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Ignitis Group’s subsidiary, Ignitis Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), through its New Markets Fund, have signed an agreement to collaborate exclusively on offshore wind opportunities in Estonia and Latvia. The partnership leverages Ignitis Group’s leading market position in the Baltic region and CIP’s global offshore wind expertise.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark and VILNIUS, Lithuania, Aug. 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Estonia’s adoption of a legal framework for offshore wind site allocation has paved the way for the utilization of extensive offshore wind potential. Meanwhile, Latvia continues to advance the development of legislation to realize their vast offshore wind potential.

CIP and Ignitis Group, together with their affiliates, aim to become an active and long-term partner for the energy transition in the Baltic region, supporting Estonia and Latvia’s decarbonization targets and energy security ambitions through the deployment of offshore wind. CIP and Ignitis Group will support efforts to develop an offshore wind industry in Estonia and Latvia, focusing on the establishment of a local knowledge hub and workforce to boost employment opportunities in this growing sector. Maximizing local economic benefits is key to establishing a long-term footprint and sustainable investment environment.

Partner in CIP and Head of the New Markets Fund, Ole Kjems Sørensen states: “With today’s announcement, we are taking an important step in contributing to a sustainable and secure energy future for the Baltic region through our New Markets Fund. Alongside our local partner Ignitis Group, one of the largest renewable energy generators in the Baltic region, CIP aims to explore opportunities that tap into Estonia’s and Latvia’s substantial growth potential across renewable technologies including Power-to-X. CIP believes offshore wind has the potential to play a critical role in both nations achieving their targets and transforming the Baltic region into a long-term, self-sustained green energy hub.

CEO of Ignitis Group, Darius Maikštėnas says: “We see the Baltic States as leaders of renewable energy in the future and Ignitis Group is set to lead this regional transition. A strategic partnership with CIP, the world’s largest dedicated fund manager within greenfield renewable energy investments and a global leader in offshore wind will allow us to be on strong footing as we develop offshore projects in Estonia and Latvia.

In the updated long-term corporate strategy, which was presented in May this year, we describe the energy sector as an ecosystem and our commitment to maximize sustainable value. Thus, we are updating our purpose, which is creating a 100 percent green and secure energy ecosystem for current and future generations. Our strategy focuses on delivering 4–5 GW of installed green and flexible capacities by 2030.”

About Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners
Founded in 2012, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners P/S (CIP) today is the world’s largest dedicated fund manager within greenfield renewable energy investments and a global leader in offshore wind. The funds managed by CIP focus on investments in offshore and onshore wind, solar PV, biomass and energy-from-waste, transmission and distribution, reserve capacity, storage, advanced bioenergy, and Power-to-X.

CIP manages 11 funds and has to date raised approximately EUR 25 billion for investments in energy and associated infrastructure from more than 140 international institutional investors. CIP has approximately 400 employees and 11 offices around the world. For more information, visit www.cip.com.

About Ignitis Group
Renewables-focused integrated utility Ignitis Group is one of the largest energy groups in the Baltic region. By developing a low-carbon generation portfolio with the focus on offshore wind, onshore hybrid, Power-to-X and storage technologies while leveraging an integrated business model, Ignitis Group is enabling the green and flexible capacity build-out and is planning to deliver 4–5 GW of installed capacities by 2030.

Ignitis Group is strengthening the contribution to Europe’s decarbonization and energy security in our region and targeting to reach net zero emissions by 2040–2050. The Group’s purpose is to create a 100% green and secure energy ecosystem for current and future generations. For more information, visit www.ignitisgroup.com.

For further information, please contact:

Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners:
Simon Mehl Augustesen, VP Communications
Phone: +45 30526721
Email: siau@cip.com

Thomas Kønig, Partner – Investor Relations
Phone: +45 7070 5151
Email: tkon@cip.dk

Ignitis Goup:
Paulius Kalmantas, Communications Partner
Phone: +370 617 51616
Email: paulius.kalmantas@ignitis.lt

Ainė Riffel-Grinkevičienė, Head of Investor Relations
Phone: +370 643 14925
Email: IR@ignitis.lt


GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1000832641

Report from Enterprise Strategy Group reveals that the integrated Fortinet SecOps Fabric automatically contains incidents in minutes or even seconds

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Aug. 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

John Maddison, Chief Marketing Officer and EVP, Product Strategy
“To secure the rapidly expanding attack surface against accelerating cyberthreats, enterprises must deploy cybersecurity solutions that leverage artificial intelligence [AI] at the heart of an integrated cybersecurity platform. We’re pleased that ESG has quantified the dramatic benefits of Fortinet’s approach to security operations [SecOps], helping enterprises make informed decisions about the advantage of automated incident detection and containment, as well as broader investigation and response.”

