Roquefort Therapeutics PLC (LSE:ROQ, OTCQB:ROQAF) chief executive Ajan Reginald speaks to Thomas Warner from Proactive following a flurry of announcements from the biotech company. Reginald gives an overview of three recent developments, including the results of trials into treatments for osteosarcoma and Midkine-expressing cancers. He also highlights recent increases in the level of investment in the company by himself and by executive chairman Stephen West.
Pennant International (LON:PEN) chief executive Philip Walker speaks to Thomas Warner from Proactive about how the training technology and integrated product support solutions business has been performing since he took over as CEO back in 2018. He explains the rationale for the changes that have been made and says Pennant is now "in a great place" and well positioned to expand its reach into new markets and regions. He says he's "excited to see how we can scale and expand this operation."
Complete revenue lifecycle management CPQ, CLM, Subscriptions,Billing & Revenue management in a single platform
DealHub.io, today announced the acquisition of Subzee, a billing platform specializing in managing usage and recurring pricing models, expanding its leading CPQ into a complete Quote-to-Revenue platform. The new offering empowers Sales and Finance teams to seamlessly manage the entire revenue lifecycle, addressing all revenue streams including recurring, one-time, milestone, consumption and PLG.
As the adoption of new pricing schemes, such as usage-based pricing, continue gaining momentum, organizations are struggling to incorporate these new models into their existing revenue streams. This has increased the complexity of generating accurate billing schedules and forecasts, as well as effectively tracking SaaS metrics, revenue recognition and sales compensation. With DealHubs new billing capabilities to process and consolidate consumption data from multiple sources, and automatically associate relevant subscription plans and rates, this becomes a breeze.
PLG, self-service portals and usage-based pricing have rapidly emerged as key revenue streams, yet existing billing solutions are unable to effectively incorporate them into their revenue flows. stated Eyal Elbahary, DealHubs CEO. We chose to incorporate Subzee due to its proven ability to provide CFOs a single source of truth across all revenue streams.
About DealHub.io
DealHub offers the most complete Revenue Growth Hub that improves Sales-to-Revenue efficiency, predictability and growth. DealHubs unified CPQ, CLM, Subscription Management, and Billing stack, powered by guided selling playbooks, transforms antiquated, siloed, manual processes into streamlined, insight-driven, actionable and engaging revenue flows. Leveraging DealHubs DealRooms, sellers and buyers can digitally collaborate on every aspect of a deal, spanning all sales stages, and deliver a B2B self-service buying experience.
For more information, visit dealhub.io or follow DealHub on LinkedIn.
Bybit FinTech FZE, a subsidiary of Bybit, a global leading crypto exchange, announced today that it has been granted the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) Preparatory License by Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), following the Provisional License it received in March 2022.
The Preparatory License does not yet allow Bybit to commence virtual asset operations in the Emirate of Dubai, but exhibits the significant progress made to obtain operational permission from VARA.
We would like to express our gratitude to VARA for their careful consideration of our application and for granting us the MVP Preparatory License. This is a crucial step forward for Bybit in the UAE, as Dubai plays a pioneering role in advancing the world's development of financial innovation and digital assets, said Ben Zhou, co-founder and CEO of Bybit. We consider the receipt of this license to be a significant milestone that acknowledges the hard work, dedication, and strong commitment to compliance exhibited by our team.
Bybit is a cryptocurrency exchange established in 2018 that offers a professional platform where crypto traders can find an ultra-fast matching engine, excellent customer service and multilingual community support. Bybit is a proud partner of Formula Ones reigning Constructors and Drivers champions, the Oracle Red Bull Racing team, esports teams NAVI, Astralis, Alliance, Made in Brazil (MIBR), and Oracle Red Bull Racing Esports, and association football (soccer) team Borussia Dortmund.
Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority [VARA] is the worlds first specialised regulator for the Virtual Assets sector. Established in March 2022, following the effect of Law No.4 of 2022, VARA is the competent entity in charge of regulating, supervising, and overseeing VAs and VA Activities in all zones across the Emirate of Dubai, including Special Development Zones and Free Zones but excluding the Dubai International Financial Centre. VARA plays a central role in creating Dubais advanced legal framework to protect investors and establish international standards for Virtual Asset industry governance, while supporting the vision for a borderless economy.
