Neptune Technologies & Bioressources, Inc. (NASDAQ: NEPT) is a biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of products derived from marine biomasses for the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries. Leveraging a patented extraction process, the company produces nutrient-rich oils from Antarctic krill, which provide the foundation for its business dealings. Following extraction, Neptune principally sells its krill oils under the NKO® brand through a network of distributors doing business in the U.S., European and Australian nutraceutical markets.

Since bringing its first krill oil product to market in 2003, Neptune has taken significant steps toward increasing its market share in the global nutraceutical industry. The company’s proprietary extraction process allows it to produce an oil with superior levels of EPA, DHA and antioxidants, as compared to other krill oils. As a result, NKO products provide broad, clinically proven support for a collection of health issues. In 2014, Neptune expanded on these benefits by introducing three condition-specific oil blends – including NKO Beat, NKO Focus and NKO Flex – specially formulated to support heart, brain and joint health, respectively.

Last year, Neptune set the stage for continued market growth by launching operations at its new manufacturing facility in Sherbrooke, Quebec. The company’s new plant provides it with the means to address manufacturing challenges unique to krill oil production, affording Neptune an opportunity to optimize operational efficiency while promoting sustainable financial growth. The new facility currently has an annual krill oil production capacity of 150 metric tons, and the company has indicated that expansion efforts could double this capacity in the future.

“Our business has a solid foundation, built on science, intellectual property and entrepreneurship,” Jim Hamilton, president and chief executive officer of Neptune, stated in a news release. “Our key priority is to optimize our plant’s utilization, while producing the industry benchmark krill oil, NKO.”

In the first quarter of 2015, Neptune built on its recent progress by recording strong financial results. In addition to realizing a 10 percent year-over-year increase in revenue for the period, the company made significant headway toward continued improvement by streamlining production processes. For prospective shareholders, these efforts could foreshadow an opportunity to realize considerable returns in the years to come. Look for Neptune to continue expanding its effective production capacity in line with increasing commercial demand moving forward.

For more information, visit www.neptunebiotech.com

Demand for retro gaming appears to be at an all-time high. Within the past few months, promotions for a major film based on classic arcade game characters and a host of old school gaming festivals around the country have illustrated the current state of the nostalgic gaming niche. Put simply, the market potential offered by vintage video games is nearly limitless, and the rapid adoption of smartphones makes meeting this potential more accessible than ever before. WRIT Media Group, Inc. (OTCQB: WRIT), through wholly-owned subsidiary Retro Infinity, Inc., is capitalizing on this demand by bringing some of the most popular retro gaming titles of all time straight to consumers’ pockets.

“The mobile gaming industry size is projected to be over $20 billion by 2016, and retro gaming is a huge part of that,” Eric Mitchell, chief executive officer of WRIT, stated in a video interview. “Our company… has the ability to generate substantial revenue over the next 6-12 months based on our business model which is inexpensively licensing video game titles and quickly getting them into the marketplace on one of the biggest electronic platforms available right now, which is the smartphone.”

By targeting the smartphone app market, WRIT is in a strong strategic position to promote growth moving forward. According to a report by Bluecloud Solutions, mobile app usage grew by more than 75 percent in 2014, with the average U.S. consumer downloading 8.8 apps per month. Traditionally, developing gaming apps is an extremely costly venture. Estimates vary wildly depending on the type of gaming title being produced, but it’s not uncommon for mobile games to exceed $100,000 in production costs. By licensing retro gaming titles and utilizing an emulation software, WRIT is able to access the booming mobile gaming industry without the large budgetary and scheduling considerations required to produce original content.

The company’s library of classic gaming titles, which builds on the Amiga, Atari and MS-DOS brands, is available for purchase through an online point-of-sale platform. Additionally, WRIT will provide access to its licensed titles through an app for popular smartphone operating systems, including Android and iOS. Unlike most game developers, WRIT is able to minimize risk by providing proven titles to a market that is hungry for retro options. This predictability is expected to provide a competitive advantage with which the company can successfully capitalize on specific market demand while building value for shareholders.

