Earlier today, OurPet’s Company (OTCQX: OPCO) announced a partnership with Paulee Cleantec Ltd., an international leader in the development of eco-friendly solutions for the management of human and animal waste. Together, the two companies intend to leverage their extensive intellectual property portfolios to address the rising environmental impact associated with pet waste. According to Dr. Steven Tsengas, chairman and chief executive officer of OPCO, the companies will look toward Paulee Cleantec’s existing proof-of-concept waste management technology, which uses “an exothermic oxidation process to convert animal feces into an odor-free ash fertilizer in less than a minute,” as a starting point in their efforts to “commercialize an initial, portable dog waste product,” along with other future applications.

“We are very pleased to partner with OurPet’s and realize the potential of our technology,” Dr. Oded Halperin, founder and chairman of Paulee Cleantec, added in this morning’s news release. “We look forward to applying our expertise to the partnership, as OurPet’s has the innovative technology, the marketing/sales channels and most of all the strong entrepreneurial drive to bring our mission to success.”

With pet ownership figures being on the rise in recent years, the importance of managing pet waste has become increasingly evident. Municipalities across the country have imposed stiff fines designed to ensure that pet owners properly clean up after their pets, and for good reason. Industry studies have linked pet waste to a number of environmental issues, including contamination of underground water levels, lakes and streams. In total, it’s estimated that as much as 30 percent of the bacteria found in typical water samples and up to 50 percent of the bacteria in the air can be linked to dog waste alone.

These statistics highlight the market potential of an innovative solution to the growing issue of pet waste. According to the American Pet Products Association (http://dtn.fm/mPLS6), about 65 percent of U.S. households, some 79.7 million homes, currently own a pet. This figure is up from just 56 percent in 1988, when the survey was first conducted. All told, companion dogs in the U.S. produce roughly 10 million tons of waste annually, and the cat population results in approximately two million tons of litter sent to landfills each year.

OPCO’s partnership with Paulee Cleantec is just one channel through which the company is currently addressing this environmental concern. OurPet’s has over 170 patents issued or pending, many of which relate directly to pet waste management. The company’s current product offerings in the space include its Switchgrass Natural Cat Litter with BioChar (http://dtn.fm/Eqn3M); manual and semiautomatic cat litter boxes; and the innovative SmartScoop® – Intelligent Litter Box (http://dtn.fm/a9VDE), which uses Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technologies to help pet owners better manage the waste activity of their furry friends while simultaneously monitoring pets’ elimination behaviors.

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

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Earlier today, Singlepoint, Inc. (OTC: SING) was announced as a featured company on this week’s edition of MoneyTV with Donald Baillargeon. MoneyTV is an internationally syndicated television program about “money and what makes it happen.” The show includes informative interviews with company CEOs, offering prospective investors insight into their operations and outlooks for the future.

To view this week’s program, visit www.MoneyTV.net

In the interview, Greg Lambrecht, chief executive officer of Singlepoint, gives investors some insight into the company’s recent moves, most notably its ongoing efforts to become a fully reporting company and uplist to the OTCQB Venture Market. According to Lambrecht, Singlepoint is rapidly approaching this milestone. In fact, he described the company as, “On the one yard line, ready to get in the end zone.” Lambrecht told Baillargeon that Singlepoint has already completed the required Form 10 and hopes to submit it to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and become a fully reporting company “within the next week or so.”

Singlepoint’s uplisting plans are expected to play a key role in the company’s future growth. Lambrecht outlined an aggressive M&A strategy for the company moving forward as it transitions toward a holding company business plan. Singlepoint is already in talks with multiple acquisition targets in the mobile technology space, and the additional financing options and improved access to both institutional and individual investors provided by uplisting to the OTCQB is expected to play a key role in funding these M&A opportunities. In the MoneyTV interview, Lambrecht suggested that additional information regarding these potential acquisitions will likely become available shortly after the company’s move to the OTCQB Venture Market.

