Annual observance recognizes the achievements of adult learners and the opportunities they create for themselves, their families, and their communities

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On September 16, GED Testing Service® will celebrate National GED Day, honoring individuals across the country whose determination and hard work helped them achieve an educational milestone that provides a pathway to college and careers.

National GED Day shines a spotlight on the millions of individuals who have earned their high school credential through the GED program and the many more adult learners working toward that goal. The observance also highlights the important role the GED program plays in helping adults access new opportunities and meet workforce needs in communities nationwide.

More than 30 million adults in the United States do not have a high school diploma. Earning a GED can create a pathway to higher education, workforce training, military service, and careers in high-demand industries including healthcare, manufacturing, skilled trades, and technology.

“Every GED graduate has a unique story, but they all share something important: the decision to invest in themselves and their future,” said CT Turner, President of GED Testing Service. “Whether they’re continuing their education, building a more secure future for their families, or accomplishing a goal they’ve carried for years, they’re investing in themselves and the possibility of what’s next.”

Many graduates continue their education, while others gain the qualifications and confidence to enter new fields and follow their passion.

Iris is one of those graduates. After earning her GED, she launched a career in healthcare and now works as a Medical Assistant at a fertility clinic. She plans to continue her education by becoming a Phlebotomy Technician before pursuing her long-term goal of becoming a nurse.

“My GED helped me take the first step toward the career I wanted,” said Iris. “It was challenging and rewarding at the same time. My advice is to keep trying because it’s never too late to invest in your education and build a better future.”

Iris’s story is one of many being celebrated this year.

The observance also recognizes the educators, adult education programs, employers, family members, and mentors whose support helps learners succeed.

“Behind every graduate is a network of people who believed in them and encouraged them along the way,” Turner added. “We’re proud to celebrate not only those who earned their GED, but also the teachers, mentors, family members, and employers who supported them in their journey.”

Across the country, graduates, educators, employers, and learners will mark National GED Day by sharing stories of encouragement and success. GED Testing Service invites communities to join the celebration and recognize the impact adult learners are making every day.

To learn more, read graduate stories, or join the conversation online, visit GED.com/nationalgedday and follow #NationalGEDDay.

About GED Testing Service

The GED test has opened doors to better jobs and college programs for over 21 million graduates since 1942. The GED test is accepted by virtually all U.S. colleges and employers. As the creator of the official GED test, GED Testing Service ensures that the program continues to be a reliable and valuable pathway to a better life for adults without a high school diploma. GED Testing Service is a joint venture between the American Council on Education and Pearson.

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SOURCE GED Testing Service

As 2026 defense tech funding sets records, Backswing Ventures says the number that matters isn’t the valuation on a term sheet. It’s the cash that eventually lands back in an investor’s account.

ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Mach Industries doubled its valuation to $3.7 billion in three months. A year earlier, the company was worth $470 million. Numbers like that used to belong to consumer apps riding a viral moment. Now they belong to a drone and munitions manufacturer in El Segundo, and that says something about where defense technology sits in venture capital today.

Backswing Ventures has been watching that shift for months. The Orlando-based defense venture capital firm invests exclusively in early-stage defense and national security companies, and its founder, Kyle Asman, has been warning that the sector’s funding boom is starting to outrun its fundamentals.

“None of this means Mach or any other company raising at a big number is doing anything wrong,” Asman said. “It means the bar for what counts as a win keeps moving, and founders need to be honest about whether they’re building toward that number or borrowing against it.”

A RECORD YEAR FOR FUNDING, A QUIET YEAR FOR EXITS

Crunchbase News reported this month that 2026 is shaping up to be the biggest year on record for defense startup funding, even as venture investors are only beginning to look for exits. Asman said that gap matters more in defense tech than in most sectors, because government sales cycles run long and dual-use commercial traction takes years to prove out.

“Raising money has never been faster in this sector,” Asman said. “Turning that money into an exit is a separate problem, and a much slower one. A company can post a striking valuation and still be years from giving an investor anything more than a number on a spreadsheet.”

Fewer than 20% of 2017-2018 vintage venture funds have returned even 1x DPI to their limited partners, according to Carta’s Q1 2026 State of Private Markets report. A markup on paper is an estimate. It isn’t cash in an investor’s account until a company sells, goes public, or otherwise returns capital.

