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Mezo, Thesis’ BitcoinFi Project, Completes $7.5M Strategic Round lead by Ledger Cathay Fund

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Ledger Cathay Fund’s investment on BitcoinFi with Mezo commits to supercharging the evolution of the global Bitcoin Finance ecosystem Strategic investment plus prior funding led by Pantera Capital brings Mezo’s total amount raised to $30M

NEW YORK, July 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Thesis, one of the longest-standing venture studios funding and building brands on Bitcoin, today announced its strategic funding round led by Ledger Cathay Fund, Ledger and Cathay Innovation’s early-stage venture fund, for Mezo, its permissionless Bitcoin Economic Layer. This brings total funding for Mezo to $30M following its launch in April 2024. Other investors in the strategic round include ArkStream, Aquarius Fund, Flowdesk, GSR, Origin Protocol and Bybit ecosystem project, Mantle’s EcoFund.

Mezo will use this investment to accelerate technology development and grow the BitcoinFi ecosystem. This includes focus on integrating other ecosystem partners, like the recently announced integration of yield protocol, Acre, and wallet partners to enable a fulsome BitcoinFi experience, like the recently announced ability for Mezo users to “log in” with Bitcoin using both hardware wallets and web wallets like Unisat, OKX, and Xverse. Ledger plans to integrate Mezo directly into its suite of products with further details on integrations to be disclosed in the near future.

Matt Luongo, CEO of Thesis & Founder of Mezo, commented on today’s news: “Ledger Cathay Fund’s support for Mezo is a strong testament that BitcoinFi is the future of ownership, that Mezo is the leader in building the technology behind this future. Today is a tremendous milestone in our work with investors and peers to expand the Bitcoin network, bringing on-chain a circular economy that empowers people worldwide to put BTC to work.”

Mezo, built by Thesis, amplifies Bitcoin‘s infrastructure by facilitating cheap, efficient transactions. In turn, it preserves the Bitcoin network’s foundational principles, including security, dedication to open-source development, and a BTC-first HODL mentality. Distinct from other Bitcoin L2s, Mezo provides users access to applications usable in the real world. Features include Thesis-built tBTC, which allows for trust-minimized bitcoin bridging to numerous ecosystems, plus staking with stBTC, supported by Acre, Thesis’ recently launched Bitcoin-in, Bitcoin-out staking platform.

Mezo serves as a venue for users to maximize Bitcoin‘s full potential beyond being a store of value. Users can leverage applications to transact securely with Bitcoin without roadblocks like fragmented user experience and high gas fees. To date, Mezo has $124.5M in total volume locked and 2,152 Bitcoin deposited in the protocol.

Thesis, one of the longest standing Bitcoin builders, founded in 2013, has supported multiple brand launches of projects within the Bitcoin ecosystem including Mezo, Acre, tBTC, and Fold – who recently announced its plans to go public as the first pureplay financial services company powered by Bitcoin.

Investor Quotes:

Pascal Gauthier, Chairman and CEO of Ledger: “At Ledger, we are Bitcoiners and we believe Bitcoin is the  event. But the landscape of Bitcoin is changing. People want to do more with their Bitcoin, and we need to not only support these new developments in Ledger products, but actively support the future of Bitcoin development. We are therefore thrilled to invest in Mezo, a groundbreaking Bitcoin project that we believe will significantly impact the Bitcoin ecosystem. This investment signals our confidence in Thesis and their project, Mezo, based on their long standing track record of building successful brands in the Bitcoin ecosystem.”

Marguerite de Tavernost, Investment Director at Ledger Cathay Fund: “We really believe in Mezo’s unique vision to supercharge Bitcoin to become an economic layer. Thanks to all the synergies created by their Thesis incubator, Mezo can be the core element of this ecosystem, and create network effects from their decentralized bridge with tBTC to their consumer app with Fold. We were truly impressed by this unique positioning, combined with the very impressive execution capabilities of the Mezo team.”

