Makera Empowers Small Businesses to Bring Manufacturing In-House with Carvera Air Desktop CNC

MIDDLETOWN, Del., Sep. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Makera, a company dedicated to making desktop CNC technology more accessible, is helping small businesses and independent entrepreneurs bring precision manufacturing capabilities into their own workshops. With Makera Carvera Air, creators across industries are reducing reliance on external suppliers, accelerating product development, and unlocking new opportunities for small-batch production.

Traditionally, access to CNC machining has required significant investments in industrial equipment, dedicated facilities, and specialized expertise. For small businesses, these barriers can limit creativity, slow production cycles, and increase manufacturing costs.

Makera Carvera Air is changing this by bringing professional-grade CNC capabilities into a compact and accessible platform, enabling entrepreneurs to prototype faster, manufacture specialized components, and maintain greater control over their production process.

Helping Craft Businesses Scale Without Losing Creativity

For custom knifemaker Jesse Jarosz of Jarosz Knives, craftsmanship and precision are central to his business. However, as his designs became more complex, traditional manual processes limited his ability to efficiently create intricate components.

By integrating Carvera Air into his workflow, Jesse was able to expand his design capabilities while maintaining the handcrafted quality of his knives. The desktop CNC machine enabled him to produce precision components such as handle scales, backspacers, and custom inlays, allowing his small-batch knife business to achieve greater consistency and efficiency.

"CNC gave me an opportunity to effectively add greater complexity to my knives in a way that was actually practical from a business standpoint," said Jesse Jarosz, Founder of Jarosz Knives.

Rather than replacing traditional craftsmanship, CNC technology became a tool that allowed Jesse to focus more on design innovation and customer-driven customization.

Turning Desktop CNC Into a Business Opportunity

For veteran machinist Wylder Barrows, CNC machining was already part of his professional background. However, he wanted a compact manufacturing solution that could support his own independent projects outside of traditional machining environments.

Using Carvera Air, Wylder began producing custom molds and specialty components, including injection molds for small-scale products. The machine allowed him to create a new revenue stream while maintaining the flexibility of a small workshop environment.

Within approximately six months, his Carvera Air investment had paid for itself through his machining side business. "My mold-making side hustle has paid for the cost of the Air," said Wylder Barrows.

For independent entrepreneurs, desktop CNC provides a practical way to explore new business opportunities without the cost and complexity typically associated with industrial manufacturing equipment.

Supporting Specialized Markets Through Local Manufacturing

For Rory Turnham of RS Junkie, Carvera Air provides a solution for producing specialized motorcycle components for enthusiasts maintaining and upgrading older two-stroke motorcycles.

Traditional manufacturing methods often make low-volume production challenging due to tooling costs and minimum order requirements. With desktop CNC, Rory can manufacture customized and replacement parts in smaller quantities, helping serve niche communities that may not be supported by conventional mass production.

Redefining What Small-Scale Manufacturing Can Be

Across industries, small businesses share a common challenge: transforming unique ideas into real products with limited resources.

Through Carvera Air, Makera is enabling entrepreneurs to bring manufacturing closer to where creativity happens. By combining precision machining, compact design, and an accessible workflow, desktop CNC technology is helping small businesses prototype faster, produce locally, and create products that previously required larger manufacturing resources.

"Small businesses are built around creativity, craftsmanship, and the ability to solve unique problems," said Josh Zhang, CEO at Makera. "Our mission is to provide creators with the tools they need to turn their ideas into real products and grow their businesses."

From independent workshops to specialized product brands, Makera Carvera Air is helping redefine the future of small-scale manufacturing.

Celebrating Five Years of Makera Innovation

To celebrate Makera's fifth anniversary, we're making our desktop CNC solutions more accessible to creators and small businesses through exclusive anniversary offers. Until September 30, customers can enjoy special savings and take another step toward bringing their manufacturing capabilities in-house.

To learn more about the anniversary promotion and available offers, please visit Makera's official website.

