●      Heyflow raises $6 million seed round to enable companies to increase conversions and improve user experience with interactive clickflows

●      The no-code platform empowers marketeers, product managers and business owners to build, integrate, and analyze personalized user acquisition and onboarding flows without writing any code

●      The seed financing round was led by Project A Ventures, with participation from Atlantic Labs and several angel investors.

Heyflow, the industry’s first no-code platform for interactive user experiences, has closed a $6 million seed financing round led by Project A Ventures.

Heyflow solves the growing challenge companies face when trying to design high-converting user experiences, fast and cost-efficiently. Heyflow provides companies with a platform to build, design and integrate interactive clickflows - without the need to write a single line of code.

Additional investors include existing backers Atlantic Labs and Possible Ventures as well as several angel investors including Philipp Westermeyer (OMR).

A great user experience is paramount for companies to engage, convert and acquire new customers. Demand is higher than ever, however, engineering resources are scarce and expensive.

By introducing no-code software, Heyflow enables any organization in the world to create outstanding user experiences and raise conversion levels by building personalized, interactive clickflows for sales, marketing and recruiting purposes within a few hours, instead of investing months.

“From small businesses to large organizations, everyone needs a great user experience, but only few of us can code,” says Amir Bohnenkamp, Co-Founder of Heyflow. “The idea of clickflows is to build something super easy that people can engage with without having to type, because typing is a conversion killer, especially on mobile phones. We want to provide an experience that resonates with peoples’ habits and lifestyles to quickly get them onboard. With a no-code platform like Heyflow, companies can level the playing field when it comes to optimizing their conversion rates.”

Until recently, the development of clickflows has come at the expense of high engineering efforts. Building a clickflow requires the rule automation and interactiveness of a bot builder, the design flexibility of a website builder, and the conversion intelligence of an advanced analytics tool.

Heyflow combines all these aspects into one platform, thus changing the way conversion funnels are built by offering an easy to use drag-and-drop builder. Use cases include onboarding and signup flows as well as lead generation and customer retention funnels in financial services, insurance and recruiting.

Heyflow was founded in 2020 by Dustin Jaacks (previously Google) and Amir Bohnenkamp (previously Medwing, BCG Digital Ventures) in Hamburg, Germany.  Since its soft-launch in January this year, the company has seen rapid growth, acquiring hundreds of paying customers from small organizations to insurance companies in more than 15 countries. The capital raised will be used to support go-to-market and product development efforts.

Dr. Anton Waitz, General Partner at Project A, says: “No-code platforms are seeing very strong momentum, as they offer great opportunities for smaller companies without significant engineering capacity. Amir and Dustin are driven by their mission to build a highly intuitive drag and drop product that helps their users to better acquire, convert and onboard customers. Heyflow has seen enthusiastic first demand in the market - and we strongly believe it can become a clear leader in the space.”

Interactive Partner Benchmarks Report Includes Network, Market and Vertical Performance Insights for Data-Driven Mobile Marketers

Mobile marketing analytics platform Adjust today announced the results of a global interactive Partner Benchmarks report that shows the app economy is expanding worldwide, even as growth drivers vary by geography. The global study analyzed over 270 advertising networks with 6 billion paid installs from more than 5,000 apps, across nearly 250 countries and 12 verticals.

“Globally, we’ve seen sweeping growth in the app ecosystem continue, with mobile poised to make up 75% of total digital ad spend this year. To make that as effective as possible, UA managers need best practices and common channels specific to their region and vertical,” said Andrey Kazakov, Chief Operating Officer of Adjust. “Adjust’s Partner Benchmarks offers a behind-the-scenes, worldwide view of the mobile advertising industry — which networks are most common, how to build a perfect channel mix, and where to find the next set of high-quality users, based on what other companies in a particular region and vertical are finding most efficient.”