David Toh, Managing Partner of Mirana Ventures, Mantle EcoFund’s operator: “Investing in Mezo perfectly aligns with Mantle’s vision of supporting and scaling innovations in the Bitcoin ecosystem. We have confidence in Mezo and the synergistic projects led by the Thesis team. We look forward to fostering Mezo’s growth through potential strategic collaborations with projects within the Mantle ecosystem, such as Ignition ($FBTC) and Mantle LSP (Mantle’s Liquid Staking Protocol).”

About Ledger Cathay Fund:

Ledger Cathay Fund is an early-stage venture fund that provides capital to emerging startups in the Web3 ecosystem, while delivering at the same time unique value added to founders. The fund invests at Seed and Series A in companies across the globe  both in equity and tokens.

The fund is the alliance of market leader Ledger for digital assets custody and of global venture capital firm Cathay Innovation. This initiative provides founders with the benefits of the industry support of Ledger together with the long-term investment practice of Cathay Innovation.

About Ledger:

Celebrating its 10 year anniversary in 2024, Ledger is the world leader in Digital Asset security for consumers and enterprises. Ledger offers connected devices and platforms, with more than 6M devices sold to consumers in 180 countries and 10+ languages, 100+ financial institutions and commercial brands. Over 20% of the world’s crypto assets are secured by Ledger.

Ledger is the digital asset solution secure by design. The world’s most internationally respected offensive security team, Ledger Donjon, is relied upon as a crucial resource for securing the world of Digital Assets. With over 14 billion dollars hacked, scammed or mismanaged in 2023 alone, Ledger’s security brings peace of mind and uncompromising self-custody to its community.

Don’t buy “a hardware wallet.” Buy a LEDGER™ device.

LEDGER™, LEDGER LIVE™, LEDGER RECOVER™, LEDGER STAX™, LEDGER FLEX™ and LEDGER FREE FROM COMPROMISE™ are trademarks owned by Ledger SAS

Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Ledger is under license. E Ink® is a registered trademark of E Ink Corporation.

About Mezo: 

The market has been dominated by technology-first approaches that often overlook the economic needs of users. As the world’s first Bitcoin Economic Layer, Mezo introduces a pivotal shift, designed to amplify Bitcoin‘s infrastructure while adhering to its foundational principles to serve its holders. Mezo is Bitcoin native, facilitating cheap and fast transactions for a variety of relevant use cases. This not only enhances the network’s resilience but also ensures it serves the broader economic ambitions of Bitcoin holders. Mezo is the place where we can unlock the full potential of Bitcoin. This is your invitation to create your own economy. Learn more about Mezo’s initiatives and unique features on their blog here.

About Thesis:

Thesis is a venture production studio, funding and building brands on Bitcoin. Thesis has supported multiple successful brands including the launch of Mezo — a new leading Bitcoin L2 — as well as Acre, tBTC, Fold, among others. Thesis has also garnered investments from leading Venture Capital firms including a16z, Polychain Capital, ParaFi, Fenbushi and more. To learn more, please visit: https://thesis.co/

Media contact: thesis@mgroupsc.com 

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SOURCE Thesis

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Global Influencer Stars Shine at the 2025 WIBA Awards in Cannes

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Panda Boi, Zarina Yeva, Whitney Uland, Patricia Bright, Abi Marquez,  among WIBA Awards 2025 title holders

CANNES, France, May 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The seventh annual WIBA Awards—celebrating social media personalities dedicated to making a global impact—were held on May 23, 2025, at the iconic Hôtel Martinez during the Cannes Film Festival. The prestigious event brought together hundreds of leading content creators behind the year’s most viral moments. Guests enjoyed an elegant evening featuring a cocktail reception, a Gala Dinner, and a dazzling Awards ceremony, highlighted by a special performance from Panjabi MC.

The event awarded international celebrities and extraordinary personalities such as Whitney Uland, Zarina Yeva, Patricia Bright, Abi Marquez, Jessica de Oliveira, Jasmin Gassmann, Jodok Vuille, Aurélie, Whitney Uland, Misha Miller and others. The 2025 Grand Prix WIBA title was awarded to Panda Boi, an Italy-based YouTuber with over 71 million followers on social media.

