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North American Semiconductor Industry Unites to Address Trade Challenges and Strengthen Resilience

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BROMONT, QC, Jan. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ – Leading organizations across Quebec and the Northeastern states of the United States have joined forces to address trade challenges and strengthen resilience. Recognizing the semiconductor industry as a cornerstone of national security and economic sovereignty, this unprecedented collaboration aims to ensure that North America remains resilient, competitive, and autonomous in this critical sector.

The coalition includes:

AmCham QuébecVermont Agency of Commerce and Community DevelopmentUniversity of VermontTechnum Québec – Innovation Zone in Electronics and SemiconductorsDistriq – Quantum Innovation ZoneC2MI – MiQro Innovation Collaborative CentreISEQ – Pôle d’excellence de l’Industrie des Systèmes Électroniques du QuébecUniversité de SherbrookeConseil du patronat du Québec

Through the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between these stakeholders, the alliance will focus on:

Developing a resilient supply chain for uninterrupted access to critical components.Facilitating policy coordination to mitigate the impact of trade barriers.Establishing the Northeast Semiconductor Manufacturing Corridor, spanning Quebec and northeastern U.S. states, as a hub for innovation and advanced manufacturing.

“As global pressures increase, North America must unite to secure its semiconductor supply chain,” said Michel Belval, president of the AmCham Quebec chapter. “This partnership exemplifies how collaboration across borders can drive innovation, protect economic stability, and address strategic challenges in a rapidly evolving world.”

“The Northeast Manufacturing Corridor is home to the highest concentration of semiconductor manufacturers, with thriving tech hubs on both the Canadian and American sides. This partnership not only strengthens our ability to address emerging industry demands but also highlights the importance of sharing expertise and resources across borders to drive progress in advanced technologies,” said Normand Bourbonnais and Manon Duclos, outgoing and current CEOs of Technum Québec.

This joint effort underscores the recognition of semiconductors as critical to economic and national security. By leveraging the collective strengths of this alliance, North America positions itself as a global leader in technological innovation while fostering economic prosperity throughout the region.

In the coming weeks, additional organizations are expected to join this movement, further expanding the scope of collaboration. This announcement marks the beginning of a long-term alliance aimed at advancing the electronics, semiconductors, quantum technologies, and technological innovation fields globally.

About Technum Québec – Electronics and semiconductor innovation zone
Designated innovation zone by the Quebec government in February 2022, Technum Quebec is the technological ambassador of a digital Quebec. The organization contributes to the growth of the ecosystem by increasing the collaborations required for the development of innovations, technological transfers and the creation of economic, social and environmental wealth. Its various collaborations will enable the sustainable integration of intelligent electronic systems in all economic spheres and position Quebec as a leader on the world stage.

About AmCham Québec
The Quebec Chapter of The American Chamber of Commerce in Canada, known as AmCham Canada, is based in Montreal, the province’s commercial hub. At the confluence of language and culture, AmCham Canada’s Québec chapter is uniquely positioned to serve the needs of firms involved in the US-Canada business and trade relationship. From clarifying language policy to demystifying tax and legal regulations on both sides of the border to putting members into contact with experts on best practices in developing business in ‘the other market’, the Québec chapter serves the province’s vibrant and diverse business community in its relationships with Canada’s largest trading partner.

About Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development
The Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) helps Vermonters improve their quality of life and build strong communities. Collaboration is central to carrying out this mission and we work with other state Agencies as well as businesses of all sizes, communities, educators, non-profits, students, recreational venues, and many others. 

About University of Vermont : For People and Planet
Founded in 1791, UVM is the leading public research university where discovery, creativity, community, and action coalesce to secure a thriving future for people and planet. Vermont’s state flagship and land-grant university produces $260 million annually in groundbreaking research and enrolls approximately 14,000 students from 50 states and 75 countries. At UVM, students, faculty, and staff work together in pursuit of a healthier, greener future. Learn more at uvm.edu.

About Distriq
The Quantum Innovation Zone based in Sherbrooke serves as a catalyst and orchestrator at the heart of Quebec’s quantum ecosystem.Recognized today as a world-class ecosystem, the Zone is primarily funded by the Government of Quebec. It brings together a comprehensive range of stakeholders and resources: fundamental and applied research, a startup creation studio, an incubator, investment funds, global business development expertise, industries, cutting-edge infrastructures, and a dynamic network of startups. This ecosystem attracts exceptional talent and world-class companies. Its mission is to accelerate the development and amplify the reach of Quebec’s quantum activities while positioning Sherbrooke as a place where technological innovation and an exceptional quality of life sustainably coexist.

