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

Let us hear your thoughts: Singlepoint, Inc. Message Board

Remedies for pain have progressed beyond the one recommended in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, where the renowned playwright wrote, “One pain is lessened by another; catch some new infection… and the poison of the old one will die.” Today, a variety of treatment options are available to the sufferer. Alas, many of these come bundled with pernicious side effects and the risk of addiction, making the remedy, in the long term, worse than the ailment. With NeuroRelease™, Cambridge, Massachusetts-based PixarBio Corporation (OTCQX: PXRB) is offering the possibility of release not only from pain but also from dependence on painkillers.

Pain is a ubiquitous phenomenon that pervades our lives from cradle to grave. We bear its lesser manifestations with a grimace or a smile, but, in many instances, analgesics are needed to free us from the greatest torments. For centuries, extracts from opium, derived from the poppy plant, have served that purpose. Perhaps, the most significant of these extracts or alkoloids is morphine, named after Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams.

Morphine, in one form or another, has been used to ease pain since it was isolated from raw opium in 1805. Before that time, a number of preparations, such as laudanum, a solution of opium in alcohol, were employed as painkillers. Morphine is, however, treacherously addictive. Its use during the American Civil War turned large numbers of wounded veterans into addicts. This spurred the search for less addictive analgesics and the employment of weaker opiates such as codeine, which was widely used, at one time, in cough medications.

The quest for less addictive opiates, ironically, led to the discovery of more addictive ones. The German chemist, Felix Hoffman, developed heroin while working in the pharmaceutical research department of what is now Bayer AG. Bayer actually manufactured and sold bottles of heroin medicine in the first decade of the twentieth century (http://dtn.fm/Fw8dD).

In 1909, the U.S. Congress passed the Smoking Opium Exclusion Act, which banned the importation, possession and use of ‘smoking opium’. The statute still allowed for the use of opium-based ‘medications’, however. It was actually the first federal law banning the non-medical use of a substance.

Since that time, a number of FDA-approved drugs have made their appearance, including Vicodin in 1984, OxyContin in 1995 and Percocet in 1999. These are, essentially, all synthetic opiates and, like their natural cousins, are just as addictive. As a result, opioid addiction has mushroomed into a national crisis. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (http://dtn.fm/2qeUg) has stated that “more people died from drug overdoses in 2014 than in any year on record, and the majority of drug overdose deaths (more than six out of ten) involved an opioid.”

This frightening scenario makes PixarBio’s NeuroRelease™ a welcome addition to the analgesic arsenal. NeuroRelease™ is a morphine replacement, non-addictive pain platform for the surgical and hospital setting, for the battlefield, and for the alleviation of acute and chronic pain in general. The first product FDA approval for the platform is expected to be a 14-day post-surgical pain treatment, and the company anticipates commercial approval for this indication in late 2018.

PixarBio is a specialty pharmaceutical and biotech company focused on pre-clinical and clinical commercial development of novel neurological drug delivery systems for post-operative pain. The company researches and develops targeted delivery systems for drugs, devices, or biologics to treat pain, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and spinal cord injury. Its lead product platform, NeuroRelease™, has achieved sustained therapeutic release of non-opiate drugs for post-operative, acute and chronic pain in pre-clinical models.

For more information, visit www.PixarBio.com

In less than a decade, we’ve seen multiple networks spring up that are now connecting hundreds of millions of people. The largest one, Facebook, surpassed an astounding one billion users earlier this year as it advanced on its mission to “connect the world”. Facebook, as well as other networks sharing the same goal, is achieving great success by connecting more and more people every day. However, they can’t do that alone.

FTE Networks (OTCQX: FTNW) lives by the mission of “enabling the connection” that is allowing so many businesses to thrive in today’s globally connected environment. The company provides end-to-end network infrastructure solutions and focuses primarily on the burgeoning technology & communications networks industries. Current customers and target markets include tier 1 & 2 carriers, network infrastructure providers, OEMs, major ISPs and government.

When you consider just a few of the latest statistics, it becomes clear how much this company’s services are needed. Today, there are approximately 7.3 billion people, 3.4 billion internet users, and 2.3 billion active social media users. And all those numbers are growing. Networks will soon need to have the capacity to connect hundreds of millions of new people, and significant constraints or delays won’t be acceptable.

