Fathom Nickel Inc. (CSE: FNI) (FSE: 6Q5) (OTCQB: FNICF)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlightFathom Nickel Inc. (CSE: FNI) (FSE: 6Q5) (OTCQB: FNICF).

Indonesia is currently the biggest producer of nickel globally, with last year's figures showing that it supplied more than 56% of the mined metal. Projections suggested that the country's nickel production would grow by over 7% this year. The nation's nickel boom began after a ban on raw ore exports was implemented in 2020, which prompted Chinese firms to invest in local processing facilities. While this growth bolstered the country's economy, it also increased the metal's surplus globally, which placed additional pressure on its prices. Amid this shift in the market, Alaska Energy Metals Corporation remains focused on advancing nickel independence in America. The company's flagship project, the Nikolai project, is located in Alaska and holds substantial resources of nickel, cobalt, copper, and platinum group metals. These metals are needed by electric vehicle manufacturers and the renewable energy sector. The increasing demand for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and the adoption of lithium-iron-phosphate batteries may negatively affect nickel demand though. Whether or not nickel will come out on top by the end of this trying year remains to be seen. Exploration firms like Fathom Nickel Inc. (CSE: FNI) (FSE: 6Q5) (OTCQB: FNICF) are positive that in the long term, market conditions for nickel are still bullish and they are looking to capitalize on this metal's demand in North America.

Fathom Nickel Inc. (CSE: FNI) (FSE: 6Q5) (OTCQB: FNICF) is a Canadian natural resource development and exploration company that targets high-grade nickel sulfide discoveries for use in the rapidly growing global electric vehicle (EV) market. The company has a portfolio of two high-quality exploration projects located in the prolific Trans Hudson Corridor in Saskatchewan.

Led by a management team with more than 100 years of combined mining and exploration experience, Fathom believes in a continuing bright outlook for nickel and its increasing use in the manufacturing of batteries needed for energy storage in the high-growth renewable energy and EV industries. The company’s modern approach to exploration has yielded significant new nickel discoveries.

Fathom is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta.

Projects

The Albert Lake Project

The Albert Lake Project comprises 90,460 hectares of lands located in north-central Saskatchewan, with over 80,000 hectares currently unexplored. The project is host to the historic Rottenstone Mine, a high-grade, open pit nickel sulfide past producer that was active from 1965 to 1969 and yielded ~26,000 tonnes of 3.3% Ni, 1.8% Cu, and >9 g/t Pd-Pt+Au.

The geological setting of the Albert Lake Project is within the Trans Hudson Orogeny (Corridor), which is host to numerous world-class nickel mining camps including the Thompson Nickel Belt (currently operating with more than 5 billion pounds of nickel produced since 1959), Lynn Lake (past producer) and Raglan Nickel Belt (currently operating with more than 39,000 tons of nickel produced in 2020).

The project is fully permitted. Exploration plans for 2024 include drilling a high-priority target located approximately 2km south of the historic Rottenstone Mine along with drilling other high-priority targets. Additional soil geochemistry, surface geophysical programs and geological mapping and prospecting will be performed during the summer field season.

The Gochager Lake Project

The Gochager Lake Project in northern Saskatchewan, also in the prolific Trans Hudson Corridor, was recently expanded through the addition of the contiguous Watt’s Lake property and direct staking, bringing its total land area to 22,620 hectares.

The Gochager Lake property is host to a historic resource defined by drilling in 1966-1967 consisting of 4.2 M tons grading 0.29% Ni and 0.08% Cu. Recent drilling by Fathom has defined multiple very robust off-hole borehole electromagnetic (BHEM) responses in eight of nine holes drilled in 2023 and three historic drill holes probed. There is very strong evidence of multiple, high-grade nickel-copper-cobalt steeply oriented chutes within the historic Gochager Lake Deposit.

Prior to Fathom exploration in 2023 and since 1970, exploration at the property has been limited to small drill programs in 1989-1990 and 2018. Exploration plans for 2024 include expanded surface geophysical programs, drilling and continued BHEM surveys to expand tons and increase the grade of the historic Gochager Lake deposit. Summer exploration will consist of soil geochemistry, mapping, prospecting and additional surface geophysical programs focused on identifying other Gochager-like deposits within the current land package.

Market Opportunity

Nickel plays a crucial role in clean energy technologies, and that is expected to cause demand to well outstrip supply for the foreseeable future.

With an annual market value of around $35 billion, nickel demand is projected to rise due to its intensive use in lithium-ion batteries used to power EVs. However, new discoveries of nickel sulfide deposits (currently the most reliable source for battery-grade class 1 nickel) have been rare, which could constrain class 1 nickel supply in the coming years.

