Day: September 13, 2021

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Intraratio Corporation Partners With X2 | Equity to Advance Further Growth

Funding Provided by X2 | Equity to Fuel Expansion of Intraratio’s Smart Manufacturing Software Platform in Core and New Markets

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Intraratio Corp, a global provider of cloud hybrid smart manufacturing software solutions for semiconductor and electronics manufacturing, today announced it has successfully completed an equity financing round to advance its operating and strategic growth plan. The funding is provided by X2 I Equity, a leading investor in growth-stage industrial high-tech companies headquartered in Munich (Germany) with offices in the United States and China.

Intraratio serves leading companies in the high-performance computing, automotive Tier-1 electronics, medical device, and EMS industry, offering an innovative and self-managing MES (Manufacturing Execution System) and Yield-Management Software Platform that reduces the cost and complexity of introducing IoT into advanced manufacturing environments. Capabilities include serialized unit traceability, machine data automation, real-time inventory tracking, and automated supplier data integration in real-time.

Funding will be used to advance Intraratio’s software engineering capabilities, core software platform and to expand into adjacent manufacturing segments. The company will expand sales and customer service functions to support existing and new customer growth within North America, Europe and key Asian manufacturing regions.

X2 I Equity will be represented by CEO and Founder Marc Sperschneider, who will also be joining the Intraratio board.

Ryan Gamble, Founder & CEO of Intraratio says: “Having the partnership and financial backing of an investor that truly understands the value of digital transformation, automation and AI in the global electronics manufacturing market today, is an empowering and exciting inflection point for Intraratio. Their commitment and expertise will enable us to provide greater value, services and capabilities to our customers, and accelerate our global market capture.”

“Advanced MES and yield-management solutions are a foundational building block of smart manufacturing and digital strategies for today’s manufacturers. Intraratio has quickly developed a strong position in the NAFTA smart manufacturing software market,” said Sameer Patel, Managing Director, X2 Equity North America. “Their customer growth over the last few years, combined with increasing deployments of their integrated RunCard and Datacard software platform in highly-regulated and complex semiconductor back-end and electronics manufacturing operations is impressive. We see them strengthening their position through access to the X2 platform and network and view them as a highly complementary addition to our IIoT software portfolio. All of us at X2 | Equity looks forward to playing a role in their future growth.”

About Intraratio

Intraratio, founded by Ryan Gamble, is a leading innovator in the MES/IIoT software market. The Company offers an integrated software suite that enables its customers to digitize manufacturing operations through automation of data interchange, inventory management and control of processes across local and global supply chains, delivering a truly scalable Industry 4.0 software platform for advanced and complex manufacturing environments from prototyping and small series (NPI) to mass-production.

Intraratio’s software suite reduces the cost and complexity of introducing IoT strategies into advanced industrial manufacturing, removing the need for lengthy installation, significant services, IT resources and software customization spend so that organizations realize time to value and ROI instantly.

Deployments include the USA, Mexico, China, and the Philippines, serving semi-backend and PCB/SMT assembly for high-performance computing, automotive Tier-1 electronics, photonics, medical device, and EMS industries.

For more information, please visit: http://www.intraratio.com

About X2 I Equity 

X2 I Equity is an independent investment holding focused on the funding and scaling of high-tech companies active in technology machinery systems, advanced components, industrial software (IoT/AI), and smart industrial services. Our companies include system hardware, sensor and software businesses with technology and new product innovations for application in industrial value chains (“Industrial Tech”). X2 | Equity has offices in Munich (Germany), Phoenix AZ (US) and Suzhou (China).

For more information, please visit: https://www.x2-equity.com

Contact:

Galina Rogers-Rodriguez

Marketing Director

media@intraratio.com

(858) 324-1051

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Zoom Announces Planned Innovations to Ignite the Next Era of Communications

Zoomtopia 2021 Highlights Customers Using Zoom Innovations to Embrace Change, Enable Hybrid Workforces, and Grow Their Businesses

SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, Zoom Video Communications, Inc. kicked off Zoomtopia 2021, unveiling plans for innovations across its platform designed for today’s dynamic working environments, and to ignite a new era of connection and collaboration. Zoom is transforming the trajectory of business and personal communications by advancing the way we connect, share ideas, and get more done together – regardless of location. Zoom is developing new products, features, and partnerships designed to empower and engage the modern workforce with connected workstreams.

