Market Newsdesk

NEW YORK, Aug. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Fluent, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLNT), a leading provider of commerce media solutions, today announced that Don Patrick, Chief Executive Officer, and Ryan Perfit, Chief Financial Officer, will attend the Lake Street Capital Markets 10th Annual Best Ideas Growth Conference on Thursday, September 10 at The Metropolitan Club in New York City.

Management will be available for one-on-one meetings with investors throughout the day. For conference details or to schedule a one-on-one meeting, please contact your Lake Street representative.

About Fluent, Inc.

Fluent, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLNT) is a commerce media solutions provider connecting top-tier brands with highly engaged consumers. Leveraging exclusive ad inventory, robust first-party data, privacy-first infrastructure, and proprietary machine learning, Fluent unlocks additional revenue streams for partners and empowers advertisers to acquire their most valuable customers at scale. Founded in 2010, Fluent uses its deep expertise in performance marketing to drive monetization and increase engagement at key touchpoints across the customer journey. For more insights, visit

https://www.fluentco.com

.

Contact Information:

Investor Relations
Fluent, Inc.
[email protected]

NRC establishes scope, schedule, and multidisciplinary review team for the first phase of the readiness assessment of Terra Innovatum’s planned SOLO™ Construction Permit Application

First phase will assess the Environmental Report and nine PSAR chapters covering key safety, reactor design, environmental, and licensing topics

Early NRC review of defined draft application materials is intended to help Terra Innovatum identify and address potential questions and information needs before formal CPA submission

NEW YORK, Aug. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Terra Innovatum Global N.V. (“Terra Innovatum”, “Terra”, or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: NKLR), a developer of advanced micro-modular nuclear reactors, today announced that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (“NRC”) has commenced the first phase of a limited-scope preapplication readiness assessment of defined portions of the Company’s planned Construction Permit Application (“CPA”) for its first-of-a-kind (“FOAK”) SOLO™ Micro-Modular Reactor.

Supporting a High-Quality Construction Permit Application

The readiness assessment is an important pre-submission step in Terra Innovatum’s licensing strategy, enabling NRC staff to review selected draft materials before the Company files its CPA and providing an opportunity to identify and address potential information needs, technical questions or policy matters early in the process.

The NRC issued its formal readiness assessment plan following Terra Innovatum’s July 20, 2026, request for a two-phase assessment of its planned CPA. The first phase commenced with an August 10, 2026, entrance meeting and is expected to continue for approximately six weeks.

First Phase Assessment Scope

During the first phase, NRC staff will assess the Company’s Environmental Report, prepared consistent with 10 CFR Part 51 and the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”), and the following nine chapters of the Preliminary Safety Analysis Report (“PSAR”):

• Chapter 1: The Facility
• Chapter 2: Site Characteristics
• Chapter 4: Reactor Description (partial)
• Chapter 6: Engineered Safety Features
• Chapter 11: Radiation Protection and Waste Management
• Chapter 15: Financial Qualifications
• Chapter 16: Other License Considerations
• Chapter 17: Decommissioning and Possession-Only License Amendments
• Chapter 18: Highly Enriched to Low-Enriched Uranium Conversions

The NRC has established a multidisciplinary team from its advanced reactor licensing, reactor science, reactor engineering, environmental review and financial assessment organizations to conduct the first-phase assessment.

The assessment enables NRC staff to become familiar with selected draft application materials before formal submission and provides Terra Innovatum an opportunity to address potential information gaps and significant technical or policy matters in advance of its CPA.

Management Commentary

“The commencement of this readiness assessment is an important step in our disciplined strategy to advance SOLO™ through the rigorous U.S. regulatory process,” said Cesare Frepoli, Chief Operating Officer and Director of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs of Terra Innovatum. “The first phase covers key safety, environmental, reactor design, and licensing materials that represent a meaningful portion of our planned Construction Permit Application. Early, substantive engagement with the NRC staff provides an opportunity to identify and address potential questions before formal submission, supporting our objective of delivering a high-quality, review-ready CPA.”

Building on Ongoing NRC Engagement

The NRC’s August 5 readiness assessment plan builds on Terra Innovatum’s preapplication engagement with the agency since 2025, including public meetings, and submissions of white papers and topical reports across multiple technical and programmatic areas.

Following the first phase, NRC staff plans to hold an exit meeting with Terra Innovatum and issue a publicly available report summarizing its observations and feedback within 45 calendar days. The NRC also expects to issue a separate assessment plan for the application materials before the second phase begins.

The readiness assessment is a preapplication activity, separate from the NRC’s formal acceptance review process. It does not constitute NRC approval of the SOLO™ design or of any future CPA, or predetermine whether a future CPA will be accepted for docketing or how the NRC may evaluate it following docketing.

ABOUT TERRA INNOVATUM & SOLO™
Terra Innovatum’s mission is to make nuclear power accessible. We deliver simple and safe micro-reactor solutions that are scalable, affordable and deployable anywhere 1 MWe at a time.

Terra Innovatum is a pioneering force in the energy sector, dedicated to delivering innovative and sustainable power solutions. Terra Innovatum plans to leverage cutting-edge nuclear technology through the SOLO™ Micro-Modular Reactor (SMR™) to provide efficient, safe, and environmentally conscious energy. With a mission to address global energy shortages, Terra Innovatum combines extensive expertise in nuclear industry design, manufacturing, and installation licensing to offer disruptive energy solutions. Committed to propelling technological advancements, Terra Innovatum and SOLO™ are dedicated to fostering prosperity and sustainability for humankind.