According to Deloitte’s global EV forecast, total EV sales will grow from 2.5 million in 2020 to 11.2 million in 2025, reaching 31.1 million by 2030 and representing approximately 32% of the total market share for new car sales. Over the next 10 years, the EV market is projected to see a CAGR of 29%, with increased demand for nickel expected to be comparable.

Management Team

Fathom Nickel has assembled a best-in-class leadership team consisting of highly qualified industry professionals with deep knowledge and understanding of the mineral exploration industry and capital markets.

Ian Fraser, P.Geo., is CEO, VP Exploration and Co-Founder of Fathom Nickel. He has more than 35 years of experience in mineral exploration, as well as managing and implementing exploration projects in Canada and internationally. His experience includes resource interpretation and development of the Casa Berardi Gold Mine and Komis Gold Mine, as well as the Cisneros Gold Mine in Colombia.

Doug Porter, CPA, CA, CBV, is President, CFO and Director of Fathom Nickel. He is a senior financial and accounting executive with specific emphasis in resource company management. His career includes positions with Elan Coal Ltd., Altitude Resources Ltd. and StimWrx Oilfield Services Ltd.

Fathom Nickel Inc. (OTCQB: FNICF), closed Friday's trading session at $0.0205, up 17.8161%, on 152,093 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is 229,680 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.013465/$0.1603.

Recent News

• Fathom Nickel Inc. (CSE: FNI) (FSE: 6Q5) (OTCQB: FNICF) - Indonesia Plans to Slash Nickel Production in 2025
• InvestorNewsBreaks Fathom Nickel Inc. (CSE: FNI) (FSE: 6Q5) (OTCQB: FNICF) Targets $1.05 Million in Proceeds Through Private Placement of Units
• InvestorNewsBreaks - Fathom Nickel Inc. (CSE: FNI) (FSE: 6Q5) (OTCQB: FNICF) Expands Private Placement Offering with Flow-Through Units Amid Strong Demand

Energy and Water Development Corp. (OTCQB: EAWD)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlightFathom Energy and Water Development Corp. (OTCQB: EAWD) .

The global transition from fossil fuels to renewables will undoubtedly have significant economic implications. With oil, natural gas, coal, and other fossil fuels deeply entrenched into most countries' energy systems, replacing them with clean alternatives like solar, wind, and geothermal is sure to be a gargantuan effort that affects several industries. While the green transition is mostly driven by concerns about how fossil fuels impact the environment, it is also an economic endeavor that could potentially reshape the global economic order. Data shows that green sources of energy account for over 30% of electricity generation worldwide and most experts agree that the global capacity for renewables will rise even higher as time passes. Additionally, new technologies like smart grids and green hydrogen suggest a future where energy independence is the norm. Furthermore, machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), and big data will be critical to increasing the efficiency, security, and reliability of energy management and integration systems. As the energy transition happens, firms like Energy and Water Development Corp. (OTCQB: EAWD) are offering their services to facilitate the transition and they are creating employment opportunities in the process, in addition to other economic benefits.

Energy and Water Development Corp. (OTCQB: EAWD) is a green-tech engineering solutions company focused on delivering water and energy to extreme environments. The company builds water and energy systems out of already existing, proven technologies, utilizing its patent-pending systems configuration and technical know-how to customize solutions to meet clients’ needs. To date, two water systems have been sold and deployed in Mexico and Germany, and the company is working to fulfill additional orders.

Using its patent-pending design, EAWD is working to build and operate off-grid EV charging stations in Germany. The company is a United Nations-accredited vendor and offers design, construction, maintenance and specialty consulting services to private companies, government entities and non-government organizations for the sustainable supply of energy and water.

EAWD focuses on three main aspects of the water and energy business: (1) generation, (2) supply and (3) maintenance. The green tech industry is constantly evolving due to ongoing and increasing water scarcity, as well as increased energy needs in the world. Therefore, the company believes that by designing sustainable and renewable solutions to these problems, EAWD will become an essential component of a rapidly growing industry with many new markets.

EAWD’s approach seeks to assist businesses with the growth and development of their general operations by ensuring the efficient, profitable and sustainable supply and generation of water and energy, allowing its potential customers to focus on their business while adopting strategies of sustainability.

By using the state-of-the-art technological solutions and technologies identified, designed and provided by EAWD and its collaborators, the company believes that its potential clients will be free to focus on the performance of their operations, as well as with the water and energy consumption or generation regulations within their industries.

EAWD is headquartered in Saint Petersburg, Florida, with operations in Germany and Mexico.

Products

In view of the increased worldwide demand for water and energy, EAWD’s business goals are focused on self-sufficient energy-supplied water generation and green energy production. To accomplish this, the company set out to establish an outsourcing green tech platform to commercialize its state-of-the-art technologies while providing engineering and technical consultation services to design the most sustainable technological solutions that can provide water and energy.

