Integrating Advanced Identity Verification to Increase Digital Safety and Improve User Experiences

Sappington, a leading technology marketing firm headquartered in Seattle, WA, has launched a new approach to expedite technology companies' marketing and sales results: The Sappington Value-based Methodology™.

Unlike traditional tech marketing, which leads with the capabilities of a product, solution, or platform, the Sappington Value-Based Methodology directly maps tech company solutions to the outcomes and value that business and technical decision makers expect. It creates clarity and understanding within a company's customer base about a technology's value, generating more leads, opening doors for executive-level sales conversations, and shortening the sales cycle.

"This is a marketing revolution," says Sappington CEO Tim Goggin. "Our innovation turns traditional marketing on its head to improve sales and marketing results significantly. It's now the foundation of all our executive-level creative work."

There's third-party validation that a new approach is needed. A recent Gartner survey showed that 43 percent of leaders in tech companies have observed a significant shift in customer preferences from buying solutions to purchasing outcomes. A new MIT CISR study similarly found that organizations focusing on customer outcomes outperform companies still focused on products and solutions.

"Products and capabilities no longer suffice to capture the attention and loyalty of today's discerning buyers—especially in today's competitive business landscape and unyielding economy," observes Goggin. "Customers expect specific business value and tangible outcomes from their tech investments. Reviewing capabilities is still valid but no longer the right way to start the conversation."

The Sappington Value-Based Methodology utilizes the proprietary Sappington Outcome Engine to help tech vendors' customers make faster, more confident buying decisions. The approach was made available to existing Sappington clients in August 2023 and is now generally available for new client accounts.

New Solutions Extend CCC’s Advanced AI to Claims Handlers and Deliver Actionable Intelligence for Early Decision-Making

CCC Intelligent Solutions (CCC), a leading cloud platform for the P&C insurance economy, today announced the next generation of its AI-based photo analysis capabilities, including its first solution that extends into claims handing and ahead of the appraisal process to help users identify potential indemnity amounts earlier. The offerings deliver actionable intelligence following FNOL, enabling insurers to pull forward key decisions that work to optimize and accelerate downstream processing across APD and casualty claims.

“With its new offerings, CCC is significantly increasing the power of digital photo analysis and delivering meaningful insights across the life of a claim,” said Andrew Schwartz, analyst at Celent Research, a leading research and advisory firm focused on technology for financial institutions globally. “Using its established AI capabilities, CCC can now help insurers make better determinations and decisions earlier, which are essential steps on the path to systematically improve claims cycle times and achieve more straight-through processing.”

New CCC Offerings

CCC® First Look, the company's first solution specifically for claims handlers can help insurers capture accident information sooner on more claims and is designed to ingest photos from various sources – including consumers and salvage providers. AI is applied to validate photos for use with other CCC products and inform optimal routing for each claim, which can support initiating multiple workflows simultaneously, including determining total loss potential, and triaging casualty claims.

CCC® Impact Dynamics applies AI to photos of vehicle damage to predict impact severity, which enables insurers to spot injury potential early and inform a series of important decisions including casualty claims segmentation and routing, early settlement opportunities, and reserve management. Impact Dynamics can help insurers pay what they owe more quickly and efficiently while achieving quicker speed to resolution for injured parties.

"The underlying facts of the accident are the basis for effective claims management," said John Goodson, chief product and technology officer for CCC. "With our new photo AI capabilities, CCC can help carriers know more sooner, ushering in a new, more intelligent claims process from the start. First Look and Impact Dynamics are just the beginning of CCC’s next generation offering designed to transform consumer experiences and optimize business outcomes for our customers."

Stellar Cyber, the innovator of Open XDR technology, has been included as a Sample Vendor in the Gartner report, Hype Cycle for Security Operations, 2023. The report offers detailed analyses of software technologies available to SecOps teams, including XDR and others. In assessing the Business Impact of XDR, the report says, “The simplicity of XDR to detect common threats reduces the need for internal skill sets and could reduce the staff needed to operate a more complex solution, such as security information and event management (SIEM). XDR can also help reduce the time and complexity associated with security operations tasks through a single centralized investigation and response system.”

