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#Palladium, #Tesla and the Imposition of Electric Vehicles #EV SPONSOR: New Age Metals $NAM.ca $WG.ca $XTM.ca $WM.ca $PDL.ca $GLEN

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 12:15 PM on Tuesday, February 11th, 2020

SPONSOR: New Age Metals Inc. The company owns one of North America’s largest primary platinum group metals deposit in Sudbury, Canada. Updated NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate 2,867,000 PdEq Measured and Indicated Ounces, with an additional 1,059,000 PdEq Ounces Inferred. Learn More.

Palladium, Tesla and the Imposition of Electric Vehicles

  • What underlies the tremendous runup in the price of Palladium and now the giant spike in Tesla stock? They are connected.
  • Tesla stock has spiked despite its self-driving cars doing strange things like running people over and spontaneously combusting.

By: Clive P. Maund

What underlies the tremendous runup in the price of Palladium and now the giant spike in Tesla stock? They are connected. Tesla stock has spiked despite its self-driving cars doing strange things like running people over and spontaneously combusting. The reason for this is the relentless drive towards electric cars which will result in a massive increase in demand for palladium and electric car manufacturers like Tesla becoming mainstream.

The elites have a Master Plan to push ordinary motorists off the road and back onto public transport, and they will realize this by using the environmental scare to effectively outlaw petrol driven cars and force a transfer to expensive electric cars, which will be out of reach of many motorists because of their cost. Greta is a pawn in this game. The means by which they will outlaw petrol (and diesel) driven cars is to class carbon dioxide as an emission, which they have already done, and then make the emissions standards tighter and tighter until petrol driven cars are forced off the road. Since anything that burns anything creates carbon dioxide, which is essentially an inert natural gas, it is clear that petrol driven cars cannot reduce their carbon dioxide emissions to zero, so their fate is already sealed. You may be asking what is the motivation for doing this. There are a number of reasons. One is to reduce the profligate consumption of oil by the masses for their personal transportation and the resulting pollution. Another is control – a public who lack personal transportation and the freedom it brings are of course easier to control and direct. Lastly it will free up the roads for the elites, who will suffer less from delays caused by traffic congestion resulting from the masses on the move, since they, the elites, will always be able to afford private vehicles, no matter what they cost. The masses will not resist this transformation of their lives. First of all they are ignorant and have no idea of the plans for them that are already at an advanced stage. Secondly, they are too cowed and docile to do anything about it even if they did know. Now that you know what is set out above, you should be able to readily appreciate why the price of palladium, and of Tesla stock, have been soaring. Let’s now proceed to look at their extraordinary charts. Starting with palladium, we see on its long-term 20-year chart that after essentially tracking sideways for many years, the phase of accelerated advance really didn’t begin until mid-2018, and it was only later in 2018 that it broke out above its highs way back in 2001. So the dramatic acceleration in its rate of advance has been going on for 18 months or less.


We can see the period of accelerated advance in more detail on the 5-year chart, and how the point of origin of the accelerating parabolic uptrend is at the start of 2016. The price only cleared the resistance at the 2001 highs in the $1080 area as recently as late 2018 and it is only over the past 6 months or so that we have seen dramatic acceleration. This chart makes clear that as the price has now run way ahead of its parabolic supporting uptrend, there is plenty of room for it to correct back or consolidate without breaking down from the uptrend, although it could well spike even higher from here, with speculation now rampant.


On the 6-month chart we can see that at the recent peak volume became really heavy, which puts us on notice that even if this wasn’t the top for this run, a top may not be far off.


Turning now to Tesla, we can see that it has suddenly gone vertical in recent weeks, which implies that the age of the electric vehicle is almost upon us. Even so, this move looks extreme, especially on long-term charts and suggests that a reaction back or period of consolidation is now likely over the short-term.


Modern cars have become a nightmare of over-regulation and control and it’s going to get a lot worse. They got rid of ignition keys so that you now have a push button start and have to pay for very expensive key fobs. All modern cars look the same because of draconian regulations regarding impacts and safety, and they are all designed in the same wind tunnel. For unknown reasons – probably bigger profits for the manufacturers – most cars are the same standard colors. “You can have any color you like sir, as long as its black, red, silver or white.” The core of the car is too heavy for safety reasons and is compensated for by flimsy bodywork, in order to meet fuel consumption targets. Bumpers, which used to be designed to take impacts with no damage or resulting cost, are now made of delicate painted structures which cost a fortune to fix after even the slightest impact, but that’s no problem because the insurance covers it, except that this means raised insurance premiums. You can’t turn the engine off and open the door and listen to the radio on a hot day, because either it switches it off or starts making stupid bleeping noises. Some new cars switch the engine off every time you come to a stop, and you have to be at a dead stop to put it in gear etc. Your location is always known because the car is computerized and online, which incidentally means that it is theoretically possible to hack the car remotely and cause it to crash, by say, locking the brakes. For this reason also you can never be sure that any conversation you have in the car is private – they could be broadcasting it live in the Superbowl stadium. Even for a 100 meter trip down the road the baby or child has to be strapped into a child seat. The list is endless and the future is going to be even worse. Rear view mirrors are going to be swapped for cameras that display on the central screen, so if anything goes wrong with it you have an expensive replacement of the entire system. There are going to be cameras mounted on /in the dash that monitor your facial expressions and if you look drunk or tired, the onboard computer will seize control of the car and force it to pull over. Likewise your days of breaking speed limits are over, since the car won’t let you. No wonder teens are not interested in cars anymore – you won’t hear any of them saying told my girl I had to forget her, rather buy me a new carburetor.

