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Graphic novel: Disinformation and cyber warfare illustrated in Real Fake

Stockwood Strategy

Deepfakes, bots, and troll farms are just some of the emerging techniques for creating and spreading disinformation. Erly Stage Studios has today published Real Fake , the digital graphic novel, which sheds a light on the disruptive forces at work. This book is the first of the graphic novels that are a part of the Resilience Series commissioned by the US Cyber Infrastructure and Security Agency (CISA). Real Fake will inform and educate people on the dangers and risks associated with dis- and mis- information through fictional stories inspired by real-world events. In Real Fake, readers will meet the protagonist Rachel O'Sullivan, a gamer, patriot and member of Symous - a group fighting disinformation and foreign interference in elections as polling day approaches. Farid Haque, founder and CEO of Erly Stage Studios commented: “We’re delighted to have been commissioned by CISA to create a practical and engaging communication tool that highlights the existential threat of disinformation in the context of bad state actors. While the story is fictional many of the approaches shown are very much grounded in the reality of the technology we live with and are exposed to almost daily.” Real Fake provides a unique education for the reader about the world of Deepfakes and their history while helping the reader understand the need to exercise care when it comes to consuming news and information via social media platforms and online sources of information. In the story, racing against the clock a group of citizens set out to shine a spotlight on the source of disinformation. They find it’s coming from across their borders and from the unlikeliest of places set up as farms to perpetuate information that maliciously misleads and influences electoral outcomes. The protagonists of the story have access to unique resources and are able to prove who the sponsors of disinformation are via their puppet farms set up around the world to troll democracy in the land of the free. “Real Fake is the culmination of the wealth of experience that Clint Watts brings in cyber warfare and disinformation and our studio’s creative direction and storytelling style. We spent months researching the real life incidents and then wrapped them into a fictional story” added Farid Haque. The graphic novel is being made available by CISA to the general public online as a free resource ahead of the 2020 US Presidential election at the following URL: https://www.cisa.gov/cfi-resilience-series-graphic-novels . A subsequent title in the series will be released a few weeks afterwards titled Bug Bytes. Watch this space and log back into https://www. publishing.erlystagestudios.com to learn more. Contributing artists to Real Fake include: Annas Dar, Jose Niño Galenzoga, Patricia Beja, Mona Shan and Joel Santiago. Lettering and layouts by Annas Dar, Komal N. and Haroon M. Story by Clint Watts and Farid Haque, supported by the script writing team which includes Michael Gianfrancesco and Kabir Sabharwal. Edited by Tolly M. and Laila Khan. Special thanks to Randall Heather and Max Brooks. ENDS About Erly Stage Studios Erly Stage Studios is an indie publisher, headquartered out of London, United Kingdom, capturing iconic stories in serious graphic novels. We are an expert team of educators, storytellers, and artists working to create awareness about important topics using the graphic novel medium. The team loves shining a spotlight on stories that are yet to see the light of graphic novels. As an expert team of teachers, researchers and designers the team works with innovative organisations and policymakers around the world to deliver soft power through engaging and creative projects. Contact Details Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://publishing.erlystagestudios.com/

October 28, 2020 07:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Suzy Disrupts In-Person Qualitative Market Research Industry with Launch of Suzy Live One-on-One Video Platform

