Funding will support completion of IND-enabling activities and planned year-end IND submission for TAVST01, Tikva’s lead off-the-shelf CAR-T candidate targeting B7-H3-positive solid tumors

SINGAPORE, July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Tikva Allocell Pte. Ltd. (“Tikva”), a biotechnology company developing engineered, allogeneic (donor-derived) cell therapies for adult and pediatric patients with solid tumors, today announced the closing of an $8 million Series A financing led by Kantharos Capital.

Proceeds will fund IND-enabling activities and a planned year-end 2026 Investigational New Drug (IND) submission for TAVST01, Tikva’s lead candidate for B7-H3-positive solid tumors. Subject to regulatory clearance, the company plans to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial in patients with advanced B7-H3-positive cancer at sites in Singapore and the United States.

TAVST01 targets B7-H3, a protein expressed across a broad range of difficult-to-treat solid tumors, including lung, breast, prostate, pancreatic, and pediatric cancers. Unlike conventional donor-derived cell therapies, which a patient’s immune system often clears before they can work, TAVST01 is built from Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific T cells – immune cells the body naturally sustains – and is engineered to resist that rejection, with preclinical potential both to kill tumor cells directly and to remodel the immunosuppressive microenvironment that has limited cell therapies in solid tumors. That durability is no accident: almost everyone carries EBV from a past infection the immune system never fully clears, so the body keeps a standing population of these virus-specific T cells on patrol for years – exactly the staying power that donor-derived cell therapies have struggled to achieve.

“Cell therapy has transformed the treatment of blood cancers but has repeatedly stalled at the solid-tumor door – the donor cells either fail to persist or are eliminated by the patient’s immune system before they can act,” said Dr. Ivan Horak, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Tikva Allocell. “We started from a different place: a virus-fighting T cell the body naturally sustains, armed to seek out B7-H3 and engineered to withstand the rejection that defeats most donor-derived approaches, with minimal gene editing. With this financing, we are well positioned to complete IND-enabling studies and advance TAVST01 toward its planned IND submission, bringing us closer to delivering a scalable, readily available, and potentially transformative cell therapy for patients with solid tumors.”

Tikva’s therapies are built on the ALLO SerpinB9 EBVST platform — an allogeneic, virus‑specific T‑cell technology licensed exclusively from Baylor College of Medicine and further enhanced through Tikva’s proprietary protein‑engineering strategies. These cells are equipped with a B7‑H3–targeting receptor and an optimized form of SerpinB9, a natural inhibitor of granzyme B, the enzyme immune cells use to kill their targets. Because a patient’s immune system would normally attack donor cells using granzyme B, the SerpinB9 “armor” enables Tikva’s cells to resist rejection and remain active. At the same time, the approach minimizes graft‑versus‑host disease (GvHD) with only minimal gene editing.

“Our investment reflects strong conviction in both Tikva’s science and its leadership team,” said Terence Tan, Managing Partner at Kantharos Capital. “Tikva is addressing fundamental challenges that have constrained allogeneic cell therapies, and we believe its ALLO SerpinB9 EBVST platform can extend the reach of cell therapy to solid-tumor patients who today have limited options. We look forward to supporting the company toward IND submission and clinical evaluation.”

About Tikva Allocell
Tikva Allocell Pte. Ltd., headquartered in Singapore, is a biotechnology company developing engineered, allogeneic (donor‑derived) cell therapies for solid tumors. The company’s pipeline is built on the ALLO SerpinB9 EBVST platform—an allogeneic, virus‑specific T‑cell technology licensed exclusively from Baylor College of Medicine and enhanced through Tikva’s proprietary protein‑engineering strategies. This platform integrates tumor‑targeting receptors such as B7‑H3 with an optimized form of SerpinB9 to help donor‑derived T cells resist granzyme‑B–mediated immune rejection, persist longer, and minimize graft‑versus‑host disease with minimal gene editing.

