Technology

BETTER ANGELS AND IMAGINE LA LAUNCH LA DISASTER RELIEF NAVIGATOR

Published

1 year ago

February 6, 2025

First-of-its-kind online tool is part of comprehensive set of initiatives designed to provide immediate support to victims of the fires

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Better Angels, whose mission is to solve the homelessness epidemic in Los Angeles by harnessing the power of the LA community, and Imagine LA, whose mission is to end family homelessness and generational poverty, have created and launched the LA Disaster Relief Navigator. The online tool helps Angelenos impacted by the wildfires effectively navigate the many resources potentially available to them. The solution was developed in collaboration with the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles, the Office of Mayor Bass, the Annenberg Foundation, the R&S Kayne Foundation, NavaLabs and the Red Cross.

The Navigator is designed to help people access every aspect of fire relief, including applying for federal, state and local government assistance; making insurance claims; temporary and permanent housing solutions; income loss mitigation; and other critical services. The solution provides victims with a personalized recovery action plan based on their specific situation, making the recovery process immediately actionable and putting the community on a path to recovery. For those in severe economic hardship, the Navigator connects people needing additional help with case management personnel.

“We have mobilized our entire organization to develop and deliver wildfire relief, providing information, funding and resources for Angelenos impacted by this tragedy,” said Adam Miller, Co-Founder & CEO of Better Angels. “We are particularly concerned about individuals and families who were already vulnerable prior to the disaster, and we want to ensure that they are properly supported in the recovery process.”

“People who have lost their home or their income because of the wildfires are not only in shock, they are paralyzed by information overload,” said Jill Bauman, Founder & CEO of Imagine LA, the creators of the Benefit Navigator. “This solution is human-centered and gives them a clear, actionable plan.”

The LA Disaster Relief Navigator is one of a series of initiatives by Better Angels to support victims of the fires. Better Angels is leveraging its team and resources, while working with key partners, to help those who have been left homeless, jobless, or both as a result of the wildfires. The recovery initiatives include:

Emergency Assistance Fund: Six days after the fires began, Better Angels launched an Emergency Assistance Fund (EAF) to support economically vulnerable families impacted by the fires. For these low-income families, the fires have created a uniquely precarious situation, one which has the potential to plunge many of them into homelessness. The money provides immediate relief around critical items such as food, clothing, transportation and medicine. Applications are reviewed daily, then verified by the Better Angels team, and following an underwriting process, awards are directly deposited into individuals’ accounts daily. Better Angels received a significant grant from the LA Tech Community Cares Fund to expand the EAF program. Individuals and families can apply here: https://www.betterangels.la/emergency-assistance-fund.

Resource Days: Leveraging Better Angels’ existing Resource Day program, these events throughout LA County provide anyone who is unhoused and in crisis with food, water, hygiene supplies, mental health and medical services, housing navigation services, and other essentials. The Better Angels Services Team hosted a Resource Day in Encino while under an evacuation warning, co-hosted an event at Whittier Narrows a few days after it was evacuated for local fires, and partnered with LA Mission to host a services event near Altadena last week. Better Angels will be hosting many more of these events in the coming weeks and months at locations throughout LA County, including some of the areas most impacted by the wildfires.

HireMy: In addition to thousands of people who lost their homes, many of the most economically vulnerable Angelenos who were domestic workers in those homes are now unemployed. Better Angels has launched a referral network called HireMy to match experienced housekeepers, nannies, landscapers and other domestic workers who lost their jobs with those who need services.

Donation Center: In partnership with social influencer Kiley Coleman and girltalk, Better Angels is supporting the girltalk Donation Center, which provides long-term support to individuals and families who’ve lost everything. The Donation Center has created a retail-like experience for people who have lost their homes from the fires, providing clothes, shoes, food, home goods and other essentials free of charge. All of the items at the Donation Center have been donated by the LA community.

