JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Theragen, a Jacksonville, Florida–based medical device company, today announced new data demonstrating how patients' demographics, health histories and surgical techniques may predict their recovery following spinal fusion surgery using a bone growth stimulator. The findings were presented at the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (SMISS) 2026 Annual Forum.

"We set out to build ActaStim®-S, a bone growth stimulator, that does more than deliver therapy. We built it to listen," said Chris McAuliffe, CEO of Theragen and co-inventor of ActaStim®-S. "Across nearly 7,000 patients and almost 200,000 days of recovery data, ActaStim has taught us that recovery after spinal fusion surgery isn't random. It follows patterns. We can now identify which patients need extra support and what a meaningful recovery target looks like."

The patented product, ActaStim®‑S, integrates a clinically proven therapeutic electrical signal with a modern, easy‑to‑wear design and a first‑of‑its‑kind, data‑rich digital health platform. Its small form factor supports continuous, comfortable and discreet wear in real‑world patient settings, enabling longer daily usage and increasing the likelihood of spinal fusion success.

"These findings further demonstrate the potential value of longitudinal, real-world data in helping clinicians better understand each patient's recovery after spinal fusion surgery," said Ryan D. Snowden, MD, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in spine surgery at the Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance located in Nashville, TN. "Identifying meaningful patterns early may allow care teams to provide more individualized support and help patients remain engaged throughout the recovery process."

Theragen presented the following findings:

Poster 1: Clinical Predictors of Pain Improvement Following Spinal Fusion: SHAP-Based Interpretation of a Machine Learning Model Using Longitudinal Bone Growth Stimulator Data

- Bone growth stimulator (BGS) wear adherence emerged as the strongest modifiable predictor of clinically meaningful pain improvement. Predicted improvement increased with daily wear time up to approximately 13 hours before plateauing.

- Baseline pain severity was the strongest predictor of achieving minimal clinically important difference (MCID), with patients beginning at higher pain levels having greater opportunity to demonstrate measurable improvement.

- Multilevel fusion and transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) surgical approach were associated with a higher likelihood of predicted non-improvement.

- Patients tracking below the approximately 13-hour daily wear threshold at six weeks postoperatively could potentially benefit from additional adherence counseling or closer postoperative monitoring.

Poster 2: Machine Learning Prediction of Minimal Clinically Important Difference in Pain Following Spinal Fusion Using Longitudinal Bone Growth Stimulator Data

- The machine learning model (XGBoost) outperformed the standard logistic-regression baseline across all reported performance metrics, supporting the value of nonlinear modeling for predicting clinically meaningful pain improvement.

- A standardized device-to-electronic medical record (EMR) pipeline achieved 99.2% completeness across approximately 195,000 patient-day observations, demonstrating that real-world BGS data can be integrated for large-scale predictive modeling.

- The model achieved a 96.4% negative predictive value, potentially supporting: (a) early identification of patients unlikely to achieve clinically meaningful pain improvement; and (b) the development of postoperative risk-stratification tools, pending external validation.

Poster 3: A Novel, Granular, Longitudinal Dataset Identifies Patient and Surgical Factors Associated with Clinically Meaningful Post-operative Spinal Fusion Pain

- Stratified clinical significance tiers (SCST) capture both the magnitude and direction of longitudinal pain change, providing a novel, clinically graded alternative to a single pass/fail MCID threshold.

- Several patient-specific and surgical factors were statistically associated with different postoperative pain trajectories. Degenerative disc disease, diabetes and renal disease were associated with improvement at six weeks, while anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) surgical approach was associated with improvement at six months. Pseudoarthrosis, tobacco use and spinal stenosis were associated with persistent pain.

- Although several associations reached statistical significance, effect sizes were generally modest, reinforcing that postoperative recovery is multifactorial.

- These findings support the potential value of granular longitudinal BGS data in identifying patient and surgical factors associated with clinically meaningful postoperative pain trajectories and informing future risk-stratification and prediction models.

"ActaStim® isn't just collecting more data. It's translating that data into guidance patients and providers can use," said Chris Mills, Chief Marketing Officer at Theragen. "We've learned that no two spine surgery recoveries look the same. Many factors, including a patient's age, health and surgical technique, can shape a patient's path forward. Our Theragen care team can now help guide that path with real-world evidence."

About Theragen

Theragen, Inc. is a leader in the development and manufacture of non-invasive, electrical stimulation DME products that deliver therapeutic energy to improve fusion success and empower patients to play an active role in their recovery. The company is committed to continuous innovation and expanding our reach to help improve outcomes for more patients. To learn more, please visit actastim.com.

About ActaStim®-S

ActaStim®-S uses safe, effective, FDA-approved stimulation technology that's been prescribed clinically for over 20 years to improve spinal fusion success and help patients get back to the activities they enjoy.1

Media Contact

Dawn Fallon

New Dawn Communications LLC

[email protected]

732-771-7808

References

1. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2020). PMA P190030: FDA Summary of Safety and Effectiveness Data.

