Earlier this week, Bovie Medical Corporation (NYSE MKT: BVX), a leading developer of medical devices and supplies, announced its plans to participate in the 9th Annual Biotech Showcase Conference, which is set to take place at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square from January 9-11. Robert L. Gershon, the company’s chief executive officer, is scheduled to present to investors at 11:00 am PST on Tuesday, January 10. Planned talking points include Bovie Medical’s recent activities, as well as the company’s innovative J-Plasma® surgical instrument. Additionally, Gershon is expected to present at Medtech Showcase at the Parc 55 San Francisco Hotel in Union Square on Wednesday, January 11 at 10:30 am PST.

To learn more about Biotech Showcase 2017, visit http://nnw.fm/I1blo

Bovie Medical – named for the inventor of modern electrosurgery, Dr. William T. Bovie – leverages a portfolio of proprietary technology and expertise spanning the design, development and manufacture of electrosurgical equipment to create advanced energy devices that it markets around the globe. The company maintains a number of well-respected brands, including Bovie®, Aaron®, IDS™ and ICON™, in addition to marketing its products through private labels.

J-Plasma® is Bovie Medical’s leading product. A plasma-based surgical product for cutting and coagulation, J-Plasma® combines the unique properties of cold helium plasma with RF energy to give surgeons greater precision, minimal invasiveness and an absence of potentially dangerous conductive currents through patients during surgery. To date, the product has been used successfully in a wide array of surgical procedures, such as capsular scoring, wound debridement and scar revision. J-Plasma® is still in the early stages of commercialization, according to the company’s website, but Bovie Medical believes that it has the potential to become a “transformational product for surgeons.”

In August 2016, the market potential of J-Plasma® was reaffirmed when a portion of the J-Plasma® platform was recognized as an “Innovation of the Year” by The Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons for the third consecutive year. The Precise 360™ hand piece, which received this year’s distinction, features an angled and rotating tip that allows surgeons to access structures that are difficult to reach with a straight laparoscopic device. In 2014, the J-Plasma® product line received the same distinction, and, in 2015, the title was given to the Bovie Ultimate™ Operating Room Generator, which combines J-Plasma® technology with the highest wattage monopolar and bipolar electrosurgical generator.

For more information, visit www.BovieMedical.com

Before the opening bell, Net Element, Inc. (NASDAQ: NETE), through subsidiary Unified Payments, announced its entry into an agreement with ReservHotel, a leading provider of travel distribution and booking solutions for hotels worldwide. Under the terms of this agreement, Unified Payments has launched payment acceptance services for the booking platform, further demonstrating Net Element’s broad capabilities as a leading payment acceptance company on the international stage. All told, the company facilitates transactions through a comprehensive range of services that include a proprietary on-boarding interface and advanced fraud protection solutions, alongside a suite of data analytics and reporting tools.

“We are excited about partnering with Net Element; not only can they provide a comprehensive solution for our hotel client’s payment needs, but they can adapt to work with different currencies and countries around the world which is critical for our independent hotels,” Luis Barberi, chief executive officer of ReservHotel, stated in this morning’s news release.

In recent years, the online travel sector has recorded tremendous growth, with global sales in the space reaching $246 billion in 2015, according to Euromonitor International. This continued performance has been driven, in large part, by global leaders such as Expedia (NASDAQ: EXPE) and Priceline Group (NASDAQ: PCLN), both of which recorded year-over-year growth in excess of 10 percent in 2015. ReservHotel is primed to benefit from this continuing industry trend, with its award-winning booking engine and ongoing promotion programs through various Expedia and Priceline brands. ReservHotel already connects an estimated 500,000 travel agencies around the world.

“We are fortunate to be partnering with ReservHotel, a premier travel booking solution provider for independent hotels worldwide,” Oleg Firer, chief executive officer of Net Element, added in this morning’s release.

