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Futuri Introduces “Automate, Augment, Hold” Framework to Help Sales Leaders Avoid an AI Trust Deficit

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Drawing on a year of conversations with roughly 40 enterprise sales leaders, Futuri CEO Daniel Anstandig warns that automating human moments produces a bill that comes due 18 months later.

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Boards, investors, and AI vendors are pressing revenue organizations toward end-to-end automation, and the cost logic is hard to argue with: if a machine can do the task faster and cheaper, why not let it? Futuri’s view is that the logic breaks on a distinction most automation roadmaps never make: the difference between a task and a moment. Drawing on a year of conversations with roughly 40 enterprise sales leaders working through the same question, Futuri CEO and co-founder Daniel Anstandig lays out a framework for sorting the two in “Where AI Ends and the Seller Begins.”

The framework divides every step of the revenue process into three categories. Automate covers work where only the output matters and human presence adds no customer value: research, first-draft emails, CRM updates, competitive briefs, meeting summaries. Augment covers work where AI does the heavy lifting and a person makes the call. AI drafts the proposal, scores the account, and surfaces the signal; the seller refines, prioritizes, and decides on timing. Hold covers the moments where automation degrades the relationship: discovery calls, negotiations, first meetings with a new champion, recovery conversations, and the hard conversation that delivers unwelcome news. “There’s a difference between automating a task and automating a moment,” Anstandig writes. “The presence is the whole point. Replace the human and you haven’t streamlined the moment; you’ve eliminated it and put something else in its place that happens to share the same calendar slot.”

The cost of sorting wrong is what he calls the trust deficit, a decline that never surfaces in a dashboard, because the activity that replaced the moment still registers as activity. Customers rarely complain; they quietly disengage, and win rates soften for reasons no report explains. “This is the trust deficit, and it’s the bill that comes due eighteen months after the automation mandate went out,” Anstandig writes. His conclusion is that the sorting, not the software, is now the variable: “Most leaders are willing to automate. What they skip is the sorting.” Two companies can run identical stacks, he argues, and “their outcomes will diverge dramatically.”

The full framework, including a step-by-step exercise for auditing a live sales process, is available on Anstandig on the Future. For media companies, marketers, and AI leaders, Automate–Augment–Hold is a portable method for any customer-facing workflow, not only sales. Futuri builds on the same principle in TopLine Enterprise, which surrounds sellers with research, prioritization, and preparation while leaving discovery, negotiation, and relationship judgment with the human.

About Daniel Anstandig: Daniel Anstandig is CEO and co-founder of Futuri, where he has spent more than 16 years building AI-powered technology that helps companies transform how they sell, create content, and make decisions. He is also the founder of SparkTrade.io and holds more than 25 patents spanning AI, automation, audio, public safety, and broadcast technology.

About Futuri: Futuri is a global leader in AI technology for sales enablement, data enablement, and content automation. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, Futuri is trusted by 7,000+ companies across 22 countries. Key solutions include TopLine sales intelligence, TopicPulse real-time content trends, Content Automation, AudioAI, SpotOn, and POST. Learn more at Futurimedia.com and Futuri.ai.

Full article: https://anstandig.substack.com/p/where-ai-ends-and-the-seller-begins  |  Futuri TopLine: https://futuri.ai  |  Corporate: https://futurimedia.com

Media Contact: Fulani Clarke, Product Marketer, Futuri — marketing@futurimedia.com / 877-221-7979, ext. 155

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SOURCE Futuri Media

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INTURAI VENTURES ANNOUNCES CLOSING OF FIRST TRANCHE OF PRIVATE PLACEMENT

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(CSE: URAI / OTC: URAIF / FSE: 3QG0)
investor@inturai.com

Highlights

The Company has completed the first tranche of its previously announced non-brokered private placement, issuing 6,273,331 Units at a price of $0.15 per Unit for gross proceeds of $940,999.65.The Company expects to close the remainder of the Offering in one or more tranches in the coming weeks.

VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Inturai Ventures Corp. (the “Company”) (CSE: URAI) (OTC: URAIF) (FSE: 3QG0) is pleased to announce that it has closed the first tranche of its previously announced non-brokered private placement of up to 8,500,000 units (each, a “Unit”) at a price of $0.15 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to $1,275,000 (the “Offering”). Under the first tranche of the Offering, the Company issued 6,273,331 Units for aggregate gross proceeds of $940,999.65.

Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company (each, a “Share”) and one share purchase warrant (each, a “Warrant”). Each Warrant entitles the holder to acquire an additional common share of the Company at a price of $0.25 for a period of twenty-four months following the date of issuance. The Warrants are subject to an accelerated expiry if, any time following the date of issuance, the closing price of the Shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange, or such other market as the Shares may trade from time to time, is or exceeds $0.35 for five (5) consecutive trading days, in which event the holders of the Warrants may, at the Company’s election, be given notice and the Company will issue a press release announcing that the Warrants will expire thirty (30) days following the date of such press release. The Warrants may be exercised by the holder of the Warrants during the 30-day period between the date of the press release announcing the accelerated expiry date and the expiration of the Warrants.

The Company expects to close the remainder of the Offering in one or more tranches in the coming weeks. The Company expects to utilize the proceeds of the Offering for research and development, business development and general working capital purposes.

The Units issued under the first tranche Offering were offered for sale pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption under Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 – Prospectus Exemptions (the “Listed Issuer Financing Exemption”), in each of the provinces of Canada, except Quebec, and other qualifying jurisdictions, including the United States. The Units offered under the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption will be immediately “free-trading” under applicable Canadian securities laws.

In connection with closing of the first tranche of the Offering, the Company paid $9,900 and issued 66,000 finder warrants (each, a “Finders’ Warrant”) to certain arm’s-length parties (each, a “Finder”) who assisted in introducing subscribers to the Offering. Each Finders’ Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one common share of the Company at a price of $0.25 until August 28, 2028. All securities issued to Finders are subject to restrictions on resale until December 29, 2026 in accordance with applicable securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange.

This press release is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the securities in the United States or in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to qualification or registration under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and such securities may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from U.S. registration requirements and applicable U.S. state securities laws.

The Amended and Restated Offering Document (the “Offering Document”) related to this Offering can be accessed under the Company’s profile at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company’s website at www.inturai.com. Prospective investors should read this Offering Document before making an investment decision. 

About Inturai Ventures

Inturai Ventures is advancing intelligent environments with cutting-edge AI technologies, transforming industries such as healthcare, military, smart homes, and industrial applications. For more information, visit www.inturai.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Ed Clarke, CEO
Inturai Ventures Corp.
Email: investor@inturai.com
Phone: (+1) 604 339-0339

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain “forward-looking statements” under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as “anticipates”, “plan”, “continue”, “expect”, “project”, “intend”, “believe”, “estimate”, “may”, “will”, “potential”, “proposed”, “positioned” and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions “may” or “will” occur and include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the intended use of proceeds from the Offering and the anticipated closing of the remainder of the Offering. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties, uncertain capital markets; and delay or failure to receive board or regulatory approvals. The reader is cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of the forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect and the actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Accordingly, no assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do, what benefits, including the amount of proceeds, the Company will derive therefrom. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. The Company is under no obligation, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law.

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SOURCE INTURAI VENTURES CORP.

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Five ways K-12 leaders can strengthen teacher recognition beyond appreciation weeks, according to new University of Phoenix white paper

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Author Dr. Contessa T. Walker-Jackson distinguishes professional recognition from general appreciation and offers practical approaches for school leaders seeking to support teacher morale and engagement

PHOENIX, Aug. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — University of Phoenix College of Doctoral Studies has published a new white paper, “Beyond Appreciation Weeks: Building Teacher Recognition Into the Everyday Work of K–12 Leadership,” by Contessa Walker-Jackson, Ed.D., alumni fellow with the University’s Center for Educational and Instructional Technology Research (CEITR). In the paper, Walker-Jackson examines how K–12 school leaders can move beyond episodic teacher-appreciation activities by making substantive teacher recognition part of everyday leadership practice.

