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ThreeD Capital Inc. $IDK.ca – #Blockchain Investment Soars In H1 2019: A Look At Trends #Bitcoin #Cryto $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 2:11 PM on Tuesday, August 13th, 2019

SPONSOR: ThreeD Capital Inc. (IDK:CSE) Led by legendary financier, Sheldon Inwentash, ThreeD is a Canadian-based venture capital firm that only invests in best of breed small-cap companies which are both defensible and mass scalable. More than just lip service, Inwentash has financed many of Canada’s biggest small-cap exits. Click Here For More Information.

IDK: CSE

Blockchain Investment Soars In H1 2019: A Look At Trends

  • Blockchain Investment Trends Research by TeqAtlas includes analysis of 2.5k active blockchain companies that were funded by 1.8k blockchain investors in 2.5k funding rounds through both – conventional and alternative instruments.

by Jacob Wolinsky

While VC activity surpasses Dot-Com era in the U.S., Chinese tech companies valuations are higher than any time in recent memory, and SoftBank raised another multi-billion dollar fund, the state of the blockchain investment market shows indications of maturity and saturation. Although most blockchain companies are newbies into the market, they still present an attractive investment potential.

The Blockchain Investment Trends Research by TeqAtlas includes analysis of 2.5k active blockchain companies that were funded by 1.8k blockchain investors in 2.5k funding rounds through both – conventional and alternative instruments. TeqAtlads takes a comprehensive view of the unique trends that define blockchain investment market to understand the investor expectations

Q2 hedge fund letters, conference, scoops etc

Investors Continue To View Blockchain A High Return Investment

In the first half of 2019, total capital investment into blockchain companies has been the opposite of what we saw in the previous year, which saw a dramatic rise in the amount of capital investment. The previous year saw a record-breaking $15.2 billion investment in TGEs (token generation events) and $5.1 billion in conventional equity funding. In contrast, approx. $2 billion in TGE capital were raised in the first half of this year. The upward trend is losing steam in the first half of 2019, after four years of positive growth.

The research still reports a positive, upward trend in terms of venture capital (VC) injected into blockchain companies. Conventional equity rounds have accumulated $1.2 billion in the first 6 months of 2019, as compared to $1.3 billion for all of 2017.

How Did Blockchain Companies Fare In Deal Activity?

Throughout the research, 2018 continued to remain the benchmark for blockchain companies. The height set during the blockchain boom is hard to replicate as the effects of the dramatic fall in value still affect the industry.

In terms of deals, the grand total of investment rounds in the blockchain industry in the first half of 2019 was 268.

For comparison, blockchain companies attracted 910 deals in 2018 and 478 deals in 2017. At the same pace, 2019 might just oust 2017 in terms of blockchain deal activity.

Surprisingly enough, if you add private equity into the equation, the total number of conventional funding rounds almost equal the growth numbers in 2018.

A breakdown of all the blockchain investment funds also reveals that TGEs were more successful in raising money than Venture Capital rounds – with the former amassing 26% more on average.

There Is Increasing Interest In Alternative Funding Techniques

Research into completed deals in 2019 shows an emerging trend; investors are increasingly experimenting with alternative funding methods. In fact, a majority (56%) of all closed deals in these six months were secured through TGEs.

Venture capital deals of early-stage funding ensure that traditional investment comes in second with a 34% share. Early-stage VC rounds form the major part of conventional funding rounds in terms of the total capital invested in active Blockchain companies with a 34% share in 1H 2019. If you add in angel seed rounds, this share increases by another 7%.

Equity Funding Has Decreased as compared to 2018

If you analyze the investment pattern from 2014 to the first half of 2019, you are likely to notice that Early-stage VC rounds come out on top for most blockchain investment by stages, with blockchain investments in this stage exceeding $2 billion.

Later Stage Venture Capital Investment Is On The Rise

Later stage venture capital rounds have become increasingly popular, which means that major players, such as institutional investors, became interested in this market. The total amount raised by later-stage blockchain companies backed by venture capital was $289 million in 2018 only. To compare, the median round amount of the later-stage IT companies amounted to $11.5 million in 2018, according to Statista.

The TGE Hype Is Fading Away

TeqAtlas analyzed TGE investment data for 18 months ending in June 2019 to consider how many investors participate through TGE.

The findings state that – despite minor spikes – the overall trend and interest in token generation events remain on an all-time low. Blockchain investors tread carefully when it comes to investing in TGEs, with only 153 deals to show for the six months of 2019.

Blockchain regulations surrounding TGEs, coupled with the dismal investment numbers, has led us to predict that they are nowhere near becoming the principal funding method in the blockchain industry.

64% Of Startups Don’t Meet Their Hard Cap

Another challenge identified in the research was that startups, due to being new and relatively inexperienced, often fail to predict their hard cap amounts accurately.

A mere 36% of startups manage to meet their hard caps during the token generation event, with the rest failing to do so. Nevertheless, 2019 has been a slightly better year for startups; the percentage of startups that didn’t meet their hard cap dropped 13 points as compared to the previous year.

What Are The Biggest Deals since the Blockchain inception?

When comparing the different types of fundraising, the general trend is that TGE usually outperforms conventional VC funding by the capital raised. The biggest TGE was held by EOS.IO and led to an enormous fundraising amount of $4.2 billion. When compared to the biggest VC deal, EOS.IO’s amount is approximately 220% higher.

The biggest VC-backed company by funding value is Bitmain that has raised $400 million being valued at $12 billion in a Series B round. Another blockchain company Bakkt, owned by Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), secured $182.5 million for their project which will enable them to build the global digital assets platform and bitcoin futures product.

Which TGE Type Extracts The Greatest ROI?

The research analyzed the return on several different TGE investments, and the results showed a clear winner – blockchain infrastructure developers.

Amongst investors who enjoyed the best returns, many had funded blockchain platforms, IoT Infrastructure providers and interoperability blockchain developers such as Ethereum, IOTA and Cosmos Network, respectively.

DCG Dominates The Number Of Deals

The research outlined that more than 800 venture capital firms are already capitalizing on blockchain adoption.

Still, no one comes close to the Digital Currency Group, which is comfortably placed at #1 with 131 deals to date. In fact, the second and third-placed competitors combined have 109 completed deals.

Unsurprisingly, 80% of the top 10 active blockchain investors reside in the USA.

Most Active Investors industry focus is FinTech

Considering the security and encryption prowess of the technology, it comes as no surprise that a majority of blockchain technology investment is concentrated in the financial sector. In fact, FinTech has 114 more deals completed than the second-best sector, blockchain infrastructure.

Not only does FinTech boast the highest number of completed deals (150), but investors have poured in huge amounts in such blockchain startups. This proves that investors truly believe in the potential of blockchain, especially in the field of FinTech.

Angel/Seed Rounds Are The Investors Favorite

While reviewing the biggest active blockchain investors, an interesting trend was identified; most of them fill their portfolios in the first round of funding – the Angel round. While alternate funding methods might be gaining hype, conventional funding instruments prevail in the portfolios of the most active investors.

IEO – The ICO Replacement?

ICOs were riddled with problems by the end of 2018, partially due to fraud that hindered investor trust in blockchain as a whole.

Now, there is a new way to offer coins and this method involves crypto exchanges in the offering process. This involves the exchange becoming a core member – essentially, the exchange offers the coins to their existing consumer base rather than the company offering it to the public.

This allows exchanges to run background checks and verify developer legitimacy, substantially decreasing the risk of fraud. In the research, TeqAtlas came across all launchpads that have already conducted IEOs in the current year – or are planning to.

Source: https://www.valuewalk.com/2019/08/active-blockchain-companies-analysis-h1-2019/

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Posted in Bitcoin, Blockchain stocks, Smallcap Blockchain stocks, ThreeD, ThreeD Capital | Comments Off on ThreeD Capital Inc. $IDK.ca – #Blockchain Investment Soars In H1 2019: A Look At Trends #Bitcoin #Cryto $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

INTERVIEW: Newly Listed Spyder #Cannabis $SPDR.ca Scores 5 US Retail Locations, With Possibility To Expand To 39, With US Outlet Partner $ACB $APH $CRON.ca $HEXO.ca $OGI.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 10:45 AM on Tuesday, August 13th, 2019

Spyder Cannabis (SPDR:TSXV) went public just a couple of months ago and hit the ground running with 5 operating Canadian retail locations – and a 6th one on the way via an 8,000 sq ft super store in Alberta.  
Most companies would be ecstatic to have this number of locations – but Spyder just announced a major move into the United States, with a 5 location deal for boutique stores up and down the US Eastern seaboard.  The news gets better.  If all goes well with these 5 locations, the US outlet partner has a total of 39 locations across 20 states for Spyder to grow into to.

Spyder Cannabis may have just gone public but they are making big moves into the highly coveted retail space for marijuana, CBD and Hemp products, including carrying their own brands within their stores.

Grab your favourite cold summer beverage and watch this interview with CEO, Dan Pelchovitz.

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Posted in AGORACOM Via Satellite, All Recent Posts, Featured, Spyder Cannabis Inc. | Comments Off on INTERVIEW: Newly Listed Spyder #Cannabis $SPDR.ca Scores 5 US Retail Locations, With Possibility To Expand To 39, With US Outlet Partner $ACB $APH $CRON.ca $HEXO.ca $OGI.ca

Enthusiast Gaming $EGLX.ca & #Luminosity Gaming Partner With #foodora Canada, a Leading Food Delivery Platform Operating in 10 Cities Across Canada $EGLX.ca $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $WINR $TCEHF $ATVI $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 9:15 AM on Tuesday, August 13th, 2019
  • Entered into a sponsorship agreement with foodora Canada to provide digital marketing strategies and Luminosity merchandise sponsorship opportunities
  • Enthusiast and Luminosity will launch a digital advertising campaign to complement foodora Canada’s overall advertising strategy
  • foodora Canada will also be a key merchandise sponsor for Luminosity, which includes placement of the foodora logo on the Luminosity team jerseys.

TORONTO, Aug. 13, 2019 – Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSXV: EGLX) (OTCQB: EGHIF), (“Enthusiast” or the “Company”), one of the largest vertically integrated video gaming media companies in North America, is pleased to announce that, in partnership with Luminosity Gaming (“Luminosity”), it has entered into a sponsorship agreement (the “Agreement”) with foodora Canada, to provide digital marketing strategies and Luminosity merchandise sponsorship opportunities.

foodora Canada is a leading on-demand food delivery platform operating in 10 cities, servicing more than 3,000 restaurants across Canada.  foodora is dedicated to bringing Canadian food lovers their favourite meals, from a curated list of local restaurants, delivered within 35 minutes. foodora is committed to lowering its carbon footprint by delivering predominantly via bike, and by implementing a cutlery opt-in feature. In Canada, foodora caters to all major cities, including: Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal and more.

Under the Agreement, Enthusiast and Luminosity will launch a digital advertising campaign to complement foodora Canada’s overall advertising strategy. The Company will launch a social media contest to promote foodora across Canada. foodora Canada will also be a key merchandise sponsor for Luminosity, which includes placement of the foodora logo on the Luminosity team jerseys.

“As foodora continues to grow, evolve and innovate within the Canadian food delivery space, it’s important that we also continue to reach new customers who would find value in our services,” said Matt Rice, Head of Marketing at foodora Canada. “Partnering with Enthusiast and Luminosity allows us to tap into an existing mobile-first gaming community who are always searching for ways to be more efficient. It’s the perfect fit.”

Jon Dwyer, SVP & Head of Special Partnerships at Luminosity Gaming, commented, “The partnership with foodora Canada proves our ability to successfully integrate our operations thus far, and I am proud of both Enthusiast and Luminosity for the collaborative effort to develop a successful, custom marketing campaign.” He continued, “It’s exciting for us to see non-endemic gaming brands like foodora Canada utilizing our platform to reach the combined network of 200 million gamers, and one of the most sought after demographics.”

About Enthusiast Gaming

Enthusiast Gaming is one of the largest vertically integrated video game companies and has the fastest-growing online community of video gamers. Through the Company’s organic and acquisition strategy, it has amassed a platform of over 150 million monthly visitors across its network of websites and YouTube channels. 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.

About Luminosity Gaming

Luminosity Gaming is one of the largest globally recognized esports organizations in the world, with over 60 million registered active users. Luminosity has 8 world class esports teams competing across top games such as Fortnite, Apex, Rainbow Six: Seige, Counter Strike, Call of Duty, Madden, Smite, etc. for more information visit www.luminosity.gg

About foodora Canada

foodora is dedicated to bringing Canadian food lovers their favourite meals from a curated list of local restaurants. Since 2015, the on-demand food delivery service has grown to more than 3,000 partner restaurants in 10 cities across Canada. Belonging to Delivery Hero, a worldwide leader of the food delivery industry, foodora is a sustainably focused company that strives to reduce its carbon footprint through its use of bikes and its commitment to reducing single-use plastic. For more information, visit http://www.foodora.ca.

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.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f898501c-2f99-4e90-85d9-e2a1106d607f

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Posted in Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. | Comments Off on Enthusiast Gaming $EGLX.ca & #Luminosity Gaming Partner With #foodora Canada, a Leading Food Delivery Platform Operating in 10 Cities Across Canada $EGLX.ca $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $WINR $TCEHF $ATVI $TNA.ca

BREAKING: Spyder Cannabis $SPDR.ca Signs Retail Agreement with Tanger Outlet $SKT Gaining Access to Millions of Consumers Coast-to-Coast in the U.S. $CGC $ACB $APH $CRON.ca $HEXO.ca $OGI.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 7:35 AM on Tuesday, August 13th, 2019
  • Spyder to open 5 hemp boutique locations at Tanger Outlet centers throughout the United States
  • Agreement will expand Spyder’s physical footprint to a projected 11 total locations by the end of this year
  • Potential for additional locations in the future

Vaughan, ON, August 13, 2019, Spyder Cannabis Inc. (“Spyder“), an established Canadian cannabis and vape retail operator, announced today an arrangement through which Spyder will open 5 hemp boutique locations with potential for more at Tanger Outlet centers throughout the United States.

This agreement will expand Spyder’s physical footprint to a projected 11 total locations by the end of this year, with the potential for additional locations in the future.  â€œTanger Outlet operates 39 upscale outlet shopping centers located in 20 states coast to coast and will allow us access to millions of consumers,” stated Daniel Pelchovitz, CEO and President of Spyder. “They offer a superior outlet experience and deep tenant relationships, and we are excited to introduce our hemp retail to their centers.”

These boutiques will stock Spyder’s SPDR (R) branded hemp derived, and infused products developed for an aging, health and wellness demographic.  Spyder will offer a wide array of hemp product offerings including; hemp -infused muscle balm, face oil, body lotion and bath salts, as well as hemp tinctures, capsules and sprays.

The hemp industry is booming and has the potential to become a $22 billion business by 2022, according to cannabis-focused research firm Brightfield Group. Spyder plans on executing an aggressive expansion plan to create a significant retail brand in the U.S. hemp market and is committed to developing and acquiring prime North American retail locations and continuing to build its fast growing brand.

About Spyder Cannabis

Founded in 2014 Spyder is an established chain of three high-end vape stores, and two cannabis accessory stores, in Ontario, with locations in Woodbridge, Scarborough, Burlington, Pickering and Niagara Falls. The Spyder brand is defined by its high-quality proprietary line of e-juice, liquids and exclusive retail deals, dispensed in uniquely designed stores creating the optimal customer experience.  Spyder is building off this leading retail, distribution and branding eCig and vapes company and is pursuing expansion into the legal cannabis and hemp derived market.  Spyder has developed a scalable retail model with plans to create a significant footprint with targeted and disciplined retail distribution strategy focusing on Canadian retail and U.S. boutique retail and kiosks in high traffic peripheral areas

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

For more information, please contact:

Spyder Cannabis Inc.

Dan Pelchovitz

President & Chief Executive Officer
Contact: Investor Relations
Phone: 1-888-504-SPDR (1-888-504-7737)

Email: [email protected]

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Posted in Featured, Spyder Cannabis Inc. | Comments Off on BREAKING: Spyder Cannabis $SPDR.ca Signs Retail Agreement with Tanger Outlet $SKT Gaining Access to Millions of Consumers Coast-to-Coast in the U.S. $CGC $ACB $APH $CRON.ca $HEXO.ca $OGI.ca

ThreeD Capital Inc. $IDK.ca – Goldman Sachs $GS Analysts Say that It’s Time to Buy #Bitcoin #Cryto $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 2:23 PM on Monday, August 12th, 2019

SPONSOR: ThreeD Capital Inc. (IDK:CSE) Led by legendary financier, Sheldon Inwentash, ThreeD is a Canadian-based venture capital firm that only invests in best of breed small-cap companies which are both defensible and mass scalable. More than just lip service, Inwentash has financed many of Canada’s biggest small-cap exits. Click Here For More Information.

IDK: CSE

Goldman Sachs Analysts Say that It’s Time to Buy Bitcoin

  • In short – the experts are quite bullish for Bitcoin to go up.
  • Basically, they have set up a short-term price target of $13,971 – yes, specifically this one.

by Janis Rijnieks

Recently, Three Arrows Capital CEO Su Zhu has shared the Goldman Sachs note which was sent out to investors. In the note, Goldman Sachs analysts suggest that buying this Bitcoin dip is a prime opportunity. The note itself consisted of a Bitcoin CMI futures chart and a comment from the analysts.

First of all, the fact that Goldman Sachs is sending out crypto, in this particular case, Bitcoin advice to their investors is mind-blowing. Also, the fact that they are seeing it as a bullish pattern and they are using the Elliot Wave Theory indicators on their Bitcoin chart is also a big surprise.

Experts point out that the fact that the Bitcoin CMI futures chart is used means that this note is being sent out only to institutional investors. You can see this by the little gaps in the chart which are weekends. That is the time when CMI Bitcoin Futures markets are closed.

What does the Note Say?

In short – the experts are quite bullish for Bitcoin to go up. Basically, they have set up a short-term price target of $13,971 – yes, specifically this one.

In detail – they believe that Bitcoin will find a support level near $11,094 and $10,791. Once it does that, the analysts say that the chart has plenty of room to break out at least to $12,916, and possibly to a new 2019 ATH – $13,971.

“Reaching these levels could mean completing a v wave count from July. Bottom line, watch for a short-term top/consolidation once satisfied,” says the note.

But this is a short-term prediction. What about long-term? Well, according to Goldman Sachs analysts, anything below $13,000 is an indication to accumulate. They believe that we are in for a similar run-up like we saw recently this year when Bitcoin went from $7,600 to around $11,900 in a matter of a couple of weeks.

“In the bigger scheme of things, this might still be the first leg of another 5-wave count similar to the trend that lasted from Dec ‘18 through Jun ’19,” reads the note.

Also, another thing which recently was highlighted – Bitcoin loves 30% pullbacks. Some experts and analysts have noticed that after a healthy 30% pullback, Bitcoin always have recovered and this is even considered as a normal investment strategy. Hence, it is 100% sure that Bitcoin will have a run-up if it has fallen by approx. 30%.

So in short – Goldman Sachs says that we all need to buy Bitcoin. But, as usual, only the time will show whether this advice was definitely the one that investors should have followed.

Source: https://www.coinspeaker.com/goldman-sachs-buy-bitcoin/

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Posted in All Recent Posts, Bitcoin, Blockchain stocks, Canadian Blockchain Stocks, Smallcap Blockchain stocks, ThreeD, ThreeD Capital | Comments Off on ThreeD Capital Inc. $IDK.ca – Goldman Sachs $GS Analysts Say that It’s Time to Buy #Bitcoin #Cryto $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

Enthusiast Gaming $EGLX.ca – From casual #gaming to making millions: Inside the fast-growing #Esports industry $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $WINR $TCEHF $ATVI $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 1:33 PM on Monday, August 12th, 2019

SPONSOR: Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSX-V: EGLX) Uniting gaming communities with 80 owned and affiliated websites, currently reaching over 75 million monthly visitors. The company exceeded 2018 target with $11.0 million in revenue. Learn More

EGLX: TSX-V

From casual gaming to making millions: Inside the fast-growing esports industry

  • Giorgio Calandrelli, 26, used to play the game Fortnite solely for “fun.” That was until his debut competition under a major esports brand last year.
  • The Italian professional gamer, who is known to his fans as “Pow3r,” says he faced numerous setbacks in his opening bid to impress his new team, London-based Fnatic.

By: Ryan Browne

“I f**ked up,” he says with candor. An accidental misclick that pulled him out of his game also cost him a match. “The tournament is about consistency and getting the most kills as possible to get in the top 20,” Calandrelli told CNBC. Each move he makes matters.

Luckily for Calandrelli, he was afforded a comeback, accruing 20 online kills in a “special challenge” game that won him a lucrative $10,000 prize. Altogether, Fnatic’s Fortnite team managed to bag more than $100,000 over the course of the tournament.

And that’s just the tip of a growing iceberg. Fnatic says that prize pools in the first year of a Fortnite competition have ranged from $1 million to $20 million. Last year, the game’s developer Epic Games announced it was committing $100 million for Fortnite tournament prize pools from 2018 to 2019.

But while esports has grown up as an industry over the past decade, in terms of both money and viewership, its stars — and fans — seem to be getting younger and younger.

Last month saw 16-year-old gamer Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf haul a huge $3 million reward after coming first place in the Fortnite World Cup, the championship dedicated to the popular battle royale game.

Fortnite has helped reignite interest in esports, with titans of the entertainment industry struggling to figure out how to catch up. Comcast, for example, recently announced it would build a $50 million arena designed to accommodate esports tournaments.

Industry research group Newzoo estimates esports revenues will top $1 billion for the first time this year, climbing 27% from last year’s figure. It’s a phenomenon that’s helped people transition from playing casually in their bedrooms to playing for money in major competitions.

“It’s just like any sport,” Sam Mathews, Fnatic’s co-founder and CEO, told CNBC. “You have the amateurs, and then the semi-amateur pros; then semi-pro and then you get up to pro. It really takes that sort of skill level and attitude. Attitude is a huge part of any sport.”

“When we scout players, we need to see that they go to trials, we need to check that they have the right attitude. And eventually if they’re good enough they make it onto our main squad.”

‘Common ground’

Competitive gamers’ earnings don’t stop at prize pools. There are esports team contracts, sponsorship deals and merchandise on top of that.

Teespring is a platform dedicated to making and selling customized merchandise, with a particular focus on so-called online “influencers.”

Chris Lamontagne, the firm’s CEO, told CNBC it’s formed a strong base of customers involved in gaming. Lamontagne said the benefit of customized merchandise for gamers is it creates “common ground” between them and their fan base.

“There’s a lot of content that can be created just given there’s a mutual connection over the game itself,” he said. He added there are “a couple of big esport teams” using Teespring, without identifying which ones.

Beyond Fortnite, there are plenty of games that have become pillars of the competitive gaming landscape. These include Dota 2, League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Overwatch.

watch now VIDEO01:20 Sixteen-year-old wins Fortnite World Cup and takes home $3 million

And esports has stretched out beyond staged tournaments, thanks to the advent of live streaming. Calandrelli said he often does live broadcasts on Amazon-owned platform Twitch, a venue which he says helps him connect with his fans.

“Something in the gaming world working really well is streaming,” Lamontagne said. Teespring has signed partnerships with Google’s YouTube and Twitch that let content creators sell their merchandise through its service.

One of the biggest streamers out there right now is Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, who managed to rake in nearly $10 million last year, largely thanks to fan donations and paid subscriptions on Twitch and ad revenue on YouTube.

Blevins helped Fortnite become an esports phenomenon in its own right — with almost 250 million registered users as of March 20, the game’s influence can’t be understated.

And the streaming battlefield could be about to see a shakeup. Ninja recently made the surprise announcement that he would be shifting from Twitch — where he’s pulled in about 14.7 million followers — to Microsoft’s live streaming service Mixer.

Diversification

Mathews, himself a gamer, said there’s plenty of money to be made on the part of esports organizations as well as the players themselves. Fnatic for example has diversified into hardware, selling everything from professional-grade keyboards to gaming headsets.

The company bought gaming hardware manufacturer Func back in 2015, and sells its gear in 400 Best Buy stores in the U.S. It’s also got a presence in South Korea and Japan, Mathews said.

watch now  

“To this day we’re the only esports organization to own its own peripheral hardware business,” he said. “It’s a massively growing part of our revenue stream and something we really believe in.”

Esports players are also making moves in the music industry. Fnatic’s Calandrelli said he is in talks with “one of the biggest” group of rappers in his country on collaborating with them, and has previously done tie-ups with record labels like Virgin EMI and Atlantic Records.

Calandrelli declined to disclose details of his earnings when asked by CNBC.

According to the British Esports Association, some of the top esports players in the world include Saahil “UNiVeRsE” Arora, with estimated income of over $2.6 million, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, with $890,000 in earnings, and Robin “flusha” Ronnquist, who earns an estimate of $388,000.

Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/12/inside-the-fast-growing-esports-industry-fnatic-fortnite-and-twitch.html

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Posted in All Recent Posts, Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. | Comments Off on Enthusiast Gaming $EGLX.ca – From casual #gaming to making millions: Inside the fast-growing #Esports industry $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $WINR $TCEHF $ATVI $TNA.ca

Tartisan #Nickel $TN.ca – Gold Is Hot But Nickel Is Hotter As Demand Grows For Batteries In Electric Vehicles #EV $ROX.ca $FF.ca $EDG.ca $AGL.ca $ANZ.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 9:34 AM on Monday, August 12th, 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

Tc logo in black
TN: CSE
Fact Sheet
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Gold Is Hot But Nickel Is Hotter As Demand Grows For Batteries In Electric Vehicles

  • Gold is hot but there’s another metal which is hotter, nickel.
  • Up 30% over the past two months nickel has delivered more than double the performance of gold which is up 13% over the same time, and the gap could get a lot wider as the supply of nickel stagnates and demand accelerates.

Tim Treadgold Contributor

The driving force behind the recent awakening of gold is well-understood and can be summed up as a flight to safety as the China v U.S. trade war slows global growth and values of conventional, or fiat currencies, are debased by governments resorting to quantitative easing or other forms of creating money.

Bags filled with nickel briquette and nickel powder sit in a warehouse at the BHP Group Ltd. Kwinana Nickel Refinery in Kwinana, Western Australia, Australia, on Friday, Aug. 2, 2019. The world’s biggest miners, including BHP Group and Glencore Plc, are finally firm believers in the electric vehicle battery revolution — what they don’t agree on is which metals will deliver the best long-term exposure to the developing global market. Photographer: Philip Gostelow/Bloomberg

Nickel’s drivers are different and far easier to understand and boil down to a simple case of supply exceeding demand which, in past nickel booms, was essentially a case of mines failing to keep up with the requirements of steel mills making stainless steel, a material which has traditional consumed close to 80% of the world’s nickel.

Demand Growing For Nickel In Batteries

Stainless steel remains the primary market for nickel but there’s a faster-growing market which until a few years ago was insignificant; lithium-ion batteries.A standard source of power in small appliances such as cell-phones with their nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries, or nickel-metal hydride (NiMh) rechargeable batteries the big game today is in the battery packs which power electric cars such as the Tesla, Prius and Leaf.

From being a metal easily described as a one-trick pony thanks to its dominant end-use in stainless steel, nickel has suddenly become a two-trick pony, and if electric cars take off as predicted then a shortage in future years is possible.

What caused nickel to run from around $5.40 a pound two months ago to $7.09/lb at the end of last week (and a high on Friday of $7.22/lb) was a combination of strong demand from Chinese stainless steel mills and speculation that a major source of the metal could be cut off sooner than expected.

The source under threat is unprocessed nickel ore from Indonesia which is shipped to China for use in steel mills as a material called Nickel Pig Iron (NPI). Indonesia, and other countries which produce NPI dislike the material because it does not require any value-adding in the home market.

Previous bans on NPI have crimped the industry only for it to return. But the next ban is expected to be permanent and while Indonesia has said it will not be applied until the year 2022 it could happen sooner, just as battery makers seek supplies of nickel to meet electric-car demand.

A crystalliser, used in the process of manufacturing nickel sulphate hexahydrate, stands at the BHP Group Ltd. Kwinana Nickel Refinery in Kwinana, Western Australia, Australia. Photographer: Philip Gostelow/Bloomberg © 2019 Bloomberg Finance LP

ANZ, an Australian bank, warned two weeks ago that falling stockpiles of nickel metal were a warning of a squeeze developing. Stockpiles in warehouses managed by the London Metal Exchange (LME) have been falling for the past four years, with an accelerating decline over the past two, a time when reserve inventories dropped by 43% from around 250,000 tons to 142,000t.