About Better Angels:
Better Angels is on a mission to solve LA’s homelessness epidemic by harnessing the power of the Los Angeles community. Better Angels is taking a holistic approach to solving homelessness with community engagement, advocacy, world-class technology, and a strong dose of pragmatism across five critical areas of need: Prevention, Technology, Services, Shelter and Housing.

For more information or to donate, please visit betterangels.la/wildfire-response.

About ImagineLA:
Imagine LA, founded in 2006, is a social impact organization specializing in helping individuals and families maximize public benefits and chart permanent pathways out of homelessness and poverty. In 2023, Imagine LA developed the Benefit Navigator, a one-stop-shop online tool that helps case managers and their clients to quickly navigate and access the complex arena of federal, state and local public benefits and refundable tax credits. The Benefit Navigator has helped people access over $125 million in additional benefits and feel confident to increase their earned income by an average of 25%.

About the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles:
In support of Mayor Karen Bass’ work to reduce and end homelessness in Los Angeles the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles is focused on preventing Angelenos from becoming homeless. It has brought together business, philanthropy, nonprofits, and local government to help keep Angelenos housed. Through outreach, case management and expanded legal services the Fund’s We Are LA program has connected over 53,000 Angelenos to needed services and helped stabilize housing for more than 23,000 Angelenos at risk of eviction and homelessness. The Mayor’s Fund is spearheading case management services to the Angelenos severely economically impacted by the Wildfires, particularly those at risk of homelessness.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/better-angels-and-imagine-la-launch-la-disaster-relief-navigator-302370672.html

SOURCE Better Angels

Technology

Manufacturing Category at 139th Canton Fair Presents Smarter, Lighter and More Connected Solutions

Published

37 minutes ago

April 24, 2026

GUANGZHOU, China, April 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — At the 139th Canton Fair, Manufacturing category presented a clear view of how industrial equipment is evolving to address efficiency, labor shortages, and sustainability goals. Across power equipment, machinery, automation systems, and industrial robots, exhibitors pointed to a common direction: smarter operation, stronger engineering performance, and deeper integration with digital manufacturing systems.

Industrial equipment is advancing towards intelligence with products emphasizing built-in sensing and automatic adjustment to enhance reliability and efficiency. Silent inverter generators, for example, can detect operating conditions and ambient temperature to regulate cooling for better fuel use and stability. Pumps and cleaning equipment with variable-frequency drives and integrated protection systems follow the same approach, prioritizing smooth operation, longer service life, and consistent output.

Lightweight, high-performance design has also become a priority across categories. Advances in materials and structural engineering are enabling major weight reductions without compromising power or durability. Aluminum-extrusion housings in three-phase asynchronous motors cut weight by up to 40% while improving heat dissipation and installation efficiency. Lightweight permanent-magnet submersible pumps delivered stronger flow stability despite smaller size and reduced weight.

AI-based visual inspection and quality control are also becoming essential. AI-powered optical inspection stations demonstrated full-process, high-speed inspection without relying on manual sampling. By turning experience-based judgment into standardized, repeatable rules, these systems help manufacturers improve scalability and consistency.

Industrial robots are taking on more active roles as well. Security patrol robot dogs and inspection robots are moving beyond monitoring to direct intervention, such as carrying fire-suppression modules for emergency response. This shift marks a broader move from passive observation to active execution in high-risk or labor-intensive environments.

Finally, more industrial devices are being designed as system nodes rather than standalone machines. Intelligent industrial gateways that combine data collection, protocol conversion, edge computing, and secure transmission show how equipment value increasingly depends on its ability to connect with enterprise-level digital systems.

The 139th Canton Fair vividly showcased the accelerated shift of industrial equipment toward intelligent and system-level development.

For pre-registration, please click: https://buyer.cantonfair.org.cn/register/buyer/email?source_type=16

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SOURCE Canton Fair

Technology

Zhejiang unicorn ranks grow to 58 as Hangzhou tightens lead, top ranking shows

Published

37 minutes ago

April 24, 2026

Province adds three unicorns, expands high-growth pipeline
Hangzhou accounts for 83% as new entrants and startups scale up

HANGZHOU, China, April 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Zhejiang’s roster of unicorn companies has expanded to 58 as of April 2026, highlighting the province’s growing role as a hub for emerging technologies and industrial upgrading.