“Innovation remains at the forefront of Zoom’s annual Zoomtopia conference,” said Daniel Newman, Principal Analyst at Futurum Research. “I am particularly impressed with how Zoom’s plans for new solutions, like Zoom Video Engagement Center and Zoom Whiteboard, could continue to broaden Zoom’s impact on different facets of our work and lives, while enabling customers to create and grow businesses entirely on its platform.”

“In the last decade, we have been honored to become the ‘go-to’ video communications platform, but there has never been a more dynamic period in the company’s history than these last 18 months,” said Eric S. Yuan, Founder and CEO at Zoom. “We have released hundreds of new features, enhancements, and capabilities this past year alone and we have exciting new features in our development pipeline. With the ability to visually brainstorm on a virtual whiteboard and collaborate with colleagues similar to an in-person experience, or the endless opportunities of live transcription and translation services powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) – previously considered ‘futuristic’ technologies are on the verge of becoming a reality and could reshape the way we work.”

Empowering and Engaging Communities
Zoom’s recent study on the role of video communications in daily life examined people’s preferences for how they envision using this technology in a future world. Globally, the majority of respondents agree that everything will have a virtual element – including celebrations and events.

  • Zoom Events Conference is a new event type that Zoom plans to make available this fall on Zoom Events, which will allow hosts to organize multi-track and multi-day events in a sophisticated format, with rich functionality, including, event lobby, chat, networking, sponsors, surveys, recordings, analytics, and more. Zoom Events Conference will offer hosts and attendees a customizable experience with the ability to provide an engaging and connected virtual event experience.

Enabling the Modern Workforce
Zoom is working to arm customers with innovative technology solutions designed to create new opportunities for business growth. Future potential projects include:

  • Zoom Video Engagement Center (VEC): Connect your experts with your customers on video to create engaging experiences where they can build rapport and trust, and share expertise in a structured and immersive virtual environment. With industry-specific solutions, Zoom VEC will offer the same cloud-first scalability and trusted video architecture customers have come to expect from Zoom.
  • Zoom Whiteboard: Today’s hybrid, remote and colocated workforce relies on collaboration tools to be efficient and productive, and the goal for Zoom Whiteboard is to set a new standard for working smarter, together. We envision that Zoom Whiteboard will act as a digital canvas, enabling seamless, real-time and asynchronous collaboration, with the ability to interact with the whiteboard similar to an in-person experience, creating more visually engaging and efficient meeting experiences.
  • Zoom & Oculus Team Up: Zoom will be teaming up with Horizon Workrooms to bring the physical and virtual world together using Zoom. The goal is to allow users to access their Zoom Whiteboard and Zoom Meetings within the virtual Workrooms environment when this ships next year. With this collaboration, we aim to let people immerse themselves into the Zoom Whiteboard no matter what device they join from, all while in a Zoom meeting.
  • Live Translation and Transcription: Zoom meetings will become even more inclusive with the addition of real time, automated translation, as well as expansion of its existing live transcription, with support for multiple languages coming later next year. Zoom connects users across borders and continents, and these live transcription and translation features will create endless opportunities by bridging the communications gap across language barriers as well.
  • Zoom Rooms Smart Gallery: Zoom is committed to enabling the modern workforce. To foster a more inclusive hybrid, remote and colocated work experience, we plan to expand use cases of Zoom Rooms Smart Gallery for meeting spaces of all sizes by creating individual video feeds of in-room participants, so they’re viewed clearly and equally by remote employees.
  • Hot Desking: Zoom’s envisioned hot desking solution, available later this year, will allow employees to reserve desks and spaces in their offices using an interactive map and enable easy authentication to bring your personal Zoom experience to any Zoom Rooms or Zoom Phone appliance.
  • Platform Security: Security and privacy are cornerstones of the Zoom platform. To empower customers to provision and manage their own encryption keys, Zoom is developing a Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) offering, with an initial beta planned for later this year. Additionally, Zoom plans to extend End-to-end encryption (E2EE) to Zoom Phone, potentially enabling users to upgrade to E2EE during one-on-one phone calls that occur via the Zoom client in the coming year.

