Q&A with Jeanne Hopkins, CMO at Lola.com

Media 7 | April 22, 2020

Cameron Worth, CEO & Founder of SharpEnd leads the company’s mission to help brands move closer than ever to consumers by connecting packaging, retail and experiential activity. He is a regular speaker and writer on how to build brands in a connected world. He has spoken at Cannes, the Festival of Marketing, LuxePack Monaco and New York, Ad:Week Europe and New York, DMA, the Connected Consumer Conference, Mobile World Congress and the IoT World Forum. MEDIA 7: How did the idea of “the agency of things” come to your mind? CAMERON WORTH: SharpEnd was created in 2015 as the world’s first Internet of Things focused agency, so there is a slight play on words when we say we’re the Agency of Things. I think the idea of giving things their own agency is an interesting concept, and the strapline fits our capabilities on multiple levels. M7: In what way does technology drive the association of SharpEnd with global brands? What approaches are followed to enable sustainability? CW: Our simple proposition is to help build brands in a connected world, and to do that you must always start with identified consumer needs or pain points and look at technology as just an enabler to deliver an appropriate solution (when appropriate).  Take the issue of sustainability, which is often a pain point for brands that grapple with issues such as how we can reward sustainable behaviour change. One of our approaches to this could be to look at communicating the recycling credentials of the different products. Whilst the consumer can engage with a product as part of a wider consumer experience, the same technology could also house content that could tell you whether the product is recyclable, which type of bin it goes in etc. SharpEnd’s work with Unilever is a case in point. We built a digital product that incentivised recycling through gamification but also served to educate through informing people how and where to recycle in a clear fashion. All users had to do was simply scan their packaging to have all this information at their disposal.

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MEDIA 7 | January 9, 2020

Sangram Vajre, Co-Founder & Chief Evangelist at Terminus is also an author and host of the podcast FlipmyFunnel. He is one of the leading minds in B2B marketing. MEDIA 7: What are you passionate about? SANGRAM VAJRE: Three things: Lead professionally. Grow personally. Love family. M7: Terminus has been recognized as one of Georgia’s 40 fastest-growing companies by ACG Atlanta. What factors contribute to this pace? SV: One of our core values is #OneTeam – which means we think and act as one team and know that if we treat our team right, they will treat our customers amazing. There are no great companies, only great people that make those companies.

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MEDIA 7 | December 5, 2019

Andrea Lechner-Becker, Chief Marketing Officer at LeadMD is an experienced Marketing and Sales Executive with a demonstrated history of working in the marketing and advertising industry. Skilled in Business Process, Marketo, Sales, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and IT Service Management, Andrea is also a strong business development professional and a storyteller. MEDIA 7: What inspired you to get into marketing? ANDREA LECHNER: Frankly, not having better options. I originally attended the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse thinking I’d major in Archaeology. I wanted to be Indiana Jones! But, after visiting the archaeology building – i.e. the cold, dark basement of the science building – where a girl sat to piece together pieces of an old Native American vase, I knew archaeology was not going to be the right path for me. And so, without being good at science and a major in art or art history was unlikely to pay my bills, I decided to go into “business”. I originally registered as a management major, but took my first marketing class and thought it was more interesting and switched my sophomore year. That was pretty much it. I’d never been involved in business classes or DECA in high school – I didn’t really know what to do or what jobs in marketing were even possible. I dumb lucked myself into it really. M7: As a storyteller, do you relate the brand to a story or story to the brand? AL: Both? Neither? I think there are stories in every brand, because there are people working on the brand and people engaging with the brand and people using what the brand creates. People, most often a single person, are at the heart of great stories. You can start with the “point” of the story you’re trying to tell. Say you have a software that help accountants better create reports for board meetings. It’s likely you’ll want to tell a success story about an accountant getting promoted to CFO in part because your software helped better communicate their work product to the board. You could have the idea for that and go looking for that story in your customers. OR, you could hear that story, and say, “That’s amazing!” and share it with customers, partners and internal people. Stories are all around us – the most important thing is to keep your ears and eyes open for finding them.

