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Merit Network Inc. Receives USDA Grant to expand high-speed internet access for rural Michigan.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich., Feb. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Merit Network is the recipient of a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant for $997,000 to develop a connectivity and digital equity strategy to promote the expansion of high-speed internet in underserved rural Michigan communities.

According to the USDA website, “Under the Broadband Technical Assistance Program, USDA is providing $9.7 million to help 24 organizations deliver or receive technical assistance to expand high-speed internet access for people in rural and Tribal communities across 17 states. This funding will also develop and expand broadband cooperatives in rural areas.” Merit Network is proud to be a recipient and to be able to serve more rural communities in need in Michigan.

“This grant provides a wonderful opportunity to help Michigan communities get on the right track to achieving broadband internet service and digital inclusion that improves quality of life and allows people to live, work, play and stay in the places they call home,” said Roger Blake President and CEO, Merit Network.

This project leverages the Digital Opportunities Compass framework to develop a community driven digital equity plan inclusive of infrastructure planning. This project includes several communities across eight rural communities of Michigan. Merit targeted communities that aligned with the funding opportunity best and also represented a need for additional resources targeted towards broadband expansion and digital equity planning.

The Compass was developed by academic researchers from the Quello Center at Michigan State University, Merit Network, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, and the Digital Equity Research Center. The work supported through USDA can include survey activities, educational programs, community planning facilitation, digital skills programming, and infrastructure planning and funding activities. This is an opportunity to expand previously piloted works following the launch of the Digital Opportunities Compass last year, an effort driven by the research division at Merit Network.

According to Charlotte Bewersdorff, Merit VP of Community Engagement, “This compass framework acts as a vehicle for community engagement and planning that results in knowledgeable local resources poised to take action with the backing of leadership, community organizations and others. The teams that support this work are both DE experts, researchers and practitioners of broadband expansion efforts. Our goal is to serve as an unbiased resource in facilitating multi-stakeholder digital equity planning at the local level.” This strategic approach aligns with the long-term goals of the Michigan Moonshot program, which aims to ensure sustainable and comprehensive digital equity across Michigan.

ABOUT MERIT NETWORK
Merit Network, Inc. is an independent nonprofit corporation governed by Michigan’s public universities. Merit owns and operates America’s longest-running regional research and education network. In 1966, Michigan’s public universities created Merit as a shared resource to help meet their common need for networking assistance. Since its formation, Merit Network has remained at the forefront of research and education networking expertise and services. Merit provides high-performance networking, IT, Security, and community engagement solutions to Michigan’s public universities, colleges, K-12 organizations, libraries, state government, healthcare, and other non-profit organizations. Merit Network aims to continue its efforts to promote digital equity and infrastructure expansion in rural communities within the state through the Michigan Moonshot initiative, which has been providing programs and services to facilitate broadband expansion and capacity building within local governments since 2018. For more information: www.merit.edu.

MEDIA CONTACT
Barnaby Pung
bjpung@merit.edu

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SOURCE Merit Network

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CSharpCorner Announces 2025 Industry-Leading Conference Lineup to Drive Education and Innovation in Software Development

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December 27, 2024

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NEW YORK, Dec. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — CSharpCorner, the world’s premier developer community, is excited to announce its 2025 lineup of industry-leading conferences, addressing the growing demand for events that drive education, networking, and innovation in all areas of software development, including Web3 and AI. These conferences, attended by hundreds of thousands annually, continue to provide valuable opportunities for developers to Learn, Earn, and Grow.

CSharpCorner’s 2025 calendar offers a dynamic mix of virtual and in-person events, providing cutting-edge content, career growth opportunities, and networking with industry experts to support a thriving developer ecosystem.

2025 Conference Lineup:

March: .NET Virtual Conference. A premier event showcasing the latest advancements in .NET technologies, tools, and frameworks to help developers stay at the forefront of innovation.May: Modern Database Conference. Focused on modern database systems, this conference covers trends, solutions, and best practices for efficiently managing data.June: Code Quality Conference. Dedicated to improving software quality, the event explores techniques, tools, and methodologies to write cleaner, more efficient, and maintainable code.July: Cloud Summit. A comprehensive summit covering the major cloud platforms—Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud—helping developers build, scale, and deploy cloud-based solutions.August: Software Architecture Conference – A deep dive into the principles, strategies, and best practices of software architecture, empowering developers to design scalable and robust systems.October: Action AI Conference & BCrypt Conference. The Action AI Conference highlights the latest breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence, while the BCrypt Conference focuses on Web3 technologies, blockchain, and decentralized solutions.November: Frontend Days – Angular, React, Vue, and Blazor. A must-attend event for frontend developers to explore trends, frameworks, and tools in building dynamic and engaging user interfaces.December: Growth Mindset Conference. Designed to inspire and motivate, this event focuses on personal and professional development to help developers thrive in their careers and embrace a growth mindset.

“At CSharp, our mission is to empower developers by offering platforms where they can access cutting-edge content, connect with like-minded professionals, and advance their careers,” said Mahesh Chand, founder & CEO of CSharpCorner. “Our 2025 conferences are designed to meet the evolving needs of the developer community, driving innovation in areas like Web3, AI, cloud computing, and software architecture.”

CSharpCorner plays a pivotal role in supporting developers worldwide, equipping them with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed in an ever-changing technology landscape.

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SOURCE CSharp Inc

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Nest Partners with Dinari to Deliver Real World Yield Through First Tokenized Blackstone ETF on Plume

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31 minutes ago

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December 27, 2024

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NEW YORK, Dec. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Nest, the flagship RWA staking protocol exclusive to Plume Network, today announced the first tokenized Blackstone ETF vault through its partnership with Dinari. Nest’s new permissionless vault features the Blackstone Senior Loan ETF, and will deliver real world yields to DeFi users once the vault is launched on Plume mainnet. This announcement marks a significant expansion of Dinari’s long-term partnership with Plume, as the established tokenization platform brings institutional-grade assets into the rapidly growing Plume ecosystem.

