Clene Inc. (NASDAQ: CLNN)

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

Last week, the European Commission announced that it had imposed a half-a-billion dollar fine on Teva, a multinational pharmaceutical firm based in Israel. The company, which specializes in generic drugs, is said to have artificially extended patent protection for its multiple sclerosis drug known as Copaxone. The drug has glatiramer acetate as its active ingredient.

In a statement, the commission argued that the company's actions may have hindered considerable savings by nations across Europe given that other versions of the medication may be cheaper than Copaxone.

In total, Teva is expected to pay a 462.6 million euro fine. This is in addition to refraining from similar practices in the future. The commission also revealed that Teva had disparaged the development of a competing drug by rival firm, Synthon. Other generic drug manufacturers like Glenmark Pharmaceuticals were also charged with market allocation, bid rigging, and price fixing schemes during this time. The firms involved settled their cases with deferred prosecution agreements. If any case had gone to trial, guilty verdicts would've resulted in bans preventing them from taking part in federal health programs like Medicaid and Medicare.

The action taken by the EU Commission and other regulatory bodies is likely to foster a fairer playing field that could benefit other drug makers like Clene Inc. (NASDAQ: CLNN) that are focused on developing new medications targeting multiple sclerosis.

Clene Inc. (NASDAQ: CLNN) is a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on improving mitochondrial health and protecting neuronal function to treat neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis (MS).

Its lead drug candidate is CNM-Au8®, an oral suspension developed to restore neuronal health and function by increasing energy production and utilization by driving critical cellular energy producing reactions that enable neuroprotection and remyelination to increase neuronal and glial resilience to disease-relevant stressors. CNM-Au8 is being studied in various clinical trials, including the Harvard/MGH Healey ALS Platform clinical trial for patients with ALS; RESCUE-ALS, a completed proof-of-concept clinical trial in patients with early symptomatic ALS; the REPAIR trials, completed target engagement clinical trials showing brain energy metabolite change with CNM-Au8; and a completed MS clinical trial for the treatment of visual pathway deficits in chronic optic neuropathy for remyelination in stable relapsing MS. The company also has a nanotherapeutic platform of drug discovery.

CNM-Au8

CNM-Au8, Clene’s lead asset, is a highly concentrated aqueous suspension of catalytically active, clean-surfaced, faceted gold nanocrystals. Multiple pathogenic insults contribute to neuronal death. Mitochondrial dysfunction and NAD+ decline is a common final pathway in neurodegeneration, with NAD+ as a critical determinant of cell survival and function. CNM-Au8’s catalytic mechanisms target the energetic deficits, oxidative stress and accumulation of misfolded proteins that are common to many neurodegenerative diseases.

The unique catalytic mechanism of action of CNM-Au8 is hypothesized to act as a neuroprotective and remyelinating therapy in neurodegenerative disease states in order to: (1) drive, support and maintain beneficial metabolic and energetic cellular reactions within diseased, stressed and/or damaged cells, (2) directly catalyze the reduction of harmful, reactive oxygen species (“ROS”) and (3) promote protein homeostasis via activation of the heat shock factor-1 pathway, recognized to dampen the cytotoxicity caused by misfolded and denatured proteins, which are known to occur ubiquitously in neurodegenerative diseases.

CNM-Au8 is used in combination with other agents, has no known drug-drug interactions, and is designed to improve function and survival. The clinical effects of both function and survival were seen in its clinical ALS trials, as earlier announced.

More than 500 estimated years of collective exposure across ALS, MS, and Parkinson’s disease participants in CNM-Au8 clinical trials and Expanded Access Protocol (compassionate use) programs have been recorded without any observed safety signals.

CNM-Au8 is a federally registered trademark of Clene Inc. Clene, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, with R&D and manufacturing operations in Maryland, began in 2013.

Market Opportunity

ALS is the most prevalent adult-onset progressive motor neuron disease, affecting approximately 30,000 people in the U.S. and an estimated 500,000 people worldwide, with a life expectancy of typically three to five years. Clene estimates that global ALS treatment sales will be greater than $1 billion annually within the coming few years. Additional treatments affecting daily function and survival remain the market need.

Additionally, there are more than 2 million MS patients globally, and Clene estimates the market size to be worth more than $23 billion annually. While the MS community has been successful at limiting relapses, non-relapsing MS patients continue to clinically deteriorate even while receiving effective immunomodulatory disease-modifying therapies (“DMTs”). A critical unmet medical need remains for therapeutic interventions that protect neuronal function and myelin health independent of immunomodulation to address progression independent of relapse activity.

Management Team

Robert Etherington is President, Director and CEO of Clene. He has more than 30 years of sales, marketing and leadership experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Clene, he worked at Actelion Pharmaceuticals, the largest biopharma company in the European Union prior to its acquisition by Johnson & Johnson in 2017, where he led that company’s U.S. commercial operations. He began his pharmaceutical sales and marketing career at Parke-Davis, a division of Pfizer, where he rose to the position of Team Leader overseeing the drug Lipitor.

Mark Mortenson is Chief Science Officer at Clene. He is co-inventor of the technology platform developed to produce the company’s therapeutics. He is the inventor or co-inventor on 32 other U.S. patents and hundreds of corresponding international patents. He is a former chief patent counsel responsible for 5,500 U.S. and international patents and patent applications. He holds bachelor’s degrees in physics and ceramic engineering from Alfred University, a master’s degree in materials science from Penn State University and a J.D. from George Washington University.

Benjamin Greenberg, M.D., MHS, FAAN, is Head of Medical at Clene. He is an internationally recognized expert in disorders of the central nervous system. He is currently professor of neurology and Vice Chair of Clinical and Translational Research in the department of Neurology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins, a master’s degree in molecular microbiology and immunology from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and graduated from Baylor College of Medicine. He served residency in neurology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Morgan R. Brown is CFO at Clene. He has more than 30 years of finance and accounting experience, with 23 years at biotech, pharmaceutical and medical device companies. He has served in similar roles at Lipocine Inc., Innovus Pharmaceuticals, World Heart Corp., Lifetree Clinical Research and NPS Pharmaceuticals Inc. He previously worked at accounting firm KPMG. He is a CPA with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Utah State University and an M.S. in business administration from the University of Utah.

Clene Inc. (NASDAQ: CLNN), closed Thursday's trading session at $5.89, up 2.972%, on 50,746 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is and the stock's 52-week low/high is $3.8181/$12.00.

Recent News

• Clene Inc. (NASDAQ: CLNN) - BioMedNewsBreaks - Clene Inc. (NASDAQ: CLNN) Set to Discuss Lead Candidate Biomarker with FDA Leadership
• Clene Inc. (NASDAQ: CLNN) Presents Lead Candidate CNM-Au8(R) Updates, Latest Achievements at Top Investor Conferences
• Clene Inc. (NASDAQ: CLNN) Closes $7.3 Million Registered Direct Offering and Concurrent Private Placements

Platinum Group Metals Ltd. (TSX: PTM) (NYSE American: PLG)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight Platinum Group Metals Ltd. (TSX: PTM) (NYSE American: PLG).

Platinum Group Metals Ltd. (NYSE American: PLG) (TSX: PTM) is poised to benefit from the automotive industry's shift toward hybrid and electric vehicles ("EVs"). "A surge in sales of hybrid cars as electric vehicle take-up slows is set to provide an unexpected boost to demand for platinum group metals (‘PGMs') in the coming years, similar to the extended lifespan now predicted for coal," reads a recent article that contains excerpts from a Reuters report.

"Platinum Group Metals, an up-and-coming player in the PGM space, is well positioned to capitalize on this trend. The company is engaged in the development of the Waterberg Project in South Africa. This project is strategically aligned with the growing demand for platinum and other PGMs, as it aims to produce large quantities of these crucial metals… By expanding its production capabilities and capitalizing on the growing market, Platinum Group Metals Ltd. is looking to benefit from the increase in PGM demand, potentially driving substantial growth and success in the evolving landscape of sustainable transportation."

