Ande brings corporate entertainment into a single platform and gives venues a direct channel to enterprise bookings.

NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ande, the AI-native network for corporate entertainment, emerges from stealth with more than $52 million in seed and Series A funding from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, Duration Ventures, and Sierra Ventures, with participation from Bain Capital Ventures.

Enterprises spend an estimated $325 billion a year on entertainment from client dinners and team outings to catering, sporting events, and gifting. Yet the booking and expense management behind it is fragmented across credit cards, AP systems, and consumer apps creating an extremely manual reconciliation process for finance teams.

Ande brings structure to one of the last unmanaged categories of enterprise spend by giving teams a single platform to book entertainment effortlessly, while finance and legal teams keep full visibility and control over every dollar spent.

Ande’s agentic workflows surface venue availability, book experiences, route approvals, execute contracts, and reconcile expenses automatically. Executive assistants, office managers, field marketers, GTM teams, and their managers all work together in a single, multiplayer workspace in order to book team offsites and deal-closing dinners, while the agents move each request through approval, signing, and payment.

More than 60 enterprises already run their entertainment on Ande, reporting savings of 12 to 15 percent. Customers like Cloudflare, Salesforce, McGraw Hill, Netskope, Navan, Sigma Computing, Monday.com, Workato, Semgrep, Checkout, Rillet, and many more contribute to over $400 million in entertainment spend flowing through the platform annually.

“Entertainment is one of the most important things a company does. It builds culture, closes deals and deepens the relationships that matter most. Yet the infrastructure to manage it is broken on both sides of every transaction,” said Lohit Sarma, CEO and co-founder of Ande.

“Ande is the first enterprise channel between corporate buyers and the world’s best entertainment vendors. Part of the reason this is such a hard problem to solve is that venues and entertainment providers don’t have a centralized distribution system to plug into. We had to build it. We’ve spent two and half years working with venues to digitize their data, and train models and agents for these workflows that are unique to enterprises,” continued Sarma.

For venues on the other side of the transaction, Ande is the corporate sales and marketing channel that never existed. Venues have historically had no pipeline into the corporate market. Ande gives them a platform to market to, engage with, and transact with corporate buyers at scale. Among the current partners are 1,600 hospitality venues including some of the largest and most decorated hospitality groups like Altamarea Group, Che Fico, Gracious Hospitality, JKS, The Mina Group, MML, Nobu, Riviera Dining Group, Tao Group Hospitality, Unapologetic Foods, Bacchus Management Group, Wish You Were Here, and Wolfgang Puck. Over 93,000 entertainment venues are on Ande’s network today.

“Our programs are high stakes and high visibility, with our executive leadership team and key customers at the core of each event we host,” said Vicky Chung, Director of Corporate Events at Netskope. “My team and I trust Ande’s platform, and especially the team behind it. I have real-time visibility into what’s happening across every event, and when I need something done right, I know it will be. My team is now focused on reaching the executives that matter and scaling the program vs. worrying about the logistics.”

“Entertainment is every enterprise’s biggest expense line that is not yet well managed. For that reason, there are financial inefficiencies and a poor experience,” notes Arif Janmohamed, Venture Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners and Co-Founder of Duration Ventures. “Ande is the connective tissue, the perfect handshake between corporations and venues. Lohit is an exceptional founder, and the size of the market opportunity is largely unbounded.”

Redpoint Ventures Managing Director Alex Bard notes, “Particularly when we invest in an early-stage company, our confidence has everything to do with the founder and their ambition. Lohit has both startup DNA and the enterprise experience to solve this problem. His vision for Ande is bold and ambitious.”

About Ande

Ande is the AI-native network for corporate entertainment. Over 60 enterprises, including Cloudflare, Salesforce, and McGraw Hill already book, manage, and measure every experience through Ande, moving more than $400 million a year through a network of 93,000 entertainment providers across 90+ cities. For the vendors on the other side of the transaction, Ande is the dedicated corporate channel that’s never existed. Learn more at ande.ai.