SOURCE Theragen

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Report details settlement trends in Delaware M&A litigation

NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The number of settlements in litigation related to mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the Delaware Chancery Court reached 25 last year, its highest level since 2012. However, aggregate settlement amounts declined to $326.6 million, down significantly from the 2023 inflation-adjusted peak of $734.8 million, according to a new Cornerstone Research report released today.

The report, M&A Litigation Settlements in the Delaware Court of Chancery: 2012–2025 Review and Analysis, is based on a hand-collected sample of 143 settlements with known monetary amounts over the 14-year period. It documents a significant drop-off in settlement values in 2025.

In addition to the dip in aggregate settlement amounts, the median settlement in 2025 fell to $10 million, the lowest recorded over the period analyzed. The median settlement amount as a percentage of transaction value also declined, continuing a multi-year downward trend.

"The data point to a number of factors behind the declining settlement amounts in 2025, most notably the surge in litigation over special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), which tend to involve lower claimed damages," said Senior Vice President Frank Schneider, a report coauthor and Cohead of Cornerstone's Valuation, M&A, and Bankruptcy Practice. "Because the SPAC cases at issue tended to involve more modest claims, settlements were smaller. Compounding that trend, settlement values in non-SPAC cases fell as well."

All 2025 settlement amounts were below $50 million, and 80% were below $20 million. In comparison, only 42% of settlements between 2020 and 2024 were below $20 million.

"Based on the sample of 143 settlements, we observe that larger transactions and transactions with larger claimed damages have on average higher settlement amounts and these relationships are statistically significant," said Vice President Paul Zurek, Cohead of Cornerstone's Valuation, M&A, and Bankruptcy Practice and report coauthor.

The report found a strong correlation between claimed damages and settlement outcomes. Claimed damages explain 71% of the variation in settlement amounts, with a 10% increase in damages associated with a 6.4% increase in settlement amount. At the same time, the settlement amount as a percentage of claimed damages tends to decline as the claim size grows, from a 44.0% median for claims under $25 million (2025) to just 2.2% for claims over $1 billion (2020–2024).

Additional Key Findings:

- Surge in SPAC settlements: Litigation related to de-SPAC transactions accounted for 68% of 2025 settlements and 53% of the year's aggregate settlement value. The average settlement in SPAC litigation in 2025 was $10.1 million (median $8.8 million).

- Settlement value of traditional M&A litigation falls: The value of non-SPAC settlements in 2025—an average of $19.4 million and a median of $14.6 million—was down from 2024, when the average and median were $41.5 million and $24.1 million, respectively.

- Falling settlement amounts as a percentage of transaction value: Transaction value was positively correlated with settlement amounts. But the median settlement as a percentage of transaction value fell to 0.5% in 2025, continuing a downward trajectory from the 2020 high of 3.9%.

- Shift in plaintiff profile: In 2025, 72% of settlements involved stockholders of the acquirer (mostly SPAC stockholders), a sharp increase from the 29% observed between 2020 and 2024.

- Counsel fees trending down: Median and average plaintiff counsel fees reached their lowest levels in 2025, driven by smaller settlement amounts and a decrease in the percentage of the settlement awarded as fees.

About Cornerstone Research

Cornerstone Research is at the forefront of economic and financial consulting, delivering the rigorous analytical solutions required to navigate complex disputes. The firm draws from an extensive network of prominent academic and industry experts to support each matter effectively. Pairing a deep understanding of economics and finance with a suite of industry-leading artificial intelligence and machine learning tools, Cornerstone provides clients with a sophisticated, tailored approach. A reputation for innovation, precision, and excellence has defined Cornerstone since 1989. That momentum continues with over 1,000 professionals collaborating across nine offices in the US, UK, and EU. Learn more at https://www.cornerstone.com/.

SOURCE Cornerstone Research

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OCEANSIDE, Calif., Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- LAMVIN, a Catalyst Acoustics Group brand and manufacturer of premium acoustic products, has expanded its portfolio with the introduction of Sonic Theater Board, a rigid, black sound-absorptive product designed to reduce reverberation in commercial, educational, hospitality, and entertainment environments.

Developed to simplify installation while providing design flexibility, the new offering is lightweight and can be easily cut to size in the field using a standard utility knife. Boards are designed to fit virtually any ceiling grid, making them well suited for both renovation and new construction projects.

Offered in standard 4' X 8' boards, and 2' X 2' or 2' X 4' tiles cut to size, Sonic Theater Board is available in 3 lb. and 6 lb. densities with 1-inch and 2-inch thicknesses to accommodate a range of project requirements. The product is also Class A fire rated in accordance with ASTM E84 and supports multiple installation methods, including Z-Clips, L-Brackets, and Rotofast Snap-On and Cloud Anchors.

