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SCORE Announces Winners of its Small Business Pitch Competition in Los Angeles

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LOS ANGELES, Sept. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — SCORE, the nation’s largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors, announced the three winning small business owners of its 60th Anniversary Pitch Competition held on Sept. 26 at The Kimpton Everly Hotel in Los Angeles, one of the host cities of the nationwide event. The competition is an avenue for small business owners to showcase their presentation and selling skills to industry experts, win funding and gain valuable knowledge and mentorship, all at no cost. More than 2,200 small business owners applied to participate.

The three winning businesses in the Los Angeles pitch event are:

First Place:
Diana Jarrar – Magic Dates (Los Angeles, CA)
Magic Dates, LLC offers innovative snack bites made from dates and other nutritious ingredients, such as walnuts and cacao. Inspired by Diana’s Syrian heritage, the products are designed to be healthy alternatives to traditional snacks, being plant-based, paleo, gluten-free and grain-free, with no added sugars. Popular flavors include Triple Choco Crunch and Salted Walnut Brownie. Diana earned the top prize of $20,000 for her pitch. She plans to use her prize to enhance inventory and production, establish affiliate influencer partnerships, fund pay-per-click campaigns on Amazon, and refresh the website with new imagery.

Second Place:
Jon Mowl – Play With ASL (Riverside, CA)
Play With ASL is an innovative mobile application designed to make learning American Sign Language (ASL) engaging and accessible through gamification. Founded by a Deaf entrepreneur, the platform addresses gaps in existing ASL education by combining fun gaming elements with structured language learning, catering to diverse learning needs. Jon earned $10,000 for his pitch, which he plans to use to enhance the app’s capabilities by developing additional educational games, integrating Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) standards for use in educational institutions, and improving user experience. Funds will also support marketing efforts and expand the app’s availability to Android devices, broadening its user base.

Third Place:
Brice Sokolowski – Vaucluse Gear LLC (Scottsdale, AZ)
Vaucluse Gear LLC specializes in innovative backpack ventilation solutions, including attachable ventilation frames, mesh sleeves and ultralight framed backpacks. The company aims to enhance comfort for backpackers by reducing sweating and increasing airflow, all while ensuring quality through American-made products. Brice received $5,000 for his pitch. He will use the prize to support the company’s research and development to advance the next version of their ventilation frames, helping accelerate the design process by six months. The funding will also aid in building brand awareness.

“Congratulations to the winners of our 60th Anniversary Pitch Competition event in Los Angeles,” said SCORE CEO Bridget Weston. “It takes ingenuity, passion and dedication for small business owners to succeed. SCORE is honored to provide mentorship and resources to our pitch contestants, just as we have for more than 17 million entrepreneurs over the past 60 years.”

As part of the pitch competition, contestants were matched with one of SCORE’s free, expert business mentors to guide them to prepare and deliver a compelling pitch.

Judging criteria included the effectiveness of the presentation, brand identification, uniqueness and viability of the product or service, the thoroughness of the business plan, scalability and any sustainability or social impact. Financials were also assessed on overall potential.

Shellie Peters, Head of Benefits and Charitable Giving at Global Atlantic, said “Global Atlantic is thrilled to support SCORE’s pitch competition and is committed to fostering the growth of small businesses that contribute to the economic landscape of this dynamic city. We applaud all participants for their creativity and determination and look forward to seeing their positive impact on the Los Angeles community.”

The 10 finalists from the Los Angeles event also included:

Donna Lee – R-YOLO (Harvard, MA)Max Goldberg – Shuki (Los Angeles, CA)Alejandra Garcia – Moon & Milk (Los Angeles, CA)Melody Brown – L&M Hair Company (Portland, OR)Chris Sward – LA Cleaning LLC (Lawndale, CA)Danika Frandsen – Baby Steps Concierge Nursing (Camarillo, CA)Anastasia Miles – The City Loo (Kirkland, WA)

In addition to Los Angeles, regional contests were held in Philadelphia on Aug. 28 and in Des Moines on Sept. 12. A nationwide virtual competition took place Sept. 17-19. The final event in the series will be held on Oct. 3 in Houston. In total, SCORE’s 60th Anniversary Pitch Competition will award $175,000 to 15 winning small businesses.

For more information or to download photos of the Los Angeles event, click here for the press kit.

To schedule interviews with winners of SCORE’s 60th Anniversary Pitch Competition, finalists, mentors, or representatives from SCORE, please contact teamscore@redbanyan.com.

