NEW YORK, NY

Vest Labs, the company behind the Vest Markets trading platform, has raised $13 million in a round led by Portal Ventures to build the most trader-friendly cross-asset exchange. The company closed the round at $10 million in annualized revenue on $18 million raised in total. Since then, growth has accelerated sharply: daily revenue grew from $25,000 to over $1 million in two weeks in September. More than 27,000 traders now use the platform, most of whom are traditional markets traders who have never traded crypto or perps.

At Vest, traders have access not only to a full-fledged perpetual futures exchange, but also to an embedded retail prop trading platform. Retail prop trading, where traders pay a fee to prove their skill and then trade a firm’s capital for a share of the profits, has grown by around 45% in the past year. But most prop firms take the other side of their traders’ positions, so they make money when their traders lose. The result is complicated rules designed to end accounts before they pay out. Industry data suggests only around 7% of people who buy a prop firm evaluation are ever paid.

Vest is built differently. Vest is not exposed to its traders’ wins or losses, so it has no reason to write rules against them. Traders pay a one-time fee to trade in a simulated trading environment, can never lose more than that fee, and trade stocks, indices and crypto 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Vest’s recent hypergrowth among traditional markets traders comes from two things: trader-friendly rules and simplicity. As of late September, 26% of Vest traders had received a payout, nearly four times the industry average, and the exchange’s monthly active traders and volume have grown more than 300% month over month.

“Most prop firms make money when their traders lose, so the rules are built to make you fail,” said Justin Ma, founder and CEO of Vest. “We don’t make money when our traders lose, so we have no reason to work against them. We believe perpetual futures are the most trader-friendly way to trade with leverage, and that futures and options traders will move onto them. Funded accounts make that move easy, since traders can start without risking their own capital. This round lets us bring that to far more people.”

“Against all odds’ encapsulates what Vest is about. They say you need a massive marketing budget to win the attention economy. Vest did it with no ads, no token incentives, and no shortcuts. It is incredibly inspiring to witness this journey as an investor: just five years of relentless execution and an unwavering belief that the best product can sell itself,” said Catrina Wang, General Partner at Portal Ventures.

The raise comes as US markets move toward round-the-clock trading, with Nasdaq set to extend stock trading to 23 hours a day from December. Vest will use the funding to launch its mobile app, add new markets and grow the team.

About Vest

Vest builds trading products that give retail traders a fair shot. Vest Markets is a 24/7 venue for perpetual futures on stocks, indices, commodities, FX and crypto. Vest’s funded accounts let traders pay a one-time evaluation fee, trade with real buying power once they pass, and never lose more than that fee. Every funded trade is placed in the real market, so Vest never takes the other side of its traders’ positions. Vest is backed by Portal Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, Amber Group, Selini Capital, Auros, Flowdesk and more.

Learn more at vestmarkets.com

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Jamie Kingsley
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New DataHub Pro app detects a crew member's separation from the boat within seconds, marks their position, and escalates alerts to crew, chartplotter and shore contacts

Auckland, New Zealand

Marine weather forecaster PredictWind has launched Man Overboard, a new app for DataHub Pro users designed to close one of the most dangerous gaps in offshore safety. Sixty percent of man overboard incidents go unwitnessed, according to maritime safety data cited by PredictWind, and every second before someone notices put more water between the boat and the person in it.

Rather than relying on a beacon the person in the water must activate themselves, the Man Overboard app works passively in the background. Each crew member’s smartphone or smartwatch holds a Wi-Fi connection to DataHub Pro. The moment that connection breaks, the app logs the boat’s GPS position and starts an escalating alert sequence: first on the disconnected device itself, then on every other monitored device on board, the boat’s chartplotter, and designated contacts ashore.

“By the time anyone notices someone is missing, the boat could be hundreds of metres away,” said Jon Bilger, PredictWind Founder. “The Man Overboard app closes that gap. It marks the position the instant a device drops off the network, so the crew heads back to where the person went in, not where the boat was when the alarm sounded.”

How the alert escalates

• Immediately: The disconnected device alerts its owner the moment it loses its Wi-Fi connection to DataHub Pro. If it’s a false alarm, they can cancel it.
• ~30 seconds: Every other monitored phone and watch still connected to DataHub Pro receives an orange pop-up identifying the disconnected crew member and asking everyone to confirm they are on board. The alert can also be cancelled at this stage.
• ~60 seconds: If the device is still disconnected, the full MOB Alert is activated. Crew devices receive a loud, vibrating alert and the app displays a red MOB warning identifying the missing person.

If DataHub Pro is connected to a compatible NMEA 2000 chartplotter, the MOB alert and the GPS position logged at the moment of disconnection are displayed on the chartplotter, so the crew can immediately begin their normal man overboard procedure. Email and SMS alerts are also sent to pre-configured emergency contacts ashore.

Crew alerts and chartplotter output run entirely over the boat’s own network, so they work offshore where cellular and satellite data may not be available. Alerts to shore contacts require DataHub Pro to have internet access, and can be sent to mobile numbers in more than 80 countries.

For the system to work, each crew member needs to have their phone or smartwatch on them. The app is compatible with Simrad, Raymarine and B&G chartplotters, supported Apple Watch models, and iOS and Android smartphones.

Built to work alongside existing safety gear, not replace it

The Man Overboard app runs on DataHub Pro, PredictWind’s pro-grade marine connectivity hub, alongside Over the Horizon AIS, Anchor Alert, and PredictWind’s wider suite of offshore safety tools. It is designed to complement established MOB procedures. AIS beacons, PLBs and regular MOB drills all still matter.

“What it solves is crew awareness: knowing within seconds that something has happened, not minutes later,” adds Bilger.

