Mediaboss Marketing

Yesterday a video teaser from blockchain technology company Blockstream created waves of excitement among enthusiasts of both cryptocurrencies and space. Most participants speculated that Blockstream was about to implement the idea, promoted by Bitcoin developer Jeff Garzik (among others), of a satellite system that streams the Bitcoin blockchain to the whole planet from space. The speculations were, indeed, correct.

Today, the company is announcing Blockstream Satellite, a new service that broadcasts real-time Bitcoin blockchain data from satellites in space to almost everyone on the planet. Blockstream Satellite covers across two-thirds of the Earths land mass and, according to the company, additional coverage areas will soon come online to reach almost every person on the planet by the end of the year.

Bitcoin is a powerful and transformative internet native digital money that has blazed a trail of disruption, with its full potential yet to unfold. Because its permissionless, Bitcoin enables anyone to freely create new financial applications and other innovations that use the blockchain that havent been possible before, said Blockstream co-founder and CEO Adam Back.

Todays launch of Blockstream Satellite gives even more people on the planet the choice to participate in Bitcoin. With more users accessing the Bitcoin blockchain with the free broadcast from Blockstream Satellite, we expect the global reach to drive more adoption and use cases for Bitcoin, while strengthening the overall robustness of the network.

The Blockstream Satellite network currently consists of three geosynchronous satellites at various positions over Earth that cover four continents: Africa, Europe, South America and North America. Blockstream is leasing bandwidth on existing, commercial, geosynchronous satellites: Galaxy 18 (covering North America), Eutelsat 113 (covering South America) and two transponders on the Telstar 11N satellite (one covering Africa and one covering Europe).

Ground stations, called teleports, uplink the public Bitcoin blockchain data to the satellites in the network, which then broadcast the data to large areas across the globe. Additional satellites and teleports are being added to achieve worldwide coverage by the end of the year.

The Blockstream service is expected to be especially useful to people in remote regions of developing world with poor internet connectivity.

"When I first heard of Blockstream Satellite, I immediately recognized its great potential to bring Bitcoin to regions of the world where internet access is either unavailable or expensive, said Tim Akinbo, who runs the only bitcoin node in West Africa. Not to mention providing redundant access when internet access is temporarily unavailable."

Blockstream Satellite uses GNU Radio, an open-source software development platform for Software-Defined Radio (SDR), expected to reduce costs and streamline development by eliminating the need for specialized hardware. Blockstream Satellite utilizes the Fast Internet Bitcoin Relay Engine (FIBRE), an open-source protocol backed by several years of history operating and studying the Bitcoin Relay Network. Together, these open-source technologies power the Blockstream Satellite network enabling Blockstream to provide this free service reliably and cost effectively, noted the Blockstream press release.

Anyone can receive the signal with a small satellite dish (similar to a consumer satellite TV dish) and a USB SDR (software-defined radio) interface, notes the Blockstream Satellite FAQ. The total equipment cost for a user is only about $100. The software is free. The software interface is the open-source GNU Radio software, which is the receiver. GNU Radio will send data to the FIBRE protocol, which is the Bitcoin process and is where the blocks reside.

Read more:
Blockstream Satellite: Broadcasting Bitcoin from Space - Bitcoin Magazine

Target and Aldi are making moves to shore up their grocery delivery business.

Target said Monday that it would buy delivery logistics company Grand Junction to help it offer same-day delivery service to in-store shoppers. Software made by the San Francisco-based company connects retailers with about 700 delivery companies around the country that pick up items from stores or distribution centers and take them to customers.

Expanding delivery and making it faster have been key areas for retailers trying to attract convenience-seeking shoppers. Target and Walmart have adjusted their shipping programs as they try to lure online shoppers away from Amazon.

Target's move is aimed not at online shoppers, but at making buying an easier decision for in-store shoppers. The company has been working with Grand Junction to test same-day delivery at a New York store. Shoppers there can ask to have heavy bags, a sofa or anything else delivered that day for a fee, that's calculated based on time and location.

Target plans to expand the service to other New York locations this year, and then bring it to other major cities next year. The company said it eventually plans to use the software to offer faster deliveries for online orders.

The Target announcement comes one day after the German grocery chain Aldi Inc said is is partnering with Instacart Inc. to deliver groceries in three U.S. cities, a move that comes amid intense competition and disruption in the industry.

Aldi will launch a pilot starting the end of this month in Los Angeles, Atlanta and Dallas with the potential of expanding to more cities in the future.

The German retailer does not offer customers an option to shop on its own website now and the partnership is a way to test online grocery demand

"Grocery shopping online is a relatively small part of the business but it is continuing to grow," Aldi's Vice President of Corporate Buying, Scott Patton, told Reuters.

