Key Proposals:

• Appointment of a Temporary Chair
• Full Cancellation of Treasury Shares
• Cash Dividend of KRW 7,500 per Common Share & Reclassification of Discretionary Reserves
• Election of Up to 17 Directors

SEOUL, South Korea, Feb. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — MBK Partners and Young Poong, the largest shareholders of Korea Zinc, have formally submitted a set of shareholder proposals ahead of the company’s upcoming annual general meeting (AGM) in March. The proposals address key governance and shareholder return measures, including (i) appointing a temporary chair, (ii) canceling all treasury shares, (iii) distributing a cash dividend of KRW 7,500 per common share, (iv) reclassifying discretionary reserves to retained earnings, and (v) electing between 5 and 17 directors, significantly expanding the board. The first proposal put forward by Youngpoong-MBK Partners is the appointment of a temporary chair.

Strengthening Governance: Call for a Temporary Chair and Treasury Share Cancellation

MBK Partners-Young Poong’s proposal for a temporary chair is rooted in governance concerns following the disruption of Korea Zinc’s extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on January 23.

The cancellation of treasury shares has also been prioritized. Despite previous public commitments by Korea Zinc Chairman Choi Yun Beom to cancel treasury shares, the company has yet to execute the cancellation of over 12% of its shares, more than three months after the expiration of the mandatory tender offer period.

A spokesperson for MBK Partners-Young Poong stated, “There is a significant risk that treasury shares will be disposed of rather than canceled. The failure to honor public and legal commitments to cancel these shares could result in their sale to friendly shareholders or use for selective interests, ultimately eroding shareholder value and undermining Korea Zinc’s corporate governance.”

Enhancing Shareholder Returns: Dividend Proposal and Financial Transparency

As part of its commitment to consistent shareholder returns, MBK Partners-Young Poong has proposed a cash dividend of KRW 7,500 per common share for the 51st fiscal year. Including the interim dividend, the total payout would amount to KRW 17,500 per share—below the KRW 20,000 per share paid in the 49th fiscal year. Given that Korea Zinc’s earnings through Q3 2023 exceeded the previous year’s performance, the proposed dividend is expected to fall short of the payout ratio for the 50th fiscal year.

Concerns regarding financial transparency have also been raised. On February 5, the day after the shareholder proposals were submitted, Korea Zinc disclosed preliminary earnings, reporting a 15.6% year-over-year increase in operating profit for 2024 but a 22.1% decline in net profit due to a fourth-quarter loss. The announcement cited non-operating losses of KRW 200-300 billion, a figure MBK Partners-Young Poong considers inconsistent with operational performance. The shareholders plan to request further clarification on this discrepancy.

Board Restructuring Proposal: Conditional Expansion to Up to 17 Directors

MBK Partners and Young Poong have proposed the appointment of new directors to establish an independent and professional board at Korea Zinc. The number of director appointments will be conditional on the outcome of the ongoing injunction case regarding the suspension of resolutions passed at the extraordinary general meeting (EGM).

If both Agenda 1-1 (cumulative voting) and Agenda 1-2 (board size cap of 19 directors) are suspended, MBK Partners and Young Poong propose appointing a total of 14 directors, including five replacements for outgoing directors and nine additional new directors. The proposed candidates are:

• Non-executive Directors: Sung-du Kang, Kwang-il Kim
• Independent Directors: Kwang-seok Kwon, Myung-jun Kim, Soo-jin Kim, Yong-jin Kim, Jae-sub Kim, Hyun-chul Byun, Ho-sang Son, Seok-heon Yoon, Deuk-hong Lee, Chang-hwa Jung, Jun-beom Chun, Ik-tae Hong

If the injunction suspends only Agenda 1-2 (board size cap of 19 directors) while maintaining the validity of Agenda 1-1 (cumulative voting), MBK Partners and Young Poong propose appointing 17 directors. The proposed candidates in this case are:

• Non-executive Directors: Sung-du Kang, Kwang-il Kim, Jung-hwan Kim, Young-ho Cho
• Independent Directors: Kwang-seok Kwon, Myung-jun Kim, Soo-jin Kim, Yong-jin Kim, Jae-sub Kim, Hyun-chul Byun, Ho-sang Son, Seok-heon Yoon, Deuk-hong Lee, Chang-hwa Jung, Jun-beom Chun, Ik-tae Hong, Tae-sung Kim

