Artificial Intelligence
Ben Franklin Tech Partners to Invest $407K in PA Companies
BETHLEHEM, Pa., Oct. 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s (BFTP/NEP) Board of Directors has approved the investment of $407,130 in support of regional economic development. Nine companies in BFTP/NEP’s 21-county service area received funding. BFTP/NEP announces the following early-stage company investments, which are provided in the form of loans with warrants.
Hanish Water, Inc., https://www.hanishwater.com/, Hazleton, Luzerne County
Ben Franklin Investment: $100,000
Develop Hanish’s Watercrest water filtration system by supporting drawings, prototypes, testing, and patenting proprietary materials and approaches. Using NASA-derived technology, the WaterCrest whole-house physical water treatment systems provide comprehensive water filtration using no salt, no electricity, no moving parts, requiring no back-washing, and wasting no water. There is a growing global market for effective and efficient water treatment due to industrialization and population growth.
IntelliGreen, https://intelligreen.net/, West Hazleton, Luzerne County
Ben Franklin Investment: $50,000
Expand sales and marketing efforts for a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform to work in tandem with IntelliGreen’s products, which were developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Intelli-Temp devices can detect and identify a person’s face, including for an individual wearing a mask; direct a person to put on a mask as a requirement to entry; detect a reference temperature within 0.5 degrees accuracy; and provide alerting for fever conditions; all within one second. The Intelli-Temp MAX features a 22’’ screen that enables a display of user-generated content. The investment will allow IntelliGreen to leverage its relationships with four distribution partners and launch the SaaS product and gate-monitoring solution.
NexUS 1, LLC, https://www.nexii.com/, Hazleton, Luzerne County
Ben Franklin Investment: $100,000
Support marketing and human resource development to leverage state-of-the-art Green building technology and patented materials in the construction of new buildings and retrofit industries. Nexii’s whole-building solution utilizes a patented material, Nexiite, and the proprietary Nexii design and assembly process, which together enable the construction of sustainable, costefficient, durable, and disaster-resilient buildings. Nexii materials can be used for buildings of all heights and sizes, and are suitable for commercial/institutional/industrial, mixed-use, multi-family residential, and single-family detached homes, as well as for retrofitting existing buildings. The NexUS facility will be the first Nexii-certified manufacturer of the system in the U.S., serving the northeast and mid-Atlantic states, and will employ 176 Pennsylvanians.
Raven Biomaterials, LLC, Ben Franklin TechVentures, Bethlehem, Northampton County
Ben Franklin Investment: $50,000
Develop and test initial samples of a fundamentally new type of magnetic beads with significantly higher magnetic capability. Raven’s proprietary beads will change the way manufacturers of cellular therapeutics isolate targeted cells within complex mixtures such as blood. The company’s initial target application is to improve cell-based therapeutic manufacturing to enhance performance, reduce costs, and accelerate patient access to emerging treatments such as cell and gene therapy.
Ben Franklin provides 1:1 matching funding for work with a college or university partner on technology-based innovation in established manufacturers.
Brenntag Northeast, Inc., https://www.brenntag.com/en-us/about/locations-entities/brenntag-northeast/, Reading, Berks County
Ben Franklin Investment: $15,000
University Partner: Lehigh University’s Enterprise Systems Center
Improve warehouse and operating efficiencies at the Reading plant. Brenntag Northeast is a chemical distributor that provides custom-made distribution solutions for industrial and specialty chemicals. The company delivers specific application technology, extensive technical support, and value-added services including just-in-time delivery, product mixing, formulation, repackaging, inventory management, and drum return handling. With more than 10,000 products and a comprehensive supplier network, Brenntag serves 195,000 customers globally.
Oldcastle APG Anchor Central, http://www.oldcastleapg.com/, Easton, Northampton County
Ben Franklin Investment: $15,000
University Partner: Lehigh University’s Enterprise Systems Center
Improve order fulfillment processes, optimize throughput, and enhance facility layout to increase competitiveness at this manufacturer of precast pavers, bricks, and concrete. Oldcastle’s products are used in a broad range of commercial and residential applications.
