• The Green Organic Dutchman is building a cannabis industry presence with focus on premium, craft-grown product
• Company is building 1.38 million square feet of cultivation facilities in Canada, Jamaica
• New Acquisitions Corporation will focus on monetizing TGOD’s experience in finding worldwide opportunities
• Enters LOI with Denmark-based Knud Jepsen, increasing funded capacity to 195,000 kg annually

Amid the rush to market cannabis products in increasingly varied ways, medical cannabis research and development company The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. (TSX: TGOD) (OTC: TGODF) is preparing to reward its shareholders and boost its bottom line by spinning off a new corporation that will focus on “the acquisition and development of worldwide opportunities,” according to a recent news release (http://ibn.fm/s2AIo).

The Ontario, Canada-based company produces high-quality, organic medical cannabis with a reliance on premium craft-grown virtues that can be consistently reproduced trumping the desire to deliver maximized volumes. The company is one of only a few certified organic growers in Canada and also recently announced its intention to enter into the beverage industry. It has a funded capacity for growing 170,000 kg of plant material and is building 1.38 million square feet of cultivation facilities in Ontario, Quebec, and Jamaica. The company also recently announced plans to enter Denmark. The arrangement consists of two facilities situated in 1.3 million square feet of state-of-the-art automated greenhouses. The enterprise, currently the subject of a letter of intent (LOI), will be a 50/50 joint venture with Knud Jepsen, based in Hinnerup, Denmark. Expected completion date is in the second half of 2019. This arrangement will increase TGOD’s funded capacity to 195,000 kg per annum.

The spinoff of the TGOD Acquisitions Corporation is part of plans to complete a series of staged financings and acquisitions that will culminate in an IPO event expected in late 2018. The spinoff activities will bestow a warrant to shareholders that authorizes them to acquire a “unit” in the new company — one per each 6.67 shares they hold in TGOD at the time of the spinoff — for $0.50. Each unit will comprise a share in the new company, as well as an additional warrant that will allow the investors to join in a future round of financing alongside TGOD management during the seed round of the company.

TGOD has announced the record date, September 28, 2018, any TGOD common shares acquired prior to that date will contribute to exposure in the TGOD Acquisitions seed round financing.

TGOD Acquisitions will operate with its own board of directors and management structure, whose members will be announced during a meeting with shareholders. The TGOD Acquisitions Company results from collaborations that The Green Organic Dutchman has built over time with emerging cannabis companies from around the world as the company has pursued its own development within the cannabis industry. While TGOD has not pursued acquisitions previously, its management determined that the time has come to monetize its experience with other companies for the benefit of its shareholders.

The Green Organic Dutchman completed a strategic partnership with Aurora Cannabis Inc. (TSX: ACB) earlier this year that also demonstrated its foresight in building the company and strengthened its financial base, resulting in some C$78.1 million in Aurora investments. The company also has increased its profit margins by partnering with global power management company Eaton Corp. Eaton delivers optimization that makes it possible for TGOD to have some of the lowest electricity input costs in the industry, in turn granting itself opportunities to corner business in the crop growing power management and lighting field worldwide.

“This (spinoff) is an incredible opportunity for TGOD to transfer expertise and monetize our proprietary knowledge from the Canadian marketplace,” the news release states. “We will partner with innovative and disruptive companies that we can assist with capital market knowledge and unique retail-exclusive financing methods. The intention is to raise additional capital and list TGOD Acquisitions on the Canadian Securities Exchange.”

Further details about the spinoff transaction arrangement will be published in a circular to be prepared for TGOD security holders and will be filed under TGOD’s profile on SEDAR at www.SEDAR.com.

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

• Creating branded games to attract new customers for clients
• Leveraging the motivation of customers for reward and achievement to collect data and convert leads
• Provides cost effective pricing to meet the needs of various clients as they tap into the power of gamification

DeepMarkit Inc. (TSX.V: MKT) (OTCQB: MKTDF) is creating branded games that help attract new customers and thus sales, generating leads through the capture of data. Through the use of gamification technology, the company is helping businesses engage consumers and other audiences.

