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Countdown For A Cure Raises Over $1 Million at 2026 Evening of Energy Gala

2026 Evening of Energy Gala

A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.

ATLANTA, Feb. 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Countdown For A Cure (CFAC) hosted its third annual Evening of Energy gala on February 7th at The St. Regis Atlanta, raising more than $1 million to advance mitochondrial research focused on cellular energy, the foundation of human health.

Hosted by Dr. Taz Bhatia, MD, nationally recognized integrative physician and founder of hol+, the evening brought together leaders across science, medicine, wellness, philanthropy, and culture to highlight the growing relevance of mitochondrial science in chronic illness, aging, and rare disease.

During the program, CFAC presented its highest honor, the Countdown For A Cure Award, to Douglas C. Wallace, PhD, Director of the Center for Mitochondrial & Epigenomic Medicine at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Widely regarded as the father of mitochondrial medicine, Dr. Wallace was recognized for pioneering discoveries that established the role of mitochondria in human health, disease, and aging.

The 2026 Powerhouse Award was presented to Sonya Knebel, 2022 European Long Drive Champion and 2022 World Long Drive Bronze Medalist, honoring her leadership and advocacy following her experience with mitochondrial dysfunction.

The evening also featured remarks from Natalie Yivgi-Ohana, PhD, Founder and CEO of Minovia Therapeutics and 2025 CFAC grant recipient. Through its 2025 grant, CFAC is specifically supporting mitochondrial biomarker development, advancing tools to measure cellular function, track disease progression, and assess therapeutic response with greater precision. This work is critical to accelerating clinical translation and evaluating next-generation mitochondrial therapies.

The program blended science and storytelling, with a live performance by Izabela Rose and an after-party led by Grammy Award-winning producer DJ Babey Drew.

The 2026 Evening of Energy was made possible through the support of sponsors, including InPrime Legal and MoveDocs. “In science, Mitzi and Jeff are solving for the root cause,” said Jonathan Page, Founder of InPrime Legal. “They are building the foundation for the future of health.”

Funds raised will support CFAC’s expanding research pipeline and education initiatives, with additional 2026 grant announcements planned this spring.

“Disease moves quickly. To truly change lives, we have to move faster,” said Co-Founders Mitzi and Jeff Solomon. “Our third annual Evening of Energy reflects a powerful truth: when a community unites around bold science, progress accelerates. We are thankful for every partner and supporter helping advance mitochondrial research. But this is only the beginning. Together, we must continue to move with the speed and scale this work requires and deserves.”

The next Evening of Energy gala will take place on January 30, 2027, at The St. Regis Atlanta. Sponsorship opportunities are now available, and sponsors who commit before April 1st will receive enhanced recognition and access to an exclusive Founders experience.

For more information about Countdown For A Cure, sponsorship opportunities, or ways to get involved, visit www.CountdownForACure.org or email [email protected].

About Countdown For A Cure
Countdown For A Cure is the only nonprofit dedicated to accelerating broad mitochondrial science and medicine. The organization funds innovative research, elevates awareness of mitochondrial dysfunction as a critically overlooked driver of disease, and works to bring mitochondrial health out of the shadows and into everyday conversations about vitality, resilience, and longevity. Guided by the belief that Energy Is Everything, Countdown For A Cure is building a movement to transform preventive care and improve healthspan for today and for generations to come.

About the Evening of Energy Gala
The Evening of Energy is Countdown For A Cure’s signature annual fundraising gala, convening leaders across science, medicine, biotechnology, philanthropy, and wellness to advance mitochondrial research. The event highlights groundbreaking science, personal stories, and cross-sector partnerships centered on the role of cellular energy in human health. Proceeds support research, education, and collaboration to accelerate discoveries with broad impact.

The next Evening of Energy will take place on January 30, 2027. Sponsorship opportunities are available; commitments prior to April 1st will receive enhanced recognition and access to an exclusive Founders experience. For more information, visit www.CountdownForACure.org or email [email protected].

