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News Release Digital Asset Direct

MarketFinance banks £50m for CBILS demand from UK SMEs ahead of deadline

MarketFinance

Fintech business lender MarketFinance has secured an additional £50m from one of Israel’s largest asset managers, Viola Credit, to lend to UK SMEs under the HM Treasury and British Business Bank CBILS initiative. The announcement comes as MarketFinance launches a “unified application” process in which SMEs will, through one application, be presented with a variety of finance options and be able to select those best suited to their needs. MarketFinance is now able to offer a combination of business loans, invoice finance and revolving credit facilities through this single application journey. Funding line to support CBILS The CBILS initiative will conclude at the end of September 2020 with pre-submitted applications in September being valid until the end of November. In readiness to service the last minute dash for CBILS loans or revolving credit facilities, MarketFinance has secured this additional funding of £50m to support SMEs with their working capital at this crucial time. Since 2011, Institutional investors such as banks, asset managers and family offices have provided the majority (70%) of capital that MarketFinance lends out to businesses. Anil Stocker, CEO at MarketFinance , commented: “Only 60,409 CBILS facilities have been approved since the pandemic started, versus 1.2m Bounce Back Loan approvals. This shows there are many businesses who could still benefit from accessing CBILS finance before the scheme ends. For many who took a Bounce Back Loan, there is now a short window where they can refinance onto a larger CBILS facility which could see them over to the new year. Vast swathes of the UK SME community haven’t applied or remain unaware of the CBILS initiative and that it concludes in a few weeks. By lining up this additional funding, we want to send a strong signal to the market that MarketFinance is here to help ”. One application, many options Alongside the fundraising, MarketFinance has rapidly improved its unified application process to allow faster decisions and access to the right funding for SME applicants. This means, for the first time, businesses will make a single universal application for finance and will be able to see, learn more about and select which option (or combination of options) is right for them. This will allow SMEs to draw down a loan today, but also set them up to use invoice finance or a revolving credit facility for when their order book fills back up. Through collecting just a few pieces of information about the applying company, MarketFinance is able to make instant decisions on 45% of applications with their automated decision engine, “Autoflow”. Their proprietary risk model, “Selector”, can assess each applicant under pre-COVID conditions, which means funding decisions are not overly biased by these unprecedented and potentially temporary conditions. This gives applying SMEs a greater opportunity to be approved compared with other financiers whose models are run only against today’s conditions. This year MarketFinance added business loans and revolving credit facilities to a product suite including selective invoice finance, contract finance and confidential whole-ledger invoice finance. Businesses are able to access a combination of these simultaneously from MarketFinance, making it the first fintech funder to offer multiple products within a single platform. Anil Stocker added: “Since launching CBILS loans, we’re already lending out around £10 million per month and our product development in invoice finance means we’re getting funds out 40% faster than 6 months ago. We’re constantly working on how we can reduce the time to funding for our new applicants and existing users. CBILS has only accelerated the pace at which we’re investing in our various products. The MarketFinance vision is to make finance available, easy-to-use and fairly priced to viable small businesses that need it most.” MarketFinance is accredited to lend under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), providing term loans from £50,001 to £150,000 and revolving credit facilities from £50,001 to £5m to UK SMEs. SME business owner Miguel Gibson, MD at tour operator Live Holidays Ltd commented: “As soon as the lockdown hit, our first priority was to refund our customers. In the meanwhile we were waiting for airlines to pay us back. The banks were slow to support with CBILS but MarketFinance understood our business quickly and provided a £150,000 CBILS loan in days. It meant there was no extra pressure on the business. We’re a £7m turnover business and this loan has helped to navigate an unprecedented time”. Anil Stocker added: “We make finance easier for business owners. Over the years we’ve refined our platform, allowing integrations with banks, online accountancy packages and credit bureaus to make lending a seamless process. This has saved time for owners and allowed them to focus more energy on the running of their business”. MarketFinance business highlights (2019/20): Updated brand name from MarketInvoice to MarketFinance to reflect launch of multi-product offering Secured £56m Series B round (debt and equity funding), attracting new investors Barclays and Santander. Strengthened leadership team with a new CFO, CRO and CTO Accredited as a CBILS lender for term loans and revolving credit facilities In response to COVID-19 impact, launched a Furlough Advance product to ease cash flow pressure on businesses as they wait to be paid from HMRC. ENDS About Viola Credit Viola Credit is a private credit fund headquartered in Israel offering multi-strategy credit products to growing technology companies in Israel and abroad. The fund provides custom-made credit solutions to technology companies through several main investment strategies including Venture Lending, FinTech Lending, Growth Lending and Tech Mezzanine Financing. Since 2000, Viola Credit has successfully invested over $1 billion in a range of businesses across multiple stages and geographies. Viola Credit is part of Viola group, Israel’s leading technology focused investment group with over $3.0 billion of assets under management. About MarketFinance MarketFinance is a business finance company with offices in London and Manchester. The online platform enables businesses to access a range of flexible finance solutions — quickly and easily. This smart technology is backed by help from real people so business owners can save time and focus on growing their business. Since 2011, MarketFinance has advanced over £3 billion to companies across a range of sizes and sectors, providing working capital and finance for everything from paying staff and suppliers to launching new products or services and accelerating growth. MarketFinance is backed by Barclays, Santander InnoVentures, European venture capital fund Northzone (invested in Klarna, iZettle and Trustpilot), private equity group MCI Capital (also invested in iZettle, Azimo and Gett). Contact Details Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@marketfinance.com Company Website https://marketfinance.com/