About C2MI
The MiQro Innovation Collaborative Center (C2MI) serves as a reference in research and development to accelerate the commercialization of components essential to digital technologies, being a transversal vector for all the economic sectors and critical to wealth creation.  Backed by a world-class infrastructure in the manufacturing fields micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), advanced semiconductor assembly, quantum and printed electronics, C2MI is at the core of all industry sectors integrating components essential for the use and deployment of digital technologies.   The Centre is strongly committed to be a unique model of collaboration, where synergy between industrial and academic partners is necessary, even essential, for the development of next-generation products.  Visit: www.c2mi.ca.

About ISEQ – Pôle d’excellence de l’Industrie des Systèmes Électroniques du Québec
ISEQ is a Center of Excellence from the Quebec Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy (MEIE) which brings together companies, associations, partners, collaborators and educational establishments whose activities are linked to the development and marketing of processes and computer and electronic products.

About Université de Sherbrooke
Renowned for its innovative spirit, its synergy with organizations and its research activities that meet the needs of society, the Université de Sherbrooke is a leading partner of senior and regional governments in fostering social, cultural and economic development. It also stands out for the strong growth of its research activities in recent years, its successes in technology transfer, and its initiatives in entrepreneurship and open innovation in collaboration with industry and society.

About the Quebec Employers Council (CPQ)
Created in 1969, the CPQ is a confederation of nearly 100 sector-based associations and several corporate members (companies, institutions and other employers). It represents the interests of more than 70,000 employers, of all sizes and in all regions, from the private and parapublic sectors.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/north-american-semiconductor-industry-unites-to-address-trade-challenges-and-strengthen-resilience-302362590.html

SOURCE Technum Québec

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Swiss Hill Advisors Celebrates More Than a Decade as a Specialized Force in Alternative Investment Advisory

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Boutique placement agent has built a distinctive practice at the intersection of specialty finance, private credit, and emerging manager development

NEW YORK, July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Swiss Hill Advisors, a boutique placement agent and advisory firm, marks more than ten years of operations, having built a reputation as one of the alternative investment industry’s most trusted advisors at the intersection of specialty finance, private credit, and emerging manager development.

This milestone is an opportunity to recognize that Swiss Hill Advisors has quietly been an active and consequential participant in some of the market’s more complex capital formation and direct investment activity throughout its history. It was built around a premise that executing successful direct investment transactions is often the most effective pathway to building the credibility and track record necessary for a successful institutional fundraise. While many placement agents focus exclusively on fund marketing, Swiss Hill Advisors has consistently worked across both direct deal execution and broader capital formation mandates.

Swiss Hill Advisors formed the majority of its practice around specialty finance, a segment of the alternative investment market characterized by structural complexity, niche underwriting expertise, and high barriers to entry. Specialty finance encompasses areas including asset-backed funding, equipment finance, residential transition loans (“RTLs”), insurance-linked strategies, and other credit-adjacent structures that require deep sector knowledge to evaluate and market effectively. Swiss Hill Advisors has developed particular expertise in helping managers articulate their strategies to institutional audiences in ways that are accurate, compelling, and compliant. Beyond private credit, the firm has worked with managers across a broader range of alternative strategies, including equity-focused and activist investment approaches.

Swiss Hill Advisors was founded by two professionals, Founding Partner Richard Lieberman and Co-Founder and Partner Jeff Mettel, whose backgrounds span the full arc of the alternative investment industry, from institutional investment banking and prime brokerage to fund marketing and allocator relationships.

Lieberman began his career at Bear Stearns Asset Management and later Ramius where he received direct exposure to how sophisticated institutional capital is allocated, managed, and communicated across market cycles. He subsequently became the founding head of marketing at Atalaya Capital Management, a New York-based alternative credit and specialty finance manager, where he helped build the firm’s institutional investor base from the ground up. His work during that period helped establish Atalaya as a credible institutional manager at a time when private credit was still a nascent and poorly understood asset class. Lieberman is widely regarded as one of the early practitioners of institutional private credit marketing, having developed outreach and investor communications frameworks for drawdown-format credit funds at a time when few such vehicles existed.

Mettel brings a complementary background spanning investment banking, institutional hedge fund allocation, and prime brokerage capital introductions. Earlier in his career, Mettel worked as an investment banker, advising on complex structured finance transactions across a range of industries and capital structures. He subsequently moved to the buy side as a hedge fund allocator, joining Muirfield Capital Management at its founding. Muirfield grew to over $1.25 billion in assets under management, and Mettel led the firm’s investment team, evaluating and allocating to managers across credit, equity, and multi-strategy platforms. That experience gave him direct insight into the due diligence process and decision-making frameworks of sophisticated institutional investors.

Most notably, Mettel led Capital Introductions for BNP Paribas Americas, the North American prime brokerage capital introductions business of one of the world’s largest financial institutions. In that role, he was responsible for connecting hedge fund managers with institutional allocators across pensions, endowments, family offices, and sovereign wealth funds, building deep and durable relationships on both sides of the capital formation equation.

