Content Checked Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: CNCK) is arming today’s consumers with data and information to help them fight back against the often emotional allure of food intake. This in turn puts the consumer in the driver’s seat on the dietary road toward achieving vital health targets. The company is playing a leadership role through development of mobile software apps aimed at assisting consumers with dietary preferences and restrictions by helping them make informed food purchasing decisions.

Positioned as shopping tools within the food allergy and intolerances market – which was valued at $13B last year – ContentChecked, SugarChecked and MigraineChecked deliver complementary solutions to consumers dealing with food allergies and sensitivities. The apps go beyond the label, allowing consumers to better understand contents and ingredient make-ups, which are viewed by many as ambiguous. While the consumer shops, they receive recommended alternatives for the types of foods that do not align with their preset dietary settings.

In anticipation of accelerated growth, the company recently announced a strategic partnership with leading New York City-based capital markets advisory firm PCG Advisory Group (PCG). The firm will serve as an advisor for the company’s ongoing investor relations, social media and public relations strategies.

In a recent news release, Kris Finstad, CEO of Content Checked, noted, “Our search for a partner with the capital markets expertise to communicate our story to both institutional and retail investors, while increasing our new media profile and social media engagement, resulted in the most obvious conclusion.” Adding further, “Our engagement of PCG is reflective of their unique capability to provide valuable insight and exposure to our exciting products, partnerships and developing pipeline.”

The partnership appears to be timed nicely with an anticipated revenue strategy for its innovative suite of mobile apps. At the beginning of 2015, the company outlined plans to shift toward a subscription-based revenue model for its apps in an attempt to capitalize on emerging mobile trends. Content Checked’s highly anticipated relaunch and rebranding of its products is expected to take place later this spring.

CNCK develops smartphone applications designed for those dealing with food allergies and intolerances, as well as migraine and chronic headaches, in the United States. The Content Checked apps and supporting database enable users to scan the bar codes affixed to store products to determine if they coincide with their health and dietary restrictions or preferences, helping users personalize shopping lists accordingly. Founded in 2013, the company is headquartered in West Hollywood, California.

For more information, visit www.contentchecked.com

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Earlier this week, IEG Holdings Corporation (OTCQX: IEGH) made headlines when it uplisted from the OTCQB® Venture Market to the OTCQX® Best Market, the top tier of the three marketplaces operated by OTC Markets Group. Before becoming eligible to be traded on this tier, companies must undergo a qualitative review by OTC Markets Group and meet a number of strict financial and corporate governance benchmarks. Following its uplisting, IEG Holdings is expected to enjoy increased visibility with investors while distinguishing itself among the most established, investor-focused U.S. and international companies currently traded on the OTC markets.

“IEGH is pleased to have met the stringent financial and corporate governance criteria to be upgraded to the OTCQX market, which is another key step in the growth of the company,” Paul Mathieson, chairman and chief executive officer of IEG Holdings, stated in a Monday news release.

News of IEGH’s uplisting continued to build on what has been a promising start to 2016 for the company. In early January, IEGH announced expansion of its online lending services – marketed under the Mr. Amazing Loans brand – into Kentucky, marking the 17th U.S. state in which it currently offers consumer loans. IEG Holdings’ management team previously set a goal of offering loans in 25 U.S. states by the third quarter of 2016. If this goal is achieved, it would give the company access to approximately 240 million people across the country, which is roughly 75 percent of the U.S. population.

Following its expansion into Kentucky, IEGH achieved record loan volumes for the first month of the year, recording an 85 percent year-over-year increase to $315,000 in January 2016. This growth came as no surprise to investors tracking the company’s recent trajectory. From 2013 to 2015, IEGH achieved a 2,815 percent increase in full-year revenue, growing from $62,949 to more than $1.8 million over the course of just two years. In a recent release, the company attributed this strong performance to the versatility of its online lending website (www.mramazingloans.com), its low acquisition cost lead sources and continued state license expansion.