As designers continue to prioritize occupant comfort and speech intelligibility in shared environments, adaptable acoustical materials are playing an increasingly important role across workplaces, schools, performance venues, restaurants, and other public spaces. "Every project has unique acoustic challenges, and customers need products that are both effective and easy to work with," said David Castellanos, LAMVIN's VP of Sales & Business Development. "Sonic Theater Board gives contractors and designers the flexibility to customize board sizes right in the field while delivering the sound absorption needed to transform noisy spaces into more comfortable, functional environments."

For more information about Sonic Theater Board and LAMVIN's complete line of acoustical solutions, visit lamvin.com or contact the LAMVIN sales team.

About LAMVIN

Founded in 1961, LAMVIN is a leading manufacturer of quality, custom architectural acoustic products for walls and ceilings. We attribute our success to our innovative products, excellent lead times and our friendly and responsive customer service. Learn more about LAMVIN, its product line, educational opportunities, and more by visiting lamvin.com.

About Catalyst Acoustics Group

Catalyst Acoustics Group is the parent company of an elite group of acoustic, seismic, vibration and noise control companies that together, offer the broadest portfolio of noise control solutions in the market today. The independent brands, channels to market, products and services offered by each business remain unique, while leveraging the scale, deep functional expertise, broad channel reach and significant financial resources. For more information about Catalyst Acoustics Group or its affiliated companies, visit catalystacoustics.com.

SOURCE Catalyst Acoustics Group

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TOKYO, Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- TOYO Co., Ltd (Nasdaq: TOYO; OTC: TOYWF), a solar manufacturing company, today announced that it will webcast its 2026 Analyst Day on Tuesday, October 6, 2026.

Management will share details regarding the Company's strategy, market trends, and expansion plans.

A live webcast, beginning at 10:30 AM ET, will be available at: https://app.webinar.net/p7bzgJwmo3E. Presentations will conclude at approximately 12:00 PM ET. A replay of the webcast will be available approximately two hours after the conclusion of the event and will remain available for approximately 30 calendar days.

About TOYO Co., Ltd.

TOYO is a solar manufacturing company committed to becoming a vertically integrated solar manufacturer provider in the global market, integrating upstream production of wafers and silicon, midstream production of solar cells, downstream production of photovoltaic modules, and potentially other stages of the solar power supply chain. TOYO is well-positioned to produce high-quality solar cells at a competitive scale and cost.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects, as well as any other statements regarding matters that are not historical facts, may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "anticipate," "look forward to," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "target," "will," "would" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in TOYO's annual report on Form 20-F, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties, and other important factors in TOYO's subsequent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof. TOYO specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether due to new information, future events, or otherwise. Readers should not rely upon the information on this page as current or accurate after its publication date.

Contact Information:

For TOYO Co., Ltd.

[email protected]

Crocker Coulson

Email:[email protected]

Tel: (646) 652-7185

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Facility renderings offer a first look at the project, designed to be the most modern primary aluminum facility in the United States.

INOLA, Okla., Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Oklahoma Primary Aluminum today released a comprehensive economic impact study detailing the proposed more than $4 billion primary aluminum facility's expected economic impact on Rogers County, Oklahoma and the nation, including thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity.

The company today also unveiled first-look project renderings at its 441-acre location at the Tulsa Port of Inola.

Project renderings

- Click here to view a flyover tour of the project

- Click here to view still images of the facility's renderings.

"This project represents a generational opportunity to create thousands of good-paying jobs, strengthen Oklahoma communities and bring critical manufacturing back to America," said Governor Kevin Stitt. "The economic impact in this study shows what is possible when companies choose to invest in Oklahoma. We can and must continue to listen to all Oklahomans while ensuring Oklahoma remains a place where job creators can count on clear rules and a fair, consistent process."

Economic impact study

The study reports that the facility will serve as a generational economic anchor for the state, generating approximately 7,000 Oklahoma jobs on average per year. Employment is expected to peak at more than 10,600 jobs in 2029 as construction winds down and hiring for operations ramps up. The project will add an average of $1.45 billion per year to the state's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) spanning decades of ongoing operation and $911 million each year in household income for Oklahoma families.

In total, the facility is projected to contribute approximately $49 billion in cumulative impact to Oklahoma's economy through 2060, delivering high-demand enduring manufacturing careers, expanded educational partnerships and long-term tax revenue for local communities.

"This is the largest single economic development project in Oklahoma history, and this study shows the generational impact Oklahoma Primary Aluminum will have on our state," said Oklahoma Commerce CEO John Budd. "Not only does it further solidify Oklahoma as a national leader in onshoring critical mineral supply chains and manufacturing, but it also creates new opportunities for future generations of Oklahomans while being developed with the highest standards for safety and in full compliance with all state and federal regulations."

