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2Gether-International Congratulates PathStrider Mobility Founder Tony Ellis II, Winner of the Summer 2026 MVP Cohort Pitch Competition, Powered by Comcast

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18 Founders with Disabilities participated in 2Gether-International’s accelerator program to prepare to launch a scalable product

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — 2Gether-International (2GI), a global organization and network unlocking the potential of founders with Disabilities, congratulates PathStrider Mobility Founder and CEO Tony Ellis II, the winner of its Summer 2026 Minimum Viable Product (MVP) Cohort, powered by longtime partner Comcast. Ellis is a SMA Wheelchair User building the world’s first seated robotic independence platform for people with severe neuromuscular conditions.

“At Comcast, we believe that innovation thrives when all entrepreneurs have equal opportunity to succeed,” said Gwyneth Gaul, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Philanthropy at Comcast Corporation.

The MVP Cohort featured a 10-week online course designed to help founders with Disabilities define and scope an MVP based on real customer data, develop a go-to-market strategy, and produce a pitch deck. Through step-by-step guidance, participants tested their products with real users, gathered feedback, and iterated quickly. Founders learned to reduce risk, maximize learning, and stay focused on solving real customer problems, preparing them to launch and deliver on their value propositions.

The accelerator program culminated in a pitch competition for four founders selected as finalists, offering these entrepreneurs the opportunity to receive $10,000 in seed funding. Representatives from Motley Fool Ventures, Diversity VC and Venture Builders were on hand to judge the competition. These finalists also included:

Emily Weinberg, Founder of SkipIt, a trauma-informed tool that helps viewers skip triggering scenes in shows & movies in real timeRachelle Orozco and Kristina Bagnoli, Co-Founders of 5Senses, a health and wellness app that helps people navigate social environmentsCrosTalk Founder Chris Akans, who won the audience’s choice award of $2500 for his custom hardware and software designed to restore the illusion of stereo audio for people with single sided deafness.

“Congratulations to our finalists, audience winner, and to Tony Ellis II for being named the winner of 2GI’s 2026 MVP Cohort Pitch Competition. PathStrider Mobility’s advanced solutions will help innovate the future of the accessible tech industry,” said 2Gether-International US Senior Program Manager Courtney “Coko” Eason.

“Each and every founder who participated in this year’s Cohort had a special opportunity to reimagine what’s possible across industries, creating solutions that advance accessibility, strengthen communities, and improve quality of life,” added Eason. “Their work reflects the power of inclusive innovation, and we’re proud to provide the tools, mentorship, and support that will help turn their ideas into scalable, market-ready ventures.”

This year’s 2GI Summer 2026 MVP Cohort Accelerator participants also included:

La Latch, Amdalat Jinadu, Co-FounderZeropoint, Corbin Fanning, FounderFit + In, Emily Shepard, FounderArushi Apparel, Gabriel Cardier, FounderPairably, Ioannis Spanoudakis, Founderally ID, Jakob Hytkken, FounderCubCare ASL, Joseline Garcia, FounderFlairya, Kim To, FounderSimpli Soap, Angela “Loopy”, FounderLuvLee Dating, Lee Eygabroad Jr., FounderPistachio Pay, Natasha Barber, FounderLater Gator, Raymond Chelf, FounderOA Assist, Tracy Martin-Wray, Founder

“At 2GI, we believe that some of the most impactful innovations come from lived experiences. With the support of our partner Comcast, founders in the Summer 2026 MVP Cohort were able to identify challenges, design solutions, and create businesses that can improve how people live, work, and connect,” said Diego Mariscal, 2Gether-International CEO and Founder. “We are proud to support innovators at this critical stage in their entrepreneurial journeys and provide the resources, mentorship, and networks they need to succeed.”

Additional features of the 2GI MVP Cohort included:

Virtual workshops tailored to the unique experiences of people with DisabilitiesCustom one-on-one coaching from accredited leadership coachesPeer-to-peer founder discussion and networking groupsWorld-class speakers and mentors in the entrepreneurship and/or Disability sectorConnections to investors and support for fundraising both during and post-program

2GI’s advanced programming is part of its extended partnership with longtime supporter Comcast, announced in May 2024. Comcast has pledged its continued organizational support by committing over $1 million USD to fuel 2GI’s programming through 2026. The funding helps equip start-up founders with Disabilities with the tools and resources they need to lead in their respective industries.

