Since legalizing cannabis for recreational use in 2012, Colorado’s marijuana industry has seen massive growth. According to MSNBC, the state’s growing network of dispensaries accounted for roughly $750 million in sales in 2014. Edibles, or marijuana-infused products, comprised nearly half of these sales, demonstrating the considerable demand for more innovative approaches to the cannabis industry. The MaryJane Group, Inc. (OTCQB: MJMJ), through its Bud+Breakfast™ cannabis-friendly lodges, is addressing this demand and building an increasingly significant presence in the industry.

Founded in 2014, The MaryJane Group is the leader and creator of the canna-lifestyle hospitality sector. The company has claimed a first-mover advantage in leveraging the state’s considerable marijuana tourism sector. According to Forbes, Denver International Airport logged record travel during 2014, and online searches for Denver hotels were up 25 percent. Analysts suggest that these statistics highlight the immense potential of the state’s cannabis industry in attracting tourists. During the first four months of 2015, The MaryJane Group capitalized on this potential, booking over $300,000 in new reservations for its two properties, the Bud+Breakfast™ at the Adagio and the Bud+Breakfast™ at Mountain Vista.

“We are very proud of our bookings during the first 4 months of 2015 and based on our future reservations it should enable us to achieve one of the highest occupancy rates in the State of Colorado,” stated Joel C. Schneider, President and Chief Executive Officer of The MaryJane Group.

In the coming months, the company will continue to make the most of the popularity of its unique hospitality platform through an agreement with the owners of a 172-acre dude ranch neighboring the San Juan National Forest. In April, The MaryJane Group announced intentions to transform the dude ranch into a “Canna-Camp”, which will offer services similar to those available at the company’s existing properties in an outdoor environment. The company anticipates opening the new property to visitors in July.

As guests continue to flock to The MaryJane Group’s class-leading properties, all signs point toward continue expansion opportunities in the future. Maximizing on the publicity that accompanies innovation – including the company’s recent feature on CBS’s 60 Minutes – The MaryJane Group is in a strong strategic position to grow alongside Colorado’s booming cannabis industry moving forward.

For more information, visit www.themaryjanegrp.com

The national real estate market is continuing to rebound from the recession, and industry experts predict continued growth in the coming years. According to a study by the National Association of Realtors, new home sales are expected to rise by more than 65 percent by 2016, as compared to figures from 2013. RESAAS Services, Inc. (OTCQX: RSASF), through its social and global referral network, is giving real estate professionals the tools they need to capitalize on this growth while successfully adapting to the evolving market.

The Real Estate Social Network™ is a free-to-use social networking tool designed specifically for real estate professionals. As of December 31, 2014, the network had a North American user base of over 280,000 members. Using the company’s website, realtors can synchronize Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts in order to expand their online presence and increase brand exposure. By creating an attractive, marketable social profile page, agents can gain referrals, attract leads and generate improved results over traditional marketing efforts.

In recent months, RESAAS has continued to expand the presence of its revolutionary network in the industry through the addition of several well-known real estate firms throughout both the United States and Canada. The vigorous adoption of the company’s platform by various brokerages has shown the significant demand for RESAAS’s vertical-specific network. In January, the company began offering premium subscription services to its professional user base, which is expected to drive increased returns for investors in the future.

Through continued expansion, RESAAS is in a strong position to capitalize on significant advertising revenue moving forward. AdSAAS™, the company’s customized advertising solution, provides clients with direct access to an audience of hundreds of thousands of real estate professionals from vital markets around the planet. The flexibility offered by AdSAAS™ has already attracted a collection of major advertisers, including Sprint, Summit Funding and Lawyers Title.

In September 2014, the company’s continued growth helped it qualify for trading on OTCQX, which is designed for investor-focused companies that meet high financial standards.

“RESAAS’s innovative web and mobile social media platform helps real estate agents worldwide network, gain referrals and grow their businesses,” stated R. Cromwell Coulson, President and Chief Executive Officer of OTC Markets Group. “We are proud to welcome RESAAS to the family of established U.S. and international companies on OTCQX and look forward to working with the company for years to come.”

With an established presence on OTC’s top marketplace and continued growth within the real estate industry, RESAAS is in a strong position moving forward.

