• First construction phase, representing 23 percent of site capacity, completed
• Completion of entire greenhouse cultivation facility anticipated in Q3 2018
• MCOA focused on the development of its hempSMART™ CBD-infused product range

On April 18, 2018, Marijuana Company of America, Inc. (OTC: MCOA), an established hemp company, announced that its joint venture project with Bougainville Ventures, Inc., BV-MCOA Management, LLC, completed construction of three greenhouses covering a total area of 7,000 square feet. This first phase of construction represents a 23 percent completion of the total capacity of BV-MCOA’s 30,000 square foot facility in Okanogan County, Washington (http://ibn.fm/gE70T).

MCOA concluded its joint venture agreement with Bougainville in March 2017, after which it arranged for financing of $800,000 to purchase the land and fund development, including greenhouse construction. Currently, transfer of ownership of the property to the joint venture is awaiting completion of the final subdivision of the property by the Okanogan County Assessor. The company expects the final inspection of the greenhouse construction and its security system to be completed in the coming weeks.

Construction of these greenhouses has been completed in time for the 2018 planting season. Following the announcement, Donald Steinberg, CEO of MCOA, stated, “We are pleased to see the completion of the first phase of the greenhouse facilities. Once the security system is in place, we are confident the site will pass final inspection allowing our tenant-growers to occupy the facility and begin operations. MCOA continues to explore opportunities to replicate this business model and expand our real estate portfolio.”

The joint venture will lease the turnkey property to a third-party licensed tenant, thus acting solely as a landlord. The tenant will be able to take occupation of the property and begin cultivation once the inspection is approved. As a turnkey landlord, BV-MCOA aims to provide an ideal cultivation environment for its future tenants. The company anticipates completion of greenhouse facilities for its entire 30,000 square foot cultivation facility by the beginning of Q3 2018. On completion, the facility will have a total capacity of approximately 4,000 plants.

Aside from BV-MCOA’s leasing activity, the company’s primary focus continues to be the research and development of legal hemp-based consumer products under its proprietary brand name, hempSMART™. This range of cannabidiol (CBD)-based consumer wellness products are manufactured using the highest quality non-psychoactive hemp extracts. One of its leading products is hempSMART Full Spectrum Drops, a CBD-infused product with advanced bioavailability which is available in four flavors and contains coconut and other essential oils.

MCOA implemented an affiliate-marketing program to promote and sell its hempSMART CBD-infused consumer products. The company is focused on the development of other CBD-based products at competitive prices for sale through this program and other retail marketing channels. The company recently announced its engagement of Eddy Pham and Company to launch a fully integrated, multichannel transactional marketing campaign for the hempSMART product line. This marketing campaign will focus on digital advertising, content marketing, infographics, customer incentives, customer acquisition, an expansive social media presence and search engine marketing and optimization that includes in-depth research and analytics.

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

Compensation Disclosure 

Section 17(b) of the 1933 Securities and Exchange Act requires publishers who distribute information about publicly traded securities for compensation, to disclose who paid them, the amount, and the type of payment.  In order to be in full compliance with the Securities Act of 1933, Section 17(b), we are disclosing that we entered into a contract with Marijuana Company of America, Inc. The Company agreed to compensate Network Newswire with $5,000 USD a month for our services.

• As a critical element for lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles, global demand for cobalt is surging
• U.S. Cobalt acquisition will extend First Cobalt’s exploration reach into Idaho and Utah
• The Iron Creek project in Idaho presents a faster pathway to cobalt production
• First Cobalt owns the only cobalt refinery in North America permitted to produce battery-grade cobalt, now combined with new source opportunities to offer unique position in the industry

First Cobalt Corp. (TSX.V: FCC) (OTCQX: FTSSF) is set to accelerate its drive for the exploration and subsequent production of cobalt, a critical element used in the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. The demand for electric vehicles is predicted to surge following announcements in 2017 by China, France and the UK that they will aggressively phase out the manufacture of cars powered by fossil fuels to reduce harmful emissions.

On March 14, 2018, First Cobalt announced an arrangement transaction for the acquisition of all issued and outstanding shares of U.S. Cobalt. A meeting of U.S. Cobalt security holders will be held on May 17, 2018, to vote on the transaction, which has been unanimously recommended by U.S. Cobalt’s board of directors. It is anticipated that the acquisition will be completed by the end of May 2018.