Tikva’s scientific foundation is rooted in decades of research at Baylor College of Medicine by Dr. Malcolm Brenner, Dr. Cliona Rooney, and Dr. Helen Heslop—leaders in virus‑specific T‑cell biology—who co‑founded Tikva with CEO Dr. Ivan Horak and serve as scientific advisors. The company’s lead program, TAVST01, is an off‑the‑shelf, B7‑H3‑targeted EBV‑specific T‑cell therapy in IND‑enabling development for a planned year‑end 2026 IND submission. TAVST01 is designed for patients with B7‑H3‑positive solid tumors, including lung, breast, prostate, pancreatic, and pediatric cancers, and has a preclinical profile that may support lymphodepletion‑free administration, repeat dosing, and combination strategies. For more information, visit www.tikvaallocell.com.

About Kantharos Capital
Kantharos Capital is a boutique private equity firm founded by a family office with more than three decades of venture investing experience across Silicon Valley, China, and Singapore. It pairs institutional discipline with the patience and long-term perspective of family capital to help founders build enduring businesses.

Contacts
Tiberend Strategic Advisors, Inc.
Investor Relations
David Irish
+1-231-632-0002
dirish@tiberend.com 

Media Relations
Casey McDonald
+1-646-577-8520
cmcdonald@tiberend.com 

CSTS and Connexus Travel celebrate a landmark achievement in executing its FIFA World Cup 2026™ Official Hospitality campaign, underscoring expanding demand for premium sports travel and hospitality across Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan.

HONG KONG and NEW YORK, July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — CSTS Enterprises and subsidiary Connexus Travel proudly celebrate the conclusion of FIFA World Cup 2026™ and their role as sole sales agent for the tournament’s Official Hospitality Programme in Greater China, marking the completion of one of the world’s most ambitious and successful hospitality programs.

Throughout the tournament, the companies successfully delivered world-class hospitality experiences to more than 250 corporate partners and hosted thousands of VIP guests across all 104 matches and all 16 stadiums spanning the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This result highlights the growing impact of global sports in the region and signals strong future demand for luxury sports tourism.

This achievement represents a significant milestone for CSTS and Connexus and reflects years of planning, operational excellence, and an unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional client experiences on the world’s biggest sporting stage.

“We are immensely proud of what our teams have accomplished,” said Abel Zhao, Group CEO and Executive Director, CSTS Enterprises. “FIFA World Cup 2026™ presented a unique opportunity to connect businesses and people through the power of sport. To fulfil each customer request across every match of the tournament is an extraordinary achievement that demonstrates the dedication, expertise, and professionalism of our entire organization.”

The tournament’s expanded scale and geography, spread across three host nations and 16 different venues, required meticulous co-ordination and flawless on-site execution. CSTS and Connexus teams worked closely with clients throughout their tournament journeys, ensuring seamless service delivery at every stage.

The companies credit the success to the tireless efforts of their teams and partners, working together to ensure every guest experience reflected the highest standards of service, a reflection of Connexus’ market-leading customer service and dedication.

“This success belongs to every member of the CSTS and Connexus family,” said Simon Hague, Managing Director, Connexus. “From our sales teams and account managers to operations and onsite co-ordinators, every individual played a critical role in making this program a success. Their passion, resilience, and commitment to our clients have been truly inspiring.”

Beyond the numbers, the World Cup hospitality program strengthened relationships with leading corporate clients around the world, reinforcing CSTS and Connexus’ reputations as leaders in delivering large-scale international hospitality and event experiences.

Looking forward, the companies remain focused on building on the experience, expertise, and partnerships developed throughout World Cup 2026, and will continue creating and delivering exceptional experiences around leading global sports and entertainment events.

“We are grateful for the trust our clients placed in us and proud of the memories we helped create during one of the greatest sporting events ever,” added Abel Zhao. “This achievement demonstrates what is possible when talented people come together around a shared vision and commitment to excellence. FIFA World Cup 2026™ will remain a defining chapter in the CSTS and Connexus story.”

About CSTS Enterprises

CSTS Enterprises is an integrated media, entertainment, sports, and travel technology group. The company develops and partners with intellectual properties and brands to deliver compelling experiences that connect with local and regional audiences across the world. In addition to its own initiatives, including Generation C and PremierX, it collaborates with international IPs such as the FIFA World Cup, Formula 1, and Waterbomb.

CSTS integrates experiential marketing, tourism, data, and technology to deliver connected audience experiences. The company engages consumers across physical events and digital channels, working with clients to execute at scale across markets, turning complex activations into co-ordinated, measurable outcomes.