For more information, visit www.corporate.resaas.com

Youngevity International, Inc. (OTCQX: YGYI) is a nutritional and coffee company offering more than 1,000 high quality, technologically advanced products across a collection of consumer markets. The company’s primary brands include Youngevity® Essential Life Sciences, which offers consumers a wide selection of life-enhancing products, as well as CLR Roasters, one of the largest coffee roasters in the United States. Through these brands, Youngevity is adhering to an aggressive growth strategy through direct selling, traditional marketing, mergers and acquisitions.

In the first quarter of 2015, the company leveraged its growth strategy to post impressive financial results. For the period, Youngevity realized a 39.4 percent increase in year-over-year net revenue, posting $36.8 million, as well as a 28.1 percent boost in gross profit.

“In the first quarter, we remained focused on accelerating our revenue via targeted acquisitions, strengthening our geographic expansion, and steady organic growth in both our direct selling and coffee business segments,” Steve Wallach, chief executive officer of Youngevity, stated in a news release. “We are very excited about the opportunities ahead of us and believe that we are well positioned to deliver long-term shareholder value.”

In May, Youngevity took a major step toward securing future growth through the acquisition of Mialisia, a direct-sales company that specializes in interchangeable jewelry. Through the agreement, the company will add Mialisia’s patent-pending line of jewelry to its product offerings while effectively expanding its distribution network to include the existing customer base of its new subsidiary.

The company has also made significant strides toward growing its CLR Roasters brand in recent weeks. In particular, Youngevity announced a five year agreement with a leading specialty food sales and marketing company for exclusive rights to roast, grind and package eight different coffee products in single-serve capsules. The deal should provide the company with over $13 million in additional revenue over the five year period, in addition to providing for automatic renewals for successive five year terms upon its completion.

By building upon its presence in the single-serve coffee niche, Youngevity should be in a strong strategic position to realize continued growth in the future. The single-cup brewing market is expected to climb to $8 billion by 2017, which would be a 250 percent increase from 2012, according to a global leader in food and agribusiness financing.

For prospective shareholders, Youngevity’s recent growth across a collection of expanding markets makes the company an intriguing investment opportunity. The company should be kept on radar as the management team builds on its progress through a combination of strategic acquisitions and expanding distribution efforts.

For more information, visit www.ygyi.com

With news in just last week that the Republican-controlled House of the Texas Legislature has approved cannabis oil for medicinal purposes, as the passage of Senate Bill 339, known as the “Texas Compassionate Use Act,” means Governor Greg Abbott is now within striking distance of allowing dispensing organizations to obtain a license to dispense low-THC cannabis in the state, the medical marijuana industry is once again buzzing about the upper limit potential of this sector. Passage of SB 339 would make Texas the latest addition to a growing list of states in the U.S. passing similar landmark medical marijuana (MMJ) legislation, spurred on by mounting scientific evidence for cannabis-based therapies being able treat the clinically unmet needs of numerous types of patients, particularly in cases of intractable epilepsy, where conventional antiepileptic drugs have failed.

The Texas bill’s passage could be big news for a market that was already estimated to be running around $2.7 billion last year here in the U.S., according to data from cannabis industry investment and research firm, ArcView Market Research. ArcView calculated a 74% jump last year over 2013’s figures for what is, according to their broader analysis, now the fastest growing industry in the entire country. Projections for this year are in the neighborhood of $3.5 billion, a figure expected by ArcView to rise a whopping 208% or more by 2019, as more and more states pass not only similar compassionate care laws decriminalizing some form or other of medical cannabis, but perhaps even going for blanket legalization like in Colorado, which raked in some $53 million in tax revenues during their first year of legalization.

One of the more exciting companies in this fast-growing sector is GrowBLOX Sciences (OTCQB: GBLX), which has developed a host of key technologies needed to thrive in this yet-nascent industry. GrowBLOX Sciences has organized itself into three distinct divisions in order to pursue the company’s bold operational goal set, which spans big data-driven clinical R&D, as well as cultivation using their proprietary GrowBLOX™ Technology suite of systems.
The company has even organized a commercial product development division for targeting dispensaries and various other end markets. You can take a look at the company’s website by visiting www.growblox.com.

The company’s GB Sciences division, which focuses on scientific validation and new drug discovery, plans to use certified raw materials matured in the GrowBLOX™ cultivation chambers to develop novel cannabis-based therapies. Leveraging a data-driven biopharmaceutical development approach of running therapies through accelerated human phase IV clinical trials is visionary. This “fast-track” process will be supplemented and accelerated by the company’s proprietary Patient-Reported Outcomes (PRO) smartphone app, which will also enhances the company’s ability to test and refine the chemical ratios of active ingredients. Investors should watch GBLX closely. The long-term patient data that the company will be aggregating via their patient-reported outcomes based smartphone app will also help improve the company’s predictive treatment algorithm approach to therapy development. Harnessing this data is one of the key advantages the company will have in the long run, something that will give GBLX a significant edge over competitors.

