Market Newsdesk

SANTA CRUZ, Calif., March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Poly (NYSE: PLT) announced today that it has sold its 30 millionth IP phone, marking more than 20 years of beautifully engineered, future-proof voice devices trusted by those who are serious about quality audio and pro-grade communication. 

The milestone comes amid rapid changes in the marketplace, as businesses transition from on-premise based phone systems to the cloud, and amidst a global pandemic that has exponentially accelerated the adoption and usage of cloud-based services. Poly voice solutions continue to help IT service providers and customers adapt to how and where people work with a full suite of IP desk phones, wireless phones, USB speakerphones, conference phones, analog telephone adapters (ATAs), and installed audio.

Poly’s voice solutions feature some of the industry’s leading technology in audio innovation, including: smart multi-microphone arrays, HD Voice, Acoustic Fence, and NoiseBlock AI technologies. Poly recently announced its Poly Rove DECT IP phone, the first and only phone solution to exclusively feature built-in Microban antimicrobial product protection, designed to give frontline workers the confidence to collaborate in high-touch work settings.

Poly’s line of phones has consistently evolved over time, along with the way we choose to communicate at work. It all started with Polycom’s first-ever SoundStation conference phone, which can be found on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Poly’s iconic CCX Series is also the first business media phone of its kind to come with or without a handset, providing the option to be used with a headset or a speakerphone instead.

“Technology has changed drastically over time, but the need for high quality phone systems and the ability to connect are constant,” said John Lamarque, vice president and general manager of the voice collaboration and professional headset business unit at Poly. “Poly’s mission is to outfit any and every type of workspace with pro-grade audio technology and high-quality phones to meet your needs, wherever that may be, so you can focus on what matters most.”

For IT and business leaders, Poly voice solutions provide flexibility. Poly works with more than 60 platforms and service providers, including RingCentral, GoTo by LogMeIn, Vonage, Nextiva, Microsoft Teams, and 8×8, so IT and business leaders have the freedom to pick their partner of choice. Poly management solutions make deployments easy and help remotely troubleshoot an issue to its root cause, without requiring IT to travel beyond the cloud.

Poly is a long-time trusted provider of versatile phone solutions for a wide range of customers, from Fortune 500 companies to non-profit organizations. Now more than ever, as organizations seek to solve the challenges of a hybrid workforce, Poly is leading the way with its innovative pro-grade phone solutions.

Poly’s latest phones are designed so you can command the conversation wherever you are:

• Office Solutions – Paying homage to the original SoundStation conference phone, Poly has reimagined conference rooms around the world with the Trio C60, a smart conference phone that features expansion microphones for brilliant audio in large and open spaces. The Trio C60 easily pairs with Poly videoconferencing solutions and makes it easy to launch and join meetings, and also features Alexa for Business so you can join a meeting touch-free. Another device that’s simple to set up and easy to use in the office is the VVX Series, beautifully designed, IP desk phones that are compatible with almost any platform. The VVX Series features Acoustic Fence technology and blocks out unwanted background noise, so you can sound your best on every call.
• Flexible Work Solutions – For those working from home, on the road or returning to the office, the Poly Sync Family of smart speakerphones are USB and Bluetooth enabled devices. These beautifully designed smart speakerphones with award-winning audio can be voice activated to join a meeting and are Zoom and Microsoft Teams certified.
• Essential Workplace Solutions – For critical and essential workplaces, Poly offers the Poly Rove wireless DECT™ IP phones, the first and only phone solution to feature built-in antimicrobial protection from Microban. With Poly Rove, you have the freedom to move around warehouses and shift floors with the confidence to collaborate in high-touch work settings.

“Poly’s differentiated range of IP phone devices deliver one of the industry’s best audio experiences in the market,” said Alaa Saayed, ICT industry director at Frost & Sullivan. “Over time, the company has successfully invigorated its portfolio with the introduction of new desktop models; the delivery of advanced features and capabilities; the partnering with key call control providers; and the implementation of a rock solid endpoint management system that allows businesses to manage, provision and update Poly phones in a streamlined and simplified manner.”

For more information on Poly’s phone offerings, please visit https://www.poly.com/us/en/products/phones.

