Technology

Fulcrum Launches its Field Operations Management Platform to Replace Patchworks of Point Solutions and Paper that Slow Down Utility Field Crews

Published

1 day ago

July 14, 2026

AI-native platform runs the job and empowers teams to make AI-based extensions

SAN DIEGO, July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Fulcrum today launched its Field Operations Management (FOM) platform, giving the field an AI-native platform built to be extended by the people doing the work.

Every enterprise system a utility runs, including GIS, EAM, CRM, and work order management, created its own field app. Each manages one system’s part of the job, but none was designed to manage the complete workflow.

“Finance consolidated onto ERP. Customer operations consolidated onto CRM,” said Jim Grady, CEO of Fulcrum. “Meanwhile, the field is still running on a dozen apps and a clipboard. Field Operations Management is how we consolidate it. And we’re building the whole thing AI-native, not bolting AI onto a lot of silos after the fact.”

Created to complement office platforms, not replace them

Field Operations Management platforms don’t compete with GIS, EAM, or work order systems. Fulcrum pulls context from them — the asset record, the GIS location, the open work order — and pushes completed field work back once the job closes.

“We don’t need to compete with office systems,” Grady said. “Instead, they need the work happening in the field to show up as a record they can trust.”

Built to run the job, and to be customized to your unique needs

Utilities and their contractors already run asset management, vegetation management, linear construction, and emergency response and disaster recovery on Fulcrum. They also use Fulcrum to cover the long tail of critical tasks that otherwise lived on paper because no single-purpose app existed.

Then AI-based single-purpose apps started to proliferate because the cost of code dropped dramatically. However, they were still hard to maintain because they all rested on different foundations, providing different user interfaces, features, and data structures.

Fulcrum’s extensibility enables operations teams to use AI to quickly add new capabilities to the platform, inheriting the security, permissions, and data structures they need instead of standing up a new system. Using a single Field Operations Management platform enables these organizations to run today’s job and to be ready for tomorrow’s, without depending on a vendor’s roadmap.

Safety in the workflow, not beside it

At most utilities, safety runs as a parallel paper process, separate from the job it’s supposed to protect. With Fulcrum, it isn’t separate: the PPE check, the lockout step, and the hazard assessment are steps inside the same workflow as the job, and the job can’t close without them.

“Instead of forever being a bolted-on process, integrated safety saves lives and simplifies documentation for safety agencies,” said Grady..

Fulcrum at Esri User Conference 2026

Fulcrum is at Booth 122 through July 17, showing utilities and their contractors what an AI-native Field Operations Management platform looks like in their workflows. Learn more at fulcrumapp.com/fom.

About Fulcrum

Fulcrum is the Field Operations Management platform field organizations use to run, record, and close out their work. Electric, gas, water, and wastewater utilities, and the engineering, construction, and inspection firms that serve them, run asset management, vegetation management, linear construction, and emergency response and disaster recovery on Fulcrum, capturing an AI-ready record of every job. The platform standardizes how field work gets done, lets teams customize workflows, and integrates field execution with the enterprise systems that depend on it. Almost 3,000 companies use Fulcrum today. Fulcrum is developed by Spatial Networks, Inc., headquartered in San Francisco, California. Learn more at fulcrumapp.com.

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SOURCE Fulcrum

Technology

RECO Launches Continuing Education Course on Professional Liability Insurance

Published

59 minutes ago

July 15, 2026

TORONTO, July 15, 2026 /CNW/ – The Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) has launched a new elective continuing education course to help Ontario real estate professionals better understand the Professional Liability Insurance Program, their obligations, and the role the program plays in consumer protection.

Through consultation with the sector, RECO identified insurance as an area where registrants would benefit from additional targeted education. This course provides an overview of the three types of coverage provided by the program: Errors and Omissions, Commission Protection and Consumer Deposit. Registrants will also learn their insurance obligations under the Trust in Real Estate Services Act, 2002 (TRESA), and explore scenarios that demonstrate how the insurance program applies in practice.

By law, every registered real estate professional in Ontario must carry professional liability insurance. This requirement is an important consumer protection measure that helps ensure financial safeguards are in place when a consumer experiences a loss resulting from a registrant’s error, negligence or other covered circumstances. The program also provides coverage to registrants for certain insured losses and claims.

“Professional liability insurance is much more than a registration requirement. It plays an important role in maintaining trust and confidence in Ontario’s real estate services sector,” said Jean Lépine, RECO’s Administrator and Acting CEO. ” This course provides practical education that helps registrants better understand their responsibilities, how the program works, and the important role it plays in consumer protection.”

Modernizing Continuing Education

Beyond the immediate focus on insurance, this launch represents an early milestone in RECO’s broader education modernization journey. As Continuing Education continues to evolve, RECO is exploring opportunities to strengthen learning outcomes.

As part of this effort, the course includes a mandatory assessment that learners must successfully complete to earn their credit. This new feature will provide valuable insights to help inform RECO’s broader work to modernize regulatory education.

More information about RECO’s education modernization work will be shared as it progresses.

Registrant Information

Registrants can enrol online through their MyWeb account. The course can be completed as one of the two required elective courses during the two-year registration cycle or taken voluntarily at any time.

About the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO)

RECO is a not-for-profit corporation established in 1997 to regulate real estate agents and brokerages to protect consumers in Ontario’s real estate services sector. RECO administers the Trust in Real Estate Services Act, 2002.