By uplisting to the OTCQX market, IEG Holdings is now in a formidable strategic position to leverage its recent momentum in an effort to maximize shareholder value. Look for the company to continue its aggressive pursuit of the nationwide expansion of its Mr. Amazing Loans platform in the months to come, establishing a solid foundation upon which to expand its sizable foothold in the multibillion dollar online consumer lending market of the United States.

For more information, visit www.investmentevolution.com

Digital, mobile and card payment platforms continue their steady growth behind vastly improved technologies and advancing secure solutions, with experts believing the trend will take hold of the mainstream market in 2016. News, purchase orders, product updates and current events of note in the markets today involve NXT-ID, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXTD), Heartland Payment Systems Inc. (NYSE: HPY), Visa Inc. (NYSE: V), PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and MasterCard Incorporated (NYSE: MA). Another competitor in this space, Alternet Systems, Inc. (OTC: ALYI), invests in and partners with companies that are creating the future of money in the high growth, emerging technology fields of digital commerce, multichannel payments, and predictive analytics.

The global mobile payment transaction market will be worth an estimated $2.8 trillion by 2020, up from $392 billion in 2014, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 39.2 percent, according to Future Market Insights (http://dtn.fm/5cQJ7). The growth of this segment is astonishing to say the least and should provide excellent opportunities for companies like Alternet Systems.

Being in the right place at the right time, or, in this case, the right business at the right time, is paramount to maximizing a shareholder’s return on investment. With the global population moving rapidly toward mobile payment solutions, the possibilities of this industry are effectively endless.

Alternet Systems best describes its approach to this dynamic space via its mission statement: “To provide innovative solutions that facilitate and expedite commerce, enriching our partners and their customers’ experience, and improving efficiency.” Recognizing that the world is becoming increasingly dependent on technological conveniences, Alternet Systems aims to provide its customers with the tools to prepare themselves for a new era of digital commerce and payments, financial services and consumer information, and, most importantly, a new approach to many of the basic functions of daily life.

For more information, visit www.alternetsystems.com

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A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is a fuel cell that produces electricity through an electrochemical process. SOFCs offer low emissions, long-term stability, high efficiency, and fuel flexibility. The excellent fuel flexibility of the devices permits the use of safe, cheaper, and readily available hydrocarbons such as natural gas, methane, and syngas. SOFCs, however, function at a high operating temperature, usually within the range of 800°C-1000°C for the activation of the electrolyte, making them far less susceptible to carbon monoxide poisoning and thereby, longer lasting. Analysts forecast the global SOFC market to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 9.78 percent during the period from 2016-2020 (Estimated market value of $614.92 billion in 2015).

Dominovas Energy Corp. (OTCQB: DNRG) is an energy solutions company dedicated to delivering clean, efficient and reliable electricity to areas of the world that lack this precious commodity on a multi-megawatt scale. At the heart of Dominovas Energy’s Fuel Cell Division is a revolutionary ”disruptive technology” and energy solution powered by the RUBICON™ Series SOFC Technology.

Led by the incomparable scholar, professor, and visionary Dr. Shamiul Islam, the RUBICON™ is expected to achieve more than 50 percent fuel-to-electricity efficiency, providing cost effective, clean, significantly-reduced emissions with silent operations in modular multi-megawatt power arrays. The proprietary system is also uniquely capable of reforming and converting multiple fuel stocks such as natural gas and bio-fuel, and is expected to become the “PLATINUM Standard” by which all other fuel cell technologies are measured.

Renewable energy will represent the largest single source of electricity growth over the next five years, driven by falling costs and aggressive expansion in emerging economies, according to the International Energy Agency’s annual market report. The report sees the share of renewable energy in global power generation rising to over 26 percent by 2020 from 22 percent in 2013 – a remarkable shift in a very limited period of time. By 2020, the amount of global electricity generation coming from renewable energy will be higher than today’s combined electricity demand of China, India and Brazil.

The report says the geography of deployment will increasingly shift to frontier economies and developing countries, which will make up two-thirds of the renewable electricity expansion to 2020. China alone will account for nearly 40 percent of total renewable power capacity growth and requires almost one-third of new investment to 2020.