The Food Marketing Institute estimates online grocery spending during 2016-2025 will grow from 4.3 percent of the total U.S. food and beverage sales to as much as 20 percent, or more than $100 billion. Last year, online grocery sales were about $20.5 billion.

Here is the original post:
Target, Aldi make moves for grocery delivery - Chattanooga Times Free Press

This section of SportTechie, SportTechie Wire, contains original press releases issued by various companies and industry organizations. The releases are reviewed by the SportTechie editorial staff to ensure relevancy to the sports technology industry. For information and access, send your name and email address to [emailprotected]

KORE Software will soon be hosting their quarterly Customer Insights Webinar; Augusts event features Chris Zeppenfeld of the Charlotte Hornets

New York, NY, June 1, 2017 Today KORE Software announced their third quarter Customer Insights Webinar, entitled Driving CRM Adoption Through Effective User Training, which will take place on Tuesday, August 22nd at 12:00 pm ET. Chris Zeppenfeld, Vice President of Business Intelligence at the Charlotte Hornets, will be the featured speaker. During this special one-time event, Zeppenfeld will be sharing how he uses training to address one of the industrys most frequent challenges driving user adoption.

Zeppenfeld believes that when it comes to poor CRM adoption, there is a smoking gun, namely, user training issues. During his 60-minute presentation, Chris will take listeners through various tips and tricks to maximize the effectiveness of CRM training programs, drive user adoption, and elevate the CRM game.

Zeppenfeld is currently in his eighth season with the Charlotte Hornets/Hornets Sports and Entertainment. As the VP of Business Intelligence, he is responsible for Analytics, CRM, Data Warehouse, Surveys, Ticket Pricing, Revenue Strategy and Email Marketing. Prior to his role at the Hornets, he served as Senior Manager of Client Services at TeamWork Online, working with clients including the NFL, NBA, MLB, MLS, and NHL.

Zeppenfeld previously presented the same information that will be in the KORE webinar at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference earlier this year. He received astounding feedback from this presentation. As Zeppenfeld is a longtime KORE Software customer, KORE asked Zeppenfeld to recreate his popular presentation for their Customer Insights Webinar Series, which is available to the public.

Each quarter, KORE Software hosts a Customer Insights Webinar, featuring customers who have valuable information to share with the industry. The content focuses on peer-to-peer sharing of best practices, tips, and experiences in the world of sports and entertainment business intelligence, sponsorship, and fan engagement.

Register for the upcoming August 22nd webinar through this link: http://info.koresoftware.com/ensuring-crm-adoption-through-effective-user-training.

About KORE Software:

KORE is the global leader in sports and entertainment business management solutions. Comprised of KORE Software, KORE Software Capital LLC, and KPI (KORE Planning and Insights), KORE serves more than 100 major league teams and 200 collegiate customers worldwide, providing practical tools and services to harness customer information including their preferences and behaviors, creating valuable insights, and helping teams follow up with powerful action. For more information about KORE Software and KPI, visit http://www.koresoftware.com.

Read more from the original source:
Free Open Webinar: Driving CRM Adoption Through Effective User Training - SportTechie

NEW YORK, August 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

If you want a Stock Review on ORCL, RHT, TWLO, or ZEN then come over to http://dailystocktracker.com/register/ and sign up for your free customized report today. IT spending, technological innovations, and economic growth impact the Application Software industry dynamics significantly. This space is a consolidated one that consists of ERP, CRM, SCM, and business intelligence, and analytics. For today, DailyStockTracker.com takes notice of Oracle Corp. (NYSE: ORCL), Red Hat Inc. (NYSE: RHT), Twilio Inc. (NYSE: TWLO), and Zendesk Inc. (NYSE: ZEN). Learn more about these stocks by downloading their comprehensive and free reports from DailyStockTracker.com member's area at:

Register

Oracle

California headquartered Oracle Corp.'s shares finished Friday's session 0.29% higher at $48.24. A total volume of 11.70 million shares was traded. The stock has gained 7.01% over the previous three months and 25.46% on an YTD basis. The Company's shares are trading above their 200-day moving average by 10.85%. Moreover, shares of Oracle, which develops, manufactures, markets, sells, hosts, and supports application, platform, and infrastructure technologies for information technology environments worldwide, have a Relative Strength Index (RSI) of 40.63.