But what is gamification technology and how has DeepMarkit tapped into this innovative marketing approach? Gamification is simply the transformation of existing business models into new ways to enhance relationships, engagement and loyalty amongst customers and employees. By leveraging the motivations that exist in all of us for community, achievement and reward, companies are able to engage consumers and drive growth. Through its Gamify platform, DeepMarkit has harnessed the power of gamification to convert leads into paying customers at multiple touch points in the sales funnel while simultaneously collecting data for further follow up.

DeepMarkit provides cost effective pricing to fit the needs and budgets of the businesses it serves. A free website display allows companies to convert online visitors into email subscribers. The Gamify slide out is available in three games and entices visitors to subscribe with instant prizes. Businesses can choose from a selection of easily customizable gaming apps featuring the company’s unique branding. These games, and carefully crafted landing pages, allow for the collection of data and real-time analytics. The audience is provided motivation through the chance to win, receive awards and build positive associations.

Rather than using ads to engage, Gamify is grabbing the attention of consumers with a platform with which they want to interact. Built into the platform are various calls to action designed to trigger the consumer to follow through. Increased sales occur through multiple touch points as customers are provided with purchase incentive rewards.

The global gamification market was valued at approximately $1.7 million in 2015 and is projected to reach more than $22 billion by 2022 (http://ibn.fm/3Rkgx). Gamify offers clients the ability to reach this audience by providing platform integrations, email marketing platforms and promotion distribution channels. A free version of the Gamify slide out is available across multiple ecommerce platforms and provides clients with the chance to experience the power of gamification for themselves. Paid features are available for upgrades, bringing more value to each client while promoting an increase in brand awareness and conversion.

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

• Big data and business analysis revenues expected to reach $166 billion this year, $260 billion by 2022
• Consorteum Holdings’ lead product, the Universal Mobile Interface™, provides adaptable Big Data capabilities to variety of industries
• Company’s first app targets sports betting interests of world’s cricket fans

The surging interest in data analytics tools bodes well for analytical software development company Consorteum Holdings, Inc. (OTC: CSRH), which aims to distribute its central product, the Universal Mobile Interface (UMI), to businesses intent on integrating data streams to generate revenue via mobile platforms.

Consorteum Holdings is focused on the delivery of digital content to mobile devices. Its suite of mobile applications, developed through a combination of strategic partnerships, license agreements and joint venture arrangements, delivers mobile content and mobile payments solutions. The company has been building relationships and licensing agreements that will allow it to participate in the growing fintech marketplace, and, earlier this year, it announced the development of a sports betting app that will enable cricket fans to analyze various team and player statistics to make more informed wagering decisions.

Global market intelligence firm International Data Corporation (IDC) forecasts a world in which revenues from big data and business analysis (BDA) will reach $166 billion this year, marking an increase of 11.7 percent over last year (http://ibn.fm/K5JQ9). BDA solutions are expected to bring in revenues of $260 billion worldwide by 2022, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.9 percent during that time.

“At a high level, organizations are turning to big data and analytics solutions to navigate the convergence of their physical and digital worlds,” IDC Customer Insights and Analysis Program Vice President Jessica Goepfert told New Zealand’s Channel Life publication (http://ibn.fm/iXM2q). “This transformation takes a different shape depending on the industry. For instance, within banking and retail — two of the fastest growth areas for big data and analytics — investments are all about managing and reinvigorating the customer experience. Whereas in manufacturing, firms are reinventing themselves to essentially be high tech companies, using their products as a platform to enable and deliver digital services.”

Consorteum Holdings’ wholly owned subsidiary, 359 Mobile, Inc., is responsible for building the company’s UMI platform to blend any stream of data on a mobile platform, flexibly adapting to the diverse needs of a broad range of vertical markets, including e-commerce, mobile gaming, banking, data analytics, social media, entertainment and digital marketing.

