Technology
Yatsen Announces Third Quarter 2024 Financial Results
Published
2 years agoon
By
Conference Call to Be Held at 7:30 A.M. U.S. Eastern Time on November 20, 2024
GUANGZHOU, China, Nov. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Yatsen Holding Limited (“Yatsen” or the “Company”) (NYSE: YSG), a leading China-based beauty group, today announced its unaudited financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2024.
Third Quarter 2024 Highlights
Total net revenues for the third quarter of 2024 decreased by 5.7% to RMB677.0 million (US$96.5 million) from RMB718.1 million for the prior year period.Total net revenues from Skincare Brands[1] for the third quarter of 2024 increased by 3.6% to RMB267.9 million (US$38.2 million) from RMB258.5 million for the prior year period. As a percentage of total net revenues, total net revenues from Skincare Brands for the third quarter of 2024 were 39.6%, as compared with 36.0% for the prior year period.Gross margin for the third quarter of 2024 increased to 75.9% from 71.4% for the prior year period.Net loss for the third quarter of 2024 was RMB121.1 million (US$17.3 million), as compared with RMB197.9 million for the prior year period. Non-GAAP net loss[2] for the third quarter of 2024 was RMB76.6 million (US$10.9 million), as compared with RMB130.2 million for the prior year period.
Mr. Jinfeng Huang, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Yatsen, stated, “China’s beauty industry encountered significant challenges in the third quarter, with beauty sales declining year over year for four consecutive months from June to September. Against this backdrop, our three major clinical and premium skincare brands, including Galénic, DR.WU and Eve Lom, delivered another solid performance, bolstering our skincare segment overall. Going forward, we will continue to execute our development strategy, enhancing brand equity and product mix while further optimizing our cost structure to drive growth and profitability.”
Mr. Donghao Yang, Director and Chief Financial Officer of Yatsen, commented, “Our third quarter total net revenues declined by 5.7% year over year in line with our previous guidance. However, our three major skincare brands together continued to grow steadily, with combined net revenues increasing by 10.5% year over year. Furthermore, we improved our gross margin to 75.9% from 71.4% in the prior year period, while narrowing our net loss margin and non-GAAP net loss margin to 17.9% and 11.3%, respectively. We remain confident in our strategy and execution capabilities, and committed to propelling the Company’s sustainable development.”
Third Quarter 2024 Financial Results
Net Revenues
Total net revenues for the third quarter of 2024 decreased by 5.7% to RMB677.0 million (US$96.5 million) from RMB718.1 million for the prior year period. The decrease was primarily due to a 10.0% year-over-year decrease in net revenues from Color Cosmetics Brands,[3] partially offset by a 3.6% year-over-year increase in net revenues from Skincare Brands.
Gross Profit and Gross Margin
Gross profit for the third quarter of 2024 increased by 0.2% to RMB513.8 million (US$73.2 million) from RMB512.8 million for the prior year period. Gross margin for the third quarter of 2024 increased to 75.9% from 71.4% for the prior year period. The increase was primarily driven by an increase in sales of higher-gross-margin products.
Operating Expenses
Total operating expenses for the third quarter of 2024 decreased by 12.0% to RMB655.2 million (US$93.4 million) from RMB744.3 million for the prior year period. As a percentage of total net revenues, total operating expenses for the third quarter of 2024 were 96.8%, as compared with 103.6% for the prior year period.
Fulfillment Expenses. Fulfillment expenses for the third quarter of 2024 were RMB50.4 million (US$7.2 million), as compared with RMB56.0 million for the prior year period. As a percentage of total net revenues, fulfillment expenses for the third quarter of 2024 decreased to 7.4% from 7.8% for the prior year period. The decrease was primarily due to an increase in the overall average selling price of the Company’s products, as well as further improvements in logistics efficiency.
Selling and Marketing Expenses. Selling and marketing expenses for the third quarter of 2024 were RMB494.4 million (US$70.4 million), as compared with RMB511.7 million for the prior year period. As a percentage of total net revenues, selling and marketing expenses for the third quarter of 2024 increased to 73.0% from 71.3% for the prior year period. The increase was primarily due to increased investments in the Douyin platform, in line with the growing revenue contribution from Douyin, partially offset by lower marketing expenses as a result of the Company’s more strategic marketing spending.
