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The Past, Present And Future Of #Edtech Startups – SPONSOR: BetterU Education Corp. $BTRU.ca $ARCL $CPLA $BPI $FC.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:21 AM on Wednesday, April 1st, 2020

SPONSOR:  BetterU Education Corp. aims to provide access to quality education from around the world. The company plans to bridge the prevailing gap in the education and job industry and enhance the lives of its prospective learners by developing an integrated ecosystem. betterU / Ottolearn launch FREE COVID-19 mobile resource toolkit to fight the global crisis – Click here for more information.

The Past, Present And Future Of Edtech Startups

  • Between January 2014 and September 2019, more than 4,450 edtech startups have been launched in India

By: Shanthi S

An analysis of China’s current state of startup ecosystem will have very few but clear winners, one of which is the edtech sector. In India too, with the nationwide lockdown, there is a sudden surge in demand for edtech startups even as others are struggling to find a way out. Ecommerce and edtech are two sectors that may survive this rock phase, say experts.

However, as of now, it will not be wrong to say that edtech is yet to gain mass traction. Despite the launch of 4,450 edtech startups in the country, India has only one unicorn in the sector, BYJU’s, with a $5.7 Bn valuation. In fact, as we have mentioned in our earlier reports, BYJU’s also had to spend a good ten years to reach the valuation. The startup worked in stealth mode from 2011 to 2015 and the app was launched only in 2015.

For new entrepreneurs in the space, staying afloat has been all the more difficult. There is still a lack of warm reception for tech in India and many other countries. What a classroom can offer in terms of interpersonal skills, is something tech may not be able to replace, say educational experts.

“In our view, the failure rate for edtech startups is comparable with any other sector. Given that education is a high-involvement category and a career-affecting service, tech adoption is usually lower compared to other services and products. Hence, edtech startups can take more time to scale up than in some of the other categories,” Pranjal Kumar, CFO and head of education fund at Bertelsmann, told us earlier.

Funding And M&As In Edtech

According to DataLabs by Inc42, between January 2014 and September 2019, more than 4,450 edtech startups have been launched in India. However, 25% of startups have shut shop while only 4.17% of startups have raised funds. BYJU’s grabbed 65% of the total funding in edtech startups. The startups are, till date, finding it difficult to create a steady revenue stream.

Role Of VCs

To a great extent venture capitalists (VC) are playing an important role in helping the startup ecosystem, including edtech, largely considered futuristic. “VC investments have often been likened to rocket fuel or running on a treadmill. When we come in and invest we want to see you grow 5x over the next 15-18 months and keep that momentum going after each round of financing,” said Sajith Pai, Director, Blume Ventures.

The VCs who have been supporting BYJU’S, Vedantu, Toppr and others in the Indian edtech industry to scale-up businesses would be as below:

  • Blume Ventures: Blume has made six investments in edtech at pre-series A and seed stage. The investments have been in an array of segments within edtech including online test-prep, gamified learning, B2B white label apps for coaching classes and others.
  • Sequoia Capital: Known to be very active in the fintech segment, with 13 deals in 2019, Sequoia grabbed 10 deals in the edtech sector in 2019.
  • Omidyar Network: The VC firm makes equity investments in early-stage enterprises and provides grants to nonprofits in education and others.
  • Nexus Venture Partners: The venture fund has backed startups such as Unacademy, Quizizz, WhiteHat Jr among others
  • SAIF Partners: Toppr and Unacademy are some of the key investments by the VC in the Indian edtech market so far
  • Accel Partners: They have invested in startups including Edupristine and Vedantu
  • InnoVen Capital: The two prominent companies funded by InnoVen India include BYJU’S and Eruditus

Other than the above, Helion Venture Partners, Indian Angel Network (IAN) and India Educational Investment Fund are some of the prominent funds in the sector.

Mergers & Acquisitions 

The edtech ecosystem also saw Initial Public Offering (IPO), and mergers and acquisitions, the two of the most common exit strategies in any startup ecosystem. As per DataLabs’ The Future Of India’s $2 Bn Edtech Opportunity Report 2020 between 2014 and 2019, a total of 35 edtech startups underwent merger or acquisition. The report also states that the Indian edtech startup ecosystem has seen the participation of 28 active acquirers, 54% of which hail from the education technology sector itself.

Source: https://inc42.com/features/the-past-present-and-future-of-edtech-startups/

‘Smart’ devices help reduce adverse outcomes of common heart condition #Mhealth – SPONSOR: CardioComm Solutions $EKG.ca – $ATE.ca $TLT.ca $OGI.ca $ACST.ca $IPA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 4:02 PM on Tuesday, March 31st, 2020

SPONSOR: CardioComm Solutions (EKG: TSX-V) – The heartbeat of cardiovascular medicine and telemedicine. Patented systems enable medical professionals, patients, and other healthcare professionals, clinics, hospitals and call centres to access and manage patient information in a secure and reliable environment.

‘Smart’ devices help reduce adverse outcomes of common heart condition

  • mHealth devices, such as fitness trackers, smart watches and mobile phones, may enable earlier AF detection, and improved AF management through the use of photoplethysmography (PPG) technology
  • AF is the most common heart rhythm disturbance, affecting around one million people in the UK. People with AF are at increased risk of having a stroke and dying, as well as heart failure and dementia

by University of Liverpool

A new study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, highlights the feasible use of mobile health (mHealth) devices to help with the screening and detection of a common heart condition.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a heart rhythm condition that causes an irregular and sometimes, abnormally fast heart rate. In AF, the heart’s upper chambers (atria) contract randomly and sometimes so fast that the heart muscle cannot relax properly between contractions. This reduces the heart’s efficiency and performance—but also leads to a higher risk of blood clots.