Conceptualized in 2018 and engineered over six years by experts in nuclear safety, licensing, innovation, and R&D, SOLO™ addresses pressing global energy demands with a market-ready solution. Built from readily available commercial off-the-shelf components, the intended licensing strategy for SOLO™ is designed to support timely deployment and minimize supply chain risks, with the aim of ensuring final cost predictability. Designed to adapt with evolving fuel options, SOLO™ supports both LEU+ and HALEU, offering a platform ready to transition to future fuel supplies.

SOLO™ will offer a wide range of versatile applications, providing CO2-free, behind-the-meter, and off-grid power solutions for data centers, mini-grids serving remote towns and villages, and large-scale industrial operations in hard-to-abate sectors like cement production, oil and gas, steel manufacturing, and mining. It also has the ability to supply heat for industrial applications and other specialized processes, including water treatment, desalination and co-generation. Thanks to its modular design, SOLO™ can be scaled to deliver up to 1GW or more of CO2-free power with a minimal footprint, making it an ideal solution for rapidly replacing fossil fuel-based thermal plants. Beyond electricity and heat generation, SOLO™ can also contribute to critical applications in the medical sector by producing radioisotopes essential for oncology research and cancer treatment.

To learn more, visit: https://investors.terrainnovatum.com/.
Follow us on X: https://x.com/TerraInnovatum
and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/terra-innovatum-solo/.

CONTACTS

Giordano Morichi

Founding Partner, Managing Director of Global Business Development and Investor Relations
Terra Innovatum Global N.V.
E: [email protected]
W: www.terrainnovatum.com

Investor and Media Relations

Simon Willcocks, Alliance Advisors IR
E: [email protected]

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including, but not limited to, opinions and projections prepared by Terra Innovatum’s management. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or future financial or operating performance, including pro forma and estimated financial information, and other “forward-looking statements” (as such term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). The recipient can identify forward-looking statements because they typically contain words such as “outlook,” “believes,” “expects,” “will,” “projected,” “continue,” “increase,” “may,” “should,” “could,” “seeks,” “predicts,” “intends,” “trends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “anticipates” or the negatives or variations of these words or other comparable words and/or similar expressions (but the absence of these words and/or similar expressions does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking).

These forward-looking statements specifically include, but are not limited to, statements regarding estimates and forecasts of financial and performance metrics, projections of market opportunity and market share, expected timing for regulatory approvals and commercialization and the potential success of Terra Innovatum’s strategy and expectations. Forward-looking statements, opinions and projections are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of Terra Innovatum’s business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of Terra Innovatum’s control. These uncertainties and risks may be known or unknown.

Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: changes in domestic and foreign business, market, financial, political and legal conditions; future global, regional or local economic and market conditions; the development, effects and enforcement of laws and regulations; Terra Innovatum’s ability to manage future growth; Terra Innovatum’s ability to develop new products and services, bring them to market in a timely manner, and make enhancements to its platform; the effects of competition on Terra Innovatum’s future business; and the outcome of any potential litigation, government and regulatory proceedings, investigations and inquiries and other risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” in documents Terra Innovatum files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission including Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2026. If any of these risks materialize or Terra Innovatum’s assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by the forward-looking statements contained herein. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect Terra Innovatum’s expectations and views as of the date of this press release. Terra Innovatum anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause its assessments to change. However, while Terra Innovatum may elect to update these forward-looking statements in the future, it specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made.

WILMINGTON, Del., Aug. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Smartkem, Inc. (Nasdaq: SMTK) (“Smartkem” or the “Company”) today announced that its Board of Directors has approved a reverse stock split of the Company’s outstanding common stock at a ratio of 1-for-50, following authorization by shareholders at the company’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders held June 23, 2026.

The reverse stock split will become effective on August 20, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time and Smartkem’s common stock will begin trading on a split-adjusted basis on the Nasdaq Capital Market at the opening of trading on August 21, 2026 under the existing ticker symbol “SMTK.”

The reverse stock split is intended to increase the per share trading price of Smartkem’s common stock to satisfy the minimum bid price requirement for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

As a result of the reverse stock split, every 50 shares of Smartkem common stock issued and outstanding will automatically be combined into one share of common stock. The reverse stock split will reduce the number of outstanding shares proportionally, while the number of authorized shares of common stock will not change. Fractional shares will not be issued. Shareholders who would be entitled to receive fractional shares will instead be entitled to the rounding up of their fractional share to the nearest whole share.

The reverse stock split will affect all shareholders uniformly and will not alter any shareholder’s proportional ownership interest in the company, except for adjustments resulting from the treatment of fractional shares. The reverse stock split will also proportionately adjust the number of shares underlying the company’s outstanding equity awards, warrants, and other equity-based securities, as well as the applicable exercise or conversion prices.

Equiniti is serving as the exchange agent for the reverse stock split. Shareholders holding shares electronically or in book-entry form do not need to take any action. Shareholders holding certificated shares will receive instructions from Equiniti regarding the exchange of their stock certificates. Additional information regarding the reverse stock split can be found in Smartkem’s definitive proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 18, 2026.

About Smartkem, Inc.