For more information about the company, visit www.writmediagroup.com

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Los Angeles-based Giggles N’ Hugs, Inc. is a first-of-its-kind, award-winning family restaurant and play space that combines organic gourmet food with the play elements for children in a 2500-square-foot play space in the middle of the restaurant. The concept is similar to Chuck E. Cheese, but offers a unique healthier, high-end version for health conscious parents and families. Parents eat and relax while the kids have an incredible time playing in the custom-made play area with giant climbers, dragons, castles, pirate ships slides and swings and a multitude of other toys.

In addition to nightly shows and concerts, every 30 minutes Giggles N’ Hugs provides an activity such as face painting, disco dance parties, karaoke, games, arts and crafts, and much more. Giggles N’ Hugs has been voted the No. 1 family restaurant, No. 1 birthday party place, and the No. 1 indoor play space in all of Los Angeles, and has attracted a star-studded list of customers including Sandra Bullock, Heidi Klum, Jessica Alba, Halle Berry, Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, Denis Quaid, Mark Whalberg, Adam Sandler, Dustin Hoffman and many more.

Revenue is derived from several sources, including food and beverage sales, beer and wine, birthday parties (40%), admission and membership fees to play, along with retail sales. These revenue-generating locations are also highly sought-after tenants. The company currently has three locations in the top premier malls around Los Angeles; four of the largest mall owners in the country are giving Giggles N’ Hugs up to 75% discounts on rent and providing upward of $700,000 of upfront cash for each location to get Giggles N’ Hugs into their malls around the country.

Growth and recognition of this caliber are driven by a very powerful management team. Giggles N’ Hugs President John Kaufman was the COO at California Pizza Kitchen when the founders had just two locations. Joined by Giggles N’ Hugs’ CFO Phillip Gay, who at the time was CFO of California Kitchen, Kaufman grew the company from two to more than 100 locations – at which time it was bought by Pepsi Co. Kaufman was recruited as president of Koo Koo Roo Chicken, one of the fastest growing fast-casual concepts on the west coast, while Gay joined Wolfgang Puck Restaurants group as CFO, eventually becoming the CEO.

Giggles N’ Hugs was founded as a truly “kid friendly” establishment catered specifically to the size, interests, and nutrition needs of children. Since opening its first Giggles N’ Hugs in 2009, the company has received a steady stream of interest from more than 300 interested parties looking to expand the concept – via franchise or master licenses – in the U.S. as well globally in countries such as Germany, England, Dubai, Russia, Colombia, Australia , Singapore, Turkey, among the many more.

For more information, visit: www.gigglesnhugs.com

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Cempra is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the development of antibacterial products to meet critical medical needs in the treatment of infectious bacterial diseases. The company’s product pipeline includes two leading candidates in advanced clinical development. Solithromycin, Cempra’s first candidate, is currently being evaluated in phase III clinical studies for the treatment of community acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP) and uncomplicated bacterial urethritis caused by Neisseria gonorrhea and chlamydia. Taksta™, Cempra’s second candidate, is being developed for chronic oral treatment of refractory infections in bones and joints.

Additionally, with funding provided by the Biomedical Advanced Research Development Authority (BARDA), Cempra is currently conducting a phase Ib clinical trial to evaluate solithromycin as a pediatric treatment for respiratory tract infections. This program, which was initiated earlier this year, represents the first development of a pediatric suspension formulation of an antibiotic for the treatment of respiratory tract infections in more than 20 years.

In the first quarter of 2015, Cempra reported positive topline results from its initial phase III clinical trial of solithromycin for the treatment of CABP. According to the report, the product candidate performed on pace or better than the current standard of care in sustainability of clinical response at all studied durations.

“Cempra is off to a great start in 2015 and I am pleased that we have achieved enrollment of 610 patients in the… phase III clinical trial in CABP,” Dr. Prabhavathi Fernandes, president and chief executive officer of Cempra, stated in a news release. “Our initial commercial preparations for solithromycin are also underway as we continue our market research activities to assess the commercial potential for this exciting new antibiotic.”

When commercialized, solithromycin for the treatment of CABP should provide Cempra with a platform to realize sustainable market growth in the future. CABP is currently one of the most commonly diagnosed bacterial infections in the United States, with an estimated five to ten million cases recorded each year. Because many strains of the infection have become resistant to currently-approved antibacterial drugs, the market demand for solithromycin is expected to be immense in the years to come.

The continued development of Cempra’s advanced product pipeline should provide channels for the company to realize improved investor returns. For prospective shareholders, this potential makes Cempra an intriguing investment opportunity in the months ahead. Look for the company to continue making strides toward the eventual commercialization of its leading product candidates in order to bolster its financial growth moving forward.

For more information, visit www.cempra.com

ImageWare Systems, Inc. (OTCQB: IWSY) is a leading developer of mobile and cloud-based identity management solutions – including biometric, secure credential and law enforcement technologies. The company’s fully-scalable biometric product line delivers multi-modal identity management capabilities for user authentication both on premises and in the cloud. Through its GoCloudID® and GoMobile Interactive® offerings, ImageWare provides customers in a collection of markets an innovative approach to easily adding a secure layer of biometric authentication to a variety of platforms and services.

In recent months, ImageWare has targeted large IT service providers in order to maximize its market presence moving forward. Through this strategy, the company has formed significant relationships with a collection of major industry players and promising startups – including Fujitsu, TransUnion, CA Technologies, IBM, Deutsche Telekom, Agility and Extenua. While these partners remained in the testing and implementation phase of adopting ImageWare’s identity management solutions throughout the first quarter of 2015, the company’s management team is optimistic about the opportunities these relationships could present in the future.

“While we certainly expected some of these agreements to be producing revenues today, it is important to note that we are dealing with large organizations that are thoughtful and methodical about the rollout of our transformational software,” Jim Miller, chairman and chief executive officer of ImageWare, stated in a news release. “As such, we remain undeterred by the pace of the rollout and steadfast in our goal to transform ImageWare in to a commercial-based provider of biometrics-as-a-service – a transition we expect to drive significant shareholder value.”

In addition to this progress, ImageWare completed its first SaaS installation and initiated revenue generation on a per transaction basis with its GoCloudID product in the first quarter. GoCloudID differentiates itself from the competition as the only hosted biometric identity management solution on the market that allows for easy adoption with no start-up costs. The system, which was deployed for the Baja California driver’s license program, is expected to provide fingerprint and facial recognition biometrics for more than 80,000 current users as well as support the production of additional users at a rate of nearly 20,000 per month.

For prospective investors, the company’s recent actions could set the stage for sustainable returns in the months to come. Look for ImageWare to leverage its existing industry partnerships in order to promote improved financial results in the future.

For more information, visit www.iwsinc.com

Aristocrat Group Corp. identifies and promotes unique brands that have mass market appeal across diverse demographics. The company is also keen on emerging and re-emerging trends, as well as the opportunities they provide. Last month the company, building on the increasing favor for boxed wine, introduced Big Box Vodka, an ultra-premium distilled spirit made in the U.S. using Idaho Winter Wheat and pure Rocky Mountain water in a four-column distillation process.

Each box contains 1.75 liters—more than double the amount inside traditional 750 ml bottles— without taking up more space. Big Box Vodka’s groundbreaking packing is composed of microflute cardboard, which provides superior durability and insulation. Every box contains a spouted, inner beverage bladder that can be removed for faster cooling times.

While the bag-in-box packaging concept was initially associated with generic, inexpensive, or unpalatable wines, high-end bag-in-box wines are now commonplace and well-reviewed. They are also earning increasing market share in the broader wine market.