FTE Networks’ strategy includes optimizing its customer base through strategic partnerships, expanding recurring revenue with high margins, pursuing continuous improvement, leveraging innovative technology and expertise, deploying a world-class managed network services platform and capturing new growth opportunities on an ongoing basis. The strategy is clearly working well, with 19 locations across the country, favorable growth characteristics, and continued momentum heading into 2017.

Looking back over 2016, revenue increased significantly, and the final total is expected to be 50% greater than what was generated in 2015. There have also been tremendous gains in gross profits, with the third quarter bringing in $1.4 million, which is a 159% increase from the same period last year. Additionally, gross margins were improved from 14% to 37% year-over-year, and the company achieved positive income from operations.

In a recent news release, Chairman and SEO Michael Palleschi stated that not only will the company finish strong this year, but it is anticipated that the company will continue to drive incremental growth quarter-over-quarter throughout 2017 and beyond. As we enter 2017, FTE Networks will focus on pursuing accretive growth opportunities through mergers and acquisitions that are expected to solidify its position as a leader in the infrastructure solutions business segments, while also accelerating the launch of its exciting Managed Services platform.

With a track record of success already established, this is a company you will want to keep on your radar screen.

For more information, visit www.FTENet.com

With close to half a million sitting in the bank and in short-term securities at the end of the third quarter (September 30, 2016), National Waste Management Holdings, Inc. (OTC: NWMH) is flush with cash. This is no happenstance or accident. The company plans to become a vertically integrated behemoth with the long-term goal of servicing the entire East Coast from Florida to New York.

National Waste plans to achieve that vertical integration mainly through acquisitions, a strategy that is already proving to be a huge success. Its revenues for the nine-month period ended September 2016 were $4.9 million, rising by 262 percent over 2015 same period revenues of $1.3 million. Management at National Waste may be forgiven for laughing all the way to the bank. Cash and cash equivalents increased by 31 percent. This is one waste management company that’s wasting no time as it vigorously pursues its objective of becoming a major player in the industry.

A vertically integrated company is one that owns or controls successive stages in the supply chain. Since the end product of one stage would normally be the input to another stage, a vertical integration approach has the potential of streamlining processes and reducing costs. The major oil companies have employed such a strategy with telling effect, with interests in the supply chain from exploration to gas stations.

The waste management business has a similar heterogeneous value chain, composed of landfills, transfer stations, residential dumpster service, commercial dumpster service and residential garbage collection. National Waste, with the complementary strategies of acquisition and vertical integration, has been adding services as quickly as it has been extending its geographic reach.

Two of the driving forces behind National Waste’s winning strategy were interviewed by NetworkNewsWire (NNW), the multifaceted financial news and publishing company. CEO Louis “Tiny” Paveglio and CFO Dali Kranzthor sat down with Stuart Smith to discuss the company’s past milestones and its future goals.

With some 25 years of experience in the solid waste industry under his belt, CEO Louis “Tiny” Paveglio is a bright star in the National Waste firmament. He started as Vice President of Waste Recovery, a position from which he managed day-to-day operations and focused on revenue generation and gross margin profitability.

Under his leadership, Waste Recovery has expanded its roll-offs, built a solid waste transfer station and expanded residential garbage routes. In 2002, Paveglio was made CEO of Sandland, another Teelon company. As CEO, Paveglio made many significant changes to increase productivity and efficiencies.

After some restructuring, he increased profits while the downturn in new construction was hitting the C&D industry. He diversified to keep increasing revenue by trucking recycled materials to other various facilities, saving airspace at the landfill while fulfilling the need for recycled materials. When Sandland was acquired by National Waste, Paveglio assumed the position of CEO.

Dali Kranzthor is CFO of National Waste. As a certified valuation analyst, he is proficient in valuing companies and has assisted clients in this capacity with mergers and acquisitions and tax compliance. Before joining National Waste, he worked for many years at a full service CPA firm as director of audit and assurance and valuation.

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

Let us hear your thoughts: National Waste Management Holdings, Inc. Message Board

Modern technological advancements are permeating all facets of society and industry and encouraging remote interactions from anywhere and at anytime. In the realm of education, we have seen a rise in the offering of massive open online courses (MOOCs) aimed at unlimited student participation and open access via the web. In the financial services arena, we have seen the rapid growth of technology-driven companies enabling mobile payments and value-added transactional services via e-commerce sites and point-of-sale solutions. It was only a matter of time before we began looking more closely at how the latest developments in technology are influencing the medical field and the way doctors care for patients.

