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Christopher Merrill, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Harrison Street, to Receive Prestigious 2025 Horatio Alger Award

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 Horatio Alger Association names 12 outstanding individuals, each of whom has overcome adversity to achieve professional and personal success, to its Member Class of 2025

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc., a nonprofit educational organization that honors the achievements of outstanding leaders who have overcome adversity and supports promising young people to pursue their American Dream through higher education and technical scholarships, today announced that Christopher Merrill, co-founder, chairman, and CEO, Harrison Streethas been selected for membership in this prestigious organization. Mr. Merrill joins 11 other exceptional corporate, civic and cultural leaders from across the country in receiving 2025 honors. For the last 78 years, the Horatio Alger Award has been annually bestowed upon esteemed individuals who have succeeded despite facing significant challenges, and who have remained committed to higher education and charitable efforts in their communities and beyond. 

Christopher Merrill was born in Okinawa, Japan in 1971 while his father was in the military. Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, he was fortunate to enjoy a peaceful childhood. However, his teenage years brought challenges, with financial struggles and his mother’s ongoing health issues quietly shaping a more difficult path forward. While earning a BA from Roanoke College in 1993, Mr. Merrill began as an intern at a Chicago-based real estate investment firm. An innovator from the start, he developed the firm’s European strategy, becoming one of the early pioneers in the Central European real estate markets during the late 1990s, all while completing an MBA at night at the City University of London. 

In 2005, Mr. Merrill co-founded Harrison Street, a global real assets investment management firm. Harrison Street is renowned for its focus on investments in education, healthcare, life sciences, storage, digital and renewable energy sectors. With over 300 employees and offices around the globe, the firm is recognized as a global leader and consistently celebrated as a top workplace by Pensions & Investments magazine. Under Mr. Merrill’s leadership, Harrison Street has become a leading investment management firm with $56 billion in assets under management. 

“It is an honor to join the prestigious network of Members who comprise the Horatio Alger Association,” said Mr. Merrill. “I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to support the growth and development of tomorrow’s leaders. My hope is to inspire Scholars to never give up and to remind them of the boundless possibilities available to them through our free enterprise system.”

Dedicated to giving back, Mr. Merrill supports the Horatio Alger Association’s mission through internships and scholarships, with his commitment to education and community reflecting his belief in creating opportunities for others. Mr. Merrill and his wife, Peyton, are passionate about serving the Chicago community and are highly involved in Harrison Street’s outreach efforts that have supported local organizations such as the First Tee, Rush Hospital, PanCan and more. Mr. Merrill proudly serves on the Board of Trustees of Roanoke College, his alma mater, as well as Salisbury School.

“Discipline, resilience and humility are all traits that define Chris,” said Byron D. Trott, chairman and co-chief executive officer, BDT & MSD Partners and 2011 Horatio Alger Award recipient. “For many years, I have witnessed his entrepreneurial mindset that has led him to achieve great success with Harrison Street. Not only is Chris dedicated to his business, but he is also committed to uplifting communities in Chicago. Without a doubt, I am certain he will inspire future generations of leaders through the Horatio Alger Association.”

The Horatio Alger Association was established in 1947 and today is dedicated to promoting and ensuring the American Dream for future generations. Through its Members, the Association aims to teach young people about the limitless possibilities available through the American free-enterprise system. Since 1984, the Association has awarded annual need-based scholarships to high school students who have overcome significant obstacles and showcase a commitment to continuing their education and making a unique contribution to society. The scholarships are possible because of the generosity of Association Members, who have collectively provided more than $265 million to 37,000 students over the past 40 years.

Mr. Merrill and the Member Class of 2025 will be formally inducted into the Association during the 78th Horatio Alger Award Induction Ceremonies in Washington, D.C. from April 3-5, 2025. The annual three-day event honors the achievements of both Members and National Scholars, who will have the unique opportunity to meet, interact and exchange stories of perseverance throughout the multi-day celebration.

