Latest news with #Conquest
Hype Malaysia
01-07-2025
- Business
- Hype Malaysia
Longines Unveils New Conquest Heritage Timepieces In 38mm & 40mm & They're Divine!
Brace yourselves, watch aficionados, because Longines is bringing back a timeless classic with a modern twist. The Conquest Heritage collection welcomes new 38 mm and 40 mm models, offering a fresh take on the brand's first-ever trademarked collection from 1954. The updated designs carry the same spirit of sporty elegance while embracing the latest in horological technology. Vintage Style Meets Modern Performance Each timepiece features a domed sunray dial in sophisticated colours such as blue, green, brown, black, or silver, paired with faceted indexes and matching hands in rhodium, rose gold, or yellow gold tones. For added visibility, the hands are coated with Super-LumiNova. A highlight of the Conquest Heritage models is the 18-carat gold medallion on the case back, hand-enamelled with a fish motif. This design element pays tribute to the original Conquest watches from the 1950s and reflects the collection's legacy of water-resistance and adventure. Powered By Innovation Inside, the watch is driven by the exclusive Longines Calibre L888.5. This self-winding movement includes a silicon balance spring and non-magnetic components, offering ten times the magnetic resistance of standard models. It also boasts a 72-hour power reserve and is water-resistant up to 50 meters. Designed For Every Wrist Available with either a stainless-steel bracelet or a leather strap in black or brown, the new Conquest Heritage models are built for versatility and everyday comfort. The 38 mm and 40 mm cases offer a refined and timeless option for watch lovers of all styles. With this collection, Longines celebrates its enduring legacy of elegance while looking firmly ahead to the future of watchmaking. For more, visit Longines' official website. What's your Reaction? +1 0 +1 0 +1 0 +1 0 +1 0 +1 0
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
AI-powered fintech Conquest Planning secures $80m funding
Conquest Planning has secured $80m in Series B funding to expand its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered financial planning services. The funding round was led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives, with participation from new investors including Canapi Ventures, BDC Capital, Citi Ventures, TIAA Ventures, and USAA. Existing backers BNY and Portage also contributed, bringing Conquest's total funding to over $100m. Founded in 2018, Canada-based Conquest aims to make financial planning accessible and personalised for both retail investors and ultra-high-net-worth families. Its AI-powered software allows financial advisors, banks, and insurance firms to deliver tailored advice at scale. The newly acquired capital will be used to support Conquest's US expansion and further develop its AI-based Strategic Advice Manager (SAM). SAM's AI engine performs complex calculations to help advisors and clients understand the impact of various scenarios on financial goals, enabling informed decision-making, the startup explained. Conquest said that it will keep investing in its technology to enhance plan analysis capabilities, streamline onboarding and plan development processes, and develop tools and modules that facilitate dynamic content creation. Its new offering, SAM Bytes, allows advisors to engage with self-directed investors. Goldman Sachs Alternatives managing director of growth equity Jade Mandel said: 'In periods of macro volatility, the need for a modern, comprehensive and flexible financial planning platform becomes even more pronounced. 'We are thrilled to partner with Conquest on their Series B as they further expand into the US and continue to empower financial institutions to provide best-in-class financial planning at scale.' Conquest Planning CEO Mark Evans said: 'The era of inefficient and inaccurate trial-and-error-based financial planning is over. As investors are demanding greater personalisation in all aspects of their financial lives, we have unlocked the power of automation and real-time intelligence to bring the advice industry into the modern age. 'Conquest makes it possible for investors at any stage of life to get the financial advice they deserve. We are grateful to our partners for embracing our commitment to making high-quality advice more accessible to a broader range of families.' Conquest claims that it has already captured over 60% of the Canadian financial advisor market and is gaining traction in the US and UK. Serving more than 1,000 financial services organisations, including RBC, Manulife, BNY Pershing, and Raymond James, Conquest is nearing 1.5 million plans created on its platform. "AI-powered fintech Conquest Planning secures $80m funding" was originally created and published by Private Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Business Wire
23-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Conquest Planning Raises $80 Million Series B Led by Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives to Bring Personalized, AI-Powered Financial Plans to More Families
WINNIPEG, Manitoba--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Conquest Planning Inc., ('Conquest'), a technology platform modernizing financial planning with customized and convenient advice, today announced it has raised $80 million USD ($110 million CAD) in Series B funding led by Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives. The round attracted additional new investors, including Canapi Ventures, a venture capital firm investing in early to growth-stage software and fintech companies, as well as BDC Capital, Citi Ventures, TIAA Ventures and USAA. Existing investors BNY and Portage also participated in the round, which brings Conquest's total funding to over $100 million USD. Conquest was established in 2018 with the foundational belief that financial planning should be accessible, yet bespoke, for retail investors and ultra-high-net-worth families alike. Its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered software enables financial advisors, banks, brokerages, wirehouses, insurance firms and pension providers to offer personalized advice at scale. Conquest will leverage this fresh capital to accelerate its U.S. expansion, while also funding the continued evolution of its AI-based Strategic Advice Manager (SAM). SAM's revolutionary AI planning engine performs thousands of complex calculations around every piece of information in an individual's financial plan, which allows advisors and their clients to quickly and accurately understand the impact of different scenarios on clients' goals and recommend the next best financial decision. Conquest will continue to invest in its technology to support more robust plan analysis, enable more efficient onboarding and plan creation and create tools and modules that lead to dynamic content creation. 