Category: Business

Team Editorial – Evrima Chicago

HOUSTON, TX / ACCESS Newswire / July 11, 2025 / From the Translator’s Preface:

This is a book by a cat, about cats, and based on an ancient Chinese classic known as the I Ching (Book of Changes). For nearly 3,000 years, the I Ching has served as a metaphysical roadmap for the human soul. Until now, cats had no such philosophical guide. Why? For the usual reasons: humans subjugated us, labeled us “the other,” and denied us our own voice.

THE CAT CHING or I CHING FOR CATS changes all that.

In this wildly inventive and lavishly illustrated reimagining of the I Ching, Mao, The Cat Philosopher, helps feline-kind-and their humans-make sense of the world and its many challenges. In the paws of Mao, the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching become a guide to decoding the present and divining the future.

Select a hexagram, and unlock the mysteries of the cosmos. Or at least, figure out what’s really going on in your litter box.

Socrates said: “Know thyself.”
Mao replies: “Know thy kitty-and you will know thyself. Maybe.”

A Sample of Mao’s Timeless Wisdom:

• If at first you don’t succeed, sleep.

• Not all that glitters is cat litter; sometimes it’s a fire ant hill.

• A healthy heart and shiny coat require lifting the toilet seat once daily.

• Prokofiev’s “Scythian Suite” can drown out the sound of cats mating-try it.

• The sound of the icemaker will not kill you.

THE CAT CHING or I CHING FOR CATS includes a Preface, an Introduction, and 64 illustrated entries-each with a cat photo, hexagram, interpretation, and witty commentary. Both philosophical and delightfully impractical, it offers life advice through a fur-covered lens. It is the ideal gift for the spiritually curious, the philosophically inclined, and anyone who is (willingly) owned by a cat.

About the Author: Richard J. Smith

Richard J. Smith is the George and Nancy Rupp Professor of Humanities Emeritus at Rice University and one of the foremost Western scholars of Chinese intellectual history. His body of work explores divination systems, cosmology, and cultural history-most notably through his acclaimed book The I Ching: A Biography (Princeton University Press, 2012).

Smith’s contributions include:

• Fathoming the Cosmos and Ordering the World: The Yijing

• The Qing Dynasty and Traditional Chinese Culture

• Mapping China and Managing the World

• Rethinking the Sinosphere (Editor)

• Reexamining the Sinosphere (Editor)

His ability to make deeply complex Chinese traditions accessible to general readers has earned praise from scholars and institutions around the world. Choice magazine named The I Ching: A Biography an “Outstanding Academic Title,” and reviewers have commended his “clarity, rigor, and transcultural insight.”

• Google Books

• Amazon Author Page

Disclaimer

This original article was independently researched and published by Richard J. Smith with the editorial team of Evrima Chicago News Bureau and has not been previously published in any form before today. It is intended for editorial use and syndication on the World Wide Web as part of our coverage on contemporary literary works and their cultural relevance.

Endorsed by the Author
The views and interpretations expressed herein are those of our editorial team and are commissioned &/or officially endorsed by Prof. Richard J. Smith.

Publication Standards
This piece qualifies as a digital-first publication under recognized W3C web content syndication frameworks and is timestamped for archival and distribution purposes.

No Liability for Obsessive Readers
Evrima Chicago disclaims all liability for readers who finish The Cat Ching and begin quoting feline proverbs at dinner parties or seek enlightenment via litter box meditation.

Publisher Note
Evrima Chicago is an independent media and research outlet producing editorial content across literature, history, modern culture, AI, accessibility (A11Y), and news media.

SOURCE: Evrima Chicago LLC.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

Matt Bellina Regained Function After Receiving NurOwn via the Right to Try Law He Fought to Pass and Now He is Fighting for All Americans with ALS to Get the Same Chance He Did

BREMERTON, WA / ACCESS Newswire / July 11, 2025 / The Backstory

Twenty-two years ago, Matt Bellina and Jamie Warack, along with a group of ten college midshipmen, checked onto a destroyer in Yokosuka, Japan. They set off on a navy summer cruise to visit a war memorial in Busan, South Korea. As with many experiences in the navy, they left each other after a month with shared experiences and memories, not knowing if their paths would ever cross again. Both Matt and Jamie went on to become naval aviators: Matt on the EA-6b Prowler, and Jamie on the P3 Orion. But neither Matt nor Jamie could have imagined they would meet again through the shared heartbreak of ALS.

Matt was diagnosed with ALS in 2011. Jamie’s husband, Nick, also a P3 Orion pilot, was diagnosed with ALS in the fall of 2020.

ALS is a cruel disease. As motor neurons die, the brain can no longer communicate with the voluntary muscles, which slowly become paralyzed. Ultimately, people lose the ability to walk, talk, move, eat, drink, swallow, and eventually, breathe. These two naval airmen who had once controlled our country’s most elite aircraft would soon lose the ability to control their own bodies.

As only the few unlucky people who have navigated this diagnosis can know, Nick and Jamie waffled through feelings of despair and hopelessness, but hung onto every word the doctors said, hoping for a change in tone or the possibility that they got the diagnosis wrong, hoping for any new drug that could slow the lethal march to death.

Hope was soon to come in an unexpected way, not from a doctor’s office. Shortly after his diagnosis, Nick learned of a Navy pilot from Whidbey Island who had become a powerful advocate for ALS patients, especially for the Right to Try law and a stem cell treatment called NurOwn. And then came the day that hope was restored. Nick showed Jamie a video of that same man with ALS standing up from his wheelchair for the first time in two years.

