Technology
ATRenew Inc. Reports Unaudited Second Quarter 2024 Financial Results
Published
2 years agoon
By
SHANGHAI, Aug. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — ATRenew Inc. (“ATRenew” or the “Company”) (NYSE: RERE), a leading technology-driven pre-owned consumer electronics transactions and services platform in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2024.
Second Quarter 2024 Highlights
Total net revenues grew by 27.4% to RMB3,776.7 million (US$519.7 million) from RMB2,963.7 million in the second quarter of 2023.Loss from operations was RMB5.6 million (US$0.8 million), compared to RMB61.0 million in the second quarter of 2023. Adjusted income from operations (non-GAAP)[1] was RMB94.1 million (US$12.9 million), compared to RMB52.0 million in the second quarter of 2023.Number of consumer products transacted[2] was 8.4 million compared to 7.7 million in the second quarter of 2023.
Mr. Kerry Xuefeng Chen, Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of ATRenew, commented, “We are pleased to report that our total revenue in the second quarter of 2024 reached RMB3,776.7 million, a year-over-year increase of 27.4%, once again surpassing the high end of our guidance. Notably, order volume related to product revenues grew significantly year over year, contributing to our topline growth this quarter. We have witnessed a significant shift in consumer behavior with trade-ins becoming a more mainstream choice for consumers seeking to upgrade their electronic products. Our focus on providing value-for-money high-quality second-hand products gaining traction has resonated with customers, leading to increased demand. Our recycling service brand, AHS Recycle, continues to gain recognition in this evolving market. During the second quarter, we successfully renewed our cooperation with JD.com, further strengthening our strategic partnership. Looking ahead to the second half of the year, we anticipate that national policies promoting consumer product trade-ins will provide greater certainty for the industry. We are confident that our unique circular economy business model positions us well for healthy long-term growth.”
Mr. Rex Chen, Chief Financial Officer of ATRenew, added, “In the second quarter of 2024, our retail business accounted for a higher proportion of our product revenues. At the same time, our optimizations of pricing mechanisms for major phone brands’ official trade-in programs led to a sequential improvement in our profitability. We also continued to improve our cost efficiency, with adjusted income from operations exceeding RMB94.0 million, marking a new quarterly record as we had anticipated. Looking ahead, we recognize the importance of enhancing user awareness of AHS Recycle through targeted marketing efforts, while ensuring steady growth of adjusted income from operations. In addition, during the second quarter of 2024, we increased the size of our ongoing share repurchase program to US$50.0 million, demonstrating our commitment to creating long-term value for our shareholders. We will continue to prudently manage our expenditures to foster sustained business growth and maximize shareholder returns.”
[1]. See “Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results” for more information.
[2]. “Number of consumer products transacted” represents the number of consumer products distributed to merchants and consumers through transactions on the Company’s PJT Marketplace, Paipai Marketplace and other channels the Company operates in a given period, prior to returns and cancellations, excluding the number of consumer products collected through AHS Recycle; a single consumer product may be counted more than once according to the number of times it is transacted on PJT Marketplace, Paipai Marketplace and other channels the Company operates through the distribution process to end consumer.
Second Quarter 2024 Financial Results
REVENUE
Total net revenues increased by 27.4% to RMB3,776.7 million (US$519.7 million) from RMB2,963.7 million in the same period of 2023.
Net product revenues increased by 29.0% to RMB3,401.8 million (US$468.1 million) from RMB2,636.7 million in the same period of 2023. The increase was primarily attributable to an increase in the sales of pre-owned consumer electronics both through the Company’s online and offline channels.
Net service revenues increased by 14.6% to RMB374.9 million (US$51.6 million), compared to RMB327.0 million in the same period of 2023. This increase was primarily due to an increase in the service revenue generated from PJT Marketplace and multi-category recycling business.
OPERATING COSTS AND EXPENSES
Operating costs and expenses were RMB3,795.3 million (US$522.2 million), compared to RMB3,032.5 million in the same period of 2023, representing an increase of 25.2%.
