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NowSecure Wins Four Coveted Global InfoSec Awards from Cyber Defense Magazine at RSA 2023

NowSecure

NowSecure, the recognized experts in mobile app security, is proud to be named the winner of four Global InfoSec Awards from Cyber Defense Magazine (CDM), the industry’s leading electronic information security magazine. This year marks the 11th anniversary of the prestigious awards, which were presented today at RSA Conference 2023. NowSecure was recognized for its advanced suite of products, services and resources across four categories, including DevSecOps (Market Leader), Mobile App Security (Editor’s Choice), Penetration Testing (Hot Company) and Cybersecurity Training (Publisher’s Choice). “The NowSecure MobileRiskTracker™ shows that over 85% of mobile apps have security and privacy vulnerabilities and 70% leak private data, with multi-year trends showing these findings continuing to worsen, " said Brian Reed, NowSecure Chief Mobility Officer. “We’re thrilled to be recognized by Cyber Defense Magazine for our leading innovation across our full suite of mobile app security solutions, services and resources mitigating these risks. Our goal every day is to deliver meaningful outcomes for our customers and ensure that their mobile app security posture is efficient, safe and secure.” These awards were judged on three major components to select winners: understanding tomorrow’s threats, today, providing a cost-effective solution and innovating in unexpected ways that can help mitigate cyber risk, and be a step ahead of the next breach. Honored as Market Leader in the category of DevSecOps, NowSecure was awarded for its full suite of mobile app security solutions including NowSecure Platform for automated security testing, NowSecure Workstation kit for pen tester productivity, NowSecure Supply Chain Risk Management, NowSecure expert Mobile Pen Testing as a Service (PTaaS), and NowSecure Academy training courseware for dev and security teams. Built on a foundation of standards and automation, NowSecure empowers our customers to deliver the most secure mobile apps faster and continuously monitor their mobile app supply chains for risk. In the Penetration Testing Category, NowSecure was named ‘The Hot Company’ for its innovative standards-based pen testing solutions, team of expert pen testers and experience in conducting tens of thousands of pen tests. Only NowSecure can deliver mobile Pen Testing as a Service (PTaaS), combining periodic expert manual assessments with automated continuous testing to optimize coverage, cost and frequency. NowSecure Academy was also awarded Publisher’s Choice in the Cybersecurity training category for providing the industry’s only upskilling platform and training courseware specifically for mobile app security and development teams. NowSecure Academy was developed in collaboration with expert mobile app architecture, development, security and DevSecOps teams and leverages industry standards such as OWASP and community best practices. Free to join, NowSecure Academy offers a centralized source of mobile app security training designed for rapid learning using proven best practices with courses for fundamentals of mobile app security and privacy, secure mobile app coding for developers, and mobile app security analysis for pen testers and security analysts. “We scoured the globe looking for cybersecurity innovators that could make a huge difference and help turn the tide against the exponential growth in cyber-crime. NowSecure is absolutely worthy of these coveted awards and consideration for deployment in your mobile app environment,” said Gary S. Miliefsky, Publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine. NowSecure executives will be attending RSA Conference 2023 and hosting a joint event with GitHub on April 25 from 6-9PM PT at GitHub HQ for an evening of networking and collaboration. Register here. Learn more about the NowSecure solutions and services honored here. About NowSecure: As the recognized experts in mobile security and privacy, NowSecure protects the global mobile app economy and safeguards the data of millions of mobile app users. Built on a foundation of standards, NowSecure empowers the world’s most demanding organizations with security automation to release and monetize 30% faster, reduce testing and delivery costs by 30% and reduce appsec risk by 40%. Only NowSecure offers a full solution suite of continuous security testing for DevSecOps, mobile app supply-chain monitoring, expert mobile pen testing as a Service (PTaaS) and training courseware. NowSecure actively contributes and supports the mobile security open-source community, standards and certification including OWASP MASVS, ADA MASA, NIAP and is recognized by IDC, Gartner, Deloitte Fast 500, and TAG Cyber. About the CDM InfoSec Awards Judging The judges are CISSP, FMDHS, CEH, certified security professionals who voted based on their independent review of the company submitted materials on the website of each submission including but not limited to data sheets, white papers, product literature and other market variables. CDM has a flexible philosophy to find more innovative players with new and unique technologies, than the one with the most customers or money in the bank. CDM is always asking “What’s Next?” so we are looking for best of breed, next generation InfoSec solutions. About Cyber Defense Magazine Cyber Defense Magazine is the premier source of cyber security news and information for InfoSec professions in business and government. We are managed and published by and for ethical, honest, passionate information security professionals. Our mission is to share cutting-edge knowledge, real-world stories and awards on the best ideas, products, and services in the information technology industry. We deliver electronic magazines every month online for free, and special editions exclusively for the RSA Conferences. CDM is a proud member of the Cyber Defense Media Group. Learn more about us at https://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com and visit https://www.cyberdefensetv.com and https://www.cyberdefenseradio.com to see and hear some of the most informative interviews of many of these winning company executives. Join a webinar at https://www.cyberdefensewebinars.com and realize that InfoSec knowledge is power. Contact Details NowSecure Hannah LaCorte +1 202-240-7611 Press@nowsecure.com Cyber Defense Magazine Irene Noser +1 833-844-9468 Marketing@cyberdefensemagazine.com Company Website https://www.nowsecure.com/

