Sigma Labs Inc. (NASDAQ: SGLB)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight Sigma Labs Inc. (SGLB).

Sigma Labs (NASDAQ: SGLB), a leading developer of quality assurance software for the commercial 3D printing industry, today announced that it has entered into a binding joint sales agreement with Materialise NV (NASDAQ: MTLS), a leading provider of additive manufacturing software and of sophisticated 3D printing services. Per the update, the companies have agreed to advance the previously announced memorandum of understanding (“MOU”) to work together to integrate the Materialise Control Platform (“MCP”) product with Sigma Labs' PrintRite3D(R) technology. To view the full press release, visit http://nnw.fm/Qle4w.

Sigma Labs Inc. (SGLB) is the only provider of in-process quality-assurance software to the commercial 3D printing metal industry that enables operators of machines making 3D metal parts to offset emerging quality problems, sustain part quality, and avoid rejects. Sigma’s software is the singular solution that enables both real-time, in-process detection of quality control manufacturing irregularities for critical metal parts and then provides the operator the actionable information needed to adjust and mitigate the developing anomaly. Sigma Labs’ software represents a paradigm shift in the quality control process for the manufacture of 3D printed metal components. The nascent 3D metal printing industry is on the verge of radically altering the speed and technical complexity of manufactured parts. Further, it makes possible just-in-time availability of critical components – all at reduced cost, time, waste and weight. 3D printing, heralded as the fourth industrial revolution in manufacturing, will only truly surpass traditional techniques when the additive manufacturing industry moves from “post process” quality control to “in process” quality assurance.

For the industry to move from prototype manufacturing of critical components to economically viable commercial production, the 3D metal printing industry must find ways to dramatically increase production speed and quality yields, and to dramatically decrease the excessive cost of quality control. To achieve these prerequisites and move 3D metal printing into the mainstream, parts must be inspected and certified during the manufacturing process rather than after. Parts in the production process that are developing signs of quality control problems must be identified in real-time and alerts must be issued. The problem, along with the solution, must then be communicated to the machine operator to implement repairs.

Revolutionizing Additive Manufacturing

Sigma Labs, with its PrintRite3D® brand, has established a new benchmark in the development and commercialization of real-time computer aided inspection (“CAI”) solutions. Sigma Labs resolves the major roadblocks and costly quality control challenges that impede the 3D manufacture of precision metal parts. The company’s breakthrough computer-aided software product revolutionizes commercial additive manufacturing, enabling non-destructive quality assurance during production, uniquely allowing errors to be corrected in real-time.

Sigma Labs was founded in 2010 by a team of Los Alamos National Labs scientists and engineers to develop and commercially license advanced metallurgical products for the military ordinance, dental implants, and then for additive manufacturing (3D printing). After assessing 3D metal printing technology and the costly, inconsistent quality control issues, Sigma Labs concluded that the enormous potential of 3D metal printing could only scale up if in-process quality-assurance tools were developed to observe, manage and control the manufacturing complexities in such a manner that reliability and repeatability of very high precision quality metal parts could be achieved in the process. Sigma Labs’ patented and third-party validated software has achieved these objectives and now delivers the critical elements needed to unleash the promise of 3D metal printing.

Sigma Labs’ products and services are engineered, manufactured and qualified for use in the highly demanding and hyper precise production environments of the aerospace, defense, transportation, oil and gas, biomedical and other precision-dependent industries.

The Challenge

Additive metal manufacturing combines multiple processes and parts into one single 3D printed part. Due to variances in the additive manufacturing process, parts of consistent quality currently can’t be reliably produced in either large or small quantities without substantial postproduction inspection and rejection costs. Parts are inspected after production using CT scans and other means, so the manufacturer doesn’t know until the very end which of the finished parts meet design specifications. This means lost time, lost profits and inability to economically scale up production.

Innovative Approach

Sigma Labs solves this problem with its patented, in-process quality control technology that informs operators and engineers how to improve both the manufacturing process and quality by capturing meaningful data about inconsistencies in real-time. Sigma Labs is also partnering with OEMs, working toward the visionary introduction of revolutionary closed-loop control that will bypass the machine operator and automatically make in process corrections by reducing machine variations.

Sigma Labs’ next generation technology gives manufacturers the ability to make fast, virtual real-time adjustments so that each finished part is uniform and within critical specifications, thereby improving production quality, decreasing end-users’ risks and waste, and increasing profits and speed to market. Sigma Labs’ PrintRite3D® IPQA Software monitors and assesses the quality of each production part in the 3D additive manufacturing process – layer by layer, and in real-time. This has never been available until now.

Sigma Labs maintains a strong intellectual property portfolio consisting of trade secrets, process know-how and 34 patents either granted, pending or awaiting pre-publication around the globe. These patents encompass the fundamental technologies underlying Sigma Labs’ melt pool process control, data analytics, anomaly detection, signature identification, and future “closed-loop control” of 3D metal printing.

Market Opportunity

Providing advanced quality assurance software to the commercial 3D printing industry is currently a $1.4 billion addressable market expected to grow to $3.9 billion by 2023. Integrating Sigma Labs’ groundbreaking software helps arm the industry with a necessary catalyst to help enable and optimize the fourth industrial revolution in manufacturing.

Sigma Labs’ global client base includes 23 installations across 19 different users. Tier-1 OEM enterprises and end-users such as Siemens, Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney and others are currently evaluating PrintRite3D® for production lines.

Management Team

John Rice, CEO and chairman of the board of directors, has extensive experience as a CEO, lead negotiator, turnaround expert, business financier and crisis management executive/consultant. Prior to becoming chair and CEO of Sigma Labs, he was the CEO of a successful turn-around of a Coca-Cola Bottling Company. Rice has led a variety of companies in diverse business sectors and worked on a host of products and technologies including design and manufacture of high-end jet engine test equipment for the U.S. Airforce, chaff dispensers for F16s, software for modeling naval exercises, software for controlling warehouse distribution systems, medical radioisotopes, cancer detection, and cybersecurity. He is an honor’s graduate of Harvard College.

Darren Beckett, CTO, has over 20 years of experience in the semiconductor industry, including Intel Corporation, where he held various technical and managerial positions. His expertise in process engineering for advanced manufacturing technology includes statistical process control for fabrication of semiconductor devices.

CFO Frank D. Orzechowski also serves as treasurer, principal accounting officer, principal financial officer and corporate secretary. He has more than 30 years of distinguished financial and operational experience. Orzechowski began his career at Coopers & Lybrand in 1982, received his CPA certification in 1984, and received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in accounting from Georgetown University in 1982.

Ronald Fisher, vice president of business development, is leading the commercialization of PrintRite3D® 5.0. Fisher is a mechanical engineer with hands-on experience in quality, manufacturing and product development. He has distinguished himself as a lead sales and marketing officer as well as a chief operating officer most recently before joining Sigma in technology startup that grew from market entry to successful exit by merger-acquisition.

Sigma Labs Inc. (SGLB), closed Thursday's trading session at $5.90, up 0.340136%, on 35,265 volume with 308 trades. The average volume for the last 3 months is 74,619 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $4.40000009/$20.00.

Recent News

• Sigma Labs, Inc. (NASDAQ: SGLB) Enters Joint Sales Agreement with Materialise NV (NASDAQ: MTLS) to Commercialize Integrated PrintRite3D Technology with MCP Controller
• Sigma Labs, Inc. (NASDAQ: SGLB) Awarded Contract to Implement PrintRite3D Real-Time Melt Pool Analytics Technology at Northwestern University
• Will Sigma Labs Inc. (NASDAQ: SGLB) Be Big Winner from Global Supply Chain Transformation by Becoming Standard for 3D-Printing QC Solutions?

Predictive Oncology (NASDAQ: POAI)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight Predictive Oncology (POAI).

Predictive Oncology Inc. (NASDAQ: POAI) has announced the latest development in its mission to become the leader in the cancer precision-medicine field. In line with its focus on applying artificial intelligence (AI) to personalized medicine and drug discovery, POAI has signed a signed a Letter of Intent to acquire Quantitative Medicine (QM), a leading biomedical analytics and computational biology company (http://nnw.fm/svTl8).

Predictive Oncology (POAI) is a knowledge-driven precision medicine company focused on applying data and artificial intelligence (AI) to personalized medicine and drug discovery. The company applies its smart tumor profiling and AI platform to extensive genomic and biomarker patient data sets to build predictive models of tumor drug response to improve clinical outcomes for the cancer patients of today and tomorrow. The company has several tools that support its mission of bringing precision medicine to the treatment of cancer.

Through its subsidiaries, Predictive Oncology’s portfolio of assets includes the following:

• A database of clinically validated historical and outcome data from patient tumors
• An in-house Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-certified lab
• A “smart” patient-derived tumor profiling platform
• An in-house bioinformatics artificial intelligence (AI) platform
• A new computerized approach growing tumors in the lab to rapidly develop patient specific treatment options
• An FDA-approved fluid collection and disposal system

Using these resources, and in collaboration with key players in the pharmaceutical, diagnostic and biotech industries Predictive Oncology is working to determine the best pathways for more individualized and effective cancer treatment.

Subsidiaries

Predictive Oncology leverages the synergies of its three wholly owned subsidiaries to bring precision medicine to the diagnosis of cancer.

Helomics applies artificial intelligence to its rich data gathered from the company’s trove of more than 150,000 tumors to personalize cancer therapies for patients as well as drive the development of new targeted therapies in collaborations with pharmaceutical companies. This database, the largest of its kind in the world, is comprised of ovarian, head and neck, colon and pancreas tumors. Helomic’s CLIA-certified lab provides clinical testing that assists oncologists in individualizing patient treatment decisions, by providing an evidence-based roadmap for therapy.

In addition to its proprietary precision oncology platform, Helomics offers boutique CRO services that leverage its TruTumor™ patient-derived tumor models coupled to a wide range of multi-omics assays (genomics, proteomics and biochemical), and an AI-powered proprietary platform (D-CHIP) to provide a tailored solution to its clients’ specific needs.

TumorGenesis is developing a new, rapid approach to growing tumors in the laboratory without the use of rats or mice, allowing for the identification of biomarkers indicative of cancer. This methodology “fools” the tumor into thinking it is still in the body. As a result, the tumor reacts as it naturally would, thereby increasing the accuracy of the biomarker. Once the biomarkers are identified, they can be used in TumorGenesis’ Oncology Capture Technology Platforms which isolate and helps categorize an individual patient’s heterogeneous tumor samples to enable development of patient-specific treatment options.

Skyline Medical’s patented, FDA-cleared STREAMWAY® System is the first true, direct-to-drain fluid disposal system designed specifically for medical applications such as radiology, endoscopy, urology and cystoscopy procedures. The STREAMWAY system is changing the way healthcare facilities collect and dispose of potentially infectious waste fluid by connecting directly to a facility’s plumbing system to automate the collection, measurement and disposal of waste fluids.