News Summary
Fortinet® (NASDAQ: FTNT), the global cybersecurity leader driving the convergence of networking and security, today announced the results of an independent analysis by Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) to quantify the customer benefits of deploying security operations solutions from Fortinet. The analysis determined that customers dramatically improved detection, containment, investigation, and response while making security teams up to 86% more operationally efficient. Organizations reduced cyber risk, improved productivity, and enabled existing teams to do more in less time. And all of these improvements come with an investment payback period of as little as one month.

The Quantified Benefits of the Fortinet SecOps Fabric
The foundation of the ESG analysis was in-depth interviews with end-users, during which they established the time it took each organization to handle critical security operations functions, such as the time to detect, validate, and contain incidents as well as the time to fully investigate and remediate them. Together with technical documentation, existing case studies, third-party analyses, and industry data, ESG was then able to establish qualitative and quantitative benchmarks around these functions, especially potential risk, time, and cost savings the average organization should expect.

According to the ESG analysis, organizations that implemented Fortinet Security Operations solutions realized significant savings and benefits in three areas:

• Early detection and prevention (EDP): The time to identify threats was reduced from 168 hours (21 business days), if detected at all, to less than an hour and often only seconds using Fortinet EDP technologies, which include FortiEDR, FortiDeceptor, FortiRecon, FortiSandbox, and FortiNDR that use artificial intelligence (AI) and other advanced behavioral analytics. The time to triage these threats was reduced from eight hours to 10 minutes, and the time to contain them dropped from 4.2 hours to one minute based on Fortinet’s integrated approach.
• Central analytics and response automation (CARA): The time to investigate threats dropped from 6 hours to 1 minute (or less) using the insight and automation of Fortinet CARA components, which include FortiAnalyzer, FortiSIEM, FortiXDR, FortiSOAR, and managed detection and response services. More importantly, the time to remediate those threats was reduced from 12.5 hours to 5-10 minutes in most cases.
• Training and preparation: End-user and analyst training from Fortinet reduced risks from phishing attacks and improved incident readiness and response, which resulted in fewer security team hours spent responding to incidents. One customer estimated the number of people that clicked on harmful links dropped by 84%. Additionally, cybersecurity professional education led to faster onboarding and increases in security team productivity, efficiency, and capabilities.

Operational Savings from Fortinet Technologies
Beyond the accelerated time to detect, contain, investigate, and respond to incidents, ESG modeled the expected operational savings related to security team productivity reported by participants. Results showed that Fortinet EDP technologies could reduce the average time spent per incident by 86%, avoiding the expenditure of $993,000 per year to accomplish the same amount of work. And adding Fortinet CARA technologies could result in a 99% time savings, avoiding $1.14 million in annual operational cost.

In the report, ESG also predicts that Fortinet products can reduce the average time exposed to risk by 97% with EDP and 99% with both EDP and CARA, helping organizations avoid an expected cost of cyberattacks by an average of $1.3 million.

Combining the improved productivity and costs with the risk avoidance savings leads to a payback period of 1 to 2.5 months for Fortinet EDP and 1 to 1.7 months for the combination of EDP and CARA.

Automating Security Operations
The Fortinet SecOps Fabric applies artificial intelligence, machine learning, and integration across the expanded digital attack surface with distributed security controls that span network, endpoint, application, and cloud that detect components and activity designed to bypass traditional security and hide among legitimate operations. At the same time, a centralized approach to broader investigation and response speeds an organization’s return to safe operation.

To get more details and find out what customers had to say about deploying Fortinet security operations solutions, download the full ESG report.

Additional Resources

• Download the ESG report or read the blog post for more information.
• Read more about how Fortinet customers are securing their organizations.
• Learn about Fortinet’s free cybersecurity training, which includes broad cyber awareness and product training. As part of the Fortinet Training Advancement Agenda (TAA), the Fortinet Training Institute also provides training and certification through the Network Security Expert (NSE) Certification, Academic Partner, and Education Outreach programs.
• Learn more about FortiGuard Labs threat intelligence and research and Outbreak Alerts, which provide timely steps to mitigate breaking cybersecurity attacks.
• Learn more about Fortinet’s FortiGuard Security Services portfolio.
• Follow Fortinet on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Subscribe to Fortinet on our blog or YouTube.

