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Over the last five years, Iran has exported $11 billion worth of food and agricultural products to Iraq, said the General Manager for the Arab and African countries of Trade Promotion Organisation of Iran earlier this week. Farzad Pilten said: In the last five years, the total export of agricultural products and food industry to Iraq has reached 11 billion dollars, of which about 3.7 billion dollars are allocated to fruit and vegetables.

Iran's export products have been widely available in the market of agricultural products and food industry despite the fact that these products are produced in Iraq and the Iraqi government imposes prohibitions and tariffs and non-tariff restrictions on the import of some goods," he added.

Iraq is the second-largest importer of Iranian products, after China, which predominantly imports petrochemicals from the Middle Eastern country. Iraqi shipments from Iran focus predominantly on agricultural products, engineering services, construction materials, and energy, such as electricity and natural gas.

According to rudaw.net, the economic impact of the coronavirus dealt a significant blow to trade volume between Iraq and Iran in 2020.

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Iran: Agricultural and food exports to Iraq at 11 billion dollars in five years - FreshPlaza.com

BAGHDAD An official source from the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said that the leadership of the armed forces was serious in warning the militias against repeating a show of defiance against the state.

The source added to The Arab Weekly that the statements of the Minister of Defence Jumaa Inad echoed the position of the Iraqi prime minister. Other political sources said that the statements made by Inad against the Iranian militias came after Kadhimi encouraged military commanders to strongly condemn the spread of weapons in the country.

Armed militias last Wednesday stormed the Green Zone, brandishing weapons in a new show of force. On Saturday, the Iraqi minister of defence announced that the army would respond to any further armed display carried out by the militias.

Iraqi military and parliamentary sources also revealed that the Iraqi government is currently studying possible scenarios to respond to armed rallies, if they are repeated in Baghdad.

Kadhimi is clearly trying to exploit the publics support for expanding the states authority and curbing the spread of militias weapons, following the arrest of a prominent leader with the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), Qassem Musleh, for his involvement in terrorist and criminal acts.

So far, pressure from Irans allies on Kadhimi to release Musleh, who is accused of leading assassination groups against activists who oppose Irans influence over the Iraqi state, has failed.

After Muslehs arrest, the three executive, legislative and judicial authorities in Iraq seemed united, with all expressing clear positions and emphasising the need to extend the authority of the state, bolster the rule of law and curb the spread of weapons.

An Iraqi parliamentarian considered that Kadhimi had succeeded in this round of the showdown with militias. The parliamentarian, who spoke on condition of anonymity, argued the premier managed to end two things: the governments inability to confront armed rallies and the PMFs ability to control the political game.

Kadhimi benefited from the folly that was on display on the night of terror that the militias created to prove that such militias should not be viewed as supportive to the government or any project for establishing a national state. On the contrary, the militias are clearly working to destroy the foundations of the state in order to perpetuate chaos, the parliamentarian told The Arab Weekly.

Observers believe the PMFs leadership has avoided escalation, which will encourage Kadhimis government to proceed with investigation procedures and allow the judiciary to carry out its duty to the fullest when it comes to Muslehs case.

Unlike previous governments, Kadhimis cabinet, regardless of political affiliations, appeared united in the face of the show of force carried out by the militias.

Iraqi political analyst Saleh al-Hamdani said the statement of the Iraqi defense minister gives a clear indication that there is a Western-backed government move towards restructuring the PMF.

The role of the PMF in fighting ISIS was significant, but it was exaggerated by the media of the armed factions on a regular basis, angering the officers of the armed forces who saw their roles belittled. Therefore, the ministers statements echo the viewpoint of Iraqi soldiers and officers, serving with the army, the police and the counter-terrorism agency, Hamdani said.

He expected that Iraq would turn the page on the PMF, with the number of it fighters eventually being cut down or merged with state forces. The PMF, he said, has been part of the Wests and Saudi Arabias negotiations with Iran. However, with pressure from Kadhimis government, the PMF could eventually be subjected to the law in a manne that contains the sway of armed factions.

