Shrieve Chemical Company Acquires Research Solutions Group

THE WOODLANDS, Texas and PELHAM, Ala., Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Shrieve Chemical Company ("Shrieve"), a portfolio company of Gemspring Capital and a leading global distributor of specialized chemicals serving a broad range of end markets, announced today that it has acquired Research Solutions Group, Inc. ("RSG"), a distributor, blender, and recycler of industrial solvents and specialty chemicals headquartered in Pelham, Alabama. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 1971, RSG has built a strong reputation across the Southeastern United States for industrial solvents, custom solvent blends, and specialty chemical products, complemented by solvent recycling and waste management services. The acquisition expands Shrieve's footprint across the Southeast and adds blending, recycling, and logistics capabilities. Together, the companies are well positioned to provide customers with a broader range of solutions, enhanced technical capabilities, and greater service coverage across key markets.

"We are excited to welcome the RSG team to Shrieve," said Joey Gullion, Chief Executive Officer of Shrieve. "RSG has built an impressive business with strong customer relationships, differentiated capabilities, and a reputation for excellence. This acquisition expands our geographic reach, strengthens our operational platform, and enhances our ability to deliver value-added solutions to customers. We look forward to partnering with the RSG team as we continue executing our long-term growth strategy."

"We are proud of the business and culture we have built over the years and believe Shrieve is the ideal partner for the next chapter of RSG's growth," said Jeff Miller, Chief Executive Officer of RSG. "Our shared commitment to customer service, technical expertise, and operational excellence makes this a strong strategic fit. By combining RSG's capabilities with Shrieve's scale and resources, we will be able to offer even greater value to customers and suppliers while continuing to build on the relationships that have made our business successful."

About Research Solutions Group

Research Solutions Group, headquartered in Pelham, Alabama, is a distributor, blender, and recycler of industrial solvents and specialty chemicals. Founded in 1971, the company serves customers throughout the Southeastern United States with industrial solvents, custom solvent blends, and specialty chemical products, complemented by solvent recycling and waste management services. Through its network of facilities, transportation assets, and technical expertise, RSG has built a strong reputation for customer service and operational excellence. For more information, visit www.researchsolutionsgroup.com.

About Shrieve

Shrieve, based in The Woodlands, Texas, is a leading value-added chemicals distributor serving a broad range of end markets globally. Since its founding in 1978, Shrieve has leveraged its knowledge network to find the best match between suppliers, customer needs, and product applications. Through its four operating segments, Industrial Distribution, Specialty Distribution, Specialty Lubricants, and Energy Products and Services, Shrieve markets nearly 1,500 products across more than 40 countries. For more information, visit www.shrieve.com.

About Gemspring Capital

Gemspring Capital, a Westport, Connecticut-based private equity firm with $5.1 billion of capital under management, provides flexible capital solutions to middle market companies. Gemspring partners with talented management teams and takes a partnership approach to helping drive revenue growth, value creation, and sustainable competitive advantages. Target companies have up to $2.0 billion in revenue and are in the aerospace & defense, business services, consumer services, financial and insurance services, healthcare, industrial, software, and tech-enabled services sectors. For more information, visit www.gemspring.com.

Media Contact

Jason VanVleet

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SOURCE Gemspring Capital

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Filing Includes $8.6 Billion in Business Severance Damages and Physical Separation Costs that the City's Valuation Does Not Yet Address

OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) on Tuesday responded to the City and County of San Francisco's (CCSF) petition asking the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to determine the value of PG&E's electric distribution grid in San Francisco.

PG&E's filing details that the CPUC-required costs of a CCSF takeover would be $22.5 billion.

CCSF's April 2026 filing estimated only the fair-market value of the grid's assets. PG&E's filing includes both the fair-market value of the grid's assets and the costs CCSF would have to pay PG&E and its remaining customers as part of its proposed takeover:

- Physical separation of the San Francisco grid from PG&E's larger, integrated grid

- Lost revenue for statewide energy programs that a CCSF utility would shift to customers outside of San Francisco

"A government takeover of our grid is not the right solution for our San Francisco customers," said PG&E Corporation CEO Patti Poppe. "We have decades of specialized expertise operating San Francisco's complex electric system. And now our filing shows that a takeover doesn't make financial sense for customers."

