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Shreesha Ramdas to join CIPIO’s Advisory Board to hyper accelerate growth

CIPIO.ai

CIPIO, a B2C Subscription Success company, today announced that Shreesha Ramdas has joined its board of advisors. Ramdas currently serves as SVP and GM for Medallia-owned Strikedeck – a powerful customer success automation solution. Prior to Medallia, Ramdas co-founded Leadformix, a marketing automation platform acquired by CallidusCloud in 2012. A seasoned entrepreneurial executive with a proven track record of launching and rapidly scaling automation solutions for customer success and marketing, Ramdas is constantly on the lookout for the “next big thing” in the customer engagement world – an attitude that led him to join CIPIO’s advisory board. Customer churn is a rampant reality in the B2C Subscription industry, given how easy it is for customers to downgrade, switch, or cancel service providers in a matter of just a few clicks. Industry study suggests that 96% of B2C Subscription businesses believe their customers churn for reasons that could have been prevented, managed, or fixed. Post Covid, Net Revenue Retention (NRR), and Customer Retention have become strategic priorities for B2C Subscription companies and will continue to become table stakes over time. According to Bain and Company, increasing customer retention rates by just 5% increases 25% profits for B2C Subscription companies. “In a world where the bar for customer engagement keeps going higher, I love how CIPIO is redefining customer retention - making it actionable, easy and impactful for B2C Subscription companies through its Data Apps,” said Ramdas. “The SaaS landscape continues to explode with solutions, yet there are literally very few solutions solving NRR and Customer Retention for the B2C Subscription companies. With its code-free Enterprise AI and Domain-Infused Data Apps Platform™, CIPIO offers the precise action to drive measurable results for B2C Subscription companies.” With the B2C Subscription Economy expected to be valued at a whopping $478 billion by 2025, it is surprising that the industry’s churn rate is two times that of the B2B SaaS Economy. CIPIO’s Domain-Infused Data Apps Platform™ aims to tip this balance back and level the playing field. “I’m ecstatic to have Shreesha onboard as we move full-speed into our next phase of growth and innovation. The hybrid economy is here, and you can no longer hope to just focus on acquisition as it costs five times as much to attract a new customer than to keep an existing one,” said Growson Edwards, Co-Founder, and CEO of CIPIO. “Our mission is to enable B2C Subscription companies to proactively prevent churn and achieve higher Net Retention Rate for consistent growth. Shreesha’s obsession and tremendous experience in launching customer success solutions and product experience will accelerate our product innovation yielding higher returns for our customers.” About CIPIO CIPIO is pioneering the Industry's first domain-infused Data Apps Platform™ that humanizes and automates predictions and recommendations to increase Subscriber engagement, retention, and growth for B2C Subscription Companies. CIPIO's early adopters include Crunch Fitness, Industry's Gym, Xponential Fitness, Motor City Church, Pure Barre, Club Pilates, AKT, YogaSix, NCFit, Cyclebar, RowHouse, Stretch Lab, and Stride who have witnessed a significant return on investment in a short time. Contact Details CIPIO Chris Foudy +1 831-238-1905 chris@cipio.ai Company Website https://cipio.ai/

May 04, 2021 02:20 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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How To Reduce Social Security Taxes In Retirement by Jennifer Lang Financial Services

Jennifer Lang Financial Services, LLC

Contact Details Jennifer Lang Financial Services, LLC. Jennifer Lang +1 877-487-8926 mail@jenniferlangfinancialservices.com Company Website https://www.jenniferlangfinancialservices.com

May 04, 2021 10:05 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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ZOE Announces $53M Total Raise From Investors Including Fund Backed By Top Scientists, and Two-Time Super Bowl Champion Eli Manning

