Recent Form 4 filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission indicate that the management team of International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCQB: ISCO) is bullish on the company. Form 4 is a Statement of Changes of Beneficial Ownership of Securities which every officer, director or holder of 10 percent (insiders) must file to report the acquisition or disposition of a company’s non-derivative and derivative securities. Five Form 4s filed at the end of June this year report purchases of 239,534 shares. Things appear to be looking up at ISCO. Could it be the imminent start of clinical trials that has made insiders so sanguine?

The term ‘insider trading’ has come to mean the illegal practice of using information, not available to the public, to execute trades. However, it is neither immoral nor illegal for insiders to trade. So how can we tell when insiders are trading on private information? A lot depends on the circumstances. Sometimes it may be obvious; sometimes it is not. Therefore, to increase transparency, the SEC requires that share purchases by insiders be made public.

Previously, a Form 4 filing had to be made by the 10th day of the month following the actual transaction. Now, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 mandates that a Form 4 must be filed electronically via EDGAR within two business days of each transaction. With regard to sales of shares by insiders, there may be further filing requirements, perhaps because share sales may signal adverse circumstances. A Form 144 must be filed by any insider (or outsider), who intends to sell more than 500 shares or $10,000 worth of restricted, unregistered securities within the next 90 days.

Share purchases by insiders, typically, signal good things ahead. Since insiders know more about their company, they can spot valuation anomalies in the market. Roger Martin, dean of the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management has said that, in mapping out an investment strategy, insider trading ‘is about the only thing I would pay attention to’. Prof. Martin is the co-author, with A.G. Lafley, of the best-selling Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works that ‘outlines the strategic approach Lafley, in close partnership with… Martin, used to double P&G’s sales, quadruple its profits, and increase its market value by more than $100 billion’.

Backing that up is this Investopedia entry (http://dtn.fm/A3pAv):

‘Nejat Seyhun, a renowned professor and researcher in the field of insider trading at the University of Michigan found that when executives bought shares in their own companies, the stock tended to outperform the total market by 8.9% over the next 12 months. Conversely when they sold shares, the stock underperformed the market by 5.4%.’

Widespread share purchases by managements across the board are sure signs of a rising market. The Financial Times cites Ben Silverman, research director of InsiderScore, which tracks insider trades:

“… in the past 30 years, there has been no time when the market bottomed and rallied when it wasn’t preceded by a critical mass of insider buying”. As the saying goes: actions speak louder than words.

International Stem Cell Corporation recently published the results of a 12-month preclinical, non-human primate study. The data demonstrates the safety and efficacy of the company’s proprietary ISC-hpNSC® readily expandable neural stem cell derived treatment of Parkinson’s disease. The results of the study were published in the academic journal Cell Transplantation and end the preclinical stage of ISCO’s Parkinson’s disease program. The data provides further evidence that parthenogenetic neural stem cells can be effective in treating the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and, along with the previously revealed safety data, formed the basis of ISCO’s application to the Australian regulatory authorities to move this program to the clinical stage.

The Phase I clinical study is a dose escalation safety and preliminary efficacy study of ISC-hpNSC®, intracranially transplanted into patients with moderate to severe Parkinson’s disease. The open-label, single center, uncontrolled clinical trial will evaluate three different dose regimens. A total of 12 participants with moderate to severe Parkinson’s disease will be treated. Following transplantation, the patients will be monitored for 12 months at specified intervals, to evaluate the safety and biologic activity of ISC-hpNSC®. PET scans will be performed at baseline, as part of the screening assessment, and at six and 12 months after surgical intervention. Clinical responses compared to baseline after the administration of ISC-hpNSC® will be evaluated using various neurological assessments such as the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and the Hoehn and Yahr rating scales. The study will be performed at Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia.

For more information, visit www.internationalstemcell.com

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The ContentChecked app by Content Checked Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: CNCK) was recently named one of the ‘Best Allergy Apps of 2016’ by Healthline, a fast-growing consumer health information site with roughly 65 million monthly visitors. Healthline’s editors carefully selected winners based on the quality, usability and overall effectiveness of apps that help users manage/avoid their allergies by avoiding the cause of allergic reactions.

To view the full list of winners, visit http://dtn.fm/FF8q8

ContentChecked stands out on Healthline’s list for its ability to save users time and stress at the grocery store. With a simple scan of an item’s barcode, users can determine if individual grocery items fit into their specific dietary preferences, and Content Checked’s in-depth product database, which contains up-to-date information for over 70 percent of conventional U.S. food products, helps users uncover suitable alternatives if a product contains one or more of a user’s allergens.

