World class exhibitors showcase opportunities and challenges posed by frontier-pushing digital and practical health technologies, set to revolutionize patient care for the next decade  Attendees exposed to AI-enabled diagnostic solutions, which expedite disease identification and promote fast access to treatment pathways
Stability, support and opportunity hallmarks of KSA’s high-growth investment environment to promote sustainable health ecosystem

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Global Health Exhibition, under the patronage of the Saudi Ministry of Health and organized by Tahaluf, continued into its second day with key sessions focussing on the breadth and depth of healthcare innovation.

Sessions included a focus on next generation pharma treatments, surgical technology, and digital health interventions. Advances in hospital technology, including emergency care, rapid stroke support and long term patient management also featured across the event’s five stages and three exhibition halls.

In addition, panel discussions addressed key topics, such as the future of oncology, early detection and advanced therapies, cardiovascular disease, cyber-security in healthcare, and the evolving investment environment. 

“Early diagnosis saves lives,”  said Dr. Danuta Jeziorska, CEO & Co-Founder, Nucleome Therapeutics at the Digital Health Forum. “We are in an era of the convergence of technologies, such as AI and genomics. The future of oncology and diagnosing patients is focused on acting early – on the Stage one of Cancer – or even to prevent it.

“For example, in the UK, the survival rate for Stage one breast cancer diagnosis is almost 100%. But by Stage four, the survival rate is 25%. I’m sitting here today, because I was diagnosed very quickly.”

The Leaders’ Summit heard from leading health sector author Mark Brignall, who discussed the global health workforce crisis, highlighted by the World Health Organization, which reveals acute staffing shortages across state owned health systems worldwide. The crisis, if unaddressed, will make most countries’ health systems unsustainable, with an estimated worldwide staff shortfall of 18 million by 2030, he explained. 

Speaking on a panel entitled “Cybersecurity in Healthcare: Safeguarding Electronic Health Records”, speakers emphasized the importance of maintaining trust when managing data at societal level, so that huge benefits can be unlocked from patient data.

“If people don’t trust us to look after their data safely, and to use it appropriately, they won’t share it with us,” said Simon Swift, CEO, Health Navigator.

“If we can’t access population-wide data, there are many things we can’t do, and we can’t keep populations, or individuals, safe. Trust is a slippery commodity – hard to gain, very easy to lose.”

Speakers also addressed the investment opportunities across the evolving medtech and pharmaceutical landscape in Saudi Arabia.

“Investors are constantly looking for growth,” said Dr Leonid Shapiro, Managing Partner, Candesic at the Investor Forum. “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia represents somewhere where there is plenty of support, stability and opportunity.

“One of the biggest ambitions of the Ministry of Health here is to create a sustainable healthcare system. It’s not just about meeting current needs, but thinking about future needs.

“The population of the Kingdom is skyrocketing. Looking after that population can’t be a burden placed on some companies and hospitals, instead it will be necessary to attract investors, to sell services, and to invest in physical services. That’s what creates sustainability, and that’s what’s so exciting about investing here.” added Dr Shapiro.

“As the story of Global Health Exhibition 2024 continues, the event today focused not just on exciting, boundary-pushing technology, but the crunch issues that matter to health stakeholders worldwide,” said Rachel Sturgess, Group Director, Tahaluf.

“Ongoing risks around system sustainability for the long term, the continued threat of cybersecurity compromises as well as the increasing cost of care as population numbers rise are very real challenges which require creative, expert thinking to resolve. The Exhibition is acting as a vital conduit for these important discussions between Saudi Arabia and the rest of the world.”

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SOURCE Global Health Exhibition

The annual list recognizes the country’s leading B2B companies that have proven track records of supporting entrepreneurs and helping companies grow

DENVER, Oct. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Inc., the leading media brand and playbook for the entrepreneurs and business leaders shaping our future, today announced its third annual Power Partner Awards. The prestigious list honors B2B organizations across the country that have proven track records supporting entrepreneurs and helping startups grow. This year’s list recognizes Xero, the global small business platform, among 359 companies in marketing and advertising, health and wellness, financial services, legal, logistics, public relations, and productivity, as well as other critical areas of business.

Every company on the Inc. Power Partner award list received top marks from clients for being instrumental in helping leadership navigate the dynamic world of startups. These B2B partners support entrepreneurs across various facets of the business, including hiring, compliance, infrastructure development, cloud migration, fundraising, etc., allowing founders to focus on their core missions.

“This is our definitive listing of vendors and suppliers who have demonstrated excellence in serving small- and midsize customers,” says Inc. editor in chief Mike Hofman. “As part of the vetting process, our team of editors, researchers and reporters gathered information on companies’ products and services, assessed their reputation as captured in online comments and forums, and collected customer testimonials to ensure that the sales pitch matches the actual client experience. In every case, we spoke to founders like you who were happy to attest to a vendor’s genuine commitment to a mutually beneficial business partnership. We’re happy to be the conduit for that positive word of mouth.”

“We are honored to be recognized as a winner of this year’s Power Partner Awards,” said Ben Richmond, Managing Director, North America at Xero. “This accolade is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, and underscores our commitment to supporting small businesses as they navigate the ever-changing business landscape and work to achieve their goals.”

Xero has made significant strides in the cloud accounting software industry; with more than four million subscribers worldwide, small business customers leverage Xero for efficient financial management, solidifying its reputation as a trusted name for small and medium-sized businesses. Xero’s innovative use of AI, exemplified by the launch of its smart business companion Just Ask Xero (JAX), has positioned it as a leader in the market. Xero also recently unveiled a suite of new product innovations designed to help small businesses manage their cash flow more effectively while providing deeper insights into their financial health, further demonstrating its commitment to creating solutions that meet the evolving needs of small business customers worldwide.