About Fortinet
Fortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT) is a driving force in the evolution of cybersecurity and the convergence of networking and security. Our mission is to secure people, devices, and data everywhere, and today we deliver cybersecurity everywhere you need it with the largest integrated portfolio of over 50 enterprise-grade products. Well over half a million customers trust Fortinet’s solutions, which are among the most deployed, most patented, and most validated in the industry. The Fortinet Training Institute, one of the largest and broadest training programs in the industry, is dedicated to making cybersecurity training and new career opportunities available to everyone. FortiGuard Labs, Fortinet’s elite threat intelligence and research organization, develops and utilizes leading-edge machine learning and AI technologies to provide customers with timely and consistently top-rated protection and actionable threat intelligence. Learn more at https://www.fortinet.com, the Fortinet Blog, and FortiGuard Labs.

FTNT-O

Copyright © 2023 Fortinet, Inc. All rights reserved. The symbols ® and denote respectively federally registered trademarks and common law trademarks of Fortinet, Inc., its subsidiaries and affiliates. Fortinet’s trademarks include, but are not limited to, the following: Fortinet, the Fortinet logo, FortiGate, FortiOS, FortiGuard, FortiCare, FortiAnalyzer, FortiManager, FortiASIC, FortiClient, FortiCloud, FortiMail, FortiSandbox, FortiADC, FortiAI, FortiAIOps, FortiAntenna, FortiAP, FortiAPCam, FortiAuthenticator, FortiCache, FortiCall, FortiCam, FortiCamera, FortiCarrier, FortiCASB, FortiCentral, FortiConnect, FortiController, FortiConverter, FortiCWP, FortiDB, FortiDDoS, FortiDeceptor, FortiDeploy, FortiDevSec, FortiEdge, FortiEDR, FortiExplorer, FortiExtender, FortiFirewall, FortiFone, FortiGSLB, FortiHypervisor, FortiInsight, FortiIsolator, FortiLAN, FortiLink, FortiMoM, FortiMonitor, FortiNAC, FortiNDR, FortiPenTest, FortiPhish, FortiPlanner, FortiPolicy, FortiPortal, FortiPresence, FortiProxy, FortiRecon, FortiRecorder, FortiSASE, FortiSDNConnector, FortiSIEM, FortiSMS, FortiSOAR, FortiSwitch, FortiTester, FortiToken, FortiTrust, FortiVoice, FortiWAN, FortiWeb, FortiWiFi, FortiWLC, FortiWLM and FortiXDR. Other trademarks belong to their respective owners. Fortinet has not independently verified statements or certifications herein attributed to third parties and Fortinet does not independently endorse such statements. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, nothing herein constitutes a warranty, guarantee, contract, binding specification or other binding commitment by Fortinet or any indication of intent related to a binding commitment, and performance and other specification information herein may be unique to certain environments.

Media Contact:	Investor Contact:	Analyst Contact:
Michelle Zimmermann Fortinet, Inc. 408-235-7700 pr@fortinet.com	Peter Salkowski Fortinet, Inc. 408-331-4595 psalkowski@fortinet.com	Brian Greenberg Fortinet, Inc. 408-235-7700 analystrelations@fortinet.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8884187

Study found obexelimab produced rapid, strong, and sustained clinical improvement, including complete clinical remission, in most patients with active IgG4-RD

Results support the continued development of obexelimab for the treatment of IgG4-RD and potentially other B cell-mediated autoimmune conditions

WALTHAM, Mass., Aug. 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Zenas BioPharma, a global biopharmaceutical company committed to becoming a leader in the development and commercialization of immune-based therapies, announces The Lancet Rheumatology has published findings from a Phase 2 study evaluating obexelimab for the treatment of patients with IgG4-Related Disease (IgG4-RD). Based on the results of this study, a Phase 3 study in patients with IgG4-RD is ongoing to further investigate the efficacy and safety of obexelimab administered as a subcutaneous injection.

IgG4-RD is a chronic, immune-mediated fibro-inflammatory disease that can affect multiple organs including the major salivary glands, orbits, lacrimal glands, pancreas, biliary tree, lungs, kidneys, and retroperitoneum. Approximately 20,000 patients are diagnosed with IgG4-RD in the United States alone. Despite its increasing recognition, there remains a need for further research and effective therapeutic options for individuals living with this debilitating disease.