For regular updates on Makera, follow us on:

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SOURCE Makera

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New and expanded partnerships help institutions strengthen the student residential experience, increase IT capacity and modernize campus connectivity

NEW YORK, Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Driven by growing demand from higher education institutions, Boldyn Networks (Boldyn) announced 20 new and expanded agreements with colleges and universities across the United States. Anchored by Boldyn's residential network services (ResNet), the agreements also include expanded campus connectivity with managed network services (Managed Campus), managed IT services, network monitoring and specialized professional services. These include executive advisory, cloud and security assessments, and comprehensive IT and network assessments that help institutions optimize performance, reduce risk, and align technology investments with their strategic goals.

The institutions range from community colleges and private universities to large public universities. While the scope of each engagement is tailored to the institution's individual needs and goals, the new partnerships represent a shared focus by higher-ed institutions to strengthen campus connectivity, improve technology operations and deliver a seamless digital experience for students, faculty and staff.

"Campus IT teams are being asked to do more with less everyday while managing increasingly complex networks and growing expectations from students and faculty," said Matt Loecke, SVP Higher Education at Boldyn Networks US. "These agreements show the different ways institutions are responding, from building connectivity into new student housing to expanding managed IT services across the campus. Our team gives institutions an experienced partner to the day-to-day, allowing their team to focus on other institutional priorities."

See the list of partnerships and the full press release HERE.

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Boldyn Networks

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Single platform connects verified users, authenticated products, configurable policy controls and compliance intelligence across the product life cycle, from manufacture through point of use

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- IKE Tech LLC, a compliance infrastructure company, announced the launch of IKE 2.0, its next-generation platform for continuous compliance for regulated products, initially focused on the global nicotine category.

Most compliance systems stop at the point of sale. Once a regulated product leaves retail, existing systems generally cannot determine who ultimately uses it, whether the product is authentic or whether applicable requirements are followed. IKE 2.0 is designed to extend accountability from manufacture and import through retail sale and real-world use.

IKE 2.0 is a single, modular platform providing identity trust, product authentication, configurable enforcement and compliance intelligence across the regulated product lifecycle. The platform connects four layers:

- Person Layer. Verifies who is using a product, not just who purchased it, and converts verified identity into a secure Human Identity Token protecting personal data in all subsequent interactions.

- Product Layer. Confirms whether a product is authentic and traceable from manufacture through point of use, via direct device integration or NFC Smart Tags.

- Policy Layer. Applies configurable access and compliance requirements based on jurisdiction, product, SKU or other regulatory factors.

- Intelligence Layer. Uses telemetry and analytics to support anomaly detection, governance and compliance review with human oversight.

"Regulated industries share a common infrastructure challenge. Eligibility and compliance may be verified at the point of sale, entry or initial authorization, but accountability often weakens once a product or user moves beyond that first check," said Thomas Chen, founding member and head of technology and IP of IKE Tech. "Compliance cannot stop at the cash register. IKE 2.0 is built to carry identity verification, product authentication and configurable policy controls through the product and access life cycle, giving manufacturers and regulators a way to maintain accountability at the point of use."

Closing the Post-Sale Compliance Gap

The problem is acute in the nicotine sector. Products can be diverted through unauthorized channels, counterfeited without detection, or accessed by ineligible users with no mechanism to identify or prevent it. IKE 2.0 addresses that gap by connecting a verified user, an authenticated product and the applicable policy at the point of use.

Jason Carignan, founding member and board director at IKE Tech, added, "Across regulated industries, manufacturers and brand operators face the same challenge: compliance systems are built for the point of sale but offer little visibility or control beyond it. IKE 2.0 changes that. It gives manufacturers real-time supply chain intelligence, anti-counterfeit protections and compliance reporting that can be demonstrated to regulators and partners across markets, without building for each one."

IKE 2.0 is available through a web platform for manufacturers and brand operators, and a brand-configurable consumer application, both run on the same infrastructure. The platform is protected by 11 issued patents across identity, authentication and governance infrastructure, with additional applications pending.

