• EVIO is the leading accredited provider of analytical services for the cannabis industry
• Increase in year-on-year revenue of 438 percent from 2016 to 2017
• Financing of almost $6 million will fund expansion from nine to 18 labs by the end of 2018

In January 2018, life sciences company and leading provider of accredited cannabis analysis and consulting services EVIO, Inc. (OTCQB: EVIO) announced its financial results for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017. The company generated approximately $3 million in revenue, representing a year-on-year increase of an impressive 438 percent. Currently, EVIO has nine laboratories located in five states, including Oregon, California, Colorado, Florida and Massachusetts. On February 1, 2018, the company announced that it had concluded an agreement for financing of almost $6 million. This will be used to fund EVIO’s proposed expansion of its facilities into other states and cement its leading position as a provider of critical services to the cannabis industry.

EVIO Labs provides its clients with consistent, high-quality services for analysis of cannabis products. The company has established a network of industry professionals to give its clients access to leading scientists, consulting partners and business leaders to ensure the success of their projects. EVIO has implemented rigorous quality management systems in order to ensure the accuracy and reliability of analytical methods. On February 7, 2018, the company announced that its Florida licensee, Kaycha Holdings LLC, had attained ISO 71025 accreditation, making it the first Florida-based cannabis testing lab to do so. ISO 71025 accreditation is the highest quality standard in the world for calibration and testing laboratories. This follows the accreditation awarded to EVIO’s Colorado licensee, PhytaTech CO, in December 2017. All of the company’s other laboratories are in the process of attaining ISO accreditation.

EVIO’s laboratories specialize in analyzing cannabinoids, terpenes and pesticide residues. The company has conducted over 50,000 tests in its laboratories over the last two years, which include tests for moisture content and detection of heavy metals and harmful solvent residuals from cannabis extraction. Apart from its expertise in analytical chemistry, EVIO offers extensive experience in product research and development, as well as the cultivation and production of medical cannabis. In addition, the company provides consulting services to assist cannabis producers and retailers in meeting quality goals, improving production processes and achieving regulatory compliance. Having secured the necessary financing, EVIO is on track to open 18 laboratories around the United States by the end of 2018.

Early in January 2018, the company acquired a 60 percent stake in C3 Labs, LLC, which is based in Berkley, California. In addition, EVIO secured an option to purchase the company outright within the next three years. C3 Labs generated more than $1 million in revenue over the last two years from its 8,000 square foot facility with the latest analytical testing equipment. EVIO’s CEO, William Waldrop, expects the demand for analytical services to increase substantially as California rolls out its adult-use marijuana market.

Having secured funding to proceed with its expansion program, EVIO is strongly positioned to capitalize on the growing demand for analytical services in the cannabis industry as more and more states legalize use of the substance. The company’s program for ISO accreditation for all of its facilities is on track to strengthen EVIO’s leading position as a critical service provider in the cannabis industry.

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

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• IEG Holdings Corp. provides small personal online loans of up to $10,000
• IEGH subsidiary Mr. Amazing Loans offers rates up to 13-times lower than typical APR
• IEG Holdings Corp. intends to create metal-backed cryptocurrency

Based in Las Vegas, IEG Holdings Corp. (OTCQB: IEGH) provides small online personal loans in over 20 states within the U.S. This publicly traded company is a global leader in consumer financing, providing these loans through a state-licenced operating subsidiary known as Investment Evolution Corporation under the consumer brand Mr. Amazing Loans. As a leading fintech brand, Mr. Amazing Loans specializes in dedicated loan amounts of $5,000 and $10,000. This is offered directly to consumers through access to an easy-to-use website.

Customers are assured of no hidden or additional fees and are able to receive same-day processing. There is no prepayment penalty, and loans have fixed repayment and interest rates for their duration. Contrary to the typical annual percentage rate (APR), which can range from 391 percent to 521 percent, as stated by the Centre for Responsible Learning, Mr. Amazing Loans offers rates of 29.9 percent or less that are designed to fit into the budgets of consumers.

A 100 percent-owned subsidiary, Investment Evolution Crypto, LLC has been tasked with the exploration of business opportunities within the blockchain/cryptocurrency industry. This company is set to explore the economic risk and legalities associated with a joint business venture with Mr. Amazing Loans (http://ibn.fm/skYxt).

