The Q-Lab will build the research, tools, and field infrastructure needed to make better questioning
a rigorous discipline and practical skill

NEW YORK, October 1, 2026 — Siegel Family Endowment today announced a multiyear grant to support the launch of The Questions Lab (Q-Lab), an initiative by The Governance Lab (The GovLab) dedicated solely to the science and practice of inquiry. Q-Lab will serve as a formal hub for advancing question literacy and building the emerging field of question science, helping organizations across sectors strengthen their ability to formulate rigorous, inclusive, and actionable questions.

The grant builds on Siegel’s long-standing commitment to inquiry-driven philanthropy and follows the release of the foundation’s white paper, Better Questions, Better Insights: How Philanthropy Can Harness the Science of Questions for Deeper Impact. Together, the white paper and Q-Lab investment signal a broader effort to move the science of questions from an emerging idea to a field with dedicated research, practice, and institutional infrastructure.

“We have spent years using inquiry as a grantmaking practice, but this work cannot live inside one foundation alone,” said Joshua Elder, Senior Vice President and Head of Grantmaking at Siegel. “The Questions Lab gives the emerging science of inquiry a durable home. It creates the conditions for researchers, practitioners, funders, and communities to better understand what makes a question powerful, whose questions shape the agenda, and how disciplined inquiry can lead to deeper impact.”

Siegel’s support will help Q-Lab build the research, practical methods, and global community needed to make question formulation a more systematic and accessible practice across philanthropy, public interest technology, education, civic institutions, and other fields navigating complex social challenges.

The John Templeton Foundation is proud to join Siegel Family Endowment in supporting Q-Lab as it builds the intellectual infrastructure for a deeper and more humble culture of inquiry. “Many of humanity’s most important advances begin not with an answer but with a question,” said Timothy Dalrymple, President of the John Templeton Foundation. “At a moment when technologies can generate answers with remarkable speed, we have an opportunity to pay renewed attention to the questions that guide discovery, shape our understanding of the world, and open new possibilities for exploration.”

As artificial intelligence and data systems make it easier to generate rapid responses, the ability to ask sharp, generative questions is becoming increasingly important. Q-Lab will focus on building the science of questions as both a field of study and a practical capability, helping leaders move beyond information gathering toward deeper insight, better decision-making, and more democratic agenda-setting.

“The future of problem-solving depends not only on better answers, but on better questions,” said Stefaan G. Verhulst, Co-Founder of The GovLab and Q-Lab’s Founder. “Q-Lab is designed to help individuals and institutions ask questions that are rigorous, inclusive, and actionable. We’re excited to partner with Siegel and the John Templeton Foundation to build the infrastructure needed to make question science a discipline that serves the public interest.”

To learn more, please visit questionslab.org.

About Siegel Family Endowment
Siegel Family Endowment employs an inquiry-driven approach to grantmaking, informed by the scientific method and grounded in the belief that philanthropy is uniquely positioned to address complex societal challenges. Rapid technological change has reshaped how we live, work, and learn, transforming the global economy and redefining access to opportunity – from schools and workplaces to our built environment. To meet these shifts, we support technology that serves the public interest, including the tools, skills, and systems people need to engage with and shape a rapidly evolving world. Siegel Family Endowment was founded in 2011 by David Siegel, co-founder and co-chairman of financial sciences company Two Sigma.

SOURCE Siegel Family Endowment

Expands Health & Wellness-Focused Private Equity Firm’s Brand Building Capabilities

DENVER, Oct. 1, 2026 — Manna Tree, a global private equity firm investing in companies that empower consumers to live better, longer, today announced a majority investment in Zambezi, the award-winning independent creative agency known for building billion-dollar brands and breakthrough consumer campaigns. Terms were not disclosed.

Headquartered in Los Angeles and celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2026, Zambezi helps brands drive outsized growth through integrated creative, strategic storytelling, production marketing and sports partners. The agency has a proven track record of helping companies become category leaders, most recently propelling Liquid I.V. to billion-dollar brand status.

Brand-Building as a Core Investment Thesis

Since its founding in 2018, Manna Tree has focused on investing in consumer health and wellness companies with strong momentum and market share, applying a strategy centered on identifying and scaling category-defining brands. The Zambezi investment marks the firm’s latest step in expanding the services and resources it makes available to its portfolio companies to support meaningful expansion, adding marketing to its existing talent, supply chain, and finance capabilities. With Zambezi, Manna Tree adds creative, media and production marketing capabilities that enhance its ability to support companies across their growth cycle while extending its reach across the broader health and wellness ecosystem.