Connecting Workstreams
Zoom is virtually replicating the various ways we interact in real life, and beyond. Zoom Meetings, Chat, Webinars and Phone all work together as one unified communications solution, with the ability to navigate between them.

  • Zoom Apps are built to optimize meeting workflows. Later this year, we plan to make integration of Zoom Apps available throughout the platform, including Zoom Apps for Webinars, Zoom Apps for Mobile, and immersive apps, which will enable even more immersive and collaborative app experiences.
  • Zoom Chat Huddle View will potentially provide a visual layout of channels to give teams a sense of connectedness while working virtually. Channel members will potentially be able to choose a unique virtual background of their choice, chat, easily see who is in the channel, and quickly identify if they are busy or available, bringing teams together in a whole new way.
  • Zoom Phone Video Voicemails is planned to provide a more personable alternative to standard voicemails with the ability to leave video messages for colleagues, right into their voicemail inbox.
  • Zoom Continuous Collaboration could make it easier to collaborate across tools with tighter integrations across the Zoom platform and third parties. With these planned enhancements, users would benefit from the ability to share files, recordings and chats from Zoom Meetings to Zoom Chat for easy reference and collaboration on documents and integration with file sharing solutions – all without having to leave the Zoom client.
  • Zoom Widget is planned to provide a view at-a-glance schedule, that could enable users to see who is already in the meeting, and notify the host using Zoom Chat if they are running late. For people in back-to-back meetings, Zoom Widget will help them manage time, expectations, and keep their teammates in the know.

These planned innovations will help to create a more efficient, collaborative, and engaging user experience, while also simplifying processes by connecting and organizing workstreams.

Social Impact and Zoomtopia Awards

  • Zoom Cares, Zoom’s social impact arm, announced $2 million of new funding to a collection of eight global nonprofits supporting mental health among native, LGBTQ, and young people of color who have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and systemic racism. Zoom organized a team of seven global experts as part of its participatory grantmaking process to collaboratively decide on the nonprofits and distribution of donations.
  • Zoom is honoring select customers who made tremendous efforts to combat COVID-19 with the Zoom Delivering Hope Awards. By activating their networks, leveraging their resources, and sharing their expertise, these organizations had a massive impact on the global collective effort against the coronavirus.
  • Every year at Zoomtopia, the company highlights the creative and unique ways its customers are using Zoom with the Zoomtopia Innovation Awards. The contest recognizes the Zoom customers that most embody innovation, inspiration, and creativity in using Zoom solutions.

Zoomtopia, powered by Zoom Events Conference, features over 75 educational sessions, over 100 thought-provoking speakers, business leaders and celebrity appearances, and opportunities to network, collaborate, and learn, visit Zoomtopia.com to register and attend. The statements contained here are for informational purposes only. Any services, products or functionality referenced that are not currently available are subject to change at Zoom’s sole discretion and may not be delivered as planned or at all. Customers who purchase from Zoom should make their purchase decisions based upon currently available pricing, features and functions.

About Zoom
Zoom is for you. We help you express ideas, connect to others, and build toward a future limited only by your imagination. Our frictionless communications platform is the only one that started with video as its foundation, and we have set the standard for innovation ever since. That is why we are an intuitive, scalable, and secure choice for individuals, small businesses, and large enterprises alike. Founded in 2011, Zoom is publicly traded (NASDAQ:ZM) and headquartered in San Jose, California. Visit zoom.com and follow @zoom.

Zoom Public Relations
Farshad Hashmatulla
Product PR Manager
press@zoom.us

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Fluent Enhances National Australia Bank’s Global FX Capabilities

Fluent Trade Technologies’ award-winning technology is powering National Australia Bank’s global FX activity

Featured Image for Fluent Trade Technologies

NEW YORK, Sept. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Fluent Trade Technologies’ award-winning technology is powering National Australia Bank’s global FX activity, strengthening and broadening its end-to-end global trading capabilities to deliver a market-leading, ultra-low latency, multi-asset trading platform to its customers, worldwide.