With over 22 years in the finance industry, Paul Mathieson, IEG Holdings’ CEO and chairman, has experience in funds management, lending, investment banking and stock market research. Mathieson has been a member of the IEGH board of directors since 2012 and a member of its subsidiary’s board since 2009. Mathieson founded IEG Holdings Limited in Sydney, Australia, having launched Mr. Amazing Loans there in 2005 and then in the United States via IEGC in 2010. He was awarded Ernst & Young’s 2007 Australian Young Entrepreneur of the Year (Eastern Region). Mathieson has been joined on the IEGH management team by Carla Cholewinski, who currently serves as chief operating officer with over 37 years of experience in the finance industry, including credit union management, debt securitization, banking, underwriting, regulatory oversight and banking.

For consumers to be eligible for a loan from Mr. Amazing Loan, they must have a minimum gross annual income of $40,000, a minimum credit score of 600 and steady employment history. The loans are originated, processed and serviced out of the company’s Las Vegas corporate offices, which eliminates IEGH’s need to have a physical establishment in each of the states in which it is licenced to conduct business. IEGH’s six-and-a-half-year track record of originating, underwriting and servicing personal loans to underbanked consumers has made it adept within the consumer finance industry, achieving a meaningful return on its loan portfolio (http://ibn.fm/SwWmf).

On January 29, 2018, it was announced that the consumer loan provider IEG Holdings was exploring the possibility of creating a cryptocurrency to be backed by gold metal and registered with the SEC as a security. Investment Evolution Crypto, LLC announced its intention to create its own gold metal-backed cryptocurrency that could be used when offering loans and accepting loan repayments. Although Crypto is currently in the development planning stages and exploring the opportunities presented by cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies, the company has already commenced negotiations to purchase a bona-fide gold project with established gold resources in the ground and prospecting licences on record (http://ibn.fm/g1u7O).

Investment Evolution Crypto is in the process of developing plans to explore the above-mentioned blockchain/cryptocurrency opportunities, with efforts made toward evaluating the legal and associated economic risks. Unlike other digital currencies such as bitcoin, either, Ripple, and Litecoin, IEG Holdings’ cryptocurrency is expected to be backed by gold and registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

In a news release (http://ibn.fm/mMQ4V), Mathieson stated, “We believe potentially combining the exciting new blockchain technology with the hard asset of gold metal, expected SEC registration, a leading sophisticated online consumer finance system and individual U.S. state lending licences is a very exciting proposition. In addition, we believe the future leaders of the crypto/blockchain sector will be companies that are materially compliant with all of the existing and future related U.S. government legislation. We aim for IEGH to leverage off its existing fintech business credentials, specifically its experience on online consumer loans, to potentially be a key player in the crypto/blockchain sector.”

Although it is one of IEGH’s main goals to create its own gold metal-backed cryptocurrency, it will in addition explore the acceptance of established digital currencies, such as bitcoin, for the repayment of consumer loans. This promises to be a year of substantial growth for the company, with plans for further expansion that could see it grow to include up to 25 states by the end of the year.

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

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• James Hancock, CEO of Global Payout, lauds the SecurCloud Platform offered by company’s SecurCapital subsidiary
• Rochfort announces SecurCapital’s participation in global fintech and blockchain conferences to demonstrate platform’s ranging capabilities
• Key to SecurCapital’s performance is its disruptive ‘banking in a box’ cloud-based finance solutions platform

Global Payout, Inc. (OTC: GOHE) has named Bill Rochfort as the new president and EVP sales at SecurCapital Corp., its newly-formed subsidiary (http://ibn.fm/5Xkv7). SecurCapital Corp. is a supply chain finance company offering both working capital and premier payment solutions for the logistics industry. Its SecurCloud Platform offers an integrated solution for global payments through a proprietary ecosystem controlled by the client. As a result, the client can then optimize management of cash flow through delivery of documentation of invoices, proof of delivery and payments to global vendors.

SecurCapital CEO Steve Russell, prior to joining SecurCapital, was group CEO for an amalgamated rollup of eight logistics companies focused on targeting and managing M&A, integrating acquisitions, rebranding and positioning for exit. For four years, he was president and CEO, Asia Pacific, of Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), launching its platform in 12 Asia-Pacific countries.

SecurCapital has plans to attend a global schedule of fintech and blockchain conferences in China, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. (http://ibn.fm/poKPk). Bill Rochfort champions the schedule as showing the global capability of the company’s web-enabled finance solutions platform. Rochfort is a 25-year veteran of the fintech industry in global banking, e-wallet platforms, freight payment and foreign exchange. He was an early utilizer of cloud technology. He previously served as an officer with companies such as Sprint, Intermedia and Premier Global Services.