WIBA Awards were overseen by the World Influencers Association (WIBA) based in Monaco. It was the first and the only international award honoring the work of social media personalities across multiple categories.

WIBA Awards title holders are the top world influencers, such as Lena Situations, Coco Rocha, Maye Musk, Richard Orlinski, Khaby Lame, Nusret Gökçe, Nikkie Tutorials, Gianluca Vacchi, Foodgod, Kat Graham, Kelly Rutherford, Ellen Von Unwerth and others.

WIBA Awards event highlighted the most followed social causes, empowered diverse influencers’ voices, encouraged collaboration, and fostered a sense of a global community of peers. The typical instant reach of a WIBA Awards ballroom was over 200 million impressions.

As an official sponsor and partner of the event, KIKO Milano curated a glamorous backstage experience for top influencers and WIBA 2025 titleholders, also delighting guests with exclusive gifts.

WIBA 2025 Titleholders  

Panda Boi : Grand Prix
Jasmin Gassmann : Influential Actress in social media
Mara Lafontan : Motivational Lifestyle Influencer
Jodok Vuille : Music Art Influencer
Zarina Yeva : Fashion Socialite
Aurelie : Travel Influencer
Tony Czech : Sports Entertainment
Taha Shah Badussha : Influential Actor in social media
Virginia Varinelli : Fashion Business Influencer
Argy : Contemporary Art Influencer
Georgi Sandev : Influential Celebrity Makeup Artist
Jennifer Yepez : Influential Celebrity Hair Stylist
Edouard Siney : Best Talents’ Agent
Misha Miller : Trendsetter Influencer
Jessica De Oliveira : Fashion Entertainment Influencer
Patricia Bright : Video Most Successful Britain’s Social Media Personality
Ozodbek Khurramov : Leading Middle Asia Influencer
NUTSA : Singer Influencer
Whitney Uland : Influential Talent’s Coach
Maren Tschinkel : Influential Health & Wellness Model
Leane Marts : Beauty Influencer
Karolina Agata Sankiewicz : Glamourous Sport Influencer
Shintaro Kambara & Kenta Kambara : Young Visionary Designers Award
LIONFIELD : Entertainment Influencers
Bilonda Alice Mukendi : Multi Platform Influencer
Abi Marquez : Food Influencer
Charlie Griffon : Best Pet Influencer
Sean Sudarshan Rajan founder @thebillionairesclub : Influential Luxury Society

GETTY IMAGES PHOTOS:
https://dam.gettyimages.com/selects/wiba-awards-gala-ceremony-2025

Contact: contact@wiba.global  

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SOURCE WIBA Awards

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The world says ‘NamAIste’ to Made in India’s world’s first Hospitality GPT by IIHM

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AI-powered knowledge engine built on deep domain research is the global hospitality industry’s biggest innovation. Hospitality stakeholders and industry captains hail the launch of ‘NamAIste – IIHM Hospitality GPT’ as a Viksit Bharat enterprise.

KOLKATA, India, May 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — There is a new dawn in the world of hospitality. The global unison of technology and human touch, in the form of the world’s first-ever hospitality-exclusive GPT, was launched in Kolkata, India, following the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream for a ‘Make in India‘ technology in the spirit of Viksit Bharat.

Pioneered by the visionary zeal of AI evangelist and Chairman of IIHM, Dr. Suborno Bose, the NamAIste IIHM Hospitality GPT was introduced and launched, before a global audience of hospitality leaders, students, and stakeholders, as a vehicle of limitless possibilities. NamAIste – HospitalityGPT is the world’s first Generative AI-powered knowledge engine tailored for the hospitality industry.

Beyond the realms of a chatbot or a normal GPT, the “NamAIste – IIHM Hospitality GPT” is a repository of extensive, inclusive, and exclusive knowledge, information, research, innovation, and trends which will be galaxies beyond what a normal search engine or chatbot can do.