Suzy

In response to changing market research needs created by the pandemic and restrictions on in-person focus groups, real-time market research platform Suzy today unveiled Suzy Live , a first-of-its-kind qualitative research platform for video-based consumer interviews. Leveraging Suzy’s on-demand, screened and verified panel of U.S. consumers, Suzy Live brings together both qualitative and quantitative research in one platform, enabling Fortune 500 brands to conduct in-depth one-on-one video interviews to capture consumer sentiment and understand the “why” behind specific behaviors. Leading brands can leverage the full suite of Suzy tools to generate a more holistic consumer story. Suzy developed Suzy Live to address a critical need in the market exacerbated by COVID-19: current qualitative research and in-depth interview offerings are expensive, time-consuming, inefficient, and more difficult to conduct now due to the pandemic. Additionally, current qualitative and quantitative research tools remain fragmented and too complex for researchers to fully maximize a mixed methodological research approach. Utilizing a robust technology platform and a built-in verified consumer audience, Suzy Live makes qualitative research seamless and efficient, while combining the strength of Suzy’s existing quantitative-focused platform. “The current virtual in-depth interview process is arduous and inefficient. There is a lot of fragmentation when it comes to recruitment, scheduling, and the actual platforms that the interviews take place on,” said Avi Savar, President of Suzy. “With Suzy Live, we’ve simplified everything, allowing the entire process to happen directly in one platform. With this latest update, we’re bringing best-in-class quantitative and qualitative research into one platform, enabling our clients to get a deeper understanding of their consumers during these uncertain times.” Suzy clients like American Express, Garden of Life, and Chateau Ste. Michelle are using Suzy Live to test concepts, understand target audiences, ask questions before a product launch, gather feedback, and more, all in real-time. “Suzy Live not only represents a fast in-depth interview solution, but it also offers the ability to conduct interviews with screened and verified consumers, meaning very high-quality results and insights,” said Joe Garbarczyk, Director of Consumer and Digital Marketing at Garden of Life. “For the first time, we can efficiently gather more robust feedback and dig deeper into hyper-targeted audiences.” Managing the process seamlessly from end-to-end, Suzy finds and qualifies interview candidates, schedules interviews, moderates, and develops in-depth transcripts for clients. “As one of Washington’s oldest and most celebrated wineries, we take customer feedback and customer experience very seriously. Suzy has been instrumental in helping us understand our customers better, and we’re excited to try the new features in Suzy Live,” said Patrick Egan, Director - Insights & Analytics, Chateau Ste. Michelle. Led by CEO and former ad-agency veteran Matt Britton, Suzy recently completed a $34 million Series C round. Rho Ventures, Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments, Triangle Peak Partners, and Foundry Group participated in the Series C round. To learn more about Suzy Live or to book a demo, visit: https://suzy.com/suzy-live. Founded in 2017, Suzy is an enterprise software platform that puts the voice of the consumer at your fingertips. Whether you’re a novice or an expert researcher, Suzy delivers advanced tools combined with the highest-quality audience to deliver insights in minutes. Many of the biggest brands in the world use Suzy to deliver breakthrough products and experiences backed by data-driven decisions. To date, Suzy has raised over $35MM in venture capital funding from investors that include Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments, Foundry Group, Tribeca Venture Partners, Triangle Peak Partners, and Kevin Durant’s 35 Ventures. Learn more at www.suzy.com. Contact Details Noe Sacoco +1 408-340-8130 suzy@trustrelations.agency Company Website http://suzy.com/

October 27, 2020 02:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Replicated Raises $25M Series B To Modernize On-Prem Software Delivery