The current players in the medical cannabis space are just now scratching the surface of the opportunities that are manifesting at every turn when applying a comprehensive scientific approach to this booming cannabis market.

Investors will want to keep a close eye on companies like GrowBLOX Sciences. As the industry evolves into more than just cultivating a plant, it will be the new technologies, as well as the data that emerges from this, that will be of enormous value just around the corner.

For more information, visit www.gbsciences.com

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Remark Media, Inc. (NASDAQ: MARK) is an innovative digital media company focused on the 18 to 34 year old demographic across a variety of verticals, including fashion, sports, entertainment, health and wellness, personal finance and informational know-how. Utilizing culturally relevant and dynamic content, the company attracts and engages users on a global scale.

Remark’s portfolio includes a collection of proven brands, including Bikini.com, Banks.com, US TaxCenter, and Filelater.com. In addition, Remark is a founding partner and developer of Sharecare, a social Q&A healthcare platform organizing and answering health and wellness questions. Sharecare’s list of co-founders also includes some of the world’s most recognizable figures, such as Dr. Mehmet Oz, Oprah Winfrey, and WebMD founder Jeff Arnold.

roomlia®, a hotel booking app for Android and iOS devices, is quickly growing into one of Remark’s most promising brands. Named “The Hotel Booking App That Will Change Everything!” by Yahoo Travel, the app is currently available in 70 leading destinations around the country, with new hotels and cities being added daily. In April, the company launched a new rewards program to drive increased customer loyalty and grow market share in the online travel agency (OTA) industry in the months to come.

Expanding on its successes in the mobile space, Remark is currently developing a social media app, known as Project KanKan, designed to link all major social media networks.

“We believe that we have dealt with the biggest hurdles to getting KanKan to launch and now expect to launch the app in China following receipt of certain third party approvals, with a plan to expand globally thereafter,” stated Kai-Shing Tao, Chief Executive Officer of Remark. “We believe that KanKan is about discovery, and we look forward to users discovering how much KanKan can do.”

Since its incorporation in 2006, Remark has developed an increasingly significant presence in the global media industry. In addition to its headquarters in Las Vegas, Remark has operations in Beijing, China and Sao Paulo, Brazil, where it operates local versions of the HowStuffWorks brand. In China, the company also owns PPTV, the country’s first digital boxing channel, which is now China’s leading online TV service.

According to the company’s latest financial reports, Remark made significant strides towards profitability in the first quarter of 2015. As the company prepares to launch the KanKan platform and continues promoting and refining its existing portfolio, look for Remark to make strides toward significant growth in the digital media industry in the years to come.

For more information, visit www.remarkmedia.com

DigiPath, Inc. (OTCQB: DIGP), through its four business units (DigiPath Labs, TNM News Corp., DigiPath Corp. and Digipath University), supports the cannabis industry’s best practices for reliable testing, education and training, as well as bringing unbiased new coverage to the cannabis field. The rapid growth of the cannabis industry has been well documented, and, according to ArcView Research, the market for legal cannabis is the fastest-growing industry in the country. DigiPath is capitalizing on this growth through the operation of one of the first cannabis testing laboratories in Nevada.

Despite legalizing medical marijuana more than 15 years ago, Nevada’s cannabis industry is just beginning to scratch the surface of its potential. Early projections by analysts suggest that the state’s market could exceed $100 million in the coming years, pending the approval of three bills currently navigating state legislature. Upon approval, state law will require testing of each batch of cannabis by a state-licensed laboratory before it can be sold to the public. DigiPath, through the operation of one of the state’s first labs, is placing itself in a strong strategic position to capitalize on a first-mover advantage in the burgeoning market.

“During our recent quarter we made significant progress building and equipping our flagship cannabis testing laboratory in Las Vegas and preparing for it’s opening,” stated Todd Denkin, Chief Executive Officer of DigiPath. “[W]e expect to receive final certification in a matter of days, which will allow us to begin operating our lab and generating revenues from our testing services.”

