Technology

Univfy® Publishes Study in Nature Communications, Validates Univfy Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML) Platform’s Superior In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Live Birth Predictions, Key to Improving IVF Access, Affordability and Clinical Outcomes

Published

1 year ago

April 18, 2025

New research highlights Univfy IVF live birth prediction models performing significantly better than US registry-based model using model metrics key to improving IVF access, affordability and clinical outcomes.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, Calif., April 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Univfy, a leading innovator in fertility and health AI, today announced the publication of peer-reviewed research in Nature Communications demonstrating clinic-level, real-world validation of its proprietary IVF live birth prediction models and model metrics that are requisites of economic and clinical solutions to improve IVF access, affordability and clinical outcomes. Specifically, the study, titled “Machine learning center-specific models show improved live birth predictions over US national registry-based model” shows Univfy models outperformed US national registry model with significant improvements in model metrics, F1 score (the harmonic mean of precision and recall) and precision-recall area-under-the-curve (PR AUC). Beyond improved accuracy, these metrics measure a model’s ability to minimize false positives and false negatives, a quality that is critical in real-world economic solutions including value-based care and actuarial models. To contextualize, of the 4,645 patients and 6 centers analyzed in the study, Univfy models correctly predicted that 76% of patients had first-cycle IVF live birth probabilities (LBP) of 50% or greater. Most importantly, 23% of patients correctly predicted to have LBP ≥ 50% by Univfy models were given lower LBPs by the US national registry model. Further, Univfy correctly predicted that 11% of patients had LBP ≥ 75% (actual live birth rate 81%), whereas the US national registry model did not identify any of them as having LBP ≥ 75%.

This publication marks a significant milestone in validating the science behind the Univfy AI/ML Platform and its potential to enable economic solutions, such as value-based IVF care, that are key to expanding IVF access and affordability. This study builds upon prior research showing 2-3x improvement in IVF utilization with Univfy® PreIVF Report-based patient counseling and AI/ML IVF live birth prediction model validation for centers in the US, UK and EU, demonstrating the value of using locally validated AI-powered solutions in real-world clinical settings.

“This publication is a testament to the rigorous science behind the Univfy AI/ML Platform enabling it to correctly predict the excellent IVF outcomes that are achieved by our collaborators and the broader IVF ecosystem yet are conventionally under-appreciated,” said Dr. Mylene Yao, CEO and Cofounder of Univfy. “Univfy was founded to improve patient-centric care, especially in supporting patient IVF prognostic counseling. Through our work to improve IVF cost-success transparency, we have now established a platform that also enables scaled production of validated economic solutions that are not only win-win for patients, providers and healthcare stakeholders but are urgently needed to help more women and couples to access and afford IVF to have a family.”

Stakeholder Benefits From Key Findings

For patients: Improved IVF cost-success transparency to inform fertility care and family-building decisions.For healthcare providers: Enhanced patient-counseling and simplified clinical workflow and efficiency to avoid underestimation of IVF efficacy and treatment delays.For health insurers & benefits programs: Improved members’ experience and transparency, provider support and IVF coverage expansion with predictability and cost-savings.

About Univfy
Univfy, a Series B company based in the San Francisco Bay Area, is improving IVF success, access and affordability. Developed by Stanford University researchers, the proprietary Univfy AI/ML Platform delivers an accurate, personalized and validated pre-treatment probability of having a baby from IVF and other treatment options to empower each patient’s decision-making. The Univfy platform also enables providers to offer value-based IVF pricing at scale to make IVF more affordable. Univfy has commercialized provider solutions in the US, UK and EU via a B2B model to support providers in patient counseling, clinical analytics, and business analytics including delivery of customer relationship management tools. The Univfy AI/ML Platform is scaled to support enterprise level health plans and benefits programs to realize cost-savings by improving patient-centric care and enabling value-based IVF care delivery. The Univfy AI/ML Platform, technology and products are protected by Univfy’s US & global intellectual property portfolio with issued and pending patents and copyrights.

About Infertility, IVF and the IVF Market
Infertility refers to the need for medical care to have a baby. Infertility affects one in six people of reproductive age or over 200 million (M) globally, including ~7-10M in the US, ~25M in the EU, ~3-5M in the UK, and ~186M in other countries. Overall, an estimated ~4M IVF treatments are performed worldwide each year, resulting in ~1M+ babies born annually. In the US, ~2% of babies born per year are conceived through IVF. Although IVF is safe and efficacious, multiple treatments may be needed. High IVF costs, lack of insurance coverage and no guarantee of success are key barriers resulting in a dismal IVF utilization rate of ~3% in the US as fertility patients struggle to afford and access IVF.

The above estimates are based on reports by the World Health Organization (WHO), the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the European Society for Human and Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) and others. See the complete list of references here.