Privacy is built into the IKE architecture, not added as a feature. Identity is verified, then abstracted and tokenized into a Human Identity Token, so raw personal information does not circulate through later interactions. Biometric processing occurs on-device. The platform is SOC 2 Type II certified and is designed for GDPR and CCPA compliance.

Built on Proven Foundations: IKE in the Nicotine Market

IKE 2.0 is built on infrastructure already deployed in the global regulated nicotine category. IKE Tech filed the first standalone component premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) in the U.S. for an interoperable age-verification technology in April 2025. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted the application for review in 2025, and the review remains ongoing.1 The FDA's March 2026 draft guidance on flavored electronic nicotine delivery systems also discussed device access restriction as a critical factor in PMTA evaluations as part of its consideration of mitigating youth risk.

In controlled Human Factors Study testing involving 102 participants, the system prevented underage device activation in every attempted case. The study also reported a 91% adult ease-of-use rating and a user error rate below 1%. The study has not been peer-reviewed, and controlled findings do not guarantee identical real-world outcomes.

IKE Tech's age-verification technology was recognized as Privacy-Centric Age Assurance Solution of the Year and received Highly Commended recognition for Innovation in Age Assurance Technology at the Global Age Assurance Standards Summit.

Looking Ahead

While nicotine is IKE Tech's first market, IKE 2.0 is designed as configurable infrastructure for any regulated category where identity, eligibility, product authenticity and access requirements must be verified and maintained. IKE Tech intends to extend the platform into additional regulated categories including cannabis, healthcare and medical products, gaming and adult-restricted products and services, subject to applicable laws, regulations and market-specific configuration.

About IKE Tech LLC

IKE Tech LLC, founded in 2024, is a compliance infrastructure company and joint venture among Ispire Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: ISPR), Touch Point Worldwide Inc. d/b/a Berify, and Chemular Inc. IKE Tech builds and operates the compliance infrastructure layer that connects verified identity, authenticated products and configurable policy enforcement in one interoperable platform. The company enables manufacturers, regulators and brand operators to maintain visibility, control and accountability throughout the product life cycle, including after purchase. For more information, visit www.iketech.com.

1 Acceptance for review is not a marketing authorization.

SOURCE IKE Tech LLC

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MUMBAI, India, RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, DUBAI, UAE, DALLAS, and SINGAPORE, Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Inspira Enterprise, a global leader in cybersecurity services, today announced that it has been recognized as a Major Contender in the Everest Group Cybersecurity Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2026 – Global. This recognition places Inspira among the cybersecurity service providers Everest Group evaluated for market success and delivery capabilities in the global cybersecurity services landscape.

Commenting on the achievement, Chetan Jain, Managing Director, Inspira Enterprise, remarked, "We are proud to have Inspira Enterprise recognized by Everest Group as a Major Contender in Everest Group's Cybersecurity Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2026 – Global. This strongly validates our continued investments in cybersecurity capabilities, talent, technology, and global delivery. We remain focused on delivering innovative and outcome-driven cybersecurity services that enable our customers to navigate an evolving threat landscape with greater confidence and resilience."

Kumar Avijit, Vice President at Everest Group, said, "Inspira Enterprise has strengthened its position in the global cybersecurity services market through its managed security capabilities, industry-aligned offerings, and broad technology partner ecosystem. Its AI-enabled MDR capabilities and iSmart2 dashboard help enterprises improve detection, response, and operational visibility, while its IAM, PAM, ITDR, and non-human identity capabilities support evolving identity security requirements. Inspira also brings industry-specific frameworks and control mappings to address regulatory needs, complemented by five Cyber Fusion Centers and a regional delivery footprint that enable 24x7 managed security operations. While its capabilities in areas such as broader agentic AI, scaled SASE and SSE, and sovereign cloud continue to mature, its expanding security portfolio and delivery capabilities have positioned Inspira Enterprise as a Major Contender in Everest Group's Cybersecurity Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2026 – Global."