“At Comcast, we believe that innovation thrives when all entrepreneurs have equal opportunity to succeed,” said Gwyneth Gaul, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Philanthropy at Comcast Corporation. “We are proud to be a longtime sponsor of 2Gether-International to help all founders access the resources, mentorship, and networks needed to successfully grow their businesses. We join in congratulating PathStrider Mobility and all of this year’s participants on their achievements.”

Since the organization’s inception, 2GI has supported over 1,400 startups, helping them raise approximately $84 million USD in combined investment, revenue, and acquisition proceeds. Their ventures span a wide range of industries and stages, demonstrating the power and potential of Disability-led innovation when given the right resources and support.

2GI’s mission and core programming remain focused on supporting Disabled Founders, and that continues to be central to the organization. At the same time, many of 2GI’s resources, such as webinars, toolkits, and educational content, are broadly accessible and benefit the wider entrepreneurial community.

For more information on 2Gether-International and its Accelerator Cohort programs, visit2Gether-international.org.

About 2Gether-International (2GI):

2Gether-International (2GI) is a global organization and network unlocking the potential of founders with Disabilities. 2GI turns Disability-led innovation into an engine for growth across entrepreneurship, capital, and workforce systems. As the world’s largest startup accelerator run by and for entrepreneurs with Disabilities, 2GI is redefining Disability as a competitive advantage in business. 2GI has supported over 1,400 startups, helping them raise over 84 million dollars in investment, revenue, and acquisitions. The organization itself has given more than half a million dollars in non-diluted capital to founders with Disabilities. 2GI was named to the first-ever Forbes Accessibility 100 list in 2025 and recognized again in 2026.

Media Contact

Alexandra Rush, 2Gether-International, 1 7186643517, arush@rosengrouppr.com, https://www.2gether-international.org/

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Scanntech, a Leading Latin American Retail Intelligence Platform, Announces $180 Million Series F Financing

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Growth Capital Will Support Continued Geographic Expansion, Product Innovation, and AI Capabilities

NEW YORK and SÃO PAULO, Oct. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Scanntech, the leading retail intelligence, data analytics, and marketing services platform in Latin America, today announced a $180 million Series F investment led by L Catterton, the largest global consumer focused investment firm. Partners Group, one of the largest firms in the global private markets industry, acting on behalf of its clients, subsequently joined as co-lead through its private equity growth strategy. Bradesco and SPX also participated in the round. The investment will provide Scanntech with substantial growth capital to support its continued expansion and development.

Scanntech transforms granular, ticket-level point-of-sale data into actionable market intelligence for retailers, consumer goods companies, and distributors. Its platform uses real-time data to provide a comprehensive view of purchasing behavior and market dynamics, helping businesses anticipate shifts in demand, develop more relevant products, improve planning, and execute more effectively through pricing, promotions, assortment, and inventory. Scanntech has extensive retail coverage in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and several other markets in Latin America.

In the markets where Scanntech operates, its ticket-level data covers more than 80% of the retail sell-out, based on actual transactions rather than statistical expansion. Scanntech works with more than 600 manufacturers, creating a data ecosystem that becomes richer and more valuable as the platform grows. Built on direct connections to the point of sale, the platform captures actual transactions at scale, giving clients a complete and current view of the consumer economy. Scanntech is benefiting from strong demand for local retail intelligence as consumer goods companies and retailers increasingly rely on data-driven decisions, and as new products, verticals, and channels expand across Latin America.

The investment will enable Scanntech to advance its analytics and AI capabilities, broaden its product suite, and enter new markets and consumer categories, helping its clients become even more efficient. L Catterton will draw on nearly four decades of consumer investing experience, extensive relationships with leading retailers and brands, and global operating capabilities, while Partners Group will bring its deep operational expertise and track record of scaling high-growth businesses. Bradesco plans to support the Company through its financial services expertise, access, and connections. Together with management and existing shareholders, the firms will focus on accelerating geographic expansion and the development of new AI-powered solutions that generate more value for clients.

“Scanntech has grown by giving retailers and consumer goods companies the clarity to act faster, more efficiently, and with greater confidence,” said Raúl Polakof, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Scanntech. “We have built the most granular view of retail in Latin America, and we are only getting started. This round brings together investors with complementary strengths and a shared conviction in our model, alongside long-standing shareholders who have supported us for years. Benny Szylkowski, Soledad Fernandez, and I, together with the entire Scanntech team, will use this capital to accelerate our expansion into new markets, deepen our AI-powered solutions, and bring these benefits to many more retailers and brands across the region.”

