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Regulus Therapeutics Announces Closing of $19.4 Million Private Placement of Equity

PR Newswire

LA JOLLA, Calif., Dec. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Regulus Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: RGLS), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative medicines targeting microRNAs, today announced the closing of its previously announced private placement of equity.  The Company received gross proceeds of approximately $19.4 million from the sale of 24,341,607 shares of the Company’s common stock (“Common Stock”) and accompanying warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 18,256,204 shares of Common Stock at a purchase price of $0.622 per share of Common Stock and $0.125 for each share of Common Stock underlying such warrants.  In addition, the Company sold 272,970 shares of non-voting Class A-3 convertible preferred stock, in lieu of shares of Common Stock, at a price of $6.22 per share, and accompanying warrants to purchase an aggregate of  2,047,276 shares of Common Stock at a price of $0.125 for each share of Common Stock underlying these warrants.  Each share of non-voting Class A-3 convertible preferred stock is convertible into 10 shares of Common Stock, subject to certain beneficial ownership conversion limitations.  The Company expects to use the net proceeds from the transaction primarily to advance RGLS4326 for the treatment of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease and for general corporate purposes.  H.C. Wainwright and Co. acted as exclusive placement agent for the financing. 

The offer and sale of the foregoing securities were made in a transaction not involving a public offering and have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or applicable state securities laws. Accordingly, the securities may not be reoffered or resold in the United States except pursuant to an effective registration statement or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and such applicable state securities laws.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the securities, nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state.

Additional details regarding the private placement are included in the Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 4, 2020.

About Regulus

Regulus Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: RGLS) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative medicines targeting microRNAs.  Regulus maintains its corporate headquarters in La Jolla, CA. 

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, including statements regarding Regulus’s expected use of the net proceeds from the private placement.  Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon Regulus’ current expectations and involve assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties, which include, without limitation, risks associated with the development of biopharmaceutical products and the Company’s capital requirements. These and other risks are described in additional detail under the heading “Risk Factors” of the Company’s Quarterly Report on 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2020, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on November 5, 2020, and Regulus’s other filings with the SEC. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made. Regulus undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.

 

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SOURCE Regulus Therapeutics Inc.

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User Education, Cloud Security and XDR Are Critical for Cybersecurity in 2021

Trend Micro predicts that remote and cloud-based systems will be ruthlessly targeted next year

PR Newswire

DALLAS, Dec. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), the leader in cloud security, predicts that home networks, remote working software and cloud systems will be at the center of a new wave of attacks in 2021.

Trend Micro’s predictions report, Turning the Tide, forecasts that cybercriminals in 2021 will particularly look to home networks as a critical launch pad to compromising corporate IT and IoT networks.

“As we begin to enter a post-pandemic world, the trend for remote working is likely going to stick for many organizations. We predict more aggressive attacks to target corporate data and networks,” said Jon Clay, director of global threat communications for Trend Micro. “Security teams will need to double down on user training, extended detection and response and adaptive access controls. This past year was all about surviving: now it’s time for businesses to thrive, with comprehensive cloud security as their foundation.”

The report warns that end users who regularly access sensitive data (e.g. HR professionals accessing employee data, sales managers working with sensitive customer information, or senior executives managing confidential company numbers) will be at greatest risk. Attacks will likely exploit known vulnerabilities in online collaboration and productivity software soon after they are disclosed, rather than zero-days.

Access-as-a-service business models of cybercrime will grow, targeting the home networks of high-value employees, corporate IT and IoT networks. IT security teams will need to overhaul work from home policies and protections to tackle the complexity of hybrid environments — where work and personal data comingle in a single machine. Zero-trust approaches will increasingly be favored to empower and secure distributed workforces.

As third-party integrations reign, Trend Micro also warned that exposed APIs will become a new preferred attack vector for cybercriminals, providing access to sensitive customer data, source code and back-end services.

Cloud systems are another area in which threats will continue to persist in 2021, from unwitting users, misconfigurations, and attackers attempting to take over cloud servers to deploy malicious container images.

Trend Micro recommends the following steps to mitigate threats in 2021:

  • Foster user education and training to extend corporate security best practices to the home, including advice against the use of personal devices
  • Maintain strict access controls for both corporate networks and the home office, including zero trust
  • Double down on best practice security and patch management programs
  • Augment threat detection with security expertise to protect cloud workloads, emails, endpoints, networks, and servers round-the-clock

Cybercriminals will continue to go where the money is – seeking the greatest financial returns on their attacks. Organizations and security teams must remain nimble and vigilant to stay ahead of criminals.

About Trend Micro
Trend Micro, a global leader in cybersecurity, helps make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Leveraging over 30 years of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, Trend Micro enables resilience for businesses, governments, and consumers with connected solutions across cloud workloads, endpoints, email, IIoT, and networks. Our XGen™ security strategy powers our solutions with a cross-generational blend of threat-defense techniques that are optimized for key environments and leverage shared threat intelligence for better, faster protection. With over 6,700 employees in 65 countries, and the world’s most advanced global threat research and intelligence, Trend Micro enables organizations to secure their connected world. www.trendmicro.com

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SOURCE Trend Micro Incorporated

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Vantiq Powers Tokyo Port City Takeshiba with Real-Time Smart Building Applications

Massive IoT Deployment Features 1,300 Sensors, Devices and Cameras
;

System Delivers Real-Time Services, Convenience and Safety for Visitors

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Vantiq today announced that the SoftBank Group is using Vantiq’s real-time application platform as the foundation for the development and deployment of the Tokyo Port City Takeshiba smart building project. The building was initially constructed by Tokyu Fudosan Holdings and Kajima Corporation where SoftBank’s new headquarters is now located. Streaming data is collected in real time from hundreds of sensors installed throughout the building and then the “Smart City Platform” powered by Vantiq reacts in real time.

The Smart City Platform aims to expand to not only the smart building but also the smart city in the Takeshiba area located in Tokyo, Japan. This ambitious project is a showcase for modern technology, featuring advanced software and more than 1,300 total sensors, devices and cameras that feed an array of real-time services for employees, customers and visitors in the city.

The Tokyo Port City Takeshiba office tower uses the Smart City Platform to improve convenience by visualizing in real time a number of functions, including floor congestion, store congestion, bathroom congestion, weather forecast, public transportation status, and even human flow — all shared on digital displays (including 40 indoor displays in public spaces and 108 displays on the outdoor walking decks) and via notifications to office workers’ smartphones. Tokyu Fudosan Holdings leverages the platform for its capability to process various events happening in the building to take real-time actions for more efficient building management, efficient energy usage and safety.

