Connect with us

Technology

LACI Advances City Climate Innovation Challenge for Zero Emissions Delivery with New Grant from The Rockefeller Foundation

Published

2 years ago

on

$500,000 Funding Supports Technology, Business Model, and Policy Pilot Projects to Reduce Congestion and Pollution, While Strengthening the American Economy and Entrepreneurship

9 U.S. cities in CA, FL, KY, NY, PA, OR, and D.C. participating, representing 1 in 6 Americans

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) announced today that it has received a $500,000 grant from The Rockefeller Foundation to support LACI’s City Climate Innovation Challenge (Challenge) for Zero-Emissions Delivery (ZED Challenge), a first-of-its-kind initiative designed to help cities pilot new innovations, develop partnerships to scale them, and create good-paying jobs–all while strengthening the American economy and entrepreneurship.

The inaugural Challenge, formally launched in January 2024, focuses on reducing congestion and pollution from the exploding e-commerce and goods movement sectors. The anchor partner cities of Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, and Santa Monica, are joined by Louisville, KY; Miami-Dade County, FL; New York City, NY; Oakland, CA; Portland, OR; and Washington D.C. The local governments’ combined metropolitan populations represent 55 million people–one in every six Americans–creating a bold market signal for zero-emissions delivery.

“Thanks to The Rockefeller Foundation, LACI will help US cities reduce emissions and grow the local economy by tapping into the best of American climate entrepreneurship and innovation for advancing zero-emissions goods movement,” said Matt Petersen, President and CEO of LACI. “The Rockefeller Foundation’s support could not come at a more important time to help cities and entrepreneurs continue to innovate and lead.”

These cities have some of the most congested roadways in the world–New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and Washington D.C. all rank in the top ten U.S. cities with the worst traffic. This congestion increases vehicle emissions, negatively impacting the public health, particularly among frontline communities.

City-scale action across the building, transport, and waste sectors can contribute 3.7 gigatons (Gt) of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions by 2030, according to a 2019 study by LACI, C40 and PwC. Through disruptive innovation and new technologies, LACI can target an additional 1.3 Gt of GHG reductions.

Support from The Rockefeller Foundation will enable LACI to further scale the ZED Challenge by supporting pilots with: 

Electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure innovations to support medium and/or heavy duty delivery vehicles;Last-mile delivery innovations (e.g., as e-cargo bike deployment,  curb management solutions, or parcel lockers); andDeveloping policy for an indirect source rule (ISR), which aims to reduce pollution from warehouses and trucks.

“LACI has a proven track record of empowering local governments and nearly 500 startups to bring decarbonization technologies — and more than 2,500 jobs — to communities across the United States,” said Maria Kozloski, Senior Vice President at The Rockefeller Foundation. “We are proud to support the City Climate Innovation Challenge, which is sparking opportunities that will help cities reduce emissions and create new jobs, thereby benefiting millions of Americans.”

The City Climate Innovation Challenge aims to help cities better invite and scale solutions needed to accelerate equitable climate action. Building on its unique model for piloting and scaling solutions with cities, LACI launched the inaugural ZED Challenge in 2024 in partnership with Climate Mayors and C40.

“For the health of New Yorkers, and especially our youngest, we must put major polluters in the driver’s seat to clean the air and reduce asthma rates in neighborhoods.  And it must be done in a way that works for industry and community,” said New York City’s Deputy Mayor for Operations, Meera Joshi. “To walk such a fine line requires deep expertise and funding, and for that we’ve been grateful to rely on the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator and the ZED challenge. We are grateful for this partnership.”

“Climate work done right is no different from intelligent and responsible economic development.  Oakland aims to be a global climate business hub by 2035 — a goal that centers sustainable local wealth generation,” said City of Oakland Climate Program Manager Shayna Hirshfield-Gold. “Our partnership with LACI, with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, is helping us to deploy and expand on-the-ground infrastructure that will support blue-collar jobs and boost local delivery businesses, all while reducing air pollution in Oakland communities.”