Merchandise costs were RMB2,990.6 million (US$411.5 million), compared to RMB2,325.8 million in the same period of 2023, representing an increase of 28.6%. This was primarily due to the growth in product sales.
Fulfillment expenses were RMB328.3 million (US$45.2 million), compared to RMB268.8 million in the same period of 2023, representing an increase of 22.1%. The increase was primarily due to (i) an increase in personnel costs as the Company conducted more recycling and transaction activities compared with the same period of 2023, and (ii) an increase in operation center related expenses as the Company expanded its store and operation station networks in the second quarter of 2024.
Selling and marketing expenses were RMB354.0 million (US$48.7 million), compared to RMB335.3 million in the same period of 2023, representing an increase of 5.6%. The increase was primarily due to (i) an increase in advertising expenses and promotional campaign related expenses, and (ii) an increase in share-based compensation expenses. The increase was partially offset by a decrease in amortization of intangible assets and deferred cost resulting from assets and business acquisitions as the maturity of some intangible assets and deferred cost in the second quarter of 2023.
General and administrative expenses were RMB72.5 million (US$10.0 million), compared to RMB57.5 million in the same period of 2023, representing an increase of 26.1%, primarily due to an increase in personnel cost. The increase was partially offset by a decrease in expected credit loss relating to credit risk.
Technology and content expenses were RMB49.8 million (US$6.9 million), compared to RMB45.0 million in the same period of 2023, representing an increase of 10.7%. The increase was primarily due to an increase in personnel costs in connection with the ongoing upgrade of the Company’s operation center and system.
LOSS FROM OPERATIONS
Loss from operations was RMB5.6 million (US$0.8 million), compared to RMB61.0 million in the same period of 2023.
Adjusted income from operations (non-GAAP) was RMB94.1 million (US$12.9 million), compared to RMB52.0 million in the same period of 2023.
NET LOSS
Net loss was RMB10.7 million (US$1.5 million), compared to RMB64.8 million in the same period of 2023.
Adjusted net income (non-GAAP) was RMB80.5 million (US$11.1 million), compared to RMB36.4 million in the same period of 2023.
BASIC AND DILUTED NET LOSS PER ORDINARY SHARE
Basic and diluted net loss per ordinary share were RMB0.06 (US$0.01), compared to RMB0.40 in the same period of 2023.
Adjusted basic and diluted net income per ordinary share (non-GAAP) were RMB0.48 (US$0.07), compared to RMB0.22 in the same period of 2023.
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, RESTRICTED CASH, SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS AND FUNDS RECEIVABLE FROM THIRD PARTY PAYMENT SERVICE PROVIDERS
Cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, short-term investments and funds receivable from third party payment service providers were RMB2,768.7 million (US$381.0 million) as of June 30, 2024, as compared to RMB2,854.4 million as of December 31, 2023.
Business Outlook
For the third quarter of 2024, the Company currently expects its total revenues to be between RMB3,970.0 million and RMB4,070.0 million, representing an increase of 21.9% to 25.0% year-over-year. This forecast only reflects the Company’s current and preliminary views on the market and operational conditions, which are subject to change.
Recent Development
On May 31, 2024, ATRenew announced the renewal of its business cooperation agreement with JD.com for a term from June 1, 2024 to December 31, 2027. The two parties will continue to cooperate in the second-hand business by integrating resources and leveraging their respective strengths. The cooperation will also continue in areas such as user traffic, technology support, and logistics, among others. Together, the two parties aim to provide high quality and competitive prices for second-hand goods, thus enhancing customer experiences in the second-hand market.
On June 21, 2024, ATRenew announced that the Company’s board of directors has approved modifications to the size and term of its existing share repurchase program adopted in March 2024, increasing the aggregate value of shares that may be repurchased from US$20 million to US$50 million and extending the effective term to June 27, 2025. As of June 30, 2024, the Company had repurchased a total of 3,278,531 ADSs for approximately US$8.0 million under this share repurchase program.