“Not only will the completion of these efforts provide us better financing options and allow institutional investors to invest directly on the open market, it also correlates with our M&A strategy,” Lambrecht added in a recent news release. “Additionally, as an OTCQB-listed company we expect to see greater liquidity, as well as brand awareness among the investment community.”

In line with its aggressive M&A strategy, Singlepoint recently tweaked its website to better reflect its intent to operate as a holding company moving forward. With the stage set for a big announcement in the coming weeks, Singlepoint appears primed to make a significant impact in the mobile technology market during the final quarter of 2016.

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

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Recently, Monaker Group, Inc. (OTCQB: MKGI), a technology-driven travel company focused on the alternative lodging rental (ALR) market, announced the launch of the Monaker Booking Engine (MBE) and the completion of the Application Program Interface (API) to the MBE. These developments further advance Monaker’s foray into the fastest growing sector of the travel market, alternative lodging rental, which is expected to reach $169 billion by 2019.

With the MBE, Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) will be able to access Monaker’s vast inventory of alternative lodging, timeshares and resort accommodation. Through the API they can go further. Having access to Monaker’s API gives OTAs, tour operators, airlines and cruise originators the ability to build their own apps and sites based on the Monaker databases and libraries. By setting up an API, Monaker is preparing fertile ground for a community to grow around its mission statement of “Travel Made Easy”.

An API is essentially a set of standardized requests designed for a particular program. An API’s protocols tell a software developer the proper way to request a service, such as printing a document, from the program. An API covers the middle ground between software that can only be accessed by the one who wrote it and software with source code that has been made public.

An entertaining piece in a January 2000 issue of Computerworld magazine (http://dtn.fm/rJPZ1) explains APIs by drawing similarities to gaining access to your neighbors’ lawn mowing services if your lawn mower broke down. It’s useless even considering the first of three neighbors, Closed Carl. A high wall with no gate protects his lawn mower so there’s no way of getting to him to even broach the subject. ‘An application like Closed Carl exposes no source code or APIs.’

At the other extreme is Open Oscar. You can enter his yard and borrow his mower without even asking him first. You can, also, alter the mower to suit your tastes by, perhaps, installing a beer cooler on it. ‘An application like Open Oscar has open source code, giving you free reign if you want it.’

The newest neighbor, API Annie, is nice too. You can borrow her mower provided you ask, but, aware of your mechanical prowess, she has asked you not to ‘improve’ her lawn mower. With an application like API Annie, you have access to mowing services, but the lawn mower is off limits.

APIs have the potential to rapidly develop support systems for an enterprise that boost its growth. The first company to capitalize on their potential was Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) when it launched its platform API on February 7, 2000, just about a year into its inception, according to the History of APIs (http://dtn.fm/8OWAy). That API strategy is partly responsible for the company’s present market cap of $48 billion.

Other industry titans subsequently embarked on the API adventure. In June 2005, the Google (NASDAQ: GOOG; GOOGL) Maps API made its appearance. And in 2006, Facebook (NASDAQ: FB), Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) launched their APIs. The ecommerce giant’s API portal is called Amazon Web Services.

Just like these successful companies have, Monaker aims to build a healthy ecosystem around its MBE and NextTrip platform. NextTrip is an intuitive, fully comprehensive booking platform for hotels, resorts, vacation rental homes, timeshare rentals, airlines, cruises, tours & land packages, and rental cars. Apart from NextTrip, Monaker’s travel assets now include Maupintour, with over 65 years in tour-guided vacations; Voyage.TV, with its thousands of hours of travel footage shot in over 30 countries around the world; and AlwayOnVacation, with its 250,000 listed properties. With the launch of its API, Monaker is poised for a further stage of development.

For more information, visit www.MonakerGroup.com

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Keeping up with the ever-changing world of marketing technology is not easy, but it’s necessary for businesses to continue to grow. One aspect of marketing that continues to evolve is social media, and social media managers must continuously adapt. Mobile social media, visual social media, and social media strategies are just some of the things that professionals need to track and integrate with their own marketing requirements. This has become the year of social media management, and every social media channel needs to be managed with a specific strategy in mind.

