Author: sHq_LoGiNz

• Investments of USD 12.8 billion by 2028 in infrastructure, security, and education
• Enormous potential in the heart of Africa: untapped mineral resources, unspoiled nature, and a young population eager to learn
• Opportunities better than ever before: political stability combined with a comprehensive development plan for the country
• International Investment Round Table in Casablanca with presentation of the national development plan and 24 specific investment projects

BANGUI, Central African Republic and CASABLANCA, Morocco, Sept. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The government of the Central African Republic is launching a billion-dollar investment program covering all sectors and regions of the country. Investments totaling USD 12.8 billion, combined with extensive government reforms and incentives for businesses, are set to trigger an upswing for the country in the heart of Africa. A total of 543 specific projects have been defined for the period up to 2028. The aim is to massively reduce the poverty rate, build 2,300 kilometers of paved national roads, lay 3,000 kilometers of fiber optic cable, and increase the electrification rate from 4% to 38%. The basis for this future program is the “National Development Plan 2024-2028.” Next week, the plan will be presented to the international public for the first time at an International Investment Round Table in Casablanca, Morocco.

“We are determined to unlock our country’s largely untapped potential by accelerating economic growth, building resilient and sustainable infrastructure, improving basic public services, and providing incentives for investors,” emphasizes Prof. Faustin Archange Touadéra, President of the Central African Republic. “The aim is, on the one hand, to set in motion a genuine dynamic of development and structural change in the country at the economic, social, and environmental levels and, on the other hand, to reduce poverty and improve the well-being of our population.”

The Central African Republic is considered one of the least developed countries in the world. However, much has changed since President Faustin-Archange Touadéra took office in 2016: the pacification of the country was followed by political stabilization and the renewal of state institutions. Economic indicators have also developed well: the inflation rate was 1.5% in 2024, the currency is stable, and economic growth is increasing steadily (2024: +5.1%). In the Global Soft Power Index 2025, the Central African Republic ranks 18th among African countries and 2nd in the Central African region.

Untapped potential – mineral resources, forests, arable land

The Central African Republic is a landlocked country surrounded by six direct neighbors: Chad to the north, Sudan and South Sudan to the east, Cameroon to the west, and the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo to the south. Through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the CAR has access to 1.3 billion people.

The CAR has around 15 million hectares of arable land, of which only 5% is currently cultivated. The tropical climate with abundant rainfall, fertile soil, and large water resources is extremely favorable for the cultivation of cassava, corn, rice, peanuts, cotton, coffee, cocoa, sugar cane, sesame, and oil palm. Cotton and industrial crops in particular have strong export potential.

A good third of the country’s territory is forested, which is about 23 million hectares of forest. Precious species such as mahogany, sipo, sapelli, and iroko are not uncommon. Local wood processing, ecotourism, the development of forests as carbon sinks, and FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification offer significant opportunities.

A World Bank analysis identified more than 470 mineral deposits, including diamonds, gold, uranium, lignite, iron, copper, limestone, columbite-tantalite, manganese, oil, nickel, and columbite-tantalite (coltan).

“The Central African Republic has considerable potential. To harness this potential, we must invest in human capital. This means bringing important infrastructure closer to the population – especially schools and health services. The National Development Plan is about laying the foundation for a forward-looking vision,” says Prime Minister Félix Moloua. “We are now creating the conditions for success – and inviting our partners to participate.”

‘Ambition28’ – investor conference kicks off future program

Under the title “Ambition 28,” the CAR government is inviting international investors to an Investment Round Table in Casablanca for the first time on September 14 and 15, 2025.

“The Round Table in Casablanca marks the start and sets an example for stronger international cooperation between the government of the Central African Republic and private and public partners,” said Prof. Richard Filakota, Minister of Economy, Planning, and International Cooperation.