The latest rankings, released at the 10th All Blossom Conference in Hangzhou on April 23, show companies spread across seven cities, including Hangzhou, Ningbo, Jiaxing, Jinhua, Shaoxing, Taizhou and Wenzhou.

While Hangzhou, Ningbo and Jiaxing remain the top three hubs, the broader distribution points to a more geographically balanced innovation landscape. The province’s unicorn count rose by three from a year earlier.

Hangzhou continues to dominate the landscape, home to 48 of Zhejiang’s unicorns, up from 44 last year—when it already accounted for roughly four out of every five such startups.

The annual rankings also include tiered lists of “future unicorns,” valued between $100 million and $1 billion, and early-stage “seed unicorns” worth $10 million to $100 million.

Together, they map a full pipeline of high-growth companies across sectors such as artificial intelligence, embodied intelligence, life sciences, new energy, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing and aerospace, and have become a key barometer of Zhejiang’s startup ecosystem.

Among the top 100 future unicorns, integrated circuits lead with 22 companies, followed by artificial intelligence and life sciences with 19 each. Advanced manufacturing accounts for 16 firms, new energy and materials 15, and next-generation information technology nine.

In the seed unicorn category, new energy and life sciences each count 22 companies, ahead of advanced manufacturing with 19, while AI, next-generation IT and semiconductors each have 11 firms, and aerospace-related companies total four.

Against that provincial backdrop, Hangzhou remains the clear center of gravity—continuing to generate both the largest share of unicorns and the deepest pipeline of emerging startups.

The city added eight companies to its unicorn ranks on April 23, bringing the total to 48, according to the same conference ranking.

The new entrants—Hailiang Technology Services, Geener Microelectronics, Spirit AI, Geespace, Sunrise, Seepin, DEEP Robotics and Simplexity Robotics—span sectors from semiconductors and robotics to commercial aerospace.

As of April, Hangzhou accounted for 83% of Zhejiang’s unicorns, up from 80% a year earlier, underscoring its outsized role in the province’s innovation economy.

The conference also released a list of 413 quasi-unicorns—companies typically valued between $100 million and $1 billion—including 50 new additions.

Several firms, such as Diagens Biotechnology, Manycore Tech, Mirxes, Promisemed, Saint Bella, Tide Pharmaceutical, Tongshifu and ISV, exited the list after scaling into unicorn status or completing initial public offerings.

Quasi-unicorns are concentrated in sectors aligned with Hangzhou’s broader “296X” industrial strategy. Life sciences lead with 118 firms, followed by next-generation information technology with 78 and AI and embodied intelligence with 50—together accounting for about 60% of the total.

The “296X” is an industrial cluster blueprint the city introduced in October 2025 in an effort to speed up the integration of technological and industrial innovation.

More than half of both unicorns and quasi-unicorns—255 companies—are classified as nationally recognized “specialized and refined” enterprises, including 20 unicorns and 235 quasi-unicorns, reflecting a structured pipeline of high-growth firms.

Since 2018, Hangzhou’s unicorn count has risen from 26 to 48, while quasi-unicorns have expanded from 105 to 413, underscoring sustained growth in its innovation-driven economy.

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SOURCE All Blossom Conference

Technology

KUN Unveils AI Intelligent Strategy at Money20/20 Asia: Reconstructing Global Commercial Efficiency with “1-1-4-6” Layout

Published

37 minutes ago

April 24, 2026

BANGKOK, April 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — At the prestigious Money20/20 Asia held at QSNCC, KUN showcased its upgraded brand identity and launched the “1-1-4-6” Intelligent Strategic Blueprint. This milestone marks KUN’s comprehensive transition toward a globalized, full-stack, and intelligent ecosystem.