In a news release, James Hancock, CEO of San Diego-based Global Payout, said, “We’re very excited to have Bill join our senior team of logisticians at SecurCapital at this pivotal time as the company launches its SecurCloud Platform (SCP)… Leveraging years of international finance experience, Bill will be instrumental in driving the SecurCapital value proposition to our customers.”

“Launching our platform throughout the world in Shanghai, London, San Francisco and Boston demonstrates our capability to offer our customer solutions on a global scale,” Rochfort said. He added that the upcoming events would bring together digital banking, blockchain, business lending, payments and insurance and smart contracts applications.

The company’s upcoming schedule includes: MIT FinTech on March 10-11 in Cambridge, Massachusetts; the Lendit FinTech Conference on April 9-11 in San Francisco, California; the Global FinTech & Blockchain Conference on April 12-13 in Shanghai, China; and the London FinTech World Forum on May 30-31 in London, England.

GOHE is a leading provider of comprehensive and customized prepaid payment solutions, distributing money worldwide for domestic and international companies. GOHE will offer its fintech payment system to many vertical markets for support of digital currency and foreign currency exchange. SecurCapital is marketed as a fully configurable ‘banking in a box’ cloud-based platform.

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

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• Building the world’s largest pure-play cobalt exploration company with interests in historic Canadian Cobalt Camp
• Recently completed 3-way merger with Cobalt One Ltd. and CobalTech Mining Inc., which created a consolidated camp of more than 10,000 hectares containing 50 past cobalt/silver producers and working mines
• $100 million in existing infrastructure includes only permitted cobalt refinery in North America capable of producing battery material
• Lithium-ion battery market, buoyed by surge in electric vehicle market, expected to reach USD $68 billion by end of 2022
• $30 million in financing closed December 21, 2017

First Cobalt Corp. (TSX.V: FCC) (OTCQB: FTSSF), with headquarters in Canada, is the largest land owner in the Cobalt Camp in Ontario with control of over 10,000 hectares (nearly 25,000 acres) of prospective land and 50 historic cobalt/silver mines. The company’s assets include a mill and the only permitted cobalt extraction refinery in North America capable of producing battery material, providing an integrated solution for cobalt projects. First Cobalt began drilling in the historic Cobalt Camp in 2017 and seeks to build shareholder value through new discovery and growth opportunities.

First Cobalt’s 2018 $C7 million drilling program, which includes testing different styles of mineralized areas throughout the Cobalt Camp in more than 10 past-producing mines known to contain cobalt, is a significant expansion over its 2017 exploration activities. The company received positive test drill results from the Bellellen mine location, with early results confirming the presence of high-grade cobalt and nickel, prompting First Cobalt to increase its drilling program at that site. A prospecting sampling program of existing muckpiles around the camp’s historic mines, trenches, pits and surrounding bedrock could provide an early production scenario.

First Cobalt Corp. is moving quickly to leverage its potential against an economic background that estimates global consumption for refined cobalt is set to grow at an average rate of approximately 5 percent per annum for the next 10 years. The electric vehicle market, in particular, is driving this sector since more than 50 percent of the world’s current production of cobalt is used in the manufacture of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. The global lithium-ion battery market, as estimated by Zion Market Research, indicates the value at around USD $31 billion in 2016 and is expected to generate revenue of nearly USD $68 billion by end of 2022, growing at a compound annual growth rate of slightly above 17 percent.

First Cobalt is embracing innovation in the mining sector, utilizing a digital compilation of 100-plus years of mining and geological data spanning the historically prolific Cobalt Mining Camp’s lifespan. First Cobalt’s management team is also assessing the ability of artificial intelligence to accelerate the discovery cycle. As a member of the Mineral Exploration Research Centre (MERC) and Metal Earth Project, First Cobalt conducts regional geophysical surveys for geological interpretation of structures controlling cobalt-silver mineralization.

The company’s clear pathway to production and cash flow generation includes being one of only four fully permitted cobalt extraction refineries in Canada with significant material and processing infrastructure on site. With the price of cobalt increasing significantly and its importance in the growing battery market underpinning a strong long-term demand forecast, First Cobalt Corp. and its mining interests are primed for success.

First Cobalt Corp. President and CEO Trent Mell, a mining executive and capital markets professional with extensive international transactional experience, is joined by a team of reputable and seasoned deal-makers, mine builders and mine operators with decades of global experience in exploration, business development, geoscience, engineering and finance.

