Curated News
By: NewsRamp Editorial Staff
January 26, 2026
BEN Partners with Valio for Exclusive AI Licensing Across Africa
TLDR
- Brand Engagement Network gains exclusive AI licensing rights across Africa through a $2.05 million partnership, securing 25% equity and 35% revenue share for competitive market advantage.
- BEN's partnership establishes a structured framework with Valio Technologies, including equity stakes, revenue sharing, and exclusive licensing for deploying secure AI solutions in regulated African markets.
- This collaboration includes a pilot with Nelson Mandela University to enhance student wellbeing through regulated AI, promoting responsible technology use and educational support in Africa.
- Brand Engagement Network deploys its proprietary Engagement Language Model in Africa through an innovative partnership, combining AI licensing with a university pilot for student wellbeing.
Impact - Why it Matters
This partnership represents a significant strategic move in the global AI landscape, particularly for emerging markets in Africa. For readers, it signals the growing importance of regulated AI solutions in sensitive sectors like government, education, and commercial enterprises. The collaboration demonstrates how AI technology can be deployed responsibly with proper governance frameworks, addressing critical concerns about data sovereignty and ethical implementation. The educational pilot with Nelson Mandela University shows practical applications of AI for social good, potentially setting precedents for how institutions worldwide can leverage AI for student support services. For investors and industry observers, this marks BEN's expansion into a rapidly growing market while establishing a model for international AI licensing that balances commercial interests with regulatory compliance and social responsibility.
Summary
Brand Engagement Network (NASDAQ: BNAI), known as BEN, has announced a landmark strategic partnership with Valio Technologies to establish an exclusive AI licensing framework for government and commercial markets across Africa. This collaboration is anchored by a substantial $2.05 million preferred equity contribution, recognized as intellectual property licensing revenue. Under the agreement, BEN will hold a 25% common equity stake and secure a board seat in a newly formed South Africa-based entity, while also receiving a 35% revenue share across software, SaaS, services, and subscriptions. The partnership grants Valio Technologies an exclusive, perpetual license with right of first refusal for African markets, positioning BEN's secure, governed conversational AI solutions as a key player in the region's technological advancement.
The partnership extends beyond commercial interests, including a memorandum of understanding with Nelson Mandela University to deploy a regulated, institution-approved AI pilot focused on student wellbeing. This initiative will utilize BEN's proprietary Engagement Language Model (TM) and retrieval-augmented generation technologies within a secure, closed-loop environment, ensuring alignment with strict data sovereignty and governance requirements. This educational component demonstrates the practical application of BEN's technology in sensitive, regulated environments while addressing critical social needs. The collaboration represents a significant expansion for BEN, which specializes in providing secure, enterprise-grade artificial intelligence solutions designed for regulated and high-impact industries, enabling natural conversations, workflow automation, and real-world execution across various modalities.
This news was distributed through AINewsWire, a specialized communications platform within the Dynamic Brand Portfolio that focuses on artificial intelligence advancements. AINewsWire provides comprehensive distribution services including wire solutions, article syndication to over 5,000 outlets, press release enhancement, and social media distribution to millions of followers. The platform serves as a crucial conduit for companies like BEN to reach investors, influencers, consumers, and journalists, cutting through information overload to deliver impactful news about AI innovations and strategic developments in the rapidly evolving technology landscape.
Source Statement
This curated news summary relied on content disributed by InvestorBrandNetwork (IBN). Read the original source here, BEN Partners with Valio for Exclusive AI Licensing Across Africa