In addition to the company’s flagship laboratory, DigiPath has made significant strides in growing its internet news and radio program, The National Marijuana News. Since its soft launch in June 2014, the network has amassed a following of more than 100,000 monthly listeners and secured broadcast on a host of terrestrial radio stations in markets around the country.

“We are on track to continue our expansion in the cannabis-testing and information spheres,” continued Denkin. “We’ve set a solid foundation in our first two quarters, and we expect to build on it through the rest of the fiscal year.”

As the national opinion on cannabis legalization continues to shift into a more favorable light, DigiPath is establishing a significant industry presence that should pay dividends in the future. According to another report from ArcView Research, the legal marijuana market is expected to experience growth of more than 650 percent in the period from 2013 to 2018, highlighting the massive potential for DigiPath moving forward. Investors caught a glimpse of this potential in the company’s recently released financial results, which posted a 170 percent increase in revenue over the previous year.

For more information, visit www.digipath.com

3PEA International, Inc. (OTCQB: TPNL) is a trusted prepaid debit card solutions provider with millions of prepaid debit cards in its portfolio. Through its PaySign® brand, the company designs and develops customized payment services that offer significant cost savings to consumers and streamline operations for businesses in an effort to improve brand recognition and promote customer loyalty.

Delivering effective loyalty, incentive and rewards programs that motivate and inspire consumer action is a specialty of 3PEA. Under the PaySign® brand, businesses are provided with prepaid cards with their company logo for purposes ranging from rebates to frequent customer rewards. For clients, the benefits of branded rewards solutions can be dramatic. According to a study by Experian, an impressive 75 percent of U.S. companies with loyalty programs generate a return on investment.

The healthcare and pharmaceutical industry has provided 3PEA with a strong proof of concept for its business model in recent years. The company’s prepaid solutions have proven beneficial in maximizing new patient acquisition, retention and adherence, and its specialized co-pay assistance payment solutions have been utilized by some of the pharmaceutical industry’s biggest players – including Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, and Johnson and Johnson – to launch some of the world’s best-selling pharmaceuticals.

In the first quarter of 2015, 3PEA expanded its PaySign® brand into the automotive market with PaySign Connect for Automobile Dealerships. The company made an immediate impact in the sector, securing a three year reseller agreement with the Dealer Automotive Group, LLC, which named 3PEA as its exclusive prepaid incentive card solution to dealerships nationwide. 3PEA also continued to grow its presence in the plasma donation payments space, adding five new centers to its existing total of 78. As these centers mature, the company expects to realize significant revenue from their donor acquisition and retention efforts.

“We made several key advancements in the first quarter of 2015,” stated Arthur De Joya, Chief Financial Officer of 3PEA. “[T]he growth in our PaySign Platform led to significantly higher gross margins when compared to the year ago quarter. We expect this trend to continue as we add programs to the platform.”

With continued increases in margin revenue from the company’s new card programs, 3PEA realized a significant increase in gross profit throughout the first quarter of 2015. Look for the company’s experienced management team to continue guiding 3PEA’s growth through technology investments, acquisitions, new product lines and strategic partnerships in the years to come, providing shareholders with the opportunity to realize substantial returns moving forward.

For more information, visit www.3pea.com

Arkanova Energy Corp. (OTC: AKVA) is an exploration and junior production company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, and development of oil and gas properties. Through the use of science driven data and extensive industry experience, the company is currently leveraging working interests in both Montana and Colorado.

The company’s primary leasehold lies in the Cut Bank Sand formation of Montana. Spanning across Pondera and Glacier Counties, the oil and natural gas resource features oil bearing sands ranging in thickness from 0 to 52 feet. The Two Medicine Cut Bank Sand Unit (TMCBSU) is an extension of this leasehold acquired by Arkanova in 2008. This property contains 34 active wells, in addition to a collection of well bores set for completion and activation at a later date. With an estimated 21 million tank barrels of oil in place throughout the area, Arkanova is in a strong position to increase production as market value rises in the future.

In September 2014, Arkanova announced that it had received a well permit from the EPA, which enabled the installation of an injection plant and pipeline on the company’s TMCBSU lease acreage. This installation will allow the company to reactivate waterflood operations as necessary, effectively increasing production totals based on market demand.

In addition to TMCBSU, the company’s Colorado leasehold has shown great promise for future production. The acreage features a primary interval approximately 100 feet thick that’s currently accessible through an existing well. According to the company’s test results, the prospect has the potential to support multiple vertical or horizontal wells, giving Arkanova the means for potentially significant boosts to production levels as oil prices begin to rebound. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Paradox Basin, of which the company’s working interest is a part, likely holds more than 500 million barrels of oil and more than one trillion cubic feet of gas.

As oil prices begin to rise following a drop in inventory, Arkanova is in a strong position to leverage its existing reserves to promote strong returns in the years to come. Look for the company to rely on experience, science and proven growth strategies in order to continuously balance its risk/reward portfolio and grow its market share moving forward.

For more information, visit www.arkanovaenergy.com

Textmunication Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: TXHD) connects merchants with their customers and allows them to drive loyalty and repeat business in a non-intrusive, value added medium. By utilizing SMS messaging, the company is able to connect consumers with the content they crave through virtually any mobile device, increasing the effectiveness of local events and promotions. For merchants, the company’s platform opens the door for up-to-date offers, discounts and alerts designed to drive consumer interest and increased sales.

Mobile marketing channels have continued to thrive in recent years, and the industry has shown no signs of slowing down moving forward. In particular, SMS messaging platforms have shown to be effective in reaching potential leads. According to Oracle, text messages can be eight times more efficient at engaging customers than more traditional channels. While emails are opened just 22 percent of the time, marketing through SMS recorded a 98 percent open rate with an average interaction time of just 90 seconds.

The market for Textmunication’s marketing solutions spans a variety of industries. Churches, clubs, restaurants, retail stores and service centers are among a collection of sectors that have benefited from the company’s unique outreach systems. With partners including Gold’s Gym, Laugh Factory and Yum! Brands, the effectiveness of the company’s unique solutions has been proven multiple times on a national and international stage.

SMS Marketing allows clients to engage consumers who have requested additional information about their brand, and SMS Reminders can be used by schedule-based service providers, such as mechanics for oil changes or tune ups, to promote repeat business. Textmunication also offers features beyond the sphere of traditional SMS marketing, however. MyLA is a specialized loyalty solution that provides proximity-based rewards to promote brand loyalty while allowing businesses to effectively grow text and email subscriber lists.

According to a study by Digital Marketing Magazine, approximately 57 percent of consumers would be happy to sign up for an SMS loyalty program, and nine out of ten consumers felt that such programs presented added value. As businesses continue to migrate away from traditional points cards towards mobile solutions, Textmunication is in a strong position to increase market share. Analysts estimate that 80 percent of consumers still haven’t been involved in SMS marketing messages, showing the massive potential for industry growth in the future.

For more information, visit www.textmunication.com

When businesses of all sizes – ranging from the Fortune 500 to small and mid-size companies – want to boost awareness, drive lead generation and enhance client engagement, they turn to Pulse Network, Inc. (OTCQB: TPNI). The company’s cloud-based platform provides clients with the necessary tools to optimize campaign marketing and management through a collection of proven digital networks. By effectively integrating social, digital and face-to-face channels, Pulse helps its clients drive leads and cut through the clutter to improve business function.

These days, businesses need more than search engine optimization and traditional marketing to drive lead generation and sales. Pulse helps clients rebuild their online identity by establishing a presence in the channels in which prospective leads search for answers, effectively building brand recognition and confidence during the vital stages of the sales process leading up to conversion.

The importance of a sound content marketing strategy in today’s business-to-business (B2B) commerce climate can’t be overstated. According to the Content Marketing Institute, a massive 93 percent of B2B marketers were using content marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy in 2014, and 78 percent of the industry’s most noteworthy marketers reported increasing the amount of content they created, as compared to the previous year. With an estimated 70 percent of the consumer buying decision occurring before the customer meets the seller, establishing channels to reach prospective clients before they decide to buy is the most effective way to gain an edge on the competition.

Pulse leverages four integrated modules to assist clients in maximizing the effectiveness of marketing efforts. The Content Management module allows for easy and personalized engagement of potential clients through email, SMS and social channels. This helps clients reach the 61 percent of consumers who reported being more likely to buy from a company that presented custom content. The Digital Publication module helps clients increase brand awareness through thought leadership while nurturing prospects into leads. The Webcast Tool module allows clients to engage their target audience effectively through the use of real-time analytics and live polls and chats. Finally, the Event Management module assists clients in creating interactive customer experiences and increasing audience attendance to digital events.

As the world of marketing continues to evolve away from traditional concepts towards more content-based solutions, Pulse is in a strong position to rapidly increase its market share.

For more information, visit www.thepulsenetwork.com