Fortunately, there are now software and applications that can relieve some of the pressure on social media managers, allowing all channels to be managed from a single computer screen. As the importance of social media management has grown, so has the importance of the tools used to manage it. But many people do not understand the full extent of social media management and how these tools can help them achieve goals.

Social media management software is used for a number of reasons, but basically it allows businesses to efficiently keep up with social engagement and manage customer relationships. Social media management tools enable companies to streamline team collaboration and increase social accountability. This means that businesses have an extra level of security and are less susceptible to hackers. With this type of software, businesses are equipped with a range of analytical tools that not only analyze social performance but also share reports with stakeholders.

FRAME is a social media management application from Agora Holdings, Inc. (OTC: AGHI) and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Geegle Media. FRAME allows businesses to take their social media campaigns to the next level. The application enables users to manage all social media channels in one place, schedule posts, follow partners and competitors, and generate professional infographic reports.

FRAME is the perfect social media management app for businesses wanting to engage with customers more effectively. The app is currently free for non-commercial users, a major differentiating factor in the market. FRAME is available for download at Frame.ms. It is currently targeting the Android app marketplace with the release for iOS devices coming soon.

For more information, visit www.agoraholdingsinc.com

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In 2015, Singlepoint, Inc. (OTC: SING), a publicly traded holding company specializing in the acquisition of small to mid-sized companies with an emphasis on mobile technologies, acquired the assets and technology of Mobile Bidding Technologies, Inc. (MBT). This included its primary asset, Text2Bid, the leading mobile bidding solution. But how is Text2Bid leading the mobile bidding solutions industry, and how does this affect SING?

By offering a simple web page, also referred to as a “web app”, Text2Bid uses one single user interface that automatically adapts to every user’s smartphone. Users can bid without having to install an app to their mobile device. This also cuts out the need for manual updates. But, aside from not needing to download, why is a “web app” better than a native app for Text2Bid’s solution?

Text2Bid’s primary goals are related to public communications. Having a mobile website or “web app” is advantageous since it allows for broader accessibility, compatibility, and cost effectiveness. In a high-paced environment such as the events industry, these are all key factors. With mobile websites, everything is instantly available, compatible across a number of devices, automatically updated in real-time, easy to find and easily shared through publishers. They offer a broader reach and can’t be deleted. In addition, mobile websites are generally easier to develop and less expensive to run.

The future of auctions is one of more people with smartphones. With advances in technology, it’s a movement that will continue to grow and adapt to new devices. Aside from its compatibility and accessibility, Text2Bid does not have a user limit and supports multi-day events. Text2Bid has turned normal auctions into interactive experiences, with a yearly average increase of 28 percent in total amount donated, as compared to previous years without the solution.

SING acquired MBT and Text2Bid because it offers significant potential for yearly growth. The company believes that the combination of its technology and development expertise with Text2Bid’s already well-established name in the sector could lead the solution to further growth while revolutionizing the $18 billion auction industry.

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

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Late last year, iGambit, Inc. (OTCQB: IGMB) threw down the gauntlet to computer hackers and crackers with its acquisition of ArcMail Technology, a leading provider of email management solutions. In November 2015, iGambit, a diversified holding company, announced it had acquired Wala, Inc. doing business as ArcMail Technology (ArcMail) by executing a stock purchase agreement. ArcMail is now a wholly owned subsidiary of iGambit.

Since the prehistoric times of the early 1970s, when Ray Tomlinson first thought of using the “@” (“at” symbol) in electronic messages, email has moved from the esoteric world of the ARPANET into the lives of billions. It has been said to be ‘the most important application of the Internet and the most widely used facility’ (http://dtn.fm/x3ARg).

There is no doubt that email has become a staple of our personal lives, and the same is true of business. Email has replaced paper memos as the preferred form of written communication in companies. It is a fast, inexpensive, versatile medium. Email is used to convey all manner of business correspondence, whether between two adjacent offices in the same building or to ones separated by thousands of miles on different continents.

