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Sekur Private Data Will Soon Be Launching Its Swiss Hosted SekurVPN For Privacy Enthusiasts

Sekur Private Data Ltd

By Faith Ashmore, Benzinga Sekur Private Data Ltd. (OTCQX: SWISF) (CSE: SKUR) (FRA: GDT0) announced they will be providing a private, non-big tech VPN solution. Sekur is a US-listed cybersecurity and internet privacy company with roots in Switzerland that provides private and secure communications solutions. It uses its own servers, military-grade encryption security and combines it with its proprietary encryption and Swiss data privacy laws. The company is responding to growing demand from its existing users that have asked the company for a VPN product, and Sekur has been working on a solution for some time. Sekur has acquired all the servers needed for the encryption processing and hosting of SekurVPN in its Swiss data centers. The application for Mac clients and iOS devices is already complete, but the company decided to launch in the first week of April 2023 to include its Android version; Windows will launch shortly thereafter. The company is expected to first launch its website www.sekurvpn.com in the coming weeks. Pricing will be as follows: $7 USD/month per user or $70 USD/year per user. However, Sekur is offering a promotional price to celebrate the launch. The first 5,000 people to register will receive a 60% discount to the yearly price, the total ending up being $28/year per user for the first two years. SekurVPN was designed to help users wanting to mask their IP addresses from hackers. One example of the VPN solution in action would be a user being able to have full privacy and protection from hackers hijacking location information when a user logs into their bank or email. Alain Ghiai, CEO of Sekur Private Data said: "We have listened to our customers and are very excited to announce the launch of SekurVPN for late March 2023. We have high hopes for the success of SekurVPN, due to its highly private nature, since it does not use any big-tech computing or hosting and offers only Swiss IPs. Our prime directive is to provide private and secure communications for everyone, and, as we are not connected to any Big Tech platform, we offer a truly independent, private and secure means of communications without any data mining, through our proprietary technology and our secure servers based in Switzerland. We look forward to continuing to offer true data privacy to all individuals and their businesses and protect their intellectual property, and their privacy, from data miners and malicious hackers." Sekur is a closed-loop platform with layers of security and SekurVPN is an extension of its commitment to privacy. Its existing corporate products like SekurMail and SekurMessenger offer users complete privacy because its code is unavailable for the manipulation that causes hacks, and its Swiss hosting protects its users from privacy intrusive laws. With increasing breaches in security and data hacks, security and privacy are at the forefront of everyone’s mind – both corporations and individuals – and Sekur is committed to helping protect both. This article was originally published on Benzinga here. Sekur Private Data Ltd. is a Cybersecurity and Internet privacy provider of Swiss hosted solutions for secure communications and secure data management. The Company distributes a suite of secure cloud-based storage, disaster recovery, document management, encrypted e-mails, and secure communication tools. Sekur Private Data Ltd. sells its products through its websites www.sekur.com and www.sekursuite.com, and approved distributors, and telecommunications companies worldwide. Sekur Private Data Ltd. serves consumers, businesses and governments worldwide. This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Corporate Department corporate@sekurprivatedata.com Company Website https://sekurprivatedata.com

February 08, 2023 09:28 AM Eastern Standard Time

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ZeroBounce CEO on Email Validation, Landing in the Inbox and Boosting Email ROI