The project developed using the Vantiq platform integrates 19 different technologies behind the scenes, including seven different artificial intelligence algorithms, all connected via microservices using Vantiq’s event-driven architecture. Using Vantiq’s agile development tools, the application was developed in fewer than four weeks with one single developer, based on specifications that SoftBank captured over several months.

“The need for real-time applications and their ability to process multiple compounded events has risen significantly with the growth of IoT and AI as well as with the impact of COVID-19,” said Hironobu Tamba, VP and General Manager of IT-OT Innovation Division of SoftBank Group. “SoftBank plans to initiate a number of smart building and smart city projects leveraging the Vantiq platform which allows us to rapidly design, develop, and deploy complex, distributed real-time applications.”

“We’re excited to be the modern platform underpinning the impressive smart building and smart city services for SoftBank and Smart City Takeshiba,” said Marty Sprinzen, co-founder and CEO of Vantiq. “This is an ideal project to demonstrate the value of real-time applications that are situationally aware, can monitor people and things in real time, process multiple compounded events simultaneously, and work in collaboration with people to create more efficient, sustainable and safer environments.”

Vantiq is a low code and agile platform designed for real-time application development, making it easy for developers to integrate real-time data sources – from cameras to sensors and other edge devices – and create applications that monitor assets, events, people and environments while reducing development cost significantly and allowing rapid enhancement in production. These applications can then analyze and act on complex problems, such as a flood, a major traffic accident, a factory breakdown – or an employee with a 101 degree temperature entering a corporate lobby – all in real time, enabling a faster and more effective response in collaboration with human teams.

For more information, click here to watch a video about Smart City Takeshiba; or here to learn more about the project; or here to learn about Vantiq’s approach to smart buildings.

About
Vantiq

Vantiq enables customers to build next-generation applications that combine real-world data and real-time events. Their agile development environment allows complex applications to be created in weeks with minimal coding, taking full advantage of artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing. Vantiq powers a broad array of applications for smart cities, smart buildings, oil and gas, telecom, healthcare and other industries. Vantiq was founded in 2015 by technology veterans Marty Sprinzen and Paul Butterworth, co-founders of Forte Software. Learn more at http://www.vantiq.com.

Media Contacts:

Dave Reddy, Big Valley Marketing for Vantiq, +1 (650) 868-4659, [email protected] 



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Kinder Morgan Announces 2021 Financial Expectations

Kinder Morgan Announces 2021 Financial Expectations

$1.08 dividend per share, $450 million available for share repurchases, $2.1 billion net income attributable to KMI, and $1.2 billion in DCFin excess of discretionary capex and dividends

HOUSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE: KMI) today announced its preliminary financial projections for 2021. KMI remains committed to maintaining a strong balance sheet, returning value to its shareholders through dividend increases and/or share repurchases, and investing in projects with attractive returns.

“With 2020 coming to a close, we can look back on the year with pride at how our company weathered the economic downturn and energy demand reduction associated with the pandemic. We took decisive action, reducing our 2020 expenses and sustaining capital expenditures by nearly $190 million combined versus our original budget without sacrificing safety and compliance. In addition, we reduced our discretionary capital outlook for 2020 by approximately $680 million, or almost 30%,” said Steve Kean, KMI’s chief executive officer. “We expect these actions to result in an improvement to distributable cash flow (DCF) less discretionary capital expenditures of approximately $160 million compared to our original budget. We expect to end the year with a 2020 Net Debt-to-Adjusted EBITDA ratio of approximately 4.6 times. This is consistent with our long-term target of approximately 4.5 times,” continued Kean.

“In 2021, we expect to generate $2.1 billion in net income attributable to KMI, $2.0 billion more than our 2020 forecast, due primarily to asset and goodwill impairments taken during 2020. We also expect to generate $4.4 billion in DCF during 2021, approximately 3% below our current forecast for 2020 DCF. DCF will be negatively impacted by lower re-contracting rates on certain Natural Gas Pipeline segment assets (mainly Ruby and FEP pipelines, as we have noted for the last couple of years), lower crude volumes and realized prices in the CO2 segment, lower capitalized overhead as a result of lower discretionary capital expenditures, and higher sustaining capital expenditures partially offset by projects placed in service and increased refined product volumes. DCF less discretionary capital expenditures and dividends is expected to be $1.2 billion, an improvement of more than $700 million compared to our 2020 forecast. Our budget guidance includes savings from a corporate-wide organizational efficiency and effectiveness project that resulted in approximately $100 million in annual costs savings to KMI and an expected 2021 DCF benefit of $72 million, taking into account partial year savings in 2020, allocations to capital, and other items. We will go into greater detail on that process when we present our budget on January 27,” continued Kean.

“Pursuant to a recent board of directors meeting, we are also able to announce our 2021 dividend policy and expectation about the fourth quarter 2020 dividend. We expect the board to declare a fourth quarter 2020 dividend of $0.2625 per share or $1.05 annualized, consistent with previous quarters in 2020. Based on our budgeted DCF per share generation detailed below, the board expects the 2021 dividend to be $1.08 per share (annualized), a 3% increase from the 2020 dividend. With budgeted excess coverage of that dividend, we expect also to be able to engage in share repurchases on an opportunistic basis,” concluded Kean.

Below is a summary of KMI’s expectations for 2021:

  • Generate $0.92 of net income attributable to KMI per share, up $0.90 compared to our current 2020 forecast.
  • Generate $1.95 of DCF per share, down 3% compared to our current forecast for 2020, and $6.8 billion of Adjusted EBITDA.
  • Generate DCF in excess of discretionary capital expenditures and dividends of $1.2 billion. A portion of that excess coverage would be available for debt reduction and a portion for opportunistic share repurchases.
  • Return value to shareholders in 2021 through a $1.08 per share dividend (annualized) and opportunistic share repurchases of up to $450 million. Share repurchases at that level would result in a Net Debt-to-Adjusted EBITDA ratio of approximately 4.6 times, consistent with our long-term target of approximately 4.5 times.
  • Invest $0.8 billion in expansion projects and contributions to joint ventures in 2021.

Please see “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below for definitions of DCF, Adjusted EBITDA and Net Debt, and the accompanying tables for reconciliations of 2021 budgeted net income attributable to KMI to budgeted DCF and budgeted Adjusted EBITDA.

