Long Island Capital Alliance Conducts Food Industry Capital Forum to Benefit Island Harvest
Melville, NY – January 8, 2025 – The Long Island Capital Alliance (“LICA”), Long Island’s leading non-profit capital formation and business development organization, today announced that its Food Industry Capital Forum and holiday celebration was held on December 9, 2024 to benefit Island Harvest.
The event took place at Great South Bay Brewing Company, one of Long Island’s premier breweries, with networking and exhibition time for presenting companies and sponsors, as well as unlimited food, wine and beer before and after a short program that showcased some of the region’s most innovative companies in the food industry. LICA assembled a panel of judges to present the Top Innovator Award. The award went to Compozure, a lifestyle concierge company.
“Our Food Industry Capital Forum was one of our most exciting events in our long history of supporting the local business community, and we congratulate Compozure on being recognized with the Top Innovator Award to cap off the evening,” said Michael A. Lane, Chairman of LICA. “Exciting things happen when the LICA community comes together. We look forward to assisting all of the presenting companies at our Capital Forum and many other innovative companies in various growth industries through our events and professional educations programs.”
“Thank you again for letting Compozure pitch and set up a table at the Food Industry Capital Forum last night. It was a fantastic event, and we appreciate your guidance and feedback. It was also wonderful to hear from such an experienced panel and connect with other startups. We are thrilled to have won the Top Innovator Award! We are looking forward to staying in touch and hopefully working together again in the future.” – Grace Wheeler, CEO of Compozure.
“Last night, I had the privilege of attending the Holiday Celebration and Food Industry Capital Forum hosted by the Long Island Capital Alliance in collaboration with Island Harvest Food Bank…A special thank you to Michael A. Lane (LICA Chairman) for inviting my partner, Jeremy Criss, and I following our LI PitchFest win this past November. As entrepreneurs, this was an invaluable opportunity to learn, connect, and engage with the Long Island Capital Alliance community.” -- Sakina Shaw, Attendee.
The capital forum featured:
Presenting Companies
Adirondack Creamery: Ice cream as it should be…based on an old-fashioned recipe of cream, milk, sugar and eggs.
Compozure: A private lifestyle concierge, offering cheffing, personal assistance, interior design, personal styling, and travel organizing services.
Myles Comfort Food: Provides indulgent, clean label, protein packed comfort food.
Pleese® Plant-based Cheese: Created to deliver the most authentic cheese like experience without the side effects.
Purefetta™: A clean, gluten-free, top 9 allergen free, vegan, non-gmo, kosher fresh pasta, indistinguishable from pasta with semolina.
Seascape Aquatech: Engineering groundbreaking technology for an autonomous robotic oyster farm.
Key Note Speaker, Moderators and Investor Panel/Judges
Key Note Speaker: Brian Leidy, Chief Development Officer, Island Harvest
Moderator/Presenting Companies: George Likourezos, Partner, Carter, DeLuca & Farrell, LLP
Investor Panel Moderator: Jill Scher, Partner, CBIZ, Inc.
Investor Panel/Judge: Mark Elenowitz, CEO, Tripoint Capital Advisors
Investor Panel/Judge: Michael Lane, Entrepreneur, Investor, Advisor
Investor Panel/Judge: Gus Spathis, CEO of Xogito, Investor
LICA hosted the Food Industry Capital Forum on Monday, December 9, 2024 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM Eastern at Great South Bay Brewing Company. The capital forum provided an opportunity to meet capital providers, entrepreneurs, industry executives and businesses seeking capital, as well as to hear industry experts discuss financing alternatives for growth companies in the food industry.
Save the Dates – Upcoming LICA Events
April 4, 2025 -- AI/ML & Technology Capital Forum
June 5, 2025 -- Cannabis Capital Forum
September 26, 2025 -- Health Care Capital Forum
About Long Island Capital Alliance
Since 1984, the Long Island Capital Alliance (www.licapital.org), formerly known as Long Island Venture Group, has been promoting business growth on Long Island. LICA seeks to create a productive and business-friendly environment that will afford area businesses access to the resources necessary to compete successfully in today’s markets. LICA serves as a focal point for the exchange of ideas among new and existing business enterprises, successful entrepreneurs, investors, and service providers. Through quarterly capital forums and special meetings, LICA brings together members of the region’s business community and has been recognized as the place to turn to when small businesses need equity, debt, or other financing, or for investors to find an attractive investment opportunity.