To help companies accelerate the recovery from the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) provided a $1 million disbursement in May that was matched by Ben Franklin. BFTP/NEP’s Return to Health funding program has included emergency regional investments in 19 start-ups and 19 established manufacturers. The three investments below will complete Ben Franklin’s Return to Health funding.
Rebuilding Northeastern PA Manufacturers Investments allow BFTP/NEP’s recent established manufacturer clients with 250 or fewer employees to develop and implement plans for recovery. Many of these manufacturing firms were partway through the development of innovative production and process enhancements, and failing to complete them would hinder their recovery and growth. These clients will facilitate job retention and creation.
Ben Franklin announces the following Rebuilding Northeastern Pennsylvania Manufacturers Investments in two companies, which are provided as matching funding.
B. Braun Medical, Inc., www.bbraunusa.com, Allentown, Lehigh County
Ben Franklin Investment: $25,000
University Partner: Lehigh University’s Enterprise Systems Center
Analyze, test, and develop intravenous (IV) tubing materials and manufacturing processes that will provide a consistent product with the desired properties for longer IV tubing. Additional length is required to separate patients with infectious diseases including COVID-19 from caregivers who monitor the IV pumps and fluids.
Reitnouer, Inc., https://reitnouer-trailers.com/, Birdsboro, Berks County
Ben Franklin Investment: $15,000
Adjust operations to improve production flow and operational efficiencies following decreased sales due to COVID-19. Reitnouer is a leading manufacturer of aluminum flatbed and drop deck trailers. The company utilizes an innovative approach in building the structures that improves product strength and durability. Prior to the pandemic, sales were growing, but the transportation industry has been strongly affected. The investment will improve the company’s productivity and position it for recovery and growth.
Also part of BFTP/NEP’s Return to Health Funding, Next-Generation Pandemic Defense Investments support new Ben Franklin clients that are creating tools and techniques that could help us recover from COVID-19 and/or protect us from future infectious disease outbreaks. BFTP/NEP invested in one early-stage firm with a three-year, 0% interest loan.
ParoAI Inc., http://heyparo.com/, Ben Franklin TechVentures, Bethlehem, Northampton County
Ben Franklin Investment: $37,130
Continue to build Paro’s existing conversational artificial intelligence (AI) healthcare platform by developing Paro Rapport, which will provide healthcare providers, patients, healthcare manufacturers, and health networks a simple-to-use method for asynchronous communication via voice technology. This will address an unmet communication system need that can be leveraged during the COVID-19 pandemic and in future public health crises that limit in-person interactions.
About the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania
The Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania (BFTP/NEP) creates and retains highly paid, sustainable jobs by investing in and linking companies with experts, universities, follow-on funding, and other resources to help them prosper through innovation. It is part of a four-center economic development initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and is funded by the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority.
BFTP/NEP’s strategy encompasses three key areas:
- developing and growing early-stage technology-oriented companies;
- supporting established manufacturers as they creatively apply new technology to help them succeed globally by producing better, faster, and at a lower cost;
- promoting an innovative community-wide infrastructure that supports Pennsylvania’s business technology ecosystem.
Since beginning operations in 1983, BFTP/NEP has helped to create 19,257 new jobs for Pennsylvania workers and to retain 43,880 existing jobs, to start 525 new companies, and to develop 2,113 new products and processes. Since 2007, BFTP/NEP clients have generated more than $1.6 billion in follow-on funding. The Pennsylvania Ben Franklin Technology Partners network has returned $3.90 to the state treasury for every $1.00 invested in the program.
BFTP/NEP owns, manages, and is headquartered in Ben Franklin TechVentures®, an award-winning business incubator/post-incubator facility on Lehigh University’s campus in Bethlehem. BFTP/NEP also owns and manages the Bloomsburg Regional Technology Center. Applying more than 35 years of experience and two international awards for excellence in business incubation, BFTP/NEP leads a 13-member business incubator network that is among the largest in the nation.
