• Results showed inferred mineral resources of 29.6 million tons grading 0.11 percent cobalt equivalent (0.08 percent cobalt and 0.30 percent copper) under a base case scenario pit constrained and deeper mineral resource
• Initial resource estimate reports 45 million pounds of cobalt and 175 million pounds of copper for 62.9 million pounds of cobalt equivalent on Iron Creek site
• Independent geologic and engineering consultant firm Mine Development Associates prepared resource estimate, concluding that Iron Creek cobalt and copper project is “of merit, requiring further exploration”
• Global demand for cobalt, a key material used in batteries for electric vehicles, smartphones and other battery-operated devices, increased 13.5 percent per year between 2010 and 2017 and is expected to grow at 14.5 percent per year to 2027

In what appears to be an insatiable global demand for electric and hybrid vehicles utilizing rechargeable batteries – spurred on by governmental policies encouraging or requiring the adoption of cleaner, green vehicles – concerns about cobalt supply shortages in the not-too-distant future are being raised by several industry analysts. In its Cobalt Global Industry, Markets & Outlook 2018 report, metals/minerals research firm Roskill Interactive notes that demand for the metal has surged, leading prices to rise to their highest levels in 10 years at over $90,000/t in the first half of 2018 on the London Metals Exchange (http://ibn.fm/Ax99A).

As a key ingredient in lithium-ion batteries, now widely used in EVs and electronic devices, the need for cobalt increased at a rate of 13.5 percent per year between 2010-2017 and is expected to grow at a faster rate of 14.5 percent per year to 2027, a FinancialBuzz.com news commentary states in a review of the industry and several key players, including First Cobalt Corp. (TSX.V: FCC) (OTCQX: FTSSF) (ASX: FCC) (http://ibn.fm/DmdYn). Cobalt provides high energy density and thermal stability in a battery, an essential element for electrical products such as EVs, cell phones, notebook PCs and other battery-powered devices.

First Cobalt, a vertically integrated North American pure-play cobalt company, recently announced that it owns 100 percent of its Iron Creek property located in Idaho and has eliminated the outstanding royalty. The company earlier retained Mine Development Associates (“MDA”) to prepare a resource estimate for the Iron Creek cobalt and copper project, posting “very encouraging” results from its first NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate in a September 26, 2018, news release (http://ibn.fm/s1tMc).

“The initial resource estimate and the pace of progress at Iron Creek have exceeded our expectations,” First Cobalt president and CEO Trent Mell stated in the release. “We have delineated a sizeable primary cobalt deposit on patented property and mineralization continues to expand to the east, west and at depth. The mineralogy is simple and initial metallurgical test work is very encouraging with high metal recoveries. Cobalt is associated with pyrite rather than minerals containing arsenic, which may offer processing and offtake advantages… This initial Inferred Resource estimate is an important step forward to a potential source of ethical cobalt in America.”

Supply chain issues hinder the growth of many markets, but end users of cobalt have a unique concern if the material is sourced from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a politically unstable nation that produces up to 67 percent of the world’s cobalt. The DRC employs questionable business practices and is known to utilize child labor, an article in SemiEngineering.com states (http://ibn.fm/t45uP).

“Cobalt demand is increasing and there are concerns about the availability of future mine supply,” Jack Bedder, an analyst at Roskill, stated in the article. “There are real child labor issues in the DRC, and thus responsible end users want to procure ethically sourced material.”

Drilling is now underway at Iron Creek to test the mineralization strike length from 450 meters to over 900 meters, while also systematically testing depth extensions to over 300 meters to support an updated resource estimate in early 2019. Mell had previously identified (http://ibn.fm/vCbiK) the Idaho site as “one of the most prospective and advanced projects in North America.”

First Cobalt Corp., with headquarters in Canada, is a vertically integrated North American pure-play cobalt company. First Cobalt has three significant North American assets: the Iron Creek Project in Idaho; the Canadian Cobalt Camp, with more than 50 past producing mines; and the only permitted cobalt refinery in North America capable of producing battery materials.