During the two-day conference, President Touadéra and leading government officials will present the contents of the National Development Plan in detail. Representatives from the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the European Commission, the UN, the Arab Development Bank for Africa, the International Monetary Fund, the International Finance Corporation (ICF), and the host country, the Kingdom of Morocco, will emphasize in their keynotes the importance of international partnerships for the country’s economic transformation. Panels will highlight investment opportunities in energy, agriculture, mining, infrastructure, digitalization, and tourism. Twenty-four specific projects will be presented.

The National Development Plan 2024–2028

“The National Development Plan is a turning point in our country’s history. The conference is the necessary catalyst for this, bringing global players, financiers, and institutions together to work closely toward an economically strong future,” says Filakota. “We are not looking for handouts. We are looking for fair partners who recognize opportunities, want to do good business, and have the courage to write Africa’s next success story together with us.”

The National Development Plan is the Central African Republic’s holistic strategy for the long-term transformation of the country. It focuses on security and the rule of law, human capital, infrastructure, value creation in productive sectors, climate resilience, and ecological development.

Further information on the Round Table:

https://ambition28-rca.org/

Further information on the CAR’s National Development Plan:

https://ambition-journal.org

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Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2764763/PND_Logo.jpg

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SOURCE Ambition28 – Central African Republic

MONTREAL, Sept. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ – SRTX, the Canadian materials innovator behind Sheertex®, today announced the appointment of Sophie Boulanger as Chief Executive Officer. Boulanger, one of Canada’s most influential entrepreneurs in the retail sector, brings over two decades of leadership experience in strategy, operational performance, and value creation across retail and consumer goods.

Boulanger co-founded and led BonLook, a trailblazing direct-to-consumer eyewear brand that transformed the Canadian optical industry through a hybrid digital-physical model and modern frame collections celebrating diversity. Under her leadership from 2011 to 2022, BonLook scaled rapidly to a national presence, opening 40 stores in four years, employing more than 400 people, and ultimately achieving a successful strategic acquisition by FYidoctors in 2021.

With a proven track record of scaling brands and driving transformative growth, Boulanger is well-positioned to lead SRTX as it accelerates its strategy to expand globally, strengthen its wholesale and private-label partnerships, and deliver long-term value through sustainable innovation.

“SRTX has built one of the most innovative materials companies of our time, with Sheertex redefining durability in fashion and apparel,” said Sophie Boulanger, CEO of SRTX. “I am honoured to join the company at such a pivotal stage and look forward to working with our talented team and world-class investors to expand our reach, scale our operations, and continue shaping the future of sustainable textiles. I also want to recognize Katherine Homuth, whose vision and entrepreneurial drive built the foundation for SRTX’s success. I am excited to carry that legacy forward.”

SRTX Lead Investors BDC Capital, Export Development Canada, H&M Group, and Investissement Québec stated: “We are excited to welcome Sophie Boulanger as CEO. With her entrepreneurial mindset, operational expertise, and vision for consumer-centric growth, she is very well positioned to lead SRTX into its next chapter. Sophie Boulanger brings an excellent track record in scaling brands, creating shareholder value, and building strong teams. We are confident she will accelerate SRTX’s mission to transform the apparel industry.”

The SRTX Board and team thank Timothy Leyne, who has served as Interim CEO over the past months for his leadership and contributions during this pivotal stage of the company’s growth. This leadership change comes on the heels of SRTX’s recent US$40 million fundraising round, led by its largest shareholders: BDC Capital, Export Development Canada, H&M Group, and Investissement Québec. The funding will support the company’s strategy to scale its Montreal-based operations. In 2023, SRTX expanded into a 300,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility in Pointe-Claire (Montreal), a highly automated, vertically integrated plant. This facility is unique in the apparel industry and enables SRTX to continuously reduce unit costs while scaling production of its market-leading Sheertex tights.

About SRTX
SRTX, a Certified B Corporation (B Corp), is best known for its first technology, the patent-pending Sheertex® Rip-Resist knit, made from one of the world’s strongest polymers that has disrupted hosiery through impossibly strong tights. Named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2018, SRTX’s mission is to drive the durability and sustainability of apparel products by building new materials and software to enable better, more sustainable textiles.

sheertex.com @sheertex

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SOURCE SRTX Inc.

