Category: GLOBE-NEWSWIRE

TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Not only are disposable vaping devices fueling the world’s ongoing youth vaping epidemic, these single-use plastic e-cigarettes are responsible for the growing, exorbitant amount of toxic waste plaguing our earth. As if it isn’t harmful enough that disposable vape products are purposely targeting our youth with brightly colored packaging, eye-catching branding, and appealing fruit & dessert flavors; the plastics, heavy metals, and lithium batteries that these devices are comprised of are now a leading source of environmental pollution.

After another successful year the company will also begin to partner with wine producers beyond France and Italy

LONDON, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —  Crurated, the London-based membership wine community designed to connect connoisseurs with world-class producers, today announced that the company has raised $7.2 MM from a group of private investors. The money will be used to further evolve the technology platform, expand producer partnerships beyond France and Italy, and increase overall market share across the globe.

“The past year has been both innovative and successful for our entire team and the producers we’ve partnered with,” said Alfonso de Gaetano, founder of Crurated. “In addition to becoming the first wine community to offer fractional barrel sales backed by NFT technology, we signed an exclusive distribution deal with Charles Lachaux, grew our roster of producers to more than 60, and have attracted a younger demographic of oenophiles onto the platform.”

Crurated Wine Bottles With NFC RFID

Crurated reports that 70% of its member base is below the age of 45. With 35% of those members under the age of 35, younger than the majority of wine buyers which skews at 45+. The team believes that Crurated’s direct partnerships with the world’s top wine producers, innovative approach to how wine is purchased on the platform — traditional lot purchases/auctions and fractional barrel sales — as well as the use of NFTs to validate a wine’s authenticity is helping to increase the interest in wine with a younger demographic.

In addition, revenues were up 214% in the first half of year two vs. the first half of year one. Membership grew by 180% in the first half of year 2 vs. the first half of year 1 and is up 400% year to date.

About Crurated
Launched in 2021 with an emphasis on France and Italy, Crurated is a membership-based wine community designed to connect connoisseurs with world-class producers. A team of specialists provides personalized services and authentic experiences, while Crurated’s seamless logistics service guarantees quality and provenance thanks to secure wine cellar storage and innovative blockchain technology. For more on Crurated, visit crurated.com.

PR Contact
Michael Volpatt
Michael@larkinvolpatt.com
415.994.8864

A video accompanying this announcement is available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1d1a5202-186e-4b6a-8783-aa82bbb8e388

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0988a38c-6f44-4feb-ac1d-c734d7ccc165

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e7ba4d88-1de4-4f87-b6ee-d6026b3298c2

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8730478

One of the world’s fastest growing fintech to showcase award-winning global commerce technology platform and industry-leading partner network.

NEW YORK, National Retail Federation, Jan. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FreedomPay, the global leader in Next Level Commerce and the commerce technology platform of choice for global retail, hospitality and payments brands including Marriott, Foot Locker, Shake Shack, Engage People, and Castles Technology, will showcase its innovations and partnership announcements this week at NRF in booth #4250.

The event will mark the launch of FreedomPay’s new call to action, Unleash the Power of Pay. As the commerce landscape evolves with new technologies and changing consumer needs, Unleash the Power of Pay introduces the notion of unleashing the power of payments to drive greater customer loyalty, leverage business intelligence insights, and bring value-added services.

“FreedomPay is excited to make a splash at this year’s NRF and to launch Unleash the Power of Pay. The concept is a testament to our award-winning technology and best-in-class partner network that is enabling billions of transactions in more than 75 countries across the globe,” said Tom Durovsik, Founder & CEO of FreedomPay.

As part of its line-up at NRF, FreedomPay will host a roundtable discussion on Monday, January 16 at 10:30AM at booth #4250 with industry influencers Castles Technology, Charter Communications, and Elo Touch, moderated by Dale Laszig of the Green Sheet. The event, Next Level Commerce: Unleashing the Power of Pay, will focus on the challenges and opportunities across retail, the trends influencing retail’s future, and strategies for merchants to navigate the changing retail sector. Those who would like to attend virtually are encouraged to register here.

