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Cepton announces record LiDAR shipments as company unveils 2Q earnings

Cepton Inc

Cepton Inc. vice president of Product Brunno Moretti joined Steve Darling from Proactive to discuss the company's second-quarter performance and strategic developments. Cepton has achieved a new company record for shipments of LiDAR technology across the automotive and smart infrastructure markets, showcasing the company's strong momentum. Moretti highlighted that Cepton is anticipating a significant increase in shipment volume for each subsequent quarter throughout the remainder of the year. The company is also actively fulfilling a multi-million dollar tolling contract, a significant achievement within its portfolio. In addition, Moretti mentioned the company's strategic expansion, particularly in Detroit, where Cepton has bolstered its team with industry expert Luis Gonçalves, formerly associated with General Motors (GM) and the American automotive sector. This move is expected to support Cepton's volume production operations and enhance its market presence. Cepton's strong 2Q performance, strategic partnerships, and expansion efforts underscore its commitment to advancing lidar technology and its applications in the automotive and smart infrastructure sectors. Contact Details Proactive Investors +1 604-688-8158 na-editorial@proactiveinvestors.com

August 17, 2023 12:56 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Agora Data Successfully Secures $160 Million in Fourth Private Term Financing

Agora Data, Inc.

Agora Data, Inc., a fintech company transforming automotive financing for U.S. car dealerships by offering abundant, low-cost capital with precision loan performance data and analytics, closed a $160 million private term financing on August 11, 2023. This latest transaction represents the fourth privately placed term financing for Agora. Each of the company’s first three term financings performed better than projected. “To close a term financing transaction in today’s challenging market conditions is proof-positive of the strength of the Agora team and how accurately we manage and predict portfolio performance,” said Steve Burke, CEO, Agora Data. “Fueling Agora’s mission to enable any car dealer to be a finance company, this $160 million private term financing provides additional funding capacity and reiterates our commitment to our customers’ future growth.” The $160 million private term financing marks a significant milestone in Agora Data’s growth trajectory. The company closed the first-ever crowdsourced auto securitization in late 2020, introducing a new way for car dealerships to access capital markets financing by aggregating loan portfolios of varying sizes. The company’s diversified financing strategy has resulted in multiple successful crowdsourced securitizations and private term transactions, all powered by its proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms. With its patent pending modeling that delivers unparalleled accuracy, Agora leverages over $350 billion of loan data for car dealerships to optimize their non-prime portfolios. As a result, more favorable financing terms and highly competitive loan interest rates are available, reshaping the landscape of lending possibilities for dealers and finance companies to finance more non-prime customers, sell more cars, and make more money. Access to abundant capital has been a longstanding challenge for U.S. car dealers who offer or who want to offer financing to non-prime customers. Agora proactively addresses these challenges and presents a transformative fintech approach for dealers to keep their customers and make a gross profit on cars and financing profit on loans. # # # About Agora Data, Inc. Agora Data, Inc. is an automotive industry fintech revolutionizing financing for car dealers and finance companies. Car dealerships can secure affordable capital to build their own non-prime captive finance company, obtain actionable loan performance data to improve their lending portfolios, and use a wide range of solutions to grow their business safely. Powered by patent pending artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technology, car dealers can access real-time data analytics and planning resources to help optimize the performance of their portfolios. Agora Data made history by closing the first-ever crowdsourced non-prime auto securitization in 2020 and continually brings groundbreaking financing solutions to an underserved market. For more information, visit www.agoradata.com or contact us at 1-877-592-4672. Contact Details Eric Nemeth nemeth@ericpr.com Company Website https://agoradata.com/

August 17, 2023 09:06 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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VINCUE Secures Series B Funding to Scale and Advance Innovative Technology

DealerCue Automotive Corp.

