In recent years, our nation has witnessed several of the worst wildfire seasons in history, public health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, mass casualty events, and more. First responders are on the front lines leading the battle against each of these challengesand this is in addition to all the other everyday community emergencies. It is an awesome responsibility, to be sure, and it takes a toll. Thats why the Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) continues to fulfill its mission to arm responders with cutting-edge technologies, tools, and information to allow them do their jobs safely and effectively.

S&T doesnt do this in a vacuum; rather, we bring together first responders from across disciplines and across the nation to find out what they need and why, then we focus the R&D community on affordable solutions and leverage responder feedback to develop and commercialize them.

S&Ts First Responder Resource Group (FRRG), representing a diversity of responder disciplines, roles, locations, and agency size, is particularly essential coming together to share knowledge and experience to highlight shared capability needs and the development of solutions. The recently-released Project Responder 6 (PR6) is the latest iteration of this effort: a comprehensive study of emergency response capability needs across changes in the operational environment. The outcomes of this report will guide S&T R&D and acquisition decisions for the responder community for years to come.

The FRRG is unique in that we ask first responders to share their individual experiences, challenges, and knowledge with us, so we at S&T can determine how to provide a solution, said Paul McDonagh, who leads the FRRG and S&Ts First Responder Disaster Resilience portfolio. We are working to make the responders better connected, protected, and fully aware, and that is making our communities safer and more resilient.

What S&T learned from FRRG members in gathering feedback for PR6 is that the lines between responder disciplines are blurring, and the final report reflects this reality. The traditional model of fire engine and squad car to the front yard, ambulance to the ER, is less and less applicable, more and more of the time, as we encounter mental illness, homelessness, and other social problems, said Jay Hagen, chief of the Bellevue (Washington) Fire Department. We need to morph our capabilities to address these issues. Our communities are going to demand we adapt, and to stay flexible, we will need technologies, tools, and guidance that will help us on the greatest number of missions possible. S&Ts FRRG has brought us into the discussion of whats possible.

Dr. Carol Cunningham, State Medical Director, Ohio Department of Public Safety, Division of EMS, agreed: What is unique about the Project Responder effort is information sharing across disciplines, nationwide. Some technologies and tools associated with firefighting, such as gloves and other PPE, are also applicable to the EMS operational environment.

And while it is critical for S&T to hear directly from these responders, forums like these are also important to the responders themselves, who get to hear from their peers about successes and challenges in states and communities across the U.S.

The networking we get from being connected within FRRG gives me a broader group of colleagues to reach out to whenever Im researching different technologies or have questions about their experiences, said Red Grasso, Director or the First Responder Emerging Technologies Program, North Carolina Department of Information Technology. PR6 has helped us find out the needs of responders without having to duplicate at the state level whats being done at the national level.

Direct engagement with S&Ts FRRG benefits state and local agencies to a degree that is difficult to achieve by any responder agency acting on its own. S&T has long been committed to providing this supportthe overall Project Responder effort has surveyed responder technology needs for nearly two decades so far and produced six reports.

PR6 is really an impressive collaboration between members of the first responder community. For over two decades, the Project Responder effort has been the foundation for guiding homeland security research to support the public safety community. Without the support of the first responder community, Project Responder would not be possible, said Dan Cotter, Executive Director of S&Ts Office of Science and Engineering.

The feedback gathered from responders over the years has resulted in more than just reports. For instance, thanks to S&Ts efforts, a key technology first envisioned in Project Responder 3 (PR3, 2014) has spurred industrywide innovation since.

Nothing illustrates better what S&Ts FRRG does in the Project Responder effort than the structure firefighting glove, said Steve Vandewalle, helicopter rescue medic with San Diego Fire Department. What I needed was a glove with thermal protection that was easily donned and doffed and that allowed me to use a touch screen. With industry partners, the Illinois Fire Academy, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the National Fire Protection Association, we went through six iterations of the glove. After we produced our glove, other glove manufacturers made improvements to stay competitive. The glove I have now is better, thanks to the collaboration S&T brought about.

Another set of innovations that resulted from Project Responder series includes S&Ts 3D tracking technology POINTER, which addresses the need to locate responders inside a structurea need that has been a high priority across all six iterations of Project Responder. Vandewalle calls POINTER the greatest success of the FRRGa game changer not only in the firefighting environment, but also for law enforcement, the tactical environment for high-risk warrants, mining collapses, and urban search and rescue. Phase II of POINTER, locating responders in outdoor and crowded environments, kicked off in July 2022. In conjunction with POINTER, S&T is now developing the Data Upload Mechanism for First Responders, which displays floor plans and other critical data for buildings, further enhancing responder safety.

Looking to the future, FRRG members discussed with us current R&D efforts they see as promising for their operations. The wearable chemical sensor, which warns responders of exposure to hazardous substances so that they can don the appropriate PPE, could eventually give way to a wearable device that detects a contagious pathogen and helps with disease tracing, offered Cunningham.