AF is the most common heart rhythm disturbance, affecting around one million people in the UK. People with AF are at increased risk of having a stroke and dying, as well as heart failure and dementia. Currently, low detection due to lack of visible symptoms and non-adherence are major problems in current management approaches for patients with suspected AF.

Photoplethysmography technology

mHealth devices, such as fitness trackers, smart watches and mobile phones, may enable earlier AF detection, and improved AF management through the use of photoplethysmography (PPG) technology.

PPG is a simple and low-cost optical technique that can be used to detect blood volume changes in the microvascular bed of tissue. It is often used non-invasively to make measurements at the skin surface.

To help determine whether a mHealth technology-supported AF integrated management strategy would reduce AF-related adverse events, compared to usual care, an international team of researchers, led by Associate Professor Guo from Chinese PLA General Hospital in Beijing, and Professor Gregory Lip, Lead for the Liverpool Centre for Cardiovascular Science (LCCC)/Price-Evans Chair of Cardiovascular Medicine at University of Liverpool, conducted a randomised trial.

Central to the study was mobile health technologies developed by leading global technology companies, with a focus on using wearable smart devices such as those from Huawei, working in conjunction with a specially developed mobile app. These pieces of equipment and software can monitor a person’s vital signs with great detail and, most importantly for this study, 24 hours a day.

The specially designed mobile app not only charted the patient’s biometrics, it afforded clinicians the ability to offer integrated care throughout the duration of the trial. Doctors were able to periodically assess the patient’s updated statistics and contact them through the app to offer advice via the ABC care pathway. The ABC pathway, developed in part by the LCCS’ Professor Gregory Lip, is a set of guidance for patients and clinicians, which aims to promote a streamlined holistic approach to the management of AF, and ensure that the danger of complications is minimised.

The researchers enrolled a cluster of 3,324 AF patients aged over 18 years from 40 cities across China. The patients were randomized with 1678 receiving usual care and 1646 receiving integrated care based on a mobile AF Application (mAFA) incorporating the ABC Pathway: ‘A’ Avoid stroke; ‘B’ Better symptom management; ‘C’ Cardiovascular and other comorbidity risk reduction. All patients were followed up in outpatient clinics at 6 and 12 months.

Results

Upon completion of the study, the researchers were able to show that occurrences of stroke, systemic thromboembolism, death and rehospitalisation were significantly lower with those patients in the mHealth intervention group compared to those undergoing usual care (1.9% compared with 6%). Rehospitalisation rates were also notably reduced, with only 1.2% of patients in the intervention group needing to be readmitted to hospital, in comparison to 4.5% of patients in the control group.

In addition to these positive figures, subgroup analyses by gender, age, type of condition, risk score and comorbidities, demonstrated consistently lower risks for the composite outcome for patients receiving the mAFA intervention compared to usual care.

These results show an undeniable benefit for the adoption of an integrated approach to monitoring and treating cardiac conditions such as AF.

With smart technologies such as phones, watches and integrated smart home systems becoming increasingly accessible and affordable, the ability for clinicians and researchers to adopt this technology to passively and unobtrusively gather a seemingly unlimited amount of data and information on the global health population is offering boundless opportunity for assessing and treating all manner of diseases and conditions.

Integrated care approach

Associate Professor Guo, said: “Our study clearly highlights the need for an integrated care approach to holistic AF care, supported by mobile health technology, as it help to reduce the risks of rehospitalisation and clinical adverse events.”

Professor Lip, said: “Improved AF care requires early detection which enables the implementation of the priorities of AF management, which is as ‘easy as ABC’: Avoid stroke; Better symptom optimisation; Cardiovascular and risk factor management. Our clinical trial shows how the mAFA App and smart devices can improve detection of AF and the holistic management of AF patients, improving outcomes in this common heart rhythm disorder.”

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-smart-devices-adverse-outcomes-common.html

Primo Nutraceuticals Inc. $PRMO.ca Signs LOI to enter in to Funding and Share Purchase Agreement for 25% with Beauty Kitchen (Canada) $CROP.ca $VP.ca NF.ca $MCOA

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 9:39 AM on Tuesday, March 31st, 2020
  • Signed a letter of intent with Heather Marianna, LLC parent company of (“Beauty Kitchen”)
  • The Board of Directors of Primo have approved, in principle, a proposal to acquire and raise funding in respect of its interests in the “Beauty Kitchen” projects into a newly incorporated subsidiary
  • Beauty Kitchen is a company that manufactures fresh handmade beauty care, personal care, and cosmetics products, which was born from the hugely popular Beauty Kitchen YouTube series

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 31, 2020 – PRIMO NUTRACEUTICALS INC. (CSE: PRMO) (OTC: BUGVF) (FSE: 8BV) (DEU: 8BV) (MUN: 8BV) (STU: 8BV) (“Primo” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it has signed a letter of intent (“LOI”) with Heather Marianna, LLC parent company of (“Beauty Kitchen”) a Nevada company.  The Board of Directors of Primo have approved, in principle, a proposal to acquire and raise funding in respect of its interests in the “Beauty Kitchen” projects into a newly incorporated subsidiary.

Beauty Kitchen proposes a transaction whereby its management team (and affiliates) incorporates a Canadian corporation, tentatively called “Marianna, Inc.” to receive exclusive Canadian distribution rights to its CBD infused and non-CBD infused products in handmade beauty care, personal care, and cosmetic products. Primo will acquire ownership interest of a minimum of 25% in the newly incorporated subsidiary.

