Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 2:49 PM on Tuesday, July 2nd, 2019
WHY NORTHBUD FARMS?
Canadian regulatory door for CIP (Cannabinoid Infused Products) is opening this year As shown in other legal jurisdictions (Colorado, Washington, Nevada, California)
Infused products sector has become the highest margin segment of the industry
Positioned to be a raw input producer for this space
Currently working with multiple food, beverage and science companies to provide safe standardized cannabinoid infused raw inputs for large scale GMP manufacturing of products
In 2018, Eureka recognized revenue of approximately CAD$11.5 million*
net profit margin of 16%* from its California and Colorado operations
Anticipates further growth in revenue due to anticipated changes to retail regulation of adult cannabis use in California.
Justin Braune, CEO of Eureka Vapor, joins Scott to share the
company’s background and why Eureka was an ideal match for North Bud.
Watch until the end to hear Justin’s predictions on Federal
de-regulation in the US.
FULL DISCLOSURE: NORTHBUD is an advertising client of AGORA Internet Relations Corp.
Govt must help unleash the massive potential of EdTech in India
A fraught public education system in India presents a variety of
opportunities for EdTech market players to enter with the promise of
customisation and efficiency.
Indian Education Technology (EdTech) solutions are being recognised globally
India’s very own EdTech unicorn Byju’s has spent $120m on Osmo — a US play-based learning start-up.
As the global education and training market is expected to be at $10 trillion by 2030, technology will change the way education systems are perceived, accessed, and utilized.
Aditi Bhutoria
Indian Education Technology (EdTech) solutions are being recognised
globally, with four of the nation’s start-ups being selected as a part
of 30 global finalists for the ‘Next Billion EdTech Prize 2019’ awarded
by UK-based Varkey Foundation. India’s very own EdTech unicorn Byju’s
has spent $120m on Osmo — a US play-based learning start-up. As the
global education and training market is expected to be at $10 trillion
by 2030, technology will change the way education systems are perceived,
accessed, and utilised.
With the largest young demography in the world that is getting
increasingly mobile-friendly and technologically connected, the Indian
EdTech market has a huge opportunity at hand. Indian start-ups can be at
the centre of this technological change, driving innovation to help a
young nation reach its demographic potential.
A fraught public education system in India presents a variety of
opportunities for market players to enter with the promise of
customisation and efficiency. Distortions in the schooling systems, such
as weak teacher incentives or outdated pedagogies, undermine student
learning and much of the impact of increasing existing educational
spending.
Here, technology-assisted innovations designed to address these
distortions are making quality teaching accessible for all, raising
learning levels, and increasing test scores, at a low cost. Moreover,
the present EdTech start-ups are striving to make ‘learning fun’ despite
different distractions surrounding students.
The disruptive innovation in this space is to encourage voluntary
self-learning rather than crammed or forced learning that focuses on
rote memorisation. Personalised e-learning solutions including
step-by-step learning methods, animated graphics, or blended teaching
approaches are making hard concepts easier to understand.
Favourable investment regulations support capital flows, with 100 per
cent foreign direct investment permissible in the Indian education
sector, protecting it from the plausible sickness of over-governance.
The EdTech market, thus, functions as an economic system where supply
and demand regulate its dealings. Such a market is characterised by
freedom of choice and free enterprise. Private entrepreneurs are free to
sell teaching-learning goods and services to a target groups of their
choice. Learners (or consumers) are free to buy those goods and services
that best satisfy their wants and needs. However, what drives this
space is competition. Competition ensures greater quality and lower
prices for education courses or products for the learners.
In such a market, China has emerged as a leader with an establishment
of 97 new unicorn companies in 2018 alone. The reasons could be that
Chinese parents are apprised about the importance of education, the
country has a massive population, and there is strong government
support. While India is similar to China in terms of having benefits of
demography and scale, the market conditions and government support
levels in our country are different.
On the supply side, the most nagging barrier to growth in the Indian
EdTech market is that undertaking new ventures or sustaining existing
ones remains costly. There are fixed costs to entry and the returns to
education can be small in the short-run, with benefits only reaped in
the medium- and long-run. For instance, the Indian EdTech industry has
about 3,500 companies operating at present with only around 274 backed
by investors. Of these, only 52 ventures have received cumulated funding
of greater than $1 million. This presents a starkly different business
landscape compared to our Chinese neighbours.
Education has positive externalities, which means that gains from the
education of a child or adult accrues not only to them but also to
other members of their family, society, and nation. Thus, a conducive
policy can focus not just on providing financial impetus to EdTech
ventures but also improving the productivity of educational investment,
through non-pecuniary support such as entrepreneurial training, strong
mentoring, or recognition.
Further, the multi-faceted nature of the Indian EdTech market has to
be studied in detail to differentiate between different types of
products, value created, and impacts of the same. For instance, EdTech
is not just e-learning; e-learning is only a small part of a very
diverse sector.
Overall, the B2B (business-to-business) EdTech market in India is
fragmented with buyers like government, high-budget and
affordable-private schools all functioning under varied regulations.
If the government can leverage on its public-school ecosystem to be
more open towards smart solutions and better integrate
technologically-driven learning opportunities for students, there can be
a shift in how EdTech is perceived by the society and would drastically
improve the existing market opportunities.
Finally, research and evaluation should be planned and used to make
evidence-based decisions on: which EdTech solutions work and which
don’t? As a way ahead, initiatives such as StartUp India can provide
increased emphasis on EdTech start-ups that are solving the most
challenging education problems in a cost-effective manner. Further,
integration of AI with education has already been recognised in the
current government’s vision; but AI solutions in education need to be
constructively expanded and rigorously tested.