David Faulkner, Managing Director, Fluent Trade Technologies said, “Data drives every decision within the e-trading environment and we’re delighted to provide NAB with the technology to better support its eFX trading business.

“NAB and Fluent are aligned in the belief that high performance, ultra-low latency technology empowers smarter decisions in respect of price discovery, creation and distribution.

“Fluent’s clients can realise this across the value chain, achieving a dramatic impact on certainty of trading execution, acceptance rates, volumes, profitability and client satisfaction.”

Mark McCall, Head of Electronic Trading, NAB Markets said the project with Fluent had enabled the bank to extend its market access, improve response times and increase fill ratios significantly.

“We’re committed to providing our customers with quality electronic FX services to facilitate the management of their financial exposures, while also enhancing our position as a leading liquidity provider in our core currency pairs.

“Fluent has enabled NAB to price clients more accurately, while also allowing us to price a wider range of clients, to connect to more venues and to extend our range of trading services.”

Contact David Faulkner, info@fluenttech.net | +44 (0) 7770 54 10 54 Fluent Trade Technologies

About Fluent: Fluent Trade Technologies’ e-Trading platform is the fastest multi-asset platform available in today’s financial markets. Through this platform, Fluent delivers unrivaled market connectivity to over 120 data and liquidity sources via its ultra-low latency API; superior aggregation, pricing, and matching engines; flow management tools and the most advanced pre-trade trading and credit risk management solution. Fluent’s single framework solution design empowers faster, smarter and more accurate decision-making – ensuring greater end-to-end trading efficiency for FX, Futures and Fixed Income market participants. Its SaaS/on-premises software solution has a presence in all major data centres.

About NAB: National Australia Bank (NAB) is a financial services institution. We’re here to serve customers well and help our communities prosper. Today, we have more than 31,000 people serving eight million customers at more than 900 locations. As Australia’s largest business bank, our business experts work with small, medium and large businesses to help them grow.

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Starline Expands Busbar Offering With New XCP High Power Busbars

New Busbars Provide Mission-Critical Facilities Exceptional Flexibility, Performance, and Safety For The Most Demanding Critical Power Applications

XCP High Power Busbar

Starline offers complete High Performance (XCP-HP) and Standard Performance (XCP-S) solutions that are specifically designed to meet ever-changing power requirements.

READING, United Kingdom, Sept. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Starline, a Legrand company and world leader in the development of customizable power distribution systems, today unveiled the XCP High Power Busbar, designed for data centre grey space. The new offering is ideal for installations that require 630-6300 amps for continuous duty at 1000V and ambient operating temperature up to 55 degrees—all while being deployed within extremely compact dimensions. Complementing the operational features, the XCP High Power Busbar’s proprietary software guarantees fast and accurate layout/REVIT development.

Starline offers complete High Performance (XCP-HP) and Standard Performance (XCP-S) solutions that are specifically designed to meet ever-changing power requirements with industry-leading flexibility, performance, and safety. More specifically, the new XCP High Power Busbar offers:

  • Flexibility – Extra-compact, efficient, and easy-to-install with features and accessories that help simplify the planning and design of mission-critical infrastructures. With copper or aluminum conductors, a full range of components and power connections, as well as tap-offs up to 1250 amps—the XCP product line can be configured and customized for any project design, including multi-floor distribution.
  • Performance – A unique design using high-end materials that enables industry-leading ambient temperature ratings, low electrical losses, and negligible electromagnetic emissions resulting in world-class reliability and cost savings.
  • Safety – Certified and manufactured in accordance with IEC 61439-1 & 6 and contains features such as fire and seismic resistance, high short-circuit ratings, excellent ingress protection, and superior insulation technology to help ensure the operations team safety.

The pace of data centre construction continues to quicken as end-users grow impatient for new compute, storage, and processing. Frost & Sullivan forecasts $432.14 billion will be invested in the data centre market by 2025, up from $244.74 billion in 2019. In addition, there will be increased investments by data centre operators, and strong growth in emerging economies will serve as key market drivers. The Asia-Pacific region will become the largest market by 2025, followed by North America and EMEA. This high growth rate underscores the need to pre-design as much of the facility as possible to ensure construction deadlines are met and the XCP High Power Busbar is an ideal solution.