The STREAMWAY minimizes human intervention for better safety and improves compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other regulatory agency safety guidelines. The STREAMWAY eliminates canisters, carts and evacuated bottles, which reduces overhead costs and minimizes environmental impact by helping to eliminate the approximately 50 million potentially disease-infected canisters that go into landfills annually in the United Sates.

Skyline has achieved sales in five of the seven continents through both direct sales and distributor partners.

Competitive Advantage

Precision medicine has become the holy grail of cancer therapeutics. Data driven predictive models of tumors and their responses are critical in both new drug development and individualized patient treatment. The race has begun to model various tumors, which takes 5 to 7 years of clinical evaluation to establish historical and outcome data.

Predictive Oncology enjoys significant competitive advantage. The company already has a vast historical collection of tumors and related data, plus the ability to obtain existing associated outcome data. While others wait for outcome data, Predictive Oncology is in a unique and powerful position, working to deliver the promise of precision medicine to reality. Predictive Oncology already has the clinical data, including how a tumor responded to certain drugs, an in-house bioinformatics AI platform, and only needs to do the tumor sequencing. The significance is underscored by the collaboration with UPMC Magee-Women’s Hospital, designed to reveal which mutations responded to which drug then develop powerful predictive models for future testing and treatment.

Leadership Team

Dr. Carl Schwartz was appointed to Skyline Medical’s board of directors in March 2015 and became interim president and CEO in May 2016. Dr. Schwartz became CEO of Plastics Research Corporation in 1988, leading the company to become the largest manufacturer of structural foam molding products in the U.S. with more than $60 million in revenues and 300 employees by the time he retired in 2001. He holds a bachelor’s degree and DDS degree from the University of Detroit.

CFO Bob Myers has over 30 years of experience in multiple industries focusing on medical device service and manufacturing. He has spent much of his career as a CFO and controller. Myers holds an MBA in Finance from Adelphi University and a BBA in public accounting from Hofstra University.

Gerald Vardzel, President of Helomics, has over 25 years of healthcare executive management experience developing and implementing commercialization strategies and models for technology launches. His Go-To-Market expertise includes equity financing, strategic planning, market intelligence, M&A, and new market development in both start-up and established settings including fortune 500 market leaders. He has developed innovative solutions for both CLIA and FDA regulatory paths defining the delivery chains from discovery to clinical acceptance. Mr. Vardzel also has significant experience designing and implementing sales and marketing programs tailored not only to expand market share, but to empirically assess client satisfaction, strengthen business processes, and maximize profitability. Mr. Vardzel was previously Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategic Initiatives at Global Specimen Solutions. Furthermore, as an executive affiliate to the healthcare industry, he routinely consults for several small-to-mid sized private equity firms advising on, in part, the feasibility of acquisition targets. Mr. Vardzel graduated from the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Mark Collins, Chief Information Officer of Helomics, has held multiple executive roles in a variety of discovery, informatics and bioinformatics functions within global pharma, and founded three startup software companies in the machine learning and drug discovery space. In 2001, Dr. Collins worked for Cellomics (now part of Thermo Fisher Scientific), where he played a pivotal role in establishing the High-Content Cell Analysis market, building and commercializing several key informatics and bioinformatics products. After leaving Thermo Fisher, Dr. Collins developed and commercialized informatics solutions for clinical and translational research, specifically in the specimen tracking, omics data management and NGS analysis space, through key roles at BioFortis, Global Specimens Solutions and Genedata. Dr. Collins received his undergraduate degree in Applied Science from the University of Wolverhampton, UK and his Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Surrey, UK.

Predictive Oncology (POAI), closed Thursday's trading session at $2.33, up 2.193%, on 548,274 volume with 1,649 trades. The average volume for the last 3 months is 150,868 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $1.96000003/$8.50.

Recent News

• Predictive Oncology Inc. (NASDAQ: POAI) Signs LOI for Acquisition of Leading Biomedical Analytics Company, Novel Drug-Discovery Platform
• Predictive Oncology Inc.’s (NASDAQ: POAI) Key Focus Areas of Precision Medicine, AI Listed as Top Industry Investment Trends
• Predictive Oncology Inc.’s (NASDAQ: POAI) Proposed Acquisition Further Positions it to Aid Efforts to Accelerate Discovery of New Anti-Cancers, Anti-Virals and Vaccines

Willow Biosciences Inc. (TSX: WLLW) (OTCQB: CANSF)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight Willow Biosciences Inc. (TSX: WLLW) (OTCQB: CANSF).

Willow Biosciences Inc. (TSX: WLLW) (OTCQB: CANSF) was featured today in the 420 with CNW by CannabisNewsWire. In an effort to outpace the illegal market, marijuana companies in Canada are introducing lower-priced, ‘value brand’ marijuana products. The illicit market in Canada accounts for about 70% of all marijuana sales. Canada legalized recreational marijuana in 2018 under the Cannabis Act. After Uruguay, Canada is the second country on the globe to legalize marijuana for adult-use purposes nationally.

Willow Biosciences Inc. (TSX: WLLW) (OTCQB: CANSF) is a leading developer of biosynthetic production systems for high-value, plant-derived active pharmaceutical ingredients (“APIs”) and intermediates. The company’s cannabidiol (“CBD”) yeast-based biosynthesis program produces a high yield, ultrapure, low-cost and scalable manufacturing solution for pharmaceutical, food, beverage and personal care consumers of CBD.

The company is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Biosynthesis Platform

Willow’s proprietary yeast-based lab strains produce CBD, tetrahydrocannabinol (“THC”), and cannabigerol (“CBG”), as well as certain minor and novel cannabinoids.

The company’s expertise in the esoteric field of biosynthesis and in delivering commercial fermentation pathways for the production of pharmaceutical-grade compounds grew from its origins in opiate research. Willow recently delivered a de novo biosynthesis pathway in yeast for thebaine, a key precursor API used as a feedstock in the manufacture of semi-synthetic opiates such as naloxone (used to reverse opioid overdose) and several common analgesics. Led by Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Peter Facchini, Willow’s research team discovered and patented numerous previously unknown genes coding for core catalytic pathway enzymes, as well as a number of additional non-pathway, yet commercially-essential, accessory genes.

Utilizing this proven synthetic biology platform, Willow’s research team has already begun producing cannabinoids at lab scale, using yeast as the host cell “factory.” This biosynthetic fermentation-based process is capable of producing pharmaceutical grade CBD in 10 days – far less time than traditional plant-based extraction methods.

Willow anticipates its technology can be scaled to produce hundreds of kilograms per batch of cannabinoid API at less than $1,000 per kilogram, thus costing approximately 60% less than current chemical synthesis methods and 90% less than conventional plant-based extraction methods.

World-Class Collaboration

Willow and Noramco Inc., the world’s largest producer of high-quality synthetic cannabinoid APIs and other controlled substance APIs for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry, have an exclusive, worldwide Joint Development Agreement (“JDA”) to design a yeast-based biosynthesis platform for the production and distribution of a highly pure CBD isolate.

The mutually exclusive agreement calls for Willow to be responsible for optimizing yeast strains in a biosynthetic process to generate ultrapure CBD at high yield and substantially lower cost compared to current methods. Noramco will leverage its decades of experience in producing and delivering CBD and pharmaceutical APIs by being responsible for the scale-up, regulatory submission, marketing and distribution of products manufactured under the JDA.

Each company will invest comparable funds, will retain the intellectual property associated with their respective scopes of work and share equally in gross profits from sales of products manufactured under the JDA.

Market Opportunity

The agreement with Noramco (http://nnw.fm/Mz1vW) addresses the increasing demand for CBD-based APIs and other CBD-infused products by pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, consumer packaged goods, beverages and other industry sectors.

The U.S. market potential of cannabinoids is significant, with industry analysts projecting $50 billion in cannabinoid-based pharmaceutical sales and $16 billion in CBD consumer goods retail sales by 2025. As of June 2019, 34 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands have legalized cannabis for medical use. Another 13 states and territories have approved recreational cannabis for adult use while other states are considering similar measures.

The cannabinoid API market continues to evolve with CBD and other cannabinoid-based treatment options currently in clinical trials for indications such as post-traumatic stress syndrome, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, chronic pain, schizophrenia, cancer treatments and other challenging unmet medical conditions.

Capitalization

Willow is fully funded after raising $29 million via private placement and $8 million in exercised warrants by Tuatara Capital Fund II, L.P. Proceeds of the funding will be used to enhance the existing laboratory space in Calgary and Vancouver, Canada, and in San Francisco, California. The company anticipates exiting 2020 with $15.8 million in cash.

Leadership

President and CEO Trevor Peters is an experienced executive who co-founded four startup companies in the past 15 years. He has raised over $1 billion in equity and debt financings at various stages of corporate development and has been integral to successful transactions totaling over $4 billion on sale. Mr. Peters previously was chief financial officer at Caracal Energy Inc., which sold to Glencore plc in 2014 for $1.8 billion.

Chief Financial Officer Travis Doupe has over 18 years of experience in financial leadership roles, principally in the international oil and gas industry, where he provided corporate strategic direction while overseeing all aspects of financial operations. Mr. Doupe is the treasurer and a member of the board of directors of the Canada Council for the Americas – Alberta and holds a CA-CPA designation and earned a bachelor’s degree in management from the University of Calgary.

Dr. Peter Facchini, Chief Scientific Officer, has been professor of plant biochemistry in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Calgary since 1995. He is recognized internationally as a leader in plant specialized metabolite biosynthesis. Dr. Facchini is the Canada Research Chair in Plant Metabolic Processes Biotechnology and has published more than 150 research papers and scholarly articles. Dr. Facchini received a PhD from the University of Toronto and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Kentucky and Université de Montréal.

Dr. Joseph Tucker, Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors, holds more than 20 issued or pending patents and is a member of the Board of Directors of BioAlberta. He has extensive senior leadership experience in multiple public and private biotech companies. Dr. Tucker received a PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Calgary.

Willow Biosciences Inc. (OTCQB: CANSF), closed Thursday's trading session at $0.47, up 2.0187%, on 5,880 volume with 7 trades. The average volume for the last 3 months is 8,328 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.400999993/$2.1775.

Recent News

• 420 with CNW – Canadian Companies Offer Lower-Priced Marijuana to Stifle the Black Market
• Council For Federal Regulation Starts Work on Getting CBD Legalized
• 420 with CNW – Risks of Buying Marijuana from Unregulated Sources

Champignon Brands Inc. (CSE: SHRM)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight Champignon Brands Inc. (CSE: SHRM).