General and Administrative Expenses. General and administrative expenses for the third quarter of 2024 were RMB85.0 million (US$12.1 million), as compared with RMB151.8 million for the prior year period. As a percentage of total net revenues, general and administrative expenses for the third quarter of 2024 decreased to 12.6% from 21.1% for the prior year period. The decrease was primarily attributable to lower payroll expenses resulting from a reduction in general and administrative headcount and lower share-based compensation expenses.
Research and Development Expenses. Research and development expenses for the third quarter of 2024 were RMB25.3 million (US$3.6 million), as compared with RMB24.7 million for the prior year period. As a percentage of total net revenues, research and development expenses for the third quarter of 2024 increased to 3.7% from 3.4% for the prior year period. The increase was primarily attributable to the deleveraging effect of lower total net revenues in the third quarter of 2024.
Loss from Operations
Loss from operations for the third quarter of 2024 was RMB141.3 million (US$20.1 million), as compared with RMB231.5 million for the prior year period. Operating loss margin was 20.9%, as compared with 32.2% for the prior year period.
Non-GAAP loss from operations[4] for the third quarter of 2024 was RMB98.5 million (US$14.0 million), as compared with RMB164.6 million for the prior year period. Non-GAAP operating loss margin was 14.5%, as compared with 22.9% for the prior year period.
Net Loss
Net loss for the third quarter of 2024 was RMB121.1 million (US$17.3 million), as compared with RMB197.9 million for the prior year period. Net loss margin was 17.9%, as compared with 27.6% for the prior year period. Net loss attributable to Yatsen’s ordinary shareholders per diluted ADS[5] for the third quarter of 2024 was RMB1.22 (US$0.17), as compared with RMB1.81 for the prior year period.
Non-GAAP net loss for the third quarter of 2024 was RMB76.6 million (US$10.9 million), as compared with RMB130.2 million for the prior year period. Non-GAAP net loss margin was 11.3%, as compared with 18.1% for the prior year period. Non-GAAP net loss attributable to Yatsen’s ordinary shareholders per diluted ADS[6] for the third quarter of 2024 was RMB0.77 (US$0.11), as compared with RMB1.19 for the prior year period.
Balance Sheet and Cash Flow
As of September 30, 2024, the Company had cash, restricted cash and short-term investments of RMB1.31 billion (US$186.5 million), as compared with RMB2.08 billion as of December 31, 2023.
Net cash used in operating activities for the third quarter of 2024 was RMB175.9 million (US$25.1 million), as compared with RMB163.4 million for the prior year period.
Business Outlook
For the fourth quarter of 2024, the Company expects its total net revenues to be between RMB1.07 billion and RMB1.18 billion, representing a year-over-year increase of approximately 0% to 10%. These forecasts reflect the Company’s current and preliminary views on the market and operational conditions, which are subject to change.
Exchange Rate
This announcement contains translations of certain Renminbi (“RMB”) amounts into U.S. dollars (“US$”) at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to US$ were made at a rate of RMB7.0176 to US$1.00, the exchange rate in effect as of September 30, 2024, as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The Company makes no representation that any RMB or US$ amounts could have been, or could be, converted into US$ or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate, or at all.
[1] Include net revenues from Galénic, DR.WU (its mainland China business), Eve Lom and other skincare brands of the Company.
[2] Non-GAAP net loss is a non-GAAP financial measure. Effective from the fourth quarter of 2023, non-GAAP net loss is defined as net loss excluding (i) share-based compensation expenses, (ii) amortization of intangible assets resulting from assets and business acquisitions, (iii) revaluation of investments on the share of equity method investments, (iv) impairment of goodwill and (v) tax effects on non-GAAP adjustments. Non-GAAP net loss for the prior year period presented in this document is also calculated in the same manner.
[3] Include Perfect Diary, Little Ondine, Pink Bear and other color cosmetics brands of the Company.
[4] Non-GAAP loss from operations is a non-GAAP financial measure. Effective from the fourth quarter of 2023, non-GAAP loss from operations is defined as loss from operations excluding (i) share-based compensation expenses, (ii) amortization of intangible assets resulting from assets and business acquisitions and (iii) impairment of goodwill. Non-GAAP loss from operations for the prior year period presented in this document is also calculated in the same manner.
[5] ADS refers to American depositary shares, each of which represents twenty Class A ordinary shares, effective from March 18, 2024. Prior to that date, each ADS represented four Class A ordinary shares. Unless otherwise stated, the current ADS ratio has been applied retrospectively to all periods presented in this document.