ZOE

Healthcare science company ZOE announced today it has raised $53M in total funding to transform how individuals eat with a first-of-its-kind at-home test kit and personalized advice program. ZOE decodes each customer’s unique biological responses to food, and guides them on how to eat to maximize long-term health. The program uses machine learning combined with the world’s largest nutrition research studies. These funds will allow ZOE to meet the dramatic rise in customer demand since it launched a few months ago, and serve millions of people in search of a sustainable and science-backed approach to healthy eating. Addressing high rates of obesity, metabolic disease, and nutritional confusion, ZOE launched its first product in September 2020 after three years in stealth carrying out the world’s largest in-depth nutrition and microbiome study with scientists from Harvard, King’s College London, Mass General Hospital and Stanford. The test kit analyzes users’ gut health, as well as blood fat and blood sugar responses to food and uses these insights to provide daily, personalized nutrition guidance. Demand is high and ZOE is currently in waitlist-mode. Interim clinical trial results reveal participants experienced more energy (90%), felt less hunger (80%) and lost an average of 11 pounds after three months of following their personalized plan. Today’s B round of over $20M brings cash on the balance sheet to $40M. This round of financing is led by Ahren Innovation Capital (“Ahren”), whose Science Partners include two Nobel laureates. Sir Gregory Winter CBE FRS FMedSci and Nobel Prize winner for Chemistry said: “We were interested both by the approach taken by ZOE, in which they are applying machine learning to large scale population data, and by their published results, in which they are mapping out associations between diet, health and the gut microbiome.” Additional participants in this financing include two-time Super Bowl Champion and MVP Eli Manning, two-time Super Bowl Champion and award-winning sportscaster Ositadimma "Osi" Umenyiora, Accomplice (the fund behind AngelList, DraftKings, PillPack, and WHOOP), THVC and Daphni. Umenyiora said, “I'm really excited to invest in ZOE. As an athlete, I know how much eating the right food changes how I feel and how I perform.” The funds from the investment will be used to speed up the rollout of the ZOE program. Currently, the program is only available in the US, but a launch is intended in the UK in 2021 and further geographies in 2022. ZOE is continuing to hire rapidly, including in engineering and science, where its expertise spans from microbiome and nutrition to metabolic research and machine learning. Commenting on the investment, George Hadjigeorgiou, co-founder and President of ZOE, said: "We started ZOE because we believe that everyone has a right to understand how their body responds to food so they can make their own decisions and be in control of their health. We are thrilled to be partnering with a distinguished group of new and existing investors to continue on our mission to help people live healthier and happier lives.” “After 4 years of research and results published in the world’s leading medical journals, we are delighted to accelerate the launch of the ZOE program because we believe people need our help,” said Jonathan Wolf, co-founder and CEO of ZOE. “Ahren Innovation Capital, Eli Manning and Osi Umenyiora’s backing of ZOE further validates the belief held by leaders across diverse industries that we can have a powerful impact on our health through in-depth, personalized insights into our biology.” Science Supported with Multiple Papers Published in Top Peer-Reviewed Journals Experiencing rapid revenue growth and forecasting double-digit millions of revenue in its first year of sales, ZOE uses a data-driven approach to tackling global health issues. The company combines artificial intelligence, digital technologies and collaboration with world-leading scientists. ZOE’s research has led to over a dozen peer reviewed studies in high impact journals over the last year, including multiple papers in leading science journals such as Nature Medicine. In March 2020 at the onset of the pandemic, the ZOE team felt compelled to help and responded by developing and launching an app in just four sleepless days and nights, built on their existing technologies. The free ZOE Covid Study app, which is a non-profit initiative, now has more than 4.5M users across the UK, US and Sweden, calculating levels of COVID in real-time and sharing anonymous data with researchers across the world. Scientists working with ZOE have published dozens of scientific papers as a result, from understanding COVID symptoms to data on vaccine effectiveness and COVID’s long-term effects. Long-term, ZOE intends to use the app to support wider public health initiatives. About ZOE ZOE is a healthcare science company helping people understand their body’s responses to food. By using machine learning combined with large scale human studies, ZOE is decoding the impact of nutrition on health. ZOE leads the PREDICT Studies and the ZOE COVID Study, which are the world’s largest community powered research programs of their kind in nutrition and COVID-19 respectively. Located in London and Boston, ZOE was founded by Professor Tim Spector of King’s College London, data science leader Jonathan Wolf and entrepreneur George Hadjigeorgiou. ZOE was named one of the Deloitte Fast 50 Rising Stars in 2019 for the company’s contribution to science enabled by technology and machine learning. For more information on ZOE’s mission and science, visit joinzoe.com. Recently Published Nutrition Studies Postprandial glycaemic dips predict appetite and energy intake in healthy individuals, Nature Metabolism,April 12, 2021 Microbiome connections with host metabolism and habitual diet from 1,098 deeply phenotyped individuals, Nature Medicine, January 11, 2021 Human postprandial responses to food and potential for precision nutrition, Nature Medicine, June 11, 2020 About Ahren Innovation Capital Ahren Innovation Capital is an investment institution that supports transformational companies at the intersection of deep tech and deep science that will penetrate, or create, massive markets. Ahren is a unique partnership of investment talent and best-in-class commercial scientists whose technologies are today valued in excess of $100BN combined. Ahren believes in taking asymmetric, considered, risk that will deliver superior rewards – capturing a generational opportunity to provide smart capital to deep technology. With a philosophy espousing the importance of relationships and trust, Ahren provides both patient and active capital to exceptional founders and teams, empowering them to succeed. For more information on Ahren Innovation Capital, visit ahreninnovationcapital.com. Contact Details ZOE Fiana Tulip +1 817-691-3031 fiana@joinzoe.com Company Website https://www.joinzoe.com