KMI’s expectations assume the average annual prices for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil and Henry Hub natural gas of $43 per barrel and $3.00 per million British thermal units (MMBtu), respectively. This is consistent with the forward pricing at the time of the budget process. The vast majority of cash generated by KMI is fee-based and therefore not directly exposed to commodity prices. The primary area where KMI has commodity price sensitivity is in its CO2 segment, where KMI hedges the majority of its next 12 months of oil production to minimize this sensitivity. For 2021, the company estimates that every $1 per barrel change in the average WTI crude oil price impacts DCF by approximately $4 million, and each $0.10 per MMBtu change in the price of natural gas impacts DCF by approximately $1 million.

The KMI board of directors will review the 2021 budget for approval at its January board meeting, and management will discuss the budget in detail during the company’s annual investor conference on January 27, 2021 in Houston, Texas. Kinder Morgan remains committed to transparency and will continue to publish its budget on the company’s website as presented at the investor conference. The 2021 budget will be the standard by which KMI measures its performance next year and will be a factor in determining employee compensation.

About Kinder Morgan, Inc.

Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE: KMI) is one of the largest energy infrastructure companies in North America. Access to reliable, affordable energy is a critical component for improving lives around the world. We are committed to providing energy transportation and storage services in a safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible manner for the benefit of people, communities and businesses we serve. We own an interest in or operate approximately 83,000 miles of pipelines and 147 terminals. Our pipelines transport natural gas, refined petroleum products, crude oil, condensate, CO2 and other products, and our terminals store and handle various commodities including gasoline, diesel fuel chemicals, ethanol, metals and petroleum coke. For more information, please visit www.kindermorgan.com.

Important Information Relating to Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Generally the words “expects,” “believes,” anticipates,” “plans,” “will,” “shall,” “estimates,” and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, which are generally not historical in nature. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, among others, express or implied statements pertaining to: the long-term demand for KMI’s assets and services; the future impact on our business of the global economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, KMI’s expected net income, DCF and Adjusted EBITDA; expected Net Debt-to-Adjusted EBITDA ratios; and anticipated dividends. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties and are based on the beliefs and assumptions of management, based on information currently available to them. Although KMI believes that these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance as to when or if any such forward-looking statements will materialize nor their ultimate impact on our operations or financial condition. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by these forward-looking statements include the risks and uncertainties described in KMI’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year-ended December 31, 2019 and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 (under the headings “Risk Factors” and “Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and elsewhere) and its subsequent reports, which are available through the SEC’s EDGAR system at www.sec.gov and on our website at ir.kindermorgan.com. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they were made, and except to the extent required by law, KMI undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement because of new information, future events or other factors. Because of these risks and uncertainties, readers should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The non-generally accepted accounting principles (non-GAAP) financial measures of distributable cash flow (DCF), both in the aggregate and per share; Adjusted EBITDA; and Net Debt are presented herein.

Our non-GAAP measures described further below should not be considered alternatives to GAAP net income or other GAAP measures and have important limitations as analytical tools. Our computations of these non-GAAP measures may differ from similarly titled measures used by others. You should not consider these non-GAAP measures in isolation or as substitutes for an analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. Management compensates for the limitations of these non-GAAP measures by reviewing our comparable GAAP measures, understanding the differences between the measures and taking this information into account in its analysis and its decision-making processes.

Due to the impracticality of predicting certain amounts required by GAAP such as unrealized gains and losses on derivatives marked to market and potential changes in estimates for certain contingent liabilities, KMI is not providing 2020 budgeted net income attributable to KMI, the GAAP financial measure most directly comparable to the non-GAAP financial measures of DCF and Adjusted EBITDA or budgeted metrics derived therefrom.

Certain Items, as adjustments used to calculate our non-GAAP measures, are items that are required by GAAP to be reflected in net income, but typically either (1) do not have a cash impact (for example, asset impairments), or (2) by their nature are separately identifiable from our normal business operations and in our view are likely to occur only sporadically (for example certain legal settlements, enactment of new tax legislation and casualty losses).We also include adjustments related to joint ventures (see “Amounts from Joint Ventures” below).

DCF is calculated by adjusting net income attributable to KMI for Certain Items, depreciation, depletion and amortization (DD&A), amortization of excess cost of equity investments, income tax expense, cash taxes, sustaining capital expenditures and other items. We also include amounts from joint ventures for income taxes, DD&A and sustaining capital expenditures (see “Amounts from Joint Ventures” below). DCF is a significant performance measure useful to management and external users of our financial statements in evaluating our performance and in measuring and estimating the ability of our assets to generate cash earnings after servicing our debt, paying cash taxes and expending sustaining capital, that could be used for discretionary purposes such as common stock dividends, stock repurchases, retirement of debt, or expansion capital expenditures. DCF should not be used as an alternative to net cash provided by operating activities computed under GAAP. We believe the GAAP measure most directly comparable to DCF is net income attributable to KMI. DCF per common share is DCF divided by average outstanding common shares, including restricted stock awards that participate in common share dividends.

Adjusted EBITDA is calculated by adjusting net income attributable to KMI before interest expense, income taxes, DD&A, and amortization of excess cost of equity investments (EBITDA) for Certain Items. We also include amounts from joint ventures for income taxes and DD&A (see “Amounts from Joint Ventures” below). Adjusted EBITDA is used by management and external users, in conjunction with our Net Debt (as described further below), to evaluate certain leverage metrics. Therefore, we believe Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors. We believe the GAAP measure most directly comparable to Adjusted EBITDA is net income attributable to KMI.

Net Debt is calculated by subtracting from debt (i) cash and cash equivalents, (ii) the preferred interest in the general partner of Kinder Morgan Energy Partners L.P. (which was redeemed in January 2020), (iii) debt fair value adjustments and (iv) the foreign exchange impact on Euro-denominated bonds for which we have entered into currency swaps. Net Debt is a non-GAAP financial measure that management believes is useful to investors and other users of our financial information in evaluating our leverage. We believe the most comparable measure to Net Debt is debt net of cash and cash equivalents.

Amounts from Joint Ventures – Certain Items, DCF and Adjusted EBITDA reflect amounts from unconsolidated joint ventures (JVs) and consolidated JVs utilizing the same recognition and measurement methods used to record “Earnings from equity investments” and “Noncontrolling interests,” respectively. The calculations of DCF and Adjusted EBITDA related to our unconsolidated and consolidated JVs include the same items (DD&A and income tax expense, and for DCF only, also cash taxes and sustaining capital expenditures) with respect to the JVs as those included in the calculations of DCF and Adjusted EBITDA for our wholly-owned consolidated subsidiaries. Although these amounts related to our unconsolidated JVs are included in the calculations of DCF and Adjusted EBITDA, such inclusion should not be understood to imply that we have control over the operations and resulting revenues, expenses or cash flows of such unconsolidated JVs.