To view the complete list, visit this webpage.

About Xero

Xero is a global small business platform with 4.2 million subscribers. Xero’s smart tools help small businesses and their advisors to manage core accounting functions like tax and bank reconciliation, and complete other important small business tasks like payroll and payments. Xero’s extensive ecosystem of connected apps and connections to banks and other financial institutions provide a range of solutions from within Xero’s open platform to help small businesses run their business and manage their finances more efficiently.

About Inc.

Inc. is the leading media brand and playbook for the entrepreneurs and business leaders shaping our future. Through its journalism, Inc. aims to inform, educate, and elevate the profile of our community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating our future. Inc.’s award-winning work achieves a monthly brand footprint of more than 40 million across a variety of channels, including events, digital, print, video, podcasts, newsletters, and social media. Its proprietary Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since its launch as the Inc. 100 in 1982, analyzes company data to rank the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The recognition that comes with inclusion on this and other prestigious Inc. lists, such as Female Founders and Power Partners, gives the founders of top businesses the opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

Media Contact

Diandra Binney, Xero, 1 (201) 575-5987, diandra.binney@xero.com, https://www.xero.com/us/

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SOURCE Xero

Visionary collaboration will drive innovation, build infrastructure for scale, and transform the community development finance industry for the future

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Today Opportunity Finance Network, the nation’s leading network and intermediary focused on community development investment, announced a strategic, five-year partnership with the MassMutual Foundation to launch the CDFI Innovation Initiative, a new effort designed to drive innovation, scale impact, and build new infrastructure for the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) industry. The initiative will be funded by a $25 million grant from the MassMutual Foundation. The announcement came at OFN’s 40th annual conference (OFN40) in Los Angeles, California. 

“Community development finance began with an idea – that the conditions in our communities can be better,” said OFN President and CEO Harold Pettigrew. “With proven impact and gathered strength, that idea and the industry it founded have been called to address generational challenges. Meeting the moment ahead requires investing in innovation and infrastructure, accessible to small and large CDFIs alike. The MassMutual Foundation gets it, and they share our commitment to opportunity. We are thrilled to co-create systems, structures, and solutions with them, and invite other partners to join us in this work.”

CDFIs work to expand economic opportunities in low-income communities by providing access to financial services and products for local businesses and residents. 

“The MassMutual Foundation is honored to support this critically important work particularly at this pivotal moment for the CDFI industry,” said Dennis Duquette, MassMutual’s Head of Community Responsibility and President & CEO of the MassMutual Foundation. “Partnering with OFN to launch the CDFI Innovation Initiative reflects our shared commitment to further advance financial opportunity where it is truly needed through the proven, positive impact that CDFIs present to communities across the United States.” 

The years ahead will include unprecedented opportunities and unthinkable challenges for the CDFI industry. The CDFI Innovation Initiative is structured to help CDFIs meet the moment ahead with three core pillars designed to drive new strategies: 

The creation of an Innovation Advisory Council, with investments in thought leadership and data-driven insights into scalable innovations.The establishment of an Innovation Center, an action tank that will take insights and promising solutions and seed them with capital and support.The launch of an Innovation Fund, a blended capital pool that will help take innovative and promising solutions to scale.

The CDFI Innovation Initiative will be at the center of OFN’s strategic direction, and these programs will reinforce the industry’s ability to foster financial health and resilience in low-income communities, expand entrepreneurship and affordable housing, and accelerate a just, green economy.

The MassMutual Foundation partnership and innovation initiative will enable OFN to realize its strategic goals by helping CDFIs and mission-driven lenders build infrastructure that allows the industry to eagerly meet the present moment and opportunities ahead. 

OFN’s members are core to this innovation initiative. Conversations with members and partners have uncovered fundamental challenges which the initiative aims to resolve. Key focus areas include removing technological barriers, enhancing operational efficiencies, and expanding CDFIs’ capitalization structures and financing products. Addressing these challenges will equip CDFI leaders to sustain growth while delivering affordable capital to underserved communities, paving the way for a more equitable and resilient future.

About Opportunity Finance Network 

Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) is the nation’s leading network and intermediary focused on community development investment, managing over $1 billion in total assets and a membership of 450 community development financial institutions (CDFIs), which includes community development loan funds, credit unions, green banks, banks, minority depository institutions, and venture capital funds. Our network of CDFIs works to ensure communities underserved by mainstream finance have access to affordable, responsible financial products and services, with a deep focus on serving rural, urban, and Native communities across the United States. OFN is a trusted investment partner to the public, private, and philanthropic sectors – foundations, corporations, banks, government agencies, and others – and, for 40 years, has helped partners invest in communities to catalyze change and create economic opportunities for all.

Since its founding in 1986, OFN members have originated over $110 billion in financing, helping to create or maintain more than 3 million jobs, start or expand more than 850,000 businesses and microenterprises, and support the development or rehabilitation of nearly 2.4 million housing units and more than 14,000 community facility projects. 

About the MassMutual Foundation 
The MassMutual Foundation, Inc. is a dedicated corporate foundation established by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual). The MassMutual Foundation fuels initiatives that increase financial resilience within communities served by the company and fosters a culture of community engagement for MassMutual’s employees as well as affiliated financial professionals. In support of this mission, the Foundation invests in programs that help people access resources needed to earn, protect, and help build their financial capability and thrive. The Foundation also supports community vitality efforts where MassMutual operates. To learn more about the MassMutual Foundation, please visit www.massmutual.com/foundation.

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SOURCE Opportunity Finance Network