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35 Institutions Recognised for Excellence in Education and Innovation in the 2024 Anthology Catalyst Awards

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BOCA RATON, Fla., July 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Anthology, the leading provider of education solutions that support the entire learner lifecycle, today announced the winners of the 2024 Catalyst Awards. The awards honour those driving innovation and excellence within higher education. Winners are recognised across 8 categories and selected by a cross-functional team of Anthology experts and represent the very best in their field.

This year, 35 winners were selected from among 108 nominees from institutions across 19 countries. Honourees will be recognised at the upcoming Anthology Together conference, one of the world’s largest EdTech conferences, taking place July 15-17 in Orlando, Florida.

“The Catalyst Awards celebrate what’s at the heart of higher education and technology – working together to drive student success. It’s inspiring to see the creative programmes and remarkable outcomes,” said Bruce Dahlgren, Chief Executive Officer at Anthology. “I am personally honoured to work with such an incredible community of innovators and educators as we partner together to deliver bold solutions to meet the needs of students and those who support them.”

The 2024 Anthology Catalyst Award winners by category:

Assessment & Institutional Effectiveness: This award recognises institutions that have successfully grown in their assessment practices and influenced positive behavioural changes using Anthology solutions.

Keiser University – Online Division, United States of America: The Online Academic Team – Sherry Olsen, Neha Prakash, and Marcel LarondeOdessa College, United States of America: Institutional Effectiveness Division – Connie MayUniversity of Cincinnati, United States of America: Traci SteehlerUniversity of the District of Columbia, United States of America: The Center for the Advancement of Learning & The Office of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging: This award honours those institutions leveraging technology to foster diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging practices using Anthology solutions to ensure that their services are fully inclusive and supportive of all learners.

Grupo Ser Educacional, Brazil: EaD Management – Janyo Diniz, Joaldo Diniz, Enzo Moreira, Francislene Hasmann, and Sergio MuriloUniversity of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bahrain: Dr. Mazen AliUniversity of Derby, United Kingdom: PLT: Digital Learning and Online Content TeamUniversity of Illinois Chicago, United States of America: Landen Dixon

Institutional Advancement: This award recognises institutions that have made significant changes to enhance the alumni and donor experience using Anthology solutions.

Morehead State University, United States of America: Alumni Relations & Development: Jessi Ferguson, Allie Rayburn, and Sherry SurmontUniversity of Louisville, United States of America: Communications & Marketing – Jessica Watts and Natalie TracyUniversity of Washington, United States of America: University Advancement

Leading Change: This award recognises institutions at the forefront of educational innovation that have used Anthology solutions to implement transformational initiatives that generate change on campus and in their academic ecosystems, with measurable results.

Central Michigan University, United States of America: The Office of Curriculum and Instructional Support – Marnie RoestelGrand Valley State University, United States of America: GVSU eLearning TechnologiesNorthumbria University, University of Southampton, College of DuPage, and WSU Tech, United Kingdom and United States of America. International Ally User Group: Kristen McCartney-Bulmer, Northumbria University; Matthew Deeprose, University of Southampton; Krystal Iseminger, WSU Tech; and Lara Tompkins, College of Du PageImam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Deanship of eLearning and Distance Learning – Dr. Muneerah B. AlmahasheerMapúa Malayan Colleges Laguna, Philippines: Mapúa Laguna 4Cers – Dr. Dodjie S. Maestrecampo, Anthony Hilmer S. Medrano, Maribel G. Songsong, Dr. Ramachandra C. Torres, Christian Dominic V. Kare, and John Mark L. Almarez

Student Experience: This award recognises institutions leveraging technology to develop educational and administrative innovations that positively influence the total learner experience – outside and inside the classroom – and improve operational efficiency.

California Polytechnic State University, United States of America: Division of Student AffairsEdge Hill University, United Kingdom: Learning Design and Student Life TeamsMarshall University, United States of America: Enrollment Management – Dr. Jerry Ross, Dr. Beverly Boggs, and Nathan MillerSam Houston State University, United States of America: Student Involvement – Dr. Meredith Conrey and Emily FigueroaThe University of Memphis, United States of America: Dr. MK Tyler

Student Success: This award recognises institutions whose innovative use of Anthology solutions has led to increased retention, increased completion, or improved outcomes through the implementation of new academic and administrative resources, data analytics solutions, scalable advising and intervention strategies and student support programmes.

