BlytzPay Strengthens Fintech Partnership Play with New SVP Hire

In a strategic move to scale its partner ecosystem and drive growth, BlytzPay has appointed payments industry veteran Matt Marderness as Senior Vice President of Partnerships and Alliances.

Marderness brings over 20 years of experience in electronic payments and enterprise partnerships, most recently serving as Senior Director of Enterprise Sales at Solutions by Text, a text-based engagement platform for financial institutions and lenders. He also held senior roles at PayNearMe, Corpay, and Paymentus, where he helped expand market reach through product-aligned, customer-first strategies.

“BlytzPay is building something special—not just in terms of product, but how they engage the entire ecosystem,” said Marderness. “This role lets me double down on simplifying complexity with partners who care about creating seamless, human-centered experiences.”

As SVP, Marderness will lead BlytzPay’s efforts to deepen relationships with software platforms, channel partners, and strategic alliances. His focus: building joint value through collaborative go-to-market programs and accelerating adoption of BlytzPay’s collections management platform—designed to speed up payments and enhance borrower engagement.

Robyn Burkinshaw, BlytzPay’s Founder and CEO, highlighted Marderness’ mix of trust, humility, and execution. “Matt understands the real-world needs of organizations and how to deliver lasting outcomes. He’s the right person to evolve what partnership means in today’s fintech landscape.”

As BlytzPay continues to expand its impact across lenders and payment workflows, this appointment signals a serious push into scalable partnerships—a crucial lever in a competitive, API-driven fintech ecosystem.

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Search.com Launches AI Chat That Pays Users, Rewards Publishers, and Delivers for Brands

In an industry crowded with AI chat platforms chasing user engagement and monetization, Search.com is flipping the script. A division of Public Good, the company has unveiled a bold new generative AI search platform that’s free to use, offers cash rewards to consumers, shares revenue with publishers, and provides a clutter-free experience for brands.

While most AI chat services lock premium features behind paywalls, Search.com invites users to earn rather than spend. Through its cashback system and discount offers from premium brands, users can save money simply by interacting with the platform. For members of its paid subscription tier, the rewards are even more enticing—up to 10% cashback on purchases made through the platform.

“Our cashback approach not only democratizes AI search but also fosters stronger connections between consumers, publishers, and brands,” said Melissa Anderson, President of Public Good.

Turning Search Into a Profit Center for Publishers

Publishers—often on the losing end of modern search engine economics—stand to gain significantly. Instead of paying to embed search functionality, websites can now integrate Search.com’s AI engine and earn revenue in return. The model not only offers monetization but also ensures proper attribution for publisher content, countering the common criticism that AI platforms scrape data without value exchange.

“Publishers have gotten the short end of the stick, and we’re here to change that,” Anderson said. “We are passionate about how our publisher monetization solutions support journalism.”

A Clean Slate for Advertisers

Brands also benefit from this redesigned AI ecosystem. With more consumers turning to AI chat for advice, product suggestions, and service recommendations, Search.com creates a new advertising frontier—what the company calls “moments of motivation.”

In those moments, ads aren’t buried in clutter or competing for fragmented attention. Brands gain full visibility and exclusive engagement within Search.com’s AI chat interface, offering a 100% share of voice.

Accessible Across Platforms

Search.com’s platform is live on desktop and mobile devices, supporting both iOS and Android. The company says it’s committed to continuing its mission of redefining how people access information—and how value flows across the ecosystem.

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Vmake, the AI-driven video editor from Starii Tech, has announced a major platform upgrade, targeting a growing segment of creators who rely on talking-head video content. As demand for professional-grade video creation tools rises among educators, influencers, and small businesses, Vmake positions itself as an all-in-one solution eliminating the complexity of traditional editing workflows.

The upgraded platform addresses common creator pain points—lack of editing skills, juggling multiple tools, and time-consuming production—by integrating recording, AI editing, captioning, quality enhancement, and export into one intuitive interface. Key new features include an AI Video Watermark Remover, AI Teleprompter, Auto Caption Generator, AI Templates, AI Hooks, and a Video Enhancer—geared toward creating polished, high-conversion content quickly.

“With Vmake’s AI Template, my video production time dropped from an hour to three minutes,” said Sarah, an educational influencer. Similar feedback poured in from consultants, fitness coaches, e-commerce sellers, and real estate professionals who praise the platform’s ability to simplify video creation without compromising quality.

“Vmake is designed to help creators look and sound professional without needing a production team,” said Cyril Hao, Operations Lead at Vmake. “Our goal is to help users amplify their voice and grow their influence through seamless, high-quality talking videos.”

Developed by Starii Tech Pty Ltd, Vmake continues to evolve with a focus on empowering non-professional creators to establish authority and engagement through scalable, AI-enhanced content creation.

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 5W Public Relations (5WPR), one of the largest independently-owned PR firms in the U.S., has been appointed as the agency of record for Acme Smoked Fish, the Brooklyn-based leader in premium smoked seafood.