Despite the favorable response to its suite of dietary apps, Content Checked remains focused on continued innovation and staying ahead of the competition. As part of this initiative, the Company recently announced plans to launch updated versions of its three apps that will introduce a new subscription-based service and offer an updated and improved experience for new and existing users. In an interview on the UPTICK Network Stock Day Podcast, Kris Finstad, CEO of Content Checked, offered some additional insight into this planned update.

“Our database is now national, for the U.S., and we’re now going to Canada, as well, and then going to the U.K. and Australia,” Finstad stated in the interview. “This year is going to be our breakthrough year from a revenue standpoint.”

Content Checked has also indicated plans to apply for uplisting to a national exchange, NASDAQ or the NYSE, before the end of 2016. The Company is currently preparing to undertake appropriate corporate governance and other necessary actions, as required to meet the qualifications for uplisting to a national exchange. In April, Content Checked demonstrated these efforts through the appointment of Dr. Göran Rune Skog, an accomplished physician with more than 35 years of experience in the field of medicine, as an independent addition to its board of directors. The Company also enlisted the services of Bonwick Capital Partners as its financial and corporate advisor to assist with the planned uplisting.

To view the company’s full financials, visit the following link: http://dtn.fm/sIJ7M

For more information, visit www.contentchecked.com

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It has been written that, more than anything else, it is the Lord’s Prayer that ‘is the creed that most connects the world’s Christians’. Its humbling entreaty, ‘give us this day our daily bread’, has been interpreted on both the physical and spiritual levels, a recognition that we are a composition of both body and spirit. Yet this symbiosis is not without tension and stress, which has given rise to the idea that material things are corrupt. Momentous Entertainment Group (OTC: MMEG), with its faith-based family-oriented offerings, shows the absurdity of such a proposition. The company is following a path of success already well-traveled.

In spite of our tendency to think of business and worshipping as two completely different, perhaps incompatible courses of social action, there are many business enterprises driven by religious principles or run by practicing Christians. Perhaps the best known of these is Hobby Lobby, the arts and crafts supplier, which sued the federal government. Management felt it could not comply, because of religious beliefs, with certain mandates in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, the United States Supreme Court ruled that closely-held for-profit corporations, like Hobby Lobby, would be exempt from providing pregnancy-preventive health care coverage for their female workers, if the firm’s owners have religious objections to those services. Forbes puts Hobby Lobby’s 2014 revenues at $3.7 billion.

Then, there is Forever 21. Surprisingly, you’ll find the words “John 3:16” on its shopping bags. John 3:16 is the familiar ‘for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ In a Washington Post piece, one of the business’s founders said, “I hoped others would learn of God’s love. So that’s why I put [the scripture on the bags].” Forever 21 is a chain of fast fashion retailers based in Los Angeles with 2015 revenues of $4.4 billion.

Tyson Foods (NYSE: TSN), with 2015 revenues of $41.4 billion, is another Christian outfit. The company wears its faith on its shoulders. Among other faith-based initiatives, it operates a Chaplaincy Program with 115 chaplains on hand to cater to the company’s 113,000 employees. An article in The Atlantic proclaims “Chick-fil-A: Selling Chicken with a Side of God”. It goes on to relate, ‘S. Truett Cathy, the chain’s late founder, consistently made business choices based on his Christian beliefs—and turned a humble sandwich into a religious symbol’. Chick-fil-A’s 2015 revenues are close to $6.0 billion. This all shows that Christians can be businesspersons, too.

Momentous Entertainment Group is an entertainment and direct response marketing company focused on creating, producing and distributing quality content and products. It is currently in the midst of an aggressive marketing campaign aimed at the faith-based family-oriented market.

For more information, visit www.momentousent.com

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Since its release on July 6, 2016, Pokémon GO, the free-to-play location-based augmented reality mobile game from Niantic, has taken the world by storm. Within days, the game became one of the most widely used smart device apps in history, with far-reaching effects spanning into the financial sector. Nintendo (OTC: NTDOY) saw its stock price nearly doubling before closing at its highest level since 2010 last Friday, while Zagg, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZAGG) benefitted from its recent acquisition of a smartphone battery case manufacturer on its way to a 27 percent jump in stock price in just over a week. One feature of Pokémon GO that’s played a key role in its commercial success is its underlying Unity3D platform. This is the same technology used by eXp World Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: EXPI) to power its immersive 3D Campus for eXp Realty and related ventures.