The Iraqi defence minister had considered the recent militias moves in response to Muslehs arrest as a major security breach and an attack on the state.

The weapons owned by the Popular Mobilisation Forces do not pose any threat to the army forces, said Inad, pointing out that the army, which is capable of fighting a country, can stand up to irregular forces that possess simple weapons.

Whoever engages in arm-wrestling and wields force must know their true size, he warned, stressing that the prime minister had told him that he did not want bloodshed.

After the arrest of Musleh, forces from the crowd surrounded, for some time, on Wednesday, the house of Kadhimi and other sites in the Green Zone in the centre of the capital, Baghdad.

Commenting on the PMFs role in the battles against ISIS, the defence minister said, Whoever believes the army forces were unable to fight ISIS without the PMF are wrong.

Yes, the PMF has accelerated the liberation operations. If the army was on its own, then victory over ISIS would have been achieved within five or six years.

The PMF is a grouping of militias, most of which are loyal to Iran and are run by Shia parties, despite the fact that it is an institution affiliated with the Iraqi armed forces and is directly linked to the prime minister.

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Iraq's government warns PMF against challenging the state | | AW - The Arab Weekly

India may be grappling with the second wave of the coronavirus, rising unemployment and a dwindling economy, but the South Asian nations burgeoning startup ecosystem has never had it better.

High-profile investors in India have long aggressively chased growth-stage and late-stage deals, pouring record amounts of capital into the worlds second-largest internet market. But in a sign of the growing investor bullishness regarding Indian startups, even early-stage companies that have largely been bereft of much similar attention in recent years are now sharing the limelight.

More than 70 early-stage Indian startups are currently in various stages of talks to raise money, according to sources familiar with the matter. The size of the investments vary from a few million dollars up to $100 million. TechCrunch is reporting some of the more notable deals today.

The usual caveat that many of the deals havent yet closed, and that their terms could change or the talks may not materialize into an investment applies in our reporting. The deals described below have not been previously reported.

Sequoia Capital India, the most prolific investing firm in the country, is in talks to make bets in over two-dozen Indian startups including Register Book, a firm that operates an eponymous bookkeeping app; Vah Vah, which runs an app to educate people about makeup from artists; SaaS platform BambooBox, and email marketing software provider MailModo.

The firm is also in talks to back, alongside venture fund Nexus, OneCode, a startup that runs an app to connect digital-first brands with sellers. Sequoia Capital India, which launched a dedicated fund for early-stage startups called Surge two years ago, is also in talks to invest in Probo, an app to predict future trends; and Rattle.

Vaibhav Domkundwar, who runs Better Capital, said the early-stage startup scene in India has never been this hot.

Pre-seed and seed stage momentum is at its peak, but we are also seeing preemptive rounds at Series As and Bs now, he told TechCrunch.

Domkundwar, who has backed over 140 startups including Khatabook and neobank Open, attributed some excitement to the new generation of founders in India, who he said are building product-first and distribution-first companies. We are seeing the fastest pace of investment in these teams, he said.

A different investor, who requested anonymity, said that second time founders are now able to raise on a deck or a Notion doc from elite angels, unicorn founders and micro VCs. The pace at which these founders are able to close the deal, the investor said, was stunning.

Bipin Shah, a partner at Titan Capital, which has invested in over 200 startups, said that two year ago there were only about 30-40 good stage companies that were getting funded. Over the last year or so, we believe over 500 companies have gotten funded at the seed stages in India, he told TechCrunch, adding that Titan Capital itself has invested in over 60 companies since the beginning of last year.

The frenetic pace of investments in early-stage deals come as many of the more mature bets have become unicorns in India and many established startups are finally exploring taking the public markets.

