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AI and Open Commerce: RedCloud Unlocks the Door for SMBs to Enter the Global Marketplace

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Small businesses account for more than 90% of all U.S. businesses and contribute 43.5% of the nation’s GDP, playing a vital role in consumer purchases and services. (1) Justin Floyd, Founder and CEO of RedCloud®, explains how the democratization of data, new AI tools and Open Commerce allow SMBs to trade freely, inventively, innovatively, and instantly across global supply chains and scale their businesses in the most efficient way possible.

LONDON, Oct. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — McKinsey reports that 65% of organizations in 2024 have made generative AI a part of their daily operations, nearly twice the percentage reported in 2023. (2) Large enterprises have been in the AI game for a while, taking advantage of the massive amounts of data available to better understand their customers and dominate the eCommerce industry. Meanwhile, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) struggle with disorganized data and a lack of resources. Justin Floyd, Founder and CEO of RedCloud’s Intelligent Open Commerce Platform™, explains, “The Open Commerce initiative is about breaking down barriers and enabling companies to trade efficiently across the internet. The vast data infrastructure built over the last 20 years is finally becoming accessible to everyone. And AI is the first natural way in which all of that data can now serve small businesses.”

“Open Commerce enables small businesses to trade on the same terms as big players through the power of AI and Machine Learning, providing valuable insights into product opportunities and vulnerabilities.” – Justin Floyd, CEO of RedCloud®

Customer Retention and Fraud Prevention
The Global Artificial Intelligence in the eCommerce market is projected to reach $25.1 billion by 2032, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.1%, according to a report from Dimension Market Research. Businesses are gaining deeper insights into customer behavior, enabling personalized advertising, and enhancing content production with generative AI technology. (3) Omnichannel retargeting, predictive analytics for inventory management, and the personalization of marketing strategies decidedly improve customer retention and help reach and exceed sales objectives. (4)

Machine Learning (ML) is playing a more prominent role in financial fraud detection. Traditional systems are less effective at identifying new fraud patterns and often result in false positives. ML models learn from past data, adapt to new fraud techniques, and analyze vast datasets to detect subtle behavioral changes. (5) AI is proving to be invaluable in reducing non-scan incidents, which cost retailers $45 billion annually. By utilizing computer vision and AI algorithms, retailers can monitor video feeds to catch unscanned items, notify checkout staff in real time, and help detect fraud and errors during checkout. (6)

The Democratization of Data
When the internet first started, it was an open system that gradually became closed, building up barriers nearly impossible to scale. Global supply chain businesses can’t afford those kinds of walls between them. Open Commerce, the second generation of eCommerce, changes everything.

The amount of consumer data collected from Meta and Google over the last 25 years is now publicly available in business environments. Generative AI is transforming eCommerce by supercharging the customer experience. It supports hyper-personalized shopping, emotional intelligence integration, and enhanced interactions, increasing sales and consumer satisfaction.
Generative AI enables smart inventory management by forecasting demand and automating restocking. Dynamic pricing adjusts product price tags based on market conditions. AI tools like 24/7 chatbots, virtual try-ons, and virtual assistants upgrade customer service while advanced analytical intelligence forecasts sales and segments customers for more effective marketing optimization. (7)

AI and Machine Learning Promote Open Commerce
AI is revolutionizing Open Commerce for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), providing cutting-edge technology to optimize operations and decision-making. With AI-driven data analytics, businesses can identify market opportunities based on real-time transaction data.

AI-powered insights enhance competitiveness by enabling SMBs to make informed decisions about product offerings and marketing strategies. AI tools also coordinate targeted promotions, helping businesses increase visibility and engage customers effectively.
As Floyd states, “Small businesses are the backbone of the global economy. Open Commerce enables them to trade in exactly the same way and on the same terms as the big players through the power of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Together, they provide valuable insights into product vulnerabilities and opportunities.”

