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Marquee investors tuck into Tre’dish with $10m investment as home-to-home food economy grows

Tre'dish

Home-to-Home food technology platform and community marketplace Tre’dish has today announced a $10m seed funding round as it commercializes and scales operations across the U.S. and Canada. The funding round was led by Tre’dish Founding Team Members; Peter Hwang, Jay Wilgar, Srin Sridharan and lead investor Wes Hall. The group of marquee investors with their past experiences in the round include: Wes Hall – Founder of BlackNorth Initiative, Dragons Den, Kingsdale Advisors, KSS Group of Companies Luis Javier Castro - Founder of Mesoamerica and Alejandria JP Rangaswami - Chief Scientist at Salesforce and British Telecom. Previously Chief Data Officer, Deutsche Bank. Steve Smith – CEO of Recipe Unlimited (Formerly Cara Operations). EVP - Loblaw Andrea DelZotto – Founder of Concrete Cardinal and Director, Tridel Group of Companies Qamar Qureshi – President and CBO - Knowledgehook Tre’dish has created a food tech marketplace platform that focuses on bringing the home-to-home food sharing economy together. Home Chefs have the opportunity to sell to consumers right in their own community, a diverse selection of authentic meals prepared by the person who makes it best. With the home-to-home market growing significantly during the pandemic, home chefs have been selling their meals through social media platforms in an unstructured grey market without proper processes to instil trust for the consumer. Furthermore, other platforms that are coming into the market have simply created a marketplace where Home Chefs meet Consumers, and no support is provided for the Chefs to build a sustainable business. Embedded in the Tre’dish technology is our Chef Education Platform and Chef Portal that allows Home Chefs access to some of the most innovative tools in the hospitality space. Our EdTech platform provides a Home Restauranteur guidance and support to build a business right from their own home kitchen safely and profitably with little to no investment required. The success of the Tre’dish model has been driven by two central trends. Firstly, the hospitality industry for small owner-operated restaurants has been at a breaking point for several years with high overhead running costs (i.e. rent, labour, marketing and delivery) and very low margins making it difficult to sustain a profitable operation. Moreover, to make a living they must sacrifice everything with zero work-life balance. Secondly, the pandemic brought into sharp focus the reality facing 3 million hospitality industry workers in the US and Canada when over 130,000 restaurants were closed disproportionally impacting the BIPOC community. For some, this provided the impetus to take to social media and sell food prepared from their home kitchens. For others, Tre’dish will now provide a new path for opportunity, employment and entrepreneurship. Peter Hwang, CEO and Co-Founder at Tre’dish, commented, "The pandemic was very difficult on small businesses especially owner operated restaurants. Tre’dish was built to level the playing field providing equal access and opportunity for all individuals to once again flourish in the hospitality industry regardless of their cultural background, gender, experience, or financial ability. The only thing anyone requires is an amazing recipe and the desire to share their food with the world” Tre’dish aims to build a global, impact-focused, food tech unicorn by providing equal opportunities for all cultural groups and new immigrants through access to a platform for any food entrepreneur to grow their presence and start a profitable business. Currently, 4 of the 5 largest shareholders represent BIPOC standing as it seeks to elevate a minority owned entrepreneurial movement. Tre’dish has built a bona fide business model, that authentically and organically creates a movement to empower and encourage historically underserved and underprivileged communities to become burgeoning food entrepreneurs and social media food influencers. “Tre’dish is redefining what it means to be a professional chef by taking the hospitality industry beyond its historical confines of bricks and mortar restaurants,” said Wes Hall, Executive Chairman and Founder of KSS Group of Companies Inc. “I am proud to back such an innovative business model not only because of the tremendous future potential this company has but because of the thousands of jobs and opportunity Tre’dish will create for minority and BIPOC community members who have too often been left behind. Tre’dish will connect talented chefs with customers but also provide them with business knowledge and skills that will help them be successful for the long term.” Tre’dish is not only a marketplace for home chefs and consumers but has set out to create a platform which empowers them to create successful businesses and have choice in what they eat respectively. For Home Chefs, Tre’dish is a technology portal that offers: Home restaurant consulting and business optimization technology tools such as, Menu Card Development, SKU Optimization, Consolidated Group Ordering and Geo-Targeted Data Tracking so they can build efficient and profitable businesses from day one. A real time food and safety platform A media content platform and technology training system which teaches home chefs how to become food influencers and content creators. Helping them build user created content and dissemination strategies to maximize engagement and views of their social posts. For Consumers, Tre’dish provides: A marketplace platform allowing individuals to support their local home chefs knowing they are preparing their meals safely with the highest quality restaurant standards that are digitally documented. An amazing culinary experience in your community. The ability to support local chefs and try their authentic, healthy, and home cooked meals delivered conveniently to your door. A technology and data platform that remembers your personalized food preferences to create the best experience possible – dietary, fitness, allergen and personalized meal customization that is geo-targeted in your area. A food content and media platform allowing users to view content from Tre’dish Home Chefs across the globe including Chefs in their own geo-targeted Virtual Food Court. Peter Hwang concluded, “As we launch our commercial operations, we see a massive opportunity to become thought leaders in the growing home-to-home food sharing economy. We are not only creating a disruptive technology, but we are creating a mainstream platform that can positively impact cultural diversity, mass job creation and entrepreneurial growth for generations for the foreseeable future” About Tre’dish Tre’dish is a foodtech marketplace platform that enables and unites home chefs in the home-to-home food sharing economy. It allows individuals the opportunity to monetize their home kitchens and sell home cooked meals to local consumers in their community. Media images can be found here. Contact Details Tre'dish Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 media@tredish.com Company Website https://tredish.com/