The study, conducted by Regional Economic Models, Inc. (REMI), highlights the project's transformative impact as the largest advanced-manufacturing anchor in northeastern Oklahoma:

- $1.45 Billion Annual Contribution to Oklahoma's Gross Domestic Product (GDP): The single site in Inola will add $1.45 billion to Oklahoma's GDP each year on average, representing nearly 0.7 percent of the state's entire economy. Nationally, the project is expected to contribute an average of $2.2 billion to U.S. GDP.

- $911 Million Annual Household Income: The facility and its associated supply chains will deliver $911 million in direct, indirect and induced household income to Oklahoma families every year.

- 7,000 Oklahoma Jobs on average per year over the life of the project, with jobs peaking at more than 10,600 in 2029, including:

- 1,000+ permanent direct jobs in operations

- 5,000+ indirect and induced jobs

- 4,000+ temporary jobs during construction

- High-Demand Manufacturing Careers: Once fully operational, the facility will create at least 1,000 permanent, direct jobs with average annual compensation of approximately $100,000, among the region's highest-paying employment opportunities.

- 3x Jobs Multiplier in Oklahoma: Every direct job created at the facility will generate approximately three additional jobs in Oklahoma and five additional jobs nationally.

- Construction & Skilled Trade Growth: The three-year construction phase is expected to employ approximately 4,000 workers, with construction jobs paying prevailing wages. Local hiring will be prioritized and more than 12 percent of labor (375 to 500 positions) will be completed by apprentices.

"Oklahoma Primary Aluminum is a transformative, multi-generational economic opportunity not just for Inola, but for Rogers County, northeast Oklahoma and the state as a whole," said Ziad Fares, Project Director for Oklahoma Primary Aluminum. "Many states across America competed to secure our project because they recognized the significant contribution it would make to their own economic growth. We chose Oklahoma because of the state's ambition for landmark industrial projects to drive prosperity and progress. That ambition is what is at stake as we strive to move this project forward in Inola."

Headquartered in Oklahoma, Oklahoma Primary Aluminum combines the strengths of Century Aluminum, America's largest producer of primary aluminum, and Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), a long-standing supplier of aluminum to U.S. aerospace, automotive and defense industries with more than 25 years of operations and investment in the U.S. America imports approximately 85% of the primary aluminum it consumes. As the first primary aluminum facility built in the United States since 1980, the 750,000-metric-ton facility will double national production capacity and significantly reduce U.S. reliance on imported aluminum. By manufacturing this critical material in Rogers County, Oklahoma will play a central role in securing domestic supply chains for aerospace, defense, energy and automotive industries.

Safety and environmental performance are central to the project, which will utilize the industry's most advanced technology. The facility will incorporate EGA's proprietary EX reduction cell technology, designed to improve energy efficiency and ensure the plant meets rigorous environmental safety requirements . The project will set a new standard for safe, efficient and environmentally responsible primary aluminum production.

Beyond its direct economic output, the study highlights Oklahoma Primary Aluminum's commitment to growing together with the local community:

- Workforce Pipelines: The project is building tailored partnerships with regional educational institutions such as Rogers State University, Oklahoma State University, Northeast Tech and Tulsa Technology Center to establish technical training programs, pre-apprenticeship pathways and advanced engineering degrees.

- Industry Growth: Oklahoma Primary Aluminum will catalyze a fully integrated aluminum ecosystem at the Port of Inola, anchored by the already announced U.S. Aluminum project. An estimated $400–$500 million in additional regional infrastructure investments – funded separately through federal grants and state incentives— support port upgrades, wastewater treatment and a new electric substation, strengthening the Tulsa Port of Inola and creating benefits for the surrounding region.

- World-leading Environmental Protection: Designed with enclosed production units, continuous monitoring and advanced scrubbers that capture and recycle 99 percent of process fluoride, the facility recently announced it would meet the lowest fluoride emissions intensity limits for a U.S. primary aluminum plant. It will operate under strict oversight from the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

"Communities across the United States and Canada competed for this project because of the economic opportunities it represents. Oklahoma was selected because we offer a unique combination of infrastructure, access to talent and a belief that Oklahomans deserve more," said Tulsa Ports. "This study helps put numbers behind what Oklahoma Primary Aluminum could mean for our region and our state, including new opportunities for future generations to live, work and build careers here at home."

The full economic impact study is available online, with additional information and resources available on Oklahoma Primary Aluminum's website at oklahomaprimaryaluminum.com

About Oklahoma Primary Aluminum

Oklahoma Primary Aluminum is a joint venture between Emirates Global Aluminium, the world's largest producer of premium aluminum, and Century Aluminum Company, the largest producer of primary aluminum in the United States. The company is planning a state-of-the-art primary aluminum production facility at the Tulsa Port of Inola in Rogers County, Oklahoma. Once operational, the facility is expected to produce 750,000 metric tons of primary aluminum annually once it starts production, more than doubling current U.S. primary aluminum production capacity while creating approximately 1,000 permanent jobs and thousands of construction jobs. The project represents a significant investment in strengthening America's domestic aluminum supply chain, supporting U.S. manufacturing, and advancing long-term economic growth. Learn more at oklahomaprimaryaluminum.com.