News of Unified Payments’ partnership with ReservHotel continues to build on Net Element’s recent progress toward expanding its presence in the global payments market. Just last month, the company announced that its PayOnline subsidiary had launched a payment acceptance module for Telegram, a popular cloud-based mobile and desktop instant messenger application. The module, which was created for use within the high-volume insurance industry, offers a first-of-its kind payment service for insurance premiums and is currently available for customers of VTB Insurance, a leading insurance provider in Russia.

Finishing 2016 on a high note, Net Element also announced its entry into a strategic partnership with E2Exchange Ltd (E2E) last month. E2E is a scale-up-focused organization, led by Honorary President Sir Richard Branson, that supports entrepreneurs and facilitates information exchange, equity-funding transactions and recruitment among its members. Notably, members of E2E now have access to Net Element’s global multi-channel payment service, while Net Element CEO Oleg Firer will serve as a member of E2E’s advisory board moving forward.

For more information, visit www.NetElement.com

Buying a new home is a big investment that can significantly impact the buyer’s future for years to come. Many potential home buyers have a hard time finding their ideal property, for various reasons including location of the property, pricing, room arrangement, and more. Some may be satisfied with the price and layout of the place, but have concerns about the history of the property or the area demographics. With so many things to consider when making such an investment, customers can start feeling overwhelmed and getting the impression that they are missing something important.

With the SikkU GCard networking system from real estate technology company GainClients, Inc. (OTC: GCLT), customers and real estate professionals alike can get access to all the valuable and relevant information about a property, allowing professionals in the field to improve their service and ensuring enhanced transparency to any real estate transaction. The GCard platform, built like any other popular online network, is intuitive and easy to use, being designed as a way to build and promote solid relationships among real estate professionals and their customers.

Capitalizing on a growing consumer preference for mobile devices, the GCard platform was created to allow real estate agents to stay in touch with their customers and send them the information they need, when they need it, directly to their mobile phones. Some of the key GCard features that benefit clients include the proprietary Home Scoop™ real estate data set. The Home Scoop™ gives real estate customers access to important information about the properties they are interested in and their location, such as the home value for a particular address, a history of the property value over the last five years, information about comparable sales, the age of the property, area demographics with information about population, average age, income, etc. and also details about nearby emergency services and schools. The platform also has a home search function that uses IDX data and allows clients to get in touch with their agents to share leads. Other important features include mortgage rates, payments, taxes and insurance calculators, as well as access to all necessary disclosures before sealing a transaction.

Real estate professionals using the GCard system have access to all of the above, plus a series of extra features such as a client management panel with information about their clients’ activity and registration information, along with when they were last active in the system, and properties they viewed, favorited or evaluated. Via a customizable dashboard feature, real estate agents can also view recently added clients and partners through their activity and admin level GCards, and they can get in touch with any professionals attached to a specific client in the system. The SikkU GCard further allows professionals and organizations to add custom menu items to their GCards, such as Facebook or website links, but also to customize and brand the interface to accurately reflect their organizations.

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

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Before the opening bell, Monaker Group, Inc. (OTCQB: MKGI) announced the appointment of Simon Orange, the founding partner and chairman of CorpAcq, to its board of directors. In addition to adding extensive investment industry knowledge and experience to the Monaker team, Orange’s appointment also advances the company’s long-term goal of uplisting to the Nasdaq Capital Market. With this appointment, Monaker Group’s board of directors now includes five members, including three who are serving independently. Nasdaq corporate governance requirements specify that independent members must make up the majority of the board of directors for nearly all listed companies.

“While Simon’s appointment satisfies the listing requirements for an independent majority, we are continuing our search and evaluation process to bring on additional board members who will strengthen our leadership and composition of our board committees,” Bill Kerby, chairman and chief executive officer of Monaker Group, stated in this morning’s news release. “We expect to announce such additional appointments in the near term.”

