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Funnel launches new standalone multifamily AI platform: Fenix, powered by Sierra

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Optional resolution-based pricing model aligns ROI with multifamily owner and manager business outcomes

TAMPA, Fla., April 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Funnel, the proven AI-infused multifamily CRM, today announced the launch of Fenix, in conjunction with selected purchased assets of LeaseHawk and powered by Sierra. Fenix will allow multifamily owners, operators and managers looking to take the first steps toward centralization and a streamlined operating model with tools formerly only available to Funnel platform customers.

Fenix is a new standalone AI product for managers and operators that has been custom-built for multifamily and will transform the entire customer journey, from prospect to resident.Funnel acquired selected LeaseHawk assets — including call center technology, voice AI, call scoring, and standalone self-service tools — and is re-platforming them within Fenix to create better, more flexible solutions for managers and operators.Sierra is a conversational AI platform that helps businesses build better, more human customer experiences, and its technology will be leveraged for the first time in multifamily to power Fenix.

A new chapter for multifamily
Funnel was introduced in 2019 as a platform to enable a new era of flexible operations powered by our renter-centric® CRM. Since then, we’ve had the privilege of working with some of the largest and most pioneering property management companies that were early adopters of centralization. Our vision then and now is that through centralization, AI, and automation, Funnel delivers three wins for everyone in our industry: millions in annual cost savings for operators, bigger and better jobs for teams, and exceptional renter experiences. LeaseHawk has a long history with AI and voice technology, including ACE Insights, which enhances the performance of leasing agents and identifies renter behaviors and trends. Combining this expertise with Funnel’s experience serving more than a million units and optimizing hundreds of millions of conversations across email, text, chat, and voice will accelerate the launch of a more adaptable, standalone AI product that better meets the needs of today’s operators. This move creates a clear runway for operators to grow with us in their centralization journey, starting with standalone AI and evolving into Funnel’s full platform.

What is Fenix and who benefits from it?
Fenix is a new flexible, standalone and scalable AI solution. Unlike AI solutions that attempt to serve multiple industries, Fenix is purpose-built for multifamily and delivers the standalone, industry-specific AI solution needed to provide the high-quality, adaptable support that renters and residents need. It enables:

Owners and managers excited by the promise of centralization, AI and automation and ready to move to this new operating model by scaling efficiencies and driving optimized renter communications. Until now, Funnel customers could not buy a standalone AI product without upgrading to multifamily’s only proven AI-infused CRM.Current (and future) Funnel customers to use agentic AI and improve every step of their leasing process — from inquiry, through application to screening, move-in, residency, and renewal.

“We are thrilled to announce our standalone AI product, Fenix,” said Tyler Christiansen, CEO, Funnel. “We’ve had a privileged seat to go all-in on empowering the new operating model with 9 of the 15 largest apartment owners and hundreds of others who ran their businesses more efficiently, created more engaging careers for their teams, and optimized their prospect and resident experiences. From its inception, Funnel believed in building software for the humans of multifamily, rather than software to replace the humans of multifamily. We are excited to offer Fenix to a new market of operators and managers and help them on their path toward centralization and the new operating model.”

Fenix is powered by Sierra
Sierra is the conversational AI platform co-founded by Bret Taylor — Chair of OpenAI, former Co-CEO of Salesforce, CTO of Meta, and co-creator of Google Maps — and Clay Bavor, an 18-year Google executive where he most recently led Google Labs. Sierra helps businesses build better, more human customer experiences with AI. Through this re-platforming, Fenix is the only company in multifamily with advanced conversational AI capable of executing process-based workflows including — renewals negotiations, mid-lease changes, adding guarantors, ID verification, and more — setting a new benchmark for AI, automation and customer engagement.

Unlike conventional AI tools that simply answer questions, Fenix AI agents — built on Sierra — take a proactive approach to resolving customer inquiries efficiently, boosting self-service resolution rates and average handle time. Fenix customers can quickly and easily adapt the tone, response cadence, and personalization of responses through a unique workflow studio.

