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New AI Start-Up, Plantista, Launching Crowdfund to Make Firewise Landscaping Available to Everyone

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12 months ago

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AI technology start-up focused on the “green industry” launches waitlist to join their crowdfund campaign to build a model to protect homes and properties from wildfires using plants.

DENVER, May 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — With the start of wildfire season, Plantista – a new AI start-up out of Denver – announced they will be launching a crowdfund campaign to fund the development of a Firewise Landscape AI model, in collaboration with fire, plant and design experts.

 

Firewise landscaping—also called defensible space landscaping—is a method of designing yards and gardens to reduce the risk of wildfire damage to homes and properties by:

Creating Defensible Space:
 By establishing zones around the home (typically 0–5 feet, 5–30 feet, and 30–100+ feet), Firewise landscaping reduces fuel for fires close to structures and slows the fire’s approach.

Using Fire-Resistant Plants:
 Plants with high moisture content, low resin/sap, and non-woody stems are less likely to ignite and help slow fire spread.

Breaking Up Fuel Continuity:
 Spacing between plants, using rock or gravel beds, and strategic pruning prevent flames from traveling easily from one plant to another or from plants to structures.

And more.

By reducing the available fuel and improving the buffer zone around structures, Firewise landscaping significantly lowers the risk that a wildfire will ignite or destroy a home. However, the additional rules make developing an AI Firewise model more challenging than a traditional landscape model.

While Firewise landscaping is not a new concept, it has traditionally only been available to those who are able to find and pay for a landscape professional who is trained in this type of design. By partnering fire, plant and design experts with a team of AI engineers, Plantista’s goal of the campaign is to democratize access to Firewise landscaping for all.

The campaign is anticipated to launch in the coming week on popular crowdfunding platform, Indiegogo with exclusive perks available to funders. One of these perks will be access to Plantista’s current Custom AI Landscape Design tools that enable you to upload a photo and design a location-specific landscape – whether that’s Xeriscape, Pollinator, or Native – in 15 to 30 seconds with common plants available in your area.

“As an alum of UCLA Anderson, the Los Angeles-area wildfires – and the destruction they brought – hit very deeply for me. It was devastating to see so many homes destroyed and I couldn’t stop thinking about how Plantista could help. By bringing together our community to help build an AI Firewise Landscape model – in collaboration with fire, design and plant experts – we would be able to help preventatively for future fires, which is what excited us most.” Said Ashley Wright, Plantista co-founder and CEO.

Plantista launched their waitlist today where anyone can sign up to receive alerts and exclusive early access to perks when the campaign launches.

You can join the waitlist here: https://indiegogo.plantista.ai/

And view their launch video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk49xXLyJA0&t=157s

About Plantista
Founded in 2024 by Ashley Wright (Denver, CO) and Alex Tandy (Moraga, CA), Plantista is an AI technology start-up that is passionate about bringing  AI to the green industry – including garden centers and landscape designers. With an undisclosed amount of pre-seed funding in October of 2024, they have primarily boot-strapped their growth with tools only available today through their handful of  garden center and landscape design partners. Their mission is to be the comprehensive platform for the green industry to seamlessly grow revenue, scale customer experience, and streamline operations; as well as build the tools for the next generation of plant parents. You can find them at plantista.ai.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-ai-start-up-plantista-launching-crowdfund-to-make-firewise-landscaping-available-to-everyone-302450637.html

SOURCE Plantista

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AFP Launches No Code AI for Finance Certificate to Upskill Finance Teams

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2 hours ago

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April 29, 2026

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New certificate empowers financial professionals with real-world AI skills that don’t require programming expertise

ROCKVILLE, Md., April 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) announced the launch of its No Code AI for Finance Certificate Program. Taught by an AI expert with a background in finance and operations, the virtual on-demand program goes beyond theory, providing practical applications of AI in finance.

Key takeaways

Practical curriculum: The certificate course, developed through feedback from finance practitioners, provides hands-on exercises and lessons on building a data foundation, training and interpreting machine learning models, generating insights with generative AI and embedding ethics in AI adoptionSelf-paced learning: Once registered for the certificate, eight hours of on-demand content across four modules are available in AFP Learn.Professional recognition: The certificate course is eligible for 9.6 CTP, FPAC and CCM Credits and provides a Digital Badge and printable certificate upon successful completion.

Why it matters
The finance function is at a critical turning point. Data volumes are growing while finance professionals are increasingly being asked to do more with less. The No Code AI for Finance Certificate equips teams to scale their impact by automating labor-intensive workflows and speeding up processes while maintaining accuracy.

