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New Year’s resolutions: #Esports in 2018 $GMBL $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 2:27 PM on Wednesday, January 3rd, 2018
  • 2017 was a huge year for esports with immense progress made across the board, from sponsorships and investments to mammoth-prize money and increased mainstream coverage
  • Foundations have been firmly laid for continued growth throughout 2018
  • With that in mind, here are our New Year’s resolutions for esports going in to the New Year

Improve professionalism in a youth-dominated market

A lack of professionalism has been a long-standing issue in esports – often a problem when granting young people anonymity on the internet. However, following the steps taken in recent years to evolve esports into a viable and respectable industry, it is about time this issue is tackled head on.

There were plenty of examples of poor professional conduct in 2017 alone. We saw; players cheating in online tournaments, being intoxicated at major events, and even stage hosts being disrespectful to competitors. Not only does this show esports in a poor light to newcomers, it also gives the wrong idea as to the kind of conduct that is deemed acceptable in an industry that many already have negative preconceived notions of, as well as disappointing existing fans.

There is, of course, the recent swatting case that took place in Kansas which saw an innocent man lose his life over a $2 Call of Duty wager match. The case made international news and again reflects poorly on the esports community. The industry most definitely doesn’t need added stigma in the mainstream press.

Going in to 2018, we must seek to develop a more professional image. Players should start being held to the same standard of top sporting personalities, especially as the two continue to converge.

Garner more mainstream media coverage

Samsung Galaxy versus SK Telecom T1 at the 2016 World Championship – Finals at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California, USA on 29 October 2016. Credit Riot GamesAlongside the industry growth, esports has started to have more of an impact on the mainstream over the last year. We’ve seen the UK’s largest national newspaper, the Daily Mail, hire their first full-time esports journalists. BBC Three provided weekly coverage for the Gfinity Elite Series and U.S. television channel TBS broadcast multiple ELEAGUE events, including titles such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Injustice 2.

This is a solid start, but there remains plenty of room for growth in this area. With the way esports is going, mainstream media outlets would be foolish to ignore it much longer and the extra exposure would only further endorse esports and enhance its appeal to some of the major sponsors and investors considering getting involved.

That being said, many outlets have tried to create content around esports and not had much success. GQ recently published an article subtly scoffing at esports and professional gamers, as well as the BBC ending a solid piece of coverage with questionable remarks about the players they had just interviewed. That said, coverage has generally improved in recent years, exemplified by the work being done by BBC Three, TBS and Daily Mail.

With NBA teams such as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors making their moves into esports, as well as investments from the likes of Jennifer Lopez and major American sports entrepreneur Stan Kroenke, it makes sense that esports will continue to converge with the mainstream but it requires a unified effort to further legitimise esports to those on the outside.

Improved communications between organisations and media

This links very closely with the previous point, but is just as important in itself. Often, teams make major decisions, such as agreements with notable sponsors, but lack PR representation to share the news. This, in turn, weakens the reach and value of any commercial deals or announcements. Having representative agencies or in-house PR staff to create and share press releases with the relevant outlets could have huge benefits in introducing teams or players to a wider audience.

Some of the larger organisations are now doing this, and so this may be something that comes as a result of a general development in stability for teams across the board. Regardless, it should certainly be high up on the agenda of any organisation who wishes to make a real splash in esports in the long term.

Better esports education from a UK perspective

Schoolchildren learning about esports Credit: British Esports AssociationAs esports continues to grow, so too does the number of people wanting to get involved in an industry that seems very selective from the outside. In 2017, we saw steps being made towards providing a better education of esports to people from a variety of backgrounds. Staffordshire University introduced their esports degree, set to start this year, and the University of Leicester partnered with ESL UK to “provide students with valuable insights into esports business”.

Further down the scale, the British Esports Association ran a fantastic scheme, bringing an esports after-school club to Maida Vale library, for local schoolchildren between the ages of 10-13. Here, children could try their hand at playing Rocket League as well as casting, and were able to listen to talks from British Esports Association volunteers. More recently there has been good work done by the team over at XIII Esports, again with a focus on grassroots in the UK.

The UK continues to lag behind in many major esports titles and education is imperative to break the perceived social stigma around esports and video games. In areas where esports education is more prevalent, such as South Korea and Scandinavia, esports has become highly respected and understood on a wider scale.

It cannot be stated quite how far esports has come in the last year alone, but should the aforementioned be fulfilled, the sky really is the limit. Some of the biggest names and brands in the world have invested in esports and should we make smart decisions, esports will continue to flourish.

Source: http://www.esportsinsider.com/2018/01/esports-2018-new-year-resolutions/

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Marijuana Company of America’s $MCOA Overview of 2017 Highlights $AERO $CBDS $CGRW $APH.ca $GBLX

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:47 AM on Wednesday, January 3rd, 2018

15233 mcoa

2017 HIGHLIGHTS

  • MCOA became a fully reporting company by filing a Form 10 with the SEC in May of 2017
  • In Q1 2017, MCOA entered into a joint venture partnership with Bougainville Ventures, Inc
  • In Q3 2017, MCOA and Global Hemp Group, Inc. (CSE: GHG) (OTC: GBHPF) entered into a joint venture partnership to develop commercial hemp production and processing in New Brunswick
  • In October 2017, MCOA and GHG jointly entered into a letter of intent  with Space Cowboys, Inc.

Escondido, California–(January 3, 2018) – MARIJUANA COMPANY OF AMERICA INC. (OTC Pink: MCOA) (“MCOA” or the “Company“), an innovative hemp and cannabis corporation, is pleased to announce its 2017 year-end review to its valued shareholders and interested parties.

Donald Steinberg, CEO of MCOA, said: “I am the founder of multiple startups, including Medical Marijuana Inc. (OTC: MJNA), which has a market cap of over 300 million dollars. I am aware of the challenges and opportunities these endeavors present, and the need for a strong foundation to build upon. Having experience in the structuring, development and operations of large global marketing companies in various industries, I believe Marijuana Company of America and its subsidiary hempSMART are poised to deliver significant value to our shareholders based on the foundations and accomplishments made in the past year. 

The Company has fulfilled its promise to its shareholders by becoming an audited and fully transparent reporting company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We are participating in the cannabis space with our leasing operation in Washington. The hempSMART team has developed a line of products that can be viewed at www.hempsmart.com. We completed joint hemp trials in New Brunswick, Canada with Global Hemp Group, Inc. in 2017, and we expect to be starting commercial production in Spring 2018. There are a number of other projects we are completing due diligence on. I am thankful to the teams at MCOA and hempSMART for their accomplishments and due diligence in working through these various projects.  We will continue to build upon the diligent work of the past year as we continue to move forward and execute our business plan.”