Champignon Brands Inc. (CSE:SHRM) today announces its placement in an editorial published by NetworkNewsWire ("NNW"), one of 40+ brands in the InvestorBrandNetwork (“IBN”), a multifaceted financial news and publishing company for private and public entities. To view the full publication, “‘Shroom Boom Offers New Possibilities for Medicine and Functional Foods,” visit: http://nnw.fm/Ln8NE

Champignon Brands Inc. (CSE: SHRM) is a research-driven company specializing in the formulation and distribution of a suite of artisanal mushroom health supplements. Dedicated to revolutionizing conventional organic teas, coffees and other consumables with the infusion of a proprietary blend of artisanal mushrooms, Champignon’s expanding portfolio is crafted with the health-conscious consumer in mind.

Headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Champignon’s team aims to promote the health and wellness benefits of functional mushrooms, which are used in a wide variety of health care and pharmaceutical products.

Brands

Champignon’s mushroom-derived consumer packaged goods (CPGs) portfolio includes its flagship brand, Vitality Superteas. Each carefully curated Vitality Supertea formulation was developed with the intent of helping individuals enhance and enrich their wellbeing one cup of mushroom-infused tea at a time.

Also in the portfolio are Nourish Force Supertea, a blend of Reishi Ryobus Tea Mix; Mighty Recharge Supertea, created with Lions Mane Tropical Green Ginseng Tea Mix; and Brain Enhance Supertea, a blend of Cordycep Hibiscus and Berries Tea Mix – all of which are formulated with organic ingredients and chosen for their ability to provide unique health and performance benefits.

Champignon’s flagship e-commerce store, VitalitySuperTeas.com, takes advantage of the burgeoning craft mushroom vertical space with a selection of mushroom-infused teas and accessories.

Functional Mushroom Market

Demand for consumer products infused with the nutritional and bioactive benefits of mushrooms is fueling a global market projected to reach $34.3 billion by 2024, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 8.04% from 2019-2024 (ResearchandMarkets), with Europe seen as the fastest growth leader.

According to the market study, in highest demand are products infused with Reishi – a traditional Chinese medicine also known as the “Elixer of Life” and “Mushroom of Immortality – Lions Mane and Cordyceps, followed by other types of medicinal mushrooms.

Advances in Legalization

Legalization of psychedelics for use in medicine is gaining momentum across the United States. Denver, Colorado, and Oakland and Santa Cruz, California, have decriminalized the use of psilocybin, the psychedelic molecule found in various mushrooms, while movements for legalization are gaining ground in Oregon and Iowa, among others. Decriminalize California recently teamed up with the Beckley Foundation to replicate Oakland’s success of decriminalization throughout the state of California.

An increasing number of researchers are turning their attention toward the study of psilocybin as a means to treat otherwise untreatable illnesses. The molecule’s ability to provide landmark treatment options for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), migraines and addiction is gaining widespread acceptance among medical professionals, unicorn investors and accredited institutions.

Potential Applications

Historical data and new scientific studies suggest therapeutic benefits of psychedelics in many areas, including drug addiction, alcoholism, depression, migraines, smoking cessation and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The market potential in these areas are significant. To reference just one of the above conditions, the mental health arena has been frequently neglected over the last 30 years, though new research is beginning to further reinforce that psychedelic compounds have the potential to produce more effective treatments than what is currently available.

According to the World Health Organization, 25% of the world’s populous will be afflicted by mental health and/or neurological disorders. Presently, approximately 450 million people currently suffer from such conditions, placing mental disorders among the leading causes of ill-health, productive loss and disability worldwide.

Additionally, PTSD affects approximately 2.2% of the U.S. population; 7.7 million people will have PTSD at some point in their lives. Recent published studies have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of certain psychedelics when administered in a medically supervised and monitored approach.
A renaissance in alternative medicines is emerging, and Champignon has set in motion its strategy to become a key player.

2020 Stealth IP Strategy

Champignon plans to biosynthesize psilocybin within the first three months of conducting laboratory experiments, with the objective of achieving optimized and scaled production of pharmaceutical-grade psilocybin for deployment in clinical settings. This strategy includes:

• Alternative medicine (psilocybin) IP aggregation
• Development of cGMP formulations of bioactive compounds extracted from plants and Fungi
• Drafting of benchmark SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures)
• Patient aggregation, focusing on veterans

Defining a New Asset Class: Psychedelic-Inspired Medicines

In the third quarter of 2020, Champignon – through clinical trials, a compelling IP portfolio and clinical pipeline and drug development platform – plans to advance its pursuit of treatments underpinned by psychedelic substances. This strategy is broken down into two ties:

• Non-Hallucinogenic Medicines
  • Microdosing Psilocybin/LSD
  • MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy

• Hallucinogenic Medicines
  • Psilocybin high dose
  • LSD high dose

Partnerships

Companies worldwide are beginning to incorporate functional mushrooms into their product offerings, taking advantage of growing consumer awareness of known health benefits of the ingredients found in mushrooms.

Champignon in November 2019 entered into a distribution partnership with Eurolife Brands Inc. (CSE: EURO), a leading global markets cannabis brand empowering the medical, recreational and CPG cannabis industry worldwide through a data-driven CBD marketplace supported by exclusive and unbiased physician-backed cannabis education and detailed consumer analytics. Under the agreement, Champignon’s branded products are integrated into Eurolife’s e-commerce platform, along with potential distribution opportunities in select brick-and-mortar retail locations in Europe.

Champignon also has an R&D/production formulation agreement with Drip Coffee Social Ltd., located in Nanaimo, British Columbia, which calls for the infusion of Champignon’s proprietary mushroom extract blend into a suite of cold brew coffee products and signature in-house formulations.

Leadership

Gareth Birdsall, CEO, Corporate Secretary and Director
Gareth Birdsall has more than seven years of experience working in diverse agricultural roles such as the cultivation of various fungi, in particular Cordycepes, Reishi, Lions Mane and Chaga. He is an attendee of the British Columbia Institute of Technology, studying marketing management and finance.

Steven Brohman, CPA, CFO
Steven Brohman has more than 10 years of experience working in a variety of roles with public and private companies. He has had extensive training in the audit of publicly traded companies on the TXS, TSX Venture Exchange and OTC markets, and serves as CFO and director of various public and private companies. Brohman has a bachelor’s degree of business administration and obtained his Chartered Professional Accountant designation.

Jerry Habuda, Director
Jerry Habuda brings to Champignon over 35 years of expertise in law enforcement and specialized units. From 1977 to 2012, he served as a police officer with the Toronto Police Department. During his tenure, he was assigned to the Major Crimes Unit, investigating robberies and home invasions. He was assigned to patrol the Toronto Community Housing projects at Jane/Finch to control drug trafficking and gun violence. Habuda was with the Warrant Unit where he tracked down and arrested wanted criminals. From 1993-1997, he was assigned to the Northwest Drug Squad on undercover and surveillance work, executing narcotic search warrants. Between 2002 and 2004, Habuda headed the Street Violence Task Force, a special unit designed to curb gun and drug violence that was terrorizing the city at the time.

Champignon Brands Inc. (CSE: SHRM), closed Thursday's trading session at $0.38, up 15.15%, on 8,958,547 volume with 2,100 trades. The stock's 52-week low/high is $0.315/$0.445.

Recent News

• Champignon Brands Spotlighted in Publication Discussing Mushrooms in Medicine
• Champignon Brands Inc. (CSE: SHRM) Building Reputation in Burgeoning Mushroom Space with Flagship SuperTea Product Line
• New Senate Bill Includes Hemp and Marijuana Drinks Bottles in Recycling Program

Exro Technologies Inc. (CSE: XRO) (OTCQB: EXROF)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight Exro Technologies Inc. (OTCQB: EXROF).

Exro Technologies (CSE: XRO) (OTCQB: EXROF) today announced that its technology to improve the performance of the world's electric motors will be profiled on Business TV-News, first airing this weekend in Canada on the BNN Bloomberg network. To preview the broadcast, visit http://nnw.fm/y6KHU. To view the full press release, visit http://nnw.fm/S7ApX

Exro Technologies Inc. (CSE: XRO) (OTCQB: EXROF), a Canadian technology company, is an innovative pioneer in the energy sector. Exro has developed and commercialized an electric power module (EPM) that integrates into existing motor systems to make them smarter. Exro’s patented technology optimizes existing motor performance by automatically sensing and adapting operating parameters to an optimized state, creating measurable efficiency gains, reduced mechanical components and increased system availability.

Applications

Exro’s technology and efficiency optimization algorithms improve the performance and efficiency of electric motors by manipulating power delivery to individual coils, thereby enabling the ability to expand operating parameters. This novel approach is scalable and can be utilized in most variable torque applications.

The widespread applications of Exro’s technology apply to optimizing the performance of electric vehicles, locomotive traction applications, industrial motors, and other variable torque applications that benefit from smart energy conversion.

Intellectual Property

Exro’s proprietary, patented software controls electric motor coils through individual coil switching. This introduction of intelligence into energy conversion at the level of individual coils results in expanded speed/torque capability, improved machine efficiency, reliability, safety and maintenance across a wider operating range. Exro’s advanced control algorithms create smart, real-time optimized power management.

Exro currently holds 15 patents, with 8 patents pending and additional patents under development. The company continues to expand its IP portfolio to support its goal of becoming a globally recognized leader in leveraging advanced control algorithms to improve the performance, efficiency and longevity of electric motors and generators.

Market Opportunity

Electric motors are the single biggest consumer of electricity. They account for about two-thirds of industrial power consumption and about 45% of global power consumption, according to an analysis by the International Energy Agency. Exro’s technology seeks to give industries a new way to look at energy—from electric vehicles, to industrial equipment, to renewable applications like wind farms; we are improving the way energy is consumed.

Laboratory Expansion

The 6,500-square-foot Exro Innovation Center (EIC), scheduled to open spring of 2020 in Calgary, will transition the current Victoria lab into one Calgary based center. The company’s new laboratory space will expand its service capabilities to customers, provide larger test capabilities, and showcase how Exro’s technology can be applied to dramatically improve the performance of electrical motors.

The EIC will also host collaborative events to explore advances in energy consumption and electric motor innovations, with participants from across Canada and around the world.

Strategic Partnerships

• A strategic agreement with Finland’s Aurora Powertrains Oy, which in 2019 released an all-electric production snowmobile called the “eSled,” will see Exro’s technology added to the Aurora electric powertrain. The snowmobile sector’s economic footprint is estimated at $26 billion in the U.S., $8 billion in Canada, and $5 billion in Europe and Asia.
• An agreement with Potencia in Mexico serving the last mile vehicle segment will integrate Exro’s custom drive and EPM module into small passenger commercial vehicles (taxis) and fleet delivery trucks
• A licensing agreement with Motorino Electric, a leader in the Canadian electric transportation industry, will integrate Exro’s Electric Power Module technology into Motorino’s CTi electric bicycle.