Over 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced every year, but less than 10% are recycled, with the majority entering incineration centers or landfills around the world. Addressing this pressing crisis, deep tech company DePoly is announcing a $13.8m (or CHF12.3m) seed funding round today to scale the solution the global consumer packaging and textile world has been longing for decadesits universal chemical recycling process converting plastics into raw materials without affecting their quality.
The oversubscribed funding round was co-led by BASF Venture Capital and Wingman Ventures, with the participation of Beiersdorf, Infinity Recycling, CIECH Ventures, Zurcher Kantonalbank, Angel Invest, ACE & Company, and others.
DePoly co-founders: (L to R), Christopher Ireland (CSO), Samantha Anderson (CEO) and Bardiya Valizadeh (CTO).
Plastics like polyethylene terephthalate (PET) can be found in many of our daily items, such as clothing, packaging, and outdoor equipment. Unfortunately, the high costs and difficulty required for sorting, separating, and cleaning these complex plastic streams, coupled with a lack of globally scaled solutions mean that only so-called perfect (clean, simple composition without other materials mixed) plastics get recycled. DePoly aims to tackle the entire waste plastic problem with its chemical recycling technology. Currently, it converts all PET plastics and polyester textilesoriginally sourced from fossil fuelsback into their main raw chemical components. Those components are then sold back to the industry to make new virgin-quality plastic items, creating a truly sustainable circular plastic economy.
The globally unique chemical recycling technology developed by DePoly operates at room temperature and standard pressure and does not require any pre-washing, pre-sorting, pre-melting, or separating out other plastics or materials, unlike most of the technologies out there. Ultimately, it can uniquely deal with PET and polyester streams typically turned down by the conventional recycling system, such as those containing mixed plastics, mixed colors, dirty plastic waste streams, as well as fabrics and fibers. The technology is energy efficient, can be implemented quickly, and is easy to tailor to a customer's specific needs.
DePoly can uniquely deals with a range plastics and polyester materials that are otherwise rejected by conventional recycling
Samantha Anderson, CEO and co-founder of DePoly,said, Plastics are a part of our lives and an existential dilemma facing us all. The plastic market isnt slowing down, as its currently growing at a yearly rate of 5% CAGR and is estimated to be worth over $500B. We believe that to tackle this problem effectively, a simple, scalable solution is required that can treat difficult plastic streams. By recycling pre- / post-consumer and post-industrial plastics that otherwise would be sent to incineration centers or be landfilled, we at DePoly aim to eliminate plastic waste and create a sustainable source of chemicals by diverting this waste from our environment and lowering our carbon footprint up to 65% at the same time. The raw materials produced match that of their fossil-fuel-based equivalents, meaning customers no longer have to choose between PET quality and its sustainability.
Plastic pollution is a public health crisis and demands urgent action. Plastic waste has infiltrated every corner of our planet, poisoning our food chain and imperilling wildlife. DePoly is paving the way for a truly sustainable plastic economy. We are extremely proud to support DePoly since day one on their journey to tackle this planetary crisis to clean our oceans and landfills from plastic waste and to welcome leading investors from the chemicals, recycling, climate- and deep tech space on board to build the global leader for the sustainable plastics recycling, added Antonia Albert, Principal at Wingman Ventures.
DePoly has built and operates a pilot plant that processes a capacity of 50 tonnes per year of these complex PET or polyester plastic streams, showcasing the scope and flexibility of how the technology works for various industries ranging from post-consumer packaging to textiles, fashion, and post-industrial streams. Currently, the company is working on building a new showcase plant with a capacity of 500 tonnes per year to demonstrate the technology at a commercial scale.
Recycling in action: The DePoly lab
Markus Solibieda, Managing Director at BASF Venture Capital, commented, To truly implement the circular plastics economy, we must transform our business practices, and that requires collaborative efforts from various stakeholders. DePolys technology offers a promising solution to address the global plastic waste challenge and concurrently support the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions related to the production of virgin plastics. We are excited to support their mission to create a more sustainable future.