PG&E's filing outlines a fair-market value of approximately $13.9 billion for its electric and real property assets in San Francisco, compared to the $3.4 billion that CCSF cited in April. However, PG&E's valuation also includes $7.6 billion in damages for business severance and $1 billion in damages for physical separation.

An accurate accounting of the cost of a government takeover of PG&E's San Francisco electric distribution grid is essential to understanding how it would affect San Franciscans. Dividing PG&E's total burden of a takeover across the 420,000 electric accounts in San Francisco would equal about $53,000 per account. That is not a forecast of a specific customer bill or charge. However, it's clear that a takeover would burden San Franciscans with significant debt for decades to come.

CCSF significantly undervalues PG&E's assets

The CPUC already has ruled that CCSF will have to pay "the highest value" that a hypothetical buyer might pay for the assets, and PG&E's analysis finds that CCSF's April offer for the company's assets is well below fair-market value.

CCSF's April filing suggested a total value of just $3.4 billion for PG&E's San Francisco grid.

But CCSF's filing assigned zero value on PG&E's more than 2,000 real estate interests that include easements and licenses throughout the city.

CCSF also dramatically undervalued PG&E's underground distribution system in San Francisco, failing to account for higher construction costs, the challenges associated with working around existing infrastructure, and unique permitting and specialized installation practices specific to San Francisco.

Severance damages would constitute $8.6 billion in takeover costs

Severance damages fall into two categories: Costs to physically separate PG&E's electric system within San Francisco from the company's larger grid, and costs to ensure that a government takeover would not financially harm PG&E's remaining customers.

CCSF's takeover proposal includes taking PG&E's Martin Substation in Daly City, plus transmission and distribution facilities, real estate, telecommunications assets and other infrastructure that supports service to customers outside San Francisco.

After physically severing assets, any separation plan would have to physically restore safe and reliable service to PG&E's remaining customers, including:

- Building a new PG&E substation, likely in San Mateo County, to replace the Martin Substation

- Building a new service center to maintain gas and electric operations for PG&E's remaining Bay Area customers

- Reconfiguring or building power lines to restore service to PG&E customers outside of San Francisco, particularly in San Mateo County

This work would require new costs, permitting and extensive outage management to reduce its effects on customers.

CCSF would also have to pay business severance damages to prevent cost shifts for state-mandated programs onto remaining PG&E customers. Business severance damages reflect set costs that fewer customers would pay following a takeover, increasing the costs on customers outside of San Francisco. Those statewide programs include:

- Wildfire risk reduction

- Low income-qualified assistance

- Energy efficiency initiatives

Neither PG&E's analysis nor CCSF's valuation includes hundreds of millions of dollars in startup costs that CCSF would incur to establish a city-run electric company, including hiring a highly skilled workforce. Nor does either valuation consider the PG&E-generated revenue that CCSF would forego, including tax and franchise fee payments of approximately $100 million a year, that help pay for public services including fire and police protection.

Improving reliability, making investments

To put CCSF's takeover bid in further context, over the past decade PG&E has spent $3 billion on reliability upgrades—nearly the total amount CCSF proposes to pay for PG&E's San Francisco distribution grid—and the company plans to invest nearly $2 billion more in the next five years.

PG&E is investing $370 million in reliability and substation resilience improvements in San Francisco in 2026—16% more than in 2025. The work the company plans to complete this year includes 23 reliability projects, upgrading 10,000 feet of underground cable, and installing 50 isolation and switching devices to reroute power during outages.

To further improve upon this reliability progress and modernize the grid, the company over the next several years will spend $75 million in the Richmond district and $60 million in the Sunset neighborhood to convert circuits to higher capacity. In Bayshore and Hunters Point, PG&E is investing $600 million to rebuild its substation and circuits and is improving overhead power lines.