Earlier this year, the company announced that its first app to market is a tool to help sports betting fans study athlete statistics and predict outcomes for their favorite teams and players as new matchups take place (http://ibn.fm/RzoQG), potentially establishing Consorteum Holdings as a frontrunner in a market with explosive opportunities. According to the Chicago Tribune, nearly 60 million people in the United States and Canada alone find entertainment in fantasy sports league competitions, many of which involve cash wagers (http://ibn.fm/yQ7IZ).

Consorteum Holdings’ initial app targets competitive cricket, a sport without a significant following in the United States but with an enormous following worldwide. It is regarded as second only to soccer in fan-base popularity, and the app’s initial rollout will take place this year in the United Kingdom, with additional geographical markets considered as time passes.

“Additionally, the Company will evaluate opportunities to market its current technologies in other industries,” the company’s most recent quarterly filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission states. “Going forward, we expect our revenues to be derived from transactions processed using our UMI software platform technology in various countries outside the U.S. starting with the United Kingdom as we explore other international distribution opportunities. We will also explore any U.S. opportunities that are feasible.”

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

• CBD market projected to grow to $2.1 billion by 2020
• Large Asian-American market receptive to traditional Chinese medicine and nutraceuticals
• Cannabis Strategic Ventures combines brand experience with niche knowledge

Cannabis Strategic Ventures, Inc. (OTC: NUGS) is out to take a slice of the billion-dollar Asian Nutraceutical pie. The company recently cut a deal to acquire the Fitamins CBD brand (http://ibn.fm/JzrDg). Under the terms of the agreement, Fitamins will be distributing its vitamin and hemp-derived CBD formulations through a network of more than 600 wholesalers that serve the Asian-American market. Guided by a team that has developed two successful ventures, Cannabis Strategic Ventures will leverage its knowledge of this underserved market to provide value to both customers and shareholders.

As large as the Asian-American market is, it is often overlooked because many marketers are daunted by the communication challenges involved. Cannabis Strategic Ventures, on the other hand, is comfortable and familiar with the demographic. The company is led by Simon Yu, BBA, MBA, who holds the position of CEO. He is supported by Chris Young, who recently joined Cannabis Strategic Ventures as a board member (http://ibn.fm/J1rdK).

Young is the founder of Pure Applied Sciences, Inc. (PAS), which is now a subsidiary of Cannabis Strategic Ventures. He holds a JD from Southwestern Law and an MBA from the University of Southern California, and he has already built two successful ventures. First, he founded a women’s fashion brand, which was sold two years later. Second, he co-founded Coordinates Collection, a luxury jewelry brand that’s marketed to over 500 stores in 10 countries. After his second successful exit, Young moved on to become a strategy and branding consultant, developing consumer packaged goods (CPG) products for celebrity-led brands.

The Asian-American nutraceutical market appears to have a great deal of potential because of its immensity and historical characteristics. The Chinese segment of this large demographic numbered about five million in 2015, according to the well-respected Pew Research Center (http://ibn.fm/KNVLm), with an English proficiency rate of 70 percent, which highlights how important specialized knowledge of the culture is for a marketer. Most Chinese-Americans can be found in California, with 604,000 in Los Angeles, 519,000 in San Francisco and 194,000 in San Jose, but New York also has a substantial number (798,000 in NYC).

Chinese-Americans are also open to using nutraceuticals because of their exposure and familiarity with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which embraces herbal remedies. Moreover, TCM and nutraceuticals are receiving official support. No less a personage than China’s president, Xi Jinping, has been promoting TCM, calling it “the gem of Chinese traditional science.” He is urging practitioners to “push for TCM to step onto the world stage”, according to the Economist (http://ibn.fm/NG5IN). As a result, around 60,000 TCM treatment options have been approved by the government’s food and drug regulator, accounting for almost a third of China’s pharmaceutical market, the world’s second-largest.

The Chinese public has been welcomingly receptive. The number of patients visiting TCM hospitals and doctors has risen. In 2011, they accounted for 14 percent of health care; by 2015, they comprised 16 percent. It seems very likely that the CBD products being marketed by Cannabis Strategic Ventures will align with these cultural and historical trends.