Over the years, Inspira Enterprise has built a strong global presence delivering intelligent, end-to-end cybersecurity solutions. With Cyber Fusion Centers and 24x7 support, Inspira helps organizations strengthen security, compliance, and risk management while building digital trust.

View the complete report here - https://inspiraenterprise.com/insights/inspira-enterprise-named-major-contender-in-everest-groups-2026-cybersecurity-services

About Inspira Enterprise

Inspira Enterprise is a global cybersecurity, AI and digital transformation services provider helping organizations secure, govern and operate their digital environments in an increasingly AI-driven world. With a presence across 20+ countries, Inspira delivers end-to-end capabilities spanning cybersecurity for AI, cyber advisory and governance, identity and access management, managed detection and response, threat and vulnerability management, cloud and infrastructure security, data security, OT/IoT security, ServiceNow Risk & Security, Microsoft Security and managed security services.

Disclaimer

Licensed extracts taken from Everest Group's PEAK Matrix® Reports may be used by licensed third parties for use in their own marketing and promotional activities and collateral. Selected extracts from Everest Group's PEAK Matrix® reports do not necessarily provide the full context of our research and analysis. All research and analysis conducted by Everest Group's analysts and included in Everest Group's PEAK Matrix® reports is independent and no organization has paid a fee to be featured or to influence their ranking. To access the complete research and to learn more about our methodology, please visit Everest Group PEAK Matrix® Reports. 

Media Contact:

Arvind Lakshmiratan

Chief Marketing Officer

[email protected] 

SOURCE Inspira Enterprise

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Toyota, Truliant invest a combined $200,000 to support student financial literacy & career readiness.

GREENSBORO, N.C., Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Truliant Federal Credit Union (Truliant) announces a combined $200,000 investment with Toyota North Carolina (Toyota) for Junior Achievement of the Triad (JA)'s Finance Park Mobile. The JA Finance Park Mobile will help young people see how the choices they make today can shape their futures and bring a new, hands-on financial literacy and career-readiness experience directly to students in the Piedmont Triad region.

JA Finance Park Mobile will serve more than 5,000 students in grades 6–12 at 56 schools annually, expanding JA programming across Alamance, Forsyth, Guilford, Randolph and Rockingham counties. Priority will be given to schools serving high-need communities, helping close a critical learning gap.

"The commitments from Toyota North Carolina and Truliant give JA Finance Park Mobile the momentum to become a lasting regional resource," said Grace Thompson, president and CEO of Junior Achievement of the Triad. "By connecting classroom learning with the needs of local employers, the program will help students identify career pathways, build the skills to pursue them and see how those opportunities can contribute to long-term economic mobility."

JA Finance Park Mobile pairs classroom lessons with an immersive mobile city simulation, giving students the opportunity to put financial concepts into practice. Working alongside community volunteers, students will explore careers, understand credit and debt, navigate realistic life scenarios and create a personal budget—experiencing firsthand the decisions that come with adulthood.

"At Truliant, we believe practical financial education should be accessible at every stage of life, not just in adulthood," said Todd Hall, president and CEO of Truliant Federal Credit Union. "JA Finance Park Mobile gives students an early opportunity to practice managing money and make informed decisions about their futures."

JA Finance Park Mobile will connect students with local employers while building financial knowledge, career awareness and decision-making confidence to shape their futures.

"Toyota is proud to help bring JA Finance Park Mobile directly to students across the Piedmont Triad," said Toyota North Carolina President Don Stewart. "This investment will expand access to meaningful, hands-on financial education and career exploration, helping students across the Triad build the knowledge, confidence and decision-making skills they need to plan for their futures."

During its first year, JA Finance Park Mobile is expected to engage more than 100 educators and 200 community volunteers, generating 1,500 volunteer hours across more than 120 days of programming on school campuses. Those connections will help students better understand the opportunities available close to home while strengthening the region's future talent pipeline.