One of the User Recommendations offered by XDR analysts Eric Ahlm, Thomas Lintemuth, and Franz Hinner was that users “favor security products that provide APIs for information sharing, and that allow automated actions to be sent from an XDR solution.” Stellar Cyber is the industry leader in providing APIs to other security tools, and is committed to creating new ones in less than two weeks upon customer request.

“Our founders saw from the beginning that unifying and analyzing information from across the infrastructure is essential to spotting and responding to complex attacks, which is why we pioneered Open XDR technology,” said Steve Garrison, SVP of Marketing at Stellar Cyber. “We believe this recognition by Gartner helps validate our approach.”

Buy-Side Representation of FVLCRUM, a Renowned Private Equity Investment Firm

JFS Partners, a specialized M&A Advisory and Consulting firm facilitating transactions in the MSP, cloud, colocation, and communications industries, announced today the acquisition of Advanced IT Concepts (AITC), an Orlando, Florida, area award-winning technology solutions provider, by FVLCRUM Partners (FVLCRUM).

JFS Partners served as buy-side advisor to FVLCRUM, a lower middle market buyout firm based in the Washington, D.C. Metro Area focused on investing in diverse companies to generate sustainable opportunity for underserved communities while simultaneously driving strong investor returns.

AITC is a leading player in the technology industry and has been recognized for its fast growth. The company earned a spot on the 2022 Washington Technology Fast 50 list of the fastest-growing government contractors nationwide. The acquisition of AITC represents a strategic move to expand FVLCRUM's portfolio and presence in the government contracting and technology sectors.

"JFS Partners provided an invaluable support throughout the AITC acquisition," said Chijioke Asomugha, Partner at FVLCRUM. "We are excited to align FVLCRUM's equity capital, experience, and network access to drive accelerated growth for AITC. JFS Partners' deep industry knowledge and commitment to delivering exceptional results were instrumental throughout the deal process."

"We are pleased to have advised FVLCRUM on this acquisition," said Jim Farrell, CEO of JFS Partners. "AITC is a remarkable company with a strong track record of delivering cutting-edge technology solutions. We are confident that this strategic move will unlock new opportunities and drive growth for FVLCRUM."

The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

GITEX Global 2023 concluded at the Dubai World Trade Centre today. As one of the world's premier tech events, GITEX drew a staggering 6,000 companies and over 100,000 attendees in the past few days, marking a global phenomenon for technological development and innovation worldwide.

Queclink, the world-leading IoT device and solution provider, returned to the event after a successful participation in 2022. This year, the company welcomed visitors in two booths, showcasing their expertise in empowering various sectors in the new era of connection.

In addition to a standard booth in which Queclink displayed an array of their IoT devices to the audience, another joint-booth was also set up this year in collaboration with Wialon, a leading platform for fleet management developed by Gurtam, where integrated solutions combining hardware devices and software services were highlighted and introduced.

In line with the theme, 'The Year to Imagine AI in Everything,' Queclink presented their unique AI-powered IoT device, CV200, to the visitors at the show. The device is a full-telematics dash camera that features a driver monitoring system and ADAS functions, and is designed with a focus on enhanced safety on the road.

This smart 4G dash camera boasts a flexible design, catering to all sizes of vehicles from trailers, trunks, to vans and cars. Equipped with advanced AI algorithms, the CV200 can identify harsh or dangerous driving behavior, assist in driver training while also recording and uploading necessary data and videos in real-time.

Besides, as Dubai embraces the 5G era, empowering 5G connectivity emerged as a major topic at this year's GITEX event. And Queclink's industrial router product line, particularly the 5G industrial cellular router WR300FG, has stolen the spotlight. This router, featuring a dual SIM card design for network stability, fast connectivity, and reliable data security, offers outstanding performance for smart factory, edge computing, IoV, smart cities, and many more as 5G coverage continues to expand.