"My coworkers and I love serving San Francisco. San Francisco's expectations are high, and we intend to measure up," Poppe said. "We have 600 people who serve you every day and if San Francisco were to take over PG&E's assets, those people would leave the city and go work on other parts of our system. It saddens me to imagine a day when a whole convoy of blue and white trucks drives across the Bay Bridge heading to Oakland, never to come back. I don't think that's in San Francisco's best interest."

About PG&E

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE: PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit pge.com and pge.com/news.

SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company

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Autonomous M5L Tractors are Expected to be Available in Early 2027 for Orchard and Nut Growers

GRAPEVINE, Texas, Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Kubota North America today announced the next phase of its strategic collaboration with Agtonomy, an award-winning agricultural autonomy software company, to expand the pilot phase to include autonomous operations on the Kubota M5 Low Profile diesel tractor for orchard and nut growers. The initiative builds on the companies' work to commercialize practical autonomy on Kubota equipment and reflects Kubota's ongoing commitment to developing smart technology that enhances efficiency, adaptability and productivity for specialty crop customers.

"Kubota values our relationship with Agtonomy and is committed to finding solutions for the specialty agricultural market and associated growers," said Don Lowe, Senior Director for Kubota Tractor Corporation. "Expanding our autonomous platform with Agtonomy confirms another vital step towards the commercialization of our high-quality products into this important segment."

This next phase will focus on integrating Agtonomy's capabilities with Kubota's M5 Low Profile tractor to support core specialty-crop workloads, including spraying, mowing and underplant cultivation. The low-profile design and added lift capacity of the M5L will allow the companies to address a broader set of orchard applications, including sanitation mowing, while helping growers introduce autonomous solutions into their existing diesel tractor operations.

The pilot phase expansion is informed by successful engagement with growers and continued feedback from specialty crop operations. While the M5N is tailored to narrow-row applications, the M5L brings a low-profile platform and increased lift capacity suited to the distinct needs of orchard and nut operations. Kubota dealer support will remain an important part of helping growers integrate the technology into their existing workflow.

"As a specialty crop grower myself, I know how much orchard work depends on having the right equipment and skilled people available when the job needs to get done," said Tim Bucher, CEO and Co-Founder of Agtonomy. "Bringing our technology to the M5L is a direct response to that need and an important next step in helping growers get essential work done with the skilled labor they have available."

Kubota's open innovation approach is grounded in collaboration with industry-leading partners to accelerate transformative agricultural solutions. Through its continued work with Agtonomy, Kubota will use grower input to refine autonomous capabilities and help deliver practical technology solutions that improve efficiency, consistency and field operations for specialty agriculture customers.

For more information on Kubota innovation, visit KubotaUSA.com/Innovation. For more information on Agtonomy, visit Agtonomy.com.

About Kubota North America Corporation

Kubota North America Corporation (KNA), headquartered in Grapevine, Texas, serves as the central business hub for all KNA companies in the U.S. and Canada, connecting leadership resources and talent across all lines of Kubota's business. Kubota Corporation, based in Osaka, Japan, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells a range of machinery, including tractors, construction equipment, lawn and garden equipment, hay tools and performance-matched implements. For product literature or dealer locations, contact: Kubota North America, 1000 Kubota Drive, Grapevine, TX 76051, (888) 4-KUBOTA [(888) 458-2682], Ext. 900, or visit KubotaUSA.com or Kubota.Ca.

About Agtonomy

Agtonomy is an AI and software services company specializing in intelligent automation for agriculture, turf and beyond. Through partnerships with leading equipment manufacturers, Agtonomy's platform is embedded into industrial machinery to enable automation in complex, real-world environments. Its platform boosts efficiency, safety and sustainability, while allowing operators to retain command. For more information, visit Agtonomy.com.

SOURCE Kubota North America Corporation

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Plaid CTO Will Robinson Talks the 'Next Horizon' from Money20/20: NYSE Content Update

NYSE issues a pre-market daily advisory direct from the trading floor.

NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) provides a daily pre-market update directly from the NYSE Trading Floor. Access today's NYSE Pre-market update for market insights before trading begins.

Kristen Scholer delivers the pre-market update on October 21st

- Plaid CTO Will Robinson speaks to NYSE from Money20/20 USA

- The next horizon is "making sense" of financial data, Robinson told Host J.D. Durkin.

- Plaid is a private fintech, recently valued at $8 billion, with a business focus on connectivity, paired with intelligence.

- Pineapple Financial rebrands to Pentiv

- The move combines its established mortgage platform with a new intelligence model.

- Pentiv says this marks the next phase of its evolution.

- Acorns accesses Gen Z with Frich Deal

- Financial wellness system Acorns announced on October 13 that it purchased Frich.

- Frich called itself a financial education startup, reaching 1.6 million users.

- Frich founders will join Acorns as Co-Leads of Education and Community.

Opening Bell

Simplify Asset Management, Inc. celebrates the Simplify Managed Futures ETF

Closing Bell

Credo AI rings in the era of trusted AI and celebrates its 5th Annual AI Trust Summit

For market insights, IPO activity, and today's opening bell, download the NYSE TV App and check out the NYSE YouTube: TV.NYSE.com and YouTube.com/@NYSEofficial

SOURCE New York Stock Exchange

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The annual Inc. Power Partner Awards recognizes B2B companies that provide essential services and expertise to help entrepreneurs and businesses grow

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., October 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading reputation management and crisis communications firm Red Banyan® has been named a 2026 Inc. Power Partner Awards winner for the third consecutive year, recognizing the company among the leading B2B partners supporting entrepreneurs and businesses across the country.

The annual Inc. Power Partner Awards honor B2B companies that have demonstrated a track record of helping entrepreneurs and businesses navigate the challenges of building and growing a company. From hiring and compliance to technology, infrastructure, fundraising, marketing, and more, these partners provide expertise and services that enable businesses to operate, scale, and pursue their ambitions.

"Business owners have no shortage of tools at their disposal, and B2B companies need to make clear why their products and services are worth the investment," says Bonny Ghosh, editorial director at Inc. "The companies on this year's Power Partners list have done just that. They don't just have customers – they have superfans and evangelists. Across industries like marketing, financial services, and technology, they've proved their dedication to helping fellow business owners grow and succeed."

"I founded Red Banyan in order to give business leaders senior-level counsel at the moments that matter most. Being named an Inc. Power Partner for the third straight year shows our clients believe we are delivering on that," said Evan Nierman, Founder and CEO of Red Banyan®.

Red Banyan® was recognized for its work as a trusted outside advisor to executives, boards, institutions, and high-profile individuals. The firm counsels clients through situations where public perception carries direct commercial consequences, from misconduct allegations and litigation to product liability claims and online attacks, while helping growing companies build the visibility and credibility that drive growth.

Red Banyan® operates based on the agency's Powering Reputation model, which is built around an organization's lifecycle and combines proactive brand visibility efforts with crisis prevention and planning services and real-time rapid response. The firm's Press The Truth® philosophy guides engagements for clients confronting high-stakes reputational threats across sectors.

The Inc. honor adds to a standout 2026 for the firm. Red Banyan® has recently earned a ranking in the prestigious 2026 Chambers Crisis & Risk Management Guide for top litigation PR and crisis management firms in the US. Earlier this year, O'Dwyer's ranked Red Banyan® the No. 1 Boutique Crisis Communications Firm in the United States and the World Communications Forum Association named the agency the No. 1 Communications Firm in the World for Communications Excellence. Most recently, Guide to Florida named Red Banyan® a 2026 Best of Florida regional winner in the Business Consulting Firms category.

For more information on Inc.'s Power Partner Awards or to view the complete list of honorees, visit https://www.inc.com/power-partner-awards.