May 04, 2021 07:53 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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TIM HORTONS® U.S. LAUNCHES THE DONUT DISGUISE BOX FOR MOTHER’S DAY SO MOMS CAN FINALLY ENJOY THE TREATS THEY DESERVE ALL TO THEMSELVES

Tim Hortons

May 4, 2021 – New York – Tim Hortons® knows moms love sweets just as much as their kids do. That’s why this Mother’s Day, Tim Hortons U.S. is introducing the Donut Disguise Box so Mom can enjoy all the sweet treats she loves all by herself. The Donut Disguise Box looks like a book on the exterior but inside, reveals a six-pack of Mom’s favorite Tim Hortons donuts. Available in two book titles, Glazed Expectations and Twenty Thousand Timbits® Under the Sea, Tim Hortons’ Donut Disguise Box ensures kids will steer clear of Mom’s sweet treats. The Mother’s Day Donut Disguise Box is available on May 8 and May 9 with the purchase of a six-pack of donuts at the recommended price of $5.49** at four select Tim Hortons U.S. locations in the Buffalo, Columbus and Detroit metro areas, while supplies last. Simply ask for the Donut Disguise Box at the counter or in the drive thru at any of the four available locations*. It is the perfect gift for any donut-loving mom and even makes a great treat for Mom to give herself. For Moms that do want to share their Tim Hortons donuts with the family, the brand is bringing back the Mother’s Day DIY Donut Kit. This year’s kit features beautiful flower-shaped donuts that the whole family will enjoy decorating and eating. The DIY Donut Kit includes six bloom yeast donuts and four containers with fondant and sprinkles for decorating, at the recommended price of $6.99**. Available from May 5 through May 9 at all Tim Hortons U.S. restaurants while supplies last, the DIY Donut Kit is a delicious gift and fun family activity all in one. *5035 Southwestern Blvd, Hamburg, NY; 5816 S Transit Rd, Lockport, NY; 3331 Rochester Rd, Troy, MI; 9007 Columbus Pike, Lewis Center, OH **Price and participation will vary. About TIM HORTONS ® Tim Hortons ® is one of North America's largest restaurant chains operating in the quick service segment. Founded as a single location in Canada in 1964, Tim Hortons appeals to a broad range of guest tastes, with a menu that includes premium coffee, hot and cold specialty drinks (including lattes, cappuccinos, espresso, teas and our famous Iced Capps™), fresh baked goods, hot breakfast sandwiches, breakfast snacking items, and other food products. Tim Hortons has more than 4,800 system wide restaurants located in Canada, the United States and around the world. More information about the company is available at www.timhortons.com. Contact Details Adrianna Lauricella +1 212-230-1800 tims@abmc-us.com Company Website https://www.timhortons.com/