September 07, 2020 03:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

WATCH: Airbus Perlan Mission II Celebrates Anniversary of Record Flight, Expands Science in the Stratosphere

Airbus Perlan Mission II

On Sept. 2, 2018, Airbus Perlan Mission II, the world’s first initiative to pilot an engineless aircraft to the edge of space, succeeded in setting a new world glider altitude record of 76,000 ft. in the stratospheric mountain waves above the Andes in southern Argentina. The aircraft was the Perlan 2, an experimental space glider, designed to achieve an altitude of up to 90,000 feet, which now is on record as the second highest flying winged aircraft in history - second only to the SR-71 Blackbird. The mission of Airbus Perlan Mission II is not only about setting altitude records, but also to drive innovation, exploration and inspiration for the next generation of aerospace leaders. To support these missions, Airbus Perlan Mission II is establishing a high altitude platform for science in the stratosphere, to gain invaluable data and insights never before possible on climate, extreme weather, aerodynamics and aerospace engineering. In this video, members of the Airbus Perlan Mission II team share their excitement about the discoveries that are possible by taking science to the stratosphere, what climate and aerospace knowledge was gained last season, and how the Perlan 2 provides a tremendous stratospheric science platform like no other in history. While the Perlan 2 will not fly this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team is celebrating the second anniversary of its record breaking flight and focusing energy on its total missions, and on what can be achieved through partnerships in science with innovators, researchers and aerospace leaders around the world. Learn more by visiting Airbus Perlan Mission II at perlanproject.org Social Media and Press Kit: Follow the Airbus Perlan Mission II team on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Twitter: https://twitter.com/perlanproject Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerlanProject/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perlanproject/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/PerlanProject/videos Press Kit: http://bit.ly/perlanpress Photos/Video: This 2020 Airbus Perlan Mission II video (MP4), photos/imagery and more information can all be downloaded at https://we.tl/t-ZI6L8BVChZ Please credit photos: “Airbus photo by James Darcy” or similar. All photos are copyright Airbus 2019, and provided for unlimited use by accredited media. Media Contacts: James Darcy Head of External Communications, Airbus North America james.darcy@airbus.com 571-214-1722 Kristina Messner (Focused Image for Airbus Perlan Mission II) kmessner@focusedimage.com 703-678-6023 Contact Details Kristina Messner +1 703-678-6023 kmessner@focusedimage.com Company Website https://www.perlanproject.org/

September 01, 2020 08:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Global Business Ethics Survey: Top managers twice as likely to experience pressure to bend the rules in organizations.