Our guidance for 2021 includes a forecast of net income attributable to KMI, which we previously have not provided due to the impracticability of predicting certain components of net income required by GAAP. As a result of changes to GAAP rules and guidance and our 2019 sale of Kinder Morgan Canada Limited, the impact of components related to commodity and interest rate hedge ineffectiveness and foreign currency fluctuations will be inconsequential. In addition, based on our current circumstances, we do not expect that changes in unrealized gains and losses on derivatives marked to market and potential changes in estimates for certain contingent liabilities will materially impact our ability to forecast net income for 2021. If the circumstances relating to these items or other GAAP requirements change and we determine that the difficulty of predicting components required by GAAP makes it impracticable for us to forecast net income attributable to KMI, we will cease to provide a forecast of net income attributable to KMI and will disclose the factors affecting our ability to do so.

Table 1

 

 

Kinder Morgan, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Preliminary Reconciliation of Budgeted Net Income Attributable to Kinder Morgan, Inc. to Budgeted DCF

(in billions)
 

 

2021B

Net income attributable to Kinder Morgan, Inc. (GAAP)

$

2.1

Total Certain Items (1)

 

–

DD&A and amortization of excess cost of equity investments for DCF (2)

 

2.5

Income tax expense for DCF (2)(3)

 

0.7

Cash taxes (4)

 

(0.1)

Sustaining capital expenditures (4)

 

(0.8)

Other items (1)

 

–

DCF

$

4.4

 

Table 2
 

Kinder Morgan, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Preliminary Reconciliation of Budgeted Net Income Attributable to Kinder Morgan, Inc. to Budgeted Adjusted EBITDA

(in billions)
 

 

 

2021B

Net income attributable to Kinder Morgan, Inc. (GAAP)

$

2.1

Total Certain Items (1)

 

–

DD&A and amortization of excess cost of equity investments

 

2.2

Income tax expense (3)

 

0.6

JV DD&A and income tax expense (5)

 

0.4

Interest, net (3)

 

 

1.5

Adjusted EBITDA

 

$

6.8

 

Notes:

(1)

Aggregate adjustments for Total Certain Items and Other items (such as non-cash pension expense and non-cash compensation associated with our restricted stock program) are currently estimated to be less than $100 million.

(2)

Includes DD&A or income tax expense, as applicable, from unconsolidated JVs, reduced by consolidated JV partners’ DD&A.

(3)

Amounts are adjusted for Certain Items.

(4)

Includes cash taxes or sustaining capital expenditures, as applicable, from unconsolidated JVs, reduced by consolidated JV partners’ sustaining capital expenditures.

(5)

Represents unconsolidated JV DD&A and income tax expense, reduced by consolidated JV partners’ DD&A.

 

Media Relations

Dave Conover

(713) 420-6397

[email protected]

Investor Relations

(800) 348-7320

[email protected]

www.kindermorgan.com

KEYWORDS: Texas United States North America Canada

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Chemicals/Plastics Mining/Minerals Oil/Gas Manufacturing Natural Resources Energy Other Manufacturing

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City of Wyandotte Turns to CommScope for Next Generation Connectivity

City of Wyandotte Turns to CommScope for Next Generation Connectivity

Municipal leadership in Michigan design fiber network that underpins vision for future and economic growth

HICKORY, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–CommScope, a global leader in infrastructure solutions for communications networks, today announced that the City of Wyandotte, Michigan, located 11 miles south of Detroit, has partnered with CommScope to accelerate its digital transformation by delivering high-capacity, low-latency connectivity to nearly 25,000 residents. By providing both the fiber technology and expertise, CommScope will enable nearly 13,000 homes and more than 700 commercial buildings to have access to a new network with up to 10Gbps of internet, IP video and smart home services.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201208005087/en/

City of Wyandotte Turns to CommScope for Next Generation Connectivity (Photo: Business Wire)

City of Wyandotte Turns to CommScope for Next Generation Connectivity (Photo: Business Wire)

The project requires full conversion to fiber-to-the-home (FTTH), management of multiple contractors, network component integration, and relocation and expansion of their headend. The City of Wyandotte is tapping into CommScope’s service professionals who bring localized expertise and worldwide experience – to navigate its cutting-edge plan to bring superfast download speeds combined with unparalleled performance.

“Wyandotte is an area that has flourished, developing a reputation as a destination for new and expanding businesses. We are spreading economic growth and investing in arts, food, culture, retail and services that will be attractive to future generations,” said Paul LaManes, General Manager, City of Wyandotte. “Super-fast broadband will kick this evolution into a new gear, paving the way for new applications that improve the quality of life and advance social progress. CommScope eliminates the burden of dealing with multiple vendors while helping us to build a smarter and more strategic network.”

CommScope Professional Services will provide both inside and outside plant construction management and headend relocation. Ongoing consulting services include hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) and FTTH architecture analysis, network evolution, FTTH design services, off-air antenna and satellite signal surveys.

Network technologies like FTTH can bring powerful and new cutting-edge services to City residents, and forward-thinking municipalities like the City of Wyandotte are now transforming their networks. CommScope Professional Services delivers an end-to-end project that takes the uncertainty and frustration out of such network transformations.

Service providers recognize that they must bring more bandwidth to more endpoints in their networks in order to support expanded broadband access as well as 5G services, but they don’t always want to dig new trenches or string new overhead fiber. In addition to a complete FTTH portfolio, CommScope will provide new fiber innovation to get more bandwidth out of existing network infrastructure.

“This year has shown us that the internet is critical in keeping our society functioning in the face of rapid and unpredictable change. It’s reminding us the advantage of forward-looking design and the importance of network innovation,” said Tom McLaughlin, senior vice president of Service Providers for CommScope. “By planning ahead and working together with developers, local utilities, service providers and trusted fiber experts, Wyandotte is creating a path for a connected future.”

“Ultimately, as we look ahead to the future, fiber will underpin the network, delivering the speed, reliability and low latency which businesses need to improve productivity and efficiency within their teams; such connectivity could ultimately be the difference between success and failure, particularly for smaller businesses,” said Jennifer Sims, CEO Power & Tel.