About Poly
Poly (NYSE: PLT) creates premium audio and video products so you can have your best meeting – anywhere, anytime, every time. Our headsets, video and audio-conferencing products, desk phones, analytics software and services are beautifully designed and engineered to connect people with incredible clarity. They’re pro-grade, easy to use and work seamlessly with all the best video and audio conferencing services. With Poly (Plantronics, Inc. – formerly Plantronics and Polycom), you’ll do more than just show up, you’ll stand out. For more information visit www.Poly.com.

Poly, the propeller design, and the Poly logo are trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. DECT™ is a trademark of ETSI. Bluetooth is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use by Plantronics, Inc. is under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Poly Media Contact:

Shannon Shamoon

PR Manager
+1 (831) 201-9142
[email protected]

Investor Relations:

Mike Iburg

Vice President, IR
+1 (831) 458-7533
[email protected]

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SOURCE Poly

VANCOUVER, BC and ATLANTA, March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ – Liberty Defense Technologies, Inc.(“Liberty” or the “Company“) (TSXV: SCAN) (OTCQB: LDDFF) (FRANKFURT: LD2), a leading concealed weapons detection company, is pleased to announce that it has received a grant from The Israel-US Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation.

The BIRD Foundation is an organization that provides capital for joint industrial research and development between American and Israeli companies. BIRD was established in 1977 by the governments of the United States and Israel.

“We have been working very closely with our Israeli partner, Levitection, on a multi-sensor, contactless public safety security solution to identify covert threats,” said Bill Frain, CEO of Liberty Defense. Liberty and Levitection will split the award evenly.

Levitection is a scientific research and development company operating in the field of advanced electromagnetic imaging, specifically focused on the development of revolutionary Near Field Threat Detection (NFTD) systems for concealed weapon detection in public safety applications.

“The threat of terrorism, both domestic and international, is on the rise, and we are focused on developing those next-generation technologies that will provide the necessary level of sophistication to thwart these modern threats,” added Frain. “This includes taking a layered approach to security. The fusion of Liberty and Levitection technologies will provide additional capabilities to achieve this in environments with high foot traffic.”

BIRD awarded funding earlier this year to two homeland security projects that are being developed by collaborations between U.S. and Israeli companies, selected by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), the Ministry of Public Security (MOPS) of the State of Israel, and approved by the BIRD Foundation’s Board of Governors, to advance technologies for homeland security.

DHS announced earlier, “The BIRD HLS program gives us the opportunity to bring some of the best U.S. and Israeli technology companies together to address our broad homeland security needs.”

“These strategic partnerships will develop innovative solutions that will enhance safety and security around the globe,” added Dr. Eitan Yudilevich, Executive Director of the BIRD Foundation. “BIRD HLS attracts innovative American and Israeli companies and encourages synergistic partnerships to develop solutions that will fulfill critical homeland security needs in both countries. We look forward to continuing our work with DHS and the Israel Ministry of Public Security and to the next cycle in 2021.”

On Behalf of Liberty Defense

Bill Frain

CEO & Director

About Liberty Defense

Liberty Defense Technologies, Inc. (TSXV: SCAN, OTCQB: LDDFF, FRANKFURT: LD2) provides advanced security solutions for concealed weapons detection in high volume foot traffic areas. Liberty has secured an exclusive license from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as well as a technology transfer agreement, for patents related to active 3D radar imaging technology, which is packaged into Liberty’s HEXWAVE product. HEXWAVE is discrete, modular and scalable, and provides layered defense with stand-off detection capability. This is intended to provide a means to proactively counter evolving threats. HEXWAVE uses active 3D radar imaging and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to detect metal and non-metal firearms, knives, explosives and other threats. Liberty is committed to protecting communities and preserving peace of mind through superior security detection solutions. Learn more: LibertyDefense.com

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

When used in this press release, the words “estimate”, “project”, “belief”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “expect”, “plan”, “predict”, “may” or “should” and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. Although Liberty believes, in light of the experience of their respective officers and directors, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered appropriate, that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and information in this press release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because the parties can give no assurance that such statements will prove to be correct. Such statements and information reflect the current view of Liberty. There are risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements and information.

By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause Liberty’s actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements and information. Such factors include, among others: currency fluctuations; limited business history of the parties; disruptions or changes in the credit or security markets; results of operation activities and development of projects; project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses; and general development, market and industry conditions. The parties undertake no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third parties in respect of their securities or their respective financial or operating results (as applicable).

