Fanbase, the ad-free social media platform that allows users to monetize their content and connect with their audience through various media features, announces that its current equity crowdfunding round has successfully crossed $4.50 million. This brings the total amount raised by Fanbase to $10 million.

This will be the third seed round for the general public to invest in Fanbase. Fanbase utilizes Startengine for Equity Crowdfunding to reinforce Fanbase's unwavering commitment to promoting equality and inclusivity in the realm of social media, especially for historically marginalized communities.

Founded by Isaac Hayes III, son of the famed Iconic Soul Icon, Isaac Hayes. Isaac's mission is to enable users to freely reach the entire social audience & democratize social media for all. That's why the company's brand promise is proudly "Be You. Without Limits." 

"Equity crowdfunding is our way of inviting the Fanbase community to own a piece of the platform they believe in. We're not just building a product; we're growing a community- driven ecosystem where every voice, every creator, and every supporter shares in our collective success." - Isaac Hayes III

This vision underpins Fanbase's objective of empowering users and providing them with a platform where their voices can truly be heard.

Fanbase has an innovative approach to social media monetization for users. Users can engage with a range of media features, including photo/video, audio chat, live streaming, stories, short-form, and long-form video. Fanbase offers the option for users to subscribe to each other through in-app purchases, fostering creativity and enabling all users to monetize their work directly via their Fanbase profiles. Fanbase distinguishes itself through its affordability and inclusivity. The app is free to download and use, allowing anyone to create a profile, build a following, and connect with others. 

Fanbase further extends their brand promise by taking advantage of the Obama administration's passed legislation, "The JOBS Act" .This allows main street small businesses and high-growth enterprises to raise capital from retail citizen investors more efficiently. Allowing small and young firms across the country to grow and hire faster, as well as giving everyday citizens the opportunity to invest in small startups.

Equity crowdfunding provides a unique opportunity for businesses to turn their customers into owners and create a more loyal user base ready to promote the business.

Waking up every day dedicated to improving the Fanbase user experience the funds raised in this successful equity crowdfunding round will be directed towards Fanbase's expansion and development initiatives. These funds will enhance user experience, enhance creator tools, improve platform features, and expand marketing efforts to reach a wider audience.

Fanbase Social Media extends an open invitation to all to join them in their mission to reshape the social media landscape, champion diversity, and ensure that every voice is heard.

New survey finds 70% of consumers feel personally connected to their favorite creators and 95% have learned something new from a creator, among other findings

Today, Teachable unveiled its inaugural consumer report, titled Creator Connections, on the trends and behaviors shaping fans and their favorite creators. The report, based on a survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers, tackles everything from the nitty gritty of what goes into winning content to the anatomy of developing authentic fan-creator connections.

Key findings include:

• Despite algorithms serving up endless streams of content, a majority of consumers only follow and meaningfully engage with one to five creators.
• 70% of consumers say they feel personally connected to the creators they're most engaged with—and roughly 66% of those consumers say they feel that connection within just a few days to weeks.
• 40% of consumers say their decision to buy creator products or content is influenced by a sincere desire to support creators, and this percentage rises to 50% among Gen Z.
• Beyond entertainment—95% of consumers say they've learned something new from a creator. What's more, 80% somewhat or strongly agree they've made noticeable improvements in their lives thanks to insights or guidance from a creator.
• Long-form social content is closing in on short-form as Gen Z's favorite format. Of note, live streams emerged as the third favorite across all generations. Plus, the majority of consumers prefer less-produced content.

"It takes a highly engaged community—of fans, followers, students, subscribers, you name it—for creators to achieve long-term, sustainable growth. And that growth is the north star for even the biggest and best creators out there," says Mark Haseltine, Teachable CEO. "With this report, we set out to understand the trends shaping the people who are logging on, tuning in, and religiously following creators of all kinds. We hope these new insights help not just our Teachable creators, but creators across the industry who are looking to find new and better ways to deliver content, products, and experiences that make an impact—in the here and now, and for some time to come."

With a few clicks, developers can now sign up and integrate Pixalate’s advertising fraud prevention technology into their apps and websites without signing long-term contracts

Pixalate, the global market-leading ad fraud protection, privacy, and compliance analytics platform, today announced general availability of its self-service Ad Fraud Prevention API. With no annual commitments or upfront costs, developers and publishers of all sizes can access Pixalate’s reliable and low-latency solution to easily scale and grow. 