For more information, visit the company’s website at http://ibn.fm/FTSSF

• LXRP files for tenth patent family, expanding the applicability of its DehydraTECH platform relating to tobacco leaves delivering compounds that may or may not include nicotine
• LXRP receives three new Australian patents and two new notices of allowance from the U.S.; if all are issued, LXRP would then hold 12 issued patents within its first patent family
• The company out-licenses its technology that promotes healthier and faster ingestion methods in any country where it already has a patent or is patent-pending

Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTCQX: LXRP), which owns the patented DehydraTECH ingestion technology platform, is building its strategic intellectual property (IP) portfolio and plans to grow its patent applications to 150-200 worldwide within two years (http://ibn.fm/SP9LI).

It has filed a provisional application in a tenth patent family relating to the applicability of DehydraTECH’s imparting benefits to tobacco leaves to deliver compounds that may or may not include nicotine. That patent family is “Lipophilic Active Agent Infused Tobacco Leaves and/or Tobacco Materials and Methods of Use Thereof.”

Based in British Columbia, Canada, LXRP is a biotechnology company that has developed technology that has shown quicker and more effective delivery of cannabinoids and nicotine. Its IP portfolio already includes a patent for oral delivery of all cannabinoids.

DehydraTECH is its proprietary absorption technology platform. LXRP has now filed a total of more than 50 patent applications across nine current patent families. It is preparing applications for at least six more patents that will each form the basis for a separate patent family. It expects to file them before the end of this year, giving it management over a total of 16 patent families.

It has received three more patents in Australia and two notices of allowance by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO). LXRP expects to receive corresponding patents in the U.S. prior to year-end 2018 and also expects two more new patents in Australia to be received prior to year-end (http://ibn.fm/vsumb).

If all are issued, LXRP would then hold 12 issued patents within its first patent family, “Food and Beverage Compositions Infused With Lipophilic Active Agents and Methods of Use Thereof.” It would strengthen LXRP’s IP claims in both countries. All new Australian patents are projected to expire on June 10, 2035, it said.

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

• Attracts and grows customer base while generating leads from online data collection, leading to an increase in sales
• Utilizes the expertise of e-commerce and marketing professionals working with game developers and software engineers
• Launched in March 2018 as a free download on all major e-commerce platforms, plans in place for new product launches now through February 2019

Traditional mass media channels are becoming less appealing for companies to spend their marketing budgets on as audiences are daily increasing their ability to optimize the content they see. Social media platforms are constantly updating algorithms and changing the rules by which businesses engage with customers. So where does this leave today’s forward-thinking marketing team?

DeepMarkit Corp. (TSX.V: MKT) (OTCQB: MKTDF) is working to help businesses engage consumers and other audiences with gamification. Gamification combines game-like features with a non-game platform. Customizable campaigns using branded games attract and grow customer bases, generate leads from data collected through the game and, ultimately, leads to an increase in sales.

The company is utilizing the expertise of e-commerce and marketing professionals working with game developers and software engineers to deliver a unique, game-based marketing platform for businesses. The power of games lies not just in entertainment but as a tool for business. The DeepMarkit team works to create innovative ways through which its clients can use games for their business purposes. This can include customer leads, product promotion, brand awareness or customer loyalty. The gamification process provides an affordable way for DeepMarkit’s clients to stand out from the rest of the crowd.

P&S Market Research (http://ibn.fm/hROFF) estimates that the global gamification market will exceed $22 billion by 2022. This growth is in part due to an exponential growth in smartphones and mobile devices, a growing passion for gaming in developing regions and new opportunities like those offered by MKTDF for companies to utilize gamification in their marketing strategies.

The company’s market is international, and its ambitions are global. In June 2017, the company’s proprietary promotions platform “Gamify” attracted a $1.5 million investment from Allstate Enterprise Consulting Ltd. in Hong Kong. This investment gave Allstate a 10 percent stake in DeepMarkit and an opportunity to bring the Gamify platform to the growing Asian gaming market through Allstate’s network of over 15,000 agents.

Gamify was launched in March 2018 and is currently available as a free download on all major e-commerce platforms, including Shopify, Big Commerce and WooCommerce, as well as a plugin for WordPress. Plans are in the works to upgrade the current version to a paid slide out app this month, followed by a survey product launch by the end of the year. Next year, the role out of an in-store product launch is scheduled for February 2019.