India has birthed 14 unicorns this year, up from 11 last year and just six in 2019. High-profile investors such as Tiger Global and Falcon Edge Capital have increased their focus on India this year and winning founders with their large size of checks, higher valuation, access to resources and quick turnaround time.

Many established firms are now chasing early-stage deals.

GSV is in talks to invest in Filo, a startup that operates an eponymous tutor app; and payments stack startup Inai has closed a new round from Better Capital and others and will be part of Y Combinators next batch. (Speaking of which, Y Combinators previous batch featured its largest cohort of Indian startups in history.)

One-year-old startup BrightCHAMPS, which has built a coding and math platform for kids, is also in talks with GSV to raise.

Indiagold, a startup that allows people in the South Asian nation to access credit against their gold reserve, is in talks to close a new round with two high-profile foreign investors that have traditionally backed growth and late-stage deals.

Germanys Razor Group is in late-stage talks to invest in Upscale, a startup that is attempting to replicate the Thrasio model in India.

Fintech investor RTP is in talks to invest in fintech firm Refyne, and Fleek, a startup that is building a payments system for subscription economy. Falcon Edges AWI is in talks to invest in Absolute Foods and fitness subscription platform Ultrahuman, while SaaS platform AccelData has been approached by Bessemmer and WestBridge.

For high-profile investors with billions in dry powder, there are many rewards for spotting a promising startup in its initial years. One can buy a much larger stake in a startup for lower prices before the valuation of the startup assuming things work out well soars. Investing early also reduces the amount an investor may lose should things with the portfolio firm goes south.

But not everyone is happy with the new dynamics.

An investor with a microfund told TechCrunch on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly that involvement of bigger investors in early-stage deals has made it tougher for smaller firms to source new deals as the bigger investors are now aggressively trying to close entire rounds by themselves.

The investor said there is an additional competition in the market now: groups of high-profile founders, who tend to collectively back startups.

The investor cited earlier in the story termed these investments as optionality checks. These optionality checks that usually back second-time founders or first-time founders who previously worked at a unicorn or soonicorn started with the Series A crowd such as Sequoia Capital India, Matrix and Lightspeed India Partners, he said. Now, the investor said, Tiger and Falcon/AWI are doing it, too.

There are two implications of these optionality checks, the investor said. They make life more difficult for micro VCs/seed VCs as they cannot compete with the Tigers or Falcons or Series A funds who can cut smaller checks with impunity, and perhaps even dilute less.

But the investor cautioned the founders who are raising such optionality checks. If the same fund doesnt back them in the next round, then the negative signal can imperil their chances of raising from other VCs. Second, the excess money that they get can sometimes encourage faster expansion and higher spends.

Lightspeed India Partners, best known for its investments in unicorns Oyo Rooms and e-commerce platform Udaan, is in talks to back Vegrow, a startup that partners with farmers; and has held talks to invest in100ms.live, which operates an eponymous tool to help developers add video conferencing features to their apps, as well as edtech startup Kalaam Labs.

Dyte, which is building a Stripe for live video calls, is in talks with Nexus and Sequoia Capital India. Elevation Capital, which is also in talks to invest in VeGrow, is inching closer to investing in FamPay, which offers credit cards to teens, at about a $150 million valuation. Bangalore-based Chiratae Ventures is in the final stages of talks to invest in AroLeap and analytics startup Locale.ai.

Fanplay, a platform for social media influencers to monetise via mobile games, has already raised from several American micro VCs, but the round hasnt closed yet. Mumbai-headquartered due diligence and monitoring platform Advarisk has been approached by several investors but has yet to close the round.

Trading signals provider Tradex is in talks to raise from Leo Capital. Audio social media app Frnd, radio and podcast aggregator app Kuku FM, and crop management platform Bharatagri are also in talks with investors to raise capital.

