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$275,000 Awarded at AI Hackathon to Drive Human Flourishing and Organizational Thriving

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Tech Innovators and Industry Leaders Collaborate on AI Solutions for Human Flourishing and Organizational Thriving

BOULDER, Colo., Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Gloo, the leading technology platform dedicated to connecting the faith ecosystem and releasing its collective might, successfully concluded its second annual AI & the Church Hackathon this past weekend in Boulder, Colorado. The event, designed to accelerate AI-driven solutions that promote human flourishing and organizational thriving for the “big C” Church, awarded the top-performing teams over $275,000 in cash prizes.

The Hackathon drew over 200 people from around the world, who spent the weekend building AI-based technologies to help tackle challenges in the faith community. A panel of judges reviewed submissions, including Gloo CEO Scott Beck, YouVersion CTO James Chung, CEO of France-based HelloBible, Eric Célérier, Scott Mosley, VP of Software for Right Now Media and Yvonne Carlson, CTO of Global Media Outreach.

“The AI & The Church Hackathon highlights the incredible potential of AI by transforming how organizations and communities thrive,” said Steele Billings, managing partner for Gloo Ventures & Gloo AI. “While many in the faith community may hesitate when it comes to adopting emerging technologies, this weekend showcased a bold vision for how AI can be harnessed to create meaningful change. The solutions developed here demonstrate that AI isn’t something to fear — it’s an opportunity to build tools that align with our values and positively impact the world.”

New AI Tools Announced

During the event, Gloo announced a new suite of AI tools starting with AI Data Engine for faith-based publishers and churches along with two new AI platforms currently in beta — Aspen AI and the Christian Aligned Large Language Model (CALLM). The tools are designed as invaluable resources for Christians and church leaders, offering tailored AI solutions to support ministry work and organizational needs.

Prizes ranging from $5,000$100,000 were awarded to projects including:

The Best Overall, Grand Prize Winner: Pastors.AI – Joe Suh, Tyler Weaver, Saeed Hassan, and Akbar Ali created a tool that harnesses AI to quickly translate and lip-sync video-based sermons into multiple languages, allowing churches to reach more people and offer services to additional communities.Best Tech: Servant – Ben Elmore, Nathanael Coffing, Patrick Taylor, Hyzer Taylor, Ian Ludwig, Jake Oswald, Ethan Woo, Joe Nicolette, Patrick Creehan, and Brad Linard from Servant, created InSight, an AI-powered data platform that creates hyper-rich felt-need profiles, helping champions shepherd their community with precision and care.Best Design: LifeGroup.AI – Ryan Laughlin, Eric Laughlin, Keaton Helm, and Noah Liska created a tool to defeat isolation and help users thrive socially; LifeGroup.ai helps you connect with people around you through friendship matching and personalized AI connection coaching for Biblical growth.Best Concept: Generosity – College students Ernesto Rivera and Yanni Kouloumbis created Generosity, a tool to help churches increase donations through initiative visibility, transparency, and donor alignment, using AI to provide insights into congregational needs.Best Storytelling: Team Waha – Josh Muller, Trent Cowden, and Jeff Peterson created TimeStampAudio.com, which generates timing data from any text and its corresponding audio in over 1,100 languages using AI.Challenge Category, First Place: SermonShots – Corey Alderon, Richard Abear, and Marvin Bentinganan created an AI tool for live translation of sermons, providing a simultaneous translation capability for audience members who prefer a different language from the live speaker.Challenge Category, Second Place – The Apologist Project. Jake Carlson, Christine Abernathy, Dylan Starnes, Joshua (Ramakrishna) Dhulipalla, Kari Murphy, Troy Michels, Sara Carlile, Dayna-Marie Pemberton, Garrett Grimmett, and Christopher Russo created a conversational AI that ministers to the Muslim community, in partnership with prominent Muslim-serving ministries and major Christian apologists that specialize in that area.Challenge Category, Third Place – AO Labs. Craig Bradley, Holly Bradley, Sujan Barman, Gabriel Souki, and Mazen Emad created The Church Bible, which is “A City-Wide Bible For Community Connection.”Challenge Category, Fourth Place: Atrium AI – Todd “TJ” Person and Ryan Fontenot created Atrium, an AI-powered platform that automates security and attendance tracking as well as enhancing church security with real-time insights, facial recognition, and proactive alerts for a safer, more engaged community.Challenge Category, Fifth Place: Biblica – Mike Brinker, Robertson Brinker, and Sean Boisen created ScriptureRecall, an app that helps users memorize scripture using AI.Challenge Category, Sixth Place: ACS Technologies – Chris Kehayias, Patrick Abernathy, Jason Wenell, and Trace Jackson created a web-based app designed to provide people who work with kids an easy-to-use tool for generating copyright-free, thematically relevant children’s coloring pages.Hacker’s Choice – Additional prizes were awarded to projects ranging from scripture apps for college student, using AI to aid in suicide prevention to an app designed to rehabilitate sexual addiction.Most Servant-Hearted Attendees – Allen Prell and Joshua PriceBest Shoes – Kari Murphy, Clear Creek Community Church

