Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE American: UUUU) (TSX: EFR)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight Energy Fuels Inc. (UUUU).

Energy Fuels (NYSE American: UUUU) (TSX: EFR) today announced its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2022. Among the highlights, the company reported a robust balance sheet with $136.6 million of working capital, including $105.8 million of cash and marketable securities, $29.7 million of inventory, and no short- or long-term debt. “Energy Fuels continues to benefit from increases in the prices for all of the critical elements and materials we produce,” said Mark S. Chalmers, Energy Fuels’ president and CEO. “Though volatile, uranium prices have continued to exhibit strength and resilience, which we expect to continue as Russia’s invasion in Ukraine continues. As a result of Russia’s aggression, we believe domestic and global nuclear utilities are reducing ties with the Russian state-owned nuclear company. We also believe U.S. uranium and nuclear fuel suppliers may be seeing increased interest from U.S. utilities as a result of the $6 billion civil nuclear credit program, which prioritizes reactors that purchase nuclear fuel and uranium from U.S. suppliers, which would include Energy Fuels.” In addition, the company announced that it will host a video webcast at 4:00 p.m. ET ( 2:00 p.m. MT) on May 18, 2022, to discuss its Q1-2022 financial results, the outlook for 2022, uranium, rare earths, vanadium, and medical isotopes. Interested parties should visit https://ibn.fm/dX016 to join the webcast and access the presentation and viewer-controlled slides. To participate and ask questions, attendees should dial 1-888-664-6392 (toll free in the U.S. and Canada). A recorded version of the proceedings will be available on Energy Fuels’ website shortly after the webcast by calling 1-888-390-0541 (toll free in the U.S. and Canada) and entering code 271887#. The recording will be available until June 1, 2022. To view the full press release, visit https://ibn.fm/OTw7i. Energy security is an issue that has plagued countries across the globe, especially in the last couple of years with the coronavirus pandemic highlighting just how fragile supply chains are during global health crises. This was highlighted again when Ukraine was invaded by Russia earlier this year, which left the supply of gas and oil in Europe in uncertainty. Currently, the United States imports 90% of the uranium it uses to generate 20% of its electricity. To ensure a steady supply of electricity from nuclear reactors, many have proposed that a strategic uranium stockpile be built. America plans to significantly ramp up its production, which is still very low at the moment. Figures from 2020 show that the country only produced 220,000 pounds of uranium that year, with entities such as Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE American: UUUU) (TSX: EFR) producing most of that uranium.

Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE American: UUUU) (TSX: EFR),based in Lakewood, Colorado, is the country’s largest producer of uranium and the leading conventional producer of vanadium, both designated by the U.S. government as critical minerals.

As the leading U.S. diversified uranium miner, Energy Fuels’ uranium production portfolio stands apart in the world. Energy Fuels has more uranium production facilities, more production capacity, and more in-ground resources than any other company in the United States. In fact, the company’s assets have produced over one-third of all U.S. uranium over the past 15 years and is uniquely positioned to increase production to meet new demand.

Energy Fuels utilizes both conventional and in-situ recovery (“ISR”) technology to produce uranium from three strategic facilities:

• White Mesa Mill in Utah (conventional) has a licensed capacity of over 8 million pounds of U3O8 per year. The highly strategic White Mesa Mill is the only conventional uranium mill in the country and is proximate to some of the largest and highest-grade uranium mines and projects in the U.S., including the Company’s Canyon mine, La Sal Complex, Henry Mountains Complex and Roca Honda Project. White Mesa Mill provides Energy Fuels with significant production scalability as uranium demand increases. The White Mesa Mill also has other diverse businesses, including vanadium, rare earth elements (REE’s), alternate feed materials recycling and land cleanup, all described below.
• Nichols Ranch Plant (ISR) is located in the productive Powder River Basin district of Wyoming and has a total licensed capacity of 2 million pounds of U3O8 per year. Nichols Ranch has produced 1.2 million pounds of U3O8 since commissioning in 2014, and it has significant future expansion potential from 34 fully licensed wellfields containing significant in-ground uranium resources.
• Alta Mesa Plant (ISR) is located on over 200,000 acres of private land in Texas. The fully licensed and constructed ISR project has a total operating capacity of 1.5 million pounds of uranium per year and produced nearly 5 million pounds of U3O8 between 2005 and 2013. This low-cost production facility is currently on standby, maintained in a state of readiness to respond to expected increases in demand.

In addition to being the largest uranium miner in the U.S., Energy Fuels’ overall portfolio also includes a pipeline of high-quality, large-scale exploration and development projects that are permitted or are in advanced stages of permitting, as well as an industry-leading U.S. NI 43-101 Mineral Resource portfolio.

FACTOID: Energy Fuels has led industry efforts over the past two-plus years to get the U.S. government to recognize the importance of domestically produced uranium, including the 2018 – 2019 Uranium Section 232, the ongoing Nuclear Fuel Working Group and the recently announced creation of the U.S. strategic uranium reserve. The U.S. is by far the largest consumer of uranium in the world, yet we import almost all of our requirements; Energy Fuels aims to change that.

Nuclear Market Potential

Multiple studies in top scientific journals have shown that nuclear power is cleanest and most economical way to produce reliable electricity as worldwide demand continues to soar. Nuclear power is presently the only available and affordable low-carbon power source that can meet both current and future baseload electricity demands while simultaneously reducing air pollution and mitigating climate change. U.S. nuclear power plants currently generate nearly 20% of the nation’s electricity overall and 55% of its carbon‐free electricity and even a modest increase in electricity demand would require significant new nuclear capacity by 2025. According to the World Nuclear Association (WNA), there are currently 441 operable reactors, with another 54 units under construction and 439 in various stages of planning; in addition, the WNA has identified a potentially massive supply/demand gap through 2040 of 1 billion pounds. These factors among others are expected to significantly drive increased demand for uranium.

Reasons Nuclear is Gaining Traction

• Nuclear reactors emit no greenhouse gases during operation. Over their full lifetimes, they result in comparable emissions to renewable forms of energy such as wind and solar.
• Unlike any other form of energy, the waste from nuclear energy is contained and managed securely. Used fuel is currently being safely stored for ultimate disposal or future reprocessing, and 96% of this waste can potentially be recycled.
• Greater demand for clean electricity to power everything from homes to automobiles, reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

No. 1 U.S. Producer of Vanadium in 2019

Energy Fuels also produces vanadium as a byproduct of uranium production. Vanadium is designated a critical mineral, essential to the economic and national security of the United States. Energy Fuels was the largest producer of vanadium in the U.S. in 2019, and has significant high-grade, in-ground vanadium resources, as well as a separate high-purity vanadium production circuit at their White Mesa Mill, which is also the only conventional vanadium mill in the country. Crucial for use in the steel, aerospace, and chemical industries, vanadium plays a critical role in the production of high-strength and light-weight metallic alloys and demand is expected to increase across the globe.

Energy Fuels has several fully permitted and developed standby mines containing large quantities of high-grade vanadium, along with uranium, including:

• La Sal Complex (Utah)
• Whirlwind Mine (Colorado/Utah)
• Rim Mine (Colorado)

Vanadium has also gained increased attention as a catalyst in next-generation high-capacity, “community-scale” batteries used for energy storage generated from renewable sources. Demand is only expected to grow as this market expands. With recent upgrades in its vanadium production operations, in 2019 Energy Fuels produced commercial levels of the highest purity (99.7%) vanadium in the mill’s history and can rapidly adjust production to meet volatile market conditions. Energy Fuels is one of the very few known avenues that provides investors access the vanadium market.

Rare Earth Element (REE) Production, Alternate Feed Material Recycling, and Land Cleanup

The White Mesa Mill also provides the company with diverse cashflow generating opportunities. Security of supply for Rare Earth Elements (REEs) supporting U.S. military and defense requirements is a major issue today. Energy Fuels has been approached by a number of entities, including the U.S. government, inquiring about the potential to process certain REEs at the mill. The White Mesa Mill is currently licensed to process certain REEs, including tantalum and niobium. And, early indications are that the mill can be utilized to produce several other REEs. The White Mesa Mill is also the only facility in North America licensed and capable of recycling alternate feed materials (AFMs). AFMs are essentially low-level waste materials that contain recoverable quantities of natural (or unenriched) uranium. The Company typically generates between $5 and $15 million per year from AFM recycling. Finally, Energy Fuels is seeking to become involved in the cleanup of legacy Cold War era uranium mines in the Four Corners region of the U.S., including on the Navajo Nation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has access to over $1.5 billion for the cleanup of just a fraction of the sites on the Navajo Nation. The White Mesa Mill is fully licensed to receive much of this material, we are one of the government’s lowest cost options, and we have the ability to recycle the material and produce usable uranium from it.

Management Team

Mark S. Chalmers, President and CEO
Mark S. Chalmers is the president and chief executive officer of Energy Fuels, a position he has held since Feb. 1, 2018, following his role as chief operating officer of Energy Fuels from July 1, 2016 – Jan. 31, 2018. From 2011 to 2015, Chalmers served as executive general manager of Production for Paladin Energy Ltd., a uranium producer with assets in Australia and Africa, including the Langer Heinrich and Kayelekera mines where, as head of operations, he oversaw sustained, significant increases in production while reducing operating costs. He also possesses extensive experience in in situ recovery (“ISR”) uranium production, including management of the Beverley Uranium Mine owned by General Atomics (Australia), and the Highland mine owned by Cameco Corporation (USA). Chalmers has also consulted to several of the largest players in the uranium supply sector, including BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, and Marubeni, and until recently served as the chair of the Australian Uranium Council, a position he held for 10 years. Chalmers is a registered professional engineer and holds a Bachelor of Science in Mining Engineering from the University of Arizona.

W. Paul Goranson, COO
W. Paul Goranson is the chief operating officer for Energy Fuels. Goranson has 30 years of mining, processing and regulatory experience in the uranium extraction industry that includes both conventional and in-situ recovery (“ISR”) mining, and he is a registered professional engineer. Prior to the acquisition by Energy Fuels of Uranerz Energy Corporation, Goranson served as president, chief operating officer and director for Uranerz, where he was responsible for operations of the Nichols Ranch ISR Uranium Project. In addition to those duties, he also managed uranium marketing, regulatory and government affairs, exploration and land. Prior to joining Uranerz, Goranson served as president of Cameco Resources, where he led the operations at the Smith Ranch-Highland, Crow Butte and North Butte ISR uranium recovery facilities. Goranson also served as vice president of Mesteña Uranium LLC, and he has served in senior positions with Rio Algom Mining, (a subsidiary of BHP Billiton), and Uranium Resource Inc. Goranson has a Bachelor of Science in Natural Gas Engineering from Texas A&I University, and a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

David C. Frydenlund, CFO, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary
David C. Frydenlund is chief financial officer, general counsel, and corporate secretary of Energy Fuels. His responsibilities include oversight of all legal matters relating to the company’s activities. His expertise extends to NRC, EPA, state and federal regulatory and environmental laws and regulations. From 1997 to 2012, Frydenlund was vice president of regulatory affairs, general counsel and corporate secretary of Denison Mines Corp., and its predecessor International Uranium Corporation (“IUC”). He also served as a director of IUC from 1997 to 2006 and CFO of IUC from 2000 to 2005. From 1996 to 1997, Frydenlund was vice president of the Lundin Group of international public mining and oil and gas companies, and prior thereto was a partner with the Vancouver law firm of Ladner Downs (now Borden Ladner Gervais) where his practice focused on corporate, securities and international mining transactions law. Frydenlund holds a bachelor’s degree in business and economics from Simon Fraser University, a master’s degree in economics and finance from the University of Chicago and a law degree from the University of Toronto.