Conference Call Information
The Company’s management will hold a conference call on Tuesday, August 20, 2024 at 08:00 A.M. Eastern Time (or 08:00 P.M. Beijing Time on the same day) to discuss the financial results. Listeners may access the call by dialing the following numbers:
International:
1-412-317-6061
United States Toll Free:
1-888-317-6003
Mainland China Toll Free:
4001-206115
Hong Kong Toll Free:
800-963976
Access Code:
9208793
The replay will be accessible through August 27, 2024 by dialing the following numbers:
International:
1-412-317-0088
United States Toll Free:
1-877-344-7529
Access Code:
9659903
A live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available at the Company’s investor relations website at ir.atrenew.com.
About ATRenew Inc.
Headquartered in Shanghai, ATRenew Inc. operates a leading technology-driven pre-owned consumer electronics transactions and services platform in China under the brand ATRenew. Since its inception in 2011, ATRenew has been on a mission to give a second life to all idle goods, addressing the environmental impact of pre-owned consumer electronics by facilitating recycling and trade-in services, and distributing the devices to prolong their lifecycle. ATRenew’s open platform integrates C2B, B2B, and B2C capabilities to empower its online and offline services. Through its end-to-end coverage of the entire value chain and its proprietary inspection, grading, and pricing technologies, ATRenew sets the standard for China’s pre-owned consumer electronics industry. ATRenew is a participant in the United Nations Global Compact, and adheres to its principles-based approach to responsible business.
Exchange Rate Information
This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to U.S. dollars are made at a rate of RMB7.2672 to US$1.00, the exchange rate set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System as of June 28, 2024.
Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
The Company also uses certain non-GAAP financial measures in evaluating its business. For example, the Company uses adjusted income from operations, adjusted net income and adjusted net income per ordinary share as supplemental measures to review and assess its financial and operating performance. The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation, or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Adjusted income from operations is loss from operations excluding the share-based compensation expenses and amortization of intangible assets and deferred cost resulting from assets and business acquisitions. Adjusted net income is net loss excluding the share-based compensation expenses and amortization of intangible assets and deferred cost resulting from assets and business acquisitions and tax effects of amortization of intangible assets and deferred cost resulting from assets and business acquisitions. Adjusted net income per ordinary share is adjusted net income attributable to ordinary shareholders divided by weighted average number of shares used in calculating net loss per ordinary share.
The Company presents non-GAAP financial measures because they are used by the Company’s management to evaluate the Company’s financial and operating performance and formulate business plans. The Company believes that adjusted income from operations and adjusted net income help identify underlying trends in the Company’s business that could otherwise be distorted by the effect of certain expenses that are included in loss from operations and net loss. The Company also believes that the use of non-GAAP financial measures facilitates investors’ assessment of the Company’s operating performance. The Company believes that adjusted income from operations and adjusted net income provide useful information about the Company’s operating results, enhance the overall understanding of the Company’s past performance and future prospects and allow for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by the Company’s management in its financial and operational decision making.
The non-GAAP financial measures are not defined under U.S. GAAP and are not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools. One of the key limitations of using non-GAAP financial measures is that they do not reflect all items of income and expense that affect the Company’s operations. The share-based compensation expenses, amortization of intangible assets and deferred cost resulting from assets and business acquisitions and tax effects of amortization of intangible assets and deferred cost resulting from assets and business acquisitions have been and may continue to be incurred in the Company’s business and is not reflected in the presentation of non-GAAP financial measures. Further, the non-GAAP measures may differ from the non-GAAP measures used by other companies, including peer companies, potentially limiting the comparability of their financial results to the Company’s. In light of the foregoing limitations, the non-GAAP financial measures for the period should not be considered in isolation from or as an alternative to income from operations, net income, and net income attributable to ordinary shareholders per share, or other financial measures prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
The Company compensates for these limitations by reconciling the non-GAAP financial measures to the nearest U.S. GAAP performance measures, which should be considered when evaluating the Company’s performance. For reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, please see the section of the accompanying tables titled, “Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results.”