“Scanntech captures an exceptionally detailed picture of how consumers across Latin America are shopping and how these behaviors are changing,” said Dirk Donath, a Managing Partner at L Catterton Latin America. “Its platform turns that data into practical intelligence that helps retailers and brands make smarter choices about what to develop, stock, price, and promote. This is directly aligned with what L Catterton does best: understanding the consumer and helping businesses translate that understanding into growth. We look forward to supporting Raúl, Benny, Soledad, and the team as they expand Scanntech’s impact across the region.”

“Scanntech has built a hard-to-replicate data network and an intelligence platform that delivers tangible value for customers,” said Tiago Andrade, Head of Private Equity / Growth Equity in Latin America at Partners Group. “Its differentiated live data capabilities, proven growth, and strong market position create meaningful runway across existing and new markets. We look forward to working alongside L Catterton and the management team to support the Company’s continued expansion.”

Warburg Pincus, Hindiana, IFC, and Endeavor will retain stakes in Scanntech following the transaction, reflecting their continued confidence in the Company’s long-term growth prospects.

J.P. Morgan acted as sole placement agent to Scanntech and the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

About Scanntech

Founded in Uruguay in 1992, Scanntech is the leading retail intelligence platform for the consumer goods industry in Latin America. Through direct connections to the point of sale, Scanntech captures and processes daily, ticket-level transaction data covering more than 80% of retail sell-out in the markets where it operates, replacing samples and margins of error with actual transactions, precision, and speed.

Scanntech works with more than 600 manufacturers, as well as retailers and distributors, supporting decisions from strategy to store-level execution across sales, pricing, promotions, assortment, shopper, inventory, and supply chain. The Company operates in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Uruguay, and other markets in the region.

For more information, please visit www.scanntech.com.br.

About L Catterton

L Catterton is the largest global consumer-focused investment firm, with approximately $40 billion in assets under management across multiproduct platforms dedicated to private equity, credit, and real estate. The firm’s funds have the ability to invest between $5 million and $5 billion, across the capital structure, in well-positioned consumer businesses. Leveraging deep category insight, operational excellence, and a broad network of strategic relationships, L Catterton’s team of more than 200 investment and operating professionals across 18 offices partners with management teams to drive differentiated value creation across its portfolio. Founded in 1989, the firm has made over 300 investments in some of the world’s most iconic consumer brands. For more information, please visit www.lcatterton.com.

About Partners Group

Partners Group is one of the largest firms in the global private markets industry, with around 2,000 professionals and over USD 186 billion in assets under management globally. The firm has investment programs and custom mandates spanning private equity, private credit, infrastructure, real estate, royalties, and special opportunities. With its heritage in Switzerland and primary presence in the Americas in Colorado, Partners Group is built differently from the rest of the industry. The firm leverages its differentiated culture and its operationally oriented approach to identify attractive investment themes and to transform businesses and assets into market leaders. For more information, please visit www.partnersgroup.com or follow Partners Group on LinkedIn.

Media Contacts

Scanntech
Naiara Teles
+55 (11) 96931-5418
Giovanna Castro
+55 (11) 94474-2249
scanntech@loures.com.br

L Catterton
Julie Hamilton
media@lcatterton.com

Partners Group
Henry Weston
media@partnersgroup.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/scanntech-a-leading-latin-american-retail-intelligence-platform-announces-180-million-series-f-financing-302907182.html

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ENVALIOR AT FAKUMA 2026: SUSTAINABLE MATERIAL SOLUTIONS THAT HELP CUSTOMERS MEET ENVIRONMENTAL TARGETS

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Envalior’s booth will showcase its growing portfolio of more sustainable material options to support customers in meeting evolving regulatory demands and environmental targets while maintaining the highest performance standards.

Solutions on display include bio-based mass-balanced Xytron™ PPS that reduces product carbon footprint up to 40%, a collaboration to create virgin-quality PA6 using post-consumer vehicle components, and a wide range of drop-in sustainable grades.

The company’s post-consumer-recycled (PCR) grades will also be highlighted, supporting customers in meeting PCR mandates under the End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation (ELVR) without compromising on performance properties.