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ENTERPRISE IOT, DEVICES

Ambi Robotics | March 21, 2023

Ambi Robotics, the leading provider of AI-powered robotic parcel sorting systems that empower warehouse operators to handle more, today introduces AmbiAccess, a cloud-based business intelligence platform enabling customers to get even more out of their Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) investment. AmbiAccess provides advanced fleet management capabilities and real-time analytics to optimize operations and maximize efficiency so global shippers and logistics companies can gain visibility into their entire operation “We built the AmbiAccess platform with a suite of operation-enhancing applications to make our customers’ lives easier,” says Jeff Mahler, Co-founder and CTO of Ambi Robotics. “This new customer portal goes beyond data visibility, with comprehensive insights and advanced analytics that leverage historical data and trends. Now our customers can better understand the performance of their entire fleet, compare KPIs between facilities and regions, and access real-time analytics from any device.” The AmbiAccess platform simplifies managing robot fleets and enhances the overall operating experience as customers scale AI-powered robotic sorting systems across their network. With on-demand accessibility, customers gain access to data-driven business intelligence that provides greater visibility into their operations. Customers can monitor robot fleet performance in real-time, access advanced analytics reporting, review actionable insights, view the system knowledge base, and access 24/7 customer support all in one place. This includes real-time data that tracks key performance metrics, productivity, system utilization, item analysis, and proactive insights to identify potential issues before they occur. “AmbiAccess opens the doors to a more efficient and sustainable supply chain,” says Stephen McKinley, VP of Operations at Ambi Robotics. “This new platform demonstrates the impact of our AI-powered robotic sorting systems and allows our customers to gain an even greater competitive edge in the market.” AmbiAccess takes the guesswork out of managing throughput, sort plans, exception items, and operational efficiency. Customers can compare trends and key metrics across their systems, facilities, and regions. Facility managers and operations executives can view metrics from the warehouse or on the go through the cloud-based portal. About Ambi Robotics Ambi Robotics is an artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics company developing advanced solutions that scale ecommerce operations to meet demand while empowering humans to handle more. The company’s industry-leading AI operating system, AmbiOS, leverages proprietary simulation-to-reality (Sim2Real) technology to operate highly-dexterous robotic systems. Founded in 2018, the world's top roboticists, AI researchers, and leading business professionals work together to build the supply chain's most valued systems. The company is located in Berkeley, Cali

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ENTERPRISE IOT, INFRASTRUCTURE

Keyfactor | March 16, 2023

On March 15, 2023, Keyfactor, the enterprise machine and IoT identity platform, joined the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA). CSA is a leading organization that develops and promotes open, universal standards for safer product interaction and connection. Keyfactor's CSA membership affirms the company's approach to authentication and trust between connected devices and applications, joining 260+ innovative brands like Amazon, Apple, and Google. IoT product manufacturers must enhance the overall security and consumer experience as connected devices become more widespread. As an industry leader in IoT security, Keyfactor recognizes the challenges of device manufacturing. As a new CSA member, the organization will continue to play an essential role in making way for a secure, connected future. Keyfactor's PKI-based digital integrity and identity capabilities support every aspect of digital trust for Matter-certified devices. Its certificate lifecycle management, common criteria certified PKI, and code-signing technologies provide complete control over the security embedded in IoT products and devices. Ellen Boehm, SVP of IoT Strategy and Operations at Keyfactor, shared, "Manufacturers continue to grapple with IoT product security implementation; currently, there is a missing link in true authentication and trust between devices and applications that exist in secure IoT systems." She added, "Joining CSA alongside other IoT innovators, many of which are existing Keyfactor customers, will widen our reach and sustain our commitment towards helping IoT OEMs around the globe achieve reliable, secure connectivity." (Source – Business Wire) About Keyfactor Keyfactor is the trusted name in machine and IoT identity management. The company's end-to-end solutions provide secure authentication and unique identity management for devices, transactions, and workloads. Its identity-first approach to security ensures organizations have the tools to create a secure digital ecosystem, reducing risk and protecting against cyber threats. Keyfactor's merger with PrimeKey in 2021 combined the world's most widely used and trusted PKI solution (PrimeKey EJBCA) with Keyfactor's end-to-end machine identity management platform.