Across the world, the use of glucocorticoids is widely considered to be the standard of care for treating IgG4-RD. There are no approved treatment options for this condition. While commonly used, glucocorticoids and available B cell depleting therapies rarely lead to long-term, treatment-free remissions, and are associated with a high risk of toxicity in these patients. Such therapies also impair vaccine responses, including those for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza.

In a prospective, open-label, single arm, single-center pilot study to assess the efficacy and safety of obexelimab in the treatment of patients with IgG4-RD (clinicaltrials.gov registration NCT02725476), obexelimab demonstrated strong improvement in the IgG4-RD Responder Index, a measure of disease activity, by inhibiting B cell function, without depleting B cells.

The published manuscript, titled “Obexelimab for the Treatment of Patients with IgG4-Related Disease: An Open-Label, Single-Arm, Pilot Study to Evaluate Efficacy, Safety, and Mechanism of Action,” is available online and will appear in the August issue of The Lancet Rheumatology 2023;5(8) [E428-E429].

The following are the key findings in the paper:

• Obexelimab produced rapid, strong, and sustained clinical improvement, including complete remission (IgG4-RD Responder Index score of 0), in most patients with active IgG4-RD.
• During obexelimab treatment, reductions in circulating B cells, including plasmablasts, were observed without evidence of cell death.
• Additionally, reduction of circulating B cells and rapid return to near normal levels after treatment discontinuation suggests that obexelimab may lead to B cell sequestration in lymphoid organs or the bone marrow.
• Obexelimab was well tolerated. The majority of treatment-related adverse events were grades 1 or 2, with the most common adverse events being gastrointestinal infusion-related events, most of which were mild.

“Our findings are a significant step forward in understanding the underlying mechanisms of IgG4-Related Disease; paving the way for more targeted treatment strategies,” said John Stone, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and the Edward A. Fox Chair in Medicine at Mass General Hospital. “Our team is honored to have our research recognized by The Lancet Rheumatology, and we are immensely grateful to the patients who participated in this groundbreaking study.”

About Obexelimab

Obexelimab is an investigational Phase 3-stage, bifunctional, non-cytolytic, humanized monoclonal antibody that mimics the action of antigen-antibody complexes by binding CD19 and FcγRIIb to inhibit B-lineage cell activity. In several early-stage clinical studies in various autoimmune diseases, 198 subjects were treated with obexelimab. In these clinical studies, obexelimab demonstrated effective inhibition of B cell function without depleting the cells, resulting in encouraging treatment effect in patients with various autoimmune diseases. Zenas acquired exclusive worldwide rights to obexelimab from Xencor, Inc.

More information on the Phase 3 (INDIGO) study for the treatment of IgG4 Related Disease is available at clinicaltrials.gov: NCT05662241.

About Zenas BioPharma

Zenas BioPharma is a global biopharmaceutical company committed to becoming a leader in the development and commercialization of immune-based therapies for patients around the world. With clinical development and operations globally, Zenas is advancing a deep and balanced global portfolio of potential first- and best-in-class autoimmune therapeutics in areas of high unmet medical need while meeting the value requirements of the dynamic global healthcare environment. The company’s pipeline continues to grow through our successful business development strategy. Our experienced leadership team and network of business partners drive operational excellence to deliver potentially transformative therapies to improve the lives of those facing autoimmune and rare diseases. For more information about Zenas BioPharma, please visit www.zenasbio.com and follow us on Twitter at @ZenasBioPharma and LinkedIn.

Investor and Media Contact:
Joe Farmer, President & COO
Zenas BioPharma
IR@zenasbio.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8884766

API integration connects SimpleNexus, an nCino Company, mobile-first homeownership solution with MortgagebotLOS to simplify U.S. home lending

LEHI, Utah, Aug. 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SimpleNexus (https://simplenexus.com/), an nCino (NASDAQ: NCNO) company and developer of the leading U.S. homeownership solution for loan officers, borrowers, real estate agents and settlement agents, today announced a new integration with Finastra’s MortgagebotLOS, a cloud-based loan origination system for digital mortgage lending. The native integration — available to independent mortgage banks, credit unions and depository banks — streamlines home financing for consumers and the financial institutions that serve them.