DÜSSELDORF, Germany, Oct. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Envalior, a global leader in Sustainable & High-Performance Engineering Materials, will showcase its evolving portfolio of more sustainable material solutions at Fakuma 2026, taking place October 12 to 16 in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Through its dedicated development pathways and targeted collaboration, Envalior is steadily turning material choice into a more impactful lever for environmental impact reduction, supporting customers in a range of industries to meet their sustainability goals. The solutions on display at Fakuma demonstrate Envalior’s pragmatic and forward-looking approach in this area, enabling concrete emission reductions without compromise on the exceptional performance required for high-spec components.

“In line with our Envalior CARES strategy, we are committed to enabling concrete environmental impact reductions for customers. Encompassing both widely used and specialist grades, our sustainable portfolio leverages a balance of feedstocks, supported by broad ISCC PLUS certification across our network. In many cases, grades are drop-in alternatives that help to reduce product carbon footprint with minimal adaptations in terms of specification or tooling. Through focused development streams, we’re working to ensure we can deliver more sustainable material alternatives for even the most demanding applications,” says Artur Völk, Circular and Low Carbon Solutions Lead at Envalior.

Attendees can find a selection of Envalior’s more sustainable solutions at its booth in Hall B4, stand 4302.

Xytron™ B-MB: Equivalent performance with 40% lower product carbon footprint

The new Xytron™ B-MB (bio-based mass balance) PPS portfolio, on display for the first time at Fakuma 2026, offers drop-in performance with 100% bio-attributed carbon content, using ISCC PLUS-certified bio-circular (second-generation biomass) feedstock. It delivers the same mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties as conventional Xytron™ grades while reducing product carbon footprint by up to 40%. This enables component manufacturers across industries to meet rising product specification requirements while contributing to environmental targets, including those related to Scope 3 emissions. Envalior’s mass-balanced products are independently audited by a third party under ISCC PLUS certification, ensuring transparent material attribution across the value chain.

Other drop-in mass-balance grades include Arnitel® B-MB TPC, EcoPaXX® B-MB PA410, Stanyl® B-MB PA46, Durethan® M-B2 PA6 and M-XB PA6, as well as Pocan® M-XB PBT.

Circular PA6 and PBT to support compliance with ELVR mandates

The European Commission’s End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation (ELVR) is one of the areas where Envalior’s innovation supports compliance. Together with technology scale-up SECARA, the company is exploring pathways to incorporate high-quality post-consumer recycled (PCR) content into technical material grades, powered by SECARA’s novel catalytic depolymerization process. This promising technology route takes end-of-life vehicle plastic as a feedstock and transforms it into drop-in quality caprolactam for PA6 production. This process would allow customers to meet the ELVR’s closed-loop PCR mandates using PCR-derived PA6, which would be suitable for demanding automotive applications.

One example of a material from the company’s active portfolio that can already contribute to meeting the ELVR’s PCR mandate is the PCR Pocan® T-series (PBT + PET), which uses EU-sourced recycled content. This well-established range offers up to 60% recycled content, including 30% mechanically recycled PET, while delivering performance broadly equivalent to comparable Pocan® grades incorporating virgin-derived PET.

Envalior maintains EcoVadis Gold status, ranking among top 5%

Envalior has maintained its EcoVadis Gold Medal status for the second consecutive year, achieving a score of 88/100 and placing the company among the top 5% of companies assessed by EcoVadis in the 12 months prior to the medal’s issue date. This recognition reflects Envalior’s continued commitment to strengthening sustainability management across its operations.

“Maintaining our Gold Medal status for the second consecutive year represents a significant achievement given the overall rise in sustainability management standards across the industry. We are proud to be counted once again in the top 5% of companies assessed, and we are committed to building on this success, as well as the learnings, to deliver further targeted improvements. By pursuing smarter sourcing, greater transparency, and operational improvements across our network, we can continue to leverage our position in the value chain to support customers in making more sustainable choices, while systematically addressing the environmental and social impacts of our business,” says Günter Margraf, Director Sustainability at Envalior.

Visitors to Fakuma 2026 can visit Envalior’s experts at Hall B4, Stand 4302, during the event, which takes place October 12 to 16.

Detailed information on Envalior’s materials can be found in Envalior’s Material Advisor, which provides digital tools and services that customers can use to find, select, and evaluate materials.