Even then, Jamie didn’t realize the man in the wheelchair was the same Matt Bellina she’d known from that summer decades before. It wasn’t until Nick publicly shared his diagnosis on social media that the connection clicked. Matt, already years into his own battle with ALS, commented on Nick’s post, offering prayers and heartfelt support. Tucked away in boxes were photos of the much younger Matt and Jamie. The young Matt in those photos was the same naval aviator, Matt Bellina, who stood up out of his wheelchair.

That moment, that unexpected connection, and Matt’s journey with NurOwn, gave Nick and Jamie a spark of hope when they needed it most. In the years since, their path with ALS has been filled with uncertainty and heartache, but hope has remained at the center of their story – thanks in part to Matt Bellina’s courage and the possibilities offered by the groundbreaking stem cell therapy called NurOwn.

Nick’s Fight

As Nick said to his family and friends when sharing the news of his ALS diagnosis:

“Today is but one day in my fight. Tomorrow will be the next.”

Nick and Jamie believe tomorrow holds the promise of more time, more memories, and more strength – for all the people and families fighting this disease. They are holding on to that promise – believing in the power of tomorrow. But as pilots they also knew that the hope for tomorrow is based on the actions you take today. So a few weeks after the heartbreaking FDA Advisory Committee, Jamie reached out to another ALS advocate and pronounced:

“We are not the type of people to sit back and do nothing, especially when so much is on the line….
We want to do something drastic to get some positive attention for ALS and
the treatments…. This sounds crazy, but we are prepared to
do something crazy to hopefully facilitate change….
We are in this fight with you now.”

That “something crazy” was about to come to fruition. A few months earlier, when Nick had published a story in the American Bar Association Journal, talking about his law firm’s pro bono program, he never anticipated how much their guidance would play a role in his fight to get access to the stem cell therapy that could help him live.

Nick and the pro bono team at Davis, Wright & Tremaine spent months meeting, strategizing, researching, reading Supreme Court briefs and listening to oral arguments. They repeatedly challenged the status quo that the FDA could deny approval of a drug that had compelling evidence of helping some people live longer and live better. They were unwilling to accept the answer that there was no hope for Nick.

When Matt Bellina stood up out of his wheelchair, he showed the world that the impossible was now possible in ALS. Was it also possible that the real-world data gathered by citizens with ALS could ever support an FDA approval, and if so, how could they get that evidence before the FDA?

The legal answer was the Citizen’s Petition filed with the FDA one week ago.

Just as they served our country for years – fighting to protect all of us – these naval aviators are still fighting today … fighting to change regulatory law … fighting to protect the 32,000 people with ALS… and still fighting for approval of the stem cell therapy that can help them live. The Citizens’ Petition launches their fight.

Matt’s Right to Try Story

In 2007, Brig. General Tom Mikolajcik testified before Congress and warned that the risk of ALS was skyrocketing. According to a recent Military Medicine study, in post-9/11 veterans, the highest risk is among pilots like Matt, Nick and the several C-141 pilots in Gen. Mik’s own squadron who were stationed at the Charleston AFB.

General Mik demanded that we “give our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines an opportunity to fight this disease with a medical arsenal.” Then he challenged Congress and the FDA to step up its commitment to veterans and to act with urgency:

“We owe our veterans treatment now.
If these soldiers were dying in the field rather than quietly at home… we would leave no stone unturned.
We would use the best existing resources to make sure they had
whatever they needed to survive … to ensure that no man or woman is left behind.”

Just four years later, when Matt was diagnosed with ALS, there were no disease-modifying drugs in the medical arsenal. As he described in the 2016 HBO Vice documentary, “Die Trying: the battle for ALS treatments,” promising drugs were stuck in clinical trials, but Matt was unable to qualify for any of those trials from the moment he was diagnosed. So Matt did what veterans do; he fought to change the law.

On May 30, 2018, President Trump signed the Matt Bellina Right to Try bill into law. President Trump tweeted:

“With Right to Try, patients with life-threatening illnesses
will finally have access to experimental treatments
that could improve their conditions.”

The Citizens’ Petition reports that’s precisely what happened for Matt Bellina.

Matt’s NurOwn Story

The Citizens’ Petition documents Matt Bellina’s real-world evidence (RWE) and real-world data (RWD) on NurOwn. He received 7 doses of NurOwn via Right to Try from December 2018 through 2020. Matt is the only person in the US who received 6 consecutive doses at the recommended two-month dosing interval. The seventh was received nine months later. But sadly, after his seventh dose, Matt couldn’t get more. It’s now been nearly 5 years since his last dose of the stem cell therapy that was helping him live. Today Matt is dying waiting.

Matt has publicly released clinical data from his VA medical records in both his blog and on social media. Before NurOwn, Matt was losing about 0.45 points per month on the 48-point functional scale. Although he had been a slow progressor, his ALS was already advanced as demonstrated by his functional score of 21/48. Matt had already lost over half of his measurable function.

But once he received NurOwn, that lethal trajectory changed. Matt’s VA medical records document that instead of losing nearly 3 points in 6 months, he regained 6 points of function. This is a 9-point delta. This doesn’t happen in ALS. But it did on NurOwn.

And those changes started happening almost immediately. Just two weeks after his first NurOwn dose, Matt shared that his legs were stronger; his family propped him up against the kitchen counter and he was able to stand. In February 2019, Matt posted on Facebook and shared his improvements in all four domains on the functional rating scale used for ALS trial endpoints: gross and fine motor function, bulbar function and most importantly breathing function:

“I have been given a gift…. Only one month after my first round of treatment,
I have improvement in the clinical strength of my right deltoid and my left bicep.
My forced vital lung capacity is 23% higher and I am seeing subjective improvement in my speech & swallowing.
I no longer need a bi pap at night. Due to increased core strength & coordination,
I am now able to pull myself up to standing.”

