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All Posts Author: Patrick Stevens
Market NewsTechnology

All You Need To Know About Hypebeast Reverse Merger

Hypebeast

If you love sneakers and streetwear, you might be well-versed with Hypebeast. This is a Hong Kong-based company that manufactures sneakers and streetwear. It is a household name in Hong Kong and the entire East Asia region. The 16-year old company is better-known for setting the standards in the streetwear fashion industry, but it's also involved in technology, sports, art and food. The company prides itself in identifying emerging trends in culture and lifestyle to create an eco-system that promotes cultural discovery and connection.

Hypebeast Reverse Merger

The company is planning to list on the Nasdaq by merging a SPAC with an already-listed company Iron Spark. The merger will see the new entity listed on the Nasdaq with an already-identified ticker "HYPE". Merging a profitable or high-potential company with a public company that is not doing so well is the cheapest way of taking a company public. This is because the cost of taking a company public through an IPO is beyond the reach of many businesses. Through the merging of the SPAC and the public company, Hypebeast will become a publicly-listed company. It is important to note that the company is already listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, so it will be dual listed on the two major exchanges.

What Products and Services Does the Company Offer?

Founded by Kevin Ma in 2005, Hypebeast was originally just a sneaker blog. The company has now grown to be an e-commerce and digital media company that focuses on lifestyle, culture and fashion. It mainly focuses on streetwear fashion. The company has grown to become one of the trend-setters in Hong Kong.

Who is Involved in the SPAC?

The Hypebeast Reverse merger deal is backed by a star-studded pool of investors, including Naomi Osaka - the tennis star, Tom Brady - the famous quarterback, Kevin Durant - NBA star, Rich Kleiman, Adam Levine, Joe Gebbia and Tony Hawk among other stars.

Market NewsTechnology

Vacasa: Standing Out In The Vacation Rental Sector

Vacasa

The travel industry was booming before the pandemic began. Everything slowed down due to health concerns but many are still bullish about industry prospects. Vacasa is a startup that is betting on a big industry rebound once the pandemic subsides. It is a rental management company from Portland, Oregon launched back in 2009. With more than 30,000 vacation homes and 6,500 employees, Vacasa is a major player that turned heads with its IPO.

Vacasa SPAC

Vacasa took the unconventional route of merging with a SPAC called TPG Pace Solutions Corp for about $4 billion. The executives behind TPG have already completed several successful transactions before this deal. This should boost the confidence of prospective investors, although risk remains due to the volatile environment. People are eager to go on vacations after spending more than two years mostly at home. Time will tell how quickly they can do so safely.

Vacasa Operating Results

Vacasa isn't profitable yet but it is enjoying increased revenues and reduced losses. In the third quarter of 2021, the company recorded a 77% surge in revenue year-on-year with a total of $330 million. It has revised its forecast by $100 million given better than expected earnings. According to its chief financial officer Jamie Cohen, only 10% of shares are publicly floated with ticker symbol VCSA. Existing shareholders of Vacasa stock are keen on holding on to their equity, showing belief in the company's future.

Vacasa vs AirBnb

Many compare Vacasa and AirBnB but the two have different business models. With AirBnB, homeowners get a platform on which to list their properties and get reservations. However, they will need to manage guest screening, overlapping requests, visitor support, online marketing, and more. On the other hand, Vacasa is a full-service vacation rental management company. It does repairs, maintenance, cleaning, stocking, support, marketing, and everything else necessary to keep the rental units thriving.

AirBnB is good for people who want to be more involved in the daily operations while Vacasa is perfect for property owners who prefer a hands-off investment approach. The latter provides more opportunities to scale up while maintaining a high standard of care for the properties. People do not have to worry about time commitments and the stress of running a hospitality business. They don't even have to live near the rental units so they can just keep adding more wherever they find great spots.

Market NewsTechnology

Perfect Corp Beauty & Fashion Tech Solution at CES 2022

PerfectCorp

Perfect Corp., a leader in augmented reality and artificial intelligence solutions for retail, announced the latest advancements in its digital solutions for beauty and fashion brands at CES 2022. The company's virtual try-on experiences allow consumers to experience products in an immersive way without leaving the comfort of their homes. Its 3D digital booth gives consumers a chance to try on various items and includes a transaction manager and a social commerce platform.