April 24, 2023 01:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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News Release

Clip Money modernizing retail financial transactions with banking app and digital ecosystem

Clip Money

Clip Money chief operating officer Brian Bailey joins Proactive's Natalie Stoberman to share how the company is modernizing how retailers conduct financial transactions. Clip increases access and lowers fees for all parts of the ecosystem, ensuring everyone in the economy can be part of the digital money revolution. The company approaches the challenges and inconveniences of everyday banking through solutions driven by technology, including a modern, mobile application and cloud hosted platform; automated collection hardware including cash counting safes; and integration with existing innovations like Interac & Plaid. Contact Details Proactive Investors +1 604-688-8158 na-editorial@proactiveinvestors.com

April 24, 2023 11:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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AmpliTech to Showcase its Pioneering RF Solutions at Ladenburg Thalmann Tech Expo 2023

Amplitech Group, Inc.

McapMediaWire - AmpliTech Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMPG) a designer, developer, and manufacturer of state-of-the-art signal-processing components for satellite, 5G, and other communications networks, and a worldwide distributor of packages and lids for integrated circuit assembly, as well as a designer of complete 5G/6G systems, today announced that it will present at the Ladenburg Thalmann Technology Expo 2023 in New York on Thursday, April 27, 2023, at 3:30 pm EDT. AmpliTech’s founder and CEO, Fawad Maqbool, will present a corporate overview, highlighting AmpliTech's innovative solutions and growth opportunities. Conference Details: Thursday, April 27, 2023 3:30 pm EDT Ladenburg Thalmann Tech Expo Conference Convene 101 Park Avenue New York, NY 10017 A live webcast of the presentation can be accessed at: https://wsw.com/webcast/ladenburg9/ampg/2401665 About The Ladenburg Thalmann Tech Expo 2023 The 2023 Expo will feature presentations from the managements of approximately 50 public and private technology companies covering media and content-tech; software and service-tech; and hardware and defend-tech. The format will include three presentation tracks along with one-on-one meetings. In addition, a number of companies will be providing live demonstrations of their products and offerings in the ʻLadenburg Expo formatʼ, which will provide an additional opportunity to interact with management teams. For more information about the event, email to techexpo@ladenburg.com. About AmpliTech Group AmpliTech Group, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, and distributes state-of-the-art radio frequency (RF) microwave components for global satellite communications, telecom (5G & IoT), space, defense, and quantum computing markets as well as systems and component design consulting services. In December 2021, AmpliTech completed the purchase of the assets and operations of Spectrum Semiconductor Materials Inc. a global specialty distributor of semiconductor components based in San Jose, CA. AmpliTech has a 13+ year track record of developing high performance, custom solutions to meet the unique needs of some of the largest companies in the global industries we serve. We are proud of our focused team's unique skills, experience and dedication, which enables us to deliver superior solutions, faster time to market, competitive pricing, excellent customer satisfaction and repeat business. For more information, visit: www.amplitechgroup.com About Ladenburg Thalmann Ladenburg Thalmann is a full-service, diversified financial services firm that offers a full suite of investment banking and capital markets products and services, including equity and debt capital raising, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance advisory and fairness opinions. Ladenburg was established in 1876 and has been a member of the New York Stock Exchange for 135 years, until its merger with Advisor Group in March 2020. The combined platform now has over 10,000 financial advisors in the US managing over $450 billion in client assets. For more information, please visit www.ladenburg.com. Corporate Social Media Twitter: @AmpliTechAMPG Instagram: @AmpliTechAMPG Facebook: AmpliTechInc Investor Social Media Twitter: @AMPG_IR StockTwits: @AMPG_IR Company Contact: Shan Sawant, Director of Communications AmpliTech Group, Inc. Investors@amplitechgroup.com Investor Relations Contact: Kirin Smith, President PCG Advisory, Inc. ksmith@pcgadvisory.com www.pcgadvisory.com Contact Details AmpliTech Group, Inc. Investors@amplitechgroup.com Company Website http://www.amplitechgroup.com/