Owen Media

Replicated, which enables software vendors to ship an on-prem, air gapped, or self-hosted version of their software with Day 2 enterprise operations management, today announced closing a Series B funding round totaling $25 million. The round was led by Two Sigma Ventures, with participation from existing investors. The total amount raised to date, including a $1.5 million seed round (led by BoldStart) and a $5 million Series A round (led by Amplify), is $31.5 million. The funds will be used to expand the capabilities of the current product and grow the team. “The on-prem software market is four times larger than the SaaS market,” said Grant Miller, Replicated co-founder and CEO. “Replicated lets software vendors unlock the opportunity of the on-prem software category with lower engineering overhead and faster time to market. This is a market change made possible by the convergence of cloud native computing and Kubernetes.” Replicated enables software vendors to use modern cloud native technologies and Kubernetes to deliver enterprise grade applications and install their software in on-prem or self-hosted environments. The technology reduces the engineering workload and accelerates time to market for software vendors. For enterprise customers, Replicated provides a simple interface to manage software deployments, licensing, and Day 2 operations. Replicated’s customers include HashiCorp, Puppet, and UiPath. Half of the Fortune 100 uses Replicated to manage applications. According to Synergy Research, the on-prem software market is four times greater than that of the SaaS market. The on-prem market was inaccessible to many software vendors because engineering costs and long lead times made it impractical. Replicated has helped dozens of software vendors and thousands of enterprise organizations benefit from faster and easier deployments and simplified application management. Replicated was the first company to deliver a container-based service for deployment of applications inside corporate firewalls. Kubernetes has become the substrate of how modern software is delivered and makes widespread delivery of software to on-prem environments possible. Replicated’s Kubernetes Off The Shelf (KOTS) product, is a kubectl plugin and admin console to help manage KOTS software. Traditional on-prem software deployments required software vendors to spend months packaging and delivering applications on disks or servers to the customer. It was hard to build reliable, scalable, and distributed systems. The software was received by operations technicians who had to pour over manuals for days to deploy, update, and maintain every service. Replicated reduces the engineering overhead from months to days and accelerates time to market, streamlining Day 1 and Day 2 operations so that a single person can manage 10,000 applications. "Replicated makes it easy to reliably deliver our AI platform to highly-secure customer environments, without needing our customers to become experts on our stack or architecture," said Kyle Owens, Labelbox Engineering Manager. Replicated’s Series B round was well subscribed due to company and category growth, attracting the participation of Two Sigma Ventures as well as existing investors. Replicated has more than doubled its customer base in the past 12 months. Replicated’s customers cite easier access to large enterprise accounts as the primary reason for adopting the technology. “Replicated has pioneered the way to operationalize and scale the distribution of modern on‑prem applications to enterprise customers,” said Villi Iltchev, Two Sigma Ventures partner. “Their technology makes on-prem or self-hosted software deployments fast, seamless, and easy to manage in an era where companies are increasingly deploying applications in their cloud and on-prem environments.” Replicated was founded in 2015 by Miller and Marc Campbell, CTO, who previously founded Look IO, a mobile live-chat program that was acquired by LivePerson. About Replicated Replicated is the modern way to ship on-prem software. Replicated gives software vendors a container-based platform for easily deploying cloud native applications inside customers' environments to provide greater security and control. Learn more at Replicated.com. Contact Details Forrest Carman +1 206-859-3118 forrestc@owenmedia.com

October 27, 2020 09:03 AM Pacific Daylight Time

George Mason University wins grant for “return to work” pilot programs for antibody and diagnostic testing