On August 08th, 2017, Oracle announced the worldwide release of itsOracle Banking Paymentssolution. The offering was built from the ground up, leveraging ISO 20022 and is designed to help banks compartmentalize payments messaging, message transformation, and payment processing while providing high fidelity insight. Using the Oracle Banking Payments API, banks can also innovate within the Internet of Payments, collaboration with third parties or curate new business models in collaboration with Fintechs. ORCL complete research report is just a click away at:

Registration

Red Hat

Shares in North Carolina headquartered Red Hat Inc. ended the day 2.49% higher at $98.34. A total volume of 1.72 million shares was traded, which was above their three months average volume of 1.57 million shares. The stock has advanced 0.58% in the last month, 11.43% in the previous three months, and 41.09% since the start of this year. The Company's shares are trading 2.69% and 16.30% above their 50-day and 200-day moving averages, respectively. Moreover, shares of Red Hat, which provides open source software solutions to develop and offer operating system, virtualization, management, middleware, cloud, mobile, and storage technologies to various enterprises worldwide, have an RSI of 54.75.

On July 31st, 2017, Red Hat announced that it has acquired the assets and technology of Permabit Technology Corporation, a provider of software for data deduplication, compression, and thin provisioning. With the addition of the latter's data deduplication and compression capabilities to the world's leading enterprise Linux platform - Red Hat Enterprise Linux- the Company will be able to better enable enterprise digital transformation through more efficient storage options. The complimentary report on RHT can be downloaded at:

Registration

Twilio

California headquartered Twilio Inc.'s stock rose 3.63%, closing the session at $31.38. A total volume of 3.41 million shares was traded, which was above their three months average volume of 2.41 million shares. The Company's shares have gained 6.45% in the last one month, 30.75% in the previous three months, and 8.77% on an YTD basis. The stock is trading 9.50% above its 50-day moving average and 5.00% above its 200-day moving average. Additionally, shares of Twilio, which provides cloud communications platform that enables developers to build, scale, and operate communications within software applications through the cloud as a pay-as-you-go service, have an RSI of 56.71.

On July 17th, 2017, Twilio announced Jeff Epstein, former CFO of Oracle, as the newest member of the Company's Board of Directors. Mr. Epstein has more than 20 years' experience in financial leadership at both private and public companies, and currently specializes in operational strategy for marketplace, B2B cloud software, and advertising technology companies.

On August 08th, 2017, research firm Canaccord Genuity reiterated its 'Buy' rating on the Company's stock with an increase of the target price from $32 a share to $38 a share. Sign up for your complimentary research report on TWLO at:

Registration

Zendesk

On Friday, shares in California headquartered Zendesk Inc. finished the session 3.18% higher at $26.29. A total volume of 993,160 shares was traded. The stock has gained 24.01% on an YTD basis. The Company's shares are trading above their 200-day moving average by 1.11%. Moreover, shares of Zendesk, which provides software-as-a-service products for organizations, have an RSI of 39.67.

On August 08th, 2017, Zendesk announced that Chief Revenue Officer Bryan Cox has resigned, effective September 15th, 2017, to pursue an opportunity in the venture capital industry. Mr. Cox has agreed to remain at the Company until the date of his resignation to assist in the transition of his responsibilities. Get free access to your research report on ZEN at:

Registration

--

Daily Stock Tracker:

Daily Stock Tracker (DST) produces regular sponsored and non-sponsored reports, articles, stock market blogs, and popular investment newsletters covering equities listed on NYSE and NASDAQ and micro-cap stocks. DST has two distinct and independent departments. One department produces non-sponsored analyst certified content generally in the form of press releases, articles and reports covering equities listed on NYSE and NASDAQ and the other produces sponsored content (in most cases not reviewed by a registered analyst), which typically consists of compensated investment newsletters, articles and reports covering listed stocks and micro-caps. Such sponsored content is outside the scope of procedures detailed below.

DST has not been compensated; directly or indirectly; for producing or publishing this document.

PRESS RELEASE PROCEDURES:

The non-sponsored content contained herein has been prepared by a writer (the "Author") and is fact checked and reviewed by a third party research service company (the "Reviewer") represented by a credentialed financial analyst [for further information on analyst credentials, please email rel="nofollow">contact@dailystocktracker.com. Rohit Tuli, a CFA charterholder (the "Sponsor"), provides necessary guidance in preparing the document templates. The Reviewer has reviewed and revised the content, as necessary, based on publicly available information which is believed to be reliable. Content is researched, written and reviewed on a reasonable-effort basis. The Reviewer has not performed any independent investigations or forensic audits to validate the information herein. The Reviewer has only independently reviewed the information provided by the Author according to the procedures outlined by DST. DST is not entitled to veto or interfere in the application of such procedures by the third-party research service company to the articles, documents or reports, as the case may be. Unless otherwise noted, any content outside of this document has no association with the Author or the Reviewer in any way.