For more information, visit www.dominovasenergy.com

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Immune Therapeutics, Inc. (OTCQB: IMUN) made two additions to its board recently, and if experience and knowledge are said to be key indicators of effectiveness, employees and shareholders alike have reason to be elated with the news. Dr. Clifford A. Selsky and Paul Akin carry a wealth of experience in their respective areas of influence and bolster the company’s leadership assets going forward. Paul Akin brings financial experience developed across his prior operating and board roles to the IMUN board. Dr. Selsky offers a vital perspective as a scientist, physician and patient advocate. The company intends to use their respective know-how on its road toward pursuing financial growth while developing and commercializing novel, patented therapies for life-threatening diseases by activating the body’s immune system.

Noreen Griffin, CEO of Immune Therapeutics, noted in a press release, “Paul Akin and Dr. Selsky’s breadth of knowledge and experience will provide invaluable insight to Immune as we continue to grow the business and strive to deliver innovative therapies in emerging nations.”

Clifford A. Selsky, PhD, MD, has been a pediatrician for the past 20 years, earning his PhD in microbiology and molecular genetics at the University of Miami School of Medicine prior to completing DNA repair research studies at Harvard School of Public Health and Stanford University.

Paul Akin brings more than 25 years of leadership experience to IMUN’s board. Akin played an important role in the strategic planning and coordination of market penetration, capitalization and expansion. He currently serves as the CEO and executive chairman of San Francisco-based Collier Warehouse Group, where he’s fostered annual double-digit growth rates during his tenure.

Immune Therapeutics, Inc. is a biotechnology company with a leading portfolio of immunotherapy technologies aimed at capturing the promise of the immune system for improving the treatment of cancer, HIV/Aids and other chronic and autoimmune diseases. The company is currently looking into investigations of its programs for met-enkephalin (MENK) and low dose naltrexone (LDN), or Lodonal™ – as treatments for many underserved indications.

In February, leading independent equity research and corporate access firm SeeThruEquity announced that it has initiated coverage on Immune Therapeutics with a 12-month price target of $0.61.

Learn more by visiting www.immunetherapeutics.com

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The Arizona-based junior exploration company, Star Mountain Resources, Inc. (OTC: SMRS), is only interested in acquiring high-potential mining resources that it will turn into producing assets. The company focuses on base and precious metals in North America and has operations in New York and Utah. Led by a knowledgeable management team, Star Mountain Resources can see potential where others may not. This vision has led the company on an upward journey of revenue increases and shareholder confidence through its Balmat mine acquisition.

The Balmat zinc mine in upstate New York shut down operations in 2008, but when companies approached its controlling company, Hudbay Minerals, for purchase, sales always seemed to fall through. Back then, zinc was not a “hot commodity” and was seen as a poor investment. However, in November 2015, Star Mountain Resources closed a deal with Hudbay Minerals and finally had the mine in its possession. The company’s chief operating officer, Mark Osterberg, stated at the time that, “The mining cycle is down, which means that assets like Balmat are available at bargain prices. So we think we bought the property at a very good price and we believe the commodity prices are going to come back up.”

Osterberg and Star Mountain Resources couldn’t have been more correct. Since January, zinc value has increased more than 20% from a six-year low. The deficit of 440,000 metric tons this year has caused prices to increase with demand. Furthermore, Goldman-Sachs has predicted 12-month zinc prices at $1,800 a ton. Star Mountain Resources recently reported that their mine has a reserve estimate of 585,000 tons of 9.2% grade zinc that could generate over $80 million over the course of 2.5 years. What was deemed a risky investment in 2008 now rewards a company that saw its future potential.

Spearheading Star Mountain Resources is an impressive, forward-thinking team consisting of CEO Joseph Marchal, COO Mark Osterberg, CFO Wayne Rich, VP Thomas Bidgood, operations manager John Heinzig, and site manager Ryan Schermerhorn. Plus, the company recruits local experts at each operation site to maintain strong community ties while gaining intuitive workers.

