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Orlando Emerges as the Center of the Metaverse

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ORLANDO, Fla., May 11, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Orlando region is home to next-gen gaming, entertainment, artificial intelligence, AR/VR, IoT and simulation training companies. The people, entrepreneurs and businesses here created the most engaging, technologically-advanced region in the world over several decades – and are now doing the same for the metaverse, making Orlando the MetaCenter.

The declaration of the MetaCenter comes after the announcement of “Unbelievably Real” – a new brand that tells the complete story of Orlando, both the fantastical and authentic elements of the metro, in both tourism and business. The MetaCenter is an important piece of the unbelievably real work happening here.

“After watching intently for years as the building blocks of this new frontier unfold, the metaverse is taking shape – and it is evident that Orlando’s tech companies play a big part in developing this new world,” said David Adelson, Chief Innovation Officer at the Orlando Economic Partnership. “There’s no other region in the world that combines creativity, technology and innovation like we do and that’s what makes Orlando the MetaCenter.”

Orlando and the surrounding region has evolved into a booming tech hub, home to everything from startups to global giants, all powering the technology that is creating the metaverse and helping businesses access what both Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley pegged as an $8 trillion growth opportunity.

The Orlando Economic Partnership is taking the entire region into the metaverse, working with Unity to create a digital twin of the 800-square-mile metro area that will use new 3D technology to map out scenarios on everything from infrastructure to real estate to talent availability to climate change. The Orlando region has one of the highest concentrations of Unity licenses in the country, thanks to the number of local companies working in modeling, simulation, and training, as well as theme parks, gaming and entertainment.

“From simulation and modeling to game development, world building, and even Imagineering, Orlando houses not only the talent, but also the business-friendly climate incentives that are needed to develop the metaverse,” said Cathy Hackl of the Futures Intelligence Group, who is popularly known as the Godmother of the Metaverse. “As the future of the web takes shape, it’s clear that the Orlando region is becoming the MetaCenter that will have a huge impact in the short- and long-term evolution of the metaverse.”

Hackl, a globally recognized tech futurist and metaverse/Web3 advisor to top brands, has paved the virtual I-4 to the digital world. Through her work at Magic Leap and her close relationship with Full Sail University, located in Orlando, she’s experienced first-hand how the tech ecosystem from Orlando to South Florida has become a global epicenter where technology meets creativity, enabling the future of the internet. Hackl and her company are working with the Orlando Economic Partnership on the region’s metaverse strategy. As the future takes shape, all eyes are on Orlando waiting to see what’s next.

With the state’s status already solidified as a launch pad for science and innovation, Orlando’s investment in being first to market as the global leader in technology hubs that empower the metaverse is uncompromised. Similarities can be seen in Miami as it emerges as the crypto city of the future. However, it is Orlando that companies are flocking to as the hotbed for talent and development.

“It’s not just Orlando companies paving the way for the future of the metaverse, but our universities,” said Buddy Dyer, Mayor of Orlando. “From the University of Central Florida (UCF) to Full Sail University, we are seeing students graduating well-versed in modeling simulation and AR/VR. With 550,000 college students within a 100-mile radius of Orlando, there is no comparison in the country when it comes to young talent. We are training the workforce of the future.”

Leaders from entertainment, sports, fashion, retail and academia already call the Orlando region home, and this diversity of innovation which occurs locally, has proven to have a global reach with the formalization of the first MetaCenter.

“The MetaCenter combines the many diverse pieces of our Orlando technology ecosystem providing unlimited opportunity for talent and entrepreneurs,” said Charlie Lewis, Chair of The Orlando Tech Council. “The Orlando technology community continues to grow, the identification of the MetaCenter is a building block for our community to plug in.”

Orlando’s groundbreaking ability to leverage its MetaCenter as the hub for leading sectors that power Web3 innovation include:

AR/VR: Orlando is the modeling and simulation training capital of the world. With more than $6 billion in contract work annually, AR/VR technology is at the core of creating the metaverse in Orlando; companies include Disney, Universal, Lockheed Martin, Falcon’s Creative, Brand XR, AVT Simulation and Red 6.