For Immediate Release – DealerCue Automotive Corp. (“VINCUE”), maker of VINCUE, the revolutionary end-to-end inventory lifecycle solution for retail automotive dealerships, today announced the completion of its Series B investment round led by Holman, a global automotive services organization, and followed by Autotech Ventures (“Autotech”) and Automotive Ventures, a pair of venture capital firms with portfolios spanning automotive, transportation, and technology. The investments are the first major institutional investments for VINCUE and enables the company to scale operations, advance its product roadmap, and meet increasing market demand. “Holman is a remarkable organization with an unsurpassed collection of automotive competencies and is held in extremely high regard across the entire industry. We’re thrilled Holman believes in the significant potential of our technology and is at the forefront of this investment in our company,” said Chris Hoke, Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Technology Officer of VINCUE. “Holman is an innovator in our industry and the organization’s forward-thinking mindset along with its strategic capital investment will help to fuel our company’s continued growth.” Holman delivers a unique range of automotive-centric services and operates one of the largest privately owned dealership groups in the United States with more than 30 franchise dealerships across eight states from coast-to-coast. Danny Zaslavsky, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of VINCUE says that the collaboration started as a simple customer/vendor relationship, but both companies realized there were a number of natural synergies. “As Holman piloted our platform in several of their dealership locations, it quickly became apparent that our technology would help them further optimize operations while also enhancing our own capabilities,” said Zaslavsky, “we’re proud that Holman shares our vision for the future of automotive retailing and we’re honored they’ve invested in our innovative inventory management solution.” Through its unified platform, VINCUE offers a comprehensive suite of solutions and capabilities to manage every step of the inventory lifecycle including buying plans, multi-channel acquisition sourcing, market pricing and appraisal, merchandising and syndication, and digital marketing. The goal of a unified platform is to help dealers unlock prevailing strategies that increase gross and turn through providing real-time market and competitor data to make better buying and merchandising decisions - and outperform the market. "The mission of our growth ventures team is to align with early-stage businesses who are driving innovation in the industry and complement Holman’s collective automotive competencies. VINCUE certainly fits that profile and we’re excited to invest in their next phase of growth,” said Bill Cariss, President and CEO, Growth Ventures, Holman. “The VINCUE team is extremely talented and continues to think differently about inventory lifecycle management. Their intuitive platform is poised to disrupt the status quo of the retail automotive sector and offers dealerships a solution that empowers insightful decision making.” As part of its investment in VINCUE, Holman is also poised to integrate the technology at additional locations across its family of dealerships. By leveraging VINCUE's platform, Holman is able to further enhance its market intelligence to introduce new operational processes and procedures that it hopes will set the standard for the future of automotive retailing. “Through our initial use of VINCUE’s technology, we believe it provides the data intelligence and tools necessary to make impactful decisions, measure success, and ultimately, outperform the rest of the market in real-time,” says Chris Morgan, Vice President, Retail Operations, Holman. Following Holman, both Autotech and Automotive Ventures will also be providing capital as part of the Series B investment. Autotech Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm with more than $500M under management and a mission to solve the world’s ground transport challenges with technology. Its investment team includes: Quin Garcia, Managing Director; Alexei Andreev, Managing Director; Maurice Gunderson, Managing Director Emeritus; Burak Cendek, Partner; Daniel Hoffer, Venture Partner; Tony Rimas, Venture Partner; and Esat Canli, Analyst. "Automotive as a whole has largely been left out of the digital transformation happening in other retail industries, often relying on lagging indicators for buying and selling decisions from legacy software tools built decades ago.” said Rimas. “VINCUE offers modern solutions built on real-time data and intelligence to help dealers outperform the market instead of race to the bottom of it.” Led by Steve Greenfield, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Automotive Ventures promotes itself as funding the next wave of innovation in transportation technology. Its leadership team includes: Justin Charbonneau, Venture Principal; Andrew Gordon, Head of Value Creation; Adam Lafferty, VP of Operations; Brian Reed, Operating Partner; and industry veteran Chip Perry, Operating Partner. “VINCUE fits our mission perfectly,” says Greenfield, “they are looking into the future of technology and automotive and building solutions for today and beyond.” Greenfield says their decision to invest was as much about product as it was about the vision. “We know the industry and the market is changing, VINCUE is doing something about it,” he said. “We have a team here in Kansas City that truly believes in our vision, our mission, and most importantly the success of the entire dealer body,” said Hoke. “To have these institutions, true industry leaders, share our vision and put their belief in us is humbling.” Hoke says that VINCUE’s top priorities are now growing its Performance Management and Development teams, and investing in operational improvements that will allow them to get more done, faster. “We have the benefit now of dealerships seeking us out in the industry, wanting to understand how we can help them win,” he said, “so right now it’s about how we scale, grow, and meet their expectations.” # # # About VINCUE VINCUE is transforming the retail automotive software industry by providing dealers with new, innovative end-to-end inventory lifecycle management and market pricing solutions. This gives dealers access to real-time data and tools in a single system to stock smarter, increase turn, compete effectively, and above all else — maximize profits. For additional information, please visit www.VINCUE.com. Contact Details Angela Rizzo +1 913-200-3301 angelarizzo@dealercue.com Company Website https://vincue.com/

August 15, 2023 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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TNR Gold Corp highlights "very impressive" intercept from McEwen Los Azules Copper