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains statements that may constitute “forward-looking” statements pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “aims,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “likely to” and similar statements. Among other things, quotations in this announcement, contain forward-looking statements. ATRenew may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about ATRenew’s beliefs, plans and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: ATRenew’s strategies; ATRenew’s future business development, financial condition and results of operations; ATRenew’s ability to maintain its relationship with major strategic investors; its ability to facilitate pre-owned consumer electronics transactions and provide relevant services; its ability to maintain and enhance the recognition and reputation of its brand; general economic and business conditions globally and in China and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in ATRenew’s filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and ATRenew does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.
Investor Relations Contact
In China:
ATRenew Inc.
Investor Relations
Email: ir@atrenew.com
In the United States:
ICR LLC.
Email: atrenew@icrinc.com
Tel: +1-212-537-0461
ATRENEW INC.
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Amounts in thousands, except share and per share and otherwise noted)
As of December 31,
As of June 30,
2023
2024
RMB
RMB
US$
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents
1,978,696
1,642,998
226,084
Restricted cash
210,000
232,000
31,924
Short-term investments
410,547
637,721
87,753
Amount due from related parties, net
89,592
179,711
24,729
Inventories
1,017,155
660,029
90,823
Funds receivable from third party payment service
providers
253,107
255,973
35,223
Prepayments and other receivables, net
567,622
600,511
82,633
Total current assets
4,526,719
4,208,943
579,169
Non-current assets:
Long-term investments
467,095
554,478
76,299
Property and equipment, net
148,223
145,652
20,042
Intangible assets, net
270,631
146,889
20,213
Other non-current assets
80,411
67,070
9,229
Total non-current assets
966,360
914,089
125,783
TOTAL ASSETS
5,493,079
5,123,032
704,952
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Short-term borrowings
349,931
465,401
64,041
Accounts payable
532,293
73,153
10,066
Contract liabilities
119,715
176,458
24,281
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities
465,123
435,544
59,933
Accrued payroll and welfare
146,371
125,315
17,244
Amount due to related parties
78,032
132,845
18,280
Total current liabilities
1,691,465
1,408,716
193,845
Non-current liabilities:
Operating lease liabilities, non-current
22,495
14,942
2,056
Deferred tax liabilities
67,658
49,071
6,752
Total non-current liabilities
90,153
64,013
8,808
TOTAL LIABILITIES
1,781,618
1,472,729
202,653
TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
3,711,461
3,650,303
502,299
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’
EQUITY
5,493,079
5,123,032
704,952
ATRENEW INC.
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND
COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
(Amounts in thousands, except share and per share and otherwise noted)
Three months ended June 30,
Six months ended June 30,
2023
2024
2023
2024
RMB
RMB
US$
RMB
RMB
US$
Net revenues
Net product revenues
2,636,676
3,401,755
468,097
5,211,854
6,711,574
923,543
Net service revenues
326,983
374,948
51,595
623,599
716,265
98,561
Operating (expenses) income (1)(2)
Merchandise costs
(2,325,763)
(2,990,642)
(411,526)
(4,577,884)
(5,938,457)
(817,159)
Fulfillment expenses
(268,823)
(328,287)
(45,174)
(535,209)
(638,055)
(87,799)
Selling and marketing expenses
(335,303)
(353,977)
(48,709)
(634,344)
(675,314)
(92,926)
General and administrative expenses
(57,528)
(72,544)
(9,982)
(133,968)
(146,369)
(20,141)