If both Agenda 1-1 (cumulative voting) and Agenda 1-2 (board size cap of 19 directors) remain in effect, MBK Partners and Young Poong propose appointing five directors to replace those whose terms have expired. The proposed candidates are:

• Non-executive Directors: Jung-hwan Kim, Young-ho Cho
• Independent Directors: Tae-sung Kim, Yong-ho Shin, Chul-ki Kim

A representative from MBK Partners-Young Poong emphasized, “As the largest shareholder, we are committed to restoring governance integrity and protecting shareholder interests. We aim to establish an independent, professional board that will enhance both corporate and shareholder value.”

Commitment to Restoring Corporate Integrity

MBK Partners-Young Poong’s shareholder proposals reflect a broader effort to improve corporate governance, financial transparency, and shareholder value at Korea Zinc. As the AGM approaches, the shareholders reaffirm their commitment to ensuring a fair, independent, and shareholder-aligned board composition while advocating for transparent financial management and responsible capital allocation.

Contact

Seikyu Hong
sk.hong@mbkpartnerslp.com 

SYDNEY, Feb. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Mindsprint, a leading differentiated technology solutions company known for its innovative and purpose-built solutions, today announced the opening of its ANZ office in Sydney, Australia. This expansion reinforces Mindsprint’s commitment to delivering cutting-edge IT solutions and services to clients across diverse sectors, including Food and Agriculture, Retail and Consumer Packaged Goods, Manufacturing, and Life Sciences.

Mindsprint Expands Global Footprint in Australia to Bring Cutting-edge IT Solutions and Services

Headquartered in Singapore, Mindsprint has established a robust presence in the enterprise customer segment, with state-of-the-art delivery centers in Chennai and Bengaluru. The addition of the Australian office enhances the company’s ability to effectively serve regional clients and drive business transformation through advanced technology solutions like Data Analytics, AI, SAP Transformation, Intelligent Automation, and Supply Chain Optimization to meet the unique needs of the market.

Suresh Sundararajan, Co-founder and CEO, Mindsprint, said, “We are excited to announce this strategic move as a key step in our global growth strategy, highlighting the substantial opportunities for managed services in the region. As businesses increasingly focus on their core competencies, we believe there is significant potential for growth. Additionally, we are thrilled to welcome Amit Bassi as Chairman for Mindsprint ANZ. With 30 years of experience, Amit brings a wealth of knowledge in driving business transformation and spearheading innovative initiatives in products, platforms, and services.”

Amit Bassi, President & Managing Partner, Mindsprint ANZ, said, “Mindsprint’s expansion reiterates our commitment to invest in the ANZ region. By building a talented local team and harnessing our global expertise, we aim to empower businesses to reach their full potential. Fuelled by advancements in digital, automation, AI solutions, and modernization, the Australian IT services market is projected to grow by 9.5% over the next five years*. This opportunity places us in a unique strategic position to create value for customers in this dynamic environment.”

Mindsprint has over 3000 employees, with a presence across the US, UK, Singapore, India, Middle East, and Africa. Mindsprint’s industry-agnostic Technology, Cybersecurity, and Business Process Services and solutions are adaptable to a broad industry spectrum, cutting across the supply chain, sustainability, smart manufacturing, procurement, spend analytics, enterprise applications, and more. With this move, Mindsprint aims to drive innovation and build trusted relationships with clients in Australia, New Zealand, and the broader Asia-Pacific region.

*Source: IT Services Industry Forecast 2024-31 Report by Industry ARC

About Mindsprint

Mindsprint’s purpose is to reimagine business with talent, technology, and insights-driven services and solutions. With a proven track record of two decades, enabling global organizations in their business and technology transformation journey, Mindsprint is a differentiated digital and business transformation partner with offerings ranging from digital transformation solutions to enterprise technology, business process services, and cybersecurity solutions. Powered by 3000 employees, they are headquartered in Singapore with a significant presence in India (Chennai and Bengaluru), the U.S., and the UK. Mindsprint has also been recognized as a Great Place to Work Certified™ company that combines talent, technology, and insights to reimagine business and technology transformation.