"Today's students are tomorrow's workforce," said Thompson. "Together with Toyota North Carolina and Truliant, we are giving young people the financial confidence and career awareness to make informed choices about their futures."

About Junior Achievement of the Triad

For more than 65 years, Junior Achievement has inspired and prepared young people to succeed by equipping them with the knowledge and skills to own their economic success. Through experiential learning in financial literacy, work and career readiness, and entrepreneurship, Junior Achievement helps students connect classroom learning with real-world opportunities. Learn more at triadjafpm.com.

About Truliant Federal Credit Union

Truliant is a not-for-profit financial institution based in Winston-Salem, N.C. that improves lives by providing great service and straightforward financial solutions. Truliant was chartered in 1952 and serves more than 328,000 members. A top 100 U.S. credit union, Truliant has more than 35 branches in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE: TM), creator of the Prius hybrid and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota and Lexus brands and directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America (nearly 48,000 in the U.S.).

For almost 70 years, Toyota has assembled over 50 million cars and trucks in North America at the company's 14 manufacturing plants. In 2025, the company's plant in North Carolina began assembling automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

Through our more than 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.), Toyota sold more than 2.9 million cars and trucks (more than 2.5 million in the U.S.) in 2025, of which more than 47 percent were electrified vehicles (full battery, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell).

SOURCE Truliant Federal Credit Union

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FairPlay finds Prism Data's CashScore® Increases Both Credit Signal and Financial Inclusion

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- FairPlay, the AI enablement company for the financial services industry, today released the results of an independent fairness assessment of Prism Data's CashScore®, its cash flow underwriting score that predicts risk independently of credit scores using real-time deposit transaction data.

Prism's CashScore enables lenders to analyze bank account transaction data to identify more high-quality borrowers and reduce losses. Through a comprehensive data study, FairPlay tested whether CashScore achieves these results fairly, without creating proxy risk or unjustified disparities in outcomes.

FairPlay's assessment found:

- Proxy Testing – CashScore was not correlated with protected status in a way that might suggest that it functions as a proxy for protected status.

- Underwriting Outcomes – On a risk-adjusted basis, no statistically significant differences in underwriting outcomes were found between protected class consumers and non-protected class consumers evaluated using CashScore.

- Scorability – Protected class consumers were equally as likely as non-protected class consumers to have sufficient data to receive a CashScore.

"The promise of cash flow underwriting is that lenders can see more about the borrower's financial health and behavior than the traditional credit file can show," said Kareem Saleh, Founder and CEO of FairPlay. "The test is whether you can widen that lens without introducing or widening disparities. Our analysis of Prism's CashScore shows you can."

"As pioneers of cash flow underwriting, we've built our solutions from the ground up not only for business impact, but also for compliance, transparency, and fairness," said Jason Rosen, Founder and CEO of Prism. "For over a decade, we've studied our impact and consistently found that this approach expands financial opportunity without discrimination or disparate impact. FairPlay's independent, innovative testing methodology provides further evidence of that."

About FairPlay

FairPlay is the AI enablement company for the financial services and insurance industries. FairPlay specializes in testing, tuning, and validating AI systems and agents, helping institutions deploy AI faster, more profitably, and in full compliance. Its products address the toughest challenges in AI deployment, including Bias Testing, Model Optimization, Model and Agentic Validation, Second Look, and Safe AI Sourcing. FairPlay's work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Politico, American Banker, and Forbes. In 2023, Fast Company recognized FairPlay as a "World Changing Idea." To learn more, please visit fairplay.ai.

About Prism

Prism Data is the leading provider of cash flow underwriting and intelligence solutions for consumer and SMB lending. Its flagship product, CashScore®, enables lenders and banks to use first- and third-party deposit data to better understand applicant and customer risk, providing a more inclusive and predictive view of financial health than traditional credit data alone. Prism Data's suite of solutions also includes Income, which delivers a comprehensive view of earnings across traditional and non-traditional sources; Insights, a library of tens of thousands of cash flow attributes for custom modeling; and Pulse, which extends these capabilities into continuous, time-series customer monitoring post-origination. To learn more, please visit prismdata.com.