NO WARRANTY

DST, the Author, and the Reviewer are not responsible for any error which may be occasioned at the time of printing of this document or any error, mistake or shortcoming. No liability is accepted whatsoever for any direct, indirect or consequential loss arising from the use of this document. DST, the Author, and the Reviewer expressly disclaim any fiduciary responsibility or liability for any consequences, financial or otherwise arising from any reliance placed on the information in this document. Additionally, DST, the Author, and the Reviewer do not (1) guarantee the accuracy, timeliness, completeness or correct sequencing of the information, or (2) warrant any results from use of the information. The included information is subject to change without notice.

NOT AN OFFERING

This document is not intended as an offering, recommendation, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell the securities mentioned or discussed, and is to be used for informational purposes only. Please read all associated disclosures and disclaimers in full before investing. Neither DST nor any party affiliated with us is a registered investment adviser or broker-dealer with any agency or in any jurisdiction whatsoever. To download our report(s), read our disclosures, or for more information, visit

Disclaimer

CONTACT For any questions, inquiries, or comments reach out to us directly. If you're a company we are covering and wish to no longer feature on our coverage list contact us via email and/or phone between 09:30 EDT to 16:00 EDT from Monday to Friday at: Email: rel="nofollow">contact@dailystocktracker.com Phone number: (207)331-3313 Office Address: 377 Rivonia Boulevard, Rivonia, South Africa

CFA and Chartered Financial Analyst are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute.

SOURCE Chelmsford Park SA

See the original post here:
Technical Reports on Application Software Equities -- Oracle, Red Hat, Twilio, and Zendesk - Markets Insider

You're reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Be it to get a ride to work, or to indulge our food cravings, technology seems to be propelling most aspects of our lives today, and so, it shouldnt come as a surprise that this kind of disruption is hitting the beauty and wellness industries too. Consider Shedul, a booking and scheduling platform for salons, spas, and other wellness businesses, the brainchild of entrepreneurs William Zeqiri and Nick Miller. We did some research and found out that the majority of businesses in the beauty industry operate offline, without any software at all. 52% of salons in the US still manage their bookings with pen and paper, says cofounder and CEO Zeqiri.

Looking to change that, in 2015, the duo launched Shedul, which Zeqiri declares to be the worlds first subscription-free platform. The cloud-based software is accessible via an internet connection on any device, with most users found to be accessing the platform on their mobiles. Besides taking the hassle out of operations management for salons by automating key processes such as appointment bookings, customer records, inventory, financial reporting and other tasks, this platform is also addressing a key challenge for the industry- that of resource utilization. The main pain point is the inefficient utilization of appointment schedules, which is causing low occupancy rates for businesses and loss of revenue, says co-founder and COO Miller. Our technology is helping businesses optimize their schedule with real-time online availability, and in some cases, it has increased user revenue more than 30%.

Sheduls software enables salons, spas, and other wellness businesses schedule appointments, reduce no-shows with the help of automated reminders, and undertake point-of-sale activities among other tasks. The entrepreneur says given the status of occupancy rates in the beauty and wellness industry, and with industry players losing billions of dollars [due to occupancy issues], Sheduls technology helps connect small businesses directly to demand. However, the biggest credit for Sheduls growth trajectory (the portal claims over 40,000 merchant sign-ups in more than 120 countries, in under two years) should go to its free-to-use model. Our monetization strategy is to charge a small commission fee per booking on our soon-to-be-launched consumer marketplace, and keeping the main SaaS [Software as a Service] tool free, says Zeqiri, explaining the startups aggressive user acquisition strategy while keeping an eye on revenue.

Related: UAE Startup Joi Wants To Be The Go-To Portal For All Things Gifts

Its also this growth (which the founders consider almost entirely organic through word-of-mouth) that helped the startup close a US$6 million round of Series A financing, backed by both MENA and Silicon Valley investors in June 2017. Led by Middle East Venture Partners (MEVP), and backed by Dubais BECO Capital and San Francisco-based Lumia Capital (a VC firm that backs the Middle East ride-hailing app Careem, among many other startups), the new round of funding also follows an earlier seed round (also led by MEVP) in October 2016. Without going into the details, the entrepreneurs say they plan to use the funds to expand their product development and engineering teams to support the roll out of some new features of their platform.

Shedul's scheduling platform. Image credit: Shedul.