Gaming: The industry is fed by a local talent pool from several higher ed programs, including UCF’s graduate video game design program, ranked as the top program of its kind in the world three times in the past six years; leading companies include Electronic Arts, Iron Galaxy, 302 Interactive, Echo Interaction,, Unity, and GameSim.

Artificial Intelligence: Orlando companies are driving AI innovation in everything from HR to defense to IoT and healthcare, with a lineup that includes Checkr, SoarTech, Kore.ai, Care.ai, MindSphere and AdventHealth.

3D Reconstruction: CREOL, UCF’s College of Optics and Photonics, is a world leader in education, research, innovation and partnerships in optics, lasers and photonics, providing talent for companies like Luminar, NeoMetrix, Lensar, Dash, Simetri, .decimal and TrueScan.

IoT: Leading companies are calling innovation hubs like NeoCity and Lake Nona home, including SkyWater, BRIDG, imec, and Micross.

“We are a destination that welcomes millions of visitors each year who come here to experience cutting-edge entertainment and technology,” said Jerry L. Demings, Mayor of Orange County. “The innovations happening here will be experienced in the virtual metaverse, but also in the physical world where the metaverse is brought to life in our world-renowned theme parks.”

For more on the MetaCenter, please visit TheMetaCenter.org and follow on Twitter @the_MetaCenter.

To learn more about the Orlando Economic Partnership and the Orlando region, please visit Orlando.org or follow @orlpartnership on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

About the Orlando Economic Partnership
The Orlando Economic Partnership (the Partnership) is a public-private economic and community development organization that works to advance Broad-based Prosperity™ by strengthening Orlando’s economy, amplifying Orlando’s story, championing regional priorities, empowering community leaders and building a brilliant region. These five foundational objectives serve to improve the region’s competitiveness while responding to the needs of communities, residents and businesses. 

About The MetaCenter
The MetaCenter is the physical and digital intersection in the Orlando region where next-gen gaming, entertainment, artificial intelligence, AR/VR, IoT, modeling and simulation training companies are driving innovation for developing the metaverse and Web3 applications. The people, entrepreneurs, businesses and talent pool have created the most engaging, technologically-advanced region in the world, making the Orlando region the MetaCenter and another example of the unbelievably real advancements taking place here.

Media Contact:
Maddie Meyer
Uproar PR for Orlando Economic Partnership
[email protected]
573-535-1761

GlobeNewswire is one of the world's largest newswire distribution networks, specializing in the delivery of corporate press releases financial disclosures and multimedia content to the media, investment community, individual investors and the general public.

Artificial Intelligence

CUBE acquires global regulatory intelligence businesses from Thomson Reuters

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LONDON, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — CUBE, a global leader in Automated Regulatory Intelligence (ARI) and Regulatory Change Management (RCM), announces today its acquisition of the Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence and Oden products and businesses.