Mindsprint is a part of the Olam Group, a leading food and agribusiness supplying food ingredients, feed, and fiber to over 22,000 customers worldwide. It is supported by a global team of more than 82,000 employees across more than 60 countries. Headquartered and listed in Singapore, Olam Group currently ranks among the top 30 largest primary listed companies in terms of market capitalization on SGX-ST. Since June 2020, Olam Group has been included in the FTSE4Good Index Series, a global sustainable investment index series developed by FTSE Russell, following a rigorous assessment of Olam’s supply chain activities, impact on the environment, and governance transparency. Mindsprint is an independent digital solutions and business services provider that continues to support Olam and the entities while also focusing on new customers.

More information on Olam can be found at www.olamgroup.com and Mindsprint at www.mindsprint.com | in.linkedin.com/company/mindsprint

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business online, today announced it has closed a multi-year strategic usage agreement with one of the world’s largest technology companies. Under the terms of the deal, over $100M will be spent on Akamai’s full-stack cloud computing capabilities.

The customer will have the flexibility to leverage Akamai’s full portfolio to manage, deliver, and secure data to augment and improve its own infrastructure services.

“Technology platforms with a massive global presence require sophisticated and reliable cloud services,” said Akamai COO and GM, Cloud Technology Group, Adam Karon. “Akamai provides the scale this customer requires along with ultra-low latency performance to help ensure that every user has the best experience possible no matter where they are in the world.”

Akamai will deploy managed Kubernetes clusters in secured virtual private cloud (VPC) environments, load-balance user traffic, and apply integrated application and network security together on Akamai Cloud to enable optimal performance at more attractive cloud economics. These capabilities will help to ensure an excellent experience for users while enabling the customer to manage traffic and data locally.

About Akamai
Akamai is the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business online. Our market-leading security solutions, superior threat intelligence, and global operations team provide defense-in-depth to safeguard enterprise data and applications everywhere. Akamai’s full-stack cloud computing solutions deliver performance and affordability on the world’s most distributed platform. Global enterprises trust Akamai to provide the industry-leading reliability, scale, and expertise they need to grow their business with confidence. Learn more at akamai.com and akamai.com/blog, or follow Akamai Technologies on X and LinkedIn.

Akamai Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act

This press release contains statements that are not statements of historical fact and constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements about Akamai’s capabilities and the expected benefits of the transaction to Akamai, the customer and its users. Each of the forward-looking statements is subject to change as a result of various important factors, many of which are beyond the company’s control, including, but not limited to: Akamai being unable to achieve the anticipated benefits of the transaction; Akamai’s capabilities failing to meet expectations, including due to defects, security breaches, delays in performance or other similar problems; effects of competition, including pricing pressure and changing business models; impact of macroeconomic trends, including economic uncertainty, turmoil in the financial services industry, the effects of inflation, rising and fluctuating interest rates, foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, securities market volatility and monetary supply fluctuations; continuing supply chain and logistics costs, constraints, changes or disruptions; defects or disruptions in Akamai’s products or IT systems, including cyber-attacks, data breaches or malware; changes to economic, political and regulatory conditions in the United States or internationally; and other factors that are discussed in the company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and Akamai does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

CONTACT: Akamai PR, akamaiPR@akamai.com 

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Feb. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Montrose Environmental Group, Inc. (NYSE: MEG), a global environmental solutions company, announced the appointment of Mr. Vincent Colman to its Board of Directors and Audit Committee effective February 19, 2025.  

“The addition of Mr. Colman to our Board reflects our commitment to adding leaders in their respective fields who can help the company drive long-term value for our shareholders,” said Vijay Manthripragada, President and CEO, Montrose Environmental Group.  “His depth of expertise in leadership development, strategy development, and public company reporting and governance will be incredibly additive to the company. We’re excited to have him join our Board and look forward to the impact he will bring.”

Mr. Colman brings exceptional financial and accounting proficiency to the Board, which he developed at the highest levels during his nearly 40-year career with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), working with numerous Fortune 500 listed companies. His experience provides invaluable insight regarding public company reporting matters and leadership in business strategy and development. He also brings a deep understanding of how an audit committee interacts with the Board, management and external auditors. The Board affirmatively determined that Mr. Colman is independent and an audit committee financial expert.