The bi-directional integration enables homebuyers to enjoy the modern convenience of submitting a mortgage application via their phones or internet-connected device of choice. Real-time data syncing between the two systems supports automated mortgage loan milestone updates to prompt homebuyers to take next steps and keep their real estate agents in the loop about loan status. The integration also makes it easy for mortgage applicants to scan and securely upload documents via the borrower mobile app while optimizing loan production by electronically routing those files directly into MortgagebotLOS.

“Developing a bi-directional integration with MortgagebotLOS provides greater convenience, efficiency and a more enjoyable usability for homebuyers and lenders alike,” said Ben Miller, CEO of SimpleNexus, an nCino Company. “It makes it easier for financial institutions to support strong customer relationships with a from-anywhere, digital mortgage application portal that keeps them informed at every step. This digital loan experience delivers the operational efficiencies lenders need to maintain margins and a competitive edge.”

“This integration enables financial institutions to optimize their use of both platforms while providing borrowers with a seamless and supportive mortgage application process,” said Mary Kay Theriault, director of product management at Finastra. “Our goal is to equip lenders with the tools they need to stay ahead in any mortgage market.”

“The enhanced functionality of this native integration helps our borrowers navigate the home buying process with greater ease while supporting our loan originators and processing teams with efficiency-driving technology that reduces manual and redundant tasks,” said Gary Hall, vice president and mortgage sales manager at Michigan-based ChoiceOne Bank. “We are dedicated to embracing innovative solutions that cater to the evolving needs of today’s homebuyers, and we are proud to begin reaping the customer experience and operational benefits of the integration as one of the first banks to adopt it.”

“At Flanagan State Bank, customer relationships come first,” said Doug Carls, senior vice president of residential lending at Illinois-based Flanagan State Bank. “This integration supports our commitment to providing personalized, technology-driven solutions to our valued customers during one of their most important financial and personal milestones: buying a home.”

Those interested in learning more about SimpleNexus, an nCino Company, can view a complete list of integrations or request a demo.

About SimpleNexus
SimpleNexus, an nCino (NASDAQ: NCNO) company, is an award-winning developer of mobile-first technology for the modern mortgage lender. U.S. lenders depend on our namesake homeownership platform to unite the people, systems and stages of the mortgage process into a seamless, end-to-end solution that spans engagement, origination, closing and business intelligence. By helping lenders manage their teams and stay connected with borrowers and real estate professionals, we deliver a measurable return on investment in the form of reduced turn times, increased loan application submissions and more referral business. A four-time Inc. 5000 company, SimpleNexus has been recognized as one of the world’s Best Workplaces for Innovators. For more information, visit https://www.simplenexus.com or follow @SimpleNexus.

About Finastra
Finastra is a global provider of financial software applications and marketplaces, and launched the leading open platform for innovation, FusionFabric.cloud, in 2017. It serves institutions of all sizes, providing award-winning software solutions and services across Lending, Payments, Treasury & Capital Markets and Universal Banking (Retail, Digital and Commercial Banking) for banks to support direct banking relationships and grow through indirect channels, such as embedded finance and Banking as a Service. Its pioneering approach and commitment to open finance and collaboration is why it is trusted by over 8,000 institutions, including 45 of the world’s top 50 banks. For more information, visit finastra.com.

Media Contacts
Leslie Colley
DepthPR for SimpleNexus, an nCino Company
+1 678.622.6229
leslie@depthpr.com

Natalia Moose
nCino
natalia.moose@ncino.com

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally include actions, events, results, strategies and expectations and are often identifiable by use of the words “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “projects,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “might,” or “continues” or similar expressions. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon nCino’s historical performance and its current plans, estimates, and expectations, and are not a representation that such plans, estimates, or expectations will be achieved. These forward-looking statements represent nCino’s expectations as of the date of this press release. Subsequent events may cause these expectations to change and, except as may be required by law, nCino does not undertake any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially including, among others, risks and uncertainties relating to the market adoption of our solution and privacy and data security matters. Additional risks and uncertainties that could affect nCino’s business and financial results are included in reports filed by nCino with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (available on our web site at www.ncino.com or the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov). Further information on potential risks that could affect actual results will be included in other filings nCino makes with the SEC from time to time.