Two responders offered that emerging virtual tools are essential. Since fire prevention has improved so much, we now rely less on direct experience and more on simulations, lessons learned, shared platforms, video training tools, and the science of decision-making, said Hagen.

And for Rodney Reed, Assistant Chief, Operational Support for the Harris County (Texas) Fire Marshals Office, Virtual reality and augmented reality are valuable as training tools because they offer enhanced capabilities to responders in rural America who face the same threats as responders in metropolitan areas but have resource constraints.

One example of an existing S&T technology in this space that came out of a previous Project Responder report is the Enhanced Dynamic Geo-Social Environment (EDGE). Already commercialized, this free virtual training platform for coordinating the response to active shooter incidents, was the highest-priority capability need identified in PR3. More recently, EDGE has emerged as a tool to enhance school safety and can be used to prepare for a wide number of critical incidents as well. While EDGE continues to be a force multiplier in the virtual training environment, S&T also is continuing to explore technologies to expand and customize training offerings for complex incident command and management.

Beyond Project Responder, connecting the R&D community with first responders is a vital mission for S&T. They not only help S&T to chart a technology roadmap based on their current and future needs, but they also inform every step of the processfrom initial design to operationally field-testing prototypes to preparing to transition technologies to the commercial marketplace. And this is not a responsibility that the FRRG members take lightly. As Vandewalle sums it up, I believe it is our job as the FRRG to improve the state of the technology to benefit first responders. You cant find this kind of collaboration anywhere else.

Read more at DHS S&T

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Strong Relationships with First Responders Are an Investment in R&D - HS Today - HSToday

Nearly every major industry is facing public pressure to find ways to reduce their carbon footprint, and the airline industry is no exception.

The commercial aviation industry is reported to be responsible for nearly 3% of global carbon dioxide emissions. In response, the industry has vowed to find ways to offset and reduce its carbon use, and those steps include making their planes more fuel efficient, making their routes more efficient and retiring gas-guzzling older models.

The aviation industry is built on innovation, and United Airlines (UAL) has now made a big move by investing in a company that it hopes will help reduce the companys overall environmental impact, while also potentially opening up new markets.

United Airlines has invested $15 million into the Embraer-backed Eve Air Mobility (ERJ) company, as reported by Airline Weekly. As part of the deal, United has ordered 200 of the companys electric air taxis, and has options on 200 more.

Also known as eVTOLs, these craft, which can typically hold four people, are capable of electric vertical takeoff and landing; think of them as smaller versions of helicopters that you can hail for citywide travel.

Uniteds plan is for the air taxis to connect airports to highly populated urban centers within roughly 60 miles of the airport. The goal is to make it so passengers can make those trips nearly carbon-free.

In a statement, United Airlines Ventures President Mike Leskinen said that eVTOLs are going to change the way we work and live and, in some cases, where we live, and The more we have studied this market the more convinced we are that this is going to revolutionize the commuter experience in densely populated urban areas.

This is decarbonizing the trip to and from the airport, he added. He equated the cost of an air taxi ride to roughly that of an Uber Black. So pricey, but not inaccessible.

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Eve could potentially begin delivering its vehicles to United in 2026.

It's not United's first investment in the space.In February of 2021, United placed an order for $1 billion of Archer Aviation's (ACHR) planned eVTOLs. Last month it made a $10 million pre-delivery payment to Archer which hopes to have the aircraft certified by the end of 2024.

United has been partnering with a number of different companieslatelyto find ways to reduce its carbon use. Its teamed up with the private bus operator Landline in its Denver location to offer trips between Breckenridge and Fort Collins, Colo, as lower costs and lower emissions, and last year it, along with Mesa Air Group, placed a potential 200-aircraft order with Gothenburg, Sweden-based Heart Aerospace for an electric 19-seat regional aircraft.

The Federal Aviation Administration has not certified any aircraft powered by electric propulsion for commercial flight.

United Airlines

The air taxi industry has been a closely watched upstart for a while now. Last year, Apple lost three engineers central to its ongoing self-driving car project to the Silicon Valley companies Joby Aviation Inc. (JOBY) and Archer.

There are still a number of obstacles standing in the way of the air taxi industry, however. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has been extremely slow and deliberate in its actions in the wake of the botched certification of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft. Two of the planes were involved in fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019, which were tied to automatic control system issues.

Many industry watchers are skeptical the airlines will get approval anytime soon for electric aircraft. There are also technology issues still to be worked out, including the development of an air traffic framework that will manage multiple small aircraft in crowded skies over big cities.

Still, many analysts are hopeful that whenever the taxis get flying, it could be a huge growth industry, as Morgan Stanley has estimated that the urban air mobility market could be worth as much as $1.5 trillion by 2040.

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United Airlines Makes Investment That Could Revolutionize Travel - TheStreet

Single-family rental properties have always been one of the most popular asset classes among real estate investors because of the steady demand and lower barriers to entry compared to multifamily and commercial properties.

Those barriers have grown significantly over the past several months as higher home prices and interest rates have brought housing affordability to its lowest level in 30 years.