LICA’s mission is to encourage economic development on Long Island by facilitating capital formation for a broad range of companies in various industries, from early stage to mature, middle market, closely held and publicly-traded businesses. LICA accomplishes this primarily through education, networking, quarterly capital forums, periodic special educational meetings, and alliances with other regional organizations. LICA brings together members of the region’s business community and serves as the finance arm for significant local business and organizations.
The work of LICA in assisting dozens of local companies in raising over $150 million and providing business formation consultation would not be possible without the support of its sponsors. A total of 14 sponsors provide LICA, a non-profit organization, with financial contributions and in-kind services.
Our sponsors contribute significant time and effort to the success of LICA. Please support them! Formore information on LICA sponsors and next events, please contact LICA today or register online at www.licapital.org.
Long Island Capital Alliance Breaks Attendance Record with 2023 Cannabis Capital Forum
The Most Anticipated Annual Cannabis Industry Event on Long Island Delivers Packed Audience & Unrivaled Investment and Networking Opportunities
Fireside Chat Featured Tremain S. Wright, Chair of NY Cannabis Control Board, and Senator Jeremy Cooney, Chair of NYS Senate Cannabis Subcommittee
Melville, NY – December 20, 2023 – The Long Island Capital Alliance (“LICA”), Long Island’s leading non-profit capital formation and business development organization, today announced that its annual Cannabis Capital Forum held on December 8, 2023 set a record for attendance, with keynote speakers, presenting companies and investor and industry panelists providing engaging insights for regional investment and business community event participants.
Congratulating LICA and its Cannabis Event coordinators, Tessa E. Williams of Empire Farms, a presenting company, said, “[We are] tremendously grateful to each of you for your time, guidance and support.” Ms. Williams is an author, school food activist, entrepreneur, cannabis farmer and founder of the FarmOn! Foundation, a 501(C)3 non-profit organization and public charity. Her woman owned and led cannabis company, Empire Farms, holds a NYS Adult Use Cultivation License and long term lease at Empire Farm, NY.
“After presenting my pitch at the LICA Cannabis Capital Forum, I received praise and interest from fellow presenters, signaling that the pitch went well,” said Roger Thomas, Co-Founder and COO of Mello Tymes LLC, a presenting company. “I particularly enjoyed the networking opportunities at the event; it allowed me to connect with industry experts and like-minded individuals, which was not only informative but also a great chance to build valuable relationships.” Mello Tymes is a minority and returning citizen owned cannabis brand.
Michael Lane, LICA’s Chairman, said, “Great things happen when we bring our community together! The presenters were well coached and enthusiastically told the story of their companies.”
Fireside Chat Speakers
Moderators
Investor Panel:
LICA hosted the Cannabis Capital Forum on Friday, December 8, 2023, from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM Eastern at the RXR Center, 68 South Service Road, Melville, NY, 11747. The capital forum provided an opportunity to meet capital providers, entrepreneurs, industry executives and businesses seeking capital, as well as to hear industry experts discuss financing alternatives for the emerging cannabis industry.
Since 1984, the Long Island Capital Alliance (www.licapital.org), formerly known as Long Island Venture Group, has been promoting business growth on Long Island. LICA seeks to create a productive and business-friendly environment that will afford area businesses access to the resources necessary to compete successfully in today’s markets. LICA serves as a focal point for the exchange of ideas among new and existing business enterprises, successful entrepreneurs, investors, and service providers. Through quarterly capital forums and special meetings, LICA brings together members of the region's business community, and has been recognized as the place to turn to when small businesses need equity, debt, or other financing, or for investors to find an attractive investment opportunity.
LICA’s mission is to encourage economic development on Long Island by facilitating capital formation for a broad range of companies in various industries, from early stage to mature, middle market, closely held and publicly traded businesses. LICA accomplishes this primarily through education, networking, quarterly capital forums, periodic special educational meetings, and alliances with other regional organizations. LICA brings together members of the region’s business community and serves as the finance arm for significant local business and organizations.
