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Rice University announces historic gift to establish Virani Undergraduate School of Business

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HOUSTON, Oct. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Houston business and community leaders Farid and Asha Virani have made a generous philanthropic gift to Rice University’s business program igniting a new era of opportunity for students. In recognition of this historic contribution, the current undergraduate business program will be named the Virani Undergraduate School of Business.

Rice is equipping graduates to become thoughtful and effective leaders in the business world and beyond.

Farid Virani is the founder and CEO of Prime Communications, the largest AT&T-authorized retailer in North America. He is deeply committed to giving back to the community through his active involvement in organizations such as Teach for America, SEARCH Homeless Services and Texas Children’s Hospital and is a longstanding member of the Young Presidents’ Organization.

Farid immigrated to the United States from Pakistan at the age of 19. After exploring various entrepreneurial ventures, he ultimately founded Prime Communications in 1999, starting with just a single store in Houston’s Baybrook Mall. Looking back on his journey, Farid credits his success to three guiding principles that have shaped both his personal and professional life: “stay humble, stay hungry and stay scrappy.” He believes these values will deeply resonate with Rice’s undergraduate business students as they embark on their paths and confront the challenges ahead, especially at a school that now proudly bears his family’s name.

Dr. Asha Virani ’89 is a Rice alumna, medical doctor and board member of The Kinkaid School and Asia Society Texas. She and Farid are also founders of The Faris Foundation, a nonprofit focused on bringing brighter days and better treatments to children with cancer, created in honor of their beloved son, Faris D.

The couple’s son, Faraz Virani ’21, graduated from Rice with a bachelor’s degree in sport management and minors in business and entrepreneurship — the same year Rice Business launched its undergraduate business program. Their daughter, Zoya, graduated from Emory University in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and sociology and currently works in the tech industry.

This extraordinary gift will support undergraduate curriculum development and delivery, co-curricular opportunities, a new associate dean position and other resources to support undergraduate career readiness and academic success.

“We are incredibly excited to support Rice Business, as we believe in the transformative power of education. This contribution will play a pivotal role in preparing the next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs to tackle the challenges and seize the future opportunities — not just for our city, but for our state and our country,” Farid Virani said.

“Our vision is to foster a culture of curious and compassionate lifelong learners who will lead with a strong ethical orientation and intellectual humility,” Asha Virani said.

The Virani Undergraduate School of Business aims to provide students with a robust foundation in leadership and business fundamentals, including accounting, finance, marketing, organizational behavior, strategy and communications. An associate dean position will be created to lead the new school, and a national search will be conducted to fill this role.

“We are profoundly grateful to Farid and Asha Virani for their extraordinary gift, which will transform our undergraduate business education,” Rice President Reginald DesRoches said. “Their success and commitment to excellence inspire our students, and their generosity will serve as a lasting testament to what can be accomplished through vision and determination.”

“This significant gift from the Virani family will advance undergraduate education, meeting a high demand for an undergraduate business major and providing unparalleled opportunities for student development. Rice is equipping graduates to become thoughtful and effective leaders in the business world and beyond,” said Amy Dittmar, the Howard R. Hughes Provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.

Rice Business Dean Peter Rodriguez emphasized that this gift will significantly impact the nearly 300 students currently declared as business majors, fostering a new generation of leaders equipped to tackle pressing global challenges. This includes supporting ongoing growth in the number of business majors at Rice and advancing opportunities in areas like energy transition, artificial intelligence, nonprofits benefiting society at large, health care reform and the revitalization of urban communities.

“We extend our deepest gratitude to the Virani family for this remarkable gift, which will have a lasting impact on Rice Business students for years to come,” Rodriguez said. “This gift allows our undergraduate students not only to study with world-renowned faculty but to thrive in co-curricular endeavors and in their future careers.”

Click here to watch a video of the donor family.

About Rice University

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of architecture, business, continuing studies, engineering, humanities, music, natural sciences and social sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 4,574 undergraduates and 3,982 graduate students, Rice’s undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction, No. 2 for best-run colleges and No. 12 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.

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MatchMove Receives Frost & Sullivan’s 2026 Asia-Pacific Cross-Border Payment and Remittance Solution Technology Innovation Leadership and 2026 Singapore Embedded Finance Company of the Year Recognitions for Advancing Embedded Finance and Cross-Border Payment Innovation

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The company is recognized for its leadership in embedded finance, cross-border payments, and programmable financial infrastructure, enabling enterprises to accelerate digital transformation across Asia-Pacific.

SAN ANTONIO, July 20, 2026 /CNW/ — Frost & Sullivan is pleased to announce that MatchMove has received the 2026 Asia-Pacific Cross-Border Payment and Remittance Solution Technology Innovation Leadership and 2026 Singapore Embedded Finance Company of the Year recognitions in the fintech and digital financial services industry for its outstanding achievements in technology innovation and customer impact. These recognitions highlight MatchMove’s leadership in transforming embedded finance and cross-border payments through a scalable banking-as-a-service (BaaS) platform that simplifies financial services while empowering enterprises to innovate with confidence.