“This weekend has cast a vision for the future. We believe that God is not surprised by AI, and He wants to use it for His purposes,” said Scott Beck, CEO and co-founder of Gloo. “We couldn’t be more grateful for the creative solutions and community shared across all of the teams this year. Gloo is at its best when we connect the faith community and help release its collective might.”

Leaders from both the tech and faith communities also gathered as part of a working group to explore responsible AI use and to discuss current challenges facing faith leaders. Participants included Yvonne Carlson, CTO of Global Media Outreach, VP of Software and Experience at RightNow Media Scott Mosley; and Nicole Martin, CIO of Christianity Today, among others.

Gloo is the trusted platform that releases the collective might of the faith ecosystem. As a leading technology innovator, Gloo is a tech platform that connects ministry leaders to resources, people, data insights and funding so their people and communities flourish and their organizations thrive. Gloo is based in Boulder, Colorado.

 

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The Cotocon Group Is Helping NYC Building Owners Navigate What Comes After Local Law 97 Filing Season

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Ten days past the May 1 deadline, The Cotocon Group is working with building owners, property managers, and co-op and condo boards across New York City to assess what was filed, identify exposure, and build a compliance strategy that goes beyond the annual report.

NEW YORK, May 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Cotocon Group, New York City’s leading building compliance and sustainability consulting firm, is actively helping property owners across the five boroughs address what happens after Local Law 97 filing season ends. With the May 1 reporting deadline now ten days behind the industry, The Cotocon Group has seen firsthand that the work of compliance is far from over — for many buildings, it is just beginning.

What The Cotocon Group Is Seeing on the Ground

In the days following the May 1 deadline, The Cotocon Group has been conducting post-filing reviews for clients across New York City and identifying a consistent pattern: buildings that filed on time are discovering that what was submitted does not always reflect the full picture. Inaccurate energy data, mismatched benchmarking figures, incorrect emissions factors, and compliance pathways that do not align with a building’s actual emissions profile are among the issues The Cotocon Group’s team is actively working to resolve.

The NYC Department of Buildings has reported that approximately 93% of covered privately owned properties submitted compliance reports, while roughly 1,400 properties did not file and are now facing enforcement action. The DOB is also actively auditing submitted filings. For The Cotocon Group’s clients, that reality drives the firm’s focus: it is not enough to have filed. What was filed must be accurate, defensible, and aligned with each building’s compliance strategy going forward.

“We are in buildings right now reviewing what was submitted and finding issues that owners did not know existed. Wrong emissions factors, wrong benchmarking data and improper ownership that doesn’t match DOB records. Compliance pathways that are not up to date with the latest CBL.”
Jimmy Carchietta, Founder and CEO, The Cotocon Group

How The Cotocon Group Helps Buildings Stay Ahead

The Cotocon Group provides end-to-end compliance support for covered buildings under New York City’s suite of building energy laws. For Local Law 97 specifically, the firm’s work spans the full compliance cycle: from pre-filing data verification and emissions analysis, through BEAM, ESPM and DOB filing support, to post-filing review, audit preparation, and penalty exposure assessment.