May 04, 2021 07:02 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Seen #TeacherTok? Osmo For Schools Gifts 4 Lucky Teachers $500 Gift Cards For TikTok Videos, For National Teacher Appreciation Week

Osmo for Schools

Osmo for Schools, a division of Tangible Play, Inc., focuses on building in-classroom usage of Osmo’s award-winning educational systems. Using proprietary AI technology, these systems help teachers foster collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking, and increased engagement in learning, in students. Osmo is used in more than 30,000 schools in North America. Tangible Play is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. For more information about Osmo for Schools and its products, visit schools.playosmo.com. Osmo for Schools, the educational division of Tangible Play, Inc. and part of the award-winning consumer STEAM brand Osmo, announces it has selected 4 lucky teachers on TikTok to each receive a $500 gift card, for their creative and inspiring videos, in honor of National Teacher Appreciation Week (May 1-7, 2021). “Throughout this past year, we were thrilled to see so many teachers who used their creativity to the max to get kids to learn during this challenging time, and we loved the heartwarming videos they posted on social media, to tell the world what they did and how,” says Jan Richards, head of education sales and marketing at Osmo for Schools, which promotes in-classroom usage of Osmo’s tools and recently received the 2021 EdTech Award for Curriculum and Instruction Solution. “We laughed a lot when the videos were funny, admired their dedication, and got inspired by so many. Osmo for Schools selected 4 teachers who present themselves as heroes going the extra mile during the pandemic.” The 4 winning teachers are: Tristan Campbell @trissssss10 Clamentia Hall, Jr. @mrclementineteach Mandy Curley @mandycurley1 Claudine James @iamthatenglishteacher Says kindergarten teacher Clamentia Hall, Jr., “Osmo has taken educational technology and teacher appreciation to an unprecedented level! It has been an absolute pleasure to share a bit of humor and joy with educators who could use a little morale boost. Osmo has affirmed that educators everywhere deserve an incredible amount of appreciation for the hard work they do.” On July 1, 2021, Osmo for Schools, in partnership with Osmo Cares, the charitable arm of Osmo, will begin accepting applications for its first-ever mini-grant consisting of $2000 worth of Osmo for Schools’ educational technology. A total of 20 in-kind, mini-grants will be awarded to U.S. public schools in time for the fall semester. The mini-grant is intended to help schools which lack needed funding to purchase educational technology. Mini-grant recipients, who will be announced Aug. 9, 2021, will be able to choose from a selection of Osmo for Schools products; only one recipient will be selected per school. Schools must already have appropriate tablets on hand, or a plan to purchase tablets--they are not included. For further details about the mini-grant and application process, visit here: schools.playosmo.com/grants. About Osmo for Schools Osmo for Schools, a division of Tangible Play, Inc., focuses on building in-classroom usage of Osmo’s award-winning educational systems. Using proprietary AI technology, these systems help teachers foster collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking, and increased engagement in learning, in students. Osmo is used in more than 30,000 schools in North America. Tangible Play is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. For more information about Osmo for Schools and its products, visit schools.playosmo.com. Contact Details Carolyn Kamii PR +1 310-251-0550 carolynkpr@gmail.com Company Website http://schools.playosmo.com