Updates on hempSMART Products

The Company’s wholly owned subsidiary, hempSMART, Inc., distributes industrial hemp based CBD wellness products via network marketing. In September 2017, the Company completely revamped its website and network marketing platform to provide customers and affiliates with the necessary tools needed to become successful in the expanding $1.9 Trillion Wellness Industry. The Company has successfully filed a patent application with the U.S Patent and Trademark Office for full patent protection on its proprietary CBD formulation: “hempSMART™ Brain.” Also in 2017, hempSMART released two new products: “hempSMART™ Full Spectrum Drops” (Orange, Mint, Lemon, and Strawberry) and “hempSMART™ Pain Capsules.” Several more products are in development and the Company anticipates their release in Q1 2018.

Filing Form 10 with SEC and Completing Audit

MCOA became a fully reporting company by filing a Form 10 with the SEC in May of 2017. A PCOAB registered audit firm (L & L CPAs PA) completed a two-year audit of the Company’s 2015 and 2016 financial statements. This is an integral step to qualifying the Company to uplist its trading tier with OTC Markets to the OTCQB. This is an important step in helping MCOA raise necessary capital to fund it projects and expand operations, as well as provide more transparent and reliable information to investors. Currently, the Company is in the process of preparing and filing an S-1 registration statement with the SEC in order to raise the necessary capital to fund its aggressive growth goals for 2018. Due to the inherent legal complexity of the cannabis industry, it took considerable effort to address SEC comments pertaining to disclosures of our business and corresponding products. We believe there is a great deal of shareholder value by the Company distinguishing itself from a majority of cannabis public companies that elect not to be fully reporting SEC filers.

Cultivation Joint Venture in Washington State

In Q1 2017, MCOA entered into a joint venture partnership with Bougainville Ventures, Inc. (“BV”), who plans to construct a 30,000 sq. ft. greenhouse cultivation facility in Oroville, WA. The facility will accommodate a Tier-3 production and processing I-502 tenant with years of experience in cannabis cultivation. In Q4 of 2017, MCOA completed financing of $800,000 in cash and 15 million shares of the Company’s common stock to complete the amended terms of the agreement. The delivery of the first pre-designed greenhouses, with full tracking and reporting protocols has arrived and completed construction of the six greenhouses, totaling in a one-acre footprint, is expected in Q1 2018. This joint venture project is solely for the purpose of cultivation and processing of legal marijuana within the state of Washington only and not beyond its borders. The Company will lease the turnkey property to the licensed tenant, thus acting solely as a landlord. As of December 31, 2017, the first greenhouse was purchased and in the process of being constructed.

JV with Global Hemp Group in Canada

In Q3 2017, MCOA and Global Hemp Group, Inc. (CSE: GHG) (OTC: GBHPF) entered into a joint venture partnership to develop commercial hemp production and processing in New Brunswick, Canada. MCOA and GHG have now completed the first phase of hemp trials, receiving research support from the Collége Communautaire du Nouveau Brunswick (CCNB). MCOA is granted a Right of First Refusal as the primary recipient of any raw materials produced from the project, which we expect will harvest its first commercial crop of 125 acres in Q4 2018.

MoneyTrac Technologies Investment

In July 2017, MCOA completed an investment of $250,000 into MoneyTrac Technology, Inc. (“MTT”), a subsidiary of Global Payout, Inc. (OTC: GOHE) in exchange for 15% equity position in the company, to help establish and market MTT as an alternative banking solution for the Cannabis industry. MTT currently has the ability to integrate and streamline electronic payment processing such as E-wallet, mobile applications, debit cards, and credit cards. Currently, MoneyTrac Technology has strategic partnerships with top cannabis services such as GreenRush, BlazeNow, High Grade Management Group, and PotSaver, which was a majority acquisition last October.

BeniHemp Investment

At the end of Q4, the Company announced an investment of $100,000 for a 25% equity stake in Convenient Hemp Mart, LLC’s “BeniHemp” branded products to target convenience stores for CBD product distribution. BeniHemp products will include topicals, tinctures, and edibles conveniently packaged in 1-day, 2-day, and 30-day supplies. The target market is convenience stores, smoke shops, gas stations and similar small retail businesses. The expectation is that there will be a full launch and website online in January 2018.

Space Cowboys, Inc.

In October 2017, MCOA and GHG (“the Companies”) jointly entered into a letter of intent (LOI) with Space Cowboys, Inc. (“Space Cowboys“). Pursuant to the terms of the LOI, the Companies intended to invest US$2.5 Million in exchange for a 25% equity interest in Space Cowboys. However, the Companies are unable to complete due diligence and will not be moving forward with this project.

Joint Venture in Adelanto, CA

In March, MCOA entered into a joint venture agreement with GateC Research Inc. (“GCR”) for the purpose of developing a turnkey cultivation facility in Adelanto, California for leasing to GCR which owns a local permit for cultivation. GCR and MCOA are in the process of identifying and securing property to facilitate the project. MCOA will invest cash and stock to complete the agreement. With the recent legalization of cannabis for recreational use on January 1, 2018 in California, MCOA expects to focus its attention on actualizing this opportunity in California. This JV project is solely for the purpose of cultivation of legal marijuana within the state of California and not beyond its borders. The Company will act solely as a landlord in this JV.

Investor Relations

Also in 2017, MCOA engaged NetworkNewsWire (“NNW”) for the Company’s corporate communication solutions. NNW is a multifaceted financial news and publishing company that delivers a new generation of social communication solutions, news aggregation and syndication, and enhanced news release services. NNW’s strategies help public and private organizations find their voice and build market visibility. As part of the Client-Partner relationship with MCOA, NNW will leverage its investor-based distribution network of over 5,000 key syndication outlets, various newsletters, social media channels, blogs, and other outreach tools to generate greater brand awareness for the Company.

About Marijuana Company of America, Inc.
MCOA is a corporation which participates in: (1) product research and development of legal hemp-based consumer products under the brand name “hempSMART™”, that targets general health and well-being; (2) an affiliate marketing program to promote and sell its legal hemp-based consumer products containing CBD; (3) leasing of real property to separate business entities engaged in the growth and sale of cannabis in those states and jurisdictions where cannabis has been legalized and properly regulated for medicinal and recreations use; and, (4) the expansion of its business into ancillary areas of the legalized cannabis and hemp industry, as the legalized markets and opportunities in this segment mature and develop.

About MoneyTrac Technology
MoneyTrac Technology, Inc. is a pioneer in offering a full-service solution for alternative banking and electronic financial solutions and provides all aspects of financial technology including E-Wallet and mobile apps services for businesses and companies in various “high-risk” industries. MoneyTrac’s technology platform allows for its clients to access their financial information from anywhere in the world, in addition to providing tracking and compliance to help them manage and control the flow of all revenue through their business.

About Global Hemp Group Inc.
Global Hemp Group (“GHG”) is a publicly traded company founded in 2012, headquartered in British Columbia, Canada with base operations in Montreal and Southern California. The Company is focused on the production and processing of hemp, and collaboration with companies that will enable GHG to develop and implement the Hemp Agro-Industrial Zone concept. Through partnerships, joint ventures and acquisitions, the Company will capture cash flow, revenues, and establish a greater collective valuation.

About Bougainville Ventures, Inc.
Bougainville Ventures Inc. is in the business of investing in high grow companies and industries that lease land, equipment and other growing infrastructure to licensed marijuana producers and luxury crop growers. Bougainville itself is not a licensed marijuana grower or retailer but instead focuses on providing capital to companies which act as landlords and equipment leasing companies to licensed marijuana producers and luxury crop growers. The Company is in the process of being listed on the CSE in Canada.

Forward Looking Statements
This news release contains “forward-looking statements” which are not purely historical and may include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, the development, costs and results of new business opportunities and words such as “anticipate”, “seek”, intend”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”, “project”, “plan”, or similar phrases may be deemed “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with new projects, the future U.S. and global economies, the impact of competition, and the Company’s reliance on existing regulations regarding the use and development of cannabis-based products. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-12G, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For more information, please visit www.sec.gov.

For more information, please visit the Company’s websites at:

MarijuanaCompanyofAmerica.com
hempSMART.com
NetworkNewsWires/MCOA

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#Copper soars to 4-year high as funds bet on shortages $LBSR

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:44 AM on Thursday, December 28th, 2017
 
  • Copper prices jumped to a four-year peak on Thursday as funds bet on strong demand in top consumer China and supply disruptions in top producer Chile leaving the market short of the metal used widely in power and construction
  • Benchmark copper on the London Metal Exchange was up 0.3 per cent at $7,264 a tonne at around 1215 GMT from an earlier $7,312.5, its highest since January 2014
  • Up more than 30 per cent so far this year.
Pratima Desai
Reuters
Published 3 hours ago Updated December 28, 2017

Copper prices jumped to a four-year peak on Thursday as funds bet on strong demand in top consumer China and supply disruptions in top producer Chile leaving the market short of the metal used widely in power and construction.

Benchmark copper on the London Metal Exchange was up 0.3 per cent at $7,264 a tonne at around 1215 GMT from an earlier $7,312.5, its highest since January 2014. It is up more than 30 per cent so far this year.

“Funds are on a buying spree, but the timing and strength is surprising,” said Quantitative Commodity Research consultant Peter Fertig. “Fundamentals are good. China is a growing economy, it will need more copper. The risk of strikes in Latin America due to labor negotiations is looming.”

China accounts for about half of global copper demand estimated at around 23.5 million tonnes.

That is why a surge in its imports to 329,168 tonnes in November, up 19 per cent from the same period a year ago, triggered a buying frenzy this week.

Analysts estimate China’s copper demand growth could be as high as 3 per cent in 2018 from around 2 per cent this year.

They will be watching surveys of purchasing managers in China’s manufacturing sector and industrial production growth, which are typically used as lead indicators for copper demand.

“Heading into next year, a case can be made for a relatively higher trading range for copper compared to what we saw in 2017,” INTL FCStone analyst Edward Meir said in a note.

Meir expects the copper market to see a 130,000 tonne deficit next year after a shortfall of 95,000 tonnes this year.

“One variable that should help the market next year is the fact that there will be a series of key labor negotiations that could potentially impact a substantial amount of metal.”

Given copper’s 70 percent gains since hitting a 6-1/2 year low of $4,318 in January 2016, expectations are for unions to be more militant, particularly given the concessions they made when prices were tumbling.

Analysts at Citi say there are over 30 labor contracts, covering around five million tonnes of mine supply, due to expire next year, most of them in Chile and Peru.

“The largest identifiable potential issue concerns the Escondida contract due June, 2018, given the 2 month strike earlier this year,” they said.

“To reflect elevated supply risks over the next 12 months we assume a 6.0-per-cent disruption allowance for 2018 or 1.26 million tonnes versus 5.2-per-cent average since the financial crisis or 970,000 tonnes.”

Also helping copper is the lower U.S. currency, down 10 per cent since the start of this year against a basket of other major currencies, making dollar-priced commodities cheaper for holders of other currencies.

This relationship is used by funds which trade using buy and sell signals generate.

Source: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/investment-ideas/coppers-winning-rally-is-the-longest-in-a-generation/article37441071/

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Posted in All Recent Posts, Liberty Star Uranium and Metals | Comments Off on #Copper soars to 4-year high as funds bet on shortages $LBSR

Investors are gearing up to bet big on #Esports – here are the top stocks, companies & opportunities $GMBL $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 10:10 AM on Tuesday, December 19th, 2017

  • Increasing number of traditional media companies want to capitalize on the growing industry of eSports
  • Currently, there are approximately 300 million people worldwide tuned in on eSports. It is projected that by 2020, the number of viewers will be closer to 500 million

FILE PHOTO: The Activision booth is shown at the E3 2017 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los AngelesThomson Reuters

An increasing number of traditional media companies want to capitalize on the growing industry of eSports.

Currently, there are approximately 300 million people worldwide tuned in on eSports. It is projected that by 2020, the number of viewers will be closer to 500 million.

Recently, shares of video game manufacturers have lifted to all-time highs thanks to a new generation of consoles, the promise of VR gaming, and the adaptation of many titles in professional gaming that attract revenue, as well as paying spectators at tournaments and competitions.

eSports Stocks to Invest In

Activision Blizzard, Inc. (ATVI)

Activision reported a rise in revenue from its high-margin digital business to $1.35 billion (about 84% of its total revenue of $2 billion, which was just shy of their projection of 2.01 billion). Results in the reported quarter were driven by the popularity of the company’s sci-fi first-person shooter game Destiny 2. The console version of Destiny 2, which was released September 6, was recognized as the best-selling console game of 2017 in the United States to date despite less than a month of sales, according to research firm NPD Group.

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA)

As a result of their efforts to shift players toward mobile and digital, EA’s digital sales rose 23% and accounted for 61% of overall revenue. The future of EA is looking promising since digital games have lower fixed costs and sustained future profits.

Sales rose 21.7% to $689 million in the second quarter ending September 30 as more gamers bought their titles online instead of purchasing physical copies from retail stores. EA’s net loss narrowed to $22 million form $38 million and revenue rose 7% thanks to its latest editions of Madden NFL and FIFA. Investors have bid up EA shares by 50% since the start of this year.

EA had some recent negative publicity regarding its release of Star Wars Battlefront II and the microtranscations involved. Many of the more famous playable Star Wars characters (such as Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and Princess Leia) were unavailable to play from the start and required in-game credits to unlock. Some Reddit users did the math and determined it would take dozens of hours of play to acquire the necessary credits; however, players could also pay real money for randomized, virtual “loot crates” that contain the currency used to unlock these characters.

The problem worsened when EA responded on Reddit to the outcry by saying “The intent is to provide players with a sense of pride and accomplishment for unlocking different heroes.” The response received more than 670,000 downvotes, the most in the history of Reddit by a wide margin.

EA deactivated micro-transactions entirely on the day before the game’s release but said it planned to reintroduce them later after making some changes. The company’s share price dropped 2.5% on launch day, and Wall Street analysts lowered their expectations for the stock. By the end of November, EA had lost $3 billion in stock value since the launch.

Despite this, Battlefront II was still the second best-selling game in November (the biggest month for game sales all year) behind only the juggernaut Call of Duty: WWII.

Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (TTWO)

Raising their full-year adjusted revenue forecast in its second-quarter, Take-Two is in a “sweet spot” for game releases, according to Goldman Sachs. It has been noted that their investment in new content like Grand Theft Auto and its efforts to monetize existing content, as well as the new release of NBA 2K18, have contributed to the increase in revenue. With only one month of sales, NBA 2K18 has become the best-selling sports game this year. Take-Two is also bringing existing titles to new devices such as the Nintendo Switch, which has sold 50 million units so far.

Companies Investing in eSports

YouTube has made the biggest investment into eSports to date, signing a multi-year broadcasting deal with Faceit to stream its eSports Championship Series (ECS) pro gaming league. Faceit is an eSports platform where consumers and eSports enterprises can organize competitions online. It also is involved on the production side of eSports events.

In 2014, Amazon was acquired by Twitch, the live streaming video platform that has been and continues to be the leader in online gaming broadcasts.

Other big companies such as Microsoft, Activision Publishing, and Capcom have been investing in growing the console market with games such as Halo 5, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and Street Fighter IV. The eSports market is continuing to open up to a broader audience with companies such as Super Evil Megacorp and Blizzard Entertainment who have introduced eSports to mobile gamers through Vainglory and Hearthstone.

Even brands such as Coca-Cola, Red Bull, Pizza Hut, and American Express have explored professional video gaming. Coca-Cola was one of the first of the nonendemic brands to jump into the industry.

Business Opportunities in eSports

Investment in the industry is largely driven by partnerships with other sports properties and leagues. Teams like the Miami Heat, Manchester City, West Ham, and the Philadelphia 76ers are investing in players and teams in the eSports space. It gives opportunities for more growth and fan base development while also creating new and appealing assets to sell to current and future corporate partners.

Big opportunities to build new fan bases and engage with the rapid growing audience of eSports opens doors for marketers to gain assets such as naming rights, branded content, experimental activation, or jersey branding.

Twitch and YouTube only add value to the industry as more stakeholders and events emerge, thus making broadcasting and streaming tournaments and competitions all the more in demand in this growing industry.

At the current rate of growth of engagement and number of leagues competing, event production has become essential to meet the demands of spectators as well as leagues themselves. These events provide not only an opportunity for leagues to participate for prize money, but also for businesses to directly advertise and sell products to engaged customers.

More to Learn

The market for eSports continues to grow, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down in the coming years. That’s why BI Intelligence, Business Insider’s premium research service, has put together a comprehensive guide on the future of professional gaming called The eSports Ecosystem.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/invest-esports-stocks-companies-business-opportunities-2017-12

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Posted in Esports Entertainment Group, Esports Entertainment Group Inc. | Comments Off on Investors are gearing up to bet big on #Esports – here are the top stocks, companies & opportunities $GMBL $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca

Esports Entertainment Group $GMBL Appoints Yan Rozum as Chief Technology Officer $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 9:09 AM on Thursday, December 7th, 2017

Esports large

  • Announced the appointment of Mr. Yan Rozum as Chief Technology Officer
  • Since 2003, Mr. Rozum founded and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and Director of Swiss Interactive Software (GmbH) Switzerland

ST. MARY’S, Antigua, Dec. 07, 2017 — Esports Entertainment Group, Inc. (OTCQB:GMBL) (or the “Company”), a licensed online gambling company with a specific focus on esports wagering and 18+ gaming, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Yan Rozum as Chief Technology Officer (“CTO”).

Since 2003, Mr. Rozum founded and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and Director of Swiss Interactive Software (GmbH) Switzerland, a Swiss based iGaming software development company that delivers complex engineered sports wagering and iGaming systems for a roster of clients operating around the globe. Mr. Rozum is a leading authority on Information and Communications Technology, including the design, architecture and delivery of high volume transactional sports and event wagering software platforms, as well as, peer-2-peer exchange wagering systems for real-money online iGaming operators. From 2000 through 2002, Mr. Rozum was a Ph.D. candidate at the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus in Minsk, Belarus. He holds a Diploma of Higher Education in Journalism from the Institute of Modern Knowledge in Minsk, Belarus, as well as, a Diploma from the Swedish Institute of Management in Stockholm, Sweden. Mr. Rozum has been a Director of the Company since March 9, 2015.

Grant Johnson, CEO stated, “We are thrilled that Yan has accepted the appointment as CTO of the Company. Yan’s in-depth sport and event wagering industry knowledge and relationships has been invaluable to the development of our global esports wagering platform.”

Yan Rozum stated, “I am honored to join Esports Entertainment as CTO. During my time as Director of the Company and, more recently, working on development of its esports wagering platform, it has become very clear that I share Grant’s vision of both the esports industry and Esports Entertainment Group.  Accepting the position of CTO is therefore a logical step in the long-term success of the Company.”

This press release is available on our Online Investor Relations Community for shareholders and potential shareholders to ask questions, receive answers and collaborate with management in a fully moderated forum at https://agoracom.com/ir/EsportsEntertainmentGroup

About Esports Entertainment Group

Esports Entertainment Group, Inc. is a licensed online gambling company with a specific focus on esports wagering and 18+ gaming. Initially, Esports Entertainment intends to offer bet exchange style wagering on esports events in a licensed, regulated and secured platform to the global esports audience, excluding the US and EU. In addition, Esports Entertainment intends to offer users from around the world the ability to participate in multi-player mobile and PC video game tournaments for cash prizes. Esports Entertainment is led by a team of industry professionals and technical experts from the online gambling and the video game industries, and esports. The Company holds licenses to conduct online gambling and 18+ gaming on a global basis, excluding the US and EU, in Curacao, Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kahnawake Gaming Commission in Canada. The Company maintains offices in Antigua and Curacao. Esports Entertainment common stock is listed on the OTCQB under the symbol GMBL.  For more information visit www.esportsentertainmentgroup.com
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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
The information contained herein includes forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or to our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects our current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. The safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 protects companies from liability for their forward-looking statements if they comply with the requirements of the Act.

 

Contact:

Corporate Finance Inquiries
Stephen Cotugno
Vice President, Corporate Development
[email protected]
201-220-5745

Investor Relations Inquiries
AGORACOM
[email protected]
http://agoracom.com/ir/eSportsEntertainmentGroup

Source: GlobeNewswire (December 7, 2017 – 8:00 AM EST)

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Life in an #Esports gaming house with #Schlinks $GMBL $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:34 AM on Monday, November 27th, 2017

It’s essentially every gamer’s wildest fantasy – living in a house full of other esports enthusiasts.

  • Essentially every gamer’s wildest fantasy: Living in a house full of other esports enthusiasts, where everyone understands that online games can’t be paused
  • But for esports pros, gaming house life is even more valuable than not being nagged to empty the dishwasher all the time – it allows teams to bond and gel on all-new levels.
27 November 2017 – 17:01 By Good Luck Have Fun

Image: Scott Peter Smith

It’s essentially every gamer’s wildest fantasy: Living in a house full of other esports enthusiasts, where everyone understands that online games can’t be paused. But for esports pros, gaming house life is even more valuable than not being nagged to empty the dishwasher all the time – it allows teams to bond and gel on all-new levels.

The concept of gaming houses is new to the South African esports scene, so naturally there’s a lot to be learned from the first MGO to do it, White Rabbit Gaming. We managed to get over our jealousy long enough to catch up with Nicholas ‘Schlinks’ Dammert about what it’s like to literally be living the dream.

“Since WRG were the first in the local scene to venture into the whole idea of gaming houses, I was really excited for this new adventure. Initially I thought it would be quite hard to adjust to the new living circumstances and the change of scenery (Capetonian for life). I expected most of my days to be quite repetitive and restricted, but nevertheless would enjoy the tough grind. “It turned out to be extremely liberating. Outside of team obligations (practices, tournaments) you’re in control of whatever you want to do. On off days you could go read a book, watch series or spend your time visiting new places and experiencing new things. Although it took some time to get used to, the gaming house started to feel like a second home and the change of scenery was hardly noticeable.”

SA gets its first house of gaming – yes, an actual house

In what many consider to be a significant step in local esport development, South Africa now has its own dedicated gaming house
Sport
2 months ago

A man after our own hearts – #capetown4lyf. We had to try hard to not make the rest of the interview about how great Cape Town is. Fortunately for you, our self control is excellent.

When gaming is such a massive part of your life, it must be, as Schlinks says, “extremely liberating” to be able to just focus on what you do best. It allows the players to dive right into the competitive side.

“The grind was really fun. When we’re motivated and every one of us are all playing tons of Dota, matching into each other (in solo queue) or against one another, there’s really high spirits in the team (special shoutout to Castaway’s mid Techies vs my offlane Dazzle in ranked). “Most importantly, every time we managed to achieve a good result against a notable team or placed high in online international tournaments we could all celebrate our achievements together.”

Instead of whooping and hollering over Discord or TeamSpeak, these guys get to walk right up to each other after an online win, high five, tap a few bums, hug it out in a manly fashion and crack a beer in appreciation – adopting the best elements of traditional team sports.

But when you’re living in a gaming house, are you allowed to do anything other than game, eat, sleep, repeat? Are you even allowed to eat and sleep?

“It all depends on whether Dota 2 is getting any local action. While us Dota players are fortunately able to practice on international servers with only minor drawbacks, it’s fairly difficult to maintain a hyper-competitive mindset all the time – it all depends on the competitive climate. “Basically, if there aren’t many international qualifiers or local tournaments being held, us WRG players take a more mellow approach and prefer to play solo queue or relax. But don’t be fooled – we practice a damn load and intensely when we are in that competitive mindset. “On a good day I would play for about 8 hours (practice/solo queue) – taking breaks to walk to the local convenience store and spending some time with the boys while we cook/eat dinner. On lazy days I would watch series all day and order take-out. “As surprising as it may seem, we do tend to go out a fair bit. I believe it’s important to get that little break from the surreal life of full-time gaming and enjoy the time we spend out of the house. We tend to usually walk to the shop around lunch time every day and some of the WRG guys go gymming every few days. Depending on the mood, we also spontaneously visit the casino and have some good nights out around Joburg. Good times.”

It all sounds too good to be true, but Schlinks assures us it was all very real. And yes, we’re nerdgasming over here too.

While there were obvious benefits, there were a few bugs that needed patching too, which is to be expected when you put five highly-competitive individuals in such close quarters for too long. But even those issues were resolved by the magic of the gaming house.

“The positives were very clear. Our performance in-game and communication improved significantly over the competitive Dota season (locally and internationally). The only negative I could point out is the clashes amongst players, but as of late these issues have been rectified via open communication between players and the support we offer one another. “You learn a lot about your teammates once you spend upwards of 75% of your time with them for months at a time. Thankfully we all get along really well and I have come to respect each of them. As time passes it’s typical that some personal issues or clashes ensue, but they’re generally very small-scale and we resolve them swiftly and maturely (while others in the team prefer to box it out – no kidding. Kicking too).”

Competition is tough for the South African Dota 2 circuit but international play is what will really improve your game, say gamers.
Image: Scott Peter Smith

For those of you who don’t stalk local esports players like we do, Schlinks moved back home to Cape Town a few weeks ago. Given the success of the whole experience, this left a couple of onlookers speculating about his future at WRG. But fear not, he ain’t goin’ nowhere. Except for, like, back to Joburg. Poor guy.

“As many people know, the Dota 2 competitive scene in South Africa has largely been on hold for the latter part of the year. Internationally however, the Dota 2 competitive scene has completely restructured and now works in qualifier ‘blocks’ (periods of which many qualifiers are held).

“Once these blocks were finished, I felt the majority of my days were lazy days. I figured I needed a break from the mild pressure of practicing and flew back home to Cape Town – where I am seriously contemplating my Dota 2 career for the upcoming year. However, the move back is only temporary and as soon as things spice up in the local Dota 2 scene I’ll be on the next flight back to the gaming house.”

The benefits of gaming houses are clear, with one of the top Dota players in the country vouching for their efficacy. But are they vital for team growth and progression?

“While they’re a great benefit to any team that would utilise them correctly, I don’t think they’re necessary for that next level.

“The current situation is that esports in SA has – for the most part – been circulating around itself with regards to playstyles, strategies and general competitiveness. The level of competitiveness in SA has been maximised and we need to look overseas in order to expand.

“Thus, for us to reach the next level of competitiveness we would need to have achieved reputable results in international events (‘putting SA on the map’) and in order to get good results teams need to be exposed to these international teams’ level of competitiveness.”

The gaming house life has certainly helped WRG improve as a team. They have the freedom to train as much as they like, their communication skills are getting almost as good as their Dota skills, and they’ve got the international results to show for it. So, while not vital to the scene, gaming houses do seem to play a part in getting us some international exposure.

We’ll leave you today with Schlinks’ answer to our ultimatum: Gaming house and no salary, or salary and no gaming house?

“I’d definitely choose both options – a luxurious gaming house as well as a hefty salary.”

Nope, that’s not how ultimatums work, bro.

“If I had to choose, my answer would be the salary. The reason being: While a gaming house helps in most aspects of gaming, I think the main objective of a gaming house can primarily be achieved by a bootcamp before a tournament. On the other hand, a salary changes the game entirely.

“If salaries were mainstream it would stabilise the competitive scene in many ways. More players would find themselves in an adequate financial state from gaming revenue. This will result in growth amongst the entire competitive scene as we see less players leaving the scene, more players entering the competitive sphere, fewer players jumping ship and switching to other teams and overall less emphasis on trying to place first at every event.

“The point of less pressure on placing first alone encourages practice amongst teams on a local scale and I think we will see the scene expand at a rapid rate – both in mentality about practicing (thus competitiveness) and the pure number growth.”

There you have it MGO owners. If you’re thinking about renting a house for your teams, rather consider putting that money towards stable salaries for the players. But if you’re feeling generous, get them a nice little house too. Preferably in Cape Town.

Source: https://www.timeslive.co.za/sport/2017-11-27-life-in-an-esport-gaming-house-with-schlinks/

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Alonso launches #Esports team $GMBL $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:09 AM on Thursday, November 23rd, 2017

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By: Jonathan Noble, Formula 1 Editor
1 hour ago
  • Fernando Alonso has become the first Formula 1 driver to branch out into eSports, after launching his own team ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
  • Two-time world champion has formed a partnership with McLaren sponsor Logitech to expand into the gaming world – with ambitions set on his outfit becoming the best in the world

The two-time world champion has formed a partnership with McLaren sponsor Logitech to expand into the gaming world – with ambitions set on his outfit becoming the best in the world

The team, which will be called FA Racing G2 Logitech G, will compete in a host of top-line series both in F1 sim racing and other online categories.

“I am a team principal finally,” smiled Alonso at the launch of the team in the Yas Marina paddock on Thursday. “There will be no meetings very early. We will change completely the way we work!!”

Alonso said he had been approached by Logitech and G2 a few months ago about the idea, and believed it was the right time to get involved with gaming as eSports racing was starting to take off.

“It is very exciting, and it is a completely new thing to discover,” he explained. “I think eSports in other formats has been very successful but in racing, it is at the very beginning, and I think huge potential will come.

“I am happy to be one of the first investing in this direction and I think good and fun times are coming – not only for us, but for gamers at home and for fans.”

While the focus on FA Racing will be on professional championships, competing in the official F1 game, rFactor and other categories, Alonso said that part of his team’s plan was to find ways that fans could race with them too.

When asked if he had signed himself to his own team, Alonso said: “Not yet. But we have some ideas for our fans to have online competitions, monthly, that they can not only participate with our pro drivers but also with myself.

“I will definitely be slower – more the amateur level. We will have fun, that is the first thing, and we will develop a platform that is available for everyone in the world.”

F1 boost

F1 commercial chief Sean Bratches believed Alonso’s decision to run an eSports team would deliver a big boost to the sport’s profile amid younger fans.

“Fernando’s brand has been a pillar of the success of F1 in the linear world, and just like other brands going into other areas, he gives a credibility,” he said.

“A lot of drivers and athletes, in their second career, go into business and I think while this is a fun participatory game, it is competition. It is a big business and it is just getting bigger.

“F1 and Fernando are getting in at the early stages, notwithstanding that it has been around a couple of years.”

Source: https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/alonso-launches-esports-team-981819/

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Are #Esports going to replace the beautiful game? $GMBL #ManUtd

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:47 AM on Wednesday, November 15th, 2017

  • The best gamers have millions who follow their lives. Images of Faker, a 21-year-old bespectacled South Korean described as the Michael Jordan of League Of Legends (a multiplayer online battle arena)
  • They make millions through prizes, appearance fees or merchandise. They have fans and fan clubs who sing about and chant names of star players. There are transfers between teams.

I recently took the 256 bus from Urmston, via Stretford, to Old Trafford. I was on that bus frequently as a kid and it was packed with equally young, local Manchester United fans who paid to stand on the terraces which covered all four sides of Old Trafford. The bus trip was part of the day, a raucous experience, be it mixing with fellow fans, people from other schools or goading stray away fans from the safety of the upper deck.

