to date technology and most reliable kit to ensure that we can produce great results on time and quickly. After all you’ve seen it on your screen and you are keen to have it in your hand.” How do you set yourself apart from the competition especially online suppliers? David Ghent: “Online print is great if you want cheap bulk printing and you’re 100 percent sure that your artwork is designed well, you’re not too concerned about the final colours and you don’t need any advice or are not expecting a long term relationship with a local supplier. Most of our clients value business relationships and like to discuss their print job and how they might make it look as good as possible. Alongside that excellent level of customer service, we are also able to meet almost any deadline; most of our work is produced the same day on site here at Pines Way, with real people checking your artwork, colours and print quality. We are also a one stop shop. We will deal with your business forms, flyers and brochures, and we can also produce shop signage, vehicle graphics and exhibition displays. You really don’t need to go to many sources for your marketing materials. That’s how we differentiate ourselves.” How did you adapt over the past two years and diversify your offerings? Dave Dixon: “We very soon discovered the joy of floor and wall graphics! We did a little but of that pre-pandemic, but then we had to take it to another level. Our Large Format Studio Manager was in fact working hard during the first lockdown producing a catalogue with a full range of social distancing signage. We also had to test the materials to ensure that they were safe enough for installation on the ground – we really didn’t want people slipping on our floor graphics! We produced thousands of linear metres of floor and wall graphics. We continue to do so now, but for marketing purposes rather than safety.” Why did you decide to move to your new location and what does it mean for your clients and your future? David Ghent: “In reality, we outgrew Walcot Street and we really could not reach our full potential there. The new location represents a €1 million investment in the business. We have two of Xerox’s top end presses and we have added the full range of specialty colours to those, this includes white, fluorescent, gold, silver and clear toners, the range of colours we can really achieve is impressive. We’ve added short run foiling in house and of course our huge vehicle bay means that we can now do signwriting on cars and vans. Our signage team is expanding our offerings further. Interiors will be a big growth area for us including printed graphics on walls, floors, and windows. Window blinds are very popular at the moment and a really cost-effective way to keep your branding visible.” What makes you most proud as you reflect on the past 24 years? Dave Dixon: “We are proud of our level of customer retention. We work closely with our client base to ensure that they are always happy. We are also always happy to give back to our local community through supporting charities and clubs with free or heavy discounted pricing, as well as being proud to be a local business taking part in the civic life of our city.” What’s next for Minuteman Press in Bath? David Ghent: “We are in the right premises at last, so we now need to consolidate and plan for expansion. We need to continue strengthening our print and signage offerings and ensure that we are seen locally as Bath’s number one printer, as well as growing our online sales.” For more information on Minuteman Press in Bath, England, visit https://minutemanbath.co.uk. Learn more about Minuteman Press UK franchise opportunities at https://minutemanpressfranchise.co.uk. Contact Details Minuteman Press International Chris Biscuiti +1 631-249-1370 cbiscuiti@mpihq.com Company Website https://minutemanpressfranchise.com

April 06, 2022 10:10 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Agora Data’s CTO Chad Stilwell to Present at Auto Intel Summit 2022