Our sponsors contribute considerable time and effort to the success of LICA. Please support them! For more information on LICA sponsors and next events, please contact LICA today or register online at www.licapital.org.
* * *
Contact:
Jordan Darrow
Darrow Associates, Inc.
jdarrow@darrowir.com
631-766-4528
LICA Capital Forum Cannabis December 2023 - press release - final - 120523.pdf
In August of this year, the SEC "modernized" its Accredited Investor definition - one of the key eligibility requirements to participate in private capital markets. The SEC broadened its definition to provide greater access to capital for startup businesses and expanding investment opportunities for qualified investors.
Newsday reached out to Michael Lane to draw on his vast business experience to offer insight into what this rule change means for aspiring investors and startup businesses working to raise capital.
Click here to read the full article!
The Center of Excellence Wireless and Information Technology (CEWIT) at Stony Brook University is hosting its 16th international conference in an effort to build the bridge between Academia and Industry.
The conference will center on the four major fields which are penetrating our business and personal lives: Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and Computational Medicine.
CEWIT has been organizing this annual international conference since 2003 with a repertoire that has expanded significantly over the years. We have recruited renowned speakers, presenters, and panelists from industry, academia, and government, all for an international audience ready to network.
Newsweek published a discussion about the challenges of raising capital through COVID-19 featuring Long Island Capital Alliance Chairman, Michael Lane. Click here to read the full article!
Long Island Capital Alliance (LICA), a nonprofit that helps area companies raise capital, said it's joining forces with a member-supported group that promotes the expansion of technology in the region.
The relationship aims to provide Long Island Software and Technology Network (LISTnet) members with greater access to capital, and help LICA connect with the local technology sector, they said in a statement.
"LISTnet will facilitate LICA's reach into the rapidly evolving technology corridors on Long Island," LICA said in the Jan. 27 statement. "LICA will be able to provide LISTnet members with access to capital and other strategic growth advisory services through its membership, quarterly Capital Forums, and other educational events."
LICA will host industry-specific capital formation forums throughout the year, including one specific to the technology industry on Jan. 31 in Melville, N.Y. The keynote speaker this month will be Ganesh Sundaram, who has authored more than fifty patents related to mobile technology, according to AlefEdge's website, where he serves as that company's chief executive officer and a board member.
"We create a community, where entrepreneurs can learn about how to grow their businesses, where investors can have a first look at some exciting companies we've screened for them, and where executives can come together to provide experience, knowledge, and other infrastructure," said Neil Kaufman, LICA's Chairman Emeritus and a current board member, in an interview with CQ Roll Call.
While many of the specific successes of LICA's capital formation efforts are proprietary, according to Kaufman, he said it has helped raise over $150 million for companies during its 35 year history.
LISTnet's membership includes "hundreds of companies, everyone from people who started their businesses in the basement to [international medical supplies distributor] Henry Schein Inc.," said Paul Trapani, LISTnet's President in an interview with CQ Roll Call. Trapani is a serial entrepreneur who has served the network in leadership roles for five years, although he has been member for fifteen, he said.
"We basically act as a chamber of commerce for the tech industry on Long Island," said Trapani. "We work to create a strong technology ecosystem here." The network's other members include national players like Uber Technologies Inc. and AT&T Inc., as well as burgeoning Long Island startups, according to its website.
LICA will hold additional sector-specific capital forums in 2020 including a health care industry forum on May 8, a Sept. 25 forum related to veterans raising capital, and the group expects to round out the year with a food and beverage industry forum on Dec. 11. All the events will be held at the RXR Center in Melville.
"After coexisting on Long Island for nearly a quarter century, it is with great pleasure that we announce mutual support between our organizations," said Michael Lane, Chairman of LICA, according to the statement. "With the mission of each organization having the common purpose of facilitating the growth of the Long Island technology economy, both LISTnet and LICA now will be better positioned to deliver benefits to our community."