Liberty cautions that the foregoing list of material factors is not exhaustive. When relying on Liberty’s forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Liberty has assumed that the material factors referred to in the previous paragraph will not cause such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors. The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents the expectations of Liberty as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. Liberty does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

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SOURCE Liberty Defense Holdings Ltd.

EMERYVILLE, Calif., March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Amyris, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMRS), a leading synthetic biotechnology company active in the Clean Health and Beauty markets through its consumer brands and a top supplier of sustainable and natural ingredients, today announced that it has signed and closed an agreement with DSM Nutritional Products Ltd., a subsidiary of Royal DSM (AEX: DSM) for the exclusive rights to supply Amyris’s product portfolio of flavor and fragrance (F&F) ingredients. Amyris will continue to develop, scale and manufacture future molecules with its existing partners and DSM.

The total transaction value is estimated at over $500 million from short and long-term contributions with approximately 1/3 as an upfront payment at closing, more than 1/3 from potential earn-out payments based on milestones over the three year period from 2022 through 2024, and the remainder attributable to a 15-year manufacturing agreement between Amyris and DSM and the expected value of developing and scaling a pipeline of new F&F molecules through collaboration agreements.

Amyris will continue to develop, scale-up and produce all existing ingredients in its F&F portfolio with the support of DSM and Amyris’s current F&F partners. Amyris’s F&F partners have extended their current R&D collaboration agreements by 15 years to accelerate the development of future F&F ingredients. DSM will be responsible for the commercial relationship with Amyris’s current partners. The parties expect that the combination of DSM’s market reach and Amyris’s proprietary synthetic biology and fermentation platform will accelerate the industry’s transition to clean, sustainable chemistry.

“DSM is a critical strategic partner for Amyris and understands the unique capabilities of our technology,” said John Melo, President and Chief Executive Officer of Amyris. “This is our largest strategic transaction to date and further validates the significant value our product portfolio delivers. Consumers are increasingly demanding clean and sustainable chemistry that delivers the highest purity and performance for the products they purchase. Both of our companies are deeply committed to accelerating adoption of clean chemistry across the largest and fastest-growing product categories in the world. This transaction and our first quarter performance are expected to deliver almost half of our total expected sales revenue for the full year 2021.”

The completion of this F&F transaction combined with the previously consummated Farnesene transaction in December 2020 delivers close to $200 million in upfront cash payments with the expected earn-out payments positioned to support our planned growth over the next few years. BNP Paribas Securities Corp. acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Amyris on the transaction.

About DSM 
Royal DSM is a global, purpose-led, science-based company active in Nutrition, Health and Sustainable Living. DSM’s purpose is to create brighter lives for all. DSM addresses with its products and solutions some of the world’s biggest challenges while simultaneously creating economic, environmental and societal value for all its stakeholders – customers, employees, shareholders, and society at large. DSM delivers innovative solutions for human nutrition, animal nutrition, personal care and aroma, medical devices, green products and applications, and new mobility and connectivity. DSM and its associated companies deliver annual net sales of about €10 billion with approximately 23,000 employees. The company was founded in 1902 and is listed on the Euronext Amsterdam.

About Amyris

Amyris (Nasdaq: AMRS) is a science and technology leader in the research, development and production of sustainable ingredients for the Clean Health & Beauty and Flavors & Fragrances markets. Amyris uses an impressive array of exclusive technologies, including state-of-the-art machine learning, robotics and artificial intelligence. Our ingredients are included in over 3,000 products from the world’s top brands, reaching more than 200 million consumers. Amyris is proud to own three consumer brands – all built around its No Compromise® promise of clean ingredients: Biossanceâ clean beauty skincare, Pipetteâ clean baby skincare and Purecane™, a zero-calorie sweetener naturally derived from sugarcane. For more information, please visit www.amyris.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements, and any statements other than statements of historical fact could be deemed to be forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding Amyris’s plans to develop, scale and produce all of the existing F&F ingredients with the support of DSM and Amyris’s current F&F partners; expectations that the combination of DSM’s market reach and Amyris’s proprietary synthetic technology and fermentation platforms will accelerate the industry’s transition to clean, sustainable chemistry; expectations regarding the total transaction value including potential earn-outs and payments from future supply and collaboration arrangements to support planned growth and the potential of generating meaningful future cash flow from the transaction; expectations regarding the contribution of the DSM transaction and first quarter performance toward Amyris’s total expected sales revenue for the full year 2021. These statements are based on management’s current expectations, and actual results and future events may differ materially due to risks and uncertainties, including risks related to Amyris’s liquidity and ability to fund operating and capital expenses, risks related to potential delays or failures in development, regulatory approval, production and commercialization of products, risks related to Amyris’s reliance on and collaboration with third parties (including related to development, supply and commercialization), risks related to Amyris’s ability to achieve the expected benefits (commercial, financial or otherwise) from the strategic transaction with DSM, and other risks detailed from time to time in filings Amyris makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Amyris disclaims any obligation to update information contained in these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Amyris, the Amyris logo, No Compromise, Biossance, Pipette, and Purecane are trademarks or registered trademarks of Amyris, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