“I’m honored to join the Montrose Board of Directors and contribute to its mission of helping to protect the air we breathe, the water we drink and the soil that feeds us,” said Mr. Colman. “Throughout my career, I’ve seen firsthand how strategic financial leadership can drive sustainable growth, and I look forward to applying that experience to support Montrose’s continued evolution. The company’s commitment to innovation and focus on organic growth aligns with my own belief in building long-term value, and I am excited to collaborate with the Board and leadership team to advance Montrose’s vision for the future.”

Mr. Colman has been a frequent speaker on emerging governance, regulatory, and professional issues. He is a former member of the Center for Audit Quality Executive Committee, AICPA’s Professional Practice Executive Committee, FASB’s Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council and PCAOB’s Standing Advisory Group. He received his B.S. in Accounting, magna cum laude, from St. John’s University.

About Montrose

Montrose is a leading environmental solutions company focused on supporting commercial and government organizations as they deal with the challenges of today and prepare for what’s coming tomorrow. With ~3400 employees across 100+ locations worldwide, Montrose combines deep local knowledge with an integrated approach to design, engineering, and operations, enabling Montrose to respond effectively and efficiently to the unique requirements of each project. From comprehensive air measurement and laboratory services to regulatory compliance, emergency response, permitting, engineering, and remediation, Montrose delivers innovative and practical solutions that keep its clients on top of their immediate needs – and well ahead of the strategic curve. For more information, visit www.montrose-env.com.

Contacts

Investor Relations:
Adrianne Griffin
(949) 988-3383
ir@montrose-env.com

Media Relations:
Tammy Hovey
(917) 520-2751
pr@montrose-env.com

HYDERABAD, India, Feb. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Astreya, a global leader in IT managed services and digital transformation, proudly celebrates the one-year anniversary of its Hyderabad facility. Over the past year, this strategic hub has driven breakthroughs in cloud computing, automation, and enterprise IT solutions, strengthening Astreya’s commitment to innovation, operational excellence, and talent development.

A Year of Unparalleled Growth

In just 12 months, the Hyderabad office has established itself as a center of excellence, delivering next-generation IT solutions while fostering a world-class work environment. Key achievements include:

• Cutting-Edge Innovation Hub – Certified as an Offshore Development Center (ODC), the Hyderabad facility meets global standards for security, scalability, and seamless IT operations.
• Advanced Security & Employee Well-Being – A 24/7 security infrastructure, ergonomic workspaces, and employee-first facilities ensure a dynamic, secure, and high-performance workplace.
• Global Partnerships & Industry Leadership – Strengthened collaborations with technology giants, positioning Astreya at the forefront of AI-driven IT services.
• Empowering Top Talent – Career growth initiatives, leadership training, and a workplace culture rooted in innovation, inclusivity, and continuous learning.
• Expanding Opportunities for All – Accessibility upgrades, flexible policies, and engagement programs that support a collaborative, forward-thinking work environment.

A Vision for the Future

As Astreya continues to expand its global reach and technological footprint, the Hyderabad facility remains a cornerstone of its growth strategy.

Romil Bahl, CEO of Astreya, reflected on this milestone:

“Our Hyderabad team has been nothing short of extraordinary. The passion, innovation, and technical expertise here continue to fuel our global success. This facility is an engine for digital transformation, automation, and enterprise IT excellence. As we move forward, we are doubling down on our commitment to talent, technology, and the future of IT services.”

Celebrating One Year of Impact

To commemorate this achievement, Astreya hosted a two-day anniversary event on February 17-18, 2025, featuring:

• Leadership Town Hall – Executives shared insights on Astreya’s growth trajectory and future innovation plans.
• Employee Recognition & Team-Building – Honoring top performers through awards, interactive workshops, and networking sessions.
• Cross-Team Collaborations – Strengthening synergy across global teams, accelerating AI and cloud-driven IT advancements.

