February 1, 2022

JES3plus Training Now Available Through Interskill Learning Mainframe Course Catalog

IBM Mainframe Specialist — JES3plus Experienced 1.1 — Interskill — IBM Digital Credential

IBM Authorized Digital Credential earned on completion of JES3plus course

IBM Authorized Digital Badge Awarded on Completion of JES3^plus Training

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Feb. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Interskill Learning, a leading independent supplier of online mainframe training, and Phoenix Software International, Inc., today announced the release of a JES3^plus course curriculum. JES3^plus, developed by Phoenix Software International, Inc., is a derivative work based on z/OS^® JES3, and offers a path forward for organizations wishing to remain on JES3 technology in lieu of a costly and potentially risky JES2 conversion. z/OS 2.5, the latest release of the operating system, is the last to include JES3. Upon completion of the course, students will earn an IBM Authorized Digital Badge — JES3^plus Experienced 1.1.

JES3^plus customers and JES3 organizations planning their migration to JES3^plus will benefit from access to training for existing staff and new hires. The Interskill course designers worked closely with the JES3^plus development team at Phoenix Software to provide detailed online, on-demand JES3^plus training for mainframe personnel. The course is appropriate for application programmers, system programmers, and system operators.

The JES3^plus training curriculum consists of five modules:

Introduction to JES3^plus
Working with JES3^plus
Monitoring the JES3^plus Environment
Defining the JES3^plus Environment
Application Interaction with JES3^plus

Detailed information about the JES3^plus course and each module is available on the Phoenix Software website.

IBM offers an official IBM Authorized Digital Credential which is earned on completion of the five JES3^plus modules. The IBM Digital Badge Program offers a recognized, respected and valued benchmark for Z mainframe knowledge and skills in the global mainframe computing industry.

Ed Jaffe, Chief Technology Officer at Phoenix Software International, said, “Our JES3^plus team really enjoyed partnering with Interskill. In doing so, we learned first-hand why they’re considered the de facto source for mainframe training globally. Interskill’s talented course developers did a great job of tapping our decades of JES3 knowledge to create an e-learning curriculum that serves as a solid foundation for mainframers working in JES3^plus shops.”

Darren Surch, COO of Interskill Learning, said, “JES3 is critical to many mainframe organizations and this collaboration with Phoenix Software lets us harness their team’s remarkable depth and breadth of knowledge to provide quality, insightful, on-demand training on the important JES3^plus product. We are excited to include this exceptional course in Interskill’s extensive online mainframe training curriculum.”

About Interskill Learning

Interskill Learning (https://www.interskill.com) is a leading provider of IBM Z mainframe training. The company develops, delivers and supports the broad array of modern Z mainframe workforce training components that deliver year-round, global, broad-spectrum mainframe training to mainframe personnel.

About Phoenix Software International

Phoenix Software International, Inc., (https://www.phoenixsoftware.com/) is a systems software development company providing advanced software applications to enterprises around the globe. The company offers a wide range of solutions to modern business challenges.

Press contact:
(310) 338-0400
news@phoenixsoftware.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/83dce5bd-f9bf-4b6b-bf5e-e65a101cc0cd

The photo is also available via AP PhotoExpress.

February 1, 2022

Chargebee Raises Another $250M to Meet Surging Demand from Growing Subscription and SaaS businesses

Funding led by Tiger Global and Sequoia more than doubles valuation to $3.5B in just 9 months

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Chargebee, the leading subscription management platform, today announced the closing of a $250 million investment round co-led by Tiger Global and Sequoia Capital, along with returning investors including Insight Partners, Sapphire and Steadview Capital. This round follows a previous round in April raising $125 million at a $1.4 billion valuation, bringing the total investment in the company to $470 million.

More businesses are becoming or being born as recurring revenue businesses. UBS financial services firm predicts that this “subscription economy” will grow to $1.5 trillion by 2025, more than doubling its current $650 billion estimate. As the market grows, so does the opportunity for Chargebee’s global customer base. The new round of funding will be used towards product innovation and global expansion to support the billing and revenue needs of current and future subscription businesses, as well as strategic corporate growth initiatives.

“We built Chargebee to solve infrastructure issues facing high-growth subscription businesses with a product roadmap laser focused on replacing in-house systems orchestrating the complex parts of revenue intelligence like billing and payments. As subscription offerings continue to rapidly evolve, our focus remains on providing a flexible growth engine to power, capture and understand revenue, all in real time,” said Krish Subramanian, CEO and co-founder of Chargebee. “This round of funding will drive innovation to empower the next generation of businesses leveraging subscription billing models to quickly start, scale and transform.”