Key findings from Adjust’s Partner Benchmarks report include:

• The global app economy is growing more than ever, but growth drivers vary by region. For example, APAC’s growth is still spurred by mobile gaming, while Turkey is largely driven by non-gaming verticals, such as health and fitness, and education. Facebook, Google, AppLovin and Unity dominate all verticals in Turkey. In APAC, Facebook and Google Ads top the charts in terms of ad spend across most verticals and markets, but regional networks are gaining traction.
• Food delivery apps continue to thrive following huge pandemic-driven growth. Adjust’s data indicates that growth for food and drink has been a consistent upward trend, even in markets no longer in lockdown. Global installs in 2020 increased 19% YoY, and have grown another 20% so far in 2021. Sessions growth is even more impressive, already up by another 34% in 2021 compared with 71% in 2020. Google Ads, Facebook and Apple Search Ads are the top networks driving growth — though Snap and TikTok have entered the top five, followed by AppLovin, Headway and Digital Turbine.
• Social media has a new growth driver: short-form video. As the overall time spent on short-form video continues to increase rapidly, so does the power of the format, which has developed into a large social commerce player. Unsurprisingly, Google Ads, TikTok, Snap, Apple Search Ads and Facebook dominate the rankings across all verticals and on both iOS and Android in the social media vertical.
• Gaming remains the largest user acquisition-driven category, led by APAC. Gaming makes up 50% of total UA ad spend across all verticals, according to Adjust global data. Companies in APAC are spending the most on game UA — as high as 64% — followed by North America (57%) and EMEA (39%). AppLovin and IronSource outperform in this vertical, with Facebook, Google Ads, TikTok, Unity and Mintegral maintaining significant share.
• South East Asia (SEA) leads heavy growth in the m-commerce vertical. Adjust data shows that e-commerce installs in SEA have grown 18% in the first half of 2021 — with digital retail share currently outpacing China and India. While Google and Facebook are still the most dominant marketing channels, networks such as TikTok, Affle, Naver, InMobi, and Appier are gaining traction, and could be great choices for ad buying strategies.

View the detailed findings in the Partner Benchmarks report here.

Singh brings Extensive Integrated and Software-Led Payments Experience

Paya (NASDAQ: PAYA), a leading integrated payments and commerce solution provider, today announced the appointment of Sid Singh to its Board of Directors. Mr. Singh currently serves as President, United States Information Solutions at Equifax (NYSE: EFX), a global data, analytics and technology company and is responsible for delivering more than $2 billion in annual enterprise revenue in the technology-enabled data and analytics industry.

Mr. Singh’s prior roles included Group President, Integrated Solutions and Vertical Markets at Global Payments, where he led the multi-year strategy and growth of the integrated and software-led payments business, delivering over $1 billion in annual enterprise revenue. Mr. Singh currently serves on the board of Vantage Score LLC, a joint venture between Equifax, Experian and Transunion. Mr. Singh served on the board of a joint venture between La Caixa and Global Payments in Spain. Mr. Singh also co-founded RKM Educational & Charitable Trust, a non-profit organization which provides scholarships to economically challenged students in India, runs a physiotherapy center for the elderly and provides vocational training for women.

“Sid has an outstanding track record of developing, building and growing technology, data and analytics-led businesses in the financial technology industry, including software-led payments,” said Aaron Cohen, Chairman of the Board for Paya. “We are excited to add his expertise and experience to the Paya Board which will support our growth objectives.”

“Paya holds a very strong position in a fast-growing and fragmented market, where product innovation, operational excellence and customer experience are crucial to long-term success,” said Singh. “I am excited to join Paya’s Board and look forward to bringing my financial technology industry experience to enhance Paya’s strong growth trajectory.”

Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements made in this press release are "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would,” “will,” “approximately,” “shall” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks (such as Paya’s inability to achieve its growth objectives), as well as uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside our control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements.