FreedomPay also announces the publication of a new industry white paper The Next Level of Global Payments: Unleash the Power of Pay. The report highlights pivotal opportunities for retailers to elevate customer relationships and increase profit margins internationally, outlining strategies for security, safety, speed, simplicity, and customer satisfaction with service across borders. Download now to read the bespoke report.

FreedomPay’s global footprint continues to grow through the power of its partner network and new integrations to allow merchants to Unleash the Power of Pay for their customers. FreedomPay also announced in the days leading up to NRF 2023 new partnerships that will bring its solutions to more merchants around the world.

Moneris Solutions Corporation (“Moneris”), the largest payment processor in Canada*, will now be able to offer its merchants access to FreedomPay’s commerce technology platform, bringing an enhanced checkout experience to millions of shoppers across Canada.

FreedomPay also announced an integration with Flooid, bringing enhanced innovation, choice, and flexibility to retailers around the globe on the Flooid platform.

To learn more about FreedomPay, visit us at NRF booth #4250 or www.freedompay.com.

About FreedomPay

FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

*Based on total number of transactions processed in Canada

Jennifer Tayebi
Hill+Knowlton Strategies for FreedomPay
+1 734 395 0780
Jennifer.Tayebi@hkstrategies.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8729731

The partnership will bring enhanced commerce functionality to Retailers around the world.

London, England, Jan. 13, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Flooid today announces a strategic partnership with FreedomPay, the global leader in Next Level Commerce, to bring industry-leading Retail solutions to merchants globally.

Powered by FreedomPay, Flooid allows merchants to connect their retail channels, removing barriers between online and in-store payments. FreedomPay’s data-driven commerce platform grants merchants access to valuable analytics and Business Intelligence platform to drive further customer engagement and loyalty through targeted offers and incentives, all within a frictionless integrated payment solution.

“Through this partnership with FreedomPay, we are bringing enhanced innovation, choice, and flexibility to retailers on the Flooid platform,” said Donna Stevens, Senior VP of Product and Marketing at Flooid. Our goal is to empower merchants with the tools they need to provide the best shopping experience to consumers globally.”

The FreedomPay platform enables enterprises to provide a consistent payment experience for their customers globally, creating a seamless and flexible retail experience managing security, data and loyalty all from a single, unified tech stack.

“The partnership between FreedomPay and Flooid will bring a world-class commerce experience to retailers and shoppers around the globe,” said Liesl Smith, Senior VP of Marketing and Sales Enablement at FreedomPay. “Together we are committed to delivering a seamless payment experience to customers, enabling an innovative and seamless omnichannel payment environment.”

About FreedomPay

FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

About Flooid

Flooid helps retailers create the seamless shopping experiences customers demand. Flooid’s unified commerce platform empowers merchants to sell to customers flexibly and consistently wherever they are and however they choose to shop. Our best of breed open ecosystem givers retailers the power to connect leading retail tech partners with a single unified commerce platform to engage with your shoppers, sell more effectively across channels and adapt to retail shopping changes we have yet to imagine.

Jennifer Tayebi
Hill+Knowlton Strategies for FreedomPay
+1 734 395 0780
Jennifer.Tayebi@hkstrategies.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8729158

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Sabin Vaccine Institute today announced that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has awarded Sabin a multi-year contract with funding potential for up to $214 million to advance the development and production of single-dose vaccine candidates for Ebola Sudan and Marburg virus diseases.

There are currently no licensed vaccines against Ebola Sudan and Marburg viruses, which cause hemorrhagic fever and kill approximately half the people infected.

