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Utopaya Relaunches as Straata, an AI-Native Service That Puts Payments Revenue Growth on Autopilot

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Straata owns the economics of payments for software platforms, ISOs, banks, and processors, growing revenue across contracts, pricing, interchange, recovery, and new products

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Utopaya, the embedded-payments advisory firm, today relaunched as Straata, an AI-native service that owns payments revenue growth for software platforms, ISOs and agents, banks, and processors.

Payments is one of the largest revenue lines these companies operate and one of the least instrumented. A software platform tracks MRR, churn, and retention in real time, then runs its highest-margin line on a spreadsheet and a prayer. An ISO, agent, or bank books residual income it has no practical way to verify. Straata’s benchmarks put 30 to 50 percent of payments revenue out of reach, and roughly one in two processor residual statements the firm audits contains an error.

For most companies the options used to be hiring an FTE, engaging a consultant, or buying a payments intelligence dashboard. A senior payments hire costs $400,000 to $600,000 loaded, takes six to twelve months to land, and still needs tooling or a team behind them. A consultant’s deck decays on arrival. A dashboard shows you the gap and leaves you to close it.

“Advice alone leaves you to execute it, and software alone leaves you to run it,” said Brian Abernethy, Founder and CEO of Straata. “We do both, and we own the result. A small team of senior operators can now run a payments program for a fraction of a single hire.”

Straata is built on nearly five years of Utopaya’s work, concentrated in vertical software, spanning more than 100 engagements across 20+ processors with more than $100 billion in annual payment volume analyzed. The past year went into the AI-native platform that runs it, so the benchmarks, reconciliation method, and negotiation playbooks live in the technology rather than one person’s experience. Straata extends the same program to ISOs and agents, banks, and processors, which run on the same mechanics.

The advisory work that built the firm continues. Contract negotiation, RFP and vendor selection, buy and sell-side diligence, and business case formation remain core, now with the platform behind them and managed-service packages available to own the execution once the recommendation lands.

Straata pairs senior payments operators with proprietary technology across five levers: commercial terms, commission verification, interchange optimization, merchant pricing, and product gaps. The Payments Diagnostic turns four data files into a graded Report Card in days once the files arrive. Clients run the roadmap themselves, or engage Straata to execute it for them.

The platform lets a small team deliver what previously took ten. Diagnostics and residual verification run across every client at once rather than one engagement at a time, contract scenarios get modeled the same way, and the data and integration barriers that stall payments teams get solved once instead of repeatedly. It also lets Straata blend product changes directly into the outcomes it is accountable for, rather than handing a client a recommendation and hoping.

“The platform matters because of what it frees us to do,” said Abernethy. “We can own outcomes no advisory firm could own before, and we get judged on the result. Every company is trying to apply AI to its own business, and most homegrown attempts stall before they change anything at scale. We spent a year building this one.”

Straata takes no referral fees or revenue share from the vendors it evaluates and is compensated only by its clients.

Straata is live today at straata.io.

About Straata

Straata is the AI-native payments service for software platforms, ISOs and agents, banks, and processors. It combines senior payments operators with proprietary technology to find and capture the revenue in a client’s payment stack. Services span the Payments Diagnostic, contract negotiation, vendor selection, managed vendor migration, RFP response, buy and sell-side diligence, GTM strategy, business case formation, sponsor bank architecture, and Fractional GM of Payments. Learn more at straata.io.

Media contact: Brian Abernethy, 419864@email4pr.com, 7046547613

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SOURCE Straata

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Creality Launches SPARKX i7 Nano: Bringing Compact Multi-Color Printing to $299

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HOUSTON, Aug. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Creality, a global leader in the 3D printing industry, today announced the availability of the SPARKX i7 Nano, the latest addition to its i7 series. This desktop 3D printer saves space while delivering premium print quality across up to four colors. With a minimalist design that fits easily on a desk, the i7 Nano makes multi-color 3D printing more compact, affordable, and accessible.

