Four startups win U.S. Embassy's 'Code for Impact' innovation challenge. By THT Online Published: 12:29 pm Jul 19, 2026 KATHMANDU, JULY 19 Four Nepali startup teams have been awarded seed funding and technical support under the U.S. Embassy Nepal's Code for Impact programme, a nationwide initiative aimed at helping young innovators transform technology-driven ideas into sustainable businesses. The U.S. Embassy on Friday celebrated the completion of the six-month entrepreneurship programme, during which seven finalist teams showcased ventures developed through training, mentorship, customer research and product testing. The final pitches were evaluated by U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Chief Mike Harker, Shark Tank Nepal investors Anand Bagaria, Cabinet Shrestha and Ritu Vaidya, and American Chamber of Commerce Nepal Executive Director Amir Thapa. The four winning teams-Aashirbad Care, Datahiti, Neptou and Synaptic-each received a US$1,000 seed grant, US$5,000 in Amazon Web Services cloud credits, access to American artificial intelligence platforms and continued business and technical mentoring. Telecommunications company Ncell also contributed Rs 1 million to support the winning ventures. The remaining three finalist teams received AWS credits worth US$1,000 each and continued mentorship support. Speaking at the event, Mike Harker said the programme reflects the United States' commitment to helping Nepal's young innovators build businesses, create jobs and address real-world challenges through technology. "The program also expands the use of trusted American technologies and strengthens economic ties between the United States and Nepal," he noted. Launched in January 2026, Code for Impact attracted applications from 190 teams across the country. Thirty-five teams were selected for virtual boot camps, AI laboratories and provincial hackathons held in all seven provinces, while 14 semifinalists advanced to an intensive four-month mentorship phase focused on product development, cybersecurity, commercialisation and investment readiness. According to organisers, several finalist teams secured early customers, generated revenue, launched pilot projects or entered beta testing before the final showcase. Their innovations address sectors including elder care, agriculture, healthcare, tourism, cross-border payments, inclusive education and the digitisation of handwritten Nepali Braille. The programme was implemented by Aadyanta Advisory in partnership with the American Chamber of Commerce in Nepal, SecurityPal AI, Fusemachines, Genese Solution and other technology and business organisations. Organisers said all seven finalist teams will continue receiving mentorship, technical guidance and networking opportunities with potential investors and commercial partners as they scale their ventures.

Amazon Web Services sponsors Fusemachines' Agentic AI event bringing together 20+ enterprises to discuss trust, governance, and Agentic AI in hiring. Invitation-only gathering hosted by Fusemachines' Agentic AI Forum for Talent Acquisition explores how enterprise organizations are responding to AI-driven changes in recruiting. July 16, 2026 09:00 ET | Source: Fusemachines NEW YORK, July 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Fusemachines Inc. (NASDAQ: FUSE), a leading provider of enterprise AI products and services, today announced that Amazon Web Services (AWS) sponsored the latest executive dinner hosted by the Agentic AI Forum for Talent Acquisition, bringing together leaders from more than 20 enterprise organizations to discuss how artificial intelligence is reshaping hiring and what organizations must do to preserve trust, governance, and transparency in recruiting. Held at the Harvard Club of New York City, the invitation-only event convened CHROs, talent acquisition executives, HR technology leaders, and enterprise decision-makers for a candid discussion on one of the industry's most pressing questions: Participants discussed emerging challenges including AI-generated resumes, AI-assisted interview coaching, identity verification, deepfake interviews, responsible AI adoption, governance, and the growing role of agentic AI in supporting recruiters throughout the hiring lifecycle. The conversation also explored enterprise priorities such as security, compliance, deployment models, and collaboration between HR, IT, and security teams as organizations evaluate AI initiatives. As an AWS Partner, Fusemachines created the Agentic AI Forum for Talent Acquisition to provide enterprise leaders with a trusted venue to discuss the practical realities of deploying AI across recruiting and HR operations. "The pace of AI adoption has created entirely new questions for hiring leaders," said Giovanni Lemus, Head of Product at Fusemachines. "This wasn't a conversation about replacing recruiters. It was about preserving trust, improving decision-making, and implementing AI responsibly as hiring continues to evolve. Today's HR executives are increasingly expected to work alongside technology and security teams as AI becomes part of the enterprise operating model. Understanding the technologies that power these systems, including services like Amazon Bedrock within AWS, helps HR leaders ask better questions, make more informed decisions, and collaborate more effectively across the business. We're grateful to AWS for supporting a forum where enterprise leaders could openly exchange ideas and deepen that understanding together." The event reflects the growing momentum behind Fusemachines' Agentic AI Suite for Talent Acquisition, a portfolio of AI agents designed to automate and enhance critical recruiting workflows, including candidate screening, application fraud detection, interview coaching, AI interviewing, and post-interview reporting. The discussions reinforced the need for AI solutions that not only improve efficiency but also strengthen governance, transparency, and human oversight throughout the hiring process. The executive dinner is part of an ongoing series hosted through the Agentic AI Forum for Talent Acquisition. Insights gathered from attendees, along with survey responses from HR and talent acquisition leaders across the United States, will contribute to an upcoming industry report examining how enterprises are adapting hiring practices in the era of agentic AI. About Fusemachines Founded in 2013, Fusemachines is a global provider of enterprise AI products and services, on a mission to democratize AI. Leveraging proprietary AI Studio, AI Engines and AI Agents, the company helps drive clients' AI Enterprise Transformation, regardless of where they are in their Digital AI journeys. With offices in North America, Asia, and Latin America, Fusemachines provides a suite of enterprise AI offerings and specialty services that allow organizations of any size to implement and scale AI. Fusemachines serves companies in industries such as retail, manufacturing, and government. Fusemachines continues to actively pursue the mission of democratizing AI for the masses by providing high-quality AI education in underserved communities and helping organizations achieve their full potential with AI. To learn about Fusemachines, visit www.fusemachines.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's agentic AI programs, product development initiatives, commercialization strategy, enterprise AI offerings, and expected market opportunities. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "will," "would," and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, assumptions, and projections and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, risks related to customer adoption and retention; the Company's ability to develop, maintain, and enhance its products and platform; the ability of the Company's AI solutions to deliver expected operational and business benefits; reliance on third-party platforms, partners, data, and infrastructure; competition in the markets in which the Company operates; cybersecurity, data privacy, regulatory, and intellectual property risks; and changing macroeconomic, industry, and market conditions. Additional information regarding these and other risks and uncertainties is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 27, 2026, and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and Fusemachines undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law. Media Contact: [email protected] Investor Contact: [email protected] +1 347 212-5075

Fusemachines, a NASDAQ-listed enterprise AI provider, has launched an Agentic AI Assessment programme sponsored by Amazon Web Services. AWS will cover assessment fees for participating organisations seeking to evaluate how agentic AI can create business value. The four-to-six-week assessments evaluate clients' AI maturity, data readiness, technology infrastructure and potential use cases for deploying AI agents. Fusemachines' teams conduct stakeholder discovery sessions, review current capabilities and develop prioritised implementation roadmaps. Founded in 2013, Fusemachines provides enterprise AI products and services globally, with offices across North America, Asia and Latin America. The programme aims to help organisations identify practical opportunities for agentic AI adoption whilst building deeper client relationships for Fusemachines. Participating organisations receive readiness reports, use case portfolios and governance recommendations.