For more information about Horatio Alger Association and its Member Class of 2025, please visit www.horatioalger.org and follow the organization on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and X.

About Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans:
Founded in 1947, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc. is dedicated to the simple but powerful belief that hard work, honesty and determination can conquer all obstacles. The Association honors the achievements of outstanding leaders who have accomplished remarkable successes in spite of adversity by bestowing upon them the Horatio Alger Award and inducting them as lifetime Members. Horatio Alger Members support promising young people with the resources and confidence needed to overcome adversity in pursuit of their dreams through higher education. Through the generosity of its Members and friends, in 2025, the Association has budgeted to award more than $17.4 million in undergraduate and graduate need-based scholarships to students across the United States and Canada, and continues to provide comprehensive academic, personal, and professional support services to its Scholars. Over the past 40 years, more than $265 million has been awarded in undergraduate, graduate, military veteran and career and technical education scholarships to more than 37,000 deserving students. For more information, please visit www.horatioalger.org.

CONTACT:
McKenna Young
myoung@briancom.com

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SOURCE Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc.

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Corgi Insurance Announces Artist Residency to Support Local Creatives at Corgi Cafe

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SAN FRANCISCO, July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Corgi Insurance has announced the launch of its Artist Residency Program, a new initiative designed to support artists, illustrators, writers, photographers, filmmakers, and creators working at the intersection of technology and culture.

The residency will be based at Corgi Cafe, the company’s 24/7 community space in San Francisco built for founders, engineers, investors, and operators. Since opening, the cafe has become a home for hackathons, demo days, founder dinners, product launches, and late-night building sessions. With the residency, Corgi is expanding that community to include the creatives documenting, interpreting, and shaping this moment in technology.

Residents will receive workspace at the cafe’s central warehouse in San Francisco, featuring 30-foot ceilings, creative tools and materials, access to Corgi’s network of founders and builders, and opportunities to showcase their work through exhibitions, talks, installations, publications, and community events. The program gives artists proximity to the people and ideas driving technological change while bringing creative perspectives and storytelling into the startup ecosystem.

The launch reflects Corgi’s belief that the next generation of iconic technology companies will be built not only by engineers and operators, but also by writers, designers, filmmakers, and artists capable of translating complex ideas into culture.

“I fell in love with art and culture while working in crypto and digital art. Seeing creators flourish around community and new technology shaped me deeply, and that vision now lives on through Corgi Cafe,” said Trevor Owens, Head of Cafe at Corgi. “Some of the most important movements in digital art emerged not from institutions, but from people gathering in shared spaces, experimenting together, and supporting one another’s work. We want to bring that same ethos to Corgi Cafe. San Francisco has an incredible community of local artists, and the Artist Residency is our way of investing in the people documenting, interpreting, and shaping this moment in technology and culture.”

The Artist Residency is an effort to make Corgi Cafe a place not only where companies are built, but where culture around technology is created. Applications for the inaugural Corgi Artist Residency are now open. Local artists interested in joining San Francisco’s builder community and creating work alongside founders, engineers, and operators can apply today. The residency will launch in San Francisco before expanding to additional Corgi Cafe locations across the country. Apply here: corgicafe.com/residency

About Corgi

Corgi Insurance is the first AI-native insurance company. Backed by decades of insurance expertise, Corgi has raised $374 million since its founding, most recently at a $2.6B valuation.

Media Contact: Erika Lee, erika@corgi.com 

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Infobip research reveals APAC businesses scaling AI-powered defenses to counter surge in automated fraud

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Fraudsters are leveraging AI to automate and personalize attacks, but enterprises are fighting back

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — New research from global AI-first cloud communications platform Infobip reveals a growing surge in AI-powered fraud and enterprise defenses. Analyzing billions of interactions globally, Infobip’s 2026 Fraud & Security Report highlights a year of dramatic contrasts. There have been record volumes of blocked fraudulent traffic alongside the rapid scaling of intelligent, AI-powered defenses.