Perfect Corp Products

Its beauty and fashion tech solutions provide a holistic view of the consumer, enabling brands to connect with consumers in a way that's easier to understand and purchase. Developed by a team of augmented reality experts, the AI-powered solution offers hyper-personalized virtual makeup and hair color, along with skin analysis and hair color. Estee Lauder is one of the first brands to use Perfect's virtual try-on services. Its AgileHand technology provides a wide range of textures, skin tones, and hand sizes to help shoppers decide which products to purchase.

A leading AI and augmented reality company, Perfect Corp. empowers consumer-centric brands by transforming the shopping experience. The company is recognized as a top AI powerhouse, with more than 44 granted patents and dozens of pending applications. The firm's enterprise solutions are used by 95% of the world's top 20 beauty groups. Its consumer app, YouCam, has over 950 million downloads globally. The platform's powerful technology enables shopper-based product recommendations.

Whether a retailer wants to sell an apparel item or a cosmetics item, a perfect Corp. beauty, and fashion tech solution can help. The company's solutions will make omnichannel strategies more effective, and dramatically increase sales conversions. Unlike traditional retail stores, augmented reality solutions help customers choose the best products based on their needs, tastes, and preferences. This enables them to make the most informed decisions.

With its 3D digital booth, Perfect Corp. was able to show the latest innovations in its digital solutions for beauty and fashion. Its AR and AI solutions enable brands to create a more immersive shopping experience, while its AR-powered video consultations enable brand owners to engage and retain customers. This type of experience was refreshing for attendees and is still available today. It is the perfect way to interact with consumers and increase sales.

The AI-powered technology behind the Perfect Corp. applications makes it possible for shoppers to virtually try on beauty products. The solutions include AR-powered step-by-step makeup application guides and an AI skin analysis tool that detects 14 common skin concerns in two seconds. In addition, users can also use their mobile devices to shop for beauty and fashion accessories. Ultimately, these solutions will improve their lives and improve the lives of people worldwide.

CEO Alice Chang

In 2015, Alice Chang founded Perfect Corp. after serving as the CEO of CyberLink for nearly two decades. During her tenure at the company, she developed facial recognition technology and a virtual try-on tool for makeup. She wanted to use this technology in consumer products to avoid making mistakes. Today, Perfect operates consumer mobile applications for virtual makeovers and photo editing. Over 950 million downloads worldwide have been recorded, and consumers have used these applications to virtually try on 10 billion products in the past year.

Market NewsTechnology

In New Reverse Merger Circle Doubles Valuation to $9B

Circle

Circle has doubled its valuation after inking a deal with blank-check company Concord. Concord is the latest so-called Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) - another name for a blank-check company or shell company - to agree a reverse merger with a crypto firm.

Circle, the cryptocurrency startup backed by Goldman Sachs, has agreed to a merger with blank-check company Concord. The deal will value Circle at $3B and the combined market cap of the new entity is expected to be $9B.

Financing of all types has been tough this year, but companies still need to grow. It’s a strange paradox that’s led to explosion of SPACs taking companies public through reverse mergers. TechCrunch understands that one of the latest big private tech companies to ink a deal with a SPAC is Circle, the crypto financial services and stable coin provider that boasts major institutional clients like Goldman Sachs, and is part of the Blockchain Association.

The Unique StableCoin

Circle, a United States-based company, is another popular option for Crypto users in search of a stablecoin. Circle has an especially unique approach to its Stablecoin when compared to other coins, including Tether. Circle takes the stance that transparency helps reassure users that the USD-pegged coin is legitimate. As a result, it opted to undergo frequent third-party audits from regulators and make the results available for public viewing.

Public Auditing by Armanino

After launching a US dollars-backed Stablecoin in September 2019, Circle has partnered with the Florida-based auditing firm Armanino to conduct bi-quarterly audits on its fully reserved dollar tokens.