Moving forward, Orange is expected to play a key role in the expansion of Monaker Group’s foothold in the global travel industry. In 2006, he co-founded CorpAcq, a UK-based corporate acquisitions and investments firm with a portfolio that currently includes 19 companies. Recognized as one of the fastest growing enterprises in the United Kingdom, CorpAcq has played a key role in the funding and management of numerous business ventures, many of which have been acquired by sizable Nasdaq and London Stock Exchange listed companies. In addition to his work with CorpAcq, Orange is also a founding member of New York-based Cicero Consulting Group.

“I have long been passionate about travel, and intrigued with how technology continues to transform the hospitality and travel landscape,” Orange noted in this morning’s release. “I’m honored and excited to join the Monaker board and leadership teams, particularly at this pivotal stage of the company’s development, with the near-term launch of its unique booking platform that for the first time will provide ‘real-time’ alternative lodging reservations along with mainstream travel products and services all on a single site.”

As noted in a December update, Monaker Group is currently working toward the launch of its alternative lodging rental (ALR) business later this month. This innovative offering will feature two components, including the company’s proprietary Monaker Booking Engine (MBE) and its flagship NextTrip.com platform. The MBE will allow both business travel partners and consumers to access Monaker Group’s expansive portfolio of lodging products, which currently features well over one million properties in the United States, Europe, Asia, South America and the Caribbean. On the other hand, NextTrip.com will continue to serve as a direct-to-consumer platform by offering, for the first time, real-time ALR reservations alongside major mainstream travel products and services.

For more information, visit www.MonakerGroup.com

Before the opening bell, eXp World Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: EXPI) announced the appointment of Laurie Hawkes as an independent addition to its board of directors. Hawkes brings nearly four decades of leadership experience in realty and finance to EXPI, during which time she has held high-level positions as an investment banker, a private real estate equity investor and a successful entrepreneur. Her expertise in the real estate sector, particularly as it relates to raising capital, executing acquisition strategies, developing business plans and creating scalable operational platforms, is expected to play a key role in the continued development and expansion of EXPI’s full-service real estate brokerage, eXp Realty LLC.

“Laurie brings almost 40 years of leadership experience in realty and finance to eXp,” Glenn Sanford, founder, CEO and chairman of EXPI, stated in this morning’s news release. “We look forward to leveraging her unique skill set and acumen as we further scale our innovative, cloud-focused real estate brokerage. Her decision to join eXp’s board comes at an opportune time, as we work to build a profitable company that directly contributes to increased shareholder value.”

Hawkes began her career in 1979 as an investment banker at Salomon Brothers, Inc., where she would serve as a director and spend 14 years specializing in real estate acquisitions and mortgage finance. In 1993, she was recruited as a managing director to join the Real Estate Investment Banking Division, a position through which she developed new business and expanded structured finance at CS First Boston Corp. From 1995 to 2007, Hawkes worked at U.S. Realty Advisors, a $3 billion real estate private equity firm operating in New York City. She became a partner in 1997 before serving as president and head of acquisitions from 2003 to 2007.

Since leaving U.S. Realty Advisors, Hawkes has established herself as a pioneer in bringing institutional capital to the single-family rental sector. She co-founded American Residential Properties, Inc. in 2012 and led the start-up during its transformation into a $2 billion enterprise. In 2013, Hawkes co-led the company’s IPO and listing on the NYSE. American Residential Properties merged with American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE: AMH) in March 2016, creating an $8 billion enterprise with a portfolio of more than 47,000 homes.

For EXPI, the addition of Laurie Hawkes as an independent director is expected to play a key role as the company, through its Agent-Owned Cloud Brokerage™, seeks to build on its 2016 growth in the new year. As of the end of Q3 2016, eXp Realty had more than 2,130 real estate professionals operating across 41 states, the District of Columbia and Alberta, Canada. This total marked an increase of 151 percent from the previous year. Similarly, EXPI’s third quarter 2016 revenues totaled $15.7 million, a year-over-year increase of 112 percent.