Chargebee manages revenue operations for subscription-based businesses ranging from early-stage startups to larger enterprises, including Freshworks, Calendly, Doodle and Pret a Manger. Through simple and seamless integrations, Chargebee captures the entire revenue lifecycle from first interaction to the closing of the books each month, empowering teams to make business growth decisions with confidence.

“We believe every company will be a subscription company in the future. The predictability of a subscription business model is extremely attractive, and Chargebee is the leading revenue management partner for the subscription economy. Its platform offers customers a real-time 360-degree view into revenues and user behavior and the intelligence they can use to quickly adapt and make better business decisions. Sequoia’s investment reflects the growing market need and belief in the Chargebee team,” said Tejeshwi Sharma, MD, Sequoia India.

The company recently expanded offerings to build a unified revenue management platform with strategic acquisitions of leaders in revenue recognition (RevLock) and churn deflection and retention (Brightback). In the last year, the platform also added capabilities to optimize revenue growth with new payment methods and gateways, support for one-time payments to meet local tax and e-voicing regulatory and compliance requirements, enhanced reporting and analytics and updated integrations with ERPs (Netsuite and Microsoft Dynamics) and CRMs (Hubspot and Zoho) to support more complex sales motions. The company has also expanded globally with new offices and investments in Australia and India and partnerships with industry leaders including GoCardless, Salesforce, Hubspot and PayPal.

About Chargebee

Chargebee is the subscription management platform that automates revenue operations of over 4,000 subscription-based businesses from startups to enterprises. The SaaS platform helps subscription businesses across verticals, including SaaS, eCommerce, e-learning, IoT, Publications, and more, manage and grow revenue by automating subscription, billing, invoicing, payments, and revenue recognition operations and provides key metrics, reports, and business insights. Founded in 2011, Chargebee counts businesses, like Okta, Freshworks, Calendly, and Study.com amongst its global customer base. Learn more about Chargebee at www.chargebee.com

Media Contact
Penny Desatnik
penny@chargebee.com

February 1, 2022

Lantronix Launches Application-Specific Industrial IoT Solutions Based on Its New G520 Series Cellular Gateways

Solutions target three verticals: Industry 4.0, Security and Transport

IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lantronix Inc. (NASDAQ: LTRX), a global provider of secure turnkey solutions for intelligent IT and Internet of Things (IoT), today announced its launch of application-specific industrial IoT solutions that address concerns in Industry 4.0, Security and Transport markets with its G520 Series Smart cellular IoT devices and services. Now available are the G520 Industrial, a competitive cellular industrial protocol converter router; and G520 Security, a high-speed LTE CAT13 and 5G communication router to reduce cybersecurity threats. G520 Transport will be launched later in 2022.

The G520 industrial and security gateways offer a complete solution and comes pre-configured with Lantronix’s award-winning ConsoleFlow™ cloud-based device management, which increases operational efficiency by providing a single pane from which to manage remote assets. It also comes pre-configured for Lantronix Connectivity Services, which provide North American and global cellular data plans and VPN security with an easy-to-use cloud platform to manage SIMs and services.

“In response to the rapidly growing Industrial IoT market, Lantronix delivers competitive solutions that address and solve the market’s challenges,” said Paul Pickle, CEO of Lantronix. “Our offerings of software, hardware and connectivity services provide our customers with the proven integration and ease-of-use needed for success in today’s IoT-driven world.”

According to Berg Insight, global cellular IoT device shipments increased by 14 percent in 2020 to reach 302.7 million units and are forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.8 percent to reach 629.6 million units by 2025.

Now available are:

G520 Industrial, which is an industrial-grade competitive Protocol conversion router with LTE communication, multiple interfaces and Fieldbus protocol conversions (e.g., Modbus, DNP3 and IEC) that are provisioned in minutes using the ConsoleFlow platform.
G520 Security, which supports high-speed LTE cat13 and 5G, reducing the possibility of cyberattacks with its dedicated quantum Security chip and Lantronix’s proprietary InfiniShield™ software suite while its small form factor and Power Over Ethernet function simplify deployment.

Coming soon is:

G520 Transport, which delivers the ultimate hybrid solution based on Lantronix’s 25 years of experience in telematics gateways and Wi-Fi mobile routing. With Wi-Fi on vehicle, location base, sensor enabled and CAN bus reading, G520 Transport is an easy-to-deploy and safely managed solution.