PredictWind recommends that every boat run a full end-to-end test to confirm device alerts, chartplotter display, and email/SMS delivery with their own equipment before relying on the system underway.

More information: www.predictwind.com/apps/man-overboard 

About PredictWind

PredictWind is the world’s leading provider of marine weather forecasting solutions. Trusted by sailors and mariners worldwide, PredictWind combines advanced weather data with professional-grade tools to deliver accurate, reliable marine weather information.

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Casey Hodges, Director of Communications
Roam Generation
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Phone: +61 411 282 582

Harvard-Certified Disruptive Strategist Who Studied Under the Late Clayton Christensen Brings Battle-Tested Principles of Disruptive Strategy Into the AI Era

Miami, FL

As artificial intelligence transforms industries at extraordinary speed, author, strategist, and veteran executive Richard B. Alman today announced the release of his new book, The Innovator’s Synthesis: Disruptive Strategy and the Human Moat in the Age of AI. Recently recognized among MSN’s “Inspiring Men,” Alman addresses how organizations can embrace AI while preserving the distinctly human capabilities that contribute to long-term competitive advantage.

The book brings the battle-tested principles of the late Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen’s Disruptive Innovation framework into the AI era, examining how executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations can recognize disruption, respond intelligently to technological change, and build competitive advantages that artificial intelligence alone cannot replicate.

Alman is a Harvard-certified Disruptive Strategist who studied under the late Clayton Christensen, whose pioneering work fundamentally changed the way business leaders understand innovation and disruption.

Rather than treating artificial intelligence simply as another technology revolution, Alman argues that AI requires leaders to rethink the relationship between technological capability, organizational strategy, and human intelligence.

At the center of the book is what Alman calls the “Human Moat”—the combination of judgment, creativity, intuition, trust, leadership, experience, empathy, and contextual intelligence that can distinguish people and organizations in a world where increasingly powerful AI tools are widely available.

The result is a strategic synthesis: organizations should aggressively harness AI where it creates leverage and efficiency while simultaneously strengthening the human capabilities that remain essential to leadership, innovation, and sustainable competitive advantage.

Building on AI vs. HI

The Innovator’s Synthesis expands upon ideas Alman explored in his previous book, AI vs. HI: Why AI Won’t Replace Human Intelligence.

In AI vs. HI, Alman challenged the assumption that increasingly capable artificial intelligence inevitably makes human intelligence obsolete. Instead, he examined the characteristics of human intelligence that technology can augment but does not necessarily replace.

The Innovator’s Synthesis takes that argument into the executive suite.

The new book asks what the distinction between AI and human intelligence means for strategy, disruption, innovation, organizational design, and competitive advantage.

Together, the two books present a broader thesis for the AI era: the winners may not be the organizations that simply deploy the most artificial intelligence, but those that learn how to combine powerful technology with exceptional human intelligence.

“AI changes the tools available to us, but it does not eliminate the need for judgment, leadership, creativity or strategic thinking,” Alman said. “The competitive challenge is no longer simply AI versus human intelligence. The opportunity is to create a synthesis between them—and to understand where human capability becomes the moat.”

Disruptive Strategy for a New Era

Drawing upon disruptive strategy as well as decades of frontline executive and advisory experience, Alman examines AI through the lens of a strategist rather than solely through the lens of a technologist.

That distinction is increasingly important.

Transformative technologies can create enormous opportunities, but history repeatedly demonstrates that established organizations can misunderstand disruption—even when they possess substantial resources, talented leadership, and sophisticated technology.

The Innovator’s Synthesis applies disruptive thinking to the emerging AI economy and explores how leaders can distinguish technological excitement from genuine strategic transformation.

The book is designed for executives, entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and professionals attempting to understand not merely what AI can do, but what organizations should do because AI exists.

About Richard B. Alman

Richard B. Alman is a C-Suite Advisor, innovator, strategist, veteran executive, and published author with more than 33 years of experience driving transformational growth and operational excellence across multiple industries. He was recently featured by USA News and recognized among MSN’s “Inspiring Men.”

A Harvard-certified Disruptive Strategist who studied under the late Clayton Christensen, Alman has built his career around identifying disruption, challenging conventional assumptions, and helping organizations navigate complex periods of change.

His executive experience includes serving as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Strategy Officer of Isaco International Corporation, a global manufacturer, where he oversaw operational functions and strategy. His broader consulting and leadership experience spans technology, financial services, real estate, human resources, media, and entertainment, and includes work involving major organizations such as General Motors and UBS.

Alman has also advised on complex business, governmental, political, and economic strategy.

He is the author of six published books spanning business strategy, artificial intelligence, economics, and fiction. His nonfiction works include AI vs. HI: Why AI Won’t Replace Human Intelligence, The Innovator’s Synthesis: Disruptive Strategy and the Human Moat in the Age of AI, and North American Unity Plan (NAUP).

Across his work, Alman focuses on a common theme: understanding disruption before disruption determines the outcome.

Book & Speaker Information

• Title: The Innovator’s Synthesis: Disruptive Strategy and the Human Moat in the Age of AI
• Author: Richard B. Alman
• Subject: Artificial Intelligence, Disruptive Strategy, Innovation, Leadership, and Competitive Advantage
• Previous AI Book: AI vs. HI: Why AI Won’t Replace Human Intelligence
• Amazon Author Page & Books: amazon.com/author/richard-b-alman
• Speaking Engagements (Salem Speakers Bureau): salemspeakers.com/richard-b-alman

Salem Speakers Bureau Profile: salemspeakers.com/richard-b-alman

Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/richard-b-alman

Author,C-Suite Advisor, and Harvard-Certified Disruptive Strategist

Media Contact Details
Richard B. Alman
RecruiterNetworks.com
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