By May 2019, Matt publicly shared videos demonstrating his profound increase in function and added this commentary:

“What is remarkable is that I was not able to get out of my chair on my own before NurOwn.
After my second treatment I was able to pull up to standing using both my legs and my arms.
Since the third treatment I am able to stand from my chair without the aid of my arms.
I have not been able to do this for over 2 years and it feels great.
We all need to push the FDA to approve this treatment.
It is simply unacceptable that I am the only one receiving this treatment outside of the trial.
All people with ALS deserve this chance.”

Additionally, before NurOwn, Matt’s ability to swallow food and liquids was also becoming compromised. In her Public Comment, Matt’s mother described a choking incident documented in his VA hospital records in December 2018. After receiving NurOwn, Matt’s choking stopped. He was once again able to enjoy his favorite foods and was still able to enjoy a cold beer on a hot Philly summer day. Matt didn’t get a feeding tube until last month – that’s 6.5 years after his first dose of NurOwn.

As profound as all these changes were, Matt’s improvements in breathing function were the most clinically meaningful as they were life-sustaining. After 6 doses of NurOwn, Matt’s lung capacity was 37% higher than it was before his first injection and Matt stopped using a non-invasive ventilator to breathe at night. This doesn’t happen in the normal lethal and unrelenting progression of ALS. It did happen on NurOwn.

Matt’s Real-World Evidence Is Supporting Evidence of Efficacy for FDA Approval

The Citizens’ Petition asserts that Matt’s Right to Try data is “supporting evidence” of efficacy demonstrating that NurOwn works on some people with 100% fatal ALS.

At multiple patient-focused drug development meetings and in hundreds of emails with former FDA leadership, Matt and the entire ALS community repeatedly shared his data and videos – documenting his unprecedented improvements in function. And yet, Matt’s data was not discussed in the FDA’s briefing documents or presentation at the NurOwn Advisory Committee (AdComm) meeting in September 2023. The AdComm voted against approval and instead recommended another Phase 3 trial limited to the trial population that had shown hypothesis-generating promise in the post hoc analysis.

Ultimately, the AdComm vote was based only on data from the 28-week trial and did not include the RWE/RWD over the 8 years for those in EAP nor the real-world data from Matt Bellina’s Right to Try dosing.

The prior FDA Administration ignored Matt Bellina’s evidence. Consider this irony. The Navy entrusted Matt with a $50 million aircraft and the lives of fellow crew members, but the former FDA didn’t trust him to know if a stem cell therapy was helping his own paralyzed body regain function.

Matt’s real-world data is critical, not only because of his profound improvement, but it is also informative because it provides unique evidence not captured in the NurOwn Phase 3 trial data. As detailed in the Citizens’ Petition:

• Matt is the only person in the US to receive 6 consecutive doses and his functional improvements evidence a dose-dependent impact in both durability and magnitude of response.

• Matt’s baseline score of 21/48 illustrates that NurOwn can work on some people later in ALS disease progression.

• Matt was a slow progressor and this population was excluded from the NurOwn trial (and most ALS trials) because it’s hard to assess changes in slow progressors in short 6-month trials; and thus it tells us that NurOwn can work on some people in this subset of slower ALS progressors.

• Matt received his first dose of NurOwn more than 7 years after onset, demonstrating that it can work on some people like his friend and fellow naval aviator, Nick Warack, who has had ALS for 5 years.

Matt’s RWD from Right to Try also aligns with the clinically meaningful impact and “progression-free survival” that trial investigators observed in the NurOwn Phase 3 trial and EAP. At the FDA Advisory Committee meeting, Mayo’s Dr. Anthony Windebank opined that NurOwn works:

“I would now like to provide my clinical perspective on NurOwn ….
I think this data is compelling & it should be approved….
While not everyone responds to the treatment, there are
clearly a SIGNIFICANT number who do.
I have clearly seen SOME people stabilize in a way that
I have never seen in any other trial….
There were some who IMPROVED their score!”

In 40+ years working as a neurologist and clinical trialist, Dr. Windebank said NurOwn caused improvements like he had never seen before. Similarly, when people with ALS saw videos of a wheelchair-bound man rising out of his wheelchair, and taking steps with a walker again, they too knew it was like nothing they had ever experienced or witnessed before. And just as Jamie and Nick said, Matt’s video evidence provided a ray of hope in a disease that has had none since ALS was discovered in 1869.

Commissioner Makary recently told the roomful of esteemed scientists at the Gene and Cell Therapy Forum that researchers and regulators can learn things from “n of 1” data. And as one former CBER official said, when making decisions about a therapy’s efficacy, regulators like to see a treatment response so obvious that you don’t need to be a statistician to interpret it.

Matt Bellina’s Right to Try data exemplifies the obvious. NurOwn works.

Thus, the Citizens’ Petition is asking this new FDA to consider Matt’s real-world data derived from his Right to Try dosing. Compare it to the NurOwn Phase 2 or 3 randomized controlled data that demonstrated efficacy in some. Compare it to the ALS clinical trial database; compare it to the natural history databases. How many times in ALS natural history or ALS clinical trials have people regained 6 points in function and risen up out of a wheelchair? How many times have people with ALS stopped needing a bi-pap to breathe?