Bellevue University, United States of America: College of Engineering, Technology and Management – Dr. Matthew Davis, Rebecca Barnes, and Nathan KraftJenison Innovation Academy (JIA), United States of America: JIA Leadership Team – Cameron Kuiper, Dr. Rebekah Redmer, and Krista OsterbergNorthern Border University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Deanship of E-Learning and Knowledge Resources – Dr. Saud Abdul Mohsen Al-Muqahim, Dr. Sultan Munadi Al-Anazi, and Dr. Ghanim Tawash AlAnaziUniversity of Florida, George Mason University, and University of North Carolina at Charlotte, United States of America:  Shared Metacognition Team: Dr: Larisa Olesova, University of Florida; David Miller, George Mason University; and Dr. Ayesha Sadaf, University of North Carolina Charlotte

Teaching & Learning: This award recognises institutions that have used Anthology solutions in innovative ways to advance learning.

Beacon Red, United Arab Emirates: Knowledge Systems Team – Phil Burgess, Sean McGuinness, Anurag Patel, and Jimmy JosephTechnical and Vocational Training Corporation, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: E-Learning Center – Abdullah Farhan Aljably and Abdullah AldukhayyelThe University of Texas at El Paso, United States of America: The Center for Instructional DesignUniversidad Abierta Interamericana, Argentina: Faculty of Information Technology – Dr. Marcelo Edgardo De Vincenzi Zemborain, Nicolás Battaglia, and Dr. Carlos NeilWestern Kentucky University, United States of America: IDST 100 Course Development Team – Catie Weaver, Alicia Pennington, Ara Sprouse, and Brittney Sholar

Training & Professional Development: This award recognises institutions that display an organisation-wide dedication to innovative training and development programmes for their educators and staff.

William Paterson University, United States of America: The Center for Teaching with Technology – Dr. Jae KimUniversidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas, Peru: Diseño de entornos de aprendizaje DEA – DADO Team – Jessica Vlasica, Milagros Suyo, and Nancy OlmosUniversity of Central Oklahoma, United States of America: Center for eLearning and Connected Environments – Darren DenhamUniversity of Pretoria, South Africa: E-Education GroupWichita State University, United States of America: Office of Instructional Resources

For more information on the 2024 Catalyst Award winners, the full list of nominees, and complete category descriptions, please visit www.anthology.com/catalystawards.   

About Anthology

Anthology offers the largest EdTech ecosystem on a global scale for education, supporting more than 150 million users in 80 countries. With a mission to provide dynamic, data-informed experiences to the global education community through Anthology Intelligent Experiences™, we help learners, leaders and educators achieve their goals by offering over 60 SaaS products and services designed to advance learning. Discover more about how we are fulfilling our mission for education, business and government institutions at www.anthology.com.

Media Contact: Erin Mitchell, Director of Communications, Anthology. Erin.Mitchell@anthology.com

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Shoplazza Launches the World’s First AI-Native Commerce Operating System with a Unified Suite of AI Agents

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TORONTO, April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Shoplazza, a leading global commerce platform, announced the launch of the world’s first AI native commerce operating system recently, along with a unified suite of AI agents designed to execute across the entire ecommerce lifecycle. The release marks a major step forward in the company’s evolution from a traditional software platform to an AI-driven commerce infrastructure built for global scale.

At the core of the system is Shoplazza AI Store Builder, an intelligent agent that fundamentally changes how online stores are created. Instead of configuring tools manually, merchants can now generate fully functional, ready to sell storefronts through simple natural language input. By interpreting product information, target markets, and customer profiles, the system automatically builds site architecture, generates localized content, and provides initial go to market recommendations. What once required weeks of setup can now be completed in minutes, with a complete store and launch ready foundation.