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

• In MoneyTV interview, Warren Wang, CEO of CIIX, says that the plan is to spin off cannabis line next year, adding that the goal is for CIIX shares to grow from $0.50 to $5.00 in three to five years
• CIIX’s CBD division to include CBD Biotechnology Co. Ltd., Hemp Logic, Inc. and ChineseHempOil.com, Inc.
• After the spinoff of CBD assets, CIIX will return to its roots in consulting, brand building and education for the Chinese-speaking community in the U.S. and international markets

ChineseInvestors.com, Inc. (OTCQB: CIIX) subsidiary ChineseHempOil.com, Inc. is growing the strategic retail placement of its CBD-related products and conducted a seminar on August 18 at its San Gabriel, California, Chinese Wellness Center (http://ibn.fm/1iv1M).

Amin Wang, a Chinese medicine practitioner, conducted the event. Nina Wang, general manager of ChineseHempOil.com, Inc., noted that this was the fourth in a series of special educational presentations this year focused on the company’s hemp-based products. The seminar was titled ‘The Health Benefits of Hemp Oil’.

The hemp oil line is already in more than 70 retail locations in Los Angeles. CIIX’s strategy is to sell that line’s products to retailers in Northern California, then spin off the hemp oil division (http://ibn.fm/LZy2K).

Warren Wang, CEO of CIIX, in a MoneyTV interview (http://ibn.fm/tznGm), said, “Our goal is try to become the Chinese CVSI (CV Sciences, Inc.),” a company he termed the leader in the CBD industry. “We will try to maximize our revenues. My biggest dream as CEO of a publicly traded company is to maximize shareholders’ value. So, my goal is (for the stock) to go from $0.50 to $5.00 within three to five years.”

Next year, Wang added, he hopes the subsidiary can double its revenues and meet the qualifications for listing on the Nasdaq or NYSE.

CIIX plans to return to its core business in financial consulting and branding. CIIX has a history of success as a diverse firm with multiple focuses. The San Gabriel, California-based company offers a suite of services and educational courses for its audience of Chinese-speaking cryptocurrency investors.

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

• The Irgon Lithium Mine Property is a mineral-rich spodumene-bearing pegmatite dike with significant historical data that point to additional as-of-yet untapped potential
• The property is uniquely positioned to be brought into production much faster than expected for a project of this size due to work previously done
• Lithium demand is projected to continue to rise thanks to electrification of both civilian and commercial transport, as well as the expansion of energy storage technology

As global lithium demand continues to rise with the electrification of the global transportation fleet, QMC Quantum Minerals Corp. (OTC: QMCQF) (TSX.V: QMC) (FSE: 3LQ) finds itself able to begin lithium production on an expedited timetable. QMC is preparing to bring the Irgon Lithium Mine Project online for production, and it has hired SGS Canada to complete a NI 43-101 report on the resources contained within the property.

The Property has been Explored in the Past

The Irgon Property is notable in that it was previously explored in 1953-54 by the Lithium Corporation of Canada (LCOC), which drilled off and sampled a part of the Irgon Pegmatite Dike. The company estimated that the sampled part of the dike contained about 1.2 million tons of ore over a strike length of 365 meters (1200 feet) and to a depth of 213 meters (700 feet). Within this volume of rock, LCOC calculated an average grade of 1.51 percent Li2O. LCOC also excavated a three-compartment shaft, set up a processing mill and built a road from the property to a nearby highway. However, the mine project was shut down before production could begin due to low lithium prices at that time.

Since then, QMC has reviewed the historical data that LCOC collected and has spent time evaluating, geologically mapping and assay channel sampling the surface exposure of the dike in a process aimed at confirming the data. After increasing its land position by 655 percent between Q4 2016 and Q4 2018, QMC’s mineral claims at the Irgon Lithium Mine Project now total over 11,000 acres. By drilling deeper and extending the strike laterally, the company is expecting to report significantly more ore in its upcoming NI 43-101 document than the historic 1.2 million ton resource previously reported by LCOC.