November 03, 2021 12:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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British fintech Nimbla attracts £5.1m investment as embedded insurance takes off

Stockwood Strategy

Fintech business insurance startup Nimbla has today announced a £5.1m funding round led by Silicon Valley venture fund Fin VC with participation from Barclays Bank. The funding comes as Nimbla seeks to scale its operations with increased demand from embedded credit risk solutions through its API with banks and alternative lending platforms. Founded in 2016, the Nimbla platform has given businesses the confidence to trade with a peace of mind using invoice insurance with quotes provided within seconds. Their proprietary digital automated credit risk platform is able to process requests immediately and provide real time quotes. Nimbla has processed over 67m invoices worth £2.5b. During the pandemic, volumes of invoices tripled as economic uncertainty and supply chain concerns increased and Nimbla continued writing new business. Flemming Bengtsen, CEO at Nimbla commented: “We have been growing steadily over the past few years, ramping up our technology and team to better understand businesses, the nature of B2B debt and to make faster decisions to serve our growing customer base. 2020 was a seminal year for Nimbla, at a time of global crisis, we were there for businesses enabling them to trade with a peace of mind and giving them confidence to carry on. This funding round will enable us to expand our platform, grow the team as we enable a confident and trusted trading environment for businesses across the UK and beyond”. Nimbla has worked directly with businesses and brokers to provide invoice insurance cover and more recently has launched a new API for Banks, fintech lenders and B2B platforms to enable more business to access the service. Nimbla partnered with Barclays Bank in 2020 to give their one million small business customers the ability to take out insurance against individual invoices, rather than the whole book. “We have built a powerful and robust credit risk model, automated large parts of the process and have now launched a new API to enable others to embed seamless credit risk solutions into their platforms” added Flemming Bengtsen. On investing in funding round Henry Cashin, Head of EMEA at Fin VC, commented: “Nimbla is giving businesses the confidence to trade again. They have a proven credit risk model and its tech is being adopted by top tier banks and a host of lending platforms. We believe this will scale their reach and help more businesses benefit long term”. Looking ahead, Flemming Bengtsen commented: “UK companies have added £1.9tn debt in 2020 to their balance sheets, taking the total amount outstanding to over £6.6tn. This number was inflated by the various government loan schemes. Over half of them are carrying ‘toxic debts’ which carries enormous risk for their trade creditors, there is a huge opportunity and responsibility for Nimbla to give companies a peace of mind and insure their invoices against insolvencies”. About Nimbla Nimbla makes sure businesses get paid for their hard work, even if a customer becomes insolvent. Founded in 2016, the company is on a mission to give SMEs the confidence to trade with a peace of mind using invoice insurance. Nimbla’s digital insurance platform backed by expert risk analysts, allows businesses to check a buyer’s ability to pay and insure individual invoices against non-payment in a fast and affordable way. This will enable business owners to safeguard against insolvent customers, expand into new and existing markets and secure better borrowing terms. The platform can be accessed directly (www.nimbla.com) and through partnerships with Barclays and insurance brokers. Based in London, Nimbla aims to bring the trade credit industry into the 21st century. Challenging traditional insurance models, the cover is flexible and adapts to fit your business — whether it’s a one-off invoice or multiple transactions. Contact Details Nimbla Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://www.nimbla.com/

November 03, 2021 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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SMEs “keep calm and carry on” despite rising costs from suppliers