Source: https://www.clivemaund.com/article.php?id=5261

The burgeoning electric vehicle #EV sector has taken the #mining industry by storm in the last five years – SPONSOR Tartisan #Nickel $TN.ca – $ROX.ca $FF.ca $EDG.ca $AGL.ca $ANZ.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:22 AM on Tuesday, February 11th, 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

Tc logo in black

The burgeoning electric vehicle (EV) sector has taken the mining industry by storm in the last five years

The burgeoning electric vehicle (EV) sector has taken the mining industry by storm in the last five years with the metals and minerals used in the production of battery energy storage, including cobalt, lithium, graphite, nickel and vanadium taking centre stage.

  • Nickel takes the lead as battery metal of choice

The significant interest in these battery metals has caused a flurry of mining companies to enter the race to extract them, causing prices to surge.

Fast-forward to 2019 and the picture looks very different, prices have plummeted, mostly due to demand struggling to keep up with supply, and in some cases better metal substitutes being found.

However, one thing remains clear, the future global demand outlook for EVs remains strong and so does the need for energy storage in renewable energy applications.

Cobalt and lithium – the battery metals front runners

According to Diego Oliva-Velez, commodities analyst at Fitch Solutions, lithium and cobalt prices are likely to remain subdued over the coming months as demand struggles to keep up with new supply coming online.

Because cobalt and lithium have received significant investor interest since 2015 due to their increasing use in lithium-ion batteries, which power the burgeoning electric vehicle industry, the resultant demand and prices for both metals have been on the rise.

“For instance, cobalt prices rose over 300% in the period from 2016 to 2018, while South America lithium carbonate prices rallied over 170% during a similar time frame,” says Oliva-Velez.

“However, rising prices have also spurred a flurry of investments into new cobalt and lithium projects that have significantly loosened both markets – which caused prices to start to unwind since 2018.

The demand outlook for both EV metals waned in 2019, as the removal of Chinese government subsidies to EV manufacturers caused a slowdown across the industry.

In March 2019, the Chinese government announced that from July onwards subsidies for pure battery electric vehicles with driving ranges of 400 km or more would be cut by half.

Furthermore, to qualify for subsidies, electric vehicles now need to have a range of at least 250 km, compared with 150 km previously.

Without these subsidies, Chinese EV manufacturers are having to raise the prices of their vehicles, leading to reduced sales and output numbers over the past months, as they become less affordable to consumers.

However, the Fitch Solutions Autos team believes the subsidy cuts will only have a short-term impact on China’s EV market, as revised government policy calls for a more profound engagement from manufacturers to preserve EV market growth rates, while rising competition will continue to support the EV segment.

Fitch Solutions’ Autos team also highlight that the new policy sets out sales targets for car manufacturers, whereby they must generate credits for selling EVs, which should prop up EV production.

Furthermore, they expect carmakers will move to offset the impact of the EV subsidies cuts with price reductions, which will see demand for EVs remain robust over 2020.

Fitch Solutions forecast EV sales in China to average 20% year-on-year in 2020, slightly up from 19% in 2019.

Despite announcements of supply cutbacks (such as the premature closure of Glencore’s Mutanda cobalt mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo in late 2019) and rising demand, there are a number of new projects due to come online, including Chemaf Sarl’s Mutoshi mine in the DRC, CleanTeQ Holdings’ Sunrise nickel cobalt scandium project and Australian Mines’ Sconi project, both in Australia.

As a result, Fitch Solutions retains the view that both markets will remain largely in oversupply next year – keeping a lid on prices.

Nevertheless, Oliva-Velez expects demand growth for lithium and cobalt to improve in 2020 following a disappointing 2019, as low prices attract purchases from EV battery manufacturers and Chinese EV sales hold strong.

Nickel takes the lead as battery metal of choice

Fitch Solutions’ outlook for nickel over 2020 is more positive as the market will remain in deficit, buoyed by a ban on Indonesian ore exports from January 2020 and ongoing support from the Chinese stainless steel sector.

Despite a steep fall in prices since October 2019, Fitch Solutions believe that prices will rebound from spot levels into 2020 and average US$15 000/t throughout 2020, buoyed by a tight fundamental picture.

Moreover, the global nickel market is expected to remain in a deficit of 12 200 t in 2020, driven by sustained demand from stainless steel production in China.

Based on findings from Fitch Solutions’ own proprietary model, nickel is set to be the primary demand beneficiary of the EV revolution on the metals side in the longer term beyond 2021, significantly ahead of lithium or cobalt – as the use of nickel-heavy NMC cathodes among manufacturers become increasingly prevalent over the same period.

The NMC cathode will become the chemistry of choice for EV manufacturers over the coming years, due to its high energy density, thermal stability and low cost.

Currently, most NMC cathodes are referred to as NMC 622, so-called due to the ratio of metals they contain (6 parts nickel, 2 parts manganese and 2 parts cobalt).

However, due to concerns relating to the price and sustainable sourcing of cobalt, battery manufacturers are in the process of increasing the share of nickel in these cathodes in order to achieve a ratio of 811 (8 parts nickel, 1 part manganese and 1 part cobalt).

“We forecast that the share of NMC cathodes will account for 82% of all new NMC battery sales by 2029, up from just 2% in 2019. This transition will lead to an increase in average nickel content from 7.24 kg to 16.76 kg for each NMC cathode produced over the same period,” says Oliva-Velez.

Nickel upsurge reduces demand for cobalt

The transition towards nickel-heavy NMC 811 cathodes will lead to lower demand for cobalt, which will increasingly be shunned by manufacturers due to price and sustainability considerations.

The unstable and restricted supply of cobalt from the DRC – the largest producer by a significant margin – makes the metal prone to price spikes, as witnessed over 2017.

Secondly, the questionable ethical nature of cobalt supplied by the DRC, due to the prevalence of child labour and conflict mines in the country, will drive battery makers away from the metal in an effort to mitigate reputational risk.

“As a result, we forecast cumulative demand for cobalt from EV batteries over 2019 to 2028 to amount to 218 000 t, considerably less than nickel, lithium and even manganese,” Oliva-Velez points out.

Lithium remains an integral battery metal going forward

Lithium is found in both the anode and cathode of all lithium-ion battery chemistries, being the key element that allows batteries to charge and discharge.