'In periods of macro volatility, the need for a modern, comprehensive and flexible financial planning platform becomes even more pronounced,' said Jade Mandel, Managing Director at Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives, who will join the company's board. 'We're thrilled to partner with Conquest on their Series B as they further expand into the US and continue to empower financial institutions to provide best-in-class financial planning at scale.' Built to empower all people—whether they are in the borrowing, accumulation, or decumulation phase of life—Conquest's technology enables advisors to deliver flexible, dynamic financial plans that adapt to life's changes and accounts for extended lifespans. With this funding, Conquest will further advance its efforts to democratize advice by accelerating and expanding planning capabilities for individuals and families who may not be ready for a financial advisor relationship, but are seeking guidance on financial decisions such as debt management, investment account selection and a first home purchase. Conquest's new offering, dubbed SAM Bytes, enables advisors to remain engaged with self-directed investors during these planning moments to foster a sustained relationship built on trust. 'The era of inefficient and inaccurate trial-and-error-based financial planning is over,' said Dr. Mark Evans, CEO of Conquest Planning. 'As investors are demanding greater personalization in all aspects of their financial lives, we've unlocked the power of automation and real-time intelligence to bring the advice industry into the modern age. Conquest makes it possible for investors at any stage of life to get the financial advice they deserve. We're grateful to our partners for embracing our commitment to making high-quality advice more accessible to a broader range of families.' Conquest has also deepened its capabilities for advisors serving generationally wealthy families by investing in its estate and legacy planning features. These modern solutions offer stronger support for both pre-mortem and post-mortem advice, helping advisors to identify planning gaps and opportunities while providing proactive recommendations aligned with each family's legacy priorities and overall financial plan. 'Wealth management is a core growth driver for our 70+ bank LPs, where financial planning serves as a foundational pillar of the client relationship,' said Neil Underwood, General Partner at Canapi Ventures. 'Conquest's experienced team has built a modern, configurable, and AI-powered platform that enables institutions and their advisors to deliver intelligent, personalized guidance across the full wealth spectrum. We're proud to partner with Conquest as they bring planning-led advice to the forefront of the financial services industry.' Now counting more than 60 percent of the Canadian financial advisor market as users, Conquest is rapidly gaining adoption in the U.S. and U.K. due to burgeoning market demand for advice across the wealth continuum. Currently serving more than 1,000 financial services organizations, including RBC, Manulife, BNY Pershing and Raymond James, Conquest continues to gain market share as it approaches 1.5 million plans created on its platform. 'We're excited to continue working with Conquest given that we have the same goal - to help advisors improve their efficiency and effectiveness in financial planning,' said Ainslie Simmonds, Executive Platform Owner, Wealth Service Platform for BNY. 'Through the power of AI, Conquest allows advisors to spend less time with the data and more time interacting with their clients and we're thrilled to continue to offer this capability to BNY's clients through the Wove platform.' For more information about Conquest's AI-powered and intuitive financial planning software solution, please visit Conquest Planning is a leading financial planning software company with a purpose-driven approach to delivering financial advice. The product-led company is built on the foundational belief that every single person deserves access to great financial advice. Conquest's user base, which spans Canada, the U.S. and the U.K., leverage its intuitively designed product, simple onboarding process, and data-driven artificial intelligence to accelerate the delivery of beautifully designed, hyper-personalized financial plans. Established in 2018, Conquest Planning was founded by a team of financial technology veterans whose track record of success spans over 30 years in the financial planning software space. For more information on Conquest, follow us on LinkedIn, X and YouTube, and to contact our team, please visit our website at If you are employed by a company that partners with Conquest and have questions about your access, please contact your corporate office for more details. About Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives: Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) is one of the leading investors in alternatives globally, with over $500 billion in assets and more than 30 years of experience. The business invests in the full spectrum of alternatives including private equity, growth equity, private credit, real estate, infrastructure, sustainability, and hedge funds. Clients access these solutions through direct strategies, customized partnerships, and open-architecture programs. The business is driven by a focus on partnership and shared success with its clients, seeking to deliver long-term investment performance drawing on its global network and deep expertise across industries and markets. The alternative investments platform is part of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, which delivers investment and advisory services across public and private markets for the world's leading institutions, financial advisors and individuals. Goldman Sachs has approximately $3.2 trillion in assets under supervision globally as of March 31, 2025. Since 2003, Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives has invested over $13 billion in companies led by visionary founders and CEOs. The team focuses on investments in growth stage and technology-driven companies spanning multiple industries, including enterprise technology, financial technology, consumer and healthcare.