For more information, visit www.CountdownForACure.org

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Contact:
Mitzi Solomon, Founder and President
[email protected] | +1 (917) 715-2381


GLOBENEWSWIRE (Distribution ID 9660360)

Mavenir Partners With TextNow to Evolve App-Based 5G MVNO Service

SAN FRANCISCO and RICHARDSON, Texas, Feb. 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — TextNow, the leading ad-supported U.S. free wireless service, and Mavenir, the disruptive cloud-native telco technology provider, today announced the integration of Mavenir’s cloud-native mobile BSS and Core into TextNow’s mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) infrastructure.

Mavenir’s cloud-native BSS and Core platform solution is designed to help TextNow to onboard new users faster, launch differentiated service tiers, and expand its free wireless model to reach even more of the millions of Americans looking for great wireless service without overpaying for it. Highlighting TextNow’s focus on innovation, this Mavenir integration delivers a range of features to better support TextNow’s 8 million+ active users, including the ability to manage sponsorship partners, develop roaming relationships, and provision users with independent SIM profiles.

“TextNow has spent 17 years proving that wireless service can be free, can be supported by advertising, and can deliver a great experience on a nationwide 5G network,” said Tristan Huntington, Senior Vice President, Partnerships & Innovation, of TextNow. “Partnering with Mavenir allows us to remain at the forefront of innovation, giving us more control over the customer experience and a faster path to launching new features — which means we can keep pushing the boundaries of what free wireless should be.”

Mavenir’s flexible cloud native modular platform can support every MVNO model and their go-to-market strategy, whether launching a sub-brand, adding mobility to an existing portfolio, or scaling a challenger brand.

“The MVNO market continues to evolve as operators look to innovate and differentiate their offerings – but this is simply not possible without the flexibility and scale enabled by the underlying cloud-native platform,” said Sandeep Singh, SVP & General Manager, Business Solutions, of Mavenir. “TextNow’s adoption of Mavenir is a prime example of how Mavenir’s cloud-based technology is helping to take an MVNO to the next level, shifting from ‘Thin’ to ‘Thick’, enabling a high degree of service innovation and differentiation, and bringing free connectivity to millions more customers.”

The Mavenir platform allows thin MVNOs to enter the market with a world class BSS platform, enabling personalization, differentiation, and smart bundling of customer offers to help maximize revenues. It will also offer thick MVNOs full network level control to innovate and build deep network integration, which includes features like QoS segments, Standalone 5G connectivity monetization, and IoT traffic handling.

Mobile World Congress [#MWC26]: 
Mavenir Convenes MVNO Leaders for High-Impact MWC26 Panel

Mavenir, in collaboration with Mobile World Live, will host an MVNO panel at MWC26, “MWC26 Panel: Built for More, Bound by Less: The Rise of a New Breed of MNO Embracing AI, Cloud & 5G – Mavenir” at its stand in Hall 2, 2H60. The session will highlight how MVNOs can accelerate growth through cloud-native architectures, AI-driven insight, and flexible monetization, offering practical tactics to differentiate on experience rather than price.
Register – For In-Person or on the Live Streaming of the panel.

About TextNow:
TextNow is on a mission to make phone service free, easy, and accessible to all as the only mobile provider to offer unlimited calling and texting, and free essential data on the nation’s largest 5G network. Founded in 2009, TextNow is the largest provider of free mobile phone service in the U.S., and the only one offering free service supported by advertising. We have offices in San Francisco and Waterloo, Ontario and our app has been downloaded more than 300 million times globally. Our phone service helps millions of people connect freely every month. For more information, visit https://www.textnow.com/, and follow us on Instagram.

About Mavenir:
Mavenir is enabling intelligent, automated, programmable networks through the development of telco-first, cloud-native, AI-by-design software solutions for mobile operators. The company’s deep telco domain expertise has been proven through deployments with 300+ operators globally in over 120 countries, which together serve more than 50% of the world’s subscribers. Mavenir combines its deep telco experience with the cloud and IT expertise and data science skillsets essential to solving real customer challenges. Its proven software solutions are AI by design, delivering the AI-native future and operators’ evolution to TechCos. For more information, please visit www.mavenir.com

Mavenir PR Contact:
Emmanuela Spiteri [email protected]

TextNow PR Contact: 
Tali Fischer [email protected]


GLOBENEWSWIRE (Distribution ID 9660102)