• Initial drilling results from Lithium Chile’s Ollague site show positive results near surface and increasing with depth
• Company is now preparing to drill in its top priority location – Coipasa
• Lithium Chile holds one of the largest lithium land holdings in one of the largest lithium-producing zones on the planet

As summer weather approaches in the southern Andes region of South America, anticipation is rising along with the temperatures on the lithium-rich brine fields where mineral explorer Lithium Chile Inc. (TSX.V: LITH) (OTCQB: LTMCF) is drilling for commercially productive sources of the tech-friendly soft metal. The company has gained promising results from initial drilling at one site that it considers a priority and is awaiting professional assay reports on the lithium extracts, and it is now preparing to drill at an even more promising location.

Lithium has been in demand for years as a source of easily reacting, lightweight properties that sustain high-power batteries and allow them to be easily rechargeable. Those high-energy batteries have become ubiquitous in small, portable computerized devices and have recently become valuable for larger applications, such as powering electric vehicles and storing energy to enhance municipal electrical grids.

Over the past year, Lithium Chile has amassed one of the largest lithium land holdings in one of the largest lithium-producing regions on Earth — the so-called “Lithium Triangle” spanning the border regions between Chile, Argentina and Bolivia. Lithium Chile’s 100 percent-owned 159,700 hectares (394,627.3 acres) of land with high lithium potential were acquired at just over $3 per hectare in a country where sales have commanded over $800 per hectare in other lithium prospects, and the company is now advancing a drill exploration program to test its analysis of its top priority locations among 16 separate sites.

After sample programs on all of the sites, Lithium Chile prioritized the potential metal-rich brine returns of six salars — dry lake beds where lithium is expected to exist in large quantities — and conducted geophysical testing on the top five to determine their boundaries and potential through gravity and electromagnetic conductivity (TEM) programs.

“We were extremely pleased that the TEM showed highly conductive targets on all of our 5 properties,” Lithium Chile President and CEO Steven Cochrane told shareholders (http://ibn.fm/pLXJZ) after an October 11 news release provided an update on the company’s encouraging exploration results (http://ibn.fm/CCo5v).

Lithium Chile received permission to complete exploratory drilling programs on four of the five priority sites from the national Ministry of Mines, subject to local community permission for ground-level drilling access. During talks with the four communities — which, in level of priority for Lithium Chile, are Coipasa, Helados, Atacama and Ollague — Ollague was the first to grant the necessary permission, and Lithium Chile completed four drills between 250 and 300 meters (820 to 984 feet) deep, adding a fifth to 350 meters (1,148 feet) after findings from the first hole showed increasing grades of lithium as the drill reached lower depths.

The first hole returned results that the company described as lithium concentrations on par with the average grades in Argentina (http://ibn.fm/5kpEr). Holes three and four produced similar results.

“Like hole 1 the grades steadily improved from below 100 mg/l to over 270 mg/l before drilling finished at the contracted depth of 250 meters,” Cochrane told shareholders. “We are hoping that just as the top of hole 3 and 4 mirrored the results from the upper section of hole 1 that the deeper samples from hole 5 will show that lithium grade increases with depth.”

Lithium Chile has obtained permission from Ollague to drill its exploratory hole 4 deeper, to 500 meters (1,640.5 feet), if the results from hole 5 show continued improvement in the lithium grade as its depth increases. In the meantime, the company has begun moving its drilling facilities to its top priority – Coipasa – after establishing permission to explore there.

“We (are) finalizing terms of the program with the Ancovinto Indigenous Community executive and we hope to collar our first hole shortly,” Cochrane stated in a news release.

For more information, visit the company’s website at http://ibn.fm/LTMCF

• Presentation from CEO Warren Wang available for on-demand viewing for 90 days
• Increase in year-over-year revenue of 70 percent and year-over-year product sales of 800 percent
• Expanded footprint through online store with targeted marketing campaign for CBD skincare line during China’s peak e-commerce season
• Announced the launch of a CBD-infused rice wine during China’s peak period of liquor sales

ChineseInvestors.com, Inc. (OTCQB: CIIX), a proprietary financial news media and content platform providing information to the global Chinese-speaking community, has made the October 2018 presentation from CEO Warren Wang available for on-demand viewing at VirtualInvestorConferences.com (http://ibn.fm/moebW).  Investors and advisors are encouraged to download the shareholder material from the “virtual trade booth.” The presentation will be available for 90 days.

