Maps.me to Launch Financial Services of the Future to Millions of Users

ZUG, SWITZERLAND, Mar 24, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Maps.me today announced that it will add next-generation financial capabilities to its navigational services, aiming to enrich the lives of hundreds of millions of people around the world by providing them with an easier way to pay, transfer, earn passive income and invest. From generating attractive investment returns in a low-interest world to making instantaneous payments across 35 currencies, Maps.me 2.0 will integrate convenient financial services with the world's most popular off- line mapping platform.

"We're excited to be building a holistic travel and financial platform that will be a trusted companion to our highly-engaged community of users as they explore the world and go about their daily lives," said Alex Grebnev, Co-founder of Maps.me. "Maps.me has enhanced people's ability to navigate, wherever they are going. Now, the same platform will offer financial services that are cheap, secure and highly relevant to the needs of Maps.me users."

From maps to money

Maps.me is used to discover and navigate places – from the streets of Barcelona to the African savannah – and bookmark them for future use. The app's open-source technology provides greater agility and choice for users, fueling an ever-increasing network that has enriched Maps.me itself. Over the last nine years, the app has been downloaded 140 million times, with 60 million people using it to navigate 195 countries in 2020.

Pilots, magazine photographers, professional cyclists, aid workers and everyday travellers love using its turn-by-turn routing, travel guides, and detailed mapping – which are all available without using often- costly mobile data. Maps.me is particularly popular with millennials in Europe: roughly 60% of users from are from the region, and more than 70% are between the ages of 18 and 40.

A recent survey conducted by Maps.me indicated that roughly half of its users are interested in accessing financial services via the app. More than 140,000 users have already joined the waiting list for a digital wallet that will allow them to:

– Earn yields of as much as 8% on stored value;
– Make payments via a linked credit card; and
– Transfer money instantly to friends and family globally and in 35 different currencies

The value in Maps.me wallets is invested in AAA-rated assets and held in a Swiss trust structure that is administered by TMF Services, a regulated entity in Switzerland. TMF is the largest corporate service provider in the world, trusted by over 60% of Fortune Global 500 and FTSE 100 companies. Users enjoy this security as well as the convenience of accessing these services via a platform they know and love – all for zero or low fees.*

A new approach to finance

The financial services offered via Maps.me will draw on a new approach to financial services: decentralized finance. DeFi is a user-driven financial system that uses smart contracts to allow people and institutions to transact directly with each other, rather than via a large financial institution.

Unnecessary middlemen are eliminated, cutting costs, increasing speed and certainty.

Since its inception, Maps.me has been open and community-driven, with users contributing to its development using the OpenStreetMap Project. Maps.me users are a substantial part of the OSM contributor group. Maps.me 2.0 builds upon that same spirit and DeFi makes this possible by allowing many to connect with many.

The roll-out of these financial capabilities with Maps.me 2.0 follows the platform's acquisition last November by Daegu Limited, a member of the Parity.com Group.

The integration of financial services with the Maps.me platform is moving ahead quickly. Closed beta testing of the Maps.me wallet will be finalized in the next few weeks. Waitlisted users will start to be offered access to the wallet after the testing process is completed, followed by a broader launch in due course.

More about Maps.me

Maps.me is the world's leading off-line mapping application for travelers. Launched in 2012 it has been downloaded more than 140 million times. More than 60 million users worldwide were active in 2020 planning and navigating their excursions in 195 countries. Maps.me users can download maps for their intended travels and then access their maps without the need for expensive roaming connectivity. An open-source advocate, Maps.me users are a primary contributor to the OpenStreetMapping Project globally. Beginning in 2021, the app will integrate payment, currency exchange and passive income services in 35 currencies to further enable explorers worldwide.