At the center of The Cotocon Group’s compliance offering is The Carbon Shield, the firm’s proprietary technology platform. The Carbon Shield gives building owners, property managers, and boards continuous visibility into their emissions profile, compliance status, and penalty exposure — not just during filing season, but throughout the year. Rather than discovering a problem when the next deadline arrives, clients using The Carbon Shield can identify and address issues while there is still time to act.

The Cotocon Group’s Local Law 97 services include:

Post-filing review and data accuracy verificationCompliance pathway analysis and correctionPenalty exposure assessment and financial planning supportBEAM and DOB filing supportDOB audit preparation and documentation reviewYear-round emissions monitoring through The Carbon Shield

“The Carbon Shield was built because we saw that building owners needed more than a filing service. They needed a way to understand their compliance position at any point during the year, not just in May. Local Law 97 is a permanent part of owning a building in New York City. Our job is to make sure our clients are never surprised by it.”
— Jimmy Carchietta, Founder and CEO, The Cotocon Group

Who The Cotocon Group Works With

The Cotocon Group works with a broad range of clients across New York City’s real estate landscape, including individual building owners, large property management companies, co-op and condo boards, commercial landlords, and institutional asset managers. The firm’s team brings deep technical expertise in building systems, energy data, and New York City regulatory requirements — giving clients both the analytical foundation and the practical guidance needed to steer through an increasingly complex compliance environment.

Building owners and managers looking to assess their current Local Law 97 compliance position, review a recent filing, or begin planning for the next reporting cycle are encouraged to contact The Cotocon Group now. The period immediately following a filing deadline is one of the firm’s busiest and most productive — because it is when the most meaningful compliance work can be done.

“We tell every client the same thing: the best time to call us is before the deadline. The second-best time is right now. There is real work to do in this window, and the buildings that do it will be in a financially stronger position when the next reporting cycle begins.”
— Jimmy Carchietta, Founder and CEO, The Cotocon Group

About The Cotocon Group

The Cotocon Group is a New York-based building compliance, energy, and sustainability consulting firm helping property owners, managers, co-op and condo boards, and facility teams comply with New York City’s building energy laws. The company provides support for Local Law 84 benchmarking, Local Law 87 energy audits and retro-commissioning, Local Law 88 lighting and submetering requirements, Local Law 95 energy grade posting, and Local Law 97 emissions compliance.

Through its technical expertise, compliance strategy, and technology platform — The Carbon Shield — The Cotocon Group helps buildings understand their current compliance position, reduce exposure to penalties, and plan for long-term asset protection. To schedule a Local Law 97 status review, contact The Cotocon Group at (212) 889-6566 or visit www.thecotocongroup.com

Media Contact
The Cotocon Group
Email: media@thecotocongroup.com
Phone: (212) 889-6566
Website: www.thecotocongroup.com 

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Global adtech player GumGum expands into France with its innovative Mindset Graph™ technology

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The company aims to expand in France with an offering powered by its proprietary technology, the Mindset Graph. This innovative approach, based on understanding consumer mindset, enables highly effective ad targeting and performance.

SANTA MONICA, Calif., May 11, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — GumGum, founded in California in 2008 and operating in 19 markets worldwide, is opening a new office in Paris. The company aims to expand in France with an offering powered by its proprietary technology, the Mindset Graph. This innovative approach, based on understanding consumer mindset, enables highly effective ad targeting and performance. GumGum already has a strong client base in France, along with an established network of publishers and agency partners.

Founded in 2008 in Santa Monica, GumGum is now considered one of the leading global SSPs. Following its international expansion, the company is strengthening its presence with a dedicated Paris office.