On December 20, 2017, only days before the dawn of the coming new year, SeeThruEquity – an independent equity research firm focused on small cap and micro cap public companies – brought this medical consideration to the general public when it issued a press release (http://dtn.fm/ky37V) highlighting its initiation of coverage on Biotricity, Inc. (OTCQB: BTCY). SeeThruEquity estimated a 12-month price target of $4.20 for the company.

Biotricity is an emerging medical technology company that is focused on preventative health solutions. The company concentrates on developing and delivering remote patient monitoring and connected health solutions for disease management and lifestyle improvement in both diagnostic and post-diagnostic settings. With an eye toward putting health management into the hands of the patient, the company uses proprietary technology to develop cutting-edge solutions that empower the self-management of critical and chronic conditions and ease the rising burden on the health care system.

At present, Biotricity is directing its lead product, Bioflux, toward the monitoring of cardiovascular disease (CVD). With Bioflux, the company has designed a wearable mobile device and echocardiogram (ECG) system that boosts a doctor’s ability to monitor and diagnose CVD. Bioflux allows doctors to detect CVD or coronary heart diseases while also serving as an ambulatory monitor capable of identifying arrhythmias; acting as a remote mobile cardiac telemetry diagnostic monitor; and communicating ECG data via a built-in cellular radio in real-time. As a result, Biotricity’s management team is pursuing a 510(k) regulatory pathway for Bioflux and expecting to receive clearance to market the device in the first quarter of 2017.

In the future, the company intends to look beyond Bioflux at other sectors that present opportunities for long-term growth. For example, Biotricity intends to launch its Biolife health and lifestyle solution for the chronic illness side of the consumer market in 2017, aiming it at those individuals with high risks of CVD or who are already diagnosed with it. The Biolife solution consists of a clinical-grade heart monitor that reads ECG data or heart rhythms, as well as respiration, calories, temperature, physical activity and more. Additionally, the company plans to introduce products that target sleep apnea, fetal ECG monitoring, and diabetes monitoring to the wider healthcare market, as these three medical areas represent multi-billion dollar opportunities, if the company successfully executes its plan.

For more information, visit www.Biotricity.com

CytoDyn Inc. (OTCQB: CYDY), a biotechnology company focused on the development of new antibody therapies for combating human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and other diseases, announced this morning that it has engaged the expertise of NetworkNewsWire (“NNW”), a multifaceted financial news and publishing company that delivers a new generation of social communication solutions, news aggregation and syndication, and enhanced news release services. NNW’s strategies help public and private organizations find their voice and build market visibility via social media and a rapidly expanding distribution network of well over 5,000 key syndication outlets.

“Maintaining strong communication with CytoDyn shareholders is highly important as we pursue regulatory approval of PRO 140, our leading monoclonal antibody for HIV infection,” Nader Pourhassan, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of CytoDyn, stated in this morning’s news release. “As we focus on our ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial with PRO 140, NNW will work behind the scenes and use its vast network to keep existing and potential investors up-to-date on our progress.”

As part of the Client-Partner relationship with CytoDyn, NNW will leverage its investor-based Brand Network of partners, various newsletters, social media channels, blogs, and other outreach tools to generate greater brand awareness for the company.

“Though tremendously invaluable, communication strategies are an often overlooked aspect of business for many biotech and biopharma companies,” Sherri Franklin, director of Content Marketing for NNW, added in the release. “CytoDyn, however, is taking a proactive approach in making sure the investment community is aware of its progress. We look forward to working with this exciting company as it addresses a significant global concern and advances its clinical development of monoclonal antibodies for treatment of HIV infection.”

For more information, visit www.CytoDyn.com

Monaker Group (OTCQB: MKGI) is embracing its 65-plus years of operation as a technology-driven travel company to stand out within the leisure travel industries of Europe, Asia, South America and the United States. Using its strategic partnerships, assorted divisions and established travel brands as foundation stones, the company offers travel solutions for various demographics.

As the parent company to leading travel brands, Monaker’s mission is to continue to develop and increase its offerings so as to become the “one stop” vacation center. With its flagship NextTrip brand, Monaker presents discounted travel offerings (airfare, lodging and car rentals, included), and, with its Maupintour brand, it provides its luxury travel products.