May 03, 2021 04:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time

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iTradeNetwork Adds Sales Leaders To Executive and Operations Staff

iTradeNetwork

iTradeNetwork, the global provider of supply chain management solutions for the food and beverage industry, announced two new key additions to its team today. Theresa Trees was named Executive Vice President of Commercial Sales and Amy Mi was appointed Vice President of Sales Operations. “Theresa and Amy bring us a deep understanding of sales in the supply chain and technology industries. iTradeNetwork is experiencing tremendous growth, and welcoming these two strong sales leaders will help us reach ambitious goals,” said Rhonda Bassett-Spiers, CEO of iTradeNetwork. Theresa brings more than 17 years of experience in sales and 11 years in supply chain solutions to iTradeNetwork. As EVP Commercial Sales, she is building a strong team to help drive iTradeNetwork’s growth. Before iTradeNetwork, Theresa worked in sales at SPS Commerce, Salesforce and Wells Fargo. Amy has more than 25 years of experience in sales operations and strategies, sales and marketing finance, commercial finance, corporate FP&A and business consulting. She has spent most of her career in the high-tech industry. As VP of Sales Operations, she is enhancing her team’s capabilities to help the front-line sales team optimize their efforts and maximize results. Prior to iTradeNetwork, she worked at Anaplan, Netgear, Polycom and Nvidia. ABOUT ITRADENETWORK iTradeNetwork, Inc. is the leading global provider of supply chain management solutions for the food and beverage industry, with more than 8,000 active customers. Suppliers and resellers connect on iTradeNetwork’s technology platform to create active partnerships and easily transact. The platform also provides one-stop-shopping for freight, food traceability, fresh inspection and supply chain compliance, which creates efficiencies for buyers and sellers alike. For more information, visit: www.itradenetwork.com. Media please note: Visual assets, photos and interviews are available by contacting Robin Carr at (415) 971-3991or itn@landispr.com. Contact Details Landis Communications Inc. Robin Carr +1 415-971-3991 itn@landispr.com Company Website https://www.itradenetwork.com/

April 28, 2021 02:02 PM Pacific Daylight Time

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Silicon Valley SaaS Luminaries Open Seed Round for Enterprise AI Startup CIPIO

CIPIO.ai

CIPIO, a B2C Subscription Customer Success company, today announced that Tony Alika Owens and Marge Breya have joined its board of directors and started its seed round. Owens, who previously served as President of Sales Force and Group Vice President of Oracle will be the resident SaaS Growth expert at CIPIO. Having led the launches of multiple Salesforce Portfolio Products, including Einstein, Owens has gathered priceless knowledge on how to roll out and rapidly scale AI-powered SaaS products – a skill that will prove indispensable to CIPIO as it accelerates innovation and growth in the coming months. Breya currently serves as a strategic advisor for 8X8, a leading VoIP solution provider and her leadership in B2B Marketing and Customer Success Strategies for multiple high-growth startups and enterprises will be indispensable in CIPIO’s product roadmap and market expansion. She has extensive B2B GTM and Customer Success expertise spanning over 25 years as a General Manager, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Marketing Officer – as well as a board veteran – at some of the world’s leading software companies, including SAP, MicroStrategy, Ionic Security, Informatica Corporation, and HP. Breya has also held public company board positions at Jive Software, LSC Communications, and Document Sciences Corporation. “There is no better way for a startup like CIPIO to come out of stealth mode and launch than with a vote of confidence from Tony and Marge,” said Sundeep Sanghavi, Co-Founder and Chairman of CIPIO. “These two powerhouses are proven experts at building, leading, and scaling SaaS companies fast. Their joint decision to invest in CIPIO and kick off our seed round is a strong validation of our team, unique IP, and massive opportunity in one of the fastest growing economies of B2C Subscription.” B2C Subscription Economy is predicted to be @ $478B by 2025 at 68% CAGR, yet its churn rate is double its counterparts in B2B SaaS Economy. CIPIO is uber obsessed with driving growth for B2C Subscription companies through its Domain Infused Data Apps Platform™. “We no longer live in a world where customer lifecycles are linear,” said Owens. “With massive shifts in consumer behavior, B2C Subscription companies need better solutions to minimize churn and boost upsell opportunities. CIPIO’s domain infused Data Apps enables B2C Subscription companies to analyze customer triggers faster, proactively address engagement blindspots and maximize customer impact for repeatable growth and lifetime value.” “CIPIO is determined to bring the power of customer acquisition and retention machine learning to high-churn consumer subscription markets,” said Breya. “Two out of three B2C Subscription companies lack a robust strategy to prevent customer churn. CIPIO’s unique algorithms predict and recommend who, when, what, why, where, and how across mediums and channels enabling B2C Subscription companies to retain customers and drive continuous growth, regardless of transient market dynamics.” About CIPIO: CIPIO is pioneering the Industry's first domain-infused Data Apps Platform™ that humanizes and automates predictions and recommendations to increase Subscriber engagement, retention, and growth for B2C Businesses. CIPIO's early adopters include Crunch Fitness, Industry's Gym, Xponential Fitness, Motor City Church, Pure Barre, Club Pilates, AKT, YogaSix, NCFit, Cyclebar, RowHouse, Stretch Lab, and Stride who have witnessed a significant return on investment in a short time. Contact Details CIPIO Chris Foudy +1 831-238-1905 chris@cipio.ai Company Website https://cipio.ai/