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

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One of the few industries that not only survived the recession but continued growing at a steady pace, the pet care market is expected to keep up the same trend as it expands and diversifies into a wider, more high-end range of products and services. The industry has been growing year-on-year over the past two decades, to an estimated $62.74 billion in 2016, according to American Pet Products Association statistics (http://dtn.fm/P7F6g), and market experts predict this trend is very likely to extend into the future, mostly as a direct result of a growing culture of pet anthropomorphism and a tendency to pamper pets with only the highest-quality products and services, from food and toys to medical care and grooming.

As more pet owners are beginning to humanize their furry friends and treat them as members of the family, sometimes even spending considerably more money on their food and general care products, businesses in the market are starting to take notice. The range of high-end products available in the niche is therefore wider than ever, with an emphasis on top quality ingredients and materials. In this landscape, innovative pet businesses such as Ohio-based OurPet’s Company (OTCQX: OPCO) can only thrive through its commitment to offering only the best and highest quality products.

Pet food businesses were the first to join the high-end pet care market train, but there is also a growing demand for super premium products and services, including luxurious pet spas and hotels targeting affluent pet owners, pet portrait photography, and pet behavior consulting – which indicates a growing concern among pet owners to actually understand their pets and learn how to correctly interpret their behavior and reactions.

OurPet’s Company is tapping into a market segment that has much room for further development – that of pet supplies and OTC medicine, which was estimated at $14.98 billion in 2016. For comparison, the pet food market segment raked in an estimated $24.01 billion last year. The company is targeting the high-end pet care market via an impressive range of feeding accessories, toys, waste management products and high-tech items that are designed to help owners develop a closer bond to their pets by closely monitoring their health and behavior, even from a distance. Its unique line of proprietary products, distributed both nationwide and overseas, confirms the company’s commitment to developing one-of-a-kind, premium solutions that are unparalleled on the market.

Via an impressive product roster that ranges from highly innovative toys to smart waste management solutions such as the OurPets® Switchgrass Natural Cat Litter™ (http://dtn.fm/vjQ1E) – a high-quality, all natural and fully biodegradable litter, the company’s place on the high-end pet care market seems nothing short of set in stone. In addition, OurPet’s is one of the few companies in the industry that is focusing on incorporating smart technology into the lives of pets and their owners, via the OurPets® Intelligent Pet Care™ product line (http://dtn.fm/jrLj4). Consisting of several intelligent pet health monitoring products using Bluetooth® technology, the Intelligent Pet Care™ line is designed to allow owners to constantly monitor their pets’ behavior through a smartphone app. The product line includes smart feeding and watering solutions, an intelligent, self-cleaning litter box and related Bluetooth® and Wi-Fi accessories.

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

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Although eight states and the District of Columbia will now allow adult recreational use of marijuana and another 20 states will permit marijuana to be used for medical purposes, the industry is still being stymied in its efforts to access banking services. Since cannabis remains a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, a classification that also applies to heroin, LSD and ecstasy, financial institutions fear that dealing with marijuana establishments will expose them to highly punitive measures. Facilitating monetary transactions in marijuana, if determined to be money laundering, could be fined at twice the amount laundered and accompanied by a 20-year prison sentence.

In light of this unsatisfactory state of affairs, Singlepoint, Inc. (OTC: SING) welcomed the recent request (http://dtn.fm/TOZ4o) to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCEN), by 10 senators, for further guidance ‘to financial institutions on their ability to provide services, specifically to indirect businesses that do nothing more than provide services to the state-sanctioned marijuana industry’. The letter set out three reasons why it makes sense for marijuana shops to have bank accounts: it makes the collection of state and federal taxes easier; it makes it more difficult for criminal elements to be involved in the industry, and less cash means less likelihood of armed robberies.

The senators’ letter contained a litany of woes assailing the industry, pointing out that the guidance issued by FINCEN in 2014 applied only to ‘state-legalized marijuana businesses and the financial services industry’. It did not address the plight of ‘the indirect businesses that service the marijuana industry, leaving it up to individual financial institutions to determine how to classify and treat indirect businesses’. As a result, ‘less than 3% of the nation’s 11,954 federally regulated banks and credit unions have chosen to serve the cannabis industry’.