“We are not just investing in a growing creative agency – with Zambezi we are investing in the future of our firm and our ability to support the next generation of category-defining health and wellness brands,” said Ross Iverson, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Manna Tree. “We know that great companies require more than capital to scale – they need to be the best brand in the marketplace. The Zambezi team brings world-class expertise in storytelling, consumer engagement and brand building that will strengthen how we help companies grow.”

Manna Tree portfolio companies, which include leading better-for-you brands such as Good Culture, Gotham Greens, Generous Brands, New Primal, Plant People, Verde Farms, and others will have access to Zambezi’s full suite of services including brand strategy, creative development, media, production through FIN Studios, and sports and culture partnerships.

Unlocking Growth at the Intersection of Wellness, Sports, and Culture

The investment positions Manna Tree at the growing convergence of health and wellness with sports, culture, and community. Consumer wellness brands are increasingly building direct relationships with consumers through live experiences, athlete partnerships, and culturally embedded campaigns rather than traditional advertising alone. “Zambezi’s deep expertise in this space, including work with the NFL, TaylorMade, and ESPN, provides a clear pathway into these high-impact consumer touchpoints for not only our portfolio companies but high-potential health and wellness brands across the broader market,” said Ellie Rubenstein, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Manna Tree.

Zambezi will continue to operate independently, serving its existing client base and pursuing new business, while also working alongside Manna Tree’s investment and portfolio operations teams to identify and act on shared opportunities. The agency will remain headquartered in Los Angeles and be led by its existing management team, including CEO Jean Freeman and President Laura Stayt.

“Today’s consumers expect brands to participate in culture, not simply market to them,” said Jean Freeman, Chief Executive Officer of Zambezi. “Manna Tree understands where consumer behavior is heading and shares our belief that strong brands are built through authentic connections, compelling storytelling and dynamic engagement. We’re excited to partner together as we help companies navigate their next era of growth.”

DLA Piper served as legal counsel to Manna Tree. Jones Spross served as legal counsel to Zambezi, with Pharus acting as its financial advisor.

About Manna Tree
Founded by Gabrielle (Ellie) Rubenstein and Ross Iverson in 2018, Manna Tree is a global private equity firm committed to investing in companies that empower consumers to live better, longer. The firm strategically invests in the consumer sector, particularly within the health and wellness ecosystem, focusing on growth-stage and buyout opportunities. Manna Tree has made investments in 15 companies to date, including companies like: Health-Ade, Gotham Greens, Vital Farms, Good Culture, Plant People, Verde Farms, Urban Remedy, and the New Primal.

About Zambezi
2026 AdAge Small Agency of the Year winner Zambezi is a proudly independent, women-owned agency bringing enduring creative and media ideas to sports, fitness, health and wellness and lifestyle companies, among others. Zambezi builds brands that are as high-performance as their products and services, spurring growth to $1B and beyond. Headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in Minneapolis, the agency serves leaders in their sectors, including TaylorMade, LPL Financial, Club Pilates, Traeger Grills, UKG, NFL, ESPN, Under Armour, Atlantis Bahamas, and more. The rapidly growing firm has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. eight times, most recently in 2026. Zambezi’s  momentum over the past year has included being named ADWEEK Breakthrough Media Agency of the Year and receiving multiple awards for its creative work at Cannes Lions, The One Show, Emmys, Webbys, Clios, and more.

Media Contact:

Kate Schneiderman
[email protected] 

SOURCE Manna Tree Partners

Proceeds from the facility will support the deployment of compute infrastructure dedicated to customer contracts

NEW YORK, Oct. 1, 2026 — SharonAI Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: SHAZ) (“Sharon AI” or the “Company”), a leading Australian Neocloud delivering trusted AI infrastructure, today announced it has entered into its inaugural US$356m committed senior secured, GPU-backed SPV debt facility priced at a fixed rate of 9.95%, excluding fees.

The facility will be secured against the GPUs and associated cash flows, with the contract-backed funding structure reflecting the security and delivery discipline underpinning Sharon AI’s platform and marks a further step towards the Company’s ambition of delivering gigawatt-scale AI compute capacity across Australia, New Zealand and the broader Asia-Pacific.

The facility includes marquee Australian, Asian and global investors including Goldman Sachs and select large private credit funds. This facility is the first in an expected series of GPU financings supporting the scheduled build out of over 68,000 NVIDIA GPUs deployed by mid-2027.