Smartkem develops and manufactures custom electronic materials designed to enable the next generation of electronics. Our advanced TRUFLEX^® materials integrate into existing manufacturing processes, supporting efficient, scalable production and high-performance outcomes across a broad range of electronic applications. We combine materials science expertise with practical engineering to deliver tailored solutions for partners seeking to innovate in electronics.

For more information, visit the Smartkem website or follow on LinkedIn.  

Additional Information and Where to Find It

On 3^rd August 2026, Smartkem, announced that it entered into a definitive business combination agreement (the “Agreement”) with Ferrox Critical Minerals (“Ferrox”). In connection with the proposed transaction between the Company and Ferrox, the Company intends to file with the SEC a Registration Statement on Form S-4 (the “Registration Statement”) to register the common stock to be issued in connection with the proposed transaction. The Registration Statement will include a proxy statement of the Company and a prospectus of the Company (the “Proxy Statement/Prospectus”). Each of Ferrox and the Company may file with the SEC other relevant documents concerning the proposed transaction. After the Registration Statement is declared effective, the definitive Proxy Statement/Prospectus will be sent to the stockholders. This is not a substitute for the Registration Statement, the Proxy Statement/Prospectus or any other relevant documents that Ferrox or the Company has filed or will file with the SEC. BEFORE MAKING ANY INVESTMENT DECISION, INVESTORS AND STOCKHOLDERS OF THE COMPANY ARE URGED TO CAREFULLY AND ENTIRELY READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENTAND PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS REGARDING THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THOSE DOCUMENTS, IF AND WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE, BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT FERROX, THE COMPANY, THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION, AND RELATED MATTERS. A copy of the Registration Statement, Proxy Statement/Prospectus, as well as other relevant documents filed by Ferrox and the Company with the SEC, may be obtained free of charge, when they become available, at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. The information on Ferrox’s or the Company’s respective websites is not, and shall not be deemed to be, a part of this communication or incorporated into other filings either company makes with the SEC.

Forward-Looking Statements

All statements in this press release that are not historical are forward-looking statements, including, among other things, the impact that the transaction will have on the Company’s balance sheet and its ongoing cash requirements, the potential dilutive effect of the issuance of the securities in connection with the debt conversion agreement, its market position and market opportunity, expectations and plans as to its product development, manufacturing and sales, and relations with its partners and investors. These statements are not historical facts but rather are based on Smartkem, Inc.’s current expectations, estimates, and projections regarding its business, operations and other similar or related factors. Words such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “anticipate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “project,” “believe,” “estimate,” and other similar or elated expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult or impossible to predict and, in some cases, beyond the Company’s control. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those described in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update information in this release to reflect events or circumstances in the future, even if new information becomes available.

Contacts
Selena Kirkwood
VP of Communications for Smartkem, Inc.
[email protected]

WILMETTE, Ill., Aug. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Monopar Therapeutics Inc. (“Monopar” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: MNPR), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative treatments for patients with unmet medical needs, today announced the appointment of Jeffrey D. Kent, M.D., FACP, FACG, as Executive Vice President, Head of Medical Affairs, effective September 1, 2026. The Company also announced that two abstracts on ALXN1840 (tiomolibdate choline, TMC), its late-stage candidate for the treatment of Wilson disease, have been accepted for presentation at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) – The Liver Meeting^® 2026, taking place November 5-9, 2026, in Denver, Colorado.

Appointment of Jeffrey D. Kent, M.D., as Executive Vice President, Head of Medical Affairs

Upon joining Monopar, Dr. Kent will lead the Company’s medical affairs organization as Monopar prepares for potential U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the New Drug Application (NDA) for ALXN1840, its first-in-class albumin tripartite complex (ATC) activator drug candidate for the treatment of Wilson disease.

“Dr. Kent’s training as a gastroenterologist and hepatologist, combined with his deep experience in rare disease, regulatory strategy, and product launches, makes him an exceptional fit for Monopar as we prepare to bring ALXN1840 to patients with Wilson disease,” said Chandler Robinson, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Monopar.

“The novel mechanism of action and compelling data package of ALXN1840 have the potential to meaningfully change how Wilson disease is treated,” said Dr. Kent. “I look forward to helping realize that potential for patients.”

Dr. Kent brings more than 20 years of biopharmaceutical leadership experience across medical affairs, clinical development and regulatory strategy, with expertise spanning rare diseases, hepatology and gastroenterology, immunology and specialty therapeutics. Most recently, he served as Chief Medical Officer of Sling Therapeutics, where he led the Phase 2b clinical program evaluating linsitinib in thyroid eye disease. Previously, Dr. Kent spent more than a decade at Horizon Therapeutics, including serving as Executive Vice President, Medical Affairs, and as a member of the Executive Committee. During his tenure, he built and scaled Horizon’s global medical affairs organization and supported key programs, including the KRYSTEXXA franchise and the TEPEZZA Biologics License Application (BLA) and its successful FDA Advisory Committee meeting. Earlier in his career, Dr. Kent led global medical affairs for HUMIRA at Abbott Laboratories and served on the CELEBREX clinical development team at Searle/Pharmacia.