Walker-Jackson distinguishes between appreciation — general expressions of gratitude directed toward teachers as a group — and recognition, which acknowledges a specific professional contribution by an individual teacher. The paper argues that both have a place in school culture, but that recognition is most meaningful when it is specific, consistent and connected to teachers’ actual work.

“Teacher appreciation plays an important role in school culture, but recognition highlights the specific work that a teacher has accomplished,” said Walker-Jackson. “A principal who notices well is a gem to the school. A principal who departs without incorporating a system of recognition into the school’s operations creates a potential failure within the institution, as the elements that contributed to teachers feeling acknowledged and valued will leave with them.”

Why is teacher recognition different from teacher appreciation?

Walker-Jackson argues that appreciation activities such as staff celebrations, thank-you notes and appreciation weeks can help schools express collective gratitude and create opportunities for connection. However, the paper distinguishes those activities from substantive recognition, which is tied to something a leader has directly observed a teacher accomplish.

Drawing on established motivation theory, recent research on teacher engagement and narrative interviews with current and former teachers, the paper suggests that recognition becomes more meaningful when it reinforces professional competence, belonging and contribution rather than functioning primarily as a scheduled or generic gesture.

The distinction is particularly important for school leaders, Walker-Jackson writes, because recognition practices that depend primarily on the preferences of an individual principal may disappear when leadership changes. Building recognition into school routines and expectations can make the practice more consistent over time.

What did teachers say makes recognition meaningful?

For the paper, Walker-Jackson conducted semi-structured narrative interviews with 10 current and former teachers at a faith-based private school in the southeastern United States. The analysis identified six themes:

Consistency matters. Teachers described recognition as less meaningful when it was unpredictable or dependent on the preferences of an individual leader.Culture shapes recognition. Participants emphasized that recognition should reflect the values and norms of the school community, with some preferring private or quieter acknowledgment.Leadership plays a central role. Teachers reported that the presence and quality of recognition could change significantly with a change in principal.Specific recognition can affect morale. Participants described small, targeted gestures as meaningful when they acknowledged something the teacher had actually done.Tangible recognition can have lasting value. Some participants valued recognition that created a visible or enduring acknowledgment of their contribution.Structure supports continuity. Teachers with experience across different settings described recognition as more reliable when supported by established practices rather than individual goodwill.

Across the interviews, Walker-Jackson found that teachers tended to describe recognition as meaningful when it was specific and tied to a real professional contribution, while generic, inconsistent or leader-dependent recognition was more likely to be viewed as insufficient.

How can K–12 leaders make teacher recognition part of everyday practice?

The white paper identifies five practices school and district leaders can consider:

Replace generic praise with named-action feedback. Give teachers timely feedback that identifies a specific instructional action or professional contribution and its observed effect.Use post-observation conversations as recognition opportunities. Treat the conversation following a classroom observation as an opportunity to acknowledge professional strengths, not solely as an evaluation or compliance step.Protect planning time as a form of recognition. Recognize the importance of teachers’ professional preparation by protecting planning periods from unnecessary disruption when possible.Build recognition practices that survive leadership changes. Establish consistent expectations, review cycles and leadership responsibilities so recognition does not depend entirely on one principal’s personal habits.Train principals in specific recognition. Treat effective recognition as a leadership skill that can be developed through coaching and incorporated into leadership expectations.

Together, the recommendations position recognition not as a once-a-year event, but as a leadership discipline that can be practiced, reinforced and evaluated as part of everyday school operations.

The paper notes important limitations to the findings. The narrative interviews involved 10 current and former teachers from one faith-based private school in the southeastern United States, and Walker-Jackson recommends further research in public schools, additional geographic regions and other educational settings. As the five recommended leadership practices have not yet been tested together as a single intervention, the paper presents them as evidence-informed leadership practices for further consideration and study.