Out of a base in South Florida, a committed team of travel and technology specialists leverage Monaker’s high-quality technology platform and strong domain expertise to deliver exceptional service to customers interested in the company’s online marketplaces and sizable inventory of travel products.

Customers who connect with the Maupintour brand get the option of traveling to the best destinations in the world and, by engaging with the brand’s extravagant tours and activities, seeing them from the lap of luxury. Travelers who connect with NextTrip.com, on the other hand, land on a website that unites vital features and functions with sophisticated proprietary and licensed technology in order to present an extensive portfolio of vacation alternatives at cost-effective prices, all under a single platform that gives customers the ultimate power of choice when they book their vacations. The platform is powered by Monaker’s proprietary, groundbreaking booking engine. This engine uses rich content, lush imagery and high-quality video to heighten the site’s customers’ shopping experiences and assist them as they search, decide on and book various vacation products (airlines, hotels, cruises, rental cars, tours and concierge services) and alternative lodging solutions (vacation home rentals, resort residences and unused timeshares).

For more information, visit www.MonakerGroup.com

Before the opening bell, Net Element, Inc. (NASDAQ: NETE) announced its entry into a strategic partnership with E2Exchange Ltd. (“E2E”) through which the company will provide access to its global multi-channel payment services offering to E2E members. Additionally, Oleg Firer, chief executive officer of Net Element, will serve as a member of E2E’s advisory board moving forward.

“We are honored to partner with the growing E2E network,” Firer stated in this morning’s news release. “We look forward to helping E2E members address their global commerce needs, and I am excited to join the E2E advisory board and help companies evaluate their payment needs as they grow internationally.”

Founded in 2011, E2E is an established network of highly successful businesspersons that currently includes more than 12,000 entrepreneurs, investors, non-executives and other partners. These members leverage E2E’s growing network to make connections, find investment and deal opportunities, source non-executive directors and exchange cutting-edge ideas in an effort to overcome the barriers to growth that affect companies of all sizes. E2Exchange is also actively engaged with business education and high-level lobbying efforts designed to further the interests of entrepreneurial business. Notably, E2E’s board of directors features some of the UK’s highest profile business leaders, including honorary President Sir Richard Branson.

“We are very excited to have entered into this strategic partnership with Net Element,” Shalini Khemka, founder and chief executive officer of E2E, stated in the news release. “Our fast-growing community of members can now access Net Element’s extensive range of payment acceptance services and its experience in streamlining payment processes for fast growing companies. This will be tremendously beneficial for our members in addressing global payments as they seek to expand and enhance their businesses.”

Entry into its partnership with E2Exchange continues to build on Net Element’s strong finish to 2016. Within the past month, the company has named Conformance Technologies its preferred provider for data compliance solutions; launched payment processing services in Azerbaijan through subsidiary PayOnline; and, also through PayOnline, launched an innovative payment acceptance module for Telegram, a popular cloud-based instant messenger application.

These moves came just weeks after Net Element released its financial results for the third quarter of 2016, which included an 11 percent year-over-year increase in net revenues driven by strong organic growth through its North America Transaction Solutions segment. All told, the company’s net revenues through the first nine months of 2016 totaled just shy of $39 million, marking an increase of 55 percent from the comparable period of 2015. These results caught the attention of industry analysts. Earlier this month, leading independent equity research firm SeeThruEquity noted Net Element’s strong revenue growth and an anticipated $10 million stock purchase agreement with ESOUSA Holdings, LLC as factors making Net Element a “compelling value at recent prices, especially in light of the growth generated by the company.”

For more information, visit www.NetElement.com

In the world of value investing, not all that is gold glitters… like Ohio-based OurPet’s Company, for example. OurPet’s Company (OTCQX: OPCO) is a leading proprietary pet supply company that designs, produces, and markets a broad line of innovative, high-quality accessory and consumable pet products under the OurPets® and Pet Zone® brands in the U.S. and international markets. Its yearly revenues have been rising at a steady clip since its inception over 20 years ago and so, too, have its profits. Yet OPCO’s valuation is way below what you might expect. Could this be a case of investors eschewing value because they don’t like the packaging?

No, you may argue. Investors are rational. They make decisions that maximize utility. The rational investor will base his decision on expected returns. Yet, we know now that that is not entirely true. Despite our claims to be rational, we demonstrate a great deal of ‘risk aversion’. We don’t like to lose. We will play it safe because the pain of losing a dollar is greater than the pleasure of finding one.

