From completing its $10 million Series B equity financing to being awarded the 2024 AI Breakthrough Award for “Best AI Governance Platform” and achieving inclusion on Inc.’s Best in Business List, it was a year of continued momentum for the leading AI Governance software company for enterprises.

CHICAGO, Dec. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The leading AI Governance software for enterprises, ModelOp, announced today it experienced an exponential increase of platform usage in 2024 through new customer acquisition, generative AI adoption, and expanding need for its AI portfolio intelligence and governance capabilities. For the second consecutive year, the company achieved massive, continued growth in the financial services, healthcare, and CPG sectors with customers that include Fidelity Investments, FINRA, and Bristol Myers Squibb.

ModelOp’s excellence was well-recognized this year. It won the prestigious 2024 AI Breakthrough Award for “Best AI Governance Platform”, an award series that celebrates the world’s most innovative companies, technologies, and products in the artificial intelligence industry with more than 5,000 applicants globally this year. The firm also was named to Inc.’s 2024 Best in Business List in the AI & Data category, an award that celebrates the exceptional achievements and contributions of companies that have made a profound impact on their industries and on society at large. In addition, Polaris Market Research & Consulting named ModelOp a key player in the rapidly growing Model Operations market. MMC Ventures named ModelOp a “Who’s Who in Responsible AI” and a leader in AI Governance.

ModelOp also completed its $10 million Series B Equity financing led by Baird Capital. With the new capital, ModelOp is actively building upon its market-leading AI portfolio intelligence and governance capabilities that establish visibility into AI initiatives and value, and enforce policies consistently to help organizations stay compliant even as regulations evolve rapidly.

This investment follows the new release of ModelOp version 3.3, the third-generation of its software. It enables enterprises to manage AI as a portfolio and provide  “Minimum Viable Governance” (MVG), which allows companies to apply just enough governance to protect the business while accelerating AI innovation.

Version 3.3 also includes the world’s first AI Governance Score, a standardized metric that measures risk across diverse AI initiatives. ModelOp’s new AI Governance Score provides executives with real-time visibility into all AI initiatives — including generative AI, in-house, third-party, and embedded AI systems — and their risks across the entire enterprise, even as global regulations evolve. ModelOp helps Chief AI Officers (CAIOs), CDAOs, CIOs, CISOs, AI leaders, and Governance teams responsibly accelerate AI innovation and keep their organizations safe through a comprehensive AI Governance inventory, automated controls, and streamlined reporting capabilities.

“Unlike other solutions, only ModelOp’s software provides executives unprecedented visibility into the AI being used across their organizations,” said Pete Foley, CEO of ModelOp. “This enables enterprises to deliver transformational and responsible AI systems. ModelOp 3.3 allows executives to manage their AI use cases and models as a portfolio and track KPIs including revenue, costs, savings, cost avoidance, and ROI. Additionally, ModelOp enables AI and legal teams to stay on their front foot as regulations like the EU AI Act and US state and federal agency rules take effect. It was a remarkable year for ModelOp and our new capital is enabling us to accelerate our expansion. Looking forward to 2025, we are excited to introduce new capabilities, and continue our rapid growth as the leading AI Governance software.”

Also of note this year, ModelOp partnered with CDO Magazine to produce the 2024 Responsible AI Benchmark Report that revealed a growing gap between the rapid adoption of AI and the implementation of responsible AI Governance practices. The survey of nearly 150 executives across diverse industries provides insights on AI adoption, use cases in production, governance capabilities, and top risks. The free report clearly shows growing risks with enterprise AI strategy.

About ModelOp
ModelOp is the leading AI Governance software for enterprises and helps safeguard all AI initiatives – including generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), in-house, third-party, and embedded systems – without stifling innovation. Through automation and integrations, ModelOp empowers enterprises to quickly address the critical governance and scale challenges necessary to protect and fully unlock the transformational value of enterprise AI – resulting in effective and responsible AI systems. To learn more visit https://www.modelop.com or follow ModelOp on LinkedIn.

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SOURCE ModelOp

106 students will receive expense-paid trips to the National STEM Festival in Washington, D.C.
EXPLR is founded by Jenny Buccos and co-founded by Kari Byron (former Discovery Channel Mythbuster) and Andrew Zimmern (Bizarre Foods)

NEW YORK, Dec. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — EXPLR announces the 106 students whose outstanding projects have earned them the title of National STEM Champions. These students will be recognized at the National STEM Festival in Washington, D.C., March 19-22, 2025.

Each student and a guardian will receive an expense-paid trip, including lodging and travel, to attend the Festival and showcase their projects to the public and business and government leaders. In addition, each National STEM Champion will receive free access to EXPLR’s educational streaming video and curriculum platform for the teacher of their choice.

EXPLR invited students in grades 7-12 from across the U.S. and its territories to conceive and submit STEM innovations, inventions, and research across six categories: Aerospace Innovation, Environmental Stewardship, Future Food, Health and Medicine, Powering the Planet, and Tech for Good.