April 27, 2021 01:18 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Dynasty Owner To Livestream, Provide Commentary on First Round of NFL Draft

Dynasty Owner

Dynasty Owner, a leading fantasy platform that merges the skill of fantasy sports with operational and financial aspects of real NFL franchises, announced that it will be livestreaming its expert commentary during the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday, April 29. The livestream will start at 8 p.m. ET and be available on YouTube through the following link: Live Stream - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUK6KWBa3V4 Dynasty Owner CEO and fantasy analyst Tim Peffer will be joined by Head of Content and fantasy football expert Steve Van Tassell to discuss how each selection in the first round will impact dynasty players including potential salary cap impacts and draftee production expectations for dynasty owners in relation to cap hit. “Fantasy sports aren’t realistic,” said Peffer. “We built Dynasty Owner to provide an opportunity for our users to not only enjoy an engaging game experience but to also truly operate within the financial parameters that real NFL GMs deal with. This is the most realistic GM experience that you’ll get outside of being in the war room on draft night.” Unlike traditional fantasy sports that allow teams to reset every year, Dynasty Owner users run their teams year over year by leveraging real NFL contracts and salaries into the management of their teams and leagues. “As there is no offseason in Dynasty Owner, our users embrace how a real GM thinks in terms of production vs. cap hit year round, not just at your fantasy draft in August,” said Van Tassell. “The commentary during the livestream will lay out big picture strategies for the dynasty owner. For instance, because the NFL lowered the salary cap in 2021, Trevor Lawrence’s rookie salary of nearly $8.6 million is a tremendous value when you look at past top draftees like Kyler Murray at $8.9 million and Joe Burrow’s last year at $9.05 million. When putting together teams using real salary caps, these financial outcomes and where players are drafted become major operational decisions.” For more information and to play Dynasty Owner visit: DynastyOwner.com Dynasty Owner NFL Draft First Round Livestream WHEN - Thursday, April 29 at 8 p.m. ET WHERE - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUK6KWBa3V4 SOCIAL - @Dynasty_Owner Founded in 2019, Dynasty Owner is a leading fantasy platform where fantasy football meets the front office. Unlike traditional fantasy sports that allow teams to reset every year, users run their teams year over year by leveraging real NFL contracts and salaries into the management of their teams and leagues. For more information please visit: DynastyOwner.com Contact Details Hot Paper Lantern Michael Adorno +1 212-931-6143 madorno@hotpaperlantern.com Company Website https://dynastyowner.com/

April 27, 2021 10:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Sixty-Nine BIPOC-Owned Small Businesses In Washington To Receive Free Computer Equipment and Internet Services or Advertising from Comcast RISE