Following the January debut of the i7 Color Combo, the i7 Nano is also built for smarter, more effortless 3D printing. It integrates AI-powered capabilities that simplify both creation and printing, including CubeMe for automatically turning 2D portraits into multi-color 3D models. A built-in 720p AI camera monitors prints for common failures such as spaghetti and air printing, while vibration compensation and dynamic pressure adjustment help maintain consistent print quality.

Beyond these shared features, the i7 Nano comes with an integrated spool holder and optimized filament layout, taking up less desktop space and making it easier to fit into compact workspaces. The spool holder mounts directly onto the printer body with a convenient snap-on design, eliminating the need for an external CFS Lite. This compact solution keeps the printer’s footprint small while maintaining a clean appearance without compromising printing performance.

Paired with the new CFS nano Kit, a small unit mounted on top of the printer, the i7 Nano enables vibrant multi-color printing with automatic filament switching for up to four colors. The CFS nano features a dual-motor system, with one motor controlling filament channel switching and the other handling filament feeding and retraction. This ensures smooth and efficient color changes while keeping the overall setup streamlined. The CFS nano also allows quick installation without complex disassembly or modifications and is compatible with existing i7 units.

The i7 Nano features a build volume of 260 × 260 × 255 mm and a maximum printing speed of up to 500 mm/s. It supports a hardened steel nozzle with a maximum temperature of 300°C and multiple nozzle diameters, including 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 mm. It is also equipped with automatic bed leveling, RFID filament reading and automatic filament refill to deliver an easy-to-use and reliable printing experience for beginners.

The SPARKX i7 Nano with CFS nano Kit will be available starting from August 15 for $299 in the U.S. at the Creality US Store.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/creality-launches-sparkx-i7-nano-bringing-compact-multi-color-printing-to-299-302851758.html

SOURCE Creality

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CATL and Quinbrook Build on Supernode Partnership Following Stage 2 and Stage 3 Major Milestones

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BRISBANE, Australia, Aug. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Quinbrook’s Supernode battery energy storage project has completed Stage 2 commercial operation and reached financial close on A$469 million financing for Stage 3, marking a further milestone in the phased development of Australia’s largest operational BESS campus.

With planned capacity expected to exceed 3 GWh, Supernode is supported by CATL as its core energy storage system supplier for all three stages, providing advanced storage solutions and lifecycle support to enable reliable long-term operation.

Located at Brendale, north of Brisbane, Supernode is adjacent to the South Pine substation, a key hub in the Queensland power system and the regional reference node for marginal loss factors (MLFs). This location provides a favourable MLF position and approximately 4,000MW of available connection capacity for phased expansion. The project’s development coincides with Queensland’s accelerating energy transition and the infrastructure investment cycle.

Stage 3 has reached financial close on A$469 million in debt financing, bringing total project financing across Supernode Stages 1, 2 and 3 to approximately A$1.2 billion. Across its first three stages, Supernode is set to reach 780MW / 3,074MWh. Capacity across the three stages has been contracted under long-term offtake arrangements. 

The long-term value of such assets depends on the continued availability, operational efficiency, safety and reliability of their energy storage systems. CATL has provided EnerC Plus systems for Stages 1 and 2 and will supply TENER S systems for Stage 3, establishing a consistent technology platform across the campus.

In close collaboration with Quinbrook, CATL has supported project-specific design optimisation to enable high-density deployment within the constraints of available industrial land. EnerC Plus supports back-to-back installation, reducing the required site footprint by approximately 20% compared with EnerC. Its integrated liquid-cooling system maintains an internal container temperature differential within 5°C and is designed to deliver reliable operation over a 20-year lifecycle.

CATL’s contribution extends beyond equipment supply. Under a Long-Term Service Agreement (LTSA), CATL will further support the full lifecycle of the energy storage asset through condition monitoring, performance tracking, fault response and preventive maintenance to help ensure reliable long-term operation. CATL’s proven product performance, scalable delivery capabilities and lifecycle service model provide greater confidence in the long-term reliability and performance of the energy storage asset.