WHY BENCHMARKING OFF THE LAST BIG RAISE IS RISKY

Asman said one of the clearest signs of a hype cycle is when founders start pricing their own round off someone else’s. It’s a natural instinct. Nobody wants to raise below what a comparable company just got. But he said a valuation isn’t a market consensus. It’s a deal between one company and whichever investors decided to write the check that week.

“Ask five people at a defense conference what a given startup is worth, and you’ll get five different numbers,” Asman said. “A number that looked cautious in one round can look aggressive in the next one. Chasing the last headline is a poor way to set a price.”

WHAT BACKSWING VENTURES LOOKS FOR INSTEAD

Backswing’s own portfolio points to a different approach. The firm led financing for Isengard Industries to expand munitions manufacturing for allied militaries. It backed Orion Edge’s $3 million seed round to bring tactical electronic warfare systems to military and commercial customers. Both raises were sized to hit specific milestones. Neither was built to set a headline number.

That approach shapes how Backswing measures its own results, too. Fund II surpassed 1.0x DPI in under three years, placing it among the better-performing 2023-vintage venture funds in the country, according to the firm.

“IRR and paper markups tell you what a fund might be worth someday,” Asman said. “DPI tells you what it’s worth right now, because it’s the money that already made it back to an investor’s account. That’s the number we want to be judged on, and it’s the number we tell founders to build toward.”

THE ADVICE FOR FOUNDERS RAISING RIGHT NOW

Asman’s advice to founders in the current market is simple. Raise enough to reach the next milestone, then stop. Product validation. A government contract. A first paying customer. Those are the things that hold up once a hype cycle cools. A valuation on its own doesn’t.

“The founders who do well over the next five years probably won’t be the ones who raised at the highest number this year,” Asman said. “They’ll be the ones still standing, and still credible, once the number stopped being the story.”

ABOUT BACKSWING VENTURES

Backswing Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in dual-use and defense technology companies across aerospace, autonomy, munitions, cybersecurity, and national security. The firm’s Fund II surpassed 1.0x DPI in under three years, placing it among the top-performing 2023-vintage venture funds in the country.

CONTACT

Backswing Ventures | backswingventures@redbanyan.com

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SOURCE Backswing Ventures

Geering brings two decades of privacy, risk and public policy experience to spearhead global data privacy and AI regulatory compliance

SALT LAKE CITY, Sept. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Instructure, the leading learning ecosystem and maker of Canvas LMS, today announced Stephan Geering as chief privacy officer. In this role, Geering will lead Instructure’s global data privacy programs, working across legal, security and product teams to guide how the company builds and governs technology for educators and learners worldwide. He will define Instructure’s data privacy strategy and ensure compliance with evolving AI regulations worldwide, overseeing how Instructure evaluates AI features for data privacy and safety risks before they reach customers, setting requirements for how new products handle learner and educator data, and leading the company’s response to emerging AI regulation.

Geering will also serve as a trusted advisor to Instructure’s leadership team on data privacy and AI compliance. He will work directly with product and engineering teams to build data privacy and AI governance requirements into the company’s roadmap from the earliest stages of development.

Two Decades in Data Privacy and Risk Leadership

Geering joins Instructure after more than 20 years in data privacy, risk management and public policy roles spanning the technology, financial services and government sectors. Most recently, he led the data privacy, AI governance, and compliance programs at a major education technology firm, where he helped secure key ISO certifications.

Earlier in his career, he oversaw international data privacy compliance for global financial institutions and developed regulatory frameworks while serving at a government data protection authority.

Geering holds Masters of Law from the University of Basel and University College London. He is a Certified Information Privacy Professional in both Europe and the United States, an IAPP board member and the London co-chair of the Future of Privacy Forum’s Privacy Executives Network.

“AI is changing education faster than most institutions can plan for, and getting data privacy and governance right is critical to how we build and support our products,” said Steve Daly, CEO at Instructure. “Stephan will play a key role in that work, helping Instructure and our customers use AI responsibly as the pace of change keeps accelerating.”

About Instructure

Instructure builds the learning ecosystem that organizations, educators and learners depend on across K-12, higher education and the workforce. Canvas, Mastery and Parchment serve thousands of school districts, university systems, statewide agencies and employers, reaching tens of millions of learners in more than 100 countries. Everything Instructure makes is built for education first, with the data privacy protections, evidence and institutional control that schools, colleges and employers require. That is how learning becomes opportunity, at every age, every stage and every pivotal transition. Discover more at Instructure.com.

CONTACT

Brian Watkins
Corporate Communications
Instructure
(801) 658-7525

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SOURCE Instructure