The report highlights an increase in revenue and product sales and is credited in part to a focus on products and service in the hemp and CBD markets. CIIX is in the process of a CBD spinoff by year-end with the intention of focusing back on its original mission of providing financial information and services to the global Chinese-speaking community. Hemp and CBD products are being launched through CBD Biotechnology Co. Ltd (CBD Biotech), a wholly owned foreign enterprise of CIIX.

First quarter fiscal 2019 reports showed a year-over-year revenue increase of 70 percent and a year-over-year product sales increase of 800 percent. “With increased marketing resources devoted to our industrial hemp-based CBD products, we anticipate a productive Fiscal Year 2019. We look forward to increased product distribution both domestically and in the China markets,” Wang stated in a recent press release (http://ibn.fm/tbmcl).

CIIX expanded its footprint by opening an online store on Alibaba Group’s Tmall, China’s largest e-commerce marketplace for global and domestic brands and retailers (http://ibn.fm/QzYRX). According to Wang, “CBD Biotechnology Co. Ltd. is not only one of the first companies to produce and sell CBD skincare products in China, but now it is the first CBD skincare company to enter Tmall.”

The company will invest a total of 2.5 million RMB ($360,875) in online marketing and advertising for the skincare line in a campaign that began on October 15 and will continue through the end of December 2018. Historically, the highest volume of sales for online merchandise in China has fallen between October and December due to two national events, Singles’ Day and Double 12 Shopping Festivals.

CIIX also recently announced the launch of a CBD hemp-infused rice wine in December, during China’s peak period for liquor sales. Wang stated that “the upcoming launch of CBD Hemp Wine will serve as a strong sales driver for the Company.” CBD Biotech has plans to explore a variety of hemp products beyond the skincare line and alcoholic beverages.

CIIX offers a variety of investor education products and services. The subscription services and new educational services covering the cryptocurrency market continue to provide a steady revenue stream. As CBD Biotech takes over the exploration and launch of new hemp and CBD products, CIIX can focus on its original mission of providing financial information and services to the global Chinese-speaking community.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ChineseInvestors.com

• MKTDF offers social media campaigns, sweepstakes and games that identify players, then collect information to help convert them into paying customers
• The company uses real-time analytics to gather consumer data from online games and uses it to help retailers better understand their bases; it is a complete technical marketing strategy
• The new gamification toolkit is available on sites including WordPress, Weebly, BigCommerce and Shopify, as well as any website directly from MKTDF

DeepMarkit Corp. (TSX.V: MKT) (OTCQB: MKTDF) is offering a premium version toolkit packed with special features that employ its gamification marketing strategy. It utilizes social media campaigns to brand merchants and, through sweepstakes prizes and other games, identifies players and converts them into email subscribers/paying customers for retailers (http://ibn.fm/B6YBk).

The new toolkit is available on sites including BigCommerce, Weebly, WordPress and Shopify (NYSE: SHOP) (TSX: SHOP), and it may also be installed on any website directly from MKTDF. The toolkit includes pop-ups, banners and full-page displays. The new version also has 12 premium games on social media.

Gamification uses the combination of entertaining and engaging game-like features and a non-game platform that collects consumer data from online games. The result is the application of real-time information and analytics created to enable retailer clients to better understand their customer bases (http://ibn.fm/1RVwg).

MKTDF is a Calgary, Alberta-based technology company focused on the monetization of gamification. Through the prizes and discounts offered by gaming apps, the company allows businesses to convert site visitors into loyal customers who confirm their identities as they participate. MKTDF’s revenue comes from paid campaigns, according to the company’s publicly available Investor Presentation (http://ibn.fm/IKQYK).

Darold Parken, president and CEO of MKTDF, said in a corporate YouTube video (http://ibn.fm/JLKUP), “Businesses need a way to stand out from the crowd. DeepMarkit’s gamification platform gives customers that way to stand out, and it’s a way that they can afford. That’s the strength of our platform.” The company’s strategy is to convert players into leads and leads into customers.

