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NEO Battery Secures Custom Battery Order from Major Korean Defense Drone Manufacturer

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Secured purchase order from major Korean drone manufacturer for custom-developed battery solutions in strike drone applications for initial performance validationPrimary design objective to reduce overall battery weight to increase flight duration and operational rangeIncreased order flow from the domestic drone industry due to NEO’s ability to resolve performance bottlenecks and diversify to allied defense supply chains

TORONTO, July 30, 2026 /CNW/ — NEO Battery Materials Ltd. (“NEO” or the “Company”) (TSXV: NBM) (OTC: NBMFF), a low-cost, silicon-enhanced battery manufacturer enabling high-performance capabilities for drones, robotics, and physical AI, is pleased to secure a purchase order from a major South Korean drone systems and components manufacturer (the “Customer”), being one of the largest standalone drone companies in the country by revenue.

The Customer has ordered a custom-developed 6Ah high-performance battery solution for initial performance validation through field testing of its upcoming strike drone product line. The cell and pack will be manufactured to Customer specifications, with the primary design objective of reducing overall battery weight to increase flight duration and operational range. NEO expects that its high-energy battery design, combined with precision manufacturing controls, will enable the Customer to meet its targeted endurance requirements. The Company will provide updates as advancements with the Customer occur.

“This order reflects NEO’s ability to develop energy solutions tailored to specific customer requirements and the growing trust within the domestic drone industry that the Company can address performance bottlenecks while diversifying away from concentrated supply chains,” commented Mr. S.J. Youn, Head of Manufacturing & Facility Operations at NEO. “Following delivery, we expect to work through iterative testing and feedback with the Customer to optimize the product for implementation in commercial systems.”

About NEO Battery Materials Ltd.
NEO Battery Materials is a Canadian-South Korean battery technology company focused on developing and producing silicon-enhanced lithium-ion batteries in drones, robotics, physical AI, electric vehicles, and energy storage systems. With a patent-protected, low-cost silicon manufacturing process, NEO Battery enables longer-running and ultra-fast charging properties and provides end-to-end battery solutions from materials selection, cell architecture, and process optimization. The Company aims to be a globally-leading producer of high-performance lithium-ion batteries and materials, building a secure, robust battery supply chain for Western manufacturers. For more information, please visit the Company’s website at: https://www.neobatterymaterials.com/.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors
Spencer Huh
Director, President, and CEO

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements as well as management’s objectives, strategies, beliefs and intentions. All information contained herein that is not clearly historical in nature may constitute forward-looking information. Generally, such forward-looking information can be identified notably by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “plans”, “expects” or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, or “believes”, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will be taken”, “occur” or “be achieved”. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: volatile stock prices; the general global markets and economic conditions; the possibility of write-downs and impairments; the risk associated with the research and development of battery-related technologies; the risk associated with the effectiveness and feasibility of battery material, electrode, and cell technologies that have not yet been tested or proven on commercial scale or under real-world operating conditions; the risks associated with battery-related manufacturing process scale-up, including maintaining consistent material, component, and cell quality, production yields, and process reproducibility at a pilot, semi-commercial, or commercial scale; the risks associated with compatibility of existing battery chemistries, formulations, components, or designs; unforeseen risks associated with entering into and maintaining collaborations, joint ventures, partnerships, or commercial contracts with battery cell manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers, and various companies in the global battery and downstream end-user supply chain; the risks associated with the failure to develop and produce commercially viable battery-related products or that technical goals may not be achieved within expected timelines or budgets under a joint development or collaboration; the risks associated with the Company’s technologies and products not meeting performance requirements or customer specifications; the risks that prototype and pilot-scale products do not advance into commercially produced products or translate into commercial orders; the risk associated with battery components and cell purchase orders and offtake supply that may not be fulfilled in full, on time, or at all as actual revenue realization depends on delivery schedules, achievement of technical milestones, and customer acceptance and validation; the risk associated with losing official vendor registration or status with existing customers; counterparty risk upon delivery of prototype and commercial products; the risks associated with constructing, completing, securing, and financing pilot, semi-commercial, and commercial battery materials, components, and cell manufacturing facilities including the Canadian and South Korean facilities; the risks associated with potential delays or increased costs with site preparation, equipment procurement and installation, and facility commissioning; the risks associated with integrating silicon anode material production, electrode manufacturing, and cell assembly within a single operational cluster or the Company’s business portfolio; the risks associated with supply chain disruptions or cost fluctuations in raw materials, processing chemicals, and additive prices, impacting production costs and commercial viability; the risks associated with uninsurable risks arising during the course of research, development and production; competition faced by the Company in securing experienced personnel, contracts and sales, and financing; access to adequate infrastructure and resources to support battery materials, components, and cell research and development activities; the risks associated with changes in the technology regulatory regime governing the Company; the risks associated with the timely execution of the Company’s strategies and business plans; the risks associated with the lithium-ion battery industry and end-users’ demand and adoption of the Company’s silicon anode technology and battery products; market adoption and integration challenges, including the difficulty of incorporating silicon anodes and silicon battery products within battery manufacturers and OEMs’ systems; the risks associated with the various environmental and political regulations the Company is subject to; risks related to regulatory and permitting delays; the reliance on key personnel; liquidity risks; the risk of litigation; risk management; and other risk factors as identified in the Company’s recent Financial Statements and MD&A and in recent securities filings for the Company which are available on www.sedarplus.ca. Forward-looking information is based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable at the time such statements are made, including but not limited to, continued R&D and commercialization activities, no material adverse change in precursor, raw material, equipment, and relevant cost prices, development and commercialization plans to proceed in accordance with plans and such plans to achieve their stated expected outcomes, receipt of required regulatory approvals, and such other assumptions and factors as set out herein. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information has been provided for the purpose of assisting investors in understanding the Company’s business, operations, research and development, and commercialization plans and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is made as of the date of this presentation, and the Company does not undertake to update such forward-looking information except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE NEO Battery Materials Ltd.