The investment platform Arrived Homes, backed by Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos, has given investors another option to invest in this asset class by offering shares of individual rental properties to retail investors.

The company handles all property management responsibilities so investors can collect quarterly distributions from the rental income and profit from any price appreciation when it sells the properties.

Earlier this year, Arrived Homes announced that it would also be offering shares of another type of real estate investment that has grown in popularity because of its strong potential for higher returns vacation rentals.

Its first batch of vacation rentals is now live on the platform with minimum investments of $100.

This announcement came shortly after Jeff Bezos made his second investment in Arrived Homes through the companys $25 million Series A round. Perhaps one of Bezos most widely talked about venture capital plays was his early investment in Airbnb during the vacation rental platforms Series B round, which points to the billionaire investors continued belief in the short-term rental market.

The first seven vacation rentals on the Arrived Homes platform are collectively valued at approximately $5 million. They are located in some of the most popular vacation destinations across the country, with the highest demand for short-term rentals through sites like Airbnb and VRBO.

The first batch of vacation rental properties includes The Mirage in Joshua Tree, CA, The Oasis in Nashville, TN, The Cardinal in Glendale, AZ, The Ace in Scottsdale, AZ, The Hammock in Clearwater, FL, The Orchard in Blue Ridge, GA and The Pointbreak in Panama City, FL.

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The first property, The Oasis, was offered to existing investors on the platform a day early, on September 8, 2022, and was fully funded in less than 30 minutes.

Arrived Homes has partnered with established vacation rental property managers and developers to oversee the homes' design, furnishing, and upkeep.

According to data from AirDNA, vacation rentals are responsible for 130% more revenue than traditional long-term rentals. Airbnb also just reported its strong quarter to date in terms of revenue and bookings.

According to Vacasas Vacation Rental Search Report, traffic and searches for vacation rentals more than doubled year over year. By spring 2021, searches were up 235%, and its number of users was up 116%.

Find more details about Arrived Homes and other fractional real estate investments on Benzinga Alternative Investments.

Photo: Courtesy of Arrived Homes

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Home / News / 2022 / Alumnae and Friends Drive $16.5 Million University-Wide Investment

September 7, 2022

Unprecedented burst of community support will establish new endowed professorships across five disciplines.

Brandeis has received five separate gifts totaling $16.5 million, a surge of investment that will be transformative in helping the university define its long-term academic priorities.

Of the gifts, four will support faculty chairs, one each in African and African American studies, mathematics, Israeli politics and society, and business. The fifth gift will create an endowed position to lead an integrated center for Jewish studies.

All five donations were made independently of one another, and three of the endowed professorships came from alumnae. It is inspiring to see alumnae playing such an important role in shaping our future and strengthening our academic endeavor, said President Ron Liebowitz. It speaks well to a growing culture of philanthropy and engagement here that we have foundations, individual philanthropists, and graduates all investing in the universitys future. We are grateful for this collective support.

Carol Fierke, GSAS PhD84, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, added that these endowed chairs will further distinguish Brandeis academic excellence and enrich the student experience.

This support will allow the university to recruit the highest caliber educators, attract and retain students demanding the most rigorous academic opportunities, and embolden our faculty to pursue new and emerging avenues of research, she said. Brandeis is already a leading voice in the most important academic conversations. Now, we are set up to contribute even more meaningfully to these dialogues, long into the future.

Heres what you need to know about the benefactors behind the five professorships and the impact their generosity will have for years to come.

Bonnie Berger 83, the Simons Professor of Mathematics at MIT and a former Brandeis trustee, and her husband, Dr. Tom Leighton, CEO and co-founder of Akamai Technologies and a professor of applied mathematics at MIT, have made a gift to establish a named junior professorship in the Department of Mathematics.

The Berger-Leighton Endowed Professorship will advance the departments research missions, enabling it to recruit high-caliber junior faculty and attract and retain more undergraduate and graduate students. The incumbent chairholder will be a distinguished junior faculty member of the department.

For Berger, endowing a chair carries personal significance, but shes most excited for what this means for the future of the department.

My time at Brandeis really helped shape my love of exploring and pushing the boundaries of mathematics, she said. We are so excited now to be able to help shape the future of mathematical study and research and inspire a new generation of mathematicians.

Read more about their gift

A recent gift from Barbara E. Clarke, IBS MA91, a visionary economist, investor, and entrepreneur, will establish a Distinguished Brandeis Faculty Chair in Business at the Brandeis International Business School. A leading investor in women-led technology startups, Clarke is now investing in Brandeis, with the goal of increasing diversity among the schools faculty.

Specifically, the endowed fund will support a senior university faculty member who concentrates their teaching and research in the fields of business, finance, and economics, and who is from an historically underrepresented population relative to the field.

Clarke founded The Impact Seat in 2015. The Boston-based consultancy focuses on driving inclusive innovation. She also launched The Impact Seat Foundation last year to create a world in which women, particularly women of color, succeed as business leaders, according to the foundations website.

Clarke said her time at Brandeis was transformative.