The global and US IVF market has undergone significant consolidation by private equity, with the IVF market size estimated at ~USD $25B (2023) and projected to reach ~USD $44B by 2033, with a CAGR of 5.57% from 2024-2033 (Biospace, April 2024).

Media Contact:
media@univfy.com
investors.info@univfy.com

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Technology

VERNAL CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP. ANNOUNCES PRICING OF $100 MILLION INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING

Published

4 hours ago

May 6, 2026

NEW YORK, May 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Vernal Capital Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: VECA) (“Vernal”) announced the pricing of its initial public offering (the “IPO”) of 10,000,000 units at $10.00 per unit. The units are expected to trade on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under “VECAU” beginning May 6, 2026. Each unit consists of one ordinary share and one right to receive one-fourth of one ordinary share upon consummation of an initial business combination. Upon separate trading, the ordinary shares and rights are expected to be listed on NYSE under “VECA” and “VECAR,” respectively.

D. Boral Capital LLC is acting as sole book-running manager of the offering. The underwriters have a 45-day option to purchase up to 1,500,000 additional units to cover any over-allotments. The offering is expected to close on May 7, 2026, subject to customary closing conditions.

A registration statement for these securities was declared effective by the SEC on May 5, 2026. The offering is made only by means of a prospectus. Copies of the prospectus may be obtained, from D. Boral Capital LLC, 590 Madison Ave., 39th Floor, New York, New York 10022, by telephone at (212) 970-5150 or by email at dbccapitalmarkets@dboralcapital.com.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or to buy, nor shall there be any sale where such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the applicable securities laws.

About Vernal

Vernal is a blank check company formed to effect a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. Vernal’s target search will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements,” including statements regarding Vernal’s IPO. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. No assurance can be given that the offering will be completed on the terms described, or at all. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, beyond Vernal’s control, including those in the Risk Factors section of Vernal’s registration statement filed with the SEC. Copies are available on the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. Vernal disclaims any obligation to release publicly updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in Vernal’s expectations, except as required by law.

Contact

Binghan Yi, CFO
binghan@vernal.com
www.vernalspac.com

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SOURCE Vernal Capital Acquisition Corp.

Technology

RIVANNA nominated for MedTech Scale-Up of the Year at MedTech World Awards 2026 | North America

Published

5 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Nomination places the Charlottesville-based company among growth-stage medtech leaders recognized for commercial momentum in AI-powered clinical decision support; public voting is open through May 8

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., May 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — RIVANNA®, developer of AI-powered clinical decision-support solutions, today announced that it has been nominated for MedTech Scale-Up of the Year at the MedTech World Awards 2026 | North America. Public voting is open through Friday, May 8, 2026, with category winners to be announced at the inaugural North American Awards Gala on May 11, 2026, at the Hilton West Palm Beach in Florida.

The MedTech Scale-Up of the Year category honors a growth-stage company successfully scaling revenues, partnerships, and adoption across the global medical technology ecosystem. Nominees across the program’s 22 categories were selected through a structured process led by the MedTech World Steering Committee, with category winners determined by a combination of expert evaluation and public voting from the global MedTech community.

“We have built RIVANNA on validation earned from the most rigorous technical buyers in healthcare: competitive federal awards translated into FDA-cleared products, each paired with a commercial program that meets clinicians where they work,” said Will Mauldin, PhD, Co-founder and CEO of RIVANNA. “Being nominated for MedTech Scale-Up of the Year is a meaningful affirmation of that approach and the team executing it.”

Public voting closes Friday, May 8, 2026. Members of the MedTech community are invited to support RIVANNA’s nomination at the official voting page: vote here.

The award nomination follows a year of measurable scaling for RIVANNA:

In October 2025, RIVANNA reported on being named a finalist in MedTech Innovator’s 2025 Early-Stage Grand Prize competition, selected from nearly 1,500 global applicants to represent the top 4% of medtech innovations worldwide.In December 2025, RIVANNA reported on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s 510(k) clearance of its Accuro® 3S Needle Guide Kit consumables, building on existing Accuro 3S device clearance.In April 2026, RIVANNA reported on peer-reviewed findings, published in 2025 in the Journal of Emergency Medicine (DOI: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2025.11.011), showing that the Accuro® XV musculoskeletal imaging system enables non-physician operators to acquire diagnostic-quality scans after just one hour of hands-on training.In May 2026, RIVANNA reported on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s 510(k) clearance of the Accuro® XV Diagnostic Ultrasound System for musculoskeletal imaging, authorizing commercial use across hospital and clinic settings.The company’s clinical program now spans eight sites nationwide with more than 1,500 patients enrolled.