Plug-and-play payments provider Card91 has been approached by several investors but hasnt closed the round yet. Tournafest has closed a round from a clutch of angel investors, and so have Easy Eat and Stockgro. Kosh has raised from YC and VentureSouq among others.

Tech veteran Nandan Nilekanis firm Fundamentum is in talks to back Bijak, which operates a business-to-business marketplace to trade agricultural commodities and supply chain startup Reshamandi.

A survey by InnoVen Capital, results of which were published on Thursday, said that over 80% of the investors it had surveyed said their deal flow for early-stage startups had increased this year, compared to 2020.

Over 75% of the respondents in the same survey said the valuations in recent deals were on the higher side because of the intense competition for high-quality deals and entry of large established VCs in this space.

Early-stage investment activity has proven to be resilient despite the pandemic, with bigger transaction sizes and higher valuations, a clear sign of a maturing early-stage ecosystem, said Tarana Lalwani, senior director at InnoVen Capital India.

Updated at 2am IST, Friday to add insight from Bipin Shah of Titan Capital.

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Investors race to win early-stage startup deals in India - TechCrunch

Corporate News Delticom AG: Capital increase without subscription rights successfully placed, high investor interest in the capital increase with subscription rights in the context of the pre-placement

Hanover, June 02, 2021 - Yesterday, Delticom AG announced the successful placement of a significantly oversubscribed capital increase without subscription rights. The short-term issue of 1,246,333 new no-par value registered shares at a placement price of EUR 7.12 is expected to generate gross issue proceeds before costs and commissions of around EUR 8.9 million.

With regard to the announced capital increase with subscription rights, the preliminary placement with qualified investors has shown investor interest in excess of the possible issue volume of up to 1,121,697 new no-par value registered shares. Rights of clawback in the allocation ensure that new shares for which subscription rights are exercised are nevertheless available for subscription by existing shareholders of the Company. The existing shareholders of the Company will be granted the statutory subscription rights to the new shares in the form of medium-term subscription rights. The subscription period is expected to begin on June 4, 2021 and to end on June 18, 2021 (both inclusive).

The gross issue proceeds from the capital increase with subscription rights are expected to amount to approximately EUR 8.0 million before commissions and costs. Assuming a successful implementation, Delticom AG will generate gross issue proceeds from both transactions totalling approximately EUR 16.9 million.

Both capital increases are accompanied by Bankhaus Metzler.

The transaction represents another important step in the restructuring process. It strengthens the company's equity, enables the repayment of loans and creates new financing and growth scope for the future. Thomas Loock, CFO of Delticom AG, is pleased with the successful placement and the high level of investor interest: 'The capital increase is another important milestone in returning Delticom to a sustainably profitable growth path. We are pleased with the high level of investor interest and the successful cooperation with Bankhaus Metzler. We in the Delticom management team see the strong demand for the new shares as a clear confirmation by the capital market that we have taken the right measures for a successful turnaround of the company since the end of 2019.'

About Delticom:

With the brand Reifendirekt, Delticom AG is the leading company in Europe for the online distribution of tyres and complete wheels.

The product portfolio for private and business customers comprises an unparalleled range of more than 600 brands and around 18,000 tyre models for cars and motorcycles. Complete wheels and rims complete the product range. The company operates 410 online shops and online distribution platforms in 74 countries, serving more than 15.9 million customers.

As part of the service, the ordered products can be sent to one of Delticom's approximately 38,000 workshop partners worldwide for mounting at the customer's request.

Based in Hanover, Germany, the company operates primarily in Europe and the USA and has extensive expertise in the development and operation of online shops, internet customer acquisition, internet marketing and the establishment of partner networks.

Since its foundation in 1999, Delticom has built up comprehensive expertise in designing efficient and fully integrated ordering and logistics processes. The company's own warehouses are among its most important assets.

In fiscal year 2020, Delticom AG generated revenues of around 541 million euros. At the end of last year, the company employed 177 people.