Media contacts:

Asia:
Adam@CaliberCorporateAdvisers.com
+852 3569 2275

North America:
ScottK@CaliberCorporateAdvisers.com
+1 917 647 1810

* https://www.tmf-group.com/en/about-us/

SOURCE: Maps.me

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

AppsFlyer Promotes Sanjay Trisal As New General Manager of India, Southeast Asia, and Australia, New Zealand, To Strengthen Regional Collaboration

SINGAPORE, Mar 10, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Today, AppsFlyer, the global attribution and marketing analytics leader, appoints Sanjay Trisal as General Manager of INSEA/ANZ (India, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand). Prior to this promotion, Sanjay was AppsFlyer India's country manager for almost 6 years, and has grown AppsFlyer's presence in India across all verticals and domains. During the shift to Work From Home in early 2020, Sanjay has set up a successful strategy that ensured productivity results soared, and backend processes remained intact for the team in India.

In this newly created role, Sanjay will be responsible for AppsFlyer's regional growth over multiple markets across India, Southeast Asia, and Australia and New Zealand, and improve cross-border collaboration and ensure smoother efficiencies across teams. Based out of India for the time being, Sanjay will also oversee, plan, and coordinate operational strategies in INSEA/ANZ. With AppsFlyer having expanded into Australia and New Zealand in November 2020, Sanjay will also play a critical role in strengthening AppsFlyer's commitment to the ANZ region.

Sanjay Trisal, General Manager, AppsFlyer INSEA/ANZ, says: "Going forward, regional collaboration will continue to be the key to our success, and I am excited to be in a position to work across core markets to drive business objectives and grow to meet the demands of the region alongside a high-performing team. AppsFlyer's solutions help marketers to work smarter and fuel data-driven initiatives in a market that is constantly evolving. I look forward to tapping into the numerous opportunities INSEA/ANZ offers."

The INSEA/ANZ regions have shown great potential in the mobile attribution industry and provides many opportunities for mobile marketers to maximise results. According to an eConomy report, the Southeast Asian internet economy has grown by 33% each year since 2015, showcasing the immense opportunities in the region. Similarly, the Australia and New Zealand industry is becoming a hub for mobile app development in the region with apps like Canva being a global phenomenon.

AppsFlyer's 2020 growth has been exponential, reporting over USD200 million in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR), as well as a late-stage extension of its existing USD210 million series D round. AppsFlyer now has over 1,000 employees, spread across 19 offices globally.

Sanjay brings over 20 plus years of strong sales, new business development, and management experience in the IT, High Tech and Consulting sectors. Before joining AppsFlyer in 2015, Sanjay spent almost 3 years at InMobi, a multinational technology company that specializes in mobile advertising and mobile marketing and was responsible for expanding the LATAM market.

"We are very pleased that Sanjay is taking on a broader role at AppsFlyer. We have been growing exponentially over the last year, opening our latest APAC office in Sydney at the end of 2020, and with Sanjay's remarkable talents aim to bring cohesive collaboration across our core markets. Sanjay's notable accomplishments in India make him a perfect fit for this new role and we have full confidence that he will play a critical role in spearheading a successful collaboration between regions," stated, Ronen Mense, President & Managing Director, AppsFlyer, APAC.

About AppsFlyer

AppsFlyer, the global attribution leader, empowers marketers to grow their business and innovate with a suite of comprehensive measurement and analytics solutions. Built around privacy by design, AppsFlyer takes a customer-centric approach to help 12,000+ brands and 7,000+ technology partners make better business decisions every day. To learn more, visit www.appsflyer.com

Media Contacts
Debbie Beins
PRecious Communications on behalf of AppsFlyer
appsflyer@preciouscomms.com

Press Contact For AppsFlyer in APAC:
Nico Marco
nico.marco@appsflyer.com

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

HouseAfrica Announces Partnership With Domineum

LAGOS, Mar 10, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – HouseAfrica, furthering its dedication to making African real estate transactions seamless and transparent, is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with Domineum, an enterprise blockchain technology and back-end services provider.

PropVat by HouseAfrica helps individuals and financial institutions verify and validate properties seamlessly, increasing access to credit.

HouseAfrica's PropVat.com, Africa's largest property technology platform, connects real estate stakeholders, property developers, home buyers, financial institutions, valuers and government regulators, to verify and validate property authenticity before purchase or credit application.