Together, Lieberman and Mettel bring a combination of capabilities that is rare in the placement agent landscape, including deep expertise in complex credit and specialty finance structures, direct experience on both the buy side and sell side, established relationships across the institutional allocator community, and a practical, execution-oriented philosophy built around the belief that credibility is earned through results, not marketing.

Perhaps the most deliberate aspect of Swiss Hill Advisors’ approach is what the firm chooses not to do. In an industry where visibility and brand recognition are often treated as proxies for credibility, the firm has consistently resisted the impulse to seek the spotlight. Swiss Hill Advisors sees its role as setting the stage, building the narrative, structuring the opportunity, and opening the right doors, so that when a manager steps in front of an institutional audience, everything is in place for them to succeed on their own terms. That orientation defines how Swiss Hill Advisors has operated throughout its history and how it intends to operate going forward.

About Swiss Hill Advisors
Swiss Hill Advisors was founded in 2015 and specializes in the placement of alternative investments, co-investments, and sponsored and non-sponsored direct investment opportunities to institutional investors. Investments focus primarily on niche, non-correlated opportunities and private credit. The team has a vast network and experience raising assets from endowments, foundations, pensions, family offices, RIA’s and consultants. Its approach is based on identifying and evaluating high quality managers with firmly established investment philosophies, processes and competitive advantages.

Media Contact
Matt Bono
JConnelly
mbono@jconnelly.com
973-590-9110

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SOURCE Swiss Hill Advisors

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The World Cup’s winning lineup: pizza with fried bites to share, beer and wine in the fridge, and the busiest minute in delivery history

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Deliverect, the AI-driven restaurant technology company that has powered more than 1.5 billion orders to date, recorded the busiest minute in its history just before kickoff in the Argentina vs Spain final

NEW YORK, July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The World Cup has crowned Spain as the new rulers of world football. It has also confirmed food delivery as a cultural ritual of our time. Analysis of millions of delivery orders throughout the tournament, carried out by Deliverect, the global technology company behind nearly all of the world’s biggest fast food chains, reveals a phenomenon of historic proportions: matches that lifted orders by up to 25% in some of the world’s biggest delivery markets during the US-hosted World Cup, baskets that grew round after round, and one undisputed winner at the table, pizza.

The night every record fell

The story of Sunday night reads like a match report in itself. At 20:28, with the lineups confirmed and millions of fans heading for the sofa, a platform that has processed more than 1.5 billion orders over its history registered the busiest minute it has ever seen: for those sixty seconds, orders flowed in at more than three times the platform’s average pace for 2026, a 209% surge above a normal minute of the year. No rainy Friday night and no New Year’s Eve had ever come close.

The record minute was not the only landmark. The final also produced the biggest baskets of the entire tournament: in the host market of the winning side, the average order during the match was 17% larger than on a normal Sunday. Fans did not order more often; they ordered bigger, because each order fed a gathering rather than a person. The final was not improvised. It was planned, friends were summoned, and the table was full before the anthems.

Pizza and bites to share, the kings of the World Cup

A month of match nights did not just lift orders; it reshaped them, and two patterns deepened round after round.

The first: the baskets kept growing. In the group stage, England’s matches nudged the average order up by low single digits. By the semifinals, in-match baskets were running 7% larger in the UK and 16% larger in Spain. By the final, they peaked at 17%: over five weeks, the World Cup turned the individual dinner order into a group order, and it never went back.

The second: the stock-up ritual took hold. Across every market and every round, the hour before kickoff became the busiest of the night: up 17% at England’s opening match, 53% before Spain’s semifinal and 30% before the final, the exact window of the record minute. At England’s semifinal alone, that pre-kickoff hour brought in almost 8,000 extra orders, a 35% jump on a normal evening. And what went into those orders tells its own story: combinations of beer and wine nearly doubled, beer with snacks grew 94%, and the tournament’s signature pairing, pizza with fried bites to share, rose 95% to more than 1,200 orders in a single match night. Fans stocked the fridge like managers naming a squad, and restaurants felt it in the till: England’s three matches alone generated nearly £1 million in extra takeaway revenue.

Underneath those patterns sits a deeper change in the relationship between football and food. On match nights, the ordinary dinner disappears, replaced by a format that is shared, informal and eaten without cutlery.

Beer deliveries rose between 59% and 80% on England’s football nights, cider grew 43%, and Spain turned every match into a tapas table: dips and sauces jumped 88% during the semifinal and another 49% on final night, alongside pantry items up 32%, while single serve formats such as soft drinks and burgers went backwards.