Under this deal, First Cobalt will acquire U.S. Cobalt’s exploration properties in Idaho and Utah, and add to its current holdings of 50 mining properties in Cobalt, Ontario. First Cobalt is currently the largest cobalt explorer in North America and owns the only permitted cobalt refinery in the region capable of producing battery-grade cobalt. Its assets also include a mill located in the Cobalt Camp region of Ontario.

Currently, neither First Cobalt nor U.S. Cobalt is mining cobalt, and both companies are focusing on exploration. However, U.S. Cobalt’s Iron Creek mine in Idaho has the potential to reach production in a few years, ahead of First Cobalt’s work program in the Cobalt Camp. This has been the major attraction for the acquisition. In a recent interview, the CEO of First Cobalt, Trent Mell, said, “The Idaho project is at a more advanced stage than our work in the Cobalt Camp in Ontario. The appeal to us is that it is a faster pathway to production.”

First Cobalt’s ownership of the only permitted cobalt refinery in North America strengthens its position to take the lead in the production of battery-grade material. While many of the world’s cobalt producers have invested in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), First Cobalt has made the strategic and ethical decision to develop its interests in North America. The DRC presents several ethical and operational problems for cobalt producers, including the use of child labor in its mines. The country is also politically unstable, prone to violent unrest and presents a significant risk to investment.

First Cobalt’s Mell added, “We foresee a shortage of cobalt over the next five years, yet there are few companies doing significant work to identify new sources of supply. This transaction creates a larger platform to discover and develop cobalt projects for the growing electric vehicle market by combining high-quality North American assets in two of the best cobalt jurisdictions outside the DRC.”

This latest acquisition will considerably strengthen the company’s position in the cobalt sector. With the only permitted cobalt refinery in North America, First Cobalt is the only company on the continent with the capability to produce battery-grade cobalt to satisfy the increasing demand for this critical metal. Combined with the new source opportunities represented by the U.S. Cobalt acquisition, it represents a supply/processing mix that stands out from all other companies.

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

• Proprietary, cryptographic algorithmic technology confirms transaction of any cryptocurrency in real-time, shaving wait time down from hours to seconds
• Global cryptocurrency ATM market estimated at nearly $14 million in 2017, expected to reach $285 million by 2025
• Agreement with Israeli company, Chiron Refineries Ltd., includes exclusive distribution rights to Virtual Crypto products in certain territories

Virtual Crypto Technologies Inc. (OTCQB: VRCP) is a technology company dedicated to making cryptocurrencies accessible to the public, specifically by creating payment solutions for businesses and consumers which combine Application Programming Interfaces and Mobile Applications, for implementation across ATMs, PCs, tablets and other mobile devices. Virtual Crypto’s recent announcement that it has submitted a beta version of its NetoBit software for an Israeli company underscores its compelling strategy to provide “cryptocurrency accessibility” for customers worldwide.

Virtual Crypto’s proprietary algorithmic technology trading platform, called NetoBit Trader, can instantaneously confirm the purchase or sale of bitcoin, a process that can typically take between 10 minutes and 24 hours. All trades and exchanges are insured up to $3,000 per trade. According to an analysis by Coherent Market Insights, the global cryptocurrency ATM market was estimated at nearly $14 million in 2017 and is expected to reach $285 million by 2025 (http://ibn.fm/vw44H).

This technological milestone, outlined in a binding Memorandum of Understanding with Chiron Refineries Ltd., grants Chiron exclusive rights to distribute Virtual Crypto’s cryptocurrency products in the territories of North Cyprus and Turkey. Under terms of the agreement, Chiron will pay Virtual Crypto $100,000 for the beta software release and another $150,000 to be tied to future purchases. The agreement includes a revenue share, giving Virtual Crypto 30 percent of the net revenues Chiron receives using its proprietary software and hardware, according to a company news release (http://ibn.fm/xb8I3).

While there is no minimum purchase quota in the first year of the agreement, Chiron has agreed to purchase at least $30,000 during the second year and $50,000 during the third year. Chiron also acquired the option to expand the distribution business to Nigeria within 12 months of the agreement. If exercised, Chiron will pay Virtual Crypto an additional fee not higher than $250,000.