Variant Impact Fund (IMPCX) expands global access to private credit across 27 countries and nine impact themes including financial inclusion, clean energy and efficiency, affordable quality housing, and gender lens investing

PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Variant Investments, an alternative credit investment manager with nearly $3 billion in assets under management, today published its 2025 Annual Impact Report for the Variant Impact Fund (IMPCX), outlining the Fund’s approach to capital deployment in lender finance and asset-backed lending across financial inclusion, equitable growth, and responsible consumption.

The report highlights the Fund’s expanding reach and commitment to economic impact in line with market-rate returns. With $86 million in assets as of July 31, 2025, IMPCX aligns with globally recognized frameworks, including UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and spans nine IRIS+ themes across 32 investment strategies. Across the portfolio, investments delivered measurable outcomes, including financing the construction of over 800 affordable housing units, enabling more than 1.6 million in loans to primarily underserved individuals and small businesses, and completing 1,640 energy-efficiency retrofits.

The Fund’s capital has been deployed across a range of impact themes aligned with the SDGs and as defined by the IRIS+ categories, including:

Financial Inclusion: Financial Inclusion, Gender Lens, Racial Equity
Equitable Growth: Access to Quality Education, Affordable Quality Housing, Resilient Infrastructure
Responsible Consumption: Clean Energy, Energy Efficiency, Sustainable Agriculture

“Interval fund structures like Variant’s Impact Fund help serve as a practical solution to real-world market considerations of managing liquidity alongside longer-term horizon impact investments. This year’s report provides both the numbers and the stories that bear witness to the tangible and meaningful impact that our Fund is creating, while supporting investor calls for liquidity and capital alignment,” said Drake Hicks, Vice President, Head of Impact and chair of Variant’s Impact Investing Committee. “Investing capital that helps communities thrive around the world underscores the meaningful convergence of financial return and social good, and our multi-year record helps make the case that this is possible.”

Highlights from the 2025 Variant Investments Annual Impact Report:

• Fund Growth and Global Reach — Variant Impact Fund’s assets under management reached nearly $86 million as of July 31, 2025, enabling capital deployment that touches 27 countries across an array of impact themes and investment strategies.
• Closing the Private Credit Financing Gap — Variant’s impact strategy mobilizes private credit where access to standard financing may be unavailable, inefficient, or too costly, unlocking pathways to job creation, education, healthcare, and long-term economic mobility. Every dollar deployed created real improvements in lives and communities.
• Impact Centered Human Stories — Beyond data points, the report spotlights the personal stories behind the numbers — such as Kenyan entrepreneur Jane Njoroge, who expanded her hardware business, hired employees, and purchased health insurance for her family thanks to a Zanifu-backed loan. Similarly, through Castellan’s 100% affordable housing development in California, displaced wildfire victims are finding stability after years of transition. Together, these stories illustrate how IMPCX-backed initiatives translate financial capital into opportunities that transform lives.
• New Leadership — Variant recently hired Drake Hicks as Vice President, Head of Impact, who is responsible for spearheading Variant’s impact investment process, expanding engagement with impact-focused stakeholders, and refining Variant’s multi-step impact framework to continue elevating global practices and standards.
• Investor Perspectives — Institutional partners emphasized the distinctive value of Variant’s mission-driven approach. Gary Community Ventures highlighted Variant’s alignment with affordable housing, upskilling and financing for under-represented entrepreneurs, noting the “high-quality discipline, diligence and bespoke approach” of the team. Variant’s investment in 3rd Creek underscores the challenge of finding public market products that contribute toward positive changes in people’s lives and environmental sustainability.
• Community Engagement — In 2024, Variant joined Impact Capital Managers (ICM), reinforcing its commitment to scaling private capital for social good. The firm’s employee profit-sharing program, covering all fulltime employees, promotes stakeholder alignment and celebrates shared success. Variant’s annual charitable donations program invites each full-time employee to nominate up to $5,000 in donations per year — in 2024, $95,000 was donated to 27 diverse nonprofits, including organizations such as St. Jude’s Hospital and animal centric and community-based groups nationwide.