About Astreya

Astreya is a global IT managed service provider, delivering technology solutions that help businesses scale, drive innovation, and streamline operations. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in San Jose, California, operating in over 35 countries, supporting some of the world’s most recognized companies. Astreya provides solutions across public, private, and hybrid clouds, data centers, and the modern workplace while leveraging AI automation across it all. Our mission is to empower organizations to adapt and thrive in an ever-evolving digital landscape by transforming the way they leverage technology to support their customers, empower their employees, and grow their business.

Learn more at www.astreya.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

• Mars announces intention to undertake world’s largest international study program into the human-animal bond and the role of cats and dogs in human mental health and wellbeing
• The multi-year research program in partnership with leading academics will span over 35,000 people across more than 20 countries. It launches at a time of growing awareness of the global mental health crisis affecting millions^1,2
• Mars also unveils unique research and content partnership with Calm, a leading mental health company, to shine a light on pets and their role in human mental health and wellbeing

BRUSSELS, Feb. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Mars, Incorporated – the leading pet care business – has announced the launch of the Pets and Wellbeing Study (PAWS) program. PAWS is set to become the world’s largest, multi-year research program exploring the impact of cats and dogs on mental health and wellbeing, deepening our understanding of the mutual benefits of the human-animal bond.

Pet owner and their cat bonding: Mars launches landmark global study into the human-animal bond

Led by the Waltham Petcare Science Institute in collaboration with leading academic institutions and experts, PAWS will examine the connection between pets and human mental health and wellbeing (including stress, anxiety, loneliness and overall wellbeing). The multi-disciplinary research program will engage over 35,000 people across 20+ countries in the initial phase and will continue to build over time. The program aims to bring deeper insight and scientific data into the mutual benefits of the human-animal bond, including how pets may enrich lives and how the bond contributes to the life of pets.

Loïc Moutault, President of Mars Petcare, said: “As a pet owner, I know firsthand the joy and comfort pets bring to our lives and there is increasing evidence that owning a pet or simply interacting with one can bring benefits to people of all ages and from all walks of life. We’re aiming to deliver on our Purpose: A Better World for Pets, because we believe pets make our lives better, and through this study program we aim to provide deeper, science-backed understanding of the mutual bond between people and pets.”

Over the lifetime of the study program the collaborative research will include work with academic institutions and partners including Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, University of Maryland School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liverpool, University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine, YouGov and the Human Animal Bond Research Institute, with the aim to deliver novel research and new insights.

Dr Maggie O’Haire, Associate Dean for Research at the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine said: “Both the breadth and depth of this study program promise to deliver novel data and greater insight into something many people instinctively feel – that the bond between pet and pet owner is a powerful and unique part of the human experience. We are proud to continue to collaborate with Mars and its world-leading research institute as it embarks on this transformative work.”

As part of the program, Mars is also partnering with Calm, a leading mental health company. The collaboration combines Calm’s expertise in mental wellness with Mars’ leading research into the human-animal bond and will encompass research and content through 2025.

Dr. Chris Mosunic, Chief Clinical Officer, Calm said: “Pets are daily sources of calm, joy, and connection. Through our partnership with Mars, we aim to understand these relationships better and illuminate the unique role pets play in mental health and wellbeing, supported by new in-app resources.”

Wellbeing has become an increasingly vital priority with 45% of people across 31 countries identifying mental health as their top health concern.² At the same time, global anxiety and stress levels are rising, affecting over 301 million people worldwide.¹ A growing body of evidence shows that pets can have a positive impact on mental health, underscoring the powerful potential of human-animal interaction to enhance wellbeing.^3,4 With 56% of people worldwide owning pets and a global pet population of 1 billion, understanding the universal and transformative bond between humans and animals has never been more important.³

Mars advocates for the essential role companion animals play in our lives and is committed to tackling issues such as pet homelessness to keep pets and people together. Over the next five years, Mars aims to support millions of vulnerable pets worldwide alongside a coalition of dedicated partners and believes a deeper understanding of the role pets play in people’s lives will contribute to improving the lives of pets and the people who care for them.

Mars is a global leader in pet care, spanning comprehensive veterinary care (including: AniCura, BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, Linnaeus and VCA™), nutrition (including PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, and WHISKAS®), breakthrough programs in veterinary diagnostics (ANTECH®), wearable health monitoring and pet parent platforms. With over 100,000 Associates helping pets, their owners and pet professionals in more than 130 countries.