“We are excited to be working with the Chiron team as they seek to achieve their objectives in the cryptocurrency sector,” Alon Dayan, CEO of Virtual Crypto Technologies Ltd., stated in the news release. “I believe they have a significant opportunity to establish a leadership position in both Turkey and North Cyprus, and our technology will facilitate their ability to provide consumers with a secure, fast and cost-effective way to participate in the cryptocurrency market.”

According to Chiron, the company intends to market Virtual Crypto’s technology to casino cashiers, ATM operators, currency exchange offices and coffee shops, among other businesses that wish to offer their customers the ability to buy, sell and trade cryptocurrencies and provide immediate settlement of the currencies. Virtual Crypto’s cryptocurrency ATM, embedded with currency exchange transaction validation (CETV) in its hardware and software, accepts and dispenses cash and cryptocurrency in seconds.

“I am very impressed with Virtual Crypto Technologies’ ability to achieve such an important milestone within the time frame of our MOU,” Rony Kuperberg, CEO of Chiron Refineries, added. “I believe that after we will make the proper adjustments to our customers’ needs the Virtual Crypto technologies NetoBit line of products will set a new standard in the Crypto Currency industry.”

Virtual Crypto’s strategic vision of “Cryptocurrency Made Easy” allows crypto traders and users to overcome the complex hurdles currently hampering the cryptocurrency sphere.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Virtual-Crypto.com

• Montenegro gaining popularity as a tourist destination
• Investment in tourist accommodation looks increasingly attractive
• Benign investment climate for foreign capital

With temperatures in the Adriatic hovering at 72-86°F (22-30°C) in the summer, it’s no wonder that the beaches of Montenegro are teeming with tourists. In 2017, close to one million of them perambulated along the country’s 72 kilometers (45 miles) of beachfront, an influx of foreigners that, though welcomed, must have caused some trepidation, since the local population is just around 625,000. As the friendly hordes hunt for accommodation, investment in camping facilities, guesthouses, holiday villages, hotels, mountain huts and villas is scrambling to keep up. Rising demand for beds (the preferred measure of Montenegro’s statistical office) promises attractive returns to tourist investments, like those under consideration by American-Swiss Capital, Inc. The company has identified a number of distressed properties in Montenegro, which it plans to develop in the near future.

The Goldilocks ambiance of the Adriatic may be responsible for Montenegro’s benign investment environment. The Montenegrin Investment Promotion Agency (MIPA), set up in 2005 to promote foreign investment and facilitate economic development, defines a “foreign investor” as ‘a company that has been set up in Montenegro by a foreigner, or foreign legal entity, whose share of investment capital is higher than 25% of total capital invested.’

A blurb on its website proclaims that foreign investors may invest freely in any industry. There are no limitations on the amount of capital that can be invested, nor on the transfer of assets, profits or dividends. Moreover, foreign investors can acquire rights in real estate, such as commercial property, office space, residential space or construction land. In Montenegro, foreign companies are guaranteed legal treatment equal to domestic ones, which makes offshore real estate investors, in some sense, Montenegrin locals.

To capitalize on these opportunities, American-Swiss Capital (“ASC”) has an attractive property in the Boka Bay community of Tivat under active consideration. Tivat is home to Porto Montenegro, which is the heart of the coastline’s burgeoning tourism industry. ASC is presently in negotiations to purchase the property, an 18-unit apartment beachfront development, for approximately $1.9 million. The property, constructed in 2012 but never occupied, has been valued at about $4.5 million. It includes apartments that range in size from 60-160 square meters. Notably, the property has a private beach with a fixed pontoon boat berth situated only one kilometer from the full-service marina of Porto Montenegro.

ASC is also eyeing another Tivat project – the acquisition of about four acres of land located on the picturesque, UNESCO-protected Bay of Kotor, about 6.2 kilometers from Porto Montenegro. ASC wants to create a gated community with the construction of 30 villas, each measuring about 360 square meters (or about 3,875 square feet). ASC estimates the total cost of the project would be approximately $9.3 million, which it expects to be funded by presales and debt financing.