We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

• Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE) is working with Whizz-Kids and Frazer-Nash Consultancy to refine the DREAM wheelchair concept
• Designed by children as a wheelchair for the 21^st century, the innovative concept is designed to meet their hopes and dreams
• WAE is supporting a review to provide recommendations on design, procurement and manufacturability to further aid the development of the wheelchair
• WAE is using its knowledge in the healthcare industry, developed through previous projects such as Babypod 2.0 and a Paralympic hand cycle, alongside its capability in product design and supply chain management 

Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE) has been retained by Whizz-Kidz to refine the DREAM wheelchair concept, which has been designed by children for young wheelchair users, showcasing the way in which technology and design can help overcome the daily challenges faced by young wheelchair users.

In 2017 the charities Whizz-Kidz and Duchenne UK came together, with the help of academics at Edinburgh University and an award of £1m from the People’s Postcode Lottery’s Dream Fund, to design a chair that would not just meet medical needs but harness technology and design to meet a young person’s dreams and aspirations.

Following a workshop at the Innovation Hub in London in 2018,a shortlist of 72 recommendations were put forward; all of which would address the everyday challenges faced by young wheelchair users. The project team enlisted experts from Curtiss Wright, Somo Global and Aergo to work with Frazer-Nash Consultancy and Edinburgh University to turn the project from a dream into a reality and the DREAM wheelchair prototype was successfully launched in December 2020.

The success of the DREAM wheelchair prototype has enabled further funding to be secured from Duchenne UK and Motability Operations to examine the feasibility of bringing the chair to market, and a range of design and engineering reviews have been commissioned.

WAE will use its experience in product design to further improve the wheelchair including a  twist and smart features seat and  kerb climb ability whilst ensuring the seat is able to support a modular construction.

Using its knowledge of the healthcare industry, gained through a series of high-profile projects such as Babypod (a lightweight incubator for the transportation of critically ill children) and a Paralympic handbike the company will ensure the individual needs of the user are central to both the design and manufacture of the wheelchairs.

“We are delighted to be part of this project and welcome the opportunity to contribute to a programme that will be making a genuine difference to people’s lives. Our experience with past projects has shown us the importance of prioritising the needs of the individual and we look forward to delivering some new and innovative design ideas ” said Paul McNamara, Technical Director, Williams Advanced Engineering.

NEC Software Solutions UK, part of the NEC Corporation, has announced its intention to acquire Capita Secure Solutions and Services, a leading provider of software and solutions to the emergency services and justice sectors. Subject to consents and approvals, the deal is intended to complete around the end of 2021.

NEC Software Solutions UK provides innovative software and services to UK police forces as well as law enforcement organisations across the world. From investigations to forensics, traffic enforcement to biometrics, its solutions enable police forces to refocus resources to where they are needed most and provide key intelligence to improve decision making on the frontline.

With over 30 years' experience, Capita Secure Solutions and Services has software solutions, radio managed services and additional support services installed in 15 countries across five continents, protecting 135 million people. It has an extensive portfolio of 150 customers, which includes agencies in the police, fire, ambulance, and other public safety agencies.

The complementary offerings will allow joined up delivery and connected technology driving opportunities for more effective processes and operations for customers.

Tina Whitley, chief executive officer of NEC Software Solutions UK, said: "Capita Secure Solutions and Services is a natural fit with NECSWS. Emergency services face extreme challenges and pressures when deploying resources. Our goal has always been to provide emergency services with innovative tools to be able to better protect the communities they serve. By bringing our two teams together, we create an enhanced platform to ensure we continue to do this as we innovate and grow."

Naoki Yoshida, senior vice president at NEC Corporation, said: "Uniting both ours and Capita Secure Solutions and Services' people, technology and expertise will enable innovation to happen on a larger scale to provide emergency services with everything they need to make effective and informed dispatch decisions."