Curtis H. Moore, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Development
Curtis H. Moore is the vice president of Marketing and Corporate Development for Energy Fuels. He oversees product marketing for Energy Fuels, and is closely involved in mergers & acquisitions, investor relations, public relations, and corporate legal. He has been with Energy Fuels for over 12 years, holding various roles of increasing responsibility. Prior to joining Energy Fuels, Moore worked in multi-family real estate development, government relations and public affairs, production homebuilding, and private law practice. Moore is a licensed attorney in the State of Colorado. He holds Juris Doctor and MBA degrees from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a Bachelor of Arts dual degree in Economics-Government from Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California.

Energy Fuels Inc. (UUUU), closed Tuesday's trading session at $6.52, up 10.1351%, on 4,783,010 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is 4.751M and the stock's 52-week low/high is $4.32/$11.39.

Recent News

• Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE American: UUUU) (TSX: EFR) - Is it Time for US to Have a Strategic Uranium Stockpile?
• InvestorNewsBreaks - Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE American: UUUU) (TSX: EFR) Announces Q1-2022 Results, to Host Video Webcast
• Energy Fuels Announces Q1-2022 Results, Including Continued Robust Balance Sheet, Market-Leading U.S. Uranium Position & Rare Earth Production

SPYR Inc. (OTCQB: SPYR)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight SPYR Inc. (OTCQB: SPYR).

NetworkNewsWire Editorial Coverage: It’s generally accepted that the phrase “Internet of Things” was coined in 1999 during a presentation for Procter & Gamble. Actually, the concept was already in use more than 15 years earlier when programmers at Carnegie Mellon University connected a Coke machine to the internet so they could see if there were any cold Cokes available before walking to the machine to buy one. After four decades, the Internet of Things (“IoT”) has become ubiquitous, making its way into essentially every facet of day-to-day life and consumer demand for IoT products has become insatiable. That demand has proved a boon for innovative companies such as SPYR Inc. (OTCQB: SPYR) (Profile) as well as famous FAANG companies: Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) and Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) (formerly known as Facebook).

SPYR Inc. (OTCQB: SPYR), dba SPYR Technologies, is a technology company which, through its Applied MagiX Inc. subsidiary, develops and resells Apple®-ecosystem-compatible products with an emphasis on the growing, multibillion-dollar Internet of Things (IoT) Smart Home and Connected Car markets.

SPYR continues to identify and target acquisitions with an aim of growing its footprint in the industry and expanding the products it offers consumers, including companies developing artificial intelligence and smart-technology products. In 2020, SPYR acquired Applied MagiX Inc., a registered Apple developer and reseller of Apple ecosystem compatible products with an emphasis on the smart home market, as a wholly owned subsidiary. Applied MagiX operates in the IoT market and, more specifically, the segment of the market related to the development, manufacture and sale of devices and accessories specifically built on Apple’s HomeKit® framework. These products work within the Apple HomeKit ecosystem and are exclusive to the Apple market and its consumers.

Initially, while working to develop, manufacture and sell its own line of branded products, Applied MagiX will be sourcing HomeKit products and accessories from worldwide manufacturers, vetting and selecting best-of-breed products, selling them directly to consumers and supporting them. The company focuses on Apple consumers – a target market with higher disposable income and a demonstrated willingness to pay a premium for quality products. On average, Apple product users spend roughly twice as much on technology as other smartphone users. Those who purchase smart home products spend more than $3,000 on average.

By creating smart hardware and software solutions exclusively for Apple consumers, SPYR addresses a problem faced by that market – having few “smart” devices that integrate with Apple’s HomeKit, despite being the most affluent and loyal consumers of tech products.

Products

The company’s Applied MagiX subsidiary offers multiple product lines to its target markets. First, the subsidiary is a reseller of third-party manufactured Apple HomeKit and Apple CarPlay compatible products. HomeKit comes pre-installed on every new iPhone, while the CarPlay platform is licensed by all major auto manufacturers. Applied MagiX identifies white label products, applies the company’s branding, improves the software and sells these improved products to consumers. Finally, Applied MagiX is developing its own proprietary line of smart home and connected car products, including Apple-compatible home cameras, sensors and alarms, as well as additional Apple-compatible smart car products in the iOS ecosystem.

Among the subsidiary’s products sold to consumers are:

• The MagixDrive Wireless CarPlay adapter, which allows users to access CarPlay wirelessly using their iPhones
• The HomeKit Secure Video Camera with iCloud Storage
• The Multipurpose Sensor with Alarm
• The Environment and Motion Sensor
• The Window and Door Contact Sensor

Market Outlook

According to Statista, the global smart home market is expected to generate revenue of more than $104 billion in 2021. The market is forecast to hit more than $187 billion in revenue by 2025, recording a CAGR of 15.75 percent.

The number of active households in the worldwide smart home market is expected to reach nearly 500 million by 2025. Household penetration is just over 12 percent in 2021 and is projected to nearly double by 2025 to more than 22 percent.

Allied Market Research valued the global connected car market at more than $63 billion in 2019 and projected a CAGR of 17.1 percent, which would push revenue to more than $225 billion by 2027. Allied identified rising consumer demand for connectivity solutions, surging need for constant connectivity, increasing dependency on technology and an upsurge in tech-savvy population as key factors driving the projected growth of the connected car market.

Management Team

James R. Thompson is the CEO, President and General Counsel of SPYR. Over the past 28 years, Mr. Thompson has deftly managed a colorful spectrum of legal clients and situations. In the process, he has helped many companies – both large and small – thrive. Now he welcomes the challenge to take the company and his career in an entirely new direction. A native of Philadelphia, he holds a J.D. from Rutgers University and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Denver.

Jennifer Duettra is the Executive Vice President of SPYR. She brings a great deal of knowledge in mobile gaming and pop culture to the company. She is an attorney and was thrilled by the prospect to combine her law experience with a chance to be creative. She is a native of Colorado and received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Speech Communication from Colorado State University. She holds a J.D. from Harvard University.

Trang Nguyen is the CFO of SPYR. From 2019 to 2020, she served as the Financial Reporting Manager for Del Taco, where she was responsible for the preparation and filing of periodic financial reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. From 2016 through 2019, Ms. Nguyen was Accounting Manager for Pinnacle Tax Accounting in Los Angeles, California. She was a part of Ernst & Young’s audit team in Los Angeles from 2006 to 2008, leading engagements on interim and year-end ad SOX 404 auditing procedures for major enterprise accounts. Ms. Nguyen holds a Bachelor of Art, Business Economics (Minor in Accounting) from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is a certified public accountant with an inactive license.

Dr. Harald Zink is the CEO, Founder and Chief Product Architect of SPYR subsidiary Applied MagiX. Prior to founding Applied MagiX, he was Director of Technologies and later Vice President of Technologies at Sarkissian Productions in Los Angeles. He also served as Director of Technologies at SMZ Technologies and, for more than 17 years, as Macintosh Technology Consultant to The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. He speaks five languages and holds degrees from the University of California, Riverside.

Kelly Clark is the COO of Applied MagiX. Before joining the subsidiary, he worked as Vice President of Sales Operations at TruClear Global. Prior to that, Mr. Clark was Senior Director of Program Management at Pacific Group Ventures and Operations Manager at Barco. He has also held operations management positions at Deluxe Digital Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment. Mr. Clark holds a bachelor’s degree in international business from the University of Southern California.

SPYR Inc. (OTCQB: SPYR), closed Tuesday's trading session at $0.04, up 27.7955%, on 834,880 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is 834,880 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.02355/$0.1049.

Recent News

• SPYR Inc. (OTCQB: SPYR) - From a Single Soda Machine to Everywhere: The Explosion of the IoT
• SPYR Inc. (SPYR) Probing Considerations Aimed at Fueling Expansion Amid Expected Growth in the Internet of Things
• SPYR Inc. (SPYR) Announces Plans to Boost Shareholder Value Through Market Expansion, Product Upgrades

Flora Growth Corp. (NASDAQ: FLGC)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight Flora Growth Corp. (NASDAQ: FLGC).

• Luis Merchan, Flora Growth’s CEO, will serve as the new Chairman of the Board
• Tim Leslie, the Chairman of the company’s Advisory Board, will serve on its Board and audit committee
• Flora Growth’s management is confident that these changes will position it as a U.S-based issuer while increasing its access to U.S-based investment

Since the beginning of 2022, Flora Growth (NASDAQ: FLGC) has been making strategic moves that strengthen its human resources and reinforce its executive team. The government in Thailand has announced that it plans to distribute one million free marijuana plants in June as it marks the commencement of a new law permitting the cultivation of marijuana at home. This announcement was made by the nation’s health minister. Anutin Charnvirakul, Thailand’s health minister, took to Facebook to make his announcement on May 8, 2022. He said that the government wants marijuana to be grown like any other household crop. With Thailand due to begin commercial sales of medical marijuana, more of the world looks set to open to international cannabis sector actors such as Flora Growth Corp. (NASDAQ: FLGC), one country at a time.

Flora Growth Corp. (NASDAQ: FLGC) is an internationally focused cannabis brand builder that leverages natural, cost-effective cultivation practices to supply cannabis derivatives to its diverse business divisions, including cosmetics, hemp textiles, and food and beverage. Flora Growth operates one of the largest outdoor cultivation facilities in the world with an aim of marketing a higher-quality premium product at below-market prices. By prioritizing natural ingredients and value-chain sustainability across its portfolio, the company creates premium products that help consumers restore and thrive.

Flora Growth completed the first traditional cannabis IPO on Nasdaq in May 2021. Although currently headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, with plans to relocate its head office to Miami, Florida, the company’s base of operations is in Colombia, where it has built an extensive distribution network that includes Colombia’s largest distributors.

Currently, Flora Growth is organically growing market share for its existing brand portfolio (pharmaceuticals, textiles, cosmetics, and food & beverage) while seeking revenue-generating acquisitions that offer an accretive distribution network to amplify revenue growth.

Existing Brand & Product Portfolio

Flora Growth’s portfolio spans a number of verticals – each with a thoughtful brand designed to resonate with its intended end consumer. In line with the company’s mission, each brand prioritizes natural ingredients and value-chain sustainability.

Flora Lab S.A.S

Flora Lab is the company’s GMP certified manufacturing and R&D center focused on producing pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and nutraceuticals for domestic and international markets. Its offerings include product lines that are private label, white-label, and custom formulas.

Through Flora Lab, Flora Growth has relationships with 1,500+ distribution channels, manufactures 63+ OTC products registered with INVIMA (Colombia National Food and Drug Surveillance Institute), and holds multiple GMP certifications enabling international export in an effort to leverage Flora Lab’s capacity to produce a wide range of CBD-infused products.

Flora Beauty

Flora Beauty is the company’s CBD beauty and cosmetics division founded by fashion and beauty industry icon Paulina Vega. Its current offerings include two CBD skincare brands targeting the U.S. and Latin American markets – MIND NATURALS and AWE. These lines exemplify Flora Growth’s socially conscious approach to business.

Currently, Flora Beauty products are offered globally through e-commerce, as well as through Falabella’s 111 retail locations across Latin America. The company is in negotiations with major department stores to launch the line in the U.S. and is also exploring opportunities in the U.K. and other European markets.

KASA Wholefoods

KASA Wholefoods is a Colombian manufacturer of food and beverages leveraging responsibly sourced exotic fruits from the Amazon. KASA has a $10 million+ distribution agreement with Tropi, Colombia’s largest food distributor, which has 130,000+ distribution points across the country.

Mambe, KASA’s leading brand, is already offered through over 980 distribution points across Colombia. Flora Growth expects this network to grow to over 1,200 distribution points in 2021, including one of Colombia’s largest coffee chains, Tostao Café & Pan.

Hemp Textiles & Co.

