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ECMC Group’s Education Impact Fund Launches EIF Catalyst

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12-Week Educational Program Designed to Help Advance EdTech and Workforce Companies from Early Traction to Scalable Business

MINNEAPOLIS, April 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — EdTech and workforce founders seeking to scale their businesses now have an opportunity to receive investment capital, hands-on sales coaching from go-to-market experts and targeted mentorship through the newly launched EIF Catalyst program. Developed by ECMC Group’s Education Impact Fund (EIF), this 12-week remote investment program is designed to help early-stage companies shift from founder-led sales to building a repeatable sales engine while refining product-market fit (PMF).

“There are many programs that support early-stage entrepreneurs, however, few if any combine a sector focus on education and workforce with expert-led, hands-on support geared toward progressing a company beyond founder-led sales,” said Joseph Watt, vice president at ECMC Group and managing director of EIF. “Given our work across the education and workforce landscape, we want to expand our impact by helping individuals and organizations who share our mission, while providing targeted resources in areas of need that we’ve witnessed firsthand as an investor in early-stage companies.”

EIF Catalyst focuses on founders who can demonstrate clear market demand—either through revenue (typically $100,000–$500,000 in Annual Recurring Revenue) or a strong base of engaged users. Founders will receive targeted mentorship from industry experts, along with up to $250,000 in investment to power their next stage of growth.

Led by seasoned sales expert Rob Snyder, the program will help founders gain skills in market understanding through customer discovery and refine their value proposition and strategic positioning. They’ll learn to build customer engagement and enduring relationships while developing effective closing deals strategies. By the end of the 12 weeks, participants will have an actionable go-to-market plan, deeper customer insights and the systems in place to scale effectively.

Applications for EIF Catalyst are now open and will be accepted until June 15, 2025. The program will begin in mid-August 2025. To learn more or apply, visit eifcatalyst.org.

About ECMC Group
ECMC Group is a nonprofit corporation focused on helping students succeed by creating, providing and investing in innovative educational opportunities. Headquartered in Minneapolis, ECMC Group and its family of companies provide financial tools and services, as well as funding for innovative programs to help students achieve their academic and professional goals. To learn more, visit www.ecmcgroup.org.

Education Impact Fund
The Education Impact Fund is a $250 million evergreen impact investment fund that aims to accelerate the transformation of America’s postsecondary and workforce ecosystem by investing in innovative companies and collaborating with institutions, employers and communities toward a shared vision of improving education access and outcomes for underserved learners. To learn more, visit www.educationimpactfund.org.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ecmc-groups-education-impact-fund-launches-eif-catalyst-302422321.html

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Yon Raz-Fridman Joins Intrinsic Labs as Co-Founder and Partner

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Most AI companies are selling software. Intrinsic is deploying AI workers into the core operations of mid-market companies – and just brought in a serial tech entrepreneur to help the firm scale across the Heartland.

COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Intrinsic Labs today announced that Yon Raz-Fridman has joined the firm as a Co-Founder and Partner.

Raz-Fridman has spent nearly two decades building across software, hardware, and platform businesses. Early in his career, he served as Chief of Staff to the President of Keter Group, a $1 billion-plus global consumer products manufacturer. He went on to co-found Kano, the award-winning educational computing company, and later founded Supersocial, the immersive gaming studio acquired by Super League Enterprises in 2025. He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Technology Convergence Council.

He joins Intrinsic at a moment when mid-market companies are moving from AI experimentation to deployment. Intrinsic works with operators in logistics, construction, insurance, manufacturing, and industrial markets to deploy AI workers into the workflows that run the business – increasing throughput, reducing manual work, and expanding capacity without adding headcount.

The firm has built its reputation on practical deployments tied to real operating metrics. In one engagement with a national real estate brokerage, Intrinsic’s AI Accounting Agents reached 97% invoice coding accuracy, automated 90% of the AP workflow, and fully removed FTEs from the review flow.

“Yon understands what it takes to build and scale in the real world,” said Jon Slemp, Managing Partner at Intrinsic Labs. “Our clients aren’t buying flashy agents, they’re buying outcomes and reliable labor. They need agentic systems that take work off their teams, perform reliably, and produce measurable gains in throughput and capacity. That’s what we build.”

As Co-Founder, Raz-Fridman will oversee Intrinsic’s expansion – designing the channel relationships, institutional partnerships, and market positioning that take the firm from a proven Ohio model to the defining AI workforce platform for America’s industrial middle market.