Furthermore, unlike cobalt, global lithium supply is more diversified across a number of better regulated jurisdictions such as Chile, Australia, Argentina and China – making it less prone to price spikes or environmental, social and governance (ESG) concerns.

As a result, lithium will continue to be an integral component of all EV batteries moving forward – supporting global demand levels for the metal over the next 10 years.

Therefore, in the longer term, prices of all key battery metals are set to rise as demand from the EV industry ramps up, with nickel being the primary demand beneficiary.

Graphite – new low-cost sources needed

The biggest driver of the flake graphite market has been the introduction of new supply from Africa – primarily from Madagascar and Mozambique.

In 2018, ASX-listed Syrah Resources brought the world’s largest flake graphite operation into production and the new production volumes introduced to the market from its Balama graphite project in Mozambique have added to excess graphite capacities in China – which has been the world’s leading graphite supplier for a generation. [Insert image of Balama here]

As China focuses its domestic graphite output on value-added markets, there remains a need for need for new low-cost sources of flake graphite material – the anode material of choice for commercial lithium-ion rechargeable batteries – and Africa has several promising projects aiming to fill this role to global markets, according to Andrew Miller, head of price assessments at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.

“At this stage the introduction of new graphite material from Africa has overtaken the demand growth, which will be largely driven by the production of lithium-ion battery anodes and, ultimately, EV penetration rates,” says Miller.

Moving forward there is a significant backlog to overcome in the market which is likely to see continued depressed prices into 2020. Longer-term however, the industry is still faced with the major task of expanding graphite production to meet the projected growth in battery demand and the low graphite prices of today will not be capable to support the development of many new projects.

As a result, Miller says the market is in a transition period with demand growth on the horizon and an abundance of feedstock material – the question is how much of this can be used in the lithium-ion battery supply chain and how much of this will be available ahead of the major ramp up of battery projects.

Vanadium – the key to renewable energy storage

According to AIM-listed Bushveld Minerals, a low-cost, vertically integrated primary vanadium producer with assets in South Africa, Vanadium currently benefits from having two strong uses driving its demand.

One, the traditional steel sector, where vanadium is used as a strengthening alloy, which boasts a steady growth trajectory according to most general forecasts due to an increase in intensity in use of vanadium.

Two, the energy storage sector, where vanadium is the primary input into vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs), which not only benefits the burgeoning renewable energy sector, but significantly, and perhaps more importantly, helps make existing power systems more efficient through load balancing and other forms of grid savings.

Upside in demand from the energy storage sector

Research from Navigant forecasts that the size of the energy storage market will reach US$50 billion within the next 10 years, which represents a growth rate of 58% a year to exceed 100 GWh of capacity by 2027.

While multiple technologies are expected to be successful due to their unique technical and cost advantages and suitability to local conditions, VRFBs are expected to capture approximately 18% of the market, which equates to 20 GWh of demand and nearly $10 billion in revenue in the coming decade.

This confidence is shared by the World Bank, which recently allocated $1 billion to a global battery storage programme (aiming to raise an additional $4 billion in co-investment) to drive market creation and help drive down battery prices in low- and middle-income countries.

From a VFRB deployment perspective, there are already a number of large VRFB projects in progress, including the largest VRFB in the world currently under construction, demonstrating the technological benefits and proven use-cases in countries with established power grid infrastructure.

In South Africa, the country’s recently published Integrated Resource Plan 2019 specifically seeks novel ways to improve grid reliability and access to power over the long-term, with a dedicated allocation of over 2 GW for new energy storage.

As a result of these developments, Bushveld Minerals founder and CEO Fortune Mojapelo is confident that vanadium will continue to feed the primary steel market, while gaining further market share of the important energy sector through VRFBs.

Source: https://www.miningreview.com/battery-metals/battery-metals-long-term-demand-remains-strong-despite-price-woes/

Developing New #PUREVAP™ Silicon Metal Nano Reactor for Low-Cost Manufacturing of Spherical Silicon Metal Nanopowders & Nanowires for Next Generation Li-ion Batteries $HPQ.ca $PYR.ca $FSLR $SPWR $CSIQ $PYR.ca $XMG.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:40 AM on Tuesday, February 11th, 2020
  • After the successful GEN2 PUREVAPTM QRR proof of concept test, PyroGenesis finalised the engineering designs and the plans required to upgrade a PUREVAPTM QRR into a PUREVAPTM reactor that can transform melted silicon metal into spherical Nano-Powders and Nanowires
  • As a result of this work, a new provisional patent application was filed to protect this new process.

MONTREAL, Feb. 11, 2020 — HPQ Silicon Resources Inc. (“HPQ” or the “Company”)TSX-V: HPQ; FWB: UGE; Other OTC : URAGF; (“HPQ”) would like to update shareholders on the steps being undertaken by HPQ and PyroGenesis Canada Inc. (TSX-V: PYR) (“PyroGenesis”) to advance the development of a new low cost manufacturing process that can produce the Spherical Silicon Metal (Si) Nano-Powders and Si Nanowires needed for the next generation of Lithium-ion (Li-ion) Si batteries.

BUILT ON 5 YEARS OF PUREVAPTM QUARTZ REDUCTION REACTOR (QRR) DEVELOPMENT KNOW-HOW

After the successful GEN2 PUREVAPTM QRR proof of concept test, PyroGenesis finalised the engineering designs and the plans required to upgrade a PUREVAPTM QRR into a PUREVAPTM reactor that can transform melted silicon metal into spherical Nano-Powders and Nanowires.  As a result of this work, a new provisional patent application was filed to protect this new process.