The company has sought potential collaboration with green tech research and development centers in Europe and has established its operating subsidiaries in Hamburg, Germany, where EAWD has started to assemble its patent-pending innovative off-grid, self-sufficient energy supply atmosphere water generation (AWG) systems.

EAWD Deutschland and EAWD Logistik operate in Hamburg, Germany, to meet the increasing demands of water and energy generation projects around the world, as well as to operate the solar-powered EAWD Off-Grid EV Charging Stations, EAWD’s newest product.

The company expects to offer sustainable added value to each project it takes on, while generating revenue from the sale of EAWD Off-Grid AWG Systems, EAWD Off-Grid EV Charging Stations, EAWD Off-Grid Power Systems and EAWD Off-Grid Water Purification Systems; royalties from the commercialization of energy and water in certain cases; and licensing of its innovated technologies, along with its engineering, technical consulting and project management services.

EAWD continues to be a development stage company. It presently assembles its EAWD Off-Grid AWG Systems and EAWD Off-Grid EV Charging Stations at its workshop in Germany and outsources most of its engineering and technical services, as well as services relating to the promotion, sale and distribution of its products.

Market Opportunity

According to a report by Allied Market Research, a global market research, consulting and advisory firm, the worldwide green technology and sustainability market was valued at $10.32 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach a value of $74.64 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 21.9% during the forecast period.

A surge in environmental awareness and increasing concerns among organizations and individuals about climate change drive the growth of the market. Furthermore, an increase in consumer and industrial interest for the use of clean energy resources are among some of the major factors expected to boost growth of the market in the coming years, according to the report.

The expected rise in favorable government and private initiatives to tackle climate change and air pollution represent an opportunistic factor of the market. An increase in energy consumption and rise in greenhouse gas emissions are major factors that drive the development of green technology innovations, the report states.

Management Team

Irma Velazquez is CEO and Vice Chair at EAWD. She brings certified expertise in sustainable development and large-scale project management to the company. She formerly worked for United Nations agencies including the World Health Organization, Farmaciens Sans Frontieres, Red Cross and Crescent Societies, where she served in the positions of Information Technology Manager, Sustainable Development Manager, Programme Manager and Disaster and Crisis Management Coordinator. She has a master’s in sciences from the Erasmus University of Rotterdam. She speaks French, English and Spanish.

Ralph Hofmeier is Chief Technology Officer and Chairman at EAWD. He brings a mechanical engineering background to the company and previously served as President of Powermax Energy & Business Solutions Inc. When that company merged with EAWD, he served as President and CEO of Directors of EAWD. Over the last 20 years, he has established and developed several multinational companies in green tech distribution and commercialization. He speaks German and English.

Energy and Water Development Corp. (OTCQB: EAWD), closed Friday's trading session at $0.0045, up 7.1429%, on 543,518 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is 1,280,120 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.0012/$0.1089.

Recent News

• Energy and Water Development Corp. (OTCQB: EAWD) - The Economic Implications of the World's Shift to Green Energy
• Trump Criticizes the UK's Renewable Energy Policies
• How AI is Influencing Sustainability's Future

PaxMedica Inc. (NASDAQ: PXMD)

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

Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental and neurological disorder that influences how an individual communicates, interacts with others, behaves, and learns. Since the start of the new millennium, autism diagnoses have risen significantly, with data from the CDC showing that the autism rate in America as of 2022 was 2.77%. This is a significant increase from the 0.66% recorded in 2000. Estimates from WHO show that the global prevalence of the disorder stands at 1%, an increase from the 0.62% recorded over a decade ago. Researchers attribute the increase in diagnoses to more screening. It is important to note that the theory that autism is caused by childhood vaccines is based on a decades-old study whose findings have been debunked. As the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder rises, many companies like PaxMedica Inc. (OTC: PXMD) are taking on the challenge of developing effective therapeutics that can help those diagnosed with this condition to manage their symptoms.

PaxMedica Inc. (NASDAQ: PXMD) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on the development of novel anti-purinergic therapies (APTs) for the treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other serious conditions with intractable neurologic symptoms.

The company’s lead programs are focused on ASD, for which there are currently no approved pharmacologic treatments that target its cause and symptoms. Currently used treatments only address the symptoms of the condition, rather than targeting the pathophysiology itself.

PaxMedica is on a promising path to address these unmet medical needs, bringing hope to millions. Anti-purinergic therapies target the excess production of purines in cells. An overexpression of purines can offset homeostasis and result in an overproduction of cellular adenosine triphosphate, the main energy molecule in all living cells.

The company is headquartered in Tarrytown, New York.

Product Pipeline

PaxMedica is building a robust pipeline of products targeting ASD and related neurodevelopmental conditions. The company’s lead product in development may help eliminate, reduce or modulate some of the more troublesome aspects of ASD. That would open the potential for people with autism to integrate their behavior with others more successfully and improve their lives.