Ethics & Compliance Initiative

Employees are twice as likely to experience pressure if they are top-management than compared to line-level employees, according to the Ethics & Compliance Initiative’s ™ (ECI) latest Global Business Ethics Survey Report ™ (GBES) . The data suggest that the higher up the “totem pole” an employee is, the more likely they are to experience pressure to bend the rules. Overall, about 1 in 5 employees experience pressure to bend the rules. Pressure to bend the rules, as defined by the GBES report , can be caused by meeting performance goals, attempting to save one's own and others' jobs, supervisory pressure, advancing one's career or financial interests, and demands from people who support or invest in the organization. According to the data, of those that experience pressure, 30% are top management employees, 25% are middle management, 22% are first-line supervisors and 17% are individual contributors. The first 2020 report of ECI’s premier, longitudinal study on global workplace behavior, published four times per year, also found that when top management show a strong commitment to ethical leadership and organizational values, their employees are 3X less likely to experience pressure. “The data continue to suggest that high-pressure environments are not only stressful for employees, but they can actually cause a negative ROI when it comes to ethical behavior,” said Patricia Harned, CEO of ECI. “Expanding KPIs and stretching financial goals may result in a short-term gain, but the long-term consequences to the organization is a net negative.” Other Findings and Key Indicators of Pressure The report found that employees experiencing pressure was linked with the prevalence of observing various types of misconduct found in organizations across the globe, all of which were about twice as likely to occur in pressure environments versus non-pressure environments. Employees are twice as likely to observe misconduct in organizations where they feel pressure to compromise ethics standards. “As companies around the globe respond to the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the important research in ECI’s Global Business Ethics Survey (GBES) report presents a timely and accurate overview of pressure in the workplace,” said Michele M. Brown, SVP, Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer and Deputy General Counsel, Leidos. “These findings provide best practices to balance organizational change while upholding the highest ethical standards. Leidos is proud to support ECI research, which is helping the member community build and maintain strong ethical cultures.” Download the latest GBES report at ethics.org/gbes Methodology The 2019 GBES is the 15th iteration of the GBES (formerly the National Business Ethics Survey). In 2019, the GBES surveyed over 18,000 employees in 18 countries (approximately 1,000 employees per country). ECI established the survey questions and sampling methodology. About the Ethics & Compliance Initiative The Ethics & Compliance Initiative (ECI) is a non-profit organization that empowers organizations to build and sustain high-quality ethics and compliance programs. The organization provides research and a best practice community, as well as certification opportunities for ethics & compliance professionals. Through its membership, ECI represents entities across nearly every industry, located in 37 countries on six continents each dedicated to promoting the highest levels of integrity. Visit www.ethics.org to find out more about our research, membership or funding the GBES. The GBES is made possible with the support of its funders: Google, Boeing, Eli Lilly & Company, Altria, BP, GE, KPMG, Pacific Gas & Electric, L'ORÉAL, Leidos, University of Arkansas and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Contact Details Brad Fulton +1 210-278-4809 brad@ethics.org Company Website https://www.ethics.org

August 31, 2020 11:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Investors pile into skip hire startup, Skrap

