Draper celebrated the official opening of its newest office, located on the UMass Lowell campus, with an open house on April 8, 2025.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 10, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Draper officially opened its newest corporate campus at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. To celebrate, Draper hosted an Open House on April 8, 2025, at its offices in the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor (LINC).

Speakers at the open house included Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts Kim Driscoll, UMass President Marty Meehan, UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen, Lowell Mayor Daniel P. Rourke, and Massachusetts State Representative Tara Hong. Draper was represented by President and CEO Jerry Wohletz, Ph.D., and Sarah Leeper, Vice President and General Manager of Electronic Systems. The open house also featured presentations of recent work by Draper research teams.

Draper is an anchor tenant in LINC, a transformative public-private development project made possible by the leadership of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, the University of Massachusetts Building Authority (UMBA), and the City of Lowell, with significant support from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

“When leading companies like Draper partner with top-tier public research universities like UMass Lowell, it creates powerful momentum for innovation, workforce development and regional growth,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “This is exactly the kind of collaboration our administration is proud to support — partnerships that fuel economic development, build a strong talent pipeline, and create long-term opportunity for communities across Massachusetts.”

The campus, announced in 2024, supports Draper’s Electronic Systems business, which focuses on specialized microelectronics for the military, critical infrastructure, and space exploration markets. It also significantly expands Draper’s ability to design and deliver specialized, secure, and environmentally resilient microelectronics and support the nation’s industrial base. And Draper is working closely with the university to develop the next generation of engineers, scientists, and technicians to grow the microelectronics workforce in Massachusetts.

“Draper has long embraced its roots in educating the future since our origins as the MIT Instrumentation Lab, and we carry that tradition forward with our mission focus on education,” said Wohletz. “Success happens at the crossroads of innovation and partnerships between academia. This model has worked well for over 90 years, and we continue to drive innovation through our university partnerships across the country and now at the University of Massachusetts Lowell campus. Draper is here to help with mentorships, prototype testing and development, and opportunities for customer collaborations that result in fielded and deployed solutions.”

Leeper added, “The opening of this campus is the first step in expanding our capabilities in Lowell. Over the next several years, Draper plans to develop a microelectronics production assembly and test facility to meet the increasing demands from our customers. This is instrumental in guaranteeing the onshore manufacturing capability required to deliver solutions that address our national security needs. At the same time, the project will serve as an engine for economic growth and employment here in Massachusetts.”

Draper is committed to enhancing the U.S.-based microelectronics ecosystem. As a member of the Microelectronics Commons, Draper is part of a network of regional technology hubs acting on a shared mission: to expand the nation’s global leadership in microelectronics. The Microelectronics Commons program is accelerating domestic prototyping and growing a pipeline of U.S.-based semiconductor talent.

The new Draper campus is in the Wannalancit Building at 600 Suffolk Street, Suite 301, Lowell, Massachusetts. Draper has appointed Colleen Anderson, Director of Tailored Microelectronic Systems, to lead the UMass Lowell campus expansion.

“This partnership with Draper strengthens Massachusetts’ innovation economy, expands opportunities for students and drives long-term growth for the entire region,” said UMass President Marty Meehan. “It is exciting to see the vision we had for the LINC project coming to fruition after many years of laying the groundwork to create a bustling business innovation center in downtown Lowell that is projected to generate $3.7 billion in economic activity and create 2,000 permanent jobs over the next decade.”

“We’re excited to grow our partnership with Draper as they help advance the vision of the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor,” said UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen. “Their commitment to collaboration and cutting-edge technology opens incredible opportunities for our students to gain real-world experience, contribute to meaningful research, and build careers in high-demand fields. This partnership reflects what’s possible when industry and public universities work together.”

This is Draper’s 12th campus, which include: Cambridge, Massachusetts; Cape Canaveral, Florida; Houston, Texas; Huntsville, Alabama; Lowell, Massachusetts; Odon, Indiana; Pittsfield, Massachusetts; Reston, Virginia.; Clearfield, Utah; Titusville, Florida; Washington, D.C., and two locations in St. Petersburg, Florida.

About Draper
Draper is a non-profit research and development company that solves some of the nation’s most important challenges. With more than 2,000 employees working in collaboration across 12 campuses, Draper delivers transformative, mission-driven solutions that successfully meet our customers’ requirements. These efforts focus on four critical mission areas: Strategic Systems, Space Systems, Electronic Systems, and Biotechnology Systems. To extend our legacy into the future, the Draper Scholars program engages with the next generation of innovators while DraperSPARX™ seeks to partner with startups and small businesses that can further our mission. To learn more about Draper, visit http://www.draper.com.

About UMass Lowell
A nationally ranked public university, UMass Lowell has been a leader in research, learning and teaching for more than 130 years. The Carnegie-classified Research 1 university located in the heart of a Massachusetts Gateway City offers high quality in-person and online programs, as well as unique career-connected learning experiences, to more than 17,000 students from 50 states and 114 countries. Learn more at http://www.uml.edu.

Media Contact

Michael Shirer, Draper, 617-258-2464, mshirer@draper.com, https://www.draper.com

Brooke Coupal, UMass Lowell, 978-934-3424, brooke_coupal@uml.edu, https://www.uml.edu

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BOSTON, April 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Validity, Inc., the leading provider of marketing success and customer data intelligence solutions, today announced it has completed the acquisition of Litmus, the leading global provider of email optimization and testing solutions.

This agreement marks a continued step in Validity’s mission to empower marketers with an encompassing platform to create, optimize, deliver, and monitor high-performing email campaigns at scale.