Through its Hemp Textiles division, Flora Growth intends to utilize its large land package and cultivation infrastructure to capture market share in the rapidly growing hemp industrials segment.

The company’s first brand through this division, Stardog Loungewear, offers a line of comfortable loungewear made from natural, organic materials. Stardog has been distributing globally through e-commerce and brick and mortar channels in Bogota since fall 2020, and the company intends to open U.S. brick and mortar locations in 2021.

Accretive M&A

Flora Growth is targeting transactions to complete the supply chain via key infrastructure to enhance its global distribution with the aim to compete on low-cost, high-quality inputs paired with premium brands that create business lines with robust margins.

To date, Flora has announced two major transactions.

Koch & Gsell (Acquisition)

• Amplify CPG portfolio’s revenue growth through leading brand, Heimat, currently with TTM revenues of $7.6 million.
• Leverage Koch &Gsell’s distribution network of 2,500+ stores to introduce Flora to the Swiss, European and Asian markets.
• Bring patented hemp cigarette manufacturing technology into new markets utilizing Flora’s high-quality cannabis.

Hoshi International (Investment)

• Equity Investment of €2 million into Hoshi to establish Flora as a preferred supplier to two EU processing facilities.
• Opens gateway for Flora Growth’s cannabis through international distribution agreements in the EU and U.K.
• Hoshi’s experienced team and increased access to the EU cannabis market to serve as a catalyst for revenue growth.

Cultivation

Key to Flora Growth’s expansion efforts is its cultivation strategy. The company’s Cosechemos farm, located in Bucaramanga, Colombia, is currently licensed to cultivate 247 acres of cannabis. Through three successful pilot crop plantings, the location has demonstrated a production cost of just $0.06/gram. For comparison, the average cost of North American cannabis (based on 2019 figures from Aphria, Tilray, Sundial, and Aurora) equates to roughly $1.89/gram.
Flora Growth is uniquely positioned to capitalize on Colombia’s favorable growing conditions, low-cost infrastructure, and affordable local workforce as it looks to ramp up its cultivation efforts moving forward.

Leadership Team

Bernard Wilson is the Chairman of Flora Growth. A senior financial professional, Dr. Wilson is the former Vice-Chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and is the Chairman of the Founders Board of the Institute of Corporate Directors. He has also served as Chairman of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce; Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce – Canada; and Member of the Canada/U.S. Trade Committee. Dr. Wilson draws on this experience to ensure Flora Growth adheres to effective corporate governance practices.

Luis Merchan is the company’s President and CEO. He is a proven executive with over a decade of experience in enterprise sales management, corporate strategy, merchandising and expense management, and customer experience. Mr. Merchan previously served as Macy’s Inc.’s Vice President of Workforce Strategy and Operations, where he managed the enterprise’s multi-billion-dollar P&L expense line for the entire 540 store portfolio. Throughout his tenure at Macy’s, he led various sales and marketing initiatives, including the B2B corporate sales team that was responsible for $160 million in annual revenue. Mr. Merchan obtained his Bachelor of Industrial Engineering from Pontifical Xaverian University in Bogota, Colombia, and his MBA from McNeese State University. He also holds a Graduate Certificate in Marketing Management from Harvard.

Juan Manuel Galan is a Strategic Advisor to the Flora Growth management team. Mr. Galan currently serves as a senior consultant to The World Bank. He is a politician and former senator of Colombia, serving three terms from 2006 to 2018 as a member of the Colombian Liberal Party. He is also a former professor at the University of Rosario and holds more than 20 years of journalistic, academic, governmental and parliamentary experience. During his time as a senator, Mr. Galan was a key leader, with 29 bills and 27 debates on political control, and 17 laws to his name. The most relevant of those laws was authoring the medical cannabis law that resulted in the legalization of medical cannabis in Colombia.

Stan Bharti is a Director of Flora Growth. Mr. Bharti currently serves as Executive Chairman of Forbes & Manhattan. He has more than 30 years of professional experience in business, finance, markets, operations and more, with a focus on the resource and technology sectors. To date, Mr. Bharti has amassed over $3 billion worth of investment capital for the companies with which he has worked and their shareholders. He is a Professional Mining Engineer and holds a master’s degree in engineering from Moscow, Russia, and University of London, England.

Javier Franco is the company’s VP of Agriculture. Mr. Franco is a master horticulturist with more than 25 years of experience in the design, implementation, and management of cultivation and propagation facilities of more than 30 species of cut flowers in Latin America. He completed his agricultural studies at Zamorano University in Honduras and later at an International Exchange Program at Ohio State University. Mr. Franco has directed technical, commercial, and research groups in the cut flower, fruit and vegetable markets in Latin America and has participated in the commercial development of new technologies applied in agribusiness. He has also led the agri-management of organic crops and certifications of Good Agricultural Practices.

Flora Growth Corp. (FLGC), closed Tuesday's trading session at $1.31, up 4.8%, on 116,428 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is 115,467 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $1.10/$21.45.

Recent News

• Flora Growth Corp. (NASDAQ: FLGC) - 420 with CNW - Thai Government to Distribute Marijuana Plants for Home Cultivation
• Flora Growth Corp. (NASDAQ: FLGC) Bolsters its Board of Directors following Tim Leslie's Addition and Luis Merchan's Appointment as Chairman
• InvestorNewsBreaks - Flora Growth Corp. (NASDAQ: FLGC) Announces Strategic Appointment of Cannabis Regulatory Veteran

EverGen Infrastructure Corp. (TSX.V: EVGN) (OTCQB: EVGIF)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight EverGen Infrastructure Corp. (TSX.V: EVGN) (OTCQB: EVGIF).

EverGen (TSX.V: EVGN) (OTCQB: EVGIF), Canada’s renewable natural gas (“RNG”) infrastructure platform, today announced that it has filed with the TSX Venture Exchange (“TSXV”) a Notice of Intention to Make a Normal Course Issuer Bid (“NCIB”). The NCIB, implementation of which is subject to the approval of the TSXV, will allow the company to purchase issued and outstanding common shares of EverGen through the facilities of the TSXV during a 12 month period. The period is expected to commence on May 23, 2022, and end on May 23, 2023, or such earlier date as EverGen may complete its purchases pursuant to the NCIB or as it may otherwise determine. EverGen plans to implement the NCIB due to its belief that, from time to time, the market price of the common shares may not fully reflect the underlying value of the company’s business and future prospects. Accordingly, EverGen believes that having the ability to purchase the common shares using cash flow will be in the interest of the company and represents an opportunity to enhance shareholder value. To view the full press release, visit https://ibn.fm/38tMb

EverGen Infrastructure Corp. (TSX.V: EVGN) (OTCQB: EVGIF) is developing Canada’s Renewable Natural Gas Infrastructure Platform, starting on the west coast in British Columbia. The company is combating climate change and helping communities contribute to a sustainable future by acquiring, developing, building, owning and operating a portfolio of renewable natural gas (RNG), waste-to-energy, and related infrastructure projects.

While EverGen is currently focused on British Columbia, its continued growth is expected across other regions of North America. RNG is produced differently than conventional natural gas, without drilling wells. RNG is derived from biogas, which is captured from decomposing organic waste in landfills, food waste, agricultural waste matter and wastewater from treatment facilities. This waste feedstock is supplied to an anaerobic digester which contains bacteria that breaks down organic matter in the absence of oxygen. The resulting biogas is captured and cleaned to create carbon neutral or carbon negative RNG to be used by the existing North American gas pipeline grid. By capturing these emissions and transforming them into RNG, then combusting into CO2, the overall greenhouse gases (GHG) impact is materially less potent than allowing natural decomposition to release methane into the atmosphere. Liquid and solid digestate matter is a byproduct of the RNG production process and is used as fertilizer and in other applications.

EverGen operates three projects in British Columbia. The company was incorporated in 2020 and went public in 2021, with its common shares listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under ticker symbol ‘EVGN’. In February 2022, EverGen’s common shares began trading on the OTCQB Venture Market in the U.S. under ticker symbol ‘EVGIF’. The company is headquartered in Vancouver.

Portfolio Projects

Fraser Valley Biogas is one of three projects in EverGen’s portfolio. Located in Abbotsford, British Columbia, the facility has been digesting manure and off-farm organics since 2011 and was the first agricultural digester in Canada to produce RNG. The RNG generated through this project is part of a FortisBC program to supply renewable gas to homes, businesses and other customers. Fraser Valley Biogas also provides Abbotsford farms with renewable fertilizer via the digestate produced. EverGen acquired Fraser Valley Biogas early in 2021 and is currently enhancing and expanding the facility. These optimization projects resulted in record production during the month of September 2021, supporting the growing demand for RNG in British Columbia. Optimization activities contributed an additional 18% of RNG production for September and a 9% higher year-to-date production compared to the previous year. The facility produces approximately 80,000 gigajoules of RNG, enough to heat more than 1,000 homes for a year.

Net Zero Waste Abbotsford, a wholly owned EverGen subsidiary and portfolio project, is an existing composting and organic processing facility and RNG expansion project. The British Columbia Utilities Commission recently approved a 20-year offtake agreement between the facility and FortisBC, an electricity and gas utility. Under this agreement, FortisBC will purchase up to 173,000 gigajoules of RNG annually for injection into its natural gas system upon completion of an anaerobic digester project at Net Zero Waste Abbotsford. Once construction is complete, this project is expected to produce enough energy to meet the needs of more than 1,900 homes.

Sea to Sky Soils, a wholly owned EverGen subsidiary and portfolio project, is an existing composting and organic processing facility and potential future RNG expansion project which has been operating near Pemberton, British Columbia, on Lil’wat Nation land since 2012. The Lil’wat Nation is a key partner and supporter of the facility, which has employed a majority of its staff from the First Nation since inception. The Sea to Sky Soils facility processed approximately 160 percent of its forecast tonnage in the second half of 2021. In total, Sea to Sky Soils processed approximately 36,000 tons of organic waste in 2021. The facility is working with the Ministry of Environment to expand its operational capacity in 2022. EverGen has partnered with local municipalities – including Metro Vancouver and the municipality of Pemberton – for the delivery of additional organic waste to the facility. The facility is an important part of EverGen’s RNG infrastructure platform and serves as a source of valuable feedstock to support the company’s existing and future operations.

Market Outlook

A report from Global Market Insights states that the biogas market is projected to see significant growth over the next few years, driven by a shifting preference to utilize biogas to reduce emission levels from traditional fuels. Escalating RNG usage by gas utilities as a sustainable and low carbon alternative to supply heat and electricity in industries and buildings will further stimulate growth. RNG is increasingly deployed across the transport sector, especially for heavy vehicles and vessels, to abate GHG emissions.

Many North American gas utilities have set RNG targets of 5% to 15% of production by volume in 2030, compared to less than 1% by volume in 2020. FortisBC has a goal of including 15% RNG in its gas supply by 2030. EverGen believes this presents a potential C$16 billion+ opportunity for RNG producers.

Management Team

Chase Edgelow is co-founder and CEO at EverGen. He has over 15 years of specialized private investment, finance, and technical expertise in the energy and infrastructure sectors. His background is as a Facilities Engineer with Petro-Canada, independently managing energy infrastructure capital projects located in western Canada. He holds a Professional Engineer designation from the province of Alberta.

Mischa Zajtmann is co-founder and President at Evergen. He has 15 years of experience providing consulting and management for Canadian and American companies in the natural resources and energy space. He is a corporate securities lawyer who began his career at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. His J.D. is from the University of Saskatchewan Law School. He’s a member of the British Columbia Bar.