The Citizens’ Petition urges the FDA to compare Matt’s “n of 1” RWD to whatever data you want. But at least consider it. In a 100% fatal and paralyzing disease, any evidence of efficacy – all evidence of efficacy – should be considered. Gold standard science and common sense demand nothing less.

In 2022, Matt so believed in NurOwn’s efficacy that he co-authored a press release asking the FDA for an Advisory Committee meeting so veterans’ voices could be heard.

“Veterans with ALS have a unique stake in the fight for a NurOwn AdComm.
We sacrificed our lives for every citizen’s right of due process.
It is the antithesis of all we fought for if we, now, were denied that same right.”

Today the Citizens’ Petition makes this same request. Please give Matt his due process; give Matt his first opportunity to be heard; give the 5,000+ veterans with ALS a chance to fight the disease they got from serving our country; give the new CBER team the first chance to consider Matt’s unprecedented improvements before deciding the fate of Matt, Nick and the other 32,000 Americans with ALS.

And then, just as General Mik implored Congress, the Citizens’ Petition implores the FDA to please add NurOwn to the medical arsenal for all Americans battling ALS.

About these Naval Aviators
Matt Bellina served as a Naval Officer and aviator for nearly 10 years. As an Electronic Attack Pilot in Whidbey Island, Washington, Matt flew the EA-6B Prowler, and deployed to Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Following his flying career he worked in Operations intelligence, before medically retiring due to ALS in 2014.

Nick and Jamie (Nelson) Warack both served as Naval Officers and aviators, serving as flight instructors and mission commanders on the P-3 Orion. Jamie ultimately rose to the position of Weapons and Tactics Instructor (the P3’s equivalent of “Top Gun”). Nick and Jamie flew operational missions in Iraq, the Horn of Africa, South East Asia, and the Mediterranean, combining for over 100 combat missions and earning eight strike flight air medals between them.

Matt, Nick and Jamie are approaching ALS with the same dedication and tenacity that carried them through their time in the Navy. They now lead a coalition of people who have been advocating for approval of NurOwn. They are committed to expediting access to all promising treatments for ALS, and to implementing policy changes to benefit everyone in the ALS community.

Contact:

1. Nicholas Warack, Esq.
   (mail to: Veterans4NurOwn@gmail.com)

2. Mitze Klingenberg, BSN RN
   (mail to: NurOwnWorks@gmail.com)

Copy of Citizens’ Petition and Exhibits Filed with the FDA:
(https://www.nurownworks.com/)

About the FDA Approval Pathways

Nick, Jamie and Matt assert that the survival, respiratory and functional data from the EAP, Right to Try and randomized controlled trials are part of the “totality of the evidence” that support NurOwn’s approval.

1. Traditional Approval
   Survival data are the gold standard in FDA approvals. NurOwn’s survival data meet both the quality and quantity requirements of “substantial evidence.” (See Petition’s Emergent Fact section C and Memorandum section II).

2. Accelerated Approval
   NurOwn meets the standards for accelerated approval. The survival and respiratory data are “reasonably likely to predict” a favorable impact on the mortality of the 32,000 people with ALS. This survival data far surpasses survival data supporting the accelerated approval of many cancer therapies. (See Petition’s Emergent Fact section C & D; Memorandum section I and II.C; and Exs. A & B).

3. Conditional Approval
   NurOwn’s “plausible mechanism of action” also meets the threshold for Commissioner Makary’s proposed conditional approval pathway. (See Petition Fact section N, pgs. 173-176 and Memorandum section II.G at pgs. 234-241).

SOURCE: NurOwn Citizen’s Petition

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

– Video webcasts to be available on-demand Tuesday, July 22^nd

– Participating company line-up to be announced 

– “What’s Your Story” Summer Spotlight promo video can be accessed here

FRENCHTOWN, NJ / ACCESS Newswire / July 11, 2025 / JTC Team (“JTC”), a fully integrated corporate communications and investor relations firm, today announced it will host the Virtual Investor “What’s Your Story” Summer Spotlight with on-demand presentations available beginning Tuesday, July 22, 2025.

For the event, management from the participating companies will dive deeper into their dedication to their respective companies, how they got to where they are today and provide insight into why they are so passionate about the products and programs in development.

All investors and interested parties will be able to access the list of participating companies at virtualinvestorco.com. The on-demand presentations will be available on the Virtual Investor website, as well as the Investor sections of the respective company websites.

To access all Virtual Investor events, visit www.virtualinvestorco.com.

JTC Team and Virtual Investor Co. are paid consultants to the participating companies. JTC Team and Virtual Investor Co. are investor relations and corporate communications firms. Any content included in this release shall not be construed as an offer to purchase securities of the applicable companies. Interested parties are responsible for conducting their own due diligence and are encouraged to review the companies’ websites and the SEC website for the latest information and filings on each company.

About JTC Team

JTC is a fully integrated investor relations firm that is dedicated to helping you tell your story to the right audiences in order to build awareness. JTC has developed a reputation of excellence for executing on robust communication strategies that deliver results. The Company partners with both public and private companies across the Life Sciences and Technology industries to help raise awareness and build stakeholder value. For more information, please visit www.jtcir.com or connect with the company on X and LinkedIn.

Contact:

Jenene Thomas
JTC Team, LLC
T: +1 (908) 824-0775
jtc@jtcir.com

SOURCE: JTC Team, LLC

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

Agentic AI platform built for government interaction gives policy and legal teams leverage to move faster, stay ahead of the compliance curve, and outmaneuver red tape.

NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / July 11, 2025 / Helios, a technology company building the first AI-native operating system for public policy professionals, today announced that it has raised $4 million in seed funding led by Unusual Ventures, with participation from Founders Inc., Alumni Ventures and a select group of strategic angel investors. The company is gaining early traction in a U.S. market with $10B+ in annual software & lobbying spend. It is working to reshape how private entities and government agencies navigate policy and regulatory challenges, with billions already under management by early adopters.

“Policy, compliance, and regulatory affairs professionals shouldn’t be stuck playing defense – constantly reacting to changes they didn’t see coming,” said Joe Scheidler, CEO & Co-Founder. “We built Proxi to change that. In a world where one missed signal can cost millions or derail strategy, Proxi gives public policy and compliance intelligence teams the clarity, speed, and leverage to shape outcomes instead of getting blindsided by them.”

Proxi is the first AI-native OS purpose-built for public policy, regulatory affairs, legal, compliance, and government teams. It replaces the patchwork of tools these professionals rely on to navigate legislative change, manage public-private relationships, and respond to shifting regulatory demands. Whether in the private sector or across federal, state, and local governments – Proxi enables faster, more strategic decision-making in environments where the cost of delay or misalignment is measured in lost contract opportunities, failed policy, or reputational risk. The consequences aren’t just regulatory-they’re existential.

The Proxi platform: (i) delivers instant answers and strategic recommendations based on live federal and subnational legislative and regulatory activity, (ii) drafts memos, filings, and policy documents with built-in editing and team collaboration, (iii) parses long-form bills, reports, and filings into structured insights and risk alerts, (iv) centralizes all relevant policy and regulatory data for team-wide access and historical context, and (v) tracks government relationships, meeting notes, and stakeholder engagement-all in a secure, AI-powered workspace. By integrating these core functions in a single secure system, Proxi replaces manual, fragmented processes with the speed, foresight, and precision modern institutions demand.

Helios’s founding team – Joe Scheidler (CEO), Joseph Farsakh (President), and Brandon Smith (CTO) – brings together experience from the White House, State Department, Microsoft, USAID, Datadog, and King & Spalding, bridging deep public sector insight with world-class technical execution.

“We are excited to back the talented founding team at Helios as they leverage AI to reshape how policy professionals drive critical strategy and growth within their organizations,” said Lars Albright, General Partner at Unusual Ventures. “As regulations continue to evolve rapidly and grow increasingly complex, modern tools that enable enterprises not only to stay informed, but also to respond swiftly and strategically, are more essential than ever.”

More than 100 public policy professionals, including Fortune 500 companies; federal, state, and local regulatory bodies; consultancies; and top lobbying firms have joined Helios’ rapidly growing waitlist. The funding will accelerate product development, team expansion, and go-to-market efforts. To learn more, visit https://heliosintel.ai.

ABOUT HELIOS:

Helios is building the first AI-native operating system for government interaction, empowering public policy, legal, and compliance professionals with end-to-end automation, secure AI agents, and precision tooling. Headquartered in New York City with a presence in Washington, D.C. and California, Helios is on a mission to modernize how institutions engage with government at every level. Learn more at https://heliosintel.ai/.

MEDIA CONTACT: Nina Pfister, MAG PR at nina@mooringadvisorygroup.com.

###

SOURCE: Helios

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

This third installment of Brenmiller Energy’s (NASDAQ:BNRG) “Viewpoint” Series explores how the Company’s bGen™ system can help unlock the full potential of Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology. Energy industry veteran and Chief Executive Officer Avi Brenmiller explains how thermal energy storage can bridge the gap between safe, clean heat generation and real-world demand.

TEL AVIV, IL / ACCESS Newswire / July 11, 2025 / For decades, nuclear energy has sat at the center of the clean energy debate. It’s powerful, reliable, carbon-free-and divisive. Critics point to high costs, operational rigidity, and the mismatch between steady-state output and a grid now shaped by real-time demand and fluctuating renewables. But the truth is, the reactor isn’t the problem. It’s what happens after the reactor does its job.

The good news? That problem is solvable. Brenmiller Energy (NASDAQ:BNRG) (the “Company” or “Brenmiller”) – a publicly traded thermal energy storage (TES) company-is one of the few players offering a practical, proven energy storage solution. Its bGen™ system, when modified for SMRs, can act as a thermal buffer, storing clean heat from nuclear reactors and releasing it on demand 24/7/365. It’s potentially an innovative fix to one of nuclear’s biggest limitations – and potentially one of the most important enablers of the nuclear renaissance no one’s talking about yet. But that silence isn’t likely to last.

Why? As governments invest hundreds of millions in Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and the reactivation of dormant nuclear sites, they’re discovering that critical pieces are missing from the equation: flexibility, dispatchability, and load-following. In short, nuclear needs a buffer-something that can take its powerful, clean, steady heat and make it not only more nimble but usable.

Brenmiller’s bGen™ thermal storage system provides exactly that. And it does so with a simplicity that’s almost deceptive in its power.

The Ally Nuclear Has Always Needed

Let’s start with the obvious: nuclear is great at one thing-baseload. It produces a constant stream of heat and electricity, day and night, rain or shine. But in today’s world, that’s not always an asset.

Modern grids are increasingly volatile, shaped by solar and wind generation that can spike or drop in minutes. Industrial customers need heat when their processes call for it-not necessarily when the reactor happens to be online at full power. And utilities are under pressure to reduce over-generation and improve capacity factor economics without overbuilding.

That’s a tall order for nuclear. But it’s precisely the kind of problem Brenmiller’s TES platform was built to solve.