The 2026 MedTech World Awards | North America, powered by Blue Goat Cyber, will be presented Monday, May 11, 2026, at the inaugural North American Awards Gala at the Hilton West Palm Beach, marking the first time the MedTech World Awards have been hosted in the United States.

About the MedTech Scale-Up of the Year Award
Presented by MedTech World, the MedTech Scale-Up of the Year category recognizes growth-stage medical technology companies demonstrating strong commercial momentum, expanding partnerships, and accelerating real-world adoption. The award is one of 22 categories spanning innovation, clinical excellence, regulatory strategy, investment, and leadership across the global MedTech ecosystem.

About RIVANNA
RIVANNA® is a medical technology company developing clinical decision-support solutions powered by proprietary clinical datasets, AI models, and purpose-built imaging hardware. The company’s platform automates complex anatomical analysis at the point of care, enabling faster, more confident clinical decisions while reducing variability and expanding access to advanced capabilities. The first applications target significant market opportunities in regional anesthesia and fracture care. RIVANNA has built a proven FDA regulatory track record across its Accuro® platform, with device clearances for Accuro® 3S (spinal needle guidance) and Accuro® XV (musculoskeletal imaging), a portfolio of supporting cleared consumables, and AI software modules advancing through regulatory review. The company is backed by 100+ patents and validated through clinical partnerships with leading academic medical centers. RIVANNA is headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia, and operates an FDA-registered, ISO 13485:2016-certified manufacturing facility. Learn more at rivannamedical.com.

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SOURCE RIVANNA

Technology

D2L Launch Week Highlights Latest Product Releases

Published

5 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Latest innovations are designed to save time, simplify workflows, and help drive better learning outcomes

TORONTO, May 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ – D2L, a global leader in learning innovation, hosted its first-ever D2L Launch Week, a four-day virtual webinar series spotlighting the company’s latest product innovations across D2L Brightspace in 2026.

Throughout the week, D2L showcased a range of product releases through live demos and practical customer use cases, highlighting how institutions, school districts and organizations can help to drive engagement and improve learning outcomes. The featured updates include enhancements to D2L Lumi for idea generation, intervention suggestions, quiz creation and summarization; tools to strengthen parent and guardian outreach; and administrative capabilities designed to help large organizations delegate course and configuration management more effectively.

“We’re proud to showcase the ways D2L continues to innovate to help make learning more personalized, efficient, and scalable,” said Christian Pantel, Chief Product Officer at D2L. “From new D2L Lumi features to enhanced communication tools and more flexible distributed administration capabilities, these updates are designed to help our customers save time, improve usability, and deliver better learning experiences at scale.”

Enhancements to D2L Lumi

Among the new capabilities were several updates to D2L’s AI-native tool, D2L Lumi, designed to improve usability, transparency, and alignment across workflows, including:

D2L Lumi Ideas: Generates assignment and discussion ideas directly within Brightspace, making it easier to generate high quality content aligned to learning outcomes.D2L Lumi Insights: Gives educators access to learning intervention suggestions, designed to provide recommended next steps based on learner data.D2L Lumi Quiz: Helps educators generate questions from multiple course content topics and includes a more streamlined question-generation workflow.D2L Lumi Summary: Supports summarization from more content sources, including nested submodules, and can give educators the ability to preview and adjust source text before summarization.

Updates to Parent and Guardian Communications

D2L also introduced new parent and guardian communication enhancements to help K-12 educators strengthen engagement beyond the classroom. Teachers can now send bulk emails to all parents and guardians associated with students in their class. For individual student outreach, teachers can also email parents and guardians of a specific learner, making it easier to share timely updates on student progress and classroom activity.

Manage Distributed Administration at Scale

Distributed Administration gives organizations more flexibility to delegate administrative responsibilities across organization levels. With Distributed Administration, administrators can manage specific areas, enabling them to oversee courses while helping to reduce bottlenecks and free up time.

Learn more about the latest product releases showcased at D2L Launch Week.

About D2L
D2L is transforming the way the world learns, helping learners achieve more than they dreamed possible. Working closely with customers all over the world, D2L is on a mission to make learning more inspiring, engaging and human. Find out how D2L helps transform lives and delivers outstanding learning outcomes in K-12, higher education and businesses.

The D2L family of companies includes D2L Inc., D2L Corporation, D2L Ltd, D2L Australia Pty Ltd, D2L Europe Ltd, D2L Asia Pte Ltd, D2L India Pvt Ltd, D2L Brasil Soluções de Tecnologia para Educação Ltda and D2L Sistemas de Aprendizaje Innovadores, S. D2 R.L de C.V., and H5P Group AS.

All D2L and H5P marks are owned by the D2L group of companies. Please visit D2L.com/trademarks for a list of D2L marks. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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SOURCE D2L