Professor Joe Nikolson is preparing a Spain-focused investor education and market research initiative examining how smart trading technologies are applied across modern capital markets. The program will cover quantitative analysis, market data, algorithm-assisted decision-making, trading execution and risk management, while helping participants better understand the differences between traditional, quantitative and data-driven trading approaches.

Madrid, Spain

Professor Joe Nikolson, CEO and Chief Compliance Officer of Securitize Markets, is preparing to introduce an investor education and market research initiative focused on Spain, with the program designed to provide market participants with a more structured understanding of smart trading technologies and their application across international capital markets.

The proposed initiative will examine how data analysis, quantitative models, algorithm-assisted decision-making and systematic execution are used to interpret market information. Educational content will also address the role of pricing data, trading volume, volatility and other market indicators in the development and assessment of trading strategies.

A central part of the program will focus on how quantitative and smart trading models generate signals and how predefined rules may be used to establish entry and exit conditions. Participants will also be introduced to methods for evaluating market changes, adjusting risk exposure and reviewing the assumptions behind different trading models.

Rather than presenting technology as a replacement for independent investment judgment, the initiative is intended to help participants understand how analytical tools can support more structured research and decision-making. The program will emphasize the importance of evaluating data quality, model design, market conditions and execution constraints before applying any technology-driven approach.

The educational framework will also compare traditional trading, quantitative trading and smart trading. Traditional approaches often depend more heavily on manual research and individual judgment, while quantitative and smart trading may combine statistical analysis, algorithms and automated technologies to process larger volumes of market information.

Risk education will form an important component of the initiative. Participants will be introduced to market volatility risk, model risk, liquidity risk, execution risk, technology risk, foreign-exchange exposure, transaction costs and the possibility of capital loss. The program will also stress that historical data and model performance cannot reliably predict future results, and that a strategy that performed well under previous market conditions may not remain effective in a different environment.

Professor Joe Nikolson brings more than 25 years of experience in capital markets, electronic trading and market structure, with a professional background spanning regulated financial markets and digital-asset infrastructure.

As part of the initiative, Securitize Markets is expected to provide research and educational content covering smart trading, quantitative analysis, market-data research, risk management and the role of technology in modern capital markets.

Further information regarding eligibility, participation procedures and applicable compliance requirements is expected to be released through official channels. Any participation will remain subject to investor suitability assessments, service availability and applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

About Securitize Markets
Securitize Markets operates within the digital-assets and regulated financial-markets sector, with activities related to compliant digital securities and market infrastructure. According to the materials provided for this announcement, Securitize serves as a regulated trading platform focused on supporting the development of compliant secondary-market activity for tokenized assets. Its work includes market operations, institutional engagement, regulatory implementation and research related to modern capital-market technologies. For the proposed Spain-focused initiative, Securitize Markets is expected to contribute research and educational material covering quantitative analysis, smart trading, market data, technology applications and risk-management concepts.

The transaction marks the change of control to the company's longest-standing institutional backer, and clears the way for HappyOrNot's move from customer feedback into real-time operational intelligence.

NEW YORK, USA

FE International, Inc., the global market leader in technology mergers and acquisitions, advised HappyOrNot, the Finnish company behind the Smiley feedback terminals, and separately advised the Company’s selling shareholders, including existing investors; Verdane, Northzone and AirTree Ventures, and members of the Company’s management team and employee shareholders, on the sale of their respective holdings to Verdane, the European specialist growth buyout firm. Verdane, an existing minority investor since 2019, has increased its position to a majority stake in the business.

HappyOrNot started with a bad afternoon in an electronics shop. Heikki Väänänen was a teenager, got poor service, and found there was no way to tell anyone about it. Two decades later he and Ville Levaniemi founded the company in Tampere, Finland, in 2009, around a device with four buttons and four faces. They started with two buttons. Customers told them four worked better. A Finnish supermarket group signed first, Heathrow Airport followed, and the terminal went on to become one of the most recognised customer feedback solutions across retail and other customer-facing environments.

The business that sold in 2026 is not the hardware company it began as. Smiley Terminal™, Smiley Touch™, Smiley Digital™ and Smiley Sign™ create a continuous stream of in-the-moment operational data, turning customer experience into signals that can be analysed, activated and integrated into the systems and workflows organisations use to run their operations. More than 4,000 brands across 135 countries run on it, including Amazon, Sodexo , Heathrow Airport and Aramark. Over two billion feedback responses have been collected in the moment and at the point of experience, rather than through traditional retrospective surveys.

Fifteen years also produces a complicated shareholder register. HappyOrNot raised across several rounds, including a $14.5 million Series A in 2017 backed by Northzone and AirTree Ventures, and a $25 million growth round led by Verdane in 2019.

FE International ran the process on behalf of the Company and its selling shareholders, resulting in a simplified ownership structure with Verdane, already a shareholder since 2019, now a controlling majority owner alongside the company’s management team going forward.

“HappyOrNot is a rare asset. It is a category-defining business with a physical footprint no pure software company can replicate, sitting on a proprietary dataset that gets more valuable every year two billion responses collected at the point of service is not something a competitor can buy or scrape. Running a process for the Company and coordinating multiple selling shareholders with an existing investor moving to control is not trivial, and it’s why we structured separate advisory workstreams for each party to get to one clean signing,” said Max Alderman, Partner at FE International.

HappyOrNot owns one of the largest datasets of its kind and gathers it in places that are difficult to reach any other way, including airport terminals, supermarket exits, hospital corridors and bank branches. Erling Amble, board member at HappyOrNot and investor at Verdane, has described the same shift, pointing to demand moving away from retrospective online feedback and towards real-time data embedded directly in operational systems.