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

• Zenergy’s acquisition of REP leads to roll out of Zenergy Power & Gas utility
• Company specializes in next-generation utilities-saving measures to improve environmental sustainability
• An increasing number of business and residential energy consumers are turning to smart technology to manage utilities, boosting service and product market

Next-generation energy utility Zenergy Brands, Inc. (OTC: ZNGY) amped up its suite of smart energy services when it completed the acquisition of Texas retail electric provider (REP) Enertrade Electric LLC last spring. Zenergy has now announced the next step in turning its subsidiary toward the company’s overall mission of delivering retail electricity and natural gas, as well as energy conservation and efficiency services, to its residential and corporate customers.

Enertrade Electric, doing business as Shyne Energy in its service to electric utility customers throughout the state of Texas, will now be known as Zenergy Power & Gas, Inc. following an amended listing with the state’s Public Utility Commission (http://ibn.fm/YCJom). The rebranding effort moves the “virtual utility” to a plane where the utility services and Zenergy’s stable of smart control products can work together to establish the company as a market leader in creating an earth-friendly and customer cost-efficient power system.

“I am excited about the rollout of our REP because I am convinced that this convergence of our retail energy services and our smart home controls into one offering gives us a strategic advantage in the industry,” Zenergy Senior Vice President of Operations Chris Crabtree stated in the news release announcing the change. “In my almost two decades in the industry building and managing REP operations, this is by far the most unique value proposition I have encountered.”

“Our newfound ability to cross-sell and up-sell our smart home controls and systems with our retail energy products and services allows for a whole new avenue of marketing possibilities,” added Grant Magers, president of Zenergy’s Home Services Division.

Zenergy’s flagship Zero Cost Program offers transparent solutions for water, gas and energy conservation and sustainable use to commercial, industrial and municipal end-use customers.

Zero Cost provides for the upgrading of older, inefficient equipment and assets at no upfront expense. The program is operated under the standard terms of a Managed Energy Services Agreement (MESA) in which Zenergy assumes the obligations related to the energy-efficient measures and the customer contracts to pay a downward scaling portion of the saved utility expenses to Zenergy over the term of the agreement. The program’s competitive appeal to businesses is in that it offer to reduce customers’ utility consumption anywhere from 20 to 60 percent through those products and services.

The term of the contracts is expected to be for a minimum of five years. In July, Zenergy announced that it had inked a seven-year agreement with U.S.-based bitcoin mining operation BitPlus, Ltd., a blockchain-oriented company using an innovative energy sourcing strategy to gain a competitive advantage in the bitcoin mining industry (http://ibn.fm/pyAg9).

Analysts at PwC and Statista report that commercial building owners are turning to smart energy systems to help them meet 2020 goals for energy efficiency (http://ibn.fm/KnOw4), and residential consumers are incorporating smart-function technology to manage their home usage at an increasing rate, with 53.1 percent adoption anticipated by 2022 (http://ibn.fm/tJIXI).

“The closing on the Enertrade REP Acquisition is a major milestone for Zenergy because we believe that the combination of the REP and Zero Cost services offered as a commercial package may create a very strong, low churn, highly valuable book of business,” Zenergy Chairman Byron Young added (http://ibn.fm/kH7HR).

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

• PreveCeutical Medical Inc. enters into a joint venture agreement with Asterion Cannabis Inc. to develop several nature-based cannabinoid products; the products will help the company respond to the demands for personalized and effective cannabis therapies
• The development agreement will see Asterion inject funds at cost, while PreveCeutical will contribute by way of opening its research resources, including personnel for use in the project
• The percentage ownership of intellectual and product rights from the agreement will be shared between Asterion and PreveCeutical in the ratio of 80 percent to 20 percent
• Since the agreement involves related parties including current and former directors at PreveCeutical and executive officers, it is categorized under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 as a related party transaction

PreveCeutical Medical Inc. (CSE: PREV) (OTCQB: PRVCF) (FSE: 18H) signed a development agreement with Asterion to enter into a joint venture that will see the two companies develop several medicinal cannabinoid products. The products will comprise high quality transdermal patches, sublingual tablets and others that the companies will jointly evaluate.

According to the CEOs of both companies, Stephen Van Deventer of PreveCeutical and Paget Hargreaves of Asterion, the joint venture will help them advance their missions and goals. The two firms are focused on improving health care and quality of life through science and technology enhancements in natural products.

Into the joint venture, Asterion brings high-quality yet low-cost strains of medicinal cannabis. On its part, PreveCeutical will leverage this to come up with products to meet the demand for personalized and effective cannabis-based therapies.