Queclink has also brought with them advanced vehicle and asset tracking options, a field that the company has been excelling at for the last decade. The exhibited devices include the GV58CEU compact vehicle tracker designed for basic tracking needs, the GV350CEU flashship device for versatile fleet management, the GL521MG asset tracker, etc., all of which are expected to help businesses drive better results and explore exciting opportunities as IoT technology advances.

This year, Queclink has actively participated in an array of prestigious exhibitions and tradeshows across the globe. Their presence was felt at many renowned events such as SIDO and TechEx in Europe, Expo Seguridad Mexico and Brazil Exposec in Latin America, as well as MWC Shanghai and CIMAMotor in Asia. By demonstrating their global leadership in the IoT space, Queclink has solidified its reputation as a key player in the industry and reinforced its commitment to driving innovation across continents.

With a focus on transportation, mobility, and network connectivity, Queclink continues to enrich its product portfolio, bringing IoT to more sectors across the board. As their presence in Europe and the Middle East strengthens, the attendees can anticipate more innovative solutions from the company at next year's event and beyond.

CDS Visual, part of Dover and a leading provider of software as a service (SaaS) 3D visualization solutions, today announced the release of CDS Partable™, a high-performance interactive visual search platform designed to drive incremental sales for aftermarket organizations at industrial OEMs such as industrial machinery, specialty vehicles, HVAC equipment, etc. The Partable application simplifies the setup and management of aftermarket part search capabilities, ensuring an optimal experience for shoppers as they quickly find and purchase the spare parts they need.

Partable integrates seamlessly with Salesforce Commerce Cloud™ and other B2B e-Commerce platforms, enhancing the spare parts identification process with 2D exploded drawings and interactive 3D model searches. Non-technical users can quickly select and identify the correct replacement part.

"Partable can truly be transformative as it delivers a superb customer experience, allowing users to navigate interactive 3D models to quickly identify and select spare parts," said John Major, General Manager at CDS Visual. "Partable correlates the parts in the drawing with the sellable parts, enabling users to add to the Salesforce Commerce Cloud cart easily. Its design makes it easy for both novice and experienced users to identify sub-components, specific parts, or replacement parts for complex equipment, helping customers save valuable time and increase efficiency in their search and selection capabilities."

Key Features of Partable Include:

• 2D & 3D Visual Search: Exploded view product images with hotspots, interactive 3D with part selection, and BOM navigation for 3D models.
• Specialized Searches: Filter by serial number, product version, order history and more.
• Easy-to-use AI-powered authoring tools: Streamlined creation readily transforms legacy 2D exploded view images, serial number specific BOM data, and 3D CAD assets into powerful interlinked and search-friendly digital spare part catalogs.
• Integration with Salesforce Commerce Cloud: API-based integration for callback operations and data transfer with customer back-office systems.
• Approved Salesforce Commerce Cloud application: Available on the CDS Partable page in the Salesforce App Exchange™.
• SaaS Subscription: Subscription license with five administrator licenses and unlimited end users.

Partable also offers features such as visualization and product navigation facilitators, suppression functionality and authoring support for interactive content creation. It is designed to reduce costs, increase profits and enhance the overall customer experience.

Customers, dealers, distributors and technicians can now identify spare parts more efficiently and add them to the shopping cart with just one click. Partable ensures higher order accuracy, fewer returns and lower shopping cart abandonment rates.

The funding will accelerate the development of copresence’s groundbreaking digital avatar creation platform, enhancing digital communication across gaming, XR experiences and video conferencing.

COPRESENCE AG (“copresence”), a pioneer in digital avatar generation software, has today announced it has successfully secured more than USD $6 million in seed funding. This investment will fast-track the company’s ambitious growth plans and further the development of its innovative technology that facilitates the creation of photorealistic 3D avatars using just a smartphone.

The seed funding will be channeled towards expanding the copresence team, enhancing the platform’s capabilities, and strengthening business engagements across the globe. The focus will be to refine the copresence platform and app to ensure seamless avatar creation and integration across various digital platforms, fulfilling the growing demand for personalized digital interactions.