The founders feeling of triumph is apparent as Zeqiri notes that they had aimed for the best VCs in the region, and so managing to seal a deal with them was definitely music to their ears. Its critical to align on the big picture or vision with VCs, before getting into the detailed analysis [of the deal]. Being a global company, we got lots of interest from international VCs, and are proud to have San Francisco-based Lumia Capital joining the round, he says. The investors too are upbeat about the startup and its product, with MEVPs managing partner Walid Mansour noting in a statement that Shedul is a truly global success story, [as] the growth they achieved in two years is remarkable. Chris Rogers, partner at Lumia Capital noted that Shedul has made best-in-class software accessible to the massive beauty industry, which still largely operates offline.

While the company notes that millions of bookings are made through the platform each month growing at an average rate of 35% month-on-month, its significant (and also intriguing) to note that almost half of this Dubai-based startups users are in the US (40%), followed by the UK (15%), Australia (11%), and Canada (7%). The MENA market, where they have about 2,000 salons and spas using their platform till date, is hence still a growing geography for the tech startup and represents about 5% of their total user base (with more than half in the UAE). We are a global business with most users internationally, and we just happen to start the business in Dubai Our story is that we are serving the globe out of Dubai, rather than targeting the local market, explains Zeqiri.

The entrepreneurs lofty ambitions for their scheduling platform is to process over $1.5 billion worth of appointment bookings by the end of 2017, and they believe they are on track to achieve this. Word-of-mouth factor is strong, our users are the best ambassadors spreading the word within their own community, says Miller. We have a solid 5/5 user rating on Capterra.com [a platform that helps businesses find the right software for their operational needs], and believe that if users require training on how to use our system, we have not done a good job building it. In line with this belief, the team finds that merchants adopting Shedul often rave about its easy setup and intuitive interface, as well as its personable customer support.

Related: From Concept To Launch: The Origin Story Of My Middle East Startup

The founders are also grateful for the vocal backing they get from their partners, which, they believe, has a key role to play in their software becoming a familiar name in the global beauty and wellness industry. Moreover, from not even being in the reckoning just over a year ago, Shedul has also managed to bag top slots in Capterras independent review reports for 2017s Top 20 Salon Management software under the categories of Most Popular, Most User-Friendly and Most Affordable software. With netizens the world over more confident than ever to book and pay for local services online, SaaS products are in fact already a norm when it comes to food delivery, transportation, and other basic services, and the entrepreneur duo behind Shedul are confident that the beauty and wellness space is also making the transition at a positive pace. Interestingly, in a bid to prevent users from leaving its apps, tech titan Google too launched Reserve with Google in July 2017- a feature (in the US) that lets users book health and wellness appointments directly from its Search or Maps apps via a book button. Such enormous competition notwithstanding, Shedul has its eyes set to help businesses in the salon and spa industry thrive- and armed as it is with a business model tailored to take advantage of the SaaS boom, as well as a passionate and ambitious team, the company seems to be well on its way to realizing its goals.

INVESTOR VIEWPOINT Amir Farha, co-founder and Managing Partner, BECO Capital

Why did BECO Capital decide to get on board as investors- what impressed you about Shedul? The management team at Shedul is extraordinary. They are second-time entrepreneurs who have a long working relationship, and have clearly demonstrated superior execution capabilities. Given the relatively short life of the company, the product they have built is outstanding, relative to others in the market with rave reviews from a sticky customer base. Furthermore, we love their vision and ambition. Will and Nick are looking to build something truly transformational that will disrupt the spa industry globally. We are honored to be part of their journey and will do our best to help them succeed.

Do you see Shedul evolving as a profitable business with their free-software model? Financially, what excites BECO Capital in the deal? Every business needs to find a revenue stream that scales, and Shedul has plans to do that. At the moment, their focus is purely on product, experience and ensuring their customers are happy. Once they have achieved scale and high retention, they will be able to monetize through various business models. They already process tens of millions of dollars in bookings per month, and they are looking to launch a marketplace, which should capture some of those dollars. If they can execute on that plan, the potential revenue scale is enormous, not-tomention, the ancillary revenues that can exist in the future.

'TREP TALK William Zeqiri, co-founder and CEO, Shedul

William Zeqiri,co-founder and CEO, Shedul. Source: Shedul

Based on your current fundraising experience, what would be your top three tips for the regions startups to pitch and clinch funding for their ventures? [First], solve a real-world problem with an innovative product. [Second], demonstrate traction and growth with users. [Third], articulate a clear monetization strategy. Before approaching any investors it is important to build and operate a working product that has real customers using it, to show a trend of at least three months of strong growth and traction, and to be meticulous with your unit economics, P&L reporting, and burn rate.

More:
Conquering The Globe: Shedul Co-Founders William Zeqiri and Nick Miller - Entrepreneur