“Data centres are being designed and built as quickly as possible today and with Starline’s PSSL busbar layout software having the ability to work with BIM models and AutoCAD, it is easy to pre-design busbar runs in order to meet aggressive on-site project schedules,” said John Berenbrok, Senior Product Manager for Data Centers, Starline.

The XCP High Power Busbar is currently shipping. For more information please contact emea@starlinepower.com or visit starlinepower.com/highpowerbusbar.

About Starline
Starline, a brand of Legrand, is a world leader in the development of customizable power distribution systems. Industry innovators for more than 95 years, the company’s premium, flexible products are designed to fit the electrical power needs of any business in any industry. One of the only companies dedicated exclusively to flexible power distribution products, Starline’s products have revolutionized electrical power distribution in data centers, industrial manufacturing facilities, retail chains, and grocery stores worldwide. For more information, visit starlinepower.com, LinkedIn, or Twitter.

About Legrand and Legrand, North and Central America
Legrand is the global specialist in electrical and digital building infrastructures. Its comprehensive offering of solutions for commercial, industrial and residential markets makes it a benchmark for customers worldwide. The Group harnesses technological and societal trends with lasting impacts on buildings with the purpose of improving life by transforming the spaces where people live, work and meet with electrical, digital infrastructures and connected solutions that are simple, innovative and sustainable. Drawing on an approach that involves all teams and stakeholders, Legrand is pursuing its strategy of profitable and sustainable growth driven by acquisitions and innovation, with a steady flow of new offerings—including Eliot* connected products with enhanced value in use. Legrand reported sales of €6.1 billion in 2020. Legrand has a strong presence in North and Central America, with a portfolio of well-known market brands and product lines. The company is listed on Euronext Paris and is notably a component stock of the CAC 40 and CAC 40 ESG indexes. (code ISIN FR0010307819).
https://www.legrandgroup.com

For more information, contact:
Betsey Rogers
Public Relations
BridgeView Marketing
603-821-0809
betsey@bridgeviewmarketing.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ffb71360-59c8-4900-843e-4e7d93bd9c33

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TrueCommerce Acquires DiCentral

Acquisition creates the most feature-rich, global, cloud-based, multienterprise supply chain network

PITTSBURGH, Sept. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — TrueCommerce, a leading global cloud provider of supply chain and trading partner connectivity, integration, and omnichannel solutions, announced today that it has acquired DiCentral, a leading global B2B and API solutions provider. This acquisition enables TrueCommerce to fuel the growth of its leading global network, deepen its solutions portfolio, and expand its global geographic footprint.

This acquisition further cements TrueCommerce’s position as a leader in the digital supply chain collaboration and connectivity space. By leveraging the combined company’s expertise in automation, digitalization, and integration, TrueCommerce is uniquely positioned to transform the way its customers do business, with value-added solutions designed to tackle complex supply chain and eCommerce challenges, streamline operations, and increase profitability.

Known for simplifying complex API and EDI business challenges, DiCentral adds 30,000 connections to TrueCommerce’s Global Commerce Network, plus nearly 5,000 customers from a diverse base. The combined TrueCommerce network now expands to 160,000 connections and nearly 18,000 customers. Combining the strengths of both companies creates an unmatched network and innovative solution offering that empowers customers to digitize, expand, and grow their businesses like never before.

“Together, we offer intuitive integrated solutions and connectivity that solve the challenges our customers face in growing their business across an increasingly digitized, global, and complex supply chain,” said John Fay, CEO of TrueCommerce.

The acquisition fuels TrueCommerce’s vision for global growth with expanded services and integrations, including:

  • Expanded cloud-based global supply chain network
  • Increased API connectivity to key 3rd party solutions
  • An enhanced set of integrated SaaS applications and tools
  • Powerful iPaaS capabilities
  • A more extensive supply chain visibility solution
  • Extended geographic footprint
  • A more comprehensive retail drop ship program
  • Tighter integration with cloud-based SMB & enterprise-level ERPs
  • Accelerated deployment and ROI for customers

“I am thrilled to be joining the TrueCommerce leadership team and working alongside John Fay and Todd Johnson to seamlessly bring the two companies together,” said Thuy Mai, CEO of DiCentral. “We see this as a win-win for both TrueCommerce and DiCentral customers. The resulting increase in global network connectivity, commerce solutions, applications, and tools provides an unmatched offering for customers looking to grow their businesses.”