My Brandeis experience helped launch my career and the universitys commitment to social justice still resonates with me today, said Clarke. The proof is in the data: Diverse teams consistently outperform monoculture teams. Its important for me to increase inclusion and representation in all industries, including higher education. This gift is a way to help achieve that goal while simultaneously giving back to Brandeis.

Read more about her gift

As president of the Raymond Frankel Foundation, and daughter of its founder, Belinda Frankel played a key role in propelling forward a generous contribution to establish the Raymond Frankel Chair in Israeli Politics and Society in the Crown Center for Middle East Studies.

Our family could not be more proud in knowing that our fathers name will forever be linked with the Crown Center and Brandeis University in such an important way, said Frankel. The Frankel Chair in Israeli Politics and Society connects my fathers life-long passion for scholarship, Israels well-being, and deep thinking in matters of national security in countless ways that will greatly benefit students and scholars for many years to come.

The Crown Center conducts balanced and dispassionate research of the modern Middle East at the pinnacle of academic standards in order to help decision- and opinion-makers be better informed about the region. The centers research spans the 22 members of the Arab League as well as Turkey, Iran, and Israel, with a multi-disciplinary approach in its study of the politics, economics, history, security, sociology, and anthropology of the regions states and societies.

The university is additionally appreciative of Allan Myer, who serves on both the Crown Centers advisory board as well as on the board of the Frankel Foundation, for working to advance the missions of both organizations through this synergistic gift.

Shai Feldman, the founding director of the Crown Center, will serve as the first Frankel chair-holder and assume the position on September 1.

Read the full announcement

Brandeis will establish an endowed professorship in African and African American studies, the first in the departments 50-year history, thanks to a recent gift from Marta Kauffman 78, H20, an acclaimed television writer and producer best known for co-creating the hit sitcoms Friends and Grace and Frankie.

The Marta F. Kauffman 78 Professorship in African and African American Studies will support a distinguished scholar with a concentration in the study of the peoples and cultures of Africa and the African diaspora.

In addition to aligning with the universitys Framework for the Future, the chair will also enable the department to recruit and retain high-caliber scholars and faculty for continued leadership in the field, allow for continued growth and investment in areas of critical need, provide a public platform for faculty leaders, and attract and retain more students with scholarship and civic participation opportunities.

Kauffman noted the true value of her support exists in the chance of really transforming, not only the school, but students lives.

These professors are teaching these students who then go out into the world and they do good work, and they run for office, and they teach other people, she said. Youre giving not only for the health and longevity of the department, but also for the future.

Read more about her gift

As philanthropic leaders and trustees of the Crimson Lion/Lavine Family Foundation, Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine have improved countless lives and communities through their support for social justice, health care, youth and education, and Jewish causes. The pair recently pledged their support to establish the Lavine Family Professor and Director of the Brandeis Center for Jewish Studies. In keeping with founding president Abram L. Sachars promise that Brandeis would be vitally concerned with Jewish studies, the new directorship will promote collaboration among faculty and researchers across campus who conduct research on and teach about Jewish history, culture, religion, politics, gender, business, and the state of Israel.

The time is ripe to bring together Brandeis unparalleled set of academic resources devoted to the study and professional practice of Jewish peoplehood, said Fierke, "that includes more than 35 faculty members and researchers, two degree-granting programs, and six research centers and institutes.The enhanced synergy between these disparate units will enhance the impact and reach of our academic mission."

The director will play a significant role in unifying these outstanding programs as they seek out answers to major questions related to the Jewish experience, engage the broader public in those explorations, and position Brandeis as the place where American Jewry turns to grapple with and better understand the most pressing issues they and Judaism at-large face.

Dave Eisenberg is the integrated marketing and content strategy manager with Brandeis University's Institutional Advancement team. Prior to joining Brandeis, he worked as a content specialist at Perkins School for the Blind, and before that, as a journalist. Outside of work, he enjoys playing guitar and is an avid runner.

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Alumnae and Friends Drive $16.5 Million University-Wide Investment - Brandeis alumni

London, Sept. 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This year, top Caribbean jurisdictions will be attending the 12th Edition of the IREX Residency and Citizenship Conclave at Le Meridian, New Delhi from 9 to 10 September 2022, to showcase their citizenship by investment (CBI) offerings.

The island nations of the Commonwealth of Dominica, St Kitts and Nevis and St Lucia will be represented at the conclave. The opportunity to better understand the investment opportunities for each country will be unpacked during the event, ensuring that potential investors are better equipped to make decisions.

The three countries will be represented by CS Global Partners, the worlds leading government advisory firm specialising in citizenship and residency solutions.

This years CBI Index, the most regarded and trusted source of ranking global CBI programmes ranked Dominica, St Kitts and Nevis and St Lucia in the top three for their CBI options.

Investing in any one of these countries offers international investors a gateway to access the worlds most important business hubs, stable currencies, quality education and health facilities. It opens doors to new entrepreneurial options, thanks to the abundance of financial opportunities across the globe. Fulfilling dreams of business expansion on an international scale and making connections to take your business to the next level are all possibilities with the dual citizenship options of these Caribbean nations.