Management

Chief Executive Officer Sue Ozdemir is a proven leader in the innovation and manufacturing of electric motors. She has nine years of accomplishments at General Electric, acting as CCO and the CEO of GE’s Small Industrial Motors Division, overseeing the division’s North American and international markets – ultimately building the division into a $160 million enterprise.

Chief Commercial Officer Josh Sobil is leading the seamless adoption of Exro’s growing product portfolio focused on the mobility segment and opening doors in all segments including agriculture, heavy industry, energy, construction, among others.

Executive Chairman Mark Godsy is a serial technology entrepreneur who has been involved in many top tier ventures, including two of Canada’s most successful biotech companies.

Exro Technologies Inc. (CSE: XRO) (OTCQB: EXROF), closed Thursday's trading session at $0.35, up 3.7683%, on 206,502 volume with 68 trades. The average volume for the last 3 months is 122,560 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.124389998/$0.522899985.

Recent News

• Exro Technologies Inc. (CSE: XRO) (OTCQB: EXROF) to be Profiled on Business TV-News in US, Canada
• Exro Technologies Inc. (CSE: XRO) (OTCQB: EXROF) to Present at the 2020 LD Micro Virtual Conference
• Exro: Increasing the Performance of Existing Electric Motors

MCTC Holdings Inc. (OTC: MCTC)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight MCTC Holdings Inc. (MCTC).

MCTC Holdings (OTC: MCTC), a cannabinoid and hemp extract science forward company developing infusion and delivery technologies, today announced its receipt of an initial order from Sinister CBD, LLC for sales and distribution of its Hemp You Can Feel(TM) Coffee product line. To view the full press release, visit http://cnw.fm/xyX4q. Also today, the company was highlighted in a publication from HempWireNews, examining how, if Ohio manages to have proper licensure and paperwork completed on time, they will be able to participate in this year’s planting season, a season in which the state will plant its first hemp crop since the plant was federally legalized.

MCTC Holdings Inc. (OTC: MCTC) is an innovator in the field of cannabinoid nanoparticles and infusion technologies with several important cannabinoid patents filed and an active research and development program underway. The company was reorganized during June of 2019 and announced its intent to enter the cannabis sector and change its corporate identity to Cannabis Global Inc. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

With the hemp and cannabis industries rapidly expanding in terms of market size, acceptance and number of market participants, MCTC plans to concentrate its efforts on the middle portions of the hemp and cannabis value chain. The company is actively pursuing R&D programs and productization of advanced cannabinoid delivery systems, based on solid polymeric nanoparticles and fibers. These technologies hold the promise to revolutionize the science of cannabinoid bio-enhancement for use in foods, beverages, consumer products and in transdermal applications. Because of nanoparticles’ ability to be quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, nanotechnology has been utilized in the food and drug industry for some time and has the potential for tremendous growth in the cannabis industry (http://nnw.fm/v6RQ6).

Cutting-Edge Technology

MCTC is at the cutting-edge of the cannabis industry’s trends with its emphasis on polymeric nanotechnology. This is not to be confused with the more basic oil-in-water nano-emulsions currently marketed to the food and beverage industry. The company’s polymer-based particles offer significant loading of active ingredients and unmatched flexibility and customization, allowing for myriad combinations of cannabinoids with unique performance characteristics. MCTC believes polymeric nanotechnology particles will be a critical technology area for the cannabinoid formulation marketplace.

The company continues to build its R&D program, specifically researching the development of improving methods to make cannabinoids available to living systems. Instrumental in the research program is the development of novel polymeric nanoparticles and nanofibers. These have the potential to elevate the potential of cannabinoid products in the following ways (http://nnw.fm/cK3Bl):

• Significantly improving bioavailability
• Allowing for ultra-high loading rates
• Enhancing customization of cannabinoid combinations
• Improved dosing precision
• Providing more control in release parameters

MCTC leadership understands the importance of developing intellectual property (IP) in the ever-evolving cannabis industry. A recent Forbes article described IP as “critical for creating true differentiation between companies and their product and service offerings” (http://nnw.fm/57Fjh). Recognizing the importance of IP, MCTC has been consistent in its application for patents to protect its innovative nanotechnology applications.

Patents

MCTC has now filed four patents on its cannabinoid delivery technology systems:

• The company first collaborated with Cannabis Nanosciences Inc. on technologies. This became the basis for its first patent filing on an innovative edible dissolvable film for cannabinoid ingestion.
• Its second patent filing for cannabinoid nanoparticles combined TPGS, a water-soluble form of vitamin E.
• Its third patent filing involved a unique 4th dimension, 3D printed cannabinoid delivery system for beverages.
• Its fourth patent, considered its most significant, broadly covers many aspects of nanoparticles and nano fibers comprising one or more cannabinoids disposed at least partially within a water-soluble medium.

Collaborations

MCTC collaborated with Marijuana Company Inc. (OTCQB: MCOA) subsidiary hempSmart Inc., under a hemp extract and CBD product supply agreement wherein hempSmart will utilize its extensive network of marketing partners to market MCTC’s powered drink mixes and other CBD edibles online. These products are designed for the dry beverage and edibles sector and will be supplied by MCTC. They incorporate the company’s patent-pending cannabinoid infusion technologies and will be trademarked as Hemp You Can Feel (TM) and Gummies You Can Feel (TM).

Leadership

MCTC CEO and chairman Arman Tabatabaei boasts 15 years of management and operations experience and is considered an expert at data collection and analysis relative to resource management, risk forecasting, and profit and loss management. He has acted as a consultant with Cannabis Strategic Ventures (OTCQB: NUGS) and played an instrumental role in improving operations at Sugarmade Inc. (OTCQB: SGMD) relative to the company’s hydroponic growth supplies initiatives.

MCTC founder and director Robert Hymers also brings a seasoned perspective, having had significant experiences in the cannabis industry and as a financial executive and consultant. He is the managing partner of Pinnacle Tax Services in Los Angeles and was previously CFO and director of Marijuana Company of America Inc. (OTC: MCOA). He is currently a member of the Strategic Advisory Board at Massroots Inc. and acts as a consultant to both Cannabis Strategic Ventures Inc. and Sugarmade Inc. Hymers’ background in tax accounting, auditing, SEC reporting, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate finance has immense value in his current position at MCTC Holdings.

MCTC Holdings Inc. (MCTC), closed Thursday's trading session at $0.24865, even for the day, on 5,354 volume with 8 trades. The average volume for the last 3 months is 16,475 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.05/$3.00.

Recent News

• MCTC Holdings, Inc. (MCTC) Enters Sales and Distribution Agreement with Sinister CBD LLC for Hemp You Can Feel(TM) Coffee Product Line
• Ohio to Follow Kentucky’s Lead in Hemp Production
• USDA Relaxes DEA Testing Facility Requirement for 2020 Hemp Season

Trxade Group Inc. (NASDAQ: MEDS)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight Trxade Group Inc. (NASDAQ: MEDS).

Trxade Group (NASDAQ: MEDS), an integrated drug procurement, delivery and healthcare platform that enables drug availability, care services and price transparency for both pharmacists and consumers, today announced that it will exhibit at HIMSS 2020. To view the full press release, visit http://nnw.fm/NKwU4

Trxade Group Inc. (NASDAQ: MEDS) is an integrated pharmaceutical services company that offers a unique combination of a web-based purchasing platform (www.trxade.com) for transactions between independent pharmacists and drug distributors (B2B); a network of pharmacies with E-Hub software; a mail order pharmacy; and warehouse and drug delivery services. This synergistic combination of product offerings and superior data analytics is poised to benefit all stakeholders and consumers within the pharmaceutical industry.

Trxade will leverage and scale its fully integrated model to execute the following growth strategies:

• Increase share of pharmacist drug purchasing
• Additional SKUs and expand product breath
• Partner with Specialty and International Mfg.
• Expand mail order licenses to all 50 states
• Scale Delivmeds for consumer delivery nationwide
• Integration with telemedicine
• M&A Opportunities within drug value chain

Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Tampa, Florida, Trxade’s overarching corporate strategy is to penetrate the existing retail independent pharmacy marketplace and diversify the company’s pharmaceutical mix with additional specialty and acute care products. Trxade is advancing on this mission by focusing on three key niches in the health care market.

Business-to-Business (B2B)

The $330 billion U.S. pharmaceutical industry is comprised of more than 65,000 pharmacy facilities and 1,500 state-licensed suppliers. Roughly 24,000 of these facilities are independent pharmacies, which collectively spend approximately $93 billion a year on branded and generic drugs.

Trxade targets these independent pharmacies, leveraging a robust, “E-Bay/Kayak-like” technology platform with optimum buyer/seller pricing algorithms, product availability, and predictive data analytics features.

Trxade currently serves and transacts with more than one-third (10,250) of these independent pharmacies and facilitates over $10 million of drug purchases a month!

Consumer

Trxade also targets the “consumer side” of the pharmaceutical industry, aiming to lower prescription drug costs by attacking the inefficient value chain; offering drug price transparency and efficient buying; and, delivering drugs DIRECT to independent pharmacists and consumers.

The company operates a full-service mail order pharmacy for U.S. consumers, as well as a mobile app called “Delivmeds” (http://www.delivmeds.com) which enables SAME DAY home delivery of dispensed prescriptions.

Retail

Trxade’s Managed Services Organization (“TrxadeMSO”) enables its member independent retail pharmacies to get patients, process orders, and deliver or ship prescriptions to patients. TrxadeMSO provides access to encompassing network of pharmacies through the E-Hub software, allowing for timely and comprehensive medication fulfillment.

These offerings ensure the best-suited pharmacy receives the patient’s information, thereby ensuring appropriate medication coverage based on the patient’s location, payor coverage, and medication access/inventory. This will save the clinicians and their staff time as they benefit from efficiency and enhanced workflow management in script processing and fulfillment.

Health Care Market 

The U.S. health care market currently hovers near $4 trillion and is expected to grow as the general population ages. This growth will have greater impact on consumers as out-of-pocket expenses also rise. Additionally, drug costs are paced to increase faster than the overall health care and well above inflation.

Drug pricing is variable, and reimbursement is squeezing profits. This provides significant opportunity for the Trxade model of price visibility and profit optimization.

Trxade’s fair online market platform targets the nation’s retail community and independent pharmacies, of which there are approximately 24,000 nationwide. TRxADE has found that independent pharmacies, in order to be cost-effective, often operate with minimal staff and conduct up-to-the minute price checks. The TRxADE S2P platform gives these pharmacists the ability to easily compare the price of drugs offered by various suppliers and select the most favorable deals, saving money by taking advantage of best purchase pricing.