“Nickel inventories have declined steadily since early 2018, as the persistent market deficit takes a toll,” ANZ said.

“Some analysts suggest stockpiling by electric vehicle manufacturers is behind the depletion. Whether this is the case or not, we see the tight market meaning further inventory drawdowns are likely.

Talk Of Panic Buying

“Current LME stockpiles would meet less than two months of supply — so panic buying is a likely outcome.”

It is highly unusual for a bank like ANZ to use an expression as emotive as panic buying but it was used largely because of concern that speculators had become active in the nickel market ahead of Indonesia’s reintroduction of a ban on NPI.

Pure-play Australian nickel mining companies are enjoying sharp share price rises as the nickel price moves up. Western Areas has risen by 25% over the past month and Mincor, which has just re-signed a supply agreement with BHP, a major producer of the nickel sulphate which battery makers prefer, is up 28%.

If there is a squeeze developing on nickel supplies as a major new market develops for the metal the price could go much higher than its current $7.09/lb.

Back in 2011 when a supply shortage developed the nickel price hit $22/lb, before falling rapidly as steel mills found substitutes for nickel in their stainless steel, including manganese.

No-one is talking about a nickel boom as powerful as that in 2011 but nickel has a long track record of extreme moves, up and down.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/timtreadgold/2019/08/11/gold-is-hot-but-nickel-is-hotter-as-demand-grows-for-batteries-in-electric-vehicles/#634a95f93610

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Empower Clinics $CBDT.ca Receives Approval from #SQUARE to Process #CBD Product Sales in Clinics, Stores, Online, and throughout the Company Network Nationwide in the U.S. $WEED.ca $CGC $ACB $APH $CRON.ca $HEXO.ca $OGI.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:18 AM on Monday, August 12th, 2019
  • Announced it has received approval from SQUARE, Inc. to accept card payments
  • Patients and customers can now purchase hemp-derived CBD products and diverse wellness products from Empower Clinics & Sun Valley Health online and in-store using the SQUARE payment processing system

VANCOUVER, Aug. 12, 2019 – EMPOWER CLINICS INC. (CSE: CBDT) (Frankfurt 8EC) (OTC: EPWCF) (“Empower” or the “Company“), a vertically integrated and growth-oriented CBD life sciences company, and a multi-state operator of medical health & wellness clinics in the U.S., is pleased to announce it has received approval from SQUARE, Inc. to accept card payments from customers that want to purchase CBD products and other wellness products from the Company in clinics, stores and online.

Patients and customers can now purchase hemp-derived CBD products and diverse wellness products from Empower Clinics & Sun Valley Health online and in-store using the SQUARE payment processing system, ensuring ease-of-use and a positive checkout experience.

“Providing our patients and customers with card payment options for CBD product purchases is imperative and the fact that SQUARE has approved us, affirms our professionalism and operating standards.” said Steven McAuley, Empowers Chairman & CEO. “The addition of SQUARE merchant services provides our customers the ability to purchase products in a simple and user-friendly manner, something that we all take for granted each day.”

Square tells its users online that, “We believe everyone should be able to participate and thrive in the economy.” They also say “That no one should be left out of the economy because the cost is too great, or the technology too complex.”

Merchant services enable businesses to accept credit and debit card payments from customers. Empower Clinics and its subsidiaries, have stable and strong partnerships with commercial banking providers in the Pacific Northwest and in Arizona.

About SQUARE

Square, Inc. is a financial services and merchant services aggregator, and mobile payment company based in San Francisco, California. The company markets several software and hardware payments products and has expanded into small business services.

ABOUT EMPOWER

Empower is a vertically integrated and growth-oriented CBD life sciences company, and a multi-state operator of medical health & wellness clinics, operating the Sun Valley Health clinic brand www.sunvalleyhealth.com, for its nine corporate locations and for franchises in the United States. As a CBD product manufacturer under the Sollievo brand, the company distributes its lines through clinics, online and through retail partners. Extraction operations are currently being developed in the Company’s new extraction facility in Oregon.

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 intention to open a hemp-based CBD extraction facility, the expected benefits to the Company and its shareholders as a result of the proposed acquisitions and partnerships; the terms of the proposed acquisitions and partnerships; the effectiveness of the extraction technology; the expected benefits for Empower’s patient base and customers; the benefits of CBD based products; the effect of the approval of the Farm Bill; the growth of the Company’s patient list and that the Company will be positioned to be a market-leading service provider for complex patient requirements in 2019 and beyond. 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 Company may not open a hemp-based CBD extraction facility; that the hemp-based CBD extraction facility may not be fully operation by Q2 2019 if at all; that legislative changes may have an adverse effect on the Company’s business and product development; 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.

SOURCE Empower Clinics Inc.

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/August2019/12/c2706.html

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Esports Entertainment Group $GMBL – #NetEase Plans $710M #Esports Park in Shanghai $TECHF $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 4:17 PM on Friday, August 9th, 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

———————–

NetEase Plans $710M Esports Park in Shanghai

  • Chinese game publisher NetEase announced its plans to invest over Â¥5B RMB ($710M USD) to build an “Esports Park” in the Shanghai Qingpu district.
  • Multiple esports projects will be hosted in the park related to product design, venue, teams development, talent construction, and user experiences.
  • NetEase will build China’s first “class-A venue” in the park, at a minimum of 50K square meters, and 5,000 seats. This follows the Shanghai government’s new classification and set of standards for esports venues.

Game publisher and the exclusive Chinese distributor of Blizzard Entertainment games, NetEase, announced that it plans to invest over Â¥5B RMB ($710M) to build the “NetEase Esports Park” in the Shanghai Qingpu district. 

The plan was announced at 2019 Global Esports Conference in Shanghai, held by the Shanghai government. Ding Yingfeng, president of NetEase, said that the plan would include multiple esports-related projects,  including those related to product design, team development, talent construction, and user experiences. 

Yingfeng also announced that the company will build China’s first “class-A esports venue” in the park. This is in accordance with a new classification and set of standards for esports venues announced by the Shanghai government. As a class-A esports venue, the facility is required to have a minimum size of 50K square meters, and 5,000 seats.

As well as being a distributor of Blizzard titles, NetEase owns the Shanghai Dragons, an Overwatch team which represents Shanghai in the Overwatch League (OWL). In July, Activision Blizzard announced that every Overwatch League team would host at least two homestand events next year, in place of the original home-away plan.  It is very likely that NetEase’s esports park will be used for the Shanghai Dragons’ homestand events, and will potentially become the team’s permanent home venue in 2021.

Source: https://esportsobserver.com/netease-esports-park-shanghai/

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AGORACOM Welcomes EMPOWER CLINICS $CBDT.ca with a patient count of 165,000 and a platform generating $5MM USD in revenue annually (2020) $WEED.ca $CGC $ACB $APH $CRON.ca $HEXO.ca $OGI.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 2:30 PM on Friday, August 9th, 2019
(CSE: CBDT) (Frankfurt 8EC) (OTC: EPWCF)

Why Empower Clinics

  • A leading owner/operator of physician staffed health and pain management clinics.
  • Patient database of over 165,000 patients 
  • Proprietary technology platforms including Electronic Health Records portal and e-Commerce for CBD product distribution
  • Launching CBD extraction facility
  • First extraction system capacity = 6,000 Kg per year.
  • CBD based products are poised to be a $20B global industry by 2022
  • Medical cannabis is poised to be a $100B global industry by 2025

Recent Acquisition of Sun Valley Certification Clinics Holdings LLC

  • Created one of the largest clinic groups in the medical cannabis sector in the United States
  • Twelve (combined) clinic locations
  • Combined patient count of 165,000 patients
  • Platform generating $5MM USD in revenue annually (2020)
  • Operating in Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Nevada and California

According to the Brightfield Group report the CBD market in the U.S. has grown over 700% in 2019

  • The CBD industry is becoming much more saturated than it was before the passing of the U.S. Farm Bill late last year, with new products entering the market, threatening to take a slice of the CBD pie that the early producers of CBD have enjoyed until this time.
  • Nevertheless, the top 20 CBD companies still hold a majority of the even bigger pie that is CBD in the cannabis industry.

Technology

Developed proprietary software to manage patients through the medical cannabis process

  • A HIPAA compliant Electronic Health Record (EHR) system and patient management portal.
  • Tele-medicine platform to serve and treat patients remotely.
  • Launching an e-Commerce platform for it’s Sollievo and Sun Valley CBD product lines.


 Products

  • Commenced selling its proprietary line of CBD-based products called SOLLIEVO
  • Empower’s patient base and customers are expected to benefit from access to high margin derivative products, including CBD lotion, tinctures, spectrum oils, capsules, lozenges, patches, e-drinks, topical lotions, gel caps, hemp extract drops and pet elixir hemp extract drops.
  • Patients and customers will be able to access Empower’s home delivery and e-commerce platform.

CBD Extraction

  • Opening first CBD Extraction facility in Portland, OR.
  • 5,000 sq. ft. leased building with first extraction system capable of producing 20kg per day of 99% spectrum oil, isolate or distillate
  • Current wholesale pricing is $6,500 USD per kg with annual capacity of 6,000kg an estimated $39MM USD revenue.
  • Facility can scale to four extraction systems for up to 24,000kg of product and over $150MM USD revenue

Franchising

  • Completed it’s 2019 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) and has commenced selling Sun Valley Health franchises in the United States.
  • Company is now selling Sun Valley Health franchises and is accepting franchise applications effectively immediately.
  • Invested in the development of a new franchise trade show booth that showcases the Sun Valley Health opportunity to perspective franchisees using dynamic, content rich displays and four large format television monitors to present features and benefits.

 Summary

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