Frost & Sullivan evaluates companies through a rigorous benchmarking process across two core dimensions: strategy effectiveness and strategy execution. MatchMove excelled in both, demonstrating its ability to anticipate market evolution, align innovation with customer needs, and deliver scalable financial infrastructure across diverse markets. “MatchMove empowers enterprises with a unified platform for digital wallets, card issuance, remittance, multi-currency settlement, and Web 3.0, enabling seamless and compliant global money movement,” said Dewi Rengganis, Senior Industry Analyst, ICT at Frost & Sullivan.

Guided by a long-term growth strategy centered on digital innovation, ecosystem partnerships, and platform expansion, MatchMove continues to redefine how enterprises embed financial capabilities into their products and services across Asia-Pacific.

The company’s strategic agility and sustained investment in API-first infrastructure, programmable finance, and compliance-by-design have helped it scale efficiently across multiple markets. Its unified BaaS platform combines cross-border payments, card issuance, virtual accounts, fund collection, and payout capabilities into a single ecosystem, allowing businesses to reduce operational complexity, accelerate deployment, and launch scalable financial solutions through one integration.

“Earning both recognitions in the same year reflects what we care about most — that our platform works at the speed our customers need. Every day, enterprises across Asia-Pacific use MatchMove to issue cards, move money across borders, and embed financial services into their products without becoming a bank themselves. That’s a hard problem to solve at scale across multiple regulatory regimes and currencies, and we’ve spent years engineering it to feel simple. This recognition from Frost & Sullivan tells the market that MatchMove is the partner of choice for enterprises serious about accelerating digital transformation through embedded finance,” said Amar Abrol, President and Co-founder, MatchMove.

By simplifying financial services through a single integration point, embedding compliance directly into platform architecture, and allowing intelligent payment orchestration across global corridors, MatchMove continues to address the evolving needs of enterprises, financial institutions, and digital platforms. Its modular architecture, broad application capabilities, and focus on operational efficiency have enabled customers to deploy innovative financial products significantly faster while supporting expansion across more than 200 countries and territories.

Frost & Sullivan commends MatchMove for setting a high standard in competitive strategy, execution, and market responsiveness. The company’s vision, technology leadership, and customer-first approach are shaping the future of embedded finance and cross-border payment infrastructure while enabling businesses to deliver seamless digital financial experiences at scale.

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents the Technology Innovation Leadership recognition to a company that demonstrates exceptional technological advancement and commercialization, resulting in meaningful market impact and competitive differentiation. The Company of the Year recognition honors organizations that consistently excel in vision, innovation, customer value, and growth strategy while setting new benchmarks within their industries.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Recognition
Frost & Sullivan’s Best Practices Recognitions honor companies across regional and global markets that exhibit exceptional achievement and consistent excellence in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer experience, and strategic product development. Each recognition is the result of a rigorous analytical process in which Frost & Sullivan industry experts benchmark performance through comprehensive interviews, deep-dive analysis, and extensive secondary research. The goal is to identify true best-in-class organizations that are driving transformative growth and setting new industry standards.
Contact us: Start the discussion.

About MatchMove
MatchMove is a Singapore-headquartered Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) company and one of Asia’s leading embedded finance providers. Through its proprietary, MAS-regulated Banking Wallet OS™, MatchMove lets businesses issue accounts and cards, move payments, and offer lending — embedded directly inside their own apps, without building banking infrastructure or holding their own licences. In 2025, the platform processed over US$5 billion, issued more than 4 million cards, and reaches 200+ payout countries through 100+ partners. Recognised with the Frost & Sullivan 2026 Singapore Enabling Technology Leadership Recognition for Embedded Finance, MatchMove partners with leading banks across the region to bring compliant financial products to market in weeks, not months.

Contact:
Tarini Singh
E: Tarini.Singh@frost.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/matchmove-receives-frost–sullivans-2026-asia-pacific-cross-border-payment-and-remittance-solution-technology-innovation-leadership-and-2026-singapore-embedded-finance-company-of-the-year-recognitions-for-advancing-embedded-fina-302828509.html

SOURCE Frost & Sullivan

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Saber Astronautics releases new spacecraft constellation control and automation software SABER COMMANDER

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SYDNEY, July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Saber Astronautics today announced the release of Saber Commander, its new spacecraft and constellation operations software.

Saber Commander builds on the operational heritage of the Predictive Ground station Interface (PIGI), recognised in the space industry for pioneering techniques in digital twin and machine learning to manage individual satellites. Saber Commander preserves that foundational heritage while supporting increasingly complex satellites, constellations, and mission requirements in the modern space age.

Originally developed in 2010 and released in 2012, PIGI pioneered new capabilities as Saber’s flagship operations software. Listed as a NASA Spinout, it was the first product globally to successfully solve spacecraft diagnostics using machine learning, allowing operators to learn the root cause of health problems on a spacecraft. 