This was welcomed by the industry as nothing less than a giant satellite launch into space. In effect, it wasn’t far from that, as the NamAIste IIHM Hospitality GPT will traverse new horizons, giving closed-user access to information and research that will be unmatched.

Proudly Made in India, Made by Indians, NamAIste is a customized Large Language Model (LLM) specifically engineered for the hospitality sector. It empowers AI-driven learning, decision-making, and innovation—ushering in a new era of hospitality intelligence.

As the creator of NamAIste IIHM Hospitality GPT, Dr. Suborno Bose, Chairman, IIHM, said,

“The industry is ready to accept it. The industry is waiting. It’s a global mind changer. It is not just a tech marvel but a dawn of a new way of thinking and the dawn of reimagining things.”

During his vision address at the grand launch event at IIHM Global Campus—and joined virtually from India and nations across time zones and geographies—Dr. Suborno Bose said,

“It is an engine of innovation, excellence, and a bold announcement that India is at par with the best in the world. The time for India to lead has come — and we have arrived. If the US can have Google, and China can have DeepSeek, India can — and now does — have NamAIste. NamAIste – IIHM HospitalityGPT is designed to empower students, faculty, hospitality professionals, and industry stakeholders with real-time access to insights, trends, and global best practices.”

Entiovi Technologies was the tech partner of the project that developed NamAIste, a customized Large Language Model (LLM) specifically tailored for the hospitality industry—ensuring hospitality-centric AI-powered learning and decision-making. Sanjoy Chatterjee, Director, Entiovi Technologies, an industry-admired name in tech innovation, said during his vision address,

“It all started with an early morning conversation between me and Dr. Bose in February this year. The uniqueness of NamAIste is not technology. The whole platform is built on open-source technology. The uniqueness is creating the knowledge base from 60 countries. Imagine a student in Bengal writing a question about Japanese culinary history and the answer coming from Japanese documents in Bengali.”

When this was demonstrated, the entire audience in Kolkata and those who participated virtually burst into loud applause. Countries across the world also realised the depth and uniqueness of this exclusive knowledge.

Dr. Suborno Bose then went on to underline the significance of this global launch to the country,

“I must congratulate team IIHM and Entiovi Technologies but especially our country India, our Viksit Bharat. This is a true Make in India moment because it shows what we are capable of and this is for the entire hospitality industry which has been a huge supporter of IIHM for 34 years. This is what our mission statement is all about—innovation and creativity. This is another great example of how IIHM comes out of the traditional hospitality education to innovative education backed by AI and tech emergence,” Dr. Bose added.

He added a sensitive human touch to the proceedings when he said,

“AI cannot change the human factor. Our industry is a people industry. It’s for the people. This will always remain an industry of smiles and hospitable character. AI will assist this to ensure that we rise to the customer’s expectations purposefully and work and apply AI in a different way.”

On how this hospitality GPT is for the future, Dr. Bose said,

“It is best for the students and will change the way hospitality education would be taught in the future. It’s made by Indians, for the world. It’s a gift from India to the world of hospitality. We do not teach our students hospitality management. We teach them the business of hospitality. We invest a lot to promote that.”

This was indeed a “Greeted in India” moment. As IIHM campuses across India erupted with joy and elation at the unlocking of limitless possibilities, students, faculty, and faculty members expressed pride in their institution that went beyond preparing students for hospitality, to creating an exclusive launch vehicle for global hospitality excellence. Made right at their home and made for the world.

Key Benefits of NamAIste:

Revolutionizing hospitality education and trainingEnabling smart, data-driven decision-making for industry professionalsProviding instant access to best practices, SOPs, and service innovation strategies

The launch was joined by hospitality educators, iconic chefs, CEOs of hospitality-linked companies, all of whom will be ambassadors taking the world of NamAIste IIHM Hospitality GPT to the world, for the students, innovators, and hospitality captains.