“It’s great that City planners are investing the time to consult with network connectivity vendors to digitally transform their communities,” said Andy Ciccone, vice president of Comm/Data and Commercial, Institutional and Government at Graybar, a leading communications and electrical products distributor who worked with CommScope on this project. “The improvements to Wyandotte’s network infrastructure will have a positive economic impact on the community and it will significantly enhance residents’ lives.”

To learn more about CommScope Professional Services and how they help municipalities around the world upgrade their network infrastructure, visit CommScope.com/Municipality-Solutions.

All product names, trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.

About the City of Wyandotte:

Located in southeastern Michigan, just south of Detroit along the Detroit River, Wyandotte is part of the collection of communities known as ‘Downriver’. A historic waterfront community that was incorporated in 1867, Wyandotte currently has 25,000 residents. Wyandotte is also the only community in the metro Detroit area to offer a full spectrum of community owned municipal utility services, called Wyandotte Municipal Services, providing electric power through a municipal power plant and distribution system, operating a municipal-owned water filtration plant and distribution system as well as providing cable/internet connectivity services. Wyandotte seeks to be the destination of choice for current and future generations of residents and businesses; safe, clean, affordable and beautiful. To learn more about the City of Wyandotte visit http://www.wyandotte.net/

About CommScope:

CommScope (NASDAQ: COMM) is pushing the boundaries of technology to create the world’s most advanced wired and wireless networks. Our global team of employees, innovators and technologists empower customers to anticipate what’s next and invent what’s possible. Discover more at www.commscope.com.

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This press release includes forward-looking statements that are based on information currently available to management, management’s beliefs, as well as on a number of assumptions concerning future events. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of performance and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results to differ materially from those currently expected. In providing forward-looking statements, the company does not intend, and is not undertaking any obligation or duty, to update these statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Source: CommScope

News Media Contacts:

Myra J. Mash CommScope

+1-910-320-3821 or [email protected]

Financial Contact:

Kevin Powers, CommScope

+1-828-323-4970

KEYWORDS: North Carolina Michigan United States North America

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Data Management Technology Mobile/Wireless Telecommunications Networks Hardware

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City of Wyandotte Turns to CommScope for Next Generation Connectivity (Photo: Business Wire)
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Graham Corporation Presentation at LD Micro Main Event Conference to be Broadcast Live

Graham Corporation Presentation at LD Micro Main Event Conference to be Broadcast Live

BATAVIA, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Graham Corporation (NYSE: GHM), a global business that designs, manufactures and sells critical equipment for the oil refining, petrochemical and defense industries, today announced that Jeffrey F. Glajch, Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, and Chris Johnston, Director of Business Development, will be presenting at the 13th annual LD Micro Main Event investor conference on Tuesday, December 15, 2020.

LD Micro Main Event Conference

Tuesday, December 15. 2020

10:40 a.m. Eastern Time

Live webcast Link and accompanying slide presentation: www.graham-mfg.com.

ABOUT GRAHAM CORPORATION

Graham is a global business that designs, manufactures and sells critical equipment for the energy, defense and chemical/petrochemical industries. Energy markets include oil refining, cogeneration, and alternative power. For the defense industry, the Company’s equipment is used in nuclear propulsion power systems for the U.S. Navy. Graham’s global brand is built upon world-renowned engineering expertise in vacuum and heat transfer technology, responsive and flexible service and unsurpassed quality. Graham designs and manufactures custom-engineered ejectors, vacuum pumping systems, surface condensers and vacuum systems. Graham’s equipment can also be found in other diverse applications such as metal refining, pulp and paper processing, water heating, refrigeration, desalination, food processing, pharmaceutical, heating, ventilating and air conditioning. Graham’s reach spans the globe and its equipment is installed in facilities from North and South America to Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Graham routinely posts news and other important information on its website, www.graham-mfg.com, where additional comprehensive information on Graham Corporation and its subsidiaries can be found.

Jeffrey F. Glajch

Vice President – Finance and CFO

Phone: (585) 343-2216

[email protected]

Deborah K. Pawlowski / Christopher M. Gordon

Kei Advisors LLC

Phone: (716) 843-3908 / (716) 843-3942

[email protected] / [email protected]

KEYWORDS: United States North America New York

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Other Defense Other Energy Oil/Gas Nuclear Alternative Energy Energy Defense Other Manufacturing Steel Engineering Chemicals/Plastics Manufacturing

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Jscrambler Announces Jasvir Nagra as Technical Advisor

Cybersecurity company strengthens its advisory board with one of the key minds in software protection to further accelerate its growth

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Jscrambler, a technology company specializing in client-side security for web and mobile applications, today announced that Jasvir Nagra has joined its advisory board as technical advisor.

Jasvir Nagra is widely recognized as a thought leader in software protection. He is co-author of Surreptitious Software, the definitive textbook on software protection, and an early researcher in obfuscation, software watermarking, and fingerprinting. With more than 12 years of experience, his professional path includes companies such as Instart and Google – where he led the Caja project. Currently, Jasvir leads production security at Dropbox. As an advisor, he is helping cybersecurity startups address key technological challenges.

“I learned early in my career that the most fulfilling work is when you get the chance to build great things that address an important hard problem with people you love working with,” said Jasvir Nagra. “I’ve known Pedro and Rui for a long time, and the team they have put together at Jscrambler is among the best working on web security. Securing the browser platform itself remains a challenging, evolving, and unsolved problem. Jscrambler is one of those companies making a real dent in addressing it and I’m excited to be on the journey with them.”

Jscrambler has undertaken a significant R&D push to help companies address client-side security threats such as code tampering, reverse-engineering, and web skimming.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Jasvir to our advisory board,” said Rui Ribeiro, co-founder and CEO of Jscrambler. “He is one of the most accomplished names in software protection and his vision and achievements are key to the future of web application security.”

The announcement follows the recognition by Deloitte of the company’s remarkable growth and Gartner’s recognition of Jscrambler’s cutting edge technology for JavaScript protection and Magecart mitigation. To find more information about Jscrambler, please visit https://jscrambler.com/.

About Jscrambler

Jscrambler is the leader in client-side Web security. With Jscrambler, JavaScript applications become self-defensive and resilient to tampering and reverse-engineering, while also capable of detecting and blocking client-side attacks like Magecart and data exfiltration. Jscrambler is trusted by the Fortune 500 and major companies in sectors such as finance, broadcasting, software development, e-commerce, and gaming. For more information, please visit https://jscrambler.com.