Mr. Mai will become a member of the TrueCommerce executive leadership team, serving as Co-Chief Strategy Officer of TrueCommerce. Todd Johnson will serve as the new CEO of DiCentral in addition to his current role as President and COO of TrueCommerce. John Fay will continue to serve as CEO of the combined company.

“DiCentral’s offerings strengthen our multienterprise commerce network, which already empowers businesses of all sizes to grow both domestically and internationally,” said Todd Johnson, CEO of DiCentral and President and COO of TrueCommerce. “I’m looking forward to working with the DiCentral team and continuing to provide best-in-class solutions and services to our customers.”

Ryan Harper, General Partner at Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe (WCAS), a leading technology-focused private equity firm that recently acquired TrueCommerce, remarked, “We are confident that TrueCommerce is on track to becoming the global leader in supply chain collaboration, connectivity and omnichannel solutions. We continue to support the strategy of combining organic growth with focused, strategic acquisitions that expand the depth and breadth of new and existing segments, geographies, and capability areas.”

WCAS acquired TrueCommerce in November 2020 from Accel-KKR (AKKR). AKKR remains a minority shareholder of TrueCommerce. DiCentral was advised by DC Advisory.

About TrueCommerce
TrueCommerce is the most complete way to connect your business across the supply chain, integrating everything from EDI, to inventory management, to fulfillment, to digital storefronts and marketplaces. We’ve revolutionized supply chain visibility and collaboration by helping organizations make the most of their omnichannel initiatives via business P2P connectivity, order management, collaborative replenishment, intelligent fulfillment, cross-functional analytics, and product information management.

The TrueCommerce Global Commerce Network can connect businesses to over 130,000 retailers, distributors, and logistics service providers. As a fully managed services provider, we also manage new trading partner onboarding, as well as the ongoing management of partner-specific mapping, labeling changes, and communications monitoring. That’s why thousands of companies—ranging from startups to the global Fortune 100, across various industries—rely on us.

TrueCommerce: Do business in every direction
For more information, visit www.truecommerce.com

About DiCentral
Founded in 2000, DiCentral is a leading global provider of business-to-business and application integration solutions, with over two decades of experience solving complex EDI and API challenges. As market conditions continue to fluctuate and technology is deployed to manage process changes, leading organizations rely on DiCentral’s cloud-based integration platform and a global team of specialized experts to integrate and leverage data across multiple cloud and on-premises systems and applications.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, DiCentral has 11 offices worldwide, supporting customers in more than 35 countries. DiCentral utilizes a vast library of integrations with ERPs and other applications to seamlessly exchange transactional data with trading partners worldwide to maximize ROI while maintaining existing data infrastructure. DiCentral’s services and solutions are leveraged by many Fortune 1000 companies, processing over $200 billion in transactions for over 30,000 organizations worldwide. For more information, visit www.dicentral.com.

About Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe
WCAS is a leading U.S. private equity firm focused on two target industries: technology and healthcare. Since its founding in 1979, the firm’s strategy has been to partner with outstanding management teams and build value for its investors through a combination of operational improvements, growth initiatives and strategic acquisitions. The firm has raised and managed funds totaling over $27 billion of committed capital. For more information, please visit www.wcas.com.

About Accel-KKR
Accel-KKR is a technology-focused investment firm with over $10 billion in capital commitments. The firm focuses on software and tech-enabled businesses, well-positioned for topline and bottom-line growth. At the core of Accel-KKR’s investment strategy is a commitment to developing strong partnerships with the management teams of its portfolio companies and a focus on building value alongside management by leveraging the significant resources available through the Accel-KKR network. Accel-KKR focuses on middle-market companies and provides a broad range of capital solutions including buyout capital, minority-growth investments, and credit alternatives. Accel-KKR also invests across a wide range of transaction types including private company recapitalizations, divisional carve-outs and going-private transactions. In 2019 and 2020, Inc. named Accel-KKR to “PE 50 – The Best Private Equity Firms for Entrepreneurs,” its annual list of founder-friendly private equity firms. Accel-KKR is headquartered in Menlo Park with offices in Atlanta and London. Visit www.accel-kkr.com to learn more.