American-Swiss Capital is led by John Karatzaferis, who has been chief executive officer, secretary and treasurer since March 2015. Karatzaferis served for 25 years as a consultant for several major organizations, including PeopleCo., AGWS, and NAB Bank in Melbourne, Australia. His experience includes working in the consulting and recruitment fields in both Australia and Europe. For three years, he worked exclusively in debt management and credit control for NAB Bank and NCC in Melbourne, Australia.

Karatzaferis is ably assisted by Robert Sultani, who has served as a director of American-Swiss Capital since February 2018. From January 2016, Sultani served as a managing director at RCS Global Services, an international firm providing advisory, audit and training services with respect to the sourcing of natural resources. Operating out of the Dubai office, Sultani worked with clients in the mining, oil and gas, and enterprise software industries. He has also been a consultant and regional director for the Middle East and Africa for Viziya Corporation and Global PTM, both of which specialize in enterprise resource planning maintenance software and consulting.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.AS-Capital.com

• Developing world-class mineral assets supported by global strategic partnerships
• Maxtech is focused on becoming a pure-play, low-cost manganese supplier for the agricultural, industrial and green technology markets
• Clean energy applications using manganese include electric vehicles, off-the-grid power systems and other energy storage applications
• Estimated global demand for manganese is projected at 28.2 million metric tons by 2022 while production has historically lagged far behind
• Manganese has recorded a 42% gain in price since 2016

Maxtech Ventures Inc. (CSE: MVT) (OTC: MTEHF) (FRANKFURT: M1N), headquartered in Canada, is a junior exploration company assembling and acquiring mineral assets worldwide with a view to becoming a pure-play, low-cost supplier of manganese to the agricultural, industrial and green technology markets. Maxtech has assembled several high-grade manganese assets that it intends to develop with its established partners on the ground in strategic global regions.

Manganese is a diverse battery metal increasingly in high demand as an irreplaceable mainstay of steel production, an essential element of fertilizer in the agricultural sector, and as a vital resource in renewable battery technology. Maxtech Ventures is positioning itself to become a force in the green energy revolution where manganese is a critical element used in rechargeable batteries that power cars, hybrid vehicles, power tools and home appliances. LMD batteries, which typically use a 61 percent manganese in its mix and 4 percent lithium, are currently used in the Chevrolet Volt, Nissan Leaf, Hyundai Sonata and some Tesla-produced products. LMD batteries have numerous benefits including higher power output, thermal stability and improved safety compared to regular lithium-ion batteries.

“The price and demand for high-grade manganese is again on an upward trend. There are only a handful of junior pure play manganese explorers. This is an advantage Maxtech is looking to capitalize on as it expands its claims and strategic relationships in more mining jurisdictions,” said Maxtech Ventures CEO Peter Wilson.

Maxtech Ventures holds strategic partnerships; one of which is Grupo Maringa Ferro-Liga SA. Maringa is the second largest producer of high-grade manganese in South America with over 2,000 employees and over US$200 million in 2016 revenues.

Maxtech Ventures is currently advancing work on several high-grade manganese projects in Brazil with its first large land package in Juína in the State of Mato Grosso. This 40,000-plus hectare land package has assayed high-grade manganese results of 51.4 percent to 55.9 percent Mn. Detailed prospecting and geological studies are being continued on the Juína claims and a trial mining license (‘Guia de Utilização’) (GU) has been filed with the Departamento Nacional de Produção Mineral (DNPM) on one of the claims and the company is awaiting approval.

The company plans to expand its Brazilian operation into other states of the country including Pará and Goiás. Maxtech has signed a joint venture in the state of Pará on the exploration of 40,000 hectares as well as one in Goiás focused on the joint exploration, evaluation, and potential acquisition of manganese mineral deposits.

Maxtech is also currently preparing applications for licenses to explore potential high-grade manganese deposits in Zambia. The company will work closely with partner GeoQuest in its mandate to identify, joint-venture and acquire assets with high-grade manganese mineralization. GeoQuest is led and managed by Julian D.Green BSc., MSc., D.I.C., CGeol., EURGeol, FGS, FSAIMM. Julian has worked as a Professional Exploration Geologist in Eastern Europe, Australia and particularly Central and Southern Africa for a variety of mining and exploration companies including Tesla, KGHM, Rio Tinto and Caledonia.