Fairfax County Economic Development Authority

George Mason University’s College of Health and Human Services and College of Science have been awarded a $100,000 GO Virginia Economic Resilience and Recovery Grant to establish critical infrastructure to improve COVID-19 symptom monitoring and tracking, and diagnostics and facilitate a safe return to work. The initiative will simplify workplace monitoring for symptoms and testing for the COVID-19 virus and antibodies and will improve how contacts are traced when the virus is detected. Capabilities such as effective and easy-to-scale methods for diagnostic and antibody testing and contact tracing are key to a safe return. The interdisciplinary project brings together epidemiologists, nurse researchers, health informatics specialists, and laboratory scientists to create a holistic return to work program that can be scaled up. Dr. Amira Roess, an epidemiologist and professor in the Department of Global & Community Health , is leading the project, which includes integration of symptom, exposure, and behavioral data with regular testing following exposures. Roess brings extensive experience in outbreak and emergency preparedness and response. She advises public and private organizations, including K-12 schools, judicial systems, universities, and businesses on how to safely resume operations. Dr. Lance Liotta, professor in the School of Systems Biology and co-director and co-founder of Mason’s Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine (CAPMM) is leading a team that developed a novel saliva-based antibody test, which is easier to use than other tests and has the potential for higher sensitivity and specificity than previous formats. “With breakthroughs in screening, surveillance, and testing, Mason faculty are leading efforts to fight COVID-19 in the region and around the country. The research happening here helps lay the groundwork for the economic recovery of Northern Virginia and the potential for developing commercially-available tests right here in the region,” said Dr. Aurali Dade, Mason’s interim vice president for research, innovation and economic impact. The pilot will focus on understanding the physical and mental health impact of COVID-19 on the workforce, especially among essential, front-line workers such as those in health care, first responder roles, education, and retail. The team plans to use the results to develop tailored stress management interventions and programs to enhance safe return to work for these populations. Leaders at the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority and Prince William Department of Economic Development voiced their support for the pilot initiative and the impact a widely available, non-invasive antibody test coupled with enhanced diagnostic testing can have on the region’s ability to resume key operations. Bringing a COVID-19 testing protocol to market in Northern Virginia could also have longer-term benefits to the region and its growing life sciences and information technology sectors. “This is an important effort to understand more about COVID-19 and its effects on the population, and I am delighted to see it moving forward,” said Victor Hoskins, president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority . “This effort also is the latest example of innovators in the Northern Virginia technology community collaborating to improve people’s lives, and we should be proud that this kind of discovery happens here.” "I'm so proud to call Mason one of Prince William County's own and I'm excited to see this study move forward," said Christina M. Winn, executive director of the Prince William County Department of Economic Development . "It's such an important step in building confidence in our community and preparing our region for safely getting back to work." The GO Virginia Economic Resilience and Recovery Grant Program was created by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Growth and Opportunity for Virginia Board. George Mason University matched the grant with $50,000 in funding. "In creating the Economic Resilience and Recovery program, the GO Virginia State Board pivoted resources to focus on near term strategies to mitigate the economic impacts of the pandemic and this project is a perfect example of an innovative regional solution. This collaborative project leverages unique assets in Northern Virginia and we look forward to seeing the results of this pilot and its potential to inform reopening strategies," said Sara Dunnigan, deputy director, GO Virginia and Economic Development at DHCD. The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority promotes Fairfax County as a business and technology center. In addition to its headquarters in Tysons, Fairfax County’s largest business district, the FCEDA maintains business investment offices in six important global business centers: Bangalore/Mumbai, Berlin, London, Los Angeles, Seoul and Tel Aviv. Follow the FCEDA on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , Twitter and YouTube . The Prince William County Department of Economic Development’s mission is “to improve the County’s economic base by encouraging new businesses to locate in Prince William County, retain existing businesses and encourage existing businesses to expand.” The Department works hard to create a pro-business, globally-competitive environment that generates new, high-quality, and sustainable job opportunities for our citizens and engages in a broad portfolio of services, partnerships, and strategic alliances to benefit the business community and stimulate the economy. The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority and the Prince William County Department of Economic Development are members of the Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance . Other members of NOVA EDA are the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, Arlington County, City of Fairfax, City of Falls Church, Fauquier County, Loudoun County, City of Manassas and City of Manassas Park. Contact Details ALAN FOGG +1 571-213-5065 afogg@fceda.org Company Website https://www.fairfaxcountyeda.org