April 24, 2023 09:15 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Kidoz looking to maintain "growth streak" in 2023 after "strong" 2022

Kidoz Inc.

Kidoz Inc (TSX-V:KIDZ) CEO Jason Williams speaks to Thomas Warner from Proactive following the results of the mobile advertising technology company's audited financial results for 2022. Williams describes revenues of over $15 million as "strong", adding that Kidoz extended its lead as the market leader in the kids safe area, capturing a bigger share of the budget that's new to the market because of the decline of TV. Williams says he is optimistic about 2023, and hopes to maintain and extend the "growth streak." Contact Details Proactive Investors +1 604-688-8158 na-editorial@proactiveinvestors.com

April 24, 2023 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Crossword Cybersecurity "shifting to path to profitability"

Crossword Cybersecurity PLC

Crossword Cybersecurity PLC (AIM:CCS) CEO Tom Ilube joined Thomas Warner from Proactive to discuss the company's 2022 annual report and its plans for this year. Ilube says he's pleased with the company's 68% growth in 2022, which was the fastest since the company listed on AIM back in 2018. He adds that Crossword Cybersecurity is aiming for revenue of £6m in 2023 and plans to raise more working capital before the end of the year as it shifts toward the "path to profitability." Contact Details Proactive UK Ltd Proactive UK Ltd +44 20 7989 0813 uk@proactiveinvestors.com

April 24, 2023 03:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Harvest Thermal Wins Prestigious 2023 Edison Award™ Prize

Harvest Thermal

Harvest Thermal Inc, the leader in ground-breaking thermal battery HVAC solutions, won the Silver prize for Sustainable Design in the Consumer Solutions Category at the 2023 Edison Awards ceremony. It was the second prize Harvest Thermal executives walked away with in as many days. CEO Dr. Jane Melia picked up the Most Innovative Companies 2023 award for Small Businesses at the Fast Company Innovation Festival at the Hall Des Lumieres in New York City. “We’re delivering on Edison Award’s promise of a better world through innovation,” said Michel Maeso, Chief Revenue Office of Harvest Thermal who received the Edison Award at the Caloosa Sound Convention Center in Fort Meyers. “Each one of our systems removes 50 tons of carbon over its lifetime, giving homeowners an affordable way to dramatically lower their carbon footprint. We’re honored to share the Sustainable Design category with Essency and Rheem, each breaking new ground in all-electric HVAC appliances” “I’m proud and honored to be named one of Fast Company’s “World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2023,” said Dr. Melia. It’s especially gratifying on the eve of Earth Day when we double down on our commitment to protect the planet. We wouldn’t be here today without our team of engineers, marketers, advisors, supporters, partners, and especially the homeowners who have made this possible.” Harvest Thermal makes available thermal battery technology for heating and hot water to the mass consumer market. For the first time, homeowners get the benefits of affordability, sustainability, and flexible grid services that until now have only been available to commercial HVAC users. The Harvest Pod limits the operation of a single heat pump mostly to midday while distributing heat and hot water to the home whenever needed. The result is a 90% reduction in carbon emissions compared to gas systems and a 32% drop in monthly heating bills. ABOUT HARVEST THERMAL Harvest Thermal Inc. is a developer and manufacturer of an AI-driven, thermal battery heating, cooling and hot water system for the residential market. Its award-winning, cloud-enabled Harvest Pod controller leverages the power of advanced analytics and machine learning to dramatically reduce carbon emissions, save on monthly heating bills and support a more resilient grid. Founded in 2019, Harvest Thermal has received support from the National Science Foundation, the California Energy Commission, Peninsula Clean Energy, and private investors. ABOUT THE EDISON AWARDS: Established in 1987, the Edison Awards is a program conducted by Edison Universe, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to fostering future innovators. The annual competition honors excellence in new product and service development, marketing, design and innovation. Past award recipients include Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and leaders of global corporations such as Coca-Cola, Genentech, General Electric, General Motors, IBM and Campbell Soup Co. In 2022, the Edison Awards introduced the inaugural Lewis Latimer Fellowship program designed to celebrate, connect and bring together a community of innovative Black thought leaders. For more information, visit www.edisonawards.com. Contact Details Harvest Thermal David Tuft david@harvest-thermal.com Company Website https://www.harvest-thermal.com/