Originally focused on contextual digital advertising, GumGum has gained a competitive edge with the launch of its proprietary “Mindset Graph” technology in 2024. Continuously enhanced by AI, this solution identifies a user’s mindset in real time and determines the optimal moment to deliver an ad across multiple digital channels, including mobile, desktop, and CTV.

“Our mindset is constantly evolving,” said Jeremy Pacome, Commercial Director, Benelux & France at GumGum. “Throughout a single day, we move between different roles and levels of engagement. It’s this continuous shift that the Mindset Graph allows us to capture and understand.”

To achieve this, the platform analyzes millions of signals generated by users’ digital interactions, including, but not limited to, the content they consume, the attention paid to each message, the time of day, and the context of consumption. These signals can be enriched with advertisers’ first-party data, anonymized insights derived from campaigns across more than 10,000 brands, seasonal and cultural trends, and publisher data.

The Mindset Graph: the only solution that ingests, structures, and connects millions of signals in real time to drive impression-level activation

“Most adtech platforms analyze these signals separately,” added Jeremy Pacome. “With the Mindset Graph, we bring them together to reconstruct a complete view of a given moment. This allows us to determine the optimal timing for each ad impression and predict its impact for the advertiser.”

This model has already demonstrated strong performance, with GumGum serving over 3,000 brands, partnering with 40,000 publishers, and delivering more than 500 billion impressions per month.

Backed by leading investors such as Goldman Sachs Growth/Springcoast Capital Partners, Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital, and Upfront Ventures, GumGum has raised more than $130 million since its founding, including a $75 million investment from Goldman Sachs in 2021.

A strong existing footprint in France

GumGum already has a solid presence in France, having delivered campaigns for global brands such as Boucheron, IBM, Adidas, Dell, and Nike. The company also partners with the top 5 global agencies operating in France, and has built a strong network of premium publishers, including Le Monde, La Tribune, Radio France, Le Figaro, and Challenges.

To accelerate its growth, GumGum will focus on three key solutions, all powered by the Mindset Graph:

GumGum Outcomes, which measures the impact of ad exposure on business outcomesAttentive Lift, which measures the correlation between attention and brand performanceCTV, with standard 15- and 30-second video formats activated directly through the platform to simplify campaign delivery and optimization

“We’re entering France with strong ambitions,” stated Jeremy Pacome. “We’re actively expanding our Mindset Graph measurement and optimization capabilities so that every campaign we run doesn’t just perform better individually, but makes our entire system smarter over time. For French advertisers, that means smarter media planning, more effective decisioning, and performance that strengthens over time. We’re excited to get started.”

About GumGum

GumGum is The Mindset Company™ transforming advertising. We deliver results by matching brands with people in the right mindset, in the moments that matter.

Powered by the Mindset Graph™, our AI-driven data engine processes billions of real-time contextual, creative, environmental, and historical signals to match every ad with the most receptive audience. The result is advertising that drives meaningful outcomes for advertisers and publishers, and is more relevant for consumers.

Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Santa Monica. GumGum operates in over 19 markets across North America, Europe, Japan, and Australia.

Media Contact
Kayla Smalls, GumGum, 1 9179994629, kayla.smalls@gumgum.com, GumGum

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Docusign Announces Agentic Contract Workflows for In-House Legal Teams

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Docusign agents triage, review, and move agreements forward across its Intelligent Agreement Management platform, solving business problems in the way point products cannot

SAN FRANCISCO, May 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Docusign (NASDAQ: DOCU) today announced a new set of AI-powered capabilities and strategic partnerships designed to help in-house legal teams drive progress for their companies while enjoying cutting edge AI-based legal tools. With the introduction of a contract assistant and agents, Docusign is expanding its Intelligent Agreement Management (IAM) platform — the only platform with total context of your agreement history and relationships — to serve as the system of action for legal professionals and the teams they support.