ASCC CEO Robert Federowicz said the company is creating a new market segment with its ultra-premium vodka, and that he expects to see similar strong sales growth for the bag-in-box packaging concept in the vodka market.

“Increasingly sophisticated customers have caught on to the benefits of bag-in-box packaging, such as a longer shelf life after opening, easy handling, a lower price per liter and significant environmental advantages,” Federowicz stated in the news release. “The time is now right for the bag-in-box concept to make a splash in the vodka industry, too.”

Plans call for Big Box Vodka to be debuted simultaneously this summer at retail outlets in California, Nevada, Florida, Louisiana and Texas, representing a huge population of more than 90 million people—nearly 30 percent of the total U.S. populace. ASCC’s flagship brand, RWB Ultra-Premium Handcrafted Vodka, is already available online and at many bars and retailers.

For more information visit www.aristocratgroupcorp.com/investors

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The One World Doll Project, subsidiary of One World Holdings, Inc. (OTC:OWOO), this morning on the company’s website (oneworlddolls.com/books) released a sneak peek preview of its new Prettie Girls! Tween Scene story book.

The first line of Prettie Girls! Tween Scene story books will feature a different story for each of the Tween Scene dolls, as well as a general story book that will introduce readers to the Tween Scene girls and their individual traits and characteristics.

The launch of the book coincides with the company’s recent distribution agreement with Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) and supports the company’s expansion initiatives.

“Now that the company has secured a major retail distribution deal with Walmart, we are focusing on maximizing the value of the Prettie Girls! brand by developing ancillary products and these story books are perfect for brand exposure to early adopters,” Trent T. Daniel, founder of The One World Doll Project, stated in the news release.

Established in 2010 by Daniel and Stacey McBride-Irby, The One World Doll Project is committed to changing the retail landscape of the doll industry through its Prettie Girls!™, a collection of fashion play dolls diverse in culture, interests and style.

For more information, visit www.oneworlddolls.com

Tonix Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the development of next-generation medications for disorders of the central nervous system. The company’s leading product candidate, Tonmya, is currently being evaluated in a phase III clinical study for the treatment of fibromyalgia, as well as a phase II clinical study for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. Additionally, Tonix’s product pipeline includes TNX-201, which is currently being studied in a phase II proof-of-concept trial for the treatment of episodic tension-type headaches.

“Having three large, adequate and well-controlled clinical studies in high-value therapeutic indications simultaneously ongoing validates our business model of developing next generation medicines for significant unmet needs in a capital-efficient manner,” Dr. Seth Lederman, chairman and chief executive officer of Tonix, stated in a news release.

When commercialized for the treatment of fibromyalgia, Tonmya will give Tonix access to a large and relatively underserved market within the pharmaceutical industry. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fibromyalgia affects an estimated five million Americans. Recent evidence suggests that poor sleep quality likely plays a fundamental role in the development and persistence of the disorder, which is characterized by chronic widespread pain and abnormal pain processing. Tonmya addresses this issue by performing as a low-dose sleep aid to improve quality of rest, effectively minimizing the effects of fibromyalgia symptoms. Top-line data from the company’s ongoing clinical study is expected in the second half of 2016.

In June, Tonix substantially increased its potential for short-term growth within the pharmaceutical industry by initiating its phase II study of TNX-201. Designed to establish efficacy and safety evidence to support future studies, the results of this trial could clear the way for the continued development of the first new prescription pharmaceutical approved to treat episodic tension-type headaches in more than 40 years.

“Approximately 75 million people in the U.S. suffer from frequent episodic tension-type headache, a condition that is estimated to be three times as prevalent as migraine,” continued Lederman. “If approved by the FDA, TNX-201 may become the only non-narcotic prescription medicine for episodic tension-type headache.”

Moving forward, Tonix’s promising product pipeline could provide a formidable platform for the company to realize tremendous market growth. For prospective shareholders, the company’s ongoing clinical trials and the immense market potential of its drug candidates combine to make Tonix an intriguing investment opportunity in the months to come.