“This latest funding is a testament to the potential of the copresence platform and underscores the innovative capabilities of our technology,” said Radek Mackowiak, CEO of Copresence. “With the backing of our incredible investors, we're poised to expand our talented team and refine our leading 3D avatar creation platform. This investment will significantly accelerate our roadmap, further fueling our mission to bridge the physical and digital worlds through photorealistic avatars.”

With full compatibility across leading 3D engines such as Unity and Unreal Engine, the copresence platform empowers users and developers to effortlessly produce high-quality, 3D avatars in minutes. These avatars can then be utilized across gaming, virtual, augmented, and mixed reality (VR/AR/MR – collectively XR), and video conferencing to provide more authentic character representations and personalized experiences.

Copresence recently announced the open beta launch of its self-titled app on the Apple App Store, empowering iOS users to easily create their own photorealistic digital avatars in a matter of minutes.

Copresence is dedicated to continually advancing its technology and will showcase its state-of-the-art digital avatar creation platform at the upcoming Augmented World Expo (AWE) in Vienna, Austria from October 24-25. Attendees will have an opportunity to experience first-hand the transformative potential of copresence’s digital avatar creation platform.

Appointment is bolstered by Optimove's significant growth, as the Customer-Led Marketing Platform expands its global footprint

Optimove, the leading Customer-Led Marketing Platform, today announced it has appointed Shai Frank as Senior Vice President of Product and General Manager of the Americas. With five years of tenure at Optimove and over eighteen years in product management, Frank brings a wealth of industry knowledge and a customer-centric approach that will further accelerate Optimove's growth and reinforces its mission of prioritizing customers in marketing strategies.

The appointment coincides with Optimove’s expanded global operations and strengthened support in the Americas. With significant company growth driven by pioneering product development initiatives, Optimove has established itself as the bellwether company, setting new industry standards in Customer-Led Marketing.

This expansion underscores Optimove's dedication to partnering with leading B2C brands worldwide, helping marketers deliver exceptional customer experiences at every touchpoint.

Optimove's Founder & CEO, Pini Yakuel, expressed his confidence in Shai as a key player in the company's growth trajectory, stating, "Optimove's growth over the past five years is a testament to our unwavering commitment to Customer-Led Marketing. Shai Frank's expertise and deep understanding of Customer-Led Marketing make him the perfect candidate to lead this charge in the Americas. With his guidance, we are poised to continue delivering exceptional value to our customers."

Optimove's Customer-Led Marketing Platform revolutionizes the industry by placing the customer at the heart of marketing initiatives, surpassing traditional campaign- and product-centric approaches. By leveraging rich historical, real-time, and predictive customer data, AI-led multichannel journey orchestration, and statistically credible multitouch attribution, Optimove empowers brands to maximize customer lifetime value and foster long-term loyalty.

Shai Frank, newly appointed Senior Vice President of Product and GM for the Americas, shared his enthusiasm, saying, “I am humbled to be chosen to help drive Optimove's expansion efforts in the Americas. Being able to deepen our relationship with clients is a crucial element to enhancing our offering. The prospect of meeting daily with leading B2C brands to understand their needs better and sharing how Customer-Led Marketing can result in a 33% average uptick in customer lifetime value is extremely exciting.”

With an impressive track record of profitability since its inception, Optimove has established itself as a trusted partner to hundreds of leading consumer brands, including BetMGM, SodaStream, Pennsylvania Lottery, Blain’s Farm and Fleet, bet365, and Staples. These brands have experienced the substantial benefits of Optimove's platform and its ability to solve industry-specific challenges and needs.

This announcement comes on the heels of Gartner Ranking Optimove #1 in Journey Orchestration in its 2023 Critical Capabilities for Multichannel Marketing Hubs. Optimove is also positioned highest in execution and vision among Challengers in the Magic Quadrant for Multichannel Marketing Hubs and is recognized as a noted leader in Customer Intelligence and Measurement and Optimization.

In 2021, Optimove raised $75 million in a funding round led by Summit Partners, following earlier funding of $20 million. With a strong foundation of significant growth, an unwavering focus on customer success, and continued innovation, Optimove is well-positioned to shape the future of Customer-Led Marketing and drive the industry forward.