TNR Gold Corp

TNR Gold Corp (TSX-V:TNR, OTC:TRRXF) Executive Chairman Kirill Klip speaks to Thomas Warner from Proactive London to speak about the latest results from the 2022/23 drill campaign at the Los Azules Copper Gold Project. Klip says that the campaign is yielding exceptional results, including what he calls a "very significant intercept" of 386 m of 0.66% Cu, including 196 m of 0.99% Cu. He highlights the project's backing from major players like Rio Tinto and European automaker Stellantis, which invested over $150 million. He also highlights the focus by Rob McEwen and his team at McEwen Copper on making the Project as green as possible in its design, which includes measures to reduce water usage, to reduce electricity consumption by 70%, and to cut emissions by half compared to previous PEA estimates made in 2017. Klip also touched on potential TNR Gold Los Azules Copper royalty valuation, mentioning that future drill holes demonstrating substantial copper values would further enhance royalty potential. He also reiterates TNR Gold's commitment to maximising shareholder value, as underscored by a share buyback program and a shareholder rights plan. Contact Details Proactive Investors USA +1 347-449-0879 na-editorial@proactiveinvestors.com

August 15, 2023 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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EV charging infrastructure stocks still "lingering at low valuations" - Solactive AG

HANetf Holdings Limited

Solactive AG Head of Research Konrad Sippel speaks to Thomas Warner from Proactive about two major developments from the world of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. He starts by highlighting Toyota's breakthrough announcement on solid-state batteries, projected for commercial use around 2027-2028. These batteries promise a game-changing 1,200km range worth of charge in just 10-minutes - a development that would bring EV charging close to the level of speed and convenience of traditional fossil fuel refilling. He goes on to say that the European Parliament has passed legislation this summer mandating EV fast charging along major highways. Sippel underlines the significance of this move in making EV charging akin to the convenience of petrol stations, allowing spontaneous long trips without extensive planning. By 2026, fast charging stations will be found at least every 60 km. He expresses hope that the two recent developments will help further convince the market of the permanence of the EV revolution, noting that EV charging infrastructure stocks are "still lingering at low valuations." Sippel also addresses synthetic gasoline's potential role, but he views it as a luxury option due to high production costs compared to electricity. He goes on to predict the market will continue to see increasing EV registrations, with the transition from early adopters to mainstream adoption potentially occurring when EVs reach 50% of the market. Contact Details Proactive UK Ltd +44 20 7989 0813 uk@proactiveinvestors.com

August 15, 2023 06:22 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Foresight Partners with One of the World’s Largest Industrial Equipment Manufacturers for POC Project

Foresight Autonomous Holdings Ltd.

Foresight Autonomous Holdings Ltd. (Nasdaq and TASE: FRSX) (“Foresight” or the “Company”), an innovator in automotive vision systems, announced today the signing of a paid proof of concept (POC) project with the Chinese subsidiary of one of the world’s leading manufacturers of industrial equipment, heavy machinery, construction and mining equipment. Foresight was selected over other three-dimensional (3D) perception vision solutions due to its accurate and high-resolution point cloud and all object detection capabilities in harsh weather, environment and lighting conditions. A successful POC project may lead to the integration of Foresight's technology into the industrial equipment manufacturer’s construction and mining trucks. The industrial equipment manufacturer will evaluate Foresight’s technology to add 360° 3D perception capabilities to its mining and construction trucks, offering an alternative to its existing LiDAR sensors. Foresight’s QuadSight vision solution uses both visible-light and thermal cameras to deliver a comprehensive vision system capable of addressing the driving challenges in construction and mining settings. These challenges include off-road navigation, detection of non-classified objects in dusty surroundings and enabling safe driving in pitch-dark conditions. In addition, the industrial equipment manufacturer will evaluate Foresight’s DynamiCal ™ automatic calibration solution to enable continuous calibration of the cameras while its trucks encounter intense vibrations to ensure an accurate 3D image of the environment. “We are excited to extend our innovative stereo vision solutions to the construction and mining industry. By collaborating with one of the world's largest industrial equipment and heavy machinery manufacturers, we aim to enhance the safety, accuracy of object detection, and environmental awareness in their operations. This POC project reflects our dedication to delivering advanced automotive vision technologies across diverse sectors," said Haim Siboni, CEO of Foresight. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other Federal securities laws. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates" and similar expressions or variations of such words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. For example, Foresight is using forward-looking statements in this press release when it discusses the POC, that it aims to enhance the safety, object detection accuracy, and environmental awareness in the industrial equipment manufacturer’s operations, and that the POC project reflects its dedication to delivering advanced automotive vision technologies across diverse sectors. Because such statements deal with future events and are based on Foresight’s current expectations, they are subject to various risks and uncertainties, and actual results, performance or achievements of Foresight could differ materially from those described in or implied by the statements in this press release. The forward-looking statements contained or implied in this press release are subject to other risks and uncertainties, including those discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in Foresight's annual report on Form 20-F filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on March 30, 2023, and in any subsequent filings with the SEC. Except as otherwise required by law, Foresight undertakes no obligation to publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. References and links to websites have been provided as a convenience, and the information contained on such websites is not incorporated by reference into this press release. Foresight is not responsible for the contents of third party websites. About Foresight Foresight Autonomous Holdings Ltd. (Nasdaq and TASE: FRSX) is a technology company developing smart multi-spectral vision software solutions and cellular-based applications. Through the Company’s wholly owned subsidiaries, Foresight Automotive Ltd., Foresight Changzhou Automotive Ltd. and Eye-Net Mobile Ltd., Foresight develops both “in-line-of-sight” vision systems and “beyond-line-of-sight” accident-prevention solutions. Foresight’s vision solutions include modules of automatic calibration and dense three-dimensional (3D) point cloud that can be applied to different markets such as automotive, defense, autonomous vehicles and heavy industrial equipment. Eye-Net Mobile’s cellular-based solution suite provides real-time pre-collision alerts to enhance road safety and situational awareness for all road users in the urban mobility environment by incorporating cutting-edge AI technology and advanced analytics. For more information about Foresight and its wholly owned subsidiary, Foresight Automotive, visit www.foresightauto.com, follow @ForesightAuto1 on Twitter, or join Foresight Automotive on LinkedIn. Contact Details Investor Relations Contact: Miri Segal-Scharia, CEO, MS-IR LLC +1 917-607-8654 msegal@ms-ir.com Company Website https://www.foresightauto.com/