October 27, 2020 11:07 AM Eastern Daylight Time

QUARTER4 FINALIZES PRE-SEED FUNDING

Quarter4

Quarter4 , an easy-to-use, AI-driven predictive sports platform, announced it has finalized a pre-seed funding round. Angel investor Melissa Durrell , the President and Chief Strategy Officer of Waterloo-based Durrell Communications, in addition to investor and advisor Hazem Dawani , CEO of New York-based Predata, are amongst the key investors this round. Financial terms were not disclosed. 2020 has been a pivotal year for the company. Quarter4 onboarded more than 5,000 users to the platform during the COVID-19 condensed 2020 NHL and NBA seasons. The company also launched its business focused 4Business platform. 4Business grants sportsbooks, data providers and media agencies insights and innovative ways to deliver new content through Quarter4’s signature advances in unique AI-driven datasets into player and team performance. “As the sports betting industry opens up to new markets across the US and Canada, millions of new bettors will be targeted to participate but will be too intimidated or unsure how to navigate the complicated world of sports betting,” said Kelly Brooks , Quarter4 CEO. “We’re excited to use this pre-seed funding to help expand the breadth of our technology and intuitive customer interface and empower the millions of casual and mid-tier bettors that want to maximize their investment by utilizing stronger, data-based decisions.” Founded by career technologists Brooks and CSO Danijela Covic , Quarter4 incorporates proprietary AI and machine learning algorithms, as well as voice technology, to determine the probability of wins and losses and player vs. player outcomes in just minutes. Quarter4’s data and analysis gives bettors an informed insight about a matchup, rather than confusing data, giving users added confidence to make more informed bets. “The sports betting industry is in its infancy in North America and investors are looking for innovative companies creating products and solutions that can influence and expand the category. Quarter4 is one of those companies as its product levels the playing field between new entrants and professionals,” said Melissa Durrell. "I believe in the strength of Quarter4's data and the innovative platform driving its success. As a female investor that is used to a little risk, I'm confident I'm betting on the right team." Quarter4 currently runs analytics for the NHL, NBA and NCAA basketball but will expand to the NFL and MLB in 2021. For more information please visit Quarter4.io ABOUT QUARTER4 Quarter4 is a revolutionary artificial intelligence platform that generates thousands of daily predictions called 4Qasts. The easy-to-use sports technology delivers proprietary insights, related to team and player performance, in just seconds. Quarter4 provides sportsbooks, data providers, media agencies and sports bettors with predictive data that is unique, personalized and non-biased. Contact Details Michael Adorno +1 212-931-6143 madorno@hotpaperlantern.com Company Website https://quarter4.io/

October 27, 2020 10:03 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Citybiz Interview with Tom Davidson, CEO & Founder, Everfi

Citybizlist

There are a number of crises related to inequality that are playing out across the country. These inequalities are not new, they have been around for generations, yet the pandemic is shedding new light on these issues. Society is demanding change and a solid plan for a path forward. EVERFI , a Washington, D.C.-based social impact education technology company, offers a unique solution starting with K-12 learners to address the missing layer of education that holds promise in driving ecosystems of change. EVERFI has been working to solve problems related to social inequality since 2008 and recently announced a $100M commitment to building new and expanding current K-12 courses to address the most important issues that are leading to economic inequality and social injustice. The company identified 12 topic areas it says pose the highest societal risks and established the EVERFI Social Impact Index . The Index includes topics such as financial literacy to diversity, equity & inclusion to health and mental wellness. EVERFI provides annual and five-year metrics to measure its success against each Index category. “When students learn these critical life skills, they become highly-correlated competencies. However, when they are left unattended, they become highly-correlated crises. This moment in time gives us a tremendous opportunity to empower students with this learning using innovation and technology,” says Tom Davidson , Founder and CEO of EVERFI . EVERFI’s success -- it has reached more than 43 million learners across