Skrap

Skrap , a London-based proptech startup, has raised £1.2m seed funding as it sets out to transform how everything is hired in the construction industry by making it available on-demand. Skrap is building on its reputation as a ‘skip hire disruptor’ and will bring its digital innovation to other parts of the industry including concrete, portaloos, machinery and so much more. The fundraise was led by Vanneck Investments, with participation from a host of entrepreneurs and angels investors including Charles Songhurst, Eamon Jubbawy (Onfido), Anil Stocker (MarketFinance), Paul Huntingdon (ARM), Adrian Beecroft, Dennis Stevenson, Peter Brodnicki (MAB), Jay Radia (Yieldify, Reachdesk), and James Hind (Carwow). Founded in 2017, Skrap is a construction hire marketplace connecting construction businesses with on-demand skip and construction hire related services. The entire process is managed in a mobile app . Hussain Hilli, co-founder at Skrap commented: “We’re thrilled to have some amazing investors on board and look forward to leaning on their expertise as we broaden the horizons for Skrap. Our team has huge ambitions to scale across the UK and globally. Having laid the foundations in Skip hire, we are fast expanding in all construction hire verticals. Skrap is making its mark in industry by introducing the first mobile app that makes it simple and convenient for construction companies to access resources they need.” Skrap was founded with a vision of allowing SME Builders to order any construction hire service at the click of a button. Skrap’s team of 25 are building the world’s first app dedicated to automating construction hire. It has been trialled with hundreds of suppliers across London, Manchester and Birmingham to complete over 10,000 deliveries to thousands of construction companies - small and large - to take the hassle of waste management away from the already stressful construction experience. Skrap’s strategic ambition is to automate the entire construction hire supply chain across major cities globally over the coming years. Founders Marwan Field, Hussain Hilli and Ahmed Rao came across the problem while running a construction business where logistics were unorganised and fragmented; prices were asymmetric, and the marketplace of suppliers and brokers were doing everything manually. Hussain Hilli added: “The UK construction hire industry is a £20bn market, yet it is poorly served with services not fit-for-purpose in a digital age. Skrap is well positioned to bring innovative solutions to help transform the industry and make it one beacon of industry once again”. Ends About Skrap Founded in 2017, Skrap offers on-demand services for skip and construction hire resources. Every year almost 100m tonnes of construction waste is collected in the UK and construction businesses spend Â£5b in collecting this waste, and a further Â£15b on other hire services. Skrap intends to remove the hassle from ordering a skip and other construction hire needs to make this experience simple and user friendly. For more information please visit www.skrap.xyz and check us out on Instagram , Facebook , Linkedin and Twitter . Contact Details Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@marketfinance.com Company Website https://www.skrap.xyz/

August 27, 2020 03:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Uyghurs for Sale

21Wilberforce

Seventy-five years after the Holocaust concentration and labor camps are still in existence. Today the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is interning more than one million Uyghur Muslims in concentration camps – striping them of their fundamental rights to peacefully practice their faith. Now new information has surfaced showing that not only is the Communist Party oppressing Uyghur Muslims, they are profiting from them – and worse – Americans are at risk of being duped into paying for it . Groups working on international religious freedom issues have now added their voice to a coalition of civil society organizations and trade unions calling for fair labor practices. Spearheaded by 21Wilberforce and other organizations working through the International Religious Freedom Roundtable , religious freedom advocates are asking Congress to quickly pass the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (H.R.6210 / S.3471). This legislation would make it more difficult for products produced by people enslaved by the CCP because of their faith to enter Western markets . “We commend Congressman McGovern (D-MA) and Senator Rubio (R-FL) for their bipartisan efforts to confront this horrific exploitation of people because of their religion,” said Randel Everett, President of 21Wilberforce. “One hundred fifty (150) organizations and experts of different beliefs and ideologies have come together to ask Congress to pass this important legislation.” 21Wilberforce encourages Americans to reach out to their representatives in Congress and ask them to enlist more co-sponsors, give speeches, and make statements in support of stopping the Chinese Communist Party from exploiting and profiting from religious discrimination and slavery. Citizens can make a difference by using and sharing a free online tool that directly connects Americans with their elected representatives. Dr. Everett noted that “Our namesake, William Wilberforce, was a man of faith who stood up to free people who were enslaved based on their race. Today we stand up to free those enslaved for their faith.” 21Wilberforce is a Christian human rights organization dedicated to defending the universal rights of religion, belief, and conscience for all people. Our vision is to empower people to collaboratively support persecuted communities, challenge repression, and expand freedom of religion and belief globally. Contact Details Lou Ann Sabatier +1 703-216-2941 Lsabatier@21Wilberforce.org Company Website https://21Wilberforce.org