Carter Chalmers, director of sales and business development, noted in a recent news release that revenue is generated as a monthly subscription fee paid by clients. He added that significant new features built into the toolkit are based on feedback from MKTDF’s customers. The company offers a complete marketing program, eliminating the need for its clients to pay for multiple marketing tools.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.DeepMarkit.com

• Zero Cost Program by Zenergy Brands expected to maximize its B2B and B2C appeal
• The program comes with no upfront expenditure for the customer, another factor that could contribute to rapid adoption
• Smart tech solutions aimed at reducing utility use are currently shaping up a lucrative market that’s expected to register sustainable growth by 2025

As awareness about environmental issues and sustainability continues to grow, Zenergy Brands, Inc. (OTC: ZNGY) is expected to popularize its Zero Cost Program even further. The Zero Cost Program makes it possible for Zenergy to upgrade older energy infrastructure and implement a variety of retrofits. Since no upfront expenditure is required, the program is set to attract both B2B and B2C customers.

Zenergy Brands is working toward becoming a facilitator of change for small and medium-sized clients in need of readily accessible sustainability solutions. Currently, the Texas-based company offers various smart energy, utility and conservation-based products and services. When a client is paired with Zenergy’s Zero Cost Program, utility consumption is expected to go down anywhere between 20 and 60 percent.

The Zero Cost Program is described as a “sustainability as a service” solution. Zenergy performs a best practices analysis pertaining to the usage of key utilities like electricity, water and natural gas. Based on this analysis, Zenergy makes recommendations to ensure sustainable consumption that will reduce the respective entity’s carbon footprint.

Smart controls, LED lights and building automation are some of the changes Zenergy envisions under the program. Based on the client’s needs, Zenergy could also implement efficient water systems, load factor correction and refrigeration optimization.

Under the terms of the agreement, customers pay a portion of the savings generated via efficiency upgrades to Zenergy. Hence, the model lacks upfront payments – a characteristic that boosts its attractiveness even further. The company is the party that accounts for the upfront cost of the upgrades and changes required to produce the more efficient utilization of resources.

Zenergy developed the program based on the Managed Energy Services Agreement (MESA). Under this legal document, the company is allowed to act as an intermediary between a customer and a utility company. This role enables Zenergy to install the upgrades required to reduce consumption. Each MESA is expected to last for a minimum of five years, and the average duration is about seven years.

The popularity of energy-efficient solutions is growing because of increased awareness about environmental issues and a better understanding of the financial savings that come from the adoption of sustainability measures. Such attitudes are expected to fuel the smart home market as well as other innovative conservation technologies. Home automation and energy conservation solutions are expected to generate a sales volume of $125.9 billion by 2025 (http://ibn.fm/dhpH1).

Zenergy aims to enable both homeowners and businesses to decrease consumption through smart energy use and management. This way, the company can increase the enterprise/property value for its customers while simultaneously facilitating a significant carbon footprint reduction.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ZenergyBrands.com

• 41,000 women in the U.S. are expected to die of breast cancer in 2018
• BriaCell is developing a breast cancer drug that can be quickly prepared for individualized treatment
• Clinical trials demonstrate tumor shrinkage with no serious side effects
• BriaCell is now in clinical trials with its lead immunotherapy treatment, tested in combination with other already-approved cancer fighting drugs
• Immunotherapy drugs are expected to be a $100 billion business by 2021

Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death for U.S. women. Although death rates from this disease have been falling since 1989, still in 2018 nearly 41,000 Americans are expected to die of breast cancer. BriaCell Therapeutics Corp. (OTCQB: BCTXF) (TSX.V: BCT), a biotechnology company developing targeted, safe treatments for cancer, is working on the first personalized off-the-shelf immunotherapy drug for advanced breast cancer.

Immunotherapy drugs, which use a patient’s own immune system to target and destroy cancer cells, are expected to become a $100 billion annual business by 2021. Previous research has produced personalized immunotherapies that allow physicians to tailor treatment to the individual cancer patient for more effective response against the disease and fewer side effects. However, each dose of these immunotherapies must be individually manufactured – a long and expensive process.

BriaCell seeks to avoid the time, cost and complex manufacturing process of other personalized immunotherapy by developing an off-the-shelf treatment that can be quickly prepared for each individual patient to safely and effectively kill tumor cells. Development of the company’s technology is based on positive results from recent proof of concept studies of the company’s lead clinical candidate, Bria-IMT, in heavily pretreated advanced breast cancer patients (http://ibn.fm/99jSV).