TRxADE’s programs include:

• TRxADE Exchange, which opens and widens the distribution channel to the retail, community pharmacy. A purchasing pharmacy can view products from manufacturers, buying groups, and wholesalers on a real-time and continuous basis. This approach significantly enhances the competitive spirit of the exchange where the lowest price exists for each product at any given point in time. TRxADE has become a competitive tool for all progressive entities and is recognized for its easy searching of hard-to-find generic pharmaceuticals at substantially reduced prices.  
• RX Guru™ is an industry-leading price prediction model that integrates product shortage insight into pharmacy acquisition benchmarks (“PAC”) to ascertain trends and pricing variances that result in significant purchasing opportunities. RX Guru affords members the opportunity to continuously benefit from real price purchasing opportunities that are concealed from the rest of the industry. 
• Product Shortage Database – TRxADE maintains the most comprehensive retail, specialty and acute care pharmaceutical product shortage database in the country. Other industry competitors mainly restrict their efforts to specialty and acute care product shortages and narrowly research oral generic products. TRxADE’s advanced prediction tools help members source those hard-to-find products at affordable costs in a timely and easy-to-search process. 

Management Team 

Trxade’s management team is rich in expertise within the pharmaceutical supply chain and is supported by a base of advisors and contractors who are experts in related fields of the pharmaceutical sector.

Suren Ajjarapu – Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Secretary
Suren Ajjarapu has served as Trxade’s chairman of the board, CEO and secretary since 2014, and as the chairman of the board, chief executive officer and secretary of Trxade Nevada since its inception. Ajjarapu also serves as a chairman of the board for Feeder Creek Group Inc., since March 2018. Ajjarapu formerly was a founder, CEO and chairman of Sansur Renewable Energy Inc., a company involved in developing wind power sites in the Midwest, United States; a founder, president and director of Aemetis Inc., a biofuels company (AMTX.OB); a founder, chairman and CEO of International Biofuels, a subsidiary of Aemetis Inc.; and a co-founder, COO, and director at Global Information Technology Inc., an IT outsourcing and systems design company. Ajjarapu holds an M.S. in environmental engineering from South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota, and an MBA from the University of South Florida, specializing in international finance and management. Ajjarapu is also a graduate of the Venture Capital and Private Equity program at Harvard University.

Prashant Patel – Director, President and Chief Operating Officer
Prashant Patel has served as Trxade’s full-time president and COO, and as a director since the company’s acquisition of Trxade Nevada in 2014, and as the COO and president and as a director of Trxade Nevada since its inception. He has been a president and member of the board of Trxade since August 2010. Patel is a registered pharmacist and pharmaceutical consultant with over 10 years of experience in retail pharmacy and pharmaceutical logistics. He is the founder of several pharmacies in the Tampa Bay area, in Florida. Since 2008, Patel has been managing member of the APAA LLC pharmacy. Since 2007, Patel has been a vice president of Holiday Pharmacy Inc. Patel graduated from Nottingham University School of Pharmacy and practiced in the United Kingdom before obtaining his masters in Transport, Trade and Finance from Cass Business School, City University, UK.

Trxade Group Inc. (MEDS), closed Thursday's trading session at $5.05, off by 8.8448%, on 23,543 volume with 155 trades. The average volume for the last 3 months is 54,628 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $2.0999999/$10.5600004.

Recent News

• Trxade Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: MEDS) to Exhibit at HIMSS 2020 Global Health Conference and Exhibition
• Trxade Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: MEDS) CEO Rings Nasdaq Opening Bell
• Trxade Group Inc. (NASDAQ: MEDS) to Celebrate Nasdaq Uplisting with Opening Bell on Friday

SRAX Inc. (NASDAQ: SRAX)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight SRAX Inc. (NASDAQ: SRAX).

SRAX (NASDAQ: SRAX), a digital marketing and consumer data management technology company, today announced its entry into a secured term loan with an affiliate of B. Riley Financial, Inc. ("B. Riley"), a diversified financial services company which provides comprehensive business advisory and capital markets solutions through its subsidiaries. To view the full press release, visit http://nnw.fm/ivN8U

SRAX Inc.'s (NASDAQ: SRAX) is a digital marketing and consumer data management technology company. SRAX’s technology unlocks data to reveal brands’ core consumers and their characteristics across marketing channels.

Through its BIGtoken platform, SRAX has developed a consumer-managed data marketplace where people can own and earn from their data, thereby providing everyone in the internet ecosystem choice, transparency and compensation.

SRAX’s tools deliver a digital competitive advantage for brands in the CPG, automotive, investor relations, luxury and lifestyle verticals by integrating all aspects of the advertising experience, including verified consumer participation, into one platform.

SRAX Verticals

• SRAX Core: SRAX Core is a custom digital media management platform that enables brands and agencies to surpass the challenges of omnichannel marketing campaigns. It offers one comprehensive dashboard to manage digital media campaigns, inventory and reporting.
• SRAX Social: SRAX Social is a free social media management tool that makes it easy for brands, agencies and individuals to grow their digital presence. It offers free and unlimited users, Facebook auto boosting, and a custom analytics dashboard. Its managed services team can also build and execute marketing plans for your unique specific needs.
• SRAX IR: SRAX IR unlocks stock buyers’ behaviors and trends for issuers of publicly traded companies. The platform provides insights on shareholders and market makers, investor relations management, shareholder outreach tools and data-driven marketing.
• SRAX Auto: SRAX Auto unlocks auto intenders’ data to create measurable connected experiences on the road to purchase. It offers proprietary auto intender profiles, multi touchpoint communication and custom location-based ads.
• SRAX Shopper: SRAX Shopper delivers a cross channel, premium digital experience at scale to high value shopper audiences. It offers proprietary shopper profiles, cost per click pricing, and custom text and add to cart ad units.
• SRAX Lux: Launched in June 2019, the SRAX Lux platform targets and reaches luxury consumers at luxury retail stores, high-end art, music, film, fashion and sports events, across all consumer devices.

BIGtoken

BIGtoken, available for download on the App Store and Google Play, revolutionizes data collection. BIGtoken is a platform that creates a secure and transparent environment for consumers to own and earn from their data. To date, there are 15.9 million BIGtoken registered users worldwide.

The optimization and monetization of data is a multibillion-dollar business. Worldwide spending on big data and business analytics solutions reached $166 billion in 2018 and is projected to surge to $260 billion by 2022. BIGtoken’s consumer vision is committed to delivering choice, transparency and compensation to the individual.

Through BIGtoken, consumers earn rewards when they opt into sharing their data and when that data is purchased. Consumers decide what data is shared, who can buy it and how it’s used, and advertisers reach real, responsive audiences. The benefit of this is two-fold: consumers know how their data is used and advertisers gain verified consumer data for targeting.

Users of the BIGtoken app can officially be paid in cash or gift cards in exchange for giving brands access to their anonymized data, answering questions, checking into locations, recruiting new members, and more. Users can deposit their earnings directly into PayPal accounts or be paid through gift cards from favorite retailers such as Walmart.

SRAX has also partnered with several high-profile, nonprofit associations to provide BIGtoken users the ability to donate their earnings. Partnerships include the American Heart Association, dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke; HealthCorps, which helps high school students make better choices about health and physical fitness; and the ALS Association, which recently launched its Challenge Me campaign.

International Expansion

BIGtoken is formally launching into several international markets and partnering to foster local support. SRAX recently signed a joint venture with the Yash Birla Group to launch BIGtoken in India. Based in Mumbai, the Yash Birla Group, one of India’s largest conglomerates, has diversified interests in consumer and industrial products.

The partnership will bring BIGtoken’s platform to India, which has a digital population of 627 million. The India digital advertising market is $3.6 billion and is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 32%, making it one of the largest growing digital ad markets in the world.

SRAX Mexico is led by Moe Avitia, who has more than 18 years of experience in business development and building high-tech teams. SRAX Mexico includes a team of 90 employees, including 70 engineers.

BIGtoken Europe is currently evaluating data centers in individual countries for privacy laws.

Leadership

Christopher Miglino is CEO and founder of SRAX. He has spent the past 20 years working in the digital advertising space and has successfully launched and sold two internet companies. Both of these companies were sold to publicly traded companies on the NASDAQ. He has a detailed understanding of how technology interacts with brands.

Kristoffer Nelson is COO of SRAX and a founding member of BIGtoken. With over 15 years of technology and creative business experience, Nelson has been a guest speaker for Loyola Marymount University among other academic institutions, the National Association of Broadcasters, the IAB and numerous other professional and media organizations.

SRAX Inc. (NASDAQ: SRAX), closed Thursday's trading session at $2.67, off by 1.1111%, on 31,291 volume with 259 trades. The average volume for the last 3 months is 94,524 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $1.04999995/$5.8499999.

Recent News

• SRAX Inc. (NASDAQ: SRAX) Enters Financing Agreement with B. Riley Financial, Inc. Affiliate
• Demand for SRAX Inc.’s (NASDAQ: SRAX) Data-Management Technology Set to Rise with Consumers’ Increasing Desire for Privacy
• SRAX Inc. (NASDAQ: SRAX) BIGtoken Platform Powers Kraft Heinz Holiday Campaign That Delivers Impressive Sales Lift

Plus Products Inc. (CSE: PLUS) (OTC: PLPRF)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight Plus Products Inc. (CSE: PLUS) (OTC: PLPRF).

Plus Products Inc. (CSE: PLUS) (OTCQX: PLPRF) was featured today in a publication from CBDWire, examining how CBD or cannabidiol is a hemp extract that’s become increasingly popular over the years. It was legalized after the 2018 Farm Bill legalized industrial hemp, and although the market is filled with thousands of CBD products, they aren’t adequately regulated. Here are a few things employers should know about CBD.

Plus Products Inc. (CSE: PLUS) (OTC: PLPRF) is a branded cannabis-infused products manufacturer of edibles created to support a healthy and active lifestyle. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, PLUS™ concentrates on producing edibles using extracts to ensure compliant, dosable and delicious products that provide a consistent cannabis experience.

First introduced to the market in 2015 to rave reviews, PLUS™ is now one of the top best-selling edible brands in California. PLUS™ operates through a wholly owned subsidiary, Carberry, and has four cannabis-infused gummy candy SKUs (in addition to limited edition SKUs), that are currently sold in over 200 licensed dispensaries and delivery services. All products under the PLUS™ brand are produced in the company’s 12,000-square-foot food-safe cannabis manufacturing facility in Adelanto, California.

PLUS Products shares are currently listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange. PLUS™ raised CAD$20 million through the offering, for which the lead underwriters were PI Financial and Canaccord Genuity. The company intends to use a portion of the IPO proceeds to fund rapid product capacity expansion, factory automation, working capital and new product development.