As I got off the 256 outside the Bishop Blaize pub on my way to watch United beat Everton, the only other passengers disembarking were five stadium catering staff. There wasn’t a single United fan.

Old Trafford has been expanded, but it’s still full for every league game and going to games is not accessible like it was. The average age of the fan has increased steadily since the Taylor Report. You still see kids at games, but they’re not the unaccompanied gangs of yore, but shepherded by an adult into the family stand. The rest of the stadium is populated largely by the middle-aged onwards

United are hamstrung as they can’t turf fans out for being old, though the club do work hard to offer tickets for cup games where demand is lower. Having established that the average age of an MUTV viewer is 53, they’re also trying to attract younger fans to a new app.

It’s not just United. A friend who stood on the terraces at his beloved AFC Wimbledon last week was struck by the profile of those around him.

“They were all old men,” he stated. “The hardcore, the faithful. I’m a bit worried about our prospects at our new home if we don’t attract more young people.”

Wimbledon have been an incredible success, but they attract crowds of 4,000 in a division where Bradford average 20,000, Portsmouth 17,000, Charlton and Blackburn 11,000. Without a benefactor, Wimbledon are doing well to be where they are, even if there’s a lack of goals and great games. My friend suspected that younger people had more exciting pursuits to occupy their time.

There are alternatives. I grew up in a football city where if you were into football, you either played it or you went to support your team. Or you did both. If you didn’t go to games then you weren’t considered a proper football fan, and televised games were few and not a substitute for the real thing.

Now, most people who support Manchester United don’t go to games. There’s been a gigantic shift, with United’s global support watching every kick on screens of varying sizes. There’s no need to miss a game. While televised football was once considered a grievous threat to match-going attendances, now it barely matters.

PA Photos

Far more people are watching football, both in person and televised, than ever before. Compare the average attendances from 1986 to today’s. Manchester United’s was 46,321 (now 75,027), Manchester City’s 24,299 (52,268), Liverpool‘s 35,271 (53,191), Arsenal‘s 23,824 (59,290), Chelsea‘s 21,984 (41,501) and Tottenham‘s 20,859 (70,724).

English football is incredibly popular, stadiums continue to expand, thanks mainly to lucrative television deals. There are three fifth-tier teams with average crowds above 4,000 – it’s unheard of outside England. But are the kids attending? And, if not, what else are they doing?

I was recently asked to host an interview on eSports in Lisbon with Sam Mathews, the founder and chairman of something called Fnatic. A Melbourne-raised Shoreditch resident, Mathews’ Fnatic has been called the Manchester United of its genre with its Counter-Strike team former world champions. The team even has a coach.

I’d never heard of it, nor knew much of eSports or eGamers – a phrase Sam quickly corrected me as a no-no, suggesting that eAthletes was more appropriate.

Athletes? It was explained that while they might not be running around a field, they were showing skills in other ways, through co-ordination, daring moves against rivals, practice and dedication. They were bringing joy to millions, too.

I assumed that people who played a lot of computer games were pasty-faced geeks who struggled with real-life social interaction. I was in for a surprise, but the interview brief seemed ridiculous. “Can eSports franchises build a brand similar to that of Real Madrid and Manchester United?”

The interview was on a stage in front of 900 seats at the Lisbon Web Summit. All appeared taken. The crowd were asked if they’d heard of Manchester United. Almost all raised their hands. Then they were asked if they’d heard of Fnatic. A similar number raised their hands.

Sam explained how 60,000 had recently watched an eSports event at Beijing’s iconic Bird Nest stadium. I struggled to get my head around why anyone would travel to watch people play computer games, but I was the odd one out here.

The best gamers have millions who follow their lives. Images of Faker, a 21-year-old bespectacled South Korean described as the Michael Jordan of League Of Legends (a multiplayer online battle arena), sobbing after an unexpected defeat last year brought an outpouring of emotion and sympathy from millions.

They make millions through prizes, appearance fees or merchandise. They have fans and fan clubs who sing about and chant names of star players. There are transfers between teams.

This phenomenon has largely escaped the mainstream – eAthletes don’t make the news or the covers of magazines, which tend to go for real-world stories. But the mainstream is now sitting up and taking notice. Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are among two of the clubs now employing professional eAthletes. There’s an alternate Dutch Eredivisie for gamers.

Thirty million watched the 2016 League Of Legends World Championship, where the winners took $2.68 million in prize money. Little wonder mainstream television channels want a piece. The people behind LA’s bid for the 2024 Olympics considered proposing eSports for inclusion.

Interview over, it was time to hear other views when I spoke to eSport fans. They wanted to know what was the big deal about paying £40 to sit in the cold and see one goal in 90 minutes at a conventional football game?

I imagined being a 10-year-old being taken to watch Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United. I’d probably have been back on Space Invaders as quickly as possible.

Other eSport advocates talked of their communities, their friendships with people around the world; technology has allowed that, though the virtual and real seem to blur. Isn’t that the same in other areas of life, when people are registered on forums under pseudonyms? United, along with several other top clubs, are trialling virtual reality in training sessions.

The eSport fans were also curious to know what was so great about travelling hundreds of miles to watch a game that had been switched for the benefit of television? And when I talked of how unhealthy it must be to spend ten franchises’ hours a day in front of a screen, they pointed out that football fans were hardly renowned for being paragons of health.

Where there’s mass interest, money will follow. The biggest Korean firms already sponsor teams of professional eAthletes. The last two championships have been staged in Los Angeles. It’s accessible, fast improving, attractive, well marketed and a threat to conventional, professional sport games such as football, cricket, baseball, boxing or rugby – sports conceived in England and exported via the British Empire. Who’s to say there shouldn’t be new mass appeal sports?

Anyway, for me – admittedly in my forties and fitting the demographic perfectly – the buzz is from anticipating everything that goes with Newcastle at home on Saturday. Should I get the bus or the tram? And those paper fanzines need protecting if it rains.

Source: http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/are-esports-going-to-replace-the-beautiful-game

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#Blockchain and biometrics: The #tech disrupting banking #ThreeD $IDK.ca #Blockstation

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 12:16 PM on Friday, November 3rd, 2017
  • As the banking industry changes at a rapid pace, one term is being used with increasing frequency — blockchain
  • blockchain refers to a tamper-proof, distributed digital ledger that records transactions.
Published 5 Hours Ago CNBC.com
A look at some of the tech disrupting banking   6 Hours Ago | 04:20

Put simply, blockchain refers to a tamper-proof, distributed digital ledger that records transactions.