A diverse mix of clientele from across the globe will attend this years event, the likes of which will include entrepreneurs, bankers, chartered accountants, wealth managers and financial experts to name but a few.

The conclave brings together global residency and citizenship consultants, legal consultants, government bodies, property developers and other stakeholders and connects them directly with potential clients.

The two-day event will allow immigration experts to present various international residency and citizenship programmes presented by different countries and experts will also be able to engage in one-on-one interactions at their respective booths in the exhibition hall throughout the day.

IREX is hosted annually and presents investment avenues for High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs) who intend to invest in alternative citizenships, real estate and premium luxury properties. The event attracts HNWIs from over 25 countries such as Australia, Canada, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Greece, Ireland, Malta, Montenegro, Portugal, Saint Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States and more.

Immigration experts will also help High Net Worth Individuals who seek alternative citizenship through investments to manage their finances through opportunities offered by the individual countries. St Kitts and Nevis, Dominica and St Lucia offer the opportunity to obtain citizenship and diversify ones portfolio by making a contribution to the local economy.

Over the last decade or so, the primary motivations amongst CBI participants have been freedom of movement, tax benefits and lifestyle factors, such as better education.

Individuals applying for the Dominica CBI can make contributions to the Economic Diversification Fund and Real Estate. The former supports private as well as public projects within the country whereas the latter entails investment in approved real estate projects.

St Kitts and Nevis offers a wide range of CBI options such as the Sustainable Growth Fund. This option focuses on the aspect of the public and private real estate development.

Key investments in St Lucia include the National Economic Fund Investment and real estate amongst others. This diversification of investment options is advantageous because it enables investors to select suitable investments that are in line with their risk appetite.

India has become known as a country with the largest emigrant population in the world. Many High Net Worth Indians are looking for opportunities to get foreign residency and citizenship.

The IREX Residency and Citizenship Conclave serves as a convenient meeting platform and has been successful, year after year, in bringing international citizenship consultants face to face with prominent individuals and corporate investors, real estate agents, property marketing companies and professionals from all over India.

CS Global Partners works closely with the governments of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Saint Lucia and St Kitts and Nevis and assists them in increasing their Foreign Direct Investment and developing and promoting their offers to generate inclusive wealth for their country and people while growing their global presence by ensuring the integrity and longevity of their CBI programmes. The revenues generated by the CBI Programmes are instrumental in furthering the developmental goals and aspirations of these Small Island Developing States.

CS Global Partners, prides itself on being a global specialist in residency and citizenship by investment (CBI) solutions and is one of the most prominent participants of the IREX Residency and Citizenship Conclave this year.Together with the three island nations they look forward to hosting attendees at their stands and showcasing the unique benefits they have to offer investors.

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Caribbean nations showcase Citizenship by Investment offerings at IREX Residency and Citizenship Conclave in New Delhi - CS Global Partners -...

Management Presentation September 14, 2022, at 12:00 p.m. EDT

HENDERSON, Nev., September 08, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Paysign, Inc. (NASDAQ: PAYS), a leading provider of prepaid card programs, comprehensive patient affordability offerings, digital banking services and integrated payment processing, today announced that Jeff Baker, Chief Financial Officer, will be making a presentation and hosting one-on-one meetings with investors at the H.C. Wainwright 24th Annual Global Investment Conference at the Lotte New York Palace in New York, New York, September 12-14, 2022.

Presentation Time: Wednesday, September 14, at 12:00 p.m. EDT

The Paysign investor presentation deck may also be viewed on their investor resources page beginning Monday, September 12, at 12:00 p.m. EDT. Registered investors can visit the event website to schedule a one-on-one meeting with Paysign executive management.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release may be deemed to be forward-looking statements under federal securities laws, and the company intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbor created thereby. All statements, other than statements of fact included in this release are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, among others, that our unrestricted cash, anticipated revenues and profits will be sufficient to sustain operations for the next 12 months; that the expected total revenue, gross profit margins, operating expenses, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation, adjusted EBITDA, plasma revenues and pharma revenues for 2022 meet our expectations; that the company will continue to post year-over-year operating improvements; that the companys growth prospects in plasma, pharma, and other prepaid business materialize; and that the company will continue to be affected by COVID-19-related labor shortages and Mexican nationals not being able to donate plasma while visiting the U.S. on a tourist visa. We caution that these statements are qualified by important risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the inability to continue our current growth rate in future periods; that a downturn in the economy, including as a result of COVID-19 and variants, as well as further government stimulus measures, could reduce our customer base and demand for our products and services, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, profitability and cash flows; operating in a highly regulated environment; failure by us or business partners to comply with applicable laws and regulations; changes in the laws, regulations, credit card association rules, or other industry standards affecting our business; that a data security breach could expose us to liability and protracted and costly litigation; and other risk factors set forth in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021. Except to the extent required by federal securities laws, the company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any statements in this release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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About Paysign