By Keith Lewis, CQ Roll Call
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Ganesh Sundaram, Founder & CEO of AlefEdge, the Leader in Edge Internet Digital Transformation, Discussing Why 5G Will Disrupt the Internet
Fireside Chat with Long Island's Preeminent Business and Technology Incubators
MELVILLE, NY / ACCESSWIRE / January 28, 2020 / The Long Island Capital Alliance ("LICA"), Long Island's leading non-profit capital formation and business development organization, is hosting its Technology Capital Forum to be held on Friday, January 31, 2020, which will feature:
The chairman of this event and panel moderator will be LICA President Corey Massella, a leading financial services advisor for middle market companies at UHY Advisors NY, Inc.
Technology Capital Forum on January 31, 2020 -- Participants
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Ganesh Sundaram is a leader in Internet technologies with over 20 years of rich experience in technology creation and product realization. He is the founder and CEO of AlefEdge which is Pioneering the next generation distributed Edge Internet, and was recently recognized for his "Biggest Individual Contribution to Edge Computing Development" at the Edge Awards. He has developed several foundational technologies leading to new standards, products, and deployments and has authored over 50 patents relating to the Mobile Internet. He was named a Bell Labs Fellow in 2012, inducted into the Alcatel-Lucent Technical Academy in 2009, and is a recipient of two Bell Labs President's Awards.
Carlin West Agency (CWA): Empowering children with best-in-class products, games, technology and entertainment. Based in New York City, NY. www.carlinwestagency.com
FeatherDocs: Uses AI to automate document management, making it simple, powerful and secure. Based in New York City, NY. www.featherdocs.com
Hoplite Power: Developer of autonomous vending kiosks to provide batter pack rentals on-demand. Based in Long Island City, NY. www.hoplitepower.com
Standard Bots: The most advanced robot for automating repetitive physical tasks. Based in Glen Cove, NY. www.standardbots.com
Zeblok Computational: Solves computationally hard problems, helps enterprises adopt pragmatic AI, and deepens university-industry collaborations while developing the computing community and talent ecosystem. Based in Stony Brook, NY. www.zeblok.com
Panel of Investors
The following investment professionals will participate in the investor panel at the Technology Capital Forum, which will be moderated by Corey Massella:
Mark R. Basile: Mr. Basile is a principle of Cloudelake Capital Group, a Family Office that makes investments ranging between $1M and $5M in alternative energy, healthcare, and technology. He also is a Professor of Law & Entrepreneurship at Touro College - Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center on Long Island and a principle attorney at The Basile Law Firm, P.C., where he represents entrepreneurs on growth strategies. Mr. Basile holds several U.S. Patents in the areas of biometric identification, verification and authentication technology. He won the Smithsonian Award for Advances in Medical Technology.
Ben Boissevain: Mr. Boissevain has 30 years of cross border M&A experience. He graduated from NYU Law School and started his career at White & Case. He garnered investment banking experience at Erste Bank in Vienna and Barclays Bank in New York. He speaks regularly on panels on the technology sector and corporate finance and has appeared on TV at Fox News and Bloomberg.
Michael Goodman: Mr. Goodman's background includes significant operational experience in technology companies, M&A and deal-making from a corporate perspective, business development in the technology area, and international strategic planning for Fortune 500 companies. Prior to founding Pharus, a global boutique merchant banking firm, he was Vice President and General Manager of govWorks, Inc. where he was responsible for the company's consumer division and online business. Mike graduated with a BS in Economics, cum laude, from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and earned an MBA, with honors, from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Steve Perricone: Steve Perricone is the founder and Managing Partner of NYC-based Pilot Mountain Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm focusing on technology and medical device investments. He is formerly a Managing Director at Deutsche Bank, where he led their HNW Equity Derivatives Group. Mr. Perricone began his career at Accenture, where he was a Senior Consultant focusing on financial technology. He holds a BA from Wake Forest University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Corey Massella: Mr. Massella has over 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur; a trusted tax and business advisor; and as a specialist in SEC accounting and audit services. This multidiscipline background enables him to see all sides of the M&A transaction cycle and successfully guide his clients to make critical decisions while ensuring transactions are strategic and seamless. He has completed more than 300 M&A transactions spanning his career; and has served as a private equity and technology industry group practice leader. He has been the lead partner for the firm awarded M&A Advisor's Accounting/Due Diligence Firm of the Year award and has been nominated as Dealmaker of the Year by ACG New York and M&A Advisor. He is President of the Long Island Capital Alliance and has served on its Board of Directors for over a decade.