To view the full article, visit https://ibn.fm/Or90a

Platinum Group Metals Ltd. (NYSE American: PLG) (TSX: PTM) is the operator of the Waterberg Project, a bulk underground platinum group metals (PGM) deposit discovered by Platinum Group in 2011 and located on the Northern Limb of the Bushveld Complex in South Africa. The Waterberg Project is planned as a fully mechanised platinum, palladium, rhodium and gold mine, including by-product copper and nickel production, and is projected to be one of the largest and lowest cost PGM mines globally.

The project is a joint venture between Platinum Group; integrated PGM producer Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd. (OTCQX: IMPUY); Japanese consortium HJ Platinum, which includes trading house Hanwa Co. and the government-backed Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC); and local empowerment partner Mnombo Wethu Consultants (Pty) Ltd. Platinum Group has an effective 50.22% interest in the Waterberg Project.

The company’s primary business objective is to advance the Waterberg Project to a development and construction decision. An update to the 2019 Definite Feasibility Study is expected in 2024.

PGMs are essential and precious metals that include platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, osmium and ruthenium. These metals are known for their purity, high melting points and unique catalytic properties. They are utilized in a number of industrial processes, technologies and commercial applications and play a critical role in autocatalysis and pollution control in the automotive sector. The bulk of global PGMs are mined in Southern Africa and Russia.

The unique properties of PGMs are being applied to various technologies as possible solutions for more efficient energy generation and storage, which may create new demand for PGMs. The company’s battery technology initiative through Lion Battery Technologies Inc., using platinum and palladium in lithium battery technologies, represents one such new opportunity in the high-profile lithium battery research and innovation field.

Platinum Group Metals Ltd. founded Lion Battery Technologies Inc. in partnership with Anglo American Platinum Ltd. (AMS: JNB) to support the use of palladium and platinum in lithium battery applications. Lion Battery has entered into an agreement with Florida International University to further advance a research program that uses platinum and palladium to unlock the potential of Lithium Sulfur (Li-S) battery chemistries.

Platinum Group is headquartered in Vancouver, B.C., and Johannesburg, South Africa.

Waterberg Project

Platinum Group’s sole material mineral property, the Waterberg Project, is presently in process with pre-construction permitting; engineering work, including road upgrade and traffic studies; finalization of power and water infrastructure design; and construction camp design.

The company’s principal product from the Waterberg Project is planned to be a PGM-bearing concentrate. The concentrate will contain economic amounts of six elements comprising platinum, palladium, rhodium, gold, copper and nickel. The company’s partner in the Waterberg Project, Impala Platinum Holdings, has acquired a right of first refusal to enter into an offtake agreement, on commercial arm’s-length terms, for the smelting and refining of mineral products from the Waterberg Project.

The Waterberg project has proven and estimated reserves of 19.5 million ounces of PGMs and gold. When fully operational, the mine is projected to produce more than 400,000 ounces of PGMs annually during the peak period of steady state production. The life of the mine is projected at 45 years.

South Africa’s PGM mining sector remains closely tied to economic developments in the global automotive industry, which in 2022 accounted for approximately 43% of the total global demand for platinum and 82% of the total global demand for palladium.

Market Opportunity

According to a report from Straits Research, a global market and business research firm, the worldwide platinum market had an estimated value of $7.72 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach $11.95 billion by 2031. That represents a CAGR of 5.13% over the forecast period.

Platinum, one of the rarest of precious metals, is about 30 times scarcer than gold. It is crucial to the automotive and electronics industries and is also used to make jewelry. Stricter emissions regulations around the world have led to an increased demand for platinum to be used in catalytic converters to reduce automotive emission, the report states.

A report from Allied Market Research estimated the global palladium market at $16.3 billion in 2021 and projects the market will reach $28.6 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 5.8% over the period.

Palladium is also used in automotive catalytic converters for reducing emissions and in jewelry, dentistry, watchmaking, blood sugar test strips, aircraft spark plugs, surgical instruments, electrical contacts and musical instruments.

An increase in demand for consumer electronics has driven demand for palladium-based multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCC) used to store energy in electronic devices such as broadcasting equipment, mobile telephones, computers, electronic lighting and high voltage circuits, according to the report.

Management Team

Frank R. Hallam is Co-Founder, Director, President and CEO of Platinum Group. He has over 30 years of experience in the mining, minerals and petroleum industry as an operator, principal and founder. He was a co-founder and former CFO of MAG Silver Corp. He was also co-founder and director of West Timmins Mining Inc. and a director of Lake Shore Gold Corp. In addition, he was CFO and director with gold exploration company Tan Range Exploration Corp. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant and was formerly an auditor in the public mining practice of PwC. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University.

Greg Blair is CFO of Platinum Group. He has been with Platinum Group since 2010 in various roles, most recently as Interim CFO. Prior to joining Platinum Group, he was at a public accounting firm working on public company (mainly mining) audits. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a degree in Economics from Simon Fraser University and has completed the Canadian Securities Course.

Kris Begic is VP Corporate Development of Platinum Group. He has over 25 years of experience in the mining industry and capital markets and has been involved with the raising of over $500 million for various exploration and development projects globally. His efforts are focused on project generation, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, investor relations and marketing.

Platinum Group Metals Ltd. (NYSE American: PLG), closed Thursday's trading session at $1.77, up 5.3571%, on 1,048,433 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.942/$2.27.

Recent News

• Platinum Group Metals Ltd. (TSX: PTM) (NYSE American: PLG) - Platinum Group Metals Ltd. (NYSE American: PLG) (TSX: PTM) Eyeing Response to U.S. Recommendation to Impose Sanctions on Russian Titanium, Palladium
• RockBreaks - Platinum Group Metals Ltd.'s (NYSE American: PLG) (TSX: PTM) Lion Battery Accelerating Development of Next-Gen Technology
• InvestorNewsBreaks - Platinum Group Metals Ltd. (TSX: PTM) (NYSE American: PLG) Reports Filing of Independent DFS Update Technical Report

Mullen Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN)

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

Mullen Automotive (NASDAQ: MULN) announced that Bollinger Motors has qualified for New York State's New York Truck Voucher Incentive Program ("NYTVIP"), offering up to a $100,000 voucher for its all-electric B4 Truck. This incentive, provided by NYSERDA, marks the fourth state incentive for Bollinger in the Northeast, adding to similar programs in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Alongside a federal tax credit of $40,000 under the Inflation Reduction Act, Bollinger's B4 Truck is primed to offer substantial financial incentives, bolstering its adoption in commercial fleets. Recent milestones for Bollinger include regulatory certifications, significant fleet orders and partnerships with dealers and service providers, underscoring the B4's readiness for widespread deployment.

To view the full press release, visit https://ibn.fm/NwaJH

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 Thursday's trading session at $1.76, up 2.3256%, on 1,273,865 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is and the stock's 52-week low/high is $1.71/$3100.00.

Recent News

• Mullen Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN) - InvestorNewsBreaks - Mullen Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN) Subsidiary Expands West Coast Footprint with First Bollinger B4 EV Truck Deliveries
• North Sea Countries Determined to Make the Region a Clean Energy Hub
• InvestorNewsBreaks - Mullen Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN) Gains $10M Support from Robert Bollinger to Propel B4 EV Truck Production

D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS).

John DiLullo and Rohit Ghai bring extensive leadership experience to D-Wave's board to assist the company's ongoing efforts to accelerate commercial quantum adoption and capitalize on its unique market position.

With a track record spanning more than 30 years in technology, including 15 years in cybersecurity and networking, DiLullo has held key executive positions with several leading companies.

Ghai brings years of experience working with both startups and large enterprises, with digital transformation expertise and knowledge across software, systems and security.

D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) ("D-Wave"), a leader in quantum computing systems, software and services, and the first commercial provider of quantum computers, appointed two veteran technology industry leaders to its board of directors, supporting the increasing market adoption of the company's annealing quantum computing solutions. The two new board members, John DiLullo and Rohit Ghai, join at a crucial time as the company is implementing an aggressive go-to-market strategy, aiming to accelerate quantum solution adoption across global businesses, research institutions and government agencies (https://ibn.fm/pQTJz).

D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) is a leader in quantum computing systems, software and services focused on delivering customer value via practical quantum applications for problems such as logistics, artificial intelligence, materials sciences, drug discovery, scheduling, fault detection and financial modeling. As the only provider building both annealing and gate-model quantum computers, the company is unlocking commercial use cases in optimization today, while building the technologies that will enable new solutions tomorrow.