The acquisition of these global businesses represents a major step forward in CUBE’s growth plans. It will deliver significant scale across many of the world’s leading and systemically important financial institutions. CUBE’s existing global customer base will be expanded to total approximately 1,000 customers in banking, insurance, asset and investment management, payments and adjacent regulated industries.
CUBE’s global employees will expand to 600, of which close to 250 are highly qualified regulatory subject matter experts, legal and compliance professionals.
Ben Richmond, founder and CEO of CUBE said: “Thomson Reuters is known to be the biggest and best in the industry for providing regulatory expert analysis and subject matter expertise, alongside world-leading journalism and news. The combination of CUBE’s purpose-built AI, with the years of content curated by Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence and Oden expert analysts, will accelerate innovation. Together, we will deliver regulatory transformation capabilities for our global customers that could only have been imagined before.”
Richmond continues: “This combination will provide tremendous scale and depth across CUBE’s regulatory content and technology. It is a significant step toward creating an industry-defining regulatory compliance and risk platform that will benefit all customers and elevate the industry as a whole.”
Through this acquisition, CUBE will provide an expanded and comprehensive selection of specialized regulatory intelligence and regulatory change services, committed to excellence, quality, and highly contextualised and meaningful regulatory content for customers. By combining cutting-edge technology and subject matter expertise at scale CUBE will set a new bar for the industry in regulatory automation and content.
Chris Maguire, General Manager, Risk and Fraud, Corporates, Thomson Reuters said: “It was clear to us that CUBE had established itself as a leading regulatory intelligence provider for global enterprise clients in the financial services and insurance sectors. We wanted to ensure our customers and employees could work with an organisation that would continue to innovate and significantly invest in solutions like Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence and Oden. We are working tirelessly to ensure a seamless and value-enhancing transition for customers and employees, and we are looking forward to working with the CUBE team during this transition.” 
Christopher Fielding, Hg, said: “We’re delighted to further extend our market reach, bringing in two high quality and complementary global businesses to the CUBE platform.”
Thomas Martin, Hg, added: “We see these acquisitions as enabling further innovation in the regulatory intelligence and change management sector, leading to strengthened demand for these quality solutions across the globe.”
The terms of the transaction will not be disclosed.
About CUBE
CUBE provides a highly comprehensive and robust source of classified, and meaningful AI-driven regulatory data to power its Automated Regulatory Intelligence (ARI) and Regulatory Change Management (RCM) solutions. CUBE’s purpose-built regulatory technology including its AI engine (RegBrain) and software platform (RegPlatform) tracks, analyses, and monitors laws, rules, and regulations in every country and in every published language to create an always up-to-date regulatory footprint that transforms visibility and compliance capability for customers across the globe.
With operations across Europe, North America, Canada, Asia, and Australia, CUBE serves a diverse and global base of customers and partners including the largest financial institutions in the world who leverage CUBE’s platform to streamline their complex regulatory intelligence and change management processes.
Following the strategic partnership with Hg in March 2024, CUBE announced the acquisition of US-based Reg-Room in May 2024.
About Hg
Hg supports the building of sector-leading enterprises that supply businesses with critical software applications or workflow services, delivering a more automated workplace for their customers.
This industry is characterised by digitisation trends that are in early stages of adoption and are set to transform the workplace for professionals over decades to come. Hg’s support combines deep end-market knowledge with world class operational resources, together providing compelling support to entrepreneurial leaders looking to scale their business – businesses that are well invested, enduring and serve their customers well.
With a vast European network and strong presence across North America, Hg’s 400 employees and around $70 billion in funds under management support a portfolio of around 50 businesses, worth over $140 billion aggregate enterprise value, with over 110,000 employees, consistently growing revenues at more than 20%.
About Regulatory Intelligence
Regulatory Intelligence is a proactive, connected, and comprehensive solution that tracks and analyses regulatory changes within ~2,000 regulatory bodies and rulebooks for more than 20 countries. It enables banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) sectors to manage exposure to operational, regulatory, and compliance risk.
About Oden
Oden State Rules and Regulations (SR&R), Oden Policy Terminator/Sentry PT, and OdenTrack provide repositories and automated solutions for complying with state rules and regulations on the provisioning of Personal and Business Insurance in the US.

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Cayman Enterprise City Publishes Socio-Economic Impact Assessment by Economist and Leading Advisor on the Caribbean, Marla Dukharan

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The Impact of Cayman Enterprise City’s Socio-Economic Development Project Nears USD $1 Billion
GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Cayman Enterprise City (CEC) has released a Socio-Economic Impact Assessment by Marla Dukharan. The report illustrates that CEC is increasing its impact by supporting higher earnings for Caymanians and is driving a shift towards a knowledge-based economy by focusing on high productivity sectors. The release by Dukharan reads, “Caymanian resourcefulness and private sector-led innovation have been the driving force behind the islands’ outstanding socio-economic success. Cayman Enterprise City underpins the next generation of Cayman innovation and dynamism.”