ZeroBounce

Email marketing is effective – but you have to reach your customers’ inboxes. ZeroBounce Founder and CEO Liviu Tanase talks to Benzinga about email validation and how it helps boost email ROI. It’s hard to imagine doing business without email. From sending transactional emails to newsletters and marketing campaigns, email allows you to connect with your audience on a deeper level. However, connecting with your prospects isn’t as easy as pressing Send. Billions of emails bounce or land in spam – every day. In this interview with Benzinga, ZeroBounce Founder and CEO Liviu Tanase sheds light on the culprits and offers simple, useful tips to help you: Make the most of email validation and its benefits Optimize your campaigns so they can arrive in the inbox Convert your prospects and increase email ROI. How do you see email evolving in 2023? Email will continue to grow and be a key channel for brands to connect with their customers and prospects. The number of email users keeps increasing every year. More than half of the world population uses email in 2023, so we’ll see more companies tapping into its potential. We saw this in 2020, too. In times of economic uncertainty, businesses must focus on the channels that yield palpable results – and email is at the top of the list. What puts email at the top of the list – and how can we make it work? Email is a more personal channel than any other. Think about it: you’re reaching out to a prospect in their inbox, which is like an online home for most people. It’s where they get their most important messages. There’s less noise than on social media, so it allows for more intimate conversations. To make it work, you must show up where those prospects can see you – in the inbox. This is one of the greatest challenges businesses are facing right now. Hitting Send on an email is just the first step. Getting in the inbox is another story. What prevents senders from reaching the inbox? In a nutshell, a poor sender reputation. Much like your reputation at work, your sender reputation lets Internet service providers (ISPs) gauge how legitimate you and your emails are. If your IP or domain are associated with spam-like behavior, your chances of landing in the inbox are slim. Your emails may not even make it to the junk folder, you’ll get blocked altogether. How does ZeroBounce help with that? ZeroBounce gives you more confidence to send emails. The email validator is 99 percent accurate and scrubs your email list of bounces and other risky email contacts. Aside from that, we’ve built an entire suite of email deliverability tools so you can test your emails before you send and be sure they’re going to the inbox. Showing up there is the only way to connect with your prospects and see a boost in your conversions. If you were to suggest one crucial step to improve email deliverability, what would it be? Start with checking your email list. When your bounce rate is over 2 percent, when you get spam complaints or your emails are hitting spam traps, your sender score plummets. So, before you invest in creating impressive emails, verify your email list so those emails can reach your audience. We’ve seen the recent JPMorgan - Frank disaster, where JPMorgan purchased educational startup Frank for $175M. Frank’s founders claimed the app had more than four million users. In reality, Frank had only 300,000 users – the rest were fake. JPMorgan only realized the deception when its team sent an email to all alleged Frank users. They got a bounce rate of 72 percent! If only they took the time to validate those contacts, this catastrophe could have been avoided. What other tricks can you share to help marketers and business owners get their emails in the inbox? Once you’ve verified your email list, make it a habit. About a quarter of your email list degrades every year, so check it every few months. Then, look into testing your email deliverability. It takes only minutes to use an inbox tester to see if your email is going to land in the inbox with widely-used providers. If you want to boost your email deliverability even more, take segmentation to the next level. ZeroBounce’s Activity Data tool pinpoints your most active subscribers – people who spend time in their inboxes. It shows you which subscribers have interacted with an email in the past 30 days to a year. Segment those people, then target them with a personalized email campaign. Healthy engagement rates boost your sender reputation and increase your inbox reach. What’s new at ZeroBounce in 2023? Our entire platform is new! After more than a year of work and countless tests, we’ve just relaunched it to give people a better experience. The accuracy of our email validator is now 99 percent. Security is even better as we integrate with Okta for identity protection and we got our SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001 certifications. The interface has improved, too, and we’re getting great feedback from customers. Also, a new tool is coming soon. It’s something our customers have been asking for – and we’re almost ready to share it with everybody. For people in sales, PR, real estate or any other industry that revolves around cold emailing, it will be a huge help. Are you not getting the results you want from your email campaigns? Sign up for a ZeroBounce account and check 100 email addresses free, every month. Remove bad emails, improve your sender reputation and boost your email ROI right away. This article was originally published on Benzinga here. ZeroBounce is an award-winning email verification and deliverability platform helping 200,000+ customers land more emails in the inbox. The service removes email typos, nonexistent and abuse email accounts, spam traps and other risky email addresses. ZeroBounce’s email deliverability toolkit further supports the safe inbox delivery of transactional and marketing emails. The company operates a military-grade security infrastructure. ZeroBounce has validated more than 18 billion emails. Some of the companies it serves are Amazon, Disney, Netflix, LinkedIn, and Sephora. This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Brian Minick support@zerobounce.net Company Website https://www.zerobounce.net/

February 08, 2023 09:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

Futuris Company to Present at the Emerging Growth Conference on February 8th, 2023

FUTURIS CO.