“The companies that win over the next decade will be the ones that figure out how to staff AI into their operations and manage it like a workforce. Intrinsic is doing that work now, inside real businesses, tied to real outputs. The Heartland is exactly the right place to prove this model, and Intrinsic is exactly the right team to do it.” — Yon Raz-Fridman

About Intrinsic Labs LLC
Intrinsic Labs helps mid-market companies deploy AI workers into the workflows that run their business. The firm focuses on logistics, construction, insurance, manufacturing, and industrial markets, where manual work, fragmented systems, and labor constraints create clear opportunities for leverage. Intrinsic works with clients to put AI workers into production, tie them to operating KPIs, and help teams scale output without scaling headcount. https://www.intrinsic-labs.ai/  

About Team Yon LLC
Team Yon LLC is a management company founded by Yon Raz-Fridman that incubates new ventures, provides executive leadership, and makes strategic investments at the intersection of emerging technology and human advancement. Through Team Yon LLC, Raz-Fridman partners with founders and operators across healthcare, AI, and frontier technology – including his role as co-founder and Partner at Intrinsic Labs. https://teamyon.org

Media Contact:hello@intrinsic-labs.ai

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/yon-raz-fridman-joins-intrinsic-labs-as-co-founder-and-partner-302756994.html

SOURCE Team Yon LLC

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Wipfli to complete CompliancePoint transaction and add associates, expanding capabilities

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MILWAUKEE, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Wipfli, a top 25 national advisory and accounting firm, announced today it has entered into an agreement with CompliancePoint Inc., a provider of risk management services focused on information security, data privacy and regulatory compliance. 2 partners and 52 associates will join the firm as a result of the transaction.

Based in Duluth, Georgia, CompliancePoint brings specialization across cybersecurity, privacy and compliance, serving clients across a wide variety of industries. The addition strengthens Wipfli’s risk management offerings and expands its ability to help organizations navigate regulatory scrutiny, evolving cybersecurity threats and complex data protection requirements.

“Organizations today are under more pressure than ever to protect sensitive information and operate responsibly in an evolving regulatory environment,” said Kurt Gresens, CEO at Wipfli Advisory, LLC. “The team at CompliancePoint brings specialized experience and a strong, people-first approach that enhances how we support clients navigating today’s risk landscape.”

CompliancePoint has built its reputation on helping organizations manage risk across the full data lifecycle, with a holistic approach that recognizes how privacy, security and compliance intersect. The combined professional teams from CompliancePoint and Wipfli will deliver expanded, integrated advisory solutions designed to help clients proactively manage risk while supporting long-term growth and operational resilience.

“Wipfli shares our commitment to practical, client-focused solutions and long-term relationships,” said Greg Sparrow, CompliancePoint president. “Together, we’re expanding the resources available to our clients while continuing to deliver the specialized experience and trusted relationships they rely on.”

The addition of the CompliancePoint team also supports Wipfli’s continued investment in talent and innovation. CompliancePoint associates will join a national firm that emphasizes collaboration, professional development and meaningful client impact, while maintaining the specialized focus that has defined their work.

The transaction is expected to become effective on May 1st, 2026

About Wipfli

Wipfli is a leading national advisory and accounting firm with nearly 100 years of experience serving ambitious middle-market organizations. We understand our clients’ unique challenges and help them succeed on their terms through assurance, tax, advisory, outsourcing and technology services. With 3,000+ associates and global alliances, we combine national capabilities with local relationships. Wipfli operates under an alternative practice structure: Wipfli LLP, a licensed CPA firm, provides attest services, while Wipfli Advisory LLC, a non-CPA firm, delivers business advisory and non-attest services. Learn more at wipfli.com or contact Alicia O’Connell at alicia.oconnell@wipfli.com.

Media Contact

Alicia O’Connell
Wipfli
alicia.oconnell@wipfli.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wipfli-to-complete-compliancepoint-transaction-and-add-associates-expanding-capabilities-302756208.html

SOURCE Wipfli

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Ginkgo Bioworks Announces Date of First Quarter 2026 Results Presentation

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Presentation and Q&A session scheduled for post-market on Thursday, May 7, 2026

BOSTON, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: DNA, “Ginkgo”) today announced that it plans to host a presentation and Q&A session reviewing business performance for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026, on Thursday, May 7, 2026, beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET.

The presentation details and webcast link will be available on Ginkgo’s investor relations website at https://investors.ginkgobioworks.com, and a replay will be made available.

To ask a question ahead of the presentation, please submit them to @Ginkgo on X (hashtag #GinkgoResults) or by sending an e-mail to investors@ginkgobioworks.com.

About Ginkgo Bioworks
Ginkgo Bioworks builds the tools that make biology easier to engineer for everyone. The company offers autonomous laboratories that replace manual laboratory work with robotics in the lab, greatly improving the productivity of scientists. Ginkgo’s in-house autonomous lab is also available as a “cloud lab” through our Datapoints and Solutions contract research services. For more information, visit ginkgobioworks.com and ginkgobiosecurity.com, read our blog, or follow us on social media channels such as X (@Ginkgo and @Ginkgo_Biosec), Instagram (@GinkgoBioworks), Threads (@GinkgoBioworks), or LinkedIn.

Ginkgo Bioworks Contacts:

INVESTOR CONTACT:

investors@ginkgobioworks.com 

MEDIA CONTACT:

press@ginkgobioworks.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ginkgo-bioworks-announces-date-of-first-quarter-2026-results-presentation-302757632.html

SOURCE Ginkgo Bioworks

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