To learn more about SCORE, request a mentor or volunteer to be one, visit score.org.

About SCORE

Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 17 million entrepreneurs start, grow or successfully exit a business. SCORE’s 10,000 volunteers provide free, expert mentoring, resources and education in all 50 U.S. states and territories. Visit SCORE at score.org.

Funded [in part] through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Media Contact
Maria Coder, SCORE, 954-379-2115, teamscore@redbanyan.com

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In Turfan, Xinjiang, China’s first commercially operated microgrid has generated nearly 100 million kWh of electricity

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TURFAN, China, Nov. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — On November 13, the Turfan New Energy City Microgrid Demonstration Project, China’s first commercially operated microgrid demonstration project, generated nearly 100 million kWh of electricity, equivalent to saving 29,000 tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 77,600 tons.

A microgrid refers to a small-scale power generation and distribution system organized by distributed power sources, power loads, distribution facilities, monitoring and protection devices, etc., which can realize flexible control and autonomous management. Since the end of 2013, the project had been the largest and most comprehensive solar energy utilization and building integration project in China up to that time, with 8.7 MW of photovoltaic power installed on the roofs of 223 residential buildings, generating an annual power capacity of about 10 million kWh.

To promote the physical operation of the project, the State Grid Turfan Power Supply Company invested more than 2 million yuan to cooperate in the construction of microgrid infrastructure, fully supporting the online operation of surplus new energy power generation, promoting the comprehensive utilization of renewable resources in urban buildings, and helping Turfan build a high-quality development demonstration area and a green and low-carbon pilot area.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/in-turfan-xinjiang-chinas-first-commercially-operated-microgrid-has-generated-nearly-100-million-kwh-of-electricity-302306810.html

SOURCE State Grid Turfan Power Supply Company

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Innovations in Guiyang: Adhering to New Industrialization and Promoting High-End, Intelligent and Green Manufacturing

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GUIYANG, China, Nov. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — A report by Huanqiu.com

The wave of new industrialization in Guiyang is driving the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry in ways like never before. Guiyang is always strategically oriented toward “industrial structure optimization with a focus on industries”, and has made all efforts to develop “four major industrial bases”, highlighting its industrial economy as the “primary driving force” behind development. Especially relying on its policy edge in renewable energy, Guiyang has rapidly emerged as a national new-energy power battery and materials research, development and production center, injecting strong momentum into the city’s economy.

In October 2023, the CATL (Guizhou) New Energy Power and Energy Storage Battery Production Base, located in Gui’an New Area, Guizhou Province, was put into production. The first phase of the base boasts cutting-edge design standards, characterized by “lighthouse + zero carbon factory”. The high-standard facility employs advanced, high-speed, highly automated, and flexible production lines. It is designed to have an annual production capacity of 30 GWh. After the base achieves the designed production capacity, its annual output value is expected to reach 15 billion yuan. According to statistics, the base realized an industrial output value of 618 million yuan in the first half of 2024, and the year’s industrial output value is expected at about 2 billion yuan.

The Chery (Guizhou) industrial base has also yielded unusually brilliant results in the field of new energy vehicles (NEVs), where Chery Automobile’s self-developed “CHEVOO” new-generation light truck KL71 project is undergoing four-pillar car road tests. The advanced pressing, welding, painting and assembly lines, as well as the R&D lab and the all-electric truck production line, together constitute this “digital intelligent” NEV factory. Moreover, the Chery (Guizhou) industrial base has built, extended and strengthened its vehicle manufacturing industry chain so as to master key parts supply chains and reduce development costs.

The Gui’an FinDreams battery project, as an important move of BYD in Guiyang, is also showing its strength in power batteries for NEVs. FinDreams Battery Co., Ltd. at Longshan Industrial Park in Gui’an New Area has four automatic production lines that are operating at high speeds in the workshop, which produce “blade batteries” which are well-known both in and out of the industry. According to reports, 300 battery packs and 40,000 cells can be produced per day.

Guiyang’s “four bases” – a new energy vehicles and battery materials production base, a resource deep-processing base, a computing power assurance base, and an industrial backup base, contribute greatly to the development of NEV and battery materials industry, electronic information manufacturing industry, and advanced equipment manufacturing industry, etc. Data show that in the first three quarters, the added value of Guiyang’s industrial enterprises above designated size grew by 11%, and the contribution of industrial economy to economic growth reached 39.4%.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2558773/image.jpg 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/innovations-in-guiyang-adhering-to-new-industrialization-and-promoting-high-end-intelligent-and-green-manufacturing-302306825.html

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Premialab appointed by Lombard Odier Investment Managers to scale Quantitative Investment Strategies

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Premialab’s technology chosen to enhance QIS scaling, operational efficiency, and risk management.

