Technology

U.S. Air Force Selects LGNDX for Phase III Deployment of Defense Acquisition Platform

Published

1 day ago

August 24, 2026

Rare transition from SBIR Phase I to Phase III validates LGNDX’s platform designed to accelerate technology adoption across the defense ecosystem.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — LGNDX, a defense technology company building mission software, announced today that it has been awarded a U.S. Air Force Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase III contract to deploy Innovation Exchange (IX.MIL), a defense acquisition platform designed to accelerate how defense organizations discover, evaluate, fund, and transition emerging technologies into operational use.

Preview the platform and join the early access waitlist at ix.lgndx.com

The effort advanced directly from SBIR Phase I to a Phase III award, a rare transition that reflects the government’s confidence in the technology and its potential operational impact. While thousands of companies participate in the SBIR program each year, only a small percentage successfully transition their technology to Phase III. These awards represent one of the primary pathways for moving promising technologies beyond research and development and into operational use.

IX.MIL is currently being developed in partnership with the U.S. Department of the Air Force Digital Transformation Office (DTO) and the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) to address one of the defense innovation ecosystem’s most persistent challenges: connecting government requirements, capable technology providers, acquisition pathways, and strategic partners quickly enough to deliver meaningful outcomes for the warfighter.

“The United States doesn’t have an innovation problem. It has an acquisition problem,” said Mike Aleo, Founder and Partner at LGNDX. “There are extraordinary technologies being developed across the industry. Too many never reach the mission. IX.MIL is designed to reduce friction across that journey by helping organizations identify opportunities, build teams, navigate acquisition pathways, and move faster from concept to capability.”

Defense innovation remains fragmented across disconnected systems, portals, contract vehicles, and organizational boundaries. Small businesses struggle to identify the right pathways into government. Program offices struggle to discover relevant technologies. Prime contractors struggle to identify the right teaming partners. Promising technologies often stall between prototype and deployment, creating the well-known “Valley of Death” that continues to challenge innovation efforts across the Department of Defense.

IX.MIL is designed to serve as connective infrastructure across that ecosystem, bringing together government stakeholders, small businesses, nontraditional vendors, prime contractors, and strategic partners in a single environment focused on accelerating technology acquisition.

The award also validates LGNDX’s broader strategy of building operational software platforms that solve systemic challenges across the national security and dual-use ecosystem.

LGNDX continues to support a growing portfolio of government and private-sector innovators across AI, defense, and infrastructure, building modern software to address consequential national security challenges.

“LGNDX was founded to accelerate the very decision-making this platform is designed to improve,” said Patrick Sims, Founder and Partner at LGNDX. “The award reflects a rare progression from Phase I research into a Phase III operational deployment. The IX.MIL platform is built from firsthand experience navigating the defense acquisition ecosystem. We built this because we’ve lived the challenges ourselves. Our belief is simple: the faster the government can discover, evaluate, and field new technologies, the faster needed capability gets into the hands of the warfighter.”

About LGNDX

The LGNDX Product Innovation Studio builds mission software that helps government organizations and dual-use innovators discover and evaluate technologies, plan missions, test capabilities, and move faster from information to action. Its growing product portfolio spans acquisition modernization, simulation and wargaming, mission planning, and AI-enabled decision-making.

For more information, visit ix.lgndx.com.

Media Contact
Patrick Sims
Founder & Partner, LGNDX
patrick@lgndx.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-air-force-selects-lgndx-for-phase-iii-deployment-of-defense-acquisition-platform-302858478.html

SOURCE LGNDX

Technology

LeanDNA Launches Demand Scenario Modeling in APEX, Replacing Spreadsheet Guesswork With Real-Time Production Feasibility

Published

47 minutes ago

August 25, 2026

New capability lets production planners test demand changes against live supply and BOM data in minutes, without exporting ERP data or risking live system records.

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — LeanDNA, a leading intelligent supply chain execution platform, today announced the general availability of Demand Scenario Modeling (DSM), a new capability within its APEX platform that lets production planners, buyers, and supply chain managers instantly test demand changes against real supply and Bill of Materials (BOM) data, without spreadsheets or system risk.

When forecasts shift, most production planners still turn to spreadsheets to find out whether production can support it: exporting ERP data, flattening multi-level BOMs, and reconciling supply just to answer one question — can we build this? The process is slow, error-prone, and disconnected from real-time system data, and it often produces false shortages that obscure the actual constraints.

Demand Scenario Modeling replaces that manual exercise with what-if analysis built directly into APEX. Production planners can model a demand change and immediately see which components truly constrain production, how many units can realistically be built, and where shortage risk increases, turning a process that has historically taken hours into a workflow measured in minutes.

Because DSM runs in a sandbox environment connected to live ERP and BOM data, planners can test and compare multiple scenarios, adjust quantities and dates, and recalculate instantly, without posting temporary plans or manipulating live records to get an answer. That combination of speed and system safety is central to how LeanDNA has built the capability.