DEVELOPING THE PUREVAPTM SILICON METAL NANO REACTOR (SiNR)

The new PUREVAPTM process is a Silicon Metal Nano Reactor, (PUREVAPTM SiNR), that incorporates the PUREVAPTM QRR (patent pending) unique capability of removing impurities from Silicon Metal (Si) into a novel proprietary process that allows different purities of Si feed stock to be melted into liquid Si.  This liquid Si can then be synthesized into the Spherical Silicon Metal Nano Powders and Nanowires sought after by Corporations looking into building the next generation of Lithium-ion batteries.

“The PUREVAPTM SiNR opens up a unique multibillion-dollar business opportunity for HPQ and PyroGenesis.  PyroGenesis has a long track record of taking high-tech industrial projects from proof of concept to global commercial scalability, so we are very confident about the prospect of being one of the first companies coming to market with a low cost process that makes the spherical Silicon Metal Nano-Powders and Nanowires that next generation Li-ion battery manufacturers are seeking,” said Bernard Tourillon, President and CEO HPQ Silicon. “Silicon Metal’s potential to meet energy storage demand is undeniable and generating massive investments, as well as, serious industry interest, so our timing could not be better.”

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c7487bc7-213f-426f-91e2-21737733f9e0

GEN2 PUREVAPTM QRR CONVERTED INTO A PROOF OF COMMERCIAL SCALABILITY PUREVAPTM SINR

The quickest way to demonstrate the capabilities of the PUREVAPTM SiNR process is to upgrade the existing GEN2 PUREVAPTM QRR into PUREVAPTM SiNR test bed, run a series of tests to confirm the scalability, the low-cost nature of the process and its feedstock flexibility.  During these tests, Spherical Silicon Metal Nano-Powders and Nanowires samples will be produced and sent to either research centers for independent valuation or made available to potential end users looking at manufacturing next generation Li-ion batteries.  Successful tests will demonstrate the process flexibility in making a range of advanced Silicon Metal materials.  The preliminary timeline is for the reactor conversion to be completed over the next coming months, with a goal of being able to have samples ready in this fiscal year.

SPHERICAL Si NANO POWDERS AND NANOWIRES KEY TO HIGHER ENERGY DENSITY LI-ION BATTERIES

Spherical Silicon Metal Nano-Powders and Si Nanowires have been identified as key elements that will allow the manufacture of high-performance Li-ion batteries using Silicon Metal (Si) anodes needed to deliver on the research promises of an almost tenfold (10x) increase in the specific capacity of the anode, inducing a 20-40% gain in the energy density of Li-ion batteries.  Current manufacturing methods for Silicon Metal Nano-Powders are expensive, not very scalable and not commercially feasible with US$ 30,000/kg1 selling prices, while manufacturing Silicon Metal Nanowires is so prohibitive that only government funded special projects can afford them. 

“The opportunities that are being developed with the PUREVAP™ process is nothing short of intoxicating,” said M. P Peter Pascali, President and CEO of PyroGenesis Canada Inc. “We never thought, when we first embarked on this project, that we would be developing game-changing technology sought after by the Lithium-ion battery market. We are looking forward to successfully incorporating and upgrading the PUREVAP QRR™ into the PUREVAP™ Nano reactor to produce Spherical Silicon Metal (Si) Nano-Powders and Si Nanowires needed for the next generation of Lithium-ion (Li-ion) Si batteries.”

About Silicon Metal

Silicon Metal (Si) is one of today’s strategic materials needed to fulfil the renewable energy revolution presently under way. Silicon does not exist in its pure state; it must be extracted from quartz, one of the most abundant minerals of the earth’s crust and other expensive raw materials in a carbothermic 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 base processes, the innovative PUREVAPTM “Quartz Reduction Reactors” (QRR), a truly 2.0 Carbothermic process (patent pending), which will permit the One Step transformation of Quartz (SiO2) into High Purity Silicon (Si) at prices that will propagate its considerable renewable energy potential.  The Gen3 PUREVAPTM QRR pilot plant that will validate the commercial potential of the process is scheduled to start during Q1 2020.

HPQ, working with PyroGenesis, is also developing the PUREVAPTM Silicon Metal Nano Reactor (SiNR), a proprietary process a that can use as feedstock different purities of Silicon Metal (SI), melted 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 H1 2020, the plan is to validate our game changing manufacturing approach by upgrading our existing Gen2 PUREVAPTM QRR reactor into a PUREVAPTM 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.  The first Silicon wafer should be ready to be ship for testing to a battery manufacturer (under NDA) during H1 2020.

Finally, with Apollon Solar, we are also looking into developing a metallurgical pathway of producing Solar Grade Silicon Metal (SoG Si) that will take full advantage of the PUREVAPTM QRR one-step production of Silicon (Si) material of 4N+ purity with low boron count (< 1 ppm).

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 for Next Gen Li-ion batteries, Porous Silicon Wafers for Solid states Li-ion batteries, Porous Silicon Powders for Li-ion batteries and Solar Grade Silicon Metal (SoG-Si).

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]

Empower Clinics $CBDT.ca Announces Strong Start to The Year with January 2020 Patient Visits Increasing by 188% $WEED.ca $CGC $ACB $APH $CRON.ca $HEXO.ca $OGI.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 6:31 AM on Tuesday, February 11th, 2020
  • Announced that patient visits in corporate clinics increased by 188% in January 2020 versus the same period in 2019, with total patient visits of 1,750 in January 2020 compared to 607 in January 2019.

VANCOUVER, BC /February 11, 2020 / EMPOWER CLINICS INC. (CSE:CBDT)(OTC:EPWCF)(Frankfurt:8EC) (“Empower” or the “Company“), a vertically integrated and growth-oriented CBD life sciences company is pleased to announce that patient visits in corporate clinics increased by 188% in January 2020 versus the same period in 2019, with total patient visits of 1,750 in January 2020 compared to 607 in January 2019.

“January patient volumes were strong, setting the stage for potentially record first quarter patient visits, that are always focused on the patient experience, it’s a competitive advantage and I continue to be impressed with how our team members care for each and every patient they see.” said Steven McAuley, Chairman & CEO of Empower. “Looking forward, we are excited for our next franchise signings and the expansion of our product lines, adding to the in-clinic retail experience we are building.”