About RedCloud
Based in London, UK, RedCloud Technology was founded in 2012 and stands as a “Rebel Alliance,” leading a bold, second-generation e-commerce transformation. Rejecting the high fees of tech giants, RedCloud leverages AI-enabled supply chain solutions to empower smaller businesses to compete with major corporations. Their democratized, platform provides financial visibility, offering a level playing field that breaks free from the dominance of conventional marketplaces. RedCloud embodies a fairer, more inclusive digital commerce future where Davids can stand tall against Goliaths. Visit https://redcloudtechnology.com/.

References:
1. Ferguson, Stephanie , et al. “Small Business Data Center.” http://www.uschamber.com, 25 May 2023, http://www.uschamber.com/small-business/small-business-data-center. Accessed 27 Sept. 2024.
2. Mamnani, Parag. “Council Post: Get Your Edge with AI: Three Tips for e-Commerce Smbs.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 15 Aug. 2024, forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2024/08/15/get-your-edge-with-ai-three-tips-for-e-commerce-smbs/.
3. “Artificial Intelligence in E-Commerce Market Size, Share, Trends and Forecast 2032.” Dimensionmarketresearch.com, 2023, dimensionmarketresearch.com/report/artificial-intelligence-in-e-commerce-market/. Accessed 27 Sept. 2024.
4. “Artificial Intelligence Influence on Global E-Commerce Market Expected to Skyrocket to $25 Billion by 2032 .” GlobeNewswire News Room, FN Media Group LLC, 22 Aug. 2024, globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/08/22/2934218/0/en/Artificial-Intelligence-Influence-on-Global-E-Commerce-Market-Expected-to-Skyrocket-to-25-Billion-By-2032.html.
5. Srivastava, Sudeep. “An Analysis on Financial Fraud Detection Using Machine Learning.” Appinventiv, Appinventiv, 5 Sept. 2024, appinventiv.com/blog/role-of-machine-learning-in-financial-fraud-detection/.
6. Srivastava, Sudeep. “How AI in Retail Is Revolutionizing the Shopping Experiences.” Appinventiv, 10 Sept. 2024, appinventiv.com/blog/impact-of-ai-in-retail/.
7. Timonera, Kathryn. “Ai in E-Commerce: Navigating Benefits, Challenges, and Future Trends.” eWEEK, 1 Aug. 2024, eweek.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-in-ecommerce/.

Media Contact

Karla Jo Helms, JOTO PR™, 727-777-4629, khelms@jotopr.com, jotopr.com

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Zifo Transforms Ontology Engineering with AI-Powered Intelligent Automation

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Advanced AI solution speeds up ontology creation by 80%, generating structured, interoperable knowledge models for science-driven organizations.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and CAMBRIDGE, England, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Zifo, the leading global enabler of AI and data-driven enterprise informatics for science-driven organizations, has developed an Intelligent Automation solution for Ontology Engineering, which is designed to seamlessly generate structured, interoperable knowledge models while accelerating ontology creation by 80%.

Overcoming the Bottlenecks of Manual Ontology Creation

Manual ontology creation in the biopharma industry has traditionally been a time-consuming process that requires specialized expertise. Organizations frequently struggle with semantic ambiguity, complex integration challenges, and limited scalability, resulting in workflows that can take weeks to complete. Zifo’s AI-powered automation tackles these challenges head-on by eliminating 80% of the manual work through automated class generation, description creation, and precise IRI mapping.

Addressing the Complexities of Semantic Knowledge

Developing comprehensive knowledge models often demands deep domain expertise to define relationships and align terminology. Zifo’s intelligent solution overcomes this by providing an AI-guided workflow featuring an intuitive interface, meaning specialized ontology engineering knowledge is no longer required. By leveraging LLM-powered generation, the solution creates precise definitions with a deep understanding of domain-specific context, while generating standardized synonyms and establishing controlled vocabulary alignment to eliminate inconsistent terminology.