Laura S. Eppler
Chief Marketing Officer
Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania
Cell 610.417.5261
[email protected]
Artificial Intelligence
Terra Drone, Unifly, and Aloft Launch UTM Development for AAM Targeting Global Markets
TOKYO, April 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Terra Drone Corporation, a leading drone and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) technology provider headquartered in Japan, announced today the launch of joint development with its Group companies Unifly NV (“Unifly”) and Aloft Technologies Inc. (“Aloft”) focused on UAS Traffic Management (UTM) for AAMs targeting global markets. Terra Drone has been making strides in its pioneering UTM business via strategic investments in Unifly, a leading UTM technology provider based in Belgium, and Aloft, which has the top UTM market share in the U.S. This collaboration marks the world’s first-ever joint UTM development for AAMs by multiple companies with extensive track records in UTM implementation and operation.
The three companies pursue joint UTM development to capitalize on the rapid global progress in electric vertical take-off and landing aircrafts (eVTOLs), set to revolutionize transportation. Morgan Stanley forecasts the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) market to reach $1 trillion by 2040 and $9 trillion by 2050 (1), with eVTOLs gaining global recognition through test flights and prototype showcases.
The companies proudly announce initiatives to enhance their existing UTM platforms in anticipation of the surge in eVTOL aircraft and drone activities. The shared vision for the UTM platform is to enable safe and efficient flight operations for eVTOLs and drones in the foreseeable future.
Recognizing the evolving needs of the AAM industry, they are dedicated to extending their platform by incorporating crucial additional functions. These enhancements, designed with automation at their core, aim to streamline operational efficiencies and pave the way for the integration of their increasingly automated UTM technology into the design and operational framework of AAMs. Through these efforts, they aim to set new standards in UTM and to facilitate the seamless integration of eVTOLs and drones into the national airspace, bolstering the potential for the AAM industry.
Through this initiative, they aim to build a global UTM infrastructure that kickstarts the AAM industry worldwide, creating a cohesive ecosystem that supports AAM growth and addresses broader challenges of urban mobility, sustainability, and air traffic safety.
Notes to Editor:
Research by Morgan Stanley in a report titled “eVTOL/Urban Air Mobility TAM Update: A Slow Take-Off, But Sky’s the Limit” https://advisor.morganstanley.com/the-busot-group/documents/field/b/bu/busot-group/Electric%20Vehicles.pdf]
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Artificial Intelligence
IBM to Acquire HashiCorp, Inc. Creating a Comprehensive End-to-End Hybrid Cloud Platform
$6.4 billion acquisition adds suite of leading hybrid and multi-cloud lifecycle management products to help clients grappling with today’s AI-driven application growth and complexity
HashiCorp’s capabilities to drive significant synergies across multiple strategic growth areas for IBM, including Red Hat, watsonx, data security, IT automation and Consulting
As a part of IBM, HashiCorp is expected to accelerate innovation and enhance its go-to-market, growth and monetization initiatives
Transaction expected to be accretive to Adjusted EBITDA within the first full year, post close, and free cash flow in year two
ARMONK, N.Y. and SAN FRANCISCO, April 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — IBM (NYSE: IBM) and HashiCorp Inc. (NASDAQ: HCP), a leading multi-cloud infrastructure automation company, today announced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which IBM will acquire HashiCorp for $35 per share in cash, representing an enterprise value of $6.4 billion. HashiCorp’s suite of products provides enterprises with extensive Infrastructure Lifecycle Management and Security Lifecycle Management capabilities to enable organizations to automate their hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Today’s announcement is a continuation of IBM’s deep focus and investment in hybrid cloud and AI, the two most transformational technologies for clients today.
“Enterprise clients are wrestling with an unprecedented expansion in infrastructure and applications across public and private clouds, as well as on-prem environments. The global excitement surrounding generative AI has exacerbated these challenges and CIOs and developers are up against dramatic complexity in their tech strategies,” said Arvind Krishna, IBM chairman and chief executive officer. “HashiCorp has a proven track record of enabling clients to manage the complexity of today’s infrastructure and application sprawl. Combining IBM’s portfolio and expertise with HashiCorp’s capabilities and talent will create a comprehensive hybrid cloud platform designed for the AI era.”
The rise of cloud-native workloads and associated applications is driving a radical expansion in the number of cloud workloads enterprises are managing. In addition, generative AI deployment continues to grow alongside traditional workloads. As a result, developers are working with increasingly heterogeneous, dynamic, and complex infrastructure strategies. This represents a massive challenge for technology professionals.