McapMediaWire -- Futuris Company (OTC: FTRS ), a Human Capital Management (HCM) company focused on areas such as Staffing, Consulting, and Tech Services, is pleased to announce that it has been invited to present at the Emerging Growth Conference on February 8 th, 2023. This live, interactive online event will give existing shareholders and the investment community the opportunity to interact with the Company’s Board Advisor, Allan Hartley and Board Member, Suresh Venkat, in real time. Mr. Hartley and Mr. Venkat will perform a presentation and will subsequently open the floor for questions. Please submit your questions in advance to Questions@EmergingGrowth.com or ask your questions during the event and Mr. Hartley and Mr. Venkat will do their best to get through as many of them as possible. Futuris Company will be presenting at 9:40 am Eastern time for 30 minutes. Please register here to ensure you are able to attend the conference and receive any updates that are released: https://goto.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1589451&tp_key=60f8292c14&sti=ftrs If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available on EmergingGrowth.com and on the Emerging Growth YouTube Channel, http://www.YouTube.com/EmergingGrowthConference. We will release a link to that after the event. We encourage shareholders to continually visit our website and social media platforms for updates. Website: www.futuris.company Twitter: www.twitter.com/futuriscompany About the Emerging Growth Conference The Emerging Growth conference is an effective way for public companies to present and communicate their new products, services and other major announcements to the investment community from the convenience of their office, in a time efficient manner. The Conference focus and coverage includes companies in a wide range of growth sectors, with strong management teams, innovative products & services, focused strategy, execution, and the overall potential for long term growth. Its audience includes potentially tens of thousands of Individual and Institutional investors, as well as Investment advisors and analysts. All sessions will be conducted through video webcasts and will take place in the Eastern Time Zone. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation, anything relating or referring to future financial results and plans for future business development activities, and are thus prospective. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified based on current expectations. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, the ability to successfully integrate acquired companies, overall economic conditions, the ability to find qualified personnel, and the ability to find new clients. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends affecting the financial condition of our business and although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Consequently, future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking statements contained herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly release statements made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. About Futuris Company Futuris is a Human Capital Management (HCM) company focused on Executive Search, Staffing, Consulting services and Tech Services specializing in verticals such as Medical, Accounting/Finance, Information Technology, Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), and Legal. The Company is committed to building a global HCM company through highly targeted and accretive acquisitions and operational efficiencies. For more information, please visit http://futuris.company/. Contact Information: Futuris Company Preya Narain Email: info.it@futuris.company Contact Details Preya Narain info.it@futuris.company Company Website http://futuris.company/

February 07, 2023 09:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

Preya Co Investor Relations and Corporate Advisory Firm Announces Launch of New Website and Expansion of Services

Preya Co

McapMediaWire -- Preya Co, a boutique investor relations firm based out of New York, is pleased the announce the launch of its new innovative corporate website: www.preya.co The new website was created to better reflect our portfolio of services and strategies the firm has to offer. Preya Co provides individualized attention and customized plans to cater to each company’s specific needs toward ensuring a high value return service. “We spent much of 2022 exponentially growing our client base and partnerships toward additional capabilities and second-to-none service,” said Preya Narain, Director of IR Strategy and Operations. “Bolstering our clients communication is our specialty, as we know that maintaining a transparent avenue of contact with consumers and shareholders is essential in both the public and private sectors. Our firm works cohesively with management teams to tell each company’s unique story streamlined across multiple formats and channels of engagement.” Research shows that the USA has approximately 302.35 million social media users as of 2023. This translates to roughly 90% of the total U.S. population using social media. “Whether you have a small business, large public company or even a mid-sized private company, social media is the key to driving brand awareness and expanding your business’s base of clients,” adds Narain. The firm’s services include: IR Strategy Shareholder Meetings Presentations IR & Corporate Websites Private Company Advisory Corporate Governance Press Release Writing Social Media Management Crisis Communication Executive Search One key strategic partnership is with Mcap Mediawire ( www.McapMediaWire.com ) (“Mcap”), a cutting edge media, marketing, disclosure/news dissemination firm that services both private and public companies with offerings such as effective press release dissemination, journalist/blogger pickup of news and articles, news videos, marketing programs, CEO Interviews, and more. Mcap Founder, Mark B. Newbauer states, “We have had the immense pleasure of working with Preya for nearly 5 years now and I’ve yet to find a professional with her specialty that delivers their work with more care for the client. Preya truly goes above and beyond for those she serves and works with and is a trusted name among CEOs and Shareholders/Investors alike. We are thrilled to be expanding our capabilities through her service, alongside special offers on our services to her client base toward a win-win.” Multimedia Presentation: Preya Co Investor Relations and Corporate Advisory Firm Announces Launch of New Website and Expansion of Services Video: https://youtu.be/iWYFsbTkCB8 For more information and updates, please visit www.preya.co Contact Mcap Mediawire: cs@mcapmedia.com 707-682-9473 Contact Details Preya Co Preya Narain info@preya.co Mcap Mediawire Mark B. Newbauer +1 707-682-9473 cs@mcapmedia.com Company Website https://www.preya.co/