BriaCell’s research is aimed at producing a personalized breast cancer treatment that can be identified by a simple diagnostic test. Clinical trials of Bria-IMT demonstrated evidence that treatments cause tumors to shrink with no serious side effects – including tumors in other parts of the body in patients whose cancer has migrated. Safety and efficacy data for Bria-IMT appear superior to that of other approved drugs for treating breast cancer when they were at a similar stage of development. BriaCell, based on these results, is developing a diagnostic test, BriaDX, that will help the company select patients best suited for these treatments.

Based on the latest findings, BriaCell researchers expect Bria-IMT to work even better when used by advanced breast cancer patients in combination with certain cancer treatment drugs known as immune checkpoint inhibitors. The company is currently in clinical trials with Bria-IMT in combination with pembrolizumab, marketed by Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK), under the name Keytruda, and with ipilimumab, marketed by Bristol-Meyers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY), under the trade name Yervoy (http://ibn.fm/GSehx).

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have become a focus in cancer research because of their significant results for some patients and with the Nobel committee awarding the 2018 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine to Drs. James Allison and Tasuku Honjo for their separate research into specific immune checkpoints (http://ibn.fm/226A3).

“We believe that combination studies with immune checkpoint inhibitors should create even more potent anti-cancer immune responses, leading to our strategy of combination studies of Bria-IMT with Keytruda or Yervoy,” Dr. William Williams, BriaCell CEO, stated in a press release (http://ibn.fm/xpq1V). “In our view, the combination of Bria-IMT with Keytruda or Yervoy has the potential to provide a new therapeutic option and substantial clinical benefit in heavily pre-treated advanced breast cancer patients where there remains a significant unmet need.”

Based on its research results, the company is developing a second immunotherapy drug, Bria-OTS, an off-the-shelf personalized treatment that’s expected to be effective for 90 percent of the advanced breast cancer patient population. Bria-OTS is expected to go to clinical trials in 2019.

BriaCell Therapeutics Corp., based in Berkeley, California, and headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, is an immuno-oncology focused biotechnology company developing targeted and safe approaches for the management of cancer.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.BriaCell.com

• Lexaria has its patented DehydraTECH drug delivery platform
• The company’s technology is a complementary layer that works with the other research being done on cannabinoids
• Lexaria has a robust IP portfolio and four new subsidiary companies

A drug delivery platform pioneer, Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTCQX: LXRP) has developed and out-licenses its DehydraTECH technology. The company’s technology changes the way in which edible cannabinoids absorb into the body. The DehydraTECH drug delivery platform is patented for cannabidiol and all other non-psychoactive cannabinoids and enables the transportation of bioactive substances via oral ingestion. A research-driven enterprise, Lexaria Bioscience is based in Kelowna, British Columbia.

Lexaria’s process is also patented for delivery of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and psychoactive cannabinoids, including with beverages. It eliminates the necessity for sugar-filled edibles, because it facilitates flavor masking for poor tasting compounds. It also boosts bio-absorption, and THC effects are experienced within 15-20 minutes, because it can bypass first pass liver metabolism when preferred. In essence, the platform promotes healthier ingestion methods, lower overall dosing and increasing the effectiveness of lipophilic active molecules.

The company is evaluating the potential use of its DehydraTECH drug delivery platform for nicotine delivery. This platform has been shown to deliver nicotine both to the bloodstream and to the brain faster than traditional delivery systems. Nevertheless, Lexaria is not a tobacco industry partner. Moreover, its platform is an enabling technology – a complementary layer that works with the other research and development taking place on cannabinoids. If shown to be equally effective at delivering other lipophilic drugs, the platform has the potential to apply to the treatment of nervous system diseases.

Always innovating, Lexaria Bioscience continues to creatively foster growth. The company has new subsidiaries and valuable intellectual property. Recently, Chris Bunka, Lexaria Bioscience Chief Executive Officer, spoke on Uptick Newswire’s Stock Day Podcast regarding company initiatives (http://ibn.fm/WOzDa). Bunka noted that this year has been Lexaria’s busiest since its inception in 2014. The company has five licensees in the U.S. and Canada for its DehydraTECH drug delivery technology, up from only one a year ago.

Lexaria shareholders have the potential to benefit further from the company’s growing IP. The company has more than 50 patents pending in over 40 countries. It has 10 patents granted in the U.S. and Australia for the use of its DehydraTECH delivery platform. In a news release, Bunka talked about patent protection: “Our revenues are increasing. It is growing. People need to realize that our revenue creation is really closely in tune with our IP portfolio development. So, it’s hard to convince a company that should pay for our intellectual property if we don’t have it patent protected.”