Technology and content expenses
(45,042)
(49,812)
(6,854)
(92,475)
(99,995)
(13,760)
Other operating income, net
7,836
12,925
1,779
9,872
21,331
2,935
Loss from operations
(60,964)
(5,634)
(774)
(128,555)
(49,020)
(6,746)
Interest expense
(2,501)
(4,739)
(652)
(3,312)
(8,717)
(1,199)
Interest income
5,623
5,332
734
13,575
11,925
1,641
Other (loss) income, net
(1,721)
85
12
(2,291)
(41,352)
(5,690)
Loss before income taxes and share of loss in
equity method investments
(59,563)
(4,956)
(680)
(120,583)
(87,164)
(11,994)
Income tax benefits
11,700
8,540
1,175
23,560
18,587
2,558
Share of loss in equity method investments
(16,978)
(14,257)
(1,962)
(17,817)
(34,959)
(4,811)
Net loss
(64,841)
(10,673)
(1,467)
(114,840)
(103,536)
(14,247)
Net loss per ordinary share:
Basic
(0.40)
(0.06)
(0.01)
(0.71)
(0.63)
(0.09)
Diluted
(0.40)
(0.06)
(0.01)
(0.71)
(0.63)
(0.09)
Weighted average number of shares used in
calculating net loss income per ordinary
share
Basic
162,923,637
166,616,018
166,616,018
162,541,334
164,048,134
164,048,134
Diluted
162,923,637
166,616,018
166,616,018
162,541,334
164,048,134
164,048,134
Net loss
(64,841)
(10,673)
(1,467)
(114,840)
(103,536)
(14,247)
Foreign currency translation adjustments
32,103
(330)
(45)
21,573
(90)
(12)
Total comprehensive loss
(32,738)
(11,003)
(1,512)
(93,267)
(103,626)
(14,259)
ATRENEW INC.
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND
COMPREHENSIVE LOSS (CONTINUED)
(Amounts in thousands, except share and per share and otherwise noted)
Three months ended June 30,
Six months ended June 30,
2023
2024
2023
2024
RMB
RMB
US$
RMB
RMB
US$
(1) Includes share-based compensation
expenses as follows:
Fulfillment expenses
(7,041)
(6,590)
(907)
(12,548)
(12,971)
(1,785)
Selling and marketing expenses
(4,297)
(14,166)
(1,949)
(8,101)
(44,572)
(6,133)
General and administrative expenses
(17,944)
(16,393)
(2,256)
(36,943)
(32,070)
(4,413)
Technology and content expenses
(5,745)
(5,703)
(785)
(10,431)
(9,954)
(1,370)
(2) Includes amortization of intangible assets
and deferred cost resulting from assets and
business acquisitions as follows:
Selling and marketing expenses
(77,430)
(56,479)
(7,772)
(155,925)
(122,891)
(16,910)
Technology and content expenses
(482)
(369)
(51)
(964)
(851)
(117)
Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results
(Amounts in thousands, except share and per share and otherwise noted)
Three months ended June 30,
Six months ended June 30,
2023
2024
2023
2024
RMB
RMB
US$
RMB
RMB
US$
Loss from operations
(60,964)
(5,634)
(774)
(128,555)
(49,020)
(6,746)
Add:
Share-based compensation
expenses
35,027
42,852
5,897
68,023
99,567
13,701
Amortization of intangible assets
and deferred cost resulting from
assets and business acquisitions
77,912
56,848
7,823
156,889
123,742
17,027
Adjusted income from operations
(non-GAAP)
51,975
94,066
12,946
96,357
174,289
23,982
Net loss
(64,841)
(10,673)
(1,467)
(114,840)
(103,536)
(14,247)
Add:
Share-based compensation
expenses
35,027
42,852
5,897
68,023
99,567
13,701
Amortization of intangible assets
and deferred cost resulting from
assets and business acquisitions
77,912
56,848
7,823
156,889
123,742
17,027
Less:
Tax effects of amortization of
intangible assets and deferred cost
resulting from assets and business
acquisitions
(11,700)
(8,540)
(1,175)
(23,560)
(18,587)
(2,558)
Adjusted net income (non-
GAAP)
36,398
80,487
11,078
86,512
101,186
13,923
Adjusted net income per
ordinary share (non-GAAP):
Basic
0.22
0.48
0.07
0.53
0.62
0.08
Diluted
0.22
0.48
0.07
0.51
0.61
0.08
Weighted average number of
shares used in calculating net
income per ordinary share
Basic
162,923,637
166,616,018
166,616,018
162,541,334
164,048,134
164,048,134
Diluted
168,037,389
169,063,102
169,063,102
168,910,942
164,698,650
164,698,650
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/atrenew-inc-reports-unaudited-second-quarter-2024-financial-results-302226212.html
SOURCE ATRenew Inc.