[6] Non-GAAP net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders per diluted ADS is a non-GAAP financial measure. Non-GAAP net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders per diluted ADS is defined as non-GAAP net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders divided by the weighted average number of diluted ADS outstanding for computing diluted earnings per ADS. Effective from the fourth quarter of 2023, non-GAAP net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders is defined as net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders excluding (i) share-based compensation expenses, (ii) amortization of intangible assets resulting from assets and business acquisitions, (iii) revaluation of investments on the share of equity method investments, (iv) impairment of goodwill, (v) tax effects on non-GAAP adjustments and (vi) accretion to redeemable non-controlling interests. Non-GAAP net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders per diluted ADS for the prior year period presented in this document is also calculated in the same manner.
Conference Call Information
The Company’s management will hold a conference call on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at 7:30 A.M. U.S. Eastern Time or 8:30 P.M. Beijing Time to discuss its financial results and operating performance for the third quarter 2024.
United States (toll free):
+1-888-346-8982
International:
+1-412-902-4272
Mainland China (toll free):
400-120-1203
Hong Kong, SAR (toll free):
800-905-945
Hong Kong, SAR:
+852-3018-4992
Conference ID:
6604822
The replay will be accessible through Wednesday, November 27, by dialing the following numbers:
United States:
+1-877-344-7529
International:
+1-412-317-0088
Replay Access Code:
6604822
A live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available on the Company’s investor relations website at http://ir.yatsenglobal.com.
About Yatsen Holding Limited
Yatsen Holding Limited (NYSE: YSG) is a leading China-based beauty group with the mission of creating an exciting new journey of beauty discovery for consumers around the world. Founded in 2016, the Company has launched and acquired numerous color cosmetics and skincare brands including Perfect Diary, Little Ondine, Pink Bear, Galénic, DR.WU (its mainland China business), Eve Lom and EANTiM. The Company’s flagship brand, Perfect Diary, is one of the leading color cosmetics brands in China in terms of retail sales value. The Company primarily reaches and engages with customers directly both online and offline, with expansive presence across all major e-commerce, social and content platforms in China.
For more information, please visit http://ir.yatsenglobal.com.
Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
The Company uses non-GAAP income (loss) from operations, non-GAAP net income (loss), non-GAAP net income (loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders and non-GAAP net income (loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders per diluted ADS, each a non-GAAP financial measure, in reviewing and assessing its operating performance. The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The Company presents these non-GAAP financial measures because they are used by the management to evaluate operating performance and formulate business plans. Non-GAAP financial measures help identify underlying trends in its business, provide further information about its results of operations, and enhance the overall understanding of its past performance and future prospects. The Company defines non-GAAP income (loss) from operations as income (loss) from operations excluding (i) share-based compensation expenses, (ii) amortization of intangible assets resulting from assets and business acquisitions and (iii) impairment of goodwill. The Company defines non-GAAP net income (loss) as net income (loss) excluding (i) share-based compensation expenses, (ii) amortization of intangible assets resulting from assets and business acquisitions, (iii) revaluation of investments on the share of equity method investments, (iv) impairment of goodwill and (v) tax effects on non-GAAP adjustments. The Company defines non-GAAP net income (loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders as net income (loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders excluding (i) share-based compensation expenses, (ii) amortization of intangible assets resulting from assets and business acquisitions, (iii) revaluation of investments on the share of equity method investments, (iv) impairment of goodwill, (v) tax effects on non-GAAP adjustments and (vi) accretion to redeemable non-controlling interests. Non-GAAP net income (loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders per diluted ADS is computed using non-GAAP net income (loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders divided by weighted average number of diluted ADS outstanding for computing diluted earnings per ADS.
However, the non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools as the non-GAAP financial measures are not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP and may differ from the non-GAAP information used by other companies, including peer companies, and therefore their comparability may be limited. The Company compensates for these limitations by reconciling the non-GAAP financial measures to the nearest U.S. GAAP performance measure, all of which should be considered when evaluating performance. The Company encourages investors and others to review its financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure. Reconciliations of Yatsen’s non-GAAP financial measure to the most comparable U.S. GAAP measure are included at the end of this press release.