“For years, thousands of the world’s leading brands have relied on Validity’s marketing success platform to increase engagement and ultimately grow faster with better digital marketing campaigns and an increased trust in their customer data,” said Mark Briggs, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Validity. “I’m thrilled to welcome Litmus to the Validity family and immediately bring to our customers this industry-leading, comprehensive, and unified platform that ensures emails are visually compelling, appropriately optimized, and positioned for next-generation personalization to ensure maximum engagement.”

With the addition of Litmus, Validity’s comprehensive marketing success platform will provide a seamless, end-to-end experience—from contact data validation and enrichment to design, personalization, deliverability optimization, and continuous campaign monitoring—all by working with customers’ existing marketing systems and email service providers, enabling customers to get more value from their current marketing investments. This powerful combination of capabilities helps sales and marketing professionals around the world boost engagement, improve inbox placement, and ensure every email delivers maximum ROI.

“I am thrilled for Litmus to join the Validity family at this incredible time in our industry, as automation and AI accelerate the drive toward digital marketing personalization,” said Erik Nierenberg, CEO of Litmus. “Combining Litmus’s leadership in pre-send optimization and personalization with the incredible Validity platform, capabilities, and terrific customer service culture is a big win for customers and the marketing community.”

Shea & Company, LLC and Barclays Capital, Inc. acted as financial advisors to Validity. Additionally, Nixon Peabody LLP and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP acted as legal advisors to Validity in connection with the transaction. For Litmus, Evercore acted as the exclusive financial advisor, and Choate Hall & Stewart LLP acted as legal advisor. No other financial terms of the agreement were disclosed.

To learn how to grow faster and build more successful marketing campaigns with Validity, visit Validity.com.

ABOUT VALIDITY
For over 20 years, tens of thousands of organizations throughout the world have relied on Validity solutions to target, contact, engage, and keep customers—using trustworthy data as a key advantage. Validity’s flagship products—DemandTools, BriteVerify, Everest, Sender Certification, and GridBuddy Connect—are all highly rated solutions for CRM data management, email address verification, inbox deliverability, and avoiding the spam folder. These solutions deliver smarter campaigns, more qualified leads, more productive sales, and ultimately faster growth. For more information, visit Validity.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, YouTube, and X.

Media Contact
PANBlast for Litmus
Christy Dean
litmus@panblastpr.com 

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SOURCE Litmus

Comcast RISE to Award $3 Million in Grants to 100 Local Small Businesses

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., April 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Comcast announced Grand Rapids, Muskegon, and surrounding areas will be one of five regions where eligible small businesses will have the opportunity receive grants through Comcast RISE. The program will provide 100 small businesses with comprehensive packages that include a technology makeover, creative production, a media schedule, educational resources, a $5,000 monetary grant, and business consultation services.    

Beginning on May 1, and through May 31, eligible businesses in Grand Rapids and Muskegon can apply for a grant package at www.ComcastRISE.com.

Grant packages will include:  

TECHNOLOGY MAKEOVER – Computer equipment and Internet, Voice, and Cybersecurity services for 12 months. (Taxes and other fees may apply for tech makeover services.)CREATIVE PRODUCTION & MEDIA – Professionally produced 30-second TV commercial, plus a media strategy consultation and a 180-day linear media schedule. (Taxes and other fees may apply for production and media services.)EDUCATION RESOURCES – 12-month access to online entrepreneurship courses, learning modules, and resources for small business owners.MONETARY GRANT – $5,000 monetary grant.COACHING SESSIONS – Business assessment and coaching that provides business owners with recommendations on how to help grow their businesses.

“Small business owners in Grand Rapids and Muskegon serve as the economic and innovation engines of their communities,” said Sonya Callahan, Regional Vice President, Comcast Business, Heartland. “Comcast RISE is all about uplifting local entrepreneurs, supporting the growth of small businesses, and our continued commitment to their success.”

Grand Rapids and Muskegon are home to a number of former Comcast RISE winners, including Delight in Designs (Grand Rapids), Body Builders Collision & Custom Cars (Kentwood), A Solution B (Wyoming), and Servicios De Esperanza (Muskegon).  

“The saying is, ‘business is never personal’ – but we take the opposite approach,” said Christian Boyd, owner of Body Builders Collision & Custom Cars. “We’re so grateful to provide a service to the community, and I’m very grateful we were chosen to participate in Comcast RISE. For any eligible business thinking about applying for Comcast RISE this year, just go for it. It’s an awesome opportunity you can’t afford to pass up.”  

A total of 100 grants per region, or 500 grants overall, will be announced in August. This year’s recipients, across Grand Rapids and Muskegon, Boston, Nashville, Seattle, and South Valley, UT, will join the 14,000 entrepreneurs nationwide who have been supported through Comcast RISE since the program launched in 2020. 

Comcast RISE is part of Project UP, the company’s comprehensive initiative to create digital opportunity and help build a future of unlimited possibilities.  

More information on eligibility requirements and details on how to apply are available at  www.ComcastRISE.com.

About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company. From the connectivity and platforms we provide, to the content and experiences we create, our businesses reach hundreds of millions of customers, viewers, and guests worldwide. We deliver world-class broadband, wireless, and video through Xfinity, Comcast Business, and Sky; produce, distribute, and stream leading entertainment, sports, and news through brands including NBC, Telemundo, Universal, Peacock, and Sky; and bring incredible theme parks and attractions to life through Universal Destinations & Experiences. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.   

Media Contacts: 
Amy Pietzak 
248-318-8905 
amy_pietzak@comcast.com
https://michigan.comcast.com/

Samantha VanHoef
734-478-7118
samantha_vanhoef@comcast.com
https://michigan.comcast.com/ 

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