HashiCorp’s capabilities enable enterprises to use automation to deliver lifecycle management for infrastructure and security, providing a system of record for the critical workflows needed for hybrid and multi-cloud environments. HashiCorp’s Terraform is the industry standard for infrastructure provisioning in these environments. HashiCorp’s offerings help clients take a cloud-agnostic, and highly interoperable approach to multi-cloud management, and complement IBM’s commitment to industry collaboration (including deep and expanding partnerships with hyperscale cloud service providers), developer communities, and open-source hybrid cloud and AI innovation.
“Our strategy at its core is about enabling companies to innovate in the cloud, while providing a consistent approach to managing cloud at scale. The need for effective management and automation is critical with the rise of multi-cloud and hybrid cloud, which is being accelerated by today’s AI revolution,” said Armon Dadgar, HashiCorp co-founder and chief technology officer. “I’m incredibly excited by today’s news and to be joining IBM to accelerate HashiCorp’s mission and expand access to our products to an even broader set of developers and enterprises.”
“Today is an exciting day for our dedicated teams across the world as well as the developer communities we serve,” said Dave McJannet, HashiCorp chief executive officer. “IBM’s leadership in hybrid cloud along with its rich history of innovation, make it the ideal home for HashiCorp as we enter the next phase of our growth journey. I’m proud of the work we’ve done as a standalone company, I am excited to be able to help our customers further, and I look forward to the future of HashiCorp as part of IBM.”
Transaction Rationale
Strong Strategic Fit – The acquisition of HashiCorp by IBM creates a comprehensive end-to-end hybrid cloud platform built for AI-driven complexity. The combination of each company’s portfolio and talent will deliver clients extensive application, infrastructure and security lifecycle management capabilitiesAccelerates growth in key focus areas – Upon close, HashiCorp is expected to drive significant synergies for IBM, including across multiple strategic growth areas like Red Hat, watsonx, data security, IT automation and Consulting. For example, the powerful combination of Red Hat’s Ansible Automation Platform’s configuration management and Terraform’s automation will simplify provisioning and configuration of applications across hybrid cloud environments. The two companies also anticipate an acceleration of HashiCorp’s growth initiatives by leveraging IBM’s world-class go-to-market strategy, scale, and reach, operating in more than 175 countries across the globeExpands Total Addressable Market (TAM) – The acquisition will create the opportunity to deliver more comprehensive hybrid and multi-cloud offerings to enterprise clients. HashiCorp’s offerings, combined with IBM and Red Hat, will give clients a platform to automate the deployment and orchestration of workloads across evolving infrastructure including hyperscale cloud service providers, private clouds and on-prem environments. This will enhance IBM’s ability to address the total cloud opportunity, which according to IDC had a TAM of $1.1 trillion in 2023, with a compound annual growth rate in the high teens through 2027.1Attractive Financial Opportunity – The transaction will accelerate IBM’s growth profile over time driven by go-to-market and product synergies. This growth combined with operating efficiencies, is expected to achieve substantial near-term margin expansion for the acquired business. It is anticipated that the transaction will be accretive to Adjusted EBITDA within the first full year, post close, and free cash flow in year two.HashiCorp boasts a roster of more than 4,400 clients, including Bloomberg, Comcast, Deutsche Bank, GitHub, J.P Morgan Chase, Starbucks and Vodafone. HashiCorp’s offerings have widescale adoption in the developer community and are used by 85% of the Fortune 500. Their community products across infrastructure and security were downloaded more than 500 million times in HashiCorp’s FY2024 and include:
Terraform – provides organizations with a single workflow to provision their cloud, private datacenter, and SaaS infrastructure and continuously manage infrastructure throughout its lifecycleVault – provides organizations with identity-based security to automatically authenticate and authorize access to secrets and other sensitive dataAdditional products – Boundary for secure remote access; Consul for service-based networking; Nomad for workload orchestration; Packer for building and managing images as code; and Waypoint internal developer platformTransaction Details
Under the terms of the agreement, IBM will acquire HashiCorp for $35 per share in cash, or $6.4 billion enterprise value, net of cash. HashiCorp will be acquired with available cash on hand.