A 2013 survey by Osterman Research (http://dtn.fm/C9q47) found a high percentage of corporate employees use email on a daily basis. The median of employees of the 139 companies examined in the survey was 1,000. That is, roughly half of the companies in the sample had more than 1,000 employees. The median of email users was 650, indicating that, on average, 65 percent of corporate staff use email every day to get their jobs done. On average, 165 messages are sent and 309 received.

The proliferation of email is posing new challenges and risks to both individuals and companies. Email hacking has cost some enterprises dearly. Most recently, on September 22, 2016, Yahoo (NASDAQ: YHOO) announced in a press release, ‘that information associated with at least 500 million user accounts’ had been stolen (http://dtn.fm/tA4Un). The information which ‘may have included names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, hashed passwords… and, in some cases, encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers’ had been compromised since, at least, late 2014. However, it appears that Yahoo only ‘recently’ discovered the incursion.

The Yahoo breach has been widely publicized, but it is not an anomaly. Corporate America has been experiencing similar assaults for many years. As Rory Welch, CEO of ArcMail, lamented in a CIO Review article, “Far too many businesses do not consider email security as an imperative issue until it suddenly puts the reputation of the business at stake.”

Email security is one of the issues addressed by ArcMail’s flagship product, ArcMail Defender. ArcMail Defender is an email archiving hardware solution that enhances compliance systems, provides support in litigation, increases storage management, curates institutional knowledge and augments defenses against malevolent actors. Defender provides the speed and storage necessary to handle the ever-increasing volume and variety of email and other electronic data sources demanded by regulators.

“With Defender, business-critical data stays exactly where it should—behind a strong firewall and safe from corruption by outside sources,” explains Welch.

In April 2016, ArcMail was named one of the ‘20 Most Promising Enterprise Security Companies 2016’ (http://dtn.fm/Y2uLC) by a distinguished panel comprised of CEOs, CIOs, VCs, analysts and the CIO Review editorial board.

Defender is considered the best email archiving solution for organizations with anywhere from five to over 5,000 mailboxes across a broad section of industries. Currently, major organizations employing the ArcMail Defender include the State of New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, St. Louis Public Schools and the Canadian Parliament.

iGambit, a fully reporting publicly held company, has set out to acquire early-stage technology companies with a strong growth potential that can be easily recognized in the public arena. The company provides board experience and capital to scale up its acquisitions.

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

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Fast-growing eXp World Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: EXPI), owner of unique real estate brokerage firm eXp Realty, recently appointed industry veteran Russ Cofano as its new president and general counsel, a move likely to bring the company added value and more expertise in the real estate field. Cofano, who served as chief strategy officer and general counsel since late June, is replacing Jason Gesing as president. Gesing will stay on as CEO of eXp Realty.

Cofano, a highly experienced real estate professional, is expected to help drive a new chapter of growth for eXp World Holdings and its companies, the group’s CEO and Chairman Glenn Sanford believes. The new president has years of experience in the field, having worked with several major realtors in the U.S. before joining eXp World Holdings.

The decision, which became effective immediately following its September 23 announcement, came just a couple of weeks before eXp Realty’s annual real estate conference in San Antonio, Texas. The third edition of eXpCon, scheduled for October 5-7, has already been sold out and is expected to bring together more than 600 of the brokerage division’s agents and brokers – more than three times the turnout from last year’s event.

The record attendance numbers are indicative of the company’s strength and reflect the Agent-Owned Cloud Brokerage’s growing trend this year. eXp Realty has been the driving force behind the entire group’s remarkable growth over the last few months, based largely on its unique cloud-based business model. eXp World Holdings reported record revenues in the first two quarters (more than $7 million in Q1, $13 million in Q2) and a significant increase in its number of agents, topping 1,700 at the end of September. The business model proposed by eXp Realty completely eliminates the costs associated with running a brick-and-mortar office, allowing members to provide more efficient services to consumers while increasing their own profit with lower risk. The beauty of the system is that agents and brokers can operate from the comfort of their own homes without having to worry about franchise fees, desk fees or other similar expenses, as their activity takes place in a cloud-based office environment.