Stockwood Strategy

Supply chain issues and increasing costs have impacted SMEs countrywide and yet they seem to be handling it in their usual resilient stride. Fintech business lender MarketFinance asked 1,000 SME owners 1 across the UK how they are managing rising supplier prices, what measures they have put in place and sought their long term outlook on the increasing costs of doing business. Supplier costs Four out of five (79%) SMEs have faced increased prices from suppliers over the past 6 months. An increase of cost of raw materials was the top ranked rationale for price increases by suppliers, most keenly felt by businesses in the north west of England (85%). This was followed by staff shortages, the ongoing impact of the pandemic slowdown and supply chain disruptions owing to a shortage of truck drivers. Across the UK, a quarter of SMEs reported supplier prices have almost doubled over the past 6 months. Impact A third of SMEs (32%) have been able to absorb the increased costs without passing them on to customers, suggesting that these businesses have the necessary cash reserves to handle the impact. Only a fifth (21%) are passing a portion of the increased costs onto customers. Businesses in the south west of England and Northern Ireland are least likely to absorb the costs while businesses in the north west and Yorkshire are the most likely to do so. Their customers are proving to be equally understanding of the wider supply chain situation with only a fifth (20%) challenging business owners about the price rises. Outlook Looking ahead to the festive season, SMEs feel they will be able to manage the situation but some could increase prices if the pressure gets too much. Two fifths reported they could increase their prices by as much as 10% in the run up to Christmas. Longer term, three quarters (73%) of SMEs are already preparing for the current higher prices to be the norm until at least the end of 2022. A third of SMEs (34%) have taken out loans or are using other finance facilities to manage the increased cost of doing business. Anil Stocker, CEO at MarketFinance, commented: “ The current economic environment with rising costs is presenting some headwinds and headaches for SME owners but they are proving to be as resilient as ever. The vast majority have been thinking ahead and accounted for the longer term scenario, which will hold them in good stead to do business. It’s great to see that SME owners are taking the long view and preserving their customer relationships and managing suppliers by having a finance facility in place to deal with the overhead for now. The British Business Bank announced last week that it will extend its Recovery Loan Scheme to June 2022. This extension will give SMEs easier access to more affordable finance they need to continue running and growing operations in the face of ongoing challenges such as staff shortages and supplier price increases.” 1 Research findings based on a survey of 1,000 UK companies (who are employers with a minimum turnover of £100,000) conducted for MarketFinance in October 2021 by LMRMC Research (a Market Research Society approved partner and ESOMAR corporate member). About MarketFinance MarketFinance is a fintech business lender which believes that SMEs are building the world. By making finance frictionless, they’re solving the cash flow issues getting in the way of progress. MarketFinance uses smart technology to deliver better access to faster, more affordable finance; with one-to-one help whenever businesses need it. Since 2011, MarketFinance has advanced over £2.6 billion worth of invoices and loans, enabling thousands of UK businesses to bridge today’s funding gaps and fuel tomorrow’s big ambitions. MarketFinance is an accredited Recover Loan Scheme lender and has a wide-reaching network of strategic partners including Barclays Bank UK PLC, Tide, Equals Group and Ebury. MarketFinance is backed by Barclays Bank UK PLC, Mouro Capital, Paul Forster (co-founder of Indeed.com) European venture capital fund Northzone (invested in Klarna, iZettle and Trustpilot), Viola Capital and private equity group MCI Capital (also invested in iZettle, Azimo and Gett). Contact Details MarketFinance Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://marketfinance.com/

November 02, 2021 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Mattress Concierge Replaces 2,600 Mattresses at Foxwoods Resort Casino