Providing a new insurance service that helps to improve health by predicting the risk of developing disease in the future

Bao Viet Insurance, the largest Non-life insurance company of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Hitachi, Ltd., and Hitachi Asia (Vietnam) Co, Ltd., Hitachi's local subsidiary in Vietnam, have signed an agreement to collaborate and drive innovation in the insurance business. The collaboration will integrate digital technologies like AI and big data analysis into the business to raise health awareness, prevent development and aggravation of diseases in Vietnam.

Under this agreement, Bao Viet Insurance will introduce Hitachi's leading technologies for analyzing medical big data to Bao Viet Direct, an app provided to Bao Viet Insurance policyholders, and will begin providing a new insurance service for improving health, which permits users to easily measure the risk of developing lifestyle-related diseases and receive health guidance. The new service will commence on October 1.

In recent years, the growing prevalence of lifestyle-related diseases has been a problem in Vietnam. This growth reflects changes in people's lifestyles, including diet and exercise, which have resulted from the rapid economic growth and expansion of the middle-income group in the country.

While there is rising demand for high-quality medical services due to increase in income and improvement in living standards, the ideas of prevention and early treatments are not instilled in most Vietnamese. It is said that many people do not start their treatment until they become severely ill. For example, only around 30% of diabetes patients, said to exceed 3.5 million in number, are receiving treatment. Furthermore, the medical insurance market in the country has been expanding rapidly, with concern over spiraling medical costs reflecting a rise in personnel expenses at medical institutions.

Bao Viet Insurance is an operating company of Bao Viet Holdings, the largest financial group in Vietnam, in which the Ministry of Finance holds more than 65% of outstanding shares. With more than one million medical insurance policyholders, Bao Viet Insurance is a leading non-life insurance company in the country. In recent years, the company has been proactive in working on the development of high-value added insurance services that apply new technologies. The partnership with Hitachi is a part of these initiatives.

Continuing its tradition of providing high-value insurance services, Bao Viet Insurance has adopted Hitachi's Risk Simulator for Insurance - a Lumada(1) solution that analyzes medical big data using Hitachi's proprietary AI. The solution can predict the future risk of hospitalization caused by eight major lifestyle-related diseases using medical big data, that includes users' health checkup results and health insurance claims. The Risk Simulator for Insurance has been expanded in Japan since its launch in 2018. For example, it is used for health guidance from local governments in addition to life insurance companies.

The new service enables Bao Viet Insurance policyholders to easily check their future risks of the eight major lifestyle-related diseases simply by entering their health checkup results and past medical history into the mobile app. The app also displays factors for risks and offers advice for improvement. There information can enable specific behavioral changes and lifestyle habits to support health improvement.

The solution will enable further channel expansion and create opportunities at the time of insurance application. For example, the risk prediction service will be linked to the remote medical care services provided by Bao Viet Insurance. In addition, these services will be combined with various health data management functions of Bao Viet Direct app for a customized, centralized and integrated administration of health information that supports wellbeing and productivity management of companies. Bao Viet Insurance and Hitachi will continue to discuss the creation of new health promotion services that utilize various technologies.

Bao Viet Insurance will continue to apply advanced technologies, to contribute to promoting good health among people in Vietnam and offer insurance services which will help policyholders to lead a healthy life.

Hitachi will enhance its services further based on achievements from joint initiatives with Bao Viet Insurance and expand them to Southeast Asian countries and other countries where demand is expected. Hitachi will continue to drive innovation and convenience in the expanding insurance services.

(1) Lumada is the name of Hitachi's advanced digital solutions and services for turning data into insights that drive digital transformation of social infrastructure.

Sabio Group, the leading European Digital CX Transformation Provider, has today announced the appointment of Nils Steinmeyer as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). 

Mr. Steinmeyer brings a wealth of experience to Sabio, having spent almost a decade in CFO positions since 2013. 

He has also held several senior management positions since 1999 including a successful seven-year tenure in a private equity environment at Terra Firm Capital Partners. 