The grant also strengthens LACI’s capacity to support additional cities in future Challenges.

ABOUT LACI:
The Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) is creating an inclusive green economy by unlocking innovation through scaling cleantech startups, transforming markets through catalytic partnerships with policymakers, innovators, and market leaders in transportation, energy, and sustainable cities, like the Transportation Electrification Partnership, and enhancing communities through green jobs workforce training, pilots and other programs. Founded as an economic development initiative by the City of Los Angeles and its Department of Water & Power (LADWP) in 2011, LACI is recognized as one of the top 10 innovative business incubators in the world by UBI. LACI has helped 506 portfolio companies raise over $1 billion in funding, generated $344 million in revenue, and created 2,626 jobs throughout the Los Angeles region, with a long term economic impact of more than $733 million.

ABOUT THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION:
The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation that enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. We make big bets to promote the well-being of humanity. Today, we are focused on advancing human opportunity and reversing the climate crisis by transforming systems in food, health, energy, and finance. For more information, sign up for our newsletter at www.rockefellerfoundation.org/subscribe and follow us on X @RockefellerFdn and LI @the-rockefeller-foundation.

Media Contact:

Cameron Edinburgh

213.647.1441

390541@email4pr.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/laci-advances-city-climate-innovation-challenge-for-zero-emissions-delivery-with-new-grant-from-the-rockefeller-foundation-302381719.html

SOURCE Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Technology

Melody Party Offers Over 20,000 Songs and Adds More Than a Thousand New Tracks Monthly, Enhancing Its Online Karaoke Experience

Published

43 minutes ago

on

October 27, 2026

By

SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Melody Party is a music social app featuring a variety of activities, including Mic Grab, Artist Mafia, and Singing Battle. Through its online karaoke feature, SING A SONG, the app brings the traditional karaoke experience online, removing time and location constraints and offering a music experience that combines real-time singing with social interaction.

SING A SONG features an extensive library of more than 20,000 songs, with over a thousand new songs added every month. Its diverse selection includes popular K-pop tracks, classic Korean songs, and karaoke favorites. The feature offers a free-use model, allowing users to start singing their chosen songs without paying a separate fee. This helps reduce the time and cost associated with visiting traditional coin-operated karaoke venues, making it easier to enjoy singing as part of everyday life.

In terms of functionality, SING A SONG supports pitch adjustment and independent volume controls for vocals and accompaniment, allowing users to customize their singing experience according to their preferences. Users can also create online karaoke rooms, invite friends to sing together in real time, and enjoy voice chat and social interaction.

By continuously expanding its song library and offering diverse music-based interactive experiences, Melody Party continues to strengthen its music ecosystem. Through SING A SONG, the platform aims to create an accessible, highly interactive online music social space.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/melody-party-offers-over-20-000-songs-and-adds-more-than-a-thousand-new-tracks-monthly-enhancing-its-online-karaoke-experience-302920097.html

SOURCE Melody Party

Continue Reading

Technology

Drawing new strength from 20-year legacy, IAACA calls on global counterparts to join annual conference to fortify integrity

Published

43 minutes ago

on

October 27, 2026

By

MARRAKECH, Morocco, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA), an independent and non-political anti-corruption organisation with over 190 member anti-corruption authorities (ACAs) worldwide, will co-host IAACA Annual Conference 2026 in Marrakech, Morocco next month together with the Independent Commission Against Corruption of Hong Kong, China (ICAC) and the National Authority for Probity, Prevention and Fight Against Corruption of Morocco (INPPLC) to chart a path for the global graft fight and explore cutting-edge approaches to tackle emerging corruption challenges.

Themed “Building on 20 Years of Legacy: Drawing Strength from the Past, Guarding Global Integrity for the Future”, the international event will not only mark the 20th anniversary of the IAACA, but also provide a dynamic forum for IAACA members to exchange insights and enhance co-operation.