About Red Banyan®

Red Banyan® is an award-winning strategic communications firm specializing in high-stakes reputation management. The firm advises business leaders, organizations, institutions and high-profile individuals operating in scrutinized or regulated environments where perception, trust and brand equity directly influence outcomes. Drawing on deep expertise across strategic communications and brand building, crisis communications, legal and litigation PR, government relations, media training, and online reputation management, Red Banyan® delivers disciplined, strategy-led communications designed to support business growth and navigate moments that test it. Learn more at https://redbanyan.com.

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 its community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating the future of business. Inc. is published by Mansueto Ventures, along with fellow leading business publication Fast Company. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

SOURCE RED BANYAN GROUP, LLC

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45% of pay-TV subscribers use pay TV to access live video, while 25% of US internet households use FAST services

PLANO, Texas, Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Parks Associates' research The New Live TV Model: Skinny Bundles, Sports, News finds 39% of US internet households watch live events or sports through an on-demand streaming service, showing the growing role of streaming services in delivering live programming. The expanding mix of options to watch video is changing how consumers find and watch sports, news, and events, as live video viewing is no longer synonymous with pay TV.

Parks Associates research also finds:

- 25% watch live video through free ad-supported television (FAST) services.

- 21% report they don't watch live video at all.

"Consumers value live content but struggle to find and access it," said Michael Goodman, Director, Entertainment Research, Parks Associates. "The challenge for providers is making live content accessible. Sports is a good example, with programming now distributed across multiple services and platforms."

Consumer interest in live sports is growing alongside broad-appeal entertainment. According to Parks Associates consumer research, comedy (60%), drama (56%), and news (50%) are the most popular content categories, while 48% report watching live sports. Subscription VOD (SVOD) services continue to add sports, news, and live events while FAST services build engagement through curated linear channels.

"Competition for viewers is increasingly about more than the content itself," Goodman said. "Providers need to deliver an experience that makes it easy for consumers to find, access, and move between live and on-demand programming."

Parks Associates will host Future of Video: Business of Streaming on November 17-18 at Marina del Rey, California, sponsored by Adeia, InterDigital, OTT.X, and TheDesk.net. Future of Video provides insight into successful OTT strategy deployments, challenges for pay-TV providers, and the role of connected CE in the growth of video viewing, new content formats, and the overall impact to the video market.

For more information, contact Mindi Sue Sternblitz-Rubenstein or visit www.parksassociates.com.

About Parks Associates

Parks Associates helps companies identify new opportunities, refine strategy, and accelerate growth in connected technology markets through data-driven insights and industry expertise. With more than 40 years of experience, the firm delivers proprietary consumer and industry research, market forecasts, and strategic analysis that guide business decisions across personal, connected home, small business, and commercial technology ecosystems. Parks Associates supports clients in navigating evolving markets including AI, security, smart home, broadband, entertainment, energy, multifamily, smart buildings, and connected health.

The firm also fosters industry growth and collaboration by convening thousands of leaders each year through its flagship executive conferences, including CONNECTIONS™, Connected Health Summit, Smart Energy Summit, Smart Spaces, and Future of Video. Learn more at https://www.parksassociates.com.

Follow Parks Associates on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

Mindi Sue Sternblitz-Rubenstein

Parks Associates

972.490.1113

[email protected] 

SOURCE Parks Associates

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Intersignal Releases Braid 1.9.5, Expanding Local AI Model Choice

Free workspace supports Ollama, vLLM and LM Studio, with Folio publishing built in.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Intersignal today announced Braid 1.9.5, expanding its local AI workspace with support for vLLM, LM Studio and other OpenAI-compatible local inference servers alongside Ollama.

The update gives users more flexibility to choose how they run their models while working within Braid's environment for conversations, sharing selected context between approved computers, and preparing publications.

A clearer "Chat with Local AI" entry point helps users get started on a single computer. Updated streaming responses add readable Markdown and code formatting, with additional rigs available to connect as their needs grow.

"Bring your models. Braid brings the workspace," said David Seaman, founder of Intersignal. "We want local AI to become part of people's everyday creative and research work. That means making it easier to start a conversation, carry useful context between computers, and turn an idea into something worth sharing."