He replaces Troels Henriksen at Sabio Group, who stands down following three-and-a-half years in the post.   

Jonathan Gale, Sabio’s Chief Executive Officer, said: 

“I am delighted to welcome Nils to Sabio Group, who joins our Executive Committee in the role of CFO. 

“Nils has huge experience of operating in C-suite and senior financial management and governance positions within acquisitive, growing and successful businesses and has also benefitted from a private equity background through his tenure at Terra Firma Capital Partners.

“I am confident that he will be a huge asset to our organisation and will play a pivotal role in the future success of the business as we continue to execute our five-year growth strategy.” 

Mr. Steinmeyer said: 

“I am delighted to be joining Sabio Group at an exciting time in the company’s journey.  

“There is a real opportunity for the business to become the dominant, stand-alone leader in the digital CX transformation market and I am excited to have the opportunity to be able to contribute to the organisation’s success moving forward.”

Mr. Gale added: “While we welcome Nils to Sabio, I would also like to take this opportunity to personally thank Troels for the significant part he has played in the recent growth and success of the business. 

“During his term as CFO, he has overseen tremendous growth both organically and via the successful completion and integration of several strategic acquisitions all of which has helped to create the Sabio that you see today.” 

2022 FICO Decisions Awards Now Open

Awards honor FICO customers achieving outstanding results with AI, machine learning and decision management

Highlights:

• Entries for the FICO® Decisions Awards are due December 3, 2021

• The nine award categories are AI, Machine Learning & Optimization, Cloud Deployment, Customer Onboarding and Management, Debt Management, Decision Management Innovation, ESG Champion, Financial Inclusion, Fraud Management and Regulatory Compliance
• Judges include industry experts and practitioners
• Entry form and information are at www.fico.com/decisionsawards

Companies that are achieving outstanding success using analytics and decision management solutions from FICO are invited to submit nominations for the 2022 FICO® Decisions Awards. FICO invites any of its more than 5,000 direct clients to enter the awards, as well as the tens of thousands of firms that use FICO solutions provided by its partners.

For more information and to enter a nomination, visit www.fico.com/decisionsawards

A panel of independent judges with deep industry expertise will evaluate nominations based on measurable improvement in key metrics; demonstrated use of best practices; project scale, depth and breadth; and innovative uses of technology.

Awards will be presented in nine categories:

• AI, Machine Learning & Optimization
• Cloud Deployment
• Customer Onboarding and Management
• Debt Management
• Decision Management Innovation
• ESG Champion (new category)
• Financial Inclusion
• Fraud Management
• Regulatory Compliance

Nominations are due December 3, 2021, and winners will be announced January 28, 2022.

Winners will receive recognition at FICO® World, which will be held in the U.S. in May 2022. Winning implementations will be featured in conference activities, and two representatives of each winning company will receive complimentary conference passes.

“It has been an extraordinary year for our customers in every sense of the word,” said Nikhil Behl, chief marketing officer at FICO. “We know that many of them have had to make flexibility a virtue as they brought their most innovative ideas and technologies to bear on the challenges thrown at them by the pandemic. The impact on health, resourcing, the economy and supply chains has been wide and varied and these awards shine a spotlight on how companies have managed to thrive.

“This year we have introduced a new award to highlight the outstanding work many of our customers are doing across environmental, social and governance (ESG) areas using the power of cloud-based decisioning and analytics. We look forward to our customers putting forward their nominations for the 2022 awards.”

Last year’s winning firms represented multiple industries and countries worldwide, all with outstanding results: Boeing (AI, Machine Learning and Optimization); Avon Cosmetics and Care by Volvo  (Cloud Deployment); OCBC (Customer Onboarding & Management); Absa and Cox Communications (Debt Management); eDriving (Decision Management Innovation); Grupo Monge (Financial Inclusion); Conductor Brazil (Fraud & Security); Alfa-Bank and Eurobank (Regulatory Compliance) and T-Mobile (FICO Industry Vanguard Award)

Hybrid work is here to stay as employees demand more flexibility and work-life balance

As companies struggle with what workplaces should look like going forward, findings from a new LHH and The Adecco Group study reveal global workers’ attitudes about remote versus in-person work, how their companies have handled the pandemic, their career plans moving forward, the state of mental health in the workplace and the truth about the Great Resignation.