Manish Dayya, General Manager of Sofitel, BKC Mumbai, said elatedly,

“It is a proud moment for India as this tool is made in India and supports the Make in India movement. This tool and technology will support the hospitality industry in India and globally.”

Ishan Sarkar, Chief Business Officer, Indya Foods, commented,

“An evangelist is someone who brings good news. Dr. Suborno Bose is not just an AI evangelist—he is a hospitality evangelist. NamAIste is the best news the hospitality industry has received in the modern era.”

Sabrina Dey, General Manager, ITC Windsor, Bengaluru, said,

“The NamAIste – IIHM Hospitality GPT is truly a gift. Not only to India, but to the global hospitality community. If ‘Tech and Touch’ is the mantra, and integrating AI into hospitality is the goal, then NamAIste is the perfect launch vehicle. In the world of AI, this is nothing short of a space mission—turning the seemingly impossible into reality. Congratulations to Dr. Suborno Bose and the entire IIHM team.”

Every time this first-ever knowledge repository is opened anywhere in the world, the early morning conversation between Suborno Bose and Sanjoy Chatterjee, the visionary and creator, will ring somewhere in the hospitality ecosystem.

This is IIHM’s gift to the global hospitality industry — and to hospitality students everywhere.

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2569189/IIHM_Logo.jpg
Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2695627/IIHM_NamAIste.jpg

Contact: Mr. Sujay Gupta (+919923057937)

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/the-world-says-namaiste-to-made-in-indias-worlds-first-hospitality-gpt-by-iihm-302464838.html

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Club Offers Released on May 25, 2025

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NEW YORK, May 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Travelzoo® (NASDAQ: TZOO), the club for travel enthusiasts, announces the release of Club Offers for Club Members.

Rigorously vetted and negotiated for us travel enthusiasts in Germany:

199 €—LUXURY HOTEL IN DAVOS 3 days in one of Switzerland’s most fashionable places, the setting of Thomas Mann’s novel The Magic Mountain. The 5-star hotel is located directly on the promenade. Club members save 47–54 percent compared to the hotel website.

AB 379 €—TUSCANY: 6 DAYS WITH WINE TASTING & 3 COOKING COURSES
Apartments of at least 92 square meters, surrounded by cypresses and vineyards. Club members receive daily breakfast plus a 3-course candlelight dinner.

119 €—4*-HOTEL IN PARIS INCL. SEINE CRUISE, REGULAR 472 € A 2-night stay in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés district, once a meeting place for Sartre and Picasso. Just 15 minutes on foot from the Louvre and including breakfast.

99 €—NEW LUXURY HOTEL IN BUDAPEST, -72%
Located in the middle of the UNESCO-protected old town is this 5-star superior hotel. Condé Nast Traveller magazine lists it as one of the best hotels in Budapest. The “bold design” is particularly highlighted.

139 €—3 DAYS BLACK FOREST WITH HALF BOARD
4-star superior hotel with panoramic views of the countryside. Half board with organic products and access to the spa with thermal pool is included. Club members save 39–66 percent compared to the original price.

FROM 599 €—SWITZERLAND TRIP WITH GLACIER EXPRESS & HOTELS 4-day train journey in 1st class from and to Germany. Including 4-star hotels in Zermatt and St. Moritz as well as a ride on the panoramic train Glacier Express.

Some offers have limited inventory and are subject to availability.

Are you a travel enthusiast? Join the club today: https://travelzoo.com

About Travelzoo
We, Travelzoo®, are the club for travel enthusiasts. We reach 30 million travelers. Club Members receive Club Offers personally reviewed by our deal experts around the globe. We have our finger on the pulse of outstanding travel, entertainment, and lifestyle experiences. We work in partnership with thousands of top travel suppliers—our long-standing relationships give us access to irresistible deals.

Travelzoo is a registered trademark of Travelzoo. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Media Contact:

Mara Zatti 
+49 30 3119 7514
mzatti@travelzoo.com

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