 

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SOURCE Amyris, Inc.

SEATTLE, March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — (NASDAQ: RDFN) —The post-pandemic housing market will offer some relief for homebuyers, according to a new report from Redfin (redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage. The report was written by Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather.

1.)   
Home values will grow as the economy recovers, but at a slower pace as higher
         mortgage rates temper demand

Double-digit home-value growth will end as the U.S. reaches herd immunity and the economy rebounds. That’s because mortgage rates will make buying a home more expensive, and Americans will have more options for how to spend their money. Instead of spending on homes, Americans will want to spend on activities like vacations, parties and dining. Some people will be eager to buy a home because they will feel more confident in their own economic prospects once the economy recovers. But some people will look at how expensive homes have become and hold off. As a result, home values will rise about 5% per year, which will be more in line with the growth of the overall economy.

As the economy recovers, mortgage rates will likely increase to pre-pandemic levels of around 3.5% for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage, making borrowing to buy a home more expensive than it is now. Since the economy is already doing better than many economists anticipated, there is a small risk that the trillion- dollar stimulus package could inject too much money into the economy and cause inflation and even higher mortgage rates of over 4%.

2.)   
More people will list their homes for sale

When the pandemic ends, the number of homes for sale should increase from record lows, but will likely remain below pre-pandemic levels. Five percent fewer homes were listed for sale in the past 12 months than in the year prior, and currently new listings are down 12% from last year. If most people are vaccinated by 2022, Redfin predicts that the coming year will bring a 10% increase in new listings.

More homeowners will decide to list in order to cash in on high home prices. And a small portion of those who were reluctant to sell during the pandemic because of fear of exposure to the coronavirus will be ready to list once vaccinated. Some homeowners who have been in forbearance will want to sell once forbearance ends to pay off their missed mortgage payments. But many new homeowners who locked in a mortgage rate below 3% during the pandemic won’t want to sell and give up their low monthly mortgage payments.

3.)   
The condo market will heat up

As the economy reopens and more people are back to work, more people will be looking to buy a reasonably priced home. And right now the most reasonably priced homes are the condos that buyers shunned during the pandemic. During the pandemic, condos sold at a 17.3% discount to single family homes, the largest discount since at least 2013, but post-pandemic condo prices will likely grow faster than single family home prices and the discount on condos will shrink.

“If you want to buy a condo, now is the time,” said Seattle Redfin agent Ben Stanfield. “I tell my buyers that if they’re open to looking at condos, we have the ability to negotiate on price and include favorable offer terms like an inspection contingency or a long escrow period. My personal opinion is that the condo market will start to see signs of life coming back in around October.”

Prices are already growing faster in urban areas, where condos are more common, than in suburban or rural areas. Soon homebuyers will see the value in the perks of owning a condo, like shared amenities such as pools and gyms.

4.)   
Suburbs will start to feel more like cities

When the pandemic ends, many people will continue working from home at least part-time, but they will begin taking their lunch and coffee breaks outside their home. This means the kinds of businesses that cater to workers will relocate to suburban areas where more of their customers will be during the day. For example, Starbucks is closing stores in urban areas while opening new stores in the suburbs, and small businesses in cities are recovering at a slower pace than small businesses in the suburbs. Over time, suburban communities will start to feel like more cities with more new restaurants, coffee shops, and happy hour spots opening.

Homes in the suburbs could become even more desirable, thanks to an increase in amenities. The value of a home is closely tied to what amenities are close by, and in the future, more suburbs could have it all—schools, parks, restaurants, coffee shops, and bars.