Geek Tyrant
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Robert Kirkman Breaks Down INVIBCIBLE Season 3, Why Mark's Future Should Scare You, and Lessons Learned from THE WALKING DEAD — GeekTyrant
Robert Kirkman knows how to wreck a superhero emotionally and physically, and Invincible Season 3 is a showcase of that skill. As the second half of the season wrapped on Prime Video, fans were left reeling from the mental toll on Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun), his brutal battle with Conquest, and the growing realization that Mark may be heading down a darker path than anyone expected. In a recent interview with Deadline, Kirkman offered a candid breakdown of Mark's psychological spiral, his complicated relationship with his half-brother Oliver, and how experience from The Walking Dead helped shape a more structurally sound adaptation this time around. Mark's Crossroads Season 3 is all about what kind of man—and hero—Mark is becoming. One of the most telling dynamics this year is the brotherly bond (or fracture) between Mark and Oliver, the half-Viltrumite sibling he barely knows but is now responsible for mentoring. The tension between their moral codes becomes a mirror that Mark can't look away from. 'I think it's good to give Mark as many outside influences as possible,' Kirkman said. '...One of the results of interacting with his father was that he brought Oliver home. Oliver has the same dad but is from an alien world... For Mark, his feelings can sometimes be scary when he seemingly agrees with some of the crazy things that Oliver is saying.' That inner conflict is no small matter. As Kirkman explains, Oliver starts off saying 'harsh things that make you worry,' but by the end of the season, Mark finds himself more aligned with his brother than before. 'So, by the end of this season, you should be worried for where Mark is headed in Season 4 and beyond.' A Relentless Descent Mark's downward arc isn't just philosophical, it's paved in blood. From Powerplex to the Invincible War and finally to his knock-down, drag-out fight with Conquest, Kirkman makes clear that the exhaustion and trauma have layered onto Mark's conscience in ways that aren't going away. 'He is unsure of himself and fears that he could be on the path getting closer and closer to what Omni-Man was... Without having any time to process that or work through it... Conquest comes and does more damage that Mark feels responsible for,' Kirkman said. It's that spiral of grief, guilt, self-doubt, then rage that sets the stage for Season 4's more dangerous version of Mark. As Kirkman put it, 'We're trying to deal with what it would be like to have the burden of the responsibility of having this much power... and we're excited about how the show goes into some really dark places.' The Teenage Factor But this is still a coming-of-age story, and Mark's contradictions are intentional. 'He's a somewhat erratic character by design,' Kirkman noted. 'We're constantly pushing this character to make bold statements and then go against those statements... That's kind of the life that we all experienced as a teenager... and it's fun to see a character go through that same process while he's able to crush planets.' Walking Dead Wisdom If Invincible feels more structurally sound than The Walking Dead ever was. Kirkman says the experience of adapting a comic he hadn't finished yet taught him some hard lessons. 'There were times [on The Walking Dead] when it was like, 'Yeah, let's make that different. That'll be fun.' But then you get to Season 6–Season 9, and you have entire storylines from the comic that don't work anymore...' Now, with Invincible, Kirkman says they've done the opposite. 'There's a lot of decisions that were made on Invincible Season 1–Season 3... so that when we're going Season 5–Season 6... we know the track has been laid.' The Conquest Challenge Of course, making Invincible isn't just emotionally demanding, it's a logistical beast. The fight between Mark and Conquest in the finale was one of the toughest scenes yet to animate. Kirkman revealed: 'We had to get extra board artists to come in... Usually, you have four or five board artists... I think we had six or seven that were doing two to four-minute chunks... It was an all-hands-on-deck kind of effort.' That battle was a key point of escalation—and that escalation is something Kirkman is intentionally building season after season. 'We're trying to make the show an escalating show... so that when you watch the show, you get a sense of growth... and intensifying stakes.' The Role of Violence As for the show's signature blood-and-guts spectacle? Kirkman says the violence only works if it means something. 'I don't really think of the violence as are we going too far... I'm thinking, is this violence resulting in the correct emotions we're trying to elicit...?' he said. 'We're trying to push the emotional buttons... so that you have that feeling.' And while streaming gives them room to push boundaries, Kirkman points to The Boys as the trailblazer that lets Invincible fly under the radar. 'I get to watch that show and go, 'We can do anything.'' Where It's All Going Mark Grayson may have set out to be Earth's protector, but Season 3 leaves us with a much more complicated reality: he's not just battling villains anymore—he's fighting who he might become. And that, according to Kirkman, is exactly the point. 'By the end of this season, you should be worried for where Mark is headed in Season 4 and beyond.' If that's not a warning shot, nothing is.