February 07, 2023 09:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

Alan Schneider Celebrates 15 Years as Owner of Minuteman Press Franchise in Northvale, NJ

Minuteman Press International Inc

The Minuteman Press franchise in Northvale, NJ has been operating for over 40 years. Alan Schneider and his wife Nadine are celebrating 15 years as owners and share their insights and reflections. Minuteman Press in Northvale, NJ is located at 202 Livingston Street, Northvale, NJ 07647. Congrats on 15 years! What does this milestone mean to you and what are the keys to your success and longevity? Nadine and Alan: “This is a tremendous milestone for us. Although we have hit this milestone in our tenure, the shop has been in business for over 40 years in this community. We are well known and very involved in the town. For years, people were saying the printing industry was dying. Then the pandemic hit and I think everyone feared a little bit for the future. However, I have to say that I never expected the bounce back from the pandemic to be such a boon for business. I think people realized that community is important, supporting local business is important, and although online marketing has a place, it’s not the only game in town. Print is still king. The keys to our success and longevity are: providing a warm and friendly place to do business; being knowledgeable about our products and services; letting our clients know that their success is important to us and we are here to help them; caring about our clients as people—not just as customers; and, most importantly, reliability and integrity.” What are some of the key ways you’ve grown your business? Nadine and Alan: “Believe it or not, the pandemic was a blessing for our business. It forced us to take critical look at how we were operating. We took a hard look at our numbers, and strategized on what we could do better in both operations and marketing. On the operational side, we cut out some of the fat and streamlined things where needed.” Alan: “My wife, Nadine, has an MBA in marketing and has owned a marketing and graphic design business for 15+ years. She joined me in our Northvale, NJ location and is providing all the graphic design services. Not only was this a strategic financial/operational move, it was the best marketing move we could have made. We are now truly a marketing, design and printing company – a one-stop shop!” Nadine and Alan: “Our clients are provided with a free consultation on the best ways to market their business. We do the strategy, design and printing. When the clients see the results, they come back for additional products and services—and they tell their friends! The savings we realized from our reduction in payroll was also reinvested in the business by increasing our participation in the SEO/Internet marketing program. We are starting to see an uptick in our internet leads! A couple of other cool things… Last year, we expanded our marketing strategy by promoting ourselves as a local family business. Our holiday cards now feature our family photo – myself, Nadine, and our 4 grown children. The theme is, Family is everything. We appreciate you being part of ours. I can’t tell you how many compliments we received on that card. People feel like they know our family, and always ask how our kids are doing. This year, we will be planning a marketing program to celebrate my birthday on October 26 th. Why? Because we found out that it’s also National Printing Day! We are going to have a lot of fun with that. We also do a lot of in-person networking by being active in our home and business communities. We are BNI members and directors, are involved with many not-for-profits, serve on the boards of the local Chambers of Commerce, and are Auxiliary Police Officers in our hometown. We are always visible helping the community in whatever way we can.” What are your high-demand products and services? Nadine and Alan: “We do a ton of direct mail, particularly EDDM. Although the program has been around for years, it’s really been gaining traction since the pandemic. Once our clients see how well direct mail works for them, they either expand their reach or frequency…or both. We help them build their customer lists as a result of their EDDM efforts, then assist them with targeted direct mail programs to these new