K12, higher education, and workplace environments; its courses are used in 1 out of 5 public schools and by more than 7,500 school districts; it enrolls more than 6 million students in its critical skills education annually -- stands out in the education industry. EVERFI recognizes more than 3,100 customers that join the company in fulfilling its mission of filling in the education gaps that exist. Those customers, which include Beyond Meat, Walmart, Kroger, National Football League, National Hockey League, UBS, MassMutual, and more, sponsor the company’s courses in K-12 schools throughout the country, allowing EVERFI to provide those courses at no cost for teachers and schools. EVERFI’s model has won the company some accolades in 2020 including being recognized by Fast Company as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies and by Fortune as one of the Impact 20. Since starting EVERFI, Tom has led the company from a startup to a thriving global organization. A graduate of Bowdoin College, he has been a powerful voice at the intersection of regulation, education, and corporate social responsibility and impact. While a senior at Bowdoin College, Tom ran for the Maine House of Representatives, was elected in an upset, and served three consecutive terms before deciding not to pursue reelection. He served as one of the youngest committee Chairs as Chairman of the Utilities and Energy Committee where he led efforts to expand the wiring of schools and libraries across the state. He introduced and passed major legislation on health policy, government ethics, and economic development. He also served as a senior member of the Taxation Committee and the Banking and Insurance and Business and Economic Development Committees. It was during his tenure in the state legislature that Tom realized the powerful role the private sector can play in tackling issues affecting the public sector - specifically schools. Interview questions: What kind of company is Everfi? Mission - Can you tell us about Everfi’s founding mission and why the company you’ve built is more relevant today than ever before? Everfi 2020 - Can you provide a snapshot of Everfi today - # of schools, students, adult learners, strategic partners, etc. How has this year changed your view of the company and the work you do? Platform/Content/Data - Tell us about your community engagement platform and how it works in concert with your programs? I know your platform also generates important metrics for customers reflecting the impact of their investments in communities - can you please share more about how this works and why it’s important. COVID - How was Everfi able to pivot in the delivery of education to students during COVID? Did school districts and teachers weigh in with what they needed and wanted from Everfi? International - In 2019 Everfi made its first international acquisition. Tell us a little bit about the expansion and how it plays into your overall mission? Social Injustice and Economic Inequity: $100 Million - In September Everfi announced a $100M, 3 year commitment to address systemic social injustice and economic inequality through free digital education for our nations’ schools. How will this effort work to close the gaps that lead to long-term inequalities? MassMutual - You recently posted on social media about MassMutual’s long-standing commitment to financial literacy education for middle school children. They have already reached 2Million students with your curriculum and it looks like they are now more committed than ever to continue this impact in more communities nationwide. Can you talk to us about what a program like this really means? Marquee Investors - Everfi has attracted a range of marquee investors from New Enterprise Associates to Allen & C0 to Bono’s fund. Can you walk us through the institutional investors? You have also included some high profile individual investors including Jeff Bezos, Eric Schmidt and Richard Branson. Can you highlight how they became interested and some recent additions? Leadership - What is the role of optimism in the CEO? One of your leadership mantras is dagger in the heart and praise to the back? Can you explain? What are some of the lessons that you have learned from your individual investors? Citybiz is a publisher of news and information about business, power, money, and people in 13 major U.S. city markets, including Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Charlotte/Raleigh, Atlanta, South Florida, Los Angeles, San Diego, Dallas and Houston. To learn more about the CEO Interviews, please email the publisher Edwin Warfield edwin.warfield@citybizlist.com Contact Details Edwin Warfield +1 443-562-9472 edwin.warfield@citybizlist.com Company Website https://citybizlist.com/