The boards of directors of IBM and HashiCorp have both approved the transaction. The acquisition is subject to approval by HashiCorp shareholders, regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.
The Company’s largest shareholders and investors, who collectively hold approximately 43% of the voting power of HashiCorp’s outstanding common stock, entered into a voting agreement with IBM pursuant to which each has agreed to vote all of their common shares in favor of the transaction and against any alternative transactions.
The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2024.
____________________1 The total cloud opportunity is the sum of the cloud-directed spends across Hardware, IT services and SW for Private and Public cloud implementation, sourced from IDC’s Worldwide Black Book Live Edition, March 2024 (V1 2024)
Conference Call Details
IBM’s regular quarterly earnings conference call is scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m. ET, today. The Webcast may be accessed here. Presentation charts will be available shortly before the Webcast.
About IBM
IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Thousands of government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service. Visit www.ibm.com for more information.
About HashiCorp
HashiCorp is The Infrastructure Cloud™ company, helping organizations automate multi-cloud and hybrid environments with Infrastructure Lifecycle Management and Security Lifecycle Management. HashiCorp offers The Infrastructure Cloud on the HashiCorp Cloud Platform (HCP) for managed cloud services, as well as self-hosted enterprise offerings and community source-available products. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California. For more information, visit HashiCorp.com.
Press Contacts:
IBM:Tim Davidson, [email protected]
HashiCorp:Matthew Sherman / Jed Repko / Haley Salas / Joycelyn BarnettJoele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher212-355-4449
Additional Information and Where to Find It
HashiCorp, Inc. (“HashiCorp”), the members of HashiCorp’s board of directors and certain of HashiCorp’s executive officers are participants in the solicitation of proxies from stockholders in connection with the pending acquisition of HashiCorp (the “Transaction”). HashiCorp plans to file a proxy statement (the “Transaction Proxy Statement”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) in connection with the solicitation of proxies to approve the Transaction. David McJannet, Armon Dadgar, Susan St. Ledger, Todd Ford, David Henshall, Glenn Solomon and Sigal Zarmi, all of whom are members of HashiCorp’s board of directors, and Navam Welihinda, HashiCorp’s chief financial officer, are participants in HashiCorp’s solicitation. Information regarding such participants, including their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be included in the Transaction Proxy Statement and other relevant documents to be filed with the SEC in connection with the Transaction. Additional information about such participants is available under the captions “Board of Directors and Corporate Governance,” “Executive Officers” and “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” in HashiCorp’s definitive proxy statement in connection with its 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “2023 Proxy Statement”), which was filed with the SEC on May 17, 2023 (and is available at https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1720671/000114036123025250/ny20008192x1_def14a.htm). To the extent that holdings of HashiCorp’s securities have changed since the amounts printed in the 2023 Proxy Statement, such changes have been or will be reflected on Statements of Change in Ownership on Form 4 filed with the SEC (which are available at https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0001720671&type=&dateb=&owner=only&count=40&search_text=). Information regarding HashiCorp’s transactions with related persons is set forth under the caption “Related Person Transactions” in the 2023 Proxy Statement. Certain illustrative information regarding the payments to that may be owed, and the circumstances in which they may be owed, to HashiCorp’s named executive officers in a change of control of HashiCorp is set forth under the caption “Executive Compensation—Potential Payments upon Termination or Change in Control” in the 2023 Proxy Statement. With respect to Ms. St. Ledger, certain of such illustrative information is contained in the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 7, 2023 (and is available at https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1720671/000162828023021270/hcp-20230607.htm). Promptly after filing the definitive Transaction Proxy Statement with the SEC, HashiCorp will mail the definitive Transaction Proxy Statement and a WHITE proxy card to each stockholder entitled to vote at the special meeting to consider the Transaction. STOCKHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE TRANSACTION PROXY STATEMENT (INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS THAT HASHICORP WILL FILE WITH THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Stockholders may obtain, free of charge, the preliminary and definitive versions of the Transaction Proxy Statement, any amendments or supplements thereto, and any other relevant documents filed by HashiCorp with the SEC in connection with the Transaction at the SEC’s website (http://www.sec.gov). Copies of HashiCorp’s definitive Transaction Proxy Statement, any amendments or supplements thereto, and any other relevant documents filed by HashiCorp with the SEC in connection with the Transaction will also be available, free of charge, at HashiCorp’s investor relations website (https://ir.hashicorp.com/), or by emailing HashiCorp’s investor relations department ([email protected]).