The first tokenized Blackstone ETF on Plume Network joins Nest’s suite of yield-generating solutions, which includes the Treasuries Vault for professional firms and the High Yield Vault for growth-focused strategies.

“By launching this first-ever tokenized Blackstone ETF vault, we’re creating new opportunities for users to access institutional yields,” said Teddy Pornprinya, Co-founder at Plume. “Our partnership with Dinari transforms traditionally exclusive products into accessible opportunities through permissionless infrastructure.”

Through this latest vault, users who stake stablecoins into a vault on Nest receive yield tokens that appreciate in value as SRLN.d, Dinari’s tokenized version of the SPDR Blackstone Senior Loan ETF, generates returns. The ETF provides strong downside protection through floating rate yields indexed to SOFR (Secured Overnight Financing Rate).

The vault benefits from SRLN.d’s key features: competitive yields with automatic dividend accrual and reinvestment, full backing by the underlying Blackstone ETF, and guaranteed 1:1 USDC redemption. Blackstone oversees the management of the underlying assets, while Alpaca Securities provides brokerage services for asset transactions.

The floating rate structure provides natural protection against interest rate fluctuations. Blackstone’s ETF is included in a variety of vaults on Nest, where it provides the base level stability and yield. It’s paired with liquidity from yield-bearing stablecoin protocols Mountain and M^0, serving both retail users and liquidity providers.

Nest’s infrastructure has been secured by multiple firms. The protocol’s smart contracts have been audited by SlowMist, while Trail of Bits and Zellic have audited the broader protocol infrastructure. All Nest vaults, including this latest offering, are assessed by institutional risk manager Cicada Partners.

The integration of Dinari’s Blackstone ETF products marks only the beginning of a longstanding collaboration between Nest and Dinari. Future plans include deeper integration through shared global neobank initiatives and expanded access to highly liquid, yield-bearing assets, all powered by Plume’s infrastructure.

This growing partnership will continue to bring institutional-grade investment opportunities to Plume’s expanding ecosystem of protocols and users.

About Nest
Nest is a flagship staking protocol for users to earn RWA yield on their stablecoins. Designed to be a precisionless way for global users to deposit into vaults, the protocol lets fund managers, issuers, and RWA protocols create their own structured offerings. Audited by Trail of Bits and Zellic, Nest leverages Plume’s unique infrastructure to let its global user base participate in traditionally limited asset classes. For more information, visit https://nest.credit and https://x.com/NestCredit

About Dinari
Dinari is at the forefront of delivering innovative digital economy solutions, empowering individuals and organizations alike. With a steadfast commitment to transparency and accessibility, Dinari specializes in blockchain-based offerings, including the pioneering Dinari Securities-Backed Tokens (dShares), ensuring direct exposure to globally esteemed assets with unequivocal 1:1 backing. For more information, visit https://dinari.com

About Plume Network
Plume is the first fully integrated L1 modular blockchain focused on RWAfi, offering a composable, EVM-compatible environment for onboarding and managing diverse real-world assets. With 180+ projects on its private devnet, Plume provides an end-to-end tokenization engine and a network of financial infrastructure partners, simplifying asset onboarding and enabling seamless DeFi integration for RWAs. For more information, visit https://plumenetwork.xyz

CONTACT: press@plumenetwork.xyz

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SOURCE Plume Network

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Strictly Money Launches Crowdcube Campaign, Inviting European Investors to Fuel its Growth Journey

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2 hours ago

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December 27, 2024

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LONDON, Dec. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Strictly Money Ltd, the London-based fintech, has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube to invite European investors to fuel its next phase of growth. Crowdcube, Europe’s largest private market investment platform, has powered success stories like Revolut, Qonto, and Monzo. Regulated by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Crowdcube provides a trusted and innovative platform for investors to participate in transformative ventures.

Strictly Money’s primary objective with this campaign is to accelerate its growth, fuel product development, and expand its shareholder base. The funding will enable Strictly Money to launch its payment card and banking app in early 2025 and to strengthen its market presence in Scandinavia, the UK, and Ireland. The company plans to introduce hedge fund returns products, broadening investment options for consumers by the end of 2025.

Discover how you can be part of Strictly Money’s growth journey by visiting our Crowdcube campaign at https://crowdcube.getstrictlymoney.com.

Will Povey, CEO and Co-Founder of Strictly Money, said: “At Strictly Money, our vision is to empower everyday investors with access to wealth-building tools and opportunities that were previously reserved for high-net-worth individuals. With this crowdfunding campaign, we aim to bring together a diverse community of investors who share our passion for financial innovation and inclusivity. This funding will not only help us launch our innovative debit card and app but also drive the development of new products that deliver real value to our users.”

About Strictly Money:

Strictly Money is a UK-based financial technology company set to launch a debit card and a cutting-edge banking app in early 2025. The company aims to democratize access to high-performing hedge fund returns, providing innovative investment strategies and financial solutions tailored to investors, savers, and entrepreneurs. Strictly Money’s mission is to open up premium investment opportunities traditionally limited to high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs). For more information, visit https://strictly-money.com.

For media inquiries contact:
Mary Prendergast
Email: ir@getstrictlymoney.com 

Important Notice: 

Investing in startups and early-stage businesses involves risks, including illiquidity, lack of dividends, loss of investment and dilution. It should be done only as part of a diversified portfolio. Crowdcube is targeted exclusively at investors who are sufficiently sophisticated to understand these risks and make their own investment decisions. Please read the full Risk Warning on Crowdcube’s website before deciding to invest.

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