Immuta, a leader in data security, has released its 2025 State of Data Security Report, revealing the optimism and concerns around evolving data infrastructures. The report, commissioned by Immuta and conducted by UserEvidence, surveyed over 700 data leaders and professionals from across the U.S., UK, Canada, and Australia. The report highlights how organizations are grappling with the dual challenge of securing data while ensuring timely access, especially as AI adoption accelerates.

Findings from the Report

• Legacy Systems Can't Keep Up
  According to Matthew Carroll, Co-founder and CEO of Immuta, traditional systems for provisioning data access are broken, unable to scale with the increasing number of users and data demands. The report calls for a shift in approach, focusing on people, processes, and technology as core elements of IT and business strategy.

• AI Presents New Data Access Challenges
  60% of respondents claim their organizations are failing to keep pace with AI-driven data demands. Nearly half of organizations highlight compliance and privacy as primary concerns, while 64% struggle to provide timely and secure data access to authorized users. Data leaders must strike a balance between security and access to fully capitalize on AI investments.

• The Impact of Data Access Issues
  A significant 64% of data leaders report that data access challenges are hurting the ROI of their data platforms. These issues are causing downstream effects such as missed internal goals (31%), lost revenue (30%), and collaboration roadblocks (30%).

Complex Access Controls Are Hindering AI Implementation

For AI adoption to succeed, organizations need seamless and secure access to quality data. However, 55% of data leaders feel their current data security strategy isn't keeping up with the evolving demands of AI, up from 50% in the previous year. AI implementation is further hindered by:

• 46% reporting difficulties in integrating AI with existing systems
• 39% citing a shortage of skills to manage AI systems
• 29% mentioning complex data access controls

These challenges are slowing AI adoption and putting organizations at a competitive disadvantage.

Strategies for Balancing Data Access and Governance

To achieve AI success, organizations must find a balance between access, agility, governance, and security. Key strategies being implemented include:

1. Data Monitoring Systems (82%)
   Enhanced data protection through real-time understanding of data usage and storage.

2. Additional Cloud Platforms (76%)
   To scale with growing data volumes, flexible platforms are being adopted, ensuring the right teams have access to the right data.

3. Internal Data Marketplaces (68%)
   Defining roles, rules, and capabilities that lead to successful AI implementation and data governance.

As data demands grow and AI adoption accelerates, data leaders must rethink their approach to data access and governance. By implementing strategies such as data monitoring systems, flexible cloud platforms, and internal data marketplaces, organizations can strike the right balance between securing data and enabling access, ensuring AI success and business growth.

Socure, the leading AI provider for digital identity verification, fraud prevention, and risk decisioning, has announced the appointment of Barrett Young as its new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). With extensive experience in growing B2B AI-powered SaaS companies, Barrett is poised to elevate Socure’s marketing strategies, particularly in demand generation, branding, and product marketing. His proven track record will be pivotal in Socure's next phase of growth and market leadership.

Barrett Young’s Background and Experience

Barrett Young joins Socure from Netradyne, a deep-learning AI company transforming video telematics for enterprises. During his tenure, he scaled the company 7x over four years, leading large marketing and sales teams to success. His expertise in creating and executing data-driven strategies will be essential as Socure strengthens its position in the market. With a relentless work ethic and a knack for complex AI storytelling, Barrett’s experience aligns with Socure’s commitment to innovation and excellence.

Barrett's Role and Vision as CMO

As CMO, Barrett will focus on:

• Strengthening Socure’s leadership in AI-driven identity verification, fraud prevention, and risk decisioning
• Leading thought leadership and enterprise engagement initiatives
• Executing AI agent-led marketing strategies and creative growth marketing
• Driving problem-solution focused product marketing

His data-driven approach will propel Socure through its hypergrowth phase, as he executes targeted campaigns to expand the company’s footprint across 40+ industries and develop new use cases across the customer lifecycle.

Statements from Leadership

Johnny Ayers, Founder and CEO of Socure, expressed his excitement:
"Barrett’s deep expertise in demand generation and go-to-market strategy is exactly what Socure needs as we continue to expand globally. His track record in scaling B2B SaaS companies is unparalleled, and we are excited to work with him to tell Socure’s story of leadership in digital identity and fraud prevention."

Barrett Young himself commented on his new role:
"I am thrilled to join Socure at such a pivotal time in its journey. With the recent acquisition of Effectiv and the upcoming launch of RiskOS, I believe Socure is well-positioned for tremendous growth and success in the years ahead. I'm excited to help tell the story of how AI is transforming digital identity verification and fraud prevention."