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Experienced product leader to help strengthen client-centered innovation and advance the company’s next phase of growth

DRESHER, Pa., Sept. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ascensus, the engine at the center of America’s savings ecosystem, today announced that John Shapiro has joined the company as Chief Product Officer and a member of the executive leadership team. Reporting directly to CEO Nick Good, Shapiro will shape Ascensus’ enterprise-wide product vision and strengthen how the company develops and delivers products, makes decisions, and sets priorities across the business.

As Ascensus continues to enhance the client experience and position the company for its next phase of growth, strong product leadership will play an increasingly important role in helping connect client insights, business priorities, and technology to create more integrated solutions and better outcomes. Shapiro will lead the Product organization and help foster unified, client-focused, and outcome-oriented approaches to product development across the enterprise.

“Ascensus has tremendous momentum, and we’re investing in the capabilities that will help drive our next phase of growth,” said Nick Good, CEO of Ascensus. “Delivering an exceptional client experience is central to that strategy. We want to make it easier for clients and partners to do business with us while creating more connected solutions and better outcomes. John brings a powerful combination of client focus, product leadership, and business acumen, and I’m excited about the impact he will have as we continue to grow and evolve.”

“Ascensus stands out for its clear purpose, talented team, and unique position in the market,” said John Shapiro. “I’m thrilled to join the company at such an important time and help build on its strong foundation by creating solutions and experiences that deliver greater value for clients, partners, and savers.”

Shapiro joins Ascensus from Lightspeed Commerce, where he served as Chief Product Officer. Earlier in his career, he held product leadership roles at Wayfair, Intuit, and Adobe Systems. Throughout his career, he has built and led large-scale product organizations, bringing new ideas to market and helping businesses serving millions of users accelerate growth.

Shapiro earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Stanford University.

About Ascensus
Ascensus is the engine at the center of America’s savings ecosystem. The company makes saving easier by bringing together intuitive technology, AI, and high-touch service to support better financial outcomes for savers, small- to mid-sized businesses, state governments, and leading corporations and financial institutions. Ascensus offers comprehensive qualified and nonqualified retirement plan solutions, third-party retirement plan administration, 529 education and ABLE savings program administration, corporate- and bank-owned life insurance solutions, as well as fiduciary and total rewards services. The company supports over 16 million savers1 and oversees more than $1.3 trillion in assets under administration2 as of August 3, 2026. For more information, visit ascensus.com.

1 Figure includes American Trust Retirement recordkeeping participants
2 Figure includes AmericanTCS AUA

Contact:
Greg Winter, SVP of Communications, Ascensus
gregory.winter@ascensus.com

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The “Ready to Glow” event will mark Laifen’s first brand-initiated experience in North America, showcasing its latest innovations: the Swift 4 High-Speed Hair Dryer, AutoCurl Curling Iron and Glowy Vanity Mirror

NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Laifen, a global beauty technology brand redefining the hair care and styling experience, yesterday hosted its “Ready to Glow” New York launch event at Penthouse 45 in Manhattan, marking the brand’s first event in North America. Bringing together more than 50 media guests alongside creators, stylists and industry tastemakers, the immersive experience introduced Laifen’s vision for a complete Hair Beauty Tech Ecosystem – one that brings together every step of the beauty journey, from care and preparation to styling and the final reveal.

The event marked a significant milestone in Laifen’s continued expansion into the U.S. market, introducing industry leaders to a new approach to beauty technology that goes beyond individual tools. At the heart of the ecosystem are three latest innovations – the Laifen Swift 4 High-Speed Hair Dryer, AutoCurl Curling Iron and Glowy Vanity Mirror – designed to work together to create a seamless care-to-style-to-reveal experience.