About Connexus

Connexus is an award-winning travel management company and wholly owned subsidiary of CSTS Enterprises. Founded in 1948 as Swire Travel, the company is Hong Kong’s first registered travel agency and has over 78 years of trusted heritage, delivering seamless travel-tech solutions, combining personalised 24/7 support with advanced digital capabilities. 

Connexus offers a comprehensive suite of travel management services spanning corporate travel, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions), and travel technology solutions.

HONG KONG, July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Newborn Town, a leading global social entertainment company, released its unaudited operating data for the first half of 2026.

For the six months ended 30 June 2026, the company’s total revenue is estimated to reach US$595 million to US$615 million, representing a year‑on‑year increase of approximately 34.3% to 38.8%, continuing a strong growth momentum. Revenue from social networking business amounted to approximately US$530 million to US$545 million, representing a year-on-year increase of approximately 34.2% to 38.0%. Revenue from innovative business recorded approximately US$65 million to US$70 million, representing a year-on-year increase of approximately 35.4% to 45.8%. This is the first time the company has presented its operating data in United States dollar.

Rapid Growth in Social Networking Business as Flagship Products Expand Globally

According to the announcement, revenue from social networking business continued to grow, mainly driven by the company’s ongoing global expansion and full‑chain AI applications, supporting the steady growth of its flagship products.

Since the beginning of the year, the company has continued to expand its global footprint around its core social networking business, maintaining its leading position in various markets such as MENA and Southeast Asia, while accelerating expansion into high-growth and high-value markets including Latin America, Japan, South Korea, Europe and the United States, further reinforcing its position as a leading player in the global social entertainment industry.

The company’s flagship products have made positive progress in new market expansion. TopTop continues to leverage its UGC ecosystem advantage, becoming a household-name app in GCC markets such as Saudi Arabia, and ranking among the top in its category globally. With continually improved product quality and deeper local operations, TopTop made significant progress in high‑value markets such as Japan and Europe. It also entered the iOS Top 10 free casual games in Japan for multiple times during the first half of the year, according to DianDian Data.

The company’s diverse-audience social networking business also maintained steady growth. HeeSay, its global community platform, continued to strengthen its presence in Southeast Asia, consistently ranking among the Top 10 in social app in countries including Vietnam and the Philippines.

A recent research report noted that Newborn Town’s core competitive moat lies in its highly localized and operation‑intensive barriers, its monetization model centered on social spending, and its ability to diversify risk through a “bush-like” portfolio of social apps. Together, these strengths form a differentiated advantage that is difficult for competitors to replicate in the short term.

AI Advancements Fuel Strong Momentum Across Innovation Business

The company’s innovative business delivered strong growth momentum in the first half of the year, primarily driven by the rapid expansion of its short drama business, supported by AI-powered content production and operations.

In the first half of the year, the company steadily advanced its short drama business across multiple global markets, including Europe and the United States, while accelerating the integration of AI technology into short drama production. Playlet, its short-form drama app, continued to broaden its presence in high‑value markets such as the United States, Japan and South Korea, achieving significant growth in its user base. Earlier this year, Playlet became one of the first partner platforms to integrate Seedance 2.0.

According to TikTok’s short drama Q1 revenue report, one of the company’s hit titles ranked second on the platform by first-month revenue. With AI significantly improving short drama production efficiency, Newborn Town is well positioned to capitalize on its strengths in localized operations and user acquisition, while further enriching its social entertainment content ecosystem.

The company’s other innovative businesses also maintained steady progress. Its quality games maintained solid momentum, with flagship titles sustaining long-term operations and generating stable profit contributions, while the commercialization of new titles progressed smoothly. The social e-commerce business continued to deepen its presence in specialized verticals and enhance its product and service capabilities, providing further support for the growth of the innovative business.

In recent years, the company has continued to deepen the application of AI technologies across the entire business chain, spanning R&D and operations, while steadily improving its AI capabilities.

Its self-developed multimodal algorithm model, Boomiix, continues to upgrade, improving the accuracy of social matching and the intelligence of operations.  The company’s Siyu AI, an internal data intelligence platform, significantly shortened turnaround times for data queries, anomaly analysis, and report generation. Its proprietary AI-powered design platform KIVI has also greatly enhanced both the efficiency and diversity of content production, including virtual gifts and marketing creatives.