With an economic impact of USD $130 million in 2023, contributing just under USD $1 billion to the local economic activity in 12 years since inception, “CEC is helping the nation to diversify economically, in terms of sectors and jobs, ensuring locals have economic and employment opportunities that match the nation’s progress,” the report reads.
The CEC socio-economic development project is now home to 352 Special Economic Zones Companies (SEZCos), many of which are globally recognised institutions led by top executives and industry experts. “CEC member companies are providing high-value employment with salaries exceeding those typically found outside of the special economic zone,” said Charlie Kirkconnell, Chief Executive Officer at CEC. “The CEC community is fully invested in Cayman and the report illustrates that the CEC socio-economic development project is making a very significant impact on Cayman’s economy and community.”
“As CEC continues to grow, it continues to create significant employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for Caymanians and we encourage anyone that might be interested in finding out how they might get involved, whether as a member of the community and/or as a volunteer in our Enterprise Cayman non-profit organisation (NPO).”
77% of Caymanian-held jobs at CEC member companies, are in sectors with high social returns and increasing global demand. “By putting skills first and prioritizing learning, CEC is enabling new industries to take root,” the release by Dukharan reads.
CEC, through its Enterprise Cayman NPO, is a first-mover in private sector-facilitated education and training in the Caribbean, making it a leading force to boost youth participation in the economy. By offering training in specialised skills, Enterprise Cayman is helping to close the gap in higher education and earnings for Caymanians. “Through Enterprise Cayman we’ve set out to strategically support meaningful employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for Caymanians, by providing internship and mentorship opportunities, by hosting skill-building and career focused training, and by providing invaluable networking and community engagement opportunities,” said Kirkconnell.
In 2023 individuals took advantage of 4,226 opportunities to participate in education, training, and career development events and, since launching entrepreneurial programming in 2021, Enterprise Cayman has worked with 41 new Cayman-born business ventures. “We’re helping to develop a local talent pool that meets the demand of Cayman’s growing digital innovation and technology sectors while, in parallel, offering exciting opportunities for individuals to launch new business ventures within an innovative business environment,” said Kirkconnell.  
With CEC’s new campus and state-of-the-art facilities, Signal House, the project “holds the promise of deep, continued economic impact,” the report concludes.
To access CEC’s economic impact assessments and Enterprise Cayman’s annual reports please visit https://www.enterprisecayman.ky/reports. For more information on how to get involved and for upcoming programmes and events visit www.enterprisecayman.ky. 
Website: www.caymanenterprisecity.com LinkedIn: @CaymanEnterpriseCityTwitter:  @CEC_CaymanInstagram: @CaymanEnterpriseCityFacebook: @CaymanEnterpriseCityYouTube: @ceccayman
About Cayman Enterprise City 
Cayman Enterprise City (CEC) is an award-winning development project which consists of three special economic zones (SEZs) focused on attracting knowledge-based and specialised-services businesses to set up a genuine physical presence in the Cayman Islands. The zones included within CEC are Cayman Tech City, Cayman Commodities & Derivatives Centre, and Cayman Maritime & Aviation City. With a dedicated Government Authority, licensing fee concessions and guaranteed fast-track processes, CEC enables international companies to quickly and efficiently establish a Cayman Islands office, which in turn enables them to generate active business income within a tax neutral environment.
About Enterprise Cayman 
Enterprise Cayman is a non-profit organisation (NPO) powered by Cayman Enterprise City in partnership with Cayman Islands’ special economic zone companies (SEZCos). The organisation, which applies the Theory of Change (TOC) methodology, provides Caymanians and residents with access to high-quality learning experiences and opportunities to develop and launch new business ventures, to pursue careers within the technology and innovation sectors, and to join a dynamic network of industry professionals. Let’s grow the next generation of Caymanian innovators and entrepreneurs with Enterprise Cayman!
Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1317764/2860789/Cayman_Enterprise_City_Logo.jpg
FOR MORE INFORMATION:Contact: Kaitlyn Elphinstone  Email: [email protected]  

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Strava Unveils New Chapter of Accelerated Product Development at Brand’s Flagship Event

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The Company introduces increased product velocity, leveraging advancements in Artificial Intelligence, in service of its vision of a world connected through movement 
LOS ANGELES, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Strava, the leading digital community for active people with more than 125 million athletes, today showcased its latest initiatives and product developments at its annual event, Camp Strava. With the theme of Progress, Together company leaders announced how the platform will empower its global community to make progress in the way they explore, move, and connect on Strava.