Agora

Agora Data’s Chief Technology Officer, Chad Stilwell, will speak at the 2022 Automotive Intelligence Summit in Raleigh, N.C., April 12-14. His breakout session, titled “Using Data to Predict Subprime Auto Performance,” will start at 1:30 p.m. on April 12. Stilwell is responsible for all data science initiatives at Agora, including artificial intelligence (AI), modeling, and analytics. During his presentation, Stilwell will share how data science helps today’s auto industry better predict – and even improve – the performance of subprime loans. This underserved, underbanked, and previously considered risky segment is rapidly becoming a viable asset class. Stilwell will explain what this means for the future of subprime and how these latest innovations impact lenders, dealers, and consumers. “Closing the deal is only half the battle for today’s independent auto dealers and finance companies. Long-term success in this business relies heavily on how a loan performs after the deal is closed,” Stilwell said. “I look forward to discussing the treasure trove of data analytics now available to dealers and finance companies – and how to best use this information to maximize the performance of their portfolios.” Stilwell brings to the conversation a diverse background of industry firsts. He played a crucial role in launching Agora’s crowdsourced securitizations, their line of credit with reducing interest rates, and their technology platform that provides a book value for subprime auto loans. With over a decade of technology and development expertise, Stilwell previously served as the Director of Analytics & Insights for a top Fortune Global 500 company. He has a passion for using cutting-edge technology to solve today’s challenges. Currently, he leads the Agora team of developers to bring personalized business intelligence and expert analytics to Agora users. Stilwell looks forward to demystifying subprime auto finance for Auto Intel Summit attendees while sharing the game-changing significance of in-depth portfolio analytics. Company representatives will also be on hand at the NIADA Convention & Expo in Las Vegas in June to help further Agora’s mission of empowering independent auto dealers and finance companies. About Agora Data, Inc: Agora Data’s platform delivers a suite of tools to empower independent dealers and finance companies to finance their subprime customers. Agora’s family of auto finance products provides a wide range of critical funding paths so originators can obtain the cash they need to fuel growth, compete, and build wealth. Powered by patent pending technology, originators now have access to robust data analytics and planning resources to help optimize the performance of their portfolios. Agora Data made history by closing the first-ever Crowdsourced Subprime Auto Securitization in 2020 and followed that up with its second transaction in early 2021. For more information, visit agoradata.com or contact us at 877-592-4672. Contact Details Shelly Vandeven +1 682-282-4130 media@agoradata.com Company Website https://agoradata.com/

April 06, 2022 09:03 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Learn to Earn community, Qureos secures $3M funding round to accelerate 100M careers