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

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• Two applications for Health Canada ACMPR license in detailed review stage; one in the detailed review stage and one application in readiness stage
• Canadian recreational market projected to surge to over $8 billion by 2021
• Two growing facilities undergoing state-of-the-art retrofit have potential to generate CDN$16 million in revenue, excluding cannabis oils
• Choom™ Retail Stores and Retail Store partner program to offer high-quality, premium branded retail cannabis dispensaries and the opportunity for individual investor store ownership across Canada

Choom Holdings Inc. (OTCQB: CHOOF) (CSE: CHOO) channels the laid-back spirit of Hawaii to the Okanagan region of British Columbia with a generous nod to the inspirational, yet unofficial, history of the 1970s “Choom Gang,” a group of buddies in Honolulu (including former President Barack Obama) who knew how to relax with “choom,” the local’s term for marijuana. Choom’s trademark slogans pivot off another unconventional phrase (“Say Hello to…”), bringing a heady dose of good times and good friends together as the company invites investors to “Say Hello to Choom™” as it lights up the adult recreational cannabis market in Canada.

Choom™ has been an ACMPR (Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations) applicant since November 2013 in Vernon, B.C. The company’s first application has received security clearance and is now in the detailed review stage. They also recently announced their second late-stage ACMPR application, which is in its confirmation of readiness stage. Cannabis Compliance Inc. has been retained to help expedite Choom’s initial license applications to ensure the company’s readiness for legalization of recreational marijuana in Canada mid-summer 2018.

True to the company’s character, Choom™ is retrofitting two large facilities – No. 1 in Vernon, B.C., and No. 2 on Vancouver Island – to house its cannabis growing facilities. Phase 1 of the Vernon property will provide Choom™ with 6,800 square feet of growing space, capable of producing 660 kg/year of cannabis at an estimated revenue of $6.6 million, excluding oils. The company expects this facility to be completed by July 2018, the same month that Canada is expected to formally legalize recreational marijuana for adult use. A potential Phase 2, to be completed by the end of 2018, would add another 6,800 square feet for a total of 1,500 kg/year capacity, which would nearly double No. 1’s revenue. A Level 9 vault is also planned with a storage capacity of 15,000 kg. While the No. 2 facility on Vancouver Island is smaller – 4,500 square feet – its retrofit is also slated to be completed by July 2018. Plans include doubling this space as well, which would add about $9 million in annual revenue, excluding cannabis oils.

Choom™ announced its retail dispensary strategy with the intention of establishing market leadership in reaching the Canadian cannabis consumer. The partner program is already in the retail space design stage as the company seeks to build a chain of branded retail cannabis dispensaries in jurisdictions in Canada where recreational cannabis is legal. Choom™ Stores will have a cool, modern layout and design created to emit an authentic “Aloha” vibe. Choom™ is all about producing high-grade cultivars and curating them for a bigger audience.

A savvy, experienced management team includes Chris Bogart, president and CEO; John Oh, R.P.I.C., Operations Manager; Robert Bayrack, Master Grower, S.P.I.C.; and Adrian Robinson, Strategic Advisor. Bogart has over two decades of international experience in capital markets and was a co-founder of InMed Pharmaceuticals and Magnum Uranium. He has structured complex equity financing transactions in the U.S., Europe and Canada. Bogart is joined on the Board of Directors by Kevin Pull, Stephen Tong and John Oh.

While the medical marijuana industry is expected to double by 2021 to 500,000 registered users, the true highlight of the recreational cannabis represents the key cultural shift set to launch in Canada. With an estimated $4.9B to $8.7B retail market coming, now is the right time for a Recreation Brand like Choom™ to be involved in this growing industry. Establishing and maintaining Choom™ premium brand loyalty is a key factor in the company’s growth strategy. Get ready to “Say Hello” to opportunity, good times and good friends with Choom™.

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

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• Vertically-integrated cannabis company with two late-stage ACMPR licenses in portfolio
• Strategic investments focus on proven, revenue-generating cannabis-related businesses
• Liberty Leaf is included in the Solactive Emerging Marijuana Growers Index

Liberty Leaf Holdings Ltd. (CSE: LIB) (OTCQB: LIBFF) (FSE: HN3P) is a publicly traded Canadian-based company with strategic investments in businesses that are established, revenue- producing players in the medicinal and recreational cannabis market. Liberty Leaf’s focus is to build and support a diversified portfolio of cannabis-sector businesses, including those involved in the cultivation and processing of legal medicinal and recreational cannabis, value-added CBD/THC pet products, and supply-chain products for this dynamic and fast-growing sector. Liberty Leaf provides funding, management, HR resources and marketing expertise to help companies thrive and accelerate growth.