Barrett Young’s appointment as CMO marks a significant milestone in Socure's journey towards becoming the most accurate and inclusive risk and identity verification company. With his leadership, Socure is set to leverage AI-driven growth strategies to lead the charge in transforming how businesses verify identities, prevent fraud, and make risk decisions.

GetWhys, a leading provider of AI-driven customer insights, today announced a $2.75 million seed funding round to further its growth and expand its innovative platform. The round, led by Next Frontier Capital with participation from Tuesday Capital and Capital Eleven, brings GetWhys' total funding to $3.5 million. The funding will be used to scale the engineering team, enhance product development, and support customer growth.

Investment Rationale and Leadership Statements

"GetWhys stood out because of Philippe and Tyler’s deep expertise, informed by their years of experience supporting some of the largest global software companies," says Erika Nash, Partner at Next Frontier Capital. "Their pioneering approach to AI-driven market intelligence is set to revolutionize the way customer-facing teams, including marketing, product, sales, and customer success, operate."

The Problem GetWhys Solves for Go-to-Market Teams

In the past, Go-to-market (GTM) teams faced significant challenges in acquiring customer insights. The traditional methods—such as spending thousands of dollars on expert network interviews or market research projects—were not only costly but also time-consuming and difficult to repurpose. This hindered the ability of GTM teams to make informed, agile decisions. GetWhys was founded to solve this problem by offering a cost-effective, instant solution that combines a proprietary database of in-depth interviews with customers and internal enterprise data, such as call recordings and market research assets.

GetWhys’ Innovative Products and Platform

GetWhys’ platform, powered by InsightDB, is designed to fill in enterprise blind spots by leveraging anonymized customer conversations. The company’s trained interviewers conduct these in-depth conversations with customers, providing businesses with valuable insights into their customers’ needs and pain points.

GetWhys offers two key products for its users: Compass and Echo.

• Compass, launched last year, helps GTM teams gather competitive intelligence, build buyer personas, and develop their GTM motions. Unlike other tools that synthesize internet data, Compass surfaces never-before-documented firsthand experiences, offering a more reliable and valuable competitive advantage.

• Echo, launched today, aids in content development by using authentic customer perspectives and behavioral data to run an instant focus group. Echo ensures that every piece of content—whether it's web copy, SDR emails, or marketing materials—resonates with the audience and aligns with the organization’s messaging framework and buyer personas.

Customer Testimonials

Several early adopters have already shared their positive experiences with GetWhys:

• "We rewrote our positioning in a week, and GetWhys was invaluable throughout the process," said Andy Ramirez, SVP of Marketing at Docker.
• "Echo made my messaging 5x-10x better," said Casey Samulski, Director of Product Marketing at Mission.

GetWhys’ Vision and Future Goals

Tyler Honsinger, CPO and cofounder of GetWhys, sums up the company’s mission: "The ultimate goal of market research isn’t just to produce insights, but to drive actionable outcomes. Our products integrate customer insights directly into our users’ workflows, allowing them to do better work, faster."

With this new funding, GetWhys is poised to further its mission and empower even more teams with the voice of their customers, enabling businesses to make smarter, data-driven decisions.

GetWhys is setting new standards in customer research, empowering GTM teams with the tools to seamlessly integrate customer insights into their everyday workflows. With this new funding, GetWhys is on track to enhance its product offerings and scale its impact, helping businesses grow faster and more efficiently by leveraging the true voice of the customer.

Solstice Health, a cutting-edge life sciences marketing engine, has officially launched its AI-powered platform designed to bridge the gap between innovative marketing and regulatory compliance. The platform aims to streamline how biopharma marketing companies manage the content supply chain, particularly the medical-legal-regulatory (MLR) review process, a traditionally time-consuming and costly challenge.

With $40 billion spent annually on advertising by the biopharma industry, many therapeutic launches are hindered by outdated and generic strategies. Solstice's platform seeks to solve the common pain point of slow and expensive MLR processes, ensuring faster, more efficient content distribution without sacrificing compliance.

Solstice's AI-Powered MLR Assistant

At the core of Solstice Health's new platform is the industry's first AI-powered MLR assistant. This groundbreaking tool leverages generative AI models to assist in the regulatory review process, helping marketing and compliance teams evaluate content for compliance in minutes rather than the days or weeks typically required. By automating key steps in the MLR review process, Solstice drastically reduces evaluation cycle timelines by 74%.

