Technology

Poshmark Announces Partnership with Loop to Transform Missed Returns into Resale Opportunities

Published

1 year ago

January 8, 2025

The leading fashion resale marketplace empowers consumers to turn non-returnable items into cash, doubling down on commitment to sustainability amid stricter return policies

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. and COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Poshmark, a leading fashion resale marketplace powered by a vibrant community, together with Loop, the leading commerce operations platform for Shopify brands, today announced a first-of-its-kind partnership that addresses a common consumer pain point — missing a return window or attempting to return a final sale item — by offering a sustainable and financially rewarding alternative to recoup expenses. Available to the millions of U.S. shoppers across Loop’s network of merchants, this partnership creates a path for consumers to quickly and easily resell non-returnable items on Poshmark, transforming a negative returns experience into a positive one while in turn creating new revenue streams for the merchants. This innovative resale integration is a first for Loop’s merchants, marking a significant step forward in the fashion industry’s efforts to reduce waste and promote sustainability.

Retailers are grappling with the rising costs and environmental impact of returns, where many have tightened their return policies to mitigate these costs. During the holiday shopping period from November 1 – December 24, online spending grew 6.7% (Mastercard), and the total value of returns between December 26-30 increased 8% year-over-year (Loop). What’s more, during those five days alone, there was over $67.6 million of merchandise returned to Loop brands, and listings on Poshmark with “missed return” in the description grew nearly 50%. This surge in activity has amplified the challenges both retailers and consumers face, but has also presented a unique opportunity for innovation to minimize frustration and unnecessary waste.

“At Poshmark, we believe shopping and selling should be simple, social, and sustainable,” said Steven Tristan Young, Chief Marketing Officer at Poshmark. “After observing an increase in Poshmark listings mentioning missing the return window, we saw an opportunity to create a sustainable solution. Partnering with a market-leader like Loop allows us to offer resale as an alternative, creating a more convenient experience for both buyers and sellers, putting money back in their wallets, and keeping more items in circulation.”

This partnership is another example of how Poshmark is simplifying the resale experience by pioneering new tools to help its community succeed, and comes on the heels of its sellers collectively earning over $8 billion on the platform to date. What’s more, this partnership unlocks additional desirable inventory for Poshmark’s community to shop from Loop merchants, including Rothy’s, one of the most beloved brands on Poshmark.

“In partnership with Loop and Poshmark, we are redefining sustainable shopping,” said Dayna Quanbeck, President at Rothy’s. “Washable and remarkably durable, Rothy’s products are designed to stay in the loop as long as possible. Now with our Poshmark x Loop integration, we’re taking a step toward a truly circular fashion economy. By transforming non-returnable items into resale opportunities with just one click, we’re empowering our customers to reduce waste and extend the life of their Rothy’s. We’re proud to be at the forefront of offering practical, sustainable solutions for today’s shoppers.”

Loop’s U.S. merchants interested in enabling this experience for their consumers can do so with a simple click of a button in their Loop account. Once enabled, consumers who are initiating a return through their returns portal will see a “Resell on Poshmark” button next to any items that are not eligible for return. One click produces a complete, pre-filled listing on Poshmark with item details — a strong improvement from the previous experience, where the customer simply faced a dead-end.

“Loop’s collaboration with Poshmark exemplifies the future of returns, where ease of use meets sustainability,” said Hannah Bravo, CEO of Loop. “Together, we’re helping brands and consumers embrace resale as a simple, single-click experience, supporting a thriving circular economy while driving meaningful engagement and value for all.”

About Poshmark
Poshmark is a leading fashion resale marketplace powered by a vibrant, highly engaged community of buyers and sellers and real-time social experiences. Designed to make online selling fun, more social and easier than ever, Poshmark empowers its sellers to turn their closet into a thriving business and share their style with the world. Since its founding in 2011, Poshmark has grown its community to over 130 million users and generated over $10 billion in GMV, helping sellers realize billions in earnings, delighting buyers with deals and one-of-a-kind items, and building a more sustainable future for fashion. For more information, please visit www.poshmark.com, and for company news, visit newsroom.poshmark.com.

About Loop
Loop is the leading commerce operations platform optimizing returns, exchanges, and reverse logistics at scale for more than 4,000 of the world’s most-loved Shopify brands. Through innovative solutions like Workflows, Instant Exchanges, Shop Now, Bonus Credit, and Offset, Loop helps global brands unlock cost savings, increase customer lifetime value, and retain more revenue. Its enterprise-level service delivery and breadth of integration partners make Loop the most agile and resilient returns solution for any retail brand. Loop has processed over 55 million returns and counting and has helped merchants retain more than $2 billion in revenue over the past five years. Learn more at www.loopreturns.com.

Media Contacts
Poshmark: pr@poshmark.com
Loop: loop@walkersands.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/poshmark-announces-partnership-with-loop-to-transform-missed-returns-into-resale-opportunities-302344744.html

SOURCE Poshmark, Inc.

Technology

Zifo Transforms Ontology Engineering with AI-Powered Intelligent Automation

Published

2 hours ago

April 30, 2026

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.com; https://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

Technology

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

Published

2 hours ago

April 30, 2026

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

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/unc-chapel-hill-establishes-carolina-in-the-capital-with-new-washington-dc-office-302758250.html

SOURCE University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Office of Communications

Technology

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

Published

2 hours ago

April 30, 2026

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