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this communication may be characterized as forward-looking under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially.
Statements in this communication regarding IBM and HashiCorp that are forward-looking may include statements regarding: (i) the Transaction; (ii) the expected timing of the closing of the Transaction; (iii) considerations taken into account in approving and entering into the Transaction; (iv) the anticipated benefits to, or impact of, the Transaction on IBM’s and HashiCorp’s businesses; and (v) expectations for IBM and HashiCorp following the closing of the Transaction. There can be no assurance that the Transaction will be consummated.
Risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements, in addition to those identified above, include: (i) the possibility that the conditions to the closing of the Transaction are not satisfied, including the risk that required approvals from HashiCorp’s stockholders for the Transaction or required regulatory approvals to consummate the Transaction are not obtained, on a timely basis or at all; (ii) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to a right to terminate the Transaction, including in circumstances requiring HashiCorp to pay a termination fee; (iii) possible disruption related to the Transaction to IBM’s and HashiCorp’s current plans, operations and business relationships, including through the loss of customers and employees; (iv) the amount of the costs, fees, expenses and other charges incurred by IBM and HashiCorp related to the Transaction; (v) the risk that IBM’s or HashiCorp’s stock price may fluctuate during the pendency of the Transaction and may decline if the Transaction is not completed; (vi) the diversion of IBM and HashiCorp management’s time and attention from ongoing business operations and opportunities; (vii) the response of competitors and other market participants to the Transaction; (viii) potential litigation relating to the Transaction; (ix) uncertainty as to timing of completion of the Transaction and the ability of each party to consummate the Transaction; and (x) other risks and uncertainties detailed in the periodic reports that IBM and HashiCorp filed with the SEC, including IBM’s and HashiCorp’s respective Annual Reports on Form 10-K. All forward-looking statements in this communication are based on information available to IBM and HashiCorp as of the date of this communication, and, except as required by law, IBM and HashiCorp do not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements provided to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.
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Artificial Intelligence
Businessabc.net, part of Ztudium group partners with IEBF to offer GenerativeAI tools for SMEs, Adds Dilip Pungliya to Leadership
LONDON and NEW DELHI, April 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Businessabc.net part of ztudium group partners with Indo-European Business Forum IEBF and signed an MOU to collaborate in building tech AI-powered tools and trade corridors and technological solutions for businesses in India, UK, and Europe.
Businessabc.net is a global business abc AI, digital certification search engine, and directory marketplace that offers a fresh approach to business insights, and analytics and makes it accessible to every company, and employee, empowering knowledge-sharing and strategic insights across every level for businesses worldwide. Businessabc offers a digital hub marketplace to empower SMEs and businesses of all types with B2B, B2C, and AI-powered tools, that give them access to strategies, and insights and connect them with chambers of commerce, trade corridors, digital supply chains, provenance tools, and multi-store e-commerce solutions. The Indo-European Business Forum – IEBF is an independent, impartial organisation promoting two-way flows of trade, and investment in India, the UK, and EU member countries.
Businessabc.net owned by ztudium announces this strategic partnership with the IEBF and announces Dilip Pungliya as a new partner and Board Member to lead these endeavours. In this role, Mr. Pungliya, a tech, business, and data scientist executive will bring his extensive expertise in business strategy and digital transformation to lead key initiatives within the organisation.
The growth of Generative AI among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) worldwide has been steadily gaining momentum, and in India, the UK, and Europe a burgeoning tech ecosystem is growing awareness of the transformative potential of artificial intelligence.
IEBF and Businessabc.net join forces to expand the platform with new indexes powered by Generative AI to enhance efficiency, streamline operations, and give companies a competitive edge in the market. Factors such as the availability of cost-effective AI solutions, the skilled workforce, and a global need to push towards digitalisation have contributed to the adoption of Generative AI technologies. GenAI tools and tech solutions are critical to unlocking new value for businesses and becoming the most important tools for organisations of all sizes. AI revolution through platforms such as businessabc.net semantic and GenAI search, indexes, and chatbots, can solve business problems and offer leaders integrated solutions for their growth.