Market NewsTechnology

Factors that Affect Shopify Stock today

ShopifyStock

Shopify Stock is on the decline today. With no sign of slowing down, it's a worrisome time for investors. If you're considering buying stock in Shopify, you might have some questions. Wondering what factors affect Shopify stocks? What are the latest news stories about Shopify? Here are five factors that affect Shopify stock today.

Shopify Customers

Shopify is one of the largest e-commerce platforms available in the market, with more than 500,000 merchants using it to run their businesses. This customer base is attractive for investors. It means Shopify will continue to grow in size and revenue, with each customer bringing in more revenue through commissions or transactions on the site. Customers are vital to the success of any business, and Shopify has plenty of them with no sign of slowing down.

Shopify Competitors

Shopify has a lot of competitors. The main ones are Amazon, Bigcommerce, Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly. With all of these companies fighting for the same space, Shopify stock is bound to be affected. As more people start using Shopify for e-commerce sites, the less likely they will create their site. Investors are likely worried about how this will affect Shopify stocks in the future.

Shopify Partnerships

Shopify has had a lot of success with partnerships in the past. It partnered with Apple, Facebook, and Amazon on new products. Shopify also partnered with IBM to create enterprise-level services for its clients. Shopify has partnered with two of the most notable companies globally, Walmart and Amazon. Shopify's partnership with Amazon allows any company to create an online store using the same technology that powers Amazon.com. This is a major step for Shopify as it will allow them to access new customers who are not currently using their platform.

Services

Shopify provides several services that can affect Shopify stocks today. The company's services include hosting, domain name service, and e-commerce solutions. Shopify can provide an all-in-one solution to entrepreneurs looking to start their shop online with these services. These services are in high demand today because of the rise in e-commerce. Analysts believe that Shopify's growth is due to its ability to provide solutions for many different businesses. This gives it a competitive edge over companies like Amazon and eBay only provide one service or product.

New Features

Shopify has been busy improving its platform with new features. The latest update is Shopify POS, a new credit card reader that will make it easier to conduct business in person. They've also announced a new checkout process called "Checkout with Facebook," allowing customers to sign up using their Facebook account. This is an exciting time for Shopify stockholders, as these updates are likely to increase the value of stocks.

Market NewsTechnology

SPAC: The Tiger Woods-Backed Company You Should Know

Sports & Health Tech Acquisition Corp

Sports & Health Tech Acquisition Corp (the company), Tiger Woods-Backed SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Company), is one of the newest players in the sports data and analytics industry. Tiger Woods first invested in the company back in 2015 when he was still a professional golfer.

Agent Mark Steinberg

Tiger's former agent Mark Steinberg has been instrumental to Tiger's success as an athlete, so it only makes sense that Tiger would want to invest with him again as his advisor. In this article, we'll be discussing 3 main points: what Tiger Woods-Backed SPAC does, how they work with athletes and teams, and why you should know them.

Sports Performance and Analytics Company

What does it do? The company is a sports performance and analytics company. They use data to help athletes and teams improve their performance. Tiger Woods has been quoted as saying, "I have always been fascinated by the application of technology and analytics in sport."

How do they work with athletes? The company works with athletes to help them analyze their performance data. This includes tracking things like shot dispersion, club head speed, and putting strokes. They also look at team stats like offensive efficiency and defensive rebounds.

Why should you know them? Tiger Woods-backed SPAC is one of the newest players in the sports data and analytics industry. They are working with some of the best athletes in the world to improve their performance. And, Tiger Woods is one of the investors in the company.

What's next? The company is working on a number of new projects that will be announced in the coming months. Keep an eye out for their upcoming announcements!

In Tiger Woods' own words, "I have always been fascinated by the application of technology and analytics in sport." That's why it should come as no surprise that Tiger Woods has invested in the SPAC -- a sports data and analytics company.

Tiger Woods-Backed SPAC works with athletes to help them analyze their performance data. This includes tracking things like shot dispersion, club head speed, and putting strokes. They also look at things like weather and course conditions to give athletes an edge.

Sports & Health Tech Acquisition Corp Partnerships

The company has already announced a few new projects that they are working on. They are partnering with the PGA Tour to create a new ShotLink product. This will help players analyze their performance data in even more detail.