Another positive growth factor for Lexaria is the establishment of four new focused subsidiaries in 2018. The emphasis of each subsidiary is hemp, nicotine, cannabis and pharmaceuticals, respectively. The four subsidiaries (Lexaria CanPharm Corp., Lexaria Nicotine Corp., Lexaria Hemp Corp. and Lexaria Pharmaceutical Corp.) are each conferred with Lexaria’s DehydraTECH drug delivery platform. Each can offer, through exclusive licensing arrangements via the parent company, the wide-ranging IP suite to their respective customers.

Lexaria Bioscience is growing by way of its licensees and gaining access to more locations and customers than ever before. With an IP family that is one of the strongest and largest in the industry, Lexaria has much to offer customers and shareholders moving forward. Its dedication to innovation is driving the company into exciting new territory.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.LexariaBioscience.com

• E-wallet adoption in the U.S. lags behind other countries
• Presents great market opportunity for GreenBox
• QuickCard e-wallet powered by blockchain ensures secure payment

Leather wallets are fast becoming passé as cashless payments proliferate. Increasingly, smartphone users are finding electronic payment technology in their wallets. Digital developments have ushered in the era of the e-wallet, payment technology like that from GreenBox POS, LLC (OTC: GRBX), which makes paying electronically a whole lot easier. GreenBox, headquartered in San Diego, California, with offices in Seattle, Washington; Las Vegas, Nevada and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, builds customized payment solutions based on blockchain designed to lower transaction costs, reduce fraud and strengthen regulatory compliance. The company has developed the QuickCard e-wallet. As its name suggests, it gets payments done much faster, a boon to consumer and merchant alike.

Electronic payment, particularly through smart mobile phones, is replacing cash everywhere. In China, there have been reports of retailers refusing payment in cash, as reported by the South China Morning Post (http://ibn.fm/AemVl). “Mobile payment transactions reached a record 81 trillion yuan (US$12.8 trillion) from January to October last year (2017), according to figures from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.” In the U.S., the pace of adoption has not been as rapid. Just 29.4 percent of iPhone owners use Apple Pay and a mere 13.3 percent of those who own phones running on Android use Android Pay (http://ibn.fm/402nb). However, the sluggish embrace of cashless payment on the domestic front is presenting opportunities that GreenBox is poised to take advantage of, with its development of QuickCard.

The QuickCard mobile app, or consumer wallet, is a new way to use, interact and pay without money. After installing the app, consumers can load funds with a debit or credit card or at a QuickCard kiosk using cash. Funds loaded onto the wallet are available immediately for purchases at any location where QuickCard is accepted as a form of payment. The consumer wallet includes an easy-to-use interface through which consumers can purchase goods and services by creating a QR code for specific amounts. Consumers can also build a ‘friends’ library to send or request digital funds from their contacts. A record of all transactions is stored in the wallet. In addition, a consumer can create eCheck, pre-paid and virtual gift cards to use the funds for purchases outside of the QuickCard ecosystem.

Since its launch in May 2018, QuickCard has performed well in the market (http://ibn.fm/O99uC). Over 98 percent of all transactions using QuickCard end with a client downloading and installing the new application. Additionally, no client has withdrawn from the system to-date, and transaction volumes more than double every week. The company expects average daily transaction volume to surpass $1 million in Q4 2018.

Blockchain is not all that’s powering the company’s success. Setting the lead at GreenBox is CEO Fredi Nisan, who comes from the point-of-sale (POS) and merchant services business sector. Nisan completed a successful exit of a company in the POS and ERP business, which he founded and managed through the exit. Ben Errez is executive vice president. Errez has a background in investment, consulting and the software and hardware industries. His previous executive roles include positions at Microsoft (including engineering management of Microsoft Office for complex scripts); IBM (with which he had an exit); and Intel.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.GreenBoxPOS.com

• QMC discovers additional spodumene-bearing pegmatite dike outcrops on strike with and west of the Irgon Dike
• Irgon Dike strike length now has doubled to 800 meters (2,625 feet)
• The lithium forecasts remain strong due to tech needs and electric vehicle market growth

QMC Quantum Minerals Corp.’s (OTC: QMCQF) (TSX.V: QMC) (FSE: 3LQ) geotechnical field crews recently identified significant spodumene mineralization while evaluating the Irgon Lithium Mine Property, which lies within the prolific Cat Lake-Winnipeg River rare-element pegmatite field. This world-renowned pegmatite field also hosts the nearby Tantalum Mining Corporation of Canada (“TANCO”) pegmatite operation.