Unlike Pokémon GO, EXPI has successfully leveraged the Unity3D virtual reality platform for business purposes. Through eXp Realty, the company uses the technology to offer an immersive 3D environment to its brokers and agents that takes the place of traditional infrastructure without negatively impacting the training and interpersonal interaction that’s necessary for real estate professionals to effectively operate in the industry. In line with the development of this platform, EXPI recently announced entry into an agreement with VirBELA, LLC, one of the leading developers leveraging Unity3D to create immersive online worlds, through which it gained exclusive rights to the VirBELA platform within the real estate industry, as well as an option for exclusive rights covering a number of vertical industries such as mortgage origination, mortgage lending, title and escrow and title insurance.

“When we discovered immersive worlds to use in business we knew we had something and since then we have run the real estate brokerage almost entirely via a virtual world platform,” Glenn Sanford, chief executive officer of EXPI, stated in this morning’s news release. “Our staff, management, agents and brokers have fully embraced avatars for work, attend classes, strategize, collaborate, innovate, enjoy water-cooler chats, build teams, and share experiences. The close-knit community that we’ve been able to build over the years on our campus has distinguished us from ‘virtual’ brokerage models.”

Despite its similarities to Pokémon GO, EXPI’s Agent-Owned Cloud Brokerage™ is a major force in the real estate industry. Since 2013, when the company committed to making its agents and brokers the owners of its publicly-traded stock, eXp Realty has expanded its agent base to include more than 1,400 agents across 43 states; Alberta, Canada; and the District of Columbia. Though consumers may never see EXPI’s innovative cloud campus, the company’s agents visit on a daily basis to remain up-to-day on the best ways to optimize the level of service they can offer to clients.

“We’re different from Pokémon GO in that we use our Unity-powered platform for business, working on behalf of consumers engaged in what is often the most significant transaction of their lifetimes — the purchase and/or sale of a home,” added Jason Gesing, CEO of eXp Realty. “However, the power of augmented and virtual reality platforms like Unity will allow us to continue to build a culture of service, of entrepreneurship and of a shared sense of ownership, allowing our agents to develop meaningful personal and professional relationships with their colleagues from across North America.”

For more information, visit the company’s website at http://investors.exprealty.com

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Before the opening bell, Singlepoint, Inc. (OTC: SING) gave prospective shareholders an update on its progress toward uplisting to the OTCQB Venture Market. MaloneBailey, a market-leading accounting firm delivering audit services to high-quality small and middle-market private and public companies, is rapidly approaching the completion of its audit for Singlepoint’s Form 10, which is required for the company to move forward with plans to become a fully reporting entity. Singlepoint announced the completion of an audit of its financial statements for the two years ended December 31, 2014, in early May before commencing an audit of its 2015 results.

Last month, Singlepoint engaged Milost Advisors Inc., a global investment banking firm, to assist in the acquisition of undervalued companies while raising equity and debt capital facilities to fund these acquisitions and provide working capital. The company continues to benefit from this working relationship as it searches out undervalued acquisition targets.

In February, Singlepoint got the ball rolling on the mergers and acquisitions front when it acquired an ownership stake in DraftFury, a profitable daily fantasy sports (DFS) enterprise with effective customer retention strategies and an experienced management team. According to Todd Eilers, CEO of Eilers Research, daily fantasy sports games “generated around $2.6 billion in entry fees last year and grow 41% annually, reaching $14.4 billion in 2020.” Through the acquisition of DraftFury, Singlepoint intends to take a noticeable stake in this growing industry.

The company has also issued a letter of intent to acquire the assets and technology of Mobile Bidding Technologies, Inc., including Text2Bid, an industry-leading auction software business generating over $10 million a year in donations for its users. Text2Bid is a leading mobile bidding solution that currently boasts a valuation of $1.6 million and has recorded strong annual revenue growth. Through the acquisition of a stake in Mobile Bidding Technologies, Singlepoint will look to gain a foothold in the $18 billion auction industry. The company plans to finalize this acquisition following the filing of its Form 10 in the coming weeks.

“This has been an exciting year for SinglePoint. In addition to our equity ownership in DFS enterprise, DraftFury, our stock price has also incurred organic growth since beginning of Q2 and I’m optimistic it will follow suit moving forward as we explore the acquisition targets identified by Milost Advisors,” Greg Lambrecht, chief executive officer of Singlepoint, added in this morning’s news release.

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

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Geolocation provides location data that allows social media platforms to connect users with others in their area. It also tells them about events and matches them to online activities that could be of interest. Geolocation first became popular back in 2008. Although many smartphone users have never used a geolocation application, many companies today are integrating geolocation into their social media applications and online platforms.

There are many reasons for marketers to use geolocation in their strategies. It represents data that enables companies to effectively target customers according to location, interests, and need. The Marketing Tech Blog describes geolocation as “the ultimate tool for nailing time and place: allowing businesses to promote their products and services in order to find the right market placement, and for their customers to receive tailored treatment based on their interests and needs.”

