United Way Suncoast
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Cognigy Announces Mastery Program to Meet Surging Demand for Agentic AI in the Contact Center
New certification track empowers a global community to build AI Agents that think, reason, and act autonomously—transforming how customer service gets done DALLAS, August 04, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cognigy, the global leader in AI-first customer service automation, today announced the launch of its Mastery Program, a new set of advanced courses and certifications designed to meet the skyrocketing demand for Agentic AI in contact centers. This initiative empowers solution designers, developers, and implementation teams with the skills to build autonomous, enterprise-ready AI Agents that reason, decide, and act like humans—at scale. Agentic AI is rapidly redefining the customer service landscape. Cognigy's AI Agents are purpose-built for contact centers, capable of delivering fast, accurate, and hyper-personalized support while collaborating seamlessly with human agents. Now, the Cognigy Mastery Program ensures the people behind these AI Agents are just as capable. "We're seeing massive demand for people who can actually build agentic systems, not just talk about them," said Shanna Chauvin, Senior Director of Global GTM & Partner Enablement at Cognigy. "The Mastery Program turns that need into opportunity—arming our community with the know-how to lead in this next era of customer service." About the Program The Mastery Program consists of five hands-on technical courses that reflect real-world enterprise challenges in AI Agent design: Understanding the Message Lifecycle: Master how handles message flow, transformation, and execution. Integrating a Business Layer: Learn how to decouple logic from flow design using modular architecture. Multilingual AI Agents: Build agents that scale globally with consistent multilingual experiences. Publishing on Voice: Extend AI Agents into voice channels with best practices for deployment and optimization. Tracking & Reporting with Analytics: Use KPIs, OData, and Cognigy Insights to measure impact and tune performance. These courses are followed by a two-tier certification path: Specialist Certification: A multiple-choice exam validating foundational product knowledge. Master Builder Certification: A scenario-based, proctored exam conducted in-person, verifying expert-level skills in live solution design. "This is a program for people who want to lead—not just launch AI Agents," said Derek Roberti, VP of Technology at Cognigy. "We've taken everything we've learned helping global brands deploy at scale and turned it into a clear, guided path for mastery." Built for the Future of Contact Centers The Cognigy Mastery Program reflects Cognigy's broader commitment to professionalizing the AI Agent ecosystem. As demand surges for intelligent, autonomous agents across industries, enterprises need trusted teams who can deliver AI that works—securely, compliantly, and with measurable impact. Certified graduates of the Mastery Program become part of an elite community driving the AI-first transformation of contact centers worldwide. Availability The Cognigy Mastery Program is now open to all Cognigy customers and partners. To learn more or register, visit: About Cognigy Cognigy is transforming the customer service industry with the most advanced AI Agent platform for enterprise contact centers. Its award-winning solution, empowers enterprises to deliver instant, hyper-personalized, multilingual service on any channel. By integrating Generative and Conversational AI to create Agentic AI, Cognigy delivers AI Agents that redefine customer experiences, drive satisfaction, and support contact center employees in real-time. Over 1000 brands worldwide trust Cognigy and its vast partner network to create AI customer service agents for their contact center. Cognigy's impressive worldwide customer portfolio includes Bosch, Nestlé, DHL, Frontier Airlines, Lufthansa Group, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota. For more information and to book a demo visit: Follow the company on X (formerly Twitter) @Cognigy and on LinkedIn at View source version on Contacts Media Contact: Cognigy@
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Hernández: Lakers' commitment to Luka Doncic raises questions about LeBron James' role
Near the conclusion of the news conference to address his contract extension with the Lakers, Luka Doncic detailed the training program that contributed to his striking weight loss. When he was finished talking about how he lifted weight and refrained from playing basketball for a month, general manager Rob Pelinka made it a point to offer some thoughts. 'Luka's done all the work,' Pelinka said, 'but it's important to have a support system around you to help you do the great work.' Pelinka went on to praise Doncic's trainer, Anze Macek, and physiotherapist, Javier Barrio. He remarked how Macek and Barrio have 'worked seamlessly' with the Lakers' staff. He name-checked Doncic's agent, Bill Duffy, and business manager, Lara Beth Seager. Read more: 'Just the beginning': Luka Doncic on why he agreed to a three-year, $165-million contract extension These weren't garden-variety compliments. This was a pledge of allegiance. Shortly after Doncic was traded by the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers last season, stories emerged about tensions between his inner circle and former team. Pelinka's words contained an indirect message: We will support you the way Mavericks didn't. This is your team. The commitment was formalized on Saturday, the Lakers signing the 26-year-old Doncic to a three-year, $165-million contract extension. The news conference ended with seven Lakers players and coach JJ Redick emerging from the back to take a picture with Doncic as he held up his jersey. A