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Travel Providers Can Now Implement Next-Generation AI Experience in Time for Winter Holiday Travel with New Solution from NLX

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NLX Journey™ is the first and only enterprise solution that combines unscripted, AI-powered
conversations with the ability to transact across multiple brands in a unified experience

NEW YORK, July 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — NLX, the AI platform powering advanced conversational experiences for the world’s most admired brands, today announced that its AI enterprise solution, NLX Journey, is now available to travel and hospitality providers like airlines and hotels.

 

“If consumer brands could wave a magic wand and create the ideal AI-powered experience, NLX Journey would be it.”

Unlike any other solution available today, NLX Journey integrates search, customer service, and commerce across multiple brands in one conversational experience. With NLX’s proprietary no-code platform, providers can have it up and running in just a few weeks, tailored to their brand, and manage the application with little to no engineering involvement. While Journey is being introduced as a solution for travel providers, the technology can be used in any industry.

NLX Journey currently leverages Google’s next-generation model, Gemini 1.5 Pro, combined with Ground with Google Search, which expands and enhances Journey’s access to fresh, high-quality information that significantly improves response accuracy. In addition to Google Gemini, the NLX platform works with any large language model or combination of models.

“If consumer brands could wave a magic wand and create the ideal AI-powered experience, NLX Journey would be it,” said Andrei Papancea, CEO and Chief Product Officer of NLX. “Because NLX is designed to plug into any existing enterprise system, companies can offer this experience to their travelers in a matter of weeks with minimal engineering investment on their end, while leveraging best-in-class generative and conversational AI technologies.”

NLX Journey enables complex, open-ended conversations and commercial transactions with multiple brands in a unified natural language experience. For example, a traveler using an airline website or mobile app can ask about a surf trip for a family of four in August. Not only does NLX Journey recommend currently trending surf destinations with flight and hotel options based on natural language, but it also refines and adds to them points of interest, personal preferences, sleeping arrangements, and anything else one might talk about when planning a trip. The traveler can then buy airline tickets, reserve a hotel, book lessons with a local surf instructor, and make dinner reservations nearby, all in a single experience.

“We invested in NLX because we believe their innovative technology represents the next generation of seamless travel experiences,” said Amy Burr, President of JetBlue Ventures. “NLX Journey achieves exactly that by delivering a frictionless experience, facilitating open-ended conversations, enabling multiple transactions, and seamlessly integrating with existing travel infrastructure. This technology has the potential to streamline operations for travel providers while enhancing the experience for customers, ultimately transforming the way we approach travel.”

Today’s AI chatbots can make suggestions and direct travelers to different parts of the provider’s website or app, but they cannot guide travelers through comprehensive travel planning steps or complete transactions. NLX Journey brings all of this functionality together for the end user in the travel provider’s existing mobile app or website.

NLX was inspired by the experience of building a conversational AI platform from the ground up for a global, Fortune 100 financial services company. That process revealed the unmet need in the marketplace, which is the ability for enterprise brands to efficiently build and scale leading-edge conversational AI solutions for any business function. It also informed key NLX differentiators, including no-code implementation and development that allows non-technical teams to create and manage their own conversational applications at-scale. NLX is compatible with any existing tech stack, including first- and third-party AI technologies.

Learn more about NLX Journey

About NLX
NLX is an enterprise AI platform for building and managing chat, voice, and multimodal applications at scale. As human interactions with technology become increasingly conversation-based, NLX makes it practical for organizations to create, deploy, and manage conversational experiences for any industry or use case; working in concert with any large language model and technology stack. NLX enables the world’s biggest brands, including Comcast, Red Bull, and United Airlines, among others, to invest in a future where interactions with technology mirror the natural ebb and flow of people’s day-to-day decision-making.

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PlanetiQ Selected for NOAA’s Space-Based Environmental Monitoring IDIQ

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Selection builds on PlanetiQ’s long-standing relationship with NOAA and adds thermospheric neutral density to its environmental data offerings

GOLDEN, Colo., Sept. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — PlanetiQ, a leading provider of commercial satellite-based environmental data, today announced that it has been selected as an industry partner under NOAA’s new Space-Based Environmental Monitoring (SBEM) Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. Through the SBEM IDIQ, PlanetiQ will be eligible to compete for task orders to provide NOAA with two types of commercial environmental data: Global Navigation Satellite System-Radio Occultation (GNSS-RO) observations for atmospheric profiling and ionospheric monitoring, and thermospheric neutral density data for satellite orbit prediction.

“This selection builds on our long-standing partnership with NOAA and expands the ways our data can support the agency, from high-resolution atmospheric and ionospheric observations to thermospheric neutral density for satellite orbit prediction,” said Ira Scharf, CEO of PlanetiQ.  