Variant managed funds focus on uncorrelated income generating assets in niche private markets. The Variant Impact Fund (IMPCX) seeks to provide high current income while supporting investment opportunities aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including financial inclusion, equitable growth, and responsible consumption.

Since inception on Nov. 1, 2021, IMPCX has generated an annualized net return of 9.53% through July 31, 2025, significantly outperforming traditional fixed income benchmarks such as the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Index 0.95% annualized net returns and the Bloomberg U.S. High Yield Index 3.92% annualized net returns. These results highlight IMPCX’s ability to deliver strong, competitive returns while driving measurable impact.

Net Performance*
As of July 31, 2025

* Inception date is Nov. 1, 2021. Returns are net total returns. The track record uses geometric returns and reflects the reinvestment of earnings. Results audited through April 30, 2025.
¹ “IG bonds” & “BBG Agg” refer to the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Index, which is a broad-based flagship benchmark that measures the investment-grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market.
² “High yield” & “BBG HY” refer to the Bloomberg U.S. High Yield Index, which measures the U.S. dollar-denominated, high yield, fixed-rate corporate bond market.
³ “Equity” & “S&P 500” refer to the S&P 500^®Index, which is a market-value weighted index of equity securities.

The Variant Impact Fund is a continuously offered, non-diversified, registered closed-end fund with limited liquidity. The investment objective of the Fund is to seek to provide a high level of current income. Capital appreciation is considered a secondary objective. The Fund will also seek to generate positive social and environmental impact by targeting investment opportunities that are both aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and consistent with the Fund’s impact investing framework. There is no guarantee the Fund will achieve its objective. An investment in the Fund should only be made by investors who understand the risks involved, who are able to withstand the loss of the entire amount invested and who can bear the risks associated with the limited liquidity of Shares. Important Risks: In implementing the Fund’s impact investment strategy, the Investment Manager may select or exclude certain investments for reasons other than investment performance. For this reason, the Fund’s impact strategy could cause it to perform differently compared to funds that do not have such strategy. There is no guarantee that the Investment Manager’s definition of impact investing, security selection criteria or investment judgment will reflect the beliefs or values of any particular investor. Currently, there is a lack of common industry standards relating to the development and application of environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria, which may make it difficult to compare the Funds’ principal investment strategies with the investment strategies of other funds that integrate certain “impact” criteria.

Given the substantial investment by the Fund in private securities, there is no reliable liquid market available for the purposes of valuing the majority of the Fund’s investments. There can be no guarantee that the basis of calculation of the value of the Fund’s investments used in the valuation process will reflect the actual value on realization of those investments.

Shares are an illiquid investment. You should generally not expect to be able to sell your Shares (other than through the repurchase process), regardless of how the Fund performs. Although the Fund is required to implement a Share repurchase program, only a limited number of Shares will be eligible for repurchase by the Fund.

An investment in the Fund is speculative, involves substantial risks, including the risk that the entire amount invested may be lost, and should not constitute a complete investment program. The Fund may leverage its investments by borrowing, use of swap agreements, options or other derivative instruments. The Fund is a non-diversified management investment company, meaning it may be more susceptible to any single economic or regulatory occurrence than a diversified investment company. In addition, the fund is subject to investment related risks of the underlying funds, general economic and market condition risk.

Alternative investments provide limited liquidity and include, among other things, the risks inherent in investing in securities, futures, commodities and derivatives, using leverage and engaging in short sales. The Fund’s investment performance depends, at least in part, on how its assets are allocated and reallocated among asset classes and strategies. Such allocation could result in the Fund holding asset classes or investments that perform poorly or underperform. Investments and investment transactions are subject to various counterparty risks. The counterparties to transactions in over-the-counter or “inter-dealer” markets are typically subject to lesser credit evaluation and regulatory oversight compared to members of “exchange-based” markets. This may increase the risk that a counterparty will not settle a transaction because of a credit or liquidity problem, thus causing the Fund to suffer losses. The Fund and its service providers may be prone to operational and information security risks resulting from breaches in cybersecurity. A breach in cybersecurity refers to both intentional and unintentional events that may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption, or lose operational capacity.