About Envalior
Envalior is a global leader in Sustainable & High-Performance Engineering Materials with annual sales of around €3 billion. The company’s broad portfolio includes PA6, PA66, PBT, PA46, PPS, TPC (TPE-E), PET, PA4T, PA410, and Thermoplastic Composites. With a global network of 18 production sites, 12 R&D centers, and more than 4,000 employees, Envalior serves key markets such as Mobility, Electronics & Electrical, and Consumer and Industrial Goods. The company was established in 2023 through the merger of Lanxess Performance Materials and DSM Engineering Materials. For more information, visit www.envalior.com.

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SOURCE Envalior B.V.

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VoteMate Partners with USAFacts to Bring Trusted Government Data Directly to Voters

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The collaboration strengthens VoteMate’s non-partisan AI ballot assistant with facts and statistics that help voters understand the issues behind their choices.

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — VoteMate, the nonprofit behind the free, non-partisan AI ballot assistant, today announced a collaboration with USAFacts to bring government data directly into voters’ ballot research. Through the integration VoteMate can draw on USAFacts’ data and analysis when answering questions about the issues voters care about, from the economy and healthcare to education and government spending.

The announcement comes amid growing concerns about the accuracy, sourcing, and political framing of AI-generated election information. In its May 2026 NewsBench evaluation, Forum AI reported that 90% of tested responses to midterm election questions contained at least one material flaw, including a factual error, partisan lean, or citation to a foreign state-controlled outlet. For VoteMate, the findings underscore the importance of deliberately choosing trustworthy sources and building safeguards around how AI uses them.

“Voters are already turning to AI to help them understand their ballots, but they need more than a general-purpose chatbot,” said Alex Iovine, founder and CEO of VoteMate. “We built VoteMate specifically for this: grounded in each voter’s ballot, connected to trusted nonpartisan sources, and designed to help people make their own decisions. People shouldn’t need hours of free time or a background in public policy to understand their ballot. Our job is to make trustworthy information easier to find and easier to understand, and partnering with USAFacts strengthens that approach with real government data and even more context for voters.”

VoteMate is built specifically for voters, connecting an AI conversation to the candidates and measures on each person’s ballot. Its approach combines direct access to trustworthy, non-partisan data, source citations, and safeguards designed to support non-partisan answers. The USAFacts integrated connector expands that foundation, prioritizing relevant government statistics and non-partisan analysis over relying solely on general web results.

For voters, that means more context for the questions that naturally come up while researching a ballot: How have prices changed? What does the government spend on healthcare? What do the numbers show about education? USAFacts provides factual context that can help voters understand the issues, ask better follow-up questions, and make sense of the choices in front of them.

USAFacts draws exclusively from government data websites and makes the information easier to access and understand. It accompanies VoteMate’s existing connection to Ballotpedia, bringing government statistics and election information together within the same voter experience. Ad Fontes Media has featured both organizations at the top of its Media Bias Chart for reliability.

“This midterms season, voters are turning to AI tools when they have questions, but the answers are only as reliable as the data that feeds them,” said USAFacts Chief Product Officer Kari D’Elia. “USAFacts was created to give people better access to the data they need to make informed decisions. With VoteMate, we’re bringing that access directly to the tools voters already use, so they can make their own choices guided by facts.”

Voters can try VoteMate for free at votemate.io, with no account required. VoteMate is available nationwide on the web, iOS, and Android.

About VoteMate

VoteMate is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit making it easier for voters to understand what’s on their ballot and make informed decisions. Its free, nonpartisan AI ballot assistant gives voters a personalized way to explore candidates, ballot measures, and key issues through plain-language conversations grounded in trusted, cited sources. Built specifically for elections, VoteMate helps voters find the information and context they need without telling them how to vote. Learn more at votemateus.org.

About USAFacts

USAFacts is a nonpartisan civic organization making government data easy for all Americans to access and understand. USAFacts provides an online resource of well-visualized data and trends in US spending, revenue, demographics and more to help ground public debate in facts. It produces topical content each week and produces three annual reports: State of the Union, 10-K and America in Facts: A Data-Driven Report to Congress. Follow @USAFacts on X, TikTok, Instagram and sign up for the data-driven newsletter at usafacts.org/signup.

Media contact

For VoteMate:
Sierra Dowd
sierra@votemateus.org

For USAFacts:
Janelle Davis
usafacts@ink-co.com 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/votemate-partners-with-usafacts-to-bring-trusted-government-data-directly-to-voters-302906678.html

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