That said, although marketing has become not only instant, but location-based, geolocation is not being used to its full potential. Many consumers have privacy concerns about giving out their location. By sharing their location, they are essentially trusting the brand or company that is asking for their whereabouts. To make this work, marketers must use brand authority. They must give the consumer a trustworthy reason to share their location. To encourage users to give personal information, companies now integrate geolocation into their social media. In order to build geolocation into social media, one must remind consumers to check-in, encourage cross-promotion with social networks, and use geographic information from social media to encourage location-based participation.

Moxian, Inc. (OTCQB: MOXC) does just this. The social marketing and promotion platform integrates social media, entertainment, and business intelligence, helping merchants to accelerate and advertise through campaigns and promotions. The company has two products: Moxian+ User and Moxian+ Business. The Moxian+ User App has integrated geolocation, which allows consumers to search for merchants close to them. This feature not only gives users personalized information on events and promotions in their area, it also connects them to nearby friends. The application features a media messenger service, a gamification platform, a rewards platform, and a space for users to spend their virtual currency.

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

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A traditional business partnership occurs when two or more individuals share management and profits of a business. Of course, not all businesses require more than one person to get started. That said, many large companies, such as Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY), and others, were built by more than one leader. Some of these partnerships started because of a friendship, but, regardless of personal relationship, both parties accepted that the other had something to bring to the table.

Monaker Group, Inc. (OTCQB: MKGI), the technology driven travel company, believed in just this when it partnered with a multitude of companies that could mutually benefit from the arrangement. Monaker believes in offering travel opportunities to all demographics. This requires Monaker to offer large and versatile search options to its various audiences, which has encouraged the company’s very productive partnerships.

Monaker has assembled multiple key partnerships to meet its objectives. With these partners, MKGI is creating the inventory and distribution linkage through its flagship NextTrip.com. The company considers itself to have a definitive strategic advantage with its strong partner base. Some of the key Monaker partners include: The Mark Travel Corporation, I.C.E., uBid and International Travel.

Monaker Group maintains a strong relationship with the Mark Travel Corporation. It offers a VAX system used by 85,000 travel agents and represents 60 million consumers including Hilton Vacations (NYSE: HLT), Hyatt Vacations (NYSE: H), and United Airlines (NYSE: UAL). I.C.E. has 55 million members worldwide and private label members such as American Express (NYSE: AXP), AAA, and USAA. Monaker also represents uBid products, with over six million active users. Finally, International Travel, with over 20,000 agents worldwide, has agreed to supply Monaker travel brand alternative lodging and tour products.

These four specific partnerships allow Monaker Group to reach a broader audience and market itself further afield. With this, the company is able to provide unique and competitive travel offerings and expand higher-margined inventory in alternative lodging. Monaker’s ability to work with trusted and established travel brands provides the company with significant inventory and distributions.

For more information, visit www.monakergroup.com

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Before the opening bell, Laguna Blends, Inc. (OTC: LAGBF) issued a news release recapping some of its recent milestones related to its planned entry into the $121 billion global skin care industry. The most recently announced milestone related to this goal was the company’s entry into a non-binding letter of intent to acquire the exclusive license brand name and existing inventory of CannaCeuticals of California, USA (“Canna”), which was originally announced in a news release issued on July 7. Under the terms of this agreement, Laguna will receive an exclusive license to sell Canna’s cannabidiol (CBD) skin care products in the United States and Canada for an initial period of two years, with license and marketing rights extending to Asia, Europe and Mexico, subject to Canna receiving regulatory approval in those markets.

Upon closing of this transaction, Laguna plans to leverage its rapidly-expanding affiliate marketing network to sell Canna’s innovative products in North America. The addition of the skin care products would offer entry into a sizable international industry while also building on the company’s existing presence in the functional beverage space. Just last month, Laguna gave prospective investors some insight into the strong growth of its affiliate marketing network when it announced the generation of $105,000 in unaudited sales during the 11-week period ended May 31, 2016. In addition to exceeding internal sales goals, a high reorder rate reiterated the positive product experience and strong demand that exists for Laguna’s two hemp-based functional beverage products, according to company president Ray Grimm Jr.

The addition of Canna’s CBD face serum to the company’s affiliate marketing network is expected to play a key role in Laguna’s ability to promote sustainable growth moving forward. In a recent clinical trial studying the efficacy of the serum, 100 percent of test subjects reported an overall improvement to the appearance of skin within 14 days. Of those, 85.71 percent noticed an improvement during the first week. Look for the company to lean on these findings while continuing to promote heightened brand exposure following the anticipated finalization of the manufacturing and exclusive license agreement with Canna.

