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YPO Iowa Launches Inaugural Innovation Challenge to Showcase Iowa’s Next Generation of Entrepreneurs

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Statewide pitch competition will award $20,000 in prize funding and connect emerging founders with Iowa business leaders

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa, Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Iowa chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) announced the inaugural YPO Iowa Innovation Challenge, a statewide entrepreneurship competition designed to accelerate innovation, elevate emerging founders, and strengthen Iowa’s startup ecosystem. The event will take place Wednesday, January 27, 2027, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Holmes Murphy, located at 7000 Vista Drive in West Des Moines.

The one-day challenge will bring together promising collegiate entrepreneurs and Iowa startup founders for a live pitch competition, providing participants with access to business leaders, investors, mentors, and growth opportunities. Eight finalists will be selected to compete across two tracks: Collegiate Entrepreneurs and Iowa Startup Founders.

“Iowa has no shortage of bold ideas or talented entrepreneurs. The YPO Iowa Innovation Challenge is designed to connect those founders with experienced leaders, practical insight, and resources that can help turn promising ideas into thriving Iowa businesses,” said Dan Keough, YPO Iowa Innovation Challenge Day Co- Chair, Holmes Murphy Chairman & CEO, and Co-CEO for BrokerTech Ventures. “When we invest in innovators here at home, we strengthen communities and help build the future of our state.”

Applications will open October 1, 2026. Eligible applicants include current undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at any Iowa college or university, as well as early-stage companies and founders headquartered and operating in Iowa.

Participants will compete for $20,000 in total prize funding. In the Iowa Startup Founders track, first place will receive $9,000 and second place will receive $4,000. In the Collegiate Entrepreneurs track, first place will receive $5,000 and second place will receive $2,000.

Finalists will present their ventures directly to YPO Iowa members and gain exposure across Iowa’s business and innovation communities. The YPO Iowa Innovation Challenge is seeking applicants in fintech, insurtech, manufacturing technology, agtech, and general technology.

Featured speakers include Dan Houston, retired Chairman, President and CEO of Principal Financial Group; Sean McMurray, Startup Founder and Entrepreneur; Jon Shanahan, Founder, President and CEO of Businessolver; and Kyle McMahon, Founder and CEO of Tractor Zoom. The event is chaired by Dan Keough and Brent Cobb, CEO of World Class Industries.

The YPO Iowa Innovation Challenge is supported by Holmes Murphy, World Class Industries, Grace Technologies, Kendall Hunt, and Shift Interactive.

About YPO Iowa

YPO Iowa is the Iowa chapter of YPO, a global leadership community of chief executives. Through peer learning, leadership development, and shared experiences, YPO Iowa connects business leaders committed to growing as leaders and creating positive impact in their companies and communities.

Learn More

Applications open October 1, 2026. Visit YPO Iowa Innovation Challenge for eligibility, application, and event information.

Media Contact

Susan Hatten
Chief Marketing Officer, Holmes Murphy
Chief Operating Officer, BrokerTech Ventures
SHatten@holmesmurphy.com
515-441-2318

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ypo-iowa-launches-inaugural-innovation-challenge-to-showcase-iowas-next-generation-of-entrepreneurs-302896348.html

SOURCE YPO Iowa

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Airbnb to Announce Third Quarter 2026 Results

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SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ: ABNB) today announced that the company’s third quarter 2026 financial results will be released after market close on November 5, 2026. The company’s shareholder letter will be made available on the Airbnb Investor Relations website at https://investors.airbnb.com.

Airbnb will host an audio webcast to discuss its results at 2:00 p.m. PT / 5:00 p.m. ET the same day. The link to the webcast will be made available on the Investor Relations website at https://investors.airbnb.com.

Interested parties can register for the call in advance by visiting https://registrations.events/direct/Q4I66365VIPKKgpWVXKPMxfVC. After registering, instructions will be shared on how to join the call.

About Airbnb
Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5.5 million hosts who have welcomed over 2.5 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays, experiences, and services that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/airbnb-to-announce-third-quarter-2026-results-302895691.html

SOURCE Airbnb, Inc.

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Spacelift Named an AI-Driven Cloud Infrastructure Finalist in the SiliconANGLE TechForward Awards

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Spacelift governs AI-assisted infrastructure changes with policy-as-code, approval gates and complete audit history across Terraform, OpenTofu, Pulumi and Kubernetes.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Spacelift, the infrastructure orchestration company, today announced it has been named a finalist in SiliconANGLE’s 2026 TechForward Awards in the AI-Driven Cloud Infrastructure category.

Spacelift applies the same controls to AI-assisted infrastructure that govern traditional IaC pipelines: policy-as-code through Open Policy Agent, role-based access control, approval gates, drift detection, and a complete audit history of what ran and who changed it.

“AI changed how fast developers ask for infrastructure, and platform teams absorbed all of it,” said Pawel Hytry, chief executive officer and co-founder of Spacelift. “Speed only helps if policy, approvals, and an audit trail arrive with it. That’s what we’ve built for.”

The TechForward Awards recognize the technologies and solutions driving business forward. As the trusted voice of enterprise and emerging tech, SiliconANGLE applies a rigorous editorial lens to highlight innovations reshaping how businesses operate in our rapidly changing landscape. This awards program honors both established enterprise solutions and breakthrough technologies defining the future of business, spanning AI innovation, security excellence, cloud transformation, data platform evolution and blockchain/crypto tech. Spacelift was selected from a competitive field of nominees by a panel of industry experts and technology leaders.

“Congratulations to this year’s finalists,” said Dave Vellante, co-founder and co-CEO of SiliconANGLE Media. “Every company on this list earned its place through customer results including renewal rates, expansion revenue and direct feedback from the individuals using these products daily. Our judges evaluate that evidence when deciding who deserves this recognition.”