D-Wave is a pioneer in quantum computing, with a history of delivering the world’s first commercial quantum computer; the first real-time quantum cloud service; countless hardware and software product and research milestones; and the planned first cross-platform quantum solution which will deliver both annealing and gate-model quantum computers to customers via an integrated platform. Its current commercial product offerings include: Advantage™ (fifth generation quantum computer), Leap™ (quantum cloud service), Launch™ (quantum computing onboarding service) and Ocean™ (full suite of open-source programming tools).

D-Wave’s relentless pursuit of practical quantum computing has resulted in the technology being used today by some of the world’s most advanced enterprises – more than 25 of the Forbes Global 2000 use D-Wave.

D-Wave’s commercial customers include blue-chip industry leaders like Volkswagen, Accenture, BBVA, NEC Corporation, Save-On-Foods, DENSO and Lockheed Martin. The company boasts an extensive IP portfolio featuring more than 200 issued U.S. patents and over 100 peer-reviewed papers published in leading scientific journals.

Founded in 1999, D-Wave is the world’s first commercial supplier of quantum computers. With headquarters and the Quantum Engineering Center of Excellence based near Vancouver, Canada, D-Wave’s U.S. operations are based in Palo Alto, California.

Advantage™ Quantum Computer

 

With the Advantage™ Quantum Computer, D-Wave has incorporated two decades of experience and over 10 years of customer feedback to create the first and only quantum computer designed for business. The platform features a new processor architecture with over 5,000 qubits and 15-way qubit connectivity. This is 2.5x more connections and more than double the number of qubits than the company’s previous generation quantum computer.

D-Wave’s quantum computers, first located in its facilities in British Columbia, have been available to North American users through its Leap™ quantum cloud service since 2018. It has since introduced new Advantage systems in Julich, Germany, and most recently, Marina Del Rey, California, which marked the availability of the first Advantage quantum computer physically located in the United States.

That new deployment is part of the USC-Lockheed Martin Quantum Computing Center (QCC) hosted at USC’s Information Sciences Institute (ISI), a unit of the University of Southern California’s prestigious Viterbi School of Engineering. Additionally, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and D-Wave announced that the U.S.-based system is available for use in Amazon 2racket, expanding the number to three different D-Wave quantum systems available to AWS users.

Leap Quantum Cloud Service

 

D-Wave’s customers interface with its systems through the Leap™ quantum cloud service. Leap delivers immediate, real-time access to the company’s Advantage quantum computer and quantum hybrid solver service, all with enterprise-class performance and scalability.

Leap allows developers proficient in Python to get started building and running quantum applications. Through a seamless and secure cloud-based connection, users can easily start solving complex problems of up to 1 million variables and 100,000 constraints.

Using Leap, D-Wave customers have developed quantum hybrid applications for use cases in manufacturing, logistics, financial services, life sciences, materials science, retail and transportation. By eliminating the need to wait hours, days or weeks to get good answers to a broad array of problems, D-Wave is helping businesses move forward.

D-Wave Launch

D-Wave Launch™ is the company’s onboarding platform aimed at helping businesses easily start their quantum journey. Through this program, D-Wave’s team of experts and partners aid enterprises in identifying best use cases for quantum and work with them to develop a proof of concept and production pilot.

From there, the team coordinates with customers to get their hybrid quantum applications up and running, providing ongoing Leap quantum cloud access to ensure the application is operating smoothly and delivering real business value.

Target Verticals

While the potential applications for quantum computing are effectively limitless, D-Wave has identified a number of industry verticals as key areas of focus for its quantum architecture, providing case studies for each. These include:

• Manufacturing – D-Wave worked with Volkswagen to identify a commercial optimization application, the binary paint shop problem, which was run on D-Wave’s hybrid solver service. The solver outperformed four purely classical methods on problem sizes at commercial scale (N=3,000). In a separate project, similar inputs were tested using a leading ion trap system, which failed to find any commercial solution.
• Life Sciences – Menten AI makes use of D-Wave quantum computing to assist in the design of novel therapeutic peptides—short strings of amino acids that can act as potent drugs. With the rise of COVID-19, D-Wave’s Advantage system made it possible to identify molecules that might be especially well-suited for binding and inhibiting the related spike protein, producing several promising peptide designs.
• Finance – Multiverse Computing, a leader in developing quantum solutions for the financial sector, leveraged D-Wave’s hybrid solver service in a collaboration with BBVA, one of the world’s largest financial institutions. Multiverse demonstrated management strategies that far exceeded the granularity of traditional returns in a fraction of the time, helping BBVA identify a low-risk portfolio for investment.

Market Opportunity

The quantum computing total addressable market is projected to grow between $450 billion and $850 billion over the next 15 to 30 years, with between $5 billion and $10 billion of anticipated TAM growth coming in the next three to five years, according to Boston Consulting Group. Driving factors behind this growth include rising investments in quantum computing tech by governments and an increasing number of commercial use-cases.

Forward-thinking organizations see quantum as an opportunity to move ahead of the competition. From finding efficiencies and reducing waste to decreasing time to solution and solving problems abandoned due to complexity, the business value is real. According to data from 451 Research, 40% of large enterprises are already experimenting with quantum computing.

D-Wave is strategically positioned – in an industry with significant barriers to entry – as evident by a decades-long track record serving a roster of blue-chip customers. The company is singularly focused on helping its customers achieve clear value by leveraging quantum computing in practical business applications. With a full stack of systems, software, developer tools and services, D-Wave is working to enable enterprises, governments, developers and researchers to access the power of quantum computing, thereby providing an intriguing opportunity for prospective investors.

D-Wave’s current investor base includes PSP Investments, Goldman Sachs, BDC Capital, NEC Corporation, Aegis Group Partners and In-Q-Tel.

Leadership Team

Dr. Alan Baratz has served as the CEO of D-Wave since 2020. Previously, as Executive Vice President of R&D and Chief Product Officer, he drove the development, delivery, and support of all of D-Wave’s products, technologies, and applications. Dr. Baratz has over 25 years of experience in product development and bringing new products to market at leading technology companies and software startups. As the first president of JavaSoft at Sun Microsystems, he oversaw the growth and adoption of the Java platform from its infancy to a robust platform supporting mission-critical applications in nearly 80 percent of Fortune 1000 companies. He has also held executive positions at Symphony, Avaya, Cisco, and IBM. Dr. Baratz holds a doctorate in computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

John Markovich is the company’s CFO. He brings to D-Wave over three decades of experience working with rapidly growing private and public technology companies across all stages of development. Mr. Markovich has directed the finance, accounting, tax, treasury, M&A, legal, operations, customer service, IR, HR, and IT functions for companies ranging from privately held pre-revenue startups to an NYSE-listed Fortune 500 multi-national company with over $1.2 billion in annual revenue. During his career, he has negotiated and closed over 150 debt, equity, M&A, and joint venture transactions exceeding $2.5 billion in value; over a dozen private placements; nearly a dozen M&A transactions; and several international joint ventures. Mr. Markovich holds a BS in Business from Miami University and an MBA from the Michigan State Graduate School of Business.

D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS), closed Thursday's trading session at $1.46, up 29.2035%, on 21,157,429 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.57/$2.44.

Recent News

• D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) - InvestorNewsBreaks - D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) Deemed "Awardable" by DoD's Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace
• Investors Worry About the Returns on Huge AI Investments by Big Tech
• InvestorNewsBreaks - D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) to Report Q3 Financial Results and Host Investor Call

Renforth Resources Inc. (CSE: RFR) (OTCQB: RFHRF)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight Renforth Resources Inc. (CSE: RFR) (OTCQB: RFHRF).

Renforth Resources (CSE: RFR) (OTCQB: RFHRF) (FSE: 9RR), a company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties in Canada, operates its flagship Parbec Gold Project near the world-renowned Malartic gold-mining region. "What sets Malartic apart as an exceptional mining region is its geology. The region is part of the larger Abitibi Greenstone Belt, one of the richest mineral belts in the world, renowned for its significant deposits of gold and other base metals… However, Malartic's significance extends beyond just the sheer volume of gold extracted from its soils. The region also boasts a robust infrastructure for mining operations, including transportation networks, access to skilled labor and proximity to refineries, making it an attractive location for mining companies looking to develop their projects," reads a recent article.