"We are particularly excited about our partnership with Domineum, as it helps us toward our goal of unlocking trapped real estate value in Nigeria, estimated at $300-900 billion dollars. We believe in collaboration. PropVat, our cutting-edge solution for unlocking Nigeria's and Africa's huge dead asset pool, is built on blockchain and collaboration," says Uba Nnamdi, Co-Founder and CEO HouseAfrica.

"Domineum is excited to partner with HouseAfrica to deliver its bespoke products and services to the government sector, land departments and other agencies, and the services sector, to real estate and financial businesses. Real estate investment is a real deal and blockchain can be seen as the game changer," says Mohammed Ibrahim Jega, Co-founder, Domineum.

PropVat works in partnership with key stakeholders in the real estate sector, including the Nigerian Institute of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Nigerian Bar Association and Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC), building a data-driven ecosystem for fast and easy means of processing interactive and transparent real estate transactions.

About PropVat
Using PropVat.com for verification helps to reduce the risk of fraudulent misrepresentation of ownership and valuation information. The PropVat platform generates a PVN (Property Verification Number) for quick access to a Verification Report, E-deed (powered by blockchain), and detailed property quality analysis. Major Financial Institutions are already using PropVat for their verification needs. Visit https://propvat.com, twitter.com/propvat, linkedin.com/company/propvat/ and facebook.com/propvat.

About HouseAfrica
HouseAfrica is building the largest African property platform using technology to connect real estate stakeholders to verify and validate property authenticity before purchase or credit application, helping to make convenient, secured, fast, transparent, and affordable property transactions. In 2019, HouseAfrica won the Best African Blockchain Startup at the AfricArena Conference Fantom Blockchain Challenge. Visit https://houseafrica.io.

About Domineum
Domineum is a software development company and consultant that aims to disrupt several sectors in the emerging markets, and leap-frog the current infrastructure with distributed ledger (blockchain) technology and Blockchain-as-a-Service (BaaS) solutions for governments and businesses. Domineum provides efficient back-end solutions to verify and authenticate Land and Property Registry, Mortgage, Identity Management, Cargo Tracking and Supply Chain systems. Visit https://www.domineum.io.

Contact: hello@houseafrica.io

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Verofax Secures $1.2M Seed Round for Automation and Traceability Platform

ABU DHABI, UAE, Mar 9, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Verofax Limited, an automation and traceability platform, has secured $1.2M in a Seed funding round, led by Trove Capital Limited UK. Other investors included MFD Holding, Kepler Fund Managers, and Casablanca Holding. This funding marks Verofax porting its platform on Microsoft Cloud and its recent Q4 expansion into Asia and Africa.

Mssrs Wassim Merheby and Jamil Zablah of Verofax Limited.

Established in 2018, Verofax has developed an automation and traceability platform that allows enterprises to prevent counterfeit, improve manufacturers' engagement with consumers, and increase staff productivity with data insights. Verofax offers services such as Item ID serialization, traceability, and transaction certification on private Blockchain with cost and time to market advantage.

Wassim Merheby, CEO and Co-Founder of Verofax, commented on the round, "Counterfeit is exceeding 20% of global trade in some industries and accounts for $1.8T losses to businesses. With retailers and manufacturers adopting traceability and item serialization in their operations, Verofax enables supplier screening, consumer engagement, and inventory optimization.

"US, EU, China, and Russia have already adopted regulations for retailer and E-commerce accountability on fake merchandise sold through their marketplaces. Verofax simply adds certainty in global trade with item digital ID throughout every product lifecycle."

Verofax, which has offices in Abu Dhabi and Kuala Lumpur, will use the funding to serve its pipeline of projects, launch a marketing campaign targeted at food, healthcare, and apparel industries. It is also to hire 20 additional team members, mainly software developers and business development managers.

About Verofax

Verofax Limited is an automation, optimization and validation solutions provider for enterprises and financial institutions with a presence in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The Verofax platform allows enterprises to share operational datasets with Banks to boost their credit scoring. Verofax has established partnerships with a sustainable retailer in Asia, and set-up JVs in Asia, Africa, and the GCC. The startup has also been approved as a co-sell partner by Microsoft, Oracle, and AntGroup. Please visit www.verofax.com.