Alongside strengthening its underlying AI capabilities, the company continued to expand the commercial application of AI. Aippy, an AI-powered gaming community incubated by the company, secured tens of millions of US dollars in independent financing at a post-money valuation of US$250 million. The platform has recorded nearly four million downloads worldwide, with daily active users increasing approximately sixfold since the beginning of the year and user retention ranking among the industry’s strongest.

Meanwhile, NUSD Pay, the company’s AI agent payment initiative, commenced commercial operations, further broadening the range of AI-powered use cases. The company also continued to expand its strategic investment portfolio across the AI sector, investing in projects spanning world models and AI-native game engines, as well as AI interactive gaming and AI-powered advertising and marketing, further strengthening its AI application ecosystem.

During the first half of the year, the company continued its share repurchase and cancellation. In March, Newborn Town announced to allocate approximately HK$ 300 million over the next two years for share repurchases. During the reporting period, the company completed two rounds of share cancellations, involving an aggregate of approximately 10.206 million repurchased shares with total consideration of approximately HK$ 85.126 million. In addition, on July 9, the company announced that it had repurchased shares from the market under the NBT Restricted Share Unit Scheme to support its long-term employee incentive program, for a total consideration of approximately HK$39.838 million.

In March, Newborn Town was officially included in the list of eligible securities under the Stock Connect, further broadening access for mainland investors. Since its inclusion, the company has seen significantly stronger market attention and trading activity, with average trading value increased about twofold compared with the three months prior to inclusion. The company’s shareholder base has continued to diversify, providing a solid foundation for its stable long-term growth.

NEW YORK, July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — SharonAI Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: SHAZ) and its subsidiaries (“Sharon AI” or “the Company”), a leading Australian Neocloud, today announced the appointment of Mr. Anuj Goel as incoming Chief Financial Officer, strengthening the company’s executive leadership team as it accelerates the expansion of its AI infrastructure platform.

Anuj joins Sharon AI after a distinguished 20-year career at Macquarie, most recently serving as Head of Technology, APAC at Macquarie Capital, where he advised boards, founders and investors on many of Australia’s most significant technology, telecommunications, media and digital infrastructure transactions.

His appointment comes at a pivotal stage in Sharon AI’s growth as the company continues to scale its AI cloud platform and expand its position as a provider of sovereign AI infrastructure.

Sharon AI also announced that Mr. Tim Broadfoot will step down as the incumbent Chief Financial Officer following a successful tenure in which he helped establish the company’s financial foundations. The Board thanks Tim for his significant contribution and wishes him every success in the future. Tim will work closely with Mr. Goel over the next few months to ensure a seamless transition of responsibilities.

As Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Goel will lead Sharon AI’s financial strategy, capital management, corporate development and financial operations, supporting the company’s next phase of growth. Mr. Goel’s first day in the role will be Monday, 24th of August.

Prior to leading Macquarie Capital’s technology practice in the region, Mr. Goel spent six years in Macquarie’s global Venture Capital team evaluating investment opportunities in Europe, North America and the Asia Pacific region. During this time, he developed experience across the investment lifecycle, including deal origination, financial analysis and valuation, business strategy and portfolio management, and supported the growth of companies including PEXA, Temple & Webster, oOh!media and RP Data (now Cotality) from an early stage.

James Manning, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Sharon AI, said:

“Anuj brings an exceptional combination of financial leadership, capital markets expertise and deep knowledge of the technology and digital infrastructure sectors. As Sharon AI continues to scale, his experience advising many of the region’s leading technology businesses and investors will be invaluable as we execute our long-term growth strategy.”

“His appointment further strengthens our executive team and reflects the calibre of leadership we are assembling to build one of the world’s leading AI infrastructure companies. We thank our outgoing CFO, Tim Broadfoot, for his significant contribution and wish him well for the future. Tim will continue to work within Sharon AI for some months in a handover with Anuj.”