Safe Harbor Statement
This announcement contains statements that may constitute “forward-looking” statements which are made pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “aims,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “likely to,” and similar statements. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company’s beliefs, plans, outlook and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: the Company’s growth strategies; its future business development, results of operations and financial condition; its ability to continue to roll out popular products and maintain popularity of existing products; its ability to anticipate and respond to changes in industry trends and consumer preferences and behavior in a timely manner; its ability to attract and retain new customers and to increase revenues generated from repeat customers; its expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of its products and services; its ability to integrate newly-acquired businesses and brands; trends and competition in and relevant government policies and regulations relating to China’s beauty market; changes in its revenues and certain cost or expense items; and general economic conditions globally and in China. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company’s filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.
For investor and media inquiries, please contact:
In China:
Yatsen Holding Limited
Investor Relations
E-mail: ir@yatsenglobal.com
Piacente Financial Communications
Hui Fan
Tel: +86-10-6508-0677
E-mail: yatsen@thepiacentegroup.com
In the United States:
Piacente Financial Communications
Brandi Piacente
Tel: +1-212-481-2050
E-mail: yatsen@thepiacentegroup.com
YATSEN HOLDING LIMITED
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(All amounts in thousands, except for share, per share data or otherwise noted)
December 31,
September 30,
September 30,
2023
2024
2024
RMB’000
RMB’000
USD’000
Assets
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents
836,888
503,075
71,688
Restricted Cash
21,248
–
–
Short-term investments
1,218,481
805,851
114,833
Accounts receivable, net
198,851
208,285
29,680
Inventories, net
352,090
438,419
62,474
Prepayments and other current assets
303,841
431,583
61,500
Amounts due from related parties
20,200
7,181
1,023
Total current assets
2,951,599
2,394,394
341,198
Non-current assets
Investments
618,752
628,355
89,540
Property and equipment, net
64,878
72,315
10,305
Goodwill, net
556,567
571,129
81,385
Intangible assets, net
671,396
638,079
90,926
Deferred tax assets
1,375
1,426
203
Right-of-use assets, net
114,348
129,303
18,426
Other non-current assets
27,100
25,728
3,666
Total non-current assets
2,054,416
2,066,335
294,451
Total assets
5,006,015
4,460,729
635,649
Liabilities, redeemable non-controlling interests and
shareholders’ equity
Current liabilities
Accounts payable
105,691
70,781
10,086
Advances from customers
41,579
31,604
4,504
Accrued expenses and other liabilities
391,217
392,448
55,923
Amounts due to related parties
9,431
14,832
2,114
Income tax payables
17,946
19,112
2,723
Lease liabilities due within one year
45,464
47,484
6,766
Total current liabilities
611,328
576,261
82,116
Non-current liabilities
Deferred tax liabilities
111,591
111,972
15,956
Deferred income-non current
30,556
18,401
2,622
Lease liabilities
67,767
83,042
11,833
Total non-current liabilities
209,914
213,415
30,411
Total liabilities
821,242
789,676
112,527
Redeemable non-controlling interests
51,466
49,737
7,087
Shareholders’ equity
Ordinary Shares (US$0.00001 par value; 10,000,000,000 ordinary
shares authorized, comprising of 6,000,000,000 Class A ordinary
shares, 960,852,606 Class B ordinary shares and 3,039,147,394
shares each of such classes to be designated as of December 31,
2023 and September 30, 2024; 2,030,600,883 Class A shares and
666,572,880 Class B ordinary shares issued as of December 31,
2023, 2,096,600,883 Class A shares and 600,572,880 Class B
ordinary shares issued as of September 30, 2024; 1,487,546,132
Class A ordinary shares and 666,572,880 Class B ordinary shares
outstanding as of December 31, 2023, 1,370,591,808 Class A
ordinary shares and 600,572,880 Class B ordinary shares
outstanding as of September 30, 2024)
173
173
25
Treasury shares
(864,568)
(1,066,199)
(151,932)
Additional paid-in capital
12,260,208
12,263,026
1,747,467
Statutory reserve
24,177
24,177
3,445
Accumulated deficit
(7,345,153)
(7,669,093)
(1,092,837)
Accumulated other comprehensive income
60,200
76,710
10,933
Total Yatsen Holding Limited shareholders’ equity
4,135,037
3,628,794
517,101
Non-controlling interests
(1,730)
(7,478)
(1,066)
Total shareholders’ equity
4,133,307
3,621,316
516,035
Total liabilities, redeemable non-controlling interests and
shareholders’ equity
5,006,015
4,460,729
635,649
YATSEN HOLDING LIMITED