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Maculus Therapeutix welcomes Privity FZ LLE and Prepares Capital Raise for Novel Drug Delivery Platform

SANTA CLARA, CA & DUBAI, Feb 17, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Maculus Therapeutix, a preclinical-stage biopharmaceutical company which has developed a SINGLE injection delivery platform for diseases such as wet AMD (Age-related Macular Degeneration) and DME (Diabetic Macular Edema) instead of the standard 8-12 monthly injections, is pleased to welcome Privity FZ LLE as a partner and advisor for upcoming fundraising activities. Maculus plans to raise USD3 million with a USD8 million valuation for a 12-18 month period, including initial in-vivo animal studies and completion of in-vitro / in-vivo drug elution studies.

Maculus achieved the breakthrough using a patented novel tunable biodegradable proprietary product, MacuBloc, capable of delivering any FDA approved drugs for Wet AMD / DME to the site of the disease, with unique suitability for targeted and extended delivery of drugs to the back of the human eyes, MacuBloc offers significant benefits to Wet AMD patients: a single intravitreal injection that lasts a year rather than the current monthly injections, and a potential reduction in inflammation, infection, doctor visits and total cost of care, compared to current practice.

Syed H Askari, PhD, Founder, Chief Executive Officer and CTO of Maculus Therapeutix, said, "We are very excited to welcome Privity in developing this unique product, which can bring such transformative treatment to those suffering from wet AMD and DME. Our product is designed to solve each of the challenges while significantly reducing the total cost of care. More importantly, our product makes it possible to replace the 10 injections with ONE injection for any FDA approved drug, a leap ahead of the current standard of care."

The approach will change the lives of 200 million patients worldwide who suffer from debilitating eye diseases. Current standards of care (8-12 monthly injections to the eyes for AMD and for DME) have numerous challenges: pain, inflammation, infection, loss of vision. Our product is designed to solve each of these challenges while significantly reducing the total cost of care. More importantly, our product makes it possible to replace the 10 injections by ONE injection for any FDA approved drug, a significant leap ahead of the current standard of care.

Sleem Hasan, Privity Founder and CEO, said, "Privity was founded to identify entrepreneurs with unique ideas and compelling value propositions, and Maculus fell right into this sweet spot, speaking straight at me as I had experienced diabetic retinopathy personally and amongst family members. Syed is a serial entrepreneur, his education and training in India, UK, Canada and the US, and professional career speak for themselves."

About Maculus Therapeutix, Inc.
The Maculus Therapeutix team has been together in Silicon Valley for 15 years, building Medicus Biosciences Inc., a polymer-based medical device company with current operations in San Diego, CA., and developing the polymer drug delivery platform for various diseases. Our target markets include treatments for AMD and DME. Globally, the AMD market size is $10B, growing at 7% CAGR, and the DME market size is $4B, with 10% CAGR. For more information, please visit www.maculustherapeutix.com.

About Privity FZ LLE
Privity FZ LLE was founded in Dubai in 2004, an independent venture-focused advisory firm which seeks entrepreneurs with interesting and unique ideas and helps them to develop and grow. Privity is agnostic to geography and industry vertical; It focuses on the quality of the entrepreneur and the compelling value proposition of the idea. Privity draws upon its unique 4i methodology – ideas, intelligence, innovation, invention – to deliver insightful advisory and consulting services. For more information, please visit www.privitylle.com.

Contact information:
Syed H Askari, CEO
Maculus Therapeutix, Inc.
syed@maculustherapeutix.com

Sleem Hasan, CEO
Privity FZ LLE
sleem@privitylle.com

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

AppsFlyer Announces Predictive Analytics Product for SKAdNetwork as Part of SK360, Its Comprehensive SKAdNetwork Suite

SINGAPORE, Feb 15, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – AppsFlyer, the global attribution leader, today announced the upcoming launch of PredictSK, a new predictive analytics solution that will be a part of its robust SKAdNetwork suite, SK360. The new product will be available after Apple will start enforcing its AppTrackingTransparency framework in early spring. The SK360 suite will continue to support the ecosystem throughout Apple's upcoming privacy updates.