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ENTERPRISE IOT, DEVICES

Semtech | March 17, 2023

Semtech Corporation (Nasdaq: SMTC), a high-performance semiconductor, IoT systems and Cloud connectivity service provider, today announced the expansion of its market leading LoRa® portfolio with a new transceiver for use in Internet of Things (IoT) end points that provides lower power consumption, global connectivity and long range. The new LoRa Connect™ LR1121 brings the best LoRa transceiver RF performance to date with the multi-band versatility permitting a single, low-power chip to be used anywhere in the world. It is pin compatible with the current LoRa Edge™ devices, allowing module makers such as Murata to have a single hardware design for a wide range of applications, with global connectivity. Likewise, Integrated Passive Devices such as Johanson Technology can readily be used alongside the LoRa Connect LR1121 to offer a smaller footprint, reduce time to market and minimize design iterations. The highly integrated LoRa Connect LR1121 transceiver provides LoRaWAN connectivity for terrestrial low power wide area networks (LPWAN) operating at 470MHz, 868MHz and 915MHz; it also provides LoRa 2.4GHz and the S-band for direct connection to satellites. “Semtech’s LoRa Connect is targeting the connectivity challenges faced by the industry today enabling widespread adoption and reinforcing LoRa’s position as the de-facto platform for IoT,” said Robert Comanescu, senior director of the IoT Chips Business at Semtech. “We continue to invest in improving LoRa technology and enriching our product portfolio with multi-band LoRa support and LoRa Cloud™ services that will provide best in class, sustainable, ubiquitous and global IoT connectivity.” New modules and reference designs, developed in partnership with Johanson and Murata, are ready at launch and offer a smaller form factor, lower assembly costs and faster time to market. Murata’s Type 2GT module, currently supporting the LoRa Edge LR1110 and LR1120 products, is also now supporting the LoRa Connect LR1121, offering a turnkey solution for lower cost assembly and faster time to market with a pre-certified LR1121 variant readily available. "By collaborating with Semtech on this offering, we are leveraging both companies’ leadership and expertise to create the most needed solution in the IoT market which provides multi-band LoRa® and long range - frequency hopping spread spectrum (LR-FHSS) communication over sub-GHz and 2.4GHz ISM bands as well as licensed S-Band for satellites," said Sasaki Akira, general manager of Connectivity Module Marketing, Murata. "The new multi-band module allows designers to develop products with a faster time to market by minimizing BOM size, cost and complexity." Likewise, Johanson Technology’s IPD is also compatible with the LR1121 and replaces many RF passives, allowing a smaller form factor and lower assembly costs. A reference design is available now on the Semtech website to jumpstart chip down designs. About Semtech Semtech’s LoRa chip-to-Cloud platform is a globally adopted long range, low power solution for Internet of Things (IoT) applications, enabling the rapid development and deployment of long range, ultra-low power and cost efficient IoT networks, gateways, sensors, module products, and IoT services worldwide. Semtech’s LoRa technology provides the communication layer for the LoRaWAN® standard, which is maintained by the LoRa Alliance®, an open IoT alliance for Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) applications that has been used to deploy IoT networks in over 173 countries. Semtech is a founding member of the LoRa Alliance and produces the “The WAN Network Show” podcast to connect massive IoT end users to operators of LoRaWAN networks around the world. With the proliferation of LoRa devices and the LoRaWAN standard, the LoRa Developer Portal is a technical support platform for IoT innovators to learn, connect, collaborate, and find resources to help accelerate product development efforts and expedite time to market. To learn more about how LoRa enables IoT and creates a more sustainable and smarter planet, visit Semtech’s LoRa site.

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