"One of the players in the Malartic region is Renforth Resources, a Canadian mineral exploration company that has been making strides in the exploration and development of mineral properties, particularly within Malartic. Renforth Resources, with its focus on unlocking value from Canada's rich mineral landscape, is working to position itself as a dynamic company in the mining sector. Renforth Resources' strategic presence in Malartic underscores the company's commitment to tapping into the region's abundant resources."

To view the full article, visit https://ibn.fm/ftSd1

Annovis Bio Inc. Overview

Renforth Resources Inc. (CSE: RFR) (OTCQB: RFHRF) is an active mineral exploration company engaged in the exploration and development of the company’s wholly owned multi-commodity mineral properties in Canada. The company owns the Parbec gold deposit on the Cadillac Break in Quebec and is currently exploring the Parbec property to increase the gold resource and identify a location to strip and bulk sample from surface.

In addition, the company holds the Nixon Bartleman gold property in Ontario and is also engaged in developing its wholly owned Malartic Metals Package, Quebec’s newest polymetallic battery minerals district with several areas of mineralization, one of which is the nickel, cobalt, copper and zinc mineralized Victoria structure boasting approximately 20 kilometers of strike with surface mineralization, limited drilling, road access and hydroelectric power.

Renforth is well positioned in the heart of the Abitibi Greenstone belt, which straddles the Canadian Provinces of Ontario and Quebec, on both of the Cadillac-Larder Lake and Destor-Porcupine faults – the two main structures responsible for a belt endowed with more than 300 million ounces of gold (including production, M&I reserves and resources to date), making it one of the world’s most prospective gold regions.

The Canadian Malartic Mine, one of Canada’s largest gold mines, is adjacent to each of Renforth’s brownfield Malartic area properties, the Parbec open pit gold resource and the Malartic Metals Package, which, in addition to several known battery metals mineralized structures, also hosts gold within the Pontiac sediments, a very under-explored geological setting.

The company is headquartered in Pickering, Ontario.

Projects

Parbec Gold Deposit

Renforth’s 100% owned Parbec Gold Deposit contains a gold resource designed with an open pit to capitalize on Parbec’s surface mineralization. An MRE on the project, effective December 2019 and now considered by Renforth to be obsolete, is based upon approximately 28,000 meters of drilling which occurred between 2007 and 2019.

Renforth drilled 15,000 meters of new holes in 2020 and 2021 which were not included in the MRE, but which did extend the mineralization deeper within the MRE. The 2020-21 drilling is considered to have validated an additional 13,000 meters of historic drilling from 1986-93.

The validation occurs as 10% of the historic holes were redrilled, with results comparable to the historic results in terms of geology and gold values. Any future MRE calculated at Parbec will benefit from the inclusion of the new and historic drilling.

In addition to this, Renforth’s current structural interpretation on the location of, and controls on, the gold mineralization at Parbec is materially different than the geological model for the outdated MRE. For the first time, Renforth has mapped the Pontiac contact and interpreted a hinge fold interacting with the Cadillac Break and allowing the movement of gold enriched fluids, with mineralization plunging to the south, into the Pontiac.

It is worth noting that a structural control on the adjacent, and much larger, Canadian Malartic Mine is the Sladen Fault transiting into the Pontiac. Currently, Renforth is testing this interpretation with a soil survey designed to outline an area for stripping and bulk sampling within the Pontiac south of the Cadillac Break.

Malartic Metals Package

Renforth’s wholly owned approximately 300-square-kilometer Malartic Metals Package in Quebec’s mining heartland includes surface mineralization of battery metals nickel, cobalt, copper, zinc and silver in separate structures, as well as a copper/silver discovery and gold mineralization. Lithium is also present in anomalous amounts in the sediments, though the source has not yet been located.

The property was assembled commencing in 2020 by adding claims to Renforth’s existing Malartic West property by map staking. The goal was to acquire historic gold and base metal showings, as well as pronounced magnetic anomalies, joining several of the areas of discrete historic exploration into a district scale property with several areas of interest for battery metals and a greenfield copper/silver discovery. The property benefits from its location in an established mining community, roads on the property, rail just off the property and hydroelectric power lines crossing the property, making logistics simple and the cost to operate quite low.

This is the first time this property has been assembled as it is today and actively explored. A significant portion of the property has never been explored.

Market Overview

The World Gold Council, the industry association for the world’s gold producers, estimated in 2023 the physical financial gold market, which is made up of bars, coins, gold ETFs and central bank reserves, is worth nearly $5 trillion. The council reports that gold mine production adds approximately 3,500 tons of the precious metal to the world’s supply annually, equivalent to about 2% growth.

This historical scarcity and relatively slow production of new supply, as compared to other commodities, is a primary reason gold has retained its value for millennia, according to the council. In August 2024, the market price of gold was approximately $2,435 per ounce.

Management Team

Nicole Brewster is President and CEO of Renforth Resources. During her tenure she has reconstituted the company, developed a maiden mineral resource and sold a gold deposit. She is a native of the Toronto area and has been around the mining business nearly all her life, having been raised by a successful mineral exploration geologist who worked (and is still working) around the world as an entrepreneur and geoscientist.

Ms. Brewster worked summer jobs in various segments of the mining business, which led to her employment as a contractor working in the early days of the digitization of exploration data, 3D modeling and data visualization. After working in the capital markets for a time, she returned to the mineral exploration business as a partner in a successful private firm with several employees.

Renforth Resources Inc. (OTCQB: RFHRF), closed Thursday's trading session at $0.0111, up 27.5862%, on 79,400 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.0068/$0.0241.

Recent News

• Renforth Resources Inc. (CSE: RFR) (OTCQB: RFHRF) - RockBreaks - Renforth Resources Inc. (CSE: RFR) (OTCQB: RFHRF) (FSE: 9RR) Is Well on Its Way to Becoming Significant Contributor to Canada's Mining Industry
• Renforth Resources Inc. (CSE: RFR) (OTCQB: RFHRF) Announces Successful Completion of Initial TOMRA Testing
• MiningNewsBreaks - Renforth Resources Inc.'s (CSE: RFR) (OTCQB: RFHRF) (FSE: 9RR) Malartic Project Known to Host Occurrences of Polymetallic Mineralization

Brera Holdings PLC (NASDAQ: BREA)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight Brera Holdings PLC(NASDAQ: BREA).

Brera Holdings, an Ireland-based, international holding company focused on expanding its global portfolio of men's and women's sports clubs, is increasingly bullish about the future of sports ownership

Over the past decade, the sports ecosystem has experienced nearly 430% returns across various leagues, attracting a diverse array of investors

The international football market alone is projected to grow to $4.6 billion by 2032, up from $3.3 billion in 2023

The company continues to grow its global sports portfolio while also leveraging social media to build its brand, as evidenced by the success of its recent partnership with global content creator THAADBOII Productions

Brera Holdings PLC (NASDAQ: BREA), an Ireland-based, international holding company rapidly expanding its global portfolio of men's and women's sports clubs through a multi-club ownership approach, believes the future of sports ownership is bright and full of potential. Owing to the growth of multi-club ownership and private equity, the company believes that the industry will continue to expand significantly, bringing in even more players with diversified cash flows, and growing various sports globally.

Brera Holdings PLC (NASDAQ: BREA) is an Ireland-based, international holding company focused on expanding its global portfolio of men’s and women’s sports clubs through a multi-club ownership approach. The company capitalizes on opportunities to earn tournament prizes, secure sponsorships, collect transfer fees, provide professional sports consulting services, and enhance the valuation of its clubs.

Brera Holdings builds on the legacy of Brera FC, an international football club (referred to as soccer in the U.S.), that it acquired in July 2022. Established in 2000 and based in Milan, Italy, Brera FC has distinguished itself by cultivating an alternative football legacy. In October 2024, the Internet Marketing Association awarded Brera FC with the Social Impact Through Soccer accolade at its IMPACT 5050 Conference, recognizing the club’s global perspective and positive contributions to society.