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1 in 5 Small Businesses Will Hit a Cash Crunch in the Next 90 Days, New Clockwork.ai Data Finds

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The first forward-looking analysis of 3,000+ real small businesses reveals a wave of cash shortfalls forming this quarter, and most owners don’t see it coming

CHICAGO, July 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — One in five U.S. small and medium businesses is on track to run short on cash within the next 90 days, according to new data released today by Clockwork.ai, the AI-native financial planning and analysis (FP&A) platform. The finding comes from an analysis of anonymized, aggregated forecasts across more than 3,000 businesses, a rare forward-looking view of small and medium sized business finances at a moment when most warning signs only appear after the money is already gone.

The analysis found that 20% of small and medium sized businesses that make less than $30M in annual revenue are projected to dip below a safe operating cash threshold in Q4, many of them profitable on paper.

“Most small businesses don’t fail because they’re unprofitable. They fail because they run out of cash while waiting for the profit to show up,” said Fady Hawatmeh, Founder/CEO, Clockwork.ai. “The scary part isn’t the shortfall, it’s that owners typically can’t see it until it’s weeks away and confirms the stat that 82% of business failures are due to simply running out of cash. Our data lets us see it forming months ahead.”

What the data shows
Most of the businesses heading for a cash crunch are profitable right now.

Clockwork’s analysis found that 72% of the at-risk businesses are currently profitable, proof that a healthy income statement is no guarantee of survival. These owners are watching a strong P&L while their cash quietly drains toward zero, which is exactly why the shortfall blindsides them.

The headline finding holds beneath it: 1 in 5 businesses are projected to hit a cash crunch within 90 days, defined as cash balance projected to fall below one payroll cycle’s worth of expenses.

Why owners can’t see it coming
Traditional accounting tells businesses what already happened. By the time a cash problem shows up in the books, the runway to fix it has often disappeared. Clockwork’s data is built the other way around: it forecasts forward from a company’s own transactional data, projecting where cash is heading rather than reporting where it’s been.

That forward view is the same engine behind Mira, Clockwork’s agentic FP&A analyst launched earlier this month, which runs forecasts, builds scenarios, and explains the story behind every number straight from a business’s accounting and payroll data. Where the study shows the problem at scale, Mira gives an individual business owner a CFO-level answer to “what happens to my cash next quarter?” in plain language, in minutes.

“The businesses that make it through a cash crunch are the ones that saw it early enough to act,” said Hawatmeh. “That’s the entire reason we built Mira, to put that foresight in the hands of owners who could never afford a CFO.”

Methodology
Findings are based on anonymized, aggregated forecast data from more than 3,000 small and medium sized businesses using the Clockwork.ai platform, analyzed in July 2026 for a period covering 2026. Typical companies using the Clockwork platform have 5-50 employees with $1M to $30M in gross revenue. Cash crunch is defined as cash balance projected to fall below one payroll cycle’s worth of expenses.

About Clockwork.ai
Founded in 2018, Clockwork pioneered AI forecasting for small and medium-sized businesses. The AI-native FP&A platform delivers real-time forecasting, weekly cash flow projections, and AI-powered scenario modeling, and is the official FP&A partner of Thomson Reuters. Clockwork supports more than 3,000 businesses. Learn more at clockwork.ai.

Instagram: @clockwork.ai  |  LinkedIn: /company/clockworkai

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SOURCE Clockwork.ai

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Building Communities Strong in British Columbia with 54 new infrastructure projects

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VICTORIA, BC, July 30, 2026 /CNW/ — More than $152 million is being invested in 54 new infrastructure projects across British Columbia through the Strategic Priorities Fund. This federally funded program supports infrastructure projects that are beyond the financial capacity of a single local government, under the Build Communities Strong Fund (BCSF) Community stream in B.C.

This was announced by Will Greaves, Member of Parliament for Victoria; Darlene Rotchford, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Esquimalt-Colwood; Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) First Vice President Jenna Stoner; and Mayor Cliff McNeil-Smith, Board Chair of the Capital Regional District.

The Capital Regional District (CRD) has received $7 million towards an innovative project to transform biosolids leftover from wastewater treatment into biochar using new carbonization technology. This project is the first of its kind in Canada and will help lower greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the volume of material, destroying contaminants of concern, and permanently storing carbon, while also creating a valuable, carbon-rich product with potential applications across construction, industrial, agriculture and forestry sectors.