Paysign, Inc. is a leading provider of prepaid card programs, comprehensive patient affordability offerings, digital banking services, and integrated payment processing designed for businesses, consumers and government institutions. Incorporated in 1995 and headquartered in southern Nevada, the company creates customized, innovative payment solutions for clients across all industries, including pharmaceutical, healthcare, hospitality, and retail. Built on the foundation of a reliable payments platform, Paysigns end-to-end technologies securely enable digital payout solutions and facilitate the distribution of funds for donor compensation, copay assistance, customer incentives, employee rewards, travel expenses, per diem, reimbursements, rebates, and countless other exchanges of value. Paysigns solutions lower costs, streamline operations and improve customer, employee and partner loyalty. To learn more, visit paysign.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220908006114/en/

Contacts

Paysign Investor Relations 888.522.4810ir@paysign.com paysign.com/investors

Paysign Media Relations Alicia Ches, Director of Marketing702.749.7257pr@paysign.com

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Paysign, Inc. to Participate in the H.C. Wainwright 24th Annual Global Investment Conference - Yahoo Finance

Danny Cortenraede has started five companies, from a digital media agency to global soccer community 433. He has plenty of lived experience as an entrepreneur, but he also spent time speaking to peers.

We did a lot of interviews with all kinds of founders, and nine of the 10 times the CEO was responsible for raising that capital, Cortenraede said. And he's responsible for business development. So what does that mean? He cannot spend time on his business.

That was the core revelation that spurred this weeks launch of Venturerocks $75 million sports tech fund that seeks to fund and guide startups from the beginning to their Series A round.

We are not a typical VC, Cortenraede said. We are really a partner for startups, in helping scaling their company.

The concept is to invest, on average, $3-4 million per startup, but do so in phases as the company meets designated KPIs or other milestones. His co-founder in the fund is Bob van Oosterhout, a seasoned sports marketing executive, and one of the general partners in Venturerock is Marc Wesselink, who previously was a key member in the development of the Startup Bootcamp accelerator.

There are so many great founders, super smart people. For example, they have very technical backgrounds, but for us, that's super interesting. Because we see that opportunity, we can help a person like that. And together, we can scale up company, because the founder doesn't have to worry about the cash.

Together, they devised a comprehensive program72 steps across four phasesto help founders grow their companies. While accelerators have a proven track record, these 10-week programs are just a crash course.

We thought, OK, why are we doing this in this way? Cortenraede said. We need to be there for the whole journey.

Venturerock previously launched a fintech version of this concept, and its 12 portfolio companies have an aggregate value of $130 million after two and a half years.

Aiding the growth of the sports companies is the available industry network. Cortenraedes prior companies did extensive work with Disney, Nike, Adidas, Puma, Budweiser and athletes such as Cristiano Ronaldo.

Royal Antwerp manager Mark van Bommel, who as a player starred for the likes of AC Milan and Bayern Munich, invested $1.5 million into the Venturerock sports tech fund. When the Venturerock team held an introductory call with a startup doing video analysis, Bommel joined in and invited one of his video analysts to join, too, for a deep insider perspective.

Venturerock is soliciting a wide array of ideas, from fan engagement to esports and wearables to smart stadiums. He said the sports fund made its first investment recently in an esports company and is expected to invest in 15 startups in total. But we dont want to rush it, he added.

Cortenraede began his career in the corporate world, specializing in telecom at Vodafone, Sony and T-Mobile. In addition to his entrepreneurial experience, he has been investing in startups for years, having founded DC Venture Capital Partners, an independent private equity firm, and InStudio Ventures, which invests in media, tech and sports. He is also one of the co-hosts of Unicorn Hunters, the unscripted Amazon Prime series that also features Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and NSYNC singer Lance Bass.

There are so many great founders, super smart people, he said. For example, they have very technical backgrounds, but for us, that's super interesting. Because we see that opportunity, we can help a person like that. And together, we can scale up company, because the founder doesn't have to worry about the cash.

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Inside Venturerock's $75 Million Sports Tech Venture Investment Company, Including How They Plan to Guide Startups to Scaleups - SportTechie

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CAIS, the leading alternative investment platform for independent financial advisors, today announced its selection by Mariner Wealth Advisors, a privately held advisory firm with over $60 billion in assets under advisement, to provide a customized platform solution for the firms rapidly growing network of advisors. CAIS will offer access to a broad menu of alternative investment funds and products, as well as educational resources, end-to-end digitized transaction processing, and third-party reporting integrations.

We are pleased to have selected a partner that shares our commitment to empower the independent wealth management community, said Marty Bicknell, President and CEO of Mariner Wealth Advisors. At a time when alternative investments are a main event, CAIS technology and team will provide our rapidly growing advisor base, and their clients, with a true competitive advantage.