The mirror image is just as telling. As finger food surged, knife and fork dining collapsed on match nights: pasta fell by as much as 17%, sushi dropped 36% in France, hot sandwiches slid 18% in the UK, and even the burger, the perennial king of delivery, retreated on England’s football nights. A match does not add a meal to the day. It replaces the way an entire country eats dinner.

The lift, meanwhile, reached almost everyone. On England’s Ghana match day, every one of the UK’s ten biggest delivery chains recorded more orders than normal, and on Spain’s semifinal day not a single major food category declined: football raised everything on the menu at once.

The tournament’s winner at the table

If the tournament had a winner at the table, it was pizza, and its victory came with its own escalation curve. In the UK, pizza orders during England’s matches climbed from 63% above normal at the opening game against Croatia, to 68% against Ghana, to 79% at the semifinal, while France matched the pattern at 74% during its own semifinal,  with specialty varieties more than doubling on the biggest nights. In real terms, Britain alone ordered close to 34,000 extra pizzas across England’s three match nights, 13,000 of them during the semifinal itself, roughly 55 extra pizzas every minute of the match window. No other dish came close to matching that consistency across markets and rounds.

There is also proof that pizza’s reign is structural rather than a quirk of the calendar: the contrast with ice cream. On the warm June evening of England vs Ghana, ice cream soared 43%; on the July semifinal night, it fell 17%. The match night treat follows the thermometer. Pizza does not. It is the one constant of every football night, in every country.

“For ninety minutes the world stopped, but restaurants did not. What we saw during this World Cup goes beyond a record: ordering food has become part of how the world gathers to watch football, as much a part of the ritual as the shirt or the anthem,” said Zhong Xu, CEO of Deliverect.

Methodology

The analysis compares each match day with the average of the four most recent same weekdays in each market, in local time. The match window runs from one hour before kickoff to three hours after. All figures are anonymous aggregates across many restaurants and were independently verified against order level data; no individual client is identified.

About Deliverect

Deliverect is a global restaurant technology company that connects digital ordering channels directly to in-store operations, serving more than 80,000 restaurant locations worldwide. With an API-first platform and over 1,000 certified integrations, Deliverect streamlines digital ordering across carryout, delivery, catering, and in-store fulfillment. It is the only digital ordering platform to have earned DoorDash’s Excellent integration rating. By leveraging AI-driven innovation, Deliverect empowers restaurants to anticipate demand, recover lost revenue, and grow smarter at scale. The company processes 30 million API calls daily, has powered 1.5+ billion orders to date, and is trusted by many of the world’s largest and most innovative restaurant brands. To learn more, visit deliverect.com.

Press contact

Oier Fano Dadebat, Content Marketing Manager, PR & Communications, oier.fano@deliverect.com

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Motorola Brings the First-Ever razr Wheel to Lollapalooza 2026

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Motorola, in partnership with Live Nation, invites festivalgoers to rise above the music and experience Chicago’s skyline like never before during Lollapalooza 2026.

CHICAGO, July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Motorola is taking Lollapalooza to new heights with the debut of the razr Wheel, a first-of-its-kind branded Ferris wheel arriving in the heart of Grant Park during this year’s festival. In partnership with Live Nation, Motorola will bring an unforgettable new attraction to one of the world’s most iconic music festivals, inviting fans to experience the brand’s hometown from a whole new perspective.

Located at the center of the festival grounds, the razr Wheel will give Lollapalooza attendees the opportunity to step away from the crowds, take in sweeping views of the Chicago skyline, and capture memorable moments with friends high above the festival. Inspired by the spirit of motorola razr –  a device built around self-expression, creativity, and connection – the attraction celebrates the moments that are worth flipping for.

The first-ever razr Wheel reflects the brand’s commitment to extend beyond technology and into the cultural moments people care about most. By bringing together entertainment, innovation and community, Motorola continues to inspire people to connect, create and share experiences in new ways.

Throughout Lollapalooza weekend, festival attendees can visit the razr Wheel for complimentary rides and take in panoramic views of the festival grounds and Chicago skyline. Fans can share their experience using #MakeItIconic and follow Motorola on Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat for additional content and behind-the-scenes moments from the festival.

In celebration of Lollapalooza as a cultural staple, the company is giving fans the chance to attend the festival in VIP style through a sweepstakes offering two winners the opportunity to each receive two one-day VIP tickets to Lollapalooza, along with a 2026 motorola razr device. Enter now for a chance to win, and see here for official sweepstakes details and entry information.

With Lollapalooza welcoming hundreds of thousands of music fans to Chicago each summer, the razr Wheel will serve as a must-see destination within the festival – creating a memorable experience for attendees and a new way to celebrate the city, the culture and the moments that bring people together.

For more information about Motorola and its latest innovations, visit www.motorola.com.

Gianna Lapasso; lapassog@motorola.com

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SOURCE Motorola Mobility, Inc

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