The ailments that these high-quality cannabis products target include chronic pain, epilepsy, inflammation and anxiety disorders, among others. The agreement also clearly states the terms of reference between the two companies, including the aspects of patent ownership and revenue distribution (http://ibn.fm/6YvZR).

Funding for the project will be provided in whole by Asterion at an agreed-upon cost, as and when it is needed. PreveCeutical will facilitate research and provide other resources for use in furtherance of the joint venture initiatives.

Intellectual property and products rights arising within the term of the development agreement will be partly owned by Asterion and PreveCeutical in the ratio of 80 percent to 20 percent, respectively. The joint venture will be in effect for the two years and renewable thereafter for another two-year term.

Revenue or proceeds from the sale of the resulting products and intellectual rights will be shared in the same ratio as the intellectual property ownership, 80 percent to Asterion versus 20 percent to PreveCeutical.

According to Multilateral Instrument 61-101, the development agreement is a related party transaction, since, at the time PreveCeutical was signing it, directors, some of whom are now former directors, as well as the company’s executive officers, were party to it.

PreveCeutical is a health sciences company based in Vancouver, Canada. It utilizes natural and nature identical products to develop innovative options for both preventive and curative therapies. Currently, the company has a total of five research and development programs. One of the notable programs is the Sol-gel drug delivery program.

Sol-gel is administered through the nasal passages, and, once it comes into contact with the mucosal tissue, it gels rapidly, thus paving way for direct delivery from the nose to the brain. This mode of delivery is effective and greatly improves bioavailability, because it bypasses the stomach and intestines.

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

• TGOD cited by The Motley Fool for its alternative products, particularly its focus on cannabis-infused beverages and its possible role as a partner for a brand name producer
• The company also named high profile American investor and TV personality Tim Seymour to its advisory board; it says Seymour will offer advice on global finance strategies
• TGOD updated its transaction regarding the spinoff of its wholly owned subsidiary, TGOD Acquisition Corporation (“SpinCo”), and announced a private placement of up to $10 million

The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. (TSX: TGOD) (OTCQX: TGODF) has attained a higher profile by adding well known investor and TV strategist Tim Seymour to its advisory board. TGOD was also highlighted by site The Motley Fool for its focus on alternative products. TGOD also described a private placement that would have gross receipts of up to $10 million.

Tim Seymour is a well-known television personality with more than 22 years as a capital markets professional. He appears on CNBC’s “Fast Money” and is seen as “invaluable” to the TGOD as it builds its organic cannabis brand, according to CEO Brian Athaide (http://ibn.fm/CwH7Y).

TGOD also announced a private placement that would generate up to $10 million in gross receipts in connection with its spinoff of its SpinCo subsidiary. The non-brokered private placement would offer up to 20 million subscription receipts at a price of $0.50 apiece (http://ibn.fm/9LKck). The transaction is subject to regulatory and court approval.

The Motley Fool website highlighted TGOD as one of five emerging growers in the Canadian cannabis industry (http://ibn.fm/evWWD). It also conjectured about TGOD’s role as a possible future partner in the beverage industry:

“The Green Organic Dutchman, which was one of the largest pot-based initial public offerings ever earlier this year, is currently expected to be the fourth-largest producer when at peak capacity. Management has suggested that the company can deliver 195,000 kilograms per year. But it’s not gross yield that allows The Green Organic Dutchman to stand out. Instead, it’s the company’s focus on alternative products.”

“Amid a flurry of press releases in June, TGOD, as the company is also known, announced that it was going to construct a 287,245-square-foot facility on its 72.4-acre Valleyfield property that would be devoted to beverage and edible production. TGOD’s focus on cannabis-infused beverages is of particular interest given how eager beverage companies have been to spark their own growth by entering the marijuana space. In August, Molson Coors Brewing formed a joint venture with HEXO Corp., while Constellation Brands announced a $3.8 billion equity investment into Canopy Growth. It’s clear that brand-name beverage companies have interest in partnering with the cannabis industry, and TGOD could be a logical partner with its foray into beverages.”

“As noted above, be aware that TGOD’s beverage and edible production will be at the mercy of Parliament and its ability to expand what consumables are legal.”