The company’s growth strategy focuses on unlocking value from undervalued sports clubs and talent, driving innovation, and generating socially impactful outcomes. Brera Holdings is actively expanding its Global Sports Group, acquiring professional football and other sports clubs in emerging markets such as Africa, Asia, and Europe.

By targeting top-division teams in less mainstream markets, Brera Holdings aims to strengthen its competitive position in regional tournaments, including those organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). These acquisitions are expected to enhance sponsorship revenues and create new growth opportunities.

Leveraging its expertise in capital raising and revenue generation, Brera Holdings also anticipates growing demand for its consulting services, providing advisory support to sports clubs, associations, investors, and others. Brera Holdings is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, with additional offices in Milan, Italy.

Sporting Assets

Brera Holdings continues to grow its global sports portfolio with a series of strategic acquisitions and innovations, including the FENIX Trophy Tournament, a pan-European, non-professional football competition. Launched in September 2021 and organized by Brera FC, the tournament has been recognized by UEFA and described by BBC Sport as “the Champions League for amateurs.” In 2023, Brera FC hosted the tournament’s finals at Milan’s iconic San Siro Stadium.

In March 2023, Brera Holdings expanded into Africa by establishing Brera Tchumene FC in Mozambique. Starting in the country’s Second Division League, the team quickly earned promotion to Moçambola, Mozambique’s First Division League, by November 2023.

In April 2023, Brera Holdings further strengthened its European presence by acquiring a 90% stake in Fudbalski Klub Akademija Pandev, a first-division football team in North Macedonia. This acquisition provides access to two major UEFA competitions, solidifying the company’s position in European football.

Brera Holdings’ reach extends beyond football. In July 2023, it acquired majority ownership of UYBA Volley, an Italian Serie A1 women’s professional volleyball team, demonstrating its commitment to diversifying within top-tier sports.

In September 2023, Brera Holdings entered the Mongolian football market by acquiring Bayanzurkh Sporting Ilch FC, a Mongolian National Premier League team. For the 2024 season, the club was rebranded as Brera Ilch FC, further expanding Brera’s global footprint.

In January 2024, Brera Holdings initiated a proactive search for an Italian Serie B football club, aligning with its goal of bringing multi-club ownership opportunities to mass investors through its Nasdaq-listed shares.

In February 2024, the Brera Holdings Advisory Board was established with MLS founder and World Cup director Alan Rothenberg, luxury lifestyle executive Massimo Ferragamo, sports business leaders Paul Tosetti and Marshall Geller, and Italian football icon Giuseppe Rossi.

In June 2024, the North Macedonian women’s football club Tiverija Strumica officially became part of the Brera family with the establishment of a joint-stock company controlled by Brera Holdings called Women’s Football Club Tiverija Brera AD Strumica (“Brera Tiverija”). Brera Tiverija is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Brera Strumica FC.

In September 2024 Brera announced that it signed an exclusive letter of intent to acquire an Italian Serie B club (the “LOI” and the “Club”). According to a CFA report published in June 2024, this expected strategic transaction, for an estimated purchase price of $21.6 million, would add first-year annual revenue of $10.8 million to Brera, and that revenue would likely increase by 25% each year for the next three years. The company’s capital valuation, projected the report, would also experience significant appreciation during this period.

In October 2024, Brera was recognized with the 2024 Social Impact Through Soccer Award at IMPACT 5050, an annual event honoring leaders and innovators who significantly impact their industries and communities. This is the second time Brera has won the award.

Market Opportunity

A report from IMARC Group, a global management consulting firm, reveals that the international football market generated approximately $3.3 billion in revenue in 2023, with projections to grow to $4.6 billion by 2032, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.6%. Key drivers behind this growth include advancements in digitization, increasing sponsorship and partnership deals between brands and clubs, the rising interest in women’s professional soccer leagues, and the expansion of the e-sports and gaming sector.

In particular, Serie B Italian football clubs seem to present exceptionally attractive investment opportunities. As of September 2024, more than half of these clubs had appreciated between 80-100% in total market value, post-purchase.

As the world’s most-watched and most-played sport, soccer drives significant demand for football-related products and services, contributing to market growth. Broadcasting rights, sponsorships, and endorsement deals are also major revenue sources for clubs and organizations, with an expanding global fanbase generating new opportunities for financial growth, according to the report.

Management Team

With extensive experience in leadership and finance, Daniel McClory currently serves as the Executive Chairman and Director of Brera Holdings, PLC. He co-founded and held the position of Chief Executive Officer at Boustead & Company Limited, and previously served as the Managing Director, Head of Equity Capital Markets, and Head of China at Boustead Securities, LLC. Mr. McClory’s governance experience includes being a Board Director for USA Track & Field and a member of the Eastern Michigan University Champions Advisory Board. Mr. McClory’s expertise encompasses founding and financing equity capital markets, as well as navigating merger and acquisition transactions and initial public offerings. He holds a BS and MS from Eastern Michigan University, where he also received an honorary Doctor of Public Service. In addition to his professional qualifications, he is fluent in both English and Italian.

Pierre Galoppi serves as the CEO, Interim CFO, and director of Brera Holdings. With over 30 years of experience in strategic business and financial services, his career spans a variety of industries, including natural resources, aviation, cybersecurity, telecommunications, tourism, and international marketing. He has worked extensively across Latin America, the Caribbean, Canada, Europe, and the United States. Mr. Galoppi holds dual citizenship in Canada and Italy and is fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and French. He earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree and an MBA from Concordia University in Montreal.

Maria Xing serves as the Head of Investments and Corporate Development. She is an executive who has specialized in MCO football (soccer) group investments for 777 Partners, where she was involved in sourcing, direct negotiations, due diligence, and closing deals, including acquiring a controlling stake in Brazilian Serie A football club, Vasco da Gama, and investing in Australian Premier League (“A-League”) side, Melbourne Victory FC. She also played a role in other professional sports franchise portfolio management, including topflight professional football clubs in Italy, France, Germany, and Belgium. Her background is in private equity, investment banking, and finance, with prior experience at The Raine Group, Credit Suisse, and EY (Ernst & Young), as well as previous sports industry experience at Liverpool Football Club in international business development. Ms. Xing earned an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. from the New York University, Stern School of Business.

Brera Holdings PLC (NASDAQ: BREA), closed Thursday's trading session at $0.8299, off by 3.1396%, on 53,024 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.5111/$3.00.

Recent News

• Brera Holdings PLC (NASDAQ: BREA) - InvestorNewsBreaks - Brera Holdings PLC (NASDAQ: BREA) to Attend Sportico's "Invest in Sports" Conference in NYC to Explore Sports Investment Opportunities
• InvestorNewsBreaks - Brera Holdings PLC (NASDAQ: BREA) Primary Stake in UYBA Volley Shows Promise with Back-to-Back Serie A1 Wins
• InvestorNewsBreaks - Brera Holdings PLC (NASDAQ: BREA) Celebrates League-Leading Start for Women's Club Brera Tiverija in North Macedonia

First Tellurium Corp. (CSE: FTEL) (OTCQB: FSTTF)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight First Tellurium Corp. (CSE: FTEL) (OTCQB: FSTTF) .

The outcome of America's renewable energy ambitions may hinge on the outcome of the November 2024 elections. While it may seem that a Kamala Harris presidency would advance the current administration's efforts to advance green energy in the country, whoever clinches several hundred key local positions may have just as much sway. These often overlooked utility control officials control the country's power grid, making them an integral cog in America's climate action. The U.S. can generate as much clean energy as possible, but it will be useless if the grid isn't ready and willing to handle the additional load. Major upgrades will be also needed to ensure the grid can deal with the surge in demand caused by electrification in the vehicle sector. In Arizona, the previous utility regulatory committee was pro-fossil fuel and approved new gas plant constructions while implementing new fees and rate hikes for rooftop solar installations. Such could be America's future, at least for the next four years, if state regulatory committees don't focus on modernization and focus on adopting clean energy. Hopefully, the officials who are elected will champion enabling policies which will allow entities like First Tellurium Corp. (CSE: FTEL) (OTCQB: FSTTF) to make a significant contribution to the energy transition the best way they can.