The collaboration between Mariner Wealth Advisors and CAIS integrates CAISs platform into the firms existing wealthtech ecosystem, creating a customized and seamless pre-trade, trade, and post-trade alternative investing experience. The firms advisors will receive access to a curated menu of diversified alternative investment products across asset classes and qualification levels including private equity, private real estate, private credit, venture capital, and hedge funds. CAIS will also assist in the launch of proprietary funds and multi-manager funds managed by Mariner Wealth Advisors, while also enabling the firm to add their own sourced third-party funds to the platform for centralized monitoring, transacting, and reporting.

This important partnership with Mariner Wealth Advisors ensures that their financial advisors have the necessary tools to meet client demand for alternative investments, while improving operational efficiency, said Matt Brown, Founder and CEO at CAIS. Our unwavering focus on powering RIAs and IBDs has allowed us to understand their unique needs and, in turn, design the best solutions, Brown continued.

With 69% of financial professionals citing a lack of educational resources as a barrier to private markets investing, Mariner Wealth Advisors wealth teams will also benefit from CAIS IQ, a proprietary alternative investment education platform that helps advisors learn faster and retain information longer. CAIS IQ also allows home office professionals to monitor financial advisors learning progress across foundational, asset-class themed and fund-specific courses, some of which are available for CE credits.

Bicknell is one of many wealth management leaders speaking at CAISs inaugural Alternative Investment Summit, a three-day thought leadership event taking place October 17-19 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, California. To learn more about the CAIS Alternative Investment Summit and apply to join us, click here.

About CAIS

CAIS is the leading alternative investment platform for financial advisors who seek improved access to, and education about, alternative investment funds and products. CAIS provides financial advisors with a broad selection of alternative investment strategies, including hedge funds, private equity, private credit, real estate, digital assets, and structured notes, allowing them to capitalize on opportunities and/or withstand ever-changing markets. CAIS also offers custom solutions for advisors seeking to create custom fund vehicles around ideas they source.

CAIS also provides an industry-leading learning system, CAIS IQ, to help advisors learn faster, remember longer, and improve client outcomes.

All funds listed on CAIS undergo Mercer's independent due diligence and ongoing monitoring. Mercer diligence reports and fund ratings are available to advisors on the CAIS password-protected platform. CAIS streamlines the end-to-end transaction process through digital subscriptions and integrated reporting with Fidelity, Schwab, and Pershing, which make investing in alternatives simple.

Founded in 2009, CAIS, a fintech leader, is empowering over 6,600+ unique advisor firms/teams who oversee more than $2.5T+ in network assets. Since its inception, CAIS has facilitated over $18B+ in transaction volume as the first truly open marketplace where financial advisors and asset managers engage and transact directly on a massive scale. CAIS has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Austin, and San Francisco. For more information about CAIS, please visit http://www.caisgroup.com.

Securities offered through CAIS Capital LLC, member FINRA, SIPC.

About Mariner Wealth Advisors

At Mariner Wealth Advisors, we provide 360 advice designed to last. We focus on one thingpartnering with clients to create a financial strategy for today and beyond thats flexible enough to change along with them. The ultimate goal? Helping clients identify what is important so they can achieve their goalswere committed to being here for everything life brings their way. Weve built our firm around what our clients need. We began by offering wealth planning resources and then added services from tax planning to insurance all under one roof. We believe this integrated approach to wealth management helps simplify our clients lives. Founded in 2006 with $300 million in assets under advisement, Mariner Wealth Advisors and its affiliates now advise on over $60 billion in assets.

As of 6/30/22

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Mariner Wealth Advisors Selects CAIS to Scale Alternative Investment Capabilities - Business Wire

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Varsity Healthcare Partners (VHP, Varsity or the Firm), a lower middle market healthcare services private equity investment firm, today announced several recent and significant senior additions to its investment and operating teams, effective immediately.

With respect to the VHP investment team, Varsity announced that Merrick Axel has joined the firm in the role of Partner, following a 16-year tenure at Cressey & Company, where he was a Partner and member of the Investment Committee, jointly leading Cressey & Companys successful investment efforts across many healthcare services segments. Mr. Axel will join Varsitys Investment Committee and lead the Firms new Chicago office, for which it is actively recruiting investment professionals.

Additionally, with respect to the VHP Operating team, Varsity announced three recent senior hires, who will add immediate, necessary capacity while also deepening VHPs financial operational and data science capabilities: (a) Rosemary Free, who joins VHP in the role of Operating Partner, Financial Operations, following her recent tenure as CFO of Vision Innovation Partners and prior thereto serving as Partner in Ernst & Youngs Healthcare Transaction Advisory Services practices, where she lead the Northeast Region, advising private equity and corporate clients on a variety of operational, restructuring, and sell/buy-side engagements, (b) Jay McKnight, who joins the Firm in the role of Operating Partner, Financial Operations, following a successful tenure at Diversicare Healthcare Services, a leading national skilled nursing and post-acute services organization, where he recently served as CEO, overseeing 61 nursing centers with 7,250 licensed beds and supported Diversicares 4,800 employees nationwide; and (c) Robert McElherne, who joins VHP in the role of Operating Partner, Data Scientist, following his most recent tenure at Humana, where he served most recently as Technical Product Leader, supporting enterprise data science needs of Humanas Medicare and Medicaid managed care products, and prior thereto served as Manager, Provider Analytics, within Humanas Physician Performance Insights group.