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8884231

Bedford, Mass., Aug. 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Conagen, the bioplatform innovator and biomanufacturer, and Sumitomo Chemical, Japan’s leading chemical company, have announced to jointly develop p-hydroxystyrene (HS) and its polymer, poly p-hydroxystyrene (PHS), using a combination of biosynthesis, chemosynthesis, and polymerization. The monomer and the polymer are 100% renewable carbon, marking a new era of sustainable production.

Developing PHS using a combination of biosynthesis, chemosynthesis, and polymerization represents a significant breakthrough in sustainable material production. Efforts to reduce reliance on petroleum and transition towards renewable and sustainable alternatives have gained momentum in recent years. With renewable biomass as the starting material, this joint devolvement between Conagen and Sumitomo Chemical creates an environmentally friendly and cost-effective product. The partnership is in the lead position of active global initiatives to reduce petroleum-based products’ consumption and environmental impact.

This partnership represents a significant milestone in developing sustainable materials, and this approach to PHS production is expected to reduce the carbon footprint associated with traditional chemical synthesis methods. It is a crucial step towards more sustainable manufacturing processes with a positive impact.

The Conagen-Sumitomo partnership leverages Conagen’s expertise in microbial strain design and development with Sumitomo Chemical’s proficiency in chemical production and commercialization. The collaboration aims to create a platform that enables the production of sustainable chemicals to replace petrochemicals in an extended range of many applications.

PHS is used to produce polymers, resins, and other chemicals. The monomer HS can also be used as an input for the synthesis of other substances, such as pharmaceuticals and fragrances. The applications of HS and PHS are limitless and can span uses from electronics to personal care and other consumer products.

“This partnership represents a significant step forward in pursuing green chemicals for sustainable material production,” said J. McNamara, Ph.D., V.P. of chemical applications at Conagen. “Our commitment is a testament to the power of collaboration and the potential of combining our technologies with synthetic and polymer chemistries to create innovative, sustainable solutions that can significantly reduce petroleum-based products in the environment,” McNamara stated. “Together, we’re marking a new era of carbon-neutral material production efforts.”

The monomer HS, with the chemical formula C₈H₈O, is a derivative of styrene in which a hydroxyl group (-OH) is attached to the aromatic ring’s para position (carbon atom 4). The HS and PHS are examples of green chemistry for minimizing waste, reducing hazardous chemicals, and using catalysts that can be easily separated and reused. This joint development project promises to potentially pave the way for developing novel renewable and sustainable materials. “Similar technology can be used to produce other key chemical ingredients by fermentation at industrial scale, such as cinnamic acid, monohydroxy-benzoic acid, and dihydroxy-benzoic acid,” said McNamara.

About Conagen

Conagen is making the impossible possible. It is a product-focused, synthetic biology R&D company with large-scale manufacturing service capabilities. Its proprietary strain development, fermentation, and scale-up technologies enhance our partners’ sales, production, and profitability across a broad spectrum of current and developing markets in food, beverage, nutrition, flavor and fragrance, pharmaceutical, and renewable materials.

About Sumitomo Chemical

Sumitomo Chemical is Japan’s leading chemical company, with a global presence in the chemicals, petrochemicals, and plastics industries. The company is committed to sustainability and has a product portfolio contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.Top of Form

Attachments

• Conagen and Sumitomo Chemical, Japan’s leading chemical company develop together p-hydroxystyrene (HS) and its polymer, poly p-hydroxystyrene (PHS), using a combination of biosynthesis, chemosynthesis and polymerization.
• PHS is used to produce polymers, resins, and other chemicals.

Ana Capretz, Head of Public Relations and Communications
Conagen
+1-781-271-1588
ana.capretz@conagen.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8884420

Herzliya, Israel and Amsterdam, Netherlands, August 1, 2023 – Playtika Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: PLTK), a mobile games pioneer and interactive entertainment leader, and Azerion Group N.V. (EURONEXT: AZRN) one of Europe’s largest digital advertising and entertainment media platforms, announced today they have entered into a definitive agreement for Playtika to acquire from Azerion its Youda Games portfolio of games, including social card themed title Governor of Poker 3, for an initial cash consideration of EUR 81.3 million, with an earnout based on the performance of the acquired business that could take the total consideration up to a maximum of EUR 150 million, subject to customary adjustments.

“The acquisition of Youda Games’ card game portfolio, with its strong IP, is in line with Playtika’s strategic incremental growth approach of leveraging our unrivaled LiveOps expertise and proprietary technology stack to optimize and scale games, strengthening our market position,” said Craig Abrahams, President and Chief Financial Officer of Playtika. “We believe this acquisition will be accretive to our financial performance and is part of our strategy to acquire proven franchises where we can add value.”