Included Folio 0.4.0 provides a publishing studio with original material beside the public edition, selective inclusion and redaction, local sensitive-detail warnings, and Editorial or Retro layouts. Users review and explicitly approve their editions before exporting HTML or a website ZIP for hosting.

Braid 1.9.5 is available for macOS, Windows and Linux. Local chat, approved local network sharing and Folio are free.

Download and learn more at https://intersignal.org.

About Intersignal

Intersignal builds human-directed software for local AI, helping people work with their own models, connect their computers and publish selected work.

Media contact:

Missy Feldman

Intersignal

720.688.6110

SOURCE Intersignal

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New integration helps property managers get rentals market-ready faster

GRANTS PASS, Ore., Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- For property managers, every day a rental sits vacant comes at a cost. Tenant turnover costs an average of $4,000 per unit, including lost rent, concessions and maintenance, and rental units averaged 34 days of vacancy at the end of 2024. The faster a property moves through the turnover process, the sooner it can start generating income again.

Rentec Direct and Market Ready Turn are helping property managers save time, reduce turnover costs and get rentals back on the market faster. A new integration brings Market Ready Turn's AI-powered turnover technology directly into the Rentec Direct platform, connecting key steps like move-out inspections, work orders, vendor verification, cleaning and listing preparation into one seamless workflow. The integration reduces the manual work and gaps in the process that can extend turnover timelines and keep properties off the market.

"Property managers need tools that solve specific problems and fit into the way they already work," said Nathan Miller, Founder and CEO of Rentec Direct. "Market Ready Turn was created by one of our own property management clients to solve a challenge they were experiencing firsthand. When we can bring a tool built by a property manager, for property managers, to our customers, it's a natural fit. This integration brings AI to a part of property management where there's real opportunity to reduce the work involved, without asking property managers to change the system they already rely on."

Miller founded Rentec Direct in 2007 as a tool to address the real-world challenges he was experiencing as an independent landlord managing a growing portfolio of rental properties. Nearly two decades later, Rentec Direct client and property manager Jarrod Knight followed a similar path, developing Market Ready Turn in 2026 to solve the complexities he was experiencing firsthand in rental turnover. The integration is made possible by Rentec Direct's open API, launched in April 2026.

"After years of running my property management company, I realized I'd never given my team a real standard for when a unit was ready to market," said Jarrod Knight, Founder of Market Ready Turn. "So I built a scoring system and worked backwards, and that ultimately became Market Ready Turn. Now, my team follows the same process and gets the same result on every turnover, no matter who's inspecting the unit. I get insight into every open turnover, plus the metrics I can use over time to understand my business better than I ever have. This is where AI belongs—in the field, where the real work happens."

Rentec Direct and Market Ready Turn hosted a live demonstration of the new integration, showing how property managers can reduce manual work, coordinate maintenance faster and get rentals market-ready sooner. Watch the recording here.

For more information, visit: https://www.rentecdirect.com/blog/turnover-market-ready-turn-rentec-direct.

About Rentec Direct

Rentec Direct provides industry-leading property management software and tenant screening solutions for real estate professionals across the small, mid and large property management segments. Key features include online rent payments, a mobile app and tenant portal, vacancy listing syndication, and robust accounting tools. Founded in 2007, Rentec Direct is the largest software platform serving both landlords and property managers, with more five-star reviews than any other property management software. A 10-time honoree on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies, Rentec Direct was also named Real Estate Company of the Year in the 2026 American Business Awards® and recognized among the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Top 100 Small Businesses. www.rentecdirect.com

SOURCE Rentec Direct, LLC

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Kaleno's zero-scroll search has drawn approximately 150,000 beta users, with half of message-based property contacts handled by the renter's agent

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Renters are handing the grind of apartment hunting to an AI agent. Kaleno, the renter's agent, today shared early beta results showing that half of message-based property contacts were handled through AI Contacting, the opt-in feature that reaches out to properties, chases down missing details and manages follow-up on the renter's behalf. Approximately 150,000 users have tried Kaleno since its introduction in June 2026.

