Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 4:19 PM on Thursday, September 19th, 2019
SPONSOR: Betteru Education Corp.
aims to provide access to quality education from around the world. The
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industry and enhance the lives of its prospective learners by developing
an integrated ecosystem. Click here for more information.
BTRU: TSX-V
Edtech space AttainU raises an undisclosed sum from former head of Google India, others
AttainU, an edtech startup, has raised an undisclosed capital in angel funding from a clutch of investors including Shailesh Rao, former head of Google India.
Bengaluru-based platform said that the raised funding will be used to further strengthen faculty, development of courses, counselling teams, and build a semi-automated platform to cater to the huge inbound student demand AttainU is receiving.
Bengaluru-based platform said that the raised funding will be used to further strengthen faculty, development of courses, counselling teams, and build a semi-automated platform to cater to the huge inbound student demand AttainU is receiving.
Divyam Goel, CEO & Co-founder, AttainU, said, “For us, the goal
has always been about solving higher education in a systematic, scalable
way. From the beginning, we have had a very strong focus on maintaining
our high-quality learning outcomes as we scale. Over the last 10
months, we have been able to figure out many processes, complementing
human psychology, to facilitate deep-rooted learning.â€
AttainU was founded by Divyam Goel and Vaibhav Bajpai
in 2018. It provides live online courses as college alternative to
individuals. Currently, it offers full-time, online seven-month-long
software engineering courses for users.
The startup also provides career counselling as part of their student
assessment process and connects graduates to industry partners for
placement upon completion of the course.
The edtech space aims to serve students who have a college education
but don’t have a job or a satisfactory job and more importantly, don’t
need to have prior coding experience.
The company said its courses are focussed on industry-aligned
practical skills and professionally required life skills and follow a
deferred fee payment model conditional to employment aka Income Share
Agreement (ISA).
“At this point, we are receiving double-digit thousand student
applications every month and are very excited about the scale of impact
we will be able to deliver through our tech-first approach,†Goel added.
Furthermore, according to AttainU, every year approximately nine
million students graduate from colleges, out of which 85 percent don’t
make it to well paying, white collar jobs.
Data states that 50 percent of all BE/Btech graduates and 60 percent
of all MBA (including PG Diploma) graduates are still considered not
employable by tech first organisations, the company added.
Tags: CSE, edtech, india, online education, stocks, tsx, tsx-v Posted in betterU Education Corp | Comments Off on BetterU Education Corp. $BTRU.ca – #Edtech space #AttainU raises an undisclosed sum from former head of #Google #India, others $ARCL $CPLA $BPI $FC.ca
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 3:18 PM on Thursday, September 19th, 2019
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IDK: CSE
CIOs can’t ignore these 5 realities of blockchain
By Rajesh Kandaswamy Gartner, Inc.
What would happen if a car automatically negotiated its own insurance rate, or if centralized banks were no longer necessary to verify payments?
What if neighbors could buy energy directly from each other’s solar panels? What if a contract enforced its own clauses?
These scenarios might seem overly futuristic, but the reality is that blockchain could
make all of them possible. The more important question is how might
these changes affect the enterprise, and how can the organization take
advantage of this technology?
Few enterprises have deployed blockchain, yet it can significantly impact
broad swaths of the business. The low adoption of blockchain
technologies lulls many CIOs into thinking they don’t yet have to take
action, yet the opportunities for blockchain technology are massive.
Only 4 per cent of enterprises expect
that blockchain will be a game-changer for them, according to the 2019
Gartner CIO Survey. Furthermore, only 11 per cent of enterprises have
deployed — or will deploy over the next year — even minimal,
blockchain-inspired technologies. CIOs
need to start thinking about what value blockchain can add to their
organization and how to tackle its challenges over the next five years.
Reality #1: Blockchain provides a spectrum of opportunities that evolve over time
Blockchain is not a monolithic
technology. The term blockchain actually encompasses a wide range of
technologies, from smart contracts to tokens to consensus models that
will continuously mature and become available. In turn, CIOs should plan
for incremental evolution of their own blockchain strategies.
Blockchain-enabling:
These are the building blocks of blockchain, including encryption and
consensus algorithm, distributed computing infrastructures, tokens and
others.
Blockchain-inspired: Technologies in this stage combine some elements of blockchain, but lack two core elements: decentralization and tokenization.
Blockchain-complete: These solutions have all five elements of blockchain. They are decentralized, immutable, encrypted, tokenized and distributed.
Blockchain-enhanced:
Alongside the five elements of blockchain, blockchain-enhanced is
combined with technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the
Internet of Things (IoT) for more intelligent solutions.
Reality #2: Blockchain can change your operating model, not necessarily your business model, in the next 5 years
While blockchain will eventually
change the core of a business, in the next five years it will mostly
affect how an organization executes its business. Focusing solely on how
blockchain is being used today (i.e. efficiency and record keeping) is
limiting. CIOs should look for opportunities to leverage blockchain
technology for deeper business changes that can drive real value.
Begin by looking for areas where
blockchain could strengthen the organization’s value proposition, and
propose projects that could truly differentiate the organization. Put
real thought into how this technology could benefit the business, versus
just purchasing a cool “disruptor†venue.
Reality #3: Blockchain offers the ability to create a multi-asset digital economy
It’s time to think creatively about
tokenization and digitally representing assets in the marketplace. For
some organizations this will increase efficiency, and for others, it
will enable entirely new markets. Consider how tokenization would be
helpful in current business operations and in the future, and talk to
ecosystem partners about tokenization’s potential and challenges.
Reality #4: Blockchain enables a new society, but doesn’t solve trust problems at all levels
One of the main elements of
blockchain is decentralization. It removes central authorities from the
process and enables a level of trust between two parties who have never
done business together. This means that the definition of participant
will expand beyond individuals and businesses to include smart
contracts, distributed ledgers, connected things and DAOs.
Blockchain will facilitate the
interactions between all of these participants and enable a new society,
but it cannot solve all trust problems. For example, any goods that are
physical or not completely digital, would gain limited (if any) trust
value. Create a map that highlights potential gaps and weak spots, and
don’t oversell blockchain technologies to executives as a solution to
every problem.
Reality #5: The programmable economy will set the terms of competition in the future
The reality is that blockchain and
its core elements will radically alter not only the business world, but
the world in which businesses exist. Blockchain will allow autonomous
ecommerce and eventually a programmable economy.
A programmable economy results from
applying distributed computational resources, such as blockchain at
scale, in a decentralized manner to support exchanges of monetary and
nonmonetary value between people, organizations and artificial agents
that have a legal standing equivalent to today’s corporations and
individuals. This will eventually evolve into a digital society,
as consumers change behaviors and adopt new practices. Organizations
will need to develop the technology, but also the ethics and practices
to exist in the digital society.
Rajesh Kandaswamy is a Research Vice President and a
Gartner Fellow in Gartner’s Technology and Service Provider research
practice. His responsibilities include helping establish the direction
of research for emerging technologies and industries, as well as
co-leading blockchain research enterprisewide at Gartner. His Gartner
Fellows research is on how technology will radically transform the
concept of an organization.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 11:55 AM on Thursday, September 19th, 2019
SPONSOR: NORTHBUD (NBUD:CSE) Sustainable low cost, high quality cannabinoid production and procurement focusing on both bio-pharmaceutical development and Cannabinoid Infused Products. Learn More.
—————————————————–
Marijuana’s Biggest Day of the Year Is 4 Weeks Away
Last year, the marijuana industry made history… many times over.
But nothing took precedence over Canada becoming the first industrialized country in the world to legalize recreational cannabis, with sales commencing on Oct. 17, 2018.
Last year, the marijuana industry made history… many times over.
But nothing took precedence over Canada becoming the first
industrialized country in the world to legalize recreational cannabis,
with sales commencing on Oct. 17, 2018. Even though Canada substantially
trails the U.S. in terms of aggregate annual legal weed sales, it’s
setting an example among industrialized countries that the legalization of marijuana is possible.
Now, the biggest date of 2019 is rapidly approaching. And wouldn’t you know it, it’s Oct. 17, once again.
Image source: Getty Images.
Why Oct. 17 is a big date for the pot industry (again)
Over the past 11 months and change, Canada has allowed for the sale
of dried cannabis flower, cannabis oil, and sublingual sprays.
Meanwhile, edibles, nonalcoholic cannabis-infused beverages, vapes,
concentrates, and topicals, weren’t legal. This sort of two-step
legalization process was done to allow the industry to find its footing,
as well as give regulators time to adjust to cannabis becoming legal
for adult purchase. But on Oct. 17, regulations now governing dried
cannabis will apply to derivative products as well.
However, investors and Canadian consumers should understand that
derivative pot products aren’t going to be showing up in dispensaries on
Oct. 17. Much in the same way that it took dried cannabis flower brands
weeks to begin populating dispensary store shelves, it’ll probably be the same story for derivative products.
Regulatory agency Health Canada has cautioned that derivative supply
won’t hit the market until mid-December, with it taking weeks or months
thereafter for supply to be adequate to meet demand.
This, of course, is really big news for marijuana stocks, because
derivative cannabis products are a considerably higher margin product
for the industry, relative to dried flower. In select U.S. states (ahem,
Oregon), we’ve witnessed the oversupply and commoditization of dried
flower, leading to weaker margins for pot businesses. We’re highly
unlikely to see oversupply and pricing concerns from derivatives anytime
soon.
A point that is sometimes lost on this derivative launch is that
these are products which speak to a younger generation of cannabis
users. Not only are derivatives more attractive in the respect that they
may not need to be smoked, but they’re going to attract potentially
long-term customers to the industry.
Image source: Getty Images.
Growers go all-out for derivative production
Considering the importance of derivatives to cannabis stock margins,
it’s not surprising to find that growers have been laser-focused on
derivative production for a good portion of 2019.
Some growers, such as OrganiGram Holdings (NASDAQ:OGI),
have chosen to set up a variety of in-house derivative options. During
the company’s fiscal third quarter, OrganiGram announced that it’d be
investing 15 million Canadian dollars into a line of fully automated
equipment necessary to produce up to 4 million kilos of chocolate
edibles per year. This coincides with OrganiGram’s 56,000-square-foot phase 5 expansion which, among other things, is targeted at extra space for derivative production and processing.
The company has also developed a nano-emulsification technology
that can speed up the onset of the effects of cannabinoids. This
product will first be introduced as a powder that can be added to
beverages, but OrganiGram is also actively looking for a partner to help
it develop an infused beverage product containing this proprietary
technology.
Cronos Group (NASDAQ:CRON), and its investment partnerAltria,
are also eager to see the green flag wave on derivatives. Cronos
Group’s peak annual output of nearly 120,000 kilos per year may not even
be enough to place this brand-name pot stock among the top-10 growers.
But that’s OK with Cronos, as it’s placed its attention almost entirely
on derivative cannabis products.
For instance, Cronos and Altria will be working together to roll out
an assortment of vape products. Altria is well-versed in the adult
smoking market and should prove helpful in assisting Cronos Group’s
marketing efforts and product launches (regarding vapes). Beyond vaping,
Cronos Group will be leaning on its partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks to
produce targeted cannabinoids at commercial scale, as well as other
third-party extraction service providers.
Image source: Getty Images.
Speaking of extraction services, there may not be a smarter way of
playing the derivatives craze than with third-party extraction
providers. As an example, MediPharm Labs (OTC:MEDIF) only commenced its extraction operations during the fourth quarter. Despite this, MediPharm managed to turn a nominal operating profit
of $0.01 per share in the second quarter. The company’s sales and
profitability are set to soar as growers scramble for derivative
exposure. Yet, MediPharm’s sales and profits should remain highly
predictable with the company locking in contracts for an extended period
of time. Soon enough, the company’s annual extraction capacity will hit
500,000 kilos.
The one thing to remember about the upcoming marijuana derivatives launch
While, on one hand, the launch of derivative products should be lauded by investors, there’s another side to this launch that everyone should be aware of.
As I alluded to earlier, Health Canada has cautioned that alternative
consumption products aren’t going to immediately hit dispensary shelves
once the green flag waves on Oct. 17. Rather, it’s going to take time
before any sort of supply is built up in the marketplace, with a
presumptive two-month gap between when derivative regulations going into
effect and when derivative products will begin showing up in licensed
stores.
But here’s the thing: Product showing up in stores doesn’t mean that
the supply will be sufficient to meet demand. Similar to what we’ve been
witnessing in the dried flower market, supply issues exist that are
likely going to make it difficult for derivative products to find their
way into dispensaries, at least in the early going.
Don’t get me wrong, I expect derivatives to push sales and margins
higher for cannabis stocks across the board. However, I think it’s going
to be multiple quarters before Health Canada resolves a number of
supply issues, resulting in what could be weaker-than-expected sales in
the months to come.
Make no mistake: Derivatives are the future of the cannabis industry. Just understand that the future isn’t going to happen overnight. Give this industry, and the rollout of derivatives, proper time to mature, and you won’t be disappointed.
Here’s The Marijuana Stock You’ve Been Waiting For A
little-known Canadian company just unlocked what some experts think
could be the key to profiting off the coming marijuana boom.
And make no mistake – it is coming.
Cannabis legalization is sweeping over North America – 10 states plus
Washington, D.C., have all legalized recreational marijuana over the
last few years, and full legalization came to Canada in October 2018.
And one under-the-radar Canadian company is poised to explode from this coming marijuana revolution.
Because a game-changing deal just went down between the Ontario
government and this powerhouse company…and you need to hear this story
today if you have even considered investing in pot stocks.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 11:22 AM on Thursday, September 19th, 2019
A look at a mineralized outcrop containing Platinum Group
Metals (PGMs) on the River Valley project site. Metals such as PGMs and
lithium will continue to experience sustained increases in demand as the
global push for sustainability becomes mainstream.
The future of transportation is poised for sustainability
through the global adoption of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and fully
battery electric vehicles (BEVs)
Industry experts are forecasting a consistent increase in demand for lithium, used to develop the batteries in HEVs and BEVs
Industry experts are also forecasting an increase in demand for the Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) used by autocatalyst manufacturers, to ensure compliance with tightening emissions regulations
New Age Metals’ flagship River Valley primary PGM project in
Ontario, and lithium division with assets in Manitoba positions the
company as a key player in the growth of HEVs and lowering CO2 emissions
By: Jason Smith
Harmful carbon dioxide emission levels are rising globally,
largely due to the use of fossil fuels as the primary source of energy
used by the transportation industry. Examples of this use include the powering of jumbo jets, container ships and semi-trucks.
Passenger vehicles also rely on fossil fuels and have a bad reputation
for the amount of pollutants they release into the atmosphere on a daily
basis.
However, passenger vehicles produce more than four times the
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of all domestic aviation, according to
the Globe and Mail. The focus over the last few years has been on making these passenger vehicles
more environmentally-friendly, which is a large reason why automakers
have started producing electric or hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs).
While automakers are being forced by emissions regulation to reduce
their carbon footprint, the majority of consumers are not ready to go
fully electric and are increasingly choosing hybrid vehicles to bridge
the gap with cars that solely use batteries. With more vehicles being
sold worldwide each year, especially those that are less pollutive,
automakers will need more of the critical raw materials used to create
the hybrid and electric vehicles.
This need for less pollutive methods of transportation is where
lithium and palladium enter the picture. Lithium is used to produce
batteries, but the size of car batteries used in HEVs and the increase
in HEV sales that is anticipated by the industry
will require substantially more lithium than what is available in the
market today. Palladium, which is a member of the PGM family, is largely
used to reduce pollution that originates from vehicles operating with
internal combustion engines (ICE) through its use as the primary
‘catalyst’ in catalytic converters (commonly known as auto-catalysts).
While palladium is often overlooked when it comes to the push for
sustainability, it has played a huge role in reducing the amount of
toxic emissions being released into the atmosphere. This positive impact
is most noticeable in urban areas where automobiles are concentrated.
The value of an ounce of palladium has increased exponentially in the
past year, rising 60 per cent year-over-year in Sept. 2019 from under
USD$950 to over USD$1500. The reason for the dramatic price movement is
due to supply concerns and the metals value as the premier option for
use in auto-catalysts.
With ICE-powered vehicles not going away any time soon, the global demand for palladium will endure as a pollution-control
device, and investors are taking notice. Anton Berlin is the head of
strategic marketing at the world’s largest producer of Palladium,
Norilsk Nickel. He recently stated, “Hybrids — cars with both an
electric battery and a combustion engine — will dominate the electric
vehicle market in the long-run, which suggests a long-term advantage for
the PGM market.â€
The extensive infrastructure required to support a universal
transition to EVs still needs time to be completely fleshed out but is
gaining speed. According to a new report entitled, “2019 Investor’s Business Daily/TIPP Electric Vehicle Outlook Study,â€
range and available charging stations are what make potential EV buyers
the most apprehensive, although these are issues that are currently
being addressed.
Regardless, the desire to limit pollution is leading to the growing
demand for middle-ground HEVs, which is causing car manufacturers to
focus on their abilities to design and assemble automobiles that emit
less noxious fumes primarily through the use of palladium and lithium.
Research has shown that hybrid electric vehicles actually require
more palladium and lithium than traditional gasoline-powered vehicles,
so increased adoption of hybrid vehicles will subsequently increase
demand for these metals.Harry Barr, CEO, New Age Metals.
A flagship project in a historic mining district
Anticipating the continued strength in demand for palladium and the general forecast for lithium demand is New Age Metals
(TSX.V: NAM, OTCQB: NMTLF, FSE: P7J), bolstered by the company’s
flagship River Valley project in the Sudbury region of Ontario. The
Sudbury region, known as the mining capital of Canada, is largely
dominated by major mining and processing operations run by Vale and
Glencore.
However, these companies’ operations are facing depleted ores to feed
processing facilities and may need to acquire additional sources to
operate closer to their intended capacity. This is where River Valley
comes in as an integral player, which lies just 100 km from Sudbury and
hosts 2.9 million ounces in the (NI-43 101 compliant) measured and
indicated category of palladium-equivalent (PdEq) resources and 1.1
million ounces in the inferred category.
Diagram of New Age Metals’ current project locations. Supplied
Harry Barr, CEO of New Age Metals, is well aware of the role his company is poised to play as demand for hybrids continually increases.
“Research has shown that hybrid electric vehicles actually require more
palladium and lithium than traditional gasoline-powered vehicles, so
increased adoption of hybrid vehicles will subsequently increase demand
for these metals,†he notes. New Age Metals recently had
a preliminary economic assessment completed on River Valley, projecting
a mine with a 14-year lifespan, 6 million tonnes annually of potential
process plant feed at an average grade of 0.88 g/t PdEq and a process
recovery rate of 80 per cent, resulting in an annual average payable
PdEq production of 119,000 ounces.
Barr elaborates, “It’s unique to have a deposit of mineable platinum
group metals in North America, and very unique to have a deposit near so
much processing infrastructure that’s also close to car manufacturers,â€
emphasizing the advantageous position the company finds itself in with
River Valley.
With this in mind, Barr and his team are focused on maximizing this
opportunity to expand the resources at River Valley and develop it to a
point where the project achieves feasibility and is producing. In the
meantime, the project also has tremendous exploration upside and
management plans to continue with an aggressive exploration program. A credible investment alternative to the big PGM players
A key advantage for the River Valley project is its location in a
safe, reliable mining jurisdiction. The majority of the world’s
palladium currently comes from South Africa and Russia,
both of which could be problematic in terms of long-term supply
security, political issues and concerns regarding human rights and
sustainability.
Worth noting is the fact that Norilsk Nickel is not only the worlds’ largest producer of palladium and nickel, but also the largest emitter of sulfur oxides which is a pollutant considered immediately dangerous to life and health.
Fortunately, New Age Metals’ Ontario-based project offers the benefit
of being located in a safe jurisdiction that has excess processing
infrastructure and is known for moderating the environmental impacts from mining and smelting.
Barr explains, “Sudbury’s been a mining center for 120 years, so every
type of mining service is nearby.†Given this unique situation, the
company represents a credible investment opportunity.
Sid Rajeev, vice-president of Fundamental Research Corp., conducted a
thorough analysis of the River Valley PEA. He notes, “Our biggest
takeaway from the PEA was that, at a reasonable palladium price estimate
of USD$1,200 per oz, the study showed an after-tax net present value at
5 per cent of $138 million. New Age Metals’ current enterprise value is
just USD$3 million, implying that shares are trading at just 2 per cent
of net asset value.â€
This level of potential upside is rarely available to the investment
community and as New Age Metals brings River Valley towards
pre-feasibility, it’s unlikely that the company will remain undervalued
for long.
Our biggest takeaway from the PEA was that, at a reasonable
palladium price estimate of USD$1,200 per oz, the study showed an
after-tax net present value at 5 per cent of $138 million. New Age
Metals’ current enterprise value is just USD$3 million, implying that
shares are trading at just 2 per cent of net asset value.Sid Rajeev, vice-president, Fundamental Research Corp.
Having a substantial deposit of PGMs in North America positions New
Age Metals to benefit from the future of sustainability, however there
is a general lack of knowledge about PGMs in North America due to the
low number of primary PGM producers in the arena. The company is in the
process of moving River Valley along the development curve but is also
seeking a qualified partner to assist in further exploration and
development of the project.
New Age Metals’ lithium angle
Adding to the company’s green energy story is its suite of lithium projects in Manitoba. The demand
for this metal is forecasted to increase by 20 per cent per year
through to 2028. With lithium in high demand due to the ever-increasing
growth in the popularity of battery-powered vehicles, these projects
give the company optionality on lithium discovery; two of its eight
projects are currently drill-ready. Plans to drill on the ‘Lithium One’
and ‘Lithium Two’ are in place and company management is anticipating
the initiation of these drill programs in the near future.
The company’s lithium projects are situated along strike of the Tanco
Pegmatite and the claims encompass several pegmatite groups. The
projects are also located 140 km northeast of Winnipeg, Manitoba. The
Tanco mine was owned by the Cabot Corporation who announced in Jan.
2019, that it would be selling the mine to Sinomine Rare Metals Co. Ltd
for USD$130 million. This sale demonstrates a high interest in the
project and potentially the surrounding area, which lends credibility to
New Age Metals’ projects, based on shared geology and proximity.
Exploration on Lithium One is ongoing with concentration of the
northern section, with focus on the Annie and Silverleaf Pegmatites.
Silverleaf Pegmatite has zones of spodumene and lepidolite exposed on
surface with samples up to 4.1 per cent lithium oxide (Li2O). The Annie
Pegmatite returned values up to 0.6 per cent Li2O and 0.37 per cent
Ta2O5.
On Lithium Two, the Eagle Pegmatite is exposed on surface and was
last drilled in 1948, and at the time it was indicated that it remains
open to depth and along strike. A historic tonnage of 544,460 tonnes
of 1.4 per cent Li2O was reported during this year, however the actual
amount has not been confirmed by a qualified person at this time.
An ownership map showing Tanco Mine location proximity to New Age Metals projects. Supplied
With drilling set to begin in Manitoba and River Valley continuing to
move along the development curve, New Age Metals expects to
consistently generate valuable news for investors in the coming months,
keeping the company top-of-mind. Its position in palladium and lithium
provide the company with incredible potential as a high-performing
source for investment as the need for sustainable transportation
continues to be a significant social issue.
To learn more about New Age’s operations and project portfolio, visit them online: newagemetals.com
The following video is a short overview of New Age Metals, and
outlines some of the reasons why the company is an avenue for investment
in the future of sustainability associated with the electrification of
transport
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 7:20 AM on Thursday, September 19th, 2019
Signed Richard Sherman, NFL cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers, 4-time Pro Bowl and 2014 Super Bowl Champion, as a global ambassador for the Company’s esports brand, Luminosity Gaming
As a brand ambassador and shareholder of Enthusiast Gaming, Sherman will help support Enthusiast’s growth and success while partnering with the Luminosity brand
TORONTO, Sept. 19, 2019 — Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (“Enthusiast Gaming†or “The Companyâ€) (TSX-V: EGLX) is excited to announce that it has signed Richard Sherman, NFL cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers, 4-time Pro Bowl and 2014 Super Bowl Champion, as a global ambassador for the Company’s esports brand, Luminosity Gaming (“Luminosityâ€).
As a brand ambassador and shareholder of Enthusiast Gaming, Sherman
will help support Enthusiast’s growth and success while partnering with
the Luminosity brand. Sherman will attend Luminosity and Enthusiast
Gaming live activations throughout the year, and challenge other NFL
players to team play with the company’s Call of Duty team, which is
based in Seattle, Washington. Sherman’s “player challenge†games will be
streamed publicly across the Luminosity network. Sherman will also
contribute to building out the Company’s professional player roster, as
Captain of Luminosity’s esports organization.
“We are excited to announce this strategic relationship and welcome Richard into the Enthusiast family!†said Steve Maida, President of Luminosity Gaming, Esports Division of Enthusiast Gaming. “As
a globally recognized athlete, and an avid gamer who was featured on
the cover of Madden NFL 15, Richard is a perfect fit for us. With over
50 gaming influencers and esports professional athletes, we are looking
forward to adding a Super Bowl champion to our roster.â€
“Luminosity is one of the most successful esports brands in the
world, and I’m excited to be a part of it! As a brand ambassador and
team captain of Luminosity, I plan to bring my competitive spirit and
love of the game to the esports organization,†said Richard Sherman. “I
am especially eager to challenge some of my NFL rivals and teammates to
join me for online matches, streamed on the Luminosity network for all
our fans to view and enjoy.â€
Sherman was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round of the
2011 NFL Draft. He has been selected to the Pro Bowl four times and
voted All-Pro four times, including three times to the first team. He
led the NFL in interceptions in 2013, when he also helped the Seahawks
win their first Super Bowl. Sherman’s favorite video game is Call of
Duty.
About Enthusiast Gaming
Enthusiast Gaming is one of the largest vertically integrated video
game and esports companies in the world. The Company’s digital platform
includes +85 gaming related websites and 900 YouTube channels which
collectively reach 150 million visitors monthly. Enthusiast’s esports
division, Luminosity Gaming, a leading global esports organization
consists of 8 professional esports teams under ownership and management,
including the #1 ranked Overwatch team, the Vancouver Titans and over
50 gaming influencers with a total audience of 60 million followers.
Collectively, the community reaches over 200 million gaming enthusiasts
on a monthly basis. Enthusiast also owns and operates Canada’s largest
gaming expo, Enthusiast Gaming Live Expo, EGLX, (eglx.ca) with approximately 55,000 people attending in 2018. For more information on the Company, visit www.enthusiastgaming.com. For more information on Luminosity Gaming, please visit luminosity.gg.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Investor Relations: Julia Becker Head of Investor Relations & Marketing [email protected] (604) 785.0850
Forward-Looking Information
Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements.
Forward looking statements consist of statements that are not purely
historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans,
expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such statements are
subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results,
performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in
the statements, including risks related to factors beyond the control
of Enthusiast Gaming. The risks include risks that are customary to
transactions of this nature and customary to companies which have their
stock traded on the TSXV. 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 Enthusiast Gaming will obtain from them.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or
solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United
States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under
the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S.
Securities Actâ€) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or
sold within the United States or to a U.S. Person unless registered
under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an
exemption from such registration is available.
Neither 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.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 8:00 AM on Wednesday, September 18th, 2019
Adds 20 mobile video gaming media websites to the Enthusiast Gaming network, increasing the platform to over 100 websites
Expands reach of live event business to include 25 live events across 11 key markets including the US and UK
Adds approximately C$3M in annualized revenue
TORONTO, Sept. 18, 2019 — Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSXV: EGLX), (“Enthusiast Gaming†or the “Companyâ€), is pleased to announce that through its wholly owned subsidiary, Enthusiast Gaming Properties Inc., it has entered into a Share Purchase Agreement (“Agreementâ€) to acquire all of the shares of Steel Media Limited (“Steel Mediaâ€), a leading mobile gaming and live events company.Â
Steel Media owns 20 mobile gaming media websites including:
pocketgamer.com, pocketgamer.biz, appspy.com, and 148apps.com; and is
the owner and operator of over 25 video game networking events across 11
countries, including key markets such as the US and UK. Pocket Gamer (www.pocketgamer.com)
is the world’s leading destination for the mobile gaming community,
including: iPhone, iPad, Android, Nintendo Switch, 3DS and more. As one
of the most recognized brands in the mobile gaming industry, Pocket
Gamer has over 2 million monthly impressions on mobile and web, and
covers multiple sites, events and even printed magazines.
Steel Media is also an industry leader in B2B and consumer mobile
gaming events. It owns and operates numerous successful networking
events around the world with 15,000 registered industry attendees and
key sponsors and partners. Steel Media hosts Pocket Gamer Party, Top 50
Developer Guide, Mobile Mixers, the Mobile Games Awards, and its feature
event, Pocket Gamer Connects, the largest B2B mobile games conference
series, with events in locations such as London, San Francisco, Helsinki
and Seattle with additional locations coming soon. The Steel Media team
will continue operating the business and led by its Chief Executive
Officer, Chris James.
The acquisition of Steel Media unlocks a new audience segment for
Enthusiast Gaming, the highly coveted and rapidly growing mobile gaming
segment. Further, the acquisition aligns with Enthusiast Gaming’s
strategy of growing its total audience reach across the entire gaming
market through accretive acquisitions both within its online media
segment and expanding events business. Combined with Steel Media,
Enthusiast Gaming’s digital network will reach more than 100 properties
and significantly increases its mix of owned and operated sites in its
network.
Menashe Kestenbaum, President of Enthusiast Gaming commented, “We
have seen a significant increase in mobile gaming and it continues to
be a huge segment within the overall gaming industry. The acquisition of
Steel Media aligns with our growth strategy through M&A and also
the continued expansion of our events division.†He continued,
“Steel Media has built a well-recognized brand and successful businesses
across mobile, B2B and events that will allow us to continue
capitalizing on the growth of mobile gaming and drive further revenue
synergies across two of our three pillars, Media and Events.â€
The Agreement
Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, Enthusiast Gaming has agreed
to (i) a cash payment of approximately US$2,969,000 with US$1,968,536 to
be paid on closing (US$1,000,000 net of cash on hand) and the balance
to be paid on the first anniversary of the date of closing and (ii)
issue US$500,000 worth of common shares in the capital of the Company (“CommonSharesâ€)
at a deemed price per share equal to the 5 day volume weighted average
trading price. In addition, Enthusiast Gaming has agreed to an earn out
payment of up to US$500,000 based on the performance of Steel Media.
The Agreement remains subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval. Any
Common Shares issued in connection with the Agreement will be subject to
a 12 month hold period from the date of issuance.
About Enthusiast Gaming
Enthusiast Gaming (TSX.V:EGLX) is one of the largest vertically
integrated video game and esports companies in the world. The Company’s
digital platform includes +85 gaming related websites and 900 YouTube
channels which collectively reach 150 million visitors monthly.
Enthusiast’s esports division, Luminosity Gaming, a leading global
esports organization consists of 8 professional esports teams under
ownership and management, including the #1 ranked Overwatch team, the
Vancouver Titans and over 50 gaming influencers with a total audience of
60 million followers. Collectively, the community reaches over 200
million gaming enthusiasts on a monthly basis. Enthusiast also owns and
operates Canada’s largest gaming expo, Enthusiast Gaming Live Expo,
EGLX, (eglx.ca) with approximately 55,000 people attending in 2018. For more information on the Company, visit www.enthusiastgaming.com. For more information on Luminosity Gaming, please visit luminosity.gg.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Investor Relations: Julia Becker Head of Investor Relations & Marketing Telephone: 604-785-0850 Email: [email protected]
Forward-Looking Information
Certain statements in this release are forward-looking
statements. Forward looking statements consist of statements that are
not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs,
plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such statements
are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results,
performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in
the statements, including risks related to factors beyond the control
of Enthusiast Gaming. The risks include risks that are customary to
transactions of this nature and customary to companies which have their
stock traded on the TSXV. 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 Enthusiast Gaming will obtain from them.
For instance, there can be no assurance that the acquisition will close
as anticipated, that the acquisition will position the Company as a
leader in the mobile gaming sector and that the acquisition will result
in growth of the Company’s online and offline gaming community.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or
solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United
States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under
the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S.
Securities Actâ€) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or
sold within the United States or to a U.S. Person unless registered
under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an
exemption from such registration is available.
Neither 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.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 5:50 PM on Tuesday, September 17th, 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.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 12:03 PM on Tuesday, September 17th, 2019
SPONSOR: Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc.
(TSX-V: EGLX) Uniting gaming communities with 85 owned and affiliated
websites, currently reaching over 150 million monthly visitors. The
company exceeded 2018 target with $11.0 million in revenue. Learn More
————-
Gaming heavyweights raise $17M for new esports network
VENN is set to launch in 2020 and aims to give the fragmented
esports scene a home base for content with higher production value than
gamers are used to with online streaming.
The network was co-founded by four-time Emmy-winning producer Ariel
Horn and entrepreneur Ben Kusin and has raised $17 million from
investors including co-founders from Twitch, Riot Games and Blizzard
Entertainment.
NEW YORK — A new venture backed by many of video gaming’s biggest
publishers is unveiling a network that hopes to be to esports what ESPN
has been to traditional sports.
VENN is set to launch in 2020 and aims to give the fragmented esports
scene a home base for content with higher production value than gamers
are used to with online streaming. The network was co-founded by
four-time Emmy-winning producer Ariel Horn and entrepreneur Ben Kusin
and has raised $17 million from investors including co-founders from
Twitch, Riot Games and Blizzard Entertainment.
VENN, short for Video Game Entertainment and News Network, will debut
with live studios in New York and Los Angeles. There is expected to be
55 hours of original programming per week, including gamer streams, talk
shows, documentaries and live esport events. It already has deals in
place to broadcast on Twitch and YouTube and expects to be available on
mediums like Roku or Sling.
Esports revenues are expected to top $1 billion this year, and global
viewership numbers are rivaling those of traditional sports — nearly
100 million viewers watched last year’s League of Legends world
championship, roughly on par with TV viewership for the Super Bowl.
Yet the industry remains disjointed. Just like not all football fans
also watch hockey, Fortnite players aren’t necessarily keeping tabs on
League of Legends or Overwatch. Creating a common space for all those
gamers has proven difficult. Perhaps the closest thing is the online
streaming platform Twitch, but gamers there tend to find streams
specific to their interest, creating little overlap with other gaming
domains.
VENN hopes to solve that with content built around the culture of gaming.
“I think we’re more of a hybridized ESPN and what MTV TRL (Total
Request Live) was when it launched decades ago,” Kusin said. “That
crossover that it brought music in that generation in the culture.”
It’s a lofty pitch, but one that’s proven credible to many of
gaming’s most influential names. The group’s initial investors include
Riot Games co-founder Marc Merrill, Blizzard Entertainment co-founder
Mike Morhaime, Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin and aXiomatic Gaming, an
investment group behind Team Liquid and Epic Games. That gives VENN
financial connections to esports’ biggest titles — Riot owns League of
Legends, Blizzard is behind Overwatch and Call of Duty, and Epic
publishes Fortnite — as well as some of its biggest teams.
“We could go to these luminaries in the industry and say, ‘Hey, we
want to come together, be swift, work with a bunch of different titles, a
bunch of different publishers and move the industry forward in terms of
its recognition and prominence, will you help us?'” Kusin said. “The
answer was a resounding yes.”
Horn’s presence is a big part of that. Formerly a sports producer at
NBC, he has become a pioneering figure in esports. His achievements
included a sports Emmy in 2017 for his role in landing an augmented
reality dragon inside a stadium during the 2017 League of Legends World
Championships opening ceremony and a successful New Year’s Eve stream by
Ninja from Times Square last year.
“Taking what’s already there on a platform that (gamers) understand,
and taking that into a network environment, that’s what we’re looking to
do,” Horn said.
AWS EdStart is focused on innovative teaching and learning technologies that create positive student outcomes
India is the third largest country in terms of investment in education technology, after China and the US, for EdStart
New Delhi: Amazon Web Services (AWS) EdStart, AWS’s
educational technology startup accelerator, was launched in India in
June 2018 and focuses on addressing education problems unique to India.
On a visit to India last week, Vincent Quah, Regional Head, Education,
Research, Healthcare and Not-for-Profit Organizations, Worldwide Public
Sector, Asia Pacific and Japan, Amazon Web Services talks about how
EdStart is powering Indian edtech start ups. Edited excerpts:
What is the EdStart programme all about?
EdStart is a global programme designed to help entrepreneurs build
the next generation of online learning, analytics, and campus management
solutions on the AWS Cloud. The programme is designed to enable
educational technology (edtech) startups to move faster with specially
tailored benefits. Right now, we have two tiers in this programme. The
first is the innovator tier, and the second is the member tier. They are
primarily differentiated by how early start-ups are in their journey to
become an edtech company. The Innovators Tier supports the earliest
stage edtech start-ups and provides them with resources, technical
assistance and exposure to a large community of fellow entrepreneurs
besides giving them AWS promotional credits valued at $500. The members
tier is for entrepreneurs to advance their business, driving further
innovation and growing their footprint globally. AWS EdStart is focused
on innovative teaching and learning technologies that create positive
student outcomes.
What is the application criteria?
Start-ups can apply to join AWS EdStart if they are less than five
years old and generate less than $10 million in annual revenue. The
application is online and very simple. We also have an innovators
application criteria where those start-ups that have been founded within
the past two years, with annual revenues not exceeding $1 million can
apply. I believe that AWS EdStart’s launch in India can help edtechs
grow and scale rapidly, and provide learning and teaching resources to
even the remotest areas of the country.
Why did you think of launching EdStart in India?
India is the third largest country in terms of investment in
education technology, after China and the US. So India is an important
market that we want to make available our EdStart programme. We find
that edtech companies here are actually spearheading innovation with
cutting edge technology and what better way for us to catalyse this
market than to bring about a programme like this.
What is your long-term plan in India?
The message that we want to send out is inviting all the education
technology startups in India to come and join us. Innovation has always
been part and parcel of our DNA so we are delivering more innovation and
innovative services to our customer. You know, AWS is a technology
company, so we can’t say that we actually understand education. And so
the combination of us being the technology services provider, the cloud
service provider, and collaborating with the education expert, is a
perfect combination, to bring the best of the technology and cloud
services, with the knowledge of the education domain and solve a
problem. The Indian startup community is one of the most robust and
exciting in the world and we want to be part of this.
Tell us about some of the Indian EdStart customers.
I’d like to mention three members — Eckovation, enGuru and PlayAblo
— who are using AWS to transform the learning experience and grow their
user base. Social learning platform Eckovation, for instance, uses more
than 20+ services offered by AWS. These include machine learning tools
like Amazon SageMaker, large scale image processing for OMR, face and
emotion recognition (using Amazon Rekognition) in the classroom to judge
effectiveness. enGuru which is an app that teaches English for
employability uses Amazon Polly, that enables them to offer voice
support in Indian accents on non-Android devices. Similarly, PlayAblo, a
gamified learning platform has been part of the edStart programme since
June 2019 and offers a seamless experience over AWS cloud to learners
across various channels (mobiles, tablets, browsers, AmazonAlexa).
Vancouver Canucks buy Call of Duty pro esports team
Canucks Sports & Entertainment is diving even further into the growing esports scene.
The organization has announced that they’ve partnered up with Enthusiast Gaming, a video game and esports company, and franchised a professional Call of Duty team.
The announcement comes less than a year after the Vancouver Titans, Vancouver’s professional Overwatch team, were unveiled to the public.
“Esports has shown extraordinary growth and we’re excited to be at
the forefront with a new Call of Duty esports team,†Canucks owner
Francesco Aquilini said in a statement. “With the continued support and
expertise of our partners at Luminosity and Enthusiast Gaming, we
believe the new Call of Duty esports league is also well-positioned for
success.â€
The newly-franchised team won’t be sharing space with the Canucks,
the Titans, or the Warriors, however. Day-to-day operations and home
games of the new team will be based out of Seattle.
The Aquilini Group and Canucks Sports & Entertainment will
oversee the new franchise, while Luminosity Gaming, another partner
esports organization, will handle player recruitment.
The league they’ll be playing in
The Seattle-based team will be playing in a brand new league owned by
Activision, the video game company responsible for Call of Duty.
From 2016 to 2019, the company owned and oversaw the Call of Duty World League (CWL). Activision recently announced on Reddit that
they would be closing the current professional league and creating a
brand new one. Similar to the Overwatch League (OWL), the new league
will be franchised with city-based teams from around the world.
Activision said that
so far, there are 12 teams included in the league: Seattle, London,
Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Florida, Minnesota, New York, Paris, Toronto,
and two teams in Los Angeles.
Teams will have between seven to 10 members and similar to other
professional sports leagues, players will sign contracts and enter free
agency.
The company also says that in this new league, pro players will
receive a minimum base salary of $50,000 (USD) per year, health and
retirement benefits, and housing. At least 50% of a team’s prize pool
earning must also go towards the players.
More details about the league, its franchised teams, and how play will work will be announced in the near future.