Instead of different parties involved in a transaction keeping their own records of that transaction — which could potentially differ and cause confusion — blockchain creates one “master” record. This cannot be changed once a transaction has been recorded.

As technology giant IBM notes: “All parties must give consensus before a new transaction is added to the network.”

Dirk Haubrich is head of consumer protection, financial innovation and payments at the European Banking Authority (EBA). He told CNBC: “We’ve looked at blockchain… in one particular use case, which was virtual currencies, four years ago.”

At that time, the EBA had a “rather negative view,” Haubrich explained. “But there are lots of other use cases that have been emerging since then, like trade finance and… clearing of payments.”

This was “quite interesting,” he added. “Many of the risks that we’ve identified at the time for virtual currencies probably don’t arise for those use cases but we need to have a closer look, which we haven’t done yet.”

It could be argued that blockchain technology is still in its infancy, and that its potential is a long way from being fully realized.

PayPal’s Mark Brant told CNBC that blockchain would continue to evolve, “but for it to become widely used there need to be scale use cases on either the consumer side or the merchant side or both.”

“We’ll continue to follow that and experiment with it and keep abreast of it, and continue to look to see whether there is a clear gap in the market that we can exploit with it,” Brant, who is managing director at PayPal U.K., added.

While blockchain technology offers new ways of carrying out transactions, other innovations could help to boost the security of financial dealings.

One such development is the increasing use of biometrics in banking. Already, many of us use our fingerprints to unlock our smartphones, and there are a range of potential applications.

“There’s voice biometrics, there’s fingerprint biometrics, there’s iris biometrics, I think there’s going to be many more invented,” Niall Cameron, global head of corporate and institutional digital at HSBC, said.

Cameron went on to say that biometrics was probably one of the most important areas of new technology needed by the industry.

Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/03/blockchain-and-biometrics-the-tech-disrupting-banking.html

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Namaste Announces $N.ca Joint Venture Agreement With Leading #Israeli Vaporizer Retailer #Vapes #Vaping

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:51 AM on Thursday, November 2nd, 2017

Nlogo

  • Announced signing of a Joint Venture Agreement with one of Israel’s premier online vaporizer retailers, Vaporiza.co.il
  • Agreement will bring Vaporiza.co.il and NamasteVapesIsrael.com together under Namaste management to increase revenue and gain greater exposure in the Israeli market

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 02, 2017 – Namaste Technologies Inc. (“Namaste” or the “Company”) (CSE:N) (FRANKFURT:M5BQ) (OCTMKTS:NXTTF) is pleased to announce signing of a Joint Venture Agreement (the “Agreement”) with one of Israel’s premier online vaporizer retailers, Vaporiza.co.il (“Vaporiza”). The Agreement will bring Vaporiza.co.il and NamasteVapesIsrael.com together under Namaste management to increase revenue and gain greater exposure in the Israeli market. Through the Agreement, Namaste benefits from new customer acquisitions and plans to explore new opportunities for export of medical cannabis products from Israel to Namaste’s wholly owned subsidiary Cannmart Inc. (“CannMart”).

This Agreement represents a strategic decision for Namaste to expand its consumer base in Israel while growing the Company’s database of users. Vaporiza is one of Israel’s leading vaporizer e-commerce sites with a strong management team focused on marketing and business development. Vaporiza will provide value to Namaste through expansion of local channels and will provide services as per the Agreement. General terms of the Agreement are as follows:

  • Namaste will take ownership and management of the Vaporiza.co.il domain
  • Namaste will provide inventory for Vaporiza.co.il and NamasteVapesIsrael.com
  • Namaste will collect revenue from both sites and net profits to be disbursed equally
  • Namaste will provide an integration for Vaporiza.co.il to access Namaste’s inventory management system that will provide Vaporiza with access to a larger offering of products
  • Vaporiza will provide order fulfilment, marketing and warranty processing locally
  • Vaporiza will provide all sales and customer service support locally for both sites

The Israeli market is at the forefront of innovation in the cannabis industry. Namaste expects to see rapid growth in the market and this Agreement being accretive in nature, will bring value to Namaste with new revenue and customer acquisitions, along with a broader exposure to the Israeli market. Namaste will continue to explore opportunities in the Israeli market including supply agreements for medical cannabis, in relation to its wholly owned subsidiary CannMart, and in implementing NamasteMD.com in the Israeli market to focus on acquiring medical patients in Israel.

Management Commentary

Sean Dollinger, President and CEO of Namaste comments: “We are very pleased to be partnering with Vaporiza as it has an established business with a strong reputation locally. We feel that we can bring value to Vaporiza through inventory and logistics support while at the same time gaining in Israeli market share. Israel is a high priority for us. We see a lot of potential in growth through retail sales channels in working with Vaporiza. Its management team is dedicated to our joint growth in revenues and exposure in the Israeli market. We also plan on pursuing further partnerships with Israeli medical cannabis producers that could provide supply for CannMart in Canada.”

About Namaste Technologies Inc.

Namaste is the largest online retailer for medical cannabis delivery systems globally. Namaste distributes vaporizers and smoking accessories through e-commerce sites in 26 countries and with 5 distribution hubs located around the world. Namaste has majority market share in Europe and Australia, with operations in the UK, US, Canada and Germany and has opened new supply channels into emerging markets including Brazil, Mexico and Chile. Namaste, through its acquisition of Cannmart Inc., a Canadian based late-stage applicant for a medical cannabis distribution license (under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations) is pursuing a new revenue vertical in online retail of medical cannabis in the Canadian market. Namaste intends to leverage its existing database of Canadian medical cannabis consumers, along with its expertise in e-commerce to create an online marketplace for medical cannabis patients, offering a larger variety of product and a better user experience.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

“Sean Dollinger”
Chief Executive Officer
Direct: +1 (786) 389 9771
Email: [email protected]

Further information on the Company and its products can be accessed through the links below:
www.namastetechnologies.com
www.namastevaporizers.com
www.namastevaporizers.co.uk
www.everyonedoesit.com
www.everyonedoesit.co.uk

FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION This press release contains forward-looking information based on current expectations. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on management’s reasonable assumptions, Namaste assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward looking information to reflect new events or circumstances unless required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks including various risk factors discussed in the Company’s disclosure documents which can be found under the Company’s profile on www.sedar.com. This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The CSE has neither reviewed nor approved the contents of this press release.

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