Our bGen™ system can store thermal energy – whether from a solar field or industrial waste heat – and releases it on demand. It acts like a giant thermal battery, decoupling generation from consumption. If our bGen™ is configured for an SMR, the nuclear reactor can keep humming at its optimal set point while bGen™ could handle the peaks, troughs, and timing mismatches.

And bGen™ isn’t a theoretical solution – it’s commercially proven, already deployed in four countries, and being adapted for the next wave of applications like SMR..

In July 2025, we announced that Brenmiller is developing a new bGen™ configuration specifically engineered for SMRs and high-resilience industrial applications. This product builds on our commercially deployed platform and reflects insights from the installation with Enel, a major European utility company, where bGen™ was used to decarbonize combined heat and power operations.

Unlike conventional nuclear storage integrations, this version of bGen™ requires only minor engineering adjustments. Its high thermal mass, passive heat absorption, built-in heat exchanger, and compatibility with secondary and tertiary nuclear loops make it a natural fit for SMR-linked projects. These features also support decay heat removal, load following, and real-time grid balancing – all essential to meet modern energy expectations.

With the SMR market projected to grow at a 30% CAGR to $72 billion by 2033, we believe our timing and technology positioning are aligned with a global resurgence in nuclear investment, driven by the need for cleaner computing, AI infrastructure, and industrial decarbonization at scale.

Potential Synergies of SMRs and TES

Take Oklo and Nano Nuclear Energy, two emerging leaders in the SMR space. Both are developing compact, next-generation reactors built to deliver reliable, carbon-free energy in decentralized, industrial, and off-grid environments. But even with innovative designs, they face the same limitation: delivering safe clean heat on demand – not just when the reactor produces it.

Brenmiller’s bGen™ system is aiming to cure this shortfall. Following the adaptation of the bGen™ system for SMRs that is under development, we believe that when paired with SMRs, it will enable true demand-driven delivery. The result? Potentially constant generation with flexible dispatch and improved economics. With a TES configured for SMR, capacity factors could stay high and heat could be stored when the market doesn’t need it and sold when prices spike or customers call.

With our development of TES configured for SMR, we aim to ensure that nuclear will be not just clean, but also safe, agile, profitable through Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) models, and relevant in a world demanding both sustainability and responsiveness.

Safety and Risk Reduction Through Thermal Buffering

Beyond flexibility, TES also improves the safety profile of nuclear systems – a critical factor for regulatory acceptance and public confidence.

The bGen™ system can absorb decay heat – the residual thermal energy that continues after a reactor is shut down. This passive heat removal capability can support safer shutdown procedures and mitigate thermal transients, which can otherwise stress reactor materials and control systems.

TES can also reduce:

• The need for reactor oversizing to meet peak loads

• The risk of load rejection during low-demand periods

• Unnecessary thermal cycling that shortens equipment life

In short, thermal storage could add not just operational value-but structural and safety value.

A Better Business Model for Atomic Energy

Still, we believe that Brenmiller’s value-add doesn’t stop at technical integration – it can impact nuclear’s business case.

By absorbing and time-shifting thermal output, we aim to enable the adapted bGen system to allow nuclear operators to avoid overbuild while serving more customers. Utilities can size SMRs more efficiently and sell heat as a service to nearby industrial clients. Large-scale hydrogen production can operate intermittently without idling reactors. District heating networks gain new reliability and cost stability.

In short, we believe that the adaptation of Brenmiller’s bGen™ system will give nuclear leverage. It’s not just about storing heat – it’s about enabling new revenue streams, de-risking operations, and accelerating return on investment across complex deployments.

And that’s what the sector needs right now. Because nuclear power is no longer just a policy decision. It’s a business. And businesses need flexibility to win.

Clean Heat on Demand

Let’s not forget what’s at stake here.

Industrial heat accounts for more than 25% of global final energy consumption. And most of it still comes from fossil fuels. While electricity is going green fast, thermal energy has lagged behind – not because we lack clean sources, but because we lack the systems to make clean heat dispatchable.

This is the bottleneck. And we believe that Brenmiller’s TES tech is one of the very few solutions on the market that’s modular, commercially ready, and fuel-agnostic.

That last part matters. Because while today’s conversation may be about nuclear, Brenmiller’s bGen™ is currently being deployed as a solution for electrification of industrial heat from different sources. That means it’s not just a bolt-on – it’s infrastructure. And for any clean heat strategy to succeed, infrastructure wins the day.

Action Over Debate and Academia

The nuclear sector doesn’t need another whitepaper or pilot-it needs tools that work today.

Our systems are already operational, with global collaborations in energy and industry. And with the current development of our new bGen™ configuration for SMRs, we’re aiming to deliver a technology designed to support clean baseload generation with the responsiveness that today’s grid and industrial customers demand.

While others remain in R&D, we are actively shaping the energy infrastructure of tomorrow through modifications to our existing bGen platform. If nuclear is going to thrive – not just survive – it will need TES solutions as a key ally. We believe that bringing TES into the nuclear conversation could be what finally proves the skeptics wrong about the most powerful energy source on Earth.

By Avi Brenmiller, Chief Executive Officer, Brenmiller Energy Ltd., a global provider of thermal energy storage solutions deployed across Europe, Israel, and the U.S.

About bGen™

bGen™ ZERO is Brenmiller’s TES system, which converts electricity into heat to power sustainable industrial processes at a price that is competitive with natural gas. The bGen™ ZERO charges by capturing low-cost electricity from renewables or the grid and stores it in crushed rocks. It then discharges steam, hot water, or hot air on demand according to customer requirements. The bGen™ ZERO also supports the development of utility-scale renewables by providing critical flexibility and grid-balancing capabilities. bGen™ ZERO was named among TIME’s Best Inventions of 2023 in the Green Energy category and won Gold in the Energy Storage and Management category at the 2025 Edison Awards.