We strongly believe in the potential of the DePoly technology as it bridges a crucial gap in circular PET usage by preserving desired quality standards effectively. We are looking forward to supporting DePoly and the development of this new recycling solution for us and the cosmetics industry, said Michael Becker, Vice President Global Packaging R&D at Beiersdorf.
DePoly was launched in 2020, in Sion, by three co-foundersSamantha Anderson (CEO), Bardiya Valizadeh (CTO), and Christopher Ireland (CSO). Driven by their collective expertise supported by PhDs diplomas in chemistry and engineering, they developed this unique chemical recycling process to address the pressing issue of plastic pollution, launching their pilot plant for PET plastics the same year. Today, the team counts 13 people with substantial industry experience, ready to scale DePolys technology and make the company a leader of a global plastic recycling revolution by pushing the boundaries of innovationestablishing new plants around the world while expanding the portfolio of plastics.
Jan Willem Muller, Managing Partner at Infinity Recycling, commented, We believe that DePoly has the team and the drive to bring their groundbreaking innovation for polyester recycling to market. Together with DePolys partners, we are supporting a significant step forward in our joint mission to tackle the global plastic and clothing waste crisis, transforming the future of recycling.
DePoly is leading the charge in a mission to combat the plastic crisis with unwavering determination, currently scaling up its technology to reduce plastic waste by an additional 500 tonnes annually.
Driven by an unyielding passion for making Earth a cleaner place for future generations, the company aims to redefine the global lifecycle of plastics by establishing a network of recycling facilities while reaching far beyond the scope of PET plasticsencompassing all the other types of plastic waste, ultimately creating a truly circular plastic economy around the world.
About DePoly SA
Headquartered in Switzerland, DePoly SA was founded in 2020 to develop an innovative solution addressing global plastic problems. Their chemical recycling technology converts post-consumer and post-industrial plastic waste streams into their main raw components, uniquely dealing with dirty and mixed plastics, fabrics, and fibers while recovering other materials. DePoly established a sustainable source of chemicals originally sourced from fossil fuels, creating a circular economy for plastics. To learn more, please visit www.depoly.co
About BASF Venture Capital GmbH
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF Venture Capital GmbH also contributes to this corporate purpose. Founded in 2001, BASF Venture Capital invests in Europe, the United States, Canada, China, India, Brazil, and Israel. Our goal is to generate new growth potential for current and future business areas of BASF by investing in young companies and funds. The focus of our venture investments includes decarbonization, circular economy, agtech, new materials, digitization, and new, disruptive business models. Further information at www.basf-vc.com.
About Wingman Ventures
Wingman Ventures is Switzerlands leading pre-seed fund, backing founder teams building tech companies with the potential to become global market leaders. Wingman has a track record of supporting exceptional founders in creating breakthrough companies and has the passionate conviction that the Swiss startup ecosystem is just starting to write its best success stories. To learn more, please visit www.wingman.ch.
About Beiersdorf AG
Beiersdorf has stood for innovative, high-quality skin care products as well as pioneering skin research for over 140 years. Leading international brands such as NIVEA, the worlds no. 1 skin care brand*, Eucerin (dermocosmetics), La Prairie (selective cosmetics), and Hansaplast/Elastoplast (plasters and wound care) are cherished by millions of people around the world day after day. Renowned brands such as Aquaphor, Coppertone, Chantecaille, Labello, 8×4, atrix, Hidrofugal, Maestro, and Florena round off our extensive portfolio in the Consumer Business Segment. Through the wholly owned affiliate tesa SE, Beiersdorf is also a globally leading manufacturer of technical adhesive tapes and provides self-adhesive solutions to industry, craft businesses, and consumers.
The Hamburg-based company generated sales of 8.8 billion as well as an operating result (EBIT) of 1,2 billion in fiscal year 2022. Beiersdorf has more than 20,000 employees worldwide, who are connected by shared core values, a strong corporate culture and the Beiersdorf purpose Care Beyond Skin. With its C.A.R.E.+ business strategy, the company pursues a multi-year investment program focusing on competitive, sustainable growth. The program is consistent with the ambitious sustainability agenda, with which Beiersdorf is generating clear added value for consumers, society, and the environment. *Source: Euromonitor International Limited; NIVEA by umbrella brand name in the categories Body Care, Face Care, and Hand Care; in retail value terms, 2021. Additional information can be found at www.beiersdorf.com.