Sean Mezei is COO at EverGen. He has 20 years of experience in the RNG industry, having served previously as the president of Greenlane Biogas and as a senior manager at QuestAir, and founder and president of Dekany Consulting. He was a co-chairman of the American Biogas Council’s RNG working group for six years. He has been a Registered Professional Engineer in the province of British Columbia since 1994.

Natasha Monk is CFO at EverGen. She is a CPA with 12 years accounting, financial reporting, and tax experience in public practice and industry. She is currently a partner at Affirm LLP, where she advises and consults to a wide variety of companies in multiple industries across public and private sectors. Prior to joining EverGen, she worked at KPMG. She graduated from the University of Calgary.

EverGen Infrastructure Corp. (OTCQB: EVGIF), closed Tuesday's trading session at $2.43, up 14.6226%, on 100 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is 100 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $2.12/$4.21.

Recent News

• EverGen Infrastructure Corp. (TSX.V: EVGN) (OTCQB: EVGIF) - InvestorNewsBreaks - EverGen Infrastructure Corp. (TSX.V: EVGN) (OTCQB: EVGIF) Announces NCIB
• EverGen Infrastructure Corp. (TSX.V: EVGN) (OTCQB: EVGIF) Positioned for Growth Amid Compelling Market Opportunities for Expansion; Reports Financial Results
• EverGen Infrastructure Corp. (TSX.V: EVGN) (OTCQB: EVGIF) Announces Fourth Quarter Results; Announces Management Additions

Silo Pharma Inc. (OTCQB: SILO)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight Silo Pharma Inc. (OTCQB: SILO).

Clerkenwell Health, a start-up based in the United Kingdom, plans to open a commercial facility for carrying out drug trials on psychedelics in London. This facility will be the first in Europe to be launched for this particular purpose. The company plans to start trials that will focus on the potential for psychedelic drugs in treating mental health conditions, including end-of-life anxiety, nicotine dependency and post-traumatic stress disorder, by August. It looks like Europe is gearing up to jostle with the U.S. and other developed nations for supremacy in the bourgeoning psychedelics sector. As activity heats up in different countries, companies such as Silo Pharma Inc. (OTCQB: SILO) could be the net beneficiaries along with patients since the path to approved psychedelic medicines will have many players collaborating or even competing to hit the market first.

Silo Pharma Inc. (OTCQB: SILO), a developmental stage biopharmaceutical company, is focused on merging traditional therapeutics with psychedelic research for people suffering from indications such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), fibromyalgia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other rare neurological disorders. Silo’s mission is to identify assets to license and fund research that the company believes will be transformative to the wellbeing of patients and the health care industry.

Silo is committed to developing innovative solutions to address a variety of underserved conditions. Combining Silo’s resources with world-class medical research partners, the company looks to make significant advances in the medical and psychedelic space.

Silo works to identify and partner with leading medical universities, providing the needed financial resources to develop safe therapeutic treatments while moving cutting-edge research through the clinical stage and into commercialization. The company is well-capitalized with access to additional funds as opportunities present themselves.

Silo recently engaged Donohoe Advisory Associates LLC for consulting and advisory services in connection with the potential uplisting of Silo’s common shares to the Nasdaq Stock Market.

Research

Silo has entered into research agreements and partnerships with multiple leading medical universities.

The company is involved in a sponsored study with Maastricht University utilizing repeated low doses of ketamine and psilocybin to examine the effects on cognitive and emotional dysfunctions in Parkinson’s disease and to understand its mechanism of action. The investigator in the Netherlands is acquiring the substances for the study and will then finalize the documentation to submit to the ethics committee.

Additionally, in June 2021, Silo announced its entry into a scientific research agreement with the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). The agreement will leverage four other clinical trials being planned by the university to determine the effects of psilocybin on inflammation. The study will take place at The Translational Psychedelic Research (TrPR) Program at UCSF.

Silo also recently extended its exclusive option agreement with the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) to explore a novel invention generally known as joint-homing peptides. These peptides are being developed for use in the investigation and treatment of arthritogenic processes and can be used for enhanced targeting of therapeutic agents.

This agreement includes the study of two separate peptides. The first is an option and study for the treatment of arthritis. The second is a patented licensed peptide for the central nervous system, with an initial study for MS autoimmune diseases, in addition to rheumatoid arthritis. Animal studies are underway for both initial indications relating to the UMB agreement, with the potential for studies evaluating additional indications in the future.

Finally, Silo signed an agreement with Columbia University granting it an option to license certain assets currently under development, including an Alzheimer’s disease formulation targeting NDMARs and 5-HT4Rs, as well as a prophylactic treatment for stress-induced disorders and PTSD. Both candidates are currently being tested in mice and have already provided early data.

In addition to its university partnerships, Silo entered a joint venture agreement with Zylo Therapeutics Inc. (“ZTI”) focused on the development of ketamine and psilocybin using ZTI’s Z-Pod™ technology for the transdermal time released delivery of therapeutics. In November 2021, the company announced ZTI’s reception of its first ketamine shipment and initiation of loading ketamine into its Z-Pod technology. In a news release, Eric Weisblum, CEO of Silo, called the development an “important milestone” that will help the company “study the benefits of slow-release transdermal release of Ketamine.”

Market Overview

According to Coherent Market Insights, the fibromyalgia treatment market was valued at $2.78 billion in 2018 and has a projected CAGR of 3.3% over the forecast period 2018 to 2026. Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes pain all over the body, sleep problems, fatigue, and emotional and mental distress.

The global PTSD therapeutics market is expected to reach $10.68 billion by 2026 with a CAGR of 4.5% during the forecast period from 2018 to 2026, according to a report by Credence Research. Growing prevalence of PTSD is the chief factor driving the global treatment market. Increases in events such as wars, combat, and interpersonal violence has been a major contributing factor. Other factors like growing emphasis on rehabilitation initiatives by governments for treating their war veterans has also been facilitating the increase in demand for PTSD therapeutics.

Fortune Business Insights reports the global Parkinson’s disease treatment market is predicted to grow to $8.38 billion by 2026, with a CAGR of 8.1% during the forecast period. Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system which primarily affects the brain, causing uncontrollable shaking and tremors, difficulties in balance and restricted body movement making it difficult for the person to function or perform a daily routine.

Management Team

Eric Weisblum is CEO and founder of Silo Pharma. He has over 25 years of Wall Street experience, most recently in the biotechnology sector. He has served on the board of Aikido Pharma and was the president of Sableridge Capital. He has a proven track record in licensing therapeutic assets and assisting in their development. He brings to the company nearly 20 years of expertise in structuring and trading financial instruments. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Hartford’s Barney School of Business.

Dr. Kevin Muñoz was appointed to the Silo board of directors in October 2020. He teaches biomedical sciences and medical intervention for the Passaic County Technical Institute. He previously served as Director of Operations at Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. He began his career with Harlem Health Promotion Center in New York City as a research assistant. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a Doctor of Medicine from Xavier University School of Medicine.

Josh Woolley, M.D., Ph.D., is a Scientific Advisor for Silo. He is an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. He is also a psychiatrist on staff at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He is the director and founder of the Bonding and Attunement in Neuropsychiatric Disorders Laboratory. He received both his M.D. and his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from UCSF, where he completed his psychiatry residency training.

Charles Nemeroff, M.D., Ph.D., is a Scientific Advisor for Silo Pharma. He directs the Institute for Early Life Adversity Research within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences as part of the Mulva Clinic for the Neurosciences. He was chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and clinical director of the Center on Aging at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He received his M.D. and Ph.D. in neurobiology from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

Silo Pharma Inc. (OTCQB: SILO), closed Tuesday's trading session at $0.1451, even for the day, on 5,100 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is 5,100 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.12/$0.30.

Recent News

• Silo Pharma Inc. (OTCQB: SILO) - First Psychedelic Trial Clinic Set to Launch in London
• Researchers Have Found Brain Cells That Die Due to Parkinson's Disease
• Silo Pharma Inc. (SILO) Spotlight: Ketamine

Sugarmade, Inc. (OTC: SGMD)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight Sugarmade, Inc. (OTC: SGMD).

• SGMD enters into a definitive agreement designed to expand its cannabis delivery footprint
• Company inks deal to establish a minority stake in an expanding reservation-only restaurant brand that includes private event space offering cannabis consumption
• Sugarmade also partners with BHG to be first-choice cannabis provider

The cannabis space is known for its competition, but Sugarmade (OTC: SGMD), an emerging leader in the sector, has distinguished itself by its smart, creative decisions. Sugarmade has once again showed its expertise in savvy business strategy by announcing plans to establish a new hub for cannabis delivery and partnering with an expanding reservation-only restaurant brand with an adjacent private event space that offers cannabis consumption (https://cnw.fm/q3HzS). 

Sugarmade, Inc. (OTC: SGMD) is a product and brand marketing company investing in operations and technologies with disruptive potential. The company is focused on collaborating with real people in real-time to identify the emerging desires and behaviors poised to unlock new opportunities and pathways for growth. Sugarmade seeks to redefine the marketplace by nurturing an innovative and compelling relationship between brand, botany and business – resulting in both undeniable consumer value and an intriguing cross-pollination of revenue sources.

The company’s core strategic plan is centered on expanding its end-market access as a central player in the growing California cannabis delivery marketplace while developing its in-house cannabis production capacity to verticalize operations in the space. Through a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions, Sugarmade intends to develop a full farm-to-door vertically integrated cannabis business.

Brand Portfolio

Sugarmade has investments in a number of subsidiaries with active operations in the California cannabis sector. These include:

• NUG Avenue – Sugarmade owns a 70% stake in NUG Avenue, a cannabis delivery service based in Southern California providing hand-selected top-shelf products from Stiiizy, Kanha, PlugPlay and more.
• BudCars – Sugarmade is an investor in cannabis delivery service of BudCars’ first operating location in Sacramento, California. BudCars is an online-shopping experience designed to provide new customers with an easy way to discover and order cannabis products within minutes.

Acquisition of Lemon Glow Company

On May 17, 2021, Sugarmade took a major step toward closing the loop on what its management team believes to be one of the most promising vertically integrated cannabis models in the thriving California market when it announced the signing of a definitive agreement for its acquisition of Lemon Glow Company Inc.

The Lemon Glow acquisition includes 640 acres of property, 32 of which have already been designated for outdoor cannabis cultivation. Per the company’s news release, the annual potential cultivation yield at the property is estimated to be approximately 4,000 pounds of dry trimmed cannabis flower per acre per year, which represents approximately 128,000 pounds, or 64 tons, of dry trimmed cannabis flower per year in total.

Notably, Sugarmade also benefits from the acquisition in terms of team capital, as Lemon Glow executive team members will stay on and become the core management team at the cannabis cultivation site, granting the operation over 30 years of cannabis cultivation experience.

“The Lemon Glow team are tremendous additions to the Sugarmade team,” Jimmy Chan, CEO of Sugarmade, commented in announcing the definitive agreement. “They have vast experience and established skills, as well as intricate knowledge of the property and its local grow context. That’s an enormous added value proposition in this deal. We look forward to bringing them on board, ramping up operations at the property, and taking key steps toward delivering on the promise of Sugarmade’s farm-to-door vision.”

Market Opportunity

The California cannabis industry has continued to record tremendous growth since voters approved a measure to legalize recreational use of the plant in 2016. According to data from MJBizDaily, California’s legal market hit $4.4 billion in sales in 2020, up from $2.8 billion in 2019 and $1.4 billion in 2018.

Those figures highlight California’s status as the largest legal cannabis market in the world. With roughly 28 million residents over the age of 21, California is more than twice the combined size of the four states (Arizona, New Jersey, Montana and North Dakota) that legalized cannabis in 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a key driver in the growth of cannabis delivery services throughout the state in 2020. One California cannabis delivery firm reported a 60% increase in new delivery customer sign-ups in the 30 days following the March 13, 2020, declaration of a national emergency. As a result of this boom, tech companies in cannabis ecommerce were able to dramatically increase their market share.
Sugarmade’s continued efforts to develop a farm-to-door vertically integrated cannabis business position it to capitalize on these trends as the California cannabis industry continues to expand moving forward.