Benefits of Solstice's Platform

Solstice’s platform is designed to integrate seamlessly into existing content creation workflows, offering several key benefits:

• Faster Review Process: The AI-powered MLR assistant flags potential risks early in the process, ensuring faster, first-pass approval readiness.
• Improved Compliance: Solstice ensures full compliance with regulatory rules, allowing marketing teams to focus on high-impact, strategic decisions rather than manual checks.
• Increased Efficiency: The platform accelerates content distribution, significantly improving speed to market while reducing the costs associated with compliance checks.

"Solstice is transforming the MLR review process with its AI engine," said Elaine Kang, Director of Marketing at SpringWorks Therapeutics. "By flagging risks early, and ensuring first-pass approval readiness, Solstice enables marketers and review teams to focus on high-impact, strategic decisions rather than manual checks."

Funding and Future Goals

To support its continued growth, Solstice Health has raised $3.5 million in seed funding from investors including Twelve Below and Virtue. This investment will help accelerate platform development and expand Solstice's reach within the biopharma marketing industry.

Solstice’s Vision for the Future

Solstice Health is committed to redefining how biopharma marketing companies approach compliance and speed to market. By combining AI technology with industry-specific expertise, Solstice aims to empower marketing teams to make better, faster decisions while ensuring full compliance with complex regulatory standards.

With its innovative platform and AI-powered tools, Solstice Health is set to transform the biopharma marketing industry by significantly improving the MLR review process. Solstice’s commitment to speed, compliance, and efficiency will help companies reduce time-to-market while staying fully compliant with regulatory rules, ushering in a new era of intelligent marketing in the life sciences sector.

AudioEye, Inc., the leading digital accessibility company, today announced the launch of role-based courses on its free AudioEyeQ accessibility learning platform. Designed to address the unique needs of business leaders, designers, developers, and website testers, these courses offer tailored guidance to help organizations embed accessibility into every aspect of their digital processes.

With the expansion of this course catalog, AudioEye continues its commitment to providing businesses of all sizes with the tools and knowledge necessary to ensure digital accessibility is part of their workflow. The company is reinforcing its position as a leader in digital accessibility education, fostering greater awareness and creating opportunities to expand its market influence.

Tailored Role-Based Education

The new AudioEyeQ course catalog now includes four distinct courses, each designed to offer role-specific insights and guidance:

• Leaders: The Strategic Accessibility Leadership course equips organizational leaders with the latest accessibility standards, scalable solutions, and tools to champion accessibility initiatives across the company.
• Designers: The Accessible Design Practices course provides designers with the frameworks and best practices needed to design inclusive digital experiences, ensuring compliance with global accessibility standards.
• Developers: The Accessible Coding with HTML, ARIA, JavaScript, and CSS course enhances developers' skills in creating accessible websites and applications, helping them write code that meets accessibility standards before going live.
• Testers: The Accessibility Testing Basics for the Web course provides foundational knowledge in accessibility testing, focusing on keyboard navigation, magnification techniques, and screen reader interactions.

By providing targeted, role-specific training, AudioEyeQ helps business professionals develop the expertise needed to create more accessible digital experiences.

AudioEye's Commitment to Digital Accessibility

AudioEye’s expanded training catalog is a direct reflection of the company's ongoing mission to empower everyone involved in creating digital experiences with the knowledge and tools necessary to integrate accessibility into their daily workflows.

"Our mission is to empower everyone involved in creating digital experiences with the knowledge and tools they need to make accessibility a core part of their work," said Alisa Smith, Accessibility Evangelist at AudioEye. "These role-specific courses provide practical insights that help leaders make informed decisions, designers create accessible experiences, developers write better code, and testers identify and resolve barriers to accessibility."

What Partners Are Saying

"Continuous education and professional learning are essential for creating accessible digital experiences for our clients," said Daisey Fahringer, Director of UI/UX at Finalsite. "We're happy to leverage AudioEye's new AudioEyeQ platform to enhance our team's knowledge of digital accessibility best practices and further our commitment to accessibility in K-12 schools."

Recognition and Certification

In addition to the new courses, AudioEyeQ has been recognized by the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) as an Approved Global Certification Preparation Provider for its inaugural Foundations of Accessibility: CPACC Preparation course. This recognition further solidifies AudioEye's leadership in the accessibility education space.