Comcast Washington

Comcast today announced it will award technology, and, or marketing resources to 69 Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)-owned small businesses statewide as a part of the company’s latest round of grants from its Comcast RISE program. These recipients are part of roughly 2,500 entrepreneurs nationwide who have been selected as awardees since the program’s inception in November, including approximately 100 in Washington state. According to a National Bureau of Economic Research study, the number of Black business owners plummeted last year from 1.1 million to 640,000 in four months — a 41% loss. Other communities of color also experienced deep losses, including immigrant (a 36 percent drop), Latinx (32 percent), and Asian (26 percent) business owners. Comcast RISE was formed in 2020 to give BIPOC-owned small businesses the tools needed to not just survive, but thrive. The program provides grants to Black and BIPOC-owned small businesses nationwide, which includes Hispanic and Asian American-owned businesses, among others. Comcast also announced a goal to support 13,000 small businesses by 2022 through the program with a TV campaign, production of a TV commercial or consulting services from Effectv; or computer equipment, internet, voice or cybersecurity from Comcast Business; or a monetary grant. “Our small businesses are incredibly resilient, and have adapted to constant change over the past year. Seattle is a technology hub, however, we quickly realized that some small businesses—many of which are owned by Black, Indigenous and other people of color—did not have the same level of technological infrastructure that other businesses had when it was time to quickly pivot to an online based business model” said Pamela Banks, Interim Director of the Seattle Office of Economic Development, and Director of Recovery and Equitable Investments. “Comcast has been a critical partner for OED, as we have worked together to respond to the digital divide that is impacting our small businesses owned by people of color, immigrants, and refugees. These grants will be a game changer, as we move forward in a world so heavily reliant on technology and marketing capabilities.” Through Comcast RISE, the company creates sustainable impact and meaningful support for communities that have been hit hardest by the global pandemic and the BIPOC-owned small businesses that shape them. More BIPOC-owned small businesses throughout Washington are encourage d to apply now and take advantage of this opportunity Eligible businesses can apply directly online at www.comcastrise.com/apply/. Eligible businesses can apply for the following: Marketing Services: The following services from Effectv, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, and its creative agency, Mnemonic, are designed to help recipients with their marketing and media campaigns, including: Media: A linear TV media campaign to run over a 90-day period. Creative Production: Turnkey 30-second TV commercial production, plus a media strategy consultation and a 90-day linear TV media campaign. Consulting: Advertising and marketing consultations with local Effectv marketing, research and creative teams to gain insights on how to drive business. Technology Makeovers: The state-of-the-art equipment and technology upgrade from Comcast Business includes computer equipment as well as internet, voice and cybersecurity services for up to a 12-month period. (Taxes and other fees may still apply for tech makeover services.) Monetary Grants: The Comcast RISE Investment Fund will provide $5 million in grants to 500 BIPOC-owned small businesses in five cities: Philadelphia/Chester, Houston, Atlanta, Chicago and Detroit. Comcast plans to expand that monetary support to other cities across the country over the next year. “Congratulations to all of the grant recipients across our state today. Comcast Business is dedicated to lifting up businesses and providing a human touch that offers them the support they need, and we are truly proud to be able to support these owners through Comcast RISE,” said Robert Brenner, VP of Comcast Business in Washington. “We have now been able to offer 100 grants to businesses across our state since we launched this program in November, and we’ve seen firsthand how marketing and technology resources can have a true impact on owners and help them bounce forward into 2021.” Quotes from Comcast RISE Winners Across the Puget Sound Region “It was a pleasant surprise to be chosen as one of the first Comcast RISE winners in Washington! Comcast gave Your Money Matters Mentoring technology and equipment that will be a tremendous help for our organization. Being a nonprofit mentorship program for youth this support helped us tremendously as we have had to go digital to continue to provide our financial training programs. The work we do in the community is about empowering youth, particularly young people from communities of color, by helping them understand how to set themselves up for a better financial future. Change can’t come for our underserved youth and for minority-owned businesses without people and organizations in our community coming together to support one another. It is great