Mattress Concierge

Mattress Concierge recently completed replacing mattresses for 1,948 hotel rooms, totaling 2,600 mattress, for Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT. As the largest resort casino in North America, Foxwoods offers guests a premier destination resort experience throughout its AAA Four-Diamond hotels. Foxwoods has also been named the Best Casino Outside of Las Vegas in the USA Today’s 10 Best Reader’s Choice Awards. “At Foxwoods we pride ourselves on providing our guests with the ultimate destination experience, and knew how important it was that the sleep configuration was as thoughtfully considered as every other resort amenity,” said Chris O’Connell, Vice President of Hotel Operations at Foxwoods. “We were so impressed by the attention to detail in Mattress Concierge’s hand-crafted, comfortable and durable mattresses which made them the ideal partner. They offer our guests a luxurious sleep experience that enhances their stay while at Foxwoods.” Mattress Concierge started work on this project in August 2019 when the resort was making upgrades to The Grand Pequot Tower, which features an exquisitely appointed lobby and twenty-three stories of deluxe rooms and suites. Mattress Concierge also replaced mattresses in The Great Cedar Hotel, which is right in the middle of all the action, and The Villas, which are appointed with beautiful amenities, dedicated butler service, in-room dining, and seamless access to Foxwoods’ exciting offerings. The 1,700 mattresses were handcrafted, delivered, and installed in just two months from purchase order to delivery. COVID-19 delayed the completion of the project until this September, when Mattress Concierge was able to replace 900 additional mattresses for the 30-floor Fox Tower, which boasts modern design and beautifully appointed rooms. This second stage of the project took just six weeks from purchase order to delivery. “We are honored with the trust Foxwoods Resort Casino places in Mattress Concierge to furnish their guests with the ultimate sleep experience at any hotel on the property,” Rob Richards, Managing Director of Mattress Concierge said. “We are particularly pleased with the fact that we could meet the timeframes in which this multi-stage project required for completion. Following the executive purchasing team’s visit to the factory in Hartford, we earned the right to be the exclusive mattress supplier to the largest resort casino in North America.” About Mattress Concierge Mattress Concierge has been providing mattresses to the most discerning clients in the hospitality industry since 2010. These exceptional mattresses are sought after by four- and five-star luxury hotels, inns, resorts and boutique hotels. Mattress Concierge can also custom-design mattresses to meet hotel owners’ particular needs, combining superior quality, comfort and durability. For more information, visit www.mattressconcierge.com. About Foxwoods Resort Casino As the largest resort casino in North America, Foxwoods Resort Casino offers guests a premier destination resort experience throughout its six world-class casinos; AAA Four-Diamond hotels featuring over 2,200 rooms; dining options for all tastes; luxurious spas; award-winning golf; state-of-the-art theaters; Tanger Outlet Mall; conference space for groups of all sizes; and free online casino games at FoxwoodsONLINE.com. There is always something new at Foxwoods, most recently the arrival of Foxwoods Extreme Adventures. Adventure knows no limit as guests can zipline or race around on a European-style indoor karting track. Foxwoods Resort Casino truly is The Wonder Of It All, providing a personalized and exciting escape for everyone. Foxwoods, opened in 1992, is owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. For a detailed look at Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation visit Foxwoods.com. Contact Details Mattress Concierge Robert Richards +1 860-395-9371 rrichards@mattressconcierge.com Company Website http://www.mattressconcierge.com

November 02, 2021 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Recording Artist Guild (RAG) Selects BEASY to Empower and Enable Musicians for the Metaverse