SKAdNetwork is about to become a major part of campaign measurement and optimization on iOS, following Apple's latest privacy changes. This deterministic attribution framework provides advertisers with some data on their iOS campaigns, and while Apple has been continuously making updates to improve its offering to advertisers and app developers, it also introduces critical limitations.

To equip advertisers with the ability to continue driving positive results and accurately enhance their campaigns, AppsFlyer has added a new suite to its set of iOS 14 solutions – SK360. This comprehensive suite of tools enables brands to configure and optimize their conversion value, validate their data & keep it fraud free, and integrate with their choice of partners, all through a dedicated, centralized analytics dashboard. Networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Snap, ironSource and dozens of others have already signed on to ensure that relevant data such as postbacks and conversion value schemas are seamlessly delivered to AppsFlyer and any chosen partners.

"We've been working closely with AppsFlyer to deliver a fully operational plug-and-play SKAdNetwork solution in record time," said Liwei Chen, Staff Product Manager, Twitter. "The solution was designed together to validate all advertisers' needs from SKAdNetwork are met: data trust, granularity, optimization and measurement. This is another exciting step for advertisers, delivering upon our promise of helping drive business success while maximizing end-user privacy."

PredictSK, AppsFlyer's predictive analytics solution for SKAdNetwork will be officially rolled out later this year, in line with Apple's ATT enforcement, as part of the company's SK360 suite. One of SKAdNetwork's limitations is the very short window advertisers are expected to rely on for measuring campaign performance. With only 24 hours of user activity to work with, optimization is nearly impossible. With PredictSK, advertisers will be able to leverage early signals of engagement (first 24-72 hours) to predict long-term campaign performance. PredictSK puts mobile attribution in SKAdNetwork on 'auto-pilot', removing the measurement and timing barriers and allowing advertisers to maintain and strengthen their competitive edge in this new reality.

"Since the very beginning, AppsFlyer has been leading iOS 14 innovation, with full transparency to us about the solutions as they became available," said Dmitry Pinchuk, VP Marketing, SocialPoint. "As a privacy-oriented brand, it was imperative to us that we get on board with the new privacy features for iOS 14. AppsFlyer has helped us understand the new rules, workarounds and successfully drive marketing success."

"Our guiding star has been and always will be the advertisers' needs," said Barak Witowski, Vice President, Core Product, AppsFlyer. "As part of our holistic set of iOS solutions, AppsFlyer's SK360 suite will empower brands to eliminate the uncertainty brought on by limited data availability and limited measurement capabilities, while maintaining end user privacy, by combining multiple solutions for maximum coverage. Moreover, PredictSK will enable measurement across all user events to quickly and accurately predict user LTV, helping advertisers save precious time and money. With SK360, Advertisers can stay in the driver's seat while complying with the strictest privacy requirements."

To learn more about SK360, visit: https://www.appsflyer.com/product/skadnetwork

About AppsFlyer

AppsFlyer, the global attribution leader, empowers marketers to grow their business and innovate with a suite of comprehensive measurement and analytics solutions. Built around privacy by design, AppsFlyer takes a customer-centric approach to help 12,000+ brands and 8,000+ technology partners make better business decisions every day. To learn more, visit www.appsflyer.com.

Media Contacts
Debbie Beins
PRecious Communications on behalf of AppsFlyer
appsflyer@preciouscomms.com

Press Contact For AppsFlyer in APAC:
Nico Marco
nico.marco@appsflyer.com

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

CUBERZ first Israeli, first female-led venture to partner UAE-based Privity FZ LLE post-Abraham Accords

TEL AVIV & DUBAI, Feb 15, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – CUBERZ is the first Israeli, first female-led venture company to join hands with Privity FZ LLE, an independent venture-focused advisory firm in the UAE, after the normalization of the Abraham Accords last year. CUBERZ was launched in Tel Aviv by Nektar Solomon, CEO, and Ari Margalit, CSTO, and is developing a unique online marketplace aiming to change the way local craftsmen and small furniture manufacturers interact with potential customers, while proceeding to its seed round of venture capital fundraising.