About the author

Dr. Walker-Jackson is an Alumni Fellow with the University of Phoenix Center for Educational and Instructional Technology Research (CEITR) and founding president of the University of Phoenix Alabama Alumni Chapter. An educator, educational consultant, and K-12 school founder with more than two decades in education, she advises schools, districts, and homeschool programs on curriculum design, differentiated instruction, and teacher development. She is a National Certified Trainer in Differentiated Instruction, holds teaching certification in Alabama and Arizona, and founded Teacher’s PETS Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization serving underserved students since 2007. Walker-Jackson earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership with a concentration in Curriculum and Instruction from University of Phoenix, and a bachelor’s in elementary education from Oakwood University. She can be reached through her LinkedIn profile.

The full white paper is available on the University of Phoenix Research Hub or as a direct link here.

About University of Phoenix
University of Phoenix is Built for Real Life. 50 Years Strong. The University innovates to help working adults enhance their careers and develop skills in a rapidly changing world through flexible online learning, relevant courses, academic AI pillars, and skills-mapped curriculum for associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. Active students and alumni have access to Career Services for Life® resources including career guidance and tools. For more information, visit phoenix.edu.

About the College of Doctoral Studies
University of Phoenix’s College of Doctoral Studies focuses on today’s challenging business and organizational needs, from addressing critical social issues to developing solutions to accelerate community building and industry growth. The College’s research program is built around the Scholar, Practitioner, Leader Model which puts students in the center of the Doctoral Education Ecosystem® with experts, resources and tools to help prepare them to be a leader in their organization, industry and community. Through this program, students and researchers work with organizations to conduct research that can be applied in the workplace in real time.

MEDIA CONTACT: Sharla Hooper
University of Phoenix
sharla.hooper@phoenix.edu 

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SOURCE University of Phoenix

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iScreen Introduces Interactive Digital Pet Experience for iPhone Customization

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New experience brings an original digital companion, customizable widgets, and stickers to personalized iPhone Home Screens

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — iScreen, a mobile customization app for iOS and Android, today introduced a new interactive digital pet experience featuring customizable widgets and stickers, giving users new ways to personalize their iPhone Home Screens with interactive characters and expressive visual elements.

Viral Animal Characters Inspire Digital Creativity

The launch comes amid growing interest in viral animal characters and internet-native personalities across social media, including Jimothy, whose playful image and fan-created content have recently attracted widespread attention online. The trend reflects a broader movement toward memes, fan art, and character-driven digital self-expression.

Drawing on its experience collaborating with well-known IPs and character brands in China, iScreen has developed mobile customization experiences that bring recognizable characters, cultural themes, and interactive features into everyday personalization. The company continues to explore new ways to combine character design, visual aesthetics, and interactive experiences, while developing original digital companions such as Nimori.

Nimori: An Original Digital Companion

Nimori is an original digital companion created by iScreen to bring the playful energy of internet culture into everyday mobile experiences. Designed as more than a static visual element, Nimori gives users an interactive character they can incorporate into their personalized digital experience.

The update introduces an interactive digital pet for the iPhone Home Screen, making everyday screens more dynamic and expressive. Alongside the digital pet experience, users can access:

Themed widgets to create personalized layoutsInteractive stickers to combine with wallpapers and visual contentCustomizable Home Screen elements for a cohesive aesthetic experience

Connecting Internet Culture with Digital Self-Expression

“Internet culture is becoming an increasingly important source of inspiration for digital self-expression,” said the iScreen creative team. “With this new experience, we wanted to bring that playful energy into an original and interactive experience that users can enjoy directly on their screens.”

With the new update, iScreen continues to evolve its mobile customization ecosystem toward more interactive and expressive experiences, exploring new ways to connect internet culture, digital characters and personalized mobile experiences.

About iScreen

iScreen  is a mobile customization app providing widgets, wallpapers, and themed layouts for iOS and Android devices. Ranking among the top home screen customization platforms worldwide, iScreen has over 100 million users and has been featured by Apple Editorial in 128 countries for five consecutive days. With interactive and decorative options, it enables users to personalize both home screens and lock screens for a more immersive experience.

 

Official Website:iScreen – Phone Style, iScreen it!

iOS Download:‎‎iScreen – Widgets & Wallpaper App – App Store ‎

Android Download: iScreen Google Play

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SOURCE iScreen

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