Management

Jimmy Chan is the CEO of Sugarmade. He is an experienced business executive instrumental in growing multiple business operations with a strong expertise in international trade and banking, international manufacturing and importation. He is also the founder of CarryOutSupplies.com, a company that revolutionized the custom-printed paper supplies subsector of the quick service restaurant industry, which merged with Sugarmade in 2014.

Sugarmade, Inc. (OTC: SGMD), closed Tuesday's trading session at $0.0004, even for the day, on 69,243,902 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is 69.244M and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.0003/$0.0042.

Recent News

• Sugarmade Inc. (OTC: SGMD) - Sugarmade Inc. (SGMD) Announces Key Agreements that Solidify Company Strategy, Success Moving Forward
• Sugarmade Inc. (SGMD) Establishes Pattern of Growth, Expansion in California Cannabis Space
• InvestorNewsBreaks - Sugarmade Inc. (SGMD) Executes on Collaborative Cannabis Cultivation Model

Knightscope, Inc. (NASDAQ: KSCP)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight Knightscope, Inc. (NASDAQ: KSCP).

Knightscope (NASDAQ: KSCP), a developer of advanced physical security technologies focused on enhancing U.S. security operations, today announced that a Kentucky-based Fortune 500 distribution center is the latest client to subscribe to its Autonomous Security Robot (“ASR”) service. The announcement reads, “Distribution, manufacturing and shipping warehouses have long been targets for criminals due to several unique characteristics presenting a range of security threats that can be challenging to solve. Such examples include their proximity to high-crime areas; the often-valuable property located on premises (many times attracting employees to steal); the use of potentially lethal hazards leading to false/fraudulent injury claims; high traffic and turnover making restricted access to controlled areas difficult; and property size inhibiting large scale safety patrols. A K5 ASR monitored remotely is able to address each of these concerns and will add an invaluable layer of security to this client’s safety protocols.” To view the full press release, visit https://ibn.fm/KujDq

Knightscope, Inc. (NASDAQ: KSCP), founded in 2013 and based in Mountain View, California, is a leader in the development of autonomous security capabilities targeting to disrupt the $500 billion security industry. Knightscope’s technology uniquely combines self-driving technology, robotics, artificial intelligence and electric vehicles.

Knightscope designs and builds Autonomous Security Robots (ASRs) that provide 24/7/365 security to the places you live, work, visit and study. The company’s client list covers public institutions and commercial business operations, including multiple Fortune 1000 companies to date. These ASRs have been proven to enhance safety at hospitals, logistics facilities, manufacturing plants, schools and corporations. ASRs act as highly cost-effective complementary systems to traditional security and law enforcement officials, providing an additional advantage by continuing to offer uninterrupted patrolling capabilities across the country.

The company’s ASRs have assisted in the arrest of suspects involved in crimes ranging from armed robbery to hit-and-runs. Their machine-embedded thermal scanning capability even aided in preventing the breakout of a major fire. You can learn more about the crime fighting wins at www.knightscope.com/crime

The company has achieved several milestones since its creation in 2013, including:

• Establishing itself in a 15,000-square-foot facility located in Mountain View, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley, where Knightscope designs, engineers and builds its technology (Made in the USA)
• Operating for more than 1 million hours in the field and securing contracts across five time zones, from Hawaii to Rhode Island
• Raising over $100 million since inception to build its technology from scratch and generating over $13 million in lifetime revenue, validating both the market opportunity and the technology

Growth Capital & Proposed Nasdaq Listing

With backing from more than 28,000 investors and four major corporations and over $100 million raised since inception, Knightscope is poised to be an industry leader in the future of public safety and security.

On December 1, 2021, Knightscope announced the commencement of an offering of up to $40 million of its Class A common stock, with shares to be listed immediately following closing on the Nasdaq Global Market under the ticker symbol ‘KSCP’. The offering is for up to 4 million shares priced at $10 per share. Learn more at www.knightscope.com/investors

Company Mission – Reimagining Public Safety

Knightscope’s long-term vision has an eye on the greater good. The company’s mission is to make the United States of America the safest nation in the world while supporting the 2+ million law enforcement and security professionals across the country.

Crime has an estimated negative economic impact in excess of $2 trillion annually. As crime is reduced, positive impacts will likely be realized across several aspects of society, including housing, financial markets, insurance, municipal budgets, local business and safety in general.

Knightscope CEO William Santana Li was interviewed by Kevin O’Leary, more commonly known as Shark Tank’s Mr. Wonderful. When asked to explain how the benefits provided by the ASRs outrank a human doing the same job, Li said, “First, just the simple presence of a physical deterrent causes criminal behavior to change. Second, the machines are self-driving cars that patrol all around and recharge themselves. They also generate 90 terabytes of data per year. No human would ever be able to process that. The robots are intended to be eyes and ears for the humans, not a one-to-one replacement.”

The Knightscope solution to reduce crime combines the physical presence of ASRs, sometimes referred to as proprietary Autonomous Data Machines, with real-time onsite data collection and analysis. The ASRs are fitted with eye-level 360° cameras, thermal scanning, public address announcements and various other features that work in tandem with humans to provide law enforcement officers and security guards unprecedented situational awareness.

Those 90 terabytes of data are then formatted in a useable way, so law enforcement can leverage that information and execute their responsibilities more effectively.

Public Safety Innovation

The company’s recurring revenue business model is set up to mimic the recurring societal problem of crime, and it takes into consideration the fact that innovation in the security and public safety industry has been stagnant for decades. Because the traditional practices of the sector have remained unchanged for years, automation has potential to drive substantial cost savings – and significant improvement in capabilities.

Human security guards are one of both the largest expenses and the largest liabilities for companies. Knightscope’s robots are offered at an effective price of $3 to $9 per hour, compared with approximately $85 for an armed off-duty law enforcement officer and $15 to $35 for an unarmed security guard.

This innovation has the potential to drive considerable cost savings. Based on these estimates, manufacturing costs can be recovered as soon as the first year of operation.

Product Offerings

The company has nine patents and a framework of unique intellectual property. Knightscope currently offers a K1 stationary machine, a K3 indoor machine and a K5 outdoor machine. A K7 multi-terrain four-wheel version is in development.

The ASRs autonomously patrol client sites without the need for remote control, providing a visible, force multiplying, physical security presence to help protect assets, monitor changes in the area and deter crime. The data is accessible through the Knightscope Security Operations Center (KSOC), an intuitive, browser-based interface that enables security professionals to review events generated by the ASRs providing effectively ‘mobile smart eyes and ears’. Learn more at www.knightscope.com/ksoc

The ASRs and the related technologies were developed ground up by the company and are Made in the USA.

The Robot Roadshow

Knightscope has created the ultimate hybrid physical and virtual event, bringing its Autonomous Security Robot technologies to cities across the country for interactive and in-person demonstrations.

Each roadshow landing is hosted virtually by a Knightscope expert, and visitors can interact directly with each of the company’s ASRs and see the Knightscope Security Operations Center (KSOC) user interface in action. Learn more at www.knightscope.com/roadshow

Management Team

Chief Executive Officer William Santana Li is a veteran entrepreneur, a former executive at Ford Motor Company and the founder of GreenLeaf, a company that grew to be the world’s second-largest automotive recycler and is now part of LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ: LKQ).

Chief Client Officer Stacy Dean Stephens brings his experience as a former Dallas law enforcement officer, as well as his skills as a seasoned entrepreneur, to assist on the client acquisition side.

Chief Intelligence Officer Mercedes Soria is an award-winning technologist and former Deloitte software engineer.

Chief Design Officer Aaron Lehnhardt brings over two decades of two- and three-dimensional product and industrial design in modeling and VR to the table, on top of his experience as a senior designer at Ford Motor Company.

Chief Financial Officer Mallorie Burke is a seasoned financial executive and strategic advisor for both private and publicly traded technology companies with a successful track record of mergers & acquisitions, corporate growth and exit strategies, including public listings.

General Counsel Peter Weinberg leverages 30 years of diverse corporate counsel experience, spanning from startups to well-established companies, private and public. He has significant experience training personnel at all levels in critical areas to improve corporate compliance and productivity.

Knightscope, Inc. (NASDAQ: KSCP), closed Tuesday's trading session at $3.72, off by 1.0638%, on 144,366 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is 138,032 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $3.52/$27.50.

Recent News

• Knightscope (NASDAQ: KSCP) - InvestorNewsBreaks - Knightscope Inc. (NASDAQ: KSCP) to Deploy ASR Service for Fortune 500 Distribution Center
• Knightscope, Inc.'s (NASDAQ: KSCP) Autonomous Security Robots Facilitating Situational Crime Prevention
• InvestorNewsBreaks - Knightscope Inc. (NASDAQ: KSCP) to Deploy K5 ASR in First Las Vegas Casino Contract

GreenBox POS (NASDAQ: GBOX)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight GreenBox POS (NASDAQ: GBOX).

GreenBox (NASDAQ: GBOX), an emerging and rapidly growing fintech company, is reporting its financial numbers for the first quarter ending March 31, 2022. Highlights of the report include Q1 revenues of $4.9 million, up from $4.7 million in the same quarter last year and a processing volume growth for the quarter of $754 million versus $315 million last year. In addition, the company noted that it completed two acquisitions, including its largest acquisition to date, expanding the company’s global footprint with the acquisition of Transact Europe, and that it closed a significant licensing partnership with Cross River Bank, designed to launch banking as a service offering and expand the universe of new customers while creating incremental channels for revenue growth. Additions were made to the board of directors and executive management team and the company accelerated its share repurchase program and announced INNOCEAN as its global marketing agency. To view the full interview, visit https://ibn.fm/aB0UY. To view the full press releases, visit https://ibn.fm/hAppj and https://ibn.fm/K7nvg.

GreenBox POS (NASDAQ: GBOX) is an emerging financial technology company leveraging proprietary security and token technology to build customized payment solutions for business. The company’s mission is to build compliant, cutting-edge blockchain ledger tokenized solutions for the diverse, evolving and dynamic global market.

GreenBox applications enable an end-to-end suite of turnkey financial products which offer improved fraud detection and better handling efficiency of large-scale commercial payment processing volumes for its merchant clients globally. The company’s proprietary blockchain and smart contract token technologies create seamless payment processing using digital encryption keys.

GreenBox is a unified platform providing scalability for businesses to accept payments, transact, send, settle and convert in a single versatile ecosystem. GreenBox operates a private and proprietary blockchain-based payment platform that offers distinct advantages when compared to traditional payment technologies, including greater security and data privacy, as well as enhanced identity theft protection and quick settlement.

As the settlement engine for financial transactions, GreenBox’s blockchain technology is a distributed ledger that uses digitally encrypted keys to verify, secure and record details of each transaction conducted within GreenBox’s private ecosystem. The speed and security of the platform allows GreenBox to log immense volumes of immutable transactional records in real time for Tier-1 partners around the world.

In November 2021, GreenBox announced the closing of a previously announced $100 million convertible note financing. The company plans to use proceeds for acquisitions, a planned stablecoin spin-off, and additional working capital toward the company’s future growth. The initial conversion price equals a more than 80 percent premium to the market price of the company’s common stock on October 29, 2021, and values the enterprise at more than $700 million upon conversion.

Brands & Solutions

The company offers multiple solutions and brands under the GreenBox label. The other brands that are nested under the GreenBox POS label include coyni, ChargeSavvy, QuickCard, Transact Europe [didn’t yet close] and Northeast Merchant Systems. Each of these brands play a large role in allowing GreenBox to accel in customizing payment solutions across different verticals and industries.