The company is also partnering with Microsoft to develop a new cloud platform for sports data analytics. This will make it easier for athletes and coaches to access and use performance data.

Keep an eye out for Tiger Woods-Backed SPAC's upcoming announcements! They are sure to shake up the sports data industry. The company is shaking up the sports data industry, with innovative products and partnerships galore.

Market NewsTechnology

Triller Reverse Merger: An Exciting Venture

Triller Reverse Merger

When there was talk of inroads towards a reverse merger between Triller and SeaChange International, a lot of people didn't realize what was actually taking place. Much of the cynicism and confusion of major shareholders was largely around what exactly a reverse merger is, and the consequences which would follow from such a drastic move. So when a private company like Triller finally mergers with it's counterpart -a publicly owned enterprise- in a deal that is earmarked for the first quarter of 2022, this will have the effect of the former being listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange, a move that is set to increase it's market dominance. The creation of the combined entity now aptly known as TrillerVerz Corp has it's primary focus being the broadening of its marketing and advertising abilities by venturing into satellite, cable and OTT media in a bid to break into the Gen Z market.

Diversification As A Driver For Long-term Growth

The primary driver behind the merger is to build and consolidate the creators industry by mainly focusing on monetization and distribution of engaging and stimulating content. The advent of TikTok's almost meteoric rise is what inspired the merger, as the younger generation has completely distanced itself from mainstream music and film companies, to create their own opportunities for making their diverse talents known by the greater world community. So when all is said and done, the Triller reverse merger is set to reinvent the impetus behind universal stardom. For what its worth, Triller aired a virtual hip hop competition sponsored by world renowned Pepsi, which was advertising its novel wild cherry flavored cola.

Technology

All You Need To Know About Rumble SPAC

Rumble

Rumble is a Canadian company that was formed in 2013 and operates as an online video tube. The founder of the Rumble platform is Chris Pavlovski. The company has been growing rapidly with an ever increasing monthly user count. In July 2020, Rumble had a monthly user count of 1.6 million. In the first quarter of 2021, however, the number of monthly users stood at 31.9 million. Recently, rumors have been doing the rounds regarding the future of Rumble Inc. It has now been confirmed that the company is going public via an SPAC deal. Rumble Inc is merging with a special acquisition company known as CF Acquisition Corp IV.

How Much is the Rumble SPAC Deal Worth?

The Rumble SPAC and CF Acquisition deal is estimated to be worth $2.1 billion. In this merger transaction, Rumble is expected to make about $400 million. This comprises $300 million liquid cash held by CF Acquisition and $100 million from PIPE fundraising. Pipe is short for Private Investment in public Equity. In this lucrative deal, the founder of Rumble Inc is expected to retain voting rights, which means he will have a say on the direction the company is going to take after the merger.

What Does Rumble Offer?

Rumble is an online video service that mainly offers online video hosting services. It is incredibly popular with conservatives. This is where the Trump connection comes in. The former US president loves Rumble and his followers are not any different. That is why stock prices of CF Acquisition IV increased by double digits when the partnership between Truth Social and Rumble Inc was announced.

In this partnership deal, Truth Social is going to use the Rumble video hosting service as its default platform for distribution. This means that any video that's uploaded onto Truth Social or streamed live on Truth Social will use Rumble. It's a big deal, and that explains all the excitement in the stock market.

Market News

Wejo Reverse Merger Results In $1B NASDAQ Listing

Wejo

The SME investment specialist Seneca Partners announced that Manchester-based Wejo has just finished a reverse merger with Virtuoso Acquisition Corporation. Trading has already for the expanded company begun on NASDAQ last Friday, November 19.

Wejo is known as one of the leading names in connected vehicle data but it is not resting on its laurels. The company knows that it has tremendous growth potential and it is doing what it takes to accelerate expansion to various markets. Among its targets are advertising, insurance, payments, traffic management, fleet management, remote diagnostics, SaaS solutions, roadside assistance, car sharing, and car rentals.