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.TGOD.ca

• Sample collection for initial mobile metal ion geochemical orientation survey completed at QMC Quantum Minerals’ Irgon Project in Manitoba
• QMC preparing to begin phase one drilling on Irgon Lithium Mine Project
• Lithium demand is expected to reach $1.7 billion per year by 2019; lithium carbonate prices hit $16,000 per metric ton in August

A once-developing lithium mining operation in southern Manitoba’s bountiful Cat Lake-Winnipeg River Pegmatite Field may soon be brought back to life by QMC Quantum Minerals Corp. (OTC: QMCQF) (TSX.V: QMC) (FSE: 3LQ) with prospects of establishing a new North America-based source of the in-demand metal. The company is currently working to confirm the historic resource estimate published for its Irgon Lithium Mine Project.

Specialized international inspections and testing firm SGS Canada Inc. recently completed its evaluation of all known historical data related to mineralized pegmatite dikes within QMC’s 100 percent-owned Irgon Lithium Mine Project, and it is now helping to guide QMC’s plans for a phase one drilling program on the Irgon site, according to a September 17 news release (http://ibn.fm/nhznx).

SGS Canada was hired in May 2018 to oversee the current exploration program, including the recently completed mobile metal ion (or MMIs, such as lithium, cesium, tantalum, beryllium, etc.) geochemical orientation survey over the Irgon Dike. These mobile metal ions are released from underlying pegmatite mineralization within the Irgon Dike and travel upward through the soil, making them an excellent indicator of underlying mineralization. The survey is a proven, advanced exploration technique used to find buried mineral deposits and to help companies such as Quantum Minerals decide where to drill in order to get the best results.

“QMC and SGS have completed the initial mobile metal ion (“MMI”) geochemical orientation survey across the Irgon Dike. This initial survey will be used to identify the optimum sampling depth to achieve the best geochemical response from the underlying lithium mineralization,” the news release states. “Samples from this orientation survey have been submitted to SGS and are being analyzed for 53 elements.”

Once the initial orientation survey results have been received and assessed, SGS will provide ongoing technical support and consulting services for additional MMI surveys over other potential drill targets identified within the Irgon Project.

Decades-old exploration at the Irgon Dike produced a resource estimate of 1.2 million tons of lithium oxide which reported 1.51 percent Li20 over a strike length of 365 meters and to a depth of 213 meters.  SGS is working with Quantum Minerals to confirm the historical resource under modern NI 43-101 reporting standards for resource investment certification purposes. The company has stated that the old estimate is believed to be based on reasonable evaluation of the original exploration and that neither the company nor the qualified professional geologist have reason to doubt its reliability.  These historical estimates do not meet current standards as defined under sections 1.2 and 1.3 of NI 43-101; consequently, QMC is not treating the historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves.

The company has also identified, through a search of the historical assessment records, a large, untested “lithium soil anomaly” more than 3,600 feet long and up to 1,150 feet wide on the southern part of the property that may prove to be a fruitful new target.

A significant amount of infrastructure from the historical exploration remains at the site, providing hope of a lower cost start-up to production.  Access is excellent, as the project is road accessible, power is nearby and there is a local, well trained labor force.

Lithium has enjoyed good name status in the metals market during the last couple years, because it is a key component in the electrodes of lithium-ion batteries, providing lightweight heat stabilization qualities. Lithium-ion batteries power a wide range of computerized electronics and have become particularly sought after of late amid a global tech race to control the electric automobile market.

According to projections by Lithium Investing News, lithium demand will rise to 49,350 metric tons by next year, with a lithium carbonate equivalent contract valuation of $1.7 billion (http://ibn.fm/aQxTb). During August, global lithium carbonate contracts made a nearly 20 percent price increase over the prior year to around $16,000 per metric ton (http://ibn.fm/yFVEt).

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

• Global legal cannabis market on tap to reach USD$146.4 billion by end of 2025
• Growing adoption of CBD-related products and medical marijuana expected to propel revenue growth
• Health and wellness market projected to top USD$171 billion in 2018
• Launch of direct-to-consumer website for wholly-owned subsidiary Pura Vida Vitamins offers wide array of CBD products
• WheresWeed mobile app connects medical and recreational cannabis users with trusted local marijuana businesses in their communities

Golden Developing Solutions, Inc. (OTC: DVLP), an emerging leader in ancillary software and the cannabidiol (CBD) products marketplace, provides business services and/or products supporting the cannabis industry including an online retail business for CBD, hemp oil and health/wellness related products.