Beauty Kitchen is a company that manufactures fresh handmade beauty care, personal care, and cosmetics products, which was born from the hugely popular Beauty Kitchen YouTube series. Founder and CEO, Heather Marianna, skyrocketed in popularity with the launch of her Beauty Kitchen YouTube series in 2012 where she showcased simple, do-it-yourself beauty recipes made with common kitchen household ingredients. The series generated a powerful following of more than 4 million viewers. 

The Company plans to reorganize its operating divisions along with the closing of the acquisition and financing for its subsidiary. It is proposed that the transaction may be carried within a statutory plan of arrangement (the “Spin-Out“) pursuant to the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) under the “reorganization exemption” under the Securities Act.

The Plan of Arrangement will be subject to the approval of Primo’s shareholders which Primo intends to seek at a special meeting of shareholders (the “Shareholders’ Meeting“). The date for the Shareholders Meeting has not yet been determined. The transaction may be subject to rules of The Canadian Stock Exchange (“CSE“) approval and any Plan of Arrangement requires approval by Court Order of the British Columbia Supreme Court.

The Parties intend to draft and execute a definitive agreement (the “Definitive Agreement”) with detailed terms as soon as practicable, and complete this Transaction on or before April 30, 2020. Terms of the LOI are subject to change as set out in the Definitive Agreement.

Andy Jagpal, President Comments:

“This LOI is our second step into the growing CBD and Natural Health market. Primo’s vision and strategy is to acquire a minority interest in companies like Beauty Kitchen and Thrive as our growth strategy in 2020 and beyond. These two brands along with Primo’s will enter this fledgling Natural Health & CBD market with an online presence as well as retail one too. We are very excited about the value this partnership will bring to the company and its shareholders.”

About Beauty Kitchen
Beauty Kitchen is a company that manufactures fresh handmade beauty care, personal care, and cosmetics products, which was born from the hugely popular Beauty Kitchen YouTube series. The founder, Heather Marianna, a bubbly social media personality, translated her passion for looking and feeling her absolute best into the development of her all-natural beauty and skincare product line. Beauty Kitchen’s founder and CEO, Heather Marianna, skyrocketed in popularity with the launch of her Beauty Kitchen YouTube series in 2012 where she showcased simple, do-it-yourself beauty recipes made with common kitchen household ingredients. The series generated a powerful following of more than 4 million viewers. Beauty Kitchen is regularly featured in: Forbes, The Source, MTV, Bravo, The New York Post, People, Flipsnack, Vegas, Star Magazine, Radar Online and many more media outlets with a large following of celebrities who use their products which include; Sean “Puffy” Combs, Christina Milian, David Arquette, George Lopez, Larissa Lima, Shark Tank’s Barbara Corcoran, Candace Cameron, Jen Harley, Lou Ferrigno, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and others. For more information visit: www.beautykitchenonline.com

About Primo Nutraceuticals
Primo Nutraceuticals Inc. (“Primo” or the “Company”) provides strategic capital to the thriving cannabis cultivation sector through ownership and development of commercial real estate and farm friendly properties. Primo is dedicated to funding the rapid growth in production, processing, retail and branding of cannabis and cannabis related products in Canada and the United States. Primo has invested in several brands and is pursuing partnerships with retailers and distribution companies in Canada and the United States. Primo’s management is in the process of building a corporate road map to further vertically integrate the Company, specifically by way of “Primo” branded retail outlets – offering “Thrive,” “Primo,” and a selection of curated partner brands. The Company possesses proprietary formulas for cannabis edibles, topical, and tinctures. Primo is focused on building a strong presence in the hemp industry with the objective of extracting and selling cannabinoids (CBD) products in both Canada and the United States.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

PRIMO NUTRACEUTICALS INC.

“Andy Jagpal”

President and Director

For further information, please contact Zoltan, IR Representative at: 604-722-0305, or; [email protected].

To learn more about what this news means to the shareholders visit

http://primoceuticals.com/https://twitter.com/prmonutrawww.thriveCBD.orgwww.beautykitchenonline.com

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements are based on the expectations and opinions of the Company’s management on the date the statements are made. The assumptions used in the preparation of such statements, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

No regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained in this news release.

The Tech That Could Be Our Best Hope for Fighting #COVID19 —and Future Outbreaks – SPONSOR: CardioComm Solutions $EKG.ca – $ATE.ca $TLT.ca $OGI.ca $ACST.ca $IPA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 5:09 PM on Monday, March 30th, 2020

SPONSOR: CardioComm Solutions (EKG: TSX-V) – The heartbeat of cardiovascular medicine and telemedicine. Patented systems enable medical professionals, patients, and other healthcare professionals, clinics, hospitals and call centres to access and manage patient information in a secure and reliable environment.

The Tech That Could Be Our Best Hope for Fighting COVID-19—and Future Outbreaks

  • “The connectivity we have today gives us ammunition to fight this pandemic in ways we never previously thought possible,” says Alain Labrique, director of the Johns Hopkins University Global -mHealth Initiative.

By Alice Park

Battling a pandemic as serious as COVID-19 requires drastic responses, and political leaders and public-health officials have turned to some of the most radical strategies available. What began with a lockdown of one city in China quickly expanded to the quarantine of an entire province, and now entire countries including Italy. While social isolation and curfews are among the most effective ways to break the chain of viral transmission, some health experts say it’s possible these draconian measures didn’t have to become a global phenomenon. “If health officials could have taken action earlier and contained the outbreak in Wuhan, where the first cases were reported, the global clampdown could have been at a much more local level,” says Richard Kuhn, a virologist and professor of science at -Purdue University.

The key to early response lies in looking beyond centuries-old strategies and incorporating methods that are familiar to nearly every industry from banking to retail to manufacturing, but that are still slow to be adopted in public health. Smartphone apps, data analytics and artificial intelligence all make finding and treating people with an infectious disease far more efficient than ever before.

“The connectivity we have today gives us ammunition to fight this pandemic in ways we never previously thought possible,” says Alain Labrique, director of the Johns Hopkins University Global -mHealth Initiative. And yet, to date, the global public–health response to COVID-19 has only scratched the surface of what these new containment tools offer. Building on them will be critical for ensuring that the next outbreak never gets the chance to explode from epidemic to global pandemic.

Consider how doctors currently detect new cases of COVID-19. Many people who develop the hallmark symptoms of the -disease—fever, cough and shortness of breath—-physically visit a primary-care doctor, a health care provider at an urgent-care center or an emergency room. But that’s the last thing people potentially infected with a highly contagious disease should do. Instead, health officials are urging them to connect remotely via an app to a doctor who can triage their symptoms while they’re still at home.

“The reality is that clinical brick-and-mortar medicine is rife with the possibility of virus exposure,” says Dr. Jonathan Wiesen, founder and chief medical officer of MediOrbis, a telehealth company. “The system we have in place is one in which everyone who is at risk is potentially transmitting infection. That is petrifying.” Instead, people could call a telemedicine center and describe their symptoms to a doctor who can then determine whether they need COVID-19 -testing—without exposing anyone else.

Hundreds Flout Louisiana COVID-19 Gatherings Ban

In Singapore, more than a million people have used a popular telehealth app called -MaNaDr, founded by family physician Dr. Siaw Tung Yeng, for virtual visits; 20% of the physicians in the island country offer some level of service via the app. In an effort to control escalating cases of coronavirus there, people with symptoms are getting prescreened by physicians on MaNaDr and advised to stay home if they don’t need intensive care. Patients then check in with their telehealth doctor every evening and report if their fever persists, if they have shortness of breath or if they are feeling worse. If they are getting sicker, the doctor orders an ambulance to take those people to the hospital. Siaw says the virtual monitoring makes people more comfortable about staying at home, where many cases can be treated, instead of flooding hospitals and doctors’ offices, straining limited resources and potentially making others sick. “This allows us to care across distance, monitor patients across distance and assess their progression across distance,” says Siaw. “There is no better time for remote care monitoring of our patients than now.”

Other at-home devices and services currently being used in the U.S. allow patients to measure dozens of health metrics like temperature, blood pressure and blood sugar several times a day, and the results are automatically stored on the cloud, from which doctors get alerts if the readings are abnormal.

Telemedicine also serves as a powerful communication tool for keeping hundreds of thousands of people in a specific region up to date with the latest advice about the risk in their communities and how best to protect themselves. That can go a long way toward reassuring people and preventing panic and runs on health centers and hospitals.

Beyond individual-level care, the data gathered by telemedicine services can be mined to predict the broader ebb and flow of an epidemic’s trajectory in a population. In the U.S., Kaiser Permanente’s tele-medicine call centers are now also serving as a bellwether for an anticipated surge in demand for health services. Dr. Stephen Parodi, national infectious–disease leader at Kaiser Permanente, was inspired by a Google project from a few years ago in which the company created an algorithm of users’ flu–related search terms to determine where clusters of cases were mounting. Parodi started tracking coronavirus–related calls from the health system’s 4.5 -million members in Northern California in February. “We went from 200 calls a day to 3,500 calls a day about symptoms of COVID-19, which was an early indicator of community–based transmission,” he says. “Our call volume was telling us several weeks before the country would have all of its testing online that we have got to plan for a surge in cases.”

Source: https://time.com/5805622/coronavirus-pandemic-technology/

Work on PUREVAP #Silicon Metal Nano Reactor Continues as $HPQ.ca Provides Update on COVID-19 Outbreak Impact $FSLR $SPWR $CSIQ $PYR.ca $XMG.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:01 AM on Monday, March 30th, 2020
  • Work will continue with respect to activities in which social distancing and best health practices can be observed, such as developing the new PUREVAP™Â Silicon Metal Nano Reactor, (PUREVAP™Â SiNR).

MONTREAL, March 30, 2020  — HPQ Silicon Resources Inc. (“HPQ” or the “Company”) TSX-V: HPQ; FWB: UGE; Other OTC : URAGF; would like to inform shareholders that in response to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, HPQ and its partners PyroGenesis in Montreal, and Apollon in France, and suppliers are respecting the health and safety of employees by encouraging employees to isolate, and work from home as much as possible.  Given the severity of the outbreak and continuing uncertainty regarding the duration and business impact of the virus, the start of the Gen3 Pilot Plant commissioning and testing program is being postponed until further notice.  However, work will continue with respect to activities in which social distancing and best health practices can be observed, such as developing the new PUREVAP™Â Silicon Metal Nano Reactor, (PUREVAP™Â SiNR).

BATTERY INDUSTRY INTEREST IN HPQ CONTINUES TO REMAIN STRONG

Despite the current circumstances, battery industry participants continue to inquire and demonstrate strong interest in our future upstream production capabilities.  Specifically, we are seeing meaningful interest in using our PUREVAP™ RRQ Silicon Metal (Si) as feed stock to manufacture:

So much so that, as soon as possible once the COVID-19 business interruption ends, our primary focus will be on manufacturing sufficient quantities of material to deliver samples to battery manufacturers and research centres. Only once these goals have been attained will we re-deploy assets to the Gen3 Pilot Plant commissioning and testing program. This is the level of importance of this initiative.

“The COVID-19 outbreak, possible recession and low oil prices don’t change the long-term cyclical movement of the Renewable Energy Revolution (“RER”).  HPQ is building a portfolio of unique High Value Silicon Metal products needed for the RER and the short-term business interruption we are experiencing has no bearing on the long-term potential of what we are doing. The continued interest in HPQ from the battery industry despite COVID-19 interruptions provides unequivocal evidence of this,” said Bernard Tourillon, President and CEO HPQ Silicon.  â€œInterest in the potential for Silicon Metal’s potential to contribute to energy storage demand is undeniable and generating massive investments, as well as, serious industry interest. This was true before the COVID-19 outbreak and will be true after.”

About Silicon Metal

Silicon Metal (Si) is one of today’s strategic material needed to fulfil the renewable energy revolution presently under way. Silicon does not exist in its pure state; it must be extracted from quartz (SiO2), in what has historically been a costly and energy intensive process.  

About HPQ Silicon

HPQ Silicon Resources Inc. (TSX-V: HPQ) is developing, with PyroGenesis Canada Inc. (TSX-V: PYR), a high-tech company that designs, develops, manufactures and commercializes plasma – based processes, the innovative PUREVAP™ â€œQuartz Reduction Reactors” (QRR), a process (patent pending), which will permit the One Step transformation of Quartz (SiO2) into High Purity Silicon (Si) at reduced costs, energy input, and carbon footprint that will propagate its considerable renewable energy potential.

HPQ, working with PyroGenesis, is also developing the PUREVAP™ Silicon Metal Nano Reactor (SiNR). This is a proprietary process that uses different purities of Silicon Metal (SI as feedstock), melts them into liquid Si that can then be synthesized into the Spherical Silicon Metal Nano Powders and Nanowires necessary for the next generation of Lithium-ion batteries.  During 2020, the plan is to validate our game changing manufacturing approach by upgrading our existing Gen2 PUREVAP™ QRR reactor into a PUREVAP™ SiNR to produce spherical Silicon Metal (Si) nano-powders and nanowires samples for industry participants and research institutions’.

Concurrently, HPQ is also working with industry leader Apollon Solar to develop a manufacturing capability that uses the High Purity Silicon (Si) made with the PUREVAP™ to make Porous silicon wafers needed for solid-state Li-ion batteries.  We expect that the first Silicon wafer should be ready to be shipped for testing to a battery manufacturer (under NDA) in 2020.

The focus of HPQ focus is to become the lowest cost producer of Silicon Metal (Si), High Purity Silicon Metal (Si), Spherical Si nano-powders and silicon-based composites for next-generation lithium-ion batteries, Porous Silicon Wafers for Solid states batteries and Porous Silicon Powders for Li-ion batteries.

This News Release is available on the company’s CEO Verified Discussion Forum, a moderated social media platform that enables civilized discussion and Q&A between Management and Shareholders. 

Disclaimers:

The Corporation’s interest in developing the PUREVAP™ QRR and any projected capital or operating cost savings associated with its development should not be construed as being related to the establishing the economic viability or technical feasibility of any of the Company’s Quartz Projects.

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements containing the words “may”, “plan”, “will”, “estimate”, “continue”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “expect”, “in the process” and other similar expressions which constitute “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements reflect the Company’s current expectation and assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, our expectations regarding the acceptance of our products by the market, our strategy to develop new products and enhance the capabilities of existing products, our strategy with respect to research and development, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development, and uncertainties related to the regulatory approval process. Such statements reflect the current views of the Company with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and other risks detailed from time-to-time in the Company’s on-going filings with the security’s regulatory authorities, which filings can be found at www.sedar.com. Actual results, events, and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements either as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange 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.

For further information contact
Bernard J. Tourillon, Chairman, President and CEO Tel (514) 907-1011
Patrick Levasseur, Vice-President and COO Tel: (514) 262-9239
http://www.hpqsilicon.com Email: [email protected]

VIDEO: Hollister $HOLL.ca Closes $20,000,000 Acquisition, Adds $16.4M Revenue & $2.5M EBITDA $WEED.ca $CGC $ACB $APH $CRON.ca $OGI.ca $FAF.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 9:21 AM on Monday, March 30th, 2020

At a time when established Cannabis stocks are struggling due to an inability to actually deliver real businesses, Hollister Biosciences (HOLL:CSE) has been quietly building a real business, products, revenue and customers in 220 of California’s 600 dispensaries …. and growing, including California’s #1 hash infused pre-roll “Hashbone”.  

If that was all Hollister had going, they’d be in great shape with a super bright future and better than most Cannabis companies (small and large) who can’t even get product out the door.  

BUT THERE’S MORE – THE $20,000,000 ACQUISITION THAT COMES WITH $CDN 16.4M REVENUE & $CDN 2.48M EBITDA  

Hollister has closed their purchase of Venom Extracts, one of Arizona’s largest producers of Award-Winning Medical Cannabis Distillate. Just how good is Venom? In 2019, Venom generated $CDN 16.4M in revenue and $CDN 2.48M EBITDA in 2019 … and all of that was just from the state of Arizona.   

In this amazing interview, Venom Founder Jake Cohen discusses Venom’s aggressive plans to expand its brand and success into other states, including California as it benefits from Hollister’s distribution into 220 dispensaries.  Right now, some of you may be thinking, “yeah but everybody thinks they are going to expand” …. but Jake’s words, as well as those of Alex Somjen (President) and Carl Saling (CEO) are backed up by action.    

Specifically, a significant chunk of Venom’s acquisition shares kicks in if/when revenues hit $CDN 30,000 and $CDN 40,000 …. by December 31, 2021.  In my experience, companies joining forces don’t include such terms if there isn’t a reasonable expectation for hitting those numbers.  It doesn’t guarantee it but you can bet they have good reason to believe Venom sales will get to one or both of those numbers in just 21 months from now.  

If you’re looking for Cannabis companies that are going to survive and thrive over this next decade, then grab your favourite beverage and watch this great interview with Carl Saling, Alex Somjen and Jacob Cohen.

Hollister Biosciences $HOLL.ca Closes Transformational Acquisition of Rapidly Growing Venom Extracts Adding Over $16.4 Million In 2019 Revenue and $2.5 Million in EBITDA $WEED.ca $CGC $ACB $APH $CRON.ca $OGI.ca $FAF.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 7:18 AM on Monday, March 30th, 2020

This highly accretive acquisition strengthens Hollister’s brand portfolio and broadens its distribution footprint across multiple states positioning Hollister to transform into an industry leader in 2020 and beyond

  • Venom Extracts reports having generated over CDN$16.4 million in revenue and over CDN$2.5 million in EBITDA from its product line of cannabis concentrates and cartridges. 

VANCOUVER, March 30, 2020  – Hollister Biosciences Inc. (CSE: HOLL, FRANKFURT: HOB, OTC: HSTRF) (the “Company” or “Hollister“), a diversified cannabis branding company with products in 220 dispensaries throughout California, is pleased to announce that further to the signing of the definitive agreement, as amended (the “SEA“), the Company has now closed its transformational acquisition of Venom Extracts (“Venom Extracts“), a leading Arizona cannabis extract brand and one of the state’s largest producers of award-winning medical cannabis distillate and related products (the “Transaction“).

HIGHLY ACCRETIVE $20,000,000 ACQUISITION, ADDING OVER CDN$16.4 MILLION OF 2019 REVENUE

For the year ended December 31, 2019, management of Venom Extracts reports having generated over CDN$16.4 million in revenue and over CDN$2.5 million in EBITDA from its product line of cannabis concentrates and cartridges.  Venom Extract’s management also reports a strong start to 2020 and is anticipating record Q1 revenue.

The all-stock purchase price of approximately CDN$20,000,000 represents a transaction multiple of 1.2x 2019 revenue, with approximately 70% of the consideration paid upfront and the approximately 30% balance to be paid upon milestone achievements related to revenue targets for Venom Extracts, or in any event, on December 31, 2021.  After conducting normal course due diligence, the Transaction closed effective March 24, 2020 (the “Closing Date“).

KEY TERMS OF THE TRANSACTION:

Pursuant to the terms of the SEA, the Company has acquired Venom Extracts for consideration of CDN$20,000,145.20 which is to be satisfied by the issuance of 70,390,672 Hollister common shares (the “Payment Shares“) on the Closing Date pro rata to the shareholders of Venom Extracts and an additional 29,610,054 common shares (the “Earn-Out Shares“) to certain former shareholders of Venom Extracts on the earlier of (i) Venom Extracts reaching certain revenue milestones (detailed below), or (ii) December 31, 2021.

  • The Payment Shares and the Earn-Out Shares will be issued at a deemed value of CDN$0.20 per share;
  • The Payment Shares are subject to certain voluntary hold periods with 90% of the Payment Shares being subject to hold periods as follows: 15% until May 25, 2020; and an additional 15% every six months until November 25, 2022;
  • The Earn-Out Shares will be issued on the earlier of (i) December 31, 2021, or (ii) when and if the following milestones have been met:
    • 19,740,036 Earn-Out Shares will be issued when revenue of Venom Extracts reaches CDN$30,000,000 (calculated in accordance with IFRS from January 1, 2020); and
    • An additional 9,870,018 Earn-Out Shares will be issued when revenue of Venom Extracts reaches CDN$40,000,000 (calculated in accordance with IFRS from January 1, 2020).

“We are extremely pleased to complete this transformational and highly accretive acquisition”, shared Carl Saling, Founder and CEO of Hollister Biosciences Inc. “Our acquisition of Venom Extracts bolts on substantial revenue and EBITDA to Hollister, while providing Venom Extracts the ability to expand its offering of premium branded product into the California marketplace. Likewise, our acquisition also allows Hollister to introduce its products into the Arizona and Nevada marketplaces through Venom Extracts’ existing distribution channels.”

“This is an exciting acquisition and we are very pleased to announce closing”, shared Jacob Cohen, Founder of Venom Extracts.  “This transaction represents the next step in ensuring the future growth of both Hollister and Venom Extracts.  We are looking forward to increasing our geographic presence by expanding into the California marketplace through Hollister’s existing platform, and exploring expansion of our existing product portfolio collectively.”

In association with the acquisition, Hollister will not be assuming any long-term debt, a new control position will be created and there is no change in management, or the board of directors of Hollister being contemplated at this time.

In connection with the Transaction, the Company issued 6,000,000 common shares (the “Finder Shares“) to an arm’s length third party finder at a deemed price of $0.20 per Finder Share.  The Finder Shares are subject to a statutory hold period of four months and a day from the Closing Date which expires July 25, 2020.

This press release is available on the Company’s CEO Verified Discussion Forum, a moderated social media platform that enables civilized discussion and Q&A between Management and Shareholders.

None of the securities to be issued pursuant to the Transaction have been or will be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act“), or any state securities laws, and any securities issued pursuant to the Transaction are anticipated to be issued in reliance upon available exemptions from such registration requirements pursuant to Rule 506(b) of Regulation D and/or Section 4(a)(2) of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable exemptions under state securities laws. In addition, the securities issued under an exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act will be “restricted securities” as defined under Rule 144(a)(3) of the U.S. Securities Act and will contain the appropriate restrictive legend as required under the U.S. Securities Act.

About Hollister Biosciences Inc.

Hollister Biosciences Inc. is a diversified cannabis company with multiple, high-quality products now carried in 220 of Indus Holdings (CSE: INDS), Hollister’s exclusive distribution partner’s 600 dispensaries. This level of penetration is expected to grow as the Company accelerates its seed to shelf, high margin business and product development model.

Capitalizing on this success, Hollister’s vision is to become the sought-after premium brand portfolio of innovative, high quality cannabis across multiple states and hemp products nationwide.

Our wholly owned California subsidiary, Hollister Cannabis Co, is the 1st state and locally licensed Cannabis Company in the City of Hollister, California, the birthplace of the “American Biker” from which we embrace the outlaw roots of Hollister to drive our Company fearlessly down the road of success.

Products from Hollister Cannabis Co. include HashBone, the brand’s premier artisanal hash-infused pre-roll ranked as California’s #1 hash infused pre-roll, along with solvent-free bubble hash, pre-packaged flower, pre-rolls, tinctures, vape products, and full-spectrum high CBD pet tinctures.

Website:  www.hollistercannabisco.com 

About Venom Extracts

Venom Extracts is one of Arizona’s premier extract brands and one of the state’s largest producers of award-winning medical cannabis distillate and related products.  With an experienced management team and unparalleled reputation for quality, Venom Extracts prides itself as a differentiated extraction company by producing legal Marijuana products at a price point that allows retailers to generate higher profits.  Focused on proprietary efficiencies, the Company is able to produce more product per square foot than its competition, maintaining lower costs and risks than a typical extraction company. The company’s expansion strategy is centered on entering new markets/states that are approved for medical cannabis use and/or approved or have a reasonable expectation to be approved for recreational use in the near future.  

Website:  www.venomextracts.com

The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Information: This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed “forward-looking statements”. The use of any of the words “anticipate”, “continue”, “estimate”, “expect”, “may”, “will”, “would”, “project”, “should”, “believe” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. 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 News 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.

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VIDEO: Peter Pascali $100,000 Donation Inspires Corporate Responsibility During #COVID19 Crisis $PYR $RTN $NOC $UTX $HPQ.ca $DDD.ca $SSYS $PRLB

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 9:38 PM on Sunday, March 29th, 2020

The thematic case for #Nickel – SPONSOR Tartisan #Nickel $TN.ca – $ROX.ca $FF.ca $EDG.ca $AGL.ca $ANZ.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 3:55 PM on Friday, March 27th, 2020

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

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The thematic case for nickel

  • Nickel has exciting long-term prospects as its use in electric vehicle batteries is expected to drive its demand growth in the future
  • This structural trend has, however, not immunised it against the recent headwinds facing industrial metals

By Mobeen Tahir, Associate Director, Research, WisdomTree.

Nickel has exciting long-term prospects as its use in electric vehicle batteries is expected to drive its demand growth in the future. This structural trend has, however, not immunised it against the recent headwinds facing industrial metals. Industrial metals are cyclical commodities and their performance is fuelled by global economic growth. The sector has therefore been under pressure from trade wars and, more recently, coronavirus. In this blog, we want to shift the focus back to nickel’s strategic case. We remain cognizant that the current storm is not over yet but expect a smoother sail once the existing headwinds subside.

Analysing nickel’s recent history

Nickel has strongly outperformed the industrial metals basket (composed of copper, zinc, aluminium and nickel) in the last 3 years (Figure 1). The sector has faced challenges since the advent of trade wars in 2018 both directly due to tariffs and indirectly via a resulting slowdown in global economic activity. Nickel too has had its share of price volatility during this time. The metal rallied sharply in July 2019 on the expectation that Indonesia, which produces a quarter of global nickel supply, will bring forward its nickel ore export ban by 2 years to January 2020. Indonesia announced this decision soon thereafter. Concerns of supply shortages drove the price in a market which was already in a deficit. Nickel’s fortunes reversed in the last quarter of 2019 as stainless-steel demand, which currently accounts for nearly two-thirds of the metal’s use, dwindled. The dynamics of the nickel market are however changing which is why we have an optimistic view of the future.

Source: WisdomTree, Bloomberg. Monthly data from 01/01/2017 to 03/01/2020. Industrial metals basket refers to the Bloomberg Industrial Metals Subindex.

Battery solutions to take a larger share of nickel

According to metal experts Wood Makenzie, battery solutions are expected to account for more than 30% of the total demand for nickel by 2040, up from around 4% today (Figure 2). This is because electric vehicles are forecasted to be around 50% of all passenger car sales by 2040, up from around 8% today. Batteries need to become more efficient to enable this growth and nickel is expected to play a pivotal role. According to the Nickel Institute, nickel-containing Lithium-ion batteries are powering the electric vehicle revolution as nickel in batteries helps deliver higher energy density and greater storage capacity at a lower cost. This will allow electric cars to have both a longer range, i.e. the ability to drive longer distances without requiring a recharge, and lower cost promoting wider adoption.