A Solution Designed for Scalable Scientific Data Modeling

The AI-powered solution addresses critical format compatibility and integration points in ontology management:

Seamless Integration: Automated mapping connects directly to established ontologies, including NCIT, CHEBI, OBI, and EFO, via BioPortal and OLS APIs.Massive Scalability: Parallel processing and batch operations empower teams to execute large-scale ontology projects without performance limitations.Automated Hierarchies: The AI autonomously generates semantic relationships and parent-child hierarchies based on domain context and predefined relation vocabularies.Format Compatibility: The solution produces direct OWL/RDF exports with proper URIs, ensuring seamless downstream integration.

Unique Features include:

Multi-Source Integration: The solution combines BioPortal, OLS, and EMBL-EBI APIs to guarantee comprehensive ontology coverage.Intelligent Ranking System: The system uses AI-powered relevance scoring and justification for precise ontology mappings.Precise IRI Mapping: It ensures that each generated class is linked to the correct IRI, directly promoting semantic web compatibility.Human-in-the-Loop Design: The solution automates repetitive tasks while maintaining vital expert oversight.End-to-End Workflow: Users are guided through a complete pipeline, from initial domain knowledge input straight to exportable OWL files.Visual Knowledge Graph: An interactive graph visualization allows for intuitive relationship exploration and validation.Multi-Format Exports: Provides seamless export options in CSV, OWL, or HTML Ontograph formats for downstream use, collaboration, and visualization.

Strategic Value Across the Scientific Chain

This solution breaks down the traditional barriers of data structuring. Built on a robust backend of Python, LangChain, and leading LLM models, alongside a frontend framework using Next.js 15 and Cytoscape.js for graph visualization, the solution is highly adaptable. Furthermore, future optimization enhancements will include provisions for uploading user-defined classes or semi-ready ontologies.

About Zifo

Zifo is the leading global enabler of AI and data-driven enterprise informatics for science-driven organizations. With expertise spanning research, development, manufacturing, and clinical domains, Zifo serves a diverse range of industries including Pharma, Biotech, Chemicals, Food and Beverage, and more. Trusted by over 190 organizations worldwide, Zifo is the partner of choice for advancing digital scientific innovation.

For more information, visit www.zifornd.comhttps://zifornd.com/practical-ai-blueprints/

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2731415/Zifo_Technologies_Logo.jpg

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zifo-transforms-ontology-engineering-with-ai-powered-intelligent-automation-302758975.html

SOURCE Zifo Technologies

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UNC-Chapel Hill establishes ‘Carolina in the Capital’ with new Washington, D.C. office

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C., April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has opened a new office in Washington, D.C., establishing an expanded presence for the University in the nation’s capital and creating exciting opportunities for students, faculty, staff and alumni.

Located at 101 Constitution Avenue NW, the 10,861-square-foot space – coined “Carolina in the Capital” – will support a variety of functions, including educational programming for undergraduate and graduate students, alumni relations and engagement with government partners.

As a leading R1 university, UNC-Chapel Hill annually attracts more than $1.6 billion to the state’s economy to fund research that creates a better quality of life for all its citizens. More than 60% of UNC-Chapel Hill’s total research funding comes from federal sponsors with the majority of that federal funding coming from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is based in the Washington area.

“Carolina in the Capital is a state-of-the-art facility that reflects our commitment to creating experiential learning opportunities for our students and faculty,” said Chancellor Lee H. Roberts. “The space is designed as an immersive learning environment where students can translate classroom knowledge into hands-on experience, which has never been more important. The facility also strengthens our ability to support engagement between our staff, alumni, policymakers and partners.”

Supporting students participating in Carolina’s Washington-based academic programs is a priority. For years, students and faculty have relied on temporary or borrowed spaces across the city. The new office provides a permanent home where students can gather, learn and build community while living and studying in Washington. A robust schedule of classes and events will fill the space throughout the year.

The Washington, D.C. region is home to the largest concentration of out-of-state Carolina alumni anywhere in the country. The new office creates a dedicated space to strengthen those connections and support networking, mentorship, professional development and community-building among D.C.-based Tar Heels.

The space will also serve as a platform to bring Carolina’s research and academic expertise into closer conversation with policymakers, industry leaders and member organizations. Carolina is the nation’s 11th largest university in the country based on research volume with primary federal funding coming from NIH and the National Science Foundation (NSF), both based in the D.C. area. Carolina is a proud member of the Association of American Universities (AAU) and the Association of Public & Land Grant Universities (APLU), which are both based in Washington.