For more information on PAWS program, visit: www.mars-petsandwellbeing.com

About Mars, Incorporated

Mars, Incorporated is driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. As a $50bn+ family-owned business, our diverse and expanding portfolio of leading pet care products and veterinary services support pets all around the world and our quality snacking and food products delight millions of people every day. We produce some of the world’s best-loved brands including ROYAL CANIN®, PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, CESAR®, DOVE®, EXTRA®, M&M’s®, SNICKERS® and BEN’S ORIGINAL™. Our international networks of pet hospitals, including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, VCA™ and ANICURA™ span preventive, general, specialty, and emergency veterinary care, and our global veterinary diagnostics business ANTECH® offers breakthrough capabilities in pet diagnostics. The Mars Five Principles — Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom — inspire our 150,000 Associates to act every day to help create a better world for people, pets and the planet. 

For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com.

Join us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

About Waltham Petcare Science Institute

Waltham Petcare Science Institute has been advancing pet health and nutrition for more than 60 years. Today, we research new ways to predict, manage and prevent disease, discovering insights and advances that proactively help pets live happier, healthier lives. Waltham collaborates with leading external scientific experts and partners to drive innovation creating a better world for pets based on scientific evidence. Building on a strong legacy of human-animal interaction research, we continue to advance scientific understanding of the relationships between pets and people.

For more information, visit: www.waltham.com. Join us on LinkedIn.

About Calm

Calm is a consumer mental health company on a mission to support everyone on every step of their mental health journey. With the #1 app to help you sleep more, stress less and live mindfully as well as a growing library of digital, evidence-based mental health programs, Calm offers trusted support for individuals and organizations alike. Our flagship consumer app provides personalized content and activities – featuring a range of experts and beloved celebrity voices. Our workplace and healthcare solutions take a consumer-friendly approach to mental health support delivered on a HIPAA-compliant platform to drive positive health and business outcomes. Named a TIME100 Most Influential Company, Calm has more than 150 million downloads and supports more than 3,500 organizations across seven languages and 190 countries.

To learn more, visit calm.com.

References

1. World Health Organization, Anxiety Disorders, 2023
2. IPSOS, Ipsos Health Service Report 2024: Mental Health seen as the biggest Health issue, 2024
3. Mars, Mars Global Pet Parent Study, 2024
4. Gitanjali E. Gnanadesikan et al. Glucocorticoid response to naturalistic interactions between children and dogs. Hormones and Behavior. Volume 161, May 2024

Pet owner and their dog: Mars announces plans for world’s largest international study program into the role of cats and dogs in human mental health and wellbeing

Funding will accelerate Together AI’s leadership as the preferred AI Cloud for building modern AI applications with open source models, and for training frontier models with its large-scale deployment of NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs.

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Together AI, the leading AI Acceleration Cloud, today announced a $305 million Series B investment led by General Catalyst and co-led by Prosperity7. The round saw participation from a distinguished group of global institutional and strategic investors including Salesforce Ventures, DAMAC Capital, NVIDIA, Kleiner Perkins, March Capital, Emergence Capital, Lux Capital, SE Ventures, Greycroft, Coatue, Definition, Cadenza Ventures, Long Journey Ventures, Brave Capital, Scott Banister, and technology pioneer John Chambers.

The funding round, which values the company at $3.3 billion, arrives as Together AI unveils plans for an unprecedented expansion of its AI Acceleration Cloud, with plans for large deployment of NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs. This strategic investment will further accelerate Together AI’s position as the leading end-to-end platform for building with open source models. Together AI’s enterprise-grade inference and fine-tuning capabilities have already transformed how over 450,000 AI developers, AI-native companies, and global enterprises like Salesforce, Zoom, SK Telecom, Hedra, Cognition, Zomato, Krea, Cartesia, and The Washington Post build modern AI applications.

“Vipul and team have built an incredible tech platform and business, emerging as a dominant player in AI infrastructure in less than two years. I was introduced to them when I invested in their first angel round and have witnessed firsthand the evolution of a product that, today, many Fortune 100 clients use to train, finetune, and run inference on models at scale,” said Marc Bhargava, managing director at General Catalyst. “Together AI’s mission to be the full stack AI cloud is truly inspiring, and General Catalyst brings the go-to-market expertise and ambition to supercharge this goal.”