Kaleno brings zero-scroll search to apartment hunting: renters describe what they want in their own words, and the renter's agent finds and compares potential homes, explains why they fit and takes on outreach and follow-up with the renter's permission. While general-purpose AI assistants can answer questions, Kaleno does the work that comes after, with maps, photos and property details for more than 7 million U.S. rental units.

"For years, apartment hunting online has meant setting filters, scrolling listings and handling every next step on your own," said Nick Mourgue, principal product manager at Kaleno. "We believe the best agents will be specialists built to do one job exceedingly well. In beta, we are finding that renters are going deep with Kaleno on what matters to them and handing off the administrative work that used to eat their week. It's an early sign that when an agent is built for one job, people are ready and willing to give it real work."

"Renting is in most cases a long-running task, with a single search stretching across weeks, dozens of properties and a steady stream of messages," said Perry Shmukler, head of AI at Kaleno. "Kaleno's impact comes from keeping track of what matters to each renter as their search evolves and running outreach through permissioned actions the renter can review or stop at any point, balancing control and delegation. Another important point is data quality; Kaleno grounds every recommendation in verified, structured data. The advantage of a vertical agent is that it can be measured against one job and tuned until it's reliable, and that's when people really start trusting it with real work."

Kaleno's early beta results 

Observed behavior during Kaleno's beta offers an early view of how renters engage with personalized discovery and delegated communication through an agent:

- Renters are delegating: 50% of message-based property contacts during the beta were handled through Kaleno's AI Contacting.

- The agent is doing real work: Among beta renters using AI Contacting, Kaleno handles an average of eight messages per property conversation.

- Conversations surface what filters miss: Approximately 46% of beta renters participating in conversational discovery shared or uncovered preferences beyond budget, location and bedroom count, including requests like pet friendly properties or parking for a specific number of vehicles.

- Renters who share more detail contact more properties: Renters sharing more detailed preferences contact properties at approximately 3.5 times the rate of renters sharing only basic preferences.

New Kaleno capabilities

Since its June launch, Kaleno has added capabilities that help renters move from discovering properties to pursuing them:

- AI Contacting: Once a renter opts in, Kaleno can contact properties, ask about missing details, request tours and manage follow-up conversations. Renters can review exchanges, take over or turn off AI Contacting at any time.

- Together Mode: Up to four people can share a shortlist of potential homes and discuss them in one place, so partners or roommates can coordinate a search that works for everyone.

- Multiple commute locations: Recommendations can now account for travel to more than one destination, such as an office, school, daycare or a relative's home.

Kaleno remains in beta and is free for renters at kaleno.com. Continued development will focus on a deeper understanding of neighborhoods and daily routines, more help comparing top choices and support for property follow-up. Additionally, independent research on Kaleno and its performance will be released later this year.

Data source: Kaleno internal data from approximately 150,000 unique renters who started at least one Kaleno conversation from June 1-Oct 1, 2026. Findings reflect observed renter behavior during Kaleno's beta. Each figure describes the subset noted, not necessarily the full beta population. "Messages" refers to emails sent from Kaleno to properties, whether sent directly by the renter or through AI Contacting. Phone calls and direct tour bookings are excluded. The 50% figure is the share of these messages sent through AI Contacting.

About Kaleno

Kaleno is the renter's agent, built to help people find and pursue their next home. Through zero-scroll search, renters describe their needs in their own words, and Kaleno finds and compares homes, explains why they fit and manages property outreach and follow-up with the renter's permission. Kaleno combines conversational AI with maps, photos and property information across an inventory of more than 7 million rental units in the United States. Kaleno is currently in beta and free for renters at kaleno.com. Learn more about Kaleno www.kaleno.com/notes.

Media Contact:

[email protected]

SOURCE Kaleno

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WESTWOOD, N.J., Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Modera Wealth Management, LLC ("Modera"), a fee-only wealth management firm serving individuals, families, business owners, and nonprofit organizations, today announced it has launched Mira, a proprietary agentic AI-powered platform. Mira is designed to harmonize data and support tailored financial solutions for individuals, families, business owners, and institutions.