“We are excited to partner with Fenix and Funnel to bring the best customer experience to renters and best value to owners and managers,” said Clay Bavor, co-founder of Sierra. “Our AI agents are easy to communicate with, not only understanding and answering people’s questions but also solving their problems — reducing friction, improving efficiency and enhancing the experience for both renters and multifamily operators.”

Resolution-based pricing — only pay for what’s working
AI’s capabilities have evolved beyond basic automation to delivering real resolution, and the industry deserves a pricing model that reflects that change: resolution-based pricing. Operators shouldn’t be pigeonholed into paying based on a unit count or seat basis, but rather will have the option to align on the actual results Fenix delivers or the tasks it completes. This approach ensures operators are only paying for what actually gets done and demonstrates Fenix’s ability to provide true ROI.

“As one of LeaseHawk’s earliest customers and a co-development partner, we saw firsthand how AI could transform an industry,” said Josh Gampp, SVP and Chief Technology Officer at UDR, Inc. “Funnel has a proven track record of building multifamily-specific best-in-class technology and working hand-in-hand with their partners to innovate not just their products, but the entire multifamily operating model. There’s no better company to evolve the entire industry’s adoption of the new operating model through AI and agentic automations.”

Media Contact:

Funnel 
Hannah O’Leary
Sr. Manager, Corporate Communications
hannah.oleary@funnelleasing.com

About Funnel
Funnel provides a win to three vital groups: operators looking to reduce costs and improve efficiencies; stretched-thin onsite teams who demand a better long-term career; and renters who demand a better customer experience. Funnel’s proven AI-infused CRM is the enterprise-grade solution industry leaders, owners, and operators trust to deliver a streamlined, consistent, and connected experience from first inquiry through years of renewals, while simultaneously saving operators quantifiable money through the operational flexibility only a renter-centric® platform can provide. We call it Renter Management Software; our clients call it the new operating model.

About Fenix
Fenix ushers in the next era of the new operating model and AI to multifamily. Fenix is both a standalone multifamily AI solution that goes beyond answering questions to actually solving problems and intelligently powers Funnel’s Prospect and Resident AI agentic workflows transforming the renter experience. With optional resolution-based pricing, operators only pay for real results — ensuring AI works as hard as their teams, and in partnership with their teams. Fenix is backed by Funnel, the industry leader in Renter-Centric® technology.

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ST Engineering iDirect and MBSat Partner to Build Next-Generation Sovereign Connectivity Services Across Oman and the Middle East

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Intuition ground system selected to support MBSat’s planned 2027 service launch, enabling accelerated deployment, dynamic resource management and scalable service growth

HERNDON, Va., Oct. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ST Engineering iDirect today announced a strategic partnership with Mohammed Al Barwani Satellite Company (MBSat), part of Mohammed Al Barwani Group, to provide the ground system technology foundation for MBSat’s next-generation satellite gateway and network operations across Oman and the wider Middle East region. Intuition will provide a flexible, software-defined foundation to support sovereign connectivity services, enabling efficient service deployment, dynamic resource management and scalable network operations.

Intuition will deliver a turnkey ground segment solution that accelerates deployment, simplifies operations and gives MBSat the flexibility to scale services as demand grows. The software-defined platform enables dynamic resource management, service automation and seamless integration with existing and future operational systems. The solution also includes Ka-band gateway infrastructure, service provisioning and management capabilities, open API integration frameworks, training and full-lifecycle support. Together, these capabilities will help MBSat launch and operate services efficiently while adapting to evolving market requirements.

The network will leverage capacity from MB Sat-1, a sovereign MicroGEO satellite, with planned service launch in 2027, to support flexible, scalable connectivity services across the region.

The partnership reflects growing investment in sovereign communications infrastructure across the Middle East as operators seek greater control over service delivery, network expansion and long-term technology evolution.