Overall, with the stage being set through diverse offerings of
innovative products by the Indian EdTech industry, the government must
take the initiative to sustain these innovations so as to unleash its
massive social and economic potential.
Aditi Bhutoria is assistant professor, Public Policy and
Management Group, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta. Views are
personal.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 10:46 AM on Tuesday, July 2nd, 2019
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Is Google Chasing The 90% Potential Of Blockchain That Facebook Left Out?
Regardless of your viewpoint on Facebook’s Libra program, it’s a significant stepping stone for the adoption of cryptocurrency
Facebook has it is repertoire a bank of over two billion users who will soon be exposed to the world of tokens and cryptocurrency
Regardless of your viewpoint on Facebook’s Libra program,
it’s a significant stepping stone for the adoption of cryptocurrency.
Facebook has it is repertoire a bank of over two billion users who will
soon be exposed to the world of tokens and cryptocurrency.
However, outside of tokenomics, there is a lot more power in the blockchain, especially in regards to smart contracts. Thus, a recent partnership
between Google and Chainlink, a company that provides on ramps and off
ramps for information necessary to run smart contracts, may hint at
Google wanting a bigger slice of the pie.
So far in the blockchain and cryptocurrency space, it has been tokens
that have dominated in terms of usefulness. Bitcoin, as a prime
example, is a blockchain token that has shown the most application, and
garnered the most excitement from individuals.
This tokenized economy opens massive doors in terms of the transfer
of value without the need for intermediaries, or the handbrake that
banking regulations bring in, but it is only one piece of the pie.
In this nascent space, there are tokens, and then there is the
blockchain proper with its smart contract applications offering huge
potential. For enterprises and business, smart contracts offer far more
than tokens can – but tokens are far more attractive for individuals.
Facebook, as a company serving individuals, is looking at
taking tokens forward, but Google may well be looking to the
enterprises. By honing in on smarter smart contracts, Google could well
be tapping into the other 90 percent of blockchain’s potential.
Looking to make smart contracts smarter
Google’s decision to partner with Chainlink allows for Ethereum app
builders using Google software to be able to integrate data from sources
outside the blockchain.
Chainlink offers a service called an oracle
to integrate additional data into on-chain smart contracts. This adds
another layer to the capabilities of these contracts, allowing processes
to be implemented directly on the blockchain.
Essentially, the smart contracts are being made a lot smarter as the
data used to execute can be integrated from more than just within the
blockchain. It is a small step for Google, but it could be hinting at
their general heading in the blockchain space.
Chainlink CEO, Sergey Nazarov, spoke to Forbes about the value of smart contracts in the blockchain space.
“Our space is stuck in two dimensions. One is that we are really
focused on tokens because tokens are the only real functionality
blockchains have, to date,” Nazarov said.
“It is very useful functionality, and from the amount of attention
that one simple piece of functionality has gotten, it says a lot of
really positive things about what other contracts can be viewed as.”
“Tokens are the email of our space, and I think all the other
applications require a certain amount of infrastructure. The idea is
that to build useful applications we need to be able to connect them to
what they need to consume, and what they need to generate.”
“So, for the people at Google, they are looking at the two
directions. One direction is heavy tokens, which is fine, and then the
other direction asks: ‘what else can blockchains do?’ and my sincere
opinion is that tokens are maybe 10 percent of what this stuff can do.”
“I think the difference between Facebook and Google is that Facebook
may have a real interest in payment and crypto stuff, but Google may
have an interest in building these highly useful contracts by building
useful infrastructure to make that possible.”
Google catching up
Google, as one of the world’s leading technology companies, has been
viewed as somewhat behind the eightball in the blockchain space. In
comparison to IBM, Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, and the likes, Google is
playing catch up.
However, Nazarov confirms that there is a growing interest from the internet giant.
“There are people in Google that are very interested in blockchain,”
he added. “The thing with Google is that it is very focused, and they
have their systems and processes that lead them to success in a focused
way. There are people in Google, and official positions, that I know of
that are related to blockchains – and I have seen an increase in that
since a year ago.”
With Google taking a more active role in the blockchain space, their
focus looks to be enterprise-based, and on what blockchain can do
besides offering tokens.
Nazarov goes on to explain that in the world of contracts, only 10 to
20 percent make up an exchange of value. It means that there is a
gaping hole of blockchain potential that needs to be realized.
“Think about how this looks from an enterprise point of view,”
Nazarov said. “Realistically, all the contracts – financial contracts –
in the world, 10 -20 percent is about ownership and transfer. That
covers tokens, which is all very useful in itself, but it also shows
that a reliable method of doing that is extremely valuable.
“Then the question becomes – ‘if all we can do today is ownership’ –
what is the other 80 percent in contracts? And the other 80 percent is
what we are talking about. What we work on is trying to get that other
80 percent to function, and for that, we need to work on more than
application, we need to build an environment for the application to
exist in.”
An efficient blockchain environment
Nazarov uses an example of Uber to express how building this
application environment can make things better for enterprises, and
again hints at why Google is interested in partnering with Chainlink.
In Uber, there is a mapping application which needed to be integrated
for the driver; there is the need for messaging between drivers and
customers; there is a payment application for both customers and to pay
drivers. All of these applications operate within the Uber app, but they
were all not created by Uber.
In other words, the Uber environment houses many applications. And,
in the blockchain space, with smart contracts that have the power to
reach data from sources outside the blockchain, an enterprise
environment is far more natural to build, and a lot more efficient.
A complex heading
Of course, there is no set roadmap from Google indicating that they
are looking to be the leaders in functional, enterprise smart contract
blockchain. However, their heading does seem to be more focused on the
other 90 percent of blockchain potential.
