Chegg eyes India for next level growth, aims to cash in on edtech boom
Santa Clara-based education technology (edtech) major Chegg is eyeing India for its next level of growth.
Company is studying the market, including other edtech firms, to gauge the feasibility of starting operations in the country.
Listed on the New York Stock Exchange, it is a major player in the connected learning or online education space.
It has a subscription-based model for college students, offering
study help, writing and learning tools, tutoring and text book rental.
Currently, India is one of the biggest markets for Chegg for
talent and content acquisition, and is employing more than 500 people
for the same. In addition to its full-time employees, they also have a
network of 80,000 qualified experts and students.
“For us, Chegg India is
the hub of content and talent. Also, a chunk of our back end
engineering teams that power our technology platform are based out of
India. It remains one of the most attractive markets beyond the US, and
we will continue to evaluate options,†said Nathan Schultz, president of
learning services at Chegg.
The company said that it has over 3.1 million paid subscribers in the US, an increase of 38 per cent year-on-year.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 2:00 PM on Thursday, April 11th, 2019
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Will Technical Factors Push Bitcoin To $50,000 In The Coming Years?
Bitcoin could could experience a parabolic bull run to $50,000, climbing more than 800% from current prices, says a prominent technical analyst.
Veteran trader Peter Brandt recently made a bold prediction, stating that bitcoin could reach $50,000 in the next two years.
Bitcoin could could experience a parabolic bull run to $50,000,
climbing more than 800% from current prices, says a prominent technical
analyst.
Veteran trader Peter Brandt recently made a bold prediction, stating that bitcoin could reach $50,000 in the next two years.
Credited with forecasting bitcoin’s more than 80% decline in 2018, Brandt cited market history and technical analysis when providing this estimate.
“I believe that charts reflect underlying supply and demand fundamentals and that’s how we have to look at it,” he stated on Yahoo Finance YFi PM.
After bottoming out in 2015, bitcoin prices enjoyed a parabolic advance, emphasized Brandt.
Now, he expects cryptocurrencies will once again enter a parabolic bull market.
[Ed note: Investing in cryptocoins or tokens is highly speculative
and the market is largely unregulated. Anyone considering it should be
prepared to lose their entire investment.]
Analyst Skepticism
While several analysts emphasized that Brandt’s prediction certainly
could materialize, many were understandably skeptical, emphasizing their
wariness of price forecasts.
“Peter Brandt’s assessment is purely based on technical indicators
and market history,” noted Joe DiPasquale, CEO of cryptocurrency fund of
hedge funds BitBull Capital.
“While technical analysis has a place in all markets, past performance is no guarantee for future results,” he stated.
“Meanwhile, however, the current rally is consolidating nicely and we
can expect further price appreciation if the trend continues,”
added DiPasquale.
Marouane Garcon, managing director of crypto-to-crypto derivatives platform Amulet, urged caution.
“We have to be careful when trying to predict markets,” he noted.
“Parabolic movements happen once in a blue moon,” said Garcon.
As a result, “we can’t depend on them as they tell us more about the crowd’s sentiment than the actual value of the asset.”
He emphasized that while market history can prove helpful, “going
forward we have to be more careful because the market has matured and
the participants have changed.”
Adoption’s Key Role
Several analysts emphasized the key importance of bitcoin expanding
its user base, emphasizing that if the digital currency makes enough
progress on this front, it could hit $50,000.
“The focus, I believe, should be on adoption instead of price, because the latter follows the former,” said DiPasquale.
“If Bitcoin adoption continues to grow exponentially in the next two
years, we can easily see it hitting the $50,000 mark,” he noted.
“On the other hand, if adoption drives fail and there is no meaningful traction, even $5,000 will be difficult to hold.”
“As a blockchain gains more users,
the price moves up on a quadratic growth curve — similar to [Brandt’s]
idea of a parabolic advance.”
Charles Cascarilla, cofounder & CEO of Paxos, offered a similar take.
“The next wave of growth in this cycle will be driven by adoption
from mainstream retail and institutions, markets that are order of
magnitudes larger than the current users. In that context, $50k seems
possible.”
Disclosure: I own some bitcoin, bitcoin cash and ether.
Tags: Bitcoin, blockchain, CSE, ether, stocks, tsx, tsx-v Posted in All Recent Posts | Comments Off on ThreeD Capital Inc. $IDK.ca – Will Technical Factors Push Bitcoin To $50,000 In The Coming Years? $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca
Mark Cuban-Backed 3D-Printed Rocket Will Boost Canadian Orbital Internet Dreams
Telesat’s broadband satellites will come to low Earth orbit on the back of 3D-printed rockets
A startup company called Relativity Space announced that in 2021 (or perhaps later), they will launch an undisclosed number of Telesat’s satellites using the Terran 1 launch vehicle.
Telesat’s broadband satellites will come to low Earth orbit on the
back of 3D-printed rockets. A startup company called Relativity Space
announced that in 2021 (or perhaps later), they will launch an
undisclosed number of Telesat’s satellites using the Terran 1 launch
vehicle. As Telesat battles competitors, including behemoth SpaceX,
Relativity says their technology gives their customers an iteration
edge.
It’s an ambitious contract given that Relativity hasn’t launched a
single satellite yet, but the twentysomething chief executive (Tim
Ellis) and chief technology officer (Jordan Noone) are used to bold
moves. In 2015, they wanted some startup money and had the idea of
asking billionaire Mark Cuban. Instead of taking the obvious route —
meeting him on the television show Shark Tank, where he brokers deals with other venture investors — they directly e-mailed him with details of their company,
asking for $100,000 in the company’s initial $500,000 funding round. To
their surprise, Cuban came up with the full half-million.
Since then, Relativity quickly raised $14 million in a Series A round
and another $30 million in Series B — and there’s a Series C planned
very shortly, said Noone. “We have a technology approach here that
disrupts 60 years of aerospace manufacturing,” he said in an interview.
“We’re baselining 3D-printing the entire rocket … using proprietary
technology developed in-house.”
Telesat’s contract is a vote of confidence for Relativity, given that
the Canadian satellite giant is among the top five integrators in the
world. Relativity said Telesat is the first among this group to work
with a venture-backed startup.
What may have got Telesat’s attention is the ability of Relativity to
iterate its rocket components quickly. With 3D printing, Relativity
promises a six-month iteration time between vehicles, compared to the
traditional three or four years most companies can offer. This means
that when it comes to launching constellations of satellites, they can
adapt with changing requirements, Noone said.
Telesat isn’t alone in working on a broadband constellation.
SpaceX’s Starlink constellation plans an ambitious 12,000 satellites in
orbit by the mid-2020s, and it already has two prototypes in orbit. And
other companies are also trying to get in on the action, such as
OneWeb, since multiple satellites working together in a constellation
are cheaper to launch than a more traditional, larger satellite with
higher resolution. While the smaller satellites take images with less
detail, between them they can revisit a site multiple times a day.
Relativity Space tests its 3D-printed rocket engine, called Aeon.
Relativity Space
Space analyst Chris Quilty, the founder of Quilty Analytics, said
Relativity stands out among 100+ new entrants to the launch vehicle
sector due its unique manufacturing approach, its ability to fundraise
and its management team. He also said it was interesting that Telesat
selected Relativity over the more established Firefly Aerospace,
although Quilty didn’t speculate as to why.
He added, in an e-mail, that there might be speculation that
Telesat’s contract with Relativity was meant to be a “shot across the
bow” of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, since Amazon (the company Bezos is more
famous for) recently announced its own LEO constellation, called
Project Kuiper. He said that’s unlikely, because the two rocket
providers launch very different payload masses (half a ton, vs. 45
tons).
Relativity, meanwhile, has grown sixfold in its employee base to keep
up with demand. A year ago there were only 14 employees, and this week
there are 83. This came in large part due to the Series B funding, as
well as their plans to launch a test flight in late 2020 and the first
operational flight in early 2021. Being privately backed, Relativity
does not disclose its revenues.
The company is focusing fully on its rocket design for the moment,
but in future years it plans to apply its 3D printing technology to
other aerospace and space contracts. 3D printing allows Relativity to
waste no material, and to reduce the machining time from traditional
aerospace techniques, Noone said.
Once launches begin, the pace will accelerate quickly. The company
has already secured a deal with the U.S. Air Force to launch from Cape
Canaveral’s Launch Complex 16. Relativity plans three launches in 2021
and to double their rate annually until they reach at least 12 to 24
launches a year, Noone said. “We’re evaluating options, whether we
continue to expand the Terran 1 fleet, or go into other alternatives to
scale to low Earth orbit or other orbits at once,” he added.
The long-term version for Relativity is to send a 3D-printed rocket
to Mars. The idea there is that colonists could use Relativity’s
technology for in situ resource utilization, meaning 3D-printing
components on Mars using the resources already on site from Mars. ISRU
allows Mars missions to bring less material with them, in favor of
living off the land. However, it’s unclear when the first human mission
to Mars will be.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 9:00 AM on Thursday, April 11th, 2019
PyroGenesis has now produced titanium powder on its NexGen™ Plasma Atomization System with production rates in excess of 25 kg/h.
Of note, these increased production rates are achieved with lower operating and capital costs.
MONTREAL, April 11, 2019 — PyroGenesis Canada Inc. (http://pyrogenesis.com) (TSX-V: PYR) (OTCQB: PYRNF) (FRA: 8PY), a TSX Venture 50® high-tech company, (the “Company”, the “Corporation†or “PyroGenesis”) that designs, develops, manufactures and commercializes plasma atomized metal powder, plasma waste-to-energy systems and plasma torch  products, announced today that, further to its press release dated March 19th, 2019, PyroGenesis has now produced titanium powder on its NexGen™ Plasma Atomization System with production rates in excess of 25 kg/h. Of note, these increased production rates are achieved with lower operating (“OPEXâ€) and capital (“CAPEXâ€) costs.
NEW OPPORTUNITY 1: NEXGEN™ OPENS NEW DOORS FOR TITANIUM POWDER
On March 19th, 2019 PyroGenesis unveiled itsgame-changing NexGen™ Plasma Atomization System, which produces metal powder at over 25 kg/h, shattering any published plasma-atomized production rates for titanium known to management, and announced having fulfilled a specialty metal powder order using the NexGen™ unit.
PyroGenesis announces today that it has successfully produced
titanium powder on the NexGen™ Plasma Atomization System at over 25kg/h
while maintaining all the characteristics demanded by the Additive
Manufacturing (3D Printing) industry (ie. oxygen content, flowability,
density, etc.). Of note, this increased production rate was achieved at
lower OPEX per hour, which translates into significant cost per kilogram
savings.
“A limiting factor in titanium adoption in the marketplace has been
its cost,†said Mr. Massimo Dattilo, Vice President of PyroGenesis
Additive. “By lowering the cost of a typically expensive product,
NexGen™ has opened the door to other markets and applications which,
until now, found titanium to be too expensive to utilize. We expect that
the NexGen™ price reduction will drive an increased adoption of
PyroGenesis’ powders into new markets and applications where the higher
cost of plasma atomized powders was typically restrictive.â€
NEW OPPORTUNITY 2: NEXGEN™ CAN NOW PROCESS NEW MATERIALS
“By increasing the production rate, and thereby lowering the cost of
production, the NexGen™ process can now produce materials via plasma
atomization that were typically cost restrictive,†continued Mr. Massimo
Dattilo, Vice President of PyroGenesis Additive. “As a result of
NexGen™â€™s game-changing advantages, there is now an opportunity for the
Additive Manufacturing industry to start experimenting with other
materials which can now be produced economically with the NexGen™ Plasma
Atomization System. Essentially, NexGen™ will allow PyroGenesis to
convert low value materials to high quality powder that, until now, have
been deemed to be too expensive to produce.â€
SIGNIFICANT CAPEX REDUCTION AS WELL
“In addition to a significant reduction in OPEX, the NexGen™
technology also boasts significant CAPEX reductions,†said Mr. P. Peter
Pascali, President and CEO of PyroGenesis. “The CAPEX reductions occur
on two fronts: (i) the reactor itself has been simplified compared to
conventional plasma atomization resulting in lower fabrication costs
and, (ii) given the increased production rate, the number of reactors
and associated service equipment required has been reduced by up to a
factor of four. This is a clear advantage over anyone using our legacy
technology. We are now in a rush to incorporate these advantages into
our current production process before it is frozen during audits by
aerospace clients. The production process is typically frozen by an
aerospace end-user as a condition for contracting powder long-term.â€
About PyroGenesis Canada Inc.
PyroGenesis Canada Inc., a TSX Venture 50® high-tech company, is the
world leader in the design, development, manufacture and
commercialization of advanced plasma processes and products. We provide
engineering and manufacturing expertise, cutting-edge contract research,
as well as turnkey process equipment packages to the defense,
metallurgical, mining, advanced materials (including 3D printing), oil
& gas, and environmental industries. With a team of experienced
engineers, scientists and technicians working out of our Montreal office
and our 3,800 m2 manufacturing facility, PyroGenesis maintains its
competitive advantage by remaining at the forefront of technology
development and commercialization. Our core competencies allow
PyroGenesis to lead the way in providing innovative plasma torches,
plasma waste processes, high-temperature metallurgical processes, and
engineering services to the global marketplace. Our operations are ISO
9001:2015 certified, and have been since 1997. PyroGenesis is a
publicly-traded Canadian Corporation on the TSX Venture Exchange (Ticker
Symbol: PYR) and on the OTCQB Marketplace. For more information, please
visit www.pyrogenesis.com
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements,
including, without limitation, statements containing the words “may”,
“plan”, “will”, “estimate”, “continue”, “anticipate”, “intend”,
“expect”, “in the process” and other similar expressions which
constitute “forward- looking information” within the meaning of
applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements reflect the
Corporation’s current expectation and assumptions and are subject to a
number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those anticipated. These forward-looking
statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited
to, our expectations regarding the acceptance of our products by the
market, our strategy to develop new products and enhance the
capabilities of existing products, our strategy with respect to research
and development, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new
product development, and uncertainties related to the regulatory
approval process. Such statements reflect the current views of the
Corporation with respect to future events and are subject to certain
risks and uncertainties and other risks detailed from time-to-time in
the Corporation’s ongoing filings with the securities regulatory
authorities, which filings can be found atwww.sedar.com, or at www.otcmarkets.com. Actual
results, events, and performance may differ materially. Readers are
cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking
statements. The Corporation undertakes no obligation to publicly update
or revise any forward- looking statements either as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise, except as required by
applicable securities laws. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange, its
Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of
the TSX Venture Exchange) nor the OTCQB accepts responsibility for the
adequacy or accuracy of this press release.
Tags: PyroGenesis, small cap stocks, stocks, tsx, tsx-v Posted in Featured, PyroGenesis Canada Inc. | Comments Off on PyroGenesis $PYR.ca Titanium Powder Produced with the NexGen™ #Plasma Atomization System; Significant CAPEX and OPEX Reductions $LMT $RTN $NOC $UTX $HPQ.ca $DDD.ca $SSYS $PRLB
Posted by AGORACOM
at 8:08 AM on Thursday, April 11th, 2019
The German Aerospace Center (“DLR”) and Kal Tire are pleased to report on their preliminary battery development results at the University of British Columbia
Initial results showed that the addition of 5% ZEN reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO) into Carbon Black derived from recycled tires from Kal Tire resulted in a 324% increase in the anode discharge capacity in comparison to the current industry standard anode material
Follow-up research will now focus on optimizing these preliminary results to produce a new environmentally friendly, lower cost and higher capacity anode material.
Thunder Bay, Ontario–(Newsfile Corp. – April 11, 2019) – ZEN Graphene Solutions Ltd. (TSXV: ZEN) (“ZEN” or the “Company“)
and its research partners, Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt,
The German Aerospace Center (“DLR”) and Kal Tire are pleased to report
on their preliminary battery development results at the University of
British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, performed by Dr. Lukas Bichler and
his team. Initial results showed that the addition of 5% ZEN reduced
Graphene Oxide (rGO) into Carbon Black derived from recycled tires from
Kal Tire resulted in a 324% increase in the anode discharge capacity in
comparison to the current industry standard anode material, SUPER P
Carbon powder, which is used in numerous battery applications as a
conductive additive.
Follow-up research will now
focus on optimizing these preliminary results to produce a new
environmentally friendly, lower cost and higher capacity anode material.
The Carbon Black material derived from the Kal Tire tires yielded an
anode material with an energy discharge capacity of 115 milliampere
hours per gram (mAh/g), the same as industry standard carbon, Super P.
The addition of 5% rGO from ZEN to the Carbon Black anode material
increased the capacity from 115 mAh/g to 488 mAh/g while a battery
consisting of 100% rGO had a capacity of 840 mAh/g. These results were
presented during a 2 day summit at UBC-O. Future opportunities in next
generation batteries and other applications were discussed between the 3
industrial partners along with the potential for strong collaborations
between the Canadian and European partners. The collaboration also
focuses on international exchange of students and research scientists to
rapidly develop these new battery anode materials.
About ZEN Graphene Solutions Ltd.
ZEN
Graphene is an emerging graphene technology company with a focus on the
development of the unique Albany graphite project. This precursor
graphene material provides the company with a competitive advantage in
the potential graphene market as independent labs in Japan, the United
Kingdom, Israel, the United States and Canada have demonstrated that
ZEN’s Albany graphite/Naturally Pure easily converts (exfoliates) to
graphene, using a variety of simple mechanical and chemical methods.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 8:08 AM on Thursday, April 11th, 2019
Signs Agreement to Become Exclusive Monetization Partner
Addicting Games network of .io games reaches over 10 million gamers a month
Increases Enthusiast’s revenue and profits through 8 large web properties
Advanced internet speed and
browser capabilities have propelled .io and “browser multiplayer†games
into a fast growing gaming sector
Investment by Enthusiast allows Addicting Games to continue building network and developing new .io games
TORONTO, April 11, 2019 — Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSXV: EGLX) (OTCQB: EGHIF), (“Enthusiast†or the “Companyâ€), is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Senior Convertible Debenture Purchase Agreement (the “Agreementâ€) to invest in Addicting Games Inc. (“Addicting Gamesâ€), one of the largest online game networks in the United States.
The Addicting Games network reaches over 10 million gamers
monthly(1). They are leaders in developing and distributing browser
games, and their platform focuses on the increasingly popular “browser
multiplayer†.io website games. .io games are a popular new genre of
real-time multiplayer games which are played in a browser, featuring
addictive online multiplayer battles, with simple but hard to master
gameplay. These games are becoming increasingly popular due to easy
accessibility, mass multiplayer battles, and allowing players to play
games within seconds from any computer with an internet connection.
The network includes popular games: Tactics Core (tacticscore.io),
pumking.io, warfronts.io, shotz.io, skywars.io, seapop.io, skyarena.io
and break out hit, Little Big Snake (littlebigsnake.io). It also
includes Shockwave, the original “Netflix†of games, where players
subscribe to play over 1500 games online. Addicting Games and Shockwave
were previously purchased for $200 million in 2006 by Viacom. Most
recently, Addicting Games was bought from Defy Media by the original
founders and they have been expanding the network rapidly ever since.
Under the Agreement, Enthusiast will invest US$1.5 million by way of a 3 year secured convertible debenture (the “Debentureâ€)
with interest accruing at 2% per annum which is convertible into equity
at the value of Addicting Games’ next equity raise. Enthusiast invested
in Addicting Games to capitalize on the rapidly growing .io games
sector and a new niche of lifestyle gamer that the network currently
doesn’t reach.
Menashe Kestenbaum, CEO of Enthusiast, commented, “With
the rise in mobile gaming and the advent of HTML5 technology, every
browser can now be a game console and therefore attract significantly
more visitors. We see the growth potential in console agnostic games
and are excited to be partnering with Addicting Games to provide them
with the best monetization strategy to execute on their continued growth
and development of new browser based games.â€
Bill Karamouzis, CEO of Addicting Games, commented, “It’s
an exciting time to be in the gaming industry. The maturing of new
technology has resulted in new alternative platforms for game
distribution as well as ways to connect players in real time with each
other to enhance the player experience. Addicting Games has always been
the place to find great new fun games that can be played instantly and
enjoyed by everyone. Partnering with Enthusiast is a natural fit with
their deep commitment to gamers and community. We hope to leverage their
expertise as we commit to the next generation of casual gamers and game
developers.â€
Enthusiast has also entered into a Representation Agreement to
exclusively monetize advertisements across the Addicting Games portfolio
of websites. The exclusive representation will increase Enthusiast’s
revenue and profits through Addicting Games’ eight large digital
properties. The Company plans to utilize its strong sales force and
programmatic engine to further optimize the monetization of the
Addicting Games platform which will help fund the development and
acquisition of new .io games.
About Addicting Games
Founded by Bill Karamouzis, the world famous Addicting Games
pioneered the casual game genre in the early 2000’s and continues to
develop and distribute the very best games online.
Reaching over 10 million gamers every month Addicting Games network
players can enjoy a wide range of free browser-based games from brands
such as Shockwave to the latest in streaming gaming IO Games Space. Visit us for the best free games released every week. Learn more about Addicting Games here: http://company.addictinggames.com/
Founded in 2014, Enthusiast is the fastest-growing online community
of video gamers. Through the Company’s unique acquisition strategy, it
has a platform of over 80 owned and affiliated websites and currently
reaches over 75 million monthly visitors with its unique and curated
content and over 50 million YouTube visitors. Enthusiast also owns and
operates Canada’s largest gaming expo, Enthusiast Gaming Live Expo,
EGLX, (eglx.ca) with over 55,000 people attending in 2018. For more information on the Company, visit www.enthusiastgaming.com.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Investor Relations: Julia Becker Head of Investor Relations & Marketing [email protected] (604) 785.0850
This news release contains certain statements that may constitute
forward-looking information under applicable securities laws. All
statements, other than those of historical fact, which address
activities, events, outcomes, results, developments, performance or
achievements that Enthusiast anticipates or expects may or will occur in
the future (in whole or in part) should be considered forward-looking
information. Such information may involve, but is not limited to,
comments with respect to strategies, expectations, planned operations
and future actions of the Company. Often, but not always,
forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such
as “plans”, “expects”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”,
“estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates”, or “believes” or
variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or
statements formed in the future tense or indicating that certain
actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will”
(or other variations of the forgoing) be taken, occur, be achieved, or
come to pass. Forward-looking information is based on currently
available competitive, financial and economic data and operating plans,
strategies or beliefs as of the date of this news release, but involve
known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors
that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of
Enthusiast to be materially different from any future results,
performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking
information. Such factors may be based on information currently
available to Enthusiast, including information obtained from third-party
industry analysts and other third-party sources, and are based on
management’s current expectations or beliefs regarding future growth,
results of operations, future capital (including the amount, nature and
sources of funding thereof) and expenditures. Any and all
forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly
qualified by this cautionary statement. Trading in the securities of
the Company should be considered highly speculative.
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.
The securities of the Corporation have not
been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act
of 1933, as amended and may not be offered or sold in the United States
absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration
requirement. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or
the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the
securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale
would be unlawful.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 4:23 PM on Wednesday, April 10th, 2019
SPONSOR: Esports Entertainment
$GMBL Esports audience is 350M, growing to 590M, Esports wagering is
projected at $23 BILLION by 2020. The company has launched VIE.gg
esports betting platform and has accelerated affiliate marketing
agreements with 190 Esports teams. Click here for more information
GMBL: OTCQB
———————–
eSports is Playing Out to Be a Big Opportunity for Investors
Esports sector represented just 1% of the global gaming market at nearly $700 million in 2017, with the industry expecting to reach $1.65 billion by 2021, representing a 27.4% CAGR estimates Newzoo.
Worldwide eSports viewership is expected to grow by nearly 50% from 2018 levels to 560 million by 2021
Sean Mason | April 10, 2019 | SmallCapPower: Video games are nothing new – people have been playing them since the 1970s. But with the proliferation of social media in recent years, electronic sports, or eSports, could eventually generate more revenue than traditional professional sporting events, such as National Football League (NFL) games.
eSports can be most simply defined as organized, competitive video
gaming at the professional level, where participants compete in a
virtual environment for money and recognition. Much of eSports’ appeal
is in its inclusivity, as anyone with dexterity and determination can,
in theory and with plenty of practice, reach an elite level regardless
of their athleticism. And thanks to the Internet, eSports tournaments
have quickly gone global. This, after all, is due to the fact that the
distribution of eSports is almost entirely digital, with fans being able
to stream eSports content for free anywhere in the world.
To give you an idea how much growth potential exists within the
eSports sector, it represented just 1% of the global gaming market at
nearly $700 million in 2017, with the industry expecting to reach $1.65
billion by 2021, representing a 27.4% CAGR estimates Newzoo.
With its popularity rising, worldwide eSports viewership is expected
to grow by nearly 50% from 2018 levels to 560 million by 2021. In fact,
in the U.S. eSports viewership on key streaming platforms such as
Twitch, Youtube, and TV with traditional channels like TBS, ESPN have
already surpassed that of the NHL and is expected to take the #2 spot
behind the NFL by 2021, according to an August 2018 report by Eight
Capital, adding that the sector remains under-monetized relative to
traditional sports. To put that into perspective, average revenue per
eSports enthusiast was just $3.60 in 2017, a fraction of the $15 average
revenue per basketball fan and $54 average per sports fan globally,
this based on a study by Newzoo.
Audience engagement for eSports is extremely high, which has become
ideal for advertisers to target a captive and young demographic.
According to a Goldman Sachs eSports report dated October 2018, eSports
generated an estimated $655 million in annual revenue in 2017, 38% of
which came from sponsorships, 14% from media rights, and 9% from ticket
revenue. By 2022, though, media rights are anticipated to reach 40% of
total eSports revenue, with sponsorship expected to become the second
largest contributor of revenue at 35%.
Goldman Sachs believes eSports will increasingly migrate from PCs to
other platforms, such as console and mobile. For mobile eSports, Goldman
Sachs said it is seeing increased venture investment in the space.
Since 2013, there has been $3.3 billion of venture capital investment in
eSports-related start-ups, which is set to capitalize on two primary
trends: the opportunity for live-streaming to monetize the growth in
eSports; and the popularity of eSports in Asia. China’s eSports market
is derived from the largest gamer base in the world, with approximately
442 million gamers by the end of 2017 and a 57.2% penetration rate of
China Internet users, according to CNNIC.
Technological evolution in the eSports space will likely mean more
money will flow into trends such as streaming, mobile, and Virtual
Reality (VR). To that end, Canadian company YDX Innovation Corp. (TSXV:YDX) already has direct experience in eSports in addition to a product that fits well with the segment.
“When we created our VR game a year and a half ago, we already knew
we were taking the platform in an eSports direction,†YDX Innovation CEO
Daniel Japiassu told SmallCapPower in an interview.
YDX Innovation’s Arkave VR Arena is a gaming platform that brings an
immersive Virtual Reality experience to different venues – a highly
scalable business model according to the Company. YDX Innovation
announced recently that it had signed an agreement with eSports company
Jackpot Rising to organize tournaments using Arkave VR.
And, in 2019, YDX plans to launch its Game On festival for the new
gamers, younger players who have not yet experienced competitive
gaming.
“This is an industry (eSports) fueled by people 10 years of age and
older,†Mr. Japiassu said, adding that although it’s a new industry
there’s already a substantial number of participants.
Disclosure: Neither the author nor his family own shares in the company mentioned above.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 3:46 PM on Wednesday, April 10th, 2019
Empower Clinics Inc. has changed its ticker symbol to CSE: CBDT
Proposes to change the Company name to CBD Therapeutics Corporation at the Company annual general meeting in June 2019.
VANCOUVER, April 10, 2019 – EMPOWER CLINICS INC. (CSE: EPW) (Frankfurt 8EC) (“Empower” or the “Company“), a growth oriented, diversified health and wellness company, announces that it has changed the Company’s ticker symbol on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the “CSE“) to CSE: CBDT. The Company also intends to seek shareholder approval for a change of name of the Company to CBD Therapeutics Corporation, and to launch a new Company website at www.empowerclinics.com
In recent weeks, the Company has been re-positioning its overall
strategy to become a vertically integrated health and wellness company
that connects to its 120,000 patients using a data driven focus to
improve patients’ lives with products, technology and health systems.
The Company believes the change of name will allow its patients,
customers, shareholders, partners, team members and the investment
community to have a simple and clear understanding of the Company’s
focus – a brand that is passionate about CBD based therapies, products
and treatment options.
The Company’s new ticker symbol, CSE: CBDT, supports the new brand
initiative and makes it easier for the Company’s followers in the
investment community to associate the Company to its presence in the
capital markets.
The Company has also launched a new website that is a better
reflection of its health & wellness brand, providing users with a
more functional and pleasant experience on desktop and mobile devices.
The website will continue to evolve with new content and functionality
being added over time, including educational sections, links to an
e-commerce store to purchase CBD products, and a directory to the
Company’s growing network of clinics.
The Company intends to change the domain name for the website in
conjunction with the official name change, after approval of same at the
Company’s next annual general and special meeting of shareholders.
“Evolving the business model and brand of the Company has been an
imperative initiative for me on behalf of our shareholders, and the
announcement of the Company’s ticker symbol change and proposed name
change reflects our path going forward,” stated Steven McAuley,
Empower’s Chairman and CEO. “We believe the new website will allow us
to drive traffic with confidence, knowing our online presence tells the
story of our brand and provides users access to our extensive
knowledge-base, product offerings and world-class physicians throughout
our network of clinics.”
ABOUT EMPOWER
Empower is a leading owner/operator of a network of physician-staffed
clinics focused on helping patients improve and protect their health
through innovative physician recommended treatment options. It is
expected that Empower’s proprietary product line “Sollievo” will offer
patients a variety of delivery methods of doctor recommended cannabidiol
(CBD) based products in its clinics, online and at major retailers.
With over 120,000 patients, an expanding clinic footprint, a focus on
new technologies, including tele-medicine, and an expanded product
development strategy, Empower is undertaking new growth initiatives to
be positioned as a vertically integrated, diverse, market-leading
service provider for complex patient requirements in 2019 and beyond.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Steven McAuley Chief Executive Officer
DISCLAIMER FOR FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This news release contains certain “forward-looking statements”
or “forward-looking information” (collectively “forward looking
statements”) within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All
statements, other than statements of historical fact, are
forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and
projections as at the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements
can frequently be identified by words such as “plans”, “continues”,
“expects”, “projects”, “intends”, “believes”, “anticipates”,
“estimates”, “may”, “will”, “potential”, “proposed” and other similar
words, or information that certain events or conditions “may” or “will”
occur. Forward-looking statements in this news release include
statements regarding the Company’s proposed name change; new website;
and the expected benefits of same for the Company and its stakeholders.
Such statements are only projections, are based on assumptions known to
management at this time, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that
may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ
materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements,
including: that the proposed acquisitions and partnerships, including
that: the name change may not be approved by the Company’s shareholders
or may not be completed; that the website may not operate as expected;
that the Company may not be able to obtain adequate financing to pursue
its business plan; general business, economic, competitive, political
and social uncertainties; failure to obtain any necessary approvals in
connection with the proposed acquisitions and partnerships; and other
factors beyond the Company’s control. No assurance can be given that any
of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur
or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking
statements in this release, which are qualified in their entirety by
these cautionary statements. The Company is under no obligation, and
expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any
forward-looking statements in this release, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by
applicable laws.
Investors: Steve Low, Boom Capital Markets, 647-620-5101; For French inquiries: Remy Scalabrini, Maricom Inc., E: [email protected], T: (888) 585-6274; Investors: Steven McAuley, CEO, [email protected], 604-789-2146Copyright CNW Group 2019
Tags: Cannabis, CSE, Hemp, Marijuana, stocks, tsx, tsx-v, weed Posted in Empower Clinics Inc. | Comments Off on Empower $EPW.ca Announces Ticker Symbol Change, New Website and Pending Company Name Change $WEED.ca $CGC $ACB $APH $CRON.ca $HEXO.ca $TRST.ca $OGI.ca
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 3:10 PM on Wednesday, April 10th, 2019
AXEL, a leader in data privacy and data custody announced today a partnership with KABN
Using KABN’s BVUP will greatly enhance the value and security levels of AXEL’s ecosystem for existing and new development teams and users, by creating a verification and non-private attribute whitelist, which will improve content development and sharing
LAS VEGAS, NV –AXEL, a leader in data privacy and data custody announced today a partnership with KABN, an integrated financial solutions platform that will implement its Blockchain Verification User Platform (“BVUPâ€) to the recently launched AXEL.Network, a global, decentralized platform. Using KABN’s BVUP will greatly enhance the value and security levels of AXEL’s ecosystem for existing and new development teams and users, by creating a verification and non-private attribute whitelist, which will improve content development and sharing.
“Partnering with KABN is a great opportunity to
continue providing users everywhere with real solutions for data privacy
and ownership,†noted Ben Ow, President and CTO of AXEL. “KABN is a
company that shares our vision and offers innovative technology that
will strengthen the development of our AXEL.Network platform, as well as
build a strong community for our project.â€
AXEL and KABN will be working together to verify users on AXEL’s
super node, creating a known community of users. As the program
progresses, more aggregated public attributes data will become available
through various incentive and interactive solutions. This will provide
existing and new developers who engage with AXEL, the ability to reach a
rapidly growing list of community members, leading to a potentially
faster engagement cycle for projects on the AXEL platform.
“We’re very excited to announce our partnership with AXEL as we
assist them with their verification and public attributes program,†said
Ben Kessler, CEO KABN. “Together, we will be making it easier for
developers and users to engage in the AXEL ecosystem.â€
About AXEL
AXEL is committed to providing users with true ownership over their
data, with dynamic easy-to-use technology solutions for file sharing,
access, security and privacy, transfer, streaming and integration, from
one platform.
With operations in North America, Asia and Europe, the company’s
veteran team built a suite of proprietary software products already used
by millions of people globally, with patented technology and a
user-friendly app that works across Windows, Mac, iOS and Android. The
AXEL platform allows users to link digital content across all of their
devices, without using a third-party.
The company just launched AXEL.Network, a global decentralized
network to help foster the movement from centralized to decentralized
computing. For more information, please visit AXEL or AXEL.Network and follow us on Discord, Twitter and Medium.
About KABN
KABN, an integrated financial service platform offering neo banking
type solutions, has received approval by Visa to launch its
crypto-linked card and banking wallet program. KABN has partnered with
Transact Payments Ltd, a European e-money institution and Principal
Member of Visa, global processor GPS and platform technology provider
Pannovate to launch the program in the UK and subsequently the EEA in
the 2nd quarter of the year.
Branded the Pegasus Flyte Visa card, the KABN card program offers an
“on/off ramp†conversion process for a variety of cryptocurrencies to
fiat together with multi-currency fiat transactions. Cardholders will be
able to use their Pegasus Flyte Visa cards to spend in-store, online,
and at ATMs wherever Visa is accepted globally.
The Pegasus Flyte program will also offer a robust loyalty and
customer engagement platform. The anchor of the program is KABN ID, a
Blockchain and biometrically-based, “Always On†validation and
verification process. This patent-pending, GDPR compliant process allows
for efficient and frictionless customer acquisition and onboarding.
Learn more at www.kabn.network.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 2:47 PM on Wednesday, April 10th, 2019
SPONSOR: Tartisan Nickel (TN:CSE) Kenbridge Property has a measured
and indicated resource of 7.14 million tonnes at 0.62% nickel, 0.33%
copper. Tartisan also has interests in Peru, including a 20 percent
equity stake in Eloro Resources and 2 percent NSR in their La Victoria
property. Click her for more information
The production of EVs is still small-scale, and last year they accounted for only 2.5% of global vehicle sales, however the 60% growth YoY was significant.
Even with consensus trend of a growth rate of 25-30% in sales a year, the share of EVs will grow steadily. April 9, 2019
By Jim Lennon, Managing Director, Red Door Research Ltd
Historically, nickel has been a boom/ bust metal. Over the past 20 years, we’ve seen one of the most incredible booms in this metal followed by a prolonged bust. However, we think this metal is now on the cusp of another boom, due to the likely switch from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles (powered by high-nickel lithium-ion batteries) in the coming decades.
Since the price boom of 2006/07, it has been a rough time for nickel.
As one of the main beneficiaries of the take-off in Chinese demand in
the 2000s, nickel quickly came became a victim of its own success. After
peaking at an all-time high of over $50,000/t in May 2007, prices fell
to below $10,000/t by late-2008. High prices led to Chinese substitution
away from the standard 300-series stainless steel, which contains 8%
nickel, to 200-series stainless steel, containing only 1-2% nickel.
On the supply side, high nickel prices led to the development of a
new source of nickel in the form of nickel pig iron. Nickel pig iron is a
cheap alternative to pure nickel, used in the production of stainless
steel. It’s made in an energy-intensive way, using blast and electric
furnaces, and low-grade laterite nickel ores, mainly from the
Philippines and Indonesia. Nickel pig iron now accounts for 35% of
global nickel supply, compared to near- zero in 2006.
The low-point for nickel prices came in February 2016, when prices
dipped below $8,000/t, resulting in over 80% of the global industry
losing cash. Combined market inventories reached almost six months of
consumption by the end of 2015, one of the highest levels ever seen in
this market.
The combination of large closures of supply (over 200,000t) and a
steady recovery in global demand has led to a remarkable recovery in the
market over the past three years, with prices at one stage doubling
from their lows.
The recovery in the past year or so has been hesitant given the
still-high level of inventories hanging over the market, and
uncertainties in Indonesian and Filipino government policy.
Despite a large deficit between supply and demand last year, prices
were also hit by global macroeconomic concerns, including fears of a
Chinese slowdown and the negative impact on global growth from a
US-China and US-everyone else trade war.
So far, so good. Nickel prices have recovered to levels that are
acceptable to most producers, but they still remain well below levels
needed to incentivise investment in the next generation of supply.
Nickel supply has become reliant on growth in nickel pig iron to meet
incremental demand growth, and production by non-nickel pig iron
producers in aggregate has been declining in recent years due to massive
under investment in sustaining capital (see chart above).
This would be acceptable if the growth in nickel demand would
continue to come mainly from stainless steel, but there is a new kid on
the block: batteries. The use of nickel in batteries threatens a major
transformation of nickel supply and demand over the next decade.
Last year, primary nickel use in batteries was just below 6% of total
nickel demand compared with 70% for stainless steel. So far, the impact
of nickel use in batteries on nickel pricing has been small, but that’s
about to change – and probably sooner than many think.
Driven by governmental policy and environmental concerns, the
switchover of the existing car fleet from internal combustion engines to
hybrid, and ultimately fully electric vehicles (EVs), is now under way.
The production of EVs is still small-scale, and last year they
accounted for only 2.5% of global vehicle sales, however the 60% growth
YoY was significant. Even with consensus trend of a growth rate of
25-30% in sales a year, the share of EVs will grow steadily.
The predominant battery technology, at least for the next decade, is
lithium-ion batteries. The big kicker for nickel over the other raw
materials in the batteries (cobalt, manganese, lithium and graphite) is
that, in order to increase the energy density of the batteries (raising
the range between charges) and to reduce cobalt usage (perceived to be
overly dependent on the Congo for supplies), the amount of nickel used
per battery could easily more than double over the next 5-7 years.
There is massive forecast uncertainty regarding the growth in
electric vehicles and the take-up of different battery technologies (see
chart below). This is always the case with breakthrough technologies,
and history shows that forecasts are almost always too conservative
(just look at the move from horses to internal combustion engines, and
in the switch from fixed-line phones to mobile phones).
For that reason, we see a skewing of the high-case to the upside.
Using the base case forecast, we foresee 440kt growth in nickel use in
batteries over the next 10 years. Due to stainless steel’s dominant
share of demand, stainless will continue to grow, and the need for new
nickel supply in all uses will exceed 1mt, compared with 747kt within
the next decade.
The nickel requirements for battery makers are very specific, with
the main input being high-purity nickel sulphate. Until now, the main
inputs for nickel sulphate production have been nickel-cobalt
intermediates from the high-pressure acid leach (HPAL) and nickel
leaching processes (nickel-cobalt hydroxides and sulphides), and class 1
nickel powders and briquettes. Class 1 nickel powders and briquettes
are preferable to class 1 cathodes, due to their ability to dissolve
quickly in sulphuric acid to make nickel sulphate.
We think the bulk of future demand for nickel in batteries will be
met by the planned construction of HPAL and its capacity to make
nickel-cobalt hydroxides. Projects currently exist in Australia, Turkey,
Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia. Demand will also be met by existing
nickel powder and briquette producers, who currently sell to the
stainless steel industry.
Over the past six months, the nickel market has been rocked by
announcements of multiple Chinese investments in Indonesia totalling
over 150ktpa of nickel, seemingly at extremely low capital costs (under
$20,000/t of nickel capacity) and extremely quick construction times
(1-2 years). History suggests that these expectations are too optimistic
and that projects built over the past 25 years have a tendency to cost
2-3 times more than original estimates and take 2-3 times longer to
build and reach full capacity.
The reality is that all of these projects – and more – will be needed
to meet burgeoning demand for nickel for batteries in the 2020s. Nickel
prices are likely to rise to the $15-20,000/t range over the next five
years as a result of an expected ongoing deficit between supply and
demand, and in order to incentivise new investment. Exciting times are
ahead for the nickel market.