First Tellurium Corp. (CSE: FTEL) (OTCQB: FSTTF) is committed to exploring for and providing essential and critical metals, including tellurium, gold, silver, copper and tungsten, for North American markets. This objective is anchored by the company’s Deer Horn tellurium-gold-silver-copper project in British Columbia, Canada, and further enhanced by its property option on the Klondike tellurium-gold prospect located in Colorado, USA.

First Tellurium’s unique business model is to generate revenue and value through mineral discovery, project development, project generation and cooperative access to untapped mineral regions in indigenous territory with sustainable exploration potential.

The company is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Tellurium and the Green Energy Revolution

Tellurium has a key role to play in the ongoing green energy revolution. It is widely used in the manufacturing of photovoltaic cells for solar panels.

Despite this utility, ongoing trade tensions between China and the U.S. create implications for both tellurium and the production of cadmium-tellurium solar cells. Earlier this year, China announced plans to restrict exports of critical metals gallium and germanium, both essential for the production of semiconductors. For reference, China produces around 80% of the world’s gallium and approximately 60% of the world’s germanium.

China’s recent trade restrictions amplify the fragility of the North American tellurium supply, as the Asian nation currently produces about 60% of the world’s tellurium. This sustained supply vulnerability is why First Solar, the United States’ largest solar panel producer, set up a worldwide search for tellurium deposits in the mid-2000s.

“In North America alone, our understanding is that First Solar looked at over a hundred tellurium properties,” First Tellurium CEO Tyrone Docherty stated in a news release. “Their number one property by far, which they acquired, was the Colorado Klondike which we now control.”

The U.S. is now looking to secure safe, domestic sources of tellurium and many other critical metals to pre-empt potential shortages. The Biden administration has instituted a stream of policies, particularly the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, to source solar components from North America and other “friendly” jurisdictions.

As the only junior mining company in the world focused on tellurium exploration, First Tellurium is ahead of the curve in capitalizing on these initiatives to establish strategic, domestic supplies of key resources for solar panel manufacturers.

First Tellurium’s ESG Initiatives

Through its exploration and partnerships with Fenix Advanced Materials, Cheona Metals and IRMA, First Tellurium strives to generate a measurable, beneficial social or environmental impact alongside a financial return. The company conducts a diversified search for metals, working in alliance with indigenous peoples, NGOs, governments and leading metals buyers. First Tellurium believes this is the future of mineral exploration — generating revenue by exploring responsibly and leveraging diverse partnerships.

First Tellurium proudly adheres to, and supports, the principles and rights set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and, in particular, the fundamental proposition of free, prior and informed consent.

 

Projects

Deer Horn Tellurium-Gold-Silver-Copper Project

Deer Horn is located on 51.33 square kilometers (km) in west-central British Columbia, 36 km south of the prolific Huckleberry copper-molybdenum mine and 135 km southwest of the community of Burns Lake. It is one of few significant tellurium discoveries outside Asia and includes a 2.4 km-long vein system of high-grade gold, silver and tellurium, as well as broader zones of bulk-tonnage gold, silver and tellurium mineralization. The company completed a positive Preliminary Economic Estimate and has begun permitting for a 10,000-tonne bulk sample program to advance the project toward mine feasibility. It is North America’s only silver-gold-tellurium property with an NI 43-101 compliant tellurium resource, and it hosts a number of other mineralized targets and zone containing critical metals such as copper, tungsten and zinc.

First Tellurium owns 50% of the property, with an option to acquire up to a 75% interest. The company has engaged Dias Geophysical of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to conduct induced polarization (IP) geophysics on the Deer Horn Project in summer 2023. The program is designed to help develop drill targets for a subsequent drilling program.

Klondike Gold-Tellurium Project

The Klondike property is located in Saguache County, Colorado, southwest of Buena Vista in the state’s historical mining district. The company reports it has engaged Burgex Mining Consultants of Sandy, Utah, to stake additional claims around the Klondike property. The claims have been filed with the Bureau of Land Management.

Klondike demonstrates exceptional tellurium grades. Tellurium, used in high-efficiency cadmium telluride (Cd-Te) solar panels, next-generation lithium-ion batteries and thermoelectric devices to change heat into energy, is an essential element for the world’s transition to green energy.

The Klondike property was a top tellurium prospect owned previously by First Solar Inc., one of the world’s largest solar panel producers. First Solar terminated its worldwide raw materials exploration program in 2012 and sold the property to Colorado Klondike LLC, which optioned the project to First Tellurium. Colorado Klondike, led by First Solar’s former Exploration Manager in North America, is managing the upcoming exploration program.

The Colorado Geological Survey (CGS), in partnership with the Colorado School of Mines, reported on First Solar’s exploration at Klondike in 2015, noting: “Surface sampling by First Solar, Inc. in 2006 found very high tellurium grades of up to 3.3% (33,000 ppm), along with locally high gold grades. Tellurium grades at Klondike were the highest encountered in the company’s nationwide exploration program.”

Market Outlook

First Tellurium in spring 2023 referenced recent forecasts by the International Energy Agency (IEA) pointing to rapid growth in solar photovoltaic (solar PV) deployment worldwide. According to the agency, solar PV installations will generate more power by 2027 than any other energy source, including coal, natural gas and hydro. To meet this demand, consumption of both silver and tellurium, key components of solar panels, is expected to surge in coming years.

Chen Lin, founder of Lin Asset Management, has written in his investment newsletter for clients that solar PV is now the largest industrial usage of silver. He said that in 2022 solar PV production used about 12% of total silver demand, or about 120 million ounces of silver. Lin expects this number to rise dramatically in the coming years, and that is likely to lead to silver supply deficits for decades to come.

Lin points out that solar power is now the cheapest source of energy in many parts of the world and that all forecasts point to dramatic expansion of solar PV in the coming two decades. Conservative estimates forecast 300 gigawatts of solar PV production by 2027, up from the current level of about 200 gigawatts.

Management Team

Tyrone Docherty is President, Director and CEO of First Tellurium Corp. He previously served as President and CEO of Quinto Mining Inc., taking over when it had a market cap of $4 million. With limited resources in a difficult market environment, he raised more than $30 million and advanced Quinto’s Quebec iron ore property to a viable project. Quinto later sold for $175 million, with Quinto management taking shares of the purchaser, Consolidated Thompson Iron Mines, amounting to approximately 20-21% of that company. Consolidated Thompson Iron Mines sold two years later for $4.9 billion, giving the former Quinto team an enterprise value of approximately $1 billion. From 2012 to 2018, Mr. Docherty was Director and Chairman of Mason Graphite Inc. He has worked in the financial and minerals markets for more than 30 years.

Tony Fogarassy, M.Sc. LL.M., is Chairman of First Tellurium Corp. He is a lawyer and a geologist. His extensive legal and technical expertise includes minerals, oil and gas, coal and renewable energy projects and environmental and aboriginal/indigenous law in North America, Africa and Asia. He graduated as gold medalist in geological sciences from the University of British Columbia and in law from the London School of Economics.

First Tellurium Corp. (OTCQB: FSTTF), closed Thursday's trading session at $0.0975, off by 3.4653%, on 17,575 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.047785/$0.1245.

Recent News

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Reflex Advanced Materials Corp. (CSE: RFLX) (OTCQB: RFLXF)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight Reflex Advanced Materials Corp. (CSE: RFLX) (OTCQB: RFLXF).

The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) was founded with the objective of establishing an international economic system that operated within sustainable environmental boundaries while preventing climate change. Its founder, Paul Dickinson, recently discussed how sustainability was growing more important for corporations and how strategic initiatives and policies would open opportunities for business at the recently held Workiva Amplify EMEA conference. Dickinson, who started CDP over two decades ago, believes that firms need to view ESG regulations as business opportunities. At the conference, he explained that with sustainability issues growing in importance, investments in clean energy would go up. Investments in green energy already surpassed that of fossil fuel energy in 2016 and have been growing ever since. The adoption of AI at a large-scale is expected to increase energy consumption exponentially, as training artificial intelligence models requires significantly more computational power. Dickinson notes that once this issue is fixed, artificial intelligence may aid in the development of more effective models for carbon consumption. In his conclusion, he emphasized that firms needed to be working with governments on regulation and consolidation to improve real economy policy as well as make sustainability profitable. Many enterprises, such as Reflex Advanced Materials Corp. (CSE: RFLX) (OTCQB: RFLXF) that have embraced ESG could have seen the opportunities inherent in these principles and they are therefore looking to capitalize on them before laggards catch on.