“Over the past few years, we have transformed our business by scaling our digital advertising capabilities, developing our strategic portfolio of partner-led content and extending the presence and reach of our in-market commercial teams,” said Azerion Group’s Chief Revenue Officer Sebastiaan Moesman. “As a result of this dynamic shift towards our digital advertising platform, social card games have become less strategic for Azerion, whilst remaining an attractive investment opportunity for an industry partner such as Playtika. This divestment will further simplify our business and help us to continue investing in and delivering on our growth ambitions.”

The transaction is currently expected to complete by the end of the third quarter 2023 subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Azerion will provide further information relating to the transaction alongside its interim financial results for Q2 and H1 2023.

About Azerion
Founded in 2014, Azerion (EURONEXT: AZRN) is one of Europe’s largest digital advertising and entertainment media platforms. We bring global scaled audiences to advertisers in an easy and cost-effective way, delivered through our proprietary technology, in a safe, engaging, and high-quality environment, utilizing our strategic portfolio of owned and operated content with entertainment and other digital publishing partners.

Having its roots in Europe with its headquarters in Amsterdam, Azerion has commercial teams based in over 26 cities around the world to closely support our clients and partners to find and execute creative ways to really make an impact through advertising.

For more information visit: www.azerion.com

About Playtika Holding Corp. 
Playtika (NASDAQ: PLTK) is a mobile gaming entertainment and technology market leader with a portfolio of multiple game titles. Founded in 2010, Playtika was among the first to offer free-to-play social games on social networks and, shortly after, on mobile platforms. Headquartered in Herzliya, Israel, and guided by a mission to entertain the world through infinite ways to play, Playtika has employees across offices worldwide.

Forward Looking Information
In this press release, we make “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Further, statements that include words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “present,” “preserve,” “project,” “pursue,” “will,” or “would,” or the negative of these words or other words or expressions of similar meaning may identify forward-looking statements.

Important factors that could cause Playtika’s actual results to differ materially from estimates or projections contained in the forward-looking statements include without limitation:

• Our reliance on third-party platforms, such as the iOS App Store, Facebook, and Google Play Store, to distribute our games and collect revenues, and the risk that such platforms may adversely change their policies;
• the reliance on a small percentage of total users to generate a majority of the revenue for the Youda game portfolio;
• the free-to-play business model, and the value of virtual items sold in the Youda game portfolio, is highly dependent on how we manage the game revenues and pricing models;
• our inability to complete this acquisition and integrate the Youda game portfolio into our operations;
• that all closing conditions in the transaction agreement are completed in a timely manner;
• that the closing will occur during Q3 2023;
• the ability of the Youda games portfolio to compete in a highly competitive industry with low barriers to entry;
• legal or regulatory restrictions or proceedings could adversely impact our business, including the Youda games portfolio, and limit the growth of our operations;
• risks related to our international operations and ownership, including our significant operations in Israel, Ukraine and Belarus and the fact that our controlling stockholder is a Chinese-owned company;
• our reliance on key personnel, including our ability to retain the key personnel of Youda Games;
• security breaches or other disruptions could compromise our information or our players’ information and expose us to liability; and
• our inability to protect our intellectual property and proprietary information could adversely impact our business.

Additional factors that may cause future events and actual results, financial or otherwise, to differ, potentially materially, from those discussed in or implied by the forward-looking statements include the risks and uncertainties discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee that the future results, levels of activity, performance or events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur, and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. Given these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements for any reason to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations.

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GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1000832593

TOKYO, July 31, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FLUED Inc. (“FLUED”) announced that it has reached the platinum tier of HubSpot’s Solutions Partner Program, joining just six other Platinum-tiered partners in Japan, which makes them the seventh in Japan. HubSpot, a leading CRM platform for scaling companies, works hand-in-hand with partner experts to grow their businesses through inbound software, services, and support.

The Solutions Partner Program is an ecosystem of experts that offer marketing, sales, customer service, web design, CRM, and IT services. It’s a global community that believes putting customers first is the key to growth, and enables its members to offer a wide breadth of more sophisticated solutions across the entire customer experience.