Pixalate APIs are powered by the company’s MRC-accredited Analytics platform. Accreditation areas include sophisticated invalid traffic (SIVT) detection & filtration for both display and video across Connected TV (CTV), mobile app, mobile web, and desktop.

Access to MRC-accredited ad fraud prevention tools has historically been limited to large, enterprise sized publishers & developers. Pixalate’s self-service API gives smaller developers an upper hand to scale their platforms by protecting existing ad revenue streams and fortifying the integrity of their advertising inventory against bad actors.

Using most globally-accepted credit cards, customers can sign up in minutes, choose the plan that’s right for them, and immediately incorporate Pixalate’s ad fraud prevention insights into their apps. Subscriptions start at $99 a month and give developers the freedom to adjust based on usage. When a customer exceeds a plan’s usage quota, consumption-based pricing kicks in without any interruption to the service.

Key Benefits Include:

• Reduce clawbacks. Protects publishers & developers’ revenue by taking steps to improve ad traffic quality.
• Align with major exchanges. Enable developers to use the same ad fraud technology as major exchanges.
• Combat ad fraud. Prevents 40+ types of invalid traffic (IVT) & fraud vectors that harm app traffic quality.
• Prevent getting blocklisted. Bake fraud prevention into apps from the ground up.
• Billing Dashboard. View real-time API usage and charges on the billing dashboard.
• Ease of Integration. With just a few clicks, any developer can sign up with a freemium plan and begin integrating the APIs with a few lines of code.

API Input Parameters:

• IP address: Analyzes an IP address (either IPv4 or IPv6) to check for any associated risks.
• Device Identifier: Examines the device identifier to detect any abnormalities or signs of fraudulent activity.
• User Agent: Evaluates the user agent data to identify potentially malicious software or bots.

API Output Parameters:

• Fraud Risk Assessment: Subscribers can request a risk score from Pixalate’s servers to gauge the likelihood of an IP, Device ID, or User Agent being compromised or engaged in malicious activity.

Platforms Supported

• Websites
• Mobile (iOS, Android) 
• Connected TV (Roku, Fire TV, Samsung, LG, tvOS and more)

SDKs

• iOS
• Android

Kubecost broadens its granular, real-time, and developer-friendly cost management capabilities across the cloud cost ecosystem

Kubecost, the comprehensive solution for monitoring, managing, and optimizing Kubernetes spend at scale, today announced that it has added cloud cost support to the open source project, OpenCost. This addition allows OpenCost to support accessing provider billing and cloud cost visibility beyond Kubernetes across AWS, Azure, and GCP — with support for more platforms to come.

OpenCost launched in 2022 with code donated to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) by Kubecost. OpenCost has provided valuable cost monitoring for thousands of users looking to get insight into a single cluster. Kubecost is now expanding OpenCost’s capabilities with budgeting, forecasting, alerting, and savings recommendations across multiple clusters and multiple clouds, as a key step toward adopting and implementing the FinOps Foundation’s FinOps Open Cost & Usage Specification (FOCUS).

The OpenCost project has been closely aligned with FOCUS, and will be an open source implementation of the FOCUS 1.0 specification. Supported by the FinOps Foundation and industry leaders, including Kubecost, Google Cloud, Microsoft, and Accenture, FOCUS is a technical specification to build and maintain an open standard for cloud cost, usage, and billing data.

OpenCost and Kubecost are proud to embrace emerging industry standards such as FOCUS by providing technical users and developers an easy way to effectively implement FOCUS within multi-cloud environments. While many cloud cost tools are not built for use by developer teams, Kubecost has concentrated on delivering solutions that bring cost visibility and analysis to engineering, DevOps, and other technical teams. The FinOps Foundation 2023 State of FinOps survey pinpointed that empowering engineers to take action is the biggest FinOps challenge organizations face in 2023. With today’s announcement of expanded cloud cost management coverage, Kubecost continues to address this gap head-on.

“OpenCost and Kubecost are committed to supporting FOCUS through our cloud cost for multi-cloud infrastructure functionality,” said Webb Brown, CEO and co-founder of Kubecost. “FOCUS is a new open approach to cloud cost monitoring. By implementing FOCUS, we believe we’ll further be able to make the lives of developers, engineers, FinOps and other technical personas that are hands-on managing infrastructure cost much more manageable.”