customers. We are proud to say that many of our clients credit us with helping them build their businesses through direct mail. They refer to us as the direct mail experts! We also began heavily promoting branded apparel. It’s featured in the front of our store, and we make a point of mentioning it to our clients when they come into the shop. Once we learn about their business, we suggest what types of apparel and promotional items they may want to consider to boost their brand awareness.” What are your key growth areas? Nadine and Alan: “Again, direct mail and apparel are huge for us. Design as well. Our previous graphic designer was more of a layout/production person. Nadine is a true creative. Everything we do for a client now has a marketing strategy behind it, and a creative, eye-catching design. Clients who come in with their ideas are truly blown away by how we bring their visions to life. One successful campaign for a client usually snowballs into more business—and more referrals! But our true measure of success is knowing how we are helping our clients grow their businesses.” How would you best describe your community? Nadine and Alan: “Northvale, NJ is one square mile in area, right on the New York State border. The community is comprised of mostly residential homes, a small downtown with shopping and a handful of light industrial/manufacturing. Since it’s a small-town area, we focus on serving the local trades, retail stores, restaurants, professional services and industrial businesses. We have also built a client list outside of our small regional area by creating relationships with professionals that can provide us with ongoing business.” Why do you think printing remains so vital to businesses today? What are the benefits of print? Nadine and Alan: “Several years ago, email marketing became extremely popular because it was free. Today, in-boxes are flooded with messages that are deleted before they are even opened. A wasted marketing effort, even though it is ‘free.’ With print, your message is tangible. A direct mail piece in someone’s mailbox is handled – even if it is eventually discarded. Someone saw it, and handled it. Print is the ultimate conversation-starter. Hand someone a brochure, mail them a postcard, or even embroider your company name on your polo – and you are now visible to them. The most successful businesses rely on print for the majority of their marketing, so it is definitely here to stay.” What was your background before franchising? Alan: “I owned a food distribution company prior to owning a Minuteman Press. I wanted something new, but I still wanted to be a business owner. I chose Minuteman Press because of the company’s reputation for training and support of its franchisees. Also, printing is a consumable business which means repeat business.” What has the support from Minuteman Press International been like for you? Nadine and Alan: “Pick up the phone, send an email, and someone is there to help. The conventions are invaluable. We always come back learning something new, whether it’s from corporate or fellow owners. We look forward to seeing everyone, and meeting new people. It’s like a family reunion! We’ve also come back with new vendors to try which really had an impact on our business.” What are the biggest rewards of owning your business? Nadine and Alan: “Being an integral part of other people’s businesses and helping them achieve their goals. Also, being part of the community.” What advice would you give to others? Nadine and Alan: “Be professional and be persistent!” Minuteman Press in Northvale, NJ is located at 202 Livingston Street, Northvale, NJ 07647. For more information, visit their website: https://minuteman.com/us/locations/nj/northvale/ Learn more about #1 rated Minuteman Press franchise opportunities and read Minuteman Press franchise reviews at https://minutemanpressfranchise.com. Contact Details Minuteman Press International Chris Biscuiti +1 631-249-1370 cbiscuiti@mpihq.com Company Website https://minutemanpressfranchise.com

February 06, 2023 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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Hypemachine launches a PR subscription platform with a powerhouse network of top PR executives from bluechip agencies such as Edelman, FleishmanHillard, and Ogilvy