With its role-based courses, AudioEye is setting a new standard for accessibility education, empowering businesses to integrate accessibility best practices into every stage of the digital process. Through these targeted courses, AudioEyeQ enables professionals to better navigate the complex landscape of digital accessibility, ultimately fostering a more inclusive and accessible digital world.

Samsung has announced a groundbreaking partnership with Cielo, a leader in AI-powered franchise solutions, aimed at transforming retail advertising and franchise operations. By combining Samsung’s VXT display technology with Cielo’s AI-driven platform, this collaboration introduces cutting-edge tools to improve digital marketing and enhance operational efficiency in franchise ecosystems.

Through this strategic alliance, Cielo is launching SmartSigns™, a Digital Signage as a Service (DaaS) solution that integrates Samsung’s VXT technology to deliver highly targeted, dynamic messaging to the right audience at the right time. By leveraging CieloVision’s KYAI™ (Know Your Audience Intelligence) for real-time analytics and AI-driven advertising, businesses can now gain deeper insights into consumer engagement.

SmartSigns™: A Game-Changing Solution for Digital Signage

SmartSigns™ is designed to make digital signage more intelligent, enabling businesses to deploy content that is not only visually appealing but also effective in driving engagement. The solution incorporates AI cameras, VXT Pro licenses, AI tasks, marketing credits, and CieloEssentials remote support, providing a comprehensive plug-and-play system for businesses in retail and franchise sectors. Starting at just $199/month per display, SmartSigns™ simplifies the management and deployment of digital signage ecosystems, with no upfront expenses.

“We’re thrilled to bring our SmartSigns™ vision to life with Samsung,” said Imre Szenttornyay, CEO of Cielo. “By combining Samsung’s leading-edge VXT platform with Cielo’s AI and analytics, we’re delivering a fully integrated solution that helps businesses meet modern consumer demands. Our mission is to make AI-driven insights accessible to every franchise operator, fueling growth and innovation across retail sectors.”

CieloVision™ KYAI™: AI-Driven Analytics for Smarter Advertising

The heart of this partnership lies in CieloVision™’s KYAI™, an AI-powered platform designed to provide businesses with real-time analytics on consumer sentiment, dwell time, and behavior patterns. This allows businesses to create highly targeted, measurable advertising campaigns that engage consumers more effectively while improving ROI. In addition to boosting consumer engagement, these tools also help mitigate risks and ensure compliance in franchise operations.

How This Partnership Enhances Retail and Franchise Operations

“Samsung is proud to welcome Cielo to the DaaS partnership, enhancing the ecosystem with innovative tools for business growth and efficiency,” said Alex Lee, Executive Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “Through this partnership, VXT users across industries like retail, hospitality, and quick-service restaurants can access Cielo’s AI-driven solutions, allowing them to effortlessly create and deploy industry-specific content that drives impactful engagement and streamlines operations.”

This collaboration is built on Cielo’s SmartFranchise™ framework, which serves managed service providers (MSPs) and franchise operators in industries such as quick-service restaurants, family entertainment, and retail. The solutions help reduce operational costs, improve efficiency, and deliver impactful marketing outcomes, ultimately driving business growth and transformation.

Through this strategic partnership, Samsung and Cielo are setting new standards in digital signage and AI-driven advertising, offering businesses the tools they need to meet modern consumer demands while improving operational efficiency. With solutions like SmartSigns™ and CieloVision™ KYAI™, businesses can leverage powerful AI insights to create smarter, more effective advertising campaigns, revolutionizing franchise operations across multiple sectors.

Fluent, Inc., a leader in commerce media solutions, has released the results of a new survey highlighting the effectiveness of post-purchase ads in enhancing the shopping experience, driving product discovery, and encouraging repeat purchases. These targeted ads, which appear on ecommerce confirmation pages, are designed to keep consumers engaged by offering personalized deals and promotions after the checkout. The survey, which gathered insights from over 1,000 US adults, sheds light on how these ads influence consumer behavior, build loyalty, and create value for both shoppers and retailers.

Enhancing the Customer Journey

One of the key findings of the survey is that post-purchase ads significantly enhance the customer journey. 57% of shoppers who converted on a post-purchase offer discovered a new product or service they love, while 63% said these ads enhanced their shopping experience after each online purchase. By offering timely, relevant content, post-purchase ads extend the value of the purchase process, deepening the connection between shoppers and brands.