April 22, 2023 08:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time

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Technology Could Be a Key Component to Portfolios

Select Sector SPDR

Technology underpins daily life. Every facet of the economy is connected to and reliant on technology. Making tech part of a portfolio should be a consideration for every investor. The Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund ( XLK ) offers easy and affordable access to this crucial piece of the U.S. economy. This simple to use and understand product has been trading for more than twenty-four years. XLK was early to launch in this space and has attracted more than $35 billion in assets under management. It is listed and traded on NYSE Arca so you can buy or sell throughout the day. With an expense ratio of 0.10%* and many brokerages offering commission-free trade, access to XLK and gaining exposure to the technology sector has never been easier. The fund draws from the S&P 500 tech sector. By weighting toward big caps, there is less volatility by avoiding smaller, less-stable firms. Top Holdings** The Technology Sector SPDR fund’s top two holdings, Microsoft and Apple, make up over 40% of the ETF’s holdings – approximately 20% each**. Along with chipmaker Nvidia, the third largest holding at 4.86%, XLK offers a diverse technology fund that represents the economy in many ways. XLK currently holds 66 publicly traded technology companies, all components of the S&P 500. XLK trades millions of shares each day with tight trading spreads. Access and cost can make XLK the go-to choice for technology exposure in a well-diversified portfolio. Why Tech? How does a tech ETF work into a portfolio? Significantly, in the long term. No industry fuels the economy more than technology. Every facet of life today has technology behind it. XLK provides investment results that, before expenses, correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Technology Select Sector Index. Strategically or tactically, XLK can allow for a more targeted approach than traditional style based investing as well. Sector Weightings The fund follows an index that includes a broad mix of the technology sector, which mitigates some of the volatility associated with the sector. Offering exposure to technology hardware, storage, and peripherals; software; communications equipment; semiconductors and semiconductor equipment; IT services; and electronic equipment, instruments, and components, the sector is well covered with broad exposure. The technology industry is easily captured here. Launched in 1998, XLK has been a stalwart in the ETF toolbox for technology exposure in a portfolio and should be a consideration for advisors and investors alike. DISCLAIMER: This is a work of research and should not be taken as investment or financial advice. Therefore, Select Sector SPDRs or the publisher is not liable for any decision made based on the publication. About the Company: Select Sector SPDR ETFs offer flexibility and customization opportunities. Many investors have similar outlooks, but no two are exactly alike. Select Sector SPDR ETFs let investors select the sectors that best meet their investment goals. *Ordinary brokerage fees apply **Holdings, Weightings & Assets as of 3/31/23 subject to change DISCLOSURES The S&P 500 Index is an unmanaged index of 500 common stocks that is generally considered representative of the U.S. stock market. The index is heavily weighted toward stocks with large market capitalizations and represents approximately two-thirds of the total market value of all domestic common stocks. The S&P 500 Index figures do not reflect any fees, expenses or taxes. An investor should consider investment objectives, risks, fees and expenses before investing. One may not invest directly in an index. Transparent ETFs provide daily disclosure of portfolio holdings and weightings All ETFs are subject to risk, including loss of principal. Sector ETF products are also subject to sector risk and nondiversification risk, which generally will result in greater price fluctuations than the overall market. Diversification does not eliminate risk. An investor should consider investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. To obtain a prospectus, which contains this and other information, call 1-866-SECTOR-ETF (732-8673) or visit www.sectorspdrs.com. Read the prospectus carefully before investing. ALPS Portfolio Solutions Distributor, Inc., a registered broker-dealer, is distributor for the Select Sector SPDR Trust. Media Contact: Company: Select Sector SPDRs Contact: Dan Dolan* Address: 1290 Broadway, Suite 1000, Denver, CO 80203 Country: United States Email: dan.dolan@sectorspdrs.com Website: https://www.sectorspdrs.com/ *Dan Dolan is a Registered Representative of ALPS Portfolio Solutions Distributor, Inc. ALPS Portfolio Solutions Distributor, Inc., a registered broker-dealer, is the distributor for the Select Sector SPDR Trust. Contact Details Dan Dolan dan.dolan@sectorspdrs.com Company Website https://www.sectorspdrs.com/