Friendly Regulation

Given Manitoba’s regulatory support of mining, the approval process is expected to pass smoothly by year-end. Additionally, as there is already a three-compartment shaft excavated onsite, mining and processing equipment can be moved in rapidly after filing and receiving approval to begin production. By processing the spodumene-bearing ore on-site before shipping, QMC estimates that it will realize a savings making it comparable to the cheapest Chinese or Chilean brine producers (http://ibn.fm/xXoPt).

Another benefit that QMC is expecting to realize is that lithium demand is projected to continue increasing. Most of the demand originates from electric transportation, energy storage and portable electronics, and this demand is expected to triple by 2025, according to Lithium Investing News (http://ibn.fm/YouWh). Auto manufacturers are already beginning to lock in suppliers for five- and 10-year contracts, as various analysts are expecting EV sales to surge from 1.1 million worldwide in 2017 to 11 million in 2025 and as much as 30 million by 2030 (http://ibn.fm/FCnvN). Given the lithium industry’s historically slow production ramp-up time, this surge in demand will greatly benefit companies like QMC that are able to provide supply early.

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

• Smoking-related deaths have reached six million a year worldwide
• Lexaria’s patented drug delivery platform aims to deliver commonly smoked drugs in a non-smoking form factor that sidesteps smoking’s hazards
• Second round of testing continues to indicate that patented DehydraTECH™ platform provides rapid delivery with high bioavailability

As world drug industry regulations undergo revolutionary change and increasingly healthy populations find themselves challenged to meet the cares of old age, Canadian biotechnology company Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTCQX: LXRP) is forging a path that establishes it as a pioneer in the field of drug delivery platforms.

Lexaria’s mission is to ensure drug complexes can be orally ingested and absorbed by the body at a speed that rivals smoking’s effects, thereby eliminating any perceived benefit of smoking that might counter its known detriments to people’s health. Lexaria’s DehydraTECH™ solution is the only patented product in the world approved for all non-psychoactive cannabinoids through oral delivery, including pills. The company has secured patents in the United States and Australia and has patents pending in over 40 other countries.

Lexaria has already licensed its DehydraTECH technology to a variety of companies, including chocolate maker Nuka Enterprises, cannabis beverage manufacturer GP Holdings and Biolog, which markets cannabidiol (CBD)-infused products and vitamins (http://ibn.fm/7hvqF). Lexaria expects to enter new licensing agreements this year and beyond. Some of the licensing agreements include products with the psychoactive tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) compound derived from the marijuana strain of cannabis, and the company has also been conducting nicotine experiments as part of a societal push for alternatives to tobacco smoking.

In October, Canada will become the first country among the industrialized Group of Seven nations to legalize recreational marijuana use, although in some parts of the country brick and mortar stores won’t appear until next spring (http://ibn.fm/Z0gjw). The months-long drive toward full legalization of the cannabis plant’s uses has been accompanied by debate over how much cannabis smoking society can tolerate, with regional governments generally opting to restrict smoking to non-public areas. But, as with tobacco use, marijuana smoking carries with it a risk of adverse health effects.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that six million people a year die worldwide as a result of smoking, with 30 times that amount living with serious illnesses brought on by smoking, and the numbers are expected to increase (http://ibn.fm/i9pWX).

Alternate forms of ingesting drugs have generally proven to be less effective or much slower than smoking, however. According to Lexaria’s promotional materials, inhaled cannabinoids have a “high bioavailability” estimated at 30 percent of the original substance, while under-the-tongue administered drops have a medium bioavailability of about 16 percent, accompanied by a foul taste unless taste-masking chemicals are used. Likewise, swallowed cannabinoids have a low bioavailability of three to five percent.