Spacelift, headquartered in Redwood City, California, was founded in 2020 and has raised $82.3 million in venture funding. Spacelift is also a major contributor to the platform engineering community as a founder and major contributor to OpenTofu and as the founder of IaCConf, the leading vendor-neutral IaC conference.

Spacelift is also a major contributor to the platform engineering community as a founder and major contributor to OpenTofu and as the founder of IaCConf, the leading vendor-neutral IaC conference.

For more information, visit https://siliconangle.com/awards/. 

Spacelift is also featured in the 2026–2027 SiliconANGLE TechForward Buyer’s Guide as the AI-driven cloud infrastructure finalist.

About Spacelift
Spacelift is the infrastructure orchestration platform built for the AI-accelerated software era, managing the full lifecycle for both traditional IaC and AI-provisioned infrastructure. Spacelift Intelligence adds an AI-powered layer for natural-language provisioning, diagnostics, and operational insights across both traditional and AI-driven workflows, helping organizations deliver secure, compliant infrastructure at scale. Spacelift works with tools including Terraform, OpenTofu, CloudFormation, Pulumi, and Ansible. Visit https://spacelift.io/customers to see how Duolingo, Figma, Moody’s, Checkout.com, 1Password, Redfin, and others manage infrastructure for the AI-accelerated software era with Spacelift.

About SiliconANGLE Media | theCUBE
SiliconANGLE Media operates at the intersection of media, technology, and AI through SiliconANGLE, theCUBE Network, theCUBE Research, CUBE365, theCUBE AI, and theCUBE SuperStudios. Founded by John Furrier and Dave Vellante, theCUBE broadcasts from its studio on the NYSE trading floor and from Silicon Valley, delivering leading live coverage at major tech events worldwide. SiliconANGLE reaches more than 15 million technology professionals and has interviewed over 11,000 C-suite and technical leaders.

MEDIA CONTACT
Cristin Connelly
Cathey.co for Spacelift
cristin@cathey.co

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Los Angeles Pacific University Becomes Azusa Pacific University Global, Bringing Fully Online Education Under the APU Name

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New brand strengthens the connection between two independently accredited institutions while expanding access to Christ-centered online education

GLENDORA, Calif., Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Los Angeles Pacific University (LAPU) is now Azusa Pacific University Global (APU Global), marking a new chapter for the university and strengthening its connection to Azusa Pacific University (APU).

LAPU becomes APU Global, bringing fully online, Christ-centered education under the Azusa Pacific University name.

APU Global is the fully online university within the APU ecosystem, offering 100% online, asynchronous associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degree programs designed to meet the needs of working adults and learners wherever they are. APU continues to provide excellent on-campus and hybrid educational experiences.

Together, APU and APU Global provide students with distinct educational pathways under a shared APU brand and a common commitment to Christ-centered, faith-integrated education.

“By aligning under the APU name, we’re creating a recognized, powerful identity for online learners,” said Jay Goin, president of APU Global. “This reduces market confusion and expands our reach to a wider audience, making it easier than ever for students to find the exact education path that fits them best.”

“This move enables us to present a unified brand to the marketplace and amplify our impact,” said Adam J. Morris, president of Azusa Pacific University. “It ensures that whether a student is seeking a premier residential and hybrid experience on our campuses or a specialized world-class online journey, they find their home within the APU ecosystem.”

The transition from LAPU to APU Global strategically leverages the unique strengths of both institutions, expands their reach, and makes it easier for students to find the educational experience that best fits their goals and lives.

Two Institutions, One Shared Mission

While APU and APU Global now share a unified brand presence, they remain two distinct, independently accredited institutions. Each institution maintains its own leadership, academic governance, faculty handbooks, and operating structures.

The partnership is grounded in a shared commitment to providing a Christ-centered, faith-integrated educational experience.

“Our God First mission will guide this partnership, ensuring we continue to deliver a top Christ-centered education to the students we serve,” Morris said.

A Clearer Path for Online Learners

APU Global serves students seeking a fully online education through asynchronous learning designed to provide flexibility for working adults and learners wherever they are located. As the #1 Christian university for alumni earnings in the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, APU will continue to focus on its on-campus and hybrid educational experiences.

The partnership also creates opportunities for APU and APU Global to leverage online resources to enhance the experience for existing and future learners.

For current LAPU students, the transition to APU Global is seamless, allowing them to continue their day-to-day educational experience without disruption. Students continue taking their online courses, receiving support from dedicated faculty and staff, and progressing toward their degrees as planned. The primary change is the transition of the university’s name and visual identity to APU Global.

About Azusa Pacific University

Since 1899, Azusa Pacific University, a top Christian higher education institution in the nation, has helped students discover their higher calling to impact the world for Christ. Featuring world-class faculty, an APU education leads to lifelong transformation and eternal impact. APU offers 59 bachelor’s degrees, 34 master’s degrees, 35 certificates and credentials, and 7 doctoral programs to more than 7,000 students at the university’s main campus in Azusa, several regional locations across Southern California, and online. Learn more at apu.edu.

About Azusa Pacific University Global

Azusa Pacific University Global (APU Global), formerly Los Angeles Pacific University (LAPU), is a nonprofit, Christ-centered institution offering flexible, 100% online associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degree programs. Designed to meet the needs of working adults, APU Global delivers asynchronous courses that allow students to learn on their own schedules. As part of the APU ecosystem, APU Global is committed to academic excellence and faith integration, preparing students to pursue their calling with purpose and confidence.

To learn more about APU Global and the transition from Los Angeles Pacific University, visit apuglobal.edu/apuglobal

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SOURCE Azusa Pacific University Global

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