Reflex Advanced Materials Corp. (CSE: RFLX) (OTCQB: RFLXF) is a strategic minerals company focused on locating and developing economic properties in the strategic metals and advanced materials space. The company aims to improve domestic specialty mineral infrastructure efficiencies to meet surging national demand from North American manufacturers, effectively positioning itself as one of the only North American suppliers of high purity natural graphite for hi-tech applications.

Reflex Advanced Materials is based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Its project portfolio includes the Ruby Graphite Deposit in Montana and the ZigZag Lithium Property in Ontario.

Projects

Ruby Graphite Project

Located in a mining-friendly jurisdiction in southwest Montana, the Ruby Graphite Deposit is a low cost, rapid re-entry opportunity that produced roughly 2,400 tons of graphite from 1902 to 1948. Reflex Advanced Materials holds mining rights for 755 hectares at the Ruby Graphite Project, with 96 federal lode mining claims. Recent samples assay at 95.8% to 98.4% total carbon.

The site is notable as the only combined U.S. graphite flake and vein graphite source. Vein graphite is ideal for energy storage applications, because it requires fewer steps to achieve purity than synthetic alternatives and is therefore far less environmentally damaging. This is expected to play a key role in the project’s development as demand for electric vehicles continues to surge.

In March 2023, the company announced its submittal of permit applications to the Bureau of Land Management in respect of its exploration of the Ruby Graphite Project. Its initial drill program, expected to take place in the summer of 2023, includes plans for 3,500 total meters of drilling, cored to an average depth of 130 meters. The targets for this drill program have been identified using historical data from original mine operations and data gathered for the initial 43-101 technical report on the project, dated January 31, 2023.

ZigZag Lithium Property

Located in the Thunder Bay Mining Division of Ontario, the ZigZag Lithium Property consists of eight mining claims spanning roughly 2,710 hectares. Mineralization at the property, most notably lithium, is based in pegmatite dikes and concentrated in spodumene crystals, which are consistent throughout the entire unit.

Spodumene is readily observable in outcrops and in drill cores, with crystal sizes ranging from 3-15cm, on average.

Reflex Advanced Materials and American Energy Technologies Company Metallurgical Partnership

Reflex Advanced Materials has entered into a material processing agreement with American Energy Technologies Co., which is based in Arlington Heights, Illinois, to conduct metallurgical testwork with the goal of creating a technical support data package for Reflex’s target customer base, U.S. Federal agencies and qualification programs with hi-tech customers in the battery and battery storage business.

The resulting coated, spherionized, purified graphite (CSPG) material that is expected to be created from the aforementioned tests will be used to provide potential customers of CSPG with samples so that they can begin the material qualification process.

Market Opportunity

Graphite is an ideal battery anode and has dominated the market since the proliferation of lithium-ion batteries. Despite this demand, there is currently no significant production of lithium-ion battery anode material in North America.

Instead, most graphite sold in North America today is sourced from Chinese producers. U.S. President Joe Biden highlighted this sourcing disparity in a 2022 address:

“The United Stated depends on unreliable foreign sources for many of the strategic and critical materials necessary for the clean energy transition – such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite and manganese for large-capacity batteries,” he said. “Demand for such materials is projected to increase exponentially as the world transitions to a clean energy economy.”

The U.S. Department of Energy is in the process of awarding $2.8 billion to expand domestic manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles and combat this foreign dependency. Reflex Advanced Materials has identified its Ruby Graphite Project as a prime candidate for U.S.-sponsored initiatives due to the rarity and scarcity of natural graphite deposits in the country.

Processing graphite domestically in the U.S. is expected to provide Reflex Advanced Materials a competitive advantage as manufacturers begin to seek out American supply in the face of increased diplomatic tension. This is critical, as a rise in anode demand is expected to fuel a shortage of 8 million tonnes of graphite by 2040. World Bank Group projects 494% growth in total graphite demand by 2050.

Leadership Team

Paul Gorman is the CEO and a Director of Reflex Advanced Materials. He brings to the company over 25 years of experience in junior mining finance, public listings, viability assessment and operational rationalization. For 18 years, Mr. Gorman served as president and managing partner of Riverbank Capital, where he played an instrumental role in raising more than $85 million for small-cap companies. In 2008, he funded Industrial Minerals Inc. (later Northern Graphite) and served in an advisory role for four other graphite companies, contributing significantly to the revitalization of the junior graphite space in North America. Mr. Gorman founded Mega Graphite Inc. in 2009 and has served as chief executive for three other companies.

Tasheel Jeerh, CPA, is the company’s CFO. He is a finance and accounting professional with over a decade of experience spanning both public and private sectors. Prior to joining Reflex Advanced Materials, Mr. Jeerh played a pivotal role in the growth of a private upstream oil and gas firm, dealing with over $2 billion in M&A activity and $1 billion in financing activities. He gained his designation at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he worked as a manager in the assurance practice.

Greg Bell is Project Manager for Reflex Advanced Materials. He is a multi-disciplined engineering management professional with more than 40 years of experience in the natural resources sector. Mr. Bell has successfully built and managed several start-up operations in various capacities. He has been active in graphite and lithium exploration for the past seven years.

Christopher W. Hill leads the company’s Corporate Development initiatives. He is an investor and entrepreneur with over a decade of experience in the capital markets. Mr. Hill began his career as an investment advisor and then began to consult and advise private companies on their paths to becoming publicly traded. He specializes in corporate development and strategic financing utilizing his large network in the capital markets.

Reflex Advanced Materials Corp. (RFLXF), closed Thursday's trading session at $0.02995, off by 3.231%, on 16,650 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is 10,608 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.0195/$0.2269.

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Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. (TSX.V: BAY) (OTCQB: ATBHF)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlightFathom Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. (TSX.V: BAY) (OTCQB: ATBHF).

Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. (TSX.V: BAY) (OTCQB: ATBHF) is a publicly traded Canadian minerals exploration company focused on exploring high-grade copper and gold deposits in North America. The company owns the Storm Copper Project and the Seal Zinc Deposit in Nunavut, Canada, and is currently exploring the Buckingham Gold Vein and critical metals prospects in central Virginia. Aston Bay is also in the advanced stages of negotiation on other properties with high-grade critical minerals potential in these areas.

The company believes in responsible exploration and carries out its work programs to the highest standards of social responsibility, environmental stewardship and health and safety. Aston Bay cares about leaving a net positive impact on the communities in which it works and engages with local representatives, Indigenous groups and government agencies to build respectful relationships through dialogue and collaborative processes. Depending on the stage of exploration, these efforts may include employment, contracting, training, community benefits and other agreements.

Aston Bay conducts exploration through safe, socially and environmentally responsible and sustainable work practices. The company embeds core values of health and safety throughout its operations by adhering to strict health and safety standards and practices that meet and/or exceed industry standards and government codes and regulations.

The company is headquartered in Toronto.

Projects

Storm Copper

The high-grade Storm Copper Deposit is located 112 kilometers south of the community of Resolute Bay, Nunavut, on western Somerset Island, just south of the past-producing Polaris Pb-Zn Mine. The property comprises 173 contiguous mining claims, including the Storm Copper and Seal Zinc projects, covering an area of approximately 541,795 acres.

The property has good access to established shipping lanes, and the landscape provides favorable conditions for development of roads and a protected deep-water port. Exploration is supported through excellent infrastructure in the nearby hamlet of Resolute Bay.

Aston Bay is partnered with American West Metals (ASX: AW1) at Storm. American West is responsible for all exploration expenditures, having aggressively advanced the project toward production and earned an 80% interest. This affords excellent optionality to the company’s shareholders, as Aston Bay is free carried with no required expenditures until the completion of a bankable feasibility study.

American West recently completed an Australian JORC-compliant Maiden Resource Estimate for Storm; the North American 43-101 compliant resource estimate is expected in Q1 2024. American West is cashed up and plans a multimillion-dollar resource expansion and new discovery drilling program for the summer of 2024.