to see a big public company like Comcast helping in this effort, and we are grateful for their support.” – Clinton Taylor, Founder and Executive Director of Your Money Matter Mentoring in Auburn “When COVID-19 hit, I found myself starting over. I made the tough decision to close a consulting business I had led for 20 years. But challenges like this bring new beginnings, and I set out to create a new business over the last year that combines my Latinx roots and my passion for creating something that our community loves. I'm honored to share Komadre Kombucha with friends and neighbors in Tacoma. It has been a fantastic journey, and community partnerships and support from organizations like Comcast have helped turn this dream into a reality. We are excited to open our doors this year, and I know that the technology resources from Comcast will help us serve the community con sabor (with flavor).” – Julie Davidson, Owner-Operator of Komadre Kombucha in Tacoma “As a Black-owned business, we are honored to be selected by Comcast to receive this award. We plan to use this award to continue providing world-class service at our client-focused firm.” –KD Hall, the CEO and Principal Consultant at KD Hall Communications in Federal Way. “COVID continues to make it difficult for our staff to meet with each other and clients in-person, so technology is essential to help us get work our done and keep everyone collaborating from afar. “We greatly value our clients and the technology makeover from the Comcast Rise program will help us be able to communicate with them and each other better than ever. And that’s good for business.” – Janelle Bailey, owner of Washington Injury Law in Seattle. "Blessings is so grateful to be a recipient of the Comcast Business Grant! This grant provided exactly what Blessings needed and just in the nick of time!" – Delphia Brewton, Blessings From My Heart to your Table in Tukwila Comcast RISE also invests in ongoing mentorship and resources to help businesses succeed over the long-term. The program has partnered with Ureeka, an online platform for entrepreneurs, to provide grant recipients with business coaching to help build skills in company foundation, growing customers and financial stability. All Comcast RISE recipients will also have a specialized online networking community within Ureeka with access to educational resources, sources of capital, and vetted experts such as U.S. Black Chambers, National Asian Pacific Islander Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Association for Enterprise Opportunity, Walker’s Legacy and Operation Hope. A key part of Comcast RISE is ensuring business sustainability. As such, Comcast has already invested more than $2 million in more than 20 community-based organizations and diverse chambers of commerce to provide additional support to BIPOC-owned small businesses. About Comcast Business About Comcast Business Comcast Business offers Ethernet, Internet, Wi-Fi, Voice, TV and Managed Enterprise Solutions to help organizations of all sizes transform their business. Powered by an advanced network, and backed by 24/7 customer support, Comcast Business is one of the largest contributors to the growth of Comcast Cable. Comcast Business is the nation’s largest cable provider to small and mid-size businesses and has emerged as a force in the Enterprise market; recognized over the last two years by leading industry associations as one of the fastest growing providers of Ethernet services. For more information, call 866- 429-3085. Follow on Twitter @ComcastBusiness and on other social media networks at http://business.comcast.com/social. About Effectv Effectv, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, helps local, regional and national advertisers use the best of digital with the power of TV to grow their business. It provides multi-screen marketing solutions to make advertising campaigns more effective and easier to execute. Headquartered in New York with offices throughout the country, Effectv has a presence in 66 markets with nearly 30 million households with video service. For more information, visit www.effectv.com. About Comcast Corporation Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company that connects people to moments that matter. We are principally focused on broadband, aggregation, and streaming with over 56 million customer relationships across the United States and Europe. We deliver broadband, wireless, and video through our Xfinity, Comcast Business, and Sky brands; create, distribute, and stream leading entertainment, sports, and news through Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, Universal Studio Group, Sky Studios, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, multiple cable networks, Peacock, NBCUniversal News Group, NBC Sports, Sky News, and Sky Sports; and provide memorable experiences at Universal Parks and Resorts in the United States and Asia. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information. Contact Details Comcast Nick McDonald +1 425-977-5565 Nick_McDonald@Comcast.com Comcast Andy Colley +14252485438 Andy_Colley@Comcast.com

April 27, 2021 06:03 AM Pacific Daylight Time

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