PARIS, Nov. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Lombard Odier Investment Managers (LOIM), the institutional asset management business of the Lombard Odier Group, has integrated Premialab‘s industry-leading technology to support the management of their soon-to-be-launched DOM Global Macro strategy. This partnership underscores LOIM’s commitment to onboard innovative strategies in an evolving market landscape.

“Our decision to partner with Premialab is driven by their comprehensive risk management and regulatory compliance expertise,” said Didier Anthamatten, Portfolio Manager at LOIM. “With a strong track record in alternative investments, LOIM remains focused on delivering innovative investment solutions and high-quality returns for our clients. Premialab’s advanced data capabilities are essential in helping us maintain our rigorous standards and provide robust, risk-adjusted performance. Additionally, their platform perfectly matches the DOM Global Macro strategy’s needs, enhancing our risk monitoring capabilities and streamlining portfolio management.”

The DOM Global Macro strategy expects to leverage Premialab’s unique dataset. The full lookthrough across all DOM’s proprietary systematic strategies allows granular risk decomposition and scenario-based analysis at the entire portfolio level. This should help monitoring exposures’ attractiveness, from both time-series and cross-sectional perspectives, and optimizing asset allocation.

Neil Richards, Head of EMEA Business Development at Premialab, said the collaboration with LOIM is a significant addition to Premialab’s growing business in Switzerland and within the wider European markets.

“Institutions such as LOIM, which oversees a substantial portfolio across various asset classes, need continuous monitoring and adjustment to keep their investments on track,” he explained. “Premialab provides the tools for benchmarking and stress testing their systematic investments, ensuring that LOIM’s mandates are effectively managed in terms of cost, risk, and value.”

Premialab CEO Adrien Géliot highlighted that the QIS sector is experiencing rapid growth, driven by institutional investors seeking liquid, transparent, and cost-efficient investment strategies. “Premialab sits at the centre of the QIS landscape, uniquely positioned to aggregate and make sense of the vast and growing universe of data,” he stated. “We are thrilled to be partnering with LOIM to deliver our unique data and risk monitoring capabilities to one of the top global investment firms.”

Premialab’s multi-asset, multi-region platform handles 10 million data points daily. It analyzes over 5,000 investible systematic strategies, with client assets under management totalling approximately USD $20 trillion. Combining the Premialab platform with Premialab Pure Factors®, it provides comprehensive cross-asset quantitative strategy selection and thorough due diligence on strategies available worldwide. Additionally, the platform enhances risk management and reporting capabilities, including expedited and detailed regulatory reporting.

With its unique combination of systematic strategies and discretionary trading, the DOM Global Macro strategy clearly benefits from Premialab’s state-of-the art data analysis capabilities and computational efficiency. The Portfolio and Risk Managers can thus use a shared dataset for risk analysis and performance decomposition, enhancing the portfolio’s robustness and operational efficiency.

About Premialab
Premialab is the leading independent platform that collaborates with leading investment banks and institutional investors globally, providing data, analytics, and risk solutions for systematic, factor, and multi-asset strategies. With offices in London, Paris, New York, Hong Kong, Dubai and Sydney, the company has forged strong partnerships with the top 18 investment banks, asset managers, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds and insurance companies globally.

About Lombard Odier Investment Managers (LOIM)
Lombard Odier Investment Managers (LOIM) is the institutional asset management business of the Lombard Odier Group, wholly owned and funded by its partners since its establishment in 1796.

We provide a range of investment solutions to a diverse group of long-term oriented clients. Our heritage, and our combination of the best of conservatism and innovation, keeps us well positioned to create lasting value for our clients. Our investment capabilities span fixed income, convertible bonds, equities, multi-asset, and alternatives. Sustainability is central to our investment philosophy; we believe it is the founding principle of long-term economic and investment outcomes and will drive returns over the long term.

With over 200 investment professionals, we are a global business with a network of 13 offices across Europe, Asia and North America and have assets under management of CHF 64 billion (as at 31 September 2024).

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/de/pressemitteilungen/premialab-appointed-by-lombard-odier-investment-managers-to-scale-quantitative-investment-strategies-302306411.html

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