Beasy, LLC

Blockchain Made Easy, LLC (dba BEASY) and Recording Artist Guild (RAG.ORG) announced today that RAG.ORG and Lookhu.com have signed a multi-year enterprise licensing agreement with BEASY to deliver the utility of blockchain to RAG’s more than 20,000 members. “We’ve sought tirelessly to understand and deliver the benefits of blockchain to our members for years and although we succeeded in some ways, we lacked consistency and the ability to scale.” said Byron Booker, Chairman and Founder of RAG. “We’ve been talking with everyone who’s anyone at the intersection of blockchain and entertainment, and while solutions have advanced, BEASY stands out as our winner. BEASY’s solution puts enterprise grade software and the power to legally trade and enforce ownership in the hands of the artist. It’s easy to use, works with all our systems, supports NFT transactions on credit cards and allows us to do so within our brand identity,” he added. “We’re incredibly grateful and excited to be working with RAG. We started building BEASY three years ago for organizations just like RAG to help their communities realize their dreams. And now our dream is coming true as well.” said Bob Kramich, Founder and CEO of BEASY. For RAG creators or sellers, BEASY provides a complete metaverse identity management solution in one simple package through which they can: Mint, rarify and sell their own digital assets on any NFT marketplace, or directly from their web sites. Accept credit cards as a payment method for NFTs. Smarten, manage and control song contracts including fractional ownership splits. Easily onboard friends as fans which expands their serviceable obtainable market and prepares fans to participate in upcoming NFT drops. Establish and manage their official Sovereign Digital Identities including their digital name, official credentials and accomplishments. Manage their Official Partner Network. Maintain the true state of receivables owed and paid across multiple contracts and multiple mediums, no matter how many or how fractional the ownership or micro payment due. Customize, scale and continuously improve using enterprise-grade BaaS software. Rapidly team with a variety of business partners and sell and go to market. For buyers and fans, BEASY makes it possible to participate in the digital asset economy without using cryptocurrencies. As most NFT sites require buyers to use cryptocurrencies, the BEASY Wallet allows RAG fans to buy NFTs using credit cards. The buyer benefits from ease of use and the creator benefits from the expansion of their serviceable obtainable market (SOM). At its highest level, BEASY mainstreams the adoption of blockchain to improve the economic situation of individuals, businesses and communities. “BEASY is not a blockchain game and BEASY is not an NFT marketplace,” explains Kramich. “BEASY is Blockchain-as-a-Service software that is easy to install and use and acts as a combined personal notary and digital asset control center. With BEASY, influencers and creators can participate in multiple blockchain-based games and sell NFTs on any NFT marketplace while preserving the true state of how much is owned and owed across all mediums - no matter how fractional the ownership or how micro the payment. What’s more is that sellers, while operating in main blockchain networks, can do so without forcing themselves or their clients to ever purchase cryptocurrencies. We allow people to use the assets and the networks without forcing them to use the underlying cryptocurrency. Our aim is to do this to any Dapp and any network, to bring crypto-based solutions to the next billion users.” # # # About BEASY Blockchain Made Easy ™️, LLC is a Massachusetts-based technology and professional services company empowering retail and business customers with the ability to deploy customized blockchain-based strategies through easy-to-use blockchain software products. The company’s core product, BEASY Authentication ™️, is a multi-blockchain platform and associated wallet solution allowing users to seamlessly create, sell, and track digital goods in addition to a broad range of other applications such as digital identity management, fractional and whole digital asset ownership, royalties management, contract-to-smart contract management and more. BEASY does this without requiring owning or managing any cryptocurrency on major compatible blockchain networks such as Ethereum, Matic and more. BEASY is committed to making blockchain adoption easy. For more information, go to www.BEASY1.com About RAG.ORG Recording Artists Guild (RAG), a non-profit focused on empowering recording artists since 2009 provides its thousands of members with tools, resources, and technology to help monetize their skills and IP while bringing them exposure and a platform to make their voices heard. About Lookhu Lookhu ( www.lookhu.com ) is a cord-cutter’s dream, delivering unlimited streaming TV channels, exclusive series, and live events worldwide. Lookhu offers influencer driven a la carte channels within specific genres including MMA, Comedy, Spanish, Faith, and more for free, subscription and or on-demand. About Talynt Talynt is an NFT marketplace that focuses on providing a robust marketplace for creators offering Phygital NFTs with live events. Talynt offers exclusive NFT collections from notable celebrities and limited campaigns from TokenOfRespect.com, ApeRockStars.com, CryptoRoadies.com, NFTV.life and more Media Relations Contacts: BEASY, LLC. Contact: David Kaupp SVP, Head of Marketing info@beasy1.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeasyInc LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beasy-blockchain-made-easy-llc/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beasy1859/ RAG and Lookhu Contact: Melissa Jones press@lookhu.com Contact: Mellissa Jones press@rag.org Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ragworld/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RAGWORLD/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/RAGWORLD Blockchain Made Easy, LLC is a Massachusetts-based technology and professional services company empowering retail and business customers with the ability to deploy customized blockchain-based strategies through easy-to-use blockchain software products. The company's core product, BEASY Authentication, is a multi-blockchain platform and associated wallet solution allowing users to seamlessly create, sell, and track digital goods in addition to a broad range of other applications such as digital identity management, fractional and whole digital asset ownership, royalties management, contract-to-smart contract management and more. BEASY does this without requiring owning or managing any cryptocurrency on major compatible blockchain networks such as Ethereum, Matic and more. BEASY is committed to making blockchain adoption easy. For more information, go to www.BEASY1.com Contact Details BEASY, LLC David Kaupp +1 978-360-6698 info@beasy1.com RAG and Lookhu Melissa Jones press@rag.org Company Website https://www.beasy1.com

November 01, 2021 04:07 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Greenland’s Prime Minister to Keynote ZESTAs COP26 Burns Supper