August 26, 2020 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Harnessing the Power of Bees to Optimize Deliveries to Businesses & Consumers

Flash Public Relations

Especially now when so many people are relying on deliveries and e-commerce, etc. In order to get items to customers more efficiently, and with more and more of the population relying on delivery services due to the pandemic’s ‘new normal,’ it’s necessary for fleets to be optimized in every sense of the word, especially in efficiency and their carbon footprint. Unlike planning with Google, Waze or other route mapping apps, there is now a specific route-oriented app that handles route optimization including minimization of drive times, vehicle capacities, schedules, destinations. The Routific app does all this and more with an algorithm inspired by the way bees seek out nectar. Marc Kuo, founder and CEO of Routific , applies that concept to the world of logistics, by figuring out how a fleet of delivery vehicles can most optimally deliver packages to businesses or consumers. For example, DoorDash, with the help of Routific, generated efficient delivery routes for up to 100,000 orders a day, and up to 20,000 deliveries from a single store on a single day --converting those 20k deliveries into 2257 routes, 8-10 drops per route, a process which is now completely automated and completes within 45 minutes. other companies have seen this type of outcome as well. Benefits include: The company focuses on efficiency and saving businesses on operating costs by nearly 40%. In 2019 alone, Routific helped delivery businesses around the world save 11,322 tons of greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of planting more than 500,000 trees. Analytics & Reporting Live Tracking & Proof of Delivery Specific Driver App Philanthropy: Since the pandemic started Routific has let more than 400 startups use the platform for free as they pivot to cater to an at-home consumer base. Routific also works with all over the world SMBs which are powering their local economies in a time where it’s never been more important. Trusted by hundreds of businesses around the world, Routific's route optimization algorithm has been in development for more than a decade. Routific optimizes routes based on real-world factors like time windows, vehicle capacities, delivery types, priority stops, driver speeds, driver shift times, driver breaks, and more. For further information, log onto https://routific.com/ Contact Details Wendy Gordon +1 202-412-6268 wendy@flashprdc.com Company Website https://routific.com/

August 24, 2020 09:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time

On Demand Webinar: Nozomi Networks OT/IoT Security Report 2020

Default company name

Nozomi Networks Inc. , the leader in OT and IoT security, today announced a free on demand webinar that covers the the findings in Nozomi Networks Labs' recently published OT/IoT Security Report. Cyber threats against OT and IoT networks were on the rise in the half of 2020. Researchers with Nozomi Networks Labs observed IoT botnets, shifting ransomware tactics and COVID-19-themed attacks. This on demand webinar reviews the most active threats observed through July, providing insight into their tactics and techniques, along with recommendations for protecting your critical networks. Learn about: The OT/IoT threat landscape The tactics and techniques of the most harmful threat actors The top 2020 ICS vulnerabilities and their ongoing impact on risk Recommendations for securing OT/IoT networks Panelists: Chris Grove, Technology Evangelist Alessandro Di Pinto, Security Research Manager Ivan Speziale, Security Researcher On Demand Webinar Link: OT/IoT Security Report 2020 About Nozomi Networks Nozomi Networks is the leader in OT and IoT security and visibility. We accelerate digital transformation by unifying cybersecurity visibility for the largest critical infrastructure, energy, manufacturing, mining, transportation, building automation and other OT sites around the world. Our innovation and research make it possible to tackle escalating cyber risks through exceptional network visibility, threat detection and operational insight. www.nozominetworks.com Contact Details Jil Backstrom +1 303-913-1650 jil.backstrom@nozominetworks.com

August 20, 2020 01:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Scheck Hillel Community School Teacher & Osmo Ambassador Nancy Penchev Offers Teachers 3 Tips To Make Remote Learning More Fun and Engaging for Students This Fall