5.)   
Rents will rise quickly, especially for short-term rentals

Post pandemic, many people will decide to rent instead of buy a home simply because buying a home will be too expensive. Rents in expensive job centers like Manhattan and San Francisco will likely stay below pre-pandemic levels because remote workers will have more options for places to live away from their corporate headquarters. But in popular migration destinations like Austin and Atlanta, rents will increase more quickly because even more people will want to live in these less expensive cities when the economy is fully open and safe.

Short-term rentals will be especially popular. More remote workers will adopt a nomadic lifestyle, where they roam from city to city with no home base at all. A remote tech worker might spend part of the year working from a headquarters, part of the year working from a satellite office, and the rest of the year in a vacation destination. This will cause prices for short-term rentals to increase.

To view the full report, including charts and methodology, please visit: https://www.redfin.com/news/ways-housing-market-will-change-after-pandemic/

About Redfin
Redfin (www.redfin.com) is a technology-powered residential real estate company, redefining real estate in the consumer’s favor in a commission-driven industry. We do this by integrating every step of the home buying and selling process and pairing our own agents with our own technology, creating a service that is faster, better and costs less. We offer brokerage, iBuying, mortgage, and title services, and we also run the country’s #1 nationwide brokerage website, offering a host of online tools to consumers, including the Redfin Estimate. We represent people buying and selling homes in over 95 markets in the United States and Canada. Since our launch in 2006, we have saved our customers nearly $1 billion and we’ve helped them buy or sell more than 310,000 homes worth more than $152 billion.

For more information or to contact a local Redfin real estate agent, visit www.redfin.com. To learn about housing market trends and download data, visit the Redfin Data Center. To be added to Redfin’s press release distribution list, email [email protected]. To view Redfin’s press center, click here.

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SOURCE Redfin

BEIJING, March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Scienjoy Holding Corporation (“Scienjoy”, the “Company”) (NASDAQ: SJ), a leading live entertainment mobile streaming platform in China, today announced it has established a strategic partnership with Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (“BUPT”) to research multi-user augmented reality technology and its applications for live streaming content and entertainment.

As part of the agreement, Scienjoy will purchase patents for “augmented reality technologies and systems for multi-user interactions” from BUPT. Scienjoy plans to use these patents in multi-player games and multi-player live streams to enhance the user interactive experience in Scienjoy’s virtual reality second life worlds.

Through partnership with BUPT, Scienjoy hopes to further promote innovation and development in the live streaming industry, and to explore research synergies between institutions of higher education and private enterprise on augmented reality (AR) technology. This agreement represents a further deepening of the cooperation between BUPT and Scienjoy that was announced in January 2021 regarding the applications of web-based augmented reality technology (Web AR).

Through 3D imaging technology and visual tracking algorithms, AR technology superimposes computer generated information into real environments. AR allows users to experience both a virtual world and the physical world simultaneously, and to interact with both in a unique and intuitive way. Mobile augmented reality can be divided into two categories: single-user AR and multi-user AR, each backed by different key technologies and useful for different applications. Multi-user AR, the technology in this cooperation and patent acquisition, is of particular interest to Scienjoy, which seeks to continually upgrade the user experience to be more participatory, interactive and entertaining.

For Scienjoy, multi-user interactive AR technologies are a further step in the Company’s long investment in enhancing the user experience of live streaming and games with augmented virtual reality. The traditional live streaming video experience is one-directional and relies on host appearance, performance skills, environment, and storytelling abilities. In the live streaming category, where users are increasingly looking for interactive entertainment, traditional live streaming may become repetitive and cause users to lose interest in hosts and whole platform ecosystems over time.

Scienjoy has long been at the forefront of researching and integrating AR, virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) to its social platforms to improve the user experience and maintain high user stickiness. Scienjoy has already applied single-user AR technologies to allow hosts and users to supplement their appearance or environment and has also explored multi-player second life worlds. This acquisition of multi-user AR technology will allow hosts and multiple users to interact in second life virtual world spaces and together interact with virtual objects and information. Unlike traditional online games, where players are only able to control virtual objects and avatars, AR games allow players to interact with each other, and virtual objects to interact with the physical environment, bringing a new level of novelty and interactivity to the live streaming game experience.