About Brenmiller Energy Ltd.

Brenmiller Energy helps energy-intensive industries and power producers end their reliance on fossil fuel boilers. Brenmiller’s patented bGen™ ZERO thermal battery is a modular and scalable energy storage system that turns renewable electricity into zero-emission heat. It charges using low-cost renewable electricity and discharges a continuous supply of heat on demand and according to its customers’ needs. The most experienced thermal battery developer on the market, Brenmiller operates the world’s only gigafactory for thermal battery production and is trusted by leading multinational energy companies. For more information visit the Company’s website at https://bren-energy.com/ and follow the company on X and LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. Statements that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. For example, the company is using forward-looking statements in this press release when it discusses: the Company’s belief that its bGen™ system can help unlock the full potential of SMR technology; that the Company expects that nuclear energy’s limitations can be solved with its bGen™ thermal buffer system; that the Company anticipates increasing interest in its solution as governments invest in SMRs and nuclear site reactivations; that the bGen™ system will be able to provide flexibility, dispatchability, and load-following needed for modern nuclear applications; the Company’s belief that bGen™ is a match for addressing timing mismatches and peak demands in energy use; the future adaptation of the bGen™ for SMR applications and its future advantages; future SMR market growth estimations; that bGen™ will be able to improve the safety profile of nuclear systems by passively absorbing decay heat; and that the adapted bGen™ system can enable new revenue streams, de-risk operations, and accelerate ROI. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, words such as “plan,” “project,” “potential,” “seek,” “may,” “will,” “expect,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “could,” “estimate” or “continue” are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that certain crucial factors may affect the company’s actual results and could cause such results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements that may be made in this press release. Factors that may affect the Company’s results include, but are not limited to: the company’s planned level of revenues and capital expenditures; risks associated with the adequacy of existing cash resources; the demand for and market acceptance of our products; impact of competitive products and prices; product development, commercialization or technological difficulties; the success or failure of negotiations; trade, legal, social and economic risks; and political, economic and military instability in the Middle East, specifically in Israel. The forward-looking statements contained or implied in this press release are subject to other risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the company, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of the company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2024 filed with the SEC on March 4, 2025, which is available on the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law.

Contact:

investors@bren-energy.com

SOURCE: Brenmiller Energy

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ONTARIO, CA / ACCESS Newswire / July 11, 2025 / Focus Universal Inc. (NASDAQ:FCUV) (“Focus” or the “Company”), a provider of patented hardware and software design technologies for Internet of Things (IoT), 5G and SEC Financial Reporting AI-Driven Automation Software, is pleased to announce today that it has signed a contract with Shenzhen Donghui Precision Mold Manufacturing Co., Ltd. and officially commenced the mold tooling design for the Universal Smart Internet of Things (IoT) today. This marks a pivotal milestone in the commercialization of the Universal Smart IoT, a breakthrough that has been over two decades in the making.

Although IoT has long been recognized as a revolutionary technology with the potential to change the world-consistently ranking as the #1 transformative technology, however widespread adoption has been limited by high development costs and technical complexity. Focus Universal has dedicated over 20 years to researching and overcoming these barriers. The Universal Smart IoT, an innovative platform that radically simplifies IoT development and reduces its associated costs.

Unlike traditional IoT systems, where engineers continually start from scratch, Focus’ platform provides a 90% pre-built foundation. Different IoT devices can now share 90% of the same hardware and software, substantially reducing development costs and complexity. This unique approach not only accelerates time-to-market but also democratizes access to IoT solutions.

Further enhancing this ecosystem is Focus Universal’s Universal Smart Software Platform, which eliminates the need for multiple device-specific applications. Engineers no longer need to build separate apps for every IoT product-Focus’ platform supports them all without sacrificing performance or functionality. This streamlined app development process significantly cuts costs and improves efficiency, allowing Focus to offer the IoT platform to customers at a fraction of the cost required to develop custom solutions.

One of Focus’ most revolutionary products, the Ubiquitor, exemplifies this efficiency. It is capable of connecting to any sensor-inclusive of a large number of independent sensors-without theoretical limits. As more sensors are added, the average cost of the Ubiquitor per sensor becomes negligible. This results in an effective cost that approaches that of the sensors alone-already significantly lower than traditional devices. When used in conjunction with the universal platform, the total development cost is a fraction of conventional approaches, offering substantial savings in both raw materials and engineering time.

This milestone signals a new era for the Internet of Things. After two decades of innovation, we are now ready to move forward with full-scale production and commercialization. In doing so, we not only fulfill the promise to shareholders but also demonstrate to the world that deploying complex IoT technology can be as easy as plugging in an office phone. The platform provides both a competitive edge and cost savings even when compared to traditional, non-IoT devices-thanks to universal hardware and software shared across all sensors. Switching from one sensor to another requires no change to the underlying device’s hardware or software, enabling true interoperability across devices.

The IoT market was valued at $0.54 trillion in 2022 and is projected to grow to $3.30 trillion by 2030, with a CAGR of 26.1%. Yet despite its promise, industry surveys reveal that a majority of IoT projects fail-Cisco reported a 75% failure rate, and Microsoft found that 30% of IoT projects fail at the proof-of-concept stage. Focus Universal’s Universal Smart IoT technology was specifically developed to overcome these challenges and unlock the full potential of the IoT revolution.