Every business runs on agreements, but in many organizations that work is still scattered across emails, PDFs, and disconnected tools. As a result, contract data is locked inside static documents, disconnected from where work happens. Legal teams are forced to manually search for insights inside contracts and painfully coordinate next steps across teams like sales, procurement, HR, and finance.

Docusign IAM brings the entire agreement lifecycle into one platform – from creation and approvals to negotiation, execution, and management – transforming agreements into strategic assets that drive business decisions. With agents grounded in real agreement context, teams can analyze, redline, and take action, whether through a chat experience or automation running in the background.

“Legal teams aren’t just reviewing contracts, they’re helping businesses move forward,” said Allan Thygesen, CEO of Docusign. “What Docusign brings to legal AI is dynamic context across agreements, combined with intelligent workflows, that know how to act on that context. That’s what allows teams to work faster, reduce risk, and focus on more strategic work.”

Docusign Iris assistant and agents for end-to-end agreement workflows
With a new assistant and agents powered by Iris, Docusign’s agreement-tuned AI engine, businesses can now move from insight to execution. The agents can triage, review, and move agreements to closing – using the full context of past negotiations, accepted terms, and company policies to recommend and take the next steps across the workflow. Legal teams will be able to:

Analyze, redline, and collaborate on agreements through an intelligent, context-aware conversational AI experience that grounds answers with citations.Use agents to automate agreement processes by invoking them from chat or deploying them to run autonomously in the background 24/7.Leverage an agentic engine grounded in real agreement context including past negotiations, positions, and company policies.Build and test agents for agreement automation and standardization in a new custom workspace – Agent Studio.Automate end-to-end agreement workflows while maintaining human oversight and control where it’s needed.

Agreements are no longer static records. They actively move work forward across the business. A recent report from Deloitte* found that organizations using agentic workflows with an end-to-end agreement platform are seeing nearly 30% higher ROI than those that do not.

A connected legal AI ecosystem
Docusign is also partnering with legal AI platforms with deep domain expertise, including Harvey, Legora, and CoCounsel Legal by Thomson Reuters. Legal teams rely on specialized tools, but increasingly need those tools to more seamlessly connect with contracting workflows across sales, procurement, HR, and finance. Docusign IAM’s open platform makes this possible, bringing legal work into one connected agreement system – by integrating legal research, document analysis, and contract review into agreement workflows and business processes.

As an open platform, Docusign extends its capabilities across the enterprise through MCP – allowing leading frontier LLMs such as Anthropic Claude and OpenAI ChatGPT, and leading business applications like Microsoft Copilot, Salesforce, and Slack – to securely connect to Docusign services and manage contracts within the tools teams already use.

Modern agreement management for how legal teams work
Legal teams today expect to ask questions, get clear answers, and take action in one place, but most AI tools still sit outside the systems where agreements are created and managed. Docusign IAM closes the gap by embedding AI and agents directly into agreement workflows in a single, end-to-end platform. This makes it possible for legal teams to review, negotiate, and move agreements forward in minutes, not hours, while automatically keeping their business partners updated on progress. As Docusign evolves from e-signature to a system of record, and now to a system of action, IAM gives organizations the speed, consistency, and control to execute agreements across the entire business.

Docusign’s new Iris assistant and agents are coming soon. Join us at Momentum in New York on May 20–21 to see what’s next for agreement management, and follow Docusign on LinkedIn and Instagram for updates.

*Source: Deloitte report, “Capitalizing on AI,” 2026

About Docusign
Docusign brings agreements to life. Over 1.8 million customers and more than a billion people in over 180 countries use Docusign solutions to accelerate the process of doing business and simplify people’s lives. With intelligent agreement management, Docusign unleashes business-critical data that is trapped inside of documents. Until now, these were disconnected from business systems of record, costing businesses time, money, and opportunity. Using Docusign’s IAM platform, companies can create, commit, and manage agreements with solutions created by the #1 company in e-signature and CLM. Learn more at www.docusign.com.

Media Contact:
Docusign Corporate Communications
media@docusign.com 

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