AASLD – The Liver Meeting^® 2026 Presentations

The abstract, titled “Residual hepatic, neurologic, and psychiatric disease burden in treatment-experienced patients with Wilson disease: baseline findings from the FoCus Phase 3 trial,” was selected for an oral presentation, a distinction reserved for a small share of accepted abstracts. Frederick K. Askari, M.D., Ph.D., lead author of the abstract and Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the Wilson Disease Program at the University of Michigan Health System, will present the findings on Sunday, November 8, 2026, from 12:15 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. MT. The presentation will highlight the significant unmet need that persists despite years of treatment with currently available therapies, underscoring the importance of novel treatment options in Wilson disease.

Additionally, a second abstract, titled “Neutral molybdenum balance and lack of molybdenum toxicity in subjects treated with tiomolibdate choline supports safety profile of TMC,” was selected for a poster presentation. Professor Aftab Ala, MBBS, M.D., FRCP, Ph.D., Consultant Hepatologist at The Roger Williams Institute of Liver Studies, King’s College London, and King’s College Hospital, London, will present the poster during the Metabolic and Genetic Disease poster session on Thursday, November 5, 2026, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. MT.

The abstracts are scheduled to be released publicly by AASLD on October 5, 2026, and will be published in the October supplement of Hepatology. Presentation materials will be made available on the Monopar website concurrently with each presentation.

About Wilson Disease

Wilson disease is a rare genetic disorder that affects approximately 1 in 30,000 people worldwide. Caused by mutations in the ATP7B gene, the disease impairs the body’s ability to excrete copper, resulting in toxic copper accumulation in the liver, brain, and other organs and potentially fatal outcomes if untreated.

About ALXN1840

ALXN1840 (tiomolibdate choline, TMC) is a novel first-in-class albumin tripartite complex (ATC) activator under investigation for the treatment of Wilson disease. ALXN1840 rapidly mobilizes and tightly sequesters excess copper in ATCs, suppressing its redox reactivity, limiting oxidative damage, and blocking transport across the blood–brain barrier. Clinical data demonstrate that ALXN1840 improves copper balance by increasing fecal copper excretion. In the Phase 3 pivotal trial, ALXN1840 met the primary endpoint by demonstrating rapid and sustained copper mobilization significantly greater than standard of care over 48 weeks in both previously treated and untreated patients. Durable clinical improvement and a favorable safety and tolerability profile were observed across 645 patient-years of follow-up in 266 patients.

About Monopar Therapeutics Inc.

Monopar Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with late-stage candidate ALXN1840 for Wilson disease, and radiopharmaceutical programs including MNPR-101-Zr (Phase 1) for imaging advanced cancers along with MNPR-101-Lu (Phase 1a) and MNPR-101-Ac (late preclinical) for the treatment of advanced cancers. For more information, visit: www.monopartx.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,” “continue,” “target” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Examples of these forward-looking statements include statements concerning the following: that Dr. Kent will lead the medical affairs organization in preparation for potential U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the New Drug Application (NDA) for ALXN1840; that Monopar is preparing to bring ALXN1840 to patients with Wilson disease; and that the novel mechanism of action and compelling data package of ALXN1840 have the potential to meaningfully change how Wilson disease is treated. The forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to: the risk that Dr. Kent does not commence employment as expected or that the anticipated benefits of his appointment are not realized; uncertainties related to the regulatory process, including the rolling NDA submssion, that Monopar has initiated for ALXN1840 and the outcome thereof; the rate of market acceptance and competitiveness in terms of pricing, efficacy and safety of any products for which Monopar receives marketing approval, and Monopar’s ability to competitively market any such products as compared to larger pharmaceutical firms; Monopar’s ability to raise sufficient funds to support continued preclinical, clinical, regulatory, precommercial and commercial development of its programs and to make contractual milestone payments, as well as its ability to raise additional funds in the future to support any existing or future product candidate programs through completion of clinical trials, the approval processes and, if applicable, commercialization; and the significant general risks and uncertainties surrounding the research, development, regulatory approval, and commercialization of imaging agents and therapeutics. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Risks are described more fully in Monopar’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made. Monopar undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release represent Monopar’s views only as of the date hereof and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date.

CONTACT:

Monopar Therapeutics Inc.
Investor Relations
Quan Vu
Chief Financial Officer
[email protected]

Follow Monopar on social media for updates:
X: @MonoparTx LinkedIn: Monopar Therapeutics

Source: Monopar Therapeutics Inc.

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., (NASDAQ: KTOS), a technology company in the defense, national security and global markets, today announced that Orbit Communication Systems Ltd. has received multi-million-dollar orders from multiple international customers for its GAIA 100 Tri-Band 5.5-meter and 6.1-meter antenna systems.

The orders, which support Earth Observation (EO), New Space and satellite communications applications, reflect continued demand for Orbit’s high-performance ground station solutions.

Alongside the announcement, Orbit is revealing the GAIA 100 Tri-Band 6.1, designed to deliver higher gain, improved link margins and enhanced Ka-band tracking performance. Supporting Earth Observation, New Space, defense and satellite communications applications, it combines advanced multi-band capability with a cost-effective, maintenance-free architecture.

“The market is placing increasing emphasis on ground station performance, particularly as satellite operators move toward higher-frequency communications and larger data volumes,” said Daniel Eshchar, General Manager of Orbit Communications Systems. “The GAIA 100 Tri-Band 6.1 was developed to address these evolving requirements by combining enhanced antenna performance, highly accurate Ka-band tracking and a robust, low-maintenance architecture within a single platform.”