Liberty Leaf’s leading investments to date include:

• North Road Ventures – An emerging end-to-end distributor of cultivated and manufactured cannabis products to licensed legal retailers. North Road has updated its application for an Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR) license to be distribution/sales-focused, making the company unique in the crowded field of other cultivation-based applicants. This forward-thinking initiative will help fulfill the anticipated increase in Canada’s recreational cannabis space once legalization takes effect in mid-2018. The submission includes a boost in product-vault capacity that will result in a five-fold increase in products available for distribution. Cannabidiol (CBD)-oil products are expected to account for 50 percent or more of projected sales.
• Just Kush Enterprises – Liberty Leaf holds a 60 percent interest in Just Kush, a cultivator of premium, proprietary cannabis strains selected for different levels of CBDs and THCs. Just Kush’s cultivation facility is located near Oliver, British Columbia, and it currently controls a facility which holds a Medical Marihuana Access Regulations (MMAR) license. The company is also a late-stage applicant for an ACMPR license (Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations), which will enable Just Kush to produce cannabis for the medicinal and recreational market.

Liberty Leaf is also an active partner with the following companies:

• ESEV R&D – A privately owned, medical marijuana research and development company based in New York with clinical laboratories located in Israel. ESEV R&D, in collaboration with a leading clinical research organization in Israel, has launched a one-of-a-kind service for North American medical cannabis companies to organize and oversee clinical trials seeking to demonstrate the efficacy of medical cannabis products for specific medical conditions. Liberty Leaf has a three-year collaborative agreement with ESEV. Under that agreement, ESEV is researching the efficacy of CBDs in pets, with the 1st formulation trial targeting canine osteoarthritis, a medical condition that includes: hip dysplasia; elbow dysplasia; and hind-knee, also known as stifle, degenerative joint disease (DJD).
• Blox Labs Inc. – A boutique technology company focused on creating best-in-class smartphone apps and software solutions driven by emerging trends in blockchain, smart contracts and decentralized application technologies. Liberty Leaf and Blox Labs are developing “cannaBLOX,” a blockchain-based smart contract supply chain management platform for the legalized cannabis industry.

The company’s management team is led by President and Director William Rascan who has 25-plus years in the investment brokerage industry, most recently as a partner, senior investment advisor with Northern Securities. Rascan’s business experience ranges from active international trading clients to raising capital for junior mining companies on the TSX Venture Exchange.

Rascan is joined by CFO Jamie Robinson, a chartered accountant who specializes in accounting, auditing, and financial reporting under both IFRS and ASPE. Prior to joining Liberty Leaf, Robinson worked at Deloitte as a manager focused on publicly listed and private company audits, business review, performance enhancement engagements and restructuring proceedings.

Steven Feldman, who has more than 25 years of experience in the capital markets and was part of the original management team of SouthGobi Resources; and Doug Macdonell, a retired RCMP officer and recognized expert in the field of cannabis and cultivation, serve as company directors. Dr. Robert Jackman, who has worked closely with multiple clients in the medical cannabis and Natural and Non-prescription Health Products (NNHP) industries in North America, was recently appointed as scientific project manager/fulfillment.

Liberty Leaf’s advisory board includes international lawyer, writer and speaker Robert W.E. Laurie; Barinder Rasode, who currently serves as CEO of the National Institute for Cannabis Health & Education (NICHE); and Dr. Mary C. Fitzpatrick, B.S., D.V.M., whose primary focus is on helping companion animals live pain free in their senior years.

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

• Industrial hemp is the only commodity that has the potential to generate revenue from multiple finished goods in the global food, construction materials, nutraceutical, textile and bio-energy industries
• Global Hemp Group completed hemp trials last year which set the stage for a full-fledged commercial hemp operation in New Brunswick, Canada, in 2018
• Under Canadian law, CBD will become legal to extract from Industrial Hemp in July 2018
• Hemp Business Journal estimates that the hemp industry will grow to $1.8 billion in sales by 2020, led by hemp food, body care, and CBD-based products
• Official data demonstrates that the hemp industry is growing rapidly, at a 22 percent five-year CAGR, and is being led by food and body care products, with hemp CBD products showing a 53 percent AGR

Global Hemp Group, Inc. (CSE: GHG) (FRANKFURT: GHG) (OTC: GBHPF) is just beginning to scratch the surface of what will over time become a robust market for the production of raw materials and a variety of wholesale products and consumer goods developed from the non-psychoactive industrial varieties of the species Cannabis sativa L.