This year’s conference highlights will include keynote addresses from business and real estate gurus such as Rick Miller and Stefan Swanepoel. Miller, who was elected independent director to the eXp Board in July, will deliver the opening keynote address. His experience as CEO or president of various companies ranging from a startup to a nonprofit and his unconventional management approach have made him one of the most notable business leaders of the moment.

Real estate visionary Swanepoel will give his keynote address on the morning of October 6. Author of more than 30 books and reports on the real estate brokerage business, Swanepoel has given over 1,000 talks to one million people throughout his career and currently owns the T3 Sixty Group, a leading real estate multi-solution group that offers consultancy services and produces some of the industry’s most authoritative reports, such as the Swanepoel Power 200, the Swanepoel TRENDS Report, the T3 Risk Guide, the T3 Tech Guide and The Real Estate Confronts series. He also serves as editor-in-chief of SP200, which ranks the most powerful real estate people, and as host of the real estate T3 Summit.

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

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Before the opening bell, OurPet’s Company (OTCQX: OPCO) highlighted a recent presentation by Kathleen Homyock, the company’s vice president of sales and business development. The presentation, titled “Technology Translated to Pet Fitness, Food and Fun,” was made at last month’s National Pet Industry Trade Show, which was hosted by the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (Canada). Homyock used her time at the podium to showcase intelligent technology accessories, such as OPCO’s recently launched OurPets® Intelligent Pet Care™ product line (http://dtn.fm/F64bL), and their ability to help pet owners effectively monitor the health and wellbeing of their pets.

“It is always interesting to speak with industry professionals about how smart technology is changing pet products,” Homyock stated in this morning’s news release. “I was excited to have the opportunity to speak at the show in September and I am even more excited to work for a company that values this technology and continuously works to bring intelligent health and fitness monitoring products into the marketplace.”

To view Homyock’s full presentation, visit http://dtn.fm/0EfMl

The emergence of intelligent technology accessories in the pet industry is particularly intriguing when studying pet ownership statistics. According to research firm Mintel, an impressive 75 percent of Americans in their 30s have dogs, while roughly 51 percent have cats. This figure is substantially higher than that of the overall population, which clocks in at about 50 percent for dogs and 35 percent for cats. All told, today’s young Americans are much more likely to have pets than their predecessors.

This trend is significant, as pet owners between the ages of 18 and 34 have shown the most open to adopting new technologies to care for their furry friends. A 2015 survey by Packaged Facts found that the age group led the way in the use of webcams, smartphones, motion sensors and collars with tracking devices to follow their dogs’ activities. With these technologies already being implemented, the use of dedicated devices leveraging the Internet of Things model is a rapidly growing trend upon which OurPet’s Company is currently positioned to capitalize.

The company’s OurPets® Intelligent Pet Care™ line utilizes smart technology to seamlessly monitor pet health through the use of the free IntelligentPetLink™ smartphone app (http://dtn.fm/6QnA1). The line’s products currently include the SmartScoop – Intelligent Litter Box (http://dtn.fm/E50ip), the SmartLink Feeder – Intelligent Pet Bowl (http://dtn.fm/1SsjU), and the SmartLink Waterer – Intelligent Water Fountain (http://dtn.fm/R3wp3).

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

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The year of 2016 is seeing retailers working toward social media as a form of commerce, with more efforts being made to determine the best way to drive sustainable e-commerce sales through social media. Some of the better known examples of the move to social commerce include Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) allowing customers to add items to their shopping carts with #AmazonCart, Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) adding a “Buy” button to make it easier for consumers to purchase items without leaving their social media accounts, and Coca-Cola’s (NYSE: KO) #ShareACoke campaign.