In addition, 53 other projects have been funded across British Columbia including a new fire hall in Metchosin, a new turf multi-sport field in Prince George and over a dozen water and wastewater projects. A portion of the funding is being used in capacity-building projects that will strengthen the ability of local governments to make long term infrastructure plans, integrated community sustainability planning and improve asset management practices.

The BCSF Community stream is a transfer-based program that provides $2.5 billion per year in funding to communities across Canada. The Province of British Columbia will receive over $326 million for the 2026-27 fiscal year, which is administered by the UBCM and distributed to local governments through the Community Works Fund, Strategic Priorities Fund, and Metro Vancouver Regional Fund.

Quotes

“For local governments across British Columbia, the right investment can support housing, foster connection and build strong communities. These projects will make a lasting impact and reinforce our commitment to building bold, building strong, and building together.”

The Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada

“Strong communities depend on strong infrastructure. As British Columbia grows, our government’s priority is helping municipalities plan for the future and meet changing needs. Thanks to partnerships with the Government of Canada, UBCM and local governments, these 55 projects will help communities build the infrastructure they need to deliver reliable services and create a more resilient future.”

The Honourable Christine Boyle, B.C. Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs 

“On behalf of the CRD, I would like to thank the Government of Canada, the Province of British Columbia and UBCM for their commitment to building stronger, more resilient communities through investments in innovative infrastructure. This biochar project will position the CRD as a national leader in biosolids management, carbon reduction and resource recovery. We are proud to advance an initiative that will provide lasting environmental and community benefits while further establishing our region as a leader in sustainable wastewater management.”

Cliff McNeil-Smith, Capital Regional District Chair

“The Build Communities Strong Fund is improving the quality of life across British Columbia by investing directly into communities. UBCM is pleased to administer this fund that empowers local governments to address critical infrastructure priorities and refine asset management. We are grateful for the long-term commitment that Canada and BC have provided for this program.”

Jenna Stoner, First Vice President, Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM)

Related products

The full list of projects can be found on the Union of British Columbia Municipalities’ Strategic Priorities Fund website

Quick Facts

British Columbia’s 2026-27 allocation under the Build Communities Strong Fund Community stream is over $326 million.The total federal contribution towards the 54 projects is $152,313,226.The 29 capital projects are receiving a total of $145,945,502.The 25 capacity building projects are receiving a total of $6,367,764.The funding provided for these projects comes through the UBCM’s application-based Strategic Priorities Fund.The Build Communities Strong Fund Community stream provides predictable, long-term and stable funding to local governments for investment in infrastructure and capacity-building projects. This program is funded by the Government of Canada and administered in British Columbia by the UBCM.

Associated Links

Build Communities Strong FundCommunity Stream in British ColumbiaUnion of British Columbia Municipalities’ Strategic Priorities Fund

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Web: Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada

SOURCE Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities

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Filevine Launches LOIS Explore: Professional-Grade Legal AI Now Free to Use

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SALT LAKE CITY, July 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Filevine has announced the launch of LOIS Explore, a new way for legal teams to access its Legal Operating Intelligence System. LOIS is now free to use with no credit card and no commitment, allowing firms to be up and running in just 10-15 minutes.

LOIS Explore handles the massive legal documents that generic AI tools cannot, processing files up to 5 GB and 15,000 pages while providing verified citations for every answer. Built on structured legal data from 40 million matters, LOIS functions as an active operator for the legal team, verifying citations against case law, analyzing case files, and flagging privilege issues.

This free access provides a secure environment for legal research, drafting, and semantic search across uploaded materials. Filevine maintains strict data protocols for LOIS Explore: it does not train AI models on uploaded documents, and accounts, uploaded documents, and chat history will be permanently deleted at the end of each free access period.

“We know many legal professionals are trying out multiple legal AI tools; often in parallel,” said Michael Anderson, Chief Product Officer of Filevine. “We want them to take the LOIS challenge and see what it is capable of when it comes to rich source verification and legal research that includes novel citator analysis. It’s a practical, secure way to experience AI purpose-built for the scale and complexity of legal work.”

To get started, users select a tailored practice track — litigation, transactional, or advisory — to align the experience with their specific needs. Free access requires full, verifiable contact information from a law firm or legal business.

To move beyond the trial’s sandboxed environment — including connecting LOIS to live case data, enabling team collaboration, and accessing firm-saved prompts — firms are directed to contact a Filevine sales representative. Get started today at filevine.com/lois.

About Filevine

Filevine is the system of record for the modern law firm. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Filevine connects contracts, matters, documents, and workflows into a unified platform. Thousands of organizations rely on Filevine to manage complex legal work with precision and control. Recognized as a leader in Legal AI, Filevine has been honored by the LegalTech Breakthrough Awards, the SaaS Awards, Deloitte Technology Fast 500, and the Business Intelligence AI Excellence Award.

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/filevine-launches-lois-explore-professional-grade-legal-ai-now-free-to-use-302839241.html

SOURCE Filevine

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