The report reveals that while fraudsters are using AI to scale and personalize harmful messaging, leading to a 77% increase in detected threats, businesses are responding in kind. Adoption of AI-powered fraud detection grew by 71% year-on-year, while pattern-based detection increased by 105%, underscoring a shift toward adaptive security.

Matija Ražem, Chief Commercial Telecom Officer at Infobip, said: “Fraudsters are using AI to automate and scale campaigns faster than ever, but AI-powered protection is evolving just as fast. The significant growth in AI-driven detection proves that leading organizations are no longer treating security as an afterthought, they are building it directly into their communication infrastructure.”

The report also highlights distinct fraud trends emerging across the Asia Pacific region.

Across APAC, enterprises are navigating an increasingly complex fraud environment as digital engagement and mobile-first banking continue to accelerate. At the network level, APAC is among the most technologically advanced regions based on Infobip data. Operator firewalls are highly automated, while mature AI-powered detection models can identify and block most threats without human intervention.

At the enterprise level, however, OTP-based fraud remains a significant challenge in several key markets. Certain territories continue to record elevated suspicious authentication rates, indicating structural fraud patterns rather than isolated campaigns.

Regulatory scrutiny is also intensifying across the region. In countries such as the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and India, regulators have introduced stronger authentication requirements, reflecting a broader regional shift toward treating SMS OTP vulnerabilities as both a security and compliance priority.

This growing focus on fraud prevention is driving stronger enterprise action across APAC. For example, PLDT Enterprise strengthened security across Smart’s network after deploying Infobip’s SMS and Voice Firewall. The deployment helped reduce spam, smishing, and fraudulent SMS traffic, blocking more than 1.3 billion spam and fraud attempts while improving SMS delivery and overall network security.

“In APAC’s rapidly growing digital economy, trust is emerging as a key competitive advantage, and businesses need to make Network APIs a core part of their fraud prevention and authentication strategy. Companies should consider leveraging Network APIs’ capabilities such as Number Verify, SIM Swap detection, KYC Match, and Device Location Verification to better stay ahead of evolving threats while delivering seamless customer experiences. By taking this a step further and orchestrating these capabilities through a CPaaS platform, businesses can create a centralized, resilient security framework that helps reduce fraud without disrupting the user experience,” commented Goran Valjak, Director of Telecom Growth and Strategy Asia at Infobip.

Download the full Fraud & Security Trends 2026 report to find out more insights: https://bit.ly/3R2W9pl.

About Infobip

Infobip is a global cloud communications platform that enables businesses to build connected experiences across all stages of the customer journey, with AI as the driving force of innovation. Through a single, natively built platform, Infobip delivers omnichannel engagement, identity, user authentication and contact centre solutions that help businesses and partners overcome the complexity of consumer communications while driving growth and increasing customer loyalty. Infobip is focused on enabling and accelerating AI adoption as it continues its transformation into an AI-first company. Infobip’s technology has the capacity to reach over seven billion mobile devices in 6 continents connected to 10k+ connections of which 800+ are direct operator connections. The company was established in 2006 and is led by its co-founders, CEO Silvio Kutić and CTO Izabel Jelenić.

Recent award wins include:

Infobip ranked #16 in Fortune’s Europe’s Most Innovative Companies 2026 (June 2026), up from its inaugural #68 ranking in 2025.Infobip named a Leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) for the fourth consecutive year. Positioned furthest for Completeness of Vision for the second time (May 2026)Infobip named the number one Established Leader in the Juniper Research RCS for Business 2026 Leaderboard (Feb 2026) Infobip recognized as a growth and innovation leader in Frost Radar™: Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) by Frost & Sullivan (Oct 2025)Infobip ranked as the number one Established Leader in the Juniper Research Mobile Messaging Fraud Prevention Market report (Sept 2025)Infobip ranked as a Leader in the Omdia CPaaS Universe Report for the third time (April 2025)Infobip ranked an Established Leader in the Juniper Research Conversational AI Leaderboard (Feb 2025)Infobip named a CPaaS Leader for the third time in the IDC MarketScape (Feb 2025)Infobip named one of the top CPaaS providers in Metrigy’s CPaaS MetriRank Report (Dec 2024) Infobip recognized as the number one provider in the AIT Fraud Prevention market by Juniper Research (Oct 2024)