Contact:

Montner PR
[email protected]



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Equinix Revolutionizes How Enterprises Connect Digital Infrastructure

No Longer Just for Cloud Connectivity; Equinix Fabric Connects Digital Leaders to Everything & Everyone

PR Newswire

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Dec. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), the world’s digital infrastructure company, today announced it has revolutionized the way enterprises connect digital infrastructure. Through a series of transformative new capabilities offered on both Equinix Fabric™ (formerly Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric®) and Network Edge, and significantly expanded ecosystems, Equinix is empowering digital leaders to architect a network with the agility needed to respond to increasingly dynamic business environments.

Equinix Fabric: The New Standard for Interconnecting Digital Infrastructure

As enterprise demands for ecosystem access, infrastructure performance and network agility increase, customers are choosing Equinix Fabric as their de facto interconnection standard for connecting their digital infrastructure globally on Platform Equinix®. No longer just for cloud connectivity, Equinix Fabric establishes a globally connected footprint of services that enables digital leaders to transform their businesses as they connect to everything and everyone that matters to their business.

“With the pandemic creating a massive shift to remote working earlier this year, Aon was able to pivot and support 100% of our workforce remotely without any reduction in services. We were also able to roll out new capabilities at a time when many companies were struggling to keep employees connected and remain productive,” said Rakesh Inamdar, Senior Director of Core Infrastructure Services at Aon. “All this was possible by building our digital infrastructure to be ready for disruption on Platform Equinix. Equinix’s trusted platform provides us the most connected footprint of capabilities and services, whether it be connectivity to a boundless ecosystem of technology partners with Equinix Fabric or easy access to the largest carrier-neutral telecom aggregation points. By harnessing the power of the Equinix platform, we were able to bring together and connect our core infrastructure globally, in a highly secure and cost-effective manner.”

Enterprises and service providers are now using Equinix Fabric as a single interconnection approach to connect between all their physical and virtual devices located within Equinix International Business Exchange™ (IBX®) data centers and the world’s largest digital infrastructure ecosystem. This includes connecting physical devices located within Equinix colocation, and automated bare metal servers available with Equinix Metal™, with virtual devices such as routers, firewalls and SD-WAN gateways available on Network Edge, which help enterprises seamlessly bridge the distance between their distributed digital infrastructure.

Significantly expanding the size of the digital ecosystem accessible at software speed to Equinix Fabric customers, Equinix is also launching a new capability that allows Equinix Fabric users to connect to any other customer on Platform Equinix. With this innovation, Equinix Fabric customers can expand their interconnection reach by more than 3x with the ability to connect to the more than 10,000 clouds, networks, partners, customers and rich ecosystems currently available on Platform Equinix.

Transforming the way in which industry-leading network service providers can distribute networking services in the future, Equinix has expanded automated access to network providers via Equinix Fabric. With this enhancement, providers can offer customers direct, on-demand access to their network services, while seamlessly connecting to a full range of participants available on Equinix Fabric. Within minutes, customers can use Equinix Fabric to gain access to network services like MPLS, Ethernet and IP transit from a multitude of major network service providers such as Aryaka, AT&T, BT, Cloudflare, Colt Technology Services, HKBN, Hurricane Electric, euNetworks, Fusix, GTT, Telnyx, Unitas Global and Verizon Business.

Equinix continues to be the single best place for companies to deploy their digital infrastructure for hybrid cloud architectures, offering the most locations to directly and privately connect to the leading IaaS and SaaS clouds. In just minutes, Equinix Fabric customers can directly connect to major cloud providers including Alibaba Cloud, AWS, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud, Microsoft Azure and Oracle Cloud. Additionally, Equinix customers can directly connect to SaaS and collaboration providers such as Salesforce, Cisco Webex, Zoom and many others. This rapidly growing density of enterprise digital infrastructure adjacent to public cloud infrastructure continues to attract even more cloud and network service providers to make their services available on Equinix Fabric.

Network Edge Now Offers Full Suite of Leading SD-WAN Services

Further expanding its virtual network function (VNF) services ecosystem to help companies create and operate their network infrastructure at Equinix without a physical deployment, Equinix recently made the Silver Peak Unity EdgeConnect virtual SD-WAN appliance available on Network Edge. With this addition, Network Edge now offers enterprises a full suite of industry-leading, vendor-neutral, SD-WAN services with built-in integration to Equinix Fabric.

The Network Edge platform enables companies to deploy virtual networking services in real time from multiple vendors, including Cisco, CloudGenix, Fortinet, Juniper Networks, Palo Alto Networks, Silver Peak (recently acquired by Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company), Versa Networks, and VMware. With Equinix Fabric integration, Network Edge customers can also interconnect their virtual edge devices with cloud and network providers located in distributed global markets, extending their reach to potentially thousands of new business partners around the world. 

Highlights/Key Facts:

  • Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric has recently been re-branded Equinix Fabric in recognition of the expanded capabilities, signifying the pivotal shift in how the product has evolved from delivering cloud connectivity to now serving as the interconnection method for all types of IT infrastructure, and as the consumption mechanism for a wide range of virtualized IT services.
  • Equinix Fabric is a software-defined interconnection service that allows any business to connect between its own distributed infrastructure and to any other company’s infrastructure on Platform Equinix. With Equinix Fabric integration built into both Network Edge and Equinix Metal over the trusted Equinix platform, digital leaders can bring together all the right places, partners and possibilities to create the foundational infrastructure needed to succeed. Currently, Equinix Fabric supports approximately 27,500 customer connections, representing 32 percent year-over-year growth in this past year.
  • In the past year, Equinix Fabric has expanded into seven new markets including Bogotá, Canberra, Dubai, Hamburg, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro and Seoul, helping more global enterprises and service providers unlock greater value from Platform Equinix. With the addition of these new markets, Equinix Fabric is available today in 49 strategic metros across five continents including Amsterdam, Atlanta, Barcelona, Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Culpeper, Dallas, Denver, Dublin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, Helsinki, Hong Kong, Houston, Istanbul, Lisbon, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Manchester, Melbourne, Miami, Milan, Munich, New York, Osaka, Paris, Perth, São Paulo, Seattle, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Sofia, Stockholm, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Warsaw, Washington, D.C. and Zurich. By the end of 2021, Equinix expects to have Equinix Fabric available in a total of 56 strategic markets, including Calgary, Kamloops, Montreal, Mumbai, Philadelphia, Vancouver and Winnipeg.
  • Equinix has also recently expanded the availability of Network Edge to Seattle and Toronto, enabling more companies to modernize their networks and connect their digital supply chains within minutes at Equinix. With the addition of these new markets, Network Edge is available today in a total of 11 metros including Amsterdam, Chicago, Dallas, Frankfurt, London, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Sydney, and Washington, D.C. In 2021, Equinix expects to have Network Edge available in four additional markets including Hong Kong, Madrid, São Paulo and Tokyo.