Anuj Goel, Chief Financial Officer of Sharon AI, said:

“Artificial intelligence is creating one of the most significant opportunities of our generation, and Sharon AI is uniquely positioned to help meet the growing demand for sovereign AI compute. I’m excited to join the company at such an important stage of its journey and look forward to working with the team to build a disciplined financial platform that supports long-term growth while delivering value for customers, partners and shareholders.”

The appointment of Anuj Goel further strengthens Sharon AI’s leadership team as the company continues to expand its AI cloud platform and invest in the infrastructure required to support the next generation of AI innovation.

Disclosure Information

Sharon AI primarily uses its Investor Relations page (https://sharonai.com/investors/) to disclose material non-public information and to comply with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. The Company also notes that, at times, it uses other communication mediums including, but not limited to, its X account (sharon__ai) and/or LinkedIn account (sharon-AI) to disseminate information about the Company, and can be additional sources of information outside press releases, regulatory filings with the SEC and any other conference calls, webcasts, investor days, etc. that the company may hold.

About Sharon AI

Sharon AI, a leading Australian Neocloud, is a High-Performance Computing company focused on Artificial Intelligence and Cloud GPU/CPU Compute Infrastructure. Our AI Cloud platform and compute infrastructure is accelerating the build of AI factories and sovereign AI solutions, powering the next wave of accelerated computing adoption. For more information, visit www.sharonai.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain, and our officers and representatives may from time to time make, “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are not historical facts, and which are not assurances of future performance. Forward-looking statements are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. In some cases you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “project,” “strategy,” “plan,” “expect,” “goal,” “seek,” “future,” “likely” or the negative or plural of these words or similar expressions or references to future periods. Forward-looking statements in this release include specific statements regarding the intended use of proceeds. Examples of such forward-looking statements include but are not limited to express or implied statements regarding Sharon AI’s management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future including, without limitation, statements regarding:

• Service and product offerings;
• Receipt and use of proceeds;
• The deployment of assets and expansion of network procurement;
• Sharon AI’s ability to engage with additional potential customers;
• Expansion of Sharon AI’s data center footprint and capacity; and
• The strengthening of Sharon AI’s partner network.

In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. You are cautioned that such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those set forth in these forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include, among others, all of the risks described in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC and other reports subsequently filed with the SEC. Additional assumptions, risks and uncertainties are described in detail in our registration statements, reports and other filings with the SEC, which are available at www.sec.gov.

The forward-looking statements and other information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and Sharon AI does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.

Contacts

Media Enquiries
media@sharonai.com

Investor Enquiries
investors@sharonai.com

SINGAPORE, July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — StarHub has been named APAC Service Provider of the Year 2026 by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), recognising its success in helping enterprises modernise critical infrastructure, and deliver secure, resilient and AI-ready digital transformation.

The HPE Partner of the Year Awards recognise partners that have demonstrated excellence in delivering customer outcomes, driving innovation and creating measurable business impact.

StarHub’s recognition reflects its growing role as a trusted digital transformation partner, helping organisations translate technology investments into measurable business outcomes through its Modern Digital Infrastructure (MDI) platform strategy.

Underpinned by a cloud-native, hybrid multi-cloud architecture, MDI brings together networks, cloud, cybersecurity and clean data on a unified data platform. Combining AI-driven automation, operational intelligence and advanced analytics, it helps organisations modernise infrastructure, strengthen resilience and accelerate innovation for sustainable growth.

Through its MDI strategy and collaboration with HPE, StarHub partnered the National University of Singapore (NUS) to realise the Borderless University vision by implementing a smart, safe and sustainable ubiquitous network. By integrating StarHub’s enterprise networking, solar-powered Wi-Fi and private 5G capabilities, the joint initiative has strengthened digital connectivity and supported more flexible, seamless and secure learning experiences for students and faculty across campus beyond traditional boundaries, in Singapore and overseas.

“As organisations accelerate digital transformation and AI adoption, effective implementation increasingly depends on strong industry expertise, collaboration, and the ability to translate ideas into practical outcomes,” said Tan Kit Yong, Chief, Regional Enterprise, StarHub. “Our collaboration with NUS reflects a shared commitment in supporting digital capabilities that will enhance everyday technology experiences for faculty, researchers, staff and students. This recognition highlights the broader importance of cross-sector collaboration in addressing evolving technology needs.”

For more information, visit starhub.com/managedservices.