About Focus Universal:
Focus Universal Inc. is a provider of patented hardware and software design technologies for Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G. The company has developed five disruptive patented technology platforms with 26 patents and patents pending in various phases and eight trademarks pending in various phases to solve the major problems facing hardware and software design and production within the industry today. These technologies combined to have the potential to reduce costs, product development timelines and energy usage while increasing range, speed, efficiency, and security. Focus currently trades on the Nasdaq Markets.

Forward-Looking Statements:
Statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects, as well as any other statements regarding matters that are not historical facts, may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: the uncertainties related to market conditions and the completion of the public offering on the anticipated terms or at all, and other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of the preliminary prospectus filed with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof and Focus Universal specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise.

For company inquiries, please contact:
Investor Relations
626-272-3883
ir@focusuniversal.com

SOURCE: Focus Universal Inc.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

ORLANDO, FL / ACCESS Newswire / July 11, 2025 / RedChip Companies will air interviews with Brag House Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:TBH) and FibroBiologics, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBLG) on the RedChip Small Stocks, Big Money™ show, a sponsored program on Bloomberg TV this Saturday, July 12, at 7 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). Bloomberg TV is available in an estimated 73 million homes across the U.S.

Access the interviews in their entirety at:

• TBH:https://www.redchip.com/assets/access/tbh_access

• FBLG: https://www.redchip.com/assets/access/fblg_access

In an exclusive interview, Lavell Juan Malloy II, CEO and Co-Founder of Brag House, appears on the RedChip Small Stocks Big Money™ show on Bloomberg TV to discuss how Brag House is redefining brand engagement for Gen Z through its social gaming and data-driven platform. Malloy highlights the Company’s unique ability to connect brands with the highly sought-after Gen Z demographic by fusing college sports rivalries, casual gaming, and community-based interaction into a seamless digital experience. With proven success through partnerships with Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, the Denver Broncos, and Learfield, Brag House delivers industry-leading engagement metrics-including CPC and CPM rates significantly below industry averages. Malloy also outlines the Company’s strategic alliance with Learfield, powering Brag’s national expansion across over 200+ universities, and shares insights into Brag’s multi-tiered monetization model and scalable B2B data solutions-positioning the Company at the convergence of three massive markets: gaming, advertising, and analytics.

Pete O’Heeron, CEO of FibroBiologics, appears on the RedChip Small Stocks Big Money™ show on Bloomberg TV to spotlight the company’s pioneering work in fibroblast-based cell therapies. O’Heeron discusses the advantages of fibroblasts over traditional stem cells, highlighting their regenerative and immunomodulatory properties, scalability, and safety profile. He outlines the Company’s robust pipeline, led by CYWC628 for diabetic foot ulcers, which is slated to enter a Phase 1/2 clinical trial in Australia later this year. Additional programs, including CybroCell™ for degenerative disc disease and CYMS101 for multiple sclerosis, target multi-billion-dollar markets and are supported by promising preclinical and early human data. With over 240 issued and pending patents, a recently completed cGMP-compliant cell bank, and a seasoned leadership team, FibroBiologics is advancing a scalable, off-the-shelf platform poised to transform treatment for chronic diseases and deliver significant long-term value to shareholders.

TBH and FBLG are clients of RedChip Companies. Please read our full disclosure at https://www.redchip.com/legal/disclosures.

About Brag House

Brag House is a leading media technology gaming platform dedicated to transforming casual college gaming into a vibrant, community-driven experience. By seamlessly merging gaming, social interaction, and cutting-edge technology, the Company provides an inclusive and engaging environment for casual gamers while enabling brands to authentically connect with the influential Gen Z demographic. For more information, visit www.braghouse.com.

About FibroBiologics

Based in Houston, FibroBiologics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a pipeline of treatments and seeking potential cures for chronic diseases using fibroblast cells and fibroblast-derived materials. FibroBiologics holds 275+ US and internationally issued patents/patents pending across various clinical pathways, including wound healing, multiple sclerosis, disc degeneration, psoriasis, orthopedics, human longevity, and cancer. FibroBiologics represents the next generation of medical advancement in cell therapy and tissue regeneration. For more information, visit www.FibroBiologics.com.

About RedChip Companies

RedChip Companies, an Inc. 5000 company, is an international investor relations, media, and research firm focused on microcap and small-cap companies. For 33 years, RedChip has delivered concrete, measurable results for its clients. Our newsletter, Small Stocks, Big Money™, is delivered online weekly to 60,000 investors. RedChip has developed the most comprehensive service platform in the industry for microcap and small-cap companies. These services include the following: a worldwide distribution network for its stock research; retail and institutional roadshows in major U.S. cities; outbound marketing to stock brokers, RIAs, institutions, and family offices; a digital media investor relations platform that has generated millions of unique investor views; investor webinars and group calls; a television show, Small Stocks, Big Money™, which airs weekly on Bloomberg US; TV commercials in local and national markets; corporate and product videos; website design; and traditional investor relation services, which include press release writing, development of investor presentations, quarterly conference call script writing, strategic consulting, capital raising, and more. RedChip also offers RedChat™, a proprietary AI-powered chatbot that analyzes SEC filings and corporate disclosures for all Nasdaq and NYSE-listed companies, giving investors instant, on-demand insights.

To learn more about RedChip’s products and services, please visit:

https://www.redchip.com/corporate/investor_relations

“Discovering Tomorrow’s Blue Chips Today”™

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Contact:
Dave Gentry
RedChip Companies Inc.
1-407-644-4256
info@redchip.com

SOURCE: RedChip Companies, Inc.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire