Posted by AGORACOM
at 1:40 PM on Wednesday, May 15th, 2019
The bulk sampling program is anticipated to be completed by early April 2019
The main purpose of the program is to recover a large sample of graphite to generate graphene product samples for market development purposes
This material will be subsequently purified to 99.8% and ultimately converted to graphene and graphene oxide for continued market development work.
About ZEN Graphene Solutions Ltd.
ZEN Graphene Solutions Ltd. is an emerging graphene technology solutions company with a focus on development of the unique Albany Graphite Project as a precursor graphene material product opportunity and product market development. The Albany Graphite Project provides the company with a competitive advantage in the potential graphene market as independent labs in Japan, UK, Israel, USA and Canada have demonstrated that ZEN’s Albany Graphite/Naturally PureTM easily converts (exfoliates) to graphene, using a variety of simple mechanical and chemical methods.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 12:35 PM on Wednesday, May 15th, 2019
SPONSOR: ThreeD Capital Inc. (IDK:CSE) Led by
legendary financier, Sheldon Inwentash, ThreeD is a Canadian-based
venture capital firm that only invests in best of breed small-cap
companies which are both defensible and mass scalable. More than just
lip service, Inwentash has financed many of Canada’s biggest small-cap
exits. Click Here For More Information.
——————-
Ripple Exec: Blockchain, Crypto Will Have a Role in US Tech Independence
“There is a broad discussion in Washington around 5G being dominated by foreign firms and the U.S. being reliant on foreign technology and foreign expertise… With blockchain and crypto, I think there’s a recognition now that these will be part of our future infrastructure… It’s important both for national security and from an economic perspective, that the U.S. is a leader in that.â€
Technology needs to be a national issue for the United States, with digital currencies and blockchain
to be recognized within that goal, according to Ripples’ Director of
Regulatory Relations Ryan Zagone, at the Consensus 2019 conference on
May 14.
Recently, legislators reintroduced the Token Taxonomy Act, that would exclude cryptocurrency
from being classified as a security. The act also pursues the
introduction of regulatory certainty for businesses and regulators in
the U.S. blockchain industry, as well as clarifying conflicting state
initiatives and regulatory rulings that have confused the issue.
Moreover, the announcement calls attention to the growing strength of digital asset markets and the blockchain industry both in Europe and China, and states that the Act is necessary in order to keep the U.S. competitive in the global market.
As reported
in March, the number of lobbies working on blockchain technology issues
in Washington D.C. tripled in 2018, reaching 33 projects in the fourth
quarter of 2018 compared to 12 in the same period of 2017. Jerry Brito,
executive director at the non-profit organization Coin Center, suggested
that the growth is driven by securities regulation.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 3:01 PM on Tuesday, May 14th, 2019
SPONSOR: ThreeD Capital Inc. (IDK:CSE) Led by
legendary financier, Sheldon Inwentash, ThreeD is a Canadian-based
venture capital firm that only invests in best of breed small-cap
companies which are both defensible and mass scalable. More than just
lip service, Inwentash has financed many of Canada’s biggest small-cap
exits. Click Here For More Information.
——————-
IBM Establishes 5 Blockchain Principles To Drive Enterprise Adoption And Benefit Society
As an early advocate for blockchain, IBM has been working vigorously to commercialize the technology through its enterprise-grade version of Hyperledger Fabric, known as IBM Blockchain.
Hyperledger Fabric currently empowers 1300 networks in the IBM blockchain cloud, 100 of which are live in production today.
Following years of experimentation and the advancement of established live networks, IBM has now established a set of 5 “blockchain for good principles,†demonstrating how trusted and transparent enterprise blockchains can benefit organizations and society as a whole.
The principles, which are also outlined in an IBM blog post, are:
Open is better
Permissioned doesn’t mean private
Governance is a team sport
Common standards are common sense
Privacy is paramount
When IBM’s CEO, Ginni Rometty, began
commenting on data rights with respect to data analytics, we became
inspired on the blockchain side. Over the past 3 years, we have worked
with many clients and have gained perspectives that have driven these
principles. There are ways to use blockchain technology that are
critical and would lead to good outcomes, but let’s make sure we don’t
leave that to guess work. That is how these 5 principles came about and
it’s our responsibility to abide by them wisely and share them with
others,†Jerry Cuomo, Vice President of IBM Blockchain and IBM Fellow,
told me.
In order to better understand how each principle is being applied, Cuomo went into detail about the standards.
Open Is Better
According to IBM, blockchain networks must foster diverse communities
of open source contributors to promote innovation and ensure the
overall quality of code.
The open is better principle is
carried across many aspects of what we do at IBM. Open is always better
when it comes to the cloud, artificial intelligence or the Internet of
Things, but it has especially interesting implications when looked at
from a blockchain context. We have always been an ‘open by design’
company, but we think carrying that principle to blockchain is
fundamental to our strategy,†explained Cuomo.
For example, IBM points out that The
Hyperledger Project, operated under The Linux Foundation, is a
“greenhouse†for growing enterprise-grade blockchain software with
strong and diverse code contributors.
“Hyperledger is an open technology
co-created by multiple institutions. The users of this technology
benefit since collaborations create diversity,†said Cuomo.
Moreover, Hyperledger Fabric also allows IBM to monetize due to the collaborative nature of the technology.
Institutions like IBM working on
Hyperledger Fabric are able to monetize due to the openness. For
instance, Oracle has the Oracle Blockchain, but they monetize using
Hyperledger Fabric. We are all collaborating to create these blockchain
networks, but we all have competitive offerings. Without breaking the
openness, we can add value to differentiate from our solutions. In turn,
consumers get high quality code offered through multiple institutions.
This is a unique business model built around the idea of open source,â€
noted Cuomo.
Permissioned Doesn’t Mean Private
Although anonymous public blockchains afford a number of powerful
capabilities, IBM believes that these are not suitable for most
enterprises, particularly those in regulated industries. Rather, to
support an enterprise-grade platform aligned with regulatory and
fiduciary responsibilities, enterprise blockchains must be designed
around the principle of permissioned and trusted access. However, it’s
important to understand that permissioned doesn’t mean private.
Blockchain is about trust. For
instance, we trust businesses because of the rules they follow. But
rules also have accountability, meaning you have to know which
businesses are participating in certain systems. There are types of
blockchains that are anonymous like Bitcoin and Ethereum, and there are
types of blockchains like Hyperledger Fabric and several others that are
permissioned. Permissioned is important because it insists that members
of the network are known to the network. Permissions are balanced with
privacy so blockchains that follow these principles have privacy
capabilities that allow members to transact confidentially,†said Cuomo.
Maintaining a balance through a
permissioned network is critical for IBM, as most organizations need to
know whom they’re conducting business with to ensure that no illegal
activity is being transacted over the network.
Governance Is A Team Sport
IBM also believes that enterprise blockchains must embrace
distributed and transparent governance to ensure that networks serve the
needs of all participants and are managed in a manner reflective of
each use case.
“Governance means rules. These rules will define who the elected
officials are, who is responsible for what roles and obligations, etc.
Governance is mandatory in a blockchain network,†said Cuomo.
Moreover, IBM notes that a trusted governance model requires at least
three designated trust anchors and that governance frameworks should
also take into account a network’s funding model.
For example, the Verfied:Me identity network in Canada, convened by
SecureKey Inc, has enlisted major Canadian banks to participate as trust
anchors to host nodes and validate network transactions. SecureKey has
created a governance model that involves ongoing checks and balances
between its constituent working groups.
Common Standards Are Common Sense
Additionally, IBM understands that enterprise blockchains should be
architected around common standards that are interoperable in order to
help future-proof networks, prevent vendor lock-in and foster a robust
ecosystem of innovators. This also involves interoperability of cloud
platforms. And while most blockchain networks presently exist in siloes,
the technology is evolving to support a network of networks.
According to IBM, the first step in promoting this interoperability is to make blockchains visible to one another through a registry, such as Hacera Unbounded. Moreover,
blockchain networks should define and publish their data models and
policies for change according to industry standards.
Privacy Is Paramount
Finally, IBM thinks that an enterprise blockchain should control who
can access data and under what circumstances. Blockchain networks must
also abide by privacy regulations such as GDPR. In most cases, that
means any personal data should be kept off-chain.
For example, IBM Food Trust
is a blockchain network aimed at ensuring food safety, freshness and
sustainability. This network enables brands like Walmart, Albertsons and
Driscoll to leverage shared data to enact various supply-chain
efficiencies, while safeguarding each member’s proprietary information.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 11:36 AM on Tuesday, May 14th, 2019
2 weeks ago we interviewed BetterU (BTRU:TSXV) CEO Brad Loiselle from his head office in Ottawa with the title “BetterU On The Move In India With Partnerships, Products and Personnel”
Today, he’s literally on the move as we interview him directly from India where he and Gurmit Singh, the company’s newest addition and Former Managing Director of Yahoo India and CEO Forbes India, are on a whirlwind tour of meetings throughout India where they are presenting BetterU to some very (VERY) large companies and organizations. As you will soon see for yourself, reaction and response to the BetterU Education Marketplace has been excellent, with the company expecting to generate meaningful agreements in the very near future.
The great thing about interviews is that CEO’s can’t hide behind text based corporate jargon. Rather, investors are given a great opportunity to read body language, facial expressions and voice fluctuations to gauge just how confident (or lack thereof) the CEO actually is. I know I do …. and I told Brad on-air that his confidence and happiness was bursting through the screen. Adding to this is the fact that Gurmit Singh was sitting right beside him, without a mic, chiming in some answers, which leads viewers to believe things are going really well.
Naturally, we’ll let you be the final judge. Grab a coffee, watch this great interview with Company CEO, Brad Loiselle and let us know what you think.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 9:00 PM on Monday, May 13th, 2019
SPONSOR: Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSX-V: EGLX) Uniting gaming communities with 80 owned and affiliated websites, currently reaching over 75 million monthly visitors. The company exceeded 2018 target with $11.0 million in revenue. Learn More
EGLX: TSX-V ———————————-
The eSports Boom, and the Numbers Behind the Sector’s Explosive Growth
The oldest professional sport teams can trace their start back to the
mid-19th century, a period when casual past times such as baseball or
football transitioned into more organized leagues.
Since this tipping point, pro sports has thrived around the world,
and the business of sports has evolved into a multi-billion dollar
ecosystem for teams, leagues, players, merchandisers, sponsors,
broadcasters, and event spaces.
Today, this evolution still continues – and it is being driven by the
emergence of eSports (electronic sports), an exciting frontier for fans
and business alike.
eSports Extravaganza
Today’s chart breaks down the eSports boom, including data on the
sector’s rapid growth, prize pools, and the most valuable eSports
companies today.
Despite having a reputation in the media and in popular culture as
being on the fringes, it is clear that gaming is now a truly mainstream
phenomenon.
In fact, the global gaming industry has now eclipsed $135 billion in
revenue worldwide – a figure that is twice as much as the film and music
industries combined.
With hundreds of millions of avid fans around the world, demand to
watch the most elite gamers has reached a fever pitch – and now, it’s
not uncommon to see sold-out arenas, big name sponsorship deals, and
massive prize pools in the name of eSports.
Defining the eSports Ecosystem
Like any professional league, eSports creates the foundation for an entire ecosystem of opportunities.
Players Players are central to the ecosystem,
since they are the stars and they have their own personalities. One
famous star is Kuro Takhasomi (KuroKy), who has brought in a whopping
$4.2 million in prize money from Dota 2 tournaments so far. He has
earned more than any other player in eSports.
Teams Because the games played are mostly
team-based, there is a crucial element of teamwork involved. eSports
franchises are currently selling for millions of dollars.
It’s worth noting that these franchises don’t just employ players –
they also hire staff that can better ensure the success of players, such
as coaches, trainers, and personal chefs.
Games and Developers Some of the most important
games in the eSports world right now include: Dota 2, Counter-Strike,
League of Legends, Overwatch, Fortnite, and Call of Duty.
Competitions Leagues and tournaments can offer
massive prize pools for players. The biggest single pool so far was
$25.5 million, offered for a Dota 2 tournament in 2017 (“The
Internationalâ€). It’s the second-largest prize pool offered in any kind
of sport, behind the U.S. Open (tennis).
Organizers Running eSports events is big money,
and organizers of events can tap into sponsorship and fan revenue.
Sometimes game publishers will organize the events, but third-party ones
also exist in the ecosystem.
Sponsors Sponsors like Coca-Cola, Intel, and
Mercedes-Benz have shelled out millions of dollars to sponsor events and
reach the massive audiences associated with eSports. In more recent
news, SAP signed a deal to sponsor one of the biggest names, Team Liquid.
Broadcasters Broadcasters, both traditional and
online (YouTube, Facebook Live, Twitch, etc.), are also in to get a part
of the action. Recently, game developer Blizzard signed a broadcasting
deal with Disney to broadcast Overwatch League playoffs on ESPN, ABC,
and Disney XD.
What do you think is the most exciting part of the eSports boom, and why?
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 3:00 PM on Monday, May 13th, 2019
The KABN Network is an integrated suite of financial services that includes:
1. The Pegasus Flyte Visa Card, an approved crypto-linked prepaid Visa card and mobile integrated multi-currency banking wallet;
2. KABN KASH, a robust loyalty and engagement program and
3. KABN ID (The network anchor), a patent pending,
Always On, GDPR complaint, blockchain and biometrically based, identity
verification and validation platform. KABN ID is a free to use service
for consumers that provides continuous monitoring and proof of identity
online and in conventional marketplaces.
THE PROBLEM KABN SOLVES
As cryptocurrencies and other digital currencies grow globally, there
is an ever-increasing need to convert them into traditional currencies
(i.e. USD and Euros) for use in traditional spending.
KABN’s integrated suite of products, which has received approval by
Visa, solves this major challenge by empowering digital currency holders
to spend in-store and online, as well as, access ATMs globally wherever
Visa is accepted.
HOW BIG IS THE PROBLEM KABN IS SOLVING?
In the US alone, this type of card volume is expected to grow to over
$396B by 2022. Worldwide volume will follow the same trajectory and
expected growth is exponential.
KABN’s integrated suite of products consists of:
KABN’s Pegasus Flyte Visa card offers an “on/off ramp†for
cryptocurrency conversion to traditional currencies (e.g., USD, Euros
and British Pounds, etc.)
In 2018, Eureka recognized revenue of approximately CAD$11.5 million*
net profit margin of 16%* from its California and Colorado operations
Anticipates further growth in revenue due to anticipated changes to retail regulation of adult cannabis use in California.
WHY NORTHBUD FARMS?
Canadian regulatory door for CIP (Cannabinoid Infused Products) is opening this year As shown in other legal jurisdictions (Colorado, Washington, Nevada, California)
Infused products sector has become the highest margin segment of the industry
Positioned to be a raw input producer for this space
Currently working with multiple food,
beverage and science companies to provide safe standardized cannabinoid
infused raw inputs for large scale GMP manufacturing of products
Cultivation facility is progressing on schedule and on budget, video update below:
Click Image Below
FULL DISCLOSURE: NORTHBUD is an advertising client of AGORA Internet Relations Corp.
Tags: CBD, CSE, Hemp, Marijuana, stocks, tsx, tsx-v, weed Posted in All Recent Posts, North Bud Farms Inc | Comments Off on CLIENT FEATURE: North Bud Farms $NBUD.ca Sustainable Low Cost, High Quality #Cannabinoid Production and Procurement $WEED.ca $CGC $ACB $APH $CRON.ca $HEXO.ca $TRST.ca $OGI.ca
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 8:22 AM on Monday, May 13th, 2019
Adds prominent leaders from media and technology sectors, bringing years of successful public and venture market experience to Company
Appointed respected global media veterans Stephen Tapp, and Todd Finch to its Advisory Board
Jesse Dylan, CEO of GLN commented, “As GLN continues its year over year growth, we have attracted an exceptional team of industry advisors with backgrounds ranging from Tesla to the biggest media corporations in Canada...”
Vancouver, British Columbia–(May 13, 2019) – Good Life Networks Inc. (TSXV: “GOOD”) (“GLN“, or the “Company“), a Vancouver-based programmatic advertising technology company, is pleased to announce that it has appointed respected global media veterans Stephen Tapp, and Todd Finch to its Advisory Board.
Jesse Dylan, CEO of GLN commented, “As GLN
continues its year over year growth, we have attracted an exceptional
team of industry advisors with backgrounds ranging from Tesla to the
biggest media corporations in Canada. Their diverse experience will help
guide and support us through this evolutionary time in GLN’s
lifecycle. We are thrilled to welcome Stephen and Todd to our Advisory
board. Their combined experience in building leading media and
technology businesses will be invaluable in helping us continue to grow
and innovate.”
Stephen Tapp
Stephen is an internationally recognized leader in media &
entertainment with a proven track record of building and operating
profitable subscriber and advertiser supported businesses. He has been
instrumental in several successful Canadian media company launches
including TSN and Viewer’s Choice Pay Per View and was founding
President and COO of XM Satellite Radio Canada. Mr. Tapp also served as
EVP for Chum Ltd., overseeing such iconic brands as Citytv and
MuchMusic. He currently acts as SVP of Business Development at leading
global music and technology company, Stingray.
Todd Finch
Todd is a proven tech executive and has been an advisor and coach to
numerous founders and CEOs in the Canadian tech landscape for the past
10 years. His many successes include the introduction of the browser to
the Canadian market as President of Netscape Canada. He served as the
President & CEO of Vizible Corporation, (acquired by OpenText in
2009) recognized as one of the fastest growing, innovative companies in
Canada by Deloitte Fast 50 & tech 500.
Todd and Stephen join GLN’s team of experienced Advisors including Brennan Boblett and Ron Shuttleworth.
Brennan Boblett
Brennan spent 5 years at Tesla leading and managing the UI + UX
design including auto pilot for the company’s model S, X and 3. Brennan
has also held leading tech positions with Apple, Microsoft, Uber,
PlayStation and Netflix.
Ron Shuttleworth
Ron has 25 years of experience in the technology sector as an
operator, investor, analyst and investment banker specializing in
M&A, equity and debt. As an operator, Ron has been CEO, Chief
Technical Officer and Product Manager with direct experience in fintech,
enterprise software and marketing automation. He was a top-ranked
research analyst for eight years with nearly $500-million of capital
raised within his coverage list.
The GLN Story
GLN’s patent pending technology is the engine that sits between
advertisers and publishers. A highlight of GLN’s tech is that it does
not collect PII (Personal Identifiable Information). Built for cross
device video advertising: Mobile, In-App, Desktop and CTV (Connected
Television) the GLN Programmatic Video Advertising Platform has among
the lowest fraud rates of similar vendors in the industry. Advertisers
make more money by reaching their target audience more effectively. GLN
makes money by retaining a percentage of the advertiser’s fee.
GLN is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada with offices in Newport
Beach and Santa Monica California, New York and UK and trades on the
TSXV under the stock symbol “GOOD” and The Frankfurt Stock Exchange
under the stock symbol 4G5. For further information on the Company,
visit www.glninc.ca
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services
Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture
Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this
release.
Forward Looking Statements:
Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future
performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs regarding future
events of management of GLN. This information and these statements,
referred to herein as “forwardâ€looking statements”, are not historical
facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without
limitation, statements regarding discussions of future plans, estimates
and forecasts and statements as to management’s expectations and
intentions with respect to the Company’s relationship with its Advisors.
These statements generally can be identified by use of forward-looking
words such as “may”, “will”, “expect”, “estimate”, “anticipate”,
“intends”, “believe” or “continue” or the negative thereof or similar
variations.
These forwardâ€looking statements involve numerous risks and
uncertainties and actual results might differ materially from results
suggested in any forward-looking statements. Important factors that may
cause actual results to vary.
In making the forwardâ€looking statements in this news release,
the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without
limitation that the Advisors will generate the anticipated results
including but not limited to; revenue, business opportunities, business
strategy and guidance per GLN management’s expectations. GLN does not
assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to
update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected
in the forward looking-statements, unless and until required by
applicable securities laws. Additional information identifying risks and
uncertainties is contained in GLN’s filings with the Canadian
securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedar.com.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 9:00 PM on Sunday, May 12th, 2019
Investment Highlights
Kenbridge property has a measured and indicated resource of 7.14 million tonnes at 0.62% nickel, 0.33% copper
17.5 (21.8 fully diluted) percent equity stake in Eloro Resources and 2 percent NSR in their La Victoria property
Kenbridge Ni Project (ON, Canada)
Advanced stage deposit remains open in three directions, is
equipped with a 623m deep shaft and has never been mined.
Preliminary Economic Assessment completed and updated returned robust project economics and operating costs including a NPV of C$253M and cash costs of US$3.47/lb of nickel net of copper credits.
Plans for Kenbridge include updating PEA,
advancing the project through to feasibility and exploring the open
mineralization at depth
FULL DISCLOSURE: Tartisan Nickel Corp. is an advertising client of AGORA Internet Relations Corp.