“Production planners shouldn’t have to choose between speed and safety when they’re testing a demand change,” said Andy Ellenthal, CEO of LeanDNA. “Demand Scenario Modeling gives them both: an answer in minutes, grounded in the same supply and BOM data running their factory, without ever touching a live ERP record. It replaces guesswork with a repeatable way to say yes, no, or not yet with confidence.”

Demand Scenario Modeling is available now to APEX customers and is purpose-built for the tactical-to-mid-horizon planning window — roughly one to twelve months out — where production teams most often need to turn a demand question into a production commitment.

About LeanDNA

LeanDNA powers the world’s discrete manufacturing with a single source of truth for factory-first supply planning, materials management, and inventory optimization. APEX, the AI-powered expert execution platform from LeanDNA, transforms data into optimized decisions and action. LeanDNA empowers manufacturers in aerospace, HVAC,industrials, automotive, and medical to improve on-time delivery and working capital levels. Leading manufacturers including Caterpillar, Daikin Applied, Safran, and Siemens use APEX for supply chain orchestration to gain visibility into current and incoming materials, take action based on inventory criticality, collaborate in real time with suppliers, and track progress toward inventory optimization goals. Learn more at LeanDNA.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/leandna-launches-demand-scenario-modeling-in-apex-replacing-spreadsheet-guesswork-with-real-time-production-feasibility-302859776.html

SOURCE LeanDNA Inc

Technology

OppFi to Participate in September 2026 Conferences

Published

47 minutes ago

August 25, 2026

CHICAGO, Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — OppFi Inc. (NYSE: OPFI) (“OppFi” or the “Company”), a leading tech-enabled digital finance platform that works with banks to provide financial products and services for everyday Americans, today announced that management will participate in the following conferences in September 2026:

Oppenheimer Fintech Leaders Conference
Location: New York
Date: September 15, 2026

U.S. Bancorp | BTIG Consumer Finance Conference 2026
Location: Boston
Date: September 17, 2026

To schedule a meeting with OppFi, please reach out to your Oppenheimer or BTIG representatives.

About OppFi
OppFi (NYSE: OPFI) is a leading tech-enabled digital finance platform that works with banks to provide financial products and services for everyday Americans. Through a transparent and responsible platform, which includes financial inclusion and excellent customer experience, the Company supports consumers who are turned away by mainstream options to build better financial health. OppLoans by OppFi maintains a 4.4/5.0 star rating on Trustpilot with more than 5,400 reviews, making the Company one of the top consumer-rated financial platforms online. OppFi also holds a 35% equity interest in Bitty Holdings, LLC (“Bitty”), a credit access company that offers revenue-based financing and other working capital solutions to small businesses. For more information, please visit oppfi.com.

Investors:

investors@oppfi.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/oppfi-to-participate-in-september-2026-conferences-302859525.html

SOURCE OppFi

Technology

Zillow Group to present at Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference

Published

47 minutes ago

August 25, 2026

SEATTLE, Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Zillow Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: Z and ZG), which is transforming the way people buy, sell, rent and finance homes, today announced Zillow Group will present at this year’s Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference in San Francisco.

Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer Jeremy Hofmann will participate in a fireside chat on Thursday, Sept. 10, at 10:50 a.m. PT / 1:50 p.m. ET.

Register and access the live webcast here. Live and recorded versions of the webcast will also be available under the Events & Presentations section on Zillow Group’s Investor Relations website.

About Zillow Group:

Zillow Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: Z and ZG) is reimagining real estate to make home a reality for more and more people.

As the most visited real estate app and website in the United States, Zillow connects hundreds of millions of consumers with innovative technology, trusted agents and loan officers, and seamless digital solutions. With industry-leading tools and resources, Zillow supercharges real estate professionals so they can grow their businesses and deliver exceptional client experiences. For renters and housing providers, Zillow offers not only a robust marketplace but a set of end-to-end products and services to streamline applications, leases, payments and more.

Zillow’s ecosystem spans the entire home journey — from dreaming and shopping to renting, buying, selling and financing.

Zillow Group’s affiliates, subsidiaries and brands include Zillow®, Zillow Premier Agent®, Zillow Home Loans®, Zillow Rentals®, Zillow® New Construction, Trulia®, StreetEasy®, Out East®, HotPads®, Follow Up Boss®, ShowingTime®, dotloop® and Zillow® Closing.

All marks herein are owned by MFTB Holdco, Inc., a Zillow affiliate. Zillow Home Loans, LLC is an Equal Housing Lender, NMLS #10287 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). © 2026 MFTB Holdco, Inc., a Zillow affiliate.

(ZFIN)

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zillow-group-to-present-at-goldman-sachs-communacopia–technology-conference-302859785.html

SOURCE Zillow Group, Inc.