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(All amounts in thousands, except for share, per share data or otherwise noted)
For the Three Months Ended September 30,
2023
2024
2024
RMB’000
RMB’000
USD’000
Total net revenues
718,125
677,016
96,474
Total cost of revenues
(205,325)
(163,191)
(23,255)
Gross profit
512,800
513,825
73,219
Operating expenses:
Fulfilment expenses
(56,025)
(50,412)
(7,184)
Selling and marketing expenses
(511,706)
(494,357)
(70,445)
General and administrative expenses
(151,830)
(85,046)
(12,119)
Research and development expenses
(24,739)
(25,338)
(3,611)
Total operating expenses
(744,300)
(655,153)
(93,359)
Loss from operations
(231,500)
(141,328)
(20,140)
Financial income
30,319
7,722
1,100
Foreign currency exchange gain
1,800
12,825
1,828
Loss from equity method investments, net
(6,655)
(6,510)
(928)
Other income, net
8,780
6,239
889
Loss before income tax expenses
(197,256)
(121,052)
(17,251)
Income tax expenses
(654)
(4)
(1)
Net loss
(197,910)
(121,056)
(17,252)
Net loss (income) attributable to non-controlling interests and
redeemable non-controlling interests
1,371
(11)
(2)
Net loss attributable to Yatsen’s shareholders
(196,539)
(121,067)
(17,254)
Shares used in calculating loss per share (1):
Weighted average number of Class A and Class B ordinary shares:
Basic
2,173,360,208
1,986,538,509
1,986,538,509
Diluted
2,173,360,208
1,986,538,509
1,986,538,509
Net loss per Class A and Class B ordinary share
Basic
(0.09)
(0.06)
(0.01)
Diluted
(0.09)
(0.06)
(0.01)
Net loss per ADS (20 ordinary shares equal to 1 ADS) (2)
Basic
(1.81)
(1.22)
(0.17)
Diluted
(1.81)
(1.22)
(0.17)
For the Three Months Ended September 30,
2023
2024
2024
Share-based compensation expenses are included in the
operating expenses as follows:
RMB’000
RMB’000
USD’000
Fulfilment expenses
767
252
36
Selling and marketing expenses
9,485
2,289
326
General and administrative expenses
42,635
23,743
3,383
Research and development expenses
24
763
109
Total
52,911
27,047
3,854
(1) Authorized share capital is re-classified and re-designated into Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares, with each
Class A ordinary share being entitled to one vote and each Class B ordinary share being entitled to twenty votes on all matters
that are subject to shareholder vote.
(2) Effective from March 18, 2024, the Company changed its ADS to Class A Ordinary Share ratio from one ADS representing
four ordinary shares to one ADS representing twenty ordinary shares. The historical and present income (loss) per ADS have
been adjusted retroactively for all periods presented to reflect this change.
YATSEN HOLDING LIMITED
UNAUDITED RECONCILIATIONS OF GAAP AND NON-GAAP RESULTS
(All amounts in thousands, except for share, per share data or otherwise noted)
For the Three Months Ended September 30,
2023
2024
2024
RMB’000
RMB’000
USD’000
Loss from operations
(231,500)
(141,328)
(20,140)
Share-based compensation expenses
52,911
27,047
3,854
Amortization of intangible assets resulting from assets and
business acquisitions
13,956
15,779
2,248
Non-GAAP loss from operations
(164,633)
(98,502)
(14,038)
Net loss
(197,910)
(121,056)
(17,252)
Share-based compensation expenses
52,911
27,047
3,854
Amortization of intangible assets resulting from assets and
business acquisitions
13,956
15,779
2,248
Revaluation of investments on the share of equity method
investments
3,227
3,266
465
Tax effects on non-GAAP adjustments
(2,430)
(1,586)
(226)
Non-GAAP net loss
(130,246)
(76,550)
(10,911)
Net loss attributable to Yatsen’s shareholders
(196,539)
(121,067)
(17,254)
Share-based compensation expenses
52,911
27,047
3,854
Amortization of intangible assets resulting from assets and
business acquisitions
13,701
15,385
2,192
Revaluation of investments on the share of equity method
investments
3,227
3,266
465
Tax effects on non-GAAP adjustments
(2,430)
(1,559)
(222)
Non-GAAP net loss attributable to Yatsen’s shareholders
(129,130)
(76,928)
(10,965)
Shares used in calculating loss per share:
Weighted average number of Class A and Class B ordinary shares:
Basic
2,173,360,208
1,986,538,509
1,986,538,509
Diluted
2,173,360,208
1,986,538,509
1,986,538,509
Non-GAAP net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders per
Class A and Class B ordinary share
Basic
(0.06)
(0.04)
(0.01)
Diluted
(0.06)
(0.04)
(0.01)
Non-GAAP net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders per
ADS (20 ordinary shares equal to 1 ADS) (1)
Basic
(1.19)
(0.77)
(0.11)
Diluted
(1.19)
(0.77)
(0.11)
(1) Effective from March 18, 2024, the Company changed its ADS to Class A Ordinary Share ratio from one ADS representing
four ordinary shares to one ADS representing twenty ordinary shares. The historical and present income (loss) per ADS have
been adjusted retroactively for all periods presented to reflect this change.