With the closing of this transaction, Sharon AI will have secured over US$2.6bn of institutional debt and equity capital over the past 10 months, extending the Company’s capital markets program and underscoring Sharon AI’s ability to access diversified sources of capital as it scales its AI infrastructure platform for a growing customer base of hyperscale, AI natives, government, enterprise, and research organizations.

“As demand for sovereign and secure, trusted AI infrastructure continues to outpace available supply globally, and particularly across Australia, New Zealand and the broader Asia-Pacific, access to scalable debt capital is an important enabler of our growth,” said James Manning, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sharon AI.

“This facility demonstrates how we expect to access debt markets to fund our GPU deployments, leveraging our book of quality customer offtake now standing at a TCV of over US$8.8bn. This is designed to enhance return on equity and ultimately drive increased long-term shareholder value. With a strong balance sheet, growing contracted capacity pipeline and a disciplined approach to capital allocation, we believe we are well positioned to continue scaling our AI platform across the Asia-Pacific region.“

Jarden Australia acted as sole financial advisor and arranger.

ENDS

About Sharon AI

Sharon AI (NASDAQ: SHAZ) is a leading Australian Neocloud delivering trusted sovereign AI infrastructure. Through its AI Factory platform and world-class ecosystem of technology and co-location partners, Sharon AI expands access to the scalable capabilities organizations need to build, train and run AI, from model training through to inference and agentic AI. Serving customers globally, Sharon AI helps organizations move faster from AI potential to measurable value. For more information, visit www.sharonai.com.

Media
[email protected]

Investors
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Disclosure Information

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

Forward-Looking Statements

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

• Service and product offerings;
• The deployment of assets and expansion of network procurement;
• Sharon AI’s ability to engage with additional potential customers;
• Expansion of Sharon AI’s data center footprint and capacity;
• The strengthening of Sharon AI’s partner network;
• Additional or future GPU financings;
• Complete fulfillment of all customer contracts;
• The impact and effect of debt structures designed to enhance return on equity and to drive stockholder value; and
• The Company’s position to continue scaling its AI platform across the Asia-Pacific region.

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

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

SOURCE SharonAI Holdings Inc.

The funding will scale production of OSCP’s ITAR-free photonic IMUs in Montréal as demand grows for navigation that works when GNSS is jammed.

MONTRÉAL, Oct. 1, 2026 — OSCPS Motion Sensing Inc., operating as OSCP, today announced that it has closed a Series A financing led by New Science Ventures, with participation from Emerging Ventures, and 2050 Capital. Somu Subramaniam, founder and managing partner of New Science Ventures, has joined OSCP’s board of directors.

OSCP’s photonic gyroscopes and inertial measurement units (IMUs) are built for platforms that must keep navigating when GNSS is jammed, spoofed or unavailable, a problem that now reaches well beyond declared conflict zones.

The company will use the funding to scale production in Montréal, grow its engineering and sales teams, and bring its next generation of photonic inertial sensors to market.

“Losing the satellite signal used to be a battlefield problem. Now it shows up over airports and shipping lanes,” said Kazem Zandi, founder and chief executive of OSCP. “Customers want navigation they can trust when GNSS drops out, and they want it ITAR-free. This round lets us build more of it here, and faster.”

“We are very excited to join the team at OSCP to build the world’s best IMUs in terms of navigation performance, size, and cost. These IMUs have the potential to completely change the autonomous navigation paradigm in a wide range of applications in the defence and transportation sectors,” said Somu Subramaniam, founder and managing partner of New Science Ventures.

Since the round closed in August, OSCP has introduced NavigationGate, an inertial navigation system for platforms that lose satellite signal, added ArduPilot support and an open-source ROS 2 driver for its MK2 IMU family, and qualified as a supplier on Canada’s Defence Drone Initiative Marketplace. For details, visit oscp.com.

ABOUT OSCP

OSCPS Motion Sensing Inc., operating as OSCP, designs and manufactures photonic gyroscopes and inertial measurement units. Founded in 2015 and based in Montréal, Québec, the company builds inertial sensors that deliver tactical-grade photonic accuracy at the size, weight, power and cost of MEMS, for navigation where GNSS is jammed, degraded or unavailable. Its customers work in space, defence, marine and subsea, rail, robotics and ground autonomy. OSCP products are made in Canada and are ITAR-free.

ABOUT NEW SCIENCE VENTURES

New Science Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in companies taking novel scientific approaches in information technology and life sciences. Founded in 2004, with offices in Greenwich, Connecticut, and London, the firm has more than US$1 billion in assets under management, based on original committed capital. For more information, visit newscienceventures.com.

Media contact: [email protected]