SOURCE FairPlay

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JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla., Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- ATP Flight School is set to host an exclusive career expo for students and alumni at its Arlington, Texas, training center with 20 airline and industry partners on October 1. Nearly 500 aspiring airline pilots are slated to attend the networking event, where they'll have the opportunity to speak directly with pilot recruiters and representatives from airlines including American, Delta, Frontier, United, SkyWest and more.

While airline pilot demand remains strong, it is competitive, with the majority of airlines recruiting exclusively through their cadet programs.1 ATP students have access to every regional airline cadet program, and the career expo gives students and graduates from across the nation the opportunity to speak directly with airlines and chart their path to the flight deck through ATP's airline-backed Career Tracks™.

The career expo is one of several ways ATP supports alumni beyond training. Through the no-cost ATP Alumni Association, ATP has invested more than $460,000 in alumni career development and support since the beginning of 2025.

In 2026, ATP doubled the number of sponsored passes available to alumni and instructors for major aviation industry conferences, providing greater access to airline recruiters, industry leaders and professional networking opportunities. ATP also continues to award a fully sponsored Airline Transport Pilot Certification Training Program (ATP CTP) and A320 Type Rating each quarter, helping alumni gain advanced qualifications as they progress toward airline careers.

Additionally, ATP has expanded airline interview support, partnering with Spitfire Elite to provide alumni with discounted and fully sponsored interview preparation. That support has included interview preparation resources for displaced Spirit Airlines pilots as they pursued new airline opportunities.

"ATP's investment in its graduates extends beyond flight training and well into their airline careers," said Michael Arnold, Vice President of Marketing, ATP Flight School. "Through the ATP Alumni Association, we're expanding access to advanced training, interview preparation, industry events and direct airline connections that help graduates secure airline pilot jobs."

ATP alumni can learn more about the career expo and register for free at ATPAlumni.org/career-expo-rsvp.

About ATP Flight School

ATP is the nation's largest flight school, providing students with the most efficient path to a successful airline pilot career. For 40 years, ATP has been the leader in professional flight training, supplying pilots to airlines and corporate operators. ATPFlightSchool.com

About ATP Alumni Association

The ATP Alumni Association fosters a community for ATP graduates, providing networking opportunities, career resources, and support. The association hosts events, such as the upcoming career expo, to connect alumni with leading airlines and advance their professional development. For more information, visit ATPAlumni.org 

Media Contact

Michael Arnold

Vice President of Marketing

[email protected]

(904) 595-7950

1Aero Crew Solutions, "2026 Pilot Hiring Outlook," From the Interview Table, email newsletter, January 2026, subject line "Is It Okay to Post Your Paycheck Online?"

SOURCE ATP Flight School

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Created by Master Distiller Owen Martin, Cellar Collection Volume 6 represents the next evolution of Angel's Envy's signature finishing philosophy. For the first time in the Cellar Collection series, the whiskey undergoes two distinct finishing stages, a blend of rye whiskeys finished in peach brandy and toasted oak barrels. The result is a complex and refined expression that highlights the harmony between bold rye spice, ripe orchard fruit, and rich oak character.

"The Cellar Collection is where we challenge ourselves to explore what's possible through finishing, while using the very best of our whiskey archives," Martin said. "With Volume 6, I wanted to build layers of flavor. The peach brandy barrels bring vibrant fruitiness, while the toasted oak adds warmth. Together, they create a whiskey that's complex yet balanced, elevating rye in unexpected ways."