Chainlink is trying to make smart contracts smarter, and more useable
in common sense. If Google is looking to partner with them for their
work, they must have a desire to be a part of that potential.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 8:32 AM on Tuesday, July 2nd, 2019
Announced that the Company’s manufacturing and distribution facility for its Viva Buds cannabis delivery service is expected to be completed and fully functional by August 2019.
Announced in April that it had acquired a 20% ownership interest in Natural Plant Extract of California to establish a joint venture to create Viva Buds Inc., a unique cannabis delivery service based in Los Angeles, California.
ESCONDIDO, Calif., July 02, 2019 –MARIJUANA COMPANY OF AMERICA INC. (“MCOA†or the “Companyâ€) (OTCQB: MCOA), an innovative hemp and cannabis corporation, today announced that the Company’s manufacturing and distribution facility for its Viva Buds cannabis delivery service is expected to be completed and fully functional by August 2019.
MCOA announced in April that it had acquired a 20% ownership interest
in Natural Plant Extract of California (“NPEâ€) to establish a joint
venture to create Viva Buds Inc., a unique cannabis delivery service
based in Los Angeles, California.
“We are making tremendous progress through our partnership with NPE
and the rollout of our licensed cannabis manufacturing facility,†said
Mr. Edward Manolos, Board Member of MCOA. “Our commitment to compliance
will put Viva Buds ahead of the competition in California at a time when
many license holders are still awaiting permits. Such permits are
difficult to attain for manufacturers currently using volatile
extraction methodologies, due to stringent regulations on California’s Manufactured Cannabis Safety.â€
“Our joint venture partnership with NPE will allow us to become more
competitive within the bourgeoning cannabis industry in Southern
California,†said Mr. Don Steinberg, CEO of MCOA. “Once completed and
launched, Viva Buds will offer consumers a line of high-quality products
at low prices along with the ability to build their own personal
cannabis business.â€
The Lynwood, California manufacturing facility is licensed for the
volatile manufacturing, distribution and retail delivery of cannabis
products. NPE’s volatile manufacturing process is an efficient and
cost-effective extraction process that will help distinguish NPE from
others that use extraction.
About Marijuana Company of America, Inc. MCOA is a
corporation that participates in: (1) product research and development
of legal hemp-based consumer products under the brand name “hempSMART™â€,
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 recreational 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 Natural Plant Extracts of California NPE
is a fully licensed cannabis manufacturing, distribution and non-store
front retail delivery. The Company has secured its licenses with the
state of California and city of Lynwood, CA. For more information about
the Company, please visit its website at https://nldistribution.com
The owners and founders of NPE are marijuana industry veterans with
decades of experience in establishing retail, manufacturing and
distribution of cannabis in California, including obtaining the first
retail dispensary licenses in Los Angeles, CA.
Legal Status of Cannabis While legalized in
California for recreational and medicinal use, cannabis remains a
Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. § 811)
and illegal under the federal law. 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.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 2:41 PM on Thursday, June 27th, 2019
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———————–
Hershey is gravitating toward opportunities in esports
Twitch, the No.1 streaming site for gamers, touts 15 million unique daily visitors, and over 2.2 million creators who live stream their gameplay.
The global esports audience is projected to hit 600 million by 2023 — up from 281 million just three years ago, per Business Insider Intelligence estimates.
And revenue will rise with it: Global esports revenue is forecasted to reach $2.96billion by 2022, up from $869 million in 2018.
The Hershey Company is looking to reach non-traditional audiences through
esports, per Digiday. Hershey has traditionally allocated the bulk of
its media spend to traditional TV advertising, but it’s increasingly
diversifying its media spend beyond traditional TV and into more digital
spaces. The esports phenomenon has opened up a channel to reach
hundreds of millions of eyeballs worldwide.
Business Insider Intelligence
Hershey is increasingly investing in esports as it looks to tap into
audiences its traditional buys likely miss — in particular millennial
and Gen Z males under age 25. Hershey decided to ramp up its commitment
to the fast-growing space after seeing younger audiences flock to
streaming sites like Twitch and YouTube to engage with gamers
live-streaming their sessions.
Twitch, the No.1 streaming site for gamers, touts 15
million unique daily visitors, and over 2.2 million creators who live
stream their gameplay. The global esports audience is projected to hit 600
million by 2023 — up from 281 million just three years ago, per
Business Insider Intelligence estimates. And revenue will rise with it:
Global esports revenue is forecasted to reach $2.96billion by 2022, up from $869 million in 2018.
There are three primary methods for brands to advertise in esports:
Event sponsorships. While brands can reach esports viewers by
advertising on streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube, they can
also reach millions of esports event attendees and viewers by sponsoring
major live competitions. For instance, 200million
viewers tuned into the League of Legends World Championship in 2018 —
nearly double the number that watched the Super Bowl that year, which
clocked in at about
98 million viewers. That same event sold 23,000 tickets in under four
hours, with game owner Riot releasing an additional 3,000 to meet the
overwhelming demand.
Direct advertising on sites like Twitch. Many brands have taken to
running ads on alongside gaming content on the top video streaming
platforms for live gameplay. For instance, Wendy’s designed an interactive ad-campaign which ran on Twitch, and Nike has even debuted new shoes on the site.