PaxMedica’s lead programs, PAX-101 and PAX-102, utilize the company’s proprietary source of suramin sodium, a broadly acting anti-purinergic therapy that has been known for over 100 years. Its current pipeline includes:

• PAX-101 (IV Suramin) for ASD – PAX-101 completed a Phase 2B study for ASD in 2021. Suramin is a broadly acting APT and has reported positive results from a dose range study. The results of PaxMedica’s Phase 2B study, which targeted 52 subjects across six sites in South Africa, were presented to AACAP in October 2021.
• PAX-102 (Intranasal Suramin) – PaxMedica has developed a proprietary intranasal formulation of suramin that is currently being evaluated in ASD and other neurodevelopmental conditions.
• PAX-101 for HAT – Given suramin’s historical use as a treatment for Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT), or African Sleeping Sickness, the company is also developing PAX-101 as a treatment for HAT. PaxMedica’s most advanced program is the pursuit of PAX-101 for early-stage East African HAT.
• Selective APTs – PaxMedica has conducted several preclinical studies to evaluate other APTs that are more selective to specific purinergic receptors and may offer additional benefits over suramin.

Market Opportunity

According to a report by Fortune Business Insights, a leading global market research company, the global ASD therapeutics market was estimated at $1.93 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow from $2.01 billion in 2023 to $3.42 billion by 2030, a CAGR of 7.9% over the forecast period. As there is no current treatment for the core symptoms of autism, PaxMedica believes the addressable market for PAX-101, if approved, could greatly exceed these forecasts.

Autistic disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome and Pervasive Development Disorder are the three main types of ASD, affecting millions of people globally. A 2020 report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention estimated that one in 36 children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with autism disorder.

Several factors are expected to contribute to market growth prospects. A growing prevalence of the condition globally and rising awareness coupled with available treatment options are key factors expected to drive ASD therapeutics market growth during the forecast period. Growing investment in R&D to find effective treatments is also expected to fuel global market growth.

Management Team

Howard Weisman is Chairman and CEO of PaxMedica. He has been a founder and CEO of several specialty pharma and medical device companies. Most recently, he was executive chairman and co-founder of Sofregen, a biotech company. He also served as CEO and president of Seventh Sense Biosystems, a medical device development company. He also was founder, chairman and CEO of EKR Therapeutics, a specialty pharmaceutical company, and founder and COO of ESP Pharma, a company focused on cardio and neurovascular products. He has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Rutgers University.

David Hough, M.D., is Chief Medical Officer at PaxMedica. He is a neuroscience clinical development consultant who previously served as vice president at Janssen Research and Development and in various leadership roles over 17 years. Most recently, he was the compound development team leader for SPRAVATO® for treatment-resistant depression. Prior to that, he was the schizophrenia disease area leader. He played a pivotal role in the development programs for oral INVEGA®, INVEGA SUSTENNA® and XEPLION® for schizophrenia. He is a graduate of West Point and is board certified in psychiatry.

Stephen Sheldon is COO and CFO at PaxMedica. He has served as CEO of Thailand-based specialty healthcare company Indochina Healthcare Co. Ltd. since 2015. Previously, he was a consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers Healthcare Advisory in the Chicago office. He was responsible for developing specialty pharmacy patient programs, strategy development for specialty products and compliance programs. He has an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management and a bachelor’s degree in computer science and visual arts from Bowdoin College.

PaxMedica Inc. (NASDAQ: PXMD), closed Friday's trading session at $0.031, even for the day, on 19 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is 5,606,080 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.03/$1.19.

Recent News

• PaxMedica Inc. (NASDAQ: PXMD) - Autism: What You Need to Know
• InvestorNewsBreaks - PaxMedica Inc. (PXMD) Secures Patent Approval in China for Autism Treatment
• Autism Prevalence Surges Globally, Raising Concerns Among Healthcare Experts

D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS)

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

At CES 2025, NVIDIA's CEO Jensen Huang said practical quantum computing may still be 15 to 30 years away

D-Wave CEO Dr. Alan Baratz rejected the claim, highlighting that his company's annealing quantum computing solutions are already available and are solving useful problems

The company is working with more than 100 organizations across multiple industries to address complex optimization issues, such as production and workforce scheduling, resource optimization, logistics routing and more

D-Wave Quantum (NYSE: QBTS) ("D-Wave"), a leader in quantum computing systems, software and services, and the first commercial provider of quantum computers, announced that CEO Dr. Alan Baratz responded to NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang's recent comments about quantum technology during an interview on CNBC's The Exchange on Jan. 8, 2025. Dr. Baratz highlighted his company's approach to building functional quantum computing technology, the real-world value of D-Wave's annealing quantum computing solutions and the company's efforts to accelerate commercial adoption.

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 Friday's trading session at $5.27, off by 9.2943%, on 2,432,153 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is 109,950,173 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.6813/$11.41.