The Company utilizes it’s technology platform to communicate with patients by text message, email and call center ensuring appointments are confirmed and expected patient visits take place as planned.

The Company’s Sun Valley Health division also completed the set up and build out of it’s retail product counter and sales areas in it’s Tucson, AZ location, to showcase it’s CBD product line with over 50 unique SKU’s. Patients and customers can purchase product in clinic locations or online at www.sunvalleyhealth.com.

ABOUT EMPOWER

Empower is a vertically-integrated health & wellness brand with it’s first hemp-derived CBD extraction facility under development, the Company produces its proprietary line of cannabidiol (CBD) based products and distributes products through company owned and franchised clinics, with wholesale partnerships, online channels and with new retail opportunities nationwide in the U.S. The company is a leading multi-state operator of a network of physician-staffed wellness clinics, focused on helping patients improve and protect their health, through innovative physician recommended treatment options. The company has commenced activity on how to connect its significant data, to the potential of the efficacy of alternative treatment options related to hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) therapies.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

Steven McAuley
Chief Executive Officer

CONTACTS:

Investors: Steven McAuley

CEO

[email protected]

604-789-2146

Investors: Dustin Klein
SVP, Business Development
[email protected]
720-352-1398

For French inquiries: Remy Scalabrini, Maricom Inc., E: [email protected], T: (888) 585-MARI

DISCLAIMER FOR FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain “forward-looking statements” or “forward-looking information” (collectively “forward looking statements”) within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release.Forward-looking statements can frequently be identified by words such as “plans”, “continues”, “expects”, “projects”, “intends”, “believes”, “anticipates”, “estimates”, “may”, “will”, “potential”, “proposed” and other similar words, or information that certain events or conditions “may” or “will” occur. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding; the Company’s intention to open a hemp-based CBD extraction facility, the expected benefits to the Company and its shareholders as a result of the proposed acquisitions and partnerships; the effectiveness of the extraction technology; the expected benefits for Empower’s patient base and customers; the benefits of CBD based products; the effect of the approval of the Farm Bill; the growth of the Company’s patient list and that the Company will be positioned to be a market-leading service provider for complex patient requirements in 2019 and beyond. Such statements are only projections, are based on assumptions known to management at this time, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, including; that the Company may not open a hemp-based CBD extraction facility; that legislative changes may have an adverse effect on the Company’s business and product development; that the Company may not be able to obtain adequate financing to pursue its business plan; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; failure to obtain any necessary approvals in connection with the proposed acquisitions and partnerships; and other factors beyond the Company’s control. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements in this release, which are qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. The Company is under no obligation, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking statements in this release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable laws.

SOURCE: Empower Clinics Inc.

#Palladium Wave Analysis For 10 February, 2019 SPONSOR: New Age Metals $NAM.ca $WG.ca $XTM.ca $WM.ca $PDL.ca $GLEN

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 4:58 PM on Monday, February 10th, 2020

SPONSOR: New Age Metals Inc. The company owns one of North America’s largest primary platinum group metals deposit in Sudbury, Canada. Updated NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate 2,867,000 PdEq Measured and Indicated Ounces, with an additional 1,059,000 PdEq Ounces Inferred. Learn More.

Palladium Wave Analysis 10 February, 2019

  • Palladium reversed from support area
  • Likely to rise to 2400.00

Palladium recently reversed up from the support zone located between the key level 2155.00 (low of the previous short-term correction 4), lower daily Bollinger Band and the 38.2% Fibonacci correction of the pervious upward impulse 3 from December.

The upward reversal from this support area created the daily Japanese candlesticks reversal pattern Hammer.

Palladium is likely to rise further toward the next resistance level 2400.00 (top of the pervious impulse waves 3 and (i)).

Source: https://menafn.com/1099682466/Palladium-Wave-Analysis-10-February-2019

NORTHBUD $NBUD.ca – Everything Canadians need to know about Legalization 2.0 $CGC $ACB $APH $CRON.ca $OGI.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 3:51 PM on Monday, February 10th, 2020

SPONSOR: NORTHBUD (NBUD:CSE) Sustainable low cost, high quality cannabinoid production and procurement focusing on both bio-pharmaceutical development and Cannabinoid Infused Products. Learn More.

Everything Canadians need to know about Legalization 2.0

  • Edibles, extracts, topicals, and vapes are finally legal in Canada. Billed as Legalization 2.0, the regulations came into effect on October 17, 2019 and products have slowly begun to trickle onto the market ever since.

By Leafly Canada Staff

Edibles, extracts, topicals, and vapes are finally legal in Canada. Billed as Legalization 2.0, the regulations came into effect on October 17, 2019 and products have slowly begun to trickle onto the market ever since.

From how to consume, to what to consume, here’s everything Canadians need to know about Legalization 2.0.

Edibles 101

Cannabis-infused edibles are now available for sale through licensed retailers in Canada, though there are strict rules around marketing and dosing, including a limit of 10 mg of THC per packaged item.  Edibles in the form of food products, lozenges, and beverages can produce effective, long-lasting, and safe experiences. These forms of cannabis can also produce unpredictable effects that may feel like overdose symptoms. The difference is, of course, the dose, although it’s worth noting that while consuming too much can feel very unpleasant, no one has ever died from it.

It can take anywhere from 30 minutes to four hours for an edible to fully kick in. Health Canada suggests that adults who use cannabis, regardless of how they consume it, shouldn’t combine it with alcohol, nicotine or other drugs.