Morgan Marketing & Communications

Prime Minister of Greenland, Múte Bourup Egede, will be delivering the keynote address at ZESTAs COP26 Burns Supper on Monday, November 1 st hosted by SHIFT clean energy. The supper will conclude the first day of Ship ZERO hosted by ZESTAs (Zero Emissions Ship Technology Association) in Glasgow as part of the COP26 activities. It is expected that the Prime Minister will be announcing a major Greenland government initiative relating to fossil fuel use. "With the Arctic warming at a rate three times faster than the rest of the world, we are in Greenland experiencing the drastic changes first-hand “stated the Prime Minister. “The science is alarming and our collective actions must be accelerated. That is why the Government of Greenland has announced an immediate halt to all new oil and gas explorations and are putting all efforts into developing our green energy sources. We believe that Greenland can become an important partner for zero-emission shipping. We have huge untapped hydropower resources that exceed our domestic demand multiple times, which can generate cheap renewable electricity for e-fuels, and we have an infrastructure well suited for being early adapters." “Ship ZERO 0 – Charging to True Zero” is a three-day workshop including robust technical presentations from zero-emissions solutions providers, as well as finance, insurance, classification sectors and regulators. Speakers’ panels, audience Q&A, and brainstorming sessions will follow each session to facilitate collaborative solution building, as well as giving stakeholders an opportunity to examine how solutions will fit with their individual business cases. The event takes place well before COP26 transport day, which will give the team of researchers and stakeholders time to summarize the outcomes to be taken in consideration by regulators beforehand. “We are honored that Prime Minister Egede will be making such a pivotal keynote address as part of our event”, stated Madadh MacLaine, Secretary-General of ZESTAs. “His leadership will resonate around the globe as we address a zero emission future.” Highlights of the ShipZERO conference include a keynote by Peter Thomson, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Fiji to the United Nations as well as the UNSG’s Special Envoy for the Ocean on A healthy planet requires a healthy ocean, a healthy ocean requires clean shipping; Why Zero Emissions Needs Better Battery Safety Standards, delivered by Brent Perry, ZESTAs Board Chair and CEO of SHIFT; and How Financiers, Insurers and Cargo owners can enable innovation and accelerate the transition to true zero emissions from Michael Parker, Chairman of Global Shipping, Citibank and Chairman of the Poseidon Principles Association. Registration is still open, and media are welcome. Go to https://zestas.org/ship-zero/ The Zero Emissions Ship Technology Association promotes the rapid and large-scale uptake of Zero Emissions Ship Technology (ZEST). Zero emissions means zero GHG emissions at the point of use on the vessel with minimal upstream impacts. By combining zero emission technologies, it is possible to achieve zero emissions at the shipboard level faster. With today’s technologies, the shipping industry can achieve fully zero emissions now, particularly on smaller return to base vessels, as well as drastically reduce emissions on larger, ocean-going vessels with more complicated operational profiles. Contact Details Morgan Marketing & Communications Carleen Lyden Walker +1 203-260-0480 c.walker@morganmarketcomm.com Company Website https://morganmarketcomm.com/

October 29, 2021 01:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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SHOPPERS MISTAKENLY BELIEVE KOSHER IS BETTER FOR HUMAN AND ANIMAL HEALTH

Jewish Initiative For Animals

More than 40% of all food products found in U.S. supermarket aisles have kosher certification. According to the results of two national surveys released by Farm Forward, 40% of adults agreed that a kosher label guarantees an animal “was treated humanely during its life.” Three out of four Americans purchase kosher out of concern for food safety, thinking there is a higher health standard. The new survey results highlight many misbeliefs consumers have about what a kosher label means. “Virtually all kosher and non-kosher meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs come from animals raised on factory farms, yet the perception of kosher as better persists in kosher shoppers’ minds,” said Melissa Hoffman, Director of Jewish Initiative for Animals (JIFA). “This phenomenon is called kosher humanewashing.” Key Findings Consumer Expectation of Kosher Certification Kosher certifications wield significant humanewashing and healthwashing power among adults. A high percentage of Americans trust kosher to mean that a product is of superior quality, despite the fact that all animal products in grocery stores come from the same factories as conventional. Previous survey work demonstrates 79% of Americans are committed to broad anti-cruelty principles such as ensuring outdoor access. However, kosher-certified animal products often fall short of consumer expectations, including guaranteeing animals have regular access to outdoor pasture. Proof The new data confirms what JIFA has inferred from previous research that shows people think kosher food is inherently better, whether that’s from a perspective of food safety, health, or overall quality. Consumers extend this belief to the way farmed animals are bred and raised. The two identical online surveys, conducted by Survey USA August 4-9, asked people about their purchasing behaviors and understanding of kosher labels on animal products. The general population survey size was 1,500 adults, while the Jewish-specific survey had 500 Jewish adult respondents. Get Involved More than 200 Jewish leaders are responding to this issue by urging communities to adopt better food practices. Join the effort by sharing the leaders’ pledge on JIFA’s website jewishinitiativeforanimals.com/kosher. About JIFA The Jewish Initiative for Animals (JIFA) supports innovative programs to turn the Jewish value of compassion for animals into action while building ethical and sustainable Jewish American communities in the process. JIFA is an initiative of Farm Forward. Contact Details Susan Peters +1 708-759-7175 susan@effectpartners.com

October 29, 2021 07:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Patients Paying Less for Generic Medicines Year-over-Year: The Safe & Effective Solution for Skyrocketing Prescription Drug Prices