The SBEM IDIQ, established by NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) through its Commercial Data Program. The contract has a five-year base period followed by a five-year option and is effective from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2036.

Under SBEM, PlanetiQ will provide data from its existing satellite constellation as well as additional satellites planned for launch later this year. The company’s GNSS-RO observations provide high-resolution atmospheric profiles for numerical weather prediction and measurements of the ionosphere, including Total Electron Content (TEC) and scintillation. PlanetiQ will also introduce thermospheric neutral density data as a new commercial data product for NOAA NESDIS, supporting improved satellite orbit prediction and space-weather applications.

“PlanetiQ has built its business around delivering high-quality GNSS-RO data with the precision needed to improve weather forecasting,” said Ira Scharf, CEO of PlanetiQ. “This selection builds on our long-standing partnership with NOAA and expands the ways our data can support the agency, from high-resolution atmospheric and ionospheric observations to thermospheric neutral density for satellite orbit prediction. We look forward to continuing to work with NOAA to advance weather forecasting and space weather applications.”

Per NOAA’s own press release, NOAA is expanding its procurement and use of new commercial environmental satellite data streams that will enhance weather forecasting and space weather monitoring. The SBEM IDIQ contract is a key part in the agency’s ongoing effort to boost U.S. weather forecasting capabilities.

PlanetiQ currently provides GNSS-RO data to NOAA NESDIS under the agency’s previous commercial data contract vehicle. The company’s most recent task order, announced in August, provides GNSS-RO and ionospheric data and bridges the transition to the new SBEM contract.

About PlanetiQ

PlanetiQ provides the highest-quality GNSS radio occultation (RO) data available from a commercial constellation of satellites, offering unmatched temporal and spatial resolution. The data drive accurate, high-impact weather and climate forecast models, helping improve Numerical Weather Prediction and AI forecasts, safeguard lives and property from severe weather. In 2025, PlanetiQ was awarded NOAA’s largest-ever contract for satellite weather data, valued at $24.3 million. PlanetiQ is a space-tech company that serves the most mission-critical government, defense, and industry leaders, including international weather agencies, enabling more resilient operations across sectors. Founded in 2015 and privately owned, PlanetiQ designs, builds, and operates the preeminent commercial constellation of GNSS-RO satellites, setting the standard for precision and reliability in atmospheric monitoring. For more information, contact info@planetiq.com

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New Bloomberg Tax Projections Give Tax Professionals an Early Start on 2027 Planning

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ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Bloomberg Tax & Accounting released its 2027 Projected U.S. Tax Rates, which indicates a 3.2% increase in inflation from 2026 (compared to the 2.7% increase from 2025). The full report is available at https://aboutbtax.com/bmN8.

Bloomberg Tax’s annual Projected U.S. Tax Rates Report provides early, accurate notice of the potential tax savings that could be realized due to increases in deduction limitations, upward adjustments to tax brackets, and increases to numerous other key thresholds.

In an unprecedented event, the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not report the data from October of 2025. Thus, the C-CPI-U has been computed on an 11-month average.

The report accounts for several new adjustments made under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) that affect tax planning for taxpayers in 2027 and beyond. For corporate taxpayers and passthroughs, they include an adjustment to the employer-provided child care credit, initially enhanced by the OBBBA. It also includes an adjustment to the threshold for information at source reporting requirements, which was initially increased by the OBBBA. For individuals, the report includes varied income tax rates with steeper adjustments for lower brackets.

“Tax professionals are being asked to make consequential planning decisions amid constant policy change and growing complexity,” said Evan Croen, head of Bloomberg Tax & Accounting. “By providing trusted projections before official figures are released and carrying those updates directly into the tools where professionals work, we can help them move from information to action sooner and spend more time applying their expertise to the decisions that matter most.”

The updated rates flow directly into Bloomberg Tax’s innovative software solutions including Bloomberg Tax Provision, Bloomberg Tax Fixed Assets, and Bloomberg Tax Workpapers. This is an example of the power and efficiency of Bloomberg Tax & Accounting’s integrated suite of solutions, which modernizes the corporate tax process, from data collection to tax calculations that power key deliverable.

Other key adjustments, with comparisons of the 2026 amounts and 2027 projections, include:

Individual Income Tax Rate Brackets 

Married Filing Jointly and Surviving Spouses

2026 Tax Rate Bracket Income Ranges

Projected 2027 Tax Rate Bracket Income Ranges

10% – $0 to $24,800

10% – $0 to $25,600

12% – Over $24,800 to $100,800

12% – Over $25,600 to $104,050

22% – Over $100,800 to $211,400

22% – Over $104,050 to $218,250

24% – Over $211,400 to $403,550

24% – Over $218,250 to $416,650

32% – Over $403,550 to $512,450

32% – Over $416,650 to $529,100

35% – Over $512,450 to $768,700

35% – Over $529,100 to $793,650

37% – Over $768,700

37% – Over $793,650

Unmarried Individuals (other than Surviving Spouses and Heads of Households)

2026 Tax Rate Bracket Income Ranges

Projected 2027 Tax Rate Bracket Income Ranges

10% – $0 to $12,400

10% – $0 to $12,800

12% – Over $12,400 to $50,400

12% – Over $12,800 to $52,025

22% – Over $50,400 to $105,700

22% – Over $52,025 to $109,125

24% – Over $105,7000 to $201,775

24% – Over $109,125 to $208,325

32% – Over $201,775 to $256,225

32% – Over $208,325 to $264,550

35% – Over $256,225 to $640,600

35% – Over $264,550 to $661,375

37% – Over $640,6000

37% – Over $661,375

Standard Deduction

Filing Status

2026

Standard Deduction

Projected 2027

Standard Deduction

Married Filing Jointly/Surviving Spouses

$31,500

$33,200

Heads of Household

$23,625

$24,925 ($24,950)

All Other Taxpayers

$15,7500

$16,600

Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT)

Filing Status

2026

AMT Exemption Amount

Projected 2027

AMT Exemption Amount

Married Filing Jointly/Surviving Spouses

$140,200

$144,700

Unmarried Individuals

(other than Surviving Spouses)

$90,100

$93,000

Married Filing Separately

$70,100

$72,350

Estates and Trusts

$31,400

$32,500

About Bloomberg Tax

Bloomberg Tax delivers a comprehensive suite of solutions designed to help tax and accounting professionals navigate a complex global landscape. By combining practitioner-driven insights with intelligent, AI-powered tools, we provide the expertise you need to ensure compliance, streamline workflows, and drive strategic decision-making. Our integrated solutions simplify intricate calculations and adapt to changing regulations in real time, empowering your organization to mitigate risk, optimize tax strategies, and achieve measurable results with confidence and precision.

Bloomberg Tax is part of Bloomberg Industry Group, an affiliate of Bloomberg L.P., a global leader in business and financial information, data, news, and insights.

For more information, visit bloombergtax.com.

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SOURCE Bloomberg Tax

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o15 Capital Partners Announces Realization of $31 Million Senior Secured Credit Facility to Simplify Compliance

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ATLANTA, Sept. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — o15 Capital Partners (“o15”), through its Emerging America Credit Opportunities (“EACO”) fund and its affiliates, is pleased to announce the successful exit of a $31 million senior secured credit facility provided to Simplify Compliance Holdings, LLC (“Simplify” or the “Company”), a diversified provider of B2B training, events, and subscription information backed by Leeds Equity Partners (“Leeds Equity”). Repayment followed the sale of the Company’s datacenterHawk business unit to S&P Global.

The successful realization reinforces o15’s continued conviction in the lower middle market, where disciplined underwriting, sector expertise, and close sponsor partnerships can drive strong investment outcomes. The facility provided flexible capital to support the Company’s strategic objectives and Leeds Equity’s ongoing value creation initiatives.

“Leeds Equity was an excellent partner throughout this investment, and the outcome speaks to their track record building durable businesses,” said Kenneth Saffold, co-CEO and Managing Partner at o15. “We were glad to underwrite behind the strength of Simplify’s digital-first product suite across compliance, workforce training, and data and information assets.”

“o15 was a thoughtful and responsive partner throughout this investment. Their speed and ability to tailor a solution to the Company’s needs were meaningful factors in our financing relationship,” said Chris Mairs, Managing Director at Leeds Equity.

The exit underscores o15’s differentiated investment approach, combining thoughtful structuring, sector expertise, and a focus on measurable impact. Business services and information platforms remain a core area of focus for o15, given the critical role these businesses play across the lower middle market.

About o15 Capital Partners

Based in Atlanta, o15 Capital Partners is an alternatives investment firm that provides growth capital to undercapitalized lower middle market businesses and communities in the Healthcare, Education and Business Services industries.

To learn more about o15 Capital Partners or discuss a new investment opportunity, please visit and follow us on LinkedIn, or reach out to a member of our investment team.

Disclaimer: The information herein should not be construed as investment advice or a recommendation of any security, investment, or investment strategy. References to this investment are for illustrative purposes only, are not representative of all investments made by o15, and should not be construed as a recommendation of any particular investment or investment strategy. Other investments made by o15 have had, and future investments may have different characteristics and results.

media@o15.com

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