Maxtech’s long-term strategy is to build an international industrial minerals company to produce and sell manganese ore and processed manganese into the global markets of Europe, North America and Asia. Maxtech Ventures has assembled a group of veterans in mining and exploration, acquisitions and field management to guide the development of its mineral interests.

CEO Peter Wilson has been the lead financier for public and private companies, raising over $300 million in equity and bond financings in the mineral and energy fields over the past two decades. As an experienced corporate executive, Wilson has extensive relationships in project acquisition, corporate structure and finance specializing in, but not limited to, the global resource sector.

John Harper, consulting geologist, is an international mineral exploration geoscientist and consultant with over 30 years of industry experience in base and precious metals, manganese, uranium and diamond exploration. He is a member in good standing of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) and Ontario (APGO). His international experience has taken him to projects in Africa and Brazil where he managed comprehensive programs for Cancana’s manganese claims.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Maxtech-Ventures.com

• CIIX will offer Bitcoin Trading Academy LLC courses on the website to educate its global Chinese-speaking audience on investing in and buying virtual currency
• NewCoins168.com Digital Media Technology Ltd. is a Shanghai-based, wholly owned foreign enterprise of CIIX designed to expand company’s education programs into China
• CIIX initiates VIP Service on the site at pre-sale price of $888 annually

ChineseInvestors.com, Inc. (OTCQB: CIIX) is increasingly focused on bolstering its leadership role for its global Chinese-speaking audience as producer and educator about global news regarding bitcoin, cryptocurrency, and blockchain technology through its website, NewCoins168.com. It has also launched a paid VIP Service on the site and expanded it into China.

CIIX already has online editorial reporters in New York and Los Angeles and plans to add a total of 10-15 more editors in China at the Shanghai subsidiary to provide 24/7 coverage of the industry, announced Warren Wang, CEO of CIIX (http://ibn.fm/hwdy3). The foreign enterprise, NewCoins168.com Digital Media Technology Ltd. (Shanghai), is located in the China Free Trade Zone.

“The Chinese website is intended to provide entry-level cryptocurrency and blockchain technology information,” Wang said in a news release. “In addition, the company plans to launch a mobile app that will provide timely, 24/7 news and analysis covering cryptocurrency and blockchain technology for the global Chinese community.”

The NewCoins168.com website offers worldwide news of cryptocurrency trading, ICOs, quotes, tutorials and strategies for investing. It also has online registration for paid subscribers to its VIP service, which offers lectures on ICO speculation, long-term trading, options and other subjects.

The company has a comprehensive suite of manufacturing and educational businesses in the cryptocurrency market. It hosts a Bitcoin ATM in the lobby of its San Gabriel, California, headquarters. It also operates a blockchain mining facility with AntMiners and ASIC machines in a secure data center near Seattle, Washington. CIIX broadcasts a daily video from the NYSE titled, ‘Bitcoin MultiMillionaire’, and it has now added VIP Services at $888 annually on its site and expanded it into China. The Bitcoin Trading Academy LLC will offer paid courses on the website.

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

• Zenergy helps clients reduce their utility costs by up to 60 percent
• Company’s Zero Cost Program enables the installation of upgraded retrofit conservation and efficiency equipment with no out-of-pocket cost to the customer
• To date, the Zero Cost Program has saved more than one million gallons of water and prevented more than 13 million pounds of CO2 emissions

Energy conservation is an undeniably important topic in today’s world. In the United States, which is one of the world’s top energy consumers, the conservation-boosting products and services of companies like Zenergy Brands, Inc. (OTCQB: ZNGY) are vital – from both economic and environmental standpoints.

Zenergy is a pioneering energy and technology company that operates within the smart energy, conservation and utilities industries, delivering retail energy, energy conservation, smart controls and efficiency-based products and services that are tailored to residential, commercial, industrial and municipal end-use customers. A core specialty of Zenergy is reducing utility expenses – including electricity, water and natural gas – and the company is able to help its clients cut these expenses by as much 60 percent. These cost savings are accomplished through Zenergy’s Zero Cost Program, and the resulting environmental benefits are even more staggering than the financial perks.