August 11, 2023 08:20 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Armour Excavating LLC Promotes Matthew Morris

Armour Excavating LLC

Armour Excavating LLC (“Armour”), a provider of hauling services including aggregates, low boy heavy haul and flatbed delivery in central Texas, announced today that its Chief Operating Officer, Rich Wheatley, has decided to return to the commercial HVAC industry, his past career and long-term passion. “Rich has been a key part of the team that oversaw the growth and operational improvements in 2023. We wish Rich all the best and are grateful for his dedication, hard work, and support during this transition,” said Stephen Day, Owner. “It has been great to be a part of the Armour team. Together we have accomplished many goals throughout the year, and I know that the team will continue its successful path. Our customers are in great hands,” said Rich Wheatley. Effective August 11, 2023, Matthew Morris will assume the role of Director of Operations and be the primary point of contact for customers. Matthew has been a driver for Armour for the past two years and has been in the trucking industry for over two decades. Matthew brings first-hand knowledge and experience as a driver but also as a fleet manager. Matthew will be responsible for developing and growing the company in addition to overseeing business operations. “Armour has an exceptional team with a solid foundation to build on, so I am excited to add to the momentum providing top level service to our valued customers,” said Matthew Morris. About Armour Excavating LLC Armour Excavating LLC (“Armour”) is a locally owned and operated business that provides a variety of hauling services in central Texas. Armour operates one of the newest and best maintained fleets of equipment including tandems, super tandems, belly and end dumps as well as lowboy heavy haul and flatbed. For aggregate hauling, Armour sources directly from more than a dozen quarries in the state of Texas to have direct access to the finest materials for our customers with no additional markups in material costs. With our own materials yard in Kerrville, TX, Armour is able to provide weekend hauling of its core products, giving customers more access to what they need, when they need it. To learn more, visit www.armourexcavating.com. Contact Details Matthew Morris Director of Operations +1 830-285-1820 mmorris@armourexcavating.com Company Website https://www.armourexcavating.com

August 10, 2023 10:00 AM Central Daylight Time

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Garrett Brands Chooses ToolsGroup to Drive Digital Supply Chain Transformation