Global acceptance of cannabis and related CBD products continues to increase as North America advances toward favorable legislation. Canada is set to legalize recreational cannabis in October 2018, and the United States has 30 states and the District of Columbia allowing either recreational or medical cannabis, or both. Voters in four additional U.S. states will consider marijuana initiatives on the November 2018 ballot. The global legal cannabis market is projected to reach USD$146 billion by the end of 2025, with a greater acceptance of medical cannabis products as a driving factor, according to Grand View Research.

DVLP is taking advantage of consumer demand for CBD products through its wholly owned Pura Vida Vitamins, LLC subsidiary, which recently launched a direct-to-consumer website (www.PuraVidaVitamins.com) and commenced sales of Pura Vida branded products. Pura Vida merchandise includes hemp and CBD-related products and other products focusing on health and lifestyle which are available through established wholesale and distribution channels. In addition, a line of CBD pet supplements and other products are in development.

DVLP recently acquired “Where’s Weed” (Layer Six Media LLC DBA “Where’s Weed”) and its primary asset, WheresWeed.com. Where’s Weed is an American cannabis technology company known for connecting medical and recreational cannabis users with trusted local marijuana businesses in their communities. As a rapidly growing community-based online resource for cannabis consumers with a host of user-friendly services, Where’s Weed offers a sophisticated mobile app with strong traction and powerful growth potential as the North American legal cannabis market continues to expand exponentially.

WheresWeed.com has a large and expanding reach with nearly 3 million pageviews per month. In addition, the WheresWeed mobile app, available in both iOS and Android, has been downloaded over 80,000 times, proving to be complementary to DVLP’s objective to capitalize on the massive growth curve in the marijuana space.

“The huge flood of new growers and producers is likely to create oversupply in the near term, narrowing margins for major producers,” says DVLP CEO Stavros Triant. “However, this should actually increase the net number of new consumers in the marketplace, further reinforcing the enormous growth potential for hub service providers in the space that are situated on high-traffic internet real estate, which is exactly how we view the Where’s Weed property.”

The company’s move into the lucrative C-store snack market was solidified with a material purchase order for CBD oils from a major distributor specializing in the snack foods and accessories to the convenience store and gas station market. The order represents significant progress as DVLP gears up its ready-made snack distribution strategy for its CBD products.

“We are extremely excited about the launch of our CBD product line with this distributor,” Triant states. “The C-Store strategy dovetails perfectly with our direct marketing strategy through our primary online retail channel, and we have indications from the distributor that, if this initial test order goes well, successive Purchase Orders could be significant and underpin strong sales growth in Q1 2019.”

For more information, visit the company’s websites at www.PuraVidaVitamins.com and www.WheresWeed.com

• Mobile devices now account for more web traffic than desktops
• Mobile app development served by a multiplicity of languages and tools
• Consorteum UMI platform breaks down language barriers

When the IBM PC debuted in 1981, who could have envisaged a world in which the desktop would become “old school”? But 37 years on, that’s exactly what has happened. Mobile devices now account for 51.7 percent of web traffic, according to Statcounter, with tablets contributing 4.18 percent and desktops accounting for 44.12 percent (http://ibn.fm/6g5ww). The ubiquitous use of the smartphone is, of course, a major factor. There are very few on the planet who do not possess one. Mobile app development has risen in conjunction, to make life easier for us, with an app for this and an app for that, but developers of these app all have their preferences with regard to tools and languages, which has led to an onslaught of incompatibilities between devices and apps. However, Consorteum Holdings (OTC: CSRH) is bridging those mobile divides. The company’s Universal Mobile Interface (UMI) technology allows different software platforms and devices to communicate. It could prove to be the technology that releases the potential of the smartphone on the web.

The mobile app ecosystem is wide and varied and, undoubtedly, such diversity has its benefits. In creating apps, for instance, developers have a choice of one or more of the “15 Best Programming Languages for Mobile App Development”, which include Corona, HTML 5, Java and JavaScript, Pearl, Python, Rust and various iterations of C (http://ibn.fm/HJPBk), but such heterogeneity raises challenges in getting different apps and devices to “talk” to each other. However, Consorteum’s UMI platform could be the comprehensive “interpreter” that breaks down the language barriers between apps and devices.