Long Island Incubators
Peter Donnelly: Managing Director of the Accelerate NY Seed Fund and Associate Vice President for Technology Partnerships at Stony Brook University.
Michael Nizich: Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation Center Director at New York Institute of Technology.
Stacey I. Sikes: Executive Dean of Entrepreneurship and Business Development at Hofstra University.
LICA is hosting the Technology Capital Forum on Friday, January 31, 2020 from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at 68 South Service Road, Melville, NY, 11747. The capital forum provides an opportunity to meet capital providers, entrepreneurs, industry executives and businesses seeking capital, as well as to hear a panel of industry experts discuss financing alternatives. Investors receive complimentary admission.
Since 1984, the Long Island Capital Alliance (www.licapital.org), formerly known as Long Island Venture Group, has been promoting business growth on Long Island. LICA seeks to create a productive and business-friendly environment that will afford area businesses access to the resources necessary to compete successfully in today's markets. LICA serves as a focal point for the exchange of ideas among new and existing business enterprises, successful entrepreneurs, investors, and service providers. Through quarterly capital forums and special meetings, LICA brings together members of the region's business community, and has been recognized as the place to turn to when small businesses need equity, debt, or other financing, or for investors to find an attractive investment opportunity.
LICA's mission is to encourage economic development on Long Island by facilitating capital formation for a broad range of companies in various industries, from early stage to mature, middle market, closely held and publicly traded businesses. LICA accomplishes this primarily through education, networking, quarterly capital forums, periodic special educational meetings, and alliances with other regional organizations. LICA brings together members of the region's business community and serves as the finance arm for significant local business and organizations.
For more information on LICA and its next event, please contact LICA today orregister online at www.licapital.org.
Save the Dates - Upcoming LICA Capital Forums
January 31, 2020 - Technology
May 8, 2020 - Health Care
September 25, 2020 - Veterans
December 11, 2020 - Food and Beverage
Contact: Jordan Darrow Darrow Associates, Inc. jdarrow@darrowir.com 631-766-4528
SOURCE: Long Island Capital Alliance
MELVILLE, NY / ACCESSWIRE / January 27, 2020 / The Long Island Capital Alliance ("LICA"), Long Island's leading non-profit capital formation and business development organization, today announced bilateral organizational support with LISTnet, Long Island's leading member-supported organization dedicated to promoting and growing the technology ecosystem, in an effort to accelerate economic development, job creation and growth for regional technology companies.
LISTnet will facilitate LICA's reach into the rapidly evolving technology corridors on Long Island. LICA will be able to provide LISTnet members with access to capital and other strategic growth advisory services through its membership, quarterly Capital Forums, and other educational events.
"After coexisting on Long Island for nearly a quarter century, it is with great pleasure that we announce mutual support between our organizations," said Michael Lane, Chairman of LICA. "With the mission of each organization having the common purpose of facilitating the growth of the Long Island technology economy, both LISTnet and LICA now will be better positioned to deliver benefits to our community."
"As an advocate for the region's technology sector for over two decades, LISTnet looks forward to working with the Long Island Capital Alliance. LICA has an impressive record as a leading capital formation player on Long Island and we believe connecting companies with the capital they need to grow is essential to strengthening the local technology and innovation ecosystem," said Paul Trapani, President of LISTnet.
Reinforcing the support pledged to the respective organizations, Mr. Lane has been appointed to the LISTnet Board of Directors and Mr. Trapani has been appointed to the LICA Board of Directors.
Michael Lane's career spans over 35 years and ranges from entrepreneur to public company senior executive. His experience and counsel are frequently sought after to advise on the opportunities and challenges relating to business start-ups, funding and capitalization, business development and sales processes, mergers and acquisitions, management and leadership, and other organizational opportunities. Mr. Lane's accomplishments include significant sales growth and market awareness campaigns, product development leadership, mergers and acquisitions, and capital raises of $60 million for his companies. Earlier, he worked for some of the world's largest financial institutions and consulting firms in roles of increasing responsibility involving financial operations, business process management (BPM), software development, sales and marketing, and major account management for customers such as The City of New York, AT&T, and J.P. Morgan. Mr. Lane earned a BA degree from UCLA and received an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Paul Trapani is a consultant and entrepreneur experienced in executive management, business operations, technology planning, software consulting and business turnaround. After eight years of consulting and programming experience he co-founded XT Group, an IT consulting and support company in 2005. The company was eventually acquired by Fuoco Technology with Trapani serving as CEO until 2013. His next role was a turnaround situation as Vice President of Operations for Adil Business Systems, a large government contract staffing company. At Adil he reversed two years in a row of losses and increased profitability by 15%. After Adil was acquired he started his latest venture PJT Consulting, which helps companies formalize business requirements and turn them into software solutions. He also passionately works to grow and strengthen the Long Island tech community as President of LISTnet (Long Island Software and Technology Network).