October 26, 2020 01:45 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Applied Insight Honored for Second Year by Government Innovation Awards, Wins in 2020 for SHIFT, Its Cloud Emulation and Testing Platform

Applied Insight

Applied Insight , a market leader in solving complex technology challenges for federal government customers, announced today that it has received the Industry Innovator Award for its SaaS/PaaS emulation and testing platform SHIFT™ as part of the 2020 Government Innovation Awards presented by PublicSector360, including Washington Technology, FCW, GCN and Defense Systems. The award recognizes the groundbreaking nature of SHIFT, which is used by government and commercial customers to develop, test and remediate software prior to deploying it in the classified regions of government clouds. This is the second consecutive year that Applied Insight has won this prestigious award. Last year, the company was recognized for its innovative cloud management platform, Altitude™ . “We are pleased that SHIFT has been recognized as an Industry Innovator,” said Dede Dascalu, CEO of Applied Insight . “There has long been a shortage of software engineers who have the right clearances for national security missions. SHIFT is not only addressing this problem by enabling low-side development, it is also speeding the delivery of modern, mission-critical software to our customers.” Air-gapped and restricted regions of government clouds come with multiple technical nuances that require additional configuration to software products built for commercial use. When commercial software is brought into these special cloud regions, these technical differences result in numerous errors and require several additional deployment cycles. SHIFT is a SaaS/PaaS platform that emulates restricted cloud regions and their systems, so development and implementation teams can configure and test their software prior to deployment. In doing so, SHIFT greatly reduces time and costs by nearly eliminating rework and reconfigurations. In just the first six months of 2020, SHIFT helped identify and remediate more than 5.5 million errors for its customers. “The development of differentiated intellectual property has always been a central pillar of Acacia’s investment approach,” said Gavin Long , partner of The Acacia Group , the sponsor of Applied Insight as a unique, technology-focused, government market platform established in 2017. “Our federal businesses continue to create game-changing technologies that are having a massive impact on the success of customer missions. That Applied Insight now has two award-winning technologies in its product portfolio is great recognition for the team’s technical brilliance. We couldn’t be more proud of what they’ve achieved and will continue to invest in their product development capabilities.” The Government Innovation Awards celebrate the transformative government projects, individual change agents and industry partners that are reimagining public-sector IT. The Industry Innovator awards recognize private-sector companies' vital role in the government IT community. Due to COVID-19, there will be no in-person awards gala this year. Instead, winners and innovations can be found online . About Applied Insight At Applied Insight, we deliver pragmatic solutions for federal missions that cannot wait. We work closely with agencies and industry to overcome technical and cultural hurdles to innovation, empowering them with the latest cloud, data and cyber capabilities. Our solutions help people work better, faster and more securely – no matter where they are. To learn more about us, visit applied-insight.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter . About The Acacia Group The Acacia Group is a team of operational investors with a long track record in the U.S. technology and services markets. We see value in technologies that enable people to collaborate in sustaining our society, from our security and economy, to our institutions and infrastructure. We invest in entrepreneurs who share that mission, bringing the capital, experience and relationships to enable them to take their business to new heights. For more information, please visit The Acacia Group or follow us on LinkedIn . Media Contact : Kristina Messner ( Focused Image for Applied Insight) 703-678-6023 kmessner@focusedimage.com At Applied Insight, we deliver pragmatic solutions for federal missions that cannot wait. We work closely with agencies and industry to overcome technical and cultural hurdles to innovation, empowering them with the latest cloud, data and cyber capabilities. Our solutions help people work better, faster and more securely – no matter where they are. Contact Details Kristina Messner +1 703-678-6023 kmessner@focusedimage.com Company Website https://www.applied-insight.com/

October 26, 2020 09:45 AM Eastern Daylight Time

RTCORE Inc. f/k/a iSocialy, Inc. Pursuing Name Change, Ticker Symbol Change with FINRA

RTCore Inc

RTCORE Inc., which was formerly known as iSocialy, Inc. (the “Company”) (OTC: PPPS), announces that the Company filed an Issuer Company-Related Action Notification Form with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), seeking FINRA’s review of the Company’s name change to RTCORE Inc., on or about September 18, 2020. The Company has also requested “RTME” as its new ticker symbol, and pending FINRA’s completion of its review of the Company’s notification form and announcement of the corporate actions, the Company’s common stock would begin trading under its new name and trading symbol, and Company filings and market-related information would be available under the new name and symbol. Holders of Company common stock certificates bearing the name iSocialy, Inc. are not required to exchange certificates. Once the proposed name change and ticker symbol is approved, shareholders may elect to exchange previously issued certificates for certificates that bear the name RTCORE, INC, although not mandatory. However, the Company is waiting for FINRA to complete its review of the Company’s notification form before the Company’s transfer agent will issue new shares of common stock with the new Company name. About RTCORE Inc. Headquartered in Charlotte, NC, RTCORE Inc. is an industry leader in the design, development and commercial deployment of Cloud-native, real time transaction processing software for the global financial services industry. Safe Harbor Statement -This press release may contain forward-looking information that involve a number of risks and uncertainties made pursuant to Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including all statements that are not statements of historical fact regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of the company, its directors or its officers with respect to, among other things, the company’s business plans and the company's growth strategy and operating strategy. Words such as “strategy,” “expects,” “continues,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “would,” “will,” “estimates,” “intends,” “projects,” “goals,” “targets” and other words of similar meaning are intended to identify forward-looking statements but are not the exclusive means of identifying these statements. Investors are cautioned that any forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's ability to control, and that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of numerous and varied factors. RTCORE, Inc. does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to the company or any person acting on behalf of the company are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements referenced above. Contact Details Phil Walton +1 704-965-4087 philwalton@realtimecore.com Company Website https://www.realtimecore.com