With recent advancements in mobile devices and chip technology, smart phones and tablets now have the hardware to support AR entertainment. The sensors needed for AR entertainment such as multiple lenses, gyroscopes, accelerometers, and others have all already become standard configurations. The application of these sensors also provides an unprecedented development opportunity for the popularization of AR technology on mobile social platforms like Scienjoy’s. At present, players in the mobile device field such as Google, Apple, Qualcomm, Huawei, Tencent, Alibaba, and Xiaomi and others are all engaged in the research and development of mobile AR related technologies and products. As a leading live entertainment mobile streaming platform provider, Scienjoy will continue to find applications of mobile device technology to further integrate AR to its social platforms and strengthen the user experience.

“In the future, Scienjoy plans to fully integrate virtual and reality through the combination of 5G and AI, AR, VR and other technologies, to give users a more realistic and rich immersive experience,” said Victor He, Chairman and CEO of Scienjoy. “I believe that the purchase of these AR system patents, which represents a further step in Scienjoy’s strategic commitment to entertainment R&D, will bring great value to Scienjoy’s live streaming ecosystem.”

With the goal of seizing the opportunities of the 5G era for the live streaming industry, Scienjoy has made considerable investments in research, has accumulated solid technology reserves, and has attached great importance in R&D personnel to apply technologies to the platform. As user habits evolve, AR technologies advance, and new forms of entertainment are developed, the role of live streaming will be redefined and applied in new ways.

About Scienjoy Holding Corporation

Founded in 2011, Scienjoy is a leading mobile live streaming platform in China, and its core mission is to build a live streaming service matrix that delivers pleasant experience to users. With more than 243 million registered users, Scienjoy currently operates four brands of live streaming platforms, consisting of: Showself, Lehai, Haixiu, and BeeLive (including Mifeng, BeeLive Chinese version, and BeeLive International for international markets). Scienjoy adopts multi-platform operation strategies and is committed to providing high quality and value-added services for users with innovative thinking. Based on the in-depth understanding and research of the live streaming industry and user behavior, Scienjoy is devoted to building a second life world in which the virtual world and the reality are integrated within the live streaming scenario, deeply integrating the industry through diversified live broadcasting scenarios, and empowering the industry by building a content-rich and vibrant Live Streaming Full Ecosystem. For more information, please visit http://ir.scienjoy.com/.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain statements made in this release are “forward looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words “estimates,” “projected,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “forecasts,” “plans,” “intends,” “believes,” “seeks,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “future,” “propose” and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside the Company’s control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Important factors, among others, are: the ability to manage growth; ability to identify and integrate other future acquisitions; ability to obtain additional financing in the future to fund capital expenditures; fluctuations in general economic and business conditions; costs or other factors adversely affecting our profitability; litigation involving patents, intellectual property, and other matters; potential changes in the legislative and regulatory environment; a pandemic or epidemic. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are also subject to other risks and uncertainties, including those more fully described in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) from time to time. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Such information speaks only as of the date of this release.

Media Relations Contact

Greta Bradford

ICR Inc.
[email protected]
+86 178-8882-8731

Investor Relations Contacts

Ray Chen

VP, Investor relations
Scienjoy Inc.
+86-010-64428188
[email protected]

Jack Wang

ICR Inc.
+1 (212) 537-9254
[email protected]

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SOURCE Scienjoy Holding Corporation

VANCOUVER, BC, March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ – Cache Exploration Inc. (the “Company” or “Cache”) (TSXV: CAY; U.S. OTC: CEXPF) is pleased to announce that the Company has entered into an agreement for a financing facility with Alumina Partners (Ontario) Ltd. (“Alumina”). The Investment Agreement will provide the Company with up to C$6.0 million over a 24-month period to finance its working capital needs.

Jack Bal, CEO of Cache, stated, “We will work with Alumina Partners to help us to finance the advancement of our exploration projects, Kiyuk Lake and Marmot. This facility will give us confidence of financing as we move forward on our work programs.”

“We are excited to support Cache as they prepare to accelerate their exploration programs,” said Adi Nahmani, Managing Member of Alumina. “We continue to believe that the combination of a benign interest rate environment and prodigious economic stimulus spending by major industrialized nations will contribute to a favorable near-term outlook for counter-inflationary precious metals, and look forward to getting more exposure to gold exploration with the veteran management team at Cache.”

Under the financing facility (the “Investment Agreement”) Cache, subject to certain customary conditions, may draw down through private placements up to CAD $6,000,000 million in tranches of up to CAD $250,000 each. Each tranche shall be a private placement of units, to be comprised on one common share (“Common Share”) and one Common Share purchase warrant (“Warrant”). The Warrants may not be exercised prior to the date, which is four months and one day from their date of issuance.Each full Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one Common Share of the Company at a price of 25% over the market price and will have a term of three years.