Global Hemp Group intends to establish and develop a portfolio of companies interlinked in the production of hemp, from its initial cultivation to wholesale materials delivered to product developers and distributors.

Through joint ventures and acquisitions, GHG is focused on cannabinoid production, with medium-term plans to operate in the automotive, building materials, bio-composites, food, nutritional supplements and nutraceuticals markets. The company is guided by the overarching theme of ‘global environmental stewardship’. Global Hemp Group intends to apply key concepts of sustainability and social responsibility in all of the markets that it enters.

With a successful hemp cultivation trial last year, GHG and joint venture partner Marijuana Company of America, Inc. (OTC: MCOA) have set the stage for development of the first commercial hemp operation on the Acadian peninsula of New Brunswick, Canada, in over 20 years.

Cannabinoids

With the expected legalization of recreational cannabis and the extraction of cannabinoids from industrial hemp in mid to late 2018, the partnership expects to begin cannabinoid extraction from a minimum of 125 acres of hemp grown this year in New Brunswick, Canada. The company is also discussing partnerships for straw processing to create building materials following the October harvest this year, with a medium- to long-term plan of building permanent processing facilities by the fall of 2019.

GHG is also pursuing hemp cultivation and extraction opportunities in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, with the goal of operating in both the Canadian and United States hemp markets.

Industrial Solutions

GHG seeks to establish an operating strategy it refers to as the Hemp Agro-Industrial Zone (“HAIZ”) (http://ibn.fm/6CMqs), which will be focused on building a platform of cooperation between farmers, labor, technology and capital across all industrial hemp sectors to create collective value for shareholders. All parts of the plant are to be utilized with the HAIZ concept, including the production of CBD and other cannabinoid-based wholesale products from the flowers and leaves, cottonized fibers from the straw, building materials from the hurd (woody core) and oils and cakes from the grain.

Construction

A number of companies have begun producing hempcrete blocks that deliver a durable product that retains thermal mass and has a low carbon footprint when it comes to energy usage (http://ibn.fm/6IVOP). They could also potentially reduce building material costs by 50 percent or more when cultivated, processed and constructed on site. Hempcrete has thermal qualities that preserve optimal indoor temperatures year-round in a wide variety of regions and climates. In addition, it is mold free, pest free and fireproof.

• A Washington state company is retrofitting homes with hemp;
• A Colorado company completed the state’s first permitted “hempcrete” structure in October (http://ibn.fm/HQEg4);
• This Asheville, North Carolina, hemp home is one of four hemp homes constructed in the state (http://ibn.fm/3EJOf);
• Israel’s first hemp house was built last March on Mount Carmel;
• Canada’s JustBioFiber constructed a house on Vancouver Island using an interlocking Lego-like hemp block, and there are hundreds of hempcrete buildings across Canada;
• In Britain, five hempcrete homes were built in 2017 alone;
• France has been constructing buildings with hemp for decades;
• South Africa has promoted this hemp home as Africa’s most sustainable building (http://ibn.fm/UdpX7).

Bio-Composites

There are more than 10 million cars on the road that use hemp bio-composites for door panels, dashboards, consoles, carpeting and even brake pads. Mercedes, BMW and Lotus have been using hemp in their vehicle construction for many years (http://ibn.fm/f0CZS). Auto manufacturers find that hemp auto parts lower vehicle weight and therefore improve gas mileage. Glass fiber used to make the body of a Chevrolet Corvette could easily be replaced with hemp fiber and be stronger and more resilient. Henry Ford knew in the 1940s that natural bio-composites could replace heavier metals used in auto manufacturing (http://ibn.fm/LhUag) and be lighter and stronger than traditional materials.

In Conclusion

It has been proven that hemp can be a sustainable alternative for many traditional materials used throughout history.

Hemp is the only plant on Earth that can feed, clothe, house, fuel and medicate humanity. Hemp is potentially the most industrially usable biomass produced over the shortest growth cycle, utilizing the least amount of water, nutrients and pesticides, while sequestering the greatest level of carbon. It is one of the few plants on the planet that can be grown commercially almost anywhere in the world.