Tim Hornemand, Managing Director and Regional Lead, Australia, at Quinbrook, said:
“Achieving commercial operations for Stage 2 means we’ve successfully delivered both Origin-contracted stages on schedule, an outcome we’re incredibly proud of given the complexity of commissioning utility-scale battery storage projects in Australia. With Stage 3 now fully financed, we’ve reached another important milestone in Supernode’s continuing development. The ongoing support of our banking partners also reflects confidence in the Supernode project, our delivery track record and the long-term outlook for battery storage in Australia.”

Tan Libin, CCO and Co-President of Sales & Marketing at CATL, said:
“Energy storage is evolving from a standalone technology deployment into a strategic energy asset. The next stage of industry development will depend not only on technological advancement, but also on the ability to create long-term value through collaboration, innovation and scalable deployment. At CATL, we are committed to working with partners to unlock the full potential of energy storage assets and support the transition toward a more flexible and resilient energy system.”

CATL and Quinbrook are also working together on EnerQB, an eight-hour battery storage solution being considered for future stages of the Supernode development. The initiative builds on CATL’s role as energy storage system supplier across Supernode’s first three stages. CATL will continue to work with partners worldwide to deliver reliable technologies, scalable solutions and lifecycle support.

SOURCE CATL

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Nocpix Nature Launches Rovex, a Large-Screen Thermal Solution for Faster Bird Discovery

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LONDON, Aug. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Nocpix Nature today introduced Rovex, a lightweight large-screen handheld thermal imaging camera designed to help birdwatchers, wildlife observers, and outdoor nature enthusiasts find birds more easily in challenging viewing conditions.

Rovex brings a new approach to bird search by combining a 5-inch large display, wide-field thermal imaging, and AI-assisted tracking in a lightweight handheld design. Rather than replacing binoculars or other birdwatching optics, Rovex is designed to help users locate birds faster when low light, dense vegetation, or complex surroundings make visual searching more difficult.

A Wider View for Faster Bird Discovery

Finding a bird is often the first challenge. Rovex’s 5-inch screen and 17.5° × 13.1° field of view allow users to scan a broader area with each sweep while viewing thermal information on a larger display. The open viewing experience makes it easier to search for potential wildlife activity without being confined to a narrow viewing window.

AI-Assisted Search for Faster Discovery

Rovex’s AI Smart Tracking helps highlight potential bird heat sources and guide attention toward areas of interest. By supporting the search process rather than simply displaying thermal imagery, Rovex helps birdwatchers identify where to look and spend less time scanning areas where nothing is happening.

Thermal Imaging When Nature Gets Harder to See

When birds blend into dense cover or become difficult to spot as light fades, thermal imaging can provide another way to search. Rovex combines a 384 × 288 @ 12μm thermal sensor with advanced image processing, including R+ Super-Resolution, smart denoising, and target highlighting, to help thermal signatures stand out against complex backgrounds.

With a lightweight design of less than 290g, Rovex is built for comfortable outdoor use and extended searching. It gives birdwatchers a practical tool for finding wildlife that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Rovex marks Nocpix Nature’s first step toward making wildlife observation smarter, easier, and more rewarding — Smart Ways to Discover.

About Nocpix Nature

Nocpix Nature is designed for birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts seeking more from their outdoor experiences. Powered by proprietary sensor technology and advanced AI image algorithms, Nocpix Nature develops intelligent, user-friendly observation tools that make it easier to discover, identify, record, and share wildlife moments. We believe observation goes beyond simply seeing—it is about building a more meaningful relationship with the natural world.

For further information:
Nocpix Nature Marketing Team
Email: info@nocpixnature.com
Website: www.nocpixnature.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nocpix-nature-launches-rovex-a-large-screen-thermal-solution-for-faster-bird-discovery-302852250.html

SOURCE Nocpix Nature

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