Influencer brand partnerships. Gaming influencers inspire
intense trust and loyalty among their followings: If a gaming
influencer recommends hardware, their fans are likely to purchase that
gear, and if they recommend food or eat something while playing, their
fans might also follow suit. In fact, Hershey’s first foray into esports
was a partnership with top gamers “Ninja” ( 5 million Twitch followers), and “DrLupo” ( 3.4 million Twitch followers) to launch its Reese’s Pieces candy bar at gamer event TwitchCon (like Comic-Con, but for video games). Likewise, Axe partnered
with “Cizzorz” — part of the popular FazeClan esports team — to run a
promotional contest where fans could upload a live-action clip of
themselves gaming to Instagram or Twitter and be entered to win a
feature on the gamer’s channel and the opportunity to attend VidCon with
him.
As the global esports market explodes, I expect opportunities for
brand partnerships and advertisements to trace a similar path. And it’s
likely that brands get increasingly creative with their attempts to win a
piece of the space. Already, brands like Kellogg — which launched a new
cereal dubbed “Lucio-Oh’s,” based on a popular Overwatchcharacter — are experimenting with their approaches to the gaming world.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 2:00 PM on Thursday, June 27th, 2019
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NBUD: CSE
—————
Cannabis industry expects bump in sales for Canada Day long weekend
Canada Day long weekend is no longer mostly the preserve of the liquor industry, say some of the country’s cannabis retailers.
More of the pie for that flag-waving party is being carved out by legal pot sellers as the first post-legalization national birthday approaches, says an online cannabis information resource.
By: Bill Kaufmann
The Canada Day long weekend is no longer mostly the preserve of the
liquor industry, say some of the country’s cannabis retailers.
More of the pie for that flag-waving party is being carved out by
legal pot sellers as the first post-legalization national birthday
approaches, says an online cannabis information resource.
A survey commissioned by Leafly Canada suggests 25 per cent of
Alberta adults plan to embark on a cannabis buzz this long weekend,
among the highest in the country.
“That’s one in four compared to one in five (nationally),†said Jo
Vos, managing director of Leafly Canada, which commissioned the poll of
1,513 people conducted last week by Maru/Blue.
“Alberta and Atlantic Canada are leading the country in plans to consume this weekend,†said Vos.
Among millennials surveyed — those aged 22 to 37 — a whopping 33 per
cent said they plan to toke up or consume edibles on Canada’s 152nd
anniversary weekend.
The latest Statistics Canada figures on cannabis consumption suggest
15 per cent of Canadians reported using pot in the past three months,
with 19 per cent planning to consume it over the next three months.
“That was a similar percentage to what was reported before legalization,†states StatsCan.
Those numbers rise to 33 per cent among those aged 18 to 24.
Cannabis information clearing house Leafly is confident legalization
is pushing cannabis use into the mainstream when weekends approach, said
Vos.
“We believe consumption patterns will continue to shift and there’s a
broader awareness of cannabis as an option,†she said, adding those
follow the lines of booze consumption.
“We know there are behaviour patterns very similar to alcohol in the lead-up to weekends.â€
There are even “very compelling†indications that cannabis could displace some alcohol use, added Vos.
It was illegal but now there’s a freedom,Mark Goliger
Some statistics on alcohol sales in Canada show they haven’t
decreased since pot legalization, but some predict that might happen
when cannabis-infused beverages come on the market at year’s end.
Vos acknowledged marketing the newly legalized product is a much
tougher task than that facing the alcohol industry, whose wares can be
promoted openly on a host of platforms, including newspaper ads and
street signage.
Legalization has grown Canadian cannabis demand “but not
exponentially,†said Mark Goliger, CEO of National Access Cannabis
(NAC), which operates 15 stores in Alberta.
But he said the first summer long weekend following prohibition’s end
will likely see a spike in people consuming pot, and those who do
should feel no stigma.
“It was illegal but now there’s a freedom,†said Goliger.
“Long weekends are a time for people to relax and enjoy more of
everything, whether it’s food, friends, drinks, cannabis and, hopefully,
sunshine.â€
NAC recently announced revenues of $40 million since legalization,
through its NewLeaf Cannabis stores in Alberta and other outlets in
Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
“We’d love to have been further ahead but with the (now-ended)
moratorium on new stores in Alberta, supply problems, with Ontario going
to a lottery system for new stores and B.C. not going as fast as we’d
like, it’s impacted things,†he said.
Cannabis retailers expect to sell plenty of the green stuff on the
first Canada Day long weekend since legalization.Ryan Remiorz / THE
CANADIAN PRESS
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 11:31 AM on Thursday, June 27th, 2019
Life of mine (LOM) of 14 years, with 6 million tonnes annually of potential process plant feed at an average grade of 0.88 g/t Palladium Equivalent (PdEq) and process recovery rate of 80%, resulting in an annual average payable Pd production of 119,000 ounces
Pre-Production capital requirements: $495 M
Undiscounted cash flow before income and mining taxes of $586M
Undiscounted cash flow after income and mining taxes of $384M
June 27th, 2019 – Rockport, Canada – New Age Metals Inc. (NAM) (TSX.V: NAM; OTCQB: NMTLF; FSE: P7J.F) Harry Barr, Chairman & CEO, stated; “We are pleased to update our shareholders and interested parties as to the results of the initial Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for the company’s 100% owned River Valley PGM Project in Sudbury, Ontario Canada. The PEA has been developed by various independent consultants – P&E Mining Consultants Inc. (P&E) was responsible for the open pit mining, surface infrastructure, tailings facility, and project economics; DRA Americas Inc. (“DRA”) was responsible for all metallurgical test work and processing aspects of the Project; and WSP Canada Inc. (“WSP”) was responsible for the Mineral Resource Estimate. The PEA demonstrates positive economics for a large-scale mining open pit operation, with 14 years of Palladium and Platinum production.”
Go-Forward Plan: In
order to enhance the Project, the PEA has outlined a phased work
approach to completing a Pre-Feasibility study. This includes advanced
metallurgical testing to improve / confirm process recoveries and more
accurately estimate concentrate grades, geotechnical logging of drill
core, with new geotechnical holes to create a 3D geomechanical block
model and estimate pit wall angles, hydrogeological studies that will
estimate water inflows to the open pits and generate a site water and
management plan. The Pre-Feasibility study will update the Project study
to a higher level of precision.
NAM plans to continue to improve
the River Valley Project’s value proposition by drill testing
geophysical anomalies found during the 2018 geophysics campaign,
continuing the geophysical program throughout the 16 kilometres of the
contact mineralization adding significant potential to find new
deposits, drilling near the defined open pit shells to increase the mine
life, drilling deeper to test the open-ended Deposit at depth, and
re-assaying existing drill core for Rhodium in order that Rhodium may be
added to the Project’s metal suite.
Technical Report: For
readers to fully understand the information in this news release, they
should read the PEA Technical Report in its entirety which the Company
expects to file in accordance with NI 43-101 within 45 days from the
date of this news release on SEDAR (www.sedar.com)
and it will also be available at that time on the New Age Metals
website, including all qualifications, assumptions and exclusions that
relate to the PEA. The Technical Report is intended to be read in its
entirety, and sections should not be read or relied upon out of context.
PEA Highlights (CDN$ unless otherwise noted):
– Life of mine (LOM) of 14 years,
with 6 million tonnes annually of potential process plant feed at an
average grade of 0.88 g/t Palladium Equivalent (PdEq) and process
recovery rate of 80%, resulting in an annual average payable Pd
production of 119,000 ounces
– Pre-Production capital requirements: $495 M
– Undiscounted cash flow before income and mining taxes of $586M
– Undiscounted cash flow after income and mining taxes of $384M
– Average unit operating cost of $19.50/tonne over the life-of-mine
– LOM average operating cash cost
of $971 per ounce (US$709/oz) and all-in sustaining cash cost of $972
per ounce (US$709/oz) at a 1.37 CDN: USD exchange rate.
– A mining contractor will be engaged for the open pit mining
– Pre-tax NPV (5%): $262M, After-tax NPV (5%): $139 M
– Pre-tax IRR: 13%, After-tax IRR: 10%
– Assumed metal prices of US$1,200/oz Pd, US$1,050/oz Pt, US$1,350/oz Au, US$3.25/lb Cu, US$8.00/lb Ni, US$35/lb Co
– Using a + 20% Pd price
sensitivity (to the base case of US$1,200/oz Pd) US$1,440 /oz Pd returns
a pre-tax IRR of 19% and an after tax-IRR of 15%. Palladium price as of June 25, 2019 is US$1,510/oz Pd, which would return a pre-tax IRR of 21% and an after-tax IRR of 16%.
– River Valley process plant feed will be treated by a conventional sulphide flotation process plant to produce a single saleable PGM concentrate that will be transported to the Sudbury area for smelting/refining
– Potential for up to 325 jobs at the peak of production
PEA Summary
The PEA parameters are summarized in Table 1.
(*) Cautionary statement NI 43-101:
The PEA was prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101
Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”). Readers are
cautioned that the PEA is preliminary in nature. It includes Inferred
Mineral Resources that are considered too speculative geologically to
have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them
to be categorized as Mineral Reserves, and there is no certainty that
the PEA will be realized. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral
Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. All currency is stated as CDN$ unless stated otherwise.
Table 1: PEA Summary Parameters
Assumptions
Palladium Price (Base case) US$/oz
1,200
Exchange Rate US$:CDN$
1.37
Production Profile
Total Tonnes Processed
78,100,000
Process Plant Head Grade PdEq g/t
0.88
Mine Life (years)
14
Daily process plant throughput (tpd)
16,440
Palladium Process Plant Recovery
80%
Total Payable Palladium Equivalent Ounces
1,600,000
Average annual Palladium Production Ounces
119,000
Operating Costs
Unit Operating Costs (per tonne processed)
19.50
Mining Costs
10.20
Processing Costs
8.44
G&A
0.90
LOM Average Cash Cost US$/oz
709
Capital Requirements
Pre-Production Capital Cost
$495.1 M
Sustaining Capital Cost (Life of Mine) Including Salvage
$1.0 M
Project Economics
Royalties
3% (Buy down to 1.5% with $1,500,000 payment)
Royalty Payable After $1.5M Payment
$39.7 M
Taxes
$202.3 M
Pre-Tax
NPV (5% Discount Rate)
$262 M
IRR
13%
Payback (years)
6.6
Cumulative Undiscounted Cash Flows
$586 M
After-Tax
NPV (5% Discount Rate)
$139 M
IRR
10%
Payback (years)
7.0
Cumulative Undiscounted Cash Flows
$384 M
Operating Cost
Table 2: Operating Cost Summary.
OPERATING COST
LOM ($/t)
Mining Cost
$/t material
2.28
Mining Cost
$/t feed
10.20
Processing Cost
$/t feed
8.44
G&A
$/t feed
0.90
Unit Operating
$/t feed
19.50
Capital Cost
Table 3: Capital Cost Summary
Development Capital
Initial (Y-2, Y-1) ($ M)
Sustaining ($’ M)
Total LOM ($’ M)
Mine Pre-Stripping
17.3
17.3
Process Plant Incl. Indirects
401.3
401.3
TMF
8.0
8.0
Mine Site Infrastructure
10.0
10.0
Office, Warehouse, Shops
10.0
10.0
Owner Cost
5.0
5.0
10% Contingency
43.4
43.4
Initial Project Capital
495.1
495.1
Sustaining Capital
Closure Bond
26.0
26.0
Salvage Value
-25.0
-25.0
Total Sustaining Capital
1.0
1.0
Total Capital
495.1
1.0
496.1
Project Economics and Sensitivities
The economic results of the PEA are
summarized in Table 4 on an after-tax basis. The sensitivities and the
impact of cash flows have been calculated for +/- 20% variations against
the base case.
Table 4: Project Economics Sensitivity.
Project Sensitivity Analysis
Pd Price Sensitivity
%
-20%
-15%
-10%
-5%
Base Case
+5%
+10%
+15%
+20%
Spot
US$/oz
960
1,020
1,080
1,140
1,200
1,260
1,320
1,380
1,440
1,510
NPV (CDN$ M)
-23
16
59
98
139
179
220
260
300
347
IRR (%)
4
6
7
8
10
11
12
13
15
16
OPEX Sensitivity
%
-20%
-15%
-10%
-5%
Base Case
+5%
+10%
+15%
+20%
Cost Per Tonne
16
17
18
18
19
20
21
22
23
NPV (CDN$ M)
212
194
175
157
139
120
102
83
68
IRR (%)
14
12
11
10
10
9
8
7
7
CAPEX Sensitivity
%
-20%
-15%
-10%
-5%
Base Case
+5%
+10%
+15%
+20%
CAPEX (CDN$ M)
397
422
446
471
496
521
546
570
595
NPV (CDN$ M)
284
248
212
175
139
102
64
28
-6
IRR (%)
14
13
12
11
10
8
7
6
5
River Valley Project Site Plan
See the image below that shows a site
plan from the River Valley PEA. The map shows all of the 14 open pits
that have been used in the engineering design of the Project as well as
the proposed process plant site, low-grade stockpile, waste rock storage
facilities, tailings storage facility and site infrastructure.
Click Image To View Full Size
Mineral Resource
The pit constrained Mineral Resource
Estimate which formed the basis of the PEA, is set out in Table 5 and
was prepared by WSP under the supervision of Todd McCracken, P. Geo., an
“Independent Qualified Person”, as defined in NI 43-101. The effective
date of this Mineral Resource Estimate is January 9, 2019. The Mineral
Resource database contains 710 boreholes with 106,554 assays records in
the database, and 2,642 surface channel samplings. The Mineral Resource
Estimate update was completed on the Dana North, Dana South, Pine,
Banshee, Lismer, Lismer Extension, Varley, Azen, Razor, and River Valley
Extension Zones, using the ordinary kriging (OK) methodology on a
capped and composited borehole dataset consistent with industry
standards. Validation of the results was conducted thought the use of
visual inspection, swath plots and global statistical comparison of the
model against inverse distance squared (ID2) and nearest neighbour (NN) models.
Table 5: Pit Constrained Mineral Resource Estimate for River Valley PGM Project – Effective January 9, 2019.
Click Image To View Full Size
Class
PGM + Au (oz)
PdEq (oz)
PtEq (oz)
Measured
1,394,000
1,701,000
1,701,000
Indicated
983,000
1,166,000
1,166,000
Meas +Ind
2,377,000
2,867,000
2,867,000
Inferred
841,000
1,059,000
1,059,000
Notes:
1.CIM definition standards were followed for the Mineral Resource Estimate.
2.The 2018 Mineral
Resource models used Ordinary Kriging grade estimation within a
three-dimensional block model with mineralized zones defined by
wireframed solids.
3.A base cut-off
grade of 0.35 g/t PdEq was used for reporting Mineral Resources in a
constrained pit and 2.00 g/t PdEq was used for reporting the Mineral
Resources under the pit.
6.Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have economic viability
7. The Inferred
Mineral Resource in this estimate has a lower level of confidence than
that applied to an Indicated Mineral Resource and must not be converted
to a Mineral Reserve. It is reasonably expected that the majority of the
Inferred Mineral Resource could be upgraded to an Indicated Mineral
Resource with continued exploration.
Mining and Processing
The PEA is preliminary
in nature, and includes Inferred Mineral Resources that are considered
too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied
to them that would enable them to be categorized as
Mineral Reserves. There is no certainty that the Preliminary Economic
Assessment will be realized.
The River Valley Project is expected
to be mined by a contractor. Initial mining will occur at the northwest
end of the Deposit, close to the proposed process plant site. A series
of 14 open pits will be mined, and will progress in a southeasterly
direction. Pit numbers 1 to 4 contain the bulk of the mineralized
process plant feed.
Annual process plant feed of up to 6
Mtpy (0.5 Mtpm) is planned, at an average strip ratio of 3.6:1 over the
life-of-mine. It is anticipated that a fleet of 221 t haul trucks, 29 m3
excavators and 254 mm diameter hole rotary drills will be utilized,
following industry standard conventional open pit mining techniques.
The process plant is designed to
produce a single saleable PGM concentrate using conventional sulphide
flotation techniques. The concentrate will be trucked to a
smelter/refinery in the Sudbury area.
The Run-Of-Mine (ROM) feed from the
mine will be crushed in a single primary jaw crushing stage prior to the
grinding circuit. The crusher discharge will be conveyed to a live
stockpile, which will provide an operating buffer between the crushing
and grinding circuits.
The grinding circuit will consist of a SAG mill in closed circuit with a pebble crusher and two ball mills in parallel.
The process plant design considers
three stages of cleaner flotation and is designed to process 21,920 tpd
(6.0 Mtpy) of ROM feed.
The flotation circuit configuration and design are based on the locked cycle tests conducted by SGS Canada in 2013.