Source: https://www.leafly.com/news/strains-products/legalization-2-0-guide-canada

St-Georges Eco-Mining Corp. $SX $SX.ca $SXOOF Provides Winter Corporate Update

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 3:41 PM on Monday, February 10th, 2020

Highlights

  • Lithium Processing: technology initiatives, patent formalization, battery recycling process and lithium metal manufacturing;
  • Pilot plant potentially de-risked through discussions with ready-built facilities;

Montreal, Montreal -  February 10, 2020 – St-Georges Eco-Mining Corp. (CSE:SX) (CNSX:SX.CN) (OTC:SXOOF) (FSE:85G1) would like to update its shareholders on its on-going corporate developments.

In the past six months, St-Georges has successfully executed its strategy to strengthen and expand its focus on its green extraction metallurgical processes development and re-center its exploration efforts on energy metals in Quebec and Iceland. The team has also added a Palladium-Rhodium project in Quebec and has advanced its Thor Gold Project in Iceland to drill-ready status. Significant changes in the Company operations, namely the sale of King of the North in September and the spin-off of ZeU Crypto Networks Inc. in December, has allowed the Company to free up resources that can now be allocated to the core competencies of the Company.

Highlights

– Lithium Processing: technology initiatives, patent formalization, battery recycling process and lithium metal manufacturing;

– Pilot plant potentially de-risked through discussions with ready-built facilities;

– Julie Nickel developments;

– Iceland Resources EHF/St-Georges Iceland ltd update;

– Borealis Derivative Exchange EHF status update;

– Hydro-Dam Project in Iceland advancing on its environmental permits;

– Status of Other Holdings.

Mineral Processing Research & Development

Lithium Processing Technology

Stage I of the development of the Company’s lithium processing technology, in collaboration with Iconic Minerals (TSX-V: ICM), was completed in the first half of 2019 (See July 24, 2019 Press Release). Following the delivery of the Stage I independent report to ICM, St-Georges has accelerated the work and obtained results on many tasks that are part of Stage II and Stage III of the planned development.

On-going testing has confirmed, so far, the portability of the process developed for sediments to hard rock sources of lithium. 

The Company is looking at opportunities to apply its technologies to other advanced mining projects, in particular, ones that currently produce spodumene concentrate, but have not yet decided to build an expensive tech plant for refining. Potential adopters of the technology have been identified, and discussions initiated. In addition, the Company is looking at the potential to retrofit existing facilities. Management will update the public on the status of these discussions when materiality requires it.

St-Georges filed the final documentation with the US Patent Office allowing its patent application to move from its provisional status to the formal patent application stage. The Company also filed a PCT application for the same patent potentially giving it protection in an additional 152 countries. The final version of the patent application now allows for the recovery of lithium from recycled batteries. St-Georges intends to position itself as an ideal partner to provide strategic materials to the battery industry, which includes recycling and recovery of the new generation of batteries, including solid-state batteries. Additionally, this patent application covers recycling as well as lithium metal and alloys manufacturing.

Pilot Plant(s)

St-Georges’ management and the metallurgical team have worked on the design, the sourcing of equipment, and the financial aspects of its proposed pilot plant for the better part of the last six months. In an effort to lower the risk of the proposal, the team has initiated discussions with ready-built facilities with extra capacity. This could allow St-Georges to build its pilot plant’s processing circuit faster with only minor modifications to the ready-built facilities. Early estimates confirm that capital expenditure should only be a fraction of the original budgeted cost as the Company will be leasing the facilities long-term. The Company expects to have secured an agreement for the pilot plant facilities in Q2 2020. 

Mineral Exploration

Julie Nickel Project

Following last year’s fieldwork, the Company’s geological team and exploration sub-contractors are planning additional drilling on the Julie Nickel property. The exploration plan for the coming years will be presented to the local stakeholders and First Nations in Q1, and the updated permitting request should be filed by Q2 for work in early summer. Additional bulk sampling should be performed to advance a nickel-iron initiative by the Company’s metallurgical team.

Preliminary discussions are on-going with a ferronickel consortium planning a project in Quebec.

Manicouagan Palladium-Rhodium Project

Much like the Julie Project, the Manicouagan Project has nickel and copper that meets the conventional concentrates requirements based on the type of sulphates it contains. Additionally, the recrystallized nature of this region lends itself to higher recoveries of each crystal form and better conversion.

The presence of well-known high-grade Palladium-Rhodium-Ruthenium surface showings (See January 27, 2020, Press Release), regardless of size, allows St-Georges to significantly reduce its costs to acquire PGE concentrate material for metallurgical bench testing of its processing and refining metallurgical process for Palladium-Rhodium-Ruthenium. 

St-Georges exploration team is planning a pre-drilling surface campaign to obtain permitting to intervene on-site in mid-summer. At the same time, St-Georges’ management is having early-stage discussions with potential farm-in or earn-in partners to advance the project at a faster pace.

Borealis EHF

The hybrid decentralized and distributed ledger-driven derivative trading platform is coming together at a good pace. Regulatory discussions are now in control of the timeline for the delivery of the platform.

Islensk Vatnsorka Hf – Iceland Hydro-Electric Dam Project

Islensk informed the Company that the permitting process is moving within the expected timeline and according to expectations. The Company still believes that the project will be fully permitted by the end of 2020. 

Iceland Resources EHF/St-Georges Iceland ltd

On August 21, 2019, the Icelandic authorities approved St-Georges’ previously disclosed work program for the coming year (See March 2, 2019 Press Release). The core projects have seen a fair share of exploration work, while some secondary projects have been repeatedly delayed due to extreme weather conditions in northern and eastern Iceland.

Work on the Thor Gold Project has brought it to drill-ready status. Surface rights and environmental conditions are no longer problematic, and the Company has requested a legal opinion to confirm that it can drill on the sole basis of its central government license.

The Company did, however, take samples at Thor during the winter season that are currently being analyzed. The Company is now preparing a bulk sample program at Thor. The material will be sent to be processed in Canada as soon as the weather allows it sometime in Q2.

The Company is currently in discussions to acquire the balance of the surface rights that escape its ownership on the project and is looking to acquire the last portion equity own by a third party in the Thor Gold Project.

Status of other holdings

The Company currently holds the following assets as of January 31, 2020.