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/yatsen-announces-third-quarter-2024-financial-results-302311003.html
SOURCE Yatsen Holding Limited
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Through this collaboration, Hilco Global will work alongside SLH and former EVP of Marvel Entertainment Shirrel Rhoades to find a new home for a body of largely underleveraged super hero and other characters, as well as world-building intellectual property. Numerous supporting scripts, episodes, and development materials spanning Stan Lee’s career are also part of the offering.
“The Omniverse Collection created by Stan Lee is one of the most significant super hero IP offerings of the decade,” said Eric Hurwitz, Senior Director of the Hilco Global IP Services practice. “This large, diverse portfolio presents the opportunity to capitalize on untapped material with an unmatched pedigree. A buyer essentially has a blank slate to bring these characters to fans worldwide and expand on Stan Lee’s legacy. Hilco Global is thrilled to bring these assets to market, leveraging deep experience across intellectual property and media valuation, licensing, and transaction execution.”
Among the intellectual property being offered is a hidden gem; a connected entertainment universe of Stan Lee’s own creation. “This one-of-a-kind IP collection illustrates just how far ahead Stan was in understanding the future of entertainment,” observed Shirrel Rhoades, who was handpicked by Stan Lee to succeed him as publisher of Marvel. “What we’re bringing to market isn’t a collection of isolated ideas. It’s pieces of one larger vision, a living digital universe in which characters can be created, experienced, and expanded across every form of media.”
Parties can reach out to Ehurwitz@hilcoglobal.com to register interest. More information about the offering, the individual properties within the collection, and the sale process will become available soon.
About Hilco Global: Hilco Global, a subsidiary of ORIX Corporation USA, is a diversified financial services company that delivers integrated professional services and capital solutions that help clients maximize value and drive performance across the retail, commercial and industrial, real estate, manufacturing, and intellectual property sectors. Hilco Global provides a range of customized solutions to healthy, stressed, and distressed companies to resolve complex situations and enhance long-term enterprise value. Hilco Global works to deliver the best possible result by aligning interests with clients and providing strategic advice and, in many instances, the capital required to transact. Hilco Global is based in Northbrook, Illinois and has more than 810 professionals operating on four continents. Visit www.hilcoglobal.com
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SOURCE Hilco Trading, LLC
Technology
GR0 to Acquire Ultimate AI’s Deployment Division and Launch GR0 AI, Turning Brands’ Existing Customer Data Into Revenue
Published
20 minutes agoon
July 24, 2026By
The new company pairs GR0’s performance marketing distribution with Ultimate Deployment’s AI agents and customer intelligence to build AI revenue systems for DTC and ecommerce brands; in one early deployment, AI-led customer conversations were associated with more than $350,000 in sales.
LOS ANGELES, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — GR0, the Los Angeles-based digital marketing agency, today announced plans to acquire Ultimate Deployment and launch GR0 AI, a new company that builds and deploys AI revenue systems for direct-to-consumer (DTC) and ecommerce brands. GR0 AI combines GR0’s performance marketing expertise, client relationships and sales infrastructure with Ultimate Deployment’s technology and experience deploying AI agents inside operating businesses.
“AI is creating an entirely new performance channel for brands,” said Jon Zacharias, co-founder and president of GR0. “Most companies already have the traffic, customer data and demand. What they’re missing is an intelligent system that knows who to contact, what to say and when to say it. GR0 AI turns the customer signals brands already own into personalized conversations and measurable revenue.”
