SYDNEY, June 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Australian investors are very optimistic about innovation-led investments, with 9 in 10 reporting a moderate-to-high risk tolerance, according to a new report released today by Black Tie.

The Future of Funding & Innovation Report 2026-27 is Australia’s first dedicated report canvassing investor sentiment across funding and innovation. It draws on survey responses from 100 Australian investors and in-depth interviews with industry leaders.

The report’s findings paint a picture of a sophisticated, capital-ready investment community being held back by information gaps, regulatory friction, and limited access to quality deal flow with top barriers including a lack of reliable and transparent information (26%), high perceived risk (24%) and insufficient capital (19%).

Caroline Macdonald, Founder and CEO of Black Tie Holdings Group, says the findings revealed a critical disconnect at the heart of Australia’s investment and innovation landscape.

“Australian investors are ready to deploy capital into innovation right now. The appetite and risk tolerance is there, and the sectors are clear, with technology, health and biotech, clean energy, and FinTech top of mind. What’s missing is the infrastructure to connect investors with the right opportunities at the right time.”

“Digital marketplaces and tokenisation are a direct solution to this problem, as they reduce information asymmetry and broaden access to high-quality investment opportunities,” she adds.

The report highlights Australia’s underperformance in R&D relative to OECD peers as a structural concern. Despite a government R&D Tax Incentive program supporting approximately 14,000 companies annually at a cost of $4 billion, many eligible businesses remain unaware of their entitlements.

Marty Gauvin, Principal Advisor of R&D Certainty and one of the report’s featured industry experts, said the issue runs much deeper than awareness. “A comfortable life can lead to complacency. Businesses are often receiving very conservative advice and missing out on the government-led support that’s consistent with their goals. We need to elevate the R&D conversation at every level: government, business, and advisory,” he says.

The report also identifies tokenisation of real-world assets as one of the most significant opportunities for Australian investors and businesses in the near term, enabling fractional investment, secondary trading, and broader access to previously illiquid asset classes.

Karan Bhai, Vice President of Products and Delivery at Antier Solutions, explains: “Over the next three to five years, tokenisation will move from being a blockchain narrative to becoming a financial markets standard.”

The report calls on Australian investors, businesses, and government to close the gap between investor demand and quality investment opportunity to advance Australia’s innovation agenda. The Future of Funding & Innovation Report 2026-27 is available at https://blacktie.digital/industry-reports

About Black Tie

Black Tie Holdings is a Sydney-based digital capital markets business specialising in the tokenisation and management of real-world assets. Its Capital Markets Stack, comprising BT Asset Hub, BTX Markets, BTSmart, and BT Treasury, provides end-to-end infrastructure for innovation-led investment across property, resources, technology ventures, and digital infrastructure. Learn more at blacktie.digital.

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SOURCE Black Tie

DETROIT, June 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Rocket Companies, Inc. (NYSE: RKT) (the “Company”), the Detroit-based fintech platform including mortgage, real estate, title and personal finance businesses, today priced its previously announced private offering of $900,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 6.125% senior notes due 2031 and $600,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 6.500% senior notes due 2034 (collectively, the “Notes” and such offering, the “Offering”). The aggregate principal amount of the Notes to be issued was increased to $1.5 billion from the previously announced $1.2 billion.

The Notes will initially be fully and unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, on a senior unsecured basis by each of the Company’s direct and indirect domestic subsidiaries that are guarantors under the Company’s existing senior notes.

The Offering is expected to close on June 16, 2026, subject to certain customary conditions.

The Company intends to use the proceeds from the Offering to repay Rocket Mortgage, LLC’s 2.875% Senior Notes due 2026 (the “2026 Rocket Mortgage Notes”), Rocket Mortgage, LLC’s 5.250% Senior Notes due 2028 (the “2028 Rocket Mortgage Notes”) and certain other indebtedness of the Company and its subsidiaries.

The Company issued conditional notices of redemption for the entire outstanding principal amount of each of the 2026 Rocket Mortgage Notes and the 2028 Rocket Mortgage Notes to be redeemed on or about June 19, 2026 and July 9, 2026, respectively, at a redemption price equal to 100.0% of the principal amount of the applicable notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the applicable redemption date. Each redemption is conditioned on the closing of the Offering.

This press release does not constitute a notice of redemption with respect to the 2026 Rocket Mortgage Notes or the 2028 Rocket Mortgage Notes.