“Strava is gaining momentum to realize our vision of a world connected through movement,” said Michael Martin, chief executive officer of Strava. “We are focused on two fundamental shifts to accelerate how we deliver value to 125 million people globally– building for women and leveraging Artificial Intelligence – which will unlock new community-and-partner-powered experiences across the platform.”
A New Era of Product VelocityStrava, with new leaders at the helm, is ushering in its next era of product velocity. The company listened closely to feedback from its global community and announced three of the most requested features coming to the platform by the end of the year.
The first of these updates, AI-enabled Leaderboard Integrity, will harness machine learning to automatically flag irregular, improbable, or impossible activities recorded to the platform. Trained by millions of activities, this feature allows all users on Strava to play fair and have more fun.
Additionally, the company announced a new Family Plan Subscription, the sister of the company’s Student Plan. With Family Plan, it’s easier to make a fitness commitment with your community by sharing an annual subscription with up to three other people – friends, family, or fitness family. Launching in select countries this summer, with plans to roll out globally by the end of the year, Strava’s newest annual subscription option offers the best value for groups (up to four), with a discount off the regular subscription price for each member.
Strava also implemented an updated design system, an initiative that is integral in driving a heightened pace of product innovation at the company. Through this work, Strava announced the launch of one of the company’s most requested features, Dark mode. Dark mode will improve the in-app experience for all users, reducing eye strain and improving accessibility while they record activity or scroll through the feed. Athletes can expect a rollout later this summer with options to keep their mobile settings always dark, always light, or match their device settings.
Company leaders highlighted several other features and updates to current products like Flyover, with its next iteration offering an overlay with activity stats and off-platform sharing capabilities. The overlay is available today for Strava subscribers and an off-platform sharing option will be released later this year.
Build for Her, Build for ManyStudies show that women of all ages participate in sports at a far lower rate than men, and overall, despite wanting to be active, find less time to dedicate to an active lifestyle. As the company continues on its mission to motivate people to live their best active lives, building for women on the platform will ultimately serve everyone in the Strava community. Several new features and initiatives were announced as a part of this strategic focus, which includes:
Night Heatmaps: Night Heatmaps show only activities between sundown and sunrise – so athletes can get an idea of which roads, trails, and paths are well-trafficked after hours. Since Night Heatmaps filter for after-hours routes, it can be a helpful tool for female athletes training before sunrise and after sunset.Quick Edit: For active women, having control over what is shared with the Strava community that cheers them on – like what time a run is logged – is important. Quick Edit makes it easier to make the most common edits – like activity name, and privacy settings so you can hide your start time, your map, or other workout stats.Strive for More®: The company announced a new phase of its Strive for More® initiative, created in 2022 to promote and support women in movement and sport. Today, Strava unveiled an official partnership with media company TOGETHXR to encourage more women to watch – and play – women’s sports. As part of the partnership, Strava will also donate $100,000 to the Alex Morgan Foundation, started by co-founder of TOGETHXR, Alex Morgan, to support their mission to help girls and women find confident paths forward in sports and life.Athlete IntelligenceToday, Strava announced the start of an accelerated product roadmap, outlining how Strava will implement the latest technological enhancements in AI and machine learning, to transform the athlete experience.
One key advancement to the platform includes the company’s latest development, Athlete Intelligence. Strava is introducing its beta AI-powered feature which turns each subscriber’s training data into an easily digestible summary that contextualizes their accomplishments and fitness goals. Unlike other AI-powered training services, Strava connects with thousands of devices, wearables, and fitness apps, so an athlete’s insights can consider their entire fitness story across multiple sports and modalities.
The features shared at Camp Strava will be released on a rolling basis through the end of the year. To view the full list of product releases and further details, visit www.press.strava.com.
For more information on Strava, to create a free account, or to start a free subscription trial visit www.strava.com.
About Strava Strava is the leading digital community for active people with more than 125 million athletes, in more than 190 countries. The platform offers a holistic view of your active lifestyle, no matter where you live, which sport you love and/or what device you use. Everyone belongs on Strava when they are pursuing an active life. Join the community, find motivation and discover new experiences with a Strava subscription. 
Visit www.strava.com for more information and connect with Strava on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.
Media Contact: [email protected]
 
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