The approach is already producing results. In one early deployment, AI-led customer conversations were associated with more than $350,000 in sales during a period in which the brand generated approximately $1 million in total revenue. GR0 AI deployments include attribution and incrementality reporting so brands can measure both assisted and directly generated revenue.
GR0 AI deploys inside a brand’s existing commerce, CRM, email, SMS, phone and customer-data infrastructure. Its systems:
Identify and prioritize high-intent customers and prospects Personalize outreach and follow-up based on customer behavior and company data Conduct two-way conversations across messaging channels, recovering revenue from abandoned carts, dormant customers and unconverted leads Escalate complex or high-value opportunities to human sales and support teams Measure the revenue associated with AI-driven interactions
“Most brands do not have a demand problem. They already have thousands of customers and prospects sitting inside their systems,” said Ben Ganz, founder of Ultimate Deployment. “We build the company brain, unify the data and deploy AI employees that act on that intelligence. The opportunity falls into two buckets: recover the demand a brand has already earned, and make sure no new opportunity slips through the cracks. GR0 gives us the distribution, market access and operating experience to bring this to hundreds of brands.”
Ganz has spent his career at the intersection of entertainment and technology. He began as a producer on American Idol before moving into digital leadership at Fox, then founded VEGO Pictures, a digital production and technology company that worked with major entertainment and consumer brands and served as in-house production partner to Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Network. He also co-founded a virtual events company that produced digital graduation experiences for hundreds of thousands of students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
From there, Ganz and his team moved to the frontier of consumer AI, creating what FOX News called Hollywood’s first AI interactive voice experience. They powered AI personalities for creators with a combined audience of 100 million followers and engineered the world’s first AI assembly line for replicating personalities at scale, work the Hollywood Reporter recognized as the “Real-life Her.” Ultimate Deployment then turned that conversational AI expertise toward the enterprise, building systems that connect company knowledge, customer data, and operational software with AI agents capable of performing real, meaningful business work.
“Ben and his team have built something with the potential to become a major new revenue channel for ecommerce companies,” Zacharias said. “We have seen very few offerings create this level of excitement among sophisticated performance marketers.”
Every GR0 AI engagement begins with an intensive discovery and implementation process: the team interviews key employees, maps the company’s systems and builds a centralized intelligence layer around the business. Lead scoring and prioritization are connected to the brand’s CRM before customer-facing AI agents go live.
“The technical opportunity is clear, and our job is to make it just as clear commercially,” said Kevin Miller, founder and CEO of GR0. “A brand that works with GR0 AI will know exactly what is being installed, how quickly it goes live and what revenue it is producing.”
The acquisition is expected to close this quarter, subject to completion of definitive agreements. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Brands interested in early GR0 AI deployments can learn more at www.gr0.com.
About GR0
GR0 is a full-service digital marketing agency that helps DTC and ecommerce brands accelerate growth through data-driven performance marketing, creative strategy and emerging technology. Co-founded by Kevin Miller and Jon Zacharias, GR0 provides services across SEO, Generative Engine Optimization, paid media, email, SMS, creative, affiliate and marketplace growth, and was among the first agencies to build a dedicated GEO practice, which is recognized by VentureBeat as one of America’s premier Generative Engine Optimization agencies. GR0 is headquartered in Los Angeles. Learn more at GR0.com.
About Ultimate Deployment
Ultimate Deployment builds AI employees for growing companies. Founded by Ben Ganz, the company captures how a business operates, organizes its institutional knowledge, connects its systems and deploys AI agents that perform real operational work across sales, customer experience, marketing, finance and internal teams.
Before its enterprise focus, Ultimate Deployment’s team built consumer AI at entertainment scale, creating Hollywood’s first interactive voice experience, powering AI personalities for creators with a combined audience of 100 million followers and engineering the world’s first AI assembly line for replicating personalities’ work featured by Fox News and recognized by The Hollywood Reporter as the real-life Her.