Quotes:


  • Peter Coppens, Vice President Product Portfolio, Colt Technology Services

    “This year has proven what we have long known, which is on-demand networking coupled with a technological ecosystem of like-minded providers is key to powering enterprises’ rapid transformations. By extending our collaboration with Equinix, together we’re giving enterprises greater agility and control over their most critical asset in today’s business landscape – their network.”

  • Fraser Street, Vice President of Technical Alliances at Silver Peak, recently acquired by Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company

    “As enterprises advance digital transformation initiatives, a cloud-first WAN architecture is essential to an organization’s overall digital infrastructure and long-term success.
    By deploying Silver Peak Unity EdgeConnect virtual SD-WAN appliances
    on Equinix’s Network Edge services, we are enabling enterprises to scale globally by virtually deploying a secure, digital-ready infrastructure at the edge within a matter of minutes from nearly anywhere in the world.”

  • Jennifer Cooke, Research Director, Cloud to Edge Datacenter Trends, IDC

    “
    With the pandemic accelerating the pace of digital transformation today, many enterprises are challenged with traditional infrastructure that was not built to meet the demands of a digital business world. As a result, connecting digital infrastructures is increasingly complex and costly for many companies. Connectivity challenges have also been increasing as data traffic continues to explode. Solving these challenges requires a new approach. It requires assembling foundational infrastructure on demand and bringing together an interconnected ecosystem of providers on a global platform. By deploying their digital infrastructure on Platform Equinix, many enterprises can quickly and easily achieve this today.”

  • Bill Long, Senior Vice President, Core Product Management,
    Equinix

    “With digital business growth driving the need for network optimization, enterprises and service providers require access to an agile infrastructure platform to create digital advantage. As the world’s digital infrastructure company, Equinix is meeting these critical needs by
    advancing our next-generation platform strategy to become the center of our customers’ IT transformation efforts. No longer just about cloud connectivity, Equinix Fabric is now the new standard interconnection approach for digital leaders on Platform Equinix. The product name change we’ve made further signifies the pivotal shift in how the Equinix Fabric capabilities have evolved.”

Additional Resources


About Equinix 


Equinix (Nasdaq: EQIX) is the world’s digital infrastructure company, enabling digital leaders to harness a trusted platform to bring together and interconnect the foundational infrastructure that powers their success. Equinix enables today’s businesses to access all the right places, partners and possibilities they need to accelerate advantage. With Equinix, they can scale with agility, speed the launch of digital services, deliver world-class experiences and multiply their value.


Forward-Looking Statements 

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from expectations discussed in such forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such differences include, but are not limited to, the challenges of acquiring, operating and constructing IBX data centers and developing, deploying and delivering Equinix products and solutions, unanticipated costs or difficulties relating to the integration of companies we have acquired or will acquire into Equinix; a failure to receive significant revenues from customers in recently built out or acquired data centers; a failure to complete any financing arrangements contemplated from time to time; competition from existing and new competitors; the ability to generate sufficient cash flow or otherwise obtain funds to repay new or outstanding indebtedness; the loss or decline in business from our key customers; risks related to our taxation as a REIT; and other risks described from time to time in Equinix filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In particular, see recent Equinix quarterly and annual reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, copies of which are available upon request from Equinix. Equinix does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this press
release
.

 

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SOURCE Equinix, Inc.

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CORRECTING and REPLACING PHOTO e.l.f. Cosmetics Jingles into the Holidays with an e.l.f.ing Amazing Holiday Album, Debuting on Triller

CORRECTING and REPLACING PHOTO e.l.f. Cosmetics Jingles into the Holidays with an e.l.f.ing Amazing Holiday Album, Debuting on Triller

Becomes the First Beauty Brand to Launch Campaign on Triller

OAKLAND, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
Please replace the photo with the accompanying corrected photo.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201208005635/en/

e.l.f. Cosmetics’ holiday album ‘e.l.f. the Hauls’ is now available for download via Spotify and Apple Music. (Photo: Business Wire)

e.l.f. Cosmetics’ holiday album ‘e.l.f. the Hauls’ is now available for download via Spotify and Apple Music. (Photo: Business Wire)

The release reads:

E.L.F. COSMETICS JINGLES INTO THE HOLIDAYS WITH AN E.L.F.ING AMAZING HOLIDAY ALBUM, DEBUTING ON TRILLER

Becomes the First Beauty Brand to Launch Campaign on Triller

e.l.f. Cosmetics is pumping up the volume this holiday season with a new five-track holiday album, “e.l.f. the Hauls,” while also becoming the first beauty brand to launch on the popular music video-making platform, Triller.

Building on the brand’s ability to be a music hit-maker, e.l.f. Cosmetics is remixing classic holiday songs to bring some glam and joy to the season while furthering its commitment to empowering rising talent. e.l.f. gathered up-and-coming artists Halston Dare, Yasmeen, Kiana V, and Rosette, to record fun and festive holiday remakes in various genres adding a modern twist to the classic seasonal hits we love: ”Jingle Bells (e.l.f. Remix),” “Joy to the World (e.l.f. Remix),” “Deck the Halls (e.l.f. Remix),” “Up On the Housetop (e.l.f. Remix),” and “Auld Lang Syne (e.l.f. Remix).” e.l.f. tapped creative agency Movers+Shakers to design the campaign and produce the brand’s first-ever album.

As a bonus holiday gift, e.l.f. is also bringing colorful mini music videos to accompany each song launching on Triller, as well as versions for Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Featuring popular influencers Loren Gray, Michael Le, and the Bad Wiggies, the music videos bring e.l.f. expression to life in a playful, e.l.f. indulgent way. Imagine Mini Poreless Putty Primers piled and stacked high to look like rooftops, a decadent wall of Liquid Glitter Eyeshadow, and an indulgent platter of Super Minis Kits laid out like a platter of holiday appetizers.