April 21, 2023 12:50 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Futuris Files Amended Offering Circular Showing 12 month Revenues Increased 300%

FUTURIS CO.

McapMediaWire -- Futuris Company (OTC: FTRS), a Human Capital Management company focused on the areas of Staffing, Consulting, and IT Services has just filed its Regulation A amended Offering Circular with the SEC. As stated in this offering circular, Futuris Company has grown revenues in the past twelve months over 300% from $11 million to over $46 million. Futuris has grown these revenues by completing acquisitions in the Human Capital Management field as well as related IT companies. It plans to continue this acquisition strategy of revenue accretive companies to grow the company. Futuris has more good news from its companies to support this stellar growth: Akvarr Company was contracted by Augusta Health (18 location Health Plan provider) to initially assist with UKG system configuration, process improvement and carrying out day-to-day HR tasks. Over the past 3 months, Akvarr expanded its role to support process automation, tax form compliance as well as organization reporting & optimization, resulting in a contract renewal and many hours expansion from its initial SOW. As the ROI, Akvarr is now the premier provider for Augusta and its affiliates for overall systems integration. Cadan Technologies, a leading managed IT, managed security, IT staffing, and IT Project Services provider brings our world class IT Services offerings to organizations of all types and sizes across the United States. The company’s experts design, integrate, deploy, and maintain technology solutions for maximum productivity and minimum downtime. It is exciting to report their best revenue year ever in 2022 and they are positioned to continue to grow its most profitable lines of business in 2023 through growth in existing services and the addition of new value-added services. As a part of this commitment to world class IT services, Cadan Technologies has introduced Siris Datto Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery to its IT services portfolio. SIRIS is fundamentally different than traditional backup and recovery solutions. Utilizing a cloud-first approach, Cadan Technologies can now offer clients an all-in-one solution that incorporates local backup and recovery with a secure, cloud-based repository and full disaster recovery in the cloud. All of this is administered from a cloud portal that allows Cadan and its clients to view, manage and recover client data from a single interface. In another story of Cadan’s success, in less than 60 days Cadan refreshed an entire fleet of laptops with new laptops while also implementing Microsoft Intune organization-wide for a 500-employee national nonprofit organization headquartered in Minnesota. This has streamlined employee on-boarding and off-boarding by adding the ability to remote provision and remotely decommission devices across the organization regardless of where the employee is located. “All of us at Cadan Technologies are pleased to bring Siris Datto Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Services to our current and future managed IT services clients. These are excellent examples of our enduring commitment to bringing organizations of all types and sizes best in class tools and services that meet their IT management and security needs” – Charles LeVoir, President Cadan Technologies Health HR is a provider of quality therapy (Physical, Occupational and Speech) staffing services to its Home Health and Facility partners. Health HR has been in business in South Florida for 20+ years as a Health Care Service Pool licensed by the Agency for Healthcare Administration (AHCA) currently servicing Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach County. Health HR continued its growth during the 1st quarter 2023 due to closing on an acquisition in mid-January, coupled with the continued organic growth of the company. Revenue for the company is based, in large part, on the number of patient visits that are scheduled from quarter to quarter. In the 4th quarter 