Automotive Big Data

According to company statistics, Wejo is now collecting an average of 14.6 billion data points each day. It is also analyzing 66 million journeys of about 10.7 million active vehicles daily. Its supply base is more than 50 million connected vehicles and continuing to increase at a rapid rate. Indeed, Wejo predicts that almost half of the vehicles around the world will become connected by the decade's end. The volume of data will skyrocket, thus the need for the company to get ready for take-off.

Investment Partners

Seneca Partners has been supporting Wejo's growth since 2016 and is pleased with the result of the merger. One of their investment directors Matt Curie says that Wejo has had a strong management team since the beginning. This has definitely helped the company navigate a dynamic business environment over the past few years. Curie reiterates that Seneca remains committed to the development of businesses within the North West SME community. They have a strong relationship and wide footprint that they will continue to nurture.

Curie also lauded the UK government's pro-business programs that help innovative startups raise capital to grow and become competitive. In this case, Wejo was able to take advantage of the Enterprise Investment Scheme. EIS gives investors tax relief as incentive so that more would be willing to purchase the shares of beneficiary companies.

Seneca is not just focused on raising funds and deploying these. They have the proven ability to select the best investment opportunities among multiple options. They are also able to get cash returns within reasonable timeframes. The case of Wejo is another proof of their expertise in finding excellent startups and guiding their growth. It will further strengthen the trust of investors and advisers.

Market NewsTechnology

Guerrilla RF Reverse Merger

GRF-logo@2x

Guerrilla RF conducted a reverse merger with Laffin Acquisition Corp, a public Delaware firm, and became a Laffin subsidiary.
Following the transaction, Laffin renamed itself 'Guerrilla RF Inc,' and will continue to operate as Guerrilla RF did previously.

What does Guerrilla RF Produce

Guerrilla RF supplies wireless OEMs with high-performance monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) for a variety of applications, including 5G/4G macro and small cell base stations, cellular repeaters/DAS, automobile telematics, and machine-to-machine (M2M) systems.

Guerrilla RF’s MMICs enable its customers to increase the capacity of their networks with superior spectral efficiency and improved reliability. These MMICs are used in cellular base stations for both current 4G/LTE networks, as well as for 5G macro and small cell applications around the globe. This is accomplished through Guerrilla’s patented Sigma-Sigma modulation technology and high linearity architecture.

Guerrilla’s solutions also support all mobile broadband standards, including: 2G, 3G, 4G and most importantly, 5G.

Why a Reverse Merger

In a reverse merger, a private company merges with a publicly traded shell company. In so doing, the private company acquires a publicly traded stock with a liquid trading price. The key advantages of a reverse merger over an IPO are: lower cost, greater speed, and potentially larger share price increase resulting from a better performing public shell company. A shareholder of the private company continues to control the resulting public company.

A reverse merger has similarities to an initial purchase offering (IPO) (in the sense that some securities exchanges allow some companies to be listed on an exchange through an APO) and to a forward merger (in the sense that the resulting company is publicly traded).

Who much was raised in the Guerrilla RF public transaction

Guerrilla RF has secured more than $7 million through a private placement offering and a reverse merger transaction.

Following the issuance of the first tranche of securities in May, Guerrilla RF closed on an additional $6.5 million through the issuance of convertible notes payable. During the same time, the company completed its reverse merger transaction with Guerrilla Acquisition Corp., which resulted in the creation of public company Guerrilla RF, Inc.

How is the semiconductor market in 2021

Right today, the semiconductor market is quite strong.

In the semiconductor business, there are well-publicized supply chain issues, but we expect those challenges to be minimized and, hopefully, overcome by 2022.

There are several major factors that make our current market conditions conducive for investing in this sector. First, the industry is transitioning from NAND to 3D NAND, which has increased investment in capital expenditures for semiconductor manufacturers. Second, the recent increase in the amount of DRAM production capacity has not created a surplus in DRAM products on the open market. Third, China is increasing their semiconductor manufacturing capacities through advanced manufacturing facilities. The influx of global manufacturing capacity has lowered prices of memory semiconductors. Prices are expected to remain low for memory semiconductors through at least 2022 due to continued increases in supply chain capacity.

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