Operating in the largest adult-use recreational market in the U.S., PLUS Products holds a temporary manufacturing license in California and was one of the first brands to bring fully compliant products to the legal market. California legalized adult use recreational sales on Jan. 1, 2018, and industry analysts expect edible sales there will continue to amass enviable revenues. According to BDS Analytics, edibles made up 18 percent of marijuana retail sales in February 2018 across licensed retailers in California, with PLUS™ products ranking in the Top 10 of edible brands by retail dollar sales.

During the first half of 2018, PLUS Products generated US$2.45 million in sales, a marked improvement over 2017’s US$1.07 million in sales. The company’s established cannabis products are not only compliant with state laws, they are proving to be extremely popular with consumers. Among the PLUS™ product brands are:

• Blackberry & Lemon RESTORE, an infusion of carefully dosed cannabis with a 9:1 THC to CBD per gummy.
• Sour Watermelon UPLIFT, a low-calorie gummy crafted from carefully dosed cannabis with an infusion of 5mg THC per gummy.
• Pineapple & Coconut CBD RELIEF, a tropical flavor gummy made from pure cannabis-derived CBD that is low-calorie, gluten-free and made with kosher ingredients.
• Sour Blueberry CREATE, a low-calorie gummy infused with hybrid flower containing 5 mg THC.
• Limited Edition Rose & Vanilla, available at select locations during Winter 2018, these gummies are crafted with 60 mg THC/30 mg CBD per tin.
• Limited Edition RAINBOW SORBET gummies was created to celebrate Pride during Spring 2018 with a portion of each purchase donated to The Trevor Project, a confidential suicide hotline for LGBT youth.

“We are extremely proud of the products PLUS has brought to market,” remarked Jake Heimark, CEO and cofounder in a statement. “We’ve quickly grown into one of the leading edible brands in California. With the proceeds of this round, we will continue to further our mission: to make cannabis safe and approachable for all types of consumers.”

The PLUS™ team believes that everyone deserves access to consistent, dosable and delicious cannabis products and strives to make that happen. Producing the best infused products at scale requires thoughtful collaboration among experts in many fields. At PLUS™, our team is comprised of Chefs, Chemists, Food Manufacturing Experts, Engineers, Machinists, Visionaries, Creatives, Strategists and others.

Plus Products Inc. (PLPRF), closed Thursday's trading session at $0.5614, off by 8.6114%, on 4,923 volume with 16 trades. The average volume for the last 3 months is 46,921 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.409999996/$4.75.

Recent News

• 7 Things Employers Should Know About CBD
• Plus Products Inc. (CSE: PLUS) (OTCQX: PLPRF) Builds on Strong Cannabis Brand Foundation to Expand into New Markets
• 420 with CNW – What Pot Companies Can Learn from Federal Hemp Legalization

Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTC: LXRP)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (LXRP).

Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTCQX: LXRP), a global innovator in drug delivery platforms, on Wednesday announced successful processing of its first DehydraTECH(TM)-enabled liquid nanoemulsion for cannabidiol ("CBD") beverages for one of its licensed clients. To view the full press release, visit http://cnw.fm/nw1KU.

Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTC: LXRP) has developed and out-licenses its proprietary DehydraTECH™ technology for improved taste, rapidity and delivery of bioactive compounds, including nicotine and cannabinoids. To achieve higher absorption rates and fast onset, consumers traditionally defaulted to smoking. Lexaria provides a superior administration method by delivering these substances through a patented process within edible food products, thus eliminating all the harmful health consequences of smoking.

Lexaria’s technology is unique in that it takes advantage of GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) food ingredients processed with its patented DehydraTECH technology to improve taste, remove odor and decrease the time to onset of bitter-tasting drugs. Lexaria is primarily a B2B enterprise and has existing cannabinoid licensing agreements with companies in Canada and the United States. Lexaria has also developed its own hemp-oil brands partly for demonstration purposes, utilizing its patented technology to infuse hemp oil ingredients within popular foods such as coffee, tea and supplements. These brands include ViPova™, TurboCBD™ and ChargD+™.

Virtually unique across both the hemp and the cannabis industries, Lexaria has successfully entered into a R&D and product development partnership with one of the largest cigarette companies in the world for oral forms of nicotine delivery. Only a small handful of hemp or cannabis-related companies have achieved formal relationships with Fortune 500 industry leaders, demonstrating the wide applicability of Lexaria’s technology.

In June 2019, building on its original 2015 independent, third-party laboratory in vitro lab experiments, which confirmed the absorption levels of cannabidiol (“CBD”) into human intestinal cells rose by 499% through the utilization of the DehydraTECH technology, Lexaria completed a series of animal studies using an enhanced formulation of its DehydraTECH technology. The results of the animal studies using the enhanced DehydraTECH formulation showed an increase of CBD delivery into the blood when compared to generic industry MCT coconut-oil formulations by 811%. In addition, the animal studies also showed delivery of 1,937% more CBD into animal brain tissue after 8 hours using the enhanced DehydraTECH technology when compared to generic industry MCT coconut-oil formulations.

Lexaria also has completed the first phases of its collaborative research program with the Canadian government’s National Research Council (the “NRC”) under which several studies were designed to optimize Lexaria’s DehydraTECH technology, enabling delivery of API’s within foods, beverages, capsules and other ingestible formats. These studies investigated the lipophilic active agent classes including cannabinoids, vitamins, NSAIDs and nicotine using advanced analytical techniques, including mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance testing, with the results of the studies confirming that Lexaria’s DehydraTECH technology did not create any covalent-bonded new molecular entity (“NME”). Whenever an NME is created, regulatory bodies such as FDA and Health Canada routinely require extensive health, safety and efficacy studies prior to that product’s release into the marketplace. That the NRC program failed to find evidence of an NME suggests products utilizing the DehydraTECH technology may require a less burdensome regulatory pathway.

Results from this R&D have helped support B2B relationships with Fortune 500 companies. Lexaria has four distinct subsidiaries that focus on different market sectors: hemp/CBD; pharmaceutical; cannabis; and nicotine. In August 2019, Lexaria was issued its cannabis research and development licence from Health Canada which will allow Lexaria to continue its further investigations in-house of its DehydraTECH technology in connection with cannabinoids, along with ongoing work with vitamins, NSAIDs, PDE5-inhibitors, nicotine and other molecules.

Aside from testing, a critical component of Lexaria Bioscience’s business model is a strong and growing intellectual property portfolio. As of the August 2019, the company’s patent portfolio includes ~60 patent applications filed and pending in more than 40 countries around the world; and 16 patents granted to date. Lexaria is expecting additional new patent awards both in the U.S. and internationally by the end of 2019 and beyond. Some of its more recent areas of investigation have included human hormones and erectile dysfunction substances, among others. Lexaria’s granted patent portfolio related to cannabinoid delivery is one of the largest in the world.

Royalties play a vital role in Lexaria’s revenue-generating business model. The company out-licenses its technology to third-partners and has signed licensing agreements with start-up companies as well as with a Fortune 100 industry leader. The company’s growth initiatives are guided by a management team headed by CEO Chris Bunka, a serial entrepreneur who has contributed to several multi-hundred million-dollar valuations over the course of his career. He is supported by a growing team of professionals with extensive experience in pharmaceutical and bioscience sectors, invention, toxicology, consumer goods and other relevant skillsets.

Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (LXRP), closed Thursday's trading session at $0.4159, off by 3.2791%, on 53,676 volume with 41 trades. The average volume for the last 3 months is 103,293 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.3037/$1.39999997.

Recent News

• Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTCQX: LXRP) Announces Successful Processing of DehydraTECH(TM)-Enabled Nanoemulsion for CBD Beverages
• KSU Scientists Share Their Hemp Research Findings
• Milwaukee Company Earns Millions from CBD Joints

Bolt Metals Corp. (CSE: BOLT) (OTCQB: PCRCF) (XFRA: NXFE)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight Bolt Metals Corp. (OTCQB: PCRCF).

Bolt Metals Corp. (CSE: BOLT) (OTCQB: PCRCF) (XFRA: NXFE) today announced its entry into a non-binding cooperation agreement with Hunan Shijiyintian New Material Co., Ltd, an 100% wholly owned subsidiary of Hunan Jinxin New Material Co., Ltd. ("Hunan Jinxin").To view the full press release, visit http://nnw.fm/qZgE8. Also today, NetworkNewsWire released a report highlighting the company which examines the recent news that the impressive increase of electric vehicles (EV) is creating a significant increase in demand battery minerals, a demand that is fueling growth for mining companies, especially for those with operations in Indonesia, one of the world’s top producers of battery minerals. Furthermore, the company announced that it is providing clarifications to its press releases of March 5, 2020, March 4, 2020 and February 27, 2020. The Company’s Cyclops project was the subject of historical estimates completed in 1952 and 1970.  The Project does not currently host a mineral resource and the Company retracts any reference to the existence, of current mineral resources in the news releases either specifically stated or implied. The Company also retracts any reference to the property hosting “ore”.

Bolt Metals Corp. (CSE: BOLT) (OTCQB: PCRCF) (XFRA: NXFE) is a Canada-based exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of production-grade battery metals deposits within the Asia-Pacific region, employing a vertically integrated “minerals-to-market” strategy to leverage these assets to their fullest.

Bolt Metals Corp. is advancing its flagship, 100% controlled Cyclops Nickel-Cobalt located in Papua Province, Indonesia with a mandate to become a key contributor to Asia-Pacific’s rapidly expanding electric vehicle and battery supply chain.

The Cyclops project, uniquely positioned within the world’s largest producer of nickel and in proximity to China, the world’s largest “Gigafactory”, features near surface, strong nickel-cobalt mineralization. The property is situated in an area with excellent infrastructure including a nearby workforce, supplies, sealed roads, ocean access, nearby port facility and gentle topography. The project area, nestled on the north coast of Papua, Indonesia, establishes Bolt Metals well within the economically attractive ocean-going transportation range to Asia and its lucrative, growing industrial markets.

Global demand for renewable power is fueling a massive shift from traditional energy supply chain economics to nickel-reliant lithium-ion batteries, the world’s most widely used power source for portable applications such as electric vehicles and other high-tech applications.

Indonesia has recently approved environmental impact studies for factories to produce battery-grade nickel chemicals in Morowali. The approval will allow investors, such as China’s stainless steel giant Tsingshan Group, to continue the construction of their high-pressure acid leaching plants in Morowali, Central Sulawesi.

Ranjeet Sundher, chief executive officer of Bolt Metals, said: “Indonesia continues to make significant strategic decisions, and this latest announcement represents an important step in Bolt Metals’s efforts to benefit from Indonesia’s rapid development as a leading market for all stages of the EV supply chain. With offices in Vancouver, Shanghai and Jakarta, Bolt Metals is well positioned to leverage Asia’s global dominance in the battery manufacturing sector.”