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YIWU, China, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Yiwugo.com, the official website of the Yiwu Commodity Market, is the largest commodity wholesale market in the world. The final whistle may have blown on the World Cup, but the intense heat gripping the Northern Hemisphere shows no sign of letting up. Europe has experienced unusually hot weather this year, sparking not only a surge in demand for air conditioners but also a boom in portable handheld fans. Merchants on Yiwugo say that in previous years, European customers would begin placing orders in March or April and take their time completing their annual procurement. This year, however, the purchasing season has stretched well into summer, with a flood of new buyers coming in, most of them looking for small handheld fans. With customers eager to capitalize on the peak summer season, delivery timelines have also become significantly tighter. Whereas orders in previous years could generally be fulfilled within a month, merchants are now frequently being asked to deliver within about a week, leaving manufacturers scrambling to keep pace with demand.
Lingpan Official Flagship Store has specialized in the production and sales of small fans, insulated cups, and related products for 15 years. This summer, demand from European customers for high-speed small fans has risen sharply, accompanied by urgent delivery requirements. Many customers began requesting shipment just one week after placing their orders, hoping the products would arrive in time for the World Cup and the ongoing heatwave across Europe. One long-standing European customer purchased only five models of small fans from Lingpan last year. Anticipating stronger demand ahead of this summer, the customer expanded the order to 10 models. The first shipment sold out soon after arriving at port, prompting several subsequent repeat orders. European buyers have shown particular interest in high-speed cooling fans and placed great requirements on product quality. So far this year, Lingpan’s fan sales have more than doubled compared with the same period last year, with total purchases reaching approximately RMB 1 million.
Beyond Europe, the owner of Lingpan, Ling Pan pointed out that the Indian market has also undergone significant changes over the past two years. Indian customers are showing great interest in panda-shaped fans, drinking cups, and related products. Procurement volumes among many Indian buyers have increased substantially, with average annual purchases now reaching several hundred thousand yuan.
Unlike European countries grappling with sudden heat waves, Asian markets such as Japan and South Korea, where summers are consistently hot and air conditioners and fans are already everyday essentials, have shown much stronger demand for sun-protection products. From April 1, 2026 to date, sales of sun-protection masks on Yiwugo have increased by 31.6% YoY, while sales of sun-protection face shields surged by 72.42% and sun hats rose by 8.1%.
Chen Jia, a Yiwugo merchant, has engaged in the production and sales of sun-protection masks and sun-protection face shields for eight years. Chen operates the Xiao Zhen and Xiao Mian Sun-Protection Products Workshop in District 4 of the Yiwu International Trade Market. In recent years, the company has customized cooling nylon fabrics for customers in Japan and South Korea. Sun-protection masks and sun-protection face shields made from this material not only offer UPF 50+ protection, but also maintain a more structured shape and are less susceptible to snagging or deformation. Their protective performance remains effective after routine washing, and the products can last for more than five years under normal use.
In 2024, a TV shopping operator from South Korea contacted Xiao Zheng and Xiao Mian through Yiwugo and began placing orders after inspecting the products in person. Over the following two years, the company continued to improve the fitness and design of its sun-protection products. It introduced sun-protection face shields with breathable mesh panels and incorporated soft supports around the nose area to prevent the masks from rubbing against lipstick. These product upgrades have steadily driven up customer ratings on the client’s store. Annual procurement, initially valued at around RMB 300,000, has risen year by year, and the company has since developed into a recognized brand in the local market.