Now, the impact on price from demand growth can, in theory, be offset by an equal increase in supply. We, however, believe that supply growth will be much slower as, according to Wood Mackenzie, the average time for a new nickel mining project to start producing the metal is around 9 years. Miners will seek higher prices to be incentivised to undertake such projects.

Source: WisdomTree, Wood Mackenzie. Forecasts (F) from 2019.

It is uncertain how quickly the current headwinds facing industrial metals will dissipate. Having said that, the market dynamics of nickel are changing and the long-term outlook appears promising for the metal supported by a thematic shift towards electric vehicles which is being powered by nickel-containing batteries. With the nickel market already in a supply deficit, we expect growing demand to support its price in the long-term.

Source: https://www.etfstrategy.com/wisdomtree-the-thematic-case-for-nickel-etf-49595/

Tartisan Nickel Corp. $TN.ca Completes Spectral Analysis Survey over Kenbridge Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Deposit and Identifies New Exploration Targets $ROX.ca $FF.ca $EDG.ca $AGL.ca $ANZ.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:52 AM on Thursday, March 26th, 2020
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  • Company has completed a Spectral Analysis Survey conducted by Aster Funds Ltd. over the Kenbridge Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Deposit, Atikwa Lake Area, Ontario.
  • Survey covered the patented and single-cell mining claims that make up the historic land position which contains the Kenbridge Deposit and the surrounding area, identifying several new exploration targets not only for nickel, copper, cobalt, but also for potential gold occurrences.

Toronto, Ontario–(March 26, 2020) – Tartisan Nickel Corp. (CSE: TN) (OTC Pink: TTSRF) (FSE: 8TA) (“Tartisan”, or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that the Company has completed a Spectral Analysis Survey conducted by Aster Funds Ltd. over the Kenbridge Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Deposit, Atikwa Lake Area, Ontario. The survey covered the patented and single-cell mining claims that make up the historic land position which contains the Kenbridge Deposit and the surrounding area, identifying several new exploration targets not only for nickel, copper, cobalt, but also for potential gold occurrences.

The Spectral Analysis Survey shows the distribution and intensity of up to 304 minerals, with the first pass showing up to16 minerals. Each mineral can be classified into an exploration relevance for base metals, precious metals and industrial metals.

The Spectral Analysis Survey picked up several minerals implicit in the formation of nickel sulphide deposits, and potentially other types of deposits on the Kenbridge Property. These minerals included chlorite*, muscovite, quartz, epidote*, goethite*, smectite, pyrophyllite, pyroxenite*, pyrrhotite*, hematite*, alunite, chalcopyrite*, sphalerite*, pyrite*, talc*, and kaolinite*. Starred minerals in the list are those which are seen in outcrop, surface geology, and drill logs at the Kenbridge Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Deposit.

The key benefit to the Company from the Spectral Analysis Survey is the Target Vector Minerals analysis “TVM” TM. TVM’s were structured for metallic sulphides and the oxides that derive from them; gold; copper; and nickel, as well as direct indicators of Kenbridge-style mineralization in pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite. The Kenbridge Deposit was easily picked out by the survey, and shown to be some five TVM’s of a possible six TVM’s. The survey also picked out several other areas of five/six TVM’s and one area of six/six TVM’s. These areas will form the basis for a renewed surface exploration program at the Kenbridge Project in summer 2020.

Tartisan CEO Mark Appleby said, “the survey picked out the Kenbridge Deposit, and has shown the possible extension to the Kenbridge Deposit and three additional trends that relate directly to underlying geology and structure implicit in the Kenbridge Deposit. Of significant interest, the survey found two gold trends as well, which include the Violet and Nina historic gold occurrences. One of the occurrences is almost 54 hectares in size and covers almost all of three of our staked claims on the border of the Kenbridge property.”

Tartisan will use the Aster Funds Ltd. Report as the basis for assessment filing over the single-cell mining claims and will form the basis of expanding the exploration potential of the Kenbridge Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project.

About Tartisan Nickel Corp.

Tartisan Nickel Corp. is a Canadian based mineral exploration and development company which owns a 100% stake in the Kenbridge Nickel-Copper Project in Ontario; a 100% interest in the Sill Lake Lead-Silver property located in Vankoughnet Township, Ontario; a 100% interest in the Don Pancho Zinc-Lead-Silver Project in Peru just 9 km from Trevali’s Santander mine. Tartisan also owns a 100% stake in the Ichuna Copper-Silver Project, also in Peru, contiguous to Buenaventura’s San Gabriel property. Company financial strength is provided by a significant equity stake in Eloro Resources Ltd, which is exploring the low-sulphidation epithermal La Victoria Gold/Silver Project in Ancash, Peru and the Iska-Iska project in Bolivia.

Tartisan Nickel Corp. common shares are listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE:TN) (OTC Pink: TTSRF) (FSE: 8TA). Currently, there are 100,563,550 shares outstanding (103,263,550 fully diluted).

For further information, please contact Mr. D. Mark Appleby, President & CEO and a Director of the Company, at 416-804-0280 ([email protected]). Additional information about Tartisan can be found at the Company’s website at www.tartisannickel.com or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Jim Steel MBA P.Geo. is the Qualified Person under NI 43-101 and has read and approved the technical content of this News Release.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.

The Canadian Securities Exchange (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.) has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/53836