Open source models like DeepSeek-R1 and Meta’s Llama have emerged as formidable alternatives to proprietary solutions, marking a decisive shift in the AI landscape. Together AI has established itself as the definitive platform powering this transformation for developers, AI-native companies, and global enterprises to leverage open source AI with unrivaled speed and efficiency. Together AI delivers the fastest DeepSeek-R1 and Llama inference at production scale through its secure, private infrastructure and research innovations.

“AI is transforming every industry, creating unprecedented efficiencies and enabling entirely new classes of products. We have built a cloud company for this AI-first world — combining state-of-the-art open source models and high performance infrastructure, with frontier research in AI efficiency and scalability,” said Together AI CEO Vipul Ved Prakash. “Our AI Acceleration Cloud uniquely provides organizations with the performance, security, and functionality required to train frontier models and build production-scale AI applications with incredible cost efficiency. With this investment, we will accelerate our mission to make open source AI accessible for AI developers and customers globally.”

Together AI’s platform uniquely spans the entire AI lifecycle, delivering enterprise-grade inference solutions; training and fine-tuning for frontier foundational models; agentic workflows with built-in code interpretation; and synthetic data generation. It enables organizations to build complete AI applications with the performance, security, accuracy, and model ownership that enterprises demand. Supporting over 200 open source models across all modalities — chat, image, audio, vision, code, and embeddings — the platform is powered by Together AI’s proprietary Inference engine and built on research innovations including FlashAttention-3 kernels and advanced quantization techniques. It delivers 2-3x faster inference than today’s hyperscaler solutions.

The company continues to reshape the AI infrastructure landscape with 200 MW of secured power capacity and is deploying optimized clusters of NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs across multiple data centers in North America. Together AI’s partnership with Hypertec to co-build a cluster of 36,000 NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 GPUs further cements its position at the forefront of AI Cloud providers. At the heart of this infrastructure lies the Together Kernel Collection, a breakthrough in AI system optimization developed under the leadership of Chief Scientist Tri Dao, creator of FlashAttention. This proprietary technology stack delivers 24% faster training operations while significantly reducing costs for customers like Pika Labs.

“Recent developments in open source AI illustrate the importance of Together AI’s work in making access to models like these secure, accessible, and powerful for organizations here in the U.S. and around the world,” said Prosperity7 Ventures Managing Director Abhishek Shukla. “Together AI’s ability to do this while accelerating the process, increasing efficiencies and reducing costs makes Together AI an exceptional resource for even large, global businesses.”

Together AI’s research lab continues to pioneer breakthrough methods at the intersection of AI and systems research, with open source contributions like Mixture of Agents, Medusa, Sequoia, Hyena, and Mamba driving innovation across the industry.

The company’s leadership position has been reinforced by milestone achievements at an extraordinary pace. In 2024 alone, Together AI grew its user base to over 450,000 AI developers, and has collaborated with Dell, Hypertec, NVIDIA and Meta. It deployed DeepSeek models in North American data centers with full opt-out privacy controls, launched the Together Enterprise Platform and AWS Marketplace availability, and partnered with Cartesia to enable ultra-low latency voice AI through Sonic model integration. Together AI recently acquired CodeSandbox with plans to integrate its capabilities directly into Together AI for built-in code interpretation – an industry first. The company also strengthened its leadership team with key hires, including go-to-market veteran Kai Mak as CRO, and research pioneer James Zou.

About Together AI

Together AI, the leading AI Acceleration Cloud, empowers developers and enterprises to train, fine-tune and run inference for generative AI models — delivering unparalleled performance, control, and cost-efficiency. The Together AI Platform supports a comprehensive range of top open source and custom models across multiple modalities, while offering flexible deployment options with the highest levels of privacy and security. Committed to advancing the frontier of AI through open collaboration, innovation and transparency, Together AI ensures that powerful AI systems remain accessible and flexible while creating optimal outcomes for society. To start fine-tuning and running the world’s best open source models, visit together.ai.

Media Contact
Rajan Sheth, CMO, Together AI
press@together.ai