Persistent heat across the Northern Hemisphere has been creating new forms of cross-border consumer demand while enabling Yiwugo merchants to keenly capture shifts in overseas markets. From the strong sales of small portable fans in Europe to the rising demand for functional sun-protection products in Japan and South Korea, the diversity of orders reflects both consumers’ need for relief from extreme heat and the ability of Yiwu manufacturers to strengthen their presence in global markets through product innovation and rapid fulfillment. Faced with a rapidly changing international market, many merchants are continuing to refine product designs, upgrade fabric techniques, and enhance supply efficiency. By leveraging Yiwugo to broaden their export channels, they are keeping pace with overseas consumption trends and capitalizing on the expanding market for cooling and sun-protection products, turning the summer heat into new momentum for cross-border trade.
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SOURCE Yiwugo.com
Technology
Snorkel AI Highlights First Wave of Open Benchmarks Grants Projects
Published
32 minutes agoon
July 24, 2026By
SAN FRANCISCO, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Snorkel AI today highlighted the first group of projects supported through Open Benchmarks Grants, a $3 million commitment to support open-source datasets, benchmarks, and evaluation research.
Launched in February 2026, Open Benchmarks Grants has received hundreds of applications from researchers, labs, and engineers working to address a growing challenge: AI systems are advancing faster than the field’s ability to rigorously measure their performance on realistic, consequential work.
“From complex environments and huge autonomy horizons to rich, sophisticated outputs, these projects tackle some of the field’s hardest evaluation challenges,” said Fred Sala, a member of the Open Benchmarks Grants steering committee and assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. “I’m excited to see the broader research community use, validate, and build on them.”
Open Benchmarks Grants provides selected teams with funding, expert data development support, research and engineering collaboration, and platform resources. Supported projects include:
Frontier-Bench (formerly Terminal-Bench 3.0), developed with Laude Institute and the Harbor community, is a harder, more domain-diverse successor to Terminal-Bench 2.1 — built in the open, task by task, under continuous adversarial review.Agents’ Last Exam, developed with UC Berkeley RDI and the RDI Foundation, evaluates agents on long-horizon, economically valuable professional workflows. It spans 55 sub-industries and includes more than 1,500 tasks toward a 5,000-task target, sourced and validated by more than 300 industry experts.OSWorld 2.0, developed with XLANG Lab, evaluates computer-use agents on 108 long-horizon workflows across 31 self-hosted web environments and professional desktop applications.Continual Learning Bench, developed with UC Berkeley SkyLab and the University of Wisconsin–Madison, measures whether agents genuinely improve across sequential, stateful tasks.SlopCode Bench, developed with the University of Wisconsin–Madison, measures how code quality degrades as coding agents repeatedly modify and extend their own solutions.Terminal-Bench 2.1, developed with Stanford University, Laude Institute and the Harbor community, evaluates agents on challenging work in terminal environments. The release corrected 28 tasks and introduced continuous validation.
With support from Open Benchmarks Grants, Terminal-Bench Science is also now in development, extending the Terminal-Bench framework to computational research workflows across the life, physical, earth, and mathematical sciences.
Beyond the grants program, Snorkel led the development of Senior SWE-Bench with the research teams at Princeton University and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The benchmark evaluates coding agents on senior-level engineering work, including implementing features from realistic instructions, investigating bugs that require runtime analysis, and producing code that follows existing codebase conventions.
Open Benchmarks Grants was established with support from Hugging Face, Prime Intellect, Together AI, Factory, Harbor, and PyTorch. Applications remain open and are reviewed on a rolling basis.
Learn more and apply for a grant at benchmarks.snorkel.ai.
About Snorkel AI
Snorkel AI is the frontier AI data lab, helping teams build the data and environments behind high-performing frontier and agentic AI. We combine technology with research-driven AI data development to create datasets, benchmarks, evals, and custom solutions for real-world AI systems. Founded out of the Stanford AI Lab in 2019, Snorkel works with leading AI labs and enterprises to move from better data to better outcomes.