“We’re excited to see open source projects like OpenCost integrate and align around this new specification, which will help extend the benefits of FOCUS to a wider group of users," said Udam Dewaraja, Chairperson for the FOCUS Working Group. "The FOCUS project continues to gain industry-wide momentum and contributors for its ability to bring together practitioners, cloud service providers, vendors, and consultants around a common specification for presenting cloud cost and usage data.”

Bango, the global platform for data-driven commerce, today announces a partnership with Perlego to enhance the array of subscription services available via the Bango Digital Vending Machine®. This collaboration empowers telcos, banks, retailers and other channels to enrich their Super Bundling subscription hubs by incorporating Perlego's innovative online book subscription service.

As consumer appetite for content grows, there is increasing demand for greater control over the accessibility and management of subscription services. The Bango Digital Vending Machine® is a comprehensive solution for Super Bundling subscription services, bringing together multiple offers in a single, coherent consumer experience.

Perlego's one-of-a-kind online educational library offers students around the world unlimited access to an extensive collection of over 1 million educational ebooks from leading publishers. By teaming up with Bango, Perlego extends its reach to a broader audience through resellers on a global scale.

Resellers, including telcos, deploy the Bango Digital Vending Machine® to engage and captivate a larger customer base by seamlessly bundling third-party subscriptions with their own services at scale. The absence of Bango's technology in this market previously resulted in inefficiencies, relying on numerous separate one-to-one integrations, leaving consumers without an efficient means to manage their subscriptions in one centralized location.

"We're excited to welcome Perlego to our Digital Vending Machine®, expanding the diversity and range of subscription services immediately available for our reseller partners to offer their customers. The Digital Vending Machine® is stocked with a variety of subscription services that telcos, banks, and other large businesses offer their customers, allowing them to provide the best deals and discounts as part of a regular monthly bill," Anil Malhotra, CMO at Bango.

“Our mission at Perlego is to make education accessible and affordable for all. Working with Bango helps us broaden our reach to consumers across the world through a range of reputable brands allowing our users to easily opt into our service via their mobile phone plans. We’re looking forward to this next chapter in helping people get quick and easy access to high-quality books,” Gauthier Van Malderen, CEO at Perlego.

New solution helps enterprises modernize their use of Mainframes with Cloud, and unlocks the power of data and AI

Ensono, an expert technology advisor, innovation partner and managed service provider, today announced Ensono Cloud-Connected Mainframe for Microsoft Azure, a solution designed to help clients take advantage of Microsoft's cloud platform and AI by offering a seamless integration between mainframe environments and Microsoft Azure. The solution delivers a low-latency network connection between the mainframe data center and an Azure region, optimizing application performance, and facilitating deployment of core business applications that leverage both cloud and mainframe capabilities.

Ensono, an Azure Expert MSP, and Microsoft have come together to create a next generation solution that is designed to remove silos within an enterprise's IT organization and incorporate the mainframe's processing power and mission-critical data with strategic cloud initiatives, using Azure native services. Ensono Cloud-Connected Mainframe for Microsoft Azure optimizes this interaction by providing physical proximity, streamlined connectivity, and contractual flexibility. Whether clients are struggling to exit a data center due to mainframe dependency, have a desire to leverage the cloud for data analytics and AI or want to optimize their roadmap to Azure and mainframe cost center along the way, Ensono Cloud-Connected Mainframe for Microsoft Azure can be deployed to meet the needs of the customer.

"We're thrilled to collaborate with Microsoft in creating a solution that enables our clients to thrive in today's modern hybrid landscape," said Brian Klingbeil, Chief Strategy Officer of Ensono. "The low-latency connection and integration with Microsoft Azure's powerful AI and cognitive services position our clients at the forefront of digital transformation. This solution empowers our clients to harness the power of Azure while preserving the value of their mainframe investments."

Ensono Cloud-Connected Mainframe for Microsoft Azure delivers high-performance integration between mainframe and Azure, enabling the enterprise to make informed business decisions and the ability to use the power of the cloud without compromising on performance or security. This data component of the solution provides clients with seamless access to Azure native services for mainframe data including Microsoft Fabric, an end-to-end analytics platform that brings together all the analytics tools that enable an enterprise to unlock the value of their data and prepare for the era of AI.

