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CISCO LAUNCHES $1B GLOBAL AI INVESTMENT FUND

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Cisco is launching a $1B global investment fund to expand and develop secure, reliable and trustworthy AI solutionsCisco is making strategic investments with world-class start-ups across software and infrastructure that build upon Cisco’s strategy to connect and protect the AI eraCohere, Mistral AI and Scale AI among the initial GenAI startups joining the Cisco Investments portfolio to help build a broader AI ecosystem

LAS VEGAS, June 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — CISCO LIVE — Cisco Investments, the global corporate venture investment arm of Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO), today launched a $1B AI investment fund to bolster the startup ecosystem and expand the development of secure and reliable AI solutions. As part of the new AI fund, Cisco is making strategic investments in Cohere, Mistral AI and Scale AI among others to advance customers’ AI readiness and complement Cisco’s AI innovation strategy. Cisco has already committed nearly $200M of the $1B investment fund to date.

AI is reshaping every industry and the world at an unprecedented pace, putting greater emphasis on how businesses globally interact and rely on technology. Recent research from IDC (2023) indicates that the global AI market is expected to double in size to over $500 billion in the next three years. Enterprises, including Cisco, have an opportunity to leverage Gen AI to significantly enhance their products and services and better serve their customers and end users.  

“For more than 30 years, Cisco Investments has invested and partnered with hundreds of companies to drive innovation both within Cisco’s core markets and in new strategic areas. Our recent investments in generative AI companies align perfectly with this long-standing strategy,” said Mark Patterson, Chief Strategy Officer, Cisco. “At Cisco, we believe we are well positioned to be the best strategic partner for our customers in the AI era as they look to build, secure, and power AI. In addition to building essential technology to connect, secure and advance AI, Cisco is committed to investing in the broader AI ecosystem to more effectively meet our customers’ needs.”

Over the past several years, Cisco has made over 20 AI-focused acquisitions and investments, furthering GenAI and Machine Learning capabilities and integration of AI across the Cisco portfolio. These strategic investments and partnerships with world-class AI platforms across software and infrastructure build upon Cisco’s holistic strategy to connect and protect the AI era. In addition to these investments, Cisco will also be working with AI companies on product collaborations that allow Cisco to co-innovate, while also being an agnostic provider and platform player in AI, offering options and coverage for Cisco’s global customer base.

The committed investments in the new AI fund include:

Cohere: Headquartered in Toronto and San Francisco, Cohere provides security-focused frontier large language models (LLMs) and industry-leading Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) capabilities tailored to meet the needs of enterprises.Mistral AI: Mistral AI is a global company headquartered in Paris specializing in generative artificial intelligence. The company develops new models of generative artificial intelligence for businesses, combining scientific excellence, an open approach and a responsible vision of technology.Scale AI: Based in the U.S., Scale AI provides a data-centric, end-to-end platform providing training and validation for AI applications. Cisco recently participated in Scale AI’s Series F funding as the round’s largest strategic investor.

“The establishment of our $1 billion AI investment fund is a testament to our commitment to the transformative power of artificial intelligence and its potential to redefine industries globally,” said Derek Idemoto, SVP, Corporate Development and Cisco Investments. “This fund represents our unwavering commitment to AI and innovation, and to the entrepreneurs and visionaries who are defining the next wave of technology.”

Cisco has a rich history of delivering innovation through R&D, Investments, M&A, and strategic partnerships—using a multi-pronged build, buy, partner, invest and co-develop strategy. Today’s announcement builds on the momentum of Cisco’s investments and product innovations in AI, while reinforcing that Cisco is well-positioned to help enterprises harness the power of secure, reliable and trustworthy AI on a global scale.

Additional Resources:

For more information on Cisco Live, please visit The Newsroom

About Cisco 
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide technology leader that securely connects everything to make anything possible. Our purpose is to power an inclusive future for all by helping our customers reimagine their applications, power hybrid work, secure their enterprise, transform their infrastructure, and meet their sustainability goals.

Discover more on The Newsroom and follow us on X (formerly Twitter) at @Cisco.

Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco’s trademarks can be found at http://www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word ‘partner’ does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company.

Forward-Looking Statements: This release may be deemed to contain forward-looking statements, which are subject to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include, among others, statements regarding Cisco’s future strategic investment plans to expand and develop secure and reliable AI solutions. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual future events or results due to a variety of factors, including, among other things, the ability of Cisco to achieve expected benefits of its investments, business and economic conditions and growth trends in its customer markets and various geographic regions, increased competition, global economic conditions and uncertainties in the geopolitical environment and other risk factors set forth in Cisco’s most recent reports on Form 10-K and 10-Q, respectively. Any forward-looking statements in this release are based on limited information currently available to Cisco, which is subject to change, and Cisco will not necessarily update the information.

Media Contact:
Will Stickney
Wstickne@cisco.com
646-573-4532

 

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SOURCE Cisco Systems, Inc.

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Quote.com Announces New Senior Leadership Additions

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., April 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Quote.com, a leading tech-enabled, omnichannel performance marketing organization, today announced the addition of two new executive team members to support the company’s continued growth and strategic expansion. Chase Nichols joins as Chief Marketing Officer and Ben Hochstetler as Senior Vice President of Marketing.

Quote.com announced the addition of two new executive team members, Chase Nichols and Ben Hochstetler.