About Long Island Software & Technology Network-LISTnet:
Long Island Software & Technology Network (LISTnet) (www.listnet.org) was founded as a member-supported organization in 1997. LISTnet's ongoing mission is to promote Long Island as a national center of excellence for software and technology.
Since 1984, the Long Island Capital Alliance (www.licapital.org), has been promoting business growth on Long Island. LICA seeks to create a productive and business-friendly environment that will afford area businesses access to the resources necessary to compete successfully in today's markets. LICA serves as a focal point for the exchange of ideas among new and existing business enterprises, successful entrepreneurs, investors, and service providers. Through quarterly capital forums, educational events, and special meetings, LICA brings together members of the region's business community, and has been recognized as the place to turn to when small businesses need equity, debt, or other financing, or for investors to find an attractive investment opportunity.
LICA's mission is to encourage economic development on Long Island by facilitating capital formation for a broad range of companies in various industries, from early stage to mature, middle market, closely held and publicly traded businesses. LICA brings together members of the region's business community and serves as the finance arm for significant local business and organizations. The work of LICA in assisting dozens of local companies in raising over $150 million and providing business formation consultation would not be possible without the support of its sponsors (Kaufman & Associates, Carter DeLuca, Eisner Amper, BDO, UHY Certified Public Accountants, Inpserity, Moritt Hock & Hamroff, Lorraine Gregory, EPSG, Accesswire, Executive Strategies Group, CFO Consulting Partners).
For more information on LICA and its next event, please contact LICA today or register online at www.licapital.org.
About LISTnet
Long Island Software and Technology Network (LISTnet) was founded as a member supported organization in 1997. LISTnet's ongoing mission is to promote Long Island as a national center of excellence for software and technology. LISTnet connects companies, educators and government, to form a strong technology ecosystem on Long Island. LISTnet also helps companies collaborate, holds events to share ideas and information, works to improve the tech workforce and partners with companies to provide the high tech centers and work spaces needed for the growth of the Long Island software and technology community.
Jordan Darrow Darrow Associates, Inc. jdarrow@darrowir.com 631-766-4528
Cannabis businesses will get a chance to meet with potential investors later this month in a Melville capital forum put together by Long Island Capital Alliance.
LICA, a local nonprofit capital formation and business development organization, will host the Cannabis Capital Forum on Sept. 27 from 8 to 11 a.m. at 68 S. Service Rd.
The forum, held for the second year, will feature presentations by five companies working on emerging trends in the rapidly growing cannabis sector.
Representatives from these businesses will pitch their work and ideas to a panel of investors.
Boris Jordan, co-founder and executive chairman of Massachusetts-based Curaleaf Holdings Inc., a multi-state medical and wellness cannabis company, and founding partner of the Measure 8 Venture Fund, a cannabis industry investment fund, will be the event’s keynote speaker.
The presenting companies include two Long Island firms, Melville-based Marijuana Doctors, an online directory of medical marijuana doctors and PuraVida Vitamins of Holbrooke, a company that sells a wide range of CBD gummies, oils, topicals, vitamins and superfoods.
Two New York City companies, Tikun Olam USA, a seller of medical cannabis products, and Scopus BioPharma, a biotechnology company focused on developing therapeutic drugs based on the body’s endocannabinoid system, which responds to cannabis, and Colorado-based Endourage, a seller of CBD and full-spectrum hemp-derived products, will also will be among the presenting companies at the Cannabis Capital Forum.
Immediately following presentations, a panel of industry experts will discuss financing alternatives for cannabis companies.
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