“The momentum we have gained in the last 30 days is testament to our commitment to the Laguna Blends brand, our affiliates, and our shareholders,” Grimm concluded in this morning’s news release. “The achievements noted above cast significant light on the high-potential future of Laguna Blends, as well as our ability to rapidly yet successfully execute an aggressive growth strategy. With regard to our negotiations with Canna, we have a lot more potential and milestones on deck, and we look forward to updating our shareholders in the near future.”

For more information, visit www.lagunablends.com

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Earlier today, eXp World Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: EXPI) continued the rapid expansion of its real estate division when it announced the launch of eXp Realty in New Jersey. Including the Utah launch, which was announced earlier this week, the company’s Agent-Owned Cloud Brokerage™ is now operational in 43 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Alberta, Canada. In total, EXPI’s innovative brokerage now includes more than 1,400 real estate professionals, an increase of over 60 percent from the beginning of 2016.

EXPI’s pioneering agent-owned business model has proven successful in attracting some of the leading real estate professionals across all of its markets, and New Jersey is no different. The company’s broker of record for the state, Jeanne Borgers, brings more than 12 years of New Jersey real estate experience to the eXp Realty team. During this time, she worked with Keller Williams NJ Metro Group, earning the nickname of ‘Short Sale Queen’ for her ability to navigate the challenging realty landscape ushered in by the Great Recession.

“We are fortunate to have experienced and talented leadership in place with Jeanne as we enter a highly competitive market and a state where the practice of real estate varies significantly from the north to the south,” Jason Gesing, chief executive officer of eXp Realty, stated in this morning’s news release. “We look forward to offering new opportunities to and welcoming entrepreneurial professionals across the state into our community of agent owners.”

Over the past two months, EXPI’s realty division has experienced tremendous national growth, expanding into an impressive six states since early May. This growing national presence has set the stage for considerable financial growth in the months to come. In the first quarter of 2016, the company recorded a year-over-year increase in revenues of 107 percent. This coincided with an increase in agent count for its real estate division of 106 percent from the previous year. eXp Realty has already added roughly 300 new agents to its Agent-Owned Cloud Brokerage since the end of the first quarter, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down.

In a recent news release, Glenn Sanford, chairman and chief executive officer of EXPI, stated, “Our internal mantra of ‘We want the value proposition of eXp Realty to be so good that it would be irresponsible for an agent and broker to hang their license anywhere else’ has and will continue to drive innovation around the Agent/Owner model.” If financial performance continues to mirror this growth in agent count, the company could be primed for record results moving forward.

For more information, visit the company’s website at http://investors.exprealty.com

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Stem cells have near-limitless abilities. They divide, reproduce, and build on each other to repair and regenerate tissue. Stem cells are most interesting for their ability to renew themselves and to differentiate into specific cells. Every single time a stem cell divides it can become a different stem cell. These are just some of the reasons stem cells have become so popular in the research and medical world. Human stem cells are currently being used to test new drugs and find new treatments for a range of diseases, including Parkinson’s, ischemic strokes, metabolic liver diseases, retinal blindness, corneal blindness, and many more.

Thanks to the nature of stem cells, they are often used in cosmetics. This is due to the fact that stem cell extracts can lead to renewal, regeneration, and repair of the skin. In actual fact, cosmetics do not have stem cells in them. Rather they are actually made using extracts from where the stem cells were grown. These extracts are used as a supplement to help grow and naturally repair the skin.

When stem cells first started getting used for medical and cosmetic purposes, they were embryonic stem cells. These stem cells have the ability to reproduce at an exceptional rate, but they require many growth factors, such as nutrients, vitamins, salt, and oxygen. In addition, these first pluripotent eggs were taken from donated human embryos, otherwise known as ESC. Due to the fact that creating ESC involved destroying a human embryo, there have been moral issues associated with their fabrication.

International Stem Cell Corp. (OTCQB: ISCO) has pioneered a new type of pluripotent stem cells from unfertilized eggs. These new cells are known as human parthenogenetic stem cells (hPSC). ISCO’s new cells have not only cut out all the ethical issues associated with embryonic cells, they also retain many of the factors that make them important within the medical and cosmetic industries. ISCO’s subsidiary, Lifeline Skin Care, Inc., is a cosmeceutical business that develops, manufactures, and markets stem cell derived cosmetics. Lifeline Skin Care uses human stem cell extracts and non-embryonic cells. The company uses small molecule technology to help smooth, repair, and restore the skin to give all the benefits that most people buying cosmetics are looking for.

For more information, visit www.internationalstemcell.com

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