"We are pleased to collaborate with Ensono on the launch of Ensono Cloud-Connected Mainframe for Microsoft Azure," said Merrie Williamson, Corporate Vice President, Azure Infrastructure and Digital & Application Innovation at Microsoft. "This collaboration allows us to bring together the power of Azure and the expertise of Ensono in mainframe systems, giving our customers more choice in how they modernize their legacy infrastructure and unlock new value in the cloud."

Ensono Cloud-Connected Mainframe for Microsoft Azure is part of Ensono's Modern, Cloud-Connected Mainframe, Ensono's approach to Mainframe Modernization that combines cloud flexibility with the resilience of the mainframe. In addition to achieving latency requirements of critical business applications, the Ensono Cloud-Connected Mainframe for Microsoft Azure seamlessly integrates the mainframe into the rest of the enterprise hybrid IT architecture, elevating its status to a first-class citizen. This integration allows data to flow freely, enabling faster and more informed business decisions - faster.

In addition to being an Azure Expert MSP, Ensono serves as a trusted Microsoft solution partner, providing comprehensive expertise in security, infrastructure, data and AI, as well as digital and app innovation. This diverse partnership further enhances Ensono's ability to cater to clients' varied technology requirements and deliver exceptional results.

Lightning Step, a leading provider of integrated CRM, EHR, and RCM solutions for behavioral health practices, has appointed Martin Ignatovski, Ph.D., as its new Chief Information Officer (CIO). In his new role, Dr. Ignatovski will lead Lightning Step's technology and product vision and strategy.

Dr. Ignatovski brings over 20 years of experience driving digital transformations, cybersecurity, compliance, product innovation, and product development across healthcare technology organizations. He has led high-performing agile teams to deliver cutting-edge solutions in multiple specialties and platforms, including behavioral health at scale. Martin is passionate about improving healthcare via technology, and his patient-centric approach makes him a perfect fit.

Dr. Ignatovski joins Lightning Step from SimplePractice, where he served as their CIO. Prior to that, he held senior leadership positions at CoCENTRIX and Eye Care Leaders, spearheading digital transformations, technological advancements, data innovation, security frameworks, and compliance initiatives.

"We're delighted to have Martin join our team as CIO," said Brent Michael, CEO of Lightning Step. "His proven ability to leverage emerging technologies to drive healthcare innovation will be a tremendous asset as we enhance our solutions to better serve our customers and their clients. Martin's leadership and expertise will be invaluable as we continue pioneering innovative behavioral health technologies. We look forward to him helping guide our product roadmap, security strategies, and our continuous evolution forward."

Todd Vierra, Vice President Customer Engagement at BrainChip Holdings Ltd, the world’s first commercial producer of ultra-low power, fully digital, event-based, neuromorphic AI IP, will lead a workshop entitled “Sustainable Cities Using Smart Efficient AI” at the Hackster.io Impact Summit 2023 November 15.

The 45-minute session looks at various ways new, sustainable cities will be using AI to provide a low -power, cost-effective way to create these communities of tomorrow. Vierra will discuss how BrainChip is working with partners to develop and deploy key use cases that target applications such as preventative maintenance, environmental monitoring and control, and smart city infrastructure. This workshop will provide various design efficiencies and trade-offs for edge-based applications that allow these futuristic cities to fully realize cost-effective methods in which AI can be used for good. Attendees are invited to participate in a live Q&A during the final 10 minutes of the session.

BrainChip’s first-to-market neuromorphic processor IP, Akida™, mimics the human brain to analyze only essential sensor inputs at the point of acquisition, processing data with unparalleled efficiency, precision, and economy of energy. BrainChip’s neural processor Al IP is an event-based technology that is inherently lower power when compared to conventional neural network accelerators. BrainChip IP supports incremental learning and high-speed inference in a wide variety of use cases, such as automotive, home, industrial, and health and wellness.

“With communities like ‘The Line’ currently being developed in Saudi Arabia and autonomous vehicles right around the corner, there’s no time like the present to explore how smart and efficient AI will be delivering the future of sustainable cities,” said Vierra. “I look forward to showcasing during our workshop at the Hackster.io Impact Summit how BrainChip’s Akida technology is poised to positively impact these up-and-coming communities through sustainable and efficient AI.”

The theme of this year’s Hackster.io Impact Summit is “Resilient and Sustainable Cities.” The free, two-day virtual developer summit features live workshops, panel discussions and community spotlight presentations exploring how technologies like machine learning, advanced data analytics and IoT in the field can transform the way in which infrastructure, public services and essential facilities are maintained in urban environments.