Swift 4 High-Speed Hair Dryer – The Foundation: Designed to make drying faster while elevating hair care, the Swift 4 features a self-developed 115,000 RPM high-speed motor and Laifen’s exclusive Nourishing Mode, bringing technology and care together at the first step of the routine.AutoCurl Curling Iron – The Style: Designed to make professional-looking styling more accessible, AutoCurl automatically handles key elements of the curling process for an effortless experience. Its intelligent technology helps users create polished styles in minutes, lowering the barrier to achieving salon-inspired results at home.Glowy Vanity Mirror – The Final Reveal: Completing the ecosystem, the Glowy Vanity Mirror combines true-color, studio-grade lighting with smart, touchless functionality to provide a clearer view of the finished look. The mirror serves as the final step in Laifen’s complete beauty journey – where the results of care and styling come together.

From the first step of the routine to the moment the finished look takes center stage, “Ready to Glow” was designed as a journey through Laifen’s vision of modern beauty. Rather than experiencing each innovation as a standalone tool, guests were invited to see how the technology comes together across the full routine – preparing the hair, creating the style and ultimately revealing the finished look. This care-to-style-to-reveal journey served as the foundation for an immersive event experience, with each stage brought to life through interactive moments that encouraged guests to experience Laifen’s technology firsthand.

An Immersive “Ready to Glow” Experience

The New York event brought Laifen’s ecosystem to life through three interactive experiential zones, giving media, creators, stylists and industry guests the opportunity to experience the technology firsthand while moving through the complete beauty journey.

Guests began with the Swift 4 Essential Oil Hair Care experience, selecting their preferred scent and experiencing the dryer’s aroma hair care function, before putting AutoCurl to the test in an interactive styling zone featuring wigs and hair extensions across a variety of textures and lengths. The experience culminated at the Glowy Vanity Mirror, where guests unveiled their finished looks under true-color, studio-grade lighting, with professional stylists and makeup artists on hand to provide personalized beauty and styling guidance.

Through its first North American event, Laifen created an immersive platform to connect with the beauty, fashion, lifestyle and technology communities while giving guests a firsthand look at the technology and design behind its newest innovations.

Building Laifen’s U.S. Presence Through Culture and Experience

On September 10, Laifen officially stepped into New York Fashion Week, bringing the Laifen Swift 4 Hair Dryer and AutoCurl backstage at the TWP show. Rather than simply serving as product placements, both tools were actively used by lead hairstylist Joey George and his team to create the runway looks, putting Laifen’s beauty technology directly into the hands of professionals in one of fashion’s most fast-paced environments.

The activation brought Laifen’s “Ready to Glow” story to life, capturing the transformation from backstage preparation to runway spotlight. That momentum continued with the brand’s “Ready to Glow” New York event on September 17, further cementing Laifen’s presence at the intersection of beauty and fashion.

Together, these experiences reflect Laifen’s broader U.S. strategy: building brand awareness through immersive, culturally relevant moments that bring its technology to life beyond the product itself. By engaging consumers, creators, media, and industry tastemakers at the intersection of beauty, fashion, and technology, Laifen is establishing a distinctive presence in the U.S. market while redefining what the modern beauty routine can look like.

For more information about Laifen and its latest beauty technology innovations, visit https://www.laifentech.com/.

About Laifen

Founded in 2019, Laifen is a global personal care technology brand redefining everyday routines through high-performance engineering and thoughtful design. Guided by the belief that exceptional personal care should be within reach, Laifen combines proprietary technology with thoughtfully considered design to create products engineered to perform, built to last, and designed to be loved.

With a growing portfolio across hair care, beauty, self-care, and grooming, Laifen brings the same precision, performance, and intention to every aspect of daily life. Recognized by Euromonitor International as the World’s No. 1 High-Speed Hair Dryer Brand, Laifen is built on proprietary ultra-high-speed brushless motor technology and supported by 600+ patents and 100+ international design and technology awards. Today, Laifen is trusted by more than 35 million households across over 60 countries.

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