“We intend to bring holiday cheer to the season in a way that e.l.f. has never done before through music, self-expression and pure joy,” said Kory Marchisotto, Chief Marketing Officer, e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE: ELF). “The release of our holiday album supports emerging artists, while reaching new audiences through new digital platforms, like Triller. This holiday, we invite every eye, lip and face to e.l.f. the Hauls”

“Triller is excited to partner with e.l.f. as the very first beauty brand to launch a Triller challenge,” said Bonin Bough, Chief Growth Officer, Triller. “e.l.f. Cosmetics understands how to engage with Triller’s community on multiple levels — by engaging musicians and creating hit music as well as supporting emerging creators. This is exactly the type of brand collaboration Triller loves to support.”

e.l.f. is also offering holiday kits with many of the items featured throughout its musical campaign, available online at https://www.elfcosmetics.com/value-gift-sets/, or exclusively in stores and online at Target. Beauty enthusiasts, holiday aficionados, and music lovers everywhere are welcome to share their holiday spirit and listen to the full holiday album, now available for download via Spotify or Apple Music.

About e.l.f. Cosmetics:

Since 2004, e.l.f. Cosmetics has made the best of beauty accessible to every eye, lip and face. We make high-quality, prestige-inspired cosmetics and skin care products at an extraordinary value and are proud to be 100% vegan and cruelty-free. As one of the first online beauty brands, e.l.f. continues to attract a highly engaged audience and set benchmarks with new digital platforms. Our brand is widely available at leading retailers such as Target, Walmart and Ulta Beauty, and has a growing international presence. Learn more by visiting www.elfcosmetics.com

About Movers+Shakers

Movers+Shakers is a Santa Monica-based creative agency focused on spreading joy through digital disruption. With over 80 billion views on their TikTok campaigns, they were recently named “the TikTok whisperers” by Glossy. Movers+Shakers leverages the power of original music to connect brands to culture and drive deep emotional engagement. Learn more by visiting www.MoversShakers.co.

Corporate Communications:

Melinda Fried, e.l.f. Beauty

[email protected]

Business Media Inquiries:

Brittany Fraser, ICR, Inc.

[email protected]

Consumer Media Inquiries:

Liza Suloti, SHADOW

[email protected]

KEYWORDS: California United States North America

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Cosmetics Retail Fashion

MEDIA:

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e.l.f. Cosmetics’ holiday album ‘e.l.f. the Hauls’ is now available for download via Spotify and Apple Music. (Photo: Business Wire)
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Conversica and Affinitiv Announce Reseller Agreement

The companies’ combined solution enables dealerships to leverage their existing XRM investment and achieve 100% lead coverage to drive revenue without increasing headcount

FOSTER CITY, Calif., Dec. 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Conversica, Inc., the leader in Intelligent Virtual Assistants (IVAs) helping organizations attract, acquire and grow customers at scale, announced today a reseller agreement with Affinitiv, a leading provider of data-driven marketing and software solutions to the automotive market. Through this agreement, Affinitiv is tightly integrating Conversica Intelligent Virtual Assistants with Affinitiv’s XRM platform, giving dealerships a highly reliable and seamless exchange of data to accelerate retailer performance and enhance the vehicle shopper’s experience.  

“Affinitiv’s commitment to helping dealers get the most out of their XRM investment aligns with Conversica’s mission to help dealers achieve 100 percent lead coverage and maximize operational efficiencies,” said Andrew McCraith, Vice President, Business and Corporate Development for Conversica. “By investing in the Conversica API, Affinitiv is enabling dealership teams to enjoy the best experience possible for employing Conversica IVAs to guarantee every prospective car buyer is promptly and professionally engaged.”

Affinitiv is fully integrated into Conversica’s API for its XRM platform. This deep technology integration provides a two-way connection between Conversica and mutual dealership customers that use Affinitiv’s XRM. This allows IVAs to immediately go to work engaging and qualifying new inbound leads, delivering a personalized experience across multiple channels. The entire engagement history with the lead is then sent back to XRM so sales reps can keep up with the conversation until the prospective buyer is ready to schedule a call or showroom visit. In addition to increasing the number of qualified opportunities for dealership sales teams, IVAs also improve staff satisfaction by enabling sellers to do more of what they do best — engage customers and sell cars.

“Our mission at Affinitiv is to drive customer experience in order to accelerate retailer performance, and the partnership with Conversica is just one of the many ways we can make our mission happen,” said Sid Nair, President and CEO of Affinitiv. “Because dealerships are adapting to new protocols, due to COVID-19, Conversica’s IVA platform is seamlessly integrated into Affinitiv’s XRM, which will enable our clients to engage with a higher volume of interested buyers across more channels.”

Conversica’s IVA integration with Affinitiv’s XRM simplifies interactions between dealers and prospective buyers. Conversica IVAs are built upon the company’s Intelligent Automation platform, a powerful combination of Conversational AI, Deep Learning, and Process Automation. IVAs support multi-channel conversations, take smart and accurate actions with customers, and provide visibility and accountability into every conversation while extracting contact information and updating systems of records and marketing automation platforms.

About Affinitiv

Affinitiv is a leading provider of data-driven marketing and software solutions serving automotive manufacturers (OEMs), dealer groups, and individual dealerships. Backed by more than 20 years of automotive and marketing expertise, Affinitiv supports over 6,500 dealerships and every major OEM in the country. Affinitiv’s success drives the next generation customer experience by partnering with the automotive ecosystem to accelerate retailer performance and inspire loyalty. With a technology-driven, consultative approach, Affinitiv creates customers for life through reimagined experiences. For more information, visit Affinitiv.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter

About Conversica

Conversica is the pioneer and leading provider of Intelligent Virtual Assistants helping organizations attract, acquire and grow customers at scale. A Conversica Intelligent Virtual Assistant is an AI-powered, SaaS-based software application that serves as a virtual team member and autonomously engages contacts, prospects, customers, or partners in human-like, two-way interactions at scale to drive towards the next best action accelerating revenue; whether that’s scheduling a sales meeting, gauging interest to buy additional products or services, or politely but persistently collecting overdue payments.  Reaching out to over 100 million people on behalf of thousands of companies, Conversica Intelligent Virtual Assistants are built on a proven and patented intelligent automation platform with nearly a billion interactions, integrating natural language understanding (NLU), natural language generation (NLG), business process automation and deep learning capabilities that engage contacts over multiple communication channels and in multiple languages.  To learn more, visit conversica.com and follow the company on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

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Conversica Media Contacts:

Deborah Mullan, Conversica
Director of Corporate Communications
[email protected] 

Jessica Shapow, on behalf of Conversica
[email protected]