The recent discovery of “significant spodumene mineralization” in pegmatite dike outcroppings on QMC’s 100 percent-owned southern Manitoba Irgon Mine Property is leading the Canadian junior to advance its proposed winter drill program. The program is being designed to identify additional lithium resources, which are craved by various industries as the light metal is required in lithium-ion battery production.

Specialized international inspections and testing firm SGS Canada Inc. recently wrapped up review of the data derived from QMC’s Irgon Lithium Project’s mineralized dikes in the Cat Lake region and is guiding QMC’s next steps in exploring its asset (http://ibn.fm/vhNgy). SGS is overseeing a mobile metal ions (MMI) orientation survey over the Irgon dike as a precursor to utilizing this geochemical method on other target areas identified within the property. The MMI geochemical soil survey analyzes mobile metal ions, including lithium, cesium and beryllium, that have been released into the overlying soil profile from underlying bedrock pegmatite mineralization. It is proving to be a very effective tool when utilized as part of an exploration methodology designed to define a site’s mineral potential.

Prior exploration at the Irgon Dike some 65 years ago established a resource estimate of more than 1.2 million tons of lithium oxide (Li2O) grading 1.51 percent over a strike length of 365 meters (1,197.5 feet) and to a depth of 213 meters (698.8 feet). QMC is working toward upgrading this resource to current NI 43-101 standards.

QMC is exploring for additional targets that contain spodumene mineralization within the 4,583 hectare (11,325 acre) Irgon Lithium Mine Property. Recently, the company reported ongoing exploration success, having identified newly discovered spodumene outcroppings located west of the Irgon Dike. It is these discoveries that represent the exploration potential of this project. These numerous mineralized exposures are located directly on strike with the Irgon Dike, with spodumene mineralization having been identified as far as 400 meters (1,312.3 feet) west of the Irgon Shaft. This suggests to QMC geologists that this mineralization is the westward extension of the Irgon Dike, which effectively doubles the length of the strike of the dike and expand the potential for the original historic resource estimate “to be rapidly increased through ongoing exploration,” as the company notes in its October 30 news release about the site visit (http://ibn.fm/eNERI).

“QMC plans to initiate an exploration program in this area, during which this western dike zone will be stripped and washed leading into a program of channel sampling and drilling,” the news release states. “This will allow the company to determine whether this zone is the western extension of the Irgon Dike or if it is an entirely new mineralized pegmatite system. Either way, as this new mineralized zone is being evaluated, it could quickly add potential resource expansion within the Irgon Project.”

The site’s 74-meter (242.8-foot), three compartment shaft was excavated during the 1950s-era work program, and 366 meters (1,200.8 feet) of lateral drifting parallel to the dike was extended off the shaft at the 200-foot level. Unfavorable economic conditions led to the site’s shuttering after the initial work was done, but the ubiquitous use of lithium in tech devices ranging from wearable smart devices to electric vehicle engines has spawned a resurgence in demand for the lightweight metal.

Lithium Investing News’ third quarter assessment is among more optimistic outlooks reporting expectations that demand for the metal will triple by 2025 as lithium-ion battery orders continue to rise (http://ibn.fm/jLVDh). It also noted that a number of new supply contracts had been negotiated and new spodumene concentrate supplies had been introduced from Australia and Brazil.

“This escalation in downstream interest shows that lithium supply remains a key concern throughout the battery supply chain,” Benchmark Mineral Intelligence Senior Analyst Andrew Miller told the news agency.

QMC has invested two years in exploring the potential of the Irgon Lithium Mine Property. Channel sampling on the Irgon Dike has returned encouraging results of 1.73 percent lithium-oxide over 14 meters (45.9 feet). Sampling elsewhere on additional targets in the area has produced concentrations of over 1.90 percent lithium-oxide and one that returned 2.62 percent, leading QMC to maintain its hopes that the Irgon Mine Property will become a center for commercial productivity.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.QMCMinerals.com

• China cracking down on industrial waste pollution
• Country putting new measures in place to encourage companies to find greener methods of waste disposal
• TMSR Holding Company Limited provides patented methods to process and recycle solid waste produced in mining and other industries

The People’s Republic of China has put solid industrial waste at the top of its anti-pollution agenda, with new laws aimed at requiring companies to implement measures to handle the waste they generate, according to a Reuters report (http://ibn.fm/hThPJ).