The shares of Delticom AG have been listed in the Prime Standard of the German Stock Exchange since October 2006 (ISIN DE0005146807).

On the internet at: http://www.delti.com

Contact:

Disclaimer

Delticom AG published this content on 02 June 2021 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 02 June 2021 14:30:03 UTC.

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02.06.21: Delticom AG: Capital increase without subscription rights successfully placed, high investor interest in the capital increase with...

Vizergy positioned HRI with a very scalable, dynamic merchandising platform to support their growth well into the future

"Hard Rock International's partner in the hotel and cafe website platform, Vizergy, showed a relentless commitment to excellence throughout the global website project," said HRI Vice President of Operations Andrea Melotti. "Unintimidated by the complexity of the task at hand, the Vizergy team provided positive and proactive support to every HRI team member that interacted with them."

Working closely with Hard Rock International since 2014, Vizergy's collaborative approach created opportunities for the partnership to grow and lead to HRI selecting Vizergy's website platform as their official digital sales and marketing system.

"We're honored to be part of HRI's future growth," said Vizergy CEO Joe Hyman. "Our relationship with the company, as with all of our clients, is truly a team effort. Leveraging deep digital experience, our team of specialists in UX, search, media and site architecture with many IT integrations has positioned HRI with a very scalable, dynamic merchandising platform to support their growth well into the future."Vizergy collaborates with many top-tier partners to give Hard Rock International powerful global online selling solution.

Hard Rock Hotels and Cafes benefit and scale from these key features as part of the integrated online solutions provided by Vizgery's platform:

The Partner of the Year award demonstrates Vizergy's commitment to collaboration and teamwork, further benefitting its clients. The company's scalable, turnkey digital sales and marketing platform enables clients to compete online aggressively with a sophisticated integrated solution all the tools they need in one place.

About Hard Rock

Hard Rock International(HRI) is one of the most globally recognized companies with venues in 68 countries spanning 239 locations that include owned/licensed or managed Hotels, Casinos, Rock Shops, Live Performance Venues and Cafes. HRI also launched a joint venture named Hard Rock Digital in 2020, an online sportsbook, retail sportsbook and internet gaming platform. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world's largest and most valuable collection of authentic music memorabilia at more than 86,000 pieces, which are displayed at its locations around the globe. In 2021, Hard Rock International was awarded the Top Employer in the Travel & Leisure, Gaming, and Entertainment Industry by Forbes and also designated as a U.S. Best Managed Company by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal. In 2020, Hard Rock was honored as one of Forbes Magazine's Best Employers for Diversity and a Top Employer for Women. Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos also received first place ranking in the 2020 Casino Gaming Executive Satisfaction Survey conducted by Bristol Associates Inc. and Spectrum Gaming Group. In addition, Hard Rock Hotels was named one of the top performing hotel brands in J.D. Power's North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study for the second consecutive year. Hard Rock destinations are located in international gateway cities, including its two most successful flagship properties in Florida and home to the world's first Guitar Hotel in South Florida, Global Gaming's 2020 Property of the Year. The brand is owned by HRI parent entity The Seminole Tribe of Florida. For more information on Hard Rock International, visit http://www.hardrock.com or shop.hardrock.com.

About Vizergy Digital Marketing

For more than 20 years, Vizergy has served the hospitality industry with leading marketing technologies, immense talent and exceptional service for clients worldwide. The company deploys complete travel life-cycle marketing solutions from conversion-optimized website design to award-winning digital marketing programs, reservation solutions, media planning and execution. Vizergy's platform is touted as the #1 digital marketing system easy to use, turnkey and SMART, and continually enhanced with tools to help hotels compete and maximize revenue. At Vizergy, hospitality marketing is not only our mission, it's our sole focus. For more information, please visit Vizergy.com.

SOURCE Vizergy Digital

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Vizergy Named Partner of the Year for Its Leading-Edge Digital Sales and Marketing Platform - PRNewswire