For more information, visit https://www.lantronix.com/products/g520/

About Lantronix

Lantronix Inc. is a global provider of secure turnkey solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT) and Remote Environment Management (REM), offering Software as a Service (SaaS), connectivity services, engineering services and intelligent hardware.

Lantronix enables its customers to accelerate time to market and increase operational up-time and efficiency by providing reliable, secure and connected Intelligent Edge IoT and Remote Management Gateway solutions.

Lantronix’s products and services dramatically simplify the creation, development, deployment and management of IoT and IT projects across Robotics, Automotive, Wearables, Video Conferencing, Industrial, Medical, Logistics, Smart Cities, Security, Retail, Branch Office, Server Room, and Datacenter applications. For more information, visit the Lantronix website.

Learn more at the Lantronix blog, which features industry discussion and updates. Follow Lantronix on Twitter, view our YouTube video library or connect with us on LinkedIn.

“Safe Harbor” Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Any statements set forth in this news release that are not entirely historical and factual in nature, including without limitation statements related to our solutions, technologies and products. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results, future business, financial condition, or performance to differ materially from our historical results or those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statement contained in this news release. The potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, such factors as the effects of negative or worsening regional and worldwide economic conditions or market instability on our business, including effects on purchasing decisions by our customers; the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on our employees, supply and distribution chains, and the global economy; cybersecurity risks; changes in applicable U.S. and foreign government laws, regulations, and tariffs; our ability to successfully implement our acquisitions strategy or integrate acquired companies; difficulties and costs of protecting patents and other proprietary rights; the level of our indebtedness, our ability to service our indebtedness and the restrictions in our debt agreements; and any additional factors included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on September 11, 2021, including in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of Part I of such report, as well as in our other public filings with the SEC. Additional risk factors may be identified from time to time in our future filings. The forward-looking statements included in this release speak only as of the date hereof, and we do not undertake any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

Lantronix Media Contact:
Gail Kathryn Miller
Corporate Marketing &
Communications Manager
media@lantronix.com
949-453-7158

Lantronix Analyst and Investor Contact:
Jeremy Whitaker
Chief Financial Officer
investors@lantronix.com
949-450-7241

Lantronix Sales:
sales@lantronix.com
Americas +1 (800) 422-7055 (US and Canada) or +1 949-453-3990
Europe, Middle East and Africa +31 (0)76 52 36 744
Asia Pacific + 852 3428-2338
China + 86 21-6237-8868
Japan +81 (0) 50-1354-6201
India +91 994-551-2488

February 1, 2022

Bahrain Secretary General of Higher Education Council – Exemption of RCSI Bahrain graduates from exams to practice medicine in the United Kingdom is a testament to the quality of higher education in Bahrain

Manama, Bahrain, Feb. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The General Medical Council (GMC) in the United Kingdom has given approval for the medical graduates of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland – Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) to apply for registration to practice in the United Kingdom, without having to undertake the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) licensing examinations. PLAB examinations are administered by the General Medical Council to ensure that doctors who have received qualifications from abroad have the correct level of knowledge and skills to practice medicine in the UK.

RCSI Bahrain medical graduates can now apply for registration with the GMC through the Relevant European Qualification (REQ) pathway, thanks to the recognised medical degree awarded to them under the governance of RCSI in Dublin. This significant milestone will ease the process of accessing internship and postgraduate training opportunities for all RCSI Bahrain medical graduates in the UK, regardless of their nationality. Currently, 170 medical alumni are based in the United Kingdom, either working or training to international standards and availing of extended learning opportunities.

On this occasion, Her Excellency Dr Shaikha Rana bint Isa bin Duaij Al Khalifa, Bahrain’s Secretary General of the Higher Education Council (HEC) and Deputy Chair of the HEC Board of Trustees, affirmed the approval received as global recognition of the quality of higher education in the Kingdom of Bahrain, under the care of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister. RCSI Bahrain’s achievement also testifies to the policies enforced by the HEC Board of Trustees to advance higher education outcomes, encourage Bahraini institutions to obtain international accreditations for their academic programmes and accomplish the initiatives of the national strategy for higher education.

President of RCSI Bahrain, Professor Sameer Otoom commented, “Providing easier access to medical training in the United Kingdom is of great advantage for the numerous benefits it brings to our students, alumni and all healthcare facilities. Over the years, a number of our alumni have returned to their home country with unparalleled experiences and have made great strides in their fields of expertise. Creating a diverse body of internationally-trained medical professionals will enhance the knowledge base, research and quality of healthcare services for the benefit of all patients in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.”