The Zero Cost Program is a financing program that enables customers to use Zenergy’s upgraded retrofit equipment – such as smart controls, LED lighting solutions, building automation, efficient water systems, refrigeration optimization, load factor correction, demand-side management and EC motor controls – to reduce their utility expenses. The equipment is supplied and installed at no out-of-pocket cost to the customer but is financed through a Managed Energy Services Agreement (MESA). In exchange, Zenergy retains a portion of the resulting utility savings until the end of a specified repayment period. Once that period concludes, the client can reap the full financial benefits of the installed technologies.

Each time a Zero Cost contract is initiated, Zenergy completes an industry best practices analysis to ascertain the environmental impact for that customer contract.

This program not only saves customers money; it also helps them achieve their sustainability goals and results in a reduction of damaging carbon emissions. Through this program, to date, Zenergy has helped avoid the generation of more than 13 million pounds of CO2 emissions, has saved more than one million gallons of water and has prevented the use of more than six million pounds of coal and more than 700,000 gallons of gas. The company equates the amount of carbon that has been sequestered to approximately 161,269 tree seedlings grown over a decade.

Zenergy’s mission is to enrich businesses through responsible use and management of energy, as well as to increase customers’ enterprise value and bottom lines, build a portfolio of lifelong clients, substantially reduce America’s carbon footprint, and significantly reduce demand on the energy grid and water supply in the United States.

For more information, visit the company’s websites at www.ZenergyBrands.com and www.WhatisZenergy.com

• Company selected and broke ground on a 126-acre site in Okanagan Falls, British Columbia, to build its planned 700,000 square foot Sunniva Canada Campus
• Company commences extraction production, expected to produce 500 pounds per day of bio mass at California facility
• 489,000-square-foot California facilities to complement its planned 700,000-square-foot facilities in Canada
• Canadian product outlets include supply agreement with Canopy Growth Corp. and patients at acquired Canadian medical cannabis clinics

Rising medical cannabis products and services provider Sunniva Inc. (CSE: SNN) (OTCQX: SNNVF) issued a report on April 30 detailing its financial results from fiscal year 2017 (http://ibn.fm/xpp8x). This update arrived on the back of month-long successes, including a bought deal public offering of C$27.8 million, selection of its 126-acre Canadian campus, reception of temporary licensing for the state-of-the-art greenhouse cultivation facilities in Cathedral City, California, and news that President Donald Trump’s administration expects to sustain state-based marijuana legalization efforts in the United States (http://ibn.fm/v8SGi).

An earnings call on May 1 highlighted that Sunniva began extraction production at the California APL facility in April following the company’s first year of revenue generation through its acquisitions of Canadian medical cannabis clinic network Natural Health Services (NHS), which has more than 95,000 registered active patients, and vaporizer subsidiary Full-Scale Distributors, LLC, which operates as the Vapor Connoisseur brand.

“Our goal is to become a low-cost, high-quality, large-scale producer and manufacturer of medical-grade cannabis products,” Sunniva CEO Anthony Holler said during the conference call. “We intend to accomplish this by building large-scale, purpose-built, Good Manufacturing compliant greenhouse facilities. These facilities will incorporate the latest technologies for environmental control and automation, which will allow us to have consistency in production. … As a management team, we remain committed in our focus on execution to support our business strategy and to deliver shareholder value.”

The California extraction facility is expected to process 500 pounds per day of bio mass for cannabinoid extraction, Holler said, and the company expects related revenue generation to begin in May as it negotiates contracts with a variety of cannabis industry brands for cannabis oil, capsules, sprays, tinctures and creams, as well as custom-made vaporization cartridges. Production of premium cannabis at the Sunniva Campus is expected to increase from a rate of 60,000 kilograms annually to about 100,000 kilograms annually, once phase II is complete.

The California APL extraction facility joins phase I of Sunniva’s in-development 325,000 square foot greenhouse and its planned 700,000 square foot greenhouses slated for its Canada Campus, which is in the final review stage for a license from Health Canada.  The company announced on May 3 that it has selected and broke ground on the 126-acre Okanagan Falls, British Columbia, site to build its Sunniva Canada Campus.  The campus has an overall estimated project budget of approximately C$120 million, which does not include the purchase or lease cost of the land that will underlie the facility (http://ibn.fm/UDm70).