However, if losing money causes pain, why then do we gamble? Several explanations have been offered. It may be that gamblers are a naughty subset of the population who, unlike their more mature brethren, are decidedly irrational. It may be that our attitudes to risk change with mood. On days when our world looks bright, we are prepared to take more risks than when things don’t look so good. Perhaps, gambling is seen more as entertainment. We would like to win, but if we don’t, at least we had a good time. Or is it because of all the idiosyncrasies that make us human? It isn’t rational, for example, to sacrifice your life to save a stranger. Yet, as ‘The Man in the Water’ (http://dtn.fm/t6Lrk) has shown us, we each have the capacity to do just that.

So investors like glamour. If we say we’re invested early in Facebook or Google, wouldn’t we be regarded as savants? Isn’t that the way Warren Buffet works?

Irony aside, Buffet’s success is based on ‘value investing’. He famously said, “Whether we’re talking about socks or stocks, I like buying quality merchandise when it is marked down.” True value investing means picking up a bargain, companies whose stock prices don’t reflect their fundamental worth. In other words, buy it when it’s on sale.

OPCO is one such company. It prides itself on adaptability. CEO Dr. Steve Tsengas has remarked that one of the main rationales behind the founding of OurPet’s Company in 1994 was the lack of innovation in the pet industry at that time. In fact, so intent on the knowledge-based aspect of the enterprise were its co-founders, Dr. Steve Tsengas and Dean Tsengas, that they decided to focus on generating new and improved solutions for pet owners and ways of getting product to market rather than manufacturing. So, on the one hand, OurPet’s Company concentrates on innovation and design, and, on the other, on marketing and distributing its product line.

The company is focused on high-growth categories in the non-food segment of the pet products market. Healthy feeding/storage systems (http://dtn.fm/3GFrs) represent a $100 million a year market. Feline waste and odor control (http://dtn.fm/3eqBo) is a $250 million a year market. And the interactive cat and dog toys/accessories segment (http://dtn.fm/n4VDL) is a whopping $1 billion a year market.

OPCO has been growing 50 percent faster than the industry rate. With a P/E ratio that has ranged between 12.5 and 14.5, OPCO is definitely a bargain buy.

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

Let us hear your thoughts: OurPet’s Co. Message Board

Mobile payments have been increasingly adopted since the launch of this new technology back in 2015. By the end of 2016, mobile payments are expected to reach up to $180 billion, and, according to a report entitled ‘Mobile Payments Convergence: Opportunities at the Intersection of In-person, Online and P2P Payments’ (http://nnw.fm/obqQ9), the number of people using mobile wallets in the last 30 days has grown from 12% to nearly one in four people in 2016, approximately 40 million people in the U.S. Experts expect this type of payment to reach a huge $410.5 billion by the end of 2020. So what is shaping the future of mobile payments for 2017?

With new mobile applications and payment wallets inundating the mobile world, consumers are valuing the added simplicity and convenience of storing their card details on their devices. 2017 is said to be the year for ‘invisible payments’. This means that mobile devices are allowing us to become closer to acquiring a seamless in-store experience where initialization and authentication are no longer a concern, but it’s not just about making the payment process easier for consumers.

With ‘tap and go’ payments becoming more and more popular, customers expect this service to be available to them. As a result, simply paying via mobile is no longer the key driver for adoption of this relatively new payment method. The focus for mobile payments “is shifting from changing the payments process into a ‘buying experience’,” according to Mobile Payments Today (http://nnw.fm/Y4ktf). With big data readily available to merchants, customers are valuing specific, intelligent value-added services, some of which include gifts, rewards, loyalty points, and coupons.

Unified Payments, a TOT Group company owned by Net Element, Inc. (NASDAQ: NETE), which provides seamless and secure mobile payment acceptance without the investment in expensive and complicated hardware or services, offers integrated loyalty card solutions that allow merchants to boost sales and increase customer loyalty with personalized incentives. The company works on the basis that customers appreciate being rewarded and earning something back for their loyalty.

The NETE subsidiary offers registration and reporting solutions that allow merchants to retrieve valuable demographic information to improve their marketing initiatives by targeting their consumers with personalized rewards. The company is in-line with the 2017 predictions of offering customers experience-based payment solutions, and does so by giving its clients services with versatile and flexible features that directly target and identify existing customer trends.

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