The GAIA 100 Tri-Band 6.1 incorporates Orbit’s Auto Track technology, providing the pointing accuracy required for Ka-band communications. By combining integrated RF tracking with Orbit’s control architecture, the system maintains precise satellite alignment throughout the pass, maximizing link performance under demanding operating conditions.

The system’s integrated Radome architecture and robust mechanical design support long-term operation with minimal maintenance. By protecting critical antenna components from environmental exposure, the Radome increases system availability, extends service life and reduces lifecycle costs.

The 6.1-meter GAIA system builds on the proven capabilities of the GAIA family, including uninterrupted horizon-to-horizon tracking, full hemispherical coverage and support for LEO, MEO and GEO missions. Available in multiple antenna sizes and frequency configurations, the GAIA family enables operators to tailor systems to mission requirements while maintaining a common platform architecture.

Acquired by Kratos in March 2026, Orbit significantly expands Kratos’ microwave and digital systems portfolio by adding industry-leading satellite communications (SATCOM), tracking, and communications management technologies for airborne, maritime, land, and space applications. Combined with Kratos’ existing expertise in high-performance RF, microwave, and digital subsystem design and manufacturing, the acquisition strengthens the company’s ability to deliver increasingly integrated, end-to-end communications and mission solutions for defense, national security, and space customers. The combined capabilities position Kratos to address growing global demand for resilient, mission-critical connectivity supporting unmanned systems, satellite communications, electronic warfare, and multi-domain operations while accelerating innovation across rapidly expanding defense and space markets.

About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS) is a technology, products, system and software company addressing the defense, national security, and commercial markets. Kratos makes true internally funded research, development, capital and other investments, to rapidly develop, produce and field solutions that address our customers’ mission critical needs and requirements. At Kratos, affordability is a technology, and we seek to utilize proven, leading-edge approaches and technology, not unproven bleeding edge approaches or technology, with Kratos’ approach designed to reduce cost, schedule and risk, enabling us to be first to market with cost effective solutions. We believe that Kratos is known as an innovative disruptive change agent in the industry, a company that is an expert in designing products and systems up front for successful rapid, large quantity, low-cost future manufacturing which is a value-add competitive differentiator for our large traditional prime system integrator partners and also to our government and commercial customers. Kratos intends to pursue program and contract opportunities as the prime or lead contractor when we believe that our probability of win (PWin) is high and any investment required by Kratos is within our capital resource comfort level. We intend to partner and team with a large, traditional system integrator when our assessment of PWin is greater or required investment is beyond Kratos’ comfort level. Kratos’ primary business areas include virtualized ground systems for satellites and space vehicles including software for command & control (C2) and telemetry, tracking and control (TT&C), jet powered unmanned aerial drone systems, hypersonic vehicles and rocket systems, propulsion systems for drones, missiles, loitering munitions, supersonic systems, space craft and launch systems, C5ISR and microwave electronic products for missile, radar, missile defense, space, satellite, counter UAS, directed energy, communication and other systems, and virtual & augmented reality training systems for the warfighter. For more information, visit www.KratosDefense.com and follow Kratos on LinkedIn and X.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are made on the basis of the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of the management of Kratos and are subject to significant risks and uncertainty. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and Kratos undertakes no obligation to update or revise these statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Although Kratos believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements involve many risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from what may be expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. For a further discussion of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of Kratos in general, see the risk disclosures in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Kratos for the year ended December 28, 2025, and in subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K and other filings made with the SEC by Kratos.

Press Contact:

Claire Cantrell
[email protected]

Kratos Investor Information:

877-934-4687
[email protected]

PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Smartbird, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIRD), an AI infrastructure provider, has issued the following letter from Nadia Carlsten, CEO:

A New Beginning

Smartbird has a rare opportunity to build a new company at the start of a major infrastructure transition. Our origin is equally unusual: the company formerly known as Allbirds sold its footwear assets, changed its name, brought in new leadership and raised capital to go all in on AI infrastructure. This week we filed our Q2 2026 quarterly report, which includes the results of our discontinued operations of the retail business. This is a timely opportunity to address our shareholders and outline Smartbird’s path forward.

Smartbird begins with advantages that most new companies spend years trying to assemble: capital, public market access, and the foundation of a global company. But these advantages are only a starting point: capital alone does not create customers, and a public listing does not create a moat. What matters is what we build with those advantages. I believe there is a significant gap emerging in the AI infrastructure market, and we are building Smartbird specifically to fill it.

The Next AI Infrastructure Wave

The first AI infrastructure boom was built for a small number of companies training frontier models. Their needs shaped infrastructure development: massive clusters backed by enormous capital commitments. Today, AI infrastructure spending, which is on track to surpass $1 trillion worldwide by 2029, remains concentrated among a small number of hyperscalers and AI companies.

But AI is moving beyond the companies building models and into the companies putting them to work. Having spent the last several years close to the buildout of computing infrastructure, I have seen firsthand how infrastructure needs change as AI moves from experimentation to production. Model training drove the first wave of demand. Increasingly, inference (AI running every day in products, workflows, and agents) is driving a different kind of demand. Enterprises that use little or no dedicated AI infrastructure today will need more of it, and their requirements will be different from those of the frontier labs the industry was initially built to serve.