Ms Solomon commented: "We excited to start our journey with Privity as a stakeholder. It is truly amazing to find a partner who understands what CUBERZ is trying to achieve, and can open doors to global markets and financing opportunities. The Abraham Accords are a historic moment which we are thrilled to take part in, pushing Israeli innovation a step further with strong partnerships in the UAE."

Sleem Hasan, Privity founder and CEO, commented: "We inked the deal on 12.02.2021 which will be recorded on Privity's ledger as a date to remember. Not only is it a palindromic and ambigrammic date, and therefore auspicious, but it is also the first female-led venture in our portfolio, and thanks to the Abraham Accords (the normalization of relations between the UAE & Israel on Sept 15, 2020), CUBERZ is Privity's first technology venture portfolio addition from Israel and our humble contribution and endorsement of the Accords."

There is a growing trend in the personalization of furniture and interior design likely to continue. Locally produced furniture and interiors are a growing market especially with the consumer generation (aged 25-39) interested in personalized homewares. Small furniture manufacture in the 27 EU countries totalled EUR 140 billion in 2020, up 15% year-on-year. Though the EU industry accounts for the majority of custom-made furniture worldwide, no significant technological improvements have been made to take it forward.

Ari Margalit, CSTO of CUBERZ, commented: "Privity is a great partner for us since they understand what we are trying to accomplish here. Our goal with CUBERZ is to enable transparency in terms of operations and pricing, creating a standard framework for custom manufacturing. By changing the way local manufacturers and customers interact, CUBERZ creates a 'common language' for custom-made furniture manufacturing."

About CUBERZ LTD
CUBERZ, the brainchild of Ms Nektar Solomon, allows you to design your furniture, with 3D visualizations, and have it made by local craftsman or manufacturers, using an automatic pricing engine, and helps you to find skilled and available craftsmen for your order.

CUBERZ offers customers an automated solution for ever-changing needs while adapting to market trends. "Yet, CUBERZ is a Makers Market," Solomon said, "where talented craftsmen can join, and build, anytime. Our mission is enabling small businesses to compete against large retail."

About Privity FZ LLE
Privity FZ LLE was founded in Dubai in 2004, an independent venture-focused advisory firm which seeks entrepreneurs with interesting and unique ideas and helps them to develop and grow. Privity is agnostic to geography and industry vertical; It focuses on the quality of the entrepreneur and the compelling value proposition of the idea.

Privity draws upon its unique 4i methodology – ideas, intelligence, innovation, invention – to deliver insightful advisory and consulting services. This methodology is a result of Privity's diverse experience accumulated over the years as well as its highly specialized deep domain expertise which yields unique results for its clients.

Visit CUBERZ at https://cuber.co, and Privity FZ LLE at https://www.privitylle.com.

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

ZALL celebrates the opening of its first overseas Chinese bookstore in Singapore

SINGAPORE, Feb 11, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – ZALL Group, Asia's leading B2B e-commerce group, has officially opened its first overseas all-in-one Chinese bookstore on 8 February 2021 that is situated right in the heart of Orchard Road at Wheelock Place. The bookstore comprises of a cafe, art gallery and craft store, as well as event and outdoor spaces. Aspiring to create an all-in-one lifestyle experience, ZALL Bookstore seeks to create the perfect quintessential conducive environment for like-minded individuals who are passionate about Chinese culture, literature and arts to congregate and interact.

"Perfect for enthusiasts who are keen to learn more about Chinese culture, ZALL Bookstore creates a completely immersive experience into the world of books," said Yan Ge, spokesperson of ZALL Bookstore. "ZALL Bookstore aims to represent the richness of the Chinese heritage by offering readers an array of books with varied genres, as well as a collaborative setting for our readers to rediscover themselves whilst reading."