2022 Health HR had a total number of scheduled visits of 6,887 versus scheduled visits in the 1st quarter 2023 of 9,165 amounting to an approximate increase of 33 percent from the prior quarter. During the last quarter of 2022, a concerted effort was undertaken to spend more time in the field meeting with current and potential clients. Face to face meetings with clients had been limited over the past couple of years due to Covid concerns, but meeting with current and potential clients in their respective offices allows Health HR to get updates on marketing efforts, meet with new office staff, discuss industry initiatives and changes, etc. The TASA Group, the nation’s most experienced expert referral service is known for providing expert witnesses in all areas of the legal industry – medical, technical, business, consulting, etc. Since the pandemic, Tasa has continued to conduct business and has seen a stable and even book of business over last year. The medical division, TASAmed is up 10% in revenue over last year. The company continues to market through advertising – digitally and in print, through networking events, expert-authored articles, and through webinars presented by experts. The TASA Group continues to be top-of-mind in the legal industry and the go-to for all things requiring expert witnesses! Computer Deductions Inc. (CDI) has over five decades of experience in analyzing, designing, developing, testing, integrating, supporting, and maintaining complex solutions for a myriad of public and private sector customers, CDI has a broad set of skills, practices, and resources to bring to our customers that we believe will have a strong positive benefit. Our mission is to deliver quality services to our clients. CDI’s experience includes more than 50 years supporting various National, State, and Local Agencies, focusing primarily on the Law Enforcement and Public Safety sectors. In particular, CDI played an instrumental role in the development and implementation of the current California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) statewide communications network, the automated field office system and Driver’s License issuance system. CDI provided, installed and operates the hardware and software for the California DMV DL/ID/SP servers, database to maintain the largest DL/ID photo-database in the country, supporting 250M DL/ID photos/signatures for the DMV along with an associated WEB server providing access to all law enforcement agencies real-time access to this photo database. CDI developed and maintains several WEB based DMV photo servers, providing California DMV photos to the law enforcement community in California and nationally. CDI designed and assisted in the development of all the databases at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and totally designed and implemented the California Law Enforcement Telecommunication System (CLETS) for DOJ. Talent Beacon has announced that Stratus Technologies has partnered with Talent Beacon to establish their India presence, setup all their related HR policies, and hire their executive team and core team members. This partnership has resulted in a team of 100+ systems design and development individuals, and they are continuing to work with them. About Futuris Company Futuris is a Human Capital Management (HCM) company focused on Executive Search, Staffing, Consulting services and Tech Services specializing in verticals such as Medical, Accounting/Finance, Information Technology, Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), and Legal. The Company is committed to building a global HCM company through highly targeted and accretive acquisitions and operational efficiencies. For more information, please visit https://futuris.company/ Contact Details: Futuris Company info.it@futuris.company Website: www.futuris.company Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/futuriscompany Contact Details Futuris Company info.it@futuris.company Company Website http://futuris.company/

April 21, 2023 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Freelance Creative Jobs Thrive Despite AI Surge