The whiskeys were aged between 8 and 11 years total, with its components featuring a range of 15-to-23-month finishing time in peach brandy barrels, or a 6-to-12-month finish in toasted oak barrels. This dual maturation process allows each finishing influence to complement the rye's naturally bold spice while creating a whiskey with remarkable depth and structure. Bottled at 106.4 proof (53.2% ABV), Cellar Collection Volume 6 opens with aromas of ripe stone fruit, baking spice, vanilla, and oak. On the palate, notes of peach, caramel, cinnamon, toasted oak, and rye spice lead to a long, warming finish layered with lingering oak and orchard fruit.

Each Cellar Collection expression is developed through years of experimentation, barrel evaluation, and meticulous blending before only the most compelling liquids are selected for release. Approximately 36,000 bottles (750 mL) of Angel's Envy Cellar Collection Volume 6: Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Peach Brandy & Toasted Oak Barrels will be available nationwide beginning on October 9, 2026, at a suggested retail price of $199.99.

For more information, please visit www.angelsenvy.com or follow @angelsenvy on Instagram.

Media Contact: [email protected]

ABOUT ANGEL'S ENVY

ANGEL'S ENVY is a global brand that produces finished whiskeys at its Louisville, Kentucky-based distillery. Founded in 2010, ANGEL'S ENVY was among the first American whiskey producers to employ a secondary finishing process broadly across its portfolio. Today, each of its award-winning whiskeys are finished in hand-selected barrels to add a distinct layer of flavor and complexity, and the ANGEL'S ENVY team continues to produce several highly acclaimed core offerings – a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Finished in Port Wine Barrels, a Rye Whiskey Finished in Caribbean Rum Casks, and a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Finished in a blend of Hungarian, Chinkapin, and French Oak Barrels – as well as a variety of innovative, special releases.

ANGEL'S ENVY opened the doors to its distillery at 500 East Main Street in 2016, making it the first full-production whiskey distillery in downtown Louisville. In June 2022, ANGEL'S ENVY completed an $8.2 million expansion to its distillery, doubling annual guest capacity.

ANGEL'S ENVY is available in all 50 U.S. states and several international markets, and it is produced by Louisville Distilling Company, a subsidiary of Bacardi Limited.

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY.

© 2026. ANGEL'S ENVY, ITS TRADE DRESS AND THE ANGEL WINGS LOGO ARE TRADEMARKS.

BOTTLED BY LOUISVILLE DISTILLING COMPANY, LOUISVILLE, KY. STRAIGHT RYE WHISKEY FINISHED IN PEACH BRANDY AND TOASTED OAK BARRELS – 53.2% ALC. BY VOL.

SOURCE Angel's Envy

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THE VISUALIZE GROUP COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF eCOGRA

Uniting BMM Testlabs and eCOGRA to Build an Agile, Innovative Global Gaming Testing, Inspection, Certification, and Compliance Leader Across Every Gaming Channel

NEW YORK and LONDON, Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Visualize Group ("Visualize"), a private investment firm focused on investing in mission-critical, services-based companies, today announced that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of eCOGRA, a globally recognized provider of testing, inspection, certification, and compliance ("TICC") services for the regulated gaming industry. The transaction, first announced on June 30, 2026, closed following receipt of customary regulatory approvals and clearances.

With the closing, eCOGRA joins BMM Testlabs ("BMM"), which Visualize acquired earlier this year, as Visualize continues to build the leading gaming TICC platform. The combined platform now holds licenses or accreditations in over 800 jurisdictions, including nearly every jurisdiction in the world with legal, regulated gaming, positioning it to support suppliers entering newly regulated markets on day one.

The closing comes as the global gaming industry gathers this week in Las Vegas for G2E and in Lisbon for the SBC Summit, where BMM and eCOGRA leaders will make their first joint appearance, meeting with customers, suppliers, and regulators at G2E booths 1416 and 3830 and SBC Summit stands B243 and B608.

Martin Storm, Chief Executive Officer of BMM Testlabs, said, "eCOGRA and BMM share a common purpose: giving players, operators, and regulators confidence in the credibility of the broader gaming ecosystem. The combination allows us to invest more in technology and capacity, adopt best practices, and navigate an increasingly complex regulatory landscape together."