Concentrate and tailings products
will be dewatered using high-rate thickeners and the concentrate will be
further dewatered by conventional plate and frame vacuum filtration.
Process water will be recovered from
the concentrate and tailings thickener overflow. Raw water is assumed to
be sourced from the local environment and will be used as makeup water.
It is assumed that 10% of the raw water requirement will be recycled
from the tailings pond.
Conventional tailings deposition techniques will be utilized.
A 230 kV transmission line is located
passing through the village of Warren, approximately 22 km from the
Project. A 115 kV transmission line passes through the village of Field,
located approximately 15 km to the east of the Project. It is assumed
that electrical power will be provided by the local utility via either
of these overland power lines. Diesel generators will be used to supply
emergency power.
Project Enhancement Opportunities
The PEA demonstrates that River
Valley has the potential to be economically viable. The PEA also
outlines several opportunities to enhance Project value. Additional
opportunities include:
Area of Focus
Opportunities to Explore
Management Target
Geotechnical study
– Geotechnical logging of drill core,
with new geotechnical holes to create a 3D geomechanical block model
and estimate pit wall slope angles
– Estimate pit wall slopes
Hydrogeological study
– Estimate water in-flows to the open pits and generate a site water management plan
– Site water management plan
Increase the Project Mineral Resource base
– Additional drilling in the footwall to expand the Mineral Resource.
After the ground proofing and surface exploration program conducted in
Summer 2018 which followed up on the most recent induced polarization
geophysical survey by Abitibi, NAM management has designed a 3-phase
5,000 metre drill program to test the new geophysical anomalies. See the
map figure below which shows these new geophysical anomalies and
potential targets for the next stage of drilling at River Valley
superimposed over the upper 4 kilometres of the project map.
Click Image To View Full Size
– Drilling near the defined open pit shells to increase the mine life.
– Drilling deeper to test the open-ended deposit at depth. Average drill hole depth is 220 metres below surface.
– Increase tonnes, grade and mine life of Project
– Continue to drill recent footwall discoveries
– Add additional Mineral Resources to the Project.
Mineral Resource
– In-fill drilling to convert Inferred Mineral Resources to Indicated Mineral Resources
– Improve Mineral Resource classification
Mineral Resource
– Step-out drilling to increase the Mineral Resource Estimate
– Increase the size of the Mineral Resource Estimate
Metallurgical testing
– Advanced metallurgical testing to
confirm or potentially improve process recoveries and more accurately
estimate concentrate grades produced
– Achieve a process recovery equal or greater than 80%.
Geophysical surveys
– Continue with induced polarization
geophysical surveys over the 12.5 kilometres of the contact / footwall
that has not been surveyed in the 2017 and 2018 programs
conducted on the Project. This work can be carried out in phases as
funding is available or until the contact / footwall is covered, see the
map figure below that shows a proposed scenario for how to phase the
work.
Click Image To View Full Size
– Outline new targets highlighting new potential footwall discoveries over the entire Project
Advanced sampling for Rhodium
– Re-assaying existing core for
Rhodium. Rhodium has been identified, however, insufficient assaying in
the past has not allowed for Rhodium’s inclusion in the Mineral Resource
Estimate.
– Quantify the amount of Rhodium in the Project and add this to the existing Mineral Resource Estimate
Pre-Feasibility study
– Updated Mineral Resource Estimate,
optimize the mine plan, process plant design, and Project economics.
Address environmental aspects.
– Update the Project study to a higher level of precision
Qualified Persons and NI 43-101 Disclosure
The PEA was prepared under the supervision
of Eugene Puritch, P.Eng. of P&E Mining Consultants Inc. The Mineral
Resource Estimate was prepared by Todd McCracken, P.Geo. of WSP Canada
Inc. Metallurgical testwork and process plant design and cost estimates
were prepared by Jim Kambossos, P. Eng. of DRA Americas
Inc. All three are independent Qualified Persons in accordance with NI
43-101. Mr. Puritch has reviewed and approved the technical information
in this release. Michael Neumann, P.Eng. Managing Director for NAM is
the company Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101
and has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news
release.
On behalf of the Board of Directors
“Harry Barr”
Harry G. Barr, Chairman and CEO
For further information on New Age Metals,
please contact Harry Barr and/or Anthony Ghitter, Business Development
at 613-659-2773, or [email protected]
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.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward
Looking Statements: This release contains forward-looking statements
that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements may differ
materially from actual future events or results and are based on current
expectations or beliefs. For this purpose, statements of historical
fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. In addition,
forward-looking statements include statements in which the Company uses
words such as “continue”, “efforts”, “expect”, “believe”, “anticipate”,
“confident”, “intend”, “strategy”, “plan”, “will”, “estimate”,
“project”, “goal”, “target”, “prospects”, “optimistic” or similar
expressions. These statements by their nature involve risks and
uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially depending on a
variety of important factors, including, among others, the Company’s
ability and continuation of efforts to timely and completely make
available adequate current public information, additional or different
regulatory and legal requirements and restrictions that may be imposed,
and other factors as may be discussed in the documents filed by the
Company on SEDAR (www.sedar.com), including the most recent reports that
identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to
differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. The
Company does not undertake any obligation to review or confirm analysts’
expectations or estimates or to release publicly any revisions to any
forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the
date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 8:30 AM on Thursday, June 27th, 2019
Continued the expansion of its wholly owned subsidiary, hempSMART, Ltd., into Europe, with its latest launch in the Netherlands.
As a result of the positive feedback received during its United Kingdom launch in March, the Company made a strategic decision to offer its hempSMART™ CBD product line and expand its European footprint further by holding an event on June 15, 2019, in the Netherlands.