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

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• LXRP has global patents or patents-pending in more than 40 countries, including the U.S., Australia, China, the European Union and Canada
• Company is working through a C$250,000 budget for an 18-month collaborative research agreement with the National Research Council
• Licensing is a revenue generator, with LXRP offering to license its disruptive DehydraTECH™ technology in countries where it is patented or patent-pending

Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTCQX: LXRP) is generating revenue and knowledge through both licensing of its IP portfolio and advancement of R&D projects. It already has patents and multiple patents-pending in more than 40 countries. It has received patent approvals in the U.S. and Australia for its DehydraTECH™ delivery technology (http://ibn.fm/6nDPP). Some patent applications have already reached the active patent investigation phase in China, the European Union and Canada.

LXRP is a technology disruptor for delivery of edible forms of cannabinoids. This Kelowna, British Columbia-based food bioscience company has developed a high absorption hemp oil formula, protein energy bars, exotic teas and coffee, beer and soft drinks, and capsules and mouth-melts. All of these products share qualities of high absorption and radically improved taste, as compared to other cannabis-related food products.

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research has secured $1.4 million in funding for Canadian cannabis research projects (http://ibn.fm/v8wNY). That will fund research ranging from the potential impacts of cannabis on driving, pregnancy, childhood health, youth mental health, indigenous populations and workplace health and safety (http://ibn.fm/iHOo1).

LXRP itself has signed a C$250,000 collaborative research agreement with the National Research Council (“NRC”) for an 18-month period to investigate opportunities and determine the best methods for processing lipophilic active agents within foods.

Licensing its intellectual property portfolio is a core revenue generation strategy for LXRP (http://ibn.fm/kik2R). For example, the company’s disruptive new DehydraTECH technology is available to be licensed in areas including processed foods, supplements, vitamins, drugs and cannabinoids. To prospective licensees, LXRP can eventually transition to a definitive fee for a structure agreement between itself and a new licensee.

The company makes its technology available on either a semi-exclusive or exclusive access basis that defines licensing by geographic region(s), for a set period of time and limited to specific product categories. LXRP has suggested that it will license DehydraTECH in any of the more than 40 countries globally where it is patented or patent-pending.

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

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• Cobalt demand set to increase substantially with the growth of electric vehicle use worldwide
• First Cobalt is focused on developing safer, more ethical mining resources in Canada
• Early results in 2018 exploration program produce positive results

Cobalt is a key component in lithium-ion batteries used to power electric vehicles (EVs) and has experienced a surge in demand on the back of recent developments in the automotive industry. China, with the largest automotive industry in the world, announced last year that it will require one in five new vehicles sold by 2025 to be powered by alternative sources other than fossil fuels. In July 2017, France and Britain followed suit by stating their intention to ban the sale of cars operating on fossil fuels by 2040. First Cobalt Corp. (TSX.V: FCC) (OTCQB: FTSSF) is well positioned to capitalize on the increasing cobalt demand by developing its mining interests in Ontario, Canada.

Much of the world’s cobalt sourcing currently faces real challenges, since it depends largely on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where child labor is common. First Cobalt offers a huge ethical advantage by developing cobalt sources in Canada, in addition to the potential of greatly helping to revitalize the nearby Canadian community of Cobalt, Ontario. The DRC has also experienced political unrest and instability for many years, and this climate is not conducive to investment. This is another reason that First Cobalt has made the strategic decision to focus its efforts on developing its Canadian mineral rights around the Cobalt Camp in Ontario.

Following the completion of a three-way merger in 2017, First Cobalt now has control over 10,000 hectares of land for prospecting. This area features more than 50 historic mines, including Bellellen, Keeley, Frontier, Drummond and Silver Banner. The company intends to explore these mines, which, based on historic analysis, have the potential to yield high-quality cobalt. First Cobalt also owns the only permitted cobalt extraction refinery in North America capable of producing battery materials.

On January 16, 2018, the company announced a $7 million exploration program for its Cobalt Camp properties in 2018. This will involve 26,500 meters of drilling to test different geological settings at 13 targets within the region. 2017 drill programs revealed that cobalt occurs as different styles of mineralization in the Cobalt Camp, largely due to different geographical settings. First Cobalt’s drilling program will test several prospective areas to determine near-surface mineralization potential.