Calling on international counterparts to participate in the conference scheduled for November 25, IAACA President Mr Woo Ying-ming, who also serves as ICAC Commissioner, said that “As the IAACA marks its 20th anniversary, the conference will bring together global anti-corruption community at a pivotal moment for collective action. I anticipate that the valuable insights and new approaches generated through the international synergy will chart a resilient strategic path for us to navigate integrity risks and draw strength from our shared legacy to guard global integrity for generations to come.”

During the conference, renowned international experts from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Basel Institute on Governance, the International Anti-Corruption Academy, and global anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies and institutions will shed light on harnessing artificial intelligence in the fight against corruption, safeguarding integrity within global climate and biodiversity frameworks and analysing global corruption measurement and systemic effectiveness.

Following the conference, the ICAC, the INPPLC, the IAACA and the UNODC will co-organise a training seminar on leveraging AI in combating corruption.

While the ICAC and INPPLC will share how AI and new technology can reshape the future of anti-graft enforcement and corruption prevention, the UNODC will provide a global perspective on using AI models in financial crime investigations and addressing the operational relevance, legal robustness and adaptability across jurisdictions.

For details of the conference and training, please visit:
https://www.icac.org.hk/icac/iaaca-morocco-2026/index.html

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/drawing-new-strength-from-20-year-legacy-iaaca-calls-on-global-counterparts-to-join-annual-conference-to-fortify-integrity-302920101.html

SOURCE International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA)

Continue Reading

Technology

Viettel moves 100 million subscribers to home-grown cloud-native charging in three months – with zero downtime

Published

43 minutes ago

on

October 27, 2026

By

HANOI, Vietnam, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Viettel High Technology Industries Corporation (Viettel High Tech), part of Viettel Group, has migrated more than 100 million subscribers and some 5,000 tariff plans at Viettel, Vietnam’s largest mobile operator, to vOCS 4.0, its in-house cloud-native charging system. The three-month cutover ran on a live national network with no service disruption.

Replacing a charging system is one of the riskiest projects an operator can undertake, which is why many stick with legacy platforms. Viettel High Tech reduced the risk through real-time data synchronization, parallel running and a phased cutover, with instant rollback at every stage.

The project won the Telecom Review Excellence Awards 2026 prize for Best Technology Deployment in Asia, a first for a Vietnamese company.

What it means for operators:

Scale: more than 300,000 transactions per second at latency below 5 milliseconds, across 2G–5G and fixed services on one platformLower cost: up to 50% less hardware investment than the previous generation, by sharing infrastructure with the networkAgility: new tariff plans in hours instead of days, new features three times faster and deployments about 30% fasterResilience: two active data centers about 2,000 km apart and automatic recovery in under two minutes

Viettel High Tech developed every core layer in-house, from a telecom-grade cloud-native platform and NFV-MANO orchestration to real-time charging, subscriber and balance management.

“Passing rigorous tests of real-time self-diagnosis and self-recovery is what allows an operator to keep its promise of 24/7 service to customers,” said Luu Manh Ha, CEO of Viettel Networks, which operates the system on Viettel’s network in Vietnam. “Above all, owning the charging system means an operator is not dependent on foreign vendors – it safeguards digital sovereignty and preserves business flexibility.”

“The charging system is where an operator’s business strategy turns into revenue in real time,” said Nguyen Minh Quang, CEO of Viettel High Tech. “We believe vOCS 4.0 is ready to help operators worldwide capture the value of 5G and digital services.”

In 2017, vOCS 4.0’s predecessor, vOCS 3.0, replaced a foreign vendor’s platform for 90 million Viettel subscribers. Across both generations, vOCS serves more than 220 million subscribers in 11 countries. Viettel High Tech now offers vOCS 4.0 to operators worldwide.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/viettel-moves-100-million-subscribers-to-home-grown-cloud-native-charging-in-three-months–with-zero-downtime-302920106.html

SOURCE Viettel Group

Continue Reading

Trending