ESCONDIDO, Calif., June 27, 2019 — via NetworkWire – MARIJUANA COMPANY OF AMERICA, INC.(“MCOA†or the “Companyâ€) (OTCQB: MCOA), an innovative hemp and cannabis corporation, has continued the expansion of its wholly owned subsidiary, hempSMART, Ltd., into Europe, with its latest launch in the Netherlands.
As a result of the positive feedback received during its United
Kingdom launch in March, the Company made a strategic decision to offer
its hempSMART™ CBD product line and expand its European footprint
further by holding an event on June 15, 2019, in the Netherlands.
“The Netherlands launch was a complete success, with people traveling
from other parts of Europe to witness the excitement around our
hempSMART™ CBD product line,†said Mr. Ian Harvey, Global Sales Director
of hempSMART, Ltd. “The event featured our CEO, Don Steinberg,
unveiling our wellness products via video link and educating people
about the benefits of our prime quality botanical ingredients. Our
products sold out at the end of the event, and we engaged new marketing
associates for hempSMART™ as evangelists to the brand that will help
spread our vision.â€
“Our high-quality CBD products combined with our compilation of
highly knowledgeable hempSMART™ team members have effectively increased
the Company’s footprint into the compelling European market,†said Mr.
Steinberg.
The Brightfield Group, a predictive market intelligence firm focused
on the legal CBD and cannabis industries, opined on March 26, 2019, that
the European CBD market was estimated at $318 million in 2018 and is
expected to grow over 400 percent by 2023. Brightfield’s assessment was
based on its opinion that CBD is just starting to take hold in Europe,
and presents a great opportunity for developed brands to enter and
expand into.
About Marijuana Company of America, Inc. MCOA is
a corporation that participates in (1) product research and development
of legal hemp-based consumer products under the brand name hempSMART™,
which 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 recreational 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 Our hempSMART™ Products Containing CBD
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not recognized
CBD as a safe and effective drug for any indication. Our products
containing CBD derived from industrial hemp are not marketed or sold
based upon claims that their use is safe and effective treatment for any
medical condition as drugs or dietary supplements subject to the
FDA’s jurisdiction.
Forward-Looking Statements This
news release contains “forward-looking statements†that 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,â€
“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-K, 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.
Tags: Cannabis, CBD, CSE, Hemp, Marijuana, stocks, tsx, tsx-v, weed Posted in Marijuana Company of America | Comments Off on Marijuana Company of America’s $MCOA #hempSMART™ Brand Continues European Expansion with Netherlands Launch $AERO $CBDS $CGRW $APH.ca $GBLX $ACG $ACB $WEED.ca $HIP.ca
Unacademy, an online learning platform, has raised $50 million Series D funding round
from Steadview Capital, Sequoia India, Nexus Venture Partners and Blume
Ventures. Aakrit Vaish, co-founder of tech firm Haptik and Sujeet
Kumar, co-founder of business-to-business online marketplace Udaan also
participated in the round, along with Unacademy founders, Gaurav Munjal and Roman Saini.
“By leveraging technology and
high-quality educators, we aim to move closer to our mission of
democratising education at all levels, starting with test prep,†said
Gaurav Munjal, co-founder and chief executive of Unacademy. “We are seeing unprecedented growth and engagement from learners in smaller towns and cities, and are also very humbled to see that top-quality educators are choosing Unacademy as their primary platform to reach out to students.â€
The company now has more than 400 top educators from
across the country taking live classes every day on Unacademy Plus.
This is available to every student, irrespective of their location said
the company.
Unacademy recently launched its Plus Subscription, and since its launch, more than 50,000 learners have
subscribed to Unacademy Plus. The firm said this service is available
for more than 20 exam categories and provides students unlimited access
to live courses by top educators across the country. Learners get
a personalised live learning experience that is augmented by
doubt-clearing sessions with the educators, interactive classes and live
test series. More than 600 live classes are conducted every day by the
educators on Plus who teach from all across the country.
“Unacademy is a very meaningful ed-tech company in the making and
Sequoia India is excited to invest signiï¬cantly in this round,” said
Shailendra Singh, managing director, Sequoia Capital (India) Singapore.
“We were thrilled with how rapidly Gaurav (Munjal) and the team
converted some of our collective product brainstorming sessions into an
amazing live-streaming product and a subscription business for the test
prep market,†said Singh.
Unacademy was founded by Gaurav Munjal, Roman Saini and Hemesh Singh
in 2015. The firm said the platform empowers educators by making it easy
for them to create high-quality educational lessons on the Educator
App, that learners access via the Learning App. The platform currently
has more than 10,000 registered educators and 13 million learners. The
company had previously raised a Series C round of $21 million in July
2018 from Sequoia India, SAIF Partners, Nexus Venture Partners, and
others. In October 2018, Unacademy acquired Jaipur-based online education and career portal Wiï¬study, one of the fastest growing education YouTube channels in the world.
The company said it has the largest distribution for educational
videos on its free platform and YouTube and Unacademy lessons have more
than 100 million monthly views across these platforms. Unacademy’s
YouTube channels currently have more than 11 million subscribers,
according to the company.
The global online education market
is projected to reach a total market size of $286.62 billion by 2023,
increasing from $159.52 billion in 2017, according to the report titled
‘Global Online Education Market.’
In March this year, another edtech company
Byju’s raised an additional funding of $31 million in a financing round
led by US-based growth equity investor General Atlantic (GA), along
with Chinese internet giant Tencent. The investment took the valuation
of Byju’s to over $5 billion, from $3.6 billion when it raised $540
million in a funding round led by South African conglomerate Naspers in
December last year.