Payment Solutions

The GreenBox platform offers blockchain secure, robust payment processing solutions for both individual consumers and businesses. The company combines the power and security of blockchain with bank-level tools necessary to both settle transactions and monitor cash flows. Customers can transfer cryptocurrencies like USDC, Ethereum or Bitcoin from external decentralized crypto wallets to their GreenBox wallets. They can also exchange those tokens from their GreenBox wallets to any supported coin. Customers can easily offload in USDC to a debit card or a multitude of gift cards.

White Label Solutions

The company’s white label platform allows it to partner with firms seeking blockchain-based tools to manage merchant relationships. White label partners can monitor cash flows, as well as run reports on merchant transactions, chargebacks, agent and affiliate commissions and more. Partners can access the platform through their partner portal to manage business relationships with full visibility. The platform’s cutting-edge technology saves partners time and simplifies their payment processing. It ensures compliance with automated Know Your Customer and Know Your Bank services and allows customers to set up automated payouts.

coyni Stablecoin

The company is planning soon to launch its own stablecoin, coyni (CYN). coyni is equivalent to the value of the U.S. dollar on a one-to-one ratio. Stablecoin allows for instantaneous transactions with blockchain security just like other cryptocurrency tokens, but without the price volatility of traditional cryptocurrencies. The CYN token is expected to make possible features like digital dollar accounts, cross border payments, international payment processing and other payment solutions. As a smart contract technology, coyni will offer instant settlement using the GreenBox blockchain ledger in any location and currency – crypto or fiat – all at lower fees and in a tokenized secure ecosystem.

Market Overview

A Mordor Intelligence report put the transaction value of the global digital payments market at $5.44 trillion in 2020 and projects the market to be worth $11.29 trillion by 2026. That represents a CAGR of 11.21 percent during the period of 2021-2026.

The report notes that the global COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on e-commerce is likely to encourage strengthened international cooperation and further development of policies for online purchasing and supply. The report states, “The pandemic has made it clear that e-commerce can be an important tool/solution, especially considering the fact that e-commerce sales can support small and medium businesses that form the backbone for certain economies. This is expected to substantially spur the growth of digital payment methods across various economies.”

According to Mordor, other drivers of the growth trend in digital payments include:

• Greater convenience, favorable government policies and evolving consumer behavior worldwide
• Rapid rise in smartphone penetration throughout emerging economies
• Introduction of mobile wallets across the world
• Widespread adoption of retail digital payment services across the vast population of China, serving as a kind of test case for other countries

Management Team

Ben Errez, Chairman of the Board of Directors

Ben Errez’s past positions have included positions at large companies like Microsoft and Intel. He has brought this expertise to lead GreenBox into the forefront of the blockchain-based financial software, services, and hardware market.

Mr. Errez was one of the early managers of Microsoft in 1991. From 1991 to 2004, he served as Software Development Lead for the Microsoft International Office Group. He led the International Microsoft Office Components team (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) in design, engineering, development, and successful deployment. He also served as Executive Representative of Microsoft Office and was a founding member of the Microsoft Trustworthy Computing Team both within the company and internationally. Mr. Errez co-authored the first Microsoft Trustworthy Computing Paper on Reliability. At Microsoft, he was responsible for the development of the first Microsoft software translation Software Development Kit (“SDK”) in Hebrew, Arabic, Thai, and Simplified Chinese, as well as the development of the first bidirectional extensions to Rich Text Format (“RTF”) file format and all bidirectional extensions in text converters for Microsoft Office. He also contributed to the development of the international extensions to the Unicode standard to include bidirectional requirements under the World Wide Web Consortium (“W3C”).

In 2004, Mr. Errez transitioned into the world of consulting, where he held the position of Principal Consultant from founding to the present date, through which he advises clients in the South Pacific region with market capitalizations ranging from $50 million to $150 million on commerce, security, reliability, and privacy.

In 2017, immediately before partnering with Fredi Nisan to launch GreenBox, Mr. Errez was asked to take over the Microsoft Alumni Network for the Southern California region as a regional director. Mr. Errez has been a principal of GreenBox since its inception in 2017.

Fredi Nisan, Chief Executive Officer

Fredi Nisan’s career in technology began during his years of service in the Israeli Defense Forces, where he served as IT Manager for all of Israel’s Northern Bases. After serving in the military, Mr. Nisan opened and operated a computer hardware store before becoming the Inventory Operations Manager for Zicon Israel in 2005, a hardware and software producer. At Zicon, he supervised inventory operations, worked on quality controls for motherboards and chips, and educated customers on software and hardware product functionality. Subsequently, Mr. Nisan moved to the United States, where he worked for One Coach in San Diego, California, as a business coach. One Coach specializes in customized growth solutions for small business owners, including the latest strategies for sales, internet marketing, branding, and ROI. Mr. Nisan was consistently ranked as the top salesperson for small business coaching while working with One Coach.

In 2010, Mr. Nisan launched Brava POS, where he served as President until 2015. Brava POS provided point of sale (“POS”) systems for specialty retail companies. Mr. Nisan developed software to provide clients with solutions for issues ranging from inventory management to payroll to processing high volume transactions in the form of a cloud-based POS system. This system had the capability to manage multiple stores with centralized inventory and process sales without an internet connection, and offered a secure login for each employee, as well as including advanced inventory management and reporting, plus powerful functionality for its end users.

In 2016, Mr. Nisan founded Firmness, LLC. Through Firmness, he created “QuickCitizen,” a software program that simplifies the onboarding process for new clients of law firms specializing in immigration issues. The QuickCitizen software significantly reduced law firms onboarding processing time from more than three hours to approximately 15 minutes. Mr. Nisan has been a principal of GreenBox since its August 2017 inception. In January 2018, Firmness sold QuickCitizen to GreenBox.

Jacquline B. Reynolds, Chief Marketing Officer

Jacqueline B. Reynolds is the company’s Chief Marketing Officer. She served most recently as vice president of marketing for Sprouts Farmers Market. She has built her reputation as a world-class global marketer, working with Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Verizon, Walmart, L’Oréal, Xbox, 7-Eleven and many other Fortune 500 brands. She has managed award-winning marketing programs with partners such as the NFL, Super Bowl LIV, the Olympics, the FIFA World Cup, Sony Pictures, Universal Music and others.

GreenBox POS (NASDAQ: GBOX), closed Tuesday's trading session at $2, off by 24.2424%, on 1,999,465 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is 1.99M and the stock's 52-week low/high is $1.65/$16.50.

Recent News

• GreenBox POS (NASDAQ: GBOX) - GreenBox POS Reports First Quarter 2022 Financial Results
• InvestorNewsBreaks - GreenBox POS (NASDAQ: GBOX) Plans to Report Q1 2022 Results on May 16
• InvestorNewsBreaks - GreenBox POS (NASDAQ: GBOX) to Participate in Taglich Brothers Conference

Mullen Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight Mullen Automotive Inc. (MULN).

Mullen Automotive (NASDAQ: MULN), an emerging electric vehicle (“EV”) manufacturer, has released a list of new employees that have been carefully hired to fuel the company’s success and support the company’s growing EV offerings, including the Mullen FIVE EV Crossover and Mullen ONE EV Cargo Van. The individuals are filling roles in an array of areas, such as vehicle engineering, vehicle integration, powertrain systems and manufacturing, and are working in several different locations, including Mullen’s vehicle team in Anaheim, California; its powertrain team in Monrovia, California; and its AMEC manufacturing team in Tunica, Mississippi. The new hires include product engineers Robert Huotari, the company’s new director of Interiors; Mark Jenkins, a new design engineer; and Ameil Kapadia, senior manager over BIW Engineering. In manufacturing, the company hired Cesar Aguirre, manager BIW advanced manufacturing engineer; Amanda Hancock, HR manager; Allen McDonald, plant controller; Kyler Ohl, IT systems architect; John Roberts, facilities supervisor; Jesse Satterfield, manager, PC and L; Jack Saylor, production manager and tech specialist; and Michelle Saylor, global manufacturing assistant. Vedanth Basappa, a manager in Virtual Simulation, and Scott Newton, a packing engineer, joined Mullen’s vehicle integration team, and Albert Lizardo was hired as a senior manager in thermal systems. “I am happy to announce the addition of these new members to the Mullen Automotive Team,” said Mullen Automotive CEO and chair David Michery in the press release. “Every new team member is a vital hire and an integral part of our EV programs and bright future for Mullen Automotive. One of our promises from the start has been to put Americans back to work in the U.S., and I fully intend to see my commitment through.” To view the full press release, visit https://ibn.fm/l7R0i

Mullen Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN) is a Southern California-based automotive company that owns and partners with several synergistic businesses working toward the unified goal of creating clean and scalable energy solutions. Mullen has evolved over the past decade in sync with consumers and technology trends. Today, the company is working diligently to provide exciting EV options built entirely in the United States and made to fit perfectly into the American consumer’s life. Mullen strives to make EVs more accessible than ever by building an end-to-end ecosystem that takes care of all aspects of EV ownership.

Commencement of Trading on Nasdaq

On November 5, 2021, Mullen announced its commencement of trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

“Today is a monumental day for Mullen Automotive. I am especially proud of our team, investors and all who have believed in Mullen and taken us to this point as a publicly traded company on the Nasdaq Capital Market,” David Michery, CEO and Chairman of Mullen Automotive, stated in the news release. “Trading on Nasdaq now opens us up to new investors, both institutional and retail shareholders, and broadens our awareness and company profile, while increasing awareness of Mullen and our technology platform and opening new opportunities in EV and beyond. The road ahead has never been brighter for Mullen, and I am proud to lead us into the future.”

The milestone came in the wake of the company’s stock-for-stock merger with Net Element Inc.

The Mullen FIVE

The Mullen FIVE EV Crossover, debuting at the Los Angeles International Auto Show (LAIAS) on November 17, 2021, embodies Mullen’s Southern California roots with an inspired design focused on two complementary Golden State themes – California landscape and California urban.

The FIVE is built on an EV Crossover skateboard platform that offers multiple powertrain configurations and trim levels in a svelte design that is Strikingly Different™ and exciting to experience in person.

Prior to the start of LAIAS, the Mullen FIVE was selected as a finalist by the LA Auto Show for Top EV SUV in the ZEVA “People’s Choice” Awards.

LAIAS provides Mullen an opportunity to display multiple variants of the FIVE model while also showcasing its powertrain, battery and charging technology. The company intends to bring the FIVE to market in 2024, and reservations are currently open here.

Mullen’s development portfolio also includes EV Fleet Vans, which it intends to bring to market in Q2 2022, and the pure electric, high performance Mullen DragonFLY.

Expansion of Manufacturing Capacity

On November 2, 2021, Mullen announced plans to expand its facility in Robinsonville, Mississippi.

Mullen’s Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Facility (AMEC) currently occupies 124,000 square feet of manufacturing space. The total available land on the property is over 100 acres, and Mullen is moving ahead with plans to build out another 1.2 million square feet of manufacturing space to support class 1 and class 2 EV cargo vans and the Mullen FIVE EV Crossover.

On the expanded site, Mullen plans to build a body shop, a fully automated paint shop and a general assembly shop.

EV Market Outlook

The global EV market was reported to consist of 3,269,671 units in 2019, a figure that is expected to grow at a CAGR of 21.1% through 2030 to a total of 26,951,318 units worldwide. This market’s monetary value was estimated at $162.34 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 22.6%, resulting in an approximate value of $802.81 billion by 2027. The primary driver for this exponential growth is a worldwide increase in vehicle emissions regulations.