Oklahoma Primary Aluminum

[email protected]

SOURCE Oklahoma Primary Aluminum

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Built on the world's largest human experiential dataset, the XM Data & AI Platform powers Healthcare XM

Healthcare XM advances Experience Management to simulate, predict, and deliver trusted outcomes, improving care, safety, and patient loyalty across the healthcare industry

Qualtrics names Thomas H. Lee, MD to Lead XM Institute, Qualtrics research arm delivering guidance to Experience Management leaders worldwide

PROVO, Utah, Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- There is a gap in healthcare between what people expect and what is delivered. It is called the Experience Gap, and it has a human cost. People no longer grade a health system against the hospital across town, but against the best experience they have in any setting.

Too often the problem is clear only after an appointment went unscheduled, care missed the mark, a safety risk went unseen, a clinician burned out, a poor rating went public, or a member switched plans.

"When AI changes what people expect faster than healthcare organizations can change how they deliver care, the consequences extend far beyond financial or competitive risk. They affect trust, health outcomes, and people's lives," said Jason Maynard, CEO of Qualtrics.

Qualtrics Healthcare XM

Healthcare XM helps health systems and health plans deliver quality care, reduce costs, and improve patient loyalty through trusted, positive health outcomes.

Healthcare XM is the Press Ganey proprietary data, analytics, and solutions on the XM Data & AI Platform, grounded in decades of robust governance, healthcare and regulatory expertise, rigorous measurement, trusted benchmarks, predictive analytics, and the world's largest proprietary experiential dataset. Key capabilities include:

- Patient experience: Understand and improve the entire patient journey, from finding and accessing care through treatment, recovery, HCAHPS, and CAHPS.

- Member experience: Understand and improve experiences across enrollment, access, service, care, Medicare CAHPS, and Stars.

- Workforce experience: Strengthen engagement, culture, recognition, and retention by identifying what clinicians need and where leaders can make a difference.

- Safety and quality: Bring together workforce conditions, NDNQI, PSO, safety signals, high reliability, and unit-level performance to identify risk earlier and improve care.

- Consumer, brand, and access: Identify barriers to care, strengthen reputation, and guide growth from changing market dynamics.

Qualtrics will provide a preview of Healthcare XM during a livestream on September 23, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. CT (10:00 a.m. ET). Watch Live.

Measurement at this scale has previously focused on what already happened. Healthcare XM lets health systems and health plans simulate a change before it reaches a live unit, predict what a specific person will do while there is still time to act, and deliver trusted outcomes inside the moment.

Simulation

Test before you commit. Healthcare XM, grounded in the world's largest experiential dataset and Press Ganey benchmarks, generates research-grade simulations of patient cohorts, member segments, workforce roles, and community choice sets. Leaders pressure-test a discharge protocol, a staffing model, a digital front door, a service-line launch, or a Stars lever before a live unit feels it. Patient-identifiable data never leaves your environment and never trains a shared model.

Prediction

Know before they act. Experience Prediction Models, trained on proprietary datasets and grounded in the experience ontology, name what a specific person is likely to do. They identify patients at risk of missing appointments, members likely to disenroll, nurses considering leaving, and units facing elevated safety risks, while there is still time to intervene.

Trusted Outcomes

Act in the moments that matter. Healthcare XM can initiate outreach, escalate a safety concern, recommend the next best action, or trigger a workflow, all within the organization's clinical, regulatory, workforce, and privacy requirements. Agents do not write clinical orders.

Experience Loops. Where patient loyalty compounds.

A patient journey map describes an episode of care, but a patient's relationship with a health system does not end with one. From the first encounter through ongoing care and the decision to return, loyalty is built or broken in specific moments: whether the care plan is understood, the connection with the nurse or doctor is made, the concern is addressed. That relationship is an experience loop. Available today, the Healthcare XM Experience Loop Diagnostic Service turns that loop into a prescriptive plan grounded in the experience ontology and decades of care-journey programs: which moments carry weight, where data is missing, and what to activate first.

"We are focused on providing extraordinary experiences for our patients, health plan members and consumers. When we have personal interaction information available in the moment, it doesn't sit in a dashboard or wait for the next survey. The information is in the hands of the people who can act on it, in real time. It's another way we can improve our relationship and experiences with those we serve." - Tina Freese Decker, CEO, Corewell Health

Availability

Healthcare XM will be available in 2027. The Healthcare XM Experience Loop Diagnostic Service is available today. Press Ganey proprietary data, analytics, and solutions will run on the XM Data & AI Platform. Press Ganey applications available today will continue to be fully supported, and will become more valuable on the platform, backed by the same benchmarks, expertise, and advisory services clients rely on.