YourUpdateTV

FDA-approved generic and biosimilar medicines are central to America’s health care, filling nine out of ten prescriptions dispensed in the United States. Recently, Dan Leonard, President and CEO of the Association for Accessible Medicines (AAM), partnered with YourUpdate TV on a nationwide media tour to discuss why reliable, affordable, high-quality prescription medication is more important than ever. A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/Lw7uhywvWAY Polling shows drug prices and the cost of health care is the number one concerns for most Americans. These nearly 4 billion generic and biosimilar prescriptions are central to containing costs for patients because unlike other sectors of U.S. health care, their prices are falling year after year. Throughout the pandemic, safe, effective and affordable generic medicines have been readily available to all of America’s patients, whether they are maintaining a chronic health condition or fighting COVID in the hospital. A resilient global supply chain with a strong U.S. presence made sure generic prescriptions were filled even as other consumer goods faced shortages. The Association for Accessible Medicines (AAM), the trade association of generic and biosimilar manufacturers, just released its 2021 Savings Report detailing the economic benefit of generic and biosimilar drugs to America’s patients. Here are five important highlights: U.S. health care system saved $338 billion in 2020 through the use of generic and biosimilar drugs. Generics fill 90% of prescriptions but account for only 18% of prescription spending 93% of generic prescriptions have a copay under $20.Average generic copay is $6 (versus $63 for brand name drugs) Biosimilar medicines, new competitors to expensive biologic drugs, have cut the growth rate of spending on cancer drugs in half To learn more about 2021 U.S. Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Savings Report, visit: accessiblemeds.org About Dan Leonard: President and Chief Executive Officer of the Association for Accessible Medicines (AAM), the nation’s trade association for the makers of generic and biosimilar medicines, which fill 9 out of 10 prescriptions in the United States. Appointed to the position by the AAM Board in summer 2020, Dan is responsible for ensuring the association fulfills its mission to improve the lives of patients and consumers by providing timely access to safe, effective and affordable medicines. Prior to joining AAM, Dan served as president and chief executive officer of the National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC), which sponsors and conducts research on a number of critical health policy issues. NPC plays a leadership role in the evolving areas of value assessment, value-based contracting and the importance of maintaining a robust innovation ecosystem. Before his tenure at NPC, Dan served as executive vice president of advocacy for America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the trade association representing companies providing health insurance coverage in the United States. Dan has significant experience in politics and government, including time spent with presidential campaigns, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and as a chief of staff on Capitol Hill. Early in his career, Dan worked as a television broadcast journalist and held on-air and management positions at affiliates across the nation. He has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio, where he currently serves on the Board of Trustees. Dan received a master’s degree in government from Johns Hopkins University. He lives in Annapolis, Maryland, with his wife, Susan. They have two children and enjoy sailing on the Chesapeake Bay. About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

October 28, 2021 05:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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GROWTH FOR MY.GAMES IN Q3 AS THE PUBLISHER BUILDS ON PAST SUCCESS AND CONSOLIDATES PLANS FOR INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