Through expert knowledge, due diligence, and experience, Star Mountain Resources chooses acquisitions that will become profitable for both shareholders and the company. The ability to foresee high-potential producing assets is a trait that marks a successful company.

For more information, visit www.starmountainresources.com

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A recent article in the Harvard Business Review (HBR), entitled The Sharing Economy Isn’t About Sharing at All, shows that FlexWeek, Inc.’s (OTC: FXWK) innovative online platform for travelshare rentals is an idea whose time has come. The FlexWeek platform ‘allows timeshare owners to discover, book and offer unused vacation time (travelshares) directly to the public and other timeshare owners.’ As the title of the HBR piece suggests, the label ‘sharing economy’ is misleading. The authors, two well-respected professors of marketing, go on to point out that the essential characteristic of the peer-to-peer (P2P) business model is access. That is an important insight and it’s one that drives FlexWeek’s strategy.

The rise of the peer-to-peer approach has given rise to a new range of businesses. An illuminating story (http://dtn.fm/0nLZ4) in Currency Fair, entitled The Peer-To-Peer Marketplace Revolution: 50+ Companies That Are Changing The World, names Craigslist, Uber, Zipcar, Kickstarter, Lending Club, and, of course, AirBnB. Peer-to-peer is a term borrowed from computer architecture vocabulary that was meant, initially, to indicate a contrast to centrally-controlled systems. Consequently, the early excitement with P2P models was their devolution of power, which was thought to translate into equality and freedom for the participating peers. Since the French Revolution, however, fraternity is never far away from liberty and equality. So early P2P endeavors with a strong flavor of communality and social interaction were an expected sine qua non.

Eckhardt and Bardhi take issue with this accepted rationale of the success of P2P nexus, doubting whether participants on such platforms are seeking brotherhood and social interaction. They rather believe companies that ‘emphasize convenience and price over the ability to foster connections will have a competitive advantage’. To illustrate this, they compare the two different approaches taken by Uber and Lyft. They endorse the privately-held Uber’s strategy that ‘positions itself squarely around its pricing, reliability, and convenience (that) is encapsulated in their tagline, “Better, faster and cheaper than a taxi.”’ However, they say a contributing reason that almost identical rival Lyft has not had Uber-rate growth is that its sales propositions, such as “We’re your friend with a car” and “Greet your driver with a fist bump,” are directed at our gregarious natures. Peer-to-peer business may involve some degree of winning friends, but when we call a cab, it’s not because we want to be chums with the cabbie.

The two professors confess dismay with AirBnB’s recent re-branding, which highlights ‘people, places, love and community’, saying “The reason why most consumers use AirBnB is the value they can get for their money.” A peer-to-peer commerce model is superior when it provides ‘convenient and cost-effective access to valued resources, flexibility, and freedom from the financial, social, and emotional obligations embedded in ownership and sharing’.

A Bloomberg piece (http://dtn.fm/dOXv6) that appears to have ingested Eckhardt and Bardhi’s main argument touts Uber as the poster child for the access economy with an estimated valuation ‘north of $50 billion’. The Bloomberg story also highlights AirBnB. It points out that the privately-held AirBnB is valued at around $25 billion and carries more than 1.5 million listings for accommodation in 34,000 cities around the world. FlexWeek aims to do for timeshares what AirBnB has done for the online marketplace that enables individuals to rent their rooms, apartments or houses to short-term guests.

FlexWeek’s P2P website (www.FlexWeek.com) and mobile application is similar to AirBNB’s $25 billion approach to the travel industry. (A December 2015 filing with the SEC in regard to funding of $1.5 billion values AirBnB at $25.5 billion) FlexWeek is the first and only P2P marketplace exclusive to fractional vacation ownerships. Its platform differs from the existing costly model under which timeshare weeks must be ‘banked’ with a trading company such as Interval International or RCI. Instead, the booking fees are charged to the renter of the travelshare or vacation time. FlexWeek is a pioneer in this Peer-to-Peer Travelshare market, and the FlexWeek engine is currently undergoing v2 Beta testing. FlexWeek also offers premium members a service through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Choice Journeys, which provides access to discounted timeshare inventory in addition to cruise and luxury vacation homes in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, Europe and Asia.