Delivering Added Value

In terms of value delivered to shoppers, 54% of respondents indicated that post-purchase ads improve their shopping experience by offering useful discounts and promotions. Additionally, 62% of shoppers say deals and discounts motivate them to click on post-purchase offers. These findings underscore the importance of delivering targeted, value-driven content that resonates with consumers at the right time.

Driving Retention & Loyalty

Post-purchase ads also play a critical role in driving customer retention and loyalty. The survey revealed that 88% of shoppers who experienced personalized suggestions through these ads were more likely to return. By offering tailored content based on previous purchases and preferences, retailers can increase the likelihood of repeat purchases, creating long-term relationships with customers.

Retailers’ Perspective on Post-Purchase Ads

“Retailers tell us that post-purchase ads don’t disrupt the shopping journey—they enhance it," said Jessica Batty, SVP of Marketing at Fluent. "Consumers are looking for relevant, personalized offers, and this survey confirms that post-purchase ads drive not only product discovery but also repeat purchases and long-term loyalty. Our marketing expertise and consumer-centric approach help us work with our partners to design relevant and meaningful ads powered by Fluent’s identity graph and advanced AI-driven algorithms.”

Fluent’s innovative algorithms, backed by over 14 years of first-party data, determine the optimal content and timing for each customer throughout their shopping journey, ensuring that ads are meaningful and engaging.

The Role of Post-Purchase Ads in the Commerce Media Ecosystem

As a vital component of the broader commerce media ecosystem, post-purchase advertising offers retailers an additional revenue stream that integrates smoothly into the customer journey. These ads provide high-impact opportunities for advertisers while delivering relevant offers to consumers at a time when they are still in a buying mindset. Beyond boosting retailer monetization, post-purchase ads continue to serve as a powerful tool for creating value for both consumers and businesses.

The survey findings clearly illustrate the growing importance of post-purchase ads in the modern shopping landscape. By enhancing the customer journey, delivering added value, and driving loyalty, these ads create opportunities for businesses to engage with consumers and foster long-term relationships. For retailers and advertisers alike, post-purchase advertising represents a critical strategy for driving sustained growth and success in today’s competitive market.

SPIRRA is excited to introduce its advanced influencer marketing intelligence platform, powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI). Designed for brands and agencies, this innovative platform enhances campaign execution with precision, efficiency, and scalability.

According to Jeremy Davis, VP of Product, SPIRRA is set to revolutionize how brands cultivate and manage long-term influencer relationships, ensuring a strong return on investment.

How SPIRRA Transforms Influencer Marketing

Unlike traditional influencer marketing tools that rely on surface-level metrics (e.g., follower counts), SPIRRA leverages audience intelligence to ensure brands reach highly engaged and relevant audiences.

Tim Gerstmyer, President of SPIRRA, highlights the platform’s role in tackling industry challenges by providing transparency, precision, and AI-powered insights to optimize influencer partnerships.

Features of SPIRRA

1. Influencer Discovery & Analytics

• Verified Network – Access to 100% verified in-network influencers and 18M+ discoverable U.S. influencers.
• AI-Powered Influencer Analytics – Proprietary scoring system for brand alignment:
  • Brand Alignment Score™ – Identifies influencers relevant to a brand based on historical data.
  • Content Alignment Score™ – Ensures influencers' content aligns with brand values and style.
  • Audience Alignment Score™ – Confirms influencer followers match the brand's target audience.
  • True Follower™ – Filters out fake followers for accurate reach measurement.

2. Data Lab™ (Advanced Analytics Suite)

• Campaign performance insights
• Audience behavior tracking
• Social listening & competitor analysis
• ROI measurement tools

3. Cora-IQ™ (AI Strategy Agent)

• Provides predictive analytics to optimize campaigns.
• Recommends data-driven influencer partnerships.

4. End-to-End Campaign Management

• Campaign Creation – Media brief development & distribution.
• Content Development – In-platform collaboration & editing.
• Content Approval System – Pre-deployment approvals & release management.
• Contract Management – Influencer agreement execution & negotiation.
• Influencer Payments – Transaction monitoring for multiple campaigns.
• Brand Safety & Compliance – Automated verification of influencer authenticity.
• Influencer Communications – In-platform chat & collaboration tools.
• Performance Benchmarking & Tracking – Real-time analytics dashboard.

SPIRRA’s AI-powered intelligence platform is transforming the influencer marketing landscape by enhancing brand-influencer alignment, improving campaign transparency, and streamlining operations. With its advanced features, brands and agencies can now execute data-driven, scalable, and high-impact influencer campaigns like never before.