The company’s early exploration and development efforts have produced positive results. On January 30, 2018, First Cobalt announced the completion of the first phase of its sampling program at its historic mining operations in the Cobalt Camp. More than 400 samples were collected from 14 muckpiles in both Cobalt North and Cobalt South. The company is currently evaluating the potential to generate early cash flow from processing these historic resources.

On February 5, 2018, First Cobalt announced positive drill results from the historic Keeley mine, intersecting over 30 meters of disseminated cobalt mineralization. These included evidence of anomalous cobalt grading 0.043 percent cobalt starting 15 meters from the surface. Results also include 15.7 meters of 0.12 percent cobalt, including 6.2 meters at 0.21 percent cobalt, which reflect similar mineralization in surface grab samples. These results provide evidence of a broad zone of mineralization extending over a strike length of 350 meters outside of the historically mined veins. These broad zones, while lower in grade, are targeted for their potential as large-scale, bulk tonnage future operations.

These early positive results augur well for the outcome of the company’s drilling program. With experienced teams and seasoned management at the helm, First Cobalt is well positioned to capitalize on its exploration program and develop its mineral interest to meet the rising global demand for cobalt.

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

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• Company’s revenues have grown 600 percent during past year
• Growing AI, big data industries anticipate enormous increases in less than a decade
• Company turns ‘machine learning’ into beneficial interface with people

More than two years have passed since IBM acquired The Weather Company, the pioneering forecasting and technology company that launched a nationwide TV weather network and established data sets used by millions of people to make decisions about what they are going to do on a given day. When the company was formed in 1982 as The Weather Channel, it likely couldn’t forecast its own future — that one day it would be a staple in the tech giant’s Data and Analytics Platform business unit. But as artificial intelligence breakthroughs make the science of predicting the future more reality than fiction, companies like AnalytixInsight, Inc. (TSX.V: ALY) (OTCQB: ATIXF) are bending that science to the wills of millions of market investors who hope for a heads up on corporate activities such as dividend cuts, as well as the stock swings that may accompany news of earnings reports, consumer trends and political machinations.

During the decades before AnalytixInsight was incorporated, artificial intelligence was the stuff of science fiction, portrayed as the ascendancy of machines to a position of power over humanity. While AI does empower robotics platforms to perform some actions independently, the modern reality of artificial intelligence is that humans supply computers with data and then computers reciprocate by supplying humans with extrapolated knowledge people can use to inform their choices. As with commuters who decide what to wear or where to travel or how to prepare their homes based on predictive weather models, AnalytixInsight’s AI platform, named CapitalCube, helps people improve their decision-making on whether to buy or sell, when to do it and for how much.

CapitalCube is a ‘machine learning’ product that analyzes huge volumes of data and turns numbers into actions with its hyper-personalized services. The product’s predictive analytics and peer analysis features accompany 3,000 reports a day on some 50,000 companies’ dividend strength and accounting reports, among other things. CapitalCube also links to another AnalytixInsight subsidiary — Marketwall — that creates software for mobile devices, allowing users to receive the power of the platforms’ peer analyses wherever they may be. The Toronto, Canada-based company expects to employ blockchain technology to provide security in any financial transactions that may take place through the platforms. Another subsidiary, Euclides Technologies, helps companies search and evaluate inefficient operations within their own walls and attempt solutions to employee performance and other quality control concerns.

A recent content agreement with the Thomson Reuters news agency is likely to boost AnalytixInsight’s brand. Thomson Reuters is the world’s leading source of news and information for professional markets. AnalytixInsight has added Thomson Reuters as a content distribution partner, which paves the way for CapitalCube’s analysis reports to be available on Thompson Reuters terminals to brokers across North America.

In its latest update on human-technology interaction, market intelligence company Tractica issued a forecast that annual worldwide AI revenue will grow from $3.2 billion in 2016 to $89.8 billion by 2025 (http://ibn.fm/yy6Ga), marking an increase of nearly 3,000 percent in less than a decade. Analysis portal Statista.com estimates that the larger-scale revenues of the global big data industries amount to just under $34 billion now (http://ibn.fm/Wt2vz), with the capacity to grow to nearly $80 billion over the next five years. SNS Research believes that global big data revenues now lie at over $57 billion (http://ibn.fm/IFwnH), with a forecast CAGR of about 10 percent during the next three years amounting to about $76 billion by the end of 2020. Despite the disparities in revenue modeling, the researchers all agree that AI and the larger big data industries are growing and profitable.

AnalytixInsight’s last quarterly report showed record revenues of $1.7 million, a 600 percent increase over the same period in the previous year.

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

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