Contact:
Tess Lin, Director of Communications & Stakeholder Relations
Real Estate Council of Ontario
mediacontact@reco.on.ca

SOURCE Real Estate Council of Ontario

Technology

OMAN’S US$5.2 BILLION FUTURE FUND UNVEILS US$1.744 BILLION IN PROJECTS

Published

59 minutes ago

July 15, 2026

MUSCAT, Oman, July 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Future Fund Oman (FFO), a portfolio of Oman Investment Authority (OIA), the Sultanate of Oman’s sovereign wealth fund, has announced a new package of 105 strategic projects and investments worth USD 1.744 billion, as the Sultanate of Oman accelerates its economic diversification.

The portfolio combines USD 585 million in commitments from FFO with around USD 458 million in local investment, spanning renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, tourism, healthcare, medical technologies, innovation and food industries.

“This portfolio directs capital toward nationally prioritized sectors and strengthens Oman’s appeal to global investors,” said His Excellency Mulham Al Jarf, Deputy President of Investment at the Oman Investment Authority. He noted that the Fund has worked to establish itself as an economic catalyst and a trusted investment partner.

The portfolio’s most internationally significant bets place Oman inside global supply chains. Its flagship, Orion Solar, will build an integrated solar cell and module facility in SOHAR Freezone with annual capacity of six gigawatts, the first of its kind in the Middle East and a cornerstone of localizing the solar value chain. Alongside it, Gallant Industrial Project will produce 66,000 tonnes a year of lithium iron phosphate cathode material, a core component of electric vehicle batteries, linking the Sultanate to the fast-growing clean-energy and storage markets.

The Fund is also building capacity across tourism, technology and food security. It is backing the As’ Sodah Island Resort, an integrated development spanning roughly 10 kilometres of pristine coastline, and Terminal 11, Oman’s first integrated innovation hub, which brings startups, venture capital and researchers under one roof. Further investments span Alma, an animal-nutrition manufacturer drawing on Oman’s marine and pastoral resources, and XCyber, a sovereign cybersecurity company using artificial intelligence to protect critical national infrastructure under the joint fund between ewpartners and FFO.

The package also draws marquee international capital into the country. FFO committed USD 200 million each to Vivo Capital, a leading global life sciences fund, and Certares, an international tourism and hospitality investor, and launched a new Healthcare Investment Fund capitalized at USD 130 million to localize medical industries and lift the quality of care.

Beyond large-scale projects, FFO continues to back startups and small and medium-sized enterprises at every stage of growth, from incubation through early growth to established firms.

Established in 2024 with a capital of USD 5.2 billion to stimulate economic recovery in Oman following COVID-19, the Fund continues to build specialized partnerships that bring global expertise and knowledge transfer to priority sectors across the Sultanate of Oman. It underscores FFO’s expanding role in advancing Oman Vision 2040 through economic diversification, venture investment and foreign capital attraction. Investors, entrepreneurs and institutions interested in these opportunities can explore the targeted sectors and apply through the Fund’s digital platform at www.futurefund.om.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/omans-us5-2-billion-future-fund-unveils-us1-744-billion-in-projects-302826729.html

Technology

JonesTrading Serves as Sole Book-Running Manager for Jones Ventures INTL Acquisition1 Corp’s $200 Million Initial Public Offering

Published

59 minutes ago

July 15, 2026

LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK, July 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — JonesTrading Institutional Services LLC (“Jones”) announced Monday, July 13, 2026, that it served as sole book-running manager for the $200 million initial public offering of Jones Ventures INTL Acquisition1 Corp.

The offering consisted of 20,000,000 units priced at $10.00 per unit. The units began trading on the Nasdaq Global Market on July 14, 2026, under the ticker symbol “JONEU.”

Jones Ventures INTL Acquisition1 Corp is a newly organized blank check company formed for the purpose of pursuing a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses.

“This transaction reflects the continued expansion of Jones’ capital markets platform and our ability to deliver thoughtful advice and strong execution to our clients,” said Alan Hill, CEO of Jones. “We are proud of the team’s work and pleased to support Jones Ventures INTL Acquisition1 Corp.”

Bryan Turley, Chief Financial Officer of Jones Ventures INTL Acquisition1 Corp, added:

“Jones brought senior-level attention, deep market expertise and a highly collaborative approach throughout the offering process. We appreciate the team’s guidance and execution in helping us successfully complete this important transaction.”

Each unit consists of one Class A ordinary share and one right to receive one-eighth of one Class A ordinary share upon the completion of an initial business combination. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, the Class A ordinary shares and rights are expected to trade on Nasdaq under the symbols “JONE” and “JONER,” respectively.

The company granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 3,000,000 units at the initial public offering price to cover over-allotments, if any.

The offering was made only by means of a prospectus. Copies of the prospectus relating to the offering may be obtained from JonesTrading Institutional Services LLC, 325 Hudson Street, 6th Floor, New York, New York 10013, or by email at ECM@jonestrading.com.

A registration statement relating to the securities was filed with and declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on July 13, 2026. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of that jurisdiction.

About Jones

JonesTrading Institutional Services, LLC (“Jones”) is a leading full-service investment banking firm, providing a comprehensive suite of services, including capital markets, M&A, and strategic advisory to corporate clients. The firm is dedicated to building lasting partnerships by delivering innovative solutions, deep industry expertise, and tailored strategies that drive value and success. Founded in 1975, JonesTrading has established itself as the global leader in block trading and a premier liquidity provider to institutional investors. The firm’s offerings also include derivatives trading, outsourced trading, electronic trading, prime services, private markets trading, and research/market intelligence. Member FINRA and SIPC.

For more information, please visit www.jonestrading.com

Megan Bracero
mbracero@jonestrading.com

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SOURCE JonesTrading Institutional Services