PIGI represented a new generation of software leading efforts to visualise satellite constellations and was the first Unity game engine digital twin to receive fielding authority by the US Space Force.  This eventually led to the production of Saber’s Space Battle Management System (SBMS) which now serves as the protect-and-defend tool accepted across US Space Force Combat Command Deltas.

“PIGI was about reducing the barrier to entry to satellites, making it easier and safer to fly” said Dr. Jason Held, CEO of Saber Astronautics. “Saber Commander carries that heritage forward, with new automation, visualization, and operational scale that modern satellite constellations require.”

Developed in close collaboration with Saber’s own satellite operators, Saber Commander reflects the company’s direct operational experience through its Responsive Space Operations Centres (RSOC), in Australia and the United States. Saber currently controls 36 tonnes of spacecraft in orbit, giving the company daily exposure to the real pressures faced by mission teams.

That experience shaped Saber Commander around practical needs: faster situational awareness, clearer decision support, reduced manual workload, and automation.

 “Saber Commander takes everything we learned from our first generation of products and turned it into a platform built for the realities of modern space operations,” says Chris Schuck, Head of Product Engineering. “Larger fleets and congested orbits demand a smarter approach. We designed Commander hand-in-hand with operators to bring automation, commanding, monitoring, and situational awareness together into a single platform to reduce operator workload while giving greater confidence and control. I’m incredibly proud of what our team has built, and excited to see what our customers achieve with it.”

Please direct enquiries to: media@saberastro.com

About Saber Astronautics

Saber Astronautics’ mission is the democratization of space, reducing barriers to space flight, and making space as easy as driving a car. Founded in 2008, Saber Astronautics provides operations, mission design services, and related software. Saber has R&D laboratories and mission control centres in the USA and Australia, being a trusted supplier to traditional space and government customers worldwide.

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How Curb Flow Is Driving Growth for Ride Demand and Technology Partners Across the US, UK and Canada

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New data from GoRide partnership shows drivers on Curb Flow spend 26% more time on trips and complete 16% more hired miles

LONDON, July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Curb, a leading mobility technology provider specialising in metered taxi payment systems, dispatch platforms and demand aggregation solutions, is opening its Curb Flow network to new demand and technology partners across the US, UK and Canada following the full public launch of Curb Flow in London. With the North American network already at scale and London now live, Curb is releasing new data from its GoRide partnership in Washington DC that demonstrates the impact of connecting supply partners to aggregated demand through a single platform.

Curb Flow enables taxi fleets and technology providers, including those operating their own meter and dispatch systems, to integrate with the platform and gain access to demand from sources including Uber, Curb’s consumer app, Taxi Butler, HQ and Gridd. The open integration model means drivers and fleets using existing technology systems can join the network without switching platforms.

GoRide is a taxi technology system provider operating in Washington DC that integrated into Curb Flow as a supply partner, giving its drivers access to Curb Flow’s ride demand. The partnership demonstrates how taxi technology providers with their own systems can connect to the Curb Flow network to unlock additional trip volume for their drivers. In Washington DC, Curb Flow now accounts for nearly half of all trips completed by participating drivers, with some GoRide drivers completing more than 650 trips per month.

These results reflect broader performance across the Curb Flow network. Drivers using the platform spend 26% more time on trips and complete 16% more hired miles, while Curb’s nationwide booking volume has quadrupled since 2023.

Dorel Tamam, Vice President of the Mobile Business Unit at Curb, says: “With Curb Flow now live in London, we are opening the network to additional partners, regardless if they run their own system or not. The results show what happens when you remove the barriers to consistent, aggregated demand and supply.”

The GoRide partnership has become one of the strongest proof points for the Curb Flow model in North America, with consistent month-over-month growth in trip volume and driver participation since launch. That track record is now informing how Curb approaches new supply partnerships in the UK market.

Ermias Wosenu, CEO and Founder GoRide, says: “Integrating with Curb Flow gave our drivers access to a significant new source of demand without requiring them to change how they work. The volume of trips through the platform has grown consistently since we launched, and it has been a straightforward way for us to expand what we can offer our drivers.”

Curb Flow launched in London in March and is currently operating with an initial network of supply and demand partners, bringing additional trip opportunities to black cab drivers through a single platform.

Operators and technology providers ready to join the next phase of Curb Flow in London can find out more and register their interest at https://www.gocurb.co.uk/curb-flow.

Notes to Editors

Curb analysed the data from operating cabs during March 2026 in the Washington DC district.

About Curb 

Curb reimagines urban mobility with a driver-first approach, offering transparency and seamless access to rides. Connected to over 100,000 drivers in 65+ cities across the US, UK, and Canada, Curb powers millions of rides and billions of dollars in payment transactions annually. Its innovative platform unifies taxis and for-hire vehicles, serving passengers, drivers, and fleet management. Curb’s B2B services support transit agencies, healthcare providers, and businesses, helping cities and organizations move efficiently.

Media Contact:
8020 Communications
curb@8020comms.com 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/how-curb-flow-is-driving-growth-for-ride-demand-and-technology-partners-across-the-us-uk-and-canada-302828612.html

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