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R/GA Ventures partners with leading Oregon organizations to create Venture Studio focused on Enterprise Blockchain solutions

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Today, R/GA Ventures, Moda, Umpqua Bank, Portland State University, Oregon Health & Science University, Business Oregon, ConsenSys and blockchain research firm Smith + Crown, are pleased to announce the launch of the Oregon Enterprise Blockchain Venture Studio (OEBVS): the first program of its kind designed to build a blockchain-based ecosystem, and position Oregon’s businesses and institutions to further compete globally.

Bringing together private enterprise, education institutions, and the public and nonprofit sectors with commercial interests in agriculture, manufactured products, healthcare, finance, energy, transportation, technology, sports, and global trade, creates an ideal environment to test and launch blockchain applications with viable use cases. The intersection of the state’s technology workforce and commercial interests provides an opportunity for Oregon to be one of the first state sponsors of a public-private partnership to embrace blockchain technologies, potentially transforming how we live, work, play, learn, and govern.

Designed as an initiative to drive blockchain-led innovation across multiple verticals and industry sectors, the OEBVS will focus on leveraging emerging startup products, services, and tools to solve targeted business objectives for the Studio Partners and amplify these successes across the state and globally. The Studio will be structured to identify strategic opportunities for startups, and provide the selected Program Companies with the market opportunities, guidance, and partnerships to achieve momentum for sustainable growth.

Blockchain technology is an emerging technology with a robust and rapidly evolving developer ecosystem. Blockchain technology provides a secure way to encode transactions between parties, creating irreversible, immutable chains of information. This technology has implications for any organization that keeps records, tracks supply chains, creates intellectual property, or deals with sensitive data. It has the potential to enable new decentralized organizational constructs that could disrupt existing data-driven businesses. With use cases ranging from health care and logistics to data security and financial infrastructure, Blockchain technology presents a new frontier of exploration and innovation for forward-thinking enterprises.

The Oregon Blockchain Venture Studio areas of interest include:

  • Retail and Commerce
  • Insurance, Digital Health, and Wellness
  • Finance
  • Sports
  • Manufacturing, Shipping, and Supply Chain
  • Energy and Sustainability
  • Civic and Institutional Solutions
  • Transportation, IoT, and Smart Cities
  • Food and Agriculture
  • Advertising and Marketing

R/GA’s award-winning strategists, technologists, designers, and consultants will advise the startups to develop their businesses and prepare them for future milestones. The startups will receive mentorship from industry executives and access to our world-class Studio Partners.

The Studio program will take place out of R/GA’s Portland Pearl District office, launching on July 29, 2019. The program will conclude in October with a demo event at which each startup will present to industry leaders, partners, investors, and customers from the technology and innovation community. If you are interested in attending the demo event, please email us at [email protected] for more information.

Startup applications open on April 24th, 2019 and admissions will roll throughout the year. Global startups working on all aspects of enterprise blockchain technologies, products, and services are encouraged to apply at www.oebvs.com.

 

SOURCE R/GA Ventures

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Acceleration of global marketing collaboration between Milk Partners, AirAsia rewards, and The Sandbox

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– Milk Partners, AirAsia rewards and The Sandbox are collaborating to provide a new experience allowing users to earn real-world value through the metaverse gaming platform

– Launching metaverse game project ‘MiL.k X BIGGIE Wonderverse’ offering SAND Tokens, Milk Coins and AirAsia points

– “MiL.k is committed to continuously expanding its blockchain ecosystem through strategic partnerships with global partners.”

SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Milk Partners has announced a collaboration with The Sandbox, the global metaverse platform, and AirAsia rewards, the loyalty program of Asia’s leading online travel agency (OTA), AirAsia MOVE. This partnership is set to offer global users an immersive Web3 experience where they can earn rewards with real-world value through engaging in a metaverse-based game.

The newly launched ‘MiL.k X BIGGIE Wonderverse’ metaverse game allows users to earn Sand Tokens, Milk Coins, and AirAsia points. The game is inspired by BIGGIE, the mascot of AirAsia rewards, and modeled after the BIGGIE Wonderland mini-game in the AirAsia MOVE app. Users need to first complete tasks by collecting Milk Coins (symbolized game assets) in the Sandbox metaverse, which can be exchanged for other game assets such as virtual AirAsia points, virtual passports, and virtual boarding passes. Once all tasks are completed, users will then be rewarded with Milk Coins, Sand Tokens, and AirAsia points.

This collaboration has been based on MiL.k’s reliability and strong global network, which has steadily expanded partnerships with major global companies and has become an innovative model for the industry. 

This collaboration is part of MiL.k’s broader strategy to expand its blockchain-based loyalty ecosystem, which already includes partnerships with SK OK Cashbag, Lotte L.Point, CU, Megabox, Yanolja, and others. AirAsia rewards operates a comprehensive loyalty platform for the AirAsia group, enhancing its travel and lifestyle businesses, including airlines, online travel agent (OTA), logistics, aviation services, e-commerce, financial services, and more. The Sandbox, a global metaverse platform with over 6 million users, offers a unique space for creating games and generating revenue. Together, AirAsia rewards and The Sandbox will further expand MiL.k’s ecosystem through global partnerships.

The CEO of Milk Partners, Jungmin Cho said “Following our successful collaboration event with CU, we are happy to announce the next event with AirAsia rewards. Through this partnership, for partners, we are providing a new marketing channel on metaverse and for users, we are expecting to share the fun experience and real benefits.” He added, “We will continue to explore various opportunities with global partners across diverse industries.”

In June, MiL.k introduced a metaverse experience ‘Play CUX MiL.k’ with CU and The Sandbox, offering users an engaging new way to explore blockchain and the metaverse. MiL.k is committed to continuously expanding its global partnerships to provide more exciting experiences for global users.