As far as tax revenues are concerned, there’s a lot at stake. Before Colorado legalized the adult use of marijuana, state authorities projected tax revenues of $70 million per year. Actual revenues have far exceeded that. In 2015, $113 million in retail marijuana tax revenues were collected on sales of $568 million. Marijuana tax revenues were, actually, twice those of alcohol taxes in 2015. In 2016, they may end up being four times as much.

The story is much the same in Washington State. Statewide sales of marijuana for adult and medicinal use were running at a rate of $2 million daily, or about $730 million per annum, in April 2016. If that rate has kept up, tax revenues from marijuana will be in the vicinity of $270 million for 2016.

The legal market for marijuana is now estimated at about $7 billion, while the black market is thought to be around $50 billion. Tax rates vary from state to state, but even a modest 20% rate on such a huge market will provide a substantial boost to state budgets.

Through its SingleSeed subsidiary, Singlepoint, Inc. is prepared to offer payment solutions for the cannabis industry. Its mobile marketing and payment solutions include cashless ATM, Pay-by-Text™ and text message marketing.

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

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In a news release issued late Tuesday, CytoDyn Inc. (OTCQB: CYDY), a biotechnology company focused on the development of new antibody therapies for combatting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, announced that its management team will be hosting an investment community conference call on Thursday, January 5, 2017, at 4:00 pm EST.

The call is expected to feature an update on developments related to CytoDyn’s clinical and regulatory programs. The company will also be posting to its website (www.CytoDyn.com) a “Letter to Shareholders and Friends” from Nader Pourhassan Ph.D., president and CEO of CytoDyn. This letter, which will also be made available tomorrow, is expected to include a review of the company’s recent progress as well as insight into CytoDyn’s goals and milestones for the coming year.

To participate in tomorrow’s conference call, investors should dial 877-407-2986 (U.S./Canada) or 201-378-4916 (international). Alternatively, a live audio webcast may also be accessed under the Investors section/IR Calendar of CytoDyn’s corporate website. The company encourages web participants to visit its website at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the call in order to register and install any necessary software.

For those unable to attend the live call, the audio webcast will be archived for 60 days on CytoDyn’s corporate website. A replay of the conference call will also be made available until March 5, 2017. To access this replay, interested parties may dial 877-660-6853 (U.S./Canada) or 201-612-7415 (international); Conference ID: 13652328.

Tomorrow’s conference call comes less than a month after CytoDyn announced the treatment of the first several patients in its ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial of PRO 140 as a single-agent maintenance therapy in virally suppressed subjects with HIV. The new trial, which Pourhassan called “nearly a duplicate of [CytoDyn’s] Phase 2b monotherapy trial with an additional objective of investigating why some R5 patients did not respond to this therapy as well as others,” is likely to “provide essential data to support the continued clinical and regulatory advancement of PRO 140.”

Notably, data from this Phase 3 trial is expected to be submitted as part of CytoDyn’s upcoming Biologics License Application (BLA) for PRO 140 as a combination therapy with the current standard-of-care, highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). In addition to providing potential cost savings, this dual use of clinical data will facilitate “the fastest path to regulatory approval which is an expected submission of the rolling BLA in 2017,” according to Pourhassan.

For more information, visit www.CytoDyn.com

One of the biggest problems facing ecommerce – online fashion retailers, in particular – is high return rates due to the fact that purchased products aren’t always a good fit. This can apply to all kinds of items, but clothing leads the way with more than 50 percent of online purchases being returned to the vendor due to sizing or quality issues. Israel-based company My Size, Inc. (NASDAQ: MYSZ) is intent on solving this problem once and for all via an innovative suite of high-precision measurement applications that can be used in a variety of markets.

Using a unique measurement technology based on several patent-pending algorithms that calculate measurements in novel ways, the company has developed various apps designed to help users determine the correct size of virtually any everyday object, as well as their bodies and clothing. One of the most popular My Size apps is designed to help shoppers always get the right fit, no matter what kind of size charts online vendors are using. The MySizeID app utilizes smartphone sensors to determine a user’s personal measurements, which can then be stored in a secure online profile and used for any new purchase.