Shoplazza also introduced LazzaStudio, an AI powered visual creation agent that streamlines how merchants produce content at scale. From product imagery to marketing creatives and campaign visuals, LazzaStudio transforms traditionally complex production workflows into a prompt driven process. With built in brand learning capabilities, the system generates consistent, high quality assets tailored for global audiences, enabling merchants to deploy content seamlessly across storefronts and advertising channels while significantly reducing production time and cost.

To complete the growth loop, Shoplazza launched AdValet, an AI advertising agent that automates campaign execution end to end. AdValet translates product data and market signals into audience targeting, creative generation, media planning, and campaign deployment. During live campaigns, it continuously monitors performance and dynamically optimizes outcomes through real time feedback and model iteration. This shifts advertising from manual, experience based trial and error to a system of continuous, AI-driven performance optimization.

These agents operate together within Shoplazza’s AI-native commerce operating system, where merchant intent is translated directly into coordinated execution. By unifying store creation, content production, and marketing into a single system, Shoplazza replaces fragmented workflows with an integrated layer of automation that enables faster, more predictable growth.

Shoplazza currently supports more than 650,000 merchants worldwide. With its AI-native architecture, the platform brings together previously disconnected capabilities into a single intelligent system, delivering improvements in efficiency, scalability, and operational reliability for businesses operating in increasingly complex global markets.

Looking ahead, Shoplazza will introduce Athena very soon, an AI admin agent designed to extend automation into day to day business management. Covering areas such as product management, order processing, analytics, and content operations, Athena allows merchants to interact with the system conversationally while orchestrating multiple agents in the background. This will complete a fully connected agent ecosystem spanning store creation, creative production, marketing execution, and ongoing operations.

“Commerce has reached a point where adding more tools no longer solves the problem,” said Jeff Li, Founder and CEO of Shoplazza. “What merchants need is a system that can understand intent and execute across the entire business. That is what we are building with our AI native commerce operating system. It is not just about making things easier. It is about making outcomes more predictable, scalable, and aligned with how modern commerce actually operates.”

About Shoplazza

Shoplazza is a global AI-native commerce operating system that enables brands to build, launch, and scale their online businesses. Built on an AI agent-native framework, Shoplazza integrates storefronts, marketing, payments, and operational workflows into a unified system designed to support scalable, long-term growth across global markets. Learn more at https://www.shoplazza.com/.

 

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SOURCE Shoplazza

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Pricer and JRTech Solutions sign 51 MUSD digital store transformation deal with Sobeys in Canada

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MONTREAL, April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ – Pricer AB, a global leader in digital shelf-edge solutions, announces that its Canadian partner JRTech Solutions has signed a major agreement with Sobeys, one of Canada’s leading supermarket chains. The contract includes the deployment of Pricer’s latest electronic shelf label (ESL) technology and the cloud-based platform Pricer Plaza across an estimated 300–350 stores.

The agreement covers the supply of multicolor electronic shelf labels and the necessary store infrastructure, with a total hardware and infrastructure value of approximately 51 MUSD (excluding Pricer Plaza). The deployment is scheduled for an 18-month period starting in May 2026.

“We are very grateful for the trust and that Sobeys has once again chosen Pricer as its long-term strategic partner,” says Mats Arnehall, Chief Growth Officer at Pricer. “This deal confirms our leading position in the North American market and the value of our high-performance system in high-density retail environments. Our scalable cloud platform, Pricer Plaza, will be the intelligence behind every label, enabling Sobeys to act faster and work smarter.”

“After years of close collaboration and shared success, we’re proud to grow our partnership with Sobeys even further with an expanded rollout,” says Diego Mazzone, President and CEO of JRTech Solutions. “That momentum is driven by our ability to consistently deliver reliable, high-quality solutions in complex retail environments. Together, we are positioning our digital smart labels at the heart of a broader digital transformation, driving operational excellence, unlocking real-time intelligence, and creating meaningful value for both Sobeys and their customers.”

Orders will be included in Pricer’s order intake as they are received.