Serving as a gateway into the world of rich Chinese history and culture, ZALL Bookstore caters to diverse cultural interests and offers a comprehensive curated collection of more than 30,000 books on Chinese literature, humanities, history, and philosophy from China and Taiwan – featuring adult and children's books from international bestsellers, Chinese authors and foreign literary works. Beyond books, ZALL Bookstore also embodies the spirit of humanities, creativity, art and lifestyle that seeks to nourish a reader's soul with experiential charm into Chinese culture.

The interior of ZALL Bookstore accentuates the calligraphic elements of black and white, inspired by the essence of the Jiangnan watertown, with a spiral staircase – the key element of the bookstore is the circular arch that extends from the second floor to the first, resembling that of a river bridge in the water towns symbolising the essence of connecting the two streets of the town/city.

Stepping into the bookstore on the first floor, readers will be greeted with calligraphic elements of black and white, inspired by the essence of the Jiangnan watertown, and would be able to browse an extensive range of Children's books as soon as they enter the bookstore.

This floor also includes a public multifunctional reading area that can hold events from new book releases to reading events; and a cafe that provides a cosy space for anyone seeking a quiet space to read, and to relax by enjoying the variety of coffee blends, Chinese Chu tea and Taiwan tea served at the cafe, amidst the hustle and bustle of Orchard road.

Walking up the spiral staircase to the second floor, readers shall be able to appreciate the well-designed circular arch that extends from the second floor to the first, resembling that of a river bridge in the water towns which symbolises the essence of connecting the two streets of the town/city.

The second floor of the bookstore boasts the Adults' section, where lovers of Chinese books can have the most pleasurable book-hunting experience in an exquisite ambience. There would also be a section for cultural creatives and fresh stationery ideas for art and design lovers.

Readers will be pleasantly surprised by the art gallery on the second floor of the bookstore if they wish for a change in scenery as this section will showcase the collection of creative artworks and thought-provoking paintings by Singapore's local talents and international artists.

Readers are invited to come and rediscover the joys of reading whilst immersing themselves into the rich Chinese culture. For more information, please visit ZALL Bookstore at Wheelock Place, 501 Orchard Road, https://www.facebook.com/zallbookstore

About ZALL Bookstore

ZALL Bookstore offers a place for cultural exchange, social gathering and homecoming providing a conducive space for everyone. ZALL bookstore is the first upscaled Chinese-themed bookstore in Singapore, featuring an all-in-one lifestyle experience. ZALL bookstore is the ideal location for events such as artistic exchanges that will nourish a reader's soul with experiential charm into Chinese culture. Its cafe will allow a quiet cafe experience of Singapore's coffee culture, providing cosy corners for anyone seeking a quiet space to read. ZALL Bookstore not only feature books, but also embodies the spirit of humanities, creativity, art, and lifestyle, that will cater to the diverse arts and cultural interests in Singapore and aspiring to create the unique arts paradise reshaping Singapore's Chinese cultural landscape.

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

AppsFlyer Appoints 20-year Technology Veteran as New Vice President for Sales for SEAPAC

SINGAPORE, Jan 27, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Today, AppsFlyer (https://www.appsflyer.com/), the global attribution, and marketing analytics leader, has appointed Joen van Driel as the company's new Vice President for Sales for Southeast Asia-Pacific (SEAPAC). This appointment builds on AppsFlyer's focus on Southeast Asia, India, Japan, and Korea; a high-growth market altogether with more than 663 million new mobile internet users to be added by 2025, according to a GSMA report (https://www.gsma.com/mobileeconomy/asiapacific/).

Joen van Driel

With over twenty years of background in strategic technology sales, Joen brings his extensive experience across sales management, strategy, and business development to AppsFlyer's Southeast Asia-Pacific team. Joen also spent the last 17 years based in Hong Kong, Singapore, and the Philippines, working in leadership positions at Oracle, Google Cloud, Adobe, and Salesforce.com, with deep experience providing results-driven solutions for these top-notch technology firms.

Starting from February and based in AppsFlyer's SEAPAC hub in Bangkok, Joen will play a key role in driving results and a long-term strategy for the company, while focusing on new customer successes and developing a high-performing sales team.