Dr. Louis Liu, Founder & Group CEO of KUN, stated at the launch: “While the convergence of Web2 and Web3 defines the current era, we believe the embedded ecosystem synergy of AI and Web3 is the inevitable future of commerce. Our evolution is an intelligent reconstruction of commercial efficiency. By leveraging decades of vertical payment expertise, we provide enterprise clients with full-stack, end-to-end payment and financial solutions. Through digital orchestration and operations, we deliver secure, compliant, and high-velocity transaction safeguards to empower global business growth.”

Money20/20 Roundtable: Compliance as the “Scaling Layer” for Institutional Adoption

At the “Bridging TradFi and DeFi” roundtable, Dr. Liu shared three key insights on the future of cross-border finance:

Asia as the Hub for Real-World Stablecoin Settlement: Asia has emerged as a critical hub for cross-border trade flows and stablecoin settlement, connecting high-growth emerging markets. Currently, 60% of the world’s on-chain stablecoin trade volume is centered in Asia, making it a primary corridor for capital flows between Asia, LATAM, Africa, and the Middle East.

Compliance as the “Scaling Layer”: The bottleneck for scaling digital payments is not technology or licensing, but the ability to embed jurisdictional compliance frameworks into business logic. Integrating AML and risk controls directly into the payment flow is the prerequisite for the explosion of global institutional applications.

Accelerating AI and Web3 Ecosystem Convergence: As AI agents increasingly enter commercial decision-making, payments are shifting from human-controlled to autonomous. Blockchain and stablecoins will serve as the default infrastructure for Agent-to-Agent (A2A) transactions.

Exhibition Interaction: From Platform Governance to Vertical Efficiency

At the main exhibition area, KUN demonstrated its dual-brand synergy through a new visual identity:

KUN: Positioned as the Trusted Vertical Digital Payments Platform for Real Economy, providing one-stop digital payments and scenario-based on-chain financial solutions.

YeeZ: A KUN Group brand specializing in 2B2C Global Corporate Card Issuance for global enterprises.

The “1-1-4-6” Strategic Blueprint: Driving Global Growth

KUN decoded its “1-1-4-6” strategy—an AI-powered blueprint designed for seamless asset mobility. The ecosystem integrates KUN Space™ (the digital payments & financial services platform) with KUN Nexus™ (the AI-orchestrated liquidity network). Driven by four core engines—KUN | Pay, KUN | Cards, KUN | Money, and KUN | Agent—the strategy empowers liquidity for six vertical sectors: Bulk Commodity, General Trade, B2B Cross-border E-Commerce, Service Trade, Web3 Ecosystems, and AI Applications.

Future Vision: The Era of “Driverless” Intelligent Payments

The launch highlighted KUN | Agent as the pioneer of the “driverless” era of intelligent global payments.

KUNClaw.AI: Orchestrates autonomous financial workflows to drive intelligent cost reduction and efficiency.

AI Agent Wallet: Features programmable KYC and authorization fences to ensure secure, compliant execution where “decision is payment”.

Seamless Network, Borderless Payments.

KUN remains dedicated to serving as the engine for the real economy, providing secure, compliant, and efficient one-stop cross-border payment solutions in an uncertain global environment.

About KUN

KUN is an innovative financial infrastructure company centered on digital payments and embedded finance. Built on a globally distributed licensing framework and a robust compliance and risk-management system, KUN connects Asia with high-growth emerging markets across Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Positioned as a trusted vertical digital payments platform for real economies, the company operates across four core pillars—Cross-Border Digital Payments, On-Chain Finance, Card Issuing, and AI Agentic Payments. By integrating artificial intelligence and blockchain technologies, KUN delivers secure, compliant, and efficient one-stop payment and transaction services for enterprise clients across industries including commodity trade, B2B cross-border e-commerce, service trade, Web3 ecosystems, and AI applications.

Through this integrated infrastructure, KUN serves as a growth engine enabling enterprises to expand globally with speed, trust, and financial connectivity.

Learn more about KUN → www.kun.global

Contact: KUN: brandmkt@kun.global

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SOURCE KUN