About Iinfinity Recycling
Infinity Recycling was established to create markets for end-of-life plastic streams by investing in plastic recycling valorization technologies. Infinity Recyclings first offering, the Circular Plastic Fund, makes a significant contribution to solving the plastic waste problem and unlocking much-needed capacity in high-demand recycled commodities. The Fund implements a return-driven investment strategy that drives value creation in advanced recycling and accelerates the conversion to a circular economy for plastics. To learn more, please visit www.infinity-recycling.com.
About CIECH Ventures
CIECH Ventures is a part of the CIECH Group, a modern chemical holding and one of the industry leaders in Central and Eastern Europe. It is an open innovation company initiating cooperation between the CIECH Group and startups that develop technologies in the fields of chemistry, sustainable industry and agriculture. Its engagement with startups can take the form of investments, business partnerships or pilots. CIECH Ventures is particularly interested in solutions that can strengthen the Group's existing businesses, as well as technologies that can contribute to launching entirely new business ventures. To learn more, please visit www.ciech.ventures.
About Angel Invest
Angel Invest is Europes most active superangel fund. To learn more, please visit www.angelinvest.ventures.
Mineral & Financial Investments Ltd (AIM:MAFL) chief executive Jacques Vaillancourt speaks to Thomas Warner from Proactive following the release of an investment update about the Lagoa Salgada project in Portugal. Vaillancourt gives an overview of the latest news, as well as updating on a recent placing and providing an overview of two recent investments. He says that the business is "in a good position" as it rounds out the year to 30 June.
ETC Group co-founder and CEO Bradley Duke speaks to Thomas Warner from Proactive about what recent moves from the US Securities and Exchange Commission mean for the world of crypto and other digital assets. Duke says that recent rulings as well as some high-profile investments represent "the establishment really getting involved in getting behind crypto" over "the last week or two." He also gives his take on what Apple's new AR goggles may mean for the future of the metaverse concept.
Goodbody Health Ltd (OTCQB:GDBYF) group CEO George Thomas speaks to Thomas Warner from Proactive about the latest developments from the wellness and diagnostic services business. Thomas says that he's "excited about where the business is going" and highlights various products either launched recently or soon to be hitting the market. He also addresses the decision to de-list from the Aquis exchange and discusses the sale of Goodbody's CBD manufacturing facility in Poland.
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 27 June 2023 – Oasys, a gaming-optimised blockchain, today announced that it is in talks with MIXI Corporation to expand their partnership beyond MIXIs current role as a validator on the Oasys Chain. The two companies are exploring ways to collaborate on content production and other Web3-related initiatives to accelerate the growth of blockchain gaming.
MIXI, renowned for its blockbuster mobile game "Monster Strike," has been at the forefront of Web3 innovation with its sports-focused NFT marketplace, "DAZN MOMENTS."
The partnership between Oasys and MIXI would bring together the expertise of two leading companies in the blockchain gaming space. The two companies believe that they can work together to create innovative and engaging blockchain games that will appeal to a wide audience.
The two companies are still in the early stages of discussions, but they are both optimistic about the potential of the partnership. They believe that the partnership could help to accelerate the growth of blockchain gaming and make it more accessible to a wider audience.
About Oasys
Oasys is a blockchain-based game development platform that offers a highly scalable Layer 1 hub and specialised Layer 2 using Ethereum's Layer 2 scaling solution. The ecosystem provides game developers with a secure and scalable blockchain infrastructure for creating more efficient, secure, and interoperable games. Among Oasys validators are leaders in gaming and Web3, such as SEGA, Ubisoft, and Yield Guild Games, in our Proof-of-Stake (PoS) based blockchain. Oasys' expert blockchain team, combined with the biggest names in gaming, is revolutionising the gaming industry.