Osmo

This fall, teachers will have a second chance to try their hand at distance learning due to ongoing stay-at-home orders. While many elementary school teachers experienced frustration engaging young students through online learning, Miami-based teacher and Osmo Ambassador Nancy Penchev , who teaches Instructional Technology for Kindergarten to Grade 5 at Scheck Hillel Community School , enjoyed incredible success teaching math virtually to a class of 2nd graders. She would love to share her tips and resources. Penchev, whose Instructional Technology classes cross a range of subjects (social studies, math, arts, robotics, coding), credits her virtual teaching success to a combo of things: 1) using the right technology to keep young kids engaged; 2) offering fun challenges for kids; 3) getting parents/families involved in the learning. Using the Right Tech Rather than have young students stare passively at a computer screen, Penchev uses Osmo Projector App integrated with Zoom conferencing to show students how she writes out calculations and notes on her desktop in real time, which is like writing on a whiteboard in class. Using Osmo, she can also demo card games and dice games, and fractions for them. Osmo Projector App is a new technology that allows students to see what’s on her real-life desktop. Penchev says many fellow teachers quickly started using it because it facilitates student interaction and engagement. (Projector App Demo Video ) Offering Fun Challenges To keep young students motivated and actively involved while remote learning, Penchev likes offering fun challenges to pursue at home. She says, “For example, we had a measurement scavenger hunt where I would spin a wheel of measurements from 5 cm to 100 cm and kids would run around the house finding things that met the length. Another fun activity is playing hide and seek fractions.” And, in a separate virtual Maker class she teaches, activities included reading a book and asking students to make animals based on the book, or to make toys with recyclables. Get Parents/Families Involved in Learning Getting family members involved in student learning makes the experience more socially interactive and less passive. Penchev says, “Hide and seek fractions is a scoot game we normally play in class, but since it is taking place at home, parents are hiding the cards and students and families are finding them and figuring out answers. I also think it’s great to have each family share how they use fractions in real life, so the kids can start thinking about how to use them practically.” For the separate virtual Maker class, families join in on the various activities as well. Because of these factors, Penchev was successful in keeping her students enthusiastic and motivated to learn. Penchev has been teaching over 2 decades and holds Masters degrees in early childhood education (ECE) and Instructional Technology, and an Education Specialist degree in Instructional Technology. About Scheck Hillel Community School Scheck Hillel Community School educates and inspires students 18 months-Grade 12 to become exemplary global citizens with enduring Jewish identity and values through an individualized college preparatory curriculum highlighted by Design/STEM, Capstone, college dual enrollment, arts, athletics and community service. Its 14-acres include a 115,000-sq.-ft athletic complex with academic expansion plans. Set within a nurturing, diverse community, Scheck Hillel is one of the world's largest Jewish community day schools and a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. For more information about Scheck Hillel Community School or to arrange a virtual or In-person tour of the school, please contact the Admissions office at 305.942.9787 or write to admissions@eHillel.org. About Osmo Osmo is an award-winning STEAM brand whose products are used in over 30,000 classrooms and 2.5 million homes. It is building a universe of hands-on play experiences that nourish the minds of children by unleashing the power of imagination, and supports educators with classroom technology to facilitate hands-on learning, academic achievement, social-emotional learning, and helps students develop problem solving abilities and critical thinking skills. The company brings physical tools into the digital world through augmented reality and its proprietary reflective artificial intelligence. Founded in 2013 by ex-Google engineers Pramod Sharma and Jerome Scholler, the Osmo Play System fuses digital gameplay and physical interaction to create fun and nutritious play experiences designed for all kids. Osmo is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. Learn more at schools.playosmo.com . Contact Details Karen O'Dell +1 310-251-0550 karen@playosmo.com Company Website http://www.playosmo.com

August 20, 2020 07:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time

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Game-Changing Artificial Intelligence Solution by PhotoShelter to Revolutionize Social Media Workflow

PhotoShelter

Contact Details John Seibels +1 212-206-0808 jseibels@photoshelter.com Company Website https://www.photoshelter.com/

August 20, 2020 08:05 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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