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SOURCE Snorkel AI
Technology
Payzli Vaults to No. 3 on Tampa Bay’s Fast 50, Up From No. 22 in One Year
Published
32 minutes agoon
July 24, 2026By
Payments technology company, Payzli earns a second consecutive Fast 50 ranking, crediting the climb to accelerating partner and merchant growth on its proprietary technology stack.
TAMPA, Fla., July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Payzli, the partner-first payments technology company, has been named the No. 3 fastest-growing company in the region on the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 2026 Fast 50 – a 19-spot climb from its No. 22 debut last year, and the company’s second consecutive year on the list.
The ranking was announced July 23 at the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Fast 50 event in Tampa, where Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer Naim Hamdar accepted the award alongside members of the Payzli team.
Payzli attributed its growth to a compounding effect: a national network of ISOs, agents and ISVs bringing merchants onto a technology platform Payzli built and operated in-house.
That platform rests on three proprietary pillars:
Payzli Connect: the company’s payment CRM and merchant-and-partner dashboard, giving agents and ISOs daily residuals visibility and giving merchants a single place to run their account.Payzli POS: AI-powered point-of-sale and business software purpose-built for service businesses, including salons, med spas, wellness studios, and independent operators.Payzli Transact: an online payment gateway built on Visa Platform Connect through Payzli’s partnership with Visa Acceptance Solutions.
The Visa Acceptance Solutions partnership is central to how Payzli frames its credibility: rather than assembling a growth story on top of borrowed infrastructure, the company processes on rails backed by one of the most established networks in the industry alongside Fiserv and TSYS – a point that matters to the partners and merchants deciding where to place their volume.
“A second year on this list, and a jump to No. 3, isn’t about one good quarter. It’s about a network deciding to build with us and stay,” said Naim Hamdar, Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Payzli. “Every rank on this list represents partners we’ve earned and merchants who trust us to run their payments. We built the technology in-house so we could keep the promises the industry usually breaks: nothing hidden, a real person in reach, and daily residual visibility our agents can actually count on. That’s what this ranking measures and it’s why we’re doing it all, for the joy of business.”
“They say nothing in Tampa moves fast except the afternoon thunderstorms, so making the Fast 50 two years running feels pretty good,” said Kapil Pershad, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Payzli. “In all seriousness, this is a credit to our team and the businesses that trust us to power their growth.”
The Fast 50, produced by the Tampa Bay Business Journal, recognizes the fastest-growing private companies in the Tampa Bay region. Payzli’s return to the list and its move into the top three reflects a merchant-first product suite and a rapidly expanding national partner network across the payments and embedded-finance landscape.
About Payzli
Payzli is an end-to-end payments technology partner that makes accepting payments simpler and affordable for businesses of all sizes and risk levels. Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Tampa, Florida, Payzli brings together in-person processing, an advanced online gateway, AI-powered point of sale, and mobile and contactless payments – backed by its own technology, honest pricing, and dedicated human support. Built partner-first, Payzli equips ISOs, agents, developers, and independent software vendors to grow, with direct integrations to major processing platforms, in-house underwriting, a flexible credit policy, a Visa Acceptance Solutions foundation partnership, and sponsor-bank backing from Esquire Bank, a NASDAQ-listed strategic investor in Payzli. For more information, email partners@payzli.com or visit payzli.com.
Payzli is a registered trademark of United Payment Systems LLC. United Payment Systems LLC is a registered ISO of Esquire Bank (Jericho, NY), Commercial Bank of California (Irvine, CA), and KeyBank, National Association (Cleveland, OH).
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SOURCE Payzli
Northern Hemisphere Heat Drives Demand for Cooling and Sun-Protection Products on Yiwugo
Snorkel AI Highlights First Wave of Open Benchmarks Grants Projects
Payzli Vaults to No. 3 on Tampa Bay’s Fast 50, Up From No. 22 in One Year
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