But, the evolution of social commerce truly started in 2012, when Facebook added its collection features. Later, in 2014, Facebook, Twitter (NYSE: TWTR), and Tumblr (NASDAQ: YHOO) added “Buy” buttons. In 2015, Facebook added a shoppable page and made messenger payments available, Instagram added a “Shop Now” feature, Pinterest added buyable pins, and Twitter finally expanded its Buy Now partnerships. In 2016, Facebook enabled a feature allowing consumers to buy event tickets on the social media site, and Pinterest added buyable pins open to all SMBs, as well as a Pinterest shopping cart.

In addition to the above developments, according to Sumo Heavy Industries (http://dtn.fm/LFq4h), social media referral traffic to e-commerce sites grew by 198%, with baby products, home furnishings, health and wellness, and automotive purchases being the most influenced by social media. Facebook showed the highest conversion rates for all social media e-commerce traffic at 1.85%, according to Shopify (http://dtn.fm/9wOLd).

Although social commerce is still developing, Sumo Heavy Industries found that it remains a promising channel, with 73% of users who have tried “Buy” buttons saying they would do it again, and one in five people saying they are open to the idea despite not having tried it yet. Also, according to an article published in Marketing Week (http://dtn.fm/0Fts7), out of 2,017 people aged 18 and over who were surveyed, 56% of them like or follow brands because of their products, and research shows that Facebook is the most popular site for direct purchases.

Yet not all businesses are convinced of this new way of selling. Some describe it as “making a mistake” while others have not optimized their websites for mobile use (51%). Not only this, 31% of these organizations have no intention of optimizing their sites, which millennials find increasingly irritating, according to statistics (http://dtn.fm/69fE0).

Fortunately, Moxian, Inc. (OTCQB: MOXC) is in the business of providing social marketing and promotion platforms to aid merchants in growing and advertising their businesses through social media. Moxian incorporates social media, entertainment, and business intelligence. The company is a multi-channel social commerce platform that includes a relationship management system in order to generate knowledge for merchants so they can better interact with their chosen audiences.

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

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Already a leading provider of unique and highly innovative pet care solutions ranging from toys to feeding and waste management, Ohio-based OurPet’s Company, Inc. (OTCQX: OPCO) expects to expand its presence on the fast-growing pet care market through a unique line of products designed to awaken a pet’s natural instincts.

The company’s innovative products, as other premium pet care solutions available on the market, cater to the needs of a growing number of customers who are treating their pets like family members and are looking to buy only the most high-end products for them, according to an analysis from industry research report provider Sandler Research (http://dtn.fm/Xxtx2).

The report also shows that the global pet care market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 4.72% from 2016 to 2020, driven mostly by high profit margins for manufacturers offering a wide range of specialized, premium products. The highest revenue-generating geographic region in the market will be North America, expected to hold more than 40% of the market share.

Despite fierce competition on the pet care market, companies that consistently provide top-quality, premium products will only strengthen their positions, while many vendors will also take action to expand their business to emerging markets such as the Asia-Pacific, Central and South America, the report indicates.

With its unique line of proprietary pet products distributed both in the United States and overseas, OurPet’s Company therefore seems poised for overcoming its competition and becoming a major player on the market of innovative pet care solutions. The company is committed to developing one-of-a-kind products (http://dtn.fm/6NMdJ) that are patented and unparalleled on the market, based on a unique design that focuses on the health and behavioral needs of pets and their owners.

Keeping in line with its dedication to product innovation, OurPet’s Company recently launched a strong showing of game-changing pet products such as the OurPets® Switchgrass Natural Cat Litter™ (http://dtn.fm/7bBA5) – a high-end, all natural and fully biodegradable litter, and the Intelligent Pet Care™ (http://dtn.fm/En6rt) Bluetooth® line of products, which monitor pet behavior via a smartphone app. And despite a slight decline in revenue in Q2 that followed record numbers in Q1, OurPet’s Company anticipates a solid performance and record revenue again in the second half of the year, as a direct consequence of the new product launches.

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

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