The Notes are being offered only to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers in reliance on Rule 144A under the Securities Act, and outside the United States, to non-U.S. investors pursuant to Regulation S. The Notes and related guarantees will not be registered under the Securities Act or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent an effective registration statement or an applicable exemption from registration requirements or in a transaction not subject to the registration requirements of the Securities Act or any state securities laws.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any security and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which such offering, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which involve risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are generally identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and, in each case, their negative or other various or comparable terminology. All statements other than statements of historical facts, including statements regarding the Offering, our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenue, projected costs, prospects, plans, objectives of management and expected market growth are forward-looking statements. As you read this press release, you should understand that these statements are not guarantees of performance or results. They involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those described under the heading “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on the Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on March 2, 2026, and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, submitted to the SEC on May 11, 2026. Although we believe that these forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, you should be aware that many factors could affect our actual financial results or results of operations and could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements made herein are made only as of the date of this press release. We expressly disclaim any intent, obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements made herein to reflect any change in our expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained in this press release.

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SOURCE Rocket Companies, Inc.

Sparking curiosity among underprivileged students through hands-on STEM education.

SAN FRANCISCO, June 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — STEM education has become an increasingly important part of today’s world, but for many students, it still feels distant, overly academic, or inaccessible. Without opportunities to build, experiment, and explore hands-on projects, many underserved children never develop an interest in science and technology. Youth-led nonprofit Busy Buzzy Bots (BBB) was created to help spark that curiosity.

Addressing Community Needs With BBB

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Bay Area students Saahithi Madhuvarsu and Saaketh Madhuvarsu identified a gap in STEM accessibility affecting underserved K-12 students. While still students themselves, the siblings helped establish Busy Buzzy Bots to provide more direct access to STEM education opportunities for children in under-resourced communities.

“BBB addresses this through hands-on community workshops, affordable STEM kits, and a volunteer network that helps bring STEM learning directly to underserved students,” Saahithi stated.

An Organization Dedicated to STEM Accessibility

Busy Buzzy Bots is led by young founders who believe students become excited about STEM when they are allowed to create firsthand. Saahithi and Saaketh developed the organization to make STEM learning more engaging and accessible for students who may not otherwise have exposure to robotics kits or coding programs.

The nonprofit operates primarily through volunteer support, allowing donations and resources to remain focused on student programming. Through workshops, mentorship initiatives, STEM kits, and coding activities, BBB works directly with students and educators in underserved communities.

Measurable Impact in the San Francisco Bay Area

Busy Buzzy Bots has grown from a student-led initiative into a STEM nonprofit with measurable community impact across the San Francisco Bay Area. To date, BBB reports that it has directly helped more than 7,500 underprivileged children, distributed 800+ STEM kits, and conducted more than 55 workshops and community events focused on hands-on STEM learning.

In addition to STEM kits, BBB organizes coding camps and interactive workshops intended to introduce students to practical STEM applications in an accessible setting. The organization states that these initiatives are designed to help students build familiarity with coding, engineering concepts, and problem-solving skills through direct participation.

“Over the years,” Michael Wittner wrote for Patch, “Busy Buzzy Bots has developed and distributed DIY STEAM kits that teach children essential science and engineering skills through fun and creative projects. From building small robots to experimenting with electric circuits, these kits are designed to spark curiosity.”

Awards and Accolades

For its contributions in the nonprofit space, BBB has received recognition for its work. Most notably, the organization was acknowledged as a Top-Rated nonprofit by GreatNonprofits in 2024. BBB has also been invited to exhibit at Maker Faire for four consecutive years and was recently recognized among the event’s frequent exhibitors, a nod to its growing presence in youth-led STEM education initiatives. These milestones reflect BBB’s momentum within the San Francisco Bay Area and its continued impact in STEM education.

BBB has also received multiple awards at children’s business fairs and community events for originality, creativity, and community impact. These milestones reflect BBB’s momentum within the San Francisco Bay Area and its continued impact in STEM education.

Saaketh states that community volunteers continue to play an important role in helping expand workshops, distribute STEM kits, and mentor students participating in BBB programming.

Ambition for the Future

As Saahithi Madhuvarsu and Saaketh Madhuvarsu continue growing Busy Buzzy Bots, the organization plans to expand its reach through additional workshops, coding camps, STEM kits, volunteer engagement, and community partnerships across underserved communities.

BBB states that its long-term goal is to help reach 10,000 underserved students by 2030 through continued growth in coding camps, STEM kit distribution, workshops, and community partnerships. Through these initiatives, the organization aims to increase access to STEM education for students who may otherwise face barriers to participation.

Media Contact:
Busy Buzzy Bots
Vidya Madhuvarsu
busybuzzybots@gmail.com
San Francisco, CA

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