For more information, visit www.tonixpharma.com

Sonus Networks enables and secures real-time communications that allow the world’s leading service providers and enterprises to embrace the next generation of session initiated protocol (SIP) and 4G/VoLTE solutions – including voice over IP (VoIP), video, instant messaging and online collaboration. With nearly two decades of industry experience, the company provides a complete portfolio of hardware-based and virtualized session border controllers (SBCs), diameter signaling controllers (DSCs), policy/routing servers and media and signaling gateways to customers in nearly 100 countries around the globe.

Since being founded in 1997, Sonus has increased its market presence by successfully evolving to meet the demands of the communications industry. In 2014, the company built on this proven strategy through the launch of its SBC 7000. Utilizing a transcoding firmware with nearly double the capacity of competitive systems, this purpose-built platform is capable of licensing up to 150,000 sessions for secure, reliable delivery of multimedia services in the world’s largest communications networks. Through the commercialization of this product, Sonus provides its clients with the means for streamlined expansion of operational capacity in order to effectively accommodate rapid customer growth.

“Service providers today are facing insatiable demand for multimedia communications applications – voice, video and data – and many of them are struggling with how to meet this demand,” David Tipping, vice president of Sonus, stated in a news release. “Sonus now offers a disruptive platform that resets service providers’ expectations for real-time dependent sessions with scale.”

This dedication to scale could pay dividends for Sonus in the future. According to a report by IBISWorld, VoIP has experienced massive growth over the past five years in both commercial and residential applications. From 2010 to 2015, the overall market recorded annual growth of 17.5 percent. Moving forward, increased network capacity will be essential, as the continued expansion of 4G data networks will likely propel accelerated adoption of real-time communication solutions in the years to come.

Despite recording mildly disappointing financial results in the first quarter of 2015, Sonus remains in a strong competitive position to capitalize on the inevitable technological shift of the communications industry. For prospective investors, the company’s persistent commitment to innovative technologies, along with its recent efforts to optimize its cost structure, could provide a platform to realize improved returns in the months ahead.

For more information, visit www.sonus.net

3DX Industries is a precision manufacturing company utilizing a state-of-the-art 3D metal printing system to produce a wide range of products for the aerospace, energy, medical and manufacturing industries. With access to the very latest in additive manufacturing technology, the company is able to produce fully functional metal parts directly from computer-aided design (CAD) files. In addition to its 3D metal printing capabilities, 3DX is able to meet clients’ most demanding specifications through the use of a full array of CNC precision machining centers, as well as a composite printing system for low-cost prototype parts and components.

In recent years, the global market for 3D and additive printing has experienced tremendous growth. According to a report by Statista, the global additive manufacturing market was sized at $2.4 billion in 2013, and additional growth of more than 100 percent is expected by 2018. The highly disruptive nature of this growth should provide 3DX with a formidable platform upon which to realize sustainable financial growth.

In December, 3DX set the stage for this industry growth by partnering with precision machining firm Baklund R&D LLC. Through this strategic alliance, the company will gain unfettered access to its new partner’s advanced composite printing expertise, providing a basis for continued advancement of its metal printing capabilities in the future.
“We could not be more pleased to be partnered up with… Baklund R&D,” Roger Janssen, president and chief executive officer of 3DX, stated in a news release. “Their expertise in plastic additive manufacturing is second to none and this partnership will allow for some exciting project collaborations between the two companies.”

With the capability of providing in-house design support, rapid prototyping, production and assembly services with a full collection of metal, plastic and alloy materials, 3DX is well-positioned to meet the specific needs of clients in a variety of industries. In the months to come, the company will look to continue expanding its brand awareness and ramping up its operations through the adoption and utilization of cutting-edge technologies.

For prospective shareholders, 3DX’s established position within the rapidly expanding additive printing industry makes the company an intriguing investment opportunity.

For more information, visit www.3dxindustries.com