As a developer and provider of innovative industrial and mining waste management solutions, TMSR Holding Company Limited (NASDAQ: TMSR) is dedicated to offering the mining sector and other industries a means of turning waste into useful materials. Through its patented technology, the company has developed processes to extract usable material from industrial waste, including aluminum slag, red mud manganese tailings, copper mine tailings and iron mine tailings.

Aluminum is the world’s second-most used metal after iron, and China is the world’s biggest producer of aluminum. However, its production poses several serious environmental challenges to the local communities settled around areas where aluminum is mined and refined.

One such challenge relates to tailings, which are the substances left over after the metals have been stripped from ore. Mining tailings, in the form of rock waste, are often left in huge hill-sized piles covering several acres. These hills may be unstable, causing devastating landslides, as in Luoyang, Henan Province, in 2016, when tailings caused a mudslide that destroyed a village (http://ibn.fm/lnDRV).

TMSR, through subsidiaries Shengrong Environmental and Wuhan HOST Coating Materials, holds two international U.S. patents and six patents issued by the People’s Republic of China, including three invention patents and three utility model patents.

TMSR’s award-winning technologies include pollution-free methods of processing and recycling tailings, as well as methods to deal with manganese slag, a substance that poses a health and environmental hazard and which can be expensive to dispose of.

Using these technologies, Shengrong Environmental recycles solid waste from a number of industries in the People’s Republic of China, extracting usable materials in processes that do not release dangerous chemical discharge. The resulting residue is then used to produce construction materials.

Shengrong also produces and sells processes and equipment that provide businesses in the mining and industrial sectors with a greener alternative to dispose of their solid waste.

Recognizing the value of TMSR’s technologies, the government of the People’s Republic of China has commended its technologies and encourages companies across the country to use these processes and products. The government has also included TMSR’s products in its official procurement list.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.TMSRHolding.com

• Company fulfilled purchase orders from British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Ontario in-full and on-time for October 17 adult-use market opening and is preparing re-stocking shipments following sell-outs
• Flowr launched new Ace Valley brand in partnership with the team behind the highly successful Ace Hill Beer
• Company broke ground on a first-of-its-kind, 50,000 square foot R&D facility funded by its exclusive R&D partner, the Hawthorne Gardening Division of the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company. Facility is expected to open in the summer of 2019 alongside Flowr’s cultivation complex in Kelowna, BC

October has been a busy month for Canadian cannabis companies, perhaps none more so than premium cannabis company The Flowr Corporation (TSX.V: FLWR).  The Company, which began trading on the TSX Venture Exchange in late September, bucked industry trends by completely filling its purchase orders from three provinces before adult use legalization, launched a new cannabis brand in partnership with the team from Ace Hill Beer, broke ground on its first-of-its-kind R&D facility, and kicked off its medical sales program.

Throughout early October, Flowr announced it was fulfilling orders for its premium cannabis products from provincial authorities in British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Ontario on-time and in-full in anticipation of the October 17 opening of recreational use markets.  By reaching and fulfilling supply agreements with these provinces, Flowr products became available to more than half of Canada’s population.

Since October 17, several provincial authorities have reported that they have been unable to meet customer demand, in part because some suppliers were unable to deliver the volume of products for which they had accepted orders. Flowr not only met its initial supply commitments but anticipates additional shipments in the coming weeks to complete pre-existing or supplemental orders.  These shipments will make Flowr’s premium cannabis available again to consumers.  Many varieties of Flowr’s products sold out in provincial stores even though it is priced in line with its premium quality.

Flowr also announced in early October that it had formed a partnership with the team behind Ace Hill Beer to create a new cannabis brand, Ace Valley.  Ace Hill has grown from a start-up into one of Ontario’s most popular beer brands in just a few years by marketing authentic, easy to understand, craft products.  Ace Valley, Flowr executives said, marries Flowr’s high quality cannabis with Ace Hill’s marketing expertise, particularly with millennial consumers.