Hypemachine

New York-based company Hypemachine today announced the launch of their platform and bluechip PR network ( www.hypemachine.io ). The company has attracted early-stage to publicly traded firms globally as clients and replaced what mid-sized PR agencies used to do with its technology and business model. Hypemachine offers à la carte PR subscriptions that can be scaled up or down quickly based on client needs. The company provides bluechip PR agency quality results at a fraction of "big agency” fees. How Hypemachine is different: Hypemachine Match – Hypemachine identifies what media relationships PR executives have, the sectors they worked in, and what they enjoy doing most in PR and matches senior PR teams to clients in tech, consumer, venture capital, and other sectors. Hypemachine Intuitive Dashboard – Hypemachine’s intuitive dashboard provides PR data and recommendations from Hypemachine's executives. The next stage of the dashboard will use artificial intelligence combined with executives' personalized insights. Hypemachine’s dashboard also streamlines the administrative and account management work that junior staffers typically do. Hypemachine Story Strength Score – The company has also created a ‘Hypemachine story strength score’, which assesses clients' announcements and story assets and offers recommendations on how to make them more compelling for reporters. “As a two-time startup founder and former agency SVP at a leading PR agency in New York City, I saw that the agency model was broken for most brands and founders,” says Hypemachine Founder and CEO Olga Orda. "A big part of why we’ve attracted so much incredible A-list, senior talent at Hypemachine is that they feel their work and senior counsel is valued, both in our network and by our clients," Orda said. “Contrary to what many may assume about public relations, we get paid to think, and public relations is more than just who you know. Even if I’m best friends with a reporter at the Wall Street Journal, no reporter will put their career on the line for a terrible or boring story. That’s why we hire the best talent in the industry from leading brands and agencies. We're passionate about helping clients strengthen their storylines and get media coverage.” “Adapting to the changing public relations industry, Hypemachine has created a powerful model for clients to capture tomorrow's audiences," says Andrew Graham, Founder and Head of Strategy at Bread & Law and 2021 PRSA-NY president. About Hypemachine Launched in 2023, Hypemachine ( www.hypemachine.io ) offers a PR subscription platform and powerhouse network of former PR executives from bluechip firms such as Edelman, FleishmanHillard, Ogilvy, and other leading agencies. Hypemachine’s senior associates have advised brands and organizations such as Google, GE, Samsung, Unilever, Netflix, Salesforce, and Amazon. The company offers bluechip PR agency capabilities at a fraction of “big agency” fees and an intuitive Hypemachine PR dashboard for clients. Based in New York City, Hypemachine’s clients include early-stage to publicly traded companies globally. Contact Details Hypemachine Media Relations info@hypemachine.io Company Website https://www.hypemachine.io

February 06, 2023 10:30 AM Eastern Standard Time

LevLane Advertising Appoints Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Client Officer

LevLane

LevLane Advertising, a full-service, award-winning advertising agency, has announced the promotion of Elizabeth Weir to Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), and Kevin Dunn to Chief Client Officer (CCO), effective February 1, 2023. Both are newly created roles for the 40-year-old Philadelphia-based agency. The announcement comes on the heels of continued expansion for the agency, which has experienced healthy growth over the past 5 years. Weir and Dunn have held leadership positions at LevLane for six and four and a half years respectively, and during their tenure have contributed substantially to the cultural and financial growth of the organization. As CMO, Weir, who previously held the title of SVP, Content, Social Media and PR, will lead and oversee agency promotion efforts, refining and elevating the brand and mission both internally and externally, and will lead all marketing operations for LevLane. “Liz’s breadth of marketing experience and dedication to keeping her finger on the pulse of the future of marketing makes her an invaluable leader,” said Bruce Lev, Founder and CEO of LevLane. “The role of Chief Marketing Officer is a natural progression, as she has shown incredible depth and extraordinary talent for content and storytelling.” Dunn previously held the title of SVP, Strategy & Client Engagement in the Life Sciences division. In his role as CCO, Dunn will continue to lead the agency’s Life Science clients in addition to consolidating Account Management processes across all strategic verticals. “Kevin brings tremendous marketing expertise and extensive leadership capabilities to the agency, and I am thrilled that we are expanding his services across our client roster,” said Josh Lev, President of LevLane. “He has a consistent track record of providing our clients with first-class experiences and has built a strong, customer-centric culture within his team.” About LevLane LevLane is an award-winning, full-service, independent advertising agency in Philadelphia, PA that has been building brands that people love for nearly 40 years. Contact Details Lauren Stralo +1 484-747-0172 lstralo@levlane.com Company Website https://www.levlane.com

February 06, 2023 09:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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Comcast Hosts Community Event and Makes a $50,000 Contribution to Santa Cruz Non-Profit Organizations for Storm Relief and Recovery