About JRTech Solutions
JRTech Solutions Inc. is the leading North American turnkey Electronic Shelf Label (ESL) provider and the largest worldwide distributor of Pricer ESLs, involved in over 2,000 store installations since 2008. JRTech Solutions is the exclusive Canadian provider of AI-powered inventory scanning robotics powered by Brain Corp for automated inventory management.
For further information: www.jrtechsolutions.com

About Pricer
Pricer is a pioneer and partner for in-store communication and digitalization in the rapidly evolving retail tech landscape. As a global technology leader, we empower leading retailers worldwide to shape effortless and inspiring shopping experiences that fundamentally change buying behaviors, boost sales, and drive operational efficiency. Leveraging cutting-edge innovation, we deliver scalable, high-performing solutions that easily integrate with existing systems, are energy-efficient, and user-friendly. Founded in Sweden in 1991 and listed on Nasdaq Stockholm, Pricer has delivered over 380 million electronic shelf labels in more than 28,000 stores across more than 80 countries.
For further information, please visit www.pricer.com

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SOURCE JRTECH SOLUTIONS INC.

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Mitate Zepto Technica Joins JST’s Next-generation Edge AI Semiconductor R&D Program as Social Implementation Partner

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– MZT to Lead Product Commercialization through Its Genome-analysis Accelerator “RASEN” –

TOKYO, April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Mitate Zepto Technica, Inc. (hereinafter “MZT”), based in Tokyo’s Shibuya district, announced on April 20 that it has joined the national research initiative “Next-Generation Edge AI Semiconductor Research and Development Program” promoted by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). MZT participates as a designated social implementation and commercialization partner for the research theme “Accelerating Edge Intelligence for AI for Science” (Principal Investigator: Makoto Taiji, Program Director, TRIP Headquarters, RIKEN).

Logo: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/202604167540-O1-5Sz6I68Q 

This research theme aims to achieve advanced computational infrastructure through the integration of AI technology and next-generation edge semiconductors, with genome analysis as one of its key application domains. MZT participates as an organization responsible for the productization and social implementation of research outcomes through its proprietary genome-analysis accelerator “RASEN.”

Background

Since its founding in 2020, MZT has pursued a distinctive approach to genome analysis: purpose-built ASIC acceleration. Following technology validation through joint research with Tohoku University and other partners, MZT now participates as an R&D institution responsible for social implementation under this research theme.

MZT’s Role in the Program

Within this research theme, MZT will integrate AI research outcomes from RIKEN and Tohoku University into the RASEN architecture, and lead the R&D work toward social implementation through ASIC development and productization. As the industrial partner bridging research and real-world deployment, the company targets social implementation by 2029.

Program Overview

Research theme: Accelerating edge intelligence for AI for science
Promoting agency: Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)
Principal investigator: Makoto Taiji, Program Director, TRIP Headquarters, RIKEN
Participating institutions: RIKEN, Tohoku University, Keio University, Mitate Zepto Technica
MZT’s participation start: April 2026 (FY2026)
JST program period: FY2025 onwards

Comment from Keisuke Harashima, President & CEO, Mitate Zepto Technica:
“It is a tremendous honor that we can lead the social implementation of this research theme through the acceleration of genome analysis via dedicated semiconductors — a challenge we have pursued since MZT’s founding. RASEN is at exactly the right inflection point, transitioning from research to real-world deployment. We will use this participation to accelerate commercialization across healthcare, drug discovery, and research infrastructure.”

About RASEN

RASEN is MZT’s proprietary genome-analysis accelerator under development, built on a purpose-designed ASIC architecture. In internal validation, RASEN has demonstrated the ability to complete whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis in approximately 5 minutes on a standard workstation — without the need for supercomputers or high-performance computing infrastructure. In independent validation studies conducted with Tohoku University, RASEN achieved 99.8% concordance with conventional analysis methods across 12 samples, confirming that its speed advantage does not come at the cost of accuracy.

About Mitate Zepto Technica

Mitate Zepto Technica is a Japanese deep-tech startup developing purpose-built semiconductor solutions for genome analysis. By harnessing cutting-edge chip technology, MZT aims to deliver transformative speed improvements in genomic computation –contributing to the resolution of global challenges in healthcare, food security, and energy through its proprietary products.

Website: https://mitatezeptotechnica.com/en/company/ 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mitate-zepto-technica-joins-jsts-next-generation-edge-ai-semiconductor-rd-program-as-social-implementation-partner-302746768.html

SOURCE Mitate Zepto Technica, Inc.

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