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H&M Foundation: Global Change Award 2025 launched – with a mission to accelerate innovation for a net-zero textile industry by 2050

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STOCKHOLM, Oct. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The H&M Foundation today announces a significant shift in its overall strategic direction, focus on supporting the textile industry in halving its greenhouse gas emissions every decade by 2050, while promoting a just and fair transition for both people and the planet. The innovation challenge Global Change Award 2025 (GCA) is the first initiative to reflect this shift. 

 

 

GCA is now seeking innovative ideas addressing different high emission areas across the textile industry value chain, including sustainable materials and processes, responsible production, mindful consumption, and ‘wildcards’ that support the GCA purpose. Today, only a fraction of philanthropic capital is directed to climate. 

“The textile industry needs all hands-on deck if we are going to meet our climate goals by 2050, and we must ensure this transition is fair for everyone. I really believe that innovation is key to decarbonising the industry, and that the Global Change Award can play a role in identifying and growing future changemakers whose ideas can have a transformative impact if given the right support,” says Karl-Johan Persson, Board Member of the H&M Foundation.

Since GCA launched in 2015, 46 innovations have received support and a combined grant of 8 million euros. While it continues to award 10 winners every year, with each receiving 200,000 EUR, there are other key updates to the GCA:

  • New focus area – decarbonising the textile industry.
  • Holistic approach – equipping changemakers with a holistic people and planet mindset. 
  • Wider range of changemakers – switching to a nomination-based process, instead of an open application system.
  • Systems change approach – equipping changemakers to consider the entire textile value chain and its interconnectedness while also considering the impact on people.

“While the industry is hungry for innovation, the holistic perspective to decarbonisation is often lacking, and the critical early stages of an innovator’s journey overlooked – this is where philanthropy can make a real difference”, says Annie Lindmark, Programme Director for Innovation at the H&M Foundation.

In addition to financial support, winners will gain access to a powerful network of mentors, collaborators, and industry leaders to help bring their solutions to life. Together with partners Accenture and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, H&M Foundation will invite the winners to participate in a yearlong, tailormade Changemaker Programme. The Global Change Award 2025 winners will be announced in April 2025.

CONTACT: Jasmina Sofić, Media Relations Responsible, +4673 465 59 59

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Dow Jones to Expand WSJ Tech Live Event to Qatar

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Exclusive tech event will convene business leaders, investors and thought leaders in 2025

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif., Oct. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Dow Jones announced today the expansion of WSJ Tech Live through a multi-year agreement that will bring the marquee event to the State of Qatar starting next year. Appearing on stage at this year’s event in Laguna Beach, Calif., Sheikh Jassim bin Mansour bin Jabor Al Thani, Director of the Government Communications Office of the State of Qatar, and Almar Latour, publisher of The Wall Street Journal and CEO of Dow Jones, jointly announced that WSJ Tech Live Qatar will debut in late 2025 and take place annually for five years.

This marks the first time WSJ’s most exclusive tech event will be held in the Middle East. The invitation-only conference will bring together an audience of over 200 C-suite executives, investors, innovative startups and influential venture capitalists from across the world. Dow Jones will continue to operate WSJ Tech Live annually in California while adding WSJ Tech Live Qatar to the calendar starting in December 2025.

Sheikh Jassim highlighted that the conference aligns with Qatar’s vision to become a global hub for advanced technology and innovation, as outlined in the Third National Development Strategy and Qatar National Vision 2030.

“Hosting WSJ Tech Live marks another significant step in the growth of Qatar’s technology ecosystem,” said Sheikh Jassim. “When the world’s top tech leaders gather in Qatar, it will create an unparalleled opportunity to benefit from their diverse expertise, insights and global networks. This will inspire local talent, attract international investment, and create avenues for strategic global partnerships that propel our development journey forward.”

“Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal deliver reliable journalism, data, and analytics to business professionals worldwide, and to do so we must reflect the entire global business community,” said Latour. “With the MENA region’s growth and increased role in tech–especially at the intersection of AI and the energy sector–we are delighted to be partnering with Qatar.”

Currently in its 11th year, WSJ Tech Live convenes the biggest newsmakers in technology across entertainment, music, robotics and AI, science and more. This year’s marquee event is the company’s most successful Tech Live since its inception, with record-breaking sponsorship revenue. The event showcased groundbreaking insights on a wide range of topics including the global impact of generative AI, the future of brain-computer interfaces, the outlook for startup investments, fostering the next generation of technology talent and how the upcoming U.S. election could impact the tech industry.

WSJ Tech Live joins a series of global events hosted in Qatar, including the FIFA World Cup™, Web Summit Qatar, Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix, and Doha Forum. The event also builds on Dow Jones’s existing presence in MENA, which serves as an important hub for reporting from The Wall Street Journal, and home to key sales and services functions.

About Dow Jones
Dow Jones is a global provider of news and business information, delivering content to consumers and organizations around the world across multiple formats, including print, digital, mobile and live events. Dow Jones has produced unrivaled quality content for more than 130 years and today has one of the world’s largest news-gathering operations globally. It is home to leading publications and products including the flagship Wall Street Journal, America’s largest newspaper by paid circulation; Barron’s, MarketWatch, Mansion Global, Financial News, Investor’s Business Daily, Factiva, Dow Jones Risk & Compliance, Dow Jones Newswires, OPIS and Chemical Market Analytics. Dow Jones is a division of News Corp (Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV).

About the Government Communications Office of the State of Qatar
The Government Communications Office was established in 2015 to serve as the strategic communications arm of the State of Qatar. It coordinates communications activities across government and public-sector institutions, showcasing the country’s vision, initiatives and achievements in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030.

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