Recent News

• D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) - D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) CEO Dr. Alan Baratz Details Quantum Computing Approach and Real-World Value in Response to NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang's Comments
• InvestorNewsBreaks - D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) Refutes NVIDIA CEO's Quantum Computing Comments on CNBC
• InvestorNewsBreaks – D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) Projects Approximately 120% Growth in 2024 Bookings, Secures First Advantage™ System Customer Sale

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).

Last week, U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor ruled that American Airlines had breached the law by making investment decisions for its employee retirement plans based on non-financial factors like ESG. The airline was sued in 2023 by a pilot, Bryan Spence, via a class action suit that represented over 100,000 participants in the retirement plan. In the suit, the pilot argued that the airline had infringed the Employee Retirement Income Security Act by not remaining loyal to participants in their 401k plan in overseeing their assets. A BlackRock spokesperson stated that the firm always acted independently and was focused solely on the best financial interests of its clients. They added that BlackRock's sole agenda was maximizing returns for its clients. American Airlines also released a statement noting that it was reviewing the decision. The decision by the judge may have set a precedent for the ESG space, coming at a time when conservatives are growing more critical of the space and putting pressure on firms to focus more on shareholder value and profitability rather than the adoption of ESG policies that they argue may harm industries and impact the economy negatively. BlackRock, which wasn't part of the suit, announced last week that it'd be exiting an environmentally focused investor group as pressure from GOP politicians mounted. While investment funds like BlackRock are taking flak for championing ESG, individual companies like Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. (TSX.V: BAY) (OTCQB: ATBHF) are pressing on with their implementation of sustainability principles since they are convinced that this is beneficial to the company's bottom line.

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 Friday's trading session at $0.04125, off by 11.859%, on 6,250 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is 86,680 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.031/$0.1164.

Recent News

• Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. (TSX.V: BAY) (OTCQB: ATBHF) - Federal Judge Finds American Airlines Culpable for Prioritizing ESG in Retirement Fund
• MiningNewsBreaks - Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. (TSX.V: BAY) (OTCQB: ATBHF) Expanding Exploration, Looks to Replicate Success of Flagship Project
• The Only US Cobalt Mine Runs Out of Cash, Plans to Go Private

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 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 Friday's trading session at $1.34, up 3.0769%, on 568 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is 459,391 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.96/$2.27.

Recent News

• Platinum Group Metals Ltd. (TSX: PTM) (NYSE American: PLG) - InvestorNewsBreaks - Platinum Group Metals Ltd. (NYSE American: PLG) (TSX: PTM) Reports Financial Results and Waterberg Project Progress
• RockBreaks - Platinum Group Metals Ltd.'s (NYSE American: PLG) (TSX: PTM) Waterberg Project Poised for Robust Output Amid Increased Demand
• InvestorNewsBreaks - Platinum Group Metals Ltd. (NYSE American: PLG) (TSX: PTM) Advances Plans for Saudi-Based PGM Smelter and Refinery

SolarBank Corp. (CSE: SUNN) (NASDAQ: SUUN)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight SolarBank Corp. (CSE: SUNN) (NASDAQ: DGDCF).

SolarBank Corporation (NASDAQ: SUUN) (CSE: SUNN) is a premier developer and owner of renewable and clean energy projects, specializing in distributed and community solar initiatives throughout Canada and the United States. The company is committed to advancing the transition to sustainable energy by offering end-to-end services that include project origination, financing structuring, engineering, procurement, construction, and long-term operations and maintenance. SolarBank focuses on delivering innovative energy solutions through solar photovoltaic systems, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure.

With a vision to provide scalable and reliable clean energy solutions, SolarBank has established itself as a leader in the renewable energy market by cultivating partnerships with utilities, commercial and industrial entities, municipalities, and residential customers. Its vertically integrated business model allows for optimized efficiency, cost management, and returns across diverse markets in North America. This end-to-end approach ensures greater control over project quality, costs, and operational outcomes, strengthening its competitive position.

Driven by a mission to create a greener future, SolarBank manages a robust portfolio of projects, including more than 100 megawatts (MW) of developed capacity and a pipeline exceeding one gigawatt (GW). The company’s commitment to sustainability and innovation makes it a recognized player in the renewable energy sector.

SolarBank has offices in Toronto, Ontario and New York.

Projects

SolarBank boasts an impressive and diverse portfolio of renewable energy initiatives that underline its leadership in the clean energy space. In the U.S., the company has over 250 MW of solar projects under development, principally in New York, focusing on community solar farms and commercial and industrial installations. Notably, SolarBank is developing several community solar projects in upstate New York, which will deliver clean energy to local residents and small businesses. Community solar projects, which are a cornerstone of SolarBank’s portfolio, provide scalable solutions for renters, homeowners, and small businesses to access affordable renewable energy, driving localized energy independence and economic savings.