MY.GAMES

As MY.GAMES develops its international strategy, 77% of revenue now comes from outside the Russian region & CIS, with the US, France and Germany holding the largest share. Globally MY.GAMES’ revenue is up 13% (RUB 32bn / $434.5m USD) and EBITA by 34% (RUB 6.5bn / $88.7m USD) compared to 9 months in 2020. Global gaming brand MY.GAMES (part of VK) today announced its results for Q3 2021 - with revenues growing 2.3% YoY in Q3 (to RUB 10.1bn / $137.2m USD) and EBITDA growing 23% (to RUB 2.4bn / $33.3m USD) and performance still benefiting the company’s exceptional growth in 2020. The share of revenue coming from markets outside of the Russian territories stood at 77% (versus 75% in Q3 2020), with the US, Germany and France holding the largest share of international revenue. MY.GAMES has worked throughout Q3 to diversify their global portfolio through M&A and investments and made four investments in new studios - VOX, Tworogue Games, Breach Studios and Wideview Games. In September, the company consolidated Mamboo Games, which publishes hyper-casual and hybrid casual titles, and develops its own games. In total Mamboo Games has added 30 more projects to the MY.GAMES portfolio. Since its launch in 2017, MY.GAMES Venture Capital has closed 47 deals, and in July 2021 the investment division was listed as one of the top 15 strategic investors in a global industry report by analytical platform InvestGame. MY.GAMES now has a total of 14 internal studios and 20 new titles in active development across PC, console and mobile platforms. Vasily Maguryan, CEO at MY.GAMES commented: “The year 2020 has set a high bar for the entire games industry. We maintained this level of performance and showed twofold growth without new product launches while increasing our audience within the year by 150 million, reaching 890 million. This became possible thanks to our diversified portfolio, continuous updates in products, and strengthened positions in the mobile gaming market - one of the key drivers for new audiences.” Overall Highlights for Q3: The Games segment of Q3’s EBITDA stood at RUB 2.4bn ($33.3m USD) and delivered 23% YoY growth, with a margin of 24% versus 20% in Q3 2020. The segment is firmly on track to deliver margin growth for the year, along with further growth. Average MAU stood at 21mn in Q3 with a 4.32% share of monthly paying users and APRU of RUB 160 (+7% YoY). US highlights below: PC regs up 29% y/y w MAU up 19% CB MAU up 18% y/y L2S MAU up 3% y/y Rush Royale revenue up 8% q/q War Robots MAU up 15% y/y Highlights for the mobile portfolio are: Mobile games made up a 75% share of the Q3 total (versus 73% in Q3 2020). War Robots, Warface, Hustle Castle, Rush Royale and Grand Hotel Mania were the largest revenue contributors for the quarter. The top-5 revenue-generating mobile titles in Q3 remained War Robots, Rush Royale, Hustle Castle, Grand Hotel Mania and Left to Survive, with the most recently launched (December 2020) Rush Royale now ranked second in terms of quarterly revenue. War Robots (2014, Pixonic studio) shooter had 200mn registered users in September, with average monthly revenue of ~RUB 850mn in Q3 and significant positive EBITDA contribution. Rush Royale (2020, IT Territory studio) tower defence game reached ~14mn downloads with average monthly revenue reaching a new record of >RUB 400mn in September, being the most successful launch in MY.GAMES history, and was launch as cloud game on Facebook Gaming in the US and Canada. Hustle Castle (2017, Nord studio) RPG title exceeded 71mn in downloads, with >RUB 300mn in average monthly revenue in Q3. The Nord Studio also operates Zero City (~19mn downloads, ~RUB 100mn in average monthly revenue). American Dad! Apocalypse Soon continued to scale, with ~10mn in cumulative downloads as of the end of Q3. Grand Hotel Mania (2020, Deus Craft studio) time management game approached 13mn installs, with nearly RUB 200mn in average monthly revenue in Q3. Left to Survive (2018, Whalekit studio) shooter reached 42mn downloads and exceeded RUB 150mn in average monthly revenue in Q3. Another title from this studio, Warface: Global Operations (2020), reached 20mn downloads. Left to Survive was also awarded a Best of Galaxy Store Awards. Tacticool (2019, Panzerdog) top-down PvP mobile shooter game reached 21mn downloads and achieved nearly RUB 100mn in average monthly revenue in Q3. Highlights for the PC and Console portfolio are: The Warface (2013, PC/console/mobile) first-person shooter franchise reached 120mn players worldwide across all platforms and remains a top-3 revenue generator for MY.GAMES. Warface cross-play via console platforms connects over 24mn of players to the same server, with growth supported by the rollout of the new Heist season on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in September, to be soon extended to Nintendo Switch. Lost Ark (PC, licensed from Smilegate) MMORPG reached 3mn in registered users. Tactical action MMO Conqueror's Blade (2019, PC, licensed from Booming Tech) reached 3.5mn in users in Q3. Free-to-play MMO Skyforge (2017, PC, Allods Team) reached 13.2mn in registered users. MY.GAMES and the third-party developer (The Farm 51 studio) launched Early Access to tactical online multiplayer FPS World War 3, which is expected to go for global launch in Q1 2022. In Q3 MY.GAMES continued to port its mobile titles to PC on MY.GAMES Store as part of internal cross-selling and cross-integration, with Tacticool and Grand Hotel Mania ported in Q3. About MY.GAMES: MY.GAMES is an international gaming brand and a leading online entertainment company. MY.GAMES comprises 11 regional offices in Russia, Europe and the US, over 1,800 staff, and 14 development studios. MY.GAMES creates titles for the PC, consoles, and mobile devices. The company operates over 80 projects, with more than 150 titles in its portfolio including War Robots, Hustle Castle, Left to Survive, Skyforge, and Allods Online. MY.GAMES portfolio includes renowned titles like Warface, ArcheAge, Perfect World, Revelation Online, Conqueror's Blade, Lost Ark, and more. Contact Details Renaissance PR Emily Britt +44 7530 081191 emily@renaissancepr.biz Renaissance PR Stefano Petrullo +44 7828 692315 stefano@renaissancepr.biz Renaissance PR Sophie Carter +44 7810 848320 sophie@renaissancepr.biz Company Website https://mgvc.com/en

October 28, 2021 09:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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