There are no standby charges or other upfront fees associated with the Investment Agreement. Each tranche of Units issued under the Investment Agreement will be subject to the acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange, and the securities issued will be subject to the customary 4-month hold period.

About Cache Exploration 

Cache is a gold focused Company that holds and operates the Kiyuk Lake Property which covers 590km2 in SW Nunavut: the project features a number of gold bearing prospects including 2017 identification of 8m of 26.4 g/t gold at the Rusty Zone and extensive mineralization at East Gold Point with 64 m at 1.5 g/t gold and 10 m at 6.5 g/t gold. Extensive surficial float evidence indicates a series of high-interest gold systems (see www.cacheexploration.com/CAY-NR-10-26-17 to view plan maps of Rusty Zone and East Gold Point, section showing select KI17-004 and -005 drill results and Maps of rock and till sampling results).

Drilling has discovered multiple gold intercepts over 1 g/t Au in five discrete mineralized zones Rusty, Gold Point, East Gold Point, Cobalt and Amundsen. Significant expansion possible with five new target areas identified and ready for drilling. Exploration at Kiyuk Lake takes place in winter-spring (February – May) and summer-fall (June-October).

On behalf of the Board of Directors of

CACHE EXPLORATION INC.

Jack Bal

President and Chief Executive Officer

604-306-5285

[email protected]–

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

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SOURCE Cache Exploration Inc.

CHICAGO, March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ —  Opportunity Financial, LLC (“OppFi“), a leading financial technology platform that powers banks to help the everyday consumer gain access to credit, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with financial care platform Brightside to provide small dollar loans to non-prime borrowers at prime rates via OppFi’s new loan product, SalaryTap.

SalaryTap is a multiyear small dollar installment loan product offered through employers that ranges from $2,000 to $6,000, extending prime pricing to non-prime consumers, and is repaid via payroll deduction. The product is fully transparent with no additional fees or charges levied on borrowers, and loan amounts are based on each borrower’s income as a means of assessing loan affordability.

The agreement with Brightside is the first publicly announced arrangement for SalaryTap as OppFi expands this offering to a growing number of employers and distribution channels. Through this arrangement, OppFi believes SalaryTap will directly reach thousands of consumers working in industries ranging from healthcare and telecom to retail and manufacturing.

“We are excited to work with Brightside to expand access to credit for the everyday consumer with products that support our mission to build financial inclusion,” said Jared Kaplan, chief executive officer of OppFi. “As we expand our offering for the 60 million consumers locked out of traditional options, we believe working with companies like Brightside will create a win-win proposition with more credit options for more consumers who need them.”

“We focus on improving outcomes for working families and their employers by reducing financial stress, using a holistic and innovative Financial Care approach and a suite of partners that provide real solutions for working families.” said Tom Spann, CEO of Brightside. “OppFi is creatively solving the credit access issue for those who need it most and we are proud to deliver its innovative and transparent solutions to employees via our platform.”

Other early-stage SalaryTap pilots performed directly with employers have been underway since November 2020. The most common uses of funds for SalaryTap have been car repair, family needs, housing costs, and medical bills. A national roll-out for SalaryTap is planned for the second quarter of 2021.

On February 9, 2021, OppFi and FG New America Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: FGNA), a special purpose acquisition corporation, entered into a definitive agreement for a business combination that would result in OppFi becoming a public company.

About OppFi

OppFi a leading financial technology platform that powers banks to help the everyday consumer gain access to credit. Through its unwavering commitment to customer service, OppFi helps consumers who are turned away by traditional providers build a better financial path. OppFi has facilitated the issuance of more than 1.5 million loans. The company has been ranked as an Inc. 5000 company for five straight years and was named the eighth fastest-growing Chicagoland company in 2020 by Crain’s Chicago Business. The company was also named on Forbes America 2021 list of America’s Best Startup Employers and Built In’s 2021 Best Places to Work in Chicago. The company maintains an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and maintains a 4.9/5 star rating with more than 14,000 online customer reviews, making it one of the top customer-rated financial platforms online. For more information, please visit www.oppfi.com.

About FGNA

FG New America Acquisition Corp., (NYSE: FGNA), is a NYSE-listed blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. For more information, please visit www.fgnewamerica.com.