“Congratulations to all the students selected as National STEM Champions! EXPLR created the National STEM Festival to spotlight the next generation of innovators—students who are bold thinkers, dynamic leaders, and creators with the power to make a real impact. I’m incredibly excited to welcome our STEM Champions to the Festival this spring, where their ideas will inspire us all,” said Jenny Buccos, Founder & CEO of EXPLR and Co-Director of the National STEM Festival.

In addition to being selected as National STEM Champions, select students were also recognized for the following special awards:

The AISES Indigenous Ingenuity Award recognizes the creativity, ingenuity, and technical prowess of the first scientists by honoring Indigenous students from North American tribes or the Pacific Islands who have developed research projects that answer burning questions or address real-world challenges from their communities.The Congressional Innovation Award recognizes the creativity, ingenuity, and technical prowess of students who have developed outstanding mobile and web applications that address real-world challenges.EXPLR Catalyst Award recognizes an outstanding entrant who demonstrates exceptional ingenuity and a commitment to solving real-world problems through innovative solutions. This award honors an individual whose project relentlessly pursues practical applications to address significant societal challenges with creativity and innovation.The Autodesk Design & Make Champion Award honors one 2025 National STEM Champion for exceptional creativity and innovation in completing a project that demonstrates outstanding skills throughout the entire design and make process.

The following students were named National STEM Champions:

ALABAMA
Aanchal Behara (Birmingham), Ashu Anand (Birmingham)

ALASKA
Sara DeVolld (Soldotna)

AMERICAN SAMOA
Amelie Chen (Pago Pago)

ARIZONA
Humberto Gil Villalobos (Yuma), Akshay Karthik (Chandler), Carmen Martinez (Yuma)

ARKANSAS
Harshith Guduru (Bentonville), Bennet Chen (Little Rock)

CALIFORNIA
David He (San Diego), Shriya Nedumaran (San Jose), Joanna Deng* (Orinda)
*Joanna Deng is also a recipient of the Congressional Innovation Award

COLORADO
Alexander Zhang (Boulder), Anirudh Rao (Highlands Ranch)

CONNECTICUT
Snigtha Mohanraj (New Haven), Tyler Malkin* (Greenwich)
*Tyler Malkin is also the recipient of the Alumni Award

DELAWARE
Cailyn Pan (Wilmington), Riddik Sri Satya Neetipalli (Wilmington)

FLORIDA
Carson Granese (St. Petersburg), Gabriella Weiner (Melbourne), Rudra Patel (Tampa)

GEORGIA
Daniel Li (Suwanee), Hannah Coley (Conyers)
From the NASEF Farmcraft team from Brookwood High School in Snellville: Nakariana Jones, Evie Moore, Sydney King, Indus Lewis, Layla Young, Wren Hall, Ella Foghis Myers

GUAM
Mitekshi Ghosh (Chalan Pago)

HAWAII
Liam Chattergy* (Honolulu), Jinghao Li (Kapolei)
*Liam Chattergy is also a recipient of the Congressional Innovation Award

ILLINOIS
Manaal Siddiqui (Naperville), Sammit Chidambaram (Dunlap)

INDIANA
Sophia Fu (Carmel), Rohan Bhosale (Carmel), Tara Kim (West Lafayette)

IOWA
Amal Eltayib (Iowa City), Ritvik Gupta (Johnston)

KANSAS
Elizabeth Barnes (Overland Park), Mahi Kohli (Olathe)

KENTUCKY
Lucy Teng (Louisville),  Vallabh Ramesh (Louisville)

LOUISIANA
Abigail Qi (Baton Rouge),  Gyeongyun Min (Lake Charles)
From the NASEF Farmcraft team from University View Academy in Baton Rouge: Alanna Piper, Elison Hebert, Diego Santana, Charles Steele

MAINE
Gabriel Kirmani (Limestone)

MARYLAND
Megan Yeager (Hanover), Bryan Hijam (Baltimore)

MASSACHUSETTS
Nichelle Thinagar (Shrewsbury), Sarah Wang (Andover)

MICHIGAN
Chikanma Okoisor (Midland), Elliot LeClair (Midland), Tanay Panja* (Ann Arbor)
* Tanay Panja is also a recipient of the Congressional Innovation Award

MINNESOTA
Tyler Clair (Minnetonka), Kevin Qiu (Plymouth), Surjosnato Dhar (Plymouth)

MISSISSIPPI
Celia Lane (Ridgeland), Pranav Reddy (Ridgeland)

MISSOURI
Elizabeth Saleeby (Saint Louis), Anikait Rawat (Manchester)

MONTANA
Akira Lanes (Bozeman)

NEBRASKA
Dakota Sage (Central City), Thanvi Bhat (Omaha)

NEVADA
Jordan Chong (Reno), Jayna Kim (Las Vegas)

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Viktor Osadsky (Exeter), Jiaxuan Dai (Exeter)