Indonesia’s commitment extends to the very top of government, with Joko Widodo – Indonesia’s President – stating in September 2019 that “for nickel, we want raw materials to be processed in Indonesia. We want added values”. This supports previous pronouncements from key officials, including Indonesian Maritime Minister, Luhut Pandjaitan who remarked that Indonesia will “become the main player in lithium batteries” and that it will “control the world market”.

The country, which is the world’s top nickel ore exporter, has stopped export of unprocessed nickel ore to support this plan.

During 2019 the Company carried out an extensive exploration and development program on Cyclops and achieved successful nickel results with its drilling and bench-scale scoping tests for processing of materials.

Drilling identified significant horizons of nickel mineralization and bench-scale scoping tests returned positive results for processing of this nickel rich material.

The recovery percentages form the bench-scale test program are set out below (for further information, please refer to the Company’s press release of October 28, 2019):

Selected elevated nickel drill results are provided below from the Company’s shallow drilling program (for further information, please refer to the Company’s press releases of March 5, April 1, April 23, June 13, June 20 and September 10, 2019):

2020 will see continued and consistent development in Pacific Rim Cobalt’s strategy as the company continues to set ambitious milestones with the goal of becoming a leading international player in the EV battery metal sector and creating significant long-term shareholder value.

This includes preparations to commission and operate the company’s pilot plant in Canada, which will contain an integrated circuit to produce high-purity nickel and cobalt strip solutions to develop battery-grade nickel and cobalt.

The results of the pilot plant will then be used to establish the design criteria for the subsequent demonstration plant in Indonesia, which will produce nickel and cobalt products suitable to meet market specifications. As well as demonstrating Pacific Rim Cobalt’s ability to produce a product within market specifications, this will also be used to establish the design criteria for the company’s commercial-scale plant.

Pacific Rim Cobalt’s world-class management team includes Ranjeet Sundher, who has over 20 years of capital markets experience. Sundher is also president of Canrim Ventures Ltd., a Singaporean advisory firm specializing in early stage project finance and structure. He previously founded Indogold Exploration, a Jakarta-based mining service firm, and has raised over $40 million for companies in which he was a founder/partner.

Chief Financial Officer Steve Vanry has 25 years of professional experience in senior management positions with public and private natural resources companies, providing expertise in capital markets corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory compliance, accounting and financial reporting.

Andre Talaska serves as country manager and technical supervisor. He has over 30 years of experience in the mining and exploration industry and has held senior positions with several companies in Australia and southeast Asia. Shakir Juffry, business development/engineering, is a chemical engineer and extractive metallurgist by background training who has over 20 years of experience in the Indonesian mining and minerals exploration field. Toto Suarto Sajali, operation and development manager, is a mining engineer with over 15 years of experience in Indonesian project assessment, development and operations.

Bolt Metals Corp. (OTCQB: PCRCF), closed Thursday's trading session at $0.181, off by 14.8235%, on 313,694 volume with 125 trades. The average volume for the last 3 months is 35,278 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.079999998/$0.355599999.

Recent News

• Bolt Metals Corp. (CSE: BOLT) (OTCQB: PCRCF) (XFRA: NXFE) Enters Cooperation Agreement with Chinese Metals Supplier
• Increasing Demand for Electric Vehicles Fueling Significant Growth in Battery Mineral Industry
• Bolt Metals Provides Clarification of Disclosure in March 5, 2020 Press Release

ChineseInvestors.com (CIIX)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight ChineseInvestors.com (CIIX).

ChineseInvestors.com Inc. (OTCQB: CIIX) CEO Warren Wang announced during a MoneyTV interview that CIIX is launching a media campaign to raise awareness of the benefits of CBD oil (http://cnw.fm/gAtd3). The multimedia campaign consists of three infomercials: one aired on AM radio in China, one posted on WeChat and one aired on New York radio.

Founded in 1999, ChineseInvestors.com (CIIX) has become a leading financial information website for Chinese-speaking investors in the United States and China. Recognizing unprecedented opportunities in the U.S. cannabis industry, CIIX is also laying the groundwork to capitalize on growing demand for cannabidiol (CBD)-based nutrition and health products.

Through its primary website, www.ChineseInvestors.com, CIIX offers a variety of investor education products and services, including real-time market commentary, analysis and educational related services in Chinese language character sets; consultative services to smaller private companies considering becoming a public company; and advertising and public relations related support services.

At the center of this initiative is the ChineseInvestors Method, a unique integration of a disciplined investing process, web-based tools, personalized instructions and support. Using this strategy, CIIX provides reliable market information to help investors make informed investment decisions and meet their individualized financial goals.

CIIX is also leveraging its financial expertise to enter into the burgeoning CBD industry, which within a few years has grown from a relatively invisible sector to a billowing market expected to reach $2.1 billion in consumer sales by 2020.

The increasing demand for CBD-based products is a catalyst for innovative business endeavors. To this accord, CIIX has established a three-year development plan to capitalize on the convergence of CBD and the nutrition and health products market in mainland China, where the benefits of CBD oil have not been widely recognized.

Under a wholesale agreement with a reputable CBD health brand, CIIX is launching the world’s first online CBD health products store published in the Chinese language. The site, www.ChineseCBDoil.com, caters to a growing number of Chinese people awakening to the numerous health benefits of CBD oil for treatment of a variety of conditions such as anxiety, stress, poor sleep, Alzheimer’s disease, and more. CIIX expects to launch this website at the end of January 2017, and plans to sell CBD-infused products via online and in-store.

In conjunction, CIIX’s cannabis-focused “Yelp”-style mobile app is in development as a platform for Chinese people to review and discuss various cannabis products. The app will be the first marijuana social media mobile app designed for Chinese-speaking customers worldwide.

ChineseInvestors.com (CIIX), closed Thursday's trading session at $0.122, off by 4.3137%, on 12,958 volume with 8 trades. The average volume for the last 3 months is 52,160 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.100000001/$0.51999998.

Recent News

• ChineseInvestors.com Inc. (CIIX) Launches Media Campaign Raising Awareness of CBD-Oil Benefits
• 420 with CNW – Missouri Lawmakers Probe Allegations of Bias in Marijuana Licensing Process
• Colorado Company Hires Former FDA Chemist to Boost CBD Product Development

OriginClear (OTC: OCLN)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight OriginClear (OTC: OCLN).

OriginClear (OTCQB: OCLN), a leading provider of water treatment solutions, today announced a major repricing of its Modular Water Systems Pump and Lift Stations. According to the update, these systems, constructed using Structural Reinforced Thermoplastics (“SRTP”) with a lifespan of up to 100 years, are now priced to undercut conventional, pre-cast concrete stations, while maintaining profitability. To view the full press release, visit http://nnw.fm/uV6E8.

OriginClear (OTC: OCLN) leads the self-reliant water revolution, deploying advanced technologies at the point of use, with modular, prefabricated systems that create durable assets and water independence for industry, commerce and agriculture.

Failing infrastructure and the rising cost of water are driving businesses to treat their own water. OriginClear leads this megatrend with on-premise systems enabling very high purification and recycling levels that centralized systems cannot achieve.

Systems installed at the point of use become productive assets for businesses that also increase property values. And OriginClear helps corporations improve their environmental, social and governance (ESG) standings with world-class water management.

Operations & Markets

OriginClear leads a new generation of water companies that focus on meeting the needs of businesses looking for compact, advanced technologies that can be shipped to and installed at the point of use. The company manufactures and distributes its professional-grade water treatment and conveyance products to commercial and industrial properties, fielding both direct and indirect sales channels to reach end-market clients such as hotels and resorts, real estate housing developments, office buildings, military installations, schools, farms, food and beverage manufacturers, industrial warehouse, oil and gas producers, and medical and pharmaceutical facilities.

From its Texas-based factory, OriginClear designs and prefabricates an entire line of plug-n-play containerized units called Modular Water Systems™ that enable water purification, recycling and wastewater management.

Industrial Pretreatment Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) designed by Daniel M. Early, using reinforced thermoplastic modules.

These onsite modular products provide clients with water independence through ownership and operational control over water quality, enabling them to increase productivity while reducing environmental, health and safety risks from pollution, contamination and corrosion. Modular water products are trusted to balance performance with cost-effectiveness, enabling business users to go well beyond municipal standards for water quality, therefore achieving high levels of satisfaction for their own customers, and improved sustainability for their properties.

OriginClear’s water treatment equipment can boost real estate asset value as a fundamental capital improvement, combined with long-lasting water savings for the corporate bottom line.

Product Portfolio

OriginClear groups its products into three main categories:

1. Water Treatment: achieving high grade purification.
2. Water Conveyance: water transportation and pumping.
3. Advanced Technologies: commercialization of innovative technologies.

OriginClear’s complete line of compact, on-site, point-of-use products include: advanced purification systems that are skid, rack-mounted and containerized for reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration, media filtration, disinfection, water softening, ion exchange and electrodeionization (EDI), combined as needed in small to medium commercial and industrial applications, and custom-build projects. Water conveyance products include pump and lifting stations, modular storage tanks, and control monitoring panels.

OriginClear’s line of modular water products and systems is key to the self-reliant water treatment revolution as they create “instant infrastructure” – fully engineered, prefabricated and prepackaged systems that use durable, sophisticated materials. The units are available in standard capacities for onsite closed-loop systems at commercial business locations.

The company’s rugged wastewater treatment plants, highly reliable pump stations, and premium water purification units typically offer 25 percent lower initial costs over conventional systems, with greater quality and full connectivity. These pump stations and wastewater treatment products utilize high density thermo-plastics (HDPE) and proprietary, innovative prefabrication methods and materials that deliver the longest life and strongest products.

Breakthrough Technologies

OriginClear has a long history of innovation through its OriginClear Technologies division, which is responsible for identifying leading-edge technologies to solve today’s toughest challenges. These advanced technologies are the centerpiece of the division’s international licensee network. The technologies are developed in OriginClear Technologies, and licensees integrate them into their own products.

Electro Water Separation™ (EWS) and Advanced Oxidation (AOx™) are the principal, well-proven technologies.

EWS is OriginClear’s breakthrough water cleanup technology which utilizes a catalytic process to concentrate and eliminate suspended solids in the worst commercial and industrial wastewater.

AOx is OriginClear’s proprietary advanced oxidation technology which generates a dense cloud of ozone, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals, dramatically reducing or eliminating dissolved organic microtoxins, including bacteria and viruses, hormones, drugs, pesticides such as Roundup, and synthetics. AOx has also been shown to effectively reduce harmful chemicals such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide – the “rotten egg” smell in crude oil that reduces its value.