The appointments strengthen Quote.com’s leadership team as the company continues to invest in execution, growth, and expanding its ability to help consumers access insurance solutions more easily and efficiently. “We are excited to welcome Chase and Ben to the Quote.com leadership team,” said Nick Stommes, Chief Executive Officer at Quote.com. “Both bring deep industry expertise, experienced execution capability, and a strong focus on operational excellence that will help accelerate our growth while improving how consumers access and compare insurance options. Their leadership will play a critical role at Quote.com as we continue scaling our platform and strengthening our partnerships.”

Chase Nichols joins Quote.com as Chief Marketing Officer; Chase is responsible for all performance marketing planning, organization, and execution, and is focused on driving efficient, measurable consumer touchpoints. With nearly two decades of experience in financial services and performance marketing environments, he brings a data-first approach to scaling growth while balancing brand development and direct-response marketing.

Ben Hochstetler joins as Senior Vice President of Marketing, leading digital marketing strategy and execution across Quote.com’s omnichannel performance marketing footprint. He brings more than 15 years of experience building and scaling performance marketing execution in highly competitive and regulated markets.

About Quote.com

Quote.com is a tech-enabled omnichannel performance marketing organization that delivers high-quality, mission-critical demand at scale to industry-leading partners. The company serves customers across multiple insurance verticals, including auto, home, life, and Medicare insurance. Quote.com provides significant value to consumers by providing an independent, third-party comparison-shopping experience.

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SOURCE Quote.com

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Young Voices Across Oceans: Telling China’s Story Fiji Special Showcases GDI Achievements

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SHENZHEN, China, April 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — This year marks the 5th anniversary of the Global Development Initiative (GDI). Shenzhen Media Group’s “Telling China’s Story” program presents a special Fiji season, taking the perspective of young Chinese people to the Pacific island nation of Fiji. It documents the implementation of numerous cooperative projects which are smaller in scale but well-designed, showcasing the heartwarming stories and broad prospects of China and Fiji working together to promote common development and share the fruits of cooperation, vividly illustrating the practical achievements of the GDI.

 

The program will air from April 20th to 22nd, 2026. The first episode features Chinese actor Zhao Xiaotong, food blogger Yang Beichuan, and Wu Dongwei, a doctoral student at China Agricultural University, who visit the China-Fiji Juncao Technology Demonstration Center in Nadi, Fiji, to explore how this “Happiness Juncao” from China has taken root and grown in the South Pacific island nation, benefiting people’s livelihoods.

This “Happiness Juncao” has yielded “win-win results” in Fiji, bringing tangible changes to local families. Internet technology engineer Ashmir not only gained a stable income by learning Juncao (a type of grass cultivation) to grow mushrooms, but also successfully paid off his car loan.

During this filming, a “Mushroom Team” of young Chinese people joined Ashmir in a Fijian market to promote mushroom dishes and introduce locals to various new ways to enjoy mushrooms. The humble mushroom became a bond of friendship across mountains and seas, conveying the warm sentiments of mutual understanding between the Chinese and Fijian people amidst the bustling market atmosphere.

 

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SOURCE Shenzhen Media Group

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Laminar Wins Gold 2026 Edison Award for Physical AI that Powers the Self-Driving Factory

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Top honor recognizes Laminar’s innovation and transformation in the CPG manufacturing industry

BOSTON, April 22, 2026 /CNW/ — Laminar, a physical AI solution helping the world’s leading manufacturers run more productive and sustainable factories, announced that it received a Gold 2026 Edison Award in the Manufacturing & Logistics category. The award recognizes Laminar for enabling food and beverage manufacturers to unlock new levels of productivity and sustainability through innovation – running faster production lines while cutting water, chemicals, and downtime.

“Laminar is leading the way CPG manufacturers implement physical AI on the factory floor with first-of-their-kind self-driving processes,” said Annie Lu, Laminar Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder. “Our patented spectral sensors and complete library of ML models enable a new, transformative approach to closed-loop automation, making the goal of the self-driving factory achievable today. We are honored the Edison Awards recognized our commitment to building a new category of technology and reshaping the future of manufacturing.”

Laminar’s physical AI transforms operations by enabling CPG manufacturers to transition from manual, timer-based operations to self-driving. Deployed across six continents for Coca-Cola, AB InBev, Danone, and Unilever, Laminar delivers measurable sustainability and profitability gains from the same investment. Laminar’s self-driving processes include:

Self-Driving Clean-in-PlaceSelf-Driving Product ChangeoverSelf-Driving Batch OptimizationSelf-Driving Quality ControlAnd more

The Edison Awards, established in 1987 and named in honor of inventor Thomas Edison, celebrates game-changing innovation across industries worldwide. Drawing a global community of innovators across 60+ countries, the Edison Awards elevate solutions that reimagine our future.

Recognition for Laminar’s Innovation

Headquartered at Greentown Labs in Somerville, MA – North America’s leading cleantech incubator – Laminar is a woman-founded startup backed by top-tier investors, including Greycroft, Construct Capital, 2048 Ventures, and Flybridge Capital.

Recognized for its innovation and impact, Laminar received AB InBev’s 2024 Cheers Award for outstanding startup partnership and was named Unilever’s 2023 Supplier Startup of the Year. Laminar’s solution is also deployed in World Economic Forum Lighthouse factories recognized for their leadership in cutting-edge technology.

About Laminar

Laminar’s physical AI helps the world’s leading manufacturers run self-driving factories with more sustainable, efficient operations. Our patented spectral sensors and complete library of ML models transform manual operations into self-driving processes that cut water, chemicals, and downtime in real-time. Deployed in factories across six continents and trusted by global leaders like AB InBev, Coca-Cola, and Unilever, Laminar is building a new category of physical AI that will power the future of process manufacturing. Learn more at runlaminar.com

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SOURCE Laminar

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