Vilhjalmur Thor Vilhjalmsson, President and CEO of St-Georges, commented: “(…) the last six months have been for the Company both challenging but exciting. With the successful listing of ZeU Crypto Networks Inc., the sale of KOTN, funding above market prices, and now faster-than-expected progress in regards to the pilot plant, the team has shown its capabilities to deliver.”

___________________________________________________________________________

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

“Vilhjalmur T. Vilhjalmsson”

VILHJALMUR THOR VILHJALMSSON, PRESIDENT & CEO

About St-Georges 

St-Georges is developing new technologies to solve some of the most common environmental problems in the mining industry. The Company controls directly or indirectly, through rights of first refusal, all the active mineral tenures in Iceland. It also explores for nickel-copper-cobalt and Palladium-Palladium-Rhodium-Ruthenium on the Julie Nickel Project & the Manicouagan Palladium-Rhodium Project on the Quebec’s North Shore. Headquartered in Montreal, St-Georges’ stock is listed on the CSE under the symbol SX, on the US OTC under the Symbol SXOOF and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol 85G1.

The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of the contents of this release.

Disinformation is more than fake news SPONSOR: Datametrex AI Limited $DM.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 2:15 PM on Monday, February 10th, 2020

SPONSOR: Datametrex AI Limited (TSX-V: DM) A revenue generating small cap A.I. company that NATO and Canadian Defence are using to fight fake news & social media threats. The company announced three $1M contacts in Q3-2019. Click here for more info.

Disinformation is more than fake news

By Jared Cohen, for Jigsaw blog

Jigsaw’s work requires forecasting the most urgent threats facing the internet, and wherever we traveled these past years — from Macedonia to Eastern Ukraine to the Philippines to Kenya and the United States — we observed an evolution in how disinformation was being used to manipulate elections, wage war, and disrupt civil society. By disinformation we mean more than fake news. Disinformation today entails sophisticated, targeted influence campaigns, often launched by governments, with the goal of influencing societal, economic, and military events around the world. But as the tactics of disinformation were evolving, so too were the technologies used to detect and ultimately stop disinformation.

Using technology to detect manipulated images

Beginning in 2016 we began working with researchers and academics to develop new methods for using technology to detect certain aspects of disinformation campaigns. Together with Google Research and academic partners, we developed an experimental platform called Assembler to test how technology can help fact-checkers and journalists identify and analyze manipulated media.

Debunking images is a time consuming and error-prone process for fact-checkers and journalists. To verify the authenticity of images, they rely on a number of different tools and methods. For example, Bellingcat, a group of researchers and investigative journalists dedicated to in-depth fact-checking, lists more than 25 different tools and services available to verify the authenticity of photos, videos, websites, and other media. Fact-checkers and journalists need a way to stay ahead of the latest manipulation techniques and make it easier to check the authenticity of images and other assets.

Assembler is an early stage experimental platform advancing new detection technology to help fact-checkers and journalists identify manipulated media. In addition, the platform creates a space where we can collaborate with other researchers who are developing detection technology. We built it to help advance the field of science, and to help provide journalists and fact-checkers with strong signals that, combined with their expertise, can help them judge if and where an image has been manipulated. With the help of a small number of global news providers and fact checking organizations including Agence France-Presse, Animal Politico, Code for Africa, Les Décodeurs du Monde, and Rappler, we’re testing how Assembler performs in real newsrooms and updating it based on its utility and tester feedback.

How Assembler Works

Assembler brings together multiple image manipulation detectors from various academics into one tool, each one designed to spot specific types of image manipulations. Individually, these detectors can identify very specific types of manipulation — such as copy-paste or manipulations to image brightness. Assembled together, they begin to create a comprehensive assessment of whether an image has been manipulated in any way. Experts from the University of Maryland, University Federico II of Naples, and the University of California, Berkeley each contributed detection models. Assembler uses these models to show the probability of manipulation on an image.

Additionally, we built two new detectors to test on the platform.The first is the StyleGAN detector to specifically address deepfakes. This detector uses machine learning to differentiate between images of real people from deepfake images produced by the StyleGAN deepfake architecture. Our second model, the ensemble model, is trained using combined signals from each of the individual detectors, allowing it to analyze an image for multiple types of manipulation simultaneously. Because the ensemble model can identify multiple image manipulation types, the results are, on average, more accurate than any individual detector.

“These days working in multimedia forensics is extremely stimulating. On one hand, I perceive very clearly the social importance of this work: in the wrong hands, media manipulation tools can be very dangerous, they can be used to ruin the life and reputation of ordinary people, commit frauds, modify the course of elections,” said Dr. Luisa Verdoliva, Associate Professor at the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University Federico II of Naples and Visiting Scholar, Google AI. “On the other hand, the professional challenge is very exciting, new attacks based on artificial intelligence are conceived by day, and we must keep a very fast pace of innovation to face them. Collaborating in Assembler was a great opportunity to put my knowledge and my skills concretely to the service of people. In addition I came to know wonderful and very diverse people involved in this project, all strongly committed in this fight. Overall a great experience.”

The Current: Exposing the architecture of disinformation campaigns

Jigsaw is an interdisciplinary team of researchers, engineers, designers, policy experts, and creative thinkers, and we’ve long wanted to find a way to share more of our team’s work publicly, especially our research insights. That’s why I’m excited to introduce the first issue of The Current, Jigsaw’s new research publication that illuminates complex problems through an interdisciplinary approach — like our team.

Our first issue is, as you might have guessed, all about disinformation — exploring the architecture of disinformation campaigns, the tactics and technology used, and how new technology is being used to detect and stop disinformation campaigns.

One feature of this inaugural issue is the Disinformation Data Visualizer. Jigsaw visualized the research from the Atlantic Council’s DFRLab on coordinated disinformation campaigns around the world and shows the specific tactics used and countries affected. The Visualizer is a work in progress. We’re sharing this with the wider community to enable a dialogue about the most effective and comprehensive disinformation countermeasures.