Thomas H. Lee, MD Named Executive Director, XM Institute

Qualtrics also announced that Thomas H. Lee, MD, has been named Executive Director of XM Institute, Qualtrics' global research and thought leadership organization for experience management. XM Institute helps organizations across every industry understand and improve experiences for the people they serve, publishing research, benchmarks, and practical guidance that experience leaders use to close the gap between what people expect and what they receive.

Lee has served as Chief Medical Officer of Press Ganey for fourteen years, is a practicing internist and cardiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and holds faculty appointments at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He is also editor-in-chief of NEJM Catalyst.

"Organizations everywhere are struggling to close the experience gap," said Dr. Lee. "XM Institute provides research-backed guidance to help leaders design and deliver experiences that earn trust. I'm honored and excited to lead that valuable mission."

About Qualtrics

Qualtrics is trusted by thousands of the world's best organizations to power exceptional customer and employee experiences.

Contact:

Tyler Petersen, Press@Qualtrics.com

SOURCE Qualtrics, LLC

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The Elite HubSpot Solutions Partner will be at Booth 5 at the Hilton Chicago, September 22 to 23, sharing findings from The State of Financial Services Growth report produced with HubSpot, ahead of a joint session with HubSpot at Money20/20 USA in October

WEST CHESTER, Pa., Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Mole Street, an Elite HubSpot Solutions Partner and technology consultancy serving financial services firms, today announced it will exhibit at the 8th annual Digital Marketing for Financial Services Midwest Summit (DMFS Midwest), September 22 to 23, 2026, at the Hilton Chicago. Brendan Walsh, Co-Founder and CRO, and Tony King, Solutions Architect, will represent Mole Street at Booth 5 throughout the summit.

DMFS Midwest brings together more than 300 senior marketing leaders from banks, credit unions, insurance, wealth and asset management, lending, payments and fintech, with more than 40 speakers covering AI-powered personalization, martech investment, omnichannel client experience and marketing ROI. Those are the exact problems Mole Street solves for financial services clients every day, and the team will be at the booth to talk through them one on one.

Mole Street helps financial services organizations implement HubSpot, migrate to it from legacy platforms and connect it to the core banking, practice management and operational data that marketing teams need to grow revenue. The firm has worked with banks, credit unions, wealth managers and accounting firms on implementations that produce cleaner pipelines, real attribution and more revenue from existing relationships. Recent work includes helping Keesler Federal Credit Union, Mississippi's largest credit union, gain full marketing autonomy by connecting its core data to HubSpot, and rebuilding the HubSpot CRM for Hill, Barth & King, a Top 100 CPA firm, so data for more than 20,000 clients syncs automatically.

"Financial services marketers are under real pressure to prove ROI, personalize at scale and do it all inside compliance guardrails, usually with a tech stack that was never designed to work together," said Brendan Walsh, Co-Founder and CRO of Mole Street. "We have spent years helping banks, credit unions and accounting firms fix that with HubSpot, and DMFS Midwest is one of the few places where the people living with those problems are all in one room. Stop by Booth 5 and bring your hardest question. We will probably have seen it before."

New research: The State of Financial Services Growth

At the booth, Mole Street will share findings from The State of Financial Services Growth, a 2026 report co-authored by Mole Street and HubSpot based on a survey of 270 U.S. financial services leaders. The report found that retention and acquisition are running neck and neck as top priorities, with 41 percent of leaders focused on retaining and expanding existing relationships and 40 percent on acquiring new clients and members. Leaders named personalized recommendations and communications as the hardest client expectation to meet, yet 78 percent said organizational silos, disconnected systems and incomplete client data limit their ability to deliver a modern client experience. Compliance is no longer the dominant obstacle to growth. Instead, leaders pointed to difficulty proving ROI on marketing technology and fragmented or poor quality data as their biggest barriers, and advanced AI adopters were 68 percent more likely to report significant improvement in client retention over the past year.

The full report is available at agency.molestreet.com/2026-state-of-financial-services-report.

Next stop: Money20/20 USA with HubSpot

For financial services leaders who cannot make it to Chicago, Mole Street and HubSpot will host a breakfast session at Money20/20 USA on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at The Venetian in Las Vegas, where the two companies will present findings from The State of Financial Services Growth.

Siloed to Connected: The FinServ Growth Model

Growth stalls when data, teams, and tools don't work together. HubSpot and Mole Street unpack findings from hundreds of FinServ leaders on how compliant CRM and agentic AI turn fragmented systems into measurable growth across retention, acquisition, and service.

Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Event details

- What: Digital Marketing for Financial Services Midwest Summit (DMFS Midwest), 8th annual

- When: Tuesday, September 22 to Wednesday, September 23, 2026

- Where: Hilton Chicago, Chicago, IL

- Find Mole Street: Booth 5 (Brendan Walsh and Tony King)

- Learn more: financialdigitalmarketingmidwest.com

About Mole Street

Mole Street is an Elite HubSpot Solutions Partner and technology consultancy serving mid-market and enterprise financial services organizations. The firm helps banks, credit unions, wealth management and accounting firms implement HubSpot, migrate from legacy platforms and connect their data, so platform investments turn into measurable business outcomes. Learn more at molestreet.com.

Media Contact

Javi Cano

Mole Street

[email protected]

SOURCE Mole Street

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Longtime higher education technology leader recognized for more than five decades of innovation supporting transfer, degree completion and student mobility

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- CollegeSource, the leading transfer and degree planning provider, today announced that CEO Kerry Cooper was named a Best Global EdTech Leader Finalist in the 2026 Tech Edvocate Awards. The recognition honors Cooper's more than five decades of leadership in higher education technology and her continued commitment to using innovation to make it easier for students to achieve their educational goals.

Cooper joined CollegeSource in 1973 and became CEO in 2005, helping guide the company through successive generations of technological change—from printed college catalogs to cloud-based platforms and today's AI-enabled technologies. Throughout that evolution, she has kept CollegeSource focused on solving persistent challenges for colleges and universities, particularly around transfer credit, degree planning and the administrative barriers that can slow students' progress.

"Higher education and technology have changed dramatically over the course of my career, but the goal has remained remarkably consistent: give institutions and students better information so they can make better decisions," said Cooper. "I'm honored to be recognized as a finalist, but this is also a reflection of the CollegeSource team and the higher education professionals we have had the privilege of working with for decades."

Under Cooper's leadership, CollegeSource has continued to expand its flagship TES®, Transferology® and uAcheive® solutions as students increasingly earn credit through a mix of traditional institutions, dual enrollment, military service, workforce training and online learning. Most recently, the company launched the CollegeSource Data Partner Program, which gives colleges and universities streamlined access to course information from organizations offering alternative learning opportunities.

Cooper champions a measured approach to emerging technologies, including AI and automation, viewing them as tools to reduce administrative burdens and help advisors, registrars and faculty spend more time supporting students. Her leadership philosophy extends to CollegeSource's culture, where she has emphasized investing in employees and building an experienced team committed to serving higher education.

About CollegeSource

CollegeSource provides Transfer and Degree Completion Solutions to help colleges and universities evaluate transfer credit, guide academic planning, and support student progress from enrollment through graduation. Serving more than 2,100 institutions and millions of students, CollegeSource's solutions include TES® for transfer credit management, Transferology® to show how coursework transfers between institutions, uAchieve® platform for degree audit and academic planning and Policy Central, a higher ed policy database. Together, these solutions streamline transfer workflows, clarify academic pathways and better support student success. CollegeSource is a privately held organization headquartered in San Diego, CA. For more information, visit www.collegesource.com.

SOURCE CollegeSource

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After two years in stealth, Phave replaces legacy platforms like Marketo and HubSpot with AI that decides what each person, account and buying group should receive next

BURLINGAME, Calif., Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Phave today came out of stealth as an AI-native marketing automation platform, built to replace Marketo, Pardot, Eloqua and HubSpot. The company was founded by Jon Miller, co-founder of Marketo and Engagio, and Nick Bonfiglio, who ran product and engineering at Marketo. Phave reached general availability in August 2026 and is used by enterprise marketing teams including SambaNova, SPS Commerce, mabl, Servion and Hypha.

Every decision a legacy marketing automation platform makes is a rule somebody wrote in advance: who belongs in a segment, what a lead is worth, which email comes next. Rules cannot handle ambiguity or judgement, so every case has to be spelled out ahead of time. Most mature programs end up running two or three nurture tracks, not because their buyers are simple but because that is what a rules system can handle.

Phave reasons instead. Maestro, the intelligence inside Phave, computes a Playlist for each person: the touches most likely to reach the objective the marketer set, ordered and timed for that individual, following the rules and governance the team keeps in place. Before anything goes out, Maestro weighs everything else queued for that person across every campaign. Campaigns are the albums, made and approved by the marketing team, and the Playlist mixes them into the right order for each listener.

"Rules are good at what is allowed, but bad at deciding what is best," said Jon Miller, co-founder and CEO of Phave. "Consent, frequency and quiet hours should be rules. Choosing which of two good emails a person should get was never a job for a rule. Reasoning models can make that choice now. The legacy platforms stopped innovating years ago, and marketers are ready for something built for how B2B works today."

In Phave, marketers can describe what they want in plain language instead of translating it into configuration, so campaigns, audiences, scoring and automations no longer get stuck behind whoever knows the platform. Phave can be operated through its own interface, through the AI client a team already uses, or headlessly through MCP and a versioned REST API, with permissions and approvals enforced the same way whichever door a request comes through.