In Canada, SolarBank has been a significant participant in Ontario’s Feed-in-Tariff program, where it has secured contracts for close to 200 MW of capacity. Its current management includes 70 solar power projects, totaling 28.8 MW of operational solar assets. The company’s expertise extends to the development and ownership of battery energy storage systems and EV charging stations, further diversifying its portfolio.

The company’s vertically integrated approach spans the entire project lifecycle, from initial site acquisition and grid interconnection to long-term operation and maintenance services. This ensures seamless execution and high-quality outcomes, providing value to stakeholders and supporting the transition to a clean energy future.

Market Opportunity

SolarBank operates within a growing renewable energy market driven by global demand for sustainable power solutions. In North America, favorable policies such as the Inflation Reduction Act in the United States and Canada’s investments in green technologies provide a robust foundation for renewable energy adoption. Solar PV installations and battery energy storage systems are at the forefront of this expansion, addressing energy reliability and grid stability while reducing carbon emissions.

The North American solar PV market was valued at $25.02 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach $120.74 billion by 2027, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.7% from 2020 to 2027. Likewise, the global BESS market is expected to expand from $7.8 billion in 2024 to $25.6 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 26.9%, as reported by MarketsandMarkets. These trends are driven by the increasing integration of renewable energy sources, the need for grid resilience, and declining technology costs.

SolarBank’s operations have it well-positioned to capitalize on these opportunities. With a development pipeline exceeding one gigawatt (GW), the company is focused on meeting growing demand in community and commercial solar sectors. Decentralized energy solutions, such as virtual net metering and behind-the-meter systems, further enhance SolarBank’s market potential by addressing the critical need for flexible, cost-effective, and sustainable energy infrastructure. By leveraging its vertically integrated model and diversified portfolio, SolarBank stands as a key player in driving the renewable energy transition.

Leadership Team

Dr. Richard Lu, MD, MSc., MHSc., MBA, serves as President and CEO of SolarBank, bringing over 25 years of global energy experience. His leadership has been instrumental in advancing the company’s strategic initiatives across North America, Europe, and Asia, with a focus on renewable energy development and operational excellence.

Sam Sun, MBA, is the Chief Financial Officer of SolarBank. A Chartered Professional Accountant with more than 15 years of expertise in corporate finance, Mr. Sun has overseen financial strategies and internal controls across the cleantech, manufacturing, and mining sectors in Canada, the U.S., and China.

Andrew van Doorn, PE, serves as Chief Operating Officer, with nearly three decades of experience in engineering and construction. Mr. van Doorn has successfully led projects totaling over 200 MW of solar capacity and is a former Chairman of the Canadian Solar Industries Association.

Tracy Zheng, MBA, Chief Development Officer, has over 25 years of experience in brand marketing, business development, and solar project operations. She has spearheaded sales initiatives, conducted feasibility studies, and negotiated key partnerships that drive SolarBank’s growth.

Matt Wayrynen, Executive Chairman and Director, has a background in resource company management, venture capital, and mergers and acquisitions. Under his leadership, Solar Flow-Through Funds, where Mr. Wayrynen acted as CEO, was acquired by SolarBank, enhancing its asset portfolio and growth prospects.

---

Forward Looking Statements

This report contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information ‎within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation (collectively, “forward-looking ‎statements”) that relate to the Company’s current expectations and views of future events. ‎Any statements that express, or involve discussions as to, expectations, beliefs, plans, ‎objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, through the ‎use of words or phrases such as “will likely result”, “are expected to”, “expects”, “will ‎continue”, “is anticipated”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “estimated”, “intends”, “plans”, “forecast”, ‎‎”projection”, “strategy”, “objective” and “outlook”) are not historical facts and may be ‎forward-looking statements and may involve estimates, assumptions and uncertainties ‎which could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in ‎such forward-looking statements. In particular and without limitation, this report ‎contains forward-looking statements pertaining to the Company’s expectations regarding its industry trends and overall market growth of the data center market; the Company’s expansion into the data center market, including its pursuit of opportunities as a developer, owner, and strategic partner in data center infrastructure; supporting the demand for high-performance, sustainable energy solutions within the sector; details of the company’s business plan including development of solar power projects, battery storage projects and EV charging projects; the completion of any contracts for, or construction of, any data center, solar power, battery storage or EV projects; the receipt of interconnection approval, permits and financing to be able to construct projects; the receipt of incentives for projects; and the size of the Company’s development pipeline. No assurance ‎can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking ‎statements included in this report should not be unduly relied upon. These ‎statements speak only as of the date of this report.‎

Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by the Company in light of the experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors it believes are appropriate, and are subject to risks and uncertainties. In making the forward looking statements included in this report, the Company has made various material assumptions, including but not limited to: obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals; that regulatory requirements will be maintained; general business and economic conditions; the Company’s ability to successfully execute its plans and intentions; the availability of financing on reasonable terms; the Company’s ability to attract and retain skilled staff; market competition; the products and services offered by the Company’s competitors; that the Company’s current good relationships with its service providers and other third parties will be maintained; and government subsidies and funding for renewable energy will continue as currently contemplated. Although the Company believes that the assumptions underlying these statements are reasonable, they may prove to be incorrect, and the Company cannot assure that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Given these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

Whether actual results, performance or achievements will conform to the Company’s expectations and predictions is subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors, including those listed under “Forward-‎Looking Statements” and “Risk ‎Factors” in the Company’s most recently completed Annual Information Form, and other public filings of the Company, which include: the Company may be adversely affected by volatile solar power market and industry conditions; the execution of the Company’s growth strategy depends upon the continued availability of third-party financing arrangements; the Company’s future success depends partly on its ability to expand the pipeline of its energy business in several key markets; governments may revise, reduce or eliminate incentives and policy support schemes for solar and battery storage power; general global economic conditions may have an adverse impact on our operating performance and results of operations; the Company’s project development and construction activities may not be successful; developing and operating solar projects exposes the Company to various risks; the Company faces a number of risks involving Power Purchase Agreements (“PPAs”) and project-level financing arrangements; any changes to the laws, regulations and policies that the Company is subject to may present technical, regulatory and economic barriers to the purchase and use of solar power; the markets in which the Company competes are highly competitive and evolving quickly; an anti-circumvention investigation could adversely affect the Company by potentially raising the prices of key supplies for the construction of solar power projects; foreign exchange rate fluctuations; a change in the Company’s effective tax rate can have a significant adverse impact on its business; seasonal variations in demand linked to construction cycles and weather conditions may influence the Company’s results of operations; the Company may be unable to generate sufficient cash flows or have access to external financing; the Company may incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future; the Company is subject to risks from supply chain issues; risks related to inflation; unexpected warranty expenses that may not be adequately covered by the Company’s insurance policies; if the Company is unable to attract and retain key personnel, it may not be able to compete effectively in the renewable energy market; there are a limited number of purchasers of utility-scale quantities of electricity; compliance with environmental laws and regulations can be expensive; corporate responsibility may adversely impose additional costs; the future impact of any resurgence of COVID-19 on the Company is unknown at this time; the Company has limited insurance coverage; the Company will be reliant on information technology systems and may be subject to damaging cyberattacks; the Company may become subject to litigation; there is no guarantee on how the Company will use its available funds; the Company will continue to sell securities for cash to fund operations, capital expansion, mergers and acquisitions that will dilute the current shareholders; and future dilution as a result of financings.

The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any ‎forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or ‎otherwise, except as may be required by law. New factors emerge from time to time, and it ‎is not possible for the Company to predict all of them, or assess the impact of each such ‎factor or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to ‎differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Any forward-‎looking statements contained in this report are expressly qualified in their entirety by ‎this cautionary statement.‎

SolarBank Corp. (NASDAQ: SUUN), closed Friday's trading session at $2.23, off by 0.4464286%, on 220 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is 32,621 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $1.95/$7.50.

Recent News

• SolarBank Corp. (CSE: SUNN) (NASDAQ: SUUN) - InvestorNewsBreaks - SolarBank Corp. (NASDAQ: SUUN) (CSE: SUNN) Partners with IBN to Enhance Corporate Communications
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• InvestorNewsBreaks - SolarBank Corp. (NASDAQ: SUUN) (CSE: SUNN) (NEO: SUNN) (FSE: GY2) Secures $25.8M Finance Facility

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

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

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 Friday's trading session at $0.04, up 26.5823%, on 35,750 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is 33,630 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.0077/$0.2269.

Recent News

• Reflex Advanced Materials Corp. (CSE: RFLX) (OTCQB: RFLXF) - Trends That ESG Professionals Should Keep an Eye on in 2025
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Starco Brands Inc. (OTCQB: STCB)

The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter would like to spotlight Starco Brands Inc. (OTCQB: STCB).

Starco Brands Inc. (OTCQB: STCB) is a modern-day invention factory. The company’s unwavering mission is to invent and acquire consumer products and brands with behavior-changing technologies that spark excitement in the everyday.

This consumer product company has grown from a few million dollars in revenue to a current run rate of approximately $67 million in annual revenue in one year.

The company has succeeded by identifying whitespaces in eight core consumer categories and then either: 1) leveraging its internal R&D capabilities and dedicated manufacturing network to invent new technologies and brands or 2) utilizing the management team’s extensive M&A experience to acquire brands that fill the industry void, delighting consumers and retailers alike.