The Buckingham County Gold Project

The gold-bearing system at the Buckingham County Gold Project in Virginia lies within a belt hosting past producing mines, current gold mines and advanced gold explorations, stretching through Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

Buckingham hosts a “Kirkland Lake-style” high grade gold vein returning values consistently over one ounce gold per ton and is underexplored both at depth and along almost one mile of strike length. These types of veins have excellent ESG qualities, as they are typically mined using a small footprint underground method, with gold extracted using simple and environmentally friendly gravity methods.

Market Opportunity

The World Gold Council, the industry association for the world’s gold producers, estimated in 2023 the physical financial gold market, which is made up of bars, coins, gold ETFs and central bank reserves, is worth nearly $5 trillion. The council reports that gold mine production adds approximately 3,500 tons of the precious metal to the world’s supply annually, equivalent to about 2% growth.

This historical scarcity and relatively slow production of new supply, as compared to other commodities, is a primary reason gold has retained its value for millennia, according to the council.

A report from Acumen Research and Consulting, a global provider of market intelligence and consulting services, valued the global copper market at $304.1 billion in 2022 and forecast that it will reach a market size of $496.8 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 5.1% over the forecast period.

The report identifies a growing demand for copper in the electronics industry, as well as an expanding copper supply due to increasing production from existing mines and the rising number of mine development projects in developing nations, as driving factors in the rising value of the copper market.

Management Team

Thomas Ullrich is CEO and Director of Aston Bay. He has over 30 years of experience in mineral exploration and geoscience. Before joining Aston Bay, he was Chief Geologist North America for Antofagasta Minerals plc, investigating copper potential through extensive property evaluations and management of drill programs in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Prior to that, he was Senior Geologist for Almaden Minerals.

Sofia Harquail handles Investor Relations and Corporate Development at Aston Bay. She has over 15 years of experience in the private and public sectors of the mining industry. Before joining Aston Bay, she worked as a consultant for the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada and for exempt market dealer Red Cloud Financial Services Inc. Ms. Harquail holds an M.A. from the University of Uppsala in Sweden and received her CPIR designation from the CIRI/Ivey Investor Relations Program. She also sits on the board of the Young Mining Professionals Toronto and is CSC Certified.

Aston Bay has a talented Board of Directors bringing broad experience from across the industry, encompassing resource expansion, mine development, mergers and acquisitions, and mining finance.

Ms. Jessie Liu-Ernsting has over 15 years of experience in the mining industry, spanning capital projects engineering, debt capital markets, private equity and corporate strategy at several firms, including Hudbay Minerals and Resource Capital Funds. She is currently VP Investor Relations and Communications at G Mining Ventures Corp.

Mr. Jeffrey R. Wilson has over 25 years’ experience in the mining industry, having served as a director, officer and advisor of multiple public and private companies in the mineral exploration and mining investment industries. Mr. Wilson is currently President & CEO of Precipitate Gold Corp.

Mr. Gary O’Connor has over 40 years of diverse experience as a mineral exploration and development professional in the management of successful resource projects as well as the evaluation, technical due diligence, and supervision of large mineral exploration and development projects through-out the world. While with Freeport, Mr. O’Connor worked on the due diligence and discovery of a major gold fraud on the Busang gold “deposit” in Kalimantan by Bre-X.

Mr. Mark J. Pryor is a geologist with a 40-year track record of successfully advancing multiple precious metal, copper, coal, REE and Li projects from discovery through to exploitation. He is currently Executive Vice President of the Exploration Division at The Electrum Group.

Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. (OTCQB: ATBHF), closed Thursday's trading session at $0.0675, up 0.8215086%, on 14,000 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is 28,784 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.0364/$0.1164.

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ECGI Holdings Inc. (OTC: ECGI)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight ECGI Holdings Inc. (OTC: ECGI).

ECGI Holdings Inc. (OTC: ECGI) is a diversified holding company with a distinctive portfolio encompassing viticulture and luxury fashion. The company owns and manages a five-acre vineyard in Lake County, California, specializing in cultivating the Petite Sirah varietal, known for its bold and rich character, aligning with the growing demand for unique and high-quality wine experiences.

In the fashion sector, ECGI has strategically invested in Pacific Saddlery, a premier manufacturer and retailer of luxury equestrian tack, apparel and accessories. This unique blend of wine and fashion investments reflects ECGI Holdings’ commitment to delivering sophistication and innovation across diverse markets, positioning the company as a distinctive player in the intersection of technology, viticulture and luxury lifestyle.

Moving forward, ECGI Holdings is focused on identifying and capitalizing on growth opportunities that align with the company’s business objectives and continuing to improve its financial structure. In 2024, ECGI Holdings was approved by Evolve — a distinguished name in vacation rental management. This partnership will transform the company’s 40-acre Lake County property into a luxurious short-term rental destination aptly named Vintner’s Caldera Ranch.

ECGI Holdings is excited about the possibilities that Vintner’s Caldera Ranch creates for shareholders and looks forward to further developments poised to unlock the value of other underutilized assets. The company believes that it is laying a solid foundation for sustained success and profitability in the years to come.

ECGI Holdings is headquartered in Irvine, California.

Operational Philosophy

ECGI Holdings has embarked on an ambitious new vision and strategic direction to build and nurture luxury brands that resonate with its core values and market aspirations. Its joint venture with Pacific Saddlery epitomizes ECGI Holdings’ strategic shift toward luxury branding, leveraging Pacific Saddlery’s tangible and established market presence in equestrian products.

This transition will also allow ECGI Holdings to explore new pathways to monetize its underutilized assets, including the company’s vineyard. A key highlight of the company’s future outlook is the debut of Pacific Saddlery’s new mobile retail boutique at specific equestrian events in 2024. This innovative venture represents a significant step in ECGI Holdings’ strategy to enhance brand visibility and engage directly with the company’s target market.

In addition, the Vintner’s Caldera Ranch development marks a significant step in advancing the company’s strategy to revitalize and leverage underutilized assets. Vintner’s Caldera Ranch is set against the backdrop of Lake County’s breathtaking scenery, offering an exclusive getaway experience that blends natural beauty with luxury. Choosing Evolve is a strategic move to ensure that Vintner’s Caldera Ranch not only meets but exceeds the high standards of service that luxury guests expect.

Evolve’s expertise in maximizing rental potential and delivering exceptional guest experiences is crucial to the company’s vision of making Vintner’s Caldera Ranch a preferred choice for discerning travelers. With this venture, ECGI Holdings is not only expanding its footprint within the luxury rental marketplace, but also contributing to the local economy and enhancing the appeal of Lake County as a tourist destination.

The company’s focus remains steadfast on strategic growth, operational excellence and customer satisfaction.

Market Outlook

A report from Grand View Research, a global market research and consulting company, estimated the value of the worldwide luxury brands market at $366.23 billion in 2023 and projects the market to grow to a value of $580.43 billion by 2030, achieving a CAGR of 6.8% over the forecast period.

Rising disposable income and wealth in various regions of the world, particularly in emerging markets such as China and India, have propelled the growth of the market, according to the report.

Younger consumers, such as millennials and Generation Z, are increasingly entering the luxury market, driving demand for more contemporary and experiential luxury offerings. The rise of social media and influencer marketing has greatly impacted the visibility and desirability of luxury products, the report states.

Management Team

Jamie Steigerwald is CEO of ECGI Holdings, Inc. He is a successful entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience. Most recently, he was COO of Sugarmade Inc. (OTC: SGMD), a California cannabis real estate, cultivation, manufacturing and services company. He is the owner of SwiftLead, an Orange County web marketing, design and development company. He previously was COO for First USA Home Loans, a retail mortgage lender, and co-founder and President of SwiftLead Software, a mortgage lead tracking system.

Nick Collins is CEO at Pacific Saddlery. He brings over 25 years of expertise in equestrian luxury goods. He previously founded Rolling Meadows and created the Allon Equestrian and Renard et Cheval apparel brands. He was instrumental in creating and launching Kaval.com, an online equestrian apparel and accessories site.

ECGI Holdings Inc. (OTC: ECGI), closed Thursday's trading session at $0.0014, off by 6.6667%, on 1,000,075 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is 926,201 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.0011/$0.0149.

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