That emerging shift is creating a second market for AI infrastructure. The last several years have been defined by the race to build the largest clusters for a small number of customers. I believe the next several years will be defined by bringing AI infrastructure to a much broader base of customers: the companies using AI rather than building it. That is the market we are choosing to serve.

The Gap We Fill
Enterprises should not have to choose between using standardized shared infrastructure and building bespoke compute systems themselves. For many workloads, shared cloud-based infrastructure will remain the sensible choice. But as AI becomes more strategic to the business, an increasing number of customers will need greater control over how and where their workloads run. They will need additional options, including dedicated and on-premises infrastructure designed around their specific requirements for performance, cost, security, and control.

That customer can take many forms: a pharmaceutical company running complex scientific simulations, a financial institution working with sensitive data, a government with data sovereignty requirements, an AI-native company that has outgrown a shared environment, or an enterprise watching the cost of its inference workloads climb as usage grows.

We want to enable those customers to focus on the products and services they are building with AI, not the foundational infrastructure. Smartbird provides dedicated infrastructure through a managed model: customers get infrastructure designed around their requirements, without having to build the expertise to operate it themselves. They tell us what they need AI to do; we design, procure, deploy, and operate the execution engine for them to build on. Dedicated infrastructure is not the answer for everyone and it does not need to be. But for organizations that need it, we are building Smartbird to be the managed infrastructure company they can rely on and grow with, so they don’t have to become infrastructure companies.

How Smartbird Wins

Hyperscalers win by standardizing infrastructure at enormous scale. But owning a lot of GPUs does not ensure a lasting advantage. Scale is not the only thing customers need.

We are choosing to compete where understanding the customer matters as much as scale. We want to serve organizations for whom AI infrastructure matters enough to think strategically about how it is designed, where it runs, and how much control they retain. For these customers, requirements that don’t fit neatly into a standardized infrastructure platform can be precisely what matters most. We are built to handle that complexity when it creates value for the customer.

That means starting with what the customer is trying to accomplish, not with how many GPUs they think they need. Whether we are supporting multi-agent systems or designing around specific enterprise requirements, understanding the workload allows us to build the right infrastructure around it. The more customers we serve, the more expertise we build. The more clusters we deploy, the more opportunities we have to improve our performance and economics. Those improvements, in turn, allow us to better serve existing customers and attract new ones. That is the flywheel we are building.

We are not tied to a single technology or provider, and we intend to adopt new, specialized technologies as they emerge. Over time, our durable advantage will come from the expertise we build as we deploy and operate that hardware against the real requirements of enterprise AI.

Building Smartbird with Discipline

The combination of cash and cash equivalents, a convertible financing facility and an ATM program, equip Smartbird with access to over $200 million of capital to support our growth plans (as of June 30, 2026). This makes capital allocation a strategic responsibility from Day 1. We intend to deploy capital against real customer needs, building the right infrastructure where and when customers need it.

As Smartbird grows, we will share updates on key benchmarks to measure our progress. Early on, those will include the quality of customer demand, contracted and deployed capacity, and speed of deployment. We will prioritize creating value, not simply getting bigger.

Being right about the growth of AI will not make every infrastructure investment a good one. Technology will change, customer requirements will evolve, and we will face sophisticated competitors. We do not need to predict every change. We need to build Smartbird to adapt quickly, make disciplined investment decisions, and allocate capital accordingly.

Doing that requires exceptional people. We are building a small, technically deep and experienced team in AI infrastructure. We intend to preserve that talent density as we grow. We also recently announced the nomination of two industry experts for election to our board of directors at our next annual meeting of stockholders, adding experience that will help guide Smartbird as we build and scale.

Smartbird Principles

I believe how we build will matter as much as what we build. These principles reflect the company I want us to build and will guide how we operate:

• Customers before capacity. We build infrastructure to solve customer problems, not to make Smartbird look bigger.
• Technical depth over hype. Infrastructure does not care about a good story. It either works or it does not.
• Fundamentals over scale. Growth and scale matter, but neither matters if the underlying economics do not work.
• Complexity, where it creates value. Some of the most valuable enterprise challenges are complex. We embrace complexity when it solves problems that matter.
• Move fast, but don’t break things. AI moves too fast for the pace of a traditional infrastructure company, but agility does not require sacrificing operational rigor.
• Build with the best. Exceptional builders, operators, and partners create enormous leverage when they work as one team.
• Build trust. We are candid about what works and what does not, and disciplined in how we deploy resources and build Smartbird.

The Work Ahead

The market opportunity is enormous. Smartbird is still at the beginning of its journey, but we have a clear playbook for how we intend to build. We serve enterprises for whom dedicated infrastructure solves a real, ongoing problem, execute their first deployments with rigor and precision, and cultivate those engagements into long-term relationships.

I am building Smartbird around a simple conviction: as AI moves from the companies building it to the much broader universe of companies putting it to work, infrastructure needs will change with it. We know who we want to serve and how we intend to serve them. Now we build, one customer, one deployment, and one investment decision at a time.

Sincerely,

Nadia Carlsten
CEO
Smartbird

Access the CEO letter on our

website

or as a PDF

Investor Contact:

[email protected]

Media Contact:

[email protected]

ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Innventure, Inc. (NASDAQ: INV) (“Innventure” or the “Company”), an industrial growth conglomerate, today issued the following letter to shareholders from the Company’s Board of Directors.