Comcast California

As Santa Cruz County works to recover and rebuild from the recent historic rainstorms that caused massive flooding, downed trees, landslides and other devastation, Comcast yesterday hosted a free event to support the community and made a $50,000 donation to the United Way of Santa Cruz and Community Bridges of Santa Cruz. “The Santa Cruz area has suffered so much from the recent storms – the devastation has been heart wrenching to experience and witness,” said Ray Cancino, CEO, Community Bridges. “This partnership and financial support from Comcast is coming at the ideal time and will provide important, valuable resources as the community strives to get back on its feet.” “We appreciate Comcast hosting yesterday’s event. It was so nice to enable this hard-hit community to take a break, come together and support each other, while having some fun.” said Keisha Browden, CEO, United Way of Santa Cruz County. “Comcast’s financial contribution to our community will help us not only expand our recovery efforts but also help us rebuild from this catastrophic disaster.” A unique feature at the Scotts Valley community event was the Xfinity Experience trailer, which features a 12 foot by 18-foot LED screen on which the movies Sing 2 and Minions: Rise of Gru were screened. The trailer also enabled free WiFi access and power so attendees could get online and charge their devices. Attendees can enjoy free food and beverages from local restaurants and there will be raffles with a variety of door prizes and special giveaways. Throughout the series of dangerous and severe storms, Comcast provided a range of services to evacuation and community support centers in Northern and Central California. Comcast’s network and engineering technicians monitored the storms’ impacts and worked diligently to restore Xfinity and Comcast Business services that were impacted as quickly and safely as possible so customers could stay connected. Comcast also made available for free use by anyone its 147,000 public Xfinity WiFi hotspots throughout Northern and Central California. This helped residents and emergency personnel stay connected during the rainstorms. # # # About Comcast Corporation Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company that connects people to moments that matter. We are principally focused on connectivity, aggregation, and streaming with 57 million customer relationships across the United States and Europe. We deliver broadband, wireless, and video through our Xfinity, Comcast Business, and Sky brands; create, distribute, and stream leading entertainment, sports, and news through Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, Universal Studio Group, Sky Studios, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, multiple cable networks, Peacock, NBCUniversal News Group, NBC Sports, Sky News, and Sky Sports; and provide memorable experiences at Universal Parks and Resorts in the United States and Asia. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information. Contact Details Adriana Arvizo +1 925-200-1919 Adriana_Arvizo@comcast.com