About RCSI Bahrain

RCSI Bahrain is a constituent university of RCSI, which was established in Dublin, Ireland, in 1784. RCSI Bahrain, an independent private university, opened its doors to a cohort of 28 medical students in 2004. It is a not-for-profit health sciences institution focused on education and research to drive positive change in all areas of human health worldwide. Today, the purpose-built campus is home to a student body of more than 1,300 across Schools of Medicine; Nursing and Midwifery and Postgraduate Studies and Research.

For more information, please visit www.rcsi.com/bahrain

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RCSI Bahrain Facebook

RCSI Bahrain LinkedIn

Attachments

Doaa Magdy
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain)
+97316660194  /  +973 39929700
dmagdy@rcsi-mub.com

February 1, 2022

Sweegen Blazes New Territory in Sugar Reduction with Forward Progress in Brazzein

Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., Feb. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sweegen, a pioneer in wellness ingredient technologies and innovations, announced today the commercialization of its newest advancement in sweetness, the high-intensity sweetener brazzein. Starting this month, food and beverage brands seeking new ways to create better-for-you and reduced sugar products can begin product development activities with Sweegen’s Ultratia™ brazzein.

Samples are ready for brands interested in expanding their sugar reduction toolkits with cost-competitive ingredients to sugar. Brazzein is 500 to 2,000 times sweeter than regular sugar and low-calorie, making it an excellent alternative to sugar, artificial sweeteners, and old generation nature-based sweeteners such as stevia rebaudioside A.

“In 2021, Sweegen launched our Taste Blazer concept, which is a promise to the food and beverage industry that we will help forge a new path for creating truly better-for-you foods,” said Sally Aaron, senior vice president of marketing. “Sweegen’s Ultratia™ brazzein is a key tool to help brands explore entirely new ways to improve the health profile of existing and new products.”

Brazzein is a protein sweetener that promises little to no bitter aftertaste and helps reduce sweet linger, thereby reducing the taste challenges that have historically been a problem in the natural sweetener space. Brazzein is ideal for sugar reduction across various food and beverage applications.

“With Sweegen’s growing and proprietary portfolio of Signature Sweetness Solutions, product developers have more creative possibilities for developing mainstream reduced sugar foods and beverages, as well as innovations for popular diets such as Keto and low-to-no carbohydrate lifestyles,” said Aaron. “With Sweegen’s Ultratia™ brazzein, coupled with our portfolio of advanced stevia sweeteners, and our Flavors for Taste Modulation, featuring bitter blocking technology, brands now have modern tools for creating great-tasting products with consumer appeal,” said Aaron.

The pressure for mainstream food and beverage products to migrate to a healthier sugar and calorie profile has never been greater. Just last month, the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region announced a new, voluntary Member State-led Sugar and Calorie Reduction Network to promote healthier diets and reduce overweight and obesity levels across the European region. The United Kingdom, which will lead the Network in its first three-year term, reports that sugar intake exceeds recommendations across all age groups in the country. The WHO reports that excess sugar consumption is true in many other countries in the European region.

“We’re charting new territory in sugar reduction solutions by bringing Sweegen’s Ultratia™ brazzein to market,” said Steven Chen, chief executive officer.

Brazzein’s extraordinary qualities enable it to join the ranks of other high-intensity sweeteners in a highly competitive way. Still, the quest to scale and commercialize has proven difficult until now. Found sparingly in nature, brazzein derives from the West African climbing plant’s fruit, oubli. To scale brazzein sustainably, Sweegen uses a proprietary precision fermentation process, a technology that produces clean and sustainable ingredients. In addition to scaling the manufacturing process, Sweegen is currently pursuing a range of global regulatory approvals.

“The launch of Sweegen’s Ultratia™ brazzein demonstrates our prioritized commitment to opening access to groundbreaking sugar reduction solutions for the global food and beverage industry,” said Chen. “We envision a better world through the lens of better foods for health and wellness.”

About Sweegen
Sweegen provides sweet taste solutions for food and beverage manufacturers around the world.

We are on a mission to reduce the sugar and artificial sweeteners in our global diet. Partnering with customers, we create delicious zero-sugar products that consumers love. Our portfolio has the best modern sweeteners, such as Bestevia® Rebs B, D, E, I, M, and N, and Ultratia™ brazzein, along with our deep knowledge of flavor modulators and texturants, Sweegen delivers market-leading solutions that customers want, and consumers prefer. Well. Into the Future.

For more information, please contact info@sweegen.com and visit Sweegen’s website, www.sweegen.com.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, among other statements, statements regarding the future prospects for Reb M stevia leaf sweetener. These statements are based on current expectations but are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are beyond the control of Sweegen, Inc.