NEW JERSEY
Ishaan Kunwar (Edison), Krithik Alluri (Medford)

NEW MEXICO
Steven Xu (Roswell), Natashia Anderson*  (Farmington)
* Natashia Anderson is also the recipient of the AISES Indigenous Ingenuity Award

NEW YORK
Tristan Burchett* (Brooklyn),  Mai Tran (New York City), Isabella Wissa (Lincolndale), Chase Ende (Harrison)
*Tristan Burchett is also the recipient of the EXPLR Catalyst Award

NORTH CAROLINA
Sakhyata Gurram (Cary), Swayam Shah (Raleigh), Keertana Ramars Jillella Venkata*  (Raleigh)
* Keertana Ramars Jillella Venkata is also a recipient of the Congressional Innovation Award

NORTH DAKOTA
Fatemeh Saeedi (Grand Forks)

NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS
Misha Kim (Northern Mariana Island, Saipan)

OHIO
Deepthisri Paruchuri (Columbus), Anuki Mudalige (Delaware)

OKLAHOMA
Caytie Couch* (Quapaw), Emma Zhang (Jenks)
* Caytie Couch is also the recipient of the AISES Indigenous Ingenuity Award

OREGON
Anisha Dhoot (Portland), Liam Aranda-Michel (Lake Oswego), Nidhi Yadalam (Portland)

PENNSYLVANIA
Aadi Deshmukh (Bethlehem), Audrey Rozea (West Chester), Dharunish Yugeswardeenoo (Warrington)

PUERTO RICO
Shanti Isaac (Guaynabo)

RHODE ISLAND 
Jimin Shon (Portsmouth)

SOUTH CAROLINA
Karthik  Arumugam (Mauldin), Sydney Poliakoff (Charleston)

SOUTH DAKOTA
Kambria Tamayo* (Lower Brule),  Lila Vanderlei (Avon),  Steven Swallow (Porcupine)
* Kambria Tamayo is also is also the recipient of the AISES Indigenous Ingenuity Award

TENNESSEE 
Benjamin Taylor (Memphis), Shashank Lahoti (Mount Juliet)

TEXAS
Hasini Leo Jayaraj (Leander),  Adel Sisy* (Manvel)
* Adel Sisy is also a recipient of the Congressional Innovation Award

UTAH
Aadhi Umamageswaran (Salt Lake City), Ian JakeKim (Salt Lake City)

VIRGINIA
Ashrita Gandhari (Alexandria), Ani Nishanian (Chantilly), Linda Pistun (Alexandria)

WASHINGTON
Lakshmi Agrawal (Bellevue), Matthew “Jerry” Yao* (Walla Walla)
*Matthew Yao is also the recipient of the Autodesk Design & Make Champion Award

WISCONSIN
Aditi Muduganti* (Onalaska), Ritisha Dey (Shorewood)
*Aditi Muduganti is also a recipient of the Congressional Innovation Award

WYOMING
Padmalakshmi Ramesh (Laramie), Teagan Thomas (Greybull)

The National STEM Festival, presented by EXPLR, is able to offer inspiring and engaging experiences to participants, both in Washington, D.C. and online, thanks to the support of co-presenting sponsors Autodesk and Broadcom Foundation, in addition to a number of supporting organizations that share a commitment to advancing innovation and STEM education. A full list of sponsors and supporters can be found on the National STEM Festival website.

For media and interview requests or inquiries about National STEM Festival coverage, please contact Skai Blue Media at teamexplr@skaibluemedia.com.

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SOURCE EXPLR

SEATTLE, Dec. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ – Wunderdogs, a brand consultancy and digital studio, announced the release of a report, Climate Compass. The report, produced in collaboration with investors and industry experts from True Ventures, Wireframe Ventures, Planeteer Capital, Activate, Prelude Ventures, Limelight Steel, SOSV, The Nature Conservancy, and The Ad Hoc Group, offers a look at the next generation of climate technology startups driving the shift to a decarbonized, resilient, and sustainable future.

“This report represents a major step in understanding the evolving climate tech space,” said Daria Gonzalez, Wunderdogs‘ co-founder. “By bringing together insights from leading venture capital firms and industry experts, we’re helping to shape a view of what lies ahead for the next generation of climate-focused startups.”

The report is the result of a collaborative effort between Wunderdogs and a network of forward-thinking investors and entrepreneurs across the climate tech space. Over the past several months, Wunderdogs worked closely with venture capital firms and experts to research, design, and compile insights into the most promising startups and technologies that are shaping the future of climate tech.

The full report is available to view here: climatecompassreport.com.

About Wunderdogs

Since its inception in 2017, Wunderdogs has been at the forefront of brand and digital strategy for the technology sector, collaborating with over 140 technology firms and 30 investment companies. Wunderdogs combines strategy, design and technology to create award-winning brands and digital platforms aimed at making a lasting impression.

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SOURCE Wunderdogs