Mira reflects two years of technology development and strategic investment in operational and technology leadership, data restructuring, and creation of data and AI governance. The unified platform will connect information, workflows, and systems through an AI-enabled intelligence and orchestration layer. It will generate dynamic business insights that help Modera professionals deliver bespoke financial planning and investment services to clients.

"By bringing our data and workflows together in a governed environment, Mira can help our teams respond more quickly, work more effectively and deliver a more custom experience for clients," said Joe McCuine, President of Modera. "Mira is designed to elevate our people, not replace the judgment, relationships and care they bring to their work."

Mira will integrate data from Modera's wealth technology stack, plus meta data and content from the firm's document management system, into an always-on platform that will serve as a household-level system of record. For advisors, the platform will eliminate some manual work, fragmented technology stacks, and the need to toggle between systems, all common pain points that take time away from working with clients.

A 2025 Fidelity study reported that on average only 41% of an advisor's time is spent with clients and prospects.

"We believe Mira will reshape how advisors spend their time and provide them with the capacity to spend more hours delivering a high-caliber client experience," McCuine said. "Advisors will earn back hours from operational duties to be able to deepen relationships with clients and centers of influence (COIs), gain more referrals, and attract additional assets from existing and new clients. We believe this integrated approach will also appeal to firms that have seen limited benefits from adopting individual AI tools without a broader enterprise strategy."

Led by McCuine and designed by Modera's internal technology team, Mira reflects the firm's belief that technology can only be as good as the data behind it and that humans need to lead decisions around planning, investing and governance. Modera is establishing a working group to review and validate data within the platform to establish confidence in the information being used firmwide. It's building a technology layer to limit agent access to data they've been instructed to review.

Mira is designed to support the firm's acquisition strategy by helping new firms that join Modera consolidate their data onto a common platform, supporting AI-assisted analytics for risk monitoring, financial planning, and investment strategy reviews.

"Mira reflects Modera's vision for how technology can help our people do their best work," said Tom Orecchio, CEO of Modera. "As the platform streamlines operational tasks, our department leaders are working with their teams to rethink how work gets done, explore new ways to contribute, and build the skills to make the most of Mira's capabilities."

Mira has been available across Modera since July 2026 to support day-to-day work.

Modera is partnering with OnTrade to help power the AI behind Mira. Together, the firms are developing digital agents that help teams across planning, proposals, and investment research get work done. These agents will draw on governed data across Modera's systems to surface opportunities, evaluate scenarios, and take action with appropriate human approvals.

"OnTrade's platform adapts quickly to each firm, building on what makes it distinctive," said Raji Subramanian, OnTrade CEO. "With Mira, our focus is helping Modera's team do their best work and deliver with an enriching experience for clients."

About Modera Wealth Management

Modera Wealth Management provides comprehensive wealth advisory, financial planning, investment management, and tax services to individuals, families, nonprofit institutions, and retirement plan sponsors. The firm serves more than 6,300 clients across the country and oversees $20 billion in assets under advisement as of September 30, 2026. With a strong client-first culture since its inception in 1983, Modera is majority owned by employee shareholders and committed to making a positive and lasting impact on its clients, employees, and in communities. Visit ModeraWealth.com to learn more.

Modera Wealth Management, LLC (Modera) is an SEC-registered investment adviser. SEC registration does not imply any level of skill or training. For information pertaining to our registration status, the fees we charge including how we are compensated and by whom, additional costs that may be incurred, our conflicts of interest, any disclosed disciplinary events of the Firm or its personnel, and the types of services we offer, please contact us directly or refer to the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website (www.adviserinfo.sec.gov) to obtain a copy of our disclosure statement, Form ADV Part 2A, and ADV Part 3/Form CRS. In addition, our Privacy Notice outlines how we handle your non-public personal information. Please read these documents carefully before you make a decision to hire Modera, invest or send money.

SOURCE Modera Wealth Management, LLC

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