The partnership will see 5WPR develop and execute an integrated communications strategy to grow brand awareness, strengthen Acme’s cultural relevance, and deepen consumer connections. The program will include strategic communications planning, media relations, influencer engagement, and creative storytelling, all aligned with Acme’s heritage and values.

“We’re thrilled to be working with Acme Smoked Fish, a brand with deep roots, iconic products, and an unwavering commitment to quality,” said Leigh Ann Ambrosi, Managing Partner and EVP, CPG & Lifestyle at 5WPR. “Our team looks forward to spotlighting Acme’s leadership in smoked seafood and helping tell the next chapter of its story through high-impact campaigns.”

A fourth-generation, family-owned company, Acme Smoked Fish has over a century of expertise crafting products such as lox, smoked salmon, and whitefish salad. Known for sustainability, innovation, and authentic food experiences, Acme products have become a staple in homes, delis, and restaurants nationwide.

From its New York headquarters, 5WPR will manage bi-annual product mailers, influencer partnerships, press campaigns, award submissions, and real-time media activations. The agency will also deploy robust analytics to track campaign performance and inform future strategy.

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Financial institutions swimming in data but struggling to harness it for growth may want to tune in on August 13. Alkami Technology (Nasdaq: ALKT), a leading provider of cloud-based digital banking solutions, has announced a new webinar titled “From Data Mess to Marketing Yes”, aimed at helping marketers in banking convert complex datasets into personalized, ROI-driven campaigns.

Set for Wednesday, August 13, 2025, at 2:00 PM ET, the session will feature Alkami alongside INB, a forward-leaning bank that’s successfully leveraged Alkami’s marketing tools to drive smarter, faster, and more measurable campaigns.

“Before partnering with Alkami, we had data—but no way to activate it,” said Lindsay Van Zele, communications officer at INB. “Now, our campaigns are smarter, faster to deploy, and tied directly to growth metrics.”

While many banks have matured past the hurdle of data access, the new challenge lies in translating insights into behavior-shaping campaigns. Alkami aims to fill that gap by demonstrating how enriched financial intelligence can plug directly into marketing platforms like HubSpot and Salesforce.

Key topics to be covered include:

• Extracting insights from core and third-party financial data

• Deploying pre-built campaigns that reduce time-to-value

• Powering CRMs with enriched behavioral and transactional data

• Tracking and optimizing marketing ROI at every stage

“Many financial institutions are just beginning to unlock the full potential of their data,” said Mark Leher, Director of Product Management at Alkami. “This webinar is about moving from analysis to action—where insights actually generate measurable outcomes.”

Listrak has launched its “Season of Success: Holiday Resource Center,” a strategic hub designed to help retailers thrive during the critical 2025 holiday shopping period. The resource center offers marketers a curated suite of tools, insights, and expert guidance to drive personalized, timely, and high-impact campaigns as consumer expectations evolve.

“As retailers prepare for Holiday 2025, consumers are shopping earlier and demanding greater personalization and value,” said Jamie Elden, Chief Revenue Officer at Listrak. “This hub equips marketers with practical, expert-led strategies to meet those expectations.”

Key offerings from the Holiday Resource Center include:

• Marketing Guide Monthly Calendar: A planning roadmap featuring monthly themes, key retail dates, and shipping deadlines.

• Holiday Testing Checklist: A 15-point testing framework to help marketers fine-tune their strategies before peak season hits.

• Holiday Strategy Sessions: A video series offering expert insights into holiday marketing trends and tactics.

• 2024 Insights Worth Revisiting: A data-driven recap of top-performing tactics and benchmarks from last year’s holiday campaigns.

This latest launch builds on Listrak’s broader strategic support for retailers, following the release of its Retail Outlook Reports for H2 2025, with tailored insights for Fashion, Beauty, and General Retail sectors.

In today’s digital-first world, delivering personalized service at scale is the holy grail for customer experience (CX) leaders. Glance, known for its cobrowsing and visual engagement solutions, is betting big on this vision by partnering with CloudHesive, an AWS Premier Partner with deep roots in cloud-native contact center infrastructure.

Announced hot on the heels of the AWS Summit in New York, the Glance-CloudHesive alliance brings together the best of both worlds: CloudHesive’s scalable, secure cloud platforms and Glance’s high-touch, real-time human engagement. The result? A unified offering aimed squarely at enterprises that want to improve customer experience without sacrificing speed, security, or empathy.

Why It Matters

This partnership isn’t just a feel-good story about collaboration. It directly addresses a central tension in modern CX: how to scale digital interactions while still making customers feel seen and supported.

With this integration, users of CloudHesive’s AWS-based contact center solutions—particularly Amazon Connect customers—can now embed Glance’s visual collaboration tools directly into their workflows. That means agents can guide customers through complex transactions, onboarding, or troubleshooting in real time—visually and securely.

“We're helping brands deliver more personal, empathetic, and effective experiences at scale,” said Adam Atwood, VP of Strategic Partnerships at Glance. “CloudHesive brings the infrastructure; Glance brings the high-touch human interaction.”