 

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SOURCE Infobip

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Brown Health Medical Group-MA Data Breach Alert: Edelson Lechtzin LLP Investigates Class Action Claims

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National data breach law firm offering free case evaluations to individuals whose Social Security numbers, financial account information, government-issued IDs, and health records may have been exposed in the Brown Health Medical Group-MA data breach.

NEWTOWN, Pa., July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Edelson Lechtzin LLP, a national class action law firm, is investigating data privacy claims arising from the Brown Health Medical Group-MA data breach, a cybersecurity incident that exposed the sensitive personal, financial, and health information of hundreds of thousands of patients. Lifespan Physician Group of Massachusetts, Inc., which does business as Brown Health Medical Group-MA, reported the breach to the Vermont Attorney General’s Office on July 16, 2026.

What Happened

According to a report filed with the Vermont Attorney General’s Office on July 16, 2026, Lifespan Physician Group of Massachusetts, Inc., doing business as Brown Health Medical Group-MA, experienced a data breach that may have exposed sensitive personal, financial, and health information entrusted to it by its patients. The incident affected at least 290,357 residents of Massachusetts and 86 residents of Vermont. Brown Health Medical Group-MA has not publicly disclosed the total number of individuals affected across all states.

Information Exposed

The Brown Health Medical Group-MA data breach may have compromised a broad range of sensitive personal, financial, and health information. According to the notice filed with the Vermont Attorney General, the exposed data may include Social Security numbers, financial account codes, credit and debit account information, government-issued identification numbers, driver’s license numbers, and health and medical records.

Who May Be Impacted

Individuals who are notified that their information was involved in the Brown Health Medical Group-MA data breach — including patients of Brown Health Medical Group-MA and its affiliated physician practices — may face an increased risk of identity theft, financial fraud, and medical identity theft.

Your Legal Options

Edelson Lechtzin LLP is investigating a potential class action to pursue legal remedies on behalf of individuals whose sensitive personal, financial, and health information may have been compromised in the Brown Health Medical Group-MA data breach. Through such an action, affected individuals may be able to recover compensation for loss of privacy, time spent responding to the breach, out-of-pocket costs, and other harms. The firm will evaluate your rights and potential claims at no cost.

Contact Us for a Free Case Evaluation

Speak confidentially with a data privacy attorney today: Marc Edelson, Esq., Edelson Lechtzin LLP, 411 S. State Street, Suite N-300, Newtown, PA 18940; Phone: 844-696-7492 ext. 2; Email: medelson@edelson-law.com; Web: www.edelson-law.com. Or click HERE to request a free consultation.

Recommended Protective Steps

Review your account statements, credit reports, and any explanation-of-benefits statements from your health insurer regularly, and remain vigilant for suspicious activity. If Brown Health Medical Group-MA offered you complimentary credit monitoring or identity protection services, consider enrolling before any deadline stated in your notice. Confirm whether your information was involved in the incident and preserve any letters or emails you received about the breach. Consider placing fraud alerts or a security freeze on your credit, and consider requesting an IRS Identity Protection PIN to guard against tax-related fraud.

About Edelson Lechtzin LLP

Edelson Lechtzin LLP is a national class action law firm with offices in Pennsylvania and California. In addition to data breach litigation, the firm handles class and collective actions involving securities and investment fraud, federal antitrust violations, ERISA employee benefit plans, wage theft, and consumer fraud

Media and Partnership Inquiries: Use the contact information above to connect with our team regarding interviews, co-counsel opportunities, and referral partnerships.

Legal Notice: This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions.

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SOURCE Edelson Lechtzin LLP

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