“In California, we have significant first-mover advantage. We will be the first operational large-scale facility producing pharmaceutical-grade cannabis free of pesticides and other harmful contaminants,” Holler said, adding that current estimates peg some 85 percent of California’s cannabis products with contaminants, including pesticides.

“There is currently very little compliant supply. Obviously, that gives us a significant advantage,” Holler added. “That’s led to discussions with major distributors and major brands in California. … What some of these groups are finding is, they’re getting their product from somewhere; they’re assuming it’s compliant, and then it turns out not to be.”

Holler estimated that the cost of production in California will be below $1 per gram once the facility is fully operation, “as we realize the significant economies of scale, utilizing the energy of the sun and our largely automated climate-controlled facility.”

Sunniva’s wholly owned subsidiary, NHS, has agreements with 27 licensed producers in Canada, and its acquisition of a growing number of NHS clinics provides the company with a steady stream of clients for its cannabinoid products. In addition to its agreement with another licensed producer (LP), Sunniva will produce its own brand for market but plans to remain “agnostic” in terms of brand preference for patients at the clinics, Holler said, noting that the expected number of medical cannabis clients is expected to outpace Sunniva’s own brand production rate.

A significant development in terms of the supply agreement came in February, when Canadian LP Canopy Growth Corp. (TSX: WEED) (OTC: TWMJF) entered into a definitive agreement with Sunniva to purchase, through Sunniva’s wholly-owned subsidiary Sunniva Medical Inc., 45,000 kilograms of premium quality cannabis each year beginning with a two-year period that commences in the first quarter of 2019.

Sunniva’s U.S. subsidiary holds eight 10,000-square-foot cultivation licenses, two manufacturing licenses, one 22,000 square foot cultivation license, one 22,000 square foot nursery license and one 10,000 square foot nursery license. The company will also lease seven 22,000 square foot cultivation bays to its selected licensed tenants (http://ibn.fm/CGds2).

Sunniva began trading publicly on the Canadian Securities Exchange in January and the U.S. OTCQX Market in February. During 2017, the company reported C$16.1 million in revenues, two-thirds of which came from the NHS clinics, according to the April 30 financial report. The company noted an overall net loss of C$18.5 million as it dealt primarily with expenses related to its growth, including the acquisition of NHS and FSD. The company also reported that deferred revenue to help offset those expenses increased to $0.7 million, primarily resulting from customer deposits on sales of merchandise.

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

• Cannabis industry expected to generate over $20 billion in nationwide revenue by 2020
• About 14 percent of California cities permit cannabis stores; secure distribution could extend accessibility
• TransCanna establishing distribution hub, connecting growers to manufacturers and clients

The legalization of recreational marijuana use in California has blown open the market potential of a drug industry that continues to enjoy a love-hate tentativeness nationwide, but being at the forefront of an industry’s acceptance also puts the state in a position of having to solve many of the infrastructure problems that the market needs to overcome if it is going to thrive. TransCanna is focused on helping marijuana producers surmount the difficulties of getting their product to consumers in the developing marketplace through a strategic distribution network that draws on the company’s decades of sales leadership experience.

“Branding, transportation and distribution in the cannabis industry is currently in a state of disarray. An industry that’s expected to generate over $20 billion in revenue nationwide by 2020 is currently operated similar to the traveling salesman selling his elixirs in the 1800s. Like many aspects of the cannabis business it is in need of professionalization,” the company’s website states.

TransCanna offers marketing and is in the process of building a distribution and transportation network to enable every aspect of the cannabis-related ecosystem, including branding, distribution and sales advising. The British Columbia, Canada-based company has received a local transportation and distribution permit in California, the largest potential recreational marijuana market in the United States, and is creating a distribution network throughout the state that will establish operating facilities so that any potential client will be no more than a three-hour drive away. As TransCanna buys or leases the properly permitted warehouse locations, it will also be building a fleet of secured vehicles for transportation.

Months after California legalized marijuana’s recreational use and years after medicinal use of the cannabis plant became accepted in the state, only one out of every seven cities statewide allow recreational cannabis stores, and less than one in three cities (144 out of 482) allow any other type of cannabis business, according to an analysis by The Mercury News (http://ibn.fm/AKaf1). Less than one in five California cities even allow medical marijuana dispensaries, even though medical marijuana has been legal in California since 1996, the report states.