Qureos

UAE-based EdTech and Future of Work marketplace Qureos has raised $3M million in its pre-seed round led by Dubai-based early-stage VC COTU Ventures and New York-based early-stage VC Colle Capital as it seeks to fast track growth and democratize “Learn to Earn” opportunities for talent globally. The round also saw participation from global and regional investors, including Globivest, Plutus21 Capital, Dubai Angel Investors, and AlZayani Venture Capital. Several angel investors including current and former leaders of Swvl, Boston Consulting Group, Moelis & Company, Careem, Cisco Systems, Koinz, Message Bird, Bain & Company, Hiperpool, ADNOC, QIA, and other notable individuals. Founded in August 2021 by Alexander Epure, Mehrad Yaghmai and Usama Nini, Queros began life as a passion project for the founders to accelerate careers by making mentorship more accessible. This passion project was validated when selected by the Dubai Future Accelerators to solve the skill gap in the transition from campus to the workplace and in between jobs. Qureos is building an experiential learning community to change how people connect, learn and work. Qureos is helping people from over 127 countries learn in-demand skills through cohort-based learning paths led by world-class industry experts that match the hiring demands from Qureos’ business partners. Qureos is solving the skill gap in the transition from campus to the workplace and those changing careers. Globally, there are 254 million Gen Z who have graduated and are still unemployed due to the skill gap, most notably in emerging markets where youth unemployment is above 36%. The job market is changing faster than school curriculums and emerging talent are not getting traditional job placements. Qureos is tapping into the $470B e-learning and future of work markets that are currently separated. “We believe that new learning models like Qureos, which combine cohort-based, synchronous education with community, are going to become more mainstream and disrupt traditional players. From our perspective, the energy and passion that the team exhibited from our initial conversations, to the traction demonstrated so early on, and the deep product vision, were all ingredients to driving our conviction in the business. We’re excited to be a part of this journey and seeing the team’s vision of upskilling talent become a reality. “ said Amir Farha - Founder and Managing Partner at COTU Ventures With instant applications on many job platforms today, hiring fatigue is becoming a burden on HR teams with 47% of candidates failing job interviews due to a lack of alignment to the company. By 2025, Millennials and Gen Z will make up 75% of the global workforce according to Deloitte. As a result, businesses are facing an increasing average cost of hiring of $4,129 per hire and an average time-to-hire of 42 days. By creating a learning community, Qureos allows growing businesses to tap into an on-demand workforce of talent who have been mentored to deliver a high quality of work. With Qureos, businesses are able to reduce their cost-to-hire by up to 79% and their time-to-hire by 36% through Qureos’ proprietary performance-based hiring framework. “Learning and hiring are disconnected and Qureos aims to leverage its unique position at the nexus of these two markets through an experiential learning community where emerging talent can learn from industry experts and gain experience through mentor-led hiring cohorts from businesses,” said Alexander Epure, Co-Founder and CEO at Qureos. “Qureos is going after a massive opportunity with the ultimate aim of creating an ecosystem that unlocks the potential of the human capital. There is a huge untapped potential amongst emerging talent which is not harnessed and it’s about time we create an inspirational story that brings together people who align with our mission” said the founders. With native network effects of the platform, Qureos has been able to achieve phenomenal organic growth of 25,000+ users, as well as attracting mentors from leading organizations including Google, Paypal, Amazon, Cisco, and more than 100 business partners globally. “Creators and industry experts can seamlessly monetize their knowledge, build an online presence and personal brand while giving back to the local and global community.“ said Tomas Panek - Digital Marketing at Qatar Airways. Victoria Grace, Founder and Managing Partner at Colle Capital said: “We see tremendous opportunity in Qureos’ mission to bridge knowledge gaps and upskill professionals through leveraging the extraordinary pathway with direct mentorship. Simultaneously this platform provides a fantastic opportunity for highly skilled individuals to directly monetize their knowledge base, compounded by distinct network effects, and for companies to access high quality and motivated pool of talent. It is also extremely gratifying to see the proliferation of entrepreneurial talent in the region directly stemming from the success of Swvl. It is clear to us at Colle Capital that the rising Swvl Mafia will be at the forefront of ushering in a new and exciting wave of innovation in the MENA region and beyond.“ In November 2021, Qureos announced its partnership with DP World, a Dubai-based multinational logistics provider, to digitize the Tumoohi program, an initiative to support the Emirati society and contribute to the UAE government’s efforts to enable Emirati youth. “I am excited to see Alex and Usama, Swvl alumni, and the rest of the founding team raise a highly successful and oversubscribed round and launch in multiple markets. From Swvl’s reliable and affordable transport to Qureos’ Learn to Earn model, the common mission is enhancing access to work and education opportunities and empowering livelihoods. I am also encouraged to see Victoria, the CEO of Queen’s Gambit Growth Capital, the SPAC Swvl is combing with, continue to invest in global players emerging out of the Middle East to scale internationally and access global pools of capital” said Youssef Salem, CFO of Swvl and Member of Board of Advisors of Qureos. Qureos plans to use this investment to build product-led operations and expand its remote-first team with a focus on hiring talent for their offices in the UAE, Pakistan and India. Its diverse team comes from 11 cities and 10 nationalities with experiences at Swvl, Cisco, Careem, EY, Daraz, HSBC and Aleph. About Qureos Qureos is a ‘learn to earn’ marketplace that makes it easy for emerging talent to learn in-demand skills from world-class industry experts through cohort-based learning paths led by world-class industry experts that match the hiring demand from Qureos’ business partners. About Investors COTU Ventures is a Dubai-based leading seed stage venture firm in the Middle East who partners with incredible founders at the beginning of their journey and accelerating their path to product-market fit and ensuring that they get access to the right capital and expertise. Colle Capital Partners is a global, opportunistic, early stage technology venture fund, based out of New York and founded by Victoria Grace who is also the founder of Queen’s Gambit Growth Capital which is leading the SPAC IPO of Swvl. Dubai Angel Investors is member-led Micro-VC made up of more than 100 like-minded angel investors and are passionate about entrepreneurs that have taken their ideas from concept to customer traction to scale with drive, energy, determination and ambition. Globivest, is a Beirut-based private investment firm with a primary focus on innovative and scalable early stage start-ups. Investments range across a spectrum of sectors and asset classes mainly in Europe and the USA. Plutus21 Capital, is a US-based multi-strategy investment firm focused on blockchain infrastructure investments. AlZayani Venture Capital, a portfolio company of AlZayani Investments and is focused on investing in innovative start-ups and disruptive technologies. Currently, it has investments in various companies in sectors such as Fintech, Retail, Food & Beverages, Tourism and EdTech. Contact Details Qureos Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodtrategy.com Company Website https://www.qureos.com/

April 06, 2022 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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