Phave also treats accounts and buying groups as records in their own right, each with its own score and lifecycle stage. One account can hold several buying groups at once, at different stages, some prospect and some customer, which is what makes marketing to the committee that expands an account rather than the one that bought it possible.

"With a traditional platform, going after a single account with four global sites and buyers across IT, finance and service operations is practically impossible," said Bruce Eidsvik, Chief Growth Officer, Servion Global Solutions. "You end up narrowing your choices and making exclusions. Phave's playlists work out when and how to reach each person, which is the part we could never guess, and we've more than doubled our marketing execution volume."

Phave scored itself and the legacy platforms against 481 requirements drawn from twelve enterprise evaluations, with each requirement scored and weighted by Claude rather than by Phave. Phave came out at 2.97, against HubSpot's 2.46 and Marketo's 2.38, and matched or beat every platform evaluated on at least 90% of the requirements. The analysis methodology is published at phave.com.

Phave starts at $36,000 a year, priced on the number of people who receive something in a given month rather than on database size. Jon Miller and Scott Brinker of chiefmartec will discuss what marketing automation becomes when it is rebuilt around AI on Tuesday, September 29 at 10:00 AM PT. Registration: https://phave.com/future-of-marketing-automation-29-Sep-2026

About Phave

Phave is AI-native marketing automation, built to replace legacy platforms. Where those platforms run on rules a specialist has to write and maintain, Phave's AI reasons about every person, account and buying group. Marketers describe what they want to happen and Phave works out the rest, computing for each person the sequence of touches most likely to reach the objective, inside the rules the team keeps in place. Phave was founded by Jon Miller, co-founder of Marketo and Engagio, and Nick Bonfiglio, formerly EVP of Global Product at Marketo. It is backed by FirstMark, Ridge Ventures and Costanoa Ventures.

Media contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Phave

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- Expanded, multi-year collaboration applies Variant Bio's AI-powered Inference platform to cardiovascular target discovery

- Variant Bio is eligible for additional upfront, platform access and milestone payments for a total deal value potentially exceeding $250 million

SEATTLE, Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Variant Bio, a genomics-driven AI drug discovery company, today announced an expansion of its multi-year research collaboration and license agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim. Building on the companies' work in kidney disease, the collaboration will apply Variant Bio's Inference platform to discover and validate novel targets for cardiovascular disease. The AI-powered platform conducts end-to-end genomic analysis using proprietary genomic, deep-phenotyping, and multi-omic data from studies involving diverse populations worldwide.

Cardiovascular and kidney disease are closely interconnected and collectively represent one of the world's greatest health challenges. The expanded collaboration combines Variant Bio's platform and data-driven discovery capabilities with Boehringer Ingelheim's long-standing scientific expertise in these disease areas to identify potential new treatments for people living with cardiovascular disease.

"Expanding our collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim into cardiovascular disease is an important milestone for Variant Bio," said Andrew Farnum, CEO of Variant Bio. "Our Inference platform was built to do exactly this, to translate the richness of human genetic diversity into actionable drug targets at a speed and scale that simply wasn't possible before. Our global partnerships give us access to massive datasets other AI platforms don't have, enabling us to discover targets with strong human genetic evidence they simply can't find."

"Our work with Variant Bio has shown the potential of combining human genetics and advanced analytics with deep disease expertise," said Søren Tullin, Global Head of Cardiovascular-Renal-Metabolic Diseases Research at Boehringer Ingelheim. "By expanding our collaboration, we aim to identify genetically supported targets that could open new paths to first-in-class treatments for people living with cardiovascular disease."

At the heart of this collaboration is Variant Bio's Inference platform, which combines large language models, machine learning, and statistical genetics to interrogate hundreds of billions of data points, compressing the journey from genetic association to validated therapeutic hypothesis into a fraction of the time required by conventional approaches.

Under the terms of the expanded agreement, Variant Bio will receive an additional upfront payment and is eligible for potential license and milestone payments totaling over $250 million.

About Variant Bio

Variant Bio is developing life-saving therapies by studying the genes of people with exceptional health-related traits. By identifying communities with unique genetic architectures and outlier phenotypes, Variant Bio has identified novel human genetic evidence that is the basis for programs with breakthrough potential across multiple therapeutic areas. The company's research is powered by its proprietary Inference platform, which integrates across deep phenotyping and multi-omic data using AI/ML and statistical genetics approaches to identify and validate therapeutic targets. With ethics at its core, the company launched an unprecedented benefit-sharing program in 2020, in which it has pledged tangible benefits that directly impact the communities it partners with throughout the world. Follow Variant Bio's news and updates at www.variantbio.com and via its blog, on X/Twitter @VariantBio, on Instagram @variant_bio, and on LinkedIn.

SOURCE Variant Bio

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