“This partnership represents an important milestone in our efforts to build an advanced satellite communications platform in Oman and the region,” said Ammar Al Rawahi, General Manager, MBSat. “Through our collaboration with ST Engineering iDirect, we are establishing the technical infrastructure required to launch services efficiently, respond to evolving customer needs and expand into new markets, supporting the sustainable long-term growth of our business.”

“We are providing MBSat with a flexible, software-defined ground platform that integrates with its existing operational environment,” said Sridhar Kuppanna, Chief Executive Officer, ST Engineering iDirect. “This enables more efficient service deployment and operations today, with the flexibility to scale, introduce new capabilities and evolve as requirements change.”

About ST Engineering iDirect

ST Engineering iDirect, a subsidiary of ST Engineering, is a global leader in satellite communications, providing technology and solutions that enable its customers to expand their business, differentiate their services and optimize their networks. Through its portfolio of ground infrastructure, intelligent networking and advanced satellite communications solutions, the company supports operators, service providers, governments and enterprises worldwide.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/st-engineering-idirect-and-mbsat-partner-to-build-next-generation-sovereign-connectivity-services-across-oman-and-the-middle-east-302918467.html

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ST Engineering iDirect and MBSat Partner to Build Next-Generation Sovereign Connectivity Services Across Oman and the Middle East

Published

on

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Intuition ground system selected to support MBSat’s planned 2027 service launch, enabling accelerated deployment, dynamic resource management and scalable service growth

HERNDON, Va., Oct. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ST Engineering iDirect today announced a strategic partnership with Mohammed Al Barwani Satellite Company (MBSat), part of Mohammed Al Barwani Group, to provide the ground system technology foundation for MBSat’s next-generation satellite gateway and network operations across Oman and the wider Middle East region. Intuition will provide a flexible, software-defined foundation to support sovereign connectivity services, enabling efficient service deployment, dynamic resource management and scalable network operations.

Intuition will deliver a turnkey ground segment solution that accelerates deployment, simplifies operations and gives MBSat the flexibility to scale services as demand grows. The software-defined platform enables dynamic resource management, service automation and seamless integration with existing and future operational systems. The solution also includes Ka-band gateway infrastructure, service provisioning and management capabilities, open API integration frameworks, training and full-lifecycle support. Together, these capabilities will help MBSat launch and operate services efficiently while adapting to evolving market requirements.

The network will leverage capacity from MB Sat-1, a sovereign MicroGEO satellite, with planned service launch in 2027, to support flexible, scalable connectivity services across the region.

The partnership reflects growing investment in sovereign communications infrastructure across the Middle East as operators seek greater control over service delivery, network expansion and long-term technology evolution.

“This partnership represents an important milestone in our efforts to build an advanced satellite communications platform in Oman and the region,” said Ammar Al Rawahi, General Manager, MBSat. “Through our collaboration with ST Engineering iDirect, we are establishing the technical infrastructure required to launch services efficiently, respond to evolving customer needs and expand into new markets, supporting the sustainable long-term growth of our business.”

“We are providing MBSat with a flexible, software-defined ground platform that integrates with its existing operational environment,” said Sridhar Kuppanna, Chief Executive Officer, ST Engineering iDirect. “This enables more efficient service deployment and operations today, with the flexibility to scale, introduce new capabilities and evolve as requirements change.”

About ST Engineering iDirect

ST Engineering iDirect, a subsidiary of ST Engineering, is a global leader in satellite communications, providing technology and solutions that enable its customers to expand their business, differentiate their services and optimize their networks. Through its portfolio of ground infrastructure, intelligent networking and advanced satellite communications solutions, the company supports operators, service providers, governments and enterprises worldwide.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/st-engineering-idirect-and-mbsat-partner-to-build-next-generation-sovereign-connectivity-services-across-oman-and-the-middle-east-302918467.html

SOURCE ST Engineering iDirect

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Global Security & Technology Summit Unveils Month-Long Program of Activities Ahead of December Event

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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Organizing Committee of the Global Security & Technology Summit (GSTS) held an introductory session today at the Ministry of Interior’s headquarters in Riyadh, bringing together representatives from the government, private, and nonprofit sectors to introduce the program of activities leading up to the summit. The upcoming summit will be held in Riyadh under the patronage of HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, under the supervision of HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Minister of Interior, and organized by the Ministry of Interior in cooperation with Tuwaiq Academy.