February 02, 2023 02:01 PM Pacific Standard Time

Who Needs VC? How One SaaS Startup Bucked the Trend and Beat the Odds

NetReputation.com

By Caroline Hunter, Content Writer (at NetReputation) In the world of tech startups, venture capital (VC) often acts as a gatekeeper, providing the keys to market entry and the pathway to eventual success. The initial investments from VC groups can come at a high price for many entrepreneurs, typically with significant ownership stakes. Despite the costs, most startups do not have the necessary experience and financial backing to build and operate their company, leaving them vulnerable to VC interests. Although it’s mutually beneficial, venture capitalists do have the upper hand in the relationship with green founders. VCs understand the anxiety that comes from bringing new ideas to market and VCs can exploit the situation for ownership. The percentage of startups partnering with VC groups in early growth stages is, in reality, considerably low. According to Marc Andreessen of VC giant Andreesseen Horowitz, of the 4,000 startups seeking funding from major VCs each year, only about 200, or 5%. Despite the low percentage of startups who qualify for and receive outside funding, it's a common misconception that in order to succeed in the tech sector VC endorsement is necessary. The VC stamp of approval can open more doors and provide the fuel to accelerated growth, but brute growth isn’t always the better path. Despite the familiar pattern of VC and startup relationships, occasionally, a business comes along that balks at convention. Invoice Home is an innovative company with two experienced co-founders funding the operation out of pocket. It is not often you see two individuals opt for a bootstrapping approach in competitive sectors like the tech industry. VC vs. Bootstrapping and the Invoice Home Choice Despite notable exceptions like GoPro, VC is the traditional financing method among tech startups. The approach is less risky and provides greater opportunities for success, but it is not all rainbows and unicorns. Venture capital arrangements usually stipulate new founders to give up some control in their company in exchange for funding and mentorship. In some of the worst deals, product creators lose most, if not all, controlling interests in their company. That said, VC is not all bad, and it definitely has many benefits over the bootstrapping approach, including fewer risks. The Invoice Home founders chose to bootstrap after their own experience dealing with big investors and corporate institutions in their previous companies. The owners reviewed their financing options, concluding that the deemed more difficult and longer road was best for them and their business model as they wanted full control in shaping the product from its inception. Venture Capital Venture capital is financing, a form of private equity, that can fund companies at any stage, but investments in tech startups or small businesses have been on the rise in recent years. Capital investments usually come from wealthy investors, financial institutions or other investment banks. That said, VC is not always monetary. Sometimes, capital comes in less tangible forms, such as talent, knowledge, and experience. Regardless of the capital form, investing in a startup is risky, even if it has potential. Founders also face considerable risks with how potential partners justify ownership asks. Many VC deals include limited partnerships, which a VC firm defines. Venture capital agreements have pros and cons. The pros include: Early-stage financing for bootstrap operations No proof of cash flow or assets needed to secure funding Mentoring and network often part of the arrangements Despite the benefits, VC agreements can lead to a few cons. Some of the possible negatives include: The demand for company equity Loss of creative control of product Pressure to exit the investment ahead of growth Bootstrapping The founders of Invoice Home, Jiri Hradil and Petr Marek, weighed the pros and cons of VC and decided the traditional route of other tech startups was not for them or their idea. These two entrepreneurs chose a more challenging road to success, bootstrapping. Bootstrapping is usually a more gradual road to success and presents greater risks earlier on for startup owners. A person bootstraps when they attempt to build and grow their business using only personal finances or operational revenue. Both Hradil and Marek have extensive professional experience in the tech industry, specifically with building niche financial software in the FinTech space. Their expertise, independent finances, and knowledge in the current market likely played a role in the decision to step away from VC. Invoice Home Throws Norms Out the Window To Hradil and Marek, relinquishing any control of their business, especially during the beginning phase of product development, was premature. The partners knew what they wanted from their program and service — a simple way to create, organize, and send invoices to customers. The pair knew that partnering with VC firms would cut into their controlling interests. The last thing they wanted was to create a platform that didn't conform to their initial thought for the startup. Because each of them had several years in leadership roles at their own successful businesses previously, they knew the risks involved with starting a company without private equity financiers. However, because of their experience, they understood they could mitigate some risks. The primary issue was patience. The co-founders knew that without VC, the business could take time to mature and reach its potential. After proving the concept and fully committing to operations in 2013, Invoice Home now has over 7 million global users, retaining and growing its user base through the pandemic. Not giving up the control on the product proved to be the right decision, as the simplified invoicing tool found a perfect product market fit with freelancers and micro-businesses. VC Is the Norm, But It Doesn't Have To Be Venture capital is the traditional way of making it in the tech industry, but it doesn't have to be. Invoice Home is only one example of startup owners making the right decision for their product and bootstrapping their way to success. True, not every startup or tech creator can afford to take on the personal financial risks associated with starting a business. Also, many startups do not have the leadership experience to bring a product to market or identify lucrative channels. There is a place for VC in the tech industry, but it shouldn't be the automatic approach and sole path to launching a tech business. For young startups or creators, there is a lot to overcome when starting a new company. First-time founders often rush into VC partnerships in the beginning, particularly if they have the opportunity. But the faster road to success doesn't always mean it's the better option long term. Other financing and operational pathways may seem out of reach, depending on the founders and their circumstances. Before committing down a set path, try market testing a product on a smaller scale. Put the operational revenue back into the company to see if the product concept works in the current market. Creating a tech product and building a company without VC funding will be slower, but steady, consistent growth can prove to have a better long term outcome. This article was originally published on Benzinga here. NetReputation.com is an industry-leading online reputation management solutions provider focused on helping businesses and individuals repair, improve, and maintain positive brands on the web. Headquartered in Sarasota, Florida, NetReputation.com utilizes the latest in digital processes and technology to restore online reputations and empower long-term success online. NetReputation was established by online services innovator Adam Petrilli in 2015. This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Caroline Hunter Caroline@netreputation.com Company Website https://www.netreputation.com/

February 02, 2023 09:25 AM Eastern Standard Time

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