Relevant risks and uncertainties include those referenced in the historic filings of Sweegen, Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements and therefore should be carefully considered. Sweegen, Inc. assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements due to new information or future events or developments.

Attachments

Ana Arakelian
Sweegen
949-709-0583
ana.arakelian@sweegen.com

February 1, 2022

Retailo Raises $36M million in Landmark Series A Round For Empowering Community Commerce in MENA Region

MENA’s fastest growing B2B start-up focusing on regional expansion and many new initiatives to carry momentum forward

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Retailo, the fastest growing startup in Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan (MENAP) which is digitizing the region’s retail supply chains, has raised $36 million in its Series A investment round which was a mix of equity and venture debt. Retailo is a regional B2B marketplace in MENAP and has raised a total investment of $45 million in less than 1.5 years of operations, a landmark for any startup in the region.

Retailo’s Series A round has attracted leading investors with proven track records of impactful investments. The round was led by Silicon Valley based Graphene Ventures which was an investor of tech giants Snapchat and Lyft.

For Retailo’s Series A, Graphene is joined by leading investors that include 500 Global, Agility, Aujan, Tech Invest Com and Mentor’s Fund, all of which have the relevant exposure and investments in the retail industry’s technology companies. The venture debt was raised from Nahda Fund – one of the Middle East’s first venture debt funds which is backed by IMM Investment Global, based in Hong Kong. Additionally, Shorooq Partners, Abercross Holdings, Arzan VC, AgFunder also participated in the round as repeat investors which demonstrates their continuing belief in Retailo’s successful future.

Retail in MENAP is a $500 billion industry which consists of over 10 million small businesses to serve a population of more than 700 million consumers. However, the majority of this retail industry is informal and undigitized. Small businesses have to rely on inefficient supply chains and limited financial resources while operating on impossible margins. Retailo aims to champion these small business owners by building a suite of technologies around them. The company has begun this via their B2B community commerce platform which is used by over 50,000 retailers monthly.

On Retailo’s mobile platform, small businesses can find a wide catalogue of over 5,000 SKUs which are delivered to their doorstep in less than 24 hours. They can also avail Buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) services, which give them flexible payment options and credit lines. By providing timely supply, competitive rates, and easy credit, Retailo is able to address the needs of retailers and significantly improve their business.

To offer a one-stop shop solution, Retailo (https://retailo.co) directly works with hundreds of leading local, regional and global brands. Retailo also optimizes end-to-end logistics in the supply chain via efficient warehousing operations and smart fleet management solutions. Leveraging its wide regional presence, Retailo has recently begun offering its sellers a cross-border distribution platform across the three biggest markets in the region: KSA, UAE and Pakistan. Retailo also provides data analytics services to sellers to help them evaluate sales performance and consumption trends.

Headquartered in Riyadh, Retailo was founded by former Careem executives Talha Ansari, Wahaj Ahmed and Mohammad Nowkhaiz in July 2020 with a unique regional launch. Growth has been quick and in only 18 months Retailo has scaled to 10+ cities in 3 countries: KSA, UAE and Pakistan. “The multi-market strategy from day one was unconventional and challenging. Covid made it even more so. But now Retailo is a scalable organization with hundreds of millions of dollars in annualized revenue and colleagues from multiple nationalities and diverse backgrounds who have left leading institutions like Amazon, Delivery Hero and Goldman Sachs to fulfil Retailo mission in building technology that empowers 10 million retailers in the region,” said Himag Vaidya, Retailo’s Head of Strategy.

Nabil A. Borhanu, partner at Graphene Ventures said, “We are impressed with what Retailo has achieved in an astonishingly short time. Their vision is both ambitious and inspiring and we believe that partnering with them is a sound business investment and also a chance to truly improve the lives of millions of people.”

The Series A funding will help Retailo move into the next phase of expansion into new geographies, verticals and products. “As global supply chains come under stress pushing up commodity prices and depressing GDP growth, the value of smart supply chains becomes even more important,” said Retailo’s CEO Talha Ansari. “The retail sector serves 700 million persons in MENAP, contributes almost 20% to the GDP and employs tens of millions. By providing technology solutions to this underserved market, we are not only improving lives but also uplifting the economy of the entire MENAP region.”

For further information, please contact:
Sibtain Naqvi
Director Strategic Communications
Retailo Technologies
Email: sibtain.naqvi@retailo.co
+923062497523

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1736889/Retailo.jpg