Our mission, going back to the founding of VHP, has always been to strive for the very best investment performance and create the very best organization in our category, said David Alpern, Founding and Managing Partner at Varsity Healthcare Partners. These highly impactful additions will accelerate our efforts towards achieving that mission, while adding immediate and necessary resources, raising the talent level, and enhancing our culture with like-minded, proven leaders.

Kenton Rosenberry, Founding Partner, added, We welcome Merrick, a longtime friend of the firm and an accomplished healthcare investor and leader, along with Rosemary, Jay, and Robert to the VHP ranks and look forward to the impact they will have on our organization and investments.

ABOUT VARSITY HEALTHCARE PARTNERS

Varsity Healthcare Partners (VHP) is a leading lower middle-market healthcare services private equity investment firm, targeting exclusively multi-site healthcare provider platforms or businesses providing outsourced services, technology, or tools to healthcare providers and/or payers. VHPs tactical investment strategy emphasizes identifying and transacting with growth-seeking, provider-owned or founder-owned companies, leveraging VHPs developed buy and build playbook to drive significant operational, managerial enhancement early in the life of each platform investment, followed by a well-resourced aggressive and multidimensional growth plan. VHPs unique tactical investment playbook and strong track record is complimented by VHPs distinct organizational culture, emphasizing highly collaborative engagement, strong professional accountability, and a commitment to excellence in work product and team performance.

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Varsity Healthcare Partners Announces New Senior Additions to Investment, Operating Teams; Merrick Axel Joins VHP as Partner, Head of Chicago Office -...

Over 13 years of making deals on ABC's "Shark Tank," Kevin O'Leary says he's noticed a common thread among the companies that have brought him the best investment returns.

They're mostly owned or run by women.

"This is real data: 75% of my returns have come from companies run by women," O'Leary tells CNBC Make It. The trend runs across every industry and business sector, he adds not just the ones traditionally viewed as women-friendly.

After more than three decades in total as an investor, O'Leary says there's no secret formula to predict which investments will reap huge returns, and which ones will disappoint. He notes that on "Shark Tank," every investor has "had catastrophic losers I mean, where we lose millions and we've had euphoric monster hits."

Still, O'Leary says he's had "more hits than losers" and sorting through his hits reveals the common theme of women-led companies.

One of his best known "Shark Tank" deals, for example, is his $75,000 investment in Boston-based baked goods company Wicked Good Cupcakes. At the time of the 2013 episode's taping, the company had $150,000 in total sales. That number grew to $10 million within three years, according to an on-air update in 2016.

Other successful deals include O'Leary's investments in cat DNA testing company Basepaws, run by founder and CEO Anna Skaya, and a photo-printing app subscription service called Groovebook run by Julie and Brian Whiteman, a husband-and-wife team.

Groovebook in particular goes down as one of O'Leary's best-ever "Shark Tank" investments, the investor told CNBC Make It in 2018: Less than a year after O'Leary invested $75,000 into the company, it sold to Shutterfly for $14.5 million.

"I don't want to start gender warfare," O'Leary says, adding that he cares mostly about who can get him the biggest return on his investment. "I'd give my money to a goat if I think it can get a return."

Still, he offers up a few thoughts on why women-led companies have been his most successful investments so far:

Women founders often have a harder time raising money to fund their businesses than men do. Female founders received only about 2% of total venture capital money allotted in 2021, according to Pitchbook.

But O'Leary says female entrepreneurs especially those with kids tend to be better listeners, an important quality for serving customers and managing employees. He also says women founders typically set more realistic financial goals for their companies, compared to their male counterparts.

"What I've found was that [women] would set sales targets 30% lower than comparable sales targets from companies run by men," O'Leary says. "I call that testosterone bravado."

Male founders he's worked with set higher sales targets, but only hit those targets 65% of the time, whereas women founders typically hit their more realistic targets 95% of the time, O'Leary says. Failing to meet those targets even if they were unrealistic to begin with can frustrate investors and employees alike, threatening to kill a young company's momentum.

Founders who are mothers have to be great at multi-tasking, O'Leary says. They're also thoughtful about how they use their employees' time, which can create goodwill that helps ensure low turnover, he adds.

Studies do show that mothers are typically forced to multitask more than fathers, with one 2013 study in the BMC Psychology journal finding that women are actually better at the skill than men. Similarly, a 2019 survey of 57,483 workers from HR platform Peakon found that employees at women-led companies were more likely to be engaged and enthusiastic about their work.

"When you go back and look at staff turnover, they had none," O'Leary says of some of his woman-led investments. "They create this really sticky environment where your head of accounting, or your head of logistics or compliance ... they don't leave."

Disclosure: CNBC owns the exclusive off-network cable rights to "Shark Tank."

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Kevin OLeary on his best Shark Tank investments ever: 75% of my returns have come from companies run by women - CNBC