FLUED x HubSpot

Over the past year, FLUED has grown its business by incorporating inbound strategies to attract, engage, and delight customers. FLUED is one of a small number of expert groups specialized in B2B marketing/sales in Japan. In 2019 FLUED became a HubSpot partner, gold partner in 2020, and has now attained the level of Platinum partner. As of April 2023, there are only 7 Platinum or higher-ranking partners in Japan. Notable milestones and achievements include:

• Offering tools that automate data migration from other CRMs such as Salesforce and ZOHO.
• Building operations by combining B2B marketing/sales tools from in and out of the country that can integrate with HubSpot.
• Utilizing high expertise and working knowledge of marketing and sales activities, FLUED proposes appropriate operations and data maintenance methods.

“In B2B marketing and sales areas, we are able to provide a wide range of support for both online and offline measures, which has built trust with customers. With our strong partnership with HubSpot, we will continue to be dedicated to consulting areas such as strategy formulation and planning, to BPO and practical operations such as production, operation, and agency.” says Soh Matsunaga, CEO of FLUED. “As an “expert group” of B2B marketing and sales, we provide project participation type of support. This project-participation type of support and HubSpot’s range of services go very well together.I believe that it is a major reason why we were able to reach the platinum tier of HubSpot’s Solutions Partner Program this time because it meets the needs of the times. We will continue to support our clients in solving their problems through both B2B marketing and sales.”

“Our mission at HubSpot is to help millions grow better, and we are extremely fortunate to have solutions partners like FLUED who share this goal,” said Brian Garvey, VP, Solutions Partner Program, HubSpot. “Through their hard work and unwavering commitment to customers, FLUED has helped global B2B companies with specialized marketing and sales professionals successfully make an impact in the Japanese region. I’m thrilled to welcome FLUED and their entire team to the platinum tier of the Solutions Partner Program.”

About HubSpot

HubSpot provides a cloud-based CRM (customer relationship management) platform that supports the growth of companies with products and services that combine “ease of use” and “advanced functionality”. HubSpot’s CRM platform includes products for marketing, sales, customer service, operations, website management and supports the practice of the idea of “inbound” which grow your own business by attracting, building trust, and satisfying customers. It enables to expand flexibly according to the needs of growth phase of each company and is currently installed in about 177,000 companies in more than 120 countries around the world.

https://www.hubspot.com/

About FLUED

FLUED was established in 2019 as a group of experts in B2B marketing and sales.

We run a project participation type of support by a group of experts to solve problems of Japanese companies that are behind in sales digital transformation.

We provide a wide range of support, from consulting areas such as strategy formulation and planning, to BPO and practical operations such as production, operation, and agency.

Other services provided by FLUED

In addition to HubSpot implementation/utilization support, we also provide the following services.

• ABM target definition / list creation
• Customer journey design
• CRM / MA / SFA design / construction / establishment
• WEB / LP / B2B-EC production
• Web advertisement (Google/FB, etc.) operation
• Article content / video production
• Inside sales agency
• Sales training / sales enablement
• Webinar / exhibition lead acquisition
• Construction of B2B marketing organization

Contact Information

FLUED Inc.
Soh Matsunaga, CEO
sohmatsunaga@flued.jp
Address: Ark Hills South Tower 16F, 1-4-5 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
URL: https://flued.jp/en/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flued-inc/

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d8ff09f9-5930-4c37-9168-8fdeb7fc765b
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0f40737b-d412-4200-8185-493999f6c997

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8884402

PHOENIX, July 31, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — WillScot Mobile Mini Holdings Corp. (“WillScot Mobile Mini” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: WSC), the North American leader in innovative flexible space and storage solutions, today announced that Tim Boswell, President and Chief Financial Officer, and Nick Girardi, Senior Director of Treasury and Investor Relations, will host private investor meetings at the Wells Fargo FinTech, Information & Business Services Forum in Newport, RI, on August 10, 2023.

About WillScot Mobile Mini

WillScot Mobile Mini trades on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the ticker symbol “WSC.” Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, the Company is a leading business services provider specializing in innovative flexible space and storage solutions. WillScot Mobile Mini services diverse end markets across all sectors of the economy from a network of approximately 240 branch locations and additional drop lots throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

Additional information can be found on the company’s website at www.willscotmobilemini.com.

Contact Information
Investor Inquiries:	Media Inquiries:
Nick Girardi	Jake Saylor
investors@willscotmobilemini.com	jake.saylor@willscot.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8884017