Media Contact

Lisa Aurichio
President, BSYA
(917) 476-8366
Lisa@bsya.com

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Hong Kong District Councilor Expelled After Failing to Take Loyalty Oath

Authorities in Hong Kong have expelled an elected pro-democracy member of the city’s District Council for failing to turn up to pledge allegiance to the government and the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP), while calling into question the oaths of seven other opposition councilors.

Peter Choi, who was elected in Hong Kong Island’s Eastern district, failed to turn up alongside 24 colleagues for a mass oath-taking ceremony on Friday. He was expalled from the council with immediate effect.

Officials also asked seven other councilors — Clarisse Yeung and Leung Pak-kin from Wanchai, Wei Siu-lik, So Yat-hang, Chan Wing-tai and Lai Tsz-yan from Eastern, and Michael Pang from Southern district — for further information after finding their oaths “questionable.”

“As the oath administrator had doubts on the validity of the oaths taken by seven district council members, they were required to provide additional information for the oath administrator to decide the validity of their oaths,” state news agency Xinhua reported.

Yeung and Pang also face charges under a draconian national security law imposed on Hong Kong by the CCP from July 1, 2020. They are among 47 former lawmakers and democracy activists charged with “subversion” for taking part in a democratic primary ahead of planned elections to the Legislative Council (LegCo).

Leung said via social media that he had been given until 5.00 p.m. local time on Monday to respond to the request.

The remaining 17 councilor on Hong Kong Island will be allowed to remain in their seats, after they took their oaths, officials said.

While the pro-democracy camp took control of all but one of the city’s 18 councils in November 2019, more than 260 district councilors have resigned amid an ongoing crackdown on public dissent and mandatory oath-taking since the national security law took effect. 

Macau turnout plummets

Some cited the oath-taking as a reason, amid fears councilors who “failed” their oath-taking would be required to pay back their salaries and expenses.

District Councilors, LegCo members and around 170,000 civil servants in Hong Kong are expected to take oaths of allegiance to the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the People’s Republic of China.

The national security law criminalizes any kind of public statement that could be regarded as inciting ill-feeling against the authorities, both in Hong Kong and Beijing.

The person administering the oath determines whether an oath is valid or not, and there is no right of appeal, according to an oath-taking law that took effect from May 2021.

A vetting body for would-be election candidates has already been set up under the national security law, under the supervision of national security police and former police chief Chris Tang, to screen out people who are only pretending to be patriots, officials have said.

Meanwhile, turnout plummeted in general elections held in the former Portuguese city of Macau after officials disqualified 21 opposition candidates after saying they had proof that “they did not uphold Macau’s Basic Law and were not loyal to Macau.”

Turnout fell by nearly 15 percentage points to just over 42 percent compared with 57 percent in the 2017 general election.

Opposition in jail or overseas

Disqualified opposition candidate and former lawmaker Antonio Ng told RFA: “Our disqualification was completely in line with the sort of logic we saw during the Cultural Revolution [1966-1976].”

“[The reason behind it was] obviously a very well-kept state secret,” Ng added satirically. “Legally, the logic is totally absurd.”

“People are just being classified with various labels, and the treatment they hand out is decided after you have been labeled.”

Macau-based journalist Choi Chi Chio said there was scant public interest in this general election.

“Generally Macau people think this election was pretty meaningless,” Choi told RFA. “The central government isn’t even allowing people to act the part.”

“The same thing is happening in Hong Kong.”

He said there was little chance that anyone with pro-democracy views would get anyway near public office in either city.

“Even if [opposition candidates] did get in, they would look nothing like the traditional kind of democrats … maybe people who never talk about the Tiananmen massacre and never oppose China; there are some so-called centrists in Macau … like that,” Choi said.

Most of Hong Kong’s opposition lawmakers are either in jail or have fled overseas since the national security law crackdown began.

Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.