IEBF has been collaborating with Governments in India, UK, and Europe,. Their contribution includes events in the UK House of Lords, Indian governmental organisations, and research and education initiatives for businesses. Created by Mr. Vijay Goel and Mr. Sunil Kumar Gupta the founders, responsibles for the organisation said about this: “We are excited to work and enhance business solutions between IEBF and Businessabc.net, part of Ztudium group. All businesses need to be aware, educated, and prepared for this new AI and digital growth tools world. Data from India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) reports that GenAI is expected to add USD 450–500 billion to India’s GDP by 2025 – 10% of the country’s USD 5 trillion GDP target. We expect to work together to empower businesses in India, the UK, and Europe joining forces with Businessabc.net to organise strategic trade corridors, events, and Indexes.”
Dinis Guarda, Founder of Ztudium / Businessabc.net, a business top thought leader, author, and Youtuber said about the partnership: “We are thrilled to work with IEBF to expand the businessabc.net solutions to India, UK, and Europe businesses and welcome Dilip Punglyia to support, lead this partnership and Ztudium group. Together we will offer cutting-edge simple tools that use genAI in business and finance. In the financial sector alone GenAI is expected to increase global gross domestic product (GDP) by 7%—nearly $7 trillion—and boost productivity growth by 1.5%, according to Goldman Sachs Research.”
Dilip Pungliya, a seasoned tech, digital, and business strategy leader with more than twenty five years of experience creating data-driven solutions will be at the forefront of this partnership. Mr. Dilip Pungliya said about this: “I’m thrilled to join businessabc.net and Ztudium leadership team and contribute to the growth of the partnership with the IEBF and its holistic company’s mission of driving innovation and digital transformation through cutting-edge technologies like AI, fintech, Web 3.0, Metaverse, and Blockchain. This partnership will allow us to create a digital ID, new AI data-driven generative tools, and scale growth for businesses in India, UK, and Europe, and Dilip’s wealth of experience and strategic vision will be invaluable as we continue to drive innovation and empower businesses with transformative technologies.”
About the Indo-European Business Forum
IEBF is an independent, impartial body actively promoting two-way flows of trade, and investment in India and EU member countries. Indo European Business Forum is an open forum comprising like-minded people who believe that “India can offer strong and sustained business opportunities for European Union countries”. IEBF is patronised by leading personalities from both India and the EU having excellence in the fields of business, finance, real estate, and art, to name a few. Our advisory board consists of people who are determined to create a progressive world.
About the Businessabc.net,
Founded in August 2011 by Dinis Guarda, who was joined by Sonesh Sira as board and partner some years after businessabc.net part of Ztudium group has been creating Digital Transformation, and AI tools and being recognised as one of the top global thought leaders organisations by organisations like Thinkers360.com. The company has been working and advising Fortune 500 companies and governments and offers technology products and platforms. Some of its offers are citiesabc.com, fashionsabc.com, sportsabc.org. It also manages a media division with intelligenthq.com, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and services that integrate a wide range of 4IR, AI, 3D, web 3.0, and blockchain technologies solutions such as Metaverseabc. tech, MStores.shopping, iDNA.technology, and AI.DNA. The platform unveiled recently its Top 10,000 Public Companies Market Cap Index, which lists tech giants like Apple, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, Nvidia, and Meta, and LVMH, IBM, and JPMorgan Chase & Co., from other industries at the top.
About Ztudium: The maker of 4IR, AI, Web 3.0, and Smart Cities technologies
Ztudium is a UK-based global maker of leading proprietary intellectual property and technologies that integrate Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies. The company creates technology products, platforms, media, and services that integrate fintech, smart cities, Web 3.0, AI, Metaverse, and Blockchain. Ztudium collaborates with multiple governments, organisations, educational institutions, and business networks worldwide.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Media Contact Name: Manan KothariEmail Address: [email protected] Number: +44 7833881659
Company Name: Businessabc / ZtudiumCompany Address: 85, Great portland street, London W1W7LTWebsite URL: www.businessabc.net, www.ztudium.com
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