An ongoing experiment

Disinformation is a complex problem, and there isn’t any simple technological solution. The first step is to better understand the issue. The world ought to understand how disinformation campaigns are increasingly being used as a way of manipulating people’s perception of important issues. We’re committed to sharing our insights and publishing our research so other organizations can examine and scrutinize different ways to approach this issue. We’ll be sharing more updates about Jigsaw’s work in this space over the coming few months.

In the meantime we’d like to express our gratitude to our academic partners, our partners within Google, and the courageous publishers and journalists who are committed to using technology to bring people the truth, wherever it leads: Chris Bregler, Larry Davis, Alexei Efros, Hany Farid, Andrew Owens, Abhinav Shrivastava, Luisa Verdoliva, and Emerson Brookings, Graham Brookie and the Atlantic Council’s DFRLab team.

Source: https://www.stopfake.org/en/disinformation-is-more-than-fake-news/?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=57eb9e0da0a582c3981aa8ed39e5f90a3cae9ebd-1581350912-0-AYw5r3RGxKqQMHhsZazGCBz7wTi9sZsM25j0X6X-RLqgmPiUWqB7PIEF_iEJx1V-pc-0fEmQ57LyMozcBAp7Oco-Uipl_R3nuYudhJdwnnBOovp12rcGmht1TowUugnZFYn8V-4UddKzmMsDP2Nu7IgasYOI6Q21teLNyGc81iMSGZMkJqLLBA8afv_2SoLGtyQ8KKGIx6ECKITuQaE5aA3w_cIEbAWd5sKH9RAmgKrU1c7uqqpCWkS-sxhOeclBEjqf23nkljl4f9Iqhtp3dHTnuvOZ1SjlyiAC0Ld-y5Z7s3lWb2FblSjPO1ko5kldvA2R0areN4kXGMnf0nyv0XY

#Mhealth Market Is Generating Revenue of $10.5 billion by 2020, at CAGR 33.5% Growth Rate – SPONSOR: CardioComm Solutions $EKG.ca – $ATE.ca $TLT.ca $OGI.ca $ACST.ca $IPA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 1:15 PM on Monday, February 10th, 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.

mHealth Market Is Generating Revenue of $10.5 billion by 2020, at CAGR 33.5% Growth Rate

  • Global mHealth market was valued at $10.5 billion in 2014 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 33.5% during 2015-2020.

Mobile health provides health service and information through mobile communication devices to address the health priorities and concerns. The advanced mobile and wireless technologies have transformed the face of healthcare services across the globe and are rendering the growth of mHealth market.

Moreover, the continued growth in coverage of mobile cellular networks, rapid advances in mobile technologies & applications, increasing lifestyle diseases and growing awareness among patient population in emerging economies, are some of the key factors fostering the growth of mHealth market. On contrary, the lower accuracy of the devices, technology’s infancy in middle and lower income economies, weak reimbursement coverage, uncertainty in government regulations in certain regions, and low adoption among ageing population is hampering the market growth to a certain extent.

The major chunk of mHealth devices market – i.e. ~71% – is collectively commanded by BP monitors, blood glucose monitors and cardiac monitors. The largest share of these monitors can be attributed to increased affordability of mobile compatible devices, integration of innovative technologies in monitoring devices and the increasing lifestyle disease such as diabetes, stroke, COPD, ischemic heart to name a few. Within mHealth services, diagnostic, monitoring and treatment services collectively hold about 74% of the market. The rapid growth of mHealth services market is attributed to rising government initiatives, increasing mHealth awareness programs in underdeveloped regions etc.

Geographically, North America and Europe constitute the two largest markets for mHealth and collectively accounted for 67% of the market revenue in 2014. They are expected to continue its hold on the global market throughout the forecast period. Early adoption of innovative technology, large patient population and high capacity to pay for services are some of the key factors responsible for the growth of mHealth market in these regions. However, the market outlook across developing economies is looking favorable and strong owing to the increasing awareness of chronic diseases, favorable government regulations and increased healthcare expenditure. Philips healthcare, Bayer Healthcare and Sanofi are some of the key companies enjoying a strong foothold in mHealth market, especially in Asian countries.

Source: https://www.openpr.com/news/1925119/mhealth-market-is-generating-revenue-of-10-5-billion-by-2020

The Landscape Of #Edtech: Mapping The Innovation Revamping #Education In #India $ARCL $CPLA $BPI $FC.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 12:45 PM on Monday, February 10th, 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. Click here for more information.

The Landscape Of Edtech: Mapping The Innovation Revamping Education In India

  • Over $1.8 Bn has been invested into Indian edtech startups from 2014 to 2019
  • The test prep segment has the highest capital inflow and the greatest demand in India
  • India’s tech economy growth has pushed the demand for skill development solutions

By: Sandeep Singh

From classrooms to smart devices, the medium of education and learning in India has gone through a paradigm shift. With over 665 Mn wireless internet subscribers (Q3 2019), India has seen a massive 14% increase in the addressable base for internet services in just one year. This rate of adoption has meant great things for startups and digital products and services and has given rise to personalisation and convenience when it comes to the school curriculum and off-classroom learning.

The growing popularity of online learning has provided a major push to two of the top subsectors in the edtech market— test preparation (from K-12 to entrance exams) and online certification. To put this into perspective, between 2014 to 2019, startups in test prep and online certification startups earned a whopping 88% ($1.6 Bn) of the total capital inflow in edtech.

The skewness in funding and investor interest for test prep and online certification startups is in line with the prevalence of the grades-first mentality in the Indian market as well as the need for skilled tech labour. These products are highly in demand in the Indian market because they mirror the traditional climb up the education ladder — preparation for exams and getting the right certificate for employment.

Source: https://inc42.com/datalab/the-landscape-of-edtech-mapping-the-innovation-revamping-education-in-india/