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Prosek Partners acquires a stake in Blue Dot Capital, a boutique sustainable finance consulting firm with expertise and experience in advising investment-management firms on developing comprehensive ESG and impact investing capabilities. Combining the two firms, which have been working together for close to two years, will allow them to offer a full spectrum of ESG advisory services encompassing ESG policy, governance, integration, investment strategy, reporting, investor relations, narrative-building, and strategic marketing and communications. “We have developed a team that can build and measure the investment programs and also communicates them to stakeholders,” said Prosek Partners CEO and managing partner Jennifer Prosek. “Blue Dot will expand Prosek's already robust ESG offering to include strategic ESG and impact investment program advisory.”
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| Dan Simon |
Qwoted, a platform that uses AI to connect the media with matching sources and PR pros, closes a $3 million Series Seed round of funding. Prosek Venture Partners and Vested, both pre-seed investors in the platform, are part of this round of funding, along with a consortium of communications firms including Integral, Caliber Corporate Advisers, Haymaker PR, FHS Partners and Red Lab. Qwoted plans to use this investment to enhance its technology capabilities and add talent to its sales, marketing and media success teams. “This funding will directly support Qwoted’s mission to help journalists and industry experts to find each other more easily and build long-term relationships,” said Qwoted CEO & co-founder Dan Simon, who is also CEO of Vested. “Securing this investment is a testament to the value that Qwoted is bringing to its users.”
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Praytell teams up with insight and strategy firm Kelton Global to produce its 2021 Optimism Index. The index assesses sentiment from 250 U.S. respondents who have decision-making authority in marketing roles to find out their motivations and the outcomes they’re seeing. The index finds that almost nine out of ten respondents (88 percent) want to see more positive messaging in ads. In addition, more than 70 percent say that optimistic ads are more effective and memorable than pessimistic ads. However, only 37 percent thought that society is becoming more optimistic and slightly over half (52 percent) say there are too many negative ads. The agency is also launching Praytell Advance, a reputation practice led by chief reputation officer Adam Warrington, who joined the agency in February 2021 from Anheuser-Busch. “Perhaps the most precious resource available to marketers is optimism, and with today marking the summer solstice, we chose to launch our inaugural Optimism Index on a day that inherently inspires people across the world,” said Warrington.
CIVIC, a New York-based brand experience agency, acquires strategic communications consultancy Wave Kilo... Hotwire Global reaches an agreement with Morning Consult to give Hotwire Global instant access to Morning Consult’s proprietary dataset... The Public Relations Student Society of America announced its 2026–2027 International Committee... Avenue Z is named a Shopify Platinum Partner, the highest tier of Shopify’s Service Partner Program.
ICR releases a report that says the SPAC IPO market has been trending upward—and is likely to stay on that track... Washington Women in PR is sponsoring an April 15 event that looks at how women can change the dynamics that often keep them in lower-visibility positions through strategic self-advocacy and organizational awareness... Life Science Cares Boston, an organization supported by LaVoieHeathScience, will convene leaders, employees and partners from across the life sciences industry for its annual Impact Breakfast on April 13 at the Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport.
Bell Yard Communications and Kysen PR, London-based firms that focus on legal market and litigation PR, are merging. The combined firm will operate as Bell Yard Kysen Communications... FINN Partners launches Travel with Tastemakers, a global report that looks at more than 25 destinations through the eyes of the creatives who shape them... Baker Public Relations, a woman-owned agency based in Albany with offices in Pittsburgh, PA and St. Petersburg, FL, rebrands as The Baker Agency. 