FlexWeek’s prospects look good. Based on data in the recent State of the Vacation Timeshare Industry: United States Study 2015 Edition and other information supplied by the American Resort Development Association, the potential size of the re-sale and rental market is about $1.6 billion. AirBnb’s success shows that helping the world to travel on holiday is one road to success. That’s a road that FlexWeek, with its novel travelshare concept, is likely to pave anew.

For more information, visit www.flexweek.com

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Before the opening bell, International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCQB: ISCO) took a major step in the development of its human parthenogenetic stem cell-derived neural stem cells (ISC-hpNSC) for the treatment of moderate to severe Parkinson’s disease when it announced the commencement of enrollment for its upcoming phase I clinical trial. This announcement followed the Melbourne Health Human Research Ethics Committee’s (HREC) recent decision to grant approval of the phase I clinical trial in patients with moderate to severe Parkinson’s disease. The trial is scheduled to take place at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia.

“Enrollment in this trial is an important milestone,” Dr. Russell Kern, executive vice president and chief scientific officer of ISCO, stated in this morning’s release. “Promising preclinical results support our expectation that ISC-hpNSC will bring a long-needed solution for patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease.”

Following completion of enrollment, ISCO will commence a dose escalation safety and preliminary efficacy study of its proprietary ISC-hpNSC. The clinical trial will involve intracranial transplantation of the stem cells into patients with moderate to severe Parkinson’s disease. A total of 12 patients are expected to participate in the trial, with three different dose regimens being studied. Following transplantation, the patients will be monitored at specified intervals for one year, with PET scans being performed as part of the screening assessment. The study’s submission will be overseen by Cyto Therapeutics Pty Ltd., a subsidiary of ISCO.

ISC-hpNSC have demonstrated promising results in preclinical studies. In both rodents and non-human primates, the highly pure stem cells have supported improvement in Parkinson’s symptoms and increases in brain dopamine levels. Additionally, ISC-hpNSC have been safe, well-tolerated and free from adverse side effects such as dyskinesia, systemic toxicity and tumors in preclinical models.

If approved, ISCO’s groundbreaking approach to the treatment of Parkinson’s disease could revolutionize an expansive treatment market. Currently, medications used to treat Parkinson’s, including L-DOPA and dopamine agonists, serve only to improve the early symptoms associated with the disease. As the illness progresses, the loss of dopaminergic neurons eventually renders these drugs ineffective while at the same time producing a complication marked by involuntary writhing movements. In recent years, incidence of Parkinson’s has been on the rise. In 2013, the disease resulted in roughly 103,000 deaths globally, up from about 44,000 deaths in 1990.

For more information, visit www.internationalstemcell.com

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Before the opening bell, Content Checked Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: CNCK) announced a strategic partnership with leading New York City-based capital markets advisory firm PCG Advisory Group (PCG). Following this announcement, PCG is expected to serve as an advisor for the company’s ongoing investor relations, social media and public relations strategies.

“Our search for a partner with the capital markets expertise to communicate our story to both institutional and retail investors, while increasing our new media profile and social media engagement, resulted in the most obvious conclusion,” Kris Finstad, chief executive officer of Content Checked, stated in this morning’s news release. “Our engagement of PCG is reflective of their unique capability to provide valuable insight and exposure to our exciting products, partnerships and developing pipeline.”

The PCG partnership comes as Content Checked prepares to unveil an updated revenue strategy for its innovative suite of mobile apps. In January, the company outlined plans to shift toward a subscription-based revenue model for its apps in an attempt to capitalize on emerging mobile trends. Content Checked’s highly anticipated relaunch and rebranding of its products is expected to take place later this month.

“Content Checked’s intriguing formula of fusing cutting-edge technology with nutrition provides a compelling story to present to our investor community and network,” Jeff Ramson, founder and chief executive officer of PCG, stated in the release. “Their recent positive financial developments, partnerships and product milestones, illustrate a unique growth opportunity in an extremely relevant market with very optimistic long-term prospects.”

A product relaunch is expected to be the first in a series of moves designed to help Content Checked continue to diversify and grow in the thriving health and wellness space. In a letter to shareholders, Finstad outlined plans to extend the company’s brand in the months to come in an effort to add value to its current family of mobile apps. These efforts will likely play an instrumental role in Content Checked’s ongoing efforts to uplist to a major exchange – the NASDAQ or the NYSE – later this year.

Last month, the company took a major step toward achieving this goal when it announced a partnership with Kitchology, Inc. through which it opened a new revenue stream via the licensing of its nutritional data. Through this agreement, Content Checked granted Kitchology a limited, non-exclusive worldwide right to use, display and analyze data from the Content Checked database and present that information to users of the Kitchology platform.

For more information, visit www.contentchecked.com

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A technology that dates back two millennia is behind OurPet’s Company’s (OTCQX: OPCO) new Switchgrass Biochar Litter. As Emily Wayne of Oxford University explains in Conquistadors, cannibals and climate change: A brief history of biochar (http://dtn.fm/A4Czi), “In 1870, James Orton, a little-known American geologist and explorer, noticed that alongside the typically grey, acidic soils of the (Amazon) basin there existed large patches of ‘black and very fertile’ soil… Researchers flocked to investigate the mysterious dark earth, or ‘terra preta’ as it is known locally.” On closer examination, the soil appeared to have been modified by early human settlers. It seems the early Amazonians had originated an organic method of fertilizing the soil. These terra preta plots date back to antiquity, the oldest site at 8,000 BCE. It all appeared to have started when these ancient peoples discovered that, by charring organic waste in ovens with a low-oxygen supply, a process known as pyrolysis, charcoal for use as a fuel could be produced. Somehow this carbon found its way into the soil, giving it a characteristically black color due to the high concentration of carbon. Terra preta contains up to 9 percent carbon, compared with 0.5 percent in surrounding soils.

At some point it was realized that such soil yielded more abundant crops for longer periods. Even with the use of chemical fertilizers, crop yields will fall off rapidly after a third consecutive growing season, yet the terra preta soil has retained its fertility for centuries. So, naturally, efforts were made to reproduce the ancient techniques of terra preta production. This has given birth to biological charcoal (biochar), which can be defined simply as charcoal used for agricultural purposes.

Charcoal is able to remove odors very effectively because a quantity of charcoal absorbs many times its volume of noxious gases. Charcoal is a porous form of carbon and so has a very large ‘surface area’ which enhances its powers of absorption. It does a great job of absorbing the ‘rotten egg’ odor that cat waste gives off. This rotten egg gas is actually hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a poisonous, highly flammable, colorless gas that, in high enough concentrations, can cause loss of consciousness. An old story (http://dtn.fm/94Bsh) in Sky News told how a vet in Sweden was hospitalized for three days after being exposed to 20 flatulent cats.

OurPet’s Company continues to demonstrate its technological prowess with Switchgrass Biochar Litter. The company’s CEO, Dr. Steven Tsengas, is an engineer and inventor who has been elected to the National Inventors Hall of Fame. OurPet’s Company’s engineering expertise and open approach to new ideas has been employed, over the years, to develop the company’s portfolio of over 1,000 products. The company also has another 30 or so products in the pipeline and an intellectual property stockpile of over 160 patents. Recently, OurPet’s Company announced a new strategic partnership with the Japanese software developer, Aplix IP Holdings Corporation, a company known for its WirelessIDEA software-based technology for machine to machine (M2M) applications and its JBlend, a Java Micro Edition (Java ME) platform for embedded software, which has been installed in close to three-quarters of a billion devices worldwide.

In a recent earnings release, Dr. Tsengas said, “We remain focused on growth initiatives in all three of our key product categories; feeding and storage, toys and accessories, and waste management and odor control.’. Those of us with hyperosmia are happy to hear that.

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

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