Will Shuckburgh, Chief Executive Officer of eCOGRA, said, "For more than two decades, eCOGRA's mission has been to ensure that players can trust the games they play and that operators can meet the highest standards of compliance. As regulated gaming expands into new markets around the world, the combination gives us the scale and resources to serve our customers even better — to invest in our people, our technology, and our capacity — while upholding the standards our accreditation partners and customers expect."

C. C. Melvin Ike, Founder and Managing Partner of Visualize, said, "Closing this transaction marks an important step toward building a generational business in regulated gaming: a testing, inspection, certification, and compliance platform spanning both digital and land-based markets. Martin and Will bring complementary experience and a shared commitment to the rigor and reliability that regulators and operators depend on. We're confident their leadership will position the business to meet growing demand for high-quality independent testing and certification. We're thrilled to begin this next chapter with them."

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP and Greenberg Traurig, LLP acted as legal advisors for Visualize.

About The Visualize Group

Visualize is a private investment firm built on a single conviction: the most durable businesses are those that customers cannot easily leave and competitors cannot easily replicate. The firm makes concentrated, high-conviction investments in mission-critical, services-based companies, many of which operate in regulated markets. Visualize invests thematically, targeting businesses that have yet to find their natural owner, often at a moment of transition such as a regulatory change, corporate carve-out, take-private, or founder succession, in sectors where a focused, operationally engaged specialist can unlock significant value.

Founded in 2023 and headquartered in New York, Visualize is led by senior investment and operationally engaged professionals from Blackstone, Veritas Capital, Golden Gate Capital, Silver Lake, and H.I.G. Capital. The firm is backed by a distinguished group of institutional investors, including university endowments, foundations, and prominent family offices. Learn more at www.visualizegroup.com.

eCOGRA Media Contact:

Kiara Wessels

[email protected]

The Visualize Group Media Contact:

[email protected] 

SOURCE The Visualize Group

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The new brand signals the organization's transformation, and commitment to operators and players

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- IGT announced today that it will unveil its new brand identity at the 2026 Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas.

Built on the principles of being fluid, frictionless and magnetic, the new IGT brand identity reflects a singular commitment: delivering an experience that is designed around the player and built for operators. Moving away from a typical corporate look, the new brand showcases a bold and modern appearance that expresses the next chapter of the company's evolution. At the core of the new identity is a commitment to:

- Integrated solutions – across the casino floor

- In-demand games – games worth coming back to

- Expertise in action – proven experience; practical advantage

- Commitment to customer success – when you grow, we grow

"At G2E, our customers will see and feel the IGT transformation story in motion," said Hector Fernandez, IGT CEO. "Our new brand identity signals who we are becoming and how our culture, capabilities and content are propelling us forward. We are providing operators with a fluid and frictionless, connected ecosystem with magnetic content that will excite players and drive performance."

This new era of IGT positions the organization to deliver seamless, connected player experiences through FinTech and systems, and compelling game content that players seek out across land-based casinos and online.

The new brand and latest product innovations will be on full display in booth 4455 at G2E, Sept. 28 – Oct. 1. For more information, visit IGT.com or follow us on LinkedIn and YouTube.

About IGT

IGT is a leading global provider of gaming, digital and financial technology solutions, formed through the combination of International Game Technology PLC's Gaming & Digital Business and Everi Holdings Inc. IGT and Everi's offering spans gaming machines, game content and systems, iGaming, sports betting, cash access, loyalty and player engagement solutions, enabling it to deliver integrated, customer-centric experiences across land-based and digital environments. Organized into Gaming, Digital and FinTech business units, the organization drives innovation, efficiency and value for casino, digital and hospitality operators worldwide. The company is headquartered in Las Vegas. 

Contact:

Phil O'Shaughnessy, Global Communications, toll free in U.S./Canada +1 (844) IGT-7452; outside U.S./Canada +1 (775) 448-0257

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SOURCE IGT

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