About Brightside

Founded in 2017, Brightside is the first employer-based financial care platform to drive meaningful ROI for employers by making paychecks go farther for the 72% of Americans who are not financially healthy.¹ With a combination of expert Financial Assistants, a proprietary rules engine, and innovative financial products, Brightside delivers an average of $1,200 savings annually to each of the thousands of families it serves. In addition, employers experience improved productivity, retention, diversity, and lower healthcare costs. Brightside is backed by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Trinity Ventures, and Comcast Ventures.  For more information, please visit: https://www.gobrightside.com.

Contact:

[email protected]

¹ https://finhealthnetwork.org/research/u-s-financial-health-pulse-2018-baseline-survey-results/

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. OppFi’s actual results may differ from its beliefs, expectations, estimates and projections and consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as “expect,” “estimate,” “project,” “budget,” “forecast,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “believes,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, OppFi’s beliefs regarding SalaryTap and SalaryTap’s market and performance. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results. Most of these factors are outside OppFi’s control and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to: (1) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the definitive business combination agreement (the “Agreement”) relating to the proposed business combination between FG New America Acquisition Corp. (“FGNA”) and OppFi; (2) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against FGNA and OppFi following the announcement of the Agreement and the transactions contemplated therein; (3) the inability to complete the proposed business combination, including due to failure to obtain approval of the stockholders of FGNA, certain regulatory approvals or satisfy other conditions to closing in the Agreement, including with respect to the levels of FGNA stockholder redemptions; (4) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the Agreement or could otherwise cause the transaction to fail to close; (5) the impact of COVID-19 on OppFi’s business or Brightside’s business and/or the ability of FGNA and OppFi to complete the proposed business combination; (6) the inability to obtain or maintain the listing of the combined company’s shares of common stock on the New York Stock Exchange following the proposed business combination; (7) the risk that the proposed business combination disrupts OppFi’s current plans and operations, including with respect to SalaryTap, as a result of the announcement and consummation of the proposed business combination; (8) the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the proposed business combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition, the ability of OppFi to grow and manage growth profitably and retain its key employees; (9) costs related to the proposed business combination; (10) changes in applicable laws or regulations; (11) the possibility that OppFi, Brightside or FGNA may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; and (12) other risks and uncertainties indicated from time to time in the proxy statement filed by FGNA, including those under “Risk Factors” included therein, and in FGNA’s other filings with the SEC. The foregoing list of factors is not exclusive. OppFi cautions readers not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. None of OppFi, Brightside or FGNA undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

Important Information and Where to Find It

In connection with the proposed business combination, FGNA filed a preliminary proxy statement and will file a definitive proxy statement with the SEC. FGNA’s stockholders and other interested persons are advised to read the preliminary proxy statement and the amendments thereto and, when available, the definitive proxy statement and documents incorporated by reference therein filed in connection with the proposed business combination, as these materials contain important information about OppFi, FGNA and the proposed business combination. When available, the definitive proxy statement and other relevant materials for the proposed business combination will be mailed to stockholders of FGNA as of the record date established for voting on the proposed business combination. Stockholders will also be able to obtain copies of the preliminary proxy statement, the definitive proxy statement and other documents filed with the SEC that will be incorporated by reference therein, without charge, once available, at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov, or by directing a request to: FG New America Acquisition Corp., Attention: Hassan Baqar, Chief Financial Officer, 105 S. Maple Street, Itasca, Illinois 60143.

Participants in the Solicitation

FGNA and its directors and executive officers may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies from FGNA’s stockholders with respect to the business combination. A list of the names of those directors and executive officers and a description of their interests in FGNA was filed in the preliminary proxy statement for the proposed business combination and is available at www.sec.gov. Additional information regarding the interests of such participants will be contained in the definitive proxy statement for the proposed business combination when available.

OppFi and its directors and executive officers may also be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the stockholders of FGNA in connection with the business combination. A list of the names of such directors and executive officers and information regarding their interests in the proposed business combination was included in the preliminary proxy statement for the proposed business combination. Additional information regarding the interests of such participants will be contained in the definitive proxy statement for the proposed business combination when available.

Non-Solicitation

This press release shall not constitute a solicitation of a proxy, consent or authorization with respect to any securities or in respect of the proposed business combination. This press release shall also not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any states or jurisdictions in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offering of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. 

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SOURCE OppFi