Ace Valley launched with two strains of cannabis and focuses on packaging in pre-rolled joints for ease and portability.  The Ontario Cannabis Store website showed the Ace Valley pre-roll products sold out within the first day of sales.

“Our team is working incredibly hard to ensure we are delivering a great experience to consumers, our provincial partners and our investors,” said Vinay Tolia, Flowr’s CEO.  “We’ve said all along that our cultivation team is our competitive advantage and its proving out in multiple ways – in our ability to fully understand and deliver on our capacity and in our ability to grow premium cannabis that there is real demand for along with a willingness to pay premium prices for it.”

Flowr also broke ground on its highly anticipated research and development facility in mid-October.  The facility is North America’s first R&D facility dedicated to advancing cannabis cultivation techniques and systems.

The company was selected by the Hawthorne Gardening Division of the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE: SMG) as its exclusive Canadian cannabis R&D partner (http://ibn.fm/vB4u7). Scotts is funding the 50,000 sq. ft. facility.  Hawthorne selected Flowr for this alliance based on the technical expertise of Flowr’s design, build and cultivation team under the direction of Flowr Co-Founder Tom Flow.  Flow is widely recognized for his cannabis thought leadership and expertise building and operating cannabis cultivation facilities.  He also co-founded MedReleaf which recently was acquired by Aurora (TSX: ACB) for C$3.2 billion.

At the groundbreaking, Flowr Chairman & Chief Strategist Steve Klein said, “Flowr’s partnership with Hawthorne is more than just an acknowledgment of the talents and track record of Tom Flow and our cultivation team.  We strongly believe it will also help us sustain our competitive advantage in cultivation and remain at the forefront of industry innovation.”

The alliance makes Flowr one of only three Canadian cannabis companies with a business partnership with a publicly traded U.S. company along with Canopy (TSX: WEED) – Constellation (NYSE: STZ) and Hexo (TSX: HEXO) – Molson Coors (NYSE: TAP).

Just a day after going public, the company announced that it was beginning direct sales of its FlowrRx medical cannabis brand (http://ibn.fm/6PASI). Under the sales license it obtained from Health Canada in August, the company is allowed to sell to both the medical and the adult-use recreational market in Canada.

Initially available to a limited number of customers who will have access to a wide range of cannabis strains, FlowrRx will be sold through the company’s website but also be distributed in multiple medical clinics via distribution partnerships. Products in the line are grown in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia using Flowr’s proprietary cultivation systems and strict pharmaceutical quality production standards.

“FlowrRx’s premium cannabis is grown to provide our clients with the medicinal benefits they seek and, most importantly for their care, a consistent experience,” said Flowr Chief Policy and Medical Officer, Dr. Lyle Oberg.

Committed to offering all clients easy access to the products they want and need, the company has focused on developing a medical sales program centered on the patient, that delivers premium quality products, convenient access and extensive support. This includes multiple strains of FlowrRx brand flower featuring the company’s award-winning Delahaze cultivar, known for its powerful and invigorating effects.  Flowr also offers a convenient and discreet online medical documentation process complete with an online consultation with a healthcare professional for clients obtaining medical documents for the first time, and personalized support from the company’s team of client care nurses.

Founded by MedReleaf co-founder Tom Flow and a team of industry pioneers, successful start-up executives and top industry scientists, The Flowr Corporation is headquartered in Markham, Ontario, and has production facilities in Kelowna, BC.  It is constructing a flagship 85,000 square foot cultivation facility using proprietary growing systems and designs and engineered meet pharmaceutical quality production standards. It is currently operational at approximately 20 percent, with the remaining 80 percent scheduled to come online early in 2019.  The facility is expected to produce more than 12,000 kilograms of premium cannabis flower per year once it becomes fully operational.

Flowr’s goal is to be the leading supplier of premium, non-irradiated cannabis to the Canadian medicinal and recreational-use markets. Klein said, “We think there is going to be a shortage of high-quality flower in Canada in both the medicinal and recreational markets. We’re focusing on meeting the demand there initially.”

In interviews (link to piece about Midas Letter Vinay Tolia interview), executives have said Flowr intends to pursue other growth opportunities including potentially expanding the Ace Valley brand to include beverages, export opportunities, genetics, plant and seed sales opportunities, as well as branching into providing other form factors of cannabis products such as edibles and vape products when they become legal in Canada.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Flowr.ca