FREELANCER.COM

New data released today by Freelancer.com (ASX: FLN) (OTCQX: FLNCF), the world’s largest freelancing marketplace by number of users and jobs posted, shows an incoming startup boom amongst an unprecedented surge in freelance creative design and AI job growth. The Fast 50 Q1 2023 Index, the world’s largest forward indicator of freelance job trends, analyzes over 304,000 jobs posted to Freelancer.com between January and March 2023. The index finds that jobs for T-Shirt Design (up 33.1%, from 1,403 to 1,868), Covers & Packaging Design (up 27.3%, from 1,128 to 1,436), and Corporate Identity Design (up 24.2%, from 2,474 to 3,073) were the three fastest growing job types by total percentage growth when compared to Q4 2022. These were followed by Product Design (up 22.9%, 1,214 to 1,493) and 3D Design (up 22%, from 5,027 to 6,135) jobs. Design skills with the largest job counts on the platform also grew significantly this quarter. There were a whopping 7,495 extra Graphic Design jobs in Q1 (up 12.1%, from 61,709 to 69,204), followed by an additional 6,731 Logo Design jobs (up 20.4%, from 32,963 to 39,694) and 5,902 extra jobs requiring skills in Photoshop (up 15.4%, from 38,224 to 44,126). Design is both the most in-demand and the highest paying skill on Freelancer.com, as found in the Freelancing in 2022 Report. These types of jobs, particularly logo design, packaging design and t-shirt creation, are typically the starting point for many founders launching a new business. The sudden influx of design, eCommerce and marketing jobs are a key indicator of a boom in startups. Simultaneously, jobs requiring skills in Artificial Intelligence were the seventh fastest growing skill on Freelancer.com (up 20.62% in Q1 2023 from 1,038 to 1,252). Jobs demanding Generative AI skills, such as ChatGPT, Dall-E, Midjourney and Chatbots, grew by more than 325% from 286 in Q4 2022 to 1,216 in Q1 2023. “While many speculate whether AI will take design jobs, our latest data shows that this is certainly not the case. Design jobs are the most popular job type on the platform and continue to grow despite advances in hyper-realistic generative AI tools,” said Matt Barrie, Chief Executive at Freelancer.com. “What’s more interesting in this data is zooming out and looking at the main trend: the startup boom. The most in-demand jobs on the platform for this quarter are all related to the launch of new businesses. New logo, website and branding jobs. In fact, there were 75 extra logo design jobs posted each day last quarter, which could suggest the launch of 75 new businesses.” The data also shows an increase in Digital Marketing (up 12.8%, from 1,524 to 1,720) and Videography (up 14.2%, from 2,716 to 3,102) jobs which also suggests businesses are focusing more on their online marketing and content creation strategies to amplify their brands. Fastest Falling Jobs of Q1 2023 While design jobs dominated the fastest growing, the jobs that were in less demand in this quarter are related to tech, development and writing. Software Development, which was ranked as the fastest growing job in Q2 2022, began to decline this quarter and was down by 34.4% (from 2,001 to 1,311). Similarly, programming related jobs which were one of the fastest growing skills in Q4 2022 also declined this quarter by 20.9% (from 5,899 to 4,665). Demand for these types of jobs surged last year as many tech employees were laid off globally. However, the new data suggests demand is beginning to stabilize and return to pre-mass layoffs levels. Seasonality also plays into employers moving away from specific types of jobs quarter-to-quarter. Report Writing, Technical Writing, Research Writing and Business Plans were ranked as the fastest growing jobs in Q4 2022 as many employers traditionally turn to freelance support to help prepare end of year reports and 2023 plans. These types of jobs naturally reduce in the first quarter of the year. Fast 50 Q1 2023 - Data Analysis Startup Boom Fuels Creative Design Job Growth Historically, more businesses are started during a recession. Economic downturns have led to the creation of some of the world’s most well known brands, such as Microsoft, Uber and Burger King, just to name a few. Only a few years ago, the world witnessed this trend playing out as COVID sparked a startup boom, which saw a 24 percent increase in new business applications in the United States alone. According to the latest US Census Business Formation Statistics, the number of new business applications is beginning to grow in 2023 by an increase of 451,752, an increase of 4.5 percent compared to February 2023. Data from the latest Freelancer Fast 50 Index suggests there’s a sudden increase in the number of new businesses and startups being launched globally. The fastest growing skills, such as T-Shirt, Covers & Packaging, and Corporate Identity Design, as well as the growth of major jobs such as Logo Design, are all usually posted by founders at the starting point for a new business or venture. T-Shirt Design jobs, as an example, are growing as people hire freelancers to create