ToolsGroup

ToolsGroup, a global leader in retail and supply chain planning and optimization software, is proud to announce it has been selected by Garrett Brands LLC, LLC, dba Garrett Popcorn Shops and Frango Chocolate, to support its increasing growth while achieving its high standards for product freshness and customer satisfaction. Garrett Popcorn has been a Chicago staple for over 70 years, and now has retail shops in 8 countries. Frango Chocolate was established over 100 years ago. Garrett Brands maintains a portfolio of perishable items affected by seasonal demand, all while maintaining a customer experience that is synonymous with the quality of Garrett Popcorn and Frango. To streamline operations and increase efficiency, Garrett Brands initiated a search for the right supply chain planning tools to further its digitalization efforts and fuel continued growth. Garrett Brands selected ToolsGroup Service Optimizer 99+ (SO99+), a suite of planning functions encompassing Demand Forecasting & Planning, Inventory Optimization, and Replenishment. These solutions tailor inventory to demand by accounting for market uncertainty, thanks to a powerful, built-in probabilistic forecast. ToolsGroup has over 60 food and beverage customers, giving the machine learning engine behind this forecast ample opportunity to learn and adapt to the industry’s unique challenges. By leveraging ToolsGroup’s native AI and automation, Garrett Brands can navigate the complexity of multiple channels and perishability amid network expansion. “Due to the perishable nature of its products, the food industry is up against the clock when it comes to fulfilling demand and particularly sensitive to volatility,” said ToolsGroup CEO, Inna Kuznetsova. “As the pioneers in using the probabilistic method and AI in supply chain, ToolsGroup has empowered many food industry leaders and trained our AI models to strategically and decisively neutralize the ramifications of supply and demand volatility. We’re excited to partner with Garrett Brands, helping them grow their business, combat food waste, and continue their long tradition of delighting customers.” ToolsGroup helps food producers achieve impressive business outcomes through intelligent probabilistic forecasting and inventory management. Learn more HERE. About Garrett Brands LLC GARRETT BRANDS LLC is the proud company behind the iconic Garrett Popcorn Shops and Frango Chocolate. While these brands are now recognized throughout the world, our hometown and our hearts are here in Chicago. We are grateful to be a part of special celebrations across generations, from holidays and weddings to quiet moments at home. For Garrett Brands press inquiries, please contact: Michelle Molise, 313-549-3137 About ToolsGroup ToolsGroup’s innovative AI-powered solutions enable retailers, distributors, and manufacturers to navigate through supply chain uncertainty. Our retail and supply chain planning suites empower a new level of intelligent decision making and unlock powerful business improvements in forecast accuracy, service levels, and inventory - delighting customers and achieving financial and ESG KPIs. Stay in touch with ToolsGroup on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, or visit www.toolsgroup.com. Contact Details Meir Kahtan +1 917-864-0800 mkahtan@rcn.com Company Website https://www.toolsgroup.com

August 10, 2023 10:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Back-to-School with Olympian Natalie Coughlin and Athleta G!RL

YourUpdateTV

The back-to-school season is officially underway, and parents everywhere are scrambling to get their kids – and themselves! - ready for the new school year. For Natalie Coughlin, 12x Olympic Medalist and Mom of Two, this back-to-school season is all about confidence, comfort and self-care, and Athleta is the perfect resource for parents to help set their kids up for success. Recently, Natalie participated in a nationwide satellite media tour to discuss the back-to-school season and some tips to help empower young girls. A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/byW412Bjg2I Diminishing confidence is one of the greatest issue’s girls face in the defining years from 6-12, so it’s important that we do everything we can to set them up for success. While back-to-school shopping, think about how clothing options can give young girls room to express their style and represent their favorite hobbies and personal interests. Athleta's G!RL line is perfect for girls who want to express themselves while being comfortable and active. We can help empower girls to be their most confident selves, knowing their clothing supports self-expression and helps to quell anxiety. Special features in Athleta’s back-to-school assortment are intentionally designed to fuel girls’ confidence through apparel design details, like confidence charms and hidden affirmations in the lining of shirts and backpacks and tactile details to fiddle with when she’s feeling anxious. Athleta’s uniform-ready items - like the School Days Skort, School Days Dress, School Days Polo and Limitless Backpack and Lunchbox - are durable, quality pieces built with performance-quality fabrics to withstand her active school year and all those after school activities, whether it’s on the sports field or in the art room. For more information, visit AthletaGirl.com About Natalie Coughlin Natalie Coughlin burst onto the international swim scene at the 2001 World Championships, winning a gold medal in the 100 backstroke and a bronze in the 50 backstroke. In 2002 at the Pan-Pacifics, she was more dominant, winning six medals, four gold, with three individual championships in the 100 free, 100 fly, and 100 back. Coughlin was the top female swimmer at the 2004 Olympic Games, winning five medals, including two gold. Individually, she won the 100 metre backstroke and finished third in the 100 freestyle. She won her second gold medal in the 800 metre freestyle relay and added two silvers as a member of the United States’ teams in the other relays. In three Olympics, she competed in 12 events and won 12 medals, three gold. But her victories didn’t stop there—she has since launched a wine label, advocated on behalf of several non-profit organizations, and become a mother to her daughter, Zennie, and her son, Ozzie. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

August 09, 2023 02:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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