October 23, 2020 03:12 PM Eastern Daylight Time

New Suzy Research Shows Brands Will Need to Shift Strategies to Meet Consumer Preferences this Holiday Season

Suzy

NEW YORK (Oct. 22) -- Suzy , a real-time market research platform, today announced its new research report, “State of the Consumer: 'Tis the Season for Uncertainty,” revealing data about holiday shopping, travel and anticipated consumer spending amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The report found that Americans will rely on virtual connections during the holidays and shift gift giving strategies, meaning brands will have to plan accordingly. Less travel and turkey this Thanksgiving for most Due to continued social distancing guidelines, many Americans are changing their traditional plans, including how and where they will travel during the holidays. Suzy’s research revealed that 75% of young adults do not plan to travel during Thanksgiving and more than one-third of overall respondents (38%) are still undecided about their December holiday plans. While some will try to visit family and friends in-person this Thanksgiving, Suzy found that the majority of respondents have significantly changed their plans. In fact, only 10% either plan to host or attend a Friendsgiving and only about half (53%) will cook a turkey this year. Additionally, indicating major changes for the airline and auto rental industries, respondents are shifting their travel habits: 86% of those who do intend to travel for Thanksgiving are only visiting family, and 71% of those are electing to travel by car. Apprehension remains for public transportation, as only 17% plan to fly, 8% will rely on bus transportation and 3% will take a train for their holiday travel. Zero percent of people aged 60 to 72 years old plan to travel by plane. 29% plan to attend a virtual family event. “Our research shows that major brands are going to have to adjust their advertising, promotions and sales strategies this holiday season to meet consumer demand and expectations,” said Suzy President Avi Savar. “The holidays are a critical time for brands every year, but this year is especially high-stakes for retailers due to market fluctuations associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.” Uncertainty looms around holiday shopping According to Suzy research, holiday shopping plans are still in major flux as consumers aren’t sure how much they will spend this year. In fact, according to Suzy research: 38% are not sure how much they will spend on Black Friday/Cyber Monday, while 22% plan to spend less on Black Friday/Cyber Monday. 12% plan to spend more on Black Friday/Cyber Monday. 32% plan to shop on Black Friday, versus 63% of people who shopped during Black Friday in 2019. 53% are either unsure how much they will spend or plan to spend less on gift giving this holiday season. 65% think it is most important to buy gifts for their kids; 61% are prioritizing buying gifts for their significant other. “Based on our research, it appears that long distance gifting and care packages will become a reality, as people ship presents to loved ones that they cannot be with in person. Brands must change their strategies accordingly to meet these gift giving needs,” added Savar. “Additionally, consumers will be looking to their most frequently shopped retailers to offer deep promotions and discounts to make the holidays a little easier on their psyche and wallets.” A complete State of the Consumer: 'Tis the Season for Uncertainty report is available upon request. About the State of the Consumer: 'Tis the Season for Uncertainty: Suzy’s State of the Consumer: 'Tis the Season for Uncertainty study surveyed 1,000 U.S. consumers in September 2020. The samples are directionally representative of U.S. consumers and census-weighted across age, gender, ethnicity, and region to accurately reflect attitudes across the broader American consumer population. Founded in 2017, Suzy is an enterprise software platform that puts the voice of the consumer at your fingertips. Whether you’re a novice or an expert researcher, Suzy delivers advanced tools combined with the highest-quality audience to deliver insights in minutes. Many of the biggest brands in the world use Suzy to deliver breakthrough products and experiences backed by data-driven decisions. To date, Suzy has raised over $35MM in venture capital funding from investors that include Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments, Foundry Group, Tribeca Venture Partners, Triangle Peak Partners, and Kevin Durant’s 35 Ventures. Learn more at www.suzy.com. Contact Details Noe Sacoco +1 408-340-8130 suzy@trustrelations.agency Company Website http://suzy.com/

October 22, 2020 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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