Comprehensive curriculum
The certificate program includes four modules that are tailored to the specific needs of finance professionals:

Data Foundations for Trustworthy Finance Analytics: Learn about decision cycles AI can shorten, mitigation tactics for AI hallucinations, and the difference between supervised, unsupervised and generative tasks.Understanding the Full Machine Learning Process and Its Results: Learn to frame finance machine learning problems correctly, choose and defend the right success metrics for each task and translate model results into business-ready insights.Generative AI for Finance: Smarter Questions, Faster Insights: Learn to write prompts for GenAI, generate and refine GenAI-supported data-prep code, pressure test insights with GenAI and apply guardrails for GenAI.From AI Capability to Adoption & Ethics by Design: Learn to select and prioritize a first AI pilot, design an operating cadence, draft an ethics and risk control sheet, and define ROI and adoption KPIs.

Each module includes downloadable assets to help learners apply the lessons to their day-to-day work.

Key quote
“At AFP, we recognized a clear need for training that addresses finance-specific applications of AI. This certificate acts as a bridge to connect financial professionals to the transformative power of AI, ensuring they remain the indispensable strategic partners their organizations require,” said Pat Culkin, President & CEO of AFP.

Ready to lead AI adoption in your finance team?
Enroll in the certificate program and begin working toward the No Code AI for Finance Certificate.

FAQs
Who should enroll in this certificate program?
The program is designed for financial professionals at all levels looking to integrate AI into their workflows.

Are there any prerequisites for the course?
There are no prerequisites for this course. It is accessible to professionals of all technical backgrounds. No coding knowledge is required.

How is the course delivered?
The course consists of eight hours of on-demand content across four modules, which can be completed at the learner’s own pace.

How much does it cost to enroll in the certificate program?
The certificate program is $295 for AFP members and $495 for non-members.

About AFP®
Headquartered outside of Washington, D.C., and located regionally in Singapore, the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) is the professional society committed to advancing the success of treasury and finance members and their organizations. Established and administered by AFP, the Certified Treasury Professional and Certified Corporate FP&A Professional credentials set standards of excellence in treasury and finance. Each year, AFP hosts the largest networking conference worldwide for about 7,000 corporate financial professionals.

Media contact
Joe Hodanich
Senior Director, Digital Strategy & Content
Association for Financial Professionals
Email: jhodanich@financialprofessionals.org

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/afp-launches-no-code-ai-for-finance-certificate-to-upskill-finance-teams-302753219.html

SOURCE Association for Financial Professionals

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KT Corp. Files 2025 Annual Report on Form 20-F

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2 hours ago

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April 29, 2026

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SEOUL, South Korea, April 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — KT Corporation (NYSE: KT), South Korea’s largest integrated telecom and digital platform service provider, announced that it has filed its Form 20- F Annual Report on April 29th, 2026 for the year ended December 31, 2025 with the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States. The report can be accessed on KT’s English website at https://corp.kt.com/eng in the Investors section under Business Report as well as the SEC’s Edgar database at www.sec.gov. Shareholders may also request a hard copy of the Form 20-F Annual Report that includes audited financial statements of 2025, free of charge, by sending an e-mail to the Company’s IR department at ktir@kt.com.

About KT Corporation (KRX: 030200; NYSE: KT)

KT Corporation is the leading integrated telecommunications and platform service provider based in South Korea. Principal services include mobile, Broadband, IPTV, B2B communications, and fixed-line telephony. The Company has industry-leading market presence in Broadband, media services, and fixed-line telephony by maintaining the No.1 market share positions. Also, the Company is the No.1 player in B2B communications and offers a wide range of digital transformation services (DC, Cloud, AI, etc.). Additionally, the Company possesses a well-balanced portfolio of diverse subsidiaries focusing on media/content, financial services, real estate developments, and commerce industries.

Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains “forward-looking statements” that are based on our current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about us and the industries in which we operate. The forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “project,” “should,” and similar expressions. Those statements include, among other things, the discussions of our business strategy and expectations concerning our market position, future operations, margins, profitability, liquidity and capital resources. We caution you that reliance on any forward-looking statement involves risks and uncertainties, and that although we believe that the assumptions on which our forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, any of those assumptions could prove to be inaccurate, and, as a result, the forward-looking statements based on those assumptions could be incorrect. The uncertainties in this regard include, but are not limited to, those identified in the risk factors discussed above. In light of these and other uncertainties, you should not conclude that we will necessarily achieve any plans and objectives or projected financial results referred to in any of the forward-looking statements. We do not undertake to release the results of any revisions of these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

IR department:
+82-70-4193-4036
ktir@kt.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kt-corp-files-2025-annual-report-on-form-20-f-302757200.html

SOURCE KT Corp.

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SK TELECOM CO. LTD. FILES ITS ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 20-F

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2 hours ago

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April 29, 2026

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SEOUL, South Korea, April 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On April 29, 2026, SK Telecom Co., Ltd. filed its Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2025 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The 2025 Annual Report on Form 20-F can be viewed on www.sktelecom.com, as well as from the website of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov. Printed copies of SK Telecom’s complete audited financial statements (including footnotes) as of and for the year ended December 31, 2025 can be requested, free of charge, by written request to skt.ir@sk.com.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sk-telecom-co-ltd-files-its-annual-report-on-form-20-f-302757201.html

SOURCE SK Telecom Co., Ltd

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