A statewide-authorized distribution network could help potential clients hoping to avoid black market concerns push through the challenges posed by municipalities reluctant to license businesses locally. Although large sectors of the state where legislation bars the sale of marijuana, known as ‘pot deserts’, currently exist, a senator introduced a bill in February that would allow licensed companies to deliver marijuana anywhere in the state, even if local facilities don’t exist there, according to the Sacramento Bee (http://ibn.fm/L53eJ). The legislation was receiving time for discussion in early May.

In the meantime, transporting cannabis products in California remains extremely challenging because of the patchwork of local and state regulations, and companies regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation are barred from playing a role because cannabis sales remain illegal under federal law. TransCanna’s distribution permit issued by the city of Adelanto gives it a leg up, and the company has entered into an Intellectual Property Rights and Royalty Agreement for the Track & Trace software platform required by the state. The company has also completed a land agreement to build a 10,000-square-foot hub for transportation and distribution in Adelanto.

TransCanna facilitates introductions between growers and corporate manufacturers, vetting clients for quality and scalability and then marketing them to outlets accessible to California consumers, and the company plans to build its own reliable product brand for the cannabis and hemp industries. These efforts, as well as its early work toward developing the transportation infrastructure arena, demonstrate TransCanna’s commitment to the California cannabis consumer.

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

• Initial offering focused on cricket, a global sport with 2.5 billion fans
• Developed through a joint business agreement with DevLex, product release is anticipated in Q2 2018
• Consorteum also focused on deployment of its proprietary technology to the online gaming industry, which is projected to reach $1 trillion by 2022

Through a joint business agreement with DevLex Ltd., Consorteum Holdings, Inc. (OTC: CSRH) announced on April 2, 2018, that it aims to release its first predictive data analytics mobile offering, dedicated to the game of cricket, during the second quarter of 2018 (http://ibn.fm/cAjXm). This will be released worldwide via Consorteum’s wholly owned subsidiary, 359 Mobile Inc., using the company’s proprietary Universal Mobile Interface™ (UMI) for the distribution of the Edgelytics™ Predictive Analytics Platform. Edgelytics enables the development of real-time analytics and predictive analytics for deployment to mobile devices. Following the release of this product, Consorteum intends to extend its Edgelytics offering to other sports in the future.

Cricket is the second most popular global sport after soccer. Originating in the United Kingdom, cricket has around 2.5 billion fans across the world, including a massive following in India (http://ibn.fm/0C4AW). It is also a hugely popular sport in Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and many other countries. Edgelytics Cricket offers users of mobile devices access to extensive historical data combined with real-time updates on cricket games, teams and players.

Consorteum focuses its efforts on software development and solutions for the delivery of digital offerings to mobile devices. This includes delivery of mobile content and mobile payment solutions. The company’s UMI technology supports fully regulated, regionally compliant financial and social transactions via mobile and web. It has the capacity to deliver solutions in various sectors, including fintech, data analytics, secure payment processing and compliance lead transaction management. The UMI platform enables the development of a cross operating system to support all mobile devices, while satisfying the complex, highly regulated needs of the mobile fintech sector.

The development team at 359 Mobile has created an end-to-end fintech solution using the UMI technology platform to overcome the poor mobile application and transaction solutions currently experienced by users. Consorteum believes that 359 Mobile’s innovative development initiatives will present opportunities for other partnerships and joint ventures in many different market sectors in the future.

The company is currently focused on developing and delivering fintech solutions to the mobile gaming industry. According to a study conducted by Juniper Research, the online gaming market is forecast to surpass $1 trillion by 2022 (http://ibn.fm/1WQdg). The majority of this growth will be driven by mobile devices, which provide a rapidly growing market for the deployment of Consorteum’s UMI platform. The company believes that there will be new opportunities in the gaming sector to provide mobile marketing services to consumers, real-time services to mobile sports book operators, fixed-odds betting solutions and social-based transactions.

Consorteum views the launch of its first mobile predictive analytics product for global cricket fans as an important milestone for the company. Following the announcement of the product’s intended release, Craig Fielding, CEO of Consorteum, said, “An extraordinary amount of work by a dedicated team has gone into not only the technological building of the Edgelytics platform, but also into the creation and continual update of the massive statistical database required to support this innovative tool.”

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