Through international licensing and partnerships, OriginClear’s advanced technologies are being adopted to treat tough water problems in East and South Asia, Europe and the Middle East, and North America.

Market Opportunity

In just 10 years, the global water services market has doubled into a trillion-dollar industry, driven by improper sanitation and water scarcity. Only 20 percent of all sewage and only 30 percent of all industrial waste are ever treated. Additionally, water leakage results in the loss of 35 percent of all clean water across the planet; reducing that percentage by half would provide clean water for 100 million people. This is a situation of great danger, but also great potential.

The statistics demonstrate that we can no longer rely on the efficiencies of giant, centralized water utilities to meet these challenges. An increasing number of businesses are starting to take notice, instead conducting their own water treatment and recycling. Whether by choice or out of necessity, those businesses that do invest in onsite water systems get a tangible asset on their business and real estate, and can enjoy better water quality at a lower cost.

Out of the public’s eye and with OriginClear’s help, a growing number of self-reliant businesses are building Decentralized Water Wealth™ for themselves while also helping their community. They know that environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing guidelines, which represent $22 trillion of assets under management around the world, specifically note the key indicator of how well corporations manage their water.

10,000 Gallon per Day Industrial Membrane Bioreactor Waste Water Treatment Plant designed by Daniel M. Early, PE, using long-lived Structural Reinforced ThermoPlastic (SRTP)

OriginClear is a key enabler of ESG water management for corporations that are increasingly responsible for what was once delegated to central utilities. For example, when a corporation manages its own water, and uses OriginClear’s proprietary hybrid treatment methods, it can significantly reduce both water use and nutrient footprints (carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus) in one compact package.

These hybrid processes feature advanced blackwater treatment with advanced clean water processing. They can convert toxic nutrients to less harmful compounds, and even capture them for beneficial reuse purposes, as shown in OriginClear’s recent case study.

Revenue Growth through Synergy

Since OriginClear acquired it in 2015, Progressive Water Treatment has generated steady revenues in the range of a million dollars a quarter. It is now the Fabrication and Manufacturing Division for the whole company. The team at Modular Water Systems, headed by Chief Engineer Daniel M. Early, is responsible for overall design and high-level engineering. It relies on the Fabrication and Manufacturing Division to add incremental revenue for its modular product line, without requiring large increases in personnel.

OriginClear believes that these two business units can develop growing revenues through synergy and ultimately help achieve overall profitability. OriginClear also seeks to acquire profitable water companies that can complement the synergy of its existing units and accelerate both revenues and profitability. However, acquisitions are neither guaranteed, nor essential to OriginClear’s continued growth.

Leadership

OriginClear’s management team brings strong leadership and a background in managing business operations, sales, technologies, and finance. The team combines idealism with solid commercial skills, achieving a triple bottom line of environmental, social and financial gain.

Riggs Eckelberry – Chairman, CEO and Co-founder
Riggs Eckelberry is a veteran technology manager who led companies to multiple exits during the high-tech boom of the 90s and early 2000s. Eckelberry came to the water industry from a quarter century in high technology, specializing in commercializing breakthrough technologies. During the dotcom boom, he worked on a series of tech successes, such as Quarterdeck’s CleanSweep; security software vendor Panda Software; and the sale of companies to EarthWeb, BeFree, and BellSouth. Just prior to founding what is now OriginClear, he helped drive security software company CyberDefender to an IPO on the Nasdaq as its president and chief operating officer.

Thomas Marchesello – Chief Operating Officer
Thomas Marchesello is a business operations and technology executive with over 20 years’ experience in manufacturing and distribution of products and services. He has 12 years in private equity M&A, doing buyside acquisitions of small to midsize corporations. He has over 10 years advising innovative corporations on ESG strategy and speaks often about industry trends. He began his career in the U.S. Air Force, Space Command Headquarters for environmental sciences. He has held key roles for Fortune 500 companies such as Sony, Thompson Reuters, Morgan Stanley, and Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

Daniel M. Early, PE – Senior Engineer
For the past 25 years, Dan Early has worked as an engineered products development specialist with very strong understanding of the complex and interconnected disciplines, economies, and governmental regulation needed to develop and sustain modern civil infrastructure systems that reflect a balance of environmental stewardship, social expectations, and cultural requirements. Since 2010, Early has specialized in the research, development, and deployment of next generation water infrastructure technologies using heavy plastic manufacturing. His initiatives and innovations anchor Modular Water Systems’ product line.

Marc Stevens – Director of Fabrication and Manufacturing
Marc Stevens brings nearly 40 years of experience to OriginClear’s manufacturing team. His experience in mechanical design, equipment fabrication, installation and a wide range of projects led to his founding what is now OriginClear’s Fabrication and Manufacturing Division. He supervises the design, building and installation of customized, large-scale water treatment systems, including purification technologies for process waters for boilers and cooling towers, drinking water and various industrial waste water applications. Stevens leads the team that also manufactures OriginClear’s standardized Modular Water Systems.

OriginClear (OCLN), closed Thursday's trading session at $0.10, up 11.1111%, on 104,716 volume with 20 trades. The average volume for the last 3 months is 66,769 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.078749999/$2.79999995.

Recent News

• OriginClear Inc. (OCLN) Announces Disruptive Pricing of Pump and Lift Systems to Undercut Conventional, Pre-Cast Concrete Stations
• MoneyTV with Donald Baillargeon, 2/21
• MoneyTV with Donald Baillargeon, 2/14

Genprex Inc. (NASDAQ: GNPX)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight Genprex Inc. (NASDAQ: GNPX).

Genprex (NASDAQ: GNPX), a clinical-stage gene therapy company developing potentially life-changing treatments for cancer and other serious diseases, today announced that Dr. George Gittes, the lead researcher and Harvard graduate that developed Genprex’s new potentially curative diabetes gene therapy, was featured in a video interview discussing the therapy. To watch the full video interview, visit http://nnw.fm/VOm6k. To view the full press release, visit http://nnw.fm/bN3Di.

Genprex Inc. (NASDAQ: GNPX) is a clinical-stage gene therapy company developing potentially life-changing technologies for cancer patients based upon a unique proprietary technology platform, including Genprex’s initial product candidate, Oncoprex™ immunogene therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Genprex’s platform technologies are designed to administer cancer-fighting genes by encapsulating them into nanoscale hollow spheres called nanovesicles, which are then administered intravenously and taken up by tumor cells where they express proteins that are missing or found in low quantities.

Research and Development

Genprex holds a portfolio of 30 issued and two pending patents covering its technologies and targeted molecular therapies. The company’s research and development program is focused on identifying and developing leading-edge gene therapies that can be used alone or in combination with other therapies for treatment of cancer.

Genprex’s initial product candidate is Oncoprex™, an immunogene therapy for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Oncoprex works by interrupting cell signaling pathways that cause replication and proliferation of cancer cells, re-establishes pathways for apoptosis (or programmed cell death) in cancer cells, and modulates the immune response against cancer cells. Oncoprex has also been shown to block mechanisms that create drug resistance.

Preclinical research is being conducted with the goal of developing Oncoprex to be administered with targeted therapies in other solid tumors, and with immunotherapies in NSCLC and other solid tumors. In addition, Genprex has conducted and plans to continue research into other tumor suppressor genes associated with chromosome 3p21.3, as well as other potential applications of the company’s immunogene therapy platform.

Clinical Trials

Genprex is currently conducting the second phase of a phase I/II clinical trial at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. The company plans to expand its clinical program by adding a new clinical study evaluating Oncoprex™ in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor for treatment of Stage IV or recurrent NSCLC. In research presented at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research in Washington, D.C., Genprex’s collaborators showed that TUSC2 in combination with PD-1 checkpoint inhibition has a significantly greater anti-tumor effect in lung cancer than either agent alone. The research also shows that TUSC2 in combination with PD-1 blockade has synergistic activity in upregulating natural killer (NK) cells, correlating with prolonged survival in mice.

TUSC2 (Tumor Suppressor Candidate 2) is a tumor suppressor gene that is absent or deficient in cancer cells of many different cancer types.

The Market

Genprex technologies seek to bridge a critical gap by combining with targeted therapies and immunotherapies to provide treatments to large patient populations who would otherwise not be candidates for those therapies or who have become resistant to them. Genprex technologies are being developed to overcome genomic limitations which are inherent in targeted therapies and immunotherapies in order to provide new treatment solutions to large cancer populations, such as those with lung cancer.

Each year, more people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast and prostate cancers combined. NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer, accounting for about 85 percent of all lung cancers, according to the American Cancer Society (“ACS”). Despite radical advances in drug development and novel therapeutic standards, survival for late stage lung cancer has not improved significantly in the past 25 years.

Senior Management

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer J. Rodney Varner, JD, is a co-founder of Genprex and has served in these roles since August 2012. He has more than 35 years of legal experience with large and small law firms and as outside general counsel of a Nasdaq-listed company. Varner has served as counsel in company formation, mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, other business transactions, protection of trade secrets and other intellectual property, real estate, and business litigation. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas and has been admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Court and the U.S. Tax Court.

Julien L. Pham, M.D., MPH, is president and chief operating officer of Genprex. In March 2013, Dr. Pham co-founded RubiconMD, a healthcare IT company that connects primary care providers to specialists for additional guidance and opinions on medical cases and served as its chief medical officer. He has served on the faculty at Harvard Medical School’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital and is a board-certified internal medicine doctor and nephrologist.

Ryan M. Confer, MS, has served as Genprex chief financial officer since September 2016. Confer has more than 10 years of executive experience in planning, launching, developing, and growing emerging technology companies and has served in the chief operating and chief financial roles for non-profit and for-profit entities since 2008. Confer has also served as an international business development consultant for the University of Texas at Austin’s IC2 Institute, where he focused on evaluating the commercialization potential of nascent technologies in domestic and international markets applicable to technology incubator programs associated with the University. Confer holds a BS in finance and legal studies from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania and an MS in technology commercialization from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin.

Jan Stevens, RN, is vice president of Clinical Operations. Stevens has nearly 20 years of comprehensive clinical operations experience in the biopharma industry and a specialization in early-to-late stage oncology companies. Stevens joined the company to help support the various clinical development programs for Oncoprex™.

Genprex Inc. (NASDAQ: GNPX), closed Thursday's trading session at $4.19, off by 7.3009%, on 2,896,270 volume with 8,477 trades. The average volume for the last 3 months is 7,506,675 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.231000006/$7.0300002.

Recent News

• Genprex, Inc.’s (NASDAQ: GNPX) Lead Researcher Behind its Diabetes Gene Therapy Featured in New Video Interview
• Genprex, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNPX) CEO Presenting at the 2020 LD Micro Virtual Conference
• Genprex, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNPX) to Present at the Third Annual LD Micro Virtual Conference