DehydraTECH uses a patented process that begins by combining fatty acids with the drug to help it survive the gastrointestinal tract for optimal bioavailability. Recent testing of its effectiveness in an animal in vivo study involving edible nicotine found that the drug passenger entered the bloodstream just minutes after dosing. The study pitted DehydraTECH against a concentration-matched control formulation and found that Lexaria’s technology delivered nicotine at each of the two-, four-, six-, eight- and 10-minute intervals post-dosing, with 90.2 percent greater delivery than the control compound by the 10-minute mark and significantly greater absorption levels at all subsequent time points in the study, a news release states (http://ibn.fm/I6gIE).

The study focused on the rate of absorption over a 60-minute period, with primary emphasis on the first 15-minutes after dosing in order to determine DehydraTECH’s effectiveness as an alternative to smoking’s rapid delivery benefit. The study found marked improvement over the control formulation in terms of rapidity, total quantity and peak level, and it sustains the company’s first test phase through a third-party laboratory that took place over six hours using a smaller number of subjects.

“The blood plasma data from this nicotine study is considered statistically significant and corroborates and confirms the validity of the results previously announced on April 17, 2018,” the news release states. “A significant amount of data has yet to be received and analyzed from this study, including brain absorption data.”

Because DehydraTECH is showing promise in delivering therapies for nervous system disorders past the blood brain barrier, however, the company recently filed a new patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for treatment options for central nervous system diseases and disorders including ADHD, anxiety, depression, OCD, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s and neuropathic pain (http://ibn.fm/Nau6G). It is the drug delivery platform’s inherent versatility that is attracting attention from such diverse industries as tobacco, cannabis and pharma.

“If we can develop viable ingestible alternatives to cigarette smoking we could help hundreds of millions of people avoid many of the disease states associated with smoking,” Lexaria CEO Chris Bunka stated in a news release. “And I cannot imagine a more rewarding destiny bestowed upon Lexaria Bioscience Corp.”

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

• Tech-industry demand for cobalt predicted to drive doubling of need for battery element during next decade
• First Cobalt exploring quick-to-market potential of Idaho project while assessing fire-up capacity of continent’s only permitted cobalt refinery
• Company also has 50 past-producing mines in Canada’s famed Cobalt Camp

Cobalt’s rising star in the metal commodities market and the potential fast-track-to-production resources of First Cobalt Corp. (TSX.V: FCC) (OTCQX: FTSSF) (ASX: FCC) appear to be a rock solid marriage of preparation and opportunity within the exploration industry.

Cobalt’s clout derives from its current position as a limited supply element vital to the low-heat, high-stability lithium-ion batteries that power globally omnipresent computer-reliant technology, such as smartphones, laptops, medical tools, jet engines and, now, the burgeoning electric vehicle market. It is mainly used to make magnetic, wear-resistant and high-strength alloys (http://ibn.fm/fjzf9).

International mining consultancy Roskill estimates that the demand for cobalt in 2017 was 118,000 metric tons (http://ibn.fm/dsY6y) and will double to 310,000 metric tons by 2027, with 240,000 metric tons (77 percent) of that amount being devoted to computerized electronics alone (http://ibn.fm/fsuw6). Although prices have softened somewhat since experiencing a 10-year high of over $90,000 per metric ton on the London Metal Exchange earlier this year, market watchers continue to predict that cobalt trade will remain robust during the foreseeable future in order to ensure the stability of the electronics industry (http://ibn.fm/P4d07).

First Cobalt Corp., with headquarters in Canada, is a vertically integrated pure-play cobalt company. First Cobalt has three significant North American assets: the Iron Creek Project in Idaho, which has a historic mineral resource estimate (non-compliant with modern NI 43-101 reporting standards) of 1.3 million tons grading 0.59 percent cobalt; the Canadian Cobalt Camp, with more than 50 past producing mines; and the only permitted cobalt refinery in North America capable of producing battery materials.

The company became listed earlier this year on the OTCQX Canada Index (.OTCQXCAN), which is designed to show investors “the diversity of high-quality Canadian companies that meet the high financial, disclosure and corporate governance standards required to trade on the OTCQX market” (http://ibn.fm/UWu19). Eligible securities must be traded on OTCQX, listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), TSX Venture Exchange (TSX.V) or Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) and meet a minimum liquidity standard, according to the index.

Effectively, First Cobalt is the only company on the continent potentially ready to produce cobalt battery materials as supply for the increasing demand.

Although the Idaho site’s historic estimate of 1.3 million tons grading 0.59 percent cobalt and 0.3 percent copper is not up to modern NI 43-101 reporting standards, the company is working to meet the modernization needs for its reporting on the $9 million project by October (http://ibn.fm/WZguf).

The company also continues to explore the longer-term potential of its nearly 25,000 acres in Canada’s famed Cobalt Camp of Ontario, and could soon be ready to resume the production of battery-grade material at its shuttered cobalt extraction refinery in the region. International supply concerns continue to trouble the market, including the conflict metal concerns about mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where most of the world’s cobalt resources originate and, most recently, U.S. trade restrictions with Cuba that have affected the Canadian supplier of electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla (http://ibn.fm/JZMQ4), as well as the theft of an enormous cache of warehoused cobalt in the Netherlands last month (http://ibn.fm/yFajZ).

Amid the international supply concerns, First Cobalt’s North American resources are strengthening its position as lucky in its love for the domestic market.

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

• Elevate product line boosts fourth quarter sales in excess of $7 million
• Potential for rapid further growth in market worth $12 billion
• Application of successful multi-level marketing model to other business units

The “Elevate” product line distributed by Sharing Services, Inc. (OTC: SHRV) turns out to have been aptly named, as scrutiny of the company’s Annual Report (10-K), recently filed with the SEC, will reveal (http://ibn.fm/v7yJx). Consolidated net sales for the first fiscal year, consisting primarily of Elevate products, totaled $8.4 million and included $7.4 million in the fourth quarter ended April 30, 2018. The company has high hopes for the brand. It believes that the Elevate line will revolutionize how people take care of their health by facilitating the convergence of its nutraceuticals, advanced technologies and network marketing entrepreneurial opportunities in the market place. The company anticipates that revenues from the brand will continue to increase during the current fiscal year, which ends on April 30, 2019.

The Elevate product line, which focuses on health, wealth and happiness, was developed to empower the health-conscious global community. It comprises a range of nutraceutical products termed “D.O.S.E.” for dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins. The D.O.S.E. line was developed by Elevacity Global, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sharing Services. The line is being marketed by another wholly owned subsidiary operating under the trade name Elepreneurs, a name derived from combining the words elevated and entrepreneur. Elepreneurs, which markets most of Sharing Services products and services, is structured as a sales and marketing company and currently has over 10,000 independent representatives.

The Elevate product line has accelerated Sharing Services’ growth over the last two quarters, enabling the company to expand its operations and expand into the direct selling industry at a rapid pace. Wellness products, similar to those marketed through the Elevate brand, are a lucrative niche in the direct selling market, which was valued at more than $12 billion in 2016, according to industry data (http://ibn.fm/VFu3G).

Launching the Elevate brand is one initiative that Sharing Services is counting on to differentiate itself from competitors in the direct sales market and traditional consumer spaces. Another is its technology-driven marketing initiatives, which emphasize the nutritional value or health benefits of its health and wellness product offerings.  A third is the company’s ability to offer industry exclusive brands.

Sharing Services’ direct selling marketing model is operating in its other divisions, which include the following:

• Total Travel Media, which produces promotional videos and interactive tools and provides social media exposure for hotels, resorts and other travel-related locations;
• Four Oceans, which owns and operates an online travel platform offering an online search engine tool, ’Four Oceans Explorer’, that provides Elepreneur-based users the best rates on over 400,000 hotels, cruises, rental cars, extended stays and time-share properties from around the world, as well as providing lifestyle and marketplace rewards that can allow discounts on many retail products and services;
• 212 Tech, which has created an app for the direct selling industry that holds the promise of changing the way independent representatives grow their businesses by ensuring that users are compliant with the companies they represent and give a clear and concise message to the prospect; the app can be marketed to and could benefit any company in the direct selling industry, and Sharing Services plans to use it internally, as well as license it to other companies;
• 561 LLC, which controls the top marketing spot in the Direct Cellars Wine Company, a direct selling company, operating in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia, that sells memberships and promotes wine education for its wine club members;
• America Approved Commercial LLC, an energy broker that represents over 40 different power and electrical companies and provides electric power to both residential and commercial customers in 17 states in the U.S.;
• Medical Smart Care LLC, which provides a medical smart-card allowing users to connect with medical personnel through video chat and be assisted with diagnosis and advice for certain ailments, as well as providing a wide range of discounts at pharmacies and vision centers; and
• LEH Insurance Group LLC, an independent agency that offers affordable and reliable insurance choices across Texas.

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

• Comprehensive, flexible web app technology means superior service that meets the needs of expanding cannabis community and industry
• Powerful web app based engine offers unique search functionality, profile building and networking capabilities for cannabis cultivators, brands, dispensaries and all associated service-related industries
• U.S. legal cannabis market projected to reach more than $23 billion in consumer spending by 2022
• NUGL app gives consumers easy-to-locate info on all things cannabis, with unbiased reviews connecting users to their favorite brands, locations
• Serving international markets with no geographic limitations thanks to innovative, first-to-market technology

NUGL Inc. (OTC: NUGL), the cannabis industry’s new standard of technology, does more than help cannabis consumers and business owners find each other; its platform is the first software application that reaches beyond the basics and offers sophisticated, in-depth marketing and networking capabilities to the entire 420 community. The metasearch engine and online directory built into NUGL’s mobile app provides freedom of information and movement for the cannabis industry as it leaves behind the shadows and rapidly grows into a mainstream economic and cultural force.

The legal cannabis market in the U.S. is projected to reach $11 billion in consumer spending in 2018 and more than $23 billion by 2022, according to “The State of Legal Marijuana Markets, Sixth Edition,” released in June by Arcview Market Research in partnership with BDS Analytics. Even though legalization of cannabis is still underway in the U.S., the report forecasts a continuing rollout of adult-use recreational and medicinal programs throughout the country at a 22 percent compound annual growth rate over that five-year forecast period (http://ibn.fm/dxmzG).

Keeping up with that kind of growth is easier with the NUGL app, especially for consumers who might find the industry confusing and hard to decipher. The NUGL iOS and Android app brings a powerful cannabis search tool within reach of anyone, anytime, anywhere with the ease of a smartphone. The NUGL app can act like Yelp, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google and other social sites as it brings elements of the 420 community together.

“Brands are and will be the focus for us,” Ryan Bartlett, CMO of NUGL, stated in a news release (http://ibn.fm/nDUhn). “Now users can search for brand specific items and see which stores offer these items, where they are located and read or offer their own unbiased reviews.”

Two new NUGL features – profile claiming and the brand locator – give cannabis companies the power to build their own dedicated profile featuring their brands and services on the app, while consumers can enjoy discovering where they can purchase exactly what they want to buy and even leave behind a personal review for others to see. The company’s expanded NUGL platform also offers an organized marketing website for B2B applications. For startups and others that are new to the industry, NUGL’s marketing and business capabilities are an exciting advancement.

In a MarketingDaily article (http://ibn.fm/nC6FP), James Jordan, NUGL’s new vice president for strategic relations, notes that on NUGL’s site, real estate agents and accountants could hook up with fledgling cannabis companies, growing brands of strains and dispensaries can find each other and possible investors looking for budding entrepreneurs will have much to consider.

Adding new features to NUGL’s platform on a near-weekly schedule is keeping the company’s software developers busy, said Jeff Odle, NUGL’s chief technical officer, adding, “One of the features is an enhanced menu that will blow our user base away.”

NUGL’s user and profile base of listings and brands is growing fast with dispensaries, strains, doctors, lawyers, service professionals, vape shops, hydro stores and brands being added daily. NUGL has recently expanded outside of California and will continue to methodically market in each state.

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