Spectator
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
North and South America have always been interdependent
In 1797, following a written plea for troops to counter an incursion by an American Revolutionary War veteran into Louisiana, Manuel Godoy, minister to the Spanish crown, made a note in the margin: No es posible poner puertas al campo ('It is not possible to put up doors in a field'). Both literally and metaphorically, Spain could no longer defend the indefensible. In 2017, the 45th president of the United States signed an executive order to build a wall along the country's Mexican border. Its construction, for which he perversely wanted Mexico to pay, was a practical and symbolic one. The United States was turning its back on Latin America. That the relationship between the United States and its southern neighbours can be changeable is well enough known, but the depth of its complexity is perhaps not. Greg Gradin has spent an academic career investigating the tensions inherent in the 'western hemisphere', from Guatemalan history to Latin America as a proving ground for modernisation theory. In America, América, he expands on his previous work to write an original and outstanding 'new history of the New World'. The proposition he makes is unambiguous: One can't fully understand the history of English-speaking North America without also understanding the history of Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking America. I mean all of it…And the reverse is true. You can't tell the story of the South without the North. Grandin sidesteps the dangers of comprehensiveness – histories of the region can often be prolix – by exploring the hemisphere's 'long history of ideological and ethical contestation'. Divided into 50 short chapters, the structure allows him to cut deftly between colourful anecdote and unfamiliar intellectual history. What emerges is a vital portrait of a New World in which, despite numerous differences, the relationship between North and South has always been symbiotic and not without a similar sense of purpose. Early on, the English took their lead from the Conquistadors. Captain John Smith saw himself as an anglicised Cortes when he sought to establish Jamestown in Virginia in 1607. Oliver Cromwell's horrific Irish campaign, which Grandin calls a 'prelude to empire', was a foretaste of what might befall the Indians and enslaved Africans of North America. The Spanish Conquest of the Americas, as one English investor stated, had 'awakened' Europe from its 'dreams', only to reveal death and destruction. Yet the nightmare of the Conquest would at least produce something extraordinary. The moral conscience of this book belongs to the Spanish Dominican priest Bartolome de las Casas (1484-1566), who, from his encounters with the Indians of the New World, declared: 'Todo linaje de los hombres es uno' ('All humanity is one'). He would become the Conquest's most vociferous critic, having seen with his own eyes the 'ocean of evil'. To this day, his universal humanism remains a guiding light for the region, especially among the social democratic left in countries such as Brazil and Uruguay. Grandin is keen to emphasise that the Spanish empire had 'yielded, by the early 1800s, to a republicanism that was both more inclusive and more activist than its counterpart in the United States'. The torch would later be carried by the Cuban poet Jose Marti, who believed the New World's diversity to be 'a wellspring of spiritual and material strength'. According to Grandin, the reason for this humanist climate can be traced back to Spanish colonialism's early moral crisis, and the fact that when independence finally arrived it was understood to include freedom from 'all forms of oppression'. The unifying hero of the sweeping narrative is Simon Bolivar. But it is Bolivar the statesman and founder of a league of nations that fascinates, not the disappointed revolutionary who 'ploughed the sea'. The enlightened objectives of the 1826 Panama Congress included publication of a manifesto that proclaimed the abolition of slavery, the ratification of the Monroe Doctrine as international law and the adoption of the Roman legal doctrine Uti possidetis, ita possideatis ('As you possess, so shall you possess'). Roman law for the most part has kept the region's borders intact, compared with Manifest Destiny and the taking of the west. No wonder sovereignty remains so highly prized. In the 20th century, Franklin D. Roosevelt's policy of the 'Good Neighbour' would become inter-American co-operation at its best. Those meetings between Thomas Jefferson and Francisco Miranda two centuries earlier, in which the seeds of Pan-Americanism were sown, had finally borne fruit. It is clear where Grandin's sympathies lie (though his discussion of the authoritarian left, especially in Venezuela and Nicaragua might have been more exacting). But with Donald Trump currently taking a Nixonian line in his dismissal of Latin Americans ('We don't need them. They need us'), this magisterial work shows that only within the context of the 'western hemisphere' – and not western Europe – can the United States be fully understood.