"Despite the impact of 2020, AppsFlyer has continued to excel, not only in SEAPAC but globally, and I am honored to work alongside talented individuals in the team to further advance our sales efforts and assert AppsFlyer's dominance in the region. AppsFlyer is well-positioned to help marketers transform their businesses, and the mobile marketing industry continues to expand with the use of mobile apps wildly increasing day by day. I look forward to what lies ahead," said Joen van Driel, Vice President of Sales, SEAPAC, AppsFlyer.

Ronen Mense, President and Managing Director, AppsFlyer APAC says, "We are looking forward to Joen bringing his exceptional transformational leadership skills to the AppsFlyer APAC team. He will play a critical role in leading, building, training, managing the world-class talented, motivated, highly consultative sales team while also implementing comprehensive plans and sales enablement functions to set the team for further success. Joen's dynamic experience makes him the perfect fit for the role with a track record of over-performance within the tech space."

About AppsFlyer

AppsFlyer, the global attribution leader, empowers marketers to grow their business and innovate with a suite of comprehensive measurement and analytics solutions. Built around privacy by design, AppsFlyer takes a customer-centric approach to help 12,000+ brands and 7,000+ technology partners make better business decisions every day. To learn more, visit www.appsflyer.com

Media Contacts
Debbie Beins
PRecious Communications on behalf of AppsFlyer
appsflyer@preciouscomms.com

Press Contact For AppsFlyer in APAC:
Nico Marco
nico.marco@appsflyer.com

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Techstars Announces ‘Startup City Acceleration Program’ in Partnership with Japanese Government to Support the Global Expansion of 50 Japan-Based Startups

BOULDER, Colorado, Jan 27, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Techstars, the rapidly-growing global investment and accelerator network that helps entrepreneurs succeed, today announced a new program supporting 50 Japan-based startups in partnership with the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), the Japan Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Taking place from February to April, the 10-week "Startup City Acceleration Program" will provide local startup businesses with guidance and hands-on mentorship, while also helping them progress toward overseas expansion by making connections with worldwide investors and business partners.

"Today's global environment has become a source of demand for new ideas and progress toward innovation across everything from healthcare to climate change, but at the same has restricted the collaboration and resources needed to propel promising innovations toward success," said Maelle Gavet, Techstars chief executive officer. "We're thrilled for the opportunity to support these startup ecosystems and help entrepreneurs make the connections they need to advance their businesses."

Techstars has funded more than 2,300 startups including companies such as SendGrid, DigitalOcean, Zipline, Outreach, Remitly, Classpass, Pillpack and DataRobot. Collectively, Techstars' portfolio has raised more than $11.7 billion from investors and is currently worth more than $185 billion today. The Techstars portfolio includes 12 unicorns – privately held startups worth more than $1 billion – and its success with thousands of startups across the globe offers a promising opportunity for entrepreneurs and innovators participating in the Startup City Acceleration Program.

The 50 Japanese companies selected to participate in the program are from four key startup ecosystems, including Tokyo, Nagoya, Kansai and Fukuoka. Industries and fields of these companies span a variety of sectors, such as robotics, hardware, materials, advanced manufacturing, AI, blockchain, and IT services, among others.

Techstars CEO, Maelle Gavet, went on to say, "We believe that great ideas can come from anywhere and we are committed to driving greater diversity in the technology and investment sectors outside of Silicon Valley. Japan has an incredible history of innovation with strong potential for growth and transformation. The Startup City Accelerator Program will be one of the most innovative and interesting programs we have run to date, and we look forward to helping unlock its potential."

For more information, visit techstars.com.

About Techstars

The Techstars worldwide network helps entrepreneurs succeed. Founded in 2006, Techstars began with three simple ideas – entrepreneurs create a better future for everyone, collaboration drives innovation, and great ideas can come from anywhere. Now we are on a mission to enable every person on the planet to contribute to, and benefit from, the success of entrepreneurs. In addition to operating accelerator programs and venture capital funds, we do this by connecting startups, investors, corporations, and cities to help build thriving startup communities. Techstars has invested in more than 2,300 companies and has a portfolio valued at more than $185B. www.techstars.com

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