BARDA, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), will initially invest approximately $35 million to produce up to 100,000 doses of Sabin’s Ebola Sudan virus (ChAd3-SUDV) vaccine. These vaccines may be used as part of ongoing U.S. preparedness efforts and in response to future global outbreaks.

The Sabin vaccine was the first to arrive in Uganda during the recent Ebola Sudan virus outbreak that caused 55 deaths after the World Health Organization included it as one of three vaccines for possible use in an outbreak trial in Uganda. The country declared the Ebola Sudan outbreak had ended on January 11, four months after the first confirmed case.

“Sabin successfully delivered Ebola Sudan vaccine doses to Uganda within 79 days of the start of the outbreak – quite an impressive accomplishment,” says Sabin Chief Executive Officer Amy Finan. “This new contract enables Sabin to produce up to 100,000 doses so the world is prepared in advance for future outbreaks.”

In addition to participating in recent outbreak activities, Sabin continues its Sudan development plan and has initiated Phase 2 clinical trial planning in Uganda and Kenya. Based on previous clinical trials, Sabin’s Ebola Sudan vaccine is safe and immunogenic, and in nonhuman primate studies has demonstrated rapid protection, durability up to 12 months, and efficacy.

In addition to Sabin’s ChAd3-SUDV vaccine, the contract also includes support to manufacture Sabin’s vaccine against Marburg virus (ChAd3-MARV), which would generate doses that could also be used in trials and in response to a possible Marburg virus outbreak. As recently as last July, two people in Ghana died after being infected with Marburg virus, reinforcing the urgent need for a vaccine.

The new contract leverages a partnership with BARDA that began in 2019, when the agency awarded Sabin another multi-year contract valued at $128 million to further the development of vaccines against both the Marburg and Ebola Sudan viruses.

“BARDA has been a supportive partner as we take these essential steps in pandemic preparedness,” said Finan. “The Ebola Sudan outbreak in Uganda underscored the critical need for readily available solutions. We’ll now have ample material to respond quickly to such an outbreak in the future.”

This project will be funded in whole with federal funds from the Department of Health and Human Services; Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response; Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, under contract number 75A50123C00010.

About the Sabin Vaccine Institute

The Sabin Vaccine Institute is a leading advocate for expanding vaccine access and uptake globally, advancing vaccine research and development, and amplifying vaccine knowledge and innovation. Unlocking the potential of vaccines through partnership, Sabin has built a robust ecosystem of funders, innovators, implementers, practitioners, policy makers and public stakeholders to advance its vision of a future free from preventable diseases. As a non-profit with three decades of experience, Sabin is committed to finding solutions that last and extending the full benefits of vaccines to all people, regardless of who they are or where they live. At Sabin, we believe in the power of vaccines to change the world. For more information, visit www.sabin.org and follow us on Twitter, @SabinVaccine.

About Ebola Sudan and Marburg

Ebola Sudan and Marburg are members of the filovirus family. Both can cause severe hemorrhagic fever in humans and nonhuman primates. No therapeutic treatment of these hemorrhagic fevers has been licensed to date. Marburg and Ebola viruses are transmitted to humans by infected animals, particularly fruit bats. Once a human is infected, the virus can spread to others through close personal contact or contact with bodily fluids. Isolation of infected people is currently the centerpiece of filovirus control.

Marburg was the first filovirus to be recognized in 1967 when outbreaks of hemorrhagic fever were reported in a few Europe-based laboratories including in the town of Marburg, Germany. Ebola was identified in 1976 when two simultaneous outbreaks occurred in northern Zaire (now the DRC) in a village near the Ebola River and in southern Sudan. The outbreaks involved what eventually proved to be two different species of Ebola virus; both were named after the nations in which they were discovered.

For media inquiries:

press@sabin.org

Media Contact:
Monika Guttman
Media Relations Specialist
Sabin Vaccine Institute
+1 (202) 662-1841
press@sabin.org

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/539c9127-e5d6-4b32-9e89-780f7461314b

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8728283