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Fellow Shareholders,

Following Innventure’s second quarter 2026 results, the Board has been focused on addressing shareholder concerns. The Board is responding with actions designed to further align management and directors with shareholders, reduce near-term capital demands and concentrate resources on the opportunities we believe represent the clearest path to value creation.

Corporate Actions

• AeroFlexx strategic alternatives and interim funding. The Company is actively pursuing strategic monetization alternatives for AeroFlexx and is seeking outside capital to support AeroFlexx in the interim. AeroFlexx has engaged financial advisors to assist with that process.
• Refinity funding transition. Refinity will not be funded from the Innventure balance sheet following the end of the third quarter of 2026. Refinity will then be funded independently. 
• Parent-level expense reductions. The Company is aggressively implementing headcount and operating cost reductions at the Innventure parent level. Excluding debt service, quarterly cash expenses will drop from $7.5M to $4.5M. In particular, these actions include:
  • Elimination of internal spending on new company formation initiatives. Innventure will maintain relationships with multinational companies but is eliminating new company evaluation and formation spend until further notice.
  • Elimination of parent-level R&D spending. R&D spend at the Innventure level has always been minimal, and going forward will be zero.

Innventure will continue to look at possibilities for additional cost reductions.

• Parent company funding alternatives. Innventure is exploring a range of strategic alternatives, including potential debt and equity financing and the monetization of assets, with a goal of minimizing dilution to shareholders while addressing the Company’s ongoing capital needs.
• Management and director earnout share forfeiture. The Board decided that senior management and directors who received earnout shares based on an Accelsius purchase order from DarkNX forfeit those shares, and these individuals have agreed to do so. While the shares were issued properly based on contractual obligations established in 2023, considering the subsequent removal of the DarkNX booking that satisfied the milestone, the Board determined that forfeiture for senior management and directors is the appropriate action.

Clarifying Expected Timeline to Accelsius Scaled Revenue

The Board firmly believes Accelsius is positioned to be a leader in two-phase direct-to-chip liquid cooling and to capture a meaningful share of this market as adoption begins, potentially as early as 2027. Based on market estimates, that market is expected to grow from approximately $500 million in 2027 to approximately $3.8 billion in 2029.

The Board is committed to transparency, discipline and shareholder alignment as Innventure advances through this next phase. We believe the actions outlined above represent practical steps to address shareholder concerns, reduce near-term capital requirements, and achieve laser focus on the milestones that matter most for Innventure shareholders. We will continue to work with management to identify opportunities to maximize shareholder value.

Sincerely,

Innventure Board of Directors

About Innventure

Innventure, Inc. (NASDAQ: INV), an industrial growth conglomerate, focuses on building companies with billion-dollar valuations by commercializing breakthrough technology solutions. By systematically creating and operating industrial enterprises from the ground up, Innventure participates in early-stage economics and provides industrial operating expertise designed for global scale. Innventure’s approach seeks to uniquely bridge the ”Valley of Death” between corporate innovation and commercialization through its distinctive combination of value-driven multinational partnerships, operational experience, and scaling expertise.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are often identified by future or conditional words such as “plan,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “outlook,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “project,” “continue,” “could,” “may,” “might,” “possible,” “will,” “potential,” “predict,” “should,” “would” and other similar words and expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions), but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking.

The forward-looking statements are based on the current assumptions and expectations of future events that are inherently subject to uncertainties and changes in circumstances and their potential effects and speak only as of the date of this press release. There can be no assurance that future developments will be those that have been anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond the control of the parties) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described in Innventure’s public filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the following: Innventure’s and its subsidiaries’ ability to execute on their strategies, book sales and achieve future financial performance; developments and projections relating to Innventure’s and its subsidiaries’ competitors and industry; the implementation, adoption, market acceptance and success of Innventure’s and its subsidiaries’ products, business models and growth strategies; Innventure’s and its subsidiaries’ ability to generate sufficient revenue and operating cash flow; the timing and magnitude of expected cash expenditures; the availability, timing and terms of additional financing, including debt or equity financing; market conditions affecting access to capital; potential dilution resulting from future financings; Innventure’s ability to successfully implement cost reduction initiatives; changes in economic conditions; competitive pressures; regulatory developments; Innventure’s ability to maintain control over its subsidiaries.

Forward‑looking statements speak only as of the date of this release, and Innventure undertakes no obligation to update them except as required by law.

Investor Relations Contact: Kyle Nagarkar, Solebury Strategic Communications

[email protected]

Media Contact: Stephanie Knight, Solebury Strategic Communications

[email protected]

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Neutron Holdings, Inc. (“Lime”) (Nasdaq: LIME), the largest global shared micromobility business, today announced that Wayne Ting, CEO, and Ann Gugino, CFO, will participate in the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. A fireside chat will be held at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time.

A live webcast and replay of the event will be available on Lime’s investor relations website at http://investors.li.me.

About Lime

Lime’s mission is to build a future where transportation is shared, affordable and carbon-free. As the largest global shared micromobility business, Lime partners with cities to deploy e-bikes and e-scooters to serve shorter distance trips with sustainable transport options. Lime has powered more than one billion rides across five continents, spurring a new generation of clean alternatives to car ownership.

Contacts

Investor Relations

[email protected]

Media Relations

[email protected]

GREENVILLE, S.C., Aug. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — United Community (NYSE: UCB) today announced that Tom Speir has been named executive vice president and chief financial officer.