The transaction landed alongside a change at the top. Tim Waterton, Chief Revenue Officer since 2021, stepped up to Chief Executive Officer, and Carl Holmquist took over as Chairman. Waterton has spent more than 30 years in enterprise software, including a business he co-founded that was later acquired by BMC Software, plus senior roles at M-Files and RainStor and earlier positions at the London Stock Exchange and Accenture. His plan is to push HappyOrNot beyond measurement and into real-time operational intelligence, closing the last mile of customer experience by turning continuous microfeedback into activated data, integrated directly into the operational flow of organisations so frontline teams can act while there is still time to make a difference.

About HappyOrNot

HappyOrNot is a Finnish customer experience and operational intelligence technology company founded in 2009 by Heikki Väänänen and Ville Levaniemi. Headquartered in Tampere with a US office and a global reseller network, it captures in-the-moment microfeedback through its Smiley touchpoints and turns those signals into real-time operational intelligence, helping organisations understand performance, identify issues and improve customer experiences. HappyOrNot works with more than 4,000 organisations across 135 countries in retail, healthcare, transport, hospitality and public services.

About Verdane

Verdane is a specialist growth buyout investment firm backing tech-enabled and sustainable businesses across Europe. Verdane funds have raised €10 billion and made more than 200 investments since 2003, with over 180 investment professionals and operating experts across Berlin, Copenhagen, London, Helsinki, Munich, Oslo and Stockholm. Verdane is a certified B Corporation and invests as a majority or minority holder, in single companies or in portfolios.

About FE International

Founded in 2010, FE International is an award-winning strategic advisor for technology businesses. FE’s team has completed over 1,500 transactions with a combined value of over $50 billion. FE International was named one of The Americas’ Fastest Growing Companies from 2020 to 2024 by the Financial Times and is also a seven-time Inc. 5000 company.

For more information, visit www.feinternational.com.

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Gaj Tanwar
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Little Rock, Arkansas – August 26, 2026

“The publishing industry is not declining; it is transforming. We are investing in technology that enhances the reading experience rather than replacing it. Our AI-enhanced features are designed to help readers discover content that matters to them while preserving the editorial craftsmanship that has always defined great magazine publishing.”NewLook Magazine Publishing Company is embracing the future of publishing with a comprehensive digital transformation strategy that includes AI-enhanced reading features and an innovative subscription model. The initiative positions the Arkansas-based publisher as a forward thinking leader navigating the evolving media landscape with creativity and purpose.

NewLook Magazine Publishing Company today revealed its comprehensive digital transformation strategy, a multi-phase initiative that incorporates artificial intelligence-enhanced reading experiences and a reimagined subscription model aimed at redefining how audiences engage with magazine content in an increasingly digital world. The strategy marks a significant milestone for the Little Rock-based publisher, which has built its reputation on delivering quality print content to readers from diverse backgrounds and communities. Recognizing the shifting habits of modern media consumers, NewLook has developed a digital platform that leverages AI technology to personalize content discovery, recommend articles based on reader preferences, and create interactive features that deepen engagement without sacrificing editorial quality.

Central to the transformation is NewLook’s new subscription model, which departs from conventional paywall structures in favor of a flexible, reader-centric approach. Subscribers can choose from multiple tiers that blend print and digital access according to their preferences. The entry-level digital tier provides access to curated content feeds powered by the recommendation engine, while premium tiers include print editions, exclusive digital features, and early access to special issues and multimedia content.

The team-enhanced reading experience represents a careful balance between technological innovation and editorial integrity. NewLook’s development team has worked to ensure that the recommendation algorithms surface a broad spectrum of content rather than narrowing readers into repetitive content loops. The system is designed to introduce readers to new topics, perspectives, and voices, aligning with the company’s mission to serve audiences from all walks of life.

NewLook’s digital transformation also extends to its role as a community economic catalyst. The company’s performance-driven local marketplace model — which provides affordable,
premium visibility to small businesses, preachers, artists, and authors — will be fully integrated into the digital platform. Local business features will appear alongside editorial content, reaching readers through both organic discovery and AI-assisted recommendations. This integration ensures that the economic benefits generated by the marketplace model are amplified across digital channels.

The company has also announced plans to expand its content offerings through new digital first magazine titles that address emerging lifestyle trends, underserved communities, and fresh perspectives on culture, fashion, and business. These titles will exist primarily on the digital platform, allowing NewLook to experiment with formats, multimedia storytelling, and interactive features that are not possible in traditional print.

Sustainability considerations have also shaped the digital strategy. By expanding its digital footprint, NewLook expects to reduce its overall paper consumption and printing costs while reaching wider audiences. The company has committed to exploring eco-friendly printing practices for its continuing print editions, including recycled paper stocks and plant-based inks, as part of a broader environmental responsibility initiative.

Industry observers have noted that regional publishers face unique challenges in the current media landscape, and NewLook’s willingness to invest in digital innovation while maintaining its print heritage sets it apart from competitors who have either abandoned print entirely or resisted digital adaptation. The company’s balanced approach suggests a sustainable path forward for mid-sized publishers seeking relevance in a rapidly changing industry.

NewLook’s digital platform is expected to launch in phases, with the initial rollout of the AI enhanced reading experience and new subscription tiers scheduled for the coming months. Readers and prospective subscribers can visit the company’s website for updates and early access opportunities.

About Us

NewLook Magazine Publishing Company is a Little Rock, Arkansas-based publishing company that produces magazine content spanning lifestyle, culture, and community topics for readers from all walks of life. The company operates across print and digital platforms and is committed to championing diverse voices, supporting local economies, and embracing innovation in the evolving media landscape. If you like to Get feature in Our Brand New Magazine please feel free to reach out to us love to hear from you.

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