Whether the brand is developed internally or acquired, the company employs a modern marketing playbook to ensure its brands are at the forefront of culture; garnering unprecedented media attention and engagement that supports a robust sales network.

Starco Brands’ core competencies are inventing technologies, acquiring companies, marketing, building trends, pushing awareness, penetrating media (social and otherwise) and executing cutting edge pull-through strategies with a roster of globally recognized celebrities, influencers and media and distribution partners.

A commitment to changing the way people approach everyday activities is innate in the company’s corporate DNA.

The company is based in Santa Monica, California.

Brands

Whereas other consumer products companies are content with evolution, Starco Brands has its mind set on creating a revolution across the industry. From disrupting the spirits industry with Whipshots, the world’s only vodka-infused whipped cream, to Soylent, the original food tech company, Starco Brands is putting the CPG world on notice. Its portfolio of brands includes:

• Whipshots is a first-of-its-kind alcoholic whipped cream launched in 2021 with celebrity partner Cardi B. Consumers have embraced this boozy concoction, putting it on top of cocktails, coffees and desserts, or enjoying it straight from the can. In just over a year, the brand has sold over 2 MILLION cans, making it one of the fastest growing spirits in history.
• Winona Pure gives consumers movie theatre popcorn in the comfort of their own homes. All the flavor and none of the additives is the story behind these all-natural, non-GMO popcorn seasoning sprays. A simple spray is all it takes to add the perfect pop of flavor to the classic theatre treat.
• Art of Sport, co-founded by the great Kobe Bryant, is the number one body care brand for athletes. With a growing line of personal care products tested by the world’s greatest athletes, these daily skin essentials give consumers everything they need to feel fresh, stay protected and confident and perform at their peak every day.
• Skylar is the first and only line of perfumes on the market that are hypoallergenic and safe for sensitive skin. With the strong support of industry titan Sephora, the brand has quickly attracted a loyal following.
• Soylent is a technological feat. Originally funded by Google Ventures and Andreessen Horwitz, Soylent is dubbed as the world’s most perfect food. Made from sustainably grown plant-based ingredients, Soylent’s line of products is scientifically developed to provide all the functional ingredients, vitamins, minerals, fats, carbohydrates and protein that the body needs – all in convenient, delicious and affordable packages. Soylent’s innovative product line-up includes complete nutrition powders, ready-to-drink shakes, 100-calorie snack bars, high protein nutrition shakes and energy boosting nutrition shakes. Soylent was also the recipient of the 2023 Product of the Year Award by Kantar, a global leader in consumer research.

With award-winning marketing talent, Starco Brands develops robust, integrated marketing plans for every brand in its portfolio, ensuring an impactful presence across all verticals.

Market Outlook

Starco Brands’ varied brand portfolio gives it access to the growth of numerous product categories that are ripe for innovation.

Through its February 2023 acquisition of complete nutrition pioneer Soylent, Starco Brands is positioned to capitalize on the projected growth of the plant-based nutrition space. Research firm Statista valued the plant-based nutrition market at $29.4 billion in 2020 and forecasts its value at nearly $162 billion by 2030, representing a CAGR of 18.7% for the period.

Likewise, Starco Brands gained improved access to the global fragrance market through its December 2022 acquisition of Skylar. According to a report by Grand View Research, the global perfume market was valued at $50.85 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow to a value of nearly $80 billion by 2030, achieving a CAGR of 5.9% over the forecast period.

The company is primed to expand its access to other growth verticals as it advances on its path to invent and acquire behavior-changing technologies and brands.

Management Team

Ross Sklar is the CEO of Starco Brands. A chemical formulator by trade, he started his first company while still in college. Since 2004, he has made over a dozen acquisitions with multiple exits and controls an eclectic collection of industrial, household, personal care and food and beverage manufacturers covering many consumer-packaged goods categories.

Darin Brown is the Chief Operating Officer of Starco Brands. With over 20 years of experience in chemical manufacturing, business development, finance and mergers and acquisitions, he has scaled the company from the ground up. He oversees all internal operations for Starco Brands and is an integral liaison between the company and Mr. Sklar’s manufacturing facilities.

David Dreyer is Chief Marketing Officer of Starco Brands. With over 25 years of experience working with blue chip and startup brands, he oversees all marketing initiatives for the company. Mr. Dreyer comes to Starco having worked with such standout brands as Apple, Pepsi, Pizza Hut, Dr Pepper, Snapple, Infiniti, The GRAMMY’s, Honda and Stamps.com. He is also a Professor of Advertising at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication.

Starco Brands Inc. (STCB), closed Friday's trading session at $0.077, up 10.4735%, on 35,000 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is 35,910 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.04695/$0.198.

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

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

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 Friday's trading session at $0.0925, up 12.3254%, on 49,449 volume. The average volume for the last 3 months is 110,460 and the stock's 52-week low/high is $0.0506/$0.1245.

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