Management Team

David Michery is the CEO and Founder of Mullen and has been leading the company and its divisions since inception in 2014. With over 25 years of executive management, marketing, distressed assets, and business restructuring experience, Mr. Michery brings a wealth of relevant knowledge and expertise to the Mullen brand. He has notably created 12 trademarks so far to develop the company brand and vision.

Mr. Michery is working toward a sustainable future accessible to all by creating a suite of clean-energy electric vehicles at varied price points. With entirely U.S.-based manufacturing and operations, he is also determined to have Mullen Technologies play a role in shaping a self-sustaining local economy by creating more jobs in America.

Mr. Michery manages risks and company expectations as a pathway to success and has personally overseen several businesses that totaled over $1 billion in transactions. His key strength is the ability to be fiscally responsible and lead teams to complete projects on time and within budget. As a seasoned professional in this space, Mr. Michery has demonstrated skill in building businesses from the ground up and into successful entities that subsequently sold for hundreds of millions of dollars.

Mullen Automotive Inc. (MULN), closed Tuesday's trading session at $1.14, off by 2.5641%, on 56,668,248 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is 55.824M and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.52/$15.90.

Recent News

• Mullen Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN) - InvestorNewsBreaks - Mullen Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN) Adds Key Personnel to Support Growth
• InvestorNewsBreaks - Mullen Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN), LGG Report on Vehicle Pack Development of Battery Cell Tech
• The Ford F-150 Lightning Could Be the Needed Turning Point for EVs

Eat Well Investment Group Inc. (CSE: EWG) (OTC: EWGFF)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight Eat Well Investment Group Inc. (CSE: EWG) (OTC: EWGFF).

Eat Well Investment Group (CSE: EWG) (OTC: EWGFF) (FRA: 6BC0) today announced that one of its investee companies, Amara Organic Foods, which is among the fastest-growing baby food brands in America, is available at The Kroger Co.’s (NYSE: KR) eCommerce platforms, Kroger.com and Vitacost.com. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Kroger is one of the largest retailers in the United States, boasting over 2,750 grocery retail stores under a variety of banner names. “Amara is pleased to add more premier eCommerce distribution with Kroger.com, one of the largest retailers in North America,” said Jessica Sturzenegger, CEO of Amara. “Increased distribution through eCommerce channels continues to be a strategic focus of Amara to drive both topline revenue and to maximize margins that come from a DTC environment.” To view the full press release, visit https://ibn.fm/UeFc1

Eat Well Investment Group Inc. (CSE: EWG) (OTC: EWGFF), headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, is a publicly traded vertically integrated plant-based foods company combining the best of agribusiness, foodtech, and CPG brands to supply the world with innovative, delicious, and better-for-you foods. The company supplies Beyond Meat, Ingredion, Nestle, General Mills and more. It is on track to generate $60 million in revenue for 2021 and is projecting $100 million in revenue for 2022.

Eat Well’s management team has an extensive record of sourcing, financing and building successful companies across a broad range of industries and maintains a current investment mandate on the health and wellness industry. The team has financed and invested in early-stage venture companies for more than 25 years, resulting in the ability to construct a portfolio of opportunistic investments intended to generate superior risk-adjusted returns. Eat Well’s strategic advisory board includes pioneers in the plant-based foods industry, including HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of KBW Ventures, and Jeff Dunn, CEO of Bolthouse Farms who previously held senior leadership positions at both Campbell Soup Company and The Coca Cola Company.

The company’s plant-based investment thesis is centered on growing its seed-to-market operations, which include raw ingredients, processing, pulse fractionation, unique IP and premium consumer packaged goods (CPG). Eat Well Group is building a unique ecosystem that can supply these essential cornerstone needs for society. The company has plant-based foods and nutrition experts specializing in the latest science and original thinking for what consumers want most – high quality and affordability in healthy, clean and simple products.

Eat Well focuses on intellectual property, product portfolio development and long-term value creation for stakeholders in a rapidly expanding industry. As an emergent sector globally, plant-based foods represent a double-digit annual growth category, with more than 35% of the world’s supply of pulse proteins coming from Canada.

Portfolio

On July 31, 2021, Eat Well Group acquired Belle Pulses Ltd., one of the top pulse processors in Canada. Belle Pulses has been operating for over 40 years and had over $60 million in sales in 2020. The company counts a broad range of customers in over 35 countries, including global strategic food companies and major ingredient distributors. Currently, Belle produces nearly 100,000 tons of fully traceable seed and product, yielding over 26,000 tons of pure plant protein.

Eat Well also owns 100% of Sapientia Technology Inc. Led by Dr. Eugenio Bortone – one of the world’s preeminent food scientists and extrusion processing experts and the inventor of Frito-Lay’s Twisted Cheetos – Sapientia has filed four patents around the “protein curl” and crispy-puff-style snack. By focusing on texture and crunch, Sapientia’s patents solve one of the major problems that large scale snack food companies have struggled with for years – how to offer appealing texture and flavor in a guilt-free, not fried, natural and healthy alternative to the majority of snack food products available today.

Eat Well owns a 51% share of Amara Organic Foods, with an option to acquire additional ownership up to 80 percent. Amara, one of the fastest-growing baby food brands in America, is a food technology company that uses science and proprietary IP that locks in taste and texture to make healthy, organic, non-GMO, plant-based, convenient baby and children’s food possible for modern-day families. From baby food to toddler food and beyond, Amara is driven by the belief that setting kids on the right path from a young age will help them live better, feel better and think better for the rest of their lives. Amara’s revenues have grown by more than 400% since January 2021, and the brand’s success has drawn media coverage from business news outlets including Forbes and TechCrunch.

Market Outlook

According to an August 2021 report from Bloomberg Intelligence, the plant-based foods market is expected to experience explosive growth, comprising up to 7.7% of the global protein market by 2030 at a value of over $162 billion, up from $29.4 billion in 2020. Bloomberg notes that plant-based alternatives are here to stay, and that consumption will grow rapidly. Plant-based food sales in 2020 grew twice as fast as overall food sales, according to Polaris Market Research.

Pulse proteins (fava, yellow pea, etc.) are a foundational ingredient to most plant-based foods due to their high protein content and their readily available, affordable supply.

Many analysts view the food tech market as similar to the early days of the Internet in that plant-based foods represent a worldwide secular trend of steady growth and potential that will revolutionize the way society functions and people experience nutrition.

The sector continues to experience significant M&A transactions. Recently, Sol Cuisine was acquired by PlantPlus Foods LLC, a major South American protein producer, in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $126 million, or 6x revenue.

Management Team

Marc Aneed is President and Director of Eat Well Group. His 20-year career in CPG started at The Quaker Oats Company/PepsiCo, where he worked on iconic brands like Gatorade. He previously was at Glanbia PLC, a global nutrition company, where he led Amazing Grass, a leading plant nutrition and supplement company with over $100 million in retail sales. He also led Glanbia’s Sports Nutrition brands in North America with over $750 million in retail sales. Mr. Aneed has launched dozens of successful consumer products, driving over $1 billion in collective retail sales.

Mark Coles is the company’s Chief Investment Officer. He is a veteran CPG senior executive specializing in the plant-based foods sector. For the past decade, Mr. Coles has spearheaded global plant-based start-up initiatives, culminating in a 2020 acquisition by an international New York Stock Exchange-listed food ingredient company. He has over 25 years of experience in CPG-focused strategy, mergers and acquisitions and project financing.

Patrick Dunn is Eat Well Group’s Vice President, Finance. He is the founding partner of Dunn, Pariser & Peyrot and has a track record of building highly successful agribusinesses throughout North America and other international markets. As a testimony to his business portfolio work, Mr. Dunn and his firm have won multiple industry awards for accounting, finance and business management.

Barry Didato is the company’s Vice President, Strategy. He is focused on the development of strategic revenue channels, sales partnerships, and international distribution for Eat Well Group. Mr. Didato brings extensive strategic sales capabilities and an extensive network of contacts in the industry to the company. Prior to joining Eat Well Group, he served for over 18 years as a senior advisor for several ultra-high net worth family offices and numerous innovative wellness, nutrition, medical, and food businesses.

Strategic Advisory Board

HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of KBW Ventures, is a firm supporter of clean energy and the humane treatment of animals. He is also a vocal supporter of the private sector in the Middle East. A member of the Saudi Arabian Royal Family, Prince Khaled was born in Stanford and spent his youth in Riyadh under the mentorship of his father, philanthropist HRH Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud, Chairman of Kingdom Holding Company. He is also the Founding Chairman of KBW Investments and serves across several boards. He invests in an array of successful but diverse global businesses – from promising technology startups to established companies. Today, with holdings on three continents, Prince Khaled stands at the gateway between the Middle East’s evolving economies and the Western world. Consistently, Prince Khaled’s focus is on ventures and ideas at the intersection of innovation and economic growth.

Jeff Dunn has over 30 years of experience in agriculture and packaged food, including senior leadership positions with Bolthouse Farms, Campbell Soup Company and The Coca Cola Company, among others. He is an Operating Partner at Butterfly and focuses primarily on the agriculture & aquaculture and food & beverage product sectors. Prior to joining Butterfly, Mr. Dunn was the President of the Campbell Fresh division of Campbell Soup Company from 2015 to 2016, where he was in charge of building Campbell’s scale and accelerating its growth in the rapidly expanding packaged fresh segments and categories across the retail perimeter.

Eat Well Investment Group Inc. (OTC: EWGFF), closed Tuesday's trading session at $0.21505, off by 6.945%, on 3,800 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is 3,800 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.186/$1.00.

Recent News

• Eat Well Investment Group Inc. (CSE: EWG) (OTC: EWGFF) - InvestorNewsBreaks - Eat Well Investment Group Inc. (CSE: EWG) (OTC: EWGFF) (FRA: 6BC0) Announces Expanded eCommerce Distribution of Amara Organic Foods
• InvestorNewsBreaks - Eat Well Investment Group Inc. (CSE: EWG) (OTC: EWGFF) (FSE: 6BC0) Announces Engagement of ITG
• InvestorNewsBreaks - Eat Well Investment Group Inc.'s (CSE: EWG) (OTC: EWGFF) Amara Organic Foods Makes List of Top-Five Direct-to-Consumer Brands

Delic Holdings Corp. (CSE: DELC) (OTCQB: DELCF)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight Delic Holdings Corp. (CSE: DELC) (OTCQB: DELCF).

• Delic Holdings Corp. comprises several businesses—Delic Labs, Meet Delic, and Ketamine Wellness Centers and media properties Reality Sandwich and Delic Radio 
• The psychedelic drugs market is expected to reach US $9,818.68 million by 2029 – primarily driven by an increase in acceptance for use in mental health
• The company’s goal is to expand its clinic offering to 60-70% of the American population driving no more than 45-minutes to reach a clinic

Delic Holdings (CSE: DELC) (OTCQB: DELCF), a leader in new medicines and treatments for a modern world, is committed to bringing the science-backed benefits of psychedelics to more people and reframing the conversations about them. The company owns and operates an assortment of related businesses, including two media platforms (Reality Sandwich and Delic Radio), a Health Canada-licensed entity focusing on the research and development of psilocybin vaporization technology (Delic Labs), a premier psychedelic wellness event (Meet Delic), and the largest network of ketamine clinics in the country (Ketamine Wellness Centers). Delic is backed by a team of industry and cannabis veterans who, alongside a diverse network, share a mission to provide education, research, high-quality products, and treatment options to the population. 