t-shirts with their business logo as a way of promoting a brand or creating business uniforms. An uptick in Covers and Packaging Design jobs are the result of businesses turning to freelancers for new product labels and marketing brochures. Growth in website building jobs, such as Shopify (up 20.5%, from 2,302 to 2,775), Shopify Templates (up 16.1%, from 1,392 to 1,617) and eCommerce (up 15.5%, from 4,212 to 4,866), also support the rise of new businesses last quarter. Almost three quarters of the fastest growing jobs (72%) posted on Freelancer.com in the last quarter required skills in creative design or marketing. Serial entrepreneur Davuud Ghani, who recently founded Pivitt, a creative and branding support agency based in the United Kingdom, is just one example of how founders are turning to freelancers to support the growth of their business in 2023. “As a start-up, agility is our advantage over mature businesses with similar service offerings. It’s becoming easier for businesses to locate and leverage global talent, with platforms such as Freelancer.com. We are able to really finetune the skills needed on a project basis to drive excellence through our service offering to our partners, keeping us competitive in the market. That’s what our model is built from and has allowed us to secure partnerships with the likes of BMW & MINI,” said Davuud Ghani, founder of Pivitt. Generative AI Jobs Triple In Last Quarter Advancements in artificial intelligent and generative AI are impacting almost every faucet of business and creativity. Powerful AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Dall-E and Midjourney, are becoming smarter and more sophisticated by month, resulting in rapid leaps in capabilities and applications. In the first quarter of 2023, Open AI released GPT-4, introducing a more powerful and intelligent version of the application which could exhibit human level performance on several benchmarks. In the AI image generation space, research lab Midjourney also released the alpha iteration of its 5th version which allowed users to create photorealistic generations. Growing interest for AI is represented clearly in the Fast 50 Q1 2023 data which ranks jobs for Artificial Intelligence as the seventh fastest growing job on the platform, growing by 20.6% up to 1,252 jobs in total. Many projects posted in the first quarter aim to harness AI text generators or automate mass image generation, while some look for freelance experts who can help create their own AI models and applications. Generative AI skills (ChatGPT, Dall-E, Midjourney, Chatbots) grew the fastest over the quarter, recording a total percentage increase of 325% from 286 last quarter to 1,216 in Q1 2023. In total, there were 5,262 jobs requiring skills in AI, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, TensorFlow, ChatGPT and Dall-E. Digital Marketing & Content Creation Popularity of content marketing is growing amongst businesses. Major success stories, such as Netflix’s Drive to Survive series or Spotify’s Wrapped, are pushing businesses and marketers towards incorporating content marketing within their strategies. It’s a trend that was identified in the Fast 50 Q3 2022 Index and is continuing in Q1 2023. Videography (up 14.21%, from to 3,102), Digital Marketing (up 12.86% to 1,720), YouTube (up 11.30% to 1,576), and Video Production (up 10.25% to 5,401) were all in-demand skills last quarter. This finding suggests that businesses are increasingly focusing on online marketing and content creation strategies to reach their target audiences. While YouTube remains as the main platform people are turning to freelancers for support, employer interest in TikTok video creation is also growing, increasing by 25% in Q1 2023, from 405 projects in Q4 2022 to 507 total jobs Q1 2023. Product Design Jobs Apart from design projects specific to branding and new business ventures, the number of 3D Design, Product Design and general Design collectively grew over Q1 2023. ##### Freelancer Fast 50 The Freelancer Fast 50 index is the world’s largest forward indicator of trends in online jobs related to industries, technologies, products, and companies. The data is based on 304,000 jobs posted to the Freelancer platform between January 1 to March 31 2023. Fast 50 Quarterly Index – Q1 2023 About Freelancer Freelancer.com is the world's largest freelancing and crowdsourcing marketplace by total number of users and projects posted. More than 64 million registered users have posted over 22.3 million projects and contests to date in over 2,000 areas as diverse as website development, logo design, marketing, copywriting, aerospace engineering and manufacturing. Freelancer also owns Escrow.com and Loadshift. Freelancer Limited is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange under the ticker ASX:FLN and is quoted on OTCQX Best Market under the ticker FLNCF. Contact Details freelancer.com Marko Zitko +61 404 574 830 mzitko@freelancer.com

April 21, 2023 08:15 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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