About Ultimate AI
Ultimate AI, founded by Ben Ganz, is a holding company building AI across consumer and enterprise. It launched during the first wave of consumer generative AI as an early AI super app, bringing more than 100 AI tools and assistants into a single consumer platform that peaked within the top 10 of its Apple App Store category, according to company data. The company then expanded into creator AI, developing technology that lets public figures build interactive AI experiences around their personality, voice, knowledge and content. In 2024, Ultimate AI created Pookie Tools (widely known as the Hawk Tuah AI app), whose launch generated more than 400 million organic social media views and more than 10,000 downloads in its first seven days with no paid marketing, according to company data. It went on to develop real-time voice and personality products, including an experience Fox News described as Hollywood’s first real-time AI experience.
Ultimate Deployment, the enterprise arm that GR0 is acquiring, formed in March 2026 following the release of frontier agentic models from Anthropic and OpenAI, and applies that technology inside operating companies. It builds AI employees that capture how a business operates, unify its data and systems, and perform real operational work across sales, customer experience, marketing, finance and internal teams.
Company: GR0
Media Contact Name: GR0 Agency
Media Contact Email: press@gr0.com
Phone: +1 (310) 439-1887
Address: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Website: https://gr0.com/
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SOURCE GR0.com LLC
Technology
Tech Mahindra and Cisco Partner to Bring AI-Driven Security Service Edge to Global Enterprises
Published
20 minutes agoon
July 24, 2026By
PUNE, India, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Tech Mahindra (NSE: TECHM), a leading global provider of technology consulting and digital solutions to enterprises across industries, announced a partnership with Cisco to deliver an AI-driven Security Service Edge (SSE) offering for global enterprises. The joint offering will help enterprises reduce security complexity, improve visibility and control, deliver seamless user access, and strengthen resilience as they scale cloud, hybrid work, and AI adoption.
The partnership combines Tech Mahindra’s global managed services, integration, and delivery expertise with Cisco’s industry-leading Security Service Edge (SSE) platform (Cisco Secure Access) to provide unified, cloud-native security and seamless zero-trust access across users, devices, networks, and locations. For Tech Mahindra, the partnership strengthens its cybersecurity portfolio with differentiated, high-value managed security services, expands its addressable market, and accelerates pipeline growth in cloud security.
Saket Singh, SVP & Business Head – Digital Core Services (Cloud, Infrastructure, Network and Cyber Security Services), Tech Mahindra, said, “As enterprises increasingly operate in hybrid and distributed environments, security must evolve from siloed controls to unified, cloud-native platforms. Fragmented tools, inconsistent user experiences, and rising threats are creating visibility and control gaps as applications are accessed from anywhere. Through our partnership with Cisco, we are combining advanced SSE capabilities with Tech Mahindra’s managed services expertise to simplify operations, strengthen zero-trust enforcement, and deliver consistent, AI-powered protection at scale.”
By integrating a secure web gateway, cloud access security broker (CASB), zero trust network access (ZTNA), firewall-as-a-service, data loss prevention (DLP), and much more into a single platform, the offering simplifies security operations and delivers AI-powered protection. Enterprises benefit from end-to-end visibility, faster deployment, and a streamlined path to modernizing their security architecture while accelerating secure cloud adoption and cyber resilience. Additionally, as enterprises inevitably step into the agentic era, this solution provides robust and rapidly expanding protections for the use of generative AI and AI agents.
Raj Chopra, SVP & Chief Product Officer, Cisco Security Business Group, said, “Enterprises don’t need another tool to stitch into an already complex security stack. They need a simpler way to secure how work actually happens across users, devices, applications, clouds, and increasingly AI agents. Cisco Secure Access brings zero trust, identity context, and AI-powered protection into one cloud-delivered platform, helping teams enforce policy consistently while giving users seamless access from anywhere. Together with Tech Mahindra’s global managed services and integration expertise, we can help organizations modernize security operations, accelerate secure cloud and AI adoption, and move with confidence in the agentic era.”
The integrated SSE solution reinforces Tech Mahindra and Cisco’s leadership in unified cloud-security, helping enterprises simplify secure access, strengthen resilience and accelerate digital transformation in an increasingly distributed and AI-driven world.
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tech-mahindra-and-cisco-partner-to-bring-ai-driven-security-service-edge-to-global-enterprises-302834077.html
SOURCE Tech Mahindra
Hilco Global Engaged by Stan Lee Holdings to Sell Rare & Valuable Intellectual Property Portfolio
GR0 to Acquire Ultimate AI’s Deployment Division and Launch GR0 AI, Turning Brands’ Existing Customer Data Into Revenue
Tech Mahindra and Cisco Partner to Bring AI-Driven Security Service Edge to Global Enterprises
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