Findings from the Resetting Normal: Defining the New Era of Work study show that a large number of workers globally (53%) want a hybrid working model where more than half of their work time is remote. Productivity has not suffered with remote work, with 82% saying they feel as productive or more productive than before. Wellbeing has taken a hit, however, with more than half of young leaders (54%) reporting they have suffered burnout and three in 10 stating their mental and physical health has declined in the last 12 months. Workers want to reduce their hours and be measured based on results. Despite 50% of workers in the UK logging more than 40 hours a week over the past year, only two thirds of those polled believed that such hours are necessary to get the job done. Meanwhile, 73% of workers globally are calling to be measured by outcomes rather than hours.

“Wellbeing in the workplace has become a tipping point in employee satisfaction,” said John Morgan, President, LHH. “Workers are not opposed to hard work or coming back to the office, but they want to do so on their own terms – with more flexibility and recognition both for their work contributions and their mental and physical health.”

Two themes that emerged from the study are that the Great Resignation is currently a Great Re-Evaluation for salaried employees and a growing disconnect between leadership and their employees.

The Great Resignation

The study found that nearly two in five employees are already changing or considering new careers and 41% are considering moving to jobs with more flexible working options. A quarter of the workforce is considering moving to another country or region.

The market is ripe: two-thirds of workers are confident that companies will start significant hiring again, and less than half are satisfied with career prospects at their current company.

“The key word is considering’,” said Morgan. “What we’re seeing is actually not yet a Great Resignation when it comes to non-hourly workers, but rather a Great Re-Evaluation in which salaried employees are seeing more possibilities available to them, which puts everything on the table. Companies need to recognise the warning signs that great talent could soon be walking out the door and address demands for increased work-life balance and career advancement opportunities.”

The Leadership Disconnect

Study findings point to a large disconnect between employees and their managers and senior leadership. While 80% of leaders say they are satisfied with senior leadership, only 43% of non-managers are satisfied. Satisfaction with leadership is particularly low in the areas of company culture and career advancement opportunities. Among the findings:

• Less than half are satisfied with career prospects at their company and only 37% of non-managers say their company is effectively investing in developing their skills
• Only 48% of workers say their managers meet or exceed expectations for encouraging a good working culture
• Just 50% of workers say their managers meet or exceed expectations for helping support their work-life balance
• 67% of non-managers say leaders don’t meet their expectations for checking on their mental wellbeing

Looking at the UK specifically, 63% of UK respondents said that they are motivated at work, and half said they had generally been happier at work since the pandemic started (52%). However, that does not mean the picture is entirely rosy in the UK, which ranked worse against the global average in several troubling trends. For example, only half of respondents (51%) here were satisfied with the performance of senior leaders (below global average) and only 42% were satisfied with their career prospects.

To complicate matters, the UK is the only country polled which reported higher levels of anxiety about going back into the office (52%) than excitement at seeing colleagues (48%). To compound this, over half of UK managers have not found it easy to manage the workforce on issues of burnout (58%) and mental wellbeing (60%).

And, more concerning, 35% of UK respondents said their mental health got worse during the pandemic, which was above the global average, and 37% admitted to suffering from burnout. Only 13% believe their employers will provide coaching to help them deal with mental stress and burnout, the third lowest score of all countries surveyed.

“Employees need leaders to step up to the plate right now, and leaders also need support,” said Morgan. “Companies should invest in coaching for their leaders so they can  better identify and address issues that could otherwise become the reason employees leave.”