The office is funded entirely through the UNC-Chapel Hill Foundation and does not use any state appropriations.

You can view additional photos of the space here.

Media Contact: UNC Media Relations, 919-445-8555, mediarelations@unc.edu

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SOURCE University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Office of Communications

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Investing.com Acquires Stonki to Accelerate Its Entry into the Agentic AI Era

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The acquisition strengthens Investing.com’s AI capabilities, advancing a next-generation research assistant that can analyze markets, generate insights, and guide investors in real time

NEW YORK, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Investing.com, one of the world’s largest financial platforms used by more than 60 million investors each month, today announced the acquisition of Stonki, an AI-powered investing assistant designed to help traders turn ideas into structured, actionable trading plans.

The move marks a major step in the company’s evolution toward agentic AI, strengthening its ability to deliver faster, deeper, and more actionable market insights to a growing base of more than 300,000 paying subscribers across its InvestingPro suite, the company’s premium subscription offering for advanced market data, tools, and AI-driven insights.

Over the past 12 months, nearly 3 million users have used WarrenAI, Investing.com’s AI-powered financial research assistant launched last year, to perform market analysis, making AI a central entry point into the platform’s ecosystem. With the addition of Stonki, the company is moving beyond traditional AI tools toward agentic systems that can proactively guide users through the investment process.

“We’re entering the age of agentic AI, where the technology moves beyond just answering questions to actively helping investors think, analyze, and act,” said Omer Shvili, CEO of Investing.com. “Bringing Stonki.ai into the fold accelerates our goal of building an agentic platform that will serve as a 24/7 analyst for our users. We are developing this to be more than just a tool; it will be a partner that identifies opportunities, tracks unfolding situations, and surfaces trade ideas even when the user isn’t active—giving our users the kind of edge that was previously only available to professional investors.”

Founded in 2025, Stonki is developing a new category of ‘agentic’ AI for investing, enabling users to turn investment ideas into fully defined strategies with entry and exit conditions, risk management rules, and continuous monitoring.

“We started Stonki because, as investors and traders ourselves, we knew how much time and focus it takes to stay on top of the market and properly manage a day trade, a swing trade, an investment idea, or a portfolio,” said Ulas Bilgenoglu and Itay Verkh, co-founders of Stonki. “We set out to build AI that could carry part of that load by continuously monitoring the market, turning ideas into structured strategies, and helping users make better decisions with clear entry and exit conditions, disciplined risk management, and ongoing tracking. Joining Investing.com gives us the scale, data, reach, and strong AI foundation to accelerate that vision. Together, we can create an experience where AI helps users stay ahead of the market, manage risk, and act with greater confidence.”

The acquisition expands Investing.com’s AI capabilities across both technical and fundamental investing workflows. Stonki’s technology is built around persistent, real-time intelligence, continuously monitoring markets, tracking user-defined strategies, and alerting investors when conditions align, rather than relying on one-off prompts or static analysis.

For active traders, the platform is evolving into a real-time analysis engine designed to support high-frequency decision-making with precision and speed. For long-term investors, it is becoming a central hub for research, enabling users to evaluate opportunities, set personalized alerts, and monitor portfolios based on their individual investment strategies.

Users will be able to define specific conditions, such as a stock crossing a long-term moving average, and have the AI continuously monitor the market, analyze relevant signals, and surface actionable insights in real time. The system will also review portfolios on an ongoing basis, helping investors avoid potential losses and uncover new opportunities aligned with their strategy.

This latest step builds on Investing.com’s broader strategy of expanding its AI-powered suite, including WarrenAI, ProPicks AI, and its recently launched AI Chart Analysis, all aimed at delivering faster, more accurate and more actionable insights to investors.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/investingcom-acquires-stonki-to-accelerate-its-entry-into-the-agentic-ai-era-302756588.html

SOURCE Investing.com

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