Guided CX, Now With AWS Muscle

Glance’s “Guided CX” approach is about meeting the customer exactly when and where they need help—whether that’s mid-purchase, during onboarding, or resolving a high-priority issue. With CloudHesive’s AWS-backed architecture providing the speed, security, and scalability, this partnership adds visual, collaborative muscle to the traditional contact center setup.

Key benefits include:

• Shorter deal cycles by reducing friction at key customer moments

• Improved first-call resolution and customer satisfaction

• Real-time visual guidance through complex workflows

• Face-to-face digital collaboration that builds trust

• Enhanced agent productivity with better tools and less guesswork

This kind of capability is increasingly critical as brands retool their CX strategies around both AI and human empathy. According to trends from the AWS Summit, enterprises are aggressively modernizing—but also realizing automation alone doesn’t cut it when customers are making important decisions or seeking support.

Available Now via AWS Marketplace

One practical upside: both Glance and CloudHesive are available on the AWS Marketplace. That makes deployment faster and easier for existing Amazon Connect users looking to add real-time human interaction to their digital playbook.

“Automation is essential, but not at the cost of human connection,” said Patrick Hannah, CTO of CloudHesive. “Our partnership with Glance empowers contact centers to resolve issues faster, close deals more efficiently, and build stronger customer relationships — with the security and scalability of the AWS cloud.”

In an era where digital self-service is expected and human support is still vital, the Glance-CloudHesive partnership is a timely reminder: scaling empathy is just as important as scaling infrastructure.

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As generative AI evolves from buzzword to business driver, many enterprises find themselves stuck in the “proof of concept” phase. Cybage, a global IT services company, is looking to change that—with a major boost from Amazon Web Services (AWS).

In a newly inked Strategic Collaboration Agreement (SCA), Cybage and AWS aim to bridge the gap between Gen AI experimentation and real-world execution. At the core of the partnership is Amazon Bedrock, AWS’s fully managed service offering a menu of top-tier foundation models. With this collaboration, enterprises can finally bypass the usual Gen AI roadblocks—like high upfront costs, architectural complexity, and a lack of internal expertise.

From Prototype to Production, Fast

This isn’t just about access to tools. The agreement brings a blend of AWS cloud-native infrastructure, funding for eligible Gen AI projects, and Cybage’s engineering know-how to accelerate deployments.

For customers, this means:

• Faster Gen AI rollouts using Amazon Bedrock

• Migration support from open-source or legacy AI solutions

• Greenfield development for new Gen AI applications

• Technical and financial support for proof-of-concept to production-ready systems

AWS will provide targeted funding for qualifying proof-of-concept, pilot, and enterprise-scale Gen AI use cases, giving companies a financial on-ramp to transformation.

Why Cybage?

Cybage isn’t new to this space. With a two-year track record in Gen AI R&D and enterprise deployments, the company brings deep expertise in data engineering, cloud modernization, and AI solution delivery. Its ExcelShore® framework underpins project execution, while its proprietary Gen AI platform, SmartPal, offers secure RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) with built-in guardrails and agent capabilities.

Think of SmartPal as a Gen AI accelerator: it helps teams quickly prototype and deploy real-world AI applications without compromising on governance or security.

SonicWall: A Case Study in Speed and Scale

A recent collaboration with cybersecurity firm SonicWall illustrates how this partnership plays out. Faced with the need to deploy a secure, scalable chatbot for managed service providers, SonicWall turned to Cybage and the AWS Generative AI Innovation Center.

In just a few weeks, they migrated from an open-source solution to a production-grade system built on Amazon Bedrock. The implementation used Amazon Bedrock Guardrails, AWS PrivateLink, and OpenSearch—substantially enhancing security while slashing operational complexity.

“Cybage enabled us to migrate and launch a fully secure, scalable Gen AI chatbot in weeks—not months,” said Denis Branco, EVP at SonicWall. “Their guidance and AWS alignment were key to our transformation.”

Enterprise-Ready AI, with Guardrails On

In a market flooded with Gen AI hype, the Cybage-AWS collaboration stands out for its focus on responsible, scalable deployment. Cybage’s Gen AI delivery model emphasizes:

• Human-in-the-loop validation

• Transparent, explainable model behavior

• Robust security and governance controls

• Built-in compliance guardrails

“Realizing AI’s potential requires more than ambition—it demands structure,” said Kiran Kembhavi, SVP of Cloud, Data, and AI at Cybage. “By aligning with AWS and leveraging Amazon Bedrock, we’re helping enterprises move beyond the pilot stage and into value-generating territory.”

Market Implications

With this agreement, Cybage positions itself alongside a growing list of AWS partners using Bedrock to streamline Gen AI adoption. But unlike some peers still focused on experimentation, Cybage is doubling down on implementation at scale—an area many companies struggle with.

For organizations ready to transition from hype to hard ROI, this partnership offers a clear path: proven tools, expert support, and a fast track to production.

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