Delic Holdings Corp. (CSE: DELC) (OTCQB: DELCF) is the leading psychedelic wellness platform, committed to bringing science-backed benefits to all and reframing the psychedelic conversation. The company owns and operates an umbrella of related businesses, including trusted media and e-commerce platforms like Reality Sandwich and Delic Radio; Delic Labs, the only licensed entity by Health Canada to exclusively focus on research and development of psilocybin vaporization technology; Meet Delic, the premiere psychedelic wellness event; and Ketamine Infusion Centers, one of the largest ketamine clinics in the country.

Delic is backed by a team of industry and cannabis veterans and a diverse network, whose mission is to provide education, research, high-quality products, and treatment options to the masses. Its founders helped build the multi-billion-dollar cannabis industry and aim to do the same in psychedelics as it follows a similar path toward legalization. In its quest to advance the new psychedelic renaissance upon us, Delic has become the pioneer in its field, creating an ecosystem of opportunities by investing in cutting-edge ideas.

The Vancouver-based company was formed in 2019 to address the growing interest in psychedelic wellness backed by science. Delic was the ‎first psychedelic umbrella platform. It is currently a trusted source for those interested in ‎psychedelic culture, education, treatments, and more.

While other emerging companies focus on patent medicine and big pharma for substances limited by government regulation, Delic is blazing a unique trail. It identifies ancillary and fully legal opportunities like IP, new media, live events, ketamine clinics (with the ability to offer additional psychedelic treatments once legalized, and large-scale production and brings them under its big tent of resources and reach.

The Big Problems Delic Is Addressing

• Fifty percent of Americans will meet the criteria for a mental health condition sometime in their lifetime. The FDA has approved psilocybin therapy as a breakthrough therapy for depression.
• Every 40 seconds, someone in the world commits suicide. Ketamine has been shown to decrease thoughts of suicide significantly. In 2019, the FDA approved esketamine as a fast-acting antidepressant.
• Traditional palliative care methods do not eradicate end-of-life (EOL) anxiety. LSD and psilocybin have been shown to reduce EOL anxiety for terminally ill patients. Eighty percent of terminally ill patients with psilocybin sessions experienced significant reductions in depression and anxiety.
• Approximately 50 million people in the U.S. are addicted to some tobacco product. Research shows that psilocybin is helping people quit smoking.

The Delic Ecosystem

The Delic Ecosystem covers three main areas: media, health, and science. The media focus is educating and motivating the masses through a variety of digital platforms, like Delic’s Reality Sandwich digital magazine, a free public education platform providing psychedelic guides, news and ‎culture (1.4+ million page views in 2020 and 54k social media followers across all platforms); Meet Delic, the first-ever psychedelic wellness summit and the premier psychedelic wellness event based in Las Vegas (over 2,000 live attendees and 5,000+ email subscribers); and Delic Radio (over 43 episodes and 100k total streams). Delic has also been featured in numerous media outlets like Forbes, NBC News, The Joe Rogan Experience, Daily Beast, High Times, and The Dr. Drew Podcast.

The focus of Delic’s health operations is the most accessible psychedelic treatments that can help billions of people live happier lives. Delic does this through one of the largest ketamine clinic chains in the country, Ketamine Infusion Centers (KICs), a limited liability corporation formed under the laws of Arizona that runs three ketamine clinics located in Bakersfield, California, and Phoenix, Arizona. Its management team has over 15 years of experience in the clinic and medical space, scaling and operating over 20 clinics, with a plan to open 10 more clinics in the next 18 months. Together, these clinics have overseen 4,000+ treatments delivered to date.

The focus of Delic’s science operations is developing IP and advanced extraction and testing facilities that are the backbone of the legal market. Delic carries this out through Delic Labs, a licensed cannabis and psilocybin research laboratory based in Vancouver. It’s the only entity licensed by Health Canada to exclusively focus on research and development of psilocybin vaporization technology.

Founded by award-winning chemists, Delic Labs focuses on extraction optimization, analytical testing, and chemical process development to advance the cannabis and psilocybin industries. Health Canada gave it a Section 56 Exemption to work with psilocybin compounds, allowing the company to possess and research these products for development and quality control before they hit the market.

Latest Acquisition – Homestead Book Company

On March 4, 2021, Delic announced its acquisition of Seattle-based Homestead Book Company. Homestead is a legacy counterculture distributor of psychedelic media. It’s also the creator of one of the first self-contained psilocybin mushroom grow kits.

The acquisition of Homestead is an exciting one, as it shows how Delic is increasing accessibility to this nascent industry within regulated jurisdictions. Homestead has sold tens of thousands of mushroom kits globally and was one of the earliest distributors for High Times and many other counterculture publications.

The Homestead acquisition allows Delic to increase its product offerings on its website, Reality Sandwich, which recently hit a record for average monthly traffic of over 200,000 unique visitors and over 2.6 million active readers in 2020.

Market Outlook

The psychedelic renaissance is here. Just in time to help address the global mental health crises, plant medicines have the potential to help billions of people live happier lives. Thanks to university-led and FDA-approved studies, North America is leading the way in advancing an industry as psychedelics are becoming accepted globally for therapeutic, medical, and recreational use. Here are some statistics:

• 32 million people in the U.S. have used psychedelics at least once
• 17% of all American adults between 21 and 64 have used psychedelics at least once
• $500 billion is spent in the U.S. every year on prescription drugs
• $238 billion is spent in the U.S. every year on mental health treatments and ancillary services
• The anxiety disorder and depression treatment market is estimated at $16 billion
• $187.8 billion was spent in 2013 on mental health and substance abuse disorders

Management Team

Delic Co-Founder and CCO Jackee Stang was an executive at High Times, a leading counterculture publication that became the voice for the cannabis industry. The monthly magazine had a circulation of over 500,000 copies per issue. Its website attracted 500,000 to five million users each month by 2014.

Likewise, company Co-Founder and CEO Matt Stang was a previous owner and operator of High Times, a position from which he played an instrumental in legalizing cannabis in multiple states and launched the Cannabis Cup in America. After interacting with the cannabis community for two decades, he helped found Delic in 2019 as one of the first psychedelic corporations. He shapes the company’s vision and path using his expertise in branding, marketing, business development, and product viability.

Delic’s VP of Business Development, John Coleman, Ph.D., is a former president of Anandia Labs, a biotech company focused on genetics and analytics. Having experience in both science and business, Dr. Coleman is well-equipped to lead Delic’s business development efforts as it strives to enter new vertical markets.

Zak Garcia is the company’s Chief Marketing Officer. He was the former CMO of Bulletproof Inc., maker of the well-known Bulletproof Coffee brand. Mr. Garcia is a marketing and leadership strategist who helped grow Bulletproof Coffee to over $250 million in revenue.

Delic Holdings Corp. (DELCF), closed Tuesday's trading session at $0.0381, off by 4.75%, on 268,881 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is 268,881 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.03308/$0.315.

Recent News

• Delic Holdings Corp. (CSE: DELC) (OTCQB: DELCF) - Delic Holdings Corp. (CSE: DELC) (OTCQB: DELCF) Capitalizing on Psychedelics Drug Market, with 13 Wellness Clinics Across Nine States and Growing
• InvestorNewsBreaks - Delic Holdings Corp.'s (CSE: DELC) (OTCQB: DELCF) (FRA: 6X0) Issues Update on Default Status
• Wesana Health Could Divest Itself of All Assets Except Drug-Development Unit

Cannabis Strategic Ventures Inc. (OTC: NUGS)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight Cannabis Strategic Ventures Inc. (NUGS).

The U.S. IRS Taxpayer Advocate, an agency under the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), has published a blog post in which the agency discusses the tax obligations that marijuana companies have and the efforts which are being taken at the Congressional level to resolve some of those challenges. The blog post pointed out that, although companies in the cannabis industry are expected to meet their federal tax obligations, the firms aren’t at liberty to deduct many of the expenses that firms in other industries normally deduct when determining their tax obligations. This disparity stems from the fact that under federal law, marijuana is a controlled substance that cannot be bought or sold legally, so businesses engaged in cannabis business can’t claim tax deductions on an illegal activity. The issues raised in this NTA article are known all too well by established marijuana companies such as Cannabis Strategic Ventures Inc. (OTC: NUGS) that have, through dogged determination, managed to find a measure of success despite those huge odds stacked against the industry.

Cannabis Strategic Ventures Inc. (OTC: NUGS) is an emerging leader in the U.S. cannabis marketplace as a publicly traded cannabis cultivator. The company is based in Los Angeles, with a 6-acre cannabis farm in Northern California called NUGS Farm North. The company’s vision is to acquire and scale assets in the legal cannabis market while achieving efficiencies through economies of scale and vertical integration.

Cannabis Strategic Ventures recently expanded its portfolio by completing the transfer process for cultivation, retail, distribution and manufacturing licenses issued by the City of Los Angeles and the State of California, and it is now working toward taking operational control of each license. The company also recently announced the upcoming grand opening of its cannabis dispensary, MDRN Tree. Following that launch, Cannabis Strategic Ventures intends to deploy another of its new licenses to establish an indoor cultivation facility with capacity to produce two to three pounds of premium exotic cannabis flower per light per harvest. The facility will have up to 1,200 grow lights and is anticipated to yield 5.75 harvests per year, bringing it to a total production capacity of over 15,000 pounds of cannabis flower annually.

Brand Portfolio

The company owns multiple brands under the Cannabis Strategic Ventures umbrella. The firm’s NUGS brand provides operational and financial strategic partnerships and a range of essential services to emerging and existing cannabis consumer brands.

The NUGS Farm North brand operates as a six-and-a-half-acre cannabis cultivation property located in northern California. The company believes that the key to success in its business is consistent quality and reliable supply to fit growing consumer demand. Cannabis Strategic Ventures addressed these consumer needs by building NUGS Farm North. At NUGS Farm North, the company’s process is customized, and its product is consistent. Located in the heart of an agricultural mecca for globally distributed produce, NUGS Farm North finds power in its product, not in its size. Decades of agricultural experience and a dedication to consistency ensure quality cannabis.

MDRN Tree is Cannabis Strategic Ventures’ customer-facing dispensary brand. MDRN Tree will open its first Los Angeles location sometime in the fall of 2021. MDRN Tree will be the company’s factory retail store – a direct interface with the end-market community – where Cannabis Strategic Ventures plans on showcasing the cannabis flower produced at its NUGS Farm North cultivation site. This farm-to-sale model offers the potential to drive simultaneous gains in quality control and profitability.

Market Outlook

The demand for legal marijuana is expected to surge due to ongoing changes in U.S. state government policies toward cannabis. In addition, the number of indications for which medical marijuana is prescribed continues to increase steadily. These factors are expected to rapidly boost legal sales of cannabis products, opening new revenue channels for producers and retailers. Furthermore, an anticipated federal legalization of medical marijuana in the U.S. will only present more high growth opportunities for this market.

According to a report from Grand View Research, the global legal marijuana market was valued at $9.1 billion in 2020. Market size is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 26.7 percent from 2021 to 2028. That CAGR would put the market value at roughly $30 billion as soon as 2025.

According to the report, “One of the major factors fueling market growth is the expanding demand for legal marijuana owing to the growing number of legal cannabis countries. (Due) to recent legalizations in different countries, the use of medical marijuana for various ailments is gaining momentum worldwide. Patients suffering from chronic illnesses such as Parkinson’s, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and many neurological disorders are administered medical marijuana. The demand for cannabis oil is increasing rapidly, especially among countries with legalized medical marijuana.”

Management Team

Simon Yu is CEO, President, CFO and Secretary of Cannabis Strategic Ventures. He is also a co-founder, former COO and board member of Clubhouse Media Group Inc., a publicly traded social media company. Mr. Yu holds an MBA from the University of Southern California.

Cannabis Strategic Ventures Inc. (NUGS), closed Tuesday's trading session at $0.0179, off by 10.5%, on 460,342 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is 331,442 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.014794/$0.092655.

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