Oasys solves the challenges that game developers face when building blockchain-based games by focusing on creating an ecosystem for gamers and developers to distribute and develop games. The company's trifecta approach includes a fast network powered by the gaming community, a scalable network powered by AAA game developers, and a blockchain that provides the best user experience with fast transactions and zero gas fees. This approach prepares participants to enter the Oasys and play.
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 26 June 2023 – The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has applauded the city's convention business following a raft of new convention wins in 2023. I&T, medical, financial services, and education planning professionals have all chosen Hong Kong, solidifying the city's position as a preferred destination for academic exchanges and industry advancement.
Mr Kenneth Wong, General Manager, MICE & Cruise of HKTB, said, "The growing demand is providing a welcome stimulus for Hong Kong's economy. Thanks to Hong Kong's leading status across various industries and tremendous opportunities brought by the Greater Bay Area (GBA), we are delighted that Hong Kong further strengthens its status as the World's Meeting Place and remains a top choice among convention organisers."
Convention wins reinforce Hong Kong as I&T hub
One of this year's major wins is the EDGE Global AI & Web3 Investment Summit 2023 under the I&T sector. The inaugural edition of this event will be hosted in September 2023 in Hong Kong, and is expected to bring in 10,000 visitors. This major win followed the city's recent hosting of a number of Web3 events, including FOMO Asia Genesis Conference and WOW Summit 2023, which marked its entry to Asia Pacific.
Mr Ander Tsui, organiser of EDGE Global AI & Web3 Investment Summit 2023, Co-Chairman of Hong Kong Blockchain Association, Chairman of EDGE Summit Committee and Founder of VertexLabs said, "Hong Kong is simply a world-class stage for Web3 and artificial intelligence events and beyond. Not only does it draw global venture capitals, investment institutions, and enthusiasts from across the globe, but it also serves as the perfect gateway to the dynamic GBA. We look forward to seeing our high-octane event debut in Hong Kong."
Another major win the Insurtech Insights Asia 2023 Conference, which will take place in December 2023 with an expected attendance of 3,000 highlights the city's strong fundamentals, international business connections, as well as government support in the insurance, insurtech and I&T sectors.
Mr Kristoffer Lundberg, CEO Insurtech Insights and Mr Hung W. Wong, President Asia, Insurtech Insights said, "We are thrilled to be building the largest pan-Asia insurance and insurtech conference in Hong Kong to gather insurance executives, entrepreneurs, and investors by providing knowledge, inspiration and network. We are extremely grateful for the tremendous support from the Hong Kong governmental organisations."
Strong convention line-up in 2023
This year, the city is already recording an exciting calendar of conventions, in which the medical sector has taken the lion's share, including the 44th Asia Pacific Dental Congress 2023 in June and the 16th Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society Scientific Session, in conjunction with CardioRhythm, in September 2023.
Dr Nelson Wong, Hong Kong Convention Ambassador, President of the Asia Pacific Dental Federation and President of the Hong Kong Dental Association said, "The 44th Asia Pacific Dental Congress 2023 was a great success with the dedicated support from the HKTB. We are proud to play a part and strive for excellence in making Hong Kong a premier destination for international dental congresses."
The 44th Asia Pacific Dental Congress 2023 successfully attracted over 5,000 dentists and dental industry related participants from local and around the world.
Hong Kong Convention Ambassador programme expands to Mainland China
Leveraging the extensive network and influential power of the business leaders in Hong Kong, the HKTB introduced the Hong Kong Convention Ambassador (HKCA) programme back in 2020. Since then, industry leaders have led some 40 events to Hong Kong. This year the HKTB appointed 140 industry leaders from Hong Kong and Mainland China, which marks the HKCA programme expansion to Mainland China for the very first time.
Mr Kenneth Wong said "The formulation of the ambassador programme gives Hong Kong an edge in securing world-class conventions. We are very grateful for the support from local leaders, as well as our mainland counterparts. With close collaboration, we can showcase Hong Kong's unique role as a super-connector and a MICE hub of the GBA to capture boundless opportunities for business events."
With HKTB's continuous strategic bidding efforts and the well-developed and growing alliance of HKCA, Hong Kong is set to attract more world-class conventions, making it the first choice as the place to meet.