Speir brings more than two decades of financial experience, including balance sheet management, M&A, strategic planning, and investor relations. In this role, he will shape the bank’s financial direction, oversee capital management and investor relations, and help guide United’s long-term growth and financial strength.

“I am excited to welcome Tom to the United team. He brings proven experience to the role, including clear financial expertise, strategic planning skills, and solid relationships in the investment community,” said Chief Executive Officer Lynn Harton. “Those strengths will help us continue to grow our company and position us for a great future. Tom is a great cultural fit as well, with the right values and approach to connect with our employees and customers.”   

“I am honored to join United at such an exciting time for the company,” said Speir. “What attracted me most was the culture, the values, and the shared commitment to improving the financial well-being of the customers and communities we serve. I look forward to working alongside this talented team as we build on United’s success and continue growing together.”

Speir will join the Greenville, S.C.-based bank on September 8, succeeding Jefferson Harralson, who announced his retirement earlier this year.

Contact:

Joy Marshall
[email protected]
(864) 241-8738

NEW ALBANY, Ohio, Aug. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Abercrombie & Fitch (“Abercrombie”) today announced the next evolution of its multi-year partnership with the National Football League (“NFL”) ahead of the 2026 season. As an Official Fashion Partner of the NFL for the second year, Abercrombie will continue to deliver its signature NFL apparel with a fashion-first lens representing all 32 teams, host in-season activations designed to engage with fans and reach more customers around the globe with broadened product distribution.

The 2026 NFL by Abercrombie collection will be available to more fans than ever before. For the first time, the collection will be sold on NFLShop.com, in NFL stadium stores and on official team e-commerce sites and Fanatics.com, in addition to its existing home at Abercrombie stores and abercrombie.com. The expansion is driven by a new partnership with Fanatics, the NFL’s e-commerce partner, who will use its broad reach across online and physical channels to broaden the overall product availability to fans. Abercrombie’s continued collaboration with the NFL reflects the retailer’s strategy to grow its lifestyle brand through meaningful partnerships that meet customers whenever, wherever and however they shop for their important life moments.

To celebrate the new season, Abercrombie will highlight top NFL players and influential women in sport, showcasing how they bring their personal style to the game on and off the field. Drake Maye (New England Patriots), Justin Jefferson (Minnesota Vikings) and Jaxson Dart (New York Giants) lead the campaign, with additional appearances from CeeDee Lamb (Dallas Cowboys), Cooper DeJean (Philadelphia Eagles), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seattle Seahawks), Jahmyr Gibbs (Detroit Lions) and Malik Nabers (New York Giants). The women’s lineup includes Ann Michael Maye (content creator), Emily Engram (model and content creator), Claire Kittle (content creator and media personality) and Diana Flores (captain and quarterback of the Mexico Women’s National Flag Football Team).

“Our customers are looking for ways to represent the teams they love while staying true to their personal style,” said Corey Robinson, brand president of Abercrombie & Fitch. “That’s what makes our partnership with the NFL such a natural fit. As fashion and sport continue to shape culture, we’re creating more ways for fans to bring their team pride into everyday style. The strong response we’ve seen from customers reinforces that demand, and in our second year as an Official Fashion Partner of the NFL, we’re expanding our assortment and distribution network to bring our signature collection to even more fans.”

“Abercrombie & Fitch shares our vision of fandom and fashion working hand in hand, as we continue to position the NFL globally at the intersection of sports and culture,” said NFL Senior Vice President of Consumer Products and Licensing Casey Collins. “With an expanded collection and distribution network this season, fans and players will have even more ways to express themselves and celebrate the game we all love.”

“The inaugural NFL by Abercrombie collection was a hit with fans, and we’re excited to build on that momentum in year two,” said Sam Archibald, Chief Merchandising Officer of Fanatics Commerce. “Abercrombie brings a distinct fashion point of view to NFL product, and this season we’re excited to offer it to fans wherever they shop across the full NFL ecosystem – from NFL Shop and Fanatics.com, to team shops online and in stadiums.”

The Abercrombie 2026 NFL assortment includes men’s, women’s, kids’, baby and toddler styles, broadening the product range across age groups. Designed to be worn beyond just game day, hoodies, sweatshirts, t-shirts, outerwear and more will be available. Select store locations will also feature expanded team-specific assortments tailored to local fan bases.

This season, the partnership will also introduce a steady cadence of product drops, including co-designed collections with NFL players and personal styling for select talent through Abercrombie’s “Style Concierge.”

Throughout the season, Abercrombie will bring the partnership to key NFL moments, including tunnel walks, arrival moments at select international games and Super Bowl activations. Fans can learn more at abercrombie.com and follow @abercrombie on Instagram and TikTok for season-long updates.

About Abercrombie & Fitch:

Abercrombie & Fitch is an effortless, elevated American lifestyle brand, blending heritage and modern style through quality apparel, accessories and fragrance crafted for all of life’s moments. Abercrombie & Fitch is the namesake brand of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. and is sold in more than 300 stores worldwide (including abercrombie kids) and on abercrombie.com globally.

Abercrombie Media Contact:

[email protected]

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/372a1662-9a97-4ed8-8f51-1ccd79cb7dd5

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a04121ee-8e35-421d-a9cf-105cec0f8fef