BEFORE INVESTING, YOU SHOULD CAREFULLY CONSIDER THE FUND’S INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES, RISKS, CHARGES AND EXPENSES. THIS AND OTHER INFORMATION IS IN THE PROSPECTUS, A COPY OF WHICH MAY BE OBTAINED FROM (877) 770-7717 OR WWW.VARIANTINVESTMENTS.COM. PLEASE READ THE PROSPECTUS CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU INVEST.

The Fund is distributed by Distribution Services, LLC. Variant Investments, LLC (the Investment Manager) serves as the investment manager of the Fund. Distribution Services, LLC and the Investment Manager are unaffiliated.

About Variant Investments

Variant Investments, established in 2017 and based in Portland, Ore., is an SEC-registered alternative credit manager with nearly $3 billion in assets under management as of July 31, 2025. The firm’s strategies focus on uncorrelated income-generating private investments in niche markets, offered to investors through closed-end interval and tender offer funds. For more information, visit www.variantinvestments.com

Media Contacts:

Margaret Kirch Cohen
Newton Park PR
+1 847-507-2229
margaret@newtonparkpr.com

Kathy Panagopoulos
Newton Park PR
+1 773-710-7433
kathy@newtonparkpr.com

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SOURCE Variant Investments, LLC

Funding fuels global expansion of breakthrough cooling and warming fabric technology with continued support from Stanford University Laboratories

STANFORD, Calif., Sept. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — YiLab Temperature Control Technologies, the materials science enterprise co-founded by Professor Yi Cui at Stanford University, a world-leading expert in nanotechnology, materials science, and sustainable energy, today announced the close of an oversubscribed pre-A funding round, bringing total funding to more than USD $10 million. The round drew strong interest from strategic investors to scale the technology of LifeLabs Design, a brand owned by YiLab for providing high-performance sustainable fabrics for functional apparel brands. The LifeLabs fabrics provide solutions in outdoor and active lifestyle apparel for temperature regulation.

Specifically, proceeds from the round will be used to establish a state-of-the-art research laboratory and factory in Asia, enabling rapid prototyping and scaling of LifeLabs’ proprietary textile technologies.

“This funding marks a pivotal step forward in our mission to transform textiles into powerful climate solutions,” said Sophia Ou, CEO and co-founder of YiLab. “The enthusiasm from investors reinforces both the urgency of our work and the strength of our technology. With our new R&D lab and factory, we’re building a fast process from laboratory technology innovation to real-world impact.”

LifeLabs is known for its thermoregulating textiles requiring fewer resources for production while delivering unmatched comfort and energy efficiency to the wearer. The breakthrough fabric technology, which originated at Stanford University a decade ago and has since proven in commercial space, provide scalable solutions to lower global energy consumption and carbon emissions.

The pre-A round attracted a diverse group of investors from technology, sustainability, and consumer sectors, reflecting the broad applicability and market demand for LifeLabs’ technologies.

Today, Lifelabs is working with established global apparel and accessory brands on future season launches.

About YiLab Temperature Control Technologies
YiLab Temperature Control Technologies is a materials science company founded in 2024 by Professor Yi Cui at Stanford University and Ms Sophia Ou. YiLab develops and commercializes advanced thermoregulating fabrics that enhance comfort while reducing global energy consumption and carbon emissions. The technology comes from LifeLabs Design. For more information, visit www.lifelabs.design.

Media Contacts:
Annie Armstrong, annie@cgprpublicrelations.com
Ben Ryan, media@lifelabs.design

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SOURCE YiLab Temperature Control Technologies / LifeLabs Design