couple of the players, center Deandre Ayton and guard Marcus Smart, were personally recruited to the team by Doncic. Doncic is now officially the center of the Lakers' universe, and as inevitable as that seemed from the moment Pelinka acquired him, the dynamic intensifies a question that was initially raised last season: What does this mean for LeBron James? Too much shouldn't be made of James' absence from the news conference on Saturday, as Austin Reaves wasn't there either. However, James is under contract for just one more season and Doncic for at least three more, and how will James deal with not being the focal point of his franchise? James is a player who is used to exercising boundless influence over teams that employ him, enough to where the 17-time NBA champion Lakers drafted his undersized son. While the Lakers once had visions of Anthony Davis replacing James as the face of their franchise, the imaginary baton was never passed. The Lakers didn't make as big a deal of Davis' extension two years ago as they did with Doncic's on Saturday, for which a Doncic-themed photo gallery was erected for the news conference. There's an uneasy feeling about the situation, in large part because James hasn't clearly communicated his thoughts. When James exercised his player option for the upcoming season, his agent said that because James wanted to play for championships and the Lakers were 'building for the future,' their camp wanted 'to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career.' The 40-year-old James will have a say in what happens, as his deal includes a no-trade provision. Asked how James viewed the Lakers' summer and whether he thought James would retire with the team, Pelinka replied, 'So all the interactions we've had with LeBron and his camp, [agent Rich Paul] in particular, have been positive and supportive. So very professional and Rich has been great. The dialogue with him has been open and constant. 'In terms of LeBron's career, I think the number one thing we have to do there is respect he and his family's decision in terms of how long he's going to play. I think that's first and foremost and we want to respect his ability to come up with his timetable on that. I think that's really important, but if he had a chance to retire as a Laker, that would be great." In other words, there wasn't enough clarity for Pelinka to be able to say with any degree of certainty, yes, he thought James would retire a Laker. Doncic accepted an offer from the Lakers to be their next headliner. That was an important development for them. But for them to be able to properly showcase their next act, they will have to close their previous one, whether it's by him accepting a supporting role or deciding to take his talents elsewhere. Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
TransMedics Group, Inc. (TMDX): A Bull Case Theory
We came across a bullish thesis on TransMedics Group, Inc. on Global Equity Briefing's Substack by Ray Myers. In this article, we will summarize the bulls' thesis on TMDX. TransMedics Group, Inc.'s share was trading at $118.97 as of July 31st. TMDX's trailing and forward P/E were 59.75 and 62.11 respectively according to Yahoo Finance. A surgeon in a modern operating theatre performing a transplant surgery with medical technology. TransMedics is revolutionizing the organ transplant ecosystem through its Organ Care System, a technology designed to keep organs warm, oxygenated, and viable far longer than traditional cold storage. By tackling key bottlenecks—organ degradation, low utilization rates, and logistical constraints—Organ Care System significantly extends transplant windows and boosts usage rates. Clinical trial data highlights its transformative potential: expanded criteria lungs and hearts saw utilization jump to 87% and 81%, respectively, while DCD heart use rose from 0% to 89%. TMDX monetizes this impact through a razor-and-blade model—selling Organ Care System consoles and high-margin, single-use consumables—while providing end-to-end services through its National Organ Care System Program, a SaaS-like Organs as a Service platform. With 21 private jets, 17 procurement hubs, and trained staff, TMDX handles organ retrieval, transport, and maintenance, positioning itself as a logistics powerhouse in the transplant chain. The opportunity is vast: U.S. underutilization alone represents a $400M+ annual consumables revenue potential, and TMDX currently serves just 3% of the $39B global market expected by 2034. Future growth catalysts include a kidney Organ Care System by 2029, entry into international markets via a $200M facility in Italy, and scaling the National Organ Care System Program globally. Financially, the company achieved profitability in 2024, posting $441M in revenue and positive operating cash flow, though free cash flow remains negative due to capex-heavy expansion. Trading at a P/E of 91, investor returns hinge on continued execution, EU rollout, and successful kidney platform launch. If goals are met, the stock could double by 2030, but slower expansion or margin compression may limit upside. Previously, we covered a on TransMedics Group, Inc. by Oliver | MMMT Wealth in May 2025, which highlighted warm perfusion technology, strong execution, and real-time flight data as revenue indicators. The company's stock appreciated ~24% since Q1 outperformance played out. Ray Myers shares a similar view but emphasizes the SaaS-like NOP model and global expansion potential. TransMedics Group, Inc. is not on our list of the 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 23 hedge fund portfolios held TMDX at the end of the first quarter which was 29 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of TMDX as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 8 Best Wide Moat Stocks to Buy Now and 30 Most Important AI Stocks According to BlackRock. Disclosure: None.