During the session, the Organizing Committee presented the comprehensive GSTS program, comprising three key components: GSTS Month, running from November 1 to 30, 2026; the Global Security & Innovation Fair (SAIF), taking place from November 24 to 26, 2026; and the main Summit, scheduled for December 18 to 20, 2026, in Riyadh. Together, these events form an integrated program designed to advance security and technology innovation, strengthen national capabilities, and foster international cooperation.

GSTS Month will feature working groups, boot camps, training programs, knowledge-sharing sessions, and technical workshops across Saudi Arabia’s 13 administrative regions, delivered both in person and remotely in collaboration with specialized entities. The month-long program aims to develop national capabilities, identify emerging talent, enrich knowledge-sharing opportunities, and equip professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to develop innovative solutions to future security and technology challenges.

The main Summit will bring together global leaders, decision-makers, experts, and innovators to explore the future of security and technology, promote the integration of advanced technologies within the security sector, strengthen national capabilities, support innovation, and foster international cooperation, further positioning the Kingdom as a global hub for security and technology.

Showcasing the latest technological breakthroughs and security solutions, the summit will bring together government entities, private sector organizations, academic institutions, and research centers to facilitate knowledge exchange and collaboration across key fields, including cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), smart security solutions, emerging technologies, and crisis management. The program will also feature main sessions, specialized discussions, and interactive exhibitions. Registration is available at gsts.sa.

Advisor to HRH the Minister of Interior and Chairman of the GSTS Organizing Committee, Ahmed Altowayan, stated that the summit builds on Saudi Arabia’s efforts to establish an advanced security and technology ecosystem focused on knowledge and innovation, keeping pace with rapid developments and future challenges.

Mr. Altowayan noted that the summit is a global platform for strengthening cooperation and exchanging expertise, anticipating future developments in security and technology, and developing strategic partnerships and innovative solutions that enhance the efficiency and readiness of security systems.

Vice Chairman of the GSTS Organizing Committee, Eng. Abdulaziz Alhammadi, said that the summit will offer a range of integrated programs and activities focused on enhancing national skills, encouraging innovation, and supporting international cooperation.

He added that GSTS Month will help build national capabilities, discover talent, and develop skills, with SAIF providing a platform for innovators and researchers from around the world to showcase leading technological solutions, while the main Summit will bring together leaders and experts to discuss the future of security and technology and explore new strategic partnership opportunities.

SAIF will take place at the Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center, bringing together innovators, researchers, technology talents, and industry experts from around the world to showcase promising innovations and projects across 14 fields of technology and innovation. The fair will provide opportunities to engage with project owners, including students, graduates, and entrepreneurs, and explore the different stages of innovation development through interactive zones, panel discussions on emerging security and innovation trends, and knowledge-sharing workshops led by specialists. Visitor registration is open to participants from within and outside the Kingdom through saifair.sa.

The introductory session also featured contributions from representatives of government, private, and nonprofit sector entities, alongside members of the media. Discussions focused on developing national capabilities in security and technology, strengthening students’ technical expertise, translating scientific research into practical solutions, and supporting Saudi companies in developing security and technology solutions and advancing digital transformation.

Organized by the Ministry of Interior in cooperation with Tuwaiq Academy, GSTS is produced by Tahaluf, with the Ministry of Education serving as Strategic Scientific Partner, Tahakom as Founding Partner, and Elm as Principal Partner.

Registration for participants from within and outside the Kingdom is available at gsts.sa.

Click here to view the media kit. 

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