The app will soon become available worldwide as a direct result of a new partnership between My Size and renowned high-end fashion retailer Trucco. Based in Spain, Trucco has more than 30 years of experience in the apparel industry and is present in 20+ countries all around the globe, including markets in Europe, Asia and South America. Under the deal, the My Size measurement app will become available to Trucco’s online and offline customers beginning this spring, coinciding with the launch of a new collection. Until then, the app will undergo a testing period in the Trucco system. According to both Trucco and My Size representatives, the highly-accurate app will help customers select the right size garments on the first try, which will ultimately help improve conversion rates and significantly reduce returns.

The application is very easy to use, My Size Chief Product Officer Billy Pardo explained in a news release. Customers are only required to wave their smartphones (with the installed app) over a piece of clothing that fits just the way they like it. The app will instantly calculate the exact measurements, and the Trucco system will then recommend which size the customer should purchase, making the entire online shopping experience easier and fun, all while minimizing the risk of wasting time and money on items that are not the right fit.

In addition to the exposure it will receive due to the Trucco partnership, My Size is expected to make a strong showing at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this month. The company will showcase its products at the Israeli Pavilion during CES 2017, with a program that will include a press conference on January 5, a market launch, contests and demonstrations. Additionally, My Size will exhibit its applications at the ShowStoppers press reception, which is also scheduled for January 5 at this year’s CES.

For more information, visit www.MySizeID.com

Before the opening bell, Singlepoint, Inc. (OTC: SING) kicked off the new year by voicing its support for an ongoing congressional push calling for banking reform as it relates to the burgeoning legal cannabis industry. In mid-December, a group of 10 U.S. senators (http://dtn.fm/B8Dsa) from states across the country, including Alaska, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington, issued a letter to the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) calling for changes that could facilitate comprehensive banking services for cannabis industry companies doing business in the 28 states that have already legalized marijuana in some form. In addition to eliminating many of the unnecessary security risks that come with operating all-cash businesses, the senators note that banking reform in the cannabis industry will also benefit the federal government.

“The fledgling legal market for marijuana is around $7 billion, a figure that’s dwarfed by the overall billion US market, most of which remains illegal. This business environment is an invitation to tax fraud, robberies, money laundering, and organized crime … With tens of millions of Americans soon gaining legal access to marijuana under state laws, new guidance is necessary in order to allow banks to enhance the availability of financial services for indirect businesses that service the marijuana industry. This will not only bolster the safety of our communities, but it will also help to spur economic growth across the country,” the letter reads.

For Singlepoint, these sustained calls for banking reform in the cannabis industry serve as validation of the company’s recent strategic moves. During the fourth quarter of 2016, Singlepoint announced plans to awaken its SingleSeed subsidiary in order to capitalize on the evolving legislative environment surrounding the U.S. cannabis market. Upon its original launch following the legalization of marijuana for recreational use in Colorado, SingleSeed established a client base and positioned itself as one of the first merchant service providers in the space.

In recent months, the company has looked to capitalize on this ‘first-mover’ position while expanding its presence in the evolving cannabis market. In a December interview on MoneyTV with Donald Baillargeon, Singlepoint CEO Greg Lambrecht noted that the company is in the process of updating the SingleSeed website in order to better serve dispensaries following anticipated regulatory changes. In the meantime, the company is also making its text message marketing solution available to cannabis industry businesses in order to help them stay connected with clients while remaining up-to-date on SingleSeed’s continued efforts to facilitate non-cash payment solutions in the space.

“We are witnessing exciting, groundbreaking advances in the marijuana industry, and are encouraged to see congressional-level support for banking measures that would further revolutionize the way cannabis companies do business,” Lambrecht added in this morning’s update. “The regulatory environment is rapidly changing and SingleSeed is gearing up to provide dispensaries with payment processing solutions specifically tailored to their needs.”

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

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