There is good reason to do so. Worldwide, mobile app revenues climbed to $88.3 billion in 2016, up from $69.7 billion in 2015, according to Statista (http://ibn.fm/r7Rah). It further project the market to reach nearly $190 billion by 2020.

The UMI is a state-of-the-art platform that can integrate any stream of data onto a mobile device. Developed by Consorteum subsidiary 359 Mobile Inc., the technology has the capability to create mobile apps in fintech, data analytics, secure payment processing, compliance lead transaction management and various digital social event sectors. The UMI platform also allows cross operating system development to support all mobile devices while addressing the complex and highly regulated needs of the mobile fintech industry.

Consorteum Holdings, Inc. is a mobile platform company focused on delivering compliant, complex mobile-based transactions through a mix of partnerships, license agreements and joint venture revenue share arrangements. The company is focused on fintech, otherwise known as next-generation financial technology. Consorteum aims to capitalize on the broad variety of technological interventions into personal and commercial transactions by focusing its efforts and resources where it can leverage its expertise in direct and vertical based solutions.

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

• Agreement signed with third party investor to fund up to $1.2 million to support next crucial development phase of MIDS Cardiac POC diagnostic device
• Patented MIDS technology has successfully detected commercial assay beads at a level approximately four times better than the threshold advised as required for a high sensitivity troponin assay
• Cardiac biomarkers global market expected to reach $13.3 billion by 2024
• HS Troponin testing for myocardial infarction at the point of care would meet a critical unmet medical need
• CDC reports that heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women

A new economic study conducted by RTI International for the American Heart Association offers sobering statistics, as the number of Americans diagnosed with cardiovascular disease (“CVD”) is projected to rise to 131.2 million within the next two decades, totaling about 45 percent of the total U.S. population. Overall costs to treat CVD are expected to soar to $1.1 trillion by 2035, an article in ScienceDaily reveals (http://ibn.fm/UuQ5X).

Health care technology company Zenosense, Inc. (OTCQB: ZENO), through the company’s joint venture ownership of MIDS Medical Limited (“MML”), is focused on developing and commercializing its highly sensitive MIDS Cardiac hand-held technology for the rapid, early detection of heart attack at the point of care. Funding for the next critical phase of developing the device and accompanying test strip was recently announced in a news release (http://ibn.fm/317rF).

An agreement between MML and a third party investor will provide staged funding of up to an aggregate amount of $1.2 million, which is expected to cover costs of the next crucial development phase of the MIDS Cardiac microfluidic test strip. The specialized strip aims to embody a high sensitivity (“HS”) troponin assay or a similar assay to prove the MIDS system on a live test. To date, the patented MIDS technology has successfully detected commercial assay beads at a level approximately four times better than the threshold advised by MML’s assay consultants, as required for a HS troponin assay.

Providing HS troponin testing for myocardial infarction (heart attack) at the point of care would meet a critical medical need. The cardiac biomarkers market is expected to reach $13.3 billion by 2024, according to a report by Grand View Research (http://ibn.fm/qBKCp). The high prevalence of coronary heart disease in western countries like the U.S. is one of the major contributing factors to the growing demand for cardiac biomarker diagnostics, with the troponin biomarker segment expected to grow at the highest compound annual growth rate and capture the largest market share, the report states.

The MIDS Cardiac device is being developed to deliver accurate, rapid results of a single troponin I or T test within three minutes, as well as results of a three panel test that provide additional cardiac biomarkers within eight minutes, all at a fraction of the cost of laboratory analyzers and specialized medical personnel, an article detailing the MIDS Cardiac device states (http://ibn.fm/8UZY8).

The next phase of MML’s development plan includes:

• Design and create an active version of the MIDS microfluidic strip, including the closer integration of the MIDS magnetic sensor to improve the detection levels even further
• Design, develop and embody a live HS assay on the MIDS test strip in conjunction with a leading assay development company contracted to MML
• Refine electronic circuitry and software, system testing and data collection
• Create a compliance dossier

Company management expects the outcome of this next phase to prove to the industry that the MIDS magnetic detection method